Almost There for the Garden Area

The schnauzer/terrier black metal cutout sign was a $3 thrift shop find. I had to dig throuh the hospice thrift framing area to find something suitable to cover the hole in the chain link fencing in the gate. Garden area will henceforth be guarded by both the garden gecko and the schnauzers. I used salvaged wonky chain link fencing sections from our property to make the deer-proof enclosure. That little sign is also a nod to my mom. Even though she never had that dog as a pet, it was her favorite breed. 

None of the hardware fit the gate to latch it. I may have to resort to a velcro fastener. I will fill the planter with at least 4 bags of soil. Then I can start transplating the starts that I have into the planter and purchase some more vegetables like watermelon and cucumber. 

Weeks of hard work have finally paid off. I did all of the assemblage of the galvanized steel planter, down to the attaching the chain link sections together. My son hauled the bags of soil down to the corner but I put all the soil in by the bag into the planter. 

The last piece to this project will be adding privacy screen slats to one side of the fencing that faces the neighbors (section shown on the far left). Researching now to find slats at the lowest cost/highest quality. 

Slice of Garden Paradise

No Tuesday with Mila as per doctor's orders for no lifting. Swung by one of my fav Goodwills in Rancho Cordova, California, and bought a $7.99 bag of toys for Tuesday when I am called back into action as one of the Grandma Brigade. 

The Hape harmonica was worth the price of the bag. I also gained a triangle, a hedgehog accordian, a MLP figurine, and a pink metal lunchbox. The rest I thrifted back to the Great Thrift Shop Beyond. 

My slice of garden paradise is finally coming together. Rather than install permanent fence posts, I utilized the chain link fencing sections we had on site like temporary fencing. The connecting hardware cost less than $30. Landscape fabric was placed at the bottom of the galvanized steel garden planter. Bags of raised bed soil were bought at a big box retailer. Straw around the garden bed aids in weed control. 

Tucker models the before and after. It was his first encounter with the spreading the straw event. 

At least 4 more bags of soil are needed. There are already six bags of soil in the planter. 

Painted metal gecko hides a tear in the chain link fencing. The remainder of the straw will be spread around the fabric planters (not shown). I have the hardware and will need help installing the garden gate. 

Approximate cost turning the area from weeds to garden. Anything not listed we had on site already. 

2 fabric planters 16 bags of soil for each
Hardware for fencing $30
Galvanized steel planter $130 6 bags of soil (so far needs more)
Straw bale

The majority of the hard work is done for this planting area. Now, I can move some peppers and smaller plants around.🪴

Final Fantasy Flash #1

My Final Fantasy career continues. This is Flash #1 from an elder's perspective. I have discovered I don't have to pass the time battling monsters and critters to level up. It seems one can focus on crafting, or fishing, or FASHION! You can bet I will be all over that area of the game. There is even a casino for the gambling addicted. 

At level 9, I have geared up from my newbie outfit (the skirt was something I would wear IRL). Seems I had to put on some battle gear. I've gained leggings but since ditched the hat. Makes me look like a pilgrim who has lost her way in the FF world. 

There is a scene where I discover a blue crystal that gives me visions. Nicknamed by newbies as crystal meth. One suspiciously has visions after encountering this glowing crystal.

Could have sworn I saw an occult symbol in the ground during one of my many wanderings. I'll get a screen shot next time. 

I am getting better at navigating through the MSQ - main scenario quests. Unfortunately, I have died a couple of times from losing battles. 

After a bit of internet sleuthing, I did discover there is a RP or ERP - role play or erotic role play within the game. I know nothing! As Sgt Schultz would proclaim in the TV show Hogan's Heroes. Just like real life, that path seems kinda scary. Trying to kill bugs and just staying on the right path are about all I can manage right now. 

In addition, there are parties and nightclubs. Both of which I haven't experienced yet. I suppose with the getup I am wearing and the sprout image by my name, I won't get many invites.😛 

As a gal who loves fashion, I reeally want to change this outfit but have to level up to do it. Grrrr

Garden Books

I was inspired by an article in the 2026 Better Homes & Gardens Vintage Garden Style magazine about garden books. Specifically, the antique ones. I have one antique and one vintage. In addition to checking thrift shops for the cookbook section for unusual ones, and the children's section for baby ones, I will add gardening for the antique ones. 

