tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214630502024-03-07T15:33:32.754-06:00SquaresvilleA tiny lil' backyard in zone 5/6, Southside St. Louis.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-1779656057045704812010-07-01T21:17:00.000-05:002010-07-01T21:17:56.825-05:00Plant Pour-n<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here ya go, my dears:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xMOSKvZ-khhw08VJB3GZ7i-az7Hd3YNwGm66B1Y0ihPHUR-tFwyu1h93cUnuEJwfltUgYEMBhmUBm3P-_BAsiBq76QnCMFRnJ09i-1rv2x642_jtiUOttS9zjoQGPZMSjuwS/s1600/DSCF4033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xMOSKvZ-khhw08VJB3GZ7i-az7Hd3YNwGm66B1Y0ihPHUR-tFwyu1h93cUnuEJwfltUgYEMBhmUBm3P-_BAsiBq76QnCMFRnJ09i-1rv2x642_jtiUOttS9zjoQGPZMSjuwS/s400/DSCF4033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The yard, in its current state this evening.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCFs1E__apvMsa5IL9qEi_DGNdhD_yn_9T8QftbBistw_MDcv4oHvmP6hPjkuO1Cl_RyXpHGiZF9s2Iz8eTIoFpImvxDib9HzAKCIRaOQUE0__Sqv9VTUWvjEKPZfIJF2pkhT/s1600/DSCF4035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCFs1E__apvMsa5IL9qEi_DGNdhD_yn_9T8QftbBistw_MDcv4oHvmP6hPjkuO1Cl_RyXpHGiZF9s2Iz8eTIoFpImvxDib9HzAKCIRaOQUE0__Sqv9VTUWvjEKPZfIJF2pkhT/s320/DSCF4035.JPG" /></a></div>A squash the Vietnamese guy next door is growing. It will end up being 3 feet long and will possibly hatch aliens.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N7bCDYnLABQ-Ttoetajz259B7yn0ZikTciRZllWssaVG3d55Zd-F7I7I05SWLzQTL3oNKSPPWC8fSKOETv28QpW12MmY_hmsI6pqZTJqbPgE6IQV5m9ApPTnupPnfGmu3K7Z/s1600/DSCF4040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N7bCDYnLABQ-Ttoetajz259B7yn0ZikTciRZllWssaVG3d55Zd-F7I7I05SWLzQTL3oNKSPPWC8fSKOETv28QpW12MmY_hmsI6pqZTJqbPgE6IQV5m9ApPTnupPnfGmu3K7Z/s400/DSCF4040.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Cucumbers, being fussy about climbing their ladder to success. Giant-ass tomato in the background, and yes, that's the Latin name. Assus Ginormous. Please also note my jean scrap mulch!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo3i7bXlWSj1p2zdhfLtFk7iEDr7HH_9TsVE5wO53-m365oXe9VYrA7DGN_-GuZNcZLAP7tJpqx4ZTl9U8FIYfC_cvE03oVY7rav1MkAZZtZlrfenTevL2wuc6rqorFnQxjyX/s1600/DSCF4043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo3i7bXlWSj1p2zdhfLtFk7iEDr7HH_9TsVE5wO53-m365oXe9VYrA7DGN_-GuZNcZLAP7tJpqx4ZTl9U8FIYfC_cvE03oVY7rav1MkAZZtZlrfenTevL2wuc6rqorFnQxjyX/s320/DSCF4043.JPG" /></a></div>Sunflowers I'm growing for a bee-counting research project. I guess I should actually get out there and count bees some day, right?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmZCgdHm-COrWu5Nph1GzDKuLDv7PFSPGY3u7Aypjl26sxON26H-UGK179ECpdYOV6cQ2-OPBhPS1tuPRLUaZ8sHu-OlvB9iojViFRmByK8Wyd_lLb0WPIGaDsvkPc8w2Wbo0/s1600/DSCF4041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmZCgdHm-COrWu5Nph1GzDKuLDv7PFSPGY3u7Aypjl26sxON26H-UGK179ECpdYOV6cQ2-OPBhPS1tuPRLUaZ8sHu-OlvB9iojViFRmByK8Wyd_lLb0WPIGaDsvkPc8w2Wbo0/s320/DSCF4041.JPG" /></a></div>Ginny the cat, looking startled. It's fireworks season here on the Southside.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvaLUyBVyHaLZgG1r3CV4I9FjcwRgWhQen4-wGmf-RLIoDkaDVRnitER6HcX0fitjbIawUEzqCodqmoxa71LaxeP8nIn-aIo3g2wMbEywpLUWi1ZLJ4Ihvq5gJCjPKRzHFxXa/s1600/DSCF4047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvaLUyBVyHaLZgG1r3CV4I9FjcwRgWhQen4-wGmf-RLIoDkaDVRnitER6HcX0fitjbIawUEzqCodqmoxa71LaxeP8nIn-aIo3g2wMbEywpLUWi1ZLJ4Ihvq5gJCjPKRzHFxXa/s320/DSCF4047.JPG" /></a></div>Ginny lays in the yard, waiting for birds and mice.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFt7kGuH5XZEqNJgv-90WDKIsrOSmUIbRb47L2DeXDaLsqRyjdo-P_sWVC8q66jcRDrgKKIBeE1dpz1Mf7kfdDaCnQ47_nwFUrkcqY2Tzzv9j3b38-u1p93YTYIdK77pmscsiy/s1600/DSCF4052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFt7kGuH5XZEqNJgv-90WDKIsrOSmUIbRb47L2DeXDaLsqRyjdo-P_sWVC8q66jcRDrgKKIBeE1dpz1Mf7kfdDaCnQ47_nwFUrkcqY2Tzzv9j3b38-u1p93YTYIdK77pmscsiy/s320/DSCF4052.JPG" /></a></div>My lovely hydrangea bush has turned shell pink.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjurF87UKDHWas-idDsfC5A7y_r1R-BfQXRCHmcv2S7YDjfPtrJAC0Xkt1V7AoRMROUBeF7OrJ77ynA3x7-Bx081nXNeq1DohPtEadg8LqJn3MKvMFYBG3ghpp_8ghagC8PNZo/s1600/DSCF4044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjurF87UKDHWas-idDsfC5A7y_r1R-BfQXRCHmcv2S7YDjfPtrJAC0Xkt1V7AoRMROUBeF7OrJ77ynA3x7-Bx081nXNeq1DohPtEadg8LqJn3MKvMFYBG3ghpp_8ghagC8PNZo/s320/DSCF4044.JPG" /></a></div><br />
What I love about these blackberry lilies is that they come speckled and solid, in orange, pink or purply, look like iris foliage, and only resemble blackberries when the flowers go to seed.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-9161673049588190412010-07-01T19:57:00.000-05:002010-07-01T19:57:37.380-05:00Non-Gardening News!I'm teaching a class about making a t-shirt quilt with all those teenage shirts you just can't bear to get rid of, because you are a hoarder of memories, just like me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134969953181382&index=1">Here's the skinny:</a> July 16 and July 18, at MADE Studios on burgeoning Cherokee Street. You'll need a lot of shirts if you want all images on the quilt. Questions? Leave 'em in the comments here.<br />
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In other news, I went to Pennsylvania for a week and when I came back, discovered my green and purple zinnias had succumbed to the 100-degree heat and that my back yard had turned into the Amazon. I have pulled a wheelbarrow full of weeds and am almost done.<br />
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On the plus side, I had a ridiculous amount of fun in PA with my cousin, my brother and his girlfriend. I kicked it old school and drank until the sun came up on the 20th, then went to church still a little drunk. Obviously, God has a sense of humor, and knows that I'm good people, because he did not strike me or my equally-drunk cousin dead. We're the ones in the middle, wishing it was 20 degrees cooler and that we had had more than 2 hours of sleep the night before. That's my mommy on the right with her cute short bob. Mine will be that short next week!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9GTvVFn1egburCB5mf5U0ZPwe-7QE3q5rGkMm9VoxaG2Ndh-PXC3zwYllLHrDnE2lK0hW6AMonwwKEXDtURemEk7WhDu0uNKuRqBMa8mTaFZ0so8SS0jk7SXwGccM1UvKvG-/s1600/DSCF3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9GTvVFn1egburCB5mf5U0ZPwe-7QE3q5rGkMm9VoxaG2Ndh-PXC3zwYllLHrDnE2lK0hW6AMonwwKEXDtURemEk7WhDu0uNKuRqBMa8mTaFZ0so8SS0jk7SXwGccM1UvKvG-/s320/DSCF3949.JPG" /></a></div><br />
My grandfather turned 98 on June 1, so we had a big surprise party for him. I wasn't sure if surprising a 98-year-old man was a good idea, but he enjoyed himself and even managed to blow out the candles on his cake. No, we did not get 98 candles, but did put a lot on there in the shape of a 9 and an 8.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4KnhtyQFYgheZiH8LF6BAKuyo3g4Brait6fPEmkItb14Grsvk-0XKSKX5noye5aIwSmYMfOtk50Ezib7830k5mfVVICwooRy7OZqcovI5M4Sti9BOr_EBNBEyWLnqUiPSLtm/s1600/DSCF3953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4KnhtyQFYgheZiH8LF6BAKuyo3g4Brait6fPEmkItb14Grsvk-0XKSKX5noye5aIwSmYMfOtk50Ezib7830k5mfVVICwooRy7OZqcovI5M4Sti9BOr_EBNBEyWLnqUiPSLtm/s320/DSCF3953.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Things I am glad for today:<br />
1. the 2 pairs of goldfinches that have set up shop among my sunflowers.<br />
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2. the gorgeous weather we've had. It hurts to stay inside and sew. I want to lay in the grass all day, reading and drinking Earl Grey iced tea.<br />
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3. my husband cleaned our basement last Sunday. According to him, it was a sleeveless t-shirt kinda job, and he said there were not a lot of spiders down there. He even managed to recycle the box our television came in......2 years ago. It's now second-life-ing it as a path in my garden.<br />
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4. I am glad that my friends who are going through rough patches right now are brave enough to reach out for help and to talk about it. I'm a very private person and prefer to wallow/suffer by myself in my sewing room. I admire them, and please send good vibes to E. and A.!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-75319877345732649642010-05-23T16:26:00.001-05:002010-05-23T16:32:53.215-05:00Garden UpdateSo, in the past week, it's gone from Pacific Northwest cold/rainy to St. Louis late July. It is so disgustingly hot and humid today, and just a few days ago I was adding an extra blanket to the bed.<br />
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Naturally, this has made Rabbitt Gardens explode with goodness.<br />
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1. The first peas are allllmost ripe. I keep messing with them each day in a Hansel and Gretel way to see if they're fat enough.<br />
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2. Cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, mystery squash, peppers are all a go. I went nuts and planted a ton of flower seeds in one bed where some Roma tomatoes reseeded. I reminded myself that I really love picking fresh flowers in the summer, and it would be very pretty in a few months.<br />
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3. Last weekend, in the cool drizzle, I transplanted 6 or 7 different colors of irises a coworker dug for me. I may regret this in a few years, but I LOVE irises!<br />
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4. Discovered a potato plant growing from my failed tater-in-a-tire-pile experiment last year. Perhaps it wants a second try.<br />
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5. The taller-than-me hollyhocks that I thought would be magenta are looking like they're black. This is a very good thing, because I had blamed Mr. Rabbitt for dumping dirt on the old black hollyhock cluster, thusly killing it.<br />
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6. Front yard looks great with dark penstemon, pink coral bells, yellow coneflower/black-eyed susan (nobody knows), orange daylilies and bright blue anemones.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcQo3QtzggHIRX8JKNFDtcT-MChsjpseIu5z7JBMCAEsng1A0_TTntecj878orj1PoYqIV5t8ebhBn0guysytVg4D27ST2Lv25fsqB7JwU-IudPdce_WTNlTCqQ07YTXFIPlE/s1600/DSCF3692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcQo3QtzggHIRX8JKNFDtcT-MChsjpseIu5z7JBMCAEsng1A0_TTntecj878orj1PoYqIV5t8ebhBn0guysytVg4D27ST2Lv25fsqB7JwU-IudPdce_WTNlTCqQ07YTXFIPlE/s320/DSCF3692.JPG" /></a></div>This pic is a few weeks old....will add new ones later when the plants stop wilting in the heat!<br />
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Oh, and the best update? 4.5 days left of SCHOOL!!!!!<br />
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Also, also,.....Green With Indie is rolling around again, and I've been reasonably productive!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXaDQwL1sf0VzHzNiyl8GvbDlso4voRiHQm1AnoEQAHv0fNMgZq2U6M2h9H3gSsfw1Zh_oDzZyuc8-vAHPHZvAJcgs-3kWp9Q5eZ0LOOxex5zOIw8-akwY5fCbqv2IPypztcf/s1600/GWIbutton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXaDQwL1sf0VzHzNiyl8GvbDlso4voRiHQm1AnoEQAHv0fNMgZq2U6M2h9H3gSsfw1Zh_oDzZyuc8-vAHPHZvAJcgs-3kWp9Q5eZ0LOOxex5zOIw8-akwY5fCbqv2IPypztcf/s320/GWIbutton.jpg" /></a></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-30567253025303853172010-04-28T18:10:00.005-05:002010-04-28T19:31:23.494-05:00Dig, Alli, Dig!Do note that my name is going to be spelled correctly in the final release :)<br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width: 600px;"><tbody>
