Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners #8

You've got it, Carrie. Although, I don't think I've ever had that tomato cake.

"Mystery Cake," Joy of Cooking. I think.

ALL RIGHT!! People after my own heart, I slipped veggies and fruit into alot of my deserts when i was feeding kids. I guess mostly apple sauce. Have been thinking today, I'd like to bake some cookies.
I plan on trying that pumpkin chili. I dearly love pumpkin pie and usually have some pumpkin on hand.I substitute sweet potatoes for pumpkin sometimes.
I saw some fruit cake the otherday and i love that too. Of course the only one in the family that does.I have never made one, I always buy a small one for Christmas.And a box of chocolate covered cherrys.

Now I don't like chocolate covered cherries but I DO like dried apricots and dates and coconut and all that other good stuff. Doesn't always agree with my delicate inner workings, but it tastes good going down!

I think I’ve identified both the butterflies in the pics at the beginning of this thread. The one in Debra’s photo is probably a Pipevine Swallowtail. (Assuming it was a dusty purple on top.) The one Papa Jim photographed on the luffa flower is a Gulf Fritillary. I’ve decided to save Mama Kay the trouble offinding a new home for Butterflies of North America. It is going in MY bookshelf.
I will make MK a Mystery Cake just so she can say she tried it. That recipe dates from the late 20’s or 30’s. I can’t believe she’s never eaten it. I like the newer chocolate version, but I’d wager MK will like the original spice cake version best. Vickie, she is one of those rare individuals who actually eat fruitcake too. lol. ~Nadine~

Me, me, I will!!! Jumping up and down (virtually) and waving hands in the air!!!

If you ask questions of those who disparage fruit cakes, you usually find they were exposed early in their fruit cake experience to a “faux fruitcake”. One of those made with that make believe fruit you see in grocery stores around the holidays. I’m sure you’ve seen it. That impossibly bright colored candied “fruit”. I’ve been seeing it for many years. But I still don’t know what some of it is meant to imitate. The neon green stuff is especially puzzling. I can’t think of anything edible that is naturally that shade of green. It sort of looks like someone rolled lime Jell-O Jigglers in sugar. That can NOT be considered fruit and any cake made with it does not count as a REAL fruitcake in my HUMBLE (lol) opinion. I think it is those “faux fruitcakes” that give fruitcake its bad reputation. Kay*

Kay you may be right. Not to mention the dry excuse for the actual cake in between the fruit. When i'm forced to buy from box stores, I pour brandy over it and let it set a week or so.
Last summer when my therapest hypnotised me, I kept seeng this bright green light. Now i know i was seeing green fruit from a fruit cake. LOL
I've been going over my receipes tonight. Have i ever given you guys the receipe for cooking a Buffalo?
Am going to look up Mystery cake on Cooks.com and see what i come up with.

My new tree peony, Shima-Nishiki, is in the ground. Had some buds on it, so fingers crossed our weather stays warm enough for a little root to get established. Colder than normal this morning. Some light frost on the grass. SUPPOSED to be a warmer than usual winter. We'll see...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56117/

Had one of those voices that kept telling me to go to Lowes after work last night. Didn't want to, I worked later than usual and I was tiiiiiirred and I had to be back here at 7:30AM...whinewhine. Went anyway because that voice wouldn't stop pushing. Saw they have 1/2 off all perennials. Picked up four more of the quart size White Swan Echinacea that I got last week for $2.24 each. Think the price was actually supposed to still be $2.24 (from $4.47). Clerk rang them up at $1.12 each. Took them out to the car, arguing with myself the whole way. Lost the argument. Went back in and bought four more...LOL So now I get to find places for eight of them, plus three clusters of red Lilies from the clearance rack...there went the new porch light that I meant to get this weekend. (biggrin)

Debra

(what will be) Really red Lilies and creamy White Swans. :-) Busy day tomorrow. Have six packages of bulbs to plant, these lovelies, dig and move the entire "outfield" of Iris in the front corner bed, divide and replant 1/2 of them on the West side of the house, dig the entire east side colony of Iris and move to the "outfield," plant two red Daylilies (can't remember anymore which ones they are, LOL), an Arctic Queen Clematis, and a Mighty Mouse Hosta. Have one of the work kids and his younger brother coming at 8:00AM. Hmm, yes, I do believe they will be the ones wielding the garden fork and shovel whilst I sit serenely on the front steps sipping my hazelnut-flavored coffee and watch them sweat...

