19 Nov: crab pot tree and a gift of mulch

Tuesday, 19 November 2019

I’d had two night of insomnia and simply could not get up early (well, early for us) and go down to volunteer with Allan at the crab pot tree.

On the way, he saw the Ilwaco city crew putting up lights.

Fortunately, I woke up and was breakfasting when he came home to get some tools and so I was able to join him and take some photos.  (That and making an album for Discover Ilwaco was the extent of my volunteering, though.  I did not even tie one zip tie for the lights.)

Port of Ilwaco

Lola (left) and a friend decorating the crab pot snowman

We have known Lynette (Lola) for years, since way back when she was the manager of the Anchorage Cottages.  Now she writes for a living and will read her Coastal Christmas poem at the Crab Pot event.

Don Nisbett (left) stringing lights

Allan to the far left

Allan’s photo

A feast of donuts and maple bars (and coffee!) was on hand for the volunteers. Charity had a mishap with her maple bar.

Allan’s photos

Fortunately, there were still some replacement pastries.

view from the crab pot tree (Allan’s photo)

Something new this year is a “black cod pot” tree to the south of the port office.

Mark from the port crew (boatyard manager) testing the electrics by the port office

Our Jenna to the left of the black cod pot tree

I think some more height is going to be added with more pots.

I had to check the nearby port office garden and the cosmos that refuse to die.

The port office staff don’t want me to pull them, not even if they are still blooming at crab pot tree time, which is…..I walked with Jenna back down to the big tree, where light stringing was still going on.

Jenna and a gal from the Ilwaco Freedom Market repaired to bay 3 of the boatyard to spray paint some floats for decoration.  I followed and found a couple of weeds to pull on the way.

Allan’s telephoto

in Bay 3

a smart way to keep spray paint in its place

local Girls Scouts had decorated the floats

Jenna asked me if I wanted to paint a float (“for Tangly Cottage”).  Feeling exhausted from insomnia, I demurred.

Earlier, walking by the westernmost garden bed on the way to the port office, I had been appalled at its sheets of creeping sorrel in a bed whose soil level was unattractively low.  I thought then, “If only I had some more mulch.”

While Allan kept volunteering, I dragged myself and a bucket and tools to that bed with the intention of weeding…but just as I began, I saw a text from Julez of Salt Hotel offering us part of a pile of “bark mulch”.  I envisioned hideous red bark…and then saw the pile on the parking lot of Skywater Gallery, next to Salt.

lovely black gold!

I accepted the offer with alacrity and, after calling Allan to come help, started weeding in hasty preparation.

a mess of weeds

sorrel and pink flowering strawberries (the latter is ok here)

As Allan got ready, two other trucks showed up.  Would there be a battle for the mulch?  No…We’d been offered half of it, and Kirk took about a third, and Todd, one of the Salt staffers, helped wheelbarrow loads over to our garden beds.

Allan’s photo

Todd and Allan

 

after

Although we got many buckets of weeds, some weedy sins are buried under that mulch.  I hope they stay buried till early 2020.

With the soil level raised, the bed looks so much better.

We went home for more buckets.  Upon our return to do more fall clean up at the port, the dark sky to the east turned into a light rain.

While I did not mind going back home as it was past three, the weather did fool us and got nice again shortly.  We were not about to go back out.

Allan picked up many windfall apples, just to go in the compost.

If only it were not such a long journey to Lezlie’s house, her crows could have them.  In our garden, I want to avoid attracting raccoons.  I’ll save them for awhile in case she gets out the old mule and buckboard and comes to town.

On the porch, I had seen a pretty be-ribboned gift bag. In today’s rushing about, I had not had time to open it.  When I did, I found a Hello Kitty wind chime made from a tin and cutlery.

It wasn’t from Jenna…it wasn’t from MaryBeth…so who?  Who knows I like Hello Kitty?  I know that Montana Mary isn’t in town, so who?  I love it, so thank you to whoever it was, and please confess.

When I sat down to write blog posts, I churned ’em out, six in a row, which leaves my next week of evenings open for reading.

 

 

 

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20 Nov: more crab pot tree volunteering

Tuesday, 20 November 2018

Port of Ilwaco

We had to rise “early” to be to the port by ten so that Allan could help with the crab pot tree.

While he and others got started, I did some planting in the boatyard garden of plants I had dug in a path widening project yesterday: Egyptian walking onions, sanguisorba, some Persicaria ‘Firetail’ and some phlomis.

still interesting

cosmos, pink yarrow, California poppies (and santolina)

rosemary and ceanothus both sporting some blue flowers

lavender

California poppies

penstemons

cosmos

A the end of the boatyard, the CoHo King came in for its off season paint job.

CoHo Charters Captain Butch Smith in yellow

me and Butch making sure all goes well

Just past the boatyard stands the crab pot tree, where more floats were added and lights secured with zip ties.

A float for Kevin Soule, who died in a crabbing accident on Willapa Bay this past year.

the volunteers, organized by Our Jenna (Queen La De Da)

The star had been left in a storage unit in north Long Beach.  While it was fetched, I took a walk along the marina with Della and her corgis.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Howerton Avenue (telephoto)

Both Jim and Della are in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, so I got her to tell me about some of what they do, including safety instruction and even escorting boats upriver.

Salt Pub is being remodeled to include the lower floor.

a new bar top being stained in beautifully warm weather

Laila of Salt meets a corgi

high tide

the condor

Back at the crab pot tree, the star had arrived.

Allan and Jim on the tree

Jim at the top

Della hands up some ties.

They all said it was easier to climb up than to get down.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Coast Guard floats

Allan’s photo

Jim installing the star (Allan’s photo)

As a finishing touch, CoHo Butch brought some fishermen’s boots for the crab pot snowman.

I learned that Evertuff boots are the favourite brand.

