Morning all,

Its now 23 but supposed to get up to 40 today. Been busy trying to peel a few layers of debris off this house in preparation for the party next weekend. Hard to believe it is only a week away! Im going to have to do double time at the gym to have enough calories for Moniques wonderful dessert. LOL I just cant wait to see everyone!!! You all just have to promise me not to laugh when you see the blind in the back yard. I thought of taking it down to avoid ridicule but Id like to keep it up for another few weeks. Can you even believe it is going to be March next week?

Michelle, bummer about your knees. I can understand being down about it. Ive got bad knees also, in fact I dont know if you remember that I was told that I needed two knee replacements from the ortho doc five years ago. Anyway with the weight loss and exercise Im free of knee pain 95% of the time. Ive found if I slack off on the exercise my knees begin to hurt. Regular exercise keeps arthritic joints working better. ~~ Thanks so much! So happy you like the birdie photos.

Sue even if the show was underwhelming it still must have felt good to see green and blooming things. I went to the orchid show here yesterday and it was marvelous to see those abundance of gorgeous flowers.

Martie, Those pots a re really lovely. I can see something purple with Sedona coleus??? Do you have a patio where you can group an arrangement of containers? Id do two different but coordinating arrangements of stuff with orange and purple and have one plant that is common to both containers and have a third terra cotta container that was either larger or smaller that those two, probably larger. Congratulations on reaching your budget milestone. Good for you.

Babs, so very sorry about your MIL. Sounds like there is some denial going on there? That must make you and Chris so sad that she isnt taking care of the diabetes. ~~ So happy you like the Downy pic, I was about ten feet from the bird when I took that photograph. That tree is my deadwood perch/feeder that Doug and I made a month or so ago. Doug and found this dropped limb, stuck it in one of my large pots, drilled it full of ½" holes and I fill the holes up with suet. The Downys come into it every day and a few times Ive had Hairy Woodpeckers on it but Ive never been out there with the camera when they came in.

Kathy, ROTFLOL "De-nunned". I hope the cheap wine was tasty wine that didnt cost too much? What do you like to drink, white? Red? Lately Im liking red zins. ~~ Neat that youve made yourself a potting area! Im so jealous. I have a temp set up that I have to keep putting up and taking down and Id love a permanent area like Michelle has made.

Cynthia, so sorry about Dannie but glad to hear she is doing better. ~~ How did the fence turn out? And did the fence guys do any damage??? I know what you mean about you cant look. Im the same way. I was a wreck when we did the addition to this house and spent time in the basement with the blinds drawn. ~~ Thanks re birdie pics! Stuffed! LOL

T, so very sorry about Claude So sad. ~~ You are so sweet to mention that you enjoyed my AM posts. I dont know what my problem has been lately but Ive been in a mood about various kinds of family garbage and a problem with a next door neighbor, then of course Im still sad about my across the street neighbor passing away. Anyway, enough of that, the days are getting longer, Im waking up in the mornings at 5:30AM again so hopefully Ill be able to drop in early again. ~~ Glad you liked the woodpecker pic even though they caused you such problems last year.

Beautiful snowy pics Bug!

Eden, great to hear from you. How are your plants under lights doing??? Mine are finally perking up a bit and I think Ive finally gotten a handle on the aphids and fungus gnats. ~~ Glad you like the woodpecker. Thanks!

Hi Yeona!!! Nice to hear from you. Sounds like you are getting lots of exercise. Thats terrific.

Cindy, love the Bewitched Mode of Transportation. LOL I always thought Id love a transporter ala Star Treck. Just think, then everyone could pop in for the party next Saturday. Wouldnt that be a blast?!

OK I think Ive caught up. I hope! Hello to anyone Ive missed.

Have a great day all,
Deanne

Here is a funny pic to cheer up your day. It was pretty windy on Friday and this jay turned in the wrong direction and POUFF!!! Bad Hair Day. I ROTFLOL when I opened up the photo file.

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Morning all!

It is so gloomy out this morning, but Deanne's blue jay sure puts a smile on my face! I'm so sorry your trials seem to be building up girl, but you have a lovely gathering planned which I just know will be fabu-fabu! I'm so jealous and wish I could get there somehow!
I am very conscious of the time passing- SLOWLY! Only one week until the "Thumb Noses" party, but I am counting days and weeks and months until baby day. Those mommy/baby forums are so funny. Things have certainly changed in the last 30-35 years! DVDs are given out by doctors showing the baby movements at about 18 weeks. The antics between twins is astonishing. My DD is not having an ultrasound, prefers a big surprise. She is very sweet putting up with my excitement. I got all weepy when she posted this:
"My life has taken a complete 180 in the last year, and I am grateful to everyone in it. My moms patience is a great example of how shes been all my life letting me figure things out on my own, and always being there if we want or need her help, but not stopping us from going through the difficult parts. I know theres times that that must have been very difficult and even heartbreaking, but I hope I can be strong enough to do the same for my kids."

This morning I woke up to a surprise email. They thought it was spam, but no, an email from one of my cousins in France. I have not touched base with her for over 20 years. I know she has an especially difficult life, but my French is so weak that writing is impossible when you want to say important difficult things. Somehow we have managed to connect again! My father was her godfather, her mother the object of my supreme adulation.

Off to accomplish more knitting while DH is at hockey.

[Charlotte is jealous of Skidboot. ;-)]
'bug

Good Morning, We've got some sleet and ice here today. I hope it goes away before Bella's birthday bash this afternoon. My mom and dad were planning on driving down this morning but I discouraged that so they'll wait until next weekend and we'll have to have a mini-birthday celebration again then. We had so much fun with Bella at Sesame Street Live yesterday. She loved it and sat wide-eyed watching the whole thing.

Marie, I enjoyed the Skidboot video. I saw him on one of the late night talk shows a while back.

Sue, it's good to hear some positive news on Zoe about the housebreaking problem. Also glad to hear she's in good health. I hope the news stays positive on that front.

Deanne, what a great picture of the blue jay! I love it. My plants are all doing ok, no big problems with them this year. I'm glad to hear yours are now doing better too.

Babs, it's great to hear how much you're enjoying your job. I'm so happy things are going well for you guys. Wish the situation with your mil could improve.

No aches and pains here yet for me. Brad's pretty creaky though from all the years of racquetball.

Cynthia, I was hoping to see an update on Dannie this morning...

Like Sue said, there's never a lack of things to do. I need to get going and make breakfast, we're having french toast, then wrap presents and make potato salad for the party later. Have a good Sunday, Eden

Its a snowed-in Sunday morning (almost afternoon) here. We got several inches of snow with layers of sleet mixed in, then a little rain on top for good measure. I shoveled the sidewalk, which is not huge, but it was a job and a half because of the weight of the snow. DH Has done some plowing, and we will go out again soon with me on the TV as well for a little (okay a lot) extra weight.

Cindy, Ive used your "backwards" reading method a few times and know just what you mean! I think sometimes it takes me twice as long because then I go back and forth, trying to put things into context. Hope your mood is improving; I know this weather is not helping one bit.

T, Im sorry to hear about Claude.

Martie, what a nice compliment it was to be asked about the advocacy position. I agree, that has to be an emotionally draining position, but it says loads that she thought you would be good at it. Glad to hear that you had a good result at the hearing.

I like GBs suggestion of blue muscari in those pots. And if they need more height, set them on top of overturned blue glazed pots. (Yeah, I know more $!)

My hair is looking sort of like that Blue Jays. What a great shot!

I had a nice day yesterday. We went to a natural landscaping seminar at the local college. The first speaker was Guy Sternberg, who has posted on the trees forum as guy_starhillforests. I dont think he has posted lately because of issues with the junk on GW and dial up internet access. Anyway, he was a wonderful speaker; his posts dont give a hint of a wonderful baritone voice. He had some great native tree suggestions and I may try and find myself a bulimia tree. Okay, its really bumila, but I can remember the name better the wrong way.

The afternoon speaker was Carol Reese, who does some writing for Horticulture magazine. She was an absolute riot, with some good garden ideas to boot. She has 24 (yes, twenty-four) dogs at the moment because she lives in rural Tennessee in an area where people dump animals a lot and her heart is too big to turn away the strays.

Friday night I accompanied DH to a Pheasants Forever banquet. Its not high on my list of great things to do, but I did win the centerpiece to take home. Funny, the centerpieces had been donated by the local florist whose praises I have been singing of late. What goes around

We are not taking MIL to the family dinner this evening. Shes decided once again that the trip is too much for her. Shes a bit on the discouraged side right now. Shes not interested in reading, watching TV, etc., and cant understand why her DH doesnt want to spend the whole day sitting with her. She wont order groceries from Peapod, but is terribly lonely when her DH takes the time to go do the grocery shopping. At the moment, she is close to wallowing in negativity and she shoots down all attempts to pull her out of it! My DH and his sibs are trying their best to help as much as they can.

