On Tuesday, we did try to work instead of indulging my personal gravel obsession. With the work trailer in tow, we made it as far as the bank in Long Beach when….
That is the moment that I called about getting gravel delivered to home. We had time before the delivery to run one charitable errand to South Pacific County Humane Society where we made a donation to sponsor a cat for adoption, in honor of Our Kathleen’s dear elderly cat JoJo, whom she had adopted last year and given many happy months. We let the shelter staff choose which cat needed sponsoring the most. Diana got the honor. She is a somewhat eccentric cat who is six and a half years old and has been at the shelter for almost three years. Her adoption will now be free.
The remainder of the day was the Gravel Project conclusion, as you probably know. We got back to work on…
Wednesday, 12 February 2020.
I thought we had better start in the Third Street parks because yesterday afternoon, someone had parked a golf cart on the lawn right in front of where I needed to prune. Today the area was accessible at mid morning.
Even though it had not been part of the plan, Allan felt called to do some pruning of blackberries coming through the rhododendrons at the back of the park.
I was still pruning hydrangeas when he crossed the street to the east and cut back the rugosa roses on the south wall of the police station.
I was impressed with his speed.
He wears thick welding gloves, half the price of expensive rose gloves, to deal with the roses.
While he hauled debris to the trailer, I pruned two more hydrangeas and a hardy fuchsia in the little park behind Lewis and Clark Square.
I had thought of also trimming up the Veterans Field garden beds today but decided some other areas were more important. So off we went to the east side of Fifth Street Park, where Allan pruned a big hydrangea in the back corner…
…and I trimmed the seed pods off of the gunnera, both projects right outside the windows of Benson’s Restaurant.
(Next day at home, I tossed the seed pods—if that is indeed what they are called—in some bogsy wood areas to see if they will germinate.)
While Allan finished the hydrangea, I had time to weed and clip the narrow bed in the northeast quadrant of the park…
Long Beach had a surprising number of people today for a midwinter Wednesday.
We moved on to the city hall garden where Allan trimmed some miscanthus on the west side…
…where he found a bird nest…
…and not just one but one but two dollars for a tip.
I found some dead leaves to trim off a hellebore…
….but no money. We finished today’s projects with the trimming of a miscanthus and a hydrangea in the east side of city hall.
Today’s debris was mostly woody and all got dumped at City Works.
We rewarded ourselves with an early dinner at the Depot Restaurant’s Burger Night, every Wednesday off season. Patrons choose their burger toppings. We pick almost everything.
Because we had accomplished all of the main tasks I had hoped to get done before Presidents Day Weekend, the work board entered the next phase.
I love seeing these elderly cats adopted out to good homes. They are such good companions, and in need of a good home to finish out their days.
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I hope someone will be inspired to take on a rather eccentric cat like Diana!
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Thank you again for your memorial donation in the name of my sweetheart Jojo. It’s been very hard to lose her aft only seven months, but those months were joyful due to her. Recently I saw a quote about fostering adoptable, homeless pets: “our hearts break so theirs don’t have to.” Okay, can’t say any more or I’ll start sobbing.
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That is absolutely true, especially when adopting an older cat, especially one that has been at the shelter for some time. I know you are stein enough to do it again when the time is right for you. Weeping along with you.
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That was a good lot of clipping.
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Thanks, Mr T!
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Back in the swing, and a day full of work! Seems like yesterday the hydrangeas were in bloom, and now time to trim them for another year of bloom.
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It’s scary how fast the time goes and how often, with once a year tasks, I will think “Didn’t I just do this?”
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Not many people prune roses enough! when I pruned the carpet roses (which I rather dislike), I left a few canes on them as if they were more like floribunda roses. I know it sounds silly, but I leave canes so that they get seen. Otherwise, people trample them as they cut through the areas. I would prefer to cut them to the ground. Actually, I would prefer to relocate them somewhere else, but that is another issue. So-called ‘gardeners’ plant a lot of carpet roses, but then shear them into little cylinders that can not bloom in season. They do the same in winter, without any real interior pruning.
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Shovel prune those fake roses is fine with me🤭
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🙂
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So, I am not the only one who finds them to be objectionable. I would not mind them so much if so-called ‘gardeners’ would maintain them properly. I mean, they are supposed to be ‘low-maintenance’. So-called ‘gardeners’ are so very diligent with formulating creative new tactics for ruining what should be practical landscape material.
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I understand having to leave growth on a plant to keep it from being trampled in a public area.
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Of course. I understand too; but it annoys me. It annoys me more that things get trampled anyway.
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It must have felt good to be out gardening. I may need to get a pair of welding gloves for removing the blackberry vines. The burger looks delicious!
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