Pat and Jim's Gardening Adventure

it's for the birds!

2012-01-27T20:05:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all the kind remarks. I missed you guys and your gardening adventures also.
Pat and I feed the birds. We have bird feeders all over the yard, front and back. We also throw seed on the ground for the overflow crowd at lunch-time. I have long given up trying to keep squirrels out of the bird feeders. Squirrel-proof feeders are also Jim proof, so I don't bother. Squirrels and chipmunks are the cost of feeding the birds.
But enough is enough. I like Bambi as much as the next guy. I cried when Bambi or Thumper or was it Sneezy? died in the forest fire or got hit by the truck or whatever in the movies. Alright, maybe I wasn't paying attention, even at an early age, but for crying out loud. We plant sacrificial hosta for Bambi and crew. We dump corn and bird seed in piles on the ground. What do these guys want? Maybe I should put drink stands with tropical drinks with umbrellas and ash trays out there for the dinner crowd.

wordless wednesday

2012-01-24T19:16:00.002-05:00

where was i

2012-01-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

And what was I doing. Well, I was sick; not only sick butsick and busy. Now healthy and busy is alright. Sick and not so busy, while itstill stinks, is sort of OK because you get to sleep a lot. No, I was sick andbusy. The projects at work kept piling up and I was having eye trouble due tomy diabetes, but I am better now. My eyes have stabilized and I have theprojects under control.

And about time too, as garden show season is just about uponus and you can never go to too many garden shows. I told Pat that this year Iwill maintain a semblance of restraint in my search for yard ornamentation. Iknow there is a line out there someplace between just enough and some familymember calling the hoarders hotline. I think I am still safely in the not-enough-stuffcategory. I can always find room for the art that calls my name.

Katie and Sean brought the grandkids to visit for a weekduring the holidays. That was fun. I never thought I would turn into “that“kind of grandfather. You know, the one who has a bazillion pictures of theworlds cutest babies, but I have. The other grandparents at work sit aroundsharing pictures with each other. My ipod now contains pics of the grandkids.

We finally got some snow and am I glad. Until the snowcame I had to fight the urge to rake the yard and order sweet peet. Wisdom inthe form of Pat’s voice prevailed. The rakes stayed in the garage. I orderedfire wood instead

Welcome to Cleveland in the winter girls

wordless wednesday

2012-01-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-11-16T20:03:00.002-05:00

went to the food show, got some yard art

2011-11-14T22:30:00.001-05:00

Pat and I went to the food Show this past weekend. The IX center was packed with exhibitors and visitors. The lines to see celebrity chefs were like giant snakes, winding their way to infinity. I didn’t want to wait hours to get up close and personal with my favorite chef. Besides how up close and personal can you get with an audience in the thousands. I’ll sit closer to the tv next time I tune in. There were all kinds of booths. Some actually were food related. Next time we want a patio room installed, we’ll make a point of visiting the food show. During our tour I thought I heard that familiar refrain: “it dices, it slices, it’s the sledge-o-matic.” Oh, that’s right, wrong show. Hey, I forget things and my thoughts tend to wander. I almost forgot the best booth in the whole show, better than celebrity chefs or free food. We found lawn ornamentation, wonderful, beautiful, Ohio-made lawn ornamentation. One look in the booth and I was in my gardening zone. I seem to remember Pat just shrugging her shoulders. Events like this is why I carry around “just in case” money. My money and I were soon parted, but boy, did I get some wonderful looking lawn ornamentation. Getting them into the car was problematic. Why do we always bring the small car to big car events? Who would have thought to find great art at a food show?

Maybe the metal bird will scare off the deer.

I'm not creative enough to have come up with this idea. it was Pat's idea. It looks pretty cool.

We have all winter to move these things around until we find that perfect spot.

wordless wednesday

2011-11-01T20:28:00.002-05:00

what is that i hear?

2011-10-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

Tis the season. As soon as dawn breaks, the neighborhood resounds with leaf blowers. We got your electric ones, your hand held gas ones and your back pack professional models. Every once in a while, you see someone raking leaves. Now, Pat and I don’t live in a development with acreage, even though, some guys have riding lawn mowers. I can mow my front yard in 20 minutes. But, I digress. The Plain Dealer had its annual article discussing the world of leaf blowing. Do you blow the leaves or do you use a rake, the Plain Dealer asks. Our city picks up leaves twice in the fall. It’s funny that the trees don’t normally cooperate by dropping their leaves to coincide with the pickup days. Whole families bond by collecting leaves on the weekends. How sweet is that? It doesn’t seem to matter that the wind blows the leaves back into the yards, not necessarily the yards where they came from, but yards never the less. I guess it’s just more bonding time for the next week end.
What I don’t get is why I seem to be the only one who mows the leaves. I enjoy family bonding opportunities as much as anyone. If our kids lived with us, I’d get them to participate in some labor intensive project. It just wouldn’t be collecting leaves. I would save opportunities like this for number 57 river rock or sweet peet. Mowing leaves is so much easier than collecting them. It’s better for the yard, better for the environment and better for keeping peace in the family. None of the kids we see collecting leaves look all that happy.

wordless wednesday

2011-10-25T21:40:00.002-05:00

back to the garden

2011-10-22T16:37:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all the very kind sentiments. I know now what a virtual hug is.

A summer of wordless Wednesdays has gone by. I was in a writing funk. Every time I sat down to write, my mind felt like a black hole, stuff went in, but I couldn’t get anything out. On my trips back and forth from Chicago, I had all kinds of ideas, but they all went flat once I got home.
It seems like only a little while ago that Pat and I were shoveling 10 yards of sweet peet and 5 yards of gravel. Now we are trying to guess when the last weekend before the first killing frost will be. We want to put in a couple more flower beds in the front yard (my battle against turf grass will never cease) and we need a place to winter all the perennials we have in pots. Dumping five yards of sweet peet in the fall gives our garden a real boost in the spring (only 5 months or so away). I know we weren’t going to get any more containers this year, but maybe we can try that again next spring. That will give me time to get a couple more for the new beds.
We broke our precipitation record last week, and we’ve still got two months of snow-induced traffic jams to look toward. I thought I was imaging it but it really rained every other day, or was it every weekend. I know, I know. All the rain could be snow. The back yard is as wet today as it was in March. It’s great for the new perennials we acquired, easy for weed pulling, but lousy for walking off the paths. Everything in the garden grew like crazy because of the rain. I mean everything. I was weeding after a week away and came across an 8 foot weed. For crying out loud, weeds bigger than me. We had bird seed growing everywhere. We had our own amber waves of grain growing in the back yard. I told Pat that we could grow our own bird feed. That, or maybe hook some kind of farm implement to the back of the Aztec and harvest the stuff.
There are still flowers that think it’s summer. A daisy bloomed yesterday and we have anemone and hibiscus blooming. We planted a boatload of mums in late August, so they will probably winter over. I thought we got white and yellow mums, but they seem to have a way of morphing into different colors. Just as long as they winter over, I don’t care what colors they are. The impatiens are in their early fall burst. We discovered that deer don’t like begonias. They thrived in our deer infested back yard.
Hey, maybe I’m out of my funk.

wordless wednesday

2011-10-18T20:52:00.000-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-10-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

funerals stink

2011-10-07T22:09:00.001-05:00

I got the phone call that I’ve expecting for the last year and a half. “Hurry.” “I’m on my way.” I drove thru a dark and rainy tunnel. A couple of days ago everything seemed fine, or as fine as fine gets considering the circumstances. I was comfortable living in the denial that it would be later rather than sooner. I got to Chicago in time to say goodbye. The Aunts and Uncles from Minnesota got there right when we were making those middle of the night phone calls. Man, did I hate to make those phone calls. By the time we had time to sleep it was around 4 in the morning. It was kind of funny that a sister, a niece and I all slept on couches in the family room. The idea of sleeping in Mom’s old room was just a little too creepy. We divvied up jobs the next morning. Off we went to make all the arrangements that you have to make. I got to see our youngest daughter, Sarah, for an hour. It was time to go back to Cleveland, board the boys, find a shirt that fits and oh, yeah, grab Pat. Back we went.

Boy, what a turnout. People from the old neighborhood, church, nieces and nephews, all turned out to see Mom off. It was a nice send off. All the people to see and things to do helped distract me from the reason we were all gathered.

The trip back to Cleveland was sunny and full of Fall color. It helped take the hurt out.

I love you Mom, always have, and always will. Give Dad a hug. He’s been waiting.

My Mom, Mary Ann Groble

wordless wednesday

2011-09-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-09-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-09-13T20:07:00.000-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-09-06T18:55:00.000-05:00

oktoberfest

2011-09-05T20:05:00.002-05:00

Its Labor Day weekend in Cleveland and that means Oktoberfest. Pat and I went when it was sunny with temperatures in the 90’s. If we would have waited, we could have gone when it was rainy and in the 60s. I guess you get wet either way. Anyone with a dachshund got in for free because the national dachshund races run all weekend.

