One Down, Nine To Go

I didn't work at the trails or church this week, but did work the primary election run-off for the Republicans. Only two seats being contested and even though our precinct is 95% or more Democrat, five of us still had to man the polls. We had two eligible voters all day long and they were a couple so came at the same time. The American Legion building where our precinct voting is located is right next door to Jerry's Greenhouses so , at least, I was able to pass some time looking at the flowers that were still there at the end of the bedding season.

Here's an Hibiscus that still hasn't been sold.

I know you are in suspense as to why I would have a Dog pictured on my site afraid of them as I am and not really an animal person. My working partner who I spend time with on the trails , at the parks and at his church has gone to Colorado for ten days. His wife's family is having their reunion back in her hometown. Usually he has a neighbor to take care of his animals and water his plants whenever they go away. This time the neighbor couldn't do it so they enlisted me. I went over yesterday to get instructions of just what needed my attention while they are gone. This is their old dog, Moxie. They have probably had him forever and now he is so old and feeble. I hadn't seen him in a few months as now Klaus usually picks me up rather than my heading toward his house as I'm on the way to most of the places that we head out to work. Old Moxie had lost so much weight and his hind legs have really deteriorated. He barely is able to walk and then sits down again after a short trip anywhere. I think when dogs are near their end that is how they often go - their hind legs just give in. At least I remember from our days back in Elmsford at the condominium, there was a man who carried his dog for awhile everywhere because he couldn't bear to have him put down. Today was my first day on the new job and was glad to hear him bark from inside when I pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Didn't see him at first, but then found him propped up on a cushion looking out the front window. He didn't bark at me anymore. Hard to get his attention as he is stone deaf also. I'm beginning to understand a little about that, too. He didn't seem to want to follow me out the back door, so I closed the door and a while later he squeezed himself out the trap door so was glad to see he was able to manage that. He didn't stay outside very long before heading back out of the heat. I watered all the flowers in the backyard, all the container plants and did a couple other chores. I also put the bird food out - some in the feeder and the rest on the ground because the cardinals won't go to the feeder. The humingbird feeder was still pretty full so didn't have to mess with that. I'm also supposed to feed the cat. It was the cutest little cat, but when I went there yesterday, discovered that it is sickly. Looked just awful. They took it to the Vet. First suspected cancer but ruled that out. Decided it has some kind of anemia, but even if they went to the extraordinary expense to find out what kind, it would cost a fortune to try to cure so that's not feasible. Anyway the thing looks like it is about to perish. Today I didn't see the cat anywhere. I've heard that when it is their time they just go off somewhere to die alone. If that's the case, I hope he went outdoors somewhere and didn't crawl under the couch. I just hope neither one croaks while I'm on watch and then I'll have to go through all that of burying them. I'll be relieved when they return. Guess it is a good thing I really don't have any "friends" around here as so hard for me to just say no. Oh, there is a big ugly black dog that usually hangs out in their carport. Apparently a neighbor's dog but was always there whenever I have gone around. It wasn't there today so maybe it sensed they have gone away. I'm supposed to feed him a hot dog - right out of the refrigerator, if he shows up. Nine more trips to go - hope they all work out as well as today.

METRO Trucks Cleaning Out The Sewer Line


I was eating lunch yesterday. All of a sudden there was the loudest most horrific noise in the house. My mind immediately identified it as a tremendous wall of water - I don't know why but maybe because there were elements of gurgling and swirling that I was just sure I was done in before I had a chance to react even though this is perhaps the least likely place that a wall of water could hit. Instinctively, I guess, I dashed for the bathroom. To my great surprise it was dry. The noise was coming from the toilet bowl - not as traumatic as when it first started but could hear the rush of water and, peering into the bowl, it was whisper clean. I didn't even want to put my hand over the open bowl as thought it would just suck me right in as now I recognized it as a giant vacuum, not the surge of water I initially thought. I ran outdoors to see if I could discover where the noise was originating. The beginning of the sewer line is all the way down my backyard hill over in the corner of the property and then runs across the knoll of the hill down to the bottom passing between the backyards of all the houses along the way. I could hear that same loud swirling under the steel sewer cover so knew it must have been something to do with the sewer people up to something. I don't know if I had finished lunch but the noise continued unabated and I was unnerved so decided to leave and drive to town and do a few errands. I drove down the hill to see if I could see where the guys might be working and came upon these huge trucks at the bottom of the hill. I parked my car and one of the guys came over - the noise was loud so we were shouting at each other. I told him, "boy it was a good thing I wasn't sitting on the bowl when you guys started or I would have been sucked right down the drain and that would have been one heck of a way to end it all." He laughed and then showed me the big drill they were running up the length of the hill to cut the roots and were using the full blast of water from the hydrant to flush it out. He said by time they finished it would be super clean, but of course the roots will grow back into the line over time. I guess I wasn't the only one who got scared . He said a lady that lived on the street had called the office when she heard the noise. So I took the picture of the trucks and began to feel better and that my world wasn't ending quite yet.



