Good morning!

Ei, how nice to hear from you! I loved your pictorial of the robins and how it tied to your mother for you. I'll second that you are a great story teller - I shared it with Sarah and she agreed!

Speaking of Sarah - the "urgent care" clinic was closed yesterday, so we laid low and did quiet things. We'll go in today (mostly likely for a quick xray if the past is any indication). Yesterday we painted: I stained the deck railing while she sat at the easel and painted watercolor masterpieces! We watch all the painting shows on pbs to try to figure it out :)

PM, if she had the choice she'd only eat bread and crackers with water. I make her pepper it with broccoli, carrots, and lean chicken or beef (she's boycotting pork after doing a report for school on pot-bellied pigs...it seems she read that they're used for food in some countries). I imagine that a similar occurence is going on in Mary's house :)

Maintenance to the Saucy deck and outbuildings is in full swing now that the weather has shifted. I'm going to get out there and wrap up the stain on the railing so that Nick can come behind me and coat the deck! Oh friends, I've been waiting a long time for this day....cross your fingers for me that it all comes together!

Anita, that sounds like a perfect 4th celebration! I'm stuck on Bananagrams right now (I'll bet it'd be right up gb's alley!) - it's like scrabble without the board and everyone plays their turn at the same time, so there's no waiting for the dufus in the bunch to come up with a word, lol! SunnyD turned me on to it.

I'll have to try SceneIt.

Okay friends, I have a jam packed day. I'm also taking SunnyD garden shopping for ideas. She's ripping out grass, folks. She's been bitten hard :)

Mary - nice to "see" you! Glad to hear you're having fun - you deserve it!

Saucy

Good morning everyone!

We are having another lovely sunny day here with high temps in the 70s perfect gardening weather. I got a lot more done yesterday and finished polishing off the driveway garden and staked the Regale lilies. They are about six and a half feet tall this year and the buds are huge. They should be showing their faces any day now, maybe today with all this sunshine. I gave all the pots and gardens in the front a good liquid feed yesterday as all that rain just leached any food out of the soil and Ive got to do the back today. This is going to be the first time Ive watered any of the pots in the back in three weeks. Amazing for this time of the year and even when they are first planted up in the spring they cant go this long without watering. I still cant get over the amount of rain we had the last couple months. The Merrimack River is the highest Ive ever seen it this time of the year.

Eileen so lovely to hear from you but so sad to hear about your Mom. Im so sorry for your loss. ~~~ I really loved the Robin saga with all the photos. What fun! Thanks for doing that for us. I hope you are able to post more often.

Hi Mary! Glad to hear you are having a great vacation with Ruth and family.

Kathy, it look like my Tithonia is finally setting some buds. I cant wait for those fabulous flowers.

Anita, your fourth celebration sounds like it was a lot of fun! Sorry you missed the fireworks because of weather. I NEVER go anymore. The last time we went there were people firing off rockets in the crowds and the mosquitoes almost sucked my dry. LOL

PM we didnt get a drop of rain for the last two days although it rained all around us including at my girlfriends house which is only two miles from here.

Okie dokie. Ive got to get off this computer and get outside to enjoy this gorgeous day.

Waving hello to one and all,
Deanne

I think we've missed a birthday!

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This picture was taken at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, TN.

Happy Birthday Julie!

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Sneaking your birthday in between two national holidays almost can be as bad as a Christmas birthday!

Yesterday we had a small gathering at MIL's, and one of the guests had his new girlfriend with him. She had dark curly hair, and at one her dark curls made me think of Ei and wonder how she was doing. Lo and behold, Ei was posting right about then!

So very sorry to hear about your mom, Ei, but how nice to hear the story of the robins and the comfort that it brought to you. I hope life allows you a little more time to join us a bit more often!

Chelone, the book you're thinking of is "The Jungle", and yes, the Chicago River was reversed to keep the c*** out of Lake Michigan. The city is looking amazing of late and is well worth a visit.

Kathy, just so you don't go astray, the bar is called Roof and it's in The Wit hotel. The bar menu also looked delicious; we were a bit sorry that we were stuffed from the Taste.

I had a very early evening last night and missed any fireworks. Something I ate disagreed with me; I'm wondering if there was avocado in the salsa my MIL used in her quesadillas. So after dealing with the "fall out" I was in bed by 8:00 pm and asleep shortly thereafter.

The four-legged ones are about to demand attention so I'd better run!

V.

Sorry, Julie. I should have put my birthday wish to you here , as well as on Facebook yesterday. :-(
I hope you had a good one.

Happy Birthday Julie !!
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((Ei)) my condolences to you! As others have said, there is undoubtedly comfort in knowing that you were there for her when she needed you most.

I enjoyed the photo-essay on the robin. Unfortunately the story of the robin nesting on the fence here this spring did not have such a happy ending! I'm not sure exactly what happened but the nest has long since been empty and no little hungry beaks ever appeared....

Saucy - I hope Sarah recovers quickly from this bout of whatever-it-is. Have they tested for Swine Flu? Our town has had a high number of cases of it, especially in schools. I'm a bit paranoid about it - they say those born before 1957 have some immunity. I was born IN 1957 so I suspect I'm on the wrong side of the immunity issue - unless Mom got it when she was pregnant! I'm seriously considering getting the flu shot this year if they've got the swine flu version rolled out by the time the shots are available in the fall.

PM - New Dawn is certainly a great rose. It's been very hardy, disease resistant and floriferous for us but VIGOROUS!! Be prepared to control it somehow - the swag is working well for that so far. I wish we had made one from the begining so there would be less of a jungle up there on the top of the arbour!

Sunny but cool here this morning. I need to go out and cut cown the Brookside geranium that is smothering the front bed - the circle of blossoms has to be about 8-10' wide!

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Happy Birthday Julie! Hope you have a juicy weekend. :-)

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It is a gorgeous day here! Sun has been out all day, nice breeze, comfortable humidity. Ahhhh!

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Eileen, thanks so much for your photoessay of the robins. What a heartstopping moment when the little guy crashed into the window! Watching a parent's strength ebb is terribly hard, but knowing how well you took care of your mom I hope brings some comfort.

And for the birthday girl, whose garden was adroitly flipped from one side to the other like pizza dough -- Happy Birthday, Julie!

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It was a long morning of weeding here. I thought about my various Idyll friends while at work.

The flats: Anita, this area of our property is closest to the creek and is a flat soggy mess much of the time. In Spring there is usually flooding there. Later on, during dryer times, I mow down there. Shade plants do well there and I grow primulas, astilbes, hostas, chelone, ferns, ligularia and much more in this spot. Most of the soil runs off every year so it is discouraging too. Wild angelica grows here and is very pretty now as the buds start to open.

V had me thinking about what lurks at the bottom of the Chicago river.... In fact, Chicago has definitely had a face lift since my days attending my first year of college nearby. (Lake Forest College) The drive from the airport into the downtown is even filled with sculptures and plantings.

Well Ei!!!!! So very nice to get a musical update from you with exclamation marks and asterisks. ;) Your robin saga was a treat to read. Especially the happy endings. I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom, but I think you both were ready in the end. I'm happy that she had good care and a smart doctor, in addition to a loving caring daughter.

