Autumn Clean-up

It was a perfect 72 degree day yesterday in central Illinois; perfect weather for tackling those dreaded autumn chores.

I spent the day closing down the gardens at my mom and dad's home. There had been a hard frost, so all delicate plants that were not protected had to be removed. I pulled out tomato plants (not easy to do as the doggone roots had really taken hold, which makes for a great tomato but also for a bad back!), clipped them into smaller pieces, and put them into the black standard compost bin. I also added armloads of silver maple leaves (more on that later), spent coneflower heads and stems, and dozens of Wave petunias, seed geraniums, coleus, nasturtium, and impatiens that had been killed.

There were many geraniums that were protected from the cold temperatures. I carefully pulled the plants from the potting soil, cleaned all of the soil from the roots, and pruned off the old growth to about 3". These geraniums are kept in my temperature-controlled garage (it is 3/4 underground, so the temps are rarely below 50 degrees) in a paper bag. During the winter I will check on them about once a month to make sure that there is not damage to the plant from either errant mice that have escaped the three cats and two huskies that reside here, or from fungus or disease. If the plant appears to be infected I throw it out; if it looks too dry I will lightly spritz it with water a few times a week until it looks rehydrated. At the end of February I will pot up the geraniums into a sterilized container that has been filled with fresh high-quality potting soil (please, do NOT put those awful packaging peanuts in the bottom of your containers!) and begin to wake the plants up by giving them a deep drink of water and putting them in my sun room. At the first signs of new growth, I will begin feeding my geraniums with a weak fertilizer solution. As the plant gets more robust, my fertilizing regime will increase. By the middle of April I will have beautiful, full plants, ready to be moved out into the sunlight on warm days. I have successfully overwintered standard geraniums like this for many years. They continue to get bigger and better.

Back to my leaf story...the maple leaves had blown into a corner area close enough to the compost bin that I didn't have to mess with a rake. Instead, I used my arms to scoop up masses of leaves. Mistake!!! I was totally creeped out when mom pointed to the hundreds of minuscule wolf spider infants crawling from the leaf pile onto the skirting of their trailer. Normally I am a proponent of spider survival (they do, after all, control the mosquito population) but this was too much. I ran into the house and grabbed the can of Raid Ant & Roach spray, the only kind under the sink. The spiders that were exposed got a good spray and died a quick death. Some of them escaped under the trailer, and I'm sure that there were many, many more in the leaf pile. That was the end of my composting for the day. I wasn't about to let any spiders crawl around on me, no matter how beneficial they are!

Before my day had ended, I had spread another four bags of cedar mulch onto the garden with the freshly-planted Cleveland pear. Friday I will continue with my autumn clean-up by planting the last of the bulbs (a few tulip and hyacinth, with some bloodmeal added for good measure), unhooking the garden hoses and putting them into the shed, pulling the last of the stubborn cool-weather weeds, and placing the snow shovel on the porch. Since the folks have two raised vegetable beds, I will add compost and additional garden soil to them, along with some peat moss, and till it with my Mantis. After that, I start in on my own two acres.

I hate autumn chores simply because there is so much death involved. But I truly look forward to a season of rest, where I can dream over garden catalogs and drool over my Horticulture magazine. Rest well, gardens. Spring will be here soon, bringing about the rebirth of beauty in our gardens.

shel

brrrrrrr

Tonight I turned on the furnace for the first time without having the grandbabies here. Normally I just tough it out...a few extra blankets while I'm reading, a t-shirt under the sweats, and my fuzzy house slippers. It's hell having propane for your furnace, water heater, and dryer. Prices are out of sight, especially this time of year. I will be frugal with the energy (thermostat is set on 65 right now, but I'll turn it back to 60 when I go to bed tonight).

Tomorrow I will spread weed & feed at mom & dad's place. I will also need to pull the tomato plants from the gardens, mulch the newly-planted Cleveland pear, and do general winterizing.

I brought the banana tree, giant elephant ear, and one pot on light pink geraniums into the sun room. Hopefully someone will water them while I'm in Alabama in January.

Now is the time to plant new trees and shrubs. Just be sure to give them lots of water so that the roots can grow nicely before winter sets in.

Stay warm.
shel

I Voted...Did You?

