Tuesday, June 29, 2010

If Only Scarlett Had Planted Squash Instead of Radishes...

...I'm pretty certain she would never have been hungry in the first place.  No, nor any of her folk.  As God is my witness.

As you can see from the picture (left) of my gathering basket, this morning's haul from the garden was pretty healthy.  Squash...both yellow crookneck and straightneck and zucchini...outnumber the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers...for the moment.  The hot, dry days we have been experiencing have put a halt to most "production"...or at least slowed it.  But, rain and lower temps are predicted for tomorrow, so look out!  The basket may soon be full.

I've been working on the Rondel (the elliptical planting area we've designed for the center...more or less...of the Way Back, based on inspiration from P. Allen Smith's Garden Home) today.  We had the front portion done; that's where Hyacynth sits in her Grape chair, watching over the zinnias and marigolds.  But, we had stopped there when we ran out of mulch.  Mr. T scraped the weeds away on Saturday, and we lined it with black weed-block fabric.  Then, following a trip to HD, we used 15 bags of mulch to finish it off.  Looks nice so far.  I want to outline it with flowers to give it even more definition from a distance (that being inside our Morning Room); eventually there will be a mass planting of perennials (daffodils, iris, and daylilies, to accent the roses that will be inside the Rondel), but for now we'll use some annuals like marigolds.  Sounds like another trip to Home Depot to me!

Before I go, I wanted to share a shot (right) of the latest garden celebrity:  a Jubilee watermelon.  Actually, there are now 3 on that vine, along with about 8 more tiny Sugar Baby melons on their own vines.  I am following Master Gardener Jerry Baker's advice to place the developing melons (both watermelons and cantalopes/muskmelons) in plastic containers (like milk cartons sliced in half, or as in this pic, the bottom half of a strawberry container) to provide a measure of protection from both bugs and the gardener's feet.  Isn't it just the cutest thing you've seen...in a garden, that is?  Grow, baby melon, grow!

Ah yes, gardening teaches one patience.  I know we'll have to be patient for these to ripen, but my mouth is watering just thinking about 'em!  Can't wait!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

2 Showers in 5 Hours

I'm not sure who is using more water these days:  me or the garden. 

Yesterday, I got up and showered, then headed out to the garden to do the Coffee Walk.  You know...see what's growing with my mug o' Joe in hand.  It was predicted to be the hottest day so far this year for us, and I had no intention of working outside in the heat and humidity.  Well, I should have known better.  Those weeds needed hoeing; the melons needed watering; the squash needed picking; the peppers needed staking, and on and on and on.  Next thing I knew, it was after noon...and I was back in the shower, trying to get clean again.

I don't even want to see our water bill this month.  Sigh.

Still, I'm having a ball with the garden, in case it isn't quite evident from all of my posts.  Lots of work, no doubt.  But also lots of great exercise...lots of opportunities for creative expression...and lots of chances to work through stress.  And there will be a big reward in the end!  Yummy, homegrown produce, and beautiful flowers.

Remember back in early May, I posted a shot I said would be the "before shot?"  That's it on the left, below.  And on the right was about the same angle shot, taken yesterday.  See how my veggie garden is growing?!  The tomato cages you see on the left are filled with bushy plants on the right.  The peppers have grown so much (in the center of the shots) that I've had to stake and cage 'em.  And, the squash that wasn't even sprouted on the left has almost taken over on the right.  Two things are "less" on the right:  no lettuce remaining (between the limbs, serving as row markers)...almost all eaten by Mr. Bunny; and fewer onions, as we've harvested several since then.  Still, I thought a "before" and an "after" shot might help you visualize the progress.


Yes, good things are happening outside.  But, more importantly, good things are starting to happen inside.

It's time for this year's picture of the first BLT!  Remember, I do love my tomato sandwiches; can hardly wait for the first one of the gardening year.  Well, I harvested a couple of nice Early Girl tomatoes this week (yes, a good two weeks before my July 4th deadline!), so it was time to do the honors. 