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<tr><td align="middle" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div align="center" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 24pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><b> </b></b></span></span><br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><b>DUTCHTOWN RESIDENTS CONTRIBUTE TO</b></span></span></b></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><b> NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION EFFORTS</b></span></span></b></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><b> WITH NEW </b><b>COMMUNITY</b><b>GARDENS</b></span></span></b></b></span></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><b></b></b></span></span></div><div></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: medium;"></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6" style="margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td align="left" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" valign="top"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">St. Louis, MO - <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">4/27/2010 - Thanks to the partnership of Alderman </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Shane Cohn, HopeBuild, and the Dutchtown South Community</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"> Corporation, on May 1<sup>st</sup> residents of the Dutchtown neighborhood </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">will welcome two new community gardens into their backyard - </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">one on the corner of Virginia and Liberty and the other in </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Amberg Park - with a gathering at 1:00pm and a ceremony at</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"> 1:15 pm at the Virginia and Liberty location.</span> </span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">This effort started in May of 2009, was led by community </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">gardeners, and these two new gardens are the products of their </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> hard work. Allison Rabbit, a proud Dutchtown resident, explained</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> that these gardens will energize and have a lasting impact on the </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">community, saying, "<span style="color: black;">This will be a draw to younger people who </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;">are looking to relocate for school or jobs. Not only will the gardens </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;">benefit our neighborhood, but they may have a larger impact on</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;"> the regional economy as well."</span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The community is thankful for the partnership of Alderman </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Shane Cohn in leading and overseeing the cause and according to </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Bill Schuh of the 25<sup>th</sup> Ward these gardens not only improve</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> the neighborhood aesthetically but also communally,</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">"I expect it will bring together neighbors for the good of all. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The future looks bright!"</span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;">Indeed, the future does look bright for the residents of the </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;">25<sup>th</sup> ward and the surrounding neighborhood because of</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;"> these exciting new gardens. This excitement can best be </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;">summed up by the words of community gardener Steve Jameson,</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;"> "I can see the light! Grow tomatoes! Have a bunch of zinnias to </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;">cut for my wife and neighbors! Get my hands back in the dirt! </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: black;"> Hallelujah!"</span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">WHEN: Saturday, May 1, 2010 @ 1:00 p.m. (Rain or Shine!) </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">WHERE: The Dutchtown Community Commons @ Virginia and Liberty</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"># # # </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dutchtown South Community Corp. is a community-based not-for-profit development organization which serves the entire Dutchtown neighborhood, along with Mt. Pleasant, Marine Ville, Gravois Park, and others. They strive daily to improve the quality of life and development for the residents within these city neighborhoods.</span></div><div></div><div align="center"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"># # #</span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> HopeBuild is a non-profit that focuses on building community and garden spaces. They do so through empowering underserved communities to lead healthy lifestyles and enrich neighborhoods through increased access to fresh foods, urban produce gardens, and nutrition education.</span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-30780002949823061712010-03-31T17:57:00.000-05:002010-03-31T17:57:17.402-05:00SweetnessYesterday, according to the Humane Society of Missouri's records, my sweet baby girl turned 12. She is in excellent physical health and demands a walk each day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCi0J4uIBhxBJB6vzm8ukn8k7cIn4RsXvZYOO5U-lgKA9vnCRe7u8_LvMN1KQJxrnMwsbtlgv5kis4xPELS9HqITS7U0ISGAzMHN8jlBvA3o1aAvLXGstPZabOKFR4wIoH2wG/s1600/LexmarkAIOScan33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCi0J4uIBhxBJB6vzm8ukn8k7cIn4RsXvZYOO5U-lgKA9vnCRe7u8_LvMN1KQJxrnMwsbtlgv5kis4xPELS9HqITS7U0ISGAzMHN8jlBvA3o1aAvLXGstPZabOKFR4wIoH2wG/s400/LexmarkAIOScan33.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Here she is, many years ago, after we hiked through Taum Sauk Park and made it to the highest peak in Missouri (hence the plaque). She had also just finished chasing a rabbit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe9L49UhS_ujWK8Y5MowQga8K0OIO_D9Red4siYVFljyM74ncdVN9cPrHJ7zzap1zUr5TMc4Pr9bXeHDdhrcA6fwZ13Sn5NSo321y2yFW3Q9hISQMiNSwhDIT5KEJAiy79wIB/s1600/DSCF3590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe9L49UhS_ujWK8Y5MowQga8K0OIO_D9Red4siYVFljyM74ncdVN9cPrHJ7zzap1zUr5TMc4Pr9bXeHDdhrcA6fwZ13Sn5NSo321y2yFW3Q9hISQMiNSwhDIT5KEJAiy79wIB/s320/DSCF3590.JPG" /></a></div>And yesterday? Forced to wear a velvet bow and a sign.<br />
I can't even begin to describe how important she is to me and how much I love her. Maggie became "mine" when my ex-fiance ditched me and said that I either took her or returned her to the pound. I became a dog owner.<br />
Maggie and I have driven all over Missouri, exploring state parks and natural wonders like Pickle Springs, the Devil's Posthole, Elephant Rocks and the Katy Trail. She has been my co-pilot on the long 14-hour drive to and from eastern Pennsylvania. <br />
("Welcome to Pennsylvania! Now drive for another 3 hours.")<br />
I guess people who have children can relate to how I feel about Maggie. She is one of the most important things in my life and I can't bear the thought that someday she won't be with us anymore, looking out the window, ignoring the neighbor's cats that frequent the yard, angling for a walk or begging for bacon grease.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdYN0KpGYHbV7kWQO2YTOMLkE3qhzj63LT4wBHB2tRcwszUaTR0dvSgxL7UEUCYvOwJeiOi_nTVrij05dU6r3QVGai1FnJh3xDscEok7WMxsSSdCW8iQouLipqKQpGDUA8JNt/s1600/3319211989_62fd8c0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdYN0KpGYHbV7kWQO2YTOMLkE3qhzj63LT4wBHB2tRcwszUaTR0dvSgxL7UEUCYvOwJeiOi_nTVrij05dU6r3QVGai1FnJh3xDscEok7WMxsSSdCW8iQouLipqKQpGDUA8JNt/s320/3319211989_62fd8c0353.jpg" /></a></div><br />
On a less wistful note, I found these today:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEOM58LsaV6lCJoq6oY9yu_FyEItE8UQHgPoeRJDmEpUW72Hu28eP7Mn_eGkTr_P4FlVSiFSW2bQ8MJ-fkcAOboopBYShyphenhyphenuwwlYSMjLpXWMtJi6PDhY5t9Xyi32WDHj8-bKJN/s1600/DSCF3593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEOM58LsaV6lCJoq6oY9yu_FyEItE8UQHgPoeRJDmEpUW72Hu28eP7Mn_eGkTr_P4FlVSiFSW2bQ8MJ-fkcAOboopBYShyphenhyphenuwwlYSMjLpXWMtJi6PDhY5t9Xyi32WDHj8-bKJN/s320/DSCF3593.JPG" /></a></div>I think this is brunnera? Teensy tiny blue flowers.<br />
On the other side of the steps, one of my anemones or windflowers bloomed. I didn't know they would be so petite and sweet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHDyTnL4zBuFeqXKR5s-6odflWk4YDeape7ZRssjieZDOXJNsQhKkX778qpKIn3_wrD8v8V3Kl6p8xe_xmlGReK9hrCbgbdQx9_rIRhW-fGRM4Ar8OP6A2jnO45iCxWPvgodc/s1600/DSCF3591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHDyTnL4zBuFeqXKR5s-6odflWk4YDeape7ZRssjieZDOXJNsQhKkX778qpKIn3_wrD8v8V3Kl6p8xe_xmlGReK9hrCbgbdQx9_rIRhW-fGRM4Ar8OP6A2jnO45iCxWPvgodc/s320/DSCF3591.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Now....do you have a sewing machine? Do you want some new spring clothes?<br />
Check out the <a href="http://mohistory.org/education-and-events/events/4049?ctx=/calendar/2010/04/10/">Swap O-Rama</a> 2010 at the History Museum on April 10th! Emily, the organizer, is hard-up for some volunteers to run machines to help folks refashion the afternoon away. Plus, the clothes swap! You know I love new clothes, and if they're free, it's even better.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-331494992946957022010-03-27T19:05:00.000-05:002010-03-27T19:05:17.604-05:00Self-Pitying Post! Be Warned!Today sucked. I had thought my good mood returned yesterday, and things today were going well until I went grocery shopping.<br />
1. My grocery bill was less than 50 cents OVER the balance in our account. I was so embarrassed: I've never been that person who has to put stuff back. Did I put back the <a href="http://www.candyfavorites.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/take-5.gif">Take 5 bars</a>? Hell no! The dog food can wait a few days! Why should I suffer a lack of chocolate when...<br />
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2. My serger has been stitching funny and I can't get it adjusted quite right. I was almost done with my Secret Project and then the damn needle fell out. After twenty minutes last night of fussing with it, I was sick of thread tensions and loopers. At that point, I said, "fuck it" and turned it off and put the cover over it. <br />
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3. Tilted my hot iron to see what was sticking on the bottom and poured hot iron water all over my hand.<br />
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4. Decided to cut out bird bits for bird pot holders. Brought up bin of Asian fabrics, opened it up and was overwhelmed with choices and couldn't decide where to start.<br />
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5. Motherfucking squirrel(s) dug up my planters of lettuce on the front porch.<br />
