text:
Idyll #320 Labors of Love in the Garden
For all of us!
Protect your back!" lift and carry safely"
adapted from: National Safety Council
Lifting and carrying are part of most spring cleaning and gardening projects. If you lift and carry the wrong way, you can damage your back. Back injuries may be difficult to treat and may have lengthy and expensive rehabilitation times. Make an effort to take care of your back to help keep it strong and healthy.
* Start each day with slow stretches. Warm-up stretches let you ease comfortably into your workday and help you avoid injuries.
* Size up the load
Tip it on its side to see if you can carry it comfortably. Get help if the load is too big or bulky for one person. Check for nails, splinters, rough strapping and sharp edges. Large containers, root balls, and other garden and landscaping items can be quite heavy - use wheeled carts to help move large items.
* Lift it right.
Make sure your footing is solid. Keep your back straight, with no curving or slouching. Center your body over your feet, get a good grip on the object and pull it close to you. Pull your stomach in firmly. Lift with your legs, not your back; if you need to turn, move your feet and don't twist your back.
Good advice GB.
Cindy - you reminded me of the least favorite but all too frequent comment I receive on showing people my garden - "what a lot of work". Now, if they were referring to the children's bedrooms on a bad day or some of our closets I would readily agree LOL!
Honey - welcome back. Sounds as if you had a wonderful vacation. I love the photos, especially the one of the two of you at the table together. You look so happy nad relaxed. Hope DH adn I look as good :0)
Well did you look at the moon tonight? So nice!
Things are popping in the gardens. Tomorrow there should be some Claire de Lune peonies out.
I'd better go turn off the hose in the veg garden now. Things are so dry!
Hope all is well for everyone. Where's Norma?
GB, the moon IS beautiful tonight! I would not have noticed without your post.
Today was a gorgeous day....cool morning (no humidity) temps and warming to a nice spring day. I stopped at a favorite nursery and picked up several goodies for the pots. I wouldn't even allow myself to peek in their green houses....
I am trying to pamper myself and let things roll off my back for that is what I need right now :)
Tomorrow is another tough day, but I am working on some lemonade.
'night all.
A brief hello to all! I have returned from the majestic Pacific Northwest, but will not get my photos downloaded probably till Thursday-all of them are of plants, lol ! I hope at least some of them turned out okay. I flew home this afternoon and have been watering and deadheading-It's really remarkable how the garden has changed in just 4 days.DS appears to have done a sterling job keeping the watering up.
I have to work on my plant lists for our master gardener garden tour on Sunday so I can't linger..I was able to log in and keep up reading while I was in Oregon and have enjoyed the pics and stories of garden triumphs and tribulations...
Hope to be able to post tommorow, but I did want to drop in and say hello...
Kathy in Napa
I just got in from my morning walk and realized I forgot to update you all on my feathered friend: it's a pair of Eastern Kingbirds! Deanne, the Phoebe was a good guess but too small.
I like my new camera and should be able to post something soon. I saw a white pine that was about 50' tall and it was covered from top to bottom with a wisteria! I will try to get a shot of it today, though I think the flowering has passed it's peak.
Off to shower and brave the day!
Honey -- loved those photos of you and DH & your anniversary trip - what wonderful time and memories - a terrific way to commemorate the event. That DGN of yours is a stitch too - what a cutie.
Yes, Mary - if only working inside were as "hard" and pleasurable as working in the gardens! I'd be a terrific housekeeper in that case, LOL....
Sounds like several of us have some new techie toys to get used to - Im trying to figure out the laptop & downloading the photos from the digi camera to it... too tired at nite to wrap my brain around it. But I look forward to seeing more of Eden's, Cynthia's and Saucy's photos.
Well, most of my peonies are gone but because 'bug mentioned them, I thought we needed a pic on this new thread - one of my favorites because of its color, Coral Sunset:
Let's see some more roses or peonies, all! Actually, the first of my lilies are blooming - gotta catch them in action this week too.
Hi, all!
Honey, your vacation pictures are just great-the two of you look like you're having a wonderful time! Jessica is just adorable...lol, you guys make me want grandkids SO bad :)
Yes, I know, I need a tree peony. And, apparently a wisteria as well. Maybe they can both go back toward the hammock area. I bet we've had that hammock for at least 3 years, and I haven't spent an hour total in it, lol! Kinda like the thing 'bug posted about the AAADD-I MEAN to go lay in it, but see things along the way and never make it back there. Oh, BWT-I never get any of my herbaceous peonies staked. I have way too many, so they're just kinda on their own. Some years they're spectacular-other years, we have lots of cut peonies in the house, lol! This year, they opened, got blasted with the heat and that was that. That reminds me...for years, I've had a strip of peonies along the west side of the house. They came from my Dad's and are all Bowl of Beauty, except one dark pink one. I keep meaning to get it moved out of there, but once the flowers are over, I don't remember which one it is. Oh, I mean to mark it while it's blooming, but get side-tracked. It's the AAADD ;)
'bug-great way to start the new thread..be good to your back everyone :) I'm still a bit hobbled, and having to go really easy on the yoga. One more adjustment and I should be good to go. Today it's going to be 90, so maybe another trip to the bone crusher and a nap.
Cindy, my mailman is baffled as to why I "make so much work for myself", lol! Every time he brings plants, he says, "Brought you some more work". Frankly, I'd rather divide a big clump of Siberian Iris than sweep the floors....not everyone gets that ;)
I didn't see the moon last night. I think maybe the last of the salad in the bag may have not been up to snuff. DH was grilling steaks, and we ate salad, and all of a sudden, I thought I was gonna die! I went to bed, and Jim got all the steak. He went up to his Mom's sometime in the night and got me a couple of 7-UPs. I "broke my streak" shortly thereafter and felt much better. Still a little puny this morning. Thank goodness the lettuce in the raised beds is ready to use. It may be a while before I can face bagged salad again.
I'm going to head upstairs to do my yoga. Today, it will probably just be "Corpse Pose"....laying flat on my back with a scented eye bag. It is TOO exercise...I gotta climb the stairs!
This is Buckeye Belle...darker in person, this one and Hot Chocolate are both hard to capture the color in a picture.
Have a good day, all!
Cindy, no roses here for a while yet!
Here are some things from this morning:
First peony
DH likes this one because it reminds him of his Mom. The family joke is that his Mom won first place in the "bearded division" one year. ;-)
Playing "move the hose" these days and busy with garden and more...
Hi, all. After checking the garden, Im afraid I have to agree with Deanne. My plants seem to be saying, "Hey, whatÂs with this weather? First you freeze me, then you roast me!" Many are reacting like they havenÂt been hardened off. Strange.
When we left a week ago, the hostas were just starting to unfurl and plants were still waking up. I couldnÂt believe the changes to the garden in 7 days! Everything just popped! But I have exciting news -- My ÂLady in Red Hydrangea has buds on it! The leaves havenÂt started to change from green to red yet, but IÂm thrilled itÂll bloom this yr. ItÂs marginal here so I guess the heavy mulch and wrapping in burlap has paid off.
Before I left for Cancun, I bot a ÂLemon Daddy Hydrangea, mostly for the foliage b/c itÂs another one thatÂs iffy for bloom here. I couldnÂt help it  it just jumped in my cart.
Yesterday, I wound up trimming the dead stuff out of our huge front pine b/c the roofers were working next door and were trampling my side garden until I showed up. It needed to be done but not what I had planned to do. I did bring the few plants I had under lights in the basement up and started hardening them off.
The subdivision called this am about my helping w/the re-landscaping projects. No rest for the weary I guess. And why did I volunteer for this?!
Michelle, the Gulf in Cancun seemed much bluer than any other place in the Caribbean and weÂve been to most of the islands. I think itÂs b/c the land topography is flat and the beach gradually slopes away. Also, there wasnÂt any sea kelp or rocky protrusions, just glorious white sand. It was so pretty.
Thanks, Mary. We finally were very relaxed and really needed the getaway. We havenÂt been on a vacation  just usÂin over 7 yrs. Of course, we gained some pounds but that was to be expected.
Kathy, IÂm so jealous you were in the PNW. ItÂs just gorgeous there. CanÂt wait for details of your trip.
Oh, Cindy. Bestill my heart. Coral Sunset is just beautiful! Thanks.
IÂm glad you guys got a kick out of my DGN. SheÂs a character and so smart. She just started wanting to be potty trained. So her newest thing is to sit on the seat. SheÂs not sure why sheÂs there but tells her Mom, "Privacy, please."
Oh, Brenda, so sorry you got sick on the bagged salad! Food poisoning is the pits. Gorgeous photo. Thanks for sharing.
ÂBug, gorgeous photos from you, too! Love that iris. ItÂs so different.
Ok, gotta get crackin here. Hi to all. Especially to T. Miss you. Later, friends.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone! And... umm... Cynthia, you oughtta know by now that this fresh Yankee doesn't put much stock in what the Fed.'s "legislate", let alone what they SAY. ;0 Truly, growing in up in the family I did, certain holidays will always be celebrated on the correct day of the month. It was the same for the helpmeet. And we have made an agreement that we will, from here on out, make certain that we have the correct day "off". It's good to question "authority".
We have a VERY big piece of excavation equipment in our yard. GULP. The cats are enjoying climbing all over it. I have to dig the Narcissus bulbs and any remaining ferns I hope to spare the onslaught of the tracks.
Deanne, you should shoot for next week... I think the Peonies and the Iris will begin opening... maybe the Papaver, too. Would love to have you do the stroll with the cats and I (and that... dog!). I potted up the Fuschia, a lavender Bacopa, and a pink one, a white thing-y that looks like an anemic Petunia, and the Helichrysum. Looks pretty puny right about now. As do the eastery windowboxes... still have to shove the Browallia and remaining Torenia into the bay window boxes before evening shade permits the mosquitos unfettered access to my flesh.
I haven't looked at Honey's pictures, but WILL. Sometime. (busy).
Michelle, a friend of mine has RA. She was diagnosed over 20 yrs. ago. She has "sore" days, but has found maintaining a regular workout regimen very helpful... she swims, because the concussive aspect of running/sometimes really vigorous walking is hard for her. Her feet have borne the brunt of the inflammatory response, but it's different for every person diagnosed. She pays strict attention to her diet and also to her weight. She routinely sees an acupuncturist and massage therapist (it's not "quackery"). I nearly fell over when she told me how much Enbrel costs. She pays for it out of pocket, because her insurance policy has a LIMIT as to how much it will pay for drug therapies (she's able to deduct the payments from her taxes, too). And she's willing to cough it up now because she's still able to work and pay for it... will need the payment when she is older and more infirm on a fixed income. Do your "homework" before you "file" anythng!!! As with all auto-immune diseases, RA is increasingly understood, so PLEASE, IF that's what they diagnose, don't get too freaked out right away. Thinkin' of you, (((Michelle))).
