Spring Flowers!

I'm so so grateful to be back to the Springtime portion of our wheel 🎡🎡🎡 even if my garden is trying to kill me

It's Gone

I've been so sad for the four days it took to fell the magnificent maple. And oh, the carnage! The casualties noted so far: three forsythias, seven hydrangeas, three boxwoods, four rosebushes, too many hostas, ferns, daisies, and day lilies to count, the entire front lawn, a fence, one kitchen window, one majestic tree, and my hot hot house.

Our gorgeous tree is being taken down today -- thank you for your beauty, your hospitality to the birds and squirrels, cooling and shading our home and patio, and all of that oxygen! RIP, you will be missed.

Summer Storm

Phin was so sad when he looked out the window this morning. He cried as he told me how much he loved that trampoline. I said that we can probably get a new one and he assured me that it would be okay if we got a smaller one. Sweet boy.

The other storm casualty... Charles came out from work and the street where he'd parked had flooded! The water seeped into the car and reached the seats, etc.

My Favorite Flower

The peonies popped this morning! -- with iris (inhale)

Assessment

What have I been doing?  I have been assessing, and obsessing about assessing.  First of all, our lawn has grubs and in other places it isn't growing.  It also is growing moss, and why wouldn't it since we apparently live in a swamp?  The rain!  It just keeps coming, and the weeds keep growing, and I have to bring all of the clothes off the line at a moments notice, and the lightning!  The thunder shakes you deep inside followed by the fire engine sirens signaling another run to put out the sparks.  And the humidity!  I cannot ever remember it being quite this bad.  Maybe this no A/C thing isn't such a good idea... no we're fine, it is quite cooling to use the body's mechanism, also known as sweating, and then let the ceiling fans do their magic.  Where was I?  The heat is making me loopy.  Oh, long story short I paid someone to assess my lawn and tell me what I can organically do to get it healthy and thriving again.  They'll get back to me in three weeks.


Secondly, I sent in my picture for a body profiling assessment at Dress Your Truth.  That only took a few days, but in the meantime I was devouring books and information online, searching madly for clues to explain me to me so that I can find my true calling and get on with it already.  After all of that wading I didn't feel like waiting any longer so I tried to cancel that assessment, but they had already finished it.  Ooh, exciting!  What would they say?  I had pretty much decided who I am, so I was prepared to be unimpressed as they told me something different.  The sceptic in me was quite sure that that part would all be hooey, but it was exactly what I had already figured out!  Wow.  So it is all very interesting and I am pretty much obsessed with it at the moment so if anyone wants to talk about it with me I could gladly blather on about it for hours.


The two oldest are at camp for the week so it is quieter and I can't just run out the door without baby any old time I want.  What the...?  (As Miss Ibby would say, so cute every time).  I miss them (and not just for what they can do for me).  And they are having to sleep outside with all these crazy storms roiling around -- yikes!

and the livin' is easy

Summertime, summertime, summer, summer, summertime.  Not much time to blog, blog, blog, but having a delightful time.  Ella went to Youth Conference late last week and it was so different being with only our three youngest.  Such a change in the dynamics and we actually had some time alone in the evening.  On Saturday we fetched big boy from the airport and had a full report on the BYU basketball camp -- definitely a great program and a hit with our guy.  He talked the whole way home with a full report on everything from hiking with his lovely cousin up Rock Canyon on a drizzly afternoon, to the amazing-ness of cookie dough milk (?) from the creamery, to the fact that his team won the whole tournament.  It has been incredibly rainy and humid in these parts (muggy, muggy, good for the skin; muggy, muggy, GREAT for the skin -- my new mantra) and the weeds are commanding quite a bit of my attention.  The garden is coming along and some fresh picked chard accompanied my poached eggs for breakfast this morning.


Also, Charles started an online math class (because he is utterly and completely mortified to be in Algebra 1 as a freshman, which is totally my fault since I homeschooled him in 6th grade, not realizing that that was THE definitive year in which the die of the rest of his life would be cast, but now do realize after receiving his schedule a few weeks ago for his entire high school career (?), which he handed over very reluctantly along with some comment about how he hadn't shown it to us earlier because he didn't want to hear about how he'd be living in our basement as an adult, and how the schedule was cast in stone and there was nothing we could do about his loser future, but after making some calls found that he can indeed catch up in math, which is his best subject, and therefore also be in the honors science class and more than likely someday get into college and having a run-on sentence like this is completely acceptable since I framed it in parentheses...) so he will be on the computer for about six (!) hours a day and I won't be seeing much of my beloved and ridiculously large computer screen.  Do you think I should go get myself a laptop?


