I woke very early (for me), worried about our old cat Mary’s health. She’s lost weight rapidly in the last week, and is no longer a round ball of kitty, and has lost interest in food. I would have had her in to the vet sooner had it not been for my own medical tests. So I called Oceanside Animal Clinic and was fortunate to get an appointment in the afternoon. Into the second bathroom I put Mary with food (with hopeful wishes she might eat) water and litter so that we could easily find her later, and we went to work for three hours.
The Depot Restaurant
We had a bit more mulching to do and four lily bulbs and a rosemary to plant at the Depot.
My theory about lilies at the Depot is that they fill the air with fragrance when diners get out of their cars in the evening.
Diane’s garden
I had a couple of violas and an Agastache ‘Cotton Candy’ for Diane’s pink and pastel garden.
soft wrinkly nose
And on the way to the Anchorage, a dog who often sits on a play structure had a wrinkly brow and his feet arranged just so.
Anchorage Cottages
I had an Agastache and a Symphytum variegata and some violas for the Anchorage garden.
Long Beach
We had one hour left before kitty time, and used it to fill our buckets with soil energy at city works…
…and take it to do some mulching at Veterans Field.
And then…
Kitty intermission
Mary is probably 16. Maybe a bit younger. She needed to stay for blood tests and rehydrating and some vitamins and so forth so we left her there with a sense of deep foreboding as with a cat her age we feared kidney failure.
Long Beach again
I’d been weepy to myself at bedtime last night (2 AM) about waiting for my own tests and about Mary being poorly. Now I focused on getting more mulch onto Veterans Field garden beds and a small area of Fifth Street Park.
I planted two leftover lily bulbs and (in a planter) two Agastache ‘Cotton Candy’.
I felt potentially weepy about Mary. At almost five, I called Dr. Kelly as she had requested and she expressed amazement that all Mary’s blood work came back perfect! No kidney failure, good electrolytes, good liver function….so now Mary stays overnight for more hydration and maybe an X Ray tomorrow. Her blood work was exceptional for an old kitty. I felt much better, although she is “still a very sick kitty”.
We drove to city hall to do a bit of deadheading there.
On the way, in the little popout, we were pleased to see the tulips had NOT been eaten by deer after all.
Then, home, because we had an event to attend in the evening. The event happened to be my 61st birthday. We both changed into St Patrick’s Day green shirts and headed to the
Salt Hotel Pub
where our usual North Beach Garden Gang meeting included the full roster: Allan and me and Melissa and Dave and Todd and Ed Strange. It’s hard to get Ed out to one of our meetings so we were pleased he could attend. I’m shy about inviting people to my birthday, so had stuck with just the usual Thursday line up. Allan had asked if he should invite lots of people. With all that has been going on lately, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and wanted to keep it small. Maybe at 65 I’ll have a big big party!
Todd arrived with a crate full of the flower arrangements for which he is renowned. Since we all looked at each one with great attention and pleasure, I’ll share lots of the details with you. All are from his garden and woods.
The trailing accent that looks like an evergreen branch is actually Elk Horn Moss that only grows in old growth cedar (I think he said) woods around here, and there is some like that where he lives on Willapa Bay.
We talked about plants and looked at plant pictures on our phones.
Madeline of Pink Poppy Bakery (our favourite baker) was in Ireland for a vacation, so Allan had turned to the Cottage Bakery to make a garden themed cake. They did a wonderful job. Allan had coordinated with Dave and Melissa for them to pick the cake up today, thus making it a complete surprise.
It was an extra boon that Heather from Niva Green (in dark shirt, with a halo behind her) had come to Salt that evening and was able to join our party. It was extra cool that one of my presents was a gift certificate to NIVA green, my favourite shop ever. And another was, all the way from Plant Delights Nursery via Dave and Melissa, five (FIVE!) Asphodeline lutea, a plant which I have been lusting after for quite some time. I have just ONE in Long Beach and have longed for more. Todd says this one is a cultivar with an extra good yellow flower.
We left three of the little bouquets for Salt’s Laila and Julez to enjoy and sent one home with Dave and Mel. (Ed had already left to walk his dog, Jackson.) I went downstairs to ask Julez to just save the flower containers for Todd and then I waited outside among the greenery in the courtyard.
It’s been a long day, and I have a few more presents to open, from Klipsan Beach Cottages and Allan and my dear far away Montana Mary, so I will leave you now.
Ginger’s Garden Diaries
from my mother’s garden diaries of two decades ago
1998 (age 73):
March 17: Happy Birthday to Skyler. Today I puttered around with paperwork and didn’t get out till almost 1:30. I worked again digging out the strawberry plants. When I got over to the asparagus bed those berry plants were nicer—probably nicer soil there. As I dug the plants I also weeded the asparagus area which was overgrown with dandelions, etc.
Happy Birthday, neighbor!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
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Thank you, Mary!
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Happy Birthday, Skyler! I really enjoy reading your journal. It gets my mornings off to a happy start. Thank you for sharing. I hope to make it to Ilwaco/Long Beach this spring to see your gardens and favorite places.
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Thanks, let us know if you do visit here!
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I am pleased that your cat and the tulips have both survived.
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Happy birthday, Skyler! I am a day late, so I am glad to know your day brightened at the end. Hope kitty is all right.
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Thank you, Debbie. I had it hidden on FB.
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Lovely birthday surprises! Happy Birthday!
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Thank you.
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Happy Birthday! Looks like you had a wonderful celebration !
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Thank you!
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Happy belated birthday Skylar. What glorious party photos! Loved the flowers and the cake and it looks like a terrific night was had by you all 😃
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Thank you!
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Happy Birthday! I am just catching up and working backwards through these posts. The flowers look lovely.
I am so sorry about Mary. March 19th is the anniversary of our old Mr. Beaucastel crossing the rainbow bridge.
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Aw. Blessings to Mr Beaucastel. Great name. I often read backward through Mr Tootlepedal’s blog to catch up.
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