A Mint Julep and a Big Straw Hat : Watching The World Go By

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As I set out my wicker patio furniture, I am overtaken by waves of laziness and nostalgia. It's a beautiful day so I finally give in and mix up a mint julep and sit on my cushioned, outdoor couch to watch the neighbors drive by.

I have always loved the comfort and the "Gatsby" feel of wicker furniture. It reminds me of the weeping branches of a willow tree in a warm summer breeze. Horse races and cotton candy. Lazy summer days, wearing big straw hats and cotton sundresses. Family and friends  and good times together. You could waste your life away on a wicker couch drinking juleps or margaritas, but then - would that be so bad? With shade from a big straw hat - where could you go wrong?

Daydream Believer

My teachers always told me that I was a day-dreamer. That, I am. I can sit for hours, just watching and listening to the world around me. But it is not idle work. I am thinking of inventions, and science, new ideas to write about, and growing things, problems that need solutions, painting clouds, and how to draw what I am feeling. Then when the evening comes and it is time to go inside - it all gets put on paper. The work gets completed. So a trip on the couch with an occasional daydream, is time well spent.

A lot of the articles that I write are about projects. How to do things, or make things. This one is just about sitting still. It's something we all should learn to do more of. Sitting and contemplating is akin to meditation. It allows you to release those things that you store up. Things that shouldn't be stored. It allows you time and space to see the bigger picture and give more attention to the details of your life, the release of karma for good purposes.

Everyone Should Own A Big Straw Hat

Today is one of those days. It's the first true warm day of the spring and I don't want to miss a single fluctuation of temperature, or miss a millimeter of growth, from the plants that I set out on the deck. I have found that just sitting still and watching the world go by, can paint your world with brighter and happier colors. Especially, if you sit on a wicker couch under the brim of a big straw hat.

I look out at the world under the weave of grass upon my head. My garden needs tending, the gazebo needs cleaning, the flower gardens need weeding (already) and paperwork in the house needs to be done. I know however, that none of that busy work will happen today, cause I found my big straw hat, and the wicker couch called my name.

Image by Gord McKenna via Flickr

Peace
Marlene Hobart
Dragn Rock Farm

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Container Gardening on the South Deck

Image by marfis75 via Flickr

Strawberries ready to pick.

May is Strawberry Month

Container Gardening Project:
Strawberry Towers


Summer time is a great time to relax and enjoy your outdoor decks and patios. Here is a project that will add flavor and smiles to your outdoor living spaces.

On the south side of our house, visible through the glass doors in the music room, is our deck. It's a nice sturdy wood deck, about 14 X 14 feet, and stained a light bluish gray to coordinate with the gray of our house siding. There are solar powered lights installed on the rail caps at the top of the stairway, which leads out to our kitchen garden and the gazebo. On cool spring and sunny winter days I like to sit at the top of the steps to gather the warmth and sunshine that gives our music room the solar gain that keeps it warm and comfortable on those chilly days. While I sit there, I envision how the deck will be set up for the summer and early fall months and I begin to plan the projects that will add value to those warmer days and allow us to spend more time on the deck.

Chasing the Elusive California Rhubarb

Rhubarb plant with flowerhead forming.
Image via Wikipedia

Last month I noticed on Facebook that a friend, who had recently moved to California, was looking for Rhubarb plants. I promptly dug up a box full and sent them off, never thinking to check if they would actually grow there. 

Remembering that I had just read a delightful gardening exploits article by new writer, Denise Durrett, from California, I asked her if she would consider writing as a guest on Jetta Broom, about growing rhubarb, being from California and all. She joyfully took on the project and sent me the following article. I know you will enjoy this piece as much as I did....

Chasing the Elusive California Rhubarb

Guest Blogger: Denise Durrett

South Pasadena, California

A few weeks ago I got an email from Marlene. She had read an article I wrote for South Pasadena Patch entitled, “Drinking With Slugs: How One Woman Lost Her Sanity and Gained a Garden”. In her email she asked if I would be willing to do a story about growing rhubarb in California. I said I would be very happy to, but there was one tiny problem. I’ve never grown rhubarb! I decided not to let this stop me and turned to my trusty gardening sources- my mom and mom-in-law, who between the two of them have more California gardening experience than anyone I know.