Random Thoughts

My right knee is still bothering me.  As always, my complete understanding that many people have worse problems temporary or permanent, but this one is mine right now and it has been 3 weeks now.  It's getting better.  Walking straight forward on level ground is almost back to normal.  Any sideways pressure is annoying.  Stairs are hardest.  Hopefully, another week, and I will notice that I am NOT noticing my knee. 

Or not.  Stuff starts to get permanent after 65.  I expect one day soon it will just be normal again.  But that is apparently a weak part of me and someday it won't ever be "normal" again.  In fact, I suppose that if I could channel my 30 year old self, "none" of me would seem "normal".

Speaking of which, a lawn service salesman knocked on my door and (surprisingly) after I made it clear I was a D-I-Yer and we talked about the details of lawn maintenance.  He actually thought my lawn was the best in the neighborhood, and when I detailed my particular weed problems and what I was doing about them, he agreed I really didn't need his services.  But he seemed to want to talk and I wasn't busy so we talked (rare for me, I usually just politely tell door-to-door salesmen to leave).  He was about my age.

His son was a Top Gun pilot, he showed me a newspaper article.  He guessed my age 10 years younger (which wasn't just a sales trick; it's routine - "mature slow, age slow").  But when we compared ailments (it's an age thing), he recommended I drink diluted gelatin.  That seemed odd and I had to think about that for a moment.

Aha, gelatin is made from mammal sinews and tendons, and I had a "tendon" problem.  He is into homeopathy (using small amounts of a substance that causes the symptoms to be treated or using small amounts of supplementals with a similar nature to the problem)!  He suggested a book to read.  I ignored his idea out-of-hand, but I let him go on for a few minutes.  I was vaguely fascinated talking to a homeopathy adherent.  I finally begged off, as my lunch was waiting on the table, but I looked up the book. 

So, drinking gelatin made from tendons to strengthen tendons...  Pure nonsense.  Every respectable study I found in 15 minutes showed no results from it.  People believe the STRANGEST things.

I used my new Fiscar "Stand Up Weeder" today.

It's really cool.   You put the blades over the weed (really good for dandelions), step on the base, and when you lever the handle the blades close together and pull up 3" of roots, the plant comes up, and you slide the orange lever to open the blades and push the plant off the blades.  I bet I got out 100 dandelions in 15 minutes today.  Without bending over.  Not an ad, when *I* recommend a product, the manufacturer doesn't even know.  Think of me as a personal Consumer Reporter...

I watered the tulip/daffodil bed today.  We haven't had rain in 10 days, are forecast for MAYBE 1/4" tomorrow, and then none for another week.  But I mention that to mention that my sprinkler wasn't working right.  It would stick in one position.  So I took it apart a few days ago. 

Granted, that's not like taking apart a clock or a mixer.  But if you take some parts off something that isn't working right and clean and lubricate the parts and put them back together, it is amazing how often the thing starts working again. 

And the sprinkler worked just fine.  Yeah, I could have just bought a new sprinkler, but I really like this one.  It's called a "rain-dancer".  The spray not only moves back and forth, but it hesitates and reverses briefly, but ALSO fluctuates the force of the spray as it goes.  And even having taken it apart and put it back together, I have NO idea how it does it.  But it is working again and that is what really matters.

Not to say that everything went well.  There is a dial that aligns the spray to go full back and forth, only left, only right, and only 30 degrees in the center.  So... I was a bit careless when I turned it on and got a facefull of spray!  LOL!  I wiped off my face OK, but it took a while to get the water out of my ears...

The tulip/daffodil bed got a good hour of watering while I went around using the Fiscar thing to pull up dandelions.

Speaking of the flower bed, I planted 100 hyacinths in cages and not a single one as so much as broken the surface.  Either hyacinths are way fussier about when they are planted than tulips, or something was seriously wrong with the bulbs.  I'll bet that it was MY fault planting them late and that they needed more cold-time.  The bulbs seemed healthy and firm when planted.  Maybe their underground shoots are thicker than the 1/2" wire cages and they were choked.  I'm going to ask the bulb providers.  Or maybe they will just show up next week.  Or next year.

