Easter & Spring Blooming

Well, now, doesn't that bunny just say it all?!? Hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend. Grandma and I are off to Fredonia this afternoon for her umpteenth high school reunion. It's either stay in that seedy motel or drive back at night. Guess we'll drive back at night.

Spring is struggling to arrive. Warm days, hot days, cold days in rotating cycles. We have a few chilly ones in a row coming now. But despite it all, we're into post-tulip blooming. This is my spirea which is looking better than it has in 7 years.And then we have some early-blooming purple iris that are almost finished.And a couple of clumps of very cheery Candytuft.Think Spring, everyone!

Vinca ICU

Our version of yesterday's storms included winds of 46 MPH with gusts to 67 MPH and temperatures that fell to 35. I had 5 flats of vinca that I moved to the front porch. But that offered no protection from the northwest winds. This morning they all looked like this. Beaten up and dessicated from the wind.So, I trimmed their tops off, getting rid of the old blooms and top two or three leaves, put them in the vinca ICU, and soaked them with some light fertilizer solution. Poor sad things!And this afternoon they all look like this. Just a little miracle, huh?They'll be ready to plant in a week or so.

Grandma's Eyes

Grandma had her 4th treatment for macular degeneration today, and I thought you might like to see what that involves. First, let me say that each time we get to the retinologists office at 1:00 p.m., and leave no earlier than 5:45 p.m. We wait for 20 or 30 minutes, and then Grandma starts with Shelley doing a vision test. This is not Shelley, it is Dr. Varenhorst of the great gray hair and the cool back pleated lab coat. He examines her vision after Shelley is finished and after another waiting period.Then upstairs to the talkative and complaining guy who does some photos of the inside of her eyes.Then across the hall to the overly jolly guy who does some other kind of photos of the inside of her eye, gives her an injection of dye, and repeats the photos three times at intervals.Then back downstairs where Dr. Varenhorst of the cool pleated lab coat examines her eyes again in relation to the photos and gives us a status report. Again this time he indicated that the injections are working and the disease is no longer progressing. Have I mentioned that there are long waits between each of these steps? Oh,yeah!
From there Grandma goes to the treatment room where they won't let me go. Dr. Weishaar gives her an injection in the eye. She waits 30 minutes and then gets a 2nd injection in the same eye. They give her drops to deaden her eye, and only once has she experienced any real discomfort. They keep checking the pressure in her eye until it is at a proper level, which is what they are doing here.And finally, Dr. Weishaar, who did the injections, gives her a final exam to make sure everything is O.K., and he tells us we can go home.We weren't the LAST car out of the parking lot, but almost. Done until next month.

Spring Wishing

So, what's been keeping you all so busy? I seem to have been quite occupied rushing spring. Finally, I have all of my beds cleared out and now have to do a good bit of whacking back -- roses, butterfly bush, red twigged dogwood, and whatever else gets in my way. Unfortunately, I killed my lopper yesterday. Just broke the handle right off of it!

Outside, I've been planting the things I brought back from Skinner's, my favorite nursery which just happens to be in Topeka. I planted this whitebud tree in the back exactly where two dogwoods have previously died.After re-doing the bed by the ugly sign, I put in one Seven-Son-Flower and two fotherigillas, one on either side.And then this cute little Pearlbush.And then this that I can't remember the name of yet. I'm sure it will be more impressive in a few weeks.Inside I've set up a little plant incubator. There are hostas started in the pots, little-bitty coleuses (colei?) taking root in the tiny pots and moonflowers just poking up in the six-pack.And zinnia babies that got their first taste of the outdoors today. I put them in the tub to protect them from the wind.And there are also two small and one large pots of rain lilies getting their start on the kitchen cabinet. Hope it turns warm soon, or I'll be overgrown in the kitchen.