Monday Morning Melody

Raised beds in the Wayback:
Blueberries in front; blackberries beyond

Whew! What a busy...and productive...weekend we had.  Since the weather was mostly sunny and generally warm, we tackled a big project in the Wayback Garden:  building enclosed, raised beds for three new blueberry bushes, along with the ones to come this Fall (photo, left).  We also added raised beds for the blackberry bushes (2 new ones; 3 relocated ones).  The Berry Patch portion of the Wayback Garden is off and growing!


Pots of herbs for Hyacynth:
Parsley, Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme, and Mint


While Mr. T was working his wood-working magic with saw and drill, I rooted several dozen forsythia stem cuttings across the back property line.  Then I concocted my own special potting soil, using the wheelbarrow for mixing the soil from last year's pots with sand, peat, fresh potting soil, and compost to give it "new life" for the coming season. 

I then potted up several herbs, including rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley, and lavender.  These new pots decorated the area around Hyacynth's seat (photo, right)...but only for a while.  Most of these guys are Mediterranean in origin, so they prefer the warmer climes. The weather report was for much colder temps today and tomorrow, so we hauled them all back inside the Greenhouse Porch, along with the ferns and the palms and the potted geraniums that we are over-Wintering...they had been enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon on the deck.  Soon, and very soon indeed, we'll hopefully be able to leave everybody outside.



A Goldfinch visits the feeder...
Spring brings back bolder colors



And, we know that Spring is almost here...just around the corner for sure.  This morning, for instance, Mr. Gold Finch (photo, left)...sporting his brighter suit of feathers...arrived on the feeder outside the Morning Room and sang his own Monday Melody.  Isn't he just beautiful?

Of course, we are rejoicing that the Memphis Tigers made it to the NCAA Tournament...if only just barely.  They had to beat UTEP (on their home court, I might add) to win the Conference USA Tournament...and thereby get an automatic bid...and they did it with one whole point to spare.  On free throws, no less.  They play Arizona in Tulsa on Friday at 2:30ish.  Honestly, I had my doubts that they'd make it to the Big Dance this year...oh, they have a boat-load of talent, but not enough discipline or direction, in my own humble opinion.  Still, now that they are dancing, you know I'm cheering:  Go Tigers, Go!!!



I wish everything in my Monday report was good news.  Mom update:  not so good today.  Back pain is waking her up/keeping her up at night, meaning she's getting less restorative sleep.  So, the next day is harder to manage without more pain medication.  Last night was a difficult one, so today is less than stellar, shall we say?  Wish I had better news to share.  Sigh.  I'm guessing it's almost time for us to get a follow-up Xray to determine if there have been changes since she received the original diagnosis.

Still, I noticed that she perked up a tad when I printed out a blank bracket for her to fill out.  You know she loves her sports, and she likes nothing better than to pick the winners...whether it's in horse-racing or the NCAA Tournament.  I can't wait to see how she calls the games on favorites Memphis, Duke, North Carolina, and Tennessee. 

Personal note:  I'm OK with the Blue...but I don't wanna see no Orange in this house.  No way.  No how.