From the Garden Bench

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hope there's a little something red in your day.

Perhaps a little chocolate.

If you are so inclined, a bit of bubbly.

And time spent with the one you love.

I Deserve It!

2012-02-13T18:52:00.002-05:00

Don't get me wrong. I spend plenty of money ... plenty. If we need a little something around the house [like new floors or kitchen counters] or something for the garden, I'm your girl. If Mitchell needs [or just wants] something he saw at the mall, I'm pulling out the credit card. Christmas shopping - absolutely! Good catalog choices for my nieces or a friend - I'm on it.

But for myself, not so much.

My needs are very well met. I've never been a clothes horse and Mitchell is way more than generous when it comes to the special things in life. I seldom find something that I just want for me, but when I do .... I want to share it with you!

My new bracelets [yes, plural!] arrived this afternoon in the mail. Made by a talented young jeweler, they were custom made just for me! And, I love them.

Please meet Allyson Miller, Kentucky girl [Go, 'Cats!] transplanted to Georgia, Army wife and talented jewelry maker. Her Etsy store is Daisy and Elm.

I've been following her blogs for a couple of years now. You know I was interested in a blog called "Magnolias and Mimosas", don't you? And, while her husband was deployed last year she shared in "400 Wake-ups" the stories of the wives and families left stateside as their loved ones serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have read that only 1% of Americans even know someone serving in the military today, so count myself lucky that thru Ally I know her husband and from her I have learned about life alone on the homefront.

Several weeks ago I discovered that she was making the troll-type bracelets, so I asked her to make one for me. It was so reasonably priced, that I got two. There are several flowers, a treble clef, a W and an M [go figure], a starfish, and a bunch of grapes [any idea what that is about?] that all have special meaning to me, as well as glass and ceramic beads in purple and turquoise - my two favorite colors. They can be worn alone or together, or even stacked with other silver bracelets.

Have you ever tried photographing your dominant hand using your non-dominant? Difficult!

Bottom line - they are wonderful!

I see this whole blogasphere (sp?) as a place where many women support other women in lots of ways - one of which is commercially. So, I hope that you will check out Ally's Etsy store, as well as her blog. If you are in the market for a little bit of bling for yourself or a gift for someone you love, you might find just the perfect thing waiting for you there. She makes lots more than troll bracelets. If you look carefully you will see a pair of bracelets that look a bit familiar!

Thanks, Ally!

A Few Minutes of Sunshine

2012-02-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

Took a break this afternoon from my hibernation to wonder around the yard in a very warm sun. You all know that spring is trying to come too early because we haven't had any winter to slow it down (and kill the bugs!).

The hellebores are in full bloom ...

and were begging to come into the house.

As were the camellias.

[Camellia 'Prof Sergeant']

Everything else is getting ready to pop open. We really do need a couple of days of cold to slow things down for a couple of weeks. Sure do hope Mother Nature knows what she is doing!

A Baby Step

2012-01-29T17:41:00.000-05:00

I have [at least] two gardening goals for 2012. First, to grow a significant cutting garden. There will be much more about that as the season progresses. And, secondly, to learn to arrange flowers. That will be be a big undertaking, but I am committed to doing more than just plopping blossoms into containers this year.

This weekend I bought mini-roses, rather than my usual alstoemeria. A baby step. I added dwarf English laurel (Prinus lauarocerasus 'Otto Luyken'), rosemary and dried sedum flower heads from the yard.

The container is a cache pot that came from Mother. I've always liked it and the pale coral was good with the slightly coral flowers. I'm please with the result, but not yet ready to tackle a mixed bouquet.

One small step ....

One Hour

2012-01-26T15:49:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what one hour outside on a warm winter's afternoon will do for you. 66 degrees and a big yellow thing up there. [Wikipedia calls it a "sun".]

An hour's worth of pulling weeds,

and a walk around the yard produced some nice surprises.

I knew the hellebores were blooming, but they are everywhere. Perhaps a "picking trip" is called for before the rain comes back later ....

And, the camellia is finally doing its thing.

A nice hour, indeed.

Flower in House

2012-01-23T07:45:00.000-05:00

It's in the 30's and sleeting and you want flowers? Not so simple. A trip to the grocery store - I know, I know. But it's close by and has a huge selection of flowers - just nothing I really wanted.

Then on to the florist. They also had a huge selection and several things that I loved, but have you seen the price of fresh flowers in January? I wanted the callas and was bound and determined to have protea, until my wallet said "ouch!" ... I got tulips - a lovely shade of dark purple.

Remember that tulips are one of my very favorite flowers - truly. It's just that I had really wanted to try my hand at "arranging" this month. With tulips, it's more my normal "plunk in a vase" situation.

The other flowers that I have today are leftover alstroemeria from last week. I love them and get a big bunch nearly every other weekend.

I have particularly enjoyed this little one. It had broken off the a main stalk, but this nifty little vase has a "frog" built in and lets me stand up individual blossoms. It's nice to have on the table next to my chair.

Hope you have been over to Small But Charming to see who else Jane is hosting this month. Our friends in the southern hemisphere should have lots of great stuff to chase away the winter blahs!

40 Degrees and Rain

2012-01-21T08:59:00.000-05:00

Not an auspicious way to start the weekend. Dreary and drab. Actually, that's the way I have been feeling the past couple of weeks. When I look back at my January posts from last year, tho, I see the same pattern.

I think I am hibernating!

Recharging the batteries after the whirlwind of the holidays and the end of the year - both at home and at work.

I can hear the neighborhood geese honking as they fly over. No doubt their morning pond is not such an exciting place today, either. We are in the same boat. They thought they had good feeding grounds for the winter, so they got too lazy to make the flight south for real warmth. Now they have to endure days like today - the price of choosing the easy corn.

At least I can have a fire in the fireplace and a hot cup of Earl Gray - no wet bugs for me today!

Think I'll go sit under my "sunlight spectrum light" and read your inspiring words. Or, maybe look at a seed catalog. Or, think about my new kitchen shelves. I have to wake up enough to tell you about them ... in about three weeks. Or, find an interesting soup recipe - lots of possibilities.

Then I'll go buy flowers. Monday is Flowers in the House Day. Hope you will join us.

Much Ado about ... Not Much!

2012-01-15T11:10:00.001-05:00

You are no doubt waiting on pins and needles to know ... how many years did I manage to peel off my face?

Did I go from this:

To this?

Actually, no.

The peeling started Friday. All day long I was brushing what seemed like flecks of facial tissue or down off my face. Finally, I realized it was ... well, face!

Underneath, it's slightly pinker and slightly more moist. It doesn't rise to the status of "dewy", altho I would love that.

As one test case, I would say save your money and don't do the "lunchtime peel". It does not seem to offer much.

Am I done getting "work" done on my face. Perhaps or, not.

As real winter weather settles into the Mid Atlantic states, I'm hunkered down with a fire and wishing you a good week.

Decadence? or Desperation?

2012-01-09T16:12:00.001-05:00

Lately, when I look into the mirror, I don't see her.

Truthfully, I haven't seen her in a long time, but recently I've been seeing her.

Which is why I found myself at the dermatologist's office today, stretched out on a rather comfy table waiting to be peeled. What? I'm not a banana or a grape! I don't need peeling, or do I?

I'm definitely not a clothes horse and don't spend a lot on fashion. Normally, I am the one who says "Halt!" to what I perceive as silly expenditures, especially for myself, but I have noticed that the list of essentials has gotten longer in the past few years. First it was a monthly manicure, followed by acrylic nails that needed filling every two weeks. Boy, did I love those nails! Worth twice the price any day.

Then came the monthly pedicure. Well, you can't have ugly feet in strappy sandals, can you? And all that dry skin in the winter. Pedicures are surely a necessity.

We aren't even going to mention hair cuts. There is absolutely no vanity involved with a hair cut.

A monthly massage helps keep one supple and works out the aches and pains of life in the, ahem, middle years. If I am going to continue to dance and play tennis, then obviously I need to keep my back and shoulders happy and a massage makes my whole body happy. It's almost as good as - well ... you know - and leaves me just as relaxed and sleepy.

But, have I crossed the line when I am paying someone to put acid on my face to peel back a few years? The jury is out on this one and probably will be for several more days. It only took a few minutes. I left with my face feeling a little prickly, but it's not an unpleasant feeling. Lots of lotion for the next couple of days, so that will be nice, too. And, then the hope is for newer, fresher skin after the old, dry stuff is gone.

I also got the retinol moisturizer to follow up. It doesn't make sense to spend money on the peel and then not maintain it - right? At this point I don't know ... was it a decadent waste of money? [I did pay only half price!] Was it a desperate attempt to call back the past? or was it simply Doing the best I can with what I have. Time will tell.

A Good Day to Start

2012-01-01T08:14:00.000-05:00

Today's the day for reflection:

December 31, 2011

Overall, it was a pretty good year. Mitchell's little dance with cancer turned out ok. He is passing the follow-up tests with zero's - which in this game is great. The company I work for had a banner year, thanks in part to a huge project that Mitchell helped make a success. The garden was wonderful, and a new cutting garden is already waiting for spring weather to grow. I made peace with Mother's death and successfully closed the Estate.

Didn't make quite the progress that I had hoped on weight loss, but it was a wonderful year for exercise. Friday I attended my 200th Jazzercise class! Had set a goal of 150 classes for the year and just blew that out of the water! Clearly regular exercise has become part of my life, now I need to work on fewer (and healthier) snacks.

December 31, 2011

Today's the day for looking ahead:

Tackling the weight loss thing is at the top of my list. I shall set a new goal of losing the rest of the weight by [drumroll here, please] 12-12-12! It's hokey, but we all know the value of goals. Logging exercise and food and continuing to dance regularly are important here.

We shall finish putting our financial house in order so that I can retire someday.

I will make more time to enjoy the garden, especially the cutting garden. And, most importantly, I will build the raised bed for sweet peas by February 15th!

Today's the day for appreciating those who support us:

December 31, 2011

All of you who visit the Garden Bench are at the top of my list. Thanks for your friendship and support that keep me picking up the keyboard and the camera. Thanks for your comments that encourage me and give me new ideas for moving forward. Thanks for your time - you could be doing so many other things! Thanks for your inspiration. And, especially, thanks for your love.

For 2012 my resolution is to try to give you the support you give me. You know who you are! Huge, enormous hugs all around!


Loropetalum 'Pizazz' TM - Due in March, but blooming on December 31, 2011

And, a Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T13:12:00.000-05:00

Very best wishes to everyone for a lovely New Year's Eve - doing what you want with the ones you love best.

While we're at it, let's hope for more peace and tranquility in 2012; more troops stationed in North Carolina, Texas and California and many fewer in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Yes, we still do have troops there. Easy to forget them.)

Let's also hope for prosperity; an easing of the financial markets, more jobs, better pay and fewer people on unemployment insurance. (It is insurance, not a giveaway. All employers pay a portion based on their payroll. If you've worked, you've earned your coverage.

And, how about a Congress that does something other than argue. One that realizes that cooperation and collaboration are not dirty words. One that remembers that they work for the people and not the special interests.

I'd also like to see a world where it's fun again to fly. Not thinking that will happen in 2012, tho.

And, finally, a world filled with flowers and the folks who grow them, arrange them, give them and love them. If the mud boots fit, please wear them with pride!

Let's lift a glass [filled with the beverage of your choice, of course] to 2011. It was a good year, but one we have definitely worn out and used up.

And then lift it again to 2012 - full of good food and flowers, and also full of hope, full of promise, full of exciting days to come!

Happy New Year!

A Lesson Learned

2011-12-29T17:35:00.000-05:00

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was not happy with my centerpiece, and actually that is not true. I was rather satisfied [ok, smug] that it turned out pretty much as I had envisioned it. But there was a problem.

How it looked on December 23rd.

Had carefully planned my week so that Friday [when I did not have to work] I would be finished with everything else and only need to arrange the flowers. Seemed like a good plan, given my stage fright when faced with cut flowers and a bowl.

Went to the florist on Thursday afternoon to get the flowers. Passed up my grocery store - where I most often pick up flowers on the fly, and where the nice young lady was unpacking case after case of incoming flowers. "Not fresh enough. Been sitting in a box for a week. " I said to myself. Instead, I went to my favorite florist where I had a wide variety of choices and where they let me wander in the cold room and choose what I wanted.

What I actually wanted was ranunculus - preferably red, white or green - but I would have taken any color they had. They had no ranunculus at all.

Plan B. I found a pre-made bunch of chrysanthemums, alstroemeria and greenery that was burgundy, green and white - perfect colors for my house, for the dish, and just exactly what I would have chosen given total freedom of choice. I added a few white Gerberas and additional white and green mums and headed home very proud of my choices and pleased with my luck. Oh, and they were less expensive than the ones I ofter get at the above-mentioned grocery store. [More smugness!]

Back at home I recut the stems, put everything in a tall container of water with the food stuff and left it on the back porch until dark, then moving it into the kitchen for the night - next to the door where it was coolest. I also cut many pieces of myrtle, rosemary and nandina to provide the basic greenery.

About half looked like this on Friday, and all of them by Monday.

Friday morning I found that the flowers were actually well past their peak. I threw away at least half of the pre-packaged bunch, and used all of the extra flowers that I had picked out one-at-the-time. I hear some of you [you know who you are!] yelling at me, "take them back for a refund", but it's Friday. I don't want to drive all the way to the florist to see what they still have left.

The rest came out fine, well, at least ok. They looked nice on the table and all my guests were men - I'm just saying ... But, by Monday, they had to go. And yes, I did continue to add water. They were just old! Fortunately, I had enough alstroemeria and nandina to fill a small vase and they still look good today.

