Friday, April 4, 2025

Don't Feel Like Blogging

I really don't feel like blogging today, which is part of why I signed up for the A to Z challenge.   I want to get back into the habit of regular blogging. 

I've been spring cleaning and decluttering (there's another d!) all day, and I'm exhausted.   It's at the "worse before it gets better" phase.  I know it will be worth it,  but it's definitely not fun.

Theodore has been enjoying it, though.   He's having so much fun inspecting everything I drag out of closets, climbing shelves, and generally getting into everything.   This picture is one of the few times he sat still today. 

Are you doing any spring cleaning/decluttering? 

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Collard Greens & Cilantro (Blogging from A to Z Challenge)

I’m hoping to have a fairly large garden this year. 

We’re not past our last frost date yet, so, for outside, I’m only starting seeds that are a little more cold-tolerant. 

I recently learned that cilantro is best planted while it’s still chilly, and of course, greens tend to do well in cooler weather. 

So, last weekend, I started my collard green and cilantro seeds.

I’m hoping to see little sprouts soon!  



Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Blue Jays Eating Peanuts (Blogging from A to Z Challenge)

Last year, I set up a little critter corner in our backyard to feed the wildlife that stops by.  We also set up a camera so we can see our visitors. 

Recently, we had some Blue Jays stop by to eat some peanuts. (The date and time on the camera are wrong because it messed up when the batteries died and we haven’t reset it.)

Enjoy this video of the Blue Jays enjoying their peanuts.  




Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Azaleas (Blogging from A to Z Challenge)

Some of our azaleas are starting to bloom.

They tend to bloom anywhere from late March to late April. 

Some years, we’ve definitely had more blooms by April 1st, and some years, they’re just barely starting to bloom around this time

I love azaleas, so it always makes me very happy when they bloom.

So what about you?  Do you like azaleas?  Are they in bloom where you are?  



Monday, March 31, 2025

March Wrap-Up

Since I missed doing a Thursday 13, I thought I’d do a March wrap-up for the random things since my last Thursday 13.

A cat picture is always a good place to start, so enjoy this one of Charlie in a basket.  He doesn’t exactly fit in the basket, but he still enjoyed hanging out in it.

We were close enough to some of the NC wildfires to get a lot of smoke and falling ash from them.  I’m not sure how well you can tell in the pictures, but the haze is from the fires.  



We had rain yesterday and today, which has helped with the fires.  Even though we desperately needed the rain, it’s still making me nervous. 

Last week made six months since we were hit by Hurricane Helene.  The recovery process is ongoing.  Storm damage was a contributing factor to the fires.

Our wonderful neighbors have been helping us dig a dry well for drainage.  It didn’t occur to me to take a picture while anyone was in the hole.  Hopefully, you can tell from these pictures how deep it is.  I just dangled my legs in for the pictures because I didn’t want to have to climb out of it again just for pictures. 



We had four tons of gravel delivered last week for the drainage project. 


I started some seeds (only for cold-tolerant plants since we’re not past our last frost date yet) last week.  Hopefully, I’ll be sharing seedling progress soon. 


I’ve decided (at the last minute!) to participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  You can read more about it here, but the basic idea is to blog every day (except Sundays) in April, starting with A on the 1st and ending with Z on the 30th.  Some people do themes.  I’m not doing a specific theme; I'm just trying to blog more regularly and hopefully catch up on some of the things I’ve meant to blog about. 

So, how was the rest of March for you?  Are you planning to participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?