6 April: town and beach approach

Wednesday, 6 April 2016

As I was preparing to go to work, I saw a bunch of shifty looking characters hanging over the front fence looking at the garden.  Oh!  It was our friends Steve and John! and Betsy Millard, director of the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, and other members of the Community Historian group, heading down the street to look at the historic Colbert House.

with Tetrapanax ‘Steroidal Giant’ in foreground

John and Steve

I waylaid Steve and John and dragged them into the garden, with continual apologies regarding how far behind they had fallen on the historic walk.

Smokey says hi.

I apologize to Betsy for interrupting the tour and I do hope Steve and John did not miss too much of it.

The historic Colbert House at Lake Street and Quaker Avenue.

Long Beach

The annual Clam Festival takes place this weekend.  Therefore, we deadheaded and groomed some street trees and planters.

Allan’s photo of a narcissi coming up through a “plant washer”…a washer someone had dropped in a planter.

Allan weeded in Veterans Field, the main location for the outdoor part of the Clam Festival.

Allan’s photo, Vet Field garden

Allan’s photo, anemones

While grooming the nearby garden by Kabob Cottage, Allan found this froggie.

planter by the police station (Allan’s photo)

While Allan weeded, I checked on another block of planters.

There was the usual amount of annoying Spring Break finger blight.

here, a blossom…

and further on, a stem…

…of what would have been a beautiful Dutch Iris.

This is deer, not human, damage, with tulips nipped off…

and even pulled right out.

Beautiful Tulip ‘Rococo’ on one side of a planter.

smashed flat by standing? or sitting? on the other side of the planter.  Damn it!

Me, to a male tourist by Funland: “Sir, I have to work on these planters, would you please not spit in them?”  He apologized, abashed.  Why, why, why, must some of the menfolk spit?

Some good things:

a glorious fringed tulip

Tulip bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’

Tulips ‘Virichic’ and ‘Exotic Emperor’

Tulip ‘Exotic Emperor’

Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ and ‘Exotic Emperor’

Tulip ‘Formosa’, which USED to always bloom in May.

Tulip ‘Rococo’, also used to bloom in May, but has been early last year and this year.

Tulip ‘Rococo’

beach approach

Where we left off last time before being interrupted by bad weather:

I had been optimistic about having finished 2/3 of our more recent section.  Nope.  We’d done more like 1/2  before getting rained out on Sunday.

before (Allan’s photo)

before

before

Allan’s photo

passersby (long telephoto by Allan)

after, including the short end cap that we did weeks ago.

sidewalk tile by Renee O’Connor

lots of passersby today (and some Santolina ‘Lemon Fizz’ added to a planter (Allan’s photo)

I got to pet a four month old puppy and to admire a gorgeous Weimaraner.  Allan saw a funny doggie sight:

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

after (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

We deliberately left some shaped clumps of clover, for the bees.  I heard a passerby say to her child as I weeded, “They’re taking all that clover out.”  Not quite all, and I do wonder if people will view it as just weedy.

We got done with the section left over from Sunday and were able to embark upon just a bit of the penultimate section.

Yay, we are about to cross the driveway!

section 11 of 12.5 (The .5 is already done.)  Before (Allan’s photo)

The buoy is our goal.  (Allan’s photo)

digging with the ho-mi (Korean hand plow)

I said we would stop at six.  At six, I wanted to continue, and felt happy when Allan kept weeding.  I said “I could go till seven”.  Then I stopped for just a moment and all of a sudden I could quite simply do no more.

We got this far:

Allan’s photo

an early (6:30 PM) end to the day due to my running out of steam.

At least that is a head start on tomorrow, when I hope, oh so fervently hope that we can get this section done to the planter and the next section done to the end.  That will be a challenge.

We have this far to go.

We have come this far since we began at the arch days ago.

What remains might be impossible in one day. (Allan’s photo)

I can dream.

We are this far.

Using a scarf to haul my locked-straight knee into the van.  Dang, that hurts.

I long to erase “beach approach” tomorrow.

Ginger’s Garden Diaries

from my mother’s garden diaries of two decades ago

1995 (age 70):

April 6:  Bruce took down the two 3-tier baskets.  I added more plants from the Floralight [3 shelf plant gro light table].

1998 (age 73):

April 6: Again I was determined to finish the strawberries and I did.  I have 24 flats of plants and each one must have about 50 plants.  I even dug up the 1 1/2 rows that I had interplanted with new plants.  They needed dividing so I took them up.  Now the entire garden can be filled on Sat.  I also pulled the multiplier onions and put them on a flat.