Think I will rip out the Mums I planted last year that are supposed to be warm peachy-yellow and are acid-uglier-'n-Mamaw's-mule yellow instead. Too bad because they are spreading nicely to fill in that spot. But time to try something else there instead.

Debra, I’ve decided to satisfy my hunger for pretty flowers by moving in next door to you. ;-) I could give a completely new slant to that “borrowed landscape” concept the garden designers are always talking about. lol. Then, I could come over and borrow a cup of that hazelnut coffee to top it off?
I didn’t do much today. I must have pinched a nerve in my back this morning. I now have an entirely new level of respect for those who endure chronic pain and don’t get snappy and whine all the time. Blindness is easier. It can be frustrating, but, with the exception of glaucoma, it doesn’t hurt. I’m using a walker and feeling my age.
On the upside, the 5’ x 5’ greenhouse box Jim made is set up and seems to work well. We just have to remember to open the door (one entire side of the box) on sunny days. I put a large pot of English cucumbers in it, in addition to the greens. I will be interested to see if that works. Harvested the last few watermelons. Nadine was inspired by a recent DG article and is going to try and make watermelon vinegar. lol. Living with a foodie is always interesting. I haven’t had that Mystery Cake yet, but I had Milk Cake today. She wanted to put it on the Thanksgiving menu. It tastes wonderful. Like an unbelievably rich and moist Sponge Cake. Unfortunately, a large number of people would not be able to eat it at Thanksgiving. It contains sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, coconut milk and whipped cream. Native Americans are USUALLY very lactose intolerant. (My aunt told me, back in the 40’s or 50’s, the Zuni DID use the dry milk the government issued to them. They mixed it into the clay used to make pottery. lol.) We will put Milk Cake on the Christmas dinner menu, when it is a crowd that has no issues with milk.
Carrie, watch those Ham & Egg lantana seeds. They are viable. I found some volunteer plants today. A few were even in bloom.
Vickie, honest-to-goodness buffalo, or Buffalo wings? I wonder if I could get buffalo or beefalo meat for Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving here has a twist. We focus less on the pilgrims and more on the natives who helped teach them to survive. A hold-over tradition from my mother. We usually have venison, but my brothers are even older than I am. They are not doing as much hunting as they once did. I’m not sure where I’m going to get the deer this year. I might try a beefalo. They have beefalo ranches in N. FL. Have you heard of anyone raising actual buffalo out that way? Kay*

There,s a couple of ranches over in Okla that raise Buffalo. But none around here.I'll post the Buffalo receipe in the next post.
Oh Kay, My nephew has an abundance of venison and has offered me some. Wish i could get some to you.He hunts with bow and arrow and gun both. Bow season is open here now.There's a bird sanctuary on the Ark. river that allows some bow and arrow hunting for deer every year,But only in tree stands. Paul swears the deer never look around for people but always up.
Do you grow sweetpotatoes in your area? We have a sweetpotato distibutor in Clarksville and can get sweetpotatoes fairly cheap sometimes.
Guess Nadene has given me the cooking bug. I made several meatloaves and cornbread tonight.Then chopped up greenpeppers and celery to freeze.
Debra, You're Lowes are much more plant friendly than ours are. They have plants but just not that much and all is gone now. They have all their Christmas stuff in their indoor plant section.and Norfalk pine outside.Think i'll move in somewhere nextdoor to you too. But we'll have to go to Jacksonville every spring to the greenhouses down there to shop for plant goodies.
Sheri, Saw you had some storms your way a few days ago. Is everything ok with you? Have you heard anymore from scraps? I do worry about her.
Everyone have a great day.
Vickie

Was SUPPOSED to be on a plane to Cancun right now! Grrrrr. DH calls from work and says "can we be free Sun-Mon-Tues-Wed-Thu? To go somewhere warm with DD#2?" So I cancelled all my MD appts (rescheduled, actually, but who's counting? They are MONTHS later now). Now he's not sure.

You have my permission to kill him.

