Monday Moanin'

I was going to mention the heat and humidity we had today, but it was only a high of 91 on Monday. It did feel stifling in the afternoon, but the predicted high for tomorrow is 102 degrees F.

However, whenever I am tempted to bitch about it, I remember a photo my friend Tracey (who son is a Marine) posted on her FaceBook page. The text said:

If the heat gets to you today, just remember...
It isn’t 120 degrees
We’re not 5,700 miles from home.
We’re not dressed in full uniform.
We’re not carrying 70+ pounds of gear.
And there’s little chance we’ll drive over a bomb today.
Thanks to all who serve.



I was two minutes late for work. I got stopped by and east-bound train on Inkster and then another east-bound train on Levan!

I did go to Home Depot at lunch. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any wall anchors that would fit my needs. So, I bought several sizes of screws and a 5/8-inch dowel (in case I need to plug the holes I drilled through the tile). I also picked up a bag of mulch, a gallon of Roundup (on sale) and two hot dogs on the way out.

I stopped at the house to drop off the stuff and eat my lunch in a setting that wouldn’t get mustard or onions on my brace.

Back home after work, I cut out a piece of landscape fabric in a circle. I gave the forsythia another two gallons of water, added the landscape fabric and topped it off with mulch. I took an “after” photo for you after I wet down the new mulch with two more gallons of water.

I put the trash out to the road, which was a bit tricky as I had that large piece of cardboard from the shower door. I set the garbage can on top of one end of it and the heavy beer case Mom’s diaries were in on the other.

Before I finished with the front, I sprayed the new growths of grass I’d noticed popping up at the roadside in the driveway.

Back inside, I processed the photos and noticed all the tall dead grass left from where I used the line trimmer. So, I got a leaf rake and pulled it away and into the ditch.

You may have noticed the problem in the photos. The forsythia is just out of range of both my sprinkler and the two my neighbor has set up for his front lawn. So, I guess I’ll have to keep hand watering it until the rains come (if they ever do).

Then I went out back and hand carried the buckets of water to the day lily, and the two peonies. I noticed when walking back the cracks in the earth by the play structure and the burnt up grass. So, I went back inside and grabbed the camera again.

I hooked up the soaker hose in the vegetable garden and turned on the water. I picked and ate a fresh green bean and it was delicious!

Before I went back inside, I dumped the ashes and all the spiral notebook springs out of my fire pit. Then I filled up the birdbath for the poor thirsty birds.

Back inside, it was 7:00 PM. I set the timer for an hour and processed the latest photos. I figured I might as well post them, too, while I had the time.

I made a chicken potpie in the microwave for my dinner. I haven’t had one of those in a while and it tasted great!

When the timer went off I went back outside and checked the little flat container I put under one section of hose (to find out how much water this puppy puts out). It was about half of what I was hoping for. So, I left everything in place and went back inside. I set the timer for another hour.

When the timer went off again, it was dark enough that I set off the motion sensor lights when reeling in the hose. But, now I know how long to leave the soaker hose on.

I watched TV until 10:30 PM and then went to bed.