Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for August 23, 2021

Most recently last night? At bedtime? 8^ )

Can understand that. With the recent passing of Dad at 91, while I never expected to reach his age, the “too many Tours of Duty in the wrong places at the wrong times” is starting to clarify that for me. At least by not staying to retire, I have out-lived by 20 – 25 years most of my co-workers that did stay around for it.

What happened to the couch, or are we in the six month waiting period?

No matter what age, you might not be here tomorrow.

Interesting!

I just rooted a twig from a Weeping Willow tree!

Now I will ask the love of my life where to plant it, since it’s her favorite tree!

Finally the payoff from the start of this storyline in early summer… when the gardening was overwhelming to Janis, but Arlo didn’t want to help her with the annuals that he’d insisted they plant for years instead of shrubs or perennials. Heading into fall now, the inside of their house is painted, they have a recovered sofa, and the garden will suit both their needs… which means they’ll probably move.

Time to move house!

“Shrubs take so long to reach maturity”

I wonder if Janis thinks that about Arlo.

Arlo needs to get with the times and start using cutting-hedge technology.

I don’t think the passing of time is what she’s talking about.

I think she got scammed with that line before.

We left dozens of fruit trees and berry bushes behind when we moved. Starting over and won’t make the same mistakes, like planting trees that don’t produce much.

Eat, drink, and be merry!

Well, that’s just an amazingly positive thought for a Monday….

in the 6 years I’ve owned this property, the saplings I’ve planted have become strong young trees. Huge mature trees have died (and are expensive to remove) and wild flowers have come and gone. Cherry tree still only grows one cherry, peaches are good this year but my blueberries have decided to take a year off. It was the black berries turn to be the stars of summer. I hope the next owners of this land enjoy it as much as we do, maybe more.

I hear ya Arlo, this time next Monday I’ll be in the hospital for kidney surgery. It should be a piece of cake but since I’m “of an age” who knows?

You “planted” Gene, do you want to plant more?

I’m 78 and planted two apple trees last year. Never occurred to me not to.

I like getting them small and watching them grow. I don’t care if I only see one year’s growth. I enjoy it. In my former house, I kind of felt like my trees and bushes grew up together with me.

Yeah, but that was said to get you to do things you might not otherwise do….

“Hey baby, the Russians may nuke us all tomorrow, so how about we do it tonight…”

A 32 yo man was infected with COVID. Admitted to the hospital, he died 5 days later. He was unvaccinated.

SO WHATS YOUR EXCUSE

You’re making more work for yourself, Arlo. You’ll wind up planting shrubs AND flowers and tomatoes.

Leyland cypress trees grow 3-5 feet a year. Better keep them trimmed because they can reach 40-60 feet high!

Is JJ re-thinking retiring the strip?

Me thinks the “joke” here today is that Arlo said that same thing each time he planted the now mature shrubs behind them in panel 4. So says Janis…..

I remember telling my wife that we should invest in our previous house – get the A/C, get the generator, new fence, new deck, that sort of thing, because we were happy in that house, we were going to be empty nesters and were going to be in that house another 15 years or maybe longer. She agreed! So we did that stuff, 2 months after the last thing was done … life changed and we sold to get into a bigger house. Barely makes me want to unpack a box.

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today.” I planted two sugar maples by my driveway 15 years ago to provide shaded parking. They are now approaching 40 feet.

Martin Luther: “If I know I will die tomorrow, I will still plant an apple tree today” [or something like that…and maybe said by someone else and just attributed to Martin L.]

yeah. probably 20 years ago….time goes by so fast.

My strategy is to live forever…so far, its wor…

You are both young, no gray hairs yet. My wife and I still garden and I’m 70. Love it, and the great produce.

I planted an Elm Tree sapling that I grew from a Samora that was of of a hundred or more that I crammed into a coffee can, not expecting anything since they are hard to germinate!

One of them came through and when it was 10 inches high I planted it in my ,soon to be, mother in laws’ back garden in the spot where there was a dead peach tree.45 years on it is now quite a spectacular specimen that is remarkable since there is nothing like it around there.

The buyers of that house, when my mother in law passed away, considered it an asset and one of the reasons they bought the house!

I drive by it now and then and marvel at how glorious it is!

I’m going to visit the house and ask the owners if I can go and visit my baby and give it a big tree hug!!

I expect that they will tell me to get lost but I will give it a try!

Plant slow growing trees and bushes or else they are too soon, too big!

Husband cut a branch off his parents’ holly bush. Darn thing is now taller than our house and he keeps saying “we” have to cut it down shorter or it will fall down in a storm and take out the house. By “we” he means that I should climb up on a 6 or 8 ft ladder with a chain saw and cut it down (he is actually allergic to holly). Also it has grown so wide that it sticks out into the driveway – that I cut off more often, but if too much is cut off it is just a lot of empty space.

On the other hand (well, other end of the front of the house) he had wanted to put a spruce tree – I talked him into a miniature one instead and he has been glad I did – easier to trim as a Christmas tree and easier to trim down