Peonies For Me

Laura’s friend at school sent me a Peony bouquet. It smells wonderful. Helen has some peony bushes. The Peony takes its name from Paeon. He was a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. Paeon used the peony plant to treat a wound on Zeus. When Alclepius grew jealous, he plotted to kill Paeon. Sues saved Paeon by turn in him into a Peony.

 

Pest Plants

Honeysuckle 

Some plants are pests! Here’s three that are invasive! Privit grows and spreads. It’s from Asia. It’s a bane to my existence🤣 Rambling Rose can get huge and comes up in fence rows! Another imported plant. When man tries to fix something, it usually doesn’t work! The rose was brought to help erosion! The last one is honeysuckle. I think it is native but it will twine around stuff like a vice and is hard to kill out. Just keeps coming back like a bad dream😂

Rambling Rose

Privit 

 

Alteration

 

When Fleta comes to visit she likes to shop at the little center near me. It has Pennys, Shoe Carnival, Belk Outlet, T J Maxx, Ross, Five Below, Dollar Tree, Maurice’s, and more. She found a dress she liked but it was an X Large. She bought it without even trying it on. Sister Helen went to work. She redid the neck and sleeves and cut 6 inches out of the back. It fits better now. 

Poor Man Has Poor ways

Helen’s old sewing machine died. She brought the one Fleta had up to her house to use. Fleta had misplaced or trashed some of the attachments. But Helen could fix a rip or hem something with it. Finally, Sister decided she’d buy a new one. She has very limited funds so she did research and chose this one.  It was less than $150. It’s from Joann’s Fabrics. They are closing their real stores and will be an online order house. Helen always used her kitchen table to sew. Well, this sewing cabinet popped up free on marketplace.  It was at Harrison, but Helen said she’d love to have it. The lady was getting rid of all her sewing stuff. She told Helen another person was ahead of her. Helen told her if that didn’t work out she’d come and get it that day. Well, there were 3 cabinets and the other person only took one. Helen arrived and saw the two cabinets. She got both in her little car. She fixed this one to sew from and is going to make a side table from the other one. No more mess on the kitchen table. BTW, the little machine is working great.

Grosbeaks are Here

 

Greta’s plays soccer on a coed team. Next, year she’ll be in 9th grade and can play with the school team. Soccer is the same season as track so this will likely be her last year as a shot putter and discus tosser. She may play defender in soccer. Astrid and Greta both loved nearly all the sports they tried. Sigrid was a swimmer and Ingrid likes volleyball. Clayton does not care for competitive sports. All children are different. I believe parents should expose their kids to different types of physical activity.  Hopefully they’ll like something to get them to move. 

The Grosbeaks are here. I have loved watching them each day. They’re related to Cardinals and are song birds. They are heading north and have been in South America. The female has a duller appearance but she’s pretty, too. They won’t stay but a few weeks.

Baltimore Visitors

I love this time of year as pretty birds come to see me. The Orioles love my yard rake feeder.

Healthy Banana Bread

Smash a couple of ripe bananas with a fork, three small or two larger ones, add 1/2 cup maple syrup, a half cup of vegetable oil, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups quick cook oats. Mix all this well and let it set for 10 to 15 minutes. This is so the oatmeal will soften. Sift in 3/4 cup of flour and a t. baking powder, 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 soda. Lastly add a big T. t. sour cream, t. of vanilla, t. of cinnamon, 1/4 t. of nutmeg and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.  Mix well and pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Check at 50 minutes…might be done! Oh, I made this recipe up! Be brave and try it. 

Wild Iris

Wild Copper Iris? This one looks pink not copper.

Saw this at Lake Dardanelle wild flower garden! I thought is was an Iris but couldn’t fine a look alike! Why do I care? I really don’t know, but I can’t l look at any wild flower without wondering about what it is? Isn’t it beautiful💗 

 

Last Narcissus

The Primrose Peerless is blooming in clumps in my yard. It’s a Narcissus, the last to bloom here. A hybrid cross between two daffodils, it was first grown in France. The little flower is most commonly called Cemetery Ladies and Twin Sisters because there are two blooms on each stem and its popularity in graveyards since the 1500’s. These flowers are hardy and they still flourish even in my yard.