The garden is started outdoors.  Last week, I planted 4 broccoli seedlings, 2 purple cauliflower seedlings, and 2 dwarf cabbage seedlings.  And I planted seeds of radish, shallot, scallions, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, and spinach.  The snow peas are starting to reach the trellis and they will take off when they grab that.  The planted seeds are just starting to emerge.  I water those gently with a mister at first.  Some of those seeds are planted very shallowly (small seed - shallow planting).  When they have some roots developed, I can use the shower setting (which is about like a gentle rain) and that is a LOT faster watering!

It's good to see something planted and growing.

The flats of flowers are outdoors half a day now (to get them used to sunlight after the gentler artificial lights indoors).  Day temperatures are getting above 70F and the nighttime temperatures are at or above 50F, so they are getting  used to changes in temperatures.  A week of careful introduction to outdoor reality can really make a difference!

Started Planting Veggies

HURRAY!  Got some plants in the ground in the garden, and some seeds too.  The transplants were broccoli/cauliflower/cabbage.  The direct seeds were radishes, spinach, carrots, parsnips, scallions, kohlrabi, and

Finally.  It seems that 1st planting day will never come.   Since this year is the first for the new raised bed garden in full planting (I was late starting last year because the enclosure wasn't complete), I wasn't sure where to plant stuff.  So last week was planning.

Nothing fancy, but I tend to generally use "square foot gardening".  I don't do it precisely, and I have to say that 4' wide beds are a bit awkward to reach into, but I do it as a general rule.  Not being sure how much space I had, I scribbled on paper for a while.

Largest stuff first.  The 22" diameter tomato cages take 4 sq ft and I love heirloom tomatoes above all other garden crops.  I set space for 6 cages (I have a place for 6 other cages outside the enclosure).  And no, 12 tomato plants are not too many for me.  Heirlooms produce fewer fruits (but are worth it).

Then comes the trellises of cucumbers and flat Italian beans, that took 11 sq feet at the ends of the beds.  And a few sq ft each for 2 bush squashes (one green, one yellow).

Then I want space for melons.  I love honeydew and cantaloupe melons, and I have some dwarf watermelons started.  But the space they take is not for them alone.  They like to grow on the ground, so there is some space for upright plants that will die before the melons grow fully.  That means broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower can be inter-planted in 2 beds where the honeydew and cantaloupe melons will grow later.

And then there is the bi-color corn.  I love that stuff (sweet AND "corny").    I'm taking a chance on growing small watermelons and corn in the same bed.  The idea is that the corn will grow high and the watermelons will grow low (and the watermelon won't try to climb the corn stalks).

The American Indians (especially the Iriquois) used to grow The Three Sisters.  Squash on the ground to shade out the weeds, corn to grow high, and pole beans to climb the cornstalks.  I've tried that a couple times and it didn't work.  The bi-color corn I grow has smaller stalks and the beans overwhelm them.  So the beans are separate this year.  The melons want to spread out over my raised beds, but I am going to keeps the vines corralled in the raised bed with tent pegs.  I hope that works.

But what about all the small crops?  Well, after all the space for the stuff above was accounted for , I had about 40 sq ft left.  3 are going to radishes, 3 to carrots, 3 to parsnips, 3 to shallots, 3 to scallions, 8 to spinach, 2 to Chinese cabbage, 2 to leeks, 1 to basil, 2 to kohlrabi, 2 to beets, 5 to bell peppers, and a few flowers to attract pollinators.

And there are some places around the yard where I can plant some herbs.  And some of the crops are "succession" crops, meaning I can reuse the spaces as the season goes on.  Radishes can be harvested and replanted several times a year, for example, and the broccoli/cauliflower/cabbages are harvested in June and a new crop planted in July for Fall harvest.

Hoping for the best!

Ah, Tax Day

I don't mind Tax Day too much.  There's no avoiding it, my taxes have gotten more complicated over the years, and I procrastinate more, but tax software is SO much better than figuring out everything myself.

It used to be that it was so simple:
A.  How much did you earn last year.
B.  How much do you have left.
C.  Send B.

Ok, old joke, but it used to seem like that.

NOW, I get to fuss with deductions, donations, inheritances, death benefits, explanatory statements, foreign taxes, health benefit forms, energy-efficiency credits, etc.  Only God and H&R Block know what else.  There was probably a trans-fat tax in there somewhere.