Its about time to make that second pass at the driveway. Hope that none of the noreasters get hit too hard with this weather. (Just had a coworker phone me she went to Denver for a weekend trip and is now stuck there until Tuesday morning because so many of todays flights into OHare cancelled. I hope this is not a foreshadowing)

V.
ps - how is Danni?

Lots of ice and additional snow. Church services were called off. The internet was down for part of the a.m. but is working for the moment.

Happy happy birthday to Bella. Have a fun day Eden.

Sue, it must have been nice to just see something green and water that isnt frozen at this time of year. The pile of rocks reminds me of IU3. There was a pyramid of rocks at that nursery that was on the farm. The name escapes me. (another sign of aging LOL)

Deanne, the blue jay picture is a hoot. Sorry that you are still dealing with family issues.

Michelle

It's gorgeous here today. Crystal clear cerulean blue sky, no wind, and temperatures in the high 30s-maybe 40. The driveway is nice and mucky in front of the door and that's where the gutter sag is... We've accessorized the whole "dog patch" look with a gold trash bucket to collect the water that drips incessantly from the gutter when the days warm up.

I have contemplated removing the greens from the windowboxes, but don't feel like it right now. The cats have been in and out of the house at least a hundred times so far today. They've spent a good deal of time up on the roof, too. :) Rex has done a good deal of snow rolling, too.

My sympathy to those of you getting whacked by old man winter. Snow is one thing, but freezing rain is the worst, IMO. It makes everything harder. And I'm reasonably certain we'll get at least one more dose of the stuff before too long. Capitalizing on the pleasant weather, the helpmeet is snowblowing paths to the compost and brush piles. We have some burning in our future.

Depression and the elderly is a very bad combination. And they're disinclined to take any action (let alone a pill!) to alleviate it. Watching it ravage someone is terribly difficult.

The punked out Bue Jay is great! Larry used to put his crest up straight when he was on high alert. And he used to like it when you'd "do scritchies", rolling the feathers gently between thumb and forefinger to removed the cuticle at the base of them. I miss him.

Sleeping difficulties. I've had my share of those, too, but they're more stress related than anything. I know because my mind is going a million miles/hr. when I awaken in the night and I can't get back to sleep. I bump up the exercise level, watch what I eat more closely, and try to deal with whatever I find myself thinking about when I awaken in the wee hours. It's a drag, though; esp. when you begin draggin' part way through the day.

Back to my book. Wonder how the party at Eden's is going? I'd like to have some cake right now...

Thought I'd share a smile with you all.

DH and I rode down to the end of the driveway on the ATV, then I hopped off while he tried to clean up the end of the driveway. Well, he was going a little too fast, misjudged where the ditch started and buried the front half of the ATV in the ditch. He went to get the car, but my mini SUV didn't have the oomph to pull it out. So then he went to get the tractor, which involved taking the mower off first, etc., etc.

All this time, I am at the end of the slushy driving in sleety rain, trying to bring a little order to the drive with a snow shovel. Well, a pick up truck pulls off the road, and two guys get out. One of the guys was someone I had worked with over 10 years ago! He and his buddy got the ATV out of the ditch with the truck. A happy ending!

V.

Here are some pictures to remind you of things to come:

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Great snow story from V.. Hope all are safe and those with parties are partyin' down, rockin' out to Sesame Street tunes and too much sugar. Any chance of Eden in a party hat, or is the camera still on the fritz?

;)

Promises, promises...
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I took a walk but nary a fresh bloom could be found. Here's what I did find. The moss under this ice is slightly green ;o)
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These 2 reminded me of Christmas trees as a child with all the icicles dripping from the branches.

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I'm liking Chelone's fresh blooms.

Michelle

Sunday afternoon, the final day of a 4 day weekendIt went by fast ! Todays been is my favorite Boont Amber Ale from Anderson Valley Brewing company in the booming metropolis of Booneville Ca in Mendocino County. So here is a travel tip by the way, If you ever happen to be in my neck of the woods , the Anderson Valley is one beautiful drive provided you arent the car-sick on windy roads type ! The drive from Cloverdale to the coast is one of my top 5 favorites in California.

The dumpster is full to the topI told my next door neighbor that I wouldnt fill it and to feel free to throw some stuff in- and what a blessing in disguise that was, not only did her throw away a bunch of junk that was an eyesore on our mutual property line, but he offered to pay for half of the rental ! We have the two cleanest RV parking spaces in the neighborhood. I got finished yesterday just as the rain started up again. It really poured last night, and though the sun has been out most of the day today its way too wet to do any gardening.

Well, Sue , what a bummer that you have no definitive answers yet on Zoe. We have our San Francisco Garden show coming up in March, The display gardens there are always over the top and totally impractical, but I always take away an idea or two that I can apply in my own garden. I enjoyed looking at your pics on the other forum. Maybe Ill take some in SF to share ..

Deanne, that Blue Jay shot is absolutely classic. I just love blue jays;I get the scrub jays here , and I have them set up with their own feeder with raw in the shell peanuts. My cats are all terrified of them .
I do prefer red wine too. I found a Pinot Noir from France for 4.99 a bottle at Trader Joes; called Wolfhouse. I find that a cheap red wine that is drinkable is a lot harder to come by than drinkable cheap white. I have a pretty decent stockpile of good stuff too.

bug, I was the same with my babies- I didnt want to know their genders. How good it must feel to know that your DD appreciates your desire to be supportive without being meddlesome ! Its so hard to watch them make mistakes, but gratifying when they dig themselves out .

Eden, good times for Bellas birthdayhope all goes well.

Wow V., one does not even want to contemplate what the vet bills would look like with 24 dogs. Perhaps she gets a quantity discount .

Chelone, loved your pics. I think I may have actually lost a couple of my zonal geraniums this winter- that multitude of mid 20 degree nights in January took their toll. Ive never had an issue with them before and it didnt even cross my mind to move them to a more protected area. My scented geraniums die back to the ground almost every year but they always come back.

Michelle ..Brrrr !!

Okay, here are my photo contributions.

Well, maybe its not quite the Biggest Pansy Display on the planet, but it is coming along. This is one little section that actually has flowers..
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This one is called Pandora Box. Note the attractive snail bites..

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Clematis Armandii, blooming today
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And this is my one and only Tree Peony. If I go out of town for more that about 5 days when it blooms I miss the whole thing for the year. Infuriating, but there is nothing more exquisite than those flowers, all 5 of them.

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Kathy in Napa

Hi Idylls

Missing you ALL terribly! I haven't even had a chance to read this thread and enjoy all the beautiful photos. We're just coming to the end of a fabulous weeks vacation filled with family, skiing, skating and friends. Tomorrow we'll be back into school/work mode, but I'm dragging my feet right now, mostly because I'm being videoed for a training tape, and being in front of a camera has to be one of my least favorite places in the world.

We loved every second of our visit with Ruth, BIL, Ivan and Iris and had so much fun together. One of these days I'll post some pictures, the little ones are more adorable than ever!

It is less than 2 weeks till the Odyssey of the Mind competition and we are in full gear. Coaching has been such a fun, interesting but time consuming endeavor I'm not sure how I'll feel when its over. By the way, the kids did very well with the egg drop exercise and devised a clever protection using a cone of paper to cushion the fall.

Along with everything else I have been gripped by a desire to play the violin and have spent a couple of hours each day working on a fabulous piece, Vitali's Chaconne (you can listen to below). I can't figure out what is possessing me to play right now, but rather than fight it I'm getting back into scales and studies and am seriously considering finding a teacher for lessons. I probably need my head examined but this is far more satisfying!

DH just left again for another extended trip and spent yesterday at the dress rehearsal for the Oscar's, which I will probably watch a little of tonight.

Waving to you all

Mary

T, jeez I was rushing through this morning and totally forgot to send my condolences on Claude. Didn't you just lose another goat in the not so distant past?

It looks like you midwesteners are sending your storm this way. According to the weather people it will arive just in time to screw up the morning commute. Michelle, nice pictures but...lol...ugh!

Deanne, love the bluejay pic. Occasionally they raid my feeders. A beautiful bird but probably not popular in the avian community...lol. BTW, Tom will not be able to make your party. He's been waiting over a month for DirectTV to come and upgrade our satellite to HD and the appointment is Saturday between 1 and 5 PM. I knew he had the appointment but it never dawned on me that it would be on a Saturday. Oh well...his loss. He seemed less than thrilled to be missing the party so maybe he'll try to get the date changed. I'll bring shrimp cocktail if that's OK.

