Tuesday, May 24, 2011

AWOL - Now Back with . . . Not Much

I have this feeling as if time is actually slipping through my fingers. Seems the hurrier I go, the behinder I get. You name it, I'm behind on it. Are we/am I trying to do too much? Might be, but I don't have enough active brain cells or time to ponder that possibility.

Sorry 'bout dropping out of sight for a few days. And love and thanks to those of you who sent e-mails wondering if I was daid. All is well, but busy. However, for some reason none of the busyness has seemed worthy of including in a blog post.

We're in a spell of very wet weather although we haven't actually had any falling rain today. Yet. But it's all super-heavy cloudiness, very cool and damp. We had a temp of 43 when we got up this morn; now at mid-afternoon, it's only up to 47. And guess what? Our forecasted low temperature for tonight/first thing tomorrow morning is 31 degrees. Ugh. Double ugh. Hope it doesn't snow. (Bite my tongue!)

Despite the yucky weather, I've been trying to get outside all day today to work on what I can . . . but haven't made it yet. And there is still much to be done before all is ready for the summer season. (But wait, at the rate we're going there will be no summer season this year, so what the heck, if I just stop now I may be home free!)

I know if I were doing my usual full-blown garden this year I would be super-frustrated with the weather. Maybe this WAS a good year to take off.

Here's my ever-faithful, first-to-bloom-of-the-year Leopard's Bane. Flower bed hasn't been weeded and cleaned up yet, but the Leopard's Bane is blooming away. All is well.

The Bleeding Heart blossoms seem to have popped out over night.

Rhubarb must like cool, damp weather. The thin white stake I set to the right of the plant is 30" tall so you can see how large the rhubarb has grown in the past week. It's in the center of a four foot wide raised bed and is starting to hang over the edges already.

When Papa Pea put on his insulated vest and cap to sit down for lunch today, I decided it was time to give up and make a fire in the wood stove. It's now (two hours later) up to 68 in here so we're making some progress. (He may be able to take off his gloves for dinner.)

I can't go outside until I get the mountain of dirty dishes on the side of the sink washed. To my mind, the whole house can be immaculate, but if there are dishes waiting to be done, the whole place feels cruddy to me. (Does this woman need an automatic dishwasher in which to hide her dirty dishes? Yup.)

19 comments:

Susan said...

Yea! There you are! That is some rhubarb plant you have there. Must be the weather, 'cause mine is huge, too! Funny, I have a dishwasher, but rarely use it. With one person, I'd run out of dishes and silverware before it was full. Glad you are amongst the living, even if the living is cold and soggy.

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Ok, you must do a post on how you get your rhubarb to look like that. Mine is very pathetic looking. And YES you did pick a great year to take off from gardening. I am afraid there will be lots of tears for a lot of gardeners this year if this spring is any sign.

JULIE said...

My Rhubarb plant is going to seed and huge too. I know how you feel. I am soooo... behind due to our cold wet weather.

Jenyfer Matthews said...

I know what you mean about dishes!!!

Yes, a good year to take off gardening. Keep telling yourself that :)

Sue said...

I just got done dragging 25 flats of plants back into the house because it's supposed to freeze tonight. This cool weather must stop. Our house is staying warm at least--I think I'd be having fits if I had to crank up the furnace this late in the year.

judy said...

Tell me it isn't true--you don't have a dishwasher yet--why a lady of your status deserves that much.I have my first. well actually first one since i got married a few years ago[ a few to many to count ]my dad had one installed in the house he build for my mom-way back when-but after fixing it a few dozen times because one of his 14 children put the wrong soap in it he gave up- so we went back to dishes piled up so high you couldn't see over them. but enough of me - I do go on don't I- I wish I could do a blog, but I am so glad you are well and keeping busy--that's good -RIGHT-soon I'll be hearing you complain [no you don't complain]- YOU EXPLAIN- about deciding new material to pick from for those new curtains your gonna sew.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - Summer will arrive. Summer will arrive. Summer will arrive. We gotta believe, right?

Jane - This same rhubarb plant didn't do well at all until I put it in the raised bed. (Okay, so I just had it planted in a "lawn" area before.) The soil in the raised beds is super-good, full of worms and gets a basic dose of good compost every fall. Also some half-rotted manure is put around the plant itself. I keep the seed stalks chopped off and don't harvest anything from the plant after July 4th. That's all.

Julie - Yup, cold and wet. Guess we've just gotta roll with it. It will be 90 and humid one of these days and we'll be wishing for a little of this cooool weather! Thanks for commenting.

Mama Pea said...

Jen - You have no idea how many times a day I tell myself that! :o}

Sue - Bringing in 25 flats? That is cruel and unusual punishment!

judy - I was going to put a dishwasher in my "new" kitchen but the new ones are all made with a 2 hour cycle. Can you believe that?? And this in the name of "energy saving!" HA!

Sparkless said...

I couldn't even sign in to Blogger all day today and yesterday so I'm behind in my reading.
Your plants look to be doing well even if the weather is not so nice.
We've been getting lots of rain and looks like more to come. Not much of a spring but they are predicting a hotter than normal summer so look out!

judy said...

I am glad you told me that-since we moved in here---- I thought someone was always leaning on the damn thing- re-starting the dishwasher -over and over-NOW you tell me it was running all that time on its own---while I'm beating everyone over the head I told myself =there is no way this machine runs this long-what a dummy I am ,guess I better pull out the instruction sheet that I never read!THANKS MOMMA PEA FOR INFORMING ME.

Lisa said...

Hi Mama Pea!
For a short growing season your flowers seemed to bloom so fast and are oh-so-pretty! Wow, your rhubarb is amazing! If it makes you feel any better...here in SC we're to be 94 today, was 92 yesterday, 91 the day before...feels like dog-days of summer here already and it's not even June!
Lisa

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - You've heard a hotter than normal summer and in these parts we're being told to expect a "cold" summer! Go figure . . .

judy - If your dishwasher is a new one, it probably is one of them with a 2-hour cycle. Which just absolutely makes NO SENSE at all. (Sputter-splutt!!)

Lisa - You live in such a bee-yew-tiful part of the country but I couldn't take those high, high temps. Guess I'll keep whining about our cooler than normal weather . . . and be happy about it! ;o}

Jenyfer Matthews said...

As much as I would love to have a dishwasher, it is the length of the cycle that puts me off as well. Just how dirty are the dishes anyway? It's not like I'm going to perform surgery with my butter knives!!

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Have a great day!

Mama Pea said...

Jen - Good thing you're not going to perform surgery with your butter knives! I'd go for the serrated bread knife myself. ;o}

Ruth - Will do!

Erin said...

I'm back, too! 31 degrees????? yikes!

Mama Pea said...

Erin - Only down to 34 at 5:30 this morn and no sign of Jack Frost. But now they're saying possible frost tonight AND tomorrow night. Those Memorial Day Weekend picnics on the beach are gonna be chilly!

Jenyfer Matthews said...

I thought of you over the weekend. I stuck some water bottles in my friend's dishwasher (I've done it before on the top rack) but her dishwasher melted them! They came out looking like shrinky dinks!

Mama Pea said...

Jen - I'm sorry about your water bottles but you sure gave me a good laugh! I'm not even gonna ask for a further explanation . . . ;o}