Daybook: Monday, Sept. 11/17

Outside my window.....it is calm and sunny with no clouds in the sky.

I am thinking.....of the people I know in Florida and wondering how they are coping this morning. Rick's only brother lives in Tampa and I am hoping he will notify me as soon as he is able.

I am thankful for.....so much in the wake of the several natural disasters that have occurred this summer, including the wildfires out West, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. These alone have so much potential for loss of life without even accounting for wars, ethnic cleansings, and terrorist attacks.

From the kitchen.....I was a busy little bee yesterday morning. I shredded and fried the second cabbage I bought last week. I grated two cauliflowers and broke into florets another three cauliflowers for the freezer. I replenished my jar of seasoned salt because I completely ran out late last week. I like to add this seasoning to my omelets in the morning. I made fried cauliflower rice for dinner last night. Yummy! I love this stuff.

I am wearing.....red capris and my old and stained Canada T-shirt. I'm hoping to weed and mulch today.

I am creating.....some more Christmas Cricut die cuts to make cards eventually. Also, I am cutting out some monster die cuts to make the kids Halloween cards when I get back from Vancouver. I continue to make occasion cards as I need them, but I need to get busy on making lots more to use as gifts.

I am going.....out nowhere today except the yard.

I am hoping.....to finish up all the yard work before the end of this month.

I am hearing.....the occasional sound of traffic and the click of my keyboard. It is so very quiet.

Around the house.....I need to vacuum and  I  have laundry to fold from the weekend.

One of my favourite things.....right now on Netflix is the TV series "Suits".

A few plans for the rest of the week.......is to follow the Holiday Grand Plan, which is  "Entry" week. That means that I need to clean this room I am presently in that has my desk top computer and two desks piled high with papers. I would actually feel really accomplished if I could do what needs to be done in this room. This is where the dog's dishes and food is kept, one of my freezers, the coat closet and shelves that hold our boots/shoes/and "hardware" items. I don't have a garage, so this is the room that is the dumping ground for anything coming into the house or where items go before they leave. Because it is the room where people enter the house, it is the first impression they get. On the Christmas side of things, I need to get busy making some gifts ahead.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

The gravel pile is gone completely from my driveway....that is 5 yards of gravel that I single-handedly moved on my own. The last little bit was used to help fill in this hole where the pond liner used to be. I filled most of the hole Friday morning with bricks, rocks, cement blocks, etc, before layering some gravel over top. I then placed down landscaping fabric before laying the remainder of the gravel on top. As you can see, I will need to order more in the Spring. I am thinking that perhaps once we are past the winter and the gravel has settled, I will order two or three more yards for all the projects I have in mind. (topping up the back where the deck used to be, the whole of this area you are looking at, behind the shed and the remainder in the driveway). I "planted" two very large planters in the gravel where I can put in some more perennials next year (the turquoise one and a black one just beyond the driftwood)