Ruth's garden is perennially on its own

Decided it's time to turn over a new leaf of my journal.

It was great to scan through my first thread - there sure is a lot of personal history mentioned there of my last decade.

Though I thought to head to KY, a couple of friends who've moved away decided to meet up here in town. It's been 1 and 2 years since I'd seen them, so we had a lovely reunion. These two, and another who had a family event that conflicted, have been my stalwart friends and de facto godmothers to my children for nearly three decades. We spent the weekend catching up with each others lives, sharing wedding and grandchildren pictures, and praying together and eating and drinking in celebratory style.

Because Saturday was the only sun we had, I broke away to mow while they ran their own local errands.

Recall the picture in #149 in the last thread which shows a completely open side yard to the left of the house. Not any more. There are a multitude of flowering trees along that alley now that provide a variety of fruits and berries for wildlife. It's been a cascade of bloom this month. It creates a lot more shade, so I might re-examine what is planted underneath.
One of the trees is big enough to have a branch rubbing up along the gutter two stories up. I'll have to climb and trim that branch out. I've only had time to clear a few lower branches so as to allow access to the trunk.

There is a lot more wildlife activity. I caught a deer at my back door recently, saw a very fat muskrat waddle across the yard, and a squirrel come up on my front porch the other morning. Lots of birds insisting on nesting under the old eaves.

Worryingly, I'm finding asphalt shingle pieces in the yard. I have one more year here, and I don't intend to be the person replacing the roof.

Yah, I do sound conflicted, don't I? Keep working the gardens and ignore the house falling down around me. Priorities!

Heck, I'd ignore the roof myself. It isn't as though there's a garden up there, right? One more year, and then you'll just be in Kentucky, and that will be that? Retiring is an excellent thing to do.

I've never regretted taking early retirement. I miss getting paid. That's about it.

After you're through trimming that pesky branch, come on over. I have a summer's work ahead, and part of it involves branches.

You might want to have a disinterested party look at the roof, though. Patching might hold you, and perhaps it's ignorable entirely for a couple of years.

I may have to call on my electrician to ask for a recommendation of carpenter/handyman. It was astonishingly difficult to find him. It was strictly word of mouth to the fourth place. He came last fall and finally re-attached the anchor holding the power line at the house. With brute strength and no insulator(!) he pulled the line back onto the anchor.

My roof fan has died, and I may ask him to help me replace that too. I've done it once before myself, but I have less confidence nowadays. The fan makes a critical difference in summer comfort, as I lack AC.

Sure! Have bow saw, will travel!

Trees! Too many trees!

Ever since moving to a work location that has me working 4-10s, and enthusiastically motoring off to my ridgetop as often as possible, I've neglected my home yard.

Contributing to that was a quiet souring of neighbor relationships. The year I was mostly gone caring for my dying father, someone (still unknown) hacked my trees along the alley and left the debris for me to clean; and in one case, removed a cherished holly altogether.

And sitting outside after dark is not an option anymore, with everyone adding alley-side security lights that blaze into my property, not theirs.

But I spent yesterday mowing, treating poison ivy, and trimming.

Somewhere close, is a junk walnut tree, as I'm always finding volunteers in my beds. They are the only species I don't hesitate to remove. But they are tough, only becoming visible at three feet tall and already woody with a deep tap root. I clip and spray several times, and still they try to return.

There has always been a wild cherry/chokecherry that volunteers eagerly. I've let several grow, as they are elegant and provide bird food. But I'm seeing hundreds of sprouts this season.

Oaks are becoming a bigger item in the neighborhood. One neighbor has a pin oak that sometimes throws thousands of acorns into my beds. From somewhere, a Live Oak grew in my lowest bed and I didn't realize what it was until it was big enough to flower and fruit. By then, it was too late. It stays. And now it too is a seedling producer, though mostly in my lawn.

Sour cherry! When I first bought this house, my next door neighbor was a lovely old lady who gardened like crazy. It was she who planted the solid row of long needled pines along what she thought was the property line. (They're entirely on my property, which bugged the heck out of the man who bought her house and wanted to take them down.) The pines (which I've thinned out) are now approaching 100 feet tall, and provide lovely shade.

Oh, back to the cherries. She had several bracketing her back porch and let me take several smalls to introduce in my own yard. They produce a nice crop of pie cherries, and fighting the birds for them was a hobby for many years. When I was out there yesterday, I noticed there are still a few fruit and picked them this morning; all the while getting yelled at by the birds.

I've taken some of the volunteers up to the ridgetop and look forward to cherries there someday.

But I've neglected mowing around the main tree, and there is a grove now trying to establish itself.

More later.

Our birds scold just when we dare go out into the yard when they want to eat. Even if the feeders are nearly empty and I'm going out to fill them. Can't imagine the language if I were trying to steal their cherries!

>4 2wonderY: If I lived closer, and was sure those were chokecherries growing in your yard, I'd come fight the birds for them. Raw chokecherries can cause the mouth to pucker worse than alum, but chokecherry jam is amazing, and delicious. Cooking them destroys the astringent nature, and they're awfully tasty.

I should add that (after searching) Wikipedia informs me that I really mean "chokeberry"...except I've called them chokecherry all my life, and I'm content to continue in my error.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_virginiana (chokecherry tree)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aronia (chokeberry bush)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aronia_arbutifolia (red chokeberry)

Here's the funny part, though. I encountered this as a girl, in the Bitterroot Mountains (the red variety). I wonder how they got there? My guess would be birds.

>6 Lyndatrue: I see that it's too late, regardless. Those fruits have all been stripped as well.

Mulberry. I have a young tree, perhaps 15 feet tall, coming up from inside one of my room-sized forsythias. At first I thought to let it remain, but I don't even like mulberries. And gawd, they are messy. So I plan to take it down. Maybe next week. I've already got 4 barrels of debris set out. And my chipper is back in KY.

Maples. There was once a Silver Maple guarding the NW corner of the lot, until one night it lay itself down silently in the street. Since then, there has been competition going on in that corner, and a couple of youngsters are in the mix.
They are such a pretty tree.
I've got another one volunteering in the middle of the back yard, just at the outside tip of a log left in place, so not mowed. That's an inconvenient spot, so it must be removed.

Mulberry is also very weak wood. We used to let our boys climb in ours, but were very strict about removing the rope ladder and not letting anyone up the tree when we had guests. If you have kids try to climb it who are used to other trees it can be quite dangerous. Red mulberries make a lovely base for a spiced jam, but they don't really have a lot of flavour on their own. Still, stir a spoonful of that jam into a mug of hot apple juice (maybe diluted) and you have a pretty and very tasty beverage. Adults can add brandy or calvados.

But yes, very messy. Not just around the tree, but under anywhere the birds perch after eating the berries. Luckily not a good dye, as sunlight fades the colour quickly.

>7 2wonderY: mulberries...had one tree show up, behind the shed by the property line. It now covers the shed roof, but as that structure will probably be gone in the near future, the branches don't bother me.

What does bother me is it's got relatives growing in the wooded lot next to my house, and dropping thousands of mushy berries all over my yard. And the branches overhanging my property are too high to cut without professional help. Grr.

Canadian Hemlock.

What was I thinking?!

The neighbor who tried to kill my pine trees was a drunk who had some nasty friends. They would do things like strew roofing nails across my front lawn. After we had a confrontation about the trees, I wanted to block his back porch, so I planted a young hemlock at the property edge. It has now accomplished my intent. But OMG and then some.

The neighbor died a few years back and his much milder brother lives there now. I trimmed up the branches on his side of the fence last year, as he is on a blood thinner and was concerned about scratches as he mowed.

This is a species that is being badly damaged by Woolly Adelgid, and friends across the river have trees in poor condition. My tree is in excellent health.

Hawthorn.

A friend from church, who is a marvelous gardener, offered me a sapling from her yard. My only prior contact with this species was scholastic (I took a Landscape Architecture class in college) and it seemed like a nice enough addition. Pretty leaves. And it added another source of winter bird food.

But one year a freak storm passed through and twisted the tree in half. What a mess! It took me weeks to clean up the thorny branches and get the city to pick up the bundles.

Ever since, the tree has been throwing up suckers from the remaining roots, and trying to be a grove. Very hard to control.

>11 2wonderY: I've been reading through all the messages again, and realized that you were documenting your adventures with your trees (among other things). Having had plenty of adventures over the years with my own, and my neighbor's trees as well, you have my sympathy. I'm torn about your Hawthorn; I envy you the original tree, but not the aftermath from the wind damage. Personally, I'd use Ground Clear on each and every sapling, or perhaps just spend the money to have a professional come in and take the tree out.

I've used Sucker Stopper on trees that had the tendency to want to spread, but I can watch every day, and catching them when they're small is best. It's pretty effective, and although it's meant for use on shoots connect to trees and shrubs, it works just as well on volunteers that come up.

Invasive vines.

Virginia Creeper is a perennial bane for me. It tries to grow up my buildings and is very much established in the wildest corner. I noticed the other day that it is climbing one of the pine tree trunks, perhaps halfway up already. It has also begun to send creepers into the grass. Since other property owners don't control for this, it's a never ending battle; which I'm losing now from neglect.

Wild grape.

I think I've got this one under control. I've banished it from the corner it was thriving from under one of the crabapples.

Honeysuckle.

Another plant that can only be controlled, not eliminated; though I've got it cornered under one of the oaks, and it does cower-respond to slash and cut.

Poison Ivy.

This is a particularly nasty specimen, producing an awful rash with only slight exposure. (The PI on my ridgetop has never been the cause of any rashes, though it used to be the dominant under-story plant.) A neighbor is an even more slipshod gardener than me, and his beds are the continuing source of volunteers in my yard. I spray when I find it. Time to up my patrols.

Holly.

The aforementioned next door neighbor has an enormous English Holly specimen in his yard, now adjacent to my Hemlock tree. It is majestically proportioned and is a male. But somewhere nearby, there has got to be a female, because I get babies all the time in my beds. (The nearest female I know about is a mile away.) I've transplanted several, one to my alley corner, which someone objected to. (see >4 2wonderY: ) Three others I've taken to Kentucky and planted along the tree line. Those are doing very nicely, thank you. I'm hoping for some females so I can harvest Christmas holly complete with beautiful red berries. I noted at least a handful more seedlings when I was working in the yard on Saturday.

