My day off for gardening... yeah, right

This was just as the early-evening storm broke. We'd had a major storm in the morning, too much water plus electricity in the air to do anything outside other than put down a little cardboard weedblock and half-heartedly move two buckets full of sodden topsoil. And scatter a few more poppy seeds--orange this time--just in case they feel like sprouting.

A very very humid, sticky, and bug-infested afternoon. Collected a few more names for the census. Took Bella for a walk round the block as the clouds gathered. Fed her, and then it started...

I hope it dries out enough tomorrow to mow the grass.

I am not going to complain. I am not going to complain. I am not going to complain...

(I did get all the housework done.)

For Vivian

I am feeling rather sad, and ashamed. I learned this weekend that my friend Vivian Dhaliwal is no longer with us, and I am sad for that. Ashamed, because Vivian has been gone since October last year, and I did not know: distance is no excuse for not keeping in touch, that is what the internet is for, and I am very sorry that I have not reached out to Vivian's close family as they reached out to me in a time of my own need many years ago, when they opened their home to me during a very painful trip back to England, and shared the warmth of their family love.

Vivian was an inspiration to so many people.
Vivian was martial-arts strong, and so gentle.
Vivian was funny and clever and full of love for her family, her friends and her art.

When I first knew Vivian, we had never met, but she inspired me simply by being the highest-graded martial artists in a style that had very few women practitioners (it was called Goyararu then, and we trained in Oakham school hall, first with John Willams and then with Paul Smith, who later moved to New Zealand). Just by "being there", she helped me strive to become the best that I could--and to prove others wrong. And it became part of my core being; that part of me does not disappear, despite time away from the dojo over the years, despite injuries and moving-again and growing older every year. And now looking at pictures from Tetsudo events, seeing how many women are involved now, it's obvious how very, very much she has done for so many.

Thank you, Vivian, from the bottom of my heart. (And yes, I still work the weights like you showed me!)

My love to Dhali, and to Dev and Arun.

More!

Returned to Lowe's this evening, returned with Iris ensata "Katy Mendez" (purple with a yellow mark), Iris ensata "Strut and Flourish", (blue with a yellow mark) and some dark-almost-black Elephants Ears, which apparently are perennial and apparently also love water. Too dark to plant them now so they sit in their pots in a puddle.

AADD?

Weather was yuck so decided to sort out the garage. The Plan is (remember this) to clean the corner inside the furnace house so that garden implements can be stored there in their dustbin and/or hung on the wall, and maybe get a couple of those vinyl "sheds" for other garden storage (somewhere big enough for the lawnmower, preferably).

Can't vacuum furnace house because of excess water situation and electricity not mingling well.

Emptied one large cardboard box containing various Jade-and-Karli belongings into two large plastic bags. Didn't throw anything out so now it's bag-shaped instead of box-shaped and still taking up room in garage.

Emptied not-good-for-tummy dog food out of container into garbage bag. Refilled container with good-for-tummy food. Put garbage bag into garbage can and weighted down the lid because I don't want raccoons with upset tummies running riot in neighbourhood.

Folded up empty cardboard box and spent ten minutes wondering whether-or-not to use it for weed block in back garden. Decided yes and stacked it with another cardboard box. Still can't see any more garage floor.

Looked up. Saw six large, heavy and totally-not-useful doors/windows. Found camera. Took bad picture. Uploaded to Craigslist free-if-you-can-get-them-down. Searched Craigslist for 'shed'. Nothing suitable, but tempted to write to person selling a "you-must-dig" Magnolia tree that grandmother planted, because it should be, "you can pay me 50$ to come and kill the magnolia that my grandma planted". Resisted temptation. Checked email, no reply on windows.

Checked again but there was still no more room in garage. Decided to go to Home Depot to look at vinyl sheds.

Home Depot vinyl "sheds" OK for horizontal shovels or vertical broom. A bit like giant doll's house furniture. Looked at real sheds having totally forgotten The Plan. Real sheds too expensive or too time-consuming. Wonder if Lowes' has anything better. Back in truck and drive to Patchogue. Spend half an hour wandering round garden center just looking at plants before finding cute shed with installation that might just fit in the space. Having forgotten to measure the space before leaving house, this is pure guesswork. Sent salesperson on a hunt to find tape measure to see how high the shed is (nine feet). Can't be sure that this will fit in the space but am sure that shed footprint (eight by six feet) will... until sales guy says that installers need at least two feet all round in order to do installation. (Why?)

