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susiewantsroses

Hello My Name is Susie

susiewantsroses
15 years ago

I finally learned that I can at least introduce myself even if my camera is broken. Here is a picture of me and my 27 year old baby. Glad to meet ya'll. I turned 50 in October. I love being a part of this forum!!

{{gwi:128178}}

Comments (27)

  • leveta
    15 years ago

    Hi susie, it's nice to put a face to a name...Nice looking son you have...

  • sunnyca_gw
    15 years ago

    Hi Susie! Nice pic!! Thanks ! I'm still wondering why you want roses! Don't they do well where you are?? Every time I see your "name" I wonder!!!! Jan

  • luna_llena_feliz
    15 years ago

    Susie, you don't look old enough to have a 27 year old baby! lol! I thought that was your husband or brother not your son! It is great to put a face with a name. I always wished we lived closer to each other so we could meet in person. Thanks for sharing!

    Kathy

  • kirkus
    15 years ago

    Susie, It's so great putting a face to a name! What a great picture! You look soooooo proud!!! Last year with the Secret Santa Exchange, people posted pictures of themselves with their gifts. It was so neat seeing everyone! Thanks for sharing! Bear Hugs! Kirk

  • princess_mimi
    15 years ago

    Nice to meet you! See you 'round the junk yard!

    ~~Mimi

  • Marlene Kindred
    15 years ago

    It's always nice to put a face with a name! Nice to see you! (and your son!)

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Luna,

    I also have a 32 year old daughter and the most adored 9 year old grand daughter. When everyone else was making their college plans, I was planning a family. When I was 19 I painted my grandpa's old horse plow and attached it to my mail box post. (1977) That was my first piece of garden junk. LOL

    Kirk,

    I am proud of that sweet boy. He is an amazing artist and graphic designer (she gushed). His girlfriend is still in college so no talk of weddings yet. :(

    I looked at last year's Secret Santa picture posts and I feel like I know ya'll. So I was introducing myself.

    Sunnyca,

    'Susie wants roses' because we have been working at preparing four planter boxes for 3 months so far! We had to dig through solid dark grey Texas clay 2' deep and 2' square. Then hubs built a 1' tall brick border around each hole. Then fill in with rose dirt, manure, and now compost. Then Hubs built a "GAZARBOR" using a gazebo tent frame (without the fabric) and white lattice. Now we must wait until February or March to plant the actual roses. Then wait A couple of years until they climb the arbor. "Susie wants roses" has become a statement of FAITH!!!!! My hearts desire. A dream to work towards. A vision in my mind. An achievement to reach for. Because Nothing can compare to the total beauty of a rose!!! We bricked the floor on the interior and I made a white chandelear using small birdhouses instead of light bulbs. I plan to sit in that thing and smell roses gosh darn it!!! (More laughing.) I promise to produce lots of pictures when I get my camera.

    Thank you all for your warm welcomes!

    Susie

  • Purplemoon
    15 years ago

    Susie, I loved seeing the photo (ditto me on what Luna said tho, LOL). And also learning about your name. Its great to get to know one another on this 'side of the Forum.

    A lot of friendships have formed thanks to GJ, and I feel so lucky to be a part of this group. I'm very glad you joined us and hope you stay for a long time to come.

    hugs, Karen

  • sunnyca_gw
    15 years ago

    Susie, You definitely earned that name with all your toil!! You have David Austin Roses down there somewhere. I have just 1 called Mary Jane I think,it is so great smelling& med. pink very full rose. it is the old rose smell & a climber. Check with college to see which roses do best in your area. Wal Mart & others will sell roses but not necessarily good for your area. A good nursery might be of help too. I will think of your progress every time I see your name!! And next summer we want a progress report!! Jan

  • tennesseetrash
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the photos Susierose. Nice looking Mom & son!

    As for roses, I love them too, but find the prettiest ones are usually the ones that require constant spraying & attention. Slugs, bugs & others love to munch on them, and I hate it because my big flower garden is down in my hilly back yard and I need knee replacement, can't maintain as I would like to.

    Long story short, I've been getting into miniature roses the last couple of years. They stay outside in the winter just like a garden rose, but are grown in small containers and easier to maintain. And the little blooms are the cutest! Just an idea, you apparently love roses so much that you probably have what it takes to maintain them.