Chelone, I worry about what might be bothering Rex. I hope for a good update on the matter. As to the vet, well the local establishment is certainly about financial gain...and not mine! But my choice of vet is the one who cared for Charlotte and told me it was her time and not bother with extreme measures. The owner of the place is different in her approach. (This is a ladies only place) So Dr Joann is my friend and I respect her (and told her so!). She, along with her DH, runs the animal rescue shelter for the county. This is where Sarah's super dog was rehabilitated and later put up for adoption. So as far as her approach to Vita, she said yes, some cats do this "over grooming" thing. Sometimes it is boredom, other times stress over other cats, and sometimes you'll just never know what the cause. There are anti-stress sprays on the market for this, but she suggests living with it unless I can't tolerate looking at her bare tummy and thighs. Seems to me I can enjoy her regardless of her looks. Heck, DH would spray that stuff everywhere if my looks were all that mattered!

Saucy, sounds like we invented Bananagrams...all except the part where we get royalties! I'll have to check it out at the toy shop. Speaking of that place, I collected some small things for the August visit from the grandkids. Last night Ivy phoned and actually spoke to me! I'm not sure what it was all about, but Sarah says it was her life story. :)

Ms Julie, here's hoping you are enjoying a perfect Sunday today!!!!

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'bug (of the dirty fingernails...)

Good evening Idylls..another three day weekend almost done for, my next time off will be for IU . I have wisely given myself 3 days of recuperation time after I fly home , Im sure the gardens will look pretty sad after a week away in high summer, despite tending by DS. I worked on a neglected area today an off-agenda item, and in fact it is chronically off agenda, thus neglected. My WALAT this evening left me with a feeling of accomplishment, things look substantially better all around than they did on Thursday.

Chelone, you asked on another thread about Daylily placement- the scale of my garden does not lend itself to using them as edging unless they are dwarf varieties, , and many of the cultivars I have are rather tall. Fairy Fanfare and Purple Rain are both short and are used in front of the border, but those are the exception. My new selections are planted among some roses and hardy geraniums, they all work well to hide ugly knee syndrome that plagues some of the rose hybrids.

Anita, hoping you garden marathon was productive too- DD is moving to a town 2 hours north and it is a resort area of sorts so there is no way I was going to head up there this holiday weekend. Im sure we will get together at some point in the next few weeks. They need time to settle in and adjust-they were not happy to leave the city they were living in , but were forced to do so as an economic necessity.

Hooray for Sunny D and the grass ripping gig! I did some of that this weekend myself as I continue the bed expansion in the back garden. I think another week and the heavy duty digging part will be done.

Lol Deanne, I never go to the fireworks either. I can see them in the distance from an upstairs window, and we are usually away for the 4th anyway. Last year when we rented the house on the Oregon coast we just dragged our chairs out to the lawn ad the display was right over the bay in front of us. No driving or traffic involved.

V, I have made note I expect to visit Chicago again next year ..a very favorite city of mine to travel to.

Ok , all for tonight , wave to all..

Kathy in Napa

Well, I wouldn't call it a marathon, but I did get a few hours worth of weeding, edging and some minor pruning accomplished. I discovered, upon cutting down a broken branch off of my 'Louisa'crabapple, that it has some red branches. Which I stuck into the middle of a planter. Looks pretty. Only some of the branches are red, the rest are green. These might come in handy for holiday planters. I transplanted a poorly sited red twigged dogwood, and put it in the far west garden where it stays moister. It gets more sun, too, which both sun and water are requirements for dogwoods.

I cut the marathon short because the mosquitoes are horrendous! My DD counted the ones on my upper back alone and came up with twenty. There are more on arms and legs, too. I'm here to tell you that the clip-on repellent by OFF doesn't work. I sprayed some regular OFF on, too. They must be getting resistant these days, because they are mean and hungry. I have a mind to return the darn thing. Link below (bottom line...save your money.)

'bug...thanks for the review of the flats. Sounds like it's a peaceful shade garden for most of the season. The angelicas you mentioned, are those the gigas? I love those, but couldn't get them to reseed.

chelone...LOL...since I don't want you to "freak out unnecessarily," don't worry about the before photos. I'll be happy with the afters. How's Rex today? Could he have gotten an insect bite that's dragging him down?

saucy...I've never heard of Bananagrams, but I love word games like Scrabble and Upwords. I'll have to look into it.
Sounds like the deck project is running smoothly, and that it was a family undertaking. Hope Sarah will be her fine self soon. I didn't know she was a painter, very nice.

PM...I love Catchphrase, too, and it's one we've played during holiday gatherings. Scene It comes in two versions: board game and electronic. We use the TV with ours, a lot of fun. Yes, sometimes it pays to phone ahead. LOL. You have a great attitude that you didn't let it turn into a wasted trip...your DH's company could never be wasted, right?:)

deanne...I'm so glad the sun is shining on your gardens. Amazing that you didn't have to hand water the pots for three weeks. Did your area break a record in rainfall inches? You are most likely zipping to and fro making up for lost time. Hope there's no more "fist-shaking" for you for a long while.

V...That Wit Hotel's Roof bar sounds fun. I looked up their website, which has one photo of said bar. In the description, it mentions a table for eight that is suspended? Or something like that. I read it quickly. Sounds like a fun place. I really need to get into the city more.

kathy...I hope DD and family quickly adjusts to their new surroundings. This economy is claiming many victims, but at least the upside for them is the proximity to you.

I ended the daylight with a walk with DH, and DGS's, Mateo and Antonio. They live just down the block. I call it our "nature" walk, hoping to spot some deer. Not a one spotted today. How come I don't have owls in the woods? Wonder how to attract them to my yard, I have plenty of food for them in the way of chipmunks. :) We went out for ice cream afterward.

I'm running out of steam. Where's Eden? and when is Michelle going to pop in with news of her Kenzi visit?

Anita

We returned last night. I toured the garden with a flashlight LOL All appears to be well. In fact everything has grown like crazy while we were gone. The containers fared well and have put on some nice growth. I walated some more this morning. We spent the day at the lakes with my parents, my son and his gf.

Our flight was nearly 2 hours delayed and we lost an hour getting to FL. Kenzie was allowed to stay up, but dozed off just before her mommy returned from the airport with us. She took a look at us and seemed just slightly confused from the sleep I'm sure and then shouted "Grandma"

We spent lots of time at the pool staying cool. We also visited the flight academy and the hospital that DD is working at. Grandma and Grandpa spent lots of time coloring, reading and hanging out with our little sweetie. She was disappointed that we couldn't stay for the fireworks. They have a lot of crape myrtles, magnolias and hibiscus around their complex. So I spent some time teaching her the names of the various flowers.

It was a great trip but nice to return to my garden and my bed.

Later
Michelle

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Hi Idylls!

Thank you all for the kind words and the warm greetings...it's always good to come here! :-) I will try to do it more often.

I'm glad you liked my story. I have to admit I *do* enjoy telling stories. I think I come by that naturally. When I was a child, instead of playing with my siblings, family friends, and cousins, I would always much rather sit quietly in a chair and listen to the adults talk about their memories. I would listen to them, making myself as "small" and unnoticible as possible so they wouldn't tell me to "go play with the kids". No I'd much rather hear about their lives and experiences and it was just like listening to a story and I would get lost in their words just listening and imagining and picturing it all in my head. Funny, I forgot about how much I enjoyed that until the story telling thing came up. They were all great story tellers...Aunt Jewel's stories were always heartwarming and sentimental, Aunt Marie's were always the funniest stories and mom & dad's stories, well they often made me want to cry for the harshness of their childhoods, but I always felt grateful for the knowing of it. I think listening to their stories and seeing that instead of making them bitter, their experiences made them more appreciative and generous and kind...well, it's what made me admire and love them so much. Though my parents always struggled and more often than not we all went without, my childhood was rich with love and great lessons about life and character and I *do* feel truly blessed.

