Kentucky dirt: even more in 2024

I never get tired of my dirt. I should go put that last iris in the ground. And there are a few things in the basement greenhouse that need potted. And seed! They need started too.

But I’m hanging out on my bed with books and papers spread out.

Somebody asked if you make your bed every day. Of course you do! It’s another flat work surface.

But Rose just texted that she is bringing T up for a few days. Yay!! I should tidy a few holiday messes upstairs…

>1 2wonderY: I make my bed every day to the extent that I give the sheets a 2 hour airing (on the bed, but with blankets thrown back), then I throw it up into a semi-coherent form and pull a cover sheet over all so the cats can lounge on it. No work surface for me, but they love it.

T was still wide awake past bedtime, and Rose had to be up and at work by 6. So I invited T to sleep in my bed. What a wiggle-butt! And she steals the covers. But she always has contact - a hand on my shoulder or rubbing my head.
I don’t know what she smells of, but a bath is in order this morning.

She brought a few favorite toys. A polar bear cub named Bracelet - she cleared out the toy shed for her to bed down there.
A wooden clock with block numbers that are shaped blocks. We played a spin the hands game she made up.
The toy binoculars I put in her stocking. They have caught her imagination. She carries them everywhere.

>4 2wonderY: love!

My eldest granddaughter has shown an interest in watching birds. I got her a decent ($20) pair of binoculars just right for a budding ornithologist. Her younger sister wanted a pair, so I found a toddler's version. Both love them!

>4 2wonderY: Adorable!

My 2 year old grandson loves the big old magnifying lens that was my grandfather's. It had a handle and looked like something Sherlock Holmes might tote around, but the handle broke. Geoffrey carries it very carefully in both hands and has figured out what it does. "Makes big!"

Because it is glass and the metal surround is rather sharp, I tried to tuck it away in a drawer when he wasn't looking. It isn't a drawer he gets into. When he came over the next day, it was almost the first thing he did when he came in the house. Little stinker must have got a glimpse. Grandma isn't as sneaky as she thinks.

>2 MrsLee: The second question is where do you stow your night clothes? Most of the Instagram responses said under their pillow. That’s what I must have done as a child, but I’ve always hung them on a peg in the closet as an adult.

>7 2wonderY: I have a hook on the back of the bathroom door, and I alternate pyjamas, so they get a good airing out.

>7 2wonderY: Ha ha, as a child most of my clothes were stored on the floor. When I was very young I seem to remember a sort of special pillow made for holding pajamas. When my sister left home (8 years older than I), I became a messy Molly. Mom just closed my door. If I complained that I had no clean clothes, she pointed at the floor where I had a shallow path to my bed with heaps of clothes to either side. About once a month I was grounded until my room was clean. Funny thing is, I kinda liked the one or two quiet days of cleaning, then starting fresh. I didn't become a tidy person until I married a man who had been raised by a very strict mom. We have found our balance now.

ETA: Mine are now stored on a hook in my closet door.

>9 MrsLee: oh, I so identify with this. My room was always "knee deep" but I knew where my stuff was.

My father threatened to saw off my room and let it drift out to sea, bwahaha!

My mother said "close the door". Smart woman.

As an adult my nightgowns are hung on a hook behind the bedroom door.

I haven’t been driving much this holiday season; so I ignored the first sign of a weakened battery. Mistake!

It was a dead battery mid-day. And I park nose in to the carport.
Luckily, my neighbor’s driveway is immediately adjacent and was empty.
I went knocking on doors looking for cables and someone willing to jump me.
Finally success. I had met Dave once this spring when he stopped to chat about the foundation and drainage excavation and recovery.
He was willing, but ran out to buy cables. He said he’d been meaning to do that anyway.
He managed to get just close enough that the cables fit through the lattice and barely reached between the cars.
He called me “friend in adversity.”

The price of batteries has more than doubled since I last bought one. Not really a surprise.

Another neighbor knocked on my door later and apologized. He had been home when I knocked but was on a Zoom call he couldn’t excuse himself from, even briefly to answer the door.
At the auto parts store, it was all about batteries, customers in front of and behind me.

>11 2wonderY: a set of good jumper cables is a worthy investment. Glad you were able to get the car running and the battery replaced.

It seems I’m in a groove to have single visitors for each holiday drink.
The young couple with the preschool little boy said that 7 is too late for them nowadays. So I had them come over for cocoa mid-afternoon. Regalo made himself at home, and I was reassuring his parents that his forwardness and spills are perfectly fine.
They are such a nice couple. We got to chat a bit between chasing the boy.
I confirmed that they are vegan, not just vegetarian. Boy, that really limits what I can offer.
But chocolate covered cherries works😁. We also spiked the cocoa with blackberry cordial.
Did you know that marshmallows are not vegetable?

Dylan admired my Santas. (Yes, they are coming down tomorrow too, along with the tree.). I will have to remember to find him a very nice Santa to begin his collection next year.

>13 2wonderY: You can find vegan marshmallows; but they are expensive. I keep wanting to work on a recipe for vegan marshmallows because I know it's possible; but I've never worked with agar agar or any of the vegan Jel products.

>14 lesmel: I thought the original marshmallows were actually made with the plant's sap? Any recent recipes I've seen are all made with gelatin. I always thought in theory it would be fun to make them, but I don't actually like them, so never tried.

>15 MrsLee: There is a plant called marsh mallow.

https://candyusa.com/marshmallows/

>16 2wonderY: I actually have it in my garden.

I often buy 'Eibishteig' throat lozenges here made with it. (It encourages mucus production.) They are a little bit spongey, but like the difference between a good solid artisanal bread and Wonder bread, the texture is very different.

You are supposed to be able to whip the water from chickpea cans, but I'e never tried it.

And Vickie came over for a drink and a chat at 7. This is my first visit one on one and I learned a bit more of her story. She’s from Austin, but her mother lives in New York. So on breaks (she’s a college professor) she’s constantly on the road.
We talked about surprises in the homes we buy. She has had several since July.
And her eye is sharp for authors and titles on the spines of books. She hasn’t moved her fiction yet, and she hasn’t read Bujold. So I’ve offered a duplicate of Borders of Infinity this morning by text.

I mentioned to one of my guests yesterday that I haven’t had a tree for decades. Taking it down today, the reason why came to me. It has always been a group activity and I know that in my bones. Growing up, Christmas Eve is when we did ALL of the holiday decorating. Raising my own, we always made it a party, inviting friends to come and help.
I now contain a lot of those friends and family, enough to savor doing it solo.
It’s nice when those bits of enlightenment explode in your consciousness.

But it was also important this year to have people over to bask in the love and beauty the tree possesses. Many of the ornaments are gifts.

And this is perhaps my favorite ornament, made and given by a toddler niece.



Removed all the lights and fluffed the tree. Much better. Approx 800 stems, each one available for an ornament, not to mention those bulbs tucked into the inside😂

>15 MrsLee: Mallow root sap, egg whites, sugar is the basic 19th century recipe.

>21 lesmel: Ah, so the egg white would be what removes it from vegan diet.

>22 MrsLee: And we didn’t speak of the milk solids in the cocoa mix. Some things are just sacrosanct.

>23 2wonderY: that diet has to be very difficult to maintain.

