I'm surprised there are no photos of inscrutable pink baby girls today. Not that I was actually LOOKING for any, mind you. Wouldn't want any of you to think I've gone soft in my old age.

The legs for the benches have been planed and the chamfering can wait for another day. The helpmeet is out turning over soil in Vegetable World so he "will be able to feed his family". Dicussion about the fencing that will surround the garden was begun today. I like the concept and we'll see how it goes, if it sucks we'll change it. No sign of yellow magnolia blossoms yet. Sue would split a gut looking at the way the Campsis is consuming the trellis thoughtfully provided it in its infancy.

My car was not very expensive at all (anything under $100 is a bargain and mine was less than that!). Repairs are to be expected when a vehicle reaches a certain age and mileage, but preventive maintenance lessens the financial hit, I've found. Helpmeet's goes in next Monday.

I've worked steadily since early morning and don't feel that I've gotten a whole lot done. I've cut a bunch of brush down and hauled it all off to the burn pile. I've cut several of the saplings down and used them to stake the Festiva Maxima peonies on the terrace. Still have the two pink ones to do but I am WAY ahead of my usual schedule this year. I am thinking about a cup of coffee right now and then heading on out to finish thinning the Annabelle hydrangea I started last Thursday/Friday. The leaves are JUST starting to come out on the maples and the oaks and the forecast for the rest of the week is cool and intermittantly rainy. I don't think I could have ordered better weather for newly transplanted ferns that were buried under leaves and look amazingly like anemic Endive right now. ;)

I am right there with you, Julie, on the subject of departed pets. When I leave this home to someone else I will take the statuary with me, leave the bulbs, and the new owners will be none the wiser that dead animals are the reason the bulb stands are so lush. The dear departed ones live on in my heart, perpetually hale and hearty and in fine fettle. I remember when I brought Bobby Lee and his sister Flo. home; they were about 6 wks. old, covered in fleas, and each one of them fit inside the palm of my hands. They were devoted friends.

Coffee's up and then I have to get back out to finish up the Hydrangea.

Julie, I had hopes of constructing built up beds like yours for veggies, but I fizzled out and did not get them built. If I had help, I would still like some.

Still not doing much outside. Much too wet and the ground is like an over wet sponge!

I did walk around and took a bunch of pics, but nothing spectacular.

Chelone, it is time for me to schedule my car's yearly check-up and maintenance. I try to wait until the weather is warmer, because I set in the office and wait. My mechanic is Nolon's third cousin.
I hope I am a fortunate as you with the expense. Last year it was well over $200. I am thinking my SS Economic Recovery check will cover it.

Oooo, Michelle! I fear something like that happening to me. I did have a chip knocked out of my range from a falling bake dish. Better it than me! I imagine you had a very sore mouth. And I am glad your DH had that tetanus shot. That is what I did when I stepped on a board with a nail sticking out of it. A body should be very careful about that. We knew a woman, years ago, that had had tetanus. She was permenantly cripped!

V, I would so love to be where I could see those water birds. There are Blue Herons here, But I seldom see one.

Now I am the one tapping my foot....waiting for pics, and a name.:-)

Marian

Just a quick check looking for Surprise pictures....

And info for PM2 re the bricks... I use a metal edge called Curv-Rite 2000. They used to have a web site but I can't find it now. I get the stuff at a local landscape supply place. It's quite expensive - $20 for an 8' strip. For the brick edge I'm doing for the new bed, the bricks cost just over $30 while the metal edge cost $160! But my grass would definitely find its way between the bricks if I didn't use the barrier.

Since the whole point of the brick edge was to eliminate the work involved in refreshing the trench edge a couple of times a year, it would rather defeat the purpose if I had to battle grass getting between the bricks! Things do sometimes seed in between the barrier and the bricks. Mostly, it is easy to remove such things while WALATing. Every now and then a shot of Round-up is called for... :-)

Barb and I got the metal edge slotted togther and roughly staked in place today. Weather permitting, tomorrow Laurie and I will deepen the trench, sink the edge to its final level (I leave the top edge about 1/2" above the grass roots) and stake it down permanently - which always involves digging out a bunch of rocks! Then we will add limestone screenings which are the base I use under the bricks. Once that is in place, I will start putting in and levelling the bricks. Once the bricks are in place and the soil backfilled against them, then I will lay the soaker hoses and start planting. I think I'm still on target to get it finished and planted by the end of May.

It's a fair bit of work to get the edge in place but it certainly made the garden much easier to maintain last year. The other thing I did in the back to eliminate edging was put paths on the outside of the woodland beds - that was partly what the rectangualar lawn was about last spring. The lawn grass then butts up against the path, not the garden. It is easier to remove grass that encroaches on the path and, in future, if necessary we could just hire someone to add a new layer of mulch on the paths if we are unable to do it ourselves as we get older.

Re Jasper - I've only been there once; Banff we've been to more often because Randy's sister lives there. I was in Jasper in the mid-1970s. My thesis professor and I were presenting a paper at a conference in Edmonton. A fellow grad. student had driven out to the conference, on his way to Vancouver to get married. I drove with him from Edmonton to Jasper and then down the Jasper-Banff highway to Banff and then through the Okanagan Valley to Vancouver. That was a very senic route. And his poor old car barely made it over Rogers Pass! It's a nerve-wracking drive - all those 'runaway vehicle' lanes make you very nervous!

Wow, Woody! You truly do a professional job of the bricks! With that kind of prep work, you must never have to even look at the edging again! Do you have a lot of gardens edged this way?

My property is not very large and so even if I have to do a tiny bit of edge-type work, it never amounts to much. I like the thought of "growing older" in the same home....sounds so comfortable and secure.

Not much here today. A few firsts for the year: first lawn cutting of the year, using the battery-powered reel mower. Looks good, even if some of it is just green weeds. Another first: went looking for my Stargazer lilies and found them about 1/2 inch high - with a pair of the dreaded red lily beetles fornicating in public and the little shoots covered with the red eggs. Rude adults were squished and eggs removed...it starts already!

Here in the progressive town of Perth, we are not permitted to use pesticides of any kind. So we use a lot of home remedies to keep the weed and bug populace down. We also have a green-bin program, which works well but which I hate. I have bins for the doggy doo, the garden compost, the kitchen green bin stuff (bones, fats etc.) and then the large green bin to collect it all for pick up every Tuesday. Cuts down on the garbage going to the dump for sure - but it is a pain and it stinks. It doesn't just smell, it stinks. We have the blue box recycling too, so a lot of our time is devoted to waste management. Plastic grocery bags cost here, so we use a lot of boxes and canvas bags. I know it's a good thing, but what a pain!

Spray painted the iron trellis's and got them placed; tomorrow I will sow the peas, beets and carrots. Spring has truly sprung!

Also, DH came up with some shelves and placed them strategically in front of the large window in the shed. This means that the 30 or so geraniums can go there all night and be relocated outside in the daytime when the weather is right. Also means moving stuff from under the lights into the solarium window and turning off the lights for another year....time passes quickly for sure!

TCS has gone to a "prerecording" session for his band. The oldest musician is 9 years old; the others are all seven. They are really enjoying their music, what a treat this is. Dreams abound.

Signing off for now....waiting for the first photos of baby Buglet. Love hearing about Bella, Kenzie, and all of the other offshoots. Also looking for lots more pet shots - beautiful cats this week!

Cheers,

Julie

Julie - all the main front garden is edged in brick. There are some bricks in the back around the patio areas but there are bark paths there too so I didn't need to use the metal edge in most places.

