Monday and 80 Degrees

Yes, it is Monday and don't blink, but the temp is supposedly headed toward 80 - hurrah!

So everyone who can will get outside, do more lawn work and for some, work on the garden, getting it ready at least, too early to plant.

As for me, I began the morning with going to Curves -- man I need that workout after a Florida vacation. Then I came home a decided the clear plastic mats in my car needed a good washing, so out they came and then small patio tables got scrubbed and hell, I was on a flippin roll. In between all this, Moose and I played Frisbee. I could not see him stuck in a house so he came to Grandma's and together we are busy, busy nut cases.

Planted sunflower seeds -- this outta be interesting, damn birds love these so what the hell, raise my own, right? In the meantime, my tulips are just about ready to pop open and once again, I'm shocked and pleased they have survived and so far the critters are staying away.

Well, time to get back outside -- I ain't gonna miss this sunshine or nice weather by hanging around in this bloody damn house. Take care and you know, keep smiling!

Spring What?

Okay, this is not brain surgery, you do know this is a squirrel and he does NOT belong in this bird feeder, right? Ya try telling him that!

Now here's your intelligence test -- what kind of squirrel is this? Give ya a hint, starts with a "C" has an "A" in the middle and ends with a "T?" And, another hint, not really interested in the bird food but most likely in the birds -- now, you should be able to guess this without too much effort.

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Okay, you survived the first day of spring, even the change in temps (nice during the day but chilly at night) and most likely you’ve had every clown in the world advising you what you should be doing, even some nitwits suggest you start planting that garden now, right?

Isn’t it amazing that as soon as the snow leaves people become brilliant and know everything! All winter long they hibernated and said damn little, except how cold they were but no pearls of wisdom from them, not a single drop. Yet, once the snow left, temps warmed up, they are suddenly a wealth of knowledge that must be heard and in some cases heeded too.

You know I enjoy folks who share tid bits with me or suggest things I might try that will help with some project. Hell I even seek out advice and ideas from folks, I'm willing to learn and try things too (not everything but some things, be careful what you're thinking!) For example, I am trying to see how many tulips I can actually get to bloom each year. The bulbs were donated and I planted nearly 70 of the suckers. When they first popped up last year I was in Florida but that didn’t stop the deer or whatever critter from having a lovely snack. So, folks began offering me ideas.

· Put a fence around them
· Spread red hot pepper flakes around them
· Spread soap shavings around them
· Use bounce strips around them
· Sit up all night, with a gun, and guard them

Hey, all of these were good suggestions, the gun business was a no-no however, me stay awake all night? Plus who says the deer only eat at night, hell, they could eat any time of day, I ain’t watching the flower bed every second!

So last year as the winter was soon approaching, I decided to put a flower garden in the front yard. I got some logs (flat on one side) and made this “bed” looking thing. I bought quite a bit of potty soil or top soil and this time, some bulbs were donated and some I bought and I loaded this area with seeds, bulbs and even a few mum plants. I didn’t realize just how big I had made this sucker, so I needed lots of stuff to hopefully pop up. The rule everyone advised was not to plant in rows or attempt this ideal spacing between plants – hell, clump’em together it will make things prettier. I have a tendency to plant uniformly and in perfectly aligned rows, so this was a challenge! Ya,just went against the grain but I kind of scattered or lump seeds all in one spot! It will truly be a surprise to see what pops up!

Now I got a few “things” pushing up in this flower garden but don’t ask me what, I never kept track of what I planted, so the surprise will be just as delightful to me as any viewer! Unlike the front, the back flower garden has already had critters taking the little shoots that popped up a few weeks ago and will never bloom. So, I have put bounce dryer sheets out there to see if this will detract these greedy critters. It’s like a battle zone out there – me against the critters!

Ya, whatever happens, will happen --- it’s a challenge and many have given up on tulips because the deer win. I'm not ready to concede to a deer at this point....bring in on Bambi, I can handle it!

Now this weekend many sugar houses are encouraging folks to stop by and see the process. You might not get to truck through snow but you can get a tour and definitely watch sap being boiled to make syrup and of course, you can buy this year’s crop too. I just hope the maple syrup folks are not greedy and haven’t upped the price to much?

Anyway, the sun is shining, it’s a tad chilly this morning but hey, get out there and enjoy the outside – you’ve been cooped up all winter, time to “air” you out too!!!

Christmas Cactus

Okay, here is my Christmas Cactus which is doing quite nicely considering I am "hard" on plants and most die for whatever reason. This be a baby, wanna see Momma -- scroll down -- please:

Now this is Momma and she is damn pretty!!!!

So do I believe one day (if I live long enuff) that my "baby" will get big like this Mama? Sure, why not, believe -- what the hell!!!

