The Proboscis and the Butterfly.

The heat and the need to study are keeping me out of the garden today. I’m ok with that. There is a HUGE new vocabulary to learn for class and most of the outdoor plants don’t need anything but water right now. So, as I head off into a cool part of the house to learn about the chemical bonding habits of hydrogen molecules and why that matters to plants, I will leave you with a butterfly I met at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco when we were up there last month to visit Terri and Emily. Happy Sunday!

meet the Tiger Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius hecale)

I got to looking at the photo and noticed how well I could see the proboscis, which is a straw-like mouth, curled up and quite visible. It’s hard to get that in a butterfly photo since they usually flutter off when you approach. So, I enlarged the photo – I think this is a pretty awesome picture of a butterfly and she looks quite lovely against her green background:

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The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

As promised, I took a lot of photos on the tour of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. Terri and Emily took us there because the special exhibit was out of Amy Stewart’s book “Wicked Plants” which I have read and loved. The old Gothic conservatories and hot-houses are another love, so basically it was an awesome day all around spent with some of my most favorite people in the world ever. Thank you, Terri and Emily 🙂 I was going to find the names of all the plants and label them for you, but that would keep me from posting them sooner. Basically, enjoying the photos this time is better than worrying about the names. There are orchid things and waxy things and steamy things…mostly tropical things and some poisonous things…enjoy.

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Deep Summer

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~ Sam Keen

Ophelia by John William Waterhouse

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Lazy Sunday

Today, I’m going to honor my lazy bone. Sometimes you just have to take a day and do nothing, to melt into yourself and emerge later as something new, something fresh. Or perhaps just something that looks rested. Happy Lazy Sunday, and to all the awesome Dads who never get enough credit and who suffer through ill fitting boxer and hideous neck tie gifts, Happy Father’s Day! Go take a Dad-nap!

Segundo, King of Cat Naps

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…the leaves were calling me.

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

–Richard Le Gallienne (1866–1947)

Miss Peanut answers the call of a Mint leaf

Well, the last week has simply been heaven. Every spare moment was spent planting the seedlings started during Spring Break. Several huge cans full of grass and weeds were pulled as well. There is still a lot to be done, but the garden looks tended again. It’s impossible to express just how good for me this process has been. My intellectual pursuits of the last 20 months were very intense and I had not been grounded in the way I need, which is that special brand of grounded I only get from, well, the ground. All head and no body makes one a bit insane after a time. The garden is medicine. My muscles are delightfully sore and I have a touch of color back in my cheeks. The weather was even on my side with cool cloud cover and a bit of rain midweek. The photos all came out with a bit of fog in the center, so I apologize for the quality – not worth retaking them though. Let’s just pretend that I was going for that vintage nostalgic hazy days of summer sepia toned wonder and call it a day. Later I’ll clean the lens, since I know I probably thumbed it with sunscreen. We get messy when we’re gardening 🙂

Somewhere around 42 Tomato seedlings went into the ground in various spots around the property. They had priority, of course. Those are the leftover winter peas drying on the tops of the stakes so I can plant them later.

the Brandywines are in the ground and all is right with the world

The Artichoke seedlings, 4 of them, came from last year’s fruit.

Artichoke seedling

I found a bird’s nest, probably doves, in a burrow on the ground in the meditation circle. This makes four nests that I save in a special place in the potting shed. They are among my favorite things.

I have quite a growing collection of bird's nests in the potting shed

The Hollyhock seedlings are from Andrea’s seeds, so of course I’m hoping for dark colored flowers!

Andrea's Hollyhock seeds are finally in the ground

Tom bought me an upside down hanging Strawberry planter so I would have more than just a few ripe ones at a time. He loves me.

Tom's Topsy Turvy

There were at least three of these cans full of grass and weeds pulled out to make room for seedlings.

out with the old - in with the new!

At a certain point, I had pulled out so many plants needing new homes, I had to spread out over the lawn. I find I have to make a mess before I can bring about any kind of order.

finding joy amid the chaos

There is still a lot of transplanting to do; finding new homes for what I dug up, re-potting things that have grown out of their pots, moving all succulents and cacti to pots leaving more ground for herbaceous plants, etc…

looking for new homes

When I get it all cleaned up, probably by the Full Moon this coming Wednesday, I’ll be able to sit in my rocking chair and celebrate with a juicy glass of wine. In the meantime, the bees are busy gathering pollen…

greedy little bee in an Agapanthus

…the flowers are blooming…

Roses and Grapes and Andrea's birdhouse

…completely oblivious to the fact that I’m literally turning the entire garden upside down. The only ones to really notice have been the spiders, but we get along famously as long as we respect each others space.

the ever-faithful Feverfew

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Champagne and Secret Gardens

Hello and Happy Sunday! I’m celebrating extra today because school’s out for summer! Thursday was my last day of class until fall and I couldn’t be happier. Not that I won’t miss school, because I know I will. Happy because I did so well in botany. Yep – I totally kicked ass! When I started back to school, when was it – almost three years ago? – I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, but botany was there over my head in flashing chlorophyll-colored neon lights. It was fun to say and fun to think about. Really, I didn’t quite know what it all meant and what would be involved and which road I had to take to get there. Options were left wide open so I didn’t get my hopes up for something I couldn’t handle, namely science. Safe, reserved, lacking in self confidence, and feeling my lack of eduction in every fiber of my being…tentative. I already knew I loved plants, but what if I didn’t love the science part, which is the whole point of botany? Thankfully this class was not difficult, it was an introductory class that focused on the way humans have used plants and why we couldn’t live without them. The science was fairly straightforward and spread out over the semester so it could be digested, but the big picture, our relationship with plants and how they drive our lives, was UH-MAY-ZING. Somewhere along the line when I wasn’t even looking, I fell in love with science, biology, and totally serious botany. I cannot wait to get more. MORE!

