I have Idyll separation anxiety, lol. I guess I better start counting down to IU9 ! There are a couple scenarios floating around out there, and this weekend I think I'll send out an e-mail with some of the possibilities.. It would be prudent to set dates asap .

We are finally getting some heat here ! I can do without it, but the local economy is dependent on wine and some of the varietals need heat to ripen properly. I went from freezing my a** off waiting for the shuttle at SFO last evening to cranking up the A/C tonight. Go figure.

Shucks Deanne, isn't that true how the miles separate us ! We had fun didn't we ? And you and Doug are model hosts IMHO..by the way, I'm going to load the demo version of Lightroom on my laptop this week and fiddle around with it.Thank you very much for the encouragement, and advice.

Norma we all put the brakes on when we walked up to the bed with that combo in it. Really stunning.

'bug, what kind of weather did you have for your trip ? Sweet pic of DS and Leo..Arabella and Rooguchi still bloom on here.

No more for tonight. I have my desktop working in the next room downloading the photos from the trip, and I think I will try to put together a slide show in Picasa and put a link up here.

Waves to all !

Kathy in Napa

PS another update from Chelone on FB, involving theater in London..I hope she took her camera on this trip !

It's a struggle to find Idyll time these days! I am getting lots of hours in at work, though ;)

I was thrilled to have Idylls in the garden! I love the pictures that both Kathy and Deanne took. I get to see my garden with new perspective.

I'm up this morning to wish Deanne a very happy birthday:

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In your honour, Deanne - Mr. Banana. Thanks for the inspiration and Happy Birthday!

Cheers,

Julie

Happy birthday Deanne!
{{gwi:172403}}From Drop Box

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Happy Birthday, Deanne!

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-Cindy

Sounds like the hurricane may be heading up to New England after it passes us. Maybe I shouldn't have been wishing so hard for rain-I may have over done it!

We have tornado warnings for early evening. Hope my computer doesn't fly....

{{gwi:172406}}From IU8 Buffalo

Hoping your day was totally fabu-fabu !

Tornado warning here too gb - it just moved from a yellow warning to a red one! Shutting down now...

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Photobucket must be having a problem. I posted twice for your birthday Deanne, I see it when I preview but when I post its gone. Not to be defeated I hope this shows for you. Happy Birthday - I hope you had a fabulous day! I suppose tomorrow there will be three pictures.

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I love birthdays here. The garden shots are just so wonderful!

I've not worked in the garden much these days but last night I hoiked 2 large Stella d'oro. They remain from my early gardening days. We will be gone a bit on a vacation but I plan to do some serious moving this fall. I've gotten to the point where I don�t think I will start any new areas but work on tweaking the ones I have. Which could use a great deal of tweaking. I have a gardening rule that I mostly live by and that is to have any certain plant in no more than 2 of my gardens. There are exceptions of course for a few stellar plants. I don't want all the gardens to be repeats of each other.

The night before last we had a thunderstorm with quite a bit of wind. There was a fair amount of damage to some of the annuals especially in the pots that were blown over. We did get an inch of much needed rain though.

Deanne, your tropical border is absolutely stunning!

Kathy, your trip sounds fantastic. I love the shots from Saucy�s garden and the yummy lunch.

Great picture of Leo and mommy.

I�d best get some sleep as tomorrow is a swimming day so I need to get up early.

Michelle

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This birthday shot was taken on the Buffalo Garden Walk - the koi were supposedly individually hand carried into the house each evening (because there was no circulation to the pond and the water had to be changed). Happy Birthday, Marlene ;)

Saucy

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A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike
English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'
'Pencil,' is masculine: 'el lapiz.'
A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two
groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves
whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each
group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The MEN'S group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the
feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers
is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for
possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself
spending half your salary on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)

The WOMEN'S group, however, concluded that computers should be
Masculine ('el computador'), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time
they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realise that if you had waited
a little longer, you could have got a better model.

The women won..

Good morning everyone! Many, many thanks for all the beautiful birthday cards. That's so much fun to open the thread and see all the beauteous pictures. I had a lovely day puttering about my gardens. Today I have to get back to work. I've got a couple magazine articles due so I'm going to have to be in the studio for a few days.

