January 28, 2010

Really nice day out, to bad I have to work. Mema has taken the day off with friend Andrea to go to Clatskanie and retrieve more papers from the house and do some banking errands, then on the way home they are stopping at St. John's Hospital to get the Dr. to fill out a portion of some insurance papers.
Last week I bought a high intensity light system for my home aquarium and a bunch of really nice plants, got the aquarium all landscaped and an hour later the goldfish had uprooted all and torn everything to bits. So tonight I am bringing Gpa Dales big fish home and taking all the goldfish to the office and put them in my office tank much to Mema's dislikes. She really has liked the goldfish because the little terrorists like them.

January 23, 2010

Planted a seed tray of Marigolds and one pot of red Lupins. Fed and watered the birds and did a clean-up in the Rose bed out front. Mema had her friend Andrea come over and the two of them spent the entire day sifting and organizing all the financial papers we had brought home from the Clatskanie house. I came in and made lunch for the three of us and then when they were done for the evening we went to Skavone's for supper. It was a pretty exhausting day for Mema.

January 22, 2010

Beallara 'Tropic Spleder' "Everglades" We attended Old friend Dr. McDonalds memorial service at the Oregon Garden and his widow Carol told us to make sure we come to their home for the dinner afterwards because Doc had an Orchid that he wanted me to take. She said that the Orchid Society was going to auction off the rest of the plants to its members. Thanks Doc.

Vanda "Patchera Delight" I purchased this orchid at Portland Nursery's annual sale for 19.00

January 18, 2010

Drama....my life is full of drama....I need to get out into the garden and clear my head. It is time to start arranging the greenhouse so I have room for seed flats. And since my dahlia tubers got hit by the freeze I think I am going to try and start some of the salvaged tubers in pots in the greenhouse again. Need to clean up the fruit trees as well. So much to do and so little time. Last weekend I did get my new flag pole cemented in the front yard that was a hoot. Neighbor to the North "Crazy Cat Lady" came out on her porch and asked what we were doing. I had Mema a crossed the street deciding what side of the walk I was going to put the pole. She told CCL what we were doing and maybe she would like to come out and help decide. CCL said maybe put it in the back yard and what are we planning on putting on it? Mema then quipped "we are going to run your bloomers up it". Way to hit it back into the park! I have always thought it would look very Americana-ish and now that it is up I just love it.

Hulda Klager Lilac Garden

Finally went on a tour of the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens.
Mema and I with our little purchase, Lilac ‘Dark Night’. Deep Purple colored flowers should appear in about five years judging by the size of the plant.

The Tale of Judy and Squeaker

In the summer of 1991 our friend John Speeza called us and asked if we could come to his shop and rescue some chickens that he managed to trap in one of his out buildings. He suspected for some time that a Mexican family was raising them for cock fights. When we got there John took us to a small building and when he opened the door one Rooster and a hen scampered out, I caught the hen as she ran under my legs and there was a rooster and another hen in the building. We found homes for all but one hen this little black Bantam who was very gentle in nature so we called her Judy after Johns wife and gave her free run of the back yard until she got used to the other large hens. She quickly took on the roll as queen of the hen house. Every year the Grade School would make field trips to our house to see all the animals and Judy was a great hit with the kids, it was probably the first time they ever got to hold a chicken.
Judy hatched out several broods of chicks in the years that we had her. Friends would bring fertile eggs for her to sit on. She was a very good mother and in between clutches she was content to sit on golf balls or anything else we would give her. One year we had one of my pigeons hatch out a single squeaker that when mature took an unusual liking to Judy and pretty soon he was following her out into the chicken yard and Judy would spend most of her time chasing all the other hens away from him. In the evening we would always find the two of them sleeping side by side in Judy’s nest. In 1996 the year this picture was taken Judy became very egg bound and no matter how I tried to relieve her problem her health failed and one day I found her dead on her nest. We buried her on the west end of the garden next to the path and placed a block on top of the grave. Squeaker watched the whole process from the top of the hen house. And every day I would find him sitting on the block that we placed on her grave, as we approached he would start cooing mournfully and ruffle up his feathers warning us to keep away. I was worried about his vulnerability sitting on the grave so I started picking him up and tossing him into the air to make him fly with the other pigeons but he always came back to sit on Judy’s grave. One day I herd the neighbor shooting an air rifle on the side of the house and when I went to see what he was shooting at it turned out to be wild pigeons that were attempting to nest under his eves. About two days later I watched Squeaker come flying in a looping sort of way and when I went to see what the problem was I found him lying on the landing board to the pigeon/chicken house dead from a bullet to the neck. I buried him in the same grave that Judy was buried in.