Garden tools

I have a long history of failed relationships with my garden tools. I've had more weed-eaters than Liz Taylor had husbands. The honeymoon starts when I uncoil a new hose or haul home another battery-operated trimmer, but soon the hose is twisted in permanent kinks and the weed-eater finds some exasperating way to torment me. Or starts to die a slow death the minute it's out of the box.

Hope springs eternal. Here's my new Black and Decker rechargeable with a 40V Lithium battery (wow!) light as a feather and more powerful than anything I've ever owned.  It even whacked through some of the smaller bamboo yesterday.  I looked at hundreds of online reviews, and the B&D seems to be universally loved across America. So if you happen to be looking for a new battery-operated trimmer, I can save you a lot of trouble. I had to mail order the thing because it was sold out at every Home Depot and Lowe's in Seattle, so I guess that tells you something right there. 

What happened to June?  I wish that sweetest first month of summer could linger on, but with all the work and other busy activities it always seems to pass by in a flash.  The famous British horticulturist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll once said:

What is one to say about June, 
the time of perfect young summer, 
the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, 
and as yet no sign to remind one 
that its fresh young beauty will ever fade. 

Which is to say, the month of June is like looking at these little girls. And look at good dog Roger! He had a professional grooming and feels pretty cool for summer.  Amanda says he's suddenly getting extra attention, because Nova and Maya are acting like they got a brand new puppy. For a few days, at least.

A natural

Nova's new friend

Nova is at her long-awaited horse camp this week, and the instructor told Amanda and Tom she's a "natural rider."  I sure like this bareback pad method for teaching kids-- what a fun way to learn good balance.

Ukulele shopping

Kamoa Grand Concert ukulele

I really should be practicing right now instead of drooling over ukuleles on the Internet. Did you know there are four sizes of ukulele?  The soprano, concert, tenor and baritone.  This "grand concert" made by Kamoa is slightly smaller than the tenor, and slightly larger than the concert model, which is what I have now.  The Kamoa is made of solid wood and comes in hot red, pineapple gold and brown mahogany. Of course you also need a flashy matching case to carry it around.

I had a frustrating lesson yesterday.  That happens and we shouldn't compare ourselves to the progress of others, but the student ahead of me was one of Emily's favorites: an 8-year-old classical guitarist who writes her own compositions.  Emily gushed about how inspirational that is for the teacher, and she hoped I could listen to the child play sometime.  Then of course I was ashamed for being jealous of a talented little girl!

Emily initially said I could learn to play that devilish Bach Prelude in "3-4 months."  I thought to myself that 3-4 years was more realistic, and as she watched me struggling yesterday just to hold a simple 5th fret bar chord, I could feel her mentally revising up that first optimistic estimate. 

The good workman never blames his tools, but some mechanical things might be impeding my progress.  My uke still has the original factory strings, and Emily says they are dull and worn out.  And it's also hard to learn finger-picking technique with that pesky numb fingertip on my right hand.  I just had a third acupuncture treatment, and if someone tells you acupuncture is painless, they are lying.  But it seems that some feeling is returning, so it might have been worth it.  (Oh, poor me. As John pointed out, the brilliant Jose Feliciano had no trouble playing blind.)

So the action plan is a trip to Dusty Strings next week to have my strings replaced, and while I'm there, I might just have a look at that new Kamoa Grand.

Fit for a king

I know there are some people who don't like crab, and others who are allergic to it.  (I feel sorry for them.)  A very nice lady John works with gave us a bag of frozen Alaska King Crab legs and we had some for dinner last night.  I can't think of a more luxurious meal, on every level. It's great to be at the top of the food chain.

Family members sometimes ask how I "prepare" it.  Well, crab legs are always pre-cooked, so I just steam it for a few minutes in a inch or so of plain water to heat up the meat.  Boiling it again would make it tough and dry.  You could also eat it cold, but then you miss out on the melted butter part.

Whole crabs must be cooked alive-- sometimes it's done right on the crabbing boat.  Or you can buy the critter live at a market, and do the deed at home. That's the sad fact.  Dead, raw crab can't be cooked and consumed like a fish. That's because after the crab dies, the digestive barrier inside immediately breaks down, and the meat is tainted within a hour. 

