I have spent the past few months trying to get gardens cleaned up from winter, and getting the new plants into the ground. Then, we reach a point where peonies, iris, poppies and lilacs are in bloom, and we sit back and enjoy the view. At that point, there’s another flurry of cutting back and cleaning up. I’ve been waiting for the daffodil leaves to ripen so that I can pull them out. We’re just about there.
At the same time, everything in the herb garden has been growing like crazy. I SHOULD be cutting back chives and harvesting sage and oregano, but we’re having a lovely rainy Saturday. Cutting back will have to wait until tomorrow or Monday. I plan to share some of the harvest with my friends at exercise.
I wanted to show you a picture of the overgrown herbs before we get to the mid-summer trim:
The chives and oregano are so wooly that you can’t even see there’s a center box in the garden just beyond them. St. Francis is in that center bed, and you can just see his head and shoulders. This year all that oregano will be shared, rather than going to waste. YEA!!
I plan to throw in a little catnip, too. NO, I won’t mix the two together! *G*
Monthly Archives: June 2007
Just Stuff
I love rainy Saturdays. Actually, I suppose I love any kind of Saturday.
It’s overcast this morning, and we’re getting occasional showers which we really need. Because the back half of our house is surrounded by trees and shrubs, there’s a very green cast to the light. The leaves look refreshed from their showers, and the grass or ground covers are all perking up, showing dozens of shades of green. It has the feel of a secret garden.
Our household is off to a quiet start. Dear Husband had to drop off some materials at a job site before he left to sail, so he was up at his usual 4:30 a.m. He’s been gone for hours. Elegante Mother was also an early riser. She’s listening to the local jazz station on the radio, reading the newspaper. StepSon2 is snoozing. He’s a night owl and tends to sleep through the morning. Even Ed (Edward Scissorhands, to you), our cat, is napping.
I’m contemplating all the things I’d like to get done, trying to decide just what to start on. I need to do some more hand quilting. I’d like to cut up a batt for four small quilt tops that I made last summer, and create the quilt sandwich of the top, batt and backing. I’ve started cutting out a very simple quilt, and I could lay out the center blocks to be sewn today.
I have all the fabric for the quilt after that. I’m ready to cut out the patches for that quilt, but I just discovered that the patches are 4.25″ x 2 13/16″. It takes precision cutting to cut fabric to sixteenths of an inch. I’m capable of it, but I’m not sure that I want to start that project today. I haven’t added up the number of pieces that have to be cut, but I think it might be a thousand or more. (I’m contemplating making two of these quilts, one to give and one to keep.) Perhaps I’ll cut just enough for the first quilt.
I’ve shared the story of the clematis in past blogs (May 6, 2007 archive). I have a jackmanii clematis on an arbor at the north end of the herb garden. It’s bloomed well for years but several years ago, the leaves began to drain of their glossy green. I’d get a funny yellow leaf with prominent veining. I researched the problem, and thought I needed to add iron to the soil, which I did. That helped, but last fall it looked as though the plant was giving up the ghost. I cut the canes back to the ground, prepared to let the ground go fallow for a while.
This spring, we were surprised to see healthy starts shooting up out of the soil! I guided them up the arbor on lengths of twine, and this is the result:
What a Cinderella story! This turned out so well that I plan to cut back the rugosa rose at the curve of the drive. Bogie tells me that she cuts hers back regularly, and I think this rose will respond just as the clematis has. By the way, that lone little yellow bloom in the bottom left corner is NOT a dandelion. It’s one of the few Yarrow that returned this year. Usually there is a big display of yellow blooms against the green and purple of the clematis, but the winter was hard on this particular perennial.
So, we’re having a quiet Saturday at the Arrrgh!! household. Mother Nature has spared me from weeding and watering today, so I’m going to take advantage of play time. I hope you all have a good day, too!
What Tarot Card Are You?
I was visiting over at Cowtown Patti’s blog, and found this little test:
You are the World
Completion, Good Reward.
The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.
The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you’ve been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you’ve done everything right.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
Odd Tidbit
Did you know that there is a rise in the incidence of kidney stones at this time of year?
Elegante Mother was at the doctor’s office for a follow-up visit. She’s fine, by the way. Thanks for all your kind notes. Since her doctor, and my doctor and Dear Husband’s doctor are all the same guy, I mentioned to him that DH had passed a kidney stone. He said he wasn’t surprised. For some reason, they see two or three people a day for kidney stones during late spring and early summer.
I feel the need to surf coming on. I wonder what it is about this time of year that causes an increased incidence of kidney stones?
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to refine a search like that?
I’m Fed Up!!
One of the companies for which I work purchased two units in a business center last year. Rubes that we were, it took us a while to realize that we had to arrange for electricity and gas service. As the office person, I started the ball rolling and we began to get electric bills for both units. Then I approached Nicor Gas, and the past four months have been a nightmare!
