Spring Round Up, Anyone?

Sorry I missed it, hope you all had a great time under the big tree and had lots of trades. Dawn

I am so sorry I missed this and chagrined as well that I didn't get online to update that I wouldn't be able to make it. Last week was rough here at the ranch as my truck went out and I spent the weekend fixing it myself. It's been one thing after another and this is the first chance I've had to breathe, let alone get online for a minute. I hope everyone had fun, and with luck I will get to meet you all someday!

We surely missed you. I look forward to meeting you someday. This weekend I'm starting on my backyard so that someday I will be able to host a get together.

What someday. Remember saying you would have it next year? I do.

Glad it is cooling off. Still too warm for me in the house, so at 8pm I am in my nightie in Lounge chair on patio. Would be nicer without one of the stupid dogs trying to lose her voice!

It has started to cool off here a little so I got out and planted a few things I got at the round up. I'm running out of room, just saved a small place for a few tomato plants. I picked up a couple salia plants for $1 each from Lowe's and they are looking good. Also got some impaitents for cheap and I plan on putting them in a topsy turvy holder for plants for humming birds. Once I get it set up I'll take a picture and hope I have good luck with it.

I am going to work really hard to get ready for next year. Luckily I will have some help from the kids. Knowing I will help now makes it seem less over whelming. LOL

Hi All! If you read the DG weekly newsletter, you saw that tecoma stans is the plant of the week! I hope all of you got plenty of my tecoma stans seeds, but if you didn't, ( or missed the roundup) LMK and I will gladly mail you some! Karen

Yellow trumpet vine, aka yellow bells or yellow elder

I'd love some seeds if you can. Will send you a dmail. :)

I just wanted to thank everyone who helped out during the RU, and attended despite the weather. : - )
I had a wonderful time. I was a bit chilly, but even still it was worth it. Even though that puppy about scared
me to death trying to sleep in the fire. LOL! The little ones were a delight to see, especially when they started
to dance to Quiche Lorraine. : - )
I even saw Samigal dance a couple of steps. : - )
Once I recovered from the cold, I started working on transplanting my booty (plants, silly!). ES and I are trying
to figure out the best placement, but we have to wait for some BIG piles of dirt to be moved first. Hopefully, that will happen this weekend. ES is so thrilled about those barrier plants. : - )
Then we got the news about DH's sister, Sandy, and things are not looking good for her. : - (
(Please see the Prayer forum if you aren't up to date.)
On top of that (like I need any more Drama in my life!) Mom has been having fun with her
dementia, but it's making me crazy worrying about her. QG, we got a great Social Worker, and she's really helping with getting Mom on Medi-Cal. Sometimes we get lucky. I think that the Social Worker sees how hard we've all been trying to clean up the mess that my EB#1 caused, as well as years of neglect. Bless her heart, Mom just didn't want to bother us, and here we were thinking EB#1 was dealing with the problems as they came up, instead of ignoring them. Seems like there is someone there every day now, and while I'm really, really, grateful for the help, I sure am tired.
So we've been spending the last few weeks doing the cleaning of the clutter, and the almost
total redo of the interior of the house, new paint, floors and some new furniture. OMG, my life is a combination of re reality tv shows! Acckkk~~
Hopefully all will be done by the end of next week before EB#2 and family come for their annual visit.
The Pup has gone to live with ES. It gets along great with his dog. After the third time it tried to hamstring me, I decided she needed someone a bit more active to play with her.
I hope to actually post photos someday of the folks who attended the RU this year. Now if only
I can remember when I put that battery charger . . . .
Thanks to all for attending the RU this year, and I distinctly remember MonkeyMomr saying she'd host it at her place if she could find enough room to put us all. LOL!
It's definitely some one else's turn next year. If we vary locations maybe we'll get to meet more members? I hope so, even though I do enjoy showing off our farm, I believe that the RU has been held in the general area where I live for the last several years. Change is good.
Anyway, you all got a whole year to think about it. : - )
I'll be AWOL for awhile, but don't want anyone to be worried. Just got to take care of family stuff right now.
I know you all will understand, and no worries. I'll be back.
Walk In Beauty~
SingingWolf

Thank you so much for hosting. The farm is so beautiful and I am truely in love with Grandmother Oak. The girls had so much fun and so did Michelle and Travis and my mom. I enjoyed meeting everyone. The kids and I are starting work on the backyard this weekend. I'm looking forward to hosting next year. Hugs to everyone.

Good time had by all under the old oak tree. lol I don't remember if it was an oak.

