I realized just as I wrote that title that I have a sugaring appointment this afternoon, but lest you get the wrong idea, what I am going to talk about today is NOT that kind of landscaping.
It’s full on summer and I am enjoying the gorgeous weather, although today is “coolish.” Of course, in Calgary this would be considered just a nice June day, but here it’s considered cool. Anyway, today I wanted to take you for a tour of my newly landscaped backyard – NOT THAT KIND OF LANDSCAPED BACKYARD, PEOPLE. We started the project in April and it finished a couple of weeks ago.
Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Landscaped Edition
Perennially Pretty
We had professional help for our yard; it was just too big and too overwhelming of a project for my husband and I to take on by ourselves. It’s a new climate, we have deer, and I wanted to have things blooming at all different times of the year. I am SO happy with the final result, and I look forward to seeing the flower beds fill out in the years to come, as all of these are perennials.
Colour Me Colourful
We wanted to have some more colour, and so we added pots of annuals. You can see in the above photo we have a large one at the steps – by the most gorgeous purple clematis – and we put some on our deck as well.
Berry Happy To Just Veg Out
I have gotten so much incredible edibles out of my garden already (NOT THAT KIND OF EDIBLES), that I can hardly believe it’s only June. I have so many greens, you guys! It’s all salads all the time around here:
Plus a healthy dose of cilantro:
And basil:
And I’ve even harvested some raspberries, along with strawberries:
Also, garden spinach in smoothies is LIFE ALTERING, even more so than, say, getting sugared.
Just Thelma, No Louise
My lovely friend Sandi (HI SANDI) and I went to lunch and a movie last week, and I had to admit that the last time I saw a movie in the theatre, it was Top Gun: Maverick. Before that, it was Greta Gerwig’s Little Women in 2019. So what I’m saying is that I don’t see a lot of movies; mostly I find myself bored and distractable. But Sandi suggested we go see Thelma, which I had never heard of, but upon discovering it was about a ninety-two woman who gets scammed and then goes on a caper with her friend and his scooter to get her money back, well. I was IN. It was such a pro-aging delight, and I think the key to a good movie watching experience is to watch with a girlfriend, as opposed to, say, the members of the Boyhouse who enjoy action movies and things that are upsetting, like bombs exploding or guns firing.
On that note, I wanted to bring up something to see if anyone else can relate: I need spoilers, else I cannot get through a movie or television show. I get too stressed and anxious watching anything even remotely upsetting. Even with a feel-good movie like Thelma, which at 107 minutes is pretty much perfect, I was feeling all sweaty-palmed and worried. I have been known to google plots or to text my friend Hannah (HI HANNAH) for detailed spoilers so I know what to expect. Anyway, Thelma was absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend it, particularly as a raised fist in solidarity to combat feelings of invisibility and irrelevance that are forced on aging people, particularly women.
The Vulva Shaped Soapbox
Speaking of raised fists and aging women, I don’t know if I’ve ever talked about The Menopause Manifesto. I generally use the library for most books, but some books are necessary to have on the shelf at the ready, and this is one of them. I bought it in 2021 and have been using it as a reference ever since; my symptoms have vastly (VASTLY) changed in the past three years and I have never come across any book so helpful, compassionate, and evidence-based than this one. Dr. Gunter is THE last word in women’s health, and particularly in the menopause sphere, and she rails against misinformation and the so-called fixes that are sold to women desperate to find relief from their symptoms, from the merely bothersome to the downright debilitating. It’s a must read for any woman who is lucky enough to live long enough to go through this perfectly natural, but often cloaked in shame, stage of life.
Simply Irresistable
As I said, women can start to feel less attractive and more invisible as we age, but do you know who finds me even more sexy and irresistible than before? Mosquitoes. Hello summer, and my daily walks down by the creek do not go unnoticed. I have always been a person who has been hotly pursued by mosquitoes, but these days I am even more irresistible to them. It’s like I’m Princess Di, and they are the paparazzi, but with less-devastating, itchier results. Maybe it’s because you eat so much potassium, my son helpfully mentioned, and that could be true, but my whole life I have been One Sexy Bitch to those blood-thirsty insects.