Along with not writing, has been a lot of not reading blogs which makes me sad.  I always find so many interesting things to read!  I was recently reading how my newfound blogging friend Jen made her own deodorant -- that is something I need to try -- to go along with my baking soda hair.  I haven't used antiperspirant for years, since I first read about the harmful effects, and have had various levels of luck with different brands of more natural deodorant.  As my children have gotten older and deodorant is required in their P.E. class, I especially didn't want them rubbing aluminum directly into their lymph nodes.  My 14 year old son does not approve, in any way, of my no aluminum rule and overcompensates by using an inordinate amount of body spray -- one can even smell it outside as it wafts out of the fan vent into the yard.  What is in that stuff?  It can't be good.  I wonder how frankincense would go over with him as a natural alternative?

wilting

It is amazing, but I did actually get what I wanted and never thought I would really get: all day yesterday it was blazing hot, sunny, and windy -- a perfect clothes drying day; then in the evening the thunder rolled and the rain poured -- just the thing my garden needed after such an exhausting day.  And I thought I was praying for the impossible.  Thank you!

I don't know if I can handle this heat.  I wasn't quite ready for it and we can't just run to the swimming pool to cool off.  It was quite chilly just on Friday!  Our upstairs was so hot last night even with all the fans going.   Is it really like that all summer?  It is always so funny how we forget the seasonal sensations.  In the hot, hot summer one cannot imagine cool wind actually blowing from the sky and in the frigid winters one can't imagine walking around the house without sweaters and wool socks -- and going outside and feeling warm?  Inconceivable!  For the most part we are completely fine without an air conditioner, but I think that has a lot to do with our blood thinning out and our bodies adjusting to the temperature.  We simply haven't had time yet.  Does that really happen?  I'll have to look that up.  In the meantime, we may just have to move to our summer home -- in the basement.  It stays nice and cool all season long.

We did spend yesterday evening in the depths of our house -- watching the finale of Lost.  Is that an inappropriate activity for Family Home Evening? (Don't worry everyone -- the little ones were just bopping around playing legos and not watching at all). We went out and planted flowers around the communal lamp post as service first, and then made it into a real event with me actually allowing them to eat snacks in the family room.  Ella wanted to get Dharma initiative t-shirts for everyone and scatter palm trees around, but I thought letting them eat chips was going quite far enough, thank you very much indeed.

rubbish

Today is garbage pick-up day and I am infinitely and inexhaustibly thankful that we have such a luxury!  I read this horrible book, don't ever read it, I won't even tell you the name so that you can't and won't, and it was set in New York City and it was the end of the world and the garbage stopped being picked up.  Gasp!  How horrible would that be?  Well, the rats liked it, did I tell you I didn't like that book?  I try really hard to not produce very much garbage.  We recycle what we can, try to eat fresh foods that didn't come in plastic and cardboard, use cloth diapers, cloth napkins, cloth cloths (instead of paper towels), buy bigger packaging instead of lots of little things, give things to people we know or Goodwill, reuse what we can, etc.  I am always amazed (judgmental) at my neighbors when I see how much garbage they accumulate in one week and most of them have only two or three people living in their houses.  However!  For the garbage that we do have, I am always so grateful that I can drag the smelly bag out to the street and say farewell to it.  Living in Illinois I don't even feel too terribly bad about the landfill since there seems to be plenty of land to fill.  I am also glad that they come to take our leaves away, although a big fall bonfire might be nice.

