POLITICIANS and GOOD PEOPLE

ONCE IN A WHILE, THEY ARE THE SAME (just not too often...)
As most of you might have noticed, I try to keep my postings as politically neutral as possible, generally sticking to gardens, weather, cats and possums, and the occasional person or two. Quite frankly, you really gotta be SOMEBODY to be on my blog. Now that doesn’t always mean famous, though I might boast a picture or two of Richard Gere (sigh...)

and a couple shots of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a posting about Andy Wyeth, but I have a goodness meter that I use before I put anyone on the blog. Being a relative or friend is just not enough – you have to be a special person; you need a score of at least 9 on a the Goodness scale of 10 to even get mentioned here! But, as I said, people are seldom my subjects.
So, on Wednesday, I had the honor and pleasure to attend a political/non-political event. I had been invited to attend the ground breaking ceremony for the new seafood complex at the Eastern Shore Farmer’s Market – which might not sound like much to those who don’t know what it is – but it was big enough for the Governor of Virginia to attend, make a speech, and toss a shovel of dirt into the air. Yea! Dusty dirt, not mud for a change!!!!
For those of you who have known me for a long time, I know it is unbelievable to you that I am in anyway at all involved in political things, but, somehow or another, it has happened. Now I will confess, I did not vote for this governor, so I really did not care about going to this thing, and in fact, turned it down, twice. However, a third phone call managed to persuade me to change my mind and cancel my other plans for Wednesday morning.
A few years ago, we had a Delegate to our state General Assembly by the name of Bob Bloxom. (He is the TALL one! LOL!) He was a local boy, as we call all our local politicians (we haven’t had any female ones yet) and Bob was a rarity. He was/is honest. He was/is a good man. One of the best. He was someone who served his people with honesty and integrity, and he never let politics or ignorance get in his way. Now how rare is THAT? Bob knew what was best for the shore, and he worked FOR us – not for reelection, not for the power or the title, but for the betterment of the people on the Eastern Shore. To SERVE us. Period. That also meant he voted with the Republicans when necessary, and the Democrats when necessary. He called himself a Republican, but he was as Independent as he could be. I remember someone once saying, “I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat, I am an Eastern Shoreman.” If that wasn’t Bob that said that, it might have been. I can hear him thinking it.
Unfortunately, we had some very narrow minded people in office at the time. One in particular got revenge on Bob for not voting 200% of the time with the Republicans, and she, having power of office over him in Congress, stripped him of his seniority in all his committees, making him as powerless as a puppy. It really hurt us on the shore (not that she cared, though she was supposed to be looking out for us as her district) but it also hurt those of us who loved him (which is anyone who knew him) and some of us vowed to replace her in the next election. (I actually helped vote her in, stupid me, but that was before I learned to read the fine print!) Bob retired (what was the point in being a delegate stripped of years of seniority?) and let a younger man take up the battle. After all, he was having a few health issues, and a wise man knows when it is time to go home and dust off the fishing pole. 2 years ago, she was defeated. I am proud of any part I had in that, though I am ashamed to say I gloated over her defeat, still have her opponent’s bumper sticker on my van. Shame on me, but I felt I had to do that for Bob. After all, he did so much for us.
Anyway, I digress. I do try to keep these postings impersonal… but this one just got away from me. My friend, Lynn, at the Eastern Shore Farmer’s Market said she knew how much I thought of Bob, and he was going to be there. This market had been one of his dreams and he had worked so hard to make it a reality before Thelma cut him down. Lynn said I really needed to be there, but she would not tell me why. Said it was a secret… well, I then figured it out… and I swear Bob was more surprised than anyone when they revealed the name of the new market complex. I bet I wasn’t the only one with tears in my eyes. It was a good day. And I got to feel one of Bob’s good hugs once again. I have missed them.
Another one of “my” political stars was there, Senator Ralph Northam (on the left in front of the sign) – another wonderful and honest man. (We sure know how to grow ‘em here on the Shore, don’t we?) Ralph also gives great hugs, and he gave them when he was a little boy, too. The first time I met Ralph, he was 7, and it was my first year teaching, probably my first Day! He, like Bob, is a gem among men. Ralph did not come to politics early; he is also a pediatric neurologist when he is not in the Senate, and does a lot of wonderful work for the children of this state. I am honored to say I even know him. I fought hard for Ralph to unseat the incumbent Nick Rerras who called professional women feminazis. My women friends and I became Eastern Shore Feminazis for the night of his debate with Ralph. The results were great, Rerras stumbled and sputtered all over the stage. Ralph won the debate easily and then the election.
Did I digress again? I am so good at that…

Anyway, here for the record are just some of the folks at the groundbreaking, some big shots, some who think they are big shots, those of us who dearly love a couple of the big shots, friends and Very Important People who made the whole thing possible. (Bob is the TALL one... the Gov, not so tall. Guess who with the Governor. Imagine me behaving this well! I am almost ashamed to put my picture on here – my hair is still so short, I barely recognize myself! (But it made Mary Ann happy – it was (almost) shaved off in support of her having to have chemo and losing all her hair.)
Special friend and person who pulled this thing off almost single-handedly… good friend and former model for Victoria’s Secret and the Governor. Her boss, Jim Stern, (in the white shirt) and the governor… It was a great place for folks and friends to celebrate the long over due recognition and honoring of a great man at the Robert S Bloxom Eastern Shore Agricultural Complex.Sorry about including the Richard Gere shot - totally off topic, but I will use any excuse...........