N/M/E and I agree on almost everything about the perfect BLT:  white Wonder Bread, Hellman's Mayonnaise, thick-cut bacon (I used Plumrose this year), crisp Iceberg lettuce (store-bought, since Mr. Bunny devoured all of ours...), lots of salt and pepper, and thick, juicy slices of red, ripe tomatoes.  Our only difference is that she wants her bread toasted, and I prefer it to be so soft that it sticks to the roof of my mouth.  Heaven...pictured below:



Yes, that is the Sam's Club size of Hellman's.  Don't hate me because I love my mayo.  And, don't talk to me about Duke's mayonnaise either.  I do use it, now that I'm back in the Southeast, but it isn't the same...it's sweeter, or something.  Reminds me of my Papaw, who loved Miracle Whip on his sandwiches. 

Oh, and about the bread.  While that wrapper says Wonder Bread, it ain't.  At least, not the white bread I remember.  It's called Whole Wheat White...and it tastes like they put sawdust in the dough before baking.  I don't want my BLT to be healthy; heck, I'm pretty sure that having BACON on a sandwich puts "healthy" out of reach.  I just want it to taste like when I was a kid.  Only better, because I grew the tomatoes.

And, Mr. T's lunch request on this fine day?  A PBJ, if you please.  What can I say?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Some Gave All

Today's post will be a somber one since we've had some sad news.  We learned that Mr. T's next-oldest brother, Walter, died early last week.  The coroner will probably put heart attack on the death certificate, but in a way, that isn't the real culprit. Walter died because of the damage sustained during his service in Viet Nam.

No, he wasn't wounded.  Not in the sense that a bullet rips through skin and muscle and bone.  For that type of physical injury, doctors can repair the damage so the healing can begin.  And, the healing can lead to a productive (if changed) life.

No, he was one of the unfortunate ones to have served in the area contaminated by the now-infamous herbicide known as Agent Orange.  His exposure changed him in ways that are hard to explain, but his symptoms and health issues became a permanent part of who he was to the world after he returned from the War...er, Conflict.

No, I never knew the Walter that Mr. T remembered:  a happy person, a real guy-about-town, a real go-getter.  They were Number 4 and Number 5 in the lineup of the five siblings, with Walter arriving a short year after the middle child (a beautiful girl) and a couple of years before the baby of the family, our own Mr. T.  As children, they were closer to each other than to their older brothers, Numbers 1 and 2 on the other side of the daughter-child; as adults, with differences in personalities, miles, and years, the sister would become the family life-line that Walter leaned on. 

Not being privy to all his childhood memories, I always struggled to work out the inconsistency of those stories of the Great Guy with the brother-in-law whose words didn't always connect to make sentences, whose sentences rarely made sense.  I'm sure he had a sweet soul, but I'm ashamed to admit that I couldn't get past feeling fear...like I'd toppled into some alternate universe where the dictionary didn't count whenever I encountered him, where I couldn't carry on a simple conversation.  I never really understood what he was laughing at, like I wasn't really in on the joke.  That was my own personality flaw:  I just didn't learn how to relate.

But, I can make sure that I relate what I do know about him:  he was a son, a brother, a cousin, a nephew, a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a great-uncle, a Marine, and a U.S. veteran.  He was born in Detroit, MI; moved with his family to Jackson, MS, around the age of seven; and, spent most of the rest of his life there.  Walter was the Best Man in our wedding, and in the photos we have, he looked like he had a great time that day. He liked motorcycles.  And, he was generous to a fault.

I acknowledge that I am wholely inadequate to serve as his eulogist, but I can do my own little part to remember his life and his passing.

And, as Gibbs would probably say to a fellow Marine...Semper Fi, Walter.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Garden Grows in Size...and Begins to Give

We found them!  We've been back in NC for a year now, and we've located some daylily farms.  These are only open during The Season (typically between June and July), unlike our favorite daylily farm in MO which was open all year 'round...and even had a lovely cafe and wine-tasting room to enjoy their fabulous view.  Still, you can't have everything, can you?  We're just happy that we can get our daylily collection growing with new varieties.

