Friday, July 19, 2024

5 thing Friday - chunky rainbow, tea ritual, books, back door TLC, trees

One day last weekend when I was driving home from work I noticed a big chunky rainbow and followed it for miles as I drove home.
Its hard to see with all of this ugly construction and highway, but...
...here it is!  I never came to a stop where I could photograph the whole thing.  Sure was pretty, though!  Its been a bit since we had a good soaking rain here.
Scout put this tea in here, and I kinda forgot all about it for awhile, so I started having a cup in the evenings while I read.  Its especially helpful to have if I'm feeling snacky.  I also have a couple of sleepytime teas, in the back.
I understand now why rituals are so important for older folk - heck, really anyone.  I turn off my phone,  sit with my feet up and read, signaling to my brain that the day is coming to a peaceful close.  I have definitely been sleeping well.
The latest haul from the thrift store - $5 and some change.  I finished Out Stealing Horses recently,  and am currently working my way through Chang and Eng.  I think the Anne Tyler novel will come next.
Did you know that there is a tension screw at the end of the screen door piston/hydraulic closer that controls how fast the door closes? (a gently close vs. a SLAM)  'Tis true.  All it takes is a screwdriver to adjust.  And when the closer eventually fails, I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to replace it.
While I was wiping the screen door down, I thought I would address something else that bothers me about that door.  The bamboo shades bang against the door every time you open or close it.  That was easily solved with stick on felt pads.
You can't see them on the front of the blind so it doesn't matter what shape or color they are.
I found these in a box of Command hook stuff and thought AHA! and they buffer the blinds perfectly.
Time to trim up the oaks - no danger of oak wilt.  There are a lot of dead branches up here and the trees just need a haircut in general.  So I'm getting the tree guy to come out and give me a quote.
Some of them are tangling up in the pecan tree on the right and the Chinese Pistache on the left.  My trees are so valuable to me.  They provide a lot of relief from the Texas summer sun.  And I don't want them landing on my house in the next big storm.  Some things are best left to the professionals!


Gina

3 comments:

Joanne said...

That was a genius idea to use the stick on floor pads to stop the banging of the blinds against the door. I remember playing with the tension on our screen door growing up.

Kim said...

Love the floor pad solution. Quick, easy to do and you already had it on hand. Those are my favorite kind of DIYs. Good luck with the trees. We had a few that gave us great shade, but belonged to our neighbor. He took them down last summer and that sun is brutal. I totally get wanting to protect your shady assets!

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I love your tea ritual. You are so wise to slow yourself down before bedtime. I tend to rile myself up because I'm ether watching baseball, just before bedtime, and screaming at the TV, or watching some British cop show that leaves me analyzing every move they've made. As you can imagine, sleep does not some easy for this girl.