Happy Thursday or Friday or Monday depending on one's take :-)

I'll go for Thursday since that means three days off.

If we stop in, Sue, we won't eat. Promise :-) We have plans to go to Newington (pre-Bash is on at Syms) so may swing by but don't count on seeing us until late afternoon if that's okay. Plans are fickle this week .... If you want to email your phone # I can call and let you know for sure that afternoon. We SO appreciate the invite!!

Great score, Denise!!

Welcome Leslie! I'll need to Google where you are, but have been through Georgia many times and love how different it is depending on which way one is headed. Are you far south enough to have hanging moss in your trees?

That Hoya is outstanding, Marian. I've had a plant for several years that hasn't done a thing -- but it's alive!!

Exciting News!!! I Needed to Tie Up the Tomatoes!! Can you tell I've missed veggie gardening?????

If Kathy checks in -- My 'Aloha' is in full bloom and stunning. Thanks for the turn on :-)

No patterns out there for Muumus, Chelone and Cynthia, fabric creators extraordinaire. Any suggestions other than lying on the floor and have Rich trace around me to get the cut right the first time?

Off to work for an office day in jeans. Cool with me!!

Have a great Thursday, all.

Martie

Good morning all. Chelone, I could show you some pitiful plants in my collection, and I have had many that expired. The ones I posted are the easier to grow ones, as you requested. :-)
BTW, the Hoya hangs outside in the summer, and was outside when I took that pic. That wasn't this year, but it has blooms now. I have had it at least 33 years. It lived in a tiny 3" pot for years before I moved it into a larger one. It has been blooming for a good many years, every year.I have a variegated one too, but it has never bloomed.I have had it at least 15 years, probably longer.

Sorry for all that have back, foot, and hip, problems. I think feet and hips may be easier to fix than backs. :-(

Beautiful harbor pic, pm2.

Thunder boomers off in the distance. More rain may be in the picture for us. I think this will go down as the rainiest year we ever had, and maybe the coolest summer (I hope).

Happy Friday, all, LOL... Like Chelone, counting the hours -- sheesh, bummer to give up your 4-day weekend; I've learned to be contrary a lot about that thing; but know sometimes one has to give in too....

Welcome too, Leslie -- just chime in whenever you feel - you'll see us all pop in and out periodically, as Im sure you've figured out.

Excitement for Chloe and me last nite - she decided to treat herself to dessert -- a pack of sugarless gum (with xylitol) out of my purse -- somewhere between 6 and 10 pieces -- so after long attempts to get thru to the poison control center & the emergency vet, in between forcing hydrogen peroxide down a very very intractable jaws of steel, we paid (me, not Chloe) for her to spend the nite at the "doggie spa" -- the good news is while they didnt seem to get any of the gum and paper up (I've been assured it will pass eventually), her blood sugar, etc., stayed good all nite w/ i.v. drips, etc. -- fyi, the stupid stuff can be extremely toxic to dogs and cause liver damage, or produce insulin shock.... So Mommie has learned her lesson to pick up her purse; Doggies probably didnt learn anything except Mommie is no fun...and she still doesnt like the Nite Spa, despite the vet promising laughingly to provide her w/ mood lighting, music and a massage. Like kids, never a dull moment.

Jerry -- pls take all dr advice re your back - we want to see you at IU, I hope.

Denise - great score on those pots and sounds like they're being put to great use -- keep that head low and enjoy your leisure time.

Ok, a peak at the addiction:
The succulent corner (w/ those who are ready for full sun):

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A couple others that I think are really appealing, the one on the right in the blue pot is Agave "Kara's Stripe":

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-Cindy

Good morning,

Its not really hot out but the humidity must be up there because it feels dreadful outside, again. WE had two more significant T-storms yesterday. This is now three days in a row with big boomers and lots of rain. ~~ I went out plant shopping Tuesday with my friend Mary. The Mixed Border was all spiffed up getting ready for a TV crew. They have a lovely selection of perennials right now and they really do have the best selection of clematis Ive seen anywhere. I had another beautiful Piilu just leap into my cart. What was it to do except take it home with me? Then we went out to Ponema Farms in Milford then on to House by the Side of the Road in Wilton where I found some gorgeous Rex Begonias and a Talinum limon.

Sue, I found quite a few annuals at Mixed Border last week but they are all sold out now. I did find a few nice things over at Mahoneys in Chelmsford and Ponema Farms in Milford has some nice looking double purple datura that just came in. Love that container with the Gartenmeister, Freckles and Torenia. Looking forward to Saturday. How many should we make salad for? ~~ Wow, I looked through that gallery from 04 and it is beyond amazing what youve accomplished in the gardens since then. ~~ Sue, remind me to check out your camera on Saturday.

PM definitely try the Angelonia. Im in love with it. ~~ I use Algoflash fertilizer for my pots most of the time. The annuals love it. Your potting soil sounds like it should be fine. I used up a lot of re-used potting soil all the time. You might want to check if theyve been getting too much water? Most times when I have containers that are just lingering about like that Ive been keeping them too wet, they arent getting enough light or food. ~~ About feeling Blah about your garden this year, how about taking one small section and analyze it and give it a good cleaning out primping and pruning and then toss in a few new plants? That usually makes me feel better about things.

Chelone, Lol about virgin queens and Elizabethan ruffs. I had a great laugh this AM over that one.

Saucy, lol about the love life of bees! So the boys only get one chance in a lifetime. Interesting. I chose that adjective as I had to edit out four or five other comments that popped into my head.

Denise, great score on those pots. So do you have photos of all the plants in their new digs? Glad the dove babies made it into the skies.

Good grief Jerri! So sorry about the spine problems. Hope that doesnt impact our IU5 plans. Dougs taken that Wednesday off to got to the beach with us. Hope you are feeling better now.

Welcome Leslie!!! Great to hear from Georgia.

Cindy, I almost passed out in the chair when I had my first crown put in. Glad you survived your experience. Can you imagine some people have crowns put in for cosmetics? ~~ Yes indeed, hoik and shovel prune any daylilies that arent up to snuff. There are so many fabu cultivars these days and garden space is too precious for something that isnt wonderful. I got rid of several huge clumps last year and theyd been in the gardens for fifteen years or so but they just didnt do it for me anymore so I donated them to the compost pile. ~~ Jolyene Nichole is a gorgeous cultivar isnt it? Mine is just starting to bud up this year and should hopefully put on quite a show. Do you have Pastel Classic? Its another lovely Trophy Taker cultivar and re-blooms for me in some years but would probably reliably re-bloom for you in your zone.

Kathy just love that geranium! What a great cultivar. I NEED that plant! LOL ~~ Have a great trip!

Michelle, I just LOVE that photo of Kenzie and the horse. That needs to be framed and on the wall. And your garden pics are divine. What cultivar of allium are those? My seed heads arent that good looking. Do you have a photo of your copper tuteur now? Id love to see it with the clematis on it.

OK Doug is waiting for me to go for a long bike ride so Id better get off this computer. We are hopefully going to get to Ayre today which is our 32 mile trip. Ill see how my bum holds up. LOL Ive not done a lot of bicycling this year so dont know if Im up to the distance right now.

Im also in the process of spray painting an old pot to match the new Rex Begonias and want to get that finished so lots of projects as usual.

Have a great day everyone
Deanne

Hey there Cindy, we were posting at the same time, thanks for the great pics of your patio. I love it all. Looks great! I really love that turtle~~ Bummer about the gum incident. Is Chloe speaking to you this morning? She is probably very confused as to what caused that irrational behavior in her person.
D

Thanks guys for such a warm welcome, gardeners are just the best!

Okay Gardenbug, here goes: I have 4 cats (Annie, Momo, Ozla, and Doozi), one adorable 11 month old dog named Juri, and one big ol ball python (well, technically, hes my sons, but since I have to have his delectable furry dinner in my freezer I claim some ownership). Oh yeah, we also have a parakeet. I am still mourning the loss of my little dog Champ last July. Some things are just so difficult to move on from. I remember your beautiful Charlotte,( and am soooo proud of your pretty little Phoebe!).