I have to admit that I got lost on my way to the polls....literally. We live in the country, and must go about 5 miles to get to be able to vote. I have always gone through the country to get there, but today I was in Clinton so I decided to leave from there. Silly me...I forgot that Lane is on Route 10. Instead of going there, I followed 54 almost to the power plant before I realized my mistake! Instead of learning my lesson and traveling the route that I knew, I decided to take a shortcut from 54 to 10. Max always cuts cross country to come home, so I thought I would do it to. Another mistake, as I turned on the wrong road and ended up winding around the countryside for about half an hour. To make a long story short, I finally DID make it to Lane and voted, which I consider a privilege and an honor. I hope that everyone else made their voices heard, too.

shel
p.s. I STILL have perennials to get in the ground, as well as quite a few spring bulbs. Hope the weather holds out!

Halloween

It was a beautiful Halloween night. There was just enough of a nip in the air to make heavy costumes comfortable.

Earlier in the day Alana and David brought Gabe and Jaxxon over so that I could watch the boys while they put on their gory make-up. Papa Max was able to get grumpy little Gabe to sleep. With the help of a bottle of soy formula, Jaxxon soon joined him. Unfortunately Gabe's nap was not quite a peaceful one, as his mommy needed to get him dressed for his big night.

Jaxxon wore a stuffed monkey suit. While we were trick-or-treating, the poor little guy fell asleep in the double stroller. Technically, he's too young to enjoy the spoils of the evening, so I suppose it doesn't matter that he snoozed.

I had a great time walking with a rock star (Ady) a puppy dog (Jaden), my monkey and cowboy, and Erin, Steve, Alana and David. Thank you, God, for such a beautiful evening.

Fall is Failing

Autumn is such a depressing time of the year for me. The only blooms that I have are the mums and asters, and everything else is pretty much brown or black. Leaves are falling by the millions (we live in the middle of the woods on two acres with thousands of trees and doggone Japanese Honeysuckle.) The pond, or what is actually left of it, is filled with 2' of leaves. Ugh.

I have many autumn chores to accomplish:

The grass needs to be mowed (and leaves mulched) again. Unfortunately the lawnmower has a flat tire and I can't get it to hold air.

There are hundreds of volunteer trees that have popped up in the gardens. I need to go out with the loppers and cut them as close to the ground as possible, then soak the little stump area with Round-Up. This doesn't always work, but I have had luck with it in the past. Green-X used to work well with killing the stumps of mulberries, but I can't find it anymore.

Over the summer a lot of junk has accumulated in front of the house, mainly in front of the garage. I must find a home for the 55 gallon aquarium (doesn't seal anymore, so it's only good for reptiles), convince Max to take the snow blower in to be repaired, and get rid of the straw that was around the horse trough that held the water garden. There is a multitude of white plastic garbage bags full of crushed aluminum cans forming a mountain of eyesore near the edge of the driveway. Critters - probably raccoons or possums - have gotten into the bags and spread the cans all over the place. Max was the one that insisted on keeping the cans, so I hope he will be the one to take responsibility and clean up the mess. I won't hold my breath, though. He's not much of an outdoor worker.

All of the dead coneflowers and black-eyed Susans need deadheaded. I usually keep them for the birds to much on during the winter, but the doggone things have taken over the gardens.

All of the wood from mom & dad's pear tree needs to be carted to the back yard and piled by the fence. Wish I had some help to do it.

The shrubs and tree branches have grown so that they block the view when backing out of the drive. They all need to be cut back

There was a heavy frost last night so I should pull out the annuals that were bitten. Luckily the banana tree and giant elephant ear planters made it inside.

So much more to do, so little time to do it in. Winter will be here before we know it.

Hope you are all able to work outside and then come in for a nice warm cup of apple cider.

shel

Drats! Foiled again!

I can't believe how dry the ground is! It was quite a chore to dig a hole for the viburnum yesterday. I decided that, in order to finish planting the rest of the garden additions, I would water. Yesterday I had the sprinkler running for two hours in the garden where I planted the shrub, then switched it to the platform feeder garden straight off of the deck. It ran for about three hours there, then I switched it to the garden to the east that has Storm and the yellow magnolia tree. After Max got home we went to a clam bake (wow, the food was incredible!) and left the hose running. I forgot to turn it off! It ran until about 9 p.m. Now I need to water the rest of the two acres...a chore I don't look forward to. Hopefully it will rain soon. Those poor plants MUST get into the ground!

