Well - Cythia is offerning a safe haven to her canine friends, at the instant I wrote that I meant Cindy.

I'm off.
M

Hi Honey. I am so sorry about all your woes. Too, too much for one person to cope with....great that you have a supportive helpmeet. I love the pics of Missy, but so glad she is yours and not mine!! :-) She is a beauty...

Mary, I am envious of your upcoming trip to England. I try to comprehend having such experiences....but doubt if it will ever happen.

Deanne, how good that you were alerted to the class in time to make it! But what a hassle !

Eden, your DD's yard is getting prettier all the time. Great job ! Bella and the cows is precious.

Great to 'see' and 'hear' you Babs..... I hope they get a good report on your DH's polyps.

So good to hear that you are doing better, Saucy. I hope that continues.

Sue, do be careful about overdoing it. That can cause lasting consequences.

I am enjoying all the feline pics. Trubby has overcome his this year's sick spell. Still pretty peaked looking, but then, he usually is in the summer. Dorky Dude loves to attack the hose when I am watering. I think he thinks it is a long snake? Nolon saw him kill a snake a while back. He follows me all around the yard while I am watering, but is no longer a nuisance. :-) Nolon is enjoying him immensely.

The heat and lack of rain continues here. I have developed a bunch of irritations on my chin. It itches, and in bed last night, after scratching them, I developed an ooze that dried into bumps...:-(
You will get a kick out of this....I dreamed that I went to the bathroom and was looking in the mirror mashing on my chin. Gobs of white maggots came out of it. I was wiping them off with a tissue. They turned into some sort of flying black bugs !!!! Yarrgh !
No maggots or bugs this morning,LOL, but a bunch of itchy red bumps! I've never had this happen before.

Marian

Morning Idylls,

Back to the grind. The week is shaping up to have little time in the garden. I was out at 6:30 this a.m. and picked tomatoes and green beans. The medication that I am taking says no alcohol and limit exposure to the sun also.

We had a phone call on Friday afternoon that DHs DD and 3 of her kids were involved in a car accident on the interstate. The accident involved a semi-truck. Miraculously they only received bruises.

We did go to the state fair, but it was hot, hot, hot. Ill try to remember to post some shots of the childrens garden later Eden.

The crop duster came last evening. On top of no rain everyone has soybean aphids. It is amazing to watch those pilots. I was out working on my containers and he was flying so low I could count the spray nozzles. He needed to fly low over the yard and then drop down right after the grove to get that field.

Mary, have a great trip. I cant help but wonder if the lime green panties will make it across the pond.

Honey, I love the pictures of Missy in her "pool" Just like a kid, give them water and their entertained endlessly. So sorry to hear that life is throwing so much at you lately.

Eden, the pictures of Bella at the dairy are so adorable and the bum shot a hoot. I probably have mentioned it before, but DH had a dairy farm for nearly 30 years. He sold the milk cows a few months before we married. We raised replacement heifers for a number of years after that.
The pavers look great. Send Brad over when he gets done, I need a new front walk.
To answer your question, my parents are moving about 5 blocks to a smaller house all on one level.

Babs, I hope all the tests turn out ok for Chris.

Saucy, I like to add yellow tomatoes to fresh salsa. They add great visual appeal.

Sue, good to hear that you are perking up.

T, I get a kick out your DH playing with his bulldozer. The boys are all as cute as a button.

Drema, best of luck on the interview. I commute 40 minutes each way. The problem is we live a good 20 minutes from any town where I could get a decent job. Luckily the commute isnt bumper to bumper. Its actually pretty relaxing.

Michelle

Good heavens! Some of you are certainly having a rough summer.

Honey - you're long overdue for something good to happen! Those pictures of Missy are so cute. Puppies are so much work. Copper, at 16 months, is still an overgrown puppy. As much as we enjoyed her two week visit here this summer, it did rather confirm for me that, if we do eventually replace Chelsea, I'd prefer to get an adult dog! Actually, we probably won't replace Chelsea because, on the whole, I think I prefer just 'borrowing' other people's dogs on a regular basis :-) If we had another dog here, it would be harder to dog-sit as much as we've been doing this year.

Mary - have a great trip to England! I'm jealous... I miss not being able to travel and England was my favorite place to go. There were so many places there that we'd like to have visited but that we never got around to on our trips. One or both of Yorkshire and Scotland would have been next on our list of places to go but they're out of the question now.

Marian - Icky dream! You never know about travel opportunities... Mom was over 60 when I took her to England with me. She had always wanted to go but couldn't afford it. After I finished university and had worked for a year, I had saved enough money for us to go for two weeks. It was the first time Mom had ever been out of the country so the whole thing, including getting a passport etc., was lots of fun for her. (And me too!)

Cindy - it sounds like those cops need to be reported to someone. Certainly that would be something that would be addressed by a police Complaints Board here and I'm sure it must be unacceptable behavior where your friend is too.

Cynthia - ooh - love those gates (if they were black...)

GB - it sounds like you're going to have fun/exciting times with family shortly. The rain here has been measly too - 3mm yesterday which was not enough to penetrate tree canopies. It's surprising that anything is still growing out there!

Eden - great Bella pictures with the cows! The patio looks impressive - and a lot of work! I'm still slogging away at my brick edging. I'm hoping to have the front beds done by early September.... I'm not very good at getting the edges straight or smoothly curved, as appropriate. I'm going to need to plant a lot of things that drape over the edges to hide the imperfections!

Here's some views of what I've been working on this past week or so:

Laying out the pattern of stones for where the path through the arbour meets the driveway:
{{gwi:172737}}
The stones in place:
{{gwi:172738}}
The entrance to the cross-path by the garage:
{{gwi:172739}}
( I did the matching street-side cross-path entrance this morning.)

I've had to extend the back of the bed a bit to allow room to put in the brick edge without doing too much damage to the magnolia roots.
{{gwi:172740}}
A few weeks ago I planted two Henryi clematises under the wisteria 'tree'/'shrub' with the hopes that they will grow into the wisteria to provide a second bloom season for the wisteria. This morning I noticed one flower so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will work
{{gwi:172742}}
I've been enjoying the pictures (kitties, kiddies, coyotes, gardens etc...) but have not been feeling chatty for some reason... So Hi to all I've missed commenting on.

Mary, have a wonderful trip! BTW, I sau Menopause and it was by far the best belly-laughing show I've ever seen. Even DH loved it. If anyone has a chance to see it, do go. You WILL be entertained.

Michelle, I'm so sorry you're still dealing with the Shingles. I hope the meds help. I was surprized to hear from my DD about staying out of the sun while on those meds. How awful and scary about the freeway collision. I'm sure glad there were only minor injuries.

Marian, I hope you don't have Shingles. With all the stress you're under, you might want to check out that rash right away. If it is Shingles, it's important to nip the nerve irritation in the bud. I hope you see a Dr., soon so you're not so miserable with the itching. I love hearing about your kitties' antics. How old is Trubby now? Is Dorky Dude the new guy?

Actually, dealing with Missy wouldn't be so bad if we weren't dealing with all the other stuff and the emotional turmoil with DD. I'm just old and cranky, I guess.

Sue, so sorry to hear you've been under the weather. I hope you continue to feel better every day.

Babs, I hope Chris' test comes out OK.

Hi DREMA! Good luck on your job interview. Nice to see a word from you now and then.

Chelone, I'm so sorry you're dealing with such continual, heartbreaking drama with your Mom and her caregivers. There but for the grace of God, go I. In an earlier post you said that one doesn't have a choice but to step up to the plate when faced with life's issues. Well, that's the way I look at it, too. However, I've seen so many who just walk away from family and friends when the going gets tough. Sometimes it's payback, but mostly it's narcisism and inability to truly care for another, parent or otherwise. I think you're one heck of a stand up lady, kiddo.

Kathy, you always post such mouth-watering photos!

Deanne, OMG, how awful about mixing up your class dates. I hate when I have to rush around like that b/c I always feel I may have forgotten to do something important.

Eden, the paver project looks fabu, as usual. Brad is so handy and creative. Bella is absolutely adorable! And she looks so grown up! I noticed that my DGN also has lost the 'baby' look.

Cynthia, how much more I admire what you've done with the rescued greys. The new guy is really pretty. I haven't seen a 'Fudge" color before.

