Cindy, so glad to hear that I am not the only "Bah Humbug" ! Lol.
Your second pic brings to mind the culprit that caused my lump on my forehead :

{{gwi:182180}}

The clay pot full of asparagus 'fern' and ivies. I took this pic while there were still potted plants on the deck.

Marie, be glad you don't have these to contend with:

{{gwi:182181}}

I sort of enjoy raking and hauling them off. I need the exercise it gives me. ;-)

Michelle, sorry that you are under the weather. I hope you,( and anyone else ailing amongst us), will be fine soon.

Marian

Ah but Cindy if you wait until spring to order, you'll probably have a hard time finding the gentian. I tried in the spring and no luck but it's in stock again now. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance. Those of you who have it, well-drained yet moist soil and part to no shade? Does that sound right? As hard a time as I had getting this plant I want to site it correctly.

Feel better Michelle!

What a nice grouping of houseplants Marian!

Eden

Good afternoon

Marian - I thought for a moment those were banana skins under your tree LOL!

The week is clipping by at a fine pace. Right now David has a buddy over to play. Its raining hard here too so no outdoor fun. The boys are engrossed in chess at the moment so I have a moment to Idyll. I'll then be doing the frantic dash to make the house look decent before the friend's Mom arrives to collect him.

Cindy - I LOVE the giant castor bean. Mine were tiny this year, barely reaching 2 feet.

Woody - I think your friend will be delighted with your lovely dog portrait - congratulations! It's made a lot of progress since we saw it and looks wonderful. Will you do a portrait of Chelsea too?

Cathy - a week full of Saturdays, what bliss! I actually enjoy sewing but for some reason HATE making alterations to clothes, jeans especially. I'm tempted by the idea of purchasing a second hand industrial machine that can handle several thicknesses of fabric properly. A neighbor has one for sale from a tailor that went out of business. I shall ask Chelone if it's a decent machine if I go to look at it.

Babs - isn't it fun having a paycheck again? How are the screenings going?

Michelle - intestional upsets are no fun, feel better.

I'm planning very few bulbs this year. New job and kids have put me so far behind with the garden I don't want to stress about getting a lot of bulbs in the ground. However, I have bought some English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) to try and establish a patch by our trees are the bottom of the yard. In England in spring the woodlands in our area were a sea of blue as they bloomed beneath the trees. I used to think it was like heaven. Sadly the native bluebells are being invaded by Spanish and hybrid bluebells planted by gardeners.

Time to grab the vacuum - lets hope it doesn't attack me!

Mary

Oops - sorry Kathy - you're a "K" not a "C"

M.

Just a quick pop in here... I am supposed to be cleaning the basement. Skip didn't go to Detroit after all and it is garbage night. We sort of can't agree on what to throw out, so I took a little break. I am just carrying out the bags:) Anyway, I wanted to tell Marian how nice her picture looks. That doesn't look like my asparagus fern.

And Mary, John Scheepers has a woodland garden for $70 or $80. I forget how many bulbs it is but it gives a similar look as your picture, and I think there were a lot of bulbs. I wanted to get it, but didn't quite want to spend that much..

Thanks for the thoughts about lasagna bed gardening. Skip said no more cardboard. He doesn't like when it blows around the yard... I did some last year, and didn't quite have enough of the other stuff to cover it, but where I did it really worked well. I will have to check on renting equipment, but I think it is expensive here, but maybe worth it..

Cindy, I hope you have nice weather next week. Either way, I figure if the weather is bad, I have plenty to do inside... like ditching some of this junk we have been saving forever.. and if it is nice, I work outside....either way, it is nice to be home. I finally have worked long enough to have a whole week off, man it took almost a year.. I am going to save it until I have almost two weeks, so I have some back up time in case of emergency.. like an emergency trip to the beach.....
Back to the dungeon:)

D.

Hi everyone.

Eden as you probably already know the Cardinals lost last Night. It is almost game time again. Where in Missouri is your dad from?

Cindy, the nerve people must have to steal plants in a public garden, or anywhere else for that matter. That is a huge castor bean plant. I bought seed for them this year and never got them planted:(. Maybe next year. I am the worlds worst procrastinater. If I did half the things I think about doing it would be a lot. LOL. Happy Vacation days.

Babs, that seems like it was a long wait for a paycheck. Have fun with it.

Kathy, (when you are on vacation every day is Saturday) chuckle, chuckle. Good excuse.

Woody, your painting of Elga will mean so much to your friend. Two things I always wanted to do was paint and write, well there is a third thing too. Play the guitar. Dabbled in all of them but not sucessfully.
Do you have a picture of your planter bench planted up? I've wanted to see how it turned out.

I went into the city today for some "have to shopping". I didn't regret it though as the route I take is always so pretty during peak leaf color, and it was gorgeous today.
I found a gift for a baby shower, a new collar that is large enough not to choke Rebel and finally a new quilt for my bed that I like. The one I had was in tatters but I never could find one I liked. Also picked up The Well-Tended Perennial Garden for me and a Sci Fi for DH.

Deanne, I hope you have time to try out your new camera at the Gorge? for us.

Marian, Have you heard from Tim?

Game time. Catch ya later. Norma

I logged on tonite expecting to see Sue's TGIF, needless to say...one more day to go. I hate when that happens.

It has been a long week. We had to take DS to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Boston yesterday. Thankfully, everything is fine. A few weeks ago his pediatrician screened for scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and sent him for an x-ray, and scheduled the appointment with the specialist. That gave us a few weeks to worry until he could see the orthopedic (there is entirely too much info on the internet...I had visions of putting him in a brace or even surgery). Turns out that one of his legs is a fraction of an inch shorter than the other, so his spine is not straight when he is standing. No treatment needed, just something to watch as he grows. He has no symptoms at all, no limp or pain, so no worries. What a relief.

Saucy, good to hear that Nick is doing well. Glad you two are getting some time together, even if it took oral surgery to make it happen! I know it is hard to find time for each other, especially with kids in the picture, but it is important.

Eden, you and Deanne have got it bad with the indoor plants! What fun though, plenty to look forward to all winter. Eden, Sue mentioned the conditions for that gentiana either earlier in this thread or in her picture thread. I can't remember the specifics but it is here somewhere. I have to say also that candy-corn Bella is the cutest!

Babs, congrats on your first paycheck! Remember to pay yourself first by putting some of it away (at least until the spring plant buying season). DH has automatic deduction into a separate account, otherwise we probably wouldn't save much.

Kathy, enjoy the rest of your vacation - and show us your pansies when you get a chance!

Hi to everyone else. I am signing off now, have to go convince DD that if she would blow-dry her hair, she wouldn't be cold and want the heat turned on!

-Wendy

LOL, Mary! Banana skins!

Drema, my Asparagus fern is A. densiflorus 'Myers', a plume type. Yours may be A.d. 'Springeri' also known as Emerald Fern. Does it have long drooping stems? That is the type my mother had most of my life. I had one also, but let it die.

Thanks Eden, I like them too...;-)

Marian

Norma, no we haven't heard from Tim . He said he would come again this week, but so far no show.... Maybe it will be tomorrow when he is on his way home to Malvern. Thanks for asking. I know he is really under a lot of stress.

Michelle-I hope you feel better by the time you see this. Bananas,rice,apples,and toast are things that might help slow you down-if you know what I mean ; ).

No kidding Norma about the long wait for the paycheck.I only get paid once a month and they lumped the last week in Aug. with the month of Sept. and it takes another two weeks to process the checks! We have been struggling with funds for a while and I almost choked when they told us at orientation how long it would be....hey but it will at least be a big one lol. I plan to set aside a specific amt. each month so that by spring I can get plants I really want rather than basement bargains all the time.
Your day sounded enjoyable-you also sound more cheerful: )I'm glad.