Tonight I'm making hot dogs and hamburgers on the fire pit for family members. I also made creamy ranch pasta salad with cheddar cheese and peas and broccoli cauliflower salad. After I hang up here I will make an apple pie to go with the vanilla ice cream. Hope mom and dad can come over too.

Have a happy day, everyone.
shel

Beautiful day

Today is an absolutely perfect day. I couldn't sleep last night, so I have taken it rather easy this morning. I've done dishes, picked up remainders of the party, and did a belly dancing video (I'll be teaching a class soon, so I need to get back in shape.) As soon as I finish on the computer, I plan on going outside to putter around.

I have a viburnum 'Autumn Jazz' to plant in the west side hosta garden in the back. It's a great shrub with all-season interest. Already, while still in the gallon container, the leaves have turned a beautiful red and yellow. In the spring there will be highly scented clusters of white blooms, and all winter long the birds will be enjoying the fruits of the bush. I love this particular shrub because it's low maintenance.

I also have a rose campion to plant, 'Rolley's Favorite'. I love, love, love campions. They not only attract butterflies, but will also bloom and bloom. This plant, too, is relatively low maintenance. It handles heat and drought very well (we have plenty of that in central Illinois!) I haven't decided where to plant this yet, as it requires full sun and those gardens are pretty full.

When my government stimulus job was terminated on Sept. 30, my wonderful co-workers presented me with a mum the size of Kansas. I will plant it in the container in front, under the mailbox. It is a stunning pale yellow beauty that will attract the eye from quite a distance.

All of my containers need a good drink of water. It's been very dry this fall, so things are just limping along. I have two ivy geraniums that I have overwintered for two years that are absolutely gorgeous. They trail almost to the ground, and are very lush on top. I will have to find a home for these, as I won't be able to take them with me when we go to Alabama for the month of January. Max wouldn't water them here, and sending them for Alana or Erin to care for would be to give them the death sentence. Guess I'll post them on freecycle.org, and some lucky person will be blessed with stunning plants next year. I'll advise them to do what I do...cut the plants down to about 4" and water them sparingly during the winter. I keep mine in the sun room on the north side of the house, so they don't get tons of sunlight. I also start fertilizing near the end of February so that the plant looks healthy when I put it out in mid-May.

My last chore is to plant a thornless blackberry. I've had them in the past and was thrilled with the ease of harvest. I had stupidly cut out all plants when I put the greenhouse up, and now I am ready to plant again. This one gallon container has grown all summer long, so the canes are about 8' in length. I will spread them to the side and cover small sections of the cane with soil. Hopefully they can root before winter. This spring I will cut the canes from the mother plant, and have enough individual plants to give me a good harvest. Fingers are crossed.

I could paint the fence today, but I just hate the darn thing. I have always wanted a white picket fence (like you'd see around a cottage garden) but Max got a little carried away while he was building this. He made it 6' tall and put the pickets only a quarter of an inch apart. It also has bends in weird places, instead of being a straight or angled shot toward the shed. The fence is more of an eyesore than an attraction, and I just have spending hour after hour painting it. It is nearly finished, but I just dread wasting my time on it. Wish I had one of those spray gun painters.

Time to get busy. I hope you are all able to enjoy this beautiful weather!

shel

Alana's Birthday Weiner Roast

Tonight was a wonderful night. We held a wiener roast to celebrate Alana's 21st birthday (hard to believe it's been 21 years!) and I think it went quite well.

I spent the day cooking and cleaning. I made potato salad, baked beans, pickles wrapped in cream cheese and ham, and Barb Bodine's 14 Karat Carrot cake. Yum. The only thing that I have extra of is the OM hot dogs and buns. I may have to have another wiener roast this week.

