Strange Past time?

Tags

hornets nests, seed pods, wasp spray, wasps nests

There are some things I just can’t pass up, I’ll list a few.  I love birds nests (after abandoned), big papery bees or hornets  nests, can’t beat them for the top of your Christmas tree, I also like seed pods, dried (like lemons), they shrink into interesting shapes and I can use them in any number of ‘arrangements’.  One thing I become quite intense in acquiring are wasps nests.  Like many of the other things I like to collect and tend to pop up around my house, wasps nests are front and center, the larger the better.

I had great luck this week.  My granddaughter Riley Ann noticed one of the empty (shame on me) bird feeders had large red wasps busy inside, thankfully she was inside the house looking out!  I generally don’t randomly kill ‘things’ that live in our yard, unless they do pose a threat to people our my pets.  Wasps are number one on that list!  Wasps have bitten me (ouch)  it hurts and they tend to swarm once disturbed. 

 

Of course what other product would one use to ‘off’ wasps other thanBlack Flag Off wasp spray? I didn’t have a full container, sprayed what was left  and brought the feeder to a place away from people until I could spray it again the next day.   My intention was to buy another container the next day and finish the job right. 

The next morning all the wasps had died!  My small amount of spray had worked (calling to my attention how toxic these products are).  I could now easily see the nest it’s self!  It is one of the biggest ones I’ve found.  I had a few problems to overcome before I could acquire my prize nest. The nest was beautifully constructed around the center post of the bird feeder and there wasn’t a way I could reach it even with the feeder opened.  A hammer comes in handy right about now.  I was on a mission!  This nest would have a perfectly round hole in the center, if, I could get it out without damaging it.  I took all my aggressions of the past months, maybe years out on smashing the bird feeder to bits!  It worked,  now all I had to do was find a way to slip it off the post!  Hooray!

Once I had  the nest in hand I brought it in to show my prize to Hal, he isn’t impressed by these things but does humor me and did notice it was rather a large one and that the wasps (now dead) were very large, red and fierce-looking.  I don’t know the variety, it doesn’t matter to me as long as they aren’t any longer a threat.  Always be wary!

The next part of wasp nest collecting isn’t something everyone may enjoy doing. The cell of the nest where each larva is growing  is covered by a tissue like substance that needs removing, really a work of art considering a wasp made it.  I use a tooth pick or a thin skewer to remove the remains.  Is anyone grossed out yet?  I knew while I was doing this that photographing what I was doing would be helpful and I could write a blog,  but was to engrossed in what I was doing.  I usually do this in the house, relax, prod away until I get them fully cleaned out.  This day I decided sitting in the sun room would be just the spot! 

As I started to open each cell, to my GREAT surprise out came a fully formed angry and very much alive wasp!  OH NO!  I then noticed there were several wasps that were not dead (lack of spray) and ready to come out and greet me.  First up was to get the living wasps out of the house and I had interested cats a dog and a husband telling me that what I was doing was disgusting anyway:-)  The wasps and I got outside and I managed to go to work on the nest after ridding myself of all living red, large wasps! 

This cleaning process does make a mess. On my paper towels was a mounting supply of larva, some wiggling, some mashed by my toothpick.  All were in varying forms of turning into big red wasps.  It did occur to me while I was performing my wasp nest surgery I might  be a bit bizarre, that not many people would enjoy this obviously anal and rather gross process.  That however did not stop me, (never has)  my enjoyment of cleaning these nests is greater than my shame of making a big gooey mess of what were going to grow up living….but nasty creatures.

Red Paper Wasp (Polistes carolina) at St. Mary’s Colony, Texas (Picture A Day February 27, 2010) (Photo credit: mlhradio)

Well, sometimes breaks just happen!  Just this minute I’ve acquired a NEW nest!  It’s pretty big, doesn’t have a hole in the center, most of its larva have flown the nest!  Our pest removal guy, was looking for and found more wasps (I had no idea he was doing that) so I captured him and he saved one for me!  Bigger then the one I just found but no interesting hole in the middle.  I’ve got a little cleaning to do today, looking forward to that.  I must take a photo so ‘you’ my readers can see what a nest looks like before I clean it, although the new one won’t need much ‘work’ 🙂

I did get a little lesson on wasps, we rarely have ‘yellow jackets’ here, we have the red wasps and the paper wasps, the nest today is a paper wasp‘s.  Bless her/his sweet little heart!  And now I have someone who will get the nests for me that are high up!  Life is so entertaining 🙂  Always take time to enjoy the small things which often have no cost, pretty inexpensive entertainment today, and I learned a few things.  All and all a good day!

Why Blog, Why Write?

