Life Transistions and the Summer Garden

By Cindy Poore

Yes, I know. You all have been wondering what has happened to our newsletter. No, you aren’t unsubscribed, as if that could happen. We have been wrapped up in a bittersweet time.

Some of you may not know that Darrell and I have been helping a good friend who has been ill. Betsy was diagnosed with early onset dementia last year. She bestowed on us, the role of financial controller and generally to be in charge of her life.

We took the job to heart and have managed literally everything for her for more than a year now.

Not an easy task to take someone who is so full of life and wonder and such a gift to everyone who knew her and watch her decline in that way.  Betsy passed away early in May. She was 64.

And while still in the management and grieving process, we are trying to get our lives back to some kind of normalcy.

Betsy left us with a great many lessons. One of the really important ones is to prepare for the unavoidable (death) and the unthinkable ( the horrible disease of dementia.) She left a will and a trust and clear instructions on what to do with her stuff. (lots and lots of stuff! LOL). It makes our job tremendously easier.

I love writing this newsletter because I love to help people. So I am saying this because I want to help you.

“Get your butt to an attorney and get your trust, will and advance directive

done right away. Call to make the appointment today!”

There may not be as many tomorrows as we might hope. Talk to your loved ones about your wishes so they can make the decisions you want for YOU. If you love them, show them, with this final gift.

More Transition!

Some really great things have happened too. My granddaughter Taylor  just graduated high school and she is going to Perdue University in Indiana to work on her life goal: to make environmentally friendly fuel for the world’s vehicles. We are so proud.

With just as much enthusiasm, we welcomed our 7^th grandchild, Landon Wolf McDaniel into this world on May 27^th.  So our lives have been quite full the last few months and we hope you understand if we haven’t seen you recently. We are looking forward to seeing you again. We are just a phone call away if you need us.

Summer Garden Tasks

I didn’t mean to turn this into a Christmas letter in July so let’s get on with the garden stuff!

`Summer is here and the watchword for this season is WATER. Check your drip and sprinklers frequently. Increase the length of time your drip or sprinklers run before adding days. (As long as they are not on a slope). I’d love to see plants and lawns whose root systems are healthy enough to have a  day between waterings. You do your plants no favor by watering them every day in the summer. Unless it is over 100° try to avoid watering every day. Deeper less frequent watering will result in healthier plants. Call us with any questions.

` Mow your lawns a little higher 3” or so in the summer to help shade the roots for more resistance to drought and wind.

`Idea for your next evening party? Put a large shallow bird bath on the patio and fill with water to just cover the bottom. Place a dozen or so small tea lights in the water for a simple but dramatic touch to your evening party.

` Weeds in your lawn? August and January are the months to put weed pre-emergent down for those nasty grass weeds. If you have crabgrass now, January is the time to apply weed pre-emergent. Most people mistake Bermuda grass for crab grass. It you have Bermuda grass, that’s a whole different story.

If you had Poa Annua last winter, August is the best time to apply the pre-emergent to prevent that little guy from coming back. Prevention is the key. What is Poa Annua you say? It is an apple green grass called Annual Bluegrass (not the good kind) that produces seed heads profusely making it difficult to get rid of and making your lawn look unkempt. Hard to get rid of a grass in a grass, so pre-emergent is the best way to go. Don’t spend hours pulling them out. It is useless. Call us we can do it for you.

` Remember to deadhead blooms on your roses, annuals and perennials to encourage new blossoms.

`Stop watering garlic and onions and wait a month before harvesting.

Let Us Help You With All Your Landscape Needs

(760) 868-6104

My Favorite Recipes

What makes a summer? Why ice cream of course. What better to top off a hot summer night with? I make a simple vanilla ice cream and top with fruit (or chocolate when I’m being bad) but you can add lots of things to yours.  I have a wonderful variation below that will just transport you to your favorite vacation spot in Hawaii.

Cindy’s Not Really Plain

NO COOK Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream*

2 cups half and half*

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

1/8^th tsp salt

Mix well until sugar is dissolved and put into ice cream freezer and freeze according to directions. I love my Cuisinart ice cream maker! So easy and no salt to deal with.

*You could use 4 cups of low fat, no fat or full fat milk or a combination to cut the calories. The difference is in the mouth feel. And then of course it’s not ice cream, it’s ice milk. Make it the original way and then experiment. I haven’t yet made it with almond milk and Stevia for the sweetner but thinking of giving it a try.

Variations:

Island Dream!Top your vanilla ice cream with pineapple topping, chopped macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. Don’t forget the cherry!

Nuttylicious!

Add ¾ cup of peanut butter warmed until just of pouring consistency and 8 oz of milk chocolate chips to cream before freezing. Top with chopped nuts to serve. YUM!