LOL, Count on me staying warm. My brood of animals too.The dogs won't go out unless absolutely necessary.
The cats are in and out quickly. Probably a good thing. Except for their path, the snow is almost over their heads.
I found a bunch of yarn and have had fun crocheting, all 3 cats have to come get in my lap and watch every movement my hands make. Every now and then one will pounce in the middle of my work and try to take off with the yarn. I yell C-A-T-T-T-T!!!!!! and 3 cats scatter in the wind, only to return in abt 10
minutes. They are so much fun. I have 5 buddys. 3 cats and 2 dogs. That is my limit. I can't take care of anymore. The dogs are old and settled in their ways. They'll get frisky when it warms up outside but for now they're happy laying around except for a brief chase down the hall once a day.Right now Dillen is laying across the doorway of my computer room,to keep the cats from coming in. They will come to the door and meaw till i make Dillen move.
I've had some black labs. They were all such sweet dogs.
I have'nt heard anything from Katie either. Hope all is well. I know she was depressed. I don't have a snail mail address for her either.
Fenny is a dog after my own heart. She should be treated like a queen.
Nadene, Does ALA have a magazine called Alabama Gardener. I get the Arkansas Gardener.It has info about when to plant.
Glad you have a new dog also Susan. Is it hard for you to get use to each other? Personality wise? I've wondered about that before.
Night all, Dream of spring flowers,warm breezes,and butterflys.
Vickie
Compassion For Physically Challanged Gardeners #14
How I envy all of you pet owners. Maybe someday I will have my angel. If not in this life definertly in the next. I know having a dog would definetly help me with all my illness but it just doesn't seem to be in this life. I love my families two cats but they are to aloof for me whereas my "Scooter" would constantly be at my side and cheer me up when I was really down. My family told me she was very depressed when I was hospitalized with my second heart attack. I was talking to the Nurse Manager about my little dog and how I missed her and she gave me special permission for her to come see me. That same day I heard her nails ticking coming off the elevator and I called "Scoots" and her ears and tail went up and she saw me and dashed to me ,hopped into the chair where I was sitting at the time and all the nurses saw my monitor take a turn for the best and they came into my room to see a different person. "Scooter" laid between my legs as I was on a recliner with her head held high and tail wagging. I was so happy and the next day was allowed to go home. At home she really would go everywhere with me. How I loved that dog and when she died two months later I was back in the hospital with severe depression.
Susan, how lovely to have you back! Moses is the perfect name for a GUIDE, and thanks for the compliment about my articles. There should be one soon about the crazy weather (if the powers that be decide it's neither too controversial nor too bland) and then one, in honor of National Invasive Species Awareness Week, on burning bush, euonymus alata, which is a big problem up here.
I'm so jealous of you EB people and your year-round tomato weather! We barely have tinme for one short crop up here. I have one (1) EB and DH never did set up the trellis part properly. (Poor me?)
Seriously, DD#1 who is nearly a senior in college in AZ, is NOT allergic to cats and dogs. She just hasn't been ready for the responsibility. But she, too, has been battling depression, and maybe a month ago took in a stray dog for a week or so. It was obviously Somebody's Dog; it was housebroken, walked on a leash, had a collar but no ID, and so she made every effort to find the owner (and did). But she said that for the week or two that she had that dog, she felt so much joy, so little depression, so much energy ... maybe I should encourage her to get a dog. But then her sister could never visit her; they'd be allergic to each other.
Thanks for the welcome carrie. I'll be watching for that new article. ☺ Moses is indeed a perfect name for my guy. He was given that because Moses led his people out of bondage to freedom. That's exactly what Moses has given me ... my freedom. My dog before Kota was Caleb. As you know, Caleb along with Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. I saw a lot of "promised lands" with him. LOL
It's sad your DD#1 can't have a dog. It's a proven fact that indorphins are released in the brain when you pet a dog and indorphins are anti-depressants, and dogs also help to relieve stress.
Ted, may I ask how moble you are? Is your main obsticle to getting a dog monitary or the fact that you live with family?
Well, would you look at the time? I best get a move on. Tomorrow is Sunday.
~ing to everyone for now.
When I was still quite young, we lived in appartments and could not have a dog. Rather I should say that there was probably a pet deposit & my parents may have felt that it would be an additional responsibility for them after being at work all day.
Once I had two hamsters, Snowball and Taffy (can you guess what color they were? Children are so imaginative in their naming of pets! I also had a parakeet who learned to say "pretty bird' after many long months of my repeating it over and over and over to "etey after school and in the morning..
wing~~'s alll around,
Sheri
Hi - Thanks for asking about me Kay. I'm still here just don't feel much like posting. Lots of depression going on. I'm going to Ca. in a couple of weeks and will see my doctor and maybe do another adjustment on my meds.
katie
Hi, I'm here just not much to say.
