Monique, I have a dwarf Lespedeza bicolor called Yakushima-stays around 18-24". The white one I want to use in front of my green fence on the driveway side. There should be plenty of room. The Autumn Moon maple I planted in that spot last spring needs more shade and the rose I had there got horrible BS so I gave it away. And so the shuffling continues...If I can find a spot, Fairweather Gardens has rose colored cultivar that is supposed to be more compact but the name escapes me right now.

Michelle, the commercial with the baby Clydesdale was my favorite. The other Clydesdale one with the shaved sheep posing as a streaker was kind of dumb, IMO.

OK, the missing idyller who popped into my mind today is Julie...come out, come out wherever you are.

Honey the LR looks great. I'll bet your garden outing with Eden was fun. Tony Avent is speaking at a garden symposium in CT next Saturday. I want to go but nobody will call me back about registering and all I get is an answering machine. It's too far of a drive to just show up. What's a person to do?

OK, must run...hi to everyone else.

Sue

Good morning!

Marie, it was a lovely picture of the trees covered with snow, but how disappointing to have more tree damage. I hope that, somehow, the damage isn't as bad as it appears right now (I don't know how that could be....but I'll keep hoping).

Taryn, looking forward to hearing about the houses you toured this weekend.

Mary, the game.....sigh, we watched it. The Pittsburg Steelers won over the Seattle (Washington) Seahawks. 'nuff said. ;o)

Honey, the drapes are lovely!

Monique, the photo is beautiful and it is so good to have you check in. I love seeing your name pop up on the thread!

Sue, I saw your patio pics on the other site, the transformation just takes my breath away. You do a beautiful job of designing your gardens.

Speaking of designing....Monique, I've always meant to ask, did you take photos before you and Les began your landscaping & garden designing? I'd love to see pictures of how it all evolved, if you have them and don't mind all the uploading to share. I have dreams of having Monique inspired curvy beds here. You have the long expanses that I could use as inspiration for here and I'd love to know more about how the two of you planned & executed your plans. All help begged for and desired.

Deanne? Painting? ;oD Your dinner sounded wonderful, of course, and you are a terrible influence on the rest of these Idylls.....the descriptions of their meals has just been agony---I'm salivating while reading what everyone is enjoying (you've taught them well! lol) Somehow I just can't make chili sound as succulent as what everyone else is eating. Hey, it was the Superbowl.......chili with grated cheese is a staple for Superbowl Sunday! lol

Marian, I agree with you, this is a very special place, filled with very special people.

Taryn, I enjoyed the Idyll history that you & others shared. Sue told me about the group and I'm thankful she did. It took me a long time to quit lurking and to actually say hello here. I was reading so long that I began feeling like I knew everyone a little bit and I cared what was going on in your lives. It was kind of like reading a good book that just never ended or watching a daily show (didn't want to say soap opera because that sounds so melodramtic)where you enjoyed, cared and wished that you could be a part of the circle of people because they were so much fun, so wonderful. It is a bit spooky to wonder how many 'lurkers' there are out there who are reading, following along and getting to feel that they 'know' us...as I did. Yikes! Hey! I just thought of something! I'm not showing any more pics with me in them--I'm going to find someone tall, thin, beautiful with glorious hair, brilliant smile and no wrinkles!!! That will be the new ME!!! Whooo----Hooo!! The lurkers will never know the difference! YES!

Okay, so wipe out the memory of what I really look like and fill in an image of me looking tall, thin (I like that...

Note to self:

When taking the horse's temperature next time, do tie a string onto the non-business end of the rectal thermometer so that when the horse runs, after feeling the thermometer being poked into it's orifice, I can pull it back out instead of running after the horse praying that he won't suck it into said orifice. Gulp!

Next note to self: Do remember to mark rectal thermometer as being for *animal use only* from now on and buy a **new** one to have on hand, in case I should ever have a grandchild here and have need of a rectal thermometer (do they still use rectal thermometers on children?).

What an exciting life I live!

(The horse's temp is normal, thank you very much, and he did not suck it into the orifice in question....oh, and he now can pass wind.....around thermometers even).

Delightful news.......all of it.

Hope it made you smile and not grimace.

No name is going to be signed on this post...

LOL ...... Very funny, happy story, "no name" . :-)

For Deanne, my new orchid :
{{gwi:2101464}}
And again with the new blooms on my "Eileen" orchid :
{{gwi:2101465}}

For those who didn't know what I meant when I said I heard spring peepers :

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Oooh, T, I mean no-name, so glad I decided to read idylls while I eat my lunch. LOL

Hello everyone - My goodness you are a busy bunch. I can't keep up. I have read a lot but will have to go back and catch up.

As much as I hate to admit it Spring is here. I am still hoping for some rain. The Saucer Magnolias (M. soulangiana) are in full bloom as well as the Evergreen Pears (Pyrus kawakamii) A lot of streets are lined with the Pears and they are a mass of white blooms. My daffodils have opened too.

Thank you all for your suggestions on tomatoes. I will check them out. For those who wondered - no we can't grow tomatoes here year round. They need warm weather to make them grow. I planted a variety last Fall that was supposed to do well in cooler weather, but it was a complete failure. I was sure it was a gimmick when I bought it, but I couldn't resist. I usually plant them in March to take advantage of the warm weather we usually get in Apr or May. But then comes June Gloom and they slow down. If we are lucky we get the first ripe ones around the 1st of July. Then it gets really hot and the blossoms don't set well. So I am going to do some more experimenting this year to try to extend the season. I just can't bring myself to buy those awful ones in the store.

We have several varieties of Avocados here so we have them pretty much all the time. Some of them are pretty good but nothing compares to ones my neighbor has.

A few thoughts from some of what I have read:

Janie - Good for your DD. I am so glad you are there for her. My niece's son was having trouble with a bully in one of his classes. She told me the bully had destroyed her son's property, as well doing as a few other things, all in front of the teacher. The teacher was afraid of him too, and did nothing. My niece called the counselor and said she wanted her son moved out of that class. The counselor said " Oh no, we're moving the bully out. I've got just the teacher for him."

Taryn - It was nice to get a little history of the Idylls. Keep on being your own advocate with your health. It's just something that we all have to do these days. I too would be interested in hearing more about your research. That was a scary story about driving on ice. Glad you are safe. I am sure everything will work out with the house the way it is supposed to.

Marion - I am glad your son is feeling better and hope he continues to do so. I agree this is a special group of people. I hope to see you around here often.

Have a good day everyone!

Maybe we need to suggest "Spoiler Alert" - above graphic descriptions? LOL - for the "squeamish" eaters around here, no-name? Just kidding. But I had great visuals, T, of you running after that horse!

Honey - those drapes are lovely - I vote for the "puddles" -- I have the same problem w/my drapes w/ my dog but so far she has not brought them down. Cats are probably different though.

T, I agree re the Idyll threads - that's how this addiction happens - you look at the photos, then you start reading the text, and then you start checking out for the next chapters as they come along. It's nice to know a lurker can become visible though (altho I like your idea of us just picking what image we want to expose in "public"!).

It's freaking frigid here today (feels like 20; altho they're saying 40 -- the wind is blowing and howling).

You are a houseplant Queen, Marian - those orchids look lovely and healthy - Im lucky if I can keep anything green inside.

Monique - that border is so lush and wonderful - it's also larger than my entire front yard! If only, if only -- it's such a problem trying to find things for small (read no much wider than 3 or 5 feet) borders....especially shrubs and conifers. I have serious "land" envy of you. But then again, Im not sure I'd want to have to take care of it all myself.

Taryn, sounds like you're going to have a wonderful day -- spa and special food - sounds like it's overdue time for you to have some fun like that! I hope you have a great time.