Road trip!

Last Saturday morning we packed a cooler and headed out on one of the hottest days so far this year to visit Holly Hill Daylily Farm in Moncure, NC, and Lakeview Daylily Farm in Garner, NC (photo to left).  Quite an outting.  We came home with a car-full of new plants, including the following varieties:
  • Chicago Firecracker, Enon, Purple Pinwheel, and Buttered Popcorn (from Holly Hill, pictured in the row, right); and,
  • Alabama Jubilee, Crown Royale, Edith Ann, Eenie Weenie, Elvis' Cape, Love Those Eyes, Persian Peach, Red Ribbons, Red Volunteer (visible in the row pictured above/left), and Within My Heart (from Lakeview)
Of course, the downside of such a bounty is that you have to plant them when you get them all home.  And soon, too. 

Even though we'd had one of our frequently-occuring afternoon thunderstorms (we're having them almost daily), Mr. T thought the ground was OK for tilling.  He worked almost until dark and got two new beds dug in front of the veggie gardens before both he and the tiller ran out of gas.  Then, we picked up where he left off the next morning...working until the thunder and lightning chased us inside.

By Monday noon, all of the new residents were in their spots...with the exception of one large clump (which will yield 5-7 new plants, easy) of Persian Peaches, which will eventually reside in the to-be-developed flower bed at the top of the driveway, in front of the fence.  I may have to hill them into the garden for holding for a few weeks, though, as that bed is a ways down on the To Do list still.

Of course, all of this rain we are getting...along with the hot temps in the high 80's and low 90's...is revving up the veggie garden, for sure.  In the pic to the left, you can see the Purple Hull peas (foreground), followed by four rows of Bicolor corn (strawberry bed to the left, just out of the shot); then across the garden path (lined with rocks we removed from the garden/Way Back), you can see (from right to left) the border row of zinnias and marigolds, peppers, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers.  Hard to make out, I know, but at least you may be able to tell that things are growing.

And producing.

Yesterday I got my first cherry tomatoes off the Sweet 100 planted in a pot on the deck.  And this morning, I got my first zucchini (right).  I dug up a couple of onions and plan a stir-fry for tonight!  

It's easy.  I'm defrosting a couple of chicken breasts that I'll cut into strips and marinate in an Asian Ginger dressing (store-bought).  Then, I'll stir-fry the chicken strips until done in some hot oil in the wok.  After the chicken is done, I'll toss in the zucchini (cut into bite-size chunks), the onions (sliced and slivered), and maybe some carrots and celery from the fridge; I'll add the tomatoes last.  When everything is done, I'll give it a final coating of Ginger dressing whisked with some corn starch for thickening the sauce.  Serve it all over cooked rice.  Add a bowl of fresh pineapple chunks.  Yum!


While we were working in the garden this weekend, we were joined by a new friend, which I promptly named Bonnie.

Strange name for a turtle, you say?  Not really.  When I was at MSCW (now Mississippi University for Women), I pledged a Social Club called Rosettes.  They had a club song called Bond Eternal.  But, it was sung fast...and loud...and by Southerners who not only dropped their ending "g's" but also the "d" in Bond...and the first time I ever heard it, I asked who was the Bonnie Turtle they were singing about.  Guess you had to have been there.  Anyway, that haunted me the whole pledge season, when I had to carry a pink and silver (club colors) paper mache turtle around with me...everywhere.  And, introduce her.  Meet Bonnie Turtle.  Ah, college.  The best years of your life?

I'm happy to report that the roses we planted recently are doing well, for the most part.  Of the original 16 that we planted, it appears that 13 have taken hold.  All the rain has definitely helped them get established! 

