Lilies

I received these free with an order years ago. They are care free and lovely.

Sand Tick

I told Larry that I found a sand tick crawling on my arm. He said, "Do you know what that means?"
I said, "Yes. Sunscreen isn't insect repellent. "
I hope I sleep tonight. I slept three hours this morning. If I had a clue when I'd fall asleep, it wouldn't be so bad, but laying in the bed for hours, getting back up for more hours and trying again at 5 am just annoys me.

Read and Reread

I am currently revisiting David Eddings' Belgariad. At one point the good guys were concerned that the bad guys were able to tune in to conversations where certain key words cropped up so the good guys requested the bards constantly sing songs with those words to keep the listeners so busy monitoring that they would give up in overloaded frustration.

Day Lily

I didn't like day lilies for a long time. I guess I'd only noticed ugly ones. But some are beautiful. This is one of my favorites.

Garlic

I've planted garlic before but never harvested any. I don't know exactly how to tell when to harvest them, but when the dirt and roots are off of this, I think it may need to dry out some. I have several more in the garden. Mostly I just wanted to see what it looked like.

Cherries

This is the most cherries we've ever gotten. Part of the good luck is getting there before the birds get all of them. They are sour cherries so they are good for preserves and pies. I don't think it's enough for both this year, but maybe next year.

Leftovers

Today we went to Pebble Isle Marina and I ordered a chef's salad. This is what was left when I finished eating. So I brought it home to have again. I dreamed that I was in Germany last night and was speaking German. So when I asked to take the salad home, it reminded me of the first time I tried to ask that in Germany. I asked for a hund tutte (however that is spelled in German). The waiter had no clue what I wanted, but one of the other Americans told me the right way to say it in German.

Fragrant Blooms

Gardenia and magnolia blooms are amazingly fragrant. I like the small vases and bowls as I'm not really great at arranging flowers.

Yellow and White

The peonies and irises are finished, but the daisies and day lilies have just started.

Too Dark

I used to have a program to adjust light. I don't know where it is, but I love it that he caught the cardinal in flight.

Spitting at a Raccoon

 A raccoon was under the platform feeder so I decided to spit at it. The platform feeder suffered.

This hummingbird was found dead on our welcome mat. It must have flown into the glass storm door.

Deadheading

The peonies were loaded with blooms and buds but it rained. So trimming the dead blooms was on my list of things to do. It's one of the annoying things about a lot of flowers. When they are finished, the flowerbed looks bad until they are deadheaded. The new things bloom but until the old ones are cleared away, the new things don't show up well. I've deadheaded the peonies, most of the irises, and most of the columbines. A few of each are still blooming so it's a case of taking care of them as they occur.

Stopping Smoking

Larry decided he could cut down on smoking by smoking mine. He said he is smoking less. I said he is smoking more of my cigarettes than I do. He said but he is smoking less than he did. I am pretty sure it is annoying putting up with somebody going through withdrawal, but it is pretty annoying having to go to the store because I'm going to be out of cigarettes and I can't tell when because I'm not the only one smoking them. The reasonable thing would be for both of us to quit.

Gardenia

This is the first gardenia of the season. I kept a half dozen gardenia bushes in the greenhouse last winter so I'd be sure to have blooms. I put them at the end of the porch so the fragrance would be close to the porch.

Margarita

I really like margaritas. I don't know if I'd be as dedicated to them if I didn't have such lovely memories of Uncle Aubrey and Aunt Jennie making blenders of them. But all margaritas are NOT created equal. I ordered one at Olive Garden and got one with orange sugar around the rim rather than salt. I didn't know I needed to specify salt. I seriously thought salt was a given. When I said something to the server, she said her grandmother likes the salty version, too. Goody.

Small Things

Walking around looking at stuff was nice today. We have small figs, small cucumbers, blackberries, sour cherries, blueberries, and plums that aren't ripe yet. We have strawberries putting on blooms again.

Doesn't Qualify

Larry's aunt was in the hospital for pneumonia in February. The physical therapists told family members that they couldn't keep her in for several more weeks of recovery because to qualify for physical therapy, she had to be able to walk fewer than 200 steps and she could easily walk that. She is going to turn 102 this month.

