Last day of June

Much earlier today I spent several hours (too many) in the garden. My forearms grew slightly pink, but I kept hydrated and accomplished a lot - so it balanced out.

Yesterday was a bit of a waste as I rose very early, did nothing in the yard before prepping and leaving for an interview with another headhunting firm (contracting house). I regretted not spending even an hour outside before heading off for the face-to-face meeting; and once I returned home I had a case of the sleepies, and sacked out for a nap in a chair. When I awoke, it was to the wrap of a solicitor's knock at the door. Damn cable salespeople!

After shaking the sleepmode out of my head, I found I had been joined by Cleo and Hobbes for the nap! I barely remember Cleo climbing onto my lap, but 'Beena' was perched on the arm of the large chair, and when our eyes met, she greeted me with her usual throaty "meyeah!" and a look that said 'get up, lady, you're in my spot.'

Oh....what's that you're saying?

Yup, I have another hook on the line, but I am keeping my expectations low. Afterall, the agency that was certain they could get me into VW as a Change Management contractor (back in April) hasn't returned my email or contacted me again since that attempt proved futile (VW had identified and hired someone from within the organization - and the submission of outside resumes/candidates was a ruse).

So why, I ask myself, should this bunch of hiring agents be any different from the last set?

This representative seems to think my Project Management background is a huge commodity, and that she will have no troubles getting me hired in....somewhere....some time....in....the future. She's got nothing for me now, but thinks it is only a matter of time.

Odd, isn't it, that one person sees my resume and interprets it as a CM gold mine, and another person (doing the same sort of work) reads it and sees PM! Well, I just think it is a little odd, but if it means somebody may be able to help me find a job down the line, then you can see what you want!

Anyhow, the end of May marked my fourth year of unemployment, save for the few temp/seasonal positions I've held (along with the film gigs that have dotted my work history these past three years). Here we are, looking at July, and I am only marginally closer to having a job "job."

It has become more difficult with each passing year to keep smiling and remain optomistic when I am really beginning to feel as though the words "something will turn up" are more hollow than I wanted to admit...even to myself. Even tougher to make myself sit at this keyboard and spend three hours (or more some days) looking through sites and replying to faceless email addresses, asking for a chance to meet and speak about a job they've posted.

"Here. Here's my resume and a reason or five you should meet me and find me perfect for this job you have within your company. You won't be sorry. Call me!"

I'm going back outside and dig up a huge crop of thistle. Maybe that'll give me a little satisfaction on this final day of June.

Karl's observations

I love my sons. Have fairly neat conversations with them for the most part, and on any given day we laugh together at least a few times - either as groups of two or as a family.

Being siblings, the boys will fight. Usually over stupid things; and they both say stuff to one another (I think) to start arguments, but I also think that's a very typical family dynamic - my least favorite typical thing - but something that happens in every family.

Well, OK. My least favorite...tied with noncompliance of chores and requested tasks.

Due to Karl's Asperger's, he is more pragmatic and literal than most, even cynical television talk show hosts would be blown away by his acuity and mental devices. Thank God he is not a Republican.

As a boy he would grasp things on a different level (and to some small degree, still does), and because of his very literal way of hearing, seeing and processing information, his thoughts and comments have always been refreshing and quirky - and very honest and straightforward (to my dismay at times). Sometimes I would have to stop and think like Karl to understand what it was he wasn't getting, or that was stuck in his brain sideways.

Observations through Karl's eyes have (up until recently) been charming, odd, curious and thought-provoking.

For example:

I was walking along outside near some bushes, when out from it poured a swarm of mosquitoes. As I slapped and clapped and frantically waved to shoo them away from my head, one flew up my nose!

Shocker!

It was one of those things that makes you take notice, real fast. First thing I tried to do was just blow/huff/snort the creature out. But without a visual confirmation, you always question whether or not the bug in question actually did pop back out.

Sooooo, I hustled in to the house and called for a tissue (Karl had grabbed the box from the living room). He came out to find me with a "funny" look on my face, and he asked what was wrong.

While I blew my nose to be certain Mr. Bloodsucker wasn't still residing up my nasal cavity, I relayed the story of the mosquito flying pall mall, kamikaze-style up my nose. To which he matter-of-factly replied: "Ya know, mom, if you were a mouth-breather instead of a nose-breather, you wouldn't have this problem."

"Yeah, but, then I would have a mosquito in my mouth."

"Uh-huh. But that one you could spit out. See?"

Huh.

And then there was time I was trimming tree limbs from a bunch of low hanging branches, and Karl observed that sawdust shouldn't be called "sawdust," because it wasn't the result of the saw disintegrating.

"Why isn't it called "treedust?"

And is "fairy dust" ground up fairy bits? Is Tinkerbell sort of twisted?

Always amazed

I am always amazed at each new day, when the sun comes up and makes the world look new and promising. After yesterday's showing of endless grey clouds (which I did not regret), today is a complete one-eighty.

At present, the rising sun makes the green trees glow and sparkle. The freshly turned earth looks like velvet, and the air smells of ocassional flowers and overnight rain.

