My darling cat is OBSESSED with going outside. At least, I think that is the reason he now meows at me all the time. Even though taking him outside makes some people extremely nervous (Hi Mom! I love you!), I persist for two reasons: 1. I want him to be familiar enough with “outside” to know where his house is, if he ever gets outside by accident, and to feel like he is not in a completely alien environment, and 2. I am in constant search of “enrichment” opportunities for him, and being outside is a great way to tire him out.
He wears a harness and I hold tightly to it at all times. His top favorite outdoor activities are rolling luxuriously on the pavers, watching birds, sniffing the air, and trying to eat various grasses and leaves that I’m SURE are poisonous. (I do not allow him to do this last thing, in case you were worried.)
Guess what? The GRILL IS GONE!!!!! I paid a junk removal company to remove it, along with some other junk we had lying around, and they removed all the junk and I feel so light and free! Worth every penny.
In other outdoor updates, my mystery plant is beginning to flower. Lauren says it is probably a phlox, and I would trust Lauren with my life in a plant-related situation (quite possibly in several other situations as well, which feels like a weird thing to say about a person I know solely through the internet, but here we are), and I am super eager for the flowers to bloom so we can know for sure.
Meandering along with more plant talk, I have serious flower envy. I feel like my flowers bloom later and with less abundance than my neighbors’ flowers, and I want to know their secrets. One of my neighbors has several hydrangeas in front of her house and they are in full, glorious bloom, while mine are barely eking out a blossom here and there. Surely there is something I could do, involving fertilizer or plant food or gentle lullabies, but I am reluctant to mess with plants that are at least growing. My lavender is looking lush and gorgeous, and my astilbe is flourishing this year like never before, and my magnolia tree is putting out gorgeous and fragrant flowers, so I should probably stop complaining.
You know what else is flowering? Yes, I am still talking about plants. The three zucchini plants I grew from seed. And yet, they are only producing male flowers! WTF?!
Okay, one more plant topic, which is that I immediately bought the grow lights that Kate recommended for my indoor plants and I am excited to set them up and see if they have any effect on my light-starved little friends. (The lights are on sale for Prime Day, and I will note that the sale is for $55.97, down from $79.95, and I paid $63.96 for them last week.)
Oh, I lied. I have ANOTHER plant update, which is that I went searching for replacement palms and ended up coming home with two giant ferns.
Let’s stay outside for a second and talk about summer essentials. Even though I know all the reasons to avoid Amazon, I do find it convenient and cost-effective enough to continue using it. Especially when the other options are so much less convenient and/or more expensive and/or don’t have the things I need. I feel guilty about this; I continue to search for ways to reduce my reliance on Amazon; and I still use it. Anyway. Prime Day is this week and so I’m taking the opportunity to load up on some summer essentials. Refills for my Thermacell mosquito repellent are at the top of the list. (By the way, if you don’t have one yet, it is on sale for $19.79; I got it for my parents last summer for $32.99. I love this thing so much because it works. It’s an excellent housewarming or hostess gift for people who spend a lot of time outdoors.) Another summer essential is my favorite moisturizing face serum with SPF. It is SO GOOD. I wear it daily. My favorite summer drink these days is a half-and-half mixture of grapefruit sparkling water and Trader Joe’s jalapeno limeade. SO GOOD.
Of course, as I’m adding bug repellent and sun repellent to my online cart, I am also perusing some of the things I’ve been dithering over for a long time. Namely, solar fence lights and some floating pool lights.
As you can tell, I am an excellent consumer. My husband said the other day that sometimes it feels like all we do is spend money. Does it feel that way to anyone else? Because it DOES feel that way. In part, there was some frenzy of last minute purchases to prepare Carla for camp. And then there was some Father’s Day gift buying. And then some gifts for Carla’s upcoming birthday. Plant stuff. Food and litter for the cat. Groceries. Birthday gifts for a friend, baby gifts for my housecleaner, new home gifts for my friend who just bought her first house. Prescriptions. Gas. And that’s just STUFF stuff, not bigger picture things like utilities and travel plans and, like, insurance. I am grateful to be able to buy the things we need. I am mindful that it feels like A Lot, and my husband and I are looking for ways to cut back.
