chain around my neck
captivates with its gleam, but
can’t capture my heart
C is for chain.
#AtoZChallenge: 26 posts in April, topics to proceed alphabetically. Theme optional.
My theme: a three line poem each day (5-7-5, haiku style) with the first letter of each line the same as the letter of the day.
bath bubbles bursting
bouquets of scented soap suds
blooming in the air
B is for bubbles.
#AtoZChallenge: 26 posts in April, topics to proceed alphabetically. Creating a theme for one’s blog challenge is optional. My theme for 2017: a three line poem each day (5-7-5, haiku form) with the first letter of each line the same as the letter of the day.
If we were having coffee, I’d suggest we sit outside. If you bring a jacket, it’s warm enough to enjoy the sunshine. I’d show you my lawn, which isn’t much to look at right now. I don’t use herbicides or pesticides, so the lawn is mostly au natural weeds, moss and clover. At least it’s green.
But I have plans.
My ultimate goal is to do away with most of the lawn. I’ve planted some native species of shrubs that I’m hoping will take hold and help block the view of the six foot high concrete wall that runs along two sides of my yard.
Don’t get me wrong… I love the wall. I value my privacy very highly. I just don’t enjoy looking at the wall. I’m hoping the native plants will thrive and spread (in a semi-controlled manner). Right now that seems like a very long-range plan. When I ordered the plants at a County Soil and Water Conservation District sale, I envisioned getting a heavy flat of green, jaunty little bushes full of life and vibrancy. Okay, maybe a bit unrealistic given it was February.
What I found waiting for me on pick-up day was a little handful of twigs with a few straggly roots attached. Really?!? I paid money for this?? I could have gotten its equivalent by plucking sticks out of my rain gutter!
Nonetheless, I stuck the little twigs in the ground and hoped for the best. Now, a month and a half later, they are actually sprouting a bit of green. So I have hope.
Another part of the plan for this year is to lay out walkways using wood chips over cardboard. I had some wood chips delivered back in November, and the pile has been sitting just outside of my concrete wall since then. The neighbor kids used it to slide down in the snow, and I’ve had two individuals come by and offer to take the chips off my hands. I would rather they take the neighbor kids, but that’s another story.
Anyway, it’s time to take Chules on a walk, and then take inventory of my kitchen remodel project. It would be great to be done with that project by the end of this month. Maybe I’ll make that a goal.
Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week!
#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com.
avoid comparing
apples to oranges in
algebraic forms
A is for apple. Or algebra.
#AtoZChallenge: 26 posts in April, topics to proceed alphabetically. Creating a theme for one’s blog challenge is optional. My theme for 2017: a three line poem each day (5-7-5, haiku-ish) with the first letter of each line the same as the letter of the day.
our relationship
once comfortable as a
pair of faded jeans
now unraveling
right before my eyes as my
heart is worn thread bare
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Letters I or J (J for Jeans)
how can one be so…
not to see the greenery
for rapacity
(or the forest for the greed?)
The Daily Post weekly photo challenge: Dense
you were wise to hide
winter’s storms proved autumn’s threats
spring bids reappear
The Daily Post daily prompt: Purple
If we were having coffee… well, we wouldn’t be able to make it to the kitchen right now, but I’d invite you around back. I’ve got the hose set up, so I can offer you water. I could wash out that cute little flower pot for a mug.
No? Okay, well come around back anyway, and I’ll show you what I’ve been up to.
Remember that little concrete countertop I poured a couple of weeks ago? Well, I worked on grinding and finishing it this week. And now it’s going to be a very shiny stepping stone for the yard somewhere.
Apparently there’s a kind of sweet spot with concrete finishing, right when it gets that nice smooth sheen, and before it begins getting really shiny and starts revealing even more pits than what one has already sanded out. I was going for a shiny look, and managed to polish my way right past that smooth sweet spot.
With proper training, experience and equipment, I suppose there are subtler nuances between finishing stages, but I lack all of the above. Hey, it was fun, though, and I haven’t given up!
Today, I gave it another go ‘round with a pour-in-place top. Same size as the first one, but this time instead of doing all the dirty work in the garage and then bringing it into the house to install, I built the mold right onto the counter surface and poured the concrete directly into its final resting place, doing all the dirty work in the kitchen.
Hence the inaccessibility. It’s a small space to begin with, but once you’ve pulled both the fridge and the stove away from the walls, and have slopped impromptu concrete speed bumps all over the floor, well… I guess I’ll be going out for my morning coffees this coming week.
I’ll likely remove the forms on Wednesday, and assuming it’s functional, I’ll begin grinding and polishing. This time I’m going for that smooth sheen. Let’s hope I get it right. A girl can only use so many stepping stones.
Have a great week! Maybe I’ll see you at the coffee shop.
P.S. — If you notice that Chules looks a little straggly, it’s because he chose to take on the water hose while I was rinsing off my tools in the back yard. Despite what he tries to claim, I did NOT start a water fight! (I did win it, though. 😉 )
#WeekendCoffeeShare is hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com. Head on over to see what others are sharing this weekend. They probably won’t make you drink from the hose.
winter slipped away
like snow from a thawing roof
finally it’s spring
What Rhymes with Stanza? 