    Also the old standards in your area that will grow around an old homeplace, barn or ditch that hasn't been maintained ... those are usually the ones that bloom heartily and don't require spraying, etc. Blooms might not be the fancy cutting type from the florist though.

    Here's a little Bantam Rose in the pot hanging on the deck wall, it's not in bloom, but when it is blooming it has a small white flower with a yellow center. Sweeeet. Easty to maintain too. Those darn critters that love to eat our beautiful roses! lol.

    ~tenderlee

    {{gwi:128179}}

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    We are not 'too' far from Tyler Texas (Rose capital). They obviously have different soil than the Playdough that this house was built on. I was looking at climbing roses on a website in England and they said they ship out of Tyler Texas. LOL And I am learning about those old abandoned roses that are being cultivated (or is it propagated?). There is a life time of information on roses. I could not have picked a tougher goal.

    My newest gardening skill is smashing grubs and snails by hand (supposed to put calcium and nutrients back into the soil). Our Yorkie and Poodle would eat snails as I found them. I did this all summer long! This fall I bought yellow pansies for my 'bicycle built for two planter baskets' and a few for down in the flower bed. They were immediately attacked by snails. I finally cheated a bit and put some snail bait out (the dogs can not get to this area unless I let them). Every morning when I go out and check, there are dozens of dead snails!!! I thought surely that I had killed the majority of them by hand.

    Tenderlee, you must have a gorgeous place! I agree that the container mini roses are adorable! I did not know that they made them for outside!!! That is great.

    My Mom always said "Give me my roses while I am living". I have to say she didn't get very many because they are too darned expensive. LOL So I figured that if I am going to have roses, I will have to work for them.

    Our neighborhood was built in "Horse Country" on top of a horse training track. The soil is too hard for planting so they raised horses instead. Ha Soil amendment is mostly soil replacement! You can see why it will take faith to have roses out here.

  • concretenprimroses
    15 years ago

    Susie, its fun to know more about you, and you are definitely young looking! Kirk, I like the idea of posting our pics with our gifts! Lets do it everyone.
    kathy

  • kudzukween
    15 years ago

    Nice to meet you Susie :D Good luck with your roses...I never could grow them; heck I can't even get them to live more than a couple days in a vase ! LOL
    Interesting orb there in the photo..by your sons jacket pocket. I can't help it, it's gotten to be a big 'hobby' of mine :D There's a few examples of my collection of orbs on my blog if you wanna see :D
    Cherry/Kudzu

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Cherry,

    That pic was taken during a happy moment at my Mom's funeral in the funeral home. She had suffered so much that we knew that she was in a happier state of being. We have a deep belief in life beyound and that makes funerals a little easier to endure. We were able to have both tears and joy that day. I have heard of orbs but had never looked closely at that pic until you pointed that out. I just called my son and he said he has another picture of him with an orb from a different day.(?) I love your blog!

    Susie

  • sunnyca_gw
    15 years ago

    I love roses, I have 40 rose bushes, about 1/2 minis some of them get about 3ft but roses are small. I even took sweetheart red roses & made mom a corsage 3 yrs ago for Mom's day & the 5 stems I stuck in cinnamon & stuck in wet dirt. ! took & it is about 4 ft tall now. Biggest problem is in spring if we get too much humidity then the roses get mildew or fungus & I have to strip the leaves all off. Mini's are a little hard to cut back- I can't bring myself to mow them down & think they would kick off. That was instructions with some I ordered. Some stems get pretty thick & they branch all over, not orderly like most larger roses. The mini climbers don't climb very far at least 2 yrs I've had them they haven't. If I have a rose in a pot it dies in a week, I think I tend to overwater so i get them in ground same day I get them! Jan

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Jan,

    We left an open area in the brick floor of the "Gazarbor" to plant smaller rose bushes or annuals (I had thought about a mini ground cover type rose there). Our yard slants so the open flower bed was needed so the brick floor didn't drain under the fence and make our neighbors yard soggie. The rain that hits the brick floor will run off into the flower bed instead. We live in close quarters but we have "big elbows" (12'wide sideyard and we put in a 10' wide Gazarbor).

