August 30 Wednesday

 Today was another very good day.  It started with all the usual and after thinking about the white chair during the night I knew I had a good outcome plan.  SPRAY PAINT.  Off to Ace Hardware, I went but I just didn't stay with paint.  There were a few more plants with my name on them!. If you think that is true, I have a bridge to sell.  Many folks buy Mums.  Not me.  I call them boring. I hope your feelings aren't hurt!  So it was orange lantana and purple calabrachio. The purple flowers look like little petunias. Five plants in all with a bag of mulch.  Spray paint...orange and red!  

I've had what I call a neglected bed that is front and center in the garden. It just didn't look cared for. Well, it wasn't! Next year the hope is that it will be full of Lupine.  Fingers Crossed.  The first year of growth from seed has been completed. They are perennials. There is more hope for the second year.  I added the five plants to the front of the neglected bed. This year's collection of Superior Rocks lines this part of the bed.

The hummingbirds were back at the feeders tonight when we were eating on the patio.  I guess they were snubbing their noses at the unfit-to-drink nectar that wasn't changed when it should have been. 

A few years ago at the Umoja fundraiser for school children in western Kenya, I was given a large gazing ball.  I was told to put it in the garden.  It's been in the living room but today I moved it to the garden for a month or two.  It went into the neglected bed.  Now there is something interesting to see when passing by that way.  The ground was like cement so the holes were big, filled with compost and water.  Tomorrow I'll add some fertilizer.  I hope they show some movement soon.  

I set the ball on a plate of marbles that came from the Russell homestead.  I'm sure Doug's brothers had something to do with that collection.  But the collection might even be older than the three boys.  

Then it was on to the chair.  That was fun spraying red, then orange, then red then orange until I got what I wanted. I've been lugging lots of gardening books home from the library.  Some don't say much to me but I found a wonderful writer who I think must be my sister from another mother.  She has what it takes, one thing being enjoying dirt under her fingernails when she gardens.  No gloves for her.  That makes her a buddy. She found thousands of bricks at the garbage dump to build a garden wall.  I find things people are throwing away and drag them home to spray paint!  Get it.  One thing that needs to be in the garden says my "sister " is a chair. This afternoon it happened.  Tomorrow morning I'm having coffee in the garden.  I really should have two chairs.  You all could sit with me.  Maybe I'll find another white ugly chair one of these days.  I have plenty of paint for another orange and red once upon a time ugly white chair.

                It looks more orange than red but not in person.  A Dennis mug is waiting for coffee.

At 1 o'clock I picked up Rita and we were off for a visit to Carmel's flowing well.  I forgot to take pictures. It's a sweet place to visit. We had a drink of water, filled our jugs, and read up on the history of the well which is pretty interesting.  It seems that around the 1900's people were drilling for natural gas.  In this case, the driller hit an artesian well of water that has been running to this day.  Currently, the water is pumped and flows at a steady pace with folks stopping to fill their jugs.  We spent some time driving by other places of interest.  It was a good time being together.   

The rest of the afternoon was spent touching up the chair and finding a resting place for it in the garden.  There was a bit of deadheading and watering herb beds I cleared a few days ago.  I'd like to give those plants another chance to look redeemed before the snow season.  

I love the goofy-looking chicken in this bed.  Maybe it's a road runner come to think of it.  My neighbor Judy gifted me a few years ago with this friend.  It makes me smile every time I see it.  Tonight I looked for space in the garden to plant leaf lettuce seeds.  It's time for that fall planting.  That's part of the garden plan for tomorrow.  

There was another good salad supper with another game of 3/13.  And again...you guessed it.  I won.  Poor Doug.  I offer remediation lessons and he doesn't accept.  It's really all in the cards! 

Tonight my neighbor Bill left for western Ukraine.  His mission for years has been to provide water purification systems in many third-world countries. In the next weeks, he will install three systems in tented resettlement camps.  Keep Bill and the people of Ukraine in your prayers.  His last two trips were to Kenya.  In safer times many have been to Haiti.  His is a good program and his heart is in the right place.