Mom's Lily Of The Valley

Mom has a big stand of Lily Of The Valley running down the North side of her house. It covers a rotted foundation board there. It is not a showy plant, it's more of a tall ground cover. It interests me at night. The tiny white flowers in the dark just shine out, like little lights. She's having the house painted soon and they'll replace that siding. I hope they leave the plants. But, there's a lot of it, they're will be enough left to fill in again. It's looks like little jewels on a dark rainy day.

Snakes in the Buddleia

Mom bought me a butterfly bush. I don't care for butterfly bushes. It's red. I don't care for red flowers. I also don't care about butterflys, they are just bugs with wings. So I planted it where she can enjoy it. There's a big slab of cement there, I have no idea what it is. I know it's too big to move without machinery, so I put a bird bath on top. Still ugly, but, now it has a function. Snakes like it because it's always wet from the bird bath.

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I took this snake's picture and then I found the other snake hiding in the photo. My Aunt Ruth was out there and she said we don't have snakes. Our neighbor Cher might have snakes because she has a wood pile. But, we don't. I saw two snakes behind my aunt as she was saying that. Well, whatever makes you comfortable, I guess. I need to get some of those spill catchers for potted plants and make snake and toad baths. They do their job, they deserve a bath.

I don't hate them all

This is Happy Cat. First and last name. He's in mom's window looking out. He rarely comes out. He does not kill things or bother my garden. He knows the rules. He has a big head, wide lion like nose and he's huge. I've told mom he's not a regular house cat. I think he's part Bobcat. For real, I really think that. He's not fat, he's just weirdly big. Happy Cat spends his life in the air. He walks on top of things..he walks across the entertainment center, jumps to the bookcase, and sails over to the piano. His food and water are kept on top of the old piano. He never comes down except to look out the window. He's sweet, but, he bites. He only bites you if he likes you. He bites hard. Like a Raccoon. Raccoons do that, they like to bite your arms or legs, hard enough to draw blood. It's not done in meanness, it's just a weird Raccoon trait. I don't mind it. Happy Cat is like part Raccoon, part Bobcat. I know that isn't possible. I need to call the X-Files on this one.

Stinking rotten cats!

The cats keep digging up my Marigolds and Baby's Breath. Just digging. Who knew cats like to dig? We aren't talking potty here, just digging like a dog. They've killed about a hundred little plants. I've resorted to old bird cages and mouse traps along with hot pepper. I heard one yowl last night and the trap had sprung on it's furry ass and scared it. LMAO! That's a roll of it's fur caught in the bottom there. You think I'm mean? Too bad. I dug them a play space in the back of mom's yard. I even planted catnip and added compost, since they like the smell of compost. But, nooooooooo. Now it's war. I really hate most of them. They are very deliberate in their annoying behavior. Cats are not dumb, they know I don't want them here. They know where their part of the property is. It's a dangerous game they're playing. I may not win, but, neither will they. I'm glad I have replacement beds for transplanting...or I'd be burying grenades.

Night garden, ghost plants....loss

The Dusty Miller's show up nice at night, don't they? I call them ghost plants. I like to garden at night, or just sit out there in the moonlight. Alone. It's not depressing, it's comforting to me. I haven't been able to talk to anyone lately, I go through spells like that. My Internet friends wonder what's wrong with me and my real life friends, well, some of them know I'm like that sometimes, some of them wonder too. I feel bad about it, but, that's just the way it is. I can't change it. Doctors call it anti-social disorder or reclusive something or other. I don't think I'm at all anti-social. I do well in social situations, shoot, I can talk to anyone about anything. I like people fine. It's just that sometimes, I have to be alone. I could be alone for weeks or months and be fine. People shouldn't worry or be upset about it. No one should take it personally. Once I bought a farm, moved there and talked to no one for a year. I don't know why. I was not depressed though. And I'm not depressed now.

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I have a funeral to go to in the morning. I've been to several funerals in the last few months, all people who were parents of my friends. People I'd known for decades. It's that time in life when families change because of the natural order of things. I feel bad for my friends though. When I cry at funerals, it's for the living. For their loss. It's hard to see them so hurt. But, all of us will face it, sooner or later. It IS part of the circle. Except when the dead person is young. Then it's really unfair and I don't think you can get over that. Nope. You just learn to go on...to get used to it. You never get over it.

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Blogging about celebrities helped me go on. They are so ridiculous, it made meaningless chatter in my life where there was a big fresh hole. There is still a hole, there always will be. In my mind it is on the right side of me, the entire right side. I don't know why, in my mind that was always Eric's place. It can't be filled. But, with time, it becomes less jagged. Less likely to cut you when you look there.

