An abundance of Succulents and other crazy ideas

Have you noticed how succulents have been showing up everywhere for the past few years?  In all the decor magazines, design blogs, everywhere one looks.  No longer do you have to head to a plant nursery to find them, they are even sold in the grocery stores.  A few years ago I had a hard time finding them anywhere except a garden center. I thought the trend was waning, but it doesn't appear that it is.  Even if it is, I still like succulents and real ones grow pretty well in the desert climate in Boise.

I found this wrought iron shelf/cd rack about 4 years ago, at the thrift shop.  I think it is/was a cd rack anyhow.  I really love the curvy shape of it. My plan was to eventually fill it with small succulents, using a collection of bowls and pots that I already had.  It sat in a corner of the garage just waiting until I would finally move to my house in Boise.  Well this last trip, I was in Michael's one day and saw that they had their faux succulents on clearance.  A light went off in my brain, and I thought, wow, I don't have to wait for real ones, I'll just use these in the meantime.  

I'm pretty pleased with how this project turned out.  I've mixed in a few rocks that we've picked up here and there along the way.

Hubby used to roll his eyes at some of the ideas I would get. But he admits they usually turn out well, so he doesn't discourage me from buying or saving some mundane item that I will turn into something else. He's pretty impressed with the succulents.  He also really likes the metal colander I turned into a light fixture over the kitchen sink. 

 

One time long ago we were coming back from a Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, and I spied a dead branch along the side of the freeway.  We went back and got it and were almost arrested by the Highway Patrol. Even though it was supposed to be "temporary", it is still holding up the curtain over the entry door windows, 20 years later.  Yes I have eclectic tastes and our home is a mixture of things we both really love. 

July in Idaho

Hubby and I are winding down another stay at our Idaho home.  It was unusually hot for July, high 90's and a few triple digit days.  Leaving humid Texas is always a delight...however, even though it is  a dry heat here in the high desert, when it is over 100 it is still really hot.  It's still been in the 60's in the early a.m. so we get out early, have our breakfast on the deck, then get to work.  Hubby has done a lot in the garden, thinned out a lot of overgrowth of flowers that tend to take over, redone the path that goes around the back of the garden under the pine trees. He's done a lot of basic home improvement projects, like he does every time we are here.  I have done some work in the yard, and in the house. A little bit anyhow.  Mostly I have done artwork, hung out with friends, cousins, Sister and Mom.  I've read 2 Louise Penny novels while here as well. Oh and every evening and most mornings we are visited by the quails. They are so sweet, but they move so fast it is hard to catch a photo of them. I love watching them scurry across the yard. 

 The main reason I love being in Boise, is the view of my backyard from the family room, kitchen and sun room. It's like staring at an aquarium to me, in the calm feeling it gives me. 

There are a lot of Hostas.  I want to plant more of these giant ones in the shade beneath the pine trees.  This one seems quite happy here. 

Tiger Lilies I had forgotten were there.  Discovered after Hubby cleaned and thinned out a lot of overgrowth.

We've had the joy of being here almost the entire month of July this time.  We had a family reunion of sorts a few Sundays ago.  With so many cousins living here within a 100 mile radius, the family has these get togethers often.  We miss most of them, but thankfully were here for this one.  One of our cousins was out from Nebraska for a week, so of course it was a reason for another big dinner at Aunties place. We hadn't seen this cousin since we were youngsters many years ago, so it was great getting caught up.   It was 100 that day and we had an outdoor picnic.  It was incredibly hot, but there was shade and fans running. We all had a good time.  My Aunt is 86 and her husband is 85...they have the most amazing garden, with flowers and veggies and fruits.  We've had the most delicious raspberries, that taste just like the ones I remember from childhood.

One day husband, sister and I took a day trip to Shoshone Falls, a two hour drive from Boise.  It was a nice drive, and the falls were beautiful, even though they were running quite low as it is late in the season.  The best time to go this year has been in April.  We still enjoyed it and got a few good photos. We also got to see some base jumpers at the Perrine Bridge that spans the Snake River. 

We're heading back to Austin, where I hear they have had 25 days in a row of temperatures over 100. When it is like that I become a cave dweller of sorts.  Out in the a.m. to do what errands have to be done, then home for the day, thankful for A/C. It takes me about a week to recover from the differences in humidity between Boise and Austin. If you've read this far, thanks for visiting me in My Own Private Idaho. 

Taking things easy

Above photos, December 15. Leaving Boise, Arriving Austin.

The past month has been pretty much of a blur. I was able to go on my planned trip to Idaho and spent two weeks there. Doctor had told me to get a lot of rest, and that is pretty much what I did.  Spent time with my Mother and other family members. Spent a great deal of time just sitting by the fireplace drinking hot beverages and relaxing.  Hubby did most of the cooking plus took very good care of me.  It is really hard for me to sit back and let anyone do things for me. It always has been, which is part of my persona, but things need to change.  After the heart attack and all the meds I am on, I do feel really tired most of the time.  So I guess I am getting pretty good at this resting thing, simply because I have no choice.  And when I do have a choice, things are going to have to be a lot different from now on.

I've been back home almost a little over a week, and have had several doctor follow-ups. I'm back at aqua yoga, and I have had to modify quite a bit and it still tires me out.  I've been told it's expected so I am going with the flow and taking things one day at a time.  If I sound blue, it's probably because I am, but I think it will pass as I feel better.

Fortunately hubby and I don't get too carried away for Christmas anyhow. This year will be even less than usual and it is just fine. I have these 3 little lighted ornaments in the bookshelf in the family room and that is it for décor.  Oh except for wrapping a string of wire lights around one of my succulents on the hall table.  Ha.  We have lots of candles, they are battery operated and come on when it gets dark and go off 6 hours later.  So there is no need to get stressed about Christmas, because it will come and go without us.  I have been to no retail establishments since coming home except World Market and Target and they were very quick visits.  These little lanterns are from World Market and are new this year.