But, I [hope] I learned to look more carefully next time and not get sucked in by finding what I thought I wanted without spending sufficient time to be sure that it was in good condition to start. You all would have been smarter.

And now, on toward New Year's Eve!

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 12 - Christmas Dinner

Finally, the piece de resistance! Dinner for three on Christmas Day with all the trimmings.

Hope your day was filled with good friends and family, good food, good times, and a little something special in your stocking!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Noel! Wishing you and yours all the good things of the season.

You've all made my year a happier one.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and providing support when I needed it.

Hope today is a lovely day for you and those whom you love. xoxo

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 11 - The Centerpiece

The agony and ecstasy for me! I want something pretty for the table, but I agonize over putting it together.

I planned ahead and started looking for materials early, and thanks to the encouragement of some talented flower-arranging bloggers [you know who you are!] it went easier. The vase was Mother's. It is beautiful glass, but a terrible shape for a beginning flower arranger.

Thanks to lots of greenery ("Otto Lueken", rosemary from the garden, and mystery evergreen) and a few flowers we're in business for the weekend.

Actually, we will talk more about this in a couple of days.

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 10 - "The Stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

Stockings were always a big deal in our house - filled with little presents (sometimes of the "big things come in small packages variety"), an orange, a candy cane, and a bag of chocolate coins.

These days we tend to go more for toiletries and maybe a little something for warmth, but still the chocolate coins!

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 9

Today's a good day to stop and remember our roots.

Light and miracles.

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 8 - The Holiday China

There are rites of passage in every family - moving from the children's table to the adult table and being allowed to eat off the "good china" - in ours. [In Southern families the "good china" is still a thing to be revered and passed from generation to generation.] Getting our own holiday china was one of those milestones for Mitchell and me.

We inherited some Spode"Christmas Tree" from Mitchell's mother and added a few pieces to have enough to use it for Christmas breakfast, but I really wanted something more "grown up".

I searched and searched - falling in love with a different pattern every year - until I found "Boxwood and Pine". We use it from Thanksgiving until New Years and for special occasions that pop up in the fall or winter.

It's fun to look forward to using it every year!

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 7 - The Music!

What would the Christmas Season be without the music? Flat as a doormat!

From the simplest carol like "Silent Night" to the fancy oratorios ("Messiah") and even the symphonic ballet "The Nutcracker Suite" we all adore the music. Christmas music in the malls starting Labor Day - not so much!

We're more likely to be listening to classical music most of the time, but when I look in our CD rack the variety of old favorites I find is astounding. From country to classical, choruses, orchestras, instrumentals - it's all there. Here are a few of my favorite things:

Joy to the World (Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus) - This has been my absolute favorite Christmas album for decades. Released in 1987, it was recorded in 1971 and is the full rich, glorious sound of full orchestra and chorus. It fills the house with sound - strings, big brass, timpani and voices - and makes you want to replay it all evening. This is my go-to album for tree decorating. Somehow I got it into my head that the name of the album was "The Glorious Sound of Christmas". It's not, but that would be a better name for it.

Odetta: Christmas Spirituals - Probably Mitchell's favorite album. Just a guitar, a bass and a bit of drum set and the unique voice of Odetta. It takes one to the core of what Christmas is all about.

The Christmas Album (Canadian Brass) - Who doesn't love brass? Carols and secular songs arranged for a tuba and its friends. We actually have three CD's by brass quintets. They are like the champagne of music - all sparkly and bubbly.

Russian Christmas (St. Petersburg Chamber Choir with Olga Borodina) - If you don't know Russian choral music, this would be a great way to introduce yourself to it. While American choral music often features the high clear tones of the sopranos (think St. Olaf's choir and their tone), Russian choral music starts with the biggest most solid bass support that you can imagine. In person, you can actually feel the sound vibration of the basses. You won't understand a single word of this album, but maybe that's a good thing. You have to listen with your heart, and that's not a bad thing. Olga Borodina is a splendid mezzo-soprano, so this is a double treat.

Songs of Joy and Peace (Yo-Yo Ma and Friends) - A wonderful mix of Yo-Yo Ma and everyone from Diana Krall to Dave Brubeck to Renee Fleming to Chris Botti. Popular songs as well as standard carols and more classical Chrismas music, all tied together with five improvisations on "Dona Nobis Pacem" (Give us Peace). A lovely gift to the ears.

Christmas Harp (no artist given!) - What could be more Christmasy than standard carols played by a harp? I know! From "What Child is This?" to "Silent Night", it's the perfect thing for Christmas Eve.

Christmas (Michael Buble') - The 2011 addition to our collection. We need more crooners. Enough said.

Hope you're listening to your favorite sounds of the season, too.

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 6 - Father Christmas

A gift from a long time friend, Father Christmas has had a place of honor in our home for years. She painted several sets of Santas for her friends and family. We are proud to have one of them.

Somehow he reminds me of the giving and not all the craziness of the season. Clearly he's Father Christmas bring light, or "LIGHT" to the world. Can't get much more clear than that.

PS: Please see Anneke's note. Turns out he's actually Sinterklaas - does that name sound a bit familiar?

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 5 - Oh, Tannenbaum!

Truly one of the big, big days of the season -

The 1st (and prettiest) White House ornament.

the day the tree is trimmed. One can't have too many Christmas trees, altho I find myself limited to two at the moment - a tiny one in my office and the real one in the living room. I want one close at hand so I can enjoy it all day long.We've collected ornaments forever. There are tiny glass balls left from childhood, along with a felt bird (Girl Scouts in the 6th grade) and the purple Merry Christmas ball inherited from Dad. There are ornaments collected from places we have traveled - a flamingo (Florida), Chinese kissing fish (San Francisco), a gourd (Pennsylvania), red pepper (N.M.) and a cut-out of Texas.

Some of these are as old as I am - horrors!

Many are handmade - a clothespin deer, copper stars, an angel made of nails, the tin star on top. There's a collection of angels and one of Santas. A dill pickle for luck and a teddy bear for fun. Many are gifts from friends. Each a reminder of some place or some one - a part of our history.

One of a legion of Santas - mostly old fashioned.

Made in Florida from the scale of a Gar Fish - honest!

Peace on Earth, Good Will to Women.

I'd leave it up all year, but some folks in our house are against that!

It's Monday ... There Must be Flowers in the House!

2011-12-11T19:33:00.001-05:00

Well, there's a tree and a bit of Chrismas cheer on the mantle and on the table, and even on the sideboard, but there would not have been actual flowers except that my sweet boss sent me a dozen roses. Guess she liked the Holiday Party! Am planning a "real" arrangement for Christmas weekend, but this is the best I could do today. Go join Jane's party and see what people with talent can do!

Artificial [duh!] fruit and berries in a natural wood bowl. Festive, but not fussy.

Leftovers from the office party. Might as well put them here ...

... and there.

A mixed dozen of red, pink and lavender plopped in the cut glass pitcher. You can never go wrong with this.

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 4 - Shipping

Gathering all the pretty boxes and packing them in cartons, then anticipating the pleasure they will bring when they are opened Christmas morning.


How did all those packages fit into just four boxes?

It's another high point of the season.

Take good care of them, FedEx. They have a long way to go to Georgia, Tennessee and New Mexico!

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 3 - The Gifts

Wrapping the presents may be my favorite part of the season. I love the paper. I adore the ribbon. I thrive on getting up early in the morning, spreading it all on the dining room table and just wrapping away. [You do have a fabric cutting board, don't you? Works even better for paper!]

All wrapped on Saturday morning.

I was a sucker for the wrapping paper that children [or their parents who work in your office] sell for school fund raising, so I currently have enough paper stockpiled to last at least five years. Sadly, when one works at home, one doesn't get the opportunity to purchase school wrapping paper any more, so the day will come when I have to go accost some child on the street and demand s/he bring me paper ... or else!

With so much else going on this month, I do the shopping and wrapping early - well, at least for the out-of-town gifts. Wouldn't want to totally miss the panic on Christmas Eve when I discover that I have missed something.

Sande (a Gift Wrapped Life) encouraged me to go with fancier ribbon last year, and I have enjoyed that. For my brother's family I did a theme of poinsettia paper with green ribbon, but each person got a different ribbon. They won't notice, but it was fun for me - and that's what it's all about ... right?

This one is headed for New Mexico.

Everyone else is getting the best of the paper I have left, and I'm making another trip to buy more ribbon!

How to Make Glass Block "Lights"

2011-12-07T18:50:00.001-05:00

For those who wanted to know how to make the glass blocks, it's way easy.

Supplies:

1) Glass blocks - available at Lowe's or Home Depot and surely every other big box retail hardware store. Also available at craft stores, altho I found them less expensive at the hardware stores. The "new" ones (sometimes marketed as "craft blocks") come with a 1.25 hole already cut in one of the sides, and usually a plastic "cap" to cover the hole and hold the light string in place. They are usually 9 x 9, but I did find some 6 x 6.

If the block does not have a hole already drilled in it, you will have to do that yourself. I would Google "glass block lights" and find a video or better instructions. You will need a glass drill, and water or oil, and there is a fairly high incidence of breaking the block. Get the pre-drilled kind if at all possible!

2) Lights - I used strings of 50; one string per block.

3) Ribbon. I like the wired ribbon that is somewhat sheer, because I thought it made better bows.

Process:

Stuff the lights inside. Tie the ribbon around the block. That's it.

You can use your imagination all day long, tho. White lights, multi-colored lights, all red, all green, all purple, or a mix of two colors - whatever turns you on, or matches your decor! Then mix or match the ribbon.

I used white lights for everyone and a different ribbon for each couple for whom I made the blocks. I gave them in sets of two. I also think they could be a really nice thing for someone celebrating Chanukah.

I made five sets in one afternoon - it's really easy! And, the total cost is $6 - $10 per block, depending on what kind of deals you get on the pieces parts.

For us, I made the third small block because I wanted to stack them. In the first year, I kept them out all year and changed the ribbon for holidays: red for Valentine's day, green for St. Patrick's Day, and red, white and blue for the patriotic holidays - you get the idea. Got tired of all that ribbon-tying, so have settled for Christmas ever since.

Enjoy! and thanks for asking.

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 2

By now everyone has a set of glass blocks, but several years ago they were an "ah ha" moment for us. We saw they in South Carolina over Thanksgiving and came home and made many blocks for friends and family as gifts that year.

We used all white lights, but I may make some more with multi-colored lights next year. I love the soft glow they give to the floor.

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

There are so many things that I love about this crazy last month of the year. Instead of babbling mindlessly for the next couple of weeks, I'll share the things that are special to me instead.

Day 1 - The Wreath

Growing up we always had a live wreath. Mother and I would go to the market downtown to pick just the right one. They all looked alike to me, but she always had a preference. Years ago I switched to an artificial wreath [partly so that I can leave it up and enjoy it longer], it has changed over the years.

The latest version is a bit over-sized since it's on a large wall. The ornaments were a gift from my sister-in-law a few years ago. Somehow, it feels just right to me, and the perfect way to kick off the season.

Would you like to share your special things of the season?

There's No Place Like Home

2011-11-27T09:11:00.001-05:00

There's no place like home. I feel like Dorothy ... it was a lovely week in a little corner of Paradise, but I was so glad to get home to my own bed last night! Apparently Mitchell was, too. There is still an occasional snore coming from beyond the bedroom door.

We walked on the beach and watched the kingfishers fish. We strolled and enjoyed the peace of the marshes. We ate, we drank, we laughed. The Colonel and Dora visited us for part of the week and we ate and drank with them. Laughed a lot with them. We even slept late and took naps, but still arrived home tired from the road.

We did small business shopping all week. The best was a shop that sells only olive oils and flavored vinegars - The Oilerie. You can taste everything before you purchase and then they decant it and seal it like a bottle of wine (no wonder I love that place!) and label it like a wonderful gift - one you give to yourself.

There are lovely galleries and craft shops on Hilton Head, and clothes (of course). So many wonderful restaurants that the difficult part was choosing just one per night! And, actually, an excellent outlet mall. We hit the latter on the way onto the Island last weekend and never went back. I'll pass on Black Friday, thank you very much!

The best part of the week, tho, was exploring an old cemetery where we spent two days documenting the gravestones. Located overlooking a marsh and deep within a gated community, this is one of the most peaceful places you could hope to visit. The Colonel got interested in genealogy a number of years ago and spent significant time tracing his roots. When he discovered how useful tombstones were to that research, he also got involved in a neat project to document tombstones to help others find information on their family members and ancestors.

Find a Grave is a website where thousands of cemeteries all over the world are documented with photos of individual headstones and as much information as possible is posted about the people buried there. The Colonel has posted more than 14,000 photos over the past few years. Which brings us to Talbird Cemetery on Hilton Head.

It is an African American cemetery that dates back to the middle of the 19th century (or earlier) and contains more than 300 gravesites. It is still in use today. A gentleman who lives nearby has taken on the project of keeping the cemetery mowed regularly and cleared of undergrowth. He is also trying to reset and repair toppled and broken stones.

We spent two days photographing the individual stones, which The Colonel will now post to the website in the hope that others will be able to use that information. We are now looking for information on two other old cemeteries that we might try to document next year.

We spent two lovely days in the fresh air, but ended up thankful that we could do something [ok, something rather odd] that will be helpful for someone who can't come to South Carolina and do it alone. A Thanksgiving well spent!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:51:00.001-05:00

There's so much to be thankful each year. This year it's the sun coming up over the ocean; the Colonel and Dora who are spending the week with us; the 352nd home a month early; and friends in the blogosphere.

Hope you have a great day with those you love!

Guest Garden - Coastal Discovery Museum`

2011-11-22T09:23:00.001-05:00

I've often said this entire island is a garden, but in

Azaleas in November.