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Mowed Again

This is the second time I have mowed. It took an hour and half. In the distance you can see a tan color. I used to mow that big part too. It’s going to take time getting used to the scene from my porch. I have to push mow my roadside. I can do some with the rider but mostly it’s still too wet and I might get stuck. I thought my knee was better, but I over did the push mowing Wednesday. I ached all day yesterday. 

Another Iris blooms by my front door. I only have the old flowers growing as the other yard work takes so much time and energy. I will be 75 in another month and half. I’m feeling my age. I try to “not let the old man in” but he beats my door with a sledge hammer every day.

 

Clean

Logan worked this weekend cleaning up the huge dead tree that blew over in the storm in March. He didn’t get every piece burned but almost all of it and he split the wood so someone could benefit from it. I’m thankful For his work.  I think he did it solo. 😊

 

Irises Are Blooming

The Irises are blooming. 

According to Greek mythology, when the gods wanted to speak to mortals on earth they sent a messenger, a goddess. She had golden wings and traveled to earth on a rainbow. When she stepped on the ground, flowers sprung up. The goddess name  was Iris, and the flowers were called irises.  Growing irises in flower gardens dates back to 1469 B.C. and King Thutmose III of Egypt. The king was an avid gardener and coveted plants more than gold. When Egypt conquered Syria, the king found irises growing in abundance and brought them to his gardens. Irises became very popular in Egypt. The three petals of the flower stood for faith, wisdom and valor. Its rhizomes were used for medical purposes and to manufacture perfumes and incense. There are 300 species today.

 

Big Creek Falls

Laura and Astrid love nature! They left early yesterday and hiked to Big Creek Falls with our friend Faith! I can no longer make it the longer distances but my heart was with them! They took pictures so I could see what they saw! My favorite flower is the Crested Iris! They are so fragile that just touching the bloom will destroy it!  Grandma Emma Gatewood and I have the same heart!

💙Crested Iris💙

 

Easter Flowers

Easter lilies from my garden. Children (and I believe that also means grandchildren) are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3 We should tend them with loving care as flowers in our garden.

 

House Shoes

 

 I saw this house shoe pattern. I didn’t copy the pattern but I can see it really well. I will put it here and maybe try it later.

Sister Fleta is going home at dawn. We worked on our Gaddy family tree. Our mother’s was a Gaddy. 

Happy Easter. Astrid’s hens lay Pre colored eggs. Her painted ones are wooden.

Company

Fleta is staying with me this weekend. She needs a dress to wear to her son’s upcoming wedding. She bought these two. I like the second one but it’s too large. We think Helen can alter it. She can’t wear heels after breaking her leg and she has blue Skechers she can wear with the second one. And the tan shoes are ok too. I told her we could bury her in the black dress.

Blue Eyed Grass by my walking trail. Isn’t it pretty?

 

Ada

Pop is holding Ada April 17, 2019♥️When she was dismissed from UAMS, Greg and Erin came home by our house so they could feed her here. She had to be fed every two hours around the clock. Erin did not leave her alone after her birth!  She stayed In the room with her. Greg and Erin fed her every two hours around the clock for months! Six years have passed!  Feeling Blessed💗

Erin was admitted March 19, 2019. She made it til April 6. Pop went once to see Erin. I thought he’d never make it to the room. He was already very ill. By the time he made it to the first floor, I knew we had a problem but he got to see her. He cried and said—I can’t come again, Erin.

 

Saint Anthony’s Turnip and Spiderwort

Today I spied Spiderwort and Buttercups on my walk. Both are toxic to humans. Not many plants are toxic to swine. Pigs love the Buttercups because of the bulb it grows from. The bulb reminds me of an onion bulb. When folks notched the ears of their hogs and let them free range until late fall, the herds would venture far to find a patch of buttercups.  The folk name of the buttercups is Saint Anthony ‘s Turnip, after the patron saint of swineherds.  St. Anthony originated the feast day for the blessing of animals which is still practiced today.

Buttercup Bulb is pig candy.

Saint Anthony the patron saint of pigs.