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Oh, it's festive around the office today! I got them pizza and beer for
lunch, and everyone was laughing and talking and having a good ol'
time. Some days, i love where I work. Last night was nice. I was all stressed when I got home, so I watched the Simpsons, then headed out into the garden. I spent awhile cutting sweetpeas - if you let them go to seed, they stop producing, so it's ok to pick big bouquets. I tied up some stray ones, and while I was over there I noticed a volunteer tomato plant growing by the trellis. It's either a green zebra or a golden peach (I'm hoping for the latter, since we couldn't find those this year) and it looks healthy so far. My vote is to leave it where it is, keep it pinched back and tie it up to the trellis and see what we get. It's like being pregnant and not knowing whether it's a boy or a girl . . . I decided that if a volunteer that started from seed in that soil was doing so well, our pampered plants could come out side and be transplanted. So, I planted them. I spent far too long debating where to put the plants and finally arranged them according to coloring and aethestics instead of when they fruit. So sue me. I put the green zebra in the front corner, with a yellow-and-red striped German on one side and the Early girl on the other. The Mountain gold, which is supposedly tangerine orange, I put in the far back (it's the biggest plant, although the two stripey ones are almost as tall, but still without flowers). Anyhow, I constructed quite an elaborate cover around them, with a removable "lid" that I can pull back for sunshine during the day. It all fits together amazingly well, and is easy to manuever, thanks to lots and lots of clothespins. Yes, they are still pampered tomato plants, but now they've got some leg room. I also planted my moonflower, which is like a morning glory except it blooms at night, and is big and white and glows in the moonlight (it's also supposed to be fragrant). I wanted it to go in the corner next to the burgeoning bouganvilla; the bouganvilla was only a small bunch of dead sticks last spring, and David voted we pull it out. I said no and cut it back, and this year we've got scads of shockingly bright fuchia blooms fluffing up over the blue rails of our porch. Simply stunning; you have to stand back to take it all in. Anyhow, there's a little bit of bare trellis over in the corner near the bouganvilla, and I wanted big, white, fragrant moonflowers to go there (there is no other place for them, really). Unfortunately, what I thought was more dirt is actually the concrete edge of the garden covered in 2 inches of dirt, so I couldn't dig up enough dirt to plant them there. After much hemming and hawing, I filled a dirty pot with dirt, planted the moonflower in it, and stuck it on top of the dirt-covered concrete. That plant had been clinging to flowers in a vase on the table inside, I expect it will be halfway up that trellis by today. While I was planting, a little neighborhood girl came by and kept bumping her bike against our gate. I finally came over to say hi (once my hands weren't busy). I'll call her Bee in this journal, I think. She was very sweet, and we chatted about the garden in her backyard that she and her brothers tend, as well as her little tree that she's very proud of and waters every night. She's only 5 years old ("but I'll be 6 in October!"), but she seemed much sharpeer than most 5 year olds (not that I know lots of 5 year olds, of course). Anyhow, I made a friend. She told me I had a pretty garden, but I didn't invite her in, not yet. Part of me is afraid of frightening her parents (our yard is very closed off from the street, and I don't want anyone wondering where she went to) and part of me is afraid her older brothers would see this as an open family invitation to tromp through our yard. I'm probably being paranoid, but I don't trust kids in the 11-13 year old range. And I love my garden. Anyhow, it was nice to make friends with a kid; I miss having kids around. I picked a huge salad out of the garden - red leaf lettuce, mustard (which has already bolted so it was a bit bitter), raddichio (cute flat rosettes that are naturally rather bitter) with a bit of basil and oregano for flavor. I love eating straight out of the garden like that; it feels very nurturing. I cooked up some spaghetti (adding spices to store-bought sauce) and had myself a big ol' meal. By the time I was eating, I felt very centered. I love having a garden. I re-dyed my hair last night, then I started reading the one novel my fiction teacher (for the class this summer) has written. I STILL didn't sleep all that well - I woke up at 6am when my alarm was set for 7:45 - but I'm in a good mood today nonetheless. Have a lovely weekend! | ||
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