Another Birthday

 We celebrated Tom's 84th birthday this week.

On Thursday we went to a local nursery to look at plants for our porch planters. Since we only buy birthday presents for each other that we pick out ourselves, I encouraged him to find something he liked and call it his birthday present. He did.

Of course it was another "pokey" plant, a Mangave named "Purple People Eater". He bought the little side kick too, but I don't remember his name. We bought the big blue pot to put the people eater in, but then at home we discovered that we had an empty lavender pot, perfect color, so that's where the new plant is now potted. I'm sure the blue pot will get a resident soon enough. 

We had to go to Home Depot for the plants I wanted for the porch.

Mixing colors and textures is my thing.

I had kind of a rough week, with a painful hip injection on Wednesday, and sometime in the night last Sunday night something, probably a spider, bit me in my sleep, and I ended up with six quarter sized welts that hurt and itched like crazy. It was Friday before I got these plagues settled down, so I was happy to get to help celebrate Tom and his twin Jan on their actual 84th birthday, with lunch at The Fish Peddler on the Foss Waterway in Tacoma. 

Of course there was dessert.

Then there was a walk along the waterway.

Here we were on the waterway side of the Museum of Glass. 

The do-it-yourself music was fun. Jake and I enjoyed it.

It was a great outing with the family.

Later that day Tom and Jill went to the Sounders game at the stadium. It was a big sports day in Seattle: Huskies, Mariners, and Sounders all at home. The Huskies won, the Sounders won, and the Mariners did not.

Now that I am cooled down from our morning walk, I'm going to go out in the yard and pick flowers, and then I'll settle in for Seahawks football and then another Mariners playoff game. 

Sports and birthdays and flowers - all fun. 

Back to Flowers and Other Pretty Fall things

 

The pumpkins are back at Safeway. I love orange!

It's past midweek already and I'm trying to catch up with last weekend. I'm still enraged at what's going on politically, but I'll spare you, and myself. 

Last Saturday I led our garden group on a tour of our local Highline Botanical Garden. 

I only took one photo. I was busy "herding cats", our members who are more into talking (visiting) than gardening. But they were enjoying themselves and that's what matters. I was on my feet on uneven ground for most of 1.5 hours so I was exhausted. I sent Tom to lunch without me. 

The rain was still holding off and we went for a nice walk in the park on Sunday. Fall is happening. 

With rain in the forecast, on Monday I picked flowers. 

Then I filled vases. 

Monday was house cleaning and laundry day. Tuesday was Costco day. I found fresh figs, which we love, so today for supper we had figs with goat cheese, walnuts, and honey, with some wonderful walnut cranberry bread we found at Costco. 

I have been back on the stationary bike when I don't get out for a walk. I can read on the bike. Today I started a new JA Jance book. 

Today I also got an injection in my hip, a steroid injection to try to calm down my hip flexor that has been plaguing me for years now. This is a second try. I thought it was supposed to be numb for three hours, but it's just hurting from the injection. So it goes. 

I'm missing my baseball, which I got hooked on when the Mariners were doing so well at the end of the Season. But they'll be back on Saturday, in the AL West series. Go Mariners! And go Sounders, who are winding up their season soon and going to the playoffs. And Yay Seahawks, who are on a winning streak. 

Can you tell I am working at keeping myself happy as well as moving?

A Political Post Because I'm Outraged

President Trump has been outdoing himself lately as he tries to get back at any one who he thinks wronged him. That includes elected officials, judges, mayors, governors, cities and states. Of course most of what he has been charged with he is actually guilty of.

A couple of days ago I posted the following on Facebook. The quotes are from the New York Times, or from the man himself.

He's talking about moving World Cup Games out of Seattle and San Francisco, because, you know, they aren't safe because they have "lunatic" mayors. They are liberal cities.

He's invading Portland, OR, sending troops in, because people there picket ICE actions and offices. He has to "protect war ravaged Portland" and protect ICE facilities that are "under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists". I guess he hasn't heard that antifa means anti-fascist and isn't an organization. When I join peaceful protest rallies full of kind and friendly old people are we domestic terrorists?

I wonder if Trump has ever been to Portland, that terrible liberal city on the west coast.

"The president has repeatedly spoken negatively about Portland, including saying on Thursday that “anarchy” is taking place in the West Coast city."

“You go out to Portland, people die out there. Many people have died over the years in Portland. Portland is, I don’t know how anybody lives there. It’s amazing, but it’s, it’s anarchy out there. That’s what they want. They want anarchy,” Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office on Thursday."

"Last week, in separate comments in the Oval Office, the president said people in Portland are “out of control.”"

“Have you seen Portland at all? If you take a look what’s happening in Portland. It’s, it has been going on for years. Just people out of control, crazy. We’re going to stop that very soon,” Trump said.

He says we are "run by radical lunatics who don't know what they're doing". If he's speaking about our federal government, I guess he got that one right.

I have a voice and I will use it.

Fall Flowers

Table bouquet of asters from the garden.

Another blooming of the Brugmansia - Angel's Trumpets, in the front yard. 

Our "picked" glass flowers, now washed and stored in the attic over the garage. 

Dahlias and Marigolds. 

Another crop of Poblano peppers, now roasted, diced, and in the freezer. Some set aside for a chili relleno casserole for dinner. 

Hardy fuchsias along the front walk.

Fall blooming hardy cyclamen in the front yard. 

Fall blooming crocus. 

Cutting garden. 

Sedums

Black eyed Susan vine. 

Angels Trumpets on the patio. 

Today we stored the glass flowers and checked out our emergency kit, adding replacement food stuffs to the grocery list. Tom has been out picking up fallen branches and general debris. Autumn clean up is beginning. 

I was going to write about politics, and freedom of speech. I still might, since I don't think I am in danger of being fired or suspended, but flowers are prettier. You have been spared for now.