There was more food, wine and beer than you could ever eat. In addition to the predictable German restaurants and microbreweries from throughout the area, you had your Italian, Polish, and Greek food, and even a corn dog joint. Oh! I almost forgot the funnel cakes! You can’t have a fair without funnel cakes and all their deep fried goodness. Even the Hodge Podge food truck, Cleveland’s entry in the Great Food Truck Race, was there.
Growing up in Chicago, I was always told that I lived in the center of the polka universe. But nay! Cleveland is the center of the polka universe. It’s even got a hall of fame. What fits better than polka and Oktoberfest? There was music all over the fest in a half dozen halls. Polka bands roamed the grounds, drawing crowds wherever they went. Pat and I found two great polka bands, The Alex Meixner Band and the Chardon Polka Band. Boy can these bands play. They don’t look like your grandma’s polka band, but when it’s in the 90s and humid who wants to play in leather shorts and knee socks? Hats are OK though.

through the eyes of children

2011-09-05T12:30:00.000-05:00

I walk outside and all I see is the work I have to do. I don’t have any projects left this year till mid fall when we dump another 5 yards of sweet peet. The work I’m talking about is the everyday work that gardener’s experience: grass that has spread into a flower bed or weeds popping their ugly heads up. It has been so wet this spring and summer that weeds seem to grow by the foot before my eyes.

Sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to drag me back to why I garden. Our friend Sarah brought her three girls over for a garden tour. They hunted for decorative rabbits and smelled flowers. To watch the girls wandering around the garden brought a smile and renewed the sense of adventure in Pat and Jim’s gardening adventure. The girls never saw a weed or a plant out of place.

end of august stuff

2011-08-30T19:16:00.001-05:00

Pat and I are back from the land of no weather. I mean 69-78 yesterday, today and tomorrow with no humidity was a nice change of pace, but really, is that weather? It was fun hanging out with Katie, Sean and the girls. I promised myself once that I wasn’t going to turn into that grandparent who showed everybody pictures of his grandkids. Well that was before I had a bazillion pictures to show. With a digital camera, there is no such thing as too many pictures.

One of our neighbors volunteered to water our containers while we were gone. I figured that the rest of the garden could fend for itself while we were gone. We are over a foot ahead last year in rainfall so how bad could it get? While August is traditionally pretty dry, it’s been raining what seems to be every other day. As luck would have it, we got a couple of gully washers while we were gone. We landed in the rain. Only a gardener would be happy landing in the rain. We had standing water in all the normal places.
I needed to get into the yard and get my garden fix. I have not spent nearly the amount of time in the garden as I wanted to this summer. The garden is source of peace and tranquility for me, sitting out there with the critters, birds, bees, butterflies and my books. I’ve taken a ton of pictures but haven’t had time to post. The wet summer gave us the best ligularia display we have ever had. You can hear the bees buzzing around the yard. Butterflies have dog-fights over the flowers almost every day. The front yard is also booming. The tall rudbeckia doubled in size from last year, as have the hibiscus.
Disaster befell our pumpkins this year. Something attacked the stems right where they broke through the surface. All our plants died. We pulled the vines up and replaced them with mums. Hopefully, we’ll do better next year.

Here are some pictures of the yard in no particular order. I chose them because they look cool.
Pat and I are going to split all our hosta and thin out the ligularia, probably in October. I’ll send them anywhere that doesn’t cause late night knocks on the door by some state’s garden police. So give a yell if you want any. I’m not good with names, but can match pictures.

Everything we have planted in this soil tile has been eaten. In years past impatiens would big as giant ice cream cones and then poof! gone overnight. Lancifolia hosta would get huge and then, gone. I thought that maybe the deer or giant rabbits wouldn't like albomarginata hosta. Well before anyone brings up the whole insanity definition nonsense, I am going to move the soil tile in the fall, away from the deer path.

wordless wednesday

2011-08-30T18:27:00.000-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-08-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

garden where you find it

2011-08-11T19:18:00.001-05:00

Pat and I are visiting Katie, Sean and the girls this week. Pat planted 4 camellias 3 months ago when she was visiting and this time I got the urge to add to the yardette. We amended the soil with 7 bags of garden soil and planted periwinkle as a ground cover till Katie can get some giant pots in the yard. I know some people think that vinca minor is invasive. Well, I prefer to think of it as exuberant. Hardy and fast growing is what Pat and I wanted because with the twins at 4 months, Katie doesn’t have time to garden. We also put some New Guinea impatiens in the pot. The whole thing only took about 2 hours. I got my garden fix and Katie, Sean and the girls got a nice front yard.

I had to put a picture of Pat and the girls in. Abigail is on the left and Fiona is on the right.

color on the horizon

2011-08-08T17:10:00.000-05:00

Pat and I have been making weekly trips to Chicago this summer, sometimes together, but mostly alone. It’s a five and a half hour trip whenever we leave and I can probably do it in my sleep. The trips are depressing when driving alone. About half way through the trip melancholia surrounds me like a Steven Foster song. The radio becomes an annoyance instead of a distraction. I think about how I told myself I wasn’t going to do this, this summer. I was going to stay at home and work in the garden all summer. But we make the trips to see my mom and Pat’s mom. Right about the time when I want to sink into despair I see color up ahead. Not the greens and ambers of farms, but garden colors. I pull over on the side of the road and gaze. I don’t know if it’s a sign or just serendipity but I feel refreshed and my sadness disappears.

Ohio State Fair

2011-08-06T22:30:00.024-05:00

Weekly visits to Chicago have not left much time for gardening or day trips for us. Luckily, Pat and I found ourselves back home during the Ohio State Fair. It is BIG! HUGE! GARGANTUAN! We saw a giant cow made from butter and a giant pig and piglets made from chocolate. We visited the various animal barns and discovered marketing at its best. You can visit cows in the cow barn and then eat them at a steak stand. You can visit the pigs in the pig barn then eat sausage at a sausage stand. Outside the hose barn there was an iced tea stand. After all, we are civilized carnivores in Ohio.

The arts and crafts barn was a cornucopia of stuff. Quilts, duck tape creations, cakes, preserves. There was a vegetable and fruit carving competition while we were there. One of the barns had flower arrangements. I find flower arrangement amazing. I can barely grow flowers, let alone create designs.

Pat and I walked around the fair for 3 hours and found ourselves at the opposite end from where we started. It was a good thing that there was a gondola ride to take us back to where we started.

Since we were heading down to Columbus, we thought why not make a detour to our favorite nursery? Scioto Gardens, in Delaware, Ohio, specializes in plants native to Ohio. They grow all the plants they sell and have an enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. The young man who helped us last month remembered us and our plant selection. That is really good customer service, or else he knows the signs of a plant addict. Either way, I knew we would leave happy. I even kept the receipts from the last couple of visits so I could use the plants’ actual names when I blogged about them. Alas, we are visiting the grandkids in California and the list is in Ohio, so the post on our new plants will have to wait.

I am an urbanated individual. My knowledge of farm animals extends to knowing that you eat them, after you buy them at a grocery store. So when we came across the chicken barn I found Foghorn Leghorn across the aisle from Mr. Black Chicken.

wordless wednesday

2011-08-02T22:22:00.000-05:00

you choose

2011-07-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

Fluffy bunny?

Evil garden eating alien?

Happy tenent?

This year our rudbeckia was eaten down to the nubs. Maybe if rabbits were canrivorous they wouldn't eat my garden. It might make sitting in the garden a bit dicey. I would hate wake up from a outdoor nap with a rabbit gnawing on my arm. But at least my plants would be left alone.

wordless wednesday

2011-07-12T18:57:00.000-05:00

be happy in your work

2011-07-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

There is no project too small that it can’t be made bigger. That mantra was imprinted on me by my late father-in-law, while I was young and impressionable, when a small kitchen project turned into a house remodeling job that only ended the day we sold the house (or at least that’s the myth). Well, back to the present. Pat wanted me to replace a path since removing it turned out to have a less than optimal outcome. And while we were at it, maybe we could create a new seating area on the east side of the deck, since we didn’t have one there. I estimated that it would take somewhere between 2 and 3 tons of number 57 river rock (3/4 inch pea gravel). Refreshing the rest of the paths would take another 2 or 3 tons so why not get 5 tons of gravel and be done with it. Let’s add 2 yards of sweet peet, because you can never have too much sweet peet. A half an hour after I placed the order, Jimmy told us that he was going to Detroit for a week. I was happy that he had work, but Oh Boy, that meant that Pat and I were going to shovel 10,000 pounds of gravel by ourselves. Now I have not lived a pure and healthy life like Pat has so all I could think of was the words of Sessue Hayakawa “Be happy in your work.” Yippee!