Herbicides are in that odd situation where using them is frowned on - or maybe banned now - I'm not really sure what the ultimate decision was on that around here lately! :- ) But it's not illegal to sell them so the stores still carry them! Actually, I'm none too keen on the 'green' alternative to Round-up, which seems to be the horticultural vinegar. That has a corrosive symbol on the label. Given my lousy vision and spastic hands, there's no way I'm messing about with something corrosive! And if it's that strongly acid, what is it going to do to soil acidity and soil organisms?! When I use Round-up, it's a rare instance and I only need to hit something very specific. I prefer, as much as possible, to hand-weed but, every now and then, the heavy artillary is needed for something very persistant, especially creeping grass.

Since last summer, in addition to the usual blue box we've have the green bins - but not the gray ones (for dog poo and such...) We find that smell is not an issue as long as we keep the big green container (which is in the garage) well closed. We don't use the plastic kitchen bin that the program provided. We use the stainless steel one that Lee Valley Tools sells. We actually have two of them - one for stuff we put in our own compost and one for things like fat and bones that are acceptable for the green bin but not for our own compost. The stainless steel is easy to clean. Plastic dooesn't clean up as well and will hold bacteria easier in scratches etc.

Good evening

While we are awaiting baby names with visions of pink I thought I'd share our chicken's new names:

Red Betty - a Rhode Island Red, very sweet and gentle.
Henny Penny - a seven week black chicken who now roosts with Betty, loves to be held.
Big Bertha - an Amber link peep (1 week old) who will grow one 1/3 larger than the others and lay jumbo, double yolk eggs - yum!
Amelia - a one week Partidge Rock peep who is the best flyer
Chicken Little - a one week Black Astrolorp peep.

Sorry to be chicken obsessed - they are just so much fun and the hit of the neighborhood.

Love the pictures and eveyone's news, especially a peek in from T!!

Mary

Good evening my friends.. a 4 day weekend is nice but when a full week off has not been had since sometime last fall one wishes for a longer respite from the awfice. I told myself today that I need to schedule same for either late May or early June. Of course I have a wonderful vacation planed for late July ! This evenings WALAT was performed in breezy blustery condtions, the next storm is coming in tonight , and frustratingly not a drop fell today- of course I didnt take my trip to the Bancroft gardens as it was supposed to rain all afternoon. On the plus side I got the basil planted and numerous weeds pulled . Next door neighbor tells me that the dying Magnolia will be taken out shortly , and I was prompted to plot out strategies relative to the new sun patterns that will result.

Woody , I wanted to comment on how great your new bed looks, I love the shape and the echo of the surrounding beds. I hope you will share a pic when your rose swag blooms. The company I work for carries a metal edging by JD Russel out of Texas called DuraEdge. It has become very popular with landscape designers here. I expect to see the prices start to go down as the steel market has tanked .

Marian, I hear you on the wet sponge issue- pulling weeds out of mud today was quite a challenge. Some areas were just impossible. What is your native soil like there ?

Julie, interesting indeed that the use of pesticides is prohibited in your town. Do people go over to the next town to buy the stuff and then sneakily spray when no one is looking?

Time for me to get the rest of the laundry put away and settle in for some baseballhere is a sight from today- didnt notice this stuff going on till I was sitting on the ground weeding ! {{gwi:158385}}From Garden 2009

Kathy in Napa

A twelve hour work day does not make one a good poster, but I wanted to share a couple of quick things.

Julie, don't laugh at the pre-recording session. You never know what could happen! Check out the band bio on the link below for our local boys made good.

Since there is no name, I think we need to start suggestions. I like Willow. Anyone else?

V.

Mary, I can understand your enjoyment with the chickens. The chicks are so adorable, and I enjoy the adult hens singing. That is quite a Heintz mix that you have.

Kathy, our soil is very silty, with not much organic matter in it. We have so much rain in the Spring, most Springs, that the organic matter does not last long. The top soil is very shallow, and the sub soil is clay. It is not considered useful for many types of crops, other than hay, and pasture. We were fortunate to have a garden spot that was not too full of rocks, and what it had were mostly small enough to pick up. A lot of it is underlayed with rock ledges.
I had such big dreams of the gardening that I would do, before we moved here. But learned the hard way.....
The cousin above us has all the equipment that is needed to cutivate their garden, and lots of cow manure to fertilize it, so they have always had a nice garden. Mine was good the first few years , but soon petered out. ( And so did I).

Awhile ago, just before dusk, I looked out and saw three does grazing in the old garden spot. I know there are fawns, because I saw their tracks in the mud up our driveway.

Marian

You aren't going to believe what showed up in my inbox this morning, you guys...

Ta Da! introducing Miss Mae Surprise:
{{gwi:158386}}

Would like to comment on things but it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to pull off posting that picture and I still have to rustle up some grub. What I won't do for you guys...

Just as I had hoped...baby picture! Thanks for posting it, Chelone..I know how hard that was for you, lol!
The farming circus has begun. Gotta go make the big wheels roll...
Brenda

She's gorgeous! and worth the wait!

She certainly looks ready to take on the world - wide eyed girl!

Mary, I understand about your chickens, all I can talk is bees. Yesterday my main hive swarmed TWICE! I bid them all farewell as they are too high in the tree (well, they're not really, if you ask me, but I have no helpers, so....) I have bees in both hives, so I will just continue to produce bees to populate the world, I guess :)

You're going to love the double yolks! I remember being wow'd as a kid by my grandma's farm eggs (delivered from the trunk of a sedan by a little frail man) when we'd get brown eggs, or double yolks.

I mowed, fertilized, and removed all garlic mustard. I had huge stands of garlic mustard replacing all the honey suckle I removed last year. I need to get the hillside planted and mulched!

I wish we had all those bins! I get 2 recycling bins and that is it....I compost all my greens/browns. I switched to 100% recycled paper products, and I hate them! The toliet paper doesn't hold much per roll, so I'm always lookoing for a new one to replace the empty one....

That's all from me....gotta go get Sarah up and out of here - it's gym day for me.

Saucy

What a beautiful start to the day!

Thanks to 'bug for sending it and to Chelone for posting it.

V

Beautiful Baby Girl. I like Willow too V.

Norma

She deintely looks ready to take on the world! And well-bundled up to take on the northern climate up there... :-)

Ahhhhh, welcome to the world, and to the Idylls, Little Bug. You are very bright eyed..now I want to see you without your fist in your mouth. :-)
And one (or more) of mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa holding her. (B G ...big grin)

Chelone, good for you for figuring out how to post from your email. And thanks to Marie for sending the pic to you.

Nice to see us starting May (Mae?) off w/ wonderous new eyes and cute face for us to gaze upon! Thanks, Chelone, for conquering the techie challenges and sharing with us.

Kathy, Im so sorry your long weekend did not turn out as hoped - I am dying to see photos from a venture to Bancroft gardens so we agave-addicted folks could yearn. Im feeling the same way re vacations and wondering how to dare take a couple days off wrapped around Memorial weekend and still have the security of a job to return to, LOL -- actually I have the time but am concerned aobut later in the year as they're changing our accrual/allotment system of sick & vacation to "all purpose leave" with some new regs re use it or lose it.... I havent planted a single summer annual -- usually by this time of year, Im starting on pots and such.... all it does is rain, rain rain here -- we have some hours of no rain today, but due to come back tonite - the next possibility seems to be Mother's Day for some sun and non-squishiness -- must be all that stuff/weather Brenda has had so much fun with!

