Sierra Foothill Garden

May 23-28, 2002   Memorial Day!

Madeline had her prom (Derek’s senior prom) so we went up alone. Jolie was working at Claimjumper so she stayed home. It was to be a laying out weekend, 4 days of riding for Larry, so no big projects. Just relaxing for me. Friday, Larry and Russ went out riding, laying out the upcoming Bass lake 250 Larry puts on each year and I headed to town to shop the junk store. Also bought two resin green Adirondack chairs with footstools.

Then ….I had stopped at the gas station to get Larry a paper and some ice.  The car was parked in a stall at the station and either I didn’t put it in park or it popped out of gear, but when I came out of the store people were standing around looking. It had rolled down the slope and crashed into a light pole, missed a couple cars as it went! Luckily the motorcycle rail took the damage, bent 90 degrees, and Larry didn’t kill me.  Larry Barnett could weld on another rack, so not much harm done.  Scary, though! Whew!

 The next day, I stayed put, just cataloguing wildflowers and puttering. In the afternoon, I drove up the hill to clip the bushes up at the top of the driveway. Also brought the strawberries to Marcie and Renota. Talked to Don and Marcie. He’s making steps out of railroad ties down to the pond. Renota and Paul weren’t home, so I left the berries on their washer. Larry went out with Russ, Mark and a guy named Clark.

That night we had salmon and salad on the ‘patio’. Mosquitoes are out! Ed came by to say he couldn’t ride because his ex mother-in-law died and he had to help his daughters he couldn’t ride yesterday because she had gone to the hospital.  Sunday Russ wanted to work on his pole barn, so Mark came back to ride with Larry. He’s so nice. He and Joanne are expecting a baby.  The wildflowers were amazing! Red and orange poppies, all around the drive and blue pink purple and white cornflowers and red Shirley poppies on the bank in front of the patio. I weed trimmed one whole tank of gas.

Monday, Russ rode with Larry and I sprayed 2 tanks of a a systemic herbicide on the poison oak.  Larry had bought a tank sprayed and we joked that it was for my birthday present. It is great though! I stopped at Renota’s and she and I ‘toured’ her garden. She and Paul had walked down that morning to thank us for the strawberries and she saw all ‘my’ flowers.

While I was there at the Riches, I met Judy Johnson. She and her husband live in Bass Lake and own the property next to them. They will be building a custom home in 2 or 3 years also, they say and are already having problems getting permits. Larry and Russ and I discussed what grading we’d like to do next.  Doubt if it will be this year.  Had a nice evening at home–nice morning with the birds then packed up for home about 9am.  Sigh.