If you ever start a project like this do not try to figure out how many pounds per shovel full of gravel, or how much can a wheel barrow carry. It will bring tears to your eyes. You will get done when there is no more gravel in the driveway. Oh, and do not forget to pull the cars out of the garage before the gravel arrives.

The delivery was Wednesday morning and off we went, shovel, haul, dump, rake, rest. We broke the task down into what we hoped would be manageable jobs. We rebuilt the hydrangea path on day one and built the new seating area on day 2. Day 3, we widened one cross path and completed all those little jobs that never seem to get tackled. I was hoping that Jimmy would be home to help on day 4, which was Saturday. Man, was I overjoyed when Jimmy showed up late Friday night and volunteered to help finish up. Now Jimmy has not lived any cleaner and healthier life than his old man, but he is 30 years younger. He moved close to 3 tons of gravel in a little over 2 hours. The way Pat and I were wearing out, we would still be shoveling for weeks.

Big Blue's moving day

2011-07-06T22:30:00.002-05:00

Big Blue had to move. Its corner of the yard is getting more sun due to tree loss. We found a new home and a replacement plant so all we had to do was dig. How hard could it be? Big Blue is seven and has never been split. It is the biggest hosta in the yard with a root ball to match. So off we went, Pat and I and two shovels. That was the full extent of the plan, dig around the hosta, somehow pick it up and replant it, and then do it all over again. This little project turned out to be not for the faint of heart. I do not recommend moving fully grown big hosta. Boy, was Big Blue heavy. All those years of sweet peet gave Blue a huge root ball. For some reason I thought that I could just pick Blue up and move it to its new home. Then I thought that I could push Blue up a plywood ramp. What finally succeeded was the blue tarp.

You might ask why we didn't wait till fall, after the leaves drop. Well, we had 5 tons of gravel and 2 yards of sweet peet coming, so we wanted to get this "small" project out of the way.

Blue's replacement plant is our largest sum and substance. It also is 7 years old.

Right about now, I decided that this was going to be harder then I thought.

Next time, I'm getting a back hoe.

A happy hosta. We gave it a load of sweet peet.

Big Blue in its new home. It also got a load of sweet peet.

wordless wednesday

2011-07-05T18:38:00.000-05:00

amber waves of grain

2011-07-04T19:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday America!

bambi

2011-06-29T19:33:00.000-05:00

Or some distant cousin, paid a visit today. What a treat! I was upstairs when I heard the boys going nuts. Something was afoot, or is it afeet since Bambi here has four of them. By the time I made it to the Aztec to chase Bambi down, he was gone. Pat got these pictures. Deer are in our yard every night, but seldom do we see any during the day. This little guy got his sleep patterns out of wack, or maybe he was just hungry.

I put the wind chimes next to the bird feeders thinking that if the deer bumped into them, they would run off.

So much for that idea. I always thought that the squirrels emptied the bird feeders. I guess I owe them an apology.

Pat took this vid using our brand new camera. It was the first time she used it.

wordless wednesday

2011-06-28T17:13:00.000-05:00

Cleveland Garden Walk

2011-06-27T21:03:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday was the first annual Cleveland Garden Walk. There were more gardens to see than there was time to see them. Pat and I walked through 2 of the 4 neighborhoods on the tour, Tremont and Detroit-Shoreway. It was a great way to learn about some great neighborhoods in Cleveland. We saw beautiful gardens and met some wonderful gardeners. Along the way, we also found some nice places to eat.

Every garden we visited had rain barrels. It looks like the gardeners all went to the same Consevation District workshops Pat and I attended.

When I gazed upon the giant train set in the back yard I started laughing and couldn't stop. You could sense the fun its creator had in showing it off. It was magical.

This roof top garden was the WOW! of the garden walk. It is two years old and the owners did everything themselves. Is that cool or what? The plants are all native Ohio grasses and flowers.

wordless wednesday

2011-06-21T21:37:00.001-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-06-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

pachysandra, spawn of the devil

2011-06-13T16:01:00.000-05:00

Pachysandra and ivy were the groundcovers of choice when our neighborhood was built 30 years ago. There’s an ivy post waiting to be written but not until Pat, Jimmy and I embark upon our annual ivy eradication weekend. Pachysandra is our problem at the moment. That evergreen, slow growing ground cover overwhelms everything in its path. For the last who knows how long, we’ve tried to plant hosta in the pachysandra beds. I overdig a hole, attempting to rid the planting area of roots. We use sweet peet in the planting areas and add additional sweet peet every year. The hostas love the planting areas the first two years. By year three, the pachysandra roots are strangling the hosta. Robust plants turn into little starter plants just trying to hang on. I know when to quit or at least get sneaky. Na, na, na. We put some of our big hosta in pots. There, pachysandra, spawn of the devil, strangler of all things hosta, take that. I know that we said no more pots last year, well actually we say that every year, but these pots and the hosta look really cool.

Columbus Arts Festival

2011-06-09T14:22:00.001-05:00

Pat and I headed south to Columbus this past weekend for the Columbus Arts Festival. It had music, food, art, and more food. We had that perfect getting ready for global warming kind of weather. The temps were in the 90’s. Add concrete, asphalt and high humidity and everything was perfect. We stopped for breakfast on our way down at The Linden Café for the best chicken and waffles in the known universe. This breakfast is worth the trip to Columbus all by itself.

The real surprise of the day was our side trip to Scioto Gardens, just west of Delaware. The place is so unassuming when you drive in. The wow factor is in their plants. We found wonderful looking marsh milkweed and marsh marigold plants. For once we got just what we came for, mainly because we brought the Hyundai. We’re going back the weekend of July 16 for their garden and art fair, because as their sign says: “Never Stop Planting.”

Maybe these guys would scare the deer out my back yard.

I am always in search of a garden oasis in urbanated areas for a bit of peace and solitude.

wordless wednesday

2011-06-07T20:46:00.000-05:00

pat stole my pot

2011-06-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

I was reading Carolyn’s Shade Garden’s post on large hosta when I came across the picture of a tall pot or urn kind of container filled with hosta and ferns. What a great idea. I may not have a creative bone in my body, but the bloggers I follow are creative as all get out. I always thought a tall pot would be a cool addition, and now I knew what to put in it and where I would put it. I was surprised when Pat agreed to go on the hunt for a tall pot at the local pottery store. Most of my ideas are greeted with the skepticism they deserve. Well, off we went. I was giddy with anticipation. We found a great looking pot and back home we went. About half way home Pat suggested that this pot was so cool looking that it would be wasted in the side yard already filled with hosta in pots. A better place would be the front yard where we could fill it with flowers and put it in one of the new beds. I was so close, I mean really, really close.

pumpkins

2011-06-02T21:24:00.000-05:00

Pat and I are hoping for another bumper pumpkin crop this fall. Right after last Thanksgiving, we tossed our display pumpkins and gourds into the front yard flower beds. We didn’t get any sprouts from the new bed. A likely explanation might be the bed's tenants. The bed is riddled with tunnels. Three large pumpkin plants probably were like a 24 hour grocery store to the chipmunks.

Luckily, everything seems to have sprouted in the other bed. Now if I could just remember what we tossed where. It would have been too organized to take a picture, so true to form, I didn’t. I know we had a pink pumpkin, a cinderella pumpkin, your run of the mill orange pumpkins and a whole bunch of gourds. I guess we’ll have to wait. I have convinced Pat that even though we have triple the source pumpkins, we can manage the vines so the other plants in the beds and the pumpkins can all coexist in harmony. When Pat says “uh huh”, that means she buys into my vision, doesn’t it?

J'accuse

2011-06-01T19:11:00.005-05:00

I’m as big a fan of Bambi as anyone, but this crosses the line. I weep for my poor Sum and Substance, or what’s left of it. Maybe field mice or rabbits did the dirty deed, but I kind of doubt it. I didn’t find any field mice or rabbit tracks, not that I know what they look like. I did find deer tracks.

wordless wednesday

2011-05-31T18:15:00.002-05:00

need your help

2011-05-25T17:06:00.005-05:00

One of my colleagues at work needs your help. She has this beautiful flower and can’t identify it. I looked at the picture and went: “pretty, I am clueless, but do you have any extras?” It blooms the same time as daffodils. It is growing under a lilac tree. Any and all help is appreciated. For some strange reason, people at work think that since I can grow hosta, I am all knowing in the area of gardening. Heck, I can’t even identify the hosta I have and I bought them.

now i know

2011-05-25T16:48:00.002-05:00

Pat sent this picture with the suggestion that I use it for a wordless Wednesday post. Once I saw it, I thought Oh no! This picture answers an age old question, or at least one of my age old questions. Where do avocados come from? I am a child of the Great Lakes, cold snowy winters and hot humid summers. The Great Lakes region grows a lot of different kinds of fruit and vegetables, but I don’t think avocados are one of them. I always thought that avocados came from the Jewels or maybe the Giant Eagle, maybe they grew on vines or in the ground like potatoes. Imagine my astonishment when I saw the picture. Avocados come from the sky.

wordless wednesday

2011-05-24T20:12:00.000-05:00

Cleveland Asian Festival

2011-05-23T18:34:00.008-05:00

This past weekend was Cleveland’s Asia Festival and you bet I went. Pat and I are always searching for festivals to visit. Since pat is still visiting the grand kids (wow! That’s the first time I’ve used that word. I think I’ll use it again, it sounds so cool. Grand kids), I ate enough for both of us. There were two stages so there was something to see and hear all day.