Seriously, I just buy the software, answer all the questions, stare at the forms that print out, and hope for the best.  I hope I never get audited.  I try to be scrupulously honest, but sometimes I haven't the slightest idea what the forms are asking for!  The worst is looking at a document sent by some company saying "copy sent to the IRS" and trying to figure out where to enter it in the software.  For example, it took me 15 minutes to figure out that my share of Dad's  Civil Service "Death Benefit" was considered "income".  That is a sad of a way to get "income"!

But it beats the non-software way.  This year it only took 4 hours.  Mostly because I had so much leftover Dad stuff to donate, which lead me to donate a lot of MY unneeded stuff, both of which included new and used items.  The IRS does NOT like mixed categories of donations!

But, for better or worse, its done and the forms mailed...  Next year will be a lot easier; no leftover Dad stuff, no unused "my" stuff, no inherited stuff to declare.

One really cool thing I discovered is that Maryland excludes $29,000 of income when you turn 65!  THAT saved more than a few dollars in taxes...

And then there was the filing options.  I could pay the extra I owed to the Feds by credit card if I filed electronically, but there was an unspecified "convenience fee" to H&R Block for that.  Which apparently I couldn't learn until I went through giving them a lot of information first.  And I had a refund coming from MD, which I could get in a week electronically, but my bank has this weird thing where what is normally the routing number on your check ISN'T and I was worried about getting it wrong. 

So there I was putting everything in envelopes the old-fashioned way and wondering if I put enough stamps on the envelopes for the 6 pages of paper in them.  And I LAUGHED out loud (at myself)!  I was paying X $1000 in taxes in worried about an extra 42 cent stamp.

So I slapped on 2 extra stamps on each envelope and put them in the mailbox... 

DONE!

Minor Miseries

I've been feeling rotten the past 10 days for various unrelated reasons.  Now please do understand I'm not comparing that to any serious problems.  No broken bone, no serious illness, no diagnosis of lifelong condition.  Just several surprises.

I've been fortunate to be generally healthy all my life (and I turn 66 next month).  So it is more a matter of what I am unused to.

So when I started violent sneezing fits 10 days ago, I was surprised and concerned.  And I mean SUDDEN and VIOLENT!  I went through an entire box of Kleenex in one day.  I literally could not be out of reach of tissues.  I barely slept for 2 nights. 

Now, I do recall having to take Coricidin-D for allergies to our family cat as a teenager.  And a couple of times, I had a brief sneezing fit when I had a teen job mowing lawns.  But all that went away.  The most I had since teenage years was a couple of sudden sneezes when I first walked into bright sunlight for the day once or twice a year. 

So this sudden constant unending sneezing and nose-blowing really baffled me.  And it was actually debilitating.  And exhausting.  You know how, when you blow your nose, you tighten up your abdominal muscles?  Well, I did that so many times it HURT.  Can you sprain your diaphram?

It lasted 3 full days and then stopped like flipping a light switch.  The only thing I can think is that (which climate change) some new weed as moved into my area.  I saw one unfamiliar plant I think is a wild mustard, but it is still blooming and the sneezing has stopped. 

One odd thing is that I had walked outside through the tall lawn grass just before it started and the cats were all upset by the smells on the cuffs of my pants.  They gave the "flehmen" response where a smell suggests an enemy.  I wonder is some unusual animal came through the yard and maybe peed on the grass I walked through; some thing I reacted to...

Then, as soon as that was over, I twisted my right knee.  I've been limping for a week!  At first, I thought it was an attack of gout (I have had a couple incidences of that in the past 20 years, but the knee wasn't sensitive and swollen like gout.  I must had just strained it too much doing yardwork.  That has happened before.  I push myself too hard sometimes. 

But that usually only lasts a day or two, and this is the 7th day.  It is nearly gone away, so it isn't serious, but it sure made getting around and doing house and yard chores hard!  And there was NO comfortable position in which to sleep. 

And now I'm getting muscle cramps on the sides of my chest.  No, don't worry, not heart attacks.  I get them from twisting around too much while working.  That's been a problem for many years.  I try to be careful, but sometimes the most innocent movements will cause it.  Happens on both sides, but never both at the same time.  Sometimes just cleaning the litter boxes will start it. 

I had a roommate once who got pnuemonia and coughed so hard he actually broke a rib, causing similar problems.  I have a slightly constant cough from smoking (don't bother telling me how stupid that is, I KNOW).  But I wonder if I have done the same damage to some ribs. 

I hope this series of problems is only temporary.  Otherwise, the rest of my life if going to be rather uncomfortable...

