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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

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You are here: Home / Garden Chats / Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Spring Is Sprung

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Spring Is Sprung

by Anne Laurie|  April 22, 20184:48 am| 102 Comments

This post is in: Garden Chats

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From faithful Northwestern gardener OpieJeanne:

This little guy is a little over two inches long. Part of the chorus that sings us to sleep.

Been too busy this week to spend any time even *thinking* about gardening, but the angle of light has changed to the point where even a raw day with temps in the 40s feels like ‘spring but nasty’ and not ‘still winter, dammit’…

What’s going on in your garden(s) / planning, this week?

 
Earth Day was yesterday, but this is still relevant…

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Reader Interactions

102Comments

  1. 1.

    NotMax

    April 22, 2018 at 4:55 am

    Earth Day was yesterday

    Say what? It’s been April 22 since its inception.

  2. 2.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 5:16 am

    There’s a YouTube vlog I follow, Snow Dogs Vlogs, run by a northern Michigan couple and their three Siberian Husky girls. The vlog reports that they’re seeing some heavy snowfall there this spring.

    I just brought Sister home this afternoon. Sister, for those who missed it, is an awesome Epiphone Les Paul Studio of jet-black awesomeness.

    Adam might have something to say about this later on: a Palestinian man was killed in a drive-by shooting in KL. Fadi al-Batsh, 35, a resident of Malaysia for the past eight years, taught electrical engineering at the private-sector University of KL, and was an imam at a local mosque. He was on his way to the mosque for prayers Saturday morning when two white men on a motorcycle shot at him. Hamas has said he was a key member of the group, although there seems to be no public information on his precise role. Hamas and al-Batsh’s family accuse Mossad of carrying out the murder. Malaysia has diplomatic relations with Palestine, whose Ambassador has issued a statement, but not Israel.

  3. 3.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 5:26 am

    Yep, today is Earth Day, so Happy ? Day to all. I’m celebrating by planting a rhododendron I bought at the market yesterday. And the two roses that have been waiting for a week for nights above freezing before I put them in the ground. It’s going up to 60° today, so gardening will occur, as well as a cleanup day at the Market this afternoon.

  4. 4.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 5:30 am

    @Amir Khalid: Congratulations on Sister!

    South Bend is just over the southern border of Michigan and we had snow 3 days last week, though it melted off most afternoons. Spring is a month behind the usual schedule here this year… more like it was before climate change.

  5. 5.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 22, 2018 at 5:31 am

    Today is indeed Earth Day, LA’s Metro is offering free rides on all buses and trains and free 30 minute bike rental. Myself, I’m staying on Earth today, last night’s Milky Way shoot was exhausting. I may try one or two more shoots(the coast is out due to weather) before the moon makes it impossible on the 26th.

  6. 6.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 5:38 am

    CNN has published 24 questions from the list used for Meghan Markle’s UK citizenship test. (24 questions picked at random make up the test.) I took the test and got all 24 right.

  7. 7.

    rikyrah

    April 22, 2018 at 5:42 am

    Good Morning, Everyone ???

  8. 8.

    Gelfling 545

    April 22, 2018 at 5:49 am

    @Amir Khalid: Interesting to see questions about literature. I’m pretty sure the US test has nothing of the sort. I didn’t know who built the Tower but otherwise I qualify!

  9. 9.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 5:53 am

    @Gelfling 545:
    I didn’t know who built the Tower either; but I knew enough to pick the likeliest answer, and it turned out to be right.

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    April 22, 2018 at 5:55 am

    @Amir Khalid

    Hint: It wasn’t the bin Laden company.

    :)

  11. 11.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 5:56 am

    @Amir Khalid: Well, I passed, but only got 22 right.
    I did get the Tower one right though. And the cricket one.

  12. 12.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 5:58 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?!

  13. 13.