Yes. My diet contains plenty of milk products and eggs. I would die of despair.

I find that a lot of vegan recipes work quite well if you use real butter and real milk. Of course adding bacon and cheese doesn't hurt either. Well, maybe not in the cake recipes.

>26 MarthaJeanne: I have a really good Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!

I took the tree down yesterday and most of the Santas (a couple need repairs). Boxed up most of the ornaments as I went along, but there are still more. Today, I took the crèche down and the tea themed ornaments from around the kitchen window.

Crawling back in storage, I pulled out a jigsaw puzzle that I’ve never tackled. At first I set up on the folding table in the 2nd bedroom. But the color and pattern differences are too subtle for the light in there. So I moved the table to the living room in front of the windows. Much better. But still hard. I will work it, but probably not keep it.

My near neighbor, the city of Lexington, has invited other neighbors to come and visit:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C12sf_aOUPX/?igsh=MTFpeGdqbDcyYzY3aw==

Today’s small project. The stairway up to the cape cod style bedroom is enclosed. There is a lot of knotty pine paneling from the 60s, and thank goodness, the last owners painted all of it. And it’s all so bare!
I’ve been meaning to add a display shelf where the drywall and paneling meet. I had pulled the baseboard trim off. Today I trimmed the end to allow for the swing of an awkward storage closet door, sanded the baseboard a little bit and fastened it with screws. Voilà!

>30 2wonderY: nice!

The only thing I would do differently is put a small strip of trim in front of the books.

Great idea!

So glad I drove home yesterday in the sunshine. We got our first serious snow last night. Daughter says it wasn’t even forecast till it came down. She’s stuck at the farm. She tried to drive back this morning and had to turn around.
I know where my shovel is, but it’s pretty much buried behind recent move stuff.
Good day to stay home. Fortunately, I stopped for bread and milk yesterday.

Found the shovel. Spent less than 10 minutes shoveling the front sidewalk. Even with heavy gloves, had to come inside to relieve painful fingers. It’s only 10°F. Not nearly as bad as other places. No wind. 4” of fluffy snow.

>34 2wonderY: I won't complain too hard about our very chilly 30° this morning.

😄
It’s supposed to come in two waves, another this afternoon. I unloaded the van and then backed carefully down the drive. I’d rather clear snow from the windshield than the friggin driveway tomorrow.
It’s a hot cocoa kind of day.

>36 2wonderY: I always back in, especially during the winter. It's so much easier to drive forward than in reverse in slick conditions.

I’ve never yet had the courage to back up the drive and into the narrow carport. You’ve seen the pictures, right?

chiken

i spelled it wrong

oh well

can i join

hi

bye ok

>38 2wonderY: yet you've climbed up on your roof to do repairs, right?

You can do it, just go very slooooooooooow...

It occurred to me this afternoon that I should have put forth the effort yesterday, when the sun was shining, that I should have shoveled my driveway. I went and did so, but fresh snow was already coming down.
Heating pad tonight. I’m feeling it in my back and I also have a sore spot where I slipped in the snow and fell climbing the hill on campus.

My neighbor to the east is also parking at the curb, and we actually exchanged pleasantries when she got home this afternoon.
Daughter decided to cook this evening. It’s still baking - some sort of lentil casserole. It smells amazing!

It was worth the wait! And a savory salad to see me through.
The forecast said snow would stop at 1am. It did not. 3” and still coming down. I lay in bed and imagined myself bundling up and shoveling the sidewalks. And then did it, as well as sweeping off daughter’s car. All before light.
Settled in front of the windows now with a pot of tea. Glad I don’t need to go anywhere today.

We're getting the frigid temperatures this weekend, but thankfully no frozen precipitation.

My 5yo grand, practicing writing her name:

>49 2wonderY: I like 2). That shows creativity and flair.

>49 2wonderY: what lovely curlicues she uses.

I’m wondering where she saw fancy letters for inspiration. I might have to get her some calligraphy pens. Notice her middle name. Her dad calls her T-bird.

Well, it got down to 0°F here. But the forecast is for 60° by Wednesday 😳

There is a bit of frost on the kitchen storm window. But very little icicle formation along the eaves, unlike some neighbors.

And I just went upstairs on an errand. The dormer windows, original wood and lacking storms, have an inside coat of ice.

>52 2wonderY: brr.

I love seeing the interests of my granddaughters budding and beginning to unfold. The elder is devouring chapter books, the younger loves anything to do with animals. And both love to draw.

>49 2wonderY: Do you suppose her teacher quashed the curliques by #3?

I remember being taught not to be "artistic" when first writing. Since I wasn't anyway, it was no hardship to quit trying to be like the other girls who used hearts and other adornments in their printing. I was more drawn to drafting type printing, but never mastered it, either.

>54 MrsLee: Probably. But her mom and I are enchanted. And she’s hard headed. She’ll do it again if she wants to.

For the Christmas season, I used my bedroom as a dumping ground for stuff from other parts of the house as well as from the last WV trip.
Yesterday was cleanup day. Where does all this dust and debris come from as well?
I cleared my dresser top and noticed the laminate had separated and raised at the back. So I shoveled white glue back about 3” and clamped it down. All better today.

So today I’m sorting through the several boxes and tossing or finding better places for it all.
There are still several book piles in front of the big bookcase.
Tomorrow should be warm enough to bring potting soil inside and start some seeds.

I was straightening the shelves under the living room windows this morning, hoping to jam a few more books in. What is that very cold breeze?
That wall is clad in knotty pine panels (painted, thankfully!) from the 50s. Apparently without any insulation behind it. Someone had caulked where there were gaps between the panels, but swell and shrink has left new gaps.
Those shelves are fastened to the wall, and I am not about to disassemble. But! I do happen to have 3/4” extruded insulation sheets taking up room in the basement, from other houses.
Cutting them now to friction fit inside the book bays.

>55 2wonderY: Is the laminate separation something you deal with frequently due to humidity? Or a normal aging thing? I don't know how humid your environment is. We are very dry where I am, and I don't notice laminate separate as much as chip off with age and abuse.

>57 MrsLee: It’s not a regular problem here. I think it might have even been loose when I bought the dresser 3 years ago; just not as severe. There are a couple of spots on the front where I had to fill small gouges. If I wanted to get serious, I’d sand them down and paint to match the oak finish.
It’s very pretty, 4 foot tall, slender and the front is slightly rounded. It works perfectly in this room.
My mom’s high school portrait, sits in pride of place. Inscription: “To Howie, someone pretty special. Katie”

>56 2wonderY: excellent idea!

>56 2wonderY: Done! And now the world is warming up outside. I may do the same thing to the coat closet walls. I had poked a hole in the drywall there, and there was some sort of insulation, but they are very much cold to the touch in the winter.

And I was able to shelve a few more books and pulled a short pile to consider deascessioning.

Well, drat. I wasn’t as slick as I thought. I found a book pile that hadn’t gotten back on the shelves.
I need to straighten more shelves and free up more inches.

>60 2wonderY: I wonder if your insulation inspiration will help with summer heat as well as winter cold? I've been reading a lot in a group of folks who own old homes. They mention some sort of plastic film they put on the inside of their windows that helps a lot with insulation, and supposedly if applied right, doesn't kill the view. My friend did this in her quilting room to protect the fabric from the UV rays.

