weather topic again

I have heard spring peepers for years but found one in my garden for the first time two years ago. Same with the gray tree frog. Found one of those on my screened back porch (hanging on outside) last summer. Maybe I did not have enough plants for them to hide in. Also, a lot more plants means there'll be a lot more bugs for them to eat! And I'm spending so much more time in my yard.... probably just didn't notice them before.

When my son was in elementary school, he used to tell everyone he wanted to be a herpetologist when he grew up. He caught a lot of leopard frogs in the woods behind our house. Occasionally he would catch a garter snake or a box turtle. I had a "catch and release" policy at home.

Hart, your black snake was most likely a Black Rat Snake.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Blackratsnake.cfm

They are pretty common in this area. I have seen several black rat snakes in the woods behind my house. They are good climbers and do eat bird's eggs and baby birds as well as other small reptiles and amphibians, but their diet mostly consists of rodents.

Ok, since you all laugh at stepping on frogs. I remember one time my husband (who has a habit of NOT wearing slippers in the house) was walking barefoot in the dining room & he didn't turn the light on. He stepped on something squishy and hollered at me, "Oh @##%$%^&* the dog threw up & I stepped in it. Come in here & clean it up!!!!!!!!!" When he turned on the light to look at it, he saw a garter snake take off like greased lightning & go down a little hole in our hardwood floor. Here, he had stepped on a snake. I was laughing my head off. And it was making him angrier. Then, he went in the bathroom to do his business & I went outside & here was that garter snake, sunning itself on our porch steps so I grabbed it & ran into the bathroom to show him. He started hollering like anything (that man is sure nuff afraid of snakes!!!!) That is my favorite true story.

Buttoneer, That is a good story! Thanks for sharing.

You guys must have lazy frogs, I can never come close to picking one up, unless he is coming out of hibernation. In the spring when I scoop out some debris from the watergarden I'll get a frog. They are easy to handle then.

Lol! Isn't that always the way, Buttoneer. Big, strong guys are afraid of little ol' snakes.

Glad you enjoyed that story. Now we all have to "batten down" for this next storm coming in tomorrow. Hope nobody is driving anywhere. Stay home, cover up, drink cocoa & watch some good movies on tv & glance out the window to watch the snow.

Hilarious Buttoneer!!! Poor guy. The really funny part about men and their fears, is that they have to really be backed in to a corner before they will admit to any fear or concern. I had been married to my husband at least 12 years before I knew that he was afraid of or had a severe dislike of heights.

I hope that everyone is doing well today.

Ruby

It is snowing today....glorious, pure white fluffy stuff. BIG fluffy flakes.
Because it is Sunday, the plows have yet to come. They'll be along tomorrow when life has to get back on track. But for today, I just look out the window and feel as if the whole World is at peace. Everything is white....All the trees and the bushes are slowly getting that Christmas card look. The birds are dancing around my feeders hung underneath my high patio roof. --all dry and safe from the weather. I am glad I filled them a couple of days ago.

I am safe and warm in my abode with nothing much to do but veg and look out the windows and feel at peace. There is such silence everywhere.
I DO wonder who is going to shovel all this stuff tomorrow? Shall I be brazen enough to give it a try? I can see it now--cane in one hand and a shovel in the other. Ha Ha....

Well, so much for waxing poetic......

Gita

gita -you sound practically transcendental today!
it was a lovely snowfall for hours here in MD. now about four inches, surprise. I have a small bird feeder hanging right by my window. today, it's out of seed (BAD ME) but there was a bird sitting in it for quite awhile for shelter I guess.
yes, it's so nice and quiet with new fallen snow, no far off traffic noise, or anything except the nuthatch, wren, woodpecker......

Sally,

I think with all this cooped up life I am leading, I am just losing my mind........
I may be "transcending" to something--just don't know what! Insanity????????

