karmicdragonfly: (Default)
Wore a bit of Halloween (Eallra Halgena Γ†fen - "Eve of All Hallowed") gear for class today --


And today was the move back inside for the lemon tree -- It was heavier than I hoped because it had not dried out enough, and I forgot to put on my lifting belt. And then, I felt the soreness in my lower back 😬😐 Hopefully, "soreness" is the extent of it!


The tree was was outside 226 days (7.5ish months) β€” slightly above average, but pretty close to average.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
Today was the day to move my grandmother's lemon tree back outside. As usual, I have starved it for water a few weeks before the move in order to make it easier to lift -- as evidenced by the drooping leaves!


I'm glad the weather is finally warming up! Lots of daffodils in the yard, which I have been bringing indoors.


The time change did not agree with me last weekend -- I don't remember being quite so groggy. Not helped by this being my week to host book club, so I just ordered pizza, put out a salad from a bag, and made a key lime pie. I didn't have time to do anything more elaborate.

The book was my choice since I was hosting. I picked an old one -- The Waves by Virginia Woolfe - not a great choice - at least I didn't particularly like it, although I understood it was experimental.

Also this past week, I was disappointed not to be able to see the blood moon lunar eclipse this last Thursday morning. I did get up at 2 in the morning, then again closer to 3, but the sky was too overcast to see it.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
***Update:
After a lot of work, and fixing unexpected problems, the water supply issue was resolved by the Dept of Public Utilities. I was without any water for nearly 48 hours. Some folks were without for longer than that!

The impact spread to the counties, which somewhat rely on the city system. Initially, the counties disengaged from the city system. But when the city water came back on, the counties also issued boil water advisories.

It was definitely a test of my emergency preparedness, which I found kinda lacking! I THOUGHT I had about 4 days of drinking water stored, when in reality, it was more like 2 days.

I THOUGHT I had a couple days of water for flushing toilets, when it really was more like 1 day!

So I will have to give some more thought to adding more water to my supply stash!

***
Other thoughts -- I was pleased with how many texts went around between me and my friends all around the city and also texts with nearby neighbors. Questions, suggestions, complaining, just keeping in touch, etc.

It was very nice to keep in touch during what was a pretty stressful event. Just deciding where / how to use the bathroom became a chore. Decision point: if it is pee, then it can sit without flushing. If it's more than pee...then is there enough water to flush?

When we ran out of stored flush water, some of us used dehumidifier water for flushing. Others melted snow.

Yes, water was available at the stores, but do you really want to buy fancy spring water, smart water, etc. to pour into the toilet tank? The answer is probably no, but I did do that just that once for lack of flush water.



πŸ”ΆBeginning of original postπŸ”Ά
First new year's gift is a boil water advisory! Which was really a "No more water coming from the tap advisory. Surprise! Happy Epiphany!"

The snow and ice storm -- although not very bad -- caused a power outage, and the city's water pumping stations "malfunctioned". It sounds as if it will take several days to get back up and running and flush the system.

In the meantime, we are to boil water before use. I noticed about 4pm that my toilet didn't refill after I used it. Then I got notice in a text from a friend to buy some water because there was a problem. So I went into what I call "country mode" -- having grown up in the country and having had to deal with power outages when our water pump for the well would not work.

I immediately went out and bought a few liters of water at the gas station. Then I found about 10 liters of water I had bought for emergencies earlier this year. And I can always boil water as I need it.

I had a Mormon friend once who suggested that after finishing a bleach jug...to put water in it, date it, and then use it for flushing toilets if necessary. And I have done that sometimes over the years. I think 2020 was a good year for "eau de toilette"!


Having said that, I think the water pressure is better now than it was, so I'm hoping the toilets will start to flush normally.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
"The queen is back in the house!"

I moved the lemon tree (the aforementioned queen) back into the house for winter. When I'm working, I've taken to sometimes practicing Old English in my head, and the "queen back in the house" phrase came to me as something I knew how to say!

She looks bad because she's a hefty gal, so I have to starve her for water to lighten the weight before I can move her.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
The Mulberry is an important part of this property. I even mention living with an old Mulberry in my tagline for this site.

Not only does it have a commanding presence, and a really interesting shape, but when I first moved here all those years ago, sometimes out of the corner of my eye, I used to see, um...little beings? Little dark beings with big yellow eyes looking around the trunk of the tree examining me. At the time not being able to process that, I just ignored what I saw from the corner of my eyes. But now I would call them the genius loci -- the spirit of the place. Perhaps, I should use the plural and say genii loci.