Speaking of spending money AND of Carla’s birthday: We are having a skating party at the roller rink followed by a slumber party at our house. I think Carla is into the idea of a 90s theme for her party, which I am extremely delighted to get behind. I am imagining party favor bags full of Koosh balls and slap bracelets and tiny troll dolls and hours of playing Light As a Feather, Stiff As a Board.
Something else that has been on my mind, totally unrelated to anything else, is Class Dynamics. Specifically, when the teacher goes around the class and expects each person to make a comment on whatever it is you’re studying that week. I hate that. First of all, there’s the part where I have to speak, out loud, to other people. Even if I have thoughts on the subject at hand, there’s a good chance those thoughts will get garbled on the way out, and/or I’ll talk too fast, and/or I’ll jump around incoherently, and/or I’ll say something that doesn’t sound out loud the way it does in my head, and/or I’ll try to be funny and it will not make sense. Secondly, I hate speaking first, because there’s so much pressure on that and also it feels like being a goody two shoes… but I also hate speaking after other people have gone, because by then my exact points will for sure have been stated, in a clearer and more interesting way. And I cannot think on my feet; no way, if I know that we’ll be going around the room, I will have prepared my response WELL in advance. Thirdly, I hate it when the instructor either doesn’t respond to your comment, or responds with something like “thank you” or “okay” when it seems like she responds to everyone else with “good point” or “I was thinking the exact same thing.” Fourthly, I hate “going round the room” in general, because there’s no connectivity! The whole point is to say something different from everyone else, and so you’re not having a conversation, you’re giving a presentation, and I hate that.
See, this is why I distract myself with plants and purchases. Because dealing with other humans is TOO FRAUGHT.
Lest we end on such a weird an anxious note, let us turn our gaze once more to my cat. Carla’s new pajamas (birthday gift) arrived the other day and I opened the box on the counter and Lenny was CERTAIN I was doing something Extremely Interesting that he didn’t want to miss. Sure enough, I had revealed a perfect resting spot.
See, this is why I distract myself with plants and purchases. Because dealing with other humans is TOO FRAUGHT.
YES. Distraction is my middle name. 😄 I love that Carla is having a rollerskating party! And your plants are beautiful -and so is kitty!! (Even though he isn’t kitty anymore) 💜
Thank you, Kari!!! <3
Oh, Lenny! WHY do cats love boxes so much??? And, I love him going outside in his harness. Cats really, really love the outdoors and it seems cruel to keep them inside. On the other hand, indoor cats usually live significantly longer than indoor/outdoor cats. Considering how much I love my cats, I know it will sound crazy when I say… we let them go outside. Not Sylvie- she’s too little. But Muffin and Foxy go out. They don’t go far, and usually come back in pretty quickly (they know where the food is). Foxy especially will meow and meow pathetically at the door until we let him out. If anything happens to him, or Muffin, we’ll be devastated… but here we are. So anyway- you’re doing JUST FINE with Lenny in his harness!
Yes, I know what you mean- sometimes it seems like all we do is spend money. How is it that we need so much STUFF??? We also try to find alternatives to Amazon, but it really is convenient, so… sigh.
I am terrified of my kitty being an outdoor kitty, but I also agree with you that it feels cruel to keep him inside. He really loves being outside. It is so stimulating to him, too! He sleeps so well on the days when we spend time outside. What am I going to do in the winter? I wonder if he’ll be interested in walking around in the snow?
Cats and boxes 😀 I’m honestly just waiting for the day/night I look out and see the bobcat in one of the empty Amazon boxes under our carport (using them to shield freshly harvested potatoes from the light).
Plants are excellent topics AND purchases. *If needed, just say you are contributing to a cleaner and therefore healthier environment for your home, because plants produce oxygen and purify the air! 😉
Oh my goodness, a pet bobcat! 😉
I love your take on the importance of plant buying! I will have to remember that the next time my husband suggests I limit myself at the greenhouse.