I mentioned to the gentleman on the right that I had not found a Filipino restaurant since I left Chicago. He finished my thought when he said; "you mean the one in Downers Grove? i used to go to that one also." Boy, that was weird and cool at the same time.

Mayor Frank Jackson, mayor of Cleveland was at the festival, and took the time to get a picture with me. I almost bumped into this guy on the way home. The deer was standing on the side of the road, looking like it wanted to cross . I stopped the car, waiting for it to cross. The deer just stood there, not trusting me. I wasn't going to go after it, as much as I might want to. You never know, he's probably related to the deer that eat my hosta.

adventures in California gardening

2011-05-20T23:16:00.033-05:00

Post by Pat

When Katie and Sean bought their townhouse two years ago, we promised to plant the small planting beds around their front courtyard (the “yardette” as Jim has christened it). The project began with the decision to start small and just plant 2 bushes on each side for privacy. They can decide on the rest of the plantings later. So, on Sunday, Katie and I took a trip to the garden center, where we purchased 4 bushes, 2 bags of planting soil, 2 bags of composted steer manure (!), a shovel, and a pair of garden gloves. And it all fit into Katie’s little Escort (well, in two trips).
The plan was to dig a few holes, mix the soil and manure in the holes, and plant the bushes. I’ve done it hundreds of times. How hard could it be? Let’s just say that I should have gone right back to the store and rented a jackhammer.
I was expecting the soil to be hard, maybe even a little rocky. That would have been pleasant! What I found was a gravel/limestone paving base for the brick patio, extending about 12 inches into the planting beds (way larger than the actual patio). This was covered with an inch of dirt/mulch. Where there wasn’t paving base there was construction debris: chunks of concrete, odd pieces of wire, random plastic, but mostly concrete and what I would call “desert dust” as opposed to actual soil. The shovel was no match for this stuff. Back I went to the store for a hand pick.
All day Sunday I chipped away a trench on one side of the patio, long and deep enough for two bushes. I had to dig about 14 inches before I hit clay. I was never so happy to see clay! Monday I planted the first 2 bushes. Then it rained. The rain did NOT make the ground any softer. Wednesday I worked on the other side; it was more of the same. Clink, clink, clink with the hand pick. I felt like one of the seven dwarfs in the diamond mine, only I didn’t have six other helpers. Thursday I finished up the trench, hit clay, and planted the other bushes. They look really good. I just hope I’ve given them enough of a good start so that they adapt to their surroundings.

I used to go camping. I know how to pack a car.

Concrete, say hello to my little friend . . .

In the trenches.

A bug's eye view.

The finished product

I added some impatiens in a pot because I couldn't NOT add some flowers.

an Elmer Fudd moment

2011-05-20T17:44:00.003-05:00

I glanced out the window and saw two bunnies. Ah! How cute I thought. Maybe I can get a pic or two. I grabbed the camera, walked outside and heard Elmer Fudd singing Wagner. All I could think of was “kill the wabbit.” Those cute little bunnies were actually ravenous beasts chowing down on my plants. I’ve been wondering why some of the plants in the flower bed didn’t seem to be growing. I mean plants sitting in a bed of sweet peet, warm temps and constant rain were not growing. Now I know why. I got to find new homes for a bunch of plants, out of reach from these pesky, but cute, critters

for Pat, part II

2011-05-19T17:58:00.015-05:00

I was stuck in rush hour traffic on the Stevenson Expressway, coming home from a funeral when I looked up and saw one of those “End of the World May 21” billboards. At the rate I was moving, there was a good chance that I would still be on the Stevenson when the 21st rolled around. How disappointing, the end of the world and I’m sitting in traffic! Bummer. I think the guy who paid for the billboard might have it wrong. I think the end of the world will occur when the Chicago Cubs get into the World Series, but what do I know?

The end of the world and Pat and I still have gardening to finish. Pat is gardening Katie and Sean’s yardette. I don’t think it’s big enough to be called a yard, so I’ve coined the term yardette. With luck, Pat will finish and get a post in before it’s too late. I am going to wait on the gardening till the back yard dries out, end of the world or not. It’s been raining for the last five days so the ground squishes when I walk on it. While the rain has brought to life every weed in the yard, at least they are easy to pull.

Here are some more pics for Pat. Maybe the yard will be dry enough to walk on by the time she gets back home. Pat, if the boys could talk, they would tell you they miss you.

for Pat

2011-05-15T12:29:00.012-05:00

It’s been too wet to work outside, but not too wet to take pictures. Pat’s out with Katie and the girls so she is missing out on the garden coming to life. I am behind on garden work. It could be the weather or the trip to see the girls (I will refer to our granddaughters as “the girls” in all future writing, unless Pat or Katie tells me not). I think the real reason is that Pat is missing. I work better when Pat is around to tell me what to do. The pots and rabbits are still on the patio. What do I fill them up with and where do I put them. These are decisions I have never made. Maybe I will make a monument of pots and rabbits, something really garish, just this side of tacky.
Since Pat can’t be with the plants, I am bringing the plants to Pat.

rain, rain, go away

2011-05-13T12:03:00.003-05:00

It was sunny when I left school yesterday. I was thinking that I could get a nice walk in with the boys and still have time to garden. a couple miles from home I saw a wall of rain that i was heading towards. It was a zoological rain, cats, dogs, frogs and locusts. So much for gardening and I couldn't get the boys out of the garage.

wordless wednesday

2011-05-10T18:26:00.000-05:00

plants in the oddest places

2011-05-09T19:09:00.006-05:00

Sometimes plants pop up in unexpected places. I was weeding Sunday when I ran across these little beauties. I’m always surprised when hosta seeds itself. This little guy will end up in a pot till it grows up. I have to find a home for the little ligularia before Pat gets home. She has gone to the dark side regarding ligularia. She thinks ligularia is invasive and I am afraid that this may be proof. I hate to the use the term invasive. It is so subjective. I much prefer to think of them as a plant which is relatively easy to grow and has pretty flowers.

wordless wednesday

2011-05-03T19:10:00.001-05:00

while I was gone . . .

2011-05-02T20:03:00.009-05:00

The two babies in my arms are our first grand children. Abigail on the left and Fiona on the right. I know, I know, everyone shows pictures of their grand children and we are always polite and look at them, but these girls are the cutest.

When we left Cleveland, it was 40 and rainy. When we got back, spring had sprung and it was still rainy. We have a ton of garden work to do ,just as soon as I look at all the pictures I took of the girls.

drive south

2011-04-06T18:00:00.026-05:00

Since Pat and I moved to Ohio, we have made a concerted effort to explore our state. Growing up in Illinois, between school trips and my Dad making sure we explored all of Illinois, I became pretty well versed in Illinois history. I took an Ohio history course, but that just wetted my appetite for more. We have explored eastern and western Ohio and think a trip to Columbus from Cleveland is something we can do on a moment's notice. We had never explored Southern Ohio. I don’t know where Southern Ohio starts but I am pretty sure that we drove through it on our way to Ashland, Kentucky this last weekend. It’s kind of funny how age changed my interests. In my youthful past, I was always looking for historical markers where some famous dead guy stopped. That is still fun but know I want to see parks and gardens because that’s where the plants and flowers are. Greenhouses, nursery centers, and flea markets have taken the place of brass plaques as places to stop.

North of Columbus the landscape was all brown and gray. Spring was holding its breath. The further south of Columbus we drove the more hint of spring we saw. The tips of trees and bushes were green. Farm fields had a three day beard of green. By the time we made Chillicothe (our first state capital), the landscape was verdant. Forthysias were in full bloom, daffodils covered the front yards of houses we passed. Magnolia trees and crab apples were in flower. Spring was marching north, just not fast enough.

Pat and I went to Ashland Kentucky for a John Prine concert. The first thing we did after checking into the hotel in Ashland was find the magnolia trees we passed looking for the hotel. The magnolia trees were in full bloom. Ashland must be a month ahead of us.

In the old days (whenever that was), Pat would be dry when the Ohio River flooded in the spring because she is standing on the dry side of the flood wall. If she was on the other side, she would either be treading water or floating down river heading to Cairo (that is Karo).

