about being a soapmaker

Everywhere you go people think you smell good. In office max today, the clerk wondered what smelled so good when she was ringing up my order. I told her it was me...that I'm a soapmaker.

The bank teller says my deposit slips always smell so nice.

When I get into someone's car they ask...what is that perfume? I don't wear any....

It has its perks. We always have soap, though you'll catch us using tiny slivers when we could have a full bar!

My new favorite

Sarah planted this last summer. Mock Orange. Philadelphus Virginalis.
We put it right by the screened porch so all could enjoy the fragrance.
What a lovely bloomer....hundreds of pure white flowers filling the air with their sweet smell!

I want a couple of more to put right into that bed of pachysandra.

does it take this kind of village?

OK. This came from a retired friend who's trying to decide where, in Florida, she will settle down. She's trying The Villages right now.



I'll be staying in NY State!

Game of Thrones

Watching the HBO series while reading the book....the TV version can be confusing. The book helps to fill in the details. I'm loving both.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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Dos and Don'ts of Gardening

So, if your tomato plants looked like this after 2 weeks in the garden....after you'd started them lovingly from heirloom seeds in little pots in February....Would you wonder if maybe those little 'peat' pots were not made to go directly into the garden with the seedling?

So...they've all been dug up this morning, 'cardboard' torn off, and replanted. Now to get the dirt from under my nails before the wedding today!

after the rain

A short hiatus from rain (which we've had since Sunday) allowed me to get out in the garden to find:
Arugula ready to pick....Radishes loving the cool weather. Stones are to keep the cats from lying down on the plants!
A cactus which Linda gave me last fall. I planted it, even though I didn't think it would survive the winter. It did. Then looked pretty ugly...until I noticed little cacti babies all over it.
And...for Sarah. Our newest Iris. Do we know the name? Could it be Darling?

Walk on By....

Aren't they cute?? Until you have 30-40 of them using the pond as a breeding ground and then a summer resort! They don't fly north to Canada any more....like they're supposed to, but stay all season!

Goose sh*t everywhere. For some reason they don't like my yard. They walk right on by and up to the neighbors. I guess the grass is greener there.

But, I'll take them over the groundhog that's enjoying the young leaves on my brand new coral bells!