Julie - meant to say how much I enjoyed your front yard -- very different w/ that humongous rock -- pls give us all a tutorial on the proper usage of FB when you get it, LOL -- didnt realize there were certain protocols to follow there, LOL... I think it's great TCS is into the band concept even at his age -- it will broaden his horizons in addition to the usual sports/athletics.

Not much green programs going on in my neck of the world -- we're lucky if they take glass and plastic bottles w/ necks! They do take paper and cardboard these days if separated and that's about it. Very frustrating.

Mary - love to hear about the antics of your new pets -- my SIL in VT (who's kind of threatening to join me when I fessed up to the IU being in Maine this year, groan - I may have to go visit her first to make her happy) has had a brood for a couple of years -- what she calls her "french menagerie" -- some silly french hens w/ silly names -- I just recall her telling me about the one rooster who likes to sit in the tree near her kitchen window and peer into the house to see what she's doing in the kitchen -- a "lurking chicken" -- she says they definitely develop their own personalities and quirks...

V -- hope you got some good sleep last nite and not too many more hard work days -- glad you had your meltdown and hope you're feeling better -- your house will be just lovely as is and no one will know about what you see as imperfections.

So, tuesday it is... inching closer to Friday and maybe some sun...

-cindy

Is that one of the Peruvian sweaters the little love is wearing? And I know we haven't been asked to participate, but how about a Peruvian name? I googled and found these on a journal of someone who visited Peru and copied baby annoucements from the newspaper:

Salwa
Alexandra
Romina
Jessica
Leslie
Stephanie
Ximena
Laura
Mariella
Daniela
Chiara
Camila
Fatima
Nicole
Valentina
Carmen
Claudia
Antonella
Daphne
Fabiola
Rocío
Andrea
Vanessa

I am definitely aging. It is hard to understand the chaos about me, to deal with tidying up in unfamiliar territory and find the proper tools: fan to dry up puddles, secateurs to prune the grasses, choir uniform for Skyler, spare keys for this and that, not to mention kitchen stuff. Then there is the tendency here to return 4-5 times for something before actually departing.

Plans for the weekend have changed several times in the last 12 hours. I'm not yet sure if I'll extend my stay through Mother's Day.

Last night friends came by and so there was more baby name talk. They too are on the market for the perfect baby name...for next December. Willow is on their list! This business is proving difficult for them as they like many names but the perfect one has not struck them so far. They love their nickname for her, but MIL (not me!) is against the names they want. Sigh. DSIL is ever the diplomat and wants to please everyone...

I am beginning to feel concerned about the gardens at The Farm....

Loving all photos!
'bug and 'buglette

Marie, she's perfect and beautiful! I'm looking forward to being able to call her by name. I'll put my two cents in...if I were to name a little girl today I'd probably give her a botanical name like Ivy, Daisy, or Lily. Two other baby girls I know of born this spring besides Kate are named Eleanor and Erika. I knew of 4 babies being born this spring and all turned out be girls. Jen says if her next baby's a girl she'll be Audrey. Oh, and out of Denise's list I choose Laura :)

Eden

A little drippy here today. I did get out last night for a bit. I have a couple of trees to plant, but I have such a hard time with placement. Im also digging up and dividing. My mom wants some perennials for her new house and my sister as well. Im just glad to help other gardeners get started. I dug up a maroon daylily and some aster Purple Dome last night.

I watered the basement plants last night and was shocked to see that my coleus supply has dwindled over the winter. Oh well, I lots of other stuff.

I find it interesting that bug would send the first shot of the little miss to Chelone ;o) She sure is bright eyed and oh so pretty.

I like Laura from Denises list but then thats the name I chose for my baby girl. I kept my opinions to myself when my DD mentioned that she wanted to name my granddaughter Sydney. All I could think of was DHs old, bald uncle Sid. LOL Obviously she changed her mind and then said that the babys name would be a secret.

Kathy, fun to see the cosmos and nasturtiums already. I always plant the Alaska nasturtiums in the potager, they are the variegated ones. The cosmos Im trying this year are called Double Click Rose Bonbons. They remind me more of a dahlia than a cosmos.

Mary, Im dying to see pictures of the chickens and their new abode. I love the names youve picked.

Chelone, Kenzie has taken swimming lessons a number of times starting with the baby and me type classes, but not since theyve moved to FL. I dont think rabies is a big issue here, but we keep Jaden current with the rabies shot.

Back to work

Michelle

We have studied all 54,000 names in our book multiple times. I think we are zeroing in on the perfect name soon, but DSIL is away and busy through next Monday. He has discounted Ivy Grace as well as DD's strong desire to incorporate her grandmother's name, Vashti. I am hoping the present choice sticks, but it may not meet MIL's strict standards. Lily is a cousin, Erica was a possibility, etc...

Michelle, I sent it to Chelone because she is the first to rise and I wanted her to be able to select the proper color underwear for the day. ;)

Eager to hear both BEE & CHICKEN updates. :)
'bug

Which was black. ;)

Did you know that all important events require black attire? The first wedding dresses were black. ;)

Well, the last thing I expected to see today was Chelone ushering in Baby Surprise .Do you suppose Marie was being mischievous ? Ms. Baby looks interested in her new world..we await the official naming ..

Post-awfice WALAT was enjoyed as the rain abated and I was cheered to see that my basil plants made it for 24 hours without being eaten by sails. One small victory against the pestilence !

Cindy, fear not, the Bancroft garden pics will appear at some point.I would never deprive the agave-philes in our midst. I might venture over there next Saturday. Im lining up time off and plan on a week off in early June, but dont want to wait that long ..and just for the record, as of today it is 2 months and 18 days to IU6.

Michelle, I love the Alaska series of Nasturtiums, and I actually planted some old seed out this spring but they failed to come up , think they were from 2001 ! I saw those Cosmos in a couple of the seed catalogs, Ill be really interested too see how you like them. Those in my photos are all volunteer from last year, as are the Nasturtiums.
The daycare my children attended took the kids to red-cross certified swimming classes in the summer- I dont remember the age , but Im thinking it was pretty young .

I am surprised by the trash management issues many of you have, I guess we are pretty progressive here weve had yard waste and single stream recycling for many years (curbside) I have 55 gal yard waste toter which is picked up every week and our garbage company has a huge composting facility . It all goes there, is shredded cooked and county residents can buy finished compost for 7$ a yard. You can get a second yard waste toter for no extra charge. They also conduct home composting workshops several times a year in conjunction with Napa county Master Gardeners- you get a free compost bin if you attend. We also have a 55 gallon toter for recyclables-paper glass ( I fear I often have too much glass in mine, if you follow my drift) plastic etc. I had though this was common practice these days, but maybe only here on the left coast ? By the way, I pay 21 bucks a month for this, well worth it as far as Im concerned.

Wave to all ! Thinking of Brenda planting corn, Mary feeding Betty and family, Jerri trying to restrain herself from using the computer , Chelone rassling ferns, Marian dueling the mice atop the Corolla, and everyone else

Kathy in Napa

I hear the steady drumming of rain outside the window and like it. We are very dry here and my newly relocated ferns are probably loving it and the respite from the sun. Besides, it may as well rain if I have to be at work. It was downright raw when I came home yesterday. The only cat that was outdoors was huddled in the windowbox under the awning and was thrilled to come inside. I promptly lit a fire in the woodstove!

It doesn't seem as though it's going to be a great day to put the boat in the water, though. I hope the skiff that has been under repair in the bahn goes away, too, though I have my doubts about that. While the top has received fresh paint I don't believe the area below the water line has been scraped or recoated with the the nastiest concoction of paint known to mankind... "bottom paint" is loaded with all sorts of incredibly nasty stuff and costs a fortune.

