Last week I went to visit John's sister and her husband to help with some scheduling issues they had. My niece was traveling so my SiL was staying with her son and making sure he got to school, that there was someone at home when he got home from school, and then there was some nagging about homework to be done. My BiL also had to be driven to cardiac rehab that was an hour away, plus we hadn't seen them since his big open heart surgery.
It was great to see how well my BiL Bill is doing, gaining more energy and strength every week. He feels he'll be ready to return to Silver Sneakers at the YMCA in the next few weeks. It turns out that fourth graders don't seem to have nearly as much homework as I recall my own kids having, but I wasn't going to resort to searching my grandnephew's backpack. We did play quite a bit of Animal Crossing and being the "Grand Aunt" that I am, I gave him a million bells (Animal Crossing currency) to pay off his mortgage.
We also attended a native plant and pollinator workshop. (The photos from that aren't the best because I was taking pictures of projected slides. Sorry; I hope you can read them.) I learned some new things, like Burning Bush, Norway maple, English Ivy, Pachysandra, Butterfly Bush, and Common Periwinkle are all invasive species. These plants are all quite common in my neighborhood! Our town cut down all the Bradford Pear trees that were lining Main Street and there was a big outcry, but now I understand why they got rid of them.
I might try making a bee house if I can gather enough hollow plant stems. I think this will be a good simple project as spring approaches, and it might even make me feel as good as supporting an independent bookstore!
I had no idea that Butterfly Bush was an invasive plant... or Burning Bush! Yikes, I have both in my yard! Your bee house link is fascinating!
ReplyDeletewow! I love that bookstore a lot. I have some butterfly bushes and I like that the deer do not eat them at all. I didn't know they were invasive.
ReplyDeleteYikes, I have pachysandra in my backyard and was planning on planting more -- I had no idea it was considered an invasive species! I'm going to have to do some more research on what I can plant that will do okay in shady conditions and not get eaten by the bunnies.
ReplyDeleteThat bookstore sounds amazing!
That is great news about your brother-in-law...glad he can return to Silver Sneakers so soon. I love the term Grand Aunt!! The bookstore looks like a real gem and you picked two wonderful books to purchase! The invasive plant list really surprises me. I had heard about Bradford Pears recently (and they are everywhere) and we have bamboo which is considered invasive. But Butterfly bush? Burning Bush? I'd like to know how they determine what is invasive and what is not.
ReplyDeleteThose invasive species are tricky buggers. I do have a butterfly bush and I keep it will contained, cutting it down to the ground each year, but I'd never add another one. Native plants are the way to go, for sure. I love that you gave your grandnephew all those bells! I did the same thing for Jackie when he started playing Animal Crossings!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little surprised by some of the plants included on that list (and which I have in my yard), but understandable... and glad I know. We have a huge problem with box elder trees (I call them "weed trees"), buckthorn, and garlic mustard, too. I think I'd like to make a bee house -- looks like a project some of the kiddos would enjoy, too!
ReplyDeleteI planted two Bradford Pears in the front yard of my old house many years ago. They were very popular at the time but they ended up being a nightmare. They grow really fast and are very pretty when blooming but both of them split right down the middle after a few years and cost me a fortune to have removed. Their root system also destroyed my lawn.
ReplyDeleteI think Bradford Pears are beautiful when they bloom, but that's about all they're good for. We were surprised to find that two varieties of apple trees that we bought had been grafted onto Bradford Pear stock, and we were left with Bradford Pear blossoms after the apple grafts died.
DeleteThanks for sharing about the bookstore in Williamsport. We have been talking about a day trip there. And looking forward to seeing your bee house. We just saw some at Trap Pond in DE.
ReplyDeleteYou are a great Grand Aunt, of that I am sure. I think you are the best friend a family member could have, Bonny. You are always giving of your time and attention. Glad to hear that Bill is doing so well. Maybe he will inspire me to start doing SS again from home. It is a very good class for us old folks and more challenging than most people think. I have an independent bookstore about a half mile from my house. It is a wonderful bookstore with a small restaurant that serves a great meal. It has "almost" closed several times, but someone local always comes to the rescue, thank goodness. Isn't the smell of a bookstore intoxicating? I loved your turn of phrase, "book fumes" ! The weather broke last night, and Boomer and I went out for a walk this morning. But it's coming back tonight. I will be glad so glad when the tornado threat is over, but I have been lucky. No damage!
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah . . . those plants are all thugs and I have been working to rid my garden of ALL of them (luckily I had no pachysandra or periwinkle, but I had all the rest). We had a huge Bradford pear in our front yard, and I was hesitant to take it out . . . but a storm hit a few years ago and the damn tree split right down the middle (just like they are prone to do), and that made getting rid of it all the easier! The bee house sounds like a GREAT plan! There are so many easy things you can do to attract bees in your garden! I can't wait to see what YOU do. XO
ReplyDeletelove the tags ... family, that's fun, that's life ... indeed! sounds like a week well-spent even before the bookstore visit (I think you chose the perfect souvenirs) and informative workshop (I love the barbed wire detail on the invasive species slide). welcome home!
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