Gardening and Observing Life in SW Washington

Sandi, Pros, Ggrrl, Ylee, Bogon, WTS: Thanks for your comments in my previous blog. I got distracted with other things for a couple of days, then a trip to Portland, where I took way too many photos. After that, I'm afraid I got obsessed with cropping photos, editing out blemishes on some blooms, and narrowing down the selection to post here. I can't believe how much time I spent on that, but I have to admit it was fun.

Poppy: I, too, am partial to the old-fashioned single roses, but for a different reason. For me, the main attraction is that they aren't prone to black-spot or aphids, so they're low maintenance (my favorite kind for any flower).

Ggrrl: I wish I could have managed more photos of the broader view. The gardens are terraced on the hillside, each with a different theme, and were spectacular to see. Unfortunately, my photography skills were not up to the challenge of dealing with glaringly bright sunshine right next to deep shade caused by those old-growth trees. I tried several settings and got just two (at top) that were any good; trouble is, now I can't remember which settings I used to get those shots. :-(

Sandi: Oh yes, the perfumes! Halfway down the flight of steps from the parking lot to the first terrace, the bouquet of sun-warmed roses wafting up was wonderful, beyond words to describe. Many of the prettiest roses don't have much scent, but those that do more than made up for the others' lack. Wandering around the gardens, the visitors were about equally divided between note-takers, picture-takers, and sniffers. It was fun to watch, especially the sniffers -- so respectful of the gardens that they didn't want to step into the beds, which meant precarious leaning in some cases and even a few who came close to tumbling into the bushes. And I have to say Whisky Mac is gorgeous. I can never pick a favorite; whenever someone asks, I tend to say it's the one I looked/smelled most recently.

Skye: Yes, "rose test garden" takes on a whole new meaning at my house, too. For you, it's roses that live more than a year or two. For me, it's roses that don't get covered with blackspot. I've got a couple of climbers, an old-fashioned rugosa (for huge rose hips), and the native Nootka that grows wild around here. I gave up on tea and grandiflora roses, but I have been thinking about trying a few miniatures as they can take a lot and still keep blooming.

Ylee: Glad to give you a chuckle. Talking about the time it takes to maintain such a garden, I read the maintenance schedule in a PDF file at the Portland Parks website. I was amazed that they manage to prune all 9,525 plants in one day. They must have an awesome number of volunteers to manage that fete.

WTS: "I knew you were off day tripping again!" You've got me pegged! And you can keep that 97F all to yourself. We had 94F here last Saturday -- 338 days since the last 90+ day on Sept. 11, 2011. Would you believe the locals, myself included, were all complaining about the "heat wave" and were so happy to see marine layer clouds and 70F yesterday.

BFH: You're right that there's a lot of info in the photo's properties, but it still takes more knowledge than I've got to translate ISO-100, exposure 1/250th, F-stop f/4, into something that's meaningful to me. In addition to all sorts of manual settings, my camera has a bunch of bundled settings to help dummies like me do better quality point-and-shoot. I really should take one of those adult education classes on photography at Centralia College to learn what those settings mean. Might be something to consider come wintertime.

Ggrrl: Isn't it something what hybridization can do in the hands of determined horticulturalists? The harsh summers in your area would be too much for most roses to endure. And now someone has tackled the problem and put in a test garden. That's really something.

Pros: I thought of you and your roses when I was putting this blog together. Now, if only someone would invent a scent-recorder to attach to a digital camera.

LowerCal: I'm with you, even without any dogs to walk. With the couple of exceptions noted in #5, I've chosen not to not to fight the War of the Roses here. My mother hasn't given up yet, but she's starting to think about it. Just when her blackspot-free roses are about to blossom, the deer come through and nibble off all the flower buds. I'll stick with enjoying others' roses.

Sandi: That's a great poem -- and a new one to me. Thanks!

YCD: Yep, that's me. If I'm not sure I'll be able to do something, I won't say anything about it. If I do say I'm going to do a thing, you can bet I will unless unless the power goes out or a meteor hits.