T, oh, T, those grandbabies are so very cute! How are you coping with them? You must be exhausted at the end of the day. I love the pix of the elk and the baby coyote.

On the discussion of driving in NY, when I lived in NJ we did everything to avoid driving there. It's too easy to use public transport instead. Now, So. Cal. is another issue. I can drive in any other city in the US but there. I always get lost. Every street corner looks the same to me. And the freeways! OMG. When I had to go there for business, I always deferred to the locals.

I know I meant to say something to Marty, Wendy and the two new idyllers but my brain in mush! It's time for Missy's lunch, then a trip outside and then hopefully she'll take a nap so I can do some errands! TTYL.

Wow, this thread really hit the accelerator. I don't think I thanked you, GB, for the info on your DD's childbirth choices. A vast subject which varies widely country to country. I wasn't sure if your govt paid or not, depending on which way the mother chose. Two grand sounds very fair.

Eden and Woody, way to go on those mid-summer paving projects. We ripped out a rotting wooden deck in May then had some guys come in to dry-lay bricks. No fancy design, just straight running bond. We've done all the other brick stuff, and since there's no lawn, it's either planting or paving here. But we treated our backs by farming the job out this time. There were a few snafus, chief of which was communicating the concept of laying bricks on sand. They wanted to mortar. No rain runoff. I showed them some work I had done, and they said, Well, you used mortar there. What the?? The job did get done, though, on sand.

Coyote pups, elk, and then those twins look like there's a scuffle brewing! Is that a shoving match? The twin looking into the camera looks like he might want a rescue! What gorgeous grandkids. And Bella and the cows is lovely. Cows are so approachable. Horses maybe not as much for kids. Need to get out to one of the county fairs again.

Honey, good god, this has gotta be the summer of pain for you and your family. It can only get better. Ein wasn't much trouble as a puppy, once he finally stopped trying to herd us everywhere, always nipping at our ankles. My DH was telling a coworker about his new puppy, and he must have mentioned Wales in Ein's description. She, being a slightly dim bulb, said, Does he get in the water to herd the whales or just run alongside on the shore? Ein still dislikes being walked unless e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e goes but he's getting more flexible, or maybe those herding genes are growing dormant from disuse.

Yes, Deanne, I've mailed the package. Been seeing too many spy movies lately, and it's too much to pass up saying "the package is in the open," dork that I am. Amazing feat on mustering for the class.

Mary, take lots of pictures, please! Lovely to see your mum, but I agree that flight is one long stress position, isn't it?

Cynthia, your "third cat" had me fooled for a bit. We have just the four. I think that's the legal limit ;) The grey cat has an amazing disposition, very affectionate, follows me everywhere, which is odd since a previous grey cat had the same almost dog-like affectionate nature. The white one is icy, remote, but loves the water, like a white tiger. The little brown cat is the three-legged one, and she's the white's mother. The big yellow is the only male, really runs the place, terrorizes the Corgi.

Kathy, my folks were over yesterday, which means my dad immediately turned on the baseball game. The only sports this house has ever followed are the sailing races and lately the Tour de France (me mainly for the scenery and the legs!).

My youngest son started his first job this morning, 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., loading boxes for UPS. He's sleeping on the couch now ;) Don't know if this will work out with his college schedule or not. His class schedule works well with the hours but the fatigue, that's another story. DH's back is going out, of course, right before the huge family vacation. Popped Tramadol in the middle of the night. Fingers crossed. Hope this week improves for everyone.

Hi Everyone,
Don't have much time to post. After seeing Eden's pics I wanted to attach a few of my DS & BIL's dairy farm. I took these last spring.

My sister is actually giving the cow an injection under her tail.....LOL
{{gwi:172744}}

Normally calves don't nurse from their mom's on dairy farms. This little one wouldn't take a bottle so they gave her to her mom to feed. So adorable
{{gwi:172746}}

I'm battling whiteflies in my veggie garden. Everything is pretty much devastated. Anyway it's a long story.

Have a good evening and I'll post more tomorrow.
Mariann

Evening all,

Well I went to Lake St. Gardens today and picked up a few things including some lovely Chelone Hot Lips and a gorgeous Celosia to fill some spots in the perennial border. I also made the mistake of looking at the pots. Hmmm. Well, they had this exquisite 20" cement pot with decorative handles, a grape border and the rim has embossed acanthus leaves. It was 70% off!!!! Even though I really did not ever want to get another cement container (they weigh too much) I just couldnt resist! I have no idea what Ill put in it and maybe Ill just leave it empty and look at it for the time being. LOL

Mariann, love the dairy cow pictures. How neat. I dont remember your mentioning that your DS had a dairy farm.

Denise, oh boy! Youre the best, thanks for picking that up for me. ~~ Interesting that I once had a grey cat that was just like that. He was the most affectionate kitty Id ever had until we got our Rahjii.

Honey!!!! Good grief! Sounds like you really have your plate full right now. So sorry for all the troubles. I really know where you are coming from and you have my total empathy. ~~ Those shots of Missy in the swimming pool are a stitch.

Michelle, thank heavens your DHs DD and children are OK. Thats so scary! ~~ Bummer about the no wine, no sun thing. Is the medication helping?

OK Im starting to yawn and am having difficulties putting a sentence together so I guess its time to sign off until tomorrow.

Night all,
Deanne

My goodness it gets dark early these days! I managed to get a third hydrangea limelight planted next to the barn. The weeds there are horrendous, but every time I plant something i weed a huge patch. Bought a few sale plants today: a mystery clematis, burgundy gaillardia, a pink coreopsis. One nursery had the distinction of being so bad that I found NOTHING to buy!

I'm so sorry to hear of your woes Honey. Your DD has the good fortune to have your emotional support...which at times is better than the financial! She may not understand this yet, but it is so.

And after hearing of Tom's job trials, I was not surprised to hear from another friend that they are packing up from Detroit, trying to sell their house, leaving their auto industry jobs and are off to New Jersey. I'm so glad they have thought this out carefully and finally made the decision,, tough though it is.

Woody, you have made huge progress since I last saw the start of your edging! I don't know how you did it with all the heat we've had! My weeding this year has required more energy than I've had. I hope planting more shrubs will help me for next year.

I'm obviously winding down...forgetting the comments I intended to make. More another day!

Sue, are you out walking this evening? It's quite cool already here.

Sleep well!
'bug

Cindy, I've been through what your friend is going through, and I know how much a friend like you means in that situation. It's sickening that the police are no help to her. I wish you and her the best to get through this tough time.

'Bug, the no diaper thing is very interesting! Was telling my niece about it the other night. Her youngest is 8 months old. She had heard about the different cries, and has a CD that has the different cries and what they mean.

Chelone, I'm so sorry to hear that there are more problems with your Mom. You handle it wonderfully, but still...what a drain on you and your DB, and so unfair to your Mum. I've always wondered if some of these folks don't stop and realize that one day, they too, may need a safe and reliable place to be. The world would be a much better place if we could all put ourselves in the other guy's shoes once in a while.

Eden, lol-there's nothing like the look on a child's face when they hear the first notes of the ice cream truck coming :) Love the pics at the dairy farm, and those green clogs are just precious!

Cynthia, here's hoping the high priced drugs work for Katie! I've killed WAY too much time on the link you provided and DH thought it was pretty amusing, too!

T-love the pics :) I'm not sure I'd keep up with the twins, lol! I'd have to hook them together some how so they couldn't wander off in two different directions! All the cute kid/baby pics make me want GRANDBABIES!!!

Sue, good to see you and I'm glad to hear that you're starting to feel better. You've had enough misery to deal with.

Babs, I can't figure your DS. It's such a gift for cousins to be able to spend time together and be close. Whatever bee is in her bonnet, it's not fair to the kids. You just HAD to ask, didn't you?? I have to shave my toe knuckles. I've been "blessed" with size 11W man-feet :( My best friend gets on my case when I wear sandals and don't paint my toenails, but it just seems almost laughable to me. Seems to me that it just draws attention to something better off ignored ;) Best wishes for Chris and his tests.

Deanne, I'd have laughed at the CPR class, too ;) I have a talent for busting out laughing at the most unappreciated time.