I let a pine sapling volunteer colonize in a planting box next to the garage patio down at the end of the yard. I let it stay because I was building my view barriers at the time. Noticing how massive the pines are now at the north edge of the property, I am re-evaluating that decision. I'm going to have to either take it out myself or soon hire it removed.

>13 2wonderY: I HATE HONEYSUCKLE. It grows amidst poison ivy on the slope in my front yard and is a pain to try to control. The wisteria in the woods is much better behaved.

The last time I tackled part of that slope I was able to keep the resulting blisters and rash to a minimum with lots of antihistamines and Caladryl.

There's more honeysuckle/PI to remove, just waiting...

Since they are sitting in my kitchen in town at the moment, I'll post the picture in this thread. Come cool weather again, they will be planted on the ridgetop.

I've wondered about buying end of season asparagus crowns in prior seasons. Someone else said they had some success, but babied them near water the first season.

I was motivated to go directly to Tractor Supply. I found some packages there, but they had been displayed on racks outside the entrance, in beating sun conditions. Probing the green plastic sacks, there seemed very little life left. But two weeks ago, I noticed a similar clearance display at Home Depot, within the entry, in air conditioned space. Those crowns felt much more substantial, so I bought half a dozen.

This is 4 packages worth:



I noticed sprouting yesterday, and more today.

Lordy, don't they look lovely?

>17 2wonderY: I just came in from outside, doing my very best to recover from a year (and more) of neglecting the yard. How very pleasant to see something that's not-a-weed, and green, and growing in that rich soil you have in its temporary home.

Lovelier than a bouquet of flowers. I can almost smell them growing. :-}

I may replace that picture with another showing more sprouts. My goodness,they are skinny little things.

Out that back door today, was the largest wild rabbit I've ever seen. It seemed to be attracted by the apple fall.

I've had a woodpecker knocking on the front porch woodwork this weekend. Grumble. Any advice?

I'm working on clearing out books that I no longer want. I'm not sure about this one yet - The Ideal Gardening Book (no publishing date, perhaps 1920s) Thumbing through it, this caught my eye:

"Fertilise Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots that are in bloom by passing a rabbit's tail from flower to flower."

Huh? After thinking about it, it makes total sense.

>19 2wonderY: To fertilize fruit trees (and tomatoes) that may need a little help, I used to use an old feather duster. Seemed to work well. My late mother used q-tips...Not a chance, for me. That's wayyy too much work. She did grow lovely tomatoes, but then, so did I.

At first I thought fertilizing the plant was being discussed. You know, top dressing. I thought maybe it was code for bunny poo somehow.

I'd rather have enough bees around to do the job.

>22 MarthaJeanne: Well, but it seems in my neck of the woods, flowering sometimes takes place before the insects are out and about. I think that' why I got no peaches last year. This year, after poking all the blooms. I got 30 fruit. The peach variety has been bred to handle further north winters than previously, but the bugs have yet to catch up with the times.

Want to hear my couch justification today?

The yard needs mowed. It’s not too bad, just shaggy; not out of control yet. But there is a flock of starlings out back feasting ( and probably getting drunk) on the apple fall.

>24 2wonderY: Could you send the starlings my way, please? I'd like an excuse myself. :-}

Confirmed they’re too drunk to fly that far today.

Sorry!

My van is full of all sorts of things that needs to go to KY, but I spent the day running all the errands in WV that I neglected last weekend. Mowing was on that list, and I tackled that today as well. The grass is mostly dead or in heat hibernation. I noticed many more species withered by the heat as well. There were a few weeds thriving, and my pines have dropped a ton of cones already.

I took the opportunity to do some more branch trimming. Since it looks like I'm staying in town now, perhaps I'll make more progress on the trimming and culling tomorrow. I'm in a mood.

One shrub that is thriving is my Vanilla Sundae Hydrangea.

Oh, and the hemlock is gianting.

You have more ambition than I do. Glad to hear about the Hydrangea (every species of which is wonderful), and sorry to hear about the Hemlock.

My own Hydrangea is reminding me that I ought to give it fertilizer, because it's getting late in the season, and it's just lovely. I'm not smart enough to post this old image, but here it is on Flickr (from 2013, when it was smaller). The specific variety is Hydrangea Paniculata ("Little Lamb"). It blooms in late June, solid white, and conical in shape. In late August/early September, they turn pink.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndatrue/17306721108/in/photostream/

Mine are white with a pink collar, and they are already browning.

Even the Japanese honeysuckle is languishing and I’m taking the opportunity to clear them from two spots. But the Virginia creeper is on mission to take over the world.

Took down volunteer mulberry and walnut trees today. They were bigger than I expected. At least two other volunteers are tagged for removal; but not today. I had to don blue jeans and socks in this hot weather; but avoided shoes, as I’m in the suburbs.

>30 2wonderY: I now have a mental picture of you taking out walnut and mulberry trees clad in socks and no shoes. You are one tough cookie...or else your ground has no hidden dangers that would grab your feet through the stockings. Pity about the mulberry trees, though. It's been many years since I saw one, but they were always very pretty (and messy, too, at certain times of the year).

I don't know about Ruth, but I rarely use real shoes in the garden. I have cheap slip on sandals just for the garden. Good solid soles to protect my feel from stones and sticks and wasps and the top edge of my spade, but only enough more to keep them on.

Yes, mulberries are very messy, but if there are volunteers, that means there's a Momma tree nearby. I've noticed here that with the really dry, hot summer we're having, all the street-side trees are producing large numbers of seeds. The maples in particular look quite weird, with some branches seeming to carry as much seed as leaves.

>32 MarthaJeanne: I always keep one or two pairs of shoes that are only for gardening (and other rough work), but I'm quite sure that socks would not provide protection from the wasps, and ground bees, and the insistent thorny weeds that like to provide surprises here in the desert. We've only begun to have our standard two or three weeks of days of triple digits, and I have not had the heart to keep up with my weeds, which means that I check my clothing for surprises on the days that I garden, so as not to help the little monsters to spread.

It seems to me that Ruth has mentioned a mature mulberry on her property in Kentucky, although I don't recall if she has one in her yard here as well.

Putting on shoes would make it feel like work. I’m pretty sure I won’t disturb any varmints here, and the ground is remarkably parched.

I do have a mulberry in Ky, and it too is a volunteer. But it is growing in the scrub below the meadow, so it’s not a nuisance.

A month or so ago, I took half the potted asparagus down to KY and put them in the permanent bed. But I had one more large container still sitting outside my kitchen door. We haven't had rain in 2 months and I forgot them! They turned yellow/brown. I added water a week ago and noted new shoots today!

>35 2wonderY: good! I tried to save a couple evening primroses that were struggling and I think the heat was too much for them.

How is everyone getting along this season?

My thrill of the day was an iPhone video taken by my co-worker's husband. He was driving in Ohio and he noticed a largish animal running along the bottom of the rock formations that jut up along the non-river side of the road. It was large dog sized and running the same direction as he was driving. He caught it on film dodging among the rocks and underbrush and zoomed in finally to be able to identify it as a bobcat. It's great footage. I wish there was a way to share it here. The second wonderful thing is that he didn't wreck while taking the video.

I have a new neighbor who wants to be friends. She admired my flowers.

That got me out to at least cut some for vases - peonies and roses and spiderwort.

Also went digging stuff up to take to KY for daughter's yard, as all of a sudden, she's putting all kinds of effort there.

Missed the post about the bobcat from January, cool!

Wish you were closer, I have tons of Canna lilies and Coreopsis here that I could spare!

We have spiderwort here, too, volunteers all over the place.

Most of my roses seem to have reached end of life. There are a couple huddling in shade that overtook them, and I will dig those out soon. The yellow rose performed poorly this year, and the climbing rose down by the garage bloomed hardly at all.

Thankfully, the one I can see from my kitchen window is blooming like gangbusters. My favorite shade of peachy pink.

I will soon have a third yard to attend to and receive all my best plants from here.

I put a contract on a house in town in Berea. I've reluctantly concluded that I'm not going to finish the house on the ridgetop in order to make it a year-round residence. I also have vision problems that will require living closer to services. And in town, I can meaningfully offer babysitting for Theia.

I'll post photos when it gets closer to closing.

>40 2wonderY: I'm sorry that your plans for a year-round home aren't going to work. I've loved seeing the photos and descriptions since it was basically a shell.

Being closer to grandchildren is a plus.

>40 2wonderY: I'm sad for the change in plans, but having had a few changes after I retired, I can empathize with yours. The past couple of years I've begun to realize that I might need to consider a smaller house and yard, myself.

I'm grateful to have several older roses, and imagine they'll still be blooming long after I'm gone.

I've got a lovely potted begonia plant, and I've been cutting older leaves off and putting them in water for rooting.
Look at this remarkable and eager young thing:



I'd almost think it was related to the blackberries on my ridgetop!

>43 2wonderY: I used to root all my house plants. At one time I had jelly glasses full of water and Coleus cuttings in the bathroom window.

Came to WV yesterday with mowing and yard work in mind. When they forecast snow, I figured it might come but not stick. All plants here are huddled in a light coating. They seem shocked at the turn of events. The lilacs are in full bloom, so are apple trees and dogwood.
Cinci daughter got more than 2 inches and I’ve been texting reassurances.

In KY, I had got everything in the ground before I left yesterday. A couple of herbs and the nasturtiums is all that might not make it. No more snow called for but several more freezing nights.

>45 2wonderY: if the snow was wet enough the plants might survive. We used to water our garden when a frost was forecast, and the moisture usually raised the ground temperature enough to protect the more tender plants.

Sunshine and temps up to the 50s today; so mowing and yard survey progressing nicely. I hadn’t realized how hugely the daffodils had propagated. And I have nearly a holly forest in one part of the yard.
Going to try moving another rose and a hydrangea. Got a pot full of spiderworts and a bleeding heart ready to go as well.

>47 2wonderY: love spiderworts!

I divided and replanted my Stella d'Oro lilies today, now to find someone who wants the leftovers!

Rain and cooler weather today. Reserved for a baby shower, so no gardening got done. The mama to be was a co-worker; so I got to visit with the rest of the crew.

Lots of diapers and high tech baby things; oodles of newborn outfits; only one stuffed animal. Mama and dad raise longhorn cattle and burros. ( Don’t ask me why!). So I started baby’s herd with Schleich figurines. Picked up a couple more for Theia while I was at it.

