Last Saturday was a day that we had long prepared for.
My husband and I had spent countless hours sitting alongside my youngest daughter, Gracie, helping her practice for her piano recital.
She was nervous, but looked so cute in her new dress and shoes.
The recital was held at the Mesa Arts Center and Gracie was playing along with her entire class.
As we were waiting for our turn to go inside, I saw something rather unusual in the distance.
The Mesquite trees looked rather colorful. So, I walked a bit closer….
No, my eyes weren’t deceiving me. These trees had knit scarves covering parts of their trunks.
Now, I like to knit scarves for loved ones – but this was the first time that I had ever seen them on trees.
Even the Pine trees had colorful, knit scarves.
I couldn’t imagine why anyone would spend so much time knitting scarves and then ‘sewing’ them around tree trunks.
The trees don’t need protection from the cold.
I needed some answers, because I was pretty sure that they didn’t cover this in my Trees class in college or when I took my Certified Arborist exam.
I spotted a security guard walking nearby and asked him why the trees had knit scarves. He explained that the trees were the focus of a group to beautify the urban landscape.
What they did is referred to as ‘Yarn Bombing‘, which is described as “The Art of Knit Graffiti.”
‘Yarn Bombing’ is occurring in urban areas throughout North America in an effort to add beauty to urban areas.
Well, I must admit that I thought the trees looked quite nice.
But, I think they might get a bit ‘warm’ as the temperatures begin to rise 😉
They will soon be taken down, so if you live nearby – stop by before the ‘knit graffiti’ is taken down.
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While we were at the recital, we got our first phone call from my daughter, Rachele, who is away at basic training for the Navy.
It was so good to hear her voice!
She is homesick and is trying hard not to be discouraged. She has finished one week of basic training and is learning how to do things “the Navy way”.
Rachele joined up with a division that had already been there a week before and needed a few more recruits. So, she has less time to learn how to do things.
Learning how to make their beds and folding clothes a certain way is hard and they come around with a ruler and if you are 1 cm off, you get in trouble.
I can see why this would be hard for her, since most of her clothes never made it into her dresser at home 😉
It has been cold there (outside Chicago) and they have three different jackets and knit caps that they wear when they have to march from building to building (2 miles).
She was given good advice before she left by her then boss, who is a retired Army colonel. He said to do your best to blend in and don’t volunteer for anything. It just makes basic training that much harder.
So far so good, she said. Her RTC doesn’t know her name, which is supposed to be good.
She has passed her swimming test along with many of her other physical tests – so that is good news.
The recruits aren’t allowed to talk to each other. But, some try to talk to each other at night after lights are out. However, some get caught and have to do extra exercise.
We are doubling up on our letters to keep her spirits up.
From what we hear, everything she is experiencing is normal, including the homesickness. It is supposed to get better around week 4, once they start to get used things.
As for me, I was a weepy mess after I spoke to her. I do miss her so much. But, I believe that she will make a wonderful sailor 🙂
Road Trip: Charleston and Window Boxes
Road TripWell, after a delayed start yesterday – we finally began our newest road trip adventure.
Charleston, South Carolina was our first destination.
For those of you who have been to Charleston, you know what a beautiful city it is, steeped in history with beautifully, preserved buildings.
My mother and I are fairly independent when traveling and took our own tour of the historic downtown district of Charleston – armed with a map and guide, which explained all of the historic sites.
Many of the buildings dated from the 1700’s. There were beautifully decorated gates that led to narrow walkways, which ended in secret gardens…
I love learning about history and particularly liked the story behind the cobble stone streets…
These stones are from England. They come over in the 1700’s on ships where they were used as ballast. Then the stones were taken off of the ships and made into streets.
There were beautiful window boxes filled with an assortment of ornamental plants.
Window boxes are a novelty to me because in our dry, desert climate – it is almost impossible to grow plants successfully in windows during the summer.
Charleston is also known for its many steepled churches.
My mother spent time going into the churches, exploring their history (she is a former pastor) – while I would take photos of plants outside 🙂
This church really struck a chord with her with its history of its bells. This is St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and its bells were made in London in 1764. After the Revolutionary War, the British stole the bells and took them back to London.
Later, the bells were returned and hung back up in the steeple.
The clay tiles of this old home were made by molding them around a man’s thigh.