I was then very proud of us for going to the pharmacy and getting flu jabs, which we have never done before.  I had a terrible fear of side effects interfering with work so had waited till the good weather was done.  As I write this three days later, neither of us had any side effects at all.

home

The crab pot time had given me only about an hour to do some weeding.

Skooter helped.

I moved this last bit of firewood under cover behind the garage.

That was the end of last winter’s windfalls.

A horrid sight by the wood pile: the golden foliage threaded through the eucalyptus is bindweed that has crept in from the gear shed yard.

ominous

Allan added a third birdhouse to where I had noticed a lack with only two.

I went with Allan while he grocery shopped at Sid’s supermarket, right across the street from the Shelburne Hotel, and in the hotel garden I planted a goodly start of Thalictrum ‘Elin’ from our last day at Klipsan Beach Cottages, and some Egyptian walking onions, and put some decorative branches in containers:

We watered the Depot Restaurant window boxes and went home again, where Allan managed some more work on his greenhouse lean-to project before night fell.

Much later in the evening as we watched some telly, we heard the rain finally begin.

 

 

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13 Nov: fun with work and volunteering

Tuesday, 13 November 2018

Port of Ilwaco

We got up early (for us) to help with decorating the Crab Pot Tree at the port, with gratitude that the weather forecast of a quarter inch of rain and 20+ mph wind was completely wrong. Mostly, as I told Jenna when we showed up at 10:15, my “volunteering” meant that I had volunteered Allan to help while I worked on the nearby boatyard garden.  I can’t do heights, and there were other folks to hand things up to the people who can do heights.

Last week, a couple of volunteers had put the strings of lights on.  Allan and I were at home that day because we had arranged the delivery of mulch before I remembered it was a Tree Morning.

the tree today when we arrived

Here comes a decorated crab pot from the boatyard.

Crab Pot volunteers

Allan heard one of the volunteers say, “Our corgis thought they were going for a walk!”

Allan’s photo

hanging floats on the tree

This year, some floats are marked with the names of the crabbing fleet.

Two floats represent the Coast Guard…

U.S.Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment crab float signed by the station personnel and Auxiliary Flotilla 6-2 members.

And one float, to be installed later, will honor the names of two local fishermen who died while crabbing, Luke Jensen and Kevin Soule.

Jenna and a volunteer installing lights to mark the observation field

This year, to avoid folks walking in traffic and being all crammed in around the base of the tree, the watchers and carolers will be across the street in a large parking lot.

When I met Allan, he was an 18 year old who enjoyed climbing the scaffolding of bridges for fun (as I recall).

Allan’s photos:

U.S. Coast Guard National Motor Lifeboat School crab float signed by the staff and students.

Jessie’s Fish Company in the background

For the next two Tuesdays, volunteers will gather at 10 AM to complete the decorating.

Meanwhile, between walking back and forth to take these photos for Discover Ilwaco, I did the fall clean up for the south section of the boatyard garden.

I love our lightweight and efficient new shearing tool, the one recommended to us by Pam Fleming.

Stihl Shrub Cutter

It is ideal for trimming lavender, armeria, santolinas, and also worked well trimming the ceanothus so it is even with the edge of the sidewalk.  By late afternoon, I was calling it “the toy” because it is so much fun to use.  The question is, if you pay $150 for a tool and spare battery, and it cuts your shearing time in half, who profits financially?

Stihl will profit again because we both like the tool so much that we must get a second one before spring clean up.

I am sorry to tell our California reader(s) that Stihl says “We apologize, but we can no longer sell or ship to CA as a result of PROP 65“.  I cannot figure out why, unless it is that the battery is considered toxic.  It seems like an environmentally friendly and delightfully quiet little tool to me.

Here is my ultra-cool fasciated Euphorbia characias wulfenii.

I am leaving perhaps a dozen cosmos in the boatyard garden till the frost takes them down.

south end of boatyard garden, done

Allan joined me to finish the north stretch of the garden.

Allan’s photo

I am not a believer in flattening a garden in autumn.  I leave a considerable amount of it standing for winter interest and for the birds to get seeds.

We removed the “please leave the flowers” signs and must remember to reinstall them when the narcissi buds appear.

Allan used The Toy on one of the Ilwaco planters and a street tree garden, to flatten the golden oregano.  The first hard frost will blacken it, so this is pre-emptive and will also help small bulbs like crocuses show up.

before

after (Allan’s photos)

Sad erysimum may be pulled next spring or sooner.

We next did our last fall clean up all along the port from east to west.

east end looking west

It was so much fun to shape the santolinas and trim the sea thrift with The Toy!  In the late winter, we will cut the santolinas much harder.  I wonder if The Toy will be able to handle that.

It did a wonderfully easy trimming of the wax myrtle, which I keep low because of traffic sight lines.

before

after…so easy and quick!

My favourite bed by the Ilwaco pavilion…

…is the only one that will need post frost clean up of a couple of cosmos that I grew from seed.

Seed success is thrilling!

At the recently mulched Time Enough Books garden, I was pleased to see lots of poppy seedlings.

dark areas are where some grass weeds came out

poppy seedlings around my new dwarf Stipa

While I moved on to beds further west, Allan cut back an elderberry, as we do each autumn to make it easier for holiday lights to be hung.

before, “someone” forgot to take an after!

Allan said the stems of the barberry will “work well in the Pencil Sharpener”, and I realized we now have a pet name for our one-branch-at-a-time chipper-shredder.

Meanwhile, crabbers were buzzing around with their crab pots all afternoon.

in the parking lot, pots from the gear shed next door to our back garden (Allan’s photo)

finishing the westernmost garden at almost sunset

It had been my dream to get the 22 Ilwaco planters and 10 street tree gardens all done today, as well.  I enjoyed the last hour of work at the port better when I let go of that dream.

At 4:30, with half an hour before dark, while Allan dumped debris, I popped across the street to pull cosmos and weeds out of the J’s front garden.  Just look who I found over there asleep in the garden.

a big stretch as he emerged from his nap

He has made himself a little nest.

