The Gardener's Lament

Can you guess the goal of this project?  Give yourself a pat on the back if your answer is correct!

                                       

(And no, I'm not joining ranks with you home chicken egg hatchers.  Been there, done that.)

I fancy myself a person who likes yardwork. And it's true, I'd rather do that than housework!  I am not particularly good at it, however.

(Apparently using straight mulch isn't recommended if you happen to prefer an annual repeat of a combination of squash, tomatoes, and bell peppers.  Even if you flip the location the following year.)

I left my grow box lie fallow this year, because of last year's legions of squash beetles!!  (Is there something greater than "legions!"?)  It has worked – no sign of them this year.  

However, now that it's dry (no drip line usage), the neighborhood cats have discovered it!  Who knew there were still farmer types who let their cats wander the neighborhoods!  I would've thought that went the way of the all the rest of the PCness involved with them becoming like little pet children.  And now the cats have discovered it, they're not going to give it up without a fight!  And even if I wait to tackle the issue until next year, all I would've achieved is a bigger pile of poop to deal with!

And so I spent 30 bucks for some galvanized netting and pegs, to stop the process!

Well, the last several years I had the best crop in the valley of cherry tomatoes. (Yes, I'm bragging.)  Reminded me of Daddy feeding the town out of his monstrous garden, in the sense of me taking cherry tomatoes to work and people reminding me not to forget their share! Or coming to my office and chowing down.  (Was an interesting discovery – instantly my popularity grew by leaps and bounds!)

I did plant peas and tomatoes on the south side of the house, got a relatively decent crop of peas, but the tomatoes are going to be sparse.

Back at the grow box, there's two volunteers I've let grow and watered just their small root area just to see what happens.  (Note their size - that's what mulch, even last year's, will give you!)

Oft times volunteer vegetables don't turn out as good as  their predecessors.  If that ends up being true in this case, I'm not going to be a happy planter.

(Did buy enough though to cover the whole thing next year in one fell swoop, as it came in exactly the right width. Might not need it in the sense that the cats won't like moist soil, but I'm afraid the drip hoses left on around the clock were part of the beetle problem so I may end up amending that train of thought.)

Any more suggestions – any of you grow box gardeners out there?  

Hot Summer Hodgepodge

I must be a “weather” person. Changes in it remind me of places I’ve been. Hanging out clothes in a stiff breeze reminds me of Holland. Hot, sticky, overcast days remind me of Michigan. Big fluffy clouds and breezes remind me of mountainous Hawaii.  This year so far has been the weirdest weather I remember (in Utah).  It does not remind me of anywhere else I've ever lived.  One TV channel (which normally shuns or derides anything religious) with a straight face said the excessive rain in May (after months of the lack thereof!) was a "miracle"!  In Utah during June, 15 daily record highs were tied and 26 were broken, some as old as 100 years.  

(Note the greenness courtesy of the May rains.)

Because I'm cheap, sometimes I have extra legs in my air travel, and after I got back from Raygen's K graduation, the thought of going anywhere else was daunting after all that walking, carrying my computer+.  Hard on my shoulders and I don't think my knees are back to normal yet!  Well, not that "normal" is anything to brag about either.  Contemplated getting a smaller computer, then researched whether or not an under-the-seat bag with wheels existed which would hold a 15".  Voila!

Also researched more I could do to relieve my arthritic toe pain ... it actually works!  (For a day or so.) 

Spent most of June working on Jewel's early year's life story to get it done in time for her birthday.  I think she liked it (caused a few tears).  Here are some pictures I included:

(The picture we gave the agency so they could look/pray about us.)

(Four months old)

(1984)

(1988)

So next is to get Grant's done for his birthday.  (Don't tell him!!)

Sat with Jessie while Bob was off to a doctor appointment, and we were paid a visit by this:

(View from the kitchen window, can you see the velvet?)

[I haven't seen any signs of them at my place - thank goodness!

Bob says they're gnawing on his tree bark!]

Because Jewel is working in a GL department, her life at month- and quarter-end is not her own!  So her family didn't come up and I didn't go down, and celebrating Independence Day was, shall we say, interesting?  I had no idea my own neighborhood was so noisy!  Not just fireworks at the church parking lot, but jeeps (with patriotic music blaring) and motorcycles roaring up and down the street!  Add to that the nearby junior high post city fireworks line-up of cars the full block!  (Yes, a vicarious celebration was fun.)  Got to witness this, as a result:

Flag Ceremony  (Watch the short/totally inspiring program.)

It's been all over Facebook, and Johnny in Vegas even saw it on the news, but if you haven't seen the video, you'll not want to miss it.

This flag was hung on a guy wire across Grove Creek Canyon.  They lit it up at night as well, and from my house, you just saw the shadow, but just knowing what it was touched my heart as well.  

For those of you who may hunger for more panorama of the event and the canyon:  PG Flag Panorama  The flag is 30 x 60 feet!

I like to pick "themes" for the grandkid's birthdays.  (Parents, be warned:  If you have a theme in mind, speak up!)  Jewel sent me a picture of what I picked for Raygen (they're going to the beach in September):

(For Lucy's birthday July 1st, I picked a cat/kitten theme - Puss 'N Boots and Alice in Wonderland [Cheshire cat] movies, etc.)  ...Did you know that in the late 18th century, purportedly cheeses made in Cheshire were marked with the face of a smiling cat?!

Daddy Would Be Proud ...

... of this era's crew neatness - replaced the 1948 gas line,

probably originally placed by Dad's crew.  He won the first gas line bid

for the company in 1947, and he ran that crew.

 In my Dad’s day, the crews sat around together eating lunch out of

each’s own home-brought pail, whereas nowadays they break away

and go off for an hour for lunch.