Here, Carrie. These survived the last cold snap. Almost a week below zero, which is almost unheard of here. Spring is coming, I promise.
Aren't those bulbs? Sorry, Sheri, I should have said hello. "Hello!"
They are. This isn't, though. The Scabiosa did very well through the cold and snow and ice. :-)
Okay, it went down like this. My plan was simply to pick up some English daisies and pansy seeds for Mama Kay as a Valentine’s Day gift. She enjoys growing from seed and those flowers can be planted outside right away. I bought just a few more than that. lol. Like about 20 packets. It is really easy to get carried away when you start looking at those pretty pictures on the packets and start imagining what you could create.
Papa Jim wasn’t upset, even though it was his money I spent. He suggested that since I enjoy looking through seeds so much, I could take on the task of sorting and listing all the seed varieties in Amargia’s “seed bank.” He said, with a complete seed list in hand, we could make better plans. I decided the sorting and recording job would be easier if I had the seeds within arm’s reach of my desk and computer. I didn’t realize when I agreed to the task that it would take a cardboard box that was 3’ tall, 3’ long, and 2’ wide to hold them all. I am evidently not the only one at Amargia who underwent a seed buying frenzy. I believe behind P.J.’s “Shucks, I’m just an ole Pennsylvania farm boy.” facade, there lurks a devious old man. He used my temporary seed buying insanity to get this job done. THERE! I feel better now. Back to work.
Anyone want some yellow bell orchid tree seeds (bauhinia tomentosa)? MK says to find new homes for the marginally hardy things.
Vickie, I remember seeing an old issue of Alabama Gardener” around here. I’ll see if it is still being published.
I’m going to take a break and plant a few ‘Jellybean’ grape tomatoes in pots. Those sound fun. They should be a good transplant size by the time it is warm enough for them outside.
Carrie, the only euonymus we have is a type with variegated, leathery, evergreen leaves I like those. We tried Burning Bush here once. They did not color up in the fall as advertised and a couple of particularly hot summers did them in. (See, it isn’t so bad. All New England needs is a couple 110 degree summers to get the euonymus under control. ;-) Can you tell us in the article if the claims for the spectacular fall color are true when they are happy with their climate or if it is all nurserymen’s marketing hype? I wonder about that. ~Nadine~
I've wondered the same thing about the Burning Bush, also. I had a Little Henry Sweetspire which was suppose to be a zone 8 and also suppose to turn red. Well, it died before it got the chance. :-( Guess what? I have blooms on my Daphne!
I started my 26 tomato seeds this afternoon. ☺
To those of you suffering from depression, remember, the days are getting longer and soon the time will change. I'm sending hugs to all who need them tonight.
~Susan
Thanks for the hug it was sorely needed. GROUND IS STILL SNOW COVERED.With temps in the 50,s
Went to town and the only snow there was in Wally World parking lot--in piles.
Am still working on Afghan with every color yarn i have.That does help.
Also started looking at Arkansas camp ground liturature.
Bought some Elephant Ear bulbs.
I tried growing a Burning Bush once and it died here also.
Carrie, I agree that you need a 110* summer just once now that we've had a taste of 0* weather.LOL I mean we'd hate to be selfish about the whole thing.
Tomorrow would have been DH and mine,52nd anniversary.
Am thankful i was married to this man for 48 years. I almost had him completely trained or he me. Not quite sure which.
Vickie
Awesome, Vickie. You were married twice as long as I’ve been alive. :-)
My BF is in CT. He just got unlimited texting. I sort of wish he didn’t have it so I guess this relationship has an expiration date coming up. He’s driving me up the wall!
I didn’t do much of interest today. I did go to the library to get the crow a new book. lol. I like to read outside and there is a silly crow who likes to sit on the fence behind my favorite reading place. The Terminex man came today. He was laughing because he said it looked funny from a distance. Almost like the crow was reading over my shoulder and wasn’t impressed by my choice of reading material. ~Nadine~
Wow, this was the best Valentine’s Day I can remember. It was a beautiful sunny day just warm enough to be comfortable outside. I’m creating a sitting area under an old oak near the brook. . I was able to work on it today and discovered the first bulbs have poked up their heads.
I’ve eaten all my favorite foods, including a dinner of chicken cordon bleu and asparagus. I even got a Valentine from a lovely woman who is not my wife. This means I was able to tease Kay about it all day and that is one of my favorite pastimes. My mystery Valentine was thoughtful enough to send me a recipe for no-sugar goodies. After today’s extravagances I will have to be doubly diligent about my diet. I did limit myself to a single dessert, but it was a decadent one. (Jim)
Jim and Nadine. I am completely jealous of you two.