Gourd Nest

This gourd grew and wedged itself into this fence we have positioned for running vegetables. Sometimes it's green beans. This year we have cucumbers planted under it. We couldn't get the gourd out without breaking it up so we just left it there. A bird pecked an opening in it and made a nest. I don't know what kind of bird it is, but I'm sure Larry will figure it out.

Magnolia

This is the first open magnolia bloom this year. It's on a Little Gem and has dozens of buds. It is also amazing because the cardinals sit in that tree all the time.

Odd Phone Call

The head of the hospital called today when I got home from volunteering and running a few errands.
"Who did you eat lunch with today?"
"I don't know. He sat across from me and talked a lot."
"You don't know him?"
"No."
"Well, he took pictures and we wondered who he was."
"He said he's quality control or something and has 43 places he checks up on."
"I called our supplier and he said they didn't send him out."
"If he's in any way official, you'll get paperwork in a couple of days."
"OK. Thanks."
Odd.

Sweet Memory

I don't usually buy cherries because they are really expensive here and they aren't always good. But Larry got these at a roadside stand. They were delicious and reminded me of the huge cherry tree in our back yard when we lived in Germany. We picked what we could reach from the ground, standing on the picnic table, and leaning off the balcony from the second story bedroom. The cherries were great and so is the memory.

Porch May, 2016

Larry is doing well, the flower boxes are just starting to look like they might survive. The hummingbird feeders are out but the hummers are out and the honeysuckle vines. I was looking at the platform feeder and saw the red-headed woodpecker on it. A bluebird chased it off. The bluebird didn't object to cardinals or anything else except the woodpecker. The bluebird was smaller than the woodpecker, but the woodpecker flew when the bluebird attacked.

Tire Garden May, 2016

This is the new faucet and hose holder for my tire garden. I like how my garden looks. We've gotten strawberries so far. Parsley and dill are here. I think the parsley must have stayed alive. The dill is from seeds. The blackberries are loaded with berries. Several tires were empty so I've planted cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in them. I'm delighted to have a way to water the stuff without dragging a heavy hose around. Larry's garden is in rows. Mine is a tangled mess. When I can't walk around because the blackberries are in the way, I just snip a path. There're plenty left. Blackberries grow weird. They grow long canes which hit the ground and root. That's called tip layering. It is ok to cut the new plant and move it. So far I haven't moved them...just cut paths through.

Atkins Frozen Meal

An acquaintance recommended the Atkins crustless chicken pot pie. We tried it for dinner tonight. Microwave for three minutes, stir, nuk for one more minute. It is easy and tastes all right. I asked Larry if he liked it enough to have again. He said he did and we could try different offerings.

Weed Whacking

Today I used the weed whacker for the second time this year. It had the blade on it so I took dead branches off, too. When it ran out of gas, I decided to take a break and have some water. My hand was shaking so much, I almost didn't manage to keep the water bottle at my mouth long enough to drink! But I tidied up the rose strip that runs parallel to the road and worked on my tire garden space. There is no way I can dig weeds out of those spaces, but the weed whacker is my friend. Maybe I should do it often enough to develop some muscles.

Red-Headed Woodpecker-Larry's Camera

I was very pleased with the picture of the red-headed woodpecker I took. Larry got out his camera with the telephoto lens and got several better ones. 

I used the new water faucet Larry installed. I don't like the hose I used, but it works.

Red-headed Woodpecker

When we first moved here in 2001, we saw a red-headed woodpecker once. We have a lot of various types of woodpeckers, but we never saw another one until a couple of days ago. This one has been hanging about. Maybe it will nest.

From the Garden

 The asparagus and strawberries are from our garden:) We planted more asparagus this spring to try to make up for the loss of plants from roundup.

I've had to toss some berries due to insect damage, but not as many as last year.

Volunteer Picture

I finally got a picture to post with long hair.

Back

Our volunteer liaison was back today. He got in about midnight from a ten-day trip to China. He used to be a missionary there and goes back sometimes. He is interesting to talk to about travel. We traveled a lot, but not in the same areas. 

