Road Warrior

 

What frustrates us about driving? That suggestion was mentioned to me today when commenting about blogs and topics. Of course my mind can immediately think of lots of things as I am sure you can also come up with several things off of the top of your own head. Most things that frustrate me when driving are other drivers, traffic, weather, car problems, road work, etc. etc. I guess I should have asked the fellow blogger for more clarification on that subject.

Just the act of driving can be a pain in the butt. I get lost easily. I get turned around, can't figure which way is north or south and never realize I am going the wrong way til having to travel even more miles out of my way to find an exit or place to be able to turn around. Detours can make me hyperventilate, or feel like it some days...

Add to that factor is usually a ton of roadwork. Seeing those little orange cones can send me into a groaning dispair. One road gets repaired or widened, or torn up and replaced, resurfaced, repainted, or some other project that lasts for months and months. Once it is completed, those orange cones migrate to another nearby section, never really ever leaving, just being shuffled about and herded onto another area.

Vehicles themselves. I know I am going to come off sounding like such a girl complaining about spare tires that seem to go flat in the trunk when you ever get around to needing one. Lug nuts put on too tight that requires you trying to hop up and down on the lugwrench without a whole lot of success. Seat belts that were invented by a guy just to deter women from considering driving. Seriously, they should come with some sort of optional boob protection attachment. Vehicles are suppose to be some sort of extension of ourselves. Color choices, model choices, a reflection of our personalities. Personally I have never rushed out to buy a new vehicle off the lot. I have never chosen exactly what I wanted or spied or lusted for. The purse strings rule any and all vehicle purchases, which I guess in a way is an extension of my frugality. Those days stretch back to my very first vehicle which was neither new or shiny and tended to use almost as much oil as gas most weeks. New plugs and points were replaced often with the oil clogging them up quickly.

When you are young though, you are happy to just have any mode of transportation, and I guess that can be held true even now as I age. We just like to be mobile, or have the opportunity to be mobile if we choose to be. Some days I think it would be so easy to give up driving. Public transport, if available in my rural area would be my mode of transportation. No more pumping gas, scheduled vehicle repairs, insurance, car payments, scraping frost, snow and ice off windshields. My garage could house new things, like more garden tools, more storage, more things I think I need but can never find after putting out there...

When asked about what is most  frustrating though, most people will mention other drivers. I myself learned how to drive on the back roads of Nebraska. Rock and dirt roads were my first miles logged, well until it started raining, and one really shouldn't be on a dirt road in the rain. But back to what frustrates me with other drivers, so many things when I think about it.

People who wait til you are almost upon them before they decide that yes,... yes they have time to turn in front of you.

People who pass your vehicle and force you to brake because they really aren't going any faster than you, but still want to be ahead of you. I think this is some kind of syndrome myself. I have known people who feel the need to pass anyone ahead of them, speeding up til they catch them and then slowing down upon passing them. This is almost always a given on rainy or snowy days, ..just expect it.

People who use the turning lane for passing is a big peeve of mine. Or people who upon seeing two lanes merge into one, suddenly zoom ahead on the outer shoulder space to get in front. It can be just you and that other person on the road and they still feel compelled to do this.

People who tailgate, people who don't use blinkers, people who slow down and speed up and never keep the speed at an even keel.

People who cut you off, refuse to let you merge, become lane hogs.

People who rubberneck. Now this is a big thing in Nebraska, and 9 times out of 10 it is a farmer ahead of you who is checking out his neighbor's corn or bean fields along side the road. They usually are found in pick-up trucks, but can also be found on numerous pieces of farm machinery, which is another frustration. Combines and tractors are not built for speed and long lines of cars quickly form behind them when traveling on the roadways. Just trying to pass an over sized combine can be a feat in it's self. Weaving your car to the edge of the yellow line or just past, in order to see around the monstrosity. You will find yourself quickly ducking back in your lane a time or two before being able to find a clear lane ahead.