As you slide down the bannister of life, remember:

A husband is someone who,after taking the trash out, gives the impression that he just cleaned the whole house.

AH NOVEMBER

I know most folks inquire about favorite season and that is great but what about your favorite month? Okay, who gives a rip but come on, play along just for the pure hell of it, okay?

I happen to like November and for a variety of reasons, all of which I shall share with you, aren’t you special! One is it happens to be my birth month, so that makes it special. It is also the birth month of my first child and again, that makes it special. I have two siblings also born in this month, so again that makes it special, and as the years rolled along, more family members joined the November birthday club. So in case you missed it – November is special, got it? About flippin time I was running out of hints!

November would be a wonderful time of year to hike about in the woods as the leaves are usually gone, its quiet and peaceful but November is prime deer hunting season and something about an arrow, bullet or bucket shot sticking to me is not appealing, so I resist the hikes in the woods! However I still will continue my morning walks until the weather really gets nasty. It’s not the weather actually but the snow and ice that prohibits my walking – I just don’t care to slip and break a hip so I resort to inside exercises, which are fun too.

This morning it was something like 34 degrees and just a little wind but damn it was quiet and I do mean quiet. Ya, of course away from the roads – anyone walking main drags won’t hear much but folks driving to work and sometimes a horn to let someone else know they can make noise! The Norwood Boat Launch was quiet and the water looked – well – rough but it was still pretty. I’m really annoyed (make that pissed) at the fools who drive over there and dump there household garbage. That is just flat out stupid, rude and totally unnecessary. They just toss it into the woods or drop it right on the driveway – I mean, are these people insane or just plain ass stupid – ya, stupid works for me too!

Time to get outside and, don’t laugh, do more planting. While I was gone more bulbs arrived and now I need to plant them. Thank goodness my flower bed has space and I have two bags of top soil left. So I shall dig a trench, toss in the bulbs and spread the top soil and hope that is it. I really am getting sick of planting and shall wonder all winter whether or not anything shall pop up. In the back yard the critters get to the bulbs almost as fast as I plant them, but so far the front yard is critter free – amazing.

Oh ya, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBA -- Mama loves ya!!!

DAMN CRITTERS!

Maybe I need something like this to scare critters away?


Yes, I did my bulb planting and thought I was being so attentive and doing everything right – and I did. However along the deck, out back I put in a few daffodil and tulip bulbs – had some there from last year and decided a few more would like nice.

In the front it was mixture of both and a long section of unplanted area, recently titled soil, new top soil mixed in and all that good stuff. Hell I even laid down landscaping timber and worked hard to make this look like a pleasing raised flower bed. I got the aching back to prove this was entertaining work – did I say entertaining? How about challenging?

This was all accomplished over the 3-day weekend and again, I was pretty pleased with my efforts. Then yesterday, I stepped outside to take a look at my work and damnit, the critters had all ready been out back and dug up bulb after bulb. It did not matter if it was a tulip or daffodil, they were having a bloody feast! I was irked beyond words – damn critters!

So I replanted the bulbs I could find (don’t know if that is doable but I did it), put some top soil on them and then, grabbed red hot pepper flakes and chili powder and spread it on thick and heavy. If you critters plan to return and feast again, it’s gonna be a hot number! I also put the same hot stuff on the front recently planted bulbs too but nothing is bothering them – thank goodness.

Oh ya, its raining and it started somewhere in the night and while it makes for good sleeping weather, it still is a dreary day. Most folks are thinking “I’ll just stay home, watch TV, read book, maybe do a little house cleaning or take naps.” Hey, I can’t say that any of that is bad idea, unfortunately I have errands to run and must get out in this lovely downpour –well, I’ll attempt to time my trips when it’s light rain, not a full blast shower!

So to all you who are planting tulips and have learned the secret of keeping animals away, please share! In the meantime, have a great Thursday – hey, any day we are breathing is great!!!

Your Project + Men = His Project

Ever start some project and some where along the line you either ask or seek some assistance from a man and before you know it, it has become his project?

Bloody ass amazing, ain’t it? They want nothing to do with this idea until it actually gets underway and they now begin to see exactly what this project could end up looking like and by golly, they have some great ideas to make it easier, better and last longer. In some cases, there help is greatly appreciated and even needed but if and when they take over, then the project is no longer fun. Why--because suddenly you become the errand person. You have to go get things that he supposedly knows exactly where he put it and if not there, then you moved it, so find it or listen to him rant and rave and how this is why he doesn’t like you using his tools.