Thanks Chelone for the great advice. Ill probably be able to post regularly until school starts. I work with EIP ( Early Intervention Program) children here (its the greatest job ever!!). After we go back to school on August 6, (we start really early here), I will probably not be real consistent, but Ill try.

Jerri, LaGrange is really close to me, as a matter of fact, its where we will be going for our annual Christmas breakfast the weekend before the big day. Hope your back will be improving soon.

Denise, what a great score on those pots. I am always looking for some pretty pots ever since I began drooling over Deannes unbelievable combinations (wish I had her talent).

Wow, Marian, that Hoya carnosa is wonderful, Ive never seen anything like it. Do you just have your houseplants placed here and there? Do they all need to be close by a window to get that filtered light?

Saucy, one of my favorite things is to see a table dressed in vintage tablecloths and dishes. It just says "summer" to me. Unfortunately, I own not a one!

Pm2, For so long now, I have enjoyed your gorgeous pictures! You havent taken a picture since June 12? Well, I am embarrassed to say, I take about 50 pictures, EVERY DAY, as though it really changes that much from day to day. Still, it gives me so much pleasure during the winter months that I just click away - easy to do with these digital cameras now.

Hi Martie. No, Im actually just about 30 miles south of Atlanta. Newnan was spared the burning of Shermans "march to the sea" because he used it as his headquaters. Lots of history here and there are many beautiful old southern homes. I have actually always thought of myself in zone 7, we are farther north than zone 8 implies.

Cindy, love the peek at your "addiction". Im so glad your Chloe is going to be okay. I did not know that about the gum.

Deanne, I loved the purple pot you painted - I really loved the flat color and it looked so pretty with the Clematis. Re: the clematis - do you pot up your perennials you buy after the temps get so warm and save them to plant in the fall? I have that same square grayish pot - its one of my favorites.

Okay! Done! Wow, that wasnt too bad. I typed this up on my WP before posting so I could take the dog out a gagillion times and not risk losing my post. What a great idea, I think I read it here! Later I will do a shorter post and include some pics. I know you must be tired or reading by now (are you even here still?). Youre the best! Leslie

Hi, Leslie. Nice to see some one here from the deep south :-)

My houseplants are placed (in the wintertime) in the locations where they get the amount of light recommended for them. We have lots of windows on the sunny sides of the house, but most of them are shaded by large trees, including the bay window in front. We also have a utility room that has windows on three sides, and I keep lots of my plants in there in the cold months. A lot of my houseplants spend the warm months outside, mostly on the deck, that faces the Northeast.

I am looking forward to seeing your pictures. If an old gal like I could figure it out, I am sure you can too. I did have help from a very dear member, to get me started.:-)

Good morning, all!

'Bug, I had to laugh that Reed's first "real" word was flashlight. DH always has to ask where the flashlight is, because he never puts it back where it belongs. It's such a routine by now that all he says is, "flashlight?"
BTW, you solved a mystery for DH and I. There was a plant growing in a ditch along one of the fields, and we couldn't figure out what it is. Turns out it's Angelica. Thanks, that was driving me nuts :)

Marian, our lawnmower has one of those "dead man switches" in the seat, too. I think all of them have it now. I used to bag grass to use for mulch, and boy, was that a pain in the neck. Our "lot" is probably close to 2 acres, and if you can imagine how many times you have to get off the mower to dump bags. DH finally disabled it because he figured I'd burn up a starter every season, lol! I once got caught by a twig that hooked in my ponytail holder because I didn't lay down far enough..yeouch. I got unhooked, then looked around to make sure no one saw me, I'm sure I looked hilarious :) Thay hoya bloom is gorgwous!

Michelle, I love the tuteur! I've always meant to get around to playing in Jim's shop and making some interesting pieces for vines to climb. You did a nice job, I'd love to see pics with the Clematis on it. Kenzie and the horse...just adorable. Makes my "grandma hormones" kick into overdrive!

Kathy, I feel for you with the dental implants. I had a tooth with a root canal that went bad, and had an implant done. I'm very glad I did it, but it was sure no picnic. Being the sadistic mother that I am, I brought home a picture where they had the whole thing opened up, stuck it on the fridge, and used magnetic letters to spell out "FLOSS YOUR TEETH". I think it made an impression on the kids.

Hi, Leslie, and welcome! I'm never able to keep up around here, just do the best I can ;)

Saucy, I don't know that I've commented on the bee project, but I've been following along avidly. What a cool thing to do!

Jerri, sorry to hear there are back problems. Personally, I think I'd rather have another dental implant than to have more back problems. Dental work rarely keeps me out of the garden, and a painful back is SUCH a PITA...I have sciatica, lol...kinda localizes the pain in the gluteus maximus sometimes ;)

As always, I love browsing all the pictures. It's probably a good thing my memory is failing, or I'd spend a lot more money on plants. You guys are such enablers. If I don't make a note, I forget I wanted a plant. I did see a photo that Woody posted, I believe it was persicaria polymorpha and I immediately made a note of that one. If you haven't seen the post, it's really cool. Shows the plants in different light situations. Awesome post, Woody.

It's getting somewhat exciting around here. Given the fact that grain prices are crazy good, DH has loosened the purse strings, and I get to have some work done on the porch. If THAT isn't enough, it sounds like it's finally time to build on a garage. That project will include removing the little add-on that contains the laundry room. We'll get not only an attatched garage, but a whole new utility room. Be still, my heart! In my 46 years, I have never had a garage. I can't imagine the luxury. Being farmers, it seems like we always do our grocery shopping in the rain, and we shop for a month at a time. Ah, the smell of damp grocery bags.........
Gotta get busy doing something. We got a little rain last night, so it's a bit too tacky to get any work done. Hey, I know...I'll go snap a few pictures!
Have a grand day, one and all!
Brenda

Okay, I give up! I can't find any information anywhere about how to upload pictures. I tried copy and paste from the WP, and it would take the writing, but not the pic. Help!!

Leslie

Hi, Leslie! You need to use an image hosting site to upload your pictures to the internet. I use www.photobucket.com and I think others here use www.picturetrail.com
You upload your pictures to their site. The instructions are on the page, and it's pretty cut and dried. Then, there is a line of HTML code that you can copy and paste into your post. It looks like this
[img src="http://img.photobucket.com/Garden202008/IMG_0366.jpg";] except that the [] at the beginning and end are symbols. After you've pasted that line into the post, and click the preview message button, you should see the picture, like this:

{{gwi:162529}}
This is the part of the house that will be torn off for the new utility room and garage. Ugly cement shed will be gone, as will the deteriorating raised beds.
Hope that helps. Sounds complicated, but really isn't :)
Brenda

Leslie...I don't use a photo hosting site, I use Tinypic.com. You can choose photos off your hard drive from their site and choose the size photo you want to post and it provides the HTML code that you paste into your post. Pretty simple and if I remember right, they explain how to do it on their site.

pm2

Good cool morning. It was 54 degrees here this morning at 6:10 when I went out for my morning stroll. We havent turned our a/c on yet this year. We just havent had the humidity that usually gets us to turn it on.

A hearty welcome to Leslie! Pets, kids and gardens it sounds like you will fit right in.

Deanne, the alliums are Purple Sensation. I added quite a few to this garden just last fall. I think you have found a new medium to create with spray paint ;o) I really need to get a picture of the tuteur.

Cindy, what a great assortment of interesting plants on your patio. I also really like the herringbone brick pattern. Poor Chloe, Im glad you caught it in time. The salvia in my picture is May Night and I believe there is another kind that is quite similar in there too. Since they seed around a bit it becomes unclear whose who after awhile.

Pm2s picture reminds me of why I would love to get to Maine someday.

Saucy, you should be able to make a trellis or such out of copper as it really is just all small pieces soldered together.