Pros: That rose looks like a match for Sandi's poem. Lovely!

Ylee: As luck would have it, the community college catalog arrived yesterday. They are offering a class on digital photography. Also a class on tai chi for seniors, which seems like it might be good rehab for the hip. I don't want to spend my life driving back and forth to Centralia, so I'll mull it over and pick just one class to attend this fall.

------------------

I think it's time to reduce the number of photos in this blog, to make it load easier. The photos will remain in the WUalbum; I'll just remove some from the blog, based on the ratings they've gotten.

Pros: Looks like maybe my rose blog inspired you to make a graphic of your own roses. Very nice.

Sandi: What a nice miniature. It would just as well be a true-to-size English bush variety.

-------------------

I've made some good progress on some fronts recently. So far, I've loaded my 2-gallon sprayer with Round-Up three times and killed the weeds and grasses coming up in the gravel walkways, parking area, and driveway. In the weedwhacking department, I've done the east side fenceline, around the many free-standing conifers, and about a third of the length of the private road. With the long-handled grass clippers, I've done around the caneberries and blueberries and orchard trees.

The forecast shows hotter weather this coming week, which will slow down my progress outdoors. I'm still debating when to go get albacore. A hot day would be fine for the trip to the coast, but I don't want a hot day for doing the canning. With the amount I plan to can this year, I'll need to run the pressure cooker twice, at 110 minutes each time. Don't want to do that on a hot day. When canning, the fish smell really stinks up the house and I have to open all the windows, which means no air conditioning, so it's definitely preferable to have a not-hot day for canning. At this point, it looks like I won't be canning for at least another week. That's all right. The season will continue at least until late September.

Blueberries are starting to come on, so they're all now under floating row covers to keep the birds off. It looks strange, but it's the only way to keep the berries intact for human consumption. And...

I finally picked my first ripe tomato of the year! Only about three weeks behind schedule, due to the cool days of May, June, and early July. Also, there are blossoms on my lone zucchini and cucumber plants. Hope springs eternal for this year's mini-garden.

I've been watching with interest, a farmer's gamble nearby. He didn't plant his corn until the last week of June. It's a big field by local standards, I'm guessing it's around 40-50 acres. There's a saying around here that corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July", but his was only just sprouted by then. It is now about 12-15 inches high. I don't see how he can hope to get a crop in before October, and that will require a lot of cooperation from the weather. I think hopeful thoughts to his corn every time I drive by.

Bogon: You visited on the one coolish day this week. Today is supposed to reach 92F and tomorrow 97F. Here in western Washington, that's really hot, especially since more than half the population doesn't have a/c. Thankfully, we've got a window a/c unit that keeps most of the house comfortable.

Karen: Thanks for rating and commenting on my rose pics! We live about 70 miles north of Portland, so it's just a little more than an hour's drive. I go to Portland about once a month to visit my parents and do some sales-tax-free shopping, and sometimes a detour to the rose garden.

------------------

A couple of weeks ago, while at the dentist for an exam, it was discovered I have a cracked molar that needs a crown. Yesterday, I got a call from the dentist's office about a cancellation they have for this afternoon, so I'm off to get a crown done today, instead of having to wait until the 29th. I may just have to pick up some Chinese take-out while in Longview. I don't like to heat up the kitchen during this hot weather, so that will be a nice alternative to standing over a hot grill outside.

Except for picking berries and some strategic watering, I'm going to pretty much stay inside and sit in front of the air conditioner the next few days. I have made some good progress with weedwhacking the ditches along our private road recently, but that's off the calendar until it cools down a bit.

Ggrrl: A parakeet? An escapee from some "stinkin' cage" no doubt. As to the dentist: over $1000. Yikes. At least he gives me a 5% discount for paying by check instead of credit card. Yeah for your rain! I hope some of it got a chance to soak in and didn't all run down the storm drains. We only had 0.32 inches the whole month of July and none so far in August.

