Creation

One of the most incredible gifts DP ever gave me was this amazing blender. It is a sight to behold, white base with a frosted glass, tulip shaped globe with flowers etched in the glass. It has a place of honor on our counter and is admired by all. However, DP has this strange thing , he thinks that these kind of things (toasters, microwaves, blenders)should be used only for what the manufacturer intended, like food and Drinks. In my mind this is a very narrow and confining view of the world (and appliances).I tell you all this to set the stage for the important part this blender played in my rock garden.

All of you who have tried gardening on a steep hillside know that the most important thing is to keep water in your planted pockets long enough to soak the soil before it gravitates downhill. Dry rock stacking is just never going to be tight enough. Then I happened on this Wonderful book. The concept was a sea change in my gardening life. There was a formula. With this formula and variations of it I could make rocks and boxes and pockets. I had the power of the universe!!

The formula was very simple:
1part cement
1 part peat moss
1 part pearlite
And enough water to make gooey

All of this is cheap and readily available at your local hardware store…..except pearlite. All that money for that piddly little bag. It would cost a fortune to do what I wanted. Disappointment and frustration settled over me like a blanket. (Which is my best thinking mode.) I wandered the house and garden for days inconsolable.

While passing thru the garage one day I spied the (4)5ft tall bags of Styrofoam peanuts Lea had ordered. I usually averted my eyes because they made me think of the worms but today something clicked in my brain. What was pearlite but itsy little pieces of Styrofoam. I grabbed a bag and hauled it up the stairs.

My first thought was to put a handful of peanuts in a bag and beat them with a knife handle to make them itsy. This unfortunately seemed to ionize them and they floated out of the bag. There would be a capture problem here. Water was needed to stabilize the process.

My next thought was to pour them in a bath tub, fill it with water and go at them with a meat pounder. That thought was discarded before DP got wind of it and made a fuss.

Later rounding the corner into the kitchen, there it sat in a beam of inspirational light,

The Blender!

Surreptitiously, while DP was in the shower, I experimented and found the perfect mix. Two handfuls of loosely packed peanuts covered with water and the frappe setting. Pour the water off in a colander and WALLA!!!!

Pearlite.

Tomorrow was DP’s golf day so I would have a glorious uninterrupted afternoon. As soon as the car was out of sight I was at it. Happily blending and tossing the result in a giant metal bowl. The wind kicked up a little so the garden looked like one of those snow globes with one pudgy elf and a polka dot cat and dog. I was blissful.

The project was not long underway when, there coming back up the drive, was our Car! In a panic I threw the leaf basket over the blender. DP quickly took in the scene, smiled and drawled, “What ya doin?”

I smiled broadly and said, “Nuttthhhinn……..”

His face said “Do I want to pursue this?”

My eyes said “You do not want to know.”

Don’t try this kind of silent communication at home. It takes years of practice to be effective.

With a nod and a grin he jogged up the steps and across to the door, as it was closing he stuck his head round and said, “Don’t forget to unplug the leaf basket.”

I Love This Man!!!