Flute Recital in Columbia

My college daughter and I went into the "big city" tonight (that's Columbia, SC) to attend a flute recital at the University of South Carolina. We've been to several of these this semester, since said daughter is taking a music appreciation class and attendance at these performances is required. I have to say, it's been fun. The performances are by university students and they are quite good. And, even better, the concerts are free! So, if you live remotely near a college with a music department, check out the recital schedule. It's a nice night out and the price is right. How's your weekend shaping up?

Our Day in the Herb Garden

My children helped in the herb garden today. They dug holes for planting the new plants and my son was in charge of cutting back the rosemary. He had a great time, saying that was his favorite job ever! Here's the basket full of rosemary, cut and bundled for drying: We took some time to research the herbs that are in our garden. We have several that are great for herbal "teas", like mint and lemon balm. We have lots that we'll use for seasoning, such as chives, oregano and sage. And one or two just because they smell nice, like lavender.

My son labeled jars for some herbs that were already dry. Hmmm, maybe we should work on spelling tomorrow.

The new plants are in the herb bed, and we've left about a quarter of the bed empty for now. I plan to add basil and dill in a few weeks. In looking around the yard today, I noticed that the wild blackberries are in bloom. We'll gather the berries later in the summer and turn them into jam and jelly.

And a quick update on the mudroom--the siding is almost done and the sheetrock is going on the walls.

The Hostas Survived! (and I went to Lowe's Garden Center)

It looks like all the hostas survived the cold night! Yay! I love hostas, the flowers are nice, but the foliage is spectacular, especially when you have a hosta collection. I admit it. I have a "collection" and I can't wait to go back to the hosta nursery not too far from my house.How cool is it to have a nursery, not too far from where I live (have I mentioned that I live pretty near the middle of nowhere?)! The place is called Shady Characters and they specialize in shade plants for this area--hostas, heucheras, tiarellas and other plants that do well in limited sun.I also had some time to kill this morning, since my son had his annual standardized testing for our homeschool association. So, I went to a Lowe's Garden Center and almost made it out without buying anything...until I saw the herbs. My herb garden is looking a bit neglected these days. The rosemary is taking over one corner and the oregano and chives are doing fine, as is the lavender, but it clearly needed some new plants. Here's what I bought:

There's bee balm (two of them), lemon balm, pineapple sage, potpourri lavender, variegated thyme, Texas tarragon and stevia. I'm hoping to get them in the ground today.

Frost Tonight--Eeeeek!

The weatherman is predicting a frost for tonight* just when my hostas are doing so well! I shouldn't be too shocked; it's fairly common to have temperatures at or near freezing until the beginning of April, but still...I have to save my hostas!

So, this afternoon, my husband and I and two of the children covered my tender plants with sheets and put bricks at the edges to keep them in place. Let's hope it works.

*I wrote this post on Tuesday night, so I'll let you know soon if our efforts were effective.

Teaser Tuesday--The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

"Now I don't know for sure if a spirit got Henrietta or if a doctor did it," Cootie said, " but I do know that her cancer wasn't no regular cancer, cause regular cancer don't keep on growing after a person die."

What are you reading this week?

Busy Monday

I've got a big to-list for this Monday-phone calls to make because my children as well as Frodo the Wonder Yorkie need haircuts, a trip to see my tax preparer, and a trip to the vet, to finalize our adoption of Abby. I also need to spend a bit of time getting my son ready for yearly testing with the homeschool association. Not to mention the 10 piles of laundry in the other room!

At least the azaleas are blooming!

What's on your list for today?

Saturday Projects

We had a productive Saturday at our place. Loads got done on the mudroom and hubby and I got a good start on our spring spruce up. Here's the progress on the mudroom:

The garden spot is getting tilled:

My husband cleaned the chicken coop and put in fresh hay:

And the porch got a good cleaning, rinsing off the furniture and floor:

And finally, a trip to town, including dinner at Five Guys Burgers:

We also picked up some new pillows for the porch chairs. I think they look nice. Join me for iced tea at sunset?