Denise, your DH sounds like mine, he is always scoping out clearance garden items for me.

Brenda, great news about the garage and utility room.

We are heading to the fireworks tonight with Kenzie. They have lots of other activities going on and I believe pony rides are a part of it.

Michelle

Ahhhh. Lunch at the office followed by ice cream sundaes courtesy of the local reps' slush fund. What better way to spend a work day? (A $1m order would be nice :-)

No storms here yesterday, Deanne -- they must've all headed northeast and will be to Chelone in no time! Take cover...

I need to pull out some wayward Rugosa canes, and have coveted a Rugosa standard since I saw Deanne's. How did you get it started? Same as I would any non-tipped cutting?

Cindy - is that a mossy turtle? How cool???!!! Did you use a yogurt mixture on it or did it just 'happen.'?

Should get back to work but hanging with the Idylls is so much more fun.

I leave you all with a special site for Michelle in particular to visit. Chelone and Deanne will like it, too:-)
Martie

Good morning all. I know it's after 1:00 P.M. but the medication worked well. LOL
My back problems started in 2007 or so. Some arthritis, a slipped vertebra, and a suspected autoimmune disease. DH helped by leaving an empty pot dolly sitting in the driveway one night. I found it of course. I am glad it was dark; my driveway surfing must have been a sight to see.
I have nerve compaction problems so, on any day, I may have numb and/or on fire fingers, hands, right leg or left foot. I hope the procedure yesterday will help with the pain and sciatica. I go back in 3 weeks for round two .

Makes life interesting but has brought my gardening to a halt. I have decided I will have to hire someone to regain the front flowerbeds so I am not ashamed to live here anymore. ;)
I am gardening vicariously through relatives as well as Idylls this year.

I will absolutely be at the Idyllunion! Just do not expect me to do any weeding. ;)

Jerri

Hi everyone (waves).
I can't believe others want to take a welding course too. I had one all picked out before my folks passed away last year. I think it's time to look up that information again.
How fun! :)

Hi Leslie! On the subject of picture hosting (TinyPic, PhotoBucket, etc.); some internet providers give free disk space with your internet account. If that is the case, you just upload your photos there. I hope that makes sense. :)

Jerri

Okay, here we go, I think I've got it (it only took me three or four hours!).

April Garden:

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May - I am looking to add lilies and clematis for May. I just found an HF Young clematis and was so excited!
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June
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A pot inspired by the pot queen - Deanne

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A picture from the kitchen window:
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Late June - not much happening in the garden on the left, it's my project for next year.
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Luckily I had all day to get this post done! It's a good thing, because that's just about how long it took me! Hope you like the pics. I post July soon.

Leslie

Leslie, your gardens are just lovely! And you got in a shot of the kitties! Who are we looking at? I love the containers and stone edging too. I am a rockaholic. :)
I'm so glad you posted.

Jerri

When I was a senior in high school I really DIDN'T want to go to college. I wanted to either: go to France for a year as an exchange student, or learn how to shoe horses and weld (I wanted to learn to shoe American Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walkers, Morgans, and Arabians; all the breeds that are shown Park Seat and have longer hooves to accentuate the high, "trappy" nature of their gates). The 'rents were adamant that neither of those would be acceptable. I went to college and I loathed every stinkin' minute of it. Fire alarms on Friday and Saturday night/morning, a room-mate who told me to sleep somewhere else because her boyfriend was in town (I was too freaked out to tell her to "get a room"). My brother is a master metalsmith, with all the equipment and talent to boot. I watched him work one day and remarked it was just "sewing with metal". He lifted the mask and grinned, "that's exactly right!". I think you should go for it and now you've got me thinking about it, too, lol. Meant to comment that your tuteur is wonderful, Michelle, and I know exactly what you mean about the supports being too far apart. My father was a plumbing/heating contractor; did you know they make copper "Ys", too? (half S P traps with inverted nuts, too, lol!)

It's very warm today and rather humid, but the breeze is just unbelievable, stong and steady from the south/southwest. Great day for sailing, but my more squeamish sensibility would require reefing the mainsail. I am definitely NOT into white knuckles or "dipping the rail". We didn't get a thunderstorm yesterday, Deanne. It looked as though it might happen but they must've passed us by. More are predicted for today, but we'll have to wait and see. I'm unsure if there was painting activity today... the tall extension ladder is gone from the south side of the house, and the fan was on in the bathroom (evidence of a "stinky" sent to the septic tank earlier today?)... I just don't know for sure! :)

Leslie, I use Picturetrail and probably ought to look into free services. I have a very hard time with how a computer talks to other ones, but I only use it for recreation so don't spend too much time on the subject. And this one is old and slow by today's standards. I think my next move will be to a Mac.. I want to hear about EIP. As you no doubt already know I hate dogs and kids and the helpmeet and I are proponents of "regular beatings". I've had to learn to share my roof with canids, but have pointedly avoided procreating. ;) Too selfish and too lazy!

UPS was just here and I was stunned to see the driver not only pull into the driveway BUT DRIVE THE CIRCLE! I told him so, too. We layed the driveway out to accomodate delivery vehicles comfortably (UPS, oil and gas trucks). It was gratifying to see how easy it was for him to negotiate the curves. There is a reason for "architectural standards" and opting for the more "gracious" one was a good move on our part. I thought of my late FIL who was a landscape architect and was very involved in planning and exectuting many state parks. It was he who started me thinking of the greater good and beneficial sacrifice.

Sue, I didn't not have time to adequately study your linked album last night. But wanted to extend gratitude for photographic sympathy, as well as profound admiration for such a lovely project. It's just beautiful and it has bouyed my spirits. I guess there really IS hope.

Brenda, you are WARNED about building projects, lol. The "seepage" can be very dispiriting and once the thrill is gone the grim reality of the "details" can be daunting. Still, though, I'd never, ever had a garage before last winter, either. And not having to clean snow off a car to go to work is too luxurious for words. In fact, it's downright obscene when you think about the selfishness of it in the BIG, worldwide picture. I've decided to add it to my list of "guilty pleasures"... Barry White and Michael Jackson, cocoanut covered marshmallows, a soft-serve vanilla cone dipped in chocolate on a hot day, and ONION RINGS (need to indulge that one soon).

I particularly love the little Agave wannabe you posted, Marian. I've seen them before and thought they were precious. I forgot to bring home the Dracena (sp?) that has been tortured for 5 yrs. now. I hauled it out its pot yesterday and was shocked by the root system... wound around the base of the 6" pot. I snipped the roots back and put it in a container of water. It had slurped up about 1/2" of water in under 24 hrs. and it clearly needs a new home. I'll go rescue it tomorrow morning and give it a second chance (there IS green growth). If it dies, it dies, nothing ventured, nothing gained... right?

10-4, good buddies!

(My co-worker was thrilled to have Monday with her BF. And it looks as though next weekend will be my 4 day weekend with my co-worker picking up my "regular" Friday. It's a very small shop and we work really hard to accomodate each other. Even when it gets "tense" each of us understands that we're all in it together. "All for one and one for all!")

OUTDOOR kitties; I just love having our pride convene as soon as they hear a car pull into the Compound. I love working in an area and hearing the chirp/mew or just feeling one of them rub against me as I work.

Nice job on the picture posting! introduce the kitties and your kids (if you feel comfortable posting their faces, some don't for good reason, sadly).

What a lovely, sylvan setting! the warm, humid breeze is blowing the fragrance of the woods into our home. I wonder if you experience the same thing in your home?

Saucy.Mr Baby wears a purple beanie with tassels to the beach !

{{gwi:162542}}

Kathy (in Yachats)

He may not pee when you touch him as puppies often do, but he likely drools.

Chubby, obviously loved and fussed over, a stern upbringing and frequent beatings will round him into a good, honest, TAX paying citizen.