I finally got over to the Legion Stadium to see a baseball game last night. Same stdium where Lander U. plays their ball games. I don't get the local paper except for Sunday so didn't know their schedule of home games. But in this Sunday's paper they showed a game for last night. They don't start until 7:30 so I got there probably at the start of the third inning. I don't know any of the players on the team, but recognize some of the family names you hear or see about. The batter here is Josh Lovvorn, the younger son of my heater/air conditioner guy. I've seen him over at the civic center over the years playing ball with his kids. Josh was also the catcher. Here he got on base with a single and later scored the insurance run with Greenwood beating their league rival, Walhalla, by a score of 5-4. They had a nice cushion , being ahead 5-2 at the end of the 7th and brought in the closer for the ninth. He retired the first two batters, then gave up a run and another run was scored on a errant throw, but finally got the last batter to strike out to end the game. Most of the kids in the American Legion Post 20 team are from the two Greenwood High Schools, Greenwood High and Emerald High. A couple players from a local private school, Greenwood Christian, and a few from area colleges and out of town high schools round out the team. I think Josh has a baseball scholarship to Anderson College, a two year college. His older brother played ball, also, and now works for the father. Their service man told me last time he was here that the daughter is the best ball player of them all. She is still in high school.

I hope you all have a safe and fun Fourth of July Holiday. I probably won't be doing much except trying to take care of two properties and those animals. If the heat gets to be too much for me, I can always cool off in Klaus' Swimming Pool. Until next time,
Take Care and Have a Happy, Dave

Hibiscus rosa sinensis in container at poolside.

This Is My! South

This the "famous' Cheeseburger House over at the city line on Route 34 on the way to Ninety Six.

As hot and as dry as it has been, last week we worked at my friend's medieval garden and church grounds. Monday morning involved a lot of tiding up as the garden has been neglected for awhile. In the lawn, a zillion oak seedlings had sprouted so I used the hand sprayer with 2-4D - I think that is essentially agent orange, to kill them off. Then a lot of the perennials had out-grown their bounds and were hanging over the walks making it difficult to pass so we tied those up and cut some back. At the same time we collected and saved seed from the spent plants in preparation for next year's show and display. We pulled a few weeds and then it was about lunch time. Klaus always asks where I want to eat lunch and we almost always end up at Subway or Migs. But today we were headed for Ninety Six to visit a greenhouse/nursery there. It is called The House of Colors and acquired a couple of years ago by an sweet Oriental Lady who came here from Flushing, Long Island, New York. She's a member of the church and was donating plants for us to set around the beds and we were going over there to make selections from what she had left after the bedding season. So Klaus was wondering where we could stop that was on the way. I suggested The Cheeseburger House and I was almost surprised that he accepted. Since he had the slight stroke and a couple of stints put in his arteries, actually even before that, he usually wants to eat a more "healthy" fare of a salad, but I notice lately a switch away from that. You can only eat so much rabbit food.

It was when I first came here and we hired some young people from Lander to work nights and man the phones as we expanded our hours to take orders into the evening. One young guy, who was a character anyway, was always raving about this place, The Cheeseburger House, having the best burgers in town. I never heard anybody else say anything about it but often thought I should stop there and try them out sometime. Even more so lately as they started advertising on TV and talking about the same service and food being offered as when they started back in 1963. So here I was 30 years later about to fullfill that wish or desire.

