Ah, a nice, leisurely weekend of working in the garden — Actually, even in the suburbs, I have discovered that there is a fine line between gardening and farming, and I think I just pole-vaulted over it… Charles P. Pierce
So, Territorial Seeds decided to deliver my tomato plants two weeks early. Fortunately, it was eighty degrees here north of Boston today. I spent my Saturday afternoon cleaning out the planters for this first batch of 16. (There would be pictures, but I was up to my elbows in potting soil, and it was full dark before I finished.)
This afternoon, we go to the local garden center to replace the hose head that got cracked becasue I carefully stored it in the garage over the winter, where it wouldn’t freeze, so it fell victim to a carelessly dropped carton instead. And to buy more potting mix replenisher, and fertilizer. And possibly a flat of vinca to replace the three-foot-high weeds I turfed up from around those tomato planters. And I still haven’t finished cleaning up the flower beds, which was my original goal for this weekend — which reminds me, we need replacement liners for the hanging basket and the three-tier planter, too…
How are things in your garden this week? (If you email pictures, I promise to use them next Sunday.)
JPL
It’s a rainy day in GA and it’s welcome news.
Phylllis
The deer ate all my petunias I put in. Not putting anything else out this year. Finally had time yesterday to dig out the hummingbird feeder and put it out. Learned that deer aren’t big fans of marigolds and zinnias, so that’s what we’ll do next year.
Raven
@JPL: I think you may get more over there than we will here. They are talking a quarter inch today and a half tomorrow. The roses are gone but the Magnolia’s are jammin!
Maude
There’s a guy in town who feeds deer and they are walking around. No one can prove he does this, so the deer cross the street at the light.
Phylllis
@Maude: We’re right at the edge of town with woods to our left and across the street. There are at least six or seven of them, and I see them crossing at least once a day.
JPL
@Raven: Some of my gardenias are blooming but not my magnolias. The magnolias are in a wooded area so I’m assuming that might delay their blossoms. Any ideas?
Joe
This year’s been so weird, I’m consulting Steve Solomon instead of John Jeavons.
HRA
I was told earlier this week about the plans of my children and grandchildren to come over today. They decided to help me clean up the flower beds and plant my garden. I was told there will be 18 helpers.
As usual I went plant shopping this past week. I found the chocolate mint I read about on BJ along with apple mint in addition to some vegetables.
I was told not to cook or bake as well. We usually go out for brunch for this celebrated day. The prices have gone up to almost double of what we paid last year at our favorite place. Anyone else see this in their area?
Happy Mothers Day to all the BJ mothers.
RossInDetroit
I wandered outdoors around 7:00 am and ran smack into a colossal ‘possum. I got a blurry pic of it before it dashed into a hedge and flushed out a bunny. If the dog sees this critter he’ll go bugnuts apehole and lose his mind. He hates the Evil Rat Pigs with a raging fury.
RossInDetroit
In garden news, it looks like the ginkgo tree that got nailed hard by the frost 2 weeks ago isn’t dead after all. All of its leaves withered but as of today there are new buds. My wife picked out this feeble castoff tree 5 years ago out of pity and I’ve been babying the thing to something like health and vigor. It would be a damn shame to lose it to a quirk in the weather.
The Wistaria and the ferns also got bit by the freeze but I’m not worried about those. At worst it’ll set their plans for total domination of the yard back a year.
kdaug
I’m tearing out my remaining carpet, pulling out nailboards, vacuuming concrete, and mopping.
Big job, but damn – cold concrete is nice in Texas’s summer.
Might finish/color it later, but just the grey takes on it’s own patina after a while.
Told a buddy we were planning on tiles for the kitchen. He said “Why?”.
chopper
my garden has been full for weeks now. the advantages of growing a lot of perennials, plus a mild winter means i haven’t had a spare square inch of space since 5/1.
everybody else at the community garden is just now starting to plant in bare plots. come on, people, the year is almost half over.
Southern Beale
Bush, Cheney, Rummy and their lawyers have all been tried in absentia in Malaysia and found guilty of war crimes.
One of the prosecutors was an American lawyer. I’m sure this will all go completely unnoticed as we debate things like gay marriage and Romney’s bullying in high school.
satby
Spent yesterday planting the sweet potatoes and some more heirloom tomatoes: black prince, old german (an orange), and Cherokee. Have to put in the rest of the all blue potatoes today (I like colors) and maybe the pepper and squash seedlings. Wish me luck, and Happy Mothers Day.
