Apropos of Nothing v.16

Apropos of nothing- look! A pile of concrete!

Looks smaller in the photo. Felt a LOT bigger to my back... ;)

Kathy, I love that thought that your mom and Nick are together, and that he welcomed her with doggy kisses and tail wagging. It warms my heart. You are one amazing woman yourself, so generous with your heart, spirit, and wisdom. I wish you peace and healing through the grief.

It also matters a lot to me that we here can share our hard times and emotions as well as pretty plants. Without that, we would be missing the depth of soul in the garden.

Pony the concrete queen!!

Ummmm, pony, umm, lucky you! You and I have very differing taste in what we want as presents (this from a woman who asked, and received, a cement mixer a couple of christmases ago). May I post you some a few further tons to add to the pile?

katie, I hope you enjoyed your time in the garden - they are very healing places for all of us. It certainly has certainly allowed all of us to hold hands over the past few years. Take care.

Where is Pix, she would know about the Petasites - and she may even have a few spares. PIX?!! Come answer this question. The Hakenochloa grass, if it is the stripey lime green one, I have if you want a few 'innernational' (have you ever noticed American's leave the T out when pronouncing that?) bits.

Ooh, I'd love to have a cement mixer. What fun I could have!

You're welcome to send me more concrete chunks, but I imagine the postage would be a bit high... o.0

Laurie, We're compensating for the extra syllable you Brits add to "aluminum" ;)

(although I think it's really just a softer "t" Not inT ernational, but in_ter national, so it sort of softens up in the middle.... )

I think Kathy said that Pix was on vacation-I'm speculating maybe a boat trip???


Kathy, I wrote you on FB-take care.

I had to say it several times out loud. I think I do lighten up the T enough so as to make it a D or disappear all together. I hadn't noticed that.

Kathy, hugs and healing wishes, and I too love the thought that your mom and Nick were intertwined and are now together. But it's always hard to lose a mother because of all the memories she holds of your infancy and childhood, and so you need to take care of yourself. Can you make a memorial for both of them as well as for little Kathy?

I had to say "international" several times, too. I think I say the "t" but softly.

Pony, I love your present! One Christmas I asked for a toolkit from my stepfather; he had a lot of fun buying the components for me and I still have it today - when I can wrest it from DH. But since he takes care of car repairs now I don't really need it; when I was in college I had a TR-3 that I had to work on myself because mechanics didn't like to fool around with it. You can't fix modern cars yourself, though. Mostly we have to take them to a mechanic.

I can hear the word international being said over and over in different ways, different inflections, and different voices. We are a hoot.

Kathy, as you walk the garden remember that we are all holding hands and sharing your grief.

I totally drop the t in international. We have some stickers for cars that spell Orygun for Oregon, I saw one and told him that they also don't use the r in Washington, but here we always put in the r. Its funny with language, how misspoken it can be and still understood.

I am so sorry about your mom. Its such a hard loss and you seem to have a good handle on it. If she can see you, she would rather see you in your garden creating more beauty on earth instead of deep in sorrow. Have you thought of Lady's Mantle for your garden? I just got a cool black plant Actaea Hillside Black Beauty or something like that. I am putting in some aurea forest grass and Lady's Mantle in with it. My biggest problem is I keep on stuffing things in gardens and its so crowded, but I always manage to poke a few more in. I don't understand how people can have will power and actually design a garden, if its all done then where do you put your new cool plant in?

Pony, nice concrete. I had some customers yesterday that had picked up some curbs from a road project. They were planning on using them for steps but I could not understand how that shape could be a step that was stable. If I can figure it out in my head, I may pick up a couple myself. Meanwhile I sure hope you remember your back. Bad backs and concrete do NOT mix well.

rebeccane - pick up the curbstones and stash them some where, if you don't you will be kicking dust wishing you had. Run, don't walk, get them girl. And if you don't use them, I'm sure you'll find someone who can.

Rebeccane, that was the first thing I thought of also - Don't hurt your back, Pony.
I agree with Laurie - get those curbs.

Is that legal?

Wait, guys... what present did I get? I'm so confused. LOL

If you mean the concrete, that wasn't exactly a present. A lady needed it out of her yard, and I spent two afternoons killing myself to load it and bring it home. All by myself. Because I'm SMRT. :p

Was hoping to start on the building phase today, but my back and shoulder both tell me they will mutiny if I do anything more strenuous than lifting a glass of iced tea. So I guess I'm taking it easy today. ;)

That's what we were thinking that you would overdo it.

Rebeccacane is the one getting some curbstones. Sorry to confuse you. That's usually the state I'm in.

I spend a great deal of time confused... hehe.

Don't I always overdo it with the lifting and hauling and lugging? At least I'm consistent. ;D

I saw some of those curbs on Craigslist, and wanted them so bad- but they are too big and heavy for me to get by myself. They'd make brilliant bed borders, though!

katie hugs for you and all your furryfaces. We are going through the first anniversary of my mom's death and it is amazing that it's been a year already. I'm still not ready for time to be moving forward.

Pony didn't that guy that is hiding behind your pile of concrete help you at all? It is a lovely pile though. REST!

The way we pronounce and spell our language is the reason a lot of us can't spell.

I'm resting! I'm resting! hehe. Today is a day of lazing. Not doing a darned thing. As for the guy in the yard- that's Dave, and he never lifts a finger to help... maybe because he doesn't have any. LOL!

They always have excuses. ^_^

Bahaha! Don't they, though! ;)

Willow, I finally got a decent shot of the two mallows happily taking over the whole area they're in... I just love them! :)

First bloom of 'So Lovely' lives up to her name. :)

Oh they are so pretty. I love them too. When they start to look bad just cut them down and they will re-grow quickly.
I went over to the plant forum and read up on the persian shield. Seems they are easy to root cuttings in water. And they do bloom, blue someone said, but they are very small flowers. They get 3' wide and 5' tall and the leaves can be 8-9" long. Can't wait to see what happens.

