rain, weeds, car, paint, yuck!

So it's official - I hate painting! I have finally gotten my bedroom painted a grey-blue semi-gloss paint. Fortunately I used a good paint so I didn't have to prime over the deeper color it replaced. I now have lots of things to paint white - new moldings, doors, etc. so the room will be complete. I have one roman shade made, for the smaller window, and I think I like it. I don't know about the valance. I am torn. either it is too short, or too full, or too full because it is too short. I have to rethink it before I settle and grouse about it forever.

I am sending my apologies to everyone at this month's meeting of Rakes and Blades. I was all set to attend, had my plants potted, my shrimp pasta hot and bubbly, directions in hand and camera all charges and ready to fire. Unfortunately, my car was not in the same frame of mind or readiness! I hopped in the car 15 minutes before the start of the meeting since I live relatively close by. It was dead! Not a whimper, it wouldn't even unlock the doors! Naturally I called AAA to get a boost, but they warned that since it was a holiday - Father's Day - it would be at least 1 1/2 hours, which would have been the end of the meeting. Monday, with Brian's help, I got an "instant start" battery booster to prevent long waits for AAA. Then I, yes me, took out the car battery and got a new one - can you possibly imagine me being so butch????. This should not happen again!

I am still delaying going to Home Depot for mulch. I know I need it and I want it, but I just don't seem to have the energy to go and get it. I guess it is the thought of getting 25 bags, but I would only pick up 5 or so at a time. I should go for it, if only to punish the car! Thanks to all of the rain, the weeds have gone into overdrive, and are rapidly spreading throughout the yard. I need to mulch, if only to keep the weeds lower than the plumeria! So I am off to Home Depot today, so I should have some photos soon to show the planting beds, and my room.

A follow-up to the last few posts.

Okay, so here - finally - is a photo of the vase that sent me to Home Depot to paint, carpet and otherwise upgrade my sleeping quarters. It was a great find at Pier One, certainly worth waiting 2 years for it to go on sale. Brian liked it so much that he bought me a second one because everyone should have 2 perfect vases??

This past week I got another vase, a different vase, as a very pleasant surprise from Brad, which is a near perfect companion to my vase! Thank you so much, Brad! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Since my birthday is next week, it was an especially nice gift!

I haven't been spending enough time in the garden this week. We have had a good bit of rain and the weeds have been flourishing. I shudder whenever I go out there and see all the work that needs to be done. I try to overlook the weeds as I also have so much in bloom. The big brugmansia is full, as the photo shows, as is the small one I got 2 months ago. They both are the common pink trumpets that smell, like Brian always points out, "like dishwashing liquid". I guess they do have a soft, soapy smell, but it's the look that is so overwhelming, certainly when the tree is full of those huge blooms. I am still waiting for the double white trumpets to open, which should be tomorrow.

I made cuttings from my night-blooming jasmine for the raffle at the meeting this month, and they are just coming into bloom. Unfortunately, the mother bush is full of caterpillars who have eaten almost every new leaf. I know they don't harm the plant, but the look of the bush is so depressing right now. I know it won't be blooming for a while. The thing is, the caterpillars strike overnight. Last week the bush was thriving, and overnight the plant is devastated. It must have hundreds of caterpillars, but I can't see any on it. They might be night crawlers the way the plant is a night bloomer. I just hate the thought of using a chemical pesticide to get rid of them!