Daisy + the Chapstick

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Last night, Daisy dug a tube of Chapstick out of the bathroom drawer and ran off with it. Simon was running right behind her. They acted as though they were on a big adventure.

That Daisy has become quite the thief. The quiet type that you don’t normally suspect.

I’ll think I have something wedged in somewhere so well that she can’t pry it out. But she has patience and is relentless. Then, once she has it in her possession, she’ll take off with it, and I’ll probably never see it again.

Some of these things, pens, tweezers, etc., I’ll find down the road when I’m walking through the house and stumble over something under an area rug. I don’t know how those two get stuff under there, because I’ve got the rugs taped down pretty well. But they manage.

Then, during the night, I heard them rolling the Chapstick around the house, most likely playing hockey with it. Having a big time and feeling like they got one over on me.

Daisy is such a sweet and innocent-looking cat that you wouldn’t think her capable of such escapades.

Simon is the one who takes off with Ivy’s brush. It’s bigger, and I don’t know how he carries it in his mouth, but he manages.

Those two have their little nighttime games, and I hear them chasing one another around the house in the dark. It’s almost like they’re waiting for me to turn off my bedside lamp for the games to begin. Then I’ll hear them running through the house like their tails are on fire.

Ivy did this type of thing when she was younger, but now she prefers to watch them.

Pulling Weeds:

Yesterday I went out front early and pulled weeds in the flower beds and around the perimeter. It’s rained so much lately that it’s hard to keep up with the constant weeds. The lawn is being mowed every week.

At the same time, I had the washer and dryer going to clean bedding.

The container garden is like a rainbow of greens, pinks, and purples. That’s rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) in the far left bottom corner.

There are many bees feasting on the Lamb’s Ear blossoms.

After it rains, the tall stems of the Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina) bend over to the ground, but pop back up when the sun shines for a while. The plant looks like it needs a bit of attention with some snipping back, but I must let the bees do their thing.

Remember, it’s always good to provide the bees and butterflies with a water source.

What Bees Do:

When the bees visit different flowers, they transfer pollen grains, enabling the plants to reproduce. It’s an amazing act of partnership between plants and bees!

They directly produce sweet treats like honey and play a critical role in pollinating plants that provide about one-third of our daily diet.

So let the bees feast and don’t bother them!

Zinnias + Petunias:

There are both zinnias and petunias in the above container. Petunias mean deadheading flowers, but they’re so pretty. Zinnias (Zinnia elegans) provide blooms for months on end.

Deadheading tricks the plant into shifting its energy away from seed production and into growing new blooms.

Instead of dying back, the plant focuses on producing more flowers. This results in a longer blooming season.

These are white alyssum (Lobularia maritima) seedlings I planted. Last year I had purple alyssum.

The transplants I’ve gotten at the nursery in past seasons have had a rich, fragrant perfume. But the seeds I planted last year didn’t. I missed that, because it’s a glorious scent.

These lovely coral bells (Heuchera) are such a rich shade of purple. I’m also really enjoying the balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus). I like how they look puffed up, then open into the prettiest, most delicate flower.

Not only that, but I also noticed that the beans were forming while I was out there working.

Housework:

I’m washing linens today and changing the bedding. Then I’ll vacuum and hopefully mop.

My fingers are swollen with arthritis, and the last two on my left hand never stop aching. But you just keep going and doing what you can when you can. That’s all you can do.

If it becomes too much, I’ll put it off until tomorrow. I’m the only person who sees the inside of my house for the most part, so I’ve learned not to stress over it.

As long as dishes are done and the sink is empty at bedtime so I can wake up to a clean kitchen, I’m happy. Kendra is the same way. Certain things must be done before she can allow herself to go to sleep.

And it’s so nice to walk into your kitchen the next morning to a clean slate.

Food:

I washed a sack of Granny Smith apples and put them in a bowl. They’re my favorite kind of apple. I like the tart taste.

I’ll probably order groceries in a day or so. I’m out of salad fixings and soon to be out of blueberries, which I have with oatmeal most mornings.

Every evening, I walk into the kitchen and ask myself what I should have for supper. Usually, my meal consists of something with tuna. It’s a fairly cheap meal, whether it be a sandwich or a casserole. Meat prices have really gone up, so I order those little packets of tuna.

Different kinds of beans are regularly on my table too. They have protein and are filling. The combination of plant-based protein and high dietary fiber slows digestion and helps stabilize blood sugar.

A 1-cup serving of cooked green beans provides about 4 grams of fiber. A 1-cup serving of cooked pinto beans provides about 15 grams of fiber.

What do you plan for supper during the summer months?

What I’m Watching & Reading:

I’m still watching the many seasons of Chicago P.D., and I wonder why I didn’t watch it before. It’s right up my alley.

I’m reading an old Diane Chamberlain book called Remembering Me. It’s very engrossing, blending psychological suspense with women’s fiction.

In this book, Laura’s father dies. On his deathbed, he asks her to promise to take care of a woman she’s never heard him speak of.

I haven’t read books by this author in a long time. I’d forgotten what a good writer she is. I’ll have to look into acquiring more of her fiction.

It’s started raining once again. This sure has been a rainy season.