Strawberry season

I spent this evening gathering fresh strawberries out of my garden. I processed two quarts by washing them, slicing them and sugaring them for strawberry shortcakes. The rest I put in a pot to wait until I get them turned into jam.

Last year this time, I usually did them as soon as they came into the house. Of course, I worked nights then. Still, even though I did them, I was usually only half asleep. These days, I'm up early and to bed early, getting much more rest, feeling like I have a lot less day, even though it is after dark until I get to sleep. But I sleep more.

I still have to figure out how I want to do these strawberries. I'll probably wait until Saturday unless I'm feeling energetic tomorrow night. Who knows. Usually Fridays I do stay up well past the bewitching hour and do feel energetic. Maybe I'll make at least some of the jam tomorrow. I have enough strawberries to make three batches of jam. However, I'll be lucky to have enjoy sugar for two.

We love strawberries in the house. That's why I grow a patch, harvest it and make desserts and jams out of it. After the season is over this year, I will rip out the plants as they are now getting old and replace them in the spring. The process will start over again without a crop next year. We'll have plent of jam to last us until the next harvest. Fresh ones could be at a premium though. I guess we'll just have to survive on the California berries that are shipped here around March or so.

A funny thing happened on the way...

I have a photo contest coming up the 16th of June. Of course, in preparation of this, there is a lot of photographing going on around my house. The contest of roses, but I'm never one to resist a pretty shot. The other day I was out because the rose beds were in their glory. Husband caught the bug when he saw me walking around the garden and got his camera as well. Between us, we took 156 shots.
I got the camera with the most shots uploaded first, cleaned it out in preparation for the next shoot and hooked up the second camera.

Husband couldn't wait until the larger slower camera was uploaded and decided to look at the pictures already on the computer. All these 100 photos were selected as he looked at them. Then he said to me, "I'll show ya somethin'. This one is blurry so I'll delete it." He hit delete and sat there staring at the computer as each of the 100 pictures disappeared, one at a time!

"Oh," he said, "You can upload them again since I

accidently deleted them. I responded that I had already deleted them from the camera. YIKES!! There were pictures in that bunch that I really wanted for the photo contest.

After some digging, we found out where the computer stores deleted picture files and were able to restore them. I told Husband he was lucky that we found them. Otherwise....

These are a few of those pictures from the retreived deleted files. Yep, I was not happy about that incident. I told Husband to keep his hands off my computer from now on. He's always complaining anyway that I don't have my machine set up the same way he has his set up. He was lucky we found those files.

Right Now

Gruss an Aachen, rose, considered the first floribunda actually introduced 30 years before the class. This is my favorite rose. It's hardy, disease resistant and very fragrant Since it was introduced in 1909 it is often considered an antique rose.



My tall bearded Iris garden is in full bloom right now. There are nine different hybrids in this bed and soon to be more.

Today's Shots

Some favorite shots from the garden today...



Theresa Bougnet, Hybrid Rugosa, very fragrant










Baronne Provest, Hybrid Perpetual, very fragrant











Gnus Flash, Tall Bearded Iris, fragrant, rare stripped variety

















L. Candida, clematis, large dinnerplate flower, introduced in the 1890's. My favorite clematis and the only one I'll have in my garden.




























Romantic Evening, Tall Bearded Iris

Something Pretty

Barrone Provest. This is a lovely but not small Hybrid Perpetural old rose from the late 1800's. I got this plant when I visited Vintage Gardens near San Francisco and had it shipped home. The plant was one cane, quite small but bloomed well. I kept it in a pot and moved it with me where ever I went while building the house. That was in 2001. Now, the plant is an easy 6½ feet tall, just as wide. The fragrance from her hundreds of flowers wafts into my office. This plant is lovely. Not only tall, but bushy and wide and blooms quite well. Repeats well. Even though it is more disease resistant than my other Hybrid Perpetural, Frau Karl Druschki, it still wants weekly attention to keep it healthy. If you have a large spot that is crying out for a rose, this is one I would recommend. The fragrance is strong and heavenly.

A Busy Day

Today was one of the biggest Saturdays of the year for me. It started bright and early with a plant auction in the Conestoga Historical Society http://www.lancastercountyheritage.com/heritage/cwp/view.asp?a=627&q=464544 http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacahs/wagon.htm. There, almost as soon as I got there, they were auctioning off a beautiful 3" cal. Zalkova elm which I got for a whopping $45. That's easily a $350 tree in these parts. It was one of the first things to be auctioned off. That's why I got it so cheap. After that everything started going for much, much higher so it was time to go. From there I went to the Penn State Extension here in Lancaster, where they were having their annual native plant sale. I had been there in March for their symposium, now for their sale. I managed to get some native plants that are still waiting to be planted. I'll get there.

