Steel City then Fallingwater

I must say that even though Will and I spent our Saturday night in Pittsburgh watching the Pirates (his team) play the Phillies (my team), I did not feel far from home or out of place. I would say the ratio of Phillies to Pirates fans was about 1 to 1.
Now, it is well known that Philadelphia sports fans have a notorious reputation, but this is hard to take when I am sitting in the stands (albeit in another team's "house") minding my own business, contently watching the game when some 20ish year old girl behind me yammers on endlessly about how obnoxious Philly fans are, etc etc etc... It just so happens that in our section there were many Phillies fans and it was all good, no beer dumping, no shouting, no instigating, just a mellow good time. I was proud. So girlfriend, give us a break, please! We are not all of the "500 level, take no prisoners" mentality, we do not all get locked up in the stadium jail nor do we damage opposing team property and trash talk constantly. We just want to watch our team play and have a good time. But don't think for a moment that we won't cheer for our team and wear our colors proudly regardless of being in your house, our fan-ship knows no boundaries. Go Phillies!!! I almost forgot to mention that Wills and I both had Pirmanti Bros. sandwiches, a Pittsburgh tradition. It's a sandwich piled high with steak, roast beef or which ever filling you choose, then loaded with french fries and cole slaw (yes, in the sandwich)... mine was pretty good I must say.

On the way home on Sunday we stopped to visit a place that I have always wanted to go... Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater. It was spectacular. Words simply do not do it justice, you have to experience it. It is a wonder of architectural design and nature.
I am still in awe.

Garden report

Here is a glimpse into my early spring garden. Every spring I lament over how I cannot grow my most favorite of all flowers... the tulip. I've tried and tried only to be furiously disappointed when tender shoots each spring are decimated by rabbits, moles and chipmunks. I suppose tulips are their very favorite too. Anyway, I have accepted that tulips just are not part of my landscape. Will understands my love of tulips and has often surprised me with cut bouquets from a florist and has sent fresh flower arrangements to me at work always making sure that no matter what the season, at least a few tulips are included... I'm sure the florist loves it when he is asking for tulips in August... hee hee.

Right now my white dogwood trees are blooming, white candytuft (a ground cover), mini-mini daffodils and the prize of my spring garden, the five leaf akebia... (above).It is a woody vine that's covered with segmented green leaves and blooms only a short time in the spring. (Sometimes I actually miss it blooming, it is very brief). It produces waxy little chocolaty-purple flowers that smell really sweet.
On deck for blooming early in May: Prairie Fire Crabapple tree, various aliums, peonies, Viburnum (white) and if I'm lucky my Nelly Moser clematis.

Earth Day

Below is an excerpt from ecologue.com ... it's a pretty cool website and offers easy ideas for living a "greener" life. Please visit their website if you would like more information.

Earth Day, Earth Week, Earth Month —
April is the time for remembering this big planet we call home. Around the world, people are focusing all things eco-friendly — from community and volunteering events to news specials, eco product promotions and even new green websites (like Ecologue!).
Eco-living is center stage this week, but why stop there? Make Earth Day a kick off for year-round greener living. Get started with these easy ideas:

Go Paperless
Sure, that junk mail is great fodder for a compost pile, but reducing waste is better than recycling. Take time this week to switch all your bills to paperless or e-statements. Consider canceling unwanted catalog and magazine subscriptions and sign up for a junk mail monitoring service, which removes you from mass mailing lists for small fee. Your letter carrier — and local landfill — will enjoy the lighter load.

Grill It
Cook-out season doesn’t start till after Memorial Day, but grilling is a more energy-efficient way to cook. Whether hosting a backyard party or cooking a weeknight dinner, always use real plates and silverware (or consider biodegradable plates), and shop for your ingredients from the local farmers’ market or food co-op, which will be brimming with fresh produce soon enough.

Get Crafty
Want to give a room a spring update? Consider a crafty recycling project for the kitchen, bathroom, living room or even garden. Look for ways to reuse recyclables: line garden beds with newspaper, turn old plastic bottles into a garden trellis and more. Or just refresh old furniture with a new slipcover or wood finish (try all-natural, soy-based strippers and low-VOC paints).

Shop Wisely
Looking for gifts for mom, dad, a grad or just for yourself? Bookmark shopping sites such as the The Rainforest Site, The Hunger Site, Care2 and iGive, where a portion of sales go to good causes (sometimes your choice). If you’re just in search of eco products, check out green ratings at Evo.com.

Hug a Tree
Well, not literally. Take advantage of warmer temperatures and update your landscape. Plant deciduous trees near your house. As they grow, the trees' lush leaves will shade your home from the warming sun. In winter, their bare branches let that sunlight through, which means less stress on your heating system and utility bills. Plus, more trees means cleaner air.

blooms and shrooms

Above is the current status of my orchid comeback! I noted in a previous post that I was surprised to find that it grew a new stem with buds... I was holding my breath hoping it would eventually bloom, as orchids have a tendency to "drop buds" for no apparent reason. But alas, it has pulled through and is blooming proudly! Pay no attention to the smaller orchid pot to the right with the short cut off stem, I don't want to talk about it...that one has not been as eager to regrow. Now, onto other items, it's been busy around here as you can see below, Will has been busy busy busy making garden mushrooms. Aren't they cool? We'll be selling them at Miller's lawn and garden auction on Saturday.

I'm glad I already have one, it's red with white spots...but perhaps I should have another one- maybe a green one?

Ring of Fire

On Friday night Will and I went to see Ring Of Fire, the music of Johnny Cash at the State Theatre in Easton. Johnny Cash has always been a favorite of mine and the show was great. Johnny Cash had once played at the State theatre so it was cool to be there to hear his music. I could write on and on about the man, the music but instead I've included a link for you to enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dqbv8a1Qtg

happy birthday bro!