I order lots of computer equipment for work and it comes in great cardboard boxes and I cut them to fit, then mulch on top. Price is right, bocks weeds for at least a couple of years. I made a big path thru the flower garden and I laid boxes down first, covered with mulch and still don't have weed problems there.
Some sellers sell products for cheap prices and make up the difference on shipping and handling, agree with you Will you have to really watch those additional charges.
Aug. 2011 dry and hot, like July still!
Happ, I hope you had a great time at the fair!
Will, I did see your mail. I just haven't had time to do anything more than the weather thread most mornings. We get out early and start working on getting the yard back together after the driveway.
Sunday, we moved the dirt pile from the yard to the garden. That was a good because we're trying to save the grass. It's looking poorly, but has potential, LOL!
Monday we went to the State Fair.
Tuesday, we got all the dirt in along the driveway and tamped it a final time. DH seeded it and covered it with straw.
Yesterday we ran two loads of rock we raked out of the dirt, to my Dad's. I spent most of the day raking more out. It's really good dirt and I need to change out so much in old plant beds. So, I'm driven to get it all sorted.
Ligularias usually wilt in the high heat. It must be cool enough right now. I hope they do well. I love the looks of them!
So, no loathing, no bored with you, and maybe, on the slipping by :o)
Love the recycling of the frame.
You can seed when it's cool, but you have to water if it doesn't rain. Fall has a better chance of rain.
Pepper, I love Russian Sage! What color Mums?
Rusty, you are going to be busy for a while! I sure hope your lungs and tailbone do get better.
Will, nice paint job and no offense over the pansy. I was thinking I was one too as I only half fill my buckets and barrows anymore. I'm not wrecking my back or arms either!
It's amazing at what a person hangs on to and finally uses. I think the shells would make a nice accent.
Tropicana looks nice!
Happ, danged voles!
Pepper, it's like June here too. I have a flannel shiort on right now. But we aren't getting any rain.
I love petunias!
Birder, grinning over the links. I love both bushes!
Happ, ROTFL picturing the sticky trap on the dog's nose!!
I'll have to catch up later. We're needing to get in and get groceries.
Me and the wooden lady at the Fair :o)
BP: Love the picture of the wooden lady and you at the fair!
We rec'd rain this AM, but man it's hot and humid this afternoon.
Still working on the deck. Ugh! We have such a big deck. We like it a lot until it's time to re-stain it!
Bad storms rolled thru last night. I heard that winds in some places reached 100 mph but I just got home less than an hour ago from Illinois so not sure about that. I do know that Concordia got some damage on their corn. It looked pretty bad. My rubber bucket was half full of water and my truck bed has water standing in it. I have a lawn chair back there that I need to get out before it rusts.
We drove to Illinopolis today for a funeral. Left last night and stopped in Hannibal then went rest of way today. Drove home afterwards. It's about a 6 hour trip. Very exhausting.
A paved driveway is nice, billyp, I'm sure you and you're hubby will get lots of enjoyment out of it, no more mud and getting stuck in the mud, rain and snow!
Thanks on the compliment on the paint job billyp, I hope it lasts about 40 years or so! It is decent paint for porches and concrete surfaces in general, so maybe it'll do alright for awhile.
Oh goody! I love that new use for cardboard! I was in the neighbor's basement the other day, I remember now he had the cardboard box from a new water heater he installed recently, I'm gonna ask him for that box. That's nice, since I recently sold my truck, cardboard has been accumulating, now I have a use for it, thanks! I use to throw boxes in the bed of my truck and take them to be recycled. Thanks, I hope that idea of making that swing frame into a waterer works.
Here's that "tropical spot" that I've been raving about, painted wall and all. There is 2 Banana plants in it now but I plan on having 4 of them in there when I'm done, and there's that ROS yet to be pruned WAY back. That's the area where I plan to put down all the cardboard I think. I hope I end up hiding that AC unit, my housemate would love that too.
I looked up Illiopolis, I couldn't believe there was a town called Illiopolis, but it only has 900 some people! - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illiopolis,_Illinois I've heard of Metropolis, Indianapolis and Anapolis but not Illiopolis!
Yeah, I have a deck here to stain, not looking forward to it!
Haha! If the shipping and handling charges are more than what I'm ordering, then I hit CANCEL! Well, I guess it depends on the size of the order and if I can't find it anywhere else, (which doesn't usually happen)!