Ok, back to my lunch as well (luckily I had read about the equine physical Before I started my lunch), or I'd be spitting the computer screen too.

-Cindy

Hi, again. Thanks everyone, for the comments on the drapes. I still need to do some fine tuning, but IÂm happy w/them. I'm so glad they're up!

I had a delightful time with Laura this weekend. If you ever have an opportunity to hear Dan Hinkley lecture, I heartily recommend it. I thoroughly enjoyed him. His lecture and slide show was very interesting and his new property on Puget Sound is to die for.

V, hope you and DD feel better soon. How scary about your DDÂs fever. You both must have been miserable with all those symptoms.

Woody, Taryn, sorry about your medical woes but as Sue says, "It amazes me that people have to basically become doctors these days to get relief from issues involving their health." My DD has had similar experiences lately and is keeping a diary cataloging her experiences and diagnoses over the last 6 months and shows it to each Dr. she visits. She even sent it to the VP of her medical plan. It starts out, "This process is NOT for the sick or timid". Sadly, the Dr.Âs agree with her angst but are at the mercy of the "rules" of the game. It is maddening.

Woody, hugs to you. BTW, the bench is looking fabulous! What a great job youÂre doing on it. It will be spectacular in your already beautiful gardens.

Sue, IÂm so glad Zoe did well with her cleaning. But you poor thing. If Zoe is half as insistent as Bullet is for food, you have my sympathies. Bullet can be a downright pest. When you try to ignore him, he sits on your lap and meows in your face. Then he kicks up the volume and tone as if to say, "DonÂt you hear me?!" Since we finally got him to eat again by enticing him with broiled chicken breast, turkey and tuna, heÂs decided those are the preferred entrees. HeÂs dissing his usual food and is holding us hostage for the good stuff. I canÂt believe a 9 lb. animal rules our lives!

Tony Avent is coming here, too, on March 31. I enjoyed Dan Hinkley so much this weekend and IÂm sure Tony will be icing on the cake. Know what you mean about no one responsing about lecture tickets. David, are you listening/reading?

Taryn, that house is amazing and the gardens sound wonderful! I hope it is as charming and lovely in person as it looks in the pix. Oh, and the other one you show us is just as delightful. As I told you, just be patient and youÂll find the perfect home  better than the first! Oh, thanks for reminding me again to check my inbox to see if it needs to be cleaned out! IÂll do that as soon as I submit this.

Janie, how awful for your DD. IÂm sure your support and understanding really helped her. There have been several articles in our papers lately about bullying in the high schools. It was always bad, but it has become so mean. One incident just broke my heart. The short version is that a group of girls from the "in" crowd dared the guys to ask a heavy set gal to the prom. One of the jocks did. The whole purpose of it all was to make fun of...

Monique, what treat to see such a lovely garden view.

Honey, I must say that you sure have a way with decorating. The curtains turned out well and could always be shortened if the puddle look doesnÂt stay around. How fun that you and Eden could go to the lecture together. We never have things like that around here.

Taryn, I hope you and Gigi enjoy your time together. It sounds heavenly.

T, your nursing antics sound quite comical. Our nephew just passed his vet boards and wants to work with large animals. I guess most vets donÂt. They donÂt want to do house calls and deal with the large animals.

Marian, your orchid is a wonderful color.

I stopped at our local farm/home store and found some great seeds. I couldnÂt resist a climbing spinach - basella rubra. It sounded so interesting and ornamental as well. Cobaea scandens is another vine that I have grown and really love.

Michelle

Vet is coming out again to give the horse more mineral oil. He was laying down and breathing hard. He is up walking around now, but holding his tail up like he wants to pass wind or apples.....but nothing. Some stomach gurgling going on, but the vet said his bottom should be oily from the Friday mineral oil and it isn't.....so, he's coming out to assess him & dose him up again.

I think I'd better try to get a neighbor, that is horse saavy, to come over and help me hold him while the vet passes the tube and pumps him full of oil, since DH isn't home. :o( I'm not looking forward to this (Boo wouldn't either if he knew what was in store for him shortly).

T.

Hi everybody, I've been too busy. I had to finish my circle journal, remember me telling you about it? It was due to be passed on Feb 1st so I was late with it but my first pages are now done and delivered to my sister. The local nursery always has a 1/2 off seed sale during the month of Feb so I went today and bought 26 pkgs of seeds, mostly annuals that I'll throw outside in some milk jugs in April and let them sprout when they may. Honey and I had a great time at the Dan Hinkley lecture yesterday. David if you're reading this, you missed a good one that you would have enjoyed so much. Dan talked about how he tied together the interior of his new home to his gardens among other things. He's done some really spectacular things in that regard. And get this, he has a scope in a guest bedroom permanently positioned on an eagles nest. How cool is that?

I don't have time to stay here longer tonight but wanted to drop in and just say hi. Hope everyone's doing well. Me, I think I'm getting a cold. My throat's a little sore. Be back soon.

Eden

Heavens to Betsy,T! I don't know how you've been able to withstand *days* of uncertainty over Boo's condition-you must be worried sick.(I would be worried about when and where all that oil's coming back out!) Have you ever dealt with this kind of horse condition before? I admire your ability to work through it all with such composure. I hope Boo is OK soon.

I may have missed bits of idyllinfo-been lurking at the speed of light it seems like and I think I miss much.

Marian! You are back! Does this mean no place else is as fun as we are? ; )Welcome home! Those orchids are gorgeous-you certainly do have a knack.

It's good to see Taryn and Honey.(HI Honey!)Such rich looking drapes Hon,you are so good at color matching I love seeing your living room.

Martie I also think that is pretty neat that you have your g-mother's garden journals-what a treasure to have!!

I did not watch the Super Bowl. I know I am too sensitive but I cannot stand a roaring TV for hours on end. If I were at the game in person I would enjoy myself but football on TV drives me nuts. Silly little me? I'll sit by the fire and watch a movie with Mary & her kids lol.

Oh the teacher's luncheon was wonderful. Unfortunately during the affair I was snagged for lunch duty with the kids(I always miss the adult fun)-lunch was extra long too so the teachers could have a relaxed lunch. The principal loved the centerpieces and I'm loaning them to her for some big meeting she has to attend with other principals-she wants to show them off: ) I told her since Ryan really likes her he'll allow her to keep his duplo(Lego) blocks for just a few more days;he doesn't share those longterm with just anybody. lol. I'm thinking this principal must like me because she also offered me a job for next year as the nurse's clinic health aid. I get training(first aid,etc.)and then I'd have a job for next year! How perfect to have a work schedule that coincides exactly with the kids days off. It's weird how things seem to work out when you least expect it sometimes.

Monique that pic is gorgeousness! Nice to hear from you too.

Janie I have been meaning to tell you how sad I was to hear your DD had been victimized by that bully. I am so proud of her friends for helping her and I'm glad she hasn't kept this a secret-since that's a common thing for a victim to do. I hope her school gives her the support she needs to feel comfortable once again. I hear you on 'mamabear mode'!! Aj has been dealing with a bully in his class too. The kid steals his supplies,tries to get him in trouble by making up lies,has damaged AJ's projects hanging on the wall and physically tries to ram into AJ on the playground(that was the last straw for me)-this bully's a large kid anyway but he also raises his fists to AJ and is constantly ridiculing AJ. AJ didn't tell me specific details until a couple months ago. What finally brought the situation notice was when a lunch dad witnessed the kid trying to plow...

Well, Boo handled it like a man..........okay, a horse. A neighbor did come over to help me manage him while the vet worked his magic. Of course Boo produced some 'horse apples' as the vet pulled up to the pasture gate. Lovely, and thank you Boo for waiting until then.