November there is a limit to what's actually in bloom. That does not mean that there's not plenty to see. A fairly new addition is the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn. One of the oldest parcels of land, Honey Horn has passed thru many hands to wind up owned by the City of Hilton Head and operated as a museum with 68 acres of land and some interesting gardens.

The museum focuses on the history of the island, which is really the history of America's first freedmen. The slaves of these barrier islands (Hilton Head, St. Helene, Dataw, Lady Island and many smaller ones) were among the first people freed when Union forces started taking lands along the Carolina cost after the fall of Ft. Sumter. Originally formed into several small communities these freedmen and their descendants lived on this land for nearly 200 years before vacation development made it popular, and led to a bridge to the mainland. The museum and its plantings reflect this history.

Bi-color Oleander.

Yupon Holly

Indigo - leaves an

There are small plantings of South Carolina's history crops - Sea Island cotton, indigo, and rice. Sadly, little Sea Island cotton remains - remember the bole weevils from early American history? - and rice production has moved elsewhere, but here you can see these founding plants that aided in the agricultural growth of our country. There are also vegetable plantings to illustrate what was grown for the table and to sell for income in those early years.

In only its fourth year, there is still much to be developed at Honey Horn and many opportunities for community involvement. An interesting little garden, this was a project for an Eagle Scout who planted this area in native carnivorous plants. There are both red and yellow pitcher plants that are native, as well as Venus Fly Trap. And, I suspect the scout designed and "planted" the planter, too.

Red Pitcher Plant

The only "formal" garden is filled with camellias - sadly, not yet in full bloom. The early blooming varieties were lovely and the promise for later in December and January makes me want to come back soon.

One of the wonders of this farm, tho, is the trees. One red cedar is thought to be more than 400 years old. There are several individual trees that are the largest in the state, and there is Spanish Moss everywhere. The feeling of the farm is one of peace and industry, filled with human history. In ten more years, I predict it will be gorgeous.

There is also an interesting sculpture exhibit going on ... but that's a post for another day.

Southern Sunshine

2011-11-20T09:34:00.001-05:00


Honesty requires me to say this is last year's picture!

Sunday morning and the sun is sparkling off the pond outside our door on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Thanksgiving week finds us here like swallows returning to Capistrano.

Some years we spend the week in a tennis clinic, but this year it is pure R & R, with friends coming mid-week to play. Christmas shopping will be high on our list (as always), but there are new high end shops at the outlet mall [think Ann Taylor, the Loft and White House, Black Market] so taking care of "the girls" should be easy and fun. Can't tell you what I buy, of course, since it will be a secret!

Walking and biking may get some attention, and we did bring tennis racquets ... just in case we want to hit a ball or two one afternoon. But the main focus of the week is wonderful restaurants, wine and friends to share it. I'm already a thankful girl!

Road Trip!

2011-11-19T06:37:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things in life is to climb in the car and hit the road.

In my first car - right out of college [you know, in the days when kids didn't get cars until they bought their own!] - I'd think nothing of hopping in my VW and heading west out I-64 to I-81 to make the nine-hour trip Knoxville, Tennessee, to see my mother. Nestled between a couple of 18-wheelers and listening to them babble on the CB radio while I sang with whatever blared from the radio, I'd spend the day traveling light and fast and comfortable in the knowledge that if I did have a problem the truckers would make sure I got help.

Those were carefree, fun times and certainly low tech.

Yesterday as we headed south for a week of "us time" I was reminded of how far we have come since then. When it was my turn to drive, Mitchell turned on his Galaxie and hooked it into the car radio so that we could listen to Pandora as we passed thru the NPR-less radio wasteland. No singing with whatever on this trip.

With Gypsy navigating [get it? GyPSy?] we drove south. [Let's see... the route is I-95 south for seven hours and turn left at Exit 8 in South Carolina. I really needed Gypsy's help!] Then the red lights appeared ahead - like three lanes wide and as far in advance as I could see.

Mitchell jumped the Galaxy to Googlemaps and immediately found us a lovely country road at the very next exit and successfully navigated us around whatever was happening ahead and back onto the Interstate five mile farther south. The tie-up completely averted and a lovely drive thru North Carolina cotton fields.

Let's hear it for technology!

November Bloom Day

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hard to imagine it's the middle of November already. We had the first hard frost just last week, but now it's back to 70's and golden leaves. On a balmy afternoon stroll there was plenty to look at.

Camellia sasanqua 'Sparkling Burgundy'

Only a year old, this sasanqua is doing well. It's been in bloom for more than a month and is still covered with buds. I can hardly wait until it's grown up a bit and turned into a real shrub.

Fothergilla gardenii 'Mt Airy

I know this is not a flower - really, I do - but the play of the bluish-green leaves of the nandina and the golden coin leaves of the fothergilla is just too pretty to ignore.

Aconitum x Arendsii

One poor little Monk's Hood. I am delighted with it, because it has been years since it has bloomed at all. Can't seem to find the perfect spot to put it so that it thrives.

There are also more mundane things still in bloom, like dianthus.

Or, Pacific daisies.

Chrysanthemum pacifica (Ajania)

Or chysanthemums.

Even if they are in a pot.

The real stars of these last few weeks, tho, have been the roses. I understand now why people adore the Knock Out varieties. This one has bloomed and bloomed and will be ... well, a knock out when it's a bit larger.

Rosa 'Radsunny' PP 18562

This one is smaller, but definitely not delicate. It has bloomed non-stop since May and is still covered with tiny buds. Wish I knew its name. The tiny spots of pink are probably a flaw, but I think of them as beauty marks!

The very best thing in the garden right now is not yet in bloom - bearded iris! The re-bloomers that I planted last year have made it thru a summer that was both dry as a bone and overly wet, but they have put up five flower stalks. Had hoped the warm weather this week would push them into bloom, but they are not ready, so none of us gets to see them today after all.

When I decided to participate in Bloom Day, I had no idea that I really would have something in bloom every month, and I am not yet sure. In these parts, tho, the camellias should be in bloom next month, followed closely by the hellebores, so I am hopeful. If you haven't already been to see what else is blooming around the world, please be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens and follow the links. And, special thanks to Carol for being our hostess all year.

Everyone's a Critic!

2011-11-13T17:14:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for a good movie this fall, you might want to try "The Way". Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, it stars Martin Sheen.

(You remember him. He used to go by the name of Jed Bartlett, but after two terms in "The West Wing" he retired to California and became an actor - now known as Martin Sheen - or something like that.)

Beautiful scenery, an interesting story with characters who evolve over two hours.

Well, at least we liked it.

A Little History

2011-11-06T20:00:00.001-05:00

We just spent a long weekend in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It's one of those places that I have always wanted to visit, but never made the time and was never in the vicinity.

Rolling hills and lovely farms surround the borough itself, where a traffic circle marks the intersection of two major routes. The 18-wheelers mix with small and large cars and navigate the circle skillfully. It was fun to just sit and watch the hustle and bustle right thru the middle of town.

We shopped little stores up and down the streets and enjoyed a nice lunch right on the circle. Lots of American crafts and hand made items to choose among, as well as art and antiques. There was a wide variety of things to see, including a wine-tasting room. It would be terrible to not support the local grape growers ... don't you think?

No gardens to visit, but the town center was filled with flowers and fall decorations - all adding to the overall feeling of a fall festival. There was a First Friday event that evening with lots of the boutiques open with specials and serving this and that. Sadly, we were committed to a conference dinner.

Oh. I forgot to say that we made this journey to attend a conference. Mitchell and I both made all the obligatory appearances and then disappeared to shop or to visit the battlefields. I didn't even try to photograph the battlefields - the scale was just too large for my little point-and-shoot. Instead I took pictures of the orchards and vineyards.

A nice place to visit and a good place to remember the terrible war that was fought there. Perhaps fitting that we were there a week before Veterans' Day. Wish we could put that war behind us, but we don't seem to be able to do that yet. A pity. We need to find a way to heal those wounds and come together - sooner, rather than later.

Next week: our big purchase!

Only an Idiot...

2011-11-04T09:17:00.000-04:00

We're on the road this weekend - perhaps more about that in the next few days - but I wanted to share this notice in our room.

Do you need to see it a little bigger?

I'm thinking the same idiot who would hang his clothes on the sprinkler head, would sue for damage when they get wet! But, you gotta believe that this sign would not exist if it weren't needed.

Halloween Flowers in the House

2011-10-31T06:44:00.001-04:00

Jane's (Small But Charming) challenge this month to do "Halloween flowers" was a bit of a push for me, but what is life without a challenge?

First, I totally stole her idea of using a pumpkin as the vase. But orange is not a favorite color of mine, so I went with a softly green one instead. Depending on the light, this beauty can look green, or gray, or even nearly black ... is there such a thing as "light black"?

It's bit large for the number of flowers available in my garden, so I also bought flowers - a pre-mixed bunch and a bunch of coral alstromeria. (Did I mention oasis, florist tape, and florist "picks". I did not use the latter two, but am now prepared for the future! Well, if I can figure out how to actually use them.)

The final product is full of chrysanthemums (purple and green), the coral alstroemeria, and lots of sedum 'Madronna' from my garden. It is nearly dried, but retains a pinky-brown color that I loved with the pumpkin. The "bride" flowers are pale coral lilies (not all open yet), with a supporting cast of miscellaneous blossoms and foliage that came in the mixed bunch - one purple stock and other stuff. [That would be a technical term, I think.]

I didn't like the bright orange chrysanthemums in the mixed bunch, so put them with all the other leftover blooms and some rosemary from the garden into a little bouquet for the kitchen.

If you haven't seen all the others participating in this month's flower display, be sure to hop over to Jane's place and look at the links. Thanks, Jane. This was fun!

We Escaped!

2011-10-30T10:05:00.000-04:00

While Mother Nature was dumping heavy, wet snow up the East Coast north of me, we awoke this morning to the first frost. Somehow, I had forgotten the charm of these early fall frosts - the rising sun just kissing the trees and shrubs.

A hardy salvia still holding its own.

Shrubs kissed by the frost.

And, a day full of promise. A day to light the fire, to read a good book, and to open a nice bottle of wine. Fall's not so bad, after all!

The Cutting Garden

2011-10-26T06:37:00.000-04:00

It's nice to have something that is "starting" in this season of "ending", so working on the cutting garden has been especially satisfying.

An old photo, but you can see plenty of empty space.

Inspired by Belinda (Wild Acre) to jump off and create a new space, I am stretching my gardening limits for next year. Long dedicated to perennials, I am trying my hand at annual cutting flowers. Obviously, I do cut my perennials, but this is a major change in focus. Adequate sun was my first concern, so I looked to the only place - well, other than smack dab in the middle of the front yard - that gets significant sun most of the year. It's a long straight strip of yard on one side - a strip we call the "bowling alley". With no entrance to the house on that side, it's somewhat forgotten. You know, the part of the yard that you only visit because you want to go there. My office overlooks it, so I will be able to keep an eye on this experiment as it grows.

In September I laid out a bed and killed the grass. It's about 25 feet long and 4 feet wide. I used the existing Japanese maple and camellia bush as anchors. There is plenty of room to expand next year. Yes, I am already thinking I need more space.

Once all the grass was dead and gone - "gone" involving digging it all out by hand, since I couldn't get my tiller started! - I started planting in mid-September. Love-in-the-Mist, Bachelor's Buttons, larkspur, and poppies in many four-foot rows.

After a month, I do have plants. Not as many as I had hoped in some areas, so I have replanted more nigella and larkspur. I think the poppies are not supposed to be up yet. I think they were planted in the fall so that they could germinate in the earliest warm days next spring. Belinda told me that they would look like weeds are winter, but I think their fairly neat rows make it clear that they are invited.

The next step is to build a raised bed for sweet peas. Maybe next weekend...

Fall's Best

2011-10-23T20:26:00.004-04:00

Even as it's starting to get cooler - not colder yet, just cooler - the garden is still producing a limited variety of blooms, with some of the chrysanthemums still to come.

After some deadheading this morning, I moved on to cutting a few blossoms to bring inside... heliotrope from a container, plus chrysanthemums, buddelia, mini-roses, and asters.

You've probably noticed that my first choice for a container is always glass. Turns out, that's all I have. Seriously. Not a single opaque container to my name! I have just realized that "clear" carries an extra challenge - hiding the stems.

I stole an idea from someone, and used some Solomon's Seal. I removed all the leaves from one side of the stem and then cut it to fit the length of the vase. That left me with varigated leaves to line the sides, and with glass pebbles added, I had something to hold the stems that doesn't really show.

Belinda (Wild Acre) says I need to find the bride flowers and the bridesmaids, but I couldn't figure that out, so I just started layering in the flowers - checking both sides for balance. First, the heliotrope because its dense leaves also provide a way to support the stems of the other flowers.

Next, the chrysanthemums and asters. Finally, the mini-roses for a pop of white. My grandfather always liked the white flowers in a garden, because he thought they made the colored flowers look better. I think that is true in the vase, too.

And, finally the buddelia to give it both height and length. Lo, and behold, it works! A breath of the outside on the dining room table, filled with the pinks and purples of fall. Now we're ready for good friends who are coming to visit tomorrow. It's all good!

Wednesday Workday

2011-10-18T17:46:00.001-04:00

Saturday was one of those perfect fall days - windy, but sunny and mid-70's. The perfect day to tackle some of the long overdue clean up in the garden, as well as laying out the new bed for the cutting garden. Belinda at Wild Acres has convinced me that I need to try my hand at a cutting garden, so I have spent many nights pouring over catalogs - both paper and online - and ordering seeds.

About a month ago I laid out a new bed just for seeds - which I will show you next week - promise. It is not nearly large enough for my plans, so some renovating was in order.

