Showing posts with label Home/Garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home/Garden. Show all posts

How I Created a Tropical Style Garden on the Canadian Prairie

North West Garden

[Reposted from my archived blog Lifecandy.net]

I'm a tropical girl.  And as a tropical girl, I must have a tropical garden, surrounding a 1-story ranch-style house, in Hawai'i.  Of course.

Well, I don't live in Hawai'i, my house is a 2-story Tudor style stucco'd monstrosity, and I'm in the Great White North that is Zone 3.  Remember the Canadian city that in 2013 was reported to be colder than the surface of Mars?  Yeah, that's this place.

Anyone in their right mind would say "screw it", throw their garden dreams out the window, and plant daisies, tall prairie grass, and purple coneflowers as far as the eye can see... or at least until the edge of their property line.

However, since I'm EXTREMELY stubborn, and not entirely in my right mind, I didn't do any of that.
Instead, ...

10 Reasons Why I'm Glad It's Fall

Mere seconds before the leaves fell... really.
Yes, it's Fall.  And I love it.  Please don't hate me and throw your boots at me -- you'll need those in a month.  OMG, just kidding.  I still love you, and Fall, and if you read my list, you just might like it too...

1: The weather is cooler and much more tolerable. 
Do not let my tanned island-girl exterior fool you. I not only hate extreme cold, but extreme heat as well, and Winnipeg can reach up to the mid-30 Celsius range with a lovely matching humidity. Gross.
Fall is just right. So is Spring, but that's for the "10 reasons why I'm glad it's spring" list.

2: Fall fashions finally return.
Boots. Trench coats. Scarves (or in my case, sarong as scarf). Knits. Soft hats. Frankly, I'm tired of the almost-naked attire choices. To stay comfy, I have to wear very little, which means more sun exposure. And fat exposure. Again, gross.

3: My birthday! Woohoo! 
I'm one of those people who totally adore celebrating their birthday. Hey, I took a ride around the sun! And I'm still alive! Isn't that something to "Woohoo!" about?!

4: Fall tv schedule. 
I don't know about you, but I find end-of-season cliffhangers completely suckish.  Completely. I blame Dallas and the whole "Who Shot JR?" I wish I'd shot JR and ended this whole farce. But over the summer, I do miss new episodes of all my returning faves, and I'm glad they're back, like an old friend... who owes you money.

5: Flannel sheets.
I love flannel sheets! They're warm before you even get in! I'm all for the soft-n-cuddly.

6: Stews!
My stews rock... 1 pound of stewing beef, chopped carrot, chopped parsnip, thyme, stock.
Simmer for 3 hours.
Then smear all over your body.
Oh, wait, no -- eat.
Too warm and heavy for the summer, but perfect for the Fall.

7: No more mosquitoes.
I apparently have delicious blood. The little vampires just love me. And it's so nice when it gets cool enough to make these jerks miraculously vanish.

8: The return to a schedule.
With hubby and the kids back at their respective schools, life's become more predictable.  Seriously, if left to our own devices, we'd never get anything done. Why? Because we suck at planning. During the summer, we rarely planned anything. We would wake up and decide what to do that day. But because we also suck at making decisions, we would end up just watching tv or napping. Okay, that's not bad either.

9: Festivities - Halloween and Thanksgiving.
I LOVE food- and costume-centric holidays. Okay, I love the food part. Turkey and pineapple-glazed ham make my world go 'round.

10: Christmas shopping.
I don't often shop. I always feel guilty when I spend money on myself. But since I usually buy my own Christmas presents (Cam and the kids wrap them up and put them under the tree, then I act all "Oh, how beautiful! I had no idea! It's just what I wanted!" And they giggle. Like school kids. Even Cam.), I can go crazy! Within budget.

Bonus: The return of body hair.
Since I'm covering everything up anyway, I don't have to shave my legs. Booyah!!!

Okay, your turn.  Why are YOU glad it's Fall?  And if you're not... geez, why the hell not?! (I still love you though.)