The Naked Lady: Reprise and Reprieve - Part 2

Thursday, Aug. 27th, finally arrived when my household would meet Pat - Arkansas (Pat - AR), a blogger interested in my prolific, overcrowded, enchanting stock of Naked Lady bulbs (NLBs). She was bringing her gardening daughter (PGD) and granddaughter (JGD).

Pat - AR, Remembrances of An Arkansas Stamper, loves lilies, and weekly posts beautiful photos of lilies and other flowers as part of a meme. If you are a rubber stamper, she also has a blog, Rubber Stampers - Visionary People.
Traveling 3+ hours from Central Arkansas is not a superhighway, Interstate journey, but a somewhat tiring drive on winding, narrow roads and highways with few passing zones.

Generally a rural state, Arkansas, especially northern areas, is not known for user-friendly highways, but winding roads through beautiful scenarios and vistas is a reward for the slower, tedious journey. In early 1960s while visiting the Eureka Springs area, I encountered dirt and gravel roads, some more reminiscent of trails; most of these roads are now improved with hard surfaces!

Arriving around 11 a.m. we introduced Pat, et al , to our favorite non-franchise hamburger joint, Pat's treat. We ordered our items to go and carried them to my home where we engaged in cordial informal conversation, as if we'd known each other for years. Husband (H) and PGD talked military life; JGD played with Luckie, Pat - AR and I talked about a million things it seems.

We all seemed to have survived the local cuisine, at least to the time of this post.

I am still amazed by the ease we all slipped in and out of multiple subjects as if we had known each other for years.

Blogging probably contributes to this ease as we write about personal subjects and events. Pat - AR once blogged about an earache which became life threatening. I could empathize and have a related story I'll write in the future.

Luckie was a star and on her best behavior. She is a sweet dog who seems appreciative of her new found life in "heaven" as opposed to the "hell" from which we rescued her. Some of her less desirable habits are likely related to her former life of survival. She offered her own flavor of hospitality but in her usual manner, simply rested among us without being a nuisance for attention.

After eating lunch the digging began. PGD brought the most awesome shovel sharpened to a knife edge, a dangerous weapon. She could sink the shovel a foot in my rocky flower beds with ease. She balanced herself on the shovel unbelievably well. I marveled at her balancing act.

I cannot do any balancing routines in my exercise class, so a person adept at balancing themselves atop a shovel with a razor thin edge is miraculous. Pat - AR pulled weeds and helped fill their container with the many onion sized bulbs. I supervised where the locations of bulb masses in front of our deck. H located other clumps in our front yard. JGD played with Luckie.

It seemed the bed was cleared rather quickly; I doubt Pat - AR and PGD thought the same as it was a rather humid, warm day in Arkansas. Sweat was dripping before the session ended.

PGD educated me in Arkansas botany and gardening, much more than I ever learned in collegiate botany class. I was amazed at her knowledge of Arkansan native plants.

When theye finished, a large green container was comfortably full of bulbs to carry home; we, also had an additional 5-gal bucket to further share wit others.

Several days earlier H had dug two clumps of NLBs in the back yard which yielded 56 bulbs: he added these bulbs to Pat - AR's green container.

After more pictures Pat- AR, et al, packed the bulbs in the rear of their nice van, loaded up and started the 3-hour trip home, a different winding route to see more scenery. Upon arrival aroud 6 p.m. they counted the bulbs: 213! More remarkably, they commenced planting a few. I am amazed they had the energy after a round day trip of six hours in a van!

I doubt they believe me, but I bet I have nearly that many NLBs still scattered around my property. My Best Friend wouldn't mind her yard being thinned. I gave her a start and she is now inundated with NLBs.

Knowing NLBs will adorn a church garden, several of Pat's friends' homes, and her daughter's home makes me smile.

Even though I had an overwhelming display this year, not all bulbs bloomed. In some of the huge clumps of bulbs, it was evident only a few had bloomed. Next season may be thin, but I've shared our yard for 30 years with NLBs, never fertilizing, never watering, virtually ignoring their existence.

I thinned them unmercifully in 2002; this bumper crop of NLBs is a result of that thinning. In 7 years or less, we'll probably be looking at another 200+ bulbs!

If you, who follow Remembrances of An Arkansas Stamper, don't find many posts for awhile, Pat - AR and gardening daughter are planting Naked Ladies throughout central Arkansas!

Thus the Coward's Corner with Luckie Naked Ladies population received a reprieve from destruction, courtesy of Pat - Arkansas, her daughter and granddaughter.

***Photo ID (Some day I'll have to figure how to add cutlines to photos in blogger, if that is possible) From the top:

1. [Left] Pat - AR (l), NitWit1 -Carol (r) {Photo, courtesy of Pat - AR}
2. [Right] (l-r)Pat- AR, NitWit1 H, Pat's - granddaughter, Pat's - gardening daughter
3. [Left] Pat - AR granddaughter and Luckie
4. [Right] Pat - AR (l), gardening daughter (r)
5. [Left] (l-r) NitWit1 Carol, Pat - AR gardening daughter {Photo, courtesy of Pat - AR}

6. [Right] NitWit1 Carol {Photo, courtesy of Pat - AR}

7. [Left] Garden tub of Naked Lady bulbs

Other posts you may enjoy:

Having Fun with Naked Ladies...

The Naked Lady: Reprise and Reprieve - Part 1 (Reprise)

Summer Nudity Has Arrived...

A couple of web site information about Naked Ladies (there are many others)

Surprise Lily, Magic Lily or Naked Lady - Plant of the Week

Floridata