What's Happening in your neck of the woods?

JOY, you must feel like a new woman, now if you had a tea you could go to you could wear one of those new outfits and feel like a Queen..hope the rain stops so you can sit outside and enjoy the yard..if you get a chance a photo or two would be marvellous!

"M", it was 1010 Talk that had the episode about the Native Indians and the deaths, said if it were anywhere else in Ontario we'd have a major to do about it but because of being native nothing being done..I doubt that is the case! Hope if it is his body they found that it will help with closure for the family..

"M" you don't have kitties do you? Riley is not a hunter, never brought any pressie to me but Missy, almost daily there is something at my door, know it's nature but still not nice.

Carol, love the photo..think if we changed frames for all our treasures and move them around from room to room we'd feel as though we have decorated anew yet not...isn't that what stagers do? use everything you have but in a different location?

I fool around with a pattern on the floor until it is satisfactory, leave it for a day or two,make more changes if necessary, then hang.

M you are right about the eye level thing but in this case there will be at least 6-7 pics so not possible!

Looks like another nice day, better get the dogs out for their morning walk. I left so early yesterday did not walk them and when I got home just forgot about it! Bad me! Ah well at least they were out in the yard most of the day,

That's a great way of doing it, get a feel for what you find the most attractive..

I used to try to form a square or rectangle and arrange the pictures within it to form unit.In my Grannie apartment I hung my favourite Art salon style...ie used every available bit of wall space.I gave many pictures to my children.In my previous home I had a family gallery on the staircase.The pictures were close enough to be examined easily.
I had one customer who brought in family pictures going back to Great great-grandparents.Some were tintypes and daguerreotypes.She knew which pictures went together as married couples.The Framing suppliers used to make small frames from the leftover mouldings.They would make very tiny frames from a wide ornate moulding.The results were interesting...we had great fun matching the couples with matching frames.Her brother is Tom Forestall.His son is living here in Fredericton and has made a name for himself in the art world too.He knew about the group of ancestors and said they still hang in the upstairs hallway of her home 35 years later.JOY

At the farmhouse Joy I did the same thing, it would take you forever walking downstairs, looking at all the family photo's! I took up teaching PaperTole many years ago which meant all had to be put in shadowbox frames, I was spending a mint so Roger bought the equipments and we'd make the shadowboxes and cut the mats..when he passed on I gave the equipment to a friend..should have kept it as my boys knew how to make frames and do the mats..

I established "Joy of Framing" in 1978.After my retirement my son took over the business and is very successful.I'm so lucky that he wanted to do it.He has 3 employees.JOY

How wonderful for you for two reasons, one he kept on the business and two, FREE frames..lol

Have you ever heard"The shoemaker's children go without shoes"?

My new bird feeder has been discovered Not a good picture but the best I could get.No more peanuts in that feeder.JOY

LOL what a wonderful photo...guess that's it for the birdies..now a squirrel home

I have an ancestor wall- it is in the small inside hallway .

My stairwell has two collections- Bailey's and Fancy's certificates and ribbons from dog sport on the way up and pics and other items from my travelling days on the landing and 2nd part of stairwell.

Here is the the final result on the living room wall.

Love it, the color is spectacular, what do they name the color...your home looks so inviting!

Pressed send too quickly..just spent 1 1/2 hrs outside in the garden weeding and preparing one of the front beds for some shrubs that I'll either pick up at the garden gallery to or row or Friday, itchi g like crazy, we don't normally have black flies and if we do they are only for a ver short time but got to tell you they are out in full force, thought the would carry me away...best I go for a bath, feel I'm covered in bugs...yuk

Betty no idea what the color is called- did it maybe 10 years ago! Makes a great backgroupd for pictures.

Joy I saw those bird feeders thought they were really cute but had the same thought- the squirrels would gt whatever was in it!

Worked in the garden a couple of hours this morning, my garden help spent almost 3 hours and got half the front done - will come back tomorrow and do the rest, then just the long south bed in the back to do. Nice sunny day but very windy. My flats of pansies and impatience were also delivered today and I have the planters all ready for them ,maybe do the pansies tomorrow. The impatience will have to wait until no risk of frost, they are too tender. Maybe get a few perennials planted tomorrow.

Joan came and we finished hanging the pictures- so much easier with 2 people and did some more cleaning on Sassy's teeth, they are starting to look pretty good.