    Gelfling 545

    April 22, 2018 at 6:01 am

    Fortunately for my garden I have found a service that will rake out the yard & do the first mowing & trimming for what seems a reasonable price. I’m forbidden to lift more than 10 lbs for 2 months so even getting the mower out of the shed is out of the question. We’ll see how they do & if satisfactory I may have them back for shrub trimming. Sleep pattern is all messed up. I’m never awake this early.

  14. 14.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 6:05 am

    @Gelfling 545: You’re home already? Didn’t you just have surgery like a day ago, or am I confused?

  15. 15.

    Gelfling 545

    April 22, 2018 at 6:06 am

    @Amir Khalid: I was reasonably sure it wasn’t Churchill! Or Elizabeth II. I’m pretty sure that the US test has a lot of constitutional detail that some of our elected officials – ahem – couldn’t answer. No cultural questions.

  16. 16.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 6:08 am

    If it’s still dark where you are, the Lyrid meteor shower should be visible. Too much cloud cover here.

  17. 17.

    Gelfling 545

    April 22, 2018 at 6:15 am

    @satby: Yes. Has surgery at 9:30 on Friday & was home by noon. Not that I remember much of that. My niece is a CCU nurse & tells me that one of the best ways to prevent infections is to get you away from the hospital as soon as is practical. My daughters live close by & have been coming over to give my my bland diet? when I’m having this terrible craving for pizza.

  18. 18.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 22, 2018 at 6:17 am

    @satby: It was supposed to be visible last night as well, didn’t see any on my photo expedition.

  19. 19.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 6:22 am

    @Gelfling 545:
    I am sad that supporting the local football team is not considered essential.
    Sad news: Verne Troyer, Mini-Me in the Austin Power movies, has died at 49. No cause of death was announced, but statements posted to his social-media accounts hint that he had been fighting depression.

  20. 20.

    lowtechcyclist

    April 22, 2018 at 6:28 am

    Rumors of spring’s arrival are greatly exaggerated. Here in southern Maryland, highs aren’t supposed to get out of the 60s for the rest of April. Looking out the back window just now, the woods still look more bare than green. I mowed a narrow strip of lawn along the road yesterday, but I doubt I’ll need to mow any of the rest of it until May.

    My wife says spring is having commitment issues this year. I say bullshit, you can’t have ‘commitment issues’ until you at least have a certain level of involvement. It’s more like spring’s taken us out on a first date (when we had those three warm days about a week and a half ago), but hasn’t called back.

    It’s not April 22, it’s the 53rd of March.

  21. 21.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 22, 2018 at 6:36 am

    @lowtechcyclist: Supposed to be 82 here today.

  22. 22.

    WereBear

    April 22, 2018 at 6:36 am

    @Amir Khalid: So thrilled for you and Sister!

  23. 23.

    WereBear

    April 22, 2018 at 6:40 am

    Remember that Eddie Albert was instrumental in the creation of Earth Day.

  24. 24.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 22, 2018 at 6:58 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    So did I.

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 22, 2018 at 7:03 am

    And I love that beautiful little frog in OpieJeanne’s picture. Looks like carved jade. Just gorgeous against the stones.

  26. 26.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 7:08 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: yes, thanks opiejeanne for that lovely picture! The peeper frogs always let us know in Michigan that spring was coming even when it seemed it never would. I miss them a bit.

  27. 27.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    April 22, 2018 at 7:16 am

    @Amir Khalid: My son and DIL watch that Snow Dogs V-log. We see it when we’re at their house. A lot of BJ dog lovers would probably like it .

    ETA: I went to the first Earth Day on U of Michigan’s campus. I remember sitting high up in Hill Auditorium. It was so hot, I got faint and had to go out into the hall.

  28. 28.

    Central Planning

    April 22, 2018 at 7:22 am

    I got up at 4:30 this morning to take my kid to a regatta in Ithaca, NY this morning.

    I’m trying to find a comfortable sleeping position in my car but have not been successful. I probably should have taken the minivan

    ETA – it’s 28 degrees here. At least it’s not raining or snowing like other years.