The best part of the evening was the laughter from the young adults. Max and I watched Jaden (almost 5), Bryan (just turned 5), Gabe (21 months), and little Jaxxon (5 1/2 months) so that Alana, Jessica, Steve & Erin could run into town. Bryan and Jaden had a wild time playing with the hundreds of balls (from a ball pit that had a leak) and running and hiding from Gabe. There were lots of giggles, and a few bumps and bruises as the play got more rowdy. We finally got them settled down to watch "Ice Age". Shortly after Jaxxon went to sleep, the gang came back from town. They sat at the dining room table while we were in the living room. It was great to hear them laughing so much.

Tomorrow I plan on doing yet another load of dishes, putting the house back in order, and planting a shrub, a perennial, and a thornless blackberry bush. In the afternoon Max and I are going to a clam bake. This is a big step for Max, as he doesn't usually socialize with the men from work. I look forward to meeting them.

Hopefully I will be able to get to sleep soon. It's 1:20 a.m. and I'm still wide awake.

Sleep well, my friends.
shel

Updates

Please forgive me for my rant. I promise it will only be a short one, then I will continue on with life's updates.

Oh, what a busy life it's been. I wouldn't change it for all of the money in the world....what I would change, however, is the attitude of my husband! Unfortunately, we are opposites. I don't really have "days off". I will always have to cook, clean, do laundry, etc. even when I'm not technically at my job. In the meantime, the sunroom leaks in FIVE places, the tires on the wheelbarrow, lawnmower cart, lawnmower and Honda are flat, there is a 3' tree growing in the gutter in back, all of the garbage cans are full, and the list goes on and on. Yes, I could do some of this myself, but I just don't have the strength anymore after doing everything else.

There, I'm done.

Mom and dad are doing...well...they are doing. They are both still in pain on a daily basis. Dad is seeking medical attention at a back pain facility, and hopefully mom will soon be a patient there as well. Over the past two weeks they had a Bradford pear tree that came down a third at a time, so we spent many hours cutting and loading the wood onto a trailer so that I could haul it here. Jerry, the kindly neighbor, did the majority of the "heavy" work. He has a bad heart, so I worry about him doing so much. He, however, worries about mom and dad doing too much! I hope to get over to mom and dad's again this afternoon. There's lots of spring bulbs that need to be planted.

Thursday my parents will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary. Shannon and I plan on taking them to lunch.

Bryan is doing well. He is now in half day preschool and half day kindergarten. The poor guy is worn out by the end of his day, but he still has enough energy to play dinosaur with grandma. He loves for me to chase him around the house, waving my arms and roaring at him. His giggles make every trial in life bearable.

Gabe is another pistol. He, too, loves to be chased around the house. The little stinker is 20 months old now, and into everything. He has discovered that if he uses Grandma's kitchen bench, he can carry it around and climb onto ANYTHING. You just can't scold this boy; he just flashes that 10,000 watt smile and all is forgiven.

Little Jaxxon, now five months old, is smiling much more now that his stomach upset is controlled with soy formula and Nexium. It won't be long and he'll be crawling (can you believe it?) If I put him down on the floor, he gets onto his stomach and scootches all over the livingroom. His face lights up every time that I talk to him. He loves his grandma!

All of my boys are very special, very unique. I love them to pieces.

Oh my goodness, I leave for work in five minutes and I am not even dressed yet!

More later.
shel

Back After a LONG Absence

Hello, my long-lost blogger friends. I'm sorry to say that I am STILL on dial-up (although we are supposed to be getting broadband to the area very soon) and STILL going six different directions at once.

I am planning on having a weekend of fun. On September 10 and 11 I will be attending a "Women in the Outdoors" event. There are many educational (and enjoyable) classes offered. I think I'll take Intro to Shotguns, Nature Crafting, Outdoor Photography, Self Defense, Tree and Plant ID and Outdoor Survival. (Oops, that's too many...how will I ever be able to narrow down my coices?) It's been a long, long time since I've gone camping. I hope I can remember which way the tent goes! Any suggestions for what I should take to the potluck Friday night?

My gardens are in horrible shape. I had been getting up around 5:30 a.m. to water, deadhead, etc., but I have been naughty lately and have slept in. On Monday I went out in the evening to water my container gardens and found a nest of wasps inside of my watering can. OUCH. The little devils got me on the back. I was able to take two Benedryl right away, but my throat still constricted. Now I'm afraid to go outside. My poor containers are failing. (I can almost hear them...."heeeelp us, we need water!!!!") Somehow my heart just isn't into gardening this year. Maybe it's just exhaustion talking (well, that. and the fear of being stung again....I don't have an epi pen yet!)