Bug, lol over the computer story. love it

Michelle, funny that you are hoiking your Stella d'Oros. I did that last year. I just shovel pruned all my 'Happy Returns' this year. I dont' have the time to maintain and deadhead those puppies and they just look miserable this time of the year so they are now gone and will be replaced with Hakone grass. ~~ so sorry about the damage to your containers. I had a couple of 'blow-downs' from wind yesterday too. Oh well, it always happens this time of the year.

HOping Bug and Woody didn't have any damage from the storms last night.

So now its time to wish a very Happy Birthday to Marlene! HOpe you have a great day my friend!
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I'm off to do the watering, have a wonderful day everyone!
Deanne

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Fortunately we didn't get any tornados here, although apparently there were a few small ones around. Nothing like the one that devastated Goderich last weekend though. The storm last night started in the same area so the people up there must have been really worried!

We got 18mm. of rain which now brings our
August total to almost 4" - a very welcome relief after almost no rain in July!

Here is a link that might be useful: Goderich tornado last weekend

Happy Birthday, Marlene!

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-Cindy

Well, just a quick pop in chat to say,geez this has been such a week.....

Can't be anything more amazing than that sight of your front tropical borders and those brugmansias, cordyline, cannas, etc., Deanne. Simply jaw-dropping... and to think you over winter them too....

Looks like you've got some smiley baby "bugs", there, Gardenbug - I do think Leo is smiling like his Mom!

Glad you managed to land and back to "awfice", Kathy -- sheesh -- you picked a great week/end -- unlike the upcoming one.

I may have to recall this as a most amazing week -- Isla's First birthday was Monday, Tuesday we had the earthquake that was the biggest in 70 years on the East Coast (needless to say "quake prepared" was not in my vocabulary or training, and it was mega-stressful; we've had some interesting aftershocks) -- and now Hurrican Irene is whipping up the coast - I'm hoping they're correct and it will be winds and rain but that isn't so good for New York and New England is it?

LOL, Kathy - I noticed that we posted cards for Deanne with shots from the same place.... our minds think alike sometimes.

I hope, Cynthia, you managed to get your tree planted so it can be duly watered? It may be a good thing that we're getting some rain today here so that it will soak in and make the hard clay a bit more open to absorbing whatever the H. Irene drops -- much of the rains, what little we've had, have had almost total run-off.

I was planting some daylilies last Saturday after we'd had a few showers, and it was bone dry just 3 inches down (LOL, I'm adding new daylilies while Deanne is hoiking hers).... I've got too much strong sun for hakone grass to do well as a "sub" --

I hope you have a better time with your next bit of vacation, Michelle!

Okay, gotta get back to some other personal things that need serious attention and lunch seems to be the only time, sheesh.

-Cindy

There's so much work involved in preparing for a trip, but there seems to be a great deal too when you return! We've been busy with all sorts of stuff for the last week! I'm bushed! I've been trying too use my treadmill for a few minutes each day, but it is hard to make myself still.

After taking photos today, I thought it might be fun to ask everyone what their favorite new (to you) perennials were this year. There are two that come quickly to mind for me. One is Persicaria Golden Arrow. (http://www.avantgardensne.com/catalog/product.cgi/4/227/3898/P1/default/N/0)
The other, also not invasive, is Anemone multifida Rubra. (http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/anemone-multifida-rubra/)

I'll add a couple of "Nana" shots here:
"I don't want to nap!"
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Up for air.
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Time for dessert now!
'bug

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Happy Birthday V!

'bug, the picture of Ivy could easily be a picture of Kenzie. They could be sisters.

I spent the evening moving all the pots to the potting area so that they can be watered with a timer and sprinkler while we are away on our vacation. I was removing a pot from a tall metal stand when the stand tipped over and fell on my foot. I don't think it's broken but it sure hurts.

Cindy, I hope the rest of your week is a little calmer.

