~B

Now it is rest time before I contemplate fixing dinner. Too bad we can't join Sue and Tom for a fancy dinner out!
'bug

Yes, we managed to get home with just three new plants; all perennial as promised to Rich.

Is Guara a pain to overwinter?

'Bug -- tell me about your new obelisk! They're my favorite garden ornament. Glad the wedding acoutrement are coming together.

Eden! Great to "see" you. The ornamental peppers are the talk of the neighborhood kids and so far, the bet is up to $7.75 to the first person who eats one. I've put my foot down and said "No Eating the Eden Peppers." Most of the kids are from strong Catholic backgrounds and are staying away :-) Wish I could send Bella an alpine strawberry! They're perfect toddler finger food.

Marian: Can Nolan have a job of making a skateboard kind of thing to put your deck plants on? The fence will work and will fill in, soon. (Take it from a second-year garden owner who measures plant growth by inches these days.)

Pizza tonight. The really thin crust kind baked on bricks. Still would be more fun to go out with Sue and Tom. Have a BLAST, you guys.

Martie

AND ....Don't forget the bucket of ice for pregnant legs. It works Wonders to the mood as well as the puffiness.

I'm showered and dressed. I even clipped and filed my nails...lol. We have to leave soon but decided to relax on the screen porch again with a cold drink. It's cooler out here now. I wish you could all join us-I'm waaay past romantic dinners for two. The more, the merrier.

Enjoy what's left of it.

Sue

I hope Sue & Tom had a lovely anniversary dinner. We had company all day so I didn't get any photos taken to make a card. I'm probably much more disappointed about that than Sue would ever be. ;o\

Nothing of interest happening here......

Hope all have had an enjoyable Saturday....

T.

When were the babies due? Isn't the problem with multiples usually keeping them in long enough? It sounds like your daughter is having the opposite problem.

Time for bed.

Sue

Our daughter hasn't gone over --- she just feels like it. ;o) She is a couple days away from being full term. The hot weather we had along with hitting the mark where the doctor told her the babies would most likely be fine if they were born early (IU3 weekend) then she was just ready to have them. Truly though, she has a few more days before they are 'full term'. At her last appointment, the doctor told her how proud she should be of herself in following his instructions during the pregnancy and to have made it to full term. Many women do follow their doctor's orders and aren't as fortunate as she has been.....this pregnancy and these babies are a huge blessing in her and her husband's lives. They realize how very lucky they are to have made it this far.

T.

Sue, yep, we are doing our part for the economy. Actually, I feel like I should explain that DH's employer has one of the world's strangest compensation systems, and he gets almost half of his pay in August. So this is the month for major expenditures in our household. Things always get intersting right after Christmas when his pay drops to the low point - not that anyone ever has bills after Christmas, right?

Okay, one more half-cooler to empty and then into bed. Tomorrow's another adventure. I'm hoping T's phone rings soon!

V.

Marty, Taryn, who now lives one zone warmer than here, does fine with gaura and even has seedlings. I consider it a wonderful annual frankly. Amazing what a 1/2 hour drive can do!

I guess V isn't coming here to clean my fridge tomorrow....but I was hoping. The sanitation inspector is likely to come close this place down!

T, I hope your DD is sleeping a lot as she waits. She'll never sleep late again if she's like me. I can't sleep beyond about 7 at the latest! I sure can go to bed early too! But back in school days, I could sleep til noon!

Deanne, this is day two on the treadmill. Thank goodness the humidity has disappeared ! Been eating lots of "rabbit" food too, although we did have scallops the other night! I love them too Sue.

A demain!
'bug

Sue, your dinner sounds great. Scallops are one of my favorites. Oh and sounds like you need to dig yourself a Trudy Pit.

Martie, those peppers are hot! I wouldn't try one for that amount of money. Better warn them, lol! I got a couple of new varieties of o.peppers this year. Black Pearl which I love. Dark foliage and the peppers really do look like shiny black pearls. And Explosive Embers, another with purple foliage that's a pretty one. I'll save you some seeds if you'd like.

Time to throw a load of laundry in and get to work in the garden before it gets too hot. Have a great Sunday everybody!

Eden

Time to crawl into the kitchen for some breakfast and then make my blueberry pie.

Sue

What a treat to enjoy a morning in the low 60’s. I’m enjoying wearing a sweatshirt! LOL I’ve got the first floor opened up to the fresh air. Wonderful. I’ve got the front containers all watered and need to get around to the back but am taking a break for breakfast and coffee. I’m ready and past ready to start digging and hacking a ton of stuff out of here. Enough of this horrible mess. I’ve made inroads to cleaning up the front but haven’t really touched the back yet and I’m itching to get my pruners and start chopping.

Sue glad to hear you had a nice dinner last night. If we hadn’t had Doug’s company party to go to I’d have loved to come and join you. Speaking of the party, it wasn’t at Canobie Lake Park in fact it wasn’t an ‘amusement’ park. The venue was at a place called Cedardale in Groveland MA. It turns out the facility is for corporate outings etc. and has pools, volleyball and softball fields, lovely spacious decks with comfortable seating and on and on. So if you wanted to join the softball game you could or if you wanted to swim you could or if you wanted to sit in the shade and sip a glass of chilled chardonnay (my personal choice) you could do that too. I was able to talk to quite a few folks who work at the company and enjoyed meeting them. It turns out that the president of the company is a weaver and has a studio in the Berkshires. We had a lively discussion about women’s fabric arts and on and on. So I really had a great time.

V. how great you’ve got a new fridge. I’d love an upgrade here but we’ve decided to wait until we can re-do the kitchen and that is still going to be a while.

Marian, love that container with the Sedona. Do you know the name of that neat smaller red leaved coleus with the chartreuse edges? I love that! It looks a bit like my ‘Fireworks’ coleus but not as dissected. Glad to hear you didn’t suffer any critter damage last night. ~~ Thanks for the feedback re photos. I do appreciate it.

Eden, great to hear from you. I’ve missed your daily posts. How are all your beautiful containers doing? I’d love to see some photos if you get a chance.

Martie, Do you ever get up this way anymore? I’ve got a TON of stuff to dig and divide come September this year and you’re welcome to whatever you want. I’ve got a couple huge H. ‘Stella d’Oro’s to remover and that huge patch of Hakone ‘Albo Striata’ in the driveway garden has to be divided. I’m also going to remove about half of that patch of ‘David’ phlox in that same garden. It’s a wonderful phlox but it really has outgrown its space and I need to divide it. And on and on and on. I’ve got lots of hybrid daylilies that can be divided, hostas, etc. So just let me know. The best thing would be if we set a date and planned on it so I could begin digging a couple days before you came. ~~ RE the Guara, I’ve planted it several times and it only lasted a few years then died out. Don’t know if it is because it is marginal for zone 5 or if it is just a short lived perennial.

Bug, good for you with getting back to the treadmill. I need to start getting back in the mode of going to the gym EVERY day but I’m having difficulties with convincing myself to do it. There is just so much work to do in the gardens right now and I’m usually whipped when I get home from the gym to the point where I’m only working at half speed. Do you think I could cut my workouts in half when I’m going to be working in the gardens? Nope! LOL

OK, time to go and do something productive with this gorgeous day. Enjoy the day everyone,
Deanne

Hope everyone is enjoying their day.

I also dug out some bleeding hearts that were in the front of the foundation garden, blocking my new (small) shrubs. Dug out a patch of lily of the valley there too. The weeds got really out of hand here, especially in the wilder areas in the backyard.

DH and DD are mowing our next-door neighbor's lawn while they are on vacation. DH saw how high the grass was getting over there and he felt bad for the guy. Their yard is about the same size as ours, but no gardens, only one tree - a lot of lawn! I'll bet DH will be even more glad that I garden when they are done. We are all crawling over to my parent's house soon to jump in their pool, where DS is learning to do the crawl.

Honey, so sorry that you lost your best friend. It must have been hard not to see her, but I'm glad she heard all of your phone messages and knew you were thinking of her.

Marian, sorry about your friend as well. Your pictures of the deck are beautiful - you are really making the most of that space. Too bad about the critters, I was mad too when I saw the mess they made of your lovely containers!

I had the 'Illustris' elephant ears last year, and when I went to overwinter it I cut the frosted leaves off and there was no bulb so I figured it was gone. The pot of dirt sat in the basement all winter, and when I potted up some plain elephant ears this year, I used the same soil (frugal Yankee that I am). I just found a few sprouts of Illustris in the pots! They must have grown from the roots that were left. DS calls the EE "rain forest plants" - they are taller than him now!

Happy anniversary Michelle and Rick, and Sue and Tom. Sue, your dinner sounded good - I love scallops too.

I have to tell you guys how much I enjoyed the pics from IU3! I did get a kick out of the bum shots. It looks like a great time was had by all, and you saw some beautiful places. V, your log cabin is neat!

Have to run, time for swimming! Enjoy the day!

-Wendy

DS and I crawled downstate to a place called Stelle where we enjoyed a tour of a community dedicated to sustainable living and an interesting program on the culinary uses of herbs (see the link). Then we came home and picked the first ripe tomatoes and made a dinner out of them. Yum!

I have discovered that I planted 2 different types of peach tomatoes; now the task is to decide which one I like best and then to remember where I got that one!

We're down to the 80's but it's still muggy, although as others have mentioned, the weather now is no worse than the summers of my youth. My son was asking if we had so many heat-related deaths then, and I told him I didn't think so, but almost all of the recent Chicago area deaths were elderly folks who lived alone and isolated. We knew everyone on our block where I grew up, and knew their basic comings and goings enough to know when something didn't seem right. I don't think that's the case anymore in most areas.

Speaking of goings, I'm going to crawl off to bed.

V.

V. - To enjoy the tomatoes even more perhaps you should crawl to a nursery and pick up a pack of basil! There's nothing like the combo on a hot summer day. The herb workshop is right up my alley and it's great that you got to go. I've heard of Stelle and the entire concept is of great interest.

Wendy - Pretty iris! How nice of your family to help your neighbor ...

'bug - Very, very cool obelisk. Looks like it could handle a pretty substantial plant but I'd hate to see it entirely covered. As mentioned, obelisk are my favorite garden ornament and this one is awesomely different from what I've seen!

Everyone -- It is been such a thrill to be with you everyday, and I'm going to make it a daily goal to get here. "Unconditional acceptance" is a very unusual thing in this world, but here it is!!

So, crawling back to work today then crawling north. Am VERY hopeful that I can arrange a day that includes a visit to Deanne's. Those I've made plans with before know that my schedule can get fickle, but now that I'm a bit more settled in to the travel routine I'll find a day.

