 |
| Norma Boeckler's Art Books are linked here. |
Sassy has trained me to give her Johnsonville brat slices each morning. The variation is whether she grins "Here I am again" or just looks glum and sleepy. If I act shocked and jump back, she smiles - or not. Once I also did a series of my best dance moves. She remained stone faced. After the slices, she goes into the backyard jungle to do some tracking. Nothing replaces the morning walk. But she has to wait for the morning post that proves I am alive, healthy, reasonably awake.
The Military-Gardening Group convened on the front porch yesterday. Ranger Bob told PFC (the youngest, Private First Class) to learn how to get inexpensive books. Someone needed a Chilton manual, so we looked for that later and found a $500 copy and a $26 copy for the same 2016 GMC. We also searched for military books on eBay, and found one for $3 and another for $10 with free shipping. PFC received some lessons on navigating the used book market.
Ranger Bob was suitable chastened to dig in the Joe Pye "after I have some fresh coffee." I described my Saturday phone tirade to PFC - "Bob - you are a Native American and Joe Pye is the Native American who discovered this plants and made medicine from them. But you have not planted them, so the Joe Pye Rescue Society will confiscate the plants. Other penalties may apply." Bob laughed and laughed. He jumps at the chance to fix up an old car - for free - but procrastinates in gardening.
I ordered a used gardening magazine that featured Joe Pye. Meanwhile, I work on the mulch bags to protect the favored flowers - Joe Pye, Clethra, roses, new daisies.
The wild roses have all bloomed, after the Easy Does It. The Veterans Honor roses are budding, thanks to the rains and sunshine. Hybrid teas have one annoying habit. They seem to take forever to bud, then to open a little, and finally to have the five sepals open (meaning I can cut them for long-lasting, slow-opening roses).
However, the slow development of hybrid teas is an asset when collecting flowers to give away. There are plenty of roses that are in stages of blooming, and some have buds on side branches. All pruning is good, so harvesting the blooms energizes them. Collateral damage is to the deadwood, which occurs naturally and needs pruning to promote root and branch growth. (John 15:1-10)
There is a good chance that I will take rainwater out to the new daisies today and give them a boost. Our young visitor on Saturday was curious that I stored rainwater. Roots go down as low as the moisture drives them (Creation 101). Rainwater is not only the best in lacking liabilities like chlorine - it has a built-in safe, free fertilizer (usable nitrogen). Dripping rainwater onto new plants will promote wide and deep root growth and health in the leaves.
Yes, the Hosta has holes in it - just like new Joe Pyes. Slugs come out in the dark to munch on the greens, especially the new, tender plants. However, 2/3rds of them are underground, so trying to kill the slugs is waste of time, temper, and tirades. "What pleases God pleases me," as the hymn says.
The holey Hostas will still send up stalks of flowers to attract the hummingbirds. Joe Pye will soon be tall enough to make the slug-journey to food a long, hard climb. See the Slug Song above.
 |
| Every time I want to buy more Joe Pye in May - sold out. |