I love that farm!!! The first year Singing Wolf hosted the round up I really enjoyed myself, first time on a farm. Not saying I didn't enjoy the next two round ups, but I just couldn't imagine how big it was and of course fell in love with the Grandma Oak tree. Will be looking forward to next year's at monkeymomr's, God willing.
I'm really going to try to get some plumeria plants going for everyone. I never realized how many plants there are around here that I never saw before until I became interested in them.

The news isn't looking good for DH right now. Meds. the oncologist wanted to put him on would cost us $800 which we just couldn't afford to do. Going to check into other places to see if we can get help with finances. He still will be on Lupron shots and Casodex for now. To look at him you wouldn't think he had any problems except getting older and I found that is a big enough problem.

Sometimes Sami, the drug distributer/company might help you out with the cost of the drug. It never hurts to ask.
You are and your DH, are in my prayers.
Looking forward to next year's RU at monkeymomr's. Tee Hee!
I am glad that so many of you got to meet G.Ma oak, just sad that it was cool and I was too tired to give you all the grand tour. I think I did that the first year?
Thanks to all of you, I had a blast. : - )
Got to go, new flooring is finished at Mom's, and we need to get her settled in.
More when I can find a minute.
WIB,
SW

It's been a month since anyone has posted and I miss all of you. I'm waiting to see some pictures of the round-up in April that anyone has taken. It's going to be a hot summer and I just don't like all that heat. Hoping all is going well for everyone.

At least the humidity has been down. Got the swamp cooler going already. Gopher and weeds are trying to take over but I don't intend for that to happen. Hope everyone is well.

Good luck with those gophers monkeymomr. When we lived in Long Beach I fought them every year with no success. I could watch them pull my tomato plants underground and they would eat the roots off my zucchini plants. I'm not bothered with them here, but forever gathering up pine needles.

I would much rather deal with pine needles. Why is it when the upper part of a plant is poisonous for an animal to chew (oleander, tomato), the gophers can chew the roots and survive?!

Robin, I have yellow squash ( not crookneck?) ready to pick, the pumpkin vine is getting long, and the tomatillo plant has tons of flowers. They are all being grown in pots!

Nothing in ground but have 8 different tomato plants in straw bales, then more maters, peppers, grapes and blueberries in pots plus herbs. Have some peaches looking good. Since it was planted last summer I was supposed to cut all peach buds off so the growth could go I to the tree, but after several dozen peach abortions I just had to leave SOME!

Sorry folks, I can't find my battery charger, so can't download my photos from the RU. : - (
Robin, what kind of squash is that? I've got some that I should pick too, but forgot what kind it is. DUH! : - (
Thanks for the veggies, they are very happy. : - )
Fire season is officially here in CA. It started yesterday, at cousin Loretta's place, two doors down from us, when a power line transformer, blew out. Wires in the road, sparked and touched off a fire in dense brush along the road in front of the two houses next to us. It was pretty intense.
Especially seeing the water(?) dropping airplanes and the helicopter flying right over my head with it's hose dangling (helicopter). I smell smoke, I look for the source. Sent one of the kids up to the ridge line to take photos (he used his phone camera, and hasn't shared!), and went out to see if our place was okay. Then I got to calm the unfriendly stallion, who belongs to my neighbor, because they were offloading firefighters right next to his corral, and it really scared him. He calmed down when a two legged came to talk to him (me). The mare was being tended to by another neighbor. We were both happy when the owner, Dale arrived home. And he still had one! He thanked us for staying with the horses. They don't ride 'em, just breed 'em. Glad they only had the two right now. Although, we got lots of horse folk around here and I did call my neighbor Aggie and put her on the alert as a possible rescue location site if we had to move horses. About 20 years ago there was a big fire to the east of us, and Aggie's family rescued as many as they could, because many owners weren't home when the fire hit. So we have an informal horse rescue squad around here and Aggie knows everyone on it.
They say that CA's don't care about their neighbors, but in our community we do care. I had a couple of phone calls from friends, and Shannon, who lives nearby actually ran all the way here from her house to make sure we were okay. Other people came by to make sure we were okay too, or heard it through the grapevine. People never cease to amaze me, and befuddle me.
I sure hope that the guys in the helicopter didn't get stung by the bees, I tried to warn them not to set down their copter so close to the bee hives but they told me to leave, so I did. I think they were just there to make sure the fire didn't creep over onto our side of the ridge. It was the time of day when the fires tend to flare up, twilight. I am grateful they were there and on top of the fire with so many resources, so quickly. The wind has been blowing pretty strong all week, but yesterday it wasn't as strong, thanks be to the Creator.
I haven't moved that fast in years, and hope I don't have to again anytime soon. Was actually surprised at how fast I was able to move. Was even happier that my Chiropractor didn't mind me being late because of the fire. Really, really happy he put me back together again. : - )
Besides he got a walk-in, while they had traffic stopped. The guy figured since he wasn't going anywhere soon, he might as well use the time and get his back adjusted. LOL! Lemonade!
I did ask our neighbor Dale to ask the firefighters to do a welfare check on Cousin Loretta. No one has seen her for awhile, and she is getting elderly. I'd of asked but couldn't get close enough to get their attention. I pray she is okay and with her son and his family.
Her trailer was scorched but still there. Don't know if their bee barn was still in the back, seemed that was where a lot of the smoke was coming from. Should be able to see better today, although, it still smells smoky out there.
Lots of excitement on the old farm yesterday.
Could have done with out it.
So for those of you who tried and couldn't reach me yesterday, that is why. They got the power restored about 7:30 last night, so it could have been a lot worse, and I'm grateful, so grateful it didn't climb over the ridge and burn our place. CDF our local fire dept. and even a truck from Pechanga's fire dept. showed up, along with an ambulance and of course the aerial firefighters. Thanks to all of you fire responders! : - )
No worries, our place is still unburned, and beautiful. We are okay.
My apologies again for not posting photos of the RU. I guess I'll have to order a new battery charger for that camera. Sigh.
Be well, and take care!
Walk In Beauty~
SingingWolf