After that, there were trips to Home Depot and Lowe's to look at shower tile. Did I tell you that I'm remodeling the master bath so that there is a huge 2 person shower in there as well as my whirlpool? I am also putting a window above the tub that will look out to a million dollar view of the mountain as well as let in some really great southern natural light. I'd also like to put ceramic tile floor in there, as well as a ceramic tile surround around the tub. I want a new vanity with two bowls and a granite top. The shower wall will be lowered to about 6 feet to let in natural light and will also make for a great plant shelf up there. I don't want much. Anyway, while we were there, I also looked at the hanging baskets. I want two for the front porch and three or four for the patio pots. Of course, everything at Home Depot and Lowe's are so generic that I was disappointed. So, we ended up at my favorite little flower shop right here in Conestoga called Tudbinks where for half the price of Lowe's and Home Depot's generic pots, you get some of the most beautiful custom made hanging flower pots. Of course I got hanging pots for my porch and pots for inside my pation urns.

Finally getting home, I put the hanging pots in my decorative hangers on the porch and place the pots in the urns on the patio. It was time for a short break. Shortly, the neighbor lady came over and was wondering where I found those gorgeous purple flower pots that she saw all the way at the top of Green Hill Road. I use deep royal purple patunias and yellow patunias for my back patio and this year I've also added a little red patunias as well. The front is red geraniums with something dangly, this year is sweet potato vine and orange miniature patunias. Apparently these pots stood out so much that the neighbor lady saw them all the way up the hill on her way home.

Then I hand fertilized about 2/3's of my roses, made myself a grilled cheese sandwich and helped find the perfect spot for the 500 lb. elm. Now I am no ready to call it a day. I think I'll run a bath and turn on those jets.

Checking the Lines

This happens every so often at the power lines that run across the back of my property. It's really cool to watch these guys as they check the power lines to make sure everything is operating fine. When I'm out and they come overhead, they'll often wave. I wave back.

This fellow is sitting on a platform. He probably has a place there where he can keep whatever tools he needs to do his job.

There is another team that will fly over and this fellow stands on the sleighs to inspect the cables. I have to admit, standing on the sleighs makes me nervous. I think it would be hard to keep your balance.

Still, it's cool to watch them as they go about their business.

More Garden Pictures

Virginia Blue Bells. Very short season. Once the blooms are spent, the plant will go dormant again until next year. It does spread but very slowly. One of the most beautiful of plants. I wait for this one every year.









Tahiti daffodil. Continually a nice double daffodil year after year.








Purple Leaf Cherry blossoms. This is the start of the season for this tree. When in full bloom, you will see only flowers. The rest of the summer it has these beautiful purple leaves that turn an even brighter purple in the fall. A lovely contrast to the bronze of the red oak and the yellow of the tulip poplar.





Leopard's Bane. A short lived perennial. I thought two years ago that this plant was done. Then this year, it appear out of nowhere in a different spot than it was and growing nicely. This is such a beautiful flower.

Dalsnaugh Daffidol. One of my favorite double daffidols. This one has a tendency to be rather finicky, looking like this only when the conditions are just right.

I've been busy in the garden, as usual this time of year, weeding and cleaning up all the gardens and getting them ready for mulch. It's been harder than usual as I was changing shifts last year and had to get adjusted to that. Hence I left the garden go. I have 8 beds ready for the mulch and 5 more to go. I've also been planting the little plants I bought this spring. All the roses are pruned, shaped and fed. Now to finish the beds and get them ready for mulch. If anyone wants to volunteer to help weed, let me know.

flowers

Flowering Quince










Flowering Almond








Cleveland Pear










Any questions?

Spring

It seems that spring has finally gotten here. It's been in the mid 70s for the past two days. The daffodils are blooming, the birds are building nests and the garden work is never ending.

However, today, I was able to get some things done. I had been pruning roses for the past two weeks. I was hoping to finish them today, but some errands got in that way and I'll be finishing the last half of the last bush tomorrow. Then to fertilize the last eight , seven of which I pruned to day and the one I will finish tomorrow. Then it's time to renew my personal relationship with the hoe.

The roses I pruned today were the 5 year old miniature monsters in my front yard -- Peaches & Cream. The bushes are big, but very thick and with a lot of dead in the middle. They were able to butcher up my arms pretty good until I got the bright idea to put on my extra long gloves that would protect me up to my elbows.