If I were there I'd do it for you. I have a splitting headach which I had almsot all night while trying to sleep. I'm in a good mood to kill somebody.

kb

Okay, I'm whupped and I didn't even get past the Iris and Cannas to take care of any bulbs or plants or nuttin...even with two boys helping! Had no idea how many dadgum Iris can clump up from one little bitty bulb. Here is the bulb pile that was discarded, along with the debris pile of Canna leaves and nasty grasses and stuff that had choked them out. One of my employees wants Canna and I gots plenty, so we're "sharing." LOL Had a Texas Sage in the mix, too, that was not happy in its location and my guys' mom wanted. Turned out to have morphed into three shrubs and I couldn't tell because it was all covered up. I haaaaaatte that weedy grass.

One of the boy's did this side all by himself. Not bad for a rookie. Even if they don't bloom because it is so shady, there will be foliage on that side for the first time since I bought the place.

I replanted these myself. The yellow and purple were moved to the west side of the house. These are the Immortality, Orange Harvest, a wonderful chocolate-colored one, and some unknowns. Will have to wait for Spring to know which is which, but then I can move 'em around if needed.

Left a clump of red Canna and the little Canna clump, I think, is an orange dwarf. It has never bloomed and I forget what I planted. Will be moving both soon as I figure out where. Also left a stretch of yellow Siberian Iris. It will be okay until later this Fall or even until Spring while I work on cleaning out all the crud. The Rose of Sharon on the far right will be going to the boys' mom come Spring. She wasn't ready to dig a hole that big with all the Iris and shrubbery coming her way this morning. :-) Thinking about having the kids build me about four five-foot long, three-tier raised beds. I have a project in mind that will need the space if it comes to fruition. We're going to experiment on the materials. Cinder block should work better than wood, but we'll see what goes on sale or can be scavenged. Their dad is in construction and might be able to find some recycled material for me. Overall, I am very happy with what we got done today. Time for shower, jammies, and channel surfing.

Debra, I think the cottage look works well with your house A good style for someone so ENTHUSIASTIC about plants too. lol. There is always a way to squeeze a new plant in without messing with the overall look.
Bummer, Carrie. We want pics if you do manage to make it. BTW, I've been shopping on line for fragrant daylileis. I thought I remembered you saying you once had a lot of Stella D'Oro. Ever notice they had a scent?
Vickie, I'm on the lookout for a digital camera for you. Many people are upgrading this time of year. If I can't travel to your mountains, at least I can experience them vicariously on our forum.
Kay has apologized over and over today for any times she may have sounded impatient with my limitations. She is in a LOT of pain and walking a mile in my shoes, so to speak. I hate seeing her in pain, but I believe this experience will increase our understanding and appreciation for one another. With Kay completely out of commission, I know Nadine and I have quickly developed an appreciation for all the little things Kay does in the course of a normal day.
Things are so busy around here in spring, we are trying winter sowing this year. We are also trying to start shrubs and trees we want from seed. Kay has managed not to bite anyone's head off because she can still plant seeds, make labels, research plants and catch up on general garden related paperwork.
The extra strength Sleepy Time tea is beginning to do it's work. Night all.....or good morning all, if you want to get technical. :-) (Jim)

Let me make this perfectly clear, I am NOT going soft on anyone! lol. I apologized for the forcefulness with which I push sometimes. Not THAT I push. I see pushing Jim and Nadi to reach their potential as part of my job. Reining me in when I need it is their job. I think that’s why we can work as a group. They are aware they need to be pushed at times to get themselves moving on things and I know I need help putting the brakes on sometimes. Don’t know if that sort of inter-dependence is a good thing or a bad thing from a high minded perspective, but it works from a practical standpoint. And, I’m the practical type.
Debra, Jim is still educating himself on garden design and as he will tell you himself, he still has a lot to learn. From what I’ve been able to pick up, without really seeing pictures, your garden sounds more like the “New American” style. I don’t like all those established labels much myself, except as convenient shorthand to description. But, if I had to give it some sort of label, I would say “New American” style. I start feeling confined when people start putting labels on what I do.
Your garden sounds too organized for “cottage” and that style tends to lean on straight species, not named cultivars. Only the sheer number and variety of plants makes it sound cottage-like to me. Do you have a certain overall style you’re aiming for? I like the plants themselves too much to ever be a good designer.
I planted some foxglove penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ for both Jim and his hummingbirds. The red foliage should please the man and the flowers should please the hummers. It is marginal here. Heat wise, but I wanted to give it a try. Also trying some native columbine (columbine Canadensis) in a partially shaded space between the woods and the w/c garden. I think I want to go with wild plants that can handle a little shade so it will feel more like part of the woods than the garden. That’s where the kids like to have campfires so I’m hoping it will give it more of a camping out feel and we can still keep an eye on them from the kitchen window.
Nadi and Jim are buried up in college finance paperwork today. If they can get things done quickly enough, Nadine will be able to start her classes next week, instead of next semester.
Back to browsing on-line catalogs.. Have a good night, All. Kay*