My job will end on Sept. 30. It is a position that has given me much food for thought. In the 10 years of living in this town, I had never really opened my eyes to the poverty in the area. Yes, I see the world through rose-colored glasses. Now that my stimulus job is coming to an end, I realize just how much "need" there is in the area. I have always given to charities and fundraisers, but most of them were for clubs or catastrophic events (Hurricane Katrina, for example.) Now I realize that the need is also in the immediate vicinity, and I hope that I will be able to continue to help in any way that I can.

My weight loss journey has been successful. I've lost 8 lbs a month for the past two months. Tomorrow I weigh in again. Good thing my friend Vicki and mom and dad are keeping me supplied with tomatoes, as I've had tuna and tomato for two out of three meals just about every day. MMMMM, good!

It's 10:30, and I absolutely MUST get up early tomorrow morning to give my suffering containers another chance at life. Rest well, my friends.

shel

2005 GMC Savanna van

I have a 2005 GMC Savanna 8 passenger van that, for the most part, is one of the family. I drive my van just about everywhere and haul just about everything. Most of the time, it seems as if I live in my van because it's always full. Sadly, the people at Douglas have brought strife into our lives.

In the past few years we have had trouble with the middle doors on the passenger and driver's sides. The doors get extremely heavy, and will not close correctly. I have taken the van into Douglas (where we bought it) and they have adjusted the hinges on the doors and all was well for a spell. Eventually, however, the doggone doors become hard to close again.

I took my van into Douglas this week and asked that they fix the door for me. It wouldn't shut at all, so anything was better than what it was....or so I thought. They DID get the door shut, and advised me to not open it again because they weren't sure they would be able to close it again. (How am I supposed to put the grandkids in the van if I can't open the door?) AND they gave me an estimate for over $1,000 to repair the door!!! They have to re-weld the hinges, and paint the area where they work. Really, $1,000 for a faulty welded hinge?

I believe that this problem is one that the company should be responsible for, because it is a flaw in the design of the doors. The $1,000+ price tag is absolutely ridiculous, and I refuse to ever go back to Douglas, or buy a GMC product again. If GMC won't stand behind their vehicle design, then I sure the heck don't want to deal with them!

I urge everyone to think twice before buying a GMC Savanna.

shel

What's Blooming

I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to let the world know (if the world actually cares) about the plants that are blooming at my house.

The 'Rustic Rubra' magnolia is putting on quite a show with her big pink and white blossoms. I hope that today's hail and wind didn't ruin the tree.

Grape hyacinth are blooming among the daffodils, hyacinth, and squill. The crocus are just about done blooming, but the violets are starting to show their color. My tulips, what few the deer and rabbit didn't get to, are going to bloom within the next few days. I love to cut tulips and put them into a clear vase in the living room.

Today my weeping cherry burst into bloom. Its long, draping branches are covered in pink fluff.

The Grecian windflowers are open; their little heads are nodding in the breeze.

In the backyard, the Cleveland pear is just opening up. It will be beautiful tomorrow. I hope the weather will be nice so I can go outside and pull a few weeds!

shel

Chores Completed

The last few days have been windy but glorious nonetheless. I was able to mow the lawn (actually I just rearranged the oak leaves that had fallen last winter) on the west side of the house. All of the leaf dust brought on an asthma attack, but I survived.

Yesterday I planted two gallon containers of blueberry bushes. I will have to feed them well with an acidic mixture, or the bushes won't survive, much less produce. I put the bushes in the area between the Pekin tree (lilac tree) garden and my greenhouse. They should get plenty of sun there.

I planted huge bright yellow pansies and dusty miller in three containers outside. One is under the mailbox, the next is on the corner of the landing of the steps leading to the front door, and the third is in an antique wicker planter that is by the door. I also added branches from the red twig dogwood to that one just to give it some visual interest.

There are many bare spots in my yard thanks to the dogs and the moles, so I spread grass seed and covered it with potting soil to help it get a good start. This nice rain that we have today will be crucial in the root development.

I haven't gotten much done, but I do intend to work out in the yard more on Easter Sunday, after everyone goes home from our luncheon.

