November: Traditions and Turkey!

Time for a new thread for November. We came from here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1282901/#new

Please join us with your news and daily chat.

I will start with a photo of a flower arrangement I have had for years. The cornucopia is one that belonged to my mother way back in the 1960's. She always had a silk flower arrangement--actually in those days most artificial flowers were plastic-- in the cornucopia for the Thanksgiving holiday. The current arrangement is made from silk flowers and artificial nuts, etc, which I made 10-15 years ago. I think next year I will have to rework it! LOL

Thanks Marilyn!! I have been so busy I am glad to see the new month. Maybe I'll stay caught up better this month. (Haha!!)

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I'm gonna try to do it up big. It's gonna be just family so far but you know how that can change. Of course our immediate family is now 15. It is total chaos! What is everyone else doing?

Sandra. I'm glad pat is ok. I know how scarey that can be .

Good morning, ladies. Hope all is well with each of you!

Jeri: Al and I are leaving on the 17th to drive out to Page, AZ to spend Thanksgiving week with Al's younger brother and his wife. They actually live in San Diego, CA but they have a vacation home in Page. I have not met Al's brother yet but I have talked with him on the phone. Al's sister and her husband from Thousand Oaks, CA will be joining us in Page as well. I've never been to that part of the country although I have driven through AZ on I-40 many times. Page is on the southern end of Lake Powell, which is mainly in Utah. I am looking forward to not only meeting Al's brother and his wife but to seeing some of the sights in the area. I met Al's two sisters and their husbands when they came for our wedding. Al's family has been very gracious to me and have welcomed me into the family. :o) They even invited Laddy (my dog), which made me happy. Both Al's brother and sister have dogs and they will be bringing them so Laddy will have some company, too. :o)

Good morning to you too Marilyn and to everyone. Thanks for starting the new November thread! It was needed!

Your trip sounds wonderful, Marilyn. That is a great part of the country to see. If the water isn't down due to all the droughts, Lake Powell is beautiful. Glad you get to take Laddy too. ;~)

My brother and SIL here in town are hosting the Thanksgiving bash this year! I'm secretly sort of happy they are doing it instead of me this time. I think we're up to 18 at last count, due to a marriage, a boyfriend (nieces), and in-laws being invited too. Which is fine and dandy, but our expanding family makes for a house full no matter where we have it. And when you add the grand-kids it makes for organized chaos! We have the biggest outdoor space which is always fun, and I hope I get to show off our new landscape with a visit by some of the folks if they get a chance to swing by out house. This brother doesn't have any kids, so they don't quite know how to handle all the energy (and dirt, spills, etc) in the house at one time.

October went by so fast, now Nov is sailing by too. We will have the Mills family supper at our fellowship hall on Thanksgiving night. Now that I am baby sitting, I won't cook as much as usual, just a wash tub of dressing and I a, going to do the turkey this year in an electric roaster I got after Christmas last year on sale.
I cooked a breast in it last week for practice and it turned out great.

Marilyn, what fun going on a thanksgiving trip !

Our Thanksgiving day will be quiet. We don't usually celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving day. One day during the weekend we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and Richard's granddaughter's birthday. Her birthday is actually on Thanksgiving this year. Christmas I will be going to CA again. Already have my airline ticket.

Marilyn Utah is a pretty state. We drove the length of it this summer as I met everyone in Las Vegas and we rented a van and drove from there. They went on up to the Grand Tentons, etc and dropped me off at the Salt Lake City airport so we drove from the southern end of Utah all the way up to the northern part.

I've been spending lots of time on my antique booths. I've created another business again and I am having lots of fun as well as working lots with it. I have three large spaces now and probably need to quit at that. Furniture is the main thing I'm selling which requires lots of lifting and moving but I figure it will just keep me in shape! I'll probably be like the little old lady I see at one of the auctions I go to. She is up in her eighties and can barely walk (she uses a walker). But she is still buying and selling.

Debra is the one that got me back into all this again!!! Her fault! She kept trying to get me to open a little small booth. It didn't take me long to get back in the groove again!