Typically I put on bug spray prior to my walk, but I forgot to the other day, the exact day I was wearing a really cute yoga tank with criss-cross straps and an open back. My entire body, but particularly my back, is now covered in welts. I happen to have allergic reactions to mosquito bites, not the My Girl deadly kind of allergic reaction, but just swelling and bruising and terrible itch. I also have allergic reactions to anything that is supposed to soothe said bites, and my friend Laura (HI LAURA) told me that she is the same way. Of course she is, we are basically the same person, except she’s American. Anyway, she suggested Thayer’s Witch Hazel with Rose, and friends, IT WORKS. I had immediate relief, plus it smells lovely.
Outfit of the Month
Remember when I mentioned that my dressy sandals were just half a size too small, and my feet were swelling and falling out of them? I replaced them with these from Skechers, and I wore them to a recent birthday party ALL NIGHT. Not once did I slip off my shoes, as is my wont. Comfort and cuteness, it’s a winning combination
Here’s the full outfit: the same black Lululemon City Sleek pants that look like real pants, but feel like yoga pants, that I have talked about at length for years. The top is from long-defunct Jacob, and I don’t know exactly how long I have had it, but I do know I wore it to my 40th birthday party, and I am now 49.
June was a great month for me, and when I compare it to the nervous breakdown of LAST June, well, it looks even better. Do you have any favourite things from this month? I’d love to hear about them. I have an interesting weekend ahead of me, including a houseguest and an adventure, and I wish all my Canadian friends a lovely long weekend! And for you non-Canadians, I hope you have a wonderful regular weekend. xo
Nicole, your yard looks amazing! And the edibles… YUM! ❤️
Mosquitos love me too, which I absolutely despise. I wear dryer sheets (which I don’t use for laundry, but I use against mosquitos lol) in my pockets and underneath my clothes. It really works for me at keeping mosquitos away.
My favourite thing this month and quite possibly this year is finding out about the benefits of FSM therapy. So far I read a book about it and watched webinars and interviews. And I am dying to learn more. It all started because a close person to me has been going through some health issues for a few years now and this is the only thing that has helped.
Dryer sheets! What a nice simple solution, I am going to try that. I hate the feeling of bug spray on my skin but I didn’t think I had any choices. I will try and report back!
Do the dryer sheets need to be scented??
I like how your yard had turned out. Nothing more fun than to see a big project come to fruition. So pretty. You said and I’m the same way: I don’t see a lot of movies; mostly I find myself bored and distractable. From the way people go on and on about movies I thought I was the only one.
I tried the Thayer’s witch hazel but the rose scent got to me. I’m not a flowery type I guess. Now if I could find it in an herbal scent I’d adore it.
Ally, I thought I had seen Thayer’s in an aloe formula, but I could be wrong. Laura told me THE ROSE ONE specifically so I followed directions, but I thought I saw a plain aloe version. I like the smell but it is pretty strong so I can see how it would bother you.
There is unscented witch hazel! I used it for my nether regions postpartum and it’s very soothing, so I’d imagine it would work on mosquito bites as well.
I feel so seen! I, too, have trouble with the plot anticipation from movies and shows; the Mr. has finally accepted that I’m less physically uncomfortable when I can Google-ahead because the alternative (me hiding behind my hands fighting the urge to mute the tv) is not “fun” for either of us HAHA! I love your yard (I almost said “I love your landscaping” – yikes!) and just put The Menopause Manifesto on hold at the library – thanks for the rec!
Lindsay, you and me both! I have been known to leave the room and call “is it over yet?” while watching things with my husband!