We have kerbside recycling here, too. We get two plastic bins, one for glass, the other for cans. They take newsprint, paper, and cardboard that's been bundled neatly. They will take wood and other items as well but everything must be no longer than 3-4' and bundled securely. Kerbside large item day is once a month. Yard waste, TVs, electronics, appliances, etc. may be taken to the town facility on Saturdays. All at no charge. Plastic bottles and soda/"canned consumables" are worth .05 each and can be checked at the grocery store for a credit against your bill or taken to a redemption c'tr. for "cash on the barrelhead". Ditto for wine bottles, which are worth .15. I remember being shocked at how behind the times Virginia was with respect to trash and recycling, Cindy. And that was back in '89-'90. At that time the struggling interior part of Virginia was happily taking trash from NY and NJ and simply landfilling it! Jeez, sad to learn they've yet to "see the light".

I actually did know that wedding dresses were traditionally black. And that Queen Victoria was one of the very first to wear white for her wedding to her adored Prince Albert. In the horse show ring it is also permissable to substitute "midnight" blue for black in formal, evening classes when showing American Saddlebreds and other breeds commonly exhibited Park Seat or in harness. I love factoids like that, let's all break out our "best black bombazine" and celebrate!

I see "Mistress of the Swarm" is facing another crisis. You have plenty of bees left in your own hives, yes? I see, though, that true to your generous nature you've taken the long view of swarming bees, Saucy. Can't wait to hear more tales of gardens, castings, Mongolian trees, etc..

There were two big hen Turkeys wandering around the back of the house yesterday afternoon. The cats were wide-eyed in the windows. I wasn't sure if they were thinking what a prize they'd make or if it was some sort of avian revenge sent to apply retribution for past transgressions. They really are amazing birds and rather attractive, with the exception of their heads. I looked to see if there were any little babies trailing along behind them, but there weren't. It made me think of Mary and her brood and I sure hope we get some pictures of those, too.

Helpmeet and Rex have arisen, the rain has slackened, and it's time for me to hit the trail. Chaos abounds, adrenalin is flowing like water but I'm refusing to swim against the rising tide of panic. Lack of organization, cohesive work orders, clutter that has become filth... all are but small things that inconvenience me. I'll continue to do my best and help in whatever manner is required but I will not rearrange my entire life to facilitate more unnecessary chaos. Sorry, but I''m "all stocked up" on that foolishness and I have too much "fun stuff" to do here on the Compound. I don't think my mindset is fully understood at work. Or how my experience with Mum has changed the way I approach the vicissitudes of life.

Later, 'gators!

Good morning....

I seem to have missed the introduction of Buglette. That is a cute name, and what a cutie she is!! I get the impression looking at her photo that she is a very calm baby. I think it is so funny that she has managed to get her fist to her mouth already. All dressed up in her winter wardrobe. [g] Poor thing, winter in May!! I would say they sure do need a three season room up there. Actually, it is cool enough for my winter sweater here this morning, and raining. The weatherman has been wrong every day this week, I don't know why I bother listening to them. Thanks gardenbug and Chelone for a very good photo of her. I hope she gets her name soon, or 'buglette' just might stick. [g]

Sorry, I had a Doctor's appointment yesterday and I am behind this morning. My digestive system has been on the blink for awhile now and my usual efforts don't seem to be doing the trick. So I will have to pull out all the stops this week to see if I can get it back on track again. It's a long standing problem. What fun.

I did go by a nursery on the way home and got there 15 minutes before closing to pick up a few tomato plants. Since I don't use a light setup, I winter sow my tomato seed and the seedlings are so tiny still, that I decided to go with store bought. It's been a cold spring for the most part. I only needed 4 plants. At $4.25 'per' plant, those are going to be some expensive tomatoes. [g]

Woody...thanks very much for the very helpful description of how you edge your beds. You really know how to do it right! I have bricks without the metal edge around a sitting area that borders my grass and right now, the bricks are barely visible. [g] I was considering putting a double row of staggered bricks in the hope that would improve it, but maybe the metal edge is worth considering. I'm curious about your use of limestone screening. Is that common in your area to use that instead of sand? Around here, I think they call it crushed stone but not sure it is limestone. I also love the way you resolved it in the back yard with the square lawn. I wonder if you could post another photo of that?

Do you use soaker hoses in all your beds? I have a lot of soaker hoses, but I don't use them as often as I should. I find it not as simple to do as it should be. I have no way of watering more than one length of 50 ft hose at a time because of water pressure. Which although it probably saves some water, it's no less work than going out to set the sprinkler. I also find I have to put a LOT of hose in to get the coverage I want. I end up using the sprinkler a lot, except in beds that are less convenient to do so. Plus I always feel I have to run the hose forever or I worry the plants are not getting enough water. I know there is probably some way to make it more workable but I am always putting it off to the bottom of my list.

Thanks for the Roger's Pass link, did you take photos? It must be just beautiful! I have been on a few of those tense rides through mountains and I wouldn't want to do it every day.

Amazing how environmental your town is, Julie! They are way ahead of most towns.

Where are the photos of Betty, Bertha, Amelia, Penny and Chicken Little? Lots of fun over there, Mary!

V....your local boys are very cute! If they can play as good as they look, no wonder they are doing well.

Amazing about your bees swarming twice, Saucy! I wish you lived near me so I could benefit from such a great population of bees!

I love Alaska nasturtium too.

We have recycling in bins that go out every other week. Basically just paper and plastic/glass. I've heard we are changing our rubbish removal over to one rubbish container that the town will provide, that can be emptied by the trucks, mechanically. I guess the one container is larger than the usual rubbish barrel. I sure hope so. I have two black plastic composters from the town that were offered at a reduced rate of $25. each. Our town composts yard waste but does not give it to the residents or sell it back to them. They sell it to some company. I never have figured out what's up with that. Surrounding towns do give it to residents at no charge.

Chelone...your weather sounds like ours. Hope you survive busy season. How are your tables coming along?

Well...despite such a long post, I still have missed quite a few. Sorry. What happened to T?

Hope Wednesday treats you well.... :-)

pm2

Hi all!

A cold and rainy week predicted for us here....I am really getting tired of the house feeling cold and damp when I get up....Oh well, can't do much about the weather can we?

I intend to plant my sugarsnap peas, carrots and beets seeds today in the raised beds. I have the 30 or so geraniums in the shed window and a couple of cannas there too. The elephant ears and alyssum flats are on the wine deck. The tomatoes and peppers are migrating to the solarium window today and I may be able to shut down the lights. Everything is looking good in my gardens, although verrrrrry slow...except for the woodland anenomes wheich came here in error and mulitply worse than the rabbits. I have taken to just snipping off every one I see, hoping that eventually the lack of photosynthesis will take its toll.

DD is doing the same thing with her impressive stand of Japanese knotweed, planted by a previous owner ten years ago. In Brockville, by the mighty St. Lawrence River, Japanese knotweed is everywhere.

