Gardening

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Passionate about Purple: For Sharon

Flowering Blooms: Madonna Inn

Multiple Sclerosis is a cruel disease.  It can knock you to your knees in the prime of your life, robbing you of energy, activity, appetite and independence.  My younger sister was diagnosed with MS over a decade ago.  She continues to fight it.  She drives herself to the Y each day for a 15 minute swim to reduce the fatigue and the joint stiffness that are a part of her daily life.  She commutes to Palo Alto and puts in an eight-hour day in a contract position at the VA call center.  A college graduate with over 30 years of work experience, she’s struggled to find full-time employment for over three years.  My sister is grateful for the temporary position, hard-won through Project Hired but the benefits are meager.  When you have a chronic illness, doctors visits are more common.  She avoids going if she can.  Her illness is untreatable, progressive and unrelenting.

She caught a cold this week, something that would make most of us cranky. On Monday, she lost her balance and fell.  She drove to work anyway. When she lost her voice, they took her off the phones and gave her a project to do. She made it to Thursday. Late that day, her body said enough: she couldn’t see the computer, so clocked out an hour early and headed home.  Suddenly overcome with dizziness, she wisely pulled off the road.  She called a co-worker who came but said she “couldn’t take her to the hospital!”  Her second call was to her supervisor who told her to call 911.  If she had called me I would have been there, but I didn’t hear from her until after the paramedics admitted her to the ER.  I understand that she wasn’t thinking clearly, but felt so helpless hearing from her after the fact.

The common cold activated the worst of her MS symptoms.  She can’t walk, can barely lift herself from chair to motorized scooter and is too afraid to take a shower.  I drove her to the Y today so she could shower safely in an accessible shower stall.  She was grateful.  I did a little shopping for her, picked up a prescription and did some errands at her home.  I know the little things help but what I really want to do is make it all go away.  I want her to walk again.  I want her to take spin classes, to go shopping and to wear the fun shoes that she loves.  I want her to have days where she doesn’t think about her health every single waking minute.   If it’s not asking too much, I want a cure for MS.

Today’s blog is in honor of my younger sister, and to others fighting this difficult disease.  My hat is off to you. =^..^=

Lavender

‘Mexican Sage’ salvia leucantha

Blue Bells

Hyacinth

Vinca

Resources:

MSAA – The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America

Types of MS: My sister has Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (no remissions from the onset)

EMSP– The European MS Platform

Wiki List-MS Organizations around the world

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Slugs and Snails and…Slugs and Snails

You witness life at a whole different level when you crawl around in the dirt.  I was up close and personal with the camera this week, taking pictures of the flowering catnip.  I turned to my left and caught sight of a snail, sliding its way up the side of a fern.  I took several shots, none of which came out, of the snail’s careful journey.  As the gastropod gained height, the fern slowly gave way.  Up and up went the snail, down and down went the frond.  Mesmerizing!  Eventually the snail’s green path dropped but the gastropod, undeterred, continued its ascent.  I backed up and saw the rest of his slippery group heading toward cool shelter for the day.

I felt strangely voyeuristic.  Inadvertently, I stumbled upon the secret hiding place of these unwanted helix aspersa.  I don’t like it when they snack on my garden, yet they seemed harmless and graceful as they slipped out of sight. A friend recently wrote an interesting blog entitled, Evolution: Escargot, Erotica, Empathy about her own awakening to the multitude of creatures that inhabit a French field.

It’s an interesting metaphor for life, I suppose: it’s easier to fear and hate what we don’t like or understand.  A little knowledge goes along way to level the (French) field.

Ascent

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City Pickers Update: Week Three

Things are looking good in the City Pickers. I planted three starter tomatoes along the front of one box and seeds along the back. The tomato plants sprouted last week. I thinned them to one or two per planting. The second City Picker holds a different variety of seeds. They don’t seem to be performing as well, though I’m not sure why.

In addition to the tomatoes, I added one pumpkin seedling. So far, so good. Temperatures remain on the cooler side by Bay Area standards. We had healthy plants and poor production last summer for the same reason: very little heat. Here’s hoping the new planting system coupled with the reflective heat from the house and gravel add up to a warmer environment.

City Picker Tomato Boxes: May 1, 2012

City Picker Tomato Boxes: May 23, 2012

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Blooming Thursday: Flowering Catnip and the Demise of a Rose

Flowering Catnip

Here….kitty, kitty, kitty!

The catnip flowered this week, sending up delicate purple flowers, tiny in proportion to the plant.  The cats prefer the leaves anyway and we have plenty of those so the felines will be set for awhile.

Intermingled with the catnip, also known as cat mint, are peppermint plants. I inherited the mint from my friend Karen when she moved back to the east coast in the mid-nineties. She also entrusted me with her miniature pink rose, an anniversary gift from her husband. The peppermint survived three city moves, along with the rose. I’ve joked that I needed to keep that rose alive for the sake of her marriage. Truth be told, her marriage is solid and so was the rose until two summers ago when it failed to survive the final transplant. What a let down after all those years of tender care.  I console myself with the fact that her marriage thrives along with the peppermint, and further, remind myself not to take my garden failures personally.

What’s blooming in your garden today?

Flowering Catnip

Spiderweb Basket of Morning Dew

Did you hear? She’s growing this catnip for us!

Peppermint and Catnip Intertwined

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Pumpkin Nirvana: The Crop Runs Away!

Yahoo!  We have a small but viable pumpkin crop.  Last year’s one volunteer re-seeded in the upper box.  I had to amend the soil and top off the box before replanting it in the lower box.  Not only did it survive, it thrived.  Look at that baby grow!  Our ‘Big Max‘ has a companion as well, cosmos from another season.  For whatever reason, that tiny four by four-inch spot in the lower box has the perfect combination of soil, shelter, sun and moisture to make things grow.

A few of this seasons indoor seedling transplants survived so we have two or three varieties at different states of growth.

I spotted a few male flowers last week and the requisite bees in the vicinity.  Yesterday the first female bud emerged, a tiny, yellow orb with magnificent potential.

Here is our pumpkin crop so far:

The Vine’s Curling Tendrils

Morning Sun Streams Through

Budding Female Flower

Pumpkin Plant Close-up

Planter Pumpkins: The Long View

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The Gardens of San Jose: Come Take the Tour

Hey Bay Area friends!  Come join me this Sunday, June 3rd for a tour of several private gardens in the beautiful and historic Rose Garden neighborhood.  San José Parks Foundation presents The Gardens of San Jose 2012 tour.

My friend and colleague Jim Reber is the Founding Executive Director with deep roots in our community.  Many will know him as the founder of San José Repertory Theater in the early eighties.  San Jose Parks Foundation vision is:

Founding Executive Director, Jim Reber

To establish innovative vibrant parks, trails, and recreation programs by building a permanent charitable endowment that will provide sustainable resources in perpetuity for San José.

Their Mission

To enhance the recreational, educational, and cultural life of the San José community by encouraging and soliciting support for our City’s parks system.

The San José Parks Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organization that:

  • Inspires passion and community involvement in our parks, trails and recreational programs.
  • Helps build and develop a world-class parks system by providing private funding for park programs, as well as acquisition, capital improvements and beautification and landscape enhancements.
  • Collaborates with the City of San José Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, and other community partners.
  • Provides a planned giving vehicle for residents to leave a lasting legacy for future generations

To learn more about the garden tour or order tickets in advance, click here.

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Garden Guests and Pests and…Anarchists?

I respect all creatures, even the garden pests so I’ve learned to garden around them. Our garden is free of pesticides, baits and traps. That doesn’t mean I’m not annoyed when I round the corner as I did last week and find the squirrel feasting on our pumpkin plant. Grumble, grumble, grumble.  As a society, we’ve encroached so much on nature. Who am I to refuse a bit of my garden bounty in return?

Garden pest…

Slippery Snail

Garden guest…

Relocating to denser shrubs for safe keeping

Garden guest and occasional pest…

Neighbor Kitty, Everybody’s Best Friend

Garden guest, pest and anarchist…

Please, help yourself

Who drops by your garden uninvited?  Have you discovered humane solutions to keep them at bay?

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Garden Party

Blue and Gold

It was a lovely day, surrounded by dear old friends gathered to celebrate Mike’s 50th.  Our friend Laura baked an incredible cake, as delicious as it was beautiful.

In a state known for moderate temperatures, California did not disappoint.  We enjoyed mid-eighties, with a welcome breeze, though we ended up back indoors to light the candles on the cake.

Mike and his friend of 30 years ended the day watching the solar eclipse through binoculars on the front deck.  Such a joyous day in the garden.

Taking Sun Near the Garden Beds

Laura’s Cake Sets Sail

The Crowd

Order Restored

Observing the Solar Eclipse

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The Seamstress of Swing: Sew What?

Before and After

I can swing again!

Several interruptions, one broken needle, and thirty minutes of hair-pulling later trying to trouble shoot the fancy electronics on the Bernina and the swing cover is finally done.  Working without a pattern was challenging, but I enjoyed myself.  Alternating between sewing machine and garden, I worked my way through trial fittings as I went along.

I made bias tape for the piping, trim and ties using a continuous bias technique I’ve not used in years.  Thank you Google search and my fellow bloggers for the tutorials.

The swing cover slips on and off in less than two minutes, so it will be a breeze to remove it for cleaning.

We celebrate Mike’s 50th tomorrow with a small gathering of friends (in the back yard of course).  Do you think it would be unseemly for me to take a nap mid-party?

Sew What? A Swing Cover

Sultan of Swing

Sultan of Swing

Make it Modern: How to sew continuous bias or binding.

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Friday Already?

Progress?  It’s my middle name.  But…still much to do.

Swing:

The swing needed a good cleaning so I scrubbed it twice to remove the winter muck.  It looks and smells better, but now it’s wet and drying in the sun.

Swing Cover:

In between scrubbing, I took measurements and cut the fabric for the swing cover.  Instead of re-upholstering the entire swing, I’m making a slip cover that will fit snugly but remove easily for cleaning and off-season storage.  Imagine my delight when I found wide elastic in the two colors I need, green for the front and tan for the back.  The plan is to secure the cover by crossing straps over the back and around the middle, like a belt.  I’m going to experiment with a few scraps of elastic to give it a more upholstered look by stitching it to the back side of the seat cover to emulate tucks.

Fabric and Trim

Garden Bench/Buffet:

My former garden bench now serves as a buffet or side bar, sitting next to our outdoor table. I’ve considered sanding and repainting it, but I’ve grown fond of the bench’s slightly battered charm. The earthquake kit resides inside the bench, but the top is the perfect surface to set up drinks. I found three inexpensive place-mats at Target, that when placed side by side, make a perfect surface cover. They can be wiped clean and stored off-season as well.

Side Board with New Place Mats

Close Up: I like the matching chevron

Fairy Garden Redux:

Back in April when we planted the back garden, my son wanted to add a small fountain nestled in the rocks near the fairy garden. He was gracious about it, suggesting we relocate the fairy garden to the other side of the yard. The big rocks were the ideal location for a fountain, he reasoned, and I agreed. Since the wee garden was more about creative expression than any thing else, I let him go ahead and experiment with his own creativity.   He used the small water pump from one of his building kits, an old Tupperware bowl and a trash bag, creating a trickling waterfall and a fountain.  Just as quickly, he lost interest.

Earlier this week I removed the sheet of black plastic used for the fountain, unearthing an ant colony. Hundreds of ants scattered everywhere. I waited for the nest activity to settle down  Then I pulled a small clay pot and a plant saucer from the side yard, added a few Impatiens and created a portable fairy garden in its place. I reused the hydroponic clay and the “stepping-stones” from the earlier fairy garden to create a mini patio.The table stand is a peat pod draped with a fern table-cloth, accessorized with a pair of magnets. The chairs are part of a stacking game.

Portable Fairy Garden

Fairy Garden Close-up

Flower-Power:

Mike brought home a bouquet of mixed flowers yesterday, and to my delight and surprise, there are exactly two, long-stemmed yellow blooms! They’ll look great in the cobalt blue beer bottles I set aside, along with the pink flowers tucked into one of my soy candle jars.

My sewing machine awaits!