Tags

literature, world today

To blog or write (are they the same), that is the question.  I’ve given this question a great deal of thought, I have a tendency to over think.  What sometimes seems an impulsive decision to someone else is something I’ve more than likely been pondering for ages.  On occasion I share my perceived dilemma with another, someone who’s opinion I respect and value, but not always.  There are times you follow your own instincts and carry on.

Why does a person start a blog? Why do people write books?  One  must expect someone is going to read it, our words, our opinions, our thoughts, knowledge on a certain topic, our creativity, whatever the topic of the book, the blog.  I found myself wondering why do I think I have anything to say, share or expound on that other people might want to read!  And then even promote it! Seemed rather self-serving and ‘looking for attention’ kind of an adventure. What’s left of those thoughts is:  I really enjoy writing, even if it’s not profound or going to change the world.

Today we live in a world where social media has become a way of communicating, a way of life, blogging certainly is social media and a way of sharing our thoughts, although at times like all good things extremes happen.  Look at Facebook, I’m afraid I don’t have 498 friends, I don’t know 498 people!  I have a handful of friends, my family and people I’ve lost touch with and this enables me to stay in touch, so used properly it’s a good thing ( I sound like Martha Stewart).  And I do enjoy following my children’s friends and see (is that creepy?)  as they become interesting (most of the time) adults and sometimes parents themselves. It’s an easy leap from Facebook to writing a blog, technology, which I’ve always loved, makes it very easy.  Everything you have is at your fingertips and instructions make even a novice like me able to come up with something that’s easily read.  Getting people to read, to follow, is another story, I do have some friends

The Helicopter Spies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

that are still concerned if they read my blog  a world-wide network of spies will find them!

Some people who write a blog are planning to write a book.  I have no intention of writing a book (never say never).  I don’t have the ability to make up characters and complicated plots.   The abilities of writers is amazing; how a tidbit mentioned in passing at the beginning of the book somehow ties in to the very essence of the story or plot.  So many talented writers and so many topics and styles of writing;  books are wonderful!

My writing could only come from what I ‘know’, what I’ve experienced in life, people I’ve met, enjoyed, disliked, or simple observation of life.  After 65 years you tend to learn a lot about people, yourself and how life takes us on paths we’ve not expected.  At times we  meet people whose lives seem  to be always the same, they live and through good fortune or choices made, their life seems a ‘cakewalk’.  I don’t believe anyone’s life is a ‘cakewalk’.  Truthfully all of us have a life worthy of a good story.  That’s the problem I find if I were to ‘really write’.   I am left to write the truth!

It would be easy to offend someone, it’s difficult to disguise a person in a story of life, they know who they are. You’ve then hurt someone or maybe many others. Even if there is a good story sitting right in front of you, maybe more than one, waiting to leap on to the pages and you expose it to the world (perhaps world is an exaggeration).  What have you done?  If you are not famous perhaps only a handful of people will read or care, if you write and you’ve done a fair to middling job of writing what will be your reward or punishment?  Will it have been worth your poetic license to write about people you knew/know?  Does this mean we can only write about people who are dead?  And how long do they have to be gone before we can ‘not hurt’ anyone who cared about them?

Writing ‘vanilla’ is a term that I’ve heard.  It’s safe, it touches the surface of the story, and it doesn’t dig deep into the soul of what drives the characters to behave as they do.  There are times that finding out the unsavory secrets of a persons past shines a light who they’ve become and why. The truth helps us to decide if we care or understand a person/character.   I like this form of story telling, it helps us to understand human nature, what makes us tick and sometimes not tick so well.   It is how I would like to write if I were to write a book.  I’d like to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help me god. And of course use a little poetic license!

In the meantime I will continue to write my blog.  It’s bits and pieces of what I know and enjoy and sometimes it even comes close to the ‘real’ truth.  As for what do I get out of it, I enjoy writing, I enjoy the communication, I enjoy hearing from other people and I have a place to share and use my mountains of photographs.  I will continue, at least for now to write a ‘vanilla’ blog 🙂

A Cottage Garden in Texas?

Tags

Cottage Garden, England, Flower, Garden, Home, Plant, Shopping, Texas

One of the last things that would come to mind when thinking about my favorite cottage gardens would be Texas.  A cottage garden usually brings gardeners thoughts to England and the Texas climate hardly resembles England by any stretch of the imagination. Texas does have multiples of gardening zones, the state is huge and the climate varies drastically from region to region.  Still, cottage garden and Cedar Creek Texas don’t go together.   The heat in the summer turns the water in the hose to what feels like boiling water, cook your veggies right on the spot!  And the winds can howl for days decimating any growing thing that hasn’t adapted it’s self to our environment.

