New journal thread for Oct.

We are having chilly nights but lovely days here in central MO. I've gotten a lot of work done in the yarden. I burned about 7 or 8 55 gallon barrels of seed heads from weeds last week. Millions of seeds that will NOT sprout next year or any year thereafter. YEAH!! I know I didn't get all of them but any that I did is an improvement.

The asters, cosmos, marigolds(of course), stonecrops, and hardy hibiscus are all still blooming. Snow on the Mountain is begining to form some seeds so we'll have more next year I hope. I managed to get more iris moved and in temp. beds to see what they really are and if they are going to survive. Some of them haven't bloomed for a couple years, others are babies off dead old rizhomes that haven't bloomed for a while, etc. The ones I got from the compost pile at Powell Gardens are doing fine in a deck pot and will go into the ground next year sometime. They were so small or not in good condition when I got them but I know they will be really nice ones when they finally do bloom. Dr. Henderson only grows the top rated iris in that garden. I think I got about 10 new iris from the pile. I also got about 9 new hardy(I pray they survive the winters) mums and some nice tiny baby butterfly bushes. The youngest chickens got in and tore up some of the pots so we lost some but I still have at least 4 or 5 new mums which are now blooming and one very hardy(so far)little tiny butterfly bush. All of these were aquired during the mid summer months. The verbascum Kris and I got from the Parks Wholesale sale this summer are doing great. We only paid about $2 each and they now sell for $12 each!

The Pink Poppet weigilea I got for $2 at Lowes' is doing fine in its large pot. I think I'll leave it in the pot for the winter. I really am not sure where to plant it in the yard. It has bloomed a bit this fall. I know, out of seasn, but so is the apple tree that is blooming. I've never done well with weigelia in the ground. So I'll probably buy the biggest pot I can manage, keep it root pruned as needed and leave it in a pretty pot. Our soil doesn't drain as well as many plants need. The 3 $2 rose plants I got seem to be doing well too. I need to do some more watering today so I need to get going.

If the first frost holds off long enough we will have a second crop of cherry tomatoes. The plants are loaded with tiny green ones and more blooms.

GOD bless and keep all of you.

I wouldn't hold out on the frost. It is supposed to start getting cold on Tuesday or Wedsday night and get colder everyday after that with highs only in the 50s. BRRR!!! Lows are to be in the 30s.

I am trying to work on my tulip/canna bed but have been thwarted on every turn. It is full of grass and needs to be weeded so I can plant 20 more tulips. I got a red bunching tulip and a light yellow/off white bunching tulip. If I don't like them next year I will put singles in there. I wanted something other than Darwin hybrids. Like those but want variety. Got my irises planted a couple weeks ago and my dad got the sugar maple and ninebark maple planted also. Now am trying to keep everything alive by watering.

EvaMae, I am sooo jealous of your tomatoes!! Had to give up on my tomatoes this year which made me mad since they were PG plants. I love tomatoes and wanted a bountiful harvest. Oh well, maybe next year. Hoping to have a raised bed next year for veggies.

Pepper, don't get too jealous. It will the second crop of cherry tomatoes( they came from PG)but my main crop was a near total bust. Barely kept us in enough Roma tomatoes to have fresh ones to eat. Kellog Breakfast had one small tomato, Belgium Giant had nothing until now but with frost coming on will likely not ripen anything, Rutgers had maybe half a dozen plum size fruits, etc. Holly on the other hand got 3 or 4 5 gallon pails full from just 4 plants!! That was were I got some to can.

I don't like the sound of that weather forcast. My body doesn't like cold temps. Fortunately I was given some smaller sweat tops so I'll have something warm to wear. I gave away all my big ones unless they are so stained they are dog rugs only.

I need to get myself to bed. GOD bless and keep each of you.

Well, I cleaned out my tulip bed today. Took forever and i had to water down the dirt so I could pull up the weeds but it got done. Tulips are also planted and hopefully I will like them when they bloom. Also raked up the black walnuts and put them in a lawnmower bag to hold them for the squirrels this winter. Hopefully they will be able to find them.