I IS a college student again! lol. Thanks Mama Wyrm and Papa Bear.
Will be driving PJ up to Tuskeegee tomorrow to get the old bear started on getting his wheelchair. Classes begin Monday.
Are you feeling okay aftter last week's gardening marathon, Debra? ~Nadine~

Oh, Vickie, I meant to tell you about the 90-something year old man who once gardened here. If you ask him his secret for longevity and health, he would say "a sweet potato a day." lol. I think he was serious. No one knew as many sweet potato recipes as he did! Snag those sweet potatoes!!! ~N~

Yahoo, Nadine!!! That is wonderful news. :-) Very happy for you. I am doing fine--much to my surprise. Played hooky from work yesterday afternoon and got in another three hours digging to take advantage of tonight's rain. Also supposed to rain all day tomorrow, which will be good. AND I get this Saturday off, so the 40 or so bulbs still left to plant can go in the ground and still leave me a sofa spud day.

Kay, I would say the "pushing" answer is that God can't steer a parked car. LOL Sometimes we have to help that starter crank over. I had been laid off for nine months before getting this job. My now-boss' job seeking motivation was to ask if I wanted paper or plastic. Or he'd say "Want fries with that?" Of course, he ended up hiring me himself, so I guessss it worked...? :-) There is no formal design plan for the yard. Certain plants or structures are here because they remind me of someone. My mother and godfather were both baseball fans, so the front corner bed is shaped like a baseball field and some of the flowers are Cubs blue. My paternal grandmother had Iris and Peonies, so I do, too. Have been dreaming for years of what I could do with my own place, which is why I have Roses even though they need some water. The west fence panels were built to put a barrier between my yard and the neighbor's without being too obstructive. But a lot of what goes in is for play just to see what happens. From Christmas garden catalog gift certificates--can try something I would normally consider too expensive. Or from the garden center clearance racks at the box store; if it doesn't make it, I'm not out much. Do look for drought-tolerant, disease resistant, perennial, and little clean up because I'm lazy. And is it good for bees, butterflies, and/or birds because I like them. Other than that, trying to let the house and yard tell me what to do. Most of the ground is heavy clay, but some parts are wonderful friable soil from years of leaf mulch and there is one good-sized patch that is really sandy and slightly sloped. The whole place is mostly shaded, but has a good amount of morning sun. Gives lots of room to experiment and it is so much FUN. (big grin)

Jim, Sleepy Time is a favorite of mine. :-)

Debra

Well i have a cat helping me and she just deleted all i had written.She loves computers. Just told her i'd make soup of her.Really scared her. She's meowing in my face.
Debra you are really having fun with your yard. If your guys want a working vacation in the Ozarks. I have a fire tower they can climb about a mile away and can see forever.A few fishing and swimming holes around. camping areas galore. I do the same kind of anyplant i can get gardening too.
Today i found a real treasure at the Methodist Thrift Store ...A beautiful ceramic black Nativity scene. I 've got lots of them but this is my first one with dark skinned people. It'll go in a place of honor this year. I signed up to ring the bell for Sal. Army. I have to SIT and do it but no one minds.I ring that bell with inthuseasm (can't spell) Also wish everyone Merry Christmas, God bless you , Felis Navidad or Happy Quanza. Can you tell I love Christmas. Will start the day after Thanksgiving.
I'll get my sweet potatoes tomorrow, If the creeks don't rise. We're due for Debras rain late tomorrow. Thanks Debra, We really need it. Am making about 6 meatloafs tonight. to freeze and give away.
Hugs and prayers Kay that you're back up to par and keeping everyone on their toes.
Jim, The way you describe yours and Kays relationship is so much like my DH and mine. He was the one with common sense and kept me on the right track. Sure do miss him sometimes.

Man, Vickie, if MY DH has the balls to leave earth first I will be that mad, because we never spend even a night apart if we can help it. My dear sweet man ... loves me and I love him.

