July 19, 2010
Monday
Our Weekend
July 19, 2010
Monday
The Mojo has returned.
We hit the nursery this weekend and tackled big projects. Projects that seemed too daunting to imagine are now crossed off the list, but there are always more.
The biggest one was cutting back and digging up the Mutabalis rose outside Em’s bedroom window.
I didn’t think it could be done without bloodshed as that rose doesn’t have thorns, it has talons and it will do you damage. Enter Tearful with chain saw.
Mutabalis has now been relocated
to the wine barrel in the back and though it has been severely cut back, I know it will recover.
In it’s place are apricot colored Foxgloves and pink Penstemmon with Santa Barbara Daisies. It has lightened and opened up that space and will be beautiful once it fills in.
Meanwhile…
Santa Barbara Daisies and Nasturtiums gone native in the back.
Sweet Peas…
Oregano…
Pots under the Maple disguising the gopher’s game of Dig up the Tulip bulbs.
Peruvian Lilys, Lychnis and Scabiosa.
Buddha at the pond.
Abutilon and succulent shoes.
Grilla relocated.
Gnome relocated.
New Geranium.
New and favorite score
Ballerina Purple
Angel’s Trumpet.
The Alien.
July 14, 2010
Wednesday
After almost a week of knitting and un-knitting the same four rows, I have finally devised a way to keep track of my stitches. I tried the life line method of threading a piece of yarn through a row as a safeguard, it did me no good.
I tried a being here now meditation method, speaking my stitches aloud and staying with the rhythm of the pattern, an intense focus, and still, I’d be short at the end of the row!
I found my knitting to be just the same as practicing meditation. The monkey mind drifts, and though I can coax it back, I can’t be sure I did the proper yo sl1 psso1 yo while I was away.
I finally decided to mark my place in the pattern as I knit with a piece of thread and stop every 7 stitch pattern repeat and count to make sure I haven’t skipped.
Tedious but not AS tedious as ripping it all apart.
And
Summer arrived today!
July 14, 2010
Wednesday
After almost a week of knitting and un-knitting the same four rows, I have finally devised a way to keep track of my stitches. I tried the life line method of threading a piece of yarn through a row as a safeguard, it did me no good.
I tried a being here now meditation method, speaking my stitches aloud and staying with the rhythm of the pattern, an intense focus, and still, I’d be short at the end of the row!
I found my knitting to be just the same as practicing meditation. The monkey mind drifts, and though I can coax it back, I can’t be sure I did the proper yo sl1 psso1 yo while I was away.
I finally decided to mark my place in the pattern as I knit with a piece of thread and stop every 7 stitch pattern repeat and count to make sure I haven’t skipped.
Tedious but not AS tedious as ripping it all apart.
And
Summer arrived today!
July 14, 2010
Wednesday
After almost a week of knitting and un-knitting the same four rows, I have finally devised a way to keep track of my stitches. I tried the life line method of threading a piece of yarn through a row as a safeguard, it did me no good.
I tried a being here now meditation method, speaking my stitches aloud and staying with the rhythm of the pattern, an intense focus, and still, I’d be short at the end of the row!
I found my knitting to be just the same as practicing meditation. The monkey mind drifts, and though I can coax it back, I can’t be sure I did the proper yo sl1 psso1 yo while I was away.
I finally decided to mark my place in the pattern as I knit with a piece of thread and stop every 7 stitch pattern repeat and count to make sure I haven’t skipped.
Tedious but not AS tedious as ripping it all apart.
And
Summer arrived today!
July 12, 2010
Monday
It’s Monday.
What’s to be said?
The weekend lingers on the tip of my tongue, sweet and creamy.
I got Lu up and out for a walk this morning, not as easy as it sounds for either one of us. She got her beef jerky treat from the liquor store lady whom she is now deeply in love with and I got
two Netflix movies and
the new New Yorker AND I got some pictures of the pretty gardens in town.
July 12, 2010
Monday
It’s Monday.
What’s to be said?
The weekend lingers on the tip of my tongue, sweet and creamy.
I got Lu up and out for a walk this morning, not as easy as it sounds for either one of us. She got her beef jerky treat from the liquor store lady whom she is now deeply in love with and I got
two Netflix movies and
the new New Yorker AND I got some pictures of the pretty gardens in town.
July 12, 2010
Monday
It’s Monday.
What’s to be said?
The weekend lingers on the tip of my tongue, sweet and creamy.
I got Lu up and out for a walk this morning, not as easy as it sounds for either one of us. She got her beef jerky treat from the liquor store lady whom she is now deeply in love with and I got
two Netflix movies and
the new New Yorker AND I got some pictures of the pretty gardens in town.
July 12, 2010
I broke the spell.
A little.
I went to the nursery in town and bought mulch for the front yard, as the earth has been scorched up there and the bare dirt was more than I could stand.
The nursery in town, though beautiful and well stocked is over priced. I think almost $50 is too much for a couple bags of mulch and a couple plants even if they do carry it out to your truck.
Also that’s just too much money to spend on gopher food.
The two bags only covered the front bed, I’ll have to get more, mulch, at the evil Home Despot to do the rest.
I decided to go ahead and run my little planting in pots experiment on the one bed the gophers have not invaded, so I pulled out the deformed cauliflower but left the pretty purple Sweet Peas and added a Purple Pentstemon, not in it’s pot, (it’s the one being sacrificed like the guest actor in Star Trek) and some Calibrachoa and a Gaura with variegated leaves, all in pots. We’ll see how that turns out.