Visiting the Slave Mart Museum was very interesting and informative, yet heartbreaking at the same time.
The museum is located on the site of where slaves were sold back in the 1800’s.
I had heard of these beautiful, handmade baskets before I came to Charleston. These are Gullah Sweet Grass baskets. The art of making this type of basket originated in Africa, long ago. The slaves brought over this basket-making ability with them to the states and have handed it down to their descendants, who continue to make them today.
The baskets are made out of sweet grass, bull grass, palmetto palms and pine needles. This kind woman took time to explain to me how she learned how to make these baskets from her mother and has taught her children how to make them.
One medium-sized basket takes 2 1/2 days to make.
My mother and I saw this historic home for sale – but figured out that a home built in the 1700’s might be more of a ‘fixer-upper’ then we wanted to handle 😉
One of the best parts of traveling, is to taste the unique dishes of the region.
Now, I am not what you would call an adventurous diner. In fact, I can be rather picky.
But, I had to try this ‘Southern Sampler’, which had fried green tomatoes (I tried one bite), corn bread topped with bacon, pulled pork and cole slaw and fresh potato chips. It was delicious, especially with sweet tea – another Southern staple.
We had a wonderful day in Charleston and then traveled onto Georgia.
Come back tomorrow and see what new adventures we encounter.
To tide you over, here are a couple more photos of window boxes…
Leaving On a Jet Plane???
azplantladyThe day of our road trip finally arrived. Weeks of planning were about to transport us to some wonderful place.
However, before we started our road trip, we had to take a flight to our first destination – Charleston, SC.
We got to the airport in plenty of time, the security line was a breeze and I was able to buy my bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper – I was ready…
Flight to Charleston, South Carolina
My camera, laptop and iPad mini were all packed so I was ready to blog from the road.
Our plane was at the gate and we boarded our plane.
Flight to Charleston, South Carolina
We boarded our plane and taxied to the runway, only to make a U-turn and return to the gate where fire trucks were waiting.
Our plane had a hydraulic leak. We all had to de-plane and book other flights.
I whipped out my iPad and attempted to get a flight for my mother and I quickly so that we would be able to leave the same day.
We were able to find another flight that left 4 hours later.
We had to change planes in Charlotte, NC – when we ran into another problem – I lost my second boarding pass (for the second flight to Charleston). No big deal right? I went to the gate and asked for a new boarding pass.
Problem was – I had been in such a hurry to book my mother and I a new flight, that I accidentally used my maiden name.
I couldn’t believe that I had made such a stupid mistake – I have been married over 26 years!
Somehow, I had gotten through security in Phoenix without the name on my boarding pass matching my ID.
Back in Charlotte, the gate agent called her supervisor, who called her supervisor AND let me on the plane! I was praying so hard that they would let me on 🙂
So, instead of arriving in Charleston at 7:00 pm, we arrived at 11:30 pm.
Thankfully, no more problems were encountered until the next day when we arrived at our hotel in the Savannah, GA area…
Parts of the parking lot were taped off and the hotel was surrounded by police and fire fighters were on the roof fighting a fire.
The local news crew was there covering this big story.
The good news was that no one was hurt AND that this was NOT our hotel – it was the one next door 😉
We had a fabulous first day in Charleston and I can’t wait to share it with you tomorrow!
On the Road Again…
azplantladyIt’s time to hit the road again…
Every year, I go on a trip with my mother, exploring different parts of the United States. We fly into one city, rent a car, travel from town to town for 8 days and then leave from another city.
I love traveling and like to explore and learn about other regions of our country. As a native of Southern California and current resident of Arizona, my regional experience has quite a western slant. So, what better way to learn more about the people, food, customs and gardens in other regions then to ‘hit the road’?
Half of the fun of our annual road trip, is planning on where we will go.
First, look at maps of where we had already been. Then we try to plan our route so that we see new areas.
Three years ago, we visited the following places:
We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, visited colonial Williamsburg, our nation’s capitol, Pennsylvania Amish country, Philadelphia and NewYork City.
Two years ago, we visited parts of the Midwest:
View Larger Map
We began in Michigan, visiting the town of Holland, then traveled onto Indiana Amish country, seeing Lincoln’s house and tomb in Springfield, viewing the Mississippi River in Hannibal, MO – the inspiration for Mark Twain’s “Tom Sawyer” and finishing up in Joplin.