I was grateful for the shade I worked in throughout the day on Monday, and was hopeful for the promise of rain to do my watering for me, but realized after the sun had gone down that we most likely were not going to get the sort of rain that was needed.

I had raced the clock to get as much done in the garden as I could throughout the afternoon and into the early evening. I debated a trip to pick up another helping of bagged topsoil until much too late. Even moved those last fourteen blocks around the house to the retaining wall in the back! All the while I kept an eye on the sky, praying and hoping the weather weenies weren't wrong about the rain.

Managed to transplant the Jackmanii from the front bed to its new home in the back on the south pergola upright, and happily turned loose an assortment of three leggy pincushion plants and one grand Veronica as its neighbors. The reclaimed Foxglove went back to a more permanent place in the weedfree garden, as did the path of stepping stones which span that seven foot portion of the perennial bed. A found Astilbe was also placed in the new grouping, and I left enough room for my beloved 'ick' (my Echinacea friends) to join the mix. Next year, when I have work - and income - I will add Cosmos and Petunias (and one or two other annuals) to fill in the spaces here and there, but for now I am glad to have the bulk of the cleaning work completed and the plants returning to a better way of life!

It gives me hope that the rest of my life will fall in to place when I see this ordered bit of beauty from my kitchen window.

[heavy sigh] Aahhhh...slightly less chaos.

There is still the matter of filling in the remainder of the bed and re-establishing those plants, but it is all going well (thank you, God). The repositioned Daylilys and Boxwood are doing fine, as are the heeled in plants still awaiting their homecomings. Oh, and I still have two Peonies to bring around from the front to the back, but that should be a quick process.

The remainder of this week will only get hotter day by day, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to keep up the pace and finish the back bed very soon, and then be able to move around to the front in short order.

Once it's all completed it will be far easier to keep up with (at least that's my theory).

By the way, there may be non-gardening 'news' to report, but it will have to wait just another day or two. Promise, though, you will know what's brewing l-o-n-g before I move around to the front perennial bed! Ha!

:^D

Time to get moving, Karl's MRS rep is due over around noon, so there are some inside chores to tend to beforehand. Make it a good day everyone!

P.S. Regarding Cleo - She had a fairly good day yesterday. Slow-paced, but up and moving, versus her Sunday off her feet once the stool passed. Tried to keep her drinking, short of literally putting it down her throat. I don't believe she poo'd yesterday, but I also didn't follow her around, so that is hard to swear to. This morning, she hit the box and had an issue with the bisquit completely exiting, so I think there is definitely a trip to the vet in her near future. Ah, pets.

Early as it is...

...it's been one of those kinds of days.

I had totally counted on going to the DWIFF to see the film challenge final 14, but Cleo's intestines had other plans.

She has just finished with another intestinal blockage (I think this makes it 4 total), which began shy of ten o'clock this morning. Brian had gone to work, so that left me Karl to depend upon. Usually Bud and I corral Cleo in the library with a faux litter box and and lots of newspaper, but this time I herded the cat into the bathroom and called on Karl every so often to bring me more fresh newspaper, cat litter, paper towels or a bowl (for water for Cleo).

As pathetic as she was in her discomfort and terror, Karl was amusing trying to avoid the odor from the drippy mudbutt that plagued our girl. The more she tried to pass the stool, the more dripping she did. The more dripping, the more smell.

For now, the crisis has passed. She is resting comfortably (I hope) on my bed, in close proximity to the cat box. After she passed the first large stool I was sure there would be more, but she seems fine for now.

It's still early in the afternoon, but too late to head to Detroit and catch the remainder of the premieres at WSU, so I will have to email Scott and ask for a copy of the finished project and a full report of the day.

Guess I will head outdoors and see what I can get done there.

I got nothin'

Speechless.

Lucky you.

Go do something good with the time you've just saved by not sitting here reading mindless drivel.

You're welcome.

In lieu of

Getting outdoors today proved to be a no-go - ALL DAY LONG! It only stopped raining long enough for the clouds to shift and start raining all over again in a slightly different position and configuration.

[heavy sigh]

In lieu of nothing at all, here is a fun photo - snapped on the road - of a very relaxed, full-sized beanie baby.

Enjoy!

Sorry to say

I dressed and went back out to get those items ticked off my list, and twelve minutes later Mother Nature decided to open up the skies and rain for much of the rest of the afternoon. By 7:30PM the skies were clear, but I had already showered and begun dinner, so needless to say I did nothing more towards accomplishing my listed tasks.

It's apparent this morning that it rained throughout the night, or at least, began again sometime in the early morning hours. The two bags of yard pickings still need to be set out with the rest of the trash, but I wasn't suitably 'smeared' to do battle with the mosquitoes, so that is something I need to get to before too much longer. Ah, that reminds me!

Add bug repellent to shopping list.

Less than two square feet

That's all that remains of the mess of weeds that once commanded my flowerbed.

I spent the morning pulling up that mess and de-thistling the yard (not everywhere, just about a three yard radius surrounding the retaining wall of the south end of the perennial bed - but that was enough). The last of the morning clouds burned off (or blew away) just before noon, and I made a decision to head inside before my medium rare pink turned into a nightmare of a sunburn. Besides, it was getting rather hot and I had finished my water - I needed a break!