>62 MrsLee: It might help marginally in the summer, but that wall faces north and the sun isn’t direct. That is the only section of house that is clad in brick. I’m thinking they have absorbed some of the 0° temps and held on to it.

Note to self:
Do this tomorrow

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2cndjRsSQX/?igsh=emtjNGI0OGtlN291

I dropped a couple of cases of soups at the homeless drop-in site today. It was full of people staying warm.
I should donate some books!

Rose and I drove to Cinci last evening for dinner and for Rose and Anne to exchange Christmas presents. Recall that Rose and Nathan were dealing with vehicle issues when Anne’s family came here. It was a lovely little party.
Rose had made a papier mâché bowl and fruit for Anne. The bowl is wonderful, but the fruit are hilarious.

I came home with a more than half full pan of strawberry jello pretzel stuff. All for myself.
I’m lazing about this morning with a bowl of it and my tea before I get into any projects.
There has been a huge flock of birds in the neighborhood the last few days. Starlings, maybe. They’ve been swarming on other lawns, but are ignoring the still present stale crackers I threw out on my front lawn several weeks ago. The snow is mostly gone.
I’ve had Asian lady bugs inside this month. No more than a dozen a day until this week. More now, but still not bad. I’m wondering if I didn’t introduce them from what I brought down from the ridgetop cabin.
Thankfully, they only appear on the north side windows and I’ve mastered a technique to drop them into a Wendy’s frosty cup with lid. They are invasives, so I’m not letting them loose.

Before the snow was gone, I did notice that my neighbor, Wilma, a retiree too, had built a snowman in her front yard.

An eventful evening!
I drive the homeless from the church where they register and have supper to the motel where they get rooms for the night (January through March).
There was some drama about room distribution and some spilled bags and lost people. Very complicated and I stayed longer than normal.
I am supposed to drop the bus key back at the church. Usually, the lights are off and the door is locked. Well, someone forgot to do those things and I don’t know how to lock the door. There’s a keypad for entry.
So reaching someone who knows how to lock the door took an hour.

I need to dig out my homework still this evening to be prepared for class tomorrow.

>66 2wonderY: glad everything turned out well.

Stopped by the storage place to pay the monthly rent. Next month I have to pay for two units, which prompted me to consider what I can remove.

I have an old kitchen cabinet much like a Hoosier, but really just a break front. I removed it from the cabin. It occurred to me it would fit on the carport and help hold garden stuff.
So I managed to tip it into my car and tied it off with an extension cord, because it stuck out from the hatchback.
The back area of the carport is a disaster, with all the stuff not put in storage or disposed. But the sun is out and the day is mild. I did some clearing and shifting and got it safely moved. I’m gonna pay for doing it by myself. But glad it’s done.
Next is finding homes for the two large mowers I no longer need.

>68 2wonderY: is there a rehabilitation organization locally? I've donated mowers to those who used them as therapy for PTSD, etc. (by repairing them).

I see we are all taking stock of early growth in the garden. I thought I had shared a few pictures I took earlier this week. I guess not.
This is what I found:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2-5cLSRIQ9/?igsh=MTB1eWdmZnN6bW03

>70 2wonderY: Are those snowdrops?

Yes! I had transplanted them a couple of years ago and I hadn’t seen them since.

We’ve got a thunderstorm here this morning. This is our flood season. Gotta check my downspout connections. There’s one off the deck that keeps popping out. Recall my basement full of water in 2021.

Jerry took a picture of a primrose this morning. Our current temperature is 17°.

The flower buds on my weeping cherry are starting to swell. I want to tell them NO!!! Not yet!

The Urban Farm is having its annual dinner tonight and I bought tickets and volunteered to help set up. Very fancy. Each table gets two tablecloths and chargers at each place. Lots of lugging from the truck and fiddly straightening.
Someone, Daniel, might want one of my mowers.
Wayne asked me if I garden and might I be willing to be on a tour. Not sure of his motivation. That came out of nowhere.

The live auction has a gorgeous quilt. And a beehive to “adopt.” No, you don’t get the hive.

>74 2wonderY: do you get the honey?

>75 fuzzi: A quart. It went for $175.

That's not a lot of honey from a hive.

And the best item, a gorgeous quilt, went for only $350. The same price as a tiramisu cake.
Great auctioneer (he’s also the preacher at the Union Church, I’m told), but he really shortchanged the quilt.

>78 2wonderY: Sometimes it isn't the quality or value of the item at these charity auctions. If someone's friend, or several people's friend, made an item, those friends will bid the item up out of friendship. All sorts of factors come into play.

>78 2wonderY: I bet they don't get another quilt from that donor.

Around the neighborhood, a neighbor had a tree service remove a grand old tree (maple, I think) last week. Melanie, next door to the removal, had them load up her driveway with a mountain of chips. These are much more ground up than the ones I got last fall.

The morning after a heavy rain this week, I saw lots of water still draining in the street gutter. I called the utilities to see whether a line or two had sprung a leak. They said No, but I see they’re back this morning excavating.

Last evening, I witnessed a massive murmuration near the next interstate exit. I couldn’t stop for pictures, as I was driving the bus. I may go back this evening.
A few starlings came by to check out those soggy crackers still in my front yard. They just nibbled until chased away by blackbirds, who also left quickly.

I put stale granola in the bird feeder, but most visitors are eating the suet square hanging above it.
I’m appreciating the extra light and put away all my red ornamentation in the living room - oops, missed an old Valentine I made in the 1960s. I’ve put up some yellows and pink flowers in baskets and swags.

I’m getting ready to plant some seeds - I know, I’m late. And finally potting cuttings I took in the fall. So I have three pineapple sage starts for the garden.

I think it might be safe to say that ladybug season is over. None seen in the house, (north facing windows, the brightest light) yesterday or this morning.

I hope this was a one time event, possibly from materials I brought in from the cabin. I should maybe check the storage unit for evidence.
I’d rather not have to deal with them every year.

Not in my yard, but at the college.
From the guest parking lot to the arts building, I climb a grassy hill. There is a burrow half way up. Twice now, I’ve seen the resident groundhog. I will try to remember to bring veggies, perhaps some sourdough bread on Thursday. I might try to build it a rodent-sized mailbox too.

>83 2wonderY: if you do build a mailbox please share a photo.

It’s overcast today, so the groundhog wasn’t out basking, but I left some veggies. I will walk by again later.
Trekked over to the Alumni Building for the first Bite of History luncheon. Teacups at each place setting! Paper, but floral. Pretty!

I finished and sent my Kodak assignment. I will have to take a picture of it. It turned out better than I expected. The written part is just me rambling. No theme or argument to defend. But I’m not doing it for the points.

Carrot - yes. Celery - don’t bother.

Iris (from last term) and their friend joined me for lunch. They both complimented my vest - green wool and covered in embroidery. I’m becoming known for how I dress. The crowd at RITI commented on my attire last evening and three students in the photography class made admiring comments last week. I’m going to need to schedule another closet purge, looks like.
Iris said they’ve been wearing what I gave them last year.

