Marilin's Bears, Bags, Blooms & Bits: June 2011

You thought I had abandoned the Bollmanns, didn’t you? No such luck. I have been very busy for the past few weeks, crawling around my own City yard and calling myself a gardener. Now I’m over it.

Here is The Reader’s Digest version of the garden notes covering all of May through June 17, 1975. I intended to condense the notes by eliminating all non-gardening references, but it cannot be done.
I get too caught up in the minutiae of their daily lives.
I have done the best I could.


Long Time Gone My Irises 2011

May 1 through May 7

Spaded the corner for Beans, planted Onions, Cabbage and Corn. Otto thinned the Salvia, we cleaned out the Mums. Had our first Radishes and Lettuce Today. Lovely day to work outside. We went outside and worked here and there with weeds and planted a few plants. Thunder shower 6:45 while listening to Pyramid. [Monday] Lovely Day to wash. Johanna came over.and brought a piece of her birthday cake. Her birthday is May 9. 88 years. A Lovely Person. Otto fertilized some things and planted Begonias in window box. Fixed Azalea in hopes it would grow better.

May 8 through May 14

Planted Tube Roses, Salvia, Wax Beans, White Radishes, Stuck Peas, sliced bacon, cleaned chicken, etc. Mary weeded the Carrots, Beets, Peas & Onions (baby ones), Otto cleaned Tomatoes and others too numerous to mention. Otto planted Potatoes, hoed a lot of weeds and set out a Wandering Jew. Mrs. Thimm came down this A.M. for tomato plants. Took flowers to Martha, where I was invited in for her Birthday, cup of coffee and cake.

May 15 through May 20

Went shopping A.M., came home. Oh! So tired. I took a nap. Otto washed dishes. Sprayed roses. Picked our First Strawberries yesterday [May 16] and ate our first today and picked them again. Beans are coming up that we planted last Saturday. We hoed a few Cabbages and a few stalks of Corn. We delivered 1 qt. of berries to Mrs. Bratten and came home and replanted Spinach. Otto planted Pole Beans.

May 21 through May 31

Picked Strawberries before noon. Sold 2 qt. to Shepards. The Walkers came over separately for berries. Otto moved the Mimosa. Picked Strawberries, cleaned Cannas in back, picked some Lettuce for the Whites, sold 3 Qt. berries to Marge, Trimmed a few Forsythia, Snowball shrubs and other things around the house. [Sunday] Lovely Day. We had such lovely showers during the morning church service and then again this PM, much more and we thank God for the much needed showers. Just rested and relaxed. [Monday] We did a lot of things we wanted to do. Margaret Ottinger came around 7, bought a quart of strawberries and told us about her trip to Holland, Michigan. Very interesting.

Trimmed Rose Hedge in front, Cleared space for planting Lima Beans. Planted 5-1/4 rows of beans. Got a permanent at Ruby’s. Otto took me up. He had dinner ready for me when I got home. Johanna gave me a picture when I took her some strawberries.

Otto took me down to the Strawberry Festival at Home of the Friendless, invited by Mrs. Bratten. Lovely luncheon, enjoyed every minute. Our car got a flat as we started out and Mr. White took me down instead. Otto got his tire changed and came after me. Picked strawberries and fixed most of them. Otto picked our first peas. Otto shelled them.

June 1 through June 7

[June 1] High Temp 76 – Put on the wool comfort last night. Sure felt good. After church came home for our first peas and had turkey legs. Good. We listened to ball games and really had good naps. Ha! Raining.

Picked strawberries, Otto picked peas and we shelled them. Got in some onions for cooking, etc. Picked Red Raspberries and got a quart. Jennifer came over to help wash lettuce. Gave her some onions, little baby ones. Picked a qt. of strawberries, Otto staked tomatoes, cleaned north flower bed, planted 9 Peppers (red hot), cut up Plum branch.

A real Summer day – high 89. Picked a pint Red Raspberries, sold to Mrs. McCluney. Went shopping in A.M. Listened to Billy Graham & Ball Game & News, then fixed the doorbell because it was out of order. Went to Kroger’s to join Senior Club so we could get 5 lb. of sugar for 59 cents. Picked a few berries.

June 8 through June 15

[Sunday] Stayed home all day. Missed going to church. Ours was out in Tower Grove Park with a picnic after the meeting. Margaret Ottinger & 2 friends came over for a quart of Red Raspberries. They seemed so nice. Otto & I took it easy, read, listened partly to Lester Family, partly to Oral Roberts. Watched Boysenberries, and shame on us. We picked a few Red Raspberries while watching the other berries [that part I don’t get but I swear that’s what she wrote]. So cool we have most of the windows closed.

Picked 7 qts. Red Raspberries and sold to Derricks. Made a little preserves, Black Raspberry and Boysenberry. Otto made 2 props for north Peach Tree and picked another qt. of Red Raspberries for the Carlisles. Picked 1^st qt. Black Raspberries and sold all of them. Also picked some Strawberries, Red Raspberries and Boysenberries. Otto planted Beans. [June 13] Picked berries all day. Sold 7 quarts to Mrs. McCluney. Both of us are tired.

Made preserves, Red Raspberry & Boysenberry. Canned two half-gallon Black Raspberries for preserves, etc. [June 15] Went to church; Had a pot roast dinner and Otto took a nap. Our 28^th wedding anniversary. Cool like then, but was very windy. [June 16] Picked berries for Norris’s and Shepards; Otto picked a little bucket of black. [June 17] Picked more berries of all kinds!

So there you have it and we are caught up…until tomorrow.
But all this talk of berries makes me seriously wonder if I am doing something just the least bit wrong????????

My Latham Red Raspberries, started 2 summers ago from one smallish plant has spread and now towers almost to the top of my fence, the tall one. In early Spring the branches were – still are - full of what look like starter berries – or goner berries. Berry Wannabes that intended to grow into lovely red things but got distracted. I am not a huge raspberry fan so am giving this critter one more year to prove itself…OR be ripped out by its thorny roots and replaced by a $1.00 Thornless Blackberry from Lowe’s clearance rack.
Then we shall see how distracted the Blackberry becomes.