Arrrgh!!!

So many of my blogging friends discuss weighty issues, or serious matters. I frequently feel like a butterfly flitting among you. But, one of my Red Hat Lady friends has said that my blog reminds her of Samuel Pepys.....a daily journal. I stopped fretting once she gave me my niche. *S*

So....today, it's windy and in the 60s, on the cool side for many of you, but heavenly to me. The apple trees have bloomed, and the wind is scattering white petals over the lawn. It looks a bit like snow in spring. Elegante Mother says that the flowering trees and shrubs seem to be blooming more densely this year. They look drenched in color.

I need to get out the book on shrubs and trees and do a little studying. I'm having trouble identifying some of the blooms that I see. There are four or five shades of pink, and white blooms, plus the lavender/purple of the redbud. Crab apples, apples, cherries...what else is blooming out there!?

Yesterday, we made our first trip to the nursery. I'm happy to say that Elegante Mother outspent me! She was buying plants for the containers at the front door. I was buying herbs, and a few things for the sidewalk gardens. I still have some cleanup to do in the herb garden. Dear Husband has two long areas of the outer arms that need understructure or support of some kind, but that won't keep me from planting.

I need lots more basil, salad burnet, two taller rosemaries. I probably bought enough thyme and lavender. I have two tiny lemon verbena plants, which we grow as an annual, but I'd like to find two bigger plants. I may check out several other nurseries, and stop by the big discount stores for some annuals. I was surprised that my favorite nursery didn't have Victoria Blue Salvia on their racks.

I think a chipmunk and his extended family have made a home under the thyme. The ground is mounded where it used to be flat, and some of the thyme plants have died off. I'm going to take the opportunity to dig up that stretch of the bed and add some compost to the dirt. That'll freak out the rodents! *G*

One of the chores each spring is to empty the containers and throw away spent plants. Most of the containers are planted with annuals, but I have sage, mint, iris and a rose in containers. I set up a garden sieve over the wheelbarrow last night, and ran the soil through the sieve. I'll mix in fresh potting soil, some of that stuff that holds moisture, and some compost, and refill the pots. Then, I can set the plants near the containers, and Elegante Mother can decide what goes where. I'd like to get that chore done before Friday, when the Quilting Bee meets here.

Our lilacs are in bloom. I brought a handful in for Elegante Mother's sitting room.

I pruned the shrubs back near the veggie beds. I have to turn the dirt in the veggie boxes, and add a lot of compost. I want to use the walk-behind mower back there, too. I'M RECLAIMING THE VEGGIE BEDS THIS YEAR! Wish me luck.

Now ends the writing of the gardening info for this week! *G*

Boating season in the Chicago harbors on Lake Michigan starts May 15. Dear Husband will be having the Arr!! craned into the water the weekend after the fifteenth.

Today, the UPS man delivered the new sail. DH is going to be like a dog with a doggie treat when he sees it sitting on the floor!

Dear Husband did the first mowing of the lawn Monday and Tuesday. He's also trimmed a tree that is hanging over the SW corner of the house. He's trying to get chores out of the way so that he can focus on the Arr!!

He's done just about all the varnishing on the boat (I think), and he's going to let the yacht yard take a look at the engine before he takes it to his new mooring.

If you'd like to go for a boat ride on a 32-foot Bayfield, send me a note. Dear Husband takes people along for the sail. I'm going to post a message on the family message board that they need to make their reservations now! *G*

And, before you ask......no...I won't be sailing this year. Think of all the gardening and quilting I can get done, and the visits to the antique fair and the farmer's market! No sailing for me.

At long last, I've had the chance to spend my weekend in the gardens. It got off to a slow start on Saturday. Dear Husband rebuild the sieve that fits over the wheelbarrow so that I could empty the sidewalk containers and sieve the soil. In some of the largest pots I use a layer of plastic shipping peanuts to lighten the load, so I need to catch the plastic as I break up the soil and remove spent plants.

The sieving and refilling of the pots took longer than I had anticipated. I moved the pots onto the sidewalk near the front door and Elegante Mother played with the collection of plants that we bought earlier in the week, working out combinations which pleased her. Rather than planting all the pots in an identical range of color, each pot has it's own personality. I know that's unusual, but it's what makes EM happy.

I think we filled seven pots with annuals. Elegante Mother was playing with plants the way she might sweep watercolor over paper. This container is a wrought iron basket lined with coir.

Supertunia Priscilla (lavender), Colorburst Melon Calibrachoa, "Peter’s Wonder" Coleus,
“Lemon Symphony” Osteospermum hybrid, Madeira Violet Argyranthemum. and
Red Snapdragons.

