Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from May, 2017 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:02 am on May 27, 2017 Permalink  

  Here is the Problem 

  

  These delicate little flowering plants are the ones I am trying to kill off with Roundup. First out of the dirt in the early spring the greenery looks like chives. Then from the base comes this white flower looking very innocent. Then the plants become invasive strangling everything else. 

   

  

  This is a photo of the roots of a hosta.  I dug up several hosta that I saved before doing the Roundup kill. Today I found new homes for those hosta. Before I did that I tipped the hosta over and began cleaning out all of the unwanted volunteer bulbs of the invasive white flowering plants. The little white pods that can be seen on this photo are the self same invasive plant bulb encroaching on the hosta roots. It was a timely job but I picked out each white bulb before planting this hosta in a new location. You can see one huge white bulb that has been making a home under this hosta for some time. Nasty little devils.  The best luck I had was actually washing off all the dirt from the hosta roots to get a clean job of it.

   
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  Noreen 5:19 am on May 25, 2017 Permalink  

  I finally broke down and bought some annual flowers. Last fall Dennis and I pulled up all the cactus that were in a small contained planter on the southwest corner of the house. Too much success as they were overflowing and would leave prickers if someone walked too close. Today Moss Roses have been put in that area. You can be sure that in the spring of 2018 I will leave the soil undisturbed for a long time to see if they have self seeded. I know Mom always had Moss Roses that volunteered.

   
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  Noreen 2:52 am on May 24, 2017 Permalink  

  Pats on the Back 

  Yes!  Dennis and I are patting each other on the back for having gotten the yards mowed and manicured yesterday. Guess what?  It has been raining off and on all day.

  Our patio porch and the yards are our salvation when it comes to keeping us in shape, busy and happy.  Gardening is a crap shoot.  If something doesn’t grow in one spot, you try another.  If all else fails and you can’t win for loosing you move on.  That is what has happened here on Stauffer Avenue.  We have too much shade to grow vegetables.  We have moved on to perennials for flowers.  Sometimes even perennials don’t work.  Somewhere along the line a birdie pooped a seed into my yard.  I have noticed the plant every spring for quite a few years.  The plant knows no boundaries.  It had taken over a rather large area off of the patio.  There was nothing to do but do a drastic “kill.”  Prior to using Roundup I dug out the hostas that were being smothered and then applied a very strong spray.  It took some time, but in the end nothing resists Roundup

  

  This is such an improvement from the heavy foliage that had taken over this area. Yup, a few more bags of mulch and a steady supply of Roundup . . . it will be doable.

  Even though it rained off and on today, we were determined to take back that area that had been killed off and make it look like it belonged on Stauffer Avenue.  There won’t be any plants in that area for a while.  The mulch does have Preen in it that we spread onto the area.  Next spring if there are some unwanted plants still trying to take over, another application of Roundup will be applied and as many more applications as it takes.  It is a large area and Dennis is correct, we need a bit more of the Preen-dosed mulch that needs to be gotten from Lowe’s.  For now, Dennis and I moved a few nice sized rocks into the area.  All it took was to get a scoop shovel close to these large rocks that we have had in the background, slide the rocks onto the shovel and then . . . PULL!  Never under estimate the power of the team of older ones here on Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 5:03 am on May 21, 2017 Permalink  

  Glub. glub! 2.5 inches of rain in the last several days is a bit much. The best news is the patio porch is totally dry. During the last days of the nice weather, I had used the Mantis tiller in the hosta beds north of the porch and adjacent to the sidewalk that goes around the patio porch. No doubt the newly tilled dirt was ready to soak up some of this rain. I had also left a deeper ditch that ran along the sidewalk. How fun the porch is when it is dry!

   
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  Noreen 3:59 am on May 17, 2017 Permalink  

  Rain Can Always Use Help 

  

  We may have had two tenths of rain this morning, but all it did was loosen up the grim on the house from the spring dust. Dennis finished it off in good stead. The muddy streams from the siding, the screens and behind the shutters made me very happy that our planning of having enough hose handy to get the job done. The city construction has allowed for a parade of every type of truck that can be imagined to pummel our concrete street since April first.  Concrete and tires make a lot of dust.  There is no sign of that slowing down, but it was rewarding to see our little home white again.