MikeJ
RIP Duck Dunn.
RossInDetroit
@satby:
Speaking of colors, have you seen this Glass Gem Corn? I think this is amazing and beautiful. Apparently it’s an heirloom variety of unclear origin. It will be grown for seed with the hope of distribution to home growers. Take a look.
Elizabelle
@RossInDetroit:
I wonder if it tastes any good, or is it just decorative?
Very beautiful.
RossInDetroit
@Elizabelle:
I can only find one pic of it but it looks like the ‘indian’ corn that’s grown for decorative wreaths. Except I’ve never seen pale blue, pink and violet in corn before. I hope it breeds true and they can produce it for sale. It’s owned by a nonprofit seed conservancy and the commercial demand could be a good source of funds.
satby
@RossInDetroit: OMIGOD! Must get… Thanks Ross!
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
My vegetable garden? Weeds, weeds, weeds. And two clusters of onions that came back from last year. Have been running around like crazy without a weekend free to get things starged. Soon, though, I hope. It’s not too late to get transplants in, even though I missed the seed planting window.
debit
My garden is boring again this year. Just tomatoes: An early beefsteak type called Carnival, along with some Sun Sugars and a grape variety called Jubilee. A friend gave me a new to him early producer (Big Daddy) and a sightly more mature Sun Sugar. This is a good thing, as the plants I ordered are looking rather sad and small right now.
jurassicpork
Every now and then, I unleash a post I’ve been meaning to write since I began blogging almost seven and a half years ago. The 25 Most Embarrassing States is one of them. Michigan is included largely on the dubious strength of it giving us Mitt Romney. My most vicious (and funniest) post, yet.
Scout211
Happy Mother’s Day, BJ moms.
My beans are up (from seed), as well as the cantaloupe. Lots of grapes on my grape vines and blueberries on my 5 small bushes. Zucchinis will be ready to pick in about a week and there are blossoms on my peppers, tomatoes and yellow crooks.
So far, the voles, birds and bugs have not done any damage. Fingers crossed.
Happy gardening everyone.
currants
Anne Laurie–I too got my plants from Territorial Seeds yesterday. Can you tell me if they are already hardened off, or do I need to do that? (OR: anybody else know? I’m in Eastern MA)
Walker
Graft did not take on the apple tree bcause of the screwy winter/spring. Looking at alternatives, but may have to wait another season.
Raven
@JPL: Wow, I have no idea except lack of direct sun???
currants
@JPL: Here in MA, a very hot stretch in…March or April?…followed by frost several days in a row did an awful lot of magnolias in, as far as this year’s blossoms go.
keestadoll
@RossInDetroit: 0700 is late to se a possum. Note: RABIES
Winston Smith
Did anyone notice that on Charles Pierce’s blog roll, Balloon-Juice is spelled “Balloon Juiice”?
I’m sure some ACORN people from Journ-o-list made him do that.
keestadoll
Onions starting to sprout, lettuce going ape, and yes, 24 hours is too long to leave young apple trees unfenced (all blossoms GONE). Put in six rhododendrons and in about five years they should be a lovely wall of purple flowers!
ruemara
no garden this year. no house. These next few days I’ll say goodbye to my beloved beds, lemon tree, orange tree and peach tree and wish them all well. Then sneak back for the season and steal fruit. :P
RossInDetroit
@keestadoll:
It was overcast and rainy so he was probably out late. They’re common around here. We have the Zoo nearby and an 18 hole golf course. Plus many large yards with dense, mature landscaping. Plenty of cover for raccoons, skunks, ‘possums, bunnies and the occasional pheasant.
GG
Trying to finish planting everything we bought, moved from containers, or tranplanted from where the previous owners had stuck it, especially the native stuff, before summer dormancy – and running out of time. The kitchen/herb garden has been mostly done for the season for a while, plant-wise. We’re now working on installing the edgers along the paths and laying out the foundation for a raised bed. We have a dozen or so tomatoes ripening on a couple of plants, and flowers on the rest. The mixed greens we bought are growing so vigorously they’re positively frightening, and we’re starting to give stuff away. The grapes are coming along. They were here when we moved in, and once they got some water, they started producing nicely. The edamame (heh, soybeans) just got planted and seem to be happy. The tranplanted chocolate mint is starting to get going, and we’re looking forward to the delicious tea it makes. I’ve always been afraid of mint in the ground (in Lexington it would just take over, so it’s very cool to put it in a place we want it to spread.
