Another Garden Day

59°f/15°C this morning, warming to 82°f , mostly clear, very breezy.

My springtime tea set, not really matching but close enough. I think violets are so delicate.

We have been in the gardens again today, me planting the flowers i bought the other day, Larry working on his electric fence. Just a few minutes work had me sweating like a racehorse after a race. Not pleasant, but I take many breaks under the ceiling fan on the porch,  and Larry does the same. Rain is expected tomorrow so I really want to get as much planted as I can.

Tomorrow is the Great Greenbrier River Race in Marlinton, WV. Last year I think we had 8 family members in the race, but this year I only think there will be 2, possibly 3. Still, Larry and I love to go and watch the triathlon. My oldest son George and his daughter Grace will be competing, and possibly my nephew John. 

Speaking of Grace, she just got word that she passed the Virginia Bar Exam! I am so proud of her. She has been working for a lawyer here in WV, but now begins her hunt for a position in Virginia. And George's wife Sandy will be ordained as a full-fledged minister on May 4th. 

I am listening to the birds with my Merlin app on as I write, and am thrilled that once again the summer tanager has returned to our place. They usually have a nest not far from the housd, and it is such a pleasure to see their soft red color in the leafy trees. I especially like their song, which I find quite musical.

Lunch today was soup and cornbread. I made the soup using a soup starter I canned last fall, a mix of potatoes, onions, celery, and garlic in a chicken broth base. To this I added diced ham and chopped beet green from the freezer, with a little chicken bouillon and water. Y'all,  it was delicious! The cornbread came out beautifully too. 

I use a cast iron skillet in which I heat the oil, then pour in the batter so it sizzles and forms a crispy bottom crust.

The only other news today is that my sister Judy learned through Ancestry.com that we may be related to Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th US president,  and also to Thomas Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  It would be so cool if true, but Judy is wisely cautious and will be digging into the lineage sent to her by another researcher to verify all this. People often jump to conclusions when doing genealogy, but Judy is not one of them, and her source does not seem to be that type either. We shall see! I had to go look up Rutherford Hayes, though, and found him to be quite interesting, a fighter for the rights of minorities in his time. I like that.

Back to the garden I go. I see more sweat in my future!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Blooms and Gardens

60°f/15.6°C, mostly clear. Got pretty got, about 80.

It was another garden work day today. I tilled and dug out weeds from around the trellises while Larry put electric fence around his garden. By 4 we were both tired, so took a break by going to town for straw, a cattle panel which we will use as a tomato trellis, and gas for the mower. When we got home I watered all the plants I put in yesterday while Larry mowed. By sunset we were both tired but satisfied with our day's efforts.

Yesterday I filled some of the planters.

Can you see the cattle panel arched in the back of the truck? It's not easy to haul a 16-foot panel in a 6-foot bed!

Many of our irises are out now.

These are the plants i have left to put out: a whole flat of marigolds for the vegetable garden,  some Lantana for my big flowerbed,  and 2 lavender plants. They rarely survive winters here, so I just consider them an annual. 

The chickens were quite unfazed by my tilling  but a poor little bob-tailed skink was in an uproar! I made sure he was safe, didn't want to kill the poor guy. I wonder if a chicken nipped his tail? No photos of him as I didn't have my phone with me at the time.

My trusty steed, the tiller. I do a better job with it, Larry says, and he's right. He's too impatient and wants to hurry the job, while I take it slow and let the tiller dig deep.

A few shots from my evening walkabout.

I have planted a lot of oregano as a groundcover for this steep bank.

The herb garden, where I mainly worked yesterday.  The blocks in front act as a terracing tool while holding a variety of herbs.

Coneflower and lemon balm decided to put themselves between the walk and the stone wall.

Our first rose to bloom this year, an old-fashioned variety I dug up in Virginia about 40 years ago. My roses had a rough winter, and one is not coming back, sadly.

