The Harnation

I know I tend to get a little too technical when I start talking cars. If you've ever thought I sound like these guys, I apologize greatly.



This is what it sounds like to me when people start talking about how computer software works. Or RADAR.

Matt

Last fall, Matt helped me with my most ambitious flower bed install/makeover.  We basically doubled the square-footage of tilled bed space for this feat.  I'm happy with the way it all turned out, and am looking forward to seeing it all fill in over the next couple of years. 

I don't have any good pictures of everything in full bloom, but here's how it all looks now (and as it did last year).

First up was the west-facing side of this fence.  It had three puny crepe myrtle "volunteers" that a co-worker dug up and donated from her garden.  We planted those suckers by simply scraping back some of the brick-hard clay and plopping them down.  They didn't hardly grow in the two years that they were there, so we dug them up, tilled the ground really well, added lots of soil amendments, and then put two of them back in along with three yellow roses and a whole assortment of purple and yellow daylilies.

These roses have been a real show-stopper.  They have bloomed non-stop all  year long since early spring.  I have not sprayed or fertilized them and they've been completely disease-free.  I highly recommend planting 'Sun Flare', a pretty yellow floribunda rose.  The daylilies all did well  too, but will be even better next year as the clumps settle in.  They're all reblooming varieties.


The back side of the same fence now boasts a hydrangea/daylily bed.  It's got four hydrangeas - two 'Royal Purple' mopheads in the middle and lace-caps ('Kardinal' and 'Eisvogel') on the ends.  The daylilies are planted in sets of three - alternating between a combination of one/two each of 'Grape Magic' and 'Rosy Returns'.  I also have a couple of lenten rose and like to keep pansies mixed in this bed as well.



We expanded the bed behind the house out a few feet and added the brick edging.  I moved the gardenias and 'Forever and Ever' hydrangeas that were in front of the house to this bed and took out almost all of the pre-existing perennials.  The hydrangeas are much happier now with afternoon shade, although they and the gardenias weren't too happy to be moved.  Now I just have to figure out how to make that one gardenia fill back in where it died back from the transplant (anyone got any good suggestions??).


I also took the climbing roses out and moved them so that they now hang over the back fence (they needed to be sprayed every other week and were also getting to be a hazard for people/dogs/kids walking on the patio or laying in the hammock), and added Confederate Jessamine, Madison Jasmine, and several different clematis cultivars to the three trellises.  


I expanded the far back bed to have an extra "hump" in it, where I put most of the perennials that were against the house, in addition to several new perennials and my David Austin roses.

We also recently added a line of "Muskogee" crepe myrtles, which will provide a nice screen of privacy along the fence.  Muskogee grows very quickly and blooms for 120 days straight!  Can't wait to see these suckers grow and flourish!


Other than the addition of another tree or two for privacy, I think we are done with planting!  With all of our travel and weekend activities this summer, I had a hard time keeping up with everything (mostly just the weeding, but that was in large part because I didn't have enough mulch).  I'm fairly certain that I'm set on flower bed space, and have really slowed down on plant buying.


Lately, I've just been watching when things bloom and what plants look best together.  I've moved some stuff around and am starting to figure out what I like planted with what.  It's all a learning experience - that's the best part of gardening.  So what if you kill something?  You can always start over.


With all of the bed additions and plant moving, I have ended up with a couple of extra plants if anyone is interested.  I have an unnamed hydrangea (I'm not sure if it's 'Royal Purple' or 'Nikko Blue') that's about 8-12" big and a small hot pink crepe myrtle in pots that are free for the taking, plus plenty of Shasta Daisy ('Becky'), 'Stella D'Oro' daylilies, and black-eyed susans.  I'll also have other daylilies next spring and fall that will need dividing.  If you're interested, please come claim some plants; I have plenty!

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that my family is a pretty close one.  We just love spending time together.  We have mutual interests (our ever-increasing dog population, kayaking, camping, wakeboarding, even wine-tasting) and always have a good time.


It wasn't always like this.  As kids, although we loved each other, we had some serious fights, and they were fairly frequent.  I can't count the number of times Matt's told me that he and his brother were never punch-throwing/scratching/hair-pulling brothers after I recount yet another tussle we three sisters had as kids.  (And yes, we did all of those things, and much worse, at home, in public, even once or twice in the church pew).  My mom used to ask us, "Why can't you be more like David and Jonathan (Adams)?  They never hit each other."


Not only did we resort to physical violence on occasion, but probably the most hurtful means of fighting was our use of words.  We knew just what to say to cut the other deeply - which choice words would cause the most damage, and we did it without thinking or regret (at least initially).  We were all three calculating and mean to one another.  We hurt each other on purpose.


We all followed somewhat of the same path as we grew up.  Softball in elementary/middle school, soccer in high school, life guarding during the summers, and then on to college at Auburn.  We met the loves of our lives there and went on to marry them after graduation.  However, we've never been in the same demographic or life stage at the same time before.  Now, we're all married, with full-time jobs, and live near enough to one another to get together fairly often (something I never thought would happen, and I just love that we live so close together).


Lately, I'd been feeling a little sorry for myself over the fact that the number of girlfriends I have in town that are in our "life stage" is rapidly decreasing.  It's not that I'm not excited for a friend when she tells me "the news", but it does make it a lot harder to hang out when you've got to coordinate naps, feedings, and diaper changes. There's also something about having a set of peers that is going through the same challenges as you are that is very valuable and comforting.


Dinner with my sisters (and their husbands) last Friday was just what I needed.  Grabbing beer and pizza was never so much fun as kids (maybe it was the lack of beer when we were younger, maybe it's that we're adults and get along much better now).  All 6 of us can just sit on the back patio, talk, and laugh together for hours.  It's the best group of close friends that I've ever had.

Amanda and Amy really are my best friends.  I can talk to them about almost anything.  They, together with my mother, fill in the parts of my life that Matt prefers to be exempt from (like outlet shopping, "girl restaurant" lunching, and chick-flick watching).  They hold me accountable.  They encourage and support me when I need it, rejoice with me, and cry with me.  It's not perfect - we still occasionally hurt one another's feelings, but the difference is that now we don't do it on purpose, and we always try to say we're sorry. 


I don't know exactly what it is that's made our relationship(s) change.  We all married kind, loving, wonderful, strong Christian men who have been able to calm us down a little.  I also think that as we grow and mature as adults and Christians, our relationships with one another grow and mature.  I may not be able to pinpoint exactly what has caused the change, but I can say that I'm ever so grateful for it.  I have always loved my sisters, now I also enjoy them.

We drove to Atlanta (and back) yesterday to see Regina Spektor at The Tabernacle.  I'm not usually the concert type, but I had a lot of fun!  I thought that RS put on an excellent show and especially appreciated the intimate feel of The Tabernacle (where you can sit, see, and hear everything from every seat in the house).