Honey, I'm so sorry that you've got so much going on. Things are bound to turn for the better soon. Missy is just adorable. Puppies are a total PITA, but they're so cute!!

Mary, have a wonerful time in England..I'll be looking forward to pictures!

Marian, lol, I'm glad to hear that the maggots were only a dream. I have crazy dreams like that sometimes, too. Funny the way your subconcious works, isn't it?

Michelle, how scary about the accident. I'm so glad that no one was hurt. The idea of being in an accident with a semi is just terrifying. I love to watch the crop dusters. Scary how close they have to cut sometimes. My hat is off to anyone who ever milked cows. I was a milk tester for a while, and I was so impressed with the dedication and commitment it takes. Makes me appreciate the milk on my cereal SO much. I couldn't do it, myself, but I do love the smell of a cow barn. Cow poo is pleasant compared to pig poo, IMHO.

I'm loving the paver projects! I've always wanted to try it, but I know me, and I'd take shortcuts and make a mess of the whole thing.

Denise, UPS is popular among the young, strong college boys around here, too. Exhausting, but a good place to work. Given the amount of online shopping I do, I imagine they're all familiar with me, and probably not in a good way, lol! I expect a group of them to come and take away my credit cards any day now ;)
Mariann, how many cows to your DS and BIL milk?

I don't know what the deal is with August, but it's been crazy around here lately. My friend and I are getting ready for "Princess Weekend". We have a suite reserved, and will drink too much wine, giggle too much and generally act like we're 15 years old again. We go for three days for each of our birthdays. Hers is in January and mine in July, so it breaks up the year nicely. We can't always work it to go on our birthdays, but we'll take it any time we can get it! This is the 5th year we've done this, and we so look forward to it. We're probably the only 45 year old women who look forward to another birthday, lol!

DH and I are going to go to St. Ignace, MI again this year. We're planning to go early in September, after the holiday. We went last year and just loved it. I'll get a lot of vacation time in before harvest starts-cool!

I've got a bunch of laundry to get done, and have to hunt up my bathing suit. Can't believe it's August, and I haven't worn it yet this year.

We lived through the heat and humidity. Yesterday was downright pleasant, and I got a lot of weeds pulled. We were supposed to get a good rain this morning, but got a sprinkle instead. But, it is cool enough that I can stand to run the dryer.

Have a great day all, and a big HOWDY to anyone I missed...I got way behind again!
Brenda

Hi all....I went to a doc this morning and my chin problem wwas diagnosed as a bacterial infection ! I guess that is better than shingles ?? It itches like mad, and hurts. It had spread to both earlobes. I hope my scratching of bug bites on other parts of my body hasn't infected them too!

Interesting about the milk producers. I started milking cows as soon as I was big enough to squeeze the teats, probably around 5 years old. I continued milking ( the old fashioned way) until I was first married. After Tim was born Nolon and I lived on my dad's farm for 2 and 1/2 years, and I milked cows then also. Sometimes Tim would be out in the barn in his stroller as I milked.

Thanks Mariann,for the pictures. I was never one to give any type of medication. Either my dad did, or a vet.

Brenda, I agree about the dreams and a person's subconscious. I guess I was equating what is squeezed out of pimples with maggots...LOL., but have no idea what the flying insects represented, unless it is the multitude of biting bugs that attack me when I step out of the house !

Susan, you have been much too busy in this hot weather! I cannot take it, so I do my watering either early or late. Today is predicted to be the hottest yet for this year. Our house got up to above 90F inside yesterday. It is very hazy today, so may hold the interior heat down some. I have fans going all over the house. Tomorrow is supposed to be the last of this highest heat for a while...hoping for the rest of the summer.

Honey, Trubby is probably around 8. He was dropped off here in 2000, and appeared to be young. Yes, Dude is the latest dumped cat...:-( [Or else he strayed from whomever had him first.] He is very young...still just a large kitten. Was/is very friendly, and apparently had been an indoor cat, but not here! Two in the house is more than enough for me.

The face itch seems to be easing up, so perhaps the horsepills are helping...

Marie, it is the late daylight in the mornings that I am not enjoying. I like to wait until it is light to get up, and it is getting later and later ! Our place is even later that most people's around here, because we live on the 'evening side of the mountain'. ( Are you aquainted with that song? It was one of my favorites.)
My beds have really gone to weeds this year. I just have not been up to working in them. I hope when cooler weather gets here I will clean them out. Of course, by then, all the weeds will have gone to seed for next year! Oh well....

Marian

Caveat: I've not caught up with my reading "assignment". In fact, I'm farther behind than ever. But I'm OK with that. :)

I'm not really very good company these days. The adrenalin rush following the NH meeting has long since worn off and I've managed to slip into a low-grade melacholia. I busied myself with long overlooked and pretty mundane chores on my "vacation" and did find some "bright" spots. But, I have to say, I'm SO disappointed with PEOPLE, in general, that I've avoided them whenever possible in the past 10 days.

I've reached the conclusion that the whole sad story of Mum's evolving evaporation has forced me to the realization that my genuine trust and belief in the innate goodness and fairness of people has been misplaced. And that, my friends, has been a terribly bitter pill to swallow. It's not in my character to automatically be suspicious of people; but I've been reminded time and again, that the "corpies" are not worthy of such generosity of spirit. Time and again, my cheerful patience and offers of experienced guidance have been summarily dismissed. And the result has been poor care for Mum, who can no longer advocate for herself. I've patiently offered my assistance and thoughts on how her care could be improved only to be politely "blown off" or dismissed by the "professionals". When I've asked to see the record of my mother's water intake or the record of her urostomy appliance changes they've been "missing". I have NO faith in any of those idiots any longer. And I labor under the burden that I've failed my mother. I couldn't care for her in my home any longer. But no one else seems to be willing to get off their asses to make 1/4 of the effort I made for over 3 years. And I didn't do it because she is "my mother", either. I did it because she is a HUMAN BEING and deserves the care, compassion, and DIGNITY her nearly 81 years on this planet DESERVES.

My wish is that every one of those obese, smug, "credentialled" nurses and beaurocrats gets a bellyful of it at some point in their lives and pauses to remember the little old woman with senile dementia and an urostomy... . And I hope it makes them gasp for a brief moment. I fervently want life to deal them a "dope slap" and put them on their knees for a little while. There would be some justice in that. And I'm not malicious; but they honestly "don't get it" and they need to.

Enjoy some life for me, my friends! knowing that you DO really does warm the cockles of my heart, even when I don't regularly appear to say so.

Believe that.

Chelone-"I did it because she is a HUMAN BEING and deserves the care, compassion, and DIGNITY her nearly 81 years on this planet DESERVES." Exactly! ((Chelone))
I stitched this on a sampler that hangs by my desk:
The Essence of Compassion:
Remember to be
Tender with the young,
Compassionate with the aged,
Sympathetic with the striving,
And tolerant with the weak and wrong....
Because sometime in your life, you will have been all of these.
While I fall short many times, it's a good reminder to have nearby. Of course, there are those than a gentle reminder is wasted on. I'm so sorry your Mum seems to be at the hands of those kind of people. I do believe in Karma, and what goes around does come around, but that doesn't help right now. I'm just baffled as to why people choose careers in this field, if it is not for a true love of the job and people in general. Hang in there, if nothing else, you've got a lot of good thoughts coming your way from here.
Brenda

I dont have much time to write but saw Chelone's discouraged post. Chelone, have you considered writing/calling your ombudsman in the state to report the facility? At the least the 'missing" records are an infraction and you should tell them about the substandard care you think she's receiving. I was never brave enough to do for my own DM - we moved her instead to another place (which was only moderately better) after some huge disasters at the first one. They claim you can do this confidentially I believe.

Here's a link to check it out at least. Stay brave & strong & do not let them win!

--Cindy

Chelone, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I do know somewhat where you are coming from. I wish I could word things as eloquently as you. Hang in there. It is really true that this too shall pass. This time of the year is conducive to feeling low, even if you are not under the pressure that you are having. Do not beat your self up about your care of your mum. You are a wonderful daughter.

I can understand your attitude towards humans also. I have felt that way many times. Thank God for good people...and there are many ( just hard to find at times).

Marian

Chelone, I'm so sorry for the continuing difficulties with your Mom. That has to be so discouraging. Know we are thinking of you. Sending positive thoughts your way.