"Flashlight", huh? yeah, RIGHT. ;) Of all things, I think being able to get into a baby's head would prove most beneficial to our species. I look at the way babies observe the world and am amazed. I think our species loses a most visceral experience of our natural world at the same time we "gain" speech. Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle, and talk, talk, talk. Every single moment you spend INTERACTING with them is one more brick in the wall of a world-wide, loving humanity. Beatings, frequently administered feature prominently, too... never forget the beatings!

Leslie, you are a fast learner ! What a lovely place ! Do you have lots of rain there? I see that your location is a long ways from the ocean. Our son vacationed near Stone Mountain some years ago. He brought me a spoon holder from there. :-)

Chelone, you gave me a scare when you said you like my Agave wannabe. I first thought: if you were near I could give you a start. Then I thought:...good heavens, do I even still have any of it ! It had over-flowed it's pot and I divided it a year or so ago,( that was not this year's pic). A lot of it died due to too much water in the container that it was in, that didn't have any drainage ! I rushed out on the deck and searched for any remains ! Thank goodness, there is a nice little one out there, and it is putting on a new shoot. Whew ! What a relief !
( Ei, are you noticing all my exclamation marks ? )

While out there I took some pics of 2 differant Dracaenias, and an Aglaonema.

The first two are Dracaenias:

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This is an Agleonema, ( a kumquat is growing with it.):

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And this is a completely differant Dracaenia (the speckled plant, the other one is a Peperomia...another easy plant.)

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This last Dracaenia is not as easy for me to grow as the other three that I have pictured. Which one does yours resemble?

Norma, we(I)need some pics of your farming operations. :-)

Marian

LOL, Marian. The specimen I forgot to bring home today, for pottin' up, is most like the first photo. But there is a pink streak down the very centre of the leaves. I HAVE to go get it tomorrow and post a shot of it because it is clingling to life, even as we speak. You will be appalled even as I'm amazed by the plant's ability to cling to life under the most adverse conditions. Stay tuned.

Proper spelling is "Dracaenia", ?

Winter conditions here are rather warm and dry (woodstove!) and "sunny" can be dicey as the southern windows can get rather crowded. But I need to take advantage of the knowledge your masterful stewardship provides.

Ride herd on me, willya? there is every liklihood I'd blow this advice off since there is activity OUTSIDE the windows.

Well, well...another country heard from...lol. If it isn't Mr Baby! OMGosh...what a darling, darling boy...lol! He looks so smart, Kathy. He has an expression on his face that he has something on his mind and is getting ready to say something. [g]

Leslie...great job posting your first photos! I especially loved your Deanne-esque pot. :-) What is the snowball shrub in photo #2? Love your garden and glad you included the kitties in the photo. I hope you will post close ups of the kitties on the Idyll Pets thread.

Marian...you DO have some great houseplants! That first photo almost looks like you have tied a bow in the middle with a couple of the stems. Looks cute. [g]

Yep, that is the proper spelling. :-)
Keep in mind, most of my plants survive dispite me ! They get very benign attention. :-(
Maybe if you 'beat' them they will grow, LOL . ;-)
The only heat we have is a wood stove, and it is in the livingroom. Well, actually that isn't the only heat....I use an electric heater in the utility room.

Kathy, Mr. Baby is so sweet ! Are you going to call the poor fellow Mr. Baby all his life?

Pm2, I don't know why that plant looks like that. I haven't investigated, but maybe a bug did that? :-)

There are more rains in our forecast for tonight and tomorrow ! Wonderful, wonderful.....as long as there is no hail, and the driveway holds !

Marian

Brebda, I am getting bad at not recalling who spoke to me.:-(
I can identify with you about almost getting your head jerked off when you ducked under a tree, I had a straw hat on that tied under my chin. I ducked under a redbud limb, but not far enough. You can get the picture !!! I laughed and told myself that one day I was really going to hurt myself.

BTW, we need pics of your farming operations too. :-)
You all know, I am still a farm girl at heart.

Marie, I noticed you have similar mowing problems. I keep threatening to do more really drastic pruning, but don't want to spoil the shape of the shrubs.

Kathy, I forgot to tell you how pretty I think your daylily pics are. One of mine, in the east flower bed, finally escaped the deer enough to have a bloom this year. It was sort of the color of your second pic.

Michelle I have 2 packages of the netting (I forgot I had the first, and bought another), but have yet to open either. I am still putting fences around things.

Marian

Just a quick 'hi', I'm in the upstairs loft area which looks out to the ocean. We had a beautiful sunny day today, but the fog has rolled in and the temps have dropped now. BBQ chicken for dinner and maybe some poker tonight.

I wanted to just say Hi and welcome to Leslie, and say that I enjoyed your photos. Also a thanks to Sue for posting that interesting documentation of her garden building project..I'm sure that gave Chelone a mental boost !

And Marian, as usual you have wonderful houseplants . Mine are always so pathetic looking !

Cindy, I will be having 3 crowns put on over my implants and my next appt in two months is for a torque test ! I feel like a used car . I guess they test the implants to make sure they are securley attached..What fun !

Signing off from the Oregon Coast...

Kathy in Yachats

What did Chelone say about keeping up? Once again I am behind! I shall pledge to read all that I missed over my leisurely coffee tomorrow morning.

I am SO looking forward to not working three days in a row! Slowly, with little baby steps, some of the annoying little issues are getting resolved. My car is now all better, and best of all they totally CLEANED it inside and out! Who knew?

And this week we started getting mail delivery again. The road project is not done, but it's far enough along that I no longer have to make suicide turns into my driveway, adn the mailman again can get to the mailbox.

Best of all, I hired a new person to replace the woman who walked out in mid-May. So the workload will reduce drastically in another week or so.

DD is off visiting friends for the weekend, so we have a relatively quiet weekend planned. I'm hoping to get a few things caught up. I've been so tired after work that I've accomplished little or nothing most nights.

I'll sign off for more, but promise to read tomorrow,

V.

Happy Fourth! So looking forward to the weekend. DD is away for the weekend also. One son home, one away. We are planning to be 'spontaneous' this weekend. lol First things first, though, into the garden this morning, to put some Idyll suggestions to work. Found a whole tray of six packs of Browalia on sale for $10 yesterday, no Angelonia to be seen. I will look again today. I am planning on adding some to my containers that are not doing well to bulk them up some. Also repeating the fertilizer routine I have started with the pots. Thanks for sharing your container tips Deanne, I had never heard of your Algoflash fertilizer, but I am going to look for it. In the meantime, I am using Neptune Fish/Seaweed Emulsion. I was skipping the fertilizer for the first month they were planted, so maybe if I use it every time I water, it will start to make a difference. Next year, I am going to have to get with the program and use fertilizer from start to finish.

I think we are going to try to fit in as much shopping as we can, I find it a good weekend to find final sales on clothing, Joann Fabrics usually has their garden related items on sale. Nurseries have reductions. Maybe head to Maine for the day on Saturday.

So what are everyone's Fourth of July plans? We used to take the kids into Boston to the Esplanade for the Fireworks and the Fourth of July concert. We had the best times. We haven't done that in about 10 years though. I loved fireworks when I was a kid but even then I thought it was a lot of build up for such a short burst of entertainment. The Boston fireworks were worth the build up though. They would last for almost a half hour and having the 1812 Overture playing while they were going off, certainly made them more special. Now I am spoiled. We never watch fireworks on TV. My Mom used to watch them without fail every year as she got older and I just could never see the attraction. lol So what are your favorite Fourth of July memories?

We had another burst of wind and rain last night, but it didn't last long. I am not complaining, it is saving us from watering, which is a real break. Oops! I see out the window it is raining again this morning. Change of plans, guess we will do the shopping first.