Wow, an adventure I wouldn't want to join. Thank goodness you and farm are OK, Jules. If you order a new charger for your camera you will surely find the old one.
Things like that always happen to me.

We got financial funding for the meds. oncologist wants DH to take, but having a little difficult time getting it filled. Kaiser said they didn't accept outside funding, what a shock to my system. But, I talked to the social worker that works with the oncologist and she was so shocked too but made a few calls even to the Chronic Disease Fund who explained that when the pharmacy logs into their wed site and gives them all the information on the card they sent us they will issue a visa card and they use that card for the funds. No one seems to read all instructions before they deny us. Didn't want to go to an outside pharmacy as I would use the benefits I have and that medication is so very expensive, $5,000. Now that is settled I can get back to my plants.

I have 4 plumeria plants with inflos so I'll be having some flowers soon. I'll have to be surprised as to color. I'll be sure to have my camera ready when the time comes. I'm so bad about keeping names and colors of blooms with plant. I know I'll have yellow and hoping a white one.

Sami,
Tie a yellow ribbon around the pot which has the yellow plummy, and a white one if you get one, around it's pot. Or do what DH does to sold Christmas trees. He paints the trunks on the ones that have been sold. You could get a yellow tag, button, or something so you tell 'em apart.
I have a white one which has lots of side branches, but don't know how to start plummie's from their branches. One I have (the big 'un) is white, and I'll see if I can't try to get one to grow for you if yours isn't white. The other one is the only plant I brought back from HI. It's supposed to be pink. It's small but has 3 or 4 side branches already. No blooms except for Donna's. I was pleasantly surprised to see it blooming yesterday. I took a minute to think about the just plain goodness that was Donna. And I smiled at the memory of her visit during our first RU here and the one at Kathleens.
Bittersweet, but welcome.
I'm sorry to hear about your problems with Kaiser. Glad the Social Worker was able to help you out. OUCH! Who can afford the price of those meds? Bless the Social Worker for relieving you of that financial stress.
Still keeping you in my prayers.
Yep, just as soon as I order a new one, I'll find out where the cleaning lady hid the camera battery charger. She hasn't been here for months, so you'd think I'd have found it by now. Oh well.
Enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts.
Just double checked, and hoped I'd downloaded some of the RU photos, but found you a yellow Plummy instead.
Enjoy!
WIB~
SW

California Firefighters are the best in the whole world!!!
Samigal, I'm glad things are getting better. Kiaser can be a pain. I was born there and my mom worked there for thirty years. She still loves them but I don't miss them. Good luck and prayers to you and DH.

I haven't been out to check on my plummies yet today. I'll be sure to have my camera ready. When you take cuttings from your plumeria you have to let the end callus over before putting it in soil. I've let them sit around for 2 weeks or longer before planting them. It takes about 3 months for them to develop roots. I usually use some root tone, I'm giving them all the help they need. SW your plummie really looks nice and healthy. I've never noticed them around here until I became interested in them and now I find so many people have them growing in their yards. Some pretty big trees too.

