Goshen Memorial Day Parade

Our small town shares a HS with 2 other towns--Warren, Morris & Goshen. Since the band is made of kids from all 3 towns, they play in 3 parades! Plus another town asked them to play in their parade--so they have a busy weekend!

More Planting

I still had these 4 wall planters to fill & decided to do that today. I had had thoughts of doing something different this year, but eneded up with geraniums & trailing vines again. Got a bright hot pink colored geranium--nice & cheery!

One of the completed boxes.

Torrington Casting in Sepia

This is Alan's family business. he's the 3rd generation ( along with his cousin) to run the company. A few weeks ago I went down to take photos for one of their customers ( Kohler) & while I was there just took these. I think they lend themselves to sepia because it is definitely a throw back to another era! It is a brass foundry--they make mostly plumbing parts for toilets & urinals and sinks. Many companies have gone to using plastic, so they're aren't too many foundries left in the US.

Alan & Chip will be the last generation --we have no kids & Chip's don't want anything to do with it---they are hoping to keep it viable til they reach retiremant age, but it's not looking good. It's a shame that small businesses like this ( any business for that matter) are dropping like flies. Alan wasn't even supposed to be working there--he graduated from college with a degree in English --his next older brother Steve was working in the shop --he was killed on his motorcycle in his early 30's ( not his fault) & Alan ended up there!

Many companies also buy from overseas, but Kohler wants their products to have made in USA parts--Alan even ships parts to Mexico & other places Kohler has plants!

Some Color in My Yard!

Even if it is mostly weeds! All along our driveway there is many plants--weeds that have flowers blooming on them. Every year there are diffrent ones, carried on the wind from somewhere else! If I see a flower on one of them, I don't pull them--can use all the color I can get--no matter the source!

None of them last very long....

And one real plant blooming--columbine--this pops up in varied spots around the yard--another one that self seeds!

More Spring Flowers

Along with shopping for tomatoes, we decided to walk around the rest of White Flower Farm & see what was blooming. Very pretty irises. Viola

Coreopsis " Limbo"

Not sure what it is, but I love the colors

A very pretty color for a columbine.... I have blue ones in my yard that just flowered.

Close up of the iris

This variety of iris has interesting stalks ( leaves? Fronds?) that are cream & green striped.

Clematis

And alliums--I hope to get a few of these this fall--my gardens are a work in progress & have been for over 20 years--just starting to look good. If I had a few hundred extra $$$ I'd send it on plants...but I don't !

Tomatoes,Tomatoes & more Tomatoes!

Went to Litchfield yesterday to White Flower Farm to their Tomatomania event--only one in the Northeast! They had over 100 varieties of tomatoes, plus vegetable plants and herbs. All the tomatoes are listed on their website, so I try & go there & make a list before going to the sale. My initial list had 15 or so kinds on it...I don't have the room for that many, so I tried cutting it down......maybe to 10...... All arranged alphabetically so easy to find if you have a list--I went one year without one--never again. I took photos of some of the kinds I bought--so I'll know what they should look like!

I think I ended up putting the Bloody Butcher back & getting 2 Matt's Wild Cherry to grow together.....

Thought this was an interesting type........I probably(hope to) will have so many there will be one left to can & freeze!

Hopefully no tomato blight like last summer! Now to get them planted today!

Mertensia Virginica

Update--I still haven't seen this variety of Hosta! Went back to the nursery today & questioned someone about the plant--the sign for the hosta was in front of it--the hosta hadn't started to grow yet! So very deceptive! THis is what it is really called! I'd never seen this variety of Hosta before--was planted at a nursery that I went to last week--think I might have to go back & get one! My yard is very shady & I know Hostas do well all over the yard. According to what I read online, the flowers are supposed to be lavender colored & this hosta is a sport of the hosta " Guacamole" ( no wonder I like it--I love Guacamole) and was hosta of the year in 2006.

In the Yard

Not recently( think I took this last summer), but I did see a yellow butterfly on Sunday flitting around in the yard. I keep planting flowers that they love to attract more to my gardens! If we ever have more sunny weather, I'm sure some will be around!

Vintage Vinyl

I know I am really datng myself, but I started thinking about this album--Rolling Stones--Exile On Main St.-- when I heard that they were re-releasing it on May 18th. I went looking through my stockpile & sure enough--I have it! The original, that is! Still have most of the albums that I bought--this is from 1972- It's still in pretty good condition--the inner sleeves are intact & there a set of postcards that came with it, too!

A few months ago I played this one--Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out-- released in 1970--and it sounded great! Two years ago for Christmas I got a turntable that you can hook up to your computer; play an album & download it to the computer & make a CD or add to your IPOD. have done a few albums--lots more to go! Now a sampling of the other Stones vinyl I have......

Another Stones album--Black & Blue ( 1976)

High Tide & Green Grass--their 1st greatest hits album ( 1966)

Through the Past Darkly ( released Sept. 1969--soon after Woodstock!) Another greatest hits album--memorable songs on it like Jumpin' Jack Flash & Honky Tonk Women....I have several more Stones albums--never realized how hard it would be to take pictures of album covers ( I know I could have searched the internet for them but wanted to show the originals) I have over 100 old vinyl from Stevie Wonder & Marvin Gaye to Melanie & Ricky Nelson, and the very 1st album I ever bought.......

Yes, Frankie Avalon, A Whole Lotta Frankie, purchased in 1958! Before many of my readers were born! ( I was 10!)

Planting This Weekend.....

It finally looks like we'll have a few nice sunny days in a row! So I've been saving some plants in our solar room in anticipation! When my Mom was here we went to a nearby nursery to walk around, but I couldn't leave without a few of these zinnias...love the unusual colors! The one above is called Swizzle Cherry & Ivory.

And this one is called Starlight Rose. Haven't decided where they are going to go, but I have about 12 half whiskey barrels & a planter around the mailbox to fill!

Picked up some Wave petunias today for the planters outside the dog's pen. Liked the mix of colors --I guess I'm doing mostly purples so far this year!

And last, but not least, 2 climbing rose bushes I bought probably 2 months ago--have been moving them in & out depending on the weather--love having the sun room! I'm hoping they will climb the bare concrete wall we have on the patio.

Happy planting!

Puff balls

The lawn is covered with dandelions and most of them are just puff balls now..... They make such an interesting subject!

True or False?

This is true pink Bleeding Hearts.....
This is called False White Bleeding hearts.....who knew? ( Saw these at a nursery last week)

The big difference is the leaves, unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the leaves of the false one. These are a flower that grows well in all the shade we have here in the forest!