Seedling pulling a Houdini?

Yesterday before going to school, I planted out a loaf pan of shasta daisies right in the little area of soil around the basswood tree. I came home and was outside after dinner and to my surprise...all gone! Not just the top of the seedlings, but the whole clumps of seedlings were gone! Nothing! Talk about disappointment. I have another three clumps of seedlings, this time Maltese cross, which I want to plant out, but I'm so paranoid about them getting eaten. Ughhhhhhhhhhh

Isolation

I'm starting to feel more and more isolated from my family. I don't feel any connection with them, and its like they look at me like I'm some sort of freak. Sure my flowers and operas aren't what everyone likes, but I don't force it upon anyone. I mean, if you ask, I'll be more than glad to share with you what I know, but it's not like I go around telling people 'this is how you grow...it's a perennial and grows to...' The other day, my mom called my sister down to dinner. She was busy and after a few minutes my mom called her again - clearly with frustration in her voice. So my sister rushes down as fast as she can. And at the last few steps on the stairs (ours are carpeted), she slips down and make a huge thud. My mom steps out of the kitchen, and the first thing she did was she started yelling at her.
"You're stupid"
"What the hell were you doing"
"I don't have time to take you to the hospital"
"Did you wreck the stairs?"
Not a word of consolation. She didn't even ask my sister is she was ok. That's motherly love....at least in our house. My mom won't stop yelling. It's an addiction. She has to yell at everyone over everything. And the thing is, if no one fesses up, guess who gets the blame? Yup, me. So unfair. I can't wait to get to uni and not have to see her.

As well, everyone is allowed to watch TV in her room, but I can't. Every weekend my sister and brother, mom and dad talk and laugh in my parents' room. Everyone but me. Whenever I walk in the door, she says "ok everyone get out. I'm locking the door." What? Is it that I have some contagious disease? Whenever I walk in, the laughter stops, and everyone puts on this disgusted face and startes at me. My dad teams up with my mom, and brother teams up with my sister. I don't belong. And my brother always make a point of telling me: "You know mommy hates you."

Maybe it's time for me to try some of those aconitum seeds, or ricinus seeds. Perhaps the Abrus preactoribus seeds would be less painful.

A Touch of Summer

It got up to a whopping 27*C yesterday - what a beautiful day! sunny, but humid. Everything comes with a set back, and yesterday's nice weather was no exception. We had a huge thunderstorm and I mean HUGE!!! The weatherman said to prepare for a few days without power. Thank god the was no blackout. The power flashed off a few times but nothing major. I still haven't checked the yard to see how things fared.

As with the past two summers that I've spent at this house, I've dug a flower bed and this year is no exception. I'm going to try a new method called lasagna bed which is basically building organic material over existing grass. The idea is that the grass will decompose anaerobically everything else will decompose into nice rich compost. I was told that by the time the seedlings' roots got to the bottom of the soil, the grass would have already decomposed. I'm going to do two beds this way. Just to give my grandmother the sense of safety, I will be planting veggies in the seperate beds (my family seems to thin toxic flowers like brugs, daturas, other solanums) will leech toxins into the ground which is NOT true) one for beans and the other for tomatoes. I really am considering cutting back on flowers and focusing on veggies. The economy is really down, and I get the whole yard to myself. I don't want my parents to whine and complain that I'm not helping them out with the yard.

Roscoea...beesiana?

Beesiana was the species that was named on the label when I bought the roots at Canada Blooms. I sort of left it too long, and just planted it about three days ago. I have buds now, and they are half opened. I've never grown these before, nor have I ever heard of them until I saw them at CB. I read hardy ginger, and thought to myself, I DEFINITELY have to get one! Searching online, beesiana lookd like yellow/cream coloured blooms, but somehow the flowers are purple. I know there wasn't a mix up, at least not by other customers, because each tuber (they looked like miniature dahlia tubers) was individually labelled and packaged. I'm thinking of taking a picture and sending it to the company to ask them. It's not what I was looking for, nor what I bought according to the label. I still want to see them bloom first! Apparently, this purple one is more hardy, but it's supposed to be a few bucks mor eexpensive. I just don't like purple that much; just a personal thing.

Spring Hast Sprung

It got to 20*C today; talk about nice! The perennials I planted haven't done anything...no sign is a good sign, right? At least they're not wilting! I uncovered the bunny nest again a few days earlier, and the bunnies had their eyes open now!

Saw an ad in the newspaper that voldemart's garden center opens this Saturday (tomorrow) so I stopped by to take a look at what they have. The prices haven't gone up *that* much, about 10%. I am REALLY glad I know how to start seeds, and that I have access to so many seeds and traders! I think a lot of my money will be spent on soil amendement and tools. I really need a hoe and shovel.