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6. Don't even get me started on the "I'm pretty sure I don't want kids, cause I like to be alone and I like a clean house, so why do I feel so bitter about people who are pregnant?" conundrum!<br />
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Waaaa.....poor little me.......<br />
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Since I just read an article about negative self talk, I have to balance out the bad.....<br />
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1. My friend Kelly came over and I sent her home with 2 bags of fabric that will be made into super cute bags.<br />
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2. Mushroom and olive pizza is cooking in the oven.<br />
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3. I found these today:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTIoYZxgmCWbR04CH7cHgTv9Sp-FSiEcBIcxtSJPcy4_ysO9q5R42uLZxqlIv1Q1CUHhyphenhyphenDzNH7R2Jwk1LatM1K-1AirWHAeTizINvFKL140YTnKpE1tDP5-hlqShFCFUGfEji/s1600/DSCF3585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTIoYZxgmCWbR04CH7cHgTv9Sp-FSiEcBIcxtSJPcy4_ysO9q5R42uLZxqlIv1Q1CUHhyphenhyphenDzNH7R2Jwk1LatM1K-1AirWHAeTizINvFKL140YTnKpE1tDP5-hlqShFCFUGfEji/s320/DSCF3585.JPG" /></a></div>Bluebells!<br />
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4. Last year on March 28, I took this picture:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS8A9NaCQMzJkw7RjLdjUXgVT9K28c4NNCOYSJ-WzMf5B-ApOIsqt36a6gHlVyRfsQCjujt-Ffow02CnUP2wmvFQs0BIKhIV6oEGY1kZqjqlE-bQVsEYmb0tJdyPfCZHhpa8p/s1600/DSCF2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS8A9NaCQMzJkw7RjLdjUXgVT9K28c4NNCOYSJ-WzMf5B-ApOIsqt36a6gHlVyRfsQCjujt-Ffow02CnUP2wmvFQs0BIKhIV6oEGY1kZqjqlE-bQVsEYmb0tJdyPfCZHhpa8p/s320/DSCF2031.JPG" /></a></div>Here is the same view today, with no snow, a robin and bird bath:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2XwkTCNR_fwm-f-SrM8UPO3STXa195clmWOJKu1rId8kWs1ap86p6FQq2ghCjFCrpbG2eGI7IqDXxqa4w_RCsCq-LFnG1xDbMuyvBFkCZi0hosT-qKkIllzlQbr-sfNqxCYK/s1600/DSCF3588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2XwkTCNR_fwm-f-SrM8UPO3STXa195clmWOJKu1rId8kWs1ap86p6FQq2ghCjFCrpbG2eGI7IqDXxqa4w_RCsCq-LFnG1xDbMuyvBFkCZi0hosT-qKkIllzlQbr-sfNqxCYK/s320/DSCF3588.JPG" /></a></div>He was splashing around and enjoying himself immensely. Anyone want some money plant that's coming up all around the bird bath?<br />
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5. I had the presence of mind to NOT pull up a mystery plant that I first thought was a weed. After further investigation, said plants are either <a href="http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/images/grecian%20windflowers.jpg">Grecian windflowers</a> or <a href="http://rlv.zcache.com/purple_anemone_flower_poster-p228532998643907653tdcp_400.jpg">anemone</a>s. <br />
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6. My sweet little arthritic Maggie will be 12 on March 30. She enjoyed a long walk today and some fine smells on the warm-ish breeze. Notice the pillaged planters flanking her.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTimYkXAe6uLQCoMKVbyP93C243EypNHsaTE02rcS6wrJawHMiXavOWbKOfNQMXhfjsFRjGlZSaxrJANOJNbCz0IWb6ceoF6sE7gwLWEVz9wlq93j_k7s2-1OA7uZwmLr8obs/s1600/DSCF3587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTimYkXAe6uLQCoMKVbyP93C243EypNHsaTE02rcS6wrJawHMiXavOWbKOfNQMXhfjsFRjGlZSaxrJANOJNbCz0IWb6ceoF6sE7gwLWEVz9wlq93j_k7s2-1OA7uZwmLr8obs/s320/DSCF3587.JPG" /></a></div>Let's hope for a better day tomorrow! Now for some pizza and Sunday flyers.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-22170960679403358812010-03-18T18:07:00.000-05:002010-03-18T18:07:47.108-05:00Birdz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHLfZlV4rYSEmquzNxnySwufRcSywxgLVvPUuWYove-LYXFExjFeYnQLBqhWE5PgJAXP7s1VM4gEeXRVaAHRO0sqE3XsNBhEgMSS6zJmvvXlE4LD7aWPMowMcj9Ev77jVIqpN/s1600-h/DSCF3577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHLfZlV4rYSEmquzNxnySwufRcSywxgLVvPUuWYove-LYXFExjFeYnQLBqhWE5PgJAXP7s1VM4gEeXRVaAHRO0sqE3XsNBhEgMSS6zJmvvXlE4LD7aWPMowMcj9Ev77jVIqpN/s320/DSCF3577.JPG" /></a></div>There are two pairs of cardinals that hang out in my yard. Here, one of them sits atop the bird feeder pole.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRiMUvjzqEc_Z8B8RMoLt_WV9v8Z9qlg1FwUpF0pb567oMoMfnKBd-IttQ5cpXeVjJxthqAIVC2_5nVPQ8pp-jO9PJWkpmPH2W1GfavEHuMYgHYA-FtC61liIcGq1rPzb87_P/s1600-h/DSCF3578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRiMUvjzqEc_Z8B8RMoLt_WV9v8Z9qlg1FwUpF0pb567oMoMfnKBd-IttQ5cpXeVjJxthqAIVC2_5nVPQ8pp-jO9PJWkpmPH2W1GfavEHuMYgHYA-FtC61liIcGq1rPzb87_P/s320/DSCF3578.JPG" /></a></div> While his lady friend and a robin wait for him to eat.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLQ4JK_HpN48P0EpP_Ne1jR65toLufrjyqEpQ63VF8Ogg9fYOJPhhzuKOXf-2w3BqR0bQBHRLF9WlMsMOY3CzySx4uYlqbeMPm4T8m9Lu8tj7sREt2u7QmaHrmpICZxCqHayi/s1600-h/DSCF3580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLQ4JK_HpN48P0EpP_Ne1jR65toLufrjyqEpQ63VF8Ogg9fYOJPhhzuKOXf-2w3BqR0bQBHRLF9WlMsMOY3CzySx4uYlqbeMPm4T8m9Lu8tj7sREt2u7QmaHrmpICZxCqHayi/s320/DSCF3580.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The downy woodpecker is pretty brave and doesn't give a rat's ass about who is king of the feeder. I think there might be two of them also.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc4PEcoSc_1vH6qQ-Em80X6lyFAEaaMvAA79J6KO_D6hWhoeorcXjYDvryzuexA43EH_sHYAs7azXH8B9Tqg81FAhP5rZuva3w8GxfzPALNW2c7y94ojMb_JCqwIKrJCvmQmi/s1600-h/DSCF3581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc4PEcoSc_1vH6qQ-Em80X6lyFAEaaMvAA79J6KO_D6hWhoeorcXjYDvryzuexA43EH_sHYAs7azXH8B9Tqg81FAhP5rZuva3w8GxfzPALNW2c7y94ojMb_JCqwIKrJCvmQmi/s320/DSCF3581.JPG" /></a></div>I cut some forsythia and brought it inside to bloom. My only regret is that I won't be here this weekend to see it open!<br />
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The sunshine and balmy temps of the past few days have really done a job on my winter blahs. I didn't think I was mellow, but I was noticeably happier yesterday. It might have been the odor of roasting coffee from Chauvin Coffee Company wafting through the air, or the delicious smell coming from the Vietnamese's kitchen next door. <br />
Either way, I'm happy spring is here and am excited to drive to Chicago tomorrow to see old and old-ish friends. Dan Ryan, here I come!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-28885428262195880422010-03-17T15:35:00.000-05:002010-03-17T15:35:02.246-05:00Digging In The Dirt, 2010FINALLY I was able to get the garden started!<br />
I am on spring break this week, and after a day of self-imposed sloth-ery, I worked outside all day yesterday.<br />
Here's what I found in the compost bin:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIElxsQ2_1XfjYoRylKrue9h19Qi8ZcDb-MVHw1iDvAVrAbRlVPZRkS0R6ikCliriybfuzsiw2SoMORu-MXq0fTMRZ7OW1phSH8CBC9L4RfcZ6kVRWBKbovw1JZHbiPK8Pdd6/s1600-h/DSCF3518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIElxsQ2_1XfjYoRylKrue9h19Qi8ZcDb-MVHw1iDvAVrAbRlVPZRkS0R6ikCliriybfuzsiw2SoMORu-MXq0fTMRZ7OW1phSH8CBC9L4RfcZ6kVRWBKbovw1JZHbiPK8Pdd6/s320/DSCF3518.JPG" /></a></div>Wee little mice. There must have been about 20 of them, fleeing like it was the Titanic! Glad I'm not scared of them. It amazes me how they live all winter. Why don't they freeze? And now I know why the neighbor's cats (Ginny and Peanut) sit, mesmerized by the bin.<br />
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As you South Citians know, most of our backyards have a cement walk flanked by a thin strip of grass and the typical chain link fence. Since we moved in almost 5 years ago, I have been slowly killing said strip of grass with a combination of cardboard, leaves, newspapers and whatnot. This past year was the last killing session I had to do. Behold the loveliness:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE4I12mNH0bCuNu8zYn07u6pjE9eptD95gZl8zUGgDefLoLTsPV0PjTOFBzyjyTFASYYSroARu9tyEm2Xhbxq5nBsFfVHcfq0LHdHwteKlE-abaZwYkAayL1Sk4-N_U6cXpnF/s1600-h/DSCF3523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE4I12mNH0bCuNu8zYn07u6pjE9eptD95gZl8zUGgDefLoLTsPV0PjTOFBzyjyTFASYYSroARu9tyEm2Xhbxq5nBsFfVHcfq0LHdHwteKlE-abaZwYkAayL1Sk4-N_U6cXpnF/s320/DSCF3523.JPG" /></a></div>The green bit is a clump of magenta hollyhocks that I hope will bloom there this year. I'll put tomatoes, and squash in here, and give up on my dream of a corn patch. Last year was very traumatic for me, corn-growing-wise, thanks to the local wildlife.<br />
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Crocus are blooming, and there's one daffodil out front that is ready to pop. I cut some forsythia branches to force inside.<br />
Last year, we had snow on March 26th, but it doesn't feel like that today. Warm, balmy breezes, a dog sleeping in the yard and a corned beef simmering away. Perfect, perfect. <br />
Days like today make me feel I am blessed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1fcobQJcuOkFEWYTkKcnxotLwLBx6P8757QfK0wiLEQkxcxRsKJ4I9rPg83m4eJ-5mBV_qHaabRXYcWTbsrU5S4uNzFMVIT3CnX0QJ7BwwRefIizuyYXFmXntqoaE7iaNELg/s1600-h/DSCF3527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1fcobQJcuOkFEWYTkKcnxotLwLBx6P8757QfK0wiLEQkxcxRsKJ4I9rPg83m4eJ-5mBV_qHaabRXYcWTbsrU5S4uNzFMVIT3CnX0QJ7BwwRefIizuyYXFmXntqoaE7iaNELg/s320/DSCF3527.JPG" /></a></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-49049401984404529532010-02-24T20:15:00.000-06:002010-02-24T20:15:31.192-06:00Spring, where are you?We're getting new outside doors tomorrow! I am beyond excited and thought about it all day long at work. Exciting life, eh?<br />
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Here are some pics to tide us over until spring strolls in. It can't be much longer, as my bulbs are poking their little spikes through the soil. I planted $50 worth of bulbs in October, and by now, I have forgotten what went where. Should be a nice surprise in a few months!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWz6oeUlyMj7HUlSUOkKs4E8RK3h5yPLh3QOtO-7pWYsNWbP_zCGYZZOvAt6Djg2d2i6ZKinj8gUd093oVqs14E-sEwkCmMtxpahG3ofJdP8_YSZ6-MSLGBrY3P9hY5LaUh4yx/s1600-h/LexmarkAIOScan43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWz6oeUlyMj7HUlSUOkKs4E8RK3h5yPLh3QOtO-7pWYsNWbP_zCGYZZOvAt6Djg2d2i6ZKinj8gUd093oVqs14E-sEwkCmMtxpahG3ofJdP8_YSZ6-MSLGBrY3P9hY5LaUh4yx/s320/LexmarkAIOScan43.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HADpmCT3TdIfsIT9hkJx_upKvEgUBj5aK7djT2nowNEcR7L5zH3wkv1gde9qhu7Pxkqav97QYUf5yyiis2aVJmF9bKjvqt8P6_lGPmN1PWlqC8DUmjAop5EFG-YYlKbMD-Zd/s1600-h/LexmarkAIOScan44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HADpmCT3TdIfsIT9hkJx_upKvEgUBj5aK7djT2nowNEcR7L5zH3wkv1gde9qhu7Pxkqav97QYUf5yyiis2aVJmF9bKjvqt8P6_lGPmN1PWlqC8DUmjAop5EFG-YYlKbMD-Zd/s320/LexmarkAIOScan44.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lovely seed packets from 1965. My mother was 19 years old. Free Fritos!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFBUlWz4zI7tohyphenhyphenlDIJ4Y-mrAdSTYSgkVQxnhVNc0xH_oBeXypL6-5gy0BNjZUoH_qP8yVV4xVYC3wc859ttmIxAtOYeSAUONwcaytXCU9KekG3aQNOTvWqjWw9pbV6t8bOce/s1600-h/DSCF2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFBUlWz4zI7tohyphenhyphenlDIJ4Y-mrAdSTYSgkVQxnhVNc0xH_oBeXypL6-5gy0BNjZUoH_qP8yVV4xVYC3wc859ttmIxAtOYeSAUONwcaytXCU9KekG3aQNOTvWqjWw9pbV6t8bOce/s320/DSCF2092.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6BBHJfjrC5ZUfQ-7BQIaJqJUFpSQj_o0VNaQ7lcFP05frHsCNLm7UWZp479W0cPYQlLD8jGFpF-DutZKxakyQLFODxweDHK3MN3keppVXjcQq-Co_D18_iqJKtkh2TgPX5aJ/s1600-h/DSCF2121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6BBHJfjrC5ZUfQ-7BQIaJqJUFpSQj_o0VNaQ7lcFP05frHsCNLm7UWZp479W0cPYQlLD8jGFpF-DutZKxakyQLFODxweDHK3MN3keppVXjcQq-Co_D18_iqJKtkh2TgPX5aJ/s320/DSCF2121.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tvfmSQKfCj8GyS7eIvQl9NcDadYFwxqt5amJZqCQP6IcnKPp7Lw8zb0YwIOblP28fX4U_kzVEnU337dEixiXrhEEmKEfk-faFkzQYbYo5zl_MrIiWTzzmtfRAuAZJJ3oE6Yl/s1600-h/DSCF2367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tvfmSQKfCj8GyS7eIvQl9NcDadYFwxqt5amJZqCQP6IcnKPp7Lw8zb0YwIOblP28fX4U_kzVEnU337dEixiXrhEEmKEfk-faFkzQYbYo5zl_MrIiWTzzmtfRAuAZJJ3oE6Yl/s320/DSCF2367.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSqoCXyviXDEp-LmoVHieJcJrz4vhdjfxAEGYpt_Djr-sHdlttCXOIa6ghi5rVcq3pdydRMqK5u23qqb40dqU_HQD-mMeNX6JJHyghuNh7GV6-gy731v2X03ZwRCXP06XQ-K2/s1600-h/DSCF1134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSqoCXyviXDEp-LmoVHieJcJrz4vhdjfxAEGYpt_Djr-sHdlttCXOIa6ghi5rVcq3pdydRMqK5u23qqb40dqU_HQD-mMeNX6JJHyghuNh7GV6-gy731v2X03ZwRCXP06XQ-K2/s320/DSCF1134.JPG" /></a><br />