This flower guide of Wild Flowers East of the Rockies is from 1927. 

The Wild Flowers of California is a 1955 publication. Their names, haunts, and habits.

My poppies are just starting to bloom. I planted a couple packets of seeds a few months ago.

The vegetable garden progress has been slowed by a medical procedure I endured recently. The hardware for the galvanized steel planter has arrived. Once I am back on my feet, I will lay out the pieces and assemble it. 

The plan is to continue leveling out the area and place landscape fabric as a weed barrier. I am debating whether I will need to lay down chicken wire under the garden bed for any burrowing critters.🐰

Greercourt and the Garden L

Doing my Final Fantasy homework by going through the Play Guides on the site. With my son an advanced game player, it does give me an advantage. Here is my player Greercourt. While I have been playing in the trial version of the game, I have seen other players run through. I didn't realize it was an active online version. While I can't talk to other players at this stage of the game, they can see me and I can see them in real time. This is all fascinating to me.

The thing I find the most interesting are the other characters. Knowing people and how weird they can be, I can only imagine there is a dark side to this RPG. Characters pop up in clearly S&M costume. Guess that is obtained buying special accessories. I will report on my findings.😉

Characters can have pets. My son has a virtual Corgi. Maybe I will have a cat or another dog breed.🐕

Guess what! There are Dancer Quests, you can bet that will be my goal when I hit level 50.

I won't sign up for a Square Enix subscription until I master the game controls. Likely, I am spinning around in the online environment and I don't want anyone making fun of my character. 

And the origins of my name - Greer Court was an alias of a saleslady for the Caroline Hansen Modeling Agency. My mom and I took the basic modeling course. Loved that time we had together. 

Meshugga is a family name used in jest by my brother and my late father. There you have it.

Gardening update:

It took a few hours of research to find the right planter for the garden. The goal was to find something sturdy enough yet cheap enough not to break the bank. I ended up with an L shaped galvanized white metal planter 74x74x18. Only 230 gallon capacity for the soil. Yikes! Image to follow after I assemble the darn thing. 

Forever Flowers and the Mushroom Trip

Mother's Day present to myself was the metal flower hangers in the different colors hanging on the garden fence. Metal flower solar stake on the far left is also a new addition with another yellow one on the way. 

The corner of the property is finally cleared of all of the weeds and accumulation of leaf debris. I've got a few of the fence sections laid out. Special mix concrete for fence posts has been purchased. Before image from a couple of months ago. Three burn pile sessions were completed. All of the embedded grasses were dug out by the root. 

Got off my keister and made an appointment for apply for a passport. The last time I was out of the country was traveling to Europe in 1977. Looking at trips - this year's Tuscany Wine Tour is already sold out and they are booking for the Fall of 2027! Maybe I could pop onto some vacation package with short notice and deeply discounted. 

Bought a senior pass to the local lake. Looking to spend a summer morning at the lake with the grandbaby. Waiting to at least the end of June when baby sees the pediatrician to get the A-OK to take her. The pass also includes the use of the community lap pool, with reserved lanes and times. 

When you do as much dancing as I do (3-4 days a week), you have to have the right shoes. I traveled to Boot Barn and purchased some glorious Ariat "shorty" summer cowboy boots. These I can wear with a long or short skirt. Love them!💙

I have to keep a closer eye on Tucker, our Corgi. Seems he got into mushrooms🍄in the backyard. Took a trip and never left the ranch. His little legs got all wobbly. He was a potato in paradise. $500 later at the vet antiobiotics were prescribed just in case. 

Tuesdays with Mila include the newest batch of baby toys purchased at thrift. (All have been sanitized). The fish winds up and wobbles, frog has all kinds of attachments, most intriguing is the tube toy with moving beads. The bumble bee and butterfly are suctioned spinners. Fun!😁

Tunes with Tami and the Tuck Tuck

I found my holy grail of the baby percussive instrument for Tunes with Tami on Tuesdays with Mila. A Melissa & Doug toy with cutesy faces painted on each color. 