3:45PM The raucous storm - which included hale - just ended. It lowered the temps from a toasty 85*F to a pleasant 73*F inside of thirteen minutes, and the last of those clouds have swept north/northeast.

By the end of the storm the outdoor temp had dropped to a LOVELY 68*F, but it's just started to climb again, and over the last forteen minutes the outside temp has climbed to 75*F! According to the weather radar, we are due for more rain inside the next 1.5 hours or so, so I guess I need to get outside and tidy up some loose ends.

My goal for the remainder of the afternoon is:

1) to move roughly 25 retaining wall blocks from the front of the house to the back bed wall;

2) and fill in the five inch lag;

3) AND replant the displaced lillies and boxwoods in the freshly reclaimed perennial bed.

I'm betting I can get it done. Wouldn't it be cool if I could also manage to trim a few bundles of privet branches to leave out for collection tomorrow?

Do you wanna see how it all comes out?

Huh

When it began to rain yesterday, I folded up shop and slipped indoors to weather it out. But, as soon as I slipped off my boots and changed out of my dirty coveralls, the rain stopped.

You guessed it...I went back outdoors, but that didn't last long - it began to sprinkle, again!

Instead of carrying on in that way, I decided to call it an afternoon and stayed inside. Didn't get much accomplished indoors though, and I was bored and restless to boot.

A-nnoyingly so.

This morning hasn't been any better, and I would be outside right now, except the frequent sprinkles rinse off the bug repellant, and then I am swarmed by voracious mosquitoes.

My time will come, I just have to keep myself busy until the weather cooperates and I can get back at it. Not that there isn't PLENTY to do, but all I can think of is what I want to be doing in the garden! Sad but true. [sigh]

Cleo has just wandered in and taken up residence at my feet. It's a part of our daily routine that (I think) we both count on every day. Some days she is needier than others, and I get the full-service begging from her; but most days are low key, prutting and cooing questions and a request for some attention before the snacky treats are doled out to the pack of feline sisters. After the treats, it's time for her hours-long cat nap on Brian's bed (or Karl's, if the boy doesn't rise early enough).

Today she may get more Cleo-time than she bargained for.

OK, time to peel myself away from this keyboard for a bit. Without a way to physically keep awake, the allergy pill I took is beginning to make me yawn non-stop, and I am becoming quite drowsy. Never type tired!

Have a good day.

Hot weather

The weather weenies say we are in for another spate of wretched, hot weather. Count me out!

I do not like it, Sam I am. I don't like weather that can melt ham.

[pseudo-apologies to Dr. Seuss]

Yesterday was a warm day, but not a scorcher. Even at it's hottest point, with the breeze that accompanied the day, it wasn't as uncomfortable as it could have been. So, thank you, God (and Mother Nature). Then, of course, it wasn't humid (at least, not so's you'd notice). Heat I can a-l-m-o-s-t tolerate...so long as the humidity is low, low, low, non-existent, low. I think you get my meaning.

Anyway........

I missed the weather report on last night's last newscast, and I have yet to turn on the TV this morning to see what sort of heat conditions are in store, but if the weather follows the predicted trend from last week, today and tomorrow are going to be - ugh - unbearable. I think I remember talk of rain for today, but I am not holding my breath. Every time they use the phrase "a chance of..." it's pretty clear they have no real idea of what's going on, and won't have a tinker's chance of getting anywhere near close on weather correctness, so why bother to predict.

Hold on - how old am I? Why am I going on about the weather?

Had a nice time watching/listening to Barb play in her summer gig with the Saginaw Eddy Orchestra (or is it "band"?) last night. It the was the group's maiden voyage for the 2011 season, and they provided a good mix of tunes for the evening performance.

The Saginaw Eddys are a lightweight equivalent to the Boston Pops, but in Saginaw, MI. It's an eclectic mix of old and young people, directed by two different conductors - each with their own style and speed - but the music was good and the players skilled in their craft. Thanks to Barb and Jean for including me!

Today will be a busy day of running around; picking up Karl's PC, my wheelbarrow, a few needed groceries, etc. Afterwards, it will be back to lightweight gardening stuff until I lose shade (or gain it) in either the front or the backyard. I have a few garden pets to plant that were moved (or have grown from seed) and now need to be in their permanent home(s) in the ground. There's the pruning of the peonies to finish, and many more hedges to trim up. Plus the remaining five-foot-square area of weeds in the back perennial bed to do away with.

If it rains after I get things in the ground, so much the better, so I am going to get moving...before I am sad I did nothing in the cool morning hours.

Yet, another new film

Another new film has been approved to work in the state for 2011 (yea! hurrah!), and still no word from the four current film projects ramping up that I have already submitted to.

Keep smiling, Beth. Keep smiling.

Out of approximately 30 entries

So, after all of the ick of the past weekend, and out of thirty or so teams entered in the DWIFF Film Challenge, our band of....well, our team placed in the top fourteen making it through the first set of criteria.

That's right - we are in the final judging.

Un-freaking believable.

