OK, so now I am over the Memorial Day holiday hump and moving on. We drove north again on Saturday to have another short visit with Katie, and John came over again for a distanced Sunday evening dinner on the back porch. Our garden is moving along, and so is the small patio in the front of the house. I’m expecting my new bench from Wayfair today.....hopefully.
Two fun stories for today:
First, a story about the garden.....Peter has been curious for a while now about growing hops. Yes, the stuff they use in beer. We know they are “bines,” that grow tall and climb on things like string or poles. They actually seem to be decorative as well. But where to find them? They certainly aren’t in any local nurseries!
He finally found some online, from Michigan. They are not cheap. So he bought just two, one each of two different types (Cascade and Chinook). He even paid for shipping! Whoa!
No, he’s not starting a new hobby....just very interested. Perhaps a neighbor will use them to make homemade beer and share?
They arrived with certificates! They are “pest free.” Cute little things growing in little pots. They also arrived with information on “growing hops.”
Um, did you know there are male and female plants for hops? The female plants are the ones that make the cone-shaped hops that are dried for beer.
So, what do we have? Do we need both a male and female plant? Good grief, why did we even get two *different* plants? How do you tell a baby male plant from a baby female plant?
So today he called the company. The woman who answered the phone was very helpful! Good news: They only sell female plants, because the ONLY reason you need a male plant is if you are breeding new plants. And then it’s a gamble about what kind of hops you end up with, anyway! Yes, we can plant the two different plants next to each other, about 4 feet apart. Phew!!!
He took an old dead cedar tree and set that up in the garden. Soon we will have string strung up to one of the branches, and our baby hops will have a home.
The second story is an addition to last week’s story about re-writing “9 to 5” as “6 to 10.” I sent this to a number of people via email. One of them is a friend that I worked with at our local magnet school (she was a first grade teacher then), and she is also in my weekly bible study group. She responded enthusiastically, asking if she could send this to a friend in England who would love to sing it! Would I mind?
No, of course I don’t mind. I just do this for fun, and hopefully others will get a smile out of it. I don’t worry about copyright or anything. Send it anywhere you want!
A few days later, I received an email with an mp3 attachment. Her friend recorded the song! It’s AMAZING. That certainly made my day!!!!
Best wishes for health and safety to you and yours,
