How to divide Iris

Iris is my favorite flower and over the years I have grown thousands of them, probably.  They are perennial and easy to grow, little maintenance is needed.  Typically every 3-5 years I will dig them up and divide them because they get crowded and won't produce blooms.  So this was the year to do it.  Here are photos on what I did and the end results.

This one was probably 5 years old and did not flower this year.  I took off all the side stuff and broke off three of the bumps.  

A typical iris bed around my house.  See how they are clustered and crowded.  I dug all this up with a pitch fork, so as not to break the roots, and divided them all, throwing away the small side plants and trimming the leaves into a fan shape.  

This is one cleaned-up flower bed.  The iris now have shorter leaves and no side growths.  The roots are buried but the rhizome is above the ground, as if it gets too much water it will rot.  Not a pretty smell, either.  The other plants are columbine and lily.

Pitch forked this clump.  Notice the middle rhizome has no leaves.  Time to throw it out and keep some of the larger side ones. 

This same clump broken up.

A very mature iris.  The roots were cut back, then replanted.  Dig the hole deep enough for the roots to fit below or behind the rhizome.  Then cover them with dirt and pack lightly.  Sometimes these things look like really ugly bugs  :-)  

These are some of the many larger iris I decided to keep, all trimmed and ready to replant.   I threw away a bag of the discarded leaves and plants.  Sad to do it, but I have no space for all that I would like to grow.

About 8 years ago I counted in my garden 100 iris growing!  They were mostly purple, but also a few other colors.  The thing is you can't tell what color the flower will be just by looking at it.  I have given away lots of iris by putting them in a basket out at the street with a sign stating they could have as many as they want.  

New Homes being built

This new housing development is about a ten-minute walk from us.  It will have 200 single family homes eventually.  Construction started in September 2016 and progressed to model home being built and opened in August 2017.   An opportunity for more families to be reach for Christ.

Streets were started in the summer. 

The back end of the development.  The park was the first thing finished. 

Photo taken from building across the street.  

The only street entrance and main street back to the park.

This sign showed up about August 25 announcing the model home opening. 

Outside the sales office, hence the "circus land" name.

View from second floor to living/dining room. Tatami room to right. Kitchen is typically small;  extends beyond the bottom of the photo. Bath and laundry would be to the right opposite the tatami room. 

Master bedroom decor.  There was a huge walk-in closet here, plus two other rooms upstairs.

Update for August 2017

 This red bird was beautiful so I took a photo of it sitting pretty wherever it was.
I arrived back in Japan on August 18.  August is always hot and humid, but this year it was rather cool and cloudy, but little rain until the end of the month.

The garden veggies were in need of some TLC so I cleaned up all that and harvested the tomatoes and peppers.  Now to tackle the strawberries.  Henry put in ocra and it's doing well.  Salads are in abundance for meals now.

 Henry working on the front steps.  He took out one so now there are four long ones instead of five short ones split in the center.  He finished staining all five decks around the house about the first week of September.  It does look nice.

 This is out the front door to the left and the wheelchair ramp.

To the right out the front door.  

The new long steps 

Completed front decks 

Wheelchair ramp 

View from the bridge not far from us.  Blue house is the smallest one here.  Rice was ready to harvest.  This is late August. 

Also from the bridge through the fence.  The Church is easier to see. 

Back in Japan

 I have arrived back in my own home here in Japan at about 7:00 pm.  The flights were all fine, except for the first one to Dallas that had about 10 seconds of really turbulent wind--so much so that it tipped the left wing up and the stewardess that was serving beverages lost her balance--that was a bit scary, and we were happy it did not last longer.  Other than that the flights were all good.
Thanks for your prayers.

More Babies

Not sure which one this is, but I think it is Alora. She usually has on a dark pink cap.

Alora and Clarity

Hello, world! 

Hmm, that's a good question, Grandma!

Sara holding Clarity

Matthew and a niece

Meet Alora and Clarity

After about 24 hours in labor that was not progressing, the doctor did a C-section and at 3:53 pm Alora Taryn was born at 5 lbs, 7 ounces and 18 3/4 inches, on  Thursday, August 3rd , Clarity Arlen was born  at 3:54 pm, weighing 5 lbs. 13 ounces and 19 inches in Reston, Virginia.

Proud Grandma holding my firstborn named Alora about 2 hours after birth

Clarity and Alora 

Clarity after I fed her

Matthew gave Joe this t-shirt

Christin with Clarity on the 4th

Christin has been in a lot of pain due to the C-section, so it will take some time until her belly is pain-free.  The twins are so sweet.  Alora cries more than Clarity who can sleep through anything it seems.  At their first bath on the 4th, Alora cried and Clarity just relished the warm water.  Joe is the doting Dad, feeding and changing diapers.  

Update on the Grands

Joe called at 3:00  pm.   Christin is not progressing, so the doctor will do a C-Section in the next hour or two.  I am heading to the hospital to wait there.

Still Waiting and Monarch butterfly

As of 2:30 pm on Thursday, we still have not heard if the babies are here yet.  Joe called about 11:30 this morning and said that the doctor was going to increase the pitocin medicine to speed up the contractions. We are still waiting. 

In the meantime, I watched a monarch caterpillar change into a chrysalis.  What it actually does is turn itself inside out for the final molt.

It wiggles for a time then the back breaks open and splits the skin the length of the body and the final wiggles dislodge the skin and the soft jade chrysalis is there.  Took about three minutes.  It will stay in this stage for two weeks, then a new butterfly will emerge.  Don't know if I'll be here to see it or not.

Grandbabies

Praise the Lord I arrived safely in VA. Joe was to meet me @ airport, but Carolyn was there instead. Christin was at the hospital for her regular appt. She had high blood pressure so was admitted to induce labor about 11:40 AM. We went directly to hospital and found her in a private birthing room sitting pretty in the bed with an IV drip and monitors on the babies. Pitocin (?) drip was not started until 4:30, so I Ieft with Carolyn to go to her house nearby and get some much-needed rest (awake 24 hours by this time). At 7:15 pm she was having contractions and it is going slowly right now. Joe will give us updates. I am guessing by tomorrow the little ladies will be born. Here's a photo of the new parents taken just before I left the hospital room.

The male Kiji again

I heard this guy's honk outside my kitchen window on July 27th.  He was so close.  There was also a white cat stalking it, so he just sauntered off.  He was about twice the size of the cat.  

A closeup of the head.  I guess this bird is about three years old.  I've also seen several females in another field; they are smaller and brown, but just as alert.  I think they nest in the kudzu vines about 200 yards around the corner. 

Harvest Time

The blackberry bushes have produced an abundance this year.  These will be made into a cobbler for Sunday lunch

A small portion of the multitude of mini tomatoes we have. Yummy.

Cukes, blackberries, regular tomatoes, yellow squash and peppers

My favorite flower in multitude of colors--the gladiola 

Dinner of corn on the cob and a pan of fried potatoes with hamburger, onion, mushrooms and colored peppers, salt and pepper.  Yummy! 

Back Deck part 2

Power washing the deck railings.  First sprayed with a mold killer.  Henry gets all wet in the process.  

Here Henry is adding the first coat of stain to the boards.  It is not easy on the back.  It will be a long process getting it done with just himself.  I'll be gone two weeks to see my first grandkids being born, so I can't help.