Mostly About Plants

Sometimes vignettes just appear before me, this being one of them. Red fence, mountain laurel, several shades of green--what's not to like?

So yes, I did come across this, but what my intention was on that afternoon was to find the source of the loud chirping I was hearing in the lane. Lo and behold, luck was with me that day. This is a pair of House Wrens, birds that I rarely see, but there they were, really almost out the back of our yard 

Loud as can be, it was not but a few days later that they went out on their own. I think they might be coming to our feeders now and if not, some look-alikes are. As in small brown birds.  It is astonishing how many birds we are attracting at the moment, including one of my favorites and definitely not a regular, but welcome nonetheless, a Eastern Towhee with a little sunflower seed in his mouth. 

Here's something that is a little bit amusing, or some might find it so. My bean harvest to date.

Green beans are said to be easy to grow, however I had a heck of a time getting them to sprout, thus one plant and four beans to date. Unlike my romaine lettuce that grew too big and with the constant wet weather of last week, that I wrote about here, began attracting slugs, thus I did a big clean up of the garden and pulled all of the lettuce leaves off.

Whether it was a good idea or not, for a different reason I also clipped off all the bottom leaves on the cabbage plants. And what would that reason be, you ask? They were so large and were shading the burgeoning cucumber plants. The four cucumber plants are now flowering, the broccoli is forming new little plants, and there are tomatoes on the vine. Aside from some "pest pressure", I am overall pleased with how things are progressing.

The rainfall since last I wrote has diminished somewhat, yet still the threat of rain has loomed meaning finding the right time for Bruce to paint the parking lot with a new directional sign using a giant stencil he made using a large cardboard box, was tricky. 

Buying a stencil that large was not in the budget, so he got creative.

Unfortunately, people are still coming in the wrong direction, but he did what he could. Note the looming clouds pictured above and about two hours later it looked like this!

Not a whole lot later, the clouds opened up wide.

As I have mentioned before, hard rain is not that common here; instead it is slow and steady, however on that day, it came down hard and fast!

That same day, while waiting on Bruce, I met the new pastor and his wife and son who were coming to Murphy for the first time. Porter, aged four, is as cute as a button. A catered lunch was held on Sunday following church for Pastor Wil, Lea, Nathaniel, and Norah. 

Nathanial, aged nine, was still just a baby when they came to Murphy, but now he is a budding preacher because he took the mic at the after event with no nerves at all.

Mayor Tim Radford spoke as well because Wil was such a presence in the community. Saying that they will all be missed is an understatement!

Weren't we supposed to be focusing on plants? The title says it so it must be true.

I was a little greedy, thinking I could separate the plant above (Paristemon), and by golly I seemed to have done it with success as two of the three are now in the ground. Whether they will make it is another story, but I'm thinking that if they were going to die, that would have already happened..

Lavender in pots on the front steps, 

and Autumn Sage, a very fragrant plant, adjacent to the front door. 

I keep buying more plants, in part because I can, and in part because so many are new to me I want to see if I can grow them successfully. 

So cute, right?

Hummingbird's Lunch Cigar Flower and Strawberry Fields Gomphrena are two newish plants in one pot near the hummingbird feeder because they are meant to attract the same.

Speaking of hummingbirds, sightings to date have been few and far between, but every now and again, a little gift of seeing one happens. One morning I was captivated by the antics of one on this plant below.

Keeping a garden notebook is helping me keep these new names straight! What in the world did I do in the winter because I sure was not tending to plants? 

One thing I have not done as much of lately is walk on the river walk, but yesterday afternoon I corrected that, in spite of the warm weather which we all know I am not a fan of. The depth of color, as well as the shades of green when I was at the park made me think of a book I once loved, How Green Was my Valley. No coal was mined around here, as far as I know, but talc was, as well as marble that still is  being mined.

Anyone else read that book and love it like I did? That was a long time ago for sure, but it just popped into my head. There was a small flock of Starlings that would all fly off at once, in a very mini-murmuration. It's fun to watch that sort of thing and try to catch it with your camera. I failed miserably, but I did get this one shot that if you look closely you will see them all lined up on the fence top.

Something else that caught my eye that was something entirely new to me.

I have no idea what happened, but the butterfly seemed to be trapped and never moved while I watched and waited. So strange.