Last year’s trip focused on the Northeast:
View Larger Map
We began in Columbus, OH, visiting a friend and then traveling on to Ohio Amish country, Niagara Falls, the Finger Lakes of NY, the beautiful mountains of Vermont and left from Manchester, NH.
This year’s trip is focused on exploring areas further down South:
View Larger Map
We are beginning our journey in Savannah, GA. Then we are traveling through South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.
I have been to North Carolina and Georgia before, but the other states are new to me. I do have some southern roots from the state of Kentucky and we might try to visit some old family grave sites.
For those of you who have read my blog for some time; you know that I do like to ‘take you along with me’ on my trips.
I will be blogging from the road and sharing with you my adventures.
We leave on Wednesday!!!
Keeping America (and Phoenix) Beautiful
AZ Plant Lady, az plant lady familyA few Saturdays ago, I woke up early in the morning instead of sleeping in.
I drove to a site in downtown Phoenix in order to participate in our local chapter of Keep America Beautiful.
The gate led into a 15-acre site on Indian School Road and Central Avenue.
This site is “the largest transformation of vacant land happening right now in the country.”
Other volunteers were trickling into the area and we met in the center where we were given t-shirts, tools and assignments.
TroyBilt, is a huge supporter of The Great American Clean-Up and they had TroyBilt equipmen ready to be used to help clear weeds from the lot.
Over 4 million volunteers across the country, come together to help improve their community through a chapter of ‘Keep America Beautiful’.
The focus is on “waste reduction, recycling, beautification and community greening.”
The available assignments that day included weeding, trash pick-up, painting and creating ‘art’ from recycled materials.
I volunteered to help paint picnic benches and raised garden beds.
We used clear deck stain on all the wood surfaces.
I was able to make some new friends while we worked side by side.
After I had finished painting, I walked around seeing the other projects being done including some of the recycled art that will later be displayed at the site.
A group of girls were working hard on making a shield for a figure that was to be created out of recycled material.
This was the first time that I had participated in this kind of event and it was such a rewarding experience.
Click on the following links to see how you can participate in keeping your community beautiful:
Keep America Beautiful
Keep Phoenix Beautiful
‘Toys’ for the Garden
azplantladyA week ago, I received a very special delivery of what I like to call ‘toys’ for my garden.
It was almost like Christmas and the person who delivered them was even wearing red, just like ‘Santa’.
I mentioned last month, that I was asked to be a partner with the folks of TroyBilt’s Saturday 6 to test and review their outdoor power.
TroyBilt brought us all together and introduced us to their exceptional line of gardening tools.
Well, I knew which ones I wanted to play with in my garden.
Would you believe that I even volunteered to mow the back lawn?
**Soon, I will show you how I used my new garden tools and here is the best part…
I will be having a giveaway where you can win a very cool tool yourself.
Stay tuned…
*Disclosure: I am paid for my partnership with Troy-Bilt and provided outdoor power equipment free of charge for my honest review.
Knit Scarves for Trees?
azplantlady, TreesLast Saturday was a day that we had long prepared for.
My husband and I had spent countless hours sitting alongside my youngest daughter, Gracie, helping her practice for her piano recital.
She was nervous, but looked so cute in her new dress and shoes.
The recital was held at the Mesa Arts Center and Gracie was playing along with her entire class.
As we were waiting for our turn to go inside, I saw something rather unusual in the distance.
The Mesquite trees looked rather colorful. So, I walked a bit closer….
No, my eyes weren’t deceiving me. These trees had knit scarves covering parts of their trunks.
Now, I like to knit scarves for loved ones – but this was the first time that I had ever seen them on trees.
Even the Pine trees had colorful, knit scarves.
I couldn’t imagine why anyone would spend so much time knitting scarves and then ‘sewing’ them around tree trunks.
The trees don’t need protection from the cold.
I needed some answers, because I was pretty sure that they didn’t cover this in my Trees class in college or when I took my Certified Arborist exam.
I spotted a security guard walking nearby and asked him why the trees had knit scarves. He explained that the trees were the focus of a group to beautify the urban landscape.
What they did is referred to as ‘Yarn Bombing‘, which is described as “The Art of Knit Graffiti.”
‘Yarn Bombing’ is occurring in urban areas throughout North America in an effort to add beauty to urban areas.
