Category: Trella Diaries

Sunday, July 26, 2009
83 sunny
Gale & her new husband Dan Grau, came about 1:30 with their big red pickup truck – Loaded the Johnson Property Services timbers and also the ones across the road left from raised beds (dismantled) – also cleaned out pots from under greenhouse benches.
Started mowing along road after they left and got tractor stuck in a hole. Hobbled back to the house & later Mike Lyon came to the door and teased me saying ‘I found a John Deere tractor someone abandoned along the road and I brought it here thinking you could use it.’ He and LaDonna are hosting a family reunion today – Grandson from England. I spent from 3:00 to 5:00 mowing across road and lower lawn. Leftover supper from Carpenters.
PBS program on disappearance of honey bees world wide. No substitute for bee pollination. IAPV virus may be culprit in Australian bees. But a combination of factors – 20 or 30 year problem. ? of food pollinated by honey bees. If continued, no bees by 2033.

Saturday, July 25, 2009
.3” rain
Send Karen’s Card
At 9:15 to Guy Denny’s 20 acres of planted prairie on SR 95 at the Morrow-Knox Co. line. Gale met me at my car & to the tent for the catered bfst served on China plates – Omelets made to order & flipped by the chefs. Guy so welcoming and Keith Dimhoff Ohio Environmental Council director (sponsor of the event) sat with us to eat. When the tour started I opted to drive the perimeter – amazingly few weeds! Gale showed me an electric pink (red echinacea that she identified as Tennesseeensis, but when Tommy Hemmerly showed me his specimens they were a greenish white (His doctoral dissertation).
Stopped to check in on the Moshers – Had heard Ruth was in rest Home – house for sale, etc. But Charlie was eating on the deck and greeted me with a hug – unshaven and had lost weight. Ruth with Andrea in Ky visiting their grandson! Told me of his foot injury – stepped on prongs of a fence post – blood poisoning – 2 weeks in hosp. We reminisced & exchanged compliments. Told me how much my visit meant. Tried to take a short cut back to Rt. 95 but missed a turn & drove an extra 20 miles.
At Resource Center at 1:30 & Jim Carpenter waiting for me. Wrote “Interview with Charles Mosher”* & then couldn’t print it! So Jim will put on flash drive & email me. Invited to Carpenters for supper of fresh corn off the cob, green beans & red potatoes, slices of ham & ice cream. Home at 6:00.

[* https://terradisebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Interview-with-Charles-Mosher-final.pdf ]

 

Friday, July 24, 2009
.2” rain
Perm at La Salon of Styling at 9:30 – Drove by Fairgrounds prairie – no weeds! Gray-headed Coneflower – Purple Coneflower, Cassia. Stopped at Hemmerly’s & told Dianne of the network of 35 business owners in Marion that Johns Property Services women will call on her – She seemed open to it. Cashed check for $200 for current expenses. To Meijer – Paid bill $336. Grocery shopped for sweet corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes and bananas. Took a nap – call from Tracy at Johnson’s – will come to Terradise Monday with bill. Leftovers for supper.

Thursday, July 23, 2009
Bfst with David. Gave him a check for $1,000. Says it will pay half of Susannah’s second half tuition.
Cleaned areas around greenhouse door. He put barrel cactus carcass in trash barrel. Mixed pitting souil. He filled a plasic tray with boxwood cuttings dipped in Rootone up from lower lawn & piled them by driveway wall for Gale & Dan to pick up. Relaid t he stone walk under the star magnolia. Mulched with Johnson Property Services top soil. Used Roundup on patio.
Crew used a truckload of top soil to fill in over gravel behind walls & patio timbers. Cut bricks to finish top walk to river & tie it into steps to gazebo deck. Blew dirt from driveway & swept patio – Penn Mulch on top of topsoil and grass seed on all areas torn up by Bobcat. Asked for my OK to sign. Left at 5:30 – David left about 2:30.
Call from David saying Susannah will not come to Terradise tonight. Good thing I hadn’t made a special dinner – For me I had leftovers.
Left message for Gale telling her to pick up timbers.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Slow rain all day .6″
Workers came with 2 trucks but wet day so they left.
I sorted my material on prairie conferences & started writing article for Gary Iams of OSUM on my $5,000 contribution for the campus prairie.
David arrived about 4:30. Took a golf cart ride over all 6 acres & 2 acres across road. Found a pink Royal Catchfly in the Gale prairie across road. Burr Oak is about 4 ft. hight but not healthy. Kensel Clutter planted 6 about 6 years ago, but only one survived. Cup plant is spreading from one first spotted along river about 5 yrs ago.
Drive to TNP & David estimated hackberry tree is 90 yrs old. Picked up pizza for supper. Made a salad of lettuce from alopng patio & first tomato [sic]
To attic to get some old magazines to read – David brought down 1950’s Amazing Stories.
Update on TerraPro – no sales from this year’s convention but lots of prospective buyers waiting.
The Cactus Pear Octet [actually the Bone Voyage Jazz Band Sextet] pays each member $50 a week ‘grocery money he says. Using home equity! – He will start Social Security next month – age 64. $1500 a month.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Big Shots from Johnson Property Services – Eric? – to inspect work – Jim Carpenter persuaded them to cover gravel – I had picked him up at his mother’s house at 1:00 – All timbers laid along patio & backed by gravel to push against bricks.
Jim dug Variegated Solomon’s Seal from around Queen Elizabeth Rose bush & dug shredded banana peel around it. He hung all the aerial views of Terradise in the guest bedroom. He weeded he mailbox bed. Too hot – offered him supper – ‘not hungry’. To Meijer for him to grocery shop & get bananas for me. He pumped gas for Prius $2.35 gal & filled his gas can on my Meijer credit card. Took him home by 6:30 & to HH. So tired I couldn’t participate and couldn’t hear. Picked up 2 bricks to take to Glen Gery to match to complete wall buy east door. Home by 8:15 & Susannah was eating the left over lasagna by the computer.
Gas smell very noticeable – Meant to call company but forgot it. Grass is grown around the hole they marked with yellow flag.

