Month: May 2015

Yesterday, Ron brought home two big bunches of flowers which Laura was kind enough to arrange for us. What a treat to see first thing this morning!

Had the fan on all night. Made coffee and fetched the Sunday Times. Hot in the sun today until a cold front moved in around 4:00. Fine breeze.

We changed sheets and did laundry. Took pity on our neighbors and loaded a pile of brush that’s been sitting in their yard for weeks; did the transfer station run. Fortunately, trash and recyclables was pretty light this week. Stopped at Breakaway to fill a propane tank for Peter.

Piled a second, final load of brush from the neighbor’s yard on the truck for a run tomorrow.

Robert’s birdhouse has occupants, a sparrow family we think.

Buds on the Endless Summer hydrangeas and the Stella d’Oros.  Lilacs have started. Lupine is blossoming (!)  Yard is really looking good this year.  Must have been the snow and the soaker hoses.

Ron chainsawed his way through a pile of wood for Laura and Joe. He also put another coat on the wishing well stand.

We picked up some baked goods at the Senior Center and some “used” steaks at Stop & Shop as well as my meds.

I finished pruning the hydrangeas. Hardly touched the purple one. The big ones are a mess. I also mowed the back yard, put down the new soaker in the little garden by the back steps and did a bunch of watering, starting with the vegetable garden early this morning. Painted three more rocks for soaker hose location.

Finished preowned detail! Had an awful time deploying it. Felt like a weird cacheing issue that eventually timed out, and at that point, my code worked. Very frustrating.

Little pizzas for supper tonight with leftovers and used veggies. Good!

We picked up fencing materials at Lowe’s in Wareham; Ron installed the fence around the vegetable garden this afternoon.

He also did the laundry.

I brought home two gorgeous Speedwells, mowed the front and side grass and pruned four hydrangeas and one of the Montauks. Four hydrangeas to go.

Bon mot courtesy of our friend Peter Randall, who was here for a Spring inspection.

I’ve been working on Jim’s page.

Was Alpha’s chauffeur for her last day of secondary school – ever. We had frozen yogurt to celebrate.

Ron has been busy with hoses and shop vac-ing. He vacuumed both vehicles!

I planted Alyssum that Alpha selected in one of the flower containers.

Met Peter, Bonnie and Robert at iCape to drop off a suit for Alpha to wear at graduation; crumpets for Robert; sprinkler for James; and ground chicken and hamburger for everyone else.

Made a salad and grilled Manager’s Special chicken breasts, zuccini, used pepper and used cauliflower for supper.

Transplanted the Brussel sprouts, which had been attacked by “Welsh”.

Finished applying 5-10-5.

The Pope has it right: “Many powerful people don’t want peace because they live off war.”

More watering today. We picked up two more soaker hoses and filter washers at Eastman’s. Also an oscillating sprinkler for Edgewater.

I made potato salad.

Ron is the guy in charge of hoses, power tools, “cowboy carpentry”.

Caught up with Joe while he was sanding their deck. Gave him a chunk of Key Lime pie. Laura seems to be psyching herself for the start of their landscape architecture project.

It’s Sunday of a long holiday weekend, but we worked the whole day.

We did the usual: transfer station, laundry, changed sheets.

I planted the rest of the crocosmia bulbs as well as the bulbs from last year that looked like they might have some life in them and a wood geranium.

The rest of the day was mostly watering. I painted more stones as guides to the business ends of the new soaker hoses.

Harvested five asparagus for supper. “Welsh” has been around the yard, eating and contemplating.

Sunburn, allergy, yardwork, whatever it was, I slept for a couple of hours this afternoon.

Got most of the bulbs in, dug up some bulbs from last year. Planted a Cushion Spurge and a plant with tall stems and red flowers that hummingbirds are alleged to like. Watered.

Luis came by to put down pre-emergent crabgrass treatment.

I shredded leaves in two spots and piled Ron’s yard trimmings on the truck; great to have a working tailgate again. Traffic was bad this morning when Ron did the transfer station run.

Ron finished power washing the chairs. I went to Andy’s for chips.

Rained last night.

Steve from Davey suggested regular watering of the rhodies – I set up two soakers yesterday – and a treatment for a pest which attacks both the leaves and the roots. We’re getting a credit for the referral to the Winslows, so I asked him to please send us a proposal.

Bought three perennials from Alan Berriault, one to replace a hideous grass in the “U” and two for the corner garden.

Ron and I went to the Falmouth Farmer’s Market, where he got to schmooze with a former stagehand(!) We picked up asparagus, radishes, rhubarb and some fabulous cheeses. Then Ron drove Alpha home after her tutorial.

The yard looks great after yesterday’s rain, but I have a sinking feeling in my stomach, not so much from last night’s chocolate cake over-indulgence that woke me up repeatedly from around midnight to around 2 am, but from the Memorial Day sale circulars.

It’s a holiday that reminds me of Marjorie and worse, the onslaught of tourists and visiting family members traveling to the Cape to see good old Mom and maybe even good old Dad.

I suggested to Ron that he write a book about his past, as a cautionary tale to young men who are overly influenced by their friends and societal expectations. He indulged me as usual by agreeing.

I’m dogged by the feeling of “not good enough”.