this week

Rockstar hubby's grandma died. She was going to be 96 two days later. On the way to the funeral:

gaffer: how did great Nanny die?
me: she was asleep and then she died.
g: but how did she die?
me: in her sleep.
g: no, how did it happen?
me: well, she fell asleep and God sent an angel and he took her hand and said, 'It's time to go Thelma. Time to go home.' and she said, 'ok' and they went up to heaven.
(pause)
g: that Jesus! He's too miracle-ey for me! I love that guy! He's the best!


so it was a good wake and a good funeral. it's easy to forget how wonderful RSH's cousins are. i wish i saw them more. it was definitely an emotional funeral even though she was terribly old. she was wonderful and funny and very much loved by all her children, grand-children and great-grandchildren.

what was the most disappointing though, was that very few of 'our' friends actually made an effort to come to the wake, or the funeral, or to even acknowledge their sympathies. but a couple did, and it surprised me because i didn't expect that from them.

so that begs the question: were those people who came brought up properly or are we being shown who our true friends are? not bitter, just wondering about it all.

Still Warm in March...

Not that I'm complaining. I've been raking up old dead leaves and leftover stems from coreopsis gone by and I've already filled a yard waste bag. And I've only done one garden bed! It is so wonderful to see the purple and yellow crocuses (crocii?) waving at me from the lawn. I'm making Rockstar Hubby wait until they're dead before digging up the sod to make a new garden.

As I was raking, lovely thoughts came to mind. My favourite being:

'If my cellulite is an explanation for all the lovely chocolate and red wine I've enjoyed, then I enjoy the reminders...'

Happy cellulite everyone!

Spring is in the air

I'm sure everyone is going to be blogging about it. I have to tell you though it doesn't smell like spring. There isn't that lingering fresh earth mixed with old dog poop in the air. But the snow is melting and the ground is dry and there are teeny tiny buds popping up in the ground. I think they're crocuses in the backyard.

I'm really, really excited about it. I have so many new plans for this year. I've decided to eschew square foot gardening and instead till up the ground. I have a large section that they all sit in, about 12 x 15' which I can probably squeeze to 20 x 20 when rockstar hubby isn't looking. I've been picking up books on potagers and I have grandiose ideas of planting vegetables within my flower beds. I also have a basswood twiglet in the ground, waiting to grow. Of course RSH will have to do the grunt work, but I don't think it'll be that bad. I know he's itching to play with a rototiller, so we'll just remove the boxes, till up the ground and plan. I've already started my geraniums (for the front window boxes and yes I know I've always complained about them in the past, but I just can't get past the bright redness of them that you can see a mile away) to be planted with some cut ivy that is growing wildly in the bedroom. Wave petunias, portulaca, two different kinds of asters, delphiniums and lupins... I'm still waiting for seeds from Vesey's and I might overdo it but I don't really care. I'm so excited to fill the gardens with beauty and now that the gaffer is 5 1/2 (good golly, when did that happen?) I can watch him less. We also have a new fence being put in and our patio! I can't wait to be walking on stones instead of gravel! And with the new fence, we are going to extend it down alongside the house to the very front so that we have an entire area dedicated to shade. It's in-between two houses and faces North, so it never gets any sun, but it makes for lovely coolness to sit in and sip green tea lemonade.
And strawberry season is coming. Oh the jams I want to try. Actually, I'm lying. I'd rather drink strawberry lemonade. If only it came sugar free! And no, I'm not doing aspartame or splenda or stevia. The stuff is vile. Even though I hanker diet coke sometimes.
But how am I supposed to get all that done? I have to write another book within 6 months. We're leaving for Paris in May, then North Carolina in June. I think housekeeping will get worse. But maybe I'll start doing my laundry at the laundry mat so I can get it all done at once and then do paperwork while I wait. Hm...hm...But then no clean clothes on the line...

I really need to move somewhere where there is gardening all year round.