I’ve got a huge amount of stuff dug up and ready to load tomorrow. For the first time in perhaps a decade, I dove into real cleanup here. Clipped and pulled weeds and made great big piles of branches and the Virginia creeper that threatens to cover my buildings.

>50 2wonderY: I think I've developed a sensitivity to Virginia Creeper: after clearing up a large patch on Friday I broke out all over my arms and itched. Antihistamines are my friend.

As I mentioned in the KY thread, I decided to remove the invasive shrub honeysuckle that volunteered at the front alley corner of my yard after the silver maple came down. It has served its purpose and is now just an irritant.
So I went out and started chopping. I noticed a neighbor across the way was having his yard cleaned up by a pro who was filling a sizable trailer. I stopped him and asked if he’d take my tree materials as well. The city garbage men neglected several piles I left last month. This was going to be a small mountain. He agreed and also gave me a good price for cutting branches of this tree


which someone here IDed for me a while back (but I’ve forgotten). Anyway, it’s now so big that it’s scraping siding, gutters and roof. He’s coming back tomorrow and taking down those branches and hauling them away.

Ran all of my WV errands this morning, including getting a haircut. My usual hairdresser was on vacation, but she left notes for the substitute. NEVER let a sub cut your hair! Just glad it will grow out.
I also fixed the bedroom fan that suddenly quit this morning. Good thing; our temps are hovering in the low 90sF, and no AC here.

I’m going to see how much tree and shrub trimming I can get done today, to add to the pile this evening.
Also will spend some time surveying and clearing the garage.

Gah! It's freaking hot! Did you fix a ceiling fan or a floor fan? And how did you fix it?

It’s my old, reliable floor fan with remote. It saw me through menopause when I developed a smooth toss of the covers with one hand and a click of the remote with the other technique.☺️ I cleaned the shaft behind the blades and gave it three drops of oil. I was so relieved that I had NOT packed and moved the oil tins already, as I thought I had.

I spent a chunk of yesterday re-sizing the rear forsythia bush and making a huge mountain of branches. Jimmy came by just to tell me he couldn’t do the work until Saturday. So I might do just a little bit more trimming today.

Well, we got rid of him quickly.

I got a bonus day here in WV and I expected rain and cooling temperatures. Not yet; maybe later in the day.
Wednesday is trash pickup, so I was able to catch the crew and ask if I could dump all my yard waste into the truck. They had passed up piles I left last month; said they never noticed them. Bet they won’t ignore them next time. Good crew! They even came into the yard and dragged the small mountain of branches out to the truck.

Car is packed to the gills again and I’m ready to drive back once I cool down and round up the last of my stuff. DO NOT forget the eye drops this time!

>58 2wonderY: busy, busy beaver!

A good part of my load was black plastic bags of rotted leaf material. Parkersburg is a good place to gather leaf bags in the fall. There are lots of them and no competition as there is in Berea. I missed hauling them last year, so there was more than a load. They will contribute to new garden beds in KY.

It looks like I will keep this property through this year and dispose of it next year. Still lots of treasures to dig up; and this is not the season for it anymore.

>60 2wonderY: ooh, leaf gold! Everyone here has pine trees, so I only gather leaves from my own trees: a live oak and a sycamore.

My next door neighbor has become exasperated with me, because she's always saying how beautiful the plants in my backyard are and I always have to confess that I have no idea what she's talking about. I guess my lawn guy is doing a good job.

My chopping has inspired my next door neighbor to have his ginormous holly tree removed. It opens up my backyard considerably.

I shoveled off the patio down next to the garage yesterday. Removed an 8 foot dogwood tree that had sprouted in the pine needle and leaf debris. I put a sign on it “free puppy” and my neighbor across the alley adopted it.
I was pulling up the Virginia creeper vines that ran through the materials, suddenly realized there was some three leaflets instead of five. Did a complete scrub down and hoped for the best. I have a rash starting on the inner left arm today. But it’s going to be a very mild case I think.

>63 2wonderY: antihistamine, even OTC, works for me with PI. VC is making me break out now, bummer.

>64 fuzzi: I never think systemic with PI for some reason, and that’s stupid. I ended with just a few minor blisters on the left arm and some more annoying bubbles between two fingers on the right hand.

You react to Virginia creeper? I didn’t know that was a thing. Poor you!

And welcome back. Tell about your visit with those grand babies!!

I'm highly allergic to poison ivy and I always had to go and get the shot. It would work almost immediately and dry everything up. Of course, I don't think that the powers that be allow the shot anymore. When I was a teenager we used to buy udder antibiotics from a farm store. Smelled like rotten fish but it would dry up even the biggest nastiest zit in 2 days. Now also illegal.

>65 2wonderY: about 12 years ago I got a terrible case of PI on my wrists. I tried Caladryl with limited success, bandaged them with gauze (I looked like a suicide survivor!) and went to work despite the insane itch. After urging by a coworker I finally went to one of the outpatient clinics within the complex, where an older PA told me that PI was an allergic reaction, and antihistamines could help reduce the rash and the itching. She also mentioned that the PI reaction tends to erupt in areas where you had blisters before, not necessarily where you made contact with those "leaves of three".

Thanks for asking...we had a wonderful trip/visit, but my laptop is at the shop and I've no way to upload pictures. We stayed for a long weekend with both grands, including dinner at a German restaurant (nummy) and more one on one playtime than in previous visits. On Monday we headed south through Illinois, stayed overnight near Cadiz, went to The Land Between the Lakes, then journeyed south through Tennessee, and spent a couple days with cousins near Birmingham, Alabama. We came home by way of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Cherokee, NC (lovely drive through the woods).

I’m in WV, trying to actually empty some rooms. I have a hard time disposing, but there is half a load for Goodwill.
Yesterday it rained and cooled the house down some. Today it’s back in the 90s, so it’s when I did the yard work. Lots of mosquitos!

I remembered there is a collectibles toy store in the little local mall. So I went looking for dollhouse inhabitants. Found a nice group for little money. They sell new stuff, but also have a great collection of second hand items.
Also raided the attic where my bins of fabric still reside. Time to bring some of them to KY.

Yesterday started sunny, but clouded up midday. I’m glad I jumped to mow the front yard, because today is cold and wet. It may even be time to put the storm door in and light a fire.
I dug forsythia babies up for passing on to daughters.

It will soon be time to hard trim the shrubs that I still want to try transplanting. Lilacs, old roses, hydrangea.

Trip to WV. The yard here needs one more mowing.
My first stop is usually to the municipal recycling center. This time I had not only my collection, but Rose’s family’s as well. Jackpot! I always look in both glass bins. Usually it’s just a matter of taking vases and ceramics to Goodwill, as they should not be in the bins. Today there were 29 glass milk jugs. I returned them to Kroger’s for a $2 deposit on each one. Plus tax. It was worth my time.

>70 2wonderY: wow! Good find.

Boy, am I glad I did the mowing yesterday. It’s drizzly today and I’m digging out old boxes of papers to sort and hopefully toss. Having a tiny bit of success.

I’ve also begun digging out the basement stuff. Much of it can go to the ReStore. Sadly, they rejected two nearly full 5 gallon buckets of joint compound because the seals have been broken. Well, they could just open them and see that the material is still pristine!

Decided to work from the top down and I’m pulling boxes from the attic. I do love fabrics. There is no point holding on to clothing I wore 30 plus years ago. I hold up the skirts and dresses and just marvel that I fit in them. Size 3! I wish middle grand Ellie was here. She’d appreciate some of it and even fit.

I found more lady’s hats! Drat. They are so cool! I also found another box of turtlenecks and sweatpants. Just in time. I thought I was missing some.
I think all the clothing is out of the attic. Several (3 or 4) bins for discard.
There are still several bins of fabric up there as well as Christmas decorations.

This is the fault of living in a house for 30+ years which has basement (really just a cellar) and an attic and a two story garage. And it’s my fault. I installed a floor in that attic, I built shelves in the cellar and I built the garage, too.

It was just easier to box and stash everything.

I went back after dark yesterday and dropped off the buckets of joint compound. Perhaps rather than sell them, they can use them in the current build. I hope so.

Oh my gosh! There are still too many books. And they are mostly worth keeping and savoring.

>76 2wonderY: I sooo understand.

It's amazing how much stuff is accumulated just by living in one place for years.

I’m back in Kentucky with a car full of stuff I don’t know what to do with. Some Christmas stuff will go to daughter’s new home. She now has a grand home to celebrate in. But she has never been much for decorating. They only began putting up a tree since the baby came along. I suspect they will have a huge tree this year, so will need more ornaments. Good! I doubt I will put up a tree, unless I can find one just the right shape. Slender, but full.

I brought one more box of tattereds and we shall see where they get tucked away.

>78 2wonderY: no little ones at Christmas, so we stopped doing a big tree a few years ago. I have a ceramic tree that I love, and a fabric/stuffed tree that was my mother's, so it's special. I still display my nativities, about half a dozen...oh, wait. I might have to forego setting up those this year with a kitten in the house!

I haven’t done a home tree for perhaps a decade (because it was me alone), but was always in charge of the office tree. I’ve given away my cast iron tree stand to daughter. Last year, I had some of my stash here, and decorated lavishly enough for a guest to remark about going overboard. In my mind, there is no such thing at Christmas.
I will change out table and shelf decor and hang baubles along the tops of windows. My seasonal decorations are much more organized now, but there are still a few (one large, several small) boxes still in WV.
A nativity scene is very key to my celebration and the grands have always agreed. My key piece is Santa kneeling at the manger.

>80 2wonderY: I like that idea about a Santa at the manger.

Thanks to eBay I managed to put together a complete Fisher-Price nativity for my granddaughter Ruth a couple years ago. Number two granddaughter Eliza loves it now, she's almost 2.

Mine is just the two pieces and large enough to be a table centerpiece.

And I'll say it again, Merry Christmas, Ruth!

Checking on things in West Virginia. Good thing. I think I caught a plumbing line on its way to icing. Will try to improve the insulation in that wall today.

You are up early!

I am. When I worry about my children, I find the early hours good for prayer. Rose returns to the classroom today. She’s already looking for new employment.

>86 2wonderY: sorry to hear that Rose is looking, didn't they move for her job?

No. Nathan moved first. He’s now working as a car mechanic.

>88 2wonderY: no lack of work for a good mechanic.

Well, he’s not quite qualified yet. He’s still in major learning mode; though he’s messed with it all his life. He’s working for his brother after helping Patrick build the shop.