Geranium 'Dark Reiter' and heuchera 'Rave On' are a couple of my new favorites.

http://www.finegardening.com/plantguide/geranium-pratense-dark-reiter.aspx

http://www.terranovanurseries.com/gardeners/heucheraraveon-p-157.html

Michelle

I sure didn't put in too many new perennials this year 'bug, but I sure took out plenty ! I'll have to find the tag on the cute little dwarf Sanguisorba I put in, I don't remember the cultivar.

And for todays' celebrant... {{gwi:172427}}From 2011-08-18

nite all !

Happy Saturday everyone! Beautiful cool sunny breezy day here,perfect for garden work. We are apparently not in danger from Hurricane Irene here, but I know many of you are. Remember that gardening season is drawing to a close, and if your plants are in danger, take care of yourselves first. The garden will be back next year....
For those of you who have requested photos of the Spite Fence, get ready. With the assistance of nine-year-old TCS I can finally post pictures again!

The fence in the fall 0f 2009:

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and how it looks today:

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The first photo is taken from the back looking toward the front. The second is from the front toward the back. Note how close the neighbour has fenced in front of literally all of her windows....

Time for me to get on my way. I will try to organize my photos so I can share with you all, as you have with me,much to my pleasure!

Stay safe.

Cheers,

Julie

Happy birthday Marlene!
{{gwi:172430}}From Drop Box

and also,
Happy birthday, V!
{{gwi:172431}}From Drop Box

Julie, why that looks almost exactly like our neighbor's spite fence except ours has a sraight edge across the top. Same distance from our chain link fence though. Your neighbor certainly doesn't have much of a view, I guess. Serves her right! Your 'after' picture gives me hope! I will take pictures tomorrow-it is supposed to be sunny once the storm passes through.

Cindy, no, the poor tree is still sitting in its container on the front walk. I think if I want anything done around here, I need to be able to do it myself or pay someone else to do it. Oh well. I think Chuck just doesn't want to admit how much trouble/pain he is having with his wrists and hands these days, but it irks me and I do wish he would just tell me he can't do it! We are dry here, too. I put in a few more hosta and had to water them like crazy and it was dry just under the surface in our yard, not even three inches down!

Michelle, once I finish this I will check out the heuchera and geranium you mentioned. Fun. I was thinking I need to add a few more heuchera near the new hostas!

Hope everyone is warm and cozy inside if you are awaiting or in the midst of Irene. It has been windy all day here and it started raining (off and on) once I got back from walking the pups around 9:30. I have moved some things into the garage and turned the patio table upside down, but the umbrella in the deck table is too heavy for me to get out. Hope it doesn't take flight tonight, but if it does, hope it flies off the deck and not through the glass along that wall!

Waving and singing in the rain! :)
Cynthia

I made a list of tasks for this weekend, and have crossed off three out of 4 items thus far. I feel quite Julie -like ! In an unscheduled task , I dug out a mature Spirea as phase one of some changes I am planning in the front garden. I'm kind of clearing the path for the tree guy to remove and stump grind my Pittosporum Eugenioides which has basically morphed into a tree and is throwing too much shade.

I've noticed the changing light patterns.I love fall but I'm not quite ready for it yet.

Checking in on FB this morning our Idyll folk over there have lost some trees/plants as Irene passed through. Cynthia posted a photo of a tree down in there garden..and I think she said there was another, Les and Monique have one down and another leaner , No word from Cindy or Cyn though. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost power..Sue and Deanne were both out earlier. Good wishes out to all who are affected by this storm !

Julie, you are going to have to refresh my memory as to which fence went in 1st , hers or yours? Here fence is very similar (and in fact nicer) that the fences that are built between houses out here. The fence on one side of my lot is only about 6ft from the house wall. I can�t beleve how fast all your plantings filled in !

Ok , that�s all for me this time. I need to get back to the list..

Kathy in Napa

Yesterday we planted a small apple tree that is compatible with the apple we planted in Spring. Planting trees is always exciting to me. I hope it is happy where we placed it. Today was a cleanup day for me outdoors. I cleaned around all 5 apple trees, "the orchard" hahahaha. It took forever to get grass and roots out, but eventually I was able to put bark chips there as well. Then I removed buckets and buckets of weeds from the barn garden. I cheated and only did the front part and later will have to climb in there and do the rest. Yuck.