We are now four days away from semi-staycation.  J’s will take half an hour more, the Norwoods will be a short job (although I plan to trim some lavender with the toy), pruning Mike’s escallonia is really all there is left to do of fall clean up there, and the planters will take just a couple of hours.  A day to quickly finish the Red Barn and then do the LAST EVER fall clean up of Klipsan Beach Cottages garden, and one more session at the Shelburne to prune some of the wisteria and a few perennials…

 

 

 

 

 

 

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15 Dec: a little work, a little rally

Friday, 15 December 2017

When we’d learned there was to be a rally against ICE deportations in the afternoon, interfering with my at-home goals, I had decided that we should try to polish off some of the leftover work beforehand.

We began at the Ilwaco boatyard garden, planting about six good sized starts of Solidago ‘Fireworks’ in empty spaces along the two block long garden.

boatyard garden looking south

planting

The last of the old cosmos got pulled, and I am calling this garden done for 2017.

crab pot tree at the end of the garden (Allan’s photo)

In Long Beach’s Fifth Street Park, I planted two clumps of the solidago (a short and well behaved clumping goldenrod) while Allan snipped a few stray brown stems from nearby planters.

Fifth Street Park

Narcissi already blooming in Fifth Street Park

We cruised up to the Anchorage Cottages, thinking we could finally clip back the chrysanthemums and agyranthemums.  Our summery weather had them still blooming, so we did not even get out of the van, just turned around and left.

At The Red Barn Arena, we planted a couple of pieces of the goldenrod and pulled out one dead erysimum.

a wee bit of weeding

Midge in her fine coat.

Next door at Diane’s garden, the remaining annuals still looked too lush to pull.  I left a note suggesting she just cut back anything in those pots that looks tatty later.  I can’t keep going back to check on them every week; that is not cost effective for either of us.

the annuals that will not die

I look forward to many bulbs in this raised septic garden.

We now had an hour and a half left before the rally, with no more work to do.  This called for a stop at NIVA green.

In NIVA green, with Heather’s assistant, Wes, and Heather Ramsay herself

a peek through the doorway into the magic workshop (Allan’s photo)

Heather had put out some new lamps:

I fell hard for this double decker nightlight and got it for myself, even though buying presents for myself was not on the agenda.

This red truck is going to go beautifully with a “Card Lady’ card of a red truck with a Christmas tree in the back.

After NIVA, we spent 40 minutes relaxing at Abbracci Coffee Bar.  I am quite annoyed that the bright summer-like sun blurred out my focus on the Christmas tree in their window.  Trust me, it was such a pretty sight.  Let’s say it is like a water colour.

an elegant pattern on my latte

Maddy of Pink Poppy Bakery is retiring her business to become a personal chef for an artists’ retreat.   Abbracci will be the only local place to get her baked goods, like this delicately flavoured Swedish Traveling Cake.  Elixir Coffee up in South Bend will also have her treats.

Abbracci art (Allan’s photo)

In Abbracci, I had such a helpful conversation with owners Tony and Bernardo and one of their patrons. I was asked (not in these exact words) about the severe clean up of the narrow garden to the south of their building: Would the plants come back? I had dug up lots of volunteer blue scabiosa and other perennials in an attempt to start over. I told them that I try to rein in my “messy gardening style” and was thinking of a much tidier planting there. Turns out all three of them love the wild and tangly style. It made the happy to hear that I could so easily make that garden bed messy again.

Finally, it was time for the rally.  This time, the organizer had decided to split the event between Long Beach and Ocean Park.  I had kvetched about it making the groups too small, and indeed, the rally began with only three of us.  For new readers, here is the background again:

“[Long Beach Peninsula Resident] Rosas was arrested when going to Okie’s early in the morning of November 27. When he asked why he was being arrested, ICE officers said “My supervisor asked me to come find you because of what appeared in the newspaper.” We want to speak out against this arrest and on the attack on his rights to free speech.

The original story in the Seattle Times (my home town paper) is here, and well worth reading.

The follow up, after the arrest of Rosas, is here.

He appears to have been sought out because he spoke (under his nickname) to the Seattle Times.  ICE did not detain him earlier, even though he asked them why they took his family and not him.

This story has drawn the attention of the Mexican consulate and has been picked up by national and international news, including the Washington Post and The Independent, UK.

Here is a link to the gofundme where you can contribute, to help him and his family, who were deported to Mexico.  (His children are American citizens, who went with their mother.)

Today, when we first arrived, we thought there was no one else, and we waited in our van for a bit.  Then we saw one lone figure arrive; it was Ann, who had also been waiting in her vehicle.

Allan’s photo

We settled into our rallying as the wind picked up and the rain arrived.  Allan took all the rally photos but one.  My hands were so cold that I didn’t even think of getting out the camera.

Only once were we heckled with a “WOOO Trump!” from a young fellow driving a foreign made car; the rest of the interaction from passing vehicles was all waves and honks and thumbs up.

Everyne at the Ocean Park rally point bailed out when the rain came.  I was not about to stop for rain; I know darn well that Rosas himself worked on the bay in all sorts of weather.

MaryBeth saw my one real-time photo on Facebook and came to join us.  Four felt much more effective to me than three.

The rain finally stopped and out came a rainbow behind us.

Our good friend Susie was just at that moment returning from an out of town trip, too late to join us..

our Susie

We endured till 4:15 PM.

Allan and I could see a glorious pink sky and so we drove to the west end of Sid Snyder drive for a better look.

looking west

Allan’s photo, to the south

We nabbed a few Christmas lights photos on the way home.

Ilwaco City Hall

Ocean Beach Hospital, Ilwaco (Allan’s photo)

Ocean Beach Hospital (Allan’s photo)

Crab pots on First Avenue

We had a mere 45 minutes turn around time at home.  I was able to erase Diane’s garden and the Red Barn from the work board.  The other jobs are simply going to have to wait until we have a hard frost for their final check up…if we have such a thing this winter.