This evening I decided to start my last two garments for my spring/summer wardrobe. There is a fabric store going out of business here (a bad thing), but the fabric was on sale for a decent percentage off. I went nuts in there a while back and bought about $100 of fabric for a series of garments for my spring/summer wardrobe. These last two are a matching shell and skirt. It is a lovely black/white fabric with verticle bands of lace and bands of flowers and bands of pasley. Black/white fabric seems to be in this year. It shouldn't take me long to get these done. The skirt is almost together now, after an hour of sewing it. Finishing the seams seem to take up the most time. The shell will take a little longer since it has sleeves. It'll be pretty when it's done.

Saturday, April 14, 2007 (7:31pm)

What a beautiful day today. It was surely a surprise. I was expecting it to be somewhat stormy, cold and miserable as it has been for April so far. The forsythia are in bloom and the cooler temps are allowing them to stay in bloom so much longer that warmer years. That’s a good thing. I’ve spent as much time as possible out in the garden pruning and fertilizing the roses. Oh, they aren’t done yet, but I have more than 3/4 of them done. I need a part of one more day to finish them.

I’ve been enjoying my quiet time out in the garden. It’s where I want to be. I’m not all that interested in TV and I don’t listen to the radio much. I have my sewing for the inside times and of course the house to take care of. My most company these days are the pets. Both Shalimar and Bratley have been very good kids. It concerns me that Bratley keeps getting fatter and fatter. I’ve also noticed that his new bag of dog food seems to be vanishing a little to quickly. I’m thinking that Bob is over feeding him and there’s simply nothing I can say to him to make him understand that.

As I was out fertilizing what roses were ready before the heavy rains come in tonight, I was listening to the neighbors as they gathered next door. I felt very alone just then. A very familiar feeling but also depressing. It felt so sadly normal. I felt alone, like I would always be alone.

It is forecasted to rain pretty much all of next week. That’s OK. I will be able to finish my summer wardrobe and get it in my closet, get the house cleaned and rest.

Native Flowers in bloom

Bloodroot, a native wildflower that is difficult to start. This one seemed dormant for at least two years. I simply forgot that I had planted it, or thought it died. Then, last year, it appeared out of the blue with two flowers! This year it seems much better, much larger and it has also moved from where it was last year. It is about 5 inches due east. I didn't move it. It makes me curious, though, as to where I'll find it next year. I'm just glad that it has decided to finally strut it's stuff. It is a deep shade wild flower and seems to really like it in the very moist soil up against the house with the snakeroot. The snakeroot is only now starting to poke it's lovely deep purple leave above the soil.



The rarely seen flowers of the native spice bush. This is the first time this bush has blossomed for me. Right now it's not quite waste high but will mature at 10'x10'. When a bird planted a malberry tree right beside it, I asked at the environmental center which would they move. They told me to get rid of the malberry. Difficult to transplant, this bush was given to me as a tiny stick by my friend, Sandy who has them growing in her woods. It prefers a little more shade but will get it as the tulip poplar grows.

A Story

Last weekend I had my sister, Lori and her husband over for dinner. I had gotten an order of onion sets for the garden and as usual, I was actually sent two bunches. Instead of throwing one bunch away, I had made arrangements for her to take them off my hands and get dinner in the mix. It was a nice dinner. But, as the evening wore on, we ended up in my office where I was showing her the latest prizes of fabric I had acquired at a "Going Out of Business Sale" of a local fabric store. Then the more we talked, we ended up in the bedroom closet and I tried to get her to become the owner of some blouses I had hanging that I know I may never wear again. She did try them on and they fit her perfectly. But all she would say was "I can't take these, you made them."

I made a lot of clothes over the years.

I started sewing at the ripe age of 8 for the local 4-H chapter. I started with the usual hot pads, etc. and went from there. In high school, I took a home ec. course to fill in some time. The year's project was something that could be modeled and would be graded strictly. Mom took me to Lapp's Dry Goods where I found a lovely skirt pattern and a wonderful large checked wool fabric that would make a perfect skirt. The pattern had a nice waistband, zipper and hem, but nonetheless, it was still a skirt. The teacher knew that I would wipe that pattern out in one period and decided that it was time for me to learn something new. She showed me how to make the entire skirt, from beginning to end, with the handstitch used by the pilgrims. All seams had to be perfectly straight, the zipper had to be inserted according to the directions but with an exact ¼" back stitch as were all the seams of this garmet. Ms. Zepp, my teacher, told me that my project would be graded on the same scale as all the rest and it had to be perfect. I got an "A" on the project and got to model when the school had a modeling show. Then it was put in one of the display cases, with the discription of how it was made and it's grade to be displayed for the rest of the term. I was proud of that skirt and wore it into my college years.

