In the Gardens

71°f/about 22°C, clear, humid. Supposed to reach 94 today, with a heat index of 108. 

A busy bee in the garden

This will be a good day to stay indoors.  As a matter of fact,  this whole week looks to be a stay-inside week, with temperatures in the high 90s predicted. Not fun. So we will be out early and maybe again late in the day until the weather improves.

Yesterday was nice, not too hot to be out most of the day. Larry and George put together the rose arbor I got for Mothers Day from George, and put it in place. I am going to love it. 

It's really level, just my picture taking is caddywhompus.

I did some weeding and picked things for a salad.  The other evening I planted more lettuce as this batch will soon get bitter in the heat, and also planted rhubarb chard, late squash and cucumbers. We got our first tomatoes,  little red and yellow cherry ones, which went into the salad.

Also got a second picking of broccoli, which is forming sprouts from the sides now. With care, these plants might produce all summer. 

This is Red Sails lettuce, my favorite.

In the afternoon George took me to town and bought a smart TV for my birthday! (He is such a good son---well, they all are, truly. I am a lucky woman.) We spent a good while trying to get it set up and have mostly accomplished that, just a few more odds and ends to sort out. Derek came over after helping his daughter move, and we all went out to dinner. Nice! Today the two guys are golfing, and Larry and I got outside early to do some stringtrimming before it got too hot. 

I stuck some sedum in an old meat grinder. I will have to keep it watered daily.

I have been pulling up handfuls of the Mexican primroses and yarrow, now that both are past their prime.

 These petuwas 3.00 for a large pot because they had no bloom on them and looked sad. Large planters and good dirt soon brought them out of it.

I have never grown this kind of begonia before, but I am in love with them! The iron rod is to keep the dogs from knocking over the planter, which they did as soon as I put it there. The rod works! No more overturned pots, thank goodness.

.I picked the blooms off basil and sage, then added a few coreopsis to make a fragrant house bouquet.

I continue my news boycott, but did hear through my son about the bombings last night. So, here we go again. It was justva matter of time before the Idiot-in-Chief used his power to push that button. He just couldn't wait, could he? We shall soon see what the repercussions will be.

Meantime, get out in your gardens, walk in the woods, read a good book or whatever will give you peace. It becomes even more important to hold on to that as our world,  and particularly our country, spins out of control. Hugs, friends, til tomorrow 

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

Catching Up and Celebrating

Another hot day, following 2 hot days. High of 90 expected today, but at least we had 3 days of 70's last week. Rain Friday night and Saturday A.M. but need more.

So, where to start? Last week, the weather cleared and we had some gorgeous days. Perfect for garden work and that's what we did for two of them anyway. Weeding, hoeing, mulching, and planting. Fertilizing, staking, tying. Then mowing, string-trimming and weed-eating.  I finally got the walled garden cleaned up and ready to plant, but that's as far as that got. We had a storm or two, then were away for two days. Yesterday was wet, and too hot later in the day to do anything. 

I think I'm getting old. I cannot tolerate the heat and humidity at all. I also don't like being out in the woods at this time of year because bugs love me and the only alternative to being bitten is to wear some kind of deterrent which may or may not work. So yes, I think I'm getting old. I just can't tolerate things that used to bother me not at all. 

We did have a couple fun days last week--a trip to Ohio to pick up a cabinet, an old tricycle, and other things. We went to the Chillicothe area, where we've really not traveled much. It was interesting to see several Indian mounds there, and unlike what you might think about Ohio, the countryside was mostly rolling, very pretty. Most people think of the state as being flat, but the eastern side is much like western West Virginia and northern Kentucky. 

We met some nice people too. One lady, who used to be a professor at Marshall University in Huntington, WV, knew a couple of people that I knew. Small world, isn't it. Another lady said she was 48 but looked about 35. She had 10 children, 8 boys and 2 girls. She was a small slip of a thing, but full of vitality. I wondered if they were of a fundamentalist religion or the like because she wore a long denim skirt and had a scarf over her hair, but who knows, maybe she just prefers to dress like that. Nice as can be, and so interesting to talk with. 

On the way home we passed a home where the yard was full of vintage, antique and restored cars--apparently this homeowner had his many friends to visit and they were having a car show at his house. And just down the road a bit, a huge, fluorescent Tyrannosaurus Rex stood in an open garage door. What people get up to--it's endlessly surprising and fascinating.

Friday we spent the day at the WV Folk Festival in Glenville, WV. Normally I perform there, and was originally scheduled to do so, but since I've pretty much retired from performing, I was audience instead. 

It was such a pleasure to see--and hug--so many people we haven't seen for 2 years. I was especially pleased to see this friend from Columbus, who is now 88 years old, and who drove himself to the festival. 

There were quite a few crafters at the festival. I was taken by this rug weaver. The process looked so simple but I bet it's harder than it looks. 

Then there was a lady with etched glass. Oh. My.

Yes, I brought a piece home, just a tiny bud vase, but I was tempted to buy more. 

My longtime friend Suzy told stories for the first time at the festival, and so enjoyed it. I was thrilled to hear her, and to see how well she is coming along as a storyteller. We missed the music, however--Larry got tired, probably from the road trip to Ohio the day before, so we went home instead of staying for the evening events. Disappointing, but I hope to get my fill of live music this next weekend when I go up to Allegheny Echoes. 

Yesterday was catch-up day. Landry, cleaning, painting, etc. occupied my day, while Larry worked on a cabinet we'd brought home from Ohio and did some yard work. 

And today? We're taking it slow today. It's hot and muggy, and it's Father's Day. And tomorrow is my birthday but we plan a booth work day so I'm celebrating today. Larry made a cake and I gave him an handmade wallet I bought at Glenville. Lord knows he needs it, his is falling apart. I've got a big pan of lasagna in the freezer, salad and garlic bread for dinner, so no worries about cooking on "our" day. Definitely, a day off.

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

Rose Moon, Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon, Birthday Moon

Native Americans had names for each full moon, instead of names for each month. Sometimes the moon of a particular time had more than one name, like June. I added one: Birthday Moon, because the full moon came on my birthday this year, the Summer Solstice.

Whatever you call her, she was beautiful as she rose over the high Alleghenies. We drove up to the Scenic Highway, hoping for a glimpse even though the forecast was for rain showers. We got lucky.

We walked back a trail to an overlook with a breathtaking view. As we waited and talked, we noticed clouds rolling in. But then, there she was, pink with the rays of the setting sun:

A little hide-and seek, but finally, 

 then back to being shy,

and ahhhh...

It was getting too dark for me to take photos. I am not very good at night photography, but I did like this one,

but this, I think, was my favorite all evening. The transition of the moon from pink to gold to silver was heart-stopping. I could have stayed all night.

We stayed a long time though, just talking, sharing moon legends and a song or two. 

Kirk, our instructor, recites a poem

Checking out the softness of a spruce tree's new growth.

It was a night to remember, the night of beauty before the rains came.

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