Speaking of blessed...no Marian, no talk of grandchildren yet. They told me before they got married that they didn't want to have any children until they were at least 35 and so far it looks as if they are sticking to their promise...LOL! Oh well, I can wait if I *have* to! :-) I am just so happy that they are so happy together. They truly are two peas in a pod.

I *do* love Idyll birthdays...the pics are the greatest! I really like that juicy birthday PM...makes my mouth water just looking at it!

Well we didn't do anything for the 4th. It rained all day and night here. My husband said it was the *best* 4th of July *ever*!...LOL! He and Scout really dislike the fireworks. I have to admit I don't care much for the firecrackers either. But I do love a sparkly colorful light show. One of my neighbors did a pretty little set up of that at about 11:00 at night and I admired it through my bedroom window. :-)

Today we went on our neighbor's boat and that was fun. I'm not really much of a boat person in general...I can't ski and have had a few too many mishap "tube" experiences, so I don't really look forward to doing that anymore. But it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the company, the sunshine, and the fresh air blowing through my hair - though I looked like a true southern girl with my big hair...LOL! I kind of looked like Frankenstein's wife from that Mel Brookes movie (I can't think of the name of it right now, but it always cracked me up). Oh well, that's one of the nicer things about becoming an older woman...you just don't care anymore. Well, you know what I mean...it's not that you don't care, but as you get older you realize things like a bad hair day aren't going to end your life. :-)

Woody...what a clever idea to do with your New Dawn. My New Dawn died last year. I think it was a combination of age (she had to be about 15 years old) and a particlarly bad dry spell in summer, followed by a nasty winter. I thought you would get a kick out of these pics:

Ms. New Dawn in her glory days...

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And the little Ms. America who has been chosen to fill New Dawn's shoes...
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Poor little thing, I can imagine the pressure she is feeling. Even the lily towers over her...
She must just quiver when she looks up the length of that trellis! :-)

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Well, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I am bushed from all that sun and air today...

TTYL! Eileen

OH the pressure of "birfdays"... I have to now root through the innumerable pictures, none of which are organized and try to find something appropriate. Well, Julie, my heartfelt salutation and wish for many happy returns may be as much as you'll get. But it's sincere! Happy birthday to the the originator of the JulieJob. :)

Rex has recovered. I don't think it was an insect bite, more probably it was the ingestion of some unfortunate rodent abandonned by one of the pride and nicely decayed. It happens with appalling regularity, but at least it saves me from running over them with the lawn mower. ;) He fasted Saturday night, had rice, vegetables, and some chicken gravy for breakfast on Sunday morning, and did plenty of grazing. Right as rain by dinnertime. Good to be reminded that I really do hate dogs.

The helpmeet mowed the back lane yesterday and we raked up the fringes. We removed the old fence from Vegetable World and he week whacked that blighted area. More raking and general clean up and it looks much nicer. Those two things were really beginning to bother us and now they're done. I have asked for some judicious chainsawing today and I anticipate a lot of "devil's advocate" which could really annoy me, but I'm determined to stay "on task" and if there is too much grumbling we'll abort the mission and I'll hire Tree Boy to come when the helpmeet is at work. It's nice to be a woman of independent means with a will of iron.

I can't wait to hear how much grass Sunny D has decided to remove and what's been selected to take its place.

Like you, Ei., I was always around grown ups as a kid. I'm the youngest of the clan of cousins by at least 7 yrs. and wasn't part of the gang because I was too little. So I played with my Barbies or Breyer model horses on the floor while the adults talked and shared stories. It was a gentle way to spend summer evenings and I was privy to some really terrific tales of days gone by. I recall drifting off to sleep with the drone of voices and muffled laughter in the background. There was no TV and no one bothered to put the AM radio on in the background, either.

Today, I have to address the selection of tile. I have the measurements all written down and I long ago decided I'm going for cheap and readily available, though I'm nervous about the availability of soap dishes and the shampoo shelf... but I'll deal with that, too.

I hope Saucy's deck project has been completed. Don't you just hate it when you can't do the things you want to do because the weather interferes? How's Sarah, was the trip to the clinic revealing of anything?

Next up for me is the removal of the pitiful Viburnums and replacement with something more suitable. We're now looking at Cornus racemosa, which would satisfy the need for a "naturalized mass" (with time), plentiful food and nesting area for birds, and will handle the wet site and attain the height necessary to screen the road (8-10' with time). Thoughts? I am so discouraged that we've lost another year, at least that's how it feels to me after a busy holiday weekend with abundant sunshine and traffic. ;)

Will there be pictures of the Sunshine State Sojourn? gratutitous shots of bathing beauty Kenzie? Can she do a cannonball yet? does she still hold her nose when going underwater? (I love it when they realize it's not necessary to do that).

Thanks for word on "The Jungle", V.. I haven't read a novel in a long time and maybe that would be the one for me, I'll see about reserving it from the li-berry for some "light summer reading", lol.

Good morning all.... :-)

Monday again, wow, that three day weekend just zipped right by. Yesterday was almost a perfect day weather wise. Sunshine for two days straight can certainly put a skip in your step, after a month of rain. [g] I'm sure Deanne must feel the same way. We managed to get to the nursery yesterday and came home with one large Dracaena for DH's office. It has a pretty two tone effect. No camera. :-( They were a little low on variety but will get more in about 3 weeks, so we will go back for more then. We have taken back control of the garden from the weeds. [g] Still have a few small areas that need a little more attention and more mulching to do, but we're almost on top of it. I think I have lucked out, that at least I'm not seeing any fungal problems from all the rain, and the shrub border is looking quite happy. I don't know whether to fertilize or not, we are supposed to be getting three more days of rain. ..... This week I am going to concentrate on getting a new camera.

DH and I have stopped watching the fireworks and I can't remember when we stopped doing that. For years we used to go into the Esplanade in Boston with friends and family and listen to the concert and see spectacular fireworks. We would pack up blankets, cards, frisbees and food and start in early in the day to pick a good spot. There would be a long walk from the parking area, and an unbelievable traffic jam when everyone packed up to go home. We would have a wonderful time.

Saucy, our DD was somewhat of a picky eater as a child. Give her a bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy and she was in heaven. We tried to keep serving veggies anyway and the rule in the house, was they had to try a taste of it at least but they didn't have to eat more if they didn't want to. But DD never warmed up to veggies until her first boyfriend interested her in trying new foods. Now she likes more veggies than I do, but she still won't eat squash, my favorite. :-) She doesn't drink coffee or tonic, and her 'comfort' food is Matzo Ball soup. ....I looked over that Cheekwood link and I would love to visit there. Very nice.

Woody, I think it's vigor is what attracts me to the New Dawn. I have a four foot high fence that is about 12 feet wide that I thought might work, but after seeing the photo Ei posted of how vertical it gets, I think I might be asking for trouble. I will have to find another location for one.

Anita, you are so lucky to have your grandsons live down the block. I always wished for that kind of arrangement with family but it never happened. How old is Mateo and Antonio? I love owls but have only seen one about three times in my life. I was wondering, do chipmunks create a problem in the garden? Our resident chipmunk has been hauling so much seed back to his nest, that I am waiting for a population explosion.

Michelle....we gardeners are all crazy, aren't we? lol I had a good laugh at you with the flashlight when you got home. It reminded me I did that a few times too. Just can't wait for the morning to see how the garden is doing. :-) I hope we will see photos of Kenzie and your visit.

Ei, I am jealous of your boat trip!! I love to get out on boats and rarely get the chance. What kind of tube mishap have you had? .... Your New Dawn was a sight to see! What a shame you lost it. Love your new Ms. America. Very pretty large blooms. Is that PVC Pipe that you used as a trellis?