Gita

Gita, I think it's called "stir crazy" - much less serious than "Insanity" LOL Cold and rainy here today after a morning of sleet - good day to stay inside and keep warm, also good for watching movies - we had rented 'The Departed' and hadn't had an opportunity to watch it yet. Figured I'd sit and knit and watch the movie - although I enjoyed the movie, it was too intense to take my eyes off the screen and I didn't get any knitting done :(

Sally, I have to say that I actually did something good today - my large bird feeder was almost empty and I braved the sleet this morning and filled it - then had to find the empty thistle feeder that the brutal winds had knocked off its hanger two days ago and filled that as well. Unfortunately the birds weren't too happy with today's weather and didn't have many 'visitors' - but they'll be happy with me tomorrow!

Gita, good to hear you! I was wondering how you were doing?

We got some rain today and the sky is more of a light blue-gray, different from the gray it was all day, I think this may be all we get, have my fingers crossed.

Filled the feeder this a.m. when I noticed a pair of Tufted Titmouse and a chickadee in the bushes, not going to the feeder, sure enough it was empty! Scared a bunny hidding in the bushes, it had been eating the seed that had falled to the ground.

actually, Gita, I think it was relaxing for you to be forced by the weather to stay home, and not by your recovery. Whatever the reasn, your peaceful post was a nice read.
It sounds like things are dripping tonight. Maybe it's hovering above freezing temp. I told my mom I would be up in the morning to shovel. I may find four inches of saturated frozen snow pack..... or maybe just a slush layer. She did not bother me last week to tell me she had run out of Lopresser and was still 'snowed' in until I took her to an appt on Monday. two days off and her pressure was 170 over 86.....
And I need to get more bird seed. I got safflower and dove mix last time, and the squirrel doesn't sit there and hog it all, like he does sunflower. But the starlings like the dove mix. And I put out some old shredded parmesan, and a wren LOVED that!

Sally,

WOW! You really spoil your birds! Shredded Parmesan???? Is chopped shrimp next???

My neighbor shoveled a path from my door to the sidewalk tonight. So sweet of him. He even apologized for not doing it a few days ago, but said he had hurt his back. I am glad, as tomorrow I have to go to my PT to do all my exercises. Gotta get to my car.

As far as bird seed goes, I just buy Wagners mixed seed at HD. It's nice and has a lot of sunflower seeds in it. 22lb. bag for $8.99. Sometimes I'll get a bag of (senior moment!) that white seed--what is it--and mix it in. Safflower! I have 2 of the big, 3-tubed feeders with the squirrel baffle on top. I fill 2 of the tubes with mixed seed and one with sunflower seed. The squirrels cannot get to where I have them hanging, so it is all for the birdies. I HATE when all the blackbirds descend on my feeders! In a couple of days they are empty. They just pick and pick and eat only what they want. of course, there are plenty of birds on the ground that are grateful for that. I don't like the black birds and the starlings! They are too ravenous....
I have a birch tree and all season long the Goldfinches eat every seed out of the catkins. Every day I have to sweep the sidewalk beneath it. My Thistle feeder broke, so I have not been putting out that seed. Besides, they are picky. If it isn't fresh, they don't go to it. I am not about to buy a 10lb. bag of it for that reason.

OK! I was watching the Oscars, but got bored. I have been going to bed really early (9PM), so it is now past 10PM and I am getting sleepy.

Ladygardener, I am doing well. Working out twice a day as told to and going 3x a week to PT. I can now get around at home w/o my cane. it is about time! It is almost 5 weeks.

Great chatting with you all. Gita

.

Shredded Parmesan is Not one of the regular menu items here for the birds! I had over-bought on that and one container got a mold spot. thought I better just dump it all, and boy you should have seen that wren gobbling it. So now my cheese scraps will go outt on the deck for her/him.
I get annoyed when those hordes of starlings descend and hog everything- like they've been doing for weeks here, seem like. If they could just stick to scouring the grass for whatever it is they pick up there.
Goldfinches on birch? Well, then I'm glad I saved a small wild birch and stuck back in a corner of my yard. Won't bother me if they drop stuff there.