Next weekend is the film festival, and there the shorts filmed for the challenge will be shown - at some point, somewhere during the festival (at a currently unnamed venue). Tuh-daaaaahhh.

Just stuff

The garbage is out!

Well...all except for the cat box bag, but I will get to that in a moment.

There are three bags of regulation garbage, plus one additional box of toss-able household goods; a full container of recyclable plastic and cans, cardboard, etc., stacked alongside; and, six bags of yard waste! That's right, SIX! There would be seven, but the wheels on the dolly are shot, and it was a long hike up both hills from the back fence to the 'curb,' and my heart just wasn't in it.

It turns out that if you pay the additional $8.50 per month, WM will also haul away your yard stuff (which I always thought was a waste of money, but this year it will prove advantageous). Aaannd...you can put out as many as 20 bags or bundles of yard waste each week!! This month is going to be worth it - and the prospect of getting all of the weeding and privet trimming done and out of the yard completely is so going to keep me on schedule! One month - start your engines!

Oh, crap! Wait! I forgot to pile the bundles of last year's forsythia and shrub trimmings out!

[huff - puff - mopping brow]

I would have stayed outdoors and worked in the beds or trimmed the privets down a bit more, but between the rain and the mosquitoes, I figured I could get more done inside this morning. I will trek back outside in a few hours, with a healthy dose of sunscreen, bug repellent and my hat on, once the rain ends.

The birds are in a mood today. Chickadees and sparrows chirping, robins gabbing and lovely cardinals singing. Even my three clown buddies, the blue jays, are in evidence early on. They are happily diving into the flowerbed and gobbling up bugs now easily gotten to.

Earlier in the week I saw a flicker land on a fresh anthill in the greening yard and quickly devour dozens of the nasty little creatures in less than a minute's time. Go, bird, go! However, it also made me think I need to be careful how I spread the ant killer in the future.

[sigh] But, it was some silly bird taking a bath in my gutter who made me realize I have a good deal of extra cleaning to get done...and that I am not looking forward to. Ugh! The yard work is enough to handle and get caught up with. Aarrrgh!! Yikes - and the catbox still needs cleaning!

OK, enough for now. Time to dig in to something fun and necessary, or balance a checkbook or wash and fold laundry. ;) More stuff later.

Make it a great day.

Dividing the day

We all have things we want to do.

Then there are the things we must do. Seems as though there should be a third category, doesn't there - but I can't think of what it would be.

These stepping stones need reconfiguring now that the plants have matured.

Today began with an item at the top of each of column; I wanted to get back out into the garden (especially in this GORGEOUS weather), but it couldn't happen because there was an important meeting with the MRS 'people' for Karl right smack dab in the middle of prime gardening hours. And since Karl is more important, this morning was a loss for gardening.

That's OK, though. I will slather on a great deal of mosquito repellent and head outdoors when the house casts an afternoon shadow, and then will make a good stab at (hopefully) finishing the cleaning of the last of the existing bed. I already have plans to remove the small boxwoods to the front (not all, maybe three of the five), and to spread the daylillys out to fill in the gaps. Before week's end I plan (i.e.; 'hope') to have the pavers in the ground and/or to have finished the courses across the back bed and finished the tilling of the entire bed. That way, when I can manage a load of good fill soil, the bed area will be completely ready for it and the fill won't go to waste. [exclamation point]

I have designs on re-orging the front perennial bed - as I have mentioned in the past - and now that the poppies and peonies have blessed us with their show, I can finish transplanting one and all (including the hostas), and let them have their recuperation time over the rest of the summer. Next year will be glorious!

Currently, the gusting winds are blowing the intoxicating smell of the remaining blooms right into the house, and I am loving every fragrant second! Shortly, I will be outdoors with my shears, deadheading and cleaning up the once-beautiful mayhem. Until then, the heaven sent scent is all mine!

Weather prognosticators are posting weak promises for rain towards the end of the week. Of course, there will also be a rise in the temps, so I would love to have the majority of the work completed before temps go up. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

In other news: No, I still have not heard from any of the four productions crewing up in MI for July/August. It is typical for a scripty to be one of the last members to sign on, so I am not letting myself become too dejected. Instead, the free time is appreciated and utilized, so when I do get the call (and have a job to eat up my time) everything else is not left lacking while I am unavailable to tackle the chores on a daily basis.

S-m-a-r-t. ;^)

On top of the gardening fun, and possible sewing, I am still working on a short video of photos I have been editing and compiling for my Grandmother's 100th birthday. With five weeks to go, it is looking pretty good (if I do say so myself).

Oh, and I had a brief text message from the Tweedles saying they edited and turned in the film challenge project on time, so now we wait to hear how it stands up against the other entries. If you can get to the DWIFF (Detroit Windsor International Film Festival), look for the film challenge entries. The DWIFF still has not added the bunch to their published schedule, but since there is a category for "audience favorite," I am assuming they must be shown during the festival...somewhere!

More another time. For now I am going to move some furniture, or do some laundry and hang it on the line.

Comment to a comment

Yes, Crosby -

I do love it.