We soon left again for our weekly North Beach Garden Gang dinner at OleBob’s Café at the Port.

on the way: The Crab Pot Tree

The four us us (Tangly Cottage Gardening and Sea Star Gardening) were joined this week by our good friend Ed of Strange Landscaping.

In the entry hallway: Pins show where visitors have come from.

a local sea captain

This week’s specials:

a beef empanada

the view

south window reflection shows the inside, the outdoor dining deck, and the Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Co Christmas star

Dave, Ed, Allan, Melissa, with Lynn and Chef Laura in the background

Paella was another special of the night.

Allan’s fresh caught rockfish with Laura’s chimichurri sauce and a “perfectly done” baked potato

flan for dessert

We stayed till after closing, when I was so happy to sit with Laura’s dog, Pancho.

I so much want a nice little dog.  Pancho is such a good boy.

I suddenly felt ever so exhausted.  Yet tomorrow is another busy, not at-home day.

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2 Dec: before the Crab Pot Tree festival

Saturday, 2 December 2017

In the late morning, I got up from some reading and found this cryptic note.

The question mark threw me.  I figured out that Allan had gone to help Jenna with the final set up for the crab pot tree.  She had been there all alone in the rain and had texted just to ask for some electrical tape.

The tide was at 11 feet.

at the south end of the boatyard

The port had set up a tent—a smart idea, implemented for the first time for this event.

Allan climbed up to plug the cord in way up high.

He dug a trench to run the cord across the field.

(Note to self: while the ground is soft would be a good time at home to dig a trench for running some hoses across the lawn.)

Jenna decorated a crab pot “snowman”.

They tested the lights and declared all systems go.

Allan took a couple of photos in the nearby boatyard.

On the way home, he popped into an American Legion holiday bazaar at the museum.

birdhouses

cards

he Meanwhile, at home….Due to torrential rain, Skooter had no interest in outdoor life, nor did I.

I caught up on the Tootlepedal and the Miserable Gardener blogs.

At three, having been joined at home by Our Kathleen, we went to Salt Pub for a pre-tree lighting long, late lunch.

upstairs in the pub

Dave, Melissa and J9 joined us, making a party of six.

the view from our table

Allan’s photo

a hot cranberry toddy

sea cucumber

delicious brussel sprouts appetizer

polenta cake with veg and greens

dusk approaching

in the downstairs lobby

Next: a share from Our Ilwaco blog of the tree lighting festivities.

 

 

 

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29 Nov: volunteering, gardening

Wednesday, 29 November 2017

Today, I got up early enough to join the tree decorating crew, which began with me, Allan, Jenna, and Don.

a boat leaving the boatyard next to the tree

Don up high (Allan’s photo)

view from the top (Allan’s photo, obviously!)

A former co worker of Don’s helped for half an hour.  He and Allan found they had a common interest in small boats.

Jenna and George

Jenna garlanding the fence, with the boatyard’s Marine Travel Lift to the right.

the fence, with the boatyard garden in the distance

I trimmed the edge of the boatyard garden grasses again.  Next year, some of these must go.

before

Pennisetum macrourum, after

The Port crew was putting up the crab lights.

north of the boatyard gate

I mowed the big field where people will gather (and I picked up dog poop).

Jenna and me

hanging the float decorations with zip ties

finishing touch

done

While spending some time actually working on a few of the Ilwaco planters (pulling Erysimums that have become too tatty from wind), we drove around one of the downtown blocks and saw this newly created sit spot.

I used to think this building would make a great refurbished loft-type space. Now I think it is too far gone.

I like it in Waterlogue.

For the rest of the afternoon, we gardened, decorated, and mowed at home.  We’d scored some leftover garland, which Allan attached to the fence.

That inspired some clean up of the front garden till I ran out of daylight.

garland enhanced with rose hips, allium, and elephant garlic heads

the rain from yesterday morning’s storm (during which Allan helped with the crab pot tree)

Three more wheelbarrow loads of debris have the compost bins looking rather ridiculous.

a problem to be addressed on a winter day

Here are some at home befores and afters, accomplished while Allan gave our lawn the last mowing of the season.

before

after

before

after

front middle bed after, still needs much clipping and a good weeding

In the evening, Allan and J9 went to dinner and then to the Ilwaco High School varsity basketball game, against the South Bend team.

South Bend team in burgundy

Number 50 is Don and Jenna’s son, Joe.

Joe about to make a basket.

Ilwaco won.

On the way home, Allan took one more photo of one of the crab pot tree decorations that the city crew put up downtown today.

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28 November: volunteering, reading

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

Allan got up early to join Ilwacoan friends Don, Jenna, and Karla decorating the Crab Pot Tree in drenching rain and wind.  I have to admit I weather-wimped out on this one.  I swear I would have been there if it started at 11 instead of 10.  I had pictured it as nothing but climbing the crab pot stack.  I could have been there to unroll garlands and hand things up to Don and Allan, the stack climbers.

Some of you may already have seen some these crab pot tree photos, as I have already published the two day tree decorating sequence on the Our Ilwaco blog.

Allan arrives (Jenna’s photo)

Jenna, also known as Queen La De Da, owns Queen La De Da’s event gallery and the Mermaid Charm School, and her spouse is the beloved local Artist Don Nisbett.

Don making the tip top more securely fastened. (Jenna’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Karla of Time Enough Books and the city’s bucket truck, which came to help for awhile (Jenna’s photo)

Allan zip tying the garland

Triumph after the garlands were done (Don and Jenna, Karla and Jenna)

In the afternoon, Allan worked on the two window boxes he’s building for the shed.  They came out too wide and did not look right, so he cut out part of the bottom to make them narrower.

This shows how wide they would have been before the bottom got narrowed.

