Category Archives: The Urban Porch ™

Looking for Light

Posted on October 13, 2023 by daeja's view

There is too much to say and nothing to say at the same time concerning the painful state of the world these days. We are on visual and emotional overload. My rants on this blog (and there have been a … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Coping, Holidays, Perspective, Seasons, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather | Tagged Autumn, avoiding the awful, circle of life, climate, coping mechanisms, dealing with stress, diversions, dull foliage, fake spider webs, Fall, Halloween, halloween decorations, no fall color, not looking, sleeping bees, weird seasons | 2 Comments

The Percale Fail, Updates and Mind Meanderings

Posted on October 4, 2023 by daeja's view

Some minor updates and musings to share following the last post. This one goes all over the place, just because. All of the the invasive, toxic White Snakeroot with its scribbly looking flower heads was pulled up. It came out … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Autumn, Perspective, senior musings, Shopping, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Weird | Tagged Aso Shiso, chemicals on sheets, comfortable sheets, fig season, halloween decorations, hot flashes, Laura Ashley scratchy sheets, percale sheet fail, pretty sheets, Red Perilla, scratchy sheets, Shiso juice, softening sheets, The Urban Porch ™ | Leave a comment

Gone to Seed

Posted on September 29, 2023 by daeja's view

September quickly steps aside, leaving us with those cool nights where having the window open just a bit provides for a good sleep under cozy blankets. The other morning the heat actually kicked on, just for short while. I bought … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Seasons, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather | Tagged autumn food, autumn weather, autumn weeds, end of september, last gasps in the garden, slow ripening | Leave a comment

Stepping Out of Limbo

Posted on September 13, 2023 by daeja's view

Mid-September. I’m awaiting a burst of productivity to occur, but it’s not happening. Earworm of the day, recorded by Jimmy Cliff in 1971: Sitting here in limboBut I know it won’t be longSitting here in limboLike a bird without a … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Cooking, Daeja's Garden, Earworm of the day, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather | Tagged almost fall, colors of early autumn, easy recipe for the unmotivated, feeling in limbo, late summer colors, no motivation, stagnation, waiting for Autumn, zucchini for dinner | Leave a comment

Hit the Road Jack

Posted on August 31, 2023 by daeja's view

What a beautiful, breezy, blue-sky day! I sit here on The Urban Porch ™ with Rudi, watching the busy proliferation of bumble bees, honey bees, black wasps, Blue-winged wasps and swallowtail butterflies hovering about. There are all sorts of smaller … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Autumn, Coping, Earworm of the day, nature, Perspective, Rant, Seasons, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife | Tagged aggressive hornet, earworm, hateful hornet, most hated insect, nasty insect, stinging insects, wasps, wasps i have known, yellow jackets | 2 Comments

In the Last Week of August

Posted on August 26, 2023 by daeja's view

The late August flowers growing around The Urban Porch ™ are a haphazard medley of tangerine, apricot and marmalade shades, interspersed with fuchsia, magenta and bubblegum pinks – all of it entangled in a mass of weeds gone rampant. Amidst … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Photography, Seasons, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife | Tagged almost autumn, cinnabars, colors of late summer, giving up on the weeding, injured while weeding, late summer flowers, late summer palette, pinks and oranges, too many weeds, woodlands | Leave a comment

Close to Over

Posted on August 15, 2023 by daeja's view

In a few more weeks the school busses will be back on the roads again. Meanwhile, the kids are buzzing with anticipation as they await the news of who their teachers will be this year. It feels almost surreal how … Continue reading →

Posted in Daeja's Garden, Gardening, Mushrooms, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™ | Tagged almost time for school, August, down another rabbit hole, Earworm of the day, late august, late summer palette, the colors of late summer, unpredictable mushrooms | Leave a comment

Water

Posted on July 29, 2023 by daeja's view

Repeatedly throughout the day, I move from the air conditioned space that has provided relief from the heat and step out onto The Urban Porch ™ in order to leave the chill and be enveloped in the warm, bathwater density … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Flashback, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather | Tagged August, beauty, end of summer, Family, heat, humidity, July, Memories, nature, observations, Rain, rituals, Summer, urban porch | Leave a comment

Aurora

Posted on July 14, 2023 by daeja's view

If anyone in the immediate neighborhood had looked out their window shortly before midnight last night, they might have seen a woman standing in the center of the street in the middle of a lightning storm, wearing only a long … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Daeja's Garden, Divorce, Flashback, Friends, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather | Tagged aurora borealis, bee magnet, garden neglect, hosta, lack of inhibition, lightning, Memories, neighborhood, neighborhood colors, Neighbors, northern lights, rose of sharon, strobe lightning, summer bees, summer insects, summer storms | 1 Comment

The Heat is On

Posted on July 6, 2023 by daeja's view

It’s really the humidity that can get to you more than the temperature. Just in case that clammy, uncomfortable feeling isn’t enough, the frizzy hair barometer is letting me know it’s in the upper ranges. A quick check confirms it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, Daeja's Garden, Food, Gardening, Mushrooms, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife | Tagged Earworm of the day, July blooms, kitchen implements, moth plagues of the past, moths everywhere, neighborhood flowers, no mushrooms, orange blooms, raccoon family, spongy moths, The Heat is On, too hot to cook | Leave a comment

