Hi Annette. Thanks for checking in with me. I know I haven't been very active lately. This month has been utter madness at work. I'm a member of our emergency operations contingent. With just three weeks notice, we've been tasked by the State to conduct a campus-wide active shooter drill. It's a huge deal involving State and local agencies as well as our staff, faculty and students. On top of that I've been coordinating our administration and finance team retreat at Asilomar tomorrow. I'll never understand why they call three solid days with your co-workers, working like dogs in a conference room a retreat. It's more like an ambush. We leave on Sunday, come back on Tuesday and our drill is Wednesday. That's basically a long-winded way of saying that my garden is well and truly a mess.

We did manage to get out there last Saturday and get a grip on the weeds. Kids, you can't imagine the invasion of clover we had in the new beds this year. I suppose it flourished with all the delicious amendments we dug in. We filled up our own yardwaste recycle bin plus three of our neighbors. I would say we got about 3/4 of the property weeded. Despite it all, I've got an amazing return from last year. Things are beginning to shoot up everywhere. Hyacinth is nearly over, but my tulips and daffs are still going strong. We've really had an early Spring this year. Believe it or not, I've got three sunflower blooming and one hollyhock that really never stopped blooming from last year. The wisteria is just about to pop and I think it's going to be a show stopper this year. Hmmm, let's see, what else...many overwintered petunias are blooming, night scented nicotiana, marguerites, nemesia, carnation, loads of geranium, canna, lavender both French and English, several salvias, various osteospermums, scabiosa, cala lily (just beautiful this year!), Japanese maples are just beginning to leaf and all most all of my roses are on their way to their first flush. You wouldn't think our garden looks as shabby as it actually does, would you?

I did get a bit of a nice surprise this morning. I was wallowing in the barcalounger (yes, we have one of those) when Brian turned to me and said "Get dressed, we're going to Mid City Nursery." I was out of the chair like a Warner Brothers cartoon. I came back with a bunch of annuals as well as a gorgeous tea olive. I've always wanted one. It's going right under the front porch, for the smell don't cha know. Now I just need to find the time to get it all in the ground.

Well, I'm off to iron work clothes on a Saturday night. Don't I just live the glamorous life! Thanks again Annette and a warm howdy do to you all.

Steven

Nice to hear of all your "doings", Steven.
I hope April will allow you more time in your wonderful garden!
Patti
(thanks, Annette!)

Thanks for checking in Steven, I thought you might have been busy but my goodness it sounds like you've been run off your feet. I'm up early this morning been worrying about Glynis, now that she has checked in...big sigh of relief.

When I posted this I meant to say YooHoo not YaHoo, Miss Butterfingers hit the send button and then said a couple of #%$@& words.

So you got yourself a tea olive, I've always wanted one myself but as yet haven't found a spot where I can cram one in, anything with fragrance is a welcome addition in my garden. I've got a Sarcococca by our back door but it's too small to really smell the fragrance yet. If I got down on my knees I might be able to get a snoot full of it's perfume, maybe if we would have a sunny day while it's in bloom we'll get a whiff.
Talk about garden cleanup, I'm just about to put a tarp down in the driveway, this will shortly be piled high with pruneings, weeds and other debris from the garden that didn't see any fall cleanup. All the big stuff and things I don't have room to compost goes the composting section of our local landfill, a whole truckload only costs us $4.00.

My garden is so far behind yours, the Wisteria still looks like death warmed over, haven't seen any flower buds starting to swell yet, but I've got Hollyhocks popping up, thanks to garden web friends :o), doubt if I'll see flowers this year but I finally have some growing in the garden. I broadcast some poppy seed so will see what happens there. I found seed for a different Campanula (thyrsoides), this is it's second year so hoping to see it bloom.

Now Steven, we expect to hear from you busy or not, your posts bring such a great big smile to this old gal's face sooo if we don't hear from you I'll be calling.....

Annette

Steven ~ I too have missed your posts and have been wondering how things have been going in your part of the country. Jobs can sure take time away from things we'd rather be doing. A trip to the nursery sounded very therapeutic. Hope you get some free time soon to play in your gardens and post us some gardening news and pictures.

FlowerLady

Don't pity him too much, folks. Is one has to retreat, Asilomar's a gorgeous place to do it. We did a HS government thing there: I remember nothing about the meetings and lots about the coastline and butterflies.

Hope you managed to enforce some mental health breaks and had time to enjoy the scenery, return refreshed.

Still under 2 feet of snow,

Ana

Ana - you're right about Asilomar, it really was beautiful. Pity we had to enjoy it from a window most of the time. We were unshackled for 90 minutes Monday afternoon. I strolled the dunes and walked along the beach.

{{gwi:600125}}

{{gwi:600126}}

We had our active shooter drill yesterday. It was a sobering experience. Even though I was on the planning committee, it was still traumatic to watch unfold. Our scenerio included 6 wounded and five dead, including the shooter. When the exercise began, I was in the President's office. The first "victim" was a female cadet, shot right outside our window. It was an awful feeling listening on radio as the shooter progressed through our campus. Watching the various responders who were also experiencing training with this event, was really amazing. It took about 45 minutes before the gunman was dispatched and another hour to simulate the aftermath. Friends, I pray that we never have to use what we learned, but I feel better prepared and better equiped to be proactive in an emergency like this.

Next month: Pandemic Flu table top exercise. The good times just never end.

Steven, sobering doesn't say it, to have to prepare for such a horrific event is so very sad, I hope you never have to deal with anything like that.

Thanks for posting the pics, they are so totally different to anything I have ever seen, I feel like I could just step into them feeling the sea breeze and the sun on my back. The sky is so blue against the rock and sand, totally awesome.

Annette