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It's always hard to believe that it all begins like this:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqZ0XAn5sln1LYLhaq7KsPk7rb_6NYS8o6YHmfxpJyV9MravKb0NXiuEs9nYTJPdc3BKw3mP52Nmbw7YW9XfxyDK4NhK4b6AKWobDpNZSjhyphenhyphen1Ya-xYKNzbDugQ6yEokWlCsSf/s1600-h/DSCF0914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqZ0XAn5sln1LYLhaq7KsPk7rb_6NYS8o6YHmfxpJyV9MravKb0NXiuEs9nYTJPdc3BKw3mP52Nmbw7YW9XfxyDK4NhK4b6AKWobDpNZSjhyphenhyphen1Ya-xYKNzbDugQ6yEokWlCsSf/s320/DSCF0914.JPG" /></a><br />
And ends up like this 7 months later.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m9ABwKjQZ6ObgkefJzHuiLYdHq99QlKN-nr7lIiZt0LYo6vugt0wFk2QVESt4rCxq-X7G_7lFBL-YQxlvtpvgSYcXt29innT6ktiMro7t3OeChtuwSE9J3M3Zcc_as05rXrc/s1600-h/DSCF2998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m9ABwKjQZ6ObgkefJzHuiLYdHq99QlKN-nr7lIiZt0LYo6vugt0wFk2QVESt4rCxq-X7G_7lFBL-YQxlvtpvgSYcXt29innT6ktiMro7t3OeChtuwSE9J3M3Zcc_as05rXrc/s320/DSCF2998.JPG" /></a></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-66825599834090845372010-02-11T17:11:00.001-06:002010-02-11T17:12:30.847-06:00Snow Day! Just some pretty:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7sSOmmGuYnpRLPVzLsb5N-kGl5k4WQTcDvQ4cgZPS1rzcJTYjrtTv5Yd1sPijUAAS6n3oqOLJbjAEtgN8piundgLHHc78z36cIVgT-WbCPe-5ypmqCEez1YyIAtCK18vheu5/s1600-h/DSCF3445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7sSOmmGuYnpRLPVzLsb5N-kGl5k4WQTcDvQ4cgZPS1rzcJTYjrtTv5Yd1sPijUAAS6n3oqOLJbjAEtgN8piundgLHHc78z36cIVgT-WbCPe-5ypmqCEez1YyIAtCK18vheu5/s320/DSCF3445.JPG" /></a></div><br />
My parents in Pennsylvania are getting hit hard with the snowfalls there. There is nothing on that patio table except 2 feet of snow.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmBI9MO9kGYwB-M3bFZ7MD6fD34KsQcJcoT2U6QdCsr7tL2gQ_l6FEj7UNykjawU5rtUHs7QJWPBjSSp5P7kDjS5mKJh2csFb1-o7ZUE8evVZW3Xk1OGvupPLKRENDLK-ogyO/s1600-h/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmBI9MO9kGYwB-M3bFZ7MD6fD34KsQcJcoT2U6QdCsr7tL2gQ_l6FEj7UNykjawU5rtUHs7QJWPBjSSp5P7kDjS5mKJh2csFb1-o7ZUE8evVZW3Xk1OGvupPLKRENDLK-ogyO/s320/07.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I am jonesing for spring, especially after seeing a huge flock of robins this week.<br />
Here are some warm photos for you to contemplate:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_dBIr41YA3zh8zmuJpOV5qQNYgPmp7Nj2MTXQpHByF9-wmRDu5K5bzzxmY2F-gqb5EUAUtOzyi9lZ7W5qCQVsdFJUrO-ssSFrdvAWBoYqNjH0hTM6AeRhQOMo8rY8l8yyb4l/s1600-h/Momand+Dan1981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_dBIr41YA3zh8zmuJpOV5qQNYgPmp7Nj2MTXQpHByF9-wmRDu5K5bzzxmY2F-gqb5EUAUtOzyi9lZ7W5qCQVsdFJUrO-ssSFrdvAWBoYqNjH0hTM6AeRhQOMo8rY8l8yyb4l/s320/Momand+Dan1981.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my mom and brother in 1981.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cmLqYgCbCaY1khx3aqPagEALOzJZ6Jy6LyaIRAiUofcjxiB0ltXtUCrcJlRwyR7FZxQq5876nd2AAWQt_82ViJ3f2l2mOVF7U8NsC6oEUNQeRZRIrTG_Gn7iCxyPs1EB2FNN/s1600-h/LexmarkAIOScan5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cmLqYgCbCaY1khx3aqPagEALOzJZ6Jy6LyaIRAiUofcjxiB0ltXtUCrcJlRwyR7FZxQq5876nd2AAWQt_82ViJ3f2l2mOVF7U8NsC6oEUNQeRZRIrTG_Gn7iCxyPs1EB2FNN/s320/LexmarkAIOScan5.jpg" /></a><br />
Check out those tritoma!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG38jD8SE9q79Yhomeix6Wf9KNzQ7w-BLYrFOCqI8EDvtxPxpV7NLENqCpxTpD-SOmZk0P0nv1D9Y1Xfje1leAumFsM08sm6u3inuabu-S8HQqzayMBxK_BttYUd9nMPWUT2L/s1600-h/DSCF2640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG38jD8SE9q79Yhomeix6Wf9KNzQ7w-BLYrFOCqI8EDvtxPxpV7NLENqCpxTpD-SOmZk0P0nv1D9Y1Xfje1leAumFsM08sm6u3inuabu-S8HQqzayMBxK_BttYUd9nMPWUT2L/s320/DSCF2640.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love, love, love zinnias. There's something about their symmetry and pure rich colors and unfussiness that appeal to me. Come on, spring! </div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-78762166184444053412010-01-11T18:08:00.000-06:002010-01-11T18:08:24.771-06:00For MBToday in homeroom, my students told me, in hushed and awed tones, that a couple former students were involved in a shooting death this weekend. Apparently, one of my former boys got upset at a dice game, took another boy's gun, and shot the boy he was upset with. They are in ninth grade. Fourteen or fifteen-year-olds. Rumor also has it that the shooter panicked and took the body to a local fast food joint and then skipped town.<br />
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The shooter was a kid who I would describe as a big teddy bear. He never had issues with other kids and was very popular. Now, he might not have been the best student academically, but he wasn't a kid who I would expect this from. I could make him cry if I wanted to.<br />
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I spent the rest of today watching my current seventh graders work in pairs and then separate and cozy up in bean bags for silent reading time. They are so small and so innocent and so ignorant of how cruel life can be. <br />
Which of these will I be hearing tragic stories about in 2 years?<br />
Which will not make it past the age of 20? <br />
After I left teaching in juvenile detention, I would follow the crime beat in the Boston newspaper. Many, many of my former students are dead. It's not shocking to me anymore, but it is still saddening. <br />
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The Mississippi River is mostly frozen over. Yesterday, we drove up river to look for eagles and to check out the amazing and beautiful ice floes. The ice is broken up into 2-inch thick slabs and there are actual snow drifts across the ice in some places. When you stand still, you hear the quiet sounds of the ice moving and cracking against itself. Even the sun doesn't penetrate the frozen, otherworldly feeling you get when you see the ice field.<br />
I imagine the hearts of the mothers involved look like this. Cold and broken with no signs of life. <br />
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</div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-72717140132439433752010-01-10T11:32:00.013-06:002010-01-10T11:59:10.574-06:00Many Moons Later...I've found that there is a dearth of St. Louis urban garden blogs. Or, I've found that I can't find them. So, just like when you skid in snow, you know you should steer into the skid, I see that this blog became a garden blog without me realizing it. I'm steering it that way, then.<br /><br />It is almost painful to read the last posts as I sit here, trapped inside the house because it is 7 degrees outside. I've been trapped inside for the past 4 days, due to 2 snow days, Saturday and today being Sunday. The couple inches of snow have not melted. The dog still demands a walk each day, even though she gets snow between her toes and then limps the rest of the way home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzc-KAf3KD6MeJXsIeStIlpRVC83cybcpwU6htAgob3MAWjrPWC_YjDAlYrxsFquxqUk0WMdMHbzWDDVd8j27pWSK76pclLtvGUAl-13xTANXJv1eBVc5V-zeXThFk5ANjxZE/s1600-h/mags"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzc-KAf3KD6MeJXsIeStIlpRVC83cybcpwU6htAgob3MAWjrPWC_YjDAlYrxsFquxqUk0WMdMHbzWDDVd8j27pWSK76pclLtvGUAl-13xTANXJv1eBVc5V-zeXThFk5ANjxZE/s400/mags" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425167669436113266" border="0" /></a>But how could I resist that grizzled face?<br /><br />How did Rabbitt Gardens turn out?<br />1. I made 5 bags of marinara sauce.<br />2. I roasted and mashed and froze 2 bags of mystery winter squash.<br />3. The potato/tire planter suffered too much water and did not work. I have hopes for this year, though.<br />4. Squash has to go somewhere else next year. It grew into the alley and became a nuisance.<br />5. Watermelon wants more sun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVrjkrps5t3UJ8LqjQdX3wY_pAx38M5xinHAF1CgaEBh6hZ85jnIZmlP06BxwYk0Ppg4-6AbK1SEAP2709YGdJZUa-ckgBqusDb3Yn-BIubJTHis3k4I6YA2TSmoukXilXsAZ/s1600-h/DSCF2584.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVrjkrps5t3UJ8LqjQdX3wY_pAx38M5xinHAF1CgaEBh6hZ85jnIZmlP06BxwYk0Ppg4-6AbK1SEAP2709YGdJZUa-ckgBqusDb3Yn-BIubJTHis3k4I6YA2TSmoukXilXsAZ/s400/DSCF2584.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425168084233688034" border="0" /></a><br />6. I will never plant corn again. Sure, it looks neat and orderly, but what the squirrels didn't eat during the day, the raccoons or possums ate at night.<br />7. Cleome has tiny little painful spikes on it.<br />8. Money plant reseeds like crazy.<br />9. I will pull up all dill I see next year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJcAlPwIAl_uxy5AApvS3wSuU3jRdn3AHZA6kHnC31KkbHjJlIdr0VIXjKheo8ubLU7KKZwclSIlBYwHGI0Pmv_QfOvD3yWs0dMbagzppMFB71AARufKpicj-3NCYEXu2iuI6/s1600-h/DSCF2363.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJcAlPwIAl_uxy5AApvS3wSuU3jRdn3AHZA6kHnC31KkbHjJlIdr0VIXjKheo8ubLU7KKZwclSIlBYwHGI0Pmv_QfOvD3yWs0dMbagzppMFB71AARufKpicj-3NCYEXu2iuI6/s400/DSCF2363.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425170348969522482" border="0" /></a><br />10. Tomatoes are going in a different place this summer.<br />11. The front yard is a fine place to grow peppers.<br /><br />Pictures, you say? Sure, I've got lots!<br /><br />There were 3 pairs of goldfinches that hung out most of the summer, working on the 3 varieties of sunflowers I grew. The one in the top right is not deformed; he's just itching.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2j7C76jmmwKltkzIcNNN4fn7jVvqf0O2vmCDkpxwTk89HM4Xjzg_5Dg2nvbwgQ9QcXQXpUTVPfM1xI6TLlPnkWF180Olv_ifr_Qc4GPkd9D5mk-70d3AMJXIAIKOjwlyFFpb/s1600-h/DSCF2786.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2j7C76jmmwKltkzIcNNN4fn7jVvqf0O2vmCDkpxwTk89HM4Xjzg_5Dg2nvbwgQ9QcXQXpUTVPfM1xI6TLlPnkWF180Olv_ifr_Qc4GPkd9D5mk-70d3AMJXIAIKOjwlyFFpb/s400/DSCF2786.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425171602914204338" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Monarch caterpillars on dill:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1bwO__mMdpN2GBKo2LtLRs1jZWbSZe7VWdydIUVvASZWHhVLqFzzi4upEbO2-u7Q8bclWSciud9S5oOxsVmN6fDOSnGtX104hikVltNLnjWkh8jlS_-gNYwEquviz8cIekYJ/s1600-h/DSCF3187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1bwO__mMdpN2GBKo2LtLRs1jZWbSZe7VWdydIUVvASZWHhVLqFzzi4upEbO2-u7Q8bclWSciud9S5oOxsVmN6fDOSnGtX104hikVltNLnjWkh8jlS_-gNYwEquviz8cIekYJ/s400/DSCF3187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425168565849441794" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Giant yellow and black garden spider. She had made a huge web conveniently across the top of the compost bin. I almost walked into it, and am glad I didn't, for that would have taken years off my life. Here, she is eating a grasshopper, which I am very thankful for. Where do these things come from?!