  29. 29.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    April 22, 2018 at 7:23 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    I passed with 22 out of 24. Missed on which country St. Andrew is the patron of and one other that I can’t remember.

    Fun fact: Bro’ Man, the squire of Sighthound Hall, is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Great Britain. He was born in England and some years back went through the procedures to get a British passport.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    April 22, 2018 at 7:37 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  31. 31.

    jacy

    April 22, 2018 at 7:41 am

    @satby:

    Keep meaning to tell you — I got one of your shampoo bars a bit ago and I absolutely love it. We have super soft water here and it has done wonders for my hair. I’m spoiled now. :)

  32. 32.

    mai naem mobile

    April 22, 2018 at 7:44 am

    @Gelfling 545: I took the US one but when I did it the INS person just gave you a verbal test. Now it’s written and I’ve had several people tell me it’s not easy. The study questions are the same though. Not so muCy constitution beyond the first amendent. They ask you the name of the Veep,one USSC member,your governor. Also the meaning of the stars and stripes. The requirements for running for Congress and POTUS. The terms for different offices. Draft age stuff. I don’t remember any cultural questions.

  33. 33.

    JMG

    April 22, 2018 at 7:56 am

    Started to saw up some of the bigger limbs on the yard into more manageable piles yesterday. Will continue this week. Tree service told us they are so busy they cannot even come to look at our place and the work we need done until May 16th. Might hit 60 tomorrow for the first time all spring.

  34. 34.

    oldgold

    April 22, 2018 at 7:56 am

    It has been too cold for any Spring gardening.

    How cold?

    • The Four Seasons Hotel changed its name to Winter;
    • People are exchanging their lawn mowers for Zambonis;
    • The musk oxen are wearing Gore-Tex;
    • Richard Simmons was seen wearing pants;
    • A witch’s tit is considered a heat source;
    • A flasher ran up to Mrs. Flannigan and described himself to her;
    • People are flocking to the local ‘Greasy Spoon’ hoping for heartburn;
    • Smokey the Bear was last seen with blow torch running into the woods; and,
    • Politically correct police officers are no longer yelling “freeze” at criminals.

    Possibly, by the Fourth of July, some early bird gardeners might be able to get some Snow Peas planted. Anyway, that is what my neighbor Noah Tall says.

  35. 35.

    charluckles

    April 22, 2018 at 7:56 am

    I take our old furniture, repair and repaint it in bright colors and then use it in the garden. I have an old physicians desk that I use as a garden work bench. Its quite sturdy except for the top which is a piece of laminate on a thick slab of particle board. It took a lot of water damage last summer when I left it under my garage overhang. The laminate and particle board is separating. I am trying to come up with a way to get another summer or two before it goes to the dump. Can I just jam a mess of exterior caulk into the separations and then paint over the top or do I go get a new board/sheet for the desktop?

  36. 36.

    Bruuuuce

    April 22, 2018 at 7:59 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    CNN has published 24 questions from the list used for Meghan Markle’s UK citizenship test.

    My UK friends on the Book of Faces are fond of explaining to us Yanks that this is natural, in that there’s nothing quite so British as a pub quiz :-)

  37. 37.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 8:02 am

    @jacy: Oh, thank you! Always nice to hear.

  38. 38.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 8:04 am

    @oldgold: ?
    Especially the Smokey Bear one!

  39. 39.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 8:09 am

    @charluckles: if the particle board isn’t swollen by water damage I’d opt for a new laminate sheet, but if it is I’d just calk and paint it.
    I’m also painting a bunch of recycled thrift store furniture in tropical citrus and turquoise colors for my front porch this year… a project I bought the paint for last summer and never had the time to get to do.
    Semi-retirement is the bomb!

  40. 40.

    Immanentize

    April 22, 2018 at 8:09 am

    @Central Planning: Regatta in Ithaca today. Burrrr!

    I grew up near Binghamton and my best friend had a 16 ft Hobie we would race on Cayuga. Hottest day of the year but still the coldest water ever!

