The Garden

I always think summer has officially arrived when I get my first "real" bloom on a plant - meaning it's one that grew from seed just dropped into the ground and not started inside first. And, I didn't just buy the plant already blooming and stick it in for "instant garden."

I noticed on Friday, June 30, that my first morning glory bloom was there, but not open. I got out on Sunday to get a photo of it, and I also discovered a calla lily blooming in the back, which was a surprise. I have planted tons of calla lily bulbs and they're coming up but I hadn't even noticed a bud. This is one of the new colors they released this year.




Other things are starting really fill in too. Greg gave me this shamrock he bought for a photo around St. Patrick's day. I thought it was dead because it dried out while I was gone on a trip. But, I just went ahead and put it in the ground and it has perked up and even grown some. I like the look of lots of things growing into one another.




I also have some "instant garden" plants.




And I adore plants that just come back on their own. I had three coneflowers last year but I think I pulled out the others thinking they were weeds. I was so happy to see this one. I'm hoping to spread more of its seed later this year so I get more of them.




The morning glories have grown up to the roof and are doing well. I love the look of viney things. I will try to take some photos of the overall and share soon.

I'm thinking about putting in a little wildflower garden in back. I want things that just take care of themselves - reseeding each year - and not needing lots of TLC.

Morning Comes

Well, it's 6 a.m. and I haven't been to bed yet. Frankly, I'm not even really tired yet. I've been doing a lot of writing overnight. It's been a very productive time.

I have never been a good sleeper. Neither was my mom, neither are my two brothers. There's something genetic in it all, I'm sure. I can't really say how my dad was, but I know the three of us and mama are not good sleepers.

I don't need as much sleep as other people. Thank goodness. I can't even get everything done I want to do and I rarely sleep even six hours a night.
I've been holed up in my office all night but I can see through the front door that daylight has arrived. I intended to go out for a walk before it got completely daylight but I've waited too long.

Oh well, now the big decision is if I should go to breakfast or go to bed. I think a walk first... then I'll make that choice. Then I really must try to get at least a little bit of sleep. Surely I need some.

Fourth of July

I went this morning to the Women's Civic Center where we were handing out ice water and lemonade to parade goers. This is the second year I've done it and it's really fun. Lots of the board members were there.

When I arrived today Mark said, "I've got a job for you." Generally all I end up doing is chit chatting with people I run into that I know. Today, Mark gave me the job of doing that very thing. As he put it, "because you know so many people." I really don't know any more people than the average person in town, but the perception is that I do. Greg is always teasing me about that so I put this story in just for his benefit.

The Fourth of July parade here is very much a little slice of Americana. I think we had all the typical things from the Shriners on bikes to horses.

It was fun to see people I know in the parade - Chris was driving his car again this year. I think I put a photo of him up last year, too - but I can't recall for sure. He has been very involved with United Way over the years and he's a great guy.

There were the usual things, and also something I'd never seen before - a foam machine. I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with it but they were squirting the parade goers every once in awhile. Again, I don't know what it is or what it's for, but apparently you can rent it. I just don't know what you do with it once you do.




There were lots of politicians out today. Diane McCarville was walking with her dog. Her husband, Joe, is a judge and is running for reelection.




Mark Treaster was in the parade. After he had walked the route he came to the civic center. His wife is on the board of the Arts and Humanities Council, which I'm also on, and this is one of our projects - restoring this building. He and Trish were chatting afterwards, and taking time to wave to folks they knew in the parade.




There were lots of politicians out today, including Frances Garcia, who I've always liked. She was a city council person for many years and is now on the county commission. She is a thoughtful person and genuinely cares about the community.

The democrats also had a float. Kathie has been such a trooper in getting these things done. It looked really nice.




Of course, every parade needs old cars...



and golf carts... it is Hutchinson where we're currently hosting the US Senior Open... we needed a golf cart in the parade



it is a farming community... you need tractors...



and horses... gotta have horses



Of course, not everyone was having a good time. This kid threw a temper tantrum three feet from his mother who didn't seem to notice. Not being a parent, I can never understand how people can ignore the piercing screams of children. He screamed, cried, stomped his feet and eventually threw himself on the ground. There was no impetus that I could determine. His sister eventually picked him up and gave him to the mother who managed to continue to ignore him. It's a skill I guess.