Best to everyone -- Stay smiling, safe, and keep that dirt under those fingernails!!

Martie

My family rushed me off once again yesterday, and I forgot to post this link for Deanne. I hope this is not what is bothering your daylilies. You can click around on this site to see other pests and diseases.

Sue, I think it was you that asked about blooming brugs - for me the white one had that flush of bloom in early July, and it is setting buds again. The others aren't blooming yet, and no buds. The variegated one is a late bloomer, from what I've read.

Have a great day all!

-Wendy

Our humidity was 94% this morning; when I stepped out with the dogs shortly after 5:00 am, the air was so thick it felt like you could slice it. It is cooler than last week but very muggy. Speaking of the dogs, they came back into the house and then were very interested in something on the floor, in a spot where there should not have been anything. When I walked over to see what was of interest, I found that one of them (Mystic, I suspect) had carried in a small animal skull. Yeah, I got to deal with dead animal bones before breakfast - the day can only go uphill from here!

I'm thinking of T and her daughter every day. This waiting part is hard on both of them. Also Ei and her family, and Taryn and the impending move. I hope all is well with them.

Martie, I'm so glad you've decided to re-join us daily. I enjoy your morning posts.

'bug, you're on your own for that fridge cleaning. I can only handle that job about once a decade - oh, maybe that's why mine was so bad? OK, I'm really kidding about that once a decade bit; I didn't find a single thing with an expiration date prior to 2000. This morning I made my coffee with the filtered water from the fridge, and the difference is wonderful.

DD met her roommate last night and said she seemed very nice. They share a love of music. DD said Yo-Yo Ma was "amazing!"

TTYL!

V.

It seems I have the power to make it rain! LOL. I watered absolutely everything yesterday and laughed with Doug and told him it would rain today because I ran the sprinklers all day. Well I was a fortune teller, I woke up to dark clouds and when I went out to snap a few photos, yep, torrential downpours. Too funny how that works.

T, hope all is well there. We're waiting for our newest grand Idyll baby.....

V, we woke up to another batch of very humid weather here too but I think after this line of showers comes through we are supposed to get some cool, dry Canadian air.
~~ yukky about the animal bones!

Wendy, thanks so much for the link, it turns out that it isn't the midge but the problems I have are an exact match to the description of thrips. What a relief to identify the problem. It was making me crazy because my Jolyene Nichole had tons and tons of buds this year but about half of them fell off. What a pain. They say to treat with insecticidal soap. ~~ BTW that pink Catheriine Woodbury daylily has finished blooming so I can dig that for you anytime. Daylilies don't mind being dug at any time so just let me know when you want it.

Morning Martie, I do hope you can arrange a visit sometime. That would be great! I'm still up for an early dinner at Surfs sometime.

Great obelisk Bug.

OK I'm out of here, it looks like the rain has stopped so I can finish snapping some photos before the sun comes out again.

Enjoy the day all,
Deanne

Deanne,that coleus is part of the six-pac that I bought from WalMart...so it is unnamed. I love that type. Thanks for asking.
I was beginning to think I had just dreamed that I'd posted at the end of the last thread. ;-)
Hmmm, a 'sweatshirt' in Aug ? Now if I still lived on Camas Prairie I would be doing that. They had a high of 76F and a low in the 40s the other day! That is 'normal' for that area.

No 'crawling' here, more like 'creeping' with both of us having back woes. The month is moving right along. I am counting the days 'til September 10th when our hottest weather usually comes to an end.

Marie, Your new obelisk is neat. I don't have anything that could be called an obelisk. The upcoming wedding is surely keeping you busier than usual.It sounds as though you are doing a good job with the preparations. Good luck on your weight loss...but no way can you lose that much!

Martie, I have grown ornamental peppers in my flower beds. they can be quite colorful. I never taste tested one to see if they were hot. Yes, the fence is working well and the cut-back coleus are looking better. Three days with rain showers has helped also. No, I wouuldn't ask Nolon to make 'skateboards' for the 6 plants that I am toting in every night, but I just remembered Tim's little red wagon! I could set them in it, and pull it in and out each day. The utility room landing isn't big enough for the wagon, but I could pull then on into the breaskfast nook. Thanks for the mind jog. I sure hope you are getting a lovely rain today.

Sue, and others, I should take a cue from you all and do a bunch of cutting back in my pitiful beds. I usually just leave everything until fall, no matter how tacky it gets. As I have said so often, hardly anyone other than the two of us even see them. Yum! I love crab, but very seldom have any. I bought a frozen pack of stuffed crabs awhile back...then keep forgetting that I have them.Nolon 'hates' then. So they are all mine! As I suspected, the restaurant that you chose 'was' a neat place. Thr atmosphere sounds perfect, in my opinion.
I want a screened in plant room, then I could have the best of both worlds...:-)
If I had been alert enough to remain awake the other night while watching for raccoons, I could have witnessed the emergence of a cicada. It had crawled up to the top frame of the breakfast room window, and was working on emerging, but I was too tired to wait it out. By morning only the empty hull was left. There were/are two more hulls on the utility room's window frame.

V, been there done that, with our 'new' refrigerator. It is quite a chore for a fact.

All the plant buying is interesting. I generally don't buy much in the heat of the summer. The main purchases I'd like to make is more deer/rodent resistant bulbs. Since the surprise lilies are not on their menu, and neither are daffodils, I need to cover our beds with them ! I think the voles must have got the roots of the Ernest Markham clem. It is very skimmy looking, despite my waterings.

Eden, I hope your garden remains lovely til after the garden tour. That sure puts the pressure on you! Re: peppers, in my veggie gardening years I grew almost every variety that there were seeds for! It was so fun growing all the differant types and colors. Then the deer developed a taste for them. :-(

Wendy, that is a pretty iris you discovered. I have no idea what it is.I think I have one similar to it. My bleeding heart all croaked! I don't know why. How nice that your men-folk are mowing the absent neighbor's yard. Our's hasn't even need mowing since June! It is finally beginning to need it again.

Wow, V, your first ripe tomatoes are sure late. I usually picked my first around the 4th of July. I too, do not remember heat related deaths in my younger days. But maybe people were more conditioned to the heat...no ACs, not even any fans when I was small...only hand held fans! We had our monthly 'dinner on the grounds' yesterday, after AM worship. We have a pavilion, but the cement floor had absorbed quite a bit of heat, so the AC conditioned folk were suffering more than Nolon and I.

Wendy, my only brug has no sign of blooms! I think I need to pour the fertilizer to it!

Hi to everybody else who have not posted on this thread!

My only pot problem form yesterday was a hanging pot that the hanger broke, dropping it onto the ground. No damage to the plants in it...just rather shook up. :-) There were some brief winds with the rain, that probably prompted the fall.

Marian

I'm so glad to see Wendy and Martie stopping by...Wendy I like that iris but I am jealous of that baptisia in the background!(baptisia has an aversion to me lol)

My latest acquisition is Crocosmia...it's the orangey red one-not sure of the name so far. I'm also a bit confused becasue I hear people say theirs thrive and increase yet I read that it's a tender plant for zone 5. Who's got it and do you lift the corms or not?
Hopefully Ei will pop in to see that I am getting brave and attempting orange: )

Happy anniv. to you Sue and Tom!

V-I would love to see Yo-Yo Ma...I can only hope that the concerts my boys go to would be involving classical music...somehow I don't see that now. Ryan's favorite song right now is Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley!

Hey Taryn-how's the moving going?

Deanne thanks for the rain; )

I'm a bad idyll lately-it was going away for vacation that has me out of the idylling loop...would you believe I am speechless now?

~Babs

Have a great Monday
Michelle

I know a couple of people asked about my son Mike. He is fine, the car was damaged, but he is perfectly okay. He didn't get cited, I think the police were able to tell that it wasn't his fault. Thanks for asking.

I had fun this weekend. I went to the flea market this weekend and got some water plants, and a couple of tropicals. I am drawn to them for some reason. Even when I say I am not going to buy one more plant that I have to dig out and bring in for the winter, I find myself doing it. Especially at those prices. I got a ginger, a Harlequin colocasia, a Tiger Canna, a Variagated Brugmansia, a hardy (supposedly) canna. All for $26. I know there was something else too, but can't remember what it was. Then I got two little sedums, a really cool daylily called Merry Maid (just love that one, it looks like velvet)...I got a small June hosta and something that someone was selling that attracts butterflies. And an artemisia... Okay, I went a little nuts....And.. my garden is still a weedy mess. I think I am in denial, and ignoring the mess by buying new plants... totally the wrong thing to do...oh well, I had fun...and it kept me motivated to get out there and face the weeds.......

Michelle, I am looking forward to the photos of the Hawaiian luau. I bet everyone had fun.

Happy Anniversary Sue and Tom! Yummy food for you.

Wendy, I have that same Iris:)

Hi Eden! They are going to have a treat when they come to tour your garden.

Babs, I think you must have Lucifer if it is bright red orange. I just love that plant. I have had it for about 4 years. It doesn't like too much water, and it needs to drain. I have it in part sun, but I think it prefers full sun. Mine doesn't get as many blooms as others I have seen, probably the sun factor. I don't lift it in the fall.

T- hang in there...they will be here soon. You probably can't wait to hold them.

Well, I'm out of time.....
Hi to everyone!

Drema

Marian, I am not doing very much for the wedding. I plan on making a couple of cakes and taking photos. Other than that it is very casual...the bride intends to go barefoot... and all I am taking along is my smile! Well, and clothes of course! Oh, also my tomatoes have not even begun to color, so things are quite late. I do have melons and eggplants and peppers taking off though.

This morning I cut back yarrow and lady's mantle, deadheaded a few roses too. Weeded some by the barn and cut off fading hollyhocks. Then clipped off some of the dangling branches from a willow. Days and days more effort needed out there though...

Later!
'bug

Happy Anniversary Sue and Tom!

Later
Michelle

Im hoping w/ the rain (at last, at last) we might get here today that things will not look so crisped & I may come alive again...

Just did a quick pass to see what I've missed -- V's contributions to the economy, T's awaited grandchildren (still 'waiting)... looks like I missed an anniversary or two - sorry 'bout that... appliance deaths & car accidents -- glad no one had a serious serious problem.

Honey - Im so sorry to hear that your DF passed -- that had to be so tough, even if you were expecting it -- it's hard not to have been able to say goodbye to her personally, Im sure -- but sounds like she preferred to leave with good memories intact for you.