Tom apparently took a serious fall on the slopes today. He can't use one of his thumbs and one of his arms. Not good. We're icing and popping ibuprofen but something tells me a trip to the doctor is in his future. He never falls. It must be this over 60 thing going on...hehehe.

Keep teasing us Kathy, it's OK. The San Francisco garden show would probably be worth attending for easterners like me. Seattle has always intrigued me too. Maybe some year. The big shows here are Philly and Boston but the timing never works for me. I'm trying a new Chardonnay tonight called Bohemian Highway. The guy at the liquor store told Tom it's made by a big name vineyard-maybe Beringer-but they don't put their name on it. It's very good.

Anyone hear from Marian? It looks like Arkansas got nailed with tornadoes. Marian, check in please.

OK, I had planned to get some work work done this weekend and it's now almost 9:30 and I'm thinking about bed. Why can't I seem to manage time better? If only there was more of it.

Sue

Wow - three posts from V in one day!

It's snowing again. We've probably gotten well over an inch since about 5:00 pm. You can't even tell that I had shoveled the sidewalk!

I forgot to mention that I will be out of town for a couple of days, so I may not post for a few. I just checked the hotel website and they have no mention of internet access.

Kathy, what a nice break on the dumpster - you cleared out and eyesore AND saved money to boot. When my packrat uncle passed away many moons ago, we went through three dumpsters in cleaning out the house. We probably would have gone through double that number if it weren't for the fact that every time we returned to the house, the dumpster had about half of what was in it when we had left! Funny, in the country you worry about other folks filling up the dumpster, and in the city folks empty it for you!

Sue, when you find that more time let me know where to look for it.

V.

Good wintry morning. Didn't turn on a computer, tv or radio yesterday and was surprised by a quick 5" of greasy snow. Yippee!!!! We really, really need the moisture.

Great plant pics, folks! Frozen or warm, they're all appreciated.

Our bathroom is totally stripped of all hardware and today restoration of sheetrock begins. Picked out a ton of stuff yesterday -- lights, towel bars, switch plates, towels, mirrors, etc. So much for my spiff :-) It was really fun and Rich Came With Me!! Not one decorating-related spat!!

I did find the Hartford Flower Show underwhelming. Yes, it was wonderful to be in what amounted to a 3 acre greenhouse, but the lack of really creative work was disappointing. We have so many wonderful horticultural things going on in this state and the show just doesn't do them justice.

Marian!!! I'm really worried about you and know others are, too.

Thanks for the container ideas. Seems that blue/purple will Have to be involved :-)

Have enjoyed reading everything and wish I had time to quip on each and every one. Really hope Tom is okay, Mary continues to enjoy the glow of family and music, Eden is still smiling, Marie finds a way to communicate to her cousin, V. had an extra six-pack in the fridge for good friends, Michelle's sign comes true soon, Kathy's pansies go wild, and Cynthia lets us know what happened to poor Dannie. Waving and smiling to everyone else!!

Martie

Another gloomy winter's morn but this week we are promised temperatures in the 30-32F range with rain/snow. So it seems a bit like March is on its way. At the moment big flakes are falling and the drifts along the drive need to be plowed before DH can get out to work.

Last night we enjoyed a choral concert as part of the local music festival. It was a real mix of music, some of it original, some spirituals, some religious. The food afterwards was good enough that I didn't need to prepare dinner later! Yeah!

This year's local garden conference looked so dull that I didn't even bother to attend. Pretty sad. I used to select the speakers and trades people, which was one way of assuring that at least I'd enjoy it!

Last night DGS phoned from Alberta. What a joy to hear his voice. I'd sent him a spiral bound collection of photos from his trip here last January and he was full of talk about his favourite pictures. He's still working on the concept of time differences between us.

DD began her first pre-natal yoga class yesterday and was excited about that. I am still finishing up the border of the entrelac knitting. I hope to have it done SOON.

I'm very much enjoying my Christmas book, The Places in Between by Rory Stewart. It is a wise and funny book about the author's WALK from Herat to Kabul right after the fall of the Taliban...It really is a masterpiece that I recommend to all. Imagine a walk beginning in January there!

Mary, I certainly can imagine the excitement in mastering the Chaconne! I was only able to hear a portion of the Sarah Chang version, but beautiful! Come play it for us one day soon!

And Danni? Update please!

Yoo Hoo! Marian! Hope you are safe and warm!
'bug

Morning all,

We are getting a dusting of snow today but I guess this storm has been a real pain in the neck elsewhere. I was watching the news last night and Jet Blue apparently cancelled flights for today last night. I wonder how they think that is going to help their PR after that mess with the Valentine's Day fiasco.

I've decided I must be a frumpy old fart, we went to our favorite Chinese restaurant with MJ various friends and her son and about seven of his friends to celebrate his 16th birthday. WEll,I don't believe I've ever seen such a pack of bad mannered teenagers. Is this the norm these days? I have a real problem with boys wearing baseball hats at dinner in a nice restaurant. Then they all started playing with the straws, attaching several together and blowing through them at each other, THEN, one of them decided to make a spit ball... Well I'd kept my mouth shut up until that point but I told MJ that I didn't think it appropriate that these kids were getting into a spit ball fight in a restaurant. That settled them down for a bit but when the birthday cake arrived they continued to play with the straws and one kid had three staws attached and was attempting to suck up the cake from a plate two people away from him at the table. TOO MUCH!!!! I won't even go into the loud, loud, loud carrying on during the entirety of the dinner. I was embarassed to be at this table and I don't quite know what to say to MJ about this. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut? I don't know. These kids weren't five year olds they were 16 and 17 year olds. I surely hope this isn't the new standard for table manners. Jeesh...

V, you chatty person you. Three posts in one day, Love it! ~~ You are turning into quite the traveling woman! So you are out of town this week then coming to NH on the weekend? I sure hope this stretch of nasty weather ends soon. I'm getting a bit worried that winter will be thumbing its nose at us if nobody can get here because of snow storms. LOL

Sue, So sorry to hear Tom's fall. Hope it is only minor bumps and bruises. Also really sorry to hear he won't be making the party. Bummer! He'll be missed. ~~ Shrimp cocktails sound fabu!

Martie, I LOL about picking out bathroom stuff with Rich and no spats!

Wendy, are you lurking out there??? If so I was wondering if you could bring a nice fresh fruit salad? Let me know if that's OK with you.

Doug is going to be smoking some salmon this week so we'll have that for our party too.. Yummy! I'm going to have to put in some overtime at the gym this week before the party.

Mary, that music is exquisite! I can't wait to hear you play that in person. Will you have someone to accompany you? That would be even more fun. Love it that you are getting passionate about your music. ~~ Sounds like you are busy, busy, busy with job, Odyssey and maintaining everything while DH travels. Really glad you had a minute to check in here.

Kathy, that clematis is gorgeous!!! I'm so jealous that you have gorgeous blooming stuff right now and we are in the midst of another blast of winter weather. Oh well, spring will be here really soon. ~~ I'm going to have to look for that Wolfhouse Pinot Noir at Trader Joes. We'd gotten some of that 'Two Buck Chuck' there a while ago and that was quite drinkable. ~~ Don't remember if I told you that my trip to Willits is still on for July this year so I'll have to see if we can find a time we can hook up while I'm in CA.

Michelle, those ice pics are amazing. It reminds me of the storm we had here in Jan.

Chelone, lovely geraniums!!! They are so cheerful and that amaryllis is lovely.

T, another AM post! LOL So have you gotten any pics with your new equipment??? Also, I don't remember if you told me what you got for a lens?

OK hello to everyone, Have a great day
Deanne

PS I had the most unusual thing happen yesterday. I was photographing a female Cardinal when a male flew in in front of her and landed on an obelisk about two feet in front of her. Well I refocused the camera and shot off a few of him while she was still in the background. I was only using F5.6 so I had no depth of field and in each of the photos one of the pair was out of focus. I thought it would be fun to see if I could morph two pics together so I could get the both birds in focus in the same image and this is the result. This only worked because The photos were taken at the same time from the same location and the camera was on a tripod. Thought you'd like to see the result.

