Obsessive?

Forgive me for not posting for a while, but between the trip to charleston and SPRING, I've been pretty busy!  I don't have much to say about Charleston - it was great - except that being the good Olympus girl that I am I brought THREE cameras, but ended up only taking about ten photos!  And most of those stink.  I just can't keep up with all the artistic folks on flicker, you'll just have to squint your eyes and figure out what that blurry thing is!

Well, it is Spring, and so begins the annual garden obsession.  Oh, yes, I did all the normal things...swept the driveway when the ice melted (with a little help from our ice breaking obsession --- like its not going to eventually melt on its own?  We have to shovel and break for days and weeks- but that is the subject for another post - maybe next year).  I raked all the stuff up from the grass (where does it come from?) used the blower to take care of the leaves I didn't rake up last spring, raked the garden, planted pansies in the window box and planted left over bulbs.  At that point were are probably getting into the abnormal, because unless you plant more than ten thousand bulbs in the fall you probably don't have too many left over.  So here we go.

Its not enough to take care of several estates, several large properties and more than enough regular homes - I have to plant lots of gardens at home to take care of on weekends.  Now that the carpenters etc are done trampling, running over and generally ruining anything I try to do outside (the inside looks great though, boys!) I need to get planting.  Where to start though?  When I am planning for someone else's property I usually make a complete plan, and then since it really is THEIRS, I let them decide how to prioritize.  

At our house, do we start by moving the hot tub (no, its not fixed yet, trish) and putting in a patio?  I have a great idea for that if I can figure out how to post a sketch of it, it includes a pergola, stone patio, low stone walls.  

Or should we start with the sledding hill which is great in the winter but a hill o'weeds in the summer.  My idea for that is to have stone steps down the middle (which the kids assure me they can still sled down) and a retaining wall made of the boulders from the "rock fort".  That solves two problems at one time because if the rock fort becomes a beautiful rock wall we could pretty up our beautiful birch tree.

Clean up the front yard anyone?  plant ground covers, clean out grape vine and raspberry (it sounds pretty but we all know its not.)

Take down the spruce in the side yard?  make a garden over there?  plant a row of lilac?

Oh its all too much.  too many ideas, not enough spring!  

Emma the new Au Pair

The Tilleys have a new au pair,  and her name is Emma.  Unfortunately there is already an Emma living at 139 Main, and it has become very confusing, very quickly.  For example, on Friday night John must have told us five times Trish was picking up Emma and I answered each time, "but I thought she was at a sleep over!"

So, there is a need for a nickname, and the urgency of this need supercedes any other potential poll questions this week.  Choose one of the options already suggested by the poll questions and/or comment on your ideas here.  

TRAFFIC CIRCLE

I submitted the poll results for "what should be in the center of the traffic circle?" to Jessie Levine and the selectmen. I hope they will choose to comment on the blog (I kinda doubt it though;) A little boy peeing got 38% of the vote, a fountain got 23% wildflowers, post office poles and call it a roundabout got 15% each.  Only one vote for concrete barriers, although one certainly could include landscaping to tie those  barriers to the "natural" environment.  13 whole votes...this blog is really taking off.  Oh, maybe we should have included planting corn in the center as an option...we could get the subsidy!

So, here is a quote from the Alternate Street design website:"roundabouts slow all vehicles, provide refuges for pedestrians and are the only traffic control device in which trees can be planted, fountains can bubble or spray and statues can sparkle into the next century." (and potentially produce the raw material for processed food and earn money for the town in the process:)

  

Mystery Man

Who is Dan and has he been inducted into the Coffee Tank?

DECISION!!

Thank you for your patience with this important decision.  We couldn't have made it without your input, opinions, information and help!  You all are the greatest coffee group ever.  And wonderful friends.  We are very blessed.  

Best Furniture Poll

Sorry, Trish, you are going to have to give up the orange sectional.  

By an overwhelming 66% of the vote, the orange sectional must be moved to Jacks.  Even though the coffee party did not allow Michigan and Florida to vote, the will of the voters must be followed.  Surprisingly, two tables and lots of chairs came in second, with 50% of the vote.  Pundits were shocked that the people continued to support this alternative after the vehement endorsement of Reverend Wright, Geraldine Ferraro and Jack Diemar.  Not surprisingly, no one voted for the so called "April fool's day arrangement" even though Rush Limbaugh urged his listeners to vote for it just to spite the fire side coffee group (otherwise known as the old men swiftboat captains - did you see how quickly they swiftboated the furniture to the other side?)  

On Hardball with Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell said "the coffee tank organization is planning to use the pressure of super delegates to get the Tilleys to give up the orange sectional.  I find it fascinating that the coffee tank organization would take this substantive position.  You have to ask why they would put the support of the Tilley Family at risk in this striking move."

The other alternative receiving 16% of the vote was a platform.  After the comments made by Hillary Clinton about her crash landing on a Bosnian platform, voters seem to be concerned about the possibility of sniper fire in an exposed situation.  According to Tucker Carlson, SR MSNBC correspondent,a platform's credibility was hurt by the position it took on key issues.  On the issue of beverage spills, the platform broke with the party, saying beverage spills must be banned, even if it takes a hundred years.  

Crimes against Trees

Well, look at the new approach to 276 KMR.  

Welcome to our new telephone pole landscaping job.  They took down 5 black cherry trees to create this  beautiful effect.  One was about a 12" diameter trunk.  

Its an excellent example of landscaping by subtraction.  By removing the black cherry trees they were able to emphasize the vertical element and artifical aspects of the pole.  The yellow support is a particularly skillful use of color.  What an excellent idea for improving the approach to our home, providing a transition from the impermeable paved surface, through the "gate" created by the power lines into our property.  It aids in the relaxation of visitors, and family members coming home.

Many arborists would envy the half lollipop tree that they left behind.  It is clearly a unique specimen.  It reminds me of a espalier gone wild.  I believe these gentlemen were so excited about the creation of landscape innovation that they forgot to clean up after themselves.  How kind of them to leave us the wood.

New Hampton

Well, we visited New Hampton today.  Its a very nice school, good college placement and we really like the ski coach.  Emma, who was our tour guide, was really great (Lee thought the best tour guide of all the schools we visited).  She had a great answer when Lee asked her about substance use on campus and she answered "yes, there is substance use here, as there is everywhere.  If you seek it out you will find it, but you will only get in that situation if you put yourself into it."  Very good answer for a sophomore.  

There is an academic skills program which all the students participate in, and an arts survey course that includes theater, dance, photography, 2d art and 3d art.  The ski program is just being hashed out, but for us at least the coaching (waterville coaches) is a known variable.  They have a revisit day on Saturday - didn't they know about the t-shirt race?!?!

Its a tough decision now... we are all on the fence.  

APRIL FOOLS

We are a bunch of fools - too bad the picture is mainly of our "new friend"!

Happy april fools day!