Garden Challenge

On Saturday I was invited by Janet to go and visit the six local gardens chosen for this years week-end garden tour. I was amazed at the amount of work that has gone into each of the gardens I visited. I had planned on taking some pictures and adding them to this blog but I forgot to take my camera with me. I think of how long it has taken me to get just my front garden looking fairly nice and it is nothing in comparison to the gardens I saw.

Each year our local horticultural club choices six different gardens for this week-end tour, for a community of less than 2000 residents there are a fair number of wonderful gardens. When you consider the well laid out beds so neatly trimmed and weeded you know that the owners of these gardens love working in them. The use of raised beds and water features made each garden unique.

I would love to have the energy, and not be allergic to the small black flies that bite so viciously here, in order to be able to spend more hours working in my front garden. I have three basic areas of garden, if you count my pot display on the steps it would be four areas. Each flower bed has it's own challenge.

The very first garden is under the kitchen area and is basically clay, I've added peat moss, black dirt, manure and this year compost from our own compost bin and still the clay takes control. If you know anything about clay, you will know that thistles love it and I have spent the last four years trying to eradicate these thistles to no avail. This year a dug this flower bed up trying to get at the root of the problem, but I did not succeed, I found a product called Total and sprayed the offending weeds. Yes the thistles are gone but so are some of my perennials which will have to be replaced next year.

The next garden is separated by the width of a small path in front of the clay one. This one is all rock and gravel, so obviously it is my rock garden. The biggest challenge to this garden is the clover, I wouldn't mind if the clover was pretty but it isn't and every year I try to weed it out, every year it is back again. This is going to be an ongoing battle.

The third garden is across the steps from the first and under the living room window. This one is very very sandy. It originally had two large lilacs but now only has one after I requested the other one be removed two years ago. The biggest problem with this garden has been the suckers from the lilac and the daisies that like to take over.

I love these gardens each having their own challenge, I can't spend as much time as I would like working in them. They would be amazing displays of flowers if I could devote the time to them. With all that said and done they give a lovely display of flowers for all the passers by to enjoy. and I'm happy to be able to devote a small portion of my time to these gardens.

Of course none of these pictures were taken when the garden was at its best this year. That would have been when we arrived home from holidays at the end of June. The rock garden had a carpet of yellow with purple Johny jump-ups in the midst. As usual I procrastinated too long before taking pictures. From these pictures the garden looks overgrown this is a misconception many of the flowers are finished and only the greenery remains. Each year I look for new perennials and move plants around for their best advantage and growing needs. I find this small area a lot of work I can only imagine the amount of work that went into the gardens I saw on Saturday.

What's in a name?

I've just been sitting here this evening pondering once more what to call my blog. I feel this name has to be me or at least represent me. It was suggested I play on my nick name... Ronnie... Ron Ron Ron but I'm not sure. Tonight I feel it should be something on the lines Ronnies Rumblings or Ronnies Ramblings and Rumblings... but I wonder if that would end up sounding more like Ronnies Grumblings and we don't do much in the way of rambling. I could on the other hand use my full name and call it Veronica's questions and answers... but no I think I still have to ponder on this more.

As of yet I haven't told too many people about my blog. I'm not sure that I'm really ready to have everyone see my thoughts of the moment. Doing a general blog about where we've been and what I've been up to would be fairly boring, interesting for those who know us but that's about all. My life is not that exciting. I work full time which takes most of my energy leaving me little left for the things I really want to do.

What do I truly like to do? I like to garden but the tiny black flies that bite so viciously here, and from which I swell up, make this impossible for me for any length of time without the need of protection from a full upper body bug jacket, which is basically a fine net which completely covers my head, face, arms, well my whole upper body. These jackets are so hot and then I over heat and suffer the rest of the day. I've been told that the black flies are at their worst in June but I have found that they bite me all summer long.

I also like to do cross stitch and petit point, and I have loads and loads of projects to do, but once home I just want to sit and veg-out not start concentrating on intricate patterns. My third love and probably my biggest passion is my BOXALL One Name Study. It seems though as soon as I get deep into researching a family and tracking down the lineage and trying to get my facts straight it's time to turn in for the night and the momentum is once again lost.

The need to work is not am option at the moment but the day will come when I can retire and put my mind and hands to the activities I really enjoy and want to do. For now I sit here and ponder... What do I call my blog?

ROUTINE

If there was a time when I was grateful for routine, this week was that time. The cold, or whatever it is, that I have (and now Richard has caught), since the 2nd week of my vacation, continues. I did not have the luxury of staying off work sick, in order to become completely healthy again. Tuesday morning found me back at my desk at the hospital working.

I find my job very stressful these days but I was never more grateful for the routine of part of that job, that is the Accounts Payables. Check the invoice make sure it's signed by the correct person, connect any back-up to said invoice, enter it into the computer to be payed asap. Many times during this past week I found myself on the brink of falling to sleep, which meant routine was necessary. There was nothing I had to do that required any deep thinking. This was good. I had two weeks of invoices and other paper work to work through and a cheque run to be made at the end of the week. I then proceeded to clear my desk of two weeks of paperwork that was routine. Next week I will put my mind to work.

Routine also follows at home. Arrive home from work, check e-mail, eat supper, fall asleep in chair, wake-up, go to bed, just about sums up the balance of each day. I shall be so glad when I once again feel healthy. So never knock routine.

Vacations Over

This is our home away from home. We have been here in Grand Marais for a week and tomorrow morning we will be heading back home. The weather hasn't been the best Tuesday it rained, Wednesday was overcast, Thursday to Sunday the sun peaked out from the clouds. One day we went into town to buy groceries. On Saturday the sun came out to play and I took advantage of it, even with 30 protection on I still burned, actually I'm blotchy because the cream didn't go on evenly.

Sunday Pastor Dennis Schutte collected us for Church. When we first attended this Grand Marias congregation about three years ago it was a mission church. They were accepted into Lutheran Church-Missouri as Life In Christ Church and are now a small struggling congregation meeting in the town community centre each Sunday Morning at 9:00 am for Divine Service. We have made this a regular part of our June Vacation.

The last few days I've been able to sit outside and work on my cross-stitch picture which is almost finished, I just have to do the balance of the back stitching and then we can have it framed. This was the hardest picture I've done, it had a lot of quarter stitches and tons of back stitching. It has been worth all the effort, it is a lovely picture and will go well in our home with our nativity collection.

Our vacation has gone by fairly quickly as vacations are won't to do. It has been a good rest for both of us even though for this whole week I've had the most awful cold with lots of congestion. I pursuaded Richard to stay the extra day even though it will be quite hectic tomorrow once we are home. We have to make sure that everything I need for Tuesday morning is taken out of the motor home and into the house. For Tuesday once again will find me at my desk in the business office of the local hospital. All good holidays come to an end all to quickly.