Inside: My favorite shopping spree, taming the jungle that is my yard, and learning is for the birds.
My Favorite Shopping Spree
Certain things in life I just don’t get. I don’t understand “retail therapy” or spending the day looking at racks and racks of clothes. And don’t get me started on shoe shopping.
But mention plants, and just give me a minute while I go get my purse. I’m there. Case in point, Sugar Grove Growers where Mom works. I went there Monday with the idea of buying a few plants for a DIY project she and I are doing this week (watch for the post soon!) and walked away with a crate full. Plants, glorious plants!
If you’re reading this and you’re local, Sugar Grove Growers is celebrating their Grand Reopening on Saturday, May 5 from 10 – 3. Plenty of fun for the whole family with face painting for the kids, free popcorn and drinks, a drawing for choice of combo planter, gift basket or hanging basket, The Loft Vendors with handmade items, classes in mini flower arrangements, kitchen techniques, and a gardening class taught by Mom–“How to Garden Like an Expert: A Beginner’s Guide.” (Her classes are at 10 and 1.)
And did I mention plants?
Taming the Jungle That is my Yard
So I’ve been an outspoken supporter of spring this season, doing my fair share of complaining about northern winds and biting cold and the too-slow march toward the warmer side of life. We’ve endured weeks and weeks of what seemed like a wrestling match between bad weather and birds. And finally the birds won. Was there any doubt? I must say, I was beginning to wonder.
But all this is good, though a little overwhelming when I head outside with clippers in hand. My yard has exploded in growth. Hubs has even mowed twice already. Instead of stressing over it, I’m reminding myself of what I often preach–the little by little method. That’s how I’m approaching the work load. I have various projects in mind, which I’ll be posting about, and Mom and I will be redoing the infamous stump garden again this year. Stay tuned and see what’s growing on. (I know, pretty awful. I blame my dad for the bad pun gene.) As for now, I’ll keep plugging away. And weeding. And planting. And digging.
Learning is for the Birds
These days I’m not finding much on Netflix to get excited about, but we started watching Somebody Feed Phil, a foodie travel show starring Phil Rosenthal. (He created the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond and is married to the woman who played Amy on the series.) We’re three episodes in–so far, so good–but the one that got my attention takes place in Vietnam. Phil was getting coffee near a park where dozens of cages full of birds hung side by side on poles. After watching men haul in the cages and hoist them up on hooks, he went over to investigate. It turns out these avian enthusiasts bring in their birds to learn songs from other birds. The goal is to expose their birds to more songs to increase their repertoire. Meanwhile the men talk among themselves in this peaceful, lovely–and loud–setting. When Phil asked why he didn’t see any women in the group, a woman explained that it tends to be a man’s hobby.
What I found surprising about this hobby is that I thought most birds, aside from mocking birds, only knew their own specific songs and nothing else. Granted, I don’t know a great deal about our feathered friends, but the idea of learning from each other seemed like a good one. Like maybe we humans could do a little more of this ourselves.
What’s been happening in your neck of the woods? Tell us about it in the comments.
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Spring Bucket List: 25 Ways to Celebrate the Season