Ruth, I just read that you lowered your dementia risk last year.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2300353-older-people-who-get-cataracts-remo...

>91 MarthaJeanne: Huh! I didn’t know those details about blue light.

>91 MarthaJeanne: wow, fascinating!

I had a plastic utility tub sink stashed in the basement here. I had brought it in from the external door, which is now sealed off. So brought it up the inside stairs and it didn’t fit through the doorframe with the door in place. Took the door off it’s hinges yesterday, and it slipped right through. Propped the door back in place, knowing that I would soon thoughtlessly pull it open. Yep; first thing this morning. It really was not a big deal to re-attach it.

>94 2wonderY: bwahaha! Love it.

Thought you’d appreciate the anecdote.

Dug up one of my beauty berry bushes for transplanting. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had feared. Als dug up a couples of clumps of snowberry.

Checking on the WV house. Was woken in the night by irregular thumping sounds. Investigating, there were two ugly cats and a wooden box outside my front door. They turned and sneered at me, with the thought “What’s it to you?” evident and didn’t move till I opened the door and then dashed away, and the box tried to, until the critter underneath freed itself.

>97 2wonderY: someone dropping off cats?

No. Just lots of ferals.

We have only a light coating of ice and snow today, so breaking into my car wasn’t too hard. I had an errand to get a special piece of glass cut, but they were closed. So I went to the bread store and stocked up for the birds. They came with a desperation frenzy, and so did the squirrels. I may use up the 4 loaves and have to get more for tomorrow.

>99 2wonderY: I lost my main boss feral, Mittsie, back in November. Now I'm getting strays and ferals in my yard, one is definitely a female. I hope I can trap her before she gets pregnant or has kittens.

I woke to another two inches of crusty snow. I’m sure glad I left some woolies here at this house. It’s in the mid-teensF today, but the sun is out and we’re expecting 40s tomorrow. So the highways should be clear for the trip home.
Meanwhile, I lit the gas fireplace in the living room to make it suitable for sitting in.
Sorting my bookcase of religion and theology. It had been a while since I’d opened them, but I missed them after starting the college course.

The starlings way of feeding is so frenzied; it’s off-putting for the other birds. So I put bread out on opposite sides of the house to give the house wrens and a female cardinal a chance to eat breakfast in peace. It works for just a little while.

>102 2wonderY: I don't get starlings very often, but grackles and cowbirds invade the yard whenever we get wintry weather. And they strip the feeders very quickly!

I’m glad the starlings are prospering; but not at the expense of the wrens. The wrens used to perch near the kitchen window and remind me when I was late putting food out.

I ran errands today, in the continuing snow. Got more bread and went back to aldis hoping they still had some pfeffernusse. I’m kicking myself that I only bought four packages the other day.

>105 2wonderY: I was disappointed that Aldi's only had the mini stollen stocked once, whereas the big loaves were available well into January.

Since I have no class tomorrow, I dashed to WV to check on the plumbing. Three nights at 19F were predicted. I think I got here just in time and cranked the heat back up. There is a puddle under the bathroom sink, but I don’t see the source of the water. I will turn the water off at the meter when I leave; which is what I should have done last time.
Anyway, it’s another opportunity to dig more plants. It’s supposed to get to 70F tomorrow.

Oh Ruth. Have you ever thought of living in a completely different environment? Say, Lynchburg Virginia?

I would love to be near enough to visit you. But I’ve already done DC Metro suburbs, back in the eighties, before all the craziness. Back then there were two constant conversational topics. How you were updating your resume and property sales values in the neighborhood. I swear it is so.

The winter here has been brutal to the downspouts on the old house. I found all of them hanging loose and one drain line that goes to a drywell broken altogether, the plastic having failed after 30 years. So it’s off to the hardware store to find a replacement and scheduling digging at that corner. The water has been passing through the basement and bringing soil with it. But that is not the problem you’d think. There are channels and a good floor drain. Just a nuisance.

>109 2wonderY: No, not much has changed!

I have a real fear of water in the basement. I'm so sorry you are going through this.

I took part of the drain to Lowe’s this morning, hoping to match dimensions. I took it to the returns desk just for fun. I think they got the joke. I counted back about 30 years, so that’s not a bad lifetime. They had nothing like, of course, but I did substitute with a gadget that tied into corrugated pipe instead and I already had the right length of that. So, no digging. It will suffice for now.
This basement is more cellar, and has had plenty of water run through it in the past. The hot water tank and heater are all raised from the floor level with brick. So really, no problems.

Now you should have been around when we dug out the north foundation and pushed the block wall back into vertical. Some fun! It rained the entire week.

And while I’m here, protecting the pipes from 19F, it has got up to 81F today. So I performed the spring ritual of changing out the storm door with the summer screen. I also took the insulation down from around the roof exhaust fan and turned it on. There was an immediate pleasant breeze through the house.
That’s how we lived without air conditioning all those years.

Dug up another Cherry sapling and I’m working on a clump of hydrangea.
Clumps of bulbs and corms as well. I’m amazed at the multitudes of daffies. And I think it’s day lilies I’m digging up as well.

Yep, daylilies. And I note that the young leaves and the corms are edible, though I haven’t tried them.

Certainly glad I got most of my digging and loading done yesterday. I woke to a wet day. It’s not raining, but it may again. I’ve got small boxes and bundles that I can pack around the big planter and containers of plants. I emptied the planter last time. It’s another old salvaged enameled washer tub. One more to go.

Yep, I got caught in a brief but vigorous shower carrying stuff to the car. Shortly after, the sun poked his/her head out from the clouds to laugh at me.

>115 2wonderY: but you'll dry. Hopefully it's not too chilly there!

The wind is howling here and we're supposed to get huge thunder boomers. I dread it because the power goes out frequently and Lynchburg and can stay out for days, even after a windstorm. I became really spoiled living in Northern Virginia and on Capitol Hill. On Capitol Hill we never lost power, even during hurricane Isabel.

I may be living without air conditioning this summer, too! Rates are really going through the roof and my December usage bill was so high it was actually alarming.

>117 SomeGuyInVirginia: what kind of air conditioning do you have?

We had an old central unit that struggled to keep our house at 78, so I supplemented with window units. They cost a lot less to run than the central air.

When I got the central air unit replaced I upped it from a 1.5 ton to 2.5 and it was well worth it. My electric bill stays low and my rooms are comfortable. I gave away my window units.

Well, double drat! I got back to KY and realized I had not turned the bathroom heater on again before I left; even at the lowest setting. The water is off at the main, and nights shouldn’t dip much below freezing from now on. But I’m thinking that under sink puddle was trap water freezing just a bit.

I would get completely wrapped around the axle if I found that, or had water in the basement. Really, it was one of the things that I was most adamant about wanting to avoid when I was looking at places.

>118 fuzzi: I've got a very efficient HVAC system, I'm just cheap and don't want to pay the increased rates!

I’m in WV. After a severe storm last evening, and a good solid 10 hours of sleep, I took down a 30 ft tall maple volunteer and chopped it enough for the city to pick up this morning.

Blue skies. I need to make progress on the insides, but there is plenty to dig up from the gardens too.

>121 2wonderY: lumberjack!

It was still young and skinny. I managed with a bow saw and loppers.

Mowed the entire yard and took stock of blooms. There is still an astonishing amount of plant specimens that could fill my new yard.

I wasn’t looking, but I found a very cheerful pink azalea that will go well with the red one.

Got the car mostly packed. I’ve got daylilies, irises, Siberian irises, peonies, squill, batchelor button, and more. I will putz around here the rest of the day and go back in the morning.

Woke to a steady gentle rain. Glad I did my digging and yard work yesterday. I spent some time trimming dead branches and clinging vines from the cherry tree and clearing that corner of the yard from volunteer this and that.

I will try to remember to take a few pics before I leave and post them to Instagram.

I’d still like to dig some of the lily of the valley to share in Berea.

I’m still getting water through the basement, so trying to fine tune the downspouts.

I replied yesterday, but the internet ate my post...

I have azaleas, but am thinking of moving them to a location with a little shade in the afternoon. They're a very dark red, love the color.

Your mention of peonies reminded me that I've meant to try growing them. Maybe this is the year. What type do you have? Some of them do handle zone 8.

>126 fuzzi: They are just those already planted in my yard when I bought it in 1979. I might be able to pick them out from a catalog.

>127 2wonderY: there are tree peonies and herbaceous and itoh types.

https://www.gardendesign.com/peony/types.html

The itoh are hardier in the South.

>128 fuzzi: Ah. Mine are herbaceous. I don’t know the varieties, but they are old. Pure white, pure pink and ruffled pink.

If you plant peonies you have to be very careful to get the depth right. They are picky. After years of not blossoming I had to replant mine. That worked, except the year it finally blossomed was our last year in that house.

I’ve posted some WV pics here

https://www.instagram.com/twowondery/

>131 2wonderY: thanks!

Dear 2wY:. A few nights ago I was jolted out of a sound slumber by my shreiking boogaloo alarm, that informed me that a basement window had suffered a shock. I'm pretty sure that it was a deer banging into the window while gobbling figs from the fig tree outside of my bedroom window. My question, and I do have one, is is it perfectly cricket to stretch beyond one's headboard and knock a deer on its noggin with a fraternity paddle while said deer is pillaging the fruit from a tree that one does not harvest? Or should I simply let nature take its course and raise hell with the city council during the next meeting for misappropriating tax funds? Both avenues of redress clearly have attractions. Please advise- Confused in central Virginia.

>133 SomeGuyInVirginia: First, let’s double-check our facts. You have figs in May?! You may have a valuable new variety there. Worth, oh, perhaps enough to afford 24 hour staff and 2am grilled cheese. (Swiss and provolone with a smidge of Miracle Whip TM and a dribble of squash relish on rye bread - no caraway)

You get out there and protect those figs and her progeny with your own self!! Don’t worry about the neighbors; you’ll be moving up soon.

A rake! I forgot to bring a garden rake. I had to gather the cuttings from last visit’s pruning of the cherry tree. I filled two barrels. Good thing Monday was a holiday. That delays the trash pickup. Let’s see what else I can add to the discard pile.

My neighbors like well trimmed lawns, so I got out bright and early to cut my front lawn. It wasn’t too bad, though still dew damp. I had to flip my mower over several times and clean out the accumulation. One of the reasons I love this electric mower - no fluids to leak out plus a plastic deck.

