My Pirate and Super Charlie

My Pirate, my sweet darling husband, has an alter ego like all super heroes do.  By day, he is My Pirate and by project, he is Super Charlie.  Super Charlie is best described as a blend of George of the Jungle and Tim the Toolman Taylor from Home Improvement.  In the middle of projects, I watch my husband’s IQ drop and a wild gleam flares in his eyes as he obsessively fixates on finishing the project.  And in that moment, I imagine a large super hero cape billowing around Super Charlie.  

I first met Super Charlie when we started remodeling a Portland Bungalow, eleven years ago.  I went out for groceries and returned home to find that Super Charlie had torn the back of the garage off while I was gone.  I was completely bewildered until I discovered the antidote, his kryptonite, so to speak.  Rum.  One single sip of a rum beverage and POOF!  He transforms back into his mild mannered self once more.  And that is how he has earned his nickname, My Pirate.  Projects followed by rum are a necessity in our house.  

Several weeks ago, I bought My Pirate a pressure washer.  Sheer madness on my part.  I knew it at the time.  But, we have a huge moss problem on our roof, living under a shady fir tree and all.  And Super Charlie has done a fantastic job spraying the moss off of the roof.  He’s earned every drop of rum he’s enjoyed. 

As you know, spraying a carpet of moss off of a roof is messy. All the plants near the house are dirty and speckled with needles and moss.  And that’s when he gets into trouble…Super Charlie pressure washes plants.  As I was painting a project this week, I looked out of the window in time to catch him pressure washing my chocolate vine, akebia quinata, on our pergola. 

And did I panic?  No, I did not. I simply raced outside and calmly told him that it was time to come inside and enjoy a drink.  The vine will recover.  Super Charlie showed some restraint this time and even left some flowers on it.  And now you know how my hubby has earned his nickname, My Pirate. 

Nosey Nitpicking

My garden gloves aren't that dirty...or are they?

I feel like a platypus.  “A platypus?” you ask.  Yes, most definitely a cranky platypus.  Somehow, someway, this week as I weeded and spread compost, through my stupid cold (pestilence). I wiped my nose with the back of my dirty-gloved hand one too many times and developed a rip-roaring nose infection.  My nose and upper lip have swollen up so much that I can no longer smile.  My default expression.

Yesterday, I watched My Pirate and My Kid continually resist the urge to pick at it and try not to stare.  Ground zero of the infection looks like a zit with aspirations of world domination.  And it hurts.  

My doctor shook her head at me, and kept saying, that it must be painful, but she was snickering under all that compassion.  I could just tell.  So, I said, “Apparently, I need to work on my nose picking technique.” And she gave me extra topical antibiotic gel in case I do this again.  Again?!?

Learn from me.  Do not wipe your runny nose with the back of your dirty glove.  Or you too could feel like a cranky platypus.

  

Small Accomplishments

Gardening is all about savoring small accomplishments.  For instance, I remembered to prune back my scruffy evergreen clump of epimediums in early spring for the first time in five years!  Woo-hoo!   

 

epimedium blossoms

And I have been rewarded with a lovely clump of winsome yellow blossoms.  Aren’t they lovely? The new heart shaped foliage is just starting to rise and unfold. Epimediums thrive in my dry shade garden and the slugs avoid them.  What small accomplishments are you savoring in your garden?  

A Team Effort

Last Wednesday, My Pirate and I spent the morning preparing the Victory Garden for the upcoming season.  We filled up the raised beds with compost.  Then we moved the herbs to one bed.  I pulled out the horseradish.  And we tore out a 3 1/2 foot by 8 foot bed of mint while laughing and throwing compost clods at each other.  I'm never planting mint in a bed EVER again.  I've finally learned my lesson...I hope.  We chatted with our mailman about growing vegetables.  And pedestrians offered their input.  A teenager told us that, "you have the like the best garden, like EVER."  

 I have a tradition.  After the first satisfying hardworking day in our spring garden, I grill a t-bone steak from Costco for dinner.  

This year, My Pirate grilled one for lunch with grilled mushrooms and haricot verts (French green beans), while I took pictures.  Tip:  we wash our mushrooms in a bowl of water before we season them and drizzle them with olive oil.  It makes the mushrooms tender instead of leathery.  

We grilled the steak over high heat for six minutes on each side.  Then we let it rest under foil with a pat of butter on top.  Don't forget the pat of butter!  I grated the fresh horseradish through the microplane and stirred it into a glop of mayonnaise seasoned with salt, cayenne and several drops of lemon juice.  

Then, we sat on the back patio and shared our steak. We each giggled when we took the perfect bite.  I gave The Assistant the bone to work on.  Lunch was definitely a team effort.   

 And remember:  t-bone steaks taste best after working hard in the garden.  It's a proven fact.

Volunteering at The Hazel Dell School and Community Garden

Last summer, while watching Garden Time, a fun local gardening show, I saw the segment on the Hazel Dell School and Community Garden.  And I pointed to the television and said, "I want to do that!"  

I volunteered for two years with the OSU Master Gardeners and I never found my niche, so I quit.  

But, watching this five minute interview inspired me to contact the WSU Master Gardeners and retake the classes and tests. And now, I'm officially a WSU Master Gardener Trainee for the next year. And I've already volunteered three times at the Hazel Dell School and Community Garden.

Hazel Del School and Community Garden Entrance

They installed a large fence to keep out The Neighborhood Miscreants 

that kept cutting up the greenhouse to get inside.

The view from the back corner of the garden.

This past Thursday, I helped out at the Enrichment Fair at Hazel Dell School.  Barbara taught first and second grade students about lettuce.  The students studied the various kinds of lettuce leaves under a lens. Then she guided them through a taste testing where they wrapped a cheese stick in their various lettuce leafs and dipped them in ranch and salsa.  I watched students begin the class looking at the green leaves like they were the nightly enemy on their dinner plate, only to exclaim how much they loved spinach by the end of the class.  Pow! Take that McDonalds!  Each of the three groups chose baby spinach as their favorite green.  A lovely surprise.

After lunch, a group of 20 Clark College students came for a work party.  The students were friendly and worked hard on a gorgeous afternoon.    

A student found a rogue carrot and happily exclaimed, "It's so dirty!"  

And for our last task, after crossing everything else off of the list, we weeded and pruned the herb beds in the school courtyard.  The college students took some of the herb weeds as starts for their garden or window sill.  We laughed and chatted about herbs, recipes, and life.  I had a wonderful day that exceeded my expectations.

Thank you Barbara and Bobbi for building this community garden!