A crow to talk to and a brook to listen to. We're all going to head down to your place tomorrow.LOL Just a few more days and i'll be outside also.
Decadent deserts huh? Mine are too. I can't get enough toasted marshmellows.
I guess, in a way, marshmallows were what I was craving too. I was craving Pennsylvania-style whoopie pies. That is basically two mini chocolate cakes sandwiched together with a soft marshmallow cream. They aren't very sophisticated. In fact, they were a classic lunch box treat when I was growing up. I've been wanting one for a while though and there aren't any nice Amish ladies Giving them to us kids at the feed store. Next, I'll challenge the cooks here by putting in a request for "Chickie dirt." lol (Jim)
For anyone who needs cheering today, one look at these and you will feel better, even if just a little tiny bit. :-)
^_^ not revealing my age or length of marriage ^_^
AW-W-W-W Sheri,Fess up now!!!
Debra, beautiful spring colors. I've forgotten what they are.
Chicky Dirt does not sound good. Sorry Jim.
Kay are you of Siminole descent? Or Cherekee? or neither?
Spring showers tomorrow.
Vicki, they are Iceland/Icelandic Poppies. Never seen them for sale here before, guess because they are a cool season flower. If they make it until June, I will be well satisfied. Got Mexican Feather Grass, too. A little apprehensive about that one since it can ferociously reseed. But it is soooooo beautiful.
Debra, that is a cool season flower I've not thought of for here, but I bet if it can handle your climate, it can handle ours. Do all poppies have rich, saturated colors? Even the white is an intense white. Are there soft pastel poppies?
lol, Vickie. It taste better than it sounds.
Kay and Nadi share your opinion though. They say it sounds gross. I guess I'll have to prepare it for them or, maybe, just make up a new name for it and then give them the recipe..
Kay and Nadi will be around tomorrow. Kay caught a serious case of planting fever and I think she may have infected Nadine. Thankfully, they've almost run through the seeds that can be planted this early. The condition appears to be self-limiting. :-) Jim
They are beautiful. Thanks
Now that i think of it... I've never seen a pastel poppy. I grew the sominifera poppys for a few years. They were reds.The seeds are hard to find but they are around.
This message was edited Feb 18, 2011 12:16 AM
They do come in pastels, but only in some varieties like the Orientale. I think most of the California Poppies are bright oranges and yellows. Looking for seed to sow some Flanders Poppies. Love that really bright true red color.
There is a place that specializes in poppy seeds - California and the real ones - that has EVERYTHING! There are sort of sunsetty colored California ones but I've never gotten them to grow for me. There are coral Oriental (perennial) poppies. Google poppies - it's called House of poppies or Poppy Place or something, and that's all they carry!
This marriage is in it's 11th year. I have a 20 yo daughter. I'm approaching a significant birthday.
Oh I have a hitch in my get-a-long and it sure does hurt!!! Think my L4-5 is bulging a bit more than usual. All I did was lean down and twist slightly to my left to put a leash on Pookie. Maybe Elvis can walk him tomorrow.
One day I'm going to have a dog who is small enough I can walk her. Fenny and Tate walk me and my significant birthday is too far behind me to enjoy the walks they take me on. Squirrel sightings can be downright dangerous.
I’ve been incredibly lazy today. I’m experimenting with a formula that is reputed to reduce heart attacks by putting nitric oxide into your system at night. I can’t read labels anymore. I didn’t realize it also contained a MILD sleep aid. I didn’t wake up until a little afternoon. Jim and Nadine had already done the jobs I planned to do outside so I puttered in the house all day.
Vickie, my mother was an inter-tribal mix of Muskogee Creek, Miccosukee and Oklahoma Cherokee with some Dutch thrown in. (Things really got jumbled up during and after the Removal. She referred to herself as “just your typical Okie mongrel.”) Family legend has it that my great-great grandfather was a Dutch-American soldier who was “escorting” the Creek across the Mississippi during the Removal in 1835. He developed a life-threatening secondary infection, allergic reaction or something after being bitten by a non-poisonous snake. My great. Great grandmother decided that despite the circumstances she couldn’t stand by and watch him die when she had the means to help him. Evidently, military field medicine was very crude then and that was a real possibility. He got to know her as a person while she was treating him. There were too many challenges to such a relationship in a “civilized” region so they married and settled near what is now Chickasha, Oklahoma. I’ve always thought that would be a fun story to try and write. I’ve never read much historical fiction though and the research it would require always seemed too daunting. Was it the Chickasaw who were removed to Arkansas? I can't remember.