I have to get planting. Later!
Good morning
GB - that is very cool - I can't wait to show it to Annie. It was fun dusting off the cobwebs from my museum days to identify some of the artists and paintings. I just wish there had been more diversity (but that's another discussion not for this forum.)
Another beautiful morning here though we're predicted to reach 90F. David is getting his stitches out after work. Hopefully it will be less traumatic than when they went in.
have a great day everyone - hope you all have some time to enjoy your gardens. The first orinental poppy opened this morning - for a poppy lover that makes it a good day already.
Morning all,
Ive been potting up things like the energizer bunny lately and have been working outside for ten plus hours per day. Now Im coming to the conclusion that Im getting a bit old for putting in these kind of hours outside in the heat as today I woke up tired. LOL Im covered with black fly bites not to mention assorted mosquito bites, but, Im finally getting to the end of the piles of plants I had to pot up and its feeling kind of good. Doug asked if I could possibly have his garage cleaned out by the time he gets home from Rochester tonight so that means another marathon day in the gardens and garage. Maybe tomorrow Ill have to work so I can get some rest.
Bug, talk about lifting with your legs and not your back, Ive gotten all five of my large brugmansias repotted and I did put that behemoth Charles Grimaldi in the corner of the Container Garden-Garden. Those bad boys were a real job to deal with. I did have to have Dougs help with the biggest one but I did the rest of them by myself. The neighbors are getting a kick out of seeing me wheeling my enormous pots down the street with the dolly. Its easier to take them down the driveway and down the street than to try to wheel them over the lawn. We shall see what the summer brings now that the nights are getting warmer the tropicals are finally putting on some nice growth. I surely can tell Ive spent time doing strength training though because in the past Id have been incapacitated with back pain after days of this kind of lifting. Those 55 quart bags of potting soil have to weigh at least forty pounds a piece, probably more. I had to go to Sams to pick up another four bags this week and I only have one left. A fellow at the store said, "Wow, you must do a lot of gardening", when he saw me with the four huge bags on my cart. I laughed to myself to think that Id already used up six bags that size. ROTFLOL.
Honey, love the vacation photographs!!! It surely looks like you both had a wonderful time in a beautiful setting. ~~ Im jealous of your Lemon Daddy I was looking at one the other day but it was showing as a zone 6. Youll have to let me know how you do with it because Id love one for the foliage as well. Now if they could develop and Endless Summer with chartreuse foliage Id be over the moon.
Brenda. so sorry you got food poisoning. What a drag! Hope you are back to 100% soon with that as well as your back.
Bug, Cindy and Brenda, gorgeous photographs. I still dont have any peonies opening. Looks like it will be another week for them here.
Chelone, Ill see if I can make it next week sometime.
Mary, I need an interrobang on my keyboard! I use that all the time. LOL ~~ How fantastic that your poppies are opening. Photographs would be much appreciated. ~~ Glad David is healing up. Incredible how fast children heal.
Well I did a stroll about with the camera this morning and here are a few of the highlights
Gladiator Allium
The driveway garden in its fresh spring foliage
My favorite iris. I dont have a name for these as they were a gift from a friends garden.
Terrace garden
And a few more containers.
Ive refined one of my favorite containers from last year and added that large Souvenir de Bonne Abutilon to this arrangement.
Okie dokie, must get a move on and begin getting the garage cleaned out or it will never be finished for when Doug gets home. Have a great day everyone,
Well, very cool -- I've learned at least a couple of new things today all in one sitting - interrobang & morphed women's portraits! I am sorry I dont think I have anything educational to offer....
Not so cool here in the Nation's Capital -- yucko -- high temps & humidity.... very nasty feeling; like August frankly. We definitely seem to be in "extremus" when it comes to temps anymore....
O, Mary, would love to see your poppies - Im in love w/ them too; I persevere as to trying to grow them - I think I finally have 1 Patty's Plum that's opened this year but it looks more muddy than I was expecting and Im frankly disappointed - I suspect I need to put it w/ just the right thing - I seem to recall you've got some beauties, Gardenbug, and they were, of course, paired wonderfully w/ lupines and something white....
Brenda - I love that Buckeye Belle - such a rich color. It makes me think of the Cl. Gravetye Im posting below. I hope you feel better soon -
Im pretty draggy myself today -- a few more hours in bed might have helped a lot! But "no rest for the wicked" as my ex-MIL likes to say.
My Cl. Gravetye has started a second cycle of blooms this week - Im not sure why, but I just love its delicate blooms and rich, rich color - this shot does NOT do it justice (pls. ignore the "weed echos"):
Kathy, I hope you get a chance to give us a little tour of PNW where you vacationed, and Im hoping V's well-traveled camera has managed to clear some space for her wonderful prairie!
Stay cool, all.
4.5 days of school left----yeehaw! I cannot even tell you how ecstatic I am to be this close to doing NOTHING for a change...the gardens are the best ever. Funny how that happens when you're in the process of relocation-by next season I might be on the way out of this place and I'm already deciding which plants must come with me(I may need a U-Haul just for plants lol). We've been painting exterior window trim,etc.
I do skim but not having much time to say what I'm thinking. LOving the pics-Deanne are you using a tripod when you take the pics you posted today? Beautiful!
Hope all the idylls are doing well.
As unabashed pet lovers, I thought the Idyllers would appreciate this bulk email running around cyberspace:
To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.
> Dear Dogs and Cats,
> The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food.
> The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a
paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for
it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically
pleasing in the slightest.
> The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
> Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help
because I fall faster than you can run.
> I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very
> sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch
to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball
when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each
other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that
sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end
to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
> For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom.
> If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut,
it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get
your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit
through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom
for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.
> The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or
> cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!
> To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message
> on our front door:
> To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our
> Pets:
> 1. They live here. You don't.
> 2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"nature.)
> 3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
> 4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted
> son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak
> Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids
because they:
> 1. Eat less
> 2. Don't ask for money all the time
> 3 Are easier to train
> 4. Normally come when called
> 5. Never ask to drive the car
> 6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
> 7. Don't smoke or drink
> 8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
> 9. Don't want to wear your clothes
> 10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college.
> And finally,
> 11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.
Aaaw Michelle! It is a wonderful mix of foliage textures, colour and form. Can't attach a price to it!
Deanne, it all looks Fabu-Fabu...and that mystery iris really is a gem. I'm tired thinking of all your work. I simply can't do it in 90 degree weather with 70% humidity. OY....August weather is here.
Deanne, you need to put an ad in the paper and get some brut labor over to your garden, stat! The kids are graduating HS as we speak :) I hope I can get an invite to see the garden this year :)
Michelle, that container is gorgeous! Great eye for combinations!
Babs, I moved my plants - it was late fall and I potted everthing up and covered it with chopped leaves at the new house (worked a deal with the owner, lucky me!)...it worked out good for me. Remember to leave a "key" to the garden with the next homeowner (if you leave anything!), they will appreciate that and be excited to know what things are if they're a novice. I had fun making the key.
I am sitting at the Dept. of Labor and Training in RI waiting for DH to complete a test for his RI Refrigeration License. You don't know how thankful I am that this laptop picked up a wi-fi signal from the building :) Good thing I don't have bad intentions, huh? It is nice to be able to chat with my Idyll friends while sitting under a big shade tree. I have a book to read, too :)
I ran around watering like crazy this morning. Everything is hopelessly dry and it's a struggle to get it watered. I am hoping that I get a new hose system rigged up, soon....long story, but I lost a spigot.
Gotta go, just got word that the test is over! Have a great day all!
(whose actually having a good day :)
Good afternoon
Fantastic photos again. Deanne - your garden is drop dead gorgeous every day of the growing season. The foliage is luscious (and the flowers not too shabby LOL!) Have fun in the garage.
Michelle - congratulations on the check from Backyard Living. You're becoming quite well published these days:0) The pot is superb - will you spend the check on more plants?!
Ei - I was thinking of you with the interrobang as I always enjoy your joyful use of punctuation. Any nibbles on the house?
Saucy - its interesting the places you can pick up WiFi from. Hope Idylling filled some of the waiting time.
Hi Babs - wow less than 5 days?! (Those interrobangs are very useful). I work right up till the children finish on June 20th though I wrap up visits with kids next week. After that just paperwork.
CIndy - I'll try and take some pictures for you. I grew my oriental poppies from mixed seed from Chilterns when I was starting the garden. They are all shades of pink with one screaming orange that snuck in. Actually I really enjoy orange poppies and have papaver atlanticum and an unamed orange with black centers all around the pool. I just love them there - not in my bed of pinks.
Wendy - is it today you take DD to the concert? Annie went to her first this fall. She had asked to go with friends and another mother whose level of supervision I'd never felt comfortable with. Instead I offered to get tickets for Annie and BF and take them myself. It turned out to be the hottest concert in town (Panic at the Disco) and I got the last two tickets available. None of her other friends were able to buy tickets and I was worried going with boring old Mum might not be much fun. Annie however was still was super excited about it. I was dreading the experience (I'm pretty square these days) didn't know what to do with David and was generally fretting until I had the idea of calling our house sitter. She is mid-twenties, hip and works at the college radio station. She is also very trustworthy. Annie was thrilled to go with her and talked about it for weeks. Let us know what your experience is like.
I'm just filling a little time before heading to the Dr's. I need to do a quick check on watering before heading out - I think we're close to 90F.
Beautiful containers. I managed to get the windowboxes on the north side of the house planted yesterday. I did what you're supposed to do and pinched everything back really hard, all the while thinking of the gorgeous photos you've posted. I actually laughed and will have to snap a shot before they begin to really start growing. They're pretty pathetic. LOL
The stumps are gone, the excavator is still there and apparently the helpmeet failed to shut off the water to his garden... and the was a break in the line. There is huge rock that has been rolled out of the way and we'll have to make decision about it. I'm of the opinion it should go away, although it probably could be used to good effect.