“Gay’s Delight” Coleus (Lime green with red-violet stems), “Happy Violet” Exotic Geranium, Dracaena marginata “magenta," and “Merlin’s Magic” Coleus fill a gray-green container.

Elegante Mother used the same coleus in this pot, with a different, lighter look:

"Gay’s Delight" Coleus, "Colorburst Chocolate" Calibrachoa (deep rose), "Needlepoint" Coleus (cut leaf with lime green, cream and scarlet), Ipomoea “Blackie," (dark sweet potato vine) and
“Snowstorm White” Bacopa.

And one more that I like for it's simplicity, and for the interesting pot:

I think I used Bacopa, with a dark red petunia, and a lighter coleus. I can probably look up the plant names if you need them.

So, the containers have been planted for the season. I have a couple more pots that are basically research. I've planted two small poinsettias that have carried over from Christmas, and another pot that has overgrown calla lily greens. I don't know if they will make it, but it was worth a try.

Dirt. I actually had dirt under my fingernails! (goofy grin).

The herb garden has been in sad shape for several years. Dear Husband constructed it for me as a wedding present about seventeen years ago. The timbers he chose did not stand up well to the test of time, so this time he decided to work with cedar.

This is what the northwest arm of the garden looked like before he got started:

The fifteenth of April, DH started ripping out the old timbers and rebar. Second Son got the chore of moving all the crumbing wood out of the work site. The timbers had to be measured, then cut to the right length, and then drilled so they could be dropped down over the existing rebar. Here's a shot of DH drilling away:

There are still two long timbers that need appropriate underpinning. The top timber has been measured and dropped into place, but we need to improve the foundation for the timber. A great deal of water flows through the herb garden during spring melt, and DH feels that we need to consider either brick or block foundations for these two areas. When we are done with the repairs, we'll truck in a load of tailings or chat, and resurface the walkway, so it's likely the underpinning will never show.

The herb garden is much safer now, so I'll be able to let visitors walk through it. With that in mind, I have one entire arm to replant, and several other areas to renovate. Dear Husband gave me a hand with the weeding while he was working on the bed. Unfortunately, one of the things he "weeded" was lavender that I'd been babying for several years. I teased him about it. The lavender wasn't happy there. It likes drier soil that isn't as fertile, so I was going to have to move it anyway.

I may use part of that northwest arm for tomatoes this year. I'm also renovating the veggie boxes this year, so I might get tomatoes sooner if I use the established garden. Tomatoes from my own garden...... sounds like a bit of heaven!

The past few years my clematis has been suffering. It's a wonderful jackmanii that is covered with deep purple blooms in the spring. Its leaves were loosing their dark glossy green color. I did some research on-line and decided that it needed chelated iron. I found a source and gave it a dose and the leaves looked better the following year.

We repeated that scenario, but this time the plant began to look really sickly. I read further and found that there was something contagious going on. I decided that I was going to give it one more shot before planting something else in that spot. I cut the canes to the ground and disposed of them. I pretty much figured that would kill the plant off, but I was very surprised to see it growing this spring.

I started my day in the gardens by creating guidelines for the clematis, to help it up and over the arbor. I used hemp twine, anchored on either side of the plant, and wrapped around one of the upper horizontal bars. I used one more length of twine to keep the plant upright, until it grabs onto the vertical lines on its own.

I have high hopes for this plant. If it makes it, I'll post a picture when it blooms.

I spent a large part of my day renovating a small portion of the NE wing of the herb garden. I've had a section of lamb's ears in this part of the garden for years. I don't know if lamb's ears can strictly be considered an herb or not, but I like the pale gray-green color contrasting the darker leaves of the thyme. Lamb's ears has a way of escaping and moving to other parts of the garden. It seems to really like the chat walkway, and I like how it looks there. I probably need to cut back some of the growth in the walk, but today I focused on the lamb's ears in the bed.

Unfortunately, it has become infested with crab grass. I started work, and realized that the soil was so dry that I was never going to get all of the roots. Dear Husband said, "Either you water, or you wait." He's really good at cutting to the chase. I didn't want to wait, so I hooked up the hose. I watered that section of the bed, and while it percolated through the soil, DH and I dropped a car off to be worked on tomorrow.

When I returned, the soil was ready! I used a shovel and lifted huge chunks of the garden out onto black plastic trays from the nursery. When I had grass and plants, and dirt removed, I ran my hands through what was left, to be sure that I wasn't leaving a nest of roots behind. Then, I separated the grass from the soil, put the soil back, and replanted the lamb's ears.

There are several areas in the thyme to the right of that area that will need to be replanted. I'm going to transplant one section later this week, and may find a few more crab grass roots to remove.

I think I may put lemon-scented geraniums in that spot, or perhaps lemon verbena. A good part of that arm of the herb garden is devoted to lemon scented plants.