Oh ya, I see ya smiling, you know exactly what I am talking about. Now in my case, my husband will do the minimum required and walk away which is not to say if someone comments on how nice this project looks, he’s gonna quickly explain it was my idea and work. Hell no, let’s not get too carried away, after all, he did buy the landscaping timber, top soil and in some cases the flower bulbs, so in essence he did “do” this work too!

My raised flower bed is nearly done but I have 3 bags of top soil left and I really think I should dump them and spread them over this area just to make it look neat. Those bags are not light but if I go slow and use a cart, I should be able to do this without too much back strain. As I was working there the other day a woman stopped and mentioned my raised flower bed looked nice and I explained what I had planted and she said; “forget it, the damn deer will eat the tulips before they ever bloom. I got so sick of them feasting on tulips, I dug’em all up and refuse to plant them now.” She is probably right but I’m gonna try this daffodil and tulip mix and then, when the tulips begin to pop up, spread red hot pepper flakes about and see if the deer still find them tasty.

I was slightly ticked after my walk this morning. Same damn route and for reasons I don’t understand it was shorter miles and less calories burned, how the hell does that happen? Was I wearing the pedometer wrong or what? I mean, come on, how can you walk this route one day and it shows 2+ miles and walk the same route the next day and it reads 1.3+ miles? That just does not make sense! Any ideas on why this happens, please share them in the comment section, okay?

The leaves are falling off the trees at a fast rate these days. This is due in part to the recent wind storms, change in temps and hey, just flat out time to fall of the branches and cover the ground. Lucky for me I have one tree that does this leaf covering business and it’s on the other side of the garage and I can’t see it, therefore I don’t worry about the leaves! Besides a good wind whipping through and the leaves head across the street anyway – it’s an empty field so no problem.

Yup the 3-day weekend is over and many have return to school and work – well, so be it. Just remember, this will be a four day work week not a 5-day – that’s gotta make ya smile!

“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”

PLANT NOW

Okay who’s been shooting off their big mouth? Yesterday's “insert” in the local paper was full of this “plant now” business, like it was an edict from above! October is here; get those damn bulbs in the ground!

The article even goes on to explain how all this is accomplished, including the idea that you should “clump” bulbs together and this will make for a much nicer display next spring. Hell, mix daffodils with tulips bulbs and this will really look marvelous. The idea of rows or just one type of flower is considered boring and mundane. Oh, and in case you can’t remember which way to plant the bulb, put it in sideways, bulbs are amazing, they’ll find their way upward!

Instead of putting patio furniture away for the winter, I spent most of the afternoon working out with what I call a mini-rotor-tiller (I think they call this a cultivator?). One thing I can tell you, flat out, this is a workout – your arms, legs and thighs feel the pull of this baby as you push it and force it to break up the soil. Hell my muscles were literally shaking as I continued to push this tiller along – work and I ain’t stopping until this ground is tilled up properly!). Then I dumped 3 bags of good top soil on this tilled soil and tilled again – so I definitely knew my back would ache (bad back + rotor-tiller = stupidity).

So today, it’s put the patio furniture inside, get the awning down and then get the bulbs planted. Now the idea of using a bulb planter (which does work) is fine but that is one slow process, especially when you have many bulbs to plant (got about 60 tulip and 45 daffodils). Have you see this gadget Billy Mays shows on TV – this thing that attaches to your drill and makes this lovely hole? I’m thinking for $20 this would be wonderful or I could just borrow my brother's! Or I could really be smart and just dig trenches, plop in the blubs, cover and be done with this madness! Regardless, I intend to get this planting done today and then bore you all on the spring pop ups!

Then when the lumber yard opens again, I’m gonna purchase those landscape fences/poles and place them around and end up with a raised flower bed – or that is my plan. Ya, this means doing some measuring but perhaps I can con hubby into helping me; “come on Dreamboat, time to bond again!” I gotta tell ya, he’s not always that eager to assist with this flower planting business, but he’s the first to cheer the plants on and marvel at their bloom, color and attractiveness. Hell I wouldn’t be surprised to learn if he allowed others to “assume” he had a major role in this accomplishment! Not that I care – hell, he does help so let folks assume what they will.

It’s just one of my retirement projects and hey, it works and its fun. Now that folks are telling me if I plant daffodils and tulips together the critters will stay away. Seems they don’t like daffodils so they won’t dig blubs up to discover that nasty taste and I guess they spread the word so other critters don’t waste their time either!

That is my game plan for today – oh, one other plan, I’m fixing dinner for my daughter and son-in-law too. As he’s fixing up various hunting areas, that means dinner needs to be later than usual so he can spend as much time as possible in the woods. All in all, a busy day and yes, I shall get in plenty of football time too. Hey, Sunday without football is a sin, right?

Why is it that our children can’t read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?