BACKYARD BEAUTY

BEAUTY is all around us... it comes in all sizes, colors and shapes... all we have to do is look for it. It might be a tiny surprise like this little guy (a tiger beetle?) or a bigger scene. The azaleas are still opening, peonies are in bud and irises are not far behind. All the veggie plants are in the ground... the frost from a couple mornings ago did not hit my place. How lucky is that? Most of the trees have their leaves and the grass has been cut for the 3rd time. The mulch pile is slowly getting smaller. Hopefully I will soon have time to take a sit-down on my "new and improved" patio! Have a Happy First of May!

WORK, WORK, WORK

WORK, WORK, and more WORK... the story of springtime.
So far, the only one to really enjoy the “new” and improved patio seems to be Spook. He really seems to love it out there, though he still doesn’t like having his picture taken. See him? He thinks he is invisible. I do sit out here every once in a while to catch my breath or give my back a rest. As you can see, things are blooming here at Possum Lane. And what is not blooming, hopefully will be. The first beans are up and recognizable as real plants, not just green lumps! I am trying another experiment in gardening… so far it is just home to plants waiting to get planted… the cucumbers are in the ground with a fence to climb on, zucchini, strawberries, Progress! I moved the new composter… not sure if this is a better idea than the old way, but I am willing to try. So far the raccoons have only gotten in it twice. Amazing little critters, aren’t they? The house plants, for the most part, are outside waiting to get cleaned up, cut back, and situated for the summer. The lilacs outside my bedroom window have been especially beautiful this year. And both Buddhas seem, well, content, in the midst of the azaleas around them.

AN AMAZING GIFT!

THIS MORNING, I was given a gift I never would have believed could happen. Some of you might remember my long distance shots of the pileated woodpeckers that live in my woods... the shots were not very good, the color lost in the distance, and if you didn't know what they looked like, they would have seemed like just another bird in the tree. I have never managed to get a pic of them in flight - the color pattern from underneath is spectacular. So, here I was, dutifully working on my Sunday Musings, when I saw something move in the redbud right outside my window. Spook had been running up and down the tree already this morning, so I expected to see him. But, this is what I saw instead. One of the woodpeckers was right outside my window having breakfast! Now how exciting is that!? OK, so maybe I am only one of a few that find it exciting, but let me have my moment. In a couple of shots, his head is blurry - as I mentioned, he was having breakfast! Also, I did not get the camera very close to the window. I did not want him to get scared before I even got a shot off. Anyway, here he is. You can actually see his bright red head. Save the comments about the dirty window! I will wash them again after the pollen eases up a bit more.

A BUSY TIME AT POSSUM LANE

IT’S A BUSY TIME AT POSSUM LANE

SPRING IS ALWAYS a busy time. Just some years it seems busier than others. This year, it is with huge amounts of gratitude that I report that I am getting some stuff done. I, as in ME! So far this spring, my friends have not been up here bailing me out, doing my chores… one has called twice asking if there was anything I needed him to do – plow the garden, help lay stones on my patio… but I know he has tons to do for himself. How many times have I mentioned the wonderful friends I have? May I do it again????? And I do thank you guys. I go to sleep with a sense of security knowing I have you for neighbors and if I ever need you, you will be there.
Again, my apologies for not being on here… but every spare moment I have has been outside trying to get caught up.
Years ago when I first decided to “build” a patio – or at least do something to keep my ancient Adirondack off the ground (this chair is over a hundred years old – it is one of the few things I brought down here when we had to dispose of the little house in the Poconos…) I basically just plopped a bunch of square cement blocks down… and the number grew, I added another chair… and a Beautyberry Bush… Well, the Beautyberry bush, in spite of being cut back severely, GROWS so much each year, it would come out and hang over the chair. So, now that I am better able to DO THINGS for myself, I decided to redo the patio idea, moving several rows of stones from the southern end to the eastern Buddha-side. Better than that, I decided to actually do it with the ground cloth and sand to make it level, due to all the moles that seem to like this place and have tunneled under the stones.
I actually had to go to Salisbury to buy decent ground cloth. The stuff being sold today is like gauze. No one has the good old heavy stuff of just a few years ago around here. Sam’s had 4 foot rolls of the good stuff. That should last me a few years. I found Roses had 50 lb bags of sand. I figured I could handle 3 bags at a time. Truth is, it was a little too much for me. But, I managed. I figured I would need 9 bags – 3 trips. However, I made a mistake, I told a friend the sand was on sale, and he bought it all, so I was 3 bags short. The good thing is, our local building supply place had sand, bigger bags, so much heavier, but better quality sand – the weight was in the sand not the moisture IN with the sand like the stuff from Roses – and the best part – they deliver – FREE! So I got some 4x4s that I needed that won’t fit in my van, some metal fence posts I need for a friend’s garden, and I did not have to beg someone for the use of their truck, and I got another 200 lbs of sand.
The “patio” is far from perfect, still not as level as I would like it, but no blocks uneven enough to trip over – that’s a plus! And I also picked up a plastic Adirondack style yard chair that is light enough for me to move easily, versus the old one that takes a strong man or a steady wheelbarrow. At any rate, I am as satisfied as I am going to be. The cats love sprawling out in the middle of it and it is comfortable for several people to sit and have a glass of tea.