Meanwhile the sprinkler has been busy watering. DH walked the trails with Phoebe and cut down some dead limbs and some burdocks as well. He's been on a blitz to make the trails easier to walk.

I've been working hard at preparing for DS's visit in mid September and have collected materials for a school he is working on in haiti. This week I'll be collecting more items for the students. He'll be taking things with him when he returns on the 21st.

I think of Chelone often, imagining her trip of a lifetime. It will be especially tough returning to work!

Well it's time for dinner it seems, as DH just picked some tomatoes for me. I'll leave you with 2 more Nana photos:

Daddy and son...
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Ivy chooses a matching hat...
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Hi all! Well, we were very lucky with this storm. Power didn't go out until around 1:00 am and was back on at 7:00am. the tree is still standing-for now. I plan to sleep in the basement until it is taken down sometime this week....or falls down sooner than that! We had small branches down, but nothing big. Our neighbors (ones we like) were the unlucky ones this time. Another tree from the woods came down on their rear fence and took out several beautiful little trees and lots of plants-she had her yard professionally landscaped and it always looks much, much better than mine. Chuck went over with his trusty saw to help them with the fallen and or damaged trees. While they did that, I pulled weeds in the lower back of our yard. Suddenly, we seem to have porcelain berry everywhere. I have never had that before! I think I got most of it, but will need to get out after school this week to be sure. What a mess. Glad Tuesday is trash day-I have six bags full! If I have energy when I get home, I will try to pull more just to get it gone on Tuesday. Will get a picture of the fence this week-completely forgot everything once I started weeding!

Glad to hear Sue and Deanne have checked in.

Back to school tomorrow. I know this is terribly greedy, but I want more time!

Started this hours ago, but got distracted and didn't send it!

Later all.
Cynthia

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Kathy, our fence went in first. We had told the neighbour what we were doing and why (required for TCS's pool, and also to control small dogs). Our fence is six inches inside our property line. She did not inform us of her plans to fence, and her fence is six inches inside of the property line on her side. We had a permit, but I don't know if she did. Although I believe that the fence is indeed a Spite Fence, it has turned out to be a blessing. Our yard is now so private - she is our only neighbour with a property adjacent to us. We have a park on the other side and an orchard behind. We have enjoyed our yard much more now that it is so private. The photo above was taken this spring. I was thinking of you when I took the photo: the patio stones were two separate lines and this is where the previous owners parked their R.V. Makes a nice little side garden for us!

My perusal of FB tells me thatmost of you were all right through the trial os Irene. Some damgae of couse, especially to trees and shrubs, but at least you all seem to be O.K. We have a very cloudy and windy day, but no damage. The men,of couse, played eighteen hole in the wind: they were the only ones on the course. What can I say?? (but I think lots).

BTW, I think I missed Marlene's birthday! Sorry, V, I hope it was a happy one.

Beautiful day here today so I think I will take advantage of it to move a few things. That's the nature of gardens I think...change.

Take care all my friends!

Cheers,

Julie

Julie - I think the creeper-covered fence looks great! You'll have to post a fall-color picture of it too.

gb - Ivy looks very debonair in that hat! It looks like she's developing a wonderful fashion sense!:-)

Cyn - I hope you don't have to spend too much time in the basement!

It's been cool and sunny here for the past few days - perfect weather. It's supposed to warm up again this week though. Usually when there's a hurricane or tropical storm along the US east coast, we'd get at least some rain from it. Not this time though - all the rain has stayed east of this part of Canada. I'm waiting to hear from a friend in NB - she was 'battening down the hatches' yesterday because they were supposed to be getting a lot of rain from the tail end of the storm.

Julie, thanks for the refresher.. isn't it nice when negative stuff provides a positive result?

I'm waiting for a robust file to finish downloading on my laptop; I'm upgrading my photo management software and needed a tutorial ; cheaper than a class at the JC and can be viewed at my own pace .

Nothing else going on here..

Waves !