We took Frosty to the Oceanside Animal Clinic for a check up and to see if he could get de-itchified.  Our once a month treatment seems to not be enough for him.  Allan took some photos.

Frosty did not like the carrier. Much yowling and complaining.

This was my favourite of the other patients of the day.

Frosty got a eight month flea collar. We decided to have a full blood panel done on Frosty, since we so recently lost his brother Smoky.  His tests came back perfect.  I smothered down the feelings about Smoky having been my true beloved and yet he is the one who is gone.  Can’t think that way. (Frosty can be sort of annoying, but I we do like each other.)

We dropped by Shoeboxes of Joy again to donate a big leftover bag of Halloween candy for stocking stuffers.

Allan’s photo

In the evening I finished Sweet Thursday, the sequel to Cannery Row….

Favourite passages:

Later that day, we picked up some books from the library, including East of Eden and In Dubious Battle, two more Steinbecks.  One of the librarians commented that people have said to her that Cannery Row is not realistic, but that if they had ever lived in a fishing town, they would know that it is quite realistic indeed.

“The communication system on Cannery Row is mysterious to the point of magic and rapid to the speed of light.”

on the nearby beach

Sweet Thursday:

In the evenings this week, we’ve watched a DVD set of Orange is the New Black season 4. In a scene set after their prison garden becomes a crime scene, and as they mourn the death of a young friend and sister prisoner, Red reads a beautiful passage by Ann Lamott about gardening. Click here for a video of the scene.

If you would rather just read the words, here they are:

““The garden is one of the two great metaphors for humanity.

The garden is about life and beauty and the impermanence of all living things.

The garden is about feeding your children, providing food for the tribe.

It’s part of an urgent territorial drive that we can probably trace back to animals storing food.

It’s a competitive display mechanism, like having a prize bull, this greed for the best tomatoes and English tea roses.

It’s about winning; about providing society with superior things; and about proving that you have taste, and good values, and you work hard.

And what a wonderful relief, every so often, to know who the enemy is.

Because in the garden, the enemy is everything: the aphids, the weather, time.

And so you pour yourself into it, care so much, and see up close so much birth, and growth, and beauty, and danger, and triumph.

And then everything dies anyway, right?

But you just keep doing it.”

It is from this excellent book:

I love Ms. Lamott and have read every one of her books.

As we watched, I wondered if the show has awakened its audience to the desperate need for prison reform.  Turns out the author of the book has some ideas about that.  This article  tells how the show is inspiring more interest in improving the lot of prisoners.  For some background reading, I recommend The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.

Tomorrow, Crab Pot Tree decorating continues.

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21 Nov: crab pot, kitty, KBC, concert

Saturday, 21 November 2015

My big plan for the day was to get Klipsan Beach Cottages and Marilyn’s garden both erased from the fall clean up work list, and then to finish Ilwaco and Long Beach tomorrow and have staycation begin on Monday.  (Except for the post frost clean up.)  Didn’t quite work out that way.

We pulled the last of the cosmos out of the post office garden.

post office window

Before driving north, we swung by the west end of the port to get some photos of the crab pot tree decorating party.

My good friend Misty was there.  (That’s Allan taking photos.)

Misty getting her butt scritched.

That meant our gardening client Diane was there, also.

Diane decorating the crab pot tree

Saturday Market manager Bruce Peterson on the right

Our former garden client and realtor Cheri Diehl (Discovery Coast Real Estate)

Allan’s photo

On the way to KBC, we dumped yesterday’s last partial load of debris in the city works pile, figuring we would need room for lots more at Marilyn’s.

park debris from Long Beach, and a sign we found floating in Fifth Street Park pond yesterday.

The day was progressing as planned when, about halfway to KBC, we passed a cat lying in the road, and Allan said “he’s alive”.  A surprising amount of traffic was on the highway and as we slowed and turned around (not easy with the trailer on), we saw him get bumped twice by cars, one of which appeared to run over his tail and one which maybe just jostled him or came really close.  It was a traumatic sight.  Allan ran back and scooped him into a bucket (while I hobbled along).  With the bucket set down on the edge of the side street, I hurried to the nearest house and knocked, and asked if the resident knew of the cat.  He did not, nor did his sister who lived just north.  Meanwhile, the cat lay sideways in the bucket.  We called the shelter and were told we could bring him in.  Thank goodness, because we could then count on a volunteer from there to take him to the emergency vet, which we knew from experience might be all the way to Seaside, Oregon.

Allan’s photo: After looking almost deceased, the cat nestled into the bottom of the bucket.

In the van, the cat curled into a ball and let me pet his head.  His breathing was ragged.

The rescue operation went pear shaped when we got to the shelter.

South Pacific County Humane Society

Thinking the cat was pretty much comatose, Allan got the bucket out to carry kitty into the shelter and suddenly kitty woke from his stupor and ZOOMED out of the bucket and around the neighbouring building.  We and three humane society people followed; they got a cat carrier and a blanket to catch him with.

in an open storage area

humane worker goes with blanket to nab him

And VROOM, kitty ran out and around the building and disappeared.  Damn it.  We felt like pretty lousy rescuers even though he was better off than an awful death in the road.  The humane society folk said they will put out food for him and I suppose they will put out a live trap.  Feeling frazzled and unhappy, we went off to work an hour later than we had planned.

Klipsan Beach Cottages

The first thing on my mind for the job was to clip a climbing rose that had been drooping last time.  Today, it was right down in the path, so both Allan and I worked on it in succession.

rose over path

later the same work session

Meanwhile, Allan spread 10 bales of Gardner and Bloome Soil Building Compost and I got myself into a pruning mess.

This rose and honeysuckle combo was way tall over the fence, which unfortunately this before photo does not show.

Once I began clipping, I simply could not stop till the climbers were well thinned and off the fence and level with the top of the arbour.  Mary and Denny were grateful because now they will have a winter view of the garden from their dining room and kitchen.

end of day, Allan rakes the debris while Denny enjoys “beer-thirty”.

