We’ve finally hit the time of year that’s warm and sunny enough for evening walks, (aka “walkies”) which is my favorite season. Sometimes my husband accompanies me, sometimes it’s my friend Lise, but it’s often just my lil’ lone self. Yesterday was a Lise day.
Unsurprisingly, walking in the neighborhood often ends with me dragging home a random freebie that’s been set out on the curb. However, I’m no hoarder, so I try to be judicious with what I bring home — only stuff I can use or sell.*
The nearby house that’s undergoing a huge remodel set out this antique footboard and side rails. (They’re the ones who put out our new ceiling light fixture!) Side rails for each bed size are generally interchangeable, so I hope that someone nabs these. Plus the footboard is very pretty.
A different neighbor set out these “DAY LILES FREE For ANYONE,” but I didn’t take any as I already have enough in my garden and my only need is for shade tolerant plants. They must’ve set these out the day before, as it rained during the night and the bags were falling apart.
Not everything I bring home is pretty or “aesthetic,” as evidenced by this pair of 10¢ recyclables. Cha-ching!
I lastly accompanied Lise back to her house and accepted an invitation for a tour of her back garden. She pointed out some “chocolate mint,” and generously dug up a sample for me. I wish this blog had a “scratch-and-sniff” feature, because this plant smells amazing, quite literally like chocolate and mint!
I already have a thriving pot with mint on the back deck, so I’m pretty sure this one can withstand the shady conditions. I’m always excited to add something new to my garden, especially when the price was free-ninety-nine!
Hooray for walkies!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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* Usually.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I have two small, thriving beds of chocolate mint in my front yard. (And, yes, folks, this does smell like Girl Scout Thin Mints.) DH and I found two solid steel window frames in a nearby patch of woods many years ago. He took the Element up there, brought home the window frames, knocked the few remaining bits of glass out of them, and set them into the yard as garden bed frames. The chocolate mint has been thriving in them ever since. Greater love hath no man.
And, as Katy already knows, mint absolutely must be confined to a pot or a frame, or it’ll take over an entire garden. I’m currently on the lookout for something I can use as a restraint for the spearmint I intend to poach from a neighbor’s garden soon. Chocolate mint is absolutely ace when dried for tea (my JASNA Panera friend demands and gets a tin of this every Christmas), but spearmint is preferable for most culinary uses (tabouli, etc.).
Good to know how you use the different mints. I though of you when I brought home the two cans to recycle for 10¢ apiece!
Love hearing about your walks. My walks usually yield wild turkey, deer, or armadillo sightings.
Went to a friend’s mother’s house to look over before they donate most to a charity. Got a brand new washer and dryer, a meat grinder, a bread maker, and many woodworking tools for very little money. Do we need a washer and dryer? Not really, but it’s nice to have a set on standby for when one of ours is not working.
I need a dryer (used is ok). Do you happen to live in Pennsylvania?
Florida!
When I bought my house, my realtor convinced the seller to leave their Maytag washer and dryer. “But I already have a set!,” I said. So I stored my two Maytags in the garage. Later the “inherited” washing machine went kaput and it would’ve cost $400 to fix it. I was out of work at the time. It only cost 25 bucks to get two college boys to move the old one to the garage and bring in my Maytag and switch them out. So glad I didn’t sell mine! (The old Maytag is store in the garage and I plan to have it fixed someday.)
A big fat frugal fail for me. On Saturday night my car was hit by a hit & run driver. I pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot to wait for them to exchange insurance. No such luck. I think the driver was intoxicated or maybe lacked immigration papers. I have insurance but will likely have to pay a deductible. I didn’t get hurt so grateful for that gift. Rock on frugalistas.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, although it sounds like you weren’t hurt which is good.
TY for kind words.
Glad you’re okay! What a scary situation to be in.
Glad you escaped unhurt, texasilver. But I’m sorry that you’re going to end up paying for the other driver’s irresponsibility (to say the least).
Did anyone get the other guy’s license plate number? Are there any security cameras or red light cameras that might have shown it? I hope the cops checked this out….and I hope the guy gets busted. So sorry you are going through this!