When I brought my bag of Grandma goodies, I had Mila on my lap and the bag on the side of my chair. Last week, Mila kept leaning over wondering what new item was going to come out of the bag (bubbles, books, and baby instrument toys). 

There is a Corgi our lives. Tucker or Tuck Tuck as I like to call him. 

I could not pass up this book, The Great Corgiville Kidnapping. Another Goodwill purchase for the kid library.

This pretty piece was found at Re:Visions, a thrift store benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern California. The artwork is priced in the affordable range so this $50 oil on canvas has joined my room dedicated to artwork. 

This also replaces a piece I missed out on a few years ago. There was an oil on canvas of grape hyacinth, similar to my new piece but much bigger. The up country thrift had it priced at $150. I drove up to half-off day to get that painting. When I inquired, I was told that painting was not on half price sale. I didn't buy it. One of those passed-it-by regrets but this picture more than makes up for it. 

I complained about readjusting my life, but now I am busy each night of the week. I couldn't be happier. I am a Girl on the Go!👵Country line dancing tomorrow night.🤠

If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them

Went way low tech on the rototiller. The garden claw was $15 at thrift. I didn't want to rent a rototiller for the relatively small area. The metal flowers were purchased at Grocery Outlet. They carry the cutest inexpensive garden items. Wooden bear sign was $6 at thrift. The three metal rings are from a wine barrel. Saving those for a future project still in my mind's eye.

I did have a choice between wood fencing and chain link because we have both materials on the property. The chain link fencing is already stretched in the frames. We just have to install the poles and add the hardware to the fenced sections. We will need to rent an auger. 

The chain link section of the gate will need to be replaced. I want to take a section of the larger piece that I am not going to try and recover. Looks like I will have to rent some kind of bolt cutter. 

On the FF front: The only thing I had to purchase to start my Final Fantasy gaming career, was a USB travel hub. My son provided me with an X-box controller. 

My interest will be in how the characters are built. How they earn costume items such as bunny ears and long tails. Why does Disco Bunny turn into a frog? 

To get into the Fan Fest ticket lottery one must have an active American Square Enix account. If one is chosen in the random drawing, one can purchase two tickets. 

My motivations are:

(1) To be able to attend another Final Fantasy Fan Festival. 

(2) To create a Final Fantasy cosplay character. 

(3) To draw my character in sticker form to give out at fan events. 

Segueing to duties in the Grandma Brigade with 5 month old Mila. Tami Tuesdays include Tummy Time. Baby instruments combine for Tunes with Tami. We work on Leg Day and Roll Over. I take pictures and videos to share with family and friends. Bubbles will be Tuesday's new experience. 

Garden Evolution and Tipping the Toe into Final Fantasy

Solar mushrooms were purchased at a big box retailer. Still working around the pathway filling in with big pond pebbles. 

The tree stump has become the frog house. All of the colored stones were purchased in bags at thrift. 

Frog on motorcycle is on his way to frog's house. 

Solar mushrooms rest amidst neutral colored stones and marbles. 

During my grandbaby sitting down time (when she is sleeping), I will be entering the world of Final Fantasy. Like any new task, I like to watch a YouTube tutorial first. 

The garden continues to evolve. Wanting to use materials already on the property, I found pet exercise fencing. That and pieces of chicken wire cover fabric planter no. 2. It looks so much nicer than the ladder/deer netting beginnings. 

There are deer running rampant, and squirrels that leap from branch to branch on the ornamental plum tree. I've also seen numerous cats strolling through the backyard. I want to discourage the use of the planter as a litter box. 

This setup should work for a few months as I continue to clear the weeds. I still haven't decided which fencing material will be used. The area is approx. 40 feet long. I need 4 terminal or support poles for every 10 feet. I am tempted to measure them out and start the pole holes while the ground is relatively soft. We are fast heading toward warmer weather and the ground drying up.

Finally, I am starting to dream of tap dance steps. With upping my training from 1 day a week to 3 days a week, I have tap dancing on the brain. The same thing would happen when I would take math classes in college. I had to concentrate so hard on the subject, I would dream of math equations.  

