" The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances". - Martha Washington

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Happy Tuesday

Tonight is late evening from 4:00 til 7:00 viewing of the gardens at Agecroft hall and we are looking forward to seeing what is growing there.

  Meanwhile here at home
I planted my twynings Smartie Dahlia tubers in March inside  and babied them.  They have blooms and are or were so strong and healthy till I decided to move the pots as it was beginning to thunder and rain and spilled over the wagon.  I put them back in the pots but I have no hope really for them. Some of the tubers fell off.  SO UNHAPPY ABOUT THAT.
I shall see.

I picked a few squash today.  This squash picture was from a few days ago.


A few cheery flowers from the yard for the bath in the hall.  Yes that is sage green tile put in when house was built in '69. It's in good shape and I like it.  Had thought about changing it but I like the color.

Another bloom.  This has been blooming a good while now.


My tea rose is blooming

At the garage. Probably way too many plants in here.


A mini  rose I picked up from walmart after valentines day.

Cleaning up the azaleas a little.  They seem to bloom better when I cut off some long limbs


I know these potatoes in pots are way too many and this is the first time I grew any in pots.
Will see.


Cukes

I broke off a piece of rosemary and its rooted in the planter.  I think things do really well in this mushroom compost.  I will always use it now.

I do like the celery flavor parsley and the tarragon I have been cutting on.  The chives behind it are very good and I have cut many of those and dried.


I had to divide the chives here from the ones I have growing in a pot


This lavender I can't bring myself to disturb right now.  I do need to move it again.  It is now about 8 or 9 years old.  It is a hardy plant.  Provence it's called.
I did do quite a bit of chopping it back this year but didn't seem to mind it.


I planted this last year.  It was looking like it was going to die but when the neighbor removed trees, it now is doing great, it loves the sun.  I pull off the fragrant petals and wash and dry them stored in the refrigerator.  When I get soft purple flowers to pull off the Lavender, I will make some jelly.  I rather pull off the purple flowers instead of waiting for them to dry because they are sweet and not as strong as the seed.

My tomato in the pot along with a dill plant I put beside it.  These cherry tomatoes are different colors. Orange, yellow and red.

Italian tomatoes and red pepper doing fine so far. I pulled off the lower leaves to keep the air circulating around it nicely.

I didn't have the heart to pull up this lone romaine lettuce I tied at the top to keep it together.  It has been in this planter in mushroom compost and dirt for a month maybe two.

oxalis is pretty but it is a weed as far as I am concerned.  It will grow any and every where.

Cleaned out the bed here and now will put some shrub and tree dirt with fertilizer and  mulch around them

I will have more than this to cut off but it's a start.

Excited to see this hydrangea with a few blooms.  Will see if it is going to bloom red. 


Grapevine I really didn't think would grow. I originally was going to let it grow on a trellis over the gate but changed my mind.  Now it's growing nicely and it's green grapes.  Will move after the season I guess.
Tonight I am going to make some mushroom soup.  I also will try some celery flavored parsley in it.  I love mushroom soup, Steve likes it with potatoes.
I hope he is not reading this on his lunch break and then give me a call to place potatoes in his.   Hmmm.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Forgot Edgar

I am still looking for and trying to organize my pictures on this p c.  Will eventually get there and I found some other pictures I meant to put in the previous post of the fort. 
A well known,  who enlisted in the Army on May 26, 1827 under the alias of Edgar A. Perry.  Stationed at Fort Monroe with the 1st Regimental Artillery from December 15 1828 to April 14, 1829.
  
I chuckled when I read that he received the rank of Sergeant Major in such a short amount of time.  Quite obviously no formal review process was conducted at that time.

  Edgar Allan Poe's required service was not finished and he was officially discharged on April 15 1829.  Under an arrangement with Sergeant Samuel Graves who was to finish Poe's enlistment.  
Sergeant Graves never received the promised payment from Poe.  
Not long after leaving Fort Monroe 
a collection of his works entitled Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and some poems were published in December 1829.


 A find after 150 years.




this is a little blurred  but if enlarged can be read




A view of  what it looks like from the top and  thinking I would not want to have the grand girls running around up here.






Happy Sunday all


Friday, May 17, 2019

Inside the Fort

Back to February and a visit to a Fortress.
Mid February we took a drive back to Fort Monroe and this time instead of seeing just the outside parameter, we decided to go inside.

Interesting place.  Driving around to the gate to see inside the Fortress.
Located in Hampton Virginia, a decommissioned military installation.
Virginia's Peninsulas Southern tip.
Completed in 1834 and named in honor of James Monroe.
History explained → https://fortmonroe.org/about/fort-monroe/history/
 
  Definitely worth taking the time to read.  Hi lite address, copy and paste in browser.

To the inside of the fort



We stopped at the Chapel of the Centurion first before we took in other sites inside.







The army's oldest wooden structure in continuous use.  Named after the Roman Centurion, Cornelius.
Beautiful wooden cross

Stained glass window that is now in the museum we toured at the Fortress

explanation of the window


Next some historical quarters like this one


Some restoration going on and I had to zoom in to see the ceiling and the doorway



A short clip of this place showing more of the house



Now the big gun

I couldn't get over how big this thing was.  Huge.


A walk around it in this short clip



Onto the casement museum which is a series of interconnected casements. Vaulted chambers that are within the forts walls.



Passing by the casement Jefferson Davis was held









video of entrance to casement and of the cistern

We are cautioned as we enter that the archways are low.  The average size of soldiers manning guns like the ones we see here were average 5'8" tall and 143 1/2 pounds in weight.


Early days
 Early days





















Strength of the fort

Steve walked to Flagstaff Bastion

From top of Fort.

Nine stories and sits on Fort Monroe.  The Chamberlin was once a hotel.  Today a retirement community.  It overlooks Hampton Roads at Old Point Comfort.


I zoomed in a little closer

From the top is Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

Checking out this barge going by from the top


This is a steep climb from the inside for sure.  But such a neat look over the water from the top.