Thanks Cindy! Pretty texas star hibiscus! I'm going to have to take mine out of the pond soon and divide it. Can bring some to Terrye's.
September Chat, Picutres, and Whatnot...
Whoo Weee, Charlotte. I would not be happy about that, and I like those cute little green tree frogs. I opened up the doors on my gas grill last summer and there were two of those hanging on the door. I just left them alone and they disappeared when the grill got hot. They can sure sing. Your bullfrog tadpoles may have been eaten by your fish.
Marilyn I forgot to thank you for the video. I will try putting some down tomorrow.
this lone daylily was blooming yesterday
Beautiful hibiscus and daylily pics. I still have 'Going Bananas' daylily blooming and a nice rebloom on my rose mallow right now in spite of the brutal weather. I did call the nearest Community Center and they are going to have photog classes this month if they can find a teacher. I'm definitely going to take the class since the CC is just a hop, skip, and a jump from here. Thanks for the camera suggestions.
What kind of jewelry to you two make?
I mostly do beading, I have been trying to learn how to do poly clay--so far I have made a lot of mistakes--lol--I have come out with a few wearable pieces. I love doing peyote stitch and spiral stitch for bracelets with a needle and thread. I do a lot of stringing with Swarovski crystals as accents. They are too expensive to make complete sets with, I have a couple of bracelets I made for myself that I love. I like to "sparkle"-LOL
I will let Charlotte tell you about hers, it is most beautiful !!
I made these from poly clay yesterday, this picture is straight out of the oven, they still need to be sanded and polished.
Nice ... are they laying on a Silpat or a tray or? I like beadwork a lot. We have a couple of vendors at our Saturday Farmers' Market who make some nice jewelry. I bought a beaded sterling ankle bracelet with crystals on it and a beautiful necklace consisting of four pearls in a freeform sterling wire setting on a gray leather cord. I love one-of-a-kind and artistic pieces. I used to collect vintage jewelry. Yikes ... talk about addictive ... just like gardening. ;-)
Yes, beading is addictive too !! It is hard to pass up pretty beads--
They are on a ceramic tile that I baked them on
One of the main things I make is dichroic pendants. They are made by fusing glass together in a kiln. I'll show a picture one day. I don't have time this morning. I also make other kinds of jewelry. I use silver wire on some things I make. It's just sort of what ever mood strikes me.
Sandra those pieces are really pretty! You said something about your hand holding out to sand them. Have you tried using a small dremil tool with a sander on the end.
Charlotte and Sandra both make lovely jewelry! I have some from each of them.
Your latest creations are very pretty Sandra--even before the sanding and polishing. That circle at the bottom right reminds me of the desert southwest for some reason--probably because of the colors. The circle at the bottom left and the heart in the center both remind me of the beach. :o)) (Wish I was at the beach somewhere in the Caribbean right now--or maybe I should wait till hurricane season is over before I start wishing myself at the beach! LOL ) The problem with the jewelry, both Sandra's and Charlotte's, is deciding which piece you want--too many choices! LOL
Cindy, you are welcome for the link about propagating clematis. I just googled "how do you propagate clematis?" and that is one of the sites that came up.
Elaine: funny story about the frog in your shoe. Although I don't want them in my house, frogs don't bother me--it's spiders that I can't stand and I never put my feet in shoes that have been on the back porch or in the garage until I check them out first. Same thing goes for gardening gloves--never put my hands inside them until I throw them on the floor and "stomp" on them real good! If there are any critters inside, they will be dead by the time I am finished with them!!
That is cool that you make the dichroic glass. I have a piece of dichroic jewelry. I love the glass jewelry too!
Hey, the frog thing must be catching on. I went out this morning and when I found a second small tomato on the vine I had planted late in the season, I did a little happy dance at which time I must have startled a fairly good size frog who jumped out from somewhere and startled the bejebers out of me. I guess turn about is fair play. I wish I had had a camera. Also found the most perfect huge spider web I've seen in a long time. I'm really tickled about the tomato that I planted late. It has stuggled and looked so pitiful ... bloomed and bloomed and wouldn't set fruit. But now that the weather has cooled, there are those two little tomatoes. Yay!