Read Full Post »

26 March: caucusing and working

Saturday, 26 March 2016

We got up early (for us) in order to go to the high school and caucus for Bernie Sanders.  At this caucus for the democrats, Bernie was the most popular candidate by far, leading to a larger number of Bernie delegates being sent to the state convention.

Outside the high school. We live in a fishing town.

If you wish to know  how it works, you can read more about the event here:

“PACIFIC COUNTY — During Saturday’s Democratic caucuses, Pacific County voters showed an overwhelming preference for Bernie Sanders, the Vermont democratic socialist who has galvanized young voters with his populist platform.

Just over 81 percent of the county’s caucus participants supported Sanders, and just under 19 percent supported Clinton — a 62 percent margin, according to the Washington State Democrats website. That means Pacific County will send 77 Sanders delegates, and 18 Clinton delegates to the next step in the process, the 19th Legislative District convention.”

I am pleased to live in such a progressive area.

at the caucus

Tiffany Turner of Adrift Hotel opens the proceedings.

Above: To the right in red is Karen Brownlee, the potter who organized the recent Empty Bowls event.

Del Murry, Long Beach city councilman and, like me, a Ramones fan.

My friend Annie and I picked different candidates but were getting along fine. (Allan’s photo)

I did not like it one little bit when the reporter from the local paper stuck her camera right up in our faces without asking.  Allan managed to take the above photo without my even knowing he was doing so.

The counting of the paper ballots.  (Photo taken unobstrusively from the other end of the table!)

Our table adjourned into another building to hear some citizen speeches about why each of the two candidates was supported (Bernie, except for three speakers).

speeches

I find it hard to stand for a long stretch of time because of knee pain and lightheadedness, so we left before the speeches ended, having already done the important part of making our choice.  And our minds were not going to be changed; that was the purpose of the speechifying (some of it most eloquent, especially when I was in agreement); at the end, attendees would be given the opportunity to change their choice.  Oh, how sad it makes me to not choose the female candidate.  It would be a wonder to see a liberal woman president in my lifetime.  As a feminist since age 12, it is disappointing, but I just find Ms. Clinton too hawkish and too much of the moneyed class.  I’ll vote for her if she wins the national nomination, which I do think she will because…money wins.  However, we live in hope.

On the way out of the parking lot, we drove by the two excellent flowers displays that someone has planted along School Road.

Allan’s photo

Depot Restaurant

We had a brief mission at the Depot: deadheading.

Allan’s photo

Long Beach

More deadheading ensued in Long Beach along with the planting of two of my birthday Asphodeline lutea ‘Italian Gold’.

Allan was asked what these are: Tulip bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’, a naturalizing little tulip which has formed a good clump among the rugosa roses by the police station.

Tulip clusiana ‘Lady Jane’

Tulip clusiana ‘Lady Jane’

Tulip acuminata

I am smitten with these weird thin tulips.

Tulip acuminata

 

Tulip ‘Exotic Emperor’ and Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’

Allan’s photo: The most boring planter for the rest of the year is in its brief moment of glory.

Allan’s photo: our nemesis in a tulip

I see that Allan also noticed my new-this-year Tulip acuminata.

Tulip acuminata (Allan’s photo)

Tulip acuminata (Allan’s photo)

“The rare Fire Flame or Turkish Tulip dates back to at least the early 1800s. This rare heirloom has a wild form with uniquely narrow yellow flower petals edged and prominently tipped scarlet.”  (Van Engelen)  They are $2 apiece!

Basket Case Greenhouse

Last time we’d been to the Basket Case, I had been in too much leg pain to shop properly, so today we made up for it with another purchase and some more photos for the Basket Case Facebook page..

greenhouse kitty (Allan’s photo)

I asked Allan to go to the way back yard to get a photo of skunk cabbage.

Fred told him that a British man had asked if the nursery had them for sale, and said that in the UK, they are sold as “swamp lanterns”.  I was so pleased, as I was going to say again in the blog that I had read that they are called swamp lanterns in the UK.  I had been afraid to Google and find out it was not true, because I like the story so much.  Much joy that it is confirmed by Fred’s customer.

Swamp Lanterns is such a good name.

Allan’s photo: The hanging baskets, still young, will be completely covered with flowers later on.

Fred and I discussed more possible plants to order.

I got my birthday violas…forgot last time.

