A Well-Spent Afternoon

I made myself a nice lunch. Diced two small yellow squash, sauteed them in butter till just tender, plated and topped with some minced parsley from my herb garden...mmmm. Sliced up a kohlrabi and ate that too. Iced decaf coffee. Ate outside on the back patio, cats lolling about with Papa Cardinal chirping fiercely at them (because Mama Cardinal and, I think, babies are in the nest in the nearby arborvitae. Don't worry, Papa - I keep an eye on the kitties, too, and never leave them unsupervised.) Took out the spent flower stalks from all the iris in the garden bed by the street. (Really am gonna have to lift all those suckers this July and split...that will be a huge undertaking. The damn daylilies are invading the iris, too. Should have lifted and split them this past spring.) Poked around the burgeoning forest edge garden bed and found a spot where I could actually dig - better soil - and FINALLY GOT THOSE DOGGONE FOAMFLOWERS IN THE GROUND!!!! YAY!!!! Got out the short-tined metal rake and went at the leaf pile - spent the better part of half an hour turning it over, the accumulation of last fall's drop. (Note to self: really could use a pitchfork for this task.) Last year I composted leaves for the first time and after sifting got two rectangular recycle bins full of fine leafy crumble dirt, good for topping off planting beds, mixing in with soil to help break down clay, or placing around your ferns because I think leaf dust is sort of like fern food. This year we held back ALL of our leaves, not just a portion, to compost, so maybe I'll get even more. It's nice to throw a bit into the compost bin as well, along with the kitchen scraps - makes for good balance in the bin. All in all a well spent afternoon and a most excellent brain rinse.

Now I just need to find a spot for that ninebark and my year's planting of native plants will be accomplished. Maybe. I am really looking forward to the upcoming June 14 daylong seminar at the Morris Arboretum to be conducted by Professor Douglas Tallamay, Restoring Our Native Ecosystems. They may still have openings. If you live in the Philly area, and can afford it, think about attending. It should be an amazing day.