Sandi, and Bogon, too: Made it to 96F (35.6C) this afternoon and tomorrow is supposed to be hotter yet. The marine layer is supposed to start edging in on Saturday bringing more comfortable temps. With this heat, my first 2 tomatoes finally ripened, proving there's always a bright side to just about anything. I ate one like an apple, still warm from the sun. Yum!

Ylee: Dental Diva? Not a diva, for sure, but too-well-acquainted with the dental part. A mouthful of childhood fillings gradually turning to crowns and bridges. No fun. Every time I bent over today, my face throbbed, so I quit trying to accomplish anything worthwhile after picking some blueberries this morning. The face and jaw are starting to feel better this evening, so I should be back to regular tomorrow. I would say "normal" but I'm never that, even on my good days. >8-}

I'm on my way out the door to head for Westport and 30 pounds of fresh albacore. I'll be canning it and stinking up the house tomorrow. Catch up with WUfolks in a couple of days, okay?

WTS: Your Mrs. picked a good time to visit: morning marine layer that she's used to and pleasant, mostly sunny afternoons.

----------------------

Albacore canning is done!!! 200 mile round trip to fetch some home. 3 hours to clean jars and fill 29 half-pints. 110 minutes processing time in the pressure canner, times 2 canner loads. You'd think I liked this stuff or something. Yeah, I do. The difference between chuck steak and rib steak is about comparable to the difference between commercially canned tuna and fresh-off-the-boat home-canned albacore.

The only down side is, thankfully, temporary: I've scrubbed the canner and the outside of all the jars, burned incense, opened all the windows, and the place still smells fishy. Time to go outside and clear my sinuses while I water some flower beds.

BFH: I'm not surprised you could smell the canning aroma past the dairy, past the chicken farm, all the way to your place. A propane burner might not be a bad idea, although maybe a bit expensive to run for 4+ hours.

Sandi: I'm not a fan of canned fish either, with that one big exception. I love tuna sandwiches and tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad. It's a great source of omega-3, which is good for cholesterol.

---------------------

The dentist's office called yesterday to say that my crown came in early and would I like to come in this morning, rather than next week to have it put in. I did. And I did some grocery shopping while in town.

Tomorrow, DH and I will head for the Garlic Festival in Chehalis at the county fair grounds, where we'll load up on garlicky food for supper and buy 3-4 pounds of garlic to use in cooking for the next year. While in Chehalis, we'll also stop at a produce stand that specializes in produce from Yakima in central Washington where I'll pick up about 60 ears of corn for freezing.

I picked the last of the blueberries yesterday -- not nearly as big a crop as last year. Weedwhacking of the ditches is about half done. About another 2 hours will see the current round of mowing done. The grass is starting to turn brown, but the dandelions are blossoming like crazy, so this is mostly about taking down the weed tops. Moles have gone nuts where I recently did some watering of lilacs and herb bed. Our Siamese cat, Wally, has been digging in the mole hills and I've got a trap set. We'll see which of us manages to catch the varmint.

I'll try to get around to visit some WUfriends later on, after the mowing.

Bogon: You're waxing poetic again. Piscean perfume. You make it sound better than it smelled, but house smells all better now. BTW, I did learn, contrary to advertising claims, that Febreeze is not up to the task. Incense worked better by covering up/camouflaging the "perfume".

Sandi: There you go! I did get a tasty garlic fix yesterday -- a garlic-marinated pulled pork sandwich topped with roasted garlic. Yum! Unfortunately, I saw way more garlicky delights than fit in my tummy or my pocketbook. It is amazing the uses for garlic that some creative people come up with.

Bogon: foozling??? Actually, you're quite a good poet, as evidenced by verse I've seen on (if memory serves, and that's always doubtful) Pros's blogs, and I think elsewhere, too. I believe the heart of a renaissance man lurks inside that nerdish exterior with the backwards cap.

Ylee: Not the sunlight-challenged or the occasionally-furry! Then again, anything that helps prevent molehills.