When I got home from the last class, Tom had a bottle of bubbly waiting to toast. Afterward, I took my glass of Champagne happiness outside for a walk around my beloved garden, to cry like a baby (I do that when I’m proud of myself) and to let my new reality sink in, taking photos along the way so I could see what had been going on in my near-complete absence. The tour was wooly to say the least, with everything overgrown in the wildest way. So much so that I’m inspired to re-read “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett this summer. You can’t really tell the plants apart because they’re growing into each other, but at least they’re healthy. Each corner needs some of my loving attention, and with these photos I’ll plan out my summer in the garden.

Hollyhocks on the West side of the house...a bit slow this year but still alive.

Under the Lemon tree - the Roses have taken over. Who knows what else is there...

Leeks, Nasturtium, Swiss Chard, Borage, Grass, Weeds....can't even see the nifty border I had put in to separate the garden from the lawn.

Peas, Purple Beans, a volunteer Rose...this space will be cleared for tomatoes soon as I can get to it.

One Large Empty Pot...well, except for the grass that took over - nature abhors a vacuum and she will plant grass wherever there's one in the garden! Whatever shall I plant here?

The Wisteria - badly in need of trellising - and a sunny chair with my name on it.

my Schefflera is so root-bound it makes me claustrophobic. It's ability to hang in there means it gets the first of all my future transplanting efforts. This is no way to treat a 'money plant!'

East side of the house - where the wild things are. Honestly, I don't know what lives back here any more, but I'm sure I'll have a lovely time finding out!

my 'little' herb garden has become too bushy...there's a huge statue there and you can't even see her! also a wooly apple tree at the end of the row, which looks more like an apple bush.

Had an ugly yucca-type thing dug out here. We're letting the Earth rest before replanting...with who knows what.

Nasturtiums took over the "Iron Butterfly" and the Hummingbirds love it! Somewhere under all the Fennel herb, there's a Hydrangea trying to bloom, and hopefully some Cilantro.

Where in the world is Guatama Buddha? Somewhere under the fig tree covered in grass. I'll bet he doesn't mind though.

There are at least 20 different species of plant in this photo, all struggling for space and air and sun. Foxglove, Agapanthus, Daylillies, Evening Primrose, Fennel herb, etc...and one magnificent red velvet Amaryllis down at the end...

...red velvet Amaryllis rising up above a sea of wildness - I can't wait for the Grand Opening - stay tuned...

At one time this was the 'meditation circle/wedding chapel' and now it is a sea of nasturtiums giving way to a sea of grass. I can't wait to see what's under there. This is one of my top summer projects, starting from scratch and doing things a bit differently.

Grapes...definitely NOT vine-ing, mostly spreading out waving their little arms in the air like unruly children. Good for them, I say!

The door to the Secret Garden has grown most enticingly closed.

There is a path here, complete with stepping stones. Hmmm....

Matalija Poppies, Artichokes, Agapanthus, Passion Fruit, and one Pomegranate tree that might actually give fruit for the first time this summer - if I can find it! and what should I do with that old pipe structure?

Indoors - half of my former Orchid collection...the rest suffered neglect but I am impressed that any lived, so no sadness allowed!

Well, that’s the tour of the back garden. It’s amazing that I neglected it so much but it still looks like my familiar old garden, my faithful friend. I didn’t tour the front that day because I was in my pj’s five minutes after I got home from class. The Roses in front are thriving and the Avocado tree is fine if not hungry, the Lime and Mango trees need serious help and I can’t find the Asparagus under the Beans. Which translates into “all is well” despite the need for some serious Mama love – my kinda love. Maybe I’ll start today, maybe I’ll wait until I have a good long self-indulgent nap and another mimosa. Cheers!

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Spring Break

The title of today’s post makes me very very happy. I’m going to say it again: Spring Break. Ahhhhh. One whole week without classes coming right up! It took a lot to get here and it’s a Full Moon, so today I’m going to rest and roll around in thoughts of what I’ve managed to accomplish over the last little while and pat myself on the back. We should all do that more often you know? Go ahead, pat yourself on the back right now. You are awesome and you know it! If someone else pats you on the back, it’s a great feeling, but why the hell should we wait for that?!

Spring Peas - April 2011

There will be no starting of anything new either. The week ahead will be spent finishing the things I normally don’t have time for. Work is caught up, but I will have the opportunity to do those projects that seem to get put at the bottom of my in-box over and over, like balancing the bank statements and taking inventory of my supplies, cleaning up computer files and reorganizing property photos…sooooo much excitement! There are also some weird and time-consuming school projects and one humongous botany paper to write. Yes, it would be more fun to flake more over the coming week, maybe even leave town a couple days, but my plan is to have everything done that I can do so the rest of the semester goes easy and when it’s over I have a clean Summer Slate to work with. Yes, I am becoming more pragmatic with age. Sigh.