Our waste management program is an effective one, I must say. Nope, we cannot buy any of the chemical bad stuff here for the gardens, and not anywhere in Ontario now. The town has a big composting site and they give away some to residents, but they also sell some for an exorbitant price - $5 a bushel! I don't buy it because they allow pet waste, and although my pets are vetted and healthy, I know that isn't the case for all. I also have one of those black composters for my own kitchen stuff, and it works well. Also, DH made me a rotating drum type composter out of old stuff we had around: a split water barrel, some two-by-fours, some pipe - it is heavy to turn but works absolutely amazingly. That is recylcing at its best IMHO, using stuff that would normally be trashed to make a composter! Our town also allows only one bag of garbage every two weeks per household. We use BIG bags ! If you wish to put out more, you need to buy tags at $2.50 each. We have four blueboxes that sre picked up every week...cardboard, paper, cans/glass, and plastics. We have three different companies picking up stuff: the town garbage truck, the blue box guys, and the green bin guys. Blue boxes and green bins are Tuesday mornings here, but Wenesday on the other side of town. Garbage bags are every second Wednesday here, and the opposite Wednesday on the other side of town. It works, but we quite often lose track of the Wednesday, so have to use a bagtag on the next pick up day if we have two bags. This happens all over town - we see odd garbage containers on Thursday as the owners got confused on their dates.

I think I'm getting a headache.....

Awaiting the final choice of name for Buglette! We have a step great neice (never mind...) a baby in our family named Lily. It is adorable! But Mae is also a beautiful old-fashioned name....

Kathy, I showed DH your garden photos and he feels that people who live in California and therefore are not on a level playing field with the rest of North America are cheating....he is also fed up with our minimal Spring weather *LOL*

Got my passport pictures yesterday for IU6, and they are suitably ugly. DH has confided that I might not get back into Canada after the weekend....

Well, off to start my day...get the child up, fed and out, walk the doggies, do the usual household stuff, take Tucky to the vet for his booster, see the Grade Two teacher to discuss the intricacies of "carrying and borrowing" in math, then music lesson...squeeze in the garden stuff....and take a look at V.'s link of "the boys"! But it's not "our" Wednesday for the garbage bag *LOL*

Tomorrow and Friday I will be staying with DD after her dental surgery, maybe have a Facebook tutorial. Likely I will stomp on some knotweed...

Ahhh, lif is great!

Cheers to all,

Julie

Bugette is adorable!!

Here are a few of my brood, the peeps change every day as new feathers replace their down. Aren't they cute?
{{gwi:158387}}

{{gwi:158388}}

I'm also learning a lot about pecking order and am coming to the conclusion chickens can exhibit personalities. The adolescent black chicken (Henny Penny) I bought to keep Red Betty company and warm at night just loves people and being held. The farmer said she was a special bird and he was right. She loves perching on your arm, lowers her head to rest on your elbow and closes her eyes to sleep.

Betty was less taken with Henny Penny and there was some rather nasty pecking going on for the first two days (they go straight for the eyes and feet). I was even beginning to think I would need to house them separately until the evening I peeked in the coop and could only see Betty, sitting on her nesting box. I thought for a horrible moment she had killed the little chicken or a predator had got in when I heard a happy bird trill. Betty was sheltering Henny under her wing. She was singing with happiness and the two have been inseparable since.

I've decided I'm on a very slippery slope as I emailed a local farmer who will have 10 newly hatched quail for me in 10 days time. Baby quail are the size of large bumble bees - can you imagine? They start laying at 6 weeks so I'm planning on eggs through the summer and quail in the freezer come fall. These will not have names as they will only be with us a few months but should be a lot of fun, plus good eating. Shhhh - don't tell DH about this one yet LOL!

Mary
(aka Chicken Mama)

Mary! I love your chicks! Yes, chickens definitely have a pecking order. We had some of ours practically defeathered. Not a pretty sight. Your chicks will soon reach the awkward 'teen-age' stage and they will not be so cute then. Instead of pimples, they have pinfeathers, LOL. Some chickens can be right down mean. We had a black hen that would attack us. I used to think all black hens were mean....lol. We had a Banty or two also, and two big red roosters. A small flock does not need TWO roosters!
One of the roosters had his days mixed up, and would crow in the middle of the night! Not a pleasant thing to hear close to an open window at night! I do miss them though, espacially the hens, and the fresh eggs.The chicken yard fence has all fallen down now, and the house is on it's way out too.

Kathy, I got a kick out of the "dueling the mice atop the Corolla". I think those boxes are okay, but the peas in amongst the tulips in the big tub were 'hit' last night. A few of the newly sprouted peas are destroyed. :-(

Marie, Our X-DIL had several books on names while awaiting the three. They had names already chosen before the arrivals. I like all three choices....Savannah Autumn, Brianna Madison, and Hannah Clair. I don't know what was chosen if they had been boys.
The newest baby girl to visit our congregation is Lily.
I do not think I would be up to all you have been involved in, but then...I usually have an adrenalin rush when emergencies come up, then I collapse when it is all over.

Re: recycling...ours is minimal. The trash pickup supplies white plastic bags at 10 cents apiece for a few things...mainly plastics and cans. I collect newspapers and glass to take to the recycle center in Harrison. I could take them to the place where Nolon took his metals, but the pay is so small, I would rather donate it to the center. All my other burnables, I burn. All the compostibles go in my compost bin. All the edibles go to whatever varmint that will eat it.

Saucy, I don't think we have garlic mustard here, but you are so right about some other invasive replacing one that you remove! Nature hates a vaccuum.

Our rains returned, and we got another inch during the night. Poor Tommy hated it, and had a terrible time getting up enough courage to go out.
He complains to me...I think he thinks I am the cause of it, and can stop it if I wish. Afterall... I can control the light in the house, and the sound and pic on the TV, the heat indoors, etc. So why can't I control the rain???

Chelone, I am pretty sure I heard hen turkeys when I was out yesterday. They are quieter than the gobblers, and Nolon did not hear them ( he is getting deafer and deafer). I am afraid if there are babies thay have probably not survived all the rainfall...:-(

Pm2, sorry about your digestive problems. That can sure ruin your days....I hope you get relief very soon.

Julie, I agree with you about California gardeners. :-)
Speaking of headaches, I went to bed with one, and it lasted most of the night. I hadn't had that for awhile. I hope your's did not materialize.
Passport pics must be like driver's license pics.....horrible, no matter how well you looked in person...:-( I have never had a passport.
Hey, if you are on facebook, come and be my 'friend'. At least you can see all the pics I am putting in albums. :-)

The invite goes to all the rest of you Idyllites. :-)

Marian

The baby chicks are just so cute! I love their names and that they have personalities. It'll be fun to learn along with you and hear of your experiences, Mary.

PM, I think you'll get enough tomatoes to make up for the money you had to fork out :) At least they'll taste like a million bucks. Speaking of gardening and tomatoes, have you ever read The $64 Tomato? It's a quick read, and laugh-out-loud funny to a gardener....at least I thought so...

Marian, I pulled out honeysuckle and grapevine and a quick look today shows woodvine and poison ivy are taking over, too. I can't work fast enough....I'm a one woman show.

I did something that was probably insane today. That swarm of bees was hanging in the tree mocking me from the window - they got stuck there because of the rainy weather. So I came home today and got them. It was quite an ordeal that took most of the afternoon, but finally ended with me wrangling the bees into a new hive for my neighbor.

I think I can accept the title of Mistress of the Swarm now, Chelone. I've earned it today.

I'm going to go see if I can talk Nick into taking me out to dinner....

Saucy

LOL, Saucy! You certainly are "Mistress of the Swarm" ! And a very brave gal. I am not paranoid around bees, but I sure would not be up to what you are doing.
As you can see by my facebook albums, I would rather work with pictures. :-)

Saucy - how neat you were able to move the swarm. Bees are something I'd love to learn about but this year's project will be chicken (and possibly quail).

Marian - our town doesn't allow roosters so I paid a little more for all female chicks. The farmer told me it takes looking at 35,000 day old peeps before a person can accurately determine their sex!

