Every morning here starts foggy. Eventually, it warms up and burns off.
But, cooler weather is coming next week and it looks like it will stay.
Our hummingbirds are still wrangling over their feeders. There’s at least one male still hanging around. But, we think they’re trying to fatten up before there long flight.
She tries really hard to hoard it She has to work hard though Breakfast!
We’ll miss them when they go.
There’s a quarterly HOA meeting this Thursday and we’ll ask about seed feeding and bears. We kept 2 of our Squirrel Busters and think we might be high enough to use them. But, we want to double check before we go shopping for sunflower chips.
There has been a little titmouse showing up infrequently. It had a bath in the trays under the mixed Sarracenias, yesterday.
There are people who would look at that cell tower and think it mars the view. That tower is why we have great cell service in the mountains. AND if we were watching a post-apocalyptic movie, it would simply be an indicator of human presence nearby. So, I don’t hate it. I just see it as a kind of Tales from the Loop esthetic and I’m OK with it.
We’ve been waking up to fog every day that I’ve paid attention since we got here.
Autumn is starting to creep in. It’s only 65ºF right now and the burning bushes by the road are getting little bits of red on the edge of some of the leaves. It’s not time to bring my warm weather plants in yet. But, it is time to pay attention to nighttime temps.
This is the 4th time I have bought a place to live. I have never lived in a house that was brand new, although the house in Mebane had a yard that may as well have been. That was part of why I loved it. I didn’t have to wait to see what the previous owner had done before I could get my hands in the dirt.
Because I’m not sure what has already been planted here, I need to wait to see what comes up. There are clearly things that were put in intentionally. But, I have no idea what they actually are or when they will bloom or anything about them. I have planted a few bulbs I lifted from my former yard in places that I’m sure are unoccupied. And I stuck a rose campion between an azalea and the front walkway.
Waiting to see what can go where is an exercise in patience that I struggle with.
I have joined the Landscape Commitee for our HOA and the next meeting is in October. I can’t WAIT! The spaces underneath the balconies in my section are naked. Like, not even grass. I really want to talk them into seeding with native wildflowers.
Our neighborsStraight down from our deck
In Spring, I intend to put some native bee balm in a little area in the strip in front of our parking spaces. I may put in some cardinal flowers, too. There’s a little patch between the burning bushes and a couple of azaleas to the left that already had a bitty rose and and an hydrangea blooming on the day we closed. I have already planted some callas there.
I’m not sure what I can do under the stairs in front. There are a couple of hostas there, already. They’re oddly spaced and kind of stunted. I have no idea if they were planted by the previous owners to add curb appeal or if they are actually established plants. I’d kind of like to recreate the shade garden I had started in Mebane. But, I need to see how much rain actually gets under there first. We do not have access to a garden hose for watering anything. Water goes out in a pitcher from the kitchen sink or in a bucket from the bathroom.
It is pretty dry under there.
Adding before I post: We had a shower this afternoon. Made it easy to see where the rain hits and where watering may be necessary. Right under the decks doesn’t get enough to grow anything. But, half of those spaces could be seeded. And under the stairs is not really going to get much at all.
This was my grandmother’s mantle clock. It’s older than me.
I have had it since she moved into a nursing home30 years ago. It hasn’t worked since I got it. But, I kept it anyway. And part of the not-working was not winding. Because it hadn’t been working.
Chuck tried winding it as we were packing things up and it still didn’t work.
So, yesterday I put it up in one of the cubbies in the bookshelf/wine rack/everything wall as an ornament.
It has kind of started working. It’s ticking. And it strikes on the hour and half hour. But, the strikes don’t match the time. I”m thinking about messing with it to see if I can get it regulated.
I have no clue what made it like the mountains better than the piedmont.
Most of the furniture has been moved. There are a couple of pieces we weren’t sure would be needed and/or fit. They will be U-Hauled up next week. The new bed for the second bedroom has been ordered. As has a replacement for this monstrosity.
Possibly the ugliest light fixture ever.
That may be harsh. It is, however, very much not my taste.
The cat is getting used to it. They’ve been repainting everything and our end was getting it as we moved in. That freaked her out at least as much as all of our boxxing up and moving out at the house had done. But, it’s over and she’s finding her footing.
I think the Feliway diffusers have helped that a lot. They use them at her vet and she calms down as soon as we walk in the door. So, I got one for the house and Chuck plugged one in at the condo when he got here the day before us. I unplugged the one at the house and brought it along. It was still warm and, I suspect, still releasing pheromone when we drove the 3.5 hours to get here. That was a relief because she threw up the cat valium they gave me. That was a delight, I can tell you.
We had brunch with my mother this morning and went shopping for some neccesary bits on the way home. Now, both bathrooms ae operational with functioning shower curtains, the door in my bedroom that opens to the deck has room darkening curtains. (We’ll see.) And I have hooks for my robe and nightgowns.
Chuck took down the light fixtures they’d mounted to the wall of my bedroom. Again, not my taste. And not well spaced for my furniture. So, that wall is going to need paint sooner rather than later. But, not until after we finish getting the rest moved and arranged.
There will be no art on the walls until all the furniture is in place.