I'm A Little Teapot

It has been a long time since I rescued a stitchery from thrift. This one highlighting teapots is simply exquisite, priced at $5. Framed and matted by a studio in Idaho. I just LOVE the gray framing. It joined the most favored collection in my room. Kudos to the quality cross-stitch work of this artist.💗 State of Grace floribunda rose photobombs in the background. 

As predicted, I found the drapery rod (still in the box!) with its hardware at hospice thrift. The lined-drapes cost more to clean ($60) that the total cost of purchase $15.98 for 2 drapery panels and $12.00 for the rod, less than $30. I have a large picture window to cover, we will see if I have the same success in finding drapes and curtain rods. I have been shopping in the upscale areas of El Dorado County and Folsom, California. 

I always check the art area of the secondhand shops. I will make room for original art. I have moved more to collector rather than creator. 

My thrift shop hunt now includes baby books and toys. Mila, the baby, was intrigued with the Tigger piano. Added to my Grandma Tami musical repetoire are: baby castanet, maraca, and tambourine. 

Baby toy wish list includes a wooden bench like Big Merla utilizes. 

Hog Wire It Is and the Lined Drapes

Leading off with ladies in pink - just because. The theme in my vegetable garden will be highlights of yellow. There is a yellow fish kite hanging from an old fishing pole in in the vegetable/peppers fabric planter. The yellow flag sign Welcome Sunshine with sunflowers was placed in front of a tree stump. 

Progress as of May 1, 2026 in clearing the land for a garden. Weeds are covered so it will weaken them. I am not using any weed killer just digging up and pulling the weeds by hand. I don't want any poisons near food plants. 

The ladders covered in deer netting are temporary. I have come to the conclusion that I will have to circle the garden plantings in hog wire. So far the deer have left the tomatos alone. I may have to use the netting around the wire because SQUIRRELS.

The BEFORE image February 2026. The debris pile is still there and hope to be included in a dump run this month. 

Having obtained a burn permit, I was able to have 3 burn sessions before the cutoff at the end of April. 

On the dance fitness front, there is no fear I won't be busy. I have THREE tap dance classes M/TU/WED, then beginning Country Western line dancing every other Thursday. I just had to adjust my schedule for evening classes. Nighttime is the only time they are offered. 

The Monday tap dance class is to bring me up to speed on routines with the Wednesday class. The Wednesday group of ladies have many years of experience. There might be some tap performances in public in our future.👯

Ending the post with a thrift shop find of lined drapes. Sometimes one might find one panel of drapery at thrift. When you find 2 lined panels for $7.99 each in great shape, it is a good day. The drapes that now hang in my room were a thrift shop find about 10 years ago. Putting in the new find for dry cleaning and shopping for the drapery rod. I will check for that at thrift too and all I will need is the hardware to install the rod. 

Grounded for now to pay off my Anaheim adventure and to undergo an outpatient medical procedure. Ruling out arts and craft projects involving detailed handwork. Pivoting to grandbaby sitting on Tami Tuesdays. I thought I would miss selling on eBay, but I don't. I only miss the $$$$ that came my way, not the work that went with it. 

Getting a passport is next on my To-Do list. Hoping to have a short trip scheduled in late June. 

May Day

May Day and I have been making progress on the front border garden. State of Grace rose is in full bloom and wire-protected from munching deer. The other border plants include pansies, alyssum, marigolds, and geraniums.  

Not a day for protests but a day to celebrate flowers! 

Frog on motorcycle joined the fairy garden. He is solar so the headlamp on his bike lights up at night. 

With the vegetable garden still in progress, both fabric planters have been filled with pre-mixed soil. The hog wire circling the tomatoes looks a little funky. I had to straighten it out from a tight roll. Deer netting is wrapped around the ladders placed around the planter. It will suffice for now until I decide how I want to fence in the area. 

We have been having stellar weather here in Northern California. Next steps on the garden is to continue clearing the weeds and to till up where I want to plant in-ground. The soil is clay, clay, and more clay. Wish me luck!💙