I just realized that we've really messed up big time and missed a birthday. Brenda, soooo.... sorry. I just checked the last Idyll and I don't think anyone even posted on your birthday. So without further ado

{{gwi:172748}}

Hugs from me (((Chelone)))....I don't usually do cyber hugs, so I hope they cheer you up a bit :)

I can't imagine what you're experiencing. You are a strong woman and I look up to you! Even though you're feeling low, know that you've done the best for the deal that you've been handed.

Others have more experience and better advice, I'm sure.

My company is all gone. That was the first time I've ever had overnight company in this house - it worked beautifully - front porch for night, deck for day.

I enjoyed the peace this afternoon and then took a nap that had a will of it's own...I slept for an hour and a half at 5 in the evening! I woke to find Nick and Sarah napping, too! She had a companion her age all weekend and I guess was as tired as mom and dad.

I'm going to miss my friend from Wyoming. I've got myself psyched up for a trip to WY to camp in the woods with her and her family. She says it's peaceful and lots of fun to hike.....I've added it to my list of "must do's".

I don't have much more to add....I'm tired again even though I had the nap. Next week we go on family vacation to Maine. I hope I can recover quickly enough to pack.

'Night all....

Saucy

p.s. Sue, I'm with Deanne, name the time....I've got new pruners that need to be broke in....Deanne, I've yet to email Wendy....I'll get right on that!

ME again :)
((more hugs for my Maine friend))

((Chelone)) - That's such a tough situation you are dealing with. I've never had to deal with it in the role of someone overseeing another's care. But I have been on the receiving end - in regular and rehab hospitals for a two month period back in 1998. I used to say to those who were lousy at their job something along the lines of 'You'd better hope that curses don't work because I curse you to be, at some point in your life, on the receiving end of the same sort of treatment you are giving me!' It's easy to see where the 'golden rule' came from - too bad more people in the 'caring professions' don't adhere to it!

In my experience, you get the worst treatment from nurses. They always think they are right and aren't too interested in listening to what the patient (or their family) has to say. What you really need to do is get the know the PSWs involved in your mother's care (PSW= Personal Support Worker - is that designation used down there...? The PSWs work under the supervision of the nurses and it's the PSWs who do 90% of the work Have you noticed how many fat nurses there are in LTC facilities?! They mostly sit at the desk, distribute medicines and do injections. The physical labour is largely done by the PSWs . That's how it works here - maybe it's different there...) Some PSWs are as bad as the nurses but there are usually some good ones around . You need to find who they are and make sure THEY know the care your mother needs. Things are more likely to get done right if you get to/educate the PSW who actually does the care. They're more likely to listen than the nurse is!

Barb, who now works for me just one day a week, is a PSW. She has a great attitude and we have lots of fun together. She used to work 3 days a week here but needed more money than I could pay her so she reduced her days here and works 4 days at a LTC facility. I hired another lady for 3 days a week. She is a foreign-born/foreign -trained nurse who didn't get around to requalifiying to Canadian standards so does this sort of work instead. She's a nice person but has that annoying nurse attitude - she doesn't listen properly when I tell her what I want done. She's too inclined to do what she thinks is right - even when she knows nothing about it (the major part of what she does at this time of the year is to help me with the garden...) It gets very annoying at times and it's an attitude that seems ingrained in nurses! (My sister is a nurse - she was born with a nurse's attitude and wanted to be a nurse from a very young age :-)

Re working in the heat - I can't work in the heat at all. One of the reasons the brick edging is taking so long is I can only work on it in the very early morning when it's cool and there's more shade in the front. I'm usually out there by 7:30 or so but have to stop by 9:00. If I sleep in a bit or Misty walks too slow on morning walkies, I miss my window of opportunity to work! I've got another 150' or so of edging to go. Preparing/placing the aluminum edging barrier can take a bit of time (I keep hitting rocks!) plus putting down the screenings and leveling the bricks one by one by hand takes a long time. I average only about 3-4' a day! If the weather doesn't cool down soon, I won't finish until October! I'm hoping to finish before the end of September though.

I have more onion bhaji info for Mary but I'll have to try to remember to post it after she's back from England. We made another - much improved - batch today after consulting with my friend. I didn't realize that bhaji means spinich! That and lots of green chilies were the vital ingredients....

I just saw Deanne's post...

Happy birthday Brenda!! (I'll try to find something in the desert out there to post a proper birthday greeting tomorrow...)

Well I'm late but I wish you happiness just as much as if I were on time! May you have many Princess Weekends!

{{gwi:172750}}

Gracious Tuesday greetings to all.. Ill try to catch up here, Im off to Vegas on business tommorow afternoon and wont return til Sat afternoon. Temps there are forecasted to be a hi of 108, low of 86. 109 on Thur and Fri. So I need to get from the baggage claim into the cab as quickly as possible, and then from the cab into the hotel lobby. Nothing like Las Vegas in August !

Honey what a time you are having ! Its so hard to watch our children make foolish decisions, or be thrust into bad situations. Sometimes the adversity can create strength that was laying dormant. I hope this is the case with your DD, and that her troubles peak with this unhappy episode in her life and she is able to pick herself up and start again. And all that DS stuff with your Mom-what crapola! My best wishes to you.
That Misty is so cute ! Shes going to be one beautiful dog. Hopefully the puppy training will help-I know she will be a fantastic pet when she becomes more mature, and youll hardly remember the trails you had to go through to get there! Funny about your driving in SoCal- Ive always felt very comfortable on those freeways since I learned to negotiate them at a tender age-a couple of years ago our CFO and another manager and I flew down to LA for the day to visit a couple of fellow independent home centers , and they sheepishly asked me to be the driver of the rental car..I was more than happy to comply. I felt kind of cocky being asked to drive by a couple of senior management guys who were clearly terrified of the thought !

Bon Voyage Mary !

Marian, that skin thing sounds bothersome ! Did your Doc say how you might have gotten it ? Assuming they gave you some meds and hope they work speedily. Nice that Nolan is enjoying Dorky Dudes antics so much. Pets can be so soothing sometimes , especially cats. I guess its that unconditional love thing , and the relaxed demeanor of most cats that just seems to help set the stress level down a notch.

Woody, I just love what you are doing with the pavers..I like the gray color too. The Henryi Clematis is one of my faves the flowers are so huge when its well grown. I lost mine a few years ago as I recall it was eaten to the nubs repeatedly by snails and finally just gave up and croaked.

Denise, glad you let Dad watch the ballgame ! I dont watch TV once the world series is over..I do Netflix and baseball and thats it. I pay for satellite expressly to get the baseball package so I can watch Dodgers games from my abode here in Giant territory. I think thats cool that your son got a job with UPSI am under the impression that positions with them are sought after.

Michelle, the auto accident call is most surely one never wants to get. How very lucky that no one was badly hurt.

Brenda, I just love your Princess Weekend concept. What is in St Ignace MI ? Is it a resort town ?

Chelone, hang in there. Sit back and think about how many fair, kind, competent, and bright people you know (include the Idylls of course as we are remarkably brilliant in every way) . Do you truly come in contact with more a***oles than good folk in the course of a week ? Is the badness of Mums situation tipping your scales into a bad place ? I dont want to sound like Pollyanna here, because there are situations that are beyond our control: Our generation is dealing with the results of improved medical care , which is prolonging life but not always improving the quality of same. Folks are drugged up (expensively) but to what end ? I dont know what the answer is Chelone. I hope that you and your Bro can have peace at some point. I urge you to follow Cindys advice and seek outside assistance.

OK, I need to pack and water the containers. See yall in a few days..

Kathy in Napa

{{gwi:172751}}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA, FROM WAY OUT WEST..

{{gwi:153041}}

Happy Belated Birthday, Brenda -- enjoy that Princess Weekend - Glorious Idea!!

{{gwi:172753}}

--Cindy

Good morning!

I've been reading along, but not much time to collect my thoughts and post.

I was writing the following in my head in traffic on the way into work this AM:

(((Chelone))) so sorry you are having such a hard time. I firmly believe that if people don't do the right thing by others they will get theirs eventually, if not in this life then in the next. Modern medical technology is wonderful, but we are prolonging life at the expense of the quality of living. I wish I had some wise advice and a solution to offer you. Know that we are all thinking of you and your family.