According to my notebook, this garden experiment began on March 5, 2026, and I've learned more than I can imagine with a little help from our friends on YouTube, as well as friends who have gardened here for years.  It's very common here and you know what they say..."when in Rome" . Yup, that's me.

your friend,

Gail

April Showers

We woke to the rumbling of thunder in the mountains which tends to echo and to my hearing, is super dramatic. A long time has passed since there has been measurable rain. A burn ban remains in place because it has been so dry presenting me with minor challenges for keeping my garden watered. I call it my garden, but let's be real, without Bruce there would be no garden! I am having so much fun filling it with all manner of plants.  Much to my dismay, I think it might have been last Tuesday that something bit me on both my right arm and ankle. You've heard it before....incredible itching and scratching ensued as the tissue swelled over the next two days before finally subsiding. Seriously, I was going mad! Nevertheless, I kept planting and planting, being mildly obsessed at the moment. 

Speaking of obsessed, our town is obsessed with American Idol and there's a big billboard on the highway through town to prove it. Forgive me for the poor photograph but I took it through the open window as we waited for the light to change at the entrance to the Ingles parking lot.

I still don't understand how it works, but we have been watching the show each Monday night and it's actually been quite fun. The update is that last night he made the cut to the final five and will have to have a killer performance next week because he has stiff competition. And then there is the matter of getting votes so if you are inclined to help a small-town boy and his town win this thing, please consider the above as in voting next Monday between 8-10pm. We have learned that should he make the top three, ABC will return to town to do some filming next week. Pretty crazy, huh? Furthermore, the town is planning a parade should he make it!! So there you go, a young man who graduated Murphy High School and still lives here. 

I neglected to mention that a week ago Saturday, Bruce sat with John most of the day as he set up his handmade furniture on the church lawn, with all his profits going to Soul Table, our weekly free lunch. It was a busy day in the area and he gave ALL of what he sold to the ministry. I went over in the afternoon to hang out and when the wind picked up a bit, John's paper towels went rolling...

Bruce is over at John's shop right now helping with the Big Brother's project, helping local children make things. Bruce tells me that all of the young people are so well-mannered.

Once again, my strong man came through by removing the rocks that lined this bed and amending the soil. There were two trellises in it, one of which had fallen down. Adding to that, it is in a very good spot for full sun and it was going to waste. So..

The day I planted it was overcast, so wearing long-sleeves and pants to keep me from getting bit, and since Bruce had done such a wonderful job with the soil, I managed to do it by myself and not get bit as well.  I used some plants I'd already purchased, some bulbs that won't be coming up for a while, the Easter Lily we got as a memorial to brother Cris, and two new plants whose name I forget, one of which is blooming right now with the other one not far behind.

Isn't it cute? Here's the bed after planting minus the zinnia seedlings I added later.

The huge rainstorm I mentioned revealed a stopped-up gutter just above where the bird bath is and it did my seedlings no favors however getting the big ladder out Bruce cleared it and it is now in good shape, just in time for the predicted overnight rain. The roses are just beyond and I am thrilled to report, they began opening this week!!

Plenty of the color above, but the yellow one is still on it's way to becoming more fruitful.

The good news is that both of them are SO fragrant!

Aren't they so pretty? 

Look at the potatoes growing!

One plant has a flower forming, but who knows what is happening underground!! Those are peony buds in the foreground, and oh my goodness, last Saturday Bruce was meant to throw the discus and shot put for Senior Games but it was rained out, so we went to the farmer's market downtown instead. As we parked I noticed that in front of the Hackney building there were a big display of blooming peonies and oh my gosh were they gorgeous!

I just love how the pollen is so thick it is running down the flower in the light rain.  

I finally decided to enter some photographs in the games and they were ordered and delivered this week, both bird shots taken in our yard. I'm happy about that, keeping it local. This little Song Sparrow has been in the hedges or on the growing plants for over a week, singing like crazy.

That day before we met our new neighbors who just bought the house behind ours that has been for sale for a while. It will be more of a weekend home for them because they aren't all that far, living in an Atlanta suburb. Of all things, she manages a pickleball/tennis club there!! We hit it off right away and who is surprised that when we went out to lunch they were at the restaurant! It was totally unplanned but we shared a meal and it was delightful. His mother was along for the fun.

More new plants from the farmer's market for us including this Jacob's Ladder plant that is doing so well.

I also bought some vegetable plants for their beauty, neither of which we normally eat. Mustard green on the left and a Peppermint Swiss chard on the right.

Don't they have such great leaves? 