Not much to report - as I said, I've got some sort of summer malaise - I tried being a total slug this last weekend & did catch up on some sleep - but as soon as I hit the office again, Im grumpy, out of sorts, tired, & sheesh.... who wants to talk to me?!!

It's nice to see that a few people seem to have nice late summer gardens that arent totally burned out -- Im disgusted with mine. Thanks for posting such wonderful photos -- they're a pick-me-up for sure.

--Cindy

I had to laugh about being a romatic Sue & Michelle! I think I'd like to be, but gee, it takes two. Saturday while buying a few clothes for DH I saw a cheap ring that I thought was cute. Now a ring at Mark's Work Wearhouse is not a big deal, but DH would only fork over the 11 cents toward the $9.11 purchase. Oh well, he sang me a song last night, so different ideas on romantic I guess.

;)
'bug- again!

BABIES! WE WANT TWIN BABIES!

Ugh...I have parts of my gardens that look wonderful then I look at the echinacea which is getting floppy...I don't like staking things. Who was talking about Gaura...I am growing some 'Whirling butterflies' from seed thanks to Taryn. I wasn't sure if it would take but suddenly the foliage took off and I do have things budding up. The point I'm trying to make is that if you have the plant it will nicely reseed whether it acts like an annual or perennial)I think GB said that already).
I am nuts but I did some overdue pruning of my Spiraea hedge-it was so floppy because I let it get full to hide the ugly boat trailer next door. As I pruned I noticed the neighbor had planted some huge hostas...the only problem is that keeping a wheelbarrel full of cracked corn out for the deer tends to lure them to your hostas too...I just shake my head sometimes. The hostas are just blank stems now.

Not much else going on. I need to start school supply shopping for the boys. I'm taken back a bit by Ryan's eagerness to start K-garten. Everyday he wants to know how many days till it starts...how soon will he want to know how many days till school's out for summer again: )

Pics,Michelle-we need PICS...: )

Eden no it is not possible to have a tidy garden and clean house simultaneously-funny though it IS possible to have a messy house *and* a messy garden...it's just not fair.; )

I'm off to scrounge up some grub...
~Babs

What a lovely sunny day we had here today. The wind is picking up now and there is some possible thunderstorms headed this way. A bit of rain would be very nice as the ground is cracking and everything is looking quite drab, dry and ugly.

Hopefully I'll have some baby photos to share soon. I'm impatient and eager to meet these little ones.

Tomorrow is the day that Taryn was moving out of her home? I've been thinking of her and hoping that her & her hubby's backs are holding up these past weeks.

Hello to all.....

T.

Have all my IU3 pics edited and online, and really wanted to put some up on the three IU3 threads, but I'm running out of time. So can you guys do that for me please? Thanks in advance. And do I get a prize for the most bum shots? LOL! Here are my photos:

IU3 Friday

IU3 Saturday

IU3 Sunday

It seems like such a long time ago now. What fun we had! Okay, need my zzz's so I'm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow. Sending good vibes to all, especially T's DD and new grandbabies! Will try to check in again before we disconnect here, no idea when we'll get hooked up with dial-up (uggh!) at the new place. Hi to all!

T

Taryn, sorry to hear that you have to go back to dial up. I hope all goes well with the moving. Just take care of yourselves.

T, I think that we are all impatient for those babies to arrive, with you being the most I’m sure.

Babs, when my youngest went to kindergarten, she cried every day for the first week, that was pretty hard on me. It’s probably better for Ryan to be excited.

The luau pictures turned out crappy. I was busy trying to be hostess that I didn’t get a lot and it was getting dusky too fast also. Another problem is that Kenzie won’t sit still for a second, but here are a few.

The whole gang:

My nieces in the hula hooping contest:

Swimming in the lake:

Kenzie wasn't sure how to limbo:

DS and GD:

Night
Michelle

oh how fun Michelle! I love the luau pics. That is so cool that you all got appropriately dressed. YOu have a fun family. Tell Kenzie she's a regular fashion plate as usual lol. So did you wear coconuts with your grass skirt??

TARYN!!!...(I got sidetracked)you are in so much trouble!!LOL How dare you take pics of me crouching over that pond-thank goodness I had my shirt tucked in...just too many shots of me! You're lucky I like you....but just wait till the next IU.: )
[I bet she's conveniently unplugged by now too lolol]
I will still wish you the best of luck with backs and all the moving festivities. BE careful when you're weeding-moving boxes is one thing but bending over to weed is many times the culprit that makes the back go out.
I'm calmer now....I do love the IU pics you got-that one of the bells at Trudi's is awesome with the way the light is cast. But ALL the pics are wonderful to see-you have a good eye. I will need more time to look through them-lots to see.

I need some sleep![I'll be having nightmares of my bum plastered all over the internet]

~Babs

Now --

Michelle and Marian and others surrounded by thousands of acres of corn, please try to restrain yourself from laughing so loudly that I can hear you in Connecticut: Im Excited!!! My indian corn has silks and all pollination criteria are being met!!!! It is now "as tall as an elephant's eye" and really looks a lot more classy than I thought it would. Who would've thunk???

Being surrounded by tobacco fields has its benefits. I've gotten to know some of the long-time workers. Being mostly from Jamaica, they get a kick out of New Englander's attempts at growing things like Hibiscus. Imagine the cumulative neighborhood's gasp when three of them showed up late last evening with a HUGE pink with yellow edging Hibiscus plant for an upcoming neighborhood party to which they are invited!!! Wish the digital wasn't camping with Kyle so you could see it! Yes, I will try and sneak a cutting or three.

(The tobacco, by the way, has been a mainstay crop in this part of New England for nearly 200 years. We have something in the soil that makes it special. It really is a pretty plant ....)

First day back at work was a yawn. Sitting in the office all day writing proposals and answering phone calls is NOT my idea of a great time. All appts had cancelled :-( It was dry and 83degF. Today, though, on the road to the hills. Can't wait!

Love the pics of the party. Must be nice to limbo straight up!!

Taryn with dialup. Who wants to bet that cable gets to her sooner than later???? Can't imagine doing EBay without broadband. BUT - the benefits all outweigh that, it seems. Good for Taryn and Family!!! I agree that Bruce will be there.

It was me, Babs, that was talking about Gaura. For some unknown reason I've Never had it in a garden. Now that it's here I don't care if I have to get new plants every year. I have the white with pink edging and the butterflies think it's just for them. Worth it.

Second cuppa is waiting. Have a sparkling day!

Martie

It is going to be a sunny 85 degree day here today. Perfect for getting some deadheading done but I don’t know if I really feel like working outside today. Cindy, I know exactly what you mean. I’m in a real funk and don’t seem to know what to do next. The gardens are a mess, the house is a mess and I don’t seem to have the energy to lift a finger to do a thing about it. For some reason, every task seems to be an insurmountable obstacle even just watering the containers. I have no idea what my problem is but ever since I got back from CA I’ve really been down in the dumps. I don’t even feel like going shopping! (For clothes or plants) I can’t figure that one out. LOL

Doug is in Rochester again for the week. I’ll miss him but I’m so happy he is back to work. He was pretty cranky just putzing around the house creating messes wherever he went or parked himself. I will never understand why some people put things away and others never do. I’ve put baskets strategically around the house for him to collect his stuff in one place but he fills them up and never looks at the stuff again. I really need to figure a way to declutter this guy.

Marian, how great to hear you got a couple inches of rain. The hose dragging thing gets really tiresome around this time of the year. ~~ That is pretty neat you got such a great coleus in a six pack from WallMart. ~~ Sorry about your Ernest Markham, those voles are terrible. I keep losing clematis and every other they decimate my Sum and Substance and Frances Williams hosta. You know that sometimes it seems that we aren’t gardeners at all just insect exterminators and rodent control officers. LOL

Michelle, I just love your luau photos!!! What fun you had. I sure wish my family would do something like that but it will never happen. That pic with Kenzie doing the ‘backwards limbo’ is too cute.

Taryn your IU3 pics are outstanding! I got to the one with all the Echinacea and did a little gasp. They are incredible planted in mass like that aren’t they? ~~ Wow, great to hear you are all packed and things are going OK. So Wednesday is the big day? I’ll be thinking of you guys. So happy to hear everything is finally all falling into place with you and the big move.

T. great to hear you had a nice day and hope you had your ‘bit of rain’. Thanks for checking in and giving us an update on the babies.

Babs, don’t remember if I told you this but I had gaura here for several years but it never lasted beyond a third season in the gardens. I don’t know if it was a problem with me or if the rodents at it or if it is just a short lived perennial. I never had any luck with getting crocosmia to come back. I had ‘Lucifer’ and replanted it a couple times but I was never successful getting it to come back even one season. Maybe the voles ate them? ~~ LOL about the neighbor with the wheelbarrow of cracked corn and the hostas.

Eden and Babs, I agree 100%, impossible to have a tidy house and garden at the same time. One of the reasons IU2 was such a challenge! LOL

Bug I so agree with you that if you can kick yourself into action and get in the gardens and cut things back and deadhead all of a sudden the garden looks like a garden instead of a weedy mess. I’m still dealing with some kind of night feeding cutworm/caterpillar thing that feeds on my coleus at night and I can’t find the drasty things. Of course the slugs are very happy this year as well and they are doing their share of the damage and for some reason in the last five years or so we’ve gotten a new type of beetle that is like a JB but feeds at night. The never ending cycle of insects in the gardens. Sometimes I just feel like giving up and letting the bugs and rodents feed at will and bulldozing the gardens.

Drema, sounds like you had a ball at the flea market. Sometimes I do that too. Go and buy a bunch of plants instead of working with the ones I already have. I think it is some kind of avoidance technique. LOL That was quite a haul for $26.00.

Martie, your indian corn sounds so neat. I’d love to see an updated photo of that when you get a chance. Now that is one of the more creative things I’ve hear about. Safe travels!

OK I’ve GOT to motivate myself and accomplish something with this day and to that end I’m going to get off this computer. Have a great day everyone.

Deanne

Taryn, this is going to be a busy time for you. You sound so excited and happy though. Oh no on the dial-up. That's going to take some getting used to for you.

Michelle, the luau pictures are great and oh that Kenzie. What a cutie! I know just what you mean about them never standing still at that age. Oh to have just a little of their energy...

Thinking of T, dd and babies today!

I've got to get started. Lots to do in the garden today!

Eden

I've been up for a few hours, just couldn't sleep so decided coffee and the quiet darkness of the morning would be a nice 'soother of the soul and mind'.

