Why I Oughta...

A few days back, I posted a photo of some snow-covered Angelia Sedum groundcover that was providing a little bit of Winter Interest near our back stoop.  On my way out to dump the kitchen compost bin in the larger bins in back, I stopped to look at some other groundcover that was 'showing up' in the snow:  Spine Tingler Epimedium.   Below is a photo showing the three plants - that I put in the ground in Spring 2023 :  There, amongst the light snow and leaf litter is the dried-out, rigid and spike-edged foliage of Spine Tingler.   These have fared a bit better than the Amber Queen varieties, so perhaps a few more of these should be on my list at the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale in 2025.  

I've done this sort of 'notebook' posts in the past and it has been helpful in organizing my thoughts when it comes to project planning.  Here's an 'order of operations' post on a big, 'new bed' backyard overhaul from 2021 that - just by writing - helped me get my head wrapped-around what I needed to do.   I've done similar 'notebook' or 'musing' posts on retaining walls and our boardwalk on the side of our house .  I've referenced Paul Graham's post about WRITING previously - but the gist his POV is: Writing doesn't just communicate ideas; it generates them.  The act of writing about something (in this case...the process around my pizza oven project) shows me that I'm in the MIDST of my learning journey on said process.    Hopefully...by the end of this, I'll have a v1 of what I need to do. I've recently updated a few posts with oven construction, but haven't shown the completed project - just yet.  The...

The Angelina Sedum that is planted as a groundcover in the square beds on either side of our back stoop are looking really good with the thin layer of snow (and ice) that is blanketing our garden this week.   I've noted this particular Sedum in previous Winters.  Here's a post and photo from a year ago - January 2024 .  Here's how MUCH brighter it gets by late Spring:  Have a look at May 2024 .  Something to think about in 2025:  Digging up plugs of this to transplant. 

I think this might be my breaking point on Oakleaf Hydrangeas.  Every Winter since we planted them, the (dang!) rabbits have gnawed away the tips on our Oakleaf Hydrangea shrubs.  They 'clip' the tips right off and if you know anything about Oakleaf Hydrangeas....you know that they bloom on 'old wood'.  The (dang!) rabbits are eating just that:  the 'old wood'. Below is a shot of some of the damage: I've protected some of them with chicken wire cages, but the small ones (dwarf) are just about eaten back to the trunks.  And some of the Alice (larger ones) have been reduced, too.   I *REALLY* like Oakleaf Hydrangeas.  But, I don't know if our garden is going to work for them.   My plan is to go out and buy even more rabbit repellent and try to apply it (in the cold) and see if that dissuades these (dang!) rabbits.

I was at the orange big box store over the weekend and saw this little floor model fridge that was just a couple hundred bucks for a glass-front wine fridge.  See below for the one they're selling - note: I have NO idea if this is (at all!) a decent fridge or not.  Based on the price...I'm guessing it isn't.  But...that's not the point.  What this fridge got me thinking was about the potential for an outdoor kitchen and prep area for the pizza oven.  I haven't thought one second about electricity out there...but....maybe I should be?   For something like this and for...well....lights.  Part of why I'm not using the oven during the Winter is...of course...the cold.  But the other part?  The dark.   Something to add to the (growing larger everyday) 2025 planning considerations.

2025 will continue to be a season of cut flowers (hopefully) with the dahlia tubers that I bought and were gifted to me.  Those dahlias are what carried me through all of 2024, but I also had some setbacks with my other 'cut flowers':  the Disneyland Roses.  I lost two that I planted in 2023 and the three that I've had historically suffered from various stresses.   But, I'm getting back into the game with two more - from the same elf that has gifted us all the previous five:  Nat's Mom. Here, below, is the order form showing two more will be shipped in Spring.  These arrive as bareroot plants, so I'll get them in the ground as soon as they arrive to give them the best shot in 2025.  Planning out the planting location(s) of all the tubers and these two new Roses will be a fun project this Winter - filed under 2025 to-do/2025 planning.  

Can we take a moment to reflect on the current state of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Athletic Programs - specifically...the big two:  Football and Hoops.  What a week.  We beat that baby tyrant Shane Beamer and his "shoulda been in the playoffs" South Carolina Gamecocks in a game where we ran the Barge formation multiple times (love that).  Followed by a late night (last night) road win for Men's hoops at #9 Oregon - where the Illini won by 32 points - the largest ever road victory against a Top-10 opponent. When they ask me about the Salad Days...I'll tell them about this week.  These are the Salad Days for my Illini.