On the ornamental side, we still have a half-dozen different sages, some asclepias, ceanothus, penstemon, and pelargoniums to plant – oh, and the succulents. The “soil” here (I use the quotes deliberately) has to be amended for everything that goes in, even plants that normally like poor soil.
It is now after 7 am, and past time to get outside. Our high temps are just in the 70’s, but after 11 am or so, the sun is just brutal.
Kristine
Basil and tomatoes are still in pots–still kinda cool out there. The weathergeeks claim it will be in the 70s here in NE Illinois all the coming week, with nighttime lows in the 50s. If it does truly warm up, and if the special red plastic tomato mulch arrives this week, I will plant next weekend.
Meanwhile, holdovers from last year’s mesclun mix are thriving. I have some chard, curly lettuce, and a couple of plain leaf lettuces. Only enough for a couple of small salads, but they’re still nice to have.
gaz
My wife has a garden and a greenhouse on our apartment grounds. She grows tomatoes, tomatios, various chilies, cilantro, etc.
She didn’t ask the guy that owns the complex, heh. He came by a couple of years ago when it was first installed and made the mistake of bringing his wife. He told my wife “thanks you just cost me a weekend” – because his wife demanded the same =)
We make some kick-ass rooster’s beak (pico de gallo) and salsa. Yum.
gaz
@RossInDetroit: Wow. incredible. I’ll have to show this to my wife. I’m not sure if we can grow it up here in washington, but it looks amazing.
Southern Beale
I don’t know if this is for real or not but someone has posted the new Newsweek cover over at Twitter declaring Obama the first “gay” president.
Jesus fucking whatever. This after Time has a toddler sucking teet on its cover? Our newsweeklies are in a race to the bottom.
Oh and its apparently an Andrew Sullivan cover story. For extra horror points.
jnfr
My tomato plants are on the way! I just got notice in today’s email. Can’t wait. Everything is very lush and green around here, since it’s been damp for days. My baby new fescue grass is happy with the weather. My allergies are not.
The Republic of Stupidity
Not about gardening, but Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn died yesterday in Tokyo…
(Apologies if anyone else has already reported it…)
lamh35
@Southern Beale: Too cute by half.
So I’m reading that R-Money will travel to London for the Olympics. Ugh, Way to ruin the Olympics for me Mitt. Please Gawd don’t let me have to see he face during the events I watch. Would ruin the whole experience.
But of course he’ll want to be on ALL the major newscast so he’ll of course be at the big events.
Blah.
Any speculation on how the pols over in UK gonna treat R-Money. I’m betting they gonna treat him with kids gloves so as not to upset the likely winner in November (POTUS)
lamh35
Lovely video from barackobama.com
Happy Mother’s Day BJ moms!
lamh35
Question: Is a two weeks notice supposed to include weekends?
Baud
@Southern Beale:
Reminds me of when some folks called Clinton the first black president.
Maybe we should kill two birds with one stone and call Obama the first lesbian president to emphasize his fight against the GOP War on Women.
CatHairEverywhere
It has been unseasonably hot here in Southern/Central CA. I am not whining as much as I usually would, though, because the last two years it’s been cool well into June, which made for bad tomato years. My tomatoes are growing in leaps and bounds this year. I had to tie up several stray bits yesterday, and was thrilled to see all of the blossoms and little green tomatoes. I ended up with: Pineapple, Tangerine, Kellogg’s Breakfast, Black Krim, Sweet 100, Snowberry, Juliet, Ananas Noire, Mortgage Lifter and one more I am forgetting right now.
The peppers and cucumbers (lemon and Japanese) are growing a little, but they won’t take off for a couple more weeks. The boysenberry vine is covered in berries.
DH insisted that we clean the garage yesterday, so I am glad that is done. We are going to my aunt’s for brunch in a couple of hours, so I am making a strawberry cream cake (Cook’s Illustrated recipe) and a springy green salad. At least that’s what I am supposed to be doing right now…
gaz
Daily Banter ruined bob cesca’s site. heh.
Staging. It’s what’s for dinner.
