Hackberry Trees, etc, #6

We came from here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1014920/

Talking about invasives, zonal differences, kitties, and we're hoping Carol does not have a broken wrist, and that LouC gets all the rain she needs.


This message was edited Aug 14, 2009 12:34 AM

No rain in the forecast for the forseeable future. Had a nice surprise yesterday evening. Sheila (DG'er) and her husband were on their way home from a two week trip. They live in Ft. Worth which is about 40 miles from here. Anyway, their route put them within 5 miles of here so they stopped by. She has been here a couple of times before and we were both invited to a luncheon earlier this summer at Planolinda's (another DGer) where she gave a little talk about butterflies and gifted me with a small cage. Sheila raises butterflies and has taught me a lot about this fascinating area of our gardens. I have been collecting caterpillars of the Giant Swallow Tail, and the Black Swallow Tail for a week or so. I had ordered a cage from Discovery.com and it came while she was here. Precipitous, don't you think? I gave her all but the first and biggest cat I have been watching and feeding. The rue plant is absolutely covered in eggs and teeny-tiny cats. Looks like I am hooked. Another wonder of nature.

Mike is in a BBQ cookoff tomorrow so we will busy with all the pre-prep today. Hope it is a good day for everyone.

Christi

I love butterflies, just love them, and my fennel serves as food for the larva, it's fun to watch. I think I grow fennel just for them.

Glad you had visits, Christi, I know how fun that is meeting DG friends face to face. Good for you.

You'll have to let us know how Mike does in his cookoff. That's done around her, too, the last week in August at a Summer Festival on the riverfront in Paducah, pretty near here. Lots of fun, and if one eats BBQ, lots of good food. I enjoy the roasted corn, and sometimes they have other roasted veggies that are smoky and delicious. And there is one restaurant that always has shrimp kabobs, my favorite.

Charlie, what has this day brought to you?

Hi Sharon and Christi,

It has brought heat. Not as bad as Christi's, but the gardening is warm work.
Can only do a couple of hours a day in this, but happily the heat seems to be good for my arthritis. Think both of you had said that cold and humid is worse, for arthritis, than hot and humid. It's an ill wind that blows no good.

Sounds like both of you are doing good work with butterflies. Saw the first Monarch butterfly ( in our front garden) yesterday. We just see them migrating south in later summer and I think early fall. Think I read two generations make the trip to or from Mexico in one direction and one in the other.

One of our good friends does fabulous shrimps on the barbecue. Tod's an American living in Canada. I always thought "shrimps on the barbie" was an Australian thing. Keep meaning to try it myself. Going to before summer is over.

Thanks for starting the new thread, Sharon.

Then you need to try it, Charlie, delicious way to have shrimp.

Hot here too, but a good day to declutter inside.
Back later, and you're welcome...

Before I forget to say, having ongoing computer problems again. Daily problems now, with starting. Computer has so far always eventually started, but it usually takes five or so tries each time. Particularly irritating, it now sometimes requires restarting after we have got it started.

As said have had it in several times, but the problem has not been solved.
I don't think even Tim wants the computer, free.

Had quite a few expenses recently, so intending to wait till next month to buy a replacement. Think we will get a Dell: a major reason - Tim has moved out and with the Dell, there's a geek squad available to help you with computer problems.

If I don't appear one day, the computer did it. Think that will push us to buy sooner.

Sharon, love to hear from you (and Christi) - if it's OK with this computer!, but please dont reply now, only when you've finished your writing.

Charlie

Purchased an iMac just around the 4th of July. After I made the list and compared all the apples and oranges....surprisingly the mac was less than the Dell. Have worked for 3 days to get rid of an awful virus on the old Dell PC as Mike has decided he wanted to learn. Took to it immediately. Like you, Charlie, will be waiting a bit before we replace the one he is using. Have an appt with our financial advisor Tuesday and hope he has some sort of good news for our future. Stock market has done a number on us and changed our plans considerably.

Did not sleep at all last night so going to bed now and try to catch up.

Christi

This message was edited Aug 15, 2009 7:01 PM

Thanks for the info Christi.
Think you and Mike are a lot more computer literate than Carol or I.
Will follow this up.
Stock market not so kind to us also!
All the best for Tuesday.
Nite, Christi.
Charlie

Been a long day, and I have used up all my words.
Computer problems are painful, I know very well.
Like Christi, I love my iMac.

Be well, both of you....

signed,
Wordless in KY

Nite wordless!
Rest and they'll be back.
Charlie

^_^

Good Morning...

Sun is shining and looks to be a beautiful day out there. My neighbors trimmed my tree of a few of its drooping limbs and now I can again see my blue garden. It was well hidden for a little while since after the ice storm the maple limbs looked like they were well into weeping. So now, it's even getting a bit of sunshine throughout the day...only problem is, it is not as cool as it was earlier, but it is nice to be able to see it again.

