Below Par
When I woke up yesterday, I quite unexpectedly found myself struck down by a full-blown head cold. No portentous scratchy throat had preceded it, so I was really caught unawares. But this post isn't going to be about how crummy I feel, because we all know that colds suck. We also know that they probably impair one's ability to write a scintillating blog entry. You've been warned.
In lieu of a scintillating blog entry, here is a photo of my daffodils--the ones I belatedly planted back in December. Here in Portland most daffodils are beginning to atrophy and decline, but mine are just now starting to bloom. I wonder, are they a bit retarded? Certainly, it took them almost four weeks longer to flower than their peers around the neighborhood. And look how they are pointing every which way. What is up with that? All other clumps of daffodils I've seen (and I've been monitoring them closely) are very well behaved and have their little cupped faces pointing all in the same direction. But mine? They're a bunch of unruly hooligans.
In other gardening news, slug patrol is now (finally) in full force, although I fear it may be too late for some of my hollyhocks and one delphinium, which has had nearly all its first leaves chawed off by a pack of hungy-as-hell mollusks. I really should have been more vigilant about slugs earlier on. Anyway, I hope to permanently close down "the salad bar" by giving them a more tempting type of bar--one that serves the Champagne of Beers (AKA Miller High Life). Basically, I'm attempting to blot them out by getting them blotto. Sort of. It seems to be working. Note: Do not click on the previous link if you have a weak stomach or are a militant member of PETA. If, on the other hand, you are a gardener and believe that the only good slug is a dead slug,* you should find the photo delightful.
*I don't actually believe that the only good slug is a dead slug. I am quite fond of our native banana slugs--who leave gardens well enough alone and play an important role in our ecosystem--but the garden slugs that wreak havoc on hollyhocks are nonnative invasive species and are therefore not a natural part of our ecosystem, so I don't feel too bad about doing away with them.
In lieu of a scintillating blog entry, here is a photo of my daffodils--the ones I belatedly planted back in December. Here in Portland most daffodils are beginning to atrophy and decline, but mine are just now starting to bloom. I wonder, are they a bit retarded? Certainly, it took them almost four weeks longer to flower than their peers around the neighborhood. And look how they are pointing every which way. What is up with that? All other clumps of daffodils I've seen (and I've been monitoring them closely) are very well behaved and have their little cupped faces pointing all in the same direction. But mine? They're a bunch of unruly hooligans.
In other gardening news, slug patrol is now (finally) in full force, although I fear it may be too late for some of my hollyhocks and one delphinium, which has had nearly all its first leaves chawed off by a pack of hungy-as-hell mollusks. I really should have been more vigilant about slugs earlier on. Anyway, I hope to permanently close down "the salad bar" by giving them a more tempting type of bar--one that serves the Champagne of Beers (AKA Miller High Life). Basically, I'm attempting to blot them out by getting them blotto. Sort of. It seems to be working. Note: Do not click on the previous link if you have a weak stomach or are a militant member of PETA. If, on the other hand, you are a gardener and believe that the only good slug is a dead slug,* you should find the photo delightful.
*I don't actually believe that the only good slug is a dead slug. I am quite fond of our native banana slugs--who leave gardens well enough alone and play an important role in our ecosystem--but the garden slugs that wreak havoc on hollyhocks are nonnative invasive species and are therefore not a natural part of our ecosystem, so I don't feel too bad about doing away with them.
posted by Rozanne at 7:04 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home