Gardeners are tenacious, we try, fail and try again, burned or baked plants, soil so hot a root couldn’t survive no matter how much you water we don’t give up.   The upside for me is I don’t live where the soil is solid rock and blasting caps might be my best option!  The high hills in Texas look like mountains and they are rock, we live in rolling hill country on the edge of the piney forests, which is relatively close to black land soil.  We do not miss out on the heat and the winds, they  come with the territory, and we live on top of a hill, howling wind is often my companion, it’s howling as I write.  The rocks found in our neighborhood are typical Texas rocks,  very large, a tractor bucket is usually needed to move them, the rocks found on our property have all been put to good use in our gardens or other places in our landscape.

Let me explain what a cottage garden was and is today.  Manor houses in England employed gardeners and the gardener’s family usually lived with him in a cottage on the property.  Very often the wife and the children worked at the manor also.  In the process of maintaining the gardens of these gigantic homes and the structures themselves much of the debris, be it plant material or hard scape material was given to the cottagers to use in any way they wanted.  Old roses being replaced by newer varieties, seeds from the cutting back of flower heads, vegetable seeds, pieces of brick, wood, chimney pots, just about anything not being used  was taken home and used for another purpose or in the case of plants, its original purpose.  Desirable seeds were often saved in these gardens over the years,  they come back into fashion again.  As in most things garden ideas come and go in fashion, what’s new once was old changed a bit and once again is desirable.  Most gardeners do like heirloom  vegetable seeds and roses.

Vegetable plants  among the flowers, planting closely,  allowing herbs to  grow in paths, paths built from the cast away bricks, millstones and other solid materials, even a thick piece of wood could find it’s way into the path.  Chimney pots made great containers.     After many years these gardens were given a ‘name’ and  became a  garden design and not a need to feed a cottage family.   They are beautiful, utilitarian and they are a great deal of work.  From what looks to some like chaos is actually rather well thought out, and right outside your door for easy access; herbs, vegetables for cooking and flowers for a quick bouquet.

I am able to use two of my gardens to make my version of a Cottage Garden.   Both of my gardens are close to the house, one  fenced, and has a small amount of grass, it’s a bit more formal, but not much seeing I’m not exactly a formal person or gardener!  I lean toward overgrown, it’s a matter of choice, what looks good to the gardener;  in the case of roses I wouldn’t want visitors  attacked by over zealous bushes!

I use many roses, they are the backbone of my gardens, all Texas tough roses from a supplier that specializes in roses that it reclaims from old homesteads, and various other places where nothing seems to survive but the rose-bush.  It is surprising how many old varieties, many with beautiful scents, colors and multiples of petals .  There are some newer roses that are grown at the Rose Emporium to see if they will take our weather.  The only rose that won’t be found is a long-stemmed tea rose.  Tea roses are often a great deal of work as they are almost always dependent on chemicals for bugs, needs for food and many diseases that attack the leaves.  So I don’t miss them, the roses I grow I do pick, they look as lovely as long-stemmed teas.  One ‘new’ rose that does grow well is Knockout in all its varieties;  I allow it to grow large to suit my cottage garden look.  The most daunting challenge I face with my roses is keeping them pruned; they grow like Jack’s bean stock!   Like most things I undertake I overdo my cottage look but there is order, my order 🙂

In my cottage garden you will find roses, lavender, laurel, sunflowers, sweet potato vines, native hibiscus, native mist flowers, cosmos,  tomatoes, eggplant, chard, Thai and ‘regular’ basil, thyme, rosemary (grows as a shrub here) all go into my gardens, one garden by our kitchen the other the front door and courtyard.  Vegetable plants need planting early in the season to escape the heat of summer; once summer is upon us it becomes my ‘winter’ and the gardens become somewhat dormant.  Our other gardens are  Texas Tough gardens, native plants that are tolerant of drought, wind and heat.  They have their own kind of beauty, I still get carried away and try to turn them into cottage gardens and Mother Nature takes care of that for me, plants die!  Slowly I am giving up my ambitious plans and remember where I live!

Today if I sit in the courtyard I can pretend I’m in a beautiful English garden having tea (in Texas, sweet tea) and a scone with clotted cream.  We must remember to blend all the good things life, a bit of England in a Texas courtyard; sounds like a plan to me.

Spring in the Courtyard

Tags

mountain laurels, red bud tree

Spring has sprung in Cedar Creek!  I was in the courtyard with my trusty Calla Lily; she is forever looking for toads, maybe trolls, who truly knows what lurks under the boardwalk.  Toads are certainly there, size of baseballs and don’t care much for dogs.  Even after she’s been slimed by a toad, bit by a snake, Callie still thinks she’s a hunting dog, it’s not going to happen.  She does have a good time and is a good garden companion.