The frenetic pace, the creativity, the 'community' of the crew. The responsibility to your position/task, the random odd hilarious moments, the sense of accomplishment.

Then, of course, there's the ultimate sense of satisfaction in seeing a finished product on a screen (silver or television).

Thanks for the consolation...sorry if my venting became shrew-ish; I was in a bad place. Would have responded in a comment forum box, but blogger won't accept my comments. (I KNOW, go figure!)

Look for House of the Rising Sun to be released on DVD July 19th. There are a lot of unnecessary f-bombs, but the cinematography is gorgeous. And I am understanding Detention of the Dead is due out this year, yet. No word on distribution, so whether it gets to theaters before stores is still a mystery, but it was fun to shoot, and I can only imagine the final product will be fun to watch. I'm excited!

Straw: 1 - Camel's Back: 0

So, I did it. I participated in the DWIFF 48-hour Film Challenge DWIFF (or, the lion's share of it, at least).

Not a great team, sorry to say.

Well, I had a great entry written, but the blogger system failed - AGAIN! They are having their issues lately.

Let's let it stand at this:

I had a taste (and whiff) of it (the 48-hour film challenge), and swallowed enough to know I should have followed my gut feelings and instincts. Although, it wasn't the film challenge itself, per se', it was the group I was with...most specifically, ONE of the two driving forces (and it's not the one whose name rhymes with 'snot').

The two Tweedledums who put [our] team together were lackluster - and that's as kind as I can be. They wanted to make a short to beat the guy who won the film challenge at the DWIFF last year.

OK, so go put on a show in your garage and come back when you are ready to work as a team and ACT LIKE MEMBERS OF A TEAM!!

I haven't the resources to support your ineffectual lofty dreams, while you sit on your fat butt and bark orders, pontificate, smell bad at either end (and in between), behave as a blowhard and waste time smoking cigarettes and gulping down fast food, while the rest of us stand around in the parking lot (and EVERYwhere else) awaiting your return from a "bathroom break."

Not cool! Yes, I tried to keep us on track; when you fight it and complain, and then act like a complete child about needing to get the last of the filming done HOURS later...and oh, dammit the daylight is now gone...why do you think that is?

Helloooooooooo.

Scratch on your own time!!

Oh, by the way, I did hear what you said about me to the others, through the door, when I returned to get Scott's car keys to retrieve gear from his car. Yes I kept things moving (or I tried to), because I have had a lot more experience than you working the process on a film set.

You may have been acting as the director, but it was a team effort, and your dillydallying was not a help...NOR was it appreciated, knowing what was ahead of us yet with the remaining afternoon light.

And, by the way, tossing my very expensive 'dead cat' windscreen at a car windshield because you couldn't be bothered to simply hand it to me by reaching out a little to your right - SO NOT COOL!

Let's see how you do deciphering my "completely unnecessary" script notes. Yeah, and good luck dealing with the footage you decided to shoot without me. You wanted notes on the "time code" (his incorrect phrase for logging time), but you shot the better part of 5 pages of dialogue without making notes and a time log. Have fun scrolling for the footage.

One more thing (I had two, but I have since forgotten the second): My car is not a waste receptical.

I resented the whole "let's dump everything in the open Scion...even when the owner kept saying 'don't leave things in my car.' " If you couldn't be bothered to remember where you stuffed sh*t, you deserved the panicked feeling you experienced an hour or more later. But, the others participating in your Tomfoolery suffered when you realized "the filters are missing...how come we can't find them? Everybody...look!"

Did you stop to think that some of those people did not know what it was they were looking for? The lost time was frustrating and unnecessary.

Unnecessary!!!

So, this camel is going to head out to her garden for a little while. Too much lost time there, too...but I am going to leave this straw behind me when I go.

Enjoy your day, I'll let you know how it all (the film short) turns out. :)

Pleased to report

Ah yes. [happy sigh] I hope I am not jinxing things. [fingers crossed, prayers muttered]

When I stepped outside this morning to water my beautiful little wisteria (and all of the other plants), I inspected the foliage for the first time in over a week (a watched pot never....well, you know what I mean).

I am happy to report that there are two new growth buds on the main stem, so my fears for the demise of the Wisteria are not founded! It seems to be accepting of it's new home and has begun to grow!

Now, if I can just convince the new little Clematis to do the same thing.....

[rain dance on the deck at 4:30PM]

A profusion of color and fragrance

Oh, my word! How could I not remember that aroma?

It never fails, every year I am flabbergasted by the fragrance my Peonies provide. I can always remember the sight of them, but that fragrance escapes me.

It's not the fact that it smells so heavenly, but the exact intoxicating aroma never lingers long enough in my memory; I have yet to find something to keep in my

home that replicates the smell so beautifully and so simply. No candle...no incense...no perfume. Nothing! Even the ants seem to be saying "please?"

And the sight of the pleasant poppies, bobbing and brilliant beside their long-stemmed neighbors.

Even though I am not venturing outside today to get my hands dirty and brow sweaty, I did think we all deserved a beauty break. I hope you like these - I picked them just for you!

