Pie Are Round; Cake Are, Too

Ron took over Teddy walk duty today: all of it.

I made a vegetarian “chicken” pot pie and a vanilla bundt cake to go with strawberry rhubarb sauce.

Ron brought the sedan chair outside. I enjoyed it for a while as Teddy slept.

Ron got back in touch with his Safari buddy.

I did a little pruning, a little weeding.

Did a full system backup and the computer is creating a Windows 10 installation disk now.

Planting, Spraying, Mulching: Pain

On Saturday I picked up plants from the Master Gardeners, Roche and Meetinghouse Farm. Got everything in the ground or the flower boxes. Mulched the hibiscus.

Sprayed hibiscus and vegetables. Bean seedlings are being devoured.

Yesterday (Sunday) I picked up bacopa from a sale in Osterville for MMHS. Gorgeous new nursery, will be back. Finished planting the flower boxes: geraniums, dusty miller, bacopa.

Hurting yesterday, but did the transfer station: trash, metal, weeding detritus. Gassed up the truck. Ron did most of the walking with Teddy. I did join them in the evening.

Hibiscus

I dug down to the clay and beyond to plant the big hibiscus, which has wintered over in our basement for X number of years.

This morning, I pruned it after taking Teddy for a productive walk around the block.

Had a tough time getting to sleep last night. Got up after midnight for milk, toast and Pepto.

Picked up three prescriptions at Walmart and got a Shingrix shot – with no out of pocket charge.

We moved the foam mattress downstairs.

Mulch, Pruning, Rhubarb, Filter

Mulch has gone sky-high, overnight, and I was stupid enough to buy some that I didn’t even like for the new lilac. Damn.

Maybe it’s because I was tired from pruning and stressed from trying to pay our gas bill online. Their website is having problems. Their tech support guy was helpful, suggested (heaven help us) Firefox. I finally logged on and paid in full with Microsoft Edge.

I pruned the six hydrangeas in the back, the larger of the two butterfly bushes and the three little St. Johnsworts.

Also washed and dried Teddy’ comforter. Ron and I managed to drape it on the outside clothes dryer. It got some tree effluent which brushed off easily and it has the wonderful scent of outside.

I grilled burgers for lunch – served with fries and mixed vegetables. Did a shop for ice cream and hot dogs for Teddy. Picked a handful of rhubarb by twisting instead of cutting the stems; Ron made sauce and changed the water filter.

Tomatoes

I bought tomatoes, including a six-pack of Brandywines, nasturtiums, marigolds and a lilac at the Meetinghouse Farm annual sale and Scenic Roots on Saturday, so by Sunday evening, everything was in the ground.

I also transplanted three hosta from the corner garden.

Planting the tomatoes included soil prep: one half Ron’s compost, one half soil and some Tomato Tone.

It also involved setting up the cages prior to planting.

We’ll have more plants next weekend when I pick up our order from the Master Gardeners sale.

Worst Is Over

The day I’ve been dreading for a year is behind us: meeting with our advisor for 2020 taxes.

I guess it could have been worse. I greatly underestimated what we’d owe as a result of the sale of 11 Edgewater. This morning, I set up a payment plan with IRS and an online account with Mass.

Aside from that, it’s a pleasant morning. Ron let me sleep in, started the laundry and took care of Teddy, who was acting strangely, as has been happening since the start of the new season.

Disappointing Election, But We Got the Lawn Mowed

479 people decided “none of the above” in the selectperson race. Marie lost by a substantial margin, especially in Precinct 5, South Mashpee, which skews older than the town as a whole.

I mowed the front and left side and Ron did the back and the right side of the lawn Saturday afternoon. It was nice to see the results when I fetched the Sunday paper.

I did some more figuring on our 2020 taxes.

Consolidated paperwork for my REAL ID appointment today at AAA.

Teddy escaped yesterday. He seems determined to meet Gracie, the Ridgeback next door. Fortunately, the humans weren’t home.

I sprayed the roses yesterday afternoon. Knew that rain was predicted, but wanted to start the slaughter. We did have rain last night and early this morning, so I’ll probably need to spray again.

Ron took Teddy for his morning walk in light rain, both of which I appreciated greatly. Happy that the seeds and the new plant got free and effective watering.

I did a couple of grocery shops yesterday. Nice lunch on the deck, grilled veg burgers and salads.

Reconciled checkbooks this morning.

Ron’s 75th; Seeds

Ron had a good birthday this year: I made pancakes for breakfast and treated him and Cathy to lunch at Anejo. Cathy gave him a scratch ticket worth $15! She starts a new job at MBL later this month.

“Ravin'” Dave called to wish Ron a happy birthday, and numerous friends posted greetings on Facebook. Newsy letter from Cara.

I planted wildflower and sunflower seeds this week. Matt Holmes and son dropped by to adjust one of the sprayers.

I got a nice surprise, a box from Food Forest Farm in NY state. They’d offered a plant in exchange for proof of voting last November. They sent a Sea Kale; I planted it yesterday.

Started data mapping for the new NEPS. Solved the SSL problem.

Planted bean seeds and did more pruning on the autumn clematis today. Gorgeous walks with Teddy and one with Ron, too.

Did a one-hour standout for Marie Stone. Got screamed at by one of the other volunteers. Forgot to get her rabies booster, I guess.