nlbarber

Catbriar. Or a relative--I call any Smilax species that shows up in my yard catbriar, being unmotivated to go key it out precisely. I've got a couple of areas of the yard where catbriar keeps popping up, and my sporadic gardening efforts don't do much to discourage it.

Friday I tackled on of those spots, the back corner where my yard meets my brother's and the house on the other side (I'm on a corner), back behind an overgrown boxwood and around some nearly senescent azaleas that I worked on earlier this year, clearing out deadwood and cutting things back. (This is the corner with the birdhouse, thus my birding post earlier.) Catbriar seems to like azaleas--or it likes any shrub where it can grow undisturbed under the roots, sending up briar-filled strands through the branches where I see them taunting me. There's one in the azalea out my breakfast-counter window now--I haven't done anything about it, knowing that just clipping it off is futile.

Friday, though, I went back in that corner where about 5 shoots were sticking up, and started digging. You have to track the roots back to one or more tubers, then dig those out--otherwise the catbriar still has food to send up many more briars. And tracking the root of the catbriar means digging in and around all the other roots in the area--I was most of the way under one azalea at one point, with a hole more than a foot deep, working with a trowel to dig this stuff out. Oak tree roots provided further cover. When I quit, this was my collection of roots. I didn't get it all--there's always the end that snaps when you tug a little, and then can't be found to continue the dig. I'm sure this is an evolutionary strategy it's developed against the gardener-as-predator.

Where did the weekend go? Or more like it, why didn't I get much of the to-do list done during it? I did manage major flea-attacks, getting all the various throws, bedding, curtains, etc., washed, and appling a flea-powder/carpet cleaner to all carpets and upholstery, and vacuuming it all up. This now exhausts my house-cleaning quota for the decade: only problem is, I'll need to repeat the flea attack at least once.

Did a little in the garden as well, forced by the delivery of the pinestraw I ordered through a fund-raiser for the area high school. This might not have been the absolute cheapest way to buy pinestraw, but having 15 bales deposited in my yard without having to haul them in my car (and clean out the resulting debris) was worth it. I got 10 bales spread around various thin spots in the mulch this morning. The remaining 5 bales will wait for mulching the hosta and the impatiens beds--but those will be a while before they completely die back for the winter.

I spent yesterday afternoon at the Georgia Tech football game (vs. Clemson)--a battle for the middle of the ACC, which Tech won 10-9. Not a scintillating outing by either team. I underdressed for the game, and shivered through the last 3 quarters--it wasn't really that chilly, but I didn't bring the right jacket. Should have gone in search of a souvenir stand and bought another layer at the game.

The vet called Saturday with the results of Agatha's blood work, which all seemed normal. I missed the call, but she left a message with the details. We'll proceed with the surgery for the lump on Wednesday.

I tried to find a copy of Sword of Orion, but the local Borders and B&N either say it's on the way or it's "order only". May have to resort to Amazon on that one.

What else? Oh, pumpkins! I carved my jack-o-lantern--it's another cat-themed one from a commercial pattern book. I helped with the nieces' and nephew's, as well--they ended up with a Wile E. Coyote outline implying that said coyote had just crashed into the pumpkin. I nixed the nephew's choices for various designs rated "challenging" to carve, as I wasn't up to a challenge... Pictures will follow later.

I haven't paid the bills, finished reading the paper, straightened the desk, done any of the work I brought home (though I did answer some emails on Friday), gotten to the library to pick up the books they are holding for me, or placed the order for some clothes I need from LL Bean. At least a couple of these have got to happen before bedtime!

Any Atlanta area folks want some ginger lilies? (Larger picture of the blossom) I was given 6 or so plants of this a couple of years ago, and now have a flowerbed full. Easy to grow, but find a place where they have room to spread. A confined bed, or along a wall with something lower in front of them, perhaps.