The concert was very cool. We had center stage pitt seats. I was giddy with excitement, or at least as giddy as I get. Now the people next to us were giddy. It was funny being in an auditorium filled with gray haired middle agers who knew the words to all of the songs. We made it back to the hotel just in time to see the University of Kentucky lose some basketball game. There was a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth at the hotel, but not by the concert goers. A bunch of us gathered around the bar and talked about our children and where we lived. Then it dawned on me, well maybe better late than never, Pat and I had turned into our folks. Now that is funny.

Tag

2011-04-05T16:41:00.009-05:00

When Gloria over at Dakota Garden awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I had to narrow my list of bloggers who exude style to 15. This was a monumental task for me. Don't all garden bloggers exude style? The Stylish Bloggers Award comes with a “to do” list. You must tell the gardening blogoshere, and anyone else who stumbles upon your blog, seven random things about yourself. In the spirit of “tag, you’re it,” you need to nominate 15 other garden bloggers who haven’t already received this award . You also get this nifty sign to put on your blog; pretty cool.

The bloggers on my list are always fun to read and see and each one of them exudes style.

http://pqandmb.blogspot.com/

http://alternativeeden.blogspot.com/

http://patiopatch.co.uk/

http://www.theyardartgame.com/

http://childrenofthecorm.blogspot.com/

http://www.yardisgreen.blogspot.com/

http://www.melissa-majora.blogspot.com/

http://chaosinature.blogspot.com/

http://sequoiagardens.wordpress.com/

http://www.seedscatterer.blogspot.com/

http://www.redneckrosarian.com/

http://lifeinthecotswolds.blogspot.com/

http://flowerladysmusings.blogspot.com/

http://lastfrontiergarden.blogspot.com/

http://lawofthelandblog.blogspot.com/

Isn'tway ingspray eatgray

2011-03-31T19:09:00.004-05:00

aprilway oolsfay ayday

illway ethay owsnay everway endway?

i never thought of myself as stylish

2011-03-30T18:40:00.010-05:00

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere this last month due to work. March not only brings a hint of spring but also the OGTs and the end of the quarter. Every spring students in Ohio come face to face with their mortality in the OGTs. Pass and you can graduate, fail and you get a “thanks for playing card”. You don’t even get the home game version. So, it is a trying time for our school’s population, which is made up of students who have been less than successful in their prior educational endeavors. Needless to say, there has been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth these last few weeks. It is mind numbing to see fleeting successes disappear before your eyes. Man, I needed to get my focus elsewhere and that means in the yard. It might be spring by the calendar, but not by the temperatures. It still is in the 20s at night and snow is always in the forecasts. Last weekend was in the low 30s during the day with clear skies. What better time to get 5 yards of Sweet Peet. Nothing makes me forget the world outside our garden better than shoveling a pile of composted zoo poop and leaf humus. After an hour or so of shoveling, I recall the words of the famous Japanese actor and philosopher, Sessue Hayakawa, “Be happy in your work.” I can’t get the cars in the garage till I shovel all the sweet peet and I can’t get the next load till the first load is spread around the yard and we need 3 loads. I shovel and dump while Pat, the real brains of the operation, raked. We cleared the driveway in 5 hours. It is an amazing thing how well Pat and I work together without resorting to sarcasm. It is the strangest thing; in our neighborhood, yard work seems to be a one person job, with no gardening taking place. I would be lonely in the yard without Pat. I know the boys would help if they only could, but they don’t have thumbs and get distracted by squirrels. The Sweet Peet we use is the only fertilizer the planting areas get.

While I was sinking into the numbing black hole of standardized testing, Gloria over at Dakota Garden gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. Wow wee! What a pleasant surprise! I am always tickled that anyone reads my blog. Stylish is not a word our children would associate with their Dad. Gloria and Ted’s yard is proof positive of the use of composted exotic animal manure. Their garden is simply stunning. God bless all husbands who understand that truck loads of the stuff was part of our marriage vows.

Part of the award is a request to tell the world about yourself, so here goes:

1. I can’t pronounce the name of my blog. The blog started out as a class assignment for an edtech class I was taking. I asked the son-in-law to translate the title into Latin for fun and since he is just about the smartest person I know, he did. Maybe I should change the name to Pat and Jim’s Gardening Adventures and leave the title in English. 2. I can’t keep the names of plants straight. Common names are hard enough to remember, let alone Latin names.

3. I believe that copious amounts of Sweet Peet, that fine Ohio product, helps make up for not knowing what I am doing.

4. I have accepted clay as my friend, since that is what our yard has as soil. Adding 15 yards of Sweet Peet to the planting areas every spring makes the clay and plants happy.

5.I rant about our deer all year long, but continue to feed all the critters who visit or live in our yard. I even plant sacrificial hostas in the deer path in the hope the deer will leave the rest alone.

6. It took a long time, but I finally found my dream job, working with at-risk students.

7. I never used a PC till I went back to college at 49. Now I’m the tech guy at school.

I stand in awe of my fellow garden bloggers. Everyone is friendly and helpful and your pictures and posts are a wonder to see and read.

Tag, it’s your turn list will be forthcoming.

wordless wednesday

2011-03-29T21:48:00.002-05:00

wordless wednesday

2011-03-22T18:32:00.002-05:00

World Water Day

2011-03-22T18:10:00.002-05:00

Living in the Great Lakes Basin, it is easy to take abundant fresh water for granted. There always seems to be enough water to waste, but there really isn’t. Towns and cities just outside the basin try every political trick in the book to get Great Lakes water. Every year I read stories about how some politician in a water deprived area of the country has hatched another scheme to get our water. Hey, you got our jobs, you aren’t getting our water.

Water is too precious to waste. Everyone needs to do what they can to limit their use of fresh water. Pat and I took some easy steps in this regard. We don’t water turf grass. The grass grows as tall as the homeowners association and its yard police allow it, or it dies. We attached water barrels to our downspouts. It wasn’t that hard and they look cool. We don’t buy plants that need special care or can’t grow unaided in our climate. Most importantly, we do not use chemicals. The old joke about flush twice, (fill in the name of a down stream city) needs water, is really no joke. Lawn chemicals finding their way into our watershed will eventually turn science fiction movies into reality.

Do what you can.

World Water Day

snow free?

2011-03-14T16:58:00.007-05:00

The last of the snow is hiding out in the shadows, like a Cuyahoga politician waiting for the indictment. The water has mostly drained off so it’s time to get into the yard. Luckily, the brains of the operation was with me, so we mainly looked around the yard. Boy, is it a mess. The yard is strewn with branches, overturned yard ornamentation, toppled bunnies and muck. And then there are the deer tracks. The yard is one large mud pit this time of year so the tracks are easy to see. If the kids were still little, I would be making plaster molds, but the kids are grown and I really want the deer to move elsewhere. Michigan would be fine or Pennsylvania, if they prefer. Heck, if they moved to the other side of the street, I would be happy. Meanwhile, I am throwing orange peels where ever I see deer tracks.

Amongst all the muck and deer tracks are signs of spring. Ladies mantle and swamp marigolds are growing. The hellebores are finally snow free, so how far away can blooms be? Now if only we could stay rain or snow free for a couple weeks.

spring forward

2011-03-12T18:43:00.011-05:00

The weather guys said that we were going to get some snow after midnight. Rush hour in the snow is always fun. I left an hour early and took something to eat and drink just in case. There are always guys, you know the type, that think driving fast and weaving in and out of traffic is a sign of manhood. Maybe it’s my age or maybe because I drove for a living, but I do get a chuckle when I see them in a ditch or slapped up against the median strip. But I digress. The closer to the lake I got, the heavier the snow. Great, I thought, I’ll get to work and then they’ll call school off. I didn’t get to school. The call came before I got there. I got home just in time to shovel. Today it’s in the 40’s and sunny. By Monday, there won’t be any snow left, just water and mud in the back yard.

It's a rabbit with a mohawk. I have no idea how Mr. Rabbit survives. He is right in the middle of a deer path. Maybe it's professional courtesy of some sort.

Spring's march is unstoppable.

wordless wednesday

2011-03-08T21:58:00.000-05:00

March in Columbus

2011-03-08T21:11:00.019-05:00

If April showers bring May flowers, what does March Monsoons bring in Northeast Ohio? It brings snow, as if I had to ask. What Saturday's all-day deluge brought Pat and I was a trip to the Central Ohio Home and Garden Show at the State Fairgrounds in Columbus. We left early enough to have the best chicken and waffles in all Ohio at the Linden Cafe at 11th and Cleveland in Columbus. It was worth the trip just for breakfast. I know this is not a food blog. The food service business is tough and I like to give a well deserved shout out to the Linden for making such a sublime dish. It put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

The Home and Garden show was BIG. It’s in two buildings. We got to see everything from some nice display gardens to as-seen-on-TV, it dices, it slices, it’s the who knows what it is.

