Our weather has turned lovely and sunny the past couple of days. I wish I could say that for my disposition ! This ear and nose thingy has pretty well got me down. I bought a stronger type of sinus med in town yesterday. It is not good for my high BP, and will probably zonk me out pretty soon, but maybe I will feel better when the drowsiness wears off.I have ran around outside and cut back my type 3 clematis this morning. They were already leafing out, but I was ruthless anyway. I need to dig, and move, the Comtesse de Bouchaud. It is not blooming since the Bladdernut grew up and shaded it too much.At least I am presuming that is it's problem.

Eileen, I am sooo happy to see you post again. Sorry that I have been so remiss in contacting you. I am just not functioning with a full deck ! I do think of you, and your love ones. And pray that all will go well with you all.
I had a friend who had a similar diagnosis as your sis. She went through all the chemo, and was so dreadfully ill that we didn't think she could possibly make it, but she did, had lived a full productive life afterwards. Only God knows what the outcome will be for any of us.
Molly is in her permanent location, where I can see her from our front windows. She is growing well. None of the lupine has came up, and if the forget-me-nots have, I do not recognize them. :-(

The Brug that Deanne sent me is growing nicely. Something nipped off some of the leaves. I think it may heve been slugs. I checked it, and it's pot, and couldn't find any, but moved it to what I hope is a safer location.

Every time I go to town one or more plants follow me home. Some are for indoors, others for out. I managed to restrain myself yesterday, since I was feeling so very bad.

Marian

OK that's it. We need to have a plant intervention session for Deanne! You are HILARIOIUS with your plant hoarding tendencies,girl! Those fuchsias were SO cheap!!

Taryn I hope Shane is feeling better today. It really is so sad to see your child so broken up about a girl and all we can think is "this won't be the last time either"(such a terrible truth). AJ still holds a torch for a friend he's known since kgarten whose family moved away last year. She really IS a sweet girl and I always think who knows, one day they might run into each other and the rest will be history. We still email her. Lots of girls like AJ but he tells me he will never forget his kgarten love. They say you never forget your first: )

Mary-The scholarship funds are such a perfect tribute! It's such a loving gesture-her family must think the world of you! I hope you are holding up well-how busy you sound!

V! What,no bum shot to satisfy our imaginations???? LOL

HI EILEEN!: ) How's it going? You've got some pretty happy friends here with your IU3 news! I think you know my thoughts have been with all of your family and I'm praying for the best outcome for your sister. You really are a good sister-she's lucky to have you. As always take good care of yourself-are you still doing Curves? Just hang in there: )

Eden when both my boys were babies people thought it was amazing they would actually take two naps for as long as they did....shh--that was because I needed to get into the garden!!!That baby monitor was like an appendage on my hip: )
BTW I love your portable greenhouse!

Michelle-my mom did the same thing yours did and had a sewing business out of her home. She did mostly bridalwear. It really was a great way to stay home with 6 kids and have employment.

T-how terrible about the woodpecker damage!! (That scalloped siding is really cute!)I hope the CD works.

Hi Marian!

I've got AJ home-something intestinal happening: ( Wish me luck!

~Babs

Morning everyone. Its a warm sunny morning here, with rain predicted for the afternoon. We are having carpet laid in 2 of the upstairs bedrooms tomorrow so we need to move all the furniture tonight. We are probably going to pull the old carpet as well. The carpet layer is Ricks DS and hes quite busy.
I returned 5 frames and came home with another 6. I have narrowed it down to 2.

Sue says "I envy you people who have the freedom to take advantage of weather like this." Ditto!

Deanne, maybe you could surprise me with a few coleus and fuchsia. The only coleus I have is Kiwi fern. I am starting 3 of the wizards from seed, Pineapple, Sunset and one other that I can think of. As for fuchsias, I need the easiest one to grow. LOL I have had no luck. Whatever you have extras of. Ill put a little surprise in your box too.
Thats too bad about your fish. Im sure its nice when they get big so that they are more visible in your pond. Do your cats bother them when they are in the pond?
I find that unbelievable that you had a turkey in your yard. Too funny that the cats were scared. Did you remind them that cats are supposed to prey on birds? LOL

Marie, I hope things smooth out with DD. Ill be thinking of you this weekend. What are you going to do with the bricks?

T, thats crazy about the woodpecker. Ive never heard of them attacking a house.

Eden, Im not sure Ive seen a picture of your pond. Id like to see it.

Mary, I think the concert is a wonderful tribute. It sounds like quite a project, but sounds like it will be done well. Im sending calming thoughts your way.

V, we never get hunky computer techs here.

Sue, thats a cute story about Zak.

Babs, I hope that AJ is feeling better.

I hope the sun shines where you are.

Michelle

Quick pop-in Sue, Im with you Im so envious of everyone who has an opportunity to garden today during the day! Im anxious for the weekend just came back in from a quick walk around the Nations Capital mid-60s the bulbs are all starting, cherry blossoms blooming, lots of school buses and visiting tourists bursting forth on the sidewalks! Ah, Spring in Washington!!! It was really great will get me thru the rest of the day cooped up inside... I sure am feeling an illness coming on for Friday though (guess thats the "fever" in "Spring?"). . . . LOL.
Ahh, - Zak did what I always called "token tinkles" from my beloved dog Krista its amazing how they anticipate and outsmart us isnt it?
Vsheesh re the hunky promoted computer guy none like that in this firm! they all live on the "7th Floor" and seldom come up to see us (like theyre in the dungeon or something!)...
Mary, good luck with the concert I know youre be rewarded for all the hard work and effort youre putting into it.
Deanne wow you definitely are a Super Plantaholic! Its amazing you have any room for furniture inside or grass outside!! What a score you made though. I agree though you need Plant Intervention you first!
Wow, TI have had yearly periodic woodpeckers visiting my townhouse roof they "drum" on a metal plate on top Ive been assured that its a mating thing and theyre not doing any real damage to my roof now, Im worried after seeing your photos! Hate to say it youre sure you dont have any termites or bugs in that area do you? That what the pest guy told me might make them peck on wood on a house? Course it could have been just a "line" they were giving me at the time. . . .
Great to see Ei, Marian, and others being better Idyllers than I it seems really hard to get to during the work week lately.
Hope the sun is shining for everyone today!!
-Cindy

Oh My! What a beautiful day it is here today. We've got the pond going, and I watered all of the pots I overwintered in the greenhouse. They all look great and like they came through winter in there just fine. I potted up the begonia cuttings that had rooted on the kitchen windowsill, and took more cuttings from some different ones. This begonia propagating is all an experiment for me. I'm not sure what I'm doing or how to root what but am just going on previous experience I've had with other plants. We'll see how it turns out...I would love to be out there cleaning up but have Bella today so that's not possible. But I did take her for a walk earlier. She's more interested in stopping to pick up leaves and sticks than actually walking though and kept wanting to just sit down in the middle of the sidewalk and play.

Deanne, David got me my greenhouse last spring and once we put it up it's stayed up. It's been full of plants since the day I got it. I kept seedlings in there over the summer that I didn't have a chance to get planted and overwintered a bunch of things I never got out of the milk jugs that I wintersowed last year and also some z6-7 things that I didn't think would make it outside. I keep the blue tarp you see in the picture on the top of mine for shade and it's worked great. I don't think I've lost anything I've put in there yet. You'll love it and use it alot if you get one. I'm going to put my dahlias, caladiums and cannas in there to get them going later, if I can make room. You would be surprised how warm it stays in there too. Last spring I would go in on cold mornings and it would be 60-70s+ in there. You have to worry more about it getting too warm than it getting too cold in the spring. I keep telling David I think he should buy me another one for Mother's Day again this year.

Michelle, my ponds just a small 90 gallon preformed one. I keep a few plants in it, a waterlily, iris and a couple of tropical things in the summer and my 4 goldfish. We bring them in for the winters and overwinter them in an aquarium. I think this will be their 4th or 5th year. They're not very gold anymore, but mostly white now. I don't know if I have a picture of it or not but if I run across one I'll post it.

Marian, sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I hope you're nicer weather is making you feel a little better. Plants follow me home wherever I go too.

Deanne, sorry to hear you lost one of your fish. I have one that I'm worried about too. He just doesn't seem to be acting right lately.

Cindy, who needs grass, lol? I only have a small patch of lawn in front and Brad says it will be gone one day too. But I don't think so. It's just enough for me.

Sue, hate to break it to you but something's going to have to go during spring. Will it be the gardening or the exercise is the question???

It's time for Bella's bottle and nap now so that's it from me for now. Hope you all can get out and enjoy the nice weather for at least a little while.

Eden

Gee, when I first saw T's photo, I thought she was trying to attract a hunky computer tech.

It's my turn for weird email. I got an email from a male member of GW in response to a minor post on another forum. Maybe it's me, but I felt that the email could be taken two ways - an innocent offer or a not-so-innocent offer. So I've changed my log in to not allow emails from GW members. I think everyone who needs to contact me about idyllunion has my email address already.

