Cover-up

In Agatha Christie's novel, Nemesis, a Silver Lace vine plays a role in solving the mystery. (It is not one of the Dame's best, by the way.) The silver lace vine is a fast-growing, deciduous vine that grows approximately 10 feet in length in one season.It can become invasive when not pruned on a yearly basis to control growth.

Although I had not paid particular attention to it before -- despite having read the novel several times over the years -- last year on a drive to Madison, I was struck by how much of it saw along the roadside. Because Tom has been clearing brush and dead trees on the property, we have piles of branches and limbs all over. So I thought we might want to consider getting some silver lace to help cover it up. That seeming to be its best use, according to what Miss Marple says in the book.

It turned out that a small vine showed up on its own alongside one of the piles last fall. This year it has done its bit to grow like Topsy, and here are a few photos. Tom also put a trumpet vine by the pile and a wild grape vine is doing its part.

Not in the nature of a cover-up but in the nature of a reminder ... When my father died three years ago, Kathie, my colleague on the bookmobile, gave me a hydrangea bush. Tom created a little wild garden for it, and it has survived two winters without showing much spectacular growth. Last year I think there were one or two small bunches of flowers. This year it certainly is looking leggy, but there are many more blooms. I may trim it back a bit in late winter -- I understand that is the time to do it, since it will bloom on new growth -- and try to give it some shape.