Temp. was lower than normal (for a horse) so the vet took it twice just to make sure. He felt that Boo still may have an intestinal blockage, so he pumped another gallon of mineral oil through a nose to stomach tube. I have no idea how much a gallon of mineral oil costs when the vet has to come to your house with his own tube & pump. Guess I'll find out.

I did the 'search the pasture in the dark for fresh (and oily) apples' using a flashlight again this evening. I'm hoping that he is on the mend now.

Eden, hope you're feeling better in the morning.

Honey, glad that Bullet is doing well and has you & your DH toeing the line. ;o)

Hi Michelle! I can't visualize a climbing spinach so I made myself a note to look it up.

Babs, it is always so good to hear from you!

I'm tired, giving up and heading to bed..........hi to all!

T.

Morning all, I think we have a return to winter here. It's only 25F and we have a few inches of snowcover thanks to a storm that blew through Saturday night. I've still got the sore throat but it's not too bad this morning so I'm hoping whatever bug is trying to get me I'll be able to fight it off.

V, how are you feeling? I hope you and dd are better this week.

T, hope Boo is going to be ok now. Poor guy!

Hi Marian, good to see you and to hear that Tim's doing well.

Babs, great news on the job at school. How perfect for you. My neighbor is secretary at her kids school. She was a stay at home mom until her 3rd son went to school and then she went with him. It works out perfect for her and she loves being home at the same times as her boys. I sure wish you could get a picture of the centerpieces for us to see.

Michelle, glad to hear the bathroom project is coming to an end for you. What's next? I know you have something waiting in the wings.

Honey, love the drapes. I love your whole livingroom. You've done a great job decorating it.

Hi Drema, I echo everyone else. Please be careful. No more falling!

Marie, how are the cupboards coming. I know it's a big job. I've done it a couple of times here, but in the summer when I can take the doors outside to sand, prime and paint in an assembly line fashion. Doing it during the winter months would be much more challenging.

Monique, thanks for the beautiful picture from your garden.

Sue, I bought a book on Japanese Maples by J. D. Vertrees and Peter Gregory yesterday. I have a couple in the garden and have been following the thread over on the other site about them and would like to get another. Not as many are hardy here in z5. Have you ever ordered from Mountain Maples? I have their catalog and they have a good selection but I haven't ordered from them before.

Deanne, did you get the painting finishing and mailed off yet?

OK gotta go get started on watering the plants, upstairs and down. Have a great day all,

Eden

Eden, no I've never ordered from Mt Maples. Ideally I like to see japanese maples before I buy them because they can have very variable forms but the local selection is lacking when it comes to some of the more obscure cultivars. Last year I ordered one from Fairweather Gardens and plan to order at least one more this year from them. I already ordered one from Klehms.

Gotta run, IT just called and they're coming to switch my monitor. Hopefully I'll end up with something better.

Sue

Good morning all. Hey, whereÂs Deanne? I hope sheÂs finishing up a painting and that allÂs well.

Michelle, thanks re the drapes. IÂm just taking this one step at a time. ItÂs been a long, slow process with our funds being so restricted now. See more below.

Re your nephew being a large animal vet, I understand thereÂs quite a need for them and they can pull in big bucks at major zoos, servicing breeding farms for race horses, at major university animal research centers such as Michigan State, etc. It depends on how high he sets his sights and what avenue heÂd like to pursue. Good luck to him. IÂm sure heÂll have a great career.

Babs, thanks! I hope I donÂt get tired of the red but I really had to punch up the drab furniture. IÂve had fits and real struggles with the GR/DR, starting with settling for fabric on the couches and chairs that wasnÂt what I ordered. It wouldÂve cost more for the lawyers to fight it, so we settled for what we got and I had to make it work. I learned a valuable lesson from that fiasco. Wow, how great you got another job as a nurses aid next yr! TheyÂre so lucky to have someone so nice and talented as well! IÂm so glad you took that bully on. More parents have to do that. I, too, hope they move far away so you and AJ wonÂt have to deal with him.

T, I canÂt imagine nursing a horse. I had trouble enough with a cat! Did you grow up around them to know what to do? Sounds like scary business to me. I hope the treatment resolves the problem for the poor thing.

Eden, you better not be getting a cold! If so, drink lots of OJ and get well soon. PS: I hope you didnÂt share. Thanks for mentioning the eagles nest on Dan HinkleyÂs property. I forgot to mention it. He was quite an entertaining speaker, wasnÂt he? I donÂt know when IÂve enjoyed a lecture more. I particularly loved how he integrated the garden design to the house and site. And what a spectacular site! OMG, you guys. ItÂs at the tip of a peninsula in Puget Sound. The sun rises across the sound up over the Cascades, and sets across the sound behind the Olympic range. The home and property faces south with a view of the sound to the south with Mt. Ranier in the distance. It is truly breathtaking. He told us that theyÂve willed the property to the State of Washington School of Horticulture and see themselves as temporary caretakers of this amazing property. If any of you ever have the opportunity to hear his lecture, I heartily recommend it.

Marian, IÂm so jealous of your orchids. Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. Only one of mine bloomed this yr and none now. Boohoo.

Martie, oh, lucky you to have those journals! What a treasure they must be not only b/c of the heritage, but the info in them has to be invaluable.

Monique, thanks for the photo. Gorgeous. You have such talent with the way you weave the tapestry of plants in your garden. The photo I love the most is the one...

Eden, the kitchen saga continues. I have a large island on which I can work in another room. But today I will be removing hinges and sanding prior to priming tomorrow. Yesterday I put a first coat on a bit of the unremovable stuff in the kitchen. The actual wall colour was (I think) decided by DH last night, but the type of finish is not solved as yet. I want scrubbable, but not glossy. This is really going to take MONTHS.

We had an hour of sun today which makes a HUGE difference.

(There's a question for V over on the reunion thread.)

Hoping everyone and every critter remains healthy!
'bug

Hi guys, Ms. Cranky checking in here. I'm feeling better but I'm still not 100%. I hurt a stomach muscle when I was coughing over the weekend and am not comfortable.

DD is doing beter and is back to school. DS called last night, and while he was riding his bike home from school he was hit by a car. Nothing serious, but he's badly bruised, has a chipped tooth and his bike was heavily damaged. The driver was ticketed so she will have to pay for it all. We called our insurance agent who is also DBIL and he gave us a heads-up that insurance companies will try to settle such claims quickly so we told DS to be sure he had all his costs figured out before he accepts any money.

I'm going to crawl back under my rock and be cranky by myself. TTYL,

V.

Eden, I hope your sore throat doesnÂt develop into anything more. We are now working in our garage. Rick bought sheetrock, insulation, lights and a workbench about 3 years ago. I told him IÂd help him with that. It is time to get that done. ItÂs not nearly as fun as a room in the house. I told him that we need to be done by gardening season.

Babs, the job sounds like it would work perfectly for you.

T, the horse apples right before the vet got there reminded me of when I would bring my kids in to the Dr. They were seemed so sick until the Dr. walked in the room.

WhereÂs Deanne? Hopefully, things went well with the painting.

Michelle

BTW, Eden and Sue, I have ordered from Mt. Maples, twice (I've ordered from just about EVERYWHERE at least once, right?). The good thing about them is that they have a great selection of japanese maples, lots of rare and uncommon dwarf varieties, some of which you would have a hard time finding elsewhere. But their prices are VERY high for the very small plants they send out. In Michigan, we actually have nurseries that carry quite a few JM, notably Gee Farms in Stockbridge. I remember buying a couple of plants from them and then going out to Gees or the wonderful old branch of Telly's in Brighton and seeing the same variety I bought 4 times as big for exactly the same price. I wouldn't order anything from MM until I were sure that the plant was not available locally in a much bigger, better established form. Unfortunately that branch of Telly's closed. Saguaro Plants in Whitmore Lake has also had lots of JM cultivars sometimes, also Abbots in A.A. But Gees is the best of them all, and probably the cheapest too.