Cindy!How sad that you have those memories about this time of year...I still give you credit for using some serious creativity on the spur of the moment! I have to admit I'm not as into the decorating for the holiday as I used to. It has something to do with knowing that if I put a bunch of stuff up I also have to take it down(preferably before xmas,New years,Easter...lol OK I'm not THAT bad)!
I DO like that Castor bean! I've been seeing them throughout the neighborhood and am trying to figure out where it would work in my beds-a very fun plant!
Mary,as luck usually has it for me, mine would end up two feet tall too I bet ; )

Marian-you need to make a wreath with those pods![ I can imagine EP doing something like that: ) ]

Mary!: "I'll then be doing the frantic dash to make the house look decent before the friend's Mom arrives to collect him." ....That is exactly why I like you-that's me to a tee.lol If our kids played together you wouldn't have to dash!
The screenings are going really well-the kids are just so cute(I'm doing the 1st grade now). The trick is fitting the screenings in between the sick kids,and injured ones but it's coming along.
And are you able to enjoy your new position or are things hectic for you? Are you more comfortable being in a leadership position than you'd thought you would?
Those bluebells are a stunning carpet at that link-it reminds me of the mertensia hillside we have here.

Wendy-I remember having to get an xray for possible scoliosis in grade school(I was fine)-you wouldn't believe how many kids get incorrect referrals. In fact I have to help with those screenings at our school. I'm glad your son is Ok-always a worry. Yeah you really have to not dive in too deeply when researching health stuff on the internet-it can scare a person silly.

Hi Drema! If you anchor the cardboard with bricks or rocks they should stay put through winter-that's what I did and it was fine.
How did your Callicarpa do?? I was amazed at the amount/size of berries on mine-I hope you were able to get more sun to yours because it's a worthwhile show! I'm cautiously excited because I see seedlings that look like the callicarpa-wouldn't that be great if they are easy to grow from seed! I'll let you know in spring what the verdict is.

I hope the weather is nice on Fri. so the kids and I can pick winesap apples at my mom's-she got a nice crop this year and if I help pick she'll reward me with a pie(nothing like bribery lol).

I wonder how Eileen is doing and where's that V chick? Saucy? Yeona I hope all is well with you.

Every night before Ryan goes to sleep he asks,"Do I have to go back to school AGAIN tomorrow?" ....lol

~Babs

Evening all, well too much excitement here today. The bratty cat got himself in trouble and came home limping with an injured shoulder and a big cut/scrape on the top of his head. The only thing I can figure out is he must have tangled with a large dog somewhere. Egad! One emergency trip to the vet later and it appears that he just has deep bruising on his shoulder. He had to have a booster to his rabies shot and the poor kitty is feeling pretty lousy tonight.

Marian, your plants look pretty happy in that window.

Mary, I remember the bluebells at Kew when we visited in the early 1990s. It was wonderful and remarkable. Im wondering if I can find a pic of that somewhere. Sounds like youve been flat out busy lately. ~~ Do be extra careful with the vacuum. The dastardly machines usually band together and plot mass injuries on us when we get going with any kind of group cleaning.

Cindy, that is one amazing Castor Bean plant.

Michelle, hope you are all better tomorrow! Sorry you arent feeling well.

Drema, thanks for asking, Dougs toe is all healed up and hes all back to normal. (Thank goodness) ~~ RE: needing to go through the house and toss a bunch of stuff. Ditto here!

Eden, jeesh, I sure hope you get some sunny weather really soon.

Babs, yea!!! Paycheck!! That is always a good thing.

Kathy, great coleus! I just love coleus! And plectranthus, and abutilon, and strobilanthes, and fuchsia and alternanthera, and acalypha well, you get the picture. LOL

Wendy I keep forgetting to tell you that the Phygelius you gave me last summer is setting buds right now. I cant wait until the flowers open. ~~ Glad to hear that your DS is OK. That must have been a real worry.

Woody, your painting is really coming along beautifully. Its lovely.

Norma, Id love to see your paths all ready for your fall walks. How long does it take you to do them all with the brush hog? ~~ Sorry no trips to the Flume Gorge for me this year. I missed the peak of foliage season up north this year.

Marie Id have to wear a winter coat and all the woolies in the house if I had to roll a frozen bottle under my foot. Yikes!

OK I feel like Im starting to babble incoherently here so I guess Id better turn in for the night.

Nite all,
Deanne

Hello all........watch out there is a dreaded bug making the rounds of the states......hit Michelle and it has been here since Monday morning. An off and on bug, the sneakiest and nastiest kind. :oP Michelle hope you feel better soon.

Not much happening here....staying home, staying inside (weather and the belly bug) not getting much accomplished and still have about 1/4 of the mulch to spread. Maybe this weekend I'll get it finished up. We're going to have Jamie Saturday and Sunday nights -- also Alice, his beagle puppy. Right now I've got the twins' black lab here while their family gets a new asphalt driveway put in......except you can't do asphalt when it is raining. The contractor put some gooey stuff on the old driveway so the lab was sent here for a few days.....but then it began raining. I'm not sure how long I'm going to have him here. He is a dear but boy does he shed!! He is also a maniac about having a ball thrown for him. Right now he is laying in the doorway to the powder room......because his tennis ball is laying in the sink in there (covered with dog slobber). I pulled the door closed and he pushed it open. He's in love with his ball...lol

Well, the Cardinals just won.......

Guess I'll go curl up in my chair until DH comes home (working late).

Hope all are well (sorry to read about Deanne's kitty getting mauled by something). I enjoyed the photos and enjoying reading everyone's posts.

Hello to all......
T.

Good dank morning. Lots of rain and wind coming our way.

To those who asked:
Rich's teeth will be an ongoing process, probably done sometime around February. He's up to five root canals, a new temporary plate, temporary caps, scaling and that's to get him in shape to do the permanent stuff. It gives me the shivers.

Yes, Woody, I have roses in the ground and in containers. The seeds you sent were prolific and I had plenty of plants to try all kinds of things. All are now in the ground to come back next year.

The peppers Eden sent are now officially toast, but not before I grabbed some seed for next year :-)

Why is it that first paychecks are always spent at least five times before they come in? LOL

Marie -- is your DS going to Europe to study? Travel? We'll have to figure out a way to hook up respective DS's. They sound like they'd truly get along.

Fun reading about costumes. Amazing how creative kids can get when there's fun involved.

Marmalade with a shot of scotch. My kind of concoction!! (Wonder if that's why grandmother's always tasted so good??)

Poor cat, Deanne!! Was it the one I scared out of Doug's arms?? It's not at all unusual to me to order tenders now, especially slow growing ones. I'll be making a trip to a fav greenhouse in a few weeks for their annual "clean off the benches" sale. My MO is to get two of everything for the inevitable die off but this year Rich assures me that light area downstairs will be ready for whatever I bring. Little does he know .......

Very busy but happy week, here. Lots of travel and the foliage, despite dire predictions, is stunning. Yesterday went to the CT shore for all-day meeting so have seen foliage this week from Rutland VT to Mystic CT AND got paid for it. How lucky am I????

Sure I'm forgetting something or someone, but have a free weekend so will be back.

Martie

Pet owners - take care! (... in case it's not only vacuum cleaner attacks that run in batches!) Misty and I were attacked by the neighbourhood scary dog (30-40 lb beagle!) at suppertime last night when we went for our walk! Misty got bitten on her left hind leg We're all OK but a bit shaken up. We're waiting to hear back from the Humane Society - but don't expect much action. Max has attacked - and bitten - many dogs in the neighbourhood. He attacked Chelsea and I several times before we had Misty. Chelsea, being bigger, was better able to defend herself. He would have killed Misty I think. It happened very fast. I think he slipped out past someone going into the house because someone pulled him away seconds after he attacked and I started yelling. Misty is on antibiotics and We need to wash the wounds with peroxide twice a day. This morning she's still feeling pretty sorry for herself but ate her breakfast. The wounds look clean so far - no redness or excessive heat. Deanne - I hope your kitty is going to be fine too.
{{gwi:182182}}
There were other things I was going to comment on but I'm a little 'out of it' still this morning....

Jeez, I guess I'd better keep an eye on my dogs. They can be confrontational little buggers under the right circumstances. I rarely walk them in public anywhere anymore because I just know too many people who have had small dogs attacked and sometimes killed while on walks. Hope Misty and Rahjii are feeling better today.

Here you go Wendy...

TGIF!

Dreary looking day. Good one to be at work. Babs, avert your eyes. We get paid every Friday here.

Sue

Just jumping in here w/o reading to say hi. My friend is back in sunny, WARM Palm Beach. Geez, who would've thunk it would snow for her visit in mid-October!!!