Yeowza

Shikeys, is it ever a toasty day. Thankfully, not as humid as the weather had been over the weekend, but a hot day is a hot day.

I only managed to keep at the weeding for little over two hours this morning, as the temps began in the mid-seventies and quickly rose to more than I could take. Starting shortly after seven A.M. did little to make it any more pleasant, so once the bulk of the watering was complete I hustled inside to sit in front of a fan. There is enough work to do inside, so I won't feel guilty about whimping out of my garden responsibilities for just a little while.

Truth be told, since tomorrow is also going to be a scorcher, I may refrain from doing any more yard work until Thursday (except for the watering) - sad but true.

- Small note: Have made enough of a dent in the cleanup to date that I can proudly say I am 2/3 of the way to having the existing perennial bed totally cleaned out!

- Odd note: A few days ago I noticed a rather large bee drilling a new hole into my pergola, and stopped him "dead" in his tracks. Since then I have spotted two more holes in two other areas on the pergola - either overhead or on one of the 6"x6" uprights.

When I saw another lumbering, buzzing culprit depart yesterday afternoon, I took a chance he was alone and capped the hole by thrusting in a rather long stick. Apparently, he was not alone, and the stick went far more deeply into the hole than I expected!

:^O

This morning I found the hole open and the stick in pieces on the ground! Hmmmm and gulp! And when I glanced at the hole, there he was, sitting in the opening staring out at me....waiting.

>:^(

What could I do? You guessed it - I thrust another stick in the hole and listened. Sure enough, before too long, I heard the very audible munchings of the Carpenter Bees making a light snack of the plug. This means war!

- Yet another note: When the boys and I arrived home from a visit to see the Grandmas last night, there was a riot of color in the peony bed. Yep, the bushes are exploding with color, and man does it smell good, too. All but one of the moved bushes have budded and flowered. So once this flowering season is over I will be moving the lot of them to their new locations, and next year will prove 100% glorious again - though I am not displeased with this year's show in the least.

- And on that note: I will see you soon. Have a great day or two.

My prize for the day

An Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly.

I saw this little lovely sipping water from blades of grass as I moved the sprinkler. It was not as skittish as I would have expected, and really only moved when droplets from the sprinkler hit it.

So the prize for my efforts today was encountering this beautiful butterfly, aaaaannnd.......the total satisfaction in having half of the back bed cleaned out.

HALF!! Wahoo! Take that, weed population!

Happiness!

Click on the photo to view in larger - clearer - detail

Aside from the lovely barren soil (free of weeds, that is, not baby-making capabilities), the back bed is looking promising. [insert beaming facial expression here]

I did get an early start at it this morning, but by ten o'clock I was dripping wet and tired - and I had stayed in the shade as much as I could. By eleven the sun had risen to the point over the apple tree where working in the shade was becoming impossible....and I had finally run out of steam (even though I hadn't yet run out of weeds).

While exorcising the garden demons, I also stacked more pavers onto the retaining wall around the bed. I don't remember having purchased so many of them prior to losing my job, but there they were under all of that thatch! Perhaps with another paying job I can get a couple of yards of dirt hauled in to build the bed to a proper height. Hmmm....

Over the past few years the soil has washed away, little by little with rain and snowfall, and/or compacted around the surviving plants. I was struck with the need to correct the problem once I had my nose right in the bed this weekend, carefully pulling choke weeds from my lavender. I was in such a hurry all those years ago to get the job done and to get the lovely plants I had in the ground, that I didn't take the time to do a proper job making certain the soil was level - to prevent the inevitable slide downhill with the slope of the yard. [kicking self]

[heavy, heavy sigh]

This morning I managed to water the entire yard, taking extra care to get every nook and cranny, and soaked the flowers (transplanted and the new Wisteria) in their new home(s). Also kicking myself over not watering the grass at all yesterday, under the mistaken reasoning that we were to have thunderstorms well into the night. Well......those rains never materialized, and I am praying that the seed wasn't ruined by the lack of rain and my poor judgement in not wanting to over-water.

Hopefully things are going to be OK as far as the grass is concerned.

While slow-going, the work in the back bed is progressing, and tomorrow will find me working my way to the south end - past the mid-way point. I'll post a shot of the entire area so you can see the overall look to date, until then I trust you've enjoyed the two pictures offered with this post.

Ouch!

I should have just turned around and attacked the weeds at the other end of the bed. That's what I should have done. That area was still in the shade of the apple tree, and I could have really made an impact there (and I'd most likely still be outdoors).

But no....no, no, no. Figuring it was still early in the morning - and as cool as it was going to be all day - I doggedly worked away at making room for my lovely Wisteria on the north pergola post. I dug out the weeds and maple starts and pulled up old vegetation, identifying three (and transplanting two) more struggling friends in the process.

It wasn't until a neighbor stopped by (with the arrival of the DTE truck) to gab, that I realized I was singed. I turned a little pink on my forearms yesterday, but this dose of sun completely baked my poor arms. After making my excuses, I hurried inside and coated my arms in yogurt.

It's been almost an hour, but it already feels 1,000 times better. In a little while I will rinse and plaster my arms once more.