The really healthy plant at the bottom of the herb bed is a perennial salvia. Just past it, in a terra cotta furnace flue, is Scottish spearmint. There are two small lavenders. (If they don't do well this summer, they'll be transplanted.) There's a miniature rose just past that, in a ring of hardware cloth. I uncovered the rose today and found very tender growth on it. I protected it from the sun (and will have to continue to protect it for a while till it hardens up), and left the ring to protect it from hungry bunnies. The lamb's ears are just past the rose. You can see the clematis at the arbor, just north of the bed.

I know, I know.....too much detail. I had a wonderful time in the garden. I quit before I was overwhelmed. I left enough time to clean things up and return my tools to the garage. Dear Husband cooked dinner tonight, so I got to come in and loaf. It was a fabulous day, and I'm SO pleased to have gotten a start on the gardens!

Nan has posted! She's met the challenge of 50 head on and come through it just fine. Go visit to see what she had to say, at Just My Opinion.

We have a rare treat in store for us tomorrow night. Dear Husband and I will be going to hear Itzhak Perlman perform. Last fall, when the list of performers for our local venue was published, I bought tickets to three different performances: Stomp, Garrison Keillor, and Perlman.

I love "classical" musicn and would go to any concert of this type, but I chose the tickets for Itzhak Perlman because Dear Husband goes around whistling arias by Mozart. I think they may have scheduled something by Mozart for this concert. It was DH's birthday gift last fall. He's had to wait a LONG TIME for it to come to fruition.

We'll go to dinner, and then head to the concert. We'll be up later than usual for a week night, but what a great reason to stay up! I won't have pictures on Friday morning, but I'm sure I'll have comments about what I expect to be a great performance!

The time has come that strikes every woman's heart with fear. My hairdresser has retired.

I feel so abandoned. She's gone without a farewell, or even a hint that she was thinking of this.

And what's worse, is that I have a perm scheduled in two weeks! One of the other stylists has done my hair occasionally, and she will step in to see that my hair continues to get the care it needs. But.....I used to be able to plop myself down in the chair and let K do whatever needed to be done. Now, I'll be asked, "What would you like?" And I don't have a CLUE!

Yes......I'm hair inept. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but my hair does what it damn well pleases. I'd SO like to have a fashionable hair do, but that implies that I might have to actually DO something to achieve that state. It's just not going to happen. When the fashion of the day is BALD....I'll be right there!

Until then, wish me luck settling in with a new stylist.

I received a call last night from the nursery, to let me know that the Homestead Purple Verbena was in, and I had twenty-four hours to pick it up. Doesn't that seem like a rather short time frame?

At any rate, I wanted to return a clematis and pick up the verbena. I stopped at the checkout, and explained that the tag in the pot of clematis said "Nelly Moser," but it was labeled differently on the outside of the pot. I wanted to make an exchange. They told me to leave the pot at checkout and look for the "Nelly Moser" that I wanted. Of course, they were out.

So, I started working my way through the nursery toward the annual section. Along the way four little pots of basil, and two more of lemon verbena grabbed my arm as I went by. I rounded the corner at the veggies, coming into the stretch, when two pots of tomatoes jumped out in front of my cart. I HAD to rescue them.

While I was there, I thought I might pick up a morning glory that was already two feet tall, but they were out of that, too. This beautiful cardinal vine tempted me instead.

I FINALLY got to the annual information desk, and asked for the verbena. Neither of us could count. I'd ordered nine and came home with seven. BUT....while I was waiting, I found the morning glory I wanted! *G*

Some days ya just have to go with the flow. I've got a LOT of planting to do, and I'll have to make at least one more trip to the nursery. Do you believe that I walked out of there without any dill seed!??

It was lovely. We need to do something like this more often..

Itzhak Perlman was as impressive as ever. I'm still astonished that our little theater was able to book a performer of his caliber. The room looked to be sold out.

There were three selections scheduled (no Mozart, alas), with an intermission between the second and third. We were rather surprised to see Mr. Perlman leave the stage after the first selection, but he was having difficulty with his bow. The tone quality of his violin was noticeably uneven, so I suspect he chose to leave the stage to select another bow.

When he resumed, he launched into Strauss' Sonata for violin and piano in E-flat Major, Opus 18. This piece has three sections. I'm sure he was surprised at the vigorous applause at the end of the Allegro (the first section). The audience quieted, and he went on. When they tried to applaud at the end of the Andante cantabile, he waived his hand in a little "no-no" gesture, and went on.

He'll probably remember my town as the "Hicks in the Sticks." It seems that a large part of the audience has not experienced a classical performance before. The rules of the road for this type of performance are that you applaud only at the end of the piece. Despite all this, I'm glad so many inexperienced concert goers attended. I hope they'll tell others what they learned.

