January 2012- Happy New Year!!!

Neat!!

I just got home from a benefit for the dog park there in Blue Springs. They want to improve the water quality in the pond and do a few other improvements. Had a great time!! Got 2 free leashes also for a friend of mine.

Working backwars :o)

Pepper,
That sounds like a great day!

Because of gas prices we don't go far either.

Will,
How beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I doubt I ever seee one in person.

Stone fruits usually are self pollinating, but will do better with a pollunator.

The copper pipe may just need soldering wire and a torch to melt it with. Keep touching around the leak till it seems filled, without it sucking into the pipe and blocking it. Just go slow and keep looking at it and how much wire you have left, LOL!

The mice will get the hazelnuts before you do, LOL!

I don't think I could do a yard with no grass. I like balance and a yard is something special.

Birder,
Natives are better for wildlife all around. The invasives just aren't the same for shelter, nesting, eating, etc.

Rusty,
I hope you have no more falls in your life!

Well, kind of caught up. Been cleaning house and am still not done. I'm also starting another Goodwill Sack. Where does this stuff come from? Oh yeah, shelves in closets and wardrobes, LOL!

I'm a big native fan too. I have gotten to where I try to have at least a couple natives in every bed and mix it up with other plants that are colorful. I need some color under all these trees here!! LOL

Watching second round of playoffs. Rooting for Giants. Tough game so far so no telling who will win!!

An albino Hummingbird is kinda cool. I fixed one of the 3 plumbing leaks we have. What woulda only took a plumber a little while took me all day yesterday, to stop the drip in the bathroom faucet.
The "bad washer" isn't your regular washer I found out, that rubber washer is shaped like a cup, it goes over a Spring and it sits in water! But, it is a money saver if you do it yourself, it was $4.37 at Lowes. For that you get 2 washers and 2 springs, to do both cold and hot water at the same time, which is nice.

I set my propane torch and some solder out to do that copper pipe job, but my friend insists on having the plumber do it tomorrow (Monday). That job I felt pretty confident about doing, that one I've done before.
But, I'll leave it to the pros tomorrow. I'll just ask them if they need a helper or apprentice! Although, I'm getting a little long in the tooth to be crawling around doing plumbing jobs, but I'll do it for those wages! A home repair book here came in very handy, it helped me identify the faucet parts and break some stuff down on how to do it.
I woulda went ahead and did the copper pipe job but I want a new copper elbow thing (the old one is nasty, and the stores aren't open long today so I guess I'm off the hook!)

I did get a shoplite installed today! I cut off the plug to wire it for the wall switch and it's always nice not to shock myself! You were right billyp, the F32T8 bulbs were the skinny bulbs at Walmart. The specs on the bulb packages at the store suggest they are inferior to the bigger 40 watt bulbs but the shoplite box says they are 30% brighter than the 40 watt bulbs. They are $2.50 higher a 2 pk. there (the bigger bulbs are still priced cheaper wrong I saw yesterday).

Boy, gas prices DID shoot up alright, it is $3.18 a gallon and it was just $3.05!

Me too, I love natives, I'll plant them every chance I get. Unfortunately, I think some just say a plant's a plant! I'm still trying to convince my friend here to let me cut down all the Mimosa's in the backyard!
One Mimosa is nice, but 4 big ones in a pretty small backyard?! For years Bush Honeysuckle was the new grass and was it ever a job to remove and it's still popping up everywhere and always will I'm afraid!

Shame on those mice!

Pepper,
Grinning, who won? Is it football? Seriously, I don't do sports at all.

Will,
I knew you could do it, and believe me, even if you know how to do it, it still takes a long time, so you did ok!
It might be less of a headache to just let the plumber do it. But you were prepared :o)

Awesome on the wiring into a switch! That will be so nice!

Yeah, you really have to shop around for bulbs to find the lumens. I like the new skinnies because they don't run hot and I can set them pretty low on the plants. I get mine at Menards because Lowes is a lot farther away.

