This entry is for Adele, who asked if I would post pictures of the herbs. Sure thing! *S* And you can count on my posting pictures of the iris when they bloom, and after I’ve divided them. Thanks for asking!
This shot is an overview of the herb garden. You’re looking northwest. The house is behind and to the left, and the attached garage is behind to the right. This garden is still a work in progress. I have a lot of work to do in the north end of the garden, and I have to get serious about pulling the volunteer plants in the walkways. I HOPE to get a new layer of chat down. (Chat is a finishing grade of limestone that looks white in the sun. It’s ground, but not as fine as sand.) Please note….NO BOAT in the back yard!
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This is the southeast arm of the garden, looking south toward the house. Those beautiful mounds are oregano. (I probably have enough for the entire city. *G*) Beyond the oregano you can see chives about ready to bloom, and to the right are garlic chives. (If you grow garlic chives, do NOT let the flowers go to seed, or YOU will have enough for all the Chinese food in London for a year!)
This is the lower part of the NE arm of the garden. The small dark plant is a rose; to the right are two lavenders, a spearmint contained in a furnace flue, and a dark blue perennial salvia. Across the bottom of the picture are two of the lemon scented geraniums and a small silver thyme.
I’m addicted to thyme. I love growing it, and I love the smell of it. I have it in several of my gardens, and even in one pot. This particular bed needs a little renovation. The thyme has overtaken two thirds of the box and is creeping into the walk, and now the lemon balm is trying to escape from the furnace flue in the corner. Just past the timber on the north end of the box, you can see the clematis, which is growing by leaps and bounds!
This is the Angelica, surrounded by fever few. We destroyed a square yard of the feverfew to plant the tomatoes, and I have more to rout out in the walkway. I need to research Angelica. I have NO idea why I planted it. The tomatoes are south of the Angelica, and south of the tomatoes, I’ve planted spinach, which the bunnies really like! Tomatoes and spinach are not herbs, but they go so well with the culinary herbs that I couldn’t pass on them.
The deer severely pruned the sage this year. I wasn’t worried, because last year it came back well when I pruned it in the spring. Unfortunately, large parts of it died off this winter. Dear Husband pruned for me, and you can see the remaining gnarly arms, with two fairly healthy groups of leaves. I added a golden variegated sage, a tricolor sage, and a Berggarten sage yesterday. I haven’t had a lot of luck with anything other than the traditional sage, although I’ve managed to grow a white sage for several seasons. That was odd, because we’re one zone too cold for the plant. I think a large part of the problem is that chipmunks have taken over that bed, and may be cutting the roots of the plants as they burrow.
This last picture is of the south end of the center box. In the corner you can see Purple basil, and Purple Palace basil, with its ruffly edges. There are five plantings of sweet basil. From here you can’t see the miniature purple basil. I’ll take a picture of that, later. Off to the left you may be able to see the parsleys and a rosemary. To the end of that box are Purple Coneflower, and I’m going to plant dill and nasturtium.
I think the lemon verbena is going to be planted to the right of the Angelica in the northeast corner of the garden. It can be used for tea, and in baked goods, but I usually save it for potpourri.
I’m going to mulch around the tomatoes, spinach and basil. I plan to add compost to several of the boxes, and clean up the walkways, and we should be good to go when the exercise class visits. I think it will hold until the Red Hat Ladies visit i June, with the exception of the chives needing a haircut. From then on, it will be mostly weeding and watering and harvesting.
Thanks for asking about my herbs, Adele! *S*
Herbs
I was on my way back from an errand for the company when I realized I was going to be within three blocks of my favorite nursery. It’s May 19th and I had not yet purchased tomatoes and herbs and bedding plants. In this part of Illinois, the general rule of thumb for planting tender annuals is to wait until May 15. We’re already 4 days past the frost free date! I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to purchase, so my visit was less than 30 minutes. I was able to find everything I was looking for, and a bit more, of course! *G*
Dear Husband cleared a portion of the herb garden that was being overrun by feverfew, and he dug two good-sized holes for the tomatoes, then he went off to mow.