Perlman was quite funny about the applause. He had to be coaxed onto the stage with extended applause after his third selection, Three American Pieces by L. Foss. At that point he had to announce the selections he was going to play for us. At one point, he said that he'd been talking to Mr. Strauss out in the back, and that Strauss said it wasn't necessary to applaud between movements. *G*

There must have been easily 1000 people in the audience, probably more. Of all of those people, just ten were poorly behaved. Just before Perlman started to play the Strauss, someone's cell phone rang, right at the front, near the stage! Someone else was rattling candy wrappers. Several other people felt it was okay to walk up the aisles as he played. This is another of those situations where I mourn the switch to more casual manners. Many of the members of the audience had no idea what was expected of them, but most rose to the occasion. It was delightful to see so many people enthralled with classical music!

Thank you, Itzhak Perlman, for a wonderful concert!

In the entry below, you'll find that Dear Husband and I attended a recent concert by Itzhak Perlman, and were surprised by some of the audience behavior. I was talking about this experience with the Red Hat Ladies at lunch today, and discovered that behavior at a classical concert is not universally known.

When I described the faux pas of applause following the first movement, one of the ladies asked if the custom of waiting until the end of the piece was posted in the program. I don't know. Because of my background, I've just assumed that everyone knew that tradition. Posting the guidelines in the program is not a bad idea!

On WGN720 this morning, John Williams was talking with his audience about the same subject. A grade school band director called in to say that not only did they need to teach their students about proper concert behavior, they also needed to teach the audience. Society has become SO casual, that we all act as though we are at home in front of our own TV and can do whatever we please, when there are actually guidelines for concert goers.

I tried to think what I would tell a first-time concert goer. I suppose the most important thing is that you don't do anything which would either distract the performer, or bother the audience around you.

1. Specifically, NO TALKING (OR SINGING) during the performance.
2. Turn off your cell phone, or turn it to "vibrate" for the duration of the concert. (Personally, I'd make you turn it in at the door!).
3. Remain seated, unless you are deathly ill. DO NOT walk up the aisle during the performance.
4. Be in your seat BEFORE the performance begins, or be prepared to have to wait to be seated between the selections, or at intermission.
5. At a concert of "classical" music, wait to applaud until the entire piece is finished. The program will list how many movements there are to a piece. If you're not sure that the piece is over, let the rest of the audience or the actions of the performer(s) guide you.

Perhaps there are other suggestions that I could make, but these seem to be the most basic. Having courtesy and consideration for the performer and for the audience just about covers it all.

Yes....I have poison ivy in my garden. Woe is me. This morning I rose and donned clothing that I wouldn't mind throwing away: long socks, long pants, a long-sleeved mock turtleneck, and an old bandanna. I carried another bandanna with me to cover the lower half of my face, in case the ivy juice became airborne as I pulled out the roots. I wore two pairs of latex gloves.

At first I thought this was going to be easy. I should have known better. The root making its way across the ground was roughly half the diameter of my little finger. I should have watered before I weeded. I might possibly have gotten ALL of the root that way. As it it, I think I left some small suckers. The poison ivy had twined itself around and through a pod of Dutch Iris that I've been meaning to replant.

I got most of the root, except any that grew through the roots of the iris. After they've bloomed, I'll dig up the iris and re-plant them, checking for poison ivy roots as I separate them. For some time to come, I'll have to be careful when kneeling and planting and cleaning up in that area. The irritant (urushiol) from the poison ivy is likely to taint the ground and plants for some time. Luckily, I've gotten into the habit of wearing gloves when I work in the gardens, but I'll still need to be careful.

I had a great morning. I got two thirds of the outer bed at the front of the house cleared out of old plants. I was able to see what made it through the winter and what needs to be replaced. The Russian sage is coming back nicely, and I pruned away the dead wood. The two French lavenders didn't make it, but I was surprised to see that there were starts of Homestead Purple Verbena, which is usually an annual in this area.

I hope to do a little early morning gardening before we go to brunch for Mother's Day. And, there may be time in the afternoon, too. It's time to put plants into the ground! YEA!!!

I've lived with poison ivy so long that I've almost come to take it for granted. A new visitor to this blog, Andrea, asked for help identifying poison ivy, so I thought I might write a bit more on the subject. My apologies for not taking pictures of the dreaded visitor before I ripped it out.

This link from Cornell University shows low growing poison ivy that acts as a ground cover. You'll find the leaves grouped in threes, and the edges of the leaves are notched. We find this type of poison ivy in our gardens, or mixed in with the wild raspberries. It has a genius for lodging at the roots of plants you'd like to keep, and spreads by roots on the surface or just under the surface of the ground.