Eden, I forgot to tell you how cute Bella was in her birthday photos. What a fun way to be able to share pics!

Deanne, we weren't going to tell you, but the real plans for idyllunion are to do an intervention on you and get you into a 12 step program for fuschia horders. It's a little-known but tough to kick addiction, and you're starting to enable others in this group.

I have about one hundred loose ends on my desk right now. I'll see if I can get that down to only 90 before I leave!

V.

Deanne, my fuschias just arrived. I've unpacked them and they all look great, all 18 varieties. I'll repot them into 4" pots, they're in probably 2 1/2" pots now, and I'll put them under the lights. My questions are watering and feeding, how often do you feed yours and at what strength and as far as watering do you keep them moist, let them dry out between or what. Also anything else you can think of I should know? I'm counting on you, Fuschia Queen,to help my keep these alive until I can get them out into the garden!

Eden

too late, Deanne's hooked another one...

Gooooood Morning Idylland!!!!

What a scrumptious day we are in store for today. Im going to spend the day outside in the garden. Time to break out the sun screen. The weather people are predicting 68 degrees for today and mid 70s tomorrow. Woohoo!!!!! The only problem is that this month has been way too dry and we really do need a couple days of rain. It looks like we are going to get a bit of rain on Saturday though, sorry Sue! But it isnt supposed to rain all day just thunder storms and showers here and there.

Yesterday I got the section of the driveway garden cleaned out and began on the section inside the fence. The good news is that the Buddleia Pink Delight is 100% green wood! That is incredible and it means that the shrub is going to grow to gargantuan proportions this year. The one other year it didnt get any winter die off it was about eight and a half feet tall at the end of the summer.

I noticed that when I was cutting down the dead flower stalks from the Helianthus Lemon Queen the stems were quite rigid and sturdy so I saved a few to see if theyd make good stakes. Ill see what happens with that. They will probably rot on the ends that go in the soil but for a short term stake it might be a good thing.

T, OMG! That is terrible damage from the woodpecker. What a mess. Can that be filled or do you have to replace the clapboards? I sure hope you scare the feathered vandal away.

Marian, glad to hear youve had some sunny weather and that the brug is still doing Ok. Ive got to get mine out of the basement now as they are really beginning to show growth even in the dark. I really have to get a little greenhouse like Eden has. That would make a huge difference in getting things out earlier in the spring.

Babs, Babs, Babs, really? An intervention? And V, you are buying into this intervention thing too? Jeesh! If you guys had been presented with all those plants for such cheap prices youd have been hoarding plants too. I do have to admit that Ive got a few too many fuchsia but what the heck, I do have a lot of lawn left. LOL This morning Doug said, "Well I guess we dont have to go to Logees now." To which I said, "Of course we still have to go. They have a few unusual tropicals that I must have." ROTFLOL

Michelle, okie dokie, Ill surprise you in your plant package with some coleus and fuchsia babies. This is going to be fun! ~~ RE fish and cats; the kitties cant be bothered to even look at the fish if you hold them up to eye level with the aquarium. Ditto, outside. They have no interest in them which has always surprised me. ~~ Yes I did tell the boys that turkeys are birds and that kitties are supposed to be at the top of that food chain and that they looked pretty ridiculous running away from a turkey but to no avail.

Cindy, how is that fever going??? Are you going to be very sick tomorrow? Or will it be one of those illnesses that you can still hobble outside and get a few things done in the garden even though you are sick? LOL ~~ Yes I probably do need an intervention but dont tell V and Babs I said that. Te he

Eden, Im so jealous that youve got your pond up and running. Ours takes a day of cleanup to get it going and we still need to remove the upper waterfall rock and change the way it is supported and re-level the upper pond before we get it running. Im past ready to get the fish outside! Too funny that you still have that greenhouse still up. I thought those were supposed to be temporary to get things hardened off. LOL I definitely need on of those babies. ~~ RE your fish, that is exactly what mine started to do. He was just not acting right and then slowly started hanging around and resting in the bottom of the tank then he eventually just stopped moving and died. No idea here as to what happned to him. Maybe just old age although I know goldfish can live 20 years,. This guy was six years old.

OK fuchsia, I normally give them a little bit of liquid fertilizer with each watering, about 1/3rd the recommended dose of Algoflash geranium fertilizer. (Ive tried their other formulations and like that one the best) I dont ever let them get completely dried out that will cause them to drop leaves and flowers. Im careful not to over water either, they DO NOT like to have wet feet. That will kill them and cause worse damage than their drying out, especially when they are breaking dormancy. When I first pot them up I let them get a little bit on the dryish side before watering just to make sure that new medium doesnt get waterlogged. Pinch them religiously when small. The more you pinch them the more flowers youll have later, exactly like youd do with a coleus to prevent having leggy plants. With fuchsia every additional growing end is another place for flowers to form. When they are small dont let them get root bound (cant be avoided later in the summer)That will slow the growth down. Ive been growing my babies in translucent orchid pots so I can monitor the root growth and when I can see the roots are filling the sides of the pots I pot them up. Do give them as much sun as they can stand and not get sunburned. I used to grow them in shade because I thought they were shade plants but they really never did well until I grew them in stronger light. OK that is about as much as I can think of for now. Let me know if you have any other questions.

V, Eden and I are just twins separated at birth. I didnt enable her it is in her basic nature just as it is in mine. LOL Remember she won the Who Has the Most Containers contest last summer.

OK time to hit the gym and get outside. Have a great day everyone.
Deanne

Sue, I think you need to be sick today! LOL

Just a quick good morning, Bella spent the night last night and I have to get her up in a couple of minutes so this will be short. We are in for another great day weatherwise here today too. I'll try to grab a couple of hours in the garden during Bella's naps but I wish I could be out there starting now until sunset. Tomorrow we are forecasted for rain and then only 50s on the weekend but that's still workable. Things are really starting to pop up with the warm weather and with rain tomorrow they'll really start to jump.

Deanne, thanks for the info on the fuschias. I'll follow it and let you know how it goes. Hopefully I'll have some nice sized plants to work with by the time container gardening season rolls around in a few weeks. How you described your fish is exactly what mine is doing. Just hanging out on the bottom of the tank. He still comes up to eat with the others though.

V, I've decided I'm a hopeless plant collector and just go with it, lol. I think there could be worse things but Brad doesn't always agree...

T, that's terrible that the woodpeckers did that to your house. What kind of woodpeckers do you have? We just have the little hairy woodpeckers around here most of the time although I do see one of the larger varieties occasionally.

Remember 50 containers or less for me this year is my motto. I'm going to have to cram alot of plants into each container to meet that goal though I fear.

Gotta go tend to Bella now. Enjoy this beautiful spring day everyone.

Eden

Too late Deanne. Maybe I'll get sick after lunch but with my boss away I really need to be here. Oh well, there will be plenty of nice days ahead.

Woodpeckers do damage to houses around here too-probably one of the bigger varieties like the red bellied. Every so often one pecks away at the metal gutters next to my bedroom window at some ungodly hour of the morning. It sounds like machine gun fire. We get carpenter bees in the soffits of the garage. Those babies are creepy.

Luckily I don't have this plant collector's disease.

So...I got a call yesterday from one of the ladies in my rescue group. We have 10 dogs coming into rescue this week and she was asking if I'd foster because our group is woefully lacking in foster homes. Usually I don't because with our schedules and two existing dogs it can be disruptive but I agreed so we should be getting a house guest on Sunday. Anybody want to adopt a schnauzer?

Well the phone has started and I've had a steady stream of people into my office so it must be time to work. Enjoy your day.

Sue

Good morning!

I don't see that the woodpecker has returned since hanging the computer disk near his work area. We don't have a termite problem in this area and I can't fathom that he was pecking at any hatching spiders or other insects. I don't know why he/she decided that was a good spot to mine, but it sure is a lot of damage for one bird to have accomplished (cedar siding). DH will fill the holes with wood putty & I'll repaint. Hopefully it won't be noticeable and the little guy has moved on.

Spring seems to be showing itself more and more each day. As I drove into town yesterday morning I saw a lamb and new calf..sure signs of spring, along with the new green leaves showing on some of the brushy shrubs alongside the road. Still no leaves on the trees yet, but that cannot be too far away.

The electric company is having some trees near the power wires trimmed. They've offered to deliver the chipped branches to those that might want them. I'm going to phone this morning to see if I can get a few truckloads delivered. I have quite a bit of cardboard saved but didn't earmark the money for the other soil/mulch to use on my curvy beds I wanted to do the lasagna method on. This should get me started....or else I'll just have big piles of shredded branches & a stack of cardboard....... ;o)

Hope everyone has a sunny day in their forecast!

T.

