Inspiration From Our Surroundings

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Appreciating my surroundings is something I’ve always been taught to do. Sometimes I like to take a drive around the country just to look and see what has popped up around me. Occasionally, I’ll see clusters of new homes being built or even new shopping centers. The Boca Raton Architects have really produced some lovely buildings.

Driving through new neighborhoods and looking at the new homes gives me ideas of ways to add special touches to my home.  Sometimes I might see some neat landscaping out front.  Other times, my eye might be caught by large arch windows.  Most recently, I was excited by a quaint little breeze way at the entrance to a home.  It was a about a ten foot arch with lattice work.  Hanging from the lattice was ivy and some beautiful pink and purple flowers.

I wish I had a grand entrance at the front of my home for something like this.  The lattice work was breath taking.  I suppose I could always add something similar to the backyard and patio, but I really thought it was stunning in the front yard.


Grow Your Own Potatoes

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Potatoes are one of my favorite foods. Today I learned that I can plant and grow potatoes in a bushel basket. I always thought I had to have a big garden with lots of space to grow potatoes.  Two potatoes plants can grow nicely in a bushel basket at about eight inches deep. Potatoes generally like cold so it’s good to plant them early in the year by February. It’s a little late this year as it’a already April.

This might be a fun project to use up some old potatoes next year. I bet Lady Bug would really get a kick out of growing her own potatoes. She loves to eat them already. With potatoes she grew on her own I can be certain that she would he eat tons more.


The Right Way to Remove Weeds

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So, I mentioned before that the weeds in the corner of my backyard are just so darn stubborn and won’t go away.  I did a little bit of research an this is what I’ve learned about weed removal.

I’ve been pulling the weeds up out of the ground.  I’ve always been told to make sure I get the roots out; that’s why I pull the weeds. Well, just pulling the weeds out might not be enough.  Apparently some weeds have a really long or a large cluster or roots.  If I just pull them up I might break them and leave a bunch of the roots behind.  This will cause them to grow back.  To make sure I get all of the roots out a good solution is to use a spade and dig the entire root base out of the ground.

I guess I’ve been doing it wrong all these years.  I had no idea at all.  I now have a project for the rest of the weekend.  Hopefully I manage to get all of the roots out and I’ll have a weed free backyard in no time.


A Perfect Evening Outdoors

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My next door neighbor invited Lady Bug and I over for dinner tonight.  We sat out back in her Adirondack chairs as we watched her husband get the barbecue ready to grill the steaks, and the girls played in the yard.  I couldn’t help but admire the lovely bird feeders she has hanging from the patio.  They were made especially for hummingbirds.  She had two hanging from opposite sides of the patio.   It made me think that I would really like to have a few things like this in our back yard.  I know Lady Bug would love to watch as humming birds drifted in to our home and then away again.

Once dinner was ready we all sat at the Picnic Tables she has in her back yard.  She has a really cute plastic table for the kids and a metal and wood version for the adults.  The tables had pink plastic table cloths taped down protecting them. Everyone found a spot to sit at the appropriate tables and we began to eat.

After dinner, we all walked down to the park. Our kids played on the playground and we relaxed on the Park Benches.  It was a great way for them to burn off their last bit of energy for the day.  We enjoyed listening to them laugh and play for awhile and then headed home.  On the way back we stopped and picked some flowers in our garden to give to the neighbors as a thank you for such a wonderful night.  It really was a perfect evening.


Sprinklers Are Practical and Fun

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It was pretty warm this afternoon.  Lady Bug and I needed a fun way to cool off.  I turned on the sprinklers in our back yard and we put on our swim suits.  Lady Bug and I had a blast running through the sprinklers.  The lawn needed the extra water.  I hate when the grass gets too dry so I figured it couldn’t hurt it.

We ran through the water for a good fifteen minutes.  It felt great having the cool water splash up against our skin.  It reminded me of when I was her age and would run outside in our sprinklers. By the time we were finished we were sopping wet and the grass had a good drink.  Everyone was happy.