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Ahhhh shucks! I'm fine Sue and Martie. No severe storms anywhere near our corner of the State...just strong gusty winds, and no damage. We are in the NW corner, the tornados were in the SE corner.
You have prompted me to post, even though I am thinking I am basically going unread.
I have noticed all the comments about creaking joints, and thinking.....are all the posts I've posted about the years of putting up with arthritis and fibromyalgia gone into deaf ears? Are the posts about my carrying armloads of firewood up 4 steps every wintry day going unnoticed? I have had painful creaking joints long before most of you were even adults, and yet no one seems to consider me as an example of what can be done years and years after the pain and creaking begins.
I am thinking you all either think I am 'full of baloney', or just a complaining old woman?
Yes , most of us develop pain and cracking joints over the years, but most of us continue on, only with more caution when it comes to 'fun' things! The condition comes and goes, but generally never completely disappears.
I got out a few days ago, and picked up, and racked up, gobs of the winter's debris...despite my creaking joints!
It will probably have to be done again, once these strong winds cease. Years ago I was raking my yard, in February, in Idaho. The mailman came while I was at it. He told me, " The person who rakes their yard in February has to do it again in March". He was so right!

Although I am not commenting on much that you all are posting, I AM reading it all, and I generally remember the gist of what you all have said.And I hope I have never attributed good traits to one person, and ignored the same in another. I hope I have not bragged about what ----- said, and ignored the fact that------ said the same thing sooner! I 'know' that can be discouraging to the one who said it first.
Most of us are very serious with what we have shared, and have put lots of thought into it. When you live in comparative isolation, with little communication with the one who shares your home, you look for others to communicate with. We need to be 'validated'. ( There is a better word for what I am trying to say...but I can't think of it right now. )
Sooo, I have got this out of my system, whether it is noted or not.
Carry on.

Marian

Good Morning Idylls, The birthday party was a smashing success. Balloons, cake and ice cream, lots of presents to unwrap...everything a two year old could want and she had a grand time. We never did end up getting the bad weather that was predicted, mostly just a little sleet and light coating of ice on the cars this morning. It looks like temps are going to stay fairly warm here, 30s to 40 so hopefully that's a sign that spring is on it's way. I for one can't wait!

Chelone, I really enjoyed seeing your beautiful flower pictures. The geraniums are especially pretty! I saved a few of the fancy leaf ones and some scented ones to winterover but nothing with pretty blooms like yours.

Mary, I loved listening to your link. How neat that you've been playing and practicing more. You've almost inspired me to get my violin out. I had it all reconditioned a few years ago with the intention of getting back to it but never have. Maybe starting lessons again is what I need to do? I'd love to hear you play sometime.

Deanne, wonderful picture of the cardinals. I agree with T, it's great to see your posts again in the mornings. I really missed you too!

Marie, Megan did a lot of yoga classes when she was pregnant too. I know it's supposed to be a good thing but I've wondered if somehow that's how Bella got all wedged in upside down and resulted in the c-section. Most likely not, lol. Great that you got to talk to dgs!

Martie, and now another Idyller working on sheetrock. We're working on another bedroom now, repairing the walls and it is slow work.

Michelle, it looks like you all got socked by old man winter. Your pictures look very cold. How much more do you have to go on the kitchen remodel?

Sue, hope Tom's arm is better instead of worse this morning.

Kathy, love the pansies. If I'm lucky I'll be able to plant some here in 4 or 5 weeks.

Hi V, great to see so many posts from you yesterday and catch up with what's been going on with you.

I don't know Marian, but to me it seems that many here go out of their way to be kind and ask about you often. And yet we get another scolding... I'm glad that you weren't in the path of the storms and that you're safe.

Oh well, I am planning on cleaning out kitchen cupboards today. Things on the top shelves are dusty! Hope you all have a happy and productive day.

Eden

Deanne-sorry that dinner went so sour...even if those teenagers *had* been 5yr olds that behavior still wouldn't be tolerated in our house or worse,at a restaurant. Believe me you are no old fart: )
You amaze me with your photography-nothing like having to think so fast!

Eden-Happy Birthday to Bella!!

Michelle-I like your frigid pics-that icey moss pic is really cool with the streaks throughout the ice!

Chelone & Kathy-thanks for the flowers! Indoors or out I love them.

Hi to the rest I hafta go to work!Bye

~babs

"Fresh Blooms" is a classic Michelle! Love the icicles too. Chelone, my geraniums in the little gh don't look that good. I found just the right color red geranium this year so popped the window boxes in gh for winter and hope they'll be good for a few more years. I did buy the new window boxes from Gardener's Supply for use in 07 so that will force me to change the soil.

Mary, the Chaccone was awesome to watch and listen too! It's exciting that you want to study again. A friend who is a flautist (flutist?) was diagnosed with rhematoid arthritis last summer. This is much more painful and severe than osteoarthritis. She played as an amateur but was a gifted one and now a part of her life is missing.

Hope Tom is ok Sue.

Eden's camera is dead so no Bella deux pics eh? I love that little face so will just have to imagine the fun she had.

Thank you for the morning bird picture Deanne! Just gorgeous and I particularly like the background. Looks they're in a steamy jungle instead of snowy NH. The bluejay with mohawk is too fun!

We had more snow than expected this week-end and of course it was topped off by more ice. The dogs loved it while the snow was soft. Chelone, Dannie would survive just fine with the 'short' dogs. She would bite them :-) Greys have to wear plastic play muzzles when they run or play hard with others as they are very mouthy dogs.

Believe it was ground cover rose on retaining wall that slashed Dannie up. (No fluffy fur to protect the skin like most dogs.) It attacked me earlier in the week. I chopped it back quite a bit before someone else got hurt. Also had the pile of old fencing removed last week, just in case that was the culprit. I'm calling her 'Britny Spears' since most of her right side is shaved now. She already has her tattoos. Maybe Britny is imitating Dannie?!

Kathy, I appreciate(!) the previews of spring that you provide. It reminds me that in just a month or two spring will come to the east coast. Wish I had been smart enough to order a dumpster. I've already looked up a Maryland 'rent a dumpster' place and believe me I'll remember that for next time. Paid a ridiculous price to a hauler to get rid of the pile of fencing, and still waiting for him to come back for the pile of shrubs and sticks from clearing the fence lines.

Babs I missed a lot, are you teaching now or are you the school nurse? We could use a playground monitor here.

I'm taking a real vacation day today. Tried that last week and nothing lined up, so I'm aiming for a long week-end here.

Marty, how about Agave in those pots? They grow slowly and are nicely upright, so you would always be able to see the pots.

This is an old picture, and they've grown a lot, but you get the idea:

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That's actually a spiral aloe on the right and it has really grown, so it actually spirals now :-)

Best to all, Cynthia

Good morning!

I have the babies here today and they both have stuffy noses, thus a bit more fussy than is their normal. So, I am limited on the time I have between soothing or entertaining them. Right now they are sitting in their exer-saucers (an activity center they sit in) and they are both 'okay' with that for the moment.

Eden, I'm afraid that I didn't say Happy Birthday to Bella even though I was thinking it. It sounds like she is so surrounded with loving family that her birthday weekend just had to be filled with fun times!

Sue, hope Tom is okay. I'll be watching for word on how he is doing. Thinking of Zoe and that the specialist appointment is just a couple days from now. Hope there is an answer during that appointment.

Deanne, I LOVE the photo and was surprised to read that it is 2 pictures put together. Fabulous!!

Michelle, I cannot not mention your wonderful photos even thought it looks to be a miserable environment if one has to work outside or drive in it. Lovely composition and incredible weather!

V, I love seeing posts from you and enjoyed seeing you check in often over the weekend. :oD

Mary, miss you but glad that you enjoyed a wonderful time with your sister & family. I've not listened to the link yet but hope to get to do so soon.

Gosh, it sounds like many are busy with bathrooms, dumpsters and other such endeavors. I've had some extra energy (wish it happened more often) and I'm getting a lot more done around here. It feels so good to actually see a difference at the end of the day.

Well, I've got a fussy baby so I'd better end this. I gave him his bink (pacifier) so I've got another minute or so before that is spit out and the wailing really begins. ;o) It is coming up on nap time.

I, also, do not do well with scolding, especially when it is, in my estimation, unfounded.

Well, I've dealt with crying babies as I wrote this and they are now both taking a nap. Naps usually last about 10 minutes so I'm going to go and try to get a meatloaf made so that I can just put it in the oven later today.

My best to ALL!

T.

Cute story about Skidboot. I found an article on reducing the onslaught of macular degeneration "Patients in the study reduced their risk of vision loss by about 25 percent when they took a daily supplement containing vitamins C and E, beta carotene, zinc and copper", and "...lutein (LOO-teen), a substance that seems to deter macular degeneration more effectively."

"Although abundant in leafy green vegetables, lutein could not easily be extracted and purified until recently. Now it is widely available in vitamin pills that contain the nutrients administered in the AREDS study."