    I love to hear that you can propagate roses!!!!!!! That is wonderful!!!! I have invisioned understanding that process some day. Do you use the cinnamon as a root stimulator or are you using cinnamon sticks to protect the young stems?

    Your roses must be wonderful in that type of mass planting!

    Susie

  • sunnyca_gw
    15 years ago

    Hi Susie, I probably didn't make it clear what
    I did. I bought 5 roses at a florist to make my mom a corsage for Mother's Day. They were "Sweetheart" which is smaller than Am. Beauty which you get a dozen of for someone special. I cut off the roses as only need the heads for corsage & thought I might as well try planting the "sticks" I had left. I think Birds & Bloom had article that said cinnamon was good root stimulator so since you can get cheap stuff for 99cents a jar I gave it a try. It works as well as the expensive stuff. I like to do it in a fairly shaded spot where soil is evenly moist & then just hope it works. I've started many roses that way, the minis you can just stick the branches you cut off in Jan. in ground beside them & they will take if it has rained recently, they don't even need cinnamon. Mini's are not on a graft so they will be just like original plant. I have done all types of roses & had good luck. My dad used to stick a bunch of branches in a bucket of water & forget about it & they would take, that doesn't work for me,gets stinky!! They do need shade to start as soil doesn't dry out as fast. Anyone you know with a rose can give you a "start" it needs to be older wood not fresh growth for best results,the flowers I got for corsage were new canes so reason only 1 took.If you visit a graveyard & see them trimming roses ask for some, they are very hardy & some of best roses. I think someone was going to write a book on that. A cane about as big around as your finger or little smaller, dipped in cinnamon powder & pushed into moist dirt & left alone should show growth in 3-4 weeks. Good Luck! So if you get roses as gift,cut fatest 1 off so stem is at least 6 in long & give it a try. Jan

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Jan,

    Thank you so much for taking the time to explain your technique with roses!!!! I plan to do exactly what you have taught me. How blessed you were to have a dad who loved roses and passed along his green thumb to you.

    Susie :)

  • tennesseetrash
    15 years ago

    Roses love compost Susierose. If you're able to compost your veggie refuse from the kitchen, you can ammend the soil around each rose easily (and free). They love banana peelings placed around them too. Coffee grounds, banana peels, egg shells, cabbage cores, etc makes gardening gold. Within 6 months you can have beautiful compost.

    I have had great success with the mini roses from the floral dept at the grocery store, as well as mail order. I have one red mini rose in an old coal hod that blooms 3 or 4 times a year that hubby bought at BiLo Grocery. But critters like to eat it, and I have to remember to spray it with Neem Oil. So far it seems to be the safest and best for me. Being in a container on my deck makes that job easier also.

    I'm no expert of roses for sure, but you mentioned cost, and yes, that's exactly why I was telling you about some of the beautiful roses I've bought down in my back yard garden. They will start putting on wonderfully in the spring, and before I can get the blooms open, something always starts munching them back to just a thorny vine. And if I don't hike down there and spray them every few days, I will only get s bunch of vines instead of roses & foilage :-(

    If I had of known 10 years ago the health problems I have now, or that I was going to have 2 grandkids, I wouldn't have bought this hilly property, or this little bungelow that has 2 sets of steep stairs, but thank you for your compliments, it's nothing fancy. Instead I would have gotten a sprawling rancher and a flat piece of land! My health problems aren't life threating, just hard to get around, poly arthritis (5 joints or more), and fibromyalgia. Now I know the reason I've had to live on ibuprofen for the past several years! Duh! lol. Been going to aqua therapy 3 times a week. I love being almost weightless in the water, I can move without so much pain.

    OK, I'll shuddit, and wish you all a great Sunday~ tenderlee

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    tenderlee,

    I loved aquadic therapy before and after my back surgery back in Houston TX. It is 1000 X better than my experience with land therapy. There was a wonderful massage technique called Watsui, that was of great help with spasm issues. I am so glad that you have access to that where you live. It is primo treatment! I have not found aquadic therapy here in Dallas area yet. But I do have some of the equipment to use at our neighborhood pool.

    Have you tried sprinkling chyianne (sp?) pepper around your roses and plants for unwanted munchers?