Thank you for your Facebook friend offer. It is not something I've delved into yet mostly due to lack of time. I'm also in the strange position of having coworkers I do not feel I have much in common with, and parents of children I work with, asking me to become their friend on FB. It is much easier to keep both at arms distance by not having an account - I know they would seek me out if I ever signed up. It's not that I dislike these people, there are simply parts of my life I like to keep separate.

Julie - hope DD's dental surgery goes well. Annie had her braces removed yesterday and she looks wonderful. I don't know which feels the relief more - her mouth or our pocketbook. It has been a looooooooooooooong 4 years. We celebrated by buying a huge stash of chewing gum and popcorn - both forbidden during the braces years.

Time to check on the chicks and get ready for David's school orchestra concert tonight.

Mary

Mary, I can understand that....Anyway, I am beginning to think the ones operating facebook do not know what they are doing. It is always messed up! I am enjoying making picture albums, and connecting with friends and relatives. I know it could be a problem with people you work with. You do not want to offend anyone there.
LOL.. about the stash of chewing gum and popcorn. One of my GD's had braces. I don't remember for how long.

Marian

I found myself researching macro lenses while I was eating lunch today- a dangerous occupation. It will definitely have to be a refurbished model and not for a few more months. Sure would be nice to have for IU ! I could get a nice close up of the lime in someones gin and tonic, lol.

Mary those chicks are just adorable ! And how nice that Henny Penny has bonded with Betty. Where are you going to put the quail ? Can they be confined to an area.? I believe you may be my first real or imaginary friend who has a Quail ranch !

Marian, I see you still have some rain in your future , but at leat the temps are mild for you. Your nights are much warmer we are still in the 40s overnight here.

Julie, here in the mythical land-o California we do endure snails, earthquakes and and lots of people moving here from other places ! Dont need a passport get to IU either , lol !

PM, I use soaker hoses in all my beds the recycled weepy kind. They all have Gardena qiuck-connects and I just move the hose around to each one . I only water once a week unless we have unusual heat, and I leave them on in each area for about 20 minutes (I set the timer on my range to remind me to disconnect and hook up to another ) and they are covered by mulch so not visible. Its all very lo-tech but works for me, they are easy to rearrange when I move plants around .

Saucy, did anyone film this swarm capture event ? Hope the dinner thing turned out

OK, I need to head to the kitchen speaking of dinnersee yall later

Kathy in Napa

I swear , no more pics till Sunday..

Rocky Mountain Penstemon {{gwi:151216}}From Garden 2009

The Lilies are coming.. {{gwi:158389}}From Garden 2009

My Fave Iris {{gwi:158390}}From Garden 2009

Fun updates and beautiful flowers!
Homeward bound tomorrow.
'bug

Oh my, I see infant withdrawal in 'bug's future... . Maybe Miss Phoebe will ease the pangs somewhat; if nothing else she'll be an easily kickable subject. I think you'd better get crackin' on a pair of delicate pink booties for Miss Mae Surprise, too. Doesn't matter if DD may reject them, something tells me DSIL will fall nicely little into line with the "little girl thing". ;) What does Skyler think of it all, so far?

And Mary, those chicks are precious. I love the emerging yellow feathers in your picture. The story of the establishment of the pecking order was interesting and how nice that Red Betty and Henny Penny have come to a mutually agreeable resolution. Things like that usually have a way of working out. I am delighted to learn of Annie's liberation, too. I recall an earlier post when she was told it would be a few more months and that she cried at the news. That story really touched me because my best friend had braces and I vividly recall what a long haul it was for her... all 4 years of it. You will have to share a shot of her dazzling new smile at IUVI. And don't let her chew gum in public once the gum novelty has worn off... what a vile habit. OK, I have to ask this again, what is the laying life of hens? and I can't wait to see the Quail. Are you going to send them out of this world yourself or are you going to send them back to Farmer Brown for that? I don't think I'd be able to deliver the coupe de grace but I could deal with plucking and the rest of it after some initial squeamishness. Funny how removed we are from our food sources, isn't it?

PM, sorry about the tummy (I hope!) issues, gotta be a bummer. The tables are still stalled in production, mostly on my own part. I seem to be having difficulty propelling myself to the bahn to get busy on them without getting distracted by something in the gardens. ;) It wouldn't help much if I left the Felcos in the top drawer of the sideboard, either.

I went out for some "ball" yesterday afternoon and after running that fool dog into exhaustion (yeah right) and practicing our obedience commands I turned my attention to the vertical Brillo pad. It's Clematis "Daniel Durando" and it, along with the New Dawn rose, took a tremendous hit when the house was painted last year. I trimmed off a lot of dead stuff and then delicately rearranged the canes as best I was able. I tied the bases of them to pieces of sapling to try to encourage them to lose the spring-like coil and stretched them up the trellis tying them as required to keep them in place. That's what happens when they spend months being asked to grow horizontally. I will be interested to see how my efforts pan out over the season. Now, if I can only convince Vera to quit using that particular trellis as a ladder to the deck I'll be home free. Once the deck canopy is up and the screen panels in place she'll abandon it, but until then... the clematis is definitely in harm's way.

I have reached a momentous decision on the New Dawn rose, too. There is one massive cane that is growing behind the trellis and due to its size there is no way for me to extricate it. I've decided that it will simply be pruned off and the plant will either have to grow another or die. There are 3 baby canes that I will favor and direct appropriately and one middling one that isn't great but looks to be salvageable. It looks like hell now, so how can it get any worse? "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!".

More rain today, but that's OK with me, too. We need it and if it's raining when I get home I'll either start to clean this pit or make a move on the pickling... or nap. ;)

Time to get about the day's business, methinks.

Chelone - Randy calls New Dawn 'the killer rose' because it is so vigorous, with canes growing rapidly and reaching out to grab anything around it or passing by. The swag will probably not be enough to control it. There is a huge mass of canes on the arbour over the south gate. It really needs to be totally cut down I think but it's just too massive a job to want to tackle! I need Kathy to visit I think... :-)

Mary - those chicks are so cute! I had the same questions as Chelone re who will lop off their heads when the time comes....

PM - The screenings are just crushed rock - limestone is readily available here so that is usually what it is. I should do a layer of leveling sand on top but I've found it not too dificult to level the bricks without it. Getting them exactly level isn't as important for an edging as it would be for a walkway or patio. As long as they look reasonably level and are level enough so Randy can run the wheels of the lawnmower on them when he's cutting the grass, that's the important thing. I didn't get any work done at all on the new bed yesterday. On Tuesday we hit some rocks when trying to drive in the support stakes for the edging. Randy was able to remove most of them Tuesday night but one was more of a small boulder than a rock! He borrowed a neighbour's big pry-bar last night and got that one out. It's raining now and more in the forecast for the next few days so I don't expect to get much done for a while.

Re soaker hoses - I don't seem to have much of a water pressure issue. I can easily run a 100' hose without a problem. I use the same type as Kathy and run them much the same way - those connector bits make switching hoses easy. I really only use the hoses for the first two years of establishing a new bed. After that things are pretty much on their own. I leave the hoses (too lazy to lift them!) so there are hoses in all the beds but most aren't used.

I do have some pictures somewhere I think of along the Jasper-Banff highway. I'm not sure if I can find them or not - it was in 1978 or 79 I think that I was there.

Saucy - you're Queen of the Swarm for sure! It's funny - I can't remember ever seeing a bee swarm and you've caught two in a short time!