I did remember a different variety of violets. Mine here do fill in empty spaces, but they do so in a polite and orderly way. The KY violets are just muscle bound bullies.

More later.

Divvying up my time today hauling stuff up out of the cellar - paint cans and old cabinetry mostly - and yard work.

I’m going to try to dig up samples of lilac that came here from my parents’ home as well as a tree hydrangea. Optimistic, I know. There is an old Betty Prior rose that has soldiered along valiantly, though not robustly, for decades. I consulted, and I think she wants to try Kentucky with the rest of my old friends.

I found banana popsicles yesterday when I stopped for milk!!! They are just barely staying frozen in the freezer shelf of the dorm room fridge here. So I’m eating them as fast as I can manage. Only root beer is better, and those can’t be found.

>136 2wonderY: ooh, banana popsicles! I used to love those, AND creamsicles.

We had lilacs in Connecticut, but it's too hot here. At least we have Crepe myrtle instead.

It stormed here last night. It may make digging a bit easier today. Plus it’s much cooler.

Since I don’t have much in the way of a change of clothes, I’ll run my errands before I get muddy.

The remaining popsicles outright melted in their wrappers. The fridge is still working, witness the heavy frost blanket in the freezer cubby.

T note. Her mama texted:
Theia just said to Nate, “don’t eat my toes, they’re special to me!”

A moody and chilly foggy morning here. I’m glad I still have snuggly clothes to put on.
I worked in the yard yesterday, mostly cutting back foliage. I’ve got cuttings of the hydrangea and lilac, but the main plants are too massive for a proper dig, though I may try one more time today.

I worked in shorts and I’m covered in itchy bug bites from knees to ankles, though I didn’t notice being bit at all.

>139 2wonderY: uh oh...chiggers?

>140 fuzzi: No. They’re biters, but not climbers. Probably skeeters.

I did manage to get several lilacs out of the ground, as well as the other beautyberry bush. I’ll probably begin packing the car tomorrow.

I’m here in Parkersburg with 12, almost 13 yo grandson. He kept me entertained with Justice League stories on the way here and then crashed on te couch for the rest of the day. Teens!

This morning though, he and I gathered pinecones and raked the back yard so I can mow.
He wants to go to church with me. I’m pleased.

>142 2wonderY: I'd be pleased, too.

There was a visiting priest from Ireland who has the same last name as Callum, so I had to introduce him. He blessed Callum “with a million blessings.”

It sprinkled rain most of the day, so no mowing. It was a quiet day with me sorting papers and books. Callum went to the city park for a while, which is just half a block away.
Today we will do some hauling of stuff and perhaps see a movie. And mow if it’s dry enough.

I overtaxed the mower. It died. It’s been a good machine, so I went back to where I bought it - the family owned Ace Hardware. They have suffered greatly from online buying and the big box stores. So I try to spend there whenever I can.
The clerk looked it up, because they no longer stock it. He told me I could order it at the store, but it would cost me less if I ordered it myself from their webpage. Nah! I gave them their cut. And bought a pound of grass seed. $21 !!!

I’m taking Callum to the movie theater - a treat for both of us.

>145 2wonderY: good for you!

When I need hardware items I usually skip Lowe's and visit either Ace Hardware or Tractor Supply. I pay a little more but I'm trying to help them stay in business.

We bought the new air conditioner at the chain with good service that is about to close most of its stores. Just hate the other chain that will be the only real stores left.

Sadly, I don’t expect this longstanding community hardware store to stay open much longer. It never seems busy anymore. And the generous clerks who look out for the customer’s interests aren’t helping them.

I dropped Callum off in Columbus yesterday to hook up with his dad. They’re going to the Ohio state fair. That’s what he asked for his 13th birthday this month.

I’m doing clean up today in Parkersburg and will head back to KY. I’ve made some visible progress this trip.

It’s been hot here and Callum is not used to existing without AC. I hope it’s been a learning experience for him. He wants to be an airline pilot and expects to be making lots of money early on😅

>148 2wonderY: what movie did you watch?

>149 fuzzi: Oh. I was going to report that. Callum wanted a cartoon, but we saw Thor: Love and Thunder. It sagged a bit in the long fight scenes. But I like how the writers reduce the Thor as legend to just a regular guy.

>150 2wonderY: my son is a big fan of the Marvel universe, think he's seen most of them.

I liked the first two Guardians of the Galaxy.

Back in WV to pick up my new mower. The part of the front yard that killed the other one had grown up tall and dense already and showed itself. Tall fescue, I think. A deep green bunch grass that is liable to slice your hand while pulling it up. Which is what I did. Thankfully, the roots are not too bad; and I was able to send the most of it to the landfill.

Chatted with my next door neighbor, Vincent. He is always on his front porch nowadays. He’s younger than me, but has a lot of health issues, most importantly breathing adequately. I gave him a bottle of blackberry cordial.

Spent the day cleaning up the yard again. Almost done, and we got a quick shower that hadn’t see been forecast. The cute 7 year old boy down the block came over to remind me that my car windows were down.

I met my alley neighbor and we introduced ourselves. (Ryan) I asked if I could pull the nutsedge in the patch outside his privacy fence. He said yes, but he plans to mow tomorrow. He didn’t get the memo that today was mowing day. The air roared with all the equipments going.

As I was putting stuff away, I greeted a dark blue sparrow sized bird sitting on a low branch in the apple tree. I was charmed. It sat and we gazed at each other. It may be an indigo bunting, though it isn’t the vivid blue I’ve seen before.

I found this photo on line that approximates the color mine wore:

>153 2wonderY: probably an Indigo bunting. I saw one, once.

Blue grosbeaks are a little bigger, have tan wing bars.

Aldis didn’t have the Mexican beer I so enjoy on summer evenings. So I bought a six-pack of Bock beer. And then I neglected to put any in the refrigerator.😖. Hot and bothered here. Tired and cranky.

Twelve hour sleep in. Didn’t really enjoy the bock. Muscles still feeling weak and twitchy. Will pack the car after a pot of tea (or two).

Saw the little bird again yesterday. Color is dull navy with dark gray, almost black bands on the wings. No iridescence, but of course, only seen in the shade.

>156 2wonderY: couple thoughts on the bird:

Late summer color changes?

Hybrid with Lazuli bunting?

Black throated blue warbler?
(but it has a white belly)

I brought my shovel, thinking I might bring more specimens this trip. But it’s too hot and dry.

I did pull a huge clump of blue-eyed grass before I mowed. I saw Asiatic dayflower, which I’ve been dreaming of, for some reason. It has always been associated in my head with the weedy areas lining the back alley when I was growing up. It’s a volunteer and an annual, so I’m not sure a transplant would be fruitful anyway.

The back yard is full of blue jays, but they are not worried about my presence. The side yard was full of frolicking squirrels. Well, just two; but they stopped wrestling and stared me down.

Noticed a scatter of papers under the back foundation as I checked on the yard. Looked like stuff scooped out of someone’s glovebox, including the owners manual for a Subaru. Luckily, there was a piece of junk mail too, with name and address the next street over.
I walked it over and re-made the acquaintance of Aleese. She was so glad to get the owners manual back. She said they’d been recovering bits and pieces from all around the neighborhood.
I wish I’d been able to say hello to her husband, Ed. He was the assistant principal when my daughters were in high school. He despaired over their behaviors then. It would have been nice to give him such good updates on their lives.

>160 2wonderY: how did the bits and pieces wind up all over the neighborhood? I think I missed something.

Oh. Their car was broken in.

>162 2wonderY: that's awful.

Car break-ins, pilferage and petty theft are a big thing and Lynchburg right now. I miss living in a high-rise and being able to open the windows. I mean, I can open them here but I have to be sure to close them before I go to bed or I have zombie home invasion dreams. Right now I'm on the fence if they're simply terrifying or terrifyingly awesome.

A few months ago the Lynchburg library sent out and open application for a new, or new, board member or board members. I'm going to apply as a library board member, if we're no other reason then because I want to tell mouthy bigots to stick it. I graduated from Brigham Young University. You know one thing that BYU never considered doing? Right, withholding books. You could get any damn thing you wanted even if you did have to be willing to go to the special collections library and tell the sophomore coed majoring in elementary education that you wanted to check out Anal Invaders Volume 3. Hell, I used to do it just to make the woman cry.

Actually, I'm afraid, because I feel like we're not that far from book burning. Things just seem to be that weird.

>164 SomeGuyInVirginia: I marvel at your chain of thought! I do hope you get a board position though. If you do, try to make sure the library aides are being paid a survivable wage. I had to quit my dream job because I couldn’t afford it.

I’m dashing off to Pittsburgh today to visit with siblings. Will be back tomorrow to pack the car and dig up more plants. It’s interesting how some of my plants have spread out. I’m finding pink and purple asters where they never were before. Also the plumbago.
I think I’m going to try to move my Betty Prior rose. She has never been vigorous, but I think she will like my new yard.

I’ve spent the day with my tiresome siblings. Though they talk a good game of living charitably, their fund seems empty when it comes to this inner and important circle. So much snide and back biting. I worked hard to stay out of the nasty eddies and remain on good terms with each one. On my way out of town I stopped and knocked on my older sister’s door. She greeted me coldly, though I don’t know what I did to offend. But I apologized anyway, and we ended having a nice visit.
Headed back to WV for the night. Long day!!!

>166 2wonderY: we can pick our friends but not our family. I've often been treated rudely by cousins, etc. with no idea why they felt justified in dumping on me.

Can't we all just get along?

Oh, I tried to dig up the Betty Prior rose and found why it has survived. It has a monster deep root. I did not have the correct tools with me, so I replaced the soil and will try again next visit or even wait till early spring.

There has been a stack of wood on my front porch for quite a while. Long enough to have been eaten up inside by termites who then vacated. The floor boards directly underneath are also holey, but I don’t think there is structural damage. The framing is old locust, I think, which is impervious.
But I am not going to crawl under there for a better inspection. Not worth it.

>169 2wonderY: which front porch, KY or WV or ridgetop?

This is my WV thread.

>171 2wonderY: sorry, I follow all your threads, just got confused.

>172 fuzzi: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound snappish!

>173 2wonderY: no problem. Text doesn't always convey our thoughts well. :)

The birds here are raiding the trees for food that is usually saved for mid-winter. Dogwood and crabapple in this yard.