Glamour and Drama in the Swiss Chard patch - April 2011

It will not be all work though…Tom and I have already started to enjoy the extra time together starting with a fabulous lunch out on Friday. I even pulled out a pair of four inch Louboutins to wear. We always enjoy our lunch dates, but the extra glamour went a long way towards starting the break on a positive, mildly self-indulgent foot. 🙂

Fresh Spring Strawberries - almost! April 2011

There has even been some gardening happening the last couple of days. Yay! My big red apple cookie jar is completely empty of seeds right now, which I believe has never happened. It got a good bath inside and out and all of the seeds except for a few odd ones have been planted. (By the time they sprout and get ready for permanent Earth homes, I will done with the semester) The last few remaining seeds will go in the dirt today to honor the Moon and I will not be buying any more for the rest of the year. The time has come to use what I have and clean out the potting shed of stuff I don’t use – I can hardly get in the door! It will be fun to see what germinates because most of these seeds are a bit aged. Some of them are even leftovers of envelopes that have not produced a single viable seed yet, Cantaloupes and Cucumbers among them.

Seed Inventory Day - January 2011

It always amuses me when that happens. Was there just a dysfunctional mother plant that put those seeds out? Most of the time it’s because they have been on the shelf too long and I always forget to check the date on the envelope. Perhaps that will be my nugget of advice for the day; always check for a ‘sell by’ or ‘use by’ date on your seed packages. They should be fresh and no more than a year old when you plant them. Yes, some seeds stay viable for much longer, but why take chances when they aren’t free? Also, I never buy seeds from outlet stores like “Big Lots” or odd stores like a drugstore where you normally wouldn’t buy seeds. If they are displayed in the direct Sun or outside, I don’t buy them either. In fact, I have discovered that seeds ordered online seem to be the most reliable in terms of germination. As far as storage goes, I’ve learned to keep mine in zip-lock baggies in my cookie jar or air tight glass jars, which I collect in every shape, color and size imaginable. They stay up on a shelf in my dark potting shed. It floods in the winter time, but my seeds stay dry and at a consistent temperature. Of course, the best place for a seed is in the Earth!

Boing! Grape vine tendrils....

So now I’m off to have breakfast with Tom and plan the rest of my day. It’s really a wonderful feeling to be able to take my time doing whatever it is I’m doing without feeling pressured to hurry up and finish so I can go do something else that needs doing. Ahhhhh. I can stop running now and enjoy the journey a little more, perhaps contemplate ‘things’ and ‘stuff.’ Contemplation has become a fancy luxury these days. Or maybe I’ll just go outside and sniff some roses – just for hell of it….

The bedroom window roses are in full bloom again. - April 2011

Happy Spring Sunday! and once again because I love saying it – Spring Break!

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Pick More Daisies

"Picking Daisies" by Hermann Seeger

I’d Pick More Daisies
By Nadine Stair, age 85

If I had my life to live over,
I’d try to make more mistakes next time.
I would relax. I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have on this trip.
I would be crazier. I would be less hygienic.
I would take more chances, I would take more trips.
I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers,
and watch more sunsets.
I would burn more gasoline. I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I am one of those people who lives
prophylactically and sensibly and sanely,
hour after hour, day after day.

Oh, I have had my moments
And if I had it to do over again, I’d have more of them.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another.
Instead of living so many years ahead each day.
I have been one of those people who never go anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a gargle, a
raincoat, and a parachute.

If I had to do it over again, I would go places and do things.
I’d travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefooted
earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.
I would play hooky more. I wouldn’t make such good grades
except by accident.
I would ride on merry-go-rounds.

I’d pick more daisies!

A lovely tree I met in Big Bear - 2011

Another Equinox, another Spring, another Sunday….I have missed a couple of weeks here and there have plenty of reasons for that. Busy doesn’t begin to describe it. But, underneath all of the activity, I have been thinking….

Wisteria blooms 2011

…about renewal, recharging, balance and equilibrium – and not taking any classes this summer! Just typing it here has given me a sense of relief. I need more ‘light’; sunlight, lightness of spirit, and a lightening of the load. Right now it feels as if I am crawling away rusty from the strangely cold and exhausting winter, and I’m not talking about the weather. Task follows task and there is no room to truly enjoy the things that normally give me pleasure. The need for a little wiggle room in my schedule has reached maximum urgency. Recent news makes my resolve even stronger. Life is temporary and fragile. We can be here one moment and literally gone the next. There is no time to waste on bullshit or futility. There is no room for the excuses that prevent life from being as fulfilling as it can possibly be. There are times to work hard, but there must also be time off to enjoy being alive. That’s balance. Without it, life can be a royal drag after a while. Even Mother Nature knows that, which is why we have Spring, and daisies!

Even the lawn spiders have been busy!

So, this summer, I will be taking ownership of my free time to do the things that have recently lost their luster because of exhaustion or the lack of time and space to be creative. There will be more time spent on romantic walks with Tom, time to care for my health and well-being, time for yoga and planting seeds, time to be creative, and time to do some ‘nothing.’ There will be inhaling and exhaling in equal and steady increments, and more stopping to smell the flowers on the side of that road I’ve been hyper-vigilantly marching up and down! My garden misses me and I miss her too, so there will definitely be more time for that. Just looking forward to the end of this semester is breathing new life into my spirit and outlook. That tells me I’m doing the right thing and I believe Spring agrees with me.