Just keep mowing the honeysuckle off. Sometimes that's all you can do. That does sound like too many mimosas. Are they a problem tree or are you just lacking sunshine for plants? Or are all the leaves blowing into your pond?

Mice and squirrels. The Hazelnuts used to grow wild around here and maybe still do. I think they create thickets. I love to eat hazelnuts. It's always been my favorite in the nixed nuts. We used to buy a bag of unshelled nuts around Christmas when I was a kid. I have all the nutcrackers and picks Mom used to use. We use the picks on walnuts, but I haven't bought any to use the crackers on. I looked this Christmas and there were more English walnuts than any other nut. It would have taken forever to sort a nice bag out.

I am not going to eat brazil nuts anymore as the last time, my tongue tingled. Warning sign. I don't think I can eat them anymore.

We actually had snow flurries stating at 6:00 am like they said and the wind has picked up. I'm glad to be able to stay home.

Will, how's the lizard?

Gaint won then there will be next Gaint vs. Patriot on Feb. 7...

Actually it's Feb 5th but you were close!! :~) I only remember the date because I have a hockey game the night before.

Bp, yes it's football. Final games to decide who goes to Superbowl. It will be New England Patriots and New York Giants. Bad thing is they have the same team colors for the most part. lol

Wow, go giants! I like the Giants too, just because it'd be nice to see Eli Manning come out of the shadow of his brother, Peyton.

Thanks for the vote of confidence on my plumbing skills, billyp. The real plumbers came today and gave an estimate of $2,000, which is always nice!

Oh, that lizard's name is Lenny! He or she is doing good! That lizard is fat with crickets. You should see him, his belly is sticking way out! If you were to cut him open right now, I bet there'd be 10 crickets in his belly!

It's not the leaves of the Mimosa's, even tho they're everywhere (and seedpods). It's a small to medium sized tree and the bad part is it branches so low, it's like half the crown is on the ground! You can't mow grass around it without constantly pushing branches out of the way. It takes up a lot of space for a smallish tree, and there's four of them in the backyard! Hummingbirds like the flowers and the flowers are long-lasting and pretty and fragrant I guess, needless to say, I won't be cutting them, I'd be in big trouble if I did!

Well, I actually did something related to plants today! I potted up an Ivy 'primadonna' from the 4" plastic pot it came in into a regular hanging planter. I'm like "houseplant Harold" or something, I've really been tempted by houseplants this Winter!

Your favorite was Hazelnuts? I always liked Pecans myself.

I want to get some skinny bulbs but we're all supplied up with the fatter bulbs for now. I put my finger on the big bulb to see how hot it got, it gets warm but nothing like an incandescent bulb.

Will, you can trim the lower branches of the mimosas and the tree would probably be in better shape if you did. It will help with mowing too. Tell your room mate that you have to cut some of the branches to keep it healthy. My dad did that with my grandma's mimosa and it's still going strong. Plus we can mow under it now with no problems.

Pepper,
Ok. I figured if there is snow on the ground it's football, LOL!

Will,
EEEK! Is she sure she doesn't want you to try first. If you can't fix it, it still won't cost more than that. He'll just replace part of the pipe.
Graphic, but funny. I'm glad Lenny is g thriving. Are you going to get a Squiggy?
It's too bad she won't let you take two Mimosas out. Were they there when she moved in?
Hazelnuts and almonds :o)
Well good. You can set them right down on top of the plants. My old large bulbs scorched my baby tomato leaves one year.

Pepper,
Good to know there's a way arounds the tree.

Will, I want a picture of them in bloom this year.

Have a good day everyone. I'm going to DD's for the day.

Hi all,
I'm gonna try to campaign to do that plumbing job if I can. What it is, is all that 4 inch cast iron black pipe he says is shot. He showed me a few spots for example, you can tell it's in need of repair. He showed where some parts were so corroded and rusted you could poke your finger thru it. I've already asked her if I can do it, she has a point, it might take me a long time, and the bathrooms would probably be down for many days under my stead, which wouldn't be good for anybody.