Kathy in Napa

"Nothing else going on here." Oh, I wish...... We are so very busy preparing for Adam's return to Haiti. Then too, DH is swamped preparing for the opening of classes. I am behind on weeding, even though I spend hours at it daily. Then there are various appointments, book club coming up again, etc etc etc .(as Yul Brunner said in The King & I)

Today I expect to weed some more 2 foot tall weeds in the veg garden. Sigh... Then again, who knows what emergency will pop up instead...

When last in Haiti, DS worked with installation of solar panels among other things.
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And this one of one of the guys, just because I like it.
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'bug

Here is a link that might be useful: Successful solar installation in Lascahobas, Haiti, to charge 500 laptops!

Very quiet here these days.

Today was a doggie day: the usual outside play throw the bone for 20 minutes, followed by the trimming of the nails,face washing, then walkies, then the tick-and-bug heartworm whatever stuff. The nails and face and meds are not daily things. All the attention and all the accompanying treats wear them out for a couple of hours.

I fear my poor old cat is on her last little legs. She is eating more and more and getting thinner and thinner. All tests at the vet are "normal". Today as she was checking out the dog dish I bent down to pat her and she went nuts, snarling and yowling as if in a cat fight. I think I startled her and she thought it was one of the dogs. She is hiding somewhere now, but one more check with the vet is in order. We can't keep her if she is becoming nasty. She was a rescue from the streets and has never warmed up to people. We have had her at least ten years.

We are gearing up for the return to school. We are trying to have the bus pick TCS up at home as there is no other child at his current stop. Seems like a no-brainer to me, but we all know the fun of dealing with beurocracy!

Otherwise, all is well.

Cheers,

Julie

Poor kitty. Sorry the vet can't find anything. If only there were something she enjoyed and you could pamper her a bit....

More weeding took place this morning and a little more mowing this evening. I spent time at the book store but didn't find what I needed. DH got some business done, closing down his old company still. Later we bought 2 soccer balls for the school in Haiti. One is PINK! Also got a needle to re-inflate them on site.

My eyes are very tired today. Time to get off the computer I guess. Next time I post it will be September! Where does the time go?
'bug

Good morning all, well I'm up to my eyeballs with deadlines and have friends from Australia coming to visit on Monday and am teaching this weekend as well.... Yikes! I spent the last three days cleaning up the gardens from Irene's visit and am about worn out. We didn't have too much damage except for my Cotinus 'Golden Spirit' is now leaning over on my large container planting in the driveway. I'm hoping we can straighten it out soon. ONe of those things I can't do by myself and Doug hasn't had the time after work to help me with it yet. Oh well...

We brought in a garage load of plants to protect them from the storm then hauled them all back out again so many of the pots are still beautiful. The ones that couldn't be brought in are a bit worn looking. The coleus all got broken, the large Red Abyssinian Banana is in tatters and piles of leaves and buds got blown off the brugmansias. 'Charles Grimaldi' looks a bit skeletonized at the moment but they grow pretty fast so I'm hoping for a good flush of flowers before the frost sets in. But, I'm not complaining, the folks in VT and places in NY state were hammered with flooding.

Julie, your garden is looking lovely. I really love the vines on the fence. It's looking great.

Bug, love the 'Nana shots'. My goodness they are growing up so fast! Love the hat on Ivy. What a cutie!

Kathy, no kidding about the light changing with the seasons. The days shorten so fast this time of the year. I'm so not ready for fall/winter!

OK waving hello to one and all, I've got to get outside and get watering. Have a great day everyone!

Deanne

PS a couple pics from before the storm.

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Julie - how's kitty today...? It's always sad times when pets get old :-( Misty is ~14 now and noticeably slowing down lately so we feel your pain...!

Deanne - your garden is looking fabulous. The number and state of your pots always blows me away! I turned over care of all pots to Randy when he retired. He's doing much better with them than I did. He's keeping the brugs fed and watered so they may get to survive another few years. One had never grew well or flowered so that one got cut back severely this summer. The peachy-pink one is doing reasonably well by the arbour:
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They've been in the same pots for several years so I'm guessing they should be repotted soon. We'll have to do something about that this fall or winter I assume. Like the clematises here being gb's fault, the brugs are your fault Deanne! :-)

We seem to have got out of the bum shot habit here lately, but I couldn't resist taking this one today:
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Sunny and cool here today. Summer is definitely winding down fast now.

