Monday, May 28, 2012

What is this weed/plant?

   Several years ago I got a couple of blueberry plants from the Home Depot, and along with the  blueberries there was a small weed.  I did not think about it much, just yanked it out of the pot, planted the plant, and forgot about it.  A few weeks later, it was growing again, so again, I yanked it out.  Well in the ensuing seasons, this one plant became a virulent pest - I cannot eradicate it.
  Here are some photos.


As you can see it has a runner root.  It is not unlike mint in that it runs and the plants grow up along the root.  Apparently, if you do not get absolutely every bit of root, you will get more plants.   It does not have an unpleasant smell when crushed - sort of a cross between mint and monarda.  The leaves are bight green on top and silvery on the underside.   Anyone who has a possible solution, please leave a comment.
Thanks.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Slowing Down (a little)

     Memorial Day weekend is  probably one of the trickiest for us.  We have a daughter who participates in the General Clinton Canoe Regatta each Memorial Day weekend.  We are done with school, but usually in the middle of rehearsals for the first summer show, and often, my husband is  either getting ready for or leaving for NYC to teach workshops in vocal production/Fitzmaurice  technique.
    This weekend was no exception.  We opened our first show, Broadway Bound, this Friday.  I designed the costumes and my husband directed.
The Susquehanna River Raiders
On Saturday, our daughter paddled in a six girl relay - three boats each paddled five miles of the race and made the boat exchange midstream.  No one waits with their boat, you give them yours.  It was a lot of fun and we all were there, following the river in the car and stopping at certain points where the river was visible from the road to cheer the teams as they paddled past.  Then, back into the car to find another good spot until they got to the finish line.
One of the few spots on their leg of the race that was not dead water!


 Our six girl team got 4th place - a great job on a hard river.  The water was VERY low this year due to lack of  rainfall, and we saw boats getting stuck on rocks and sandbars which were not a problem in years past.
Abby in the stern, Kimmie in the bow - heading home!
     It is a wonderful race - on Saturday it is the youth races (read Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts) and the true spirit of Scouting shines through.  One of the girls boats got stuck in some rocks, and one of the girls in that boat was caught on a tree branch and unable to extricate  herself.  A Boy Scout  canoe team stopped, helped to get the girls  out of their jam and headed out, but lost at least two places in the race because of their  kindness.  
       Now all of this fun  is not to be had without a few bumps and bruises.  My daughter's partner in the canoe somehow smacked her face into the boat when they were portaging over a low spot, and when she came in for the transfer, she had a swollen lip and blood crusted all over her lips and  down towards her chin.  She looked like she had been in a prize fight!

After the transfer
Another girl got smacked in the face by her partner's paddle as they were making the transfer.  My daughter is very  bruised on the thigh  - again, something to do with the  transfer. 
 
Kimmie and Abby - FINISHED!!!!
We have been celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting all year, and this event was no exception.  With everyone wearing their 100th Anniversary shirts, we had a flash mob of  about 200 singing at the  carnival which happens on the park grounds during the Regatta.
Gathering the Flash Mob!
Before the Awards Ceremony, my husband headed out to NYC and  it was a very tired group that drove home.  

Tired paddlers waiting to receive their trophies!