Finally!

@TheHorse (205745)
Walnut Creek, California
August 20, 2017 2:44pm CST
Life has been both hard and easy on me the last few days. My truck is in the shop again. I am replacing my clutch after 195,000 miles. This means no kid clients, no random trips to Home Depot, and no trip to Montana right now. But it also means more swimming, more cycling (I cycled to Trader Joe's yesterday) and more time to tend to my gardens. I am attaching a picture of my first balcony sunflower that is pretty enough to photograph. It's only abut five inches across, but it looks nice and healthy. The ones at the preschool are about seven feet tall, but they haven't yielded flowers yet. Ears of corn are developing on my balcony, at my young friend's "secret garden" along the bike path, and at the preschool. How are your "crops" doing today? Fall approacheth!
17 people like this
17 responses
Silvermist
@silvermist (19702)
• India
20 Aug 17
First of all that photo is very good.Nice close up of that beautiful flower.Just looking at that flower makes me feel good.
5 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
Me too! I took another of the back of my Collings guitar, which I polished this morning. I was on a quest for simple beauty.
2 people like this
M.-L.
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
20 Aug 17
I wonder why Americans use the term 'truck' so frequently. This is a truck according to what I learnt at school:
4 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
In Britain isn't that a Lorrie or something? I haven't read my Wodehouse in too long.
1 person likes this
peachpurple
@peachpurple (13884)
• Malaysia
20 Aug 17
@TheHorse here, that is called a truck, a lorry is much longer and without canvas
2 people like this
Angie
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
21 Aug 17
Truck is short for pick-up truck.
3 people like this
Tina Dalasinski
@Tina30219 (81540)
• Onaway, Michigan
20 Aug 17
Very nice flower. Sorry to hear about your truck hope it is fixed for you soon. No crops growing here maybe next year.
3 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
It's a lot of fun (growing stuff). I hope to have my truck back by Tuesday or Wednesday.
rebelann1949
@rebelann (111169)
• El Paso, Texas
21 Aug 17
I hope my clutch lasts that long. I also hope they do a good job replacing it. Nice sunflower, all I have are black eyed susans but the bees and hummers like them
2 people like this
rebelann1949
@rebelann (111169)
• El Paso, Texas
21 Aug 17
Yes they do and also hummers @TheHorse trouble is they might not grace your's because it is on a balcony.
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
Some of my kid clients' parents say sunflowers attract bees, but I haven't really noticed it.
2 people like this
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (12598)
• Ireland
20 Aug 17
@thehorse The flowers in my garden are past their best, but the apples are starting to ripen. Apple pie time soon .
3 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
Ah, I'll send you my address. I'll buy the whip cream.
2 people like this
M.-L.
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
21 Aug 17
Due to frost in spring, about 50% of the apples in our region have been destroyed. One delicate kind of apples has even been destroyed up to 90%. As many farmers have fruit plantations here, the financial loss is great.
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (12598)
• Ireland
21 Aug 17
@MALUSE That's an unfortunate catastrophe.
DianneN
@DianneN (246817)
• United States
20 Aug 17
It sounds as if you are retired!!! Lol! Hope your truck gets repaired quickly. Love your little sunflower, and it does look very healthy.
3 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
Retired? I flashed on that. But I'd miss what I do.
1 person likes this
DianneN
@DianneN (246817)
• United States
20 Aug 17
@TheHorse I'm done and love my life. Teaching was a wonderful career, but interfered with my social life.
1 person likes this
sumofalltears
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
21 Aug 17
I don't have a garden, but it looks like yours is doing very well, beautiful flower. You should be proud of not having to replace your clutch for nearly 200,000 miles, means you are a good driver.
1 person likes this
sumofalltears
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
21 Aug 17
@TheHorse I think you probably will, I miss driving a standard, I miss feeling a real car underneath my feet...lol.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
It's true. I am a good driver. I hope I can get another 200,000 miles out of this car.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
22 Aug 17
@sumofalltears Driving a stick means driving is an active, rather than passive, activity.
Anna
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
21 Aug 17
My sunflowers are withering and producing seeds now. The birds are going there and they serve themselves for their food.
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
21 Aug 17
@TheHorse No, they are small, not very good for baking, I buy toasted pumpkin seeds, they are a lot better.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
@LadyDuck Yeah, mine will be small too. My planters are too small to yield big sunflowers.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
Sounds like a nice buffet for them. Will you harvest some for baking? I used to do that with the kids in Oakland.
1 person likes this
Kristen Howe
@KristenH (33351)
• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
20 Aug 17
That's a nice photo. There's a bunch of sunflowers growing over here in my apartment's gardens. I'll take a pic of them this week. Sunflowers are my favorite flowers.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
I enjoy them! But they wilt away tragically in the Fall, reminding us of winter coming.
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1 person likes this
Kristen Howe
@KristenH (33351)
• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
21 Aug 17
@TheHorse Bummer. I'll do some sunflower pics soon.
Reine25
@Lucky15 (37346)
• Philippines
20 Aug 17
well, the zinnia that i planted before the flood, only four survived
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
What brought on the flood?
1 person likes this
Reine25
@Lucky15 (37346)
• Philippines
20 Aug 17
@TheHorse too much rain brought by monsoon and not typhoon. Nay!
Courtney
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
21 Aug 17
No garden here
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
Would growing one give you pleasure? I get my planters at the Dollar Store and my seeds at Home Depot. Soil at Home Depot as well. Net cost is about $15, then it's a Summer of fun (for me and the kids).
Courtney
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
21 Aug 17
@TheHorse probably not. Never cared for it when my grandmother did it. And cant have one anyways.
Angie
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
21 Aug 17
Car or truck problems really suck! Sorry you wont get to Montana. I harvested one of the huge sunflowers and one more to go, I have those seed inside drying so they can be roasted. I wrote a blog about it I am still getting okra and cucumbers, new tomatoes are set in the ground and some have tomatoes some dont.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
22 Aug 17
We'll see what happens at the preschool. We have some BIG sunflower plants there but they haven't yielded flowers yet.
Scott Ganschow
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Aug 17
Our neighbors started a compost heap for next year. And they planted grass in our old yard.
2 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
Hope it isn't stinky.
1 person likes this
Scott Ganschow
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
21 Aug 17
@TheHorse - I haven't noticed. It's way around the corner.
Timea
@tzwrites (4835)
• Romania
21 Aug 17
The flower is pretty. Mine bloomed long ago and have since withered away
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
Kind of sad when that happens. Did you harvest some seeds for baking?
Susan
@HazySue (39264)
• Gouverneur, New York
24 Sep 18
That is a wonderful photo. Hope you get more soon. I don't have any crops. I am in the middle of moving.
peachpurple
@peachpurple (13884)
• Malaysia
20 Aug 17
That is a gorgeous sunflower, wish I had one
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Aug 17
It should be bigger. But I have it in a pretty small planter.
S.L
@Xiasses (319)
•
21 Aug 17
No matter how easy and difficult your day is, you have to overcome it. Life is not easy though. We have to survive until the end of the day. We may feel tired sometimes, but we have to hold on in this life.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (205745)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Aug 17
Thank you for your words of wisdom. Thank goodness I don't feel tired.