Crocus - Big Bear, California - 2011

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Here we go…

Miss Peanuts enjoys her summer naps in the Catmint

Last Sunday I was so excited to have some free time and I went on about it being my last free time ever and then admitted to that being a gross exaggeration….well, it turns out that it wasn’t such a gross exaggeration after all. So, a brief update and then I’m off to grab some lunch and get back to work.

My favorite Lavender may be un-salvagable after the hard winter.

Homework and study have hit full force, with several big assignments due and a plethora of new words to learn. I love science, but you’ve got to carry a dictionary around with you in the beginning! Last night, I even had a school nightmare: wandering around lost on campus with a paper due in ten minutes that I did not do. When I woke up, sure enough my online class teacher had posted an assignment due tomorrow by noon. How do you post an assignment on Sunday and make it due by noon the next day when the next day is a holiday? Oh well.

The Angel's Trumpets on campus in August

The good news…Tom bought me a new digital camera – an early birthday present. It’s amazing and I’m still learning all of its tricks. So far, I’ve only used it for work. Friday, I took about a hundred pics on the job which I’ve got to download and sort out for the client/vendors this afternoon. I’m excited to see how they turn out and then start taking new plant photos with it. Just in time for Spring!

The Hyacinths popped up last month - like clockwork!

I’ve managed to plant some peas and radishes, arugula and lettuces. Last Sunday I pulled out all my leftover seeds and took inventory. Since work is seriously backing up, I will only be able to plant a few things here and there while cleaning up the garden and trimming things up for spring. It will have to be done in tiny time increments as I get them. The biggest thing I have learned, or learnING, is time management. With so many irons in the fire, I tend to work until I drop and then I’m sick. This year, my goal is to schedule time to rest and play in between all the other…and to pace myself. That’s the hardest part for me. I’m an extreme type person and that level pace is difficult. It’s getting better though.

Miss Peanut luxuriating in last Summer's study zone.

Have a great Sunday, remember to notice the early spring flowers, pace yourself and don’t work until you’re sick. And, most important of all, dream of Sunshine!

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Spring Fever

fuzzy purple Salvia blossoms

First, Happy Sunday everyone – we successfully survived another week of challenge and mischief. Cause for celebration! All week long I’ve had several different subjects for today’s post floating around in the back of my mind; a front porch project I finished last month, the Fennel that happens to be in season at just this moment, seed inventory for Spring planting, a book review on the “Potting Shed” book that Dottie gave me…But, now that Sunday is finally here, I don’t want to do any of that. Instead, I’m going to share some photos from last year’s garden and take the lazy way out for a change.

creamy pink Witch's Mittens

Briefly, it’s too beautiful outside today and I’ve been cooped up in this house for what seems like the last two years! – I know, I exaggerate a little bit.

early August harvest

Also, I seem to have just a little bit of slack in my schedule today. Since I decided to take a giant leap off the proverbial cliff and signed up for three classes this semester, I don’t know how long that’s going to last. What if today is my last day EVER of having slack in my schedule? – ok, so today is the Sunday of Gross Exaggerations.

my volunteer Pampas Grass

Speaking of classes, all three involve a lot of reading and I’m actually interested in the subjects; Plant Biology/Botany, Physical Anthropology, and Cultural Anthropology…they seem like one class to me since the subjects overlap quite a lot, and I’m seriously in love with the science I’m learning about the plant world. Yes, I know a lot about gardening…but that’s different than knowing the science behind what I experience out there. When I get a little more comfortable with everything I’m learning, I’ll start using it here in my posts – very exciting stuff. Well, for me anyways!

Apple blossoms and Blue Felicia

So, since I’m not struggling with homework, the laundry is fine, the house is clean enough, I have no errands to run or appointments to keep, the pets are fed and Tom is happy with his newspaper…I’m going outside. Right now! and I’m going to stay out there until I get a little of this Spring Fever out of my system. A little bird told me we are going to have another cold snap next week, so I’ll probably just do some weed pulling and clean up…who cares what I do – I don’t! Just as long as I’m out there in the golden Sunshine enjoying this feeling of not having the weight of the world on my shoulders, for as long as it lasts, and counting my blessings that I don’t live somewhere cold or under the siege of a major governmental uprising, and grateful to Fred, the massage therapist that fixed my back last week so I can once again stand upright. Thank you Fred, I’ll try not to undo all of your handy-work today!

August Grapevines taking over

Have a great Sunday, dear Friends and Family….and remember to treat yourself to something beautiful today.

The lovely Miss Peanut waiting for dinner service

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The Most Essential Factor

The ramp to algebra class - up up and up!

“The most essential factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.”
~ James Whitcomb Riley

Jacaranda tree blooming on campus

Last night, around 6-ish, I did the last algebra homework assignment due for the year. Next week, I have three tests and then I’m finished. It feels as if I’ve done nothing but push numbers and x’s around on paper forever and ever! That’s probably an exaggeration, but math was not easy for me in any way: I’m aware that I would not have needed so much time if I had taken to it a little more naturally!

rainy morning campus foliage

Today is Sunday and I’m going to spend a little time celebrating my persistence with something that scared the hell out of me, made me break down a couple times and doubt my intelligence like never before. At this point, no matter how I do on the final tests, I will be proud of myself because I know what I overcame and I know what I did. There will be bigger and badder math classes in my future (I don’t even know exactly what calculus is but it’s on my to-do list) but I’m ready for it and now I have a solid (mostly solid) math foundation under me. It feels as though a previously missing piece of me has been restored and I feel more complete.

campus flowers - need to find out what these are!

