A Rather Sparkling Day

Yet one more picture of the buckeye blossom. They start off red and yellow and then eventually become all red. This one was shining brightly in the afternoon sun, practically whistling at me to come and take it's picture while I was watering the porch plants. 
I don't need to be asked twice. 

It's been just a very fine day. I took my time this morning doing a little of this and a little of that. Mostly I was not rushing. I met up with Jessie after an exercise class she went to (God forbid I should GO to an exercise class with her- pottery, yes, exercise, no) and then we of course went to lunch because that's what we do. Today we had some pulled barbecue chicken at a local BBQ place. She got green beans and fried okra to go with, I got collard greens and corn. All very good. Then we headed off to the nursery. 
"Let's kamikaze this place!" I told her. But you can't kamikaze a plant nursery. Especially not in the spring where there are a million flowering plants and trees and bushes and vegetables and herbs and and interesting people, both of the adult and child variety. Two moms were there with their kids and one of them, holding her doll, said, "Mama, can we buy some tomatoes?" 
The mama was distracted by a conversation she was having with the other mother so I just spoke up and said, "Yes. Yes you can."
I apologized to the mother saying, "I know I'm not her grandmother but I am a grandmother and you know, we always say yes when kids ask us if they can have something." Luckily both mamas seemed to find this at least vaguely amusing and a short conversation was struck up about grandparents and grandchildren and you know I love that shit.

I was not overwhelmed with the choices there today although I had specifically picked that nursery because they do generally have the most variety. But I managed to fill up a cart/wagon. I spent way more than I should have and felt guilty although Jessie told me not to. As we were leaving I waved my arms about and said, "You're right. Look at all the plants I did NOT buy." Millions of plants.

The two white eggplants I got into the ground before the freeze look okay in that they will probably come back. But I'm not betting the ranch. I'd planted two Black Beauties as well, also before the freeze but they look okay. And today I bought two ichiban eggplants because they usually do pretty well.

I got some bell peppers and some cayenne and tabasco peppers. I need to make a new supply of pepper vinegar for greens. This is a staple in the south. You take your red, spicy peppers and you cram them into a bottle with a good stopper or lid of some sort and cover the peppers with the vinegar of your choice. Probably not a balsamic. Cover that up, put it in the refrigerator, add new vinegar when you've used up what's in there and you can keep a bottle of that for years. 
Trust me. I have never heard of anyone dying from pepper vinegar poisoning and I've been in many restaurants where the peppers in the vinegar, although originally green, are almost white due to age. And there will be a bottle on every table. This is how you know you're in a pretty good restaurant. 

I got some cherry tomatoes, some full-sized. I hadn't even heard of one type I got but it's an heirloom and we'll try it. Mr. Moon will no doubt not be best pleased but I did what I did. 
I got some cucumber plants but again- I'd never heard of them. Still, by the description, they should be okay. It's not nearly enough cucumbers and I need to plant some more seeds. The ones I planted before the freeze have shown no signs of life although the yellow squash has some nice, healthy looking sprouts coming along. 

The most unsettling thing was that the only basils they had were the Genovese variety and the cinnamon basil. Now I have been looking for that one. It is also known as the Mexican basil. So that was good. The African basil I planted before the freeze is coming back and the Thai basil seeds I planted are finally sprouting but they are microscopic at this point. I have to remember that it's still only March and the bees have plenty of flowers upon which to sip and sup right now. 

So that's about it when it comes to my nursery purchase. Oh! I got some organic garden fertilizer.
I kept saying, "I am going to save SO much money on food this summer!" which of course is just a damn joke because we all know that one homegrown tomato can probably end up costing the person who grew it at least twenty dollars and let's not even think about the labor involved. 
Oh well. At least we know how and where what comes out of our gardens was grown and gardening is good for the body and good for the soul, right? 
I think so. At least until the heat becomes intolerable. 

When I got home I unloaded the car and then I watered the porch plants. They were overdue. At that point it was too late to start planting my new babies but I'd been meaning to trim the hydrangea which looked just awful. That hydrangea has never done well but this year is the worst. 
So I trimmed off all the dead stuff and now you can barely see the plants due to the always all-consuming crocosmia. And I weed that area every year without fail.

I know I seem obsessed by the invasive plants in my yard but just look at that. The hydrangea is literally getting choked out. 

Oh! Speaking of invasives- my aloe plant bed with probably a hundred aloes in it? We saw one aloe of the same type at the nursery, potted up and it was selling for ten bucks. TEN DOLLARS! And it didn't even look that healthy. I could probably make a thousand dollars off the aloes in my yard. 
I just thought that was interesting. 

After the watering and pruning I came in and put the clean sheets on the bed. Sadly Mr. Moon will not be here to share them tonight. This is what he's been doing. 

Laying flooring in the upstairs bedrooms. 
So let's see. He's done demolition, sheet rocking, painting, electrical work, plumbing work, and now wood flooring installation. What am I forgetting? A lot of stuff, I am sure. And on top of all this, he has taken care of business stuff. And tax stuff. And kid and grandkid stuff. And yard and vehicle stuff. And landlord stuff. 
And hardest of all- taking care of me stuff. 
Every day of my life I am reminded of the sort of man I married which is to say- the best sort. And he's pretty darn cute too if you can call a man of that height cute. This is not to say that there are not times when he annoys me to the river and back but I generally get over it pretty quickly. 

Are you going to protest tomorrow? I am definitely not going to Tallahassee to protest at the capitol. Where would I park? 
If I do join a protest, which knowing me is highly unlikely, I'll go to Monticello where even if I have to park at the very edge of town it'll only be a three minute walk to the courthouse where the protest is being held. 
I might be in my garden though, introducing those plants to the dirt of Lloyd. 

Meanwhile, I'm having a self-made martini and will soon be heating the pasta I ended up making last night with shrimp I discovered in my freezer, and almost all the vegetables which is sort of like a salad but cooked and with noodles so you know- same/same. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon 

P.S. I am thinking I might watch the Netflix doc "Under the Influence" tonight which is about Keith Richards, for probably the sixth time. I need some Keith. For those of you who do not understand, I understand your not understanding. I don't even understand my love for the old boy myself but it's there. 
He is my spirit totem animal and that is that. I dare say there is no one quite like him in the world. Quite possibly never has been, never will be. He is Keith.