I planted the tomatoes, a “Big Boy” and a “Sweet 100” cherry tomato. The nursery was sold out of the miniature yellow pear tomatoes that I really wanted. I worked my way around the garden adding 5 sweet basil, a purple ruffles basil, purple basil, and a miniature purple basil, 2 rosemaries, a curly parsley, 2 scented geraniums, and three sage plants. I worked on cleaning out some of the volunteers in the walkway before it was time to go in for dinner.
In the herb garden, I have dill, lemon verbena, another lemon geranium, and some mums left to plant. My mint had died off. I’m not surprised, because It’s been growing, sequestered, in the same pots for easily four years, and had to be root bound. I bought a chocolate mint, a curly mint, and a pineapple mint to replace them. Tomorrow, I’ll empty the pots, refill them with new potting soil, and get the mints planted. I have a Scottish spearmint that smells heavenly, planted in a flue pipe in the herb garden, Next to that I have a salvia that will need to be supported. It’s beautiful this time of year, but before long it will become top heavy and spread out from the center.
Both of the roses and the clematis that are next to or in the herb garden have come back nicely. The smaller of the roses will bloom about the time the lavender blooms. Scent is a large part of my herb garden. As I planted today, the scent was heady! I had visions of pesto, sage stuffing, roasts with rosemary, and mint juleps! Everything I brushed added it’s fragrance to the blend.
This was one of those days that make me happy to be a gardener. *S*
It’s Official
Spring has arrived. We’ve had our first potato salad for the season! I assume that potato salad is a warm weather dish because it’s served cold, and wouldn’t seem very comforting on a freezing, snowy night when the snow is reaching the window sills. We tend to eat hot German potato salad in the winter, and save the cold American potato salad for the Fourth of July.
I prefer potato salad made with yellow mustard. I add a little dried mustard, dill, salt and pepper, and a scant half teaspoon of white vinegar, to mayonnaise. I dice green onions, celery, boiled potatoes and hard boiled eggs, and blend them with the sauce. I tend to mix it by sight, rather than measuring amounts, so it’s never exactly the same. And I NEVER use Miracle Whip! NEVER!
I used to cook half a dozen eggs and perhaps 8 to 10 potatoes to make potato salad. I’ve discovered that three potatoes will give us enough salad to last three or four days. We simply don’t pack it away as we did when we were younger. That’s one of the reasons I like the mustard version. It packs a punch with flavor.
Yup, warm weather is just around the corner.
Vandalism and Sabotage
This evening, Dear Husband and I sat in the living room while we had a quick dinner. We were watching the news and there were two stories in particular that caught our attention.
First, at a Boeing plant in Pennsylvania, a Chinook helicopter going through final assembly was found to have cut wires. A second helicopter had a washer where it didn’t belong. It gave me the chills to think that someone would willingly damage these helicopters, knowing that the crews who flew them might possibly die.
We both felt that this story was underplayed in the news. I checked for the story at CNN before I began writing tonight, and felt they had underplayed it as well. Perhaps there is a reason for this. It may be that they didn’t have the details yet. They may have not wanted to speculate (although that doesn’t seem to bother a lot of TV news departments these days). Perhaps Boeing was not willing to have their name splashed over the news for substandard products, although it was clearly an act of sabotage. They may have chosen to keep a lid on the story as security tries to determine what happened, and who might have had the opportunity to do the damage.
The second story was similar in a way, but was really one of local impact. Four or five students at a Chicago middle school vandalized the school. The news staff interviewed dozens of people from school staff and administration right up the chain of command to Mayor Daley. The school authorities have not decided just what will happen to these students, but there is discussion of expelling them from school.
Tables were turned over, books and papers thrown to the floor. Something was spread over, or ground into the carpet, and perhaps some equipment was damaged. All these things could be repaired.
