Damn I am good!

Best the garden has looked in years!

Ask the Gardening Guru

Many of you have been asking me many significant questions about gardening. While they are all earnest and heartwarming, I know the real answer to few, I manage to come up with reasonable facsimiles, that if you have never seen planet Earth before, you might actually believe.

Take a recent question and my precise answer.

Dear Gardening Guru, Sir,

How do I tell a weed from a plant that I sowed from seed. I am confused.
With warm regards,

A Real Loser in the Garden

 Dear Loser in the Garden,

There are three ways to tell a weed from a wanted plant.

 #1. If it collapses in the lightest evening breeze, despite being only 1.5” tall and it is protected by a berm, it is a desired plant.
If it can withstand hurricane winds for days on end without even losing a leaf, it is a weed!

 #2. If the slightest disruption of its roots system, say running a hand rake within four inches of the 1.5” plant, causes it to die instantly, it is one of your most prized plants.
If leaving 4 molecules of root in the ground after digging the plant out causes it to shoot out 24, two foot plants by morning, it’s a weed, but learn to love it, cause it ain’t going away.

 #3. If a deer in the yard walk past the plant and covers his nose in disgust, it is just another weed.
If there is a queue of deer lined up around the house and up into the woods waiting for a chance to nibble on the plant, it is a good plant, one you would dearly love if it weren’t for the deer!
(Did you catch my play on words!)

Whatever,

 The Gardening Guru

I await your questions!

The longest day of the year!

Don't let it ever end!

It has got to end!

The shooting of the Republican baseball team at practice, the shooting at the UPS facility in San Francisco, the attacks in Great Britain... the never ending violence must end.

People in authority must call for an immediate end... all sides must agree! There is no call, no driving reason to hurt one another. I know I sound like an old, almost hippie, but I am. Every side is to blame, innocent blood is on each of us. It is time for us all to speak out, to be heard, to do little things.

If you see something, no matter how funny or poignant, that somehow alludes to violence, ignore it. 

DO NOT PASS IT ON!!!

It is time, we the ordinary people called hate-mongering, hate-mongering. None of us is innocent!

Rachel Harry's acceptance speech

A moment of silence!

For the 49 people died at the Pulse in Orlando one year ago!

And the most important part!

THE SWAG!!!

St. Louis! I fell in love with the Cardinal!

Little Rock Central! Too good to pass up!

Tunica, Mississippi! Well, I was so close and needed a Mississippi cup!

And Memphis! Totally cool city!

The travelogue

The Awakening Giant in Chesterfield, Mo.

And just to give you an idea of the size! (It was the first time I ever sat in a man's mouth!)

The world's largest rocking chair in Cuba. Mo.

Stonehenge in Rolla, Mo. It was our third Stonehenge. Karla and I were kind of "meh"!

The world's largest gift store. Not exciting enough to get us out of the car!

49!!! I've made it to almost all the states!

The grand canyon of Arkansas. Pretty, but.... it ain't no real Grand Canyon! 

Hot Springs. AR... really cool!

Little Rock Central High School! Well worth all the wrong turns!

Handy Park on Beale Street in Memphis!

The Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, at the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Moving beyond belief. Karla and I spent nearly 4 hours there... rushing through the last part, and missing one whole building! Worth every minute! 

This is the bus that Rosa Parks rode on in Montgomery, Al... refusing to give up her seat!

And the bus that the Freedom Riders rode, that was burned just outside of Anniston, Al!

And Graceland.

Karla and I spent hours trying to find the Tina Turner museum, which may or may not exist. But we did get to Nutbush, Tn and the Tina Turner Highway!

And the iconic Gateway Arch in St. Louis!

Great trip! Great times! Great sister to travel with!

Rachel Harry's nomination video for the Tony Award!

And note: Nicole Scribner is my former neighbor, although she was very young when she moved away!

Amazing news!

Rachel Harry, the theatre teacher at Hood River Valley High School has been selected by the Tony's to receive the award for educator of the year!

Richard and Rachel worked together on many projects. She is now teaching Richard's classes at CGCC. I am blown away. I may have to watch the Tony Awards this Sunday on TV!

What an honor for Rachel!

And more greetings, this time from Memphis!

We've visited Little Rock Central, Beale Street, the Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel, almost found the Tina Turner Museum (we were close, saw the Tina Turner Highway and her home town of Nutbush, Tennessee)!

It has been an amazing time!

Pictures when I return to civilization!

Greetings from Little Rock!

I would share some amazing photos, but my skills are limited!

Imagine visiting the awakening giant in Chesterfield! Picture the world's largest rocking chair! I have seen Cuba on Route 66!

And I have now been to 49 states, crossing into Arkansas this morning! The Arkansas Grand Canyon was quite beautiful, and Hot Springs was quite impressive!

A good rainstorm or two, and we are bedding down for the night in Little Rock! 

Tomorrow we are off to Memphis!