Hi, yall! Well, weve all heard the term "information super-highway". Well, I think Im still back on the dirt road in my horse and buggy! Yesterday as I was trying to compose this post, my anti-virus notice of expiration took over the puter. So, I tried to renew it only to get myself so tangled up I couldnt do anything! Why do computer instructions make me feel utterly stupid?! When it says, "click on the download button to start" and there is no "download" button, how in ^&*(%$#@ am I supposed to know what to do?! Guess, Im not technical enough. Sheesh. Luckily Tom was able to figure it out.

Sue, I just giggled when I read about the Nickster bounding up the stairs when you had a handful of cereal. Arent pets amazing (she says as she listens to Bullet snoring in a turkey coma). Gosh, were such softies and they KNOW how to manipulate us. It sounds like he doesnt have a problem after all. Is that true? Silly, guy.

Thanks, V, Sue and everyone else that commented. Tom is pretty good at hanging in or landing on his feet. He spends at minimum, an hr. a day networking, sometimes more. The jobs hes landed for the last 8 yrs. were purely from those efforts and in some cases, were sponsored by the least likely person. Luckily, he doesnt have as many restrictions in his retirement pkg. as I do. The comment his boss made re mfg. experience, was a direct lobby to keep Tom. What Im trying to keep in mind is that sometimes, as Sue says, it all works out for the best. Its hard to see that, tho.

V, your coworder sounds like he needs guidance on how to dress himself! Doesnt it make you wonder how some folks get hired? Hmmm, wonder who hes related to? Loved the hunky computer guy story. What? No bum pix?!

Hey Babs, were driving to IU3 and we can put a lot of wine in the minivan, lol.

VG, I never thot of the chippys moving the crocus. We have tons of them even with 2 kitties intent on thinning the population. It was nice of them to plant them nicely spaced apart but together in one area.

Deanne, great haul!!! You truly are in plant heaven!

Taryn, poor Shane. Hell always remember his first love and your great support to help him get over the loss. Hope you get a fabu offer on your house!

Hi EI! I was thrilled to see you post and to hear we may meet you at IU3! Im so glad about the positive prognosis for your sis and that you have confidence in her Dr. Thats so important. Im sure shes thankful to have all your support and help.

Eden, dont take the work Mom vs. stay-at-home Mom stuff to heart. I wish I had been able to stay at home. It gives kids such a sense of stability. Im sure your girls wouldnt have wanted it any other way. You did good, kid, bucking the trend.

Mary, that tribute concert sounds just lovely! What a thoughtful thing to do. It sounds fabulous and Im sure it will be with your special touches.

T, thats awful about the woodpecker damage. Thankfully, since weve painted, we havent had any here. But I do have a story. When we first moved in this house, I was planting bulbs when I heard the tapping. I looked up to see Mrs. Woodpecker putting the finishing touches on a perfectly round 3" diameter hole in the side of our house! Obviously, she was moving in for the winter. So the following day, we had the roof repair guy cover the hole with a piece of roofing material until Spring. We were quite proud of ourselves with this solution. Until the following day, that is. We couldnt believe it Mrs. Woodpecker drilled an identical hole right next to the one we covered! So we let her live there the first winter, lol.

"Bug, sorry about the DD woes and I hope you, she and DH get to work things out.

Hi Marian. Hope you feel better soon. Its not fun being sick in the Spring. Hope the sun is shining for you today!

Well, it is absolutely glorious outside and Im outta here. I hope to get tons of clean-up accomplished. Yeah! Im thrilled to finally be back outside in the sun! Have a great day Idylls. I hope its sunny and mild where you are, too!

Honey

Good rainy day.

The glasses frames are picked and the furniture is moved. Im thinking that I should slap a quick coat of paint on in the guest room since all the furniture is out. The walls are off white and the carpet will be too. Might be a little blah.
Lately I have been reading thru some of my old gardening magazines. I have some that date back to 1999 when I first started gardening. I'm suprised that they really don't seem that familiar when I look thru them. Or the ideas that appeal to me now that maybe didn't back then. My favorite is Country Living Gardener, which isn't in publication anymore. Its my style of gardening.

Cindy, how neat to be in Washington DC during cherry blossom time.

Eden, isnt it fun to watch the babies examine the world? I have Kenzie overnight tomorrow night.

Deanne and Honey, enjoy your day outdoors.

T, Id take those wood chips, on top of the cardboard, they would kill any vegetation underneath. That way when you are ready to make those curvy beds, you wont have to dig out any sod.

Sue, I dont know what carpenter bees are, but we have wasps that seem to want to live in the eaves of my garden shed. I am winning the battle though.

Later
Michelle

Howdy buddies!

Before I march off into the sunset tomorrow, I thought I'd give you this update.
First, the before shot, which probably doesn't seem all that bad to you, but it was old, orangy pink wood that was dirty and sticky and yucky. It certainly was an attempt at being modern back in the 80s when they did it, but to me it did not suit the farmhouse that it is.

{{gwi:152873}}

So as of a few hours ago, it is now exactly the same - but painted and bright with a more rustic look to the ceiling and island. I am very pleased, except now the rest of the house needs an update too!

{{gwi:152874}}

I'm bushed, and it is only 3pm. Guess I can't go to bed yet, so I'll pack, make dinner, etc. They say that rain begins tomorrow but that it will be 83F in OK!!!

Happy today everyone!
'bug

'bug, what a very pretty kitchen you have. I like the end of the island & the ceiling boards, it does look like what you'd expect to see in an older farm house.

I did call the gentleman about the wood chips. Turns out it is someone I went to school with and he said "do you know who you are talking to?" and when I said "yes" he said that old school chums could pull some strings. ;o) I was told to go find the crew, ask for the crew chief by name and tell him who sent me. I felt a bit stupid doing it, but I did and they said they'd get a load to me perhaps tomorrow. 5 yards in each load.......I'm hoping to get a couple loads, but will be happy to have one. They've had a few people saying they'll take all the chips they can deliver.....so I feel lucky to be getting even one load. Really hoping to get more once I saw it. They have 2 chippers going and one is newer, hasn't processed much gravel yet so it is chipping finer/better and that is the truck that will be delivering here they said. Whoo-hoo! I drove a fence post and made a sign so they'd know where to dump if I'm not home. Happy dancing (mentally as I have two left feet in real life).

Okay, I'm going to go back to the spring cleaning......

Hello to all!

Oh, the link is to a webcam that is showing a bald eagle sitting on her nest, if anyone enjoys this like I do.

T.

What a glorious day this has been! I'm ready for more of the same. We're supposed to have rain tomorrow, but it's supposed to be around 60 or so for the next few days! Today it was 71! I spent a bit of time and cleaned out the front rose bed. All the roses are sprouting, and the with rather mild winter they should do well - not much die back. Got Nick out to rake the sputnik balls and those are bagged and by the curb. Cleaned up my mess, too! Licorice rolled in the sun while I was working the bed. Ah, the life of a black cat in the warm sun.

I have some daffodils beginning to bloom, some primroses blooming (just planted them last year, I'm pleased), and my bergenia has divided itself into three parts this year! Hopefully I will have many things I can divide and spread around since my plant purchasing budget will be very minimal this year. :(

I'm sooo out of shape. Even with the decent amount of walking this winter, I could tell using the different muscle groups out there. We did go for an afternoon walk since it was so nice. Need to get back in the regular habit of walking. I walked this winter even when it was down to 35 and sunny, but beyond that, I hibernated. So, I will take it slow and steady and maybe I will get the out of control corner bed cleaned up this year. I've been putting that one off for about 3 years - the perennials need divided and moved and the stones need set properly. Some areas need grass removed desperately.

Deanne - great haul on the plants. And too funny about the cats and the turkey! We used to have turkeys in the field behind us (not wild) and the cats just seemed to give them a wide berth.

Sue - my dad had a carpenter bee drill into his treated deck wood last year. He took his caulking gun and caulked the hole shut with the bee inside! No more problems after that. They will come back year after year to the same piece of wood. I'd love to have another schnauzer, but Cinders would never allow it. As I've mentioned, he even gets jealous when the cat lays on my lap. Lately when he sees the cat coming, he runs and jumps in my lap first and then looks at the cat like HA! He's a hoot.

T - our electrical company sent the "tree butchers" out here last year. I was furious - they butchered the trees around the lines (cut the centers out completely) and then left the wood for us to take care of. I called and complained mightily, because they stacked the cut up logs parts poorly and they rolled down the hill into the neighbor's yard AND we didn't want the wood anyway, but to no avail. They indicated it was NOT their responsibility. Idiots. I considered taking the wood log by log and dropping it in front of the power company's door.

Taryn - sorry about Shane's heartbreak. They all experience it at some point. Some take it worse than others. My 18 year old had his first love break up with him a couple of weeks ago, and spent the next day at home. Just couldn't go and face her, needed the day to get himself under control. He's fine now. It just takes some time.