Ok, finally went out and got my tags. The tulips I planted are Bunchflowering Florette, which looks like a yellow, cream mix with red veins. Very pretty in the picture. The other one is Praestans Fusilier which is red with maybe lighter tones on there too. Will look these up in PF and see.

Pepper, I'm glad you got that job finished. They sound quite pretty. Who was the supplier?

I weeded and watered this afternoon too. I had one bed that needed more work done on it- again. The underground tunneling vermin have been very active lately and quite a few of our spring bulbs no longer have roots or are underground. I put several into an aqua basket and replanted them, put more just in the ground and planted lots of garlic 'seeds' and very small cloves with them. Then I put some castor oil soaked Q-Tips in some of the runs. Darcy Beagle is busy digging up the yarden trying to catch some of them. There is probably only a couple or so but they are very busy little critters storing up fat for hybernation. Supposely they do not like the smell of Castor Oil and I know that where we have garlic or onions we have few if any of the little dickens. I need to get several dozen - a hundred or more nice green onion size Walking Onions dug and out of a couple beds. Or at least get the population under control. Holly and Kyle like them so they won't go to waste. I can use some and may freeze some too. I still need to get the chives dug.

LineAce,I have the blue iris dug that I told you I would be getting to you about a month ago . I'll try to contact you tomorrow, and see if I can bring them over in the evening. I have some odds and ends to bring to you too. Just stuff I have excesses of that I think you may want. Not sure if I had any of this stuff at the RU. If you see this please dmail me and let me know if tomorrow is ok.

I really must stop eating at the computer desk. There are ants all over the place on this desk! YIKES! Now I'll have to spray for them. And the keyboard needs a good cleaning too.

I'm getting sleepy and need to keep correcting mistakes. GOD bless and keep each of you.

I got my tulips from PG. They were having their annual sale of them in the gift shop. There are still tulips and other bulbs left so check them out Tues if you get a chance.

I have planted grass and it is doing real good. hosta are getting ready to go to sleep and it iks about time for me to take a couple runs up to High Hill Mo for some loads of turkey barn compost. Need to clean out last pload of yard compost from my barrel composter today and spread it in the little nursery area box I keep potted up transplants in.

Pepper, I wondered later if you got them at the gift shop. I remembered that this is the time of the year for that sale.

Oz, I have been trying to figure how to get back to that rabbitry but somehow life and bills just keep getting in the way. LOL My one little bunny in the utility room doesn't produce that much poo. A 4' X 8' trailer load would go a long way here, especially if I could manage to find some old hay and put it thru the chipper/shredder or run the lawn mower over it. Yey, the new Walker would do a good job if the hay was dry, wouldn't it? I'll have to consult Holly on that matter. She will know what it can and can't do. By the way, you will soon have dmail. I have permission to give you our son's email address so you can ask his wife Holly about the Walker mowers.

I need to weed a raised bed I use for baby plants which just need to grow a bit before being put into ground level beds. I have quite a few of those right now since I am moving some plants out of the old fenceline and combining some small beds into larger ones. So I need to get out there and start working.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

http://wwwa.accuweather.com/forecast-15day.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&zipcode=67156&metric=0

Go here to check out your weather forcast. I got this one and it is 15 day out.

Ok, I lied when I said I was done with tulips. Today I went and bought Gudoshinik, which is a Darwin Hybrid, and Spring Green. And because the ground is soft from the rain I went out as soon as I got home and planted them. lol. My dad rolled his eyes when he heard. But this is it because if I like them when they bloom then I am gonna spread them out and fill in the whole bed with them. I promise to take pictures in the spring of all of the little gardens and if my computer is completely fixed I will post them. Otherwise I'll have to mail them to one of you and have you all post them for me. lol. Ok, nuff rambling.

