Garden State of Mind

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  • Chlorine Dreams

    My only focus this week was making it to 5 pm Friday, when my vacation officially began. I didn’t do much during the week besides work, do some cleaning in the wake of Aspen the foster puppy, and run some errands. And work in the garden. More beans, peppers and onions this week. Friday night…

  • Not All Athletes Wear Shoes

    This sentiment was on someone’s shirt at Saturday’s swim meet. Yes, here’s to water sports! Here’s to any sport where you can have a five-minute open swim for spectators in the middle of the match! I didn’t know this was a thing, and was disappointed I didn’t have my bathing suit on. I would have…

  • Hazy Shade of Summer

    This was a rough week. There were a couple of days where I felt like I used to when I had infants… like the routine was never-ending and I wouldn’t have even a second to just breathe and think. Just a stream of things to do and then collapse into bed. That’s probably because 8-week-old…

  • Surprise Puppies

    Got a text from the foster puppy coordinator asking if we could take two puppies today, instead of next weekend. Next thing we knew, F and I were picking up Aspen and Cedar (sister and brother) and bringing them home. We weren’t quite prepared but they are so adorable and I’m glad it happened! Cedar…

  • Cooked

    We survived, barely, three days of the mercury hitting 101 degrees, plus more days in the 90s. I shudder to think of the next electric bill. I still tried to go outside as much as I could, but only in the mornings and evenings. In the middle of the day, I only ventured outside to…

  • Admire My Beans

    Many thanks to the Collingswood Civic Collective for sponsoring the House and Garden Tour yesterday! My friend K and I visited all six gardens and one house. It was so inspiring to see the amazing spaces people have created — some large, some small. My personal favorite was probably Dan’s (of Front Yard Food NJ).…

  • I Am a Flash from the Sun

    I’m riding high on the excitement of summer and a three-day weekend: got my first sunburn, saw lightning bugs, had my first dip in the pool, and celebrated the solstice, a little early. It was a rough week at work and my day off on Friday could not come fast enough. Thursday night was busy:…

  • Josie Leaves the Pack

    I knew Josie would get adopted fast, but not this fast! Sob. Technically, she switched fosters: there is another foster family that is interested in her and very likely to adopt her, so after meeting them today, she went home with them and they will finish out the foster period. This leaves us free to…

  • Josie Joins the Pack

    Summer just got extra exciting: we picked up our new foster pup this morning! We’re calling her Josie. About 14 weeks old, clearly partly Rottweiler but mixed with something. Rocco is having a blast with her. So today was all about getting her acclimated, as well as cleaning the house. I also had to help…

  • Oregano A Go-Go

    Sunday evening, last day of May. A male cardinal and a gray catbird are having a sing-off in the back of the yard. (Earlier this week I heard a brand-new, very distinctive bird: Swainson’s thrush.) It’s 71 degrees and the sun has just slipped below the skyline to my right, at 8:30 pm. Someone (maybe…