Note to self: Remember to throw out the sunblock used and get another bottle for this summer.

Much later this afternoon, when the house has cast a shadow all the way to the pergola, I will rototill the bed and get my young, crazed wisteria into the ground and hopefully spend the rest of the summer watching it do its thing!

Hmmmm.... all this talk about yogurt has made me realize I am hungry. Now that the transformer (which blew early this morning) is fixed, and power is restored, I am making pancakes to celebrate!

How's life at your end of the bog?

War of the roses

Oh, that thorny bugger!

I trimmed and dispatched and weeded out and cleared a working field for myself, so that I could dig out a very aggressive (and deeply entrenched) maple. Silly thing must have been at least two seasons old, and was getting a great start on year number three!

On an earlier pass through the yard this spring, Brian had cut off the top of the tree, leaving the roots and a healthy portion of the bottom intact. That did not deter this particular tree.

As I was working on creating a trench for the last of the retaining pavers on the NE side, I saw a tangled mass of rose runners, Black Nightshade, misc weeds and old flower shafts from a resident Hosta sweetly encircling the headless Maple in a raised area at the corner of the house. So, I figured, why not just clear it out and be done with it? - and that's just what I did.

Holy smokes, it was not going to budge without a fight; fortunately I was in the mood for one, so I put up my dukes and dug in.

Doggone it if that silly tree wasn't as mule headed as I am!

Just when I thought 'one more good leveraged pull and I win,' I moved a little too close in the wrong direction to the remaining portion of the rose bush that I hadn't trimmed away, and....YEEEEOW!!

Trying to pull my arm free proved to be the wrong thing to instinctively do. When I looked down in the direction of the discomfort I noticed the thorns firmly embedded in the topside of my forearm and pulling my flesh in the opposite direction that I desired to move. I had to stop myself and think about doing the exact opposite thing from my current action.

Not an easy feat when you are stuck to a thorny mass. You know you are stuck but good when you must use your other hand to extricate yourself.

Karl dressed my holes and I went back to work on the Maple...but not before I took out a healthy chunk of the attack roses.

From there I 'went to town' incorporating three (4) gallon buckets of rotted down leaves into the soil around the Hydrangeas. I have moved the little Hosta out, figuring to use it elsewhere, and I have transplanted a Foxglove and some other (I can't remember its name) perennial to the large open area under the window. Both should thrive there. I also planted a new Clematis at the vacant base of a post once occupied by a fragrant Honeysuckle. Let's see what happens.

Oh, yes! I almost forgot. Today I used my new birthday present for the first time! A Honda 4-stroke rototiller! What an experience - and boy, did it make fast work of that flowerbed! Wahoo!

That was a lot of exclamation points! But you would "!" too, if you had unleashed that sort of monster on your own for the first time. I know, it's a little tiller...but it's mine, and it is marvelous.(!)

;^)

Time to go move the sprinkler.

I heard it will rain tonight (maybe). "Widely scattered storms" they say. Pheh! Well scatter some of that here, please; as long as it doesn't wash away the grass seed, gimme some of dat liquid lovin'. I've won the war of the roses for the day, and the grand prize is a lightly soaking rain.

What the...!?

Earlier and earlier. My internal clock is malfunctioning (possibly).

I can see the whole Benjamin Franklin aspect of it: "Early to bed, early to rise...blah, blah, blah."

But 5:45? Really?

And what's worse is, I know I was awake a while before I ever rolled over and looked at the clock. Ugh.

- - - - - Hey there, Crosby - - - - -

Nice to read you again. I sort of agree that the Sea Of Thistle did have a luxurious green look (that's the Scot in me peeking through), but it was heck on sandled feet (oh, and the sound of impaled chipmunks was worse than screaming rabbits), so it had to go. But, if it makes you feel any better, it will be less than a party digging up the remnants/roots of that mess for some time to come. :^) Don't forget, I still have a boatload of it in my perennial bed to deal with yet.

My plan today is to continue watering the new seed and to till the area I reclaimed yesterday (amending the soil with compost and a little peat); plant the new clematis; and relocate another poor performer from a weed-choked section to the now open area. From there I'll move on to the next area around the pergola - where the wisteria will reside!

It's a lofty goal, but I need to hit this marker quickly before I lose my lovely new acquisition. It's already too leggy for the pot it was transplanted to a month ago, and I fear if it remains looking for something to train and grow on much longer, I will lose it.

Fingers crossed and good thoughts cast to the winds. I'll keep you posted. For now, I am spinning my wheels. The noise ordinance in my town says no lawn work with loud tools before 8am.

[twiddling thumbs for the next hour and forty-five minutes]

May as well show you the "before"

Currently in the "during" phase...since now we're past "before", but we aren't 'there', yet.

The Sea of Thistle before (above), and Sea of Thistle after (below)

Although, I can say with certainty, "after" is not as far away as it has been.

Grass seed has been cast and the watering has been an all day affair.

It just feels so good to be making progress.

Unearthed a forgotten hosta and one stunted Hydrangea (directly in front of the window)

Refreshingly chilly

I still find it amazing that the weather can go from fire-and-brimstone to cuddle-alert in the blink of an eye. Why not just moderate temps all the time? Why does it have to vary so wildly?

