One More Day

Last year I got frustrated with the Peruvian Daffodils that I planted in the spring and I pulled them up. The blooms were spectacular but they lasted maybe two days and then were gone. The leaves were big and floppy and overall I wasn't happy with their presence, so I pulled them up. So imagine my chagrin this spring when 'lo and behold they started coming up again. Having been really lazy this spring I kept meaning to pull them back up again but kept forgetting. A few days ago I walked out of the house and noticed a bud coming up. So my daffodills are on reprieve for a while. We'll see if I remember why I left them when I get tired of their foliage again.

I have one more day of work and then I will be on holiday weekend. It'll be good to get a long rest. Or as much of a rest as the Gnomeslayer will give us. :)

Could I Leave My Garden?

Gail asked this question on her blog, and it made me think back to when we left North Carolina. I had been working on my garden there for five years. And then when we got here in Alabama I started my new garden with a lot of lessons learned. The main lesson is to keep it small and manageable, especially since I am so busy with so many things. My living room is bigger than my garden is now. I am also gardening only in raised beds, decided after one look at the clay soil here.

I am already looking to my next garden, even though we aren't leaving here anytime soon (that I know of). Working in the defense industry is almost akin to being in a band of gypsies, you never know where you're going to end up. I definately have a better idea of what to look for in our next house. :)

Nile Crane

The blooms on my Nile Crane daylily finally opened after teasing me for a long time. I always felt slightly conned because although it is beautiful, it was advertised as being fragrant and I never could smell anything. Today for the first time I could smell a sweet, delicate fragrance on the flowers and I was happy.

I've been pretty busy for the last week or so, not really in the garden, but in weaning my daughter. I have to keep her busy and wear her out so that she falls asleep easily at night. Spending time sitting down and typing, with the chest in easy reach isn't in the cards right now, alas. :)

The Freight House

We have a new favorite place to eat now. It is in Hartselle, AL about a 45 minute drive from here (shorter if the spouse is driving!). It is the Freight House and it is located in a renovated railroad building. If you look at the picture you can see that I got it snapped just as a train was going by. I was also unknowingly blocking traffic while I was waiting for the perfect shot. :) Don't bother looking for a sign on the building because they don't have one.

The decor is really neat and the food is spectacular. It is basic downhome Southern cooking an the Sweet tea is spot on.
I loved this lamp, with the bubbly glass.

This clock was enormous and cool looking.

And I really, really want this gryphon in my back yard!

I Hate to Say It...

But I haven't been much into blogging for the last week. I am in the final week of a college class and I've been busy writing papers. I seem to be losing my mind because I'm getting forgetful and easily distracted. I'm looking forward to the three week break that I'm getting between classes. I'm really over the whole college thing and burnt out, but with the uncertainty at work any extra advantage will help. So I'm hoping to get back into writing a little more after next week. :)

Succulent Bird Feeder, Take II

Last year, I posted about a bird feeder that I had seen in a magazine. It had a planter in the roof that you could plant succulents in. I thought it looked really neat, and my dad made me one. I got it planted with a variety of plants and got it put up. There was only one small thing that I overlooked...it rains in Alabama, and it rains a lot. All of the dirt washed out of it, leaving behind some sad looking succulents. I knew that I needed to do something but I was stumped, that is until I had a revelation.

Back about 10 years or so ago Martha Stewart had a succulent wreath featured in a magazine. You used a wreath form ad had soil wrapped with sheet moss, poked holes through it and planted the succulents. So I decided to pack sheet moss around the plants and see if that helps. I probably still need to bring it in if it's going to be a lot of rain, but we'll see how it works.

Now I can pretend like I am Aiyana and grow lots of succulents!

Various Notes

It just goes to show that no matter how hard I try they are never gone. I have been trying to weed out the primrose that I had planted in the front garden bed and I found this one (with a few friends) growing in the azalea. I am still weeding out some of the horsetail from around the pond too.

We also have some other guests in the front bed, courtesy of all of the rain that has been falling lately.

Poor Elle is still soldiering on in spite of my benign neglect this year. I have been so busy with work, school and trying to keep up with my baby that roses have had very little of my attention. That combined with all of the rain and dampness have given her a really bad case of black spot.

The 'Husker Red' pentestemon blooms have finally opened up.

And the coreopsis that I bought earlier this year is making after a rough start. It's a good thing that I've been buying tough plants. :)