Hot TIme, Summer in the City

Photo by O. on planting day.

🎵Hot time, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty🎵

It was PLANTING WEEK at the church garden and it was HOT. Keeping the fledgling flowers and the leftover flats of annuals watered was challenge enough. I am not going to PLANT any more now until the weather cools down a tad. Tomorrow, Memorial Day is expected to reach 94 degrees. I'm sure that will be record-setting for this time of the year.

So I water, water, water...

I had to compete with a funeral of a parishioner and ended up with a team of only 5 women this year. I was at the church by 8:30 AM on Thursday. I watered and cleaned up until 2:00 PM, long before the visitation which was scheduled for 4 PM. Friday morning was the funeral and I was too tired to plant more anyway.

I forgot to stay properly hydrated and by the end of the morning was carrying heavy, freshly watered flats up and down the steps to accommodate the planters. It was George's job, but he was AWOL this year.

I was more tired and dehydrated than I can ever remember being. I could barely walk. On the way home I tried to finish a bag of Lay's potato chips that I had made available for snack time. I thought the salt might help me feel better.  But my mouth muscles were not moving properly so I sort of sucked the chips down. Too tired to chew ... never happened before!

I laid down for an hour under the ceiling fan, drank a gallon of water and a Power Zero. My legs and feet were cramping. But I knew I was going to be okay. Then I laid down some more.

The Big Easy (Chairs)

We have a table and chair set for dining on the deck, but our other plastic Adirondack style chairs are stained and old. They might be slated for the next dumpster.

These Big Easy chairs from Lowes looked like just the right thing for sitting outside with a morning cup of coffee or watching the birds feed. I told the husband the chair was his belated birthday present. He did not appreciate it that I thought he needed an over-sized chair to accommodate his width and breadth--but I think he will get over it and just enjoy the comfort!

A Royal Waste of Time

I confess. I watched the royal wedding coverage. All if it! I watched it later in the day, and the next. I am not proud of myself, but I got sucked in.

My interest in the history of Queen Elizabeth and all things royal was piqued recently by watching two seasons of "The Crown."  I  think her long reign is worthy of admiration, no matter what your opinion may be of the monarchy. It is remarkable how well she and Prince Philip can still walk on their own without falling. Recently having turned 92 (on the husband's birthday), the Queen looked amazing.

I was not as interested in THE DRESS or the HAT PARADE as I was in the ceremony itself. It did not disappoint. The majestic organ, the liturgy, the hymns, the choir of men and boys ... all seemed right and fitting. But the fiery African-American Episcopalian priest's sermon was a departure, as was the gospel choir singing a secular number. The young cellist at the end of the ceremony was also impressive, especially with the Ave Maria.

I thought Harry's behavior throughout the ceremony was inappropriate. Could he not behave himself for one hour? Looking around, talking, fidgeting, touching his face, smiling too large, Harry could not help but be Harry, beloved in his unconventional road to taking on a role in the monarchy, but always with a little too much of his mother's independent spirit.

What do you expect of a royal wedding when a motherless royal falls in love with an American bi-racial previously-married Hollywood actress?

Fortunately, Harry is 6th in line to the throne, now behind a tiny baby boy and even the darling Charlotte!

I Can See Blue Sky--through two new glass skylights!

Looking up through the raindrops. Notice the paint damage.

Every now and then some home improvements actually happen on this our old house--a house as old as I am, and neither of us falling down yet--or (now) leaking!

We might still need a professional plaster person to repair the damage done, but the leaking has finally stopped!

So things are looking up.

Today is a dark and rainy morning, but the big honey locust tree is clearly visible through the new skylight. The old skylights were nearly 30 year old plastic and failed to look clean with any amount of scrubbing

Nephew John once said that there are two kinds of skylights. Ones that leak and ones that are about to leak. Hopefully we are good for the remainder of our years in this house!

Two days of pounding, saws, men walking around above ... and more than a few nails found in the grass--but finally we have a good roof over our heads.

Mother's Day 2018

Two daughters and a son-in-law around for Mother's Day is a rare event in these retirement years. And all the other requisites were present, too. Food (charcoal-grilled steak, baked potatoes, grilled asparagus, buttered corn, and cake and ice cream. And gifts! Flowers--a pretty hanging flower basket. Fine Chocolate--a gourmet Belgian milk chocolate bar. Coffee mug (can't find an f-word)--a Starbucks coffee mug with zebras on it. And a Fonecall--from the missing (and missed) daughter, with a promise of a gift in the mail!

Now I have peacocks and zebras on beverage  containers--and even one in teak. All gifts. All favorites. All too pretty to use!

And one more f-word. I was also gifted with some Frosted Flakes! Don't ask!

Volcanic Language

Anyone who writes necessarily pays attention to words and their impact, hopefully picking just the right ones to convey intent and tone, without artificiality or exaggeration. Even if one writes in emojis, attempts are made to get just the right facial expression.

While some words have a mellow ring (like most Japanese names, for example), other words just sound hard--like myocardial infarction (from Latin, to plug up or cram ... sometimes I have an infarction in our low-flush toilet, lol), which sounds much worse than a heart attack, even a massive one.

Recently I have been noticing the sounds of the words used to describe the eruption of that volcano that has become active in Hawaii. I sort of love the graphic violence in the headlines! And the images, both the small videos on my phone and the imagined nightmarish ones that are conjured up in my brain, are terrifying. I am so glad to be far away. I am even considering taking Hawaii off my travel bucket list!

