Wednesday, August 19, 2020

cleaning, organizing, and the summer yard


I cleaned the back bedroom where I sleep this week. Took me two days top to bottom. Well, two half days. I didn't sweep the ceiling or mop the floor (though that's still on the agenda, the floor, not the ceiling) but I did vacuum the walls, cleaned the chair rail and baseboards, wiped down and oiled the furniture, wiped down the floor lamp, wiped down the fan blades and washed the glass shades, washed the windows, wiped the tops of the picture frames and dusted the few things sitting out, vacuumed the floor. I managed to knock one of the supports for the curtain rod on which hangs the lace curtain I got in Portugal out of the sheetrock and now I need anchor screws to hold it back in place.

Pam shows up every morning at the new house, bringing another load, cleaning, organizing, starting to find permanent places. Monday we rearranged the bedroom furniture...again but now we both agree, it's in the best arrangement. Yesterday we moved the grandfather clock...again and again we think it's now in its best place. She has two chairs with matching footstools that have been in the family for a couple of generations and I may be getting one set after she gets the new loveseat she wants for the living room. It will go in my back bedroom where I had been wanting to get a recliner for there so two problems solved. She's supposed to get her internet connection on Friday and then she will be in residence, bringing the Demon Duo with her.

We finally got some rain last night, a little over an inch. Unfortunately it won't have cooled things down as we are supposed to get up in the high 90˚s again today but at least things don't look so sere, at least this morning anyway. The sky has turned that pale blue as if it's been bleached by the summer sun but the days are getting noticeably shorter, the nights longer, the sun is moving to the south as it sets casting shadows on the street earlier which Minnie and I are grateful for when we take our walk in the evening.

The yellow butterfly ginger is starting to bloom,


the altheas aka rose of sharon have been blooming but not as profusely as other years.


The zinnias are looking tired, their foliage getting spotty and brown.


The Texas star hibiscus, our native hibiscus is still giving me the occasional flower to my surprise,


the flowering senna is still blooming,


and the yellow bells as well, they actually like this heat, and I spied this bumblebee pushing its way into the delicate flowers.


This is the time of year when all we can do is wait patiently or impatiently for the weather to break.




11 comments:

  1. Well, your end-of-summer blossoms are gorgeous.
    Yesterday we had lots of thunder but no rain while fifteen miles away Tallahassee was getting a huge storm with rain and hail. And then last night, the skies opened up here and we had a lot of rain and thunder so loud it literally shook the house.
    You're housecleaning?! I feel betrayed! (Not really.)

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    1. just the one room! we had a lot of thunder with our rain too.

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  2. Our nights are starting to cool off - in the 60s instead of the 70s. I can easily sleep under my heavy blanket again. Well, also because we keep the air set on 69 at night - ha! But when it's warmer than 70 outside it just feels warmer inside no matter what the thermometer says. I wonder why?

    Love your flowers! Ours are all looking tragic. EXCEPT - we have daylily scapes coming up again! That's never happened to us before. Didn't you have a second blooming last year?

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  3. That is one fat bumble. Hey, things are going to start looking up. We will be getting some tropical storms coming in from the gulf coast and the temps are said to drop down to 99. I can't wait.

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  4. Look at that bumble bee go! Fat bugger!
    Yep, waiting for a change!

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  5. I bet you and your sister can hardly wait for the final move-in:)

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  6. Your industriousness puts us all to shame. I will wait until fall and then start cleaning all the surfaces on my LARGE house.

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  7. Well, yesterday I forced myself to sweep and vacuum the bedroom and its bathroom. Then I felt very smug. Then I read your accomplishments. Then I rationalized..
    Your flowers are wonderful. Those bells I've never seen here, perhaps they're a hotter climate plant. The bees are clearly mad for them!

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  8. Ha! Well, that weather break you were mentioning may be on its way. Tropical storm on Tuesday, saith the weather gurus here. We'll see. Right now it's got a course set for Houston, but of course there's no way to say for sure until a center forms. I always prefer rain without a name, myself, but I guess we'll take what we can get. I love that bee butt sticking out of the flower in the last photo.

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  9. Gorgeous blossoms as always. What a treat.

    I often look at the dust on top of the picture frames or ask myself what it may look like behind the big sofa downstairs, spiders most likely, and I even consider booking a window cleaner. But I asm just full of talk, nothing doing.
    You win the oscars here.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.