Remember The Plan. Take brochure for shed which has measurements so can check size when home. Wander round garden center again. See magnificant iris from across the center. Buy iris and drive home with it in front passenger footwell so as not to batter it on back of truck.

Now have full garage, no shed, and a new iris. It is planted in a new raised bed in the front garden. Iris ensata 'Cha Cha Hume'.

It was a good afternoon!

Black heron? Name this bird?

Anyone know who this guy is? He was way out in the wetlands--hence the unclear photo--but looked to be about the same size as the great egrets. At first I thought he was an ibis, but his beak is straight. Maybe a not-so-little Little Blue Heron?

Then he took off, big wings, legs trailing, flying like a heron.

Of course, he could just be the black sheep from this guy's family:

Summer?

I will try not to complain about the weather today. Everything is very, very green, except for the puddles, which are very brown and look like liquid compost. Which they probably are.

Crackerdog

Sometimes Bella just wants to run, and run, and run. It usually involves circuits of the garden and one of Fury's old squirrel toys (that's what is in her mouth, it is not a warm-blooded creature but one made of fabric and synthetic stuffing).

She runs like a greyhound for about five minutes...

Then gets this, "what just happened????" expression. And goes to sleep for an hour or so.

Washing-away June

Seven inches of rain so far in June, on Long Island. I feel as if I have had about six hours outside in the garden this year so far. It has been more than that, a little, but I sure feel deprived right now.

Overcast skies today; mild; the mosquitoes will love it. Phragmites already higher than many of the smaller trees. The ditches are waterlogged, full, not draining.

But the lettuce seedlings have doubled in size overnight. And the birds are singing, singing, singing.

Happily dojo'd

Am tired and happy. Went to Nakia's Championship Martial Arts on Neighborhood Road. Took a cardio class. I am going to ache in the morning, but it felt so good to be back inside a dojo. Same time next week: anyone else going to join us?

Been away too long. Gym is good, but gym is just the "extra", not the real thing. Darn I miss it.

Effi, Tamas, Philippe, Rob, Rene: and Fair Oaks and Kovars folks too ... Tetsudo ... I miss you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(My knee is already reminding me of my age...)

Roses!

They are definitely appreciating the tree-fertilizer spikes (they have almost exactly the same ratio of nitrogen etc. as specialized rose fertilizer, are less expensive, and an awful lot easier to manage). Now if only the rain goes away for a while, maybe that darn black spot will too.

And they smell so good!!!

Thank you :-)

Just wanted to say "thank you" to my young neighbour, who has been out on his bike, taking his shovel, and giving some roadkill a decent burial. So that the younger children don't see it. And so the turtle and rat have a dignified grave.

These animals might have been splatted by the noisily-souped-up speeding car that's racing around lately. I hope the driver notices that there are children, pets, cyclists and wild animals on these streets, and drops the speed by about 30 mph. Otherwise there will be more than a mashed rat to clean up.

Yard sale for the Village!

GIANT YARD SALE!

Date: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Place: Ducky Lane, Mastic Beach
Time: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

All proceeds will be donated to the Mastic Beach Village Exploratory Committee.

Your donated yard sale items are also greatly needed. You may drop off your items between June 1st and June 13th at 12 Ducky Lane, Mastic Beach. You may call 487-0595 or email norton2526@peoplepc.com for more information.

(Rain Date Sunday, June 14th.)

Together we can make a difference in our community!

And how big is the turtle?

... much bigger than my foot, which is size 8.5 American, 7 English, 40-41 European. Big turtle!

P.S. I now know that he is a Snapping turtle, that he might be aggressive (he politely posed when having photo taken, didn't seem offended), and that his shell is too small for his head tail and legs to retract into. Maybe that explains the aggressive tendancies?

Turtle!!!

He (she?), covered in mud, sitting on the gravel path at the corner of Park Drive, where there used to be a burned-out house. At first, I thought it was a garden ornament that someone had dumped, but then his head shrank into his shell a tiny amount, and he blinked.

An old guy (old lady)? Some damage to the shell above right back leg, but it looked long-healed. Ridges on the tail like on a dragon's back.

His tail, very very long, almost as long as the shell. Makes his sillouette look like a horseshoe crab, but this was definitely a turtle, not a crab.

Anyone know what sort of turtle this is? Do they live in our wetlands? Or is this another abandoned pet left to fend for itself?

Strange sky (think The Tourists)

Looks like an upside-down bowl of creamy mashed potatoes, after someone has poked a stick in it.