Amanda

Make sure it is a good heavy 4x8 trailor if you ever do get some that stuff weight 1400lbs a big scoop. And it fully fills my ranger extented bed. I installed heavy helper spring to carry that stuff home.

Thanks for that tip, Oz. I doubt we realized the droppings are that heavy. Our trailer was rated rated at 1000# when we bought it but since I overloaded it the first time I hauled bags of grass clippings and bent the axle, Jack and our oldest son have re enforced it to carry more. Jack has taught me watch the tires and when the bed settles down a bit, the load limit has been reached. Not exact science, but it has worked for years. I'm going to guess that I will be hauling more like 2/3 of a trailer load is it is really wet. I remember the 50# feed bags of droppings I got there last time. Each weighed about 50# when filled with the droppings.

We are having some lovely drizzle most of the day and night. We've had almost 1/2" since yesterday morning. I think the weather man said more is due tonight. I hope he is right. I was planting bulbs, transplanting peonies & iris and found the soil is bone dry by about 3" - 4" down. I just went out to lock up the bird house and it is raining nice and slowly. I'll post the total tomorrow sometime. We are so grateful to GOD for each and every drop of it.

I had a long hard weekend and today I'm kind of paying for it. I think my body is adjusting to the change of the season so. I'm not as achey as I was for a few days.

A hunter brought us a deer late Sat. evening while I was gone. I thought it could wait until I got home from the fish fry yesterday but when the dogs let me know they wanted out Sun. morning I realized that couldn't happen. It was already 47* outside. Plan B was to find someone to take it ASAP. I got ahold of a close friend and her husband and they came out in about an hour. I helped skin and quarter and debone the body part and they took it home to do the rest. I sent our electric grinder with them. I learned this afternoon that about 5 families have benefited from it. It was only a 6 point buck but his body was large. He was also carrying a lot of fat. My friend saved some of it to try to render down for making bird cakes with p. butter, corn meal, etc. I've never tried using deer fat for that, just beef tho I don't know why it wouldn't work just fine.

I have to get the van oil & filter changed tomorrow. I'm suppose to be there at 9 in the morning. That will be pushing it but if I just get up and get going I can do it ok. I can walk to a local thrift store nearby and do some looking for winter tops that actually fit me. The walk will do me good too.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

Leaflady~ thanks for pointing us over to this thread. I kinda feel like one of my pumpkins, sometimes you just have to lead 'em by the hand ! ;0) Today, I'm going to follow Tapla's advice and throw my old container soil on the compost heap! ;0)

i stay lost
nice rain in OK. too but need much more
warming back up to 80° today .
need to get out finishing planting , but feel awful .

Take it easy, Tazzy. I slept all last weekend (almost), It's Tuesday, and I'm still feeling worn out. I'm ready for a little sunshine.. it's been cloudy, but no rain... (is it spring, yet? haha)

i know it close to Christmas because no Halloween stuff in store just Christmas ?
" This peeves me "

AND, if you need a winter coat, NOW is the time. . . . Swimsuits come out next month. :)

I just changed all my clothes around...found I wasn't wearing as many shorts and sleeveless tops anymore! hahaha

I went thru my clothes and did the seasonal change a couple weeks ago only to have it warm back up for a few days. I had left out a couple pairs of shorts and it was a good thing. Now we are back to long pants, etc.

Tazzy, you need to take care of yourself. I know it seems as tho there is no end to the planting. I don't know about OK, but here in central MO you can let iris and daylilies just set on top of the ground and if you water them a bit they will take root and do very well thru the cooler and even freezing weather. I have to plant all bulbs but Grape Hyacynths and Suprise lilies in aqua baskets or the tunneling vermin will either eat the roots off or eat the bulb itself. Even daffs aren't safe. I found quite a few of them last week with no roots left. I need to buy a lot more of those baskets. The dogs have been tearing up the yarden but I don't know if they have gotten any of the varmits. I don't think they will eat them tho and I haven't seen any lying around here.

