Dirt Under Her Fingernails

If you thought for a moment that I was done with flowers, you were sadly mistaken. We've only just begun.

Turning my attention to our yard, I neglected to mention that our baby tabebuia tree is now in bloom, such as it is.

Originally Gerry put in a pink one, however as much as I like the pink variety, I like the yellow even better, so he changed it out before firing me.  It is absolutely thrilling when the first cluster of blooms open up; next year, Lord willing, it will be even larger and more impressive. Those azaleas are looking mighty fine, don't you agree?

I made a trip to both Wal Mart and Lowes yesterday, with several projects in mind. While at Ross on Tuesday, getting my senior discount, I found another glass jar which begged to become a terrarium. Seriously, at the outset I thought one would be sufficient, but seeing this jar changed my mind in a heart beat. It was just too cute to pass up. When Angela saw it in it's pre-planting stage she couldn't believe I found it at Ross. She complained that she never finds anything there. I say she's just not looking.

I intentionally left this one dark to show off that cute little glass birdie on top! While making a collage last night, I found, upon inspecting the photo of the first terrarium, that it has grown a bunch already. I'll have to get out the scissors soon and do some pruning!

I didn't find any small plants at Wal Mart, but I did find some hanging baskets for $7.00, brimming with a captivating shade of yellow petunias. I know, they won't last much longer, but I could NOT resist. According to Mr. Randy, our garden curator at the Polasek, plastic containers are the best at keeping plants moist. He knows a thing or two about container gardening so, following his advice, I bought these large green planters. Voila!

You might notice that the light is getting dim because this was the last of my projects. Forgetting to wear my gloves resulted in some pretty dirty fingernails, that's for sure.

Another project was splitting an extremely root-bound peace lily. Doesn't sound so hard, right? It was. In fact, I had to get out my kitchen cleaver, rocking it back and forth through the roots. My goodness! I hope that now both sections will thrive in their new containers.

I planted more petunias, a lovely coral shade, as well as some dynamite crimson dahlias for the patio tables.

Neglecting the above advice about using plastic pots, these also came from Ross last fall. To be honest, I think I find more things at Ross than any of my other favorite discount stores. Their prices are the best for so many things, especially pillows, housewares, and shoes. Savvy readers know this already.

Unaccustomed to much outdoor activity, I was slightly weary when all was said and done last evening. My sister Lisa is a dynamo working outdoors. Me, not so much these days.

I couldn't help but think of Lisa when I saw this article from the Times: Healthy Eating is Overrated
There are lots of comments from readers, most of which are just plain ridiculous to me. No doubt, those eating habits of the subjects didn't start when they were eighty. That generation never gave much thought to what they ate, they were glad to enjoy the variety of modern food choices. With the food police condemning something most days, isn't it a wonder we can eat anything safely? Hype I say. Anything in moderation...

My street art loving readers may find this interesting:  Photograffeur

I mentioned making a collage last evening, planning to call it "The Domestic Life." Here's what I've done so far, however, I'm not sure it's good enough to show just yet.

Funny, now that I see it by the light of day, some of these have been posted on this very blog before. We'll see. I'll be doing my first "art show' of the season March 12th at Baldwin Park and I want to have several ones to show. Definitely the one that's been selling, which by the way, has a fairly large image of my wrist and hand with a lady bug on it. Nice Skagen watch too. I wasn't sure how folks would react, but they seem to like it just fine.

This morning I went to meet with the ladies for bridge practice at the Einsteins in Maitland. David, while in high school worked at one of the first in town. I can still remember how upset he was when they raised the price of a bagel from 50 cents to 60. That's my boy!

Today there were two new ladies, whom, although they are in the class, I've yet to chat with. I've liked everyone very much. This is where the real learning comes in with practice and discussion. Hmm...what should I bid? How many points do you have? Do you have a major suit? So many, many rules to follow. We all agree that at our age it's hard to keep them all straight!

Off to the store to buy more potting soil because yesterday I had to skimp a bit trying to stretch what I had. Tomorrow there will be more evidence that our part of the world is awakening with the beauty of spring. Stay tuned.....