  41. 41.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 8:12 am

    @Immanentize: hi Immanentize! I won’t repeat it all, but I was late getting back to yesterday morning’s thread and answered you about Habitat and also about Global Volunteers, FYI in case you missed it.

  42. 42.

    Schlemazel

    April 22, 2018 at 8:15 am

    @Amir Khalid:
    Hope sister sings for you some wonderful tunes

    Are there any hints why Israel would want to assassinate a local imam & professor of EE?

  43. 43.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:17 am

    * DVR Alert *

    Somewhat off topic. Not gardening, but food, so, eh, maybe close enough.

    TCM is running a nice double feature of Japanese comedies very late tonight (early Monday morning).

    At 2:45 a.m. EDT it’s Tampopo (1985). “Two truck drivers help a restaurant owner learn how to cook great noodles.” It’s sort of like Fistful of Dollars meets Iron Chef in a funny parallel universe. Highly recommended. Trailer here.

    At 4:45 a.m. EDT it’s The Funeral (1984). “The loved one’s daughter and son-in-law try to arrange a traditional funeral.”

    Both are directed by Juzo Itami and have the same stars. Viewers may recognize Ken Watanabe in Tampopo from (much later) The Last Samurai, Batman Begins and Inception.

  44. 44.

    Immanentize

    April 22, 2018 at 8:19 am

    So I got to it n the back yard yesterday. Including buying a new tree. My neighbor’s gave me a very nice gift card to our local nursery to buy a plant to remember my wife. I had no idea what would be appropriate, but when I got to Mahoney’s Garden I immediately saw what we needed — it is a Sango Kaku which is a ruby red-barked Japanese Maple which will give red tipped green leaves that go to yellow in the fall. So pretty.

    Had to dig a big hole for Monday delivery….

  45. 45.

    Immanentize

    April 22, 2018 at 8:22 am

    @satby: Thanks. I’ll go back and grab it.

  46. 46.

    Schlemazel

    April 22, 2018 at 8:22 am

    @Amir Khalid:
    I assumed that as an AMerican I would muck that test up but I did hit 24.

    EDIT: Like others there were a couple guesses in there but it was interesting that many of the questions were of a social nature in not a legal sort

  47. 47.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:24 am

    @Schlemazel:

    “Key member” of Hamas, maybe?

    Channel NewsAsia: “Slain lecturer hails from prominent Hamas family that ‘lost 40 members to Palestinian cause.’”

  48. 48.

    Schlemazel

    April 22, 2018 at 8:24 am

    @Steeplejack (phone):
    I only got that one right because I know that the blue & white flag of Scotland is known as “St. Andrews Cross”

  49. 49.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 8:24 am

    @Immanentize: Trees as memorials are so nice. Good choice, it will be beautiful.

  50. 50.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:38 am

    Weather check-in here in my corner of NoVA: Somewhat tepid sunshine and 48° right now, supposed to get up to 64° later. Upper 60s and rain the rest of the week, with a weird dip to 58° on Tuesday.

    I thought spring had arrived last week, when we had a run of beautiful days, the heat never came on and I opened the windows to air out the place. Then things dropped back into the mucky 40s before leveling out into this tentative second stab at spring. None of it’s bad, but it’s weird.

  51. 51.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 8:38 am

    @Steeplejack:
    I knew it wasn’t England because of the “high-water mark of football oratory”, the speech that Will Shakespeare gives to the title character of Henry V, which ends: “God for Harry, England, and St. George!” Also, the famous golf course in Scotland is called St. Andrews.

  52. 52.

    debbie

    April 22, 2018 at 8:39 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    Forty minutes into the broadcast and NPR still hasn’t mentioned the shooting. It doubtless was an Israeli assassin and I hope the government takes strenuous objection to this act.

  53. 53.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:44 am

    @Schlemazel:

    I could kick myself because I dithered and second-guessed the answer. You could rouse me in the middle of the night and ask me who is Scotland’s patron saint, and I would probably get it right without fully waking up, but in a test with trick questions I got too wary by half.

