Derby Day Winner

Of course we watched the Kentucky Derby.  What else would one expect of someone raised around Santa Anita Racetrack?  Of course we were pleased that California Chrome finished first, especially for those good old boys, the Dumbass Partners.  But I'm here to say that I was the big winner yesterday.

It's always a good day when Deb and Craig come up, but yesterday was stellar.  Getting out of their truck, they started unloading peony plants, four more big peony plants to go with the one I showed recently.  As if that weren't enough, they brought KFC for lunch!  Fast food might not seem like such a big deal for flatlanders, but since the nearest "fast food" is probably 25 miles away, I indulge maybe once or twice a year.  I savored every mouthful!  We watched the race and then went out to plant the peonies.  "We" is misleading, as Deb and Craig did the digging while I supervised.  I have a veritable forest of peonies now and can't wait until they all blossom in shades of white and pink.  And then "we" (I did help some) started to work.

A long time ago, these Kids gave me a Cecile Brunner rose, one of my favorites.  This beautiful climbing rose with romantic, tiny pink flowers has grown and even thrived in spite of weather conditions and my neglect.  In a wire cage to protect it from marauding deer, it was choked and nearly invisible behind a wall of weeds.  Finished with the peonies, Craig, followed by Deb, walked over to the rose bush and started pulling weeds.  Not one to be left out, I tagged along.  They worked a lot faster than I.  This is the "after" picture.

They then turned their attention to the mimosa tree.  This photo was taken after one side was already cleared, but gives a good idea of what the rose cage had looked like.  (Yes, I'm ashamed.)  Steve and I brought this tree, much smaller then, with us from the valley.  He'd started it from a seed, which he'd been told by experts was not possible.  They were wrong.  It comes back year after year, going dormant in the winter.  All weeds pulled, the tree is once again clean and lovely.

The recent heat wave had broken, but we were glad of the afternoon breeze after clearing the cages.  I was pretty sure it must be beer-thirty, but these Kids were as unstoppable as a boulder rolling downhill.  Craig started the weed-eater (one pull!) and headed toward the fenced garden.  Honest, that was on my To-Do list and I was going to get around to it, truly.  Vrooom, and he was off into the jungle.  As soon as he'd cleared around that big barrel to his right, Deb jumped in and started pulling weeds out of the tub.

My small part was to haul armloads of weeds over to the burn pile.  I scared Deb badly when I looked past her shoulder and said, "Oh, my God!"  She was sure something deadly was behind her and ready to attack.  It was a blossom on the pomegranate tree, a tree that for at least twelve years has never had a blossom.  Not just a blossom, but many blossoms and beginning to set fruit.  The small, bright-red dot at the left is a flower, nearly invisible as it is hidden in the overgrown wisteria vines.  I really thought that tree had died.

What had taken a few hours together would have taken me days alone.  What had seemed insurmountable has become possible, and I can't wait to plant something and get the other barrels cleared for a real vegetable garden.  Given this incentive, it would be unforgivable to waste all their work (although I might take a day to recover, as I hope they will).

To put the icing on the day, Deb and Craig, and hopefully the local boys, too, will be back next weekend.  How great is that?!

It was an indescribably good day.