Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Friday, June 10, 2016

Still working in the yard

I've tried to get out in the yard for a short while each day to pull weeds & grass, and now to trim the heather.  I have heather that hasn't really been kept neat and tidy, and has even spread into my neighbor's yard.  I told him I was going to come over into his yard and try to trim it into shape, which is fine with him.  I'm going to recommend he just pull it out as there isn't much I can do with it.  It hasn't really been properly cared for in years, and I don't know enough to be able to overcome the neglect.  The past couple of years I have trimmed it on my side, about 1/3 of the way down the stalk, but underneath the plants is so much dead wood I am really stymied.  I think just before winter I'm going to get a power hedge trimmer and whack it off at least halfway down, and see what happens next year.

When it blooms it smells so good and is delightful to look at, but it is in a part of my yard I never visit much less sit in and enjoy the plants.   I'm hoping that I can have a nice little patio or "sit in" place set aside when I update the back yard.  The killer oleander is blooming very nicely, but I need to have it severely trimmed back next year and I don't know how to do it.  I probably need to find a reliable gardener to come in a couple of times during the growing season and shape everything up.

Tomorrow is the day I'm taking the two younger girls to Barnes & Noble.  B&N is also having some kind of big program for teens tomorrow, so it should be a real adventure.

Tomorrow is also the anniversary of my Dad's birth in 1910.  What a wonderful man he was and a terrific father.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him and miss him.

I can't sign off without a note on shorthand for words.  I have discovered that the younger people  have shortened the word "conversation" to "convo".  It's certainly understandable - it takes a lot less effort to text "I enjoyed our convo last night" than to use the longer form of "conversation" - which is a HUGE 7 additional letters, more than double!

Y'all have a great weekend.  I know I'm looking forward to being entertained by convo with Arianna and Keira.  Arianna is turning 7 in a couple of weeks!

10 comments:

  1. I don't care for all the new abbreviations. I bet I can type the word conversation a lot faster than they can text the word convo. Oh well, I am just an old, cranky man.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well I agree with you completely, and I am an old, cranky woman!

      Delete
  2. It's almost impossible to hurt an oleander. I liked to prune mine in the spring or summer, as they would come back quickly and thicken up. In winter it takes longer to recover. You don't really need to top them, since they will grow back to their natural height.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments. I need to read up on how to prune them. They are seen on every wide avenue, freeway, and in yards here in Sacramento, and they are really gorgeous. They have pros to take care of them though.

      Delete
  3. Oleanders are pruned with a chainsaw to 1 inch above the ground. Then in three months do it again. It is wonderful I no longer have to prune oleanders.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oleanders are horrible for allergies. I had them growning on an acre I had at one time and we couldn't figure out why my grandkids where always having problems. Finally a Dr. asked what was growing and we told him. I tried everything to kill those things and never had any luck so we just kept trimming them down to the dirt. I passed there a few years after I sold the place and they had grown three times the size. But if they are properly trimmed they are beautiful.
    Have a great day with the grands tomorrow

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Texting has ushered in the "age of acronyms." Our language is reduced to just the alphabet . . . LOL

      Delete
  5. I am too old to learn all these acronyms. This is what I need: http://www.acronymfinder.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess I use some acronyms, but usually don't see any reason to.

      Delete