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We have this Master Gardener living a block from me and she has stopped by to let us know that we have diseased boxwood or pest infested, I am not sure which. Apparently it is common and won't really hurt it, but did give us some information about what to do with it. We did some research and found some oil....we will see what affect it has. She has given us lots of praise with the progress we have made with the lawn, the dandelions and has been very gracious. I mentioned the iris that I posted on Thursday and she told me she had lots to give away if I would like them. Yesterday she delivered this box of iris and some asters. She left some of the blooms on so I would know about the colors. There is a beautiful root beer and some deep purple and I left the pink blossom on the one above so that I could get a picture before I trimmed them. After separating them, I had so many that I had difficulty finding places to plant in this horrible rocky soil. It does have good drainage and Iris grow just about any place. She also does a lot of glass totems and flowers, etc. so she told me she had a box of glass that she would give me also.
Probably the only people who can understand the excitement I get from these garden additions are my few garden gurus, but by next year I hope to have a greatly improved yard.
We are still staying home, but we have now opened up to stage 2 and I will be able to meet with my journaling friends again next Friday...donned with mask and equipped with hand sanitizer and of course the social distancing. I am expecting a supply of paint which my daughter ordered in a couple of weeks and just being able to get to the shop for more supplies will be wonderful.
I have been reading some of the series "The Cat Who" by Lillian Jackson Braun and I am loving this mystery series. Thank you Ginger!
It's Thursday and I took a break from this blog. Memorial Day came and went uneventfully here but in this pandemic situation, we were so reminded of why we take this quiet time to remember the fallen. I remember when Grandma called it Decoration Day and we always went to the cemetery to put flowers on the graves for "Decoration Day". The Iris above is in a yard around the corner from my yard and is taller than me. I planted some that my daughter gave me and although they won't bloom this year, they are about 18" tall already. I was able to get a closer look at this bloom below and it is so pretty.
I have been walking every day in my neighborhood and yesterday I came upon a deer eating peacefully in the wildlife area we have here. She just ignored me. Yesterday all day in my back yard the baby rabbits and the squirrels played in the lawn and in the trees and on the fence. Five little Peter rabbits chased each other across my lawn and the little squirrels scampered up and down the fence and trees. One little guy came within two feet of me as I sat reading in the shade, just to satisfy his curiosity. We have grey squirrels but one little guy is red. Mom must have strayed. Today as I walked, I met a man with a chocolate lab puppy. We have so many walkers with dogs of every size and breed and this pup was so adorable. Eagerly his owner told me about him and how pleased he was with him. Yesterday we met a gal with a mutt whose name was "Ray", a female with a handkerchief wrapped around her ears. Thinking surgery may have been an issue, her owner said she had sores behind her ears and the only way she would tolerate the cloth was if she could go for walks. What we do for our critters and I am missing mine.
I am so anxious for my yard to start getting full of plants and the master gardener her has stopped several times to take to us about how pleased everyone is with the progress we have and she is so eager to answer questions and to help.
"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." ~ Iris Murdock
First of all, I do so cherish my friends. Since 1966 when my husband was to join the Navy during the Viet Nam War, I have been able to stay in touch with many of the friends made along the way. We have moved 13 times since he left the service and so many of those dear friends have followed me with my journey. Last week when I reached my 75th birthday, I spent most of the day on the phone. It was such a surprise to hear from an old classmate, who apparently calls others of the few we graduated with. Most of us were together for all 12 years. I may not always stay in touch as I should, but you are in my thoughts as I remember times spent together, even from my early childhood. I have been compiling a journal of memories and have found most of my 12 report cards, birthday and valentine cards from grade school, post cards from an aunt and baby cards from other relatives. This year, I received many cards as well as all of the calls. Thank you all! Above, is the large pot of geraniums that my neighbors gave me for my birthday. They also brought 3 white lilacs and chocolate. They have become great friends.
This new area of the country has not caused me to lose my breath as the wind hits me in the face when I step out...it doesn't blow much..just a little breeze. So far there has not been the fear of having to shovel snow before the door can be fully opened. But it does bring with it other issues. This fall, we were plagued with fur needles and pine cones. I swept inside, raked outside and couldn't keep up with that mess until a few months ago. Next because of all of the blooming trees and bushes, although gorgeous enough, the petals were EVERYWHERE. Now even worse are the little capsules that have enclosed the new growth of needles on the forest of trees where we live. There is a carpet of golden brown covering everything and we have decided that we need a leaf blower. At first we couldn't understand why everyone had those noisy things. Well, they cover the roof, the cars, the sidewalks, our deck and the streets. I am not complaining, but REALY? It is about to start over isn't it? It is an adjustment we will make, and I am not regretting this move, but I do miss my friends back in Wyoming and Colorado.
