I’m especially concerned about my beautiful hybrid iris , as there are pesky weeds and grass at the bases that the lawn mower can’t reach . Not that Bear doesn’t. try—I find a cut off cluster every once in awhile.

I’m not complaining ! "I don’t know how " to mow and I don’t want to have to learn ! I never work for people that have only one way to do things if I can help it.

We have two rows of iris along the gardens edge where I plant out iris that are of unknown colors or those that are too pretty to throw away but not pretty enough to keep in the limited space of the flowerbeds around the house . Sometimes I buy ( Or beg ! ) batches of iris - Just about all will turn out to be pretty but I have my favorite colors . Son took pictures of the iris rows for my web page recently and will bring his digital camera over here in a few days to get the flowers on the web . He also put up a picture of me working in the wildflower garden beneath the gnarly old pear tree out back .

I have a request for Rhubarb Custard Pie on the web site so here it is ! We haven’t had one this year - been trying to cut down on sweets . 3 cups rhubarb, cut thin 2eggs 1 ¼ cups sugar 2 Tbl. Sweet milk 2 Tbl. Flour ½ tsp. ( scant ) nutmeg. Beat the eggs till light then add other items . Mix well then stir in the rhubarb . Pour in an un-baked deep dish pie crust then dot with pats of butter .Put on the top crust and fancy it up any way you like. I cut a quarter sized hole in the center of it then make fern designs around the rest of the top using the paring knife. Set the pie crust ( We are using bought crusts aren’t we ?) on an old black cookie sheet so it’ll brown good on the bottom . Bake at 400 * for 50 to 60 minutes or till the crust is brown and filling is bubbling up in the center. Adjust recipe to suit your ovens whimsies .

Our rhubarb isn’t growing like it should but maybe that’s yet another thing to lay off on the weather. The leaves seem large but the stalks themselves seem short . Don’t that just figure ? One thing I love about this tart Spring "Pie plant " is that it can be frozen without blanching .

One edible that is growing like a weed is just that – Poke weed . I must go gathering today . All this rain has made the shoots grow tall and tender . I begrudge the time spent washing and parboiling this " First greens " but I really like to have a goodly supply in the deep freeze to mix with turnip greens or mustard when winter’s winds start to blow .There’s a bumper crop growing on the back lot next door where it was tilled last year and more of it every year volunteers up in the flower beds . I set out a row of it in the garden but it wasn’t too happy there—now that I plowed it up it has come back strong—after sulking a year . Venus looking glass ,or mouse - ear as Mom called it , is ready to pick now . Lamb’s quarters is showing up here and there and there are more violet leaves than I ever saw before .