(Grandpa/Dad would have been appalled at the waste of time and money.)

Got invited to Raygen's Kindergarten graduation.

Barely missed seeing Lucy's last year but Ruth sent me the movie.

 Roses from Dad.

 The whites of her eyes (on the left).

Hayden completed 4th grade and, sweetheart brother that he is,

asked his teacher for permission to attend her graduation.

Barely got my glasses in time for the trip!

(Ordered May 1, finally able to pick up May 25.)

Now I need to walk a lot to hopefully regain some loss of balance,

after almost a year of relying on my old ones,

and giving up on a hopeful reduction in the blind spot.

It's actually both an improvement and a loss.

Great vision now in the left, but also better able to see

the permanent distortion and spot in the right.

One more house project accomplished:

 Replaced the lower single-pane with double E-glass.

Ditto.

(Note the Fugals' truck parked out front.)

 Now I need a painter for the trim (plus eight more windows trim also in need).

Next project - replacing the porch carpet.

Have really enjoying this plant's blossoming.

I suppose when you spend 26+ years at something

... you're entitled to belabor the issue, especially if you actually liked it!  When I reported on my retirement initially, I mentioned a dilemma in obtaining pictures.  I suppose my sending to that person the pictures I took at our party last week was what triggered the guilt to achieve success!  Yay!  So now I will finalize all that celebrating.

 Jenny, the boss, gave me an engraved paperweight (picture of it posted prior),

and I teased her enough I actually hoped she'd give me a black one

in honor of a lump of coal for Christmas, but no, it's pink (her favorite color).
(Once she had the warehouse freezer floor resurfaced in pink.)

 This is the room, all ready for the luncheon last December

 Kneader's sheet cakes.  The pink one's my favorite, chocolate peppermint.

The others were pineapple cocoanut cream and fresh strawberry french vanilla.

 The rest of the eats.

 The two guys in our department - Steve runs the warehouse

and Bill coordinates menus and kitchen operations.

 This is the last clerk I trained, Alice for Independence High School.

 We four in the district office:  Colleen, Gail, Bill, and Jenny

(the director, who also retired at yearend).

This picture was sent to me as a joke.  These are an annual vendor's Christmas gift

and the cookies are disgusting looking - all dried up!

It's a miracle we even ever ventured a taste, but are grateful we did,

because once you start nibbling, you're doomed,

right down to the last crumb!!

 This is the set-up at Timpview High, all ready to go for last week's district retirement party.

Molly & Grant (Grant is my replacement,

and his wife is a cook at Timpanogos Elementary -

both of them have culinary degrees.)

My first boss, Vaughn Hawkes & his wife Arlene (in yellow).

They are currently serving a local mission with a couple from my ward.

 The veggie & fruit art.

Three desserts - cheese cake, lemon bars, and these peanut butter bars.

 Blendtec machines, all ready for tropical smoothies for everyone.

 Entertainment - Bobby Koa and his wife, singing "M (as in Mother) is for ...",

pointing at me for the "O means only that she's growing old" - Ha!

Bobby was a teacher at THS and for years ran one of the lines at lunch.

The PHS jazz band - excellent!

Not all of us who were there, but those who complied

when Jenny asked them to gather at the end.

Dos Pájaros Uno Piedra

Now, I have no idea why I wanted to put that in español - I guess because I've gotten a lot of extra (paid for) help in my yard this year and I admire his handiwork.  I wonder if he'd ever let me take his picture?  He has the kindest face I've ever seen - especially for someone who works out in the sun on a daily basis!  (Well, he's probably in his 30s instead my assumption of 50s.)  *wink*

I bought this contraption for yard work (holds a few tools and I can sit on it instead of bending over and then passing out.  *wink*  I keep it on the front porch, and it turned out to be the accidental object of the post title!  I love sitting on my front porch, but the swing tips a tad too forward to be comfortable, and this makes it just right, as Goldilocks would say.

A few pictures of my yard, just keeping step with springtime in my Rockies.

If you look closely, you'll see the tiny sedum plants (which are supposedly safe down to Zone 4 and I live in Zone 5).  Looking forward to watching them spread.  The bit of "white" you see is bone meal, purportedly helpful in getting sedum established.

Last night was a fun event - the Provo School District Spring Party, this year celebrating retirees, since we've a bunch.  Not a good picture, but I wanted one with my lei.  People taking pictures of themselves so their phone shows (which I'd have needed to do to get a decent one), bugs me.  Including selfie sticks.  It's bad enough to be "selfie" without being obvious.  *wink*  Now I’m talking single selfies.  Group selfies are great, no matter how they’re taken!  And so are singles, on occasion.

This was a gift, the poem, and I'm sure you know it, by Marianne Williamson, starts with "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate...."  Also nice to get it, on the doorstep of Mother's Day!

 Feeling sad about my lei biting the lack-of-water dust - and then I had an epiphany!  It will last a few more days now it's in a bowl of water, and as a matter of fact, perked right up!

Today I went with our Relief Society group to see the Payson temple.  It is gigantic!  Must going to be a ton of building going on down there.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more thoroughly coordinated temple, though Kansas City is a close second, from the cut glass to the carpets to the furniture to the marble to the themes, including apples which Payson is noted for.  Makes me wish I could fly in my entire family (assuming I could even get tickets), so they could bask in the glory.  They said 17,000 went through on Thursday!  And this in wet weather on and off all day.  There were a lot of tears in the pre-video presentation at the next-door chapel.  Just makes me burst with pleasure that our people pay our tithing, so that we can both honor God and present our beliefs so beautifully.  There were a lot of tears during the video.  Wish I’d have ordered my glasses a week earlier, so I could have loved it even more, were that even possible.