None of these details spoil my appetite in the slightest.  But since large Alaska King Crab can live almost 30 years, this should be a mindful and appreciative meal.  Thanks, Tammy!

Plant and seed catalogs

The Royal Dutch Garden mail order folks haven't given up on me, even though I haven't ordered for decade or so.  I see their 2014 catalog still offers the horribly aggressive Hummingbird Vine for just $2.99.  A dead-looking stick comes in the mail, and in a few years the poor gardener's life is forever changed.  But honestly, what birdwatcher wouldn't be tempted by a picture like this?

Trumpet vines spread (like poison ivy) by suckering deep underground runners which are pretty much impossible to dig out.  If you chop them up, the root just makes "more."  One garden website called it an "orange thug." Ha!

Well, enough complaints about bad plants for one week. I'm into low-maintenance gardening these days.  Maybe I'll place a small order with Royal Dutch for this pretty iris with the wonderful name Eye of the Tiger.   Nova is into BIG WILD CATS and she would like that.  If nothing else, an order might keep their catalogs coming for a while longer.

What is it about browsing those paper plant and seed catalogs? Internet shopping could never replace them.

Here are some beautiful vintage examples of old American catalogs. Many of these originals are in the Smithsonian archives. More than just pretty old advertisements, they speak volumes about what people grew and ate and loved, way back when.

 

Remember the time when all watermelons were sweet and had black seeds? 

Beautiful invasives

As for my garden regrets, I once planted a Corkscrew Willow, the messiest tree on earth, and the innocent-sounding Hummingbird Vine (still sprouting roots) and the biggest scourge of all-- bamboo! These things just seemed like a good idea at the time.

In the summer evenings after dinner I like to sit in my old gazebo for a few minutes and enjoy the light. But with the poor laurel cut back, it's too noisy out along the street and the dog walkers and busy-bodies can peer in through the holes.  So I dicovered a new sitting corner by the bamboo that gives me a different view of our little patch of real estate.

Bamboo doesn't look this interesting just by accident.  During the growing season it has to be thinned several times and the lower leaves stripped off the culms in order to appreciate the beauty of the green stalk.  Then the dead ones have to be cut off and yanked out of the thicket, and bushels and bushels of messy leaves raked up. Fortunately I have a garden assistant with the patience to chop 30 foot bamboo poles into in tiny pieces so they fit in the compost bin.

It was a busy weekend with perfect summer weather start to finish. I hope your summer is off to a good start.

Summer Solstice

The sun came up at 5:12 this morning and won't set until 9:11 pm. It will be true "night" for only two hours today, from approximately 12:19 am to 2:03 am.  On both sides of that short darkness, there are three subtle gradients of twilight scientifically named: Astronomical, Civil and Nautical.  If you're interested, there's a good Wiki page on Twilight.

It's going to be a spectacular summer day in Seattle.  Despite the traffic gridlock, everyone seems happier in bright weather.  We live in a modern world that is bombarded with paranoid messages about how dangerous the sun is, but the healing benefits of fresh air and sunshine far outweigh the risks.  Humans evolved for millions of years under the warmth and love of the sun, and perhaps drenching ourselves head-to-toe with chemical sunblock is not the answer to good health.

And speaking of healing, I hope the first day of summer brings comfort and improvement to mom, who is finally back in Cripple Creek, and my good friend Dolly, who also had difficult gall baldder surgery this week. I rode Spanky alone yesterday but it wasn't the same-- I hope we're back in the saddle together soon.

Get well Dolly!

Progress

Off the Wall School of Music

Wallingford

I've started ukulele lessons again with a new instructor.  Emily is only 20-something, and she already plays piano, classical guitar, violin, fiddle, flute, and of course, the ukulele. Imagine being so accomplished at such a young age?  She loves the Seattle Symphony and studies under one of their violinists. She collects old records and likes jazz standards. Best of all, she can easily switch between teaching pre-schoolers and senior citizens.  Maybe there isn't that much difference!