Cindy, I've been thinking of you and your friend also. The "blue wall" she seems to have run into may seem like it is a mile high, but it is not impenetrable. I have a lot of respect for police officers and the job they do, but there is a small percentage that take the job because they are bullies at heart and they want that badge to justify their behavior. They feel like they are a law unto themselves, but they ultimately have to answer to higher ranking officers, the chief, and the city or town that employs them.

Honey, thinking of you and your DD also. That puppy is adorable. I hear you on how much work they are - I'm glad we can visit my brother's puppy and then go home for some quiet!

Deanne & Saucy, we must get together soon! Weekends are probably the best for me, but I could possibly sneak up there on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon.

Sue, I have my pruners ready, along with my weeder and anything else you need - just say the word.

I have to get to work now, hopefully I'll be back later with a pic for Brenda (Happy Belated Birthday!).

Waving hi to all!

-Wendy

Happy Birthday Brenda!!!

{{gwi:172754}}

Have fun at Princess Weekend. I could sure use a weekend like that. I'm envious!

Eden

My garden and the crops are smiling this a.m. because of the 1.4" of rain we received last night. Unfortunately many areas that need it badly didnt get much. I drove down to where we have our electric meter to get the reading and got stuck in the mud. It took a bit of rocking but I did get out. Who would think when its been so dry? By the time I got out, I had forgotten the reading.

We have been so busy lately that I have spent very little time in the garden, but did get the lawn mowed last night. After the rain that we received earlier this month, the grass has greened up and started growing, but mostly the weeds were getting tall LOL

I pulled out all the Bells of Ireland last night. They sure dont last long. They were behind the purple celosia and the tall straw flowers so they wont be missed. The tomatoes would like more room anyway.

Woody, I planted 2 c. Henryi last spring. They really have bloomed all summer for me. I also love Arabella for being in bloom all spring and summer. It is unbelievable! Thanks again Deanne!

Speaking of the influence that you all have on me, somehow an agave in a pot appeared on my patio.

Brenda, I hope your Princess weekend is fabulous. When Rick quit milking he said it was because he wanted to have a life. DD told me on the phone last night that she took Kenzie into the swine barn at the fair. Her comment was "mommy they stink" LOL

Chelone, I cant imagine how frustrated you must be. You are right, she deserves to be treated with dignity and its deplorable that this facility doesnt realize that.

bug, I planted my first h. Limelight last fall and its just beginning to bloom. What a great shrub. I have it in full sun and in my zeriscape bed and it looks wonderful.

Deanne mentioned getting a Chelone. I have one that does nothing. What does this plant need? I have it in partial shade and give it extra water.

Honey, my shingles have cleared up, the meds are for my knees and hands.

We received sad news last night. Ricks DILs mom has stage 4 breast cancer. She had it 3 years ago the first time. Shes probably my age. Hopefully, she can beat it.

Enough rambling from me. Enjoy your day.

Michelle

{{gwi:172755}}

Happy Birthday Brenda!

A royal belated birthday salute, Princess Brenda!

{{gwi:172756}}

{{gwi:172757}}

Today has been an odd one with a different routine. DH decided to stay at home and read up on statistics...or so he said. But then the guys came to return the music festival staging to our barn. This is always exciting because kids from the drug rehab center do the heavy work. They always ernjoy the outing, are young and strong and are a big hit with Charlotte. Well this time DH couldn't help but "supervise". He also burned lots of stuff in our burn pile at last.

I was out weeding in the veg garden at 6:30 and came in at 10:30 to recover. I didn't get as much done as i hoped, but there was progress made. After lunch I pulled out LOTS of jewel weed and hope DH will cart it off to decompose somewhere later on. I'm beat.

On the negative side I'm furious with out politicians and their lack of transparency and their collusion with industry here. A friend is the brunt of some nasty goings on. Also a neighbouring hamlet is being turned into a gravel pit and the 80+ residents are losing big time...as their homes surround the new pit and are in the $400,000+ range. No compensation and the township isn't helping them out a biy.

On the plus side, family arrives on Monday and we can't wait. I guess I'd better think about making beds, buying food, etc. Yesterday I went to the toy store and bought water balloons, a puzzle, a bug/frog net for the pond, and other toys. We already have a swing in the barn, a soccer ball and other stuff. So I'm learning to be a Nana.
Later,
bug

{{gwi:172758}}

Afternoon all,

Woohoo, the UPS man came with my Sansevieria cylindrica! What a COOL plant. I just love it. Thanks so much Denise. Please email me and let me know what your address is and what the shipping charges were and I'll get a check out in the mail to you asap.

Michelle, I've had Chelone in the garden for a couple years now and I've not quite found the right spot for it. My sister has a patch of it that is fabulous which is why I've tried to cultivate it. I do love the plant with its lovely, dark, glossy leaves. The couple plants I've had I've moved around a couple times so I'm assuming that's why they've not gotten much size to them. I'm an eternal optimist which is why I've bought more. LOL

OK later all,
Deanne

I am SO supposed to be doing other things...but the computer keeps looking at me.

Deanne Oh that is so funny about the CPR baby mannequin!! hey sometimes people don't realize what it takes to blow into the adult mannequin and that the baby requires even less-so I'm sure that happens a lot! Sounds like that instructor was a bit uptight-I would have been rolling too!
I was very happy with my class-last time I went through Red Cross and this time it was through American Heart Assoc. which is usually taught by a nurse or paramedic. The nurse really made us feel at ease and was very receptive to those feeling confused or nervous. We also had a couple paramedics with us and it was helpful to have them talk about actual scenarios that they'd encountered since each situation can be so different and I may need my training for other than school-I hope I never really need it though. It was so sad to hear one woman in the class talk about how she tried to save her aging father but couldn't even with CPR-that would be so scary.

Eden I love Bella's pics-she's such a beauty. Lol-I think that might be the first bovine bum shots here; )

Galium that shot of the nursing calf really is sweet.

Honey if you don't stop showing us how completely adorable Missy is I just know you're going to cause me to start looking at a dog for my boys! AJ really enjoyed seeing Missy play in the water. He's starting to make me feel guilty that we don't have a dog yet. This kid studies any dog encyclopedia he can get his hands on-he's constantly IDing dogs we see and he's accurate!(since I'm not as smart I sneak to look in the encyclop. and every time he gets the breed right) That really was a great solution to Missy's digging. Just remember she won't be a puppy forever. Keep those Missy pics coming: )
I'm sorry things have been so rough for you.

I hope Mary has a wonderful excursion-I hope we see pics: )

Here's a pic of my boys while we were on vacation in Hocking Hills...I think Eden or Mary asked to see AJ & Ry(you get Chris too as a bonus)

{{gwi:172759}}

Thanks for the good thoughts for Chris' biopsy results-you're not going to believe this(well maybe),his doctor called,naturally while I was out, and left a message about the results. Just as he was saying what the results are the message machine cut him off! I'm assuming he wouldn't give bad news out by voice mail so I figure Chris is fine(he'll call to get the results). It's odd,since he had the polyps removed he hasn't had symptoms from the GIRD. That would be great if it was just the polyps causing his discomfort. I did read that sometimes the GIRD meds can cause polyps to form-go figure.

I better get a move on-I haven't even finished all my comments...it'll have to be later though.

Thinking of Princess Brenda's fun weekend-will you pack your tiara??lol

~babs

Deanne, I'm so glad you got the sans. Hope it survived transit OK. Don't be afraid to tell me its true condition! We've been hearing some "insider" stuff on UPS from my youngest son ;> I'll get my address off to you but it may not be right away. We're packing and leaving tonight for Oregon.

GB, I was going to ask what petition can I sign or letter can I write, but being in another country that's a pretty useless offer, so all I can offer is sympathy. It sounds like a tragic fait accompli already. I think it's safe to say transparency in govt is a prerequisite for democracies. It IS hard to stay away from political topics because, on so many levels, the personal is political. I tend to see Chelone's situation she's in now as a political failure too. If anybody could secure a decent situation for their aging parent, my money would be on Chelone.