Will
This message was edited Aug 19, 2011 9:12 PM
Thanks Birder :o)
I don't envy you staining. It's a long hard job, but hopefully it will last a long time.
Pepper, what a lot of rain! We could use some and maybe we'll get it today. The clouds look promising.
A 6 hour trip is very tiring. It took us close to 2 and 1/2 hours to get to the Fair and it was enough for me no matter how comfortable the truck was.
Will, could you have painted all the hose, wiring and outlet box white with the wall paint? That would make it less noticable to start. It looks great painted and will make a nice tropical bed!
We are officially done putting things back together. The dirt pile is sorted and the rock we raked out are down at Dad's in his driveway. The grass id growing under the straw and it might rain today. Life is good, LOL!
My dirt.
That's a good idea about painting all the wiring and the box white also. When our house was painted, they did that and they are barely noticable.
About the only thing I have blooming right now after all the heat and dry are moss rose and one canna. This canna is Erebus
moss rose
We got some damage here from the storms last night. Several big limbs down and my cannas got knocked down. Lost power and phone service also. Power was back up pretty quickly but the phone service was still out when I left for work this morning but working when I got home. Several neighbors have damage also. Lots of big limbs down.
But the temps sure are nice!! lol
Crit, I love moss rose and didn't have any reseed this year. The canna is beautiful!! Boy, we've come a long way from the red ones, and yet, they are still bright and beautiful. My neighbor has them surrounding their three season porch and I'm enjoying them.
Wow, I've never seen such full moss rose, gorgeous!
Pepper, there's the ''lemonade!" Temps are nice!
DD called yesterday and said she was going nuts, so she came down. One little boy just woke up and the other is fast asleep :o)
I managed to mow early yesterday since we didn't have any dew on the ground. I think it's been 19 days. No rain, not grow. It looks nice and I was able to skip over a lot of dormant grass. We need rain tho. Then we had a nice jeep ride. It was a nice relaxing day.
Thanks Billy. Moss Rose and Canna's are about the only thing I have blooming. My moss rose reseeds all over the place. I have 4 long ledge planters that are brimming over with them, then several pots of them. Plus I mix my old potting soil with new every spring, so I have it growing in a lot of pots with the other plants. I also save some seed every year. Here is another shot.
One more. See the big pale yellow flower in the middle? That is a moss rose. It sure doesn't look like it. I just love it. Have some pics of the ledge planters, but haven't downloaded them yet.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one with short ee's this year!! lol
Hmmm.. I'll ask what my housemate thinks of painting all those wires and hoses White, that would be no problem, I'll have the paint out some more, I have 2 more sides yet to do.
Thanks, I hope it turns out as nice as I envision! I wonder if Pelicans and Flamingos will stop by?!
How's this photo for some Cannas? I went to my lot in KS. to cut the grass and I've always been intrigued by this median full of Cannas. I'll try to stop there sometime and ask them if they let them overwinter there, if they don't, thats alot of work!
Beautiful Moss Rose there Crit! And that light Pink Erebus Canna is also. I don't know what color flower Tropicanna has, but I think I'll be finding out soon! It has really recovered from losing a sprout due to wind a couple weeks ago. It had only 1 sprout left after the wind, now it has 4 at last count!
That's quite a pile of dirt, billyp! It looks like decent dirt there, unlike here! Cheap dirt can be hard to come by.
Boy, the disabled elderly lady here was quite nasty this evening. She was yelling for her daughter again, so I go in there and nicely ask her if there's anything I can do, to keep her from yelling for her daughter so much. Oh, she let me have it! She says, "when I'm yelling for *** you don't come in here, you son-of-a-biscuit eater"! Well, she says the real curse words. "Now, get you're thing outta here and leave my blank blank cats alone!" She says the next time I go in there she's going to, "knock me out"! Her daughter, (my housemate) gets about 10 minutes of sleep a nite!
The elderly lady does not care that she has to get up to go to a job. She doesn't care about what time of nite it is, anytime is good for yelling. Hospice has been coming about the last 2 months or so to see her and give meds, and she calls those nurses some nasty names most days! Mind you, this lady is bedridden 24 x 7, blind and with Parkinson's Disease. She has some make-believe going about, I'm poisoning her cats and hiding under her bed and tearing up the house, all untrue. We're always nice to her, we treat her like a queen, that's what she thinks she is!