Gita Gal - No, to shoveling for yourself. Get someone else honey. You just described the same way that I feel while watching it snow. Perfect Peace. I love to see snow on trees and bushes too. Isn't bird watching fun? We hate the black birds too. They are hogs. We stopped feeding last year for a while when they showed up. After a couple or three months we began feeding again, and so far, so good, they haven't come back.

I hope that all who are reading this will have a great week.

Ruby

My mother loves to feed the birds and you should hear this sweet little old grayhaired lady cussing at the bluejays and starlings. LOL

Here's an easy recipe for peanut butter balls that the woodpeckers especially love. Mix peanut butter with corn meal until it's a pretty stiff dough, roll into basball sized balls and freeze. I save the little net bags that garlic comes in to hang them in the tree. You don't have to thaw them first.

I like to put out orange halves for the orioles too.

Gita, glad you're doing so well. That was so thoughtful of your neighbor. So who were you rooting for in the Oscars? I'm glad Martin Scorcese finally won.

Thanks for the recipe Hart. I might try it.

Gita, what did you have replaced? I got a new knee Dec 6, 2006 & am still using a cane.

I teach for Baltimore County. We were two hours late today becasue of, I'm not real sure what, but I suppose slippery walks. For me, that means that the busses are late picking up kids at the comprehensive schools, so I had no students.

I went in, did my grades, fixed a couple of computers, checked my lessons for tomorrow, and visited with some of my fellow teachers.

Then I came home and began the stir-crazy dreaming thing. I ordered holly-hock seeds for the front yard, and they came today. They are burgundy doubles, and oooohhhh so pretty. So now I'm hunting on eaby, looking for pots and wondering if I can plant them indoors early and maybe get a bloom this year. I have LOTS of sun along my window at work, adjusting blinds, and it's a perfect place to start seeds.

Is this a good idea, or should I just wait for spring and seed direct?

Anyone know? My mom had these in this area when I was growing up, and they reseeded year after year. But that gave them the winter to get started. Is it too late to just stick them outside in pots and let them start when they feel up to it?

Buttoneer,

I had a total knee replacement (right leg) on January 24. This Wednesday will be 5 weeks. I had my left one done in March of 2004. Both times my recovery was astonishing and fast. Not because I am a super person or something, but because I work very hard at all my exercises, I push myself to do a little bit more that I feel like doing and, living alone, I HAVE TO do everything myself. I do not look at that as a negative but as a positive--additional PT as I go about the house, up and down the 4 steps that separate my living area from my bedrooms and bath, etc. I have "Mind over matter" mentality. It really helps. By the end of this week I should not need to use my cane any more. I already get around the house without it, but when I go out in this weather, I just have it along for a bit of security. I have also been driving for a couple of weeks already (yes! it was my right leg).

How come you still are using your cane???? What does your Dr. say about that? Did you go somewhere for outpatient PT? That should be about 3 x a week and last for 4-6 weeks. Have you tried getting around without the cane? Do you tell yourself: "I think I can...........I think I can?".
I think using a cane for longer than you need to can lead to acquiring a bad habit of relying on it and walking in a 'rocking" fashion which can affect your other leg, your hips and your back in a negative way. They told me to not use my cane the second time I went to PT. The main thing after a TKR is to strengthen all the leg muscles in the operated leg, especially the quadriceps muscle (thigh). If you keep relying on a cane (or a walker) then you are not allowing your muscles to get back to the strength they should be at. The use it or loose it applies here.

Please don't take this wrong. I am not criticizing you. Everyone is different and everyone has different levels of pain tolerance. I want to get back to normal asap. I refuse to rely on others for help when I can do it myself. Gardening season is coming and in about a month, I will be out there digging up beds, fertilizing my lawn, mowing my lawn, etc. I also plan to get back to work before the end of April. I work PT at HD. Gonna twist my Dr.'s arm so he will let me. I sit at work (am a phone operator) so it should be OK. With the last one I went back in 2 1/2 months.

Here's a few other things that may be helping me. I have been an athlete half of my life. I am physically strong and in decent shape. I have always worked hard at all he physical jobs I have had and then I also work hard around the house and garden. Been on my own for 15 years now.