I didn’t get on the blog yesterday bc I adopted a new fur baby from the pound. The adoption cost me all of $12. I got a very loving boy who came up to me and just cuddled and snuggled and wagged his tail, just like he’s known me for years. He’s about a year old, they think, part Rottweiler but not a vicious bone in his body! So sweet! The pound named him Snuggles due to his loving attitude. So, of course I took him home to be my doggie. I still had to go to work Sat. night. But then I needed food, collar, leash, bones, etc. and I went after our store closed. Ended up at Target, which stays open until 11 p.m., and spent $100. (Frugal fail, but he’s worth it!)
Anyway, I was going to brag how great this boy was: he didn’t cause a mess when I was away, he comes up to me and wants loving, he will sit on command, etc…..but after church today, when I opened the front door, Snug took off like a rocket and I had to chase him. It wasn’t a walkie, it was a runny. Thankfully, I caught up with him a block and a half down the street, made him come home (he wasn’t too thrilled about it) and all is well.
By then, my knees hurt and I was out of breath so I thought I’d lie down and take a 15 min nap… and then went comatose (didn’t get a lot of sleep last night)…. and woke up 90 min. late for my drugstore shift. When I called in, I got a frosty reception and they said don’t worry about coming in….so it’s me, not the pup, who’s in the doghouse.
I probably also will be in the doghouse with the rival animal rescue group who wanted $50 for their services, which included patching my fence, but they tried to pair me with a dog that acted like I was Cruella DeVille and just didn’t like me at all; I told ’em to come take him back. (I will ask them how much $ they want for fixing the fence…that might not be frugal, but it’ll be fair.)
Congratulations on the new pup, and I hope he settles in and does not dart for the door again. And that you get out of the doghouse with your job!
Lisa, I’m glad Snuggles is off to a running start; I just wish it hadn’t been that kind! And I hope there are no lasting repercussions at your drugstore job.
Well, the store is one of 2 jobs I have. I also substitute teach for considerably more $$. I took the cashier job a few years ago to bolster my Social Security amount. Since I’ve started receiving SS now, it doesn’t do anything to up my pension check. So it isn’t going to kill me if the job goes away, although I will miss seeing my “regulars.”
It’s gray and chilly where I am, which made it a good morning to bundle up and wade into the shrubbery to prune it. The chill keeps bugs away. So my backyard looks much better and I got a lot of free exercise.
Got a rack of laundry drying on the back porch. I dug around in the closet and found a pair of shoes that can replace the sneakers that are wearing out. Received an audio version of the next book club selection free via the library. Made brownies because we were all jonesing for dessert.
A. Marie, I planted mint along a bare spot on the back fence because my dogs go there to look out the chain link, as nothing will frow there and the dogs might as well smell nice after barking at the neighbors cat, 😀
Mmm . . . minty dogs!
I can reaffirm what A. Marie says. Chocolate mint is lovely to smell (I never tried it as tea) but it is really strong so probably not good for recipes. Most recipes that say mint actually mean spearmint.
I can also assure you that shade, drought, abject neglect, and animal incursions will not kill this mint.
I wanted it for the looks and smell, not to cook with anyway.
Katy, I like to steep my dried chocolate mint in a cup of cocoa like tea, it makes a nice thin mint hot cocoa treat in the cold months, enjoy your new plant friend!
Ooh . . . good tip!
Chocolate mint is yummy!
No walkie for me today. It has been raining a lot the last few days. It did clear up enough this evening for us to go to our churches outdoor blessing of the animals. So fun. We took one of our rabbits and our most social guinea pig.
We did see chocolate mint plants at a greenhouse we visited with our daughter.
Our neighborhood had their semi-annual yard sale on Saturday. We put some stuff out with a “Free” sign then walked the neighborhood. DH picked up a couple of items from a Free sale and we also bought a 2000 piece puzzle from neighbors that will be moving.
Saturday afternoon we picked up a side table, curb side, that should be refinished. It is solid wood and DH likes that kind of project.
My community just had our annual yard sales and it’s been a blast. I only spent $1- on a sweater for my grandfather. I love the challenge of yardsaling with only $5 in my pocket. It helps me narrow down my wants vs needs and prevents me from buying things just to have it!