I am just waiting to see Freckles again 😉 LOL
Oh yes, definitely use that logic/argument for a greenhouse trip! 😀 My husband told me I could have as many plants as I wanted, since discovering I’m allergic to cats/can’t have one inside. The jungle is growing 😉
Well, you influenced me to buy a Thermacell to gift to my parents for their patio at the lake! I would rather get them an out-of-the-blue practical gift rather than a gift-because it’s-father’s-day (insert other holidays). So thank you!
My husband thinks we spend so much money. But when we met with a financial advisors in 2020, he said “wow you guys really do not spend much money.” I said “can you say that louder for the guy in the back?” I do not feel like we spend that much money but my husband’s benckmark is spending basically no money and that is a stupid benchmark! So I am always reminding him of the time the financial advisors that sees all sorts of people told us we do not spend much money.
YESSSSSS I hope they love their Thermacell, Lisa! I am kind of surprised that Thermacell doesn’t have some sort of sponsorship deal with Minnesota; isn’t your “state bird” the mosquito?!
I love that your financial advisor said that, and I love that you can now hold that over Phil’s head for the rest of time.
I do not know how I had not heard of Thermacell because mosquitoes are so prevalent here! My parents had this weird fan thing that was supposed to help with flies and mosquitoes and it definitely didn’t.
THE ROLLER RINK. OMG. I love this so much I cannot EVEN.
Suzanne! I picked my very first zucchini today! I am sure by the time you get here I will have amassed many, and also my family is already looking at me warily, remembering how I try to put it in everything, so I am sure that I will have many to gift you!
I feel like we spend all our money on groceries these days. Well, and travel. Both of those things I am happy to spend money on! I also try to lessen my amazon usage and mostly that has worked well. But some things are just not practical otherwise – Rex’s food comes in enormous heavy bags because he eats five cups a day. I COULD buy it at the grocery store, but it is so difficult to haul out and put on the cart and then the cart rolls away and you know what, subscribe and save is what I’m going to do until the end of time.
NICOLE. I literally never even thought that I would be with you during PEAK ZUCCHINI TIME. Could this visit get any better?!?!?!?!!?!?! Now I need to research whether I can transport zucchini across the border.
YES. Cat litter is the same deal as dog food, I think. I can barely heave it onto the bottom of the cart. Subscribe and save is MADE for this situation. And also for my multi packs of Eucerin, which I use daily, and which frequently and randomly disappears from local shelves.
I love that you’re taking Lenny outside (I mean, isn’t the backyard so much more interesting when you can actually touch and sniff (and taste) stuff?
I also agree that plants are the weirdest things. Plants that should die, thrive. Plants that thrive, should be dead. I cannot for the life of me get my hydrangea to blossom but at least it came back from the dead and maybe it’ll take just a few more years…
And don’t get me started on the spending. We don’t have kids or pets and still feel money is going out the window. I don’t know how people (families!) live these days.
Plants have complete disregard for our feelings about them, San! We just want to love them and watch them bloom, and they do not care.
Oh sweet Lenny is loving his outside time!
Regarding your hydrangea – is it in the sun? Because I have two, one is in the back and is partially shaded and is blooming. The other is on the side of the house and gets a lot of morning sun and is refusing to bloom. I’ve thought about relocating it but it’s HUGE and that would be a big job so it will probably continue to live right where it is a remain bloom-less.
A roller rink party! That will be so fun for Carla and her friends!! The fact that she wants a “retro” 90s theme is making me feel extraordinarily old. Wasn’t it just the 90s yesterday?
Gigi, we have ten hydrangeas just in the backyard, and at least eight in the front. And some on the side. There are a LOT of hydrangeas. Some are in sunshine, some are in part sun, some are in mostly shade. They seemed to do okay last year, but they are being very sluggish so far this summer.
Cats and boxes are a perfect pairing! So are kids and roller skates! I am shocked by the price of things lately. I rely on Amazon for many things because I simply can’t get them locally, and they usually have the best price. Honestly, I don’t enjoy shopping in person anymore. I get so stressed out! I totally understand your feelings about class dynamics. I still sometimes have nightmares that I’m in a university class! Shudder!