If the students are expelled, just what does that mean? Will they be free to run around while the rest of the students finish out the last month of school? Will they be allowed to return to school next fall, and repeat the year, or do they have to find a way to finish the last semester on their own? I can see I really need to talk with my sister, Nan, who teaches kids “at risk.” Her school provides kids with their last chance at a public education before they are asked to leave the system.
Dear Husband and I were of the opinion that in-school suspension, no extra-curricular activity, and time spent cleaning up either their mess, or other messes, would be a better choice than expulsion. By taking them out of an arena where they get any reinforcement for what they’ve done, and by making them work to repair damage, it would take the “fun” out of the rampage. Now would be a good time for these students to learn that you have to be responsible for your action.
Let me say that we are concerned that a story which has national impact received less coverage than this local story. While it occurred out of state, had the damage not been discovered, the sabotage would have increased our concerns about terrorism, and it could have had a global impact. Perhaps terrorists have found a subtle way to redirect our focus, forcing us to review all that we do. How can we know if we’ve hired a saboteur, or a patriot?
On the other hand, perhaps we need to focus on the local level. If we “nip it in the bud” as Barney Fife used to say, we might head off problems in the future. Could it be that once a kid finds he can hold a school district hostage, be goes on to bigger projects? Do saboteurs act to support a political ideology, or are they kids who were once vandals, looking for a bigger thrill.
I don’t have the answers. As usual, I have a LOT of questions, but I certainly hope that those people who have chosen to work against society, be they child or adult, learn that you have to be responsible for your actions.
I Did Something Good…
…for myself, yesterday. I had a mammogram, a dexa test, and a pap smear. I know….two of the most unpleasant tests women have to do, and I did them on the same day. But it went well. I had a radiation tech who really knew her business, and I think she may have taken just six “pictures.” That I’m not sure of the number is a testament to how well she did.
Last year, I went to a different facility, and was roughly pulled around and smashed into position TEN TIMES!! I vowed never to go to that facility again. This time, I was in the same building as my doctor, just steps away from my next test. I think I may write a letter of commendation for the technician, because she did a phenomenal job.
Then, I had a visit with my doc, who did the pap smear. She is incredibly deft. I tend to dread this test because I’ve had doctors who apparently didn’t know their anatomy, but this doctor is very good. I prefer having a woman do the test. I’m sure you know all the reasons. It seems to me that someone who has the same plumbing as I do, responds differently to this test than those who don’t. I’m not guy-bashing. I am just more comfortable having a woman do the test.
The results won’t be in for a bit. The tests have to be read, and then the results shipped to my doctor. Finally, someone from the office has to mail the information to me, so I don’t expect to know the results for a couple of weeks. That’s okay….I can wait.
I’ve scheduled fasting blood tests for both Elegante Mother and myself in June. I’ve been talking with Joy, at The Joy of Six, about weight loss and exercise, and how difficult it is to get yourself into the groove on things that will make your life better. I told her that I may use the coming blood tests as a focal point to try to improve my diet. Perhaps if I have a specific goal that isn’t so overwhelming, I might have more success. We can hope!
And…..I had a tetanus shot! Since I’m playing around in the dirt, and Lord knows what’s in that dirt after getting a new roof put on the house, and adding compost made elsewhere, it seemed like a good idea to get that shot.
Am I ready for summer? I sure hope so. At least I don’t have those tests hanging over my head, and I can get on with things!
Checking In
We’ve been having an amazing day! We rose fairly early, and Dear Husband and I put together a breakfast buffet for Elegante Mother and the two of us. It seemed to hit the spot; everyone left the table satisfied.
We gave the digital picture frame to EM and THAT was a hit! YES!! We explained that all my siblings could put together pictures of their families that could be played in this frame. *G* I can’t wait for EM to start nagging them about the pictures! (chuckling) Meanwhile, she is sitting, watching the pictures waiting to see who comes up next.