I LOVE THOSE SANDALS! They look really cute, and I’m guessing that since they’re Skechers, they’re super comfortable. Because of my “difficult” feet, i’ve been wearing running shoes everywhere, and then I have a pair of Skechers sneakers that I wear when I truly can’t get away with running shoes. It’s ridiculous that THOSE are my “dress shoes!” You’ve given me hope- those exact sandals may not work for me, but there’s something out there that will.
Your yard looks amazing. I’m soooo envious of all your vegetables! I tried a couple times to have a vegetables garden, but it’s hard in Florida. People do it, but it takes a lot of work, and I wasn’t willing to put in that much work. But fresh vegetables from the garden sound (and look) amazing.
Lastly- I’ll be buying that Witch Hazel. Mosquitos also love me. I don’t think your son is right about the potassium, but there is something about the bacteria on our skin, the particular balance of our skin microbiome, that makes people attractive to mosquitos. At least that’s the way I understand it.
Thanks Jenny! Skechers also have flat/ low heeled sandals that are super cute too, plus all sorts of cute flat shoes that I love. They should be sponsoring me for as much as I talk about them! HOW ABOUT SOME FREE SHOES, SKECHERS???
I wonder if you could have a winter garden in Florida? I imagine the heat would not be great for things like greens.
Apparently my son read somewhere about potassium being attractive to mosquitoes, but who can say, I have been irresistible to them my whole life!
I thought I was alone in finding movies to be Too Much. If there’s a movie everyone is talking about with elements I’m likely to find alarming, I’ll read the synopsis so I’m not left out of conversations. But I’m not going to see it in the theater.
Have you read Next Level by Stacy Sims? It is about menopause with a particular emphasis on the ways that menopause influences fitness/athletic pursuits, and I have gone back to it again and again.
Solidarity!
I haven’t read that book but I will definitely check it out. Thanks Jamie!
Nicole, the landscaping looks amazing! It’s going to look even more lovely as the plantings take off… This is the difficult period for me, waiting for things to grow in :). Are all of these deer-resistant species?
So not that kind of landscaping or edibles, but I’m in a season of life where I find the things you actually wrote about more interesting, TBH! Haha.
I’ve been meaning to go see Thelma–maybe I’ll do it with my friend who’s coming to stay this weekend!
Maya, yes, everything is deer resistant and so far they haven’t been snacking. Knock wood! The woman who helped us choose said they just won’t touch certain things because they are too prickly or sharp in the leaves, and so far she’s been right. Now, the planters that are on our deck, those are not really deer resistant but they haven’t been climbing the stairs to our deck (YET).
What does it say about me that as soon as I saw landscaping in the title my mind immediately went there…and yes as soon as you said “edibles” my mind went there as well;-)
Anyways, yay for the yard landscaping and getting your yard looking pretty and functional in all seasons. Can you imagine having all of that gorgeous space and not getting it up to its full potential?
There are definitely times when spoilers are a kindness. A great example is the book Loving Frank, which is a novel about the woman that FLW left his wife for, and as you know from Google, her story had an abrupt and unexpected ending. I don’t think I would have been able to bear it if I hadn’t known the ending in advance. Lisa and I were talking about it when we met up, and Lisa did not know the ending, and she was reading it in an airport waiting to get on a plane and had a big ugly cry over it. That’s the prime example I can think of.
Adding Thelma to my watch list! That movie sounds awesome.
So I put that book on my list, I had meant to a while back but forgot, and I am SO glad to have the spoiler! Whew.
We have so much space and that was a big reason to get professional help! I mean, these guys brought in something like 12 dump trucks of soil, so it isn’t really something we COULD have done on our own.
It’s fun to get perennials and watch them come up in the Spring. Everything looks beautiful. How long has that farm equipment been there? It’s such a great curiosity piece(s).
I’m not a movie person at all. I haven’t been to a theatre in at least a decade. Too boring to sit there, not to mention the volume, which I can’t handle. Weird that concerts don’t bother me! I think it’s the suddenness in movies where the sound startles me.