How is Debra doing now? I know the holidays coming will be rough on them

They are both doing fine. His other son finished graduate school and he and his wife have moved back here and they spend lots of time with them.

Marilyn you are gonna really love that area. Lake Powell is so pretty and then they have so many other sites to see also. We stayed just across Glen Dam in the national park RV grounds right on Lake Powell. I know that Al's family is gonna love you without a doubt, how could they not!!! When do you leave? Yall have fun!!!

How is Pat doing today, Sandra. Does the new meds seem to be helping?

Elaine can't wait for the pictures of the finished project. You are always doing something. I think you got an extra dose of energy!!

I still need to order the fried turkey. My son doesn't want to do it this year. He said you can buy them just as cheap. (Wonder what we are gonna do with the 2 not 1 regular turkey friers and the electric frier?)

Pat is still feeling tired and weak, but no chest pains

I just found out they have done a code blue on Judy's hubby Wayne this morning, they got him breathing, but don't know any more

I hadn't heard that Wayne was having trouble again. Will remember the entire family in prayer.

Has Wayne been in the hospital ALL this time Sandra?? or has he been home? I don't think I have seen him mentioned lately..... Prayers for Judy - I know that is so hard for her.

Marilyn, I love the cornucopia - I looked for one of those for a long time because I wanted one for a decoration similar to what you have. Never did find one and finally got something else for my thanksgiving decor. Unfortunately, I haven't even gotten it put out - and at this point, I think I will move straight into Christmas! I hope to wrap my first Christmas presents tonight .... I keep having this dream that SOME DAY I will have all my shopping done early, gifts wrapped, tree up and actually be able to ENJOY December. Hasn't happened yet - but if I wrap a few gifts it will get me started anyway! ^_^ Sounds like you will have a wonderful trip for Thanksgiving. Don't have a clue what we are doing or when....Alex's bday is the 24th so we have to fit that in there as well, and with this being the first year of them being married - they have to work out all the visiting between families....

No, Wayne went back into the hospital about 10 days ago, I just got a call that he is gone.

So sorry for you bad news Sandra. We'll all be thinking of you and yours.

Thanksgiving is just week after next!!!! I am luckily going to my DIL's parents house here in LR and I have to bring the fruit salad my grandmother always made, and serve it in the emerald green glass "fruit salad bowl". And . . . I have to make the dressing too. I LOVE dressing, so that won't be any inconvenience for me.

Do all of you put eggs in your dressing? My mom didn't that I can remember. I have used a can of either chicken or mushroom soup instead.

So sorry to hear about Wayne!!! Thoughts and prayers with you all!

Sarah I put 6 raw eggs in my dressing. I make it the same way my grandmother made it (my mother's mother). I make a pan of cornbread and then crumble it along with some white bread. I sauteed an onion and an some celery in a stick of butter and add that to the bread mixture along with salt, pepper and sage. Then I add chicken broth until it floats. I also like to add some turkey or chicken to the dressing if I have it. I probably will make some dressing and cook a turkey breast Thanksgiving. We both really like it and I only cook it about one time a year. I just don't like what you buy as well as my own.

Thanks

Sarah I would like your fruit salad recipe. I love fruit salad, I make my dressing with raw eggs also, since I have to make it in a dishpan, I use about a dozen in mine. My Gunny used to put boiled eggs in hers, I don't care for that now, just got out of the habit of eating it that way.

Sandra I am so sorry!!! Please give Judy our condolences!!! I hadn't heard that Wayne wasn't doing well.

Sandra, sorry to hear about Wayne.

Sarah, I don't use eggs in my dressing, and I don't use chicken or mushroom soup, just chicken broth or part of the broth from the turkey. I think my mother and Grandmother used eggs and I know my aunt did. And they did sometimes put chopped egg in the giblet gravy. But no one used soup. Everyone makes it a different way.

Now for the big reveal -
1. It all started with us wanting to move this Japanese Maple from the front bed. We had to decide where to put it so out guy recommended here. We agreed after discussing about 3 other options. He also suggested tying 2 existing beds together, enlarging the back beds a good big. Basically the old bed stopped about where the stepping stones are now. We also ripped out some old shrubs where the hydrangeas are on the left. Transplanted some hostas under the JM. There is also a dward gardenia and mondo grass and a smaller rock.