My apologies to people with REAL problems.  But what you aren't used to is difficult to GET used to and I sure hope I don't HAVE to get used to these sorts of things.  My dad never had any physical problems in his life until his last year.  If things don't get worse and I live to his age (92), I will be very grateful...  And I suppose I would be grateful at 80 if it doesn't get worse.

BANG!

I woke up startled this morning.  There was a lot bang and I could tell something hit the house. It was too sudden for a branch hitting the roof and the cats were completely poofed!  I thought maybe someown had shot at the house.

So I got up and looked around (not turning on lights or walking near the windows).  I finally realized there was dust floating in the living room, then that there was a hole in the ceiling, and finally a dent in the floor!

And there, near the bookcase, was a rock the size of a golf ball, and it was WARM... 

My house got hit by a little meteorite!!!

I bet that isn't covered by my insurance policy, but I've read they are valuable.  I'll probably just keep it though and pay for the roof and ceiling repair myself.  Seriously, how many people have a meteorite to show off?

Great Shopping Day

I had a long list of stuff to buy at the local DIY store.  And found most.

The mailbox door broke after 30 years.  Tsk, tsk!  Only 30 years.  But it is in good shape, so repairable.  It needed a 3/16ths bolt through the 7" wide front.  Was that easy to find?  NO!  I finally found a 12" metal rod with threads.  Have to cut it down to size though.  The good news is that I also found "stop nuts".  Those have nylon on the inside so you don't need nuts and washers.

I got tired on wooden sawhorses that kept getting loose around the brackets.  Found some adjustable metal ones with places to attach temporary boards to protect against cutting the sawhorses.

Helped 3 other customers there looking for other stuff I knew where they were.  If I wanted a retirement job, I know where to go, LOL.

Found some super-magnets. (rare-earth materials)  Wasn't looking for them, but I can sure use them.  Those feeble refrigerator magnets aren't worth having.

Got 150 new plastic 6" plant labels.  My old ones were written over too many times and exposure to U/V rays makes them brittle after a few years anyway.  So, new start.

Green garden twine, stretch tape, and a small seed-sower (little clicks send one small seed at a time down a narrowing slot).  Beats using a tweezer or planting several at a spot!  Or straining my eyes even with reading glasses...

I keep using plastic ties







and I seem to use them a lot.  Buying them a dozen at a time was driving me crazy.  So, at the very bottom shelf, I found bags of 1,000.  GASP!  And they were the same price as 4 packs of 25!  I bought a bag each of 8" and 4".  Talk about volume discounts...  Lifetime supply, I hope.

 The funniest part was the scissors.  I wasn't looking for one, but they were in front of me, so I tossed one into my cart.  The basement scissors had just rubber handles and they finally broke.  So the cashier picks them up and says "what are these".  OK, that really threw me.  Everyone knows what scissors are, right?  I couldn't figure out the question. 

But she meant there was no tag on them, so she couldn't ring them up.  I always seem to find the item with no pricing label!  I just told her to set them aside.  I didn't even know where to go look for another with a label...

I can get scissors anywhere.  But all in all, it was a great day shopping...

Waiting For...

Baseball season to start on April 1st... 

The last-Fall-planted tulips to bloom...  The buds are up on short stems, but that's good enough for the 1st year.  The wire cages they are planted in should give them protection from voles and squirrels for many many years to come. 

The last-Fall-planted daffodils to send up blooms.  Just small leafs so far.  And being toxic to nibbling varmints, they don't need cages...

The last-Fall-planted hyacinths to show up at all.  Not a leaf in sight yet...

Next week's seed-planting inside.  This time of year, there are always something to plant each week inside or out.

The wind to die down tomorrow.  I need to spray liquid corn gluten before the lawn soil warms up more.  The corn gluten stops seeds from sprouting.  The past 2 days were so windy, I couldn't spray it without the spray drifting to the vegetable garden and I have lots of seeds to plant there before the inhibitory effect ends in 6 weeks.

The NCAA basketball tournament to end.  It's painful.  The U of Maryland Men's and Women's teams had such high promise this year, but things didn't go their way.  They sure gave us exciting seasons though...

Cleaning the riding mower.  I figured out a way to elevate the riding mower to clean the underside of grass clippings and get at the blades to sharpen them.  You can't exactly tip a riding mower on its side to do that.  But I have ramps that will let me get at the underside.  I always did, I just didn't realize it.