Guess what I'm going to add to my vitamin arsenal. Although the study doesn't prove the vitamins are a preventative, they are good for other diseases as well, so why not use them. I'll talk to the vet about supplementing the pets' diets with the vitamins mentioned as well. You never know if cats especially can handle certain things.

Cynthia I hope Dannie heals quickly. Wow to have such an extensive tear. It would make me want to put chain mail armor on the dogs, if I were you.

Back to work. Hi everyone else.

Yeona

Thanks Eden for the chastisement. I needed that. I didn't realize that my feelings are verboten here. Anybody else want to kick me while I am down ?

Well, what should appear to my wondering eyes --. . . . when I opened the thread today what a laugh Deanne that photo of the Punked Bluejay how delightful I had to laugh out loud! Outrageous!! I love it soooo much.

Michelle your knee made mine feel in good company! I had not bothered to attempt the p.c. at home this weekend due to a fall Friday nite I took on black ice in a parking lot stupid knee. . . . the pain almost made me pass out but I managed to drive the car home & iced it most of the weekend... off to see a dr at long last tomorrow like you Michelle Im terrified of "what, cant garden this Spring" or some such pronouncement I hadnt bothered to mention it as I had just aggravated it doing the snow shovel thing on V-Day and then to make it worse w/ the stupid fall on black ice grrrr. . . . . Im feeling decrepit too . . . . . guess Im in good company!! Losing another 30 lbs would probably help me a lot too, but I think Im cursed w/ my mothers bad bones & muscles as well. . . . Im glad Im not have Sues Toms problem though doesnt sound too good. Im hoping Im going to hear "do these exercises" too.

Now I regret I didnt log on to at least lurk and see the wonderful sights and glimpses of Spring, birds, frozen wonders (ugh...) but still gorgeous from afar. Kathy, I am telling myself that with your Spring, ours has GOT to be coming soon. I think it was a wee bit early last year, so Im feeling quite impatient about it.

Deanne I feel just like you -- old and out of fashion when it comes to public mis-behavior these days from teenagers to toddlers... it frustrates me, embarrasses me, and puts me in very ill humor when courtesy and common politeness seem to have fallen totally off the face of the earth.

Marian -- I wrote you a long email response but decided you might take offense, so I deleted it -- a lot of times just because someone doesnt comment on every person's post, doesn't mean we have nothing to say about it - or perhaps the subject is too sensitive to talk about here... because I commented on Michelle's knee but not yours does not mean Im not thinking of you -- this doesnt seem the place to expect a quick response from people - more an ad hoc place to post -- Instant Messenging people would seem to me to be a place you would receive more validation of feelings as they're happening. Im sorry you feel so ignored here - frankly if I had the time I would indeed respond to each & every one here but time and brevity of the post seem to be important here - or just checking in.... I miss deaths, illnesses, and other events that I regret not mentioning - but it's only due to time and space, not feelings or disregard. Im sorry you feel as you do.

Cynthia I want you to know I managed to glom onto a variegated agave on clearance at Lowes about 3 weeks ago Im very excited have wanted one ever since seeing your first photos of one a few years ago. . . . hopefully Ill find a pot worthy of its sophistication. Ive been to a few local HomeGoods lately and noticed a bunch of garden furniture that made me think of chairs, etc., you own they could have ordered them especially just for your garden! I went looking for some pots, and came away with "accents instead. . . .

T some days I wish I had a "bink"!!. . . . maybe we never outgrow them, LOL... Instead, yesterday w/ all our snow, I indulged in reading at one sitting an escape author I love "J.D. Robb" her new "Innocent in Death" totally cheesecake but I devoured it & it made the day whip away..

Okay back to work. I hope that those I did not respond to will forgive me -- Chelone, Martie, V, Mary, and surely others who had equally important things going on in their lives that I did not acknowledge.

-Cindy

Well then, moving on, here are a few pictures that my sister took yesterday at Bella's birthday bash. Thanks everyone for all of the birthday wishes for her.

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Eden

Okay...I've really messed in my own nest now...and I am sorry. I am pretty sure I am losing my sanity, and I am fighting it tooth and nail!
Cindy, you are so right. I do not belong here. I am not sure where I do belong.
I do know, this world is not my home. I cannot hardly tolerate all the stuff that goes on. If I could quit watching the TV it would help, but I am not the only one in this house.
Maybe a lot of it is watching my husband deteriorate physically and mentally, but maybe I would be this way even if that wasn't part of my life.
Ignore what I posted. It probably really is just a crazy old woman babbling.
Nolon just finished installing the new water heater. It took him about 3 and 1/2 hours. I expect to see his condition worsening bcause of it, but he could hardly stand the thought of hiring someone to do it. He was in to that business for years , and he just cannot understand that he is not up to it anymore. He resents my interfering! Actually, I think he resents most everything about me! The only time he is happy with me is when I am working my butt off! He has always admired women that worked like men.
Ok, enough of this rant.

Oh Eden, she is a little doll! What a fun age. Did she understand that it was her birthday and did she enjoy blowing out her candles?

Cindy, sorry to read that you fell and injured your knee. :o\ Michelle, I hope that your knees improve. I have trouble with one, it is arthritic along with supporting too much weight. ;o) I have anti-inflammatories when I can't stand the pain and I'm working on reducing the extra weight.

Well, I've got some cranky babies that want my attention so I'd better cut this short. I've taken photos of them and some visiting elk, but I don't have time to see if any of the photos are worth uploading to PT.

Hope the day is going well for all!

T.

It was hurting my neck to look at Bella's cake....

{{gwi:148771}}

Don't want anyone else getting painful knees.

Love the tiger!

Marian, take a hot bath.

Cynthia, you make me laugh at least once or twice a week. Thank you for that! I don't want you getting a stiff neck so here's a better picture of the cake...

{{gwi:148772}}

O goodie, I didnt have to get down on my knees to figure the cake out. And we dont need to add neck aches to the contagion list too. Thanks, Cynthia -- Hats off to Blue's Clues

Hot baths all around sounds like a genius idea. Off to find one.

No hot bath yet. The 'in' connection is leaking, so it had to be shut off. He hopes to get it fixed tomorrow. Hope springs eternal!
Large pans of water are on the wood stove.

Bella is growing so fast! Now where are pics of Michelle's little gal?

Eden, did you make that cake? Happy Birthday to Bella! It's hard to believe she's two already.

Marian, anyone who comes to this group with the expectation that everything they say and every picture they post will be acknowledged by everyone else is setting themselves up for disappointment. I suspect that many of the people who have quietly come and gone from this forum over the years have done so because they felt invisible. If so then this was not the place for them. Only you can decide if it's the place for you.

Tom has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday. I think the thumb is just badly sprained but he needs to have the shoulder xrayed. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned-there is nothing worse than a man sick or in pain...lol. I'll bet Cindy is a better patient.

Cynthia, how do you winter over those Agaves? Maybe I'm getting overly optimistic but all the plants I brought in and put under lights for the winter are doing great-even the coleus cuttings I kept in water. My spring order from Fairweather gardens includes a sabal palm. Why is it that I only want to grow stuff that isn't supposed to be hardy here? It must be a disease of some sort.

Typical of late winter snowstorms, the roads were pretty much clear right from the get-go this morning. We got about 4 inches with another inch or so expected overnight. Since Tom isn't able to operate the snowblower I opted to let the stuff melt. It's supposed to be sunny and in the low 40s on Wednesday.

No Deanne, you are not an old fart. After spending a day last week with my dad and uncle I thought about how strict they were growing up. Poor behavior and bad table manners were just not tolerated at all-at home or anywhere. A hat at the table, not using your utensils properly...lol...not a chance. I can appreciate how much work it is to stay on top of these things as a parent-especially as a single parent but it seems to me like it's all gone to hell too.

Allrighty, another night has gotten away from me. My friend, who I haven't spoken to since her 25th anniversary party in September called a little while ago. It blew some of the night but we've been friends since first grade. Sometimes I wish I was more of a phone person, or that some of my friends were more e-mail people. Oh well...

Sue

Wowie, weve had a lot of posting activity in the last couple of days !

My first day back to work after a 4 day weekend was not to my complete satisfaction, but I suppose that is to be expected. And now I have a d*%n toothache , which is my own fault for procrastinating my dental visits..it seems like every time I go it spirals into a thousand buck plus extravaganza. I used to tell people that I had my own parking space with my name on it at the dentists. Sheesh. Anyway, I have an appointment at 9 am, and anti-biotics because I have swelling. I see a root canal in my future, and Ive about run out of Advil. And its raining. Think Ill eat some worms-at least theyre easy to chew.

