My Little Monster

We've been playing a new game at our house this past week, since Barnaby was diagnosed with eye  infections.  The game is called put the eye drops (3 times a day) in the headstrong 104 pound puppy's eyes.  My Little Monster shimmy and shakes away from me while I laugh at our dance. 

His eyes are healing and I'm getting a good workout. 

Barnaby with the 'zoomies'.

Every night at 7 pm, Barnaby gets the zoomies.  His eyes get wide and look a touch wild, then he tucks his tail between his legs and he races around the house as fast as he possibly can for one hour. Yes, one hour.  The Assistant may need counseling.

A month ago, he knocked me down like a bowling pin and somehow, I landed on him.  I turned my face to his and he licked my forehead and looked at me like, 'that was fun!  Can we do it again?'  

So, I began Operation Exhaust Barnaby and it has helped.  I walk him daily and we visit the dog park near our house. 

Barnaby chasing The Assistant at the dog park.

He has mixed feelings about the dog park because there aren't any cushy patio chairs with sticks.  But, he does have a puppy crush on a cute Black Lab puppy named Noomie.  And he thinks it's funny to watch me pick up and carry his poop in a bag.  

It's true; a tired dog is a good dog.  I adore My Little Monster. 

Slug Stampede

Last night, I noticed a large group of slugs stampeding across my front lawn.  They were all heading towards the shade plants up by the house.

 

I took a few pictures with my iPhone.  And then I grabbed a pair of scissors.

I found these happy little fornicators.  Then I cut them all in half with my scissors.  I found more slugs crossing the lawn tonight and snipped them too.  Have you noticed an slug stampedes in your garden?

Compost and the Vancouver Community Library

Would you roll out of bed on a Saturday morning and go to a compost workshop at the 

the Vancouver Community Library?   

I did.

And I wasn't alone.  Now, I feel inspired to clean up my three bin compost system.

Afterwards, I explored.  

Out in the distance you can see Council Crest Park and the tips of the Downtown Portland skyscrapers.

Inside, I explored the cooking and garden sections.

And tried to find a favorite spot to sneak in some reading.

The fixtures and windows provided excellent reading light.

The kids floor was fun and I suddenly wished that My Kid was still six years old.

Then it was time to go home and play in my garden with My Pirate.  It was a good Saturday.  

The Death Bed

The Death Bed.  Look, there's a new Tetrapanax pup!

My Pirate will begin planting The Death Bed tomorrow with his new plants.  So, I thought that I'd introduce you to the place where plants used to suffer and DIE a slow agonizing death in our garden.  

The Death Bed in April 2007.

The Death Bed is the flower bed in front of the neighbors fence on the East side of our lot.  It's on the left side of the picture.  There was row of sickly looking shrubs that I ripped out.

If you look past My Victory Garden you'll see that there are a few whisps of Heavenly Bamboo trying to grow in the bed.  When Heavenly Bambo fails to thrive,  you know that there is a problem.

The Death Bed, April 2011

The Death Bed, April 2011

In April 2011, a spare euphorbia and wild rose were barely holding onto life in front of the failing Heavenly Bamboo.  After taking these pictures, I simply had it with the bed.  So, I went into research mode and found strong hardy plants that could tolerate shade and sun and many different types of soil conditions.  And I was smart enough to buy them at Tsugawas Nursery with a one year warranty, because I was skeptical that they would survive the winter.

As I started digging my first deep hole for a new plant my shovel hit black plastic.   And much to my surprise there was a whole sheet of black plastic, two feet down in the bed. I was thrilled to find the problem, but furious with the moron that put it there.  We ripped out as much of the black plastic as we could and used a pitch fork to punch holes in other areas.  Then we over-planted the bed.  And the next spring everything returned!

The Death Bed, June 2011

The Death Bed, June 2011

Then, one rainy spring morning, Comcast workers came to dig in a new cable line for us.  Guess where they dug?  Yup, right underneath the new plantings in The Death Bed.  I wanted to cry as they dug a deep trench with clam shovels and lifted plants out.  But they did put everything back.  And all of the plants survived the ordeal.

So, now The Death Bed is crowded and needs to be reworked.  I'm looking forward to seeing what My Pirate plants.  Let the adventure begin. Do you have any suggestions and/or advice for him?  He's on the prowl for cool plants!

Note:  I hope that you like the new blog format and the comment feature is working now!  I'd love to hear from you.  Please let me know if the comment feature glitches.  Thanks!

Following The Outlaw

On Saturday, The Creative Flux, My Pirate, and I followed The Outlaw, Danger, and a Bonny Lassie on a breakneck plant nerd thrill ride on the Kitsap Peninsula Nursery Romp.  After years, of vicariously pressing my nose against the computer screen following other garden bloggers' adventures, I was out on the horticulture prowl with My Pirate.  (And he wasn't even demanding any rum afterwards!) With our detailed itinerary in hand from The Outlaw and our Google maps app telling us where to go, we were off and running.

We warmed up at Valley Nursery.  It was a great nursery with a friendly and knowledgeable staff. And I saw My Pirate plant shop for the very first time!  He was seriously looking for plants for The Death Bed.  And as he checked out, he teased Danger for not planting in threes, so she grabbed a third James Stirling Hebe.  My Pirate can be such a brat!

Behold!  My Pirate is plant shopping with Danger and a Bonny Lassie in the background.

I admired The Outlaw's new agave that he purchased at 50% off.  Isn't it gorgeous?

The Creative Flux fell for a new plant, but she let it go.  Only to regret it later.

The Creative Flux and her new find.

The Outlaw and Danger are heading back to the car,  so we'd better hurry up!

And somehow, someway, she got compost in her pants.  It was a good thing that we stopped to work out the kinks before we got serious at Heronswood.