Tonight is Wendy's big night out, I believe. I hope she minds her Ps and Qs and doesn't embarrass her daughter too much (keep a lid on the J. Geils rap, OK?). Mary, your solution to the concert was absolutely brilliant. I'm impressed by all that the parents out there are prepared to endure. :) What was the shrub you were looking for, Wendy? I found the tree/shrub list for the nursery and will happily look it up for you.
How long before you and DH get the test results, Saucy? My brother has been taking a lot of state examinations that deal with general contracting and he says some of them have been really rigorous (he flunked one by 1 or 2 questions and was really irritated with himself; evidently, he gets to pay for the test a second time to get it right).
My loser co-worker had to leave early today. Had to take her mother to the Dr.. And she'll be in late tomorrow... has a meeting with her kid's teacher. My boss and I were at 60 and 37 hrs. the week before the long weekend. Co-worker was at 17 hrs.. And she made mistakes! I'm really getting pissy about it. I took care of Mum for over 3 years. I worked full time, missing very few days that weren't legitimately sick days or days that I HAD to take an inconveniently timed appointment. I'm irritated at her inability/unwillingness to take control of her mother's appointments, give adequate notice (not the afternoon before!), and OFFER to make up the time by coming in early/staying late/picking up a day. This is the busiest time of the year and we're behind because of HER. I enjoy her company very much, but I have zero respect for her work ethic and the courtesy she's extended to her co-worker (ME) and our employer for the past couple of weeks. It's frustrating.
I helped the excavator set the stakes for the garage. And then watched him operate the excavator... it was like ballet (albeit destructive), I was amazed at how quickly he did what he needed to do. I'm not sure the helpmeet will be thrilled with the distances from the road, but those can be adjusted, we have 4' to play with.
I'm tired and crabby and need to lie down. But would like to know what the lovely white peony was in 'bug's photograph from Wednesday.
Congrats on the container, Michelle. It's a great mix of foliage and texture. You just reminded me though that I need to get the cannas out of the basement. Hopefully they're still alive. I've never been so behind in the garden as I am this year. Over the past week I've managed to accumulate quite a few plants for container combos so hopefully I'll make some progress over the weekend.
We finally got a bit of rain last night and a little more overnight. It's really dry here for this early in the season. I got caught out on my walk in a thunderstorm and got totally soaked. I tried running to get back to the truck quicker but I was too far away. The running actually felt pretty good but my left hip is sore today. That hip was why I gave up running 23 years ago. Some things never change...lol.
Enjoy the day!
OOOOh Michelle! I love the shots from your garden-I absolutely love the baptisia with humming bird-how COOL! LOL I'm sitting here in my capris and bra...I just couldn't wait to compliment you lolol. Now I feel self conscious so I tossed my shirt on(just getting ready for work....OK so like,TMI(TOO much information?-yeah, you bet; ) I do have to say I want that blue garden orb...where did you get that?? I also like the photo bucket presentation-very snazzy.
I certainly need to buy the current Backyard Living! Congrats to you! Will you buy something garden related with your prize?
I had to ditch a post yesterday afternoon but I wanted to tell Mary that my interpretation before clicking the link on 'interrobang' was quite different than I expected it would be; ) I can't say what my gutter mind thought lol!!
Nice to see fresh peonies-mine are melting with the heat
: (
I need to get a move on.
Morning all,
Congratulations Michelle!!!! Fabulous container and certainly a winner. Just gorgeous. What is that canna in the arrangement? It doesn't quite look chartreuse enough to be Pretoria? ~~ Beautiful slide show, like Babs, I just love the blue globe. Did you make that? ~~ Have a great weekend!
Babs, No I didn't use a tripod for the pics from yesterday. The new camera/lens combination is working out well. The lens has an image stabilazion feature that really works well in low light with slow shutter speeds.
Bug great heron pics! and that Clair de Lune is beautiful.
Saucy, I'd love to have you up for a visit. Let me know when you have the time.
Mary, how's David's hand? Hope it is all healed up. Thanks, so happy you liked the photographs. ~~ Brilliant solution to the concert dilemma.
Wendy, so how did your mom/daughter concert experience go?
Chelone, I know you'll be so glad when that garage is up and all is ready to put back together.
Sue, sorry you got soaked in the rains last night. It all slid right by us and we didn't get a drop.
OK outta here. Our neighbors are coming to use the back gardens as a backdrop for their daughter's senior prom photographs so I'm off to polish up the beds for their photo ops.
Have a great day!
Just waiting for my sis to pick me up.
Babs, what else would I spend my $$ on? LOL As for the orb, that's an old bowling ball with the 1/2 flat marbles glued on. Very easy.
It is cool and rainy here and should be for the weekend. Otherwise it would be hard to give up a gardening weekend. I have Monday off too and its supposed to be nice. Fingers crossed maybe I'll get some containers done.
Good morning! I was suppose to have the twins today but they are ill. One has a temp of almost 103° for the past couple of days and is quite lethargic and the other doesn't have a fever but is having severe diarrhea. They are thankfully taking pedilyte type of drink so they won't get dehydrated...but it is heartbreaking to see them feeling so puny. Apparently this bug is hitting all ages and lasts about 4-5 days. There is another bug going around that is causing long lasting brochitis type of problems.....sounds like what some of the Idylls have been dealing with. I'm going to go be backup help for the twins' mom today. We're hoping that James, his little brother and my mom won't catch it as we were all visiting at mom's house on Wednesday. :o\
I enjoyed seeing bits of Michelle's garden. Is that a bowling ball covered with the blue stones? Love it however it was made. The hummingbird shot is great and the clematis is lovely. Beautiful container and congratulations to you.
All the photos have been stunning!
Well, just wanted to pop in for a fast hello. (Hello Honey!) Miss you guys and will attempt to check in more often (sorry but I will! LOL).
Take care,
Brief drive by. My niece came over yesterday am and installed our new flat-screen computer monitor while I watched my DGN. We played Ping-Pong, Dominos, had lunch and our DGN had a big dish of ice cream before she went home. I guess I wore her out (as she wore me out) b/c she took a 2-1/2 hr nap. My niece was grateful for the relief. Before she left, I cut an armful of common iris for her to take home and dug up two huge pots of iris rhizomes for my niece to plant. I was happy to find a home for them, she was happy to have them.
I spent the rest of the day getting notes together suggesting plantings in the various subdivision commons areas for a presentation at the board mtg. Last nite, our next door neighbor (the noisy ones) attended the mtg and ranted for 40 min about the pine tree the board removed on the commons behind their house when we were (thank goodness) in Cancun. Theyve been ranting to everyone for the last 2 wks about this freakin tree. This am the raging continued with calls to other board members and theyre threatening to call the twp and report the removal of 2 healthy trees. Theyre successfully alienating all the neighbors and the board while this saga continues. Wish theyd get a life!
Today, I have have to measure the planting area at our two commons entrances and make a list and specify plants for the landscaper to buy tomorrow and then have a dentist appt. this pm to smooth the porcelain crown I chipped.
Tomorrow Ill be spending w/the landscaper on plant placement. Meanwhile, in between, Ive got a couple containers planted and are hardening them off by the garage. I also am hardening off the plants from under lights in the basement. My two Brugs are being attacked by bugs. The sprays Ive used on them havent worked. Im going to buy and try an insecticidal soap.
Thinking of all. Hope to read and catch up later.
OMG!!!!! Get out of here,Michelle YOU MADE THAT?! For a moment I was going to tease you and ask if you did make it-crack me up! I need to make one...must find a bowling ball!(see my interrobang up there,Mary?; )
Lol about the prize money I guess that was a dumb question: )
Hi T! I'm sorry your GTwins are sick-YES that pedialyte is essential with them being so young and losing fluids through fever/diarrhea. I'll never forget when AJ became dehydrated from diarrhea(age 4)and needed the ER for an IV. Once we got him home he was able to suck down a two liter bottle of root beer and he recovered amazingly. Good luck I'll be thinking of them.
Deanne-wow that is so great that you can take perfect pics with no tripod! I can't stop looking at your pics: )
Chelone-that stinks about your co-worker being so inconsiderate. I hope today is better for you.
Ok well now I really need to go. Off to the infirmary...
Good afternoon!
Just came back from the post office - our postage meter at the office is acting up, so had to go and buy stamps & lick approximately 35 envelopes. Are any of you Seinfeld fans??!
The concert was last night, and we had a great time. DD and her friend were having too much fun to even worry about what I was doing. I went there determined not to like the rapper (Paul Wall) since I don't enjoy rap or hip-hop music, but he is such a compelling performer that when he said "Put your hands in the air" I actually did! (The teenagers behind us were probably saying "put them down lady - please") He did a song called "Drive Slow", which is about cruising in a tricked-out ride (fancy car) and showing off. It had a nice groove, and made me think of driving in stop-and-go traffic, which is actually my 2nd job.
DD's favorite band, +44, was pretty good too - their frontman was pretty energetic and entertaining. DD alternated between being entranced at actually seeing these guys live and screaming her head off. By the time the +44 set was finished, she was hoarse and dripping with sweat.
The headline act, Fall Out Boy (named after a character on the Simpsons per DD, who knows all about these things) had a big, flashy show with video screens, pyrotechnics (you could feel the heat from 40 rows away) and lots of lights. We were on our feet for their whole set. At one point, the pretty boy bassist and a guitar player were in silhouette behind a back lit screen while the drummer did his solo. Suddenly a spotlight shot up about 20 rows behind us, where the same bassist and guitarist were playing on a tiny platform. Good thing I had an aisle seat, because DD and her friend decided they wanted to rush up there with the rest of the crowd; I was able to block them from doing it.
While sitting in the parking lot gridlock trying to get out of the venue when the show was over, DD told me it was the best night of her life. It guess it was worth it then!
I was pretty impressed with the crowd, mostly well-behaved kids. My DD is 12, and I thought that was young to go to a concert, but I saw kids there that were probably 8 or 9. The arena is a no smoking zone, which eliminated the worry of having substances smoked and passed around within range of DD. One thing that made me feel old was that instead of using a lighter held aloft to salute the band the kids used cell phones. I saw a few lighters, but not too many.
I did a quick read here earlier, saw lots of beautiful pics, and read about Babs' end-of-school countdown (14 days left here), Honey's neighbors from he!!, Saucy's outdoor idylling, and Michelle's publishing success (congrats - again!). Didn't have a chance to check out the links, hopefully on the weekend.
T, sorry to hear the babies are so sick. It is such a helpless feeling to see them like that. My DS was so sick one time he couldn't even keep liquids down, we found pedialyte in the form of a Popsicle. Hope they are all better soon and nobody else catches it!