We found Eco-Brick once again at the show. This Ohio product is a great example of being green, efficient and cool all at the same time. It is a chord wood substitute made from compressed hardwood shavings. We filled the Hyundai (should have brought the Aztec) with the stuff. An extra benefit of Eco-Brick is that the boys do not recognize them as wood so they don’t chew them.

If I woke to this scene, I'd be calling Pat and saying something like "look Pat, come see the deer eat our garden to the nubs." Or something like that. At a garden show, it looks very cool.

What trip to Columbus would be complete without a visit to the Franklin Park Conservatory? I could sit and look at the glass art displays or be enveloped by the comforting green all day long. Oh yeah, we also bought some more glass from their in-house glass works.

I love anything with big green leaves. Somehow I think that this guy wouldn't make it past late September in Cleveland, even with a heating pad.

As we were walking past this plant, Pat said, "look Jim, a ligularia you don't have." Ha!Ha! I have to get one of these guys.

The Chuihuly glass at the Conservatory is wonderful to look at. His art is spread out over the entire conservatory.

duck highway

2011-03-02T19:39:00.007-05:00

Once the snow started to melt, I started a ritual which will last until next winter: walking the yard. The tulips and day lilies are poking thru, even though there is still snow in the front yard. The recent thaw has turned the back yard into a quagmire full of snow and standing water. The deer trail is in evidence. Pat and I planted sacrificial hosta in the hopes that the garden gods will be satisfied with our offering to the deer. I still think that I could run the deer over with the Aztec, but I don’t want to stay up all night waiting for them. That and I can’t figure out how to get the Aztec into the back yard. While in the back yard I discovered a duck highway. Just imagine how many ducks there must have been.

wordless wednesday

2011-03-01T20:59:00.001-05:00

Akron Home and Flower Show

2011-02-27T15:35:00.016-05:00

The Akron Home and Flower show was this weekend at the John S Knight Center and of course we went. The Knight Center is a nice intimate setting for a flower show. It has a wonderful stage area which has the Akron skyline as a backdrop. Every time we go to downtown Akron, we have a great time.

This year Ed Begley Jr was one of the featured speakers. We heard Mr. Begley speak two years ago at the Akron Show, so this year we made a point of getting there early enough to get a seat. His talk on sustainable living is full of common sense solutions and to my continued surprise and admiration, adheres to all the rules of economics. There is no pie in the sky, lost in the woods ramblings. We can all have a smaller footprint than we do now. Even though Mr. Begley was preaching to the choir, it was still fun to hear. You could tell the audience was working their own check list, making check marks next to every suggestion.

Jan at Thanks for Today has a gardeners’ sustainable living project in March. Last year’s entrants were a fount of knowledge. It fits right in with Mr. Begley’s philosophy.

I can't resist taking pictures of hosta.

Or getting my picture taken with a mascot.

Only at a garden show will you see hosta and tulips together.

snow day

2011-02-25T18:36:00.008-05:00

While the weather reports Thursday evening called for a storm of epic proportions, there was no new snow on the ground at midnight. Even before the storm arrived, school districts were calling off school. The race seemed to be on to see which county would close the most schools. When I got up at 0430, there was just a light snow. The television weather people were speaking in terms of the apocalypse, yet none of the large districts in Cuyahoga County had called off. I put on a pot of coffee and sat back waiting for something to happen. Well it did. By 0500 the snow was that pretty, heavy snow that looks so nice on a Saturday afternoon when you are sitting by a fire. By 0530 the wind had picked up and the snow was coming at us horizontally. It was so thick that I thought ODOT wasn’t going to be able to keep up. Still, none of the big districts had called off. I was resigned to a wintery driving adventure heading to a classroom whose students were all exercising a personal snow day. Common sense prevailed in the halls of administration land. I received the official notice: SNOW DAY.

The tree is still sad.

As luck would have it, Jimmy had just gotten home from two weeks in North Carolina. We were happy to see him and I was happy that I wasn’t going to shovel snow. All hail Jimmy, shoveler of long driveways.

The Akron Home and Flower Show is this weekend.

the tree is sad

2011-02-24T21:01:00.003-05:00

Winter just doesn't seem to want to go away. Just when I thought that maybe, just maybe we could make it to March without any more snow, another storm is heading our way.

wordless wednesday

2011-02-22T21:21:00.002-05:00

family pictures and azaleas

2011-02-21T16:41:00.013-05:00

Pat and I just spent a long weekend in Chicago scanning pictures from our moms' boxes of pictures. We’ve been doing this for 6-9 months or so. I want to hear the stories behind the pictures before the memories get too worn.

We’ve been regaled with stories of G-men breaking into my great-grandparent Drees farm house in Northern Minnesota during prohibition, carting my Uncle Matt off the hoosegow, but not before my Great-Grandma Drees whacked a G-man with a cast iron skillet. Pat found out the history about her family trips to Marshall Field during Christmas with tea in the Walnut room. Her Mom went as a little girl. Pat and I can’t tell our children and soon-to-be grandchildren any family story unless we know it.

I remember going to the Garfield Park Conservatory when I was little. When I got older, I wondered if this was a “fatherly” thing to do or if something drew my Dad to the park. I scanned a picture album from my Dad which had pictures from 1938. Within the folder album, I found my answer, page after page of pictures of tropical plants from the Lincoln Park and Garfield Park conservatories. Little did my Dad know, but a few years later, he would get to see exotic plants up close. Maybe my gardening comes from my Dad. We decided to visit the Garfield Park Conservatory on our way home. What’s an extra couple of hours?

The conservatory’s azalea display opened this last weekend. There were families with little kids enjoying the plants and flowers. The kids darted around exploring all the new sights. For a moment, one of those little kids was me.

About now, Pat asked "how come we can't get our azeleas to look like this?" I hid behind the "I don't know anything about sun plants" line. Oh yeah, azeleas are shade plants.

There was so much to show that I'll need another post.

wordless wednesday

2011-02-15T17:56:00.001-05:00

Heat wave

2011-02-13T20:34:00.004-05:00

We’re having a heat wave in Cleveland. The temps are in the mid 40s. You can go outside with just a heavy sweatshirt. Spring can’t be far behind. With the balmy temps, I can finally get into the back yard. While I prefer the yard lush and green, the snow does look pretty cool, especially with the animal tracks.

The Great Big Home and Garden Expo part2

2011-02-08T17:47:00.016-05:00

Two of the coolest gardens at the garden show were the Wizard of Oz and the Alice in Wonderland gardens. I couldn’t resist having Pat take a picture of me with the White Rabbit. I kept looking for the flying monkeys, but couldn’t find any. Just as well, they scared the bejeezus out of me when I was little and still kind of give me the willies. Walking through these gardens was like going to a twin bill.

The Great Home and Garden Expo

2011-02-06T21:13:00.023-05:00

It’s snowing again. We still haven’t got the ice off the driveway. Maybe the snow will give us a little traction. I tell myself that all that snow in the back yard is the reason we have all those healthy hosta. I guess I’ll have to take my own word at it because the snow's too deep for me to check. Our hellebores should be blooming soon. I wonder if they can bloom under two feet of snow.

So Pat and I had a choice, shovel the snow and ice or go to The Great Home and Garden Expo at the I-X Center. We are lucky in Cleveland to have competing Garden shows. This one lives up to its name. It is huge, taking up the entire I-X Center. I don’t know how many square feet it is but it’s big enough to have been a tank factory during the war. There’s a football game sometime this evening but I have no interest. I grew up in Chicago and have called Cleveland home for nine years, so a pox on both teams. Off to the garden show.

There were 20 display gardens, all with a movie theme. While the vendor display area was bright, the display garden area was lit with spotlights. The overhead lights were not on. It made for various dramatic looks, but tough picture taking. Here are a few of them. Well, there is actually more than a few. I am going to need a second post.

What's a poor boy to do when confronted with not just this display, but four displays just like it. Seed displays are at every garden show we go to and I am always overwhelmed. Before the next show, I'm going to have a list.

I always look for the sweet peet, that magical product which originated in Ohio. I found it of course and also found a really neat new product from Ohio. It’s a flower pot that wraps around your light pole, very cool indeed. We took one home. If the snow ever melts, I’ll put it on our light pole.

Pat is always on the hunt for pottery and we found a first time vendor. He had really neat stuff and we brought some home.

Okay, I'm shameless. I always get my picture with somebody's mascot at one these shows.

Do you think this would keep the deer away from my hosta?