There were two very old Rhododendron plants in the yard when we moved in and they are just beginning their bloom cycle. BTW, on May 3 it will be two years!! Two wonderful years I might add.

What a color, right? Another old and leggy plant is the azalea plant on the shady side of the house that has also just begun blooming. The color is outstanding!

Most of us grew up with the saying April showers bring May flowers, but until the last few days, showers have been few and far between, however, this week might be the week to break the drought as it is meant to rain very frequently, including on Saturday when the big Spring Fling is planned for downtown. I sure hope the weather is clear for the vendors and also our ladies group who are planning on having a booth with popcorn and face painting. I'll let you know.

A broken record; that's what I probably sound like when I exclaim over the abundance of flowers, but seriously, I am not exaggerating. Jason has a Snowball viburnum in bloom with both pink and white flowers, more flowers than one can count.

Here's a close up.

Exquisite!

The garden is coming along, teaching me patience each and every day. 

As you might notice, there are marigolds planted all over the place as they are meant to ward off bugs. I planted sets of them between the roses as well, and we shall see how it works. I have baby broccoli heads forming, we have been eating romaine lettuce like mad, and the cabbages are forming. All very exciting indeed, but never think for one moment that everything turns out perfectly. I finally gave in and pulled all of the radish plants because I knew in my heart there were no radishes, only foliage.

My mistake, or so I think, is not thinning them out early because the plants were so close together, bulbs could not form. I did plant more seeds at least a week ago, so perhaps round two will be a winner. And then again, maybe not!

All kinds of good things are happening but sadly one unexpected thing has popped up. Last Tuesday I was counting the offering at church when Bruce sent me a message that Pastor Wil wanted to meet us at our home around noon. His thought was that he was going to ask us to take on a project so when he told us he was leaving Murphy, along with his wonderful family, we were speechless.

He has been transferred to Waynesville, which while it is a big loss for our congregation, a big blessing for theirs. Plus, Lea's parents live there, so they will finally be able to spend time with their grandchildren. He was the kind of leader who never asked you to do more than he would. It's been a week now that we have known, but so far it is not getting any easier to accept! That said, we will. He will be here for six or so more weeks so we have time to get used to the idea before a new pastor arrives. Big shoes to fill and I don't just mean physically!

Although Bruce went to the school to spend time with Grayson, he was not able to see him because they were in testing mode. Instead we did some leisurely errands. While driving I could not help but be struck by GREEN everywhere, including all of the mountains, most of which were all brown only a month ago. 

It's so thrilling. 

My heart is full despite our disappointment. It's a case of turning a frown upside down isn't it? Selfishly we want Pastor Wil to stay, but what we should be focusing on is his and Lea, Norah and Nathaniel's opportunities ahead. 

Yea, that's the ticket.

your friend,

Gail

The Paper is Done!

I've finally written the paper for Humanities--I usually enjoy writing, I don't know why I put it off for so long. I am becoming a typical college student, putting things off until the last minute. As well, my grades are becoming more typical with any hopes I had for an A in algebra vanishing with the results of my last test--a 73! All of what I studied for in geology I got right on the test yesterday, however, he asked some questions that I did not study for, consequently, I got them wrong. It was a 50 question fill-in-the blank test, I missed enough to get an 83. All in all, a disappointing day at school yesterday. This is one semester I can hardly wait to finish!

Although I don't like dreary days, yesterday's dreariness finally led to much needed rain. Throughout the night it rained and apparently we had a power surge. What that meant to me was that the paper I started yesterday vanished--all 500 words. It was probably just as well as it wasn't very good. Hopefully, the new one is.

I saw this blooming plant at the rainforest on Saturday. Last summer, before I was hospitalized, I bought ten of them at a local nursery. They sat in their pots for weeks as our household was turned upside down with me being in bed for six weeks. When Greta came and stayed with me, she offered to plant them because she is such a sweetheart. Finally, Bruce, and Bill, planted them, and they add much needed color to our landscape. I had no idea that they bloomed ; I hope ours does soon.

Update on the homeless man beaten by children--made up story. Our paper today reveals he was too drunk to know what happened; I feel sorry for the children he accused and their parents. We'll see what the next installment brings. They also saw fit to put Lisa Nowak and her gear on the front page, using up about 1/3 of space that should be devoted to more serious issues. When will they learn?

The day is still young and I believe I may go shopping for some shoes to cover my afflicted feet; I'm sure you already knew my camera will be going with me.