Better

Rose of Sharon outside the porch window

It's so easy to watch these brillant days pass, with warmer weather and so much to do. YOung bunnies in the barn suddenly all need their shabby little coats off while chores loom on the computer and housework and laundry piles up everywhere. And with allergies stalking me every day, ready to leap up and make the warm hours useless, even less gets done than I intend and hope for!

There's very little blooming here except wildflowers. My untended flower beds run riot with weeds; I did pull up a bunch of jewelweed to make room for my poor iris and lilies and try to find the hostas. A few surviving bee balm from past herbal days are spotted in among the weeds and there are some shasta daisies booming in a moat of poison ivy. I'm hoping next spring, with some help from the fellows here and the encouragement of such great gardeners as Cathy and Cyndy, I'll have something better to show than weeds!


Morning Glory

Of course the weeds are beautiful. Some of them. Not the poison ivy. When we were children we roamed all over the farm and picked the flowers. Bladder campion still grows here, a tiny flower with a seedpod that eventually dries with little seeds that can be poured out and spread. Queen Anne's lace and ironweed tumble through the grass as richly as red clover in the fields. There's a plant here my folks called a nettle; don't think it really is one but it has a star-shaped blue flower on a plant with leaves protected by spines. Blackberries are still sour on arching vines growing wild on the farm; we would pick them for hours in mid-August with warnings about snakes echoing through the hills. We never saw a single snake; I'm sure we were far too noisy!

Started our gym program this week; enjoying Kym's company and I'm sure eventually I'll enjoy the exercise! Rough week to begin, with her work schedule and my allergies flaring! Had a bunch of phone calls to make yesterday for the Meadows of Dan Folk Fair, which is coming up SOON! I was able to get the local people fine but my cell phone went on strike and wouldn't get a signal during the day. I had a fight with the long distance company a few years ago when my local company accidentally cancelled my phone service because of an event that was happening here. Did you know that the phone company would just cut you off because someone called and said that they were moving in? The promoter that was using our land for parking decided they wanted a second phone line put in at my house, but when they called the phone company the phone people assumed I left. I got it straightened out with the local company but the long distance company wouldn't give me back my good calling plan. So I quit using long distance at home. I may have to go back to it, though, if the cell phone keeps being such a pain. Might be time to drop the cell phone service instead, since I don't travel so much anymore.


Lacy fields