One small problem, however.  Several of the bare-root roses we bought at Sam's Club (great price!) are not what they were labeled!  We have an Angel Face (lovely lavender, properly labeled) and one labeled as Mr. Lincoln (supposed to be red)...which turned out to be another lavender Angel Face.  This beautiful red rose to the right was labeled as Miss All-American Beauty...which is supposed to be a bright pink variety, not ruby-red.  Mystery.  One of the two John F. Kennedy roses (white) is actually a Pink Peace (thank goodness, as the one labeled Pink Peace did not survive).  And, the one that was supposed to be Kordes Perfecta (a pink and white) is actually a long-stemmed red...possibly the elusive Mr. Lincoln?  It's a big guessing game.

Guess it's also a comment on gardening in general.  You don't always get exactly what you thought you would...but it's always an adventure!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Contemplating the Veggies

I found this quote today, while trolling the Guilford County Extension Service's website.  Thought it was appropriate, since I'd just returned from my morning Coffee Walk (which becomes my Wine Walk...or Sam Adams Walk...in the evening...:).

"I used to visit and revisit (my garden) a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation.  It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green."  -- Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from an Old Manse
Beans are up and growing in my garden, even beginning to twine around the Tepee Trellis (although they've been severely sheared-back by the bunnies); peas (at least the purple hull pink-eyes...forget about the English variety for this year) are doing well, despite being singed by the application of fish emulsion...in the bright mid-day sun...by moi.  And today's squash report:  definitely seeing tiny, baby yellow/crookneck squashes and Black Beauty zucchini on the vines.  We've achieved Fruit Set!   Thank you to all the bees that made this moment possible.  Now, I'd better start gathering some recipes 'cause I'm afraid we'll be swamped with squash in a short time!  BTW, that's not snow you are looking at in the photo to the right; that's paper from my shredder.  Found a new way to recycle the stuff as mulch in the garden.  Hooray!

Speaking of recipes...thought I'd share a couple with you.

As herbs are about the only edibles that the garden is giving us in these early days, I used some freshly-snipped parsley and chives to spice up an easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe, which is baked in a covered casserole dish in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 1.5 hours.  First, I scrubbed 3 large baking potatoes thoroughly; then, sliced them thinly with the skins still on (letting them rest in some salted ice water while I got the other ingredients ready).  I dotted the bottom of a 2 quart Corningware casserole dish (one with a cover) with 1 T. butter, cut up into several pieces.   Then, I began the layering process:  about 1 potato's worth of slices, topped with a good sprinkle of kosher salt, a few twists of the pepper mill, and generous snips of fresh parsley and chives (I have a pair of kitchen shears to do this easily); cover with a generous handful of shredded cheese (I used the finely shredded version of Kraft Mexican Blend 'cause that's what I had in the fridge). Top the layer with another cut up T. of butter.  Repeat layers two more times, ending with cut up butter.  In a separate 4-cup measuring cup, whisk 2 T. flour with 2 cups Half-and-Half (which I had on hand because I recently made homemade ice cream; you can use whole milk, or some combination of milk and cream, or even evaporated milk, with pretty much the same results).  I also added a goodly pinch of dry mustard to the cream mixture.  Pour cream mixture over the potato layers in the casserole dish.  Cover and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the potato slices are cooked/tender.  Remove the cover, and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked down.  Then, add another handful of shredded cheese to the top of the casserole and return to the oven until the cheese begins to brown on top (may need to put under the broiler a bit, depending on how brown you like your casserole to be).  No, it's NOT low-cal, but it is delicious! 

I served it with barbecued chicken breasts (3 chicken breasts, sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and dry rub; then, cooked in the oven in the covered Le Creuset dutch oven, alongside the potato casserole, until tender; then, "finished" with BBQ sauce on the grill outside), cornbread muffins, and Honey Lime Fruit Salad [based on a Dole recipe, but using what fruit I had on hand:  yesterday, I used a can of Dole pineapple chunks, some fresh strawberry chunks, an orange that I peeled, sectioned, and chunked, and a banana...cut up in chunks; all topped with a "dressing" made of 1/4 cup of reserved pineapple juice, 2 T. lime juice (basically, the juice from 2 limes), and 1 T honey (more, rather than less)...with some lime zest thrown in for good measure].  Opened a bottle of 2008 Bogle Chardonnay for the evening Wine Walk, followed by some quality time in the swing, while the grill heated up.  Then, served up the meal with iced tea...lotsa lemon.  Good eats, as Alton Brown might say!