The history professor and his wife presented on the slave trade and muddied heritages. Their genetic tests show mostly Ghanan but also an eighth European. They are taking students to London later this year. I learned a new term - Windrush Generation. Caribbean migration to England last century to fill employments after WW2; and the cultural and political ramifications.
I was reminded of Mama Thames in the Peter Grant series.

>86 2wonderY: i usually read BBC news, so Windrush generation is not new to me. The UK started kicking people out that couldn't prove they had been living there most of their lives. 'Home' to somewhere they hadn't seen for decades.

It spit snow yesterday, but the sun is shining today.
I’m hoping it warms enough for me to plant some peas at least.

Yesterday I started picking at basement piles. I’ve finally got to the point that I can discard cardboard boxes. I’d been using them over and over on trips.

>88 2wonderY: nooo! Not cardboard boxes!!!

:)

Yes. It’s time. Was holding on to them for daughter, but it looks like they won’t be moving. She’s probably headed to Antarctica later this year and then will work from home.

Today is officially overcast. The street light is still on and it drizzled all night. I got pea seeds in the ground yesterday, constantly barked at by neighbor’s dog. I need to make friends somehow.

>90 2wonderY: Antarctica? Wow.

My peas are popping! I planted them a couple weeks ago but it's been dry so they were slow in sprouting.

Torrential rains this morning. And yes, I had to pop the connection back into place AGAIN from the deck roof. Gremlins?
There is also a 5 or 6 foot section in front of the living room windows where roof edge falls short of the gutter. I’m going to need to get the scaffolding out to see what else I might try to span that tiny gap.
I am playing with my piles, dumping random boxes and browsing shelves. I’ve got several sources for disposing now. I’ll tally the book pile tomorrow.
My back corner neighbor serves dinner at RITI now, so we see each other. His barkie dog is named Roxy. I meant to ask if I can give her treats.

The mole excavations out back are insane. I might need to get a roller.

The city came by and scooped up that soggy mattress from neighbor’s curb. I didn’t know they would do that! Trash service is done by a private company here. And furniture is only picked up twice a year. I was about to suggest disassembly to fit it in the bin. She must know someone. Anyway, glad it’s gone.

I brought forsythia wands from the other yard and forced them. A brilliant, cheerful yellow.

I went out antique malling today in search of a ceiling light globe. I had used an old ceiling base for a lamp sitting on top of a tall bookcase; wiring it with an inline switch. It was at daughter’s house and somehow ended on the floor with the globe broken. I had a spare, but it’s not as nice. So looking for a better one.
It was social city there today. Bumped into several people I know. It really is a small community.

>93 2wonderY: Oh! For a minute I read the above as YOU somehow ended up on the floor with the globe broken. Had to reread carefully. I'm glad it was the lamp and not you. :)

Purple Deadnettle. That’s what suddenly appeared in my yard last year with the import of several tons of soil from elsewhere. I hate it! Worse than Creeping Charlie.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3tglg2txKE/?igsh=M3MwNDZlZTd5ZGRq

>94 MrsLee: I wasn’t even there when it happened. Daughter just knows to count on me to fix things.

This is the first month having to pay for two storage units; so it’s time to get rid of more stuff.
Anne is actually driving down tomorrow to visit, and she will take a mower at least, and help me load a table to donate to a good cause.

This is the college spring break, so many buildings are locked up, including the art galleries.

It’s really warm here this week. The trees want to break out in bloom. The hellebores are full of blooms.

Good news! The peonies I had to relocate last year are alive! Red buds emerging from the mulch. They had such a hard life last year, uprooted mid year, they died back early, and I wasn’t sure.

>95 2wonderY: They could be 'live' nettles.

See https://www.lonelypinesfarm.com/foraging-uses-for-purple-dead/ for ideas as to how to actually use it.

>97 2wonderY: Terrific! I will have to go down in the yard and see if those I planted for the wedding last year survived.

>97 2wonderY: wonderful!

>98 MarthaJeanne: they're "dead" nettles because they don't sting like nettles.

>95 2wonderY: I have a yard full of them every Spring, but they die back. I've been pulling the deadnettle plants out of my raised beds with little effort, not tough to control like honeysuckle. The early bees love them, as do my chickens, who receive piles of my weeding efforts, yummy!

There's another purple annual weed here in NC, the Henbit. It's similar to deadnettle, and they bloom about the same time. They're also easy to control. https://eattheplanet.org/henbit-the-elegant-and-nutritious-wild-edible/

>100 fuzzi: Yes I know, and regular nettles are not only also very persistent weeds, but they sting.

Well, it’s a good thing I’ve been at least half-heartedly working on the basement mess. What’s that puddle doing there? Huh. Directly underneath the bathtub drain. I’ve been using chemicals to clear the drain. Daughter uses a lot of soap products and I regularly scoop what is caught in the strainer, but know much more is going down to line the pipes. It looks like it might just be a poorly connected P-trap, but there is other corrosion as well.
It really is the last original fixture, and I’ve known it would eventually need to be addressed. Hmmm. Hmmm.

>102 2wonderY: oh, no. Not plumbing.

>102 2wonderY: I really hope it is something simple for you. Hope nothing was damaged in basement?

>104 MrsLee: Just a little rust on the tool box sitting just underneath.

Big news!
Daughter just heard about a job she’s been pursuing. She’s been going through background checks and health screenings for two months. She will be a Project Engineer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica starting in April.
She will spend two months there and then work remotely, from home, mostly.
And my step-grandson just texted me that his wife is in hospital in induced labor. Whoot! Whoot!

>105 2wonderY: good news as well as big, I'm happy for you!

>105 2wonderY: Wow! A stellar news day!

To increase my joy incrementally, an old friend of Rose stopped by to drop off a custom tincture for Rose. I’ve known Timi as well for a decade, though not very well. She’s an off-grid homesteader , mycologist, herbist, etc. She has an amazing circular home that she built with her own hands, nestled into a hillside. She was on the Solar Tour one year, which is how I met her. We traded work on our properties. I lugged rock for her natural swimming pool.
Anyway, she pulled up this morning and she and her companion both exclaimed over my front yard.

Always nice to be appreciated, and doubly so if the appreciaters actually know something about the work involved.

Elora LaVey arrived sometime around midnight. I’ve loaded a photo, but I can’t access it for some reason.
Her dad is my step-grandson, so I don’t have infant memories, but I met him at one and a half. Those memories are rising to the surface. I think I will write some of them down and gift them to Elora.

The site must be experiencing issues on uploaded pictures this morning. Will try later.

Sigh. It’s officially ant season in the kitchen. Found three crawling at the sink and then another inside my brown sugar jar.(!). Screw top. Fresh bait put out.

I seem to have corrected the bathtub leak just by loosening and tightening the P-trap connection. Some idiot put caulk on it and then screwed it on wonky. Can’t remove the other side, as it’s oddly connected to the waste line. Will keep an eye on it and a bucket underneath.

Oh, and three electric lines run right through the drain configuration to the other side of the basement. Serious eye-rolling happening.

>113 2wonderY: Precious photo.

>113 2wonderY: ❤️❤️❤️

First Farmers Market of the season for me.

Had to get something to put in the ground!
Veronica Georgia Blue, Creeping Speedwell and a Lungwort were offering colors already.

Also bought two sticks of weeping pussy willow to try, though I don’t know where.