I want a couple peonies so badly but don't see it coming out of this fall's budget unless I can do a trade for them. I hinted to a couple of the children that they would be fine for early Christmas gifts but no one seems to have taken the hint. :>) I did get Festiva Maxima in a trade for a Bowl of Beauty look a like. I have lots of them. The ones I want are Hawaiian Pink Coral and Gay Paree'. I have no idea the names of most of our peonies as they were freebies or left by Jack's mother who planted them in the early '50s. I moved and divided them in the late '80s' & early '90s.

I spent the entire day in town running errands, getting the van's oil and filter changed, etc. Then I came home and got Jack and took him in to do his shopping. We got home about 6 I think. Now I am thawing the old frost up freezer so when we get deer I'll have a place to put it. I need to get more plastic dish pans to help keep the freezers organized. That helps so much. I'm giving a lot of last year's meat to a daughter but not until the middle of Nov. when we meet in Columbia. I thought maybe I could put it all or at least most of it in the frost free or the other way around as they are both the same size. But I was badly mistaken about that. Even leaving out the flours, wheat berries, etc. and throwing out some freezer burnt meats I will have at least 1 1/2 freezer full of stuff, mostly venison and chicken from Tysons.

I guess I need to check the progress in the freezers. GOD bless and keep each of you.

Leaflady ~ someone on the another thread was asking about the bulb cages? Where do you buy them? Thanks!

I get them at Lowe's and Sutherland's. There are 2 or 3 sizes. I think I pay something like $1.50 for the small one.

Hi all!! Sorry I've been quiet. Gearing up for Spooktacular at work. I am playing the Wicked Witch of the Wizard of Oz. In case some of ya are wondering Spooktacular is an event where staff and volunteers at PG do skits in the garden for kids. We do 5-10 minute skits of certain fairy tales and one character of most skits hands out candy for the kids. It is a really popular event and sells out every year.

I also heard from my younger sis this morning. She wants me to go on a cruise to hawaii. Unfortuntely I have to turn her down because of the fact I have to fly to CA and I don't fly, and because of work. WAAHH!! I really wanted to go!! Oh well, she and I will be able to do that another time.

EvaMae, we have your pics of the house still in Hort. If any of us remember we will give them back to you when you come to PG again. Oh and the mystery bulb has finished leafing out and is now at about 27 in.

Leaflady~Thanks for the info, will share info with Sandy on another thread.

I was reading your other thread about communicating with someone who is ill in the house. I've used baby monitors to keep an ear on someone and they are pretty cheap.
Also, Tazzy you might want to check on a drug called "Aricept" for your husband. I've seen it make an improvement in someone who was having memory problems.

This is currently blooming in my yard. I just guess it is confused??? I think it is an Asiatic lily.

Spooktactular went great tonight. Will write more tomorrow.

That lily is a confused but beautiful bloom. I had an apple tree that has been badly damaged by livestock in the past put on a few blooms about a month ago.

My problem with the monitor is that it doesn't reach out into the yarden or to our DIL's home about a block away. And if I am in the house he just won't communicate. He lives in front of the TV most of the time and that seems to be all he can hear or think about. Mostly depressing & what I consider to be violent(police, war, etc.) stuff at times. Right now he is watching more informative TV so that is an improvement. On the bright side, we are now working on a drain line in the basement that has been a problem since the house was built in 1950. It is too level and so stuff sticks in it and it gets totatlly plugged at least once a year. It is too far away from the sink for chemical, plungers, etc. to do much if any good. So now we are driving a piece of PVC pipe into it which will have a slick surface for stuff to hopefully go on thru. If this doesn't work we will have a MAJOR problem on our hands as the PVC will be in there too tight to come back out. They will have to go in and remove some of the wall of the basement and make the crawlway much larger to work in and then install a larger piece of PVC pipe to connect to the large one about 10' away. We pray that won't have to happen. That job will take at least 3 to 5 days of hard work and Kyle is only available one day a week at the most. Anyway that is keeping him active and doing something for the time being.