As soon as we walked in the door I knew I was going to like the place and the atmosphere. There was a good lunch-time crowd and people also coming in for take-out. There was a bar, or counter with several stools and booths lining the wood paneled walls in the two rooms. Just about 9 booths so it was very cozy and the waitress immediately asked us what our drink order was before we got seated so it was there just about time we selected a spot to park. It was then I noticed the walls were decorated with old license plates from many states and a lot from the 1960s. There were also posters on the wall and a pretty good collection of coca cola stuff.

There was a poster of maybe my favorite movie. I always liked anything with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman and I just happened to see this one again recently on TV. I think I enjoyed the character actors of the day as much as the stars. They were all such grest personalities. Ah, yes, they just don't make movies liked they used to. When I was a kid I was real star- struck at a very young age. I used to buy movie star magazines, cut out the pictures and put them in scrapbooks. I probably had all that stuff the whole time we lived at 97 Croton Ave, but when we moved as I was about 13 to much smaller quarters I had to leave much stuff behind. It had probably been a long time from those days so it's possible the scrapbooks disappeared before then. Just know I would like to see them now, but I still remember pretty much who all my favorites were and it was most of the big stars of the 40s and 50s - from Lana Turner to Marilyn Monroe.

This is what I got served. The Cheeseburger was pretty good. But, of course nowadays, with all the health scares, all the places fry their meat so much that there isn't much juice in them. So you can get better at home and even the whoppers and quarter pounders from Burger King and Hardees are better in that regard. You are certainly not going to have anything running down your chin unless it is too much ketchup you applied. The whole meal was just about $5.45 with a big helping of fries. If you passed on the slaw, you got an even bigger portion of fries. Refills on the diet coke were free and the waitress came and got the glasses and filled up again even without asking.

I paid Klaus my portion and as he went up to pay I walked out the door and took another look back first.

The girl in the green t-shirt was our primary waitress. I stepped outside and when Klaus didn't follow in a reasonable time I stepped back inside to see Klaus getting a big hug from some pretty lady. She didn't look at all familiar, but then realized it was someone who we worked with for quite a few years at Park. I still can't remember her name or where exactly she worked , but she left well before I retired to start up a house cleaning business, which I think she is still operating. Apparently I walked right past her as she was sitting in the first booth by the door. Think maybe her name was Kathy and one memory of her stands out. I worked Saturdays, but was very interested when Fuji came to Greenwood. They had an open house one Saturday and were even busing people from the civic center out to their facility and giving them tours of their place. So, perhaps, the only time I skipped work for a couple of hours and went to take the tour. If it's Kathy, then I met her on the bus and she along with her son and we went on the same tour of their plant together. When we were talking with her at The Cheeseburger House she was just talking about her daughter who just graduated from High School and was going to attend Lander. No mention of the son, but I hadn't even yet recalled that incident. At the end of the tour they were passing out helium -filled baloons of replicas of their dirigible so think I got 5 or as many as I could handle to take back to work and appease any of the ladies who missed me because of the "extended lunch".

We finally went on our way, picked up a bunch of petunias and begonias, enough to fill the bed of the pick-up truck and arranged to plant them at the church on Wednesday. Two other guys helped us that day and one decided to have lunch with us. As we discussed lunch places and had told him of where we ate Monday, he decided he wanted to go eat at the Cheeseburger House, too. So I was doubly surprised that Klaus was amenable again to going there. So after 30 years, now I was going to eat at The Cheeseburger House twice in the same week. I figured Klaus really liked being served by the pretty young waitresses. I got there first and was sitting at an outdoor table waiting for them to arrive. One guy pulled in the lot in his pick-up and walked past me. I thought he looked familiar so when we went inside he was sitting at the counter so I spoke to him and , sure enough, it turned out to be a guy who lives around the corner and up at the top of the hill. I had never met him , but saw him outside occasionally as I pass there every day at least once. He used to have a boat and I admired that the paint job was a match to his pick-up truck. I don't see the boat there anymore, but see he now also has a motorcycle and drives that, too. Had another good cheeseburger and soaked up the atmosphere. Even going out a big group of friendly construction guys were going in. It is apparently the place where a lot of good ole buys eat their lunch.