Kathy, have a blast in Vegas, if possible. Maybe check out a Cirque de Soleil show or the Blue Men. I haven't been to Vegas since its had the glitzy redo, not since a kid one time with my parents, then passing through with friends on a road trip, early twenties. Along with all the old stories I continually pump my mom for about growing up in the "flats" in Holyoke, Mass, I get a kick asking them about who they've seen in Vegas. Rat pack? No, but yes on Sammy Davis, Jr. by himself. No Sinatra but Buddy Greco, Dean Martin, Steve & Edie, Wayne Newton of course, the big bands, old school comedians like Milton Berle, Don Rickles, Dangerfield, Phyllis Diller. My parents' heyday. My mom had this electric blue satin dress and a red chiffon number she'd lay out on the bed when packing, a ritual which mesmerized me. I hear they don't dress like that in Vegas anymore, lol. They were bored by Bill Cosby's "stories. He just sat on a stool and talked." Speaking of which, gotta run. Hoping for uneventful days this remaining August for the idylletes. Sometimes "boring" days aren't half bad ;o)

(Babs, what a great-looking family. Same number of boys in my family, lol! How about an idyll poll on the best dog breed for your clan?)

A quick good evening to all,

Hoping princess Brenda is having a ball!!!

Denise, The San is in perfect condition. Seriously, I've never seen such a terrific job packaging a plant. I knew this baby was a succulent but wow! It really is a great plant and even better because from what I can tell it requires absolutely no care whatever. Infrequent watering, sun or shade, almost no food and it just keeps on doing what it's going to do. What fun. I want to find a neat oval planter for it.

Babs, what a fabu-fabu pic of your boys! Love it. ~~ OH no about the answering machine. Good grief. ~~ So do tell, is Brenda's B-Day card a picture of 'Lena'?

Bug, I'll bet you can't wait until Monday! I'm excited for you. Looking forward to pics of the visit.

Saucy and Wendy, how about a visit here on Sunday? or next weekend sometime?

OK time to get ready for bed so I can get up and put in another twelve hours in the garden tomorrow! LOL

Nite all
Deanne

The sprinkler is on...no showers as were predicted. The sun was rising behind the barn as I was setting up the hoses.

{{gwi:172760}}

Lilies near the barn.
{{gwi:172761}}

Through the dining room window, a hummingbird on a clematis obelisk.
{{gwi:172762}}

Happy Thursday to all!
'bug

Good Morning, I'm hopeless behind and no time to catch up. We've about wrapped up the paver project, now I just need to get that huge pile of woodchips in my driveway spread. No Bella today and I MUST devote my time to housework unfortunately. Jen and Randy are moved in and Jen and I are spending the day Saturday at Sunshine Herb Farm attending How To Cook With Herbs. That will be fun and give her some ideas on how to use what's in her herb garden.

Marie, great pics to greet me this morning. Love the hummer!

Babs, Thanks for the pics of Chris and the boys. They're growing up so fast and what a great pic of your 3 guys! Still no blooms on the clero here.

Woody, loved seeing pics of your paver project. I'm impressed that you're doing it yourself. When I say "we" around here it usually means "Brad", lol. I'd never attempt the pavers on my own. They'd never be straight or level, lol. Can't wait to see yours when you've finished. It's going to look great!

Hi to everyone. Times wasting so I must run...

Eden

Good morning.

Fast skim (again)... I feel like I'm on a Merry-go-round set at warp speed. Hold on tight or you'll get flung off before you know what happened.....

Babies are still not feeling up to par. Yesterday morning was pretty nice (they were happy & playing) but the afternoon went downhill quickly with fussiness and crying. I had to use the numbing drops in their ears on the hour (as prescribed - if needed) and also gave them Tylenol. I sure hope their mom & dad had an okay night with them and that they wake up this morning feeling better. Brutal to have two hurting and cranky babies to contend with during the day.

In the picture, it was a shiny button that one was poking at, not his brother. ;o) Although yesterday morning one was laying on his back and the other one dog-piled onto him. There was lots of giggling and they traded places a couple of times before one cried at a misplaced foot in his face (teaching a 1 year old 'gentle' is a tough one). They've just begun 'playing' together. There is a lot of "I'm not sharing and that is MINE!" that goes on during the day, too. But it is fun to watch them interact when it is 'nice' interacting instead of tug of war over a bink or a toy.

Today is errands and then going to pick up a 15 month old beagle to dog sit until Monday night while the family goes camping (the dog belongs to James & Thomas' family). The dog is high energy and doesn't mind well. It will be a long time until Monday night. Tomorrow is twins once again. So.......that is my life right now. Fun, tiring, chaotic and a bit boring.

Hello to all......sorry that it is once again a fly by post and all about here.... :o/

T.

Aw, you guys!! Thanks for the birthday wishes. Just popped in to say bye-I gotta get packed. Will be back on Sunday. Babs, we usually go to my brother's for brunch on Princess weekend, and one year he DID provide us with tiaras :)
Since my friend drives a trash truck, and I'm a farmer the "Princess" thing is quite a joke, but we enjoy taking it easy for a few days all the same.
See ya all when I get back!
Brenda

Deanne-that's Lena,alright: ) I also have one from you that has brighter magenta flowers...do you recall which that is?

Hi T! I missed the pics you posted earlier : ( hope the little guys are better soon! They always seem to be under the weather together lol.

Eden-darn,I was hoping your Clero. was budding up too. Mine suddenly started budding and looks like it will have lots of blooms. When the weatehr starts to cool I would be glad to send you one of my cuttings that has rooted.
I was surprised to see the 'Foliage' book recommended in the garden resource section of today's newspaper...how ironic: ) or is it.lol

Denise-thanks about my boys-Oh the joys of boys?lol. I do know that when we get a dog it will be from the pound and I'd really like a terrier since I grew up with one. The only thing is that I probably won't get a dog until we move to my mom's house since we live on a high traffic road-I'd rather train a dog where it's safer if it gets loose. I also like a dog that's small enough to sit on my lap.

Good grief-the construction across teh street is driving me batty. I don't even need an alarm clock...beeping trucks and moster dump trucks wake me like a charm at teh crack of dawn. Can you believe on a sat. they were working at 7 am?

This is brief as I have to get the boys ready for track practice. Oh boy~three days a week.

Nice pics 'Bug-that hummer is so cute! We have a baby one around here and it visits my fuchsias.

~ABbs oops-that's ~Babs

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRENDA!! I'd post a pix but my camera is in the kitchen and I don't want to wake the 'baby' up!
Can't wait to hear about your princess day.

Eden, the Brug Charles Grimaldi you have me is blooming and has lots of other buds this year. Yeah! Also, the double white finally has 2 buds on it. I can't wait to see it bloom for the first time!

Thanks, you guys, for all the support. I feel like a whiner, tho, compared to Chelone and others dealing with such adversity.

Re DD, she hasn't always made good choices and she's had bad things happen. I guess as a parent you always want the best for them and it's frustrating and dishartening when they choose not to achieve what they're capable of. This saga will be ongoing, but thankfully DD is feeling better from both the flu and Shingles.

Last night, my DB phoned and woke me up b/c Mom called him about DS and her antics. He's beside himself over what DS is doing and how Mom's handling it. They both love the negative attention so it just perpetuates. I just can't wait for Sat. DB is having us over for fresh-picked corn from his garden. I'm sure Mom will recount all the antics for the entire visit. Oh joy.

Oh, and by the way, my DB tells me that if you cook corn within 15 min. of picking it, it's sweeter b/c the sugar hasn't had a chance to turn to starch. I'm sure Michelle and Brenda know this, but I didn't!

Yesterday I was just at my wits end with Missy. I was commiserating with my neighbor who has a Bouvier puppy the same age as Missy. She looked as haggard at 9 am as I did.
What scared and frightened me is Missy testing her growl and lowering the tone of her bark. After thinking about what we're doing, I realized that we've been inadvertently encouraging aggressiveness in her. Also, I think she's picked up on my stress and frustration over other things.

Luckily, I've read that dogs forget your mistakes and it's just to pick up from here and go forward. First, it was a huge mistake to get Missy a tug-of-war toy. So I trashed those. We play fetch instead. Also, I've realized that when I've been reprimanding her she's perceived it as my getting aggressive and has escalated her bad behaviour.