V....I am happy to hear you have time off and some replacement help to look forward to. I hope you will have a chance to relax as much as possible this weekend. :-)

Kathy...your trip is already sounding wonderful! Ocean out the window, Barbecue Dinners and Card games at night...what could be better! Reminds me of some of my childhood summers. Our family loved to get together around the DR table and play cards. We would laugh our heads off. My mother was the queen of the wild cards...lol. Seven card stud, Rolling Ladies. All for nickels and dimes. It was a lot of fun. When I was older and there was not a gang around we learned bridge and looked forward to every chance we could get to play. Last year, DH and I found instructions for playing bridge for two people and that was fun. Maybe we can fit that in this weekend too. Glad you are having a great time. Hope you get a good night sleep too! ;-)

Marian...I had a good chuckle over your joke to Chelone. Still sharp as a tack! :-)

I am also on the tuteur train, but have no interest in welding...lol. My son has done some work welding and I would wager he would enjoy that kind of a project. Did I read correctly Michelle that you would improve upon the first one you made, if you made another?

Chelone...we bought tickets on a really small sailboat in Maine one weekend a few years back. It was just a short trip out for maybe an hour. Just happened to be getting darker as we were waiting to board the boat and by the time we got out there were some strong winds. We were all a little 'white knuckled' by the time we got back. I think when I was a kid, I would have enjoyed it more. I don't want to give up on it though. I thought we might try again on a larger sailboat.

Sue....I have seen photos of your garden before and loved it, but how fascinating to see how the whole thing started. Great photo journal of the process. Thanks for sharing that!

Leslie....I meant to also say, that for a shady garden, you have a lot of color.

Martie...add me to the horse lover's group. Loved your link, thanks.

Brenda....you have a great area for that new garage/utility room. That would be a project I could get excited about too. [g] We need a utility/mud room. Our problem is the garage was placed on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen back door. So inconvenient. Will you include laundry in that utility room?

Well...that is getting far afield of a holiday mood, thinking about utility rooms and laundry....lol.

Enjoy the day off everyone! Have a day filled with....

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:-)
pm2

Good morning all,

So whats with this rain that they did not predict? The weather people are off their game lately. Maybe they should say Maybe it will rain and maybe the sun will be out then theyll have it right. We got another afternoon of thunder storms yesterday so its been a very wet week here starting with that two inches on Sunday. I cant imagine how much more weve gotten in the last three days of additional storms and now this heavy rain this morning. As PM said though, its nice not to have to water.

Today Doug is going up to his fathers camp on Lake Horace for a family thingy but Im not going. That place has way too many very bad associative memories and I really dont plan to ever go back up there. His father gets his kicks or something from ridiculing overweight people and its even worse when they are wearing bathing suits. I have no intention to ever provide fodder for his sick sense of humor again so I refuse to EVER be around him in a swim suit again. The place is a camp on a lake, they will be sitting around eating hamburgers etc all day so if I dont go swimming there is absolutely nothing for me to do all day but sit on my duff and try to make inane, polite conversation with people I dont get along with. Doug doesnt get it; he thinks his father is just trying to be funny. Not! One of those things weve had to agree to disagree on. I refuse to put myself in a position to be emotionally abused by his father.

Anyway, my DSister is coming over and we are going to have lobster on the patio and enjoy the gardens. We originally were going to go for a bicycle ride but it will be too wet not to mention Im a bit sore from yesterdays jaunt to Ayer, MA. Doug and I did a nice 25 mile bicycle ride yesterday afternoon but my butt is a bit on the sore side this morning. LOL

PM, unless you use a potting soil with some kind of supplemental food like the Miracle Grow Potting Soil Id recommend starting on a feeding program for the containers right from the start.

V. glad to hear that many of your issues are getting resolved.

Hey Kathy! Great to hear from you from the beautiful PNW! Mr. Baby is pretty darned cute! The tasseled hat is way at the top of the cuteness chart.

Leslie, beautiful garden pics! I love seeing the seasonal progression and how interesting to see your red soil. Your containers are so pretty.

Jerri, so sorry about the back problems. Driveway surfing is not a good thing for bad backs. ~~ No worries, no weeding expected.

Martie my rugosa standard started out with a very long cane sometime around 1995. After it got about five feet I started tip pruning it and just kept at it until I had a good head on it. So yes, its the same as any other non-tipped cutting.

Brenda, great news about the garage! Now youll need to get an automatic garage door opener and youll never get wet bringing in the groceries again. (except, of course, when you have all those tender plants in the garage instead of the cars, LOL)

OK time to get a move on here and tackle some indoor projects until the rain stops.

Have a great 4th everyone!
Deanne

Hi Leslie! Pretty garden you've got going there.... You mentioned a dog I think? What kind? and a snake...?! I assume it's kept well away from the furry pets!

I forget who commented on the size of the New Dawn rose flowers... They're not really huge but are a good size, come in clusters and are wonderfully scented. The buds in a cluster don't always open all at the same time so some fade faster than others as you can see here:
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Jerri - that back situation sounds painful -and frustrating if it's keeping you out of the garden and other things (must be hard to play with all those puppies...)

Kathy - that kid is going to be quite old I think before we stop calling him Mr. Baby... :-)

V - I'm glad things are starting to look up a bit for you!

It's very cool here at nights but very pleasant for gardening. Things are looking very lush. But I suspect we'll be heading into the usual summer drought now. The wisteria is into its summer flush of blooms - I figured out yesterday that pruning off the whippy new growths equals ~ 3-4 flowers at that location about 2-3 weeks later:
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I hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend.

After the usual "freaky friday" Im drooping this a.m. but need to perk up as DD is coming to aid her sloppy Mom and sort and move more things back to the basement - so work of another sort today, but much needed.

Leslie -- your gardens are gorgeous and soothing -- I imagine you feel terribly lucky to have all that shade in GA, otherwise gardening in the sun there would be baking a lot of stuff? Definitely saw the Container Queen influence in the lovely white pot -- very lovely. You'll be picking up a can of spray paint in no time, LOL... Keep the photos coming! I didnt have a good chance to really examine, but I love the colors and the mood.

Deanne, all that rain we were supposed to get in t-storms came to you instead I guess; things are drooping here; they say t-storms before the fireworks but I better not wait and need to water some things. You should be congratulated on your stance against enduring any more tortuous "family" outings -- it's still confusing when great guys like Doug dont get it though, right? I suspect that's more because he doesnt want to recognize how mean spirited his Dad really is and feels the need to "deny" - we know all about that, right? But one can only endure and do the family obligatory stuff but so long and realize one day that they dont even appreciate it and it's just agony - boy, kind of like getting that crown on, eh? You're a smart, great person and it sounds like you'll have a much better day; nothing wrong w/ a few separate holidays.

Brenda, how exciting about your garage and projects -- o no, more mess, but a great mess -- I was thinking that at least farmers generally are having a good year re the market basket prices even if there's pain at the other end for the consumer - assuming you're not one flooded out like in Iowa.

Mr. Baby -- love your beach wear. Sounds like a great time to enjoy with your family. Kathy, he's adorable, dont listen to Chelone, and thanks for sharing an update - they sure grow quickly dont they?

V, glad you're getting some much deserved rest - I think holidays are meant to be for that sometimes - I think we enhabit the same frenzied work lifes... and they are so draining.

Ok, well, no more time to linger, just wanted a quicky pick me up to look at the photos again - gotta get the energy bag on and get to work. Gotta take free help whenever you can get it.

I hope everyone has a fun, relaxing day.

Cindy

TGIF!

Good morning! Like Deanne I'm sitting here looking out at a cool drizzly day and thinking "what the ____?". For weeks now it seems like it rains at some point every day. The dogs stink because their faces and feet are constantly wet. No complaints though. It will likely stop for good soon enough and we'll be complaining that it's too dry...lol. I plan to do some cleaning this morning and then hopefully some garden cleanup for the get together tomorrow. With all this rain the lawn needs to be mowed every five or six days. There's this teeny baby rabbit that's been hanging around for a couple of weeks and doing some serious damage to the gardens along my side walkway. The damn rat must eat ten times it's weight in plants every day. He's cuter than cute but I'm about to declare open season on baby rabbits.

Welcome to new idyller Leslie! What a beautiful and private backyard garden view. Once you get the hang of posting pictures you'll be unable to restrain yourself.

