Living at 101
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fall
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June blooms, part 2 (June 8-14)
June 8 – I adore the seedheads on the Carex plantagaginea! (1) – and am looking forward to the orange blooms from the impatiens later this year. Sisyrinchium angustifolium (Blue-eyed grass, a small native iris) is blooming — and, I think, self-seeding, which thrills me. We’ve been getting lots and lots of rain lately —…
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June blooms, part 1
June 1 — Super excited to see that the goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus) on Ash Hill is going to bloom this year! (photos 1 & 2) 3: The Sedum ternatum (stone crop) is blooming. Below that, green-and-gold and strawberries are still going strong (5 & 6), as is Eastern star sedge (Carex radiata), photo 7.…
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spring blooms, later May 2025
May 16: May 18: Rhododendron maximum (front ones that get a bit more sun) are coming! May 21: May 23 & 24th — we’ve had a lot of rain the past few days, so less opportunity to take photos. May 26-29: May 30:
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2025 handywork
Big Items: January 2025 — Jay Watson’s crew, Greg & Larry — mostly back bathroom work: March 2025 — Bosch heat pump repaired by installer, Surner, March 12. (Warranty repair) April 2025 – Town of Amherst installed a new water meter, April 2. (Basement media room access panel.) May 2025 — Jay Watson’s crew did…
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kitchen lighting
Some years ago the two 8-foot fluorescent tubes kitchen overhead lights started overheating, and had to be taken out. We dithered for a long time over what kinds of lights to replace, then finally elected to do track lighting. There is a decorative wood board that the LED tracks mount on, and that also conceals…
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spring blooms, early May 2025
We’ve been working to put in lots of native plants to replace massive quantities of non-native ornamentals, Pachysandra terminalis (from Asia) and Vinca minor (central Eurasia), previously here. I’m excited to see everything blooming! A week ago, May 4-6 — the eastern strawberries were really in full bloom, then, as was the Pieris japonica too.…
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Rittenhouse 366 doorbell
The original doorbell, a Rittenhouse model 366, has been humming and vibrating, perpetually — and getting hot. It does ring, but the “getting hot” seems dangerous, so we’re taking out the old doorbell. The entire cover was deep brown until I washed it, revealing a cream color!
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spring blooms – April
April 18-24, daffodils, and fern fiddleheads, and some other lovelies! Also, tons and tons of Scilla siberica (which I wrote about last year in the Indy). And, the hepatica (sharp-lobed and round-lobed) was in bloom, but I can’t find any pictures of it. A week later, April 27-May 1 — the catawba rhododendrons are in…
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2024 renovations & handywork
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catawba rosebay azaleas
Our stunning purple catawba rosebay azaleas are in full bloom! The bees are very happy with the azaleas, and the non-native Japonica.
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Violets!
The violets are starting to bloom!
Got any book recommendations?