Love the mallows together like that!

So Lovely is indeed lovely. Everything in your garden looks glorious and healthy.

Keep taking photos of persian shield as it grows- so I can drool from afar. ;)

I am thrilled the mallows are doing so well- I want to divide them this fall so I can have them in both the front and back gardens. :)

Gwen- thank you. Not *everything* in my garden is glorious and healthy, but of course I only take photos of the stuff that is... hehe. ;)

Hugs, Katie.
I am sorry for your loss and the time it has taken for me to send you these thoughts.
We were caught up in my stepdaughter's wedding this past weekend. What a poignant reminder of how life passes through its cycles.
Cindy

PONY!!! Your concrete chunk pile was what I was referring to. Lovely prezzie, even if it is self gifted.

Okay- just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed something... LOL! ;p

It is a lovely pile of chunky goodness- I hope it's enough to finish the ring around the tree. I'll be so happy to have all that space to fill with plants! :)

WW, hard to believe it's been a year already since your mom's passing. HUGS to you as well. The grandmother of my DIL in OR died yesterday. They knew it was coming, but still is hard nevertheless.

Yey, Pony is resting. Just slow and easy. Great pile of chunkies. They will make a great addition to your garden.

Stayed off of the puter so I would actually get some work done this weekend...

Kathy, I too loved the image of your Mom and Nick crossing over together. Could there be anything more comforting than having a companion to help you enter in to the unknown? Hopefully the garden and your furbabies brought you a measure of peace...

Pony, The concrete was a good score. Rest well before you start hauling again!

The mallow have lovely big seed pods and self sow a little, not bad.

Excellent- I'll be waiting to collect those seeds with my little paper cup... hehehe.

Working on the new bed isn't gonna happen today either- I'm still really hurty and just not feeling great. Got a killer sinus headache, too. Maybe the weather change is causing that. Dunno.

Pony, have you tried using Arnica cream on your sore muscles? I find it almost a miracle solution for when I have over done it - best used immediately - as soon as you know you've done toomuch, but I think it would still be of benefit.

Pony, when was your last physical? Have the dr do a test for Grave's Disease. I was just diagnosed with it yesterday (confirmed by lab tests). My sister has advanced stages of it. Check it out, it is treatable and can go into remission with proper treatment. Get better soon.

Oh, yes, arnica is wonderful stuff!

I use arnica on bumps and bruises. Does seem to help with them. The pain that gets me isn't muscular, though- it's my degenerated disc in my back that hurts so much, and sometimes my sciatic nerve gets pinchy and sends pain down through my hips and legs. No herbals or ointments have ever helped me with that.

Lynn, never heard of Grave's disease- but looking at the list of symptoms, I don't think that one has anything to do with me. I hope the treatment helps both you and your sister!

Pony,
I have good luck using Capzasin on my knee, neck and back. Like you, I have injury and to think something on the skin can totally cure it, is not realistic. However it helps me a lot with the pain and I have tried many, many things. I do use the one with the applicator though, I used the other and put it on with my hands. Washed my hands well with hot water and the next day stuck a finger in my eye and it hurt fierce. Sometimes a little pain relief like that can let you sleep and enjoy life, I do know how your back must hurt. Disc stuff is not for sissys or for concrete hauler....nagging again.

I loved the pix of your mallows. I have the same ones, not close to each other though, really pretty. I like them because the just are non stop blooms and not fussy. My favorite thing right now is the dierama. It may be my all around favorite plant, for sure my favorite bulb. In full bloom they are all dangling in the wind, hummers fight over them and deer and wind don't bother them. Perfect except they are gopher magnets. I found one whole clump was gone and put in a trap and that gopher was so fat, he looked like a rabbit, he had eaten the whole clump of bulb. I nicely stuck him in under another bunch for good fertilizer. Justice.

I didn't go and get the curbs. No time and I don't need another project now, in the middle of so many. Best to leave it alone, sometimes free can be very costly. I would have hurt myself, if not packing them home, then installing them somewhere or storing them, oh yeah, where would I store them? I work so hard to get rid of my junk, just like me to pack more home. Later I will be sorry...I know it already.

Oh, boy- I'd be in big trouble if I used Capzasin. I'm horribly allergic to Capsaicin, which is the active ingredient in that stuff. I'd be one big blister. I've yet to find a topical treatment that helps my back. They sure can feel nice on muscle aches, though.

I've been out there lugging concrete around, and I have made good progress. The ring around the tree is about 3/4 of the way now. :) I should probably knock off for the day before I damage myself any worse. I don't think I have enough cardboard left to line the rest anyway, so I'll have to scrounge some up from the grocery store or something.

I've never seen dierama before. Just looked it up- it is really pretty. I can picture the hummers going crazy over it. :)

Um... so I did have enough cardboard. And I kinda forgot to stop. I got the beds all built. And I actually have a bunch of concrete left over, so I can do another small bed or two elsewhere in the yard. Yes, I totally overdid it again. Yes, I'm in big pain. But I got it DONE. Next step will be to go buy the soil to fill them. I have a feeling I'm gonna have to wait a day or two before I'll be able to move again, though. hehe.

Picture please, that is if you can lift you arms to hold the camera.

If I was your mother I'd give you a thunk on the head. Silly girl.

I got up on the ladder and worked on the climber. Cut off a couple strays going the wrong way, cut out dead stuff and took off all the black spotted leaves. Tomorrow I will tie some new branches in the right direction and fertilize again.