My former husband used to swear he was going to die at 30. He's 51 now. :-) Funny how some things stick in our heads.
Accessible Gardening: #5 - still laughing with joy
Great, Carrie and Vickie! I’ll get to work on the doorways. Two doors need to be widened. Your w/c would probably pass easily, Carrie. I know Da’s did. PJ is well over six feet and pushing 300 lbs though so his had to be extra large. Man, is he grumbling about that. It is good this came to our attention. It could be a problem even for smaller people who have oxygen or other medical apparatus to deal with.
Tell your DH not to count on shuffling off the mortal coil so soon, Carrie. I heard PJ reading a Popular Science article to MK at the breakfast table. It was the magazine’s scientific achievement predictions for 2011. we are suppose to get the “tree of life” next year. Isn’t that supposed to make people immortal or something?
I guess it is like that thing they did a few years ago when they dug through human genetics and were able to find the “scientific Adam.” It seems geneticist can tell original genes from mutations and adaptations. Sometime next year we should know what the first tree looked like.
I said the world’s first tree probably looked something like Ginkgo biloba. Papa Jim's brain has run with that. He forgot to pay the water bill until the last minute so now, he is walking around the house singing “Ginkgo biloba Blanca, I can’t remember my name” to the tune of “Una paloma Blanca. I’m just a bird in the sky.” Amargia is a very fun and creative place to spend time, if you don’t scare too easily. :-)
Has the wicked, witchy cold got all your pretties yet, Debra? ~Nadine~.
Nadine, the freezes we've had don't last long, so lots of greenery and flora-stuffus still around. Have red, yellow, and orange Roses, Butterfly Blue Scabiosa, White Swan Echinacea, burgundy Snapdragon, cranberry Cyclamen, orange Calendula, yellow mini-Zinnia, sieboldii Florida Clematis, and pink and red Dianthusesses in bloom. This time of year is why I stay here, in spite of the horrendous summer heat. :-)
Debra
This message was edited Dec 21, 2010 9:17 PM
Thanks for the reminder, Debra. I want to get some calendula started.
Wow, stuff blooming at Christmas. I feel lucky simply to have plenty of green in Dec. and Jan. I assume because we are in a low-lying area with lots of water around, Amargia gets hit hard by frost. We can lag two weeks or more behind our neighbors’ bloom times in spring. I finally decided instead of envying my neighbors and fighting nature, I would turn my attention to plants that actually like that extra chill time. I can grow things like wintergreen that don’t do well for my upland neighbors and exchange them for those early spring bouquets.
I felt that desperate "need to seed" today. Seeded some houseplants and cool season salad veggies in the unheated greenhouse. Some calendula (and nasturtium) flowers to garnish those salads sounds good.
For much of my life the doctors thought I had Marfan's syndrome. People with Marfin's rarely live beyond 50. I'm the embodiment of that old joke. "If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. :-) Kay*
Oh but people with Marfan's are really, really smart, I thought. Abe Lincoln? How old was he - he certainly didn't make it past 50! Q. E. D.
When you talked about that wicked, witchy cold, Nadine, I thought you meant this cold in my chest. Yeesh, we do get self-centered! I'm now taking 2 asthma inhalers (different from each other) and cough syrup with codeine so we can sleep. (Every time I cough or wheeze, I look at DH, who is staring at the ceiling with wide open eyes and says something like "are you ready to the ER?" Of course at the MD today I was breathing clear as a bell compared to last night, but I had some impressive coughing fits.
Green at Christmas that's not wrapping paper or mold! Pretty good!!!! What's the best time of year for my hypothetical visit to Armagia as a widow (in 6 years)?
Here is a yaller one to cheer your week.
Nice!
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE/SCRAPS!
Happy Birthday, Scraps.
katie
Birthday? Did someone say Pink Flower for Birthday?
(took photo yesterday)
Happy Birthday, Scraps. My GF's b'day is today too. (Well, the man I call my grandfather anyway.) I bet having a birthday so close to Christmas has its challenges.
Here’s the plan, Carrie. Tell your DH you are going to bring his ashes to Amargia with you when you come here as a grieving widow and you are going to create a garden in his name. You can wax poetic about how he will not only provide the inspiration for a beautiful garden he will provide the fertilizer, as well. :-o (My guess is that if he is worried he might end up as south Alabama dirt, he will do whatever needs doing to assure he has a long life.) I’ll start work on a plot that has him accompanying you here while he’s still breathing.