Have you noticed that daybreak is quite a bit later already? Last week, an owl flew low over the yard while the dogs were outside doing their morning ritual. Thankfully I was standing on the deck and was able to grab a rake to wave about. I'm not sure if the owl would have attempted to grab one of the dogs (are they bigger than the owl would normally go for or was it a 'Super Size me' day?). The owl flew over them 3 times before deciding I wasn't going to allow him/her an attempt to see if it was strong enough to lift a small dog. Now, each morning I'm scanning the sky and roof top when the boys are doing their 'duty'. Use to be I was just concerned about coyotes, now the owls are shopping for an easy meal. I truly don't believe the owl could carry one of them off....but was more concerned about it raking its talons on their backs if it did make the attempt.

Well, DH is up (he took a vacation day today) and my coffee cup is empty.

Hope everyone has a great day....

T.

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/extras/53birdbath3.php

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/accout/2002072754010311.html (this one has 'our' Jerri's name on it....hope she is recuperating and feeling better)

http://www.blossomswap.com/gardens/concreteleaves.html

T.

I rarely use the laptop b/c I can’t get used to it and it has such little type despite it having almost as large a screen as the tabletop model. Sheesh.

This will be a short post b/c the weather is just glorious today and I must get into the garden and tackle the weeds, cutting back perennials, shovel pruning and planting my pot ghetto. Also, there’s a trip to get compost from the twp.

V, thanks for the contribution to my retirement! I appreciate it. What color did you get?
That’s an interesting compensation plan DH has. I admire your spending discipline. We’d starve half the yr.

We had a fabu time this weekend on our crawl up the west coast crawl thru little towns and neighborhoods, beaches and harbors. It feels like we were away a week and it was just what we both needed. I feel better about having to select pix for my friend’s memorial this weekend. I spent about an hour or soon the phone with her DH yesterday. We shared a few tears and a few laughs.

We came across a couple of places with iron and pottery for the garden and we had to stop. DH is thrilled we didn’t drive the van. He said I’d probably fill up the van and strap him to the roof to get all I wanted home, lol. Hmmm, perhaps I can go back during the week.

We visited several cute little shops. I picked up some small xmas gifts for friends but am thrilled with our FIND for the garden. TOADS! I just loved them and think they are just perfect on the stones in my dry river bed.

Oh, ‘Bug, I love that tuteur. Can’t wait to see what you do with it. Sounds like the wedding plans are coming along.

Deanne, I’m with you. I have enough garden things to do w/o adding the treadmill to the mix. For the time being, I’m just going to get my exercise hauling dirt, shovel pruning and the like.

Wendy, good to see you post. Thanks for the daylily link.

Hi Martie. Oh how lucky you are to be able to visit Deanne and her gardens. I need to make the same vow to make sure I get online at least once a day.

Break… DD stopped for lunch, unhooked the ‘puter and took it in for service. The owner of the shop is a friend of hers.

V, I’m with you. I hate cleaning the fridge. The last time I did, I found out that that lime I thot I had was actually an old head of lettuce! Yuk.

Speaking of Brugs, Eden was kind enough to share 2 with me. Charles Grimaldi has one huge bloom and a couple of little ones on it! I’m so thrilled. Thank you, Eden! The double white doesn’t have any blooms on it yet. Time to fertilize.

Babs, I have Crocrosmia Lucifer and it bloomed for me this yr. I just mulch over it and it did just fine. I love it except I’m going to have to support them. I’d post a pic but it’s stored on the other computer. I have it between White Swan and Phlox David, and next to Rudbeckia Prairie Sun which has daylily ‘Pirate Lord’ in front of it. That bed is all new this yr. and in general I’m happy with it.

Marian, I felt so badly when I saw the damage to your plants! I just can’t get that pic out of my mind. Did you lose anything? Last night again, I went raving out of the house after that pesky groundhog. Wish I had a pellet pistol and could use it here. Hmmm. Maybe Dh could catch it and relocate it. Re Ernest Markham, perhaps it will come back. I had a white one that some neighbor kids pulled out a couple yrs ago. They must’ve left a shoot b/c it showed up this yr. I hope that happens with yours.

Michelle, I just love the luau pix! DS is so handsome and the youngsters so cute. What a great looking family. It looks like everyone had such fun. Know what you mean about being away and trying to catch up on the idylls.

Drema, I can’t fault you for buying new plants. I’ve done the same thing here.

Oh, T, I was hoping to hear news about the little ones. Sending good thots to you and your family.

Hi to Sue. Mary, I hope you’re enjoying your Mum’s visit. Taryn, I hope your move goes smoothly and you don’t wear yourself out. Hi EP! Hi to anyone I missed. I’m off to the garden. Later, taters. Honey

Mom, Dad & sons are doing well.....

Josiah is 7# 2 oz., Jake is 6# 15 oz. Both are 20" long.

Grammie T. ;o)

Eden

A quick wave to everyone I'm missing. Having company leaves little Idyll time. We've been busy swimming, to the drive-in, hiking, bike riding and blue-berry picking. All of it has been wonderful. We are also dog sitting our neighbors Sheltie, and I'm expanding my repertoire of vegetarian dishes for our non meat eating nephew - life is very full.

hope to be back soon to catch up

Mary

Honey, I can just picture you stalking that "wascally gwoundhog" like Elmer Fudd. I love the frogs. The one on the right seems to be looking right at me...

Michelle, love the grass skirts. Kenzie is a doll! My DD was a hula girl for Halloween when she was about 5 or so, she was so cute. Brings back memories.

Martie nice to see you here! I didn't grow any tropical hibiscus this year, and I miss them. It is amazing to see them growing as hedges or even roadside weeds in Florida, I can just imagine what they look like in Jamaica.

Deanne, I know the feeling re: garden pests, it feels like a losing battle sometimes. I just found the hemlock woody adelgid on my hemlocks, I'm very sad about that. I think if it does not cost a fortune, I may have to start spraying them - I'd hate to lose those trees. They are huge, and really screen us from the neighbor's yard.

Taryn, sending good thoughts to you for your move - hope all goes well. I haven't had a chance to check out your IU3 pics yet, looking forward to it. I saw Trudi's garden on TV today, what a wonderful place. I wish I'd been there to see it in person.

Have a great night.

-Wendy

DD and I went to the theatre in the next town to see "The Devil Wears Prada". We had a fun evening, but funnier still was the fact that we ran into my SIL and two other friends at the same movie!

V.

Michelle

Good to see you Mary!-yes-life is full and I bet you're loving the commotion: ) Have fun with your family!

V-somehow after being in your little town I'm not surprised you ran into your SIL and friends!(I love your hometown) I can't wait to see that movie...did you like it?

Deanne for what it's worth-that hot pepper wax seems to have helped my C.'Sedona' The new growth is untouched after two applications spaced a week apart. It was either a soft bodied insect(which the wax will kill)or the earwigs...which aren't listed on the label. Bonide is the brand I used-it's 12 bucks a bottle but I found mine at 50% off.
BTW one of the fuchsias you sent me has pale pink outer petals with deep magenta inner flowers...do you recall the name of this one? It looks great with the Sedona which is planted along with it. I just pinched them but plan to get pics in a week or so.

must get sleep-these next couple weeks will be busy-not sure how much you'll see of me-just to let y'all know.

HI EI!!!!

~Babs

Well and a wonderful morning it is with two new, beautiful arrivals!! Congratulations T. and family and welcome, welcome to Josiah and Jake! What a happy day. I’m so happy to hear that everyone is fine.

Hello to Mary and Eden, thanks for checking in I’m really missing your regular posts.

Eden, I wish I had my gardens as up to snuff as yours. I need about two whole uninterrupted days out there to cut back and deadhead. Thank heavens for the containers. They make things appear much more lush and filled in that it actually is.

Mary, enjoy your family time.

Wendy, Oh no!!! I can’t believe you have those nasty buggers on your hemlocks. I’m dreading finding them here as we paid a kings fortune to plant our hemlock hedge fourteen years ago and without it we have no privacy on our patio. I’ll probably treat as well if it comes to that. Sorry you have the problem.

Babs, that fuchsia is ‘Beacon’. I love mine and they are real performers like the ‘Beacon Rosa’. I’ve got a couple standards started of it out back and hope they do well for me. They are just getting to the tops of their stakes and I’m about to do the first pinching on them. Thanks for the info re the pepper spray. I’m going to have to look for it. Several of the products I tried for the insects ruined the coleus leaves so it is good to know that the pepper spray is OK for coleus. Hope you can check in from time to time in the next couple weeks even though I know you’ll be busy.

OK time to mosey out to water things and get to the gym. Have a great day everyone.
Deanne

Welcome to the two newest members of future Idyllers!!! I give your daughter all the credit in the world, T., for listening, doing, and deliverying such healthy babies! And Jamie looks so proud (and buried by babies:-)!! His too-happy eyes tell the whole story ...

To all of you in a funk -- here's a technique I learned from a very renowned herbalist that works when I need a "break from life." It takes just a few minutes and I use it all the time to feel a bit more refreshed: Get to the quietest spot you can. Close your eyes and let your toes go limp. Breathe normally, but when you breathe in, think "RE" and when you exhale think "LAX." Inevitably, you'll find that your breathing slows down and your outermost appendages (fingers and toes) may feel tingly. You'll be very aware the whole time but it really does help after just a few minutes. I've been known to pull off to the side of a road and do this to maintain through tough hours. It's worth a try.

Yesterday had a fabu lunch with a client. Dill humus stuffed squash blossoms quickly deep fried and served with fresh minced tomato, cuke and basil salad with a very light vinegarette. Yummmmm! She makes the humus herself which I probably wouldn't take the time to do, but the recipe is recreatable.

Deanne - camera will return today and I'll ask Ky to snap a few photos. Then will need Sue to help me post them. LOL I'm looking at the Friday before Labor Day to have lunch with you if it works!

Everyone else -- stay just as happy as Jamie!!!!

Martie

I just lost a huge post -- GRRRR.

Wendy, I'm so glad you got to visit Trudi's garden via TV. It was spectacular and such a huge treat for us. Thank you, Ei! Aren't those toads a giggle? They're quite large -- 10" L x 7" W -- and the eyes just pop out at you. They're perfect for that spot, too.

Mary, it sounds like you're having a ball making memories with your Mom and the kids. Enjoy!

Thinking of Taryn packing and moving to that great new house. Please leave your IU3 photos up. I haven't had a chance to look at them yet.

And thanks Eden and T for the info on the leaf basins. I really would like to put a couple in the garden. Don't know when I'd have time to make them tho.