I think only a big old Mimosa could've been here when she moved in here in 96'. The others are probably it's offspring. Mimosas grow fast and they only have a lifespan of 25 or 30 years. The biggest one is probably about to step off. They are real prolific from seed, they sprout up like grass in the yard. Actually, I hope the biggest one lives a while longer because it's got this cool Vinca Minor growing up it. I'd gladly get a photo of the big Mimosa in bloom, it is pretty I admit. I'll insert a photo of it and the Vinca I took last year. The big branch with the white showing, the bark is gone there, (the second branch from the right) is dead, that might not be a good sign for the tree, the whole thing is probably on it's way out. Thanks Pepper, I have already cut one bigger limb that was hanging way down. She is really onto the plants back there, every since a lawnmowing buffoon guy cut down a mature flowering Wisteria vine that she just loved. She is onto me pretty well in the yard, she knows I do stuff back there on occasion and she wants to know what! It IS her yard and I try not to upset her or I'll be living in a box of the cardboard variety. But yeah, I think she'd be okay with that kind of trimming.

Haha! A Squiggy?! Somebody used to watch Laverne and Shirley! I think my tank right now at 10 gallon might be too small to have 2 lizards, I might upgrade someday to a larger tank.
Will

I did some potting of some houseplants today. I repotted that Variegated Ivy (that's all the label says even) from that red pot to that beige pot, the Philodendron 'micans' into the red hanging planter and another unlabeled Variegated Ivy similar to that bigger Ivy only with white around the edges instead of yellow) into that big porcelain seashell. I did all this in the heat of the day so hopefully the plants didn't suffer much the short time they had the 43° temperature. I got all these houseplants now, so I gotta keep them repotted and watered! The big ivy was a $9 plant and the other 2 were $2.78 each from Walmart. Here are the three hooligans.

I'm suprised the tree has lived as long as it has the way it is growing. I'm thinking it is 3 separate sprouts off of one old stump. The one you like the most looks like the best bet for saving if you could get away with cutting the other two stumps. I have a feeling your friend would hurt you if you tried to cut them down though. LOL. Better leave them then.

Yeah, that's your birdhouse tree there, it's low to the ground! If I was around when it was a sapling I woulda pruned it to a singe leader, it probably is a multi-tree. Yes, my friend wouldn't be amused if I did something to that tree, I'll just hafta wait for it's demise. I can always leave enuff of the stump for the Vinca to climb on I can also put an arbor or something there for the Vinca to climb also if I need to.
Here it is nearly 9 years ago and here it is today. -

See that branch on the low right of that old photo? It was 2 or 3 inches in diameter, I cut that thing off 2 or 3 years ago, it was really cramping my style for years when I mowed!



This message was edited Jan 29, 2012 6:45 PM

Anybody want to see my houseplant and Lenny the Lizard video on Youtube? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og96LBtHHys&context=C3328549ADOEgsToPDskJo6yAUVEPPftU4dFuRk1B4

24°/38°/24°
A mix of clouds and sun. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.

Will,
Bathroom down. OK. I vote for the plummer, LOL!
I love Lavern and Shirley!
I like the vine in the tree too!
NICE houseplants! It makes me miss the philodeendrens I had. Maybe when the cats are gone...
I think Pepper is right, but I think it also has life left in it. It would be a shame to lose it. I would keep mowing off all new sprouts tho, LOL!
That is a pretty little tree. I can see why she likes it. I do too.
Nice video and the plants look really good! Love the swing chain. It's perfect! Lenny looks happy :o)

I can't wait to be outside. I have so many ideas floating around in my head about how to revamp the now sunny flower bed. I have to get the astilbes out so that will be top priority. I need to get iris borer control on EARLY! and I need to dig and divide all of them this year. I always say I'm like a cat ready to pounce. Trouble is, my "tail and crouch" have already started and I'm month away from getting to do anything, LOL! I do keep the sricks in the yard picked up so I can mow without having a yardful to deal with first. Oh, I can't wait to mow!

