Plume Poppy

 

Everyone asks about this great brute of a plant when they see the garden. We acquired it during the pandemic at a public garden, one of the few safe outings. 

Back then it was an innocent looking thing with pretty leaves in a gallon container, sold at the outdoor mini nursery for a few dollars.

 It is called Macleaya, or Plume Poppy, native to Japan. 

From Wiki:

"The individual flowers are insignificant, but the combined effect of multiple stems four to six feet high (make that 10-12 feet here) can give a striking architectural effect. (No kidding.) The plants are unsuitable for small gardens (duh) because of their invasive tendencies, but can be very effective as features in large gardens. They spread both by underground suckers and by seeding, so can be difficult to get rid of in some situations."

Irresponsible planting, the story of my life.  

All is well and the doctor said my eyes are "stable," which is the best possible medical news at this age. I'm bleary-eyed though from the drops and strain of the flashing tests. I was in and out fairly quickly (time is money) and eye medicine has become high tech, low touch. I suppose an improvement, but those old fashioned chatty exams were more reassuring. 

The sun in June is blinding! I was exhausted and crawled in bed with my book at 8:30, still broad daylight outside. I felt like a child being punished for something. Then it started getting light this morning about 3:45. Not a great time of year for sleeping.  

“Outside, the sun was crackling.”
― Juan Rulfo, from "Pedro Paramo" 

 

No fuss

 

I walk past this patch of thriving poppies along the side of a street near our house in Twisp. They come back every year like weeds, and no one fusses with them. 

I had an easy drive yesterday, leaving early on a weekday, the way to go in summer. I was only gone 5 days but my garden sure needs a tidy up. 

 

Speaking of needy plants, the iris are looking ratty. Some of these fancier varieties are actually re-blooming. The means if you fuss over them all summer with enough water and  fertilizer, they just might send up another flower stalk in the fall. Is it worth it? Like the second bloom on roses, it can never match the first.

That's about all the news. Karen is in Seattle visiting her mom, and might have time to drop by this morning. That is always fun, because everything here is so different from our wild patch in Twisp. 

This afternoon, I have one of those icky eye exams where they flash lights into the back of your brain. I pulled a pan of enchiladas out of the freezer for an easy dinner.

 

Another pleasant Valley Sunday

 

 

After the hustle and bustle of the Saturday market, Sunday is always a quiet day in Twisp.  We took an early walk up at the property, then I sat on the porch for a while watching Amanda and Tom do yard work. The girls were inside working on their end-of-school projects. 

In the fall, Nova goes to 11th grade and Maya is 7th. That means she moves from the portable into the big high school building. She is "NOT looking forward to that!" Seems like yesterday when Nova was saying the same thing.

Then I took a bike ride around town, and even caught a glimpse of Nova doing life guard training at the pool. 

Karen came over for a chat and glass of wine in the afternoon. She is headed to Seattle tomorrow to visit her mother, so I won't see her again this visit. 

Amanda and Tom had dinner plans last night so I found some frozen ham and beans in the freezer. I must have made it in the crock pot last winter with holiday ham. Too salty but a good end to a lazy day.

Back to Seattle tomorrow. 

 

Quiet times

 

The river is running high, but nothing like we've seen in previous years. The climate is perfect here before it gets hot, although early summer always comes with an undercurrent of worry, as to what the fire season brings. 

The snow pack in the North Cascades was below normal this past winter. It hit the high 80's yesterday when a wind storm blew through, the combination that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. 

There's been an occasional fishing boat drifting by, but otherwise all quiet on the western front. Not even any dog walkers so far in front of the house. (Well, one in particular probably won't be back after I "scared" her dog.) Maybe people finally noticed the trail rules sign propped on the chair. 

There's a few young deer hanging around peering in the window, but no fawns appearing yet. And the turkeys must be brooding their eggs, because I haven't seen a single one. The parade of poults will start soon. 

Needless to say, friends and family are super busy. This is like vacation for me, but routine life for them. The short summer season is packed, trying to juggle recreation, activities and work. 

School gets out and the Twisp swimming pool opens in two weeks, wonderful news. Nova was hired as a lifeguard, and spent all yesterday training. Those girls are so grown up. I saw Maya roaming around town with her friends yesterday-- market day is always hopping. It's great the kids have that small town freedom. 

A touch of Seattle in Twisp. Those peonies popped open instantly in the warm house. 

 

Hey, Friday

 

Perfect weather for a drive and I'm headed to Twisp for the weekend. See you on the other side.

Hold the mayo

 

An unusual recipe from the NYT for lemonmint potato salad-- about as different from the mayo version as you can yet. It calls for the juice of one lemon and half cup of olive oil, which would have been swimming in dressing. 

The NYT food editors tend to have a heavy hand with ingredients. I cut the recipe in half.

 

 

To go with, thick grilled pork chops. No leftovers.

I invited a friend over for coffee today, thinking we could sit out on the deck. Ha. Pouring rain this morning, so the living room it is.