Yesterday, I spent the entire afternoon planting 3 Azalea Silver Sword in the front courtyard. When I dug the first hole I discovered why plants didn't thrive there. About 10" down, was a not-so-ancient builder burial ground. It took me hours to dig out bricks, concrete, wire, drywall, etc. I excavated as much as I could and refilled each hole with a mix of good soil, compost, peat, etc. Luckily, Ruth's son was home and had a load in his p/u for the dump so he helped me get rid of the treasures I dug up.

I'm hoping I don't run into the same thing on the other side. First tho, I'll move out the rhodos to their temporary home in the new front landscape. While they're not part of the overall plan, at least there will be some plants there.

V, how fun you ran into your SIL at the movies. I just love your little town, particularly the beautiful old Victorian homes and the town square. Neat that your DD got to meet her roommate before the school year. Hopefully, they'll become lifelong friends.

I'm off to dig before I lose this post! Hi to all. Honey

Michelle – I was going to say what a beautiful, beautiful family you’ve got – natural beauty genes there too – everyone is lovely – and looking suitably "fun" – I bet everyone had a real blast w/ that luau theme & games – great idea!

I was going to ask if anyone saw Trudi’s garden episode yesterday on HGTV – it was interesting to see what "changes" she’s made – obviously things were "younger" then.... but I don’t remember seeing any daylilies or polymorpha or as many perennials as were on the episode when we were there... but maybe I was in a "fog" by then and dazzled by its natural & dramatic beauty.

Deanne, I thought of you too watching the episode, because in it she remarks how she loves fuschias, iresine, and some other things that I can’t remember now – but definitely along the lines of plants that you too always remark on.

Honey – love those froggers!!

Funny thing – chatting to a fellow worker at ofc yesterday & she tells me how she goes w/ her sisters every year to "Lake Geneva" – I say, I know that place – I was just there, etc.,.... & then she says, we’re also going to be stopping in a small town south of there.... that’s famous for the movie "Groundhog Day" being filmed there!!!! Of course, I can now say – I know that place!!!! & told her how charming & wonderful the town square, cuisine, and folks are there!! How’s that for a small world?? No, V – I did not give her directions to your place, heehee.....altho I could tell her all about the Holiday Inn there.

Well, for once, I actually concur & believe what the weatherman said for our area – this morning it really was in the 60s, low humidity & Im feeling a wee bit more human and perhaps by taking tomorrow off for a dr’s appt. (& then "slumming") I’ll poke around in the yard & see what I too can whack back, since it’s supposed to be coolish then too... I’ve got some wonderful mildewy phlox blooming – but it’s nice to see the flowers so Im ignoring the mildew – from afar it doesn’t look so bad, haha....It appears I may soon get a few dahlias too which would be really nice.

Deanne – I don’t know how you and Eden & other container "maniacs" do it – those containers may look nice – but only if they are watered 2 or 3 times a day when it’s 90 – otherwise, they fry up – I can show you some lovely examples.....

I’ve really noticed a huge difference in the mornings this week – all of a sudden it’s still darkish when I awake & let the furry one outside.... it almost feels like Autumn which is weird since it’s still early August.

Ok – work time.... Thanks, T, for sharing the babes with us!

Cindy

Well, we are just cruising along here! Didn't get the keys until 6:15pm last night, but Glenn drove Christine the 2nd with one of the Aerostars down there, both loaded while I took the Kia. Our vendors left the house absolutely immaculately clean! How wonderful to know I can move food straight into the fridge etc!

And we got our cube van early, so packed it full of garden and garage stuff last night. Shane and Glenn left at 8:00am with that load. The other boys just woke up, and my Mum's still asleep, but I'm sure the coffee with wake her soon. I'm making scrambled eggs for breaky--sustenance required! Hit the acupuncturist yesterday and actually slept last night so am good to go so long as I don't bend over. My bro will be here in time for load 2 today. I'm hoping against hope Mum and I can clean here tomorrow after the movers have taken everything and we won't have to come back for that!

Babs, lol, I know, you owe me at the next IU3! Hehehe, you just 'presented' me with opportunities I couldn't resist! Glad y'all enjoyed the photos. Deanne I took those coleus standards with you in mind! Pity I ran out of batteries Sunday because Catigny's in particular was just stunning. Switched to my other rechargeables at Trudi's but they ran out of juice too soon as well. Always will have pics in my head though, what a great weekend!

Well, coffee is done and pan is ready for eggs, cedar plank soaking for bbq'd salmon later (I don't do pizza), so I'm off...

Have a great day, and will check in when I can...

T

PS 2,159 hits on Photobucket since I posted my pics so Babs your behind is famous!

I'm getting ready to fly....I mean drive...into town so I can cuddle with some babies & make sure my daughter is okay. :o)

I did ask Jamie if his baby cousins could drive Gramps' bulldozer when they get bigger.....he hesitated but then said yes. I'm not sure which tripped him up.....was it the image of those tiny babies driving a dozer or sharing Gramps & Gramps' toys with others? LOL

I'm so thankful that the boys are here and that all seems to have gone well. I'll feel much better when I get to the hospital and can see that everyone is doing well. When we left yesterday the boys were only 3 hours old and DD was still floating on that Cloud Nine that new mom's are on right after being presented with such a miracle (or rather 2 miracles).

Thanks for all the wonderful comments....both here and privately.

Honey, love your toads! Sorry about the PC woes, hopefully it will be a quick and easy fix.

Michelle, I loved the luau photos! Your Kenzie is a doll and you have such a friendly & nice looking family.

Ei, glad your mother & sister are doing well. What a blessing it is to read that. :o)

Mary, miss you but so glad to read that you are having a great time visiting with your mum and other relatives.

Eden, you're often on my mind.

V, your new vehicle sounds great. I'm not familiar with what it looks like and have been scanning the local new looking cars on the road....I'll find one! lol I could look it up on the 'net, but this is a bit more fun. HEY, I lead a boring life......looking for a particular model of car adds some interest to this housewife's day. ;o)

Wow, Taryn 2,159 hits?!!! That is a bit disconcerting. I sometimes forget that we aren't just sitting around in someone's home, talking with those we can see-----that it is more like we're sharing in front of a auditorium full of strangers. :oP They may be nice strangers....but still gives a bit of an odd feeling.

Guess I'll wave hello to *everyone* LOL and wish all of you a good day!

T.

Honey I forgot to add that I love those toads! They have such cute eyes and naturally I like their bumpiness.

Yes Deanne-that pepper spray didn't harm the coleus leaves a bit even though they are in the sun-I just made sure to spray them in late day to be sure. Hmmm now I am wondering if you sent me three different fuchsias. I have Beacon Rosa labeled and the one that is labeled Beacon has light pink outer petals with the same light pink inner petals...maybe I mixed them up. I really hope I can keep them all alive through winter. I do think a grow light or two is definitely a must.

Ei I'm so glad your mom and DS are doing well(we have so much to celebrate with all these good things happening). It's nice to see you checking in here when you get time.I miss your tunes!
I'm bummed that my summer is drawing to a quicker close than I like. With the new job I need to do more prep than I'm used to...I need 'sensible' shoes and probably some nicer clothes than I normally slack around in...and the dreaded school supply jaunt is upon me(makes me think of my own school days and that pit of your stomach kind of ache...lol)

I have all kinds of stuff coming up...nephew's bday on fri.,a shool workshop on Sat.,Family reunion on Sunday then the next weekend is booked with my CPR training that takes the whole day on that Sat. So that's why my summer is winding down too quickly...my garden will miss me: )

Marty-I liked hearing that your corn is as high as an elephant eye: ) you sound like a true farmer...OK so it's just around your light post lol. I can't wait to see a pic of your creativity.

OK I better get a move on...
Hi to all I missed...Maid Marian you are too quiet!

~Babs

Babs, I guess I "forgot" to post the picture of me with the grass skirt and the coconuts. LOL

Martie, we’d love to see your corn.

Taryn, you got some great shots at IU3. I sure don’t envy you the moving process.

Ei, its great that your sis has some sense of normalcy in her life and that your mom is doing well too.

Cindy, I taped the Gardeners Diary yesterday since its on at 6:00 a.m. here. I watched some of it last night but fell asleep. I’m still bummed that I missed seeing it in person.

Waving back at you Mary and glad to hear that you are enjoying your family visit.

Honey, those toads are just perfect for that rock.

Deanne, LOL about "decluttering" Doug. I keep trying that too but I’m afraid that it’s a losing battle.

T, enjoy your day. Aren’t grandbabies just so much fun?

Michelle

Mart

Still in lurk mode here, but enjoying you all. And love all the pictures.

Cute link Marain.

Too many 100 degree days and no rain have made for unpleasant gardening here for the most part. I do what I can and the rest will have to wait. I have a summer cold from coming into the ac after being dripping wet from the heat. Not much else going on around here lately.

Take care everyone. Norma

What a miracle new life is.

Quick stop to say happy 36 hours birthday to the babies.

Don't overdo, Taryn (planked salmon??? can I help you move????.

Marian's link made me giggle.

Link below is for Honey in particular - a new client who does free trade with a small company in Mexico. Very cool people and the stuff in person is outstanding.

Pics of the corn will be coming, soon.

Have a great day, everyone!

Martie

Drema

Monique

Well another gorgeous day on tap here and it is supposed to be like this through the weekend. There is a chance of a T-storm later on but we could use the rain right about now. I’m so bummed out it looks like my astelboides has bitten the dust. Too hot and dry, dry, dry… I forgot to ask MJ’s DS to keep that watered while I was in CA and it has just given up. Doug is driving home from NY this afternoon so there probably will be T-storms. LOL He’s driven home in torrential rains both other times he was out in NY. I told him he was going to have to warn the state of NY to prepare for flooding every time he drives out there.

Norma, great to hear from you. Sorry you are sick and that the weather has been so awful. We only have had a few weeks of hot stuff here and only one that was really awful with one day getting to 101 but other than that it’s been OK. I’d be beyond cranky if the weather stayed that hot for any length of time.

Honey, sorry for your ‘discovery’ in your front area. We find boulders in the front where the builders buried them. That is one of the reasons I need a backhoe to dig the new garden in the front yard. There are just way too many HUGE rocks for me to deal with.

Marian, I had a chuckle at the housework link and the hosta one is pretty interesting. I didn’t know that they grew wild over there.

Eden, I’ve been looking and looking for that iresine with the white leaves you bought earlier in the summer and can’t find it. If and when it gets large enough would you be willing to share a couple cuttings??? I’d really love to have that plant.

Michelle, Our morning sky is just lightening at 5:00AM now instead of the 4:30AM we have in the middle of June. Wah! We are beginning that long slide down into the dark of the winter…. Yuk… It isn’t so much the cold and snow I don’t like it is the lack of daylight.