I have been in knee-pain since 1999. Have had arthroscopic surgeries on both knees and now have had them both replaced. I am truly looking forward to a more pain-free life after I get over all this. I want to take up walking and biking again. All that has been put on the back burner for years. I have to push myself to do all this. Believe me, I'd rather lay on the couch half the time. Been doing a lot of it this the past month--but I think I have had a good reason.
Next weekend is my birthday. I will turn 70 years young. THERE!!!!!!! :o)

I do not know anything about you and your living situation, but I hope I have inspired you a little? Please tell me I have! If I have offended you in any way, I am sorry for that.

Gita

Hi Gita, no, you have not offended me. I am 63, overweight, and I am still doing my PT exercises at home. I went in for a TKP Dec 6 and figured I would be out in 3 days and doing PT as an out-pt. What I didn't count on was the Pulmonary embolism and Atrial Fib in my heart as a result of the (high risk) surgery. I was in the hospital 2 weeks and put in rehab which was great because I worked out most of the morning and half of the afternoon and had that mechanical knee bender 1.5-3 hours a day. I got out of the hospital Dec 20 and went to out-pt PT 3 times a week until Feb 1 when I went back to work parttime, starting at 4 hours a day for 2 days, then the following week 4 hours a day for 3 days, and every week working gradually back to full time (40 hours). I am at 28 hours this week. I do my exercises at home in the evening. I use a cane at work because if I don't, I limp and lose my balance, but in the house, I do NOT use the cane at all. (I am trying to wean myself off that cane) I don;t even use the cane when I go down the steps to get in the greenhouse and when I was in PT, I was their best patient cause I got my knee to 90 degrees while I was in the hospital (before they took the staples out) and 120 degrees in PT. Anyway, I'm getting there. I was told I will probably be on coumadin the rest of my life and in June, when 6 months are up, and the blood clot is gone, if my heart is still fibrillating, they will do a cardioversion on me (put me to sleep & shock my heart to get it back in normal rhythm) and if that works, I will be fine. If it doesn't work, then I guess I get a pacemaker. I never felt "old" in my life until this surgery and all this extra stuff happened to me. Now I feel frail, if you know what I mean, but I haven't given up. As a matter of fact, I am going on a field trip with my local greenhouse club to Phipps Conservatory and the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pa (bus trip) and there will be a lot of walking there. Nice to meet a fellow TKR person. So glad to make your acquaintance. Here's a pix of my "new" knee. You will see 3 views, front, side and top. Let me know what you think. I took the pix of the x-rays in the dr's office. Cool, huh? Judy Showers

Hi, Judy!

I am so sorry to hear about all your other problems. I am also sorry that I was so short-sighted and never imagined there may be other complications. ...just because everything is OK here.....

I think every Dr. uses different knees in their patients. Even my two are different from each other--and it was done by the same Dr. He just liked a newer model better that came out since my first one was done. Yours doesn't have any of the knobs that go into the tibia bone. What is holding it down?

Gosh! You sure recovered quicker than most people. I think I had 90* also before coming home. Right now I am at 120* bending it myself and a bit more if someone pushes it. Almost there!!!!
Are you doing the step-up exercise on the steps? That sure helps with strengthening the knee and thigh. I have steps everywhere in my house and am trying to walk "normal" up and down (vs. one step at a time). I have to watch it, as my knee is stiffer in the AM than later when it has been worked out a bit. Also, my Achilles tendon hurts when I do the steps for the first couple of ups/downs. Then it is OK. Love my pain pills!!!! They take all the sharp pain away. I have become a druggie.....:o)

I am headed right now to do my evening exercises. Just thought I would check again to see if you responded.
Thanks for sharing your saga with me and i sure hope all goes well with you from now on.

Best wishes, Gita

I apologize to you all for hijacking this thread into a knee replacement saga.

Buttoneer and I are moving our discussion to our D-mails so as not to bore you all.

Carry on with all the weather discussions! That IS how this thread started, NO?????