Monkeymomr I never had any problems with Kaiser and we have been with them for many years. Have a wonderful doctor who truly cares about his patients. This funding experience really shook me up, thank goodness I have someone to work with me. I'll really believe all this when the meds are in our hands. Monday the social worker will explain it to the manager at the pharmacy and we should be OK. Hoping the meds will help a lot. Also has to have a stronger med for his bones and that is done by infusion once a month. I don't know if that will be costing us very much or not. I'm already planning on another round up next year and I'm never one to plan too far ahead.

The round up for me was such a wonderful expierence and also gave me a since of center being outside and with people of the same mind. I think by next year I will again need that and am looking forward to it too. All of you reminded me of the human that is so wonderful in nature.

Golly Jules, glad you are all OK. I had not even heard or smelled (that usually comes first, DH calls me his bloodhound) of the fire. I haven't been keeping up as we have bee SO busy looking for a place to buy - that we can afford to buy cash, cheap. Had a place in escrow near Anza (Pinyon Pines), but found out some wells are failing. Really want it cooler than here though and Anza fit that bill. Last weekend we went to AZ to the the Prescott area and we are buying a house in the west hills of Chino Valley and if all is accepted, closing should be 6-10. It was a foreclosure manufactured house on 2.5 acres with gorgeous east views to the Mingus (?) mtns. Now the moving coordination dance starts! Besides packing about 500 (not kidding) boxes and moving all the household stuff, plants I want to bring, there are the animals to consider. DH is arranging horse/goat transport. He was listing corrals and shade covers on Craigslist and looking at Craigslist Prescott for used ones to buy, but it looks actually cheaper to have ANOTHER transport at $500 to move all the fencing stuff. And this all has to be coordinated for the same day so as they load the animals, the corrals are disassembled, moved and reassembled there as we unload animals.

Being a forclosure house, this has a list of repairs/inspections. Some must be done and other we want to do. Grading the road is a must for the move. If it rains heavy we are SOL as there is a gulch 1/4 mi from house that will not work for non 4WD vehicle.

I forgot to mention, I was in a car crash on 6-1, and fractured my wrist badly. Thurs there was surgery to install a metal plate (oweee!!! I am cybor mom now) so all the driving and packing are one handed as DH no longer drives at all.

I should edit the problems from these photos, but hey it is reality. Here is a link to my iPhoto: http://gallery.me.com/quiltygirl/100781

God led us here to the street - Son Shine Ln.!!

Nice place, quiltygirl. I can see you are going to be very busy for a while. I hate moving, to me it is so stressful, but others seem to go with the flo. I know what you mean by buying a forclosure, always repairs to be made. Moving animals too must be hard, something I never had to do unless you move a dog or cat. Lots of land, great for all your gardening, etc.

Sorry to hear about your wrist, what a bad time for that to happen with all the moving you have to do. Take care and keep us posted on how the move is going, that is if you have time.

Congrats on the house QG. Take it easy though so you are able to heal.

It dawned on me that you are moving to Arizona, a long ways away from us. When you first mention Chino I was thinking Chino Hills here. Should have done a better job of reading your post. I'm happy for you, but sad at the same time. Take care of that wrist of yours.

Jules, I have a white plumeria blooming now, doesn't take much to make me happy. LOL Also will be getting blooms on another plant and looks like red to me. I'll be sure to mark them this time. The gal I got the cuttings from had marked them, but can't read what she put on the stems now. I know she gave me one she called candy and I'm hoping that is what this red one will be. Have more plants but no inflos on them yet.

I now, I keep saying just 'Chino' myself. Way less populated though, thankfully. And could hardly get more than a shed for this price here. I have started having anxiety attacks, just so much $h!! to pack. LOL, told DD, I figured I could make this easier, by just packing bedroom & dining rm furniture, newest flat screen TV, one smaller recliner, all linens and kitchen, holiday decos (lots of boxes) some plants & garden stuff and take NO ANIMALS or DH and all his stuff. Cleaner, quieter house yay!

I hear you quiltygirl on moving so much. We moved a lot of $h!! here that could could have been left, but to DH it was all so important. I did get rid of a lot of things, but wasn't even a dent in the bucket.

My beloved dog Molly passed away today and I didn't think I had so many tears left in me. She came into the office to lay down beside me while I was on the computer and in a matter of a few minutes she was gone. Against the law to bury her in our yard so had to take her to the pound. They gave me a wonderful sympathy card with the poem "Rainbow Bridge" on it. Great poem and softens the hurt a little.

Pegi, my heart is with you. Let the tears flow and know I will keep you in my prayers.

oh Pegi, I am sorry with you. She knew how you loved her and came to be with you. My heart ours out to you!