I still haven't gotten my pot ghetto planted, stuff moved, etc., etc. It's barely 40 here but I'm going to try to brave it as much as possible today, even tho the dampness will cause havoc w/my arthritis. The long range forecast isn't much better so it's now or never.

Just a brief comment to T -- T, I recommend keeping your BLACK wallet in your BLACK purse. It makes it harder for pickpockets!!! I had a bright pink wallet stolen and the police told me that I had made it very easy for the thieves to locate. They didn't keep the wallet. Instead they sucked out the cash and discarded the wallet where it was found w/everything else intact.

Also, my wallet is now a very small one. I used to carry one of those big checkbook/wallet "my life is inside" thingys. Now I only carry a very small change-purse with only my license, medical cards and one or two credit cards. The police warned against carrying the larger version.

I'll be back. Missed you guys. Brrrrrrr.

Honey

Awww poor Misty and Rahjii. Woody you too. It had to be upsetting and a little dangerous for you.

Wendy, I'm glad all was well with your DS. Our GD went through the same sceneario sp? I guess for the ones getting a correct diagnosis and early treatment it is a blessing. But one has to wonder if all the extra tests are always necessary.

Yea! We have sunshine this morning. But had a heavy frost last night. Bet many more plants are toast.

Deanne I will finish the trails today. It usually takes me two days as I have to go slow and make three passes. One on each edge and one down the middle. I try to get as much of the edge as I can or brush will encroach into the path and it would take a lot of hand triming. I have some that, would I be riding a horse rather than walking would definetly need trimmed higher.

T and Michelle, hope you recuperate for the weekend. Hope that bug doesn't come this way.

Has anyone heard from Cynthia? For some reason I have been thinking about her. If you are reading, hi Cynthia.

Hi to everyone else too.

I have to go to a "party" (you know the demo kind) tonite, and a baby shower tomorrow. Lucky me:( Oh well its a chance to visit with friends.

Yes! the Cardinals did win! It was a good game though played well by both teams.

I better get moving here. Need to go check the plants in the basement. This is why I don't do well with plants in the house. I feel it is a chore rather than a pleasure most of the time. I will probably feel better about it when I can see something green in the dead of winter. LOL

Later Norma

Happy Payday everybody, Since Honey filled you in on our weather, I'll pass for today. No improvement in that department. I was just downstairs tending to the light gardens and everything is growing. At this rate I'll need to take cuttings from the cuttings soon! No big plans for today, just hanging out with Bella. She's VERY into puzzles at the moment.

Deanne, glad your boy is ok. I hope his shoulder isn't too sore today. I'm too much of a chicken to let my cat's out around here. They'd be a snack for someone's vicious dog for sure in this neighborhood.

Woody, that must have been so scary for you and poor little Misty. I've never seen a sadder little face! Poor, poor baby. I'm so glad it wasn't worse. We have a new dog living behind us and over one lot. Bud, my 125 lb. chicken, doesn't like him and seems to be afraid to hang out in the back of the yard these days. I hear the other guy barking at him and he doesn't sound friendly at all. We did finally get rid of the pitbull factory across the street and a really nice young guy bought the house and moved in last weekend. The whole neighborhood is very relieved about that.

Wendy, thanks for the heads up Sue's post on the gentiana. I somehow had missed that. Glad to hear that everything's ok with your son. My niece had about the same thing and she's a senior in highschool and has never had any problems.

Norma, looks like the Cardinals vs. the Tigers. That will be a fun World Series to watch for me. My dad was born in St. Louis and lived in Poplar Bluff until he was about 12. We used to travel to Missouri for a couple of weeks every summer to visit relatives when I was small.

T, hope your tummy's feeling better today.

You too Michelle.

Babs, great idea to sock away money for spring plant shopping!

Martie, I saved pepper seeds too. I have a couple of new varieties this year, black pearl and explosive embers. Let me know if you want me to send you seeds.

Enough babble from me so have a great Friday! Eden

Martie, here's a pic of the c. black pearl. I really liked this one. The peppers really do look like shiny black pearls, very pretty.

Norma, I just read your post. Interesting, you reminded me that today's Cynthia's birthday. Maybe that's why she's on your mind. I don't think she reads here but if she is...

Happy Birthday Cynthia! Hope you're having a great day!

Eden

I'm back at work today and feeling pretty good. T, I hope you shake yours as quickly.

How terrible for the poor Idyll pets who are injured. Hopefully, they are feeling better today.

Eden, I ordered myself some of the gentiana. Thanks for the info. Here a quote from Sue's thread about her gentiana scabra. "I don't know what the secret is to growing the Gentian. Part sun, regular garden soil...Monique may have hers growing in morning sun. As I said, mine are reseeding somewhat. The one I transplanted into my crappy soil retaining wall garden is struggling so dry soil does not seem to be what they want."

We saw the c. Black Pearl several times in gardens this summer. It even caught Rick's attention at the Green Bay Botanical Garden. It is a beauty.

Drema, check with your city, many give away mulch made from ground up tree branches. This would work good to hold your cardboard down. I never have any blow away.

Waving hi to all else. Figures I get back to work and have 700 customer bill stuffers to print and the dang machine breaks. Off to the printer with them.

Later
Michelle

Pestilence has just packed his bags and is about out of this home... . Miserable colds for everyone here. :(
Helpmeet home for 3 days, I missed no work but wasted no time tumbling into bed as quickly as possible. Mum was functional, but instead of repeating things twice I had to do it 4 times... .

Thanks for "High Hopes"!!! the lyrics always make me smile and I always rather fancied the tune.

I have more reading to do, and some funnies to share but I'm tired right now. Maybe later.

Hi everyone

I arrived back from work to find Clousseau had peed, pooped and thrown up on the recently cleaned off-white berber carpet. The pond had emptied itself again and one of the children's favorite indoor fish was belly up in the tropical fish tank, its partner has completely disappeared. Sheesh - did someone put a hex on us? I'll be back after I've had a calming glass of wine.

Mary

(Could Clousseau have somehow removed the lid to the tank, eaten the fish, then had a violent reaction to his fishy snack? I wonder......)

Hello everyone! The boys are off for their annual fishing weekend so it's just me, the dogs and a glass of wine tonight. I see there's been a small outbreak of pet attacks (condolences to Woody and Deanne and pets!) which seemed fitting. My two labs were having fun with each other when Mystic must have either gotten a tad too aggressive or hit the wrong spot on Sunrise. All 85 pounds of Sunrise came flying at me on the couch, and she climbed into my lap a-trembling. She tried to wrap herself against me and even chewed on a hunk of my hair. I've never seen her act like this; I think she must have been very startled by whatever happened. No visible damage and both are calm now.

I MISS MY IDYLLS! I used to always have time at the office to sneak a peek during the day, and now I'm just too busy most days to do that. I need to adjust my schedule but haven't figured out how to do so quite yet.

Our autumn weather has been unusual to say the least. We ended up with an inch of snow last week. which mostly melted by the end of the day, but bits and pieces lingered until the next morning. Our earliest measurable snowfall by six days! Since then, it's been mostly cool and rainy. If it isn't pouring tomorrow, I will go out to Trudi Temple's farm and see her speak.

For those who worry that I am pining for my DD, tomorrow night I will see her for the fourth time in seven days! She came home for fall break last weekend, then I had a trip to her college town to work an ag career day at the other major school in that town. So we got to meet for dinner one night and lunch the next. Now she is coming up this way to see a musical in Chicago Saturday afternoon and we will have dinne tomorrow night .

I haven't done diddly in the garden other than getting the tropicals in and lifting my EE's and dahlias. There's a lot just waiting for me to remember to do it! I did clear some room in the garage so there is a spot to put the rest of the pots for the winter.

Work continues to go well. We did a new-for-us customer event this week and it was a major hit! The feedback forms were 100% positive and my boss was very pleased.

That's the brief update from this corner of the world. I think I will post this and then try to catch up on reading again. I'm somewhat falling into that trap of geting behind, then avoiding the forum because I'm so behind. I must stop that!

Later,

V.

Hi again

Order has been restored, carpet steam cleaned and all remaining fish are doing well. Clousseau seems none the worse for whatever he reacted to though something sure made him sick. He ate a hearty supper but I'm keeping fingers crossed and the steamer handy.

