The Merry, Merry Month of May

Time for a new thread, I had the first daylily open today, it is a black eye Stella, so nothing special and I didn't run for the camera.

I did try my hand at something new and I will show it to you and use it for the picture for this thread.

I made this to take and put on Mamma's grave for Mother's Day. I told my sister, Pat, on thing was for sure, she would have flowers that no one else would have some like !!

Be honest and tell me what I need to fix, I am planning on taking it tomorrow

All I'd say about that is - it is PERFECT and your Momma would be proud. That is something I've never been able to do - is flower arranging. Nice Job !

This is my ballerina rose blooming - I think Kim - Lilylove is the one that talked me into getting this rose.

Pheasant Feathers
(on very weak stalks- probably don't get enough sun)

Frederick Douglas

Daniel Doronda

First bloom on last year plant. Nice size - color not very impressive though.

Another rose bush - got this rose the same time I got the Rainbow's End. They all came from a coop on here that the nursery is closed now. I hate it because I always got great plants.

Love this little clematis.

My sweet husband mounted this tonite for me. Got it in fall of last year and just put it out. Love me some "yard art". lol -
"Fish" bird house over the filter tub that goes to the koi pond. ( we sit at that window in the background ALOT !) lol

(meant to mention that it is concrete - made by Douglas Fey Pottery)

This message was edited May 5, 2011 4:57 PM

Sandra you did a wonderful job with your momma's flowers! I see you have the roses she loved so well and I'm sure the other flowers are things that she also loved.

Bonnie love that fish birdhouse!

I can't do anything strenuous for 2 weeks but I got out for a while this afternoon in the sunshine and deadheaded some of my iris and knockout roses. I have lots of small trash that needs to be picked up in the back yard. I'll start doing that tomorrow.

My surgery has not bothered me much at all. I have not taken any pain pills since I was in the recovery room. He gave me a prescription for Percoset but I haven't even gotten it filled. I'm just going to take some Ibuprofen. Pain pills just don't agree with me. The only problem I had was with the anesthesia and the pain med's they gave me in the recovery room. They made me very nauseous and they finally had to give me a shot for nausea. I have developed a slight bladder infection from having to go to the bath room so much because of the IV. Getting that under control today. I am literally glued together! I have stitches under the skin and then a coat of glue on the front of the incision. I can take a shower and everything.

Thats pretty good Charlotte. The only thing about not having something strong for a back-up is - what if it starts to really hit you tonite, and ibuprofen just don't cut it ?

Bonnie, I love all your pictures, they are all beautiful, and the fish is perfect for that spot, I love sitting at that window in your house too, it is such a peaceful scene looking out from it.

Charlotte, you sound like it was a piece of cake-LOL-I hope you don't overdo, since it has only been ONE DAY---not TWO WEEKS yet !!
It is so hard to keep a good woman down, I know, but we want you to be in tip top shape and listen to the doc.

Thanks for the comments on the flowers, I am not sure we will be able to attach it to the headstone since it has that heart shape, but we can stake it into the ground if it doesn't fit right. Pat and I discussed that when we picked it out, that it might not be the best to put flowers on, but we both loved the heart. They had some pretty ones already made at the Trees and Trends place, but they all looked so "cookie cutter" I just wanted something different.

I actually have some percocet from some other time it was prescribed for me and I didn't take it. Pain pills really make me very ill - worst than the pain! I have a long incision - basically from ear to ear - but don't imagine it is very deep. I need to pick up a couple of those long scarves they are wearing now to cover it up with. I can also wear a big necklace over the incision. It will take a couple of months for it to start fading and I'm sure it's going to be puffy for a while too. I am going to go to bed tonight and just watch TV. Kinda unheard of for me!

Good for you Charlotte - you need to relax !

Sandra - did you get all those flowers at Trees & Trends ?
Wow - you did good. I like the shape of the arrangement too.

No, I just got the saddle and foam and one bunch of flowers there, I had some here already and had been toying with the idea of making it.