I do feel for the people who live there and have to evacuate, but why do they build houses near a volcano?  When one chooses to live at the foot of a crater, one takes a calculated risk!

And then I see (images of) the fiery flow of magma and try to imagine how it would feel to be engulfed in that flow of molten rock. The temperature of the magma (another great and terrible word) is between 1300 and 2400 degrees Fahrenheit! I guess I would fry up extra crispy soon enough and feel very little!

Today on Yahoo News I noticed some very descriptive language:

"Molten lava oozing out of fissures..."

"A massive new fissure opened on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, hurling bursts of magma with an ear-piercing screech."

...a crack ... fracturing the side ... a lake of lava ... earth shattering explosions ... explosions that hurtle 100 pound lava bombs 100 feet into the air ...  scorched earth ... splatter that is flying tens of meters in the air...

...volcano erupts, spewing lava ... new fissure spatters lava ... spurting lava ... volcano could soon shoot large boulders out of its summit... (Boulders the size of refrigerators!)

Shoot, spew, splatter, shatter and spurt...

I guess "s" words are the ones with that special sizzle needed for explosive volcanic language!

Last Supper

I think this will be the last faculty dinner. Two friends, another John, and a Michael, were being honored as retirees. And it is the end of the line.

The dinner is always this time in May and I am always up to my elbows in dirt and flowers ... and I don't relish getting all scrubbed up for just "okay" food at the country club--with no "happy hour."

But a cheesecake bar was a novel dessert event--and I indulged!

 I created a work of art, don't you think?

For the Birds

Discreetly taken by E. from indoors, with zoom.

We finally broke down last weekend and bought a proper squirrel baffle at Ace Hardware, and also a new feeder that suctions to a window. The squirrels are learning (with great annoyance and hilarious antics) that they cannot access the bird seed.

Today birds were dive bombing for the two positions on the window feeder. Every day more interesting and colorful birds are finding our stations. We are back in the bird business, sans squirrels!

More of Summer ... and Tons of Tulips--at Meijer Gardens

Looking down the Cherry Tree Promenade

Day two of  "early summer" weather was HOTTER than predicted and yes, we flipped the switch to AC. The system wasn't working optimally (good to know before July) but it moderated the inside temps to tolerable.

As the week progressed, Meijer Gardens claimed on Instagram that the weekend was to be prime cherry blossom viewing in the Japanese Gardens.

However, by Sunday afternoon I found that the cherry blooms were past prime and blowing to the ground. I never seem to catch that fleeting optimal day ... but the tulips, early magenta rhododendrons and other blooming white trees were glorious.

View of Japanese Gardens from bridge

A walk in the gardens is always a good thing. There was construction happening in the main area and that is always unpleasant, with messes and re-routing.

But whenever I come I observe new things and always appreciate the abundance of plant life. And today, the beauty of another unfolding Michigan Spring.

Because it was Spring, there were still blooming daffodils, Lenten roses, frittilaria, Virginia bluebells, trillium and more than a few things I can't remember or name.

But the tulips were prime! Thousands of them. I wasn't surprised that Ian found a funky one to include in the children's garden:

But nary a tulip in the Japanese gardens!

The cherry trees in the Japanese gardens are growing. The plantings around the pond are still "leaning in" and the enormous rocks remain (duh) in their strategically placed prominence.

I sat on one of the many benches and used the selective focus on my new camera phone:

Early rhododendron--PJM?

And I tried out the slow motion movie option--without much success--waiting for the tulips to wave in the wind to activate the feature.

I always say hello to the horse, observing some new detail, listening to the observation of children or watching the poses people strike under his hoofs. He is one great horse!

How would you like a huge rock in the middle of your backyard? It would probably look odd, but here it works:

Yes, I took myself to the gardens today. I set my own pace and stopped to photograph without complaint! Next time go with me. It is a lovely place for a Sunday afternoon walk.

A May Day Heat Wave

First tulip opening

It happens. Suddenly summer...

Sing with me ... Suddenly Seymour, is here to ... whatever. My girls all loved Little Shop of Horrors!

I'm flat on my back. Voluntarily immobilized. Except for one index finger tapping on my new Samsung S9. All the house fans are spinning, but no AC on! Not for one hot day in May!

It has now reached 82 degrees Fahrenheit--more than the predicted high of 80. It is also dry and windy. (Actually eventually reached 83!)

There is a red flag alert--which means I cannot play with fire today. Michigan has become California!

I played with water earlier. That is a Rite of Summer for me. After the Ladies Spring Salad Luncheon I hauled out the hoses from the shed for the church gardens. (The hoses at home were never put away last year.) I watered the developing tulips at church and at home. I "watered in" the "acid-blue" fertilizer at the base of three Endless Summer hydrangeas and gave the (blooming) weeping white crab (installed fall of 2016) a nice drink. There is no sign of color on the (google image fave--check it out) coral burst crab or the dwarf Korean lilacs yet, and most of the tulips remain closed.

We usually do have a May heat wave ... but I am not ready for this! It looks like it might be a one day affair. At least for 80 degree+ weather.

We really need a gentle spring rain, or rather (since it is so hot) a summer thunderstorm.

Just the words summer thunderstorm evoke a flood of childhood memories. Rain on our not-so-little farmhouse (and corn and alfalfa fields) on "the prairies" of South Dakota was always welcome. The sounds, the smells, the way things greened and grew after the rain ... (especially after lots of booming thunder and lightning) ... all good!