Spring seems to be making an attempt at an early arrival. I had best find my bottle of allergy medicine. Sigh. In the good old days I used to be able to make it until early to mid April before taking antihistamine every day. Then I’d get a break around mid-June for a few weeks before having to take them again through frost. A couple years ago my June break disappeared and I had to start taking them at the end of March through frost. I hope this year is a fluke and I won’t have to start taking them in February especially since frost is coming later and later every year. I might have to eventually break down and see an allergist to — I’m not sure what — reassure me that taking over-the-counter loratadine for months on end is not going to cause me any kind of harm. If you don’t have seasonal allergies consider yourself lucky. That I do and that I also love gardening and cycling and being outdoors in general creates a special kind of misery that will only continue to get worse as the climate gets warmer.
But enough complaining and feeling sorry for myself, there are plenty of other people with problems worse than mine.
On a happier note, I seeded peppers in sprouting pots today. We are doing cayenne, paprika,
pepperoncini, jalepeno, orange bell and a mini red bell. Last year we had no luck at all with the peppers. Most of them didn’t sprout and the ones that did were weak and tiny and died shortly after being moved outdoors. Hopefully we will have much better luck this year. Long-term weather forecasting is suggesting our summer might be a hot one. Perfect pepper weather, though not so great for the humans of the house.I had to make more paper pots for the seeds so while I did paper pot origami, Bookman worked on the baby blanket he is crocheting for a coworker and we watched the final episode of History of British Gardening. I learned that I have been mispronouncing Gertrude Jekyll’s name since forever. I’ve been saying “Jek-ill” and it is apparently “Gee-kill”. But then the Brits pronounce words in weird ways in general like how do you get “ho-kum” out of Holcombe and “lester” out of “Leicester”? There were so many words in this series of garden shows that I could not comprehend, mostly place names but not always, that at times the host might as well have been speaking something other than English. Do those of you in the UK ever feel that way when you hear Americans speak or do you think we have just gone and ruined a perfectly good language?
Dickens decided to help me make pots. Lucky for me he did not feel compelled to help for long.The leek and onion seeds I planted last Sunday have already begun to sprout. Next weekend it is tomato time.
Friday I picked up Richard Mabey’s newest book The Cabaret of Plants from the library. My turn has finally come and oh, it is going to be such a treat. Here is a little something from the introduction:
[We have] mostly sublimated our interest in the existence of plants into pleasure at their outward appearance, and the garden has become the principal theatre of vegetal appreciation. Plants in the twenty-first century have been largely reduced to the status of utilitarian and decorative objects… We tend not to ask questions about how they behave, cope with life’s challenges, communicate both with each other and, metaphorically, with us. They have come to be seen as the furniture of the planet, necessary, useful, attractive, but ‘just there,’ passively vegetating. They are certainly not regarded as ‘beings’ in the sense that animals are.
It is Mabey’s goal in the book to challenge that view. Does it make me odd that I find that really exciting?
Oh I hate dealing with allergies. I usually take zyrtec and it does help but I end up feeling like a zombie. But yay for nicer weather! 🙂
LikeLike
Iliana, I am in complete sympathy for you. The loratadine (generic Claritin) doesn’t make me feel like a zombie thank goodness, though some days it works better than others. The nicer weather is definitely good in spite of it all 🙂
LikeLike
We are having spring weather, too. It is weird! We went for a drive earlier and had the windows open and didn’t freeze!
LikeLike
Kailana, we can’t drive with the windows open yet, but stepping outside without a heavy coat on was divine. 🙂
LikeLike
It’s been near 80 here for the last ten days or so and I’m totally in the mood now for baseball’s spring training and the upcoming season. College ball is already cranked up and I saw my first game on Saturday over at Texas A&M. Life is good…enjoy.
LikeLike
Sam, that’s not spring, that’s summer weather! We won;t see 80 until June, though at the rate things are going this year it might be May. Enjoy the baseball!
LikeLike
It felt like spring here today too. I went for coffee with a friend and we reminded ourselves that there is still time for a heavy wet snowfall!
LikeLike
roughghosts, oh yes! March is typically one of our snowiest months but it seems more and more these last few years the snow is closer to rain. We’ve had snow in May before so we just never know what might happen–warm days can’t be trusted as you and your friend were reminding yourselves!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spring is here in India, almost a month ahead and so are my allergies! I DO NOT like this climate change for more than one reason! I am so impressed with Dickens and how he constantly wants to help you around! 😉
LikeLike
The Dickens pictures are a hoot! He seems a splendidly reluctant paper pot inspector. I like the little differences in UK/US English. I guess that Jekyll and Leicester are both really weird spellings! That Mabey book sounds fascinating – I have a book of his on weeds on my TBR list.
LikeLike
Ian, Dickens was having a grand time helping me and Bookman and I were both laughing. I suspect in that last photo he was upset that he had to share the tray with the pots and didn’t get it all to himself. I have Mabey’s weed book on my TBR too. I discovered it after I learned about this current one.
LikeLike
cirtnecce, you have my sympathy regarding allergies. The experts say with climate change it is only going to keep getting worse. Hang in there! Oh both Dickens and Waldo are always “helping” me around the house only their idea of help doesn’t always match up with mine! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
According to Bill Bryson, there are twelve recorded and equally accurate ways of pronouncing the English surname “Wriothesley”. I rather like the UK habit of eliding syllables in place names. Makes them feel like a secret code!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Elle, well then if the Brits can;t agree on pronunciation then I won’t worry about it so much 😉 Secret code is right, separates the outsiders from the crowd!
LikeLike
I suspect it’s in part because England was invaded so many times (the Vikings! The French! The Dutch!) that pronunciation is a complete mish-mash.
LikeLike
You could be on to something there!