It’s rained heavily, and is still raining. So much water has accumulated at the south end of the herb garden that Mrs. Mallard is floating in the water. She could actually swim, if she didn’t paddle too deeply! *G* The wind is whipping the trees around, and it’s chilly. The wind seems to be from the northeast. The gutters are having trouble keeping up with the rain running off the roof. DH checked the sump pumps and one seems to be running a little slow, but we are still dry, and should continue to be so.
I’m going to fold some clothes and hang up most of our wardrobe, water the houseplants, and then I get to sew for several hours. I’m trying to get the blocks pieced for my second grand-daughter’s baby quilt. there’s nothing better than finishing a piecing project and getting it ready to be quilted! *S*
I hope you’re all having a great day. For those of you who are mothers, Happy Mother’s Day!
Yard Work
Ed’s sitting in the curve of my arms as I type this. If there’s an unusual number of typos, chalk it up to my communing with my cat…
Yesterday, I spent about three hours in the gardens along my driveway. I saw some weeds encroaching on my peonies that I knew had to be dealt with. Several years ago I used the lasagna method to reclaim the center section of the garden along the lower driveway. That bed is probably 60-70 feet long, and has three distinct sections. The center area is still rather bare, but I’ve got rudbekia, perovskia and some salvia started there. I believe that I will be transplanting more plants into it fairly soon. The north end of the bed needs weeding to kill off an infestation of Bouncing Bet, a plant that I put in the gardens years ago and can’t seem to kill off, but there are day lilies, daffodils, iris, lamb’s ears and more salvia settled in there.
The south end of the garden is really in disrepair. I had planted physostegia and echinnacea over two-thirds of it, but the physostegia has died out, and there are places where I have sumac, poison ivy, grapevine and some shrubby volunteers that I really don’t want. I think I may transplant some of the purple coneflower to the center part of the bed, and move one beautiful meadow rue plant to a more shaded area, and then ask Dear Husband if he will help me take the rest back down to dirt.
Which brings to mind…. I called a local gardening company which is just getting established. I asked if it would be possible to hire gardening muscle for either a morning or an entire day. I need just one man, I think, to help lift lilies in mid-June. When the owner called back to talk to me he told me that the best he could do was two men for an entire day, complete with truck, trailer and tools for $800.00! HOLY COW!! I COULD put two men to work for a full day, but the price is simply outrageous. I hope DH will take this as a sign that my garden time is really valuable!
I think I will try calling a few other landscapers to see if they are willing to spare a laborer for half a day. I need someone who understands about lifting the iris with as little damage as possible, and once they have been lifted and stored where I can work on them in the shade, I want the soil amended so that I can replant. I could put someone to work for an entire day, but not for the first price I’ve been quoted. I hope there will be someone who wants the work.
I spent this morning raking up the weeds that I’d pulled on Friday. I sawed down a few branches on the pear tree that had died, and I used the weed-eater to clean out an area that is getting infested with weeds. I used the weed-eater around the edge of the front lawn gardens, and along the south side of the house. It made me run a bit late for the Red Hat ladies, but it was worth it to get it done. The next time out, I’ll need to cut down volunteer shrubs and mulberries, perhaps on Monday.
It was good to get some of the cleanup done while the grounds were still moist and easy to work with. There’s a lot left to be done, but I’m glad I made the start.
Technology and Mothers
Mother’s Day will be here in just a couple of hours. It’s going to be a chilly, rainy day that we will spend inside, for the most part. Elegant Mother loves lobster. Unfortunately, her appetite is so small now that she can not eat an entire lobster tail at one sitting. We discovered that Red Lobster has smaller lobster tails, so we offered to take her there for dinner. One of my sisters will be joining us, so there should be something new added to our table talk.
It can be difficult to decide what to get Elegante Mother for Mother’s Day. In the past we have resorted to gift certificates to book stores, to hobby stores, or to nurseries. Sometimes the gift is a day out, or a special meal on a weekend. This time we broke our own rule and bought her something electronic.
I was shopping on Thursday at a office supply store and found a variety of digital picture frames were available. The one I wanted, the simplest of those offered, had been sold out, but they were able to ship it to us from the warehouse the very next day. Voilà! Instant gift!