Monday, July 20, 2009
75 sunny, sprinkle
40th anniversary of USA Moon Landing. David & Karen at Terradise.
Nick & Danny finished the wall by greenhouse making a step to the flower bed – Removed a row of brick along patio & started excavation.
Instead of ordering the $45 ‘World’s Greatest Health’ I got out a previous edition & got some good tips but no help for the scaly red spot on my left arm. It has spread half way to elbow.
Wrote a news release with pictures for the Claridon Prairie Tour. It’s not on Gale’s August calendar of MCHS events. Did we decide on a Sept date?
Read Rosemary* Creasy ‘Earthly Delights’

[*Rosalind – see https://cloud.collectorz.com/terradisenaturecenter/books/detail/9562114 ]

Sunday, July 19, 2009
Kathi’s 68
Sent Kathi an e-mail about her birthday & called her near 11:00 AM (time of birth_) but woke her up so didn’t talk long.
In order to make room on the kitchen counter for my new blender I did a real cleanup including cabinet on end where I had mouse poison.
Bird watching about 4:00 PM after seeing red-headed woodpecker & immature one under sweet gum tree. Ended up with 17 species and didn’t see cardinal & bluejay that usually are here.
Pulled hose out of new housing & watered pots on deck & in gazebo, pulled it to pergola area to water tomatoes & petunias. Picked 2 ripe early Girl tomatoes.
E-mails from Virginia Wagner in Westerville of her flowers blooming now. I have mor of them.
Reading ‘German Way’ – Surprised to see Thomas Hemmerly – Did I borrow & not return?

Saturday, July 18, 2009
72 sunny
As I drove by the former Thelma & Milo Brocklesby farm tonight – the dilapidated barn was buried in a hole & the monster that destroyed it standing by!–
Finished inventory of my bedroom & took the notes to RC & entered in a file – Als copied photos of renovations of steps to Flash Drive E -& Hildreth Reunion.
Jim Carpenter scanned pages of photos from Carl Sawyer Collection for John Schau of Columbus for his article on Masseurs – He is one – paid $2 for them.
Drove by Claridon Prairie – too much Canada Thistle in seed – and sweet clover – Like my ‘New Prairie’.
Ralph Boger’s corn first to tassel.
Shopped at Goodwill for an ice cube tray (50 cents) (automatic one in fridge is broken) and a blender ($7.00_) . And at Meijer for picture frame wire and groceries – blueberries $2.00

Friday, July 17, 2009
Started inventory of my bedroom (on paper). The bookcase Daddy built in 1912 has 2 shelves. The top one contains notebooks of Ray’s poems & record of sales & expenses*. Took some time – I enjoyed – so inventory not complete.
Danny & Nick finished the steps toward woods and the area connecting them to ramp by greenhouse. Excavated area for new wall by greenhouse & hauled dirt in low spot as you enter woods. Danny plugged in electric cord to golf cart & emptied bucket of dirt by pond.
Watering marigolds & front lawn yesterday evidently drained well. So turned it off to recover.
Walter Cronkite died.

*[This material has been digitized and is available at https://terradisebooks.com/ray-romine-poetry]