I filled out two requests for commercial accounts and faxed them over in late February. Unfortunately, the contracts were identical except for the unit numbers, which are 120, and 121. We began receiving gas bills for 120. Eventually, I called to find out why we were not being billed for 121. The lesson here is: NEVER DO A GOOD DEED!!
Nicor Gas took the problem under advisement, and told me that they would work things out and I’d have a bill within the month. A month later we began receiving calls from a collection agency.
After about the tenth call from the collection agency, I discovered that they thought we owned roughly 28 of these units, rather than just two.
I contacted Nicor Gas AGAIN, and sent them the names and addresses of the builder of the units, of the lawyer who closed on our purchase of the units, and of the realty company which manages the facility. I sent them the contracts that show our purchase of the TWO units. That was May 5th. I was told that everything would be worked out in about two weeks.
This week the collection agency has begun to call daily. No matter how much I explain the situation, they tell me there’s nothing they can do until Nicor Gas tells them not to pursue the situation. When I tried to explain the situation today, they hung up on me.
Today, I called Nicor Gas again, and was told that yesterday they had faxed a cease and desist notice to the collection agency. The next time the collection agency calls, I plan to ask for a manager, and an address where they can be contacted.
I am totally fed up with the situation. Both businesses seem to be run like the Federal Government: Assign twenty different people to it, and DITHER! Other than taking Valium, how would you handle this?? I need for this to end, NOW!
Quick notes
HI, all! I have just the quickest of notes to share with you before I fling myself into bed, to sleep fast.
First, Happy Anniversary, Nan and Hubby! My youngest sis is out celebrating her 20th anniversary tonight. I hope there are many more lovely celebrations to come.
Second, for those of you who have been so kind to write and ask, as of this writing, Elegante Mother seems to be doing well. We have the first appointment of the morning with her doc, for a follow-up to last week’s hospital visit. Doc is likely to adjust her medications. She has been off all but three of them, so that he can get a better idea of just what she needs.
Following the office visit, Elegante Mother is supposed to have her hair and nails done. I’d like to take her to JoAnne Fabrics, for a little shopping, but that might just be pushing things a bit much. I’ll have to let her make the call.
We had rain! YEA!!!!!!!!!! Once Mother Nature soaked the ground for me, I weeded the day lily bed along the south side of the house, so that the day lilies would have the sun they need to bloom. I don’t know what those darned weeds are, but they propagate by stolon underground, and grow to four feet tall, and bloom with a little yellow dandelion-like flower. They are the bane of my existence!
We’re supposed to have a chance for more thunderstorms later Thursday, and Friday, tapering off Saturday morning. I’m all for it! We’re desperate for precipitation here. It’s not even summer (well not for another twenty minutes), and I’m already getting tired of watering! I water the old-fashioned way, with a hand held hose and watering wand, or a watering “can.”
I’ve been chained to the office desk for a couple of days this week, and I’ve even FILED! I can see half of my desk top! And I’ve even worked my way far enough down my To-Do list that I’m going to run smack into some of the projects that have been waiting for my attention forever! Not too shabby if I say so myself.
Those of you who crochet, go visit Janet at “Life in Westcliff,” and see about donating a crocheted granny square.
And with that, I gotta hit the hay. Five o’clock is going to come MUCH too early tomorrow.
I hope you’re all doing well!
Best Laid Plans
I thought I was being SO CLEVER. I was going to get Elegante Mother on her feet little by little, and get her back to her usual schedule. NOT!
I posted about those plans early on Wednesday morning before we went off to exercise. EM walked into the area of the building where our class is held, but rather than exercise (she really isn’t ready to resume exercise yet), she sat and chatted with a friend. Our teacher was making a short trip, so I stopped to talk to her for a moment after class.
A member of the class is moving to California, to live near her daughter, so we were going on to a farewell breakfast following class. EM retraced her steps to the car, saying that it was tough going, but she made it. She walked into the restaurant a few moments later.
We had a pleasant breakfast with friends. It’s as much a social hour as a mealtime when we go out. We limit the breakfast trip to once a month. Usually we meet to celebrate the birthdays of that month, so we combined that celebration with our friend’s farewell.
About 10:45 I went to pay the bill, and EM rose, and said she felt dizzy. The ladies stood with her while I brought the car around, and she was able to make it to the car, and hoist herself in, with just a little help.
I had to drop off books at the library, and send some certified mail at the Post Office, and then we headed for home. It’s very hard to quantify Mother’s comments about being wobbly or about shoulders that hurt, or other ailments, so I let myself be guided by frequency and tone of voice. I was still thinking that things were going to be all right when we got home.
I pulled into the garage, hopped out of the car and unlocked the back door. I realized that Elegante Mother was speaking to me, and things sounded bad. She said something about it getting dark in the garage…and I FLEW back to her.
