I Forgot

I forgot just how dark winter can be. No girls, we will not be moving to Alaska. Unless of course the Holy Spirit drags me there, um I mean, unless it is where we are supposed to be, in that case never mind.

And Linda, I’m not so sure you are exaggerating about the deer burping thing, because my husband is also that light of a sleeper. That is why we have ” Nut- Job” radio (What The Heck? and What Time Is It? ) playing all night long. Somewhere in his late forties, Dirt decided that he was not such a dedicated farmer as to continue to jump out of bed at every little sound. Now he figures if Fluffy Joe wakes him up by barking louder than George Noory and the crazy people, then it is a real problem and he’ll get up.

As for the alfalfa pellet inquiry, they give off a lot of really good stuff, not the least of which for this particular garden of a reclaimed lawn area is a little boost in the humus department. But they will be slow to release nitrogen and several other mineral and vitamins into the soil. Worms and other soil friendly little critters love to feed on alfalfa pellets. Some of my best flower years are when I have spread them on the top of the soil about this time, in the rain they swell, making a terrific mulchy goodness.

A local garden personality in this area, Ciscoe Morris, years ago recommended a blend of alfalfa pellets, fish fertilizer and Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) and water enough to swell the pellets, as a side dressing for roses early in the spring and every so often through the growing season. It was great and I have used it ever since. Although it didn’t really help my roses come back from their formative years struggling with our back yard shade.

I just learned in the last year or two, that roses not grown on their own root system, the ones with the graft knob just above soil level are not on their own roots, do not last for very many years. In light of that new discovery, I’m not so surprised that I have lost most of my original roses I bought many years ago. Ugh, some discussion make me feel kinda oldish.

My head feels much better this morning, even the singing pipe in my left ear is turned down a little, so I am going to tackle the world today! Well not really, I promise I won’t try for the world today just my garden project, but this could mean that I will actually get done when I think I will. And that my dear Reader is a blooming rarity, like a neverarity really.