Hot and sticky humid here today!!! (32C /90F) Too hot for weeding- which is urgently needed.

Decision fatigue has set in for me. So much going on with DD & DS & DH!!!

Later,
'bug

TGIF for sure ! I am expecting a very hectic September at the awfice, so I'll take this 3 day weekend while I can. Only 1 business trip though, and at least it's in my own time zone so I don't have to deal with jet lag and other bio-rhythm issues.

My poor garden sure looks dreadful, all the travel I did this summer took it's toll, and I'm already looking towards next year. I've noticed the leaves starting to turn too, on the Chinese Pistache street trees, some of the Ginkos, and others around town.

Lol Woody, I always check my back when bending over at Idyll functions !

Julie, my best cat Ted is getting quite elderly and I�m dreading his loss.I must say though, he hasn't had a day of illness that I can recall in the years he's been with us. Has to be close to 13 or 14 I think now. Doobie is a few years younger, but has more health problems . I wouldn�t be surprised if Ted actually outlived him. I would love to have a dog but I travel too much , so that is on the back burner for now.

Deanne, bet your Aussie friends will be blown away by your gardens !

'GB , 'decision fatigue' .. I have that I think-I'm having such a hard time prioritizing the many home repair projects required here. I tend to put garden related stuff at the top of the list , even though I know the domicile infrastructure is really more urgent. Plumbing , electrical , etc. Oy !

All for now,

Kathy in Napa

I give England very high marks indeed, although the weather was not nearly as nice as it generally is here! No wonder the British are reknowned for excellent senses of humor. :) I was surprised by how cool it was and was perfectly content to wear slacks instead of shorts.

I loved the ease of public transportation and was quickly recognized at the post office where they gave me plenty of time to count my money and think about what I was doing. I quickly realized why foreign visitors frequently commented on how patient I was as a clerk here in my own area. We humans are so often in a hurry that we don't allow others to fumble their way along and gain confidence in their ability to figure things out and reach a level of comfort in new surroundings. Taking care of a frail, elderly, mentally flagging member of our species added depth to a personality that is naturally given to engagement and curiosity. I liked what my experience "over there" told me about myself and my ability to be a "citizen of the world".

Returned to the usual daily grind at the awfice but with a barely contained perception of how really stupid it all is. Not sure if that's liberating or "trouble" with a capital "T". Only time will tell.

Wrecks greeted me with downright puppy excitement and I had to laugh at the foolishness of his antics. Later, he spent a significant amount of time with his head buried in my lap while a regular beating was administered to his velvety ears. Vera landed in bed with me about 3 minutes after I settled in... seems she spent the entirety of my "disappearance" curled up on a sweatshirt I'd left out for her. The coating of kitty felt providing mute testimony to her loyalty to Mummy and "bedtime".

Not a ton of pictures, however. Not because there weren't a lot of opportunities but because hauling out the camera and being a slave to "capturing the moment" just seemed too intrusive and would've wrecked the moment. Does that make sense on some level?

I hear ya on "decision fatique"! Plenty of that, here, too. Need help from you guys on decision making with respect to how much shade a few plants I'd like to add will withstand... namely, Japanese Maples. Location: along the east side of the bahn. Strong morning sun, but the sun is largely gone by 2PM in the early summer... will this be enough to satisfy a JM? Also considering Heptacodium, need some insight.

Welcome back Chelone! 'Over there' is a wonderful place isn't it?! What I liked best about our trips to England is that is pretty much exactly matched the mental image we had of what it looked like :-) I hope you had the opportunity to visit some of the wonderful gardens there - which ones did you get to?

In my experience, JMs can take a lot of shade. All of mine get minimal to no direct sun. There are several seedling ones growing underneath the big white pines in the back and they do just fine. Various other ones are in lighter, higher shade under the ash.