Shopping in person is The Worst, Michelle. I am right there with you.
I would sort of like to be a consumer. If only I had more disposable income! LOL. I need to buy new bras, but I keep putting it off because I’d like to spend that money on FUN THINGS like shoes and dresses and random things to help clean the floor.
Speaking of! I just bought an Uproot and if you, like me, sometimes feel like the vacuum is not DOING ITS JOB on carpets or rugs, this gizmo is the real deal. I finally feel like with the Uproot, the Chum Chum roller, and our vacuum, the rugs are clean again. Just in case you’re having fur issues with a constantly shedding long-haired feline. *ahem*
GOING TO LOOK UP UPROOT RIGHT NOW!!!
Also, yes, fun dresses and shoes and, in my case, plant-related doodads are far preferable to spending a million bucks on a stupid bra. I too am in desperate need of a new bra. It’s been a long while.
You just brought back memories of Baby Doggo. She was an absolute terror for trying to eat every single yucky thing on the ground outside. Oof.
Anyway, I’m glad that Lenny is having supervised outdoor adventures. Also cats >>> dogs for boxes. Cats want to sleep in the box, dogs want to eat the box.
Agree, there is always something to buy, and Amazon usually has it. I don’t need to make myself miserable by not using them, so I just try to give my cart and extra look before I checkout to make sure that I’m not buying stupid stuff because I can.
It’s been a while since I’ve been in a classroom and…yep, I remember the awkwardness. There’s no good answer for this.
To be fair to dogs, Lenny definitely does a good bit of chewing on many boxes.
I do a lot of “putting things in my cart” and then “letting them sit there for days or weeks or months.” If I still want/need them, fine. But a lot of the time I end up deleting them because WHY did I put them there in the first place?!
Walter lives to get outside, while Willow is content to watch the outside world from the window. Anyway, I let him outside a couple times a week while I’m hanging laundry or doing yard work. And he darts out the door and has to be chased and brought back inside up to a dozen times a day.
I am more aware than usual of how much money we spend because Beth’s out of town for most of the summer and I’m now the one spending all the money. It’s a lot!
A skating party sounds like fun. North did a bowling party a couple years ago.
I highly recommend those pool lights! My grandparents had them (not sure what brand though) and they look so so cool floating around in the pool at night!
I approve of you giving Lenny outside time *safely*! We had an indoor/outdoor cat go out one day and never come home, and I would never have an outdoor cat again after that. My dad and stepmom had the same thing happen. Too heartbreaking.
I have made a big effort to not use Amazon because Bezos is such an ass. There are some things that I still buy though, because I can’t find them elsewhere. Sometimes I will research an item on Amazon, and then buy it at the retailers website instead. If your cat litter company sells online, you could try that, but if not, then Amazon is probably still the best answer.
Spending money…I bought myself a new crossbody bag yesterday based on a facebook ad. I hope I do not regret that. I independently went to the company’s website though, I did not click through, I’ve been burned in the past and gotten cheap knockoffs.
I remember stiff as a board, light as a feather! When I was in 4th grade, our substitute teacher let us lift him up that way. Crazy, he was probably 6ft tall, and it totally worked.
PUT IT ON MY TOMBSTONE!!!!!!!!!!
lol. What a nice thing to say and what a nicer thing to read with my coffee this morning. And lady if you think we’re still internet strangers and not legitimate friends at this point you’re outta your damn mind- just because we “haven’t met” and “don’t know the other’s kid’s real names” and all the rest of the insignificant facts and jazz… lol. We’ll meet up at some point- t’will alleviate the weirdness. Or not- I’m pretty weird. Maybe it makes it worse?!?! It’s a risk I’m willing to take though.
No fleas on Lenny! He knows a good box when he sees one. Your plants look absolutely wonderful. Well done. And Carla’s party sounds fun. GREAT party favors! (I hear you on “class participation” like that. I hated that!)