more hostas

There was so much interest in the hosta post below I decided to share more of my hosta garden



This is the hosta "Big Daddy". Notice the blue color and the "seersucker" effect on the leaves. I bought this just three days ago at a local nursery.


This is "Color Glory". I planted it as a bare root just a few weeks ago along with the "White Feather" below.

This is the "Gold Standard". The other hostas have been mulched with red oak chips I got free from the city of Fayetteville. (a pick up truck load) But, I like the contrast I got with the dark pine bark mulch you see here.

This is the "Guacamole". Most hostas have one color on the leaf bordered by a darker or lighter color on the edge. This one has a darker green streaking across a lighter shade. I like to have the younger ones planted next to a rock or something like this half buried shard of a clay pot.

This is a very young plant. It will have a curly leaf and this is the pale, creamy green color it will be. It's called "White Feather"

spring

Winter has finally given way to spring and the hostas have emerged from their winter sleep. The humming bird scouts were buzzing around the porch so I set up feeders and two male scouts immediately began to dip into the sugary mixture. After a few days they were joined by more males competing for space at the hanging feeder. We expect the humming bird wives and kids to arrive any day. A perfect morning is to sit in the yard with a cup of coffee admiring the hostas, and being entertained by the antics of the humming birds and purple martins.


Here is the hosta Variegata Undulata next to some Dianthus.

This is a Frances Williams hosta. It's one of my favorites in the garden right now. I've planted several new varieties and am anxious to see how they develop this year.

quote of the day

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”

-Mark Twain

tips on being a grandpa

• Lose your dignity. Get in the floor with the grand kids even if you need help to get back up. Sing silly songs. Make them up and encourage the little ones to make up their own verses. Of course, all this silliness lasts until they start kindergarten when they will get all sophisticated on you. Of course, it's great fun to tell corny jokes when they become teenagers.
• Carry plenty of change. Since I retired I don't carry money; I just use my debit card everywhere. But, when you have the grand kids along you never know when you'll meet up with the ice cream man, or one of those vending machines with the claw and the stuffed toys.
• Don't be a disciplinarian. It's the parents' job to train them to be good citizens and it's your job to give them a break from all that. (exceptions: you have to keep the little twerps from pit bulls, street traffic, and sharp objects.)
• Savor the time spent with them. I was surprised at how fast my daughters grew up, and now the grand kids are leaving the nest even quicker. So listen to their stories, laugh with them, and make as many memories as possible because they will be gone before you know it.

what i'm reading now

Cry, the Beloved Country was a worldwide best seller when it was published in 1948. It's the story of a Zulu pastor and his son during the racial injustice of apartheid. It's not just the story of people but of the land. It's been on my reading list for years but I just got around to it. I'm sorry it took so long.

quote of the day

The little unremembered acts of kindness and love are the best of a good man’s life.

– William Wordsworth

quote of the day

There is something wrong in a government where those who do the most have the least. There is something wrong when honesty wears a rag, and rascality a robe; when the loving, the tender, eat a crust, while the infamous sit at banquets.

--Robert Ingersoll

face to face tour

Yesterday, I picked Dorothy up from work at 5:00 and we drove 1-1/2 hours to Tulsa for the Elton John - Billy Joel concert. This was the best concert we've been to in years. Elton and Billy started out singing duets of their songs and then each of them took the stage alone. Elton received standing ovations for Rocket Man and Crocodile Rock, and Billy for Uptown Girl and Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me. They both were personable and interacted with the audience. At one point Billy interrupted on of his songs to play"Oklahoma!" on the piano. That got a rise out of those Okies. These guys are great performers and had fantastic bands, but they would have been great if the only music was from their pianos.

quote of the day

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.

--Anais Nin

little mules

Dorothy's cousin recently acquired these miniature mules and the wagon. Saturday, he gave all the kids in the family a ride.

murphy's law extreme

Murphy's law. You know how that goes. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. That's how things went during last week's training. The instructor showed up late the first day and quit the second day. The hand held computers that were issued to us didn't work. By the third day everyone's computer was working except mine. I was getting behind in the training because of the technological malfunctions. The hotel where I was staying was across the street from a rail road track. Every hour all night long freight trains barrelled through town with their whistles screaming like a banshee. Thursday morning, after struggling with the effects of sleep deprivation and frustrated with the equipment failures, I turned in my stuff and came home.

quote of the day

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way.

- – William Blake

temporary job

I got a job. I'm working for the 2010 Census for the next 8-10 weeks. I'm spending a week in Pryor, OK to train. It 's something new and different to do. I don't like being away from home, though.

my first cake

I've made pies before, so I thought I would try my hand at a cake. This one required 3/4 cup of cocoa powder. I couldn't find any so I called Dorothy and she recommended substituting chocolate squares. I didn't want to mess with the computations required for converting chocolate squares into the equivalent in powder. ( I know, I could have found the formula online). I found some instant hot cocoa mix and used that. It made a great cake. Dorothy liked it and said it was moist. You can spend years eating delectable desserts and never give a thought about the healthiness of what you're eating. When I put this recipe together I was shocked at the amount of butter and sugar it takes to make a cake. Oh, my poor arteries. Have the paramedics standing by, or better yet, call roto-rooter.



You have to remember this was my first attempt. I forgot to put frosting between the layers. I didn't make enough frosting and was too tired to make more. ( I did this after a morning of cutting wood and working on my truck). As bad as it looks it's a pretty good cake.

signs of spring

The warm weather has brought out these harbingers of Spring. I always look forward to seeing the first green tips of the daffodils peeking through the earth. I know that warm, fragrant days full of birdsong are just over the hill.