Deanne, I'm admiring all the containers you've shown us - your plants look so lush and full! All of your hard work taking care of those babies over the winter has really paid off. Are you setting up some drip irrigation for some of it this year? Also, you had asked me about the variegated brugs - I grew it in morning sun. I read that the variegated brugs don't like as much sun as the plain-leaved ones. Your backyard might be a good place.
Things are so dry here, I spent an hour watering yesterday, trip after trip with my 2 watering cans; and that was only for the newly planted things & stuff still in pots. Truly a labor of love though, I enjoy every minute in the garden.
Yea! Almost 5 0'clock - time to start locking up! TGIF indeed, and my vacation is coming up in 5 weeks.
Happy gardening!
Today was a great day!
Co-worker showed up (late, had a meeting with her kid's teacher)! Hehehe... . I accomplished several tedious repairs, made a cushion, and began some complicated hatch covers. There was a crisp $100 bill tucked into my paycheck (bet the co-worker didn't get one for her gruelling 17 hr. week). ;) I went to the "beauty paHlor and have been relieved of a great deal of excess hair. I finally caught up with the world's greatest mechanic and my car is going in for TLC (sqealing in the rear brakes) on Monday. We have a cavity in the ground and there are stones where the footings are to be poured and many lengths of black, 15" pipe to be layed and connected to the dry well. I am moderately freaked out by it all (too late to avail myself of my womanly prerogative and "change my mind").
Wendy, I cracked up totally at the raised cell 'phones. LOL, I don't have one and don't even know how to turn one on and dial it! I love the little window into the lives of pre-teen/'teen kids anecdotes like these provide.
Bummer about sick babies... worse, is the contageous nature of their affiction. Got your hazmat suit, T.? ;) at least it's not drug-resistant TB, huh?
Good to see Sue surface, if only for Fridays! I hear you on the "behind" stuff... the worst part of my profession is that "busy season" coincides with busy season in the gardens. Eh, so some of it doesn't get done... there are bigger problems in the world at large.
Mary, how about a close up of Davids thumb? let's see what miracles the T cells have wrought in such a short time! we don't need his face, just his thumb... ;)
Michelle your planting in the urn is breathtaking and had I been sitting around in my bra and capris (nice visual, Babs.!) I could have been hypnotized into tardiness. :) As I mentioned, Wendy has thoughtfully supplied me with a Canna and I have get busy getting it into a suitable vessel. Ditto the brug., but HEY! no pressure there. Congratulations on your prize. Can't wait to see what you decide to do with the "winnin's".
And I love, love, LOVE that Deanne allows neighbors to use her marvelous plantings as "background" for photo-ops. What nicer way to demonstrate neighborliness. Very genuine.
Honey, it just kills me that people spend so much time harping on what can't be reversed. Where were they when the decision to take down the trees was being discussed? Perhaps you could remind them that tall, white pines don't provided much in the way of "noise reduction". ;)
LOL about "interrobang", Babs. (button your blouse, willya?!) :)
I live to fight another day! :)
Michelle-BIG congrats on your container! Well worth a $100 prize-hope you enjoy spending it! Thanks for the walk through your garden..it was very relaxing.
Chelone, sounds like you hit the jackpot for a co-worker. Shows up long enough to screw up, then skeedaddle...what's not to love?? I'm really glad to hear your boss hit you back (it's a good thing, the kids say it) for all your hard work.
Thanks for the laughs with the pet thing...believe it or not, I've not gotten that one in my email. As a matter of fact, now that we have a king size bed, I've discovered that Gus can splay himself out to about 6' long and 4' wide...seems to make him pass gas, tho. And, he did accidentally (I think) knock me down the stairs once. He seemed to feel bad about it and goes ahead of me now-stopping every few stairs to look back and make sure I'm really coming.
It may be too late to ACTUALLY change your mind, but you can still TELL the guys you did. The look on their face is priceless, LMAO! I did that to the contractors that did our bathroom. Fortunately, they had a sense of humor, and I fed them apple pie, so they tolerated me.
'bug-you little enabler, you! Thanks for the peony link, I'll be putting it to good use. Too bad they're sold out on Claire de Lune this year. I've added it to my wish list along with a tree peony, a wisteria, and .....well, you know how that goes.
The heron pictures are wonderful! It amazes me that you and Deanne can get such great shots of birds, and it takes me at least two tries to get a decent shot of a flower that ain't gonna be going anywhere anytime soon, lol!
Sue, glad you got rain, but too bad you had to get soaked in it.
T-AW, sick babies?? :( Hope they bounce back fast and no one else gets it!
Honey, sorry to hear that reality had to set in so soon after your excellent trip. Your neighbors sound like a real treat! Geez, what are you doing in your SPARE time, lol?!! (interrobangbang)
Babs...Well, at least you had some pants on, for crying out loud ;) Don't mind me, I'd be happy in a nudist colony if it weren't for the pointing and laughing! I was a little disappointed about the interrobang, too. Our minds must run in the same gutter....maybe it's the one with the sparkly blue balls.......okay, 'nuffa that or I'm gonna get in over my head, lol!
Wendy-ROFL! Check my earlier post about "breaking my streak". LOVE Seinfeld. Hope you had only the highest quality of envelopes to lick! Props to you for being a cool Mom. If my DD had said she had the best night of her life when she was 12 and I was within a 90 mile radius I'd have fallen over in a faint! They won't even let ya have lighters at concerts here anymore-they make ya buy glow stix, and it's just not the same. They will actually come and take them from you. Ah, the good ol' days.
Deanne-I imagine there are folks who would pay good money to have your creations as a backdrop for their photos. What a nice way for you to be a little part of the kids' growing up-they'll always remember ya!
Went to the chiro..for the LAST time (please?) today. When I went the other day, he told me to come home, dissolve a half teaspoon of salt (he prefers sea salt, but I used kosher) in 8 oz. of warm water and gargle with it. Know what happened?? 'Bout an hour later, my fever broke! I never heard of such a thing, but I bet I remember it! He just laughed when I said something to him about it today. He said, "What do you think people did before all these fancy medicines came along?" That man is a goldmine of information, and I'm gonna squeeze as much of it outta him as I can before he retires.
It's taken me about 65 hours to type this post. I'm pretty sure the dogs have walkie talkies. One comes in....I come back, get all settled in and the other needs in. Then, UPS pulls up (with my bluestone order..YAY!) and they go crazy. Get the box in the house without letting the dogs kill the UPS guy-he's afraid of dogs, so naturally, he drives a delivery route. Then, the dogs need to go back out so they can make sure he's really gone. He's gone, so they need back in...one at a time. Evil creatures dogs are. Then, the electricity went out for a nanosecond. No reason, and for just long enough to kill the computer and lose my post. That I was typing in a text message. So I won't lose it in one of those dreaded message box disasters.
I'm gonna wish you all a great evening, and even better weekend, and post this thing while I have the chance. I get to go play Christmas and unpack my plants! I will leave you with a shot I'm going to post the next time I read a post where someone is complaining about the size of Bluestones plants that they bought at the 50% off sale.
PS. Mary, I like the second interrobang best..it's plump and curvy like moi!
4 and 6 appeal my "graphic" sensibilities, but number one is probably the most practical. (I like this sort of trivia, especially well).
Mary, please tuck the British origin of "Turkey in the Straw" into your memory bank. That falls right into line with my fondness for the "trivial" connections between societies. :) How are the lessons coming along, BTW? do you see immediate progress or is the change subtler?
Would really like to see the thumb, too! (shoulda been a pathologist!).
The Herons are beautiful. But those pictures pale in comparison to that amazing peony with the dew/rain? on it. I'm breathless... a southern Maine swoon. Lovely!
Good evening Idylls
Chelone - My violin teacher had a baby two weeks ago so I'm having a hiatus from lessons. She hopes to pick up her private students in a couple of weeks. I've barely found the time to practice my own music which confirms the importance to me of working with a teacher. I also really miss it. However, I have been playing the Bach Double Violin Concerto with Annie almost every day as she is learning the first movement. In case anyone was thinking of trying it, playing a complex piece with your teenage daughter has it's ups and downs;0) But mostly its a thrill for me to play together - the sort of thing I dreamed of long before we had children.
Brenda - fab as always to hear from you. Enjoy those plants!!
GB - the heron pictures are stunning. They are such beautiful creatures but I always hold my breath when one flys over the pond hoping he doesn't catch sight of the fish. We added a new Koi last week - it is pale orange with scales that absolutely sparkle in the sun.
Michelle - I loved the morning walk and agree that the ball is outstanding. You should submit a photo of that to one of the magazines:0)
T - hope the little ones get better soon.
Wendy - so glad the concert was such a success and how wonderful to hear DD talk about it that way.
Babs - you are too funny! Actually I wasn't quite sure what an interrobang was at first and was hesitant to google it incase anything raunchy appeared. Did you get your shirt on before leaving for work?!
Hi Sue, Deanne, Honey, Saucy and any Idyllers we didn't hear from today.
I'm off to try and photo David's thumb.
Wow, no, double wow, on Michelle's winning container. The variegated canna looks like it's posing. That could not have turned out better. Congrats!
You all look different on my 20.1" TFT. But always love seeing Deanne's gardens, GB's walks in her area (the Heron shots are amazing!), and I see what you see in that little clem Cindy :) My Duchess of Albany is doing that bloom from the bottom thing too, I noticed it when hosing doggie urine from the area. How special, ya'll needed to know that I'm sure. Brenda, lovely styrofoam peanuts you have there.
I'm intrigued by the interrobangs Mary. (Can you see I don't have that on my keyboard either?!) It's a much needed punctuation mark.
Rough week with Katie-kins. She is a dog who would eat paper, and always so bouncy. But she never came back all the way from her back problem, and Wednesday morning she didn't eat. Katie not eating one crumb is sign of excruiciating death's door level of pain. Went to vet that afternoon and instead of mugging and twirling she just laid down on the floor. Likely Lumbosacracal stenosis (this is pretty common in older greys not young ones like Katie), so two shots of Depo Medrol in the butt and I'm wait for her twirl to come back. She is a teeny tiny bit livelier today, but keeping to hereself. Breaks my heart. Trying to be patient, but next step is neurolgist and MRI. Got to get that girl some relief. For less than 10% of what I've spent on vets in the last few months, I ordered a point and shoot camera and a 2GB card. Of course the yard is fading now as the drought continues, but I can take pics of my beleaguered pack to share!!!