 

Little brown succulent in glass terrarium

                                    .

What I've been doing

The end of July I went through two weeks of carpenters and painters hanging around the house.  Doing a job that was supposed to take 4 days.  In the end, they did a very good job, but the head contractor really underestimated their time.  There were days that they showed up at 8, days that only 2 showed up because someone worked so hard the day before he was sick.  Other days he couldn't locate his crew in the a.m. so they didn't come till mid-day.  It was very trying.  Yikes, I hate having anything done to the house.

Anyhow, the job got finished just in time for us to leave for Idaho again.  Three weeks there were wonderful, hanging out with family and friends.  While there we had our outside decks painted.  It took 3 days, including the prep work.  The guys showed up at 7 a.m. every morning, which was really nice. They did a wonderful job of removing any traces of the old redwood stain, and transforming my decks to a beautiful grey. The first step in getting rid of beiges, browns and reds.  Next spring we will have them paint the house a nice grey/green with black trim. The interior is already taking on the blue/green/grey theme a bit at a time.  There is still a lot of beige I am going to keep for the time being, such as the carpets. I am choosing color tones that go with it. I thought I might have to get rid of all the beige, if going to grey. But I am seeing a lot of beige/grey together and it looks fine.  I have some rugs that have grey/black and beige in them. I don't want to, nor have the energy to do it all at once. Just a step at a time.

We arrived in Idaho in the midst of another heat wave, and after a few days, and some dry lightning storms, the entire state was burning up with wildfires.  The smoke curtailed a lot of our outdoor activities, but we still had a good time.  Hubby worked in the yard regardless, but I could not have the windows open because the smoke was so strong it made me ill.  The smoke makes for some beautiful sunrises and sunsets, but is terrible on everyone's health.

I had limited internet connection while there.  I could read blogs, but somehow Google decided to mess with me and I could not sign into my own blog, and also could not comment on anyone elses with out being signed in to Google. Very frustrating, so now I am catching up on reading blogs now that I am back home.

I got a wild hare that I must do something arty while there, besides color in my new coloring books, which is just for fun and relaxation.  And another subject entirely!  I have a lot of art supplies there at the house, but I always want to do something different than what I have the supplies for. So off to Michaels and Aaron Bros I went and got some spray paint.  I am always so impatient, so I didn't even change clothes to get started. In this photo you will see that I grabbed a plastic bag to put over my shoes, just in case. The plant material is goldenrod. First I tried pounding some, but it was way too dry.

Below, partly finished, work in progress, using 3 colors, the paper is watercolor paper. A good start, who knows what I will try next. Maybe some shadow sketching of the plants.  Might cut some up for collage backgrounds.  Anyhow, it made me feel good to mess about a little bit.

Coming Home

 

After a month away from Texas, Hubby and I flew home on Thursday. I have become very weary of flying, and it tires me out more all the time.  I pass the time reading, sleeping, or observing the clouds out the window.  They are always so much more beautiful than a photo can capture, but I still make the attempt.

We spent our time first in Boise, at our someday retirement home.  We worked in the yard, well Hubby did that more than I did. I spent a lot of time sitting on the deck watching and listening to the waterfall and fountain. At several different times, I saw three hummingbirds hovering around the Honeysuckle vines that are right next to the pond. There were lots of dragonflies as well. I don't sit outside much in Texas in the summer, so I am really very aware of the opportunities to do it when we are in Idaho.
We spent time with relatives and kept very busy with attending the events at the assisted living facility where my Mom and Dad now live.  We flew to Chicago for a week on business and had a great time there, staying a couple of extra days in downtown Chicago and doing a bit of sight seeing.  Then back to Boise for another week, and then home on the 6th.  I celebrated my 70th birthday on the 31st of August, and my cousin had a nice big family dinner in my honor.  YIKES...it is difficult to say I am 70 as that sounds so old, and I don't feel that old.

All in all, we had a great time.  However, the heat we left Texas to escape to cool weather for, seemed to follow us.  Boise was having a heat wave, the temps for the entire month of August were only below 90 on 4 days! They were also experiencing the summer fires that have plagued the entire Western States for a number of years now.  It was so smoky when we first arrived that the foothills were not even visible.  It came and went, with fires throughout the region.  A lot of acreage lost and some homes as well.  It is sad to see the forests disappear and the threat to wild life and people as well.  When in Chicago it was a bit cooler, but still hotter than normal.  We did leave there just as they were beginning to creep up into the 90's. 

While leaving Boise on Thursday, we did get to witness something really special.  When we got to the airport, we saw a news crew downstairs and didn't think much of it.  But when we got checked in and arrived at our gate, there was a lot of excitement taking place.  A Southwest flight had just landed at the next gate, bringing home some WWII veterans that had been flown to Washington D.C. earlier in the week.  This is part of a program that has been going on for a few years across the country.  Honor Flight

Anyhow, as they came off the plane, they gathered in front of  our gate, waiting for everyone to deplane.   Most of these veterans were in wheelchairs, but some of them were walking. Everyone in the terminal stood and applauded.  I turned and was speaking to the lady next to me, she had tears in her eyes, as did I.  When I turned back to where my husband had been standing, I saw that he was not there.  He had walked over to them and was going down the line, shaking each of their hands.  Then a very young soldier in uniform was walking the line as well.  Everyone in the gate area was standing and applauding as the group left the area. This was such a touching event, and I am so glad we were there at just the right time to witness it.  When I finally got my wits about me, it was all over and I was able to only get a couple of photos of the way Southwest had decorated around Gate 15.