How awful to read about the Idyll pets - hope Rahjii and Misty are feeling better and have a quick recovery. Woody - that must have been very scary;0(

I'm very glad its the weekend, and that I have an evening at home with no one to drive anywhere. We had a cozy supper downstairs while watching the Discovery Channel. DH arrives back from a 2 1/2 week trip tomorrow and I'm looking forward to the company, its seemed a long time since he was here.

Saturday will begin with a market run - the winter squash and apples are excellent right now and I have some new Fall recipes I'm looking forward to trying. We are promised a break from the rain so I'm hoping to fit in a little raking. I even bought a new rake as there seems to be a lot of demand on the one we own (both Annie and David like piling leaves)

Have a great Friday night and good start to the weekend.

Mary

TGIFridayNight!

For a variety of reasons this has been a long week. Unfortunately on top of other distractions I got a call from my doctor tonight with the results of all my tests. She is recommending something that I'm not thrilled about and we've decided I need a second opinion so her office is setting that up. I hate doctors and try to avoid them whenever possible. How did I end up at their mercy?

Starting tomorrow I've got to get tough on the tender plants. It's time to send them off to their winter rest. Next week looks iffy from a frost standpoint and I don't want to be running around at the last minute picking and choosing. Plus I have the moving and planting of hardy stuff still hanging out there as well as the cleanup of the usual 600 billion leaves. I know it all eventually gets done but at times the amount of work seems daunting.

OK, time to grab a yogurt and head up to bed to watch Law & Order.

Sweet dreams.

Sue

Gee-T you have the bug too? take care of yourself...we're dropping like flies! I hope Michelle is doing Ok.

Woody that is horrifying what happened to your Misty!! I can see the anguish in her face-she's frowning! That's just not right that that can happen as many times as you've mentioned to so many other dogs as well. I hope the Humane society will help.

Deanne-sorry about your 'bratty' cat-it's about as bad as when a kid comes home needing urgent care! Hope by now he's improved...umm do you use an icepack on a bruise for a cat?
Did the camera come yet?

Mary I'll bet that wine was pretty darn good. Wow that's just a little too much pet excitement! I hope the kids are OK about their fish-but if it was a favorite I imagine it's pretty upsetting. I hope Clousseau is OK-that's just not fun.

V! glad you checked in and Honey too! You've both been missed.

So this is payday? Grummmmph. OK so I skip to the mailbox and let out a heavenly sigh of joy because I see the envelope in among junk mail.YAY... but not exactly. I open the envelope and after SEVEN weeks of toil the check reads $95.00...HUH? All it was was the reimbursement for my classes I took and uniform stuff >=0( Drat. I'm giving them until tomorrow then I'm gonna make a fuss. Doesn't that stink?

What to be for Halloween. I need ideas...simple, fun or scary it doesn't matter. I have two weeks!

I have more to say(always)but it's movie night so I better go see what Chris chose(we seem to have seen every movie the store rents). Idylls stay well,pets be safe,and otherwise I hope the weekend is a good one for you.

Sue I saw that part about the WEEKLY paychecks....yeah. well thanks ; ) lol.

~Babs

Evening all, well his Rahjiness is feeling better today. He's almost back to his bratty self and just about drove me crazy today running around the house screaming his head off wanting to get outside. Jeesh!

Woody, that is just horrific about that dog attacking Misty. What the H - - l is wrong with people with dogs like that? Unacceptable for that animal to ever be anywhere it can hurt anyone or any other animal.

Sue sorry about the doctor stuff. I hate it when that happens.

Babs, bummer about the missing paycheck. I'd be frothing at the mouth. ~~ RE Halloween, is this for you? if so how about 'Raggedy Anne'? I had a red headed friend who did that one time and it was too cute. YOu'd pull that one off really well. ~~ RE camera, yes, yes, yes! I got it and it is just fabulous. I think I'm in love! LOL Decided to click pics at everything in sight and here is one quick pic of Luke using a flash bounced off the ceiling. This pic was hand held at 1/40th at F5.6, ISO 400 and a focal length of 53mm. The lens I bought with the camera has an image stablization mode so you can get sharp, hand held shots at slower shutter speeds.
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Mary, OMG! Poor fishies, poor Clousseau, Poor, poor Mary! What a bummer. I sure hope that is the end of the drama for the day and that you have a great weekend.

Michelle, glad to hear you are feeling better.

Eden, love those peppers. Maybe I'll have to try them next year.

OK time to get ready for some shut eye. Have a great evening all.

Deanne

Bummer Sue. Whatever you decide I hope it goes well.
A second opinon can't hurt.

Hi V, we miss your regular posts. Good to hear the job is going well though. How is DD likeing college life? Strange that Sunrise reacted like that.

Mary , I hope Clousseau doesn't have any more mishaps. Did you find the leak in your pond?

Deanne you can send that bratty cat to live with me anytime. I think he is gorgeous. The camera sounds really neat. I have become lazy after working with cameras for so many years. I basically just want to point and shoot these days. Besides the old eyes aren't what they used to be. I have a young friend that wants me to do some family photos with her DH and baby. She has been trying to pin him down to a time all week. They want something outside with the fall colors.

Speaking of young friends. Tonite at the party I went to I got to hold and feed the three month old baby of a young lady we watched grow up from babyhood. Where did the time go. The baby had a winning smile and fell asleep in my arms. I haven't got to do that since Wyatt was a baby.

Babs, I bet you did a double take on that check.

Well I should be in bed, and thats where I'm going. Nite all. Norma

Sorry you're having troubles Sue. I'm right there with you on avoiding doctors. It's why I'm always looking for alternative stuff which helps for the the most part, though sometimes I can't find what I need with it.

Babs I'm okay, just wondering at how life has turned in some ways for us. My ill family members seem to be around us lots, and seem to need a great deal of time and attention.

Hi Marian. I was worried too when you didn't write here. I'm glad you're okay. You are an integral part of this place, and we lose some momentum when you're mia. It's like when others are gone, like Ei, Brenda and many others. We need everyone to make that special Idylls music.

Hi and hugs to everyone and their poor beleaguered pets. I hope Babs can spend some money on herself with the first cheque, but it's tough when family responsibilities rear their necessary heads. Chelone when will your mum be placed. We had to do it for our MIL, as she was a flight risk, and it's the best thing that was ever done for her.

Yeona

I was wrong about pestilence... it's moved into my chest. Special!

Woody, I don't think there's much in this world that cheeses me off more than irresponsible dog owners. As the owner of a big one who is loud and presents a terrifying image I'm keenly aware of my responsibility to keep him under control. He has dashed out to "greet" walkers on the road a few times, I know he wouldn't hurt them, but the site of Biggie barrelling toward you with the full Mohawk isn't something that would give you the "warm fuzzies". I remember walking with him a year/so ago and a dog charged out at us, took one look at the size of him and skulked home, lol. but it might well have been a different story had the dog been a small one. I hope Misty is OK. And you, too!

It rained like the hell yesterday, sheets and torrents! Today it's fair and very windy. Pity, too... the leaves were really pretty, now they're on the ground. The surf should be nice today with the wind and I expect the traffic on the road will be heavy. Too heavy for a walk (if I can muster the energy). Maybe we can try the golf course if the wind remains steady and gusty.

Nice shot of the kitty-cat, Deanne. And very exciting news about the new camera.

I need to recline.

Morning all, its a very blustery day out there. Only 44 degrees with a brisk wind. I'm thinking I'm going to wait a bit to go and work outside. Anyway, I was playing around a bit with a couple images I got on the new camera and Oooo la la... This wasn't even a great pic to begin with and I don't even have the sharpest lens in my camera bag yet but when you have all those pixels to mess around with it is amazing the detail you can pull up. This first pic was another hand held at 1/50th, pretty slow for any macro work.
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I cropped the center part of the image and masked the bee and brought up the brightness and contrast in that area and you can even see the little hairs on his head. Cool! Detail that you can't readily see in the first photo is actually there if you enlarge the image. Double cool! Yes, I am a kid with a new toy. LOL
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Norma, what did you do with cameras for so many years. I don't recall that you ever talked about that. Are you a professional photographer? ~~ That kitty pic is actually of Luke the grandfather of the 'Bratty Cat' whose real name is Rahjii.

Yeona, I love your statement, "We need everyone to make that special Idylls music." Perfect.