Oh, how I love spring, even if it means tons of work for me!

shel

Spring Garden Chores

I absolutely LOVE spring, even though it's the busiest time of the year for the gardens. Day before yesterday I was able to burn off part of the slope garden (it has been sadly neglected for the last two years.) The numerous bunches of daffodils weren't so happy-looking by the time the fire reached them. Did you know that daffodils melt? I tried to rake the dead leaves away from each group of daffs, but couldn't quite stay on top of it. Sadly enough I had to let the fire go out and then do a breathing treatment because of my asthma.

I'm ready to till up the garden and put out radishes. There's already three hills of potatoes in the ground. Normally I wouldn't till in the spring because it just brings up more weed seeds, but last fall I didn't get a chance to till in the leaves. They sat on top of the garden all winter long, thinking about decomposing but stubbornly not doing so. I will also add a few bags of commercial cow manure and compost (from my own bed) to enrich the soil.

Tomorrow, if Alana doesn't go into labor, I plan on mowing the west side. Last year the leaves were allowed to lay where they fell (I ran out of time) so I want to get them mulched up before they kill out the Kentucky Bluegrass. It's important to get the lawn cleaned up because there will be an Easter Egg hunt in the yard.

I can't wait for the wood pile to dry out. There's nothing better than hamburgers cooked on the fire pit! The winter winds and heavy snow broke off many branches, so I will have to spend quite a few hours collecting them. It would be easier if I had a wagon to pull behind my Sears Craftsman lawnmower, but I don't. I've had one on my Christmas list (and Mother's Day list, and Valentine's list, etc.) for the past two years. I miss my wagon!

It's a little too early to fertilize, but I have gone ahead and put out grass seed in the obviously bare spots in the lawn. I take the easy way out...instead of raking or tilling up the soil so that there is good seed-to-soil contact, I sprinkle the seeds and then cover them with a light coating of potting soil. The birds can't see the seed that way, plus it gives the roots a nice easy soil in which to develop. (That was an awkward sentence.)

I have hundreds, if not thousands, of dead stems to remove from the gardens. I leave the purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan stalks on during the winter because the birds enjoy eating the seeds, and it gives interest to an otherwise flat garden scene. Obedient plant and hosta stems also need to be removed and put into the compost pile.

There are many other spring chores to do (spread mulch, distribute Preen) but my hands are going to be full over the next few days taking care of the basics.

I'm SO glad it's spring!
shel

Daffodils!!!

A few years ago I planted 500 daffodil bulbs. Now I have hundreds of 'Baby Moon' in bloom, plus a few of the 'King Alfred' (at least I think that's what they are...the marker was missing.)

Crocus are still blooming in the back and east side yard as well. There are teeny, tiny bunches of lilac buds that are just waiting for warmer weather before they pop out.

I was able to get out in the yard yesterday and cut down more of the volunteer Japanese honeysuckle. That stuff is just horrible; it's terribly invasive. While the leaves are still a dream, I can get into the regular shrubs and prune out the junk.

Oh, how I love spring!

Hornbaker Gardens, Princeton, IL

Have you ever been to Hornbaker Gardens? If not, you definitely should go. Yesterday I received their newsletter and I'm chomping at the bit to make the trip.

Hornbaker has a beautifully landscaped ravine that has new steps meandering down through hundreds of mature shade-loving plants like hosta, astilbe, bleeding heart, and more. There is a gazebo set on the side of the ravine about halfway down. It's wonderful to just sit in there and rest my feet after walking thought acres of gardens.

I'd like to go during peak bloom of all of the plants. Acres of iris will be in bloom during the last two weeks of May (weather cooperating, of course.) I haven't been there for the iris bloom, but I have been during the daylily peak time, which is around the first of July. There are hundreds of daylilies to choose from, and seeing them in bloom, rather than reading the description, puts me in hog heaven.

Hornbaker Gardens is also known for their vast assortment of hosta. If I remember correctly, there are 600 varieties offered. Since my property is shade for the most part, I really get carried away by their fabulous hosta. The 'SALE' table is depleted quite a bit by the time I'm done.