I'm pooped. Know I didn't read much, just wanted to say hi, and will read what's going on when I caffeinate myself tomorrow morning.
Night all, Cynthia
Aww Cynthia! lady you sure have "been in the weeds" with respect to the canine family members of late! you are definitely due of a break. I hope Katie snaps out of it soon; how's Monty doing these days? I think of poor Dannie whenever there is a thunderstorm. It's just awful to watch them mope around, especially when you have one that is particularly energetic and generally cheerful and you watch the change come over them.
Rex sees an orthopedist next week. What we feared was a hip issue is more likely a knee problem and can probably be corrected. We'll know more on Thursday. He is the first appointment of the morning and can't have breakfast in case they have to anesthetize him. Evidently, they do that to make sure the animal is completely relaxed so the manipulation of the joint can be done thoroughly and repeated as necessary for proper diagnosis, but it depends on the dog.
The only plant material I've ever ordered have been lily bulbs. I never knew how they shipped live plants, and now, Brenda, thanks to you, I know. Will you be using those little styrofoam peanuts as drainage in the bottoms of containers (they work great in windowboxes)?
It's a very muggy morning and the mosquitos are just brutal. I can see them parked on the screens just waiting for a "host" to exit the house. It's definitely time to get the canopy up and the screens zipped on. I think it's also time for me to declare defeat on the new awnings and just waterproof the old ones for one more season. :/ Methinks the helpmeet's socks will be consigned to the boiler room to ensure timely drying.
My chores for today are to pinch the phlox and the veronicastrum, inspect the lilies for signs of the little red devil beetles and spray if necessary. I will make one more pass by the peonies and make sure the stems are nicely trussed and check in on the clematis, too. You're right 'bug, the new one is shooting out of the ground and requires nearly daily fussing.
'bug's shots of the Herons reminded me of a wonderful book I read as a child, it was titled, "The Wheel On the School", I believe. It was just wonderful, about the tradition of putting a wagon wheel atop buildings to encourage the storks to nest on them. If I remember correctly, the story took place in Holland and the storks were a sign of good luck. I recall being enchanted by it. Thanks for bringing back such nice memory, my friend! It has helped with the slaughter that I know is occuring just a few yards from where I sit now... :(
Time to deal with the socks, we really had to scramble to find 2 clean ones this morning.
I have ben outside working in the yard since 7:00 this morning. I feel like I made some good headway, so am going to treat myself by coming in and posting to the idylls. I pruned my roses, planted some daylilies my aunt gave me last week. My cousin works for a company that makes potting material and someone ordered a whole truckload by mistake. I hadn't seen her for years, so it was a doubley fun trip to pick them up. I also got two forest pansy redbuds. Later today Devin and I are going to plant our sunflower seeds. As we were coming back from the store with the redbuds Skip reminded me that we had sort of decided we were going to work on clearing out and moving around the stuff we already have this year. Guess I forgot. I did remind him that I only got my mother's day plants and some annuals so far. And the Redbuds. Anyway, last fall I planted some Alliums, these are Christophii, and they are HUGE! Absolutely gorgeous.
Speaking of Alliums, Deanne your are beautiful. As are all of your containers and everything else in your yard.
Michelle, congrats on the container contest win, And thanks for the garden walk. Your garden is lovely.
T and Mary, hope your respective kddies are getting better. Mary, how far do you live from Watkins Glen? Skip and I are talking about the possibility of going camping there next month. You could come visit. It has a really cool gorge.
Bug, guess your baby countdown is finishing up. YOu must be so excited. Did she find out if it is a boy or girl? My daughter isn't going to find out. She is going to have one of those new sonograms, the 3-D kind in about a month. I told her they better keep the camera on the face, or she might find out more than she wants to know:) Amazing what they can do now. That Clair de Lune is really something. Wow.
Cindy, your clematis is such a pretty color. Don't worry about the weeds. I bet I could win any weed contest around.
Cynthia, hope the pups are better.
Brenda, I enjoyed the tour of the farm. It must be a rewarding way of life. Lots of hard work, though.
Well, the guys are calling me to go back outside with them. Hope you all have a nice weekend!
A quick good morning to everyone, not much time here as we'd like to unload and spread a yard of bark mulch before the rain hits. I've been hoping all weekend to get one of those PM T-Storms but it hasn't happened yet and now that I want to get some outside work done it looks like it's going to start raining any minute. Le Sigh as Da used to say, Wonder where she's off to these days?!
Anyway, I wanted to pop in and warn everyone NOT TO ORDER ANYTHING from Glasshouse Works. I ordered from them about two month ago and only received the plants on Friday. The plants are a disaster. The coleus were all wilted and broken. The Alcalpha have mealy bugs and have a woody stem that is about a foot long with tiny leaves on the ends and the Alternanthera have scale. One of the plants wasn't even rooted! it came as a cutting with spagnum moss wrapped around the stem. I paid quite a bit of moola for these plants and its a total waste as far as I can see. I've washed them up, potted up the couple that needed it and sprayed the heck out of them for bugs and they are all now in quarrantine for a month. So by the time I can use them in a container garden it will be July which is later than I normally plant up containers. As I said a total waste of money.
Mary I like the last interobang the best and would love it better if the dot was round. LOL ~~ I have to confess that I've not picked up my guitar even with the best intentions I can't seem to make time to practice.
Drema sounds like you are getting in some quality gardening time. Great to see a post from you.
Cynthia, so sorry for Katie's problems. I surely hope she is feeling better soon. ~~ Don't you just love that large screen? I bought one a year ago and just love it.
Chelone and Brenda, re the styrafoam peanuts. Put them in old mesh onion bags when using as drainage for the bottoms of pots and you won't have a mess at the end of the season when you clean out the pots. ~~ Chelone the mosquitoes and black flies are ferocious here right now as well.
Brenda, our animals have us trained really well don't they??? My kitties do the same in and out and in and out routine and like the trained human I am I get up and do it.
T sorry the babies are sick, I surely hope you don't catch anything.
OK this is really getting much longer than I planned on I just wanted to give you all a heads up about Glasshouse Works.
Have a great day everyone,
Just a quickie-we got some rain at long last!! It was starting to get a little tense around here. I haven't checked yet to see how much, but we'll take what we can get and be happy. Looks like another blob is going to get us shortly, and there are a few things I want to do outside before it gets here.
Bluestone lets you recycle the packaging. Another reason I like to order from them. Ya just tape the box back up, send it back to them and they send you a voucher for free shipping on your next order. I mainly order from their 50% off sale, pot them up and grow them on the porch to plant in fall. Some of the plants will go straight into the ground, but most will be in the ghetto. The box I got cost $13 to ship to me,(I had a voucher from last year, so it was free) and it'll cost me around $6 to send back. So, I got 60-odd plants shipped for $6 is what it boils down to.
Okay, I gotta run...have a good one!
Yikes! Things have really changed during my absence! It is harder for me to read here with the intense green background!
We had a busy Friday night, then had company for the weekend and so enjoyed many great meals. I'm stuffed! Had to take a nap this afternoon for the first time in ages. DH took the guests for a walk in the gorge (some may remember that destination). The weather is beginning to cool down and rain is predicted, but no sign of it yet. The mosquitoes are dense dense dense and could pick us up and carry us away I'm sure.
The garden is popping and every day there's something new in bloom.
Hope your weekend was tops!
4 weeks to go...
GB, you are the only person I know who has an enkianthus. Spring finally got to you eh? Very cute little outfit there, but doesn't appear to be handknit.
Deanne, what a rotten experience with Glasshouseworks. I hope you comment on the Garden Watchdog. I thought they were a good vendor comparable to Logees. Guess I got that wrong. You must have been spinning when you finally got the order and it was such poor quality.
I am happy! We must have had 2" of rain though it seems like 12" since it came so fast and heavy when it finally got here. It was sliding down the roof and right over the gutters, I kid you not. Yes, I had those gutters cleaned after all the leaves were down in late November. It was just coming too fast and some of the gutters couldn't keep up. I'll have them make sure downspouts are clear when they come this fall. They probably got plugged with the spring flowers from the tulips poplars. Those things are plastered all over the roofs now. First rain in my yard since early April and I don't care that it pummeled half of the blossoms off of the roses, and made trees droop from the torrent. It is a wonderful thing rain!
I'm on my third set of clothes, so I think it was a successful day in the garden too! Easy to weed and move things and plant.
Can you tell I am pretty excited about Rain?!??!
I have fish and chips in the oven. Still raining too heavily to throw anything on the grill, it would float off the plate on the way back in :)
Hope you all had a great week-end. Drat, tomorrow's Monday.
Evening all, I'm going to post this a couple hours early and get the ball rolling.
A big Happy Birthday to our 'TGIF' woman!
Bug, gorgeous photographs! Wish I could pop up there and visit so I could see the spring beauty on your farm.
Cynthia, I was beyond 'frothing at the mouth' after waiting so long to get my order then getting such garbage plants from them. Would you please give me the link to Garden Watchdog so I can warn people not to order from GlasshouseW. ~~ How great that you finally got some significant rain!!!! Nothing like it when you really need it. Good news! It is apparently on its way here so I'm going to have to spend the day in the house working on work stuff... Jeesh...
We've been working on 'mucking out' the swamp. What a disaster! If I didn't love the pond so much I'd pay a backhoe operator to fill it in. We are going to have to figure out a way to jack up the huge rock at the top of the whole thing and build a new support for it. I'm dreading that big time. That sucker weighs a ton.
I took a bunch of pics today and will try to process a few and post tomorrow. Like Bug's it's popping around here. Lots of pretty things happing now.
Michelle, hope you had a great weekend!
Ok time to hit the sack so I can get an early start tomorrow.
Nite all,
Hello to everyone! I think I may need a vacation to rest up from my vacation. Jeesh. Today was our MG garden tour and Im pooped! Its back to the office tomorrow. Not much chance of catching up right now, but thought Id at least drop in. Its nice to hear that the winter weather is over for most of us, but seems are lots of bug issues out there? Mosquitoes, Black Fly etc. We do get mosquitoes here but I have some odd body chemistry and they have no interest in me. We would go camping when my kids were little and DH and DD would come home with some ugly looking welts; me and DS were clean as a whistle. They are around here but pretty much a non-issue for me.
Hope I can post some of my pics of Oregon etc. in a few days.
