The Forgotten Plants and Spring Gardening Notes to Self

As the gardens begin to come to life each spring I have surprises every day. No matter how many garden journals I attempt, or how many notes I keep, during the winter season I just forget what I have planted. Each day now I go out and have this inner dialogue like this: " That's right, I planted tulips there in the fall." "Wow! When did we get that peony and plant it there." "Oh... that's right. We moved the plants in front of the hostas last fall and need something new there." It creates a sense of childlike wonder, but it is really pathetic!

Every single year... my gardening memory is like an annual plant. The seed is planted in the spring, it warms up and sprouts as the weather gets warmer, and finally by June my memory springs to full life. Now that I have a digital camera I do plan to keep better track of when things bloom and where they are located to assist in my annual winter memory loss.

Last year I reminded myself to dig up the tulips that never bloomed. They just sat in the bed with sick looking leaves all spring. Guess what? The same sick leaves are out there right now. I know those bulbs won't bloom. I also remembered some small spring bulbs were hidden behind bigger plants and I needed to move them after they bloomed. You are starting to catch on... they will be hidden soon.

As a gardener I always have good intentions. Right now is a good time to study the "bones" of your garden. Just as things are leafing out you can decide what needs to be divided, what should be moved after it blooms, and what is just a nuisance plant and needs to go. It is also easier to see ground covers that have run wild, weeds that have taken on a life of their own, and roses that need to be pruned.

I like this month in the garden beds. It is that birth of the gardening season. Plants change overnight and the colors shift each day. My gardens have already moved from brown to green to yellow. Now the weather needs to warm up! It was 28 degrees this morning.

Spring Gardening Notes to Self:

1.Take pictures of garden beds at different stages.

2.Dig up tulip plants that didn't ever bloom!

3.Mark a day soon to pull weeds. Fortify self with good coffee, chocolate, and deep breathing.

4.Just use common sense on pruning roses. ( I have read articles, studied pictures, researched online and there are many different opinions on pruning roses. The common thread is to cut out the dead stuff).

5. Visualize what each garden bed will look like in five weeks ( this is when my gardening brain will be in full bloom) and plan placement of annual seeds or plants.

6. Cook a favorite breakfast for husband JEJ before announcing that it is plant/shrub/tree rearranging day.

7. Harvest flowers just before they open so they last longer in the house.

8. Use sunscreen.

My gardening memory continues to germinate. I can't wait until May!

National Poetry Month, Poem #11

The Poppy of Georgia O'Keeffe
In the carmine extravagance
the skirts of a Spanish dancer swirl
flamenco rhythms, castanets
exuberant dancer
drumming her heels on a wooden floor
staccato barks, deep intricate guitars
the energy pulsing from the dark
surrounds and enters

The poppy is wide open
her petals curve
like the skirts of a mountain
filled with the morning sun
we climb
and reaching the pinnacle shout
like the flower in strict discipline,
in eloquent satori
in the wild grace of black and red.
by Janine Pommy Vega

This is an example of a poet responding to a painting. She is relating to the image in the painting as something else. I love the author's word choice in the first stanza.

Thinking Blogger Award

Thanks so much to La Tea Dah at Gracious Hospitality for nominating my blog for this award. What a nice surprise and honor to be recognized for making people think. I began blogging as a way to discipline myself to do writing every day. It has evolved into a way to connect with lots of people, build a community of writers, and learn new information about a variety of topics every day. It has also made me think in different ways. The rules of the Thinking Blog Award are that once nominated, you choose five other blogs for nomination.
My nominations for the Thinking Blog Award are:
1. Raymond Pert's blog called Kellogg Bloggin' shares "stories, brief essays, and reflections that have grown out of a life begun in Kellogg, Idaho, in the Silver Valley of North Idaho." Through beautiful pictures, well-written prose, and Three Beautiful Things daily, the blog gives me something to think about each day. Oftentimes, there is also something to keep me laughing !
2. Silver Valley Girl's blog called Silver Valley Stories provides "stories from today and yesterday about people, places and things regarding the Silver Valley, a small area along Interstate 90 in North Idaho. It is called the Silver Valley because this area is one of the largest silver producers in the world." Even though I grew up in the same place, I have learned new and different information from this blog. She also includes Silver Linings - " good things are always happening around the Silver Valley. These are those "Silver Linings" you find in every day life. When I share about those wonderful happenings around here, I will refer to them as my Silver Linings." She does a Tree a Day post also. Again, I leave the blog with something to think about every day.
3. Meg Genge and Lanini Taylor have created a blog called Sunday Scribblings. This was set up to "provide inspiration and motivation for anyone who enjoys writing and would like a weekly challenge. " Each week they give a topic and anyone around the world can write, post on their own blog, then link it to this blog. Not only do the posts make you think, but you are introduced to blogs from all over the world.
4. Mary Lee and Franki from A Year of Reading have created a blog to "think about and write about their lives as readers -- readers of children's books, professional books, and adult fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Yes, we still want to try to have read the Newberry, but our reading lives are much bigger than just that." For teachers and book lovers, each post provides text for thinking.
5. Kerri from Colors of the Garden has a blog focusing on gardening and daily living in the country. Through beautiful photography, smart text, and stories of family and home I always learn new things about another corner of this country. Through the posts of her gardens, birds, recipes and other "snips of this and that" she leaves me wishing for more each time I read her blog.

