In The Year Of Ugly Leaves

The gardens are looking mighty fine despite the earlier ravages.

All the Joe Pye is a full third shorter this year. You would never know by looking at them that it was from their growing tips getting frozen in the Blackberry Winter. That set back saved them from the hail.

There is always some reserve in the Lush that is the wild cultivated gardens.

I had another epiphany. 

The basement patio was born that way.

The well fitted, recessed loft window nailed in by trim and glued on by caulk on the outside of the window was removed from the inside standing on the bedroom floor. I was most happy not to have to lift, tote, set up and take down heavy scaffolding. Truly happy.

I had to have the cracked windshield in my old truck replaced once. I watched how this mobile windshield replacement dude removed the glass with a wire that cut the glue holding it in place. Once the glue was cut, the windshield was lifted off in one piece with suction cups.

On the second try with thinner wire my epiphany was a success. The glue was cut. The window was removed.

The window was not reinstalled however. I ran into a few problems. My paint had solidified. The rounded edge, plastic exterior trim I got to frame the outside proved beyond my water tight carpentry joining abilities. I'll have to get some square edge plastic exterior framing trim to hold the window in place. That I can do.

I am reminded of all the processes involved in such things, sanding, caulking, drying, painting, drying, cutting trim pieces more than once, nailing, cutting, nailing, more caulking, drying, staining, cleaning every step of the way. I like a tidy work area.

The wall was filled with bug spray. Not that I expect that to end the problem. That will just put a hurting on them whatever they are. Shutting off the water supply is what will get rid of them. The rot was caulked. The window is tacked in temporary. Stopping to ponder the next steps has been useful. I have a plan and it does not involve rushing to the hardware in a panic. This design flaw repair is only going to happen once. I expect it to last well past my demise. Doing the leaking rotting window first will make the second one go that much faster.

The gardens are looking mighty fine. The maintenance gardener thinks they could look better. He was scheduled to come tomorrow.

The path and lawn mowing in a garden for one will have to wait.

The home repair man will be here instead. The gardens will be fine.

Have I ever mentioned my Voodoo Lilies go way back to the beginning? They come from Kanapaha Botanical Garden in Gainesville, Florida where I grew up. I was a volunteer there while in collage. It was the very start of a long career as a peasant gardener for the well to do. The Voodoo Lilies speak directly to my Florida roots. They rise in the heat.

The Crooked Shed has a fixed recessed window from the house my grandfather built and Voodoo Lilies at its feet. It seems a lifetime can pile up in one place no matter how many gardens you make.