With our 11 animals, there are some I resisted having, but it is hard not to fall in live with all of them. I am wondering how our older animals are going to handle this move. 2 are not in great shape now and we will need to travel through the 112 degree CA desert in the night .

Even though God's word does not specifically say out dear pets will go to heaven, I feel that since He is love, we will be reunited.


Love

Awwww, Pegi, so sorry to hear this. I know how you feel, my beloved Misty had to be put down on Xmas Eve. I still have tears for her and now I have tears for you. I'm glad though that your Molly went in peace. Misty and Molly can frolic together up there.

I know how heart broken everyone gets when they lose a beloved pet. Molly was my shadow. But the poem says the Rainbow Bridge is just this side of Heaven and our pets can ran and play. Beautiful poem!!

Where is everyone? I upgraded my Internet Explorer and now when I try to get into DG a pop up says IE can't open Dave's Garden. This never happened before, they sure know how to mess with my mind. Had to go to Google Chrome.

The heat seems to be giving problems all over as far as our gardens are concerned. My veggies aren't doing well at all. Squash grew but as soon as fruit starts to set it turns yellow and dries up. Tomatoes aren't doing well either, getting bottom rot, and I'm looking forward to a BLT too. Plumeria plants are growing, have 2 white ones blooming and a candy stripe one. At least that is making me smile.

My veggies are doing well as long as I water them everynight. My flowers on the other hand are suffering from lack of attention. With so many things up in the air right now I'm just having a hard time putting effort into something I may have to leave behind. Thats not stopping me from planing my winter sowing and next years garden. Hope to be settled by then.

Getting out in the back yard and working doesn't seem to be working for me. It isn't too hot so don't know what my problem is except I'm lazy. I have plants to pot up and can't seem to get going on that. When I see plants at Lowe's on clearance I can't seem to pass them up. Maybe it is a good thing I don't get there when they first put them out or I'd be bringing home more. Just wish I had more room to plant, DH can't seem to get his junk moved out of my way. Of course all his stuff is trash while my things are treasures. LOL Haven't heard from Singing Wolf in a long time, I hope she is doing OK.

me too

Wonder if Quiltygirl is at home in Arizona now??I I know we will be hearing from her when she has her computer up and running. These hot days just keep me so lazy and I don't get anything done. I'm blaming it on the heat so when it does cool off I don't know what my excuse will be.

Yes we are here, but not without many challenges over the last several weeks. 3 26ft UHaul trucks in 2 trips with one of the trucks losing AC somewhere near Banning, the one DH was in with a driver (he no longer drives) and 2 of our dogs. 4 hour layover at UHaul mechanic where they did nothing and they had to drive through 118 degrees without AC and even needing to turn on heater on some steeper grades. He put the dogs in the one with air.

Meanwhile DD and I were dealing with rental pickups and rental horse trailers that were wrong or not there for a couple days. We planned on driving at night for the benefit of the animals with the desert heat, but that stupid horse refused to load in the dark. Poor DD had rope burns and pulled shoulders before we gave up, slept in the truck for a couple hours and started again in AM. By then, having the 3 goats in the tack room would not work with no window, so they were loose with Colora. There was an initial commotion when #1 goat thought it was a good idea to head butt Colora's flank first off, lol. Thankfully they are used to being housed together. In the extended cab were 2 big carriers, one with the older cat and the other with the bunny, plus tons of other stuff and 2 loose dogs and one loose cat that were leashed up at the three planned watering stops. How DID Noah manage? We got to the house with a bag of burgers about 4:30PM, unloaded all, went to buy hay slept a few hours sitting in chair and headed out about 2 AM so we could get the rentals back. 2 days of no shower, tooth brushing or changing clothes made me feel like a hobo. That and my torn pants and stained shirt. Showers were calling us by name. Spent the night at a motel, ran errands then left in the afternoon to go 'home'.

Just in time for monsoonal rains. Just over 2 inches in 2 days meant the STUPID new car DH INSISTED UPON was unusable with its 6 inch clearance on a mile of dirt road with puddles that deep. I drove the Uhauls that still hadn't been picked up over the next few days to Lowes, etc to get doors, ceiling fans, rolling gorilla racks which would have never fit in that $&^% car anyway. Seems odd to have humidity in AZ, but at least we are not in the low desert areas with their hundred teens degrees.

Foreclosure house was a great deal, but have had more than anticipated repair project$s and still do not have flooring. Only 'handy' folks should buy 'projects' and we are not.

Go back tomorrow for arm cast removal and getting wrist brace. Being one handed in all this has been challenging, for sure. Still have loads of boxes to do.