Enjoying Some Green Inside and Out
Despite the disarray of my back yard and wonky deck, we like being out there. DH and I instead of going out for dinner had a bite to eat at home then took a long walk by the river and downtown. It was a perfect Friday night, and most definitely a mood lifter. We passed an old high school acquaintance I am still friendly with finishing up their patio dinner with her husband and daughter, and I got to see her first little grandson, just four weeks old.I had seen Facebook pictures, but they did not due justice to the perfect little man. Her daughter went to school and played basketball with DD1.
We intended to stop for a beer and glass of wine at one of the downtown spots, but then had a better idea to enjoy our own made cocktail on our deck. DD2 was out back chilling with a neighbor boy (not her date). I mixed up a vodka lemonade for myself, vodka pineapple for DH, and the kids had some Arizona tea. I brought a tray out with some chips and guacamole and popped a bag of popcorn. The bugs though have been bad and despite lighting a citronella candle, after about an hour we decided to call it a night and retreated inside. It was dark by then anyway. It was lovely enjoying the back yard greenery, and no worries about having a second big cocktail and then driving. I like our pub.
I finally shaped up a plant that I had neglected today, letting it almost die because of lack of water. Good thing pup doesn't get treated like houseplant. Once I started watering, it came back to life, but the dead leaves needed to be cleaned up. Yes, I am that bad of a gardener, inside and out, but now it looks nice again-well, nicer. It went back to the spot in my dining room on one of a matching set of oak plant stands that had belonged to my grandma, my mom's mom.
I spent a chunk of time on driving duty getting DD2 and friends to an amusement park about 50 minutes away. In between I got some housework and work work done. I'm on a business trip Monday and Tuesday so needed to get a couple urgent e-mails taken care of. After getting the kids back home (DD can't drive more than one other person for 6 months-Minnesota law), I made broccoli salad and some desert bars for the lake to go along with Italian Sausage and cantaloupe chunks. I needed to pick up brat size buns and bacon pieces, so walked over to the store. It was a pleasant walk, smelling and seeing all the greenery and flowers in the last of Saturday nights light. I really missed green this winter and early spring and I hope to savor every leaf and blade of grass while I can.
I'm that kind of gardener too - buy all these beautiful plants then wait till they're ALMOST dead then plant them! Thank God my kids weren't plants then. Oh and I guess it was a Freudian slip but so glad you didn't get your "bear and a glass of wine"! Glad you are feeling better now too - as they say, nature doesn't tolerate "miserable" does it Anna
ReplyDeleteThat's just over reliance on spell check. I bet there's some cocktail with bear in the name. So glad I'm not the only poor gardener.
DeleteSounds like a lovely Saturday! I weeded for an hour on Friday night and then yesterday bought my flowers (a month late but didn't want to plant them before our trip) to do the flower beds. Did some more weeding and will do the planting today. Seriously, I need to commit at least a half an hour a day to the damn greenery
ReplyDeleteI just don't have the patience for weeding, but I do need to do the rock bed as they are horribly unsightly.
DeleteI am not calling myself a bad gardener, I just insist that any plants who want to hang around me be hardy and require little of my time.
ReplyDeleteI require that as well, but truly am a bad gardener. DH just mowed down my hostas (better luck next year) as they looked so awful.
DeleteI hope that your business trip is going well. It sounds like you had 'the perfect evening'. Jx
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting meeting/training, and quite intense. It is in a lovely place so was able to get a long walk in last night after a four hour drive and 7 hours of meetings. We go form 8 until 4 today, then another 4 hours drive back (plus my additional 45 minutes back to my house after I get my car from the work parking lot.
DeleteIt sounds lovely! We went out to dinner (kid free) last night, because it was 92 degrees in the house. We're having a huge heat wave & I think I've now convinced M that we need air conditioning. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of AC, but when it gets to be over 80 in the house and full of humidity, it is required.
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