Barstow, Calif. 2554 miles

That's how far it is from Wilmington, North Carolina to the end of Interstate 40 in Barstow, California...according to the sign by the side of the road. I saw it today as I left Wilmington, where I had visited in order to see a dinner program presentation for work. It just made me smile. According to the internet, there's an identical sign in Barstow telling travellers that it is 2554 miles to Wilmington.

I-40 is the road you take to get to Lubbock. Many people think I'm crazy when I say that we live in the same gardening zone here in North Carolina (7) as we did in Lubbock. 'But isn't Lubbock south?' they say. To which I reply that it's nearly on the same latitude and has very similar temperatures (though drastically different levels of humidity, dust and greenery.)

If you ever get the urge to drive to Lubbock and want to know the directions...it's really easy.
1. Take I40 West
2. When you get to Amarillo, Texas, turn left.
3. You'll find it.

Harper is sitting in my lap shaking due to the thunderstorm outside. Guinness is playing ball as usual. We need the rain so I've unplugged the computer and settled in for the duration.

Song of the Day: Boston - Augustana

Great article from USAToday

And rarely would I say that about the ubiquitous hotel freebie. But this article made me pause and think to the point that I wrote a letter to the author, Craig Wilson. What blew me away even more was that he responded back with a short thank you! I didn't realize that some national writers actually read and respond to their own email.

However you feel about the issue (and everyone is fully entitled to their beliefs), you have to admit that this is powerful writing that looks at the topic with very little politics. Ok, a little - but far less than some others. Not trying to stir up debate - just sharing something put in a different way that moved me.
Take a read.

Craig wilson: Final Word - Kids Know Family Even if Politicians Don't

Weekend in Mebane, NC

Busy weekend with Mom and Dad visiting from Annapolis this weekend. Guinness and Harper were delighted to have new playmates to torture. Based on our fun adventures, I've compiled a list of...

Some things to do while visiting Mebane, NC

• Back country road drive around Mebane, Haw River, Green Level and more - cows, goats, old barns, farm houses.
• Dinner at Natty Greene's in Greensboro - home of the new Wildflower Witbier, a Belgian style white brew that could easily become a favorite. Stuff to love: the T&A sandwich (turkey, avocado, cheese, wheatberry bread, cilantro mayo)
• Shopping at the Bass outlet at the BMOC - the Burlington Manufacturers' Outlet Center
• Locating native plants and good gardening advice at Mebane Shrubbery and Niche Gardens
• Browsing through antiques, reproductions and consignment goodies at the Elegant Relic in downtown Mebane. Rumour has it that the owner is working on opening a new restaurant a few blocks away. Maybe a place to visit on the next trip! We could use a more upscale dining location in town.
• Breakfast, good coffee and conversation on the patio at Strong's Coffee
• Dinner at Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill. Stuff to love: Shrimp & Scallop Angel Hair with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and feta in a white wine herb sauce. I skipped the scallops and doubled the shrimp. This was probably one of the best pasta dishes I have ever tried. W thought that the Davie Poplar IPA was one of the best he's ever tried.
  

Hope you can join us sometime soon! Let me know if there are locations that should be added to the 'must see and do' list.

Song of the day: Wisemen - James Blunt

Gardening success!

There is a huge amount of satisfaction in making a salad out of things you grew in your own backyard. While this may not be a big deal to many people, in our fast-paced and electronic age I find it a refreshing change to walk outside and pick my own food.

Dinner? How about a salad with homegrown lettuce, green onions, cucumbers and green peppers. (The tomatoes are about a week away from harvest, with the jalapenos running a close behind.)

That is a trellis on the right side of the photo. I built that last weekend while W was still in Colorado.

The photo on right is the same as one about four posts ago. You can see that the tomatoes have gone crazy and the peppers are prolific. The dark area in front is a new plot for watermelons.



While at Mebane Shrubbery I had a long conversation with the counter person about the presence of Peter Rabbit in my backyard. Dad lifted up the lettuce two days ago and baby Peter went darting across the garden. And on Saturday there were som e large nibble marks in my strawberries. So this afternoon I sprayed Liquid Fence around all of the edibles. Reportedly this stuff keeps out the deer and rabbits but whew(!) does it smell. Considering the main ingrediants are putrescent egg solids and garlic, I'd stay away too. After it dries, humans can't smell it but deer and bunnies can.

Before and After

Today W and I made multiple trips to Lowe's in Mebane and spent about five hours outside working on various projects. I planted the geranium, phlox, Sweet William, honeysuckle, sweet potatoe vine, and some other items that I can't remember the name of. There is also a new plot in the backyard garden where we may see some watermelons in about 2 months! I love my Mantis rototiller!

W worked all day to begin implementation of our plan for an entertainment worthy back patio. You may remember the back of our house and porch looked like this upon move in....

Of course we added the gate about two weeks later for the sake of our puppies. Then came many plants and the herb garden. But we discovered that in the heat of the summer, the tar patio is too hot...and too small. We want some space for a table and chairs for al fresco dining. W has been trying to convince me of the need to rip off the side stairs that now walk down to nearly nothing except the gate between the house and garage. There is no room for the grill and hose holder. I thought the idea sounded good but I was worried about the outcome. I need not have feared. W is extremely handy with a power tool (and he has been thinking this through for about two months.) He put in a railing between the house and post. Then he spent many hours removing the side stairs and finishing the remaining side. Sometime this week we will put in some lattice on the side to keep the puppies and inebriated houseguests out of the under porch area. Here are some photos of the nearly finished results...

Yes, he did this all in about 3 hours and helped me dig a few holes too!

Now we're ready for bids for our brick patio and walkways to the two gate entries - W's summer project...