Sunday, August 30, 2009

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:


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

10 comments:

Arkansas Patti said...

So glad you and Pat got together and had such a fruitful day. Becaues we open up so much in our blogs, often our blog buddies know us as well as our close friends, sometimes better.
Yes, Arkansas roads are meant to be taken leisurely for the views are too beautiful to fly past.
It was thought full to share your plants and I like that Pat will be the Johnny Appleseed of the Naked Lady.
I had read her post so I knew all ready about the huge amount.
Loved the GD and Luckie pic.

NitWit1 said...

AR Patti - I bet when time and circumstance come together, we will meet.

I, and you, follow several Arkansans. And I have a lurker from a couple of AR places.

I hope you read Amber Star's (Serenity Days) comment in Part 1 where she took a police badge with her to meet a fellow blogger. She giggles about it to this day.

Most of us are harmless...I hope.

Silver said...

wow.. i am impressed.

that sounds like a lot of hard work to me.. ;)

hugs,
~Silver

Pat - Arkansas said...

Well and accurately told, Carol. Gardening Daughter and I had a wonderful time with you, and Granddaughter really likes the photo of herself with Luckie. I printed it for her and it's now on the refrigerator in her home, her "official" posting board.

I'm still giving away bulbs. I can't imagine why anyone else would have an interest in having some.... hahahaha! :)

I liked Arkansas Patti's comment about my being the Johnny Appleseed of the Naked Lady. I'm doing my best!

Renie Burghardt said...

How nice and fun to meet another blogger. And I can't imagine having that many naked ladies. Or magic lilies, as we call them around here. I have a nice clump of them and never do anything to them either, but every August they come up and bloom, and delight me with their fragrance. I love them.

Your blogging friends little granddaughter is adorable!

Have a great Monday!

Renie

Sandi McBride said...

What a great time for you! I'm about to share canna's for anyone near Chesterfield County South Carolina! And Day Lilies, too...I love the sharing of a thing and hearing about it, too!
Sandi

Cheffie-Mom said...

How fun to meet another blogger! I've made life long friends from blogging. enJOY your day!

Carol Murdock said...

I bet you girls had a ball! I wish we could all find a central location and just spend a week or weekend gabbing our heads off! :)

Amber Star said...

I wish there was somewhere to purchase these Naked Ladies. I have some red ones, I think, but they had their face turned away when I was out with the camera.

Sounds like a fun time and a good get together.

Liz Hinds said...

It sounds like you all had a great time! How wonderful to meet and share like that.