Probably the other big news is my hair “cut”… a friend is undergoing chemo and a bunch of us promised her that when she lost her hair – we would shave our heads in support of her. Well, I did not SHAVE it, but it is beyond just short! We left a little fuzz in the front because I get a rash from synthetics touching my skin – like the threads they use on the binding on hats – so we left a little buffer for that. The back did get shaved pretty close… fortunately it grows back in fast, so it doesn’t really look as bald as it is. I was shocked at how dark the back is – the hair around the front is white! Go figure! Bald heads are cold!

There is much gardening going on here. Beans are thru the dirt in the Stand Uppity garden. Other things are potted waiting to germinate, or in little pots waiting until we are sure of no frost. The strawberries are in full bloom, the asparagus is slowly popping thru the ground – so far never enough for one meal at a time. Onions are up about 5, 6 inches.
The azaleas have opened this week. In another couple of days they will all be open and magnificent. I wonder how many people will stop and tell me how much they enjoy driving past my little acreage? I think that is so cool. Makes all the work worthwhile. I usually offer them a job weeding. So far, no takers.
The lilacs are beautiful this year. How I love to smell them. I planted one bush outside my bedroom window. It has been a long struggle, but it survives. I do believe it is my favorite fragrance. I told that to one of my tiny visitors one year. She said it was nice, but not as good as chocolate. The Bleeding Hearts made it thru the winter. This is the first year for the white one on its own. I planted it last year. The redbud was a bit pitiful this year, not nearly as full of blooms as in years past. Probably so much wind damage over the winter – the little twigs and tiny branches were all over the ground.
It is grass cutting season – though I must admit, it is more like weed mowing and driving over huge patches of moss. But, we have had an almost dry couple of weeks and so it no longer squishes when I walk in the yard, and the Deere no longer leaves ruts in some places. I am hoping I can get some mulch moved this week and use the tractor, not a wheelbarrow.
If you are in the area, come by and have a sit down on the patio… have a glass of tea… enjoy the quiet serenity of the Buddha and the beauty of the flowers. Soon I will be able to share some veggies with you – Inşallah!

SERIOUSLY SPRING (AT LAST!)

This has been a slow spring getting here after an amazing cold snowy winter, but all of a sudden, everything started to bloom at once. The red camellias that usually bloom off and on all winter did not get a chance to bloom in December, January or February, so they are really doing their thing now... but the strange thing is - they last camellias to bloom, especially Red Emperor (12 feet tall) that doesn't bloom until April as a rule, are blooming right along with the earlier ones - and they are over loaded with blooms! The white camellia bush which is over 10 feet tall now, is just loaded with blooms. This one is up over the roof...I keep cutting the peppermint camellia back - it is in front of the electric meter - but it too, is big and loaded. My favorite, Pink Perfection, is just getting started. I was afraid it was going to drown this winter. It often was standing in a lake. But, the camellias are awesome! Likewise, the daffodils all opened at the same time except for the very late ones, and I don't know when I have seen so many blooms at once in my yard. Last year, Bobbie gave me 5 flats of pansies... i put them in and they disappeared under the snow. I was sure they had frozen to death - but not so! I have bunches of pansies in bloom all over the place. What a joy! But, one of my greatest delights is having vases and vases of flowers in the house. I love to smell them when I walk into a room and see their brightness on a table. Meanwhile, at our place in the Poconos - they had - SNOW! Yep, this was last Tuesday from the webcam a few miles from our house. Here, we had another 2 1/2 inches of rain. It has been so wet, our fungus is growing fungus. Go figure! But, get ready - the azaleas and iris will be opening soon! And I think I see little purple bumps on the Redbud out the window. Next week the veggie garden gets started. Oh MY!