My Neighbor Blasts Her Tunes

Living in a 'cookie cutter' neighborhood of little houses (which I prefer to think of as a neighborhood of perfect little cottages), we have enough room to landscape the sides of our houses, leaving a little strip for the mowing guys to just fit the mower on the little strip of grass in between. I say this to give some idea of the proximity of the houses...um, cottages. My neighbor to the right has taken to blasting her tunes on a daily basis! If she had any idea of how that music floats into the windows of my bathroom and permeates the walls of my bedroom, she would be mortified, I'm sure. She's that type. But it isn't that loud and often offensive music that blasts from car windows or boom boxes on the beach. It is the sweet melodies of classical and often piano music. This muffled sound is not annoying. Rather, I find it rather calming, bringing back the sounds that came from the kitchen radio my mother often had on. While mom's choice of radio station was not as high brow by any stretch of the imagination, the activity of mom in the kitchen doing her 'mom stuff' while listening to WJTN 1340AM broadcasting Jim Roselle live over a half century ago were untroubled times...and my neighbor's tunes remind me of those days and return that placid feeling. May my neighbor never realize that I enjoy her daily broadcasts. 

To Grow Some Dahlias ... Maybe

It has been sometime since updating our blog on growing Dahlias. Following directions, I have placed them in a spot that receives sun up to 6 hours a day and after the greenery appears I have kept them well watered. There are two that fulfilled their promise on the package of 'guaranteed to grow'. The third just refused, even though it received the very same care, to show any signs of life whatsoever. Unfortunately, I am at a standstill when it comes to knowing what to do with them next. Observing the Dahlia sites that one of our kind readers recommended, I was lost for words at the beauty of the Dahlias...mostly growing in well manicured gardens or started by knowledgeable growers. One thing I have observed with gardening, craft and do it yourself project sites is that they assume you have some knowledge of the subject before beginning. With Dahlias, I do not. I have brought them onto the porch for their photoshoot....now I will return them to the center of the back yard where they will receive their daily dose of full sun. I hope I am a little more knowledgeable on their next update. Knowing what to expect next from them remains a mystery.