So this am, I'm trying new tactics. My interaction is calm and soft with lots of scratching her belly and talking softly to her. I'm using a pop can filled with marbles that I shake loudly when I reprimand her for barking. It gets her attention and she stops. So, so far so good. Tomorrow am I have a special session with the trainer and hopefully I can pick up some pointers. I just have to find the 'right' parenting skills for this baby.

Marian, I'm so sorry to hear about the bacterial infection on your chin. I hope the antibiotics take hold quickly and the itching diminishes. When you get a chance, please post a pic of your new kitty. I need a kitty fix!

Babs, it sounds like the results of Chris's tests is good news! I'm so very glad to hear that. About getting a puppy, puppy training was much easier last time. The puppy was 4 mo. old and we had a fenced in yard. It is just like having another 'baby' in the house and is a lot of work.

Cindy, I meant to comment earlier that I so admire your offering your friend safe haven from the domestic violence situation. Hopefully, she'll be able to pick-up her life and not seek out another relationship with someone similar. It would be great if you encouraged her to get some counseling, if it's available in your area.

Kathy, that's great you can find your way around LA. I don't mind the driving per se, it's figuring out where the heck I am. I can't navigate out there for some reason.

We're going to meet up with friends for dinner tonite. Can't wait. We haven't been able to get the whole group together for 8 months! So it'll be great to see everyone. And I get to wear something other than a ratty ole t-shirt and jeans.

Hmmm, I have to take a pic in my garden for Sue. I have similar acoutriments, tho not as large, as that photo of her that was circulated, lol.

OK, here's some good news. DH just phoned and he put together a report that shows that if they keep he and his partner instead of laying them off and disposing of that part of the business, they'll net $19.5 mil. in profit/yr. Altho it's no guarantee mgmt won't do something stupid, we're hoping they'll decide to transition these two jobs into the new reorganized co. We'll see.

Hope Mary has a safe fun trip; that Sue is feeling better; that all these paver projects come out exactly as you hope them to; and a big Hi to everyone else I missed! It's all I can remember for now.

Missy is awake and it's time for a walk!

TTYL,
Honey

Greetings! Today is TGIF for me -- taking tomorrow off to prep for a 40 family member soire' on Saturday. My part of the food is easy. Pretty darn cool to have both sides of the family include some really good cooks/chefs/bakers!!

Denise: I had to read your Holyoke sentence twice, since I'm there a lot!! My niece went to Mt Holyoke in South Hadley, and you can't get there from here without going through Holyoke. My Great-Grandfather was the chief engineer for the lock and dam system on the river, and I think locals are still cursing him :-)

Eden: So is the greenhouse going to double as a cow home? Farm-made ice cream is a huge business here, and you never know what career path Bella could choose with the right start at age two!!

T: I missed the pics, also, but can certainly envision two one-year-olds learning to get along. All good thoughts headed your way when the Charlie Browns are there.

'bug: My heart aches at the thought of a gravel pit being put into your area. Because we are in a river valley, there are a lot of them around and despite everyone's best efforts, government continues to think that they are the "highest and best use" for some land. To me, that logic is incomprehensible. Are they at least required to submit a restoration plan from the beginning??? For some reason I'm excited about seeing pics of your DD and crew. There aren't any sevenish kids in my life, and it's one of my favorite ages.

Deanne: Your gardens continue to astound. Do you realize that it was a year ago that I came up to see them? It seems like yesterday, and every time I use a certain coffee mug I think of you. The biggest, baddest coffee mug on earth! I, too, am staying away from concrete containers if it can be helped. At 70%, it couldn't be helped;-)

Sue -- I hope your intermittant posts are only because work is so busy, and not because you're feeling lousier. If there's a "Work on Sue's Garden Day" be sure to let me know. Yes, I've backed out of invitations before, but this feels like a mission and if Saucy will be there (whom I'd really, really like to meet) it's a go!!

Marian: Must admit that your description of your chin gave me the shivers, but am glad that it's something easily handled.

Mary: If you're out there, could you look at what 20-year-old college students are wearing in England? Trying to get DS to buy new clothes (to replace the shredded jeans that show his lime-green boxers -- no kidding) is futile unless a love interest is involved. Perhaps a stern warning from a native would help.

Honey: You almost were my best friend forever. Showed Rich the Missy pics and explained that with my new job I'll be home more and it doesn't have to be a puppy and now would be the perfect time for a dog. It took him ten or so seconds longer to say no than usual. Yes, I could just go get a dog but I like my husband better :-)

Brenda: HAPPIEST BELATED BIRTHDAY I CAN SEND!! Being a Princess is never a bad thing ....

Babs: That pic is a framer and keeper. I love Hocking Hills!! Keeping fingers, toes and everything else possible crossed for Chris' results.

Chelone: Fill us in on the construction progress! With everything else going on, can you look at it as a bright spot? No cleaning off cars this year?????? Yes!!!

Kathy: Serious Rose Question. I "acquired" an Aloha climber and what I'm seeing says Z7 is the min. I refuse to believe this as it is an amazing plant in flower (even in baby-stage). Have you heard differently? Drop a quarter for me, BTW :-)

To everyone I've missed because of brain freeze, Hi!!

Martie

Honey - have you read 'The Other End of the Leash' by Patricia McConnell? If not, I think you'd find it useful - and it's amusing to read too. Stanley Coren's How to Speak Dog is excellent too - they cover a lot of the same territory.

Eden - This is very definitely an amateur paving job! The metal edging behind the bricks has annoying little wobbles in the lines and the bricks aren't always lined up neatly enough. I'm reasonably good now at getting the bricks level side-to-side but the ground isn't flat. The bricks follow the contours so they aren't always level end-to-end. I expect that they will shift a bit with the freeze/thaw cycle but hopefully they will settle down again and only need a bit of corrective leveling in late spring. My real objective is to eliminate the need to ever have to trench-edge these beds again. That has become a major garden chore that will become increasingly difficult for me as time goes on. The brick edging is also making mowing easier for Randy (not that any mowing is needed at the moment as the grass is more or less completely dormant!) While I'm doing most of the work, the edging is a collaborative effort. Randy gets to carry the bags of screenings from the driveway to where I need them dropped to work. Arlene/Barb helped dig out the grass to shift the back edge of the bed and to make the new wisteria bed. They also help with placing the metal edging. 'We' here, depending on the day and time of day, means me and one or more of Randy, Arlene or Barb.

This morning we (Arlene and I) worked on the new wisteria bed. It's almost all planted now - except we had to get more orange-scented thyme this afternoon - and the bricks are in place (but not leveled) for the edging. The bed has the 'Lawrence' wisteria, an Emerald Gaiety' euonymus, a 'Black Knight' butterfly bush and a groundcover of orange-scented thyme. I have tried to grow the Black Knight butterfly bush every year for at least 6 years and it always dies in the winter! But I like the color and scent enough that I'm willing to plant it as an annual each year if need be.

I've been lax in my pruning of the Lawrence' wisteria already. Instead of a single trunk it's going to end up with multiple upright trunks. I really like the tall bushy tree look of the other wisteria so I wouldn't mind if this one ends up looking similar to that. The 'Lawrence' is on the NE side of the lawn and the other one is on the SE side. Between the wisteria beds, the main front bed, a secondary smaller bed, and the driveway border, the front lawn is now reduced to grassy paths between the beds. There is a steep bank to the ditch by the road so that limits the width of the beds I can make at the edge. The new wisteria bed is, therefore, quite narrow. Here's how things look today, looking from near the back of the new bed towards the other wisteria at the SE end of the lawn:
{{gwi:172763}}

This morning we made more samosas - on our own this time without my friend's immediate assistance. They turned out not too bad - although the folding is still a bit less than ideal. Arlene got the hang of it reasonably quickly. We only used about half the filling we had made yesterday. I've put the rest in the freezer. Next week I'm going to make fresh samosa pastry and use that to do the rest. The bought pastry is definitely more appropriate for spring rolls I think. It bubbles and I don't remember 'proper' samosa pastry bubbling when it cooks. So I'm going to see if the home-made stuff will work/taste better. The pieces of pastry will be more irregular in size so the folding is going to be trickier I think. I'll use the pasta maker to roll it out into thin sheets. If I do it right, maybe I can cut the sheets to a uniform size to make the folding easier to do. Here's how today's samosas look:
{{gwi:172764}}
Hopefully soon I'll have 'perfected' both onion bhajis and samosas!