So how will I celebrate? As soon as I finish this, I’m going out to the garden. My poor abandoned, overgrown, grassy weedy garden. I’m going to water it by hand, then sit on my stone bench and tell it how much I love it and that I’m sorry for being away so long. There has been a promise made that I will not get upset over what has died or dried up. Simply an acceptance of what had to be and what is, with a commitment to return when I have time. There will be a full month in between semesters and you can bet I’ll be out there as much as possible putting things in order!

autumn leaves near the classroom

After that, I’m going to brunch with some friends and maybe a walk on the beach. This evening, I’ll be back to the books to study for the final tests, but not until I get out in the Sun and share some laughter with people I love. Today, I will raise a glass to persistence – the most essential factor in gardening, and apparently, mathematics!

I pick up pine cones on campus after difficult classes. I have a lot of pine cones!

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Not Yet, Monday

Summer set lip to earth’s bosom bare,
And left the flushed print in a poppy there.
~Francis Thompson

my favorite Poppies return every summer

Ahhhhhhhhhhh….that’s the sound of me exhaling. Finally.

Mini Roses from Lucie...thank you!

July, so far, has been a very busy month for me. Lots of algebra being crammed into my gelatinous brain, oodles of paperwork in the office…comings and goings from near and far, hoozits and whatsits…then, suddenly on Friday evening around 5:30, it all came to a screeching halt. It was a difficult thing to accept for a moment: I checked my lists four times to make sure I wasn’t forgetting something. Nope, I was done for the day and could relax. I took a blanket out to the garden chaise, Tom brought me a glass of champagne. Open in front of me were several books about herbs as I gather info for a future post here….yarrow maybe? Who cares, I was happy and relaxing in the garden after a really satisfying week of stretching my wings and getting things done. It was the best feeling and under all of that was the suspicion that I may be getting an A in Algebra after my last test. teehee!

Blooming Onion

There hasn’t been much in the way of gardening lately, but the garden doesn’t seem to miss me much. It’s wild and feral and happy, everything is crowded and fat and bloomy. The Sun finally came out with a vengeance and I swear every living creature and plant is out there dancing around in it, getting Sun-drunk. It’s a happy place.

Tiger Lilies in the early morning

Also, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Lucie, Dottie, Keewee and Rose, for the comments on my last post. There isn’t always the opportunity to come back in during the week and answer, but I read the posts on my cellphone during break at school and it makes me really happy to have those friendly and supportive voices with me. We are all in this “life” thing together and it’s the camaraderie that gets us through the rough spots. 🙂

Sunbathing Tomato

Artichoke Flower

Endive going to seed with Cattails

Miss Peanut helps water in the earling morning before class

So, another week under our belts, another summer passing into nostalgia in slow-motion under the heavy air and sticky heat. Flowers bloom and fade, vegetables appear in the foliage and fleas hop onto kitties. Evenings become the thing we live for. Sweet, cool, breezy evenings full of crescent Moons and sparkly stars….and a glass of Pinot with Tom because Monday does not exist yet. Ahhhhhhhh…..

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Being the Grown-Up

Scabiosa

So, what happens when you throw summer school into an already busy life? Crazy acceleration! My summer algebra class started June 22nd and runs through August 16th. My daughter in law, Emily, said it would be a difficult schedule but worth it since I’d get a lot done in a short amount of time. That sounded great to me as I’m already going to be 50 before I get my degree. I’m “burnin daylight” as my Grandfather would say! She’s absolutely right though: I’m very happy with getting an entire semester under my belt in two months and will probably do it again next summer.

Hollyhocks

So far, I’ve done just fine with the class and am keeping up with my business as well. Everything else, including the garden, has fallen by the wayside for the most part. Yoga class will be there when I’m ready to go back and my friends have all been understanding. Tom has filled in where he can: I never miss a meal even though I could probably stand to skip a couple. teehee. Even the garden is holding steady on her own.

2007 Summer Solstice Moon

Oh, how I miss the garden! When I go outside these days, I have just enough time to make sure everything is watered and not being eaten alive by snails, then it’s back in to do homework or something equally “chore-y”. There hasn’t been much sunshine in my San Diego neighborhood for the last month or so, so things are ripening but doing so a bit less aggressively than usual at this time of year. It has occurred to me that this may be a gift in disguise…nature slowing things down so I can catch up? Why not!

Rose with dew

The downside of the cloudy/fogginess has been that my squash aren’t doing well at all and my tomatoes and roses are getting mildew. But for now, I’m going to trust nature and wait. The sun will come out eventually and she, in all her wisdom, will compensate with extra good sunshine love. All will be well and I needn’t interfere. Right?