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And sooo......life is alright. Celebrities are really boring me though. Some, a few, I admire. Most, I do not. I can't go there today. How many times can you write about some one's shoes or hair? And why the fuck do cell phones get launch parties? Really? A party for a phone..think on that one. And "awareness." Oh, for craps sake. We are aware, aren't we? I'm aware that they bore me. I think I have satisfied my curiosity about celebrities. Maybe it's time to shut Dirty Disher down. But, then I'd lose all my cool posters. It's quite the conundrum, eh? If this is the worst thing in my life right now, and it is, I'm alright. Blogging is like Prozac or Paxil for people that don't want to take Prozac or Paxil. I think I'll make more coffee and ponder it.

Lantana

What is it you Southerners call Lantana? Bacon and eggs or butter and eggs? Anyhow, it's not common here. You don't see it often because it's an annual here and not well known. I always request a bit of it. I bought one plant on a whim once and it shocked me how it took off, mounded and was big and beautiful. I planted some in the ground and some in pots in diff spots. Southerners are lucky it's a perennial there. Like my bunny? Yeah....gawd. I came home and Mom had set that in front of my house, right on a Moonflower. Geez, thanks, Ma, it was a lifelong dream of mine to own a begging resin rabbit. I know! I'll shut up now. Maybe.

Melons and Zuch's

My favorite vegetable, Zucchini is up. So are the Watermelons and Cantaloupes. I thought I'd planted the melons too early, we had a cold snap, so I figured the seeds froze. So I bought a few Watermelon plants. My seeds came up the same day. Now I have six hills instead of three. But, three diff kinds, which is cool. People say I don't have enough space dug to grow melons. I don't know why, they're a vine, not Godzilla. Can't I kind of train them to behave? Yeah, I know..but, I've grown them before, everyone has. They can grow into the corn if they want. I've seen people do that. Corn on top of melons, or Pumpkins. If people don't think I have any sense with these melons here, they sure don't want to see my Punkin' Patch. Oh, yes, I did.

Baby Blue Spruce

I like to watch Spruce and Pines make new growth in the Spring. Tightly packed needle buds of a lighter color. I just like it. That IS clover. There was a big ass hole in the side yard, big enough to lose your mower in, not kidding. I filled it with wheelbarrows of unwanted garden sod, but there was still a dent near the end. It grew a patch of clover and I thought, well, I don't have to mow clover, so I put a Blue Spruce in it. It likes it there. And someday it will fill that all in. In the meantime, uhhh, don't step in the clover...or you'll sink. Heh.

Anyone know what this is?

I bought a vine, it was labeled Lotus. I think that's a mistake, it must have gotten the wrong tag. I looked up Lotus Vine, and that's not what it is. I found another one in the front yard. An old BIG one. I'd thought it was a clover plant, or a shamrock type thing and I left it when I mowed. It got big, as bushy as a peony shrub and now it's starting to fall. It's clearly a vine and is related to that thing I bought. Which has jewel tone dark red flowers. It's leaves are like a Sweet Pea, but, three leaves, instead of two. The flower is smaller than a Sweet Pea, but, similarly shaped, with intense color. I'm letting it vine up that old dress form. It's raining hard today, splashing everything. Whatever they are, I like them. I'm going to have to trellis that old one now, those fallen vines were a tough bitch to clean up last year. They must be hardy.

Before and sort of after

There's my shed. I like my shed. It has glass in the windows so I don't know what that plywood is about. I like this area of our yards. If you walk back there behind my shed, there's a path up through mom's sheds. I put a fence there so her cats will leave me alone, but, I can unhook it to mow. And there's the red barn back there. There are so many things that live out there. Stray cats, raccoons, opossums, a skunk family, snakes...all sorts of critters. There's also a nest of Bumble Bees and I haven't found it yet. So step careful or stay on the path. There are two other kinds of bees that I never saw before. One is called a Carpenter Bee, I looked him up after he stung me last Summer. I stepped on him. Little black hard bodied bee. His sting packed no more punch than a honey bee. The other kind looks like a Yellow Jacket but is huge. About 3-4 inches long. I still don't know what those are called, but, they are both ground dwellers and they like the old Mulberry tree. Neither one is aggressive. It's a damn good thing, I do not want to be stung by one of those huge mutant fuckers. I'm allergic to wasps. I have to go straight to the emergency room if one of those gets me and I keep hypos of medicine in the fridge. Other bee stings, so far, don't bother me any more than they do anyone else.
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Sorry, I was rambling to myself there. My original thought was, I like this area, it's a little wild and has lots of volunteer trees that have been allowed to spring up, so it's like a mini forest. I planted Bachelor Buttons in front of the shed, for my Grandma. She always had Bachelor Buttons by her sheds and outhouse and every time I see one, I think of her. They grow really easy, I'll show you a pic when they bloom. Oh, and damn, that roll of old fencing was heavy! And, yes, I know I still have Nettles, I see them. Farking farkers. I'll get 'em next time. Nancy Today says you can eat Nettles and she does. I know she aint lyin', but, those things gross me out. They hurt way worse than a bee sting. Fancy estate, isn't it? Yep.