>116 2wonderY: My grandmother had a huge weeping pushy willow in her chicken yard. I loved that tree! So beautiful, and of course the little "pussy" paws to pet.

Two sticks won't do it, but I have seen a play house made of planted pussy willow sticks. I becomes a green and growing place for small children to hide.

I think I will plant them at the top of the yard at the fence line.

My hot water tank pilot won’t stay lit. It’s been 8 months or so since I had it looked at. I should count that as bonus time and bite the bullet now and replace it. I will have two guests this week.
My basement is still a disaster with piles and boxes everywhere; though I am making progress.

Olivia is here for the week. She wanted my mechanic to give the old Mazda a once over. I drove it and it is running handsomely with over 359,000 miles on it.
The first thing I did when she offered was send her up on the deck roof to clear the debris atop the gutter guards. We’re making it a habit. She helped me with the garage roof last spring.
I took her out for Chinese buffet and afterward, we checked Goodwill. She discovered and rescued a box of recipes, some dating back to the 1920s. She’s having a pleasant evening deciphering the handwriting.

Plumber is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Liv will go to class with me in the afternoon.
Wednesday, we will tackle the storage units, combining the contents into just one.
Oh, and Liv has decided on a career direction. She’s going to Welders school in the fall.

>120 2wonderY: what a joy it must be to have her visits.

I'm glad the recipe cards are being appreciated. I would have loved to have my mother's, don't know what happened to them.

>121 fuzzi: I have two nieces (married to my brother's sons) who treasure the old recipe books and cards from our family. Makes me so happy. Now and then I call them and ask them if they can find such and such recipe. I plan to give them the original cookbooks from my grandmothers that I used to make my cookbook, but how to choose who gets which book? :) It's a nice dilemma, because usually the younger generation isn't interested at all.

We split my mom’s cookbooks among the siblings. I don’t know who got her recipe box, but I have a few cards she wrote out specifically for me to keep.

Plumbing adventures! First thing they did was break the meter. The hole at the curb bubbled up with water. My water, I think. It took 6 utility employees to fix it.

Though they knew they were replacing the HWH, they came without a hose to drain it. I’ve been providing hose, buckets, whatever.

This made me clean areas of the basement that I hadn’t seen in a while.

So they are also replacing the main shut off valve where the water comes in. Recall it didn’t shut off entirely last year when I was replacing the kitchen faucet.

They also disassembled the bathtub drain and cleaned a wad of persistent gunk above the P trap. Yay!

>122 MrsLee: I have a few recipe cards that my mother wrote out for me. I treasure them.

>124 2wonderY: good help can be hard to find.

>125 fuzzi: He was very impressed by my ability to hand him the tool he needed from my pegboard.
$2000 later, we’ve got hot water, a tub that drains, and a new main shut off.
And he’s returning next week for a couple of minor tasks.

The first hose I offered wasn’t doing the job, so I brought a second one in.

Turns out, the first hose is plugged by a solitary bee nest.
I connected it to the outside hose bib, expecting to be able to wash it out with the pressure. Instead, water poured into the basement above the electric panel. **eye roll**. You already know the electric lines go right through the tub drain configuration.

>126 2wonderY: that's not bad. I needed a new hot water heater a couple months ago, and the heater and labor was just under $1000.

I hated that I was paying three workers to wait for the tank to empty. If I’d known it was so slow, I would have done it myself the day before.

Granddaughter and I have been trying to use up the bags of leaf mulch and checking for asparagus sprouts.

It’s 75°F today and mostly sunny. Liv is sweeping the deck and I just mowed the yard. It needed it! Rough going with the mole mounds (lots of shoveling and raking in my future) but the entire job front and back too no more than 40 minutes.

Rose’s husband came up last evening and brought T, of course. Rose has to work today. We played hard. They’ve got a puppy, mostly Australian cattle dog. Smart and adorable.
I haven’t yet put the plant in the ground that I bought last week, but I will go back today for more. My whole west front yard needs filled.

Have I mentioned the leaking tub? I removed half my closet contents yesterday and opened the wall. Just a minor seep during regular open faucets, even the shower. But Olivia had the bright idea to take the shower hose down and spray around. Bingo! The minor damp has swollen the backer board enough to pop tiles out of place and the water is pouring out that way.
I can’t face another expensive project this year. I will fasten plastic for now to shed the water from that wall.

T asked me several times to buy a science kit from the dollar store. She wants to blow things up.

Ps: I think I have too many shoes. When they are lined up on the shelf, it doesn’t appear excessive. But they filled a large Rubbermaid tub.

Two plant sales. From Connie, 2 dianthus, both raspberry colored. Golden Alexanders (zizia) will flower through June.
I stopped by the college greenhouses. Their stock isn’t great, but I did bring home a thornless blackberry. It’s less than 2feet tall, but already blooming. Hoping this will be an orderly plant. Those at the urban garden were fruiting through the summer.

The weeping peach tree out front is already full of color, but not yet in full bloom. We will have several nights below freezing this week. Crossing my fingers.

A neighbor my age had asked if I’d like to hike with her back when I first moved in. I had expressed interest, but our schedules didn’t match up.
She asked me again today and I jumped at it. We didn’t go to the steep Pinnacles, but to the college owned trails at the edge of town. Just over two hours out there, with some hills that gave cardio workout. My leg joints and frame can feel it. It’s a good thing.

>130 2wonderY: we used plastic and duct tape once as a temporary measure in the tiled bathroom.

T can use vinegar and baking soda, it's cheaper!

>133 fuzzi: Yes to the temporary fix.
And I was going to do that with T, but we didn’t have time.

>130 2wonderY: For future reference, Mentos in Coke makes a very satisfying explosion. This is strictly an outside activity.

>135 MrsLee: Got it. Thanks! I don’t know that I’ve ever had Mentos.

>136 2wonderY: You can find the experiment and all the science of it online. My boys got a big kick out of this one. I've never eaten a mento either. Science experiments are the best use for soda pop; in my opinion. :)

Plumbers are here again this morning to put the sump pit back together. It’s complicated with a radon detection pipe. Son in law never came back and did that.
Also replacing a hose bib that froze this winter and we will check the other one too. Gave me a reason to do some spring cleaning on the carport.

It got down to 30°F last night, and the open peach blossoms took it hard. But the unopen buds are still fresh looking and should provide longer color.

>138 2wonderY: when we lived in SC I recall reading that the peach growers didn't sweat losing blossoms to frost. It was explained that the remaining blossoms would produce bigger and sweeter peaches.

I heard of one peach community that agreed to prune back their young fruit to get larger peaches, but the first year it didn't work. So in further years they pruned each others' trees, which worked much better.

The weeping peach is an ornamental. It froze again night before last. The blooms are looking tired and a bit ashen.
I think weeping cherries have more cold resilience, yes?

The squirrels tore down the bird feeder that was hanging on the front porch. Oh well, two years isn’t a bad record. I will consider a more squirrel-proof design, but don’t have high hopes.

I want to mention that the hose bib that Eric replaced was a frost-proof design. Yet the copper line split inside the foundation. He showed me the mechanism which theoretically prevents this happening and it also kept the water from spilling out until the faucet was turned on. He replaced it with a Pex line, but also took care of it the old fashioned way; by installing an inside shut-off valve.