Let's just say that I would like the Mulberry to live as long as it can. It has been doing poorly the last few years during the summer droughts, but with our very wet and mild winter and some of the spring rains, it has really perked up! As is the the natural habit of a Mulberry, it is putting out lower branches that will reach towards the earth. I typically have trimmed those back, but this year, I'm leaving them -- yes, they stick out into the driveway, and yes, they block my view of the backyard, but oh well.

karmicdragonfly: (Default)
Always stressful to me (not to mention my wallet) to get work done on the house. Today is new roof day 😐

Looking out front towards he pile of old shingles being thrown off the roof!
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
Got the lemon tree inside for the winter. It was not completely dried out, so it was a heavier than I had hoped!



It was outside for 204 days, about 6.8 months, which is a little under average. But we are getting a freeze tomorrow, so it's definitely time to bring it inside.


Butterflies are feeding on the Asters out front...the temp drops tonight! It's been mid 80s (˜29C) in October! But that changes tonight!
Monarch on Asters
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
I was out of town on holiday for 2 weeks -- more on that soon -- and while I was away someone burned my pride flag!

I was in a hotel room and happened to notice the security camera notification on my phone, where I saw that the flag looked like it had gotten torn. My first thought was that it had snagged on something and torn. But as I looked further back in the camera events, I found where a man had come into my front yard at night and lit my flag on fire! Thank goodness flags are fire resistant!

Here's a cropped still from the video showing the flame after it got started.


Here's what I saw the next day on camera --


And my neighbors noticed. And I knew I had good neighbors, but maybe I didn't realize how good they were. Both neighbors on either side put up a pride flag after mine was burned. That really did make me feel better while I was away!


I also had a friend who kept more watch over the house after this happened. And I got a lot of emotional support from other friends after I texted them and told them what happened.

The vandalism itself was not great, but what was worse was that this person burned something next to my house, which could have burned the house...or even burned me if I had been home during a fire.

I called the local police department while I was overseas and filed a report.

***
I had not flown a pride flag in 20+ years. I used to fly one all year long in my last apartment. In the house, I just hadn't felt the need. But the rise of the white supremicist movement made me realize it was time to fly one. So last year, I put one up and plan to keep doing it going forward.

This was one of the first things I did after I got back last night -
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
Honeysuckle vines are blooming in my hedges, and it reminds me of my childhood. My younger sister and I would pull the flower off to reveal the stamen, and lick the honeysuckle nectar. But we made sure to avoid the honeysuckles that grew around the outhouse! 😬

The honeysuckles are blooming as are the privet hedges -- the combination has become a Summer fragrance for me.


Me and the younger sister as children, with the aforementioned outhouse in the background
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
I had thought that Creeping Phlox was probably an Asian origin plant. And I was really, really pleased to see the native Strawberry Clearwing Moth feeding on them, and indeed they are native to the US! I like to plant native plants to support native pollinators. I have seen this moth a couple times lately --
Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

Snowberry clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) feeding on Creeping Phlox

Snowberry clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) feeding on Creeping Phlox

None of the rest of these are native plants though -- a few Dutch Iris outside that I brought in --
Iris still life

Iris Still Life

And I have some Clematis vines that have done very well this year!






I planted this years ago, and since then I had THOUGHT this might be a native azalea because it is deciduous. But I'm learning towards this being a Rhododendron 'luteum'-- a European native. If true, the pollen in this could be used by bees to make 'Mad Honey' -- honey that is not good for people! I am not sure -- I bought this at a big box store many, many years ago and have long ago lost the tag that came with it.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
The Creeping Phlox are near done blooming, but they are still drawing Snowberry Clearwings!
Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

Lilac

7 Apr 2023 19:51
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
I think Lilacs are biennial, meaning a particular plant blooms every other year. So some years I have more blooms than other years, depending on the plants...and also on the weather.

This bush was grown from a 'slip' (a small plant)...a 'volunteer' (a plant that comes up by itself)...from my Mom's Lilac bush.

Lilac
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
As usual, I'm excited to see my first Hummingbird Moth of the season! I didn't realize the Creeping Phlox would be a food source, and glad to see that! This is s a Snowberry Clearwing.

Snowberry clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) feeding on Creeping Phlox
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
Today was the semi-annual move of my grandmother's lemon tree. As usual, I let it dry out to make it light enough to lift. It's now outside until the late Fall.