I found the label that came with my favorite large hydrangea - Pinky Winky. It puts on a great show every late summer and fall. It is way too big and established to consider trying to dig it up. It’s woody and the trunk resembles a tree. I’m going to have to locate a small specimen next year and add it to my KY back yard.



Not my photo

>176 2wonderY: would it turn blue if the soil were more acidic? All my hydrangeas are blue, soil is very acid here.

>177 fuzzi: Nope. I’ve got lots of the blue hydrangea just around the corner. And my soil is acid clay too.

In WV, the city had left a note on my door. They thought my water meter needed serviced or replaced. I called this morning and explained I’d been out of town and read the meter for them. It has an electronic reader on it, so they can read it from outside, but not from the office.

The house was chilly, but is very comfortable now. Let’s see what I can get done in the next few days.

Oh, and the mailbox was absolutely stuffed with junk mail; mostly solicitations for Medicare options. Also, my long deceased husband qualifies for a free hearing test.

>179 2wonderY: since my father passed I've been getting lots of credit card and other offers addressed to him.

What...?

>179 2wonderY: & >180 fuzzi: My grandmother got mail addressed to my grandfather (who died in 1971) until her death (in 2019).

moving this post

Stopped at Krogers this morning to stock up on items hard to find in KY. Pickled beets and butterscotch pudding. I try not to shop there ever since they introduced the double-tiered pricing system they called member rewards. But Piggly Wiggly hasn’t been able to order what I want this year.
There were no cashiers, everyone was using self-checkout. Plenty of employees at the front, but no cashier. I refuse to use the machines, in solidarity with human employees. Nobody seems to understand that. One of the cart boys finally did open a register. Stupid management. Another reason not to shop there.
I had stopped in yesterday afternoon, and the store front was packed with shoppers waiting to check out. Six self-checkout stations and at least that many register aisles; but only one cashier then.
I much prefer the humans at Piggly Wiggly. May they prosper.

Resting on the couch now. I emptied the rest of the van, with two pieces of heavy furnishings hauled down to the basement.
This house is dangerously close to being a disaster. So the task for the week is to tame the stuff.

Basement and attic are the target areas. The main floor isn’t bad; but the living room is going to get a severe clean out. We will haul that drop-leaf table in here for thanksgiving dinner. It’s the only room big enough and it will be too cold for the deck. There will be 9 of us. The kids are coming for the day and not staying overnight. It’s convenient enough being halfway between and only two hours drive for each.

Hurray! Party house!

And then Rose and Nathan will take the table home with them. It came from one of their friends here in town.

>184 2wonderY: when we'd go to my grandmother's for a holiday dinner she had a card table set up for the younger set.

>185 fuzzi: in the kitchen.

I loved having a separate table for the kids. Somehow, I think most of my grands would feel offended at this point. Teens!

>187 2wonderY: ::eyeroll::

We liked it, didn't have to worry about our lax table manners being pointed out...

Raising my two girls, we would cook up a storm and set an elegant table, and then rush upstairs to put on our best clothes and then sit down to a candlelit dinner like royalty.

I’m shocked that the Parkersburg house survived the deep freeze without supervision. There is minimal heat on, but it is manually controlled.

When we first moved in, back in the 80s, inside temperatures hovered 30 degrees F above outside winter temps. Even with me there to crank up the fires (gas), we had to retreat to the upstairs and the dog’s water dish on the kitchen floor froze when the temps dropped to the teens or lower.
It’s a tribute to all the remediation I did over the years replacing some windows, insulating and chinking cracks.
I’m very pleased.

22F here at the moment, while it’s already above freezing (35F) in Berea. But the sun is out and it’s supposed to warm up here.

I will make this a normal clean out visit. It’s all details here. The attic is mostly cleared, perhaps I can empty it entirely this time. But I will wait to open that door until later in the day.

Still plenty of pens and pencils in this house, but I really had to hunt to find paper. I’m keeping The Secret, but I wanted to be very sure that my children know my opinion about it. So I wrote a note to put inside it.
When the book was published, I worked at Borders bookstore, so I heard a lot of reactions to it, especially from my faith community. I read it and was appalled. What it presents is a blasphemous twisting of what Christ taught. I was teaching Sunday school at the time. Fifth grade, I think, but maybe sixth or seventh. I read parts out loud to my students and was very proud that they were able to quickly identify what was wrong and why.

>191 2wonderY: when I was small we lived in an old house, circa 1811, and I remember how cold the big attic was during the winter!

I’m surprised at how big the temperature differential is between here and Berea. Already 50F there. Here it’s 33F though it will get up in te 50s later today. I will finish packing the vehicle and tuck the house in again today and go back to KY. Grandkids this weekend!!

>194 2wonderY: happy for you!

Is Berea at a lower altitude? That might account for the difference in temperature.

>195 fuzzi: Nope. Possibly higher. Parkersburg is on the Ohio River, so low elevation. Berea is slightly more southern; but I think in this case it’s just catching the warming wave from the west sooner.

Oops. I forgot to turn the water off at the meter. I don’t think it’s essential, but it is just another layer of protection.
I doubt we will have another polar vortex incident this season. But it seems we get adequate notice that I could run over there again.

We are catching the tail end of the current polar vortex, so I came over to WV to check on things. Always a mailbox full of junk mail. There was also a sizeable box delivered to the front porch. Correct address, wrong name. Someone is using it for deliveries they don’t want someone else to know about. Just glad it isn’t anything illegal. 18 items from an undergarments company, Torrid. Despite the name, it’s all pretty vanilla, and may fit daughter #1. What do you think? Keep it or put it back on the porch?

It’s frigid here, but the forecast says it should warm up to the 30s and stay there for a while. I’ll be able to accomplish some outside tasks and put some things in the van. (It’s not really a van, but it functions as one.)
Gotta drive back tomorrow to attend Monday class.

>198 2wonderY: return to sender?

Daughters told me I need to report it to the vendor and the USP, otherwise I could get caught up in fraud if some sort.
The vendor wants me to ship it back. I’m waiting to discuss this with the postman, since it’s the weekend.

What a pain!

Worse. He pointed out that it’s not USPS, it’s UPS. Also not open till Monday.
He does know the lady on the label. She lives around the block at the other end. I went and knocked on her door. No answer. But it’s obvious that she has no business spending nearly $600 on underwear.

I found her at home this morning and delivered the package.

Filled the van with random stuff that I really don’t need but I can’t part with yet.
Took a large gilt mirror off the wall in the entry hall and transported it safely. But I really don’t have a spot for it here.
Gonna go rest my back.

>201 2wonderY: I can so sympathize with the random stuff comment...

Hope your back is better.

>202 fuzzi: It’s fine as long as I don’t move. 😝

Back to WV with granddaughter to address the garage roof and possibly other stuff.
We’ve got frost and sunshine this morning. I plan to go to church first. I miss a good celebration.

The wind knocked the neighbor’s trash cans over days ago; yet their trash is still strewn all over my yard. I don’t need neighbors like these.

I’m supposed to be monitoring my blood pressure this week and next. It seems to be all over the scale. I should purchase my own cuff, I guess. This one is borrowed from son-in-law.
Daughter Rose returned to the farm yesterday and sent video of all the fallen trees they can harvest for future firewood.

Livy found the dead animal remains. Sometimes birds get into the house and can’t get out. So I’ve put their bodies in smell-proof containers as an experiment. She is so in tune with this. They are now outside airing out so we can dump them out and get a closer look at the skeletons.

>205 2wonderY: CSI training! Love it.

>206 MrsLee: You hit on the center of the nail! We were just talking yesterday about possible careers. We have to get her past chemistry though. She’s severely dyslexic and though she graduated high school with honors, she bombed her first college term.

My only good neighbor finally came out to say “Hi” and lent us a second ladder.
Liv and I got some branches cut on one side, and cleared the thick pine duff from our work area. On the other side, we tore lattice off the patio roof span and placed the ladders to reach the 2 story 14/12 roof. There are oak branches scraping the ridge. It has crumpled the aluminum ridge vent.
We found two mammal skeletons inside the garage. A squirrel we think. Long tail, but no bones in it? The other is bigger with a wonderfully intact curling tail structure and digger paws. I haven’t had a close look at the skull yet.

We spent the morning tracking down the piece of equipment that would get us up the last 4 feet to the ridgetop that was lacking with the extension ladder. Only one place out of town had a roof hook. The Lowes pro team found it for us. So we finally reached the ridge and cut some branches. Oak. Damn hard wood in the raw. But I couldn’t summon the strength to scoot further along and tackle the real thick branches and the crumpled vent. I got down and called my tree guy. He came over and gave me an astonishingly low quote. So I threw him some more work - taking out a persistent maple tree. I call it that because it has grown back from a stump multiple times.
He’ll be back today now to do the work. I’ll still have to get back up and remove the vent and place a tarp over the hole. And find a carpenter. I’m starting to acknowledge my age and the limitations they bring.
Did I say I’m monitoring my blood pressure. High first thing in the morning. And back down to where it should be after a day of vigorous work. That makes no sense.
Oh and I pulled a chest muscle.

Did other yard work and managed to toss some garage contents.

>209 2wonderY: When in the morning do you take? It's fairly typical for your pressure to be elevated for 15-30 minutes after waking. It's part of your body's wake up process. Also, food, drink, and a full bladder will all contribute to elevated pressure. You may know all this & can ignore me. :)

>210 lesmel: No, that’s precisely what I was asking.
I’ve been taking it after the pee break, but before consuming anything. I thought my tea consumption would drive it up. And I don’t eat breakfast. I will wait a little while, then.

>205 2wonderY: that would have interested me as a child. It still does. We lived in a townhouse apartment when I was in high school. One day I was moving things around in the little basement and found, underneath a blanket, a small skeleton. I was pretty sure it was a small red squirrel that had been hanging around the bird feeders but then had disappeared. Poor little thing, must have found a hole in the eaves, fell down and couldn't find a way out of the basement.

>209 2wonderY: I need a good tree guy, send him my way... ;)

My dh has had HBP for 40+ years. He takes his meds both am and pm.

Jimmy came and cleared the branches from the garage. He also took down a maple that has come back twice. He recommended pouring Road salt into large cuts in the stump to actually kill it.

I was going to just tarp the gap at the top of the ridge, and we did so, with weights, but then I thought I could probably nail a new ridge vent easily enough. I’ve been getting more comfortable up there. In the time it took to shop for the vent, the tarp had flown off. Nailing the stupid vent was not as easy as I had hoped. No purchase underneath where the nail holes were pre-drilled. So I had to make new ones. And the hammer and nails did not want to cooperate. I got it half nailed down, but I couldn’t face straddling the dang thing to reach the other end. I don’t think it will get wrenched off by the wind. At least not till I dispose of the property.