Tomorrow:  we'll be picking our first SuperSweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes from the pot on the deck.  Can you spot them in the pic (left)?  And, no that's not snow on the tomato soil, either...it's egg shells.  Supposed to provide calcium and help prevent blossom-end rot.

Of course, you may recall that Cherry tomatoes...on the vine...happen to be one of Gus' favorite toys.  He thinks I'm growing him a Toy Tree!  He's already gone up to the pot, sniffed long and hard, like he was getting the scent of it...decided that the Toys weren't ripe yet.  Never known him to pull the green ones; only the red ones.

Stay tuned!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Report Card

As I look out my window in my new office (formerly known as just the Dining Room), I see all the neighborhood children enjoying their release from school for Summer Vacation.  Hope they all had great report cards!  Makes me think about how things are going here.

First things first...the Drool Gang Report:  an Elmo update!  Well, as you can see from that photo (left), he's feeling great stress these days...NOT!  Stinker-puppy that he is, he's sleeping on my pillow...and doesn't even look a bit bothered by the fact that I will have to change the pillow case and quite possibly the zippered liner...eewww, dog drool

Seriously, he's adjusted to his blindness better than we ever imagined.  Nothing seems to hinder him...with the exception of my moving the furniture around, slowing him down a tad.  He knows where his food bowl is...hasn't missed a meal.  He heads out the Doggie Door on his own, or rings the bell on the other back door for Service when it suits him. He's still eager for the nightly w-a-l-k with Daddy and the other Droolers...still takes the lead, being the mush-mush dog.  He's still timid with strangers...but he always has been...so, no harm, no foul.  But, if you saw him sitting in his favorite spot on the deck, "looking" out over the yard, you'd swear he was staring at the squirrels or the birds.  You just have to look closely to see that he is sniffing, not staring.  Nose at work, instead of eyes.  Such a sweetie pie. This report gets an A+, since Gus and Duchess are both doing well, too.

OK...next item:  Doctor Report.

Back from our second doctor visit this week, plus second trip to the lab for bloodwork.  Whew...I'm worn out from it all...and I'm just driving Miss Edith.  Still, shouldn't complain.  Good, quality knitting time for me while we are in the waiting room(s)...and a pair of socks on the needles makes the perfect "doctor visit" project.  Am calling these "Chasing Cables," but won't say anymore about them, as they are to be a gift for a friend.

Anyway...back to the dox...

Monday's visit was to our Family physician, the same one we saw when we lived in HPNC before.  Great guy.  Super doctor.  Takes all the time you need to make sure he provides the proper care.  Talks a mile a minute.  I chiefly serve as the simultaneous translator:  Doc-talk to N/M/E-talk; N/M/E-speak to Doc-speak.  Such a fun day.  See why I knit? 

Mind you, I continually have to say "now, remember...I'm not medical."  I do my best to use the correct terminology, but usually fall far short of perfection.  (I know, I know.  "Perfection is NOT the goal...excellence is.")  For instance, I'm trying to get the Doc to "write" a prescription (there's no "writing" prescriptions anymore...all done on computer...showing my age...:) for the size needles I need for N/M/E's B12 injection.  He's talking CC's ('cause that's Doc-speak), and I'm responding ML's ('cause that's what's written on the wrapping).  Plus, I keep calling them "needles" ('cause that's the part I'm terrified of), and he keeps correcting me with "syringes" ('cause that's the correct medical terminology).

Yeah.

Did you catch that?  I'm terrified of needles...the business end of the syringe.  And, yet I'm giving N/M/E her B12 injection.  Something's wrong with that picture.  Only because our last Family Doc in MO insisted that I could do this.  Made me learn how.  Well, sure...I suppose you could train almost anyone to administer an injection...but you can never, ever make me like it.

But, I digress...seriously...