The Akron Home and Flower Show is only three weeks away.

animal tracks

2011-02-03T20:23:00.005-05:00

The back yard is covered with snow and the snow is covered with animal tracks. The patio seems to have been turned into a condo. There’s a hole in the snow with sunflower husks littered around it. I catch glimpses of Mr. Squirrel popping his head out every once in a while. His every once in a whiles are perfectly timed to find me without a camera. The picture of Mr. Squirrel is from last month, before all the snow. The tracks lead me to believe that he has taken up residence in the upside down strawberry pot. I’ll wait till spring and hope the lease has been terminated.

wordless wednesday

2011-02-01T18:24:00.001-05:00

a tropical respite

2011-01-30T20:00:00.023-05:00

The garden show last week only whetted our appetite for more things spring-like and green. We were in luck because right in the heart of the east side is the City of Cleveland’s Rockefeller Park Greenhouse. Pat and I decided to visit ahead of the blizzard that is on its way.

Outside was a cold and snow-covered landscape, suitable for snow shoeing, skiing, sledding and other assorted winter activities. But not gardening. We pulled into the parking lot and were pleasantly surprised to see other cars in the parking lot. Inside we went, joining others in search of a winter respite. Inside it is perpetually hot and green. The sights are also very, very cool. The place is full of plants that I could never grow, but then, that’s why there are places like this.

The orchid room was straight out of Nero Wolf. My post only shows a few of the hundreds of orchids that filled the room.

7 days till The Great Big Home and Garden Expo.

wordless wednesday

2011-01-25T20:10:00.001-05:00

I love garden shows

2011-01-24T18:27:00.030-05:00

We are real lucky living in Cleveland. We get two garden shows: a big show, which Pat and I went to this weekend, and a huge one later in February. The parking lot was packed when we arrived. It was 10 degrees and overcast outside, but it was spring inside. Voc Ed students from the Auburn Career Center in Concord Township built a 2400 sq.ft. garden. I think it was the best garden at the show. The hosta and flowers were sprinkled with water and were beautiful. You can tell the students worked really hard. Garden shows have that "garden show" smell. It makes you think that spring is right around the corner, not two months away.

A funny thing happened after about 15 minutes at the show. People with cameras were everywhere. I mean Pat and I each had a camera, but I guess I never made the connection between cameras and gardens. That means that there are thousands of people going home after garden shows and saying, "I should do that" or "I should get this".

We met members of the Garden Club of Cleveland. I think I'll give it a try. Pat and I have a busy month ahead with three more garden shows. The Big Home and Garden Expo in Cleveland is 2/5 -13. The Akron Home and Flower Show is 2/25-27. The Central Ohio Home and Garden Show in Columbus is 2/26-3/6. The yard ornamentaton vendor who was at the show last weekend will be at the Columbus show. I told Pat we'll take the Aztec. It has more room than the Hyundai.

Ivy on fake animals, errie.

I never miss a chance to give a shout out to that most magnifcant of Ohio products, sweet peet. Pat and I use 15 yards a year, nothing else, and I don't work for these guys.
Proof that if you don't keep moving in the garden, ivy will get you. It's sort of like Day of the Triffids. It gives me the creeps.
I love yard ornaments. When I pass by, I can hear the voices, "Jim, Jim, check us out."

Ligularia in January

2011-01-20T20:23:00.008-05:00

This is our ligularia patch. As you can see, ligularia don't do real well, flower wise, when it's 20 and snowing. Since we don't dead head, there should be a bunch of new ones in Spring. Just wait, come March, Pat will be telling me to give some of the new ones away.

Butterflies and bees love these things.
Two days till the garden show.

wordless wednesday

2011-01-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

a little sun

2011-01-16T19:35:00.003-05:00

I’ve not posted in a while because I’m been in a mid-winter funk. The ground’s covered with snow, the weather forecasts call for more snow, and I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun. We’re still weeks away from the annual Plain Dealer articles about winter depression and the disappearance of the sun.
Well, today brought a little sun out. While I was not born with a sports gene, I do have a love for Chicago sports teams. It’s more an emotional thing than knowing player names and statistics. That’s why the internet was invented. The BEARS won. Something about orange and blue brings back all those memories of futility interspersed with the occasional “Wow.” I’m not sure what part of history today is, but it was an enjoyable interlude from the depressing gray dullness of a Cleveland winter. Being a Bears fan only goes so far because next week, in addition to the Bears-Packers game, is the first of two Cleveland Garden shows. As you know, you can never go to too many garden shows.

For you Chicago Bears fans, a musical interlude. For any Seattle Seahawk fans, sorry.

wordless wednesday

2011-01-05T00:03:00.000-05:00

Cookies

2010-12-22T20:50:00.007-05:00

Pat has spent the last three days baking cookies, filling the house with the smell of Christmas. While I can cook, I have never tried my hand at baking. I leave cookies to the expert. And Pat is an expert at baking and hiding them. I would see the cookies cooling on the table and “poof” they would be gone. I looked in all the normal places where she used to hide Christmas cookies, but to no avail. Now I admit that if she left the cookies out, I would eat them. That is my end of the bargain. Pat bakes cookies and I eat them. Pat then wonders where all the cookies went. This has been going on for a long time. We have been married for someplace close to forever. This is a very good thing. When the kids lived with us, there were four of us trolling through the house looking for cookies. Pat kept saying that she needed to get more tins for the cookies. Where did they go? I looked everywhere.

Last night they appeared, as if by magic, on the kitchen counter. I took a picture so I could identify the tins, in case Pat hid them again.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends in the blogosphere. We appreciate your visits and enjoy visiting. Jim and Pat

This is an historical family artifact. It is Pat's cookie cookbook. Grandma Kunde gave it to her as a wedding shower present. I know that millions were printed, but there is only one of these.

wordless wednesday

2010-12-21T15:18:00.005-05:00

in the still of the night

2010-12-21T14:59:00.009-05:00

Our back yard looks like the inter-state of animal tracks. Tracks criss-cross the yard as if we are a convention center. Oh yeah, Pat and I feed the animals. During the summer, the bird feeders need refilling every day, sometime twice or three times. The winter should be different. Most of our winged friends are in warmer climes down south, or wherever they go. Maybe it’s Miami; after all, Miami is the answer to the joke of where are Ohio’s millionaires. But once again I’m wandering into another subject. I shouldn’t have to refill empty birdfeeders in the winter. Thinking it was the squirrels, we threw a bunch of feed on the ground in various spots in the yard. No luck.

A couple of days ago I went to turn off the back yard Christmas lights. I wasn’t paying attention, it was one in the morning and I wasn’t dressed for the cold; heck, I was wearing slippers. Well, I don’t know who was more surprised when I opened the door, me or the two deer on the patio. I ran to get a camera and the deer didn’t want to get their pictures taken so they probably ran to their lawyers.

Ah ha, I thought. I have bumped into the culprit. Now I needed to figure out how to get a picture, with a pocket camera. I quickly discarded the idea of bundling up and sitting outside all night waiting. I had visions of Pat poking me in the morning and realizing I wasn’t doing my John Mills Scott of the Antarctic imitation. Better to stay nice and comfy in the house and poke my head out in the wee hours of the morning.

It worked. I caught them in the act. Now I have to figure out how to raise the bird feeders out of reach of the deer. If I put them in the trees the squirrels will think that we started a delivery service.

Christmas lights tour

2010-12-18T20:37:00.023-05:00

When I was young, I never dreamed that I would have Christmas lights in my own yard, let alone look forward to driving around looking for lights. Boy, what a little age will do for you.

You must be able to see this house from space. We forgot the exact street this display is on, so we just searched for the glow in the sky and aimed for it. The house has two sets of trains.

The Christmas house comes with elves. They meet and greet and take you to see...

That's right, Santa hangs out in a Strongsville Ohio neighborhood. Boy was I excited to visit with him. I haven't seen him since I was a little kid, or was it last year when we did the tour? Well, Ho! Ho! Ho! anyway.

Every time we see parents with young kids doing round robin picture taking, we volunteer to take a family pic. It only takes a second and puts a smile on peoples faces. That's how we got our picture taken.

We headed to what I call "the vacant lot" at the intersection of the two busiest roads in town. When we first moved to Strongsville, I saw this big vacant lot with some kind of faux New England clock tower on it. I wandered why there wasn't a gas station on the corner. The upholders of town snootiness and morals told me that it was "the commons." Well OK then. Still looks like a vacant lot to me. I would have added faux ruins of a fort or something to the faux clocktower for instant history.

Pat and I headed to downtown Cleveland and public square. The city of Cleveland puts on a marvoulous Christmas display. Terminal Tower is lit up in green and red and the colors change. I never noticed it till Pat pointed it out when we were looking at pictures.

I would have put lights on it.

Old Stone Church

This is Cleveland's founder, Moses Cleveland. He spent one night here. After claiming the area for land speculators in Connecticut, he left, not unlike other recent personages.