>141 2wonderY: I have lived in many apartments where there was no inside shut-off valves. It's a false economy, especially for the toilet.

The first time I called a plumber after buying our home I had shut-off valves put on the toilets, sinks too.

I’ve been on the lowest dose of blood pressure medicine since last year. In the last couple of weeks, I have been able to feel when it is high. Today it spiked to 180, but came down within two hours. My PA upped my dose. I do not want to wake up to a stroke.

Extra bedframe is propped in the living room being repaired. First glue and clamp loose veneer. Then figure how to add 4 inches of height. Granddaughter remembered that was why we put this one in storage instead of switching it out with the one borrowed from Rose. They are both lovely southern colonial bedsteads.

Dandelion sweep today, more just a reason to see what else is up.

>143 2wonderY: four wooden blocks?

Took a long hike this morning into the next neighborhood and managed to get my bp down to 132.

We’ve got sun and mild weather, so I went weeding and trying to determine where to put new plants.
The pussy willow stakes are already sending out roots and shoots. I decided to encapsulate them in one of my enameled washing machine tubs.

I think I’ve got a sunny spot along the fence for the blackberry. It seems to be more ruly than the wild ones.

Pulling chives and dandelions for a lunch salad.

Alida has a crew at her house today replacing the original 1950s furnace and adding AC. She’s invited me over to examine some glassware she intends to discard.

The weeping peach is looking marvelous.

>145 2wonderY: thanks for the update.

Good for Alida, that should help tremendously. Nothing like a new HVAC to make one comfortable and reduce the monthly bills.

Poking at the mess on the carport and the second bedroom. Making progress; making space.

On campus today, no classmate remarked on what I was wearing; but a random student out on the quad called that she liked my outfit as I walked by.

>147 2wonderY: Your classmates are used to the idea that you look good. They expect it.

Running errands today, I was near tractor Supply. Stopped to look at their seeds. Bought nasturtium and Shirley poppy’s. They have a bin of fruit saplings. There was only one that was still alive. The clerk said the rest were still sleeping. Okay. Red haven Peach. Late blooming, freestone, and 12-15 feet tall. Perfect!

T FaceTimed me this morning. She tells me she’s got two baby brothers and not enough bottles. Will I please bring the two I bought for the babies here.

Happy Easter all!

I’m at daughter’s farm for the weekend. T and I hiked the woods, had a picnic, and brought Redbud switches back for decoration. Plus many other activities, like flying an aluminum foil kite that she fashioned.
We had a cookout and a huge megastore feast is planned today.

Oh! April Fools Day. I nearly missed it.

It’s a gardening kind of day. Finally, finally starting some seeds.
Also finding spots for a few small plants I bought Saturday. Gonna try lavender again, because why not?

I’m finding lots of woody sprouts in my beds and I’m pretty sure they are privet. Alida has an overgrown volunteer on the fence line. But I can’t confirm yet. These have a distinctive orange root, but I can’t find any reference. Even my weed books don’t have an entry.

Daffodils are half done, tulips are in their prime and I see iris bud stalks already. Weeping peach is still beautiful.

>150 2wonderY: thank you! Sounds like a wonderful visit.

>151 2wonderY: privet are the bane of my yard. Yes, the roots are orangish, and the sprouts will turn into invasive groves if not removed as soon as possible. I run the lawn mower over them when they pop up on the property boundaries. A pox on whoever imported this shrub!

I planted my Summer squash this past weekend, and my leaf lettuce is up!

The only good thing about privet is that it is easy to pull up in my yard. Every other tree that sprouts is the devil to get out and usually just gets cut off, which only seems to encourage them to try harder.

There was severe weather warnings all day here, but nothing much happened. We got rain. But businesses and schools shut down and sent people home.

I didn’t realize till this morning that some areas really got spectacular weather. Take a look at this UK student in Lexington, just north of here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5TSwsYLCB8/?igsh=ODUweDRqZDI5aWU0

An old friend came through yesterday from seeing her grandbabies in SC. I convinced her to stay the night and we gabbed and drank Japanese Plum wine.

I was blasted out of bed by a motor that sounded like a helicopter was landing in my back yard.
The neighbor’s boyfriend was working on a riding mower in his driveway adjacent to mine. The muffler fell off, he sez.
It’s nearly 9pm!
At least it gave me a chance to say hello. Cory is his name.

It’s eclipse day and the sun has been out all day until now, in the hour of the event. It doesn’t look like rain, but the disc will not be visible. Grey cloud cover.
Ah well, I’m getting some garden business done.
Refining the path through the front yard for the postal deliverer. They like to cut across yards rather than loop up and down the steps.
I’m going to start lining the path with plants.

The eclipse we saw in Geneva, it wasn't the disk that was impressive, but the way the whole world 'stopped'.

It did seem to stop. It’s just now beginning to pick up again. I took special glasses over to a neighbor and we had some blackberry cordial . And then the clouds dispersed and we got to see most of it.

The best photography of the eclipse:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5gyuPiPl6t/?igsh=YzR4MnkwdjY5aWt3

Someone knew what they were doing

I’m glad I got most of the transplants in the ground Monday and Tuesday, because it’s been raining since.
I think I’ve decided on where to put the new peach tree - on the first slope out back.
A neighbor gave out raspberry plants and I’ve got a bag of those to place.
It’s too soggy to even dig dandelions.

Rose is bringing her cat here today. The puppy has been too friendly and the cat has no idea it can fight back. So it has gnaw marks on its neck.🥺

>160 2wonderY: poor kitty!

Puppy needs to be taught respect.

Finally a day of sunshine! Lots happening in the gardens. First a trip to the Farmers Market and I have to mow when it dries off.

The robins nest in the deck roof framing was knocked down this morning. I am so impressed by its construction and comfort. Too bad! Something is building another nest in a different spot, but I haven’t seen who. It’s a mess.

Connie sold me a variegated Solomon’s Seal. My mini SS is emerging and becoming a patch.
Also a Dianthus firewitch, which is leggier than the others I have. A hen & chicks because the chicks are just so cute. And a creeping thyme ‘Coccineus,’ which promises red flowers.

The Potting Shed is open. I looked at some expensive plants for research; and bought one pineapple sage and five small perennials. Will list them later. I’m taking a lunch break.
Guara Belleza Dark Pink; which isn’t really perennial.
Prunella ‘Summer Daze’ common name Self-Heal.
Delosperma P001S Fire Spinner, also not winter hardy here.
Lupine ‘Gallery Red’
And Donkeytail Spurge.

Walmart to see what they have and buy topsoil for the raised beds. Bought two pretty Ranunculus annuals for the front yard.

A couple of neighbors want to visit the Amish greenhouses in Crab Orchard soon. That’s where the exciting stuff is found.

It’s hot out!
Finding spots for peach and raspberries. The slope at the top of the yard has held blueberries, which have never done well, and a very steep area covered in carpet. I rolled one edge of the carpet over and planted a line of raspberries. I had place leaves under, and the soil there is very rich. I need to devise a walkway up the slope.

