“Nature bestows her own, richest gifts And, with lavish hands, she works in shifts…”
When the wind started yesterday afternoon, the warm temperature began to drop. After the sun set, it got cold enough so I had to shut the windows. Around 1am Gracie went out, and I decided to watch her from the deck. It was chilly like a fall night. I was glad for the sweatshirt and the comfy slippers I was wearing. Gracie went way back in the yard where I couldn’t see her, but I could hear the crunch of dead leaves wherever she walked. She went back and forth at the same place hunting, I guessed, for the chew bone she had buried during the day. After a while, I wanted into the warm house and called her. She came quickly, and we both went inside. It was one of those I wish I could get to sleep nights so I watched some TV. Gracie got on the couch, fell asleep and began to snore as Boxers are prone to do. I was jealous of the sleeping, not the snoring.
Today is lovely though still a little on the chilly side, the low 60’s. The sun is brilliant. It is a day of celebration. Skip, my factotum, is here to open the deck for the summer. He’s been here a few hours already and has cleared the vegetable garden and emptied the deck window boxes and the clay pots. He has cleaned off the chairs and the table. My outside shower is now ready for use. The spiders’ webs are gone. Yesterday I bought all the deck flowers and herbs. I tried to restrain myself at Agway knowing I’ll be making another trip next week for my vegetables, the herb garden plants and the front yard perennials. When I was driving home yesterday, the car smelled wonderful. It was the rosemary. Skip will be back tomorrow to finish. I have a couple of new projects for him.
This weekend will be the deck grand opening parade. There will be music and sparklers. The plastic pink flamingo and the Travelocity gnome will leave their winter quarters to take up their summer residences. The pink flamingo will be dressed in her finest Hawaiian outfit. The gnome will wear his traditional blue jacket and red conical hat. I will be resplendent in bright colors.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: cold night, crunch of dead leaves, Deck cleaning day, deck flowers, deck herbs, like fall, opening deck parade, plastic pink flamingo, rosemary, shower cleaning day, Travelocity gnome, uplate, windy
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
May 14, 2015 at 1:28 pm
We’ve had a really nice day here today but I had to scrape the car windows before going to work. We have a holiday here today but we changed days, we worked today so we can stay at home tomorrow and get a long weekend instead. I don’t think I’ll be able to plant anything in the garden for some weeks more.
I mowed the lawn today but saved those places I mow outside my garden, by the road and dog yard. We’ll get much the same weather tomorrow they say so why have all the fun today 🙂
I have a garden gnome too and I’ll need to find the perfect spot for him soon. I really don’t like garden gnomes but I got this one as a birthday present from people who knows I don’t like them 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
May 14, 2015 at 2:37 pm
Christer,
Awful to have frost this time of year. My sister had snow last week and temps in the 30’s this last weekend
They changed a lot of holidays to Mondays here so people can have long weekends. They are holidays like President’s Day and Martin Luther King day.
My lawn needs mowing now. I expect he’ll do it within the next few days.
The Travelocity gnome is special as he travels the world. On TV commercials he’s in a boat, getting a massage and lying on the beach. His voice is funny to hear.
Have a great day off tomorrow!
May 14, 2015 at 1:36 pm
Finally! The official start of summer at Kat’s house!
Waving,
Coleen
May 14, 2015 at 2:39 pm
Coleen,
Everything but planting the flowers and cleaning a few things is done. The deck looks great. I sat out there for a while with Gracie and Skip. It was a delight!! Soon we’ll be having movies!!
Waving right back at you!!
May 14, 2015 at 2:55 pm
Sounds lovely!
May 14, 2015 at 5:00 pm
sprite,
It was a wonderful day!
May 14, 2015 at 5:08 pm
Sunny day and public holiday here, officially Ascension Day, unofficially Father’s Day which traditionally means that men wander around in herds and get drunk. Regarding the alcohol induced traffic accidents I’m not sad that this tradition also slowly dies.
We went on a bike tour, non-alcoholic of course.
Happy coming deck days!
May 14, 2015 at 5:53 pm
Birgit,
Ascension Day would never make it as a holiday here, too much religion attached.
Father’s Day was never alcohol involved. Mostly it is fathers opening boxes with new ties!
May 14, 2015 at 7:38 pm
We have had so much rain that everything is blooming and giving everyone fits. Even those of us who don’t suffer from allergies are sneezing and rubbing our eyes. My spouse suffers from allergies and she is particularly miserable in the spring. I wish we could transport some of our rain to Southern California.
Today it didn’t rain and the clouds broke for awhile and let the sunshine raise the temperature to 90 degrees according to the car’s outside thermometer at five. We run the AC from April through October because of allergies and the summer heat.
May 14, 2015 at 8:07 pm
Bob,
We could use a bit of it as well though we arrest suffering near as much as California. Ours is counted in weeks rather than years. We haven’t had much rain in a long while. I had to have my irrigation turned on.
The pine pollen has started. Everything will soon have a layer of greenish yellow pollen. You have to keep the windows closed or your house gets covered. It makes us all have watery eyes and sneezes.
It was about 64˚ here.
May 14, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Kat
I love a parade! Especially with pink flamingos in Hawaiian outfits. Mu’u Mu’u? And what is Miss Gracie donning?
The Corgis would love to wear hulu skirts. The Shepherd would hold the Hawaiian flag. Good Spring to you!
May 15, 2015 at 7:49 am
t,
I too love a parade. We have a few big ones down here, and I find a good spot, put down my chair and watch. I also love the Memorial Day parades with the girl scouts, brownies, boy scouts and the school bands. I find that so very small ton America and love it.
Miss Gracie has a couple of bandanas which would work well for her portion of the parade and I have a lei which matches her fur nicely. The cats stay in so they are our spectators.