I had to take two ibuprofen to calm my screaming chest and back muscles.

Clearing yard and garage, plus some branches, there was quite a line of debris for the trash men today. Sometimes it’s best to actually be present for it all to be picked up. So we hung around.
Then I let Livy climb to the top of the roof once before we disassembled the set up. We had two extension ladders - one from the ground to midway up the roof, and a second one alongside it, hanging from a roof hook at the peak. We fastened a towline that was anchored on either side of the building just for something to hang onto if a ladder or a foot slipped.
She loved it up there. No fear. Which is justification to not let her work up there. You should have some fear.
Anyway, we’ve got most of our work done. Maybe a bit more yard work, a little bit of carpentry on the garage door, pack the car as tight as we can.
Okay, I’m laying down at the moment, hot pad on my back.
So do these things this afternoon and head to Cinci tomorrow.

We spent more of the afternoon cleaning the garage than I had expected; but we were on a roll.
Boxes are staged in the front hall ready to be fitted into the car. Shovel is on the porch, but I have only had half an eye available to note what I want to dig. Winter aconite, for sure. Perhaps one more peony, lily of the valley and a huge bed of daylily.

Back in WV taking advantage of the long weekend. T and I did Easter celebrating last week.
Trying to wrap up this property. My goal is to completely vacate rooms, but it’s slow going. Sending more to Goodwill and the trash bin than to KY soon.

I see two more clumps of peonies that haven’t been dug up. Lots of lily of the valley and winter aconite and blue-eyed grass.

I wish I could take my two crabapple trees. They both produce lots of winter fruit for the birds, and the one has a magnificent ruffled double pink flower just now.

I still have possession of first daughter’s comforter made by me for her 5th birthday but it is so worn out. I still have a scrap of the original ducks fabric and sent her a picture asking if I should/could toss the blankie. “Absolutely not!” She remembers me making it, very pregnant with Rose, and needing help to get up and down from my floor workspace. She also remembers thinking I was making it for the new baby and being thrilled to wake underneath it on her birthday.

The weather’s been beautiful here. But there’s a hard frost on my windshield this morning.

Good news in KY. A new neighbor inherited two composter from the previous owners and offered them to me. I told her I’d take one, that she should keep the other. She texted me that her brother and husband were delivering it yesterday. Hurray!

>217 2wonderY: SCORE!!!!

I’m packing the car tomorrow. There are two bunches of peonies still to be moved.
One of the tall lilacs from my parents’ yard had been partially knocked down from something barreling through the clump, looks like. I was able to yank it out of the ground and trim it back severely. It’s got shoots low to the ground and looks very happy to be going.
I will also grab a bunch of lily of the valley (they are coming up through the alley asphalt!!) and more winter aconite.
No wonder it’s taking me so long to empty the house.
Oh, and a sprig of my favorite rose is coming up from a piece of root that must have broken off last year.

Ran into an old friend at the Piggly-Wiggly. We are meeting for supper in just a bit with her husband.

It’s been longer than a month since I’ve been in WV. The grass certainly needs mowed and the house is beginning to look decently empty.

Hope to get that ridge vent properly fastened on the garage, but I’m missing my good helper.
Daughter’s family will camp here next month for the annual Multicultural Fair at the park, half a block away. Her kids really look forward to the event, even though Cincinnati offers so much more culture.

It’s actually chilly here. I could have used a second quilt on the bed last night.

I note that I must have left a piece of root when I moved my favorite rose last year, because it’s up and blooming.

Looked everywhere for the sky hook, need it again to get to the top of the garage roof. I found the package it came in. Finally went and bought another one because the store is closed all weekend. And then I found it, tucked away in the garage.
Also ran around getting good enough ladders for the project in between mowing and other clean up activities.
Ran out of steam entirely around 6pm. Fresh start in the morning.

>222 2wonderY: That is the way it always goes. I think we should give up looking after 5 minutes, go buy one, then return it when we get home and find the one we had misplaced.

>223 MrsLee: bwahaha!

>221 2wonderY: it's been unseasonably cool here, so I've been taking advantage of the Spring like days to catch up on yard work that I can't attempt when the heat and humidity roll in.

Good sleeping weather, too.

I borrowed ladders from old friends and one was thoughtful enough to volunteer to help. He can’t climb because of a bum knee, but he added a keen intelligence and common sense, and he held the ladder when I needed him to. We got it done in 2 hours. That sucker will not fly off again.

>225 2wonderY: so glad to hear you had a "spotter".

Yesterday and most of today were devoted to spending time with my three oldest friends in Parkersburg. We met at a church related study group led by Sr. Roseanne, a wonderful lady. There were others that came and went or died. We four outlasted the group, continuing to meet on our own up to the present. Only Carol lives here now, and since it’s a central location, she hosted the get together this time. We shared our recent lives, photos of our grands (we finally all have some!), ate and drank and hiked the neighborhood when our legs needed stretching. Love these ladies. Godmothers to my girls.

Did a bit of yard work this afternoon. Looks like rain now.
Met a new neighbor and asked what he paid for his house, in much the same shape as mine. More than I had imagined. I need to speak to a realtor soon.

Score! I always check the glass bins at the recycling center. I’m always looking for the right bottles for my cordial. 200ml is the perfect gift size, but I see them only rarely. Today the bin had several dozen, but I could reach 10. Got a few others. Kombucha and soy sauce and small olive oil bottles work nicely too. And if they still have the cap, I’m thrilled. I do have a tub of lids and can usually find one that works. Soaking them in hot soapy water and peeling labels off this evening.

I met with a realtor this morning and we have so many connections. I feel like we traded life stories. She seems extremely knowledgeable and has many contacts/resources. She will not give me a pie in the sky number.

I couldn’t find the second tool bag I brought with all my connectors and strapping safety equipment. I thought perhaps I had left it down by the garage and someone walking by lifted it. It kinda spoiled my mood. Then I got in the car and there it was on the floor of the passenger seat. Good for me! Must have been the last time I drove down to the garage.

Car is packed, plants are dug, ready to hit the road for Kentucky.

I’ve related the history of this house a couple of times this week. Wow! I am so impressed with what I’ve done with it.

Oh my! This video!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqOS9-aDuOf/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

>231 2wonderY: love it, thank you.

I recall reading the Karen books when I was younger, have them still on my shelves. Might be time for a reread.

Aw, she passed. https://jjffh.com/tribute/details/817/Karen-Killilea/obituary.html

>232 fuzzi: I intend to watch this video daily for uplift.

I’m in WV trying to wind it down. The rooms are mostly (mostly) empty, but another small UHaul truck would clear it. More stuff going to ReStore. A pile in the DR that should go to an antique store. Piles of empty boxes.
Daughter will be done with her employment in September and we will plan a last haul in October.

Neither real estate agent stayed to give me a quote. Discouraging. But I do have three individuals who have expressed interest as a fixer upper.

My late attack on the Virginia creeper and the poison ivy overtaking the playhouse was successful. All dead.
I brought chicken wire and caged off the underneath of the front porch. I forgot wire snippers and chose my least favorite plant clippers to do the cutting. They just barely lasted till the end of the job.

4.5 hours to mow this yard. (With breaks.) And I still can’t break myself from dealing with particular weeds that annoy me. That extends the task. Morning glory trying to establish itself at the bottom of the property. 84°, feels like 91°

I ran some errands this afternoon. When I returned, there was a cat perched on the porch railing. He looked like he had something to complain about.

>234 2wonderY: how did you kill the creeper and ivy?

Empty houses echo with memories...

A strong dose of Weed-B-Gone, foliar spray. I must have made it stronger than ever, as it also made a dent in the Virginia creeper on the ground. That has never happened before.

>238 2wonderY: Here I am struggling to keep my Virginia creeper alive! I love the fall color.

>239 MrsLee: It must not be vigorous out your way. Here it will cover buildings, trees, gardens and lawns.

I wonder what’s under

>240 2wonderY: My mom, who lived at 2500 foot elevation in a mountain valley, had a fence covered with it. Here, at 500' hot Sacramento valley climate, dry, low humidity and triple digit temperature for at least 3 months of the year, it does not thrive.

Heading back to KY. I’ve misplaced my favorite long handled clippers. Kicking myself while repeatedly surveying the yard for it.

Trying to transplant Asiatic dayflower, but not holding much hope.

>239 MrsLee: I'll be happy to share.

>242 2wonderY:. I found my long handled clipper. I had staged it last week next to the attic window. I had meant to ask daughter to spot me while I hung out said window to reach the last high elm branches that are still scraping the Kentucky house.

>244 2wonderY: yippee!

I’m in Parkersburg on my way to Pittsburgh for high school reunion. Yesterday I mowed around the house and along the back alley. Sunday I will do the rest.

I raked pinecones this morning to make that possible. There is a forest of pines coming up in the lower part of the yard. Yikes! 3” tall, and easily overlooked.

Besides mowing, I ran a multitude of errands. Banking, paid RE taxes, laundry, picked up a few items for KY projects. Shopping is just so much more convenient here. And the laundromats here actually have all machines that operate.

Looking forward to seeing my old (as old as me!) classmates.

>246 2wonderY: how exciting, re: your reunion! My eldest sister is at her 50th HS reunion this weekend.

>247 fuzzi: So is mine!

I hope they had as good a time as I did. We all dozen of us had such a good time, we plan to try again in just a couple years in a less formal manner. I scraped up a few more biographies to share.

I stayed with high school friend, Marianne. We’ve been friends since the first day of freshman year and we’ve stayed in touch continuously and share loves of reading and gardening.

I headed back to Parkersburg after breakfast and had a terrible time staying awake. So I just tumbled into bed for a nap when I got here. It was a drizzly day, so yard work was scratched.
When I recovered I decided to go to Plato’s Closet. I needed a newer sweater. Long and open-front, hopefully with pockets. I’m a medium size, so that’s where I looked. Only one item looked right on me, and when I got home I realized it was because it is actually an XL. Ah! I will try to keep that in mind.

It got down to 23°F in WV last night, so I couldn’t put it off any further. It’s supposed to moderate next week, but I knew the mailbox would be overflowing again too.
The drive was better than usual. Four hours.

The house is beginning to look empty, at least in some spaces.