The guy who helped with my dead battery stopped by and gave me bulbs. He bought them from a high school neighbor selling them for a fundraiser, but he doesn’t garden. He said he would enjoy them in my yard instead.
Gladiola
Orchid gladiola
Freesia
Liatris

Blueberries want acid soil. If you don't have it, they will not thrive.

>165 MarthaJeanne: I know. The soil here is only slightly acid and I’ve been amending with pine needles as well as a bag of fertilizer specifically for blueberries.
But I’m not really interested in them anymore. Rose and Nathan have some mature highbush blueberries, but they too seem not enough reward for the effort.

I tried years agp. I dug out alarge hole. I lined it with boards and filled it with special blueberry soil, and planted my bushes. I made sure to only water them with rain water. After a few years we actually harvested a handful or two. Ny the next year they were dead.

Now comes the interesting part. I had planted raspberries behind that hole. Once the blueberries were dead, the raspberries moved in. Soon there were no raspberries left where I had planted them, but the blueberry bed was ful of them. Not that I ever got amy into the kitchen. Any my four males didn't eat in the garden the birds must have gotten.

So if you have given up on the blueberries, you might want to try raspberries there.

>167 MarthaJeanne: I am expecting the raspberries to move in there too.

I have asparagus! Two stalks. And not where I expected it. I had multiple root balls last fall and forgot to mark where I stuck them in the ground. I may need to reorganize a little bit.

I dreamt of green things emerging from the ground. It was a celebration.

Catching up on your gardening!

If you want to make the soil more acid for blueberries, coffee grounds seem to help. Also, my mother used to use Miracid, from the Miracle-Gro company, to make her acid-loving plants thrive. I don't need to use it here as the soil is below acid, tested in the 5 pH range when I had it done years ago.

I was at the doctor’s office this morning to evaluate the dosage of blood pressure medicine. It’s not consistent from one moment to the next. On my way out, I had a spontaneous blood vessel break on the back of my hand. You can actually see the bump made by the broken vessel. They looked at it and couldn’t comment.
I just keep thinking what if it happens in my gut or brain.

Got tired waiting for the plumber to call me back, so called another plumber. They’ve been here all afternoon. It turned into a bigger job because the old line was rotten as well as mostly full of debris.
They seem mostly done. I hate to see the bill.

Tis the season

May 10-11 arts council plant sale
https://www.instagram.com/p/C56zcwiCz1r/?igsh=bzR2ejV6dHN0aW9y

Neighbor Joan and I went out to an Amish owned greenhouse in Crab Orchard this morning. This is not my favorite, but the prices were pretty good compared to prices in town. Loaded up on flowering annuals to brighten the mulched west front yard.
And a few more. Will list them in more detail tomorrow. By the time I went to class and had the plumber back to finish up, it was too hot and I was too tired to do much with them.

Reminder to self
Find Trees & Shrubs of Kentucky by Mary E. Wharton & Roger W. Barbour

When is it impossible to plant flowers?

When you haven’t botany.😁

It’s cold and wet today. I’ve been out running errands. Dropped party stuff at Joan’s - she is hosting the neighborhood Earth Day party.
No disposables!

I will encourage measuring our old trees for registry as Champion Trees.

I wanted to go back to Crab Orchard, to the better greenhouse. But Rose will be home soon from her last work day with Hitachi.
So I stopped and got a leaky tire fixed instead. Stem replacement and that should be the end of that.
I also stopped at the library and dropped off some good chocolate for the librarians to help celebrate public library month.

I’m so cold. Closed the windows, shut down the fans, brought one of the portable heaters back from storage. Found my wool shawls.
The turtlenecks are boxed away, but sweaters are still available.
It’s supposed to get down to 55°F tonight.
I’m not good with transitions anymore.

>177 2wonderY: I'll send you some of our 80+ degrees.

>178 lesmel: Thanks! I double-checked and it’s worse. Down to the mid 30s the next couple of nights. I just dragged all the greenhouse grown stuff inside and covered the few already planted.

>179 2wonderY: Yikes! We are having 80s also. Wanna visit?

>180 MrsLee: Yes! I’ll be right over…

>181 2wonderY: There is a cranberry-orange cake and some lovely iced shrubs on the table.

>178 lesmel: Can I have some, too, please? They are nor forecasting frosts, but below normal end of April weather for the rest of the month. Highs around 12. Like Ruth, I'm on shock. But we had not turned off the furnace or taken down the greenhouse tent, so I'm not as desperate. If I really buy tomato plants on Wednesday, they can go in there for a while.

>182 MrsLee: Cranberry orange sounds good. If I make cookies with cranberries soaked in Grand Marnier , and use the orange chocolate Jerry bought by mistake...

Party at MrsLee’s! Bringing my weeding gear. (It’s a kneeling pad that I almost always leave behind me.)

My cookies are in the over, but I do not recommend a party here. cold (5°C), windy, drizzly. Plenty of weeds, though. Better go to MrsLee. I've had to reclose the tent, as temps were down to 9 in there.

ETA Cookies are out, and are brightening up an otherwise very grey day. I've also had enough tea to bring my blood pressure above the 90/60 mark. That helps too.

Cinnamon and cardamon in the cookies.

>184 2wonderY: Great idea!

>185 MarthaJeanne: Those cookies sound amazing, better bring them along!

I bottled my watermelon shrub this morning. Great potential. Tastes a bit like the sour/sweet watermelon flavor candy sticks I used to love in high school. Remember those? Were they Jolly Rancher? Or a different brand. A clear, hard candy in a flat bar shape, very pretty pink.

I never liked that flavor in candy. It never approached the taste of the real thing.

We are having a block party here this evening to celebrate Earth Day. Joan always leads on these things and then gets anxious. I’ve been providing support all week. Sharing party supplies and keeping track of the weather. It’s chilly, but at least the skies are clear. Supposed to be 62° high today. I will bring cordial as well as a potato casserole.

All but one of my roses survived this winter well; and are leafing out from branches. One of my favorites looked dead until this morning where I see life at its base.
I’ve come across roses in my shopping, and picked up two because the prices were so good; but sight unseen, as they are not in bloom.
From Ollie’s, Pink Miracle LGHR2. Shrub rose for $8. I got two bags of gladiola bulbs as well, peach and deep dusky red. I helped a new gardener to shop in the bulb bin too.

At the Crab Orchard greenhouse, the 3 gallon potted roses were $21 as compared to $57 in town. There was one drift rose, and it was the only sickly one. So instead, I chose an ‘Orange Glow’ Knock Out specimen. ‘Radslam PPAF’

The climbing rose that my daughter specially bought for me two years ago has buds!

Veggies

At the greenhouse the other day, I bought ‘Black Beauty’ zucchini squash and two types of tomato - ‘Rutgers’ (hmm, a mistake, I think) and some ‘Roma.’
Also ‘Berggarten’ Sage.

Today I bought tomatoes from Connie, ‘Mortgage Lifter’ and ‘Hillbilly.’
At the grocery store, cabbage and cauliflower. I’ve never been successful with the brassicas, but willing to try again.

Succulents from Crab Orchard (Hummingbird Greenhouse)
Fishbone cactus, an odd thing, and Pickle Plant, Delosperma echinatum.

In the same display, Scindapsus ‘Exotica.’ Because it was cheap.
These will be added to the patchwork slopes.