I guess a lot of things annoy or frustrate me, and I should count myself lucky in that I don't live in a bigger area with more traffic, more lanes, more noise and congestion. I couldn't be one of those people who commute to work an hour or more each way every day. I would go nuts. I think that is the problem with most of us. We are in a hurry. Time is short. Days aren't long enough. We want to go from point A to point B in the shortest, fastest way possible. Most times when we arrive at that final destination we aren't rushing around so much then...

Road rage, I think there is a little bit inside of all of us. Whether we admit or not, there is always a bit of annoyance at something or someone when on the road. Sometimes I wonder if our world is too mobile. Yet, I can't think of not being able to take off at a moment's notice when the notion takes me...

Road trip anyone?

 

 

Colin's Cast...

 

It was hard to know what to put as a title for this blog entry. I considered "cast of characters", "supporting cast", "cast-atrophic blogger", all sorts of word play for this blog but just ending up calling this entry "Colin's Cast". It is after all a pic of his cast, posted on his own blog one day awhile back showing us the after affects of being caught up in the moment of picture taking.

I want to say first of all, this was not my brilliant idea, but actually the brainchild of fellow friend and blogger Sharon. She sent me a small note asking if I could work some magic in my graphics program and have all of his friends sign his cast. I said okey dokey and it was with a lot of quiet back and forth e-mailing that signatures were sent to me or okay given for me to sign the cast for them. I had plans of posting this blog last week during Sharon's proclamation of it being 'Colin Appreciation Week', but the best laid plans go awry. Mainly it was the fault of Colin/MkChippy himself that hovered around Des/Sleepy Lady so much she finally threw up her hands and said sign it for me Vic. So I did, plus an added little message from her, which she really didn't say, but I couldn't resist adding,lol. I did mention to her that I might include a  bit of a note of well wishes from her and she good naturedly agreed.

(WARNING MKCHIPPY: Be on the look out for an excessively long honey do list when your arm is cast-less)lol

Seriously we all wish you a speedy recovery as we know how hard it must be with one fingered typing and not being able to comment or blog or post as much as you would like due to the inconvenience. If we could all sign your cast in person, we most assuredly would, so this will have to suffice as the next best thing. Get well soon!

Garden Notes: June 2nd..

 

In gardening, and life for that matter, one marvels at the difference a few days can make. The above pic is one I posted in my last photo album of two iris beds that were still just a sea of green leaves and stalks. Not much to look at for the moment, but within a week's time the sea of green had turned into a sea of color...

 

I have to say that it is the one thing I look forward to the most in my gardening every year. More so than that first tomato, or batch of fresh corn so many other gardeners look forward to. It's when the iris come into bloom that I wait for. A lot of people will argue that the bloom time is to short to bother with them as a perennial, but if you were to vary the different kinds of iris planted you could easily have blooms for 3-4 weeks or more. There are so many different cultivars and colors and sizes, that any garden can surely find room for at least one of these plants known as the poor man's orchid.

I will be uploading some more pics in an album of some of the last of the blooms. I will apologize in advance in that some of the pics are not the best. Using up some old film, one of the rolls when developed had a slightly purple or bluish cast over so many of the pics. I tried picking out the clearest and best. I am not sure if it is the film it's self or a mix up in the processing. So I wasn't able to get all of the photos of the different kinds blooming that I wanted to post here. Out of the pics posted you will see I have a love for purple and have so many varying shades of purple and lavendar iris. Also included in the pics are more peony pics of a second variety of yellow peony that bloomed last week.

Thanks to all of you who have been writing and posting pics about your gardens and flowers. Keep those blogs and updates coming!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Notes: May 19, 2010

 

I've been tickled green seeing all of the blogs and notes on what people have been growing and planting in their gardens. Seeing the pics has me itching to cruise the garden centers and nursery aisles for more plants to create more splashes of color in my own yard.

It's been difficult getting much planted though lately. Every other day it seems to be raining and while the flowers look fantastic this year, keeping up with the weeding has been a huge struggle. I imagine it is the same with all of you though.