    Same thing with the other question I missed. It was the “overseas territory” one, and I said something other than the Falklands. Can’t remember what—maybe Gibraltar?

  54. 54.

    debbie

    April 22, 2018 at 8:46 am

    @Steeplejack:

    As much as I hate golf, I knew the answer was St. Andrew. As for the Falklands, didn’t Maggie stupidly went to war over them?

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 8:47 am

    @debbie:
    We objected strenuously when Kim Jong-Un had North Korean operatives off his half-brother at KLIA. We will certainly do the same with Israel over this. I think it will have the same effect: nothing. Mossad is known for not respecting other countries’ laws or their sovereignty.

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    April 22, 2018 at 8:48 am

    Latest from Michael Avenatti;

    https://twitter.com/MichaelAvenatti/status/987680650055438337?s=19

  57. 57.

    zhena gogolia

    April 22, 2018 at 8:49 am

    @Gelfling 545:

    I got 22 out of 24. The ones I missed were trick questions!

  58. 58.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:50 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    I remembered George, completely forgot St. Andrew’s. And one of my stupid inner voices kept saying “Dennis!,” ignoring the other voices saying “It’s Denis, and it’s France.”

    It all seems so clear now. Just a test-related brain flub.

    ETA: Of course Ireland is St. Patrick, but then I wondered about Wales. Had to look it up to find that it’s St. David. Almost expected to find that there was none, but “we have some very fine Druids.”

  59. 59.

    Schlemazel

    April 22, 2018 at 8:51 am

    @Steeplejack:
    Went to see the trailer & noticed the whole movie is on youtube! Watched the first 20 minutes, what an odd film. It is funny in the oddball sort of way I enjoy and I will have to watch the whole thing.

  60. 60.

    MelissaM

    April 22, 2018 at 8:51 am

    Yay, gardens! I’ve been working this weekend, cleaning up and getting ready. I may have lost my arbor roses, I’ll investigate today.

    Question: how do I deter possums from my central IL “suburban” yard? I’m surrounded by rentals – houses and apartments, with at least one dumpster. Possums are just a fact of life. But I want to deter them from my yard, especially from setting up camp behind my compost bins. I do dislike having to shuffle out in my PJs at night to try and grab the dog away from a hissing critter.

    I have scattered my rose prunings behind there, hoping the thorny bits will be inhospitable. I’m going to buy mothballs. Any other recommendations other than not to compost meat, etc?

  61. 61.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:52 am

    @debbie:

    Yes, and that had one of my stupid inner voices suggesting that perhaps their legal status was still in dispute.

    ETA: Apparently my stupid inner voices wake up sooner than my smart inner voices.

  62. 62.

    Schlemazel

    April 22, 2018 at 8:54 am

    @Steeplejack:
    Holy shit! Looks like Israel is out to kill his entire extended family!!

  63. 63.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:56 am

    @zhena gogolia:

    Come sit by me.

  64. 64.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 8:58 am

    @Schlemazel:

    The TCM version will no doubt be the buffed-up restoration print. I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t seen it all the way through since it was in (very few) theaters and maybe on crappy videocassette a time or two after that.

  65. 65.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:01 am

    @Amir Khalid: I totally failed, but in my defense, in every case where I got it wrong, the only answer I had considered (besides the one I chose) was the correct answer.

  66. 66.

    Cermet

    April 22, 2018 at 9:01 am

    Global warming is also Climate Change as in spring and winter will have a lot of mixed days. Especially in the Eastern US where the Greenland cold water effect is starting to significantly affect the North Atlantic and the Gulf Stream flow. While this is minor compared to what is coming over the next twenty years (and far, far worse, the next sixty), this is what we get for our love of power – cars, generating plants, and AC. Even here I read rather over-the-top energy use as mundane and not even unusual amerikan life-style.

  67. 67.