I watched “A Christmas Carol” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” last night. Can anyone tell? :-)
I like the yellow one, Debra. ~Nadine~
Well, I like the pink one. lol. What is that?
Happy Birthday, Steph! Hope you will be back with us soon. (Jim)
It's Dianthus, Jim. Have this color and a sort of electric maroon blooming.
Neon oh I can't remember the name? I think I recognize it.
'Neon Star'? I've been looking at dianthus for Kay. Many of them are fragrant. That name comes to mind.
Neon Star looks to be lighter in color than mine. It has survived two years in this pot. Supposed to have lows in the mid-20s the next two nights. Will be covering annuals still blooming, , so we'll see what happens over the weekend. Jim, I'll check it for fragrance. If smells nice, be happy to send you some for Kay.
Debra
Neon Star, that is what I was thinking of.
My new PCA is yelling at me.
Sheesh! What’s the good of being able to talk once a year if everyone in the house is asleep? Lucky for me, I spend a lot of time lounging by the boss ladies desk and I’ve figured out how this machine works.
How you been Elvis? Heard you have a new pup to train. Hope that’s going well. I know how trying they can be. Fenny is a bit of a spoiled brat and still gets too hyper. I have to correct her rude behavior and remind her I am still alpha dog around here on a regular basis. I see your cat, Dogwood, is looking good and still a public figure. I continue to see that Fenny keeps the local bobcats out of Dogwood’s catnip patch at Amargia. The night cold bothers my old bones so I need to spend evenings inside. I guess you could say I’m management now.
Staying warm, I hope, Dillon? Heard you got more cats living at your place. Just don’t let your human catch you pulling their tails or growling at them. (Even if they do deserve it.) Humans just don’t understand cats will take over completely, if you don’t take them down a notch or two from time to time. (No offense, Mr. D., but you know kittens need to learn at least a little humility.
Boss lady cooked a big bird today and will be cooking more big bird tomorrow. I hung out by the kitchen door and did the usual routine to get them to give me stuff. The big-sad-eyes method works best for me. Since the boss lady can’t see me, I throw some pathetic whines in when she is the one at the stove. I did well. Fenny focused in on the little people so she was able to stuff herself with cookies. Personally, I target the big humans. They are more likely to give you the good stuff, meat and cheese. That crazy pup loves peanut butter cookies though and little people are the best source of those. She clowns around to convince people to give her treats. Rather undignified, but you have to be practical about these things. .
Well, I think I’ll go across the road and chat with my neighbor the mule, while I still can. He tells some interesting stories. Have a delicious Christmas and take good care of your humans during the coming year. Talk with you next Christmas Eve. Wishing you all the blessings, peace, ear scratches and good eats the Season can bring. TaterDog
P.S.: Miss Carrie, since you don't have a furr-friend to do it for you, I would suggest growling at this PCA.
That, they do.
Copyright Jim Davis 02/13/83
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We are curled up trying to stay warm, eating turkey/cranberry sandwiches and recovering.
Ooops.
Kay, saw the weather reports for your area, did you get snow?
It's chilly, here, but still have a few blooms. Odd that the cold puts a light burgundy edge on the petals. I like it, just weird.
Debra
Clematis
Debra, I do love your flowers.
Only a couple months till spring flowers. Now is the time to drool over flower catalogs.
Tater dog, my furry friends send you tail wiggles,loud purrs and Cricket says that to her, CATS do not exist. I sadly noticed today that her fur is turning grey.She's as fiesty as ever tho.
Our expected snow turned into a little ice. Will try again for New Years.I saw too your snow forcast.Did it? Did it?
We had a beef roast for Christmas. Was different.
Vickie
Vickie, trade you turkey leftovers for roast leftovers. lol I have a bad case of turkey burn-out.
There were some snow flurries in the air, but nothing stayed on the ground at Amargia. Just lots of ice and a wickedly cold wind. There was snow just north of us where my GS’s live, however. It didn’t take them long to learn about snowball fights. Their big sister is definitely ready for it to melt. She says she’s not going to wish for Christmas snow again until her brothers grow up. Brothers never grow up in my experience. I was at my brother’s house over the holiday, he put one of those motion activated talking snowmen in the bathroom. The ones that make comments like, “Come on in. Sit down. Make yourself comfortable” It was freaking people out. Nope, brothers NEVER grow up. Kay*
18-24" of snow! My Christmas present to myself was that I stayed off the computer! Usual meltdowns with kids. Had a good time.