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSlnTn-S8fo5DoiCIrgEL24Qeb1XYhv9xeqK3QdMemoT2u1vQ7Du4PkozbiajQeO9um2pvjWKrwmXvZ6S6bQ7iO6hAXLDbPA25IZ2A-SrxxC98DFR153YNOU13_o82-fwT_Pm/s1600-h/DSCF3099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSlnTn-S8fo5DoiCIrgEL24Qeb1XYhv9xeqK3QdMemoT2u1vQ7Du4PkozbiajQeO9um2pvjWKrwmXvZ6S6bQ7iO6hAXLDbPA25IZ2A-SrxxC98DFR153YNOU13_o82-fwT_Pm/s400/DSCF3099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425169046601865090" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The last picture of the garden.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYb_6dahL2QRm4hTDfKU846QzllDwyEl1mtyyKlfhhQIk2LklwxVXa7KzLj0AWKkrIpEMCyaVqN9_mh7GWIgp15GXLHeIFrqvObHhnT1u_13_xlB_0v1Y4zyABkJGrj_y4QpL/s1600-h/DSCF2999.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYb_6dahL2QRm4hTDfKU846QzllDwyEl1mtyyKlfhhQIk2LklwxVXa7KzLj0AWKkrIpEMCyaVqN9_mh7GWIgp15GXLHeIFrqvObHhnT1u_13_xlB_0v1Y4zyABkJGrj_y4QpL/s400/DSCF2999.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425170765739845906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Then we look forward to orchid blooms and Christmas cactus blooms:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wPNvfc2gOkffHrjmeQlFYUxkyH2gGkSKXELeE5O_zKiA6Um_BGZ-ei3vRTu4Pkgs-UGsnSSoTFsfmk74C7w4O_-91Ulk0ZeC_3oGumsbKgJR1U4BF3EZwI30yxubvHHdJ2Dc/s1600-h/DSCF3301.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wPNvfc2gOkffHrjmeQlFYUxkyH2gGkSKXELeE5O_zKiA6Um_BGZ-ei3vRTu4Pkgs-UGsnSSoTFsfmk74C7w4O_-91Ulk0ZeC_3oGumsbKgJR1U4BF3EZwI30yxubvHHdJ2Dc/s400/DSCF3301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425169822885478114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ihCGiX7Bqxqxfz-gUATRyqZbqyFoa0xtL24w4k2lrgRmcnqlbmsoBih4HpFGeiox4xFzKRrFwkd7kj0VtdinrL5TREL4-EwCckfItNyhIbI69h1YDOQ7tIR_64Ho-dTKdBHW/s1600-h/DSCF3101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ihCGiX7Bqxqxfz-gUATRyqZbqyFoa0xtL24w4k2lrgRmcnqlbmsoBih4HpFGeiox4xFzKRrFwkd7kj0VtdinrL5TREL4-EwCckfItNyhIbI69h1YDOQ7tIR_64Ho-dTKdBHW/s400/DSCF3101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425169586202942626" border="0" /></a>So, stay tuned as I plan for Garden 2010!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-29180778957316681312009-07-24T15:20:00.005-05:002009-07-24T15:25:43.350-05:00Self ExplanatoryFirst tomato of the year and new favorite shirt. I feel 20 years old again, with a powerful-statement-shirt. Believe it or not, this was taken on the first shot. Skillz.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDh49eD7Zzmg6sgJTTX6t1z_BSk4hENbhU-AVFLzfxlEtx6OEJPRoSreY8aAmmjE_d7zVmLXIVJlgeWKlng83KtaOCUTS0xOxPn3RM8fRg5LBi4QwXluYUICrOyuOLGikpOBp/s1600-h/DSCF2874.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDh49eD7Zzmg6sgJTTX6t1z_BSk4hENbhU-AVFLzfxlEtx6OEJPRoSreY8aAmmjE_d7zVmLXIVJlgeWKlng83KtaOCUTS0xOxPn3RM8fRg5LBi4QwXluYUICrOyuOLGikpOBp/s400/DSCF2874.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362124666721185922" border="0" /></a>More green beans than I thought:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSYl5XtKgWOUIU8vaoybtpCcvz5ndjEHf4Wz7IsHXaW38jc3dgvgvTmDNMMepnCAo1PBH7weH6SDILAOBwfT0JAm4YPXVdTDM1f_0RlN3MSob1GU9U8Ol0D9_Ozgnv_44keBt/s1600-h/DSCF2873.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSYl5XtKgWOUIU8vaoybtpCcvz5ndjEHf4Wz7IsHXaW38jc3dgvgvTmDNMMepnCAo1PBH7weH6SDILAOBwfT0JAm4YPXVdTDM1f_0RlN3MSob1GU9U8Ol0D9_Ozgnv_44keBt/s400/DSCF2873.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362124426249532978" border="0" /></a><br />I've been sewing for this show for the past two weeks. Won't you come shop? I will have some of my mother's crocheted bags made from plastic shopping bags, too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U5M6gONkEJMC74QqNtjvVP2lkXf2jM7WBKVxfYyidk9YPaFXuSCaETHTQZ-qDAh4x5S1gWiEsZMV2JZP3QevX7q-3cMlYP1OV89yW1iLTmAydDgdhetmxk05mkL_eyia20kH/s1600-h/Big-Ass-Finished-Flyer-web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U5M6gONkEJMC74QqNtjvVP2lkXf2jM7WBKVxfYyidk9YPaFXuSCaETHTQZ-qDAh4x5S1gWiEsZMV2JZP3QevX7q-3cMlYP1OV89yW1iLTmAydDgdhetmxk05mkL_eyia20kH/s400/Big-Ass-Finished-Flyer-web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362124857016296530" border="0" /></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-44912549535344972492009-07-03T20:31:00.006-05:002009-07-03T20:37:26.956-05:00ProgressI love seeing this when Maggie and I come down the alley at the end of our daily walk. Zinnias, chianti sunflowers, some other type of pale yellow sunflower, four o'clocks, and a marauding squash.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEAzgatTc0V-DwudnjlOwZcuRyjVM9YVFybPnypQLzlQA5IhPKvRfXfROaRzeNmBr-Yqbit-LdkEVmanTPUJEJNKQQZS6RN3tdD9CbK1JQHwytDfLGYyVW6f3rSG3HPaNB-GO/s1600-h/DSCF2637.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEAzgatTc0V-DwudnjlOwZcuRyjVM9YVFybPnypQLzlQA5IhPKvRfXfROaRzeNmBr-Yqbit-LdkEVmanTPUJEJNKQQZS6RN3tdD9CbK1JQHwytDfLGYyVW6f3rSG3HPaNB-GO/s400/DSCF2637.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354412073094512418" border="0" /></a>Upon looking at this, I didn't even notice the baby robin sitting on the fence (on the left hand side) when I took the picture! He or she has been kicking it in the yard for several days now, following its parent around and chirping for food. Love the little speckles on its belly!<br /><br /><br />Cantaloupes are getting big. I've already bartered several of them away, so I hope there's more where this fuzzy guy came from.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM1q19CFZ5mLzUu92b8JA8DcoRFU006gWQOpedKv8zYmLwVBauwzm7IimFAWBl2T3BRZdnulWgu1zl_bT1hRC9szT2zSiwMEYBptWsFhHOnHqPp7_F0WkgIIUCgShxoQkAUb1/s1600-h/DSCF2636.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM1q19CFZ5mLzUu92b8JA8DcoRFU006gWQOpedKv8zYmLwVBauwzm7IimFAWBl2T3BRZdnulWgu1zl_bT1hRC9szT2zSiwMEYBptWsFhHOnHqPp7_F0WkgIIUCgShxoQkAUb1/s400/DSCF2636.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354411917442046626" border="0" /></a><br />Praying mantises are also getting big. This lady was hanging out on my corn, which is a few weeks behind last year's harvest date.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqViS6dZsFFDWMjQ1cmhT-GnUnI6mnQ2_fOrB2YE0PHb0tymJo5P__57uZRw0_pTUNYSKahKAcK8CFY48-ODG83I0IE0rUMTHhg163NiRyexdD6currDhhHVvv30nKK-wphALI/s1600-h/DSCF2645.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqViS6dZsFFDWMjQ1cmhT-GnUnI6mnQ2_fOrB2YE0PHb0tymJo5P__57uZRw0_pTUNYSKahKAcK8CFY48-ODG83I0IE0rUMTHhg163NiRyexdD6currDhhHVvv30nKK-wphALI/s400/DSCF2645.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354411765775660418" border="0" /></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-80340902067382320632009-06-29T08:53:00.005-05:002009-06-29T09:00:10.186-05:00First tomatoes!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9b0ZWjfbzPTUrtTbqCC1Uq9_RLOA0j2SKWyBpILyV1ovFGwtqbveMLT5ztUp3RNH71tZTS_5y_iH92G8xgaWkQSvRGl2M9X3Inl3D-Rzg2dWV2ac60WxMzCNX4SFCV2f04_g/s1600-h/DSCF2629.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9b0ZWjfbzPTUrtTbqCC1Uq9_RLOA0j2SKWyBpILyV1ovFGwtqbveMLT5ztUp3RNH71tZTS_5y_iH92G8xgaWkQSvRGl2M9X3Inl3D-Rzg2dWV2ac60WxMzCNX4SFCV2f04_g/s400/DSCF2629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352747849036444930" border="0" /></a>I found this fabric in a hunt for yellows. I made a pair of Jams out of it in 1986 or 1987. I am slightly embarrassed ....A. because I wore shorts out of this fabric and B. because I've had the hideous scraps for 22 years. But, it works perfectly with the tropical blue, red and yellow placemats I cut out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfiafZMMA5UT8_5UztDFlLn-2hwf2kODj9hgt_b1o3ejYJ6qc6llRE8xH7xinxgz8DsgWLQ5m-cz4c0LXgHDbI4LArnpjXqcCBBb1TsXD3qUVnkJvDhCQbsi6Y3oquTmJF4Ik/s1600-h/DSCF2631.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfiafZMMA5UT8_5UztDFlLn-2hwf2kODj9hgt_b1o3ejYJ6qc6llRE8xH7xinxgz8DsgWLQ5m-cz4c0LXgHDbI4LArnpjXqcCBBb1TsXD3qUVnkJvDhCQbsi6Y3oquTmJF4Ik/s400/DSCF2631.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352747650486015874" border="0" /></a>Monarda and daisies from my garden make a nice bouquet in the bathroom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4AjeaW1MhEs-Bc2ZsYj1Se1vSBe_dkxlc0n9rC0t4rI5KTa0K1UjM6rgUcm2zHA11SYQgVqUxBXkJ6_LuHsEdGtvaxchFGFkACte0xBdtT8wF32wP-zuY0jSg000Ein2BaTT/s1600-h/DSCF2632.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4AjeaW1MhEs-Bc2ZsYj1Se1vSBe_dkxlc0n9rC0t4rI5KTa0K1UjM6rgUcm2zHA11SYQgVqUxBXkJ6_LuHsEdGtvaxchFGFkACte0xBdtT8wF32wP-zuY0jSg000Ein2BaTT/s400/DSCF2632.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352747458840560546" border="0" /></a>Okay, so the tomato was on the plant when I bought it, but it took a while to get nice and yellow!<br /><br /><br />In other news, I will be taking a fresh shipment of man whore kitchen goods to Paste today. There apparently is quite a demand for man whores in St. Louis, which I am happy to fulfill.<br /><br />Cranky Yellow on Cherokee Street will also be selling my "men" this week. I'll pop by there tomorrow to drop some off. Cherokee Street has experienced quite a renaissance in the past year or so. It's not the scary neighborhood it used to be. Go get some good coffee at Mississippi Mud, walk a few blocks west to Cranky Yellow and get some tacos on your way.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-56426335045408851512009-06-23T16:18:00.006-05:002009-06-23T16:26:49.911-05:00Don't Mess With My Kids!I am all up in arms about <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=108478632497&h=xgEGs&u=hGxTa">this news article</a>. This woman is so out of touch with reality, it's frightening.<br /><br />Sure, I might complain about how annoying my students get by April, and yeah, there's a lot who I honestly cannot stand, but even the worst ones deserve a decent meal. How often have I been asked for a pass to the nurse because she gives out crackers and the asking child hasn't eaten that day? I know how much of a motivator food is. But 7th graders can't work at freakin' McDonald's! In fact, they can't legally work anywhere!<br />It just riles me when people do or say things that are negative towards or about the students I work with. The "dreaded" inner-city (sort of), poverty-line living kids who know how to do all the latest dances and can text faster than I can blink.<br /><br />Robin gives several ways to help out with this, if you're as riled as I am.<br /><br />So, a few photos to relax us all:<br /><br />1. Current state of the garden. That would be a fence of dill.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdlkF3u2ir-4hIUEtj4ozB-zVAtPtGvp-BiuCZjhUZdzhz3enc3qP7W9lG4-lDMPEAft7DclajTEqau4SWa2tFZO-8E3kZBqV7aE9iT95Ip1UYdwokPr_xKl23BPmOyLowl33/s1600-h/DSCF2586.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdlkF3u2ir-4hIUEtj4ozB-zVAtPtGvp-BiuCZjhUZdzhz3enc3qP7W9lG4-lDMPEAft7DclajTEqau4SWa2tFZO-8E3kZBqV7aE9iT95Ip1UYdwokPr_xKl23BPmOyLowl33/s400/DSCF2586.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350637006300273266" border="0" /></a>2. Current state of cantaloupe/ladder experiment. Need another few ladders, but will mess around with fencing tomorrow.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge80DEjwTvjC7u1Y4VLrKu3AeWDh9DuSucgGUtxVt1gvcnpKAoebde3O2oIX62Axz4vQoRUVkeuekRzRxy1GE4KMzS1RS9aK4KSLHAQbiXFqc428T8hAeOtwlPvzbhzO8qwJhj/s1600-h/DSCF2588.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge80DEjwTvjC7u1Y4VLrKu3AeWDh9DuSucgGUtxVt1gvcnpKAoebde3O2oIX62Axz4vQoRUVkeuekRzRxy1GE4KMzS1RS9aK4KSLHAQbiXFqc428T8hAeOtwlPvzbhzO8qwJhj/s400/DSCF2588.