Busy busy

Busy as a bee! Finished the stupid Lear comic, did the bio ISP interview, and did the chem test! DONE...but a good job? I don't really care. We had some stupid assembly talking about grad night, which is what? more than two months away! You really thing we're going to remember what you blabbed about two months ago? You gotta be kidding me :S

I had found a nest of bunnies earlier while i was turning my leaf pile (leaf mold!) Apparently my human smell isn't that strong and the mom rabbit came back to nurse them. I've seen her almost every night. Most of the time, I see nibbling the grass, so I just let her be. I set out a hosta that I forced into growth so hopefully it's a bit more food for her...not that I want her and the bunnies to eat any hostas that come up!

I soaked more canna seeds and potted them up yesterday. It'll just be a matter o ftime before I see sprouts! I am *really* hoping to have a large bed of cannas this year! I already have four seedlings that I started about three weeks ago and they're sending out their fourth leaf. I still have canna indica seeds that I have to nick and start but I just don't have the motivation to do it. The blooms and story just aren't enough o.O"
So...so...I'm expecting more cannas and thizomes coming my way from a really nice lady a few hours north of here. She still has frost and snow, so she told me she wouldn't be sending them just to be safe.

Speaking of mailed plants, I got a FABULOUS box of perennial divisions from another really nice lady: Sedum 'Sutumn Joy,' Monarda, Shasta Daisy 'Becky,' Stella O'Hara daylilies, two other types of daylilies (one labelled orange, and the other labelled 'Red Stella') and last but not least...canna! She sent two, but one was mushy except for the last inch or so and it was trying to push out a sprout. I couldn't cut the mushy part off completely, so I just tore off what I could and put the mushy part and the firm part in the compost. It's amazing what will survive in the composter. Last year, I put in some ornamental squash after Hallowe'en and I got lots of sprouts! I threw in a dahlia which never ended up srouting inside and it sprouted by the day after next! Wondr if I'll see a canna shoot anytime soon?

Holy Thursday

April 9, 2009, Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord's Supper

"I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do"

I went to a different church today for the mass, and I was rather surprise. The priest offered to wash everyone's feet. The previous church I used to go to chose 12 people to have their feet washed, but this parish, invited everyone who wanted their feet washed to go to the altar. Truly, I feel, the spirit of Christ: follow Christ, and do to others what He did. Humble yourself and remember that you are to serve others and not expect others to serve you.

Snow in April

Cold, gloomy, wet.
Frantically covering shoots.
'nuff said.

T'sing Ming

The fest of T'sing Ming is an important one for all Chinese people. It is the date when ancestoral graves are swept and cleaned. Offerings and libations are also given. In Hong Kong, there isn't a lot of space for cemetaries so graves are put in along a mountain. If you've ever watched those HK dramas, youll see people climbing steps to a hill to visit their deceased.

清明時節雨紛紛，

路上行人欲斷魂。

借問酒家何處有？

牧童遙指杏花村。

唐 杜牧

The festival of T'sing Ming is rainy
People walking along are sad and at a lost for words
Where, I ask, is the inn?
The shepard child points down to the village.

(杏花is the name of the village - almond flower)

rain rain go away, come again some other day

It's been raining all day...ALL day. Last night's forecast called for rain all day, but how often are the forecasts right? Today at least lol If there's one good thing about the rain, it's that the rain's soaking the ground. The grass is turning green again, and tons of perennials are poking out. Now that the garden bed is soaked, I know exactly where to plant the ones with wet feet or at least where I need to mend more than the rest ofthe bed. But if the forecast is gonna be as accurate as it was last night, they say the temps are going to dip to a high of 2-3*C (compared to a 2-3*C low the past week). Ooooh frost. I hope everything is going to be fine cuz I sure wouldn't be a happy camper if I had to cover everything the night of and uncover everything before school the next morning. Heck I don't even have enough time to mes around in the morning without having the worry about uncovering emerging plant shoots!

Reminder to Catholics: This Sunday, April 5th 2009 is Passion (Palm0 Sunday). It begins the holy week and commerates the day when Christ entered the city on a donkey with the citizens waving palms in welcome.

Offer...offer...offer!!!

I FINALLY have all 5 of my offers for university. Phew talk about relief! I got three a few months ago, got one yesterday and my last one this morning yeah! Now if only the darn admission package would get here so I know how much I can slack off XD I heard I just need to keep my mark over a 70% to get in. So I have a 16% or so buffer. As of now: breathe...r-e-l-a-x