More irises:

You may have heard about the chemical spill that happened in West Virginia yesterday.  This was about 60 miles from here, and beside the college I attended for my undergraduate degree.  The Kanawha Valley has always been known as "Chemical Valley" because of the many chemical companies located there over the years.  Most are gone, and this particular plant was in the process of closing when the accident occurred. I have heard no new news about it today,  but it is sad that so many were injured, and 2 lost their lives. Names have not been released, at least that I have heard, and I know many people are anxiously waiting to hear, as this state is a close-knit place. Please keep the injured and their families in your hearts and prayers.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Long Day, Birth Day, and Earth Day

60°f/15.5°C, showers and overcast. Happy to see the rain, we need it. 75% of eastern US is in drought conditions. 

Our old cherry tree is covered with green fruit. Fingers crossed that they make it to ripening!

It was a long day yesterday, delivering a dresser to Charleston, visiting a friend in a retirement home, lunch at a favorite restaurant in the farmer's market, buying (lots of) plants. Then back to Ripley to pick up electric fence supplies, more plants, potting soil, gas for the van. And last, stopping at Shari's for the open mic. Home by 10pm, in bed by 11.

I don't  think my friend Beverley ever expected to be in a retirement home.  She and her husband had a place in the country, and were doing well until one day his heart stopped briefly and he fell from a ladder. She tried to lift him and broke her back! He ended up in a nursing home while she was in the hospital, then to the retirement home where they had assisted living until he passed. She now has a small apartment at the same place.  

It's funny how we find friends. I met Beverley when I did a storytelling performance for a state reading group. She later invited me to do a presentation for a women's group, and we have stayed in touch ever since. One of the benefits of my storytelling years was making so many good friends along the way. I value all these connections more and more as each year passes. 

While having our lunch I saw a man walk by and instantly recognized him, not by his face, which was turned from me, but by his walk! Todd worked at the library with me and is just the happiest-natured guy. I hadn't seen him since I retired 15 years ago, so we had a nice chat, catching up.

The open mic last night was excellent, mostly new performers. One was a man who had started playing the fiddle 3 years ago. I thought he did quite well, as that is one hard instrument to play. 

And this guitarist,  Randy Barr, was so nervous the first time he played here, but now is very relaxed 

Another thing I noticed is there are now a few musicians who met through the open mic series and are now playing together. So cool to see this networking happen. Last night Amanda and Barry played together, and their harmonies were really nice. The new fiddler is working with them on a few songs too, a good way for him to advance his skills. 

The featured presenter, Ricky Cooper from Boone County, played a mix of covers and his original songs. His accompanist Chuck Willis was amazing, switching from electric guitar to fiddle to harmonica and singing harmony. I am not a fan of the electric guitar but I sure enjoyed this man's playing.

Today is Earth Day. I will be planting flowers, and thinking of the ways we do our small part in conserving this precious planet's gifts. While we don't do the typical recycling,  our work reselling is a kind of recycling. We save cardboard to use as mulch, shred paper for the same use, compost our garbage or feed it to the chickens, buy used clothing and other things we need aa much as possible, consolidate our trips out to save gas, use hand tools for many things that most use electric tools for, grow a lot of our food and reuse jars and plastic bags when feasible, etc, etc. I can't say we do these things as conscious conservation--they just make sense and have become part of our lifestyle.

Today is also our great-granddaughter Cadyn's birthday.  She is 17 now, a rising senior in high school. She was my first great-grandchild. Although we rarely see her, she holds a special place in my heart. How well I remember the day she was born! 

I am so thankful that my late son Jon was able to see his first grandchild, and have a little bit of time with her before he left us the following year. He would be proud of the young woman she is now, a thinker, writer, and training to be an esthetician. 

Life is a crazy thing, sometimes seeming to have no rhyme or reason, but somehow we blunder on, licking our wounds and looking ahead. Here's to a great year for Cadyn, our Earth and all us hopeful souls who live here, however long our time may be. 

Ending with a video taken earlier this month of our very busy birdfeeder.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.