See you all later
Kathy in Napa
I swear I posted yesterday-in my mind? I lost the post. The funniest thing is that Deanne,I said the exact words you wrote to Mary about interrobang #6!! You said, "Mary I like the last interrobang the best and would love it better if the dot was round." Great minds think alike: )
Michelle GUESS WHAT!? I have a bowling ball! Chris has one from 20something yrs ago and I bought the glass discs & epoxy. I just need to decide on a grout color but I won't until I have all the discs on. I can't wait to make a garden ball: ) Thanks for showing us yours. I also saw a base but I didn't buy it-I might go back to Pat Catans to get it. I happened to mention my plan to my neighbor and her daughter has been collecting bowling balls to make garden balls too. Kinda funny that it appears to be a fad and I didn't even know.
Ok off to work early....2.5 days and I'm free.
Good Morning and Happy Birthday Sue! As soon as it dries up out there I'll try to get out and snap you a card. Hope you have a wonderful day!
I had Bella all weekend. It was Meg's birthday yesterday so I kept Bella Sat and Sun nites so she could have the day all to herself to do whatever she wanted.
So we're doing Idyll gazing balls? I love yours Michelle, blue is always a favorite of mine in the garden. I'd like to do a bowling ball with broken china for my garden. Babs, can't wait to see yours!
Deanne, I ordered from Glasshouse Works last September, begonias, and got nice, healthy plants. I think they were here within a week after I placed the order too. They even threw in a couple of bonus begonias and a small handwritten note on my invoice. Interesting that we had such opposite experiences with them. What a bummer about your order, I'd be really upset too!
Marie, I love the little outfit. The baby clothes you post pictures of are so different from what I'm used to seeing. I just love them though! I can't believe it's only 4 more weeks. Bet the excitement is really building now!
I have to run. I have a LONG list of things to get done today and really shouldn't be idylling at all. Have a great start to the week everyone!
Morning all. I have the day off, but there is much to do, so no Idyll time. I really want to do some containers today and since we have gotten a bunch of rain over the weekend, the grass has grown like crazy.
I hunted asparagus this a.m. and made up a floral arrangement just for Sue's birthday card.
Great news Babs. The bowling balls are fun and easy. Make sure to show us yours. I have had mine for several years and it holds up great. I used GE Silcone II for the glue as recommended on the Garden Junk site and it works well and is easy.
Eden, the china ball would be very pretty.
I had a fun weekend with the girls. We shopped the Mall of America, ate downtown on Fri. night, went to the Hard Rock cafe for drinks, shopped the Mall some more on Sat., and my brother cooked for us on Sat. night.
I best get myself going as I have farewell party tonight.
Sure is soggy and humid and
I've been devoured by mosquitoes!ARGHHHH!
Hope you are all doing well! I'm sure going to miss seeing everyone this year at the Idyllunion!
Hi V! Hi Norma! Hi Ei! Hi Monique! Hi Honey! Hi Babs! Hi to one and all!
'bug (itching)
First of all, fond birthday wishes for Sue. I have some good shots in the camera, but will wait until its full before disgorging its contents. So, for now, you'll have to satisfy yourself with my good wishes!
It's pouring here. And it's about 50 degrees (same as yesterday), brrr. The excavated cavity for the footings is now completely full of water. We put an extender on the outlet for the pond/muckhole to divert any more water from draining into it. Result? the pond is way up over its banks, and the low part of the lawn is now flooded. I'm hoping it doesn't drown the Hibiscus, Japanese Iris, Veronicatstrum, and Camassia...
I braved the chilly temperature and the steady (and stout!) northeast wind yesterday and mowed the south lawn. I wimped out at the prospect of Sanitary Ridge. The Iris are getting wiped right out. :( The Peonies haven't been coaxed into opening.
We met with the contractor this afternoon and the helpmeet is now quite withdrawn. There are many things for us to accomplish before the builders arrive on site. I could have killed him; he's now rethinking the pitch of the trusses and the height of the bays for the cars... what those two things mean is that he now has to go the town offices to check on the overall height limit, and how the "ambiant grade" is determined; is the height of a cupola included in the overall height? Do we have to have a dike around an oil tank, does it have to be in its own enclosed area? what are the reg.s for burying a propane tank? I was happy with the plans we had that were ready to go. But, no. And they say women change their minds too much? LOL. I refuse to be sucked into his black mood. I'm not thrilled about what Mother Nature has handed us, but it ain't the end of the world... as far as I'm concerned we've long since committed a crime against nature. Funny how two people can view something so differently.
Brenda, those rainbows are beautiful! what a treat to see one, huh? Lucky you to have such nice long vistas to really be able to see them; it's harder here where the horizon is more limited by hills, trees, etc., unles you are looking over the ocean.
'bug, I hear you on the mosquitos! they were just starting week/two ago, and once we get some warm weather they'll be just brutal. I love the last baby outfit! I've never been a huge fan of swaddling our newest citizens in pastels, anyway... so you rock, Nannah. How do you wish to be addressed by the "long awaited" ;) ?
The rain has rather dampened by spirits, but here's warm thoughts for all "therestayous".
Hi folks!
Thanks for all the birthday wishes and greetings-wonderful as usual. Deanne, you group the empty containers so well. Whenever I try it looks contrived. Marie, beautiful composition using Primulas. Brenda, great catch on the rainbow shot! Aw, Michelle, for me? Mary, I recognize that alligator from IU3. Is everybody getting as excited as I am about IU4? I can't wait to see everybody again.
Most of my birthday celebrating was done on Saturday night during a dinner out with some very dear friends. Today was just another day at work although I did meet a friend for drinks before heading home to make dinner. Dessert was ice cream at the local home made place in town. Just another day really...with a few garden gifts fom co-workers tossed in for variety.
It rained all night last night and most of today. We really needed the rain so I'm not going to complain. Is anyone else dealing with a horrible weed problem this year? I can't get ahead of the freakin' things. Alot of it has to do with the uncooked load of compost I got last year but enough already!
Anyway, I'm off to bed. Because I've been distracted with other things, I haven't been posting much lately but I read every day.
Hi Sue - I thought you might remember him! Glad you had a nice dinner Saturday night. Hope you soon feel less distracted.
The weekend flew by and this week looks just as busy. I'm up to my ears with paperwork, end of (school)year activities and trying to fit a little time in garden. I'm also organizing a 50th bday party for a good friend Fridy night and am feeling frazzled. Roll on June 20th! Babs - it's still hard to believe you're done in 2 1/2 days!!
Amongst other things over the weekend I completed planting up the beds for my garden lady, shopped at the public market, listened to Annie playing with a string group at the Canal Days festival, took David to a birthday party at the Science museum, had friends over to swim, made a plum cake and got absolutely soaked in the deluge that hit Sunday. I planted the last of my veggies and redid one of my beds of poppies that had become over run with weeds, mulching with cardboard, then piling leaf mold. This summer it will be a melon patch and I'll reintroduce poppies in the fall. I'm probably optimistic in thinking we'll actually eat any melons as the wascally wabbits have been at their most destructive. In fact they are a bigger problem than the weeds. Where's Elmer Fudd when you need him?
PS Deanne - hope Doug didn't hit Sunday's storm driving out this way.
Good Morning, Another wet one here, and cold too. This weather's giving me a chance to catch up on housework. I got quite a bit done inside the house yesterday and plan on more today. The container gardens are starting to fill in so they must be liking the cool, wet weather and the weeds are loving it. They're as big as the plants this year.
Just a couple of comments...
Cynthia, great news that you've ordered a camera. Can't wait to see new pics of the garden and furkids. Hope Katie's back to her twirlin', swirlin' self.
Chelone, if you guys are anything like us, a big project like a garage would be causing lots of "discussion" on how it should be done. I can see where there would be some second guessing, after all it is a big project that you'll be living with if for a long time. I'd think that "the man" would have more preferences. At least here, Brad would be the one spending the most time out there, so if he was happy with it I probably would be too. Hang in there, it'll all be worth it when it's finished. Hopefully the weather will now start cooperating!
Mary, as usual, I don't know how you fit it all in! I get exhausted just reading the lists of all you accomplish. You truly are a super woman and such a great mom!
I've really enjoyed viewing all of Sue's birthday cards. Every one of them is just beautiful.
I've got to run over to the farmer's market this morning. I'm trying to locate a musa basjoo since I lost mine over the winter and am not having any luck. A vendor's supposed to bring me one this morning. Fingers crossed that it's the right one. I'll leave you with a picture of Bella being silly over the weekend...
Good afternoon all,
This weather is enough to drive anyone nuts. Yesterday didnt get over 58 degrees with pouring rain and todays supposed to be 85 with 85% humidity. They are now predicting damaging thunder storms for us this afternoon because we are supposed to get that cool air that is going to cause Bug problems (hopefully not! Say it isnt so! Frost!!!!????) Anyway, I went to the gym early this AM and then worked in the garden until a few minutes ago. After I got dizzy after standing up to quickly I thought it was time for a break out of the heat and humidity. I got a lot done this AM though, I cut back the asters in the driveway garden, tied up the Persicaria polymorpha and the Helilanthus Lemon Queen. I also staked up the Nepeta Six Hills Giant which is living up to its name this year. Then I had to have Doug come out and help me tie up the wisteria tree. The heavy rain and wind yesterday had it leaning over in a precarious position. That sucker has gotten HUGE and needed two of us to get that trunk tied up to the fence. Hopefully now its safe from getting knocked down. I didnt dare let it go with these predicted storms.
Im hoping to be able to get outside in the back and get the rhododendrons fed and mulched before this rain hits. Oh yes, one funny thing, Doug and I finally started working on the pond on Sunday and we got the whole system drained out and a lot of debris cleaned out, well the rain yesterday filled it halfway up again. Good grief! Also, of all things, there was a Great Blue Heron in the back yard again yesterday. I was wondering where all my frogs had gotten to. It was circling around here again today and I guess Im glad the fish arent outside yet or theyd have been a nice meal for the heron.
Thanks Sue, I was wondering if youd noticed the new containers. I had a gift certificate for Home Goods and couldnt resist the tall one, then, of course, I had to have that large square one and stands for the both of them. Used up the gift certificate and then some but Im loving the new containers there. Your Striptease is in the place of honor between the containers and is going to make a great focal plant for that grouping. ~~ RE weeds, they are getting out of hand here as well. I mulched things with the composted horse manure I got from Dougs sister and there were apparently weed seeds in it. Oh well, I cant complain too loudly about free compost.