This area is one of my favorite spots, but doesn't really add anything to the landscape. I planted Pacific Daisies [Ajania pacifica] more than five years ago. They provide lovely foliage for arrangements and bloom a small field of pink in late October, but most of the year this patch is a hodge podge of whatever has spread over there. So, an hour of not-so-hard work and I cleared 90% of the daisies, plus all the odds and ends.

I also pulled out the crocosmia that were growing on the mound above the wall. I never really liked the color, but they were a nice filler. The third year in this garden, I built this wall and mound. I wanted a focal point at the far end of the garden. Mitchell almost died when a truck showed up with a couple cubic yards of .... dirt! Well, it was topsoil. I picked out the stones and brought them home a few at the time in my car and then built the wall - it's only two stones tall. The wrought iron is a gate that I put in the center of the mound with a lovely - altho long gone - clematis twining on it. Now, I am thinking I will move the urn there and replace the mini-rose that's in it with another mini-variety. I need something that blooms prolifically - but that is the future.

In the present, I moved several fall asters [Aster novae-angliae] to above the wall. They were scattered all over the garden and didn't really contribute much. Clustered together, I think they will be prettier.

With that area cleared, I looked around for more space. These flowers seem to be taking a lot of real estate! This corner is also not contributing much to the overall look. There are hardy chrysanthemums that came from Mitchell's mother and have naturalized over the years, as well as several salvias - one of which is a bully - and several lovely day lilies that I hope will spread over time.

A bit of cleaning up and now I have a long view from the deck across both areas to the wall at the back. Don't you think the urn would look good at the end of that view? I'm planning to put the astrantias and dahlias along the wall, along with .... well, don't know exactly what. In the front, I think I will put some zinnias and some more don't-know-what. I still have many packages of seeds to plant in the spring. Not only was it a morning well spent from the garden's perspective, but it was a morning of recharging the batteries and remembering why it is that I love spending time digging in the dirt.

Now, important stuff. FREE to a good home. In the third photo you can see three clumps of day lilies in front of the wall. I could not bring myself to just rip them up. While I do have a couple of places I could put them, I would rather find them new homes. They are the "red" daylily that was developed here in Richmond. I think their name is 'Richmond Spider' [the local college mascot is Spider and their colors are navy and red - get it?]. I am trying to get more information to pass along if anyone wants them.

Each of the existing clumps is about 12 inches across and will divide into at least three smaller clumps and should bloom next spring if you plant them this fall. They are a vigorous plant and grow large with blooms that are about five inches across and prolific. I am a new fan of day lilies, so can only tell you that this one is the biggest - both clump and flower - and most impressive daylily I have ever seen.

If you live in the U.S. and want a clump, please leave me a comment and then email me at webb2206@hotmail.com so we can exchange addresses and I will get them off to you within the next two weeks, so that you can get them planted before are really hard frost. I would like nothing better than to think they were living with friends, and I promise you will love them.

On the Mall

2011-10-16T19:13:00.002-04:00

It was a glorious day on the Mall - yes, that Mall. Sunny and warm; sweater weather in the morning, not so much by noon. Blue skies and a happy crowd.

We were here.

The speaker of honor was there.

Words of remembrance, words of inspiration, words of challenge.

My knees tell me that the D.C. City Engineer has found a way to move the Mall an extra mile from K Street, altho the maps don't support that conclusion. Perhaps too many years have passed since we last joined a throng there?

Too many people around to actually visit the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, but a good excuse to make another trip in the spring. Amtrak is always waiting....

I Could Tell You ...

2011-10-11T18:36:00.001-04:00

Agnes rules the garden and loves fall asters.

That I've been spending these gorgeous golden afternoons on the deck, glass of wine in hand, watching the last of the summer birds visit the garden.
Or, I could tell you that I've been spending a lot of time sitting on the [actual] garden bench reading.

Or, I could tell you that work has been grinding me down for the past month and taking all my attention.

Or. I could tell you that I've been working nearly afternoon in the new cutting garden weeding or in the "old" garden deadheading for the winter.

None of those would be true.

A "red" chrysanthemum. I planted lots.

I could tell you that we just spent a week at the Outer Banks recharging our internal batteries, visiting with friends and eating good seafood.

Or, I could tell you that I've been shopping ... shopping! I hate to shop; have to be dragged kicking and screaming to a mall - preferably outlet or deep discount - and forced to buy for myself, greatly preferring to buy for others. Christmas is coming, you know.

Or, I could tell you that I have gotten so far behind in reading my blog list that I just haven't written in a while.

All of those are actually true.

I hacked the phlox back in August, and surprise! new blooms.

I could even tell you that I got my flu shot yesterday and the pharmacist really did "hit" something - like a tendon, maybe - and it hurt like hell.... and still does... so that I can't use my arm to type. Well, that's only half true - the first part.

But what is also true is that I just haven't felt like writing - no ideas, no energy, no interest, nothing catching my attention. Hadn't even taken a photo in nearly three weeks! It's ennui. I love that word and probably haven't ever written it before, but it describes the lump-on-a-pickle existence that I have led for the past month.


I have tons of pink fall anemones, but suddenly a white one, too.

The county library has finally worked out the kinks so that I can download to my Kindle ... for free! I have read a lot in the last few weeks, but in doing that have wasted so much of this lovely fall. I just don't care. Hope this blue funk goes away soon. October is one of my favorite months and the garden is still full of color. I have lots to do before putting it to bed for the winter, and the weather is perfect right now.

So, I'm reading, just not writing, and am sure the enthusiasm will kick in soon.

Flowers in the House

2011-09-26T08:36:00.001-04:00

Jane's challenge is getting more difficult, since most of the summer flowers are going fast, and the fall flowers, aka chrysanthemums and asters, are just starting to bloom.

,I was able to pull together sedum ('Madrona'), the last of the fall anemones (most of the petals are gone), and lady's mantle, with some greenery from "pacific daisies", Solomon's seal, and the seed heads of my vitex tree. The latter was inspired by Belinda at Wild Acres who uses all sorts of non-flowers in her arrangements. The heavy rains we got this week didn't help either, since they beat down all of the tall flowers and damaged so many things - like the lady's mantle.

I had picked one stem of a different sedum - this one is 'Neon', I think - and had a couple pieces of lady's mantle left over, so I [literally] stuck them into this little vase to keep next to my reading chair. (It looks like we live in a dungeon, but that's just the heavy cloud cover today. It's really a bright cheery room most of the time!) Imagine a glass of wine on that coaster, and my Kindle or a real book near by and you have my favorite reading spot!

Hope you've had a great weekend -well, at least a restful one! And, go see what everyone else has blooming inside today. Start at Jane's.

Pop ... pop ..

2011-09-18T10:09:00.000-04:00

... pop! It's become my favorite sound this summer. The sound of jars sealing on the kitchen counter.

The bounty of our fruit CSA this summer has just overwhelmed us. We've eaten peaches, nectarines and plums daily for weeks, but from the middle of July until now we have just not been able to keep up. It broke my heart to throw away fruit that was over-ripe to make room for each week's new batch. So, in August I learned to can.

I'm a mini-canner. I only make two or three jars (half-pints, at that!) at the time; my largest batch just six jars. But it feels so good to "put something away" for the winter. [I hear my grandmother saying, "waste not, want not" in my ear.] Mind you, I am not sure I will actually let anyone eat any of it.

Yesterday we had a rainy afternoon, so I finished up the week's canning with two jars of plum preserves, four jars of tomato jam, and then in the crock pot overnight six jars of apple butter. I hope to do some pear butter tonight.

So far we have peach, plum, Damson plum, fig and nectarine jams, plus Ginger Plum and Balsamic Plum jams, tomato jam, a sweet red pepper jam, and apple butter. Am planning on pear butter next and then I will have run out of space in my cabinet. Will have to give some away before I can make more!

,
Nectarines mixed with sugar (and Splenda). Let it sit for 15 minutes and then cook it down.

Plum preserves going into the jar. I bought a "canning set" that included this handy dandy funnel, a pair of tongs for getting the jars out of the canning bath, and a magnet to lift the jar tops out of hot water. If you get a canning set, you can be a canner, too.

Tomatoes starting to cook down. The tomato jam is wonderful - tomatoes, cinnamon, red pepper, sugar - and hits most of the bases, taste-wise. It's our favorite find.

Damson plums cooking down. Altho they took a lot of sugar, they are just wonderful. It was my grandmother's favorite jam, but I had only had the commercial variety until now.

Apple butter after a night in the slow cooker. Making butters this way is so easy!

If you will drop by for a cup of tea on the garden bench, now I can promise you a biscuit and jam, too. You're always invited and welcome.

Bloom Day - September

2011-09-15T06:09:00.002-04:00

Can it be the middle of September already? The skies are bluer, the humidity has dropped, and the summer blooming plants have started to perk up. Even the fall plants are starting to look promising. Yes, it must be mid-September.

Obedient Plant has opened like a field of lilac [Physostygia virginiana]. It can be invasive, but in this shady spot I can control it by pulling up handfuls as needed.

And several spring friends have decided to give me a few bonus blossoms... like the Pink Pizzaz [Loropetalum 'Pizazz' TM]. All of its outer branch tips have opened again. The Lady's Mantle nestled at its feet decided to follow suit and bloom, too. Thanks, guys!

The clematis [Clematis hybrid 'H.F. Young'] that is supposed to grow up the mailbox post, but which instead puddled on the ground around it, has suddenly out a handful of blooms.

Out of nowhere one of the azaleas has one lone bloom - right at the top and just a pretty as can be. In a way, it's nice to have just one to look at. In the spring it's the mass of color that we love, but a single bloom has its own beauty now.

The last of some of our summer friends have perked up, too. You've got to love portulaca! What other plant do you know that has blossoms that really are different colors? It's not that they fade from one color to another (like Rosa mutabilis, for example)... they really are different colors.

And the mandevilla is still attracting hummingbirds as they head south for the real winter to come. I've seen two today, but my photo skills are not up to even trying to get a picture of them.

But, it's the fall flowers that are starting to bloom that are really catching one's eye. First, the sedums - both Madronna and Autumn Joy.

The plumbago is bluer than ever and the fall anemones have just started dancing on their slender stems.

And finally the lovely Alma [Aster novae angliae 'Alma Potschke']. In really good years she is just covered in these tiny coral blooms. This year it was so dry (and apparently her mama did not make up for that with watering!) that she is only blooming around the edges. I hope that with the rain we are getting now, she will keep blooming and fill out more.

It's like the garden has taken a deep breath and decided to keep on going, too. With more to come when the mums start arriving at the party.

Hope you have a lovely bloom day and thanks to Carol for hosting us at May Bloom Gardens. If you haven't already been over there, please go and check out some new blogs.

Wednesday* Workday - The Cutting Garden

2011-09-13T20:41:00.000-04:00

Seeds from Stokes and Renee's Gardens and marker stakes.

Thanks to the lovely Belinda (Wild Acre) and her series on how to make a cutting garden, I have set that as my number one project for this fall.

I've identified an area that needs to be cleaned out and re-purposed as a cutting garden, but decided that maybe it's too small for the seeds I want to plant, so laid out a second area in the "bowling alley" - that long, straight side yard with which we have never been particularly excited. It gets lots of morning sun, but water will be a problem. The area I laid out is bounded by the camellia and a small Japanese maple tree - about 25 feet long and four feet wide. If I do get flowers the color will be seen from the street, but not the detail. It will add a layer of color to the side yard.

Using the instructions from Belinda's friend Ben, I set out this afternoon to plant the hardy annuals I bought ... Nigella (Love in the Mist) in pink

Grass killed, dug out, raked with plant food and humus added.

'Mulberry Rose', blue 'Persian Violet' and white 'Bridal Veil', poppies 'French Flounce' and 'Shirley', stock (multi-colored) and larkspur ('French Alouette', 'Earl Grey', 'Cannes Rose Stripe' and 'Cannes Deep Blue').

In fairness I should say that Belinda did not recommend growing larkspur, but it's one of those flowers that I have wanted to grow since I was a teenager. I think I first met it in a Nancy Drew mystery, something like "The Mystery on Larkspur Lane". Have bought seeds several times, but always discovered too late that they should have been planted in the fall - not this time!

I followed Ben's directions: watered first, marked the rows with sand, and then watered it all again. Ben didn't tell me to put in tags, but I did it anyway!

Rows marked with sand and labeled.

I can hardly wait to see what comes up!

While I only used about 2/3 of the seeds, I am not sure where I will find enough space to plant the rest of what I already have. In addition to these, I have plenty of seeds for spring - scabiosa, cosmos, cornflowers, and sweet peas, plus astrantia and zinnias that are ordered, but have not yet arrived. Had planned to do a second planting in a couple of weeks, but now I am thinking of waiting until spring and just mixing all of the leftover seed together and broadcasing it - but I don't have a clue where!

So, now we wait. I'll let them come up in a couple of weeks and get started, then they follow Persephone to Hades and sleep for the winter, to re-emerge in March ... hopefully with flowers! This is so much fun!

*I know it's only Tuesday, but couldn't wait until tomorrow!

Remembering

2011-09-11T15:34:00.000-04:00

Today has been one of those days when everything has seemed out of kilter.

We need to remember the events of ten years ago, but how? Somehow, the televised memorials this morning seemed over the top, intrusive to the families of those who died, and somehow too public. I watched a bit of this and a bit of that, but did not feel comfortable with any of it.

People who know more than I have written movingly about those who perished and those who were left to carry on behind; about those who served and those who waited. I've read and read this week, but somehow still feel conflicted and .... empty.

I think that's really it... empty. Ten years, thousands of young lives and limbs left in the streets and fields of Iraq and Afghanistan and we still feel vulnerable and empty; still don't quite know what to do.

