In the Void

I have identified three of the unknown geraniums as Geranium x oxonianum "Wargrave's Pink", and a handful of others as Geranium incanum. It's always lovely when they flower and show you their colors. Now just a couple of unkknowns left ;o)

I'm not certain if jimhines has tradmarked this phrase yet.
(ETA: Title edited to properly meet jimhines' trademark requirements. ;o) )

Last night it hit 25 here, which meant danger for a lot of the plants that are up. Most can take a 32, or even a 30, with only minor leaf burning, but 25 is just too low.
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asakiyume has a beautiful post about birds here. I suspect there a plot bunny poking out under the leaves therein. Must 'heart' this post.

Speaking of leaves, I'm going to take out a privet today. Possibly just one of the three evil beasts, but I've been needing to do something about those monsters for some time. They've sent out roots everywhere, and I suspect they'll try to invade the house eventually. Plus the third privet's branches block the water spigot for the front yard. Much digging and chopping is in store for me.

Wrote one of the new scenes for DitD. You know those 'white room' scenes that we're never supposed to write? This is in a root cellar, no light, no window, door shut. No visual input. Oh wait, I'm actually pretty good at 'no visual input'....no problemo.

I realize that 'teh' is the proper mispelling for 'the.' I, however, persist in spelling it 'hte'....

Yes, this is the sort of Dark Lord one gets in the mail....still a baby.


There's supposedly a chance of snow tonight, although accuweather says tomorrow morning. In honor of that, I spent this afternoon out getting mulch to protect my babies. Went to Home Depot and bought cedar mulch for some beds, and then to TLC to get some cocoa mulch for the beds that abutt the house. I smell strange, like chocolate if I turn my head in one direction, and cedar in the other. Chocolate-covered cedar chips....

I have hastily constructed a bunch of frames out of newspaper and tree protector grid, and will be out covering all my precious geraniums at darkfall.

I also finally found a Climbing Iceberg Rose. I had one on the far side of the yard which was killed by a neighbor's excessive application of Round-Up in their yard (roses are sensitive to run-off). I won't be planting this one for a few days, but I'm putting it in a different spot where I'm sure it will be glorious...

Finally, parked next to this at the garden center. ( cut for pictures )

Like all contractors seem to do, the guys got the fence 90% done, and then left.

They said they would be back first thing in the morning to finish it off, but it's almost 3:00 now. The back fence is complete, one side has a 6" gap, and the other an entire panel not installed. 2' gap next to the house and, of course, the wrought iron sections haven't been put in at all.

They changed one side (at the request of that neighbor) from posts-in to posts-out, which made about 6 inches difference as to where the fence is....and I totally forgot to account for that. My lycoris all ended up on the other side of the fence. As they're relatively expensive bulbs, I spent a goodly amount of time this morning digging under the new fence to retrieve them. They're the sort of bulb that hates being replanted, so I'm sure not seeing any blooms from them this summer. I also moved a rosemary bush, and hope the peonies there get the memo about the fence move. We'll see.

Watched some movies related to the plot bunny work today, Phar Lap and Man from Snowy River. Both still good, but they're on VHS. Wow, I've gotten spoiled. VHS is so....blurrryy....particularly really old VHS tapes. Replacements are definitely in order.

Horrible shot from my cell phone, at the park yesterday...

Yes, the fluffy is going on the pear trees, a sign that leaves are going to be arriving soon. Several of my shrubs at home have started leafing out as well, and a lot of the bulbs are coming up.

I went ahead and ordered by new caryopteris plants, since they won't be in stores until August or Sept (they don't want them there until they're blooming).

I spent a good deal of time last night working on some setting stuff in Saratoga Springs. Found a photo blog with modern pictures of the Adirondack Trust Building, Menges & Curtis Apothecary (the photog is associated with that store) and the house that I'm 'using' as Mother's Hawkes' town residence (the house is currently yellow, but I've chosen to re-imagine it as light blue). Great photos of the carriage house at that residence, too.

Not much has changed at Menges & Curtis in 100 years....the same tile, woodwork, scale. Amazing. What I haven't determined is whether the soda fountain was there in 1905 (on the left side of the store as one enters.) Not there now, BTW...

....like wormwood.

Just spent two hours at my first 'spring' cut back, filling up two big blues and a roughneck with garden cuttings. Got all five wormwoords (which is why I smell), one of the Japanese vareigated grasses, the primary patch of TG&S chrysanthemums, the remains of the Glad bed, and various other things than needed cleaning. I still have a long way to go before spring, but the trash cans are full, so I'm done for this week.

Silly plants. I noticed that the daffodils, grape hyacinths, and hyacinths are making a go for it. Also several of the perennials are putting on green, including some of the ornamental grasses. Pansies are blooming. Evidently they all think our winter is over. Silly plants.

Note to self:
When you grow maidengrass (AKA bloody sawgrass) in your yard, remember that the grass volunteers you see might be them. PLease remember not to yank them out of the ground like dandelions. Must wear gloves.

(Yes, I forgot. I yanked, I bled--quite a bit actually, which is unusual for me. I'm not a bleeder.)

I have a whole basket full of zinnia heads now, waiting to be separated. (Zinnia "Apricot Profusion".) When I first planted them 2 years ago, I didn't expect them to self seed--but this one cultivar did, resulting in a lovely late summer border that came in just as the Coreopsis "Early Sunrise" was dying back. They turn out to be fantastic companion plants, so more are certainly in order for next year.

Also, the Chrysanthemum "Texas Gold and Silver" is doing great right now, in full bloom and crawling with bees and every other sort of polinator. Other than the pansies, it's the only game in town now.

Lifted and divided three of my German irises today. The "Dover", the "Starship Enterprise" and...that third one whose name I can't remember. Left the variegated and the Siberians in the ground.

Will split up the Starship Enterpise and the Dovers, to take some to family in Dallas area during/after Fencon. Free irises, YAY! ;o)

Now that I know how they grow, I will completely re-do where they're planted in the yard, particularly since the Starship Enterprise grew to about 5 feet tall. It was in front before, and you couldn't even see iris #3 over it. (Little 3 footer). So much to do in fall....

Well, I woke this morning with a headache, and faint migraine symptoms (didn't actually have a migraine, just the visual glitteries). I suspect this is due to either a) lack of caffeine or b) tropical depression gusvtav arriving in Oklahoma. Either way, compounded by the mist falling outside, I didn't go jogging.

I went to B&N instead hoping to find a copy of the most recent Locus, but no joy. Probably Thursday or Friday, I was told. They evidenly don't track their magazine shipments at all. I'd like to see it because a) there's reportedly a pic of the WOTF ceremony and b) July Fantasy Magazine was reviewed.

(More on each)
A) I just want to know how the pictures came out. I managed to get in the middle, where my overlarge form should have been mostly hidden by those below me.
B) Don't know if my story even got mentioned but I was curious, especially since mine appeared at the last moment of the last week of July. No mention is better than a bad mention, though.
ETA: If you've seen it and it's bad, don't tell me...

The foundation I like is being discontinued. Figures. (Insert eye roll here) I managed to score a couple more bottles at Target at 75% off, though. Won't have to buy foundation till next fall.

And finally, my less yard-industrious neighbor now has a child of the green monster lurking in their front beds, overgrowing their climbing roses and annuals.