Just the end of the afternoon the company who sprays/fertilizes the grass arrived- , I cant let the dogs out for 2-3 hours now but it was supper time for them. And just heard it will rain tomorrow afternoon so that is nice timing too.

I had put a few peanuts in the new feeder which attracted the squirrel.From now on it will be a Niger feeder.
The wind is still cold and only 6c.I'll be happy to get things out of the house and planted.One Calla has a bloom on it.My Orchids are infested with Mealy Bug.I"ll try alcohol in the morning.If that doesn't work I use Malathion when I can put them outdoors.I just feel sick about them.All from one orchid from Walmart.The weather is supposed to get warmer tomorrow 16C and partly sunny. I really need to get out for groceries. JOY

As always .. lots happening here ..

Sorry to hear about the Mealy bug problem Joy .. good ol Wal-Mart .. I rec'd a Kalanchoe from there replete with 'spider mites' !!!!!!!!!!!! As anyone on here can tell ya .. bugs and me, especially SPIDERS, are a NON mix ~~

Weather here has changed for the better (with wind though) .. the Forsythia is out, and the Purple Iris are shooting up an inch or more a day .. have managed to transplant some Delphinium and Phlox and am now working on the removal or re assignment of the Rudbeckia.

Trip to the vet with the 3 furries (all in good health cept Smokey is blind in one eye, poor puss puss) cost me .. are ya ready ... $400+ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I near fainted .. dogs had 4 shots a piece and all were examined .. talk about highway robbery !!!! Course there IS a staff of 33 to pay !!!
Next year .. ONE pet a month !!

Off to town to see a man about a leg ^_^

Enjoy

~M~

I tottered out to my garden...it's still cold so I didn't linger the spring flowers are blooming.The Forsythia bloomed well for the first time.I threatened to pull it out if it didn't perform this year

The bulbs I planted last year out in the front have come back well

The Bloodroot is still blooming in spots.It is so fleeting!

And to finish....I love blue flowers.

Color combination is spectacular..love the yellow and the blue's..sooo very pretty!

although my gardens are growing in leaps and bounds not much in color except tulips and wouldn't you know forgot the name of what's open..must mark it down, good memory but it's short and soon forgotten!

Went out at lunch and purchased another extension of hose, Greg will drop in tonight on his way home so that he can add it to the previous link..bit rusted might take some manpower..on my way home I'll pick up a couple of shrubs for the front to put inbetween the tall cedars and maybe if they have red phlox I'll pick a few of those as well..costly this garding thing isn't it?

"M" we'd think twice about spending that amount of money on ourselves and yet we do for our furries!!

Wonderful pics Joy ! I especially like the Forsythia, I had thought mine (just a year old this spring) was going to do zip as the deer had munched on it, but it pulled through and is putting on a lovely show albeit it's a tad 'mishapen', but, that can be fixed come fall.

Was able to remove a totally despicable perennial from one of the beds, don't even know its name, but, a well intentioned (I think) friend gave me a clump 3 years ago and it virtually splattered itself throughout the garden. It's plain and simply a sticl with purple BUMPS on it .. had thought it was Flowering Thyme, but, no such luck .. now to tackle/re locate the rudbeckia. I transplanted some Delphinium and Phlox in a full sun garden .. lets just say (as always) .. work in progress.

Off for coffee with the gurls this morning .. always gives me a lift to find out my aches and pains aren't the only ones in the world LoL

TGIF

~M~

Morning, rain for the next 3 days but the weatherman has been known to be wrong.! If nothing else a good soaking for the shrubs I just put in and I do have some inside projects to finish so I can mail from the states next week

'M' if it is what I think it is it's roots is underground and you will need to be vigilant 24/7 and likely not rid yourself of it

Guess we have to be cautious and know the plants given to us so that we don't plant invasives ..

Enjoy your coffee with the girls

Well .. coffee was , as always, a hoot and a holler .. I am sure Tim Hortons loves to see us come in, but, they also like to see us leaving LoL
So odd .. May 13 and there we all sat dressed in heavy sweaters or light weight windbreakers or jackets, and most of us had gloves on as well .. yesterday we gardened, today we freeze .. a friend in Wpg announced they have some SNOW falling !!!

Betty .. I HATE those 'runners' or underground roots .. I tried to be as meticulous as possible, but, no doubt one of the wee beggars is likely to appear .. and will be summarily DISPATCHED !!

