Fall/Winter Balcony Window Boxes

Our spring/summer balcony “window boxes” needed an update. The boxes are made of metal, coco lined, and hang from the back of the chair and two seater patio furniture using zip ties. The marigolds and petunias were well spent, and would soon be replaced with some hearty fillers. So we emailed our favorite place - Ginkgo Gardens - on Capitol Hill, talked up some ideas, and arranged for curbside pick up last week. It’s not easy being a gardener on a balcony. First, the seating arrangement was changed so that the baskets faced toward our living room. That way we could enjoy the flowers over the season. The summer contents were then removed, and then the variegated ivy was first cut in half and placed on either side of the container. We got one large liriope container that needed to be divided in to three parts. It’s a perennial so hopefully it will survive the winter. At last the twelve yellow and maroon colored winter pansies were planted. In the end it looked nicely balanced with tall, flowing, and fillers. We always had window boxes and containers in our Midwest home, and then a small patio garden on Capitol Hill. The nice thing about the balcony garden is that we can actually see it all day long. When the holidays approach I’m hoping to add branches and greenery. It was a fun project and kept us occupied for a while. Now we just need to make sure everything thrives. Thanks Ginkgo Gardens for helping us again. It will be nice to visit the shop and make our own selections. But this is the next best thing. 

Amazon Solimo Products

The clear liquid handsoap refill was really good. After trying for naught while grocery shopping on line, I decided to see what Amazon had to offer. An unfamiliar product name appeared called Solimo. The packaging and reviews looked good, so I ordered the large bottle. It was a great buy. So I ordered another one when it ran out - which doesn’t take long these days. We were also in need of other household products, so I searched the brand again and found that this is the Amazon generic name. The reviews for most of the products seemed quite positive, so rather than get them in the grocery store, it seemed cheaper to try the Solimo products. The order included a cleansing astringent, kitchen garbage bags, freezer gallon bags, and moisturizing hand sanitizer. The items all arrived in the signature packaging and hopefully will be as good as they look. So I went back on Amazon to see the array of products that are offered and may try several more as things begin to dwindle down. These might include shower body wash, shampoo, razors, toilet paper, dishwashing tablets, and a whole host of routine things. It is wonderfully convenient to have all these options since we never go inside the stores anymore. And for that were are grateful! 

Lensable Was a Disappointment

I thought it was a great idea. My husband had cataract surgery in Feb/Mar but still needs glasses to read. We’ve been through having glasses all over the place, hanging them around the neck, etc. It’s a royal pain. Since he loved his old regular glasses frames, I searched for mail in places that could put in a bifocal lens with no prescription on the top and 2.00 on the bottom. I found Lensable and ordered up a pair after checking to make sure his frames could be accommodated. Lensable had great reviews and was a great process. They shipped a mailer box to us and we sent the glasses back. Shortly thereafter we got a message that the frames could not be used and we would need to pay $25 to have them shipped back. It was very disappointing, but I told them I was informed the glasses would work - which is why I proceeded with the order in the first place. I sent along the note I had received that stated such. They agreed, and sent back the glasses without the charge and the promise of a full refund. Because we haven’t been inside a store since March, we could always take the glasses back to where we originally got them and make the same request. The difference was Lensable was very reasonable compared to the prices paid at the optical shop. So I ended up ordering another cheap bifocal from Amazon. One pair already broke at the nose piece while a mask was being removed. At least these glasses stay on most of the day, are titanium and light, but the bifocal line can be seen. My husband has great distance and intermediate vision. What good does that do when he reads most of the day? I may take a different option if and when I need cataract surgery. If the idea was to get out of wearing glasses, it failed. 

Our Old Friends at Ginkgo Gardens

Our balcony coco lined metal “window boxes” needed a refresh. The petunias and marigolds were just about spent. We have three planters that are suspended with zip straps from the backs of the metal chair and two seater. Since we are not covering the patio furniture this year because of this flower arrangement, I thought it would be nice to create a fall/winter design where sticks and ferns could be added later on for the holidays. So I contacted Ginkgo gardens on Capitol Hill where we have shopped for both indoor and outdoor gardening needs since we moved to DC. A curbside pickup was requested via email on their web site, along with a description of what we wanted and the time frame. I received a response back that someone would be contacting us within the next day or two. Ben called to get an idea of what might work and we spent a bit of time back and forth texting photos of what he had in mind. We ended up with twelve yellow and maroon with yellow winter pansies for filler, three variegated English ivy baskets that I would cut in half for flow, and one large liriope that would be divided in to three for height. Someone from the shop then called to confirm and place the order. The next day - in the driving rain - we drove in to town and picked up curbside two boxes of lovely greenery and flowers. It’s always such a pleasure visiting Ginkgo Gardens. I really miss meandering through the shop and the outdoor garden space, but this is the next best thing. 

Old Town Alexandria Architecture and Alleys

Old Town Alexandria is one of our favorite places. We used to go there for lunch, but not any more. So we usually take a ride over now for a morning walk just for a change of pace. Lately, it was for all the Halloween decorations. But usually, it’s just to observe the architecture of the place and see the change is seasons. Old Town has been around for a long time and has quite a history. One can only imagine all the people who walked the streets. There are magnificent mansions and cobble stone streets, a lot of iron works, and alley ways. There are narrow spaces between houses - it makes you wonder how some of these places were built. Typically there are walls surrounding the homes and secret gardens abound. Oftentimes the front of the house is on the side - built that way to decrease the taxes of a “wider” home. Obviously there is red brick everywhere. Hopefully one of these days things will return to “normal” and we can resume our habits and visit some of our favorite restaurants. Until then we will have to be content with an occasional diversion.