    Do you care full time for your Grandbabies? My grand daughter used to live full time with me. Now I do not get to see her. I was exhausted all of the time back then. Some of that exhaustion was from pure joy because of how happy she made me.

    Susie

  • tennesseetrash
    15 years ago

    I've read about the cayenne pepper before. I haven't tried it though, just really neglected my garden this past year. Will have to try it this spring. That's why I'm using mostly carefree plants now, no time to fuss with much.

    Our daughter had complications with her C-section in Sept, and she, son-in-law, & the 2 babies have been staying with us since then. They have a home leased near Atlanta, a 2 hour drive from here, but the lease is up in 2 months. Her hubby already found a job here, and they're just waiting for the lease to expire in Atlanta. They think they've found a suitable place here in Chattanooga, and may get to move in 2 or 3 weeks. Otherwise it'll probably be in January.

    In the meanwhile, hubby and I are having to share a bathroom again OH I HATE THAT LOL. I have moved furniture around all over the house to accomodate, adding 2 baby cribs, etc. Whew! But the grandkids are so worth it.

    I'm sorry to hear that you aren't seeing the little one right now, must be absolutely heartbreaking. I miss these 2 babies if I don't see them every few hours. It'll be great to have them moved in and settled down close by here in town, and for hubby and I to live alone again though, I'll adjust ;-) ~tenderlee

  • akup_a
    15 years ago

    Hi SuRose! Happy to meet ya. Glad you found your way here. I'm a fellow Texan close to Ft. Worth. We have the horrible red clay here so can feel for your plight with soil amendment. Sure hope your roses grow & grow.
    I love roses too but they were hard to grow so I gave up. Grandma made it all look easy, she had several beds of roses. I couldn't do it.
    At my Dad's funeral, we received a basket of mini roses. No one wanted them so I stuck them in my window sill to take care of later. I forgot all about them. I discovered them several weeks later, dry as a bone & wilting. I tossed them into a flower bed for compost and this summer I had the prettiest white, mini rose bush ever. I wish my other plants would thrive from neglect!
    vickie

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    tenderlee,

    You will be so blessed to have family close by!!! Life will be so rich. Hope your daughter is feeling well again.
    When we moved to Dallas area from Houston we knew we would never want to move again. So we were fortunate enough to find a one story house. I miss those stair bannisters at Christmas time. It just seems so charming to have some greenery coming down the stairs.

    Vickie,

    Hey neighbor! We are out close to Aubry (jokingly called a suburb of OKlahoma). I keep hearing great things about those mini roses. There must be magic in your compost! That was a wonderful unexpected gift. So far the only thing my compost gave me was an onion. But Susie wants Roses gosh darn it! LOL

    Susie

  • oreos_mom
    15 years ago

    Hi Susie. I love roses also . When I purchased some property I was determined I was going to have a large rose bed. Little did I know that our famous sandy red dirt here in Alabama was going to make sure I didn't ! So.. when I dug the holes for my 2nd go-round with our dirt I dug them fairly deep, mounded the dirt up in the center of the hole,spread the roots of the rose bushes over the mounds and dropped a fish ( dead of course :) into the hole. I then added banana peelings and hair. Let me tell you... bad soil or not, those bushes took off like crazy ! I had the most beautiful,fragrant blooms and the bushes were so full and green. Once I initially got the bushes planted, I just simply would work handfuls of hair ( from our hairbrushes, haircuts, dogs,etc ) into the soil around the bushes after that. I never had to buy commercial rose food or insecticides. Maybe it would work on your soil too.
    Susan

  • susiewantsroses
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Oreos-mom,

    I was born & partially raised in North Alabama. My Grandparents farmed that red dirt and made it look so easy. I now have a greater respect for them!!! I told my dad that I want to bring back some of that red dirt here to TX (Anything is better than this Clay). Thanks for the tips Ya'll. I'll have to start asking all of my Junking family to mail me their hair. LOL CLIPPERS UP!!!!!

  • lindasewandsew
    15 years ago

    Susie, No wonder you like those hens and chicks. They almost look like little roses. If you want to email me, I can send you a small 'care package' with some variety of succulents. Linda

  • katishooked
    15 years ago

    Hey hey Susie.

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