Memorial Day 2008

I love a parade! Small town America is still alive.

Calverton National Cemetery

farmers' market

Every spring farmers come from local farms to sell their produce at the local farmers' market. Last fall the farmers told me that the market would open next April. So, on Saturday I hopped on my bike to go visit them. I was hoping for peas and baby lettuce. This is what I found.
Oh well! On to breakfast.

Here's the view from Nicky's restaurant. At least he was waiting for us!

my nemisis

My next assignment, when school is finished, is to convince the wisteria that it can't totally take over the backyard and kill everything in its wake. It's going to be a big job.

dottie

Dottie enjoys sitting in the garden, on a chair of course!

blow

Can you resist?
My mother says that one year I picked a big bunch of these for her. She wasn't impressed when the seeds floated all over the house!

mmmmmm

I kept trying to cut this tree down. I didn't know what it was, but it was in the wrong place. It insisted on coming up every year, so I gave up trying to get rid of it and identified it as a mulberry tree. Two years ago I noticed berries on it. They were delicious! So, this year, I'm looking for recipes for mulberries!

spiderwort

Spiderwort is threatening to take over the nomow zone. It use to be considered a weed around here, but now it is being sold in nurseries for $15 a plant. I'm thinking about going into business.

moving on

This is a piece of tree trunk waiting to be thrown out, but it seems to have created its own composition!

pansy

Whoever was eating my pansies seems to have lost interest mid-meal. Hopefully his taste has changed and these buds will bloom!

bad thing

I cut these lilacs from a bush that isn't exactly mine. The house next door has been vacant for almost year. It is a victim of the sub-prime mortgage mess. So I, um, borrowed some flowers. I didn't have to go into the yard to cut them, but I did use a pretty long pair of loppers.

Aren't they pretty?

worth the wait

Remember this?

The azaleas have finally bloomed!

wash day

Most people have a white load, a light load and a dark load. My neighbor has a yellow load!

baseball

What could prove that spring is here better than a baseball game? This is our local team, the Long Island Ducks.

Quaker Jack is the mascot, really.

nomow zone

You never know what may grow if you don't mow. These are wild strawberries.

redecorating

I've redecorated my home office and added fresh air and sunshine!

toes

It's time for a pedicure! I like to give myself a pedicure while sitting on my back steps.

spring on campus

I always carry my camera with me, but I don't always have time to take pictures at school. I was a little early today. I had time to take pictures and get a cup of tea before class!

another first

First craft show of the season! This show is held every year on the grounds of Lyndhurst, a National Historic Trust, on the Hudson River.

UFO's

I don't like tools that have motors attached to them, so I don't like to use a lawn mower. Luckily, my neighbor mows my lawn for me. But there are large areas I ask him not to mow. I try to balance being as green as possible with not having code enforcement officials at my door. These two plants have decided to take advantage of the nomow zone.

lily of the valley

My sister's birthday is on May 2. I love to give her a big bunch of lily of the valley. But, the lily of the valley don't always cooperate. I watch them expectantly each year. Will they bloom on time? They just made it this year!