Mommy 1920-2017

Alas! Veronica West Valley Bogel aka Mommy has died. We have known for a long time that she was fading but it's still shocking when it happens.  I know I'm still processing this information, and truly haven't had time to feel much of anything yet; except, perhaps, a profound sense of relief as Mommy's last few years were anything but rewarding or beautiful.(The picture above is from quite a long time ago, as Mommy had her dog Molly with her and she's driving what appears to be the silver Toyota that she handed down to me like twenty years ago! But it all seems like yesterday.)
So Mommy finally died on June 17th, her 97th birthday. It does have a nice feeling of her coming full circle. I'll never forget how Mommy turned to me once- when she was a comparative spring chicken of an old person (like in her vigorous eighties) and said, "You know if I died now, I'd be happy". I exclaimed, "Do you know something that I don't know?" and she replied that she wasn't sick with something mysterious or anything, she just felt contented and at peace and happy that we, her three daughters seemed happy. Obviously, she went on to live for quite a while longer!
I am happy that she bequeathed to me a love of dogs and most animals- except snakes, of which she was deathly afraid. It is really ironic that Mommy moved to East Haddam and lived in a town that was reportedly a "Herpetologist's Dream". One of my chores when visiting my mother was to go down in the basement and check for snakes. I would inevitably do so... and find one.We never told her that East Haddam was known as the "Snake Capital" of Connecticut. And while she loved flowers and gardens, her fear of snakes kept her from planting much of a garden at home. When she'd come to visit, she was famous for standing in the driveway and refusing to venture further into the grass (where she KNEW snakes were lurking) and waving here arm generally at the garden and saying, "That's okay! I can see the garden from here!"
Mommy was unfailingly generous. She gave Beatrice and Cathy and me a piece of land that we were able to sell. The proceeds from my portion of that transaction allowed Bob and I to purchase The BauHaus Chicken Coop. Thank you Mommy!
The only thing that drove me crazy about my mother was her insecurity about her intelligence. She never seemed to understand that there are many ways to be smart. I think she had been told early on by someone (a family member (who as we all know are not always helpful) or a teacher) that she was a "dummy" (that was the word she used about herself) and I think that was tragic! She was a good cook, a good listener, liked to read and taught me to sew. (We all know where that led!)
So I will say this: Mommy was never judgemental and didn't question my life choices. She never turned to me and said, "Why are you an artist? Why can't you just become a secretary or something?' She knew that being an artist was a different kind of commitment. When she was younger, she did a number of paintings and I had encouraged her to take up painting again later in life, but she was busy doing other things.
And a last note: Mommy loved strawberry shortcake. It was an ongoing ritual for her birthday and if you asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she's invariably say she didn't care what she got, as long as there was strawberry shortcake. (And it had to be REAL shortcake, not that spongey stuff!) I had thought about making one on her birthday just to fulfill that annual wish but then she passed.
So I guess I'll say how terribly we will miss Mommy. I will miss talking with her about silly things my current dog was doing, or telling her about what I was working on in my studio, or what Bob and I were up to (she loved Bob). Goodbye Mommy!

Behind the Green Door... Or is it Red?

After much hemming and hawing, it was decided by arbitrary subcommittee that the door of the barn would be green. It sounded just about right: not too bright and sort of nature inspired. But the reality was different. I was only a third of the way into painting before Bob and I agreed that the green just wasn't right. (Although it looks better in the picture here than it did in person!)
So we opted for... bright red!

Which looks just great! It's weird: the green paint made the chamaecyparis next to the door look all yellowish and kind of sickly. Maybe it was too close in tonality or something. On the other hand, the red made the chamaecyparis look dark and healthy. Also, strangely, the green read better from a distance than up close...
Maybe it was the 90+ degree heat, but I painted that blasted door twice in two days! And this is after 6 years of it being raw, totally unpainted fiber board- you know: that stuff that's like the head cheese of building materials. And this is after priming the door with a dark grey primer, which was better than that weird raw wood... Yup, the heat has definitely gotten to me. I'll probably paint the door again next week. This time it will be really dark green, that almost black. There's an idea...