PCA left in a huff, then kept calling and calling so I could apologize, then today she called up to ask what time I wanted her to come in tomorrow (which was her next regularly scheduled workday) and I said hunh? You quit. And she's back-pedaling and I just needed to get out and cool off yadda yadda yadda and I said (with Lamont ice in my voice) No lady, you quit. (Don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out.)
I have some neighbors she could visit.
kb
Think she'd be right at home with your neighbors Katie.LOL
Way to go Carrie!!!! I did that once to a housekeeper. Made me feel good for days.However i still don't have another housekeeper.
The roast is gone as is the cheese balls i made. Tomorrow i'll get stuff to make more.cheese balls not roast.
I heard from scraps and she may be back on line after the first.
Is anyone else going to have black eyed peas for New Years(for good luck)Or is that just a Texas thing?
Might be. Never heard of it until we moved here from Indiana, anyway. Dunno. :-0 Also dunno if I'm going to give in to it this year or skip it. I do not care for black-eyed peas or pintos or any beans of that nature, but ya never know what kind of bad luck will haunt you if you ignore entrenched and venerated tradition. LOL
Kay always does the Hoppin' John on New Year's Day thing., but her father came here from the Houston/Galveston area. The tradition might very well have come to her via Texas. We didn't have that tradition in Pennsylvania. Maybe, that is why I had such bad luck before I hooked up with Kay. :-) (Jim)
I found a receipe for BEpea casserole. With hamburger,peppers,rice and peas.
Jim did'nt you always have the luck of the irish?
lol. Not where women were concerned. The luck of the German/Swiss, I guess. (They call us Pennsylvania DUTCH, but we actually decended from German and Swiss immigrants.) PA Dutch may be a thing of the past soon. Most people think of Amish when they think PA Dutch and large numbers of Amish are leaving PA and going to Ohio. They say the tourist industry that has grown up around their lifestyle is making it harder and harder. Many say they've started feeling like goldfish in a bowl.
That dish sounds good, Vickie. Nadi fell in love with Texas caviar at a holiday gathering. She wants to make that.
Count your blessings, Debra, pickled pig's feet are a traditional New Year's food in some parts of the south. I count mine that one isn't among Kay's family traditions. :-) (Jim)
Happy New Year to everyone!!! The sky is gray and growling here. It is a good day for sleeping in, but TaterDog evidently doesn’t celebrate the New Year. She insist I get up. I tried to hide under the blankets, but she kept finding a place it wasn’t tucked tight or just waited until I dozed back off and stopped holding the blanket over my face. She kept peeling the blanket back in a version of puppy peek-a-boo. Now, I know where the phrase “doggedly determined” came from.
Today’s cartoon is in two-frames. I’ve titled Part I “Auld Lang Syne.
Just for the Record. Those people who sang a version of Auld Lang Syne last night that you found totally incomprehensible may not have been as drunk as you believed. Auld Lang Syne is a very old Scottish folksong. Robert Burns is credited with giving it to the world at large.
Auld Lang Syne (Robby Burns version)
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And auld lang syne?
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne!
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pu'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit
Sin auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl't in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.
And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine,
And we'll tak a right guid willie-waught
For auld lang syne!
And surely ye'll be your pint' stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne!
“Auld Lang Syne”--The Cartoon
Photo: IN THE YEAR OF THE…
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/01/opinion/01sacks.html?pagewanted=2&src=ISMR_AP_LI_MST_FB
I don't know if you guys will think this article is interesting ... I guess I can take Oliver Sacks in small doses, but once I tried to read a whole book and I got bogged down.
Nadine, I like the first cartoon - reminds me of my DH.
I adore Oliver Sacks. My dream gathering would be with Sacks, Freeman Dyson, Stephen Jay Gould, Joseph Campbell, Ann Richards, and Whoopi Goldberg. Let a psychiatrist analyze THAT lineup!
You don't think Whoopi would try to upstage everybody?
Might try, but everyone in that group would easily hold their own against her. LOL
Hey, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBRA! One classy lady we are delighted to have on the forum....
Thank you, Carrie. :-)