Cut

*Image by Judith511 went on a photo walk

I'm not a wuss!  It wasn't my fault that the lawn mower wouldn't start.  No amount of pulling the mower chord would have worked because the carburetor was clogged and needed to be cleaned.  I feared that the moment my husband came home and pulled the lawn mower chord that the whole thing would start and leave me looking like a wimpy fool.  Once the part was cleaned the lawn mower started up and yesterday I did the whole yard myself.  Yes, I'm proud, but can you blame me?

Mower

*Image & t-shirt by Viva Sweet Love

Today I tried to mow the lawn, and I failed.  I couldn't start the stupid lawn mower.  I tried until I was super tired and sweaty, but still couldn't get the lawn mower to actually start.  I feel like a big wimpy failure right now.  My husband said that it might take a bit to get the lawn mower started because we haven't used it in a while, but I didn't think that it would be this difficult.  Hopefully we get it started tonight so I can mow to my heart's content tomorrow.  Oh, such an exciting day I have planned!

Torture

*Image & print via Outdated

Last night around 3 a.m. I could have used some relief.  I have a ridiculous amount of mosquito bites all over my legs.  There is even a lovely cluster of 5 or 6 bites on my left foot.  I think it's pretty obvious that I was miserable and not sleeping.  Both of my legs are speckled with bites and just being touched by the covers was almost too much.  I currently have a tube of hydrocortisone cream at the ready, but I still have that tingling itch that wants to be scratched until it bleeds.  How do you cope with mosquito bite torture?

Peter Piper

*Image by me

All of these peppers are from our garden.  My goal today is to can them so that we can enjoy them for a while longer.  I haven't yet tasted those beautiful orange and red peppers, but we bought the plants because of their name - tequila sunrise peppers.  They start out green and then slowly darken to orangy-red. Hopefully they spice up the pepperoncinis. I think that this will be a tasty savory treat.  What are you growing in your garden?

Relax

*Image & card by Two Guitars

Now that we have two furnished patios, I have no excuse not to sit outside and relax.  Yesterday I got to grade papers and read on the front patio while my husband worked away on yet another project.  Hopefully, he'll do more relaxing with me on the week nights.  I love having an outdoor space and right now it's the perfect weather.  Our summer isn't scorching us yet.  Only 8 more days of school and I'll be able to kick it out on the patio that much longer.  How do you relax in the evenings?

Observe

*Image & print by Daleigh Designs

Currently, I'm in the middle of teaching my students about dystopia and the Holocaust.  It makes me more reflective of the choices I have and the freedoms I take for granted regularly.  I have to remember how good I've got it now and again.  Last night, I stood out on the patio and observed my garden while it rained softly, it was lovely.  (TX rain is usually torrential, so this was rather pleasant).  What little things do you need to stop and observe?

Quilted

*Image by Ross Pollack

Storms have been passing through town recently and last night I looked up into the sky and it looked like the clouds had formed a quilt overhead.  It was truly a beautiful sight.  I'm glad for all of the rain, our yard is greener than ever and looks fantastic.  This rain is making an impact on our small garden as well.  Our little cherry tomatoes are climbing the trellis and tiny little peppers are sprouting up too.  How has your spring started to bloom and grow?

Terrarium

*Image & terrarium by Teresa's Plants & More Store

I'm pleased by how our new little garden is growing.  Now I'd like to bring more green inside.  The cat likes to nibble on plant leaves so some of our greenery needs to be out of the way.  This terrarium would be perfect.  I love the vibrant color and textures of the moss.  Growing up my mom had a terrarium and I was always fascinated by it.  This might be my next small house project.  Now I've just got to find a good spot to hang something like this.  Where would you hang a terrarium in your home?

Bird

*Image & print by Raceytay

So far our hummingbird count is still at one.  I wonder how long it will take for this bird to tell his little friends about our feeder?  At my mom's house she used to have one fat little hummingbird who was a bit of a bully.  He would bomb around any other little birds who tried to come to the feeder to hog all of the sugar water for himself.  It was quite funny to watch.  I still have my eyes peeled for more backyard visitors.  Do you have any wildlife visitors in your yard?