Well, I spent the day at DD's yesterday. Both babies have ear infections and colds and she just needed help. So, we took off early in the morning. The boys are here now and her husband is off this weekend. The babies are on medicine and it should be kicking in.

So, I'll be no show off and on again. The boys wake at 6:00 or 6:30 here, so my time is limited on the computer. At home they sleep in, LOL!

Have a good day all!

Oh the boys know there is nothing like being at the Grandparents house..rofl.
Hi eveyone, been mia for a bit, but looks like I might get caught up today. Watering in the solar room is an everyday occurance since we have been so warm, or should I say up and down.

Jan. is a horrible month at work, been way busy and working too many hours. That wouldn't be so bad but I don't get paid for them.

Might start some hardy hibiscus plants this weekend and see how that goes.

Thanks Sally! Yes me too, voting for a plumber. Tho, I'm trying to get her to wait on a more reasonable price, to get better bids. Man, it's nice out and tomorrow is supposed to be unseasonably warm too.
Today, I was just out doing a little organizing and bringing in some pots to wash up and maybe use soon.

Haha! You love Laverne and Shirley eh billyp?! Me too! Altho, the Lenny or Lennie the Lizard is more named for the character in John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men.
He might be facing a demise like Lennie in the story, altho the lizard might be going differently, he doesn't seem to be doing too well now. He doesn't come out much, he may have eaten some sand and gonna be sick and possibly croak. That's just my opinion, but I think that's kinda common with lizards and my terrarium is nothing but sand.
Thanks for the compliments on my houseplants, chain and video, Sally. Making a short video is so easy, my camera is just a cheap point and shoot camera.

That is neat how that Vinca vine is everywhere back there. It used to really like all the brush and thicket stuff back there. Personally, I think that was sabotaged years ago by a well-meaning neighbor. I think a little Vinca might've been planted near all the mess and spread like crazy! I can see on the other side of the fence where there's a big mound of it, like it's the headquarter Vinca! We love the Vinca here, however it got here!
That brush is all gone, I cleaned it up in 2010, it has more exposed the Vinca, it is everywhere.

My friend and I saw Descendants today, sad movie, but very good nonetheless.

Haha! billyp is a cat! I am looking forward to Spring myself, so much to do!
That Mimosa will be around for a while longer I think. It just takes up so much space and shades so much, it is in an ideal spot for a tree or something that needs room. There isn't many suitable spots in the backyard where there isn't overhead lines or something to hold back a tree.

I've got 2 hardy Hibs outside, I hope they live thru the Winter like they're supposed to.

I Hope your grandkids get better soon billyp, yeah, I too used to love going to the grandparents' house!

I saw a good list of trees and bushes that can be grown by cuttings, maybe someone has a bush or something they'd didn't know they could propagate for free. I found out I have quite a few on this list I can easily grow now. -
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8702.html

Will

This message was edited Jan 30, 2012 11:30 AM

Boy, was it ever nice weather today, I wish it meant more nice weather, but I don't think it will work that way! I repotted 6 houseplants today. I tried to straighten up a laundry post but it only budged maybe a half inch. Most of the time outside was potting up houseplants. I have extra river-rocks so I put them on the top of all them but the Curly Fig. They put rocks on the top of the soil of their potted Ponytail Palms and Aloe Veras in the stores, so I just copied them! Haha! If they wanna sue they can look me up by my first name "short" and my last name "leaf"! That Aloe Vera kinda looks funny repotted but it's very misshapen. I need to find an even larger pot for it, not so much because the plant is too big, rather the rootball has to be so oddly shaped, (it is at the other side of the pot, across from the plant), I'd much rather have the Aloe Vera more in the middle.

I'm not sure yet, but I think Lennie the Lizard might gonna be alright. He was sticking his head out and watching me, instead of staying all the way under that rock and never coming out.

Will,
Maybe your lizard needs greens to munch on?

Love Mice and Men too!

I hung two loads of laundry at daybreak yesterday and cleaned house. We vacuumed the keyboards and mice. Mine wasn't so bad as I just did it, not too long ago. They work like new, but they still can't spell...