Deanne, you can be jealous of my clematis, but Im jealous of your cardinals ! Ive never seen one "in person"; we dont have them out here. The Wolfhouse pinot is way better than 2 buck chuck, IMHO. I think Im going to buy a case before they dont have it anymore. I will be around in July, except for the week of the 4th- in fact I will be driving right through Willits on my way to my destination in Miranda on the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County. I imagine your trip is after that holiday period-keep me posted. And I dont think you are a frumpy old fart either ! About the only establishment that type of behavior should be tolerated is at one of those horrible Chuck E Cheese places, and even then one would expect kids over about the age of 7 to be able to conduct themselves. I think I would have a previous engagement for next years birthday bash.!

Eden, thanks for posting the cute pics. As a relative newbie here , I did not realize that Bellas full name was Isabella ! Such an excellent name with regal connotations to boot !

Marian, I havent been around here very long, but I always enjoy your posts and your pictures of your wonderful indoor blooms. I love reading about going to breakfast at the One Stop, and going to town for haircuts and walks down your road with Nolan and Tim. In fact I enjoy reading about everyones day in day out lives here things which may seem boring or mundane to one living it, but interesting and almost exotic in a way to one who lives such a different life ,in a different place. I cant imagine coping with the winter weather you folks all have for example and it certainly has reduced my gripes about my own weather ! Whats a few inches of rain to ice storms, blizzards and tornadoes? I hope you will feel better and continue to visit with us.

Cynthia, I love your agave/aloe pic.. I am extremely partial to cactus and succulents. Lost a couple this year though . Shucks, I guess that means I need to buy some more !

T, bet you are getting some wet stuff up your way , Yeona too.we are expecting rain all week .

Okay, Im going to pay a visit to the rose forum, and pop some more Advil. Hello to all

Kathy in Napa

Woo-hoo, wireless access at the hotel! And Ken Druse on tap at 8:00 am tomorrow morning. I had an uneventful drive down here, got our little display set up and am in winding-down mode.

Deanne, Im thinking of starting a pool will I thumb my nose at winter or vice versa? We have another storm threatening for the weekend. I am hoping for a black-or-white situation rather than hours of waiting at the airport.

As for table manners, I have to share an experience we had out in California back in December. We were at a very high-end restaurant and at the table next to us, there was a large family group Im guessing it was Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and the two grandsons, who looked to be about 6 and 8. At the end of dinner, a small platter of assorted sweets was brought to the table as a little extra. Since there was a centerpiece in the middle of the table, the platter was set off to one side. Well, the grandparents sat there smiling while the boys all but climbed across the table to get their pick of the sweets. I fault all of the adults more than the kids, because not one of them offered to pass the platter over to the boys. How will they ever learn the right way if they are not taught? By the way, the straw shenanigans sound a bit out of hand for the age group!

Great cardinals!

Hi Marian glad that you missed the bad weather. I wish I had something brilliant to say to make you smile?

Cynthia, you will be pleased to know that my list of plants that I lust for in my heart includes agave. Loved the photo!

Ow, Cindy, take care of that knee! It made me cringe to read your post. But I see that you have succumbed to the agave bug also!

I wonder if Kathy would share her Advil with me? Im a little stiff in the shoulders and upper arms after shoveling the heavy snow yesterday. It snowed all day today until I headed south after 5:00 pm.

I love Bellas cake but I have this thing about blue frosting! I helped cut the cake after a HS band concert a couple of years ago and the school color is bright blue. My hands were blue the rest of the evening.

Time to put on the jammies and climb into bed.

V.

V, I'll probably have some Advil to share with you because I may be upgraded to Vicadin by tommorow !

Kathy in Napa

I love my helpmeet. He is willing to do pretty much whatever needs to be done, do it cheerfully, and when things go wrong he's the first to find something funny in it. He took the cats to the vet. yesterday, all by himself. Polly and Spencer went into the carriers. Vera, the most petite and least ruffled by things wore the harness and leash. He loaded the first two into the car and returned for Vera. As he opened the car door he realized Spencer has extricated himself. Vera flipped out and he dropped her. She dashed off as he closed the door just in time to keep Spencer in the car. He had no idea which way Vera had run (trailing the leash), he then slipped and fell on the ice. He came inside, grabbed the can of whipped cream and began calling and dispensing little puffs of it on the snowbank. No Vera. He came back inside, put the can away and there was Vera at the back door. In she came, received some whipped cream, and then out to the car she went. He tossed her in and got in himself, keeping Spencer at bay. The staff at the clinic gave him another carrier for Spencer (who broke the door on it), and everyone was vaccinated and examined. I was rolling on the floor at the retelling, poor dear. Rex has been having a field day tracking down the little puffs of whipped cream on the snowbanks. LOL

Vicadin for pain? I thought that was for recreational use. ;)

Bella is so cute; the rapt attention on their little faces is just precious. So, what was the "big present"? and where are the party hats?!

Add me to the rolls of old farts. Hats indoors? umm... NO. Good natured fooling around that is quiet and will not disturb OTHER PATRONS is OK, but it must be quiet and respectful of the others who are paying for a meal, too. Little kids sometimes have meltdowns at inconvenient times and locations. Remove them and deal with it away from other people. There is one occasion that sticks in my mind, similar to V.'s story. We were at a local restaurant for dinner away from Mum. The children (maybe 5 and 8) were loud, circling the dining room at will, and when they finally stood on their chairs, waving the cutlery I motioned to the host. I asked for another table; when he hesitated, I said we lived in town and would happily come back another night because I had no intention of spending $75-100 to witness that sort of malarky. If they were willing to pay for our meals too, we'd reconsider... We were relocated (as were the other patrons given our first seats) and pretty soon the host spoke to the parents. I can't imagine what those two kids must be like in a classroom.

Gotta run to get started on another uninspiring yacht interior. Royal Blue Sunbrella... the only Sunbrella color less inspiring is Pacific Blue... every single one of you would recognize it.

Hi guys

Still catching up on my reading but just wanted so say how fabulous it is to have some of our seasoned Idyllers posting again regularly. Cynthia is back with her wit and wisdom, Deanne with her stunning photos, Babs is blabbing again, Taryn and V finding time to nip in, T sharing tales of elk and babies. Plus our regular contributors (YES Marian, that includes you). As Annie might put it "Idylls Rox"

Well, I'm still hopelessly behind on commenting - apologies to all. I'm just amazed to think sweet Bella is two aleady - thank her for sharing her fabulous cake. What joy she seems to bring to the family.

Heres hoping the aching knees, shoulders, heads, and teeth are manageable today. Have a good one!

Mary

PS Mary Katherine - you are a dark horse never letting on we shared the same name LOL!

Morning all, only time for a quick post today. THANKS to everyone for the validation about the poor manners exhibited by many children these days. It made me crazy to be part of that 'party'. I definitely will have other plans for any future parties that include that group.

Chelone!!! ROTFLMAO!!! That cat story is priceless and the vision of your helpmeet running about spritzing whipped cream on the snowbanks is one of the funniest things I've heard in recent history. Thanks for the laughs.

Cindy, so sorry about your knee. ~~ Really happy you liked the Blue Jay. It cracked me up too!

Kathy, I'll be in touch about dates for the trip. Doug might be joining me this time also. ~~ Thanks for the heads up about the pinot. I'm going to have to run down there today to see if they have any here.

V!! I'm on pins and needles watching the d - - ned weather. I'll be so disappointed if you can't get here. I wonder if there is such a thing as a reverse 'snow dance'.

Eden, Bella's cake is fantastic and isn't she growing at light speed. Where did the last two years go?

Sue, sure hope Tom didn't injure himself too badly. He must be in a bad mood. I know I've spent way too much time the last three years with Doug in a cast or dealing with other health issues and it isn't any fun.

T hope you had a great day with the babies.

Cynthia, love that grouping of agaves!!! Marvelous. Soooo happy you like my birdies. I'm personally in need of some pics of your kitties which we haven't seen in a long time.

OKie Dokie, here is a 'Bird for the Day' This is the female from the above pic and was taken the same day. I love to watch them preening and stretching their wing and tail feathers. Thought you'd enjoy this.

{{gwi:148773}}

Have a great day!
Deanne

Sue, surely you do not believe that there is ANYBODY here that thinks "everything" we say, and "every" picture we post, will ( or should ) be acknowledged by "EVERYBODY" else!!!!!!!! And I have never said that, nor has anyone else. ( And I have never done that! )
Sorry...but I don't do anything "quietly". :-(
I hope your DH is okay from his fall while skiing. ( I did get that right, didn't I ?) May he never spend years and years sick and in pain, as Nolon has. It is hard to cope with!

