Cannibalism in its best form...

I know the word sparks nameless horrors of Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday, of dark jungles and far away drums, of large pots of boiling water and Bugs Bunny getting boiled by Elmer Fudd. Yet there is a good side to it. I have a firm believe that plants do better if the soil has a few of their ancestors mixed in.

This is where the remains of the tomatoes were placed.

For this reason, last weekend I got the lawn mower out one last time. After raking the leaves and other dead plant matter together, I then mowed over it with a bag (the only time I do bag when I mow) and scattered the remains among the places where next years plants will grow. I sometimes feel like I should do last rights or say something over the uncovered corpses, but I'll allow the "oohs" and "aahs" and "My, what beautiful flowers you have" to be the testament of their fallen comrades. Years hence, their children's children may hate me for all of this and revolt, refusing to grow. However, so far I've kept it a secret and things have gone well. If you do happen to visit, lets try to keep this just between you and me.

Here lies lilies, leaves and ex-roses.

This is a mixed bag of many wildflowers

In addition...

So one advantage I have is that my Mom is a master gardener and lived in this area for many years, so she knows quite a bit about what works and what doesn't in our climate. I have asked her to help with this blog whenever she gets time and so she'll be checking now and again to keep me from getting things mixed up and deceiving the public :-)

I'm doing alright so far, though. I may need to amend or add to posts as we go along here, but I'll try to pass along any tidbits I get. This is the first instance of the additions.

To add to the "Saturday Fun" post, my mom would like to add (and I quote), "It is necessary to mow leaves to keep them from becoming slimmy matted mess. It helps them break down better, too. Some people shred them and put them in black plastic bags or compost bins to let them break down. The leaf mold is really good to put in the soil where you plant carrots or cabbage family plants."

My Mom (Patty) with her grandkids Lucy (left) and Helen

So there you have it. I am honored and blessed to have my mom, and will share her with you as much as I can.