AUGUST 1 – 31
July’s energy was such that I was sure Mercury was retrograde! Turns out, it went retrograde on July 29, one day before a full moon. Now that it is actually “retro”, I can only wonder what August will be like. For those who are not familiar with Mercury retrograde, it’s the equivalent of Murphy’s Law…if it can go wrong, it will. That’s just a small bit of what the event represents, but it’s the bit that can bite you in the behind! Mercury is my ruling planet. You’d think it would treat me better! 😄
EXERCISE
I went back to the Senior Center exercise class, but this time around it seemed to be a little too much. The pace is fast and that had not been a problem before. Seems to be a problem now. I have to exercise, but I need to do it at my own pace, and I need a whole-body workout. SO! I have decided to use Planet Fitness instead. At PF I have the use of the treadmills, stationary bikes, and various machines to work the rest of my body. The important thing here is that I can go at my own pace and I don’t have to keep up with a group. There is a gym at the Senior Center, but it’s small and crowded most of the time.
VACATION
How can two people who are retired need a vacation? It’s just getting away from the daily routines and relaxing. Kathy and I have planned a 4-day vacation for next month. I’ll tell you all about it next month.
BOOK
Three times I have ordered a book from Amazon, The 12th Planet by Zacharia Sitchin. What we thought we ordered was hard cover. It should have been 6”x9” and hard cover. Three times it came as a paperback, 4”x6.5”… the print so small even with a magnifying glass I couldn’t read it! Going back to the Amazon site, it appears that if I want hardcover it’s going to cost $38. All this time we thought we were ordering the hardcover. The fourth time should be the charm…! (It was)
SOCIAL
In addition to having lunch with friends and lunch with high school classmates, the annual picnic at Unicorn Meadow Farm is a once-a-year pleasure. It’s a chance for me to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.
DARTHEA
It’s been one year since I bought Darthea. She had 31,876 miles on her when I drove her off the lot on August 28, 2025. At her one-year anniversary she has 36,284 miles. That’s a total of 4,408 miles. I used to average 10 to 12,000 per year.
BUGS
We have discovered we have red spotted lantern flies in my front garden. It seems that the Tree of Heaven that we can’t get rid of, because it refuses to die, is most probably the source of food for its larva. We will treat this plant by scoring (shallow cuts) it’s main stem and applying a strong herbicide. I am not in favor of the herbicide route, but it seems to be the only solution to getting rid of the lantern fly. It’s like any disease…treat the source not the symptoms.
GARDEN
Speaking of my garden, it’s time to start removing those plants that no longer blossom. The petunias were pulled out and most of the lobelia was cut back. The cone flowers and the Gerbera Daisies are still going strong, and the ornamental peppers are just starting to put up peppers and turning colors. It’s interesting that when I grew the peppers at the condo they got pretty big. Here, they grow but not so big. It has to be the difference in the soil, or they don’t get as much sun here as they did at the condo. The phlox is still blooming, mostly, but will no doubt be the next plants to be cut back.
Time to think about fall plantings.
CITIZENSHIP
Are you aware that we are now citizens of South Canada? I think this is hysterical! First the Gulf of Mexico is renamed then Lake Onterio. How can anyone in their right mind enact such buffoonery in front of the whole World? The South Canada thing came from a “spoof” newspaper front page that was on Facebook posted by a friend of mine. When will this end and the real problems be addressed?
END OF SUMMER
Here we are at the end of another month. Can you believe tomorrow begins meteorological Fall? Time to think about baskets of mums on the porch steps. Start trimming back more perennials that have finished blooming. This will be the first year we hope to save the Dalia tubers for planting in the garden next spring. The pool needs one final cleaning and covering. The garden needs to be heaped with leaves. Last year we did that and the Gerbera Daisies made it through the winter covered in leaves and snow. That is not supposed to happen!
Here’s to Fall! Enjoy and be well!
