Smarter Than the Average Squirrel

...when did I last post that I had to keep standing up to keep my muscles from stiffening so much I couldn't move, because that's how I feel right now. I fell asleep on the couch and couldn't remember what day it was, but did eventually remember that I'd meant to get some food and that would help, so I fed me and the dog and sat back down. With Daphne curled up in my lap or next to it, I usually wait for her to move first, and she just did, so I got up, and immediately I remembered whenever that was because wow, today was such a day.

Apparently it was last weekend? When I cut back the spirea and potted the cannas: that was only last weekend??

This is honestly one of the biggest reasons I'm posting more, because it's so great to have a journal of stuff I did and learned. It's here and gone so fast, and most of it is delightful (admittedly sometimes more so in the remembering, but that's a feature not a bug). It's so nice to be able to look back and go, oh yeah! I'd forgotten that and it was great, or, I remember that and it was worth it, or, I remember that and I just learned it again for the fifth time, ha ha.

(The other reason is that I did almost all of my posting in Chinese last year, and dreamwidth can't be searched in Chinese, which is not ideal. Tags work in Chinese, but they're not alphabetized (or stroke orderized, or organized by any logical system whatsoever as far as I can tell), so not only do I have to correctly guess what tag I might have used I also have to read my entire tag list to find it. This makes it very hard to find my garden notes on a particular plant or garden. I've been able to find basic stuff like what came up first and when, but what I started and how I cared for it, not so much. So this year I have two journals again. And it's great, because my English journal is much more readable. Half the time I have no idea what I was talking about in Chinese.)

Anyway, my point is twofold: one, I transplanted some blueberry bushes today, and also put some threadleaf coreopsis in with them (probably, idk, it's not really growing yet so I think it was coreopsis?) and now I'm very tired. Shoveling! So hard. And I've forgotten the second point, so.

Oh, it snowed while I was digging, so that was funny. (These are semi-established, dormant blueberry plants, not the sprigs I was potting last night, and the coreopsis overwintered in pots outside, so they should all be fine in the snow and the frost.) I guess I should go bring in the houseplants.

Genuinely do not remember what else I was going to say, but that's typical.

( eta houseplant updates and the thing I forgot, which was a mug shaped like an orange )

We have a lot of dogs around here and they're all great and also sometimes they like to run through the gardens so I fence some of them off. (The gardens, not the dogs.) My neighbor told me about some inexpensive fencing at a big discount store I'd never been to, and that's how I ended up with a backpack to carry my dog in and some new railing planters. Also the reason I was potting bare root blueberries at one in the morning (do those grow? they were in a plastic bag on a shelf and I was like, ima find out) which meant I had everything I needed out so I started my nasturtium seeds too.

This is what happens when I have space for more plants. And also when I don't.

Chihuahua! ♥

Daphne's DNA test results came back just a day shy of two weeks after the swab went in the mail. Embark was able to identify DNA from 8 specific breeds (very auspicious), with five of them being at least 10% and the greatest being 40%.

(The remaining three were grouped into "15% supermutt" and included GERMAN SHEPHERD, so fair, the only thing funnier would have been husky.)

So according to Embark, Daphne is about 40% chihuahua. No cairn genes detected, nor border terrier nor brussels griffon. In fact the single terrier-type gene they identified was 15% yorkie (second largest gene contribution after chihuahua), although the distinction seems to be partly one of size. (Her genes are almost entirely from toy breeds, even though her size tips her out of the toy category.)

40% chihuahua
15% yorkie
15% supermutt (mini poodle, german shepherd, lhasa apso)
10% pomeranian
10% pekingese
10% shih tzu



Plausible ♥

♥ Mom Cat Shows Her Kittens The German Shepherd Is Safe, youtube vid from Laffey and Amy

just an adorable german shepherd befriending some kittens with a little help from mom

gardening journal updates~

♥ compost added to the rock garden, fence replaced to keep dogs from trampling my crocuses, many minutes spent sitting in the sunshine admiring the spring bulbs and bleeding hearts; gently cleared the side and patio gardens again to make sure that everything that needs sun is getting it

♥ dahlias watered, remaining cannas into holding pots, refrigerator bulbs into porch planters

♥ circle garden shoveled raked out from under its snowplow-induced burial mound: lilies coming through strong of course, vinca growing under the dirt of course, but also hosta, irises, and bleeding hearts are all there; accidentally pulled out the thread-leaf coreopsis with my vigorous raking but it was a late arrival last year and seemed to have good roots despite everything, so I just put it back, patted it down, and hoped for the best; dug up and reset some of the stones to make the border more clear

♥ pansies installed in the roadside planter, sedum soldiers on, new lilies coming in next to the old

♥ got out the first outdoor watering can of the season; ordered a new rake (the head on my metal one keeps falling off) and replacement wheel for the garden cart (allegedly a no-flat tire, totally true as long as I put air in it three times a day)

♥ dog accompanied me on compost mission that ended at the library where we learned two important things: there is now a "doggie stick library" out back where you can take a stick for your pup (no need to return), and also solar lights on the trail between the library and the church which are rainbow-colored

hallelujah the dahlias are moved. it is 2 in the morning but they are on the new taller shelf AND miracle of miracles, this shelf is basically at floor level. which means overflow dahlias can go on the floor and still get light! which means some of the things that were on the floor can go back on the shelves!

I am not a neat or particularly organized person but it gets to a point where even I'm like: the next pile of stuff I trip over is getting thrown away.

they still need more light, they've definitely outgrown the two they were barely crowding under to begin with, but I ordered another one of those super-powered sansi floor lamps. it won't improve the walking situation, but here we are.