    Cermet

    April 22, 2018 at 9:03 am

    @Amir Khalid: Unlike the US …and of course, that is sarcasm.

  68. 68.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:05 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: i don’t usually smile back at people in photos, but I always caught myself smiling back at Barack Obama in photos, and I noticed myself smiling back at Lily yesterday. I just caught myself smiling at the little green guy up top.

    And yes, I do have kind of a broad view of who I consider people.

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:07 am

    @jacy: What is a shampoo bar?
    edit: how is the new pup?

  70. 70.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:10 am

    @Immanentize: I love the red stems!

  71. 71.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 22, 2018 at 9:11 am

    @WaterGirl: Never thought to observe whether or not I smile at photos, but Lily, Barack, and that wee froggy all do it for me too!

  72. 72.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:18 am

    Talking to myself, I see. Oh, well. I bought a couple of ceramic heaters for my porch, which gives me the option for extended time on the porch on days when it’ only warm enough to be out there for an hour or two. I am really happy with them – they have a top heater and a bottom heater that you can control separately, a thermostat you can set to the desired temp, and it oscillates if you want it to. So quiet, too. Oh, and they are remote controlled, which is very helpful, given my broken ankle.

    Very pleased with the heaters, and with the ability to spend more time outside!

  73. 73.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 22, 2018 at 9:19 am

    @Immanentize:

    Great choice, and a lovely living way to remember Julie. What a nice gift from your friend.

    When he first moved to his house in 1970, my dad planted several trees. His favorite by far was the Japanese maple. After he died, we scattered his ashes around the base of the tree so he could become part of its nourishing soil.

  74. 74.

    oldgold

    April 22, 2018 at 9:20 am

    @MelissaM:

    You have to build a road between the possums and your garden

    Q; Why did the chicken cross the road?
    A; To show the possum it could be done.

  75. 75.

    Kay

    April 22, 2018 at 9:21 am

    I had my son go get me a yard of top soil to top off the flower beds and it’s soaking wet- saturated. We had heavy rain last week. If I had gone I wouldn’t have bought it this wet because it’ll compact and dry like cement when I move it from the truck to the beds but he doesn’t know any better. You can’t rush gardening, which I relearn in one or another way every single year. It’s a “spare” truck – he has a revolving inventory of junker vehicles- so I hope he forgets it’s here and I can leave the soil in the truck until it dries some.

  76. 76.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:21 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: First time I ever did it was with Barack Obama, and it’s a pretty consistent thing with him. I think it’s because he has such a real smile that it touches me even through a photo. I notice it when it happens because it’s so unusual for me.

    I’m not smiling at a PHOTO of someone, I’m actually smiling back at them. Maybe that make me weird? Who cares, right?

  77. 77.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 9:22 am

    @WaterGirl:

    I presumed that a shampoo bar is shampoo in solid form that you lather up and put on your hair. Found this at Satby’s site.

  78. 78.

    debbie

    April 22, 2018 at 9:23 am

    @WaterGirl:

    How is your ankle coming along?

  79. 79.

    jacy

    April 22, 2018 at 9:26 am

    @WaterGirl:

    It’s just like a soap bar, but you lather up your hair with it. You can buy commercial brands — Lush carries some — but satby’s are amazing. There’s nothing but natural oils, so it doesn’t give that buildup on your hair. My hair grew back with a different texture after chemo, and I’ve had a heck of a time finding a shampoo that left it both soft and clean, and this has really worked. I absolutely love it. (I only use her soap too, and cuticle oil — her stuff just makes me happy.)

    Jax is doing great — he’s finally settled in and realized that every time someone leave his sight he’s not being abandoned. He’s such a sweet boy, but very energetic — he’s a little exuberant but very well- behaved overall. The only problem is he seems to think moles are snacks, and occasionally throws one up……

  80. 80.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 9:27 am

    @Schlemazel:
    They’re all in Hamas, so they’re all fair game.