Babysat my best friends 2 year old grandson for about an hour today .. we got along famously .. especially when he found out I could make his Nana's dog talk to him LoL .. ahh .. the innocence of youth.

Off to watch a movie ... DeNiro and Pacino in something called 'HEAT'.

Enjoy your weekend

~M~

Another pleasant day here, supposed to continue for some time.

I spent a large part of the day plant shopping, finished for the year - now just have to plant. Too early to do the containers with annuals but all the perennials can go in. Tomorrow is potato planting day and if my back holds up will get peas and beets and turnips seeded also.

Time to go find something for supper!

Keep the pics coming. I need to get out and take some, but I've been digging hostas non-stop for my sale. The total to the church (assuming all people who ordered plants pick them up) is now slightly over $950. I'm hoping to break $1000.

I also like blue flowers and have a lot of Forget-me-nots which are rampant at this time of year. I tend to rip them out by the basketful as the blooming nears its end and I still have enough seeded to provide colour next year.

Rain today, so not much gardening. None tomorrow either as my handbells are involved in a massed concert. We need to set-up our equipment at 3 pm, rehearse OUR piece at 4:30-4:45, rehearse the massed pieces at 5:30-6:00 and the concert starts at 7. Makes me glad I retired from Ottawa Symphony as once again, they have dress rehearsal for Monday's concert tomorrow evening. Can't tell you how many years I directed my group and left to go to rehearsal or had to get someone else to direct my group at this concert.

VA I admire the way you have kept so active with your musical activities.Pulling the Foreget me nots isn't much fun but I love them. They bloom with the Azalias and Purple Leaf Sandcherry..pictures when this happens. About all I'm good for now in the garden is taking pictures.JOY

Evening all, chilled to the bone, was out picking trees on back concession around 7am, then off th Canadian tire as they had wave petunia's for 99cents..didn't have much to choose from, store opened at 8 and were already sold out except for about 20 of them..it's a start..started to rain just before last few shrubs got planted!

Got some quilt blocks done, even got the other 10 labelled, in envelopes and ready to post while in USA.

Speaking of weather, says rain here for about 7 more days, thought weather in Nashville and Memphis might be better but no go!

Ooops, someone is at thee..be back in a bit!

We have had bright sunshine and wonderful temps when the NW or NE wind is not blowing !! Sure a great weekend to dry clothes on the line ...
AND .. the Hummingbirds are back .. sweet wee things, so tiny right now .. and happy to have their sweet water out for them.

My perennials continue to pop up (not the Hostas) .. and I plan to plant Morning Glories and Nasturtiums this week (seed) .. annuals , unless they're hanging baskets that can come in each evening, will not come til June.

Hope everyone has a great upcoming week .. LOOOOOOOng Weekend this coming weekend !!! Gotta have SNOW to make it official here in TBay LoL

TTFN

~M~

PS ... Joy .. thought you'd get a kick outta this pic ~~~

Awe, too cute..although it rained all night and into early morning the sun came out. Cannot believe how everything is growing, if you sit for 5 you get to see growth! Since Friday my hops grew about a foot, common for hops..arbor is loving it!

I'm already settled in for the evening, managed to cut the grass, takes a few hours,guess I got chilled to the bone!

Called Ann tonight, she's praying that the good Lord will have mercy on mike tonight and take him home to eternal resting ground.

Overwhelming and that doesn't even describe watching your loved one die..said Friday night she and Mike had a conversation with the doctor, doc asked Mike if he wanted to be put in an induced coma, think they call it twilight sleep, eases the pain...he said he was ready..

After the doctor left he asked ann if shed like to call the girls to be with her at th end?? She had a conversation with him concerning the girls then he said, I'm ready when will the come to give the needle..Ann then realized he. Thought the were coming to euthanize him!

Prayers the angel of death comes to visit him tonight!

Hope Mike has a quick and easy passge!

I spent most of yesterday and today planting. I got sort of tired having all these annuals around and today I planted most of them in containers. If I keep them groupd close on the back patio I can always throw sheets over them if frost threatens. My Tipsy Tower is a bit tipsy - really should have a longer piece of rebar and deeper in the ground. It has been very windy this weekend so hope it stays up!

I still have some more annuals that go in the ground and some seed to scatter round but need to wait for the wind to drop. Did get the potatoes in yesterday.