It seems all the rest of my time this week I have spent processing and loading pictures I took to my flickr site. Last weekend was Greenwood's Flower Festival Weekend. It is always held the third weekend in June in recent times. This was the first year I wasn't involved in anything so I could visit a lot of venues. Even when I was working at Park Seed I always had to work out there for the weekend so never got to see anything else. Now, especially that I got the picture bug, I really enjoyed seeing most of the home gardens on tours, spent a quiet Sunday morning taking lots of photos at Park Seed and got to the car show and the bluegrass festival and the craft, photo and art shows at the High School. There were a lot of other events I missed, but hopefully I'll still be ar0und next year to see them.

I hope you'll visit my photo site to see some of the pictures I took. It must have been well over 200 in total. A nice way to view them is to go to the few sets I have made and view them as a photostream. I hope you'll enjoy and keep coming back to see more. I'll leave you here now with a few of the pictures that are my favorites, well actually I like all my photos, so these are just representational.

Until next time, Stay Safe and Have a Happy, Dave

Water Lily in the Pond at Park Seed

I Want This One.

I wanted To Jump Into This Pool So Badly.

I'm Getting To Like The Way This Music Sounds.

Lifelong Passion For Flowers

Sometimes I even amaze myself. Sunday after I bought the funnies I was just cruising around town looking to see if there might be something to photograph. I've really become addicted to this picture taking since I joined that photo site, Flickr. I guess a lot of other people also develop the "flickritis"bug. I had gone back to the Episcopalian Church to look at their center court again. That's were I found and took a picture of a loquat with pretty yellow plum-like fruits. Since I found out that they were edible I wanted to go back to get a sample. Also that week had been working with a gardener planting petunias and begonias at the West Cambridge Trail/Playground. I mentioned it to her and then she said ," Did you see the flowers I planted in the memory of my sister?" Well, heck no, I hadn't remembered seeing that and she even said the plants were labeled. Still didn't see anything on my return trip, but did sample a fruit. It was pleasant tasting but rather bland or mild with a slight plum flavor. So I continued on down into the Mill village by the hospital and went around a block to return home when, low and behold, I saw a plant that I wasn't sure what it was, but knew I didn't have a picture. So I parked the car and walked across the street. It was a circular bed, maybe 4 feet diameter, filled with the plants pictured above. It was bone dry as we have been in a pretty substanial drought this spring, but did have a good heavy rain Friday afternoon and evening. Right away I said almost out loud to myself, "this is pickerell weed." Then I started thinking I don't even know what that is. Didn't remember ever seeing it before, didn't ever grow it myself, or have any idea where I heard that name. But sure enough when I got home and went looking through what gardening books I still have, found a picture of it and was a dead ringer for what I had just photographed. I suppose I pulled it up from the deep recesses of my subconcious mind. Perhaps read it in one of those gardening magazines I must have started reading as soon as I learned or perhaps I did pick up a few things in my college years and everything wasn't just a blur as I sometimes think. The botanical name is Pontederia cordata, Pickerell Weed. It is an aquatic perennial that grows in shallow fresh water and would be hardy from one end of the east coast to the other, north to south. The house where the plants were is empty right now, but there is a sign indicating that Emerald Baptist church is acquiring. Must be a long established clump so suppose it will take awhile before it dies out if it continues to be neglected and not furnished adequate water. I'm almost thinking of going back and seeing about getting a sample to save it from extinction. If you decide to add this plant to your water garden, be aware that it can be aggressive and choke out other plants. It might be best to keep it confined to a container and then sink pot and all under the water.


Perry's Statue of David - You can see the whole set of plants and ornaments around his yard here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sisudave/sets/72157594155015745/
Funny, though, he hadn't seeked my permission to display my image in his yard, like so many others who did the same. Being a David myself, I have a special affinity for all David statues.