For the shaded corner of the deck next to the pond, I like to have pots of flowering begonias - ‘Vermillion Hot Pink’ and an orange pink blush. (No tag)

Another party-goer pointed out the fabulous sunset sky, intense pink with just a thread of orange and purple against a blue blue sky and trailing pink clouds all along the horizon.

Doing the wash-up from last evening.
I contributed plates, forks, goblets and cordial glasses. I was delighted to catch the children using the cordials for their own drinks. My grands love them too for festivities. And I saw the adults choosing their goblets carefully as well. Each has a unique glass button wired to the stem, so it can be identified on a table full of misc. glassware.
I’d like the word to get out that these are available for borrow in the community; else why should I keep them?

Damn Damn Damn! The house and property that Rose and Nathan would have loved to buy 6 months ago just went on the market. They drove up this evening to look at it. T and I were making plans to get together after school every day for tea parties. There was a perfect bush where we both fit inside. (T went in first to make sure it was clear of bears and badgers)
But it sounds like they are deciding against it and plan to stay on the farm. It’s not their farm, but it’s inexpensive and the house there doesn’t need the work this one would.
Color me disappointed.

We had pancakes at Cracker Barrel afterwards, and our side of the table got seriously maple syruped.

Last night’s low was forecast at 34°, but we did have a light frost, evidenced on roofs and vehicle tops this morning. High today is 64° and nights in the 40-50s the rest of the week.
I’d like to plant the lantanas, moss rose, ranunculas and others today. Also seed my raised beds.
The sun is out, so it should warm as much as it’s gonna fairly quickly.

There were some healthy looking 3 gallon perennials at Ace Hardware this weekend for $20.

>175 2wonderY: argh. Love it.

>182 MrsLee: it's been 50 and rainy, but feels colder. Can I come over?

You'll welcome to visit when we get in the 90s.

>186 MrsLee: I was never a fan of the sour Jolly Ranchers, but you triggered a memory of watermelon candies that were like little slices of watermelon, complete with a "rind" of green and little black spots for seeds. Dang, when did I have those?

>190 2wonderY: Roma is a favorite of mine, I grow it every year.

>195 2wonderY: I'm ahead of you, of course, as it's zone 8a here. I have already planted lantanas. I also have portulacas, purslane, and petite marigolds in a new bed by the steps. I transplanted a red clematis and surrounded it with bugleweed to help keep its feet cool. I also added some evening primroses and a purple coneflower in the back of the bed.

Walking the backyard this morning, the shallow water dish is frozen. The moles are excavating next to the east maple tree, with a dozen or so entrance holes, but no raised tunnels.

Doctor’s visit, where I endured having an ear flushed and a tetanus booster.
Three donuts to make me feel alright again. Then an afternoon trip out to the other Amish greenhouse at Crab Orchard. Stopped by the first as well to inquire if they would take back an impulse purchase. I bought a Cape honeysuckle because the flowers were big and orange. But where would I put it? They said yes. I got three plants in exchange.
List later.

I removed the last piece of carpet from the center of the west slope, front yard. There are still pieces at the bottom of the east side, but I keep adding small plants there too.
The west slope is largely being taken over by the pink evening primrose with chunks of wild geranium mixed in. The small succulents are disappearing under the onslaught. So I’m removing them for the rock garden slope out back, or I will pot them for accent pieces.
I put two lantanas in the bare spots and will fertilize them. Last year, my two planted by the front porch grew to 8 or 9 feet in diameter. I’ve planted a few more, various colors, around the weeping peach to begin defining where plants should go on that side of the yard. After excavation last year, I covered the entire space with wood mulch instead of re-seeding grass.

I’m also messing with the circle bed in the middle of the east front lawn. Removed a couple of items and added one of the new rose bushes.
I removed all of the creeping Jenny that has grown on the rock slope. I’ve decided it wants to make itself too much at home. In the process, I’m moving some of the rock; so I will be jigsawing back into place this weekend and introducing new small plants in the in-betweens.

Removing the millions of maple seedlings coming up everywhere.

I’ve got so much that needs done; but I’m lacking the energy. That’s odd, and frustrating. Also getting a headache which is also unusual.

Checked with Connie this morning. I’m looking for Veronica’s (mine have not come up) and hummingbird mint. She says next week. So instead, I bought a basil and catmint.

I’ve finally found a Garden Marker that won’t rub off or fade, and I used up all the tags I bought last year so I can remember what is where. I needed more, so looked at the Dollar Tree. Nope. But the Dollar Tree across town had them.
Dropped in at the Potting Shed looking for pond plants. If I can’t revive my pond, I’m gonna drain it and re-purpose it.
Bought a Cyperus Papyrus (dwarf) and two Astilbe and something else…
Considering two peonies and an azalea.

Swarms of boxelder bugs this season.

Had to share this:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6SCBgwyJOE/?igsh=MTJja2c3N2Rjejg5Zg==

I spend too much time on Instagram.

Daughter is coming down from Cinci today. I plan to put her to work in the gardens.

The medium purple irises at the top of the front slope are seriously putting out this year. Remember I threatened them last year with removal. I’ve even had to dig some out and posted to share them to the neighborhood. They do like to take over. I cut some blooms and they are fragrant.
All of the roses have buds.
The coral peony I bought last year is in bloom.
The pink primrose is scrambling up two slopes, but hasn’t bloomed yet. Another yard, facing south, is in full bloom.
The wild geraniums are blooming and mounding nicely.
I found some very nice dahlias for the front of the rose garden. The ones I had last year there haven’t reappeared.
The foxgloves are huge and sending up flower stalks.

I’m fighting the carpenter bees drilling holes in my deck and carport.
I’m working this morning putting my tomatoes in the ground.

We didn’t get any work done; but we had a nice hang out together. Anne had to get the van back tonight, so didn’t stay.
We snuck over to one of the gardens that was on last year’s tour and peeked at the gate, sure that her pink mountain laurel would be in bloom. Mary saw us and invited us in. Wow! Her azaleas and rhododendrons and some roses and a towering viburnum were in glory. I need two roses - Fourth of July (which I used to have in WV) and a blush yellow climber. I asked the name twice and didn’t retain it.
She consulted us on the color she is having her house siding painted. It’s a bright yellow, and she’s tried mellower shades four times and it stays too bright. I like the putty color she is covering over.

Back at my house, we were in the front yard and someone paused driving by to exclaim over the irises. We exchanged names and I will give her some when I next thin them (soon!). Her name is Bobbi, and she lives up around the corner next to Eef. So her back yard is visible from my back yard. She seems nice!

Tomatoes

Roma, of course.
Rutgers - bigger plant, determinate.
Pineapple - KY heirloom, indeterminate. Hmm. Where to plant these?
Mortgage Lifter - also a traditional variety around here.
Hillbilly - a WV heirloom. Grows up to 7 feet tall. Good thing I acquired some heavy duty cages last year when a neighbor tossed them.

Other veg

Swiss chard - these get big, so perhaps planting them here and there in the beds.
Cauliflower ‘Snow Crown’ - because I like a challenge.
Cabbage ‘Golden Cross’ and ‘Fast Vantage
Planting these in the new raised beds out front with full sun and the possible need to cover with netting, as the cabbage moth is plentiful here.