Charlotte, you take it easy and watch all the TV you can!

Sandra, thanks for the new thread. Let's hope for a glorious May. Happy Mother's Day to all of you. And your flower arrangement for your Mother looks great!

Sandra I think your mother would really treasure anything that you made from the love of your hands. It is just a bonus that it is lovely too.
Charlotte hope you have a good night tonight. Soreness may began to set in a little tomorrow. Don't push it. We all know you can but you shouldn't. Now Mama said!!! Take it easy a little while. Hope Jeri is feeling better today.

The water is 3 ft under our camp already. Jimbo and the others are going over in the morn to start barging 2 vehicles at a time out 12 miles. it will take them about 1 1/2 hr per round trip. It should several days to get all the trucks out. We are thankful that we will be able to get them out in time. If the crest holds at the rate they are predicting we will take on about six inches inside. Hoping and praying it doesn't get quite that high. I took a few photos today in case it is all under water next week. Not really they are predicting the river to jump 15 ft next week but that shouldn't cause any flooding up in the beds. If you have time browse through them.
Sandra the cool nights are causing my daylily blooms to open deformed.

https://picasaweb.google.com/riverland711/May52011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOm2hLnj1L3RbA&feat=directlink

It is cool here tonight too, the temp is 50, but the breeze outside is cool.
I am getting more scapes now, but not looking for any of the bigger ones to open for at least another week, maybe more.
If you remember I worked on the tomato bed all winter off and on, putting leaves and rabbit poo in it. The tomatoes in it will make 4 of the ones I put in the daylily bed--same tomato plant, planted same day, so today I side dressed the other ones with rabbit poo, I hope it will help them. They look so small after looking at the ones in that bed.

That just goes to show you all that amending pays off. I need to find a good place to compost the cow manure and spent hay. It would have to be a hot pile though to kill the hay and weed seeds. I have all that available but just don't use it because I am fighting enough weeds without introducing more. If I can get more of the daylilies moved out of the pen I can use an area in there. Hopefully I have enough pine straw down to keep out the new weeds. I know I will still have to fight the Bermuda, morning glory and nut grass. Still have 1 large bed next to the river (black iron area) to get weeded and put down straw but I am out of straw already.

Cindy your hard work is apparent!! I pray that they are wrong on the crest and it doesn't get as high as predicted!!! They are telling us they will open the spillway Monday to save us from the Miss. River but then I think of the low areas that will flood. Not good!!!!

Thanks for thinking of me Cindy. I haven't slowed down. Ashley is having a problem with the antibiotic. It keeps making her sick to her stomach. But we are in the last week before our plant sale and there is no time for anything but that!!!!

Cindy you really have been working!! Your beds look great. I have lots of scapes but it will be a while before any open. I really like the look of the pine straw mulch. When we went to Memphis, every nursery we went to had it but for some reason it is hard to find in Little Rock.

Charlotte are you talking about the artificial straw? They have that around here but my diggers would have that stuff buried quick. Thanks Jeri and Charlotte I have been working hard for 2 years now to get everything cleaned up from the flood of 2009. Jeri I guess this is going to be our theme song for the next couple of weeks. I have always loved this song. Just never knew it would apply again in modern times. Yours too all states along that great big Miss River.
http://youtu.be/lkZYbQbdPyE

I don't know if any of you have ever seen the original with Randy Newman the author. I prefer Aarons rediction but the original has pictures of the great flood of 1927. http://youtu.be/MGs2iLoDUYE

I have never heard that song, Cindy. I watched the one with the pictures.
Did you listen to the book I had checked out "Gap Creek" ? It is one of those about mountain people and what a hard time they had, they had to run from a rising river in the dark. At least now they can predict whee the flood waters might go, don't you know all those people in 27 were scared out of their minds.
Your beds are looking very pretty. I would like to see some close ups of the new one out by my house-lol !