This link will take you to an on-line article on poison ivy with several excellent pictures. One type of poison ivy is a climbing vine. We find it climbing the trees with a tough stem covered with aerial roots that help it attach itself to the trees. Scroll down in the linked article for a a good picture of the stems. When we find this type of stem, we tend to cut it at the base of the tree.

The leaves of climbing poison ivy turn red in the fall. So do the leaves of Virginia Creeper. To be on the safe side, I don't touch anything turning red, unless I personally planted it, and can identify it.

You know....just writing about this is making me itch!!!

Speaking of itching...we use the Tecnu products once we've come in contact with poison ivy. Frequently, I can forestall a trip to the doc by washing very thoroughly with Tecnu, or I can at least lessen the effect of the urushiol on my skin. I tend to wear long pants and socks, long sleeved shirts and latex gloves just to be on the safe side.

Occasionally, in late fall or early winter, I'll find I have a tiny bit of a rash that is very reminiscent of poison ivy, when I shouldn't have had any contact with it. It finally occurred to me that I was picking it up from our pet's fur. As I stroked the dog or the cat, I'd pick up tiny bits of the oil and then distribute over my arms by accident. If you have pets and a small child, this might be something you really want to keep in mind.

If you choose to cut poison ivy down, or rip it out, do NOT burn it. You could inhale the urushiol. Also, if you have a compost pile, do not dispose of the poison ivy in the compost. I tend to be an organic gardener, with a very few exceptions. Where it's possible, I'll use a disposable paint brush to paint Round-up, or something similar, on the leaves of poison ivy. You'll still need to be careful removing the leaves and stems of the poison ivy, and sequestering them where you won't come into contact.

I've learned to live around it. If I'm going to be at the verge of the groves here, I tend to be very careful where I walk. There's no way you can completely eradicate this pest from your land.

If you need more pictures of poison ivy, Andrea, go to Google, Image, and type in poison ivy. They have all the pictures you'll need! Good luck!

3 Homestead Purple Verbena
4 dark ruby petunias
1/2 a packet of Rose Queen Cleome seeds
1 purple calibracoa
6 sweet basil
1 purple ruffles basil
2 curly leaved parsleys
2 flat leaved Italian parsleys
2 upright rosemaries
1 tricolor sage
1 cilantro
4 lemon verbena
1 large fever few

As usual, I have loads left to plant, including tomato plants. May 15th is the last frost date for this area (Zone 5, Chicago suburbs), so I could have planted them today, but I held off for two days to let a storm system go through. It seems that all around us are getting rain, but we've just had a sprinkle or two.

I need to have Elegante Mother choose more pots to plant. As usual, she bought more plants than needed. Perhaps I can send a planted container to one of my sisters, when EM goes to visit at the end of the month.

I still need to find a Bridal Wreath shrub (spirea), annual purple fountain grass, Goldsturm rudbekia, Victoria Blue salvia, Bluebeard shrubs/perennials, and more Russian sage. I haven't planned what I want to add to the little garden across the driveway, yet. And, I'm waiting for Dear Husband to move the dingy so that I can plant the south raised box of the veggie bed.

Ya know....I'm glad I live where the snow flies part of the year. I don't think I could keep this up year round!

I have had the most satisfying day!

We went to bed at 9:00 last night. I fought the urge to watch a little more TV or read another few chapters in my book. I hit the sack and slept soundly until about 5:45 or so. I was ready to wake, as the light was changing, and felt, at last, that I had gotten a decent night's sleep.
I left DH sleeping soundly, and had a cup of tea and some toast, before going to the office to work for an hour.

By 8:00 a.m. I was out in the gardens. I had planned to tidy up the driveway garden. It's the first garden you see as you enter our grounds. The peonies bloom there (or will very shortly), and there are some iris, perennial salvia, day lilies, bleeding heart, hosta and a lot of purple coneflower in that bed. I wanted to trim the edges of the bed, get one area ready for some rudbeckia, and pull a little grass that thinks it should live there. Instead, that work has been delayed until early tomorrow morning. Today, I worked on the north side of the house.

I have two areas of ferns on the north side of the house. The biggest bed really gets too much sun, and it's surrounded by brick on two sides, so it's probably too hot, too. But, the ferns have come back year after year. They have been spreading out into the lawn. I decided to dig the volunteers out of the lawn and replant them into one end of the bed that looked a little bare. Then I weeded most of the bed, and moved a timber over to create a finished edge to the bed.

I watered the ferns, and the herb garden, and then mulched around the ferns and watered them again. Then, I cleaned out a tiny garden box to the right of the back garage door. I'm going to try rudbekia there. It may like the heat.

And, I took a break!