Jim and Kay, if it feels INTERdependent to both of you, then I think it is. It's hard to tell where one is lame and the other is blind (literally or not; you're not the only couple like you I know) so you both need each other as well as want and love each other. But if you had an aide doing everything the other did that you needed, wouldn't you still want and love each other? I thought so.... voila, true love.

I went to New Orleans with DH and without DD#2 and had a lovely time. The thing was, I kept falling asleep! I think a W/C ride over cobblestones at breakneck speed is exhausting! Jeez.... Add more alcohol than I'm accustomed to in a year and you get one very groggy Carrie. Anyway, I'm glad you didn't miss me too too much. Now I have to COMPLETE my article about Enterprise AL and their curious statue, so don't think I'm ignoring you.

Aiiii, Vickie, I am, I am having soooo much fun. Today, put in Akebono, Floradale, and Lily-flowered Burgundy Tulip bulbs, bi-color Muscari bulbs, the two remaining Daylilies, and a Baptisia Solar Flare. Then moved a pink Veronica to a sunnier spot, bought two more White Swan Echinaceas and put those in, along with three tall red-pink Dianthus ($0.48 each!!), shoveled up the accumulated Cedar Elm leaves from the porch area and tossed them in the baseball bed (yeah, I know-I will have a gazillion more tree seedlings to yank next year), pulled some weeds and nastygrass from the 'hell strip' along the street, AND finally figured out a good place for the Arctic Queen Clematis. Put it in the ground before I ran out of steam. :-) Was the first "cool" day we've had this Fall (it's 59 degrees right now), felt good. Bought rooting hormone and seed-starter soil to try cuttings from the Coleus and Geraniums. Think I will do that tomorrow, though. I'm sunk for the rest of today. LOL Did put a couple of chickens in to bake late this morning, so I have some ready-made supper to go with jammies and television. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Debra

We did'nt have a frost,The sweet potatoes were gone before i could get them. Does anyone think after 70 years one could learn not to procrastinate and could relearn how to spell.LOL
I put out one little Nativity scene. Am i rushing the season? My Christmas cactus is not showing signs of buds. They usually are by now.
One day i had beautiful colored leaves on my trees. Today they are bare.Winter is here for 3 or 4 months. BUMMER!!! Have to put drapes up so i can't see the bare trees. DD tells me "But mom we have some evergreens." But not enough. Boo Hoo!!! Am in a Granny Goon Grumpy mood. My fireplace stove will probably be sold to someone else before it even comes.
Got my pear,apple,cranberry sauce made.

Vickie, Ms. Maxine has the right words for all situations and would be a perfect Granny Goon. Hope this one makes you smile.

Debra







('Maxine' by John Wagner for Hallmark)

LOL. I'm going to have to start playing the Florida lottery again. I hear where you're coming from, Vickie, I've had a lot of Granny Goon days lately. Certainly lost a few post and I don't even have a mischeivous cat to blame it on. I've started writing my post on MicroSoft Word and doing a copy and paste. (That is why you will routinely see "edit" on many people's post.)
We went through a place called Brundidge on our way to Jim’s physical therapy appointment. The city streets were already decorated for Christmas. Our local Christmas Fair is near there so Christmas is a grand production in that area. You would have been right at home, Vickie. To have everything in place by the time December rolls around, I guess they have to start early. My two GSs are already talking about when the fair starts and riding the Christmas train again. It was a bold and clever idea on the part of the officials in that cluster of little towns. Despite being off the beaten path, it draws a crowd. It brings business into an economically depressed area and they appear to have a blast doing it. I love Christmas shopping at all the little craft booths. Jim doesn’t mind being sighted guide as long as I keep him well supplied with funnel cake and hot cocoa. lol.
Vickie, do they have ways to make sure the SA bell ringers don’t get too cold? Two people trading places or something. Or, do they let the Salvation Army workers do their thing just inside the doors in colder climates? (You always see them just OUTSIDE the doors here.) I can remember digging out my change just because the bell ringer was enduring the cold to do the work. But, that is a fund raising tactic for young bell ringers. lol. Jim said he wouldn’t mind doing that if they gave him a polar bear suit to wear or something. Cold makes his aches and pains worse.
He should be getting a standard wheelchair within the next week or so. They didn’t have one on hand that would work for someone his height and weight. The scooter will take a little longer. He has to appear before the VA board and make a formal request and explain why he needs one. The usual bureaucracy, in other words. I’m glad we went through a professional therapist to do it. I would not have thought of things like the easiest controls for a left-handed person. Like most southpaws, he has long adapted to a world designed for righties. But, why adapt if you don’t have to.
I am jealous of the evergreen selection available to those even a zone north. I see so many gorgeous conifers I would love to add. The most interesting ones all seem to have Zone 7 as a southern limit. I do have a larger selection of broadleaf evergreens than 7- folks have to choose from so I’ve been educating myself about those.
I found a good source for Michelia champak tree seeds. Its flowers are a major ingredient in “Joy” and a few other very high-end perfumes and the scent can be picked up from quite a distance. It isn’t hardy outside here, but that is one I will not mind taking in for the winter.
A DGer offered me seeds from Black Locust for their scent. I know they have a scent most people find pleasing, but I’m not familiar with it. It isn’t invasive in this area and I have the room so I think I’ll try it. Are any of you familiar with the scent? I know it is a fairly common tree in other places.
Debra, you've inspired me to go hunting for peonies that can take the heat again. I found a yellow one once (can't remember the cultivar name) It looked good, but MAN was it expensive! Kay*