Chelone, so sorry you are still sick. DD actually had a similar pestilence recently and after three weeks and a strep throat is finally on the mend. The place she worked for decided she'd been sick too much apparently and they let her go on Monday. Their business has been going steadily downhill for a couple years and I think they've just used this as an excuse to get rid of her. The thing that really T'd me off is that they just let her go with no severance, just 'you're out the door' and here is you last two day's pay. That company didn't pay for any vacation time or sick pay. It is a small privatly owned company so they can apparently do what they want. Last week when she developed the strep throat the boss told her to go home and not come back to work unless she was all better and, oh, by the way, as I said they don't pay sick time. So the deal was she needed to find a new job anyway but that was a lousy way to lose your job.

Anyway, I've got to get to the gym and do my daily 'penance' and then finish the step-by for that magazine article which still isn't finished. (I was too busy playing with my new camera and the editor made the grave mistake of telling me I could have more time to do it).

Have a great day everyone and I hope that all who are under the weather are back to 100% soon.

Deanne

We had our Saturday morning breakfast at the One Stop. The leaves are gorgeous in this area. I went to Harrison yesterday and noticed much less full color after I got past our area. Harrison is a thousand feet lower than we are, so a little later to turn...but earlier in spring.
The sun is too bright for good pics this morning. If it clouds up later, I may take my cameras and do my own tour. :-)

So sorry about the pet injuries. Deanne, I'm glad Rajii is okay. He is such a beauty!
Woody, poor Misty. So sad looking. I am so glad you were not injured. But it must have been very scary.
A few days ago Tommy didn't show up at the usual time. We searched and searched. I called and called. Finally Nolon discovered him on top of the open shed. He was just politely ignoring all my calling! Talk about 'bratty cats' ! I think he was pouting because we had 'both' went to town Tuesday. He expects Nolon to remain at home. :-(

Thanks Yeona. I am happy to see you too!

Sorry for all who are suffering from virus's . I wanted to get my yearly flu shot yesterday, but my clinic had ran out of it. They said they would be getting more on Mon. or Tues., so I'll get it Tues. Nolon got his last Tues. We are both due for a renewal of our pneumonia shots too. They are recommending every 5 years, and it has been 6 for us.

Babs, sorry about the skimpy paycheck. I sure do know the feeling! I had a terrible shock one day this week when a statement came from the hospital billing me for over $700 for 'out patient' ... say what ? !! The Doctor at the Arthritis clinic had sent me to the hospital's lab and x-ray facilities, but I certainly didn't consider I was an 'out patient'! I rounded up all the pertinent info that I could find, and went in to the hospital's billing dept yesterday. I told the gal at the window that there surely must be some mistake. She asked me to wait while she got the gal in charge of such things. After a few minutes ( seemed much longer) the other lady came out and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and told me, you will be charged $20, and will get a billing for that amount. She threw away the other billing. Wow! What a relief! I felt so good , I went and bought a bunch of pansies, and some more chrysanthemums! LOL.

Now I need to get out and plant my new purchases. It should be getting warm enough. It was 40F this morning.

(((Sue))), I pray that all will be well with you. I am thinking it must be a rather scary diagnosis that you got.

Mary, I love that you have to get another rake so both David and Annie can rake leaves. :-) How about bringing them here so they can rake up all these 'banana peels" ? LOL
Oooo, what a mess on your newly cleaned carpet. Poor you, and poor Clousseau ( and poor fishies). So far damage from Tommy and Trubby has been very minimal.

V, sorry your time is so full that you have no time for the Idylls. I hope all settles down soon, but being busy IS a good thing. I think I would be happier if I had more to motivate me. It's great that you are seeing your DD so often. Our DS was a no-show this week...:-(
Great also that your job is going so well.

Eden, what kind of puzzles is Bella into? My DDs have always been interested in jigsaw ( like Grandma ) :-). They are moving up to to 500 piece ones. I usually do the 1000 piece ones. ( I have well over 100 ). One is one the diningroom table, partially done, right now.

Norma, I like the idea of you mowing the trails for your fall walking. I'd like to have some through our woods. There used to be logging roads, but they are growing up. Do you have any pics to share with us?

I know I have missed at lot of you, but you are not forgotten! :-)
I am fizzling out..TTYAL

Marian

Hmmm, 33 degrees with a NW wind, doesnt sound very inviting. I really would like to work outside but Im stalling. Maybe it will warm up some. Ive done some wash, mopped the kitchen and baked a butternut squash.

Im actually quite a ways with garden clean up, but the plants that still look nice, it is hard to cut back. Im thinking of working on the window trim and shutters for the new window in the garden shed that I never got done last spring. That is one of the nice things about early spring and late fall is the time to repair and improve the hardscape. Of course I have a bunch of bricks left that I could edge a bed or two. DH and I looked over an area right behind the row of blue spruces that has a lot of old dying trees. Id like to clean it up and cut down all but a couple. One huge tree came down and is laying in there. It would be quite a project. That is near the area I would like to put Kenzies garden. Im thinking of putting down cardboard in her area so it will be ready next spring.

Sue, I hope all turns out well for you on the medical front.

Mary, I almost cried for you thinking of all your messes. Im sure its somewhat harder to deal with when your hubby is out of town. Nice that he will be back this weekend.

V, we miss you too. One of the things I like about my job is the opportunity to do a little reading when Im not busy.

Babs, what a bummer about the paycheck.

Deanne, what a great picture of Luke. It looks like 3D. Im more of a point and shoot gal.

Yeona, you have such a wonderful way with words. "Idyll music" What a great thought.

Marian, it sure pays to question your bill, good for you. We got the insurance statement in the mail that the hospital is charging almost $2000 for the night that he spent there. Rick is so mad about it. After all, he only slept there, he had no nurse attending him, there was no food served and no shower in the room. The attendant for the sleep monitoring actually had a separate bill. We havent gotten the itemized hospital bill, but it will be interesting. Maybe you can come be our advocate ;o)

Well, I think Ill bundle up and go out for awhile.

Later
Michelle

Good Day!!

Rich is drumming and there's a door that closes tight to the office, so I've actually had a chance to read the Idylls!

Where's Taryn?????

Gotta luv that pepper. Yes, Eden, I would love some of those seeds. Deanne has learned how horrible I am at sending out plants despite all good intent. That said, I have some incredible Echinacea purpurea seeds from an 8yo momma. They would be great Bella flowers -- just about eye level and butterflies love them. Perfect for Kenzie, too, Michelle.

Stalling today. Really windy outside and feels cold. Things left can wait.....

Good to "hear" from everyone!

Martie, heading for the earplugs :-)

Woke up late to a gloomy cold morning. DH managed to talk and snore in his sleep from 2-5am...so I was not at my cheerful best. Walked downstairs to whip up breakfast and landed in a pool of water. Seems the old kitchen taps have a problem! So DH spent the morning investigating the situation and concluded that the plumber is needed. This is a first as he ALWAYS repairs things himself. In the meantime, I suggested he also fix our hot water heater which gets clogged with calcium every year and needs fixing too.
With all that junk going on, I decided to go to town. Well the car was screaming for gas, so I had to deal with that right away. Then I made it to the post office just before they closed at noon. Then to the dump to get rid of 2 weeks worth of trash. Finally I went to get myself a haircut and pedicure. It was nice to get away from all the trials of dayly living!
Yesterday I planted a few lilies, but the weather was not great. I hoped to do more today, but it is drizzly outside and I'm not motivated.
Last night we went to a friend's place for French Club and sang some songs as well as listened to some nice new ones from Quebec. The food was great...so I came home with heartburn. I'm not used to rich things anymore and was overly attracted to a baked brie with cranberries.
Charlotte is fine thank goodness, but she was naughty and would not come inside when we called her last night. When she finally did return, she was a smelly pooch indeed. Ugh. This morning I noticed gun fire, so I guess that season is upon us. I have to watch Charlotte much more carefully when the nuts are out there with their weapons.
My friend Lynn whom some of you have met, is putting on a program on weddings this coming Thursday in Toronto. Some antique dresses will be modelled as well as other newer ones. She will be making the ribbon wands used for DD's wedding to show the audience. I'd like to go, but it looks like I'll be home with the plumber and the guy with his bobcat repairing the exterior where water leaks into the basement. Why is it that repairs are always to yukky stuff and not for beautification? Hrumph.
Time to contemplate preparing a nice dinner of chicken with apricots.
'bug

I can think again :-)

Sounds like everyone is having "that kind" of a weekend. Comm'on Deanne, show us the results of your new toy. Your pics are always a joy and would surely brighten the day!