Babs, My mistake, the one that is the light pink outer and inner petals is a variety I don’t know the name of but is in that ‘Beacon’ family of fuchsia. The ‘Beacon Rosa’ is very light pink throughout and the ‘Beacon’ has the magenta/pink petals with the purple corolla. That other one I bought at the same time a few years ago and have lost the tag. ~~ Re wintering over the fuchsia, you don’t need to keep them under the lights over the winter just prune them back by 2/3rds, strip all the leaves off and put them in a dark cool, preferably 45 degrees or so, basement and they will go dormant for the winter. You will need those lights for the coleus though! LOL

Taryn, hope the move is going smoothly for you.

Cindy, I don’t now how I do it sometimes either! I have WAY TOO MANY containers to take care of and as a result I’ve lost a few really nice things just because I couldn’t keep track of all of them. One of my fuchsias had gotten over watered and another died when it got to 100 degrees a couple weeks ago. I also had a dahlia that was just fading away to nothing and when I dug it out it turns out that there were wireworms in the tubers. Go figure that one out? In a container no less. It seems there is always some nasty insect that will wreck anything I try to grow. I get pretty discouraged when the bugs and disease get a hold of something I’ve spent a lot of time taking care of. I’m thinking along the lines of Sue with digging some of this high maintenance stuff out and planting shrubs. We’ll see.

Eileen, I just have to tell you that I think of you every single day when I water my plants. Just look at your Illustris!

I must also add here that the yellow/chartreuse coleus on the lower right of this photograph is the cutting I got from Babs! So I think of Babs every day when I water this container too. Then of course I think of Mary because the large Charles Grimaldi Brug was the cutting I got from her two summers ago.

What fun!

OK must run, I’ll bet T. is playing with those babies again! LOL

Deanne

Hope everyone is doing well......It is good to see Norma pop in!

Hello to everyone....

T.

Hi Norma! I see you just dubbed me with a new name! "Marain" lol
I have been thinking, if I changed the 'n' to an 'h' it would be Mariah. I like that name.
Your experience with the heat and the AC is another reason I don't want one. Sorry about your summer cold. Take care of yourself.

Deanne, isn't it fun remembering the giver of the plants you are growing! I have many reminders. Some date back many years. I love your dark EE and the Yellow/chartreuse coleus; and the brug. What are the variegated green and white plants flanking the EE?

Didn't you all just love the pics of me on that first link?? LOL

Another T&L is moving our way, so I need to shut down. We had a brief shower a while ago, and I am hoping for more.
It has cooled us down nicely again.

Marian-Mariah-Marina-Marain--- who-ever :-)

Norma-Oh you have a cold! Take good care of yourself. That air conditioning really throws me off-when I shop for groceries it's so cold I want to buy soup then I get outside and home(no A/C) soup is such a crazy idea lolol.

Martie-I am curious to know what your corn yield is going to be this year: ) Do you have many husks forming?

Deanne-no biggie on names(though I did think I was crazy for misplacing the tag lol). I'm so glad the wizard pineapple survived for you-does it get mammoth sized for you? Maybe I fertilized mine too much but they got like shrubs and the leaves were huge! I really wish we'd get some rain here-things are not growing as fast as I want but real rainwater always seems to boost everything immediately.
Wow gorgeous Illustris there! Believe me I certainly think of you when I just walk out the door all the fuchsias/coleus are all together. I'm only having trouble with the Iresine-it doesn't want to get very big at all-of course that's supposed to be an easy plant huh lol.

Hey Drema-Bi Polar is alive and growing: ) Hey aren't you glad we weren't flying somewhere today?...I'm glad we went to Chicago before today-what a mess!

T-you're a good mom for doing chores at your DD's! So do the little guys have personalities yet?

Well I need to go hang with the hubby-everybody else I missed, I say HI! Taryn-whatcha doing?

OH BTW I added some more pics at 'IU3 Day 2'

~Babs

Deanne, the sun never comes up here at 4:30 a.m. It really makes a difference what end of a time zone you are in. I noticed that at IU3, they are just into the central zone and I am 2/3 the way thru it. It got dark about an hour earlier than at home. I do like it in the evening though.
Your containers are looking fabulous.

Babs, all my iresines are huge but the pineapple wizard isn't anything like the size yours are. Isn't that weird? I did see your pictures. If I had really realized how many people were snapping pictures, I would have tried harder not to have so many dumb looks on my face. LOL

Talk about plants from others, my tropical garden is almost all thanks to Ei. I have a huge colocacia and several different cannas. I planted these all around 2, year old ninebarks 'Diablo'. They really look nice with the tropicals.

See you all when I get back.
Michelle

Another beautiful day here today. Right now it is a fantastic 59 sunny degrees, the birds are singing and after I get back from the gym I’m planning on spending the entire day outside. Doug arrived safely home from his trip to Rochester and will be working from home today.

Babs, Thanks! So happy you like that ‘Illustris’. Lately it has been really putting on some size. I don’t remember if I ever answered your question about the ‘Beacon Rosa’ fuchsia and the amount of flowers it has. That has to do with the age of the plant. The more years you can keep them over the better they bloom in the subsequent years. ~~ That ‘Wizard Pineapple’ actually hasn’t gotten very large for me but I do have it planted with that ‘Illustris’ so maybe that is the problem although the ‘Wild Lime’ in the same pot has gotten so large I had to do a major pruning a couple days ago. I’m going to look for the name of that other fuchsia as I’d like to know what it was, I might never have had a tag with it because I bought it at HD. Oh yes, I found that my Iresine took a bit to get going and really put on some size in its second season. I pruned the top and roots, stripped all the leaves off then brought it in the house and put it under the lights. It did really well for me and looks great in that pot with the Blacky fuchsia.

Marian, Thanks, glad you like the containers. Yes indeed, it is fun to remember all the lovely people who shared plants with me. The variegated plant that is to the left of the ‘Illustris’ is Coleus ‘Wild Lime’ I’ve really loved this plant this year. It is beautifully ruffled and puts on quite a show. I’m wondering just how I’m going to manage to save all these coleus this year (not to mention the fuchsia!LOL). I’ve so many now it isn’t even funny.

Michelle, Bon Voyage!!! Have a terrific trip!

Martie, looking forward to meeting you in person! No worries about the seafood thing, Surfs isn’t open for lunch anyway. I’m sure we’ll find something. ~~ Looking forward to seeing pics of that Indian Corn.

T. One of the advantages of twins is that there is probably always a baby available to cuddle. N’est ce pas?

OK I’ve got to get to the gym and get my day started. We are having company this evening and I’ve got to run a vacuum around this house and polish up the bathroom so I can get outside and do some deadheading.

Have a great day all,
Deanne

Another absolutely perfect day on the cool side! I too have company coming today but hope to have some garden time as well. Its just that the inside is a disaster area...Oh well!

Some shots for you all from yesterday:

Does anyone know how to overwinter this Salvia Black & Blue successfully?

Or save this Gloriosa Daisy for next year?

Been busy all week and we all know that translates into being a bad idyller.

Marie, Salvia Black and Blue reseeded for me this year. I have it coming up in a couple of places. Nothing like a mild winter to lull you into a false sense of zone though...lol.

BTW, I decided to have a party on August 26th and you're all invited. It starts at 6. What better way to force yourself to focus on keeping the garden up during the dog days. Although it's starting to trend cooler now.

Hi to everyone!

Sue

I was foiled yesterday by rain on my day off so no gardening, which was disappointing, but hopefully this weekend temps will be cooler and sunny – I was actually happy to be at home w/ no commuting – the news & furor at airports made me very very happy not to be flying or going anywhere yesterday! & made me very happy we had IU3 before all this mess hit the airports!

Norma – arent summer colds the worst? I think because they’re so unexpected and when weather is good we think we’re going to be automatically healthy. Here’s hoping you’re over it very quickly.

Here’s hoping the move for Taryn is going well & her back & everyone else’s is holding up also.

‘bug – so nice to see the Black & Blue - I just cannot get a good photo of it – it washes out but it’s so stunning. Re overwintering, Im probably almost 2 zones warmer than you so my "secret" may not work – the 2nd plant I had has managed to overwinter an amazing 3 winters now – but it’s in a very protected place, inside a fence, with good drainage & full sun most of the day – I think the secret is the "microclimate" you can create somewhere for it....? I’ve just planted another plant in another area of the gardens to see if I can manage to overwinter in a less protected area – we shall see.

Sue – well, that’s one way to keep the pressure on – party, party, party!!

Cindy

I didn't go clean at DD's house last night, I was just too tired. I had good intentions but lousy follow through. :O\ I'll go this afternoon, as soon as I leave the hospital.

No personalities peeking out yet. Just tiny babies who love to snuggle and be held. They're just beginning to nurse so there hasn't been many wet or dirty diapers to change. The nurse said yesterday that for the first 6 days of life you can expect a wet diaper for each day of their lives (thankfully it stops at 6 she said ;o) ). So, 2 days old = 2 wet diapers, 6 days old = 6 wet diapers. Interesting.....I either didn't know that or forgot. Back in the olden days....the nurses changed the diapers while I was in the hospital, we only got the babies a few times a day for feeding. Now, the babies are in the room with the parents all day long unless there is a problem or the parents request the nurses take the baby(ies) so the parent(s) can rest. A good change of policy, me thinks.

Well, I'd better get myself moving if I'm going to leave the house in an hour.

Hello to everyone!

T.

Actually, Deanne, it is the plants in the neighboring pots that I was asking about. They look like my variegated plectranthus, but I'm not sure it is that. I think you have told me before but I have forgotten.

Marie, good pic of the dragon/damsel fly ( which is it?). The only advice I can give you on those two plants is to pot them up and keep them in a more moderate spot over winter. The Black and Blue salvia is very pretty.

Michelle, the Door County area sounds like a good place to visit. Beautiful, and full of interesting activities.
I'm glad I checked your link...I had forgotten about the Perseid Meteor shower the 12th. I like to watch for it.
The sun never comes up at 4:30 here either. The further south one lives makes a differance also. It comes up much earlier, and stays up lots later, in Idaho. It took me a while to get used to the shorter summer days when we moved here. Now I am proud that they are shorter as it helps the nights to cool off. I am thinking the deep south would really scorch if the summer nights were shorter!
I failed to tell you how fun your luau looks. I espacially like the pics of Kensie. She is such a sweetie.

LOL Babs! I opt for Thousand Islands...:-)

I hope all is going well with Taryn's move.