Thanks for all your positve comments on my project link. I like to document projects and that summer was a doosie. Also in my Picturetrail account is an album on the kitchen redo and the garage from hell project. Unlike the garage, the kitchen went smoothly and on time.

Yikes, Chelone, another baby...run! LOL Sounds like Kathy is enjoying her beach vacation.

Well Marian you convinced me. Last week I cleaned the screen porch and tossed the most gawdawful looking fake plant. Today I'm going to replace it with something real with colorful foliage and low light requirements. Lowe's and Home Depot usually have decent selections.

Cindy, I love your patio set up. I have one little Agave that was given to me by a co-worker. She's Polish and smuggled the mother plant back from a trip to Poland a couple of years ago. I kept it under lights all winter and now it's out on the patio and appears to be doing quite well. When I was visiting my dad in the Orlando area a couple of months ago I saw Agaves being grown as foundation plants. A couple I saw actually had jumped the border edging and were popping up in the lawn.

Well it's raining steadily again. Time to go start the cleaning. If I remember correctly last year the fourth was cooly and drizzly as well.

Enjoy the holiday!

Sue

Certainly one trait shared by all Idylls is Independence!! Thus, Happy Independence Day to one and all in the US or not!!

Buggy day here. Already.

Sue, Liquid Fence works wonders with baby rabbits. So do cats ;-) I tried fox urine a few days back since the LF was exhausted, but no luck. Picture me running and screaming "You Don't Belong Here!!!!!!" as an alternative for the time being.

Deanne - Thanks for the Rugosa info. There are three good cane possibilities and I think I'll start them all to be on the safe side. I'm with you about not going to horrid family gatherings -- one of the many reasons I ended up divorcing myself from Ky's dad and his family. Lobster on the patio sounds like a MUCH better alternative :-)

So, Chelone, I'm talking with a rep from the Cape yesterday and they mention that the sailing weather is better than it's been in a long time. I don't understand boat/sailing-talk but I do understand the thrill of zooming. Is that how it feels?

Mr. Baby is too cute for his own good. Very appropriate shirt, I might add!!

What a great place, Leslie! "Nothing going on...."?????? I think NOT! Love that you have Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' -- a fav filler of mine.

Off to my sister's for a burger and old-fashioned sparklers, caps and snake thingies.

I'll leave you all with this: Kiss the ground we walk on once in a while. Having lived in a dictatorship and watching the atrocities commited by the "leaders" in other countries, I believe we can all be truly grateful to those who fought hard, and continue to fight hard, for our ability to be an Idyll and say what we want to say.

Happy Fireworks!!

Martie

Happy Independence Day to all the Americans, and a belated Happy Canada Day to the Canadian members. A few years back we happened to cross the border on July 1st, and the border guards gave us Canadian flag pins and magnets. I thought that was quite a nice thing to do.

As promised, Im catching up on reading and so have some belated comments.

Chelone, I understand your crankiness with the painting project. Last year, when we had so many things done around the house, there were times that I felt I was living in a group home for unruly teenagers (even though all the workers were past their teen years). It is the little things that build up and send you over the edge. Yes, some day the work will be done and peace shall reign again at the Compound! And just so you know, the guy who was supposed to be here first thing in the spring, before the plants grew up, has yet to show his face. DH sent him a down payment many moons ago and I am being very nice and not questioning his judgement. Well, at least not out loud!

Denise, a late weigh-in on Baptisia. My favorite is Purple Smoke. Its slightly lower than the others but I love the smoky color of the blooms and the darker stems. Every year I tell myself I will get a photo, and every year it blooms when I am so burned out at work that I dont want to look at a plant at home. But I still like looking at it! And I love that Pelargonium.

Cindy and others with dental woes, just remember how far we have come with dental treatment. My mom had full dentures in her early forties!

Welcome, Leslie! Glad you decided to dive in. Great photos, by the way. Photo posting does get easier with practice. (says she who is always so lax about posting photos!)

Cindy, glad to hear Chloe is okay. I had a thick-headed lab eat two dozen brownies one time, but he was too thick-headed to know that chocolate was bad for him, so he was just fine.

Well, I made it as far as my last post last night. I still have todays to read, but perhaps that will be my lunchtime break. Im off to rescue two Asclepias tuberosas that seeded themselves into the lawn, then we are picking black raspberries for this evenings dessert. Later!

V.

Again, caught up on reading. (skimming really.)

DS is here with his Austrian friend and I am running a B&B it seems. We had lemon/ricotta pancakes with blueberries for breakfast (at 11AM).

DS is repairing his car, the friend is reading and sun bathing, Phoebe is chewing on car parts....Well, if they leave them lying around, I don't blame her.
The friend:
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My friend Lynn will be arriving in a while and we are escaping for haircuts and manicures later today in preparation for a wedding tomorrow. Tonight the entire gang will eat OUT at the Indian restaurant. This truly wrecks the diet...

New clematis emerge every day...an exciting time of year for me.

Plans have been made as of last night for DGS Skyler to travel here on his own and spend a week and then we'll take him home and visit for a few days with TWMPT and his flashlight. (The World's Most Perfect Toddler) Next week Skyler is to have a cardio catheter shoved up his femur...and in spite of it being a no-worry situation, most of his past problems and 67 blood transfusions, plastic heart valves and multiple death experiences are a result of medical accidents. So of course his parents are very concerned.

Must go but thinking of all the 4th activity and long weekend for all! ENJOY!
'bug

Wow! I finished reading. I feel better now. :)

We dressed this morning in long pants, long sleeves, socks and hats, sprayed ourselves with lemon eucalyptus bug spray and headed out to pick black raspberries. They are JUST coming ripe; some canes yielded only one or two ripe berries, but since we have plenty along the edge of the tree line, we gathered enough to make sorbet. It's still straining at the moment, but it should be yummy.

Time to brush the yellow dog for the umpteenth time this summer.

V.

Good morning everyone! Its going to be a beautiful, but hot and humid, day here in Georgia. I was beginning to get used to the cooler temps we were having for about 10 days. We had a very nice, cool spring too, which is why my tulips did so well this year. Last year in March we were having 80 degree temps, and in April we were already hitting the 90s. The tulips lasted about a day, or didnt bloom at all - very disappointing. This year I was reminded why I make myself get out there and plant those bulbs (we have to treat them as annuals).

Some of you have asked about the family, so I will post a picture of us all at my DDs wedding. Her name is Sally (named for my dear Mother who passed away last June) and her DH is named Elijah. My DSs name is Bonner (named after his paternal grandfather who served in 3 wars - WWII, Korea, and Vietnam). DHs name is Don. He is a first class gentleman. He spoils me rotten (I havent bought gas for my car in 23 years, he knows what to get me for Christmas - one year gifting me with a load of manure, and has on occasion written me a poem when we were too broke to buy Valentines Day cards!).

Brenda, thanks so much for the information about posting the pictures. It was not too difficult.

Jerri, I love the rocks too. Everyone of them came out of that garden. Garden building is for much younger folks than me. Thank goodness I dont have to do that anymore! I do have one garden I need to get the soil conditioned in. Ive been reading about lasagna methods and may try it. I believe that kitty is Annie. She was a stray that followed DD home about 5 or six years ago. She is very loving. Im looking for pictures of the other animals and will post later.

Youre funny Chelone! EIP is Early Intervention Program for struggling academic students. We try to get them before they end up in special education classes (we call them Resource here). My school is called a Title 1 school because 90% of our students are on Free or Reduced Lunch programs. Our students are disproportionately behind the nation/state. I love, love, love my job! Hey, what was that about guilty pleasures? I will admit musically mine is Neil Diamond (shhhh, dont tell anyone).

Kathy, that is the cutest baby - and I just love that headwear! And purple to-boot! Sounds like youre at a lovely place there. Were heading to Florida on Monday and I cant wait. By ourselves, too!