I worked in the garden - the thing that always makes me feel the most calm and at peace - and emailed the woman with whom I spent that morning. Just wanted to remind her how much her presence meant to me then... as it does now. Maybe that's the best I can do today.

If we can try to work together to hold a fitting memorial to those who died on September 11, 2001, why can't we come together to do the right things for the country we hold so dear? Maybe that would make us all feel full again.

Ah, September!

2011-09-04T13:22:00.002-04:00

What is it about August that just sucks the life out of everything - not just the garden, but the people, too? I used to think it was July that did it, but now I realize that it's really August.

The garden has looked like Norma Desmond for the last few weeks - ready for close-ups only. The panoramic views have been much too depressing. The humidity soared making even the smallest, most simple chore exhausting. It was too muggy to sit on the deck and enjoy the comings and goings of the birds and butterflies, and the pots were requiring oceans of water just to stay alive.

For the humans around here it was a difficult month, too. A birthday party that brought many together for a fun evening was repeatedly threatened by the only rain of the month. Surgery and recuperation followed at a snail's pace, and then the earthquake and Irene. All in all, a lousy 30 days!

Now, finally, the first stirrings of fall have appeared with September. A bit less humidity (well, not today!) and the bright skies that accompanied Irene's high pressure ridge. Significant rain from Irene that has refreshed plants and started a late season burst of blooms. The fall-blooming plants are perking up, and people seem more calm and refreshed. Suddenly I am filled with plans for the fall - putting in a new cutting garden topping the list - and feel like I have the energy required to see these plans thru. It's like a mid-year beginning. Maybe it's the rhythm of the school year that flows in our blood even after all these years away from school. Perhaps September is the real start of our year, not January.

In any case, I welcome this new feeling of hope and energy and the desire to get outside and do something in the dirt. I think it augers for good things to come yet this [calendar] year!

Starbucks!

2011-08-29T15:29:00.000-04:00

48 hours and still no power, no phone, no wifi so I have joined the Gen Y'ers working at Starbucks! and charging up my pc for later.

Blue skies and cooler temps so sleeping should be better tonight. Much food to cook if power's not restored by tomorrow.

The Prettiest Day of Summer....

2011-08-29T15:24:00.000-04:00

… is the day after a hurricane. Gone the rain and wind; gone the gray skies; gone the fear – all replaced by a high pressure ridge that brings sun and puffy clouds, the buzz of chainsaws and the chucka-chucka of home generators. Yes, today is a “glorious day in the Commonwealth”.

Our damage is so minor as to be laughable. This is the sum total. Well, I did have to prop up a buddleia and may lose it, but nothing else. We are without power – along with 400,000 others – so camping on the deck has become the game. ‘Fridge emptied into coolers and chest freezer packed with newspaper to hold for a couple of days. We’ll be cooking all the food in the kitchen freezer today – on the grill, of course.

So, that’s my hurricane report. Since I have so little to tell you – and it’s potentially so much worse elsewhere – I’m including a memoir Mother wrote a few years ago when she was working on her “family memoir”. It’s a more interesting story.

Trees and Daddy Refused to Bow to Hurricanes

The pine trees along the edges of the golf course fairway were breaking like wooden kitchen matches. From my place behind the French doors I could look through the screened porch to see and hear them clearly. With each sharp crack, as the tree trunks whipped by the gale winds weakened and broke, I would jump and look quickly to see the top of the tree either fall to the ground or hang upside down from a stubborn splinter of pinewood. Tree after tree met its fate that way. I was ten years old and experiencing my first hurricane, both scared and excited.

The first we heard of the approaching storm was when my father came home early from his Norfolk office to tell us to get ready for a `big blow` that seemed to be coming our way. It had been the talk of Granby Street that day. There were no early forecasts, as we have today, no probable courses of the storm, no hurricane hunters, no weeks- ahead predictions, just a father coming home early to tell us to get ready for a hurricane. It was the only alarm we needed.

Mother went first to her emergency shelf in the pantry. Here she kept the supplies needed for the fairly frequent power outages to be expected in the one-power-line town, Virginia Beach in the 1930`s, where a northeaster or an accident to the line could make the town dark. Our house lights dimmed when the trolley passed the block.

Mother was prepared with her prized Sterno camp stove, kitchen matches, extra candles, and kerosene lamps. She checked to see if a new can of Sterno was needed before dispatching Daddy off with a canned goods list to go to the store and to the ice house on Norfolk Avenue for a large block of ice to put in a galvanized tub, for extra food storage. All hands turned out to bring in lawn furniture, bicycles, and anything that might blow around in high wind; a routine preparation then, as it is now.

But this time there was an urgency to my parents` directions. We were told to get a pair of shoes with socks, bundle them in a sweater and place them next to the wall in the dining-room on the floor, where we could get them easily, if we had to “get out”. I did not realize the full meaning of “get out”, but it had an ominous ring and I made my bundle. Mother was very aware of the huge pine tree about six feet from the north wall of the house which, if it fell, would fall on the house.

Our house was three blocks back from the ocean front at the beginning of the Princess Anne Country Club golf course, surrounded by a heavy pine forest beside the first fairway. Only the immediate area around the house had been cleared, at my Mother`s request because she treasured her pine trees. We had no worries about a flood that far back from the ocean, but the trees were another question.

Before the wind and rain began, there was a strange yellow color to the atmosphere, and a calm before the winds began to increase and the rain came in torrents. We had our last hot meal, glued to the radio before the power failed. When the lights were replaced with lanterns and candles and the radio silent, my father announced that he was going to bed.

I don`t recall when the eye of the storm passed over us, but I do remember how strange the sudden calm felt. It lasted a while before the winds came back full force but from a different direction. Now the rain attacked the windows on another side of the house. It was back to the rolled towel dams again.

Finally, when it all stopped, we ventured out to assess the damage. There were nine trees down and across the power line from corner to corner of the block beside our house. Not one of them came from our yard. We had not lost a single tree. Mother`s fondness for those tall pines had paid off in an unexpected way.

They grew so thick and close together that they protected each other from whipping in the extreme gale, and did not break. Even the large one beside the house was still intact, minus a few branches and a lot of needles; still standing guardian over the house.

Later, my father discovered that the house had been skewed off its foundation by about 6 inches on one corner. We children found that we could place a marble on the floor of an upstairs corner bedroom and it would roll unaided to the opposite one, downhill all the way. We tested it many times.

Walking down to the oceanfront, stepping carefully around the downed power lines, we found a devastation we could hardly believe. The beach sand had washed inland, covering Atlantic Avenue and washing as far as Pacific Avenue and the railroad tracks. It covered the private yards in between, including the fragrant bed of petunias Mrs. Parker planted each year that usually scented our walk to the ocean.

In place of the last line of dunes before the beach, there was a bank of clay to the breaker line. Walking on the clay was a slippery adventure to reach the Cavalier Beach Club two blocks away. There we saw a destroyed dance floor, sand in piles everywhere, and a new sand dune where the bandstand had been. On top was the piano tilted at a precarious angle. The houses on the oceanfront had suffered some damage and all had sand covering the first floor. The waves had been breaking against their front doors.

The next month there was a second, less severe hurricane that followed the path of the first one. My family again followed the same routine of preparation, and once again, we lost no trees. Mother said it was because she lived right. Daddy said it was because he slept through that one, too.

Nell Webb Midgett

And, Gaston, too.

2011-08-27T11:52:00.000-04:00

Camille, Agnes, Hazel, Isabel... now Irene.

My love affair with hurricanes began before I even remember it. My earliest summer memories include lying in Grandmother's sleigh-bed listening to the wind howl off the ocean, beating the pines against the window, the crash of the waves sounding like a thousand trains roaring up the beach. Lucky enough to summer at Virginia Beach, we were experienced in riding out hurricanes. It's in our blood.

Mother's family moved to the beach in 1929 - real estate developers didn't do well in that year, and my grandfather had lost the "big house" in Norfolk. They were one of three homes in the glittering new development he was building.... and which would not be finished in his lifetime. Perched on a hill overlooking the golf course of his dreams, his home would bear the brunt of storms year after year - enough force to move the house nearly six inches on its foundations.

Dad's family moved to the beach on the day of the '33 Hurricane (no names in those days). The builder rushed to get the last touches done and turn over the keys at noon, so that he would not be responsible for damage. Located only three lots from the beach, it withstood that storm and many more, but often had water in the first floor.

The house I summered in was two blocks from the oceanfront - a sturdy four-square, two story house that was well built to the standards of the late 1940's. It never suffered in any storm and I predict it will survive Irene as well. Over the years storms came and went, but never a direct hit and we learned to gear up for the damage, enjoy a hurricane party (more interesting for the adults than for the kids), and then clean up the following day when the skies would clear and it would be the prettiest day of the summer.

The most exciting one I ever experienced was Fran, who trapped us in a church daycare center on Bimini. We were sailing and scuba diving in the Bahamas when she interrupted our week. I would never sign on for the "hurricane cruise", but it was one of the most fun weeks of my life. Until you have been adopted by the local church and camped on their floor with 30 strangers... you may not have lived!!

There's something wild, wonderful and terrible in the winds and waters moving together with that awesome force. Water flung up on the shore while the heavens dump water as if from an enormous fire hose. It's a bit like the "bad boy" in high school, or that gorgeous professor one lusts after in college. Way too scary, but appealing in some core-deep way. Like a moth, you want to touch the flame, even if you know you might get burned.

So today I find myself doing the things that need to be done - charging all electronic devices and doing the laundry while we still have electricity, downloading ebooks to read (wonder if I will need a real one?), filling the tub with water in case we need it, refilling the propane tank so that I can cook and watching the TV 24/7 for the next update. While pines are built to sway with the wind, deciduous trees are not. Our biggest danger is downed power lines causing a significant outage for several days.

The rain started before dawn, but has not yet gotten heavy. The winds are gusty now, but not really strong. The worst part is not due here for six more hours. A part of me is relieved that it will not be worse, but a part of me longs for the excitement that would come from being at the beach today, closer to the eye wall, closer to the action. Closer to that bad boy.

It Wasn't California, but...

2011-08-23T17:25:00.001-04:00

Rockin' and rollin' in Richmond this afternoon. We were in a small examine room at the doctor's office when suddenly there's this roar.

"Oops," I think, "their air conditioning unit is about to blow!"

Then the floor started shaking.

Then the walls - for two and a half minutes.

Then ... nothing.

It's a little known fact - well, at least until today - that there is a very active fault that runs parallel to and just west of I-95 straight thru Virginia. Did I mention that we live one mile west of I-95? Apparently there are hundreds of quakes a year, but they are normally so deep that we never feel them.

Today was the exception. Virginia Tech tells us it was 5.8 - the strongest recorded quake in more than 100 years, and centered 45 miles to our west. The Weather Channel tells us they felt it in Washington and the local channel says that the Secret Service felt it in Martha's Vineyard. Elizabeth tells me she felt it in New Jersey and Marie tells us that she and Don Estorbo had their evacuation plan made and nearly put it into action.

The good news is that there was little damage anywhere, but it certainly did give me a new appreciation of what happens in California on a regular basis. Oh, and now we need to get ready for Irene, who's apparently coming for dinner on Saturday. Now, hurricanes we know how to handle!

PS: All reports from the doc were good.

Sunday in the Garden

2011-08-21T12:01:00.000-04:00

How I love how that feels - Sunday in the garden. After two months of swelter - well, you all know how it has been in the States - today I finally spent three quality hours in the garden this morning. Not just deadheading and weeding, but actually planting... planting!

It's a great time to prowl the garden centers for perennials on sale and I found some good buys yesterday on Asian lilies, as well as some hardy mums that I used to fill out the planters in the front of the house.

It was also clean-the-pond-filter day, which is actually fun - well, usually. The water feels good on my hands, and the fish like to come and curiously bump my hands and arms. Today, of course, the pump refused to restart so I had to go buy a new one. But I was rewarded for my efforts by both clearer water and a pink water lily. While the yellow one blooms all summer, the pink one is more sporadic and did not bloom at all last year.

And, finally, in honor of Jane's vacation and because I have made a commitment to Belinda that I will cut more flowers.... I cut some flowers for the house. The planters are overflowing with color, so I picked some mini-dahlias and many verbena. They were difficult to work with because their stems were both short and curvy. I guess that's one of the first lessons. Note to self.... choose flowers with stronger and straighter stems.

A Mis-Spent Vacation

2011-08-17T20:29:00.000-04:00

Here it is hump day of my week's vacation and I haven't crossed anything from my "to do" list. I had such plans - to work in the garden, to do a few projects around the house, to do a bit of shopping - you know, all those things that busy women push aside for "later", but later never comes.

It has been nice to sleep a little later in the mornings, not to rush home from jazzercize, and I have managed to not check my business email or return business phone calls. (The down side of working from home, is that you are always "on duty" and too easy to reach.) But, so far, no garden time, no shopping and until this afternoon no projects.

Today I made Tomato Jam! I've been using the abundance of stone fruits and berries this summer for jams and decided to try something a little different today - a jam of Roma tomatoes with sugar, spices, line juice and red pepper flakes. Easy to make (no peeling of the tomatoes) but my first real canning in a water bath in years. I found the recipe at a fun blog called Food in Jars.

====

The cooking was a snap. I just stirred it occasionally while it simmered down to about one third of the original volume. It took about two hours, but I think I could have simmered hotter and faster. Then into jars, twenty minutes in the water bath and voila!

So, all's well now at our house. Mitchell is home from his little overnight at the hospital and feeling a little punk. About three weeks and he should be back to normal. Guess he will be my project for the next couple of days and I'll worry about shopping next week.

But we do have jam.

