Dazed and Confused

It's been so dry and so hot for so long (it's not true, wanted a woman, never bargained for you-ou...), that my Okame Cherry doesn't know its asshole from its elbow.

Or more appropriately (and less crassly) whether it's spring or fall.

It has blooms sprinkled throughout the top. In mid-September.



Normally this tree has beautiful, light pink flowers in very early spring. In fact, mine is an earlier bloomer than other cherry tree varieties.

Why the blooms?

This tree has basically been tortured. Fried under the scorching sun for 6 months, deprived of water, bits of it have been consistently falling off. I tried to sneak it water once in awhile, but it wasn't enough.

Suddenly, the reverse happens.

The tree thinks,'Shit! (because my tree swears just as much as I do) Did we skip winter?' and squeezes out a few flowers, trying to get with the program.

My magnolias do this a lot as well. Maybe it has nothing to do with torture.

*whispers* I think my trees are all smoking crack.

OR, there could also be some rational, scientific explanation. I just prefer to anthropomorphize my trees. And use big words.

I've also been getting these creepy dragonflies all this week.

Usually I think dragonflies are kind of pretty, but these ones are sort of nasty and seedy looking...like they'd take all your money and stab you in a dark alley and leave you for dead.

This is the best picture I could get of one...


Speaking of being dazed and confused, I feel that way myself. Can you tell? This post is all over the place.

I've done a couple of overnight shifts at work (I was supposed to do four, but we got everything done early because we're awesome!). I swear have to keep checking what day it is.

*squints* Oh look, it's September 13th...it's my stepdaughter's 15th birthday. That makes me feel old. Ooooooooooooold. When I met Chuck, she was 8.

Freaks my shit out.



She wanted 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' for her birthday. And being the cool stepmum that I am, I bought it for her.

That girl loves a drag queen as much as I do. She's awesome.

Don't Fear The Mulcher

I have a lot of crazy fears.

Ok, maybe they're not so much 'fears', but 'avoidances'. And they're not the normal ones!

Heights? I can swing that.



Public Speaking? Hand me that microphone and watch the magic unfold.



Death??



Ok, I'm a little afraid of death. Just a smidge.

But what are the silly things I'm REALLY afraid of?



Effing telephones. And look! It's a whole gang of them! O_O

I can't stand calling people. I have a hard time picking up the phone if people call me! If I have to phone for a doctor's appointment? I always chicken out and go down and make the appointment in person. For all my magical face-to-face communication skills and comical writing stylings, I don't come off well on the phone. The only people I feel comfortable calling are my Mum and Chuck.

Phones are evil. All of them. Not just the rotary kind.

What else?



Oh horror of horrors. I hate balloons. "Globophobia" is the scientific term. I don't like when they're near me. Especially floaty-helium-filled balloons. That are losing their helium. And just float down at eye level and follow you around.

And if someone pops a balloon? Fuggeddaboudit.

What else?



Mascots. I don't like when they come up and try and hug me. I didn't like it when I was a kid, and it's even more creepy now. Because only dirty, sweaty, cigar-chomping old men inhabit those mascot suits. Everyone knows that.

What else?



Is that....! *gasp*...MULCH???

Who put that there? What crazy person mulched my garden??



Oh yeah. It was me.

I don't know why I have this aversion to mulch.

Before you tell me how crazy I am, let me tell you I already know.

Mulch is awesome for the garden. Keeps moisture in. Keeps roots cool. Minimizes soil depletion. Adds organic matter to the soil, thus making gardens lush and beautiful.

So why do I tend not to use it?

I don't know. Why don't I like phoning people? :)

Chuck had never used it because he assumes that mulch harbors termites. I kind of thought this might be BS, but I wouldn't mulch close to the house because of it.

One day I was clearing debris from beneath my hydrangea. A piece of wood mulch had blown under there from another area, and I went to pick it up. A whole mess of termites squirmed out of it. And this was right next to my house, so I wasn't too happy.

And I have a hard time finding a mulch I like. I know I should compost and make my own, but I don't do that, and I probably won't anytime soon. So try not to flame me too much about that :)

So why would I start mulching now?



I've told you that there are drought-like conditions going on at Casa Del Kyna. Days on end with no clouds or rain. Just blazing sun all day long.

Taking a major toll on my plants and trees. When water does hit the soil, it just seems to evaporate. Even when watered early in the morning, or late in the evening.

So? I decided to finally get some mulch into that one small back garden. It's still nowhere near my house of course. Baby steps, here people, baby steps!