The End of June Brings Steamy Days

Posted on June 25, 2023 by daeja's view

The start of the last week of June has brought on the humidity and my hair is a-frizz. Along with the frizz, the heat has rapidly ushered in the next wave of flora. A number of people have been sending … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Cooking, Food, Gardening, nature, Photography, Seasons, summer, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife | Tagged bird fight, cool summer meals, end of june, i miss my tree, mountain laurel, scent of Linden, summer humidity, the elusive cedar waxwing, where is the time going?, white hydrangeas | Leave a comment

Summer Solstice on The Urban Porch ™

Posted on June 21, 2023 by daeja's view

Back out on The Urban Porch this morning with Rudi, there is a mild breeze with a tinge of humidity in the air, a lovely place to be until either the sun moves and heats up this side of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Cooking, Daeja's Garden, Food, Gardening, nature, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife | Tagged avian gangs, beetles and bugs, breezy days, Dutch Baby, solstice dinner, Summer meals, sun tea | Leave a comment

Wandering On and Off The Urban Porch ™

Posted on June 16, 2023 by daeja's view

The smoky skies from the Canadian wildfires had kept Rudi and I off The Urban Porch ™ and sequestered inside for a number of days. Once they cleared, we were especially eager to get out and about. At first, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Birds, Food, Friends, nature, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife | Tagged bobolinks, crayfish memories, mulberries, Neighbors, out in the fields, overpriced nostalgia, summer happenings, the mosquitos are biting, when the smoke cleared | 2 Comments

Control

Posted on June 7, 2023 by daeja's view

Due to the wildfire smoke moving down from Nova Scotia and Quebec, there will be no lengthy observations while actually sitting out on The Urban Porch ™. There is an ominous, post-apocalyptic tint to the sky at the moment. Odd … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Coping, nature, Perspective, Seasons, Spring, summer, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Weird | Tagged earworms, helpless in nature, in the grand scheme of things, neighborhood street art, no honest politicians, smoke in the sky, tiny installations, wildfires | Leave a comment

Bustin’ Out All Over

Posted on June 4, 2023 by daeja's view

Earworm time again! Today it’s Rodgers & Hammerstein – “June is Bustin’ Out All Over”, by way of an elementary school assembly I was in, back in sixth grade. It’s amazing how some of this stuff can stay in your … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Daeja's Garden, Flashback, Gardening, Humor, nature, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, summer, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weird | Tagged earworms, flower explosions, June, June is Bustin' Out All Over, Rodgers & Hammerstein, school assembly memories | Leave a comment

Mélange

Posted on May 27, 2023 by daeja's view

What a month it’s been! Beautiful days, some lazy indulgences, some quirky sights to be seen. Due to the outrageously fine weather, I’ve spent some significant (and perhaps a bit wasteful) lengths of time just hanging out on The Urban … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Birds, Cooking, Daeja's Garden, Food, Friends, Gardening, nature, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™ | Tagged blue, doing nothing, grandparents, May, purple, retirement, spring flowers, the most beautiful May, wild food | Leave a comment

Moving Right Along

Posted on May 21, 2023 by daeja's view

Time seems to be whipping by at a pretty good clip. It feels as though we are all in some sped up animation. During a conversation with a friend years ago, we expounded on the theory that time goes faster … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Birds, Daeja's Garden, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather | Tagged age in fractions, bring on the rain, late May blooms, time, time by flowers | Leave a comment

Early May on The Urban Porch ™

Posted on May 11, 2023 by daeja's view

It’s kind of nice to roll out of bed and sit out on the porch in the early morning, cup of coffee in hand, watching the neighborhood come awake. You would think with all the rain, sun and early blooming … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife | Tagged crow, neighborhood, nuisance squirrel, poppies, views from my porch | Leave a comment

Uncivilized

Posted on May 9, 2023 by daeja's view

Because it has been so weather-glorious, I’ve waffled back and forth about whether to do the happy thing and share a bit more about blue skies, nature discoveries and snippets from The Urban Porch ™ ……or instead launch into a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Perspective, Rant, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Vent, Weird | Tagged angry americans, back in my day, born into an uncivilized world, collapse of society, disrespectful people, lack of courtesy, rude people, something's gotta change, what is wrong with people? | Leave a comment

On a Stretch of Rainy Days

Posted on May 3, 2023 by daeja's view

Shortly before a recent stretch of rain drove the focus on projects and diversions inside the house, I managed to get out with a friend for a bit of meandering through the woods and fields. There was a portion of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, baking, Birds, Cooking, Food, nature, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, treasures, Uncategorized, Weather, Wildlife | Tagged Buzzards, duck eggs, Foxes, Muscovy ducks, road crew tales, sniffing lilacs, Spring flora and fauna, vixen, Wildlife | 2 Comments

Oddballs and Mishaps Around “The Urban Porch ™”

Posted on April 26, 2023 by daeja's view

So what’s happening on and around The Urban Porch ™ this week? Some lovely rain, prompting the grass to suddenly get so crazy high that I actually mowed for a second time. That might be an April mowing record. Inspired by … Continue reading →

Posted in Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Regrets, Spring, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Weird | Tagged garden idiosyncrasies, I shouldn't have planted that, invasive garden plants, shade garden, shade plants, The Urban Porch ™ | Leave a comment