Saturday, May 31, 2014

Life's Little Challenges


Yesterday a new home owner came to the Perennial Yard looking for "colorful flowers".  I have learned from experience to stop, back up and ask about "the sun situation" before talking plants.

The new house faces east.  Hostas already in place.  Partial shade.  (which is another term for morning sun only)  We walked around and I waxed poetic about the lovely leaf colors of partial shade plants.  The new home owner wasn't happy.  She wanted flowers.  I mentioned that some of my favorite (now) parts of my garden were not the easiest for me to plant.  I had to "make do".  And now those areas are very nice and make me quite happy.  The shade didn't go away.  I just adjusted to it.

She is coming back with pictures on Sunday (oh, what did we do without those phones) after taking a walk in her new subdivision.  Looking at what her neighbors have in their east facing front gardens.

I was only discussing perennials but when we add in shrubs and trees we can get some nice color.  Hydrangeas as an example.  Crab apple trees.

Today I am working in the house as the mosquitos have made a feast of my left arm and ankle.  G is placing the three remaining "yard sale" shrubs we have to settle into the ground.  We stand them where we think they might go and then walk around looking at them.  Better now rather than later.

I watered all the orchids.  Transplanted the one G bought for himself.  It needed soil.  Picked dead flowers off the pansies.  Planted squash and cucumber seeds in pots to start for the garden.  Cleaned out the fridge.  Changed the calendar to June.  Changed the sheets on the bed.  Did a load of darks in the washer, which reminds me, need to move that into the dryer.

Just had to go look at the plant placement.

And on another topic.  Just found it amusing to see the old fashioned vinegar chocolate cake that I made quite often in my pre-teen years (back in the late 50's), being headlined as a VEGAN chocolate cake now.  My parents would roll in their graves to think they had eaten something "vegan". With vanilla ice cream.  And if I was feeling adventurous (and we had marshmallows) with my special hot fudge sauce.  And we were all thin in those days.  Go figure. I think we had the vinegar cake so often because my little brother was allergic to eggs. Of course he was also allergic to wheat, chocolate and dairy but my mom gave him cake anyway.  And he was her favorite.  Imagine my life.

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