There was a moment a week or so ago when I panicked and threw one of those ‘inner temper tantrums’. Questioning myself; why did i take all of this on? can I pull it off? what was I thinking? everything is going to die off in the garden and my orchids are turning yellow and all because I overextended myself. my clients will suffer and my husband will run away and my friends will hate my guts! when will I catch up? NEVER! Then I realized I was being a big whiny baby and told myself to shut the hell up.

purple Iris

Am I not the woman I wanted to be when I was little and tried hard to see my future? There’s a business that I enjoy with my husband, a family that loves me, faithful and supportive friends, a home I’m proud of and a garden….the garden. I’m in college now and fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, getting a degree. None of this came out of giving up or being a wimp. I’m all grown up…so shut up and deal with it and trust yourself. Be patient with yourself and try to enjoy the journey for a change! I had to tell myself these things out loud because the noise of my doubt was drowning out the peace of mind I should have had. Then, I came across this article and the picture made me laugh. Are you the person you always thought you wanted to be when you ‘grew up’? How far off are you? Is it better than you ever dreamed of? It’s not too late to congratulate yourself or get back on track. It’s never too late to believe in yourself, especially if you think you’re all grown up…which you never really are, are you?!

Fuchsia

So yes, it’s been quite challenging…But, I can do whatever the hell I set my mind to if I’m willing to work hard enough, and I am! So there, Self! Neener Neener! Time to look those challenges right smack in the eyeball and tell em how it’s gonna be! and then go to bed early….

Hydrangea

* all of today’s garden photos are from 2007, one of my favorite summers in the garden.

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I Dare You to do Nothing!

Poppies - June 2010

Yesterday, I finished up at work and then Tom and I went out to a late lunch. We like to do that on Saturdays whenever possible because it’s the end of our work week officially and sets the tone for unwinding a bit. It was lovely and romantic and delicious and yes, there was wine. When we got home I changed into my ugly clothes and headed out to garden. We’ve had two or three sunny days in a row and I’ve really been itching to get out there.

Greco-Suburbia

So what happens when I finally do have some free time on a sunny afternoon and all the universe is supporting my efforts to dig in the dirt? I didn’t feel like it! My body felt heavy and tired and my spirit was not in it, my spirit was twitchy and yelling at me about the laundry or something equally urgent yet utterly unimportant. It would not shut the hell up!

Artemesia - March 2010

At a certain point I gave up and just plopped down in the grass on my back and gazed at the clear blue sky above me. It was not a graceful move, more of a trip and fall incident and then I just stayed there, my legs unwilling to do anything for me and me not giving a crap.

During that time our yard filled with birds, a butterfly fluttered over about four inches above me, Peanut came and draped herself over my leg. Nature took me in, almost immediately. The Earth felt solid below me and it was warm from the Sun. It donned on me that I never actually sit on the Earth any more. A chair, a chaise, a hammock, a couch, a bench: all designed to keep you off the ground, off the Earth and away from its energy. It felt right, solid and powerful under my spine. A feeling of inner calm settled in on a level that was much more primal than a couple glasses of wine will do. This laying or sitting right on the Earth was something so simple and so utterly free and renewing, I have promised myself to do it more.

My favorite Mermaid

Sometimes you’ve got to do that I guess. I mean, isn’t that why we tend places? So we can have a welcoming and comforting place to go and sit, to be at peace? How many times do we clean our house and then never sit on the damned sofa and just enjoy it? It’s like getting your car washed and never going on a joy ride. When you do sit down you have something with you to keep your mind occupied, busy, productive. It never – ever – just – stops.

Edgar watches the clouds go by

It’s harder than you think because your mind is telling you ‘ok good for you, now go do the next thing on the list’. I dare you to do it, sit and do nothing for ten minutes – no TV on or book or human with you, no paper to make notes or lists, no inner planning (and absolutely no phone!) – and see if it doesn’t make you mildly itchy. Sit down in a place that you clean or tend or organize or decorate or walk through on your way to the car every day and just do “NOTHING” but sit there. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and nothing more. Let your mind go wherever it wants. I did and it immediately went to “what shall I do next?” and it was a struggle to stay HERE. Look around and see your space with eyes and mind that are fresh – I’m always amazed at how much of my stuff I don’t even see any more, besides that it’s dusty or needs water, and much more amazed at how much my mind actually races about going nowhere and everywhere until I’m exhausted from the inside out. So, sit and do nothing? It’s more than mildly frightening, which is exactly why I’m going to do it again, sometime today!

Apple Blossom - June 2010

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True Blood…nuff said.

Scabiosa columbaria 6-5-10

Tom and I just got back from a weekend in Newport Beach. We went up for business and stayed for pleasure. What a wonderful couple of days it was too. All worries were left behind and we did our favorite things together…romantic walks, romantic lunches, romantic dinners….well you know. When I got back I spent two hours catching up with watering. Everything needed it and by the time I do the orchids and house plants and everything outside, I’m pooped. Tonight I’ll water the grass and be done with water till Tuesday. It’s hard for me to keep on the schedule that the “City of San Diego” wants me to keep with watering. But I do my best.

Anise - Pimpinella anisum

It was strange to come home after only a couple days gone and find the garden the same but very very different. All the plants are still there but the tomatoes went berserk and suddenly need help getting back up in their cages. The grapes have burst forth once again and my previous efforts to vine them up seem to have been futile.

