Plumbing and Perennials

Oh, it's good to have Mike home! And it's good to have working toilets. Mike trumps toilets, but it's close.

We had a clog on Monday, the kind that not only affects the toilet, it makes the kitchen sink gurgle (a rather sickening connection...). Victory Home came to the rescue and the guys worked for two days replacing rusted-out piping.


And now we can flush.

On a more flowery front,

my greenish-gray thumb has struck again. Two identical plant pots. Both with last year's dirt. Both just fine last year. Both planted with impatiens this year, on the same day.

Plant #1:

And plant #2:

So...I removed the impatiens the other day, replacing them with a new bunch. And the same thing happened. This would never happen to my dad. His thumb is Kelly green. Chartreuse, really.

All I can think is that maybe a kitty has been using the pot as a potty, but I've never seen evidence of it. Guess I've gotta dump the whole thing and start with fresh soil.

Here's a perennial that I planted in the back yard this spring. I have no idea what it is. Every year I try to add at least one perennial; they're a little expensive to fill a yard with all at once, plus I like the instant gratification of annuals.

Those are snapdragons peeking out at the bottom of the picture. Snapdragons always remind me of my grandpa, whose walkway to his mobile home was lined with tall bunches of them in bright colors. I learned to squeeze the sides of the bloom to make the dragon's mouth open and shut.

I enjoy gardening for the pungent smell of the dirt and the feel of it in my hands, for the nostalgic pleasure of eating fresh lettuce sprinkled with vinegar and spinach, just like I did when I was a kid (and did today, too), and for the loved ones who come to my mind when I gaze at beautiful perennials and leafy veggies and funny-looking dragon-faced flowers.

1 comment:

Brenda Covert said...

Yeah, hubby's home, toilets are flushable, life is GOOD! hehehe

I love perennials because I don't love planting. At my previous homes, I had some, but I haven't found a spot or the time to plant any at this house yet. My favorites are tulips and irises. They remind me of both of my grandmothers, who always had some growing along their country driveways and/or in a small round flowerbed.