  81. 81.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:27 am

    @Kay: I have to relearn the “you can’t rush gardening thing”, too! You are never rewarded for that behavior, only punished.

    As for your wet soil, I am getting lots of lessons in “things you know but don’t think to say”. I have strawberries and blueberries on my shopping list for friends who are picking up groceries for me because I am still on the (f-ing!) cast for my broken ankle. I don’t think to write “if they look good” because who buys fruit if it doesn’t look good???

  82. 82.

    Amir Khalid

    April 22, 2018 at 9:35 am

    @WaterGirl:
    A lot of blemished produce is perfectly good aside from the blemished part; yet consumers tend to treat it as totally ruined, so markets usually throw it out. Some people react to this wastefulness by seeking out blemished but still edible/usable produce.

  83. 83.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:40 am

    @debbie: Days are passing, so that’s good. Every day I think “only 5 more days until I get a new cast, only 4 motor days…” etc. I’m getting pretty impatient with it. I took off the cast the last 2 nights and just wrapped my ankle. At some point I wake up in the night and it’s a little achy, so then I put the cast back on again. But it’s a little bit of respite, anyway!

    On Wednesday, I go in for another x-ray and see the orthopedist again. If all goes well I come home on Wednesday with an ankle brace and a shoe. (Note to self, do not forget to bring other shoe!) I’m trying not to count on that, but I seem to be failing at that. Then I start rehab, don’t have any details on that yet.

    My great-niece participated in the state finals for some science olympiad thing, and it was here so they stayed with me. Only about a 20-hour visit (including sleep) but it was great. It was my niece’s birthday yesterday so I made a chocolate decadent cake that came out of the oven just as they arrived on Friday night. (Had to ask the 13-year old who is taking Henry on his walks if she could come over so she could take the cake in and out of the oven.)

    Then yesterday we made Jen angel food cake from scratch, and I had assistance from my other great-niece, so that was fun. Yesterday we sat out on the porch and had queso and chips and wine and I felt totally normal for the first time since this happened.

    I am exhausted from all the hostess-ing on a rolling knee cart, but they did pick up the poop from the yard and picked up kitty litter (I had just run out) so it was definitely a fair trade. :-)

  84. 84.

    Brachiator

    April 22, 2018 at 9:44 am

    @Amir Khalid: I got 22 out of 24. Looking forward to marrying Prince Harry.

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:46 am

    @jacy:

    The only problem is he seems to think moles are snacks

    I was thinking, well, what’s wrong with that? And then I got to the “he throws them up part”. Jax sounds like a great boy!

    I know all about the “he thinks he’s being abandoned if we leave the room” thing. Henry was fine about that until he had to be in a crate for his ACL surgery recovery. Now he HATES it. I suspect Henry and I will both get out of jail at about the same time.

    Thanks for the info on the shampoo bar. I think i tried argan oil once – a little packet came with my hot roller set – and it had a perfume-y smell that I was allergic to. I wonder if that’s a scent they had added or if the oil has that smell naturally.

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:48 am

    @Amir Khalid: Yeah, I get that. But with strawberries and blueberries and small fruit, I don’t want blemishes.

  87. 87.

    Brachiator

    April 22, 2018 at 9:52 am

    @Steeplejack:

    I remembered George, completely forgot St. Andrew’s. And one of my stupid inner voices kept saying “Dennis!,” ignoring the other voices saying “It’s Denis, and it’s France.”

    I realize that I knew St Andrew because of the golf course where the British Open is often played. Not that I otherwise know much about golf.

    And I recently had read that St David is the only British saint who was born in the country of which he is patron.

  88. 88.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 22, 2018 at 9:53 am

    @WaterGirl: You can’t rush recovery, unfortunately. I had some hard lessons along the way.

  89. 89.

    Ruviana

    April 22, 2018 at 9:55 am

    @zhena gogolia: Trick questions: Questions you get wrong on the test!