I haven't got much new to report on my garden notes for this week. The iris are at their peak of bloom at the moment and I know I need to get out there and snap a few pics. I will however upload a few pics of the very last bit of blooms from this past week of the tree peonies, as well as adding a few pics of the very first of the iris to bloom. Iris are an addiction of mine, and in one of the pics is two of the four beds of irs that I have. I still  have bit to add to those beds, and hope to expand them this fall.

Keep your blogs and notes and pics coming of your gardens and plantings, and let us know what is growing in your own back yard.

Happy Gardening!....(and weeding!)

 

* the above pic is of a spirea if you haven't already guessed *

Garden Notes: May 9th

 

Happy Mother's Day to all of the ladies here on Multiply. Whether you are a mom, grandmother, aunt, sister, friend, or just someone who helps to mold the life of a child or offer support to others,  thanks for all that you do.

Mother's Day has come to be synonymous with flowers. It seems moms always get the day off, lunch out with family, and usually a bouquet of some sort of flowers, or perhaps a planter, or flowers for them to plant themselves. I know every year I opt to buy my mom flowers and a lot of times I end up doing the planting for her. This year with the weather being so cold (see Misty and Trudi's blog pages for snow pics, yikes!) I am waiting to get her any flowers as we both agreed  the tender annuals could possibly freeze.

My tomato and pepper plants still sit at the back patio door and as itchy as I am to plant them, I am waiting at least another week or so before setting them out. Some of the seedlings still need a little more growth time as well, so I am in no hurry. Rain seems to be in the forecast for a lot of this upcoming week, so it may be another week of "could of, should of's" for gardening. I have been out a bit wandering around today, and there are a few more blooms that I snapped a few pics of, that I will try and post  next week sometime. I have been trying to use up some old 35 mm film that I have had for I don't know how long. I did notice that the pics taken last time seem to be a bit washed out. Whether that is from the film being old, the processing, or just this picture taker I don't know. I do know that I didn't linger long on those windy days and so a few pics are a bit blurry. I will still go ahead and post them in an album today.

The pic at the top of this blog is from a north facing flower bed and if you look closely you will see that even though the foliage looks very similar, there is a wayward fern that has decided to grow smack dab in the middle of my astilbe. For now I will leave it, but this fall there will be some shuffling of plants to find it more room. Walking around I noticed I had a lot of plants that seemed to have a mind of there own and they meandered around to where ever they had a notion. For the most part I don't mind that. I like carefree cottage gardens and gardens that look like mother nature took a part in it's design. I guess a lot of my gardening style could be considered as a somewhat ordered chaos. I do have some flower beds though, such as iris that I have planted in rows, and then I have other iris beds that are a riot of color in their mixed informal settings.

That got me to thinking how no two gardeners really do things the same way, that we each have a different approach or style to gardening. Arguments are made for certain varieties of plants, mulching material, fertilizers, and a host of other things that help each of us to bring about the fruition of our efforts. So my question is for you today and this coming week is to tell us about your gardening style. Are you a perfectionist? Are your plants labeled? Do you follow color themes? Just how do you approach your gardens, landscapes, and planter boxes?

Gardens and the people that make them can be an inspiration, so don't be afraid to share even the smallest hint, or tip, or pic of what makes up you and your gardens and plantings.

Happy Growing!

Garden Notes: May 4th

 

I don't have a lot new to report on my gardening process. The weeds keep growing, small walnut seedlings keep sprouting up from squirrel plantings, and I keep finding myself acquiring more stuff to plant when I am hardly caught up with what I already need to do. I can feely admit all of that as I know you fellow gardeners suffer the same illness as me,lol.

My second tree peony has started to bloom, and more iris are sending up stalks. I will do my best to take pics when they bloom to post on here. One of the things I am hoping to be more aware of is planting by the moon signs this year. Kanga Roo posted a blog awhile back on planting by the moon and I have been checking the farmer's almanac for specific dates listed for planting. I don't know if there is any truth to the notion or not, but I will try to follow it closely and report my results at the end of the year.