Gb - we're looking forward to baby pictures.....! Phoebe will probably be estatic to see you home. Watch out for the submissive pee flood when you get back - she's probably wondering what she did wrong to send you away and will offer a BIG doggie-apology when you get back :-)

I'm hungry but trying to avoid going to the kitchen - it's time for my spring cholesterol check and I need to fast for the blood test, so no breakfast for me today - my stomach is grumbling!

Good morning

Chelone - you have it in a nut shell - I too can deal with the plucking but know I would be totally incapable of making the final chop. I have a friend who grew up on a farm and is practical in such matters I thought might help me out in exchange for a few tasty bird or eggs.

Kathy - that iris is stunning (and purple my favorite color). Love the penstemon too. Your lilies seem unmarked by the dreaded lily beetle - is your area pron at all? I've been doing a dialy examination and squish here and seem to be keeping ahead of them. They are the most beautiful insect - that incredible scarlet belongs in an old master painting. How ironic something so lovely should be so destructive.

Safe travels GB - how hard to say good-bye to the littlest one you have only just met.

Yesterday, as I was pulling clothes out from winter storage and tryng things on I came to the conclusion there is another part of me that looks better covered. Each decade a little bit more is hidden from public view. My tummy (via bikinis) was the first to go way back in my thirties. The top of my thighs was next - thank goodness for sarongs:0) Low necks soon followed, then yesterday I decided the top of my arms looked flobby in sleeveless tops. Commenting on this to DH I hoped he might reassure me otherwise but he responded with a "welcome to the club" LOL! Sheesh - soon I'll be dressed like the Armish. But at least I can still indulge in bright colors - not forgetting lime green:0)

It is grey and rainy here. I am desparate to get into the garden but every moment of this week has been consumed with other things. I finally have a couple of hours after work but the weather does not look too cooperative.

Mary

Packed and ready to go. Yesterday I managed to buy several PINKish outfits for baby girl.(Another one is lime green in honour of Mary)There will likely be no knitting for a while as the gardens beckons.

Skyler has been away with his Mom, celebrating his birthday at the Edmonton Mall's Gallaxy Land. He talks a good bit about "my baby sister" and wants to manhandle her a good bit. It will take some time to bring him up to speed again. This coming weekend he has a choir concert and there are several dress rehearsals, Tai Kwon Do classes, etc.

I will so miss the early stages with Little Miss, but also am concerned about Spring at the farm and other issues there. I wonder if there are bees swarming! Certainly I will be glad to see Phoebe. Two weeks without her is a long time!

(No Facebook for me Marian, just too time consuming with my slow rural computer. Not really my style anyway.)

I'll be back soon for a game of dueling photos with Grandma Eden, Grandma Michelle, and any others who can stand it. ;)
'bug

The most glaring thing I had to inquire about has subsequently been answered, LOL -- Mary is hoping to enlist someone else to be her butcher.... You just had a yen for home grown quail, eh? Let us know what else joins the farm menagerie, LOL....

Im turning into a mushroom as is my garden, what's not yet been drowned out.... squish, squish... and Miss Chloe is not getting much in the way of walks as she dislikes being wet and hates t-storms, poor thing -- we've got one rolling thru now and I wonder if she's flattened herself ato a pancake to hide under the bed...

Congrats, Saucy, on becoming Queen of the Bees -- you're ever expanding your talents!

Kathy is continuing to tempt us with wonderful photos of gorgeous plants -- I just love love that penstemon (& am sure I said that last year too, LOL)...

--Cindy

Mary, your chicks are adorable. The first idyll to trade in her Easter peeps for the real thing. I always wanted to have a rooster in my back yard. I saw Mike Rowe on dirty jobs injecting and sorting baby chicks. For some reason I thought you lived in a developed sort of neighborhood.I don't think I am allowed to have any sort of farm animal. Lucky you! When I was a around 5 I had a little banty hen. I don't remember her name, but my mom said I carried her around everywhere. I can remember her a little bit. I love the yellow one, well all of them actually:)

Kathy, your garden is beautiful. We are starting to green up around here.

Chelone everything I have read says that New Dawn is a great rose.

I have been buying plants for my potager, and bringing out the ones I wintered indoors. The stupid ground hog ate my Scheffilera (sp) today while I was out. It was a plant from my brother's funeral last year, so I wasn't overly thrilled. Went home to drop off some things, take a quick walk outside to see if anything new came up in the garden. Between that and the two deer the size of horses who nipped my lilies in the bud (literally) with one bite, I am ready to take drastic measures. I have never had any deer problems before so I guess I am lucky. I'm watching Charlie today. He is so much fun!

That is about it for me, I told the kids I would start the rice for their dinner.

D.

I got my hair cut today. It was HOT in town. I didn't notice the town thermometers, but our home one said the high was 88!!! Yarrgggg! I finished opening up more of the house. Nolon had opened the front storm door window, and the utility room door, as per my suggestion before leaving. I turned on the ceiling fan, too.

I was a pretty good girl today, and only got one six pac of Zinnia "Profusion Fire", a six pac of single flowered French Marigolds, and.....oh yes....another orchid followed me home, a white with red center with 18 open blooms! I didn't get to near all the places I hoped too, I pooped out too soon.

Marie, one of the things I like about facebook is the connection I have made with a niece in Washington, a niece in Oregon, and a nephew in Idaho. I haven't seen the nieces since our reunion in 1996. They have great pics of themselves on their facebook. The nephew is very close to Tim...grew up with Him, and was here a few years ago, after visiting Tim.
Another thing I like about it, is all the pictures I can post in albums for my friends and kin too see.
As for conversations, nothing can beat the Idylls.
LOL, I loke the idea of "dueling baby photos". Baby chicks can be included. :-)

Speaking of plants. I have been admiring a lovely shrub that many have in their yards, down below the mountain. I found out it is Photina. I almost bought one at Home Depot. Do any of you grow it? I may still get one.

Mary, I am with you on the chopping, and I never had any problem with the rest of the job. I dressed out, and froze a lot of our original chickens.

Kathy, The Rocky Mountain Penstemon looks very familiar. I am pretty sure it is one of the flowers I saw in the Idaho mountains.
I have Iris blooming, and one of my favorites is a unnamed orange one. Another is a large white, that my sis Evelyn gave me the start of. She gave me a start of a gorgeous blue too, and it is starting to open it's first bloom of the season. I brought the tubers home on the plane. It doesn't look like my Jain iris are going to bloom this year. I really must move them into a sunnier location. I have a spot in mind....
Yes, we had more rain night before last (1 inch) and more predicted for tonight. Maybe I will eventually finish mowing the yard for the second time!

Last night I stepped out on the porch, hoping to see Tommy , and saw a fox crossing the front yard! That is the first one I have seen in several years. Naturally I worried about Tommy all the rest of the night. He did not show up until this morning, and is fine. I also heard the first whippoorwill of the season, and trilling frogs along with the peepers. Pleasant sounds.:-)

Marian

I'm bushed so this is a brief photo essay for you all:
Mommy with baby girl

Daddy with baby girl

Nana with baby girl

Wonderful, wonderful pictures! She is really looking Nana over. :-)
Pride is oozing from every adult face! They are such good pics of you all.
I think it is the best one I have seen of Sarah.

An extended WALAT tonight, the weather is muy bueno and promises to be so for several days. The Bancroft Garden will be visited on Saturday.

Chelone, yoo-hoo !!, an important question has come up concerning the existence of a blender on the compound. Please advise, several people are interested in your response.!
In my experience with climbing roses, whatever slashing you perform in the winter seems to make no difference, they bounce back with gusto-and I say this with a zone 9 disclaimer.

LOL Woody, I still have fond memories of the wounds I sustained when pruning the climbers this winter, but see above, they are just as jumbo as ever !