HI all,

I have about five minutes here while waiting for my scanner to warm up to pop in and let you all know that I'm actually working. (Yukky!)Anyway, all is well and I'm hopefully going to get this out to the FedEx box today. Then tomorrow I'm planning on actually starting on the piece that is due March 1st. Do you believe it????

T, sorry for the continued tribulations with Boo....

V, that is just terrible about DS! I sure hope he is going to go to a doc and make sure nothing is really wrong other than bruising. Hope he heals fast. Bummer about your flu etc.

Oh drats, the scanner just 'burped' and I've got an error message. Must run, I'll check in later.
Deanne

Greetings, all!

Had been surprised with the number of sap buckets up on sugar maples so far north. Noticed today with the drop in temp the buckets came down. As a 6-7yo a February vacation job was hauling sap to the big tank. Sap that never gets above 40degF in the bucket crystallizes.

Why am I talking about this? 'Cause gardeners ain't the only ones with no patience for late Winter ;-)

Sue: Have you heard of Harken's in East Windsor? They'll order two or three of anything anyone wants and let you have first pick. This is the same nursery where Rich and I will be getting our 6" yard tree. Come with us and we'll see if we can work a deal together!

In a way am glad Deanne hasn't checked in because I need some help here, pals. It's a toss up between Bitter Chocolate Roll and Essencia in the glass, or a tropical fruit salad with a shot of rum in coffee??? Or, something else entirely?

Am being beckoned. Any last minute suggestions for my Thursday digital camera purchase would be welcome!

Martie

LOL Deanne! You're right above me and how the heck did that happen? I posted before I read all the way down and then didn't submit 'til later. Then I read. Ah duh.

What can I bring?

Martie

David, thanks for the input on Mt. Maples. I wasn't planning on ordering from them but requested their catalog to use for reference. I'm basically out of room here for full size trees and anything that threatens to be a large shrub so am looking for dwarf cultivars and things I can tuck here and there. Woodies are at the top of the list because I can't keep up with the garden anymore and need to start moving towards lower maintenance. All the high maintenance and short season perennials are out this year.

Martie, no I've never heard of Harken's but I'm always up to explore new nurseries. As I said above though the last thing I need is more trees unless they stay small, narrow and can tolerate shade.

Deanne, how does shrimp cocktail work for your party?

V, good to hear you're on the mend and your son is OK.

T, your horse adventures sure sound harrowing. The side of large animal ownership most of us don't think about. I think Nick may have worms again and need to bring a stool sample to the vet. Since Tom gets home before me I've assigned the collection part of the process to him. Tonight he forgot. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. If something ever happens to me come and get the dogs.

Babs, congrats on the job. A little networking paid off for you. I need a part time AP clerk-know anyone?

Well, I don't have much else to add so that must mean it's time to fade away.

Later,

Sue

Good evening all. I am going to make a stab at catching up, and answering some questions.

Brenda, the Dr. still has Tim on Coumadin (sp), and plans on keeping him on it for 6 months. They ran all kinds of tests, and still do not know what caused the clots. Very unnerving to have such a thing happen and not know why. He is very depressed.

Deanne, yes, I heard form Ei the middle of Jan, and she and I have e-mailed just the last day or so. Right now she is suffering from a virus.
I posted a couple of pics of the orchid I bought last week. Here is another one that I bought today!
{{gwi:2101466}}

Mary and Sue..... my advice on the Amaryllis is to put them outside in the spring, in a progressively sunnier spot, and fertilize. I put mine out last summer, but I didn't fertlize, and I think they were too shady. Out of the 6 large bulbs, and 3-4 small ones, in my old dishpan, only 2 are putting up flower stalks. Hopefully more will emerge, but I'm afraid some of them are planted too deep.

Michelle, I had to chuckle about your DS's friend stepping in the creek. The first time I came to Ark. Nolon was showing me around his old home place. I fell in the creek. I was embarrassed to let his aunt and uncle know, so we stayed out in the warm November sunshine 'til I dried off. I was a young gal then.... in my 20s.
That is so cute about McKenzie singing E-I-O on the phone. I remember one of my Grandbabies singing " I love you, you love me, We're a happy family", over the phone. ( I sure wish we could still say that! ).

All the talk about painting toenails. I have never painted mine, and even though my feet used to be nice looking, I don't go barefoot or wear sandles. Monique, I know what you mean about "ugly nails on my little toes". Mine are really wierd and thick. I almost need to borrow Teresa's hoof timmers to cut them ! LOL

Cindy, you are too kind. The orangish orchid is brand new. It hasn't had time to look bad! Not all of my Phals look that good, in fact I am still battling the scale on my two oldest. They really need to be repotted, too.

Honey, your drapes are very nice, and your rooms are lovely. Are those large plants 'real' ? ( Or is that a rude question? )

Monique, your garden pic is gorgeous.

Hi, Hollyhock! I don't think we have met. I'm envious of your Saucer Magnolia, your Evergreen Pears, and your Avocados.

Janie, I am so glad your DD stood up to that creep. It's great that steps are being taken to put a stop to such meanness. Back in my school days, and Tim's, there was no such recourse. We just had to suffer in silence. Many times Tim came home in tears, and full of fear, because of the mean boys in his school. He actually felt as though they were going to kill him.

Taryn, I appreciate your history of the beginning of the Idylls. I wish Saucy was still here. I hope she is okay.
Your icy drive was terrifying.....been there, done that!...

V, I just wanted to tell you that I am so glad that your son wasnÂt hurt badly. My sister was hit by a drunk driver while walking when she was 15 and I was a witness to it. She was in a coma, traction and then a body cast. She missed a whole year of school. Then my son was hit on his bike when he was 9. It was actually a truck that hit his bike and he was knocked off and broke his collarbone. I get tears and chills yet when I think about those 2 incidents and now your sonÂs.
Again, I'm so glad that he is ok.

Michelle

Good morning

T - what a rotten time poor Boo (and you) have had. I'll check in today to see how she (he?) is doing. Very, very scary.

V - feel bettter. Car versus bike is never a good mix. So glad DS escaped without injury.

Honey - I love, love, love your drapes. We have splashes of red in our living areas (a sofa and rug) and it really warms things up. We've yet to get tired of it!

Babs - many congratultions on your job. Having the same schedule as the boys will make working away from home so much less stressful. I think you'll be great and will have fun too. Glad the teachers lunch went well.

Beautiful Orchid Marian! I'm very excited that one of the places I'm hoping we can visit in Hawaii is an Orchid nursery and farm. I'll be thinking of you.

I am getting very excited about our trip now and can't quite believe how quickly its coming up (16th Feb). I've found all sorts of resources on-line and a great book called "The Big Island Revealed" to help us plan the week. I've booked us into a little artist's cottage hidden in the rain forests on the "wet" side of the island for the weekend, only a mile from Volcano National Park. We like to get off the beaten track, especially for DH to take photos, and this should provide a nice contrast to the big hotel we're staying at on the beach. When I made reservations the owner told me to bring flash -lights so that we can go out at night to watch the lava flow..

Oops - instead of dreaming of sunshine and volcanoes, I need to brush snow off the car and hit the road.

Have a good day

Mary

Good Morning all,

Well, I made the FedEx box by 6 so that is off my desk. Woohoo, This painting is a little Monarch Butterfly on a bit of Buddleia. IÂm posting a link below should you be interested. ~~ Winter has returned here and it is pretty cold this AM but pretty normal for Feb so nothing to complain of. The rivers here are scary full! Remember a few days ago when I said IÂve never seen them that full in Jan? Well they are even higher now after that inch of rain over the weekend. We are supposed to have a stretch of clear weather for a bit so IÂm hoping that helps. Heaven help the people living along our rivers if we get another inch or two of rain anytime soon. ~~ IÂm fighting off a cold/flu thing right now and am hoping I can shake this of soon. Things were looking pretty good for a short duration then I developed a bit of conjunctivitis in my left eye yesterday then woke up this AM with the right eye affected. Yukky. It is a viral thing so nothing to be done but let it run it course and keep my hands off my face.