The criteria for this award is to select five "Blogs That Make Me Think". Once tagged, if you want to participate, please pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. You can link with the Thinking Blogger Award by clicking the title of my post and hopefully the picture of the award above.

The participation rules are simple:

The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.The award developer reminds: Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!

Thanks to these blogs for making me think.

National Poetry Month, Poem #10

On Gifts for Grace

I saw a great teapot

I wanted to get you this stupendous

100% cotton royal blue and black checked shirt,

There was a red and black striped one too

Then I saw these boots at a place called Chuckles

They laced up to about two inches above your ankles

All leather and in red, black or purple

It was hard to have no money today

I won't even speak about the possible flowers and kinds of lingerie

All linen and silk with not-yet-perfumed laces

Brilliant enough for any of the Graces

Full of luxury, grace notes, prosperousness and charm

But I can only praise you with this poem—

Its being is the same as the meaning of your name

Bernadette Mayer

Sometimes being praised with a poem is better than purchased gifts!

Sunday Scribblings- "In the News"

I discovered this blog a few weeks ago, but today marks the first time I will participate. Each week, around Friday or Saturday, the CEO's at Sunday Scribblings give a prompt for people around the world to write about. The writer then lets the CEO's know s/he has written a piece and the Bosses publish a link to the writer's blog. Check out Sunday Scribblings here. The topic this week is “In the News.”

I teach in a community that doesn’t have a newspaper. People rely on other means of communication to find out what has happened or to pass on important news. There are community members that subscribe the Spokesman-Review each day from Spokane, WA ( the closest city). Another town about forty miles away does a weekly newspaper that covers some news from the community. Mostly people rely on the following ways to get local news:
-The bulletin board at the Post Office If somebody dies or there is an important event, it is posted at the Post Office. Most people come and pick up their mail each day so news is spread quickly.
- Donation jars at the store If there is a funeral, somebody has had an accident, or a community member needs help there is a donation jar at the checkout counter at the stores with a sign. This serves as an effective news tool. There are only two stores in town.
-A reader board at the school This keeps people informed of events that happen at the school, which it is very helpful for community members that no longer have children in school.
-Word-of-mouth This gets very interesting. There are times when I have heard three different versions of an event before ten o’clock in the morning. I wouldn’t say events are always treated like gossip, but they do seem to take on a life of their own by the time all the facts are straight. This "word-of-mouth" be done through conversation or email.

I find these methods of getting the news work well in this community. People care about the well-being of each other and many have lived and worked together for years so it is important news is passed around to everyone. I went to school this morning and within five minutes learned the sad news of the death of a community member. I also learned how she died, when the funeral will be held, and where the dinner will be after the services.

This form of communication takes me back to a simpler time before instant CNN Headline News and news 24-7 on your web browser. It may not be quite like the picture above, but it is meaningful and personal. Sunday Scribblings is worth a visit. Even if you don't choose to write to the topic of the week, there are excellent posts by other bloggers around the world to read and enjoy.

National Poetry Month, Poem #9

Perfume and Orange Juice

I sip my orange juice and smile.
I’m still in love with you,
Have been since the second grade,
When we were licorice and crayon smells,
You were mints with a hint of perfume,
You hugged me; I worshipped you.

You had us write poetry. I was smitten.
I wrote:

“Miss Kaprowski you are neat.
I like everything about you,
Even your feet.”

Remember when Paul Cloverhouse and I
Secretly followed you home?
You stopped outside the drugstore,
Called your two, young Hardy Boys over,
Invited us inside for ice cream sodas.
Wrapped in perfume, you drank orange juice,
In ecstasy I promised you I’d be a poet.

Now I drink my sweet orange juice, smile,
And hope that my words can bring back the perfume.
-Richard F. Abrahamson
I think many children have a Miss Kaprowski to remember. I loved the line about the two, young Hardy Boys.