Pruning low-hanging tree branches.  I finally got the chain saw blade on again and adjusted.  I have a LOT of branches to remove.

Seeing the first dandelion flowers.  I bought a COOL TOOL that lets you step on weeds, pry them up, and just flip them away.  I tried it out on some other weeds and it works GREAT!  Not an ad, just an appreciation for a good tool.

Fiskars Deluxe Stand-up Weeder (4-claw)

BTW, you can't just pull up dandelion plants and leave them to die.  The stems have enough food to ripen the seeds.  So you have to bag them...

Time to shift from long-sleeve flannel shirts to short-sleeved cotton.  It's "iffy" this time of year, but short-sleeve season is coming and I love the free-arm feeling.

Open doors!  The cats will love it and so will I.  It doesn't last long though.  Around here it goes from 50 to 80 in a month.  I can kill the occasional wandering wasp...

A warm day to wash the car outside.  It needs it.  At 11 years old and only 24K miles, I want to keep it looking decent.  A new one would have too much computer nonsense in it.

I'm sure there is other stuff, but memory fails after 5 am...

Plant Growth And New Seeds

1.  I am so relieved that the new late-planted spring bulbs are coming up.  Counted 110 tulips today, about 100 early daffodils, and the first few late daffodils.  No hyacinths yet.  Because the top of the soil was so hard, I watered the area to soften it.  The Winter rains and melting snow have the ground well-moisted deep, but the surface was very dry and hard.

2.  While trying to water the new spring bulbs with a sprinkler, I discovered it stuck in one position.  Something else to take apart and repair.

3.  And I say "something else to repair" because I had to take apart my submersible pond pump a few days ago to find why it wasn't working.  Good ones cost a few $100.  Turns out there is a simple rod that broke.  The material is uncertain; it's a bit rough to be plastic, a bit smooth to be ceramic; maybe its resin.  Anyway, it's what turns a "impeller" (think "propeller").  I gather that the difference is that the first pushes and the second pulls.

And thereby hangs a tale.  The pump stopped working and I don't know anything about pond pumps.  The pump didn't even have a brand name on it.  But I looked at the specification plate, and saw a UL (Underwriters Laboratory) number.  So, thinking the UL number might provide some information, I searched it.

WOW!  The UL number actually did lead me to the pump!  Not the actual manufacturer like I hoped, but to the generic model.  It turns out that many companies sell the same items under their own name.  But all the parts are the same!!!

And there in one listing was a replacement impeller that looked identical.  Not just the broken rod (which would have been easily and more cheaply replacable) but at least the unit is WAY cheaper than a new pump.  It should arrive in a couple days.

4.  So why did I want the pump working?  To spray liquid corn gluten all around the yard.  Corn gluten stops weed seeds (and any other seeds) from germinating.  Some weeds germinate in Spring, others in Fall.  I try to do it in both Spring and Fall, and I have to admit that I have a LOT fewer weeds in the lawn than my neighbors who use more serious chemicals.

And a benefit is that corn gluten is 9-0-0 fertilizer.  All nitrogen, which is just what your lawn needs.    But back to why I wanted the pump working... 

The liquid corn gluten comes in containers you just hook up to a hose and spray around the yard.  Only they don't work.  THEY JUST DON'T WORK.  I'm not surprised.  The supplier is selling the liquid corn gluten and saying it is easy to apply.  They don't want to spent money on disposable applicators!  So, of course, they don't work. 

The product reviews are constant in the complaints about the sprayer function.  So, I thought, why do it THEIR way?  I poured a bottle of the stuff through a fine mesh sieve (many users complained about corn grit blocker the sprayers) into a barrel filled with water. 

So (brilliant me), I would just use the submersible pond pump to spray a diluted mix all over the yard using a fan nozzle (so that I would see if the output holes where getting clogged).  And then the pump didn't work!

Here's hoping the replacement impeller solves that problem.  The corn gluten really DOES inhibit initial seed roots, but you only have a couple of weeks to apply it (when the forsythia are starting to bloom - the same time the weed seeds germinate). 

5.  Planted 6 more flats of seeds today.  A flat equals 35 cells (cell = 1.5" square x 2" deep) for me - I leave one cut out for watering.  This weekend was bell peppers, zinnias, and marigolds.  I've given up on most perennial flowers.  They don't bloom for long, most die after a few years, and I have time to grow and plant annuals.  THEY bloom all season, and I love seeing all the flowers all season.