Golden Sands Assisted Living

I had some seeds to plant (bachelor buttons and sweet peas), along with some gladiolus bulbs donated by our client Jo.

at last some colour in the Golden Sands garden

Klipsan Beach Cottages

Deadheading narcissi, a bit of weeding, and planting of sweet peas took place at KBC, along with a discussion of knee replacement by friend and KBC manager Denny, who has had one knee done and may have the second about the same time that I have my first.  Denny is very happy with his new knee.  He said that the one thing I must NOT do is push the knee out sideways and “pop it out”.  I worried over this for quite some time while working, as this is how I work, and is how I have gardened for forty years.

I think I am going to be in trouble.

My “bad” leg (right) is always straight and my good leg (left) bent.  If I forget to bend my knee now and then on the bad one, it locks straight and is hell to bend.  How am I going to relearn how to work in a way that does not push my leg sideways? I  pivot on that leg pretty much all workday long.  I have 7-10 months to try to figure out a solution to this.  It is making me rethink the whole thing a bit.  I wonder if I could get a brace to wear instead of a new knee.  (I am not kidding, nor am I making light of polio, which my former partner had as a child.)

(Edited the next day to add:  My friend Sheila told me about knee braces that tennis players can wear after knee surgery.  I especially like the look of one like this:

And another friend who has had both knees replaced tells me it is only until the knee gets strong again that you must worry about it going sideways.  So my concerns have been laid to rest.)

People think my back must hurt but it is generally powerful and cooperative.

clam cleaning shed patio (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo, clam shed patio

clothes drying on the deck of one of the cottages (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Euphorbia (Allan’s photo)

Callistemon (Allan’s photo)

The reminds me, why why why do I still not have an Embothrium in my collection?

sword fern unfurling (Allan’s photo)

in the fenced garden

Erythronium (from my mom’s garden)

gorgeous new foliage of Thalictrum ‘Elin’ (will get eight feet tall)

buds on Peony ‘Molly the Witch’

Real name is mlokosewitschii.

Tulip ‘Orange Princess’

one of the little narcissi

I had wanted to deadhead and the Anchorage Cottages and then plant three plants in Long Beach on the way home.  A long rain storm passed over us all the way south so we just went straight to the…

Port of Ilwaco.

looking west from the east end port garden (Allan’s photo)

Editorializing: Nearby, grass by the parking lot was Round-up-ed.  Does it look better this way or green?

Now it does not have to be mowed or strimmed.  But…

narcissi to deadhead (Allan’s photo)

prowling for deadheads (Allan’s photo)

Tulip turkestanica closed up for the evening (Allan’s photo)

garden boat at Time Enough Books.  (Owner Karla named it, not me.)

I had picked some rosemary for Salt Hotel’s kitchen and, after delivering it and having a pleasant chat with Julez and Laila, we returned home, after making a spontaneous stop to pop three plants into one of the Ilwaco planters (Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’, a variegated oregano and a golden thyme).

More knee thoughts:  From my seat in the van, upon leaving and arriving home, I see this cluster of grassy weeds on the edge of the garden.

little weeds

I find it extremely difficult to believe that I am supposed to not pull these for THREE months after the operation.  I know the first month will hurt, but come on!  There is no way I am going to be able to resist pulling weeds like this, especially if I am not going to work.  Some long handled tools are in order; I am used to bending right down and grabbing out any weed I see.

a grand bit of front garden

Tulip ‘Green Star’

front garden

Erysimum ‘Winter Orchid’

Erythronium (dogtooth violet)

Fritillaria meleagris

Tulip ‘Gavota’, three years old and getting smaller in flower

Guest photo:

bouquet and photo by Todd Wiegardt for a memorial service

Ginger’s Garden Diaries

from my mother’s garden diaries of two decades ago

1997 (age 72):

March 26:  Don came to help chipping of pile behind garage but the chipper cord was stuck too tight to start machine.  I left message for Bill [her “handyman”] to see if he can get it going.

1998 (age 73):

March 26: 1:00-4:30  Cool—rainy and sunshine.  I started a big job today.  How come I like to work in my strawberries best?  I started cleaning the rows.  The first one was easy—mostly new plants from Gordons.  But by the time I started the second row, I realized most plants needed to be divided and it’s easier to dig all the plants and divide them at the work table so I tried that but got rained on.  I divided them in the greenhouse.  I hope to continue this work tomorrow but it will take several days.

 

Read Full Post »