June 2022

2022 has mostly been a dumpster fire for Mr. C&M and myself. June was less so and we could really use for things to turn around. Fingers crossed, the second half of the year, proves much better than the first.

Plants update:

Forever Susan lilies are opening.

I finally put together the greenhouse Moth gave me.

My pepper seeds sprouted awhile back. Unfortunately, all the habaneros were knocked over in a storm and lost. The hot pepper mix (red, jalapenos and others that I forget) are going strong after being transplanted. My cherry tomatoes have tiny little tomatoes starting and the rosemary and basil are plentiful despite a squirrel attack. (The squirrel is an assumption. Something broke some stalks.)

Dogs:

Samus went for her first ice cream walk yesterday. There is a cute little shop at the end of our road, and she enjoyed the ice cream. She did not enjoy the other people as much. She’s not a fan of children after being carried around like a football by them in the house she came from.

The second picture is not a new addition to the house but a visitor at work. Her name is Brie and she’s the best lil corgi on the planet. One of my coworkers is dog sitting via Rover.com and has had Brie for almost 2 weeks. Her owner travels a lot for work and that kind of upheaval is difficult on a dog when they’re shipped from place to place while the owner is gone. (She was with one dog sitter that ditched her, to her owner’s friend’s house for one night and then onto coworker.) Brie has bonded very heavily with my coworker. To the point that her owner did come home for two days, and she didn’t care much about his reappearance. However, when he dropped her back off to my coworker, she lost her mind jumping and doing zoomies. She’s always welcome at the pharmacy though. She’s great for morale and the customers love her too.

Reading:

Assassin’s Quest Review

Current read:

I’ve tried to spend as much time as possible outside. The heat and humidity have made it difficult but, every day that is even a little bit cooler, I’m out there soaking it in. I’m hoping for a weekend trip up to my dad’s neck of the woods sometime this summer. He needs some help on his hunting cabin and I just want to go where I can’t hear vehicles for the day.

Do you have any plans for the Fourth of July weekend?

Planted

You guys. I am out of control.

I made friends with the owner of a nursery in town. He’s going to supply all my crazy ideas I have brewing. This is probably trouble.

Sunday, I spent several hours weeding, transplanting lilies and planting annuals. I somehow pulled a muscle in my neck doing it and am now living on ibuprofen.

As you can see, I went with a black, purple and yellow color scheme. (Our house is pale yellow.) this year I chose pansies and a new discovery to me, double petunias. I highly dislike petunias but DOUBLE petunias are cool and apparently hail from Victorian times. SOLD.

I also purchased four sweet basil plants and a rosemary plant.

My zinnias are sprouting but no sign of the pepper plants yet.

We also have a new plan for a part of our backyard that doesn’t grow much grass.

SEND HELP.

What is your favorite flower?

Potted

The quest this summer is maximum living. I’m on a never-ending quest of fun. (Outside of work because I can’t escape that currently.) Photography, dog training, hiking, disc golf, hanging out with friends, volunteering, traveling, etc.

See? That’s quite a bit of stuff planned.

Why not add one more thing to that list?!

While I’ve been planning to transplant some lilies and eventually pop some annuals in for easy color, I wasn’t planning on going gardening crazy. Then, I was at the store for something completely unrelated, I began flicking through their seeds for sale. They were cheap and here we are:

Mr. C&M requested the cherry tomato plants. So, for our first ever veggie garden (I had them when I was little, before I met my husband. My grandparents were big gardeners) we’re attempting to grow tomatoes and a variety of peppers. As food prices continue to grow, I thought it an advantageous venture. We’ll see what happens!

This past weekend was great. We spent a lot of time with friends, but it all started with going out to a super fancy restaurant as a belated birthday gift. It’s been a minute since we had a date night, and the food was beyond amazing. The desserts were absolutely to die for and we’re planning a dessert and drinks night with Mr. and Mrs. Moth sometime in the future.

Behold! My chocolate berry cake. That’s a chocolate cake with a citrus ganache and mixed berry sorbet. In the background, Mr. C&M’s super fancy pineapple upside cake.

What is the best dessert you’ve had recently??

Coffee & A Chat – Gardening

When we bought our house two years ago (I can’t believe it’s already been that long), we bought it as an estate sale. The previous owners had built it and lived in it for most of their lives. (Built in 1949.) So in their later years, before they both passed, they let the gardening go by the wayside. The yard was kept up but the gardens slowly grew over with grass. We decided this was the year we’d dig them out and I would try my hand at gardening. Something I haven’t done since I was a kid.

We weeded, planted, mulched and fenced our little hearts out and I thought I would share the results:

This was all weeds and rocks.

Pomegranate Punch Superbells.

What are you planting this year? What is your favorite thing about gardening??

Magic Library

ALL libraries are magical. Mine is just more magical than most.

First, there is the Shire in the parking lot the moment you pull in. They had an event where kids came and helped create it.

Second, they have children, teen and adult programs for every season. The programs could be anything. For example, every two years in the fall, they do cemetery tours around our town. A local historian guides the tour and the cemeteries date back to the 1700’s. Another example, there was a class on how to make steampunk jewelry.

Third, they have a used book shop within the library. Books range from $0.25 to $1.00. All proceeds go to the library.

Fourth, they have a paperback book swap within the library as well. Take a book, leave a book.

Fifth, every summer they have reading programs that kick off with an ice cream social. When you turn in your first list of 6 books read you receive; a coupon for a free book in the used book shop, a free book from the basket on the information desk and a $5 coupon to a local business. (I always choose the one for the local, independent coffee shop.) When you turn in your second list of 6 books, you’re entered into a raffle for a prize basket that changes every year. Every list of 6 after that, gives you another entry into the raffle. (The raffle is tomorrow so I wait with bated breath.)

Sixth, the second Saturday of every month, they have a “Bagged Book Sale.” For $5 you can fill a bag (any size)  with books, every bag after the first one is free!

Seventh, there are rain gardens outside of the library and nature trails into the woods behind it.

Eighth, Tuesday nights, the Farmer’s Market is in the parking lot. Homemade jams, breads and locally grown veggies and fruits.

There is literally no reason not to like this library. So, when I move out of town next year, this will be the thing that I will miss the most. IF I don’t decide to pay for a membership, which is $135 a year. I will check out my new town’s library but I doubt that it will compare. How could it?

 

Hybrid Blog

Hybrid: of mixed character; composed of mixed parts.

If you haven’t noticed yet, this blog bounces from topic to topic. As a person, I just cannot commit myself to any one thing. There is just too much in the universe that I enjoy. Books are at the top of that list and I could talk about them frequently, however why not talk about all the other things I enjoy too. No single person out there is all about just one thing. There is a whole grand world out there! So if you stay following this blog, we’ll explore it together.

And now you have evidence that I like cheesy fucking jokes.

Now, this is not to trash a single person who blogs about one topic. I follow those sexy blogs too. I just feel like some people follow this blog because they expect me to just post awesome baking recipes or pet pics or gardening or book reviews. I will give you all of those things.

Just don’t expect one topic. It’s just not in me. As it is, I’m not even remotely human until I’ve had my coffee. Not a single blog post happens until I’ve finished that first cup.

 

 

Pepper Sprouts

My husband received a kit to grow chocolate habanero peppers for his recent birthday from my best friend. Which, I promptly proceeded to steal and attempt to grow myself because I’ve had a maddening itch to garden lately. It’s a little late in the year to start in these parts, but I don’t care. I had to grow something.

So 10 days later, I finally saw a sprout and I was so excited. Then, the next day 2 more popped up. Then the day after that, 2 more. FIVE. I have five pepper sprouts!