Tag: trees

The Strong Survive

~ JodiLea ~ Leave a comment

After one month, the ‘forgotten flower’ seed pot now has three larger sprouts, and the tiny, wispy ones have faded away.

.

I transplanted an avocado tree into a bigger pot and added soil to the other trees, then fed everybody. I had to take a shower afterwards, as I managed to soil myself (so to speak), just like baking. The flour mess is incredible. I have some fabric with a cute gardening print that I have been saving to make myself an apron. The time has come to do just that. In my spare time, of course. Maybe while hubby is at the rodeo this weekend…

Spring/Summer weather is finally stabilized. I love waking up, and the room is warm. Our windows are open, and fresh, warm air (along with dust, pollen, and the occasional skunkiness) wafts through the screens. We locals refer to this as “Mountain Air.” Way more preferable than the “Country Air” one experiences on Interstate 5. If you live in California, you know the stretch of road I’m talking about.

I would be remiss if I neglected to give you an update on my table garden.

The Table Garden

The table is positioned near the corner of the deck, to the right of the French doors. It is a monstrous metal and glass concoction. Because the glass top is coming loose from the steel frame, we rarely use it.

The eyesore it is, we keep it because it is perfect to hold plants, kids’ crafts, and put together puzzles. We just have to remember that we cannot lean on the table. We know this rule, and yet even Grandma is guilty of disturbing the glass. It needs to be washed off and covered for summer. In my spare time, of course.

[My spare time will be this week because Camp Gma opens this weekend and there are messy crafts planned.]

An interesting dilemma has come up. My smallest avocado tree registers on my Chat Plant app as a “Shea” plant. Unless you can grow a Shea tree from an avocado seed, one of us is wrong.

To be Continued…

Prepare For the Worst – Part II

~ JodiLea

All week, I have been doing just that. I secured my garden stuff on our deck, tucked in my avocado trees, and put my snow shovel by the front door. Stocked up on pantry and freezer items earlier this week. As long as the power stays on, I have 2 quilts to finish. If (when) the power goes out, I have knitting needles and crochet hooks.

Since last weekend, I have been bombarded with our county warning system alerts about a severe blizzard hitting our county and surrounding areas. These have come over our landlines, our cellphones, and emails. White-out conditions, hurricane-force winds, snow coming at 2″-4″ per hour, accumulating 27″ in one day. From Friday until Sunday, this will be going on.

Heavy snow is one thing, but the strong winds are the scariest thing in the forest. The sound of forceful wind beating the trees causes the imagination to go wild with visions of tornadoes and cows flying through the air.

Last night, we had strong wind gusts and rain. The temps have dropped dramatically into the snow zone. We may wake up to a winter wonderland. Or not. Either way, we are not supposed to be in the white-out, so we are not going anywhere except our chairs by the wood-burning stove.

Our sweet Bernese Mountain Dog, Ziva, is 9 years old now and NOT a fan of weather of any kind that has a sound. She loves to watch and play in the snow, which normally is quiet unless it arrives with a blizzard. Even when I give her anti-anxiety meds, she paces (trots) from room to room, outside and in. No one is going to sleep well this weekend.

The rain is thickening and slowing down as it turns into snow. I can see this while I watch out the window in my office. I say a little prayer, asking that the trees surrounding my house have deep, strong roots.

I wish you a less exciting weekend wherever you live.

TTFN

Peeve of the Day

~ JodiLea

Who keeps spreading the word about me?

I just wrote a post about happiness being temporary. Today proves that theory. I needed a crowbar to empty my PO box this morning. It was crammed full of holiday catalogs, advertisements for insurance, and a multitude of letters asking for money.

Paperwork Mountian

I do have a few causes I donate to. The American Diabetes Association, for one. I am a diabetic, and I like to get their magazine. That being said, I am tired of them sending me requests to donate twice a week. Stop killing trees, for Pete’s sake. I send money when I can. When I feel like it. I’m a diabetic, so it’s not like I could forget. Sheesh!

Over time, my address spread to other organizations that needed money. I have lived at this address for almost 10 years. I counted the number of agencies that were after me. In just the last week – 21 different ones. Does everyone get that many? New ones appear often, and that tells me my name & address are still being passed around. Probably, for long after I die, they will keep mailing me. Creepy thought.

When Jesus calls me from the grave, I worry his arms will be full of my junk mail. But that is just silly. I’m sure that He will delegate that to a sweet angel, who will help me recycle it.

TTFN