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350636911812393282" border="0" /></a>3. Red monarda (bee balm). I have not seen one damn hummingbird, even though this plant is supposedly hummingbird crack.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5eZ8yDyYt9BnFOrtUoo6l6axl5Lg-AVadzlXPlwOBwpLrPArdaWJlAz31Pl1pFekH52RIv78WZah9sO0HPOM6gaGbhP-5f607xlXcSnbnLdPBL6lYbALEmDnzH2JZbhyuhR6/s1600-h/DSCF2592.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5eZ8yDyYt9BnFOrtUoo6l6axl5Lg-AVadzlXPlwOBwpLrPArdaWJlAz31Pl1pFekH52RIv78WZah9sO0HPOM6gaGbhP-5f607xlXcSnbnLdPBL6lYbALEmDnzH2JZbhyuhR6/s400/DSCF2592.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350636824486586354" border="0" /></a>4. Watermelon patch. Why, oh WHY didn't I space them out once they got big?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bDBAPBlEjRHc2Y5CefGYxhOJJ6AmgcjbkDfmRQLH0j79W88KLMxw2SDJvJtb6suVQtWuVVpwKbvcY8DnyYVkKW-IBnorZVAjXizloiTCCOpxw9XJrxU_P6jRvNqJL8w1uTO2/s1600-h/DSCF2584.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bDBAPBlEjRHc2Y5CefGYxhOJJ6AmgcjbkDfmRQLH0j79W88KLMxw2SDJvJtb6suVQtWuVVpwKbvcY8DnyYVkKW-IBnorZVAjXizloiTCCOpxw9XJrxU_P6jRvNqJL8w1uTO2/s400/DSCF2584.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350636745712888834" border="0" /></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-84970950712843862232009-06-19T14:25:00.004-05:002009-06-19T14:28:05.238-05:00Metro East Pride Fest Tomorrow!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFaGFIIGKPdaWyWgzopah4StfZz8O1RhJ1NV1unyJa7sbQ_dXW_oe1uKkvRL3IyIl4-ZDtn0fItU9AzX3TKOVghinv6r1tC2_QjIH1nAM-fBDWV3mHy3SzycpYyBhKuRHPeoj/s1600-h/DSCF1236.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFaGFIIGKPdaWyWgzopah4StfZz8O1RhJ1NV1unyJa7sbQ_dXW_oe1uKkvRL3IyIl4-ZDtn0fItU9AzX3TKOVghinv6r1tC2_QjIH1nAM-fBDWV3mHy3SzycpYyBhKuRHPeoj/s400/DSCF1236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349122445573650930" border="0" /></a><br /> You know you want some male pinup oven mitts, or maybe an apron, right? Half-naked firemen? Half-naked cowboys?<br />Come find me with the St. Louis Craft Mafia in booth 14 tomorrow at the <a href="http://metroeastpride.com">Metro East Pride Fest</a> in Belleville. It's not that far from St. Louis; don't let the river freak you out. Just look for the banner above!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-89722269579655672552009-06-14T18:17:00.007-05:002009-06-14T18:44:16.109-05:00First Sunflower!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUzohzNmnM4ahPSPRiehVDPuudR8rggAJ-hyr-6eWsw_tGFTY-0tU4J35GjCVXXniywbs9S5cfnhwuSSc0ipE0HI6su8hpj6arAp5P2uMRCi7zaNdgGGMGZF-6rIalDmzGFHX/s1600-h/DSCF2362.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUzohzNmnM4ahPSPRiehVDPuudR8rggAJ-hyr-6eWsw_tGFTY-0tU4J35GjCVXXniywbs9S5cfnhwuSSc0ipE0HI6su8hpj6arAp5P2uMRCi7zaNdgGGMGZF-6rIalDmzGFHX/s320/DSCF2362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347327879727758402" border="0" /></a>Ahoy, mateys! I'm 5' 2", which makes the volunteer dill behind me..... super freakin' tall!<br />Please to see the crib, pink monarda and futon/bean trellis in the background.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvySxzdxgAGwdngenUFqWjxtLVcnym9cXWtJ3zc5ucRU8ueTsvHCeDC3_CfcfRbpy4-xX1KN7hlYnff10ZQMZdLw0uY0DbmxkSYIaBf_hivo8aaJkmq3FU71YDPCknHAjZlLh7/s1600-h/DSCF2367.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvySxzdxgAGwdngenUFqWjxtLVcnym9cXWtJ3zc5ucRU8ueTsvHCeDC3_CfcfRbpy4-xX1KN7hlYnff10ZQMZdLw0uY0DbmxkSYIaBf_hivo8aaJkmq3FU71YDPCknHAjZlLh7/s320/DSCF2367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347327110400557746" border="0" /></a>Pink monarda! I think I planted it last year, after a visit to Walker Gardens (my parents' house) in Pennsylvania. It is deliciously candy pink and I want to eat it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGucQeggm4f3mHe2EzgHmaC2jVyOuo4cumH59ssRUFRNq3lkrG5Sf9WDh7-kQUjd2Gsuxoxm_hivIngEj1KdDiAuTpHwMT-rbryCaM_MSAGyX4RbljVGcNU_ESSsH84XXvtHzP/s1600-h/DSCF2352.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGucQeggm4f3mHe2EzgHmaC2jVyOuo4cumH59ssRUFRNq3lkrG5Sf9WDh7-kQUjd2Gsuxoxm_hivIngEj1KdDiAuTpHwMT-rbryCaM_MSAGyX4RbljVGcNU_ESSsH84XXvtHzP/s320/DSCF2352.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347326856151057074" border="0" /></a>And here is the first sunflower of the year. It was a volunteer, natch, and may be a Chianti type. Either way, it's wondrous.<br /><br />Good things: 1. <a href="http://senoramuertos.blogspot.com/">Senora Muertos</a>' bad-idea-having dog made it through the night after eating spoiled dog food. Thank you, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi">St. Francis of Assisi</a>.<br /><br /> 2. Matt had a peaceful birthday last night with his scooter buddies. We sat in the backyard drinking beer, visiting with the neighbor's cat Ginny, and watching possums scoot through the hoosier neighbor's yard. I experimented with some nighttime photography, as evidenced by the Monster Dill below.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSn97tZlSAjro-gN9kM3JMMxLlIW6DywLhH5HlBLDlz8upyDV4z4PZeso4rp2NxI9T8pDuJYlw3IRAoDdI1QEqJRlRs7SkqGTne4Liwtr1qK17BBM_lpFN66zKItHlyd3RUze/s1600-h/DSCF2360.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSn97tZlSAjro-gN9kM3JMMxLlIW6DywLhH5HlBLDlz8upyDV4z4PZeso4rp2NxI9T8pDuJYlw3IRAoDdI1QEqJRlRs7SkqGTne4Liwtr1qK17BBM_lpFN66zKItHlyd3RUze/s320/DSCF2360.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347329507511037938" border="0" /></a>3. Anyone have a window AC unit they need a new home for?<br /><br />4. I am up to my eyeballs in man whore fabric. It's being sewn into sassy oven mitts and pot holders, just in time for Pride. I'll be at the Metro East Pride Fest in Belleville, IL on June 20th with some other Mafia girls.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXJLnst-s3pz3Vxgj0R4vbAWZ5KOnwYUr2rsBa3ZOKEwMgA93NX-urDTEWfy09VEfrMk4_rfRZjeWmHogY-TfdCOP-jMddG74SZ7JWLoVkpyt6EsL5KI5XdwJ6oldwRvAiskn/s1600-h/DSCF2315.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXJLnst-s3pz3Vxgj0R4vbAWZ5KOnwYUr2rsBa3ZOKEwMgA93NX-urDTEWfy09VEfrMk4_rfRZjeWmHogY-TfdCOP-jMddG74SZ7JWLoVkpyt6EsL5KI5XdwJ6oldwRvAiskn/s320/DSCF2315.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347330186976624562" border="0" /></a><br />Everyone wants a half-naked fireman in their kitchen, right? For a mere $10, he can be yours. I accept cash, checks and credit cards.<br /><br />5. Superchick and I put the Chinese coin quilt in the frame this morning. If you need me, I can be found in the freshly-cleaned basement, with Matt's iPod radio thing perched on the washer, playing all my faves.<br /><br />6. I will be at the <a href="http://www.bigindiecraft.com/">Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show</a> on July 31 to August 2. I promise you kickass placemats and whatever man whore oven mitts don't sell at Pride.<br /><br />7. Senora Muertos and I engaged in some plant thievery Thursday night. If a house is vacant, it's okay to dig up the wine-red lilies, right?<br /> It took the dark of night and a pint of Schlafly hefeweizen for me to get up the courage. Plus, we were rockin' out to some Beastie Boys' "License to Ill". What a stellar album that is/was. When it came out, I was in seventh grade, and had never heard anything like it.<br /><br />8. Visits with garden and former work friends this week, plus an invitation to Remains on Morganford. A used clothing/textile processing plant? Hells yeah!<br /><br />9. I have pretty much convinced myself that I would be happier without children. I'm up to 90% now. If it happens, that's cool, but damn if I don't look forward to reading in the backyard with an iced coffee each afternoon.<br /><br />10. My <a href="http://www.awilsonphoto.com/index.html">oldest friend</a> in the world is coming to visit in July and I am panting with excitement. I will remove the Obama sticker from my car before driving down to <a href="http://www.missouristateparks.net/elephant-rocks-state-park/index.htm">Elephant Rocks</a>, though. Mustn't upset the rednecks! The sticker is fading, anyway, but I really want to avoid smashed windows :(Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-45029172799822666182009-06-05T16:35:00.006-05:002009-06-05T16:46:51.734-05:00Man whores! Get your man whores!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqd3pbzXypvEZrtJvGf4WjWTqGHlq5Xd-OCtD1xsqlXhDac5Bqm8s5_aRx2n2HzCtuLJxtHL8Q4S_RpJpJwcK9zLLZ47kEtY11ycT9kWA2f1b2K5dDFzgL1BK2rGMExrcpjxLz/s1600-h/DSCF2317.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqd3pbzXypvEZrtJvGf4WjWTqGHlq5Xd-OCtD1xsqlXhDac5Bqm8s5_aRx2n2HzCtuLJxtHL8Q4S_RpJpJwcK9zLLZ47kEtY11ycT9kWA2f1b2K5dDFzgL1BK2rGMExrcpjxLz/s200/DSCF2317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343961305639954002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVOGE49j2X42Xub-ENgCNE_DBPUKJxoHB2azrB3Wmr2ZorC12BO22o5GoypLpUu6ewQ_ZrD8sH0-M0CJchZVaYoxLLxrAgV6F9iuZsZWugQRHQ55PZHnJbkfkns8zg71ojuS7/s1600-h/DSCF2299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVOGE49j2X42Xub-ENgCNE_DBPUKJxoHB2azrB3Wmr2ZorC12BO22o5GoypLpUu6ewQ_ZrD8sH0-M0CJchZVaYoxLLxrAgV6F9iuZsZWugQRHQ55PZHnJbkfkns8zg71ojuS7/s200/DSCF2299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343960675091055666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbta2-zF5rMPya9_HblWdPuCSWp3zNR376FIfR6bH080keM0blA4IS7GMAIfEzetuhNW5chPa4vcJP1UIqFxBsvq0efT4Uu-RqSyGjF7V7Wd8cdDzrVPkFZx9f-YF9Z4-xpxLp/s1600-h/DSCF2295.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbta2-zF5rMPya9_HblWdPuCSWp3zNR376FIfR6bH080keM0blA4IS7GMAIfEzetuhNW5chPa4vcJP1UIqFxBsvq0efT4Uu-RqSyGjF7V7Wd8cdDzrVPkFZx9f-YF9Z4-xpxLp/s200/DSCF2295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343960585332397026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaofLjMjZU5fMC5wreDoz8x7ilB-r-50hqu6q5j1m0Um3kiXccJjnMSzeqSiNr3LrX5F4xlbrTC4iJFx0pH1Gf_9SGRdbEgFZaERWcnu8XwlI2uI83qRvyvWYCGsSiha6ErNZ/s1600-h/DSCF2293.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaofLjMjZU5fMC5wreDoz8x7ilB-r-50hqu6q5j1m0Um3kiXccJjnMSzeqSiNr3LrX5F4xlbrTC4iJFx0pH1Gf_9SGRdbEgFZaERWcnu8XwlI2uI83qRvyvWYCGsSiha6ErNZ/s200/DSCF2293.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343960502469742498" border="0" /></a><br />So, I made these oven mitts.<br />You like?<br />I ordered $50 more of the same woodsmen (heh heh) and some other varieties of man whore fabric today.<br />Amy at <a href="http://www.sttheresatextile.com/index.html">St. Theresa's Textile Trove</a> was super helpful and dug through their fat quarter bin to find some hot man fabric. She even found some surfer boys for me. What a peach she was! If you are ever in Cincinnati, you must get thee to the trove. It is a mind-boggling explosion of beads and fabrics and wonderment.<br /><br /> I'll be selling these at the Metro East Pride Festival on June 20th, in Belleville. Also, there will be matching aprons, which may or may not have come from the disgruntled art teacher's room at school. She was cleaning out as much as she could, in a "stick it to the man" moment.<br /><br /> I myself had that same moment last Monday, when I was told I would be moving to another classroom. Do non-teachers understand how much stuff we have in our rooms? It's almost like moving the contents of an apartment! Luckily, we had students, so we put them to work carrying boxes and hundreds of books.<br /> A little advance warning would have been nice, but I guess it's better than the last time I moved classrooms---at that time, I came BACK after summer vacation to be told that my team would be moving. We had a week of teacher work days before school actually started to move and get our rooms in order.