Enjoy your weekend! I’m excited as we have a bougie wedding to attend and I bought a new dress.
Bijoux, this house was my husband’s grandparents’ originally, and that farm equipment was his grandpa’s, dating from the 30s. I’m not sure when they had the gas pump put in but my husband can’t remember it not being there. Maybe the 50s?
Have fun at your wedding! I love a wedding.
Your yard is so beautiful! I’m a fan of having professional help when it comes to landscaping a yard – they have the skills and tools for the job! (I realize that sounds like a double-meaning…but what can I do? 😂) The movie Thelma sounds wonderful to me. I’m with you on needing spoiler alerts! I look them up online – I don’t like surprises! I think that’s why I enjoy re-reading books so much. All your gnomes look so happy in your amazing yard! I’m feeling very happy after looking at your photos!
They DO have the tools to GET THE JOB DONE. Lol! This post is taking a turn!
I’m feeling so bonded with you that you also look up endings online. I can take suspense in books but not in any visual media!
Those sandals are SO cute. I’d run out and get a pair but I am still very pleased with my black Mephisto comfy sandals with a low heel. The outfit is great. I feel like I looked for those city slicker pants and, if memory serves, which is becoming less and less the case, I don’t think they still make them. The backdrop for the picture is stunning. How wonderful that you see it on the daily. I imagine that it never gets old.
Our landscaping is in need of some attention. Tank can be of help and has helped so much, but that was more in the maintenance dept. preparing for the party. Your landscaping and patrolling gnomes looks wonderful. I’m amazed at the food you grow right there on your own property. That’s awesome.
Oh, also. Kermit made me laugh, and so do you. I’ve never met someone who needed to know how the movie ended. I watched a horror movie last night, ‘Alone.’ It was fantastic, but very upsetting/unsettling. I reminded myself that this was a movie and that the main character would most likely survive, because otherwise the movie would’ve ended very quickly. My kids requested that I stop making noises (grunts, sighs) and stop hollering at the TV, because the woman could not hear my instructions. Welp, I guess watching a movie with me is challenging. 😉
Ernie, you’re right, they don’t make them anymore but I browse the site quite often so I will let you know if the pants come back.
Yikes, a horror movie! I would never. Too scary!
I’m glad you tried Thayers! It’s the stuff of miracles. I use it whenever I get welts or bug bites and even as a toner on my face. I’m going to go buy those Sketcher sandals now.
It worked like a charm! Thank you!
Hi Nicole! I used to be super allergic to mosquito bites, what worked for me was old school antihistamines (work but also you are asleep the whole time you take them) AND the heat trick. Sundry had it on her blog years ago, you can put a spoon in a cup of hot coffee and then hold it against the bite for a minute or so. The bite stays big but the itching disappears for hours, also you get a cup of hot coffee so win win?!? If you are careful then you can just press the mug against the bite, it does depend on where you got bitten though 😉
Ah if you are looking for tv recommendations that you and the guys will enjoy, I recommend Shoresy! I love it, hockey, heart and guys with their tarps off ha ha ha ha
Hi Helen! The hot coffee trick, I’m going to try that! I mean, how can it lose, coffee and no itching! I do use antihistamines but only at night because as you say they knock me right out! Thanks so much for the tips and the TV suggestion!
Oh Nicole! Your yard is beautiful!! And set for color all year long. What a win!
I may need those sandals. And your outfit is gorgeous.
Thanks so much Gigi! I’m so pleased with it!
Your yard is lovely. We have raspberries, too, but we didn’t plant them. They are volunteers.
I read a review of Thelma and thought I might add it to the family movie night list.
Steph, I loved that movie SO much! It’s so cleverly funny but also very thoughtful.
You look amazing and those pants sound amazing. I feel like I could use a big sister Nicole pep talk about body image (which is so not your job). This long term use of prednisone has been awful and my flare is not improving so I can’t taper off prednisone (which cause weight gain among the other fun symptoms of insomnia and agitation/crankiness) and I need an MRI on Tuesday to figure out what is going on with my joint (not that kind, to stick with a theme). Le sigh.