Marian, no, NO rain. We are in a second year of drought. The city of Atlantas main drinking water comes from Lake Lanier, and it is soooooo low that they cant even boat on it anymore. It is down 20 something feet, I think. Luckily, I am on a very deep well system so I am not hampered by the watering restrictions. Still, I try to not be wasteful.

Pm2 - That big white snowball is a Viburnum. It does not have a scent and grows in that wild way. I almost cut it down because I had decided I didnt like it, then it bloomed like that this spring. So glad Im a procrastinator! The cool spring helped it to be so beautiful. Last year I experimented with putting in some annuals for color and wow, was I happy with it! They are just simple annuals (impatience and begonias), but they have really made a difference about the way I feel about my garden. I plop them in where the tulips were growing. When I sit on my deck and look at the garden, the angle is the same one as the kitchen picture. The only thing I hate is that the daylilies in the garden on the right all point away from me (they all bloom facing SE). Sometimes I try to tweak them a bit and turn them (have lost a few blooms doing that J ). Im trying to get some pictures of kitties and kids .

Deanne - Ive always heard tale of how horrible it is to garden in our red clay soil, but honestly, I havent found it too difficult. I just try to give it some " good stuff" every year. I must confess though, when I see all your black soil (well, early in the spring when your black soil is still visible!), I get jealous! I have never tried mulching , and with all these leaves around me it seems almost criminal!! Ive got plans for all that this winter.

Woody oak - Our little dog is a mix - terrier, dachshund and Chihuahua. The snake is a ball python named Sgt. Slither. Hes about 5 or 6 years old and stays pretty much in my sons room or on his arm. DS hates our cats because one of them killed a snake he had when he was younger. Im still trying to get pictures sized and loaded. Where are you located? Your wisteria is beautiful - ours bloomed months and months ago.

Cindy, thanks for your kind words. I LOL when I read about the spray paint, and dont think I havent already been wondering! My DH is going to forbid me from looking at Deannes posts! My only worry regarding the shade is that these huge trees are just going to keep growing until their limbs stretch over the gardens. I have one little pocket of sunny area - it used to be a much bigger pocket 17 years ago! I also have a defunct shade garden which I dont know what to do with. Ill try to get some pictures of it too. It looks like a lost garden. I just dont have the energy to do the whole thing anymore.

Martie - I love that coreopsis too, and doesnt it do well in a shady garden! I usually have terrible deer problems here and will remember the liquid fence you mentioned. When they pulp-wooded the woods behind our home (sooooo sad) it had one great benefit to me - it scared the deer away, and they havent been back. That was last June.

Veronica - thanks for the welcome. I didnt have too much trouble with the photos once I got directions from Brenda. Its the finding them and reducing them that I find a pain. Is it faster to reduce them on my computer, or let the hosting site? Ill have to experiment.

Wow guys, not even a picture, and look how long my post is. I promise to get shorter!

Happy 4th. Were grilling ribs and Im making stewed corn. Yum.

Leslie

Just received photos of TWMPT. This is the (flash)light of my life who has learned to ham it up for the cameras. I wonder if he'll have a TV carpentry show before he's 21....
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A GARDENING show, 'bug. Gardening!! LOL

Great day. Lots of weeding. Burgers were the best and so was the company.

How would everyone feel if I organized a project everyone here and lurking can do, involves plants that can be grown in any zone, and the culmination is the creation of all the pics of the project becoming a Winter Solstice card? Can't argue with the shortest day of the year.

(No, I haven't been hitting the wine :-)

Martie

Great day here too. I made progress in the de-clutter/organization area. I just bagged up two XL trash bags of clothes I never wear. There is room in the master closet! YEA! It's probably due to the 'What Not to Wear' maration this weekend. LOL

Maybe it the pain meds but I don't understand the project suggestion Martie. However, I'm always game, sign me up. ;)

Hmm... What else can I send to Goodwill?

Jerri

Yes, Martie, tell us more....

This photo reminded me of fireworks.. Happy Fourth ...!

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When the red supergiant V838 Monocerotis suddenly brightened for several weeks in early 2002, it showed it was cloaked in a never-before-seen cloud structure. The burst of light reflecting off the clouds, called a light echo, was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Photograph courtesy NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Marian, I thought I commented on your beautiful plants. I really love the Dracaenias with the stripes. Are these little trees? I can't get a feel for how they look from the top angle. Do they flower or just provide that beautiful pattern? I have no place in my home that gets any light, all my windows have a big 3 foot eve that shades them. My sister grew this really interesting plant that is all stems and its huge and no leaves at all. Unfortunately, she goes to Nova Scotia for two months each summer and it died. I was so disappointed.

I hope all had a happy Fourth. Lobster on the patio was divine, especially since we started with some bleu cheese on whole grain/rosemary crackers, a petit filet mignon, tossed salad and finished with a lovely Mousse au Chocolate Bombe and espresso. Yum! We also took a bit of time and went plant shopping while waiting for the grocery to steam our lobsters. Here is a pic of the gardens on the fourth. Sometimes I can't believe I live here. LOL

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A view from the patio
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These white Asiatic lilies are particularly lovely at the moment
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OK time for bed, nite all
Deanne

Leslie, they do end up with sort of a trunk. They are members of the Agave fanily, and are common in the tropics. I think I have 5 differant varieties. One that I didn't picture is anything but pretty. It has a long (about 2') stem/trunk, and just a tuft of leaves at the top. I don't know why I keep it, but I hate to throw any living plant away. :-(
Probably if I cut it back I could root the top and the bottom would regrow. That is what I do with the others, except the one in the last picture, on the table by the agatized rock.

pm2, I love pictures of the outer space. :-)

We didn't do anything unusual today. Our power went out just before 7 this morning and stayed off until 12:15PM.
I didn't want to open the refrigerator to get anything out, so we ate plain canned tuna sandwiches, and pork n' beans. Then I called the 800 number to report the outage, and within 5 minutes it was back on. I think the elecrical storm had threw a switch at the main plant. We had lots of rain very early this morning, and into the forenoon, and there was thunder and lightning with it.

I watched the fireworks on TV. then stood on our frontporch and watched the cousin's through the trees. There is an terrible lot of rumbling going on in the distance. I don't know if it is fireworks or thunder. It seems to have just now stopped, after going on for well over an hour.

Marian

We just hung around the farm today since we went to the fireworks last night. Fireworks are just the most fun with a 3 ½ year old. Normally we always go to the lake and watch the fireworks over the water, this year we decided to take Kenzie to these as they have a lot of other activites as well.

Im exhausted though, we spent all morning in the garden and then I gardened while she napped for 3 ½ hours. She picked lots of flowers good thing I have lots to pick ;-)

Mr. Baby is absolutely adorable in his beachwear.

Martie, Ill have to show Kenzie your link LOL

Leslie, I enjoyed the pictures of your garden. Its fun to see the monthly progression.

Marian, I have 3 Dracaenia that I bought in past years for use in container plantings. They must be easy to grow as Im not real great with houseplants. Mine are burgandy, yellow/green stripe and green/white/pink stripe.

With all this talk about houseplants I remembered that I still have a large plant upstairs that never made it outside. Im sure it hasnt been watered for weeks. It appears unaffected and has now been moved outdoors.

I tried to put together an arbor that had a bench under it this afternoon. Needless to say Im returning it. One hole was drilled in the wrong place, on piece had a kink in it and one of the bars was attached crooked. I guess thats all you get for 100 bucks. Ill have to keep looking or make one out of copper.

As for the tuteur, PM, the clematis need the bars closer or something added between the bars. The one I want now will be for my grapevines and then I think the farther placed ones would be fine. Closer means lots more copper though. I think I built mine for about $60.

Reed certainly has turned into a little ham. At least he poses, Kenzie doesnt have time for what in her opinion is foolishness.

Deanne, lobster on your patio with your lovely garden to gaze at would certainly be my choice over the family option. The variegated plant looks great as a backdrop to the white lilies.
Clematis tuteur today. The clematis in the front is very slow to take off. I believe it's Elsa Spath.