I haven't taken lessons since last summer, and spent the year practicing from books and learning the handful of songs my old instructor Matt had transcribed: Amazing Grace, Scarborough Fair, Oh Susanna, Little Brown Jug and Simple Gifts.  Over and over and over. This might not sound like much, but my progress was so painfully slow. Throw in some hand surgery.  Plus I needed to build up a little confidence before starting lessons again. It was pretty humiliating at first.  But when I started plinking away at that Bach Prelude and getting nowhere, it was time to look for outside help again.

Why would anyone want to play Bach on a humble, four-string instrument known for catchy Island tunes?  Well, there's something about it that challenges some players to take on unexpected material. Plus, there's the sly pleasure of surprising an audience. And in the right hands, the ukulele is as worthy as any fretted instrument.  Just listen to John King (sadly, now deceased.) He is considered the king of classical ukulele, and his playing is described as "flawless, effortless and sublime." He sets the highest bar for aspiring classical ukulele players.

Sauntering

June 19th is World Sauntering Day. This day was created in the 1970's by W. T. Rabe at Mackinac Island, Michigan while he was the Public Relations Director for a hotel on the island.  From the Wacky Holidays Calendar website:

Sauntering is  not a walk, jog, trot, or run. Sauntering is a form of strolling. Sauntering is a very casual, yet stylish, form of movement from point A to Point B. The dictionary defines sauntering as walking along slowly, happily and aimlessly. You can spend your life walking through life, jogging through life, or being dragged through life. But, life is far more enjoyable, if you saunter through it. This is doubly true if you saunter with a friend or loved one. 

That is, unless your loved one likes to walk fast.  Then you might find yourself sauntering happily and aimlessly alone.  But sauntering is a nice thing if you have a dicey ankle, you're in the middle of your 70th decade,  or you're lucky enough to be holding hands with a four-year-old.

Hairy Allium

Here's a flower so ugly it's cute.  The Hairy Allium is a mutation of the more dignified looking Drumstick Allium.  The funny thing is I don't remember planting a single one of these, and now they've spread everywhere in the lily bed-- the story of my life.

A few years ago I cut the seed heads off some pretty Drumstick Alliums and sprinkled them around in the hope they would multiply.  Not only did they multiply, they must have mutated!  Anyway, perfect for our "please touch" kid's garden. They look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Alliums (part of the onion family) are tough and drought-resistant. There are over 700 different types and fall garden catalogs are the best place to find the crazier varieties.  Alliums will bloom for years in the same sunny spot, and many of them (obviously) multiply.

A sobering sight

"Our gift to the future is
keeping it like it is" 

Nature Conservancy slogan

I took this picture from the car window as we drove by the Oso landslide area on Sunday. They've shown this view on television countless times, but it's impossible to comprehend the scale until you actually see it.  Dozens of houses vanished and a mile of highway buried under 25 feet of debris.

One-way traffic just recently opened, snaking slowly behind a pilot car between high banks cut through the mud.   From there, the highway travels on toward Arlington through the broad river valley past more denuded, logged-off hills that look pretty much like this one did. An uneasy thought.  Nothing in nature stays the same, but we've certainly increased the rate of change and the potential for disaster.

Speaking of nature, it's been raining all weekend and now the strong June sun is back. That means Jungle Time in the Garden of Terrible.  I have to remember  that 20/80 rule for conserving effort because unfortunately I have a lingering hand problem. It's more annoying than painful, but discouraging when I have important things to do like play my ukulele and pull weeds :-)  I'm trying some acupuncture treatments this week since my surgeon had nothing to offer me except what he does: surgery.

Mom is still in hospital but appears to be slowly improving.  Dad is staying down in Colorado Springs so he can be with her during the day.  We hope they are both back in Cripple Creek within a few days.

Amanda's big day

The Wenatchee Valley College Nurse Graduation

(Our Amanda, in the middle)

We had an unforgettable weekend.  The highlight of course was Amanda's RN graduation at the Omak Performing Arts Center on Saturday afternoon. When we looked at the program we noticed she was one of just three in her class who graduated with honors. That means a GPA over 3.5.  Such an accomplishment!