Perry is one of the first people I met when I came to Greenwood. He worked at the deli at Winn Dixie Grocery store. I had a heck of a time getting people to slice my ham and cheese thin - they didn't know that here. Just knew thick slabs and, as I tried to explain, he would say, 'Oh, yes, shavings." He finally got it right.We joked together a lot and his pastime was riding a bike- one of those guys that take it seriously with the helmets and uniforms and ride long distances and climb high mountains. He rode past my home nearly everyday and frequently stopped and we talked. Everybody here probably knows Perry as that was the primary grocery store for years and he headed up the deli and bakery. Then I moved to this place where nobody passes through and Winn Dixie has shut its doors so hadn't seen Perry in quite awhile. Wondered about Perry as he must have worked there over 30 years and what his plight was. Last week we delivered letters to people whose back yards back up to the trail. Well, actually I just went along for the ride and to provide support for my fellow working volunteer. When he had called I always hate to say no, but did manage to say that wasn't my thing as I really don't like to confront people and avoid going to other people's doors especially if there is any inkling of a dog around. The letters, prepared by him and reviewed with the police chief, asked them to be alert to people writing graffito on the walls at the trail and to notify authorities if they see anything suspicious. The walls of the overpasses that border the trail are being painted for a second time to cover it up at considerable cost, but labor is free, using that of a parolee serving his community service time.We delivered about 20 letters. As soon as we came to his house, I knew it must be Perry's even though I had never been there. I guess just from knowing him. Fortunately he was home. Had just come in from cutting 3 lawns and also was working now for Piggly Wiggly Grocery Chain so was glad to learn that and to see his place and take these pictures. As soon as I saw the small front yard just crammed full of plants and decorations, I knew somehow I was going to have to check out the back yard, too. He was very gracious and I took the pictures that make up the set. His garden features mostly foliage type plants, but I like them all for their color, texture, shapes and all interests. Flowering is always a bonus, but in some situations the foliage is the important part and ,I must say, the plants provide the framework for all his many garden ornaments, many whimsical.

I created this calendar using something called Flickr toys. It is a site that allows you to do all kinds of things with your pictures, like make calendars. I was going to do one every month, using the flower of the month. I couldn't get a decent picture of Lily-of-the-valley for May . This was a picture of a rose in the Men's Garden Club, a garden now maintained by the City.

My First Garden

We moved to 97 Croton Avenue, Ossining, N.Y. when I was 3 years old. It couldn't be too long after that when I made my first flower garden at the end of the garages behind our 6 family brick residence. I even remember planting annuals like zinnias, cosmos and nasturtiums - things with easy to handle seeds and easy to germinate. Must have read already something about organic gardening as dug all the soil out of this bed, went across the street to an empty lot and got grass and lined the bed with layers of that and soil to improve it. Arranged the rock border and even painted them. I must have had this bed for quite a few years - maybe not all the while we lived there as probably 13 when we moved away and by that time my interests got diverted briefly in my life to other things although I'm sure I continued to read the gardening books and magazines without any interruption. My older brother, Herb, by 6 years, and I had an arrangement where we alternated buying magazines. He didn't know anything but sports or want to know anything but sports. I would by a flower magazine and be there laying on the couch with it all turned around so he couldn't see the heading when he came in. Of course , being the big brother, he would walk over and just snatch it out of my hold, and then in disgust fling it back in my face when he realized what it was. We agitated each other unmercifully for all those years right up to the end. You could never let up. Nobody could understand how we could stand each other, especially his wives, but we couldn't have been closer. He's been gone almost 7 years now and I sure do miss him.

When I went off to college I had dreams still of becoming a great rose hybridizer. By the end of my freshman year, that idea had left my mind and I was just in a survival mode to stay in school. But the idea I guess never entirely left my mind, as now in retirement, I have done some crossing and growing out seeds from my resultant crosses. I'll leave you with one of the photos of my Daylily crossings as thought that is a good one for an amateur, like me, to try. I crossed Joan Senior, a nearly white Daylily with several mediocre reddish Daylilies. Think I planted about 90 seedlings and now I have a bed of mature plants. All fowers are red and some I really like as the red is so intense. I'm calling the series, Red, Red Wine, as the name seems to aptly fit the appearance.

Take Care and Have a Happy, Dave