Gardening and Life

Ah the joys of gardening! A garden is the microcosm of life, wouldn't you agree? You plant a seed, water it, nurture it, and it blooms into a lovely flower! Just like children. And just like children, some of these flowers never go away, they just keep reappearing year after year in places that you don't want them to be. And just like children, they attract bugs and you have to buy expensive stuff to clean them up. And just like children, if they are unhappy, they let you know it.

When I think about it like that, I don't think I'll go into the back yard ever again...

Plants have to be tough to survive in my yard. Considering that I live in the greenest state in the country, I have some inhospitable conditions in my yard. I have spots that are super shady with bad drainage. I have one corner that is like the Sahara Desert. I have an interesting collection of weeds that sprout up overnight. I'm in serious need of soil amendments. And I have Suzanne.

Because of our trip to the beach, Suzanne has discovered the joys of digging. She now likes to dig anywhere. She even snatched my long weed poker (is there a name for that thing?) and decided to have her way with the petunias. And the lobelia. She was on her way to the clematis when I stopped her, which was fortunate because the stupid plant never bloomed last year and won't stop blooming this year. I've tried to reason with Suzanne and let her pick the alyssum, which has come up everywhere this year. If she can get rid of some of that, I'd be thrilled--last year's mistake lives on and on.

She has dined on quite a few blooms, which has lead me to a frenzy of research to see if any of it is poisonous (I'm in the clear on that).

I have some flowers that I can't identify because she picks the buds when she sees them. And the delphinium in corner quivers when she walks by because she's already beheaded him once this summer. He grew a new stalk, but we'll see he can make it to bloom this time...

A love of gardening starts early. Mine started when I buried my glasses under the petunias when I was 3 or 4. I think that Suzanne and I will share a love a of gardening..some day...after she outgrows the urge to pick everything she sees. That she gets from her dad--he thinks everything is a weed! After he pulled up the peonies one spring (before they had blooms--it just looked like a bush to him) I forbade him from ever pulling anything out of the ground without my express permission.

It occurs to me that there is a space where the foxglove used to be...wanna bet one of them had something to do with it?

We're having a heatwave...

We're having a heat wave,

A tropical heat wave,

The temperature's rising,

It isn't surprising,

She certainly can can-can.

She started a heat wave

By letting her seat wave

In such a way that

The customers say that

She certainly can can-can.

Is there anyone besides my mother who recognizes the song stylings of Irving Berlin? No? Too bad, that man had quite the way with words. Rappers would do well to take some lessons from him!

It was 104 degrees yesterday and today it is supposed to be cooler at about 100 degrees. Suzanne has decided that playing outside is not high on her list of things to do. She wouldn't even go to the mailbox with me. She insisted that she ride in her little red car while I pushed. Then she went and banged on the neighbors' door to let her in since I was taking too much time watering the droopy flowers.

Suzanne will never know the joys of living in a house sans air conditioning. Mainly because I will have air conditioning until my dying day. I like to be cool and I don't mind paying for it. And since we have a 2-story house, it is pretty much a necessity if you plan on actually getting any sleep at night.

Today I met with her old physical therapist to see about getting some fixes for her new tricycle. Grandma and Grandpa Hunter got Suzanne the Cadillac of tricycles for her birthday, but of course her little legs are still too short to reach the pedals. Ryan came through, however, and with the aide of a pool noodle, a drill, and some velcro, we now have a functional vehicle for her. Sounds crazy, but I'll take some pictures later to show you how it works. Half the battle for Suzanne is me knowing the right people to talk to when I have questions about these kinds of things.

I would take the pictures today, but it is HOT so we'll have to wait for Suzanne to decide that she wants to go out again. Maybe when it gets down to 90...

The good fireworks are in Washougal

What a whirlwind week it's been! The 4th of July was wonderful with lots of fireworks. Suzanne didn't like all the booming, but she enjoyed the barbecue at the neighbors. Then there was Kirk's birthday party at the Portland Beavers baseball game on Sunday. The Beavers are a Triple A farm team for the San Diego Padres, so the talent level is pretty high. There was even a home run hit completely out of the park. Of course, the innocent motorist driving by on SE 18th probably didn't appreciate getting whacked by a baseball very much...

I guess I take Suzanne for granted, but all the people we were with were astonished at her ability to have fun and pay attention during a 9 inning game. It was even an afternoon game, during prime napping time, but Suzanne didn't start to fade until the 8th, and then a walk around the concourse cured that. Of course, she was asleep within 2 minutes of getting into the car but heck, we were only going home.

Actually, we are quite blessed with both of our kids. On more than one occasion, we have gotten the "you're bringing your kids?" gasp, but our kids usually manage to impress and amaze onlookers. Oh, perfect little angels they are not, but stick them in public where there is fun to be had and they rise to the occasion. My kids like to go places and they know that if they don't behave, they stay home. All I ever have to do it threaten to cut Kirk off from his social activity and he snaps right back in line. Turns out that Suzanne is much the same way.

I suppose this could also mean that it is downright dull at home and anywhere else is a step up...

Tomorrow Suzanne gets to participate in a professional photo shoot for her alma mater, the PRIDE Center. Part of what they have to do is schmooze for funding, so they are taking happy kid photos at their wonderful playground. Since Suzanne looks happy about 90 percent of the time, she'll be a good model. She's been in a couple of these all ready, which would explain why she always knows to look in the camera and smile. She's getting quite the Cheshire Cat grin.

Suzanne sells seashells by the seashore

We have returned from the seashore! From Seaside, Oregon actually, and it was quite fun. The last time we took the kids to the beach, Suzanne was 3 months old. This time was a lot of fun and Kirk now has something good to write about his summer vacation...

Monday was a beach day. Suzanne liked the ocean, but she liked digging better. She also spent quite a bit of time eating the sand. I guess something is missing in her diet like clam shells or sand dollars or kelp. Kirk went straight for the waves. If you find a red ball with yellow stars bobbing in the waves, that's ours. We lost it the very first day...

Tuesday was a town day. For those of you not familiar with Seaside, it has a rich history as a tourist attraction. That is a nice way of saying that it is kind of a tacky little town with odd things to do. Actually, it is much nicer than it used to be, but the bumper cars are still a must-see. In fact, Grandpa Frank probably had more fun than anyone on the bumper cars.

Then we had a traditional Hunter/Brown family meal at the venerable Pig-n-Pancake. My mom and I would go here every day, but my sister believes that one trip is enough. They have umpty-bazillion kinds of pancakes--how can one visit possibly be enough?

We even managed to squeeze in Suzanne's first ride on the merry-go-round. About half-way through the ride she quit clutching cousin Hilary's neck and decided it was a fun thing.

The next day was excursion day with a trip down to Tillamook to go to the Naval Air Museum and the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory. Needless to say, the cheese factory was the highlight as it involved tasting, one of Suzanne's favorite activities. If you're ever there, don't hesitate to try the Wild Huckleberry ice cream. The other berries pale in comparison...

Thursday was a shopping/rain day. Mom and I took the kids up to Gearhart to a lovely cafe called Pacific Way Bakery & Cafe. The crab and artichoke ravioli was so good I nearly snorted it down. Suzanne had a grilled cheese panini and thought it was wonderful. From Hwy 101 north or south, take the Gearhart City Center turn. Go to the first stop sign and park. Don't worry, there's only the one stop sign so it's easy to find. When you hit the ocean, you've gone too far...

Gosh, I'm getting hungry again as I write this travelogue. I will end with another wonderful Greg Brown picture, Kirk at Sunset...