Archive for May, 2010

 I decided to clean up my yard. I mean clean it up! Let me explain. For the past two seasons I have been preoccupied with getting a college degree. That is coming to an end on July 25^th and I came out from under my cloud long enough to see that my yard is horrible. It is overgrown and the plants have no real landscaping plan to them. So, dear reader, I decided to chronicle my efforts for one year with you and see if you have input or just want to comment.

First today, I went out and took a look and yikes what a mess! I have a whole row of cedars dying from who knows what; they will need to be removed. The weeding and the debris got my attention so I addressed that straight away.

And like Stephen Covey says I need to, “Begin with the end of mind”. I have to think about what I want it to look like before I can landscape. And until I get there I will start clearing things out that are weedy, dying or over grown. Ugh. The worse part of gardening! Management! But come with me and let’s see if I can make something of two years of neglect. ­­­­­And so that you see what I am dealing with I will add pictures as I go.

Two important things to remember if you choose to log on and offer advice is, I live in the humid south. Plants are invasive everywhere. Secondly, It is warm and it rains. It rains a lot! These are the environmental conditions I am dealing with.

Lets go! But before I post I need to go out and take pictures. But we will have to wait until my next post because you see, it is raining. Again.

This month we decided to take a mini vacation. For me vacation usually means taking some school work or office work with me. But this time I decided not to. This time I wanted to go to Ivy Green, the home of Helen Keller.

We, meaning myself, my husband and our two Springer Spaniels decided to hop in the RV and go to Tuscumbia Alabama to see the home that Helen Keller lived in. Since I was a child Helen Keller has been an inspiration to me. So it was hardly an effort to go.

The Keller home is on a tract of land that is 640-acre property. The grounds are kept up by the local Master Gardeners. It was a pleasant day for a stroll through the grounds. If you have seen The Miracle Worker then you are familiar with the water pump where Helen learned her first word, “water”, located behind the main building. It wasn’t long after that she learned everything had a name.

I was excited to visit the cottage that Anne Sullivan demanded that she and Helen live in away from the family so she could help Helen. It was very moving, reliving scenes from the movie! Enjoy!

Ivy Green, home of Helen Keller, Tuscumbia Alabama

When Helen's parent hindered her learning Ann Sullivan demanded they move in the Cottage

Wanted to share this great story:

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:“What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50′s, but how would I know her name?I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely, ” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people.

All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “hello.”I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her Name was Dorothy.

(Contributed)

I have a whole row of red amaryllis and when they bloomed this year look at the volunteer I did not know was there!!!

My favorite amarylis.

And we think we are “hot shots” with cellphones and Ipad! Ha!

On this day in 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes has the White House’s first telephone installed in one of the mansion’s telegraph room. President Hayes embraced the new technology, though he rarely received phone calls. In fact, the Treasury Department possessed the only other direct phone line to the White House at that time. The White House phone number was “1.” Phone service throughout the country was in its infancy in 1877. It was not until a year later that the first telephone exchange was set up in Connecticut and it would be 50 more years until President Herbert Hoover had the first telephone line installed at the president s desk in the Oval Office.

For full article to go: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hayes-has-first-phone-installed-in-white-house

I saw this in the newspaper today, it is so great I just had to share!!!