31 May: better than expected

Tuesday, 31 May 2017

The workday began late because when I was walking peacefully with a mere 1/3 watering can to the greenhouse to water my tomatoes, my back went into a spasm.  I hobbled in (after watering the tomatoes!) and stood against a door for awhile to straighten up and slathered on some Traumica, the miracle cure that Jenna gave me a sample of awhile back.  I am a skeptic about natural cures so it’s not a placebo effect when I say this stuff is amazing.

I was still somewhat disabled as we took off for work, and I felt anxious about the day.

Looked at my post office garden from my passenger seat instead of getting out to pull a weed.

Because of the late start, I decided to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow and slingshot around the sun by not doing Diane’s garden first, as originally planned.  The task awaiting there was to move about a half yard of river rocks. They had been used to edge the roadside garden.  We had stacked them against the house when we dismantled that garden for the septic installation project.  That had seemed like an ideal place until we recommended the brilliant Steve Clarke to install her new lawn.  He was going to wrap it around the side of the house, so now the rocks had to go to a new storage spot.  Maybe by end of day I’d be able to bend over to bucket up the rocks.

The Depot Restaurant

I watered; Allan ran the string trimmer by the parking area.

Depot garden today

We lowered the escallonia to make the sign show. (Allan’s photo)

The Anchorage Cottages

I filled in the planters with some painted sage while Allan did some weeding.  I put off till next week the pruning of the center courtyard virburnum, which is sneaking forward into the perennials border.  My back was feeling considerably better by now although I still moved cautiously.

our good friend Mitzu (Allan’s photo)

Anchorage center courtyard

The Planter Box

I had used up all my painted sage so needed some for Diane’s garden.

white dahlia at the Planter Box

a bit more painted sage and some fish fertilizer

some chicks (Allan’s photo)

Klipsan Beach Cottages

As we parked behind the fenced garden, we heard a great screaming ruckus up in the trees.  “It’s a bald eagle,” said Allan.  In a rather horrible way, the eagle appeared to be eating out of a stellar jay bird nest.  The jays were off to the side screaming and shrieking.  (Allan later pointed out that the jays are also known to raid other birds’ nests.)

looking up

Not a nice bird at all. (Allan’s photo)

talking back to the angry jays (Allan’s photo)

In the garden, Allan’s project was to prune the honeysuckle over an entry gate.

before

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

view from on high (Allan’s photo)

after, no longer raggedy with uppies

After weeding and grooming the garden, I took some photos for the KBC Facebook page.

driveway garden with purple and pink Geranium sanguineum

pink Geranium sanguineum

with chartreuse Lady’s Mantle

a crevice garden!

dianthus

Allium schubertii getting starrier.

Allium albopilosum just getting started

Allium bulgaricum

Thalictrum ‘Elin’ getting taller (in front of the dark pink rugosa rose)

Another angle: The thalictrum has the blue-grey foliage.

birdbath view

I asked Allan to take some photos of the big rhododendron by where we park.

The Basket Case Greenhouse

Allan’s photo

I needed to pick up some plants for one beach approach planter in Long Beach.

a hen visiting from the house next door (Allan’s photo)

another bird

hens n chicks

afternoon snack

Allan’s photo

got two of these gorgeous diascia for me

Gazania ‘Sunshine’

I also had the pleasure of picking out two baskets for our house.  (I’ll have to get photos of them later at home.)

Allan’s photo: The center basket with pink and yellow was one that I picked.

Diane’s garden

We got to Diane’s at five, prepared to move a pile of river rock.  As we entered the garden, I saw the most joyous sight:

Steve had already moved it with a back hoe!

yard looks leveled in preparation for lawn installation

Allium (Allan’s photo)

Allium albopilosum (Allan’s photo)

some of the back garden pots

I squeezed Diane’s painted sage into a couple of the pots rather than out in the garden bed by the road; that bed seems dusty now with everything that is going on.

my good friend Misty

I also got to see the new puppy, Holly, twice!  Once here, and once at our last job of the day…

The Red Barn

Diane brought Holly over while checking on Diane’s horse.

I was snubbed by a whippet again!

He breezed right by me.

Our little Red Barn garden

At home, I was able to erase more from the planting list.

Allan prepped for our first job tomorrow by hauling soil amendments two doors down.

Guest photo:  Steve and John saw an Allium bulgaricum in Astoria and sent me this photo from a small garden on Exchange, just above the Fort George Brewery:

Steve’s photo

And Melissa sent me this from THE Oysterville garden:

Melissa’s photo