Five Little Monkies sitting in a tree

or wanting to sit in a tree!

Cottage Garden

This is a pretty view of what I am calling the cottage garden. Last summer, I got tired of the weeds growing in this small area. I dug it out and lay down plastic, sand and bricks and went to work planting. Himself and I moved plants from other parts of the yard (Japanese Iris, my Amber Wave coral belle and lilies). I planted some bienniels -- Hollyhocks and maybe the Bachelor Buttons -- are they bienniels? I bought a few new plants too. Oh, and we got a piece of my Mama's bleeding heart before her house was sold. That bleeding heart and the one I got from Wallyworld are both flourishing. Lovely, lovely plants. I love that plant. I think my Mama got her start of the bleeding heart from my sister Linda. Linda had the biggest, best Bleeding Heart I ever did see. Denny says that it is still there in his Red Wing garden and has been the mother of many more Bleeding Heart plants.

And today, even tho it is unseasonably cold and dreary and overcast and it looks like it is going to pour and there is not one bit of sunshine to lighten your heart, the garden is still pretty. And I reckon that is what a flower garden is for. To lighten a heart.

Mother's Day or "Monkies at the Zoo"

I love this photo. It is, as Erica said when she saw it, revealing personalities. Should have got all the sleepy men on the davenports in here too! My next camera will have a timer on it! And wish Traci week ends off too, soon! Thank you all! Love you all! Ma

1990

was a very good year . . .


















Those little crab apple trees behind were the monsterous things in the previous pic. Beautiful girls. Big hair . . .

(oh, I'm so sorry! Mama couldn't help it!)

19 years

I believe that come June, Himself and I will have lived here for 19 years. That is the very longest I have lived ANYWHERE! I do not belive it, even as I write about it. I lived in Peru, IA almost 2 years. I lived at the Junkyard maybe 10 years although it seems the longest of any place I have ever lived. I lived at the "green house" in Afton about 4 years, one year at Shagbark before sharing an apartment in Creston with Little Jan. Then, I married and lived in Sioux City for almost 6 years where I started my real life. In 1977, we moved to Hubbard, NE for a year when Zenith Corp shut down. As we didn't want to move to Mexico or Taiwan we bought a grocery store and a whirlwind ensued -- the farm house west of Orient, Helen Speed's house, Lobaugh's and then to the yellow house on the football field. Klinkenfus'.

Then to here, this neat ol house. The first year we were here the crabapple trees were lovely. This year, they are going to be again.

Finally

I suppose for 20 years I have been trying to get a bleeding heart started. Linda had one gigantic bleeding heart in Red Wing. Absolutely beautiful. My Mama got a start and it grew and prospered in her east flower bed. I have a piece now and it is growing too but this beaut is one I got at wally world or somewhere similiar. Last summer I worked on creating a little cottage garden out the back door and this summer, it is going to take off and be mighty fine!