<br /><br /> But, I digress...In other news, please check out my friend's website, <a href="http://senoramuertos.blogspot.com/">Senora Muertos</a>. She has taken the brave step of quitting her day job and is crafting for a livin'. She'll also be at the Pride Festival with me in a few weeks.<br /><br /> Not much else to report. The garden continues to grow. Very soon, I will be training melons and squash to climb fences and a wooden ladder. Go, watermelons, go!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-51769569806379299322009-05-29T20:54:00.007-05:002009-05-29T21:14:41.095-05:0019 days' differenceI have super short hair now! God bless Erin at Bouffant Daddy in Maplewood!<br /><br /> In this picture, I was squinting due to itchy contacts and bright overcast sky and blinding white garage and Matt taking his time getting the perfect shot. Although, since it's the end of school, I do usually look like this lately!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLS6YfzTsmEaAK4HrzauTrqXDX9WPUxeFvpKxzgrkAPguuxyjrMhEDYp5wdzlSBEME6AjEmeeEGON84vstxuQUy1VH4qZ08O1ivBuJniT-iw-dip_2B43aw18YE076J3xhwvS/s1600-h/DSCF2279.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLS6YfzTsmEaAK4HrzauTrqXDX9WPUxeFvpKxzgrkAPguuxyjrMhEDYp5wdzlSBEME6AjEmeeEGON84vstxuQUy1VH4qZ08O1ivBuJniT-iw-dip_2B43aw18YE076J3xhwvS/s320/DSCF2279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341430281017657234" border="0" /></a><br />My gorgeous roses that bloomed like mad for a week and are now just a memory.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmUQNaP4BRkBGVfKn1YNJXH6yiY_igHK_vffp48yeAbZ2MDzDM52N4pWh0oPmqS6gqU1_Nt4-0p2aMCB6cXHaTEvKxl80umhOEc9DJki19xBJHDTwVhqCNfLgOJLVBgjVgNPT/s1600-h/DSCF2122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmUQNaP4BRkBGVfKn1YNJXH6yiY_igHK_vffp48yeAbZ2MDzDM52N4pWh0oPmqS6gqU1_Nt4-0p2aMCB6cXHaTEvKxl80umhOEc9DJki19xBJHDTwVhqCNfLgOJLVBgjVgNPT/s200/DSCF2122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341430177884298242" border="0" /></a>Green peas! I never have enough to eat as a side dish, so I just eat them in the garden. They are sandwiched between a butternut squash and green beans. The frame in the background is from our old futon. Very Asian, no?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMFWPPVWfDldln7uvHen2I3Ga5oJTGGQ7wKaQaQzoD_Aa-uGLmz1KyFWB47-eS6e3BkqNxI5APeuJ2FfxXDmgDEqIBxYh7zEEXkF5xaRlsVMy1KZiSOsKR2c2BQTLhpY6nh0J/s1600-h/DSCF2281.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMFWPPVWfDldln7uvHen2I3Ga5oJTGGQ7wKaQaQzoD_Aa-uGLmz1KyFWB47-eS6e3BkqNxI5APeuJ2FfxXDmgDEqIBxYh7zEEXkF5xaRlsVMy1KZiSOsKR2c2BQTLhpY6nh0J/s200/DSCF2281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341430025205587106" border="0" /></a><br />Red hot poker (tritoma) that I got from my mom 2 years ago. I somehow planted all the yellow variety in front of the house. Hopefully some of what is in the backyard is the red kind.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRw4L_m1FaasqBYqxgHhKj_aunG0ou_Gf1WJDkJ2oyCGiSNlol44F_mCqAM49oto1rEhTrJ8kz8xXDeyqkf6Vn5RYzzhU2nwwugV37dSUxh9knztUOkkDkbIniLrONXQbOs8ad/s1600-h/DSCF2283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRw4L_m1FaasqBYqxgHhKj_aunG0ou_Gf1WJDkJ2oyCGiSNlol44F_mCqAM49oto1rEhTrJ8kz8xXDeyqkf6Vn5RYzzhU2nwwugV37dSUxh9knztUOkkDkbIniLrONXQbOs8ad/s200/DSCF2283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341429915211732898" border="0" /></a>Black-eyed susans or yellow coneflowers that so DID NOT bloom last year or the year before, if I remember correctly. They come up to my elbows.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxp9y-zu_oguAziwPP8V88UqChvp6DCjSJn8B2W0bVsxVgmAeY2UJg7tahaqvgZLRAnbWdYnOGdR7zijRzQMquL8mdIWjIgHlM4gBbX8SVv5I7zOTl2JNVjtY6pMwzjjY-Oa1/s1600-h/DSCF2286.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxp9y-zu_oguAziwPP8V88UqChvp6DCjSJn8B2W0bVsxVgmAeY2UJg7tahaqvgZLRAnbWdYnOGdR7zijRzQMquL8mdIWjIgHlM4gBbX8SVv5I7zOTl2JNVjtY6pMwzjjY-Oa1/s200/DSCF2286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341429840398879282" border="0" /></a><br />The garden yesterday, after 6 days of rain. Think I have enough dill? The potato/tire experiment seems to have failed. It hasn't sprouted through the last layer of dirt and leaves I put in the stack. I will have to do some investigative surgery this weekend to see what's what. If all else fails, I can always dig up some potatoes that are growing INSIDE the compost bin.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1ihSNuRFsJpPR_HzCOUrQfR9q88MlshLaBsdOk1yb2fr4HkzTA-wD_8H2UghUOBnfILlTI7ed3LGqpc6jJSZ5yzwf7r3hLfqn32ZYRhb1ZacvyN-LYXazD_MIvXKbWWNaD11/s1600-h/DSCF2282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1ihSNuRFsJpPR_HzCOUrQfR9q88MlshLaBsdOk1yb2fr4HkzTA-wD_8H2UghUOBnfILlTI7ed3LGqpc6jJSZ5yzwf7r3hLfqn32ZYRhb1ZacvyN-LYXazD_MIvXKbWWNaD11/s400/DSCF2282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341429730061632754" border="0" /></a> I need to find some clever way to grow the cantaloupe and watermelons up a trellis. First, I need said trellis. Anyone have an old wooden ladder?<br /><br /> One-half more day of school. Four long hours and then I am free! Teachers have to report for a half day on Tuesday, so I set aside a stack of crap to laminate that morning.<br /><br /> It has been a really tough year, with the death of my former student, family issues, the 2.5 month convalescence of my team's leader, all the infertility crap and the just rotten group of students we have. Sure, some of them have turned around, but the truly obnoxious ones have gotten worse as the year went on. I can only tell myself that they will be their mothers' problems for life, whereas they are my problem for 9 months.<br /><br /> I had a mother come up to school this morning because I wrote a referral on her daughter, who, freshly back from suspension, chased a boy down the hallway, grabbed the stapler off my desk and started shooting staples at him. The mother actually asked for the stapler to see how far the staples would shoot, which wasn't far at all. She was annoyed that I hadn't "investigated" why her spawn was chasing The Boy and that I made a big deal out of the stapler thing. She stomped out...this was all in front of MY CLASS.<br /> I decided not to tell her that current rumor lists her house as The Party House ;)<br /><br /> So when you want to sit back and gripe about how unfair it is that teachers only work 9 months and get to loaf all summer, just remember the bullshit that I have to deal with on an almost daily basis. Just remember the stapler story.<br /> And if I hear one more person say "you suck for having all summer off", I will punch them.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-10189032960579726952009-05-10T18:10:00.005-05:002009-05-10T18:15:15.912-05:00No More WordsNothing like a Berlin (band, not the city) reference, eh?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNF9IynZvAtXgjowzBqOlEN-TULWSbwVLuAcjrHyOZs4I4v_t7Z8t3d78Cj5WZ1DhcG5WviaXi3HTTWOb3C1L6hVN2qttTqNmETN9P-wHG44siA6iQCdAHCTjptvf5P4U9LxF/s1600-h/DSCF2098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNF9IynZvAtXgjowzBqOlEN-TULWSbwVLuAcjrHyOZs4I4v_t7Z8t3d78Cj5WZ1DhcG5WviaXi3HTTWOb3C1L6hVN2qttTqNmETN9P-wHG44siA6iQCdAHCTjptvf5P4U9LxF/s400/DSCF2098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334337248496216050" border="0" /></a>Matt, Maggie, meat and the new smoker.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2DWDRGFrQ20eW0NwlFXE44mF3H1X3kl2n_G2yBu83rkVPPPYuoDbnfmrtswyV3DzY4vAo-FimJcif5-qBqC5GyF82MRe71e1VZF_X-aZEwd4LGKfKx30duHGQpuvSzqjiOSt/s1600-h/DSCF2111.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2DWDRGFrQ20eW0NwlFXE44mF3H1X3kl2n_G2yBu83rkVPPPYuoDbnfmrtswyV3DzY4vAo-FimJcif5-qBqC5GyF82MRe71e1VZF_X-aZEwd4LGKfKx30duHGQpuvSzqjiOSt/s400/DSCF2111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334336971461334706" border="0" /></a>These irises close up each night. I didn't think they did that.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaxYUvHm3awqDtkxgDBDfqzH7Bed5-38ZPMAGIbaPHzN71BQ8eP_GXAoxpYmR_jB21mjGay9BQnJ89mSOlhgtUsQpFKtrsIMD5Bhm13YQ5PzEiw73j5NFCMW-DjH9uRkvi6Pz/s1600-h/DSCF2122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaxYUvHm3awqDtkxgDBDfqzH7Bed5-38ZPMAGIbaPHzN71BQ8eP_GXAoxpYmR_jB21mjGay9BQnJ89mSOlhgtUsQpFKtrsIMD5Bhm13YQ5PzEiw73j5NFCMW-DjH9uRkvi6Pz/s400/DSCF2122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334336835447653042" border="0" /></a>My gorgeous rose bush from the neighbor's yard. It is 35 years old, but survived the move across the alley a few years ago. Notice I managed to get a fly in the picture too. There are at least 25 blooms open right now. *sigh*Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-31372951911102833082009-05-08T16:54:00.004-05:002009-05-08T17:09:07.277-05:00Help Chester Lose a Leg!Sometimes life craps all over you. It's been crapping on me since last summer, and I am tired of it. In an effort to bring more positivity into my crappy life, I tried giving up snarkiness as my New Year's Resolution. It lasted a good 2 months, but then something happened at school and I just couldn't restrain myself.<br /> I am not a bad person: I recycle, I pick up trash that blows down my street, and I'm even growing tons of food this summer to donate to food pantries. Hence, my watermelon patch....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmyY-QPbEmuoM6usatGwBuqsjknYr6NxhYV_8aEAZvgOZ8aC4jiQEocetKSWeVSlQ9fpR3P2JOKKuD0DqiEH_80bL3rAZcZkDzSNFf0lh-SJaTZqr2LJHhQ2kCqUV102Ntssy/s1600-h/DSCF2113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmyY-QPbEmuoM6usatGwBuqsjknYr6NxhYV_8aEAZvgOZ8aC4jiQEocetKSWeVSlQ9fpR3P2JOKKuD0DqiEH_80bL3rAZcZkDzSNFf0lh-SJaTZqr2LJHhQ2kCqUV102Ntssy/s400/DSCF2113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333577590031283970" border="0" /></a><br /> I am a 7th grade teacher, for chrissakes....that should earn me my wings, right? I talked Angry Boy out of punching the lockers today! I broke up a girl fight! I made a grandmother cry when she read her granddaughter's heartbreaking poetry----all this in a week!<br /> I thought the universe had smiled upon me last night, when I saw a gorgeous indigo bunting at my feeders! Look how amazing he is!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9u-DvMgIRNTqIMjvMlMWQzr2YEkzmU2WyWzoUfTFrPZLgWX_dyIYvS84FyUd8QpARza1ZNZmqOqxfcNokZ5CNrIMvsbsRZuEOHZvSNjdx_tqDLXXgOyvDMkDvGJI_DwXxUtE/s1600-h/DSCF2118.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9u-DvMgIRNTqIMjvMlMWQzr2YEkzmU2WyWzoUfTFrPZLgWX_dyIYvS84FyUd8QpARza1ZNZmqOqxfcNokZ5CNrIMvsbsRZuEOHZvSNjdx_tqDLXXgOyvDMkDvGJI_DwXxUtE/s400/DSCF2118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333577349616162002" border="0" /></a><br /> Well, the bunting must have been a fluke, because I just received more crappy news today that for once, has nothing to do with the reproductive organs of me or my husband. I'm not sharing it here, but trust me it is sucky and frustrating and scary.<br /><br /> To try to counteract this recent shittiness of the universe, I am having a sort of benefit for my friend Elizabeth. She is part of <a href="http://tenthlifecats.tumblr.com/">Tenth Life Cat Rescue</a> and has an adorable kitty, Chester, who needs a leg amputated. I offered the use of my hedge clippers, but would be unable to stomach stitching him back up.<br /> Soooo...tomorrow at the <a href="http://tgfm.org">Tower Grove Farmers' Market</a>, I hope to make lots of money, because I'm donating 20% of them to help with the amputation costs. We only need $200 more!