Tearful slashed the sides and bottoms of the pots without losing any fingers. I’ll need mulch for this bed too.
I took some pictures of gardens in town on our walk this morning.
The Ollalieberry Inn’s garden is looking great these days, and so is the Dentist’s house…
Always looks neat and beautiful, and I’ve never seen anyone tending it. They must have night gnomes.
The roses manage to bloom under the shade of the trees, though they are a bit rangy. Still, no black spot or rust.
I remain hopeful the ennui has passed and that I will plant something again…
June 9, 2010
Friday
I took a stroll through the garden this morning…
The hydrangea in front of the lair is looking pretty gorgeous. I love how the flowers open, each little bud opening one at a time until shabam! it’s a giant ball of pink.
The bird bath bed is pretty sorry looking except for the sweet peas. The gophers loved the lettuce but very kindly left the sweet peas and the cerinthe which looks raggedy just now but will soon drop it’s seeds for next year.
The tool box is in bloom as are all the succulents I transplanted from various cuttings gathered around town. These things are remarkably easy to propagate and basically carefree. They could use a bit of a clean up, note the spider web and seed head perched on the left.
The fortnight lily also in bloom and here is another generous self sower. After the flower comes a pod and when the time is right it explodes sending millions of little seeds everywhere and though I love this plant it can get too big for it’s britches.
The jasmine on both arbors is loaded with blossoms and filling the whole yard with the most intoxicating fragrance imaginable. If I was crazier I’d gather those blossoms and try my hand at extracting it’s perfume.
The plum tree is loaded with almost ripened fruit. Must find recipes!
And finally, the cauliflower.
I’m calling this a failure. Each and every one I planted did this weird separating thing. I’ve no idea what went wrong. Other than I just lost the gardening mojo somewhere. I have no interest in planting, weeding or cleaning. Lately it’s been cold and gray and when the sun does show up it’s only for a minute.
I’m not blaming the weather entirely for my lack of interest but it isn’t helping.
Dude,Where’s my summer?
July 7, 2010
Wednesday already?
We went to Las Vegas last weekend
and jumped right back into normal life.
Like that can even happen.
Las Vegas was as awe inspiring as any sunrise, sunset, purple mountain majesty. Humanity in all its gory beauty.
I loved it.
I actually wish we had more time to spend just being there, looking. It went by so fast, trying to catch up years with my boy. He is a gem.
We ate and drank and talked and went to see this…
A Komodo dragon.
and this…
Elvis at the Peggy Sue Diner in Yermo.
They also have a Dino Saur Park out back in addition to a gift shop selling ceramic Superman cookie jars. So if you need one…
I want to thank the Dishwasher for being such a sport and taking me to Peggy Sue’s Diner where he sat patiently watching me eat and then walked through the gift shop with me.
This man, he’s a rock.
July 7, 2010
Wednesday already?
We went to Las Vegas last weekend
and jumped right back into normal life.
Like that can even happen.
Las Vegas was as awe inspiring as any sunrise, sunset, purple mountain majesty. Humanity in all its gory beauty.
I loved it.
I actually wish we had more time to spend just being there, looking. It went by so fast, trying to catch up years with my boy. He is a gem.
We ate and drank and talked and went to see this…
A Komodo dragon.
and this…
Elvis at the Peggy Sue Diner in Yermo.
They also have a Dino Saur Park out back in addition to a gift shop selling ceramic Superman cookie jars. So if you need one…
I want to thank the Dishwasher for being such a sport and taking me to Peggy Sue’s Diner where he sat patiently watching me eat and then walked through the gift shop with me.
This man, he’s a rock.
July 7, 2010
Wednesday already?
We went to Las Vegas last weekend
and jumped right back into normal life.
Like that can even happen.
Las Vegas was as awe inspiring as any sunrise, sunset, purple mountain majesty. Humanity in all its gory beauty.
I loved it.
I actually wish we had more time to spend just being there, looking. It went by so fast, trying to catch up years with my boy. He is a gem.
We ate and drank and talked and went to see this…
A Komodo dragon.
and this…
Elvis at the Peggy Sue Diner in Yermo.
They also have a Dino Saur Park out back in addition to a gift shop selling ceramic Superman cookie jars. So if you need one…
I want to thank the Dishwasher for being such a sport and taking me to Peggy Sue’s Diner where he sat patiently watching me eat and then walked through the gift shop with me.
This man, he’s a rock.
July 6, 2010
Fuschia by the hammock, gets so little light under the maple and yet it blooms and dances in it’s pretty pink dress. It gives me hope.
That, and the Hydrangea in the pot on the back deck, stuck there last year while I waited out the paint job on the house, thinking I’d plant it there and have the driveway lined in blowzy blossoms come the end of summer. Instead it made itself a home in that pot and there it will stay.
Our weekend trip to Sin City gave me ideas.
Look at this craziness…
unlike everything else in Vegas, those plants are real. In pots! Millions of them in little plastic pots so even the giant ants can’t do much damage. Now I’m sorry I tossed all those black plastic pots!
The tomato and cauliflower live on and now will be joined by other plants dug into the ground and planted in plastic pots. Take that gophers!
June 29, 2010
It’s been such a strange day.
There’s a heaviness…
It looked for a minute like the sun wasn’t going to show but here it is just this minute. Maybe it will change the flavor and texture of this day.
This stitchery I finished a few weeks ago…
The look on this face, that’s how I feel.
I should tread lightly.
Planting Along The Verge 