Earth Day

*Image & print by happydeliveries

This week has been relaxing, but productive. The finishing touches mean that there is one little Roma tomato that still needs to be planted before we can officially call our garden project planted. I'll have pictures up as soon as the sun moves and there is less of a shadow.  My husband put in a full day of yard work yesterday, but it really paid off.  Our yard is now far from the crunchy dead lawn we had at the beginning of spring.  Our outdoor space is now thriving and I have a great place to relax on the back porch and admire the growing plants in our garden beds.  Quite a lovely coincidence that it all came together on Earth day.  How are you celebrating our planet?

Basil

*Image by Louise Denton

Our garden has five kinds of basil, one of our beds is predominately basil!  We'll have pesto coming out of our ears this summer.  We have: sweet, Thai, Cuban, amethyst, and purple ruffles.  We made sure to put the basil close to the tomatoes so that the fruit will pick up a nice full flavor.  I can't wait to start eating food spiced with the herbs from the backyard garden.  Do you have any great recipes that feature basil to pass along?

Garden

*Image & Garden Markers by simplyprettyprints

We finally bit the bullet and decided to try to garden in this godforsaken state of TX.  Yes, you can grow things here - but you have to fight to keep them alive in the summer.  Yesterday we cleared a spot in the yard to put in some raised beds.  My mom sent me the Square Foot Gardening book for Christmas and we're going to put it to the Texas test.  It got up to 86 degrees yesterday and with the humidity and hard labor it was a scorcher.  I even have the sunburn to prove it.  This will hopefully be a fruitful project at the house - as soon as we get some seeds and plants in the ground.  What yard projects are you undertaking?

Weeding

*Image & print by SoundsLikeRain

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the weeds in my back yard were almost as tall as my fence.  I spent a good couple of hours tackling those monsters.  Now you can laugh at my expense because I even got a little sunburn where my shirt rode up above my shorts.  Yeah, I have a striped sunburn right above my butt - fantastic.  Next time I'll just garden in my bikini to avoid all of the funny lines I now have.  How do you deal with weeds in your yard, or are you lucky enough not to have to fight this battle?

Tomato

*Image by Souvlaki For the Soul

We picked up some fresh tomatoes at the farmer's market yesterday and after dinner last night I have been inspired to make some caprese salad. I'm sure that I can't compare to what we ate on our fancy date, but I can take a few pointers. They paired the tomato & mozzarella with some basil pesto and arugula, which was quite nice. I have pesto from the farmer's market too, so we could very well be in luck. I'm adding mozzarella to my grocery list. What dishes have been inspired by your local fresh veggies?

Patio

*Image & article via Lonny

I am inspired to do more than just put new cushions out on the patio. I want to be able to sit outside with my tea in the mornings to relax and read or just lounge. I love the striped backdrop of this patio and the green cushions. I've been cut off from adding more green to our decor, so on the patio it will have to come from plants. Do you have a place to relax outside?

Earth

*Image & card by Red Bird Ink

Happy Earth Day! It's a beautiful day and I'm planning on taking the bull for a walk around our expanding neighborhood today. I am excited to have some extra time at home this weekend to work on some projects and hang out with my husband and our pets (one of which is currently actively dreaming in my lap). Mulch and dirt are in our near future, hands in the ground tending our yard. What are your plans for Earth Day or the weekend?

Tools

*Image & garden fork by CopperAndTin

This weekend I am ready to get my hands dirty. No hunting of eggs in my future, but plenty of garden stores full of flowers. I think that dreaming about a garden is the trick to get me through this week. New houses are going up in front and behind our house so it's time to make our yard more appealing. I should probably make sure I have more than just my hands to dig and weed. I want to plant some color in the front yard and to eat tomatoes ripened in the back yard. How do you compare to the neighbors?

Sprout

*Image & container by dreamopen

Still learning about gardening in South Texas but we do have some rosemary and parsley that are growing nicely in our front yard. I have some Texas lavender planted too and can't wait for that to bloom. It's right near the walk way so that I can admire it daily. Do you have flowers greeting you yet?

Gardening

*Image by shannonblue

Surprisingly, my husband has been the person pushing gardening at our new home. He wants to build raised beds in our back yard for some vegetables and herbs. Gardening in Texas has been something I was resisting because the summer heat is so horrendous. We're going to give it a try and will definitely be in close contact with some local master gardeners. Changing climates was hard enough on me physically, now I get to think about delicate plants. Lettuce? No way! Hot peppers? Yes!