Kay, High Noon tree peony and Bartzella Itoh Peony are rated to Zone 8. High Noon sometimes reblooms in Fall and Bartzella is supposed to have a "spicy" fragrance. There are a few others, those two are just the most prevalent. Hope you find something you like.

Jim, what bumper sticker do you want for the chair? :-)

Kroger has started playing Christmas carols on the PA and the box stores have all their decorations out, including a 5'10" dancing Santa. I swear, coming up on it from behind, I thought it was a person!

Debra

Debra, I believe 'Bartzella' is the yellow peony I remember. Thanks.
Do you already have this one, Vickie? Patsy has promised me some cuttings once it is thru flowering. I think Thanksgiving cactus are Schlumbergera truncata, while Christmas cactus are Schlumbergera x buckleyi, but , in my experience people who collect one also tend to collect the other.
Jim's bumper sticker choice at the moment is the one that says: " When things aren't going right, just go left." K*

I had forgotten Jim is left handed. Course you all know Jim and i are the only ones in our right mind.
Kay SA volunteers are on their own. Several springs ago i found a long fake fur lined coat on sale at Roamans and gabbed it quick. It keeps me very warm.Warm mittens and socks too. Last year and this they are more organized and i only do 3 hours at a time. Afew years ago another woman and i were it and we had all day long. Since i'm the only one who sits in a chair, I suspect i get more money. Back before i got worse healthwise, I'd sing and semi dance around, even now it's hard to get around my Merry Christmas etc without putting something in the kettle This is the only way i know to give something where it is needed. I can't afford to give money but time i've lots of. Everytime someone puts in a little change, I think all right! another can of veggies,fruit or whatever. I used to feel critical of well dressed people who walked on by, till a lady stopped once and told me she wrote a check to SA every year and she always used credit cards and never had change. Talk about feeling like the wrong kind of a judge.

I've heard of Black Locust around but can't place it. Can't find my tree book. It probably sneaked over with the geography books.Or my cat hid it!

My cactus used to be Thanksgiving and Christmas but they both bloom the same time now.And neither is showing signs of bloom.I'll send you some starts too.
There is bound to be a connifer for Z8.
Vickie

Vickie, not only sounds warm, but very Christmas-y.
Patsy does really well with houseplants. I’m not so good with them, but I missed playing with plants when I couldn’t get outside. There will inevitably be more days like that in my future so I would like to become better at caring for them. Mother-in-law tongues and aloes are just about the only houseplants I’ve managed to keep alive. Those are no-brainers. I figure since it is a Thanksgiving CACTUS, I might be able to manage it. Forgetting to water is how I do in most houseplants.
Nadine is collecting seeds and plants for a “taku” garden in the middle of the bamboo grove. That is what she has chosen to call her Japanese vegetable garden. I think “taku” means something like “to cook.” I made my contribution by planting some Camellia sinensis. Not the showiest camellia, but it is the source of the green tea she loves.
Jim finally finished the lattice work on the deck that will keep the kids and dogs from jumping off. The beautiful weather made Tater forget how old she is. She jumped the four feet or so to the ground and hurt her hip. The lattice should save us some vet visits and the price of cortisone shots. That is getting to be one spoiled dog! Jim got a new back massager for his b’day. He started using the old to give Tate massages. lol. I once had big, bad farm dogs. Now, I might as well have poodles. Fenny sleeps with a plushy toy and Tate gets massages. K*