Kathy, that is a very kind and thoughtful paragraph. Thank you. I feel the same way. I have been here around 4 years now, and,( dispite my memory probs), I remember most of the ups and downs of most of the posters.
BTW, I enjoy the changing seasons, and can't imagine not having them, but I'll admit that this winter has not been a good one for me, either physically or mentally. If I were more financially able, and could, I would spend the cold months in a warmer clime.
Your pansies are lovely. My few are blooming again now that the really frigid days are past.

V, you DID make me smile. Thanks.

I appreciated Sue, Marty, 'bug, and Ei's concern about the bad storms in Arkansas, and our safety. ( Ei emailed me.)
And thanks to all who are encouraging me. I do believe you sincerely want us all to stay, and be happy here.
I am sorry I am having difficulty explaining to you about my feelings. There are some here who know exactly what I am refering to. My biggest problem is "quietly" waiting for a better day before I post! I have a "mouth" problem!...a need to express myself.
I wish this forum had the feature where we could go back and delete our posts when they need deleted! And edit them, as another forum has.

BTW, Deanne, add me to the "old farts" too.
I love that red bird pic.
You do a great job of commenting to everyone. I get my memory refreshed by reading such posts....not only yours, but any one else's that recaps and comments.

Chelone, how blessed you are to have such an accommodating, and pleasent, DH. I hope he will always remain that way. I love your cats to the vet story. Glad he wasn't hurt in the slip on the ice.

Marian ( The scolding, crabby, old, woman)

Oh duh! I should have read more carefully-I now realize Deanne that you merged two separate pics to make the cardinal couple...I plead turbo-skim: ) Well it's still a cool pic and I forgot to say that punked out Jay was very funny! I admire your patience in getting those pics. I've decided the birds have spread the word about you,why else would they be offering such great poses lol.

Cynthia-I began the school year working as our school health aide. I have First aid & CPR certification but I'm not actually a nurse. It's really a fun job and I have to decide if I will continue next year...I will of course. I suspect if I were a playground monitor for your brood I could use my first aid fairly often although I don't do stitches(hmm but I imagine my sewing skills could be useful should I need them).

Help! Today is our clinic evaluation where my records and procedures are reviewed for accuracy and completeness. While I don't think I'm not in compliance it's the first one for me so I am a little nervous.

Eden That cake!! It's perfect: ) Where did you get that from?? I wish my cake writing were as neat as that...I need better tools lol. Was that a chocolate cake?
I just can't get over how each time we get to see Bella she changes so much-I notice her face lengthening and losing some of that toddler chunkiness. I really enjoy seeing all the idyll 'babies' develop.

Sue I hope Tom OK!

I do love those agaves too and the containers they are in!!
That mossy pot is perfect. Did that happen naturally or did you give it help?
On the flip side of untrained kids-once when I was a nanny I took my two charges(a brother and sister) & my niece out to Ground Round-not the fanciest place but they were SOOO well behaved that a businessman sitting at the next table paid for our meals! All I did was discuss what was OK and what was unacceptable-anytime we went anywhere-library,store,etc. they always knew what was expected.

Alright I need to get shuffling-I haven't meant to leave anyone out but I need to get showered.

Have a good one!
HI MARY!

~Babs

Cynthia, thanks for the pics of your agave. They look great. I will have to take a picture of mine when it warms up so you can see how you have inspired me.

Cindy, knees injuries must be the order of the day here on the idylls.. I hope you didn't tear your menescus (sp?). I did that about four years ago. Suffered with the pain for about a year, then had surgery. I was using a rowing machine at the gym, and it was so much fun. I have to admit I was sort of silently competing with the person next to me, sliding, rowing having a good old time, and the next day I was really sore. I think I tore the other side of my knee out. I went to the doctor about a month ago. He took xrays and said I had arthritis pretty bad, and he wanted to give me a cortizone shot, but I chickened out. I just couldn't do it. I hate needles. I told him that was the reason I had 4 kids with no anesthetic or drugs, one breech:) He gave me a knee brace, but I think I am going to have to have an MRI and find out what it is if it doesn't stop hurting.

Deanne, your birdy pics are amazing! You should make a calendar. I love the one you combined together. You can't see where you pasted in at all.

Sue, I hope that Tom is feeling better.

Honey, meant to tell you that I loved the picture of bullet. Very handsome guy. Are you and Eden going to the lecture David talked about?

Eden, Happy Birthday to Bella! Nice cake. I don't have any little ones at home, so was trying to figure out who the doggie was? I thought maybe he was related to Clifford the Big Red Dog, but then Chelone gave me the answer:) I need some babies around here.

It is snowing here, but not too cold. I am thinking of going out this weekend and pick up a couple of grow lights so I can start seeds inside. Have never done that before. My other plants I brought in and put under lights seem to be doing pretty well. Except the ones that have bugs. I sprayed them with soapy water.. didn't get rid of them, but may have slowed them down... maybe I need to visit the bug forum to find out what to do.

T- sorry about your goat. I should think of you when I feel like I live on a farm every morning at 5am when I have to feed all the animals. All of a sudden I seem to have a bunch of animals to feed. We have aquired since last fall, an iguana (not my idea.. but he is growing on me), two fish tanks.. the fish that we brought in from outside who survived the attack of the Blue Heron, 5 out of about 30.. and my original animals 1 cat and 2 dogs. I just line them up and shovel the food.

Well, I must run, hope you all have a fun day!

D.

Good morning!

I also have no tolerance for rudeness, whether it is a 7, 16, 50 or 70 year old displaying it. I do not shrug it off when it is someone who knows better, I avoid them and see them for exactly what they are......rude, bitter, nasty hearted and unacceptable to converse with. Yep, it ruffles my fur the wrong way big time.

Thankfully, of course, there isn't ANYONE who fits that mold in our sweet little group.

I find that sooner or later, people show what their hearts are really like no matter how hard they try to hide it. It is interesting to see that we are sometimes not what we profess nor wish ourselves to be.

Me? I have a hard time reining in my temper when I see blatant rudeness and poor manners. It is something that I fight and am not proud of. If I'm nearby to a rude child that I have no connection with (thus do not feel comfortable in explaining what is acceptable and not acceptable), then I will remove myself from the area as there is only so long I can bite my tongue. ;o) If it is an adult that is rude......that is a bit more difficult as often they are fully aware of their boorish, rude behavior and are enjoying hurting others. You see it in stores, restrauants, online.....unfortuately those people are everywhere.

Obviously a hot subject for me. ;o)

I have the twins again today. Still haven't had a chance to check the photos I took yesterday and I have quite a bit to do before they arrive in 30 minutes.

I wish everyone a good day!! :o)

T.

P.S. Where is Norma?

I didn't add...I pray that no one else here will find themself in my situation, and be considered an unkind,crabby, human being. I only hope that there is no one who has forgotten my better days.
I know there will be more good days. I pray for the patience to wait for them!
The lack of consideration for other's feelings is one of my pet peeves. I am sorry I have came across as being guilty of that.

Deanne, how wonderfully creative of you. I certainly cant tell that the cardinals are separate pictures. I dont know if you send cards or not, but something I have done with nice photos of my garden is get 4 x 6 prints made and then make cards on the computer with a border surrounding the picture and just use double stick tape to stick the photo on. I have had a lot of compliments on them. Iwas going to tell you that we have bluejays that feed outside our laundry room window and the other day I notice the wind ruffling their feathers on the top of their heads, I just had to laugh.

Eden, what an adorable cake. It looks like Bella had a fabulous birthday.

Drema, great to hear from you, but sorry to hear that you are also dealing with knee woes. These types of things are also difficult when you work full time and cant rest properly.

Cynthia, your agave are just so cool and I love the way you have such an architectural plant in beautiful containers.

Good thoughts going out to Tom and his injuries, hopefully they arent anything too serious.

Chelone, I got a kick out your cat story. I reminds me slightly of the time my DD was in 4H and wanted to take her favorite cat to the pet show. Would you believe the morning of the show that cat was no where to be found? So she took another who happened to be black as well. This cat didnt have the temperament of the one that was supposed to go. The show was in a farm type building with wide doors that were open. Sure enough the minute the door to Speckles carrier was opened out she went and thru the fairgrounds DD and I chased this dumb cat. All turned out well and we found her in time and she got a blue ribbon. Too bad we didnt have a can of whipped cream. LOL

V, the only thing worse than you sitting hours at the airport is my DD, her DH and Kenzie sitting in the airport for hours waiting for their flight to Florida. They are supposed to fly out of Mpls. Tomorrow. Imagine sitting at the airport with a very active 2 year old. I hope she doesnt annoy anyone ;o)

T, it sounds like those twins keep you hopping.