S'ok, though...it's all good. As we say in the northern climates - "it's good sleepin' weather."

Cannot explain why I am up so early this morning, especially after having fallen asleep on the sofa (again), waking periodically, and finally heading to bed (real pillows-and-blanket-bed) about 2:30 or so. Would've thought I could have slept until seven or seven-thirty...but no. My dadburn internal clock is set and will not be deterred. I even went to bed secure in the knowledge that today was not garbage day (because of the holiday on Monday), so I wouldn't have to rise and run to the curb to beat the pick-up.

Yeah, I know, I hear you.

"Put it out the night before."

Hey, I would, but the critters in the neighborhood are forever targeting my trash bags and ripping them open. The mess from their plundered leavings is usually scattered all over, and then I have to spend time cleaning that up. No fun.

"Don't you have sons...with arms...who can clean up the mess?"

Why yes. Yes I do. No doubt you also have children who are completely compliant and do exactly what you ask of them when you request it, and do a splendid, over-the-top job without whining, arguing, stalling and complaining. [Apologies for the 6AM sarcasm]

My way, the critters are thwarted and the garbage goes away without the extra hassle.

Here comes the sun. Ah, perfect!

An update to the update

Lawn Alex finished at 4:30 and loaded up his trailer with 12+ bags of cuttings and his mower (although, he could have gotten quite a bit more in each bag - ah well, it's a guy thing), and I was still cutting through the kudzu-like viney crud from the neighbor's mess out back along the fence, and their creeping raspberry canes just to get to my Privets.

It's a very good thing that there is so much growing season ahead of us, because trimming the garbage plants and the hedge to get to what is viable has revealed a lot of issues where the neighbor's insidious trailing garbage has choked out the Privets and left much of the tall growth very sparse.

There's a lot left to accomplish, but at least the lawn is mowed and next steps can be taken. :)

It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood

Weather weenies notwithstanding, the trees and houses are still standing, only slightly damper than yesterday at this time. And happily, the dampness is not from the high humidity.

See, it did manage to rain a smidge, but nothing like the warnings and watches issued (by salivating weather geeks) had us believing. Somewhere it must have rained - as if Noah had another ark built - but it wasn't here.

We all slept with our windows open last night, and the attic fan on high, cooling off the house to a tepid 71*F. It felt exquisite, and the temp inside hasn't risen past 74* for the day, so I think we have the heat beat! The boys have ceiling fans and windows at bed height and I have digs in the lower level, so everyone was comfortable through the night.

Today? Well, today is just perfect, and the mail lady and I agree that the rest of the summer can stay exactly like this. Sunny, breezy and just the right sort of warm.

So can anyone please explain to me where my lawn guy is? He was supposed to be here and mowing by 9AM, and there's been no phone call or text telling me he is hung up somewhere else, or planning to change our work date.

Argh! It's now a quarter to ten and still no mow! [stamping foot impatiently] I'll explain later why this is so imperative and why it is making me so tense.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - UPDATE

Lawn Alex arrived about quarter past eleven and got to work straight away. His large riding mower chewing up and spitting out the knee- to thigh-high grass, and a good deal of the thatch underneath it all, too. Once he completed the first pass he blew the mounds toward the apple tree and set about gathering it all into bags. Then he began to weed wack the edges to find the dastardly hiding cement chunks and paver brick bombs before his blades found any more. Yikes!

After this first mowing and grooming, he will get busy helping me clear out the debris (weeds and obnoxious Hawthorn trees among other quick growers) under and around the deck, and along the south side of the garage. He has also agreed to dismantle and remove the old shed in the back (hurrah) and get the berm at the very back of the yard cleared out.

What a lifesaver. Later today, or tomorrow early, I will be able to trim up and neaten my now 5-6 year old Privet hedge along the back fence. I have been hoping/trying (unsuccessfully) to Pleach block the hedge row, and that meant staking and biding my time while they grew up and filled in. Over time I have lost one or two, and found one needing retraining (if it can be done at such a large size and misshapen form). If not, I have 10 more Privet volunteers (one to take the place of the rogue bender) to plant, completing the wall in back and rounding the corner back up towards the house.

I wanted something to mark the property line and to block the view of the yard kitty-corner to the southeast (and the yard directly in back at ground level), but nothing that would alienate my nicest neighbor next door.

Upon inspection of the old Mulberry tree in the north side of the backyard, I am thinking this may be its last year. Every year I am surprised at how long after all the other trees Mr M takes to leaf out, but every year I make a note that it is a late start sort of tree. But this year, more of the branches - a shocking number of them - seem to be without leaf buds, and I am pretty certain it should come down. It's a shame, too, as it provides a good deal of privacy and separation between us and our too-close-neighbor to the north side. At the very least, many of the low hanging limbs need removing in the worst way. Ah well.

It's time for me to head back outdoors and pull some more young maple trees and weeds in my back perennial bed. Maybe head down the hill and clip some of those Privets while I am of a mind. Let's see how pretty we can make it look in one day and go from there. Photos tonight.