Ei, I hope today will be a good day for you and yours.

Martie, I saw a little toad along side our drive when taking a walk the other eve.I am a fan of amphibians..lol. I'm awaiting those pics of the corn. :-)

Honey, I hope you got the 'puter key unstuck! What a drag!
BTW, You look great in the IU3 pics. Cute toads...:-) Yes, a few of the plants in the containers were lost, but nothing that I don't have duplicates of. The damage has stopped on the deck, but mostly because I am bringing in susceptible pots. They are working on plants in other areas now. They dug a kalanchoe completely out of it's pot, but they are very tolerant of such treatment, so no big deal. They also did a little digging in a heuchera pot, but no damage.
Deanne, The heucheras that I have in pots are MUCH better looking than the ones in the ground. Have you carried them over in pots?

BTW, I forget who thought I have corn in my neighborhood...but nah...no corn here, except in folk's gardens. One home along the highway to Harrison has a large garden with several rows of corn flanked by zinnias. It has looked the same every year. I wonder if they reseed the zinnias, or of they are now volunteers. I am thinking they 'may' help deter the varmints. It makes a pretty picture.

Oh. I almost forgot! I mowed a large portion of our 'lawn' Wednesday. The recent rains finally started it growing. I hadn't had to mow since early in June! It looks pretty neat now. Many of the deer eaten plants are leafing out again. If not attacked again, I should have sedum blooms after all. I doubt if the hardy Hibiscus will bloom. The late blooming hostas are blooming, dispite the loss of leaves on many..:-( The greenish-yellow ones by the bald cypress have leafed out again, but still have no emerging bloomstalks. Anyway, it looks as fall may be as pretty as it usually is.

Marian

Just a few quick thoughts - T, the first day after my C-section, the nurse brought in my son, handed him to me and left the room. He nursed and then had a bowel movement that I would describe as explosive. Well, here I am laying in the bed with a 9 pound baby on my arm, poop everywhere and no way to sit up! I tried for several minutes, but I needed two hands to sit up and there was no room to lay the baby down. I finally used the call button and the nurse seemed a bit put out that I was asking for hlep with a dirty diaper. She was much nicer when she got in the room and saw the situation!

Marian (Mariah?) I looked at your housecleaning tips and really enjoyed that!

Okay, gotta run and get serious here. Later!

V.

Ha T-when I had AJ I had wished the policies were more like the 'archaic' times. I had a three day inducement/delivery(he just didn't want to come out!)which you can imagine how that would be but then have to also tend to my baby was almost unbearable. The nurse was so crotchety about me asking her to keep him in the nursery she made me cry.Then the next day my wonderful Dr. reprimanded her and told her I needed to sleep and the nurses had to tend to Aj unless he needed to nurse. If I knew now what I didn't know then I would have been much more assertive. Ryan on the other hand was naturally a breeze.

V I have much empathy for your story-that must have been an anxious few moments-luckily your could reach the call button!

'Bug! I love the colorful pics up there!! I need to get that salvia-I got to see it up close in Chicago-such great coloring. Thanks for the dragonfly pic-I haven't gotten many bug pics this summer.

Well better get going...gift to wrap,clothes to fold,blah blah.

~Babs

A brief postcard from Upstate New York. The weather has been phenomenal here too as we continue to enjoy our family visit. Last night was Annie's performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. The kids did a fantastic job - singing and dancing with such gusto. It looked so professional it was hard to remember they are only Middle school students. The muscial is far and away my favorite Andrew LLoyd Weber offering and seeing this generation have so much fun with it was a treat.

We drive to Wasington DC tomorrow to spend a few days with Ruth and the the children. I can't wait to see them again. Cindy - we'll be in your neck of the woods - I'll be waving to you.

Meanwhile, another wave to all the other Idylls, hoping Taryn survives the move, the twins are eating and pooping (but not too explosively) and everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

missing you all,

Mary

I have been without a computer for about a year now, but my brother-in-law needed a new one, and sent me a mint condition used model! I'm so happy!

I think it will take a little while to get used to coming here everyday - I replaced you guys with walking, but I think of you often while I'm going around the track :)

So there was another union! How exciting! I would love to know where the pictures are - I'm so lost.

Things are good here. We've conquered a few more home improvement projects, gotten through another school year, had a great summer, and preparing to go back.

Went to Tower Hill Botanic Garden today and made me miss you all. I hope I can get back into the groove. You can't imagine the times that I've thought of you all.

Picked up a 4 dollar Brugmansia "grand marnier" today....anyone know how to overwinter? I'm guessing stick it in the basement and don't let it dry out. It's teenie, but someday it'll be a beauty.

Babies and bums and plants and moving....can't wait to read up on everything you've all been doing!

I've missed you!

Saucy

Marian

I heard from Chelone today, and unfortunately things are not going well for her and her Mom at this time. She will manage, but we all know what a tough road it will be.

I hope Taryn is surviving this week's move with not too many glitches. Perhaps her computer will be hooked up soon?

We have had the first visit to inspect the property here for high speed internet. We should get a response next week sometime with an estimate if it turns out to be possible.

The first Fall catalogue with bulbs arrived today. Sigh. My list comes to $475. LOL! I guess I'll have to pare it down, you think?

Later friends!
'Bug

What a gorgeous day here today. Cooler and drier nights and mornings mean summer is ebbing way. I need to get tough and do some garden spiffying up for my party in two weeks but there are a couple of gardens on open days today that I would like to visit. No reason why I can't do both, right? lol Tomorrow we have to go to a 21st BD and going back to college party for Tom's niece so half the day will be shot. It's out in western CT so maybe I'll drop in at White Flower Farm. I haven't been there yet this year.

Sorry to hear about Chelone, Marie. She's had a tough few years.

Allrighty then. It's much too nice to hang around on the tube today. I've got places to go and things to do.

Later,

Sue

Sue

Between the explosive poop stories (Ky's was during his baptism and the poor minister must've muttered something like 'demons be gone' just after he saw me covered with 'mustard' and Ky's dad trying really hard not to burst out laughing), "meeting" Saucy for the first time, and all the great links, I've had a busy hour!

Ky is back from his trip and so is a digital. He'll be taking pics this afternoon and will try to post. (Sue, please stay close by :-)

The Black and Blue Salvia may be tough to overwinter and I Strongly suggest that you take cuttings to be on the safe side. The "designer" salvias were mostly hybridized for flower color, fruit fragrance, and not heartiness. If you like that blue, 'Bug, you gotta getta Baptisia if you don't have one already. It's a dye herb and the blue is outstanding. Also throws very neat seed pods -- good for Fall arrangements -- and reseeds prolifically. Foliage holds all summer. I'll send you (and anyone else) seeds if you'd like.

Sharing -- I look in my gardens and see Sue and about 5 other garden buddies who came to my rescue when I called out for "anything with roots." With luck, I'll have stuff to share back, soon! A friend who held a bunch of Hosta for me from my last garden and I will be dividing next weekend. My babies are coming home!!! Now all I need to do is create enough shady spots before next Spring to have them live. LOL

It's been dry here. Very strange after the record rainfall in Spring and early Summer. Veggies do love sun, don't they? My three containered Salad Bush cukes are feeding the entire neighborhood ... Rich actually is talking about starting a veggie garden of his own next year. It's catching!

Can't wait to meet Deanne. Rich wants to go, too, and it'll be a great idea. He Needs to understand that gardens do grow in and that other DH's are subjected to constant garden thinking. Anywhere you guys want to go for lunch is fine with us ..

Going out to get my nails really dirty and weed without needing H2O every five minutes :-)

Everyone have a great day! (Corn pics today, I promise.)

Martie

At my niece's baptism she was baptized into the Russian Orthodox faith where they take every bit of clothing off the baby and immerse them...naturally she peed all over my beautiful skirt and linen blouse while I held her...I guess that was ten times better than the explosive alternative though lol.

What a long road Chelone has had with her mom.Sorry to hear that things are worse.

Had a blast at nephew's 8th bday party-great food,lots of laughter and I can't believe we didn't leave til midnight...I'm so tired today. I have that workshop to go to now so I'll talk to you later.

It was so odd-the weather lastnight was FREEZING! Figures that today is an excellent garden weatehr day and I can't be in it: (

~Babs

If anyone ever asks you if "Rozanne" can look good all year .... It is a full 4' wide. The Impomea behind it is a sport from a friend that I'm trialing. Don't think it'll go far since it looks too much like "Blackie."

Martie

So Taryn is moving! Is it for a bigger house? or a new locale? I can't wait to hear from her.

Sorry to hear Chelone is having a tough time. I have felt guilt several times over not calling when I have been nearby.

Deanne, your containers are beautiful. How old is your brug? Do you put it in the basement?

Babs, how's life treatin' you? Wish I'd got to see you all this summer...wasn't the union close to you this year?

I know I'm missing out on so much. I have anxiety about fitting back in.

My grandmother did pass away last summer. I had a rough time of winter and after a fuss with my sister decided to go on a diet (the "good food" diet, we called it!) and do some speed walking. It felt good to be in control and the end results have been pleasing. I'm ready for weights, I think. We'll see. Anyway, sis and I are speaking again, and it turns out I made her so mad that she went on a "diet" too! LOL....trying to outdo each other, I suppose.

Jake just got back from camp - same one that he went to for the first time as I typed to you all how nervous I was for him to be away for a week. He's an old pro now. He just says, "bye."

Sarah learned to really swim this summer....no more pretending....she's jumping in, doing cannonballs, swimming underwater to see the fish! I honestly never thought it'd come for her, but she finally sucumbed(sp?) to peer pressure.

Nick is Nick. We bought a boat (more on this later - I love it!!!) He's working hard and likes to wash his boat. He waterskiied and I was happy for him. It's tough to learn in NE with such a short season.

Zeus just finished a fresh beef bone and is enjoying his summer, too. He still enjoys a romp in the freshly mown grass and he doesn't want to come in on the cool evenings because it's a good night to wander around the neighborhood.

The cat, birds, and fish are all fine, too.

Too much information I suppose.

See you tomorrow :)

Saucy

Martie, its nice to have you posting regular again too. I love lemon thyme. I was weed eating today and nipped it a little, it smelled so good. I must remember to put some in my newer bed that I spend more time in. My Black and Blue wintered over last year and also self sewed. But I wouldn't mind taking a cutting to be sure for next year. Is it hard to root? Will it root in water or does it need rooting powder and soil?

Babs, I know you will be really busy with the new job and family stuff, but I hope you have time to post sometimes. We will really miss you if you stay away to long.

