the Sunday news

These are ladyslippers, which grow wild around here in secret places for very lucky people. Jimbo has some, and won't share, but two years ago Curtis found some and transplanted one here (quite illegally, I believe). This is the first time we've had any blooming, and the one has magically turned into two. We are most pleased.



And this is the newly stuccoed wall. We also have stucco under the deck windows, and also trim. We only need a little siding, and the deck area will be complete.



This is all I could find as a "before" photo, taken last fall. The cat had scratched up every bit of the fuzzboard she could reach, so you can see what an improvement this is!

So, yesterday we had the Visit from Hell. We were just emerging from siesta mode (me on the couch, Charlie in a chair), when we heard voices in the yard. Six people: Ted's sister's daughter Joyce (Charlie's first cousin, then), her daughter and granddaughter, Joyce's son-in-law (married to Joyce's other daughter), Joyce's late husband's sister and the sister's son. This was quite an invasion, and since Joyce and her daughter have a lot of childhood memories of this house, they wanted to see everything, go everywhere. They have a dim idea that things here sort of belong to them (they were all over Ted at one time about this, and he essentially kicked them out), and Joyce's daughter videotaped a lot of our stuff, without asking. It was most annoying! Joyce's sister-in-law asked me about children. I told her that Charlie had none, but that I had a child and two grandchildren who lived close by. "I'm sure they're not interested in this place," she said. "Indeed they are!" I said, and I explained that Julia had spent a great deal of time here and had a close relationship with Ted, and the grandson came here as often as possible, but that he was still young. Harumph.

And of course the place was a mess. Not a deep mess, but a general surface mess, since we've been spending so much time in the garden. This is part of the family (different people, though) for whom I made dinner for seven at a moment's notice in an impeccable house -- but that was B.C., before construction. Anyway, it was a drag. Most of them live far away, thank goodness, and were around only because Joyce was putting her husband's ashes in the cemetery. She's the only one who lives near here (Minneapolis), but I assume she won't be hanging around. She and Charlie have never had a very good relationship.

Anyway, that was yesterday.

Garden news. The tomatoes are in (a couple of days ago), and yesterday we planted peppers (ancho, anaheim, jalapeño, and one plant each of red & green bell, thai hot, super chili), cucumbers and zucchini and did some organization and maintenance. Today we planted beans: meralda and Kentucky blue (both pole), and the shellers: pinto, small red, canellini, and edamame. This last is new for us, so we'll see how it goes. That completes the major crops (corn went in last week), but we still have to finish plastic covering. Shortly weeding will be our only task. We also put in three cantaloupe plants today. We've never really succeeded with melons, but every few years we try. We got one watermelon once, and it was excellent, but the vines took up an awful lot of space for just one melon!

I'll send garden photos soon; it's only good to take pictures down there early in the morning.

I might add that I made the spice rub/pineapple salsa recipe in FC 79, the third of that series, and it was great. For a pepper I bought a couple of long skinny red ones, brand name "little sweeties," which were particularly good. But any red, yellow or orange bell would do. I used regular radishes, very fresh (not from the garden; we never plant them). I recommend this weird combination. The cilantro is indeed from the garden, where we had a field of volunteers, now all tilled under. It'll be back.

Interesting to read the stuff about Chris.

I am eager to see the new library building, both to see where Suzy and Bill will now work and because I spent many, many hours of a previous life in that place. It sounds like the work was a success.

OK, now I need to do something about a little of the mess in the house. AC is on, so it's more pleasant to be indoors than outdoors.