I like saturated colors. (Think that could be because they are the only ones I can still see? lol.) The CanDo Container garden is soft hues. I think Jim is looking for flowers that will work there. Kay*
http://www.onestoppoppyshoppe.com/servlet/StoreFront
I think the Californias will grow best in your climate - they have some that I would call "soft hues." You're going to kill me though, because this store is expensive!
That's a lovely story, Jim!
I know we've grown California poppies before. I don't remember ever seeing any other kind. They were an eye-piercing tangerine orange type. My plan is to create a grid of wildflower plots around the hives that are bee favorites. I'm hoping I can get the bright orange species type to naturalize. I believe I saw those on a list of excellent beekeeping plants. Planted some Standing Cypress today, but the hummingbirds will probably lay claim to those. ~Nadine~
Found some blue crocus blooming outside today. The yellow and purple should show themselves soon. My jonquils are budding out.
A beautiful story Kay. There are still Chickasaw in Arkansas and Oklahoma. They're closely related to the Choctaw. DH,s bloodline. They are both part of the 5 civilized tribes (Whatever that means)
The trail of tears comes thru near here. So they would have seen my mountains. A part of our history I'm very ashamed of.
There's lots of history to be ashamed of. Locally, there's the town of Amherst, MA, a very elite college Amherst College, and UMass Amherst. These are all named after Lord Jeffery Amherst who was Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts in the 1600s or maybe early 1700s. Anyway, today he is best remembered for kindly distributing blankets to Native Americans in the winter - blankets which were inoculated with SMALLPOX! Way to wipe out the indigenous population!!!!!
Wow, it looks like I really DID learn something in school, Vickie. When you mentioned "civilized tribes" their names jumped into my head. Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee and Seminole were the five civilized tribes according to my Alabama history classes. I was lucky to have Miss Helen (Mama Kay's Mama) around to supplement what I learned in school. It was sort of like the way that radio personality always ended his broadcast: "Now, you know the rest of the story." (What was that man's name?) ) Things were never as dry and clean cut as the history books made them sound. I always had to remember to write down what the books said on test, even though I knew the things Miss Helen told me were probably the real facts.
They were called the "civilized" tribes because they were settled, practiced a sophisticated kind of agriculture and had a complex social structure. Miss Helen said that could also be said of other tribes and the Seminole were not exactly a distinct tribe. They were rebellious Creeks who refused to accept alliance and treaties the official Creek leaders made. But, I always liked stories about Osceola, the rebel Seminole leader because (according to Miss Helen) he was part Scottish. I guess that would account for some of his behavior. :-)
There are good and bad among all peoples. I think the most incredible love story I ever heard was set in Louisiana in the early 1800s. A poor Irish immigrant agreed to 7 years as an indentured servant in order to buy the freedom of the Creole woman he wanted to marry. The slave owner was quite happy to exchange a petite, frail slave for the work of a healthy, strapping, young man.. The young Irishman only had to spend 3 years as an indentured servant. His wife bought him out of the contract. With her small hands, she was able to produce elaborately detailed needlework that was all the rage in New Orleans. She became the most sought after seamstress there in those 3 years. Even in histories darkest moments, there are a few blazing, points of light. ~Nadine~
If more intrestng storys like that were put in history books they would be more injoyable.
I met a geologest once that grew up with the Lee famiy in Virginia. He said the whole famly was either an idiot or a genius, with no inbetweens.Now that was intresting. LOL Yes i think Lee was a genius and so was Grant.
I think the radio personality Nadine was referring to was Paul Harvey. I miss his programs.
Oh yes, I miss him too.
Did'nt his son take over for awhile and just was'nt the same?
Yes, that's who I meant. My Dad didn't like country music much, but he tuned the radio to a country and western station at noon every weekday to hear Paul Harvey.
I liked today's article, Carrie. It wasn't so much that the temperature here got lower than normal as that it stayed at the low temps for a longer time. We didn't have the usual dramatic warm up during the daytime hours. Our "cold snaps" were more like a sustained drum roll. The peaches are budding out, I sure hope the temps don't take a dive. ~Nadine~
I liked your article also Carrie.
I can't seem to get off the puter tonight. I keep thinking of things i want to google.
The latest search was camp cooking. LOL Truely amazing how much stuff is online about camp cooking. My favorite is to put a fish on a stick and hold it over the campfire till done. Now that is right up my alley. LOL You think I'm not going to try it?
Anyone want to donate a fish? Or will i have to catch it too?
Oh, thank you, thank you for liking my article. I got so many negative comments! Yowzer!