Yard Prep

As much as I dislike the idea that summer is over and Fall, well, it’s here and shows every indication of an Indian Summer, the sad fact remains – it is time to put things away, clean up the yard and do some fall planting! [aka winterize the damn place]

Yesterday, before it hit 90 degrees and while still “warm” from my walk, I pulled up my tomato plants. They were done and it was foolish to think they’d do more – so bye-bye, you’re outta here!

Because my tulips were so prutty last year, I have more to plant this year – don’t ask me why but I seem to attract tulip bulbs. By that I mean, people "give" them to me and my husband buys bulbs! However as some “critter” liked these babies just as they popped up and another would dig to get the bulb, I am gonna try something different. Now let me tell ya, red pepper flakes sprinkled about after the bulbs pop up does distract these critters but I want to make it harder for those bulb eaters!

Therefore, my plan is to get some chicken wire, plant the bulbs, make a cocoon with wire [kind of a wire covering if you will] and see if this keeps the critters away. Yup sounds like a lot of work, eh? Before I do this I also plan to get some top soil – I was gonna mix it in then plant, but hey, live dangerously, try something different, so the soil shall go on top and seep down over the winter months. What the hell, can’t hurt, right?

I’d like to plant some of these bulbs in the front but chicken wire in the front doesn’t look very attractive. Maybe the local nursery can give me other ideas – or more attractive deterrents! But as this looks like a “wet” Saturday, about all I can do is gather my materials and wait for nicer weather. In the meantime, I need to get hubby’s ass on the ladder and clean out the drain pipes which are currently growing small trees – yuck! I’d do this myself but can’t get the ladder unfolded and up, so I need his assistance. Hey, once he has the ladder up, he can damn well climb up there and clean those rain gutters, right? Ya, my thoughts exactly!

Confucius say: Man who lives in glass house should change clothes in basement!

BACK ACHE

Every get a backache and it was a good ache? Ya, I know that sounds stupid, after all a pain is a pain and there’s nothing good about pain, right? But when you actually “cause” the pain because of something you deliberately did [I mean you knew this was gonna hurt but you still did whatever because that is all part of the game plan, a little pain is for gain, right?], and you did things correctly and you still end up with an ache, it’s an ache you can accept, hence a good pain! Oh well, if you don’t follow this logic, it’s no big deal – silly me!

This morning my back aches and I should have taken a pill, had a few beers or whatever, but it’s a pain I can stand. This photo shows you what I did that brought on this lovely ache.

If you have never worked with a “claw” or cultivator, or this is your first attempt this year, then you understand why a pain is present. It’s not really so much the back per se but the back of the legs – imagine that! First off it took me a bit to figure out how to start the cultivator, I mean, start it – get it going. It’s not electric and one does need to pump a few knobs to get gas into the line, then pull the cord and hope it catches and whirls like it has a real purpose. Then, once going you need to hold this lever to make the blade turn and lordy, when they turn, watch out, dirt does fly!

All that aside, the ground has been prepared or it’s getting there. I still want to put some potting soil in and mix it up with the dirt and have myself a really nice bed of dirt. Then who in hell knows, I may buy some rose bushes and plop them in or try something else. Maybe those damn seeds that I read needed an over night soaking and pampering in separate containers will get tossed in and asked to fiend for themselves. I got nothing to lose, right?

Boy do I have various names for this flower. But I am gonna settle on arrowhead – have no idea if that is correct. I do have the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers but damn, there are so many possibilities, I am just not sure. Hell, this could be chickweed for all I know. I just decided, it only has four leaves and that narrows down my choices. Regardless it’s a pretty flower and as far as I can tell, doesn’t have an over whelming smell. Of course it was a windy day and I was up wind, so that helped!

And then my store bought, all ready blooming flowers, which now sit in my flowerpots in the front of my yard. Hey, I was not going to do that seed business remember! I was done, had put away my tools and was merely catching my breath and wishing the damn pill wasn’t making beer taste so bitter as I would have liked a nice cold drink and wham, the rains came! Good timing, eh?

So for Sunday I think I shall just rest and relax—not do too much and allow the aches and pains to subside or something. I may head to Wal-Mart with my daughter and if so, look at rose bushes. During our military days and living all over the States (not to mention overseas) we planted rose bushes to make our yard look nice. Many military families have come and gone since that planting but on a visit to the base, a few years ago, we noticed the rose bushes still there and doing well. Hey, they could be replacement bushes but the mere idea that there are still there is sufficient, okay?

Yes, today many shall graduate from college and many parties will be held. Let's just hope everyone is smart enough to not drink and drive and has a good time and lives to see more good days. Congrats to all the grads and best wishes for a bright future.