Intoxication

Its insanity.

Every year for three weeks the Ogden, Orr, Fajans women have committed crimes to fulfill their obsessions.  Three generations of temporary insanity.  My mom sneaks around businesses, college campuses and asks my children to be her "lookouts".  My mom is pretty sneaky, because she rarely gets in trouble.  I got drunk at the golf course one time and got caught out on the driving range by the golf pro!  And I almost got arrested at a rest stop.

 

Lilacs!  Yes, I know you feel the same way - I've read stories.  Why do you think they had a police officer secretly hiding out to bust people at that rest area!  Its worse than a gay sex sting!  And my defense to the state trooper?  My grandmother says cutting them makes the tree bloom more next year.  Actually what my grandmother said was BREAKING THEM OFF made them bloom more next year, because she was justifying her own lilac stealing habit.  But I had to explain the clippers in my hand....

What is it about lilacs that makes us want to steal other peoples before we cut our own?  Why can't you ever grow enough?  Driving during this season is torture because all you see are gorgeous lilacs everywhere just waiting to be stolen - its like a budweiser commercial for an alcoholic!  And then the scent wafts in your car window....

In Garden City we knew all the best places.  For a while it was the Doubleday parking lot.  We would run into other women there with baskets and kids in the car as lookouts.  The Garden City police were a bit like NL police..."oh thats just Dorothy Orr's granddaughter - she's not illegally drinking, or parking or waiting for a drug pusher, she just stealing lilacs!"  

And then before you know it, like a heat wave, the temporary insanity is gone.  And so are the lilacs.  The crime wave has ended and the women of my family settle back into their regular lives.  

What is the lesson learned?

Me, I like to think its that we should be a bit more like that year round.  Life is too sane.  But thats just the peri - mid life crisis talking!  

Look what the postman brought!

It was like Christmas morning...There's John all in a blur because his new acer palmatum arrived in the mail today!

He is a very happy man.

He'd be even happier if it gets big enough to warrant getting a new tripod pruning ladder.

Best Days

I have been thinking a lot about this Spring, and how lucky I am...

The apple trees I almost cut down this winter have never been more beautiful.  Co-co, Hayley and Jack came over this morning and they stood, danced, and twirled under the branches of the tree as I shook them and the white petals billowed down like snow.

I also love baseball and softball season.  Well, except for the black flies.  Co hit a home run at yesterday's game!  Kelsey is pitching so well.  It is nice to have a game to go to in the evenings, and unwind after a long day.  

And the construction is DONE, so we can really work on the landscaping around the house.  We are just picking it off a little at a time as we can with sports, work etc. But it is so nice to see it start coming together as you can see from the pictures I will hopefully be able to post.  Even Lee worked in the yard today!  As you can see from the old pictures, we have really come a long way since we have lived here, its just that there is a long way to go too.  

Its so beautiful.  

 

Dirty Dog

Just thought you might like this photo --of my dirty dog.  She is a landscaping pup.  

Thats John on a pruning ladder... in the giant sized bonsai nursery.  Okay its called Notaki or something, but I can't remember what it was called, and to 99% of americans, its giant bonsai.

We took the coolest field trip to Shin Boku nursery in Wentworth NH (don't ask ---it is truly the middle of nowhere - anyone who went there would know Sutton certainly isn't the middle of nowhere).  Our guide, Palmer has been pruning these specimen trees for 15- 25 years.  There are some really incredible trees...but with my champagne tastes, I couldn't find one I wanted for under $10,000.  Then we went over to his other nursery which seems to be the source for the Shin Boku trees.  Baker Valley Nursery had very large shrubs and trees which are much older than the ones you typically find at nurseries.  In some cases thats a good thing, but if you are buying just for your house, unless its an extremely slow growing shrub or tree (Japanese Maples, John!) it doesn't pay to spend extra for something that is that much older.  Well, unless money is no object.

The selection of shrubs and trees was wonderful.  Because Wentworth is so far north in the middle of nowhere, most of the stuff had survived 50 degree below zero temperatures, according to Palmer.  So their plant list is a"cold hardy" cheat sheet.  It is also a good Japanese garden plant "cheat sheet", because all the plants are appropriate for that style of garden and able to be pruned in a manner consistent with Japanese garden styles.  

Back to the picture.  John and I both want this very expensive pruning ladder.  It is very stable, and it looks really cool and professional.  I don't know the price yet but the coincidence is I have a pruning job coming up  --- tax write off???

Shin-bokunursery.com

DIRTY GIRLS!

Its Wednesday and we have already spread 14 yards of mulch this week!  I didn't think we could do it in one week, week one for most of the girls, but they rocked it out~!

The dirty girls, five of us, dominated at the Zen garden today.  There were carpenters, painters and Brain hastings (Lou!) and they were all surprised by the garden girls.  We had a very efficient wheel barrow brigade (we are now a TWO wheelbarrow outfit) with which we basically cleaned out the whole garden and spread 8 yards of mulch by 1 PM.  Except for the sound of the excavator and our laughter, all was quiet at the Zen garden.

We really impressed them until one of our cars got stuck in the mud and we couldn't get it out.  Then we had to be real girls and ask Brian Hastings to help us get it out.  I could have pulled it out with the truck...if I knew how.  I asked Brian how and he said just get up a lot of speed and be sure to give the chain a good snap.  When I said, 'oh, okay' and started walking towards the truck, he knew he had to intervene.  (uh, how was I supposed to know he was joking?!?)  

Brian and his partner got the car out and okay now I have to confess it was my sister's car, because Cheryl said "Oh, I owe you for helping me out - I'll bring you a plate of chocolate chip cookies.  To which Brian's partner replied, "oh, a six pack will probably taste better."

Cinco de Mayo

Much to chagrin of NL NH, the flamingos have come home to roost.

Kentucky Derby!!

What would Jesus do?

It was rainy and dismal outside, but for the Kentucky derby it was warm and wonderful with all the friends who showed up!  Laurie's bourbon cake was a huge hit - the plate was licked clean by the end of the night!  

I can't believe how long we have kept this tradition up...but where are the pink flamingos?  Will they appear for Cinco de mayo?