Well, I must admit that I thought the trees looked quite nice.
But, I think they might get a bit ‘warm’ as the temperatures begin to rise 😉
They will soon be taken down, so if you live nearby – stop by before the ‘knit graffiti’ is taken down.
****************************
While we were at the recital, we got our first phone call from my daughter, Rachele, who is away at basic training for the Navy.
It was so good to hear her voice!
She is homesick and is trying hard not to be discouraged. She has finished one week of basic training and is learning how to do things “the Navy way”.
Rachele joined up with a division that had already been there a week before and needed a few more recruits. So, she has less time to learn how to do things.
Learning how to make their beds and folding clothes a certain way is hard and they come around with a ruler and if you are 1 cm off, you get in trouble.
I can see why this would be hard for her, since most of her clothes never made it into her dresser at home 😉
It has been cold there (outside Chicago) and they have three different jackets and knit caps that they wear when they have to march from building to building (2 miles).
She was given good advice before she left by her then boss, who is a retired Army colonel. He said to do your best to blend in and don’t volunteer for anything. It just makes basic training that much harder.
So far so good, she said. Her RTC doesn’t know her name, which is supposed to be good.
She has passed her swimming test along with many of her other physical tests – so that is good news.
The recruits aren’t allowed to talk to each other. But, some try to talk to each other at night after lights are out. However, some get caught and have to do extra exercise.
We are doubling up on our letters to keep her spirits up.
From what we hear, everything she is experiencing is normal, including the homesickness. It is supposed to get better around week 4, once they start to get used things.
As for me, I was a weepy mess after I spoke to her. I do miss her so much. But, I believe that she will make a wonderful sailor 🙂
Spring on the Family Farm
Double S Farms, UncategorizedSpring is my favorite time in the garden. Is it yours?
Plants are in full bloom and my vegetable garden is filled with both cool-season and a few warm-season crops.
Today, I thought that I would take you to the ‘farm’ to see how my mother’s vegetable garden is growing.
The ‘farm’ is nicknamed “Double S Farms” by the family. It is just down the road from our house and is a favorite place for all the family to gather.
My mother has two raised vegetable beds and she loves tending her vegetables.
One bed is dedicated to cool-season crops that will soon give way to warm-season vegetables.
She still has lettuce growing, which she uses to make delicious salads when we all gather together for dinner on Tuesday nights.
The broccoli has gone to flower, but it looks so pretty, that she keeps it in the garden.
Do you see the orange flower in the background of the photo, above? That is a marigold, which is a great ‘companion’ plant for the vegetable garden because it helps to repel bad bugs who might eat her vegetables.
While we spend time looking at the vegetable gardens, the neighbor’s tortoise stops briefly, to see what we are doing from the other side of the fence.
The second vegetable garden was built by the family as a surprise for my mother’s birthday over a year ago.
She has started her warm-season crops in it, including tomatoes, summer squash and gourds.
Sugar snap peas (one of my favorite vegetables) hang from vines growing on a small trellis.
The newest vegetable bed is also home to…
A toad, which is helpful with insect control.
He recently moved from his previous home next to the chicken coop. My nephew, who is a Star Wars fan, gave him a special name.
While the toad keeps bugs in control around the vegetable gardens – Francie, the resident ‘naked-neck’ chicken, patrols for bugs outside of the garden.
As you can see, spring has sprung at the family farm.
Soon, summer will be here which heralds another favorite activity…
Picking peaches and making jam!
How about you?
What is growing in your garden this spring?
Will you grow something different this year?
An Unexpected Big Hole…
AZ Plant LadyEarlier this week, I stepped outside to receive a delivery and was quite surprised at the sight that greeted me…
There were two men and a BIG hole in my landscape.
Of course, I knew that we had utility boxes for the phone and cable companies on our property. But, in the 14 years that we have lived here, no one has ever paid any attention to them.
Some of you may wonder if I was angry that I had a huge hole in my front yard.
Well, I wasn’t mad. You see, even though we own the property, I knew that utility boxes have an ‘easement’ that allows the utility companies to dig on your property without your permission.
In my work out in the field, I have encountered this often and when I design landscapes, I am careful to keep plants at least 3 ft. away from utility boxes AND keep a clear route to them from the street.
