All Play And No Work Equals Weeds

While we were camping, my flower beds have been taken over by weeds. Lots of them. That nasty invasive wild ginger has woven into the mulch and is trying to crawl up the shrubs onto the brick. Poison ivy is growing into saplings. Little maple trees have germinated from those whirlygigs. Pokeweed, wild blackberries and privet are everywhere. And I don't even want to talk about the crabgrass.

We kept the lawn mowed between trips, but I didn't take the time to pull weeds or trim. I'm making up for that now. I don't mind weeding, really, but this much is nearly overwhelming. One section at a time, and I'll get it done. It's the price I pay for living in the country and having natural, unstructured flower beds instead of manicured landscaping.

I was thinking of using a blow torch on the wild ginger, but since I mulch with pine needles that might set the whole yard on fire. At least my arms are getting a workout yanking up the stuff, but my hands are beginning to cramp. My trigger finger is sore from spot spraying poison ivy that decided to sprout between my hosta plants and behind the shrubs. If I could sell all the poison ivy on these five acres, I'd be a bazillionaire.

Oh yeah, thanks to the state highway workers who sort of mowed the right of way while we were gone. They cut to the ground the iris and vinca under our mailbox but trimmed carefully around a giant thistle plant and left it standing.

On a positive note, while I was taking a break I noticed hummingbirds are enjoying my gorgeous daylilies and butterflies are flitting around the purple coneflowers and blackeyed susans. If you need me this week, I'll be outside weeding, or resting on the porch with an icy cold beverage, or on the phone looking for a landscaping service.

When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it.  If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.  ~Author Unknown

I appreciate the misunderstanding I have had with Nature over my perennial border.  I think it is a flower garden; she thinks it is a meadow lacking grass, and tries to correct the error.  ~Sara Stein, My Weeds, 1988

Crafting At The Campground

There's always plenty to do while we are camping. We walk trails, fish, ride our bikes, meet new people, go sightseeing, read, relax by the campfire, and watch wildlife (both human and animal) for entertainment. Even when we spend two weeks in the same place, we haven't been bored yet. 

I usually take some kind of craft project along, because I love to create. This trip I was crocheting cotton spa washcloths.

They're simple, quick and easy. I can work on them outside in a comfy lawn chair or in the camper while watching TV.

A couple of years ago I found a cute little Singer sewing machine for $10 at a yard sale. Now I keep it in the camper so I'm ready to sew. I set it up outside on a folding table and stitch away. If it's too windy or rainy, I stay inside and use the desk. I have brought along fabric scraps to piece into quilt squares, and once I made a skirt. 

I always have colored pencils and journals for sketching scenery or jotting down ideas, and the sketch program on my tablet is awesome. Sometimes the coolest things occur to you while you're not at home.  

"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way."  Edward de Bono

 

**Full disclosure about our camping: we are not roughing it by any stretch of the imagination. We have a new thirty-three foot fifth wheel trailer with two slide-outs, heat and air conditioning, flat screen satellite tv, computers, and plenty of storage space for food, clothing and supplies. 

Life Is A Gift

If You Can't Say Something Nice...

Don't say nothing at all, according to Thumper the bunny rabbit.  On that topic, I found several more interesting quotes. Enjoy!

If you can't say anything nice, you obviously haven't had your coffee yet!

If you can't say anything nice, then at least have the decency to be vague --Susan Andersen

If you can't be kind, be quiet

If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me. - Alice Roosevelt Longworth

It doesn't matter what you say about someone once they're gone;
What matters is how you treat them when they're here.

Remember, if you can't say anything nice, just point and laugh.

It's not always what you say that matters, sometimes it's what you don't say. And some people wonder why I'm so quiet around them...