Should have worked at LH today but begged off, my back and hip were so painful last evening I could hardly move. This morning I took a Tylenol 3 and that helped a lot. Most of my gardening was done sitting down since I was filling containers. Don't have the appointment for the bone scan yet- hope I don't have to wait too long.

an induced coma? I can understand that Mike would think they were going to euthanize him but that's just not legal... Poor Ann.......
Carol - I hope your pain eases, and you get your appointment quickly.

Friday the 13th News - my DH lost his job. They fired 3 out of 5 people in the company in Calgary, from Head Office in Edmonton.
Seems they wanted to get rid of the warehouse manager (disgruntled employee, after 13 years), and the Salesman. As my DH works in the warehouse (shipper/receiver) they figured he followed along with the attitude of the warehouse manager and got rid of all 3 of 'em.
I'm here to say that my DH is a "company man" and if it's good for the company he would do it. He worked so hard for them. There was no need to fire him, and the accountant agrees. She's the one who goes to our church and got him the job 2 1/2 yrs ago, in the first place. She thinks he got "shafted". He would no more be disgruntled than the kindest of men - he is a very gentle, soft-spoken man, and put his heart and soul into the company. There was no need to let him go....
He doesn't understand what's happened, and he's trying to realize he doesn't have a job to go to on Monday....... He keeps saying things like "that's one of our clients" or "if we bought that house, it wouldn't be far for me to go to work". I just look at him and wait for him to realize what he just said.

Ann just called, the Lord has taken Mike home.
She thanks you for all your prayers!

My condolences to all concerned Betty, including you.

Susan, what rotten news, I hope your DH is able to find alternate employment. Can't imagine the nerve of 'the brass' painting all with the same brush .. shameful to say the very least.

Gardening in fits and starts here .. today we tackle the west garden .. I ALMOST bought some tomato plants today, but thought better of it.
Lovely in the sun, but OOOOOOOOoo that NW wind again .. sundress and track pants on .. now THERE is a fashion statement LoL

TTFN

~M~

Betty - don't know whether to take that as sad or joyful news. Mike will surely be missed, but it's good he's released from his suffering. Hugs to Ann and prayers for her at this time for sure.

Susan - I agree with Marilynne. Rotten news. I'm so sorry to hear it and hope your DH is able to come through this all right.

Carol - how are those pots held together? That would be a great way to grow herbs.

Bells in Spring Concert is over for another year. Choirs from 5 churches got together. We got a pic of my group but didn't think to take bells with us.

These are the bells - a pic I snapped as groups were setting up. Ours are on the blue table. BTW, the BIG bells on the table in front of ours play the same pitches as our lower bells (although they have 7 and we have 2), but theirs are made of aluminum - large, but lighter.

Betty
Thougths and Prayers for Ann and her family and you too as it's close for you too.

Susan Please tell DH that I know how he feels! I'm sorry that he lost his job!

Carol I love your planter! please divulge how it's held together!. Hope your hip and back are feeling better by now.

I have some plants popping their heads up, finally!
It's still cold at night and GH heater is coming on so can't put stuff out just yet.
Alberta Ann

Condolences to your friend Ann on her loss.

Susan sorry to hear about Bobs job- that is a bummer.

The tipsy planter is just on a piece of rebar. I really should have a 6 foot length but happened to have some shorter ones so used that. It is not in the ground far enough but I think it will hold. The pots have to be all the same size except the bottom pot so each one rests on the edge of the one below.
http://current.com/groups/art-and-style/89954209_make-your-own-tipsy-pots-tower-planter.htm

Still waiting to hear re appt for bone scan.

I have been planting most of the day, even put in most of my annuals and keep my fingers crossed, they are mostly pretty hardy ones, if we have a threat of frost I can pop large pots over them.

This message was edited May 16, 2011 2:57 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQmm6bp9FCo

The above is anothere TIPSY link ^_^
It actually shows the whole process .. 7 minutes long and I am hoping to try it out.
Thanks for the link Carol ..

~M~

Thank you everyone for your T&P for Bob in his job hunt - I have a feeling this time around he won't have as much trouble finding a job ^_^ He has company references this time.

Carol - thank you for the site re: Tipsy Pots - we have rebar, and we have pots...... "just add soil" is all we need lol
Hoping for quick appt for your bone scan!