Heptacodium is high on the list of my favorite small trees. Ours should be blooming by next week. It is in full sun in the front garden. It faces directly south and has a big old white cedar at its back on the north side. I don't think it really needs the shelter of the cedar - it just got placed there because that's where I had the space for it when I planted it!

Happy long-weekend Saturday, everyone!

Our weather is kind of like Bug's: overcast, hot,sticky. Not really nice.

I too have given up on the gardens for the most part. I spent a goodly time in the middle of the night planning steps to take this fall to improve things for next year. I hope I can find a bale of peat moss this fall, to dig in to aid water retenetion next year. Everything here is fried. Next year is going to be different, by gum!!!

Old kitty arrived at the breakfast table this morning with a robin. It was being held by the head and was flapping its wings and "running" with its feet. I picked up old kitty and she quite happily handed said snack to me, and I was able to release it safely on the wine deck. TCS refused his breakfast (true to his name,what else is new) and said he would never eat again and he would never touch Paws again either. He also supervised while I washed my hands.

I must admit that I will be pleased at the beginning of school. I had a very hard time intersting TCS in anything this summer, although Programming School and the backyard pool were big hits. Grade five already! Most of my decision fatigue (what a great turn of phrase, by the way) relates to TCS. Syndrome diagnoses, medication options, school related stuff, nutrition ( a big one for a non eater) etc. etc. leave me feeling completely at sea. There are times when I look around and wonder how I got here. But things roll along day-by-day and I am lucky in comparison to many. Sorry for the whine!

I managed to find a home for my ten year old double Hibiscus; I just have too many big plants to bring in! We have a great column in our local paper called Reuse?recycle. Here you can make an "offer" of something free, or make a "Request" for something free. I have used both and have been ecstatic with the result. The ads themselves are free also. The young girl who gave my Hibiscus a home was thrilled, and I was happy that I didn't have to chuck it out. Mr. Banana has usurped most of my other large greenery for now.

Which makes me think of Deanne: FYI, Deanne, J.D. Robb has a new book out: "New York to Dallas". I think it was you who commented on the "Death" series.

Today I am concentrating on one thing: food. Cleaning out fridge and freezer, making menus for the next couple of weeks, big shopping, pickling beets (the one thing that was hugely successful in my veggie garden) and making lime/mint jelly. Well, the pickles and jelly will likely be done next week; cooler and TCS will be at school while DH can still beon the golf course.

Welcome back Chelone! and waves to all the rest of you!

Cheers,

Julie

Okay, just lost my post. I have spent about three hours fooling (NOT the word I am thinking, mind you!) around with Picasa to get pictures of the spite fence into my drop box which seems to be the only way to post them here. I only was able to get one into the drop box (I know, makes no sense). Then, it seemed I could actually post the other two as well, so I did, but they didn't show on the preview. Two of the pictures show the proximity of the fences to one another and the other shot show how our black chain link pretty much disappears even when I zoom in on it. From the house or decl it is practically invisible-you can see the pots, but I will plant in front of those anyway, so no worries. So, will try one more time and then I am done for now. Hope it works.
{{gwi:172453}}From DropBox

{{gwi:172456}}From September 3, 2011
{{gwi:172457}}From September 3, 2011

Wow, Cyn, does this look familiar! That Heck strip in between the two fences is a real bummer. I have managed to hide it. Round Up is a great invention for anything that grows over on to your side. Good grief!

Cheers,

Julie

I know it's not your situation. You both liked your fences, and your neighbors didn't. I still like this article giving choices like a vertical veggie garden! Anyway I hope you get past the neighbors and see the gardening possibilities. :)

We had horrible neighbors in Edmonton. We moved. Nuff said.

I wish I had more time to chat. Ahhh well work and sleep are all I do these days. I've lost 30 lbs though, for the first time in 20 years, so that's something.

Time to sleep again. Night, night.

Yeona

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY: How to Camouflage and Hide a Chain Link Fence

Hello everyone,

I recognize some of you from here and other forums. I have been away from here for a while on military duties. I'll also posted this summer, so will be selling my house and buying another, then starting the gardening all over again