Your yard is gorgeous!! I would love to redo our landscaping at some point. But it sounds so overwhelming and expensive so we will tackle it at a future date when I feel less challenged by day to day life. I do love my hanging baskets and a bird has made a nest in one of them for the 2nd summer in a row which really delights my boys.
Oh Lisa! I would love to give you a pep talk. You know, I’ve been thinking of body image so much lately as my own body has changed so much over the past little while. I intellectually accept it but emotionally it’s harder when I just had to go through my pants and get rid of all the ones that don’t fit.
I’m so sad your flare isn’t improving. What a literal pain this has been, and pain is exhausting. Hang in there! xoxoxo
Outfit of the month looks fabulous. I have a pair of lululemon pants I mainly keep for travelling because I can wear them on the plane for 24 hours and to fancy dinners.
Great decision to get professional help on the garden, now all the heavy work is done you can have fun with it as it grows. I can’t wait to see how it looks once the plants grow. I love a good perennial border. What a good assortment of fruit and veggies you are getting from your garden. Yum!
Thanks Melissa! I’m excited to see the perennials mature as well. At my old house, I loved looking back at early photos of my garden to see how it changed!
Those sandals are the cat’s meow (or the dog’s bark?). Gorgeous and comfy, what could be better?
Your landscaping – ahem – looks very neat and tidy and lovely 🙂
I’m not a big movie person but I do LOVE docuseries. We’ll likely go see the new Despicable Me movie in theatres with the kids, though, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy that.
Neat and tidy and lovely is 100% my landscaping goals, Elisabeth! Ahem indeed!
Oooh I have seen the ads for the new Despicable Me, it looks fun.
Your yard looks gorgeous – and it will just get better over time. I LOVE suspense! It’s my favorite type of movie or book. And I do not want spoilers. Nope. I am fortunate that if I’m with my husband the bugs go for him and avoid me. If I do get bit, it’s itchy for 10 min then nothing. I will buy that toner however for our cottage though. Some of our grandkids suffer terribly from bites.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head why I find scripted TV so hard – I just know that each season things have to get messier and messier, so I always get so worried for my beloved characters and what hardships they’re going to be put through!
I bought the Menopause Manifesto a while back just to have it on my shelf. While I’m not hitting menopause anytime soon, I figured it would be a good primer for me to know what I’m getting into, and then something to refer back to when it does hit!
Talking about your landscaping and edibles on your blog is so brave!!!
I have some of that Thayer’s facial toner in my bathroom cabinet RIGHT THIS MINUTE (I use it on my face), so I am going to try it the next time I have bug bites!!
Those are extremely cute shoes.
Your yard is beautiful, but I’m afraid my main takeaway from this is that I need to be careful of using the word landscaping—which reminds me of the time when I felt weird for asking for a car wash with an “undercarriage” cleaning because we called our cats’ bellies their undercarriage!
But I’d also like to ask your thoughts on potentially seeing Thelma with my mother–would someone in their 80s enjoy it, do you think? Or does it depend on the actual mother.
I hate the idea that mosquitoes might love me MORE as I get further into menopause. It’s hard to imagine.
You know, I think there was a time where I too went to see Top Gun: Maverick and before that the last movie I’d seen in the theatre was the 2019 Little Women. Or in other words, those two movies bookended my Covid experience. And then I went hog wild and saw The Little Mermaid six times last year. 😂
Look at that beautiful yard, garden, and sky. It is magical, my friend.
On Friday night, Mike and I went to the movie theater with Ella and two of her friends. I haven’t been to a theater since before Covid. The movie was good, but the experience was eh.
Witch hazel with rose??!! I love a new bug bite tip!!
Those Sketchers sandals are so damn adorable. That entire outfit is so damn adorable. You look so good. It’s all that joy. 😘❤️