Our Community Garden Plot: Take 2

I had not been to the community garden for weeks.

My Sweetie takes care of the watering. (Not that there has been much need for that with the monsoons we have been having.) He had also been pulling the few weeds that had the audacity to make an appearance. But I am responsible for deadheading the perennials because his size 10.5 shoes just won't fit into the almost non-existent spaces between the flowers.

Since it was convertible weather, I put the top down, covered the back seat with a blanket, put the weapons of mass destruction on it, and off I went, enjoying what we call "San Luis Obispo weather" - temps in the 70s and blue, blue skies. Too bad it is only two miles to the garden.

There is something innately satisfying in tidying a garden. When I began, the Shasta Daisy seed heads made the garden look like an unmade bed. When I left about an hour later, the sheets were tucked in and the pillows had been fluffed. There was not a wrinkle to be found.

I also pulled the tall weeds hiding among the perennials. There weren't many because I adhere to the "no bare ground" philosophy of flower gardening. No tidy groups of plants separated by mulch for me. Wonder how much money I have saved over the decades by not buying mulch?


Much better

Perennials all deadheaded

Parsons Dance

The last concert of the DanceCleveland season was a winner. The program consisted of two numbers: Caught and Remember Me.

Caught debuted in 1982 and is still David Parsons' signature work. And a tour de force it is. The use of strobe lights gives the illusion that the dancer is continuously in the air. Unfortunately, the video doesn't do it justice. It was magical.

The video clip is that of a much younger David Parsons. Tonight's dancer, Miguel Quinones, was breathtaking.




Here's the link: Caught with David Parsons

After we caught our breath, we settled back to watch the 2009 Remember Me, a narrative set to rock arrangements of arias from ten different operas. Woven together they tell the story of two brothers who fall in love with the same woman with the expected tragic results.



Here's the link: Remember Me

My Sweetie and I stayed for the after-performance Q&A with David Parsons, the dancers, and the two singers. As always we were astounded by the poise, commitment, and energy of these young people.

Time to send in our renewal for next season.

*******

Due to bad weather in Philadelphia Annmarie Milazzo's (the female vocalist) plane was delayed and then canceled. Finally, she was able to get a flight to Akron and arrived at the theater ten minutes before the curtain went up. During the Q&A, Pam Young, Director of DanceCleveland, was asked what would they have done if she hadn't made it. Pam replied that she never entertained the idea.

My Mother

My mother would have been 95 today.

It has been eight years since she died. I still miss her but I guess I always will.

Besides all my memories from my 57 years with her, I have two plants from her house.

For the last eight years her Christmas cactus has bloomed right on schedule.

Mom's Christmas Cactus

And each June this clematis, which she had planted by her back porch, blooms in my garden.

Mom's Clematis

Thanks, Mom, for everything.

Can You Relate?

Yes, I was on the couch again for another taping of Can You Relate? to discuss whether it is possible to forgive and forget.

The show will air on June 20. I'll post the clip once it is available on the website.