A Toad Lily by any other name would not smell as sweet

About the weed.  I have a very shady garden and am perpetually looking for perennials to stick here or there that will thrive in the dark and dank flower beds.  Whenever I read about shade gardens or talk to someone, hostas are always mentioned and I do have hostas, but I would love to try something else.  I am always excited to get coupons from local nurseries that offer a free perennial and use that chance to find some new sun-shunning, yet bright and lovely, flower.  Last week armed with my coupon and the baby, I perused the rows of plants.  There was a large variety of pots labeled "full sun."  Ha ~ sun!  So easy ~ any old thing likes the sun (I remark disdainfully).  It takes a certain amount of creativity and resourcefulness to design an interesting shade garden.  Aha!  There is something new.  I pick it up and see that is loves shade, positively thrives on its coolness, and it has a picture of a beautiful purply blue flower described as being "orchid-like."   I bring it home, find the ideal spot, pull the weeds out of that otherwise empty location, dig a big hole (which generally requires sawing through the roots of the tree providing all of that shade), and sit back to wait for it to bloom.  Meanwhile as I am weeding and gardening in other areas of my yard I notice that the leaves on my newfound gem look eerily familiar.  In fact, I think we have gotten up close and personal every time I am yanking said leaf out of the ground!  There is a weed that has proliferated every corner and is hard to stop.  It does have a beautiful purply blue flower so I have allowed it to linger until it is finished flowering and then it is OUT.  Lo and behold that weed is called a Toad Lily and apparently people like it and sell it and buy it with actual money.  And the flower (that I saw on the label) is super.duper.tiny.  I suppose it might be orchid-like if one could actually see it.  As a child my Uncle John told me, "A weed is just an undiscovered flower."  And that seems to be the case here.  I simply didn't appreciate what I already had and will now, of course, look at it with new eyes.  The chickweed choking my vegetables and the other prickly things poking their heads are still noxious.  This has happened once before when I actually bought a violet (loud laughter) before I realized that there is a reason that it is the state flower of Illinois and I already have a spectacular patch of it.  It is pretty for about a week and the rest of the time I am trying to separate it from the grass and the strawberries and the lavender and the roses and the basil and the boxwood and the thyme and the daisies...    Ahem, violets anyone?

Playset

::some iris love with a side of peony

::the new playset

We *love* our playground.  I am not as diligent about taking my kids to the park as I should be so this has been wonderful.  We bought it from our friends and I am afraid that most of the payment went toward their time helping us put it together ~ very kind of them!  We have wanted one for years (and now my oldest two are a bit too big for it, sad!), but I was a little worried about it being an eyesore.  Once we got it up, it seems to meld into the surroundings nicely.  The kids are out there all the time (which keeps them from doing other things, like homework, whew!).  Notice we already have the requisite ruts signifying plentiful swinging time.

What We've Been Doing

::annual mommy tea party

::silver and scones

::watercress sandwiches ~ an essential

::downy heads » POP-pies  (picture taken by Lulu)

::dancing queen

::painted ladies

Spring Chatter

Oh, life is so busy, too busy.  Spring comes with delightful baggage -- twice as many chores in a day!  I have been raking out last fall's leaves, churning up the earth for another year of riotous exuberance, and madly planting -- dahlias in front, hydrangeas in the sheltered back, and goodies in the one sunny plot.  I finally put in the vegetables.  Some of the same stars have returned for another season -- swiss chard, zucchini, and heirloom tomatoes that go into the many recipes I have collected for just those ingredients.  We also have some new faces -- arugula for that extra kick in a salad and some lemony basil.  It has such a strong lemon component we will have to see how that goes over in the pesto.  I also came across some chocolate mint that I just couldn't resist sampling at the nursery (um, that lady over there is ingesting the plants), it tasted amazing, but I couldn't quite make myself purchase a mint plant when I have plenty at home steadily overtaking the other defenseless herbs.  

I was bemoaning the unceasing drizzle last week, but now that I have been planting, I am singing a different tune, "Rain, rain, please come again.  I don't want to use my watering can!"  I am spoiled living here and not at all used to having to water my own garden!  My adorable niece was over for a visit this afternoon and said that Illinois was just the place for me.  You just put something in the ground and it grows.  (Except for my boxwoods -- I had such high hopes of a hedge in 25+ years, I will have to post a picture of its demise).  I do indeed enjoy my little piece of Earth and I watch the skies for any signs at all of precipitation (Ooh, it has gotten really dark and gray, rainfall is imminent.  Drat, here is the sun again, you know, the one I have missed all winter.  More clouds blowing our way, just a little further...).   Of course, even in the midst of my petitions, I am torn because I have also been grateful for the unseasonably dry week -- oldest boy is off with the school for a week of Outdoor Education.  They are out sleeping in tents, cooking their own food over campfires, and indulging in nature walks.  Oldest girl had a very wet week a couple of years ago so we are glad there hasn't been a duplication of that.  Surely he could survive one good afternoon soak and the plants would be much obliged, I'm sure.

Baby Come Back!

Hey Spring, come back!  We really liked you.  I hope that we didn't give you the wrong idea by complaining about the wind and the rain (and the sleet and the hail).  We were glad that we didn't have to shovel the driveway anymore and were looking forward to the blossoms and the flowers.