2. A view from the other side. The pond bed ended about where the other stepping stones are on this side. Added another gardenia and 3 'Rainbow' Leucothoe and the stone edging to match up with what was already around the pond. There is a row of 'Little Princess' spirea in the border. Oh yeah...and another big rock. We had several...When we built, we just left them in the yard, not knowing how deep they were. We were so focused on getting in the house we never thought to have the builder try to get them out and have lived with mowing around them or putting the beds around them in some fashion all this time.

3. Going back to the front, which is where we really where we ripped out a bunch of old yaupons. This BFR (big friendly rock) came out of the back yard. DH and my landscape guy decided it would be a great focal point. I agree. Love it. This is where the JM came from. We chose encore azaleas, 'Purple Diamond' lorapetalum, a much smaller variety of JM (Orangeola) which you can barely see behind the rock), and Spreading Japanese Plum Yew in the foreground. There is another row of Encore Azaleas ('Autumn Royalty') down the walk.

4. This is toward the other side of the front entry. More azaleas, lorapetalum, and back in the corner, some cryptomeria that I had. The bump out by the entry he left for me to put some annual color or whatever I want to play with. Then there are some Pieris (Mtn Fire I think) and 'Moonbeam' nandina. We left the Crepe Myrtle and the tall Sky Pencil Holly on the corners.

5. Going on around the corner of the house...He divided a 'Limelight' hydrangea into 3 and those will provide a screen for the A/C-Heat Pump. It's a fast grower so no doubt it will fill in soon I hope.

A couple more and I'm through boring you....

1. This is a broader view of the front with the row of azaleas that replaced the ugly yaupons that were formerly in these beds. Now it's azaleas and in the 'football' bed there are also gardenias (dwarf).

2. He took out a few things and tweaked one end of our driveway entry. I had some carex (sedge) and a couple of arbovitae I didn't want to just trash, and also had to dig up some black-eyed susans so he trimmed some things and put them out here. And 3 more big rocks. These rocks came from our neighbors property and he was getting rid of them. We think they once were the foundation of a log cabin. We took the pile of them as he didn't want them and I've been using them for borders in my beds.

3. View from the patio. I almost forgot...we moved some things from this bed against the porch. He planted 'Densiformis Spreading Yew' (behind the bench). Now I want to get a new fire pit. This one is about rusted out anyway. The whole yard makes me smile everytime I look at it.

Elaine the beds look great. Your JM are gorgeous. How old is the yellow one? I have never used the Leucothoe before can you tell me anything about them? I love your edging is that new too?

Love your beds Elaine! I really like your big rock. I think they really do make a great focal point. That is a beautiful Japanese Maple.
My windows are long like yours (almost to the floor) and my foundation plants are old and have gotten too tall. I keep cutting them back but what I really need to do some time is just rip it all out and plant some new ones. You're inspiring me but I'm not that there yet!

Jeri, that JM is about 15 years old. It has been trimmed back once and that was about 5-6 years ago. He did trim a little off the bottom when they moved it. I hope it doesn't shock it too badly but so far it isn't showing any damage. If we have a 'normal' winter, I'm hopeful it will be ok. They are actually pretty hardy. I had another one moved about 5 years ago and you couldn't tell it was moved either.

I have no familiarity with the leucothoe either. This is a first, but they are supposed to be easy, slow growing and deer resistant. We'll see. I'll try to get a picture this weekend. I love the foliage as it's really nicely variegated.

Charlotte, I hear you about trying to keep things trimmed back. I was so tired of keeping things trimmed back. I didn't think about that with the long windows but you do have to work on it more. I didn't think the yaupons would get as big as they did. I grew to dislike them immensely.