Mary, IÂm so excited for you! That trip is going to be wonderful and the cottage near the volcano! Holy cow! That is going to be just fantastic. The trip of a lifetime. Take LOTS of pictures for us please. ~~ BTW would you ask your DH to recommend a good, heavy, glossy photo paper I could use with that wonderful printer that I could also print on the back side of the paper to make calendars??? The good quality Epsom paper IÂm finding I canÂt print on the back.

Sue, shrimp cocktail sounds perfect. CanÂt wait to see all you guys!

Martie, ROTFLOL There I was hovering right over your post te he  So as in what can you bring that means you can still come???? Woohoo! Do you have any favorite summery vegetable thing you make? ~~ RE digital cameras, I currently have a Olympus E20N but am looking to buy a Canon digital SLR. Some of the newer models are 8 + MPX and you have unlimited options for lenses because you can use the entire line of Canon lenses with them.

Bug, better you than I with all that painting. I despise doing house painting and donÂt envy you the chore. We are in desperate need of repainting quite a few of the room here and IÂm seriously not looking forward to it. ~~ So sad about your trees.

Honey, those curtains are just beautiful and so elegant. ~~ Sure wish I could have gone to that lecture with you and Eden the other night. That sounds like it was really enjoyable and informative.

T so how is the patient doing today? My old horse Zeb, used to colic from time to time and it was awful for him and for me. I sure hope he is going to be OK.

Babs, congratulations on that job! How fantastic.

Marian, the orchids look lovely.

Monique!!!! Thank you for that GORGEOUS pic of your fall garden. IÂm in awe of what you guys have done with your gardens. Fabulous!

OK time to get out of here and get the light gardens watered then off to finish up the laundry and go grocery...

Good morning!

Oh, V! How awful for your DS and you. I agree. Make sure he gets thoroughly checked out by a Dr. before he settles any claim. Hope you feel better soon!

T, howÂs the patient today?! I know how worried you are about the poor guy.

Michelle, how awful for you to have seen your DS get hit! I witnessed a total stranger being hit on a busy road 20 yrs. ago and I can remember every detail today as if it happened yesterday. Both that and your DSÂs accident had to be heart-wrenching. IÂm glad theyÂre OK now.

Mary, thatÂs a great idea to stay in the rain forest! I wouldÂve never thot of it! I hope youÂll share your incredible tales and pix w/us. When you return from that paradise to the snow/cold, IÂm sure youÂll feel like youÂve landed on another planet! Enjoy your trip!

Deanne, that painting is the best yet! IÂm always awestruck by your talent but youÂve really outdone yourself. Re the lecture, you wouldÂve loved it. I think IÂm going to another this weekend and from the sounds of it, David might be going, too. More on this later.

Marian, no youÂre not rude. The plants are silk. The "plant police" came here and threatened bodily harm if I bot more live ones and took the sickly ones away from me. In my defense, the light conditions and décor placement are not the same, although the rooms get wonderful light. I only have a couple "real" plants in the house, which have to be tough as nails to survive my care.

Thanks, Eden, for your comments. I really like that room, too. It and the walk-in pantry are why we bot this house. I donÂt know why, but IÂve struggled mightily with decorating the 2 rooms. I found accent fabrics first, (restricted by what I liked AND could afford) and took them to the rug store and found a coordinating area rug. HereÂs a pic of the patterns for the idyllers that havenÂt been here:

{{gwi:2101467}}

I made slipcovers for the ottomans out of the stripped fabric and throw pillows out of both fabrics. The next struggle was finding the right wall colors and getting the rooms painted. IÂm hoping to get the last phase -- drapes/swag for the long window on the stair landing -- completed in the next few days so I can put that sewing machine away for awhile and decorating to rest. IÂm sure you guys are as tired of my projects as I am!

Marie, I donÂt envy you the painting jobs particularly the kitchen cabinets. What a tedious job. Take a break every once in a while and idyll w/us to break up the work.

Marian, Bullet has lost a lot of weight these last couple yrs. His high weight was 14 lbs. Two yrs. ago, he was 12 and now 9-1/2 lbs. HeÂs getting to be an old guy. I love the Tommy tales you tell. TheyÂre such characters, arenÂt they?!

Well, I gotta run for now. IÂll leave you with a thot for the day Â

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men...

I'm feeling a lot better today with very little coughing. Less coughing maens less stomach pain, and less stomach pains means a happier V.

Thanks for all the good thoughts on my son. I talked to him several times yesterday and he seems to be doing well. He has a chipped tooth to deal with, so I called my friend in Champaign and she was nice enough to call her dentist so they would get him in right away. It helps to have an "on-call mom" nearby! I got more of the accident details from him, and it turns out it was a 16 year-old girl that hit him.

Marian, glad to see you again! Your orchids are beautiful. Mine that I bought last year is still alive but shows no sign of blooming yet. I think it wants fertilizer or some such nonsense...

I forgot to look at my indoor plants this morning. I watered everything last night but a couple of things werer looking a little sad. It does irk me just a little bit that no one will cover for me when I'm feeling lousy!

Babs, great news about the job for next year.

I'm wondering how Boo is doing today.

Deanne, your Monarch is magnificent!

Honey, I love the drapes. Hopefully Bullet will let the puddles be.

I'd better run, but I thought i needed to squeeze in a "happy" post to offset yesterday's cranky contribution. Have a good afternoon, all!

V.

Taking a break from priming and paint frustrations. Things are getting sorted out, but it has been a case of 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Maybe in another week there will be a small corner to photograph.

I received a wonderful letter from Chelone who is preparing things for her Mom's trip to visit her brother. She reports that Rex has reached a new level in his obedience training and she's very proud of him. Yesterday he was off leash at the golf course with her.

Lots of glum news in the family and so on but some sun on the icy trees. The first installment of Mom's estate should be forthcoming soon, which means the kittens can be fixed, Charlotte can be groomed and new clematis can be paid for!

The news of car and bike accidents is nerve-racking, as is poor Boo's ailment. I enjoy hearing about new orchids, drapery success, completed paintings and meeting deadlines, and rain forest get-aways!

Trouble with my right heal is a nuisance as far as my treadmill plans. Can't seem to solve it, even with the doctor's help. Hmmm. But the scales are moving downward, ever so slowly along with my BP.

LOL Honey! "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should get used to the idea." I thnk DH has figured this out at last!

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry that I'm not keeping up well and so focused on what is happening here. Boo has improved but he just doesn't seem quite right so I keep watching him for odd behavior or signs of pain, checking the pasture, checking certain areas for signs of oil (oh fun) and keeping up the worrying. I'm very tired for some reason, too. Anyway, this too shall pass (no pun intended) and I feel really fortunate that this is all I have to complain about in my life.

V, I am so glad your son is okay. Very frightening. Michelle, I cannot imagine what you went through in witnessing the accidents.

Marian, I never thought of buying an orchid until you & Deanne began showing yours. I now look at them whenever I come across one.....but so far I've allowed them to live--by not bringing them into the House Of Plant Death (here). I have just a few houseplants and they have to be very durable and just about impervious to death in order to live with me. :o/

Deanne, gorgeous painting! Thank you for sharing the link. I've not gotten over to that site for days and would have missed it.

Babs, congratulations on the job! I bet you'll love it and all the kids will love having you there.

Mary, your vacation cottage sounds wonderful. I hope you & your family have a wonderful, restful time.