Mary, we are not subject to the Lily beetle here, I did hear many gruesome tales at IU last summer ..the snails dont bother them much either (although they are fond of daylily foliage) so our biggest issue with Lilies here is rot from overly wet soil and standing water over the winter , and burning up from heat .

Thanks Drema, I hope youll share some pics of the potager when full on spring hits your world !

Marian, Photinia is a very commonly used landscape shrub here and is sometimes used as a small tree. It gets umbels of cream colored flowers..very sturdy and problem free.

Beautiful pics bug, liking the DD one best ! She looks beautiful and radient in her maternal dishevelment

All for me , I must watch the ballgame to assuage my baseball crisis of the day. Jeesh. ...note to Denise ..I was listening to KABC on the radio tonight (Dodger Talk) and heard tell of fires in Santa Barbara? Scary that there are fires this early ..

Kathy in Napa

Kathy, resident blenders include a stainless steel Waring and an Osterizer "Designer Cycle Blend" inherited from my aunt's home. I have been thinking we Idyllettes must needs put our heads together to come up with some menu planning/budgetting, etc.. I'll try to get it together to get an e-mail out to you guys on the subject this weekend or one of you could start one... as you know I'm not much on menu planning or cooking. (baking is not the same thing).

I can see plainly that the deluge of baby pictures is beginning. Whatever shall I do? Such a lovely trio to greet me this morning. I see Miss Mae Surprise is already dispensing her own special brand of joy to all who contact her, and in such a beautifully contained bundle, too. I agree, I don't think DD has looked more beautiful before and I don't believe I can think of a family more deserving of the these special moments than your's, 'bug. Miss Mae is a most fortunate little girl, indeed.

PM, you'll be pleased to learn that I forced myself to go out to the bahn and get going on the bench bases yesterday. I managed to put two coats of pickling on the backs of the pieces and my goal is to have them finished by the end of Saturday. It's time to fire a shot across the bow and alert the helpmeet that the chamfering has to be done pretty soon so I may move on to the legs next.

The house is still a disaster. The rugs look like the side of the road after the snow has melted and left all the road sand visible. I don't care. :) It will be there when I'm ready to face it. The trim boards on the counter were removed last night and the stove will be unhooked this evening in preparation for the delivery of the "range" on Saturday. I was thinking about the middle burner that warms the griddle... and how nice it will be to make my toad in a hole on that in the future.

Drema, how discouraging the deer and the woodchuck must've been. They're both incredibly destructive to gardens... deer have earned my special disgust. I saw two gracefully stepping through the back yard a week ago and promptly opened the door to frighten them off. We have focussed Rex's attention out there recently, too. Nothing like some fresh "dog pipe" to send the message that there is a new sheriff in town and they'd better watch out. Rex caught another vole yesterday, too. How old is Charlie now? is he in that permanently sticky phase?

I have more to say but I'm running a bit behind and need to get movtivatin'. It has the potential to be a long day at work (hopefully alone with NPR) and I have an appointment this afternoon, too. I should be just about finished with my day in 12 short hours, lol.

Thinking of you all at various times of the day these days, missing the FB defectors (but understand) and am grateful I don't have access to a computer over the course of the day or I'd be wasting too much time there, too. ;) Just not a great "fit" with my typical day, sadly.

Hi to all not mentioned, but wanted to know what happened to T. Is she indeed struggling to catch up on every Idyll she's missed in the past months??

Be brilliant today.

Good morning....

Delightful to see photos of Miss Mae and company this morning! Everyone is looking so happy! All that waiting rewarded. Really nice to see the light in the eyes and the beaming smiles after the year that you all have had. The little one is so serious! lol Reminds me of our DD when she was born who had a serious look on her face in many photos. She looks like she is deep in thought. Look forward to hearing about your homecoming when you are rested Gardenbug. :-)

Julie...glad to hear you are getting busy with the garden. Sounds like you are going to have a great vegetable garden this year. Sorry to hear DD has knotweed to deal with. I guess I will think of that next time I am complaining about the minor weeds in my garden.

Mary, what cuties! lol Very enjoyable story about Betty and Henny. My favorite is the amber colored one. .... Congrats to Annie on having her braces removed. I bet she is gorgeous!

Marian...your Tommy is just so funny. I can just imagine the conversation he had with you. I wonder where cats have developed this dislike of water? The big cats in the wild have to put up with rain and I've seen some photos of tigers swimming. [g] A fox sighting! No chance of me seeing any of those in my semi-urban location. Lucky you!

Saucy...that was the name of the book I was trying to come up with! No, I haven't read it. I have seen the title at the library and left it on the shelf thinking I might have to face the reality of how much my home grown vegetable crops actually cost me. I prefer fantasy over reality much of the time. lol You're having a vegetable garden this year, aren't you? ..... I discovered a patch of Poison Ivy the other day too. I thought we got rid of it last year. I continue to try to get rid of a weedy Campanula that is in the garden too and it just keeps coming back. .... We can't work fast enough here either. I was out looking around yesterday and I'm falling behind. .... Congrats on another new swarm of bees! I think you are really good at this bee keeping thing. :-)

Woody...I was just checking the brick edge around our sitting area and it is disappearing under the grass. I have tried to cut corners I guess and in the end my efforts have been wasted. So you can consider that as you work hard installing your edging right. :-)

Kathy...I love that Penstemon. I bought a similar one last year called 'Pike's Peak Purple'. It is coming up looking fine and can't wait to see it bloom. Your blue is so pretty, I will have to look for that one too. As far as I'm concerned, you don't have to ration the photos you post. I love to see some every time you post. I'm in a lull in our garden right now and not caught up with mulching and cleaning so photos are in short supply. When you have as successful a garden season as you are having, it would be such a waste not to take a gazillion photos!! .... Oh, and so sorry to hear about Dodger's disappointing news about Manny. I am hoping that the rest of the team can rise to the occasion. It would serve Manny right, for them to get along fine without him!

Woody and Kathy....I have the same kind of soaker hoses. Sears from recycled tires, I think. Plus the quick connect on all my hoses. What did we do before those were invented!? It sounds like you both are doing about what I have been doing with mine. I leave mine on for hours though Kathy in the heat of summer. Could I really get away with less? It never looks like they are getting enough water. I wish I could fill 100ft at a time Woody, that would cut my efforts in half.

Chelone...Hurry it up willya! I'm waiting for work on the curtains to begin, so the tables have to get finished tout de suite! Gee, if 12 hour days would just stop interfering. :-)

Ok...I need to cut this short too. I'm missing the FB defectors too. :-) Drema...very sorry to hear about dreaded deer in the garden and a woodchuck too? Horrible! Looking for a visit from Sue with news of how the renovating is going.

Will check back later I'm sure...

pm2

'Avalanche' Lilac, chose a rainy day to open and I took a photo between drops....

{{gwi:158394}}

What a great montage of the happy family, GB! I'll bet Phoebe is happy to see you, and will be happy to check out the farm with you today.

PM, that is a very nice white! I like that lilac.

I am making as many leaves as I can, but each large leaf takes up to two hours from start to finish. I figure I will make leaves until tomorrow and then I will be done (and out of room for the curing process!). I am going to take pictures and have an album for custom orders. I figure that will do it.

Never again, friends, never again. I don't even want to think about transporting them, lol!

I can't wait to have a castor bean leaf to cast! I can't find any plants this year, so I'm glad I grew some from seed!

I am ready to put together pots, and maybe today one or two will get assembled.

I see sunshine, so I'm off for an early morning walk. Have a good day, all!

Saucy