Honey, I only had one pic of Dorky Dude, so I went out awhile ago and tried to get some more. He isn't very good at cooperating. Here are some of the best:

{{gwi:172765}}

If you look closely, his head is upside down !

{{gwi:172766}}

In the next pic I was trying to get some action from him. he was kicking at my foot, but most of the pics were blurry...

{{gwi:172767}}

And one with Tommy trying to start something !

{{gwi:172768}}

While out there I decided to take a pic of one of my watering operations:

{{gwi:172769}}

Usually I have the long handled spray nozzle on the hose for watering the pots, but this is easier. When it is cooler out, I will go back to it.
Today is supposed to be the last of the torrid temps, at least for a week or so. We have been very blessed at our house, since others around were having at least 10 degrees hotter temps than we had. Our highest was right at 90. The hottest it got indoors was about 92. I have seven fans going all day, and 4 at night. Thank God for electricity !!
We haven't suffered any discomfort, and avoid doing anything strenuous.
Our Son, Tim, called today. It got up to 107 at his Malverne home ! He said he has taken to turning his AC off while he isn't home..to cut down on the bill. (I am thinking that will not work.) He said when the girls are there they keep it cold enough for a meat storage unit !! LOL !

My chin lesions are slowly healing. They have formed scabs, and still itch occasionally. (Such a weird thing to happen to my poor chin !!) They aren't too noticable, and can be pretty well hidden by makeup when I take Nolon in to his lab work in the morning.

Back to cats....last night a terrible fight broke out between Trubby and Dude. I'm not sure who started it, but they knocked over my strawberry jar full of hen and chickens, and demolished a hosta, (that was already suffering from slugs), and a couple of wax begonias. I broke up the fight, and replanted the dislodged plants into the jar. Neither of the cats seem to be any worse for wear.

Kathy, I didn't even think to ask the doctor what caused the infection. (He wasn't my usual doc, in fact he is my doc's DH ! ). I suspect it was just one of those things that happen......
I love the pic you posted for Brenda's birthday.

I have gotten so far behind on doing birthday pics, I am hesitant to start again.... but I do hope Brenda had/ is having a lovely birthday.

Michelle, I am very envious of the nice rain that you had. We are really parched !

Marie, I am sorry about the gravel pit issue. There is a large pit into the side of a hill south of Harrison, in Boone County.It is surrounded by fields and pastures. There does not seem to be any problem with it and the neighbors.It is where gravel comes from for the roads. Our county ( Newton County )used to get it from creek beds, but that was stopped. Now our county roads are going back to dirt and bedrock !
I am happy that your family is coming for a visit. I am sure it will be a fun-filled time !

Babs, great pic of your family ! A good looking bunch.
What a drag about the message machine cutting off the test results on your DH.

Woody, those pastries are making me hungry !!!!

I have fizzled out...and know I've failed to comment on lots of things that I should....

Marian

TGIF!

Good morning! August 17th. Can anybody tell me where summer went this year? Good grief! The wallpaper on my computer screen at work is a group shot from my birthday dinner this year...June 2nd-seems like last week!

Happy Birthday Brenda! Enjoy your princess weekend. That sounds like something I could use...lol.

On the health front, I went to the doctor on Wednesday. It is Lyme I have and not Erlychiosis-she showed me the lab results. Dr. Feelgood jumped the gun on the other because the test was borderline. According to the lab borderline is considered negative. It doesn't really matter because the treatment is the same for both. Because I still have some nagging symptoms she extended my antibiotics for another week (great, no sun til September now) and gave me the name of an infectious disease group in Hartford for an appointment if I feel I need to see a specialist. At this point I've had enough of doctors. Maybe I'll reconsider next week.

Other than that it's been work, watering and walking. That's about it. It looks like we're going to be getting some cool, dry weather for the weekend so maybe I'll make good progress on the gardening front. Less than a month now before the open day...eeek!

Sue

Last night the perfect gardening weather arrived here! Crisp, cool and sunny! Maybe I'll get something accomplished today? I know Sue will...but please don't push it. You have lots of offers of help.
The sprinklers are running already.
Still preparing for grandkids next week. Also lots of other stuff going on.
Missing all the vacationing folks...Bet V is enjoying her HOLIDAY. Thinking of Princess Brenda and lime green Mary too. Norma?
Nice to meet the Dude Marian!
Woody, those samosas...mmmmmm

Time to get moving!
'bug

Good morning!

Sue, I don't know where summer went either - I can't believe it is back to school in 2 weeks! I like the slower pace of the summer routine; no lunches to pack, no homework to supervise, no rushing in the morning - the kids go to my mother's when DH & I work so my only AM requirement is clean clothes and brushed teeth.

The school paperwork has already started, a packet from DD's school came yesterday. She is taking French this year! Most of her friends took Spanish, and frankly Spanish would be of more use to here around here, but she wanted to take French since there is a field trip to Quebec in 8th grade. Much of the communication from school is moving to e-mail now, which I greatly prefer - I get enough of paper clutter at the office.

I am admiring all the edging/paver projects going on here - that is such hard work. We hired out to have our path done, and I'm really glad we did. Their fleet of equipment made short work of it. It would have taken us weeks to dig the path foundation that they dug in one morning, and the large rock that they removed would still be sitting beside our new path if we were on our own!

It is pretty swampy outside now, very warm & humid. Some cooler, drier weather is predicted for the weekend - DH has promised me some quality time...with the shovel! There are a few areas that I'd like to dig out, including the attractive milkweed/orange daylily combo next to the driveway, and the ragged bit of lawn where the play structure used to be. DH surprised me on that one: when we removed the play structure, he actually suggested that a nearby bed be extended to include that spot rather than re-planting the grass. I think he is starting to get it!

Deanne, I'm free to come to see you this Sunday or next weekend - I've emailed Saucy, she was going to get back to me (helloooo Saucy!!). Why don't we say next weekend, Sunday maybe, unless I hear back from her soon? BTW Saucy, I can check email here at work on the server, but DH is at home today (he has way more vacation time than me!) and if he checks his email, mine goes off the server before I can see it, so shout out here!

My music in the car this AM was Don Henley (of Eagles fame). The lyrics of the song "Inside Job" made me think of 'bug's gravel pit situation:

While you were sleeping
They came and took it all away
The lanes and the meadows
The places where you used to play

It was an inside job
By the well-connected...

I'm not familiar with gravel pits, there isn't one around here. I'm picturing 'round the clock noise from heavy equipment and devastation of the environment...is that about right? What a shame. We used to have county government in Mass., and there was a lot of backroom deals and hackery there - DH went so far as to call it "hack-o-rama". The state finally took over the county, but I'm not really sure how much better it really is - probably just better hidden.

Speaking of the car, my next installment of the strange things people do while sitting in traffic: this guy in front of me kept leaning way over to the right, I'm not sure if he was cleaning out his glove box or fixing a tremendous wedgie! One wonders...

Well, duty calls; thinking of all of you, never enough time to type all my thoughts.

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Wendy

Wendy, here is more info on Gravel than you want to know. This is our website and now you know what keeps us busy. It is usually mighty depressing, hence why I enjoy gardening! It describes such things as rehabilitation which you asked about and also noise issues, dust, etc. etc. etc.

This morning (conflict of interest!) I met with the guy who is going to upgrade our drive. Our new Honda is low to the ground and so the ruts need filling with gravel. You don't know how very hard it is for us to proceed with this!

Planted some lilies near the Russian Sage, also some of the short balloon flowers in the yellow/blue garden. Still lots of shade plants to be put in the ground, but first huge patches of weeding need to be done.

Think I'll run out and do my errands now. Hope the perfect weather is reaching you. I just wish it would rain every night from 10pm until 4am....;-)

Ciao!
'bug

Hi everyone, just a 'drive by' here.

Wendy, is there any way possible you and Saucy (Hmmm, maybe Chelone could use a day off in the gardens here too) could make it Sunday???? The weather is supposed to be gorgeous and I've jut finished 'polishing' up the gardens and house for company this evening so all would be ready for an Idyll visitation. We could plan for munchies and beverages on the patio. I know its going to be a perfect day for it.

Deanne

PS any Idylls interested are welcome to join us!