Will
This message was edited Aug 21, 2011 11:02 PM
I am sorry Will, but the elderly lady story made me laugh!! :) It sounds like a sitcom.
I made oatmeal cookies this AM. I just thought I would mention that. My girlfriend's daughter made them, then my girlfriend started craving them and made some, and now I am making them!
Oatmeal cookies are a treat indeed!
Oh, she is a peach alright, birder! I always knock on her door before I go in, she says today, "you saw that, he came in uninvited" to the other aide, and there I had knocked, I always do, she is just so focused on and self-convinced that I'm a sonofagun that she only hears and believes what she wants. A little while ago, I said "I was going to run a few errands, be back in a little while, I have to go deposit my millions in the bank". I try to be funny, even tho comedy isn't really the mood in there, it's usually not.
Anybody want to see a Weeping Willow that I grew from a cutting and gave to my Sister and BIL over 7 years ago? They pruned it up recently, last year the trunk wasn't visible and it has lost a lot of leaves due to the hot, dry spell we had this Summer. For instance, last year you couldn't see thru it, this year you can. Everybody loves that tree, the neighbors and everybody! I have such illusions of grandeur!!
Will
Here is that Weeping Willow less than 7 years ago, as a stick in a big black pot with a ruler and a seashell! That big, dead looking stick standing straight up is the cutting.
Amazing Will. That's a really pretty tree. I can see why everyone loves it.
If there are any typos here, please ignore them. I was working with one of the horses and was latching the center gate back on the trailer with a bungee cord because the rattle of the gate when she is loading startles her, and I was working with her on loading and unloading in the trailer. I had it wrapped 3 times and was just trying to hook the ends when she pulled on the rope. I think it was the bungee cord end that the sliced open my middle finger on my right hand at the middle joint, and maybe the latch on the gate. 3 1/2 hours later we left the emergency room with 11 stitches in it and it all wrapped up and a long splint that goes from past the tip of my finger to my wrist. The tip of the finger from the first joint to the tip is numb It could just be from the trauma or there could be nerve damage. They gave me the name of a hand surgeon to contact if it isn't better in a week or 2. It looked pretty yucky, I could see a little tendon or nerve or something inside the gash that was still in tact. We (DH and I) sat in the waiting room for 2 1/2 hours! That is just unreal!!! I was in such pain. I hate ER's.
So, I am off work today. Going to take it easy and maybe go back tomorrow. We are just about finished getting the place ready for closure. We are working 4 hours a day and getting paid for 8. We have a contract with the state until Sept. 30th, so they have to pay us until then whether we work or they send us home on administrative leave, which we do not have to use any of our vacation time for.
Everyone heard about the earthquake in the Northeast? Hope all those in the EQ area checks in to let us know they are OK. We had a 4.8 EQ here a few months ago. I was setting in my office and I could see the walls shaking and my chair....it was freaky. I hadn't ever been in one I could feel as much as that one. We have a fault that runs through OK. When I lived near West Plains, MO I was required to have EQ insurance as I lived about 3 miles from a fault line.
Well, that's all for now. Tired. Finger hurting. Going back to bed. Have a great day!
Ouch Crit, sorry to hear that, hope it heals up for you, yeah horses do have some pulling power I hear!
My housemate's Sister lives near the epicenter of that VA. EQ, Powhatan, VA. My housemate asked, they are fine, nobody was hurt anywhere I heard. Only a half mile deep they say, it could be felt far away, even in OH. they said they could feel it and left they're workplace buildings.
I've had bad internet issues the last day or so. Even now, it's not fixed, it's just hooked up wired, (straight from the modem to the pc). Something isn't working right with the router connected, that still gotta be fixed.
My friend here and her Mother (the disabled lady) are from West Plains, MO. I've been there before with my friend, visiting family, nice city.
Will
There is a thread on Mid Atlantic regional gardening that has everyone checking in. The quake was felt in 22 states and Canada. Washington Monument and the National Cathedral is damaged also. Both closed til they find out how bad damage is.