Honey, I like your rug & pillows. The red is so rich looking. I keep thinking of your reds and then I think of Sue's home with her touches of black. I never use black with our long haired, constantly shedding white cat. I never have used red either.......but I sure am considering both of those colors since seeing how wonderful your & Sue's homes look.

Eden, how are you feeling?

GB, thinking of you often.

Marian, please pass on my best to Eileen the next time you talk with her. I miss her a lot.

I'm missing Cynthia, too. I hope she misses us. ;o)

Drema, you doing okay?

Yeona, how are you and your sisters?

Martie, I laughed at the bottle of 'smell'. ;o)

I'm envious of those of you getting to meet up at Deanne's. It sounds like it is going to be a very fun time.

I know I'm missing commenting on things people have shared but this is getting too long and I think I'm going to go lay down for a bit before DH gets home.

My best to all......
T.

Good evening all.

Michelle, what awful incidents to have happen to both your children. I suspect they both have continuing problems from those injuries, but I am so happy that it wasn't even worse.

Mary, How exciting! A trip to Hawaii! I do hope you will have lots of pics to share.I espacially like the idea of the secluded cottage. I hope you will have lovely sunny days. Don't get too close to that lava!

Honey, Nolon and I witnessed a terrible accident in Oklahoma City years ago. A young girl was struck by the protruding fender on a stock trailer. It was a fatal accident. A terrible, terrible thing to witness.
On a much lighter note ... lol about the silk plants.... I suspected that was the case. I love your fabric colors and patterns. My decorating is like my nationalities- - Heintz 57 ! LOL . 50 years from now who's going to care what my decor looked like. I'm content with it.
How old is Bullet? Our oldest cat ever, is Miss Calliecat, and she has always been an outside cat. She will be 15 if she lives to April, and she is still very spry. I think she weighs more now since I started feeding her on our front porch. Nolon used to take her food out to his shop , and there was a lot of competition there with the wildlife ....raccoons, opossums, skunks, etc.
She has such long hair the weight may be mostly hair!

V, do you know what species your orchid is? If it is a Phal it should rebloom with no problem.
Sorry about you having no help. I have to ask for help when I feel extra lousy. No volunteers in this house, and I am usually too stubborn to ask!

Marie, nice that you can continue with your painting., and good to hear that you had a nice letter from Chelone.
It's good to know you will be having incoming funds from the estate. We eagerly await the VA's 'refund' of our out of pocket medical expanses. Our first priority will be trying to help Nolon's hearing loss. Next will be newer kitchen appliances. The range and refrigerator are almost beyond redemption!
Sorry about your heel( or is that heal? ) lol . Any pain in feet is very hard to tolerate.

Deanne, Your painting is beautiful, as usual.

Teresa, I was so hoping Boo was okay.
I am waiting to hear back from Ei. When I do, I will try to remember to give her your message. I am having a problem with my short term memory. :-(

Marian

Hello everyone

Deanne - your painting is so very beautiful. It just sings out summer to me. The buddlia(sp?) flowers are wonderfully delicate. Thank you for sharing it with us, I too would have hated missing it.

T - hope you can rest up and things continue smoothly for Boo. Worry like that can be draining, emotionally and physically. Maybe time for that warm drink and Baileys!

Its good to hear things are going well with Chelone. I love the idea of Rex becoming such an obedience champ, though I've never doubted Chelone's ability with animals. I miss her wry sense of humor as I do Ei's cheery posts.

Honey - Your Cats and Women quote is a gem!

GB - have fun painting. Do you have some good music to listen too?

HI MARIAN! - its good to be able to say that again!

Today was one of those absurdly busy days. After work I picked Annie up from a chorus rehearsal, fed everyone, took David to Karate and then spent the evening playing quartets. My quartet is giving a small recital in March and we are getting ready for a couple of coaching sessions with one of the violinist's from the RPO. I'm hoping I'm not crazy agreeing to do this. However, tonight was so much fun playing I didn't look at my watch till my cell phone rang at 9.45PM. I'd said I'd be home by 9.30 PM and had no idea the time had flown by. Tomorrow evening there is nothing on, which will be blissful but in a different kind of way.

Right now I'm ready for bed - have a good night all.

Mary

T, a lady at church tonight was saying that their sonÂs horse recently died. They live in Oregon and had a big windstorm and a very large tree fell on the barn and the horse was badly injured. The vet spent 4 hours stitching him up but he didnÂt make it. IÂm glad to hear that Boo is improving. Re: MaryÂs advice on the Baileys. DonÂt indulge too much, I envision you in the oily pasture looking for horse apples being a little tipsy. It doesnÂt sound like a good combination ;o)

Mary, the trip sounds so exciting. How neat that will be to stay in a rain forest.

Deanne, the monarch painting is fabulous, you have such a wonderful talent. I hope you have your Zicam handy. I have been using it for a week. I can tell that I have a cold, but the symptoms are so minor that it is very bearable. I use the oral spray.

Honey, LOL "the plant police" It seems odd to me that I can grow plants so much better outdoors than in. I love your rug and pillows. I have had red in my kitchen for 9 years and love it.

I hope Chelone drops in on us while her mom is away.

Marian, please pass along to Eileen that I too miss her here and hope that she was able to shake that virus. Re: the accidents, one was my son and the other my sister. Neither have any lingering problems. Actually, very miraculous for my sister since she had head injuries. My sonÂs was more like VÂs son, just a bad tumble from the bike thanks to a car.
As for decorating, my philosophy is that it should be whatever you like and enjoy. You know what the designers call your style of decorating? Not Heinz 57 but eclectic and you didnÂt realize how trendy you were.

Tomorrow night I will go to watch Kenzie at her swimming lessons. It is just a good excuse to go see them. I will stop at the home improvement store over there in my search for cabinet knobs. Friday night RickÂs GS who is in 8th grade has a BB game and there is also a fund raising soup supper. Whoo hoo no cooking until at least Saturday.
I put in a couple of orders online today. 2 clematis, c.'Marmori' and c. 'Laura' I'm a sucker for plants with names of my kids. I already have phlox 'Laura' and have my eyes open for a flower named McKenzie. I also ordered some bulbs from Brent and Becky's. I got some Casablanca lily bulbs for my DD to plant at her new house. Those were the flowers that made up her wedding bouquet. I also got something similar to GB's 'Suncrest' since they didn't have that. This one is called 'Latvia' as well as 'Orania' and 'Triumphator' I've included a link to the one that really caught my eye.

Night all
Michelle

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Orania'

Happy Thursday!

Deanne: Perfect! A new client is a great au naturale food store and will have good stuff for a layered salad. It still looks like a "go" for the 18th -- instead of having to go to Boston three days in a row, Boston is coming to me, so the "extra but preferred" driving to you will not be a hassle. Know what this unartistic eye loves about your painting? The black background.

Red: We have it in our dining room and I've been on the lookout for drape fabric since we moved in. We have a literal wall of windows so it can't be anything overwhelming and Rich isn't partial to stripes. Someday I'll be somewhere it and it will be there.

Watched my DB broadside a car on his bike careening down a hill through an intersection. He flew over the car and landed in a bunch of rose bushes. No harm done to anything except the bike, but I don't think I took a breath for several seconds.

Hope all is well on the horse front (or rear??)

Have a new area to work in Massachusetts that is almost into the Berkshires. I'm so grateful I get to work where a lot of people go to vacation.

Mary: The cottage sounds Perfect! Are you going to have the kids keep any kind of journal? Or does that seem like too much "work" for such a wonderful expedition? I'll occasionally go back to my old "vaca books" and it seems really funny now what I thought was important, then.

Snow in the forecast. Yippee!!!

Need to blast outta here. CT River is close enough to flood stage that I'll need to take a brief detour this morning to get to the office. Shucks -- it'll take me past a bakery to die for :-) Fresh crumpets, here I come!!