For Better or for Not-so-Good

2011-08-16T11:15:00.000-04:00

Marriage is a wonderful state. That feeling of belonging wholeheartedly to another. The sense of completeness that being together brings. The safety of being part of a whole. The joy of celebrating the other's birthday and enjoying it more than your own.

But the Not-so-Good days come, too. The morning spent waiting to hear that the cancer has not spread. The hours spent working on a seed order for the garden, while waiting for the surgery to be done. The upbeat emails sent to friends, all the while worried that it is taking longer than they said. [Turns out they were an hour late starting, but no one thought to mention that.]

Yes, marriage is definitely worth all the time and effort we put into it, but when the other half if "in sickness" it's not quite as nice.

Celebration!

2011-08-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

I love it when a plan comes together - especially when it brings friends and family together to celebrate a significant birthday. Elizabeth and CJ arrived Friday afternoon to help with final set up and logistics, while Abby and her husband came early to deliver folding chairs. (It is a huge help to have a friend who throws big parties and who owns 40+ chairs!)

The carport makes a nice shaded space to eat, while the deck and yard are good for congregating. The weather mostly cooperated. We set up early in the morning, only to have rain roll thru at 11:00. Quick, bring everything inside. Rain again at 2:00 and back inside. Finally at 4:00 when we had to make a go-or-no-go decision the skies cleared and we moved outside for good. The rest of the evening was warm and lovely - perfect for an outside gathering.

Tables covered in bright colors - turquoise, yellow and green with orange napkins, yellow cups and Gerbera daisies in hot colors.

Games in the yard for young and old.

I love the way that a game can provide the common denominator that helps bring people together. My college friend re-discovering that she knows a former co-worker of Mitchell's. Or, our Hispanic neighbors patiently letting my boss practice his college Spanish on them. Sadly, his joke didn't make it in translation. Mitchell's tennis partner and his friend from South Africa discovering a common interest, and extended family meeting a wide variety of our friends, two children and a puppy.

Dinner of pulled pork (from his favorite BBQ restaurant), baked beans (my step-mom's best recipe) and coleslaw followed by a homemade pineapple upside down cake for the birthday boy. All favorites chosen by the honoree.

Apparently our guests cannot read, tho. He had eschewed gifts, [Don't you love that word. I think I have never used it before!] but many came anyway - mostly drinkable and readable - so he will have many reminders of a fun day and evening.

The youngest helped to feed the fish in the pond and played corn toss, but ended up - as kids do these days - with the electronics they brought along, playing until bed time while the adults talked.

Overall, a great day for everyone - even the cook! Wish you could have been with us, too.

Sunday was a bit on the rainy side, but a delicious and easy breakfast of Jane's Boozy Baked French Toast got us off to a good start and all remnants of the festivities soon disappeared.

August Flowers in the Garden

2011-08-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

When I saw Belinda's post earlier this morning and realized that today is the day to take a serious look at what's blooming, my immediate thought was, "Oh no!" I consider this the Norma Desmond time of the summer, and my garden definitely does not seem to be ready for any close-ups. In looking a littler harder, tho, I realized that close-ups are just what the doctor (or director?) ordered. There's actually a lot to love today, if you look closely.

Purslane - an impulse buy this spring, but I have liked it a lot.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Hardy Plumbago) - Not the prettier, tall, phlox-like plumbago, but this one makes a nice ground cover that blooms late into the fall. It has dark blue flowers and needs little water.

The last of the phlox. Don't know which one this one is, but it is very resistant to mildew and has bloomed for several months now.

Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura' PP # 10030 - A native of hot southern hemisphere climates, this little beauty is starting her second season. She went dormant for six weeks in June and July now is coming back. Wish I could get a pink one to grow half as well as this tiny yellow one.

Nymphaea hybrid yellow 'Nenufar' - Mother bought this at Wal-Mart five or more years ago for my birthday. It thrives in a pond liner with virtually no food and no care. There is a resident family of camera-shy frogs, too.

Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood' - a lovely small sedum in the most wonderful coral color.

Mystery plant - I think it's a catmint, but cannot find any record of it. Horrors!

Rosa 'Radsunny' PP 18562 (shrub) - The new Knock Out rose has bloomed and bloomed and bloomed. The plant has nearly doubled in size, as well. If it can make it thru the winter, I think I have a winner for the future.

Mandevilla - a lovely red one that is digging this heat.

Another mystery plant - The foliage looks iris-like, but I failed to keep the tag - egads!

And no summer day would be complete without a bit of buddleia davidii - this one is 'Black Knight'.

If haven't already visited with Carol and the other gardeners, be sure to stop by here.

PS: If you know either of my mystery plants, please let me know.

PPS: Birthday party tomorrow.

Wednesday Workday

2011-08-11T18:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it's already Thursday, but I have been busy since Wednesday getting ready for the big Saturday soiree.

Menu planned - check!
Groceries purchased - check!
Guest room and bath cleaned - check!
Lights hung in the carport - check!
Flowers picked up - check!

There is still plenty to do tomorrow,

cut the grass,
arrange the flowers,
sweep and dust (and hopefully pick up the rug from the carpet cleaner).
make the Boozy Baked French Toast - yes, Jane, of course -
meet Elizabeth at the train station...

but I have taken the day off and hope to fit in a mani-pedi. (Can't have company with bad nails, can I?) Getting ready is so much fun! See ya later!

Implementing the Plan

2011-08-06T19:13:00.000-04:00

We don't entertain - at least not CROWDS. You know, a couple or two for dinner; once we had eight. But since we moved to this smaller house [only 11 years ago] we have not had a big party. But a big birthday deserves a big party... and Mitchell is celebrating a big birthday next weekend.

Imagine putting on a party for grown-ups with a child's touch. "Can I pick the guest list?" "Of course. It's your birthday." "Can I invite my tennis team?" "Of course." "And, Hank? and the little girls?" "Of course." "Can we play bocce?"

So, it will be a blend of old friends and new, tennis partners, a few from work, family, BFF's, and the nice couple across the street. About 20 in all, so not a mob, but way more than we can manage inside, so a picnic in the carport, with games in the yard. Wine, beer, pulled pork, tomatoes, of course. And a very special birthday cake - the honoree's favorite.

Menu picked, colors decided - hot lime, hot citrus yellow, orange and aqua. Lots of Gerbera daisies to arrange [sorry, Jane, I shouldn't use that word, when I really mean "stick into available vases"!], enough plates and wine glasses. I've collected votives in green (citronella) and orange and an assortment of small vases. Plans well underway.

I spent the morning deadheading in the garden and then we spent the afternoon hosing down the deck, the driveway and the car port and washing off the yard chairs. Elizabeth and her husband will be here on Friday to help me with final details and a week from now we will be sitting down to dinner. It'll be fun. I can hardly wait!!

Getting Back to Life

2011-08-04T17:44:00.000-04:00

After three months of pure hell at work, life if finally starting to return to normal. Tho I've been keeping up by reading sporadically, the last thing that I have had energy for is finding something to write about. I guess I have been so focused on work that it was all I could think about, and the last thing I wanted to write about. [Clearly still too tired to clean up the grammar above!]

We did accomplish a project that was huge and complicated, but which took its toll on everyone. Mitchell worked a zillion hours taking a load off of me, but still it has taken nearly two weeks to finally catch up on sleep and discover there is a world outside.

So, May has slipped into June; June disappeared into July; and July baked into August. It seems like the heat wave might dissipate some this weekend and I hope to get into the garden - at least to deadhead a bit... ok, a lot!

Flowers in the House

2011-07-25T12:22:00.000-04:00

Late July and finding something nice to cut is a real challenge. A week of soaring temperatures followed by a wonderful downpour last night did not really leave me many choices.

I should have been cutting phlox for three weeks. It has been lovely in the border, but as usual I waited until the rain had beaten it down. There are three shades here - names unknown. The spiky stuff is Agastache 'Ava' aka Hummingbird Mint and the dark leaves are Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'.

Initially I put this little bit in the guest bath, and it looked darling. The more I thought about it, tho, the more I wanted to be able to enjoy it.

So I moved it to a small table next to my chair. No more dew on the petals, but it's right here where I can enjoy it... now!

Thanks to Jane at Small But Charming for hosting this little visit into many flowered homes today. If you haven't checked it out, please do. You are in for a treat!

This is All I have to Say...

2011-07-21T18:08:00.000-04:00

Wedding Flowers

2011-07-17T17:09:00.000-04:00

NO! I did not arrange any flowers for a wedding, but I did attend one that had lovely flowers. Well, most of them were lovely.

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of roses, stock and a bit of delphinium. I think the bride's bouquet was the same, but did not really see it! oops! With deep purple dresses, they were lovely.

The cake was topped with the lavender stock and delphinium.

The cake table also had this pretty little nosegay of the darker stock, with some of the lavender.

And this was the altar arrangement that also went on a table at the entrance to the reception.

It was lovely - from a distance. More stock in both lavender and purple, pink and lavender roses, something white (Jane will know what it is.) and lovely blue delphinium... that was well on the way to wilted by the time it arrived at the reception. Delphinium does not grow well here, and I am sure it was brought in from afar, but it didn't last. By the end of the reception, it was seriously drooping. I am probably the only one who noticed. [You all have done that to me! I was also the only person taking photos of the flowers, but I did want you to see them.]

A good time was had by all.

July 15th - What's Blooming?

2011-07-15T07:50:00.000-04:00

May and June passed in a fog of working too hard and too much, so I took an hour off this morning to share what's blooming in July.

The mandavilla is slowly making its way up the tower.

The callas seem to be struggling a bit this year, but it may still be a bit early for them. These open white, but then darken to a mid-pink. They are not supposed to be hardy here, but don't tell them! I have had these for more than 10 years and have moved them twice. [Maybe that's why they are struggling - they are tired!]

The very last gladiola. They have been pretty this year.

Always the last shrub to bloom is Clethera alnifolia 'Ruby Spice'. It's worth the wait!

The mini-rose blooms all summer long. These flowers are about an inch in diameter, and last forever - even cut and in the house.

This year's experiment - a Sunny Knock out rose [Rosa 'Radsunny' PP 18562 (shrub)]. It opens pale yellow and fades to white. I think this one is finally happy and putting out blossoms consistently.

From the xeri-garden we get Hummingbird Mint [Agastache x 'Ava']. It blooms most of the summer, but the bees and butterflies are all over it right now.

And the star of the front bed is phlox. There are three shades, but I don't know their names - a pale lavender (left), a white and pink bi-color (center) and a deep lavender (right). I just love them. I see a vase in their near future.

July would not be complete without crepe myrtle. This one is 'Centennial'.

Four inches are rain last week = good! Three days of high 90's heat this week = bad, so the garden is not sure if it's coming or going! There are still plenty of pretties to share. Can't wait to see what's in your garden today. Join the fun at May Dreams Garden!

Help needed...

2011-07-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

The Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago was heavily damaged this week by hail. They are looking for help. Read Mr. Green Thumb's post if you would like to know a bit more or would like to help.

Thanks!

Wednesday Workday

2011-07-06T06:46:00.000-04:00

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

It's been a difficult spring and summer to get anything done - at least anything personal. The very small company for which I work landed a huge contract that started mid-April and will wind up in early August and has meant lots of 14-hour days for me; bad meals and inattention to Mitchell; and just no time for anything fun. Add the wrist issue and I have not been writing or doing much - not even in the garden.

I did finally manage to complete a project we started in January. You might remember that we put in hard wood floors right after the holidays. Once that was done, we resurfaced our kitchen counters - replacing the dark green formica with a speckled black epoxy surface. I intended to tell you all about it, but never even took the pictures to show the process. this is the only photo I can find of the old counters.

It's a much more modern look and immediately made the walls look ... well, insipid! [Don't think I have ever written that word before!] Here's the new counter.

For months I have dithered about what color to paint the walls to give the room a punch. three trips to the local big box store to get paint samples, days of looking at one-inch square samples and wondering what they would look like all over, many samples discarded and more brought in. Finally, about a month ago we settled on "Ridge View".

My Fourth of July gift to myself was a day to paint. For the first hour I had big doubts about my decision but as it dried and the sun started pouring into the kitchen, I started to smile. What you think?

This is the window corner - always full of light.

And this is the side
where I prep ... and
more than likely dump everything I carry home.

Mitchell had also changed out all the gold-toned knobs for a pewter tone. And finally, we decided that to complete the more sophisticated look, we needed a pendant light. One last trip to the big box and quite a struggle to get all the bolts and nuts and screws and wiring to fit into a tiny little canopy [the electrician is worth every penny you have to pay him!], we are done. It's the room we do the most work in. It might as well be a place that makes us feel good.

One of the joys of a home you love is when ten years later you can make a change and love it even more!

A Lovely Surprise!

2011-07-04T10:39:00.008-04:00

After too many days away from the garden, I finally got a chance to roam and visit old friends last night. And, found a new friend, too.

Jane (Small but Charming) and I collaborated last spring and decided that ranunculus will grow in zone 7, so we each ordered an assortment. I planted three dozen bulbs in April or early May, and early on it looked very promising. In the last few weeks, tho, the greenery has started to fall down and dry back. Finally, I only had about three that still looked green and perky. Perky, indeed!

The strategy now is to keep watering, feed them this fall, and mulch well in hope of keeping them warm enough thru the winter. It may be that they were planted too late in the year to come to full bloom this first year and with a little extra TLC will do better next year ... and bloom earlier in the spring, before the heat moves in.

I also got rain lilies [Zephyranthes 'sunrise mix'] and pineapple lily [Ecomis 'Katie'] from the same source. The latter now has lovely scapes, but no sign at all of flower spikes. I think the rain lily may have bloomed a few weeks ago. I had a mystery flower in the general area where I put the rain lilies [note to self: mark new plantings!] Anyone know for sure?

