Patio Gardening Hopefulness

  I have lofty dreams. The one we'll discuss today involves my balcony patio, growing a culinary herb garden, and my obsession with outdoor living spaces. 

I'll be the first to admit to having a rather dismal outdoor area. There's no reason for this. I live in a charming old apartment that is fabulous and wonderful in every way besides that I've neglected my patio space big time! Which is a shame because it's the main entry point when I come and go, and the first impression my home makes on guests! My early childhood was spent in southern California and my memories of this time involve my mother's sun-baked patio garden, my uncle's tidy rose garden, my aunt's deck covered with twisting grape vines, and of course, my grandmother's tiny, magical apricot orchard. A few years back I visited a friend of a friend's patio garden and fell in love with the space. And I've had the best of intentions ever since. 

Last year's attempt at an herb garden was a good one. I planted seeds early, cultivated the tiny growths, transplanted them into pots, watered, and made sure there was plenty of sun. There might have been too much sun. Last summer was one of the hottest on records (think 115 degrees...for a week...die) and my plants just withered up in what seemed like an afternoon...boo.

This year, I've got a plan. The seedlings have sprouted! I've got nasturtium, marigold, basil, mint, chives, thyme, dill, lavender, and lots and lots of catnip in the works. Cause I know a lot of cats. I'm going to harden them off them before replanting in larger pots. Brainstorming has begun on a "catio" solution...I might even be looking at decorative pillows in the near future! I've pinned inspiration here and here and here and here.  Also on my side: a new neighbor whose simple patio table and mat is much more in line with my aesthetic than the previous tenant's cluttered decor that I had to literally climb over to reach my door. They took the cow skull with them, but left behind the groovy concrete painted mushroom statue. The boyfriend feels really connected to the concrete mushroom so maybe I'll work it in somehow. ;)

Tuesday Off

I work an irregular schedule so I often find myself tooling around on a weekday off. Normally I'd be spending my time grocery shopping, getting the oil changed in my car, doing laundry, catching up on bills, or doing other sundry adult-ish things but today I decided to take it easy and well, be lazy! It's supposed to get into the upper 60's this afternoon so I might be taking a walk or lounging in the park later (ink doodling? magazine reading? It's almost like...a day off!). Here are the things that have made my morning off so relaxing and cozy:

Enjoying coffee in this new-to-me fox mug. I found the sweetest little set of mugs at an estate sale last week and have just now used the fox mug for the first time!

 This sweater-cardigan thing. I got this on sale at anthropologie a few winters ago, and it is really perfect for snuggling on the couch. I thought it was kind of awful when I first saw it and that says something about either how things grow on you when you look at them all the time, how much my style has evolved, or how enticing sales can be. I love it now, at any rate. I'll probably still be wearing this as an old lady.

 And of course, my sweet Tigerlily. She seems content to lounge on anything I've cast off throughout the day, from coats and bags to blankets to dresses and so on. My sweet little little! 

Hoping your Tuesday is fair and sunny. xo

Readers

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I was one of those wahhh-ing over Google's decision to close up shop on Google Reader. Long ago I used it as an alternate, more interesting way to keep up with "sharebros": friends and associates from university days and so on. It provided hours of entertainment and dinner-talk but sadly Google stopped supporting the capacity to "share" articles, photos, and whatnot on Reader (Google+ blah blah) and the share-o-sphere became quiet and lonely. I moved on and started simply using it as an RSS. Annnnd now it's time to move on again! Luckily for all of us, there's Bloglovin' and away I go!

In other news, I am in the process of devising a structure to allow my indoor-only kitty to enjoy the great outdoors my patio without running away. My mister calls it a "Catio." Stay tuned for important updates on this...