6.  Cuttings of the 3' Knockout Rose and the 3' dwarf butterfly bush aren't  sending out new shoots after 3 weeks in pots, but they aren't dying either, so that is encouraging.  The original plants are sending out new branches, so that it good.  At least if the cuttings don't root, the original plants are still doing well.  Planted outside in early May, they should branch out more and I will have another chance to get cuttings to root.

Gardening/rooted shoots is fascinating.  And "something for nothing" is always good.  The azalea cuttings from last Fall are all doing well and are doubled in height and branches from last month. 

Garden Enclosure

Well, with the decent weather, I am turning my attention to finishing the Garden Enclosure.  And I have to thank Marley for kick-starting me into that.  I had noticed some scratching around going on inside the enclosure, and finally noticed Marley INSIDE the enclosure.

Well, I knew I hadn't finished connecting all the strips of screening everywhere, but I thought it was pretty much complete.  So I went out last week and used a few nylon tie strips to finish it.
 
Usually for bundling wires, they are good for pulling chicken wire tightly together too. I will be using 100s of yards of thin wire like thread to REALLY attach all the chicken wire strips, but I thought it was all pretty good already.

Til Marley appeared inside.  So I called him to see where he came back out.  And tightened THAT spot.  And he got in again, so I tightened THAT spot!  After several days of that, I went out to get the job done right.

I was SHOCKED at how many openings I found Marley could get through.  I understand why he was attracted to it.  6 large boxes of deep soft soil... He must have thought he had found his Forever litter box!

Well, I'm glad he found the opening before I planted the seeds and the squirrels found the openings!  They would have nibbled off my seedlings as if there was no enclosure of all.

So I decided I better get the enclosure sealed against even the squirrels.  First, since there were vines around the edges of the enclosure, I sharpened my sickle of the grinding wheel.  Nothing fancy, just a shot around the curve.  But it cut a piece of paper in half cleanly.

So I used it to slice through the vines at the bottom edges of the enclosure, then got to work with the 8" nylon ties.  They are being used to hold the chicken wire tight around the top and bottom PVC pipes, around the upright PVC pipes, and to hold the 4' chicken wire strips together tightly.

And I spent time cutting the ground level excess chicken wire to extend 2' out from the bottom so that groundhogs can't go up to the enclosure and dig under it.  They are not clever enough to back up 2' and dig from there.  I hope!  If they are, there are other things I can to to stop them.

But the nylon ties are temporary.  They will deteriorate in sunlight after a few years and start popping loose.  Which is why my next step is to start threading long lengths of galvanized wire through the seams of the chicken wire like stitching a hem.

The nylon ties are 2' apart.  The wire will thread through every couple of inches.  If I can get the wire through all the seams (hoping I don't miss some), no varmint is going to eat my seedlings again!!!

If I seem obsessive about this, it is due to sad experience.  Varmints in suburban areas are generally desperate for food.  In their natural environs like open fields or oak-filled forests, they have plenty of food.  In my yard, the only good food they can see is MY GARDEN!  The ones in my yard are the losers who have been driven out of their natural habitat by other varmints.

I really do feel vaguely sorry for them, but not sorry enough to let them eat all my veggies...

So back to Marley.  When he can't get back into the enclosure, I know I will have stopped the groundhogs and hopefully the squirrels.

Marley got extra treats tonight for his efforts to get inside the garden enclosure...  LOL!

I'm Thrilled!

Yes, really.  When I was late planting tulips and hyacinths in wire cages I made from 1/2" wire and buried 10" deep in 2' square holes a but late (Dec-Jan), I didn't know what to expect.  Same for 200 daffodils that don't need cages, so I just used a small auger to make 10" holes.  I'm not a bulb expert.  I know they need chilling temperatures, but I wasn't sure if that was for the bulbs to just grow or for flowers to develop.

Well, now I know part of the answer.  There are tulips and daffodils emerging from the ground all over.  I saw the first tulips a week ago, then there were 15, then 26, then 46, and today I counted 51 tulips.  And I suddenly realized today that one type of the 2 daffodil varieties are poking up all over too.  I assume the other daffodils and the hyacinths are later-emerging and will appear in a couple weeks.  If some are growing, the others probably will too. 