'Bug - the kitchen looks gorgeous. I'd have been pleased even with your old one! My kitchen has cherry cabinets, but they are so old and worn and they really are beginning to look shabby, but there is no hope of replacing them any time soon. Wonder what DH would say if I decided to sand and paint them? He'd probably die, but they would look better, a nice creamy color? It would lighten up the kitchen as well.

They don't publish Country Living Gardener anymore? Seems like I just saw it on the newsstand last summer. This past fall I was at the library's book sale and scored stacks of Gardening magazines. I'll be looking for those in June, also. They have loads of books, too, but I just don't seem to have time to read like I used to. Too many other things to do!

Better go see if the meat is thawed for dinner. I'm throwing some burgers on the grill tonight, and we'll have salad and maybe some french fries. I have spring fever! I hope this weather lasts.

Suzy

Happy Friday, It's close to 60F here already this morning but we're supposed to get some storms later. It's clouding up already. I think I might run out and pick up a flat of pansies today. Tonight is the Tony Avent talk at Goldner Walsh that Honey and I are attending so I'm excited about that. I heard him a few years ago and he's really good. I got most of the plants that I overwintered in pots in the greenhouse cleaned up yesterday. I couldn't believe how far advanced they are from the things in the ground. I had 3 clematis in there in pots, 2 of them were just in 4" pots, and they all had alot of new growth already. I placed an order for some scented and fancy leaf geraniums yesterday too that should arrive soon.

Mary, good luck with the concert tonight. I'll be thinking of you and hoping everything goes smoothly.

Marie, the kitchen turned out great. I love the ceiling. Have a safe trip!

Michelle, enjoy your overnighter with Kenzie.

Coffee's ready so have a good Friday everyone.

Eden

Good gorgeous Friday morning all,

Well we have the perfect day on tap here and it is going to be a shorts and tank top day today. The temps are supposed to get in the middle 70s. Im going to have to break out the sun screen for sure. The only fly in this ointment is that we are in a high alert for fire danger because of the lack of precip for this month. I think we broke records for lack of snow and rainfall for March. Im going to have to get out the hoses today. The weather people are predicting rain for tomorrow so I sure hope it comes to pass. They are actually supposed to be thunder storms.

Suzy, nice to hear from you. Ill tell you, Im pretty fit and between going to the gym and working in the garden for half a day yesterday afternoon I was completely out of commission last night. I crashed pretty early. I think that no matter how much you exercise a person normally gets it still takes a while before your body is used to the outdoor work again. ~~ How neat youve got dafs and primroses blooming. So far Ive only just gotten a few early tulips and crocus blooming but they really are such a breath of fresh air this time of the year.

T, great score on the wood chips! How neat you knew the fellow so will get the chips.

Bug, your kitchen looks wonderful. So fresh and clean and bright. I love it. ~~ You should see the new growth on my Proteus clematis in the rose garden in the front. I knew I had to pull that trellis out to have Doug finish adding the wings to it this spring so I just pruned it to the ground last fall and it is sending up about a dozen or more huge new stems from the ground. Too cool! Even though it wont make those wonderful early huge double blooms Im excited to see such terrific vigor from the plant. The Arabella I planted on that same trellis got the same treatment last fall and is also making some terrific looking new growth. I think that front corner is a micro climate and they are loving the conditions there. ~~ So I hope you have a great trip and enjoy basking in the heat and sunshine.

Michelle, have fun with Kenzie tonight.

Honey, Im just the same when it comes to computer stuff. If I didnt have Doug to keep things working Id be pretty helpless at keeping this wireless network working. I can empathize with your woes. I dont ever download any updates that pop up on my screen unless I check with Doug first. I know Im completely spoiled but I really should try to learn more about keeping this working. ~~ How is Bullet these days??? DD sent me a cat video yesterday with a kitty that looked a lot like your Bullet and I was wondering how he is doing.

Sue, I wonder how your furbies are going to be with a foster in the household? I cant imagine Nick thinking that is a good idea.

Eden, my fish had continued eating until a couple days before he died. I think as long as your guy keeps eating he is probably still OK. ~~ RE the fuchsias, I dont think the baby plants will be big enough to be crowded into containers with aggressive plants that will crowd them out. Probably keep them with plants that you can keep in check. I lost a couple fuchsia in a container that I had cannas in last year. They just couldnt compete. Im going to group a few of the new varieties into large pots together so they can get some size to them this year and Im thinking of tucking them into the front of the gardens where I have space for them to grow well. Im thinking some of the new garden space will be turned into a coleus and fuchsia nursery. Oh yes, I wanted to tell you that Ive actually decided that I have too many urns and containers to fill up and Im going to retire some of the older resin ones that are looking a bit shabby. I almost bought a huge urn at Home Goods the other day then decided that I really did NOT have anyplace to put it! LOL

Hope Marian is feeling better and that all is well with everyone in Idylland. Have a great day all.

Deanne

TGIF!

My mother arrived unexpectedly a day early last night. Need I say more? The upside is they're leaving tomorrow instead of Sunday. Why they want to sit around my house all day today while Tom and I work is beyond me but we can't just change our schedules around at the drop of a hat.

Marie, I like your kitchen both ways but a fresh look is always good. Enjoy your trip.

It's supposed to hit 75 here today but I have no desire to go home early. Cocktails on the patio tonight though-probably more than one...lol.

Sue

Eden, I bought a couple flats of pansies myself yesterday too!!! I couldn't resist. I'm going to plant up several of the front containers with them until I can get the tender summer arrangements out there. The color will be so great right now.
D

Good morning!

What a day it is going to be, and I have to go to work in a little while. It will rain tomorrow, of course, but we do need the rain as Deanne said - everything is so dry. I did have a chance to get outside and do some raking earlier in the week, and I bought a flat of pansies and planted them in containers. My body was sore after doing that work too, out of shape from being sidelined by my foot injury and the winter. I feel like I haven't gardened in forever!

Here is today's color:

{{gwi:152876}}

I just love the way these iris suddenly appear - I'd swear there was only leaves there yesterday. V, you mentioned that one bloomed while you were inside taking a break, I believe it!

T, sorry about your pecker. Hope the computer disk keeps working for you!

Marie, the kitchen looks great. The paint really brightened things up, and I like the new ceiling.

Have to run, everyone enjoy the day!

-Wendy

Okay, it's coffee-spewing time: "T, sorry about your pecker." Wendy, Wendy, Wendy!

Marie I love the update of your kitchen. The after photo looks like it came from a magazine article. I know what you mean about the sticky cabinets; I had that in a college apartment once. Nice to have them bright and clean! Hope your trip goes well, including discussions with your DD.

Pansies? Hmm, wonder if there are any at the grocery store?They might have to follow me home. DS is coming home again tonight and I told him I would need his back for a while tomorrow afternoon. I'd love to have all the front cleanup done by tomorrow evening.

MIL called last night, hoping to talk to the returned travelers. She was a bit confused when I told her they weren't due back until Saturday. I'm getting just a wee bit concerned about her; seems like these little incidents keep happening more frequently.

We had lovely weather yesterday and a good rain last night. After dire predictions about storms with damaging winds, all we got was a good drenching. I was amazed when I got home last night to see the catkins on the hazelnut in full bloom. They had been shut tight just the day before. I swear at this time of year that if you just had the patience to stay in one place long enough, you would see the plants move!

Okay, gotta run. It will be busy today as the month comes to an end, we have the usual Friday meetings, it's a payday and my coworker has the day off. Yikes!

V.

ps - had a LOVELY conversation with Ei last night!

Good morning! 5:33 a.m. in this part of the world right now and I can see the hillside across from me. Spring sprung mightily with the daylight. I am enjoying it. There are clouds (fog?) laying above the river so there is a row of fluffy white below the peak, then clear light gray sky above. A pretty morning.......but will be better once we get some sun adding a golden glow to the picture. Right now it is light, but still in shades of black & white.

I'm hoping they will deliver the wood chips today so I can play with them & the cardboard tomorrow. I'll ask what chance there is that I'd be able to get more and decide on how big my dream beds can extend. If he says another load no problem, then wow! I'll be on my way (or so she hopes as she daydreams).

Oh no! The fog above the river has obliterated the hillside across the way.......it is now looking like something from a Stephen King story.......The Fog...... Not as appealing and I'm thinking hunkering down with another cup of coffee sounds good.

I get to attend the ultrasound for the babies next week. DD said her hubby couldn't stay for the entire ultrasound (they usually take a long time because they are doing measurements on two instead of one). Only one person can be in the room with her.....so once my SIL has to return to work then I get to go in. I'm thrilled.....to see the babies moving, but also because I am fascinated by imaging technology. In my previous job I assisted in procedures that used ultrasound and found it very interesting. I miss working sometimes......sometimes. ;o)

The woodpecker hasn't been back, that I'm aware of and the computer disk hanging out there looks a bit trashy all by itself. It was blown up and over the gutter downspout so the dog loaned me his tossing stick so I could get it unstuck. Payment for loan of the stick was I had to toss it for him a few times. Quite nice of him, really, to allow me to use it. I'm thinking that I'll hang one more CD (typed that DC 3x before I got it right, duh!) from this one and perhaps that will add enough weight to keep it from getting blown again. What to do long-term? Maybe long-term won't be needed. Hope not anyway.