One long baby bird of some kind hatched last week. It may be a baby chicken, but I suspect from it's markings and the lack of intellegence that it is one of the peacock/guinia fowl cross kids. She hasn't hatched any for a couple years thankfully. A pair of pigeons hatched this one for us. They all live together and use the same nests. Anyway, it had no idea how to feed from a pigeon so we are raising it here in the house. It is in the cage with our pet mini Rex bunny. Sheldon is so patient. He has to share his 3' X 4' X 3' cage with all kinds of critters. This baby bird wants to get under him and he lets it sometimes but it just cheeps so much it nearly drives us all crazy. I have a small heater blowing on the cage(it is open wire)and that helps some, but last night I fixed a 2 liter bottle of hot water, penned it in a corner with the bottle and draped a towel over it. That seemed to settle it down a lot. This morning it drank and drank water. I think it finally so thirsty it just had to. It eats some, but not enough. Those kinds of little birds just really are dumb. If they survive, and a few have over the years, they are ugly as sin, stupid, and just plain mean. They also are not fit to eat even when young. The meat is so tough even a crockpot all day doesn't help. I didn't try a pressure pan. That might have done it.

Pepper, I'm glad the Spooktackular went well. Did you have a really big crowd? I don't know how many usually come to those things. Did you make your own costurme? You have never mentioned whether or not you sew.

I guess I need to get started on the day. GOD bless and keep each of you.

Hi EvaMae, we had over 500 people yesterday. There will be 500 today too unless the rain keeps them away. As for the costume they provided it and it is just a black pantsuit that has feathers on the ends of the sleeves. Then there is a knee length black wig, black witch's hat and green face paint. I don't sew.

leaflady, you have such a way with words............. I just about fell out of my chair laughing with the mental image of the chick you described (kind of a homer simpson with feathers) and the poor rabbit (kind of pictured a sad basset face on a rabbit body or maybe eeore from winnie the pooh)........I hope things go well with the pipe. As always wishing you the best. :)

The little bird actually looks just like a baby chicken right now. But it a bit too tall to be a banty. And its lack of intellegence is somewhat of a giveaway too. The markings also remind me of those birds when they are little. I may be wrong. It may turn out to be a long legged banty chicken. Sheldon's ears don't flop, but most of the time now they are flat against his head indicating displeasure. He probably has a kingsize headache from all the cheeping.

Cold today. There is nearly an inch of water in the rain gauge from yesterday. We had a very brief light shower this morning while in Sedalia but it didn't amount to anything. After the dry, dry summer here every drop is such a blessing.

We went to Lowe's after church to get a shut off valve for the pipe in the basement plumbing. Of course I went to the garden center while Jack got the valve in plumbing. I got 2 6" or 8" pots of a lovely pink - the name is on the tag - garden mum, 2 different perennial asters - one bright purple & one lavender & both named - a 6 pack of so called annual dianthus and a pot of them. The whole shebang cost me $7.50. The dianthus always usually live for at least 3 or 4 years around here. I'll check everything for root condition and then decide which size pot to move them into until spring. Plants put out this time of the year usually don't survive the winter. At least not for me. I can keep these on the unheated front porch for the winter and put them outside on nice winter days.

I need to get out there and get something done with the scraps from the cafe' last night, check the roots of those new plants, etc. and try to not get too dirty. I would like to go back to church this evening. It starts in 3 hours so I don't have time to do much.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

Our maples are in full color - Praise the Lord

Yes, they are beautiful! I think they just light up the yard!

Too beautiful for words. It is so like GOD to make something so beautiful for us to enjoy.

Praise the Lord, Jack gets to do outpatient treament for the cellulitis. We first noticed it Friday and it had spread and was weeping Sat. Yesterday was worse so they prayed for him at church yesteday morning. I told GOD that I don't like to put him in a box but if there was a distinct difference for the better this morning I was taking him to the doctor. It was somewhat improved, but not enough to suit me so off to the doctor in Marshall we went this morning. He will be on Augmenten and goes back next Tuesday. Usually he get hospitalized for cellulitis and has IV treatment for 2 - 3 days then goes on oral meds.

