Feeling Like the White Rabbit

No photo today. We've ordered a new memory card for the computer and until that comes, I am not downloading any more of our holiday photos. You'll have to settle for the thousand words instead. (Joke!)

My best friend Karen always uses the White Rabbit's refrain from the Disney version of "Alice in Wonderland" when she's overloaded with things to do but not with the time to do them in. That's exactly how I feel because I've been on the go ever since we got back less than a week ago. In fact, I have a ToDo list that has gone to 2 pages and, of course, the entries which say "GARDEN, GARDEN, GARDEN!" and "CLEAN HOUSE" only take up one line but could cover 2 pages each!

Our weather has been truly gorgeous. Even though we didn't have a lot of sun today and there's been a cooling breeze, it's remained fairly warm--in the mid- to high 60s. Yesterday it got up to 72. I got a lot of gardening done this weekend, clearing out the bed which curves around the patio. I've managed to clear quite a bit of undergrowth, including severely cutting back lower branches of several shrubs and an evergreen tree. This afternoon Don and I went to the Heather Centre for 3 large bags of compost and some bedding plants to finish that area, which is approximately 6' long by 4' deep. Don turned over the old soil and then I put down a bag and a half of the compost and planted the new plants: purple primroses, white-pink convulvulos, a pink and a blue creeping phlox, and a salmon pink alpine flower the name of which I can't recall at the moment. Many rocks were taken out of the soil when the foundation was dug for our additions, so we scattered those around the new plants. The final task was to water them in. I also had to do some hand-watering elsewhere in the garden as there has been no rain for weeks and there is none in the 5-day forecast. Don got the lawn mowed while I was planting. It's a good thing the garden waste bin gets emptied tomorrow as we couldn't put another blade of grass into it at the moment.

The remaining portion of that particular bed is mostly shrubs, trees and perennials, not much room for planting more flowers. It still needs to be cut back and cleaned up but right now there are hundreds of bees buzzing all over the Pieris which is in full bloom and I'm not going to invade their territory. There is plenty more gardening to be done in what seems like the vastness of the remaining garden.

Things do look gorgeous out there. The tulips began blooming out front today. They are mostly red with a few yellow ones and they are smack in the middle of the Euphorbia which is a deep yellow-green. The two big cherry trees are in bud and the little white cherry tree behind our bedroom has just begun to bloom. That is good timing because the blossoms on the little pear tree behind it are fading now.

Don has played a fair share of golf since our return and, for the most part, has done very well. His friend Alex has just gotten himself a brand new set of clubs and sold his "old" set to Don. The old ones are a brand new set for Don!

I have a busy week ahead and our French visitor arrives a week from tomorrow. I want to get the house in good order and as much done in the garden as we can before then. At least the weather is cooperating. It's not all work and no play, though. There is still plenty of golf for Don and "chorus girls" coffee for me as well as the first Jazz Night of the season on Friday night. On Thursday morning (and last Thursday as well) I have a tutoring session with Margaret (wife of Alex mentioned above). We've been working on stamping and painting aspects of quilt surface design. I can hardly call that work!