Blue Grass and Irises

I like how the blue grass and purple irises look together. There are two varieties of blue grass, but the blooms are similar. The foliage is different. 

Pretty Good Day

We finished laying the pipe so I can water my tire garden without the hassle of dragging and putting away the heavy hose. Larry did the hard part put we finished today. He connected the pipe and got it in the trench, connected the frost free faucet. I helped drag clumps of clay back into the trench to cover the pipe. We got a handful of asparagus, a pint of strawberries, tied up the peonies so they don't flop over in the wind and rain...good stuff finished.

Peonies

Peonies are so full of petals that they are wonderful to me.

Which One?

Nora Roberts is a prolific author. I like a lot of her books, especially the J.D. Robb In Death series. Audible does not allow grouping by authors. It alphabetizes by titles. So I have a small notebook that lists series in order so when I relisten to a series, I can be sure which is next. When I made the list in my small book, I left one out. It took a while to figure out that I had omitted one. I was looking for a particular event in one of the books. So I finally figured out which one the event was in and checked my list. Yes, I found it. 

Tomatoes

Today we planted twenty tomato plants that I started from seeds. I planted them kind of late, so they are small so far. The last few years some huge hornworm thing has eaten our tomato plants and we've gotten very few tomatoes. I don't have a clue what to do about them, but it's discouraging to plant the little plants and figure we won't get any tomatoes from them, either.

Trench for Water Pipe

I really hate dragging a hose down to water my strawberries and then looping it back over the bracket to keep it from being in the way of the lawnmower. So Larry asked if I would help dig the trench to bury a pipe. I said I would. Then I found out he wanted me to use post hole diggers. I tried and managed to get one hole done with him standing right beside me. I told him I could use a pick and shovel. No. It had to be post hole diggers. So he has done almost 40 feet and has about 15 more to go. This afternoon he asked if I would help him. I very carefully asked what he wanted me to do. He said it would be good if I cheered as he worked. I agreed.  Tomorrow I think we will go to the hardware store for the pipes.

Slaw and Stuffed Eggs

My food prep for the next few days included stuffed eggs, slaw with bell pepper and red beans, and brownies. I'm pretty sure I'll want more than just that, but it's nice to have some sides and snacks ready to add to whatever else I decide on.

Suicides

Two young people have committed suicide within the last couple of weeks in an area near enough that I've heard people talking about them. I didn't know them, but it is sad for everybody that hears about it. Most of us can think of dark times in our own lives. If we are old enough, we know they don't last forever and they will probably come again. Live through them. Pick out some kick-ass music to help with mood adjustment.

Adult Coloring Book Page

I was at the hospital and saw a thing about stress relief on their internal monitor. They said the coloring books were good for stress relief and coloring with others was even more beneficial because of the social factor. I think other people typically contribute to my stress as I try to be reasonably nice. It's evidently not something that comes naturally to me.  The upper left corner has a small red glass vase with a red peony in it. Larry specifically wanted that vase for that peony. He had me find it for him. I think this is the first time he has ever brought a flower into the house from the yard. Yea, him. I bring flowers inside once in a while but they turn dead soon and sit on the table looking pathetic for a while and then I have to dispose of them and wash the vase. I don't frequently replace them.

New Tool

Larry decided he needed a drill press. He didn't find one in Paris, so today he went to Jackson and was able to locate one.

Odd Iris

This isn't a very pretty iris. If I'd known what it looked like, I wouldn't have bothered to plant it. But a friend gave it to me when it wasn't blooming so I planted it. It is very enthusiastic in growth.

Blackberry Winter

It was warm enough for everything to start blooming and we'd even used the air conditioner a couple of evenings. But today we had rain, thunderstorms and chilly weather.

I Saw Several Pictures of Myself

I saw several pictures of myself that were absolutely awful. Then I saw a couple that weren't so bad. The ones that looked ok were of me smiling. So I thought I should smile more. So Larry walked onto the porch and I smiled at him. He asked why I was laughing at him.