So, Family Doc pretty much gave N/M/E the definitive diagnosis of what's wrong with her (fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches and pains, etc.):  she's 90.  Yep.  If he said that once, he said it 4-5 times.  "Well, remember...you are 90."  He did make a couple of changes to her meds and order a couple of additional blood tests to "rule out" some other issues, since I'm guessing you can't really "rule out" being 90.  Let's give this one a B+.  Stay tuned.

Doc #2 (today) was the Foot Doctor, who's been treating N/M/E's torn ligament/heel spur issue during our bi-weekly visits over the past 2 months.  Thinks the 3 cortisone injections he's administered have done the trick, as she's almost pain-free in the left foot.  Hopefully, we can remove him from our regular rounds for a while.  Oh yeah, an A+ for this one.

We try to make these Doctor Days a bit more fun by heading out to eat (either breakfast or lunch, depending on the time of the appointment).  Today we went to McAlister's Deli, a favorite that reminds me of Memphis and Atlanta.  Of course, I used to get the Sweet Tea (elixir of the Gods...:), with lots of lemon (which they will give you with a smile).  Now, I'm limited to the Unsweet Tea, lots of lemon and 3 packets of the Yellow Stuff or 2 of the Pink Stuff (never, ever the Blue Stuff); ah, still tasty.  We had the Reuben sandwiches and fruit cup.  Definitely an A+ for the Lunch Bunch Report.

And, back at home, the Garden Report is mixed.  I spotted a Dad's Best White daylily in full bloom in the holding garden (photo to right), and also one down in the new Mailbox bed.  Both look healthy and happy in their new surroundings.  We've had some of the Happy Trails to bloom this year (yeah!), as well as some of the Roadside Orange ones (double yeah!!).  Holding my breath for blooms on both the Wayside Royal (purple) ones and the South Seas (coral) ones...at least I hope that's what those are. Still, I'm thrilled that so many made the move from MO.  Definitely an A, with opportunities to go a bit higher when those others bloom.

The Black Beauty zucchini are blooming (photo, left) as are the crookneck squash and the cucumbers!  Hooray!  Fingers crossed on pollination, as this all depends on the bees at this point.  I've tried to populate the garden space with enough flowers to capture the bees' attention, but we'll see.  An A for the bloom; an I (incomplete) for the fruit-set.

And, the "mixed" part?  Well, I dosed all the new purple hull peas, pole beans (KY Wonder), bush beans (Blue Lake), corn, tomatoes, and peppers, as well as the blooming squash and cukes, with fish emulsion yesterday.  Nasty, stinky stuff...I don't care how much the label says they've "neutralized" the smell.  Anyway, on this morning's Coffee Walk (where I take my cup of French Roast out into the garden to see how things look in the morning light), I noticed that the newest leaves on the Purple Hull Pink-eyes were all crinkled and curled...almost like they had been singed.  Hmmmm.  A look in my gardening books pointed me to the possible culprit:  me!  Apparently, one should apply fish emulsion (or any fertilizer spray) in the late afternoon/early evening, not in the morning sun like I did...so you don't BURN new leaves.  Lesson learned.  E for effort...F for execution.

I'll do better next time.  Promise.

Monday, June 7, 2010

More Items Checked Off the To Do List

Wow!  What a productive weekend we had!  Since the weather cooperated (read that:  it didn't rain all the time), we were able to get a lot of our outdoor "to do's" done.  Despite sweltering temps in the 90's...with corresponding humidity levels...we:
  1. weeded the veggie garden (really needed it after all the rains) and replanted a couple patches of lettuce;
  2. did some more work on the garden path, adding some recycled stepping stones and spreading gravel between the gate and the mulched area;
  3. assembled our new NC Pot Person, hereafter to be known as Hyacynth (photo to right); and
  4. completed the Garden Gate Pergola (finally masking the two mismatched monolith gate posts -- see more info below), along with planting a Carolina Jessamine (Jasmine) beside the gate/to be trained to grow over the pergola.
Whew!

And it feels so good to be able to take a breather and enjoy our work.  Today was just lovely, with temps in the low 80's, humidity below 50% for a change, so we could even have our dinner out on the deck.  Quite pleasant, actually.