She was standing there with her dark glasses off, looking very frail and wobbly, and more than a bit uncertain. I put my arms around her and tried to position her so that she could sit back in the car, but the door was locked. No keys, no phone in hand; I was totally unprepared. EM leaned against me, and said she couldn’t stand any longer. She oozed down my front. I helped her to a seated position, and then to lay back. My mother was laying on the garage floor!!!
I called for paramedics. The guys were GREAT! Three firemen walked up our long drive first, and then the ambulance came up the drive. EM was already recovering. They whisked her off to the hospital, and I followed after making a few phone calls.
EM was in the emergency room for some time before she saw the doc, but nurses bustled in and out, and she had several tests taken. I think she arrived about 11:30 or so, and they weren’t able to find a bed for her until after 5:00. By then EM was getting just a little impatient, and she would much rather have gone home!
The docs decided that the new medications that were prescribed last week finally amassed a sufficient amount in her system to drop her blood pressure like a bucket filled with lead! The doc decided that EM would have to stick around overnight for observation. By this morning the effect of her drugs had totally worn off, and she was in good spirits. They took her off almost all the drugs, and we’ll add them back a little at a time.
We have another visit scheduled with her doctor. It’s become a once a week thing lately! I’ve got to get EM healthy simply because I HATE hanging at the hospital or sitting in the doctor’s waiting room.
EM’s upper respiratory “stuff” is improving. She rarely coughs now. YEA!!! Maybe health is just around the corner! Don’t hesitate to kid me the next time I make sounds like things are under control!
Shadow Visitor
We were coming up the driveway yesterday, and as we neared the house, we reached an area that was shady. I looked over and a young adult deer was standing in the shade, watching us. I stopped. I was astonished to see this young deer out and about at mid-day. She must have been really hungry to be foraging when she could be seen.
Elegante Mother and I sat and watched the deer, and the deer watched us for a few moments before I put the car in gear again. The doe bounded away, and we wondered if there might have been others traveling with her.
She was a beauty. I don’t often have the chance to see our larger wildlife visitors these days, and I miss seeing families of them use our land to get from grove to grove. As this area has been built up, the government has arranged to have the herds culled because there’s no longer the habitat to support them. I suppose that was the humane choice, but I miss these lovely visitors.
On the Move
Part of my campaign to help Elegante Mother get back to her usual schedule is to pry her out of her chair and get her moving again. I’ve been concerned about this upper respiratory “gunk” shifting over to pneumonia, which we want to avoid at all costs. One of the best ways to prevent that is to get her up and about.
To that end, when I came home from exercise on Monday, I announced that we would be going to a farewell breakfast this morning after exercise. That set her into a tail spin, because she missed her standing hair appointment last Thursday, and she doesn’t care to be seen not looking her best.
So, we made an appointment to have her hair done yesterday. Sneaky, huh? First step in the battle. We’re just about ready to go off to spend a few hours with our exercise buddies, and the contact with friends will help.
Tomorrow, another hair appointment. I felt that two in one week was not overdoing, and this will put her back on schedule. Besides, on Friday, we go back to see the doc, and she’ll want to look her best! *G*
Gad, kids can be SO devious! I hope this helps her get well soon!
Another week starts
I rolled out of the sack before six this morning so that I could deadhead the peonies before I had to go to exercise. The driveway garden looks better for a little trimming back. I carried rings of hardware cloth down to the driveway garden because bunnies have been at work. The wonderful orangey-red lily that I planted as a focal point in the long driveway garden was stripped of it’s leaves and flowers, and the stems have been pulled from the ground. I set rings around the rudbeckia, because the bunnies were testing the flavor of the leaves. I didn’t want to drive past and find them eaten to the ground!
When I got back from exercise I pulled the hose out from the area where it nests and watered the herb garden, the ferns and rudbeckia, the plants waiting to be planted, and the containers along the sidewalk. Watering is the perfect time to take stock of what needs to be done.
I haven’t quite gotten everything planted yet, even though it’s almost mid-June. I’d like to get the last of the plants into the ground and then start trimming back or harvesting some of my herbs. The chives all need to be severely cut back, and the oregano should be harvested. There are areas in the center box of the garden that need to be dug up, to remove weeds and get more things planted. I’d like to see if nasturtiums will grow starting this late in the season, and I’d like to get a little more dill planted..
Three of the tomato plants need either to be staked or caged. The construction debris in that section of the garden still needs to be removed, and I’ll have to weed the walkway once the poppies stop blooming. I hope the guys will help me add more chat to the walkway.
It’s time to pull out the spent blooms of the ox-eye daisy, and I need to unearth several iris that are having some kind of problem with rotten stems. I think I can save the corms if I do it soon. And, I have several iris to divide and share.
There are ALWAYS things to do when you are a homeowner, and a gardener. These lists are reminders to me that I need to get these things done, and a way to look back over the years to see how little things change. I bet I have at least one, or more likely MANY entries just like this for each year I’ve blogged. Sorry for the repetition. *G*
It was a good start to the week.