Barely, but six different rose varieties are still blooming outside. Most impressive is an unnamed orange and yellow near some pumpkins, cornstalks and dried grasses.

Also am really liking the horizontal branching of the 'French Lace.'

The mailbox eating Passiflora has born fruit that got picked for drying.

80 Bulbs for $10 (quality stuff!!) at Stop and Shop (grocery store that delivers to Sue). Also a big chicken for dinner and wish I was close enough to Marie to trade some apricots for lemon flavored herbs....

Spent some time with my Mom's dog that we collectively brought home from the Humane Society and started to get "the twinge." Hmmmmmmmmm

Noticed today that the overgreen field -- we're talking 20 years of overgrowth between us and the golf course -- is getting closer to the house. Perhaps some rental path-making machines and we can meet mid-country?

Cleaned my closet, dusted, went through the new Logee's catalog, scanned the Forest Farm book, and generally deflated.

Got the common Rosemary and a pretty Lavandula stoechas that is budding for the first time out of the gardens. The roots are through the potholes so I know what I'm doing tomorrow. They'll stay racked on the south side of the house (light colored house) for a few weeks and will then be brought inside.

AND I have Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter cactus ready to bloom.

V: Good to hear from you!

Martie, off to the couch :-)

Hey! Martie, I have a Thanksgiving cactus that IS blooming! And another that will be open in a couple more days.

I toured our yard and road again today, taking pics. Then I drove around and took more. Here are 3 of my favorites

#1 our yard

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#2 the hill near the goat yard

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#3 A pasture scene along the Highway, about 2 miles from us.
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Hopefully I can get more, tomorrow, or Tues., to add to my thread.

Marian

Hidylls,
Been very busy here lately, and the boys are on Runescape.com all the time (dial-up not QUITE slow enough, lol!). But it's Hockey Night in Canada, Glenn is watching the Toronto Maple Leafs lose and we have a rental kid for the night so the four of them are playing gamecube. So I get a wee chunk of Idyll time!

Sorry to read His Highness Le Raj has been injured and Chelsea attacked! Woody that must have been frightening for you both! Our across-the-street neighbors' two Border Collies were going ape-crap earlier and I saw the wild dog slinking around that was making them cause the ruckus. Hightailed it inside quickly--wild dogs and coyotes I have no desire to tangle with, and we have packs of both around here. Next-door-neighbor saw 3 coyotes in his backyard this morning, so we are making sure the kitties are in before dark. Also sorry to hear some of you aren't feeling well, and hope that passes soon.

So what, you ask, have I been busy with? Well first Canadian TG a couple of weeks ago, as you know. It went GREAT! Perfect weather, fantastic meal, great Xmas at Thanksgiving gifts for the kids, and a totally relaxed, fun night partying and playing pool and darts. Everyone helped with both the dinner and the clean-up, and it was great having 15 of us having a sit-down meal AT THE SAME TIME! Also great to be able to accomodate everyone overnight, and not once feel crowded. I love this house!

Except the wet basement that is. The sump pump has been acting up and 3 times this week I've woken up to 3-4" of water in some areas. Scary! Adjusted the bloody thing tonight and now it won't shut OFF and is sucking air half the time. ARRGHH! Need a reliable one with this basement so am checking them out on Ebay right now.

Been getting some great deals on Ebay lately. Have a bunch of tulips coming soon, which I'm going to post on the bulb forum as she gave me such a great deal! Will link it here as well. And also bought one of those swivel
sweeper cordless 2lb vac thingmes for $39.99 no shipping earlier this evening on Ebay. Hopefully it's not an attack vac, lol!

Holiday Monday and Tuesday (week before last) I planted frantically and got all my 200+ plants in the ground finally! Yay! Planting the new lasagna bed was a dream, but planting in the existing beds a nightmare! They had put that landscaping fabric down then mulched with woodchips, much of which had broken down to good soil. So I had to cut holes for each plant in the landscaping fabric, which hadn't broken down at all. And what did I find underneath? I was hoping a 100+ year old house with 3 hog barns would have great soil with such a ready source of manure. NOT. Sticky solic grey clay under the landscape fabric! Ughh! So for each plant I dug a million dollar whole, removing wood chips and soil, then cutting out the landscape fabric, digging out the clay, then mixing a scoop of my garden mix with the good soil and clay and planting all. Whew, what a job! One I was glad to finish!

In other big jobs, we've been enjoying the fireplace each night after getting 15 cords of hardwood on Tuesday. I LOVE the crackle of the fire and the smell of hardwood! The pile has kept Glenn and boys busy, but they have it down to 18" tall now. Should keep us in wood for 3-4 seasons, and I should get a decent load of mulch out of it too.

And finally, I've brushed up my Resume and am applying for a couple of jobs. Both are 6 month contracts. One is coordinator for a local town's BIA (Business Improvement Area) which sounds very interesting, though I don't know what they are offering for renumeration. (more than $95 for 7 weeks I hope, lol!). The other one is a gov't job involving customer service for those receiving disability. Doesn't sound that thrilling, but the pay is excellent and I could stand just about anything for that kind of money. And it would lead to more gov't contracts that could be much more interesting and maybe a permanent one. I like the 6 month idea and would take the summer off with the boys and the garden if possible. No gaps in my resume for the 12 years I've been home, what with daycaring, Ebaying, the plant sales and the weedy workplace job. And lots of computer skills. Hopefully they'll see it the same way, wish me luck..

Okay, a few shots from the last couple of weeks:

Thanksgiving jam: (Glenn, BIL Bill and nephew Ryan)

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The grown-up table (SIL on right is so photogenic, lol! We used her wedding photog because he made her look wonderful, and she usually looks like this in pics, lol):

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The kid table. Kids had their choice of grape or apple juice for red or white "wine" lol. They loved that, and were clinking glasses all through the meal.

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Christmas at Thanksgiving:

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Love Devin's shirt;

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The EX-pot ghetto! Yay!!!

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Got them in just in time, as two days later (a week ago Thursday we got THIS! (though it didn't last thankfully!)

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The woodpile:

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And finally, before and afters of the new lasagna bed. Did a smaller island bed around the flagpole since, but other than some of my bulbs will wait 'til spring to plant it.

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What V said about having a hard time jumping back in after being "away" for so long--too true! So I'm not going to attempt to comment, as I know I'll miss way too many of you. But know I'm thinking comments to all of you as I read along. And I've enjoyed all the photos and photo threads, especially those little Idyll princesses, Bella and Kenzie...Hi everyone!

Bydylls,

Taryn

PS I love Sarah Harmer! Was listening to her on CD in the car today in fact. This one goes out to Glenn (though I must say the counselling seems to be helping, and things are getting better in the marital strife dept--on that note, wine and movie night, see ya later! ;)

Don't Get Your Back Up --Sarah Harmer

Baby, if I could keep it together
Don't you think I'd try?
And maybe if I could make something of this
Why wouldn't I?

You say I close a blind eye
That I don't put up the time
But what you see as goodbye
I don't see as a crime
I'm tired of the blame
Being put on my head
You're breathing fire
But you're not bringing back what's dead

Don't get your back up over this
If I'm so wrong and you're so right
You really got your mind made up I guess
Won't you let me get some sleep tonight?

It's late now
And there's only four hours 'til I get up again
You know I'd wait somehow
If I thought this was something
That a little time would mend
You, you're dragging this misery on
Let's leave this thing for a while
It's too far gone
Too far gone

Don't get your back up over this
If I'm so wrong and you're so right
You really got your mind made up I guess
Won't you let me get some sleep
Won't you let me get some sleep
Won't you let me get some sleep tonight?

Don't get your back up over this
If I'm so wrong and you're so right
You really got your mind made up I guess
Won't you let me get some sleep
Won't you let me get some sleep
Won't you let me get some sleep tonight?

tonight...
tonight

PPS. where's Eileen??