Since we have a somewhat similar climate to the coastal Pacific Northwest., we are going to try some conifers from that region. (Noble fir, Douglas fir and Italian stone pine. Need I say I added the last one. Yummy pine nuts. Chocolate vine is an evergreen here so I'm doing a sales pitch for adding it. Should be an easy sell to MK. Chocolate fiend that she is.
Speaking of Mama Kay, Tater-dog is not the only one who forgets her age on nice days. I came home from a job interview to find her on the roof, cleaning pine straw out of the rain gutters. Just because you CAN do a thing, does not necessarily mean you SHOULD do that thing. Her old joints might be able to take the work, but my young heart CAN NOT take seeing her do the work! No cheesecake for HER tonight! ~N~

Nadine, My #1 question is ...What is chocolate vine? Did i know and have forgotten? Will it grow in Z6 and where can i get one?
Poor Nadine, I understand your problem. You will probably come outside one day to find Kay at the top of your chocolate vine trying to figure how to get down,
Kay, Christmas cactus is easy to care for too and will take some neglect. I put mine outside in the shade every spring and bring them in every sept. The change in light is supposed to make them decide to bloom. Our Walmarts have some in now.Tho i can send you some starts after the new year.
Dogs after haveing been given an inch know how to get a mile. I bet your dogs will still be ferocious attack dogs if the need arises.My Dillen surprised me one day after taking a dislike to a salesman. I know my cats are mean enough to be guard cats.

I bought a Christmas/Thanksgiving cactus at home depot the other day. I thought it had red buds but now I think they're dark pink. I don't like it as much as I like the one in my memory, lol!

OK: practical advice needed! I take a handful of pills in the morning, with breakfast, and another handful at bedtime. Needless to say, the morning ones include those meds which are stimulating, arousing, awakening, you know, and the bedtime ones are carefully calibrated bunch of muscle relaxants, pain meds, anti-spasticity meds, anti-clonus stuff, all of which leads to "excessive somnolence" which is exactly why I take it at bedtime. I also take OTHER pills in the middle of the day with a snack.

Each week as three pill containers and each pill container is either white (breakfast, MTWTFSS), aqua (snack, MTWTFSS) or dark blue (MTWTFSS). Each box is labeled in addition to being color-coded. So what DH did was take the pills out of the dark blue (bedtime) F slot and give them to me with breakfast. I should have checked, but taking something like 11 pills at breakfast, 7 in the afternoon and 12-13 at bedtime every day for years and years gets pretty dull. The generics change color all the time yadda yadda oh well I didn't catch it. Everybody feels guilty and bad.

But I'm ready for a NEW, IMPROVED system! Suggestions?

This message was edited Nov 20, 2010 3:38 PM

Would it be feasible to keep the color-coded boxes, and also store each in a place associated with the time of day to be taken? Something like morning pills with the orange juice and coffee, snack pills with the Bluebell ice cream and brownies, and bed time pills with the wash cloths or toothpaste?

Hmmmm. They're all in the bathroom now..... Hmmmmmmm. That merits thinking about. It seems like contributing more to the entropy around here, but let me consider that.

Of these eleven or so pills, there are six that I take at each instance, and the other 2-7 are what vary. I can tell, if it's just 7 pills, if the purple one is there or not or if the two knock-out pills are in or not. They're mixed in with the other 6 and I just chug the whole mouthful. I'm thinking I should have TWO sets of boxes, one for the pills that stay the same and one for the pills that vary. Hmmmm.

I think anything that would be a mnemonic for time of day and contents of box, maybe?

Snapdragons.

Nutty bulbs. Think mebbe they were planted too shallowly? LOL The 79 degree temps are helping, too. Two degrees from record-breaking and windy with it. Lovely, lovely. Spent as much time as I could outside today even with a stubborn cold. Gonna be a real shock to everything when we have our first freeze Friday morning. Planted two more Scabiosas and two Fire Red Salvias today. Put the Salvias by the white Echinacea and red Gomphrena. Fingers crossed. :-) Took cuttings from a neon Pink/Red Geranium and three Coleus. Trying my hand for the first time at rooting and carrying them indoors over Winter.