I have azaleas in the back and yaupons in the front of them. The azaleas have grown so much they have just about taken over the yaupons which is fine with me. My shrubs are from 1971 when the house was built! Who ever did the planting did a really nice job to begin with and they were really pretty and well thought out 30 years ago when I moved in. I had some tall evergreens at the corners of the house I had to take out a number of years ago due to ice storm damage and also took out that really sticky low growing holly. I've been saying for the last several years I need to take it all out and just start over but I know it's going to be a monumental task! The one thing I've found with yaupons is you can't kill them! I cut mine way back - to the point there are no leaves left and they look horrible. But in a few weeks they are sprouting their leaves again.

Variegated foliage is my new love! Variegated or bright green! It breaks up the landscape and really adds interest.

I feel so much sorrow for Judy. Prayers for the family.

Elaine, everything looks so nice!

Sandra: so sad about Judy's DH's passing! Please give her a big hug from me. (((((((((((((((((Judy))))))))))))))))))

Charlotte: you are a work-aholic---LOL-- but that is nothing new! I am sure you are enjoying your new business. It's a good thing I don't live close to you or I would be exploring your booths on a weekly basis! :D

Elaine: your flowerbeds look wonderful! I love the "BFR". :o) Do the deer nibble on your JM's? I brought two small JM's back from Jim's place. I put them out under some big oak trees and I have discovered that the deer have been nibbling on them. :o( I may have to have Al build some kind of barrier around them. We have deer that visit our property almost daily, much to Al's delight (deer season, you know) but I am going to have to start picking plants that are deer-resistant.

I am really looking forward to our trip to Page, AZ--especially after reading the comments you ladies have made about visiting the area. :o) We leave on the 17th and will return on the 25th.

Marilyn I had a feeling you were going to have problems with the deer eating your plants. I took 4 or 5 acuba's out to wildwood and the deer just want leave them alone. A couple of them they ate almost to the ground! I don't know if they will make it. We had to replace some camelia's they ate so much on them they looked pitiful. So far they are leaving the new ones alone. We planted lots of hostas in two places and they ate EVERY one of them down to the ground and succeeded in killing them! Other things they seem to leave alone. We have lots of Japanese maples and so far they have left them alone. They just seem to choose certain things and decide that's want they want to eat.

Yes I'm a work-a-alcoholic! Always have been - always will be! I love doing new things, meeting different people, etc.

I haven't had a problem with deer and my JMs, but they are close/next to the house. I made the mistake with an acuba when we first moved to the country and I had not educated myself about deer proof and deer resistant shrubs/plants yet. Acuba is one of their favorites. Deer resistant doesn't mean they won't eat it, but they might leave it alone if there is something else to eat. Come January when everything else is gone in the woods, you'd better look out. I've also had them eat some of my DL foliage in spring and late winter, camelias, azaleas that are in my beds far from the house, and some other things I thought were ok. My neighbor, on the other hand, has some huge camelias between her house and their detached garage. Apparently the deer have left those alone. I may get up the nerve to try again with those one day. So far, no luck.

Thanks all for the nicecompliments! If DH and I had to do all that work, we'd still be out there working on it next spring!! I'm glad we did it.

Elaine the beds are beautiful! I love the edging too! Is that bricks? I bet you do smile every time you look at it. Love that JM, and the big rocks!!

Sandra, so sorry to hear about Wayne. Hugs to Judy! I know this has been a long hard battle for them.

Marilyn, I have trouble with deer sometimes too. They ate almost all my rose bushes down to the ground, that is how I lost my gunny's rose. Then they ate my camellias one winter - stripped them bare....... but last winter they didn't bother them. I have camellias up close to the house that they don't bother..... guess they aren't brave enough to come right up to the house. Or at least, I hope they don't decide to!

Kyle will be having his gall bladder removed on 11/19 - we don't know a time yet. But I would definitely appreciate ya'll keeping him in your prayers. Hopefully by thanksgiving he will be able to eat whatever he wants..........

Thanks, Genna. The front beds are brick edging, the back beds around the pond and around the new bed are stones. We sorts mixed them, but when we had the flagstone patio done we built up some stacked stone beds and continued them around the pond. We had to marry-up with the existing stone and then with some of the existing brick in one spot so it's a bit of a mix on the side, but I didn't want to rip all of it out. I really like the brick paver edge. It's been there almost since we built (15 years now) and the guy must have done a fantastic job because nothing has grown up in my beds through it.