I haven't got much new planted but I did attend a small local garden club's plant sale and picked up a few interesting things. A variegated yucca, ornamental grass, and a couple heirloom tomato plants. Having already started some tomato plants I didn't really need any more but still came home with two tomato plants. One variety called "kellogg's breakfast" which is an orange variety that I googled for in the picture above. The other variety was called "Nicky Crain" which I found listed as a pink ox-heart type.

Last year was such a bust for all my hot weather crops, that I decided to give the "Mortgage Lifter" tomatoes another chance. Also started from seed were "Giant Belgium" , "Red Brandywine" , and an old stand by variety "Better Boys". If they all live and produce I will have tomatoes coming out my ears. Keeping my fingers crossed that at least my two new acquired tomato plants are not lopped off by a rabbit or crushed under the weight of my neighbors dog that likes to dig.

While googling for info on the tomato plants, I came across an interesting website that had me itching to buy even more seed. I have refrained though and have bookmarked it for next year. I was particularly impressed with the different varieties of sweet potato plants they offered and who knows, maybe I will weaken and order some even though I will have to take an assortment of what they have left to offer. Also listed were some interesting pumpkins and a particular pie pumpkin described as having a sort of "netting" on the skin like a muskmelon sounded interesting. The website is www.sandhillpreservation.com . If you are interested in seedsavers or preserving genetics and heirloom seeds, it is an interesting read.

I haven't planted much in the way of flowers yet, but with Mother's day looming this week-end, I will most likely buy something for my mom at the local garden center as well as acquire a few things for myself. Will let you know how I fare on that shopping expedition at a later date.. Happy planting and an early Happy Mother's day to all of you fellow addicts!

 

Garden Notes...

 

The other day I was chatting with Vero on all things garden related, and came up with the idea of having a weekly blog or update on things happening in everyone garden. So many of my blogging friends plant at least something, whether it be a tree, flower planters, or a huge veggie garden. Living in different parts of the world, it's interesting to know how similar and yet different our gardening approaches can be. What would be considered the norm for some, would be something new, unheard of, or even tropical for others.

So I would like to encourage all of you to add a little bit of a note or blog at the beginning of each week to tell us what you have planted, created, bought/ordered for the garden and post a pic or two of your efforts. Seeing other people's gardens and landscapes does act for a springboard of ideas for others and gets one to think of different aspects to add to their own bit of dirt. Post whether it's been a success or a failure for you, for we all know that as much as we try, mother nature has her imput as well!

 

Vic's Garden Notes: Is it my imaginations or are the bloom times off this year? At the moment I have fruit trees finishing up their blossoms, lilacs, tulips, alyssum, creeping phlox, one tree peony in bud, and iris sending up scapes. The iris particularly seem at least two weeks early for blooming. Anyone else having tall bearded iris blooming or close to blooming? Here in zone 5 it usually is mid-May when the tall bearded iris are at their peak.

I will try and take some more pics this year to post as I have a ton of iris. They are addicting though and I have already placed an order for some new varieties to plant this fall. For those interested in iris or googling, the varieties are:

Sea power, Pennylane, Boogie Woogie, Celebration Song, and Six Pack (which is a flattie, or flat-topped iris). All were ordered from Blue J iris which has reasonable rates for iris which can get pricey. Order early, they sell out quick...

Veggie news - Vero I finally planted my tomato plants but it's turned off cold and rainy, not sure if I am going to have much luck with them at all. Does anyone have any of their tomatoes in the garden yet?

Wish List: I have been looking at adding a new tree peony or two this coming fall (I know it's early, but us gardeners are obsessive,lol). Haven't decided yet on the variety, but have been trolling the peony websites to find who is the most reasonable.

A small reminder that this week-end is Arbor Day, go plant a tree!

HAPPY GARDENING!