How You Know You Are At Al's

How do you know we are in Albany, OR, visiting Neil's brother?

Just look at the side table by the sofa in the living room to find every kind of remote control.

Hiatus, My a tis

Among the hydrandea blossoms as large as luncheon or small dinner plates, is this rare beauty. What happened? Five total individual blossoms, but no more. Pretty for its simplicity.

And who knows when I will write next because we are off to the West and I am not sure about my access, but it would help if I take the camera and the cord to download the pictures or would it be upload.

V a c a t i o n !!

Boo Hoo

I weeded and mulched the back step garden this weekend, because I knew the landscaping company was coming to deal with my dip, the bog that has grown over the years each spring from sinking and inadequate drainage.

They didn't show today, and maybe a good thing, because it was high nineties and we had an intense 2" of rain thunderstorm this afternoon which would have ruined any work plan.

I'll keep you updated on when they do it.

On Beauty

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The birds some years ago brought the clover-like-blossoms-freeway ground cover to this open hill on the Smith's side of our house.

This morning before we reached 92% humidity and 95 degrees, I pulled out six lawn bags of vines. You can see it pretty much kills everything under it. Only a few hardy vinca are left.

Now to restore the vinca.

Pathetic Really

I bought eighteen, ten-inch tall big hybrid yellow marigolds. That was two weeks ago and despite all kinds of remedies to discourage the rabbits from having fresh salad, these poor plants are just trunks now.

I moved them into the "hospital" area of the garden. Near Neil's vegetable fortress and surrounded by chickenwire mesh. We'll see.

They might die anyway. And then as I was mowing, a big doe just stood there eating my favorite day lily blossoms, the yellow ones. Too much fauna for me.

Garden and Wildlife

The lengths we have to go to to plant a garden. Here are the new tomato and pepper plants, with the ground cloth to prevent weeds - Neil's garden has nector of earth; and tall wire rings to prevent the tall deer from eating the plants and the chicken wire to prevent the rabbits from eating the plants.

Tomorrow I will show you my hybrid marigolds after one week, and this is after treatment with liquid fence and special pellets that are supposed to offend their dainty nostrils.

Caladium

I remember buying these tubers sometime this spring. And I planted them about the same time as I planted the dahlia's. But they didn't come up and I forgot where they were.

So when the first pencil appeared, it unfurls to these great elephant ear shaped plants, I put the orange tape on the ground to remind me of the vicinity of the bulbs.

Now they are up, I will water them and watch them a month. Check back in August when they should be at their peak.