Good Sunday mornin'. I didn't have the gumption to take Biggie on a "forced march" yesterday, preferring to remain basically supine with a book. I did get the dishes done, though and I did drag myself into the shower. Mum hovered protectively... a sweet gesture from someone who can't really do much to make things easier for the "under the weather".

Cold this morning, some sort of condensation on windshields but no conclusive evidence of a ground frost yet. The Cascade petunias are still hanging on, albeit tentatively. I can't even begin to think about interring bulbs, but need to get going on it. Among other things... . I'm downright impressed with Taryn's efforts at landscaping her new digs. Boy don't I recall the labor involved in digging planting holes in "virgin" territory! Rocks, roots, hard packed soil... it sucked, but years later the effort required to double dig the beds has paid dividends. You won't regret the effort.

We have some wood left to split and stack, but that will be for NEXT season. Our 2-3 cord are split, stacked and well seasoned for this woodstove season. We have yet to fire up the stove, but I can tell the initial fire is right around the corner. Cold rain is due in tonight and next week is supposed to be quite chilly and unsettled.

Marian, those pictures are so pretty. The countryside in and around your home is really lovely. Very different from the topography around here, and fun for me to see. Friday's windswept rain and yesterday's gusty weather has stripped many of the trees of their seasonal splendor, only the oaks are fully clothed, at this point. The sound of Canada geese flying over the house is commonplace, now. And in a scant 2 weeks the November hunting season will be underway... . I expect His Hugeness will manage to steal away for a "carcass cruise", too, 'bug. EEwwww.

Time for me to get the day underway. Laundry, kitchen detail, cat box, and then a survey of the present sewing project. Perhaps that will take my mind off this cold?

Morning all, a bit crisp here today. It was only 36 degrees when I got up but the wind is making it seem colder than that. Im going to have to try to get all the rest of the plants in the garage taken care of today and get the brugs and banana ready to go down to the basement for the winter. It is time and past time to get all the tender stuff put away. Ive got to try to get Doug to clean up the corner of his shop where I put the big pots. I cant get too insistent as he is being generous to let me have the space. It is his shop after all. LOL Id like to start digging up the dahlias today too but Id like them to lose a bit more of their top growth. We still havent had a night below freezing yet.

Chelone, hope you are feel well enough to enjoy this beautiful day. Maybe take Biggie Boy out for an excursion.

Bug, oh dear, I just hate it when the puppies decide to roll around in dead stuff. It seems that the riper it is the better they like it. My long departed Kelcie rolled around in a soiled baby diaper one time. ON the living room carpet, one hour before I had company coming over for dinner. I wasnt happy.

Marian, what lovely photos of your area. It really does remind me of the hills around here in the fall.

Michelle, would you PLEASE send me some of your energy? How do you keep up with the housework and the garden clean up? About the only thing Ive really kept up with is the laundry. Its time to get to the windows again and do a thorough fall cleaning. I always think washing windows is a bit like shoveling garbage into the tide because the second it rains they are all dirty again. Never ends. Lately Doug has been mister spill and drop every food item on the planet on the floors all over the house. Hes been munching away as he walks about and Ive been finding bits and pieces of stuff everywhere. Yesterday it was an animal cracker in the living room. Grrrr.

Martie, ummmThat photo of Luke and the pictures of the hydrangea with the bee were taken with the new camera. ~~ Is there anything really exciting that I need to know about in the new Logees catalog? I think I need to get one of those so I can plan what I want to bring home for the Jan. Logees trip. LOL

Taryn, looks like you are well settled into the new house. What a bummer about water in the basement. Do you have mold problems anywhere because of it?

Eden, I just love those peppers. Are they easy to germinate and when do you start the seeds? I might like to give them a try.

OK Im off to the gym to put my hour in on the stairs. I did manage to keep my calories down all week. It was tough but Im getting used to going to bed hungry every night again. Its a sad fact but if I want to drop any weight thats the way it has to be. Have a great day everyone.

Deanne

Good quiet morning. The wind seems to have died down but it's still fairly cold. Hard frost again last night but the tomatos are still hanging in there, literally :-)

More pics, Deanne!! Have some more fun and share with us!! I showed Rich the pic of the hornet with hair and he suddenly realized all he could do with his new camera. Nothing earth shattering in the Logee's catalog. Definitely designed with holiday giving in mind and the plants are what you can get babies of for less money other times. I did, however, cut out the pic of the Victorian tabletop terrarium and left it in a very conspicuous place ;-) I'm thrilled that you're coming in January! With you, we'll have people from four states there. Who can we add from Idylland??

Taryn -- So good to hear from you! Everyone looks content in the new house -- now home??? -- and I know that great feeling of everyone sitting AND eating at the same time. A requisite for the house we're in was dinner seating for at least 20. It goes beyond the food, doesn't it? It's far more the "feeding people" feeling.

Marian - Pretty! Like Chelone, we've got wonderful views but nothing that looks like the topography you have.

Chelone - Hope you're feeling better. The CT Cold d'jour must've headed north because what you have sounds a lot like what I had. Geese here, too. Wonder if they're the same ones? I think it's maternal instinct to hover, no matter what the other capabilities. The day after my Mom had her kidney out she was calling my sister to see if she'd gotten the results of her mammo back. Remind me in 20 years :-)

Very quiet day today. Rich will be out on the bike with Brother #4 and I'm either going to nap all day or plant bulbs. Still no extra oomph!

Sue -- Your doctor phone call is in my thoughts and all good ones are being sent your way. Agree that the plaza may add to your temps. The south side of the house with white cement and siding is practically a solid Z7, while the north side of the house, though protected, barely meets Z6 criteria. Gotta love microclimates!

Later, pals --

Martie

It really is incredibly dreary and soggy here. Not good for the morale. I've wanted to plant bulbs for days now, but I'd sink in mud if I tried. I'm hoping that Wednesday or Thursday it will be possible, but wet flurries are expected until then. :(

DH is off playing hockey but when he returns I must get out and buy some essentials, like bread etc Frankly, I just need to get OUT!

Last night I had a chat with the adorable seven year old DGS. He wanted me to send him photos of the cats this time, so I did of course. Yesterday he was practising riding his new 2 wheeler and also helped clean off tomato cages with DD. I guess there were a few verbal exchanges about helping out and putting the bike away...Testing, testing, testing. Nothing like instant motherhood!
{{gwi:182201}}

We are fortunate in the wood department, to have plenty remaining from last winter. We do love using the fireplace and as I recall, even managed an early fire when Mary, Sue and Deanne were here having our musical gathering in September.

How fortunate Marian is to have so much colour remaining. Here the trees are mostly bare. I do hope we will have a few more days of autumn in our future this year!

And now off to deal with all the sopping wet towels from under the kitchen sink drips.
'bug

I no longer need to consider myself a bad Idyllplantsender. Deanne's Jean Pasco brug is packed up and the UPS tracking number obtained :-)

What a happy-looking kid, Marie!

Now, I'm off to the couch.

Martie

Morning, I won't say "good" due to the fact that it's raining again or should I say still. I'm wondering at this point if it will every dry up enough to get any of the autumn garden chores completed. I did go out this morning and bought some snowdrop bulbs and ran across some narcissus sir winston churchill. I've had those on my list of wants for a couple of years so that made my day.

Marie, your grandson always looks so happy in the pictures you share. What a precious smile he has!

Deanne, how awful about your daughters job. Hope it works out for the best and she finds a much better one pronto. I'll put you on the list for pepper seeds. They couldn't be easier to grow. I sowed them in milk jug greenhouses outdoors last spring.

Sue, I'm concerned about you. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.

Marian, beautiful scenery! Thanks for sharing yours since we've had pretty much nothing this year in the way of color, except gray.

Chelone, hope your over the worst. It's very touching to hear about your mom worrying over you.

Taryn, glad you found time to check in. Looking good and I can't wait to see your new gardens next spring.

Martie, I've got you down for seeds.

Michelle, shall I add your name to the list?

Brad has the day off and should be home from his workout shortly. I've got a few things I want to get done before his return so have a good Sunday afternoon everyone.