Amir Khalid
@Southern Beale:
It was hardly noticed at all by the mainstream media here, even though one of the trial’s prime movers was former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamed. It’s good that there is now some public record of their crimes, that Professor Boyle and his colleagues have established that a trial of the George Walker Bush administration’s key players would more than likely result in convictions. But would Obama — or, for that matter, any US President whether R or D — hand them over to the International Criminal Court, which the US has repudiated? Even if the US ever signed up to it, which seems unlikely, I doubt any POTUS would do this, thus opening up a precedent that might someday be used to hand him over.
currants
@lamh35: ? I think, in terms of employment, it typically means 10 business days? But IANAL.
jnfr
@ruemara:
I’m really sorry to hear that you had to leave your trees and your garden. Hope you find a new one soon.
Lojasmo
@Southern Beale:
Ah yes, Malaysia. Mandatory death penalty for possession of half a pound of pot.
lamh35
@currants: So it’s more like 2 “business weeks”, i.e. M-F so just 10?
Amir Khalid
@Lojasmo:
I fix for you. Per the Dangerous Drugs Act, presumption of capital trafficking actually kicks in at 15 grams.
But what has that to do with the war crimes trial?
Beauzeaux
I occasionally get the urge to garden but I lie down until it passes.
Yutsano
@Beauzeaux: I live in a condo. I have no space to do it anyway. Hell right now I have no railing on my balcony to even put an herb box up!
Nellcote
@lamh35:
An opportunity to remind the media of the Fed bailout of Rmoney’s Olympics.
The Moar You Know
@Amir Khalid: I think he’s trying to suggest that Malaysia is not exactly a shining beacon of justice.
To that I would point out that they’ve executed far fewer people since 1970 than Texas alone has since 1976.
Southern Beale
@Lojasmo:
To which I refer you to the comment posted by The Moar You Know.
We live in a huge fucking glass house where that is concerned.
Raven
So what happens if Man City and QPR ties and Man U wins?
never mind, Man City takes the lead in xtra time!!
Southern Beale
@Amir Khalid:
I wonder if this will hamper their international movements any. Bush (or was it Cheney?) chickened out of an international trip somewhere recently — Switzerland? I’m glad there are least some repercussions for their actions. Not the same as a jail cell of course, but I have hope that this is just the beginning.
Raven
I don’t know much about futbol but it’s cool to see the emotional rollercoaster this Man City team put it’s fans on.
Ronnie P
@Raven:
Man city needed a win.
Joey Barton, the QPR player who got sent off, is an idiot.
Raven
Donald “Duck” Dunn died. Bass player for Booker T and the MG’s.
Yutsano
@Southern Beale: Cheney wouldn’t even go to Canada when they threatened to citizen arrest him there. And I’m sure they are just dying to go the Pinochet route here as well, because right now neither can go anywhere in Europe.
Raven
@Ronnie P: That was nuts, the second cheap shot was unreal.
Amir Khalid
@Ronnie P:
Joey Barton is renowned for his idiocy. Meanwhile, Liverpool makes a limp end to the season with a 1-0 defeat at Swansea. Feh.
Raven
So the winning coach of the British Premier League wears an Italian flag for the ceremony? I’ll never fully get this sport.
handsmile
@Raven: , @Amir Khalid: , @Ronnie P:
I’m hoping that Randinho shows up later today/tonight with a football thread, because there’s one hell of a lot to chew over on this final day of the Premier League season.
Joey Barton, former convict and perennial swine, deserves a right and proper thrashing by his QPR teammates.
Six days from now brings the final of the Champions League between Bayern Munich and Chelski which should be a tasty affair particularly if one enjoys Bavarian cuisine.
ETA: Raven: Both ManCity coach and soon-to-be-former player Mario Balotelli, native Italians, were draped in their national colors. Edin Dzeko, the Bosnian striker, was also sporting his nation’s flag, which was pretty cool.
Amir Khalid
@Raven:
Ahem. For historical reasons, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have separate national football associations (and separate national teams). It’s the English Premier League that Manchester City just won. Scotland has its own Premier League. (The few Welsh pro clubs play in the English league system.) And yes, Man City manager (not head coach, that’s a different job in football) Roberto Mancini is Italian — it’s a global sport after all, unlike some versions of “football” I could name. ;)
@Yutsano:
Given the unlikelihood of them ever facing any trial, I’d settle for these formerly great and powerful men having to live out their lives as wanted criminals unable to set foot outside the US.