What with embarking on that project and the hour lost to feline almost-rescue, I realized we were not going to get to Marilyn’s in time to accomplish enough, and therefore we stayed at KBC to make the pruning job pretty near perfectly detailed.  You can see in the background, above,  the deck from which Mary and Denny will now have a good garden view.

I clipped some perennials as well: shasta daisies, old hellebore leaves, Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’, lavender.

garden all mulched

KBC garden is now officially cleaned up for 2015.

the debris pile from the rose and honeysuckle pruning

Score! Denny gave us this little picnic table that he built years ago.

On the way home, we drove by the humane society again just to look for Mr. Orange, to no avail.

sunset from the humane society parking lot

He is very much on my mind.  At least I noticed, back at the shelter,  many doorless storage areas, nooks and crannies where he could shelter out of wind and frost.

We had a look at the progress on the crab pot tree.

I hope Mr. Orange Cat ends up as safe and contented as these two who had snoozed the day away at home.

Staycation will be delayed by one day as we will now hope to do Ilwaco and Long Beach tomorrow and Marilyn’s on Monday.  That will be better.  We won’t be rushed, we won’t end up doing a half-arsed job trying to fit Marilyn’s final fall clean up into the end of a day, and we will be able to take the debris to the dump instead of ending up stuck with it at home.  (Later: or so we th0ught!)

the work board as of tonight

I just had time to post the crab pot tree photos on Discover Ilwaco and write up this post before turning around and going out again to a musical evening at:

The Sou’wester

The band tonight was Jenny Don’t and the Spurs, an ensemble featuring an alumnus of Napalm Beach, one of my favourite punk rock bands from olden days.   Click here to listen to a love ballad by Napalm Beach with an unusual subject, one of my favourite pop songs of all time.

Later: We had an exceptionally excellent evening at the Sou’wester.  Not only was the band great, but I had the delightful experience of finding out that a Peninsula acquaintance of mine (soon to be a closer friend, I think!) was the mother of the bass player and therefore had known many of the punk bands that I knew back in the day.  I’ll call her Ocean Park Debby to differentiate her from my good friend Bayside Debbie (with whom I share plants for the Master Gardener Plant sale).  We’ve met before when her garden was on the 2007 Long Beach Peninsula garden tour, and she’s friends with Prissy, the legendary plantswoman who used to be at Back Alley Gardens in Gearhart.

OP Debbie and I enjoyed our conversation and agreed that it is funny how people who meet us now just think of us as nice older ladies.  I certainly would not have guessed the truth, that her spouse played in a band that even predated my days attending show after punk rock show in Seattle.

on the sun porch at the Sou’wester

It’s an honor system store.

Jenny Don’t and the Spurs

I love the new neon sign in the living room; the trailer and car rock up and down.

Here is a clearer photo from a seller of this charming piece.

At the beginning of this brief video clip, if you look closely, you can see the trailer and jeep rocking.  It just made me happy and I gazed upon it frequently during the evening.

Allan’s photos:

my friend Debbie’s son!

appreciate audience

the wonderful sign

Folks got up and danced.

Ocean Park Debbie and I

I was quite possibly telling her that sometimes, at a show like this, I desperately miss being young and not in pain and able to dance until the wee hours of the morning.  Yes, sometimes that makes me sad.  I feel so old when I hobble around but in my mind I am still dancing.

Debbie recommended to the entire audience that we watch the band’s video filmed in the desert.  While they were filming, a fellow offered to do a shot for them with his drone and it turned out very well.  Here it is: Rattlesnakes and Dogs.

If all goes as planned, we’ll return to the Sou’wester for their Thanksgiving Potluck and then for a show I’ve been anticipating for a month:  A band called The Skinks will perform the entire Village Green Preservation Society album!  We ARE the Village Green Preservation Society, so I can hardly wait!

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19 Nov: a bulbing frenzy

Thursday, 19 November 2015

I woke at 7:30, after a mere five hours of sleep, with bulbs on my mind.  When I simply could not go back to sleep, I went outside at about 8:15 (almost unheard of!) and planted a few of my bulbs-in-waiting in the front garden where the chilly shade almost made me give up.  Instead, I moved to the back garden in the sunshine.  By the time Allan had made a nice hot breakfast (which he does on all work days, bless his heart), I had all the back garden bulbs in the ground and I asked if he would help me plant the front garden ones so I could stop losing sleep over them.  It will only take two of us about 40 minutes, said I, and it turned out to be just 45.  Total number of bulbs planted at home this autumn:  a mere 171 (more than last year’s 116).  I’d like to plant more but I run out of steam and I worry about money.  Memories of being poor are too strong to overcome the fact that I could buy more bulbs for me nowadays.

me being so happy to have help with the at-home bulbing

tossing out bags of bulbs in their proper planting place

Just as we were finishing the planting of the front garden bulbs, the final end of season order from Colorblends arrived, so we were able to plant up the garden boat (the Ann Lovejoy) as well with 20 tulips Big Ups mix.

I got this as one slide was fading into another on the colorblends site.

I wondered why the Colorblends catalog often does not name the bulbs in their mixes; Todd suggested that perhaps this enables them to change the mix depending on which compatible bulbs they can get a good price on each year.

The arrival of the Big Ups tulips changed our plan for the day.  Instead of doing fall clean up for Ilwaco port and town, we could possibly finish Bulb Time today!

Port of Ilwaco

I had pulled 20 narcissi from my own stash to fill in the empty spot along Howerton where some arbutus had been removed for the sake of traffic sightlines.

with my head in the game (planting narcissi); looking west on Howerton

Allan planted these clusters in the formerly shrubby area

 On the way to our next job, we witnessed the Port of Ilwaco crew working on the Crab Pot Christmas Tree.

Allan’s photo: The tree has gotten much too big to build with just human power now.