The ceremony was very nice. After the faculty introductions and commencement speeches, each new nurse was "pinned" by her family members or friends.   Maya was too young for center stage attention, but it was a big honor for Nova who pinned her mom with great poise in front of everyone.

Then the candle-lighting ceremony, which brought tears to many eyes in the darkened auditorium. Each nurse lit her candle from a shared flame and recited the traditional "Nightingale Pledge."

With full knowledge of the responsibilities I am undertaking, I pledge to care for my patients with all of the knowledge, skills and understanding that I possess, without regard to race, color, creed, politics or social status.

  

I will spare no effort to conserve meaningful life, to alleviate suffering and to promote health.  I will refrain from any action that might be harmful to the quality of like of health of those I care for.  

I will respect the dignity and religious beliefs of patients under my care, and hold in professional confidence all the personal information entrusted to me. 

I will endeavor to keep my professional knowledge and skills at the highest level and give my support to all members of the healthcare team.  

With full awareness of my qualifications and limitations, I will do my utmost to maximize the potential of the nursing profession and to uphold and to advance its standards. 

Lucky for us, a class of beautiful young nurses joins the profession. Many like Amanda will stay and work in this rural part of Washington that has a great need for improved health care services.

After the ceremony, time for a few proud and happy family photos...

Everyone here except for John, our excellent group photographer. Left to right: Dave, Sue, Irene, Amanda, Nova, Tom, Maya, Michelle, Bill, Jerry and Wendy.  

A quick cupcake for Nova and her best friend Adelina before hitting the long road home.

Maya looked like a doll baby, dressed in her sister's hand-me-down sailor suit...

But even just hanging out with grandpa, she's pretty darn cute! 

Anyway, after the ceremony the big graduation day was just getting started.  Little did she know, but Tom planned a huge surprise party for Amanda, and when we arrived back at the house it looked like the entire Methow Valley had turned out (with their kids!) But from this point on you'll have to use your imagination, because I put my camera away for the day, grabbed a delicious grilled bratwurst and glass of wine and just sat back to watch the fun.

What's next for our nurse?  On Tuesday morning she starts a new job here, just down the road at the Methow Valley Family Practice.  Congratulations and thanks to everyone who helped her make this happen.

Rain today, sunshine tomorrow

First things first. We're all very relieved that mom's health seems to be gradually improving, and we hope she will be out of the hospital and back in Cripple Creek on Sunday.  Thank goodness for the excellent care she received in Colorado Springs.

As for us, after a long rainy drive we're in eastern Washington and looking forward to Amanda's RN pinning ceremony tomorrow in Omak.  A big Mexican dinner and these cute little faces chased away the clouds. Sunny skies tomorrow.

Get well soon

Healing Plant

Anne Siems

Please take a minute today and send healing thoughts to our mom.  She's in Colorado Springs at Penrose Hospital this morning recovering from two surgeries. (A gall bladder is a good thing until it decides to be a bad thing.) 

By lucky coincidence my sister Marji happened to be in Colorado this week, and as always she's been an amazing help.  A big hug and thanks to you!  Mom is improving and hopefully will be back home at the Care Center in Cripple Creek soon. 

The 80/20 rule

 In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population. Later, he noticed this ratio seemed to apply to other parts of life. For example, 80 percent of his peas were produced by just 20 percent of the pea pods.  More recently, Pareto's Principal has been applied to everything from personal relationships to management.  The 80/20 rule basically reminds us to stay focused on the 20 percent that matters most.

So getting back to gardening, you could say that only 20 percent of the tasks really make a difference, because they produce 80 percent of the results. This is pretty liberating, actually, if you need a reason not to crawl around under shrubs pulling out little weeds that no one can see.  Or giving up on flower beds in dry corners of the yard.  Or digging out those invasive plants that don't give any pleasure, much less 80 percent.  And so on. 

As I wrote yesterday, in June the roses finally seem "worth" the work, even though hardly anyone sees them but me.  Well, that's not exactly true. And when that day comes when I don't have a garden, I'll have pictures and memories.

"If you look for perfection, you will never be happy."

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina