You Think?

So I'm thinking this is Mother Nature dropping the hint that I ought to stop yapping and start gardening.

Attack of the Reluctant Green Thumb

The pool has reverted into a primeval soup. I turned on the filter system and dumped in a couple of shock treatments but what is really needed is to clean the filter basket. Unfortunately the manufacturers of the pump system seemed to think home owners have trained & amiable anthropoid apes on board. It would take such a gorilla to open the lid to get at the filter basket. If a woman had designed the thing it would only take a leveraged handle and touch of elbow grease to open, but noooo - a guy designed it; only a gorilla on steroids could twist open the damned filter lid.

Aside from the pool, the back yard is looks wonderful sort of o.k. The brown-shirted, hobnail-booted, goose-stepping German Iris are sending up invading hords of shoots. I intend to uproot and donate them to gardeners at work who might enjoy huge chocolate Iris blooms. Myself, I prefer more colorful blooms.

Yes. My garden is a bit of a disaster

I blew it again. Was at Target and could not resist the call of flower seeds - assorted sunflowers, butterfly-colored snapdragons, golden coreopsis and some cilantro too boot. Hopefully I'll actually plant them. Some weeks ago I gave away a large stash of aged flower seed to an Internet buddy. Obviously in possession of a green thumb, she got most of those seeds to sprout. I'm hoping I can manage to get my fresh seeds out of the paper envelope and into the soil; Stay tuned.

Weekend in Napa

I spent most of the weekend in Napa. Early Sunday afternoon I found myself seated with Barbara, her sister Suzi and their cousins Sharon and Diane. We took turns weeping as they discussed arrangements for Irmgard who left this earthly plane Friday morning. It was strange to see one’s own generation making plans, which in this case included no funeral, but instead a Spring picnic for everyone to gather together in remembrance of Irmgard. The good lady’s ashes will be dispersed on the ocean, also in the Spring when the weather improves.

This growing older & losing your parents, or for that matter losing your older relatives , truly sucks.

Hans, Barb & Suzi's dad of course, all considered is doing well. When I visit him in his little TV room, 'the Bunker', he continues to recognize me.

'It's Claire! Sweetie pie,' Hans says and he perks up a bit.

He still recognizes me! That is some sort of miracle and it totally warms my heart. He had a horrible sleepless night Friday. He sat weeping in the Bunker, saying 'Traurig, sehr traurig...'

Yes, very sad indeed.