   
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  Noreen 5:17 am on May 16, 2017 Permalink  

  A little piddle of rain. Not what was anticipated . . . but . . . just enough to wet the Preen that I have applied to most of the flowerbeds. It was getting to the point that I was planning on stringing the garden hoses out. Put on turned over black dirt and then moistened, Preen does a great job of helping with volunteer weeds. One spot is about to get a second dose of Round Up. An invasive plant is spreading year after year. It does put out a white flower that lasts perhaps one day but the foliage is dense. When dug up there will be a cluster that looks like tiny onions. I dug out the perennials among it that were worth saving and they will be relocated. You can bet I will be cleaning those roots thoroughly to make sure a little bulb doesn’t tag along. Dirty fingernails is just what this gal needs right now. Getting lost in the gardens is better than any sedative.

   
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  Noreen 4:51 am on May 11, 2017 Permalink  

  Peeking and Seeking 

  

  Today, as more garden work progressed, I always have a light hand as to where I point the Mantis tiller. It is only eight to nine inches in width, making it possible to go between most of the plants. They are small but two Japanese ferns have been discovered under some of the larger perennials. I believe they have self-seeded from a fern that was located several feet away. I have transplanted them into a spot that will allow them to grow unto themselves. It is a good thing I started cleaning the flowerbeds from the farthermost point and am working myself towards the house. I can see the end is near. My body does get weary but it does not hurt. Four hours is the max that I will put in each day. The plus was when Dennis brought out two fried eggs, over hard, for a snack. It was a great break. Doesn’t sound good?  The days prior to a colonoscopy have definite guidelines as to what can be enjoyed.  We managed to put out some garden art and called it a day when it was really trying hard to rain . . . it did not.

   
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  Noreen 4:44 am on May 10, 2017 Permalink  

  One good day after another here on Stauffer Avenue. At this time of the year, I can’t stay in the house. Plants are working hard to make their appearance so it behooves me to prep the flowerbeds so they can show themselves at their best. This gardener does not need to be out and about buying plants, I am excited to take care of the plants as they come up with the option of dividing them or moving them to a better location.

  I did have to take a break from the dirt as it seems prior to a colonoscopy a physical needs to be had by the primary doctor. In thinking about this as I will be under sedation via an IV during the surgical procedure, I do have plans for my life and it is comforting to know that I am in tip top shape. Surgeries don’t always involve an outward scar, but taking out polyps if they are present is invasive and may need additional caution for excessive bleeding. I have to admit. I am a polyp producer. Five years ago there were eight of them removed. If by chance there are none found, I would not have to return for ten years rather than the five year schedule I have been on. I can wish. Either way, a less than good several days of the prep and the actual is still better than the colon cancer.

   
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  Noreen 4:30 am on May 9, 2017 Permalink  

  Quite the Change 

  When I came back from my walk this morning the air was chilly.  I believe the high for today was to be about 60 degrees.  Dennis and I went in and had a late bite of breakfast before deciding what the rest of the day would bring.  I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Friday.  I know myself well enough that I will feel the after glow of this procedure for the better part of Saturday.  There is no way a fart will be taken for granted.  The wonderful prep effects can last for more than the procedure.

  I did decide to work on the far east garden along the east line of our original lot.  I knew I would be in shade for the time it took me to work up the dirt with the Mantis Tiller.  The south breeze turned to a brisk wind gust every once in a while.  I had green tea on hand as well as coffee very close at hand.  It was about 1:30 before I finished, and when I did, I realized it had gotten quite warm out.  Dennis came out and clued me in that it was 84 degrees with a very warm 15 mph wind.  Wow!

  Needless to say, I had a great day and that flower bed looks wonderful.  The perennials have had the dirt worked up and the dirt is quite nice.  Had the hard crust been allowed to remain from the winter, the next rainfall would have washed off the surface and the plants would have been lacking. 

   
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  Noreen 4:39 am on May 7, 2017 Permalink  

  It is official. Summer is upon Stauffer Avenue. The patio umbrella is up and the Mantis tiller worked full steam ahead . . . that is with me at the throttle. Dennis did paint touch up on the front steps. We are all about tidy, tidy, tidy. As we sat under the umbrella catching a breeze we decided that the Hometown Café was our choice for supper. We now have weary bodies and full stomachs, and now it’s all about getting showered up and calling it a day. It was a great day on Stauffer.