Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Slave to My Garden

I'm a Slave to my Garden—but how did Google know this? Imagine my surprise when I decided to blog today about my hobby (which has me totally consumed, I mean, OBSESSED with my garden)--AND Google has a green-garden-theme going on, as well!

 

I can't go a day without looking for a plant to rescue. Poor purple coneflower? Check! Rotting Rudbeckia? Oh, yeah! Cooked coreopsis? Uh-huh! I'm a little partial to perennials, but I'm not a snob to annuals either. Zapped zinnias? Right! Marginal marigolds? Can do. Pitiful portulaca? Sure, why not?

 

Give me your poor, your wilted, your dried up, your cast-offs. I will dead-head, prune, fertilize, plant, pray and water them all. I am not picky, but I do love a good bargain—which is why I lurk around those $3, $5 and $7 bins.

 

There's something about July, besides it being our daughter, Katie's birthday and my parent's anniversary (both, July 14th) that makes me want to be outside, in the middle of my garden. Of course, I'm out there earlier than July, like, in the spring, planting herbs. A little later, it's vegetables. Then comes the flowers.

 

Our budget is blown on potting soil, peat moss, perlite, Miracle-Gro, water (as in the water bill), more pots, more yard décor and more tools. But I am HAPPY!!! And don't even get me started on the 10,000 plus photographs I've taken this year. And tomorrow, once again, I'll start my rescue mission.

 

Happy Gardening to You and Yours, Worldwide!

 

Saturday, June 18, 2011

From Prissy's patio

No excuses! I have to blog more often: have to, want to, need to! But I wouldn’t go so far as to say “shoulda, coulda, woulda” because then it becomes mandatory and, therefore, a rule! I hate rules! I am a nonconformist and a rule breaker (in a good way…I hope).

Today, after I watered my vegetable and flower garden, I placed my new lawn ornament, aka, a lovely, concrete koi (fish) out amongst the colorful and prolific plants in my yard, y’all. He is adorable! I bought him at a really special, vintage shop in Morehead City, named The Blue Gardenia, on Arendell St. The owner, Pamela, is just precious! Also, her good friend and buddy, Goober, was sitting there keeping her company as I shopped. It is SUCH a small world! Come to find out, he is a band director at the high school in Morehead City and he knows Melanie Wright. She was the band director at Waccamaw High School in Pawleys Island when Katie was attending, and playing flute. (Katie went on to get a master’s degree in flute performance from LSU—but is NOW enrolled in nursing school. Hooray!)

Anyhoo—I was wondering what to name my new statue—the koi, and decided to name him Goober, Jr., in honor of my new friend that I met at the store, Donald Johnson, whose nickname is indeed Goober. FYI, I name many inanimate objects that that are special to me—it’s what I do!. My car is named Blueberry—a lovely indigo ink pearl (did someone say Duke?) blue Toyota Avalon.

Okay, I meant to keep this shorter, but what can I say? A lot more, actually!!! Still, in order to stop the boredom from my readers, fix dinner for hub-Russ and I (which, like Frankie on The Middle, might come inside a paper bag a few miles away from my kitchen), and to make a deadline for my humor column, I shall say goodbye.

Oh! P.S. Thanks to Dee Gee’s Books and Gift Shop and the great customers and readers in Morehead City for the fun book-signing yesterday! I’ll post pictures soon on Facebook. Promise!