I went out and tried to weed today but didn't get very far. I managed to weed around the rocks bordering my iris bed and that was it. I had wanted to weed my veggie bed but it was just too hot and humid. Just the little bit I did in the shade about kicked my butt. lol
Crit, hope you don't have permament finger nerve damage. Yeah, the ER is not fast like it's supposed to be. Almost better off just going to regular doctor sometimes.
Hey Will, do you want 3 butterfly bushes and a hydranga? BBs are Black Knight, Peacock and Nahno Blue. The hydranga is Amethyst. I plan on taking out my butterfly bushes in front of the deck and putting in 2 small hydrangas since they like shade and I want them to go to a good home. I have 2 butterfly bushes in the ground and the other one and the hydranga are in a pot. I can cut them back and mail them. If you don't want them I'll send them to whoever does want them.
Here's the link to the earthquake thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1215758/#new
That is awesome Will. I lived in a tiny town about 15 miles from there named Dora. I went to West Plains all the time. Loved my drive home through the Mark Twain National Forrest (I think that's the name, my mind just went blooey) with all the tall pines. It was beautiful!!!
I would of gone to my regular doc, but it happened at 5:30 p.m. Of COURSE!
If Will doesn't want the butterfly bushes, I do. All but one of mine died thiis summer. Thanks!
Oh, I'd love to have the Butterfly Bushes! I wish they were an even number of them, then I'd give half to Crit. But, we bought two last Summer and they didn't overwinter in the garage.
Even though I returned them for store credit, we kinda should replace them somehow, the Sister in VA. came last Summer and bought them and doesn't know they're gone.
Could I have the 'Black Knight' and the 'Nanho Blue' BB's, Pepper? Mailing them would be fine, I'll return you're postage. But, I go to Odessa sometimes to visit a good friend, I could meet you somewhere in Odessa or something or come to you're house, gas is no thing for me, I drive a small car.
Hydrangeas aren't a favorite of my friend's. Thanks for the kind offer, Pepper.
The Mark Twain National Forests are so cool. It's neat that such a large part of South Missouri is Mark Twain Nat'l Forests.
Yeah, that nerve damage can really be worrisome if you don't know that's all it is, but it usually heals up, but it can take many months. One time my foot went over sideways and all my weight went on my ankle and I'm pretty sure looking back that that tore the nerves all up, my foot was numb, it just hung limp, I walked with a limp for a long time, but it eventually healed up. When I did it I felt this terrible tearing sensation and I remember thinking, "oh, that didn't feel right".
Oh, I got short Elephant Ears too! -
Will
Will, the 2 butterfly bushes are yours!! Crit the other one is yours and the hydranga if you want it. I'm sure I could find a good home though if not. I just don't have room for it where I want to put it. I got 2 new short hydrangas this summer that will be perfect for my spot. Rio and Vienna.
http://www.colorchoiceplants.com/cityline_venice.htm
Will, I'll dmail you and we will work it out.
Okay, sounds great! Thanks!
I don't seem to do well with hydranga's. Give it to someone who will enjoy it. Thanks for the bfly bush
Crit: sorry to hear about your finger. It may take a long time to get feeling back into the finger. It took about a year for my husband's injured hand.
The deck is finished. Thank you, God!! It was a real challenge. Now that the deck project is over, I have been pulling weeds. I am tempted to put down cardboard or Preen, but I love the re-seeding of the Poppies, Larkspur, and Salvia 'Victoria Blue'.
Here's a pic of the finished deck. Above the middle of the deck is a gazebo with copper on the very top.
Nice deck, the stain job looks great, birder. That's a neat bench there too, that's cool how all that stuff is on it, like the hose and the extension cords. I'd say somebody is a handyperson!
Looks great and very inviting. We just let ours go la natural`... naked. lol Still have to weather proof it occasionally though. Replacing bad boards as we can.
Coolest temps since June this morning!!!!!!! 66* now, low 90's today! YA!!!!
That Sister also bought 2 Hydrangeas at the same time, 'Mini-Penny'. The aide here Penny says she likes them, I think I know why! Because they're named Penny!
It's supposed to have a nice blue flower. If I remember, it had a few nice flowers this year already, in the pot.
Will
Boy, this Tropicanna from Pepper is really getting crazy big!
How about these Peaches?! They are getting pretty big. I am curious about what is causing the black spots and that can't be good for inside the Peach. Does anyone know what is causing these black spots on every Peach?