I don't have any data points before 2006, and also probably at that time, the tree was not so heavy so the moves were not as notable. I do like seeing the average days/months outside.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
I had some friends over a couple nights ago to celebrate one of their birthdays. It was a pleasant time.

But one thing I mentioned to them was that it still doesn't feel like my Sabbatical has started. I've been frustrated at some of the house fix items which have been slow to get accomplished. And I haven't done any kind of travel yet. The 2015 Sabbatical was the best time of my adult life. And the 2019/20 Sabbatical was more like retirement -- enjoyable, but quiet (partly due to the pandemic).

The good news is that some of the house items are finally getting done -- I found an acceptable toilet for upstairs, and I got it installed today. I have picked the color for the porch, and I'll paint that next week. And I've been getting some weeding done in the yard. Also, I've been getting together with friends -- which helps my mood A LOT!

I've also made sure to get some "forest bathing" time almost every day -- to breathe the forest air, and to get exercise, and to visit with the creatures. And I keep my camera with me.

At the botanical garden --
Butterfly at the Botanical Garden

Butterfly at the Botanical Garden


At a local park --
Common (Eastern) Pondhawk Tail Up for Cooling
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
I'm now 2 weeks out from starting my Sabbatical and still in the process of decompressing! For the most part, I've been trying to catch up on things around the house that I have been putting off for a long time -- just ordered a replacement for a broken toilet, weeding in the garden, cleaning the house (omg, so much dust!), etc.

I've also been going to local parks as part of a need to increase my physical activity -- I mean really, just how long can I blame the pandemic for my increasing girth?!

I've also been spending more time w/ the camera, something thet makes me happy.
Green Heron

Deer

Speaking of the pandemic, one thing I have noticed is an ongoing 'tension' and lack of courtesy around town. These last few years have been hard on everyone. School / grocery store / worship space shootings, wars, viruses, disinformation, inflation, disrespect for established political process, valuing ignorance over education -- the last few years have been rough!
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
The spring move outside happened today. I intended to do it earlier, but vacation interfered, and we had a bit of cold weather late this year. The tree looks bad because I starve it for water to make it lighter for the move.


The job is getting harder as I get older...I wonder when I will move to a smaller house for retirement..and if I could maybe get a small heated greenhouse that I could put the lemon tree in for the winter, rather than move it in and out.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
Moved my Grandmother's lemon tree back inside for the winter.

It looks parched because well, it is! That's because I deprive it of water in the weeks before I move it back inside in order to lighten the load. It was outside for 237 days this time, which is just a bit above average.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
*** Gum surgery with donor (=cadaver) tissue! Things are healing nicely. Sucks getting old. But glad I could get this work done.

*** First neighborhood get-together - I realized I had missed our quarterly meetings.

*** Took a couple days off work and got some house stuff done. And some house stuff made worse off -- I changed the mechanicals in the back of the toilet -- which I have done several times before -- but this time I managed to over-tighten and crack the tank.πŸ™„ So I'm figuring out what to do next to get my downstairs toilet back in shape.

*** Spring flowers have come and gone. The lavender is blooming, but the summer flowers have not really started yet.
Cabbage White butterfly on lavender

*** I want to travel again.
karmicdragonfly: (Default)
I have been toying with exiting my current job, which is a real crapfest, lol. I mean, my life is just too short for this.

Tonight I was contemplating what I love about my current state of life:
1) I love the Mulberry out back. It's old...and it has been dying for many, many years.
2) I love the impression that I 'feel' of all the people who have lived here before me. I think that when you live in a place, you leave some of your energy in the place. If you're an asshole, you leave asshole energy. If you are a beautiful person, you leave beautiful energy. I have a list of everyone who has lived here, based on city directories, and the very first person here grew up near where I did. If I 'feel' his imprint correctly, I don't think I would have liked him.
3) I love that I can hang out with friends. I spent time with a friend (and could HUG him - thanks vaccine!) this past week. I'll see him again this weekend. I'm also having a couple friends over for dinner later this week. And I do intend to hug them also!

profile

karmicdragonfly: (Default)
karmicdragonfly

March 2026

M T W T F S S
      1
2 345 6 7 8
9101112131415
16171819 202122
2324252627 28 29
3031     

most popular tags

...

"O seguro morreu de velho, mas o desconfiado ainda estΓ‘ vivo." -- "The safe one died of old age, but the suspicious one is still living."