This is not elegant, but it is super functional

That (below) is the corner of my bed.

The head of the bed is up on post concrete blocks which I got at Lowe's. We had to take the castor off the legs of the bed to fit in the space made for the post. I highly recommend the blocks to anyone with issues. Makes a huge difference. I put felt pads down in the holes so the leg is not scrapping against the concrete.

I had to look it up because it was bugging me. The block is concrete. Cement is used to hold all the materials together to make the block.

I also got a power strip that plugs into the wall socket sideways, so it has a very thin profile. It is plugged into a socket behind my bed and the strip is mounted to the wall next to my bed. That keeps my cords high. So I can have a device plugged in on my nightstand or in bed with me. And the cords do not get tangled and the strip does not flip around.


Example of sideways plug - the black one (not the gray one).

And that power strip is attached to my wall using Command strips (where you pull the tab to release it from the wall when you want to disconnect the whole thing years down the road). I got the mega weight command strips. There is a strip on the top of the power strip and on the bottom of the power strip. I did not want to mount it to wall with screws. This way I can move it. Or can take it down as technology evolves.

My iphone is the top cord. My ipad is the next cord. An old cell phone is the last cord, so I can always call 911 from that phone if somehow my iphone is not there.

Flower boxes

My husband and I planted all three flower boxes yesterday. These are massive.

I think we planted them last year too. (But skipped several years before that due to weather, travel, health.)

Of course we had no way of knowing what a mild winter it was going to be. And good thing because the boxes/pots were never emptied last fall.

And we decided, planting this year, we were going to just use the same dirt. First time ever. Normally we empty in the fall and refill with fresh dirt in the spring. Anyone know about how long dirt can be reused like this?

I bought all the plants at a flea market. And I am never going to do that again. First, I took the risk of them surviving in the car trunk for hours. Second, I am not sure it was cheaper. Third, I was not supporting my local nursery, and I should be.

This box has geraniums, Salvia, and wave petunias.

Salvia and Wave petunias. 

Just Salvia in this one. Still deciding what else to plant.Those are a friend's trees in pot.

See how big these hosta are?
Massive. A bunny ate them down to the dirt last year.
Luckily they came back.

The hosta in this bed were not as mature as the previous picture. Some did not survive the bunny. Others barely survived the bunny. We have a fox now. And I am hoping he ate that specific bunny. We weeded this bed yesterday. And mulched. And I  staked every hosta spot. Replacing the empty spots. Looking for protection basket type thing to put over each of them, just in case the fox is not doing his job. 

I have planted milkweed here two summer in a row. So far nothing.
And I am afraid to weed in case those are milkweed.  

Lilac. Planted one or two summers ago. Bunny has left them alone.

 Lily of the Valley, in bloom.Hundreds of them.And they are spreading rather than condensing. Which is interesting. Normally when you see a bed of Lily of the Valley, they are very tightly bunched. These are evenly spaced, can see ground between them.