Gosh, it's almost seven, and the SUN is out! Time to get a move on. Hellos all around and hope your Monday is sunny! :-)

Morning all! Good to hear from Michelle! I too would love a few photos from your trip.

Ei, I'm so glad to hear about Scout again. Ivy was almost named Scout! ;)

Today at the compound sounds like my kind of day. I love selecting something new (tiles) and getting DH chugging along with various household projects. His pace is slower than mine, but he does get a few things done - which is my goal. He often questions my requests, but eventually realizes I've considered various options first and agrees I don't make mistakes often. (Ever! Ha Ha!)

So there's been lots of weeding going on here and i certainly don't see an end in sight. I hope to accomplish more today before rain sets in this afternoon. The osteoarthritis in my hands is a real nuisance though. This weekend was a real clematis show, the best ever for me. All the rain has produced a good show in addition to those weeds.

Here's a shot or two for you-

The area I worked on recently in "the flats". (right side of photo)
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Clematis Romantika
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Corydalis elata with hosta
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Clematis Juuli
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Memories of Taryn, who gave me Salvia turkestanika years ago and a baby appeared last year. They bloom their second year.
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Variegated iris
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Off to start the weeding!
'bug

EI - That New Dawn picture has always stayed in my mind; when I think 'Ei', I think of that picture...:-) To bad you lost it! Did you plant the new one away from where New Dawn was or did you replace all the soil there? I've had a couple of experiences with 'rose replant' problems so now always avoid planting a new one too close to where an old one got evicted.

PM - Part of the point of the swag is to keep the rose from growing vertical, so that's not a problem. Ei's trellis encouraged the vertical but, if you look closely, you'll see that most of the flowers are on branches arching horizontally from the main vertical canes. From what I've read, it appears that training the main canes horizontally stops them from growing as long and sends their effort into the flowering laterals. So training New Dawn horizontally along the fence should work nicely.

GB - that looks like a wickedly good edging job on the flats!

Yesterday I cut down the Brookside geraniums that were smothering the front bed. I found the 'mother' clump had 5-6 fairly large seedling clumps nearby, which were significant contributors to the size of the flower mound! The seedlings will get dug out shortly and replaced with fall mums I think. I had been looking for the second 'Fireball' hardy hibiscus I planted late last summer - one had appeared but not the other. When I cleared away the geranium flowers, lo and behold, there was the missing hibiscus! It was clearly struggling to try to get above the geranium flowers so hopefully it'll take off now that the weight of the geranium flowers is off it!

Chelone, I just noticed that you are thinking about that Cornus racemosa I mentioned. Ours is about 3 years old and is almost 8ft tall already. Having bought a two gallon size I am amazed at how quickly it put on height. Ours has not bloomed so I'm not even sure if it will produce fruit. Perplexing. It is in a lot of bright shade with a small amount of morning sun. I did hear that you need both a male/female to produce fruit. and since they are not readily available, it is not usually easy to find them labeled as such. It has an attractive structure. It suckers like mad, so if you are going to let it go, it will need lots of room to spread out. I was hoping for red coloring in the fall but so far, I am getting a muddy yellow that doesn't appeal to me due to the fact the surrounding trees are mostly yellows too. It does suit my purposes. It is in an area that has little sun and plenty of maple tree roots and it doesn't seem to mind at all. Where other shrubs have had a harder time. It's been healthy and pest free. Sometimes I'm happy with it and sometimes it looks a little too wild. I decided to pull out all the suckers this spring, but I think it looks too scrawny that way, so I am going to let it sucker next year.

pm2

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Marie, love your Romantica clematis, such a pretty, plum color. You are really getting a lot of work done this year and it shows!

Woody, thanks, I have been trying to train the Penelope to go horizontally and sometimes the new branches just don't cooperate, heading out away from the fence too far. But if first you don't succeed. Maybe it's time for a new variety there. At least New Dawn sounds like it can take a lot of pruning and still keep going.

Managed to get the tomatoes tied up and in good shape this morning. Lugged watering cans of fertilizer to tomatoes and pots on the patio and weeded out another veggie bed. Very pleasant out there this morning. Heading back out in a bit.

pm2

PM - before I had the swag chains, I had hooks along the fence side and I used those to hold the canes against the fence. I tie the canes in using strips cut from pantyhose (cut across the legs to make about 3/4-1" rings and then cut open the rings - they make soft, strong, stretchy ties that don't damage the plants and are almost invisible.) So maybe run a length of chain, heavy rope or big hooks along the fence to give you something to attach the rose to. The canes should be bendable in their first year of growth so train in the new canes as they appear.

What a lovely pleasure to see Ei check in - Im so sorry to hear of your loss, but it sounds as though your Mom had a very special daughter and was lucky to end her days as she did. You are to be commended. I hope this summer finds you able to recoup and regroup and regain some energy and joy in the things to come.

Sorry to have missed a birthday while I took the "veil" and disappeared from cyberspace to recharge -- Happy Belated Birthday, Julie --

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--Cindy

Lol about taking the veil, Cindy. :) I hope your weekend was tops and the return to the awfice isn't that bad. I'm sure quality time with Chloe was helpful. What a pretty shot above; I've not grown Mondarda in many moons and had forgotten how interesting the spikey petals can be.

I am embarrassed by my New Dawn but have determined to leave it as is for the humorous value and also to get practical suggestions from all of you with respect to its future. I'm think that in this case "size matters". And so it is with the rest of the Compound.

PM, thanks for the info. on Cornus racemosa and the shots provided. Very helpful. My site is full sun and it's below street grade and receives the full brunt of all manner of run-off and associated nastiness. After the past month there is standing water there, though it will soak into the ground depending on the level of soil saturation. I love the idea of a "rain garden" because working with the site is the only financially feasible option. And besides, there is something that bothers me about engineering your way out of something like that; frankly, I feel we've already done enough of that as it is. There are some advantages to a low lot, though it does underscore the difficulty too much water can present. But I have to do it with shrubs to provide the sort of privacy screen I'm really, really missing since the bahn was built.

I ordered the countertop and the tile today. Choke. I was appalled by the price of the "cheap" option but some comparison shopping quickly revealed how lightly I've gotten off. They don't call it "sweat equity" for nothin'! I scraped the awful "popcorn" ceiling yesterday and was reminded that it's a dreadful operation, though I was pretty adept at mess containment. I dropped the pressure sprayer on my toe and really nailed the nail bed... not sure if the nail is a goner or not but it was plenty sore for the rest of the day. Get this: before starting the project I contemplated putting on my muck shoes but figured the sandals would be OK. That'll "learn me", huh? I can't wait to undertake the application of the fresh, SMOOTH coating, as that's another thing I've never attempted before. Lots of "firsts" with this project.

Time to harvest the most recent round of laundry and get that stowed away. Jeez, I don't want to go to work tomorrow!

Woody, thanks for those expert tips! I usually use pantyhose for my tomato plants and I don't know why I haven't tried it on the roses. I haven't tried using hooks in addition to tying them in place, either. That is a great idea too. I have an open picket fence and it's not easy to tie the horizontal branches to it and have them just where I want them, so the hooks would make a big difference I'm sure.