So, here are the only blooms I have to share on this day...well, a few roses, too, but not quite as showy as the morning glories.

Hope your day is good..

Hi Sharon,

Interesting about your trees: good or bad? or both? My personal taste is always to light, but then I think of Christi's weather.

Good to see some blooms. Very pretty colors.

Tim came back for a flying visit today: to pick some stuff up, do washing and use the computer (which I had finally got going an hour or so before he came). Think his training and testing with TTC is going very well.

Don't think this is an exaggeration, but tried computer about twenty times over several hours before it would start. Have cleared some stuff off it, though probably it wont make any difference. Will take it in next week and if it's not correctably, speed up purchase of another. I know as you and Christi say MACs are good, for instance I have been able to get useful on-line help in other matters. The problem is starting and being able to get on line. A real problem for us is that there is only one business in Aurora that will deal with MACs (MAC dealer) and you have to wait several days for any major work to be done. Oh well, the matter will be resolved one way or the other.

Sure hope it works for you, Charlie, no matter what kind you get. Nothing worse than being without a computer.

It's been pretty hot today, so I have stayed inside and worked diligently on my book. I really need to get it off to the publisher. Set myself a deadline for November, but I am such a slacker, and get involved in so many things I get behind in all of them.

Glad you got to see Tim.

Yay! Yay! Yay! Just got home from the cook-off and Mike won best in ribs. No surprise to me. He and his partner should have won even more but they had to pass it around. Mike did the ribs himself....no partner. Sold out and I didn't even get a bite! Now what do I do? Guess we will have grilled cheese for supper. Bummer.

Actually, that's ok. I am soooo proud for him.

100 degrees and everyone is worn out. Standing over a smoker all day..150 degrees.

Hate to say it but church is probably out tomorrow. Once he lays down....
Had to be at the park today at 4AM to get started. Barbeque is definitely hard work.

yay for Mike, and yay for you to withstand a day in the heat!
Tell him KY is proud of him.

If Sharon can speak for Kentucky, I can speak for Ontario.
That means Ontario is proud of Mike.
Yay Mike.

Great to hear you're working on the book, Sharon.
Know how easy it is to get distracted with so many things one can do.
Replies to me can always wait!

Got the first package ready to go, whooohooooooo....
This is not the real deal, but the real preliminary deal, so we will see, I guess.
Lots of preliminaries go into books.

Anyway, my fingers are numb, my mind is blank and my eyes are dimming.
Does this mean i am old and out of shape?
Yep!

If it weren't so late, I might just celebrate.
But not tonight.

Sounds like good work, Sharon.
Time to rest.

Yep....you have a good Sunday, all of you.
Talk tomorrow.

Is this the book about you and Aunt Bett? Would it be bad luck to give it away before it is published? I'm currently in the middle of Pat Conroy's "South of Beach". Just released on the 9th and I had it on pre-order. I have read all of his books including the cookbook. Earlist ones were mostly biographical. This one I think is pure fiction. Hasn't written anything for 14 years and I was waiting very impatiently.

Sharron, I can hardly wait for your book too.

May go to the movies today. Very unusual for us. We always wait for cable.
Julia and Julie is calling my name.

I love Pat Conroy, will have to get his new book.

I try not to count my chickens before they hatch, Christi, but yes, that's what I'm working on.
Thanks for encouragement.

Nice day here, but soon to be too hot to breathe out there. Dog Days of Summer, I think.
I hope your day is good, too....wherever you find yourself.

Movies sound fun, Christi,
We usually need Tim to push us before we go, but we always enjoy a movie (particularly comedies) when we go.

Sharon's book sounds very exciting. Her charming writing is so readable. It documents a time and a place through the eyes of a child and the intent of an educator. Very clever.

Know what you mean, Sharon, re 'to hot to breathe'. Working out there, you get the feeling there's not enough air to breathe. Mind you, find it's great for my arthritis. Air to breathe or joint mobility? It's so nice to have a choice!

Charlie, that is such a lovely sentence about my writing. I hope I don't ever forget that, never heard it put just that way before.
Thank you.

I love the heat as it radiates from my deck, so yes it is good for old joints....early morning and late afternoon are not so bad, not as humid.

Decided to wait till tomorrow for the movie. Mike is watching Tiger Woods and resting his body from yesterday. That's ok. Something to look forward to on a Monday instead of washing, cleaning, etc.etc etc.

Thanks, Sharon.

Heat from the deck reminds me of the Pebbster (little Pebbie) who had traumatic arthritis from an accident with a car before we got her. Three years after she passed, we still talk about her every day. She loved to lallygag (maybe loungue around) on the hot south-facing deck, leaning up against a even hotter ceramic pot. That girl/cat knew how to relax.

