There may be a garden...

...and here are the plants - some of them.  I've got a flower bed cut out next to the front walk.  Can you see marigolds and garlic chives?  Those are from seeds I got from the garden along Mom and Dad's sidewalk.  Soon they will be growing along my sidewalk.

I have one week left of school, unless I should by some miracle finish early.  Then I have 3 days until I start my summer independent study.  Ahh, it won't be so bad.  I'm just going to get it organized and then I'll take the next two weeks (until June 22) off.  So, by next weekend, I should have a picture for you of planted flowers.

Love, Mary

Tulips at last

Hi again Mary,
Yesterday was the first day my tulips opened up. Only three of the 5 varieties are blooming so far.
First is the yellow T. Hocus Pocus

Next is the yellow and green T. Virilemon

And then the bright red parrot T. Bright Parrot. It certainly is bright. It is at the top of the post also.

The Allium I also ordered from Brent and Becky's is up and has buds but doesn't look as if it will bloom soon. The T. Maureen is also up and will be a few days yet before it blooms. It is not showing any color on the buds at all.

So far the chicken wire, the wire fence and the electric fence are keeping the deer, woodchucks, and other critters from lunching on the flower buds. Here's hoping!

Love,

Nancy

Mom's 90th in flowers

Hi Mary,
I don't know what was happening with me and my camera at Mom's birthday. I took a lot of pictures of people with Cousin Mike's camera and Chris took photo's with his camera but all I came home with was pictures of flowers. Above is a picture of the tiny birdhouse that my friend Mary G. gave me at our HRBlock office dinner. It is tucked into the ferns and lilies of the valley under the rhododendron bush. It looks great there. Below, Mom's Iris were just starting to bloom so of course I had to take a picture of them.

In the front yard some Lily of the Valley were blooming under the Rhododendron which was past it's prime.

There were a few blooms of this plant which I have never found the name for. Never looked for the name for it either. Do you know what it is? It grows all over their yard wherever no one has replaced it with other flowers. I suspect it was planted by the lady who owned the place before Mom and Dad bought it in 1961.

And then I had to take pictures of the three vases of flowers that Jim and I bought for Mom's birthday. We went to Lunds on Lake Street and had lots of fun choosing from the available flowers. Well, I had fun and Jim went to find the restroom.

Here is a closeup of the four different flowers all mixed together in a bouquet.

And here is my new (to me) Hollywood Cabinet with the Pfaff 23o sewing machine that is one of my presents for Christmas. I got it from Cindy Peters at stitchesintime@earthlink.net

The front that looks like a radio is the back of the chair that slides into the cabinet. In the chair, under the seat are two little drawers. They pull out on the right side. The machine head will go in the top of the cabinet once I have done a little more shining up on it. I haven't tried it out yet, I just got it home. Well so it wasn't an all flower post after all.

Love,

Nancy

Photo Hotdish

Hi there Mary,

I have been taking pictures but not posting and now I have to put up one of those posts with no focus at all. It is like a hotdish. A whole bunch of unrelated stuff that you like individually and you hope it tastes good when you mix it all together.

Here goes...

Ah yes, my forsythia bush is blooming nicely this year.

And I got back in time to see some of my crocus blooming this year. Crocus were really not a good idea for someone who doesn't return until the third week of April. I usually miss them. Of course the day I chose to photograph them it snowed.

We have a couple of Canada geese who are trying to take over our yard. Several times a day they fly in and make a lot of noise. This day they decided to get an overview of the yard and the slough to the west so they landed on the old barn and yelled at friends in the slough from there.

Yes it was windy that day.

Yesterday there was a full moon on my way back from quilt club.

Oh! My tulips are starting to look like they might bloom one day. Hope springs eternal and all that.

Love,

Nancy

Home to North Dakota

(a diked home near Harwood, North Dakota)

Hi Mary,

Jim and I traveled home on Wednesday the 22nd. It was an easy trip. We got started early (around 10:00) and were in Clifford at 4 p.m. The only delays were around Moorhead where they were dismantling the dike .

I didn't get a good look at the Red River when we went over the bridge. I could see the water was way high, but the dike ran right down the outside lane of I 94 and although they were starting to remove it, the remainder hid the flooding from view.

This is the dike being removed.

On the north side of Fargo we ran into the flooding from the Sheyenne River and that was very visible since it was right up to the interstate on both sides of the road.

It was even over the road a little bit but that was on the southbound side so we didn't have to drive through it. People were though! I have pictures.

On the other side of the road the wild swans were enjoying the flooding.

Our home was dry and sort of empty looking when we got back. I think that was because for the first time I don't have any goldfish in the pond. It looks like something had been throwing the rocks about and no fish were left.

Yesterday I saw a huge racoon in the old barn so that is who I suspect.

Do you need some surplus fish food?

Love,

Nancy

PS- No hint of tulips yet.

Goodby Fatty Kitty

We will miss you.

Love from Abbie, Alice, Nancy and Jim. (Maggie and Bruce send their condolences also)

dreaming of Tulips

Hi Mary,

Remember my post last fall when I planted all the tulips? It is getting close to the time for me to travel back home and I have been wondering how my tulip bulbs are doing. As the next best thing I am watching Journey North and their tulip project. So far it doesn't show any tulips in my region coming up. Could it be the layer of melting ice and snow on top of them?

Over there in Whitefish your tulips at the school have come up. Have you gone to see them? Would you get me pictures? I am in severe tulip deprivation here and want a picture of a little tulip plant to help me out. These photo's are stolen from Brent and Becky's Bulbs which is where I bought my tulip bulbs.

I sure hope mine were not dug up or eaten yet. Maybe they will last until I get home.

Love,

Nancy

News from Abbott Avenue

Hi there Mary,

We went to a Bernard Shaw play at TRP today. It was the only one he wrote about the United States. It was set during the revolution. If I keep typing long enough maybe I will remember the name of it. Did you know he petitioned the crown to remove George from his name? Hmmm still haven't remembered.

It is raining out now. Earlier it was lovely and warm and sunny. A really nice day.

Yesterday I took the 'rents to get a hair (and beard) cut. Mom was a little testy because she had picked up what she thought was her jacket but it wasn't and we all decided it belonged to E or Jon because it said New Balance on the front.

However when they turned up a little later they repudiated it. So I am having Mom hold it up to show you a picture of it. Maybe you will recognise it. And you get a look at Mom's new haircut as well. If it is yours, shall I mail it back to you? It is just about the time of year it might be useful.

Mom is reading Donald Westlake's book "What's The Worst That Could Happen?" right now. I ordered most of the Dortmunder ones when we heard of his death. They are old and have been coming in in dribs and drabs from the Library for the blind. She sits in her chair chuckling away. It makes me feel good.

Still haven't remembered the name of the play. I think I will go to put in a link and 'remember' it that way. Ahhhh yes. The Devils Disciple. How could I forget?

Here is a picture of the moon over Abbott Ave from earlier this week. About 8 a.m. in the morning on Thursday. Lots of different trees from when we were kids here. This is looking up towards 45th Street.

Happy Equinox,

Love,

Nancy