Yutsano
@Amir Khalid: Even the most luxurious prison is still a prison. And don’t quite give up hope of a trial just yet: some enterprising young DoJ lawyer will find some excuse to advance this forward, especially after the very public Rodriguez confession.
Mnemosyne
@Amir Khalid:
Since they’ve spent most of their careers trying to turn the US into a third-world hellhole so they can gain an extra dollar of profit for themselves, I think it’s only fitting that they’re trapped here with the rest of us rather than being able to flee to Europe as they always assumed they would when things got too broken down here.
handsmile
@Yutsano: (#68)
I fear that hypothetical “enterprising young DOJ lawyer” would take note of what happened to international legal champion Baltasar Garzon, presiding judge in the Pinochet trial among his other accomplishments, after he made noises about investigating the war criminals of the Bush/Cheney administration.
Suspended from judicial service in 2010 on charges of abusing his authority, Garzon twice stood trial this year. In the first, he was convicted by the Spanish Supreme Court (a conviction later annulled); he was acquitted of all charges in the second. Nevertheless, he remains suspended from the Spanish judiciary.
Here’s the link to his Wikipedia entry (note the section “Bush Six”):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltasar_Garzón
Raven
@handsmile: It may be cool but that doesn’t mean I get it. Do winning superbowl players go out for the awards ceremony in their college swag? (only comparison I can think of)
Raven
@handsmile: WHAT Champions League???
handsmile
@Raven:
Not claiming that I “get it” either, other than as a gesture to the international nature of the sport in terms both of players and spectators (and of course television revenue.) Also perhaps a matter of dual allegiance : most players on the best professional squads in England/Spain/Italy/Germany also feature on their national teams. (Because of the risk of injury, an often heated issue between club and country.)
I must say I have no idea what Super Bowl players do (not my sport). Would there be some prohibition on their displaying “college swag” in victory?
ETA: Just say your #72. The Champions League is an annual competition among the top professional football clubs in Europe. Qualifications begin in August among the small fry (say, clubs from Estonia or Moldova) and continue through various round-robins and knock-out rounds until the following late spring. At which time one of major clubs, one with enourmous financial resoucres, invariably wins.
Amir Khalid
@Raven:
The UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League, the top club championship in European football. The other confederations (continent-level bodies) in football — Asia, Africa, Oceania and CONCACAF — also have their own Champions Leagues or equivalent; US clubs participate in the CONCACAF one.
Raven
@handsmile:
“I must say I have no idea what Super Bowl players do (not my sport). Would there be some prohibition on their displaying “college swag” in victory?”
Nah, it would just be low class.
Raven
@Amir Khalid: So does this Rooney dude play on a team in that league too?
Raven
How come Chelsea isn’t in this here English Premier League?
Amir Khalid
@Raven:
Clubs qualify for their confederation’s Champions League by finishing at the top, or in the top few places, of the top division in their national pro league. By finishing second in the EPL this season, Manchester United has qualified for the 2012-2013 UEFA Champions league. So Wayne Rooney will be playing for Manchester United in the upcoming Champions League season. As a “striker”, it will be his job to put the round ball in the other team’s rectangular goal, as many times as he can.
Raven
@Amir Khalid: You gotta be a rocket scientist to understand all this! I watch it but I’m clueless.
Juju
I eny people who like to garden. The gardens are beautiful, and I am always willing to take excess produce, but I am one of those people not meant to be out in the sun. Put me out in the sun for more than 10 minutes and I burst in to flames.
handsmile
@Raven:
Re Wayne Rooney
He plays professionally for the world’s most popular football club, Manchester United (the “Red Devils”). He is also a member of England’s national football team. His position is called “striker,” primarily responsible for scoring goals.
Rooney is a gifted player who occasionally loses his mind. His career has been plagued by controversies, both personal and football-related, and by suspensions for reckless/dangerous play. His recent antics have resulted in him being suspended for England’s first two matches in the upcoming UEFA European Championships, a quadrennial tournament which begins in June. (This football thing never stops. Are you sure you want to wade in?)
Chelsea is one of the 20 teams in the English Premier League; it finished the 2011-12 season in sixth place. Because of its successes in this year’s Champions League competition, it will appear in next Saturday’s final. A number of years ago now, the club was purchased by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who lavished what were then unprecedented sums in English football to acquire players; thus the club nickname, Chelski. Shall I continue?
ETA: Also too, what Amir Khalid, renowned rocket scientist, said.