Grapes June 2010

The potatoes are as tall as I am and I haven’t built the dirt up around them yet, I’m missing some tomato cages, the leeks need more soil…As I went around the yard, almost every plant told me it needed some attention and Cicero (my beta fish) needs a good bath since it’s the New Moon and there’s a fungus growing on his Greek temple columns. The list is growing faster than I can think the thought.

Baby Apples June 5 2010

I’ve been focusing on business lately but now my garden needs some love!

Squash Blossoms 2010

But none of it matters today! Sundays and New Moons don’t always fall together, but today they did and I’m taking advantage. No more lists or chores until tomorrow morning. For now, I’m off to watch “dude tv” with my husband and son and this evening I’m watching the first episode of the new season of True Blood: the only TV show I really really like any more and the one thing I’m doing tonight no matter what! I’ve been waiting forever for it to come back and I’m not missing a moment of it!

Swiss Chard, Hollyhocks, Nasturtiums, Tomatoes, Feverfew

So right at this moment, I’m about as happy as one can get. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining at last, I just spent a romantic weekend away with my man, the flowers are blooming and my garden looks better than ever, there are sparkly bubbles in my favorite Champagne flute, True Blood is on tonight, I’m feeling good and I’m in a good mood, the Moon is New…none of this is going to last, so I’m off to wallow in it. Happy Sunday everyone!

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Happy Napentine’s Day!

Great eaters and great sleepers are incapable of anything else that is great. ~Henry IV of France

Pensive Cupid

Yesterday was a light day in the garden, especially for a Sunday. And a luxurious and warm Sunday too, reaching up to 80 degrees mid-afternoon and fooling me into thinking it was April.

After clearing out a bunch of old leaves from under the lemon tree, I bagged them up tight to make mulch for next year. I also picked a huge basket of lemons. The tree will start blooming soon and I want to have most of the old fruit picked so I don’t knock off all the flowers picking them later. Also, I made a list of seeds leftover so I’ll remember to plant them this week:

Radish – Easter Egg Blend – 1 packet
Beets – Heirloom Gourmet Blend – 1/2 packet
Beets – Red – 1 packet
Zucchini – 1/2 packet
Baby Lima Beans – 1/2 packet
Royal Burgundy Bush Bean – 1 packet
White Bush Scallop Squash – 1/2 packet
Pencil Pod Yellow Bush Beans – 1 packet
Dixie Hybrid Yellow Crookneck Squash – 1/2 packet
Large Ribbed Swiss Chard – 1 packet
Cucumber – 1/2 packet
Giant Musselburg Leeks – 1 packet
Sugar Snap Pole Peas – 1 packet
Broccoli Raab – 1 packet
Catnip – 1/2 packet

and a list of things I need:

a new broom of the wood and straw variety

seeds:
arugula
lettuce – butter and mesclun…etc
morning glories
moon flower
chives
peppers
tomatoes

Also being welcomed into the family are two new orchids, which I have been coveting forever. Thank you Tom!

The Paphiopedilum, or Magic Cherry Black Lady Slipper Orchid. Sexy no? He even got it for less than half the price because of a broken petal.

Paphiopedilum Orchid

and a spider orchid, or Caladenia. Notice this one has a spider web on it, which makes be unbelievably happy!

Lucious Wicked Spider Orchid

After that, then some laundry and cooking, the day fell under a warm golden gooey spell that made everyone stop being busy and celebrate the beauty of the day. We opened a bottle of bubbles

MmmmmmmHmmmmm

then took to our special corners for hypnotic dreamy naps

Summer in February

Somebody said it was a national holiday, but we didn’t really need an excuse.

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There’s dirt in my mimosa!

Sunday, January 31, 2010 – gotta write that down since it was one of my most favorite days in the garden EVER!

Well, being a full moon weekend and all, I was a bit in a quandary over what exactly I would do in the garden today. It’s still too chilly to start planting stuff, which is what I usually do up to the full moon. There will be absolutely no trimming or pruning until the moon begins to wane again and I’m sure there’s no such thing as limbo in the plant world, so I just headed out the door and figured I’d let the garden tell me what it wanted. Apparently, I haven’t been keeping up my end of the bargain out there lately because the moment my feet hit the dirt all I could hear from every corner was ME! ME! ME! Here’s what ended up getting my attention:

An old https://paminthegarden.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpcardboard file box was set up in a hidden corner for composting grass and weeds that get pulled over the next couple weeks. Since I live in the ‘burbs, I don’t compost food and smelly things outside, only leaves and grass. I do have an electric composter that does foods and proteins and it sits in my garage making beautiful organic goodies for my plants. I moved a whole lot of dirt from where I set up the compost box to a spot that didn’t have a lot of dirt left from the rain and pulled weeds to clear a bed for herbs over in this same corner of the yard. In fact, I ended up pulling a LOT of weeds and clearing up quite a bit of space for planting in spring.

