My Wacky Garden Door

You may have noticed a lime green door in the background of my bouquet pictures.  It's my favorite piece of garden art in our yard, but it didn't start out that way.

The Assistant, as sweet and helpful as she is, has a fence fighting problem.  So when the neighbors kitty-corner behind our house, that share about three feet of our fence line, bought a new dog in the spring of 2010, she turned into a ferocious beast and tried to claw, dig, hit, and jump her way through the fence. 

The Assistant is a recovering fence fighter.

So, I decided to build a barricade with a garden door.  I wanted to find an old ugly carved door with plenty of character.  We found it at our first stop at the Clark County Habitat for Humanity ReStore for 50% off.  Score!

I really liked the quirky brass handle and painted it with a copper finish.  And we liked the carved eagle because as a happy coincidence, both of our high school mascots were eagles.

Now, I shudder to show you these bad photos that I took for my garden journal, but I wanted to show you the process.  

We cut two 2 by 4's and screwed them into the fence posts.  

 Then we attached the wood door with screws.  We added fence boards on each side.

I toned down the paint color to a lime green.  And we landscaped a path to the door.  But then the damnedest thing happened...I kept fighting the urge to go open the door.  The door that I had personally screwed into place.  

So, I painted Parallel Universe across the top of the door and that immediately quieted my urge to open the door.  Plus it touches on my love of science fiction.  The fence fighting ended in the spring of 2010 and I continue to enjoy our wacky garden door and The Assistant's calmer state of mind.

A Lovely Gift

Last Friday was a doozy of a day; the kind that makes you cringe before your feet hit the floor in the morning.  It was Maya’s last day and I had volunteered to help my friend with her mom’s funeral reception.  I fed Maya some steak for breakfast and brewed a French Press of coffee.  When I reached into the fridge to pull out the fresh eggs that my friend, Marlena, had given me following our plant-shopping extravaganza at Garden Fever, I was struck by the beauty of the eggs.  I grabbed my camera and took a few shots.

I simply adore fried eggs and fresh eggs from a friend’s chickens are a special treat.  How is it that a simple fried egg placed on top of a normal meal suddenly makes it extraordinary?  I like to slide them on top of sautéed greens, rice, leftovers, and even the occasional bowl of soup.

The eggs from Marlena were delicious and I smiled at the day-old memory of our running around in the rain picking out beautiful plants together for her garden.  I savored every bite of the eggs and felt shored up for the day.  On Saturday, I fried up the rest of the eggs and shared them with My Pirate.  The fried eggs brought a smile to our faces as we mused over our memories of Maya. 

Marlena, thanks for the sustenance!

Saying Good-bye

Yesterday, we said good-bye to our precious girl, Maya.  And now, we grieve and celebrate her well-lived life.  Maya enjoyed every mud puddle, fresh crunchy pinecone, car ride, and day in the garden.  I’ll miss watching her smile her silly smile at me, chasing her tail, barking at aliens on the TV, and howling with me as I sang to her.  And I’ll never forget how she made me feel.

Grief is the price of love.  And it’s worth it.  Thanks Maya, for showing me how to really live.

Afternoon on the Columbia
by Laura Heldreth on April 2000

The sun falls upon her reflecting ebony
and wet sand clinging to her coat, sparkles.
Her smile splatters around a wet stick.
And quicksand drool marks her path
towards me.

Pet Names for Maya

Over the past 13 ½ years, I have collected a fair amount of nicknames for my dog, Maya. I baby talk and coo and make a big fool of myself over her.  Here’s just a few pet names that come to mind. 

• Miss Maya
• Maya Papaya
• Me O Maya
• Pretty Girl
• Baby Girl
• Baby Baby
• Turkey Burger
• Puppy Puppy
• Pretty Pretty
• My Donkey Dog
• My Little Toad
• Dragon Breath--meant with love, I assure you. 

And here are a few of my favorite greetings. 

• Who’s the pretty girl?
• Who’s the prettiest?
• What’s up dog?

When Maya was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in November 2011, time suddenly became a precious commodity.  I have showered her with love, baby talk, sci-fi movies, steak, and pate (canned dog food).  The end is coming quickly, I fear.  So I’m making every word count to My Sweet Puppy Puppy!

A Sudden Crash

Gardening under a large fir tree is like playing Russian roulette with your darlings.  As in my darling plants.  Yesterday, I went outside, poked around the garden and took a few shots.

I took pictures of the blooming moss.

And then I moved on to capture the Indian Plum blossoms beginning to fall out of the leaf buds.

The breeze started to kick up and I hightailed it inside.  Good thing, too.  Because all of a sudden…CRASH!  Down came a tree branch. It landed right where I had been standing. 

Fortunately, it landed on the lawn and a pathway.  Only the variegated dogwood shrub got a bit munched.  I’ll prune it and it’ll bounce back.  Time to pull out one of my little electric chainsaws and cut up the branch for the fire pit.