Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Ten on Tuesday - Get Out There!

With warmer weather approaching in fits and starts, today's Ten on Tuesday prompt is
10 Things You Love To Do Outside. The rain is coming down in buckets and 30 mph winds are blowing the rain sideways as I write this, but I bet I can still think of some good outside things. Just not things I want to do in the rain; I might melt. :-)

View from the porch on a nicer day. Please ignore the parked car and electric lines.

  1. Work in the garden. It doesn't look like much at this time of year, but I have started seeds indoors and soon enough I'll (hopefully) be planting the tomatoes, beans, snow peas, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and more in the garden.
  2. Putter around in the flower beds. I've got various beds around the house with ivy, clematis, roses, hydrangeas, etc. My favorite thing to do is just appreciate the flowers growing there, but to get to that point they require plenty of attention at this time of year. Removing leaves, pruning, weeding, mulching, moving plants, replacing dead ones -- I enjoy most of it and have spent lots of time doing it over the last few weeks.
  3. Sit on the porch. Once it's warm enough, this is the perfect place for drinking my morning tea, reading, and knitting.
  4. Watch birds. I've got quite a few bird feeders and I love to watch the birds that visit them.  
  5. Try to identify bird calls. This is a new one for me and came about when I started reading The Genius of Birds. I've always enjoyed listening to birdsong, but trying to identify single birds by their calls is going to require some real listening and practice.
  6. Eat. Once it warms up, we almost always eat dinner outside at the picnic table, especially if I've made something on the grill.
  7. Take a walk. John and I walk almost every evening, and it's a delightful way to watch the seasons gradually changing. 
  8. Hike. This is different than just taking a walk. I walk in New Jersey, but when I'm visiting Ryan in Colorado, I call it hiking. That's because it's usually a bit more strenuous, involves climbing a lot more elevation, and watching out for rattlesnakes.
  9. Mow the lawn. In our division of labor, this job is mine, and I do love it. There is something about doing a necessary chore and getting exercise at the same time that just makes me feel good. I also love that mowing is a job that has an end point (at least for a week or so), you can see the results of your work, and I feel perfectly justified in rewarding myself with a nice cold beer when I finish on a hot and humid August day.
  10. Play "the wood chucking game". This is really Kubb, a Swedish lawn game, but we've always called it wood chucking. It's incredibly fun, especially if the players are of varying ages and abilities, and you play while drinking some good beer. 
What do you love to do outside?


13 comments:

  1. What a great list, especially #5 - my grandfather had MS and was unable to get outside, so he spent his time teaching me to identify birds by their calls. It was hard - he was really, really good at it. I will have to get this book! Thank you so much for sharing!!

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  2. I love watching and listening to the birds! I know the calls and songs of my "usual neighborhood suspects" (the cardinals and the chickadees, for example), but would love to learn more. Think I'll check out that book, too! Great list, Bonny. I'm so very ready to get to gardening again!

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  3. I love so many of the same things on your list - especially mowing the lawn. Not sure why - I think it is because it lasts longer than vacuuming.

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  4. I love your list! We have an old gadget in our house called the audible Audubon. It's got cards you insert into a player (this thing is 40 years old anyway) and it plays the bird song. We've had some fun with it! I've got a Swedish nephew-in-law...I'll have to have him teach us Kubb!

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  5. I love to watch the birds but hadn't thought of identifying their songs. What a great idea. I also like that game. Two new things to add to my list :-)

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  6. I live near Maine's Swedish Colony and Kubb is a familiar game! How cool is that?

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  7. I love the birds, too, especially when the hummingbirds come back. I've never heard of Kubb, I'll be looking into that. And I would so enjoy a glass of iced tea with you on your porch!

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  8. Sitting on the porch is a lost art because of today's modern home design. I love watching birds and forgot to add it to my list. I can watch them for hours!

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  9. I was right there with you, until you got to lawn mowing. Yes, I do it. No, I do not like it. LOL

    On the other hand, it IS good exercise.

    Happy spring!

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  10. hope the weather improves so you can start enjoying all those things! I don't think there's much I love to do that I don't love more when it's outside. especially walking and eating!

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  11. I agree with your list except mowing...that is not something I enjoyed as a teen and luckily I married someone who does it.

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