Chelone, I love the idea of rain gardens too. I have looked into them over the past two winters. I have debated doing rain gardens instead of using rain barrels, to keep all the water on the property and out of the sewer system. I found a lot of great information that comes out of the Chicago area, where they have done a lot with rain gardens. My problem is I have a completely level lot with a gentle slope toward the street in the front. In the back if it really rains hard, it does collect briefly about 10ft from the house but is quickly absorbed. So, another future project. :-)

I'm sure you've already researched it, but I wanted to satisfy my own curiosity of which shrubs might grow where there is standing water. I came across a list that is linked below. It is from the North Carolina University so not sure they are all hardy in Maine. I see that Ninebark is not noted for growing in standing water but the Ilex verticilata is. I would love a deciduous holly for the birds and the winter interest, but my yard is too dry for them. I'm surprised not to see Willow on the list. I thought they were perfect for standing water. On another link, I also saw mention of Alnus rugosa, speckled alder, a native, that can grow in standing water. Not sure if that's a tree or a shrub. Dawn Redwood is supposed to soak up standing water. I find it fascinating that a shrub or tree can grow in water like that. Well...I'm sure you have it already figured out. :-)

pm2

A rough night on the Compound last night, I'm sad to say. It began with duelling Foxy Loxys that in turn set alarms bells ringing for the Huge One who, in turn, lent his own special vocal to the chorus. The cats were very disturbed, leaping to windowsills and growling protectively at the darkened world beyond the screens that harbored DANGER. I did not have a restful night. :/ So provoking me with stupid stuff today could prove dangerous...

The weather doesn't look as precarious as the weatherman predicted but I suspect my shorts are a bit too hopeful for the coming day. It's July, and I have yet to wear shorts to work once!

Thanks for list above, PM, they're all familiar names to me, many don't get quite tall enough to do the job and many are also difficult to find locally and in decent size. Oh well, the delay isn't going to kill me.

Time to gather up my fruit and head out the world of work.

Good morning

Ei - it is such a treat to hear from you again. I am very sorry to hear about your Mom. To have spent those last moments together and knowing she left this world in peace, holding the hand of someone so loved I hope brings some comfort. How is Scout doing these days?

Julie - hope you had a VERY happy brithday - card to follow.

The beginning of the school holiday was a bit of a blur but things are starting to settle down. Our trip to DC was fun and took my mind of worrying about work, healthcare and other tedious things. I can also start looking forward to IU6 in earnest which is a perfect diversion.

At the moment Annie is busy with Drivers Ed and is still applying for summer jobs everywhere she can. Unfortuntely no one seems to be hiring young seasonal workers and I feel her discouragement. She is taking her her first AP course next year in Euro History and has been busy reading and starting on some of the essays she has been assigned. So far she is enjoying it.

David is doing a summer program this week called String jam. It is alternative music styles for orchestral instruments and is very cool. They learnt some Armenina folk music and today they have a funk band coming in to teach them Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". It looks so much fun I wish I were up there playing with them.

The week we were gone appeared to have rained almost non-stop and the mosquitoes are out in force. My delphiniums were all toppled but everyting else is looking good. It is poppy season so I am very happy every time I wander out. Things are lush and colorful and from a distance you don't see any of the weeds. I could stand to do a bit of edging though and GB's work has inspired me to start.

have a good day!

Mary

Chelone, I can certainly empathize with you. I have many many nights that leave me feeling as you do this morning. :-(
I am glad that all were safe from the Foxy Loxys. It really scares me when our two cats are outside when the coyotes start their seranade close by.

BTW, speaking of varmints....several locals have sighted an alligator in the creek that runs through Harrison, Arkansas! Yarrgh! What next?

I am sad to report that my car top cucumbers are not doing well. I planted them in a large container, in what was supposed to be good potting soil, but they are too scrawny and yellow. :-( I mixed up some Miracle Grow and poured on them yesterday...hopefully that will help. What they really need is some good 'barnyard'.

Also...it appears that my large crop of coleus seedlings are all pretty much the same type. :-(
I may compost most of them....I have at least 100 of them!
I had an unplanted window box, so planted it with some of them this morning.

I ended up with a nice assortment of Caladiums. I have them all planted in various container combos. And the very large container on the corner of the deck is now sporting an Elephant's Ear and various companions. The second one is in a large enameled pot. I don't know where it's permanent summer home will be. I am running out of deer free areas to put things.

It is lovely and cool....low 60s outside, and upper 60s inside, when I got up. Predicted to get into the 80s. I would like to do my mowing this morning, but the dew is too heavy. The cool has certainly not slowed down the killer deerflies!

Someone spoke of Froggies inside....I am frequently putting such 'visiters' out. :-)

Chelone, I got a kick out of your chipmunk visitor. I think we have slowed down on the invasion of them out on the deck. But I am still working on the indoor white-footed mice! I am catching and disposing of them about every day! I have never had such an influx of them. Usually it is in the late fall.

Marian

Thankfully, I don't have a job in downtown LA today, which will be the proverbial madhouse due to the memorial service.

Hi Mary, sounds like things are humming along. If Annie can't find work, volunteering looks great on a resume.

Marian, my potted squash is also doing poorly, but the beans are fine and tomatoes of course seem to thrive in pots.

The floor was laid in the bathhouse yesterday, and if Marty wasn't working today we might have finished. The tub will go in next and be leveled, then after the tub is installed the last pony wall will be built in, baseboards, pull-down blinds, then all done. We'll worry about putting in glass windows, if desired, down the road. Maybe vintage linens instead of blinds. Photo below shows current status. See the faint gleam of the little faucet in the pony wall? Just an industrial cheapo model. On the back wall the opening is for an electrical outlet. It will be be so nice to have another place to wash/soak without someone banging on the door! And there's room for a reading area and a glass of wine before bed at the opposite end. In the main (and only) bathroom, the shower door metal is showing the effects of the heavy use from the four of us, with the hard water calcification crud reaching superfund status, so I'll probably have the local glass guy replace the metal stripping with new.

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The south and west exposures of the house need paint (what else is new?), and I'm thinking it might make more sense to keep some colors constant for ease in touch-ups, such as keeping the trim cream, with sage green reserved for pergolas, fences, and then changing only the color of the house siding if something new is wanted. (I bet Monet had maintenance in mind as much as color theory when he hit on "Monet blue" for his garden structures.) I'm leaning towards a deep blue/grey for the siding this time around, with maybe burnt orange accents on the the roof peak. Hideous? I'm thinking it will tie in easier with all the brickwork and terracotta tiles in the patio.

Anyone else seeing pottery from Vietnam at local nurseries? I picked up two terracotta urns yesterday for my tulips this winter pretty cheap. There's a new chartreusy santolina out, 'Lemon Twist,' that had to come home with me too.

Someone mentioned Penelope. A lovely but very awkward-growing hybrid musk. Felicia is much more supple and trainable though more pinkish than tawny like Penelope. Roses became quite an impediment to my constantly changing garden so I'm rid of all roses in the main beds. As Woody mentioned, I think I was bumping up against some rose replant disease issues as well. When the time comes that I can't live without them again, it should be safe to plant! I always forget I even possess the climber Renae, which was moved to the parkway/hell strip under a jacaranda, a move synonymous with throwing her off a cliff into the ocean and expecting her to grow. But there she thrives, amazingly enough, unwatered, and is in bloom now, leaves bright green and healthy, and she's thornless to boot. I think she's Ralph Moore's creation, a climbing polyantha not hardy past zone 7. Now I'm inclined to help the plucky thing climb the tree with perhaps some discreet chicken wire wrapped loosely around the tree trunk.

I love the idea of working with the low-lying areas and letting them do their important absorptive work. If money was no obstacle, Kathy's driveway project would be perfect for installing a cistern in the area. As it is, I insist all paving here must be porous. The crew we hired to bust up the old jacuzzi concrete pad and rebrick the area wanted to cement the bricks in and seemed very dubious of laying them only on sand. I showed them other areas I had laid on sand more than a decade ago to get them going and demonstrate how durable the concept is in this climate, but I could tell they thought I was nuts.