When I lit the basement heater, the pilot blew out when I turned on the gas. I knew better, but I hit it with the electronic match again. It did light the pilot once more, but it also singed my hair. I had been thinking my bangs were getting too long. Fixed that! Don’t yell at me.

I’ll stay the weekend and see what progress can be made.

Before I left today, I cooked down the rest of the cherry tomatoes and made soup. Brought it with and it really hits the spot.

There are better and safer ways of shortening bangs. Really there are.

>250 2wonderY: glad it wasn't worse than singed bangs.

I was concerned for my eyes, so I went to a quickcare. They didn’t have the tech for an exam, so they said I should visit my doctor. I did that yesterday, and was prescribed a precautionary antibiotic/steroid drop. There was no pain, but some dryness along the lower rim where my eyelid didn’t have quite enough time to close all the way.

While I was at the drugstore, I signed up for the new Covid booster, which hasn’t reached my clinic in KY yet. Did that this morning.

Working on clearing random STUFF. There sure seems an endlessness to the stuff.

>253 2wonderY: I wonder if your bangs burning event may have hurt your eye?

>254 fuzzi: That’s why I went. I wanted a doctor to give their opinion. I was reassured.

But the Covid booster is taking a price. Sore and achy all night, and lack of energy this morning.

>255 2wonderY: sorry to hear you're not feeling well.

I poked about the house yesterday, took a couple of naps and then got a solid 10 hours sleep last night. Ready to pack and get on the road as soon as it gets light. Didn’t even take a walk in the yard this trip.

Had to make sure the temperature is sufficient in this house. With only the basement heater set on low, the house was surprisingly comfortable. We are in frost season, but there is still nice daytime weather.

Though there is still random stuff I haven’t disposed, I’m getting close to calling it done. Both realtors I contacted never called me back; not interested in listing it.

I’m only here till tomorrow, so not sure how much I’ll get done today.

>258 2wonderY: what do you do if no one is interested in buying it?

Don’t know. Looking at Zillow for this zip code is discouraging.

Lots happening in the neighborhood. Last evening I noted someone in a hoodie knocking on doors and entering two houses, at least. Houses that had no lights on.
Today someone is dumping household goods for trash pickup; looks like an eviction.
Just now, an ambulance is picking up the neighbor from across the street.

>260 2wonderY: aw shucks.

Location, location, location.

Today I’m mostly doing handyman chores. Tucking fiberglass insulation back into place in the attic and covering it with a sheet to keep it from falling out again. The rafter spacing is not regular, and friction-fit is a dream.
Quit when my mask broke.

I notice one of the gas fireplace inserts still has asbestos backing. Can’t sell a house with that showing. So I pulled the insert out and scrape the backing off, after soaking it with soapy water. Keeps the fibers from floating in the air. I will replace it by bolting a piece of 1/4” cement board onto the metal box. I did this decades ago on the other one. Can’t remember why I didn’t do both. The third insert, which I picked up at a yard sale, has a ceramic backboard.

Off to Lowe’s to pick up a hacksaw.

>262 2wonderY: I'm sorry. Somewhere I got confused. Do you have 3 properties? I saw on a thread that the house in Kentucky sold. So which house is this that you are working on to sell? Obviously not the one where you have all the nice neighbors. Am I confusing people here? My brain is broken.

I am an inadvertent land baron.

I own the remnants of a 1914 four square (not really, it’s two-thirds of a four square.). This one, in West Virginia. My husband and I bought it in 1979. When we moved to Maryland, we rented it out to a series of nere-do-wells and then it sat empty and was vandalized. When my husband died, I moved us back to this house and started fixing it up. We didn’t even have plumbing at first, the copper had been stolen. It never got finished. And now it needs things like roof, heating, kitchen and siding.

A dozen years ago, I bought 5 acres and a shell of a house in Kentucky, near younger daughter. I made some large investments in finishing it, but also got stalled there. Life happened. It was still my small piece of paradise until an extended family from California bought up all the parcels around it and it’s no longer private. So I sold it for approximately what I had in it monetarily. That just closed.

I retired in 2020 and bought a house in town within walking distance to daughter. The cabin still didn’t have heat, and I knew Rose wouldn’t bring baby out there for babysitting.

My house in Berea was the first house that theoretically didn’t need renovations. That hasn’t stopped me from big projects; especially the gardens.

I’ve been slowly emptying the WV house, just because I have the freedom. It’s been long paid off and it’s been fine with minimal utilities.
My other daughter uses it sometimes to get away from her crazy household. If she wanted, I’d give it to her. But she still has teens at home and can’t move yet. And she has chronic illness that would probably keep her from finishing the work. One of her kids might take it on…. Two of them would rather be hillbillies than buckeyes.

This property has extensive plantings, and I’ve been transplanting a lot of them to KY because they are unlikely to be a selling point and because I want them.

>264 2wonderY: LOL, thank you for getting me straightened out! I'm sure this was explained earlier somewhere, but I only skimmed to catch up. You are an inspiration.

>265 MrsLee: I think of myself more as an idiot.

And these gardens have been on their own for quite some time. My last employer moved the office headquarters from a 5 minute drive to a 50 minute drive and I switched to 4 10 hour days so I would have three days to spend in Kentucky.
So things pretty much shut down here. Thankfully, my plants didn’t mind the neglect.

>264 2wonderY: a friend of mine had a dozen wooded acres near Cherokee, NC. All his neighbors sold their land and the area is being converted to AirBnb and other resort housing. The people renting the properties are inconsiderate, racing down the dirt/gravel roads, setting fire to the woods with their bonfires, etc. He got tired of it, so he sold. He bought about 80 acres in eastern Kentucky. That should give him and his family some elbow room.

I’m back in KY and hoping I set the heaters adequately. It went down into the teens last night, but will moderate the rest of the week. No thermostat; it’s all set by hand.

I left my favorite tea mug there and a pot still half full. Durn.

I brought a tin from the pantry that I thought held cookie cutters. But no. I see I’ve been keeping plant tags all along, as well as drawing bedding diagrams.
Just for the heck of it, I will list them here and try to recall successes and failures. It might help with my gardening here.

Also found my charter member card for the National Home Gardening Club from 1997.

A stack of spring bulb tags; none of which lingered more than one year:
Muscari plumosa
Darwin hybrid Apeldoorn tulips
Glory of the Snow - Chionodoxa luciliae
Pink Daylily
Stargazer Oriental Lily
Hewera Rockgarden Narcissus

Others that were more successful and worth repeating:
Delft Blue Hyacinth
Angelique Tulips
Apricot Beauty Tulips

>268 2wonderY: nice find!

If we were closer I could give you my box of cooky cutters.

>271 MarthaJeanne: I do believe our collection now resides on daughter’s shelf.

Reassured that the WV house is doing fine. Temps are supposed to drop this weekend, so I came over to adjust the heat.
And to make another haul. Most of the rooms are empty. There are still treasures in the front bedroom, and I will take two antique chairs that need work. I’ve been making progress on the two I’ve already hauled.

Annoying plumbing issue to deal with today. Not sure if I will stay another night.

After running some errands this morning and determining what to put in the car tomorrow, I spent a good quiet chunk of the day reading. Odd how different locations lend themselves to different lifestyles. This house has always lent itself to reading.
I’ll have to consider what is so different about the Berea house that it’s not so natural.

>274 2wonderY: interesting observation. If you figure out the difference do let us know.

Well, I think I corrected one of the plumbing issues. The other can wait.
I’m happy with the inside temperature. If I can be comfortable, the pipes are surely fine. It’s supposed to go down to single digits in the next few weeks. I will shut the water off and drain lines just as a precaution.

>276 2wonderY: are you shutting off the heat?

>277 fuzzi: No. I turned it up a bit.

I’m in Parkersburg to check on the house. Ha. The front door hadn’t been locked. I turned down the heat, and it then dipped to 17°F.

I’m down to the last bits of furniture that won’t fit in the KY house. I’ve got a stacking oak file cabinet that I bought ages ago the 70s, I believe. (Paid $10 to somebody who had them stashed in a barn.) Younger daughter has consented to take them. I’ve used them all along as side tables in the living room, stacked two high and with oak tops I fabricated myself back then. The high school offered a shop class to adults, and I used their tools to make them.
I bet I never shared that story with my children before.

My parents took one of those classes way back when. The desk they made for my mother was a real beauty. Having all that equipment used a few more hours a week only makes sense. (Besides getting a few more votes for the school budget.)

I dug more bulbs out of the yard yesterday. Today I will take forsythia wands to force, as I head back to KY.

But I want to share a great find I made at Dollar Tree.

Six wands of orange branches, at $1.25 each:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3goGRKxspT/?igsh=MXM3cjRxa3ppYjBwNA==

It’s a stunning draw for the eye. The fruits are about 1.5” diameter. I was going to discard that gallon jug, but I’ve reconsidered. It does need cleaned.

Back in West Virginia. The rivers are as high as I’ve ever seen them, invading residential and industrial sites that haven’t seen flooding for a hundred years. I guess that’s why they call it a 100 year flood.

I found a letter from the city on my door. It’s dated Feb. 15, but as I can tell you, it wasn’t delivered then. They don’t like the trash and debris in my yard.
Really??
My piles of wood and buckets are so insignificant compared to even my neighbors. I’m guessing I was targeted because the house is vacant.

Thankfully, the sun is out and I am moving stuff to the trash pickup corner. But I’m also taking timbers for the new garden house build. It’s amazing how well this old treated lumber holds up.

Oof! Got a lot done; even moved some marble slabs and mowed the entire yard. My yard looks best in the neighborhood.

Took aspirin and rewarded myself with a trip to Plato’s Closet. I’ve been wearing a late winter jacket that I no longer like. I found a replacement.

Frost last night, but the sun is shining, so it was easy to go out and dig more plants.

The last patch of peonies, Siberian iris, double daffodils, lily of the valley and queen of the prairie. Maybe others.

Packing to drive back today as my eclipse glasses are in KY.

If I think about it, I'm going to throw some sunflower seeds on the flower bed. Soonish.

We had sun until 2:30pm when clouds rolled in and covered the sky. Insert frowny face here.

>285 SomeGuyInVirginia: You didn’t have the right glasses handy. This is how I substituted when the same thing happened here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5izQgoOLpD/?igsh=bGZldG9tN3M5dGFt

Cleared those clouds out right now.

Great to see you here Larry!!