Last week I  began my annual tradition of making daily rounds along the flower beds.  As I balance on the bricks I notice the whorls of ferns and hostas, the nubs of the peonies breaking through the ground, and oh look, the surprise lilies grew three inches overnight!  The leaves of the irises, daylilies, daisies, and tulips have all shot up; the forsythia and hyacinth have braved their blossoms, the hydrangea has begun to replenish its leaves, and even the rosebush is covered with red sprouts.  I pause by each plant,  turn and view the yard from different vantage points, and then I begin to dream.  I could put some kind of wall over there for the wisteria to climb; a picket fence around the vegetable garden to keep the bunnies out; a Japanese garden in that corner complete with bamboo, a koi pond, and a torii gate; in the front yard a parterre with a peach tree at each front corner and a fountain in the middle...  Who am I kidding?  We can barely keep the grass mowed!  So I try to tone down my dreams a little bit.  I drive around town looking for inspiration for what grows well here --  grass, grass, grass, shrub, house; grass, grass, grass, gravel, shrub, house;  grass, grass, grass, gravel, phlox, shrub, house.  It is pretty exciting.  So I called a local nursery and paid a guy $40 to come to my house and tell me that my yard is full of roots and shade and nothing would grow well in it.  Thank you so much!  I had no idea that I had so much shade and had not noticed all of my big trees.  I really appreciate your guidance!  Those same trees also hamper my grand plans of planting one zillion bulbs in the fall because every spare hour is spent raking the generous amount of leaves they produce.  I always pine over the the frilly, multi-hued tulips, the double-headed daffodils, and the fluffly allium I failed to plant.  Sigh.

photo taken on this, the sixth day of April, 2009 -- look at the hyacinth, isn't it sad?  It can't blossom.  It can't even stand up.  (Veggie Tales allusion)

So Spring, come back, any kind of fool could see there was something in everything about you.  Spring, you can blame it all on me.  I was wrong, and I just can't live without you...

Danger

The dangers of not having a cupboard door! I found a very busy boy after turning around for one second! And no those are not virtual smudges on your computer screen, just real ones in my kitchen. It's shibui, ne?  The last eggplants from our garden -- we made the yummy eggplant casserole (recipe link on sidebar) and everyone loved it!

My Meadow

I took some pictures of the baby on the lawn yesterday. The lawn is so full of plants that are not grass it probably doesn't deserve the name "lawn" anymore. Meadow might be more appropriate. And we would then use our Meadow Mower to cut it. I like it. I adore the one of him checking out the grass. You have to imagine his chubby fingers going back and forth. Where are the Harry Potter photos when you need them? And, of course, the ubiquitous hostas.

Never Forget!

This morning I had cottage cheese with tomatoes, chives, and shiso from my garden. I love running out and picking fresh food -- you can almost feel the life still coursing through. Alas, it smells like fall out there. In actuality, I adore Autumn -- the crisp air, the brilliant blue of October skies contrasting with the golds and crimsons down below. However, I know that part of it is the need to cherish every temperate moment before... WINTER. I like parts of winter -- cozying up in a blanket, wearing sweaters, ice crystals shimmering from every branch and stem, a blanket of snow. But all the coats, scarves, mittens everywhere everywhere. Not fitting in car seats, slipping on the ice, the fierce bite of wind as you race frantically to your unattached garage. I think I have post-traumatic stress from last winter. I was in a parking lot yesterday and I thought, 'It is SO nice that I am at a completely comfortable body temperature as I walk from the store to my car.' It is September 11th and I have not forgotten.

One of my students had her baby yesterday. She was 26 weeks along and the baby weighed 2 pounds. She had been in labor since Saturday, so I was relieved to hear that the baby had made it this far, but it is still so scary. Hopefully, all will be well.

I just returned from a consignment store for children called "Cute as a Button." I used to love this store, but now I am officially boycotting it. They used to make appointments for taking clothes, then they said bring it any day, then they said call before they open and they will take the first 12 callers, but then people just started lining up before it opened so they just take those people. Lining up before a store opens is distasteful to me. Even trying to be one of the first callers is not my favorite thing, but it is certainly better than scrambling to the store with a boxful of discards, vying for the owners attention, "Pick me! Pick me!" However, my basement needs to be emptied so I decided to swallow my pride and try to get there this morning. I got there right as it was opening and they said I was too late, rewarding only the really obnoxious people who somehow have the time to wait there for an hour! Consequently, I now do not like them. I think it is bad business to humiliate your customer base. I might have to resort to Ebay. I know I shouldn't be so worried about clothes, but it is part of my job, as it were, to try to save money and if I can get a little bit back from their old clothes, it can go toward their new clothes which they will inevitably be needing. (Okay, some they will need and the rest is bonus).

While I was out I swung by the chiropractor and they did not spurn me. I felt much more welcome. My back has been killing since I had the audacity to exercise last week, but after five visits since last Thursday I am now right as rain. I love my chiropractor! Maybe I can find a bumper sticker.