Thanks, Will
My "guess" about the peaches are insects. I have read peaches are one of the "buggiest" fruits. The insects love them.
Ack!! Bugs on my Peaches!? I'll have to see if theres a kind of fruit spray for them next year, I'd like big, clean Peaches.
Thanks
I LOVE peaches!
Me too! I do love a Peach! Dang I wish these didn't all have those black spots! Oh well, maybe inside of them won't be bad. I was boasting this tree up because I just bought it last October from Lowes. It is gonna be included in my landscaping master plan in the backyard.
Will
I usually eat nectarines, because they don't have the fuzzy peach skin. However, if I freeze, I always use peaches because I peel them.
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(¸.•´(¸.• (¸.•´¸¸.•¨¯`•.¸¸.♥ PLEASE Re-post this heart prayer balloon for all the families along the Eastern coast of the US as they get ready for hurricane Irene!! God bless & keep them all safe!!! Please
I see the hand surgeon on Wednesday. Still have numbness on the tip and down the side of my finger. Hope I don't have to learn to type like this permanently. I do pretty well, but not the 70 wpm I use to do. :-)
Hope you get good news on the finger. Would hate to hear that the damage is permanent.
I tood advantage of the nice day this afternoon. I went out and FINALLY got my veggie bed weeded!!! Found some potatoes that I didn't think had done anything too. Now I can plant my radishes. Would like to plant carrots but I don't know if I can do fall planting for those or not. Will have to look.
Aren't Peaches the greatest?! I see NYC got hit last nite about midnite or the wee hours, somewhere in there, they said it wasn't as bad there as they prepared for, still, better safe than sorry!
Unlike Katrina was, this hurricane is only a category one, last I heard, although it brings huge amounts of rain. I couldn't believe some of the rain totals from Irene.
That's a neat balloon there, Crit.
I'd be a little wary of what they want to do with you're hand. They could end up doing more harm than good, I'd at least get a second opinion. I think sometimes unnecessary things are done in healthcare just for the insurance big bucks. It's my opinion that sometimes money greed is deciding for the doctors and surgeons, you're best interest may take a backseat. But, I'm sure much in healthcare helps, I'm just saying, I wouldn't jump on anything in healthcare. Like my Grandpa used to say, "if you take medicine, it'll heal up in about a week, if you don't take any, it'll heal up in about 7 days"! I suppose I'm a bit biased, I think that greed scenario, unfortunately, may have had a big part in my Father's hospital demise. The keyword here being opinion, that's my opinion. In any case, I hope that numbness goes away for you, Crit.
On another note, I saw this thing on Yahoo news about a man in Cuba who had 24 digits! He said it helped him climb Palm trees! - http://news.yahoo.com/photos/cuban-man-proud-of-his-24-digits-1314393190-slideshow/
How about this big, 3 tiered birdbath that I glommed onto from my Stepmom today?! In the photo is the bottom and the middle section, I already have the top section here. It was at my Stepmom's and Father's place.
My Dad is the one who had it all set up and maintained back in the day, since he passed away 4 years ago, it's just been sitting and collecting rainwater and turning green and nasty. Those setups cost like $500 new,
it's really gonna be a big asset in my master backyard landscaping plan. I plan on having one of my cheap, little Harbor Freight pumps going on it someday. The birds will love me I say! There is about a half dozen birdbaths here!
I was a little worried about the 35 mile one way roadtrip I had to do on the freeway to get this thing. But as far as I can tell, the big birdbath didn't move an inch on the trailer ride.
Haha! Look at how low the car is squatting, almost sitting on the rear tires! That trailer is quite small and the temporary sides I made on it are way less than ideal. I wasn't worried about the weight capacity of the trailer. I now know kinda the tow capacity weight limits I shouldn't exceed on my little car, about 500 lbs., including the trailer, (which is about 150 lbs. itself).
I meant to get a photo of that Cardinal plant or Lobelia I think it is, something is sprouting at it's base, I thought it was dead! The long branches turned brown and crispy, but I never got rid of the plant, now I'm wondering if it has little ones now. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow, it is kinda perplexing! I wouldn't know a Lobelia leaf from a weed!
Will
Will, if you are lucky it could have converted to the original cardinal plant which means it will be even hardier!! I need to see if mine survived. It may not have.