Jamie has begun showing that he is two. Yep, the terrible twos with tantrums and the occasional hitting. When I witnessed his first tantrum, that appeared to me to be out of the blue, and I said "why what is wrong?". His Gramps said "I'm two!" Guess that is all that he has to say....He's two and he is going to use those two year old lungs and two year old tears when he doesn't get what he thinks he deserves. It is quite comical at times to watch him. He wants something that he isn't allowed to have or allowed to do.......so he says Please. You know "Please" that magic word that kids are told to ask adults before we give them what they want? Well, if it works sometimes why doesn't it work ALL the time---especially on the things THEY want----and they want it NOW. No matter if it is something hot, dangerous, sharp, yours,...........you get the picture. Please gets you a sip of milk. Please gets you your dinner. Please gets your shoes tied so Please also should get you candy for breakfast, a soda instead of milk with your lunch...........all kinds of things. I love grandkids! You give them back when they throw tantrums. ;oD Now, don't be thinking that he throws them often.........he doesn't, but they are sure interesting when it happens.

Fog is gone and the hillside is there again. I don't know what the weather forecast is......but I'm looking forward to the day.

Eden, hope you & Honey have a great time at the garden talk.

Deanne, shorts & tank top weather already? We may get to see spring weather a bit earlier than you do.......but you guys jump into it with both feet when it hits. We've not gotten over 63 or 65 yet and the days that warm have been few and far between.

Sue........oh my! Friday evening wine might turn into Tom's Margarita's for some added kick? I am carrying his recipe in my purse now, hoping to buy the right ingredients so I can make us some.

Fog is rolling in along the river again......

Happy Friday to all!!

T.

V, you took the spew right out of my mouth...lol.

Brad was sitting at the table drinking his coffee, heard me laughing and inquired so I showed him Wendy's post. He shook his head and said "bunch of crazy women". And we wonder why men never stick around here on the Idylls for long.

Eden

SPLAT!!!!

LOLOLOLOL!

BBL,

T

Ho Hum ...thanks for thinking of me, y'all. I got up this morning feeling almost human, but am getting over it ! :-(
I at least got a couple of desserts baked in anticipation of our weekend company. Both of them are made with blackberries since I have a freezer full of them. Later on I will put a turkey in the roaster oven. Maybe that will answer the "What will I feed them" question.

Deanne, I am sorry about your drought and hope the tomorrow's forecast is correct.

We have been having plenty of rain this month. Another good one came during the night, and continued into this morning. Water is running everywhere in our yard. I hope it has soaked in by the time the kids get here. It is supposed to be nice and warm, and they need to enjoy the yard, and the woods. The woods still look like winter, but our yard is bursting with color. Several of my clematis have flower buds....Asao, Henryi, Multi-blue and Duchess of Edinburgh. I was so afraid that the temp drop into the 20s earlier in the week would kill them, but they look okay except for a few darkened leaves.

Marie, I too, think your kitchen looks good in both pics, but I understand the 'stickiness' and the need for a renewal. It does make the room much lighter, and I love light. :-)

Teresa, I love your visual of the fog and the mountain.
Sorry about the woodpecker, but happy about the woodchips.If I had a means of hauling it I could have tons of sawdust from the cousin's mill. Quite a mountain of it has developed, and they keep dozing it over the hill. They don't have a dumptruck to haul it in. Funny about your grandson. You are so fortunate to have him where you can experience these changes ( The same for Michelle and Eden.) I have missed out on most of that with my GDs.

Honey, I am so sorry about the turmoil with your DH's job. Since Nolon was self-employed, my main concern was the lack of jobs. It was sort of feast or famine. I never knew from one week to the next what our income would be. Being on SS and VA, has ended that concern.

(((Sue))) this too shall pass! :-) As much as I love to see our kids, it sure is a change from the routine of our hum drum lives. I always have to rest up for several days afterwards. If they lived close, and dropped in frequently it would be differant. In that case, they would go home each evening. ;-)

Hi to everyone I haven't mentioned. I have read all your posts, and enjoyed hearing from you all, but suffice it to say...I am rejoicing with those who are rejoicing , and weeping with those who are weeping.

My brain is fizzling out, so that is enough for now.

Marian

PS, Eileen, Molly has two big fat flowerbuds! Yippee! I can hardly wait.

Good rainy, windy day. Theres no drought here. We have water standing in the fields even.

Eden, we will have to see how it goes. Last time Kenzie didnt want to sleep in the pack n play. The Tony Avent lecture sounds like a nice way to spend a rainy spring evening.

Bug, your kitchen looks great. A nice fresh look and I love the ceiling. We have white bead board wainscoting in our dining area.

Deanne, too many urns and containers. LOL Last year I picked up some lavender violas and lysmachia Goldilocks and put those in a couple containers until I could plant the more tender stuff.

T, thanks for the eagle link. Very cool.

Wendy, great picture. Wonderful vibrant blue color.

Marian, blackberry desserts sound delicious.

Stay dry and to those who can be in the garden, enjoy the sunshine.
Michelle

Good morning! Just a brief drive-by. I'm looking forward to seeing Eden tonite and hearing Tony Avent.

The furnace inspector was out this am and the furnace finally passed inspection. He's been here so often Tom thinks we should invite him to dinner! He might buy some of the saws, sanders and drill punches we have stored in the basement. I'd love to be rid of that stuff. He also gave me a name of someone else to call to see about fixing our deck.

I also talked to a carpenter who will come out next week to bid on the deck repairs.

Lastly, I guess there's terrible news from Tom's company. The part of the business that he works on will be sold so who knows what will happen to his job. I told him to be optimistic -- it costs nothing and things might turn out better than now. He's worried and stressing out.

It's a cool 60 out, no sun and it's supposed to rain. I hope we get a soaker like V did. I got alot of clean-up done outside yesterday and really enjoyed the weather. Funny thing is my lilies are up as much as the daffodils and tulips. Strange.

Marian, great to see you back posting and I'm glad you're feeling somewhat better.

'Bug, I'd kill for such a nice kitchen. I love the new fresh look!

T, thanks for the Bald Eable webcam. That's totally neat! I just love that sort of thing.

Deanne, Bullet seems to be doing OK healthwise. He's due for his vacinations and I'm not sure I'm going to do it. He's an indoor kitty and is only exposed when he goes to the groomer and she doesn't do any other cats. I'm afraid the vacinations will stress his kidneys and put him over the edge. If it's likely he'll only be with us a short time, I don't think I want to risk it. As for his behavour, he's a brat. He used to boss Patches around. Tom and I now realize he's bossing us around!

Well, I'm off to get dishwashing soap, cat food and litter, etc. Then I have to get on the stick and check into car rentals for our trip to Hilton Head in July. I also want to see if there are any jobs in the local paper and send out more resumes.

Hi to all. Hope it's sunny and warm where you are.

TTYL
Honey

Oh my, oh my, I just zipped in here to do a bit of reading on my lunch break and am currently wiping my lunch time coffee off my screen. Wendy, you devil you! BTW Too cool that you've already planted some pansies. Their color are sweet faces are just irresistible this time of the year.

T, love the Jamie stories. DD didn't get into serious tantrums until she was almost three but when they hit it was get out of the way and get out the ear plugs time. LOL

Honey, too funny that Bullet is now bossing you around. I can so see that about him. I agree with you 100%. I wouldn't stress his system with vaccinations at this stage of the game. He just isn't likely to come into contact with any animal that would carry a kitty disease and it probably would stress his kidneys. Not worth the risk to him. ~~ Can't wait to hear about the lecture tonight. Should be great.

Michelle, I sure wish we'd get a bit of your rain. Here is hoping tomorrow forecast is correct. ~~ Yes, I even just told Doug that I wasn't allowed to buy any more containers or urns. Do you think there is a ten step program for urn-addicts?

T, yes indeed, today is tank top and shorts weather. Simply marvelous.

Wendy, great photo!!! Thanks for the color.

Sue, have a glass of wine or two for me. At least you'll have Sunday for the gardens. It is supposed to be perfect. When does the foster come?

Marian, glad to hear you are feeling better.

OK time to go back out in the sunshine.

Deanne

PS it is currently 72.3 degrees out! Woohoo

I'm just back from plant shopping. I got the pansies, and then stopped at Home Depot for some yard waste bags. They had a whole cart full of beautiful, healthy plants sitting right outside the door. I got a lavender, violas, ajuga chocolate chip, candytuft and some tie dye primrose that are really cool. I'm going to divide most of it up and put it in some spring container gardens. That will have to wait until tomorrow though.