Best to all I 'missed' --
Martie

Good morning all,

Well, V, I sure wish youÂd kept your flu out there. I swear that anytime there are doings on the Idylls they seem to travel far and wide. And why am I telling you this, you ask? Well, last night about 2AM I got up to wash my right eye, which is now also affected with the conjunctivitis, and in the middle of that felt an urgent need to take care of other matters and somewhere between the sink and the facilities I passed out cold and apparently landed on my face on the tile floor. (I know it was my face because IÂve got a shiner a professional fighter would be proud of.) Poor Doug! I was quite put out with him because he was slapping my hand trying to wake me up and I thought I was still in bed so I kept yelling at him. "What? What? What do you want?" Anyway, I was laying there in a puddle of sweat and I have no idea what kind of fever I spiked but it was a beauty. Doug said I was burning up. What a flipping drama. It took me a half hour before I could get up off the floor. Doug finally got me to bed and ran around getting me ice packs etc. and eventually we both got a bit more sleep. So now IÂm still in the throes of VÂs fever and chills but donÂt seem to be as dizzy as I was last night.

Thanks all for the feedback re the painting. I appreciate your taking the time to check out the link. So happy you like it. Did you happen to read the thread and see GBÂs post? Apparently that is a male Monarch. I was so tickled that she posted that photo and information.

Michelle, I was taking the Zicam since Saturday but stopped yesterday morning because I felt the cold symptoms were gone. So now I shook off the cold but have the flu. Yuk! I agree though, when I take the Zicam my cold symptoms are minimal to non-existent. I sure wish I knew why that stuff works but it does.

Mary, how wonderful that you continue to play your music! Every time I read about the music in your lives I get the itch to get my guitar out. I havenÂt played or sung for months and months. It really is ridiculous to let that go. As you know it takes years to gain real proficiency and I should make the time to keep up with it. Thanks for sharing that part of your lives with us. It inspires me. IÂd so love it if youÂd play for us when we come to visit?

Bug, good to know your MomÂs estate is finally being settled. Hope you have a less frustrating day and that you get a lot of your painting project done.

Honey, those fabrics are so rich! I love it. You have great taste. But we always knew that.

Marian, IÂm having problems with my short term memory too. Makes me crazy. I went to SamÂs yesterday to buy a block of Parmesan reggiano cheese and came home without it. GrrrrÂ. I need to write things down.

Martie, layered salad sounds fantastic! How neat you get to spend time in the Berkshires. That is such a beautiful area.~~ Neat that you like that black background. I love a challenge. It was difficult to paint a butterfly...

Honey, don't feel bad...I'm on the house plant police 10 most wanted list.

Not much else going on here. I'm buried at work and by the time I get home, work out and get through with dinner I'm usually not up to posting anything. I am reading though and enjoying all your comings and goings.

Hi to all.

Sue

Reading here too.

Got this from a friend...and thought I'd share:

Speaking of good food causing death as well as bad food. Have you heard about the results of an enormous clinical trial just published yesterday? The trial was to test the relationship between fat consumption and incidence of heart disease and cancer. There were 49,000 women involved over eight years. The upshot was completely unexpected. The group following a low-fat diet was no healthier than the others that continued with their normal eating habits. The trial didn't distinguish between different types of fats: saturated, unsaturated etc., however. I celebrated by eating some sheep milk brie. (I would have anyway...)

Deanne, how awful! But I AM jealous of your day curled up with Sue Grafton!

Onward!
'bug

Good morning

Deanne - how scary passing out like that - has that ever happened before? So glad Doug was there to help you. Do take very good care of yourself today and let us know how you're doing. I'll ask DH today about the printing paper.

Michelle - the lilies you ordered look stunning. Hope Mckenzie's swim is fun.

Martie - having Annie and David make as journal is a wonderful idea. David loves to take photos and Annie to draw, so they would each be quite different. The mention of crumpets made my mouth water! We'd have them growing up in England for Sunday tea, toasted and dripping with butter yummmmm!

Its the most beautiful day here - sunny, snowy and cold. I'll even need sunglasses to drive to work (if I can find them).

Hope your mornings are as good

Mary

Deanne, sounds like you had an awful night! Take it easy and be forewarned that it takes a few days to shake the worst of this bug. and I'm kinda glad that Deanne got sick this week so I don't have to worry that I brought the bug to NH with me!

'bug I heard a news report on that same health study. Interesting! Oftentimes I feel like we are told so much conflicting information about foods and diet that it ends up just frustrating most folks.

Short-term memory - I think I used to have some of that but I don't remember where I left it. I have to write down everything or it doesn't get done. I had a video to return earlier this week and I set my purse on top of it. Got home and the video was still there. At least I had two more days to try and remember before the late fee kicked in!

Speaking of the video, I sent DH to the store with a short list of three movies: The Interpreter, Ocean's Twelve, and Sideways. I figured at least one of those three should be in stock and appeal to him. So what did he rent? Wedding Crashers!

Tonight I have to get some laundry done. This morning it was cold (11 degrees F) and nothing that I had clean looked warm enough, so I stole one of DH's sweaters. tee hee, he's out of town and couldn't stop me.

Marian, my orchid is a Phal. Don't tell Deanne, but it was close to death this fall. But it has perked up and is sending out a new air root, so there may be hope yet. I really do have to get a photo of my split leaf philodendron so I can prove that I can grow some house plants!

V.

Sick house here too. I finally broke down and took some medicine last night so I'm feeling a little better this morning. Bella has a runny nose now too but I don't know if she's caught what I have or it's the 4 molars she's trying to get all at once.

Deanne, that exact same thing happened to me last year when I had the flu. About 2am went to get some water and I went down in the kitchen and Brad never heard a thing. David and Bud came to my rescue. I remember being drenched in sweat and so disoriented when I woke up. Poor Doug, you must have given him quite a scare. Take it easy today and enjoy your book.

Mary, I'm so happy for you and your family that your getting to take this vacation. I know you'll make memories that will last a lifetime. The quartet sounds like such fun.

Marian, I think short term memory is the first thing to go. I often walk into a room and then have no idea why.

Michelle, can't wait to see all those pretty things you ordered in bloom.

Martie, that bakery sounds good. Nothing like baked goods to get me off to a good start on the day.

T, hope Boo has a good day today and you too of course!

Marie, all the work will be worth it when you have a nice freshly painted kitchen. Hope your heel heals soon!

I miss Cynthia here too...

V, glad that ds is ok and that you're feeling better. Have fun this weekend on your trip east. I'm jealous.

Hi Sue!

Gotta go get some more hot coffee for my sore throat.

Eden

Deanne.....hope you feel better soon. Sounds like a brutal night.

I had to log in just now. GW recognized me when I first came to the site, but when I refreshed the page, it forgot who I was....... Site has short-term memory loss, too.

I guess I'll try to post this and see if it knows who I am when I refresh. This might be my needed push back to the sewing machine, if the site isn't going to let stay in.

Hope it is a good day everywhere!

T.

IÂve been in listening mode as well (can you hear me listening..?)

Woohoo  Deanne, you do everything with flair! I bet Doug was scared to death  and you gave yourself a shiner? how terrible  adding insult to injury w/ the flu  I do hope you take it easy and rest  youÂve got a lot of entertaining to do soon w/ your Idyll guests! I do love that butterfly  and leave it to Marie to know what kind, etc., it was. Your party sounds like a wonderful way to break up the winter doldrums  Im planning to go to the Phila. Flower Show in early March  so thatÂs what Im using as a "break-out" of winter event.