I talk to Callie, and yesterday wasn’t an exception.  I pointed out  bees by the hundreds,  buzzing of bees was everywhere, as it is most days with spring trees and roses in bloom.  The red bud tree is outstanding smothered in its vibrant pink blooms. Redbuds are beautiful.  The trees literally cover themselves with blooms, bringing to mind a woman going to a ball, all decked out in her finest.

One of the spring delights I miss from my life in the Midwest are the lilacs.  To me there is nothing that matches the scent of a lilac in bloom, the mountain laurel scent is grape, seems a perfect match with it’s vibrant blue color with dashes of white; a very acceptable replacement for the lilacs.

One plant I haven’t been able to find a replacement for is the peony, my daughter Christina’s favorite flower and one of my favorites.  Picking huge bouquets to bring in was a spring tradition.  In Upper Michigan a July tradition, just a bit on the cooler side next to Lake Superior.  Gardeners here do try to grow peonies but after loving the ‘real thing’, I’ll find something to plant that likes Texas.

I’ve been picking the irises as soon as they begin to open.  I’m finding they continue to bloom, buds opening as large and beautiful as if I’d left them in the garden.  I like to bring as much of the garden in as I possibly can.  When the roses see me coming they know it’s either pruning time or I’m in search of a bloom or two, it’s still early for them to be covered with open blooms, I’ve still managed to cut a few.

My grandchildren, Riley Ann and Jack like to ‘pick’ the roses that are about to fall, and drop the petals into the bird bath, they claim It’s a special petal bath for the birds.  After a few days it does get a bit slimy, they don’t notice I do clean it; they simply fill it up again, the birds don’t seem to mind at all.

One of the roses by our front door is gigantic; it reaches to the roofline and has few thorns.  I like to prune roses and this one allowed me to prune a hiding spot inside of it.  The kids & I can get inside the rose and watch the world from the inside out.  It’s an interesting perspective and I often wonder what it looks like through their eyes.  At times I feel like the old woman from Hansel & Gretel!

Games in a garden are never-ending.  The ‘reward’ (if you call it one) is a hug and kiss if you win!  We ask Riley and Jack to search for things in the garden, something blue, a frog, a pine cone, a hummingbird, a bird’s nest, ribbons swaying in the wind, the list goes on.  They get very involved and most often Hal and I tire before they do.  Our courtyard is special to me; it’s always lovely, the grass always green, it is serene.  It is a microclimate, so if it’s chilly outside (that does happen even in Texas), the courtyard is usually perfect. Perfect for morning coffee, or late afternoon wine.  It’s a haven for birds, I find birds nests everywhere when the plants thin in the fall, or when I am pruning.

A garden in our environment does have its dangers, not a surprise something so beautiful would have some dark side (in addition to the trolls).  We occasionally have snakes, after a rain fire ants often appear in swirling mounds and my most irritating invaders are wasps.  They build a very nice looking nest. After they are not so politely asked to leave I do ‘pick’ the hive, clean it (they have larva inside the combs, this requires a toothpick and an anal personality) and it becomes fine material for decorating, bringing outside in, the same with the birds nests.  I’m an inveterate collector of outside treasures.

This time of the year the birds nests are left alone seeing they are already singing their mating songs in the early morning.  It’s surprising how flimsy some of the nests are and that they don’t blow away tossing babies and all to the danger of the ground, they never do.  Always interesting to see just what the birds (we have a lot of cardinals) put in their nests.  Sometimes things I recognize, like fur from brushed cats, maybe a dropped string.  The cats are happy being useful to the birds that tempt them from the windows, maybe not, but I’d like to think they would enjoy being  useful.

Spring is fleeting, just beginning and I hope to miss none of the beauty.  The wild flowers will begin in a few weeks and they are exquisite, if we have rain, they put on an extraordinary show.  And, yes, people do put their children, their dog, horse, whatever in the fields of  blue bonnets  to take pictures!

Time to begin

It has been suggested I write about what I know. I am a gardener by trade, a wife, a mother, grandmother, a voracious reader, an observer of life and at this point in my life simply living has taught me a thing or two! Some I didn’t care to learn, but we don’t always have a choice. My life has been a grand journey and the people in my life now and in the past each have left something with me to share, sometimes a good lesson sometimes a lesson that was painful, still a lesson.

Now it’s back to taking advice on how to write this blog and ponder what gardening will have to do with life, death, joy, sorrow and  good living. Please join me as I go to my past and my current life and the wonderful and not so wonderful people and places I’ve experienced.  You may recognize yourself, garner garden advice or maybe a lesson in life hard learned, or a serious discussion of something I feel or have lived and can share with you and you can then share with me.