This dahlia has been very good this year, 'Gerry Scott,' leaves still clean and pumping out the blooms.

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Very much appreciating all the photos of 'Juuli' since my little first-year freshman from Chalk Hill has just opened one of those little lavender-blue blooms.

Nice to have Michelle back with fresh news of "our" little Kenzie.

Of course things are super busy at work since my return and I've been busy trying to get on top of the weeds that grew while I was gone. I haven't had time to read.

Ei, I did see your post and was happy to hear from you. My condolences for your loss. Cyber hugs to you.

I also wanted to send a belated wish to Julie. Here's a picture for you. Evidence of the rains that we continue to get here. We aren't complaining as it doesn't rain so much and being farmers/gardeners we are grateful. Last night we got caught outside during a thunderstorm and took refuge in my garden shed. It turned out to be a good oppurtunity to talk on the cell phone with Kenzie about the fireworks.

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Finally a few pictures from the trip. She likes to pose. She also loves dresses and the one she's wearing with the flowers and ladybugs was one that I recently sent to her.

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I have to be out of town tomorrow and Thursday we leave for our camping trip with family. So I will be absent for a while again.

Michelle

Love those shots of Kenzie, especially the one of her climbing on the playground ladders!

Today has been a chilly one here. We expect 49F tonight. I guess this is the month called Juliary. At least there are no frost warnings. My friend John came today and dug out the rugosas along our bridge. He left one healthy one on each side. Later, when all the weeds are removed, I'll add a clematis or two. It will be so nice to have that area cleaned up!

On the down side I've somehow misplaced my debit card and have had a frustrating afternoon searching for it. You can't imagine how many times Ive gone through my wallet. I searched my jeans, even did two loads of laundry checking ALL pockets. Nothing. I know I last saw it Sunday when DH and I did banking at the same time. This really irritates me. Fortunately it is of no use to anyone without my password. I'm still festering about it though.

Phoebe got to play with her 6 month old buddy Morgan. They wear each other out...which is great! Thursday she goes for grooming once again because burdock season is fast approaching- and perhaps warm weather too. She looks so cute all pouffy but that will end when the groomer attacks!

Some Canada Day shots of Ms Ivy with her maple leaf t-shirt.
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And here are the clematis surrounding the vegetable garden.
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Clematis Emilia Plater
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The weeding continues here....
Enjoy your garden!
'bug

Kenzie on the ladder is my favorite, too. I think the dress is just darling. I'll bet it was hard to say good-bye, Michelle; you must miss her terribly. I am amazed at how grown up she looks... when I notice you know there are big changes!

And ditto for Miss Ivy, 'bug. She looks so alert, clearly the cogs are meshing accurately and smoothly and there is a whole lotta learnin' goin' on behind those bright little eyes. W. looks so relaxed and so natural with her; the months spent waiting to cradle and cuddle a little one after having been so cruelly deprived must have been very, very long. Makes me misty, even... ;)

Cold here, too. Juliary, indeed! more of same tomorrow I'm told. Grimace. I think I'll skip the fire and go straight for my book in a cozy bed. I'm tired!

Chelone I just saw your post about Maine...LOL! Sounds like Illinois, except for the month of August when it's in the 90's here with 90% humidity. :-)

Marian, I'm so sorry to read about how you've been suffering. The other day I saw something on T.V. about fibromyalgia (which made me think of you) and they described it as all of your nerves being extremely sensitive and on end. I can't imagine what that must feel like! I don't get froggies inside (what a treat that would be)! However I do have a Toad Undergardener...he's in charge of the watering:

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Marian, will you carry your Caladiums over in the house in winter and if you do, will you keep them growing on or will you let them go dormant?

Hi Mary! It's great to "see" you too! Glad you had such a nice July 4th...sounds like a lot of fun and it's always great to hear what your kids are up to...I can't *believe* Annie's in drivers ed! Where does the time go? How fun David's "jam session" sounds. What a gift that is and a pleasure he can enjoy all through his life. Thanks for asking about Scout. He's doing pretty well...he is 10 years old now! I'm just amazed and grateful as can be, considering what a time he has had of his health ever since he was a puppy. He's getting gray hair now...but he's still as sweet as ever & the love of my life (well, next to my son and hubby..LOL)! For the last year I've been making his food (ground turkey, brown rice, mixed veggies, olive oil, & parsley) and I really believe it has made an improvement in his life.

Denisez...your new bathroom plans sound so nice! As soon as I saw the pic of the area to be done, it reminded me of a pic I've been saving forever. It's from the Arts & Crafts period and is what I think they called a "Well Room":

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Sorry the pic is only in black in white, which is a shame because the wood is just gorgeous. I've always been drawn to it. And I love that the bed is in that little "nook" separate from the bedroom proper. I guess it's basically like a sunroom, but not quite. I love the bead board and the old wood ceiling and all those windows. I guess that's why your bathroom made me think of it...because of all the wonderful windows. If I ever get lucky enough to build my own home it will definitely be in Arts and Crafts style¡ it's my favorite time period. Anyway, your bathroom is going to be wonderful and love that you'll have a little reading nook. When I was a kid walking around Oak Park I'd always fantasize about what it would be like to have a bedroom in one of those little turrets. :-)

Beautiful pics Bug! Though I know it must be a lot of work having such a big property, I've always loved your home and property. I love your property and all your flowers, but the picture that stays in mind all the time is a snap you took with two rocking chairs looking out a window? It was such a serene image...a personal favorite. BTW, I love Ivy's name...though Scout would have been great too! :-)

Woody I can see why you would get more wonderful blooms from New Dawn by growing it as you do...kind of like the rambling roses; right? When I dug out New Dawn, I took roots, soil and all and did replace the soil, although I have to say, in all the years I had New Dawn it never once showed a smidge of disease. I miss her and am sorry she's gone. I think I may have had an excellent stock plant there! BTW, I'm having the same thing happening with my Brookside. I was very surprised to see 3 nice sized clumps (one underneath her and 2 just a few feet away from the mother plant. I love how floriferous Brookside is when it's in bloom...what a show, but am always puzzled about how to handle it after the flowers start winding down. Mine opens up and looks a little crazy. This year I decided to cut it way back to base and see if that solves the problem. Do you have the same problem?

PM...I do like boat rides too; just not into the sporting stuff anymore. None of my tubing mishaps were all that serious...just serious enough to scare me. I've been catapulted out of the tube a few too many times and I don't think my old bones could take that anymore...LOL! BTW, yes, that is PVC pipe. I stole the idea from an old gardening show that I *loved*. Unfortunately the series didn't last long, but it was with Barbara Damrosch... called "Growing Naturally", I think. Anyway, I thought it was a very clever, easy to do, and inexpensive fix. All you need is rebar; pvc pipe; and the couplings...fittings...elbows...whatever you call them thingamajigs to connect the pvc tubing. :-) I think we completed the whole project in one afternoon (from stopping at the hardware store to get the supplies - to putting it all together and setting it up in place). And as you can see...it lasts forever.

Today I took my cousin (who is a wonderful cook and true foodie - she has a wonderful food blog) to a Maggiano's out here. A friend of ours is now a regional manager, but once was the head chef at the Maggiano's in Oak Brook. Anyway, I asked him if he would be able to take my cousin on a tour of the kitchens because I knew it would be a real treat for her. We had a great time and she was ecstatic! The manager was great and spent a good couple of hours showing us everything.