Not anything to take a picture of yet.  An inch tall tulip leaf is rather insignificant, after all.  But I get to watch more appear every day, so when they get large enough in one group, I'll post pics.

I planted the tulips 8 or 9 to a cage; the hyacinths 7 or 8 (they didn't divide up among the number of cages perfectly). 

But even if they don't bloom this year (but have vigorous plants), it will be a success.  Because they WILL bloom next year if not this one.  I was mostly afraid they would just rot, being too warm this first shortened growth season.

In a few weeks, I will be transplanting purple coneflowers and daylilies there too, between the cages of spring bulbs.  Maybe add some Mums for Fall color

That was in just one of the 3 new planting areas I worked on last Fall after I had that annoying english ivy, poison ivy, and wild grape covered ridge removed in September.

The larger of the 3 got spread with some "meadow-flower" mix back in November.  It certainly is covered with "green", but I have no idea if anything good is growing there.  It could be all weeds (and I can tell that some are), but there may be some nice self-seeding annuals and some flowering perennials there.  I am encouraged because it is much greener than the last circle where I planted nothing yet. 

So the difference between those 2 patches SHOULD be the meadow seeds I scatterred.  I probably won't be able to tell much about that until mid summer.  And if it turns out to be nothing but weeds, I will cover it in black plastic to smother the weeds and try again next Fall.  And in fact, I may just grow 100s of individual plants and do the planting more deliberately.  But I'll hope for success this year.  A 20"x15' patch of natural meadow would be very nice.

And not just nice to look at.  The beneficial insects, bees, and butterflies would love it.  So would the cats!  Not just because they would have tall plants to sneak around in, the think undisturbed growth would attract all the voles in the yard for them to hunt.

Speaking of bees, I saw my first honeybees of the year moving among to blooming hyacinths near the house.  My yard is mostly organic (I sometimes have to get lethal with the poison ivy that invades from my neighbors' yards).  But that's not where the bees and butterflies are attracted. 

The 3rd circle is for the lysimachia firecracker.   I love the purple foliage and yellow starry flowers, but it is too spreading for my main flowerbed.  So I'm moving them to an edged circle I can mow around easily to contain them.  They are related to Loosestrife, but not quite as invasive (being a domesticated hybrid, I assume).  But kept to themselves, they are lovely all season long, grow thickly enough to shade out all weeds, and look impressive in masses.  They don't seem to have any serious pests or diseases either. 

So with the 3 patches, I will have a naturalistic meadow, a patch of 2' tall purple plants, and a patch with spring bulbs and summer/fall plants.  It might be a thing of wonderful constant changes though the seasons or a visually-discordant disaster!

You will all find out about as fast as I do.  The good thing is that plants can be moved or replaced or expanded.  

A Thought For Spring

I like getting all over the top with humor, but that's not all there is.  Serious thoughts do happen here.  And I was feeling bad cuz I got all snarky in an email (apologies were offerred and accepted), but I still felt a bit stupid.  And I realized I had one of those "earworms" going around in my head (you know what those are, right?).  So this tune was in my brain and wouldn't let go.  Then I finally caught what the song was and it was SO appropriate.

We've all felt stupid, sad, regretful.  We've lost a parent, spouse, animal companion.  We feel guilty when we aren't.  Or are.

So I thought it would be a good idea to share.  This is a song of acknowledging errors and forgiving oneself; of forgiving others, and remembering, of being reminded we are all just people doing the best we can with the strengths and flaws we have.  We all do the best we can...

It's the "all right" song from the Traveling Wilbury's

 (I left out the chorus)

Well it's all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it's all right, if you live the life you please
Well it's all right, doing the best you can
Well it's all right, as long as you lend a hand

Well it's all right, even if they say you're wrong
Well it's all right, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well it's all right, As long as you got somewhere to lay
Well it's all right, everyday is Judgment Day

Well it's all right, even when push comes to shove
Well it's all right, if you got someone to love
Well it's all right, everything'll work out fine
Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line

Well it's all right, even if you're old and gray
Well it's all right, you still got something to say
Well it's all right, remember to live and let live
Well it's all right, the best you can do is forgive...

So when you said something stupid, or when someone has said something stupid to you; when you have hurt someone, or someone has hurt you; when you've lost someone or somebeing or somecritter, and can't say "I'm sorry" anymore; when you think you must be the dumbest jackass on the planet... 

...Let this earworm into your brain.