Ilwaco Community Building

Allan had helped me plant my bulbs, so I helped him plant the last of the bulbs at the Ilwaco Community Building (his job).  The difference is, I will get paid by his client.  His reward is just me having a lower stress level.

the last of the leaves at the community building

As we planted narcissi, some tulips (in an area inaccessible to deer), some crocus and pushkinia and iris reticulata, a library patron said that the garden there looked so much better since we had taken it over.  I gave all the credit to Allan.

Speaking of compliments, last week someone told me she had taken a guest to walk along the curbside gardens at the port (going to the shops and galleries) and he had commented on how tidy and well tended they are.

Allan’s photo: He, or we, may emerge from staycation to mulch the community building garden which badly needs it.  (needs weeding, too; he’s been too busy bulbing)

Allan’s photo: the really horrible soil under the new sign

Long Beach City Hall

On the way north, I planted some hyacinths in the narrow raised bed along the city hall entryway.  They will be at a good height for smelling.  We both worked on finishing the fall clean up and clipping at city hall, thus being able to cross two things off of the work list (the dregs of the LB bulbs and the city hall cleanup).

city hall entry ramp garden (Allan’s photo)

Geranium ‘Rozanne’ still blooming, west side of city hall. Allan was shocked when I clipped it, but I knew the first frost will bring it down.  (Allan’s photo)

hebe blooming (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photos: city hall, south end of west wall, before

after Allan clipped the Rozanne

west side of city hall; I wish I had gotten the whole “Ocean Beach Boulevard” sign…was not trying to. 

dumping debris at city works

After dumping our debris, we went on to the last of the 2015 bulb jobs at…

Golden Sands Assisted Living

Golden Sands: in the courtyard, four quadrants of flowers

Each of the four garden quadrants in the center courtyard got 20 Big Ups tulips and a few others.  I have a tiny budget there.  While I’d like to have way more tulips in this deer protected garden, at least next spring there should be a bigger show than usual.

view while bulbing in the courtyard

the last bulb job of 2015

So very tired of planting bulbs!

The newly cleared (of old siberian iris) triangle by the dining room door got some special bulbs: viridflora (green) tulips, some species tulips and narcissi, and a cluster of snowdrops.

dining room pocket garden

with Junco close up (there had been many in there eating fallen bird seed but most flew away when I raised the camera.)

cyclamen donated by Our Kathleen

We did as much fall clean up as we will do this year; thinning pesky plants can wait till next February.

Each of the four quadrants presents a different challenge.

The SW quadrant

SW quadrant problem: beach strawberry and creeping buttercup invading from the back

SE quadrant: the most problematical

SW: too much cranesbill geranium, and an infestation of big horsetail from the back corner of the courtyard…It is marching, marching, marching.

SE: invasion of weedy grass, beach strawberry, and creeping sorrel climbing over the edging board.

The outer areas of the courtyard landscape are in some areas sort of a wasteland that Allan hits with a string trimmer but that we don’t have time to maintain otherwise.

more SE quadrant mess: too much blue scabiosa and (sadly) too much Sweet William.  The scabiosa MUST be thinned or eradicated.

A pink cranesbill geranium in one of the original pocket gardens would love to take over the SE quadrant completely.

The four quadrant gardens used to be scrubby, weedy lawn, and the only flower areas were the four little triangular pockets, two at each entry.

the NE quadrant

As I was trimming down the euonymus in front of the window of my mom’s old room, I saw it had been vacated. 

the Euonymus in question (Allan’s photo)

(Note:  Don’t plant shrubs that want to be huge in front of windows.  Why this was done is beyond me, as the fire department wants the shrubs at sill height, and the residents would like to see out!)  I inquired and was relieved to learn that the latest resident of my mom’s room had moved to Seattle to be closer to family.

Biggest problem with the NE quadrant: Getting rid of the damnable pesky running salal behind the garden, as it constantly wants to invade from the back.

NW quadrant has gone from worst of all to the most problem free.

I pruned the poor, oversized Ceanothus outside the quadrants some more, taking some off the top so the resident behind it can see the courtyard.

Don’t tell Plant Amnesty about my ugly pruning. Note the yellow rose blooming in the background.  I will likely cut the ceanothus to the ground next spring.

Allan’s photo

leaving Golden Sands at dusk

Ilwaco 

We checked on the crab pot tree progress.  It is all put together and ready to be decorated.

crab pot tree, real tree at 5 PM

Allan’s photos by the crab pot tree:

a moon tree topper

boat heading for the river

at home

These housemates of ours had apparently not moved all day.

the rapidly thinning work board!

Bulb planting is completely gone from the work board, and from the fall clean up list I removed City Hall and Golden Sands.  With 20 degree weather due on Thanksgiving, we may even get to do the post-frost checkups before the end of the month and then will officially be on staycation.

The 2015 bulb total of 3,374 is much less than 2014’s 5,121 bulbs planted, mostly because Flowering Hedge Design and Sea Star Gardening (Dave and Melissa) have two of our former big big big bulbing jobs, and Todd and Sea Star have a couple of our former medium sized bulbing jobs.  Thank heavens above!

 

 

 

 

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6 Dec: Crab Pot Christmas tree

Saturday, 6 December 2014

This Saturday was the biggest winter holiday event in Ilwaco, surpassed in attendance only by the July fireworks and the Slow Drag.

We began the day with a visit to the Saturday market, with a little trash picking along the way.

pouring rain while trash picking in the boatyard garden (Allan’s photo)

a sudden break between squalls

boatyard garden…Some weeds are creeping in but…NO, it is staycation, not going to weed!

The trash picking felt necessary as I knew that just before dusk, folks would be walking along this garden to get to the tree lighting.

stormy light and a rainbow, Howerton Way at the Port

Allan’s photo, looking north

Allan’s photo, looking north over Myrtle Avenue and the old Kola boathouses (left)

Market, Howerton Way entrance

Saturday Christmas Market, Waterfront Way entrance

We were pleased that the market had many more vendors than last Saturday and had many delightful offerings.

wooden word flowers

blank books

beachy decorations

enhanced hats

It occurs to me I should buy one of these; hope the vendor is there next week.

seashore wreath

Best of all, Pink Poppy Bakery was there!