Deanne, thanks for the heads up on planting the baby fuschias with more agressive plants. I would never have thought of that. I like the idea of putting a few varieties of fuschias together in a container too.

Michelle, Bella sleeps in a pack n play when she's here. So far so good, but she's used to it because she usually stays over 1 or 2 nights per week. Hope you can get Kenzie to sleep in hers tonight.

Marian, have fun with Tim and the girls this weekend. Wish I had someone making me a turkey and homebaked desserts. Sounds good!

T, I'm so excited that you're getting materials to start work on your curvy beds!!!

Wendy, thanks for the pretty picture!

Sue, a few glasses of wine will probably be a good idea.

Honey, see you in a little while...

I'm posting a link to a picture of the tie dye primrose. Isn't it pretty?

No company this weekend! Tim called and they cannot come due to his car being on the sick list. I did get to talk to all three girls. They are at his house,while on spring vacation. Hopefully I will be in better health when they do come. I have the turkey in the oven. I'll freeze the surplus.

Happy Friday indeed- I got the "fever"and stayed home -- it got to be over 75 degrees -- it was glorious -- I worked outside for about 4 hours and then toddled off to do some errands and hit a Home Depot & a local nursery - Im contemplating removing a "lean tower of Pisa" arborvitae (about 10' tall but leaning, leaning since the heavy snow fall of February) & replacing w/ a Magnolia Little Gem or some other sort of evergreen... decisions, decisions.

Most of the daffs are now blooming, the first of the gorgeous blue Lieutenant anemone coronaria (altho they dont seem to be near anything else) - I seem to have a terrible time w/ the "timing" of things to bloom close to one another -- but still all the color thru the gardens make me happy, if not terribly "designer" looking....

But it's so dry! Im afraid to move or transplant anything just yet -- I pray we get some of that rain V and Marian have gotten.

Gardenbug - I love your fresh kitchen -- and the ceiling is gorgeous - so crisp and clean the room looks.

Sue, hope you get thru your visitors quietly and without tension.

Eden - love those primroses!! So you stopped at H.D. too -- you know, I was looking at their shrubs & trees, and it seemed to me that things are quite a bit pricier this year...? or is it my imagination? I tried to stay on "target" and did not permit any cart hoppers to ride in my cart - gotta show some restraint, LOL....

Okay - now that I had a little nap after all the hard work, it might be time for a little wine and kick-back to relax. Look forward to hearing about the Tony Avent lecture.

-Cind

A quickie while I wait for my son to get here. No pansies at the grocery store, but I am hatching a plan to get DS to a garden center tomorrow! Eden, I checked the Where To Buy and those primrose aren't available in my area. :-( They looked pretty cool!

Deanne, I forgot to mention that I got a good laugh out of the cats being spooked by the wild turkey, and I was amazed that you had a turkey in your front yard!

T, I too enjoyed your description of the fog rolling in and out.

Marian, hope you feel better. To bad that Tim & the girls can't make it!

Thinking of Honey & Eden at the lecture tonight. I hope they're having a great time!

I went to work today with no jacket, which was fine most of the day but then about 4:00 it dropped from the mid-sixties to the mid-forties. Brr! Why did I leave my coat at home?

I have brownies just out of the oven, and steak fajitas ready to saute as soon as I see headlights. So where is he? Darn kids!

Work was quite bonkers today. It could be a long spring! Okay, this is sounding like quite the stream-of-consciousness, I'm wasting time post. Oops! He's here!!!

V.

Happy, Happy April! Let the official gardening season begin. Starting today we have 7 months of prime garden time here in Michigan. I'm ready! We got about 3/4" of rain yesterday evening, most if it during a thunderstorm while Honey and I were at the Avent talk. There's nothing like being in a greenhouse during a thunderstorm.

The Avent talk was great. The title was "The Top 100 Perennials I Wouldn't Garden Without". He did a slide presentation and talked about each plant. The ones I was the most interested in were Geranium Ann Thompson, beautiful gold leaves, a couple of the smaller eupatoriums, Little Red and Little Joe, though I tried Littled Joe a couple of years ago and he didn't make it. I think that may have been due to me picking him up for $1 and planting him very late. He also showed us a really cool Spigelia gentianoides that is pink. But though Plant Delights carries it, it's only available at the nursery, no mailorder on this one. The three heucheras that were on Tony's favorites list were Creme Brulee, Caramel and Frosted Violet for those of you interested in such things. He said Frosted Violet is by far the best of the purple leaved heucheras. He had a dozen or so hostas on the list, a couple that caught me eye were Captain Kirk and Risky Business. He ended with the arisaemas and a really cool one that I now have my eye on is Arisaema triphyllum 'Black Beauty'. Unfortunately it's sold out in the PD catalog. It was great to see Honey and to cap off the evening she was a winner of one of the door prize drawings. I'll let her tell you what she won.

I can't wait to hear how Mary's Memorial Concert went last night.

Also waiting to hear how Kenzie did sleeping over at grandma's. Michelle, we wouldn't mind a picture or two.

Marian, too bad about your company. Maybe when they come you'll be feeling better. Now you can make lots of things involving turkey for you and Nolon.

Cindy, so you had the over 75 degrees fever yesterday.

V, fajitas and brownies sound so good. Hope you're able to make it the garden center today. Enjoy your time with your son!

Well it's full daylight now but looks a little damp out. I may have to wait a while to get out in the garden this morning. I just hope we don't get anymore rain. How dare Mother Nature try to interfere with my big garden cleanup plans, lol! Have a great Saturday everyone!

Eden

Morning! 54 degrees out and we just had a light line of showers come through. I sure wish I didn't have to get to the gym today! Sigh, I've got to get my exercise in then get myself outdoors and garden, garden, garden.

Eden, I just loved your post. You sound so upbeat, exactly the way I feel. Time to go and play with my plants. ~~ Thanks for the information from your lecture last night. ~~ BTW love those primrose. I'd like to find some.

Cindy, LOL about your 'catching' the fever.

HOney, so what did you win? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Sue are you going to get any time outside today?

Marian, sorry your company cancelled.

OK time to get this day started. I've got lots and lots to accomplish before my head hits the pillow tonight.

Enjoy the spring day all,
Deanne

Yes, April 1st-let the gardening begin! My mom just left so I have the whole weekend to putter outside. The only glitch in the plan is it's supposed to rain today and I have a lot of leaves to rake and shred. My goal is to move all the woody plants that need moving this weekend before they start leafing out. The Forcynthia is starting to bloom so I can prune what few roses I have.

Tony Avent is speaking at the May meeting of the CT Hort Society. Monique, Les and I were thinking of having an early dnner at the Pond House cafe then heading over to the meeting. I sort of tossed the idea out there on the New England forum but got no takers. Maybe as the date draws closer. Deanne and I are going to hear Dan Hinkley speak on April 21st. I love having garden events to look forward to.

My foster dog will be arriving today. At this point I don't know anything about it. Since it's coming in with a group of 7 dogs from one household I can assume it will get along with other dogs just fine.

OK, time to hit the ground running.

Sue

Hi Idylls

Last night was lovely if emotional. Everything came together and it was a special evening remembering our beloved friends. I was not running this solo - members of Susan's church, the youth group, school, music teachers and neighbors all pitched in. We said afterwards how wonderful it was to work with such a great group. Susan's brother and SIL had flown 20 hours to be there, Susan's BIL came in from CA plus a TV news crew was there filming. There was a great audience who were extremely generous with dondations for the scholarships and everyone played beautifully. The flowers were gorgeous and the reception went well. I think Susan and the girls would have loved it! While it was meant to be a joyful celebration there were many tears too and afterwards I was completely and utterly drained.

This morning I slept till 9AM - I'd got up yesterday at 5.30AM and hadn't got to bed till after midnight and so it felt really good to catch up on sleep. I now need to get back to some of the things I'd put on hold, like cleaning the house! (yuk) Seedlings however, I haven't neglected and are putting on some nice growth.

Have a good Saturday everyone and thanks for all your good thoughts.

Mary

Its supposed to be 55 and sunny today. Kenzies night wasnt very restful. She ended up sleeping with us. Weve been up since 6:45. She is now napping. She is leaving around 1:00. Rick went to town to get some supplies to replace the tin siding on the east side of the garden shed. He offered to work on it today. That means putting in the new windows that he bought last fall. It may not be gardening but it is gardening related. I have to take his help when I can get it. Very soon it will be field work and then there arent very many spare minutes all summer.

Mary, it sounds like the concert went well. Im sure it was very emotionally draining.

I envy you all getting to hear such great garden speakers.

V, Im impressed that you DS has time to spend with his mom on a Friday night. You must have a special relationship.

Wow, Cindy, 75 degrees sounds wonderful.

Marian, sorry about the cancelled plans, but you and Nolon will eat well this weekend.