Perhaps my biggest garden failing is that I hate to actually cut the flowers. I love seeing them "out there", but as a result don't get to enjoy them inside. New leaf turned over!

Hope you are enjoying the Fourth!

The Fourth of Freedom

2011-07-03T08:27:00.004-04:00

It's way too easy to push back in the recliner, read a little, watch the tennis tournament and drink a bit of wine this weekend and forget what it's all about.

Unless you actually know someone in the military, we take them too much for granted. And even then, it's too easy to mistake a year in Afghanistan as... say a "few weeks out of town". Don't live near Fayetteville, North Carolina? easy to forget the thousands deployed from there who have left behind wives, children and small businesses that are struggling without the income from the normal population.

As a rule we are pretty uninvolved in the lives of those military men and women who are working in so many places around the world to protect the freedoms we celebrate tomorrow.

In two weeks Mitchell and I will help to celebrate the marriage of Megan and Andy. Three weeks later he will leave for three months in Qutar. He's an Air Force pilot and, altho they have spent a lot of time separated already, she will soon need to learn the new role of military wife in a city she has only visited.

Today, Allison will start the day with only 300 or so wake ups left before her Neil comes home from Afghanistan. If you don't have any friends in the military, you might want to check out her blog - 400 Wake-ups. She talks frankly about what it's like to be left behind and how the day-to-day craziness in Washington affects real, live, flesh and blood soldiers and their families. She's also all about fun, so it's a good read.

The main thing is that we all need to stop every day and remember there are real people all over the world to whom we owe our thanks and our concern. We need to pay more attention to military families and to the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who are recovering from their wounds and trying to put their lives (and bodies) back together.

It's too easy to remember for one day each summer as we picnic, listen to the band and shoot off a bottle rocket or two.

We need to do it every day. well ... not the bottle rocket thing!

Flowers in the House!

2011-06-26T12:54:00.007-04:00

Two lovely warm - not hot! - days in the yard. Mostly sitting and enjoying [yes, with a bit of wine!] but time to cut a few poseys for the house.

Hydrangeas, of course. Some of everything in bloom: 'Bailmer', 'Taube', 'Glowing Embers', and 'Nigra'. Only 'Lady in Red' has not yet started blooming. I think she needs more water.

And then a handful of everything: shasta daisies, 'Bailmer' hydrangea, gerbera daisy, monarda 'Raspberry Wine', cat mint, pink yarrow, lavender, and heliotrope.

And, one more hydrangea for the kitchen.

What more could a girl ask? Can't wait to see what everyone else has! If you're not a "regular" to Monday Flowers in the House, follow me over there and see who's playing this week!

Mr. Mouse is Not my Friend...

2011-06-22T21:23:00.003-04:00

A big graphics project at work. Lots of work on my plant database [someday I will write about that.] A bit of blogging. Way too much solitaire... = repetitive stress injury! And a lovely wrist brace. And limited mobility. And all the Aleve I need.

So, for a couple of weeks it will be only a picture here and there and as many words as I can type left-handed.

All is well. I can still read.

10-10-10 Update

2011-06-12T18:17:00.007-04:00

Occasionally one needs to pay the piper, or at least acknowledge his presence.

To quickly recap, I decided that October 10, 2010 (10-10-10) seemed like a good day for new beginnings, so I decided that it was a good time to seriously work on losing a bit of weight. I found a good website - MyFitnessPal.com - for logging both exercise and calories and set some goals for myself. It helped that Mitchell felt similarly motivated, so we could be supportive of each other - especially in the kitchen and when eating out.

Since then - just over seven months - I have lost 20 pounds. Hoorah!

There have been lots of little successes. I'm down one pants size and on the verge of moving down one more. [Still wondering if the post-menopausal belly will ever really shrink?] People are noticing my smaller size and making nice, supportive comments. I have become known as a regular at Jazzercise, and I have finally found a form of exercise that I not only enjoy, but also look forward to - that's a big change. And, I have gotten comfortable with smaller portions and saying "no" to lots of snacks that I used to eat mindlessly.

About a six weeks ago, however, I fell into the big trap that all of us need to avoid with any behavior change - complacency. My computer was in the shop for a few days and quickly as that I lost the habit of daily journaling. No big deal, I thought. I've been doing this long enough that I can do it without writing everything down. Wrong! I also stopped noting any progress on my blog. Ah... there wasn't any. [Denial, anyone?]

My weight loss stopped. Up a pound, down a pound, up a pound, down a pound. I took care of that by just not weighing for several weeks! [Did anyone see that ostrich?] I was lucky because I was controlling things pretty well without journaling, but I really stopped making progress.

If I were at my goal weight it would be ok to hang in there on a plateau, but I ain't there yet!

So, it's time to take stock and make a new commitment. Daily journaling is a must. The fun has long since gone out of that, but I need to do it.

The bottom line is: If something is important enough, you will do the work. If you are not willing to do the work, especially when it starts to get difficult, then maybe you don't really want it badly enough. This is true in life as well as weight loss!

I want this and I will do the work.

Monday, Flower Day!

2011-06-05T10:34:00.008-04:00

Quite a challenge this week, Jane.*

Altho the garden is awash in the prettiest yellow you can imagine, I realized again just how lacking my garden is in flowers to cut.

While the daylilies are going crazy [Hemerocallis 'Happy Returns'] and spreading their pale yellow sunshine all over, the hydrangeas are just beginning to open and about the only other flowers I have at the moment are in the pots I just made up and the small dahlias that I planted last weekend.

Hydrangeas it is! And a happy discovery: the first flush of alstromeria [Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura' PP # 10030]. While they are way too orange for my taste, I love the flowers and they bloom with abandon all summer long. So in they went. Now, what to do to pull those two colors together? something burgundy... Loropetalum 'Pizazz' TM for my "greenery" and voila.

The more I looked at it, the less I liked it - all that dark golden yellow makes me think fall, not spring or summer. Another tour of the "fields" and I found a few things that more nearly meet my color needs!

A few coneflowers [Echinacea purpura], some pastel yarrow, the last of the primroses [Oenothera berlandieri 'Siskiyou'] and one lone purple salvia [Salvia nemorosa 'Marcus'] - this is a color grouping more to my liking!
*If you are not already looking at all the Monday Flowers, be sure to visit the instigator - Flower Jane at Small But Charming to get in on the fun, or to see who else has flowers in the house this lovely Monday.

Wednesday* Workday

2011-06-04T08:39:00.007-04:00

You know how it is with an evolving garden.

You have a plan - at least in your mind. [In my waaay too anal-retentive way, it is actually on paper, too, but at least most of it is written in pencil, not ink.] You try something and you like it. You try something else and you don't like it so much. You plant something that you know fills in fast - either as a place holder until you decide on something else - or to fill a large space. You plant the "wrong" plant and it works out well.... or it doesn't. Or, all of the above.

Case in point.
This nearly circular garden is one of the first things that I did when we enlarged from a rectangle in the back yard to the first real "garden". This birdbath came from Mitchell's mother's yard and I wanted it to be a focal point.

In this early April photo the daffodils are fading (Tete a Tete minis) and you can just see that behind the daffs all the way back to the walkway is filled - and I do mean filled - with mondo grass. What have not made their appearance this early in the season are the calla lilies that also ring the birdbath. The apparently empty area in front of the daffs is actually planted with ranunculus bulbs that I put in early this spring.

By last week, this area looked like this:
Ah ha! The mondo was the right plant at the time, but but instead of the well-contained "ring" around the birdbath that I had envisioned, it became a bully and is now choking out the more desirable callas that are struggling to come up thru all the mondo. Goodness knows what the callas are doing for water with the thicket of roots surrounding them.

Last weekend I decided that the time had come for the mondo grass to go. Several hours on hands and knees later and several buckets of vegetation added to my compost pile and it looks more like this.

Added some mini-dalias in pink and white (the callas are a clear pink and the ranunculus are a mixture that is heavy on pink and white - I hope) a big bag of mulch, and re-sited the gazing ball. Voila! this is more what I had in mind all those years ago.

*Yes, I know it's Saturday. You do what you have time to do!!

It's so Hot...

2011-05-31T06:32:00.000-04:00

that I am thinking of flora from farther southwest.

Like out yucca. Mitchell loves yucca so we put in two several years ago [Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard']. It has a pretty variegated leaf and provides just the pop of white that the first hot days of June demand.

The other plant has a reddish tinge to the newest leaves, but seems to be struggling and didn't bloom this year.

Around the corner from the Jazzercise studio there is a wonderful corner that is completely filled with cactus. Most years it has a lot of flowers, but this year it is gorgeous! It's completely covered with yellow blossoms. Makes the trip to dance even more enjoyable.

Somehow that didn't make me feel any cooler, tho. Happy Monday!

A Memorial Garden

2011-05-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Usually on Memorial Day I thank as many of the vets in my life as I can remember for their service, and today I am no less thankful than other years.

I am spreading my thoughts farther afield this year to our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, spouses, and - God forbid - our children who have died, leaving holes in our lives. I've always seen life as a sort of tapestry that we weave day by day - adding and subtracting as our lives change. The people and events are woven in, but change over time, as our tapestry brings warmth to the walls of our castle. Simplistic, perhaps, but it works for me. [Or did I mix up the story of Homer's wife somehow - weaving and reweaving?]

Another thing that works for me is memory plants in my garden. It started when Dad died several years ago. That spring I planted a mahonia. He had loved them and had several in his yard. Every time we visited he offered me a "baby" that I always declined. Then when he was dead, I suddenly found myself thinking of him and planting the mahonia. That same spring the mother of my childhood BFF died and I planted the Miss Kim lilac in her memory. She had done a lovely watercolor for us as a wedding gift - of lilacs. Somehow it seemed like the thing to do. Then I realized that one of the first things I put in this garden was a miniature rose from my Aunt's yard. And, voila! I had a memory garden.

I am very lucky that there are so few plants in my garden. Last fall when Mother died my tennis teammates gave me a lovely pink sasanqua that I added and next weekend I will plant a yellow/white rose (a Knock Out) in memory of her husband Ralph. He knew horses, not plants, but was always willing to help in her greenhouse. Ralph was the kind of guy who thought that if watering weekly was good, then watering daily must be seven times as good! But, he had the most sunny disposition I have ever known and I think this rose will be a great reminder. There are a few other people for whom I wish to plant a reminder as soon as I decide on the right choice.

Just as the the flowers in one's garden bring joy to the day, visiting specific plants that remind me of a loved one can bring the wholeness of the garden tapestry into my heart. On Memorial Day I think I will visit my friends and family ... outside. Love to you all.

The Best Kind of Day

2011-05-22T20:31:00.002-04:00

Cut the hedge out of the blackberries ... check.
Cut the volunteer trees out of the day lilies and peonies ... check.
Cut the wisteria out of the lilac ... check.
Weed the iris ... check.

Don't even think about work ... check.
Trim up the hydrangeas ... check.
Plant more planter boxes ... check.
Add more portulaca by the driveway ... check.
Add dianthus to the xerogarden ... check.
Help Mitchell cut the plum tree back from the house ... check.

Have a glass of wine on the deck and enjoy the view ... check!

Ah! Refreshed!

2011-05-21T17:24:00.004-04:00

It's amazing what just a couple of hours outside and in the garden will do for the spirits! Managed to move a few small things to do some re-design around our deck steps, but even a little bit of digging dirt made me so calm and relaxed.

The dianthus is the star of the garden right now. Its spicy fragrance is not as awesome as lilacs or some of the peonies, but it's nice to have inside, too. Hope you are having a lovely day.

2011-05-20T17:25:00.004-04:00

Too much going on. Too much work. Too little sleep. Just plain, not enough time. I hate it when life is like this. Two more weeks and maybe things will ease up.

Mitchell calls this our "primrose path" and indeed, it is. Evening Primrose, aka Oenothera berlandieri 'Siskiyou', that is becoming a bully. I'll enjoy it one more season and then rip a lot of it out so that some other perennials have a chance to take some space.

Be Bop a Re Bop

2011-05-19T21:38:00.003-04:00

Rhubarb Crisp!

We got rhubarb in our fruit share this week - along with lots and lots of strawberries - so I decided to give it a try. Rhubarb is one of those things - is it a fruit or a vegetable? - that I have never eaten so I threw together a "crisp". It smelled delicious, and tasted yummy. Good enough to do it again sometime.

After an entire week without my computer I feel totally cut off from the world. So much to read, so many comments I wanted to make, but mainly to let you know I am alive and have been missing you.

Congratulations to GG on her graduation!! Know the party was wonderful. Glad your dad is in town with you and Jane. Happy Weekend!

10 Things My Mother Taught Me

2011-05-08T05:25:00.000-04:00

1. To value family traditions and to pass things on to the next generation - like good family stories, old photos, and the recipe for Grannie's Christmas eggnog. Also the family silver.

2. To plant iris - never too deep, never too shallow and not until July. It seems to work that way.

3. To drink tea - hot or cold, with lemon or cream (never both!) and not all those herb beverages - real English tea - Earl Gray, English (or Irish) breakfast, darjeeling, or assam.

4. To swim. A strong swimmer herself, she saved my life once in the ocean and made it her mission to be sure that I would not need her the next time.

5. "It's only hair." And, no matter how bad the cut or curl, it will grow out! I've needed that one a lot recently.

6. Grammar matters. She was right about that. In this world where good grammar is going the way of Fat Sam, there are still plenty of us hanging onto the old rules, and trying to keep the world a more pleasant place for conversation... and writing.

7. To cook - well, not so well. Mother was an unadventurous cook and kept things simple. Spaghetti was a pretty fancy meal for her. Someday I want to take some classes and become more adventurous and move outside my small comfort zone.

