Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Spring Break


Before we get to the important news, the garden, let me give you a quick update on the innkeeping.

Lovely guests, one from Seattle brought me coffee beans and tea, another from Nebraska brought treats for the cats. Gifts for Gus and Lucy.....they were beside themselves with excitement.

A tiny ball and 4 pieces of ribbon/cord/string to chase. Of course all gifts disappeared with minutes of being received, probably to be found, at a later date,by Olga the housekeeper.

Olga calls Gus "Puss in Boots", said with requisite Spanish accent, well she is from Bolivia, and can often be found playing with him when she meant to be dusting.

 Or maybe she's just picking the mulch off of him, which certainly constitutes cleaning.

Because with the sudden outbreak of spring we're all in the garden(s).

One Sunday I had two neighborhood husbands helping rather digging up the mounds of scilla that were threatening to overtake Virginia.

They also removed a ring of sparkle grass that was driving me crazy and replanted several hunks of phlox.

Carlos announced my garden is a community garden. 

I did not demur.

I did agree to take him out for Thai.

We have decided we are like a mob of meerkats, leaving our homes only during the warm weather to socialize with one another and work in our gardens.

We've had our first cookout,first baby shower/rave, first drinks party, first hanging out, moving from house to house following the sun or sheltering from the rain.

We've exchanged plants and recipes, gossip and confidences.

If it feels this good to throw off the winter in Virgina what is it going to feel like in the Northeast?

Nirvana awaits.

xo J










28 comments:

  1. Ah... Everything in bloom. Friendships, flowers, Airbnb... ;)

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    1. Oh I wish I'd said that! Must send posts to you for edit before hitting publish.

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  2. Can't wait to see your garden, but the stories about your friendly neighborhood help:).

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    1. I've been loving your garden. Pics coming soon, I just have to carry a camera rather than a spade.

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  3. After I read your posts, I always feel like I'm so in love with your life. I do need to figure out how you get the neighborhood to do all that work in the garden...I wonder if my new neighbors are that generous.

    Yea! Nebraska...what city? Maybe I know them. :)

    Happy Spring, my friend! ♥

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    1. Happy spring to you too in your new beautiful house and garden!

      She was from Omaha., but has only lived there for two years.

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  4. You have GREAT neighbors. (I bet it's also impossible to say no to you). I can't wait to see your garden. Have fun instructing your "helpers." Hope to see you soon, my dear friend.

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    1. We miss you Christa, everyone is always asking me where you are.

      Come by soon!

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  5. Love the scenes of you and your neighbors. I bet you are the one that brings everyone together.
    xo

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    1. I can't take the credit, we're all highly social once the weather warms up.

      You can always find a gathering, just walk down the street!

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  6. "Sudden outbreak of spring" is the perfect description of what happened to us this year. One night we went to bed, and we awoke to green grass that needed mowing, flowering trees, and weeds that threaten to take over humanity ... and visiting with neighbors and friends. THIS is what I love about spring!

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    1. Exactly!! Don't weeds ever die over the winter? Clearly not. I spent hours on my hands and knees with a screwdriver weeding one little brick and paver path.

      But minus that screwdriver it's all good.

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  7. I've missed reading your blog! ❤️

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    1. I've missed you being a presence. Welcome back. xoxo

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  8. We need you in our neighborhood. We need you to write a book.

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    1. I could pack....I don't know what I would write a book about?

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  9. It feels wonderful in Connecticut! Time to sweep off the porch and invite the neighbors for drinks.

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    1. So glad to hear that! Enjoy. Well as soon as this latest cold snap moves on....

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  10. I love scilla, but I understand. Phlox remind me of the tiny town where my grandparents lived. It grew wild there.

    "Neighborly" neighborhoods are wonderful. I'm jealous. Can't wait to see pictures of the community garden in your yard. The gratuitous cat picture will suffice for now..

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    1. I have to get out there soon. All I do is take a pic here and there with my phone.

      It seemed a shame that the only pic I had good to go was one of Gus, then again I had a picture of Gus...

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  11. You have no idea idea how I miss Ode street and the garden and the cats and trying to lit up the BBQ without getting killed and the afterwork drinks on your porch...

    You know anyone who needs a live-in French girl/maid? :)

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    1. I think Rob would be very interested:-))

      You have no idea how much I miss you when it's time to light the grill and when I'm sitting outside on an evening.
      Oh and Sunday morning to walk to the farmers market...I could go on. xoxo

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  12. My next door neighbor is finally fixing up her yard after making me crazy for years, why you ask, she's selling. She's lived there 20 years, I don't get why people fix up the place for somebody else when she could have been enjoying it, I guess now I finally will. We're not there yet, still a little too cold, soon though.

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    1. That is always my question. They paint the house, get new fabulous kitchen appliances. I would rather enjoy all that myself.

      We're having a cold spell, but 57 and sunny is still spring to me.

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    2. Amelia,
      Not everyone can afford to fix up their homes until they have to. Especially single women ...
      Diane in Denver

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  13. It sounds like a fun and beautiful neighborhood. Spring still has not emerged here in the North East, but it is trying.

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    1. Fun yes, beautiful no, though there are many beautiful neighborhoods in Arlington, mine is definitely not one of them in looks. But in spirit, yes.

      Hope spring appears soon.

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  14. Community gardening is rather like community blogging, isn't it, leaving our own familiar places to pop round to see nice people and compare notes on this and that. Hello.

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