I purchased several flash drives on Thursday, and spent some time Friday night transferring pictures to them. One was Red Hat Lady pictures that I wanted to share with the Queen of our chapter. That was quite fortuitous, as they asked me to take pictures of everyone who attended the meeting today, so that we could create a photo book of our members. It will all fit on the same drive. I plan to repeat the picture taking next month, to try to get pictures of those who were absent today.
On the second drive, I’m going to collect all the shots I’ve taken of our exercise class over the past two years. I can take the flash drive to one of the pharmacies or discount stores and have a set of the pictures printed and put it into an album for our leader. I’m not a terribly good photographer, but I’d be happy to make copies of the prints for my classmates, if they wish.
And we come to that last flash drive. I selected a range of pictures from the family computer and moved them to the flash drive. I have more pictures on the office computer, but I’ll have to shift those to a disk, and transfer them to the family computer because all the USB ports already have connections in the office. Who knew when we bought it that we would want more ports!??
The digital picture frame is very easy to use (once you get the power supply connected properly.) With the flash drive, it will hold tons of photos, and can be set to shift at a variety of speeds. Best of all, I can give others in my family flash drives to fill, and we can swap the drives every now and then so EM can see all of her family.
We plan to surprise her with it tomorrow. I’ll make breakfast and plug the frame in while she’s out of her sitting room. I can show her the on/off button. It’s all she needs to know! *G* I hope it’s a hit!.
Extra Blanket Night
Our weathermen are saying that it will be an extra blanket night. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I don’t care for heat, and I really don’t care for frostbitten toes and nose. I love cool weather, both during the day and at night. This is great sleeping weather!
As a matter of fact….I think it’s bed time!
I hope you all sleep well, and find yourself refreshed and comfortable when tomorrow arrives!
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night…Dear Lord preserve us!
I’m in Trouble, Again…
This is a difficult entry to write, but I’m in trouble with my Mother, again. This happens with a fair degree of regularity. Mother has a very comfortable life with us, but I’m confident that she would rather live with any of my siblings. On the surface, this seems like the ideal situation. She has the front half of our house, and all the storage she wants in the basement. She has total access to the kitchen and the laundry and we’ve created container gardens for her on the sidewalk so that she can keep her hand in at gardening, now that she can no longer get into the regular gardens.
I take my mother to all her hair and doctor appointments, and to exercise three mornings a week. We stop at the bank, grocery shop and occasionally hit specialty stores together. I ask for her input on meals, and have forced myself not to nag her about what she eats (butter, chocolate, crackers, ice cream etc.) or doesn’t eat (protein, veggies). I’m the person who took her to all her chemo appointments when she had colon cancer. I’m the one who hosts the Empty Nester Sewing circle once a month so that she can be among her friends from church. I’m also the one who takes her to the Red Hat Lady functions.
Unfortunately, I’m also the impatient one. When I call you to dinner, I am ready to have you sit at the table. Meals don’t mean as much to Mother these days, so once we get her to the kitchen, and deal with a resting place for her cane, we still have to surmount the obstacle of getting her seated and served. Generally, she sees it as a social hour. By that time of day I frequently don’t have what it takes to stand and chat, knowing that it will delay the time when I can sit and put my feet up for the evening.
My mother is very attuned to criticism and sees it where it doesn’t exist. Recently she has taken to telling people that she is very fortunate that we have been willing to “put up with her.” I’m sure that my impatience has leaked out….and I need to find a way to accept that there is nothing as important right now as peace in my household, and my mother’s comfort.
My mother needs the security of knowing that she is wanted, and welcome. Don’t we all feel that way? We made the choice to have her live with us. We never said….”Come live with us for the next ten years.” She has actually been with us for nineteen years. I certainly hope, should I get to be ninety-one, that someone will care for me with compassion, and have more patience than I seem to be able to corral.
So, as we near Mother’s Day, I’m contemplating ways to make Mother happy. The first entry on my checklist is…..MORE PATIENCE!