Gardener's Diary

Daylily. Daylilies comprise the small genus Hemerocallis of flowering plants in the family Hemerocallidaceae. They are not true lilies which are Lilium in Liliaceae. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I turn around for five minutes and the weeds have gone crazy. Okay I was away from gardening (manicure and travel) for almost two weeks. Poppies and peonies, iris and day lilies are starting to bloom.  Most years, as soon as my peonies blossom we have violent rain which nails many of  the blooms even though they are supported.

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Crimson Cloud Hawthorn

The Crimson cloud hawthorn is in bloom, crimson and white blossoms. The variegated French lilac is nearly gone by and the regular old farmhouse lilac is ready to pop!

English: garden peonies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Returns? Always Open LL Bean's Flagship Store

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How many gifts did you, or do you, need to return from people who don't really know you or who know you well? In other words how many gifts did you need to return?  I only had one this year and it went down the road to the only store I know is open 24/7/365.

LLBean is a remarkable place.  in 1984 when we moved here it was a large building and the wares were quite traditional.  I bought woolen mittens that are still somewhere in my house.  For years they were my only gloves.  As my wardrobe expanded so did LL Bean.  It is now at least three times the size of the old shop I knew and that's just the main store; there is also a bike and kayak and ski shop and a home store. The outlets down the hill are not open as much.

Twelve years ago I worked on the telephones for the holidays.  It was the best place I ever worked.  Employees, at least temps, were treated respectfully at all times. Ergonomic specialists were available to see that your chair and keyboard were in the right spot for you.  We had the best training ever.  Prices are fair and haven't changed much. Style at LLBean's is always an issue. It's a Maine thing that usually results in my husband and eye raising at least one eyebrow in any visit. Today it was a mass of kelly green long coats. But while I couldn't pull off the orange plaid wide leg wool pants in the new Signature line, someone else could. And to be fair, there are great things as well. Their men's oxford shirts are fantastic.

In any event what is remarkable about the flagship store, aside from the amazing guarantee and employees who actually want to help you and know the merchandise, is how the 24/7/365 is backed up.  If you ever visit check the doors.  There are no locks. If they had to lock up for some reason, it would require chains.

Freeport is not so much a town now as it is a huge outdoor mall with free parking throughout.  There are outlets and boutiques, hotels and restaurants. A bit past the shopping areas there are still neighborhoods, but most of the houses that existed between Route 1 and the highway are gone.  There have been many changes since 1984. But the guarantee and great service have not.

It wasn't too busy today when I returned the sweater (lovely color and material, not my style). It wasn't too busy, but it was there and it was open.

Weighty Issues

I used to be a Weight Watchers leader, but fell off the wagon.  The week of my leg surgery I decided to go back on the program as an online subscriber. My husband has as well. Even though I was less mobile as usual I lost weight.

Compared to the program we did in 2003 this is so easy with a completely different points structure!  First of almost all  fruits and vegetables are zero points. This means you can eat more. The tracking is different now. You get a certain number of daily points and a "discretionary fund" of weekly points and more for activities.  I am never hungry and I have lost nine pounds.

There is also a way to use only the power foods and not track at all. It's quite a list. If you do track there are mobile apps as well as desktop.  The program we each bought was $65 for three months. There are still, of course, meetings and they can be very helpful and fun. You realize you are not alone, and well if all these other people can do this you can too! Online there are forums of people struggling through as well.

Anyway, this is the time of year we all start to think about our New Years Resolutions. If your weight is one you would like to address I urge you to check it out!

This post is entirely my idea. Weight Watchers has not solicited nor remunerated me for writing about it.

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Black Friday

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Urp! It's Black Friday.  Who's going shopping?

Do you go for holiday gifts or yourself?

I get freaked out by crowds and because most of my gifts have to be shipped elsewhere most of mine are purchased online.  And many are from a local company, L.L.Bean.

Best wishes to merchants across the country for a good holiday season.  While that sounds trite, it isn't they are very important to our economy and the health of the economy is important to us all.

I had no idea it was the name of a movie.

I am looking forward to Cyber-Monday.

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