Life Can Be Messy

The last few weeks have been a mix of WTF and Oh Cool! Let's start with the Oh Cool! Then I will measure how much of the WTF I can cover before rabbit-trailing into a National Lampoon's sequal.

A simple trip to Home Depot finished my front rose garden for under $50! Those from Colorado know what I mean when I say the durability of Aquelegia (Columbine) makes it a rock star. It is relatively drought tolerant, and it self-sows beautifully- making it perfect for near a Kansas house where one needs to have regulated moisture. We have a lot of clay and a whole lot of underground rivers. At $4 for a 6" pot and $2 for a 3" pot of aquelegia, my job is done. Brock laughs at my love for wildflowers and weeds. Just wait until we are not at a loss for pollinators in the garden. Why they had so many perennials in the distressed plant sale I do not know. A day soaking has the foliage gorgeous and the seed pods ready to do their thing! Home Depot also had some gorgeous Mandevilla in 3" pots for $2.

At the greenhouse I worked at for 6 years as a grower, we would have a house full of Mandevilla that vined everywhere beautifully. We would be doing acrobatics on top of the wire-mesh tables trying to untangle them all without breaking them. Those were the good old days when I could still GET on top of a table without the Fire Department on standby.

Another cool find this week was a fellow selling 5 gallon buckets of compost that came with the bucket AND the lid for $7. By this time next year I am actively going to have stock of glechoma hederacea that will meet the current demand. As a medicinal herb that holds its own without a ton of care, and a beautiful mint-family fragrance to the foliage, Creeping Charlie will be extra fun.

Having taken cuttings of grape vine and fat thornless black raspberries, I am also enjoying cutting-cultivation of woody-stemmed plants. Is it an addiction or a viable source of therapy and income? The jury is out.

I have enjoyed the transplanting of tomatoes, but that is only fulfilling for nostalgia sake. I can still hear my old supervisor, Belva, saying, "Bury those suckers deep up to those bottom leaves, and curl them if you have to; but don't pop their little heads off." 152+ 4-pack trays of La Romas from 6"-tall leggy plants later and we were internally questioning where the nearest bar was for a drink. Yes, one had to curl the roots of the plugs ass-over-end to fit them into a tiny 4-pack. Whatever didn't sell as a 4-pack would be transplanted into larger pots for the late spring and early summer, and at years-end we rarely had tomato plants left.

It's ironic that a plant such as a tomato can be so growable with roots ANYWHERE on the stem from cuttings, and yet the acidity and gene modification of some tomatoes can make them highly irritating to one's body.

There are some mysteries that we ignore, both in the garden and in Healthcare. One of the most obvious these last few weeks has been the power of second and third opinions. My mom has gotten so many different opinions pertaining to her health issues, and some of them make sense while others do not- until one researches. Not to be dramatic, but the journey through the health struggles of a parent has been a prominent part of my life. This time we have warning, which is both a blessing and pain. No one wants to lose a loved one, but it happens eventually. A little warning about health issues gives us an even greater sense of the value of that person in our lives. She is the most wonderful woman I know who understands what is important while challenging my very basis for stressing about the people I love. People make choices, and it is out of our hands. Enjoy every moment that you are able to seize. Sometimes LIFE is out of our hands, and there is no guarantee of tomorrow.

Speaking of which...

The sewage at my office backed up, so this is what my office looks like until the landlord gets the show back on the road.

Gotta Love A Rain Storm

Needless to say, I have switched to outcall until my office is back in order. Because a fellow renter in the building had come in to work on Easter Sunday, the flooding was discovered in a timely manner before more damage was done. While inconvenient, the affect of backed-up sewage could have been MUCH more significant. That monstrosity in the corner of my office did not get wet, which is a blessing since it is irreplaceable. It is from Sligh company and was featured by WIRED in 2006 as an excellent smart-office asset because it has hidden cupboards and electrical outlets built in. They don't make it anymore. The loss would have been devastating.

Thankfully, I am no stranger to outcalls. Aside from a $40 upcharge for travel and setup that I usually require, the only suffering will be from carrying the table everywhere. It is well worth it to keep bills paid. Unlike before, though, I will happily come home to my husband and family around 3 instead of midnight (or later). The days of working 9A-12A are OVER. Speaking of work, I better get back to it. There is a kitchen table full of discounted plants that are calling my name! I will keep everyone posted when I have my office back!