All in all it was a nice parade on a very nice day. It was a bit cooler today and that was a bonus.

Drugs

I have spent a lot of the day at the computer, working on various things. I haven't felt very motivated to do much else. My great plans for getting industrious in the house evaporated as this bladder infection got worse all day.

I finally got the antibiotics at about 4 this afternoon. I started the process at 7:32 this morning. It's a good thing it wasn't a serious medical issue. So, whatever little bug I have had extra hours to reproduce - always good news. But, I'm feeling better after only one dose of medication and I'm taking another one before I go to bed. They say two a day and I'm sure they meant more than five or six hours apart, but I meant I wanted them early in the day when I started calling at 7:32 a.m. So, this is the compromise.

Well, I'm heading up to bed early tonight. We had a nice little rain storm and it cooled things off a bit so it should be pleasant sleeping tonight - aside from the fireworks in the neighborhood.

Close Miss

Well, we've all survived the night and we probably didn't even know we were in danger. Asteroid 2004 XP14 passed closest to Earth last night - shortly after midnight Eastern Time - and is now moving further from our orbit.

I'm always amused that some people actually worry about things. If it had hit it would have created a crater about 20-30 miles in diameter. Yes, that's a big crater. But, compared to the size of the Earth, it's a tiny speck. The likelihood it's going to hit in any particular place is miniscule. I'm not up to doing the math on the probability of that, but lets just say it's minimal and leave it at that.

So, see, you have even more to be thankful for today and you didn't even know about it.

But, hey, mark your calendars for April of 2029, when Asteroid 99942 Apophis is expected to be visible in Asia and North Africa. It's huge - about 1000 feet wide - and will pass within 20,000 miles of Earth. In orbit terms that's like your next door neighbor's deck. Ones that big only come that close to Earth about once every 1,500 years. But, Apophis will likely be making another trip in about 2036.

So, depending on your approach to life, either chalk it up to oddities or start laying in the canned goods.

Bright Monday Morning

I love the early morning hours. I woke up about 5:15 and got up about 30 minutes later. Here before 7 I've already accomplished quite a few things, including waking up Sondra. She's ordinarily an early riser, but was sleeping in until about 6:15 when I woke her up. I never imagined she would still be asleep then. Oops. She had called yesterday asking if I wanted to go have breakfast so I was calling to see if she wanted to this morning. But, she had a full agenda today and was distressed she was still asleep. I may just head out to Dutch Kitchen in a few minutes.

I'm waiting on the Doctor's office to open so I can go visit their lab tech and get some nice little pills for this bladder infection. Thank goodness for over the counter stuff that helps the symptoms, but it won't do a thing for the real problem. I need some antibiotics for that.

I'm laughing at myself a bit this morning that I always go to the computer as soon as I come downstairs and check email. I rarely have anything in the morning. Of course not. I went to bed about 1 and am checking email about 6 - not very many people are going to written epistles in those hours. But, every day I check it first thing. I'm either very optimistic or very foolish. Lets just go with the former, shall we?

Sunday

I have been working in the house today - doing exciting things like organizing kitchen cabinets. Yes, I know, my life is thrilling - try not to be too jealous.

I need to get on my knees with a bucket of soapy water and a brush and scrub the floor in there. I can only think of about four million things I'd rather do.

I've also got a little bladder infection. So, I guess I'll get to go visit the doctor's lab and the pharmacy tomorrow. Thank goodness for over the counter medication. At least I'm not miserable from it. I'm not sure how I got this - not the usual way one gets them. I guess this is just a little surprise. Oh well... nothing major... some antibiotics will take care of it... just an inconvenience.

I have also taken some time today to work on some computer things. I have a ton of things I need to do yet, but at least I got started. I have trouble focusing on one thing at a time, so things tend to drag on for a long time. I have thought about trying medication for the ADD but I just don't like messing with brain chemistry unless it's absolutely necessary. And in my case I don't think it is as I'm able to function without it. But there are times when I need to focus that I think it would be nice to be able to do it more effectively. But, I manage to get things done anyway.