Chelone, if you are reading here, know that my thoughts are with you.

My cold is much better now. I could live without the ac but DH has to work out in this heat all the time and he needs to be able to relax and sleep in the cool to get through his day,so we use it.

I have been been doing my three W's (watering, weeding and wishing the heat wave would break). It didn't seem quite so bad today. I have been getting quite a bit of clean up done. I just couldn't stand it anymore. I decided if I couldn't get the things I have in shape what was the point of adding more. So the ghetto has to wait awhile.

I hope everyone finds something to smile about this weekend. There is always something here to make me smile. A pretty bird, a silly dog, an unexpected flower, a goofy husband. Anyway , goodnight for now. Norma

I am not a daylily fan so I would not mass daylilies anywhere. The few I have are tucked in borders so I can cut them back after they bloom and they disappear. Stella D'oro is great for extended bloom and rebloom but I find the foliage is ratty after the first flush of flowers and requires alot of deadleafing and deadheading to keep it looking acceptable. In a front and center spot like a driveway entry you may want something more "stand up".

As usual, there are multitudes of options for every garden area. I may sound like a broken record but only because I planted alot of garden space before realizing myself that it's the woody plants that carry a garden. Actually I learned that from visiting Monique's gorgeous gardens.

OK, another great day on tap here. The niece's BD turned out to be yesterday (my BIL and SIL are great but they are true airheads) so I have all day today to do what I want. One of the tasks topping the list is cleaning out the pot ghetto. How successful do you think I'll be at that? lol Actually, with my party looming in two weeks I really have some incentive to spruce everything up. Sort of like one last hurrah...lol.

Later folks,

Sue

So, I'm trying to keep as much as I can herbaceous at least on the drive side. I like Stella d'Oro so much that I don't mind the deadheading, etc. The texture they provide is also a welcome change from "mounded" around lamp posts. Also am considering a mass of medium to short-height grasses, which is why the 'Rubrum' and the other deep maroon grass is in there this year. Height and color experiments all at once. Gone are the days of pastel pinks.

Woody plants are everywhere else and are what I consider the "plant bones" of the gardens. Most of the shrubs are still babies which is why I'm trying really hard to restrain myself from filling gaps in too soon.

Yes, that is corn. All 8' of it and it is producing cobs. They'll be enough for everyone on the cul-de-sac to get some for their Thanksgiving doors. Okay midwesterners in this group, you can stop laughing now at my way-too-obvious excitement about growing your mainstay crop .... :-)

Martie

Gigi and her boys came Friday to help unpack and kitchen and bathrooms are done. Glenn's back has been fine, mine was sore Thursday but is not too bad now. The weather was much cooler with a nice breeze and perfect for moving, couldn't have been better. Boys have been having fun catching frogs and toads, playing laser tag in one of the barns, drums in another, and swimming. We had two friends for a sleepover last night so they can see it's not the end of their friendships, we're only 45 minutes away.

Our buyers just had their last walk around and everything's good. We weren't comfortable giving them the house keys early from a liability perspective, but did leave them the keys to the garage so they can start moving stuff early. We meet the lawyer for the sale tomorrow afternoon then close and get our funds Tuesday. Lots and lots of unpacking to do!

Okay Glenn wants to start disconnecting this 'puter now so guess I'll catch ya when I can. Hope everyone is well...

TT
(tired Taryn) :)

Marie in CT - I've always wanted to grow corn! It seemed like I needed too much space to do it - great idea! If you're going to keep the daylilies around the post (where I have mine) lots of mulch and compost helps keep them green through the heat of the summer. Of course this year is the exception, with 100+ temps. Nothing stays pretty for long.

Other things that I used to have by the street that did fine (as long as I amended the soil) were ornamental grasses, asters, liatris, coreopsis, and shasta daisies - that's all that comes to mind now. OH...and I had a clematis for the light pole itself. The fall blooming variety. They changed the name several years ago....gb will fill us in :)

Good Night All. I'm trying to make it a ritual of checking in, hope I'm not a bore.

Saucy

The clematis I think you are referring to is C.Terniflora, also known as Sweet Autumn Clematis and formerly C.maximowicziana.

Great to hear from you Taryn. Sounds like things went even smoother than you imagined. The weather was fantastic for a move too.

This weekend my friend Lynn came to do a mock-up of DD's bouquet and hair flowers. If the florist out there can provide us with the right flowers, the end product will be gorgeous! I'm really pleased! We had a good time doing this and reading through old bride magazines. I used to love looking at the dresses when I was 17 but now they all look silly to me and cost as much as a house. I'm so glad DD isn't putting on a big production! I'm already overwhelmed by this party they are organizing. I know we'll have a good time but I'll still be chewing my nails (so to speak).

Well in addition to planning flowers for the wedding and working on the garden as much as possible, along came one of those Idyll type problems: our downstairs bedroom/TV room burst into a mass of mildew. All this is because we left the windows open and the 100F temperatures created masses of condensation which poured down the walls. So all the clothing in the closets, old shoes, filing cabinets, the wall to wall carpet, a stamp collection, the children's art work and books from kindergarten on up, etc is garbage. We spent the morning buying another dehumidifier and another fan, masks to wear while we work there, bleach, etc for the clean-up. Then in the afternoon we bagged up lots of stuff. I guess we'll need to air out the couch and see if I can stand it anymore. The 2 beds...well we'll see. UGH. Of course I didn't need this at all, no less today. I was supposed to have a friend work on fitting clothes for my trip to DD's, but had to delay that. Sheesh. I remember Honey's similar woes in this regard only ours wasn't from flooding.

It is so Fall-like and I have been cutting things back that look spent (ugly!) Some are shooting up new growth and that is fun. Tent caterpillars are an awful problem this year.I hope the anemones begin to bloom soon because there's not a great deal of colour around. When out driving around I see wonderful stands of sunflowers. They are so cheerful that I must remember to start some next year!

I just love the cool nights we've been having, rhe sunsets too. Possible thunderstorms tomorrow and then more sun. :) In the morning the darned geese honk at about 5am to wake me.

Hope your weekend was grand!
'bug

Had a fuss with DH....too much fun today is the culprit....and that's why I'm on the computer instead of in the bed.

'night again.

Saucy

Saucy – what a delight to see your name! At IU3 all I heard was how much everyone wondered where you had gotten to – no computer is definitely a killer in the cyber gardening world, though – good idea to replace w/ walking though. I hope to meet you one day!

Gardenbug – ha – I think I had you beat in the bulb order department... .unfortunately I impetuously placed(!) my huge orders in July and last week really reviewed it & cancelled one entire order – costly since they charge when you cancel, but still cheaper $$ & space wise – I do not know what I was thinking when I originally placed it – obviously I thought I owned an acre garden or something..... Im really, really, trying to hold back and wait a while now – I need to rethink some areas, etc...... Sad to spend tight money just to cancel though isnt it? Have you gotten the flowers all figured out for the wedding?? Share w/ us when you have a chance, please.

O, Chelone – I do empathisize w/ your trials re your Mom – my own MIL has terrible problems & has been living in the next house over from my SIL who is having a terrible time w/ the situation – in a different way – her depression has returned because of the situation – probably not the same as you are experiencing – but it does seem there is no solution sometimes for either party.... I sure wish we had better, kinder, safe resources for dealing with so many eldercare issues.

Martie – I love, love that corn & pennisetum combo – in fact, I like the Helianthus there too – just needs some fill-in shorter stuff in front.

Norma – love the 3 W’s – amen – I’m wishing them a lot!!

o Gardenbug, -- ugh to the mildew!! Hope it isnt an idyll contaminant! Sounds horrible to clean up – but I guess you were lucky to catch it.

O.k. – Im off to the big Monday work blitz.

Cindy

HI SAUCY! Welcome back. And Chelone, our hearts and thots are with you.

I’m emotionally drained. I spent the end of last week coordinating my part of getting food ready for the luncheon after my friend’s memorial, going thru albums and boxes of photos and copying them, etc.

The memoral Sat. was small, not a big fuss, as Sharon would’ve preferred, but was heartfelt and beautiful. I’d found numerous pix of her and us, which I gave her DH. He had pix of us that I’d forgotten, such as from our annual PJ party. There were 4 of us friends that got together the Fri. after Thanksgiving every yr. We kicked out her DH, brot food and beverages, had a great gab fest and spent the night. We solved each other’s problems and left feeling that we improved the world’s condition. It was a really special time.

My friend’s ashes will be scattered at a beautiful lake near my friend’s DB. T, the name of it is Lake O’Dell. I think it might be near you. The service was personal and heart wrenching. Her DH closed with the song, "Goodbye My Lover" by James Blunt. Here are the lyrics:

"Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.

So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop here,
I’ll be with you always, I care.

You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.

I've kissed your lips and held your head.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake,
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.
I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'm the father of your child.
And I spent a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine.
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,
And I love you, I swear that's true.
I cannot live without you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bear my soul in time,
When I'm kneeling at your feet.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.
Goodbye."

I’m thinking of all. I need some alone time in the garden to refresh my spirit. Later, friends. Honey

It has been a tiring week, but I've been loving every minute of it. Today is the first day that I've not gone to help with the boys. I feel a bit lost, LOL, and wish that I was there. I hesitate to phone, don't want to wake DD & her hubby if they are getting to sleep, but also hope they aren't sitting there, bleary eyed & exhausted--wishing I'd call to offer to come over so they can sleep. Dilemna! I told them to call me at any time if they needed an extra set of hands or needed relief so they could get a couple hours sleep, that I would wait for their call. Usually we've set up a time (I'll be there at 5:30 or 6 a.m.) but the boys are nursing better and sleeping a bit better so they didn't think they'd need me to come at a set time....they are concerned about over using my offers of assistance. Heck, don't they know that they couldn't do that at this point?!!! ;o) Any chance I get of holding, cuddling and nuzzling those little guys is a blessing for ME.

Honey, you've been on my mind.....what a difficult week it had to have been.

Well, I just talked with DD (yes, I broke down and phoned her ;o) ) They had a pretty good night and she didn't sound too tired. She said she thinks the babies are getting into somewhat of a routine but I think it is that the parents have figured out how to make the most of the lulls between feedings, crying and are just so tired that sleeping for 1 hour feels heavenly. I'm going to make a trip into town in a couple hours to pick them up some things (groceries & household 'stuff').

Hope all are well.........

T.

Honey, I hope you find respite and solace in the garden this week.

--Cindy

Hope that you allow yourself all the sadness, anger, frustration, love, sorrow and other emotions you need. Now might be a really good time to plant a tree .....

Martie