Gosh Cindy - your grounds and gardens are beautiful. You sure can tell what you have been doing. Everything is so tidy and clean looking. Great photos.

No I'm talking about the real pine needle mulch. I just got around to reading the paper and all our flooding problems seem to be coming from the White river which flows into the Mississippi. I40 is even closed around Brinkley. The detour around is over 130 miles. Lots of evacuating in towns along the White river. Hope you don't get water in your beds again Cindy.

Love that song and Aaron Nevelles!!! Thanks for the tribute!!!!

I didn't even see a new thread started. I think your flower arrangement is beautiful too Sandra, just the way it is. did you get those at the last stop? where Kim and I headed home from.

bonnie your clematis are beautiful. I use to have the purple/white one, but I killed it with round up. I guess I got alittle round up happy. lol the name of it was seibolti or something like that. Dian in Bald knob is suppose to be getting 7or 8 varieties of cleamtis, 7.00 for a gallon pot of them, i'm going back, cause that is one she's going to be getting in. i'm getting on a clematis hang up I think lol

hoping to get some yard work done tomorrow and soap making too.

I'm definitely on a clematis hang up! I have plants all over the back yard that need to go in the ground but I actually need more annuals for my containers! LOL I didn't buy but a few annuals on our Memphis run. I'm actually trying to get some things growing permanently in some of my containers, but I still need fill in stuff. I also need things for a couple of hanging baskets. I may have to make a Bald Knob run also if I can get there. This water is terrible.
I just finished reading about it in the paper this morning and 23 miles of I40 is closed. Trucks are having to take a 300 mile detour to get around it. There is a whole column of roads in east AR that are closed. They are beginning to compare it to the flood of 1927. They are saying they have not seen water levels to compare since that time.

Yes Charlotte the water is really bad everywhere the Miss River flows. The major flooding I think has been from the feeder rivers. The Miss river is so high those rivers have no where to go. The National Weather Service said the river will crest in Vicksburg on May 18 at 57.5 feet. That is 1.3 feet higher than 1927 , the highest recorded in history. Two days later, Natchez is expected to hit 65 feet.

In 1937, the Mississippi River topped out at 53.2 feet. In 2008, the river reached 50.9 feet, the highest since 1973 when it reached 51.6 feet.
The benchmark 1927 flood reached 56.2 feet on today's gauges.

This is the back of our camp yesterday. Jimbo put those cables on the pilings and anchored to large pecan trees to stabilize the metal pilings from the force of the current.

This message was edited May 7, 2011 8:46 AM

This is the front , notice the porch is built around a big pecan tree in the middle. Hoping this will stabilize under the pressure of the river.

Cindy where you all able to get all the vehicles out? What a mess! Here is a link to some video our local tv station did from a helicopter.

http://www.katv.com/story/14589577/a-look-at-the-flooding-from-chopper-7

This is how they are getting the all the vehicles out.

How many more feet can it take without getting inside?

Wow Charlotte the is really amazing. So sad to see all the devastation. That flooding is not going down anytime soon either.

Lots of east AR is like this. There has been mandatory evacuation in lots of towns. Going to be major damage. It's headed your way. The White river seems to be where most of the flooding is taking place. Like you say, the Mississippi is so full it doesn't have anywhere to flow. They are dividing the truck and car traffic. They are sending trucks down through Lake Village and letting cars go on Hwy 79 and then get back on I40. They say Hwy 79 can't handle truck traffic and it is also too dangerous to have that many cars and trucks on the same hwy.

Not exactly sure but about 7 more feet I think. The floor of the trailer is around 12 ft off the ground. He raised it a foot higher than the recorded high water in 1927. Who knew it would ever get a foot and 1/2 higher than that benchmark. It should be a lot deeper under it today.

A picture from the School Tea we went to yesterday. This is Sarah and her mom - Richard's daughter.

This is from Easter. Sarah and Charlie. He loves for her to tote him. He normally want stay still that long!