For Love of John...

...yesterday afternoon, our brother John gently passed away, after thirty one years of battling Multiple Sclerosis. He dealt with pain daily, but never let it control his life. Many years ago John and a heroic group, in wheelchairs, chained themselves to the railing leading up the stairs to the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. They were the advocates for changing the availabilities, of those confined to wheelchairs, from entering public places. The Handicapped Act of 1984 was a direct result of these brave advocates. John was also active in Assisted Living, which allowed wheelchair bound individuals to live in their own homes or apartments and hire their own aides. For many years John was part of clinical trials, to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. As a Son, Brother, Father, Grandpa, Cousin, and Friend, he will be truly missed and remembered.

Only Calendar Spring...

...it is snowing today. A dusting of new snow covers the yard and gardens. I have heard it said that snow provides nitrogen, but it also provides a sense that Spring (in the North County) is still a long way off. I have removed a lot of leaves and winter debris from the gardens, perhaps I should have waited a bit longer. I don't put the "gardens to bed" in the fall as I used to do. I find that many birds and a few animals find food, in the seeds, pods and leaves that I would normally compost. It makes for more work in the Spring but, I really don't mind, as I enjoy the many visitors that find food among the garden leftovers.
April and showers will be with us before the end of the week. Both will bring renewal to the earth and longing souls. And so I wait...

Plant identification tags...

...are a great way to remember what is planted where, and to remember both the common and botanical names. For many years I used plant tags, the metal kind that you mark with a special pencil. Every year to my dismay, after diligently identifying each perennial, I would find that the marking was either faded or completely gone from the metal tag. I tried permanent marker too and the results were the same. Two years ago I purchased a label maker, I got mine from Staples, but they can be purchased elsewhere. The tape that I use in the label maker is laminated, and the tags that I identified two years ago still look like new.
The tags help me to remember what is planted and eliminates digging up bulbs etc. by mistake. This is also helpful in the Spring when not everything grows at the same rate. It is even more helpful, as a mature gardener, when someone asks "what is that plant" and I would have to call them at 2:00 a.m., when I finally remembered its name.