Snowball Tree 2010

Our Snowball Tree gave us a nice treat this year with what seems like even more flowers than last year.



We'll definitely have to do some major pruning this year, especially since one branch is laying down so low (especially after a good rain) that it's touching the ground. The snowballs remind me of Hydrangeas but the plant is actually related to the Honeysuckle.



I just can't get enough. Sadly, now that it's getting warmer the petals are starting to fall like snowflakes.

Shamed into shaving

Since our men are gone on a job, Nicole and I have been hanging out a lot. Of course, when girls hang out, all sorts of interesting topics come up. It's even more fun when my sister, a nursing student, stops by and tells us stories about poop, slinging scrotum's, giant labia (it's not often you hear the words, "My hands got tired from holding back her giant labia."), misaligned vagina's and other really fun things we can all forward to in our senior years.

After talking about labia, this is all going to be very boring for you. I apologize. So anyway, the subject of shaving came up. It turns out we both are lazy shavers, especially since our guys don't complain about it. I then proudly told her that since there are no expectations that I should shave, I have hairy hippy legs. And then I laughed as if I had gotten away with something. (I am not happy that my spellchecker wants me to change hippy to hippo.) Nicole looked at me and quietly said, "I shave because I want to be sexy."

So this morning, I shaved my legs and pits. Which reminds me, I glanced at the shaving can and for a split second I could swear it said "shaving cream for whores." I was ready to battle it out when I looked closer and saw that it said "shaving cream for women." The can was probably right in the first place.

Potatoes gone wild

Apparently we don't open our pantry much these days.



What you see there in the bottom left corner of the photo is a basket of potatoes we had saved from last years harvest for this years garden. They're totally out of control! I'm hoping they're salvageable.*



These purple potatoes are kind of pretty, don't you think? It's potato art!

We're putting soil in the new bed I'm going to plant the potatoes in right now. (We = the guys. I know when to casually step away!) Last year we planted them in hills we created on top of concrete like soil. With all the extra room and a front row seat to the sprinkler, the potatoes should do a lot better this year than last.

*I just talked to Grandma (she has the final word on everything, as far as I'm concerned) and she said the potatoes should be fine as is.

Some whining and blueberries

I just realized I am only a couple years away from ten years away from 50. This is shocking. SHOCKING. I am just a kid!! When did this happen?? Where was I?

I wish I was one of those people who had a plan. You know, go to college (check), meet a great guy (oops), get a great job (er), buy a Craftsman house with a white picket fence (LOL), 2.5 kids (do cats count?) and so on. It just hasn't happened for me. I have always been one of those "follow the path less traveled" type of people and as a result have ended up with a degree in Art, can speak German but not Spanish (so stupid), and am dealing with a biological clock that is about to tick tock its way into oblivion. I know people say you can't compare one person's life with anothers but...50!

Speaking of getting older (there is a lot of inward cussing going on right now), I have a new plan to eat at least just as many fruit and vegies as I do anything else on my plate. Because I am concerned about my health!! ARGH!

Hopefully our six blueberry plants will help out. I bought them a year ago and then later read it takes several years for them to start producing berries. I was bitter.





Happily, this one plant is attempting to prove that theory incorrect. I'm really looking forward to all the blueberries, even though I have been told I'll get more than I can handle. I doubt it. Maybe blueberries will become the new prune and help us old geezers out.

This year's garlic

A couple days ago Faythe asked me how my garden was doing. This is what my garlic bed full of hard and soft necks looks like so far.



In February I decided to experiment, so I added some red onions to the bed (they're in the back corner, you can see how that area looks thicker) and they're doing great. This is the same bed I used for lettuce last year, so a few lettuce plants have sprouted up too. Looking at the bed now, I think I could plant the garlic a little closer next year.

You can see the other beds in the background. One of them has a leftover broccoli plant that somehow made it through the winter. It's going crazy blooming all over the place, but it doesn't look like it's going to produce anything. I'm curious so I've decided to let it go. I also have a rosemary plant that and a couple raspberry plants that have decided to take root. I think they may give me a little trouble.

Our last frost date is May 21 and then I can finally start going crazy planting things in the garden. Now, to plan what all I'm going to grow...