Let's take a look back at the activities of the past weekend, shall we?

About the Garden Gate Pergola project...

Here (left) is Mr. T, hard at work.  For those of you who have been to our house, you probably recall those two ginormous posts on either side of the gate which leads to the garden in the Way Back.  Yep, the ones that were of different heights.  Guess that happened when the fence guys put one post deeper in the ground than the other.  Well, Mr. T figured out a way to "mask" the difference in heights with a pergola, which then got a lattice top (repurposed from the deck...:).  I planted a climbing vine on the left side, with high hopes that it will eventually climb up and over the lattice top.

BTW, some of you may remember that long, long ago...in a galaxy far, far away called Mississippi...I worked as an OSHA Safety Inspector.  I know, I know...not a good career fit for me.  What can I say?  It was one step up from my previous job:  IRS Tax Collector.  Hey...it was the mid-70's, and Sociology majors just graduating from college couldn't be too choosy about jobs to pay the rent.  Plus, looking back, I see exactly where those two jobs fit into my own career puzzle:  through them, I was introduced to a job known as a Trainer, which was a perfect fit for me.  And, having had the life experiences of poorly-fitting jobs and then finding my Perfect Job, has made me a better Career Coach.  Anyway, if you are still with me, you must be asking yourself where in the world is she going with this line of thought?  You should be.

OSHA.  Job safety.  Hmmmm.  Wonder if we could get approval for Mr. T's approach to building the Pergola?  Check out the other photo of him on this project (right), taken when he was attaching braces for the lattice to go on the top.  Standing on the top of the ladder.  Not the top step (that would have been bad enough); no, the TOP of the ladder.  The ladder which is "secured" to the gate post with a wrapped dog lead.  Hmmmm, indeed.

About Hyacynth...our Pot Person.

Do you remember Wilson...our very first Pot Person we "assembled" in O'Fallon?  Well, since Pot People are rather heavy and fragile, he stayed behind when we made the move to NC.  But, I got another Bag of Bones from Annie so we could bring the same whimsy to our garden here.  We had an old chair I'd rescued in MO; Mr. T prepped it and I painted it Grape (purple, by any other name...:); and we purchased the pots as directed.  Voila! 

And, why the name of Hyacynth?  Did you ever watch Keeping Up Appearances?  An old BBC show that is still making the re-runs on PBS.  Love it.  Anyway, the star's name is Patricia...and she plays Hyacynth Bucket (which she pronounces Bu-KAY).

It wasn't all work, though.  While I was cooling off a bit in the shade, I snapped these shots of a butterfly on the newly-opened daylilies...next to the heavily blooming Black Knight Buddleia.  Aren't they beautiful?  I was standing less than 3 feet away from the flower stalk when I took the pictures...can you imagine?  The butterfly was so intent on getting all of the nectar that he/she completely ignored my presence.  Amazing!

Hope it's a good week for all!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Has It Really Been A Whole Year? How About 34??

Yes, the Merry Month of May was a time of celebrations.  Just this past week, we marked a whole year back in North Carolina...with smiles on our faces, for sure.  Hard to believe, but we closed on this house on May 27th last year and moved in when the Stella d'Oro daylilies begin their show.  If you'll recall, some of the first plants we added were Shasta Daisies (the frilly kind that look almost like mums), and we are now getting to see them bloom together (photo, right).  Feels like home!

It seems a distant memory, but last Winter and Spring were quite dry...so all the plants had been deprived of enough moisture for several months before we moved in...not to mention a dose of fertilizer now and again.  The house was vacant, and the sprinkler system had been turned off when the previous owners moved out.  Sad.  The result:  a poor display of blooms and color. 

Not so this year!  We've done our part...and Mother Nature is over-doing her part with the rain...and, now, all the plants are doing their best to reward us with glorious growth and blossoms. 