LikeLike
I do hope Dickens got extra dinner tonight after all that hard work!
As for English names, one of my favourites is FEATHERSTONHAUGH which is pronounced, essentially, as FANSHAW. Obvious. Don’t know why I didn’t get it right the first time. LOL. (Or, nearly as good is CHOLMONDELEY being CHUMLY.)
PS I didn’t know that about Jekyll!
LikeLike
whisperinggums, oh yes, he was working hard he was! Oh my goodness! Fanshaw from that? How ever can that happen? Crazy! I don’t feel so bad about Jekyll then. It does make me wonder if Jekyll or Jekyll and Hyde should be different but then I have heard that pronounced so I guess it goes along with Elle’s comment about the 12 different ways to say “Wriothesley.” 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, I decided that about Jekyll and Hyde too. Fascinating really, isn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It has also been unseasonably warm here. I ran in short sleeves yesterday!
I also have a cat that I have been encouraging to help me with household chores with the same results 🙂
LikeLike
Brian Joseph, whoa you did get warm! Cats are supremely helpful, aren’t they? 🙂
LikeLike
Ooh, that sounds like a good book. I already want it- thanks for bringing it to my attention! The warmer weather is making me antsy to start more seedlings too, but I have to plan it carefully because I don’t have the indoor light- so mine get set out in the coldframe soon as they have first true leaves…
LikeLike
Jeane, oh you bet! I suspect it is one you will enjoy quite a lot. I haven’t gotten far but I am very much liking it. Yes, I am antsy too. Not being able to truly enjoy the really warm day last week did not help one bit! One of these days I am going to build a cold frame. Every year I think it will be the year to do it and then something else comes up.
LikeLike
I’ve started the sneezing thing too. But, then, pollen always comes early here. It’s funny, the the only thing I seem to be able to grow are peppers. Every year, my gardening attempts are disaster, but I’m going to give it another try. I do wish I could rip up my front yard and put in a garden since that is where the sun hits, but the rules say it must be grass. (Which is a fairly useless plant, unless one is a cow.) I need to go on-line and get instructions on the paper pots.
LikeLike
Grad, too bad our cities are so far apart or we could do a vegetable exchange 🙂 I hope this year’s garden turns out to be incredible! Paper pots are super easy to make. I will try and remember to send you the link to the YouTube video I use.
LikeLike
Wasn’t it George Bernard Shaw who said that England and America are two countries divided by a common language? Most of the really obscure pronunciations seem to be names these days and believe me there are some that still catch out the most educated of Brits.
LikeLike
Alex, whoever said it spoke true! I’m glad to know that even Brits sometimes have trouble with pronunciations from time to time!
LikeLike
Allergies must be frustrating. Sigh!
I love Dickens. I am glad he ‘helped’ you. 🙂 I was super excited to see more pictures. Thank you for sharing, Stefanie. And, I love that quote.
LikeLike
Deepika, they are and I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. Glad you enjoyed the photos of Dickens. I was just glad Waldo didn’t decide to help too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, serendipity–the London Underground book that I am (finally) reading is also by Richard Mabey. He is writing about the Metropolitan Line, but it is sort of all pastoral-y, too. I am very much enjoying it. And I have actually read Gertrude Jekyll–some essays and I had no idea that is how you say her name. Oops. Not very intuitive, but sometimes names are not what you expect. I am sorry to hear about your allergies–serious drag!–but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend’s mild weather. I was in need of a little mild weather infusion! Cats are so very helpful, aren’t they?!
LikeLike
Danielle, oh that’s right! I forgot your Underground book was by Mabey! I look forward to hearing about it. Cats are supremely helpful I don’t know how I could manage without them 😉 As for the allergies, this time of year is always a mixed blessing since I am happy for spring but not happy about what comes along with it. Maybe one day someone will actually come up with a cure.
LikeLike
Spring is trying to arrive early here too! I was nodding along to your post because I am almost to the point of having to take an OTC allergy pill (Claritin) every single day. My doctor knows about it and has not said anything about long-term issues, but I still hate it.Still, allergies are worse. Wishing you an itch-free spring!
LikeLike
Michelle, what a relief to know your doctor hasn’t expressed concern over long-term issues from Claritin! I hate having to take the little pill every day too but I’d be an itching mess without it. I wish you an itch-free spring too!
LikeLike
We were trying to explain how to spell “Worcester” to our 4-year-old the other day and he just looked at us like we were crazy.
That book on plants looks amazing.
LikeLike
Carolyn, heh that must have been both frustrating and amusing! So far the plant book is really interesting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! That is a vast array of peppers! Everything is going to be so delicious when they all come up!
LikeLike
Jenny, hopefully they do all come up! Bookman loves peppers and was the one who wanted to try all the varieties. We’ll see if we have better luck with them this year than we did last year!
LikeLike
I feel sure we Brits made the pronunciation of place names so unpredictable just so we could recognise people who ‘weren’t from ’round ‘ere.’ Like in Wakefield where I grew up (said like it sounds for once), there are two train stations at Westgate and Kirkgate. If you’re a local you know that you pronounce the ‘t’ in west but not the second k in kirk, and gate is always ‘gut’. So: ‘Westgut’ and ‘Keergut’. God forbid you should pronounce all the letters and use the standard vowel sounds! Everyone would know you were an incomer. 🙂
Yay for spring! Today I hung my washing out on the line. It probably won’t dry, but it was sunny and warm enough to stand still in a sunbeam, so I couldn’t resist.
LikeLike
Victoria, I’m afraid I would stick out like a sore thumb especially with Westgate and Kirkgate! The town I grew up in in southern California had quite a few Spanish street names and some Native American ones too and we’d always know if someone was new to town by how well–or not– they would say the streets 🙂 Oh I long for it to be warm enough to hang out my washing!
LikeLike