Something to look forward to, Christi.
So happy we're retired too. Can go to the movies, not go to work, on Monday. Not that we do nothing. We just tell ourselves what to do. I've got to shut up!

Our garden:
Lots of phlox.

Main helenium coming into bloom:
Rotgold.

Monkshood coming into bloom:
Spark's Variety.

A bit of this and a bit of that.

A detail of Echinacea Sundown in previous image.

Oh my goodness, Charlie, and here I am at the end of summer with hardly any blooms left. How very beautiful. Makes me want to sit down with a paintbrush and canvas. Glorious pictures. Thank you.

So you and Carol tell each other what to do, hmmmmmmmm, how exactly does that work?? Do you take turns, or maybe on Monday Carol tells you what to do, and Tuesday it's your day?? Sounds like a plan to me!

It is good not to have to be up and going to work on Mondays, that's for sure. Don't think I could do it anymore.

Well I have written myself into oblivion tonight, and for the life of me can't keep my eyes open. You all have a good evening and we'll talk tomorrow.

Take care Christi, hope you and Mike had a good day of rest.

Carol and I have our own spheres of influence (as they say). In our own garden, Carol does the grass (cutting and trimming, and weeding of grass) and annuals in pots. I do the perennial beds. Carol's standards for the grass are rather high. David just doesn't bother about the grass (e.g. his sign: 'Please Walk on the Grass'). Biggest frustration, for Carol, are weeds coming from our closest neighbor's property (his grass is cut but is full of weeds). And I don't like his trees (shade, roots and hackberry seedlings!). Other than that, he's a very nice man. Oh well, you can't have everything!

chuckle, Charlie!!
Life is good, always a good balance.

I have been watching this young cardinal, trying to get food from the finch thistle feeder.
He is really quite frustrated, and he has been known to tear a hole in the little seed sock, I have lost 4 to him recently. So I am watching him, not sure why he is so enthralled with thistle seed, there's other seeds out there for him.

And another, this has been going on for about an hour.
Persistent little guy!

Hope your day is beautiful.

There's those hackberry seedlings again...

Somebody needs to talk to the young cardinal.
Hackberry seedlings take much more than a good talking to.

Gardening is very warm today. Is quite a high humidity. Have come back for a break. We do have air-conditioning on, but the computer's in the basement level and it's particularly cool down here.

Door.

Just delivering a new bed for Tim's room. Got Tim a new bed for apartment and now replacing the one in his room here. Room still "Tim's room" and is going to be decorated "in masculine colors", but it's also going to double as a second guest room. In another life, Carol would have been an interior decorator.

Carol's brother (John) and family coming from B.C. on Wednesday. John is 'off the wall' and very entertaining. Weather permitting, they're intending to
take 6-year old Emmy to Canada's Wonderland (rides, etc) and then go up to cottage. Great that there's enough adults for outing, without me. Hate rollercoasters and the like, though did not mind using them to teach physics. Still remember the time we took Tim to that place and he wanted to go on a rollercoaster. He and I were sitting in the ride car, just about to roll forward, and he said to me "I want to get off." It was too late, but he, at least, actually did enjoy the ride.

Hi Sharon and Christi,
Things a bit hectic here.
Yesterday, was so hot and humid here that had to go and come back three times to be able to finish part of large garden. That put things behind.
Shades of Sharon's guests: today we're rushing around trying to do things like shopping and room preparation for guests on Wednesday. Having to water our garden because it's so dry that we think the flowers will be wilted when guests arrive!
Not very charitable, but almost feel like putting a sign on the door: "Not at home. Have a nice day". We need to chill out a bit.
Hope you both having a more relaxing time.

Stormy weather here...and we so need the rain, but don't like the electrical storms.

Charlie, I hope you all have a great time, and I am sure they will just be happy to be there and enjoy the company of you and Carol.

Sit back, relax and enjoy. Your gardens are wonderful!

We had very busy and unusual day for us. Early morning appt. at the bank to reorganize what little is left since the stock market crash of 2009. Then went right out and purchased a Dell laptop for Mike. The old Dell tower was over 7 years old and wouldn't even work for a novice. After all these years of begging him to let me teach him...he is in love with the internet, email and google. Finds the barbeque, golf, travel and all the things that he is interested in. He's worth it. No need to put it off as we never knoaw if there will a tomorrow. Aaron has been on both of our minds for days now. Went to see Julia & Julie and highly recommend it. A very feel good movie like the old days. Twice used an ugly word and it didn't add anything. Then we went to Chili's for their new $20/appetizer, 2 entrees, 1 dessert. I brought home half of the appetizer and half of my entree and all of the dessert. Very generous servings. We get out so little these days other than Sunday morning that it felt really strange. It has cooled down a little here and if it remains I will be in the garden tomorrow as it is really suffering.