Eden

Good afternoon

It's grey and drizzly here but we are all enjoying a quiet Sunday together pottering about the house. Annie's Home and Careers homework was to do 3 loads of laundry for the family. She's been doing her own clothes for over a year now, but today I'm off the hook - yippee! I like this teacher:0)

The boys are assembling a desk David chose for his room. It's a frustrating piece to put together but David is thrilled by the idea of his own place to do homework. He has a nice pneumatic swivel chair too which he has been testing out all over the house (and I have tripped over more than once) I still have the feeling he will prefer working at the kitchen table, but he's getting to the age where have a desk in his room is important. David does extremely well in school, but getting him to sit down to homework is like trying to catch a slippery eel. There are too many other things he enjoys doing - I'm hoping the new desk will help.

Right now I have 2 chickens in the smoker. I've found they are delicious smoked and make the best chicken salad ever. They take a few hours to cook but once they are rubbed with spice and placed in their trays I simply close up the smoker door and forget. They come up succulent and juicy, with a nice crisp skin - yummm. I'm going to serve mashed celeriac with them - does anyone else eat it? It mashes up like potato and has a delicious celery flavor.

It was great to read everyones posts this weekend. Taryn - your house is looking great and the new beds fantastic. What fun to plant them up in spring - you must have worked unbelievably hard to get so much accomplished!

Sue - I'll be thinking of you too as you make the Dr's rounds.

GB - love the grandson picture. That is just the greatest smile! I love a wood fire in the eveings too and remember enjoying your woodburning stove.

Deanne - the pictures on your new camera are AMAZING!! What incredible detail. Hope you have a lot of fun experimenting with it and I'll look forward to more wonderful photos.

Marian - you have soem gorgeous color right now.

Babs - want to bring the boys for a play date? Glad I'm not the only one who feels the need to scramble with the mop before meeting new parents. Is you MIL still in hospital?

Nice to hear from Eden, Drema, T, Yeona, Martie, V, Michelle Chelone and all the other regulars and occasional posters. I've been thinking about Ei too and hope she has time to pop in again soon.

I'm off for our afternoon outing - a visit to the library and the new Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop in the village. I'll probably save my appetite for supper but the children are excited.

Mary

Eden, Id love some of the seeds, I didnt know if I dared beg ;o) How do you collect the seeds? Do you let the peppers get over ripe or just harvest out of the peppers and dry? I wintered sowed some this year as well and it was extremely easy. I have usually bought them in the past. Sir Winston Churchill is a beauty.
I should really add more.

I wimped out and ended up going to the city to do some shopping yesterday as it was just down right cold and with a brisk NW wind. No fun to be out even if it dry here. The sun is shining today but still only 39 and breezy. I had several things I wanted to do in the city. I thought Id take a look again for a dress for the wedding. Would you believe I found one on the clearance rack for 49.00? It is navy and very elegant. Not too casual and not too overly fancy. I couldnt believe it because I had been to this store earlier, but since it is a large dept. store I probably missed the area it was in. I had supper with my DS. His weekend nights are open as his girlfriend is doing an internship at a TV station and she works on the 6:00 & 10:00 news behind the scenes. I ended up with 6 Christmas gifts and a birthday gift for my DD, which is this week.

bug, sorry to hear that it is so dreary there, but Ill bet that GS brightened your day.

Deanne, LOL I think you have way more energy than I. What with your workouts, awesome garden and "window washing and thorough fall housecleaning" My house and windows would go into shock as they wouldnt know what was happening. LOL

Heres wishing all the ailing Idylls a return to good health.

Taryn, what a wonderful feeling it must be to finally get some plants in the ground. What did you put in there?

Marian, fantastic fall foliage (say that 3 times fast) All the leaves are off our trees with all the wind lately.

I think a nap might be in order.

Michelle

Dag-nabbit!I lost my post from yesterday but that just means I'll abbreviate what I can remember-so it's a good thing from your points of view-I do babble too much lol.

Deanne-raggedy ann is great! Chris and I brainstormed and we already have intact vampire outfits so we chose the goulish way before I saw your idea...lol Chris would be so charming as Andy: )!!! funny too-I am growing out the red locks and trying my natural look after 15 yrs. of sassy red(lol). I have less grey than I thought and decided now would be a good time to color closer to my real shade-we'll see how long that lasts. I guess I could have made a red yarn wig though for Annie!
Wow Deanne on the pixels! And handheld shots at that!!! Very fun to rediscover your immediate world with macro! I look forward to more! Hey that hydrangea looks so fresh with color-mine are all faded to green and maroon-which one is yours??

Marian I loved your fall pics-thanks for sharing all that color. I especially like that blue spruce with the various fall colors setting off its form & blueness.

Sue I'm sending good vibes for whatever your doctor is suggesting. Should we be worrying?
...this probably isn't the same thing I'm sure, but my mom who actually is great about routine check ups has been putting off the dreaded colonoscopy for many years now but is finally taking the plunge(?lol)on Tuesday;sometimes you just have to be ready for tests like that and it just took her time to go for it-she did a bit of research on the risks and it scared her. I think it's great that you are getting a second opinion.(would you do a third too?)

Yeona-glad you checked in-sorry it has been so rough. Just remember to take time for yourself so you can pull yourself together. Sounds silly but for me a simple thing as mowing the lawn is something I love to do so I can be alone and think(and hopefully not run over things I'd rather not while I'm being pensive lol) The stuff with Chris' mom at times just overwhelms me so I have to steal moments for just me even if it's during meanial tasks.

Taryn how great to see your homestead pics-please teach me how to get so much accompished!! Good luck with the job prospects I hope you find just the right match for all your skills.

Oh so that check I was supposed to get? It came on Saturday! It was bigger than 95 bucks : ) Now I have that arduous task of deciding which places the mullah should go. I'm not used to having leeway when the end of the month rolls around so this should be a nice change of pace. We celebrated the windfall by ordering sushi: )yum!

Mary-playdate? Wait-that means you would have a whole SEVERAL hours to tidy up before we got there ; )
Yes, Chris' mom is still in the hospital.While it's been a long time, at least she is being well cared for. My worry is when she's released and we need to coordinate helping her-Chris' sister is up to her old disappearing trick again.

Michelle-you really did score on your trip into the city-I hope we get to see your dress-I know you will look stunning. I'm very impressed that you are onto Christmas shopping already-I always tackle AJ's Nov. bday first then worry about Christmas but maybe you will motivate me to get a move on.

Aj and Ryan have been sick all weekend...I thanked them profusely for waiting for the weekend so I won't miss work! Actually one year AJ was only sick on weekends and only missed one full day...I wonder if he can pull that off again, let alone Ryan.

Don't mean to skip out but I've got prep for tomorrow to do. Hi to all I missed!

~Babs

Hello everyone, Happy Sunday evening, or whatever it might be in your time zone...
I have returned from a four day trip to Portland this afternoon, and am trying to catch up with mail, newspapers and of all things watering-It was in the 80's while I was gone and had a lot of droopy looking plants ,I had left no watering instructions with DS, because of course it is October, and things should be able to go 4 days without water. If I had been gone one more day all those pansies I planted would be DOA!
I broke my rule this trip, because I always without fail give myself at least one day after returning from a trip to recuperate, clean ,laundry, groceries etc,(except business trips) and this time I am off to work already tommorow. That means alot of catch up the next few days.So will check back in tommorow and try to catch up..
Nite- all

Just popping in to say 'hello'....we still have a 6 year old black lab, a 4 month old beagle puppy and a 3 year old human child here---it has been challenging and tiring. Jamie's newest favorite phrase (other than 'no') is "Darn it". I've tried hard not to laugh when it has popped out as I'd prefer he learn to say 'oops'...but Darn it is much preferred over many other things that he could have picked up. Little mimics at this age.

I made some apple crisp at lunch time today. While it was in the oven, the twins & their parents came by for a surprise visit. I didn't have any vanilla ice cream and what is hot apple crisp without it??? So I made a quick dash to the store. We enjoyed a nice visit with them over dishes of hot apple crisp. Lovely!

Well, the 3 year old is having a late night melt down (I want my mommy!!! I want to go home!!!!) so I need to go soothe the little guy.

Sue....you are on my mind a lot.

Hello to all.....Chelone, hope you feel better soon. This intestinal bug that has hit here is long lasting and persistant. Poor DH isn't feeling very well this weekend. :o[

Okay, 3 year old is teasing the 6 year old lab.....the 4 month old puppy is whining and I want to run away but DH says he can run faster than I can..........