Here I am staggering out to the barn. It really was/is hot. A nice lesson in not trying to do too much when it is this hot. I actually finished up planting a few things this morning- and worked quite efficiently in my studio- despite the weather. Now I'm waxing indecisive about the door. Here are two close ups; which one do YOU think looks better?

Or...

Turtles, Foxes and Food Poisoning

We had many visitors this week! Some were welcome and some we were glad to see leave the premises. Beginning with the speckled turtle above. I have heard that they return to the same location every year to lay eggs and the one above seems right on schedule. I encounter a turtle every spring in just about the same place under our giant maple tree in Maggie's side field. It didn't even pull its head in, so I think he/she recognized me.
On the same day, only a few minutes later, our resident crows were throwing a hissy fit. It turned out they were chasing and harassing a fox, which ran across the bottom of our field. Hard to tell, but it's probably the same fox I saw before in Maggie's pasture. I didn't get a picture because it was further away and the drama was enacted pretty quickly but it was cool! Nice looking fox...
That same day, the farrier paid a visit to trim Maggie's feet and agreed that her hind hoof harbored the biggest abscess  he had ever seen. (One assumes he's been in contact with many of them.) He thought she'd be fine, even though her entire hoof feels sort of hollow. She's a tough old horse, and not always fond of visitors to her domain so it's a good thing that the blacksmith came before...
The vet! Horrors! Maggie hates the kind of attention that comes with doctor's visits: teeth filing, shots, intruding hands, although she does seem to like Dr. Carlson better than the evil Dr. Elwell. I request that people coming to minister to Maggie call me from the driveway so as to give me a minute to catch Maggie before she senses strangers approaching. She has been known to turn tail and gallop beautifully across the field, evading hoof trims and shots and spontaneous riding parties. For an older horse, she moves very fast.

Our hummingbirds returned recently and we now have two feeders, thanks to Sheldon and Louise and their birthday generosity to Bob. I haven't seen it, but Bob and our friend Elizabeth claim to have seen the smallest (probably an immature male) hummer they'd ever witnessed. We've already had dive bombing aerial battles.

I will not document the most recent visitor in pictures. I had a case of food poisoning last night and as I needn't remind anyone, this was not good experience. Bob and I purchased salmon burgers yesterday and we both agreed that the young man manning the fish counter was unpleasant. He was pre-occupied and terse and obviously didn't relish being elbow deep in ice, scallops, snapper and free range, wild caught, cold pressed Alaskan sock eye. The couple he waited on before us requested crab so I asked him-ironically- to change his plastic gloves as I'm highly allergic to crustaceans and can get very sick. I say ironically as several hours after consuming the very deliciously prepared salmon burger, I awoke to a nasty cramping in my stomach which required a hasty departure to the down stairs bathroom. Suffice it to say, I was unsure as to which end to attend to first as both points of exit were in dire need and would not be denied. I successfully voided any trace of the offending fishwich after a prolonged intermission in sleep and returned to tell Bob of my plight. (He suffered no ill effects.) Fortunately, I feel fine this morning but am not anticipating craving sushi any time soon.

