Author: Kristy
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The Cozy Shift: Creating Fall Magic in Miami – Cozy Cottage Core Style
The leaves may not turn golden here in Miami (at least not until our almost “sorry-excuse of a winter”), but that doesn’t mean autumn skips us. The cicadas are still singing, the air is sticky with heat, and the mango trees have only just finished dropping their last golden fruit—and yet, fall quietly tiptoes in.…
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Where Are the Bees? A Garden Worry in Bloom
~June 14, 2025~ This spring, I did everything right. I let the weeds grow wild, their tiny flowers dancing in the breeze. I filled the garden with blooms of all kinds. I watched for wings, for that warm buzz of life that usually means the garden is waking up. But it’s almost midsummer now… and…
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This Week’s Forecast: Chronic Chaos with a Chance of Recovery
The past week has been nothing short of a beautiful mess—and not in the charming, cottagecore way I usually romanticize. I’ve been completely knocked down by a combination of a brutal sore throat (think swallowing lava and sandpaper at the same time) and a flare-up of my not-so-favorite chronic illness, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).…
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Backyard Battles: Miami Mosquitoes vs. My Sanity
There’s a unique kind of chaos that only happens when you’re trying to enjoy a sunny Miami evening in your tiny backyard oasis—just you, your dogs, and a bloodthirsty swarm of mosquitoes that seem to have signed a lease on your homestead. It started like any other serene evening after a long day at work.…
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Hurricane Season Has Entered the Chat.
Ah, June in Miami — where the skies are blue until they’re not, your garden thinks it lives in the Everglades, and every afternoon feels like Mother Nature just finished her cafecito and decided it’s time to absolutely lose it. Welcome to hurricane season (and no, I don’t mean the college football team). Or as…
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Zone 10: Paradise or Chaos Central?
Living and gardening in Miami (aka Zone 10 Paradise or Plant Chaos Central) is like trying to grow a jungle on the surface of the sun—with a 90% chance of surprise thunderstorms. The heat? Relentless. The humidity? A full-body experience. But oh, the growing season? Practically year-round. While the rest of the country is digging…
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“Swarmageddon: How My Peaceful Spring Day Turned into a Full- Blown Termite Apocalypse!
There’s nothing like enjoying a nice spring afternoon outside with your hubby and the pups, watching them play as the sun begins to dip below the apartment buildings within our view. It’s like the perfect ending to a chaotic day… …Until you’re dive-bombed by a winged hoard of flying hellspawn. Yes, folks. I was…
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Welcome to the Chaos!
Let me begin with a welcome and an introduction. If you haven’t already read my “About Us” portion of the blog, go ahead and do so, or don’t. It’s up to you. My name is Kristy (Your neighborhood AuDHD chaos coordinator) and welcome to my chaotic life as I begin this journey of urban homesteading…
The Urban Chaos Cottage 