Cindy, sorry to hear that you too are dealing with knee pain.

Mary, I still havent had a chance to listen to your link. Doing that at work would probably be frowned upon. LOL Your week off sounds like it was relaxing and enjoyable.

This kitchen business is hogging all my at home time. Still trying to get the walls to satisfaction. We added lighting to the built in hutch and shelves in the dining area. Pretty cool, you run a little wire to one of the hinges and then you can turn the lights on by just touching the hinge.

Yeona, have fun with your remodel. Its messy though.

Kathy, that second pansy picture is such yummy colors.

Something that I heard one time and it has always stuck is that words are like toothpaste, once out they are as impossible to take back as toothpaste is to get back in the tube.

Hi, to everyone that I didnt comment too, Ill catch you next time around ;o)

Michelle

Deanne, Tom did reschedule his Direct TV appointment so he will be at your party. Last night I asked him if he was planning to do that and he said no. Maybe he realized how hard fun is to come by this time of year. Your cardinal shots are incredible-nice work.

Drema, you crack me up.

Chelone, so whipped cream is the lure of choice for wayward cats? Add some ice cream and hot fudge and it would work for me too. lol

Yes, Marian I do believe there are people who come to this group with unrealistic expectations. Personally I think if you come here expecting even just one person to comment on something you've shared there are times when you will be disappointed.

I'm starved. Is it time for lunch yet?

Sue

I think the "Conversations" title of this forum can be misleading. It is difficult to have a true conversation when you can not see the other person's smiles or sympathetic nods, and you do not get immediate feedback. It is impossible to read and comment on everything that is said here, and I think we are all aware of that. I often write a post in haste, then I later think of other comments I meant to make. I think of all of you often.

Here is a picture of the loot from my Home Goods spree of the last few weeks. Now, I am getting spring fever thinking of plants to fill them!

{{gwi:148775}}

I had a meeting this AM at DS's school with his "team", and it went very well. He is dyslexic, and gets a lot of help at school. It went well; they assured me he has made great improvements. They had a lot of positive things to say about him. The kids have state-mandated standardized testing in a few weeks, including a 5 paragraph essay. My DS can speak very fluently and intelligently, but he has a lot of trouble getting his thoughts down on paper; I was dreading that essay for him. Turns out they will allow him to have a "scribe", a teacher's assistant who will actually "take dictation" and do the writing for him; no editing allowed. What a relief! He has had his struggles at school, but the staff has been so helpful and encouraging to him - he still enjoys school and has a positive attitude about it. I made sure to let each of them know how much we appreciate the work they do.

Deanne, one fruit salad coming up for Saturday. Looking forward to seeing everyone! Also, love the birdie pics, as usual. They actually do seem to pose for you! The blue jay with a mohawk was a riot. The "trick photography" with the pair of cardinals is amazing. Does that mean you can do that tabloid stuff like putting my head on someone else's body?!

Babs, I think you have the key re: kids and manners, they need to know what is expected. My kids are not perfect, but good behavior in all situations is a must. From the time they could speak they were taught to say "please" and "thank you", and it went on from there. We would never think to allow them to get up and wander around at a restaurant, and they don't even know how to make spitballs (I hope!). When my DD turned 10, we actually took her and three of her friends out to lunch, and let them sit at their own table, within sight of ours. There was much giggling at the girl's table, but they managed to order for themselves and eat without incident.

Martie, glad things went well at your brother's hearing. The job offer from the social worker is a real compliment on the way you handled yourself. I agree, a job like that would be way too heartbreaking.

Eden, the cake is a masterpiece. (Cynthia, thanks for flipping the picture!) Bella looks like she had a great time, I'm glad all went well.

Michelle, are you tired of painting yet?!

V, Ken Druse at 8am - can I be you when I grow up? He is an amusing speaker. I am doing a reverse snow dance now, glad this is the internet and nobody can see me!

T, so sorry about your goat. Hope to see pics of the twins soon!

I hope every body's aches and pains are improving today, or at least you are finding ways to deal with them; recreationally or otherwise. Sending good thoughts to all who need them.

I was re-reading the book by Thomas Cooper "Odd Lots - Seasonal Notes of a City Gardener" last night, and wanted to share his comment about spring in the northeast: "Spring appears on the calendar on March 20, but it doesn't show up at our place until a month or more later. I suspect that the earlier date is only the day when spring leaves South Carolina, or wherever it was playing golf, and heads north for the season."

-Wendy

I'm not sure if it is lunch time.......but I'm thinking it feels like nap time! LOL I've got two sleepy boys, rubbing their eyes and talking about something that only they understand.

It has been snowing lightly here all morning. Nothing sticking, but it looks pretty.....my kind of snow.

If the boys do fall asleep at the same time I'll see what the photos look like that I took yesterday.

Michelle, I love the toothpaste/tube analogy. How true it is.

T.

Afternoon Idylls,

Fun stuff going on around here. I'm finishing cleaning out cupboards and Brad's scraping layers of loose paint off walls. Oh and I did get all of the houseplants watered, but not the light garden plants in the basement...yet.

I didn't make Bella's cake. I thought about it and even found instructions on the web. But they involved cutting up cake into shapes, making cardboard stencils, and dying frosting. Not to mention taking up lots of time that I just didn't have. So I just ordered it from a really great bakery that I use.

Sue, funny, I ordered a sabal minor 'McCurtain' from Plant Delights. I was going for the saccharum arundinaceum, which I ordered too, and saw the palm right above it in the catalog, lol. I also ordered the Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Fenway Park', hope I won't be sorry about that one, and the clematis addisonii. I think that's the only plant order for me, other than maybe a few coleus from Rosy Dawn.

Chelone, whipped cream huh? I'll have to remember that one. Thanks for the funny story.

Michelle, I can relate to the damaged walls. That's what's taking so much time for us too. Not fun! The lights sound very cool. I hope we get to see pictures of the finished kitchen. I'll show pictures of my rooms someday if I get someone over here with a camera. I'm going to try to get mine in and see if it's worth repairing this weekend. And being stuck at the airport with a two year old would definitely be a challenge I wouldn't want to face.

Cynthia, I love that agave picture. The containers really set off the plants. I'd love to see that spiraling agave now that it's spiraling. My little agaves are still doing well overwintering in the window. Hope Dannie's healing up well. How's the rest of the crew doing?

Kathy, Bella's name is Isabella Rose but she mostly gets called Bella or Bell. My sister calls her Izzy which I hate. Hope the dentist was able to relieve your toothache.

T, I can't wait until you get time to post the new pictures you took.

Drema, so what types of seeds are you planning on starting?

Cindy, I'm so sorry to hear that you've damaged your knee. Be careful with it so it's good to go for gardening season. Remember you've got lots of new plants coming that you'll need to get into the ground!

Deanne, Brad was always strict with out kids about table manners. Another thing I just hate at restaurants is when parents let babies make a total mess with food everywhere, floor included. Maybe those teenage boys needed some girls there to impress so they would have behaved. I've noticed that some teenage boys when in a group always seem to want to outdo each other on how stupid they can act.

Babs, I have total confidence that your clinic will pass with flying colors. I can't imagine your records not being in perfect order.

V, how great that you got to hear Ken Druse this morning. Hope you can fill us in a little on what he had to say. Yes, I agree that blue frosting is a little frightening, lol.

It's time to get back to my chores. Hope you're all having a productive and nice day. One more day down to spring. It's coming!

Eden

Thanks Eden; ) Not to sound braggy; )-but the evaluator said our clinic is perfect! For some reason I do that thing where I convince myself that there has to be something I slacked off on or did wrong--overt perfectionism? Ya think?lol. Chris isn't home yet so I had to tell somebody my happy news-glad I could tell my idyll friends.

Drema!You had me lol about you competing with the other rowers...I can actually picture you trying to act nonchalant while peeking out of the corner of your eye & rowing your little arms off. Go Drema, GO!

OOOOoooo Wendy-Beautiful urns/containers!!!
That really made me happy to hear how accomodating your son's school is by providing a scribe for him! I wish him good luck. Five paragraphs seems long-isn't he in 4th grade or close to AJ's grade(5th)? AJ's got testing too coming up.

T I loved that picture you created of your two little grand babies babbling together...it reminds me of how much I miss those sounds around our house...somehow those babies always grow up! Enjoy : )

I wish I could babble but there's laundry to deal with(yeah it's 'only' 10pm!)

Michelle-well said; )

~Babs

Babs. the Milkmaid...

milked this one out for 102 replies... and then some!