Pink Poppy Bakery gingerbread house kits

and my favourite iced sugar cookies

At 4:30, we walked back down to the port to be there for the crab pot tree lighting that happens on the dot of 5 o clock, always the first Saturday of December.

outside Don Nisbett Art Gallery on Waterfront Way

I popped in to compliment Jenna (Queen La De Da) on her decorating skills.

I failed to get a good pic of the lions in front of Time Enough Books…

Peeked into Purly Shell Fiber Arts, where the scene of children making knitted ornaments reminded me of the Seaside Knitters mystery series.

Looked in on Time Enough Books.

At the west end of Waterfront Way, the star shone over Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Company.

wreaths outside the Saturday market, which was still in session

Holiday lights on Englund Marine

In the dusk, I failed to get a good telephoto of these active St Bernards heading for the crab pot tree.

4:50 PM as the crowd gathers…

waiting…

view from the crab pot tree to the southwest and Ilwaco Landing

5 PM sharp:  The crowd cheers!

The suspenseful moment:  Would I get a photo with a tree AND the fireworks, working with the time delay click of a little pocket cam?  Success!

After a slight and inintended delay, we were treated to “the world’s shortest fireworks display”…

Our friend Marla had sped down from Seattle and arrived JUST in time for the tree lighting.  She had driven by while I took my first (unlit) tree photos and called out a greeting; I had hoped she would find parking in time, and she did.

Photo by Marla Blazer

Marla’s photos

Bruce Peterson leads some crabby Christmas carols.

Our friend Lisa Smith wrote some excellent crabby carol lyrics:

 

a joyous gathering

Allan’s newish Canon camera had been very uncooperative and he was most disgusted with a $300 camera behaving so badly.  He got many photos that turned out like this:

…and he sorely wished that he had brought his $80 Olympus camera as a back up.

We found Marla in the crowd and walked down along Waterfront Way.  Marla (whom I knew as the glamourous young LaBlaze in my early 30s) and I had recently reunited via Facebook and I found that she has been a frequent visitor to the Long Beach Peninsula and a fan of the Adrift Hotel and the [pickled fish] restaurant.  Before we walked, I helped her fetch her two schnauzers, Weezer and Herkie, from her car.  In the thrill of having a couple of dogs to dote on (especially when I carried the puppy, Herkie!), I sort of forgot to take photos of Santa in Time Enough Books and of diners at OleBob’s Café.  Sometimes life intervenes.  I do wish more volunteers provided photos for Discover Ilwaco.  Allan forgot, too, because he went down on the docks with Marla and the dogs (all four of them braver and more agile than me).

Speaking of brave and agile:

Allan’s photo of Marla taking a photo….

and the photo Marla took.

on the docks (Allan’s photo)

Weezer makes a friend (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

lighted boats and Jessie’s star

The very low tide did not make for good reflections.

Allan’s photo

On shore, the Ilwaco High School Jazz Band regaled passersby in the foyer of Purly Shell.

holiday jazz

Allan did go into Time Enough books and found the bookstore so crowded that he did not make it far enough back to see Santa.

inside Time Enough Books

Meanwhile, I was wandering and gabbing with Marla and the dogs and still forgetting to take photos…

me, Marla, and the dogs, Allan’s photo

…until Allan took Weezer’s leash and I guided Marla into Don Nisbett’s Art Gallery so she could meet Cosmic Blondie, one of the Cosmic Bombshell duo that livens up local events.  Marla herself was a Las Vegas showgirl so I knew that the two would like to meet.

Cosmic Blondie

Blondie and Herkie fell in love.

Don himself was making customers happy, as always.

So, completely forgetting to take more photos, I suggested to Marla that we all go to the Depot Restaurant for dinner.  (On crab pot night, we certainly missed the late lamented Pelicano Restaurant and its view of the port, but then, it would have been full of dinners with no room for spontaneous arrivals).  We were fortunate to get a table at the bustling Depot.

At the Depot, to the right, you can see the window box annuals that still refuse to die, and inside, the lights of the Christmas tree.  That’s the historic Clamshell Railroad sign in the middle.

Oysters ‘Scargo for Allan and Marla

I have figured out why the famous Depot oyster dish is called Oysters ‘Scargo.    The dish in which it is served must be especially made for escargot (which I could never, ever eat!):

a special dish: “Six fresh wild local Willapa Petite Oysters broiled in Garlic Lime Butter Served with a Fresh Baguette. “

Marla’s photo

Peruvian mango sea scallops: “Three giant pan seared wild Atlantic Sea Scallops on a spicy Mango Salsa topped with Pickled Red Onions “

Marla had Udon Prawns: “Udon Prawns: Peanut, Coconut, Tomato and Yam Spicy Broth with Prawns and Udon Noodles Topped with Chopped Green Beans and Cilantro”

Marla donned the proffered bib for her prawn dish but turned out to not need it. (Allan’s photo)

I had the delicious Cinghiale Brasato: “House made Potato Gnocchi sautéed in a Ragout of Braised Wild Boar, Tomatoes, Red Wine and Seasonings topped with shaved Parmesan Cheese” and Allan had the Parmesan Chicken: “Crispy Parmesan Crusted boneless naturally raised Chicken Breast on Yukon Gold Smashed Potatoes topped with house Pomodoro Sauce”.

Allan took a photo of two friends reunited after 20 years.

It’s pleasant to find a friend from the past who has turned out to be politically sympatico, and an environmentalist,  with lots of shared memories to amuse ourselves with, and she likes to garden.

Now back to quiet staycation for a few days until the next round of holiday social events.

 

 

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