"However rare true love is, true friendship is rarer." ~
L.A. Rochefoucauld
It's not my anniversary, but it is the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helen and I was living in Rawlins and it was my birthday. The thing is that we really didn't have a real concept of what it was to those residents living as close as I now do. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be my home. But what really happened back then and there was that my family, husband and kids forgot my birthday. They had never forgotten it before. The news was all about Washington and we were even having ash fall on our state. We all laugh about it now and they have NEVER have forgotten it since. With all that is still taking place, I have spaced out some very important birthdays this month. I did remember my son's, but I forgot two very dear friends, and there are numerous nieces and nephews and we have not been out to even see the card section of the grocery stores so I just have not looked at my calendar. Shame on me!
We only go out twice a month for groceries and occasionally at 6:00 a.m. for home improvement items so when I got up today, this was my birthday card from the Mr. It was so sweet! He taped it to the television. It is on the fritz so we cannot turn it off, we just turn down the volume. He did get me my lawn chairs for the deck and backyard, which I so desperately wanted. We had no place to sit outside and we also got a grill. I was 35 when the Mt. Helen erupted so do the math.
The other two pics are of more rhododendrons from the park visit last week. My neighbor has given me two ferns, 3 lavender plants, and some ground cover...I spent most of yesterday and this morning working in the back yard so I got all of the plants in and I am sure he will find more to pawn off on me. We have great neighbors!
As always, when we trek out, it is early in the morning. The big box stores and grocery are open by 6 or 7 if they are not open 24 hrs and most have discontinued that for stocking. Today was a big purchase day for us other than groceries twice a month. We got a grill finally for the back deck...now if we can only get beef. It seems there is now a shortage of that and I can testify to that as last week we could only get ground beef...no roasts or steaks. Because we didn't know where we would be living, we opted not to bring anything except essentials. The Mr. has been so busy installing things this home needed. We bought a screen door for the back door and we needed a storage pantry in the garage and there was no railing going down into the garage. The door is in, the railing is in and the pantry is nearly finished. He is a good man.
Above the ladder and the chair that my daughter gave me now hold flowers and birdhouses. Our backyard is getting a makeover and I bought 2 hostas today for the shaded backyard. It is raining today, only a drizzle and cloudy, but I did get my walk in.
I am so anxious to get to a Goodwill so I can start my totems and bird baths and I think they are finally accepting donations so that may not be too much longer.
This was the first Mother's Day in many years since I was able to spend a Mother's Day with a child of mine. Although she is not a child any more, my daughter and her husband are terrific. I was given a dozen red roses, an Arona (chokecherry) bush for the back yard which reminds us of our homes in Wyoming, and an old chair for my backyard and some plants and yeast. (I cannot find yeast here yet for baking) So I was happy to get that too. We are still in the "stay at home and a safe distance from others", but we were still able to see them and they took us to a Rhododendron park and we strolled through leisurely in awe of the beauty. The park is rather secluded and not advertised at all. There will be more pictures to follow and perhaps a little history of the park later.
Some of the blossoms were much larger than our hands and nearly as big as a dinner plates. Spectacular colors and well maintained pathways, it was such an enjoyable walk. Then my neighbor brought me a beautiful fern to put in a pot I have in the back yard.
Happy Mothers Day and wash your hands.
"Flowers are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul."~ Luther Burbank
Not sure how this blog will publish since I struggle with technology. These clips came out so bizarre today. I always say I am so busy....so this is what I have been doing the past few days. The yard above is being slowly transformed. I love working in the yard and this one is a blank canvas of sorts. So many opportunities to make rooms of a sort. The landscape blocks were here and the yard is sloped so I used some of the pavers to make a stepped walking space for myself in particular. It is easy to go uphill with my fused ankle, but very difficult to go downhill so this solves that problem and I am slowly removing the growth above to be planted in a ground cover the Erica gave me in the seed packets she had. Part of the yard is clover which I love but there is a good deal of moss and dandelions and the Mr. has waged war on the dandelions. I have plans for a seating under the shade provided by the large fir trees.
In addition to that, I am working o a Quilt of Valor for my other neighbor and the green and grey one will grace the bed in my sewing/spare bedroom. It is almost finished as I have a little more to quilt on it. The puzzle below was one of four that one of my neighbors loaned me and I actually finished it last night and it is back in the box. I am ready for another.
So working on these four projects nearly every day along with everything else, I do keep busy. The Mr. has been building a pantry of sorts just outside the kitchen door in the garage and that will supplement the limited storage in my one butt kitchen. We never get bored!