Amir Khalid
@Raven:
As you can see from the league table on the right of the BBC’s football liveblog page, Chelsea are indeed in the EPL. They have finished sixth. Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns the club and thus thinks himself an expert on football, makes a practice of firing managers who don’t win the EPL title, so he is about to fire Roberto di Matteo. di Matteo certainly deserves a better boss.
Raven
@handsmile: Well, I find the space between the end of March Madness and the start of icky American football pretty dead except for the Olympic and World Cup so I’m game. The thing I really like is the engagement of the fans.
btw, I spent many years running municipal sports programs and actually started some kids leagues. Always thought it was soooo much better than baseball for kids.
Raven
@Amir Khalid: So you can be 6th in one league and have a shot to WIN a league that is a higher level? That is cool!
handsmile
@Raven:
Raven
@handsmile: It was snark, I love American football. Livin in Athens GA and being able to walk to the stadium keeps me interested.
So Arsenal shredded you but it looked like they were having a big celebration after their game today?
eta
When I played jr high football in 1962 we used passed down leather helmets.
gaz's wife
@gaz: Hey babe, yep we can grow corn here but it’s kinda hard to do. If you really want it get me some seeds.
Amir Khalid
@Raven:
Chelsea qualified for the 2011-2012 UEFA Champions League, whose final is next week, by finishing second in the 2010-2011 English Premier League.
Explain this “baseball” thing to me. Is it really America’s version of cricket? And why is it played over three periods Instead of two?
Amir Khalid
@handsmile:
Liverpool FC, who have finished in eighth place this season — worse than in any season under Gillette and Hicks. Woe is me.
Raven
@Amir Khalid: Baseball was derived from Cricket but it’s played in 9 “innings” no periods. A team get’s to bat until they have 3 “outs” and then the other team gets to bat.
This explains it way better than I can
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_cricket_and_baseball
handsmile
@Raven:
To my complete and total astonishment given its sordid and well-documented history of self-destruction in recent years, Arsenal, which had to win its final game of the season in order to advance without qualification to the 2012-13 Champions Leage, did in fact win. (Of course, to do so required what may have been the single worst performance by a goalkeeper that I’ve ever witnessed: he was directly responsible for all three Arsenal goals.) What you saw was what celebrating sheer effing relief looks like.
Leather helmets, huh? The resulting cranial/cognitive injury must explain some of the views you express here. :) :)
Now then, it’s a gorgeous afternoon here in the urban hellhole and I suppose I should subject myself to the UV radiation. As always, it’s a pleasure to read/exchange comments with you, Raven. Cheers!
Raven
@handsmile: That and 30 years of drugs and alcohol. 20 years of sobriety have helped but I took plenty of head shots in and out of football.
handsmile
@Amir Khalid: (#89)
Just saw your comment and before signing off: my sincere condolences. When the season began, I had pegged Liverpool to finish in a Champions League spot. (And although a fan, I was sure Arsenal would finish below them in the EPL table.)
Was it a matter of an aging, inharmonious squad/Daglish’s tactics, e.g., constantly shifting squad selections/Lucas Leiva’s injury and no adequate replacement/poor signings, e.g., Adams, Downing, Henderson/Roy Hodgson’s hoodoo?
I would suspect that the off-season will be a fraught one for the Liverpool faithful.
artem1s
got some lettuces sprouting that I planted last weekend. Hopefully the basil, radishes, mustard, and chard will be coming along soon as well. Prepped the other half of the plot for tomato plants that I started 6 weeks or so ago. going over this evening to water if the predicted rain doesn’t pan out.
spent this morning clearing out the side yard and pruning back the rose of sharon.
looking like much better weather this summer than last.
Bob in Pensacola
Today I have my last two daffodils of the season and my first red tomato (from seed). The coincidence is strange, as in my yard the last daff normally precedes the first tomato by something like six weeks. Presumably the mild winter explains it.
Rabbits have discovered the young Fraises des Bois. I’ve made a pepper spray, which I spray on the strawberries, not in the dear little rabbits’ faces. It works for a couple days.
Thursday I ran into a six-to-seven-foot gray rat snake while crawling around under an overgrown azalea hedge digging Smilax tubers. The snake passed with only a slight pause and circled the base of a Live Oak with his head a foot or two in the air looking up, clearly picking his angle. Then he climbed the tree vertically, moving almost as easily as on the ground, and disappeared in the canopy.