Jeesh Mary, you need a Wonder Woman suit! I cant get over how much you get done. ~~ Did you ever find that double datura? ~~ Also, thanks for asking about Doug. Hes actually working here this week so he didnt have to contend with that weather.
Chelone, I so understand the frustration with a large building project. Doug and I had quite a few discussions when we put this addition on the house. Also, totally understand watching the rain cause havoc with the schedule. When we started this addition the first thing they did was rip the shingles off the house, well an unpredicted massive rain storm hit that night and I had water coming in everywhere. It was right around midnight and I was having this massive panic attack and the doorbell rang. Well it was my contractor. When he heard the rain at his house he jumped in his truck and headed over here to see if the tarp was going to hold, which it didnt. When he saw the lights go on in the house he rang the doorbell and he and Doug got up on the roof and put a better tarp up. Then he stayed here until the rain stopped to make sure there were no more problems. We got lucky, this guy was fantastic. Anyway, when they dug the foundation for the basement under the dining room we ran into serious rain issues again and the cellar hole was filling up. Thank heavens we hadnt cut through into the rest of the basement yet. So I feel your pain. This too shall pass and you are really going to enjoy having a garage.
Eden, that Bella is a cute as it gets!
T, great hummingbird photo!!!! And your Rhododendron are lovely. About time for some pics of the twins????
Im certainly enjoying all the BDay pics everyone!!! Thanks for the eye candy. I still dont have peonies here yet but thats probably a good thing since these torrential rains would smush them like the iris. Whoops. Huge crack of thunder here so Im off the computer for now.
Have a great day all
Well I was successful in acquiring the banana. Then I decided a needed a few bags of compost from the nursery. Somehow a Weigela 'my monet' and a Cornus kousa 'heart throb', 30% off so I had to get it, ended up in the car too. I really just need to stay away from the nurseries.
Deanne, thanks for the reminder to cut back the asters. I always forget until it's too late and they're flopping all over everything. So you found those containers at Home Goods? I haven't found anything I liked at ours here in ages. I love your placement of them too!
I forgot to congratulate Michelle on her winning container! It's beautiful, can't wait to see what you come up with this year!
Looking through the window it looks like the sun's trying to break through. Marie, I hope they're wrong on the frost prediction for you tonight. I can't imagine trying to protect everything at this point. That would be a job!
Hi T! Those poor babies are still sick? Are they teething yet?
Off to rustle up some lunch and then I need to get to work .
A quick pop in between storms here. Wow, we just got pounded with a line of storms through here and they are starting to train so we'll probably have a few more before the ene of the day. The temps just went from 82 down to 68 degrees in about twenty minutes. The sky is that wicked gray/greeny color it gets when you have a bad storm.
Eden, I had to LOL at you getting that 'My Monet'! I've been looking for that all season and HD just got some in and I came within an eyelash of picking up one on Sunday. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that they were covered with spider mites and I figure I have enough bug issues around here I don't need to start with a plant with problems. I want to put that where I had some Echinacea 'Prairie Frost' in the second tier of my terrace garden near the Rugosa. The Echinacea has just faded away over the last couple years so I'm thinking I'm going to hoik it. You'll have to let me know how 'My Monet' performs. ~~ Sooo happy you like the new containers! I'm over the moon with them to tell you the truth. Here is another view of them showing the Hosta 'Striptease' that Sue gave me a couple years ago.
I don't want to leave that fuchsia in the square container as the color doesn't please me in that location. I'm thinking I'm going to plant a large hosta with some asparagus ferns surrounding it or something like that. The hosta would repeat the plant on a higher level and the fern would add some softness to the edges of the planter. I'll see, I haven't quiet decided yet.
Bug wine sounds like a good idea to me. I still can't believe you've got a frost predicted. When is your normal last frost date?
OK now the weather gurus are predicting hail and recommending putting the cars in the garage. I guess I'd better get on that.
I'll check in later
Hot mulled wine, 'bug! I so hope the forecasted frost is a non-starter for your lovely gardens. I'll cross my fingers for you.
Deanne, we've had only rumbles of thunder so far today and it never got very warm; as soon as it started to heat up there was a sea-turn and it cooled right down again. I love your new containers... you know I lap that formal stuff right up, anyway. Had I the cash, I'd be "all over" a parterre garden. Yeah, REALLY!
Wendy, is that clematis on your fence, "The President"? My "Daniel D... whatever" has opened a few bloom, and is smothered in buds. The colors are similar, and I looked and looked for the prez. but "settled" for Daniel. The irises that are the same variety I gave you are in full bloom now, and are being shredded by every wind-driven downpour that's come our way. :( I have one pink peony blossom and I'm hoping the rest hold off until the next front moves through.
Cindy, I've been pondering long over your Mom. And you. It's nice to see you post, and I want you know your family are in my thoughts.
The prices for the 10/12 and 12/12 pitch trusses came in and the helpmeet is now liking the 8/12 original considerably more. ;) I am going to think carefully about the 10/12 and calculate in the increase in height over the house's peak; the steeper pitch is more in keeping with a barn. I'm fine with compromise (it's the crucial ingredient in marriage, afterall!).
I have to go it's REALLY DARKENING UP now. LATER, kids!
Cindy, Ive been thinking about your and your parents. Hugs to you.
Deanne, the container grouping is wonderful. So artistic.
bug, hopefully Jack Frost stays away.
Eden, what an adorable picture of Bella.
Mary, it sounds like your days are really action packed. How nice it would be to have the summer off.
I have a horrible weed problem in certain areas. The peonies are in full bloom here along with certain irises. Only the white dwarf iris bloomed this year. I did some research and found that if there is a hard freeze late that they wont bloom. It is looking like some of the tall bearded wont bloom either.
I did get a few containers made up yesterday, but they need to fill out a little before they are Idyll worthy. LOL Im not a very good indoor plant mamma, but they will perk up.
Time to play Beethoven's "Pastoral"! the sun's out and the thunder is now booming out over the big briney. :)
Eden, you nailed it with respect to the garage, we'll be living with it for a long time to come. And that's why I'm willing to contemplate the changes he's mentioned. OTH, he and I are both pretty careful when it comes to the really tough questions: How much does it cost relative to its importance in the long run? and, What are we willing to forego to have that particular item? We asked those 2 questions repeatedly when we built our home and were rewarded with a pretty nice house for not a huge amount of dough. We were mindful of being "house poor" and our patience and adherence to budget has, over time, accorded us a great deal of personal freedom over the years. Neither one of us is willing to chuck that for covered parking spaces. One of the first things he repeated today was the importance of money for the landscaping that will be required by this rape of the land. So, sometimes it just takes TIME to sort it all out, rehash it, and see where it leads you. Fighting over something that is just a thought is a waste of time and energy, no good comes of it. And each partner gets "cold feet" at different times; for me, it was seeing the trees and understory that screened us from the road cut down and the fleeing turtle smashed in the southbound lane. Now, I'm pretty much "bomb-proof", to use a horseman's term. Funny how that works, sometimes.
I have capitulated completely and mended the two elderly awnings for the first floor. Tomorrow I will mend the two for the second storey and will waterproof them (for the last time!) midweek. Time to call the installers, damnit. :) I am amazed at how good they look for 11-12 years old (even though the stains on the fringe bother me a good deal). I've taken good care of them and they've served us well. This season will be had "on a wing and prayer" though, I'm afraid.
And yes, I'm "in the weeds" with respect to weeds, my friends. Mulch? what's that?
Well Bug, you said it in a nutshell, "What's the point in trying to garden?" The second round of thunderstorms that came through here dropped nickel sized hail on us for the better part of five minutes or so. The ground was white in places. Almost every broad leaved plant on the place is full of holes. The worst damage was to my lovely Plectranthus. They are just smashed to smithereens. The coleus, brugs, some hosta that weren't under the trees, ligularia (Grrrr...my Britt Marie Crawford was finally looking good this year)are all riddled with holes. The hail knocked off almost every flower off of every pelargonium I have, and on and on....
Michelle, didn't you deal with hail last year after your hostas had leafed out? And I think Honey and Eden did one year as well. It's a bummer isn't it?
Oh well, the annuals will all eventually grow out and it doesn't really show up in the long view. I'm telling myself to be positive. At least I don't have any garden tours this year.LOL
Eden, I meant to tell you that I looked up my original order form from Glasshouseworks and I placed that order on March 14th! I only received those plants on Saturday. I should have cancelled the order a month ago.
OK I guess I'm going to go and make a stab at picking up some of this debris and pruning back the damaged container plants. I tried earlier and found myself just aimlessly walking about sighing. What a pain. I sure hope all others in the path of these storms don't have any damage. I know Hartford area got slammed so I'm hoping Sue and MOnique's gardens are OK. I'm not sure if Wendy and Saucy were in the path of the storms but I hope not. Be careful Chelone, these were nasties.
Deanne, I just hate to hear that all of your beautiful plants have been damaged. I'm so sorry! That is just a bummer! I remember when I ordered from Glasshouse that I went over and checked on Garden Watchdog and the ratings were from one extreme to the other. I was also talking to the manager from Goldner Walsh one day and GHW came up. She had been there and said it's unbelieveable how many plants they have and how they're just all stuffed in every whichway. No organization or anything. I guess it's just the luck of the draw ordering from them which isn't good at all when we're spending our hard earned plant money there!
Marie, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you tonight that the temp doesn't drop too low.
Cindy, my thoughts are with you and your family too.
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with a weedy garden this year.
WEll I still haven't tackled the cleanup. I zipped around with the camera. Here is a before and after shot.
This plectranthus is one of my favorite things. It is an offshoot of P. 'Lemon Twist' that has stayed this lovely yellow-green. I've done several cuttings from it and they stay true to this color. None have reverted back to the normal variegation yet. I'm in love with the color this picks up in the sun with the newly emerging leaves almost butter yellow. Anyway, this photo was taken a couple days ago and the second one was after the hail storm this afternoon.
Deanne - I'm so sorry to hear about your garden. I've only read about that sort of hail damage - Lauren Springer in particular has described just such storms. (((Hugs))) to you. If anyone can nurture plants back to health in record time it will be you - I have every faith that by mid-summer you'll never know the difference. I don't doubt though it will be a huge amount of extra work:0( Let us know if you hear how Sue and Monique fared.
GB - we were threatened frosts in outlying areas too but I think we're relatively safe here. I'll probably still cover a few coleus just to be safe. Hope you're enjoying something warming right now. I came home and changed from a summer dress into jeans and fleece and dug out my warmest slippers again. Sheesh!