A case in point:  we barely noticed that we had a gardenia bush in front of the front porch.  It is hidden between an azalea and a boxwood, under a dogwood tree. Probably didn't get any watering the previous year.  Well, after receiving weekly watering all Summer and Fall last year, and three feedings of bone meal and Miracle Gro (in between all of the rain this Spring), it bloomed so profusely this year (photo, left) that you would almost be overwhelmed with the scent when you sat in the rockers on the porch.  What a beauty!


This past year has been one of many changes around 3917, for sure.  We've added a few plants to the front yard (some azaleas, several hostas, a few sedum, etc.), but with the exception of adding a small flower bed around the mailbox, we've kept things looking basically the same as the former owners (a small lawn, with a lot of pine-straw covered "natural area" underneath all the big trees). 

Of course we added the fences for the Big Change to the back yard.  And being the rose lovers we are, we've set about adding as many rose bushes as we can find sunny spots to accommodate them.  Then, we took advantage of protection of the natural branching habit of an elm (at least, I think it's an elm...:) to tuck the swing on its stand, for a lovely spot to sit in the shade...or even in a light rain...and enjoy the scene.

The real changes have been taking place in the area we call the Way Back.  There we've created a large veggie garden, along with a "birthing garden" where we can put perennials for later division and planting. We planted 13 ligustrums across the rear property line, so we'll know where our land ends (visually), since we can't put a fence back there due to right-of-way restrictions.  Eventually, we plan to have a small orchard...and even a putting green...to complete the area! 

As I've written about before, this space was a vast waste-land of weeds and rocks, due to being shared with Duke Energy's transmission lines.  Fortunately, we only have the lines "on" (over, actually) our property; we don't have to deal with the transmission towers...other than have to look at them when we are in the garden.  Admittedly, I was a bit leery of these giants when we first moved here, and it took me a while to warm up to the possibilities of the Way Back.  But, warm up I have...and big time!

When it hasn't been raining...and sometimes when it has been...I've spent most of my time for the last 6 weeks working in the Way Back.  Mr. T tilled two large garden areas (each one is approx. 50x25), separated by a 4-foot center path (see the photo, taken last week before more changes had been made, below, right).  I've planted tomatoes (6 varieties), peppers (3 varieties), potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cantalopes, watermelons, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peas (2 kinds), beans (2 kinds), sweet potatoes, and corn (2 kinds).  I've lined the fences and the paths with sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtiums, zinnias, basil, and parsley.  Mr. T installed a 6-foot wire fence section at the rear of the Right Garden to support the pole beans, and told me how to constuct a tepee from fallen limbs for more pole beans, and a small trellis to support other climbing crops.  We gathered up buckets and buckets of rocks, which are now lining the side of the center path, where 6 new solar lights are installed.

In the center (which we are now calling the Rondel, a la P. Allen Smith's Garden Home), we've got three in-ground flower boxes made from repurposed wooden moving crates, filled with zinnias and marigolds (all from seed saved from last year's crop...which came from seed saved from the previous year's crop in Missouri...:).  And, last week, Mr. T re-furbed an old wooden chair so I could spray paint it Grape (purple, by any other name!)...and it has taken pride of place, in the Rondel.  Soon, it will be the sitting spot for our Pot Person...to be assembled and called Hyacynth.  She will watch over the new roses planted in the Rondel, as well as be a focal point for the whole garden.

We are tired.  And, we are happy with how it is turning out.  I'll be sure to take my camera out next time I go work in the garden to get some updated snaps to share.

It's hasn't been ALL work (although it's sometimes seemed like it...:).  We cleaned up nicely on Saturday (photo, left) to go to the Brookstown Inn in Winston-Salem to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary.  Missy M was here for the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, so she and N/M/E got some Nana/Grand-daughter bonding time...:)   Then, in between the rain showers, we had our Holiday BBQ on Sunday...which was supposed to have the "best" chance of sun according to the weatherman.

Now, it's time to turn the calendar over to June.  Wonder what the first month of Summer has in store for us?

  A Bright, Sunny New Chapter Here’s to spending 49 years with the same Valentine! Even though our story’s Prologue began in Jackson, MS, wh...