This blouses fit Lori and she should have taken them. I'm now making a whole bunch more. I don't need the old ones anymore.

Early Spring

The Crocus are making their annual appearance in my garden right now. Very pretty.

The Fat Lady

I've seen robins, starlings and red-winged blackbirds. The eagles are flying as well as the Canadian geese and the Snow geese. But spring isn't really here until the toads sing. They are the equivalant of the "Fat Lady".

Today was a lovely 65° and after work I went out to get some work done in the garden. Instead I mostly chatted with the neighbor. The socializing was much needed. But after we were finished, I took a can of garden depris to the compost bin and I heard in the background that noise that I've been waiting to hear. It came from the run-off pond beyond the rear of my property and I smiled. Spring had definitely sprung with the song of the toads. Or should I say, "The Fat Lady Sang."

More Migration

Besides the thousands of geese I saw overhead today, I went outside to cook dinner. Nice day, dinner outside. What can I say. Low and behold, there were the red-winged blackbirds, back from their winter roost. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Birds/ForestAndField/RedWingedBlackbirdCallingFromBullrush.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Birds/ForestAndField/index.html&h=768&w=1024&sz=128&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=VJYrrEh-fqVK4M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dred%2Bwinged%2Bblackbirds%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den

Another sure sign of spring. I am soooo ready.

Migration

A small part of the Susquehanna River at the Safe Harbor Hydro Plant in Safe Harbor, PA.

If you are into Wow! factors, the Canadian geese are flying overhead this morning, about 10,000 head strong per flock. They should continue to fly overhead in these numbers for about a week bringing with them - spring.

If you really want a thrill, be crossing the Susquehanna River this time of day, this time of year. The geese are just getting started on their day's journey and are flying in flocks 10 times this size and are really low! Millions of them. They will actually make you duck inside your car, they are so low. It is one of the more humbling sights of nature.

Last week the Snow geese went overhead. They don't fly in such large flocks, their sound is slightly different and the black tips of their wings stand out against their white bodies. The Snow geese come first in fewer numbers, then the Canadian geese.

I've noticed that the Black-eyed Juncos are much more active. My guess is, they will be leaving in the next couple of weeks for more cooler temps. We should be getting into the high 50s or low 60s by the end of the weekend. I need to start getting into the garden. It's time to transplant and prepare for the early crops.

Shalimar

I got home from work last evening and as usual, Bratley was by the door waiting to greet me. Always a nice thing. Then Shalimar came running up but she was noticably in distress. She was choking. Her inability to breath was alarming and I started screaming at Husband asking how long she had been in this condition. He came running out telling me he hadn't noticed any problems with her until now.

I called the vet wanting an immediate appointment. They offered one at 9:30 the next morning. My response was "How about NOW?" I told them I was bringing her in, she was in extreme distress and I'd be there in 20 minutes.

Shalimar has a cold which appeared to stimulate her asthma. Now, no medication for both the cold and the asthma she is doing much better. She will be on medication for the next 10 days. Hopefully this doesn't happen to often. She scared me half to death.

Another Storm Yuck.

Another winter storm. Yuck. The last one did me in and I'm not interested in doing this again. I really need someplace warm.

This Weekend

Saturday was a wonderful day for me. It was the "Mid-Winters" convention sponsored by the Penn-Jersey Rose Society. I haven't been to this convention for any number of reasons for a number of years. This year, I not only went, but entered the photo contest that they have.

It's been awhile since I'd won any photo contests so a win was really needed. And so I did! The cluster photo of Patio Pearl took 1st place in it's class. It didn't win best in show, but this award has always seemed to ellude me. Still, a 1st place was very good and I am feeling better than I have in awhile.

Today was another good day. Inbetween snow squalls, we went to the nearby Conestoga River to get some pictures and home movies. We weren't there long because it is still pretty cold, but we did get some pretty nice shots of the river and the local wildlife.

The water in the river basin was so clear you could see all the way to the bottom and it looked quite shall, though it is rather deep right here. This is the mouth of the Conestoga River where it empties into the Susquehanna River.

This little White Throated Sparrow posed sweetly for me, letting me get rather close without being anxious. He just went about his business of finding and eating food as I took pictures of him. It was almost like he knew what I was doing and approved.