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The newly painted playhouse. She was thrilled. The gates are from my Dad. He found them at the dump. Again she was thrilled and opens and closes them each time she comes and goes.
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Close enough Chelone and Martie? {{gwi:162560}}

All these lilies are from one orignal plant that was on clearance for a dollar. I have several other clumps just as large and have given many away. This is the cutting area of the potager.

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Happy 4th!

Michelle

Hear ya on avoiding the unpleasant "family scenes", Deanne. My late FIL was "old school" and never had any daughters so the "chauvinist" thing was right up front. He'd been through a divorce before remarrying happily, had watched one of his sons go through one, too. Mix in a dollop of two very selfish step daughters in law who loathe each other to this day and well... it becomes clear that I was viewed with great suspicion. I hated those family dinners/get togethers. I lucked out, though, I earned his respect and affection by just being myself and making a decision to focus on what we had in common, love for his son (it took close to 4 yrs.!). I never had to withstand the withering criticism of "my person", though. Sometimes the family dynamic can be excruciating and very unfair.

TWMPT seems to gain more facial maturity with every picture. Ditto Mr. Baby. I recall being amazed at the change in both Bella and Kenzie, too. It's amazing how quickly they grow up; do you think it's more evident when you aren't around them every day?

The playhouse and the gate are just great. I smiled at the image of her opening and closing the gate every time she passes though. Fun to note the importance of the routine involving something as cool as a butterfly gate takes on in her imagination. I don't think the donkey is going cut it, though, Michelle. I think it's going to have be a pony, maybe a Pony of America (Appaloosa), or maybe a nice Welsh pony, or maybe a Connemara? ;)

No fireworks for us, to tell you the truth I'm not even sure what night they were/are scheduled. We went to the theatre and saw, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", a musical based on the music of Neil Sedaka (let's add him to the guilty pleasures list, too). It was a fun evening out. I always liked the slower more contemplative version of "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" and "I hear Laughter In The Rain". I've always been a bit of sucker for songs that convey sentiment and images convincingly. I love Cole Porter for that very reason.

Our holiday fare was nowhere near as luxe as the offerings at 'bug's B&B or Deanne's (grilled chicken, potato salad, green salad, and cocoanut cream pie). But it filled the void satisfactorily after a full day of pulling weeds and (drum roll, please) planting the windowboxes!!! The helpmeet came home from a half day of watering and finished putting them up for me. We put in new potting soil (Coast of Maine, has some compost in it) and put in the plans and the flags. Historically, I've always used soluble fertilizer and fed them with every watering (about 4-5 days), but we may opt for a slow release, pelletized product this year. I'll what comes home with him this evening. Feeling a little bit better about the general state of things, the windowboxes are very dear to my heart as the originals were the first "beautification" project here on the Compound and my very first gardening success was with windowboxes (way back in 1986). The contents are nothing all that special (sorry Deanne), just old-fashioned geraniums (salmon), browallia, and trailing vinca. Bullet-proof is good.

What is it with dogs getting into things they shouldn't? Chloe and gum, Wrecks and the anti-inflammatory pills, Phoebe and automotive parts? Had the helpmeet and I deigned to have kids we'd probably still be on probation for failure to take adequate care of them; leaving too many hazardous things out where they could be used/consumed inappropriately. I ended up using an ear syringe to fire the hydrogen peroxide down the canine's throat, worked slick, too! I imagine the smaller they are the greater the danger and sense of immediacy.

The hot water heater experienced a failure yesterday involving a serious spew from the overflow valve that flooded the boiler room, and soaked the pad and carpet in Mum's room, as well as the one in the Rat's Nest. I am NOT pleased. The warm, humid weather and a lot of furniture is going to make removing them difficult and the helpmeet will fight me tooth and nail about doing it (I'll probably capitulate). Both carpets are bound on the sides and therefore removeable. I should thank my lucky stars for that, I suppose. :) (or I could vent any frustration by administering a beating to the dog!).

Denise mentioned a Turkish carpet in an earlier post, I'd like to hear more about that.

I don't think I'd say that sailing offers a great deal of "zooming" potential, Martie. It is impossible to sail into the wind, but you can sail "close hauled" (about 45 degrees to the wind). Sailing close hauled can be scary if you don't understand the physics involved, the back pressure on the sails and the function of the boat's keel and rudder. That's the point of sail that will make the boat heel over and put the gunwales at water level. It's important to master it, too, because without knowing how you can't tack and you can't really get anywhere. It is my least favorite point of sail, frankly, and was the source of several extremely unpleasant sailing experiences with the helpmeet. I took a sailing course and understanding the necessity of sailing "close hauled" removed a lot of the fear. Helpmeets can do many things but teaching spouses to sail is not one of them. I still don't really like the feeling of a strongly heeled boat; helpmeet and BIL love it.

Time to tend to the morning chores and think about happy cyber friends enjoying weekends with loved ones and friends. I'm hoping the early morning overcast will burn off the way it did yesterday.

Leslie...enjoyed your chatty post. It was nice to get to know you better. I was sorry to hear you lost your Mom just a year ago. We lost my mother 10 years ago this past May and I remember the first year was very difficult. Many here have been through that experience too, so feel free to talk about it any time.

I was very surprised to hear that Atlanta has had so much drought. How did that happen, with so many with more rain then they know what to do with?!

Your Viburnum certainly did give you a spectacular bloom this season. Glad you didn't cut it too. I have added quite a few viburnum to the garden and enjoying watching them grow.

Martie...you've lost me too. [g]

Deanne...enjoyed your garden pics. Looks like you have a great display just in time for a Holiday celebration. Really pretty lilies. Is that Nora Leigh Phlox behind the white ones? Thanks for the suggestion for trying to feel better about the garden. Adding plants doesn't seem an option in the areas that are not pleasing me. I am dissappointed that a couple of areas that I had finished and were finally blooming were not giving me the effect I was hoping for. Having combinations bloom together in an effective way is very elusive to me. I try to get the timing down...find plants that are supposed to bloom together, colors that will look well together, then it just won't pan out. I moved a lily next to my Delphiniums this year, because I saw them in bloom together in a photo, and now the Delphiniums are in full bloom and no sign of the Lily blooming. I had a ton of seedlings of Shastas that I added to a front bed that were supposed to be under 15" tall that I planted around a center of three roses, to give them good air circulation and they turned out to be between 24 and 36 inches tall. Plus the roses and some dianthus mixed in to the combo stopped blooming before the Shastas and now there is nothing but Shastas blooming and I am about to rip half of them out. lol That seems to be how it is going for me this year.

Marian...I have found the Hubble Telescope photos really amazing to see. Hard to believe when you look up at the sky, that there is all that there. My DH was a Science Fiction fan when we first met and I never was, but because of his influence, I did get more and more interested in it. He has a real interest in Space travel and wanted to be an astronaut when he was younger, so we both find anything to do with that fascinating. I have always loved the sky.

Michelle...great photos! You all must be so satisfied to be seeing progress in the Secret Garden. I love the color combo on the Playhouse! It looks like a new building. Really shaping up over there. Thanks for posting a current photo of the tuteur. It makes quite a difference to see it with the netting on it and the darkened copper. So I assume that once the clematis fills in, you won't see the netting. We have some of that netting that I never use. I am going to have to figure out a way to put it to good use. The Butterfly gates are an amazing find, wow! I would send your Dad to the dump any time! He must have been so excited to find them.

Reed appears to be very comfortable with having his picture taken....lol. Look at his sweet little teeth!

Chelone...another Cole Porter fan here and I never met an 'oldie' that I didn't like.

Hot dogs and Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob here. No fireworks here either. Didn't miss them. :-) We had tons more rain over night and everything is soaked. So off to see what we can get done...

pm2

No time to post but so enjoyed the update on Kenzie's garden and the GATE! I would have been in heaven at her age if that were mine.

Today we have a wedding event to attend and the weather is perfect!

Later friends!
'bug