V- glad to hear youÂre feeling better and cannot be held responsible except via Âweb to have passed that flu along to Deanne  I hear you about the coughing though  I had severe flu about 20 years ago and coughed and popped a pelvic artery  landed in the hospital (it was a close call). . . .for Xmas because of it (they didnt know what was wrong til they operated). So I must confess I am extremely paranoid about hard coughing of any sort now & have been ever since that happened  weird things do happen.

I confess on the health front I continue to be totally puzzled by all the conflicting reports  low fat, high protein, no protein, high fat  whatÂs a person to believe any more? I think your attitude is probably the correct one, Marie  celebrate with food  after all if we donÂt have fun with it, whatÂs the point?

Honey, I meant to tell you that I truly love the red also (I in fact love all bright & deep colors) and am amazed that you pulled that all together because of wrong furniture fabric! One would Never know  youÂre an artiste.

Mary, I imagine youÂre starting to count the days til the big trip  it sounds glorious  you and your entire family will have a blast  a trip to paradise, how neat is that? I imagine the children will remember it forever  and it will be a nice memory to make for Annie to put next to the loss of her dear friend  a good memory to overtake the bad one in this year.

Michelle, - I ordered the Cl. Laura also  it looks gorgeous doesnÂt it? For some reason I ordered mostly Type IIs this year  Im probably crazy to do so  but my others have been doing so well that I am getting bolder I guess. Of course, if this is a failure and they all croak this summer or get horrible wilt, IÂll be going back to sticking w/ the IIIs I guess  but I wont know until IÂve tried. I ordered a total of 6 clematis this year (altho my list was much longer, but I tried to restrain myself & limit to a budget $$).

I know thereÂs other stuff to comment on but I better get to work. Im hearing that 4-letter word in our forecast this weakened (S***)  ugh  of course, Im planning to drive to Phila. to check on the parents  it never fails  IÂll probably wimp out if it really says itÂs gonna happen  I donÂt know how you do so much intrepid driving, Martie, with your...

Good morning. Just a drive by here.

Deanne, get well soon! What an awful experience! I've been hearing about that flu going around and it sounds like a doozy.

Eden, Bella, V -- rest and get better soon, too.

Marty, re the drapes for your big windows, check out that famous designer, JCP, spring catalog sales for ideas. I was fortunate that their "Cinnabar" matched my stuff. I did the simple overtreatment b/c I, too, have large expanses -- DR=8', GR=10' floor to ceiling windows and 6' on the opposite half wall. I felt it needed the softness over the wood blinds I'm using for light control and privacy. When the blinds are open, you can see directly thru my house to the back yard from the street.

Yesterday, I registered for a garden symposium on Sat, "The Color-Rich Garden." I'm really looking forward to it but am somewhat concerned about the roads -- we're supposed to get 1-3" of snow Fri. nite. David said he might attend, too. He could probably teach it! Ennyhoo, below is a link. I hope it's as good as it sounds.

Gotta run. Marie don't work too hard, T, hope Boo is still doing well today, and Hi to anyone I missed.

Honey

Here is a link that might be useful: Lecture

Morning again,

Apparently I donÂt ÂDOÂ sit on the sofa and relax real well. I got up, got washed and dressed thinking that would make me feel better. NOT! Anyway, then I put in two loads of wash. Maybe I need to pass out again on this couch. Thanks for the commiserating. Nice to know friends are thinking positive thoughts for you. Now that makes me feel a bit better.

Mary, nope, IÂve only passed out one other time in my entire life. I was in my early teens and it was some kind of flu thing then also. IÂve had a couple other close calls in the middle of the night like that in the last few years. IÂve gotten so I have a very slow resting pulse, sometimes as low as 48, and also sometimes have low blood pressure. So by getting up too quickly and being sick at the same time must have done me in.

Eden! Holy cow, I didnÂt remember you having an episode like that but that is way too strange that it was at the same time of the night and you woke up in a puddle of sweat also. Poor you! YouÂve not had another episode of that since have you? That really throws a person for a loop. So how are you feeling today? Much better I hope.

Bug, the whole food thing is so reactionary. The pendulum swings so widely that it I no longer follow that kind of advice when told not to eat or to eat a lot of something. Whatever happened to ÂEverything in moderationÂ?

V. I was worried about being over this cold I was coming down with by the time you guys came for the party. Now IÂll probably still have the remnants of this black eye. Jeesh. I do have to say that under-eye shadow is not at all attractive. LOL ~~ That is too funny about the Wedding Crashers. What do you think made him decide on that one?

Cindy, That is one really scary story about your bursting a pelvic artery. You are lucky to still be with us. How awful for you and no wonder you are paranoid about coughing. IÂve never heard of anything like that happening before. ~~ Maybe the NE Idyll contingent should join you in Phila for the flower show in March. WouldnÂt that be a hoot?

Honey, that lecture looks to be really interesting and you are right that David could probably be one of the speakers.

Ok I guess IÂll crack my book now. Have a great day everyone,

Deanne

Good morning all,

Deanne , what a scary thing for both you and your DH. Has anything like that ever happened to you before?

I only have passed out 5 times in my life. First was from a bad nosebleed when I was a teen; second when I had mumps( still a teen); third - acute apendicitis; 4th - a ruptured fallopian tube from an ectopic pregnancy; and 5th - strep throat after we moved here. I came pretty close to passing out when I had pink eye.

I sure hope you are better today.

V, I take it your Phal was a gift from Deanne? I think that the fact that I don't have central heat is one reason so many of my plants survive.... note that I didn't say "thrive" :-) Do post a pic of your split leaf Phil. I expect it will put mine to shame.

Eden , I do hope you are on the mend, and that little Bella is not getting sick. we are so fortunate that we have escaped so far. I guess it can be attributed to the flu shots we got last fall. ( And the Vitamin C that we take).

T , lol - GW with short term memory loss! Could be.

RE: all the 'scientific'food reports ; every since I can remember, people ate whatever was available, and were thankful to have it. I prefer to go that route. Too many conflicting reports!! But I do subscribe to moderation in all things.

Michelle, I am so glad to learn that my deco is 'trendy', :-) Is "eclectic" another name for cluttered?
BTW, I think there is a clem named "Bill Mckenzie" . I remember that because my oldest sis had a man friend named that. You could drop the "Bill" .... just call it Mckenzie.
:-)

My 3 new clems gave me a pleasant surprise. I decided to pot them up yesterday. All three have new growth. It turns out that they were grown in tiny pots, then put in bags of peat moss for early sale. They are now in gallon pots. They are labeled Nelly Moser, Ville de Lyon, and Belle of Woking. It is the second Nelly Moser that I have tried. The first died.

Snow is in the forecast for us for tomorrow night. Up to 5", but from experience, that can be either nothing, or a foot or more !

Hi Martie, Cindy and anyone else that I haven't 'spoke' to yet !

Marian

We were posting at the same time. You answered my first question. Funny that we both said the : "Everything in moderation" quote. :-)

Wow  canÂt believe how many people are sick or ailing here  do you think itÂs somehow contagious thru the "thread" connection? I sure hope not. So Sorry so many are under the weather.

Honey  I looked at that same seminar and almost signed up for the one at Winterthur DE but decided at this time of the year for me to drive 2 hours might be iffy  one just never knows when the next bad weather is gonna hit  I would LOVE particularly to hear Helen Dillon  I love her gardens & have her book  and also Rob Proctor. I imagine Dillon will be talking about her recent major changes to her garden  IÂve seen some recent articles on it  talk about a garden being radically changed. YouÂll have to let us know how wonderful the lecture is. And I certainly agree, David could be a lecturer on this subject  and he writes so lyrically to begin with IÂve often thought when I see his comments that he could write a book or a column and be quite a success.

Just had to comment re the seminar  I look forward to hearing all about it.
-Cindy
P.S. - just had to log in too - what the ### is going on? so weird; GW definitely having memory problems!!

~~~Happy Birthday Chelone~~~

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