Cool but sunny here today. We will be going to town soon to get some corn for the birds, money orders for things, Jack's meds, and find a giant print NIV Bible for him. I've already called the Christian book store and they have several. I want him to pick it out tho.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

This may have been the last good day to work outside for a while so I went to the cafe' and worked on the perennial bed over there. We all decided that it needed to be made smaller so I removed the entire front row putting what few plants I could into the back row. I left with the van well loaded with daylilies, Belgium mum Canelli, a few iris, some Paprika Yarrow and some odds and ends of other plants. I stopped at LineAce's and dropped off most of it. She shared some orange iris and some canna rhizomes she aquired from a friend today. Everything at the cafe' came from our gardens originally but I have lost a couple plants due to the drought this past summer. They must have had more rain or at least at better times because theirs looked good.

Jack had another small stroke Sat. while I was gone. This one has affected the right side of his face. His eye is bloodshot and doesn't close properly and his mouth sags somewhat. His speech has been affected and he has trouble eating and drinking. We have appointments for him to see the doctor in Marshall at 8 tomorrow morning anyway on a 1 week followup on the cellulitis on his left shin and a 2 p.m. appointment in Columbia at VA for a hearing on his failed audio tests. We are praying they will furnish him with a hearing aid. In the Army he had to work underneath running helocoptors and he thinks that is where the hearing loss started. They also never checked him for diabetes before discharging him. But all his records went up in smoke when the building in St. Louis burned. Like thousands of other veterans it is his word against theirs. Anyway, he will be seen by doctors and probably tests done to see how permenant they expect the effects of the strokes to be. That is hard to tell tho I know.

I need to get to bed. Busy day ahead of us. GOD bless and keep each of you.

you and Jack are still in our thoughts and prayers was hoping his health would keep improving I know your faith will carry you through but take of your self and try not to over do it . I'd come in to let everyone know we were doing ok out our way hadn't said much this month been busy just about got a 9 by 24 shed add to our little barn 12' will be feed and general storage and the rest will be goat shed I got part of the winter wood cut will be working on the rest this week I may have to buy a cord to carry us till the rest gets dry I got some standing dead and a little that is down to get in but don't know if it is enough till some of the green drys The rabbits are recovering nicely now we have cool weather

Dave 719

Prayers for you and Jack .
God bless
PS
i think the medical test are so hard,
if you live through them YOUR
not in to bad a shape !
LOL

This message was edited Oct 31, 2006 11:17 PM

You and Jack keep hanging on. Hope the tests come out ok and he gets better.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, everyone. We've been home about an hour now and he is settled in bed. The diagnosis is Bell's Palsy caused by the herpes virus. Since he had chicken pox as a child the infection is in his system for life. But we think this is the first related problem he has ever had. He is on 200 mg. of Acyclovir 5 times a day for 5 days. If it hasn't cleared up by then bring him back to VA ER and they will check him out again. He says the eye hurts now most of the time. I put Visine in it yesterday and he said it really helped. I just put more in it a bit ago. I am suppose to tape it shut at night but he resists that due to the tenderness. So I put cling wrap inside the catarct surgery patch he is suppose to also use at least at night, covered that with gauze and taped it over the eye. The eye doesn't close all the way when he sleeps and he can't blink it, so that lets the surface of the eye get dry even tho tears are running all the time. With GOD's help we will get thru this trial of our faith too.

It is down to 35* here tonight. Too cold to suit this old body. I have turned up the heaters. Just a couple days & nights ago I was opening windows to let in fresh warm air.

GOD bless and keep each of you. Your support means so much to us.

I hate to see the next few days coming with cold and rain. It will take the fall color away. down here at Lake of the Ozarks it has been one fine colorful fall. When the sun is on the hills it will hurt your eyes to look at them.