This earth-moving took a while but I didn’t mind too much because at the exact moment I was ready for a break, Tom called me in for breakfast which turned out to be steak and eggs and a big fat mimosa, which he kept pretty topped-off for me. 🙂

Energized from the re-fuel, I headed back out to look around. The poor yarrow caught my attention first. It has been in a spot that gets too much shade too much of the year. After being in this house a few years I finally know where the sun is headed for each season. I have a damp foggy shade on most of my beds until mid-summer, so I’m starting to move stuff around that needs more sun per year. The yarrow came right up and it was so straggly that I split it into five pieces. The biggest piece went into the ground in a year-round sunny spot and the little pieces went into temporary pots in the ‘nursery’.

yarrow or achillea millefolium

Remember, when dividing perennials or trying to grow plants from cuttings, leave a pretty equal amount of roots and foliage. You need the foliage to catch sun to feed the plants and you need the roots to capture minerals and water from the soil. If you don’t take this into consideration when chopping stuff up you could unnecessarily exhaust one end or the other while the plant tries to stabilize and grow. Also, I usually use a stimulant designed for transplanting just to give the little guys a boost while they’re fragile. We all need tender care when we’ve been rudely uprooted from our safe place.

The same treatment went to three plumeria that have been withering in the shade. My father-in-law taught me how to propagate plumeria- chop off a piece and stick it in a pot of dirt, severed part down – amen. Apparently I didn’t listen to the rest of the speech which was probably “needs lots of sun, it’s a tropical plant dumb-ass!” Maybe I’ll actually get a bloom out of them this summer.

plumeria cuttings

I put fresh straw under the strawberries. (makes sense doesn’t it?)

strawberries

Uncovered many wondrous hidden treasures:

narcisuss

Rescued some earthworms from a certain and slow death on the concrete:

worms

Admired the beauty of green moss on one of my favorite statues (thank you Inky – I still have it!):

Medusa

and finally, it got cloudy and chilly and I knew I would be tired so I went in, much like a petulant child who doesn’t want to come in from playing. Besides, I had to see what Tom had been cooking all day, making whisk noises that echoed through the garden. Turns out it was a lemon dessert with lemons picked off the tree that morning, which made a perfect ending to a pretty damned awesome Sunday spent playing in the dirt and flirting with my husband.

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After a Storm

Of scenes of nature, fields and mountains;
Of skies, so beauteous after a storm—and at night the moon so unearthly bright,
Shining sweetly, shining down, where we dig the trenches and gather the heaps,
I dream, I dream, I dream.

from In Midnight Sleep – Walt Whitman

Sundays are my favorite day to garden. Lately, I haven’t been able to do much, what with being out of town and it raining so much, and another storm coming on Tuesday. Today was a sunny day and I ventured out to assess the storm damage and see what dirt I could manage to get under my fingernails.

The entire lawn is a swamp with water standing in puddles thanks to our California clay deep down keeping the rain from soaking in any further. The rain bucket (huge trash can) was entirely full and I managed to fill up two more buckets after emptying out all the vessels that were sprinkled around the yard. Next year, or when the budget allows, I’d like to have the whole rain chain/barrel set up…but it’s expensive, and for now I’m making due using the passion fruit vine as a rain chain.

After I got my rainwater situation under control, I dumped the unused dirt out of the wine boxes I used last season for pumpkins. They need a good drying out and then I’ll oil them well with linseed oil and use them again this spring. When the boxes are finally unusable I take the ends off and nail them to the outside of the potting shed. I love wine boxes and can’t have enough of them scattered around being used for one thing or another…mostly books and plants.

Also needing attention was a sorely neglected Malabar Chestnut that I had set outside and forgotten. By the time I got back out there most of it was dead and the dirt had washed out of the pot. Poor Baby!

She got a good trimming off of the dead stuff, which left only one small stem with roots

After a gentle re-potting, she sits quietly in the infirmary window.

The broom corn has completely taken over the pot that held the juncus effusus spiralis which I bought on one of the many nursery visits with my friend Andrea, a fellow green thumb. It reminded me of my own hair…anyways, it needed help immediately

broom corn mess

I took the entire clump out of the pot and cut the grass away and divided the juncus into smaller pieces. This is a great way to propagate perennials. I use an old bread knife if I just cannot divide things with my hands or pull them apart with a garden fork. It seems aggressive but most plants will bounce back with a little love.

juncus effusus 'Spiralis'

Now, where there was one, I have five – fabulous!


Other exciting news from the garden today:
The first jasmine bloom of the season – right outside my bedroom window 🙂

The rosemary is blooming – one of my favorite shades of lavender:

rosemary blossoms

The swiss chard seems to be thriving in the stormy weather:

swiss chard

The lemons are squeaky clean. I never pass by my lemon tree without singing the Peter, Paul and Mary song…lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet…

There wasn’t much in the way of storm damage, only a flooded potting shed, soggy broom, and a few decorations blown off the fence. Even the hail didn’t do a lot of damage. Color me thankful and impatient to plant in the soil while it’s still wet.

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Shhhh, it’s Sunday!

Do not let Sunday be taken from you. If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan. – Albert Schweitzer

In keeping with my general rule of doing whatever the hell I want on a Sunday, I have decided to not say much today. Instead, I’m sharing photos I’ve taken over the last couple days in the garden, then I’m off to read a book or fidget in the potting shed – generally avoiding all signs of reality and society for as long as possible. Yes, I’m kind of a hermit.

My new garden sculpture, the Peas, waits in the sun while I figure out a place to hang it…thank you Lori and Gina – I love the Peas!

Happy Buddha sits near a strangely late lettuce flower.

I leave off trimming the sage as long as possible, so I don’t deny our hummingbirds one of their favorite snacks!

My amazingly “present” grotesque, Edgar, at sunset.

Happy Sunday everybody!

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