Medical Adventures

And why are we looking at x-rays? And whose interior is this? Just guess... Poor Lil' Robin started looking green on Wednesday evening and then spent the night throwing up. Needless to say, Bob and I got very little sleep what with cleaning up doggie barf and pulling on pants and running outside. Just as we'd drowse off, Robin would need to go out again. Thursday she seemed okay early on. She ate her meals- not with much enthusiasm, but she ate. And pooped. (That's always important!) We went on our walk and she was alert and inquisitive; but when we returned home, she curled up in a small ball and slept most of the day. Friday morning, Robin just looked so under the weather that I skipped out of work and took her to the doctor. Robin had no temperature and she didn't seem in pain when her stomach was pressed, but her vet suggested x-rays. We all began to suspect she had eaten something that was lodged in her interior... like that damned new rawhide chew bone that I had given her on Wednesday and that was mysteriously devoured and gone almost immediately. Sure enough, the vet thinks a darkish circular area is probably that stupid piece of rawhide!*
So while Robin is still eating (small, simple meals of rice and organic low salt chicken broth and a bit of chicken) she doesn't seem to be eliminating much. I keep hoping that she'll just puke up that rawhide fragment or her stomach acids will break it down. She's running around, albeit not as actively as is usual for her and isn't really uncomfortable but it can't feel good.
Another view:

 So we're left, during a holiday weekend no less, with the fact that if she doesn't eat or can't poop that they may have to go in, do surgery and physically remove the obstruction. I've always heard these nightmare stories of dogs that swallow bones or corncobs or rocks that have to be surgically removed. Our good friends Don and Elizabeth (who visited this weekend with their dog Romeo) told us a funny but dreadful story of a dog that ate a billiard ball. They thought the dog was a goner because the vet assured them that it would never pass through their dog and they weren't prepared to pay the several thousand dollars the surgery would require.(!!?!?!?!!) But a few nights after this death sentence, their dog threw up the ball... in the middle of a dinner party and without the colored coating. (Apparently the dog's stomach acid had removed the finish on the ball!) So we can keep our fingers crossed!


*The dilemma is what exactly to give to a dog like Robin who loves to chew. She's a serious chewer! She doesn't like Nylabones, she consumes Kongs so fast that it's like an Olympic contest and most other treats just don't hold her attention or hold up under her powerful mastication. I used to give Robin hard sticks (thinking "all natural") but several friends warned  me about them with horror stories of how the get stuck in dog's guts. The irony! The vet recommended antlers and marrow bones so we'll try those.

Ketchup

No, despite the title, this is not a posting about tomato based condiments. I meant the title as a catchy alternative to... catching up. Very funny, right? A busy time of year, hence my sloppy blogging habits.
I have been preoccupied with gardening and trying to balance the intense purchasing/planting/starting seeds. As I have previously reported, I initiated a couple of new beds (one for shrubs and one for asters) and also developed a fixation with different types and colors of lilacs. And to boot, I have rekindled a neglected interest in starting seeds of plants not readily available in nurseries (or way to expensive to buy the quantity I long for...)There's always something new in the horticultural world if you're a plant geek!
And studio time... I have two new major pieces going which I will post soon. One has a labor-intensive edge that I had to fabricate and took what seemed like forever but it looks great. The other piece is elaborate and simply requiring amazing amounts of sewing, through thick, shiny white vinyl. And in the midst of trying to get a grasp on studio time, I had to run into New Haven to pick up four pieces from a show that is closing. (I got a good mention in a newspaper review. Yay!)
And then, of course, there was Bob's birthday (which date he shares with the Buddha.) Bob made out like a bandit, getting all kinds of novel and nifty things including new striped shirts, a nesting set of French serving dishes and a smart phone. The phone is proving smarter than us, so it may take a while to unlock all of it's apps and marvels; that's where the plastic pretend phone pictured above comes in handy...

And then we have had to eat. Have you ever been blocked as to what to have for dinner? It's as if you've eaten everything at least five times and there's nothing left to try. And then the food that still exists untried is inedible because it contains hideous amounts of salt, high fructose corn syrup, GMO ingredients or is full of stuff that unpronounceable. (Never a good sign!) But leave it to Bob to explore the enlightened world of creative plate coverage. Just look at what could have been a banal beige meal! He rendered it lovely and delicious... fish sticks with onion rings and braised Brussel sprouts.
I am also on the verge on constructing that mosaic wall I've been threatening to build (I guess I am not the only one with a wall obsession). I think I have a sufficient quantity of busted and shattered dishes plates and platters to commence. I don't want to begin it and change my mind about decoration or pattern; it wouldn't be the easiest thing to amend! The wall will have to wait- much like the terrace project- until the frenzy of Spring has abated.