Eden, the primrose is so pretty. Another plant that I have never grown.

Well, Id best get something done while sleeping beauty is napping.

Have a great gardening day in any way you can.

Hi guys

I've been so pressed for time here but but I'm reading the latest.
Mary I was thinking of you last night sending comforting thoughts-I imagined it would be a very emotional evening for all of you. It sounds like it went very well.
I recieved a nice surprise e-note from Ep yesterday. She sends good thoughts to us all and is trying out The Garden forums site these days.

Here's something peculiar...Eden you might find interest in this too. I was curious to see where the hummers are and found a rather even concentration of hummers already throughout the whole U.S. !! SO do you think this is an April fool's joke? Ususally those guys aren't here until late April or even May...I say it's a prank...? You can check previous years for a comparison by clicking on the previous listed years below the map. Maybe I need to drag out my feeders: ) It just seems too good to be true lol.

~Babs

Ah yes Babs, the elusive Ivory-billed hummingbird which hibernates 364 days a year and only appears on April 1.

No gardening for me so far today. It's too wet out there. Brad nixed the leaf shredding and what I wanted to do was rake all the leaves off the front beds, shred them and put them back down. I did go by Smith & Hawken and get a nice pair of garden boots 20% off and stopped in at the landscape place to order 3 yds of mulch to be delivered Tues., mostly to be used on paths. Brad's gone to work now and although I'm dying to get outside today's just not turning out to be a good day for it weatherwise. I think I'll clean the kitchen and take my chances with the vacuum this afternoon and maybe tomorrow will be a better gardening day.

Mary I'm so glad all went well for the concert. I expected it would be an emotional evening. Glad you were able to grab some extra sleep this morning.

Michelle, don't you wish you could transfer some of that baby energy to yourself? I know I do. As Babs was saying a few days ago thank goodness for naptimes!

Sue, can't wait to hear the stories of the new dog meeting Nick and Zoe and how it goes. Good Luck to you all!

Hope the weather out East cooperates for Sue and Deanne better than it is for us here in MI today and they're able to get some gardening in.

V, did you make it to the garden center???

I'm off to tangle with the dreaded vacuum...

Eden

I'm inside for a coffee break. I've moved around 20 wheelbarrows of chips so far (since yesterday afternoon), there is close to a bazillion wheelbarrows left to move. Or so it seems to this very out of shape woman. I'm almost out of cardboard and not quite to the end of the porch. I thought I had lots of cardboard saved, but I guess I am either covering more area than I think I am or I'm just poor at gauging cardboard coverage. ;o) We do have some heavy kraft paper, it looks like the heavy layer of paper used for cardboard, so I will use that when I am finished with the cardboard and beg DH to see if he can find me more of the kraft paper.

I am not sure if I'm making the layer of chips deep enough and may have to go back to add some more. I'd guess I've got 6" which looks like a lot, but I know when it begins to compact/break down and is compressed by the next layers of material, that I plan to add, it just might not be sufficient. I sure hope that this works and that I'm not screwing it up somehow. I'm just guessing on how to do it and if it doesn't turn out well............I'll be cranky. ;oP Just trying to do it inexpensively and I don't mind waiting a year or so to begin using the area (planting). To get the area made to resemble beds will be enough of a mental boost as the plants will be later.

Did you stop to think that we have 2 bulldozers, an excavator, a tractor that could pull our flat trailer and yet I'm doing this with a shovel and wheelbarrow? Now, I ask you........what is wrong with this picture? lol DH doesn't want to drive on the 'lawn' and compress the soil, doesn't want to tear up the driveway with the tracks of the big equipment and I do understand all that.....but it sure would be easier if we could use the big machines for this. 6 trips and it would be done. :oP

Michelle, could you & Rick bring the bobcat over for a few hours? It would be wonderful to use/have right about now. :o)

Mary, I was thinking of you yesterday....I'm glad the concert was such a success. A lovely tribute to Susan & her daughters' memories.

Eden, that primrose is very pretty! The talk sounded interesting and I'm eager for Honey to check in to share what she won.

Marian, a turkey to munch on for a few days sounds wonderful...I love turkey and the leftovers we can have from it. I buy the boneless breasts most of the time so there isn't any wastage and I cook it in our slow-cooker so no muss-no fuss. Lovely!

Deanne......you are such a hard worker and I'm eager to see what changes you & Doug make this year. You put me to shame....but I'm learning and 'finally' doing.

Sue, you made it (to the weekend)! I hope the foster gets along well in your home & with Nick & Zoe. I imagine it will be confused & a bit frightened at all the changes it is experiencing.
Well, this coffee break has lasted about 30 minutes so I'd better get back outside and shovel some more....

Hello to all!

T.

Ah yes, the return of the ivory-billed hummingbirds. I saw a couple myself this morning; I almost missed them because I was so intent on watching the whooping cranes on the front lawn as they did their mating dance. Don't get the feeders out, Babs! I'm pretty sure the ivory-billed hummers only feast on brownies. Why else do you think I baked last night?

I decided that a quick job this morning would be to move all my pots with woodies or perennials from the garage out to the deck. I staged them all together next to the house so I can protect them from frost if needed. The quick part went out the window when I realized there were 32 pots of various sizes that had to move out! Yikes, who planted all that stuff?

Michelle, I should set you straight on my son. While he is a good kid, there were other motivations at work in his decision to spend the evening with me. He had to drive up from school to meet with his boss this morning about working this summer. After a busy week at school and a three and a half hour drive, he was happy to just have dinner and head to bed early. He's been gone since 9:00 and I'm eager to hear how his discussion went.

DH & DD are in Florida now, awaiting their late afternoon flight home. Sounds like the trip went well but I didn't get a lot of details. I didn't tell DH that DS is here so he'll be surprised when he gets home.

Sue, good luck with the rescue dog.

Honey, we're all waiting for you to spill the goods on what your prize was.

I'm almost done with my lunch and then I will head back outside to conitue the cleanup work. I'm thinking a trip to the garden center may wait until tomorrow when it's supposed to rain. Enjoy your Saturday!

V.

Afternoon coffee break (besides it is raining) So I've gotten most of the driveway garden cleaned out and we ordered our composted manure this morning from HD. They will deliver 3 pallets on Monday AM. Half of one pallet is for my next door neighbors but the other 150 bags are mine. te he! (6,000 pounds!!! maybe I won't have to lift weights next week. LOL)

V, I'm so sorry I missed the mating dance of the Whooping Cranes on your front lawn. That must have been amazing to see!!! And those Ivory billed Hummingbirds were here also. They stopped in to feed at my fuchsia that are in full bloom hardening off in the driveway. ~~ So you have 32 pots of perennials and shrubs? Hmpff... You think I need an intervention. I think I only have about ten perennial pots around here not 32. Jeesh....

T wow, you really scored with those wood chips. Fantastic! Your DH is too funny about the lawn but I completely understand. In this household I'm the kurmudgeon (sp?) who doesn't allow heavy equipment on the lawn. Doug would be over the moon if I told him to just drive the trailer up the hill whenever he needed to move it. How long do you think it is going to take you to move all of that? and do you have the curvy beds all laid out? Photos please?

Eden, bummer about the weather there. We were able to get quite a bit done between the two lines of rain squalls that came through today. The only problem is that Doug decided to use the leaf blower to blow out the gutters and then blow off the patio. The only problem with this scenario is that the windows to the dining room were all open at the time so now the dining room has to be thoroughly vaccummed and dusted before company arrives tonight. Everything in here is covered with a layer of silty dirt. Grrrr.... I did ask why he didn't close the windows and he said it never occurred to him. Hmmm... I think Doug needs to dust and vac for a bit because that would probably tweak his memory the next time he uses the leaf blower and the windows are open. My very favorite Dougism to this day is the time someone asked how often we dusted to keep the house so clean and he said that we didn't need to dust because it never got dirty. Yes, he really did say that and mean it. ROTFLOL! ~~ Do be careful of that vaccuum. They tend to get cranky during the spring cleaning season.

Mary, it sounds like the concert was a huge success but emotionally draining. What a wonderful tribute to your friends. I'm glad to hear you were able to catch a few extra 'z's' this morning.

Hi Babs, thanks for checking in and for letting us know you've heard from EP. Glad to hear all is well with her.

So Sue, did you get a lot done outside? and has the foster arrived yet? You must have been a happy camper that your Mom changed her plans and you have the weekend to garden. ~~ When is the Tony Advent lecture there? and do you have to be a member to go.

OK break is over and I need to get motivated to get a few more things done before 5PM.

Oh yes, I wanted to ask you guys if anyone grows Hakonechloa 'Albo Striata' and if so has it behaved itself in your gardens over time? My patch of it in the driveway garden was very well behaved for the first three years but last year it started travelling and it now looks like it wants to migrate to a different state. I'm going to have to dig the whole thing up and prune and replant it.