Now, utility boxes are ugly and no one likes to look at them. But, you can add shrubs and other plants to screen them from your view.
BUT, be careful! If plants are in the way – the utility company can pull them out. The Red Yucca, above, would most likely be removed if work had to be done since they are in the way.
Be sure to keep a clear route to the street when hiding utility boxes.
A few of these Purple Ruellia are also in trouble if work needs to be done.
I would advise decreasing the lawn area by 3 ft. and planting the Purple Ruellia there and leaving free access for utility work that may be needed.
Utility workers will make reasonable attempts to protect your plants as long as they are not in the way. They put a nylon tie around my Globe Mallow to keep it out of their way an put plastic down to protect the gravel.
It is normal to ignore the utility boxes, if you have them on your property and screening them out using plants is often, the first thing homeowners do when installing a landscape.
But, be careful where you place your plants. Try to keep them at least 3 ft. off to the side of the utility boxes and NOT in front.
Because sooner or later, the utility company will have to dig a hole to repair and/or upgrade their wires.
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Yesterday, we received a box of my daughter, Rachele’s civilian belongings. You see, as soon as she arrived at basic training for the Navy, she had to put all her clothes, shoes and other belongings into a box that was sent home.
It was a clear sign of her leaving behind her civilian life and the beginning of her military career.
In the box was also her cell phone charger. But I couldn’t find her cell phone.
Of course, leave it to my street-smart oldest daughter, Brittney, who simply looked inside one of the shoes where it was safely tucked away.
We are hoping to get our first letter from Rachele this week. We can’t send her any letters until we receive a letter from her because we don’t get her address until she sends us that information.
We all have written her letters and I just bought a lot of stamps – so I am ready!
Church Landscape Renovation 1 Year After…
First Roses of the Season
azplantladyI love roses, don’t you?
Believe it or not, I used to have 40 different varieties of hybrid tea roses in my garden when I lived in Phoenix.
Now, I am perfectly happy with my 3 David Austin shrub roses.
Technically, they aren’t my roses.
They belong to my kids.
The beautiful pink rose, above, is Abraham Darby, which belongs to my daughter, Ruthie.
We planted these roses 3 years ago.
You can read about our planting adventure here, “Three Little Roses – Ready for a New Home” and “Three Little Roses -Time to Plant” complete with rose planting guidelines and pictures of my kids when they were much younger – where does the time go?
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Hope your week is off to a good start!
I must admit that I am really missing my daughter, Rachele, who is entering her second week of basic training in the Navy.
Why Adding Trash to Pots is a Good Idea
AZ Plant LadyIn my last post, “Pots, Trash and Goodbyes“, I talked about how I bought some new glazed pots for my front entry.
You would expect that planting pots is pretty straight forward. But, what many of you didn’t expect was the ‘trash’ that I put in the bottom of my containers.
recyclable trash
You can see that the trash at the bottom of this pot consists of mostly recyclable trash such as milk cartons, soda and pasta bottles.
So why on earth would someone put trash in the bottom of a pot?
Here is a clue…
Have you bought potting mix lately?
It is expensive AND many pots are so large, that plant’s roots don’t reach down to the bottom.
So, why waste all that expensive, unused soil at the bottom?
Because this pot was to be filled with shallow-rooted annuals and perennials – I filled the bottom third of the pot with empty plastic containers.
I not only have saved myself money, but my pot also weighs a lot less then if I had filled the entire pot with soil.
If you are planting shrubs, trees or other deep-rooted plants, then you need a lot of soil for the roots to grow into – so, don’t use this trick for these types of plants.
The next time you plant containers, be sure to raid your recycle bin first for ‘trash’.
**You can also use foam packing peanuts in place of empty plastic containers.
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Thank you all for your kind words of support as my daughter, Rachele, left for basic training yesterday.
We got a 1-minute phone call, telling us she was okay and that we would receive a letter in one week and a phone call in three.
My sister-in-law attended her swearing in ceremony in downtown Phoenix just before she boarded a plane for basic training.
She got her hair cut ahead of time.
Rachele didn’t want her dad and I to go because she said it would be too hard for her not to be sad and cry. So, I was happy that my sister-in-law, who worked nearby, was able to go and support her and take photos for us all to see.
We are all starting to write her letters and the ones that the kids wrote are so sweet and just break my heart because they miss her already.