it feels as though the weather has been all anyone is thinking about these days…
it has been raining for days and then it turned into snow… there are puddles (or lakes) everywhere and many people have been struggling with water in their basements…
with another gloomy day, I decided to make soup… I used up not-so-fresh zucchini, carrots, onions, celery, and the last of the frozen cauliflower in the freezer… then I added various bits and pieces to season it up…
the result came out nicely and I will have some tasty lunches over the next few days…
this morning I was happy to discover two blooms on one of the morning glories…
that encouraged me to do some seeding for the garden…
I had decided not to do any, but felt a need to start morning glories so they can begin blooming earlier…
I cut toilet paper rolls in half, then cut slits at one end, folded them and put a piece of tape across the bottom…
then I put all of those into a spinach clamshell, filled them with soil, and dropped a few seeds into each one… I also planted three of them with grape tomatoes…
watered each one and closed the clamshell…
now for the waiting game… and we won’t mention the snow that was falling as I wrote this, sigh…
the morning glories are very simple… I just put one hand under the little pod and squish it with the other… then I winnow the part holding it together by blowing over my hand… the excess blows away and the seeds remain and can be popped into a container…
the datura are a bit more complicated… the seed pods are covered in very sharp spikes which try to hurt me, lol…
I now have a container for each of the two types I have grown this year… the lovely white ones and the smaller, but cute, purple ones…
it is best to wait for the pods to start cracking as they dry, which makes removing them slightly easier… the dryer they are, the easier to remove…
the Olympics have been a distraction as this day has come closer – what would have been our 51st wedding anniversary…
I’ve spent the day thinking of some moments with my beloved…
the everyday things: changing up the configuration of the ponds; working in the garden as it changed over the years; caring for his lawn, trimming the Virginia creeper, fixing whatever needed attention; making the world’s best French fries, fried egg sandwiches and salads; driving the girls and I everywhere; reading and playing with our grandsons; cleaning the garage, packing the car, barbecuing; the strength of his hands that could wring out a cloth so it was dry, massage a sore neck, scrub a pot perfectly clean, and gently hold my hand when we were out walking…
so many little things…
I’ve been remembering our 40th anniversary… I was in the hospital for an extended period of time and he came every day and brought me pictures he had taken of whatever morning glories had opened on that particular day… I took this photo just yesterday…
he also sent me a basket filled with 40 roses… each night they had to be moved into the hall because their scent was so strong I couldn’t sleep with them in the room, lol…
a friend recently lost his partner and has decided to refer to their anniversary as the first celebration of their 41 years together… what a lovely way to describe it…
today I am also enjoying the sentiment of this beautiful card which I recently received in the mail…
my plan was to put morning glories all around the garden and that has worked out nicely…
there are some in the planters right when you walk into the garden, there are some in various pots, there are some in the garden by the pond, although they haven grown up the obelisk just yet, lol…
there are even some in a pot by the pond that I didn’t even plant…
there are also a few in the grass but so far I haven’t seen any flowers…
I am most hoping for more in the large pot on the deck with the tall obelisk in it… I thought they would grow up it and make a beautiful showy display…
but I planted a dahlia in that planter as well and currently it is hiding most of them;-(… although that is the first of the dahlias to have buds form;-)…
took a walk around the garden this afternoon to see how everything is doing in this rather chilly and wet weather…
over the winter the bunnies were nibbling on the lilac so I was worried as to whether it would survive… last week I saw a few bits of green on it and today it has tiny buds… yay;-)…
the two morning glories and basil seem to be doing okay… they were the only plants I have left out… although I did read today that basil doesn’t like the cold and may end up stunted, so we will see…
spent a few minutes in the garage to see how all the plants are fairing in there… it isn’t heated, but certainly warmer than the garden, lol…
happy to spot a little morning glory blooming there…
it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow… maybe I will be able to plant a few baskets…
herbiggirlpants 