Do you remember my koi named Alvin? Probably not...LOL! But, he was the first fish I ever put in my pond and he did wonderfully all these years...too wonderfully I guess! I probably knew 2 years ago that he was really too big for my pond, but I just couldn't bring myself to give him up. We had become old friends. He was always the first to greet me when I'd come to the pond. And after he ate he would still sit up at the surface and chat with me. Okay, maybe he didn't talk much...but he was a great listener!

Anyway, in late winter my husband made a horrible mistake with my pond and killed all my fish (except Alvin - thank goodness for that) by trying to break some ice in the pond. I knew you weren't supposed to do that, but he didn't listen to me. Anyway, Alvin survived the debacle, but this spring when I saw that lonely, *huge* Alvin in the pond all by himself, I just knew I couldn't keep him anymore. As much as I would miss him it would be cruel to keep him in such cramped quarters. Poor Alvin!:

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The picture is deceiving...he is much larger than he looks there...two breast strokes and he would be across the pond. Well, the idea finally came to me to call Trudi Temple. Remember how huge her pond was? I think just the one pond was as large as my whole yard...LOL! Anyway, I called her and she was such a sweetheart. "Sure I'll take him...bring him on over." Before I hung up the phone I thought to add;¨by the way his name is Alvin¨. I laugh about that now because she probably got a big kick out of me telling her his name. When I got to her house she had to have about 50 koi and I don't think they were named...LOL! Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. So, we get a big bucket and put Alvin in for the ride over to Trudi's. Right away I could tell he was not happy. His long body could not lie horizontal in the bucket and so he had to do a "fish stand"...his tail at the bottom of the bucket and his head kind of out of the water looking me straight in the eye. Visions of this...came to me:

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I swear, Alvin had the exact same expression on his face. I kept telling him, don't worry Alvin, you're going to love it in your new home, but I don't think he believed me. Anyway, we get to Trudi's and lower Alvin & the bucket into the pond. At first he didn't want to come out of the bucket...he kept on looking up at me in a very distrusting manner. Finally he stuck his head out and then his chest, and by the time he got to his tail...he was out like a flash. He swam like a madman back and forth and to and fro...if a fish can express happiness...Alvin was expressing it big time! Trudy loved him and commented on how beautiful he was (proud parent moment for me -lol)! All the other fish came swimming up to him to meet him. Trudi was tickled - "isn't that cute, they're all curious about Alvin!" Anyway, she had a lot of koi, but none of them were anywhere close to as large as Alvin. :-) So now Alvin is a *big* fish in a *big* pond instead of the big fish in a little pond and I think he thinks he's died and gone to heaven. Last fall I started making some changes to the pond area and decided to complete it after Alvin moved to his new home:

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I even bought some more fish...buttefly koi:

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I probably shouldn't have bought 5 of them, but they were so pretty! Besides, now I know where I can take them when they get too big! :-)
TTYL!
Ei

Oh my Michelle...the flowers are beautiful but they can't compare to Kenzie...what a beautiful little girl! I can imagine what a joy it was for you to spend time with her again.

And what a joy to see Ms. Ivy! Oh, and the garden too...but you know it's not fair putting flowers up against those beautiful little girls, M & G...the girls will have to win! :-)

TTYL! Ei

Good evening.....

After all the rain we've had and the sunny weekend, today was by far the rainiest day all season. It was roaring down from the skies with intermittent thunder that was so loud, it was startling. I would guess we might have had four inches of rain just this afternoon. There is a lull in the action at the moment but it's dark and still.

Since my garden is normally so dry I think the trees and shrubs can't help but appreciate this unusual amount of rain this year. The Annabelle Hydrangea has lots of huge blooms this year but they have been soaked for so long, most of them are on the ground. The lawn is looking lush. I have collected a couple of dozen red lily leaf beetles the past few days and so far, the lily foliage is not looking too bad. I'm happy about that.

Denise, your outdoor bathing porch is shaping up to be a real retreat! I am a sucker for bead board and exposed ceiling beams. So inviting! What have you done to the floor, I can't tell? I am picturing a large hanging Boston fern. You will be the only person I know that has an outdoor bathtub! :-) ..... I have the Penelope and it is awkward growing. I bought it for fragrance and disease resistance. It has disappointed me more often then not. Thanks for the name of Felicia, I will look into it.

Mary, how is David's leg coming along? Is he out of his cast now?

Marian, sorry to hear about your cucumbers, how are your tomatoes doing? Speaking of chipmunks, I had only seen one until today, but now there is a pair of them chasing each other around the sitting area. I think I am going to be in trouble!

Michelle, Kenzie does look so mature with that haircut! She has such big beautiful eyes. So they all seem to have made the adjustment of the move very easily. I will enjoy hearing about how you felt about your vacation when you have some time to visit more.

Ivy is looking so sweet in her maple leaf shirt, Marie. She looks like herself in those photos. Feminine comes to mind. Growing fast! There is a certain expression on DSIL's face that's hard to describe. Looks like they have the playground operational there. ..... I love that photo of your clematis on the veggie garden fence! Such an elegant design decision. The weedfree, mulched, precision edging helps too. [g]

Well....I'm rushing, needing to go pick up DD, so I'm saving your post, Ei, until I have time to enjoy it.

later...

Oh my...I LOVE your post Ei! The toad that is in charge of watering is such a delight! And your story and pics of Alvin. You really have a talent with such stories.
BTW, Alvin was the first word our Tim said. He got it from Alvin and the Chipmunks. I am sure some of you are famuliar with that show. One day Tim was standing in his crib, and he yelled out "Alvin" !
The ad on TV about Fibromyalgia must be the one for Lyrica. I have Lyrica, but seldom use it. It causes too many side effects for me.

Today was one of my better days. Besides getting all my dishes washed (grin), I got almost all of our yard mowed.
I think I am on an adrenalin rush from the excitement of making contact with the wife of the preacher that baptized Nolon and I almost 43 years ago. I found one of her grandsons on Facebook, and sent him a message asking about them. After a couple of messages back and forth, we exchanged phone numbers...hers and mine. I had told him I would try to remember to call her on the weekend. Well, I was not feeling too great that weekend, so did not call, but she called me! We talked almost an hour! Her husband passed away about 12 years ago. We exchanged email addresses, and right after her call she emailed. We have 'talked' back and forth several times, via email. We have so much catching up to do, and she is so excited about it! She is about 8 years younger than I. She does not have Facebook, but the grandson is going to get her set up there.

Michelle, I love the pics of Kenzie. She is a beauty.

Marie, I also love the pics of DSIL and Ivy. She is a doll.

Pm2, my tomatoes are not looking too vigorous either, but better than the cukes.

Marian

Wow! Busy day here.... :-)

Denise - the outdoor beth look interesting and full of possibilities - keep the progress pictures coming... And I want to see a picture of the rose in the tree! I've always wanted to do something like that but don't have anywhere suitable for it.

Michelle - what big beautiful eyes Kenzie has! Great pictures of her...

And great Ivy pictures too GB. And the vegetable garden clematises - oh my! That is definitely my favorite part of your garden. Juliary is a good name for this month so far. If it wasn't July, I'd suspect frost might arrive sometime! it was definitely jacket weather today, highly unusual for this time of year.

Ei - Cute toad and cute fish story :-) I cut Brookside back to about 4-6" each year around now. It looks pathetic for a week or two and then regrows to a nice neat mound that turns a nice bright red in mid-late September.

Marian - I'm glad you're feeling a bit perkier. How nice to make contact with someone from the past like that. One of the strengths of the Internet is the opportunities to connect with so many people.

Warning, a drive by Grandma post.

More photos of DSIL on Canada Day, this time with Skyler. I know it would be easy to say that he gets to be the Disney Dad and not share the tough stuff...but that would be a lie. He's a fine Daddy all around!

