Wearing a sweater as I prepare this blog message!! Note the temperature change in twenty-seven hours. One night I’m wet with sweat, one night I need a blanket. Earlier I wrote about refusing to use the air-conditioner so early in the year. Now I could use “just a little heat” but I won’t resort to the heater either. (Stubborn old lady!)

Last evening I had a guest and we were sitting on the patio. I was chilled and forced to come indoors for a jacket!! I repeat: “Wacky weather.”

Furthermore: Lack of sleep. I’m functioning on three hours sleep–and coffee. Melatonin doesn’t “work” for me and “stubborn old lady” does not want to graduate to sleeping pills. There are hundreds of projects demanding my attention and I haven’t an ounce of energy!! (Easy to sit at the computer with a cup of coffee.)

Yours truly should be working in the yard!! It is such a pleasant afternoon!! But I’m “too tired”!! Coffee grounds to a planter motivated my trip outdoors. Under other circumstances, I’d direct the reader to blog messages with details about each of those plants.

Time for my favorite Saturday night Christian television programming. However, earlier, most of the afternoon was spent organizing some of my large collection of hardware items. I was looking for hooks, and security cable. (I knew I had them but “where are they?”.) Armed with the required items, it took less than five minutes to secure the refrigerator. The recent purchase hasps were the wrong size (too short) so I decided on this alternate route.  (Better, imho, because it does not deface the appearance of the refrigerator.) Hopefully, this is enough of a deterrent to keep my nasty across-the-driveway-neighbor from poisoning food in my refrigerator?!

Here are a few pictures of friends and coworkers at the Open House and Ribbon Cutting for the relocated Habitat for Humanity Resale Store.

I missed good pictures because the camera was still in the car during speeches and awards. Several folks told the seventeen year history of Habitat for Humanity in Polk County. There were tables full of food (which I failed to photograph). It was a “party atmosphere” and we were eager to visit with folks we hadn’t seen for months (or years). Doesn’t Ron look great? You are missed and everyone said “Tell Becky hello.”

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The new store looks wonderful!! They share the building with Center of Hope.

Becky, you are missed!! Hugs from Lorraine and your friends in Livingston, Texas.

Went shopping!!  Four thrift shops, Dollar Tree–and Taco Bell.

With all the talk about “Cinco de Mayo,”  I decided I wanted “Mexican.”  Not that Taco Bell  is authentic “Mexican”  but I didn’t want to go to a sit-down restaurant to eat alone. Gospel truth: I’ve lived in Livingston for four-and-one-half years and this was my first visit to local Taco Bell  (I seldom “do” fast food). ~~ At Dollar Tree, I decided to purchase purple vases for “pretend” purple flowers on bottle bush. ~~ At one thrift shop, another “milk glass” white vase for my patriotic (red, white & blue) bottle display(s). Another shop provided the decorative candle holder. In-my-mind’s-eye, I envisioned completion of another long-anticipated bottle project. ~~ Last: A couple of hours at the “open house & ribbon cutting” for new location Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I was a volunteer so this was an opportunity to visit with friends and acquaintances.

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The wine bottles are very unique. There is a picture that appears by looking through the empty bottle glass. Too unusual to turn upside-down over the spike of a bottle bush. I’ve looked for some way to display them. (Found the picture [left] on the Internet.) “No, I didn’t drink the wine. An acquaintance shared with me when I started my bottle bush project.”

“Depression” because today is the birthday of my first-born son–but three sons have written me out of their lives. I grieve the estrangement from children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren!!

Preview of  “patriotic”  to be on display in my yard later this month. ~~ Question: Should I mix the blue and clear on top two rows?

Yesterdays’s National Day of Prayer was “low-key” for me. Lots of “quiet time.” I only did one small garden project; I uprighted the green house the wind upended. (Hope to sell the green house.) Several blog messages were updated (and published today). Foolishly, I added to the heat in the trailer by dissolving Fels Naptha and Epsom Salt in boiling water. Furthermore, prepared another batch of nectar (sugar in boiling water) for the Hummingbirds. The trailer was miserably HOT but I stubbornly refused to turn on the air-conditioner. ~~ Perhaps I should admit to several small non-strenuous garden projects?

Growing Calla Lily in containers. Saw my first… on Saturday, May 28th, 2016, and added the picture to May flowers 3.

Since completion of the cement block project, I’ve worked with plants and planters. Without “tender loving care,”  this neglected item is thriving.

This information is valuable about Mandevilla. (This  valuable information resurrected from an earlier date.) Here are early May pictures of my once-beautiful, blooming, Mandevilla plants. So much love, time and energy went into my “yarden.”  Few plants have survived.

Thirteen plants that repel mosquitoes.

I appreciate this information but I don’t plan to start more plants. As recently stated, I do not have the heart for a new garden. Picture #2: My Mosquito plant survived a freeze in 2017 but not 2018.

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Insecticide, and additive. Although I don’t plan to prepare a garden the size at previous location, I want to protect the remaining plants.