Later all,
Deanne

Thankfully it began raining and I had to stop working. ;oD

Here are a couple of shots of what the pile of chips looks like and what I've accomplished so far. I sure hope I'm not doing this all wrong, I'm almost afraid to look up/review some of the online sites I came across and am following by memory (following my memory isn't a good thing most of the time---holes like swiss cheese lurk there).

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Nothing too impressive, but if I squint my eyes, really tight, I can see curvy beautiful beds --- someday. (Fingers crossed)

T.

T! I can see the curvy beds too! Nice job on the layout, I really like the last photo. Yes, I know you can see edges of the cardboard but better yet you can see the beginnings of the new beds. The good news is that there is a lot of forgiveness in the lasagne method. You know how real lasagne is? Some people like all cheese, some like sausage, some like spinach, some make it with taco flavorings... lasagne gardening is kind of the same way. You're off to a good start.

I feel like I accomplished a lot today. I didn't get the entire front cleaned up, but I did start in the corner that I usually leave to last, and I think DH will be happy to see that cleaned out. Speaking of lasagne, I may just have lasagne that corner and start over. I've got a few things going nuts back there that I'd sooner be rid of. I think a few nice shrubs back there would be better.

And I ran the vacuum around here and got the chunks of dirt picked up. Two loads of laundry done, the bathroom sink clean, oh yes! and I cleaned five of my birdhouse gourds from last fall. They're all dried now and looking quite nice now that they are scrubbed. The bad news is I have eight more to clean!

The flight from Florida is delayed three hours! Too bad a good trip has to end with an interminable airport delay. And too bad I have to leave after my bed time to pick them up...

Okay, time to firm up dinner plans.

V.

What a day! It started out okay. I spent most of the forenoon ouside burning a brush pile. Nolon had said he wasn't feeling well, but I didn't pursue that subject since he is so vague about such things. I even thought his feeling bad was a reflection of my being ill for so long. Around noon he mentioned it again, and we both ate turkey sandwiches. Shortly after noon I asked him if he needed me to take him to a doctor. He said yes, which really surprised me. I dared not question just how bad he felt, and I knew the drs were not in on Saturday afternoon, so there was only one option....the hospital emergency room.
He said he had had a terrible night, with difficulty breathing. ( He had not mentioned that earlier.) He said his chest hurt, and other parts of his body. So...off to the emergency room we went. After the initial 'entering' we were put in a large room, all by our selves, with no windows,one bed, one (uncomfortable chair,and not much equipment. A nurse asked some questions, and had him strip to the waist. Then a technician came in and did an EKG, another nurse came in and had him breath in a thingy to open his lungs. The Dr finally came in and did practically nothing. After awhile the first nurse came and took him for x-rays. He was brought back to the room, and we waited, and we waited, and we waited. After about 2 hours we started to wonder if anybody knew we were there ! I went out to ask about it and was told there was a trama case and all the drs were involved in it.After about another hour I went to inquire again. The first nurse( who happened to be our next door neighbor's daughter) said she would let the dr know we needed some information as to whether Nolon could go home or had to be admitted. The dr NEVER did come back to the room, and never spoke to us again. The nurse brought a bunch of papers, including 3 prescriptions. She said Nolon had Bronchitis and need antibiotics and an inhaler , and cough medicine. (Nolon apparently wasn't running a fever.) My regular pharmacy isn't open on weekends, and I wouldn't have the discounts at the ones that were open. The medicine was atrociously expensive. Nolon choose to just get an inhaler and wait 'til Monday to get the other stuff.( Oh, I almost forgot to mention, he was never put on oxygen until we mentioned it about 2 hours after we got there!)
Thank God for the neighbor's daughter, she pulled some strings and got him an inhaler from the hospital pharmacy.
We have cough medicine at home that is most likely as good as the prescription the dr wrote ( it is Robitussin PM ).

If he makes it through the rest of the weekend okay, I will take him in to a regular doctor. I hope to get him set up with the Home Care so he can get oxygen supplies.
He has been in bed about a half an hour now, and I just checked on him. He says he is fine. Keep us in your thoughts.

It is thundering in the distance, and I think it is headed our way. It may be an interesting night.

Marian

Allright T! You go girl! I predict curvy beds stuffed with cool plants by next year. If you want to define the edge a bit more get a half moon spade and cut a trench along your bed line. Toss the sod you dig up under the cardboard.

I had a productive day here too. Because I bagged out on fall cleanup last year a couple of my gardens look like a thousand rat's nests. Remind me not to leave any stems of perennials up next fall. It's much easier to cut them down when they are upright than after they fall over and get buried by a gazillion leaves. Today I conquered the west front garden. Tomorrow I venture over to the east side. That garden scares me...lol. Torrential rain out of nowhere drove me inside. It didn't last long but I took it as a cue to go for my walk. The benefit to forcing myself to stay on an exercise routine is it will force me to stop gardening and perhaps achieve a balance of activities. As it is my back is a bit hinky tonight despite the walk, a bunch of Motrin, stretching and a half hour of Pilates. I am tired though.

The rescue dog didn't materialize today. The volunteer who picked the dogs up didn't get everybody groomed this afternoon so I'll have to wait til tomorrow. We're trying to work the logistics on this bunch-seven dogs, five females and two males, all around 4 or 5, non spay/neutered(one female possibly pregnant) or up to date on any vetting. Getting the spay/neuter appointments alone may take weeks and we can't place them until all this stuff is done. It will be a resource strain on a small group like ours.

Deanne I don't have a calendar in front of me but the Tony Avent lecture is the third Thursday in May. You don't have to be a member but they charge you five bucks. The meeting starts at 8 PM-doors open at 7:30 I believe. If you want to stay overnght you're certainly welcome. It should be fun.

Mary, congrats of a successful concert. You done good-relax and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

I wish EP would come back to idylls...and Cynthia, Chelone, Saucy...where has Brenda, Yeona, Barb, Janie and Martie been? I've been reading along at The Garden Forums but haven't felt compelled to comment on anything lately. GW still appears to be the best site for what I'm looking to do online. We just set our date for the CT spring plant swap through the New England forum. It's a good group over there too.

OK, enough from me for tonight.

Spring ahead tonight!

Sue

Good Morning all,

Im still enjoying my AM French Roast and it is already almost 9:00AM. Yikes, that is the one thing I hate about the clock change but Im all about the sun not setting until after 7 tonight. Everything is a compromise. Nest ce pas?

I did a bit more work on the driveway border before I completely crashed yesterday. Id forgotten how going to the gym then working outside just exhausts me. I need to build up my stamina again. I wanted to tell you guys that Ive got several cuttings off the soft growth of my fuchsia that are over 12" long and would be perfect for making a standard from. Ill keep some of them going like this if anyone is interested in giving it a whirl. Let me know (email me) and Ill get them started for you and figure out how to ship them so they dont break. Im so ready to get plants outside that I have to keep reminding myself that it still is only the beginning of April and not time for the tropical warmth lovers to get into the great outdoors. The fuchsia however are very cold tolerant so Im toying with the idea of getting them all outside into the garage.

Speaking of fuchsia, you guys should see my Firecracker. It is setting flowers like crazy right now. What a terrific plant. Eden, do you have that variety?

Oh yes, got my issue of Fine Gardening yesterday and they have the results of the container garden contest from last year and Ill tell you what. The containers from the Idylls are equally if not more beautiful. They have the specs for this years contest and you are supposed to include a shrub, perennial, grass, annual and one plant of choice. Im thinking of giving it a whirl. Ive got that huge urn I just bought at Sams that is looking for something special so I think Im going to use that to do an arrangement.

Sue, I so know what you mean about the gardens being a total mess because you didnt get the old perennial stems out. A couple of my borders are the same but those stems are the only things that kept the mulch on the gardens with those wind storms we had this winter so I was thinking Id do the same next year. Makes for more spring cleanup but it seems to hold the mulch in place. ~~ I just asked Doug to reserve the airplane to fly me down for the Tony Avent lecture. If I can spend the night he can come down on Friday AM or evening to pick me up. What time do I need to be there to get to dinner at the Pond House?

T!!! Horray!!!! I see those curvy beds appearing. Lots of work but so cool. Good for you. I agree with Sue I can so see those filled with beautiful flowers next year. Thanks for posting the pics.

Marian, sorry Nolans been sick. Hope he is much improved today. How did you make out with those thunder storms?

V what time did your travelers get in? I sure hope you didnt have to stay up too late. It feels to great to be getting the spring cleanup done doesnt it? ~~ LOL about picking up chunks with the dreaded vacuum. My house is getting to the chunky stage here too.

Ok time to get outside. Yea! Another sunny lovely day to work in the gardens. I can hardly deal it is such a great thing. Doug and I are supposed to go for a bike ride instead of the gym around lunch time when the temps get a bit warmer. Spring is truly here.

Have a great day all,
Deanne