Tom Johnson was one of the greatest figures of the Progressive era at the turn of the last century. He made his money in steel and street cars and became Cleveland's greatest mayor. You know I always try to sneak in a history lesson.

baby, it's cold outside

2010-12-16T16:59:00.010-05:00

I took these pics the same day as my wordless wednesday pic. The wind was howling in from the north. Boy was it cold. The Plain Dealer says we are 10-15 degrees below normal. The television stations try to see who can have the most dramatic "it's cold out" story. Our sports teams are fighting for mediocrity and just about every politician has been indicted, so what else is the media to talk about. It's normally supposed to be in the mid 30's in early December. It has been in the mid teens during the day. Cold enough that Fred our 12 year old dog doesn't want to go outside, but not cold enough that you have to get a block heater for your car. It's not Minnasota cold or even Chicago cold, so I still don't need my long johns or heavy coat. But having said all that, I really wanted to get back in the car after I took these pics.

There is a bush in there someplace. it almost looks like some kind of ice cactus.

There is a tree under all the ice.

I took this pic today on the way home from work. If you enlarge the picture and squint real, real hard, you still can't see our northern neighbors in Canada. It's a curvature of the earth kind of thing, or maybe it's just too far away. The water is usually open because of the power plant, but with the economy what it is, the power plant is off line. I don't know what the birds and geese are going to do.

wordless wednesday

2010-12-14T17:58:00.001-05:00

lunch with our winged friends

2010-12-13T20:57:00.005-05:00

We’ve had Mallards in our yard since Pat and I moved to Cleveland. The pond nearby doesn’t freeze over and the ducks never leave. We have food for all the animals. I think how we treat the animals we don’t eat makes a statement as to the type of person you are. Our reward is a constant presence of winged and footed creatures. I took these pictures over the last two days. We are in the middle of what is supposed to be a four day snow storm, which explains the difference in the snowscape.

My backyard neighbor let his dogs out, so off they go.

lake effect snow

2010-12-09T17:12:00.014-05:00

If you live on the wrong side of the Great Lakes, this story will sound familiar. For those of you who don’t know whether you’re on the wrong side of the Great Lakes or not, trust me, you aren't. The great city of Cleveland sits on the south shore of Lake Erie. Until Lake Erie and Lake Huron freeze (evidently even Lake Huron is too damn close), we can get a lot of snow in a very short time. Being an adopted son of Ohio, I feel obligated to blame Michigan for the snow that comes off of Lake Huron. Now I’m not talking Donner Pass, you eat your uncles’ leg kind of snow, but a lot of snow. But I digress. Until the Great Lakes freeze over, we can get "hope the snow blower fires up" kind of snow.

When I arrived at work Thursday morning, the air was filled with large pretty white snow flakes. I knew that the winds had changed, since we hadn’t gotten any snow for the last three days by the lake while 15 miles southwest where we live had got slammed with the white stuff. The snow did not stop. The snow picked up in the afternoon. I heard “snow day” being whispered around the room. Since Ohio has a three day limit on catastrophe days, I discussed the concept of the individual snow day with my students. My evil cynical twin thinks that the concept of the individual snow day could present us with the perfect school day, school is open but all the students called off because there is two feet of snow on the ground.

I kept waiting to see a city snow plow drive past the school. As it played out, the whole city was waiting for snow plows. They must have been swallowed into some kind of dimensional time shift, or some other kind of science fictional explanation. There is no other explanation that doesn’t put the snow crews playing cards or plowing politicians' streets. Everyone was anxious to leave. When it was time to go, I never saw school empty out so fast. I wasn’t concerned. The Aztec has new tires and in a past life, I drove for a living. I had a full tank of gas, 5 gallons of windshield washer fluid and a broom. The only thing I needed was food because getting home was going to take a while. I had a remedy for the food situation, Siam Café. I got on the Shore Way and to my surprise it was bumper to bumper and going nowhere. Alright, I wasn’t really surprised. The trip to go the three miles from school to the restaurant took close to an hour. OK, I thought, the trip will be slow but manageable. The restaurant parking lot had a foot of snow in it and it was full of cars. Evidently a bunch of people think like me: Thai food for the trip home.

Normally Siam Café is a five minute drive to the expressway; not today. Oh, did I mention that I still had not seen a city snow plow or police car? Where were these guys? It took another hour and a half to get on the expressway. Anarchy reigned. Drivers ignored traffic signals, drove the wrong way on the streets. Tempers flared because of fender benders. Guys with male enhancement issues drove their pickups and SUVs around as if the rest of us should part the waves. Well, I have a sense of humor and was not in a hurry since I had a ton of food, so I just seemed to get in these guys' way. I saw no reason to get out of their way. Eventually, in two orders' of siam wings worth of time, I saw the expressway entrance. The promised land awaited, if I could only get there before I ran out of food. Did I mention that I had still not seen a city plow or any of its esteemed safety force?

In Chicago, mayoral elections have been won and lost over snow. If there is even a hint of snow in Chicago, everyone whose job relies on getting rid of the snow or on being re-elected is on the job. I finally spotted a police car. It was spinning its tires and going nowhere. For crying out loud, is the city too broke to keep good tires on the cop cars? You can only laugh. I finally got on the expressway. That 20 minute trip had taken a mere two and a half hours; not bad. It was still snowing as I headed south. As if by a miracle, actually because of wind patterns, the snow stopped, the expressway was clear and traffic was going 70. To show that nature has a sense of humor, officially Cleveland did not get any snow yesterday because no snow fell at the official weather station. It was sunny there.

My whole trip, which normally takes about an hour, clocked in at 3hours 45 minutes. It really could have been worse, and the trip became a blogging event.

Inching along on St Clair.
Inching along on Superior.

Still inching along on Superior. When I started this adventure it was light out.

Hey! No buttinskies. This jamoke needed a lesson on which side of the road to drive on. My Aztec happened to just slide over enough to make him stop. No one let him in. His mother would be ashamed, unless of course his mother drives like this also.

The promised land.

Beauty in the least expected places.

Ode to gridlock.

happy birthday to Pat

2010-12-08T20:36:00.010-05:00

Winter has finally showed itself as the cold windy snowy gotta shovel the driveway again nuisance it is. Momma pumpkins and Poppa pumpkins are buried under a foot of snow waiting to surprise us in spring. I think I can finally put the lawn mower away. With our ability to garden severely limited by the snow, what can we do? Why take a road trip to the northern most point in West Virginia and visit its most famous destination, the Homer Laughlin Pottery Company, home of Fiesta Ware.

Newell is an easy 2 hour trip through increasingly wooded and hilly terrain. I never tire of the trip. This time I missed our intended exit because I wasn’t paying attention. We were rewarded by a fun ride down route 7 through what Chicagoans call the “woods.” We passed a concrete statuary, or what I would call a yard ornamentation place, in Lisbon. We will visit the place in the early spring when lawn ornamentation season is just starting, because you can never have too many concrete rabbits in your yard. This little sidetrack didn’t add much time to our trip. Besides, nothing starts till we get there and we got there in plenty of time to buy everything Pat wanted.

The Homer Laughlin plant is right on the bluffs overlooking the Ohio River. As you look out over the river you can almost see pioneers on flat boats making their way to the future. But we didn’t make this trip for a history lesson. We came for Fiesta Ware and Pat worked her list. There seems to be a division of labor as I watched the customers. Husbands for the most part mill about waiting for their wives to finish. I dive in. I’m not driving 2 hours to mill about. I can mill about in my own driveway. I want to buy plates, actually bowls, big bowls, medium size bowls, and little bowls. We found a new-to-us selection called the Bistro Collection. It is great looking diner ware, just the kind you would expect to see in a chrome and Formica breakfast and lunch joint. I got a starter set. Pat picked out a bunch of stuff that we were missing and a 2 person set of a discontinued color. If you don’t act on discontinued Fiesta ware when you’re at the factory store, you are stuck with the secondary market. And guess where the secondary market gets their stuff? Yeah, the factory store.

When we got home Pat called out to me. “I got the wrong size plate.” Now there was a time when I would have said, or at least thought, actually definitely only thought, “bummer.” Without hesitation, (now this is a Peter Cook moment from The Princess Bride -- "twue wove") I said, “we’ll go back tomorrow and get other stuff too." So back we went, through a snow storm this time. We got the plates Pat needed and a bunch of other fiesta ware we didn’t know we needed.

The Fiesta ware colors are so bright and happy that they will put a smile on your face no matter what mood you find yourself in.

wordless wednesday

2010-12-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

first snow

2010-12-01T16:54:00.002-05:00

It finally snowed. I was happy in denial. The Plain Dealer just ran an article about how it’s been 250 days since the last snow. I was hoping for a few more weeks without snow and since I was in denial, temperatures in the upper 50s would have been fine. Now it isn’t the "schools and airports are all closed, there’s a run at the grocery store" kind of snow. It’s more of the, if you look hard, you can see the snow kind of first snow. But, none the less, it is the first snow. It’s time to find the snow shovel.

wordless wednesday

2010-11-30T22:15:00.000-05:00