When I went back out, I moved a chunk of English thyme, planted two silver thymes, a lemon basil, an Angelica (something new to try this year), and planted six tomato plants. I like the miniature yellow pear-shaped tomatoes for salads, and the Sweet 100 Cherry tomatoes. I planted a good-sized Early Girl bush tomato, and a Better Boy (I think..).

By 2:00 there was nothing more important than my date with the shower! I'm feeling (and looking) more human now, and I'm VERY satisfied with the work I finished. (Pictures soon, just for Janet! *G*)

What's with bruises?? Why is it that when I bump something and think "Boy, is that gonna cause a bruise!" that it never happens? And where do these mystery bruises come from? I have several bad ones on my arms and legs, and I have NO idea what I did that caused them. I'm sure that it's something to do with gardening. I'm not the most graceful person, so I've probably bumped something and forgotten about it.

Do I need more vitamins? More potassium? Why does getting bruises seem cyclical?

Our granddaughter is THREE! Gosh....where did the time go!? We're going to celebrate Sunday with cake and presents and lunch.

While I worked in the gardens, Dear Husband went off in search of the perfect birthday gift. He was disappointed in his shopping. There were several things that didn't seem to be available. Ultimately he came home with a full car, and we'll be wrapping gifts all night! *G*

This is the year of the princesses: Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, and Snow White. I think the trip to Disney is firmly lodged in her mind! *G* I'll keep score and let you know how many gifts featured one or more of them.

Just a little advertisement for my sis at Just My Opinion. Go visit and see what her family life is like right now. Communication is the by-word, no matter what the age!

I'm going out to water. We're supposed to have three days of HEAT and then finally a little rain. My iris are astonishing. I'll have to take pictures to share, just in case the storm gets them. I hope you're all enjoying this Spring. I am!

I hope to get in another long day in the gardens tomorrow. I have to make a short trip to the bank, and to the nursery tomorrow morning, but the rest of the day I can focus on the gardens. I planted several containers today, rather than pitching out the extra plants. I still have a few more plants that had been intended for containers, and Dear Husband says that I should plunk them in the garden, where ever I have the room. It could make for interesting gardens.

I hope to weed for two hours very early in the morning, run my errands, and then come home and put more plants into the ground. Things look amazingly good so far, but there's still a lot of work to be done. The 10:00 news just reminded me that we are on cicada alert, but the ground was cool last night, so that might delay their visit. Apparently, the ground needs to be 60 degrees or warmer for the cicadas to make their appearance. I hope that they stay dormant until I get all these plants into the ground! *G*

We did a little mowing, and Dear Husband spent most of his time readying the Arr!! for the trip to Lake Michigan. Boys and their toys. He's just like a kid! He'll be gone all day, and I'll be in the gardens.

I've been holding off using the air conditioning. I figured it was just May, that I didn't need it, but they are talking about some really warm weather coming up. We'll have to see how things turn out. Perhaps, with all the windows open, we'll be able to bear the heat.

Here's hoping for a cool evening, a good night's sleep, and a safe and productive day tomorrow!

...I'm a boat widow.

I rose early today. Dear Husband kissed me awake as he usually does, and then he headed out into his day. I hurried to dress, but I wasn't quite quick enough. I made it to the window to see the stern of the Arr!! start it's ghostly trip down the driveway.

I fret on this day. Not because I will be a boat widow for the coming summer, but because I can envision DH pulling the Arr!! on the Chicago tollways as rush hour builds. It can't be a fun trip!

It's light out, the trees are still, so he has the advantage of little or no wind. He'll be in Chicago in less than an hour, and then I think he takes the Dan Ryan south. No one in his right mind travels the Dan Ryan, especially towing a boat, unless he MUST. You can tell what an obsession this is for Dear Husband.

Sooooooooo.......quilting, gardening, visiting antique markets, looking for garden walks to visit.....girly things rule! (If we do this long enough, one day I might actually sound happy when "The Season" is upon us. Until then, I'll just fake it.)

I am a member of a wonderful exercise class. We meet three mornings a week for a bit more than 45 minutes of exercise and 30 minutes or so of chatter. Occasionally, on Monday mornings, we go to McDonald's after class for the free coffee, and once a month we go to breakfast to celebrate all the birthdays that occurred that month.

For a number of years, four or more by now, the class has come to our house to have a pot luck brunch in May. We always hope that our gardens will be at their peak, and that they will provide eye-candy for our visitors as they drive up to the house. (Pictures WILL be forthcoming. Be patient. I'm a work in progress.)