  90. 90.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 9:57 am

    @Gin & Tonic: I actually think of you a lot, about the year it took your arm to recover. I tell myself how absolutely lucky I am that I didn’t have to have surgery and that my bone appears to be healing nicely (unless something has changed from 10 days ago).

    I truly don’t know how you did it. I know, you had no choice, but damn, you must be one tough cookie to have handled it all with good nature. I have not handled this with the grace I could have hoped for.

  91. 91.

    SectionH

    April 22, 2018 at 9:57 am

    @Amir Khalid: I got 24 of 24, but that test was a lot easier than previous sample UK citizenship tests I’ve taken. Those were more like the sample US ones, with many more questions about history and politics.

    Oh, and Congrats on your new Sister.

  92. 92.

    Brachiator

    April 22, 2018 at 9:59 am

    @Steeplejack:

    TCM is running a nice double feature of Japanese comedies very late tonight (early Monday morning).

    Love both of the films showing, but especially recommend Tampopo because it is more accessible and is a supremely funny film about food.

  93. 93.

    debbie

    April 22, 2018 at 10:05 am

    @WaterGirl:

    I think having guests and interacting with them does wonders for recovery. It gets you out of yourself for a moment or two. Good luck with those x-rays!

  94. 94.

    satby

    April 22, 2018 at 10:08 am

    @MelissaM: if you have a dog the possums are a mixed blessing, because they eat ticks. I wish I had them in my yard!

  95. 95.

    Steeplejack

    April 22, 2018 at 10:10 am

    @Brachiator:

    Yeah, The Funeral is more specific to Japanese customs and mores, so it doesn’t have the universal appeal of Tampopo.

    ETA: This feels like a slightly stupid comment, but I didn’t want to leave yours just dangling.

  96. 96.

    Brachiator

    April 22, 2018 at 10:21 am

    @WereBear:

    Remember that Eddie Albert was instrumental in the creation of Earth Day.

    Did he first suggest it be called “Green Acres?”

    ETA Actually, this is kinda cool. I did not know about his involvement.

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    April 22, 2018 at 10:39 am

    @Steeplejack:

    Yeah, The Funeral is more specific to Japanese customs and mores, so it doesn’t have the universal appeal of Tampopo.

    ETA: This feels like a slightly stupid comment, but I didn’t want to leave yours just dangling.

    No problem. To be sure, both films are worth watching. The Funeral is about family and the funny and sad things that happen when families come together, as the daughter tries to arrange her father’s funeral. Lots of little character details that everyone can relate to.

    The film was the writing and directing debut of director Itami Juzo. I remember really liking the performance of Nobuko Miyamoto, who plays the daughter. She is also in Tampopo, was married to the director and appears in most of his films.

  98. 98.

    StringOnAStick

    April 22, 2018 at 12:47 pm

    @Immanentize: Such a nice choice for a tree. Happy Japanese maples are gorgeous trees, and act as a centerpiece when well sited.

  99. 99.

    StringOnAStick

    April 22, 2018 at 1:03 pm

    @WaterGirl: To answer your question, I bet that a scent was added to that Argan oil. I have some that is unscented and it smells not perfumey at all, and the natural scent way not be a consumer attracter like scented would be. I don’t find the scent unpleasant, it just smells like a typical plant oil. I really like the stuff.

  100. 100.

    Gravie

    April 22, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    I spent the afternoon with the sun on my back, trimming and cleaning up the front gardn bed and building anti-deer cages for my delphinium sprouts (cages that I hope will also deter the little bastard golden mantle ground squirrels that chew their way through everything juicy and pretty that I plant.) I love doing spring cleanup on my lavendar plants — they hold their own really well through the winter, and trimming the dead wood releases a heavenly fragrance. More work today!

  101. 101.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    @StringOnAStick: Thank you so much for that!

  102. 102.

    wkwv

    April 22, 2018 at 4:41 pm

    @Amir Khalid: For some reason I wanted to include Northern Ireland in Great Britain. I should know better, my great grandfather was from there and he considered himself Irish not British. Otherwise I passed all correctly.

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