So far the only plants that I know the deer have eaten are the JM and the penstemon that Elaine gave me. They didn't totally eat the JM--just the tender leaves at the very top. I am going to have Al construct some kind of "cage" around it to keep the deer away from it. I have only one hosta and it is up against the house. So far they have not come all the way up to the flower beds against the house. I am going to have to study up on plants that deer don't eat and try to use just those.

Charlotte, I am glad you told me about the hostas. I was planning on putting some under the JM but I will not plan to do that now.

Deer gun season starts here in the morning. Al will be out before sunup getting to his deer stand. He usually only takes one deer because that is all he has needed in times gone by and I am sure it will be all we will need, too. We had a lot of errands to run today and were gone from home most of the day. Everywhere we went we saw guys in their pickup trucks pulling little trailers that held either 4-wheelers or mules. It was obvious where they were all headed!! :D

Marilyn from what I understand hostas are one of deer's favorite foods!!! I've heard lots of other people that have a deer problem say they really have a like hostas and other tender leaf plants. Sounds like your just going to have to work around the deer. Doesn't sound like Al is going to be willing to do anything that will discourage them from coming into your yard and beds. He's got a long established pattern of how he does it.

I was in south AR the day before deer season opened several years ago. Hwy 167 was like one big long parade. They were not just hauling 4 wheelers but they had every imaginable contraption in the back of their pickups and on trailers. It was so fascinating that I finally just pulled into a church parking lot and just sat and watched them go by for a long time. I just sat and laughed! Makes me chuckle just thinking about it now! But then it doesn't take much to keep me entertained!

Marilyn this site has some very good information about what plants deer are prone to eat.
http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/71/Deer%20Resistant%20Plants.pdf

I know they don't eat daffodils....

I'm sorry for the Los of Judy's husband. That is so sad. Please tell her Sandra how sorry we all are. Praying for her.

Beautiful yard Elaine !! Your house is beautiful!!!


I had some nice bunches of zinnias this year. Hope to have more next year and maybe some poppies too. I just love poppies.


They put a hold on our refinance and appraisal the other day. Said we have to put down a floor in amber's room, it's just concrete right now. And we have to do a little siding on the outside of the house. We r refinancing. Dropping our interest from 6.8 to 2.5. Saving ourselves almost 40,000 on our payback. So we will be on the ball to finish up the house .

Marilyn, I'm surprised they ate the penstemon...they have left mine alone, but mine is near the garage. Charlotte, yes, hostas are candy for deer. I have them next to the house and they have been ok, which is why I went with them again, under the JM, but putting them out by the woods won't work.

Kathy-ann, I love zinnias too, and mine re-seed so I haven't really had to re-plant in a while. I love poppies too but haven't had any luck getting them started. That's wonderful getting that lower interest rate! It's really a great time to do that with such low rates. Lower payments and great savings...Whoo Hoo!! And thanks!

Yes this is a great time to refinance! My house has been paid for for about 10 years now and I would sure hate to make house payments again!

Lots to do today! The big Christmas Open House for the antique mall is today. I'm taking a big fruit and cheese tray and have got to get it all assembled. I'll probably spend part of my day there.

I still haven't gotten all my tropicals put away for the winter. I need to work it that some more this weekend also.

I'm so tired that I can't hardly move. This is what I did today. Doesn't look like much but toward the end I couldn't even lift the loapers up to make another cut.

Are you going to put frost cloth over them now? I've decided I'm going to put some of mine in the ground this springs. I have enough that if they don't make it, no big deal!!

If I can move tomorrow that is my plan. I normally cover by 11/15 and uncover by 3/15. This way it will be done and I don't get in the middle of Thanksgiving cooking and it turn cold. I'm cutting the Monster pink brug back tomorrow and sending LK some cuttings of that along with the Giant Red Turk's Cap and the Pink Turk's Cap, hopefully Mon.