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Time to put Ms Phoebe to bed now...
'bug

Good Evening friends ! Glass of cheap white wine at my side, and have already done a WALAT - I always perform multiple WALATS of course as one could miss something the first time around. Much like multiple photo viewings on the Idyllsand many nice ones are on view today.

DD and company are in the throws of unpacking-she had a lot of anxiety about the move , but pets and Mr Baby traveled well, and they are happy with the little house they rented sight unseen. Not that they had a choice in any case- I advised her that lack of choices is a feature of poverty, and you do what you can to survive. They will likely come down this way in the next week or two, I have some hand-me-downs for them and we are hoping DS can fix her ancient laptop. W can also hopefully load the zillion photos of Aiden that she has been unable to deal with onto my computer for safekeeping until hers gets fixed.

Denise, your bath resort looks terrific so far ! So what is the plan for lighting ? I can speak to the Vietnamese pottery- China, Thailand and Vietnam are the main sources for glazed pottery here. Garden centers will book partial containers with mixed pallets to arrive in early spring. My intent this year was to buy a full container from Thailand, but in view of the business environment we held off . The Thai stuff is often the darker bronzy , or even blackish colors with a matte finish instead of high gloss.
The concrete on my lot just makes me wild.. I hope to do everything in my power to get rid of about 80% of it in the next 6 to 12 months, much of it depending on how the little family of DD fares in their new digs, and what the price tag is. And what is the plant size of Gerry Scott ? Im always looking for Dahlias that stay under 3 ft.

Michelle, Kenzie is coming right along , a pretty little girl I must admit-like the shades action there ..

And bug, nice shots of Ivy and Dad, and wondering what the hair color will be when it grows back in- My DD was born with black hair and was solidly blond within a few months. Your gardens look just beautiful.

Eileen, your black and white photo reminds me of the cabins up in the redwood forests north of here where we usually go for the 4th of July. I also love arts and crafts and my home town (Los Angeles) has some wonderful examples in some of the older neighborhoods, and the California Bungalow is an offshoot of that . I just love Alvins story ! Please dont run away from home for a bit- you always have so much to add. How about hopping on a plane for IU ?

Chelone, I am in awe of your attempt to eradicate the dreaded popcorn ceiling. Whoever invented that crap anyway ? What a pi*s-poor idea. I would love to get rid of mine, but would not even consider trying it on my own- ceilings are too high in the living room even if I could undertake it myself. Painting ceilings is bad enough ! I wil be sure to admire and praise your popcorn-less ness at IU .

Mary, very glad to have you back in the fold, and we need an update on the poultry ! Maybe some photos ?

Heres some pics from my neck of the woods, taken at the worst time of day, but Im chained to the desk at the awfice during prime-time for photos, so this will have to do.

Tithonia on the left with it's pals Bela Lugosi, un-named Lavender, Aster frikartii, and others. {{gwi:165188}}From Garden 2009

Tithonia {{gwi:165190}}From Garden 2009

Amaranth viridis {{gwi:165192}}From Garden 2009

nite all ...

Kathy in Napa

I particularly like the proposed color scheme for the house, Denise. I also like the pragmatic way you've opted to keep other colors for trim and accourements. New England is the land of the white house and the red bahn, but that was historically for pragmatic reasons as both colors lasted a long time before requiring recoating. Homes in maritime areas were historically left to weather naturally with only an oiling every so often to keep the wood in good condition.

The bath house looks grand. I can picture a leafy display of houseplants, too. I was appalled by the conditon of the old faucet in the tub... it literally fell apart in our hands when it was removed, another victim of "hard water", so I commiserate with the condition of the supporting metal frame of the shower door.

I love Mr. Toad supervising the watering, Ei.. I love toads, esp. their ringed eyes, they're so cute. I'll have to read the full story of Alvin later today, but have to remark that your gardens are lovely. I always think of New Dawn when I see your name, too. ;)

A bit of "sunshine" today is a very exciting lunch date with (at least) two we all know and love. But more chill, clouds, and rain for today, so I'll pack the raincoat and the bumbershoot. Warnings for heavy mosquito infestations are all over the news now. I see it will be time to crack the whip about turning over buckets left outdoors, not the helpmeet's stong suit.

I am ready to scream with relentless Michael Jackson coverage. I enjoyed his music along with everyone else, but also thought he was a very troubled, damaged individual, the result of being forced to "grow up" unnaturally. In all, a very tragic figure and certainly not a role model. The whole scene is too weird for me, from 2 wks. of this expensive nonsense to the gold leafed casket... are they ever going to "plant" him? I wonder no one has come up with idea of stuffing him, a la Lenin, and displaying him for posterity at Neverland... good way to pay off his debts and provide another income stream for his family. Ick.

Time to gather up my snack items and mosey on down to work which is a fun project, a full deck enclosure that will look sensational when it's finished. And the prospect of excellent luncheon company!

Good morning! Yesiree, I'm meeting the gang for lunch today - wish you could all be there!

A bit of excitement here yesterday: Lightening struck my neighbor's house and he came running over to ask if he could use the phone - he saw smoke coming from the basement. I called 911 and they called all the stations (we have 3 in town) - thankfully no fire. Just damage. The kids got a kick of having the whole fire department in their front yard, and thankfully it was not a true emergency. They did spend the rest of the afternoon chasing after the same sorts of calls, though, as the weather was wicked here :)

My lawn has never looked so good in July.

Ivy is growing leaps and bounds, and her big brother looks happy, too! Kenzie's a model in training, I see - Sarah went through the posing phase, too. We'd take one picture for mommy (au natural) and one with your best pose.

The dueling bathroom models - much like dueling banjos, I guess? I love the idea of a quiet place to wind down the evening, Denise. And Liz, I'm glad you took the extra step to remove the popcorn - you could've gotten tired and left it :) I can't wait to see what tile you chose. I'm always dreaming of remodeling my bath, but I think I'll wait as long as I can since it's our only one (we have a powder, but that's not the same....).

Ei, loved your fish story! Your new koi are cute, can't wait to hear their names :)

Kathy, next year I'll add tithonia to the list. I'm really kicking myself for not growing the amaranth! I wanted it so bad and then ran out of spring. Yes, walating must be done several times....funny, now Sarah says, "while I was walating...." but I don't think she's always looking at flowers.

I need to get moving - I've got lots to do before I embark on my lunchtime journey. Have a great day.....

Saucy

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(Monkshood Stainless Steel)

Laura, I hope you have the most wonderful day - Happy Birthday!

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Happy Birthday, Laura -- Hope it's a wonderful day.

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-cindy

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Did anyone notice GB's SIL's hand in the last picture and wonder what it meant? He's signing a casual, affectionate 'I love you' - presumably to Sarah... What his hand is doing is making the combined signs for the letters I (little finger in the air), L (thumb and index finger), and Y (thumb and little finger). When you do them all at once, it's the equivalent of, for example, saying 'Love ya' to someone as you go out the door. If you were making a passionate declaration of love, you wouldn't use this casual sign. It's a commonly used sign that you sometimes see hearing people use too.

(Woody, I just tried it and can't get my fingers to obey.)

Happy birthday, Eden!

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Have a wonderful birthday, Eden!

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[The medium size looked too small and this looks too large. Sorry about that.]

Hmmmm, that's strange...I KNOW I posted a birthday wish and pic for Eden, but it has disappeared!

So...I will try again.

Eden, I am hoping you are having the great day that you had planned. Here is a repeat of the pic I sent you on Facebook:

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I took this pic yesterday, and I'm glad I did. The entire bloom stalk was gone this morning. :-(