Deanne, I watched all afternoon (well, when I was in for a break) the storms pound your area. Sorry for your loss - but I back Mary's sentiments, by midsummer, you'll be right back in the swing of things!
GB, frost is just "not fair" (to quote my 13yo)! Count me in as a finger crosser.
Happy Birthday Sue! Sounds like you had a good celebration with friends and food, always a nice combo.
We're winding down here with school and I'm busy with work and garden, too. Tonight was softball(Sarah - quite the arm) and concert(nice pieces)....too much for moms and dad this week.
I'm sorry, but my eyes are closing as I type. I've got to get to bed and start the day again. 3 yds of mulch are waiting because my beds are weedy too!
Oh, made me think: Those who use compost/manure like myself: I had great success with Preen, unless you want to let things go to seed. I use composted horse manure as a mulch when I can get it....
Hello Idyll friends
I am going to try to catch up a bit this evening-Ive already done my chores and had dinner, will put the ballgame on in the background and type away !
First of all, Happy Birthday Sue ! Im late out of the chute . Like Chelone I have only good wishes to share..I uploaded some pics tonight but none are Idyll-birthday card quality. I will however share them with all at the end of this post.
What great Garden Tour we had on Sunday- the weather was perfect-always risky at the North end of our valleyit can get god-awful hot up there.We lucked out and the heat was there , but only briefly in late afternoon. It was a rude awakening to go back to work on Monday, since I spent virtually all of my vacation outdoors.
Brenda-love your rainbow shot ! Our rainbow time of year is late winter here since we get no rain now till about Oct or Nov.
bug, frost warnings ? Hope its a no show for you. I always enjoy your lovely crisp photos and that baby outfit is tooo cute.
Michelle, I am pondering the bowling ball thing. The sphere shape is so pleasant to me in the garden-the possibilities are really endless . mosaic tiles would be cool too.
OOO-wee Chelone, changing plans on a construction project can be $$$s ! So can finding out you are not up to code after the fact. Our building codes out here are highly engineered due to earthquake issues. On the other hand if you are going to spend the bucks it seems important to get what you want and you are so right, compromise is key..
Deanne, downright crappy re: the hail storm .I concur with Eden, things grow so very fast in spring in 2 weeks you may not know what hit you-I hope so anyway..that Plectranthus is fantastic. I need one.
Here are a few pics :
This is my BIL's back garden. They live in the west hills of Portland so thier lot is steep. I was trying to get a good shot of thier ridiculous delphiniums of which I am insanely jealous.The rose on the right is Reine des Violettes
A few Rhodies in Washington Park
A hanging basket at a nursery south of Portland
And finally,a cool pic from our garden tour this weekend. I love the view..
night all !
Kathy in Napa
I absolutely hate it when you have to scroll side to side to read the text! Can someone please explain why that happens? is it tied into resizing photographs?
Here is your nugget of trivia for the day:
This is an important day in the annals of American Turf history, for it was on this day, June 6, 1919 that
Man O' War made his first start as a two year old. It was a 5 furlong race at Belmont Park (he was, incidently, bred by Major August Belmont, for whose father the track is named). He went to the post the favorite and won easily.
It is also the 63rd. anniversary of D Day.
I hope there was no frost for 'bug.
41F here this morning. It's supposed to warm up from here on out though. I haven't had digitalis purpurea in my garden for years and now I have at least a dozen foxgloves blooming in my back garden this year. I noticed the first year plants last year, and now there are even more new plants plus the second year blooming ones. Very strange. They're spread all around back there and are very pretty. I'm not complaining, lol. I'll have Bella here everyday through Saturday so Idyll time will probably be scarce. Hope Marie's gardens made it through last night without frost damage!
Well we lugged the pots indoors last night. Of course the Full Moon Maple, the grasses even, the coleus, the clematis babies, and more. DH was a hero helper.
This morning, though I've not been outside yet, all looks fantastic. The sun is shining, clear and bright, no sign of frost on the grass that I can see. I'm told it is about 45F out there now. I'm glad it didn't freeze of course, but I wish somehow that the forecasters could come close to being accurate. That was a lot of worry, and to have them off by over 10 degrees, well, difficult on my spirit.
Here we have been enjoying the cedar waxwings. Charlotte was very bouncy yesterday, wanted many walks, expressed her displeasure if left alone downstairs, ate enthusiastically, and tried to jump in our bed last night...but settled for her own bed when that trick failed. She's much better on the meds, but trying to lower the amount does not seem to work so well, though it was worth the try. ;-)
Later friends, and thanks for your concern.
Eden, I've had some foxgloves returning each year for 10 years now in an island bed...and I move each one to a different location or compost them. Those seeds must last forever. I love the flowers though!
Chelone, you are right about photo size affecting the need to scroll things off to the right on the screen. If only one person on a thread does not resize a photo, then this happens. Do not ask me why....
The scene from Kathy's garden tour reminds me of Jain somehow.
Deanne...sheesh...Mother nature is nasty sometimes! Take a look at the site below and beware of June 30th. With my luck, our grandchild will be born then. My son was, 36 years ago!
Have a super day everyone!
Hi everyone
Lets enjoy the photos and move this one on and out before we develop a crick in the neck.
Kathy - I just love the Egyptian head in the centre of the last photo - how cool! You're right, it is an outstanding view. Glad the tour was fun.
Plans for the 50th birthday party I'm helping organize are shaping up. As much as I enjoy entertaining I'm totally relieved its not here at our house - I think that would put me over the edge. I emailed all the invitees and suggested everyone brought one cut flower to make up a bouquet of 50 flowers. My birthday friend had said no presents but I know she loves cut flowers so it should be special.
Good grief! What the heck is with this darned weather. It is supposed to get down to high 30's or low 40's tonight then tomorrow is supposed to be 85 degrees out. Enough already with the temperature yo-yos. Thank heavens I'm not any farther north or I'd be doing the great plant shuffle like Bug did last night. I'm a bit beyond discouraged tonight. I've been working on cleaning up the mess from the hail storm a little bit at a time because if I tried to go and do it all at one time I'd just scream from frustration. But, nothing is dead so I need to just carry on and know that as everyone has said, things will grow out and I won't be able to see the damage in a couple weeks. Thanks to one and all for your hugs and empathy over the hail storm damage. Made me feel better to have someplace to vent where people would REALLY understand.
WE had a bit of a stressful day here because Doug had to go in for cataract surgery this morning. But all is well and he is home and comfortable. He said that worrying about it the last few weeks was worse than the actual procedure. Good thing, he's got to go and have the other eye done the end of the month.
Wow, great pics Kathy, looks like you had a great time. Nice to 'see' you.
Mary, love the idea about each person bringing a flower so you have 50 flowers for her birthday. Marvelous! I'm in the process of planning a birthday party for Doug as he is celebrating his 60th this year. I don't think he wants flowers though. LOL
Bug, How great Charlotte is doing so much better and great news that you didn't get that frost. What about tonight? ~~ BTW,I keep getting an error message on that link.
Eden, How neat you are having digitalis self sowing about the place. I think they look prettier that way. And how perfect for your gardens.
Michelle, any possibility you can send me some of that copper tape to fix my hummingbird stake??? Doug can solder it for me. I have it in one of my pink containers in the front and I'd really like to get it fixed. Thanks again for doing that for me. One of my treasured garden ornaments along with the stake we got from Honey the first IU.
OK I've got to run and help Doug put in some eye drops. Have a great evening all
Here you go, the Full Moon story from England:
Extra police put on the beat for full moon
By Paul Stokes
Folklore has long associated the lunar cycle with strange happenings.
A connection has been identified by a policeman between the full moon and bad behaviour
Insp Andy Parr, of Sussex Police, looked at crime statistics for the Brighton and Hove area's nightlife.
He said: "I compared a graph of full moons and a graph of last year's violent crimes and there is a trend. People tend to be more aggressive generally."
Behaviour was also worse on pay days, Insp Parr discovered.
The force is now planning to put extra officers on the streets for key dates during the summer - including the next full moon on June 30.
Insp Parr said his findings were also backed up by his experience on patrol.
"When you try to reason with people on a full moon they become more aggressive and less rational," he said.
"When you try to reason with them on a full moon they become more argumentative."
Peter Davenport, 38, who is a former pub landlord in Hove, endorsed the police findings.
He said: "I'm not one to believe in folklore or superstitions or anything, but I honestly believe the full moon sends some people a bit loopy."
Some studies have suggested a link between the lunar cycle and criminality.
A three-month psychological study of 1,200 inmates at Armley jail in Leeds in 1998 showed a rise in violent incidents in the days either side of a full moon.
Research has also been carried out into the association between the full moon and strange behaviour as portrayed in literature.
Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London who carried out the study, sponsored by Jose Cuervo, the Mexican tequila distiller, concluded: "There is good reason to believe people's personalities do change around the time of the full moon, not because of any astronomical force, but because it creates the optimum lighting conditions for feeling carefree and mischievous."
Insp Parr hopes his findings could lead to further research which would be of use to police officers.
He added: "When we have the resources and if we can plan for it we will put on an extra officer or two."
I have a friend who works in the emergency room at a hospital and she says it's always busy and crazy there when it's a full moon.
Deanne, good thoughts for Doug's recovery and for your plants too :)
Kathy, great pictures from your trip. Thanks for posting them!
As Bella would say, time for nite-nite here.
Hi everyone..
Just a quick drop in tonite..
Chelone, the reason you had to scroll side to side was because my last photo did not re-size properly and our text went out to the edge of that photo. I am the culprit ! Operator error is a definate possibility here.
I have more pics to post but will not get there for a couple of days.
And speaking of weird weather, we actually got some rain showers this evening--very unusual in June.Not measureable though, so I still had to water stuff.
Okay, gotta go , best to all...
Kathy in Napa
Deanne, Id love to send the copper tape. I still have your address. Sorry about the hail. We had it more towards fall a couple of years ago. Here we really worry about the crops when we get hail. Actually, the containers I did are really taking a beating because a terrible wind came up today, along with 88 degree temps. Storms are expected tonight. I even heard that there are tornado chasers in the area from Kansas.
Ive not been successful in the past with foxgloves, but I do have a bunch that I wintersowed that could be planted out.
Kathy, great pictures, the last one reminds me of something that I could do with all my rocks. LOL
RE: bowling balls, I have heard that you can get them at thrift stores and that some bowling alleys give their old ones away. I happened to have mine by way of a gag gift.
Nite all