I have had the most wonderful week getting ready for their visit. I use this as an excuse to get my Spring cleaning done, and to get the gardens in shape. I've spent four to six hours a day in the gardens, and they were absolutely gorgeous on Wednesday. The colors blended together well, and the accent plants were in bloom. Unfortunately, today we have had exceptionally high winds, and high temperatures, so I'm not sure what the gardens will look like tomorrow. We're also supposed to have thunderstorms tonight.

I spent today running errands, and making baked ziti and cooking brisket for homemade barbecue. I've washed most of the glass ( hurricanes, candle holders, an antique footed cut-glass candy dish, vases, and the Waterford that Dear Husband gave me for Christmas.) Tonight, I'll iron napkins and tablecloths as I watch TV. Tomorrow, we'll do the final cleaning, set the tables and deadhead in the gardens, and it will be SHOWTIME!

I know that sounds odd to say that this was a great week, but I'm very proud of all the work I've done in the gardens. I really hope that they still look good tomorrow, but no matter what, I'll have a good time with my friends.

Don'tcha just love friends who like to go out to eat??? *G*

We've been absorbed with counting the egrets and herons we see as we drive to exercise or to the grocery store. We're well into their season now, and we've seen groups of them congregating where they "fish" for food. Normally, both the herons and egrets are very solitary birds while hunting, but they must have a social side we've never seen before.

Elegante Mother pointed out a new bird at the feeder. We both thought it was a woodpecker, but it turns out it was a Northern Flicker. I checked Sibley and read the description out, and this bird fit it to a T. They have an interesting little black bib, and are larger than most of the woodpeckers we see here. I hope this flicker will become a resident. He/She is a fascinating bird to watch!

My first poison ivy for 2007.....Wednesday, May 23. Drat!

I may try the new Cortaid poison ivy control stuff. I've washed with Tecnu and that seems to have kept it from spreading, but it's not going away.

My friend, Adele, at Moment After Moment, has a cat named Nimrod. Now, Nimrod is known as a mighty hunter, but I believe that we have some competition for his crown, in our cat, Edward Scissorhands.

Ed has had a tough year. Fifteen months ago he underwent radiation treatment for a thyroid problem. It took him a while to get back to his usual cantankerous self. At one of his regular checkups following the radiation treatment, the vet said that she wanted him to go on the Science Diet or Iams products. She felt he would be healthier. So, we tried it.

Shortly after Christmas, I made an appointment for Ed to see the vet. I felt that he was doing so poorly that he might not make it through the winter. I mentioned that he hated the food we were pushing, and she said that at this point we should give him whatever he wanted. And we did.

Ed spent the entire month of January indoors. He is usually an indoor-outdoor cat, demanding that Elegante Mother rush to the door to let him out as he demands. I was VERY concerned at this change of behavior. But, our January was awful. We had vicious cold temperatures for three weeks running. We'd open the door for Ed and he'd stand there, shake his paw as if to say "It's too damned cold out there," and walk back into the living room.

In February he started going outside again. On the really warm days we had in early spring, he'd be away all day, leading Elegante Mother to start talking about his demise around four o'clock. He'd show up, looking satisfied at having worried her, covered with dust, and DEMAND his dinner.

Now we come to this last week. Ed has been in his element. While I was outside working on the gardens, I'd see him silently vulch over the opening to the chipmunks dens. He has all the openings around the house and in the herb garden and sidewalk garden mentally staked out.

I walked into the garage after planting all afternoon to find part of his prey left where I would be sure to see what a great hunter he is. It's dreadful to come across the back half of a bunny lying on your steps. I hollered at him, and said that he couldn't bring it inside! Dear Husband had to bury the remains for me.

Now, you know that DH is off sailing this weekend. Luckily his Second Son is home. I opened the door on Saturday night to let the cat in, and the back half of a chipmunk was displayed on the sidewalk, looking for all the world as though it was trying to run away.....

Sunday evening, he brought another bunny, not a baby, but not full grown. I opened the door to let Ed in, and realized he had prey again, and shut the door in his face. SS!!! YOU HAVE TO DO CLEAN-UP DUTY AGAIN!! SS has taken to calling Ed the "Zombie Cat." Apparently, Ed has a taste for brains. EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

I hope we get past this sharing of prey, soon! Do we win the hunting crown for this week, Adele, or is Nimrod still the mightiest hunter???

Last week I spent most of my time in the gardens, weeding, planting, and edging, getting ready for the annual pot luck brunch we host for our exercise class. I thought this year we might not have many attend, but when it was time to sit down, about thirty people had joined us.

We lucked out on seating. One of the men offered to bring chairs. I never thought to discuss with him just how many chairs he was bringing. He brought eight. My niece's four folding chairs were still here from Easter (Thank you, Sweetie!), and Elegante Mother has four folding chairs. I began to think we might have to use a bench, and the two vanity seats from my bathroom, and maybe the office chairs, to get everyone seated. It turned out just right. I'm sure there's an angel who sits on my shoulder. There just has to be someone watching over me.