My goodness, the hummers have been "cranky" lately ... just soooo territorial. This one little guy sits on top of the fence directly across from the deck in the evenings so he can see the feeder and chase off all comers. He does a good job of it. But they manage to sneak drinks at other times. Out back right now are about a dozen goldfinches on the thistle feeders, my cardinal pair, doves, hummers, several other types of birds and one groundhog. Don't know where the frog went.
Happy Day!
What kind of bird seed do you all use in bird feeders? I have a new bird feeder out and I can't get any birds to eat from it, it's got to be the bird seed!
My hummers are very territorial and aggressive, too. It's just their nature. They spend more energy chasing each other away from the feeder than they would if they could just let everyone share! LOL
I went out to take some pictures this morning and discovered that something had completely defoliated my Japanese Maple that I bought in Forest Hill in May. GRRRRR I discovered two caterpillars on it so they must have been the culprits! They have met their demise! Here's a photo of the poor tree--I hope it recovers from the attack. *sniff* *sniff*
Crissy, I use black oil sunflower seeds--nothing else. All the birds seem to love it and they don't eat the mixed seed nearly as well. Of course, the finches like the niger seed, too, but you need a different feeder for that kind of seed--with smaller holes in the openings.
This is the caterpillar that defoliated my Japanese Maple--nasty creature! I don't know what kind of caterpillar it was but I don't care--I'm not sacrificing my Japanese Maple for any critter!
This message was edited Sep 9, 2010 9:39 AM
Here's a link to the photos I took this morning:
http://picasaweb.google.com/marsue777/Sept92010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ-30MXM-83elAE#
this is a photo of the two spathes on my Big Dipper EE's.
Marilyn I would be throwing fits, Japanese Maples are not cheap and they are gorgeous!! I hope it makes it (it more than likely will, but still!) I can't find my camera USB cable.... I'm going to look at your pics here in a second...
Sometimes it can be the feeder ... it's either too hard to get at the seed or too hard to perch on the feeder or the birds don't like the arrangment of the perches and avoid it. But generally they use most feeders. In the winter, my birds will eat anything and everything just about. In the summer they are a lot more picky. The cardinals and songbirds want sunflower or pricey Songbird Mix (they love that) so I mix it half and half with other regular bird food so everyone is happy. Drop some on the ground underneath the feeder for those that like to feed on the ground, if you have doves especially. A mix with some cracked corn and peanuts in it will attract a lot of birds who feed while clinging (jays, woodpeckers, titmice, so forth) and they like feeders especially made for "clingers". The goldfinches are clingers but like Marilyn said, they prefer the little nyger seed and not the big stuff.
Well, good riddance to that thing, Marilyn. Ugh. We've had some huge caterpillers this year too. Between those and the Japanese Beetles it was a hard year for the trees and shrubs. Loved the shot of the EE. Beautiful!
Carole
I have the kind with peanuts and all in it, I think it's a managery of everything. I'll have to feed the squirrels with it and get some new stuff I guess. It's one of these kind of feeders without the things on the sides and it's not decorated at all.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xj5/R-202102025/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
I've never had one like that but it looks like it should be fine. That kind of feeder isn't an unusual design. Where is the feeder located? Birds like nearby places to perch and observe what's going on ... I have my feeders (except for the nyger ones) in the shade of a big white pine tree. Could also be your neighbor(s) has some food out too? It's good to start over fresh with the seed ... sometimes seed can be stale too.
I have 3 white oak trees in my side yard where the front yard connects, their in a triangle shape and probably 75 years old or so. It's on a hook in the middle of those trees.
Sounds like a good location. Any cats, dogs or other threats around that might scare them away? Is it noisy there?
Y'all have got to read this if you haven't previously:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/200/
:-)
I don't feed the song birds, just the hummers. I have kitties and they will jump on a feeder and get a bird in a heartbeat. The hummers are too quick for them pretty much. In the winter I put out some feed for the poor birds and wish them well at getting it--lol
Mamma had filled her seed feeder the other day and hung it back out, about an hour later it was on the ground, the rope had broken that held it up, she got a new one Tuesday and she said today that the birds were not feeding, I told her they would probably be back when they got used to seeing the new feeder.