It hit 60° with a breezy breeze. I was burning paper, looked up and since there was no time to get the camera, watched a perfect shot of a plane almost running into the moon. It just missed.

The kids gave me their colds, but I had to turn it into sinus with a headache.

Have a bettter day :o)

Hello all .......... somewhere along the trail of indefinate threads, I lost you all. I was lost, but now I'm found! ^_^

Hope everyone has had a good 2012 so far! I have not taken the time to read all the posts yet, but will either try to or just start from here.

Such nice weather here. Today overcast, windy and humid. Chances of rain tonight. Woke up to 56*! Suppose to be 67* today but the wind is really blowing!

So glad I found you all again. Will try to hold on to someones shirt tail so I don't get lost again. lol

Hi Crit, welcome back! You plagiarist you! That's Amazing Grace! Just kidding, I kept that hymn that was passed out at my Grandma's funeral services, here, on the wall, I like that hymn too, my friend's Mom was blind,
like the song says, "was blind, but now I see". Welcome anyhow, Crit! Sure you can hold onto my shirt-tail, I bore these poor people pretty regularly here! Is your finger healed up? My 2012 is okay so far, I'm just waiting on 2012's regularly warmer temperatures.

Hehe.. greens for Lennie?! Hmmm.. I dunno if they eat lettuce, but I'd gladly give him/her some, I had a salad today. I think he might be recovering from whatever it is, for the first time in days he came out from under that big rock about 2 hours ago.

Yeah, Of mice And Men is also a classic, like The Grapes of Wrath, Great Gatsby and The Old Man And The Sea too.

Hey Pepper, I don't know if you drink Pepsi but the cans have tickets to Mavericks games for $20. $20 sounds kinda high to me but maybe regular tickets are alot more!

Happ, how is that pergola coming along?

I potted up a Pilea 'Aluminum' today. I found out yesterday I have 2 Pilea's, a Pilea 'Silver Tree' and a Pilea 'Aluminum'. The 'Silver tree' was 50 cents, it's pretty small. The other one isn't much bigger, it was $2.78, but it has new leaves coming on, you can see in the photo even.

I vacuum my keyboard too sometimes with a little vacuum cleaner that plugs into a usb port. It doesn't hardly vacuum but it's enuff to get little dirt or cat hairs. I usually just blow on it tho!
Did you know you can wash a keyboard in the shower? You have to give it like 2 days to completely dry out though. I didn't believe that till I tried it one time, but this time didn't work out so good, the "e" didn't work after that.

A plane almost ran into the moon?! Eeek, billyp! Poor people! It must've been hard to breathe up there too, maybe they're oxygen masks dropped down! I thought it was only witches on brooms that flew by the moon..lol!!




This message was edited Jan 31, 2012 8:59 PM

I'll have to check the pepsi boxes at work. I do drink it sometimes. 20 bucks is about average for a ticket there. There are some higher and some cheaper tickets. It's all worth it though!! lol

Hi Crit!!

Yes, yes, I am back. lol And I meant infinite threads, not indefinate. Sheesh.

Finger has healed up but is still numb. Go back to the doc May 30th and he thought the feeling should be coming back by then. We shall see. I feel like I may be getting a little bit on the end. I get small tinglings once in a while. Thanks for asking.

We are having 60* weather here until Friday. Today was just like a spring day as it was warm, windy and a little humid. We are suppose to be having some rain move through tonight. I sure hope so, we need it badly. Got a 1/2" a couple weeks ago. I wanted to go horseback riding, but was hurting so wasn't able to.

I think I hear my pillow calling to me. Guess I need to go keep it company for the night. It is afraid of the dark. LOL

HI PEPPER. Cross posted with you!

I am so glad to hear I'm not the only one itching to get in the saddle this week!!!!

Oh not at all. I rode 3 or 4 days last week. Our wind is so high though, and tomorrow it is going to be out of the North. Yuck.

THREAD IS CLOSED!!!

Go to new thread!! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1240599/