If you want to see some beautiful pictures, or would like to find out more about this incredible garden center, go to www.hornbakergardens.com or visit them in Princeton. You won't be sorry.

shel

Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oh What a Beautiful Day

I felt like singing today because the song was just so darn appropriate. Today WAS beautiful. I got to work outside all morning (after popping an apple crisp into the oven) and loved every second of it.

The black pussywillow is in full bloom. Unfortunately, I didn't trim it back last year so the branches are much too high for me to be able to cut them for a centerpiece. I will give the shrub a pretty strong pruning after it finishes blooming. (Spring bloomers like lilacs and pussywillow should always be trimmed right after blooming, so that you have a strong show for the next year.)

I was lucky this year. The rabbits missed eating about 20 of my crocus, so they are happily blooming in the back and side yard. Only the dark purple and bright yellow blooming plants were spared for some reason.

This morning I raked up all of the leaves from the garden area on the west side of the driveway, between the cars and the koi pond. I was able to get them burned, thank heavens. The bad part is that I have asthma and it really acts up when I've been playing in the smoke. I've had to take quite a few hits from my inhaler.

The ruts in the driveway are getting deeper and deeper. Pretty soon my van will fall in and disappear. Max wants to hold off on spending money for new gravel to go into the drive, but I'm afraid we'll end up with big problems if we put it off again. We have lived in his house for almost 10 years and haven't had the drive re-graveled, so it's well past time to do so.

I hope you were all able to get out and enjoy this wonderful spring day.

shel

I think I'll pick up some pansies tomorrow to put in the freshly emptied containers (I burned the evergreen boughs today as well.) Pansies and snapdragons thrive in cool weather, and can even stand light frosts. I hope I'm not jumping the gun, but I just can't help myself.

Flowerbulb Fundraiser...Oh, My!

My sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, is having a fundraiser through van Bourgondien. (They have both a spring and a fall fundraising packet.) Man, am I in trouble! There are many different flowers offered, both annual (glads and dahlias) and perennial (oriental lilies, coneflowers, phlox, and more). It's going to be tough trying to keep my order down to a respectable amount.

I think that I will order the 20 single Freesias mix for $10, and the 3 summer daffodil 'Erlicheer' for $10, but I'll have to quit there, darn it.

I've done this fundraiser many times before, for a variety of different clubs that I belong to. It's a great one because you get 50% as profit, and the bulbs/flowers are guaranteed. Van Bourgondien is also easy to work with, so I don't mind heading up the fundraiser each time.

For our other big fundraiser, Beta Sigma Phi will probably be hosting a 'Taters and Tea' booth at Clinton's Apple & Pork Festival. It brings in about 100,000 people each year and involves the entire city.

If there are any other great fundraising ideas out there, please let me know!

shel

Bambi Strikes Again!

I went out to the west side of our property today and was greeted by my five year old bald cypress. Instead of looking healthy and happy (and bald) as I expected, it was a mess! Apparently one of the many deer in the area decided to use my prized tree as a rubbing post. The bark was peeled from the tree all of the way around in a three foot strip. Doggone deer!

The tree will have to be removed, as the bark and vascular system were destroyed beyond repair. My only consolation is that I will be able to replace it with another tree. Hmmmm ...there are so many wonderful varieties to choose from!

On a side note, I received a catalog from Crintonic Gardens today. They specialize in hybridizing daylilies. There are many beautiful new daylilies offered, most in the $150.00 range. (Yes, you read that right...$150.00 for a daylily!) The plants are extraordinary. I won't be able to order any of the new introductions, but the older varieties are much more affordable. Oh, how I love daylilies and intensely dislike deer!

shel

Signs of Spring

It was a beautiful day today, the kind of day that makes it seem like winter is behind us. I had a leisurely walk in the front yard and noticed that the daffodil foliage is about 3" tall. My 'Rustic Rubra' magnolia has buds that are beginning to swell, and the two redbuds do as well.

Chickweed gives everything a nice green appearance. Oh, how I hate that weed! Saturday afternoon, if the weather holds, I will go around with my five-gallon bucket and dig out as many of the pesky weeds as possible. They will go onto the burn pile instead of the compost pile.

Today I noticed a red winged blackbird and a robin. Spring can't be too far away! I can't wait to get out in the gardens.

Happy day,
shel