I was reading something that talked about senses of birds, they believed they could not taste or smell, but had tested different mixes of feed with several different feeders and there was one mix they always ate first, so if the can not taste or smell--how do they tell the difference. He went on to say that when you put hot pepper in with the bird seeds to deter the squirrels that the birds still gobbled it up, but the squirrels would not touch it.
Crissy, no way I would feed the squirrels on purpose, there are probably a thousand within 3 miles of my house, they run all through the trees in the back and have eaten a lot of the pine cones up already.
Night before last I turned the porch light on to see if it was raining and there was a coon on the porch checking to see if there was any cat food left--so I guess I am feeding the coons too !!
Sandra -- We have one of those raccoon raiders too although I have yet to see him (or her).
Jerry and I both have seen this visitor and we are not happy with he/she !
I get that.
Carole there isn't anything more there than anywhere else around me. Everybody had bird feeders and what-not, we're all on 1 acre parcels. I forgot it out in the rain so I'm sure the seed and nuts that are in there now are soggy, except for the stuff inside the enclosed area.
LOL Sandra! I'd rather feed the squirrels than to hear the music from Dave complaining that I'm wasting money. You are feeding coons! How nice!! LOL NOT!!
Kathy Ann, do you know which sedum this is? It has really been pretty and it is the only one that did not flop on the ground I got it from you in 08
Crissy, I heard that same song--you are giving them too much to eat, if they finish it the coon will quit coming--lol--sung by Jerry without his guitar !
Once it started raining it want quit. It has been cloudy all day and has just started raining again.
Marilyn can't believe that cat ate all the leaves on your japanese maple! Your beds look really nice. Your big dipper EE is really doing great. Did you leave them in the ground over the winter?
Sandra that is a nice sedum! Mine all flop on the ground.
This is the only one that didn't here, that flowered, some of them did not flower yet.
Kathy Ann gave it to me, but I lost the tag and not sure which one it is, I still have the list of ones she gave me, but can't find pictures of Blade Runner--some of them didn't make it.
Carl
Garnet Brocade
Blade Runner
Sun Kissed
Abbeydore
Frosty Morn
Cloudwalker
Purple Emperor
Matrona
I know it is not Carl, as I still have the tag to it, I don't think it is Cloudwalker
Blade runner? i've never heard of that one, you sure you got it from me?
I'm not sure which one that is sandra. sorry ican't help, , mine are starting to bloom, I walked through the back garden this evening on my way out to pick the raspberries. and saw some blooming. I lost several more sedums this year, including cloudwalker.
Well, if the seed got wet, that's probably it, Crissy. Fresh seed should do the trick. Hope so.
Carole, I just read that article that you posted the link to--it was hilarious! I especially laughed at the line that said you might be addicted to gardening if you stop taking baths by telling yourself that you'll just be dirty again in a few hours! LOL
Charlotte, yes, I left the Big Dippers in the ground all winter but they were well mulched.
Yes, that is a rerun article and it was just as funny this time as it was the first time--LOL
Yes, Kathy Ann, you had just got it that year and the Abbeydore, my Abbeydore died and you gave me another on in June
I have more abby dore if you want some, do you have any of that blade runner and sunkissed ? I lost those. I remember that carl sedum will have to look up the name,
anybody know this cat. hurt like the dickens when I brushed my finger up against it. it's thorny like a cactus and was on one of my hibiscus plants when I was taking cuttings to try to root. had to quit cause it hurt real bad and went over 3 fingers with the pain, watched my finger shrivel up right before my eyes when I first pulled it back from that cat.
going walking, catch up to you guys later.
I've never seen anything like that - nasty looking!!!!!
I had a few things blooming today. The oddest is an iris! Here it is.
I've had some day lilies blooming off and on. This one is blooming today. Not it's best form.
Morning glories. These are some I started from seed.