The meal was wonderful, as usual. There were several exceptional fresh fruit salads, all sorts of deserts, and a yummy Mediterranean salad that I plan to make tonight! On Thursday, I made a huge pan of baked ziti, and cooked about four pounds of beef brisket. Friday morning, Elegante Mother made her homemade barbecue sauce, and I shredded the brisket and combined the sauce and beef in a Crockpot. I'd picked up small dinner rolls for those who wanted to try the barbecue, rather than the usual large buns. Everyone wants a "taste" of the food, so the smaller rolls were just right. When I went to clean up after our friends left, I told EM that we'd had a horde of locust come through. There was enough barbecue left for about one and a half servings! I guess it must have made a hit.

The gardens were at their peak on Wednesday of last week. Thursday we had 40 mph winds all day long. I was surprised that the iris and peonies made it through the wind. I went out early Friday morning to deadhead, and there were enough blooms left to make a beautiful show. I have to apologize. I didn't get pictures. This was one year when I really SHOULD have taken pictures, too, because we had a number of new iris open that are spectacular.

I thought this weekend was supposed to be bright and sunny, good sailing weather. Instead, it's been a little on the cool side and overcast. They think we might get another shower or two today. I won't complain. We are desperate for precipitation, and anything that saves me having to pull hoses out to the extended gardens is just fine with me! But, the rain was VERY hard on the peonies. I'm afraid that our season will be beautiful and very short. Dear Husband told me that as he was mowing the lawns, he saw people walk up our drive to see the gardens. :-) I didn't realize that I'd had visitors. I'll have to get to work on the summer gardens now.

....like the first morning. Can't you hear the Cat Stevens song running through your mind? I suppose that's a sign of my age, but it's a song I've always liked, and it's suited to my mood this morning.

I rose early. I'm pretty much on my own today. Dear Husband will be sailing until late afternoon. Elegante Mother has gone to visit my Second Sister for a few days. Second Son has plans to picnic with friends. I was touched when he sounded worried about my being alone. I reassured him that I'd be just fine, that his father should be home in time for dinner, and I planned to enjoy the day doing "just me" things.

I made a quick stop at the grocery store. I'd planned to get just a few things for dinner tonight and tomorrow, but I saw several "Buy One, Get One Free" sales. Yesterday, at church, I saw a display asking for donated items to defray the cost of Bible School. I chose three of the items for Elegante Mother to provide. *G* One of the three was "five boxes of Ritz Crackers." Today they were on sale, Buy One, Get One Free! Talk about serendipity!

I've started the laundry, and cooked some pasta for a cold pasta salad. I watered the indoor plants and the container garden. I'll get some time in on the sidewalk garden, and maybe even the garden along the front of the house. There's still stuff to plant.

It's been lovely to have such a laid-back weekend. I put up my quilting frame again. It was possible to have both a Christmas tree and the quilting frame in the living room, but it looked awkward, so I dismantled the frame and stored it for the holidays. It's taken me this long to get back to it. My quilting bee is bound to rib me about it.

I watched a little TV. I ate Denver scrambled eggs for dinner last night. I worked on a crossword puzzle, and answered some e-mail. I just simply vegged out! Sometimes it's good to be able to direct your own life, and work at your internal pace, rather than having to meet demands of your job or your family's needs. I hope you all have the chance to find a few days like this.

GASP!! What do you mean, I can't get to the Internet!!??

Sometime late on Thursday, our connection to the Internet was lost. I was too busy Friday to realize it was down, and groaned on Saturday morning when I realized we couldn't connect. I was sure that they wouldn't send a repairman until Tuesday at the earliest, because of the holiday weekend.

I resigned myself to a long wait, so I was very surprised when they offered an appointment on Monday. SURE, I'll be here! They called back to ask if someone could come on Saturday.....it was Saturday when they called. SURE! I'll be here. Unfortunately, the repairman didn't keep the Saturday appointment. I was rather ticked, because we had planned to go out to dinner, and the appointment was to have been by 6:15. We waited, thinking he was just running a little late.

I called the company after 8:00 p.m. and they said the appointment was still open. By then, I didn't want a repairman in my home. We rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. I tried all the common tips to get the modem to work. You turn the computer off, and unplug the modem, plug it back in, and it usually works. I knew it was getting power because the computer worked. Finally Second Son came down and looked around. He discovered a re-set button on the back of the modem, and tried it.

It worked.

I went without an Internet connection for close to three days because I didn't know there was a re-set button. (You can imagine me fuming here....)

I'm so very glad to be back. I think I'll spend a little time catching up with your lives.