So I'm Nuts

I am providing another picture of the silvery-toned front border because I spent the last two days digging, dividing, moving and installing another border. See? I told you I was nuts! I guess I'm of the mind that you can't have too many gardens...

And I always wanted an aster border. I love asters: they've got to be one of my all time top ten flowers (The other big one on my list is Delphinium. Also tulips. And I do like lilacs! The list goes on.) Last fall, if anyone can remember that far back, in a saner, safer world before The Orange Menace ascended to the throne... oops! I thought I'd avoid politics but I guess that nigh -on impossible. Where was I... Ah yes. Last fall I conceived of the idea of a border devoted almost entirely to asters. I searched high and low and found a few nice selections but a few interesting varieties eluded me. It seems few garden centers offer a wide range of asters and there many to be had. I sense that by fall, many gardeners are on to Chrysanthemums and cabbages and don't think about planting asters. And I know by a couple that bought, they don't always enjoy living in perennial pots all summer. I got two Aster Novi-belgii "Marie Ballard" that looked so awful that the woman at the nursery sold me them for half price. But they came up brilliantly this spring! (As an aside, the nomenclature has chnaged. Confusingly, what had previously been called Aster Novi-angliae and Aster Novi-belgii are now known as Symphyotrichum Novi-angliae and Symphyotrichum Novi-belgii. The horticultural powers that be seem to get antsy and rename things every once in a while. Whatever!)

This spring I resorted to ordering "Bressingham White", "September Ruby" and "Crimson Brocade". The first two arrived looking just swell; they were so well packaged and nice strapping plants; hats off to that supplier. The "Crimson Brocade", reputedly the reddest of the fall blooming asters came looking awfully sad: bare root and wimpy. I sure hope they revive.

Anyway, I dug and ripped roots out and yanked Virginia Creeper vines and broke sod. We should have a pretty spectacular aster border this late summer/early fall. I crammed a mess of asters in there including "Harrington's Pink" (which I've had for ages),  Aromatic Aster "October Skies", Calico asters, Aster Laevis and a few asters that produced their own cross-breeds in our garden. 

But here's a nice tulip photo that Bob took to provide color as those asters aren't going to bloom until autumn. They're being protected  from Robin's marauding hooves by one of Bob's peony rings:

Shrub Border Part II

And to reinforce just how much work (and fun!) I experience when creating a new border, here's a partial pile of the rocks I unearthed! Single-handedly wrenched from this stony, unforgiving New England soil. (Stirring images of doughty pioneer women...And I did get just a touch of poison ivy.)

Here's the pile of brambles I chopped, yanked, pulled and sawed down. I think I really needed to see my hard work documented...
And while I was busy hauling and planting and watering, all this other stuff was erupting:
                                                                            

Tulips! That transformed from yellow to orange and were simply super. (Sorry my picture placement is all wonky. As usual- because of that blasted Mercury retrograde or a virus, our computer is behaving oddly. Actually, I think it's still something to do with that upgrade to Windows 10...)

That's not the greatest picture but it looks really super in person... less empty space!  Robin is skulking away in the back ground; she probably stole something from me, like a perennial pot or a glove. Very sneaky! Tonight while I was planting the pansies a friend gave us (thank you Bob!), Robin stole my watering bottle, three (empty) annual packs and tried to wrestle the hose to the ground as if it were a giant Anaconda- she's very helpful!
Additionally, the sand cherry is blooming like never before and the Magnolia is still in bloom. It's really been a pretty spring. I am just beginning to feel a bit swamped (Jeremy Swamped that is) because I need to get started planting seeds and there are already weeds. No rest for the wicked!