8. To upholster. She would strip a chair down and dive into re-doing it without anything but guts. "It's all in the process," she'd say. "Just start at the back and work to the front, then work your way back." She was right. It works.

9. To wear good (by that she meant "not holey") underwear. You might be in an accident and wouldn't want the folks at the emergency room to see you had on old, worn underwear. I choose to interpret that to include lace as much as possible.

10. To always have some money put away. Mother (like her mother) was adamant about this. I've had a bank account since I was 10 and always a little put aside. She always made sure I had at least one nice piece of jewelry.... in case I needed to sell it for quick cash.

What did your mother teach you?

A very happy Mother's Day to all!

Do You Live In NYC?

2011-05-02T19:58:00.003-04:00

If you do... can you help a bit at Prospect Park next week? or perhaps the week after?

A wonderful New York blogger has begged and cajoled the city parks department into scheduling a clean-up day for Prospect Park. Apparently there are large areas where people meet for sexual purposes and leave their... um, trash ... behind. Tools and gloves will be provided.

Please read her post here for the details, and if you can help let her know. Her email is halfway down the post. Thanks.

The first water lily of the season - April 25,2011.

I'm Fascinated!

2011-05-01T07:26:00.011-04:00

For the past 400 years we Yanks have been trying to cast off the parts of our English heritage that we don't like and hold close those things that we do - cheeky lot we are. For example, we definitely don't like English rule, but we think the monarchy is pretty cool. We don't like tax on tea, but we love brides of future kings. And my newest "love" is fascinator hats!

Once upon a time here in the colonies there were millinery shops where one could buy a hat that fit. They were sold in small, medium and large, as well as by actual size - I think they were inches, but don't really remember. Then came the one-size-fits-all movement and I quit wearing a hat. With an undersize head [to balance my oversize hips, I guess] I look like a little girl playing dress-up whenever I put on a hat!

And now along come the Duchess of Cambridge [aka Kate] and all her upper class English friends - to say nothing of European royalty - in their fascinators. The wedding was full of them, and I think we need to jump on that bandwagon on this side of the pond.

I love the small "boats" balanced oh-so-carefully on top of the head, or the wonderful flowers and bows perched precariously on the side ready to take flight. I was so relieved to learn that the Queen has officially made it acceptable to wear a fascinator to Royal Ascot as an alternative to the huge hats that were once required. With a younger, more hip, era beginning I suspect there will be flights of fancy in the smaller head gear this year, too. Can't you just see Pippa Middleton's flowered topper at a garden party or summer wedding here in the States?

If I were African American lady I would have a closet full of lovely big "crowns" to wear to church on Sunday. Many ladies I know can rival the Queen in that category, but the fascinator is so much more fun. A few flowers here, a (big) bow there and a bit whimsy veil ... what more could a girl want to look special and a bit sexy? I thought Posh Beckham managed to pull this one off nicely for the wedding, especially since she is noticeably pregnant and was dressed so conservatively. The long "tails" gave it a bit of oomph, even in the dark color.

I'm willing to get out the hot glue gun or a handful of finishing nails to attach one to my head - although I am told that combs, clips and headbands will do the trick quite well. I think this one would be lovely - about a third as large. It just shows that even a princess can't get away with just anything, and that sometimes one's stylist misses the mark.

I particularly like this one that Camilla, oops! the Duchess of Cornwall, is wearing. I think she looks years younger than in the huge picture hats that she so often chooses, and that she actually did wear to the wedding. This is so youthful and fresh. It may be the one she wore to her own wedding, altho I think that one was larger and had a lot of gold in it.

And I think these two are particularly interesting.

Tara Palmer-Tompkinson (left) was named by many as one of the best dressed ladies at the wedding, while Princess Eugenie (right) was widely dubbed as one of the worst. I loved Tara's dress and hat, but thought that the matching gloves and bag were a bit too much. Princess Eugenie's dress was awful - mostly because it was too short and didn't fit at all! - but it's the same hat - slightly different color and with flowers to match her dress. While the hat has been criticized, too, I thought it was the best part of her look.

So, what's a girl to do? We're going to an afternoon wedding in July. With the right dress, I might need to find a little fascinator of my very own. What about you? Want to give it a try and bring this fun fashion to the colonies?

Best Wishes!

2011-04-28T20:57:00.003-04:00

to Wills and Kate.

It's all very exciting and I sure would love to be in London for the big day, even if my invitation did get lost in the mail.

I well remember getting up very early to see Charles and Di tie the knot, and would love to do it again tomorrow, but have to be at a client's office at 5:30, so will miss all the good parts. Thank goodness for the DVR.

Meanwhile I will trust you all to watch for all the details and to raise a glass for me at the appropriate times. Best of luck, you two, I think you might need it!

It's Coming...

2011-04-27T19:46:00.008-04:00

The storm is coming. A big one. The news is calling it a Super Cell that has already wreaked havoc in the deep south. It's well west of us, and headed for Jane - hope it misses you! - but we are getting the outer reaches of it and expecting rain in the next couple of hours.
But there are good things about it, too. The fresh breeze smells clean and is driving leaves ahead it it covering the deck. All of the garden scents are concentrated and carried to the house - most of all the lilacs that bloomed yesterday.

I hope that we will get just enough rain to bring a needed drink of water to the garden, but I fear that we will get so much that it beats down all the wonderful iris that also bloomed yesterday.

I cut the blossoms off the first-blooming peony to keep them from being beaten up, and to bring a little something living into the house.

Which brings me to a question; one I want to ask Jane, Marie, Belinda, Denise, and all the rest of you who really know something about arranging flowers. When should I cut the peonies? I usually let them open fully on the plant and then use the "full flower". I have noticed, tho, that you all seem to include tight and nearly tight peony buds in your arrangements. Should I cut them before they really open? What does that do to "vase life"? anything? Will they continue to open, or are you going for the "ball" shape in your arrangements? Thanks!

Stay dry!

Monday, Flower Day!

2011-04-25T06:49:00.001-04:00

Thanks for stopping by to check out the Flowers in the House! Altho I am not actually in town today, there's no reason why I can leave a little something to entertain you.
Most of what's blooming right now is azaleas, wood hyacinths and a pretty little white iris - background and name unknown, so that's what's in the house today. I never thought of azaleas as a flower for arranging before, but they last a week or more in a vase and I have been enjoying them this spring.

I'm looking forward to what everyone else has, so will be stopping by Jane's to check on all of you. Happy Monday!

Happy Easter Day!

2011-04-24T11:30:00.006-04:00

It is a lovely Sunday morning in Central Virginia, full of peace and warm light! The perfect opportunity to snip a bloom here, tuck a blossom there and just enjoy the day - or eat breakfast on the deck. So I did all of that.
The very first - but definitely not the last clematis opened this morning. If I had to pay tax to the county based on clematis buds, I would be poor indeed this year. This one is Clematis hybrid 'H.F. Young', and loves life twined around the mailbox post.

I have been meaning to share the native honey suckle with you. This is Trumpet Honeysuckle [Lonicera sempervirens] and seems to love its spot because it gets larger every year. It vines some, but is easily controlled and provides not only lovely color, but green nesting places for various birds. Have not seen any particular activity around it this year, so we probably don't have any baby birds.

And, finally our newest azaleas that we just planted last month. After a hard winter and a hot dry summer I lost a large barberry in this corner, so we decided to bring some light under this tree with white azaleas. I think they will be lovely in a few years, when they are less ball-like

Trevor likes them!

Fish Out of Water

2011-04-22T19:40:00.007-04:00

Monday was our annual "Clean the Pond Day". It's one of those things that responsible pond owners need to do - well, if you have two tiny, enclosed ponds as we do - and that we put off as long as possible. Then when it's done you say, "not so bad after all!" I hope the fish feel the same way, since they experience a bit more trauma than we do.

Before, the pond at the end of the winter looks like it's hiding the creature from the black lagoon - dark water obscuring the darker depths and hiding not only the fish, but untold gook from delaying leaves, food and what-not. Above is the fish pond, which is the cleaner of the two ponds, since it has no fish "waste" or decaying food in it - only vegetation.

The fish are understandably not anxious to be caught and moved for this process, so there is no choice except to start draining the pond and to catch them as they are trapped in less water. A quick scoop and they are transferred to holding ponds. Ok, big plastic tubs.

Then we wash down the sides and vacuum out the bottom, scooping up as much gunk as possible. That goes on the compost pile. You do use fish "emulsion" don't you? The drained water goes to the best perennials - this year the peonies got a big share. And, I pull out the water lilies to cut them back and re-pot for the new season.

They look like land-based tubers and you cut them back the same way - simply cut off the old part that no longer has viable roots and re-pot the newer part. Both tubers already had a large number of sprouts and some leaves that were nearly 10 inches long.

Safely back in the bottom of the pond, fed and refilled with gravel and lava rock the lilies are ready for another year, and all that's left is to fill the pond, treat the water and return the fish. Start to finish - two hours on a lovely, sunny, warm afternoon. No one got wet, except the fish and now the pond sparkles in the sunlight and the fish have remembered that they get fed at the cocktail hour. They are waiting for me every evening.

This is the day that I am annually amazed that we can maintain the lilies and the fish thru the winter. We lose a few fish every winter, but in our fourth year there are still two from the first five we bought - Whitie and Goldie, in case you were wondering. I named the first five, but none of the rest. Since they have common parents there is now a strong family resemblance.

If you're in the area, come have a glass of wine and help me feed them on afternoon!

Chapter Two

2011-04-20T16:16:00.011-04:00

Spring turned another page today as the weather has finally stayed warm for several days. It was a lovely morning with the ground littered with confetti from the fruit trees, redbuds and dogwood. I'm sorry to see them gone already. They never seem to stay long enough, but this year it seems like the dogwood bloomed last week and the leaves started coming in this week - perhaps not really true, but that's how it seems.

Other things follow, tho, as is the pattern. The azaleas are opening by the hour with waves of pinks, lilacs and reds all around the yard and the neighborhood. Aguga is everywhere. The native honeysuckle is gorgeous and all the perennials are growing well.

Over the weekend I made time to plant both bulbs and seeds. If I am lucky (and treat them right) I will have rain lilies, pineapple lilies and [please, please, please!] ranunculus later this summer. Jane at SmallButCharming convinced me that ranunculus will grow in our zone 7 area, so we both jumped in and ordered some. I got a mixture of pastels, picotees, and a "rainbow mix". Somehow this is a plant that I had totally missed until a couple of years ago. I have actually planted them a couple of time in pots and not had any success with sprouting them, but never had particularly good directions either. I have fallen madly in love with them and must have some ... if I can.

In the seed department I planted larkspur (hyacinth-flowered, if that matters), royal blue forget-me-nots, and poppies - Shirley single blend and both Mission Bells and Tropical Sunset California poppies. I've been a dedicated grower of perennials until this year, using some bedding plants for a splash of instant color here and there. This year I want to seriously increase my cutting garden - and cut more of what I grow! - so I have dived in and planted several new things.... like seeds!

The viburnum is lovely, but its blooms look more like lace cap hydrangeas than some other viburnums I see. I think - from photos - that it is Viburnum plicatum tomentosum. It has no fragrance at all, and not the pretty flowers of 'Carlisii'. It has a very distinctive shape with very straight branches that come from the base and not so many from the trunk. It's a lovely specimen plant and provides the visual break that I wanted, so it's good. Would be even better if I had kept the label.

Another new addition today was this tiny iris-like white flower. I am not sure they are a true iris, because they grow from a very different rhizome-like structure. But they prefer dry shade and you know how hard it is to find things that will even grown in dry shade, much less prefer it! They were a pass-along gift from one of my Wise Women, so I particularly treasure them.
Sat on the deck for a few minutes just before dark, savoring the peace and calm of the garden and wishing I had made time during the day to get out there. The fish were active in the pond and all the greens were saturated with color in the evening shade. Bits of color are popping out all over as the first blossoms of the next wave begin to open. Soon it will be peonies and iris.

What more could a girl want?

What's Blooming?

2011-04-14T22:40:00.011-04:00

So much has happened in the past month. The grass has turned green; the daffs are gone, but the tulips - well, other people's tulips - are going strong; the dogwoods have opened and the azaleas are just starting to pop out. Days are warmer and I long to be outside with my hands in dirt, instead of hunched over my desk keyboarding. Maybe next week.

Stop by May Dreams Garden to see what else is blooming today!

Half a Load is Better than None...

2011-04-10T15:45:00.008-04:00

... if it's half a load of mulch that got spread this weekend, that is. The mind was willing, but the body rebelled around 2:00 both Saturday and today. What in the world could have happened? Twenty years ago I could have spread mulch for eight hours at a stretch without a whimper.

So, I did what any of you would have done and transplanted a few little bulbs to fill in the end of a bed, raked last fall's leaves out of the back beds, weeded Henbit until I wanted to screem, and pulled monarda out of its neighbors. If the hummers didn't love it so much, I would declare it a bully and hit it with the Round-Up, but instead I just wage war with it annually and hope the hummers appreciate all my work! Now everything is ready for me to finish spreading the mulch - hopefully a little while every afternoon so that by the weekend I will be done.

With a bit of leftover time, I made a few discoveries. The most interesting was this violet. I have lots of deep purple and lavender violets that I assume are common violets, and I suppose this one is, too, but I have never seen this color before. It really does have tiny dots all over it; its petals are curved backwards more than usual; and, of course, it's a volunteer.

Think I'll go sit on the deck and just enjoy the rest of the day and look at what else is blooming!

Lamiam- a variegated variety and candy tuft. Surprisingly, it lasted more than a week in the vase last week - who knew?