<br /><br /> You should stop by the market! I have baby jade plants, boxed and ready for Mother's Day. I have 2 mini-quilts, maybe 3 if I stop crying and get to the fabric. Also, I have some rad lunch bags with fused plastic bag linings, regular fabric market bags, and whatever else I can scrounge up. Oh, I'll bring my Star of Bethelehem baby quilts too!<br />Come on out, get a Kuva coffee, an apple tart from Companion Bakery, and help lil' Chester!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-68141846169412712882009-05-06T20:11:00.004-05:002009-05-06T20:20:49.881-05:00It's officially spring.You know it's spring in South St. Louis when Ted Drewes on South Grand is open for business. True, they sell Christmas trees and pine garland, but the real fun starts when you've got a belly full of hot fudge sundae with pecans.<br />Normally, I go for a blueberry milkshake or the chocolate Copernicus, but I wanted to start slowly. Plus, there was half of a Cuban sandwich from City Diner already taking up real estate in my stomach.<br />Garden progress: 2 watermelon seeds have sprouted. What I think is a forgotten moonflower seed has sprouted, thankfully, by my leaf bin at the edge of the garage. Moonflower's first leaves are never symmetrical or neat. They always look like they've been through a blender and then munched on by squirrels. The seed coat of the moonflower is ridiculously hard, so you have to nip off the end and then soak the seeds in water for a day or so.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkYxrzztAe6WFW8lguVOaAkjBk9fwsJ4DA1_q9UF0w-4zXkcvmxJPUofvehI6DmZKnJThvRES4vALGsWlcJt2VXOYZbPeRllhpX94-eTQpT9q8ES-yIbLFNGA2HH20QbrHzED/s1600-h/DSCF0617.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkYxrzztAe6WFW8lguVOaAkjBk9fwsJ4DA1_q9UF0w-4zXkcvmxJPUofvehI6DmZKnJThvRES4vALGsWlcJt2VXOYZbPeRllhpX94-eTQpT9q8ES-yIbLFNGA2HH20QbrHzED/s400/DSCF0617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332885544801838258" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday, I found 2 volunteer green bean sprouts. I have a nagging feeling that I just haven't' planted enough. Everyone keeps asking me, "oh, if you have any extra produce, can I have some?" and so forth. Perhaps I should become a gardener for hire. It'd be like hiring someone to raise your horses. You don't want to get your hands dirty, so you have "help". I could be referred to as "the girl" or "the help". Perhaps I can even get scraps from the kitchen!<br /><br />Good things today: nuzzling with Scooter the friendly pit bull, getting scooter tires from Bobby for my tater pile, and of course, eating the finest foods South Grand can offer.<br />Oh, and peas.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsHP53etHAKBH1U6vYEwa2LUnjtWYzL2P7gPcHdTq4XEVRg5nxmBjjFeW0pyv28t3u1HDwyQJpuqolY7ahXo3DF0V9_KwvLVCOAcnH-XkKbmXOCzAaJKLhFXEPOEhSUQ9LBA3/s1600-h/DSCF2107.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsHP53etHAKBH1U6vYEwa2LUnjtWYzL2P7gPcHdTq4XEVRg5nxmBjjFeW0pyv28t3u1HDwyQJpuqolY7ahXo3DF0V9_KwvLVCOAcnH-XkKbmXOCzAaJKLhFXEPOEhSUQ9LBA3/s400/DSCF2107.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332884807330077042" border="0" /></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-56461541524011852682009-05-05T18:33:00.006-05:002009-05-05T18:59:14.921-05:00Garden doings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUK6jbSd5uPApGN6HJJfcXRwk4l2ifPYzOV6o3e4d5FJ25zoYT0lI1jhEc5HkSKPlyhG5VmQ1twAVbEqTIct8Wa7MoFJ93Cu8q-fOoSLFpZHmNrebOiBByHgJyJiulgai2w5w/s1600-h/DSCF2106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUK6jbSd5uPApGN6HJJfcXRwk4l2ifPYzOV6o3e4d5FJ25zoYT0lI1jhEc5HkSKPlyhG5VmQ1twAVbEqTIct8Wa7MoFJ93Cu8q-fOoSLFpZHmNrebOiBByHgJyJiulgai2w5w/s400/DSCF2106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332487506441065266" border="0" /></a>This is where I've been spending most of my free time. Observe, if you will, the tree line of dill. That's lettuce and spinach and red and yellow onions behind it. A pot of peppermint is on the right. There's a volunteer tomato in a protective soda bottle cloche and a pot of chocolate peppermint.<br /> And in the scooter tires? Why, a potato plant, of course! I don't even care if I harvest any potatoes; I just think it's a cool idea.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9Y7Sb456KHsMweSXEG1VvFB8wQ3lEIFaC4GBJHpfX7CXURSrQKOxjWynhfrhl-iPqpnp4KD5ndYPSp5-bBSJrwoYsvQsBwmleCY7IONWFP6ak8wXWgnTqBZVF7q7VZWAB_ws/s1600-h/DSCF2108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9Y7Sb456KHsMweSXEG1VvFB8wQ3lEIFaC4GBJHpfX7CXURSrQKOxjWynhfrhl-iPqpnp4KD5ndYPSp5-bBSJrwoYsvQsBwmleCY7IONWFP6ak8wXWgnTqBZVF7q7VZWAB_ws/s400/DSCF2108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332487971823705074" border="0" /></a>Each time the plant grows above the leaves and dirt, I stack on another tire (thanks, Bobby!) and add more leaves/dirt. It must be 2 1/2 feet tall by now. Luckily, I have a tire source.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0Fibbljvcm5yCI4_LvCBvaKuWs1j6hNVfudrfqf_91QNs_UiWxybVdvtISMgrP844Hp2zTCdC4DphgF_jwzd1kHj5K5jeZYxBIGMGNzVFQdzc0p4BEg_xLnaAy6dZA_2iOYs/s1600-h/DSCF2101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0Fibbljvcm5yCI4_LvCBvaKuWs1j6hNVfudrfqf_91QNs_UiWxybVdvtISMgrP844Hp2zTCdC4DphgF_jwzd1kHj5K5jeZYxBIGMGNzVFQdzc0p4BEg_xLnaAy6dZA_2iOYs/s400/DSCF2101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332488174637875970" border="0" /></a> Here are my delicious irises which decided to bloom this year. I cannot explain how wonderful they smell and look. I thought lilies were my favorite flowers, but now irises have usurped them. Would Iris be a weird name for a girl? NOT THAT IT'S A POSSIBILITY, but I think it would be nice.<br /> On the other side of the porch is the 35-year-old rosebush from my old neighbor Brenda. When she moved, she invited me to dig them up. I only took one, as I don't like fussy plants. I dug a hole, threw in some coffee grounds and said "Mazel tov" to the plant. It must have 25 buds on it this year!<br /><br /> Other garden news: part of my ground cover for the paths is an old quilt from <a href="http://www.poppymom.com/">Poppymom</a>. It was so shredded and beyond any sort of repair. It sat in my basement for a year, and last weekend, I realized it would be a fitting tribute to use it as a ground cover/weed blocker in my garden. I've been all emotional about quilts since seeing the <a href="http://www.quiltsofgeesbend.com/">Gee's Bend quilt</a> exhibit at the Missouri History Museum. It's free on Tuesdays to city and county dwellers!<br /><br /> I digress....this year, Rabbitt Gardens is growing: ancho, jalapeno, habanero, red chili, and banana peppers--in the front yard! It took me 4 years, but I finally convinced my husband that it wouldn't look hoosier-ish.<br /><br /> In the back, we will have: corn, butternut squash, acorn squash (hopefully), peas, green beans, lettuce, spinach, carrots, 2 types of tomatoes, red onions, yellow onions, watermelon, cantaloupe, basil and....I think that's it. There's only so much room and only so many trellises my husband will put up with.<br />I also have a ton of flower seeds planted that may or may not be growing. They're still in their 2-leaf stage and so blend in with what I know to be weeds.<br /><br /> Again, today, someone asked me to help them start a garden. I have to tell you, it is a fantasy of mine to become a garden consultant. I can help folks get their yard dug up, start composting, and share enough seeds with them to get them started growing. Wouldn't that be fun? What would I charge? I'm so into people growing their own damn food and being self-sufficient.<br /><br /> It's also a fantasy to sell plants and seeds-oh wait! I WILL be doing that at the <a href="http://tgfm.org/">Tower Grove Farmers' Marke</a>t this Saturday, May 9th! I have baby jade plants that are packaged in Chinese takeout containers, ready to go.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrb_5lySc3u8qeuCQ2mvT2-KVEghMiO37tXk6mYAOOq5SWNd4ZtwJ3Ql8jWEEWqQwrIu4wWJPEeWh2zHDL7Av5fKQZ0Wuapzf8zLUoIx6CeLcnjT69kCEhp9ZP4Ivsi2CF9UF/s1600-h/DSCF2104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrb_5lySc3u8qeuCQ2mvT2-KVEghMiO37tXk6mYAOOq5SWNd4ZtwJ3Ql8jWEEWqQwrIu4wWJPEeWh2zHDL7Av5fKQZ0Wuapzf8zLUoIx6CeLcnjT69kCEhp9ZP4Ivsi2CF9UF/s400/DSCF2104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332491339873928082" border="0" /></a>I also will have a few sets of magenta hollyhock plants (see below), and maybe some mini quilts if I can tear my hands away from the computer.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkT0px07Gv1hiyFkA0-lofBwAkgwPRaDl1RMqBL-Gdx_UMM8q_LRedToGG8P_lzlXO1T1bis3josqa1mRc1lhMY7mbVHgyPP-yzOepX8BBYdTTTMzqJZLjCcz2K6azMhmWf3K/s1600-h/DSCF1137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkT0px07Gv1hiyFkA0-lofBwAkgwPRaDl1RMqBL-Gdx_UMM8q_LRedToGG8P_lzlXO1T1bis3josqa1mRc1lhMY7mbVHgyPP-yzOepX8BBYdTTTMzqJZLjCcz2K6azMhmWf3K/s400/DSCF1137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332492886448253570" border="0" /></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21463050.post-64190853292775599942009-03-07T17:05:00.004-06:002009-03-07T17:16:30.983-06:00Gardening!Many good things today:<br />1. Spending time with <a href="http://miss-lemon.com/janelinders">Miss Lemon</a> and <a href="http://www.superchickstudio.com/super_chick_studio.html">Superchick</a> at Superchick's basement/sunroom sale.<br /><br />2. Pitchforking the garden beds and finding the most deliciously black and crumbly soil.<br /><br />3. Brave robins who know that human digging equals worms.<br /><br />4. The solar dryer (clothesline) made its 2009 debut and is currently drying the second load of laundry today.<br /><br />5. <a href="http://www.bluescitydeli.com/">Blues City Deli </a>sandwiches.<br /><br />6. The first iced coffee of the season.<br /><br />7. Taking the plastic off one of the little stained glass windows in the bedroom. Mmmm...fresh air...<br /><br />8. Tonight, we sleep upon 400-thread count sheets.<br /><br />9. Cutting down the tall ornamental grasses and astilbe. Anyone want a healthy butterfly bush? It's the giant bush on the right in the pic below. That's purple hyacinth bean growing all over it. The bush can't keep growing where it is right now. I've got Easter lilies under there somewhere. Last summer it was 6 feet tall in its second year of life. It's that soil, I tell ya!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn4EvtqPOfW0dJKlKVgniKGk21Swx1xMAlXsgWC3JVhs36fppQGlY1VfEDRngIO-I5hoUsndIVlpb5SVZBTB18ZkNmj-Kr65rFSZ20asQOWkznVaY8PFiviOoENCSXI2XiQpr/s1600-h/DSCF1626.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn4EvtqPOfW0dJKlKVgniKGk21Swx1xMAlXsgWC3JVhs36fppQGlY1VfEDRngIO-I5hoUsndIVlpb5SVZBTB18ZkNmj-Kr65rFSZ20asQOWkznVaY8PFiviOoENCSXI2XiQpr/s400/DSCF1626.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310588331734296098" border="0" /></a><br /><br />10. Digging in the compost bin and disturbing a once-happy field mouse. Now, if the same mouse was in my house, I would be all Adolf Hitler on its furry grey ass. But, in my coffee grounds and clementine peels? Cute, cute, cute. Now keep chewing my compost!<br /><br />10.1 Discovering wonderfully wonderful soil at the bottom of Field Mouserton (yes, stolen from "Lost" when Sawyer says "New Otherton" but I love wit). That soil is going to produce some amazing veggies this summer. Corn ahoy!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13645368564721757792noreply@blogger.com1