Gita

Gita, That's ok, I for one think it is interesting to see how you are both doing, after all we also might be going through the knee thing too some day, Liked seeing the x-rays.

And Ruby and I get talking about our parts or lack there of. ha ha.

Buttoneer, enjoy your trip, I grew up in Pittsburgh and those two places are some of my favorites to visit. Try and get to the museum if you can, I use to love seeing the mummys.

Chris

Chris, I have to go where the bus takes me. LOL. It'll be a full day just going to those two places. How long was I supposed to use the cane? nobody told me.

Yeah, I am with Chris - Don't you two become so private that some of us may miss some sort of helpful information. No problem about hijacking the weather topic. But.... yesterday's report - and don't get too mad Chris. It was almost 60 degrees here yesterday. John had all the windows opened at home when I returned last yesterday afternoon. During my errand run, I had to run the air conditioner in the car. ha-ha..Sorry abut those who are still facing the cold. John says to report that the warm weather is on its way to those of you still in the cold, and the cold is on its way here too. ha-ha

Sorry about all the ha-ha's.. That is just what my brain puts out so much as I post, so I may as well post, what my mind is thinking. Don't you agree? haha

Anyway, thank you buttoneer for signing your name. Good to meet ya Judy. Gita and all, have a good day.

Ruby

I will never become a post-policewiman, either- go ahead and ramble if you don't mind some well-meaning lurking. What I mean is, I read to learn about life and other's experiences, and I wish the best to anybody during their health problems.
Gita- you sure are young! And it's turing out to be a nice week in MD. I was out weeding the strawberries. Some of the tops came up with no roots- need to speak to Chip and Chester about Vole Patrol.

Hi, I'm back. Gita & I decided to come back here & keep you nice people all informed about the TKR thing. I saw Gita's pix on her bio here at Davesgarden and gal, you are a young-looking 70. You don't look more than late 50's. Well, I experimented today at work. I took the cane along but did not use it. My back started hurting & I was limping, so as long as I am limping, I have to use the cane. That's what they told me in PT. When the limp goes, so does the cane. I don't use the cane in the house. I spent a pleasurable hour in the greenhouse after work, getting some plants ready to take to the Hobby Greenhouse for their raffle table. I divided some calatheas (aren't these the prettiest things, with purple underneath and various shades of green & pink on top of the leaves? Neat low light plants. I am taking 6 orchids that I bought from Lowes for (are you ready for this?) $ 1.00 each. They were getting rid of them because they were finished blooming. Now that's a deal. I bought 6 Oncidiums & 2 Phaleonopsis kept1of each & the rest of them go to the club. I buy raffle tickets, too because I want to win some of the plants that other people bring in. Then after the meeting is over, I am driving to York, PA to go to the Mid-Atlantic Garden Show. That will be so cool. It's not a huge show but lots to see & buy.

Ha-ha Sally, who are Chip and Chester? Are they the voles?

Sounds like you are keeping busy Judy. Have fun.

Ruby

Buttoneer- Incredible price on orchids! I wish Lowes was closer to me, after hearing all the great deals there on plants. HD had some 'done ' orchids once but not for one buck only, and I have no experience with them, or the time to try.
Ruby- I should name my voles!! they are as much a part of the landscape as the family! C and C are my vole hunting monsters-feline variety;I think they have kept the voles down. but not out. My neighbor has lots of ground cover and trees and no cat now and she's being eaten out of house and home, er, bed and border.
Another nice day here- first clump of crocus bloomed

Most of you know already that I work for HD. Been there 9 years come march.

HD has never been one to readily mark down plants to get rid of them. Lowes is much better in that respect. In the past 2 or 3 years, HD has had less and less control over all their outside and inside plants. Now, this coming season, this company that grows all the annuals and flowers for HD (Bell Nursery outside of Silver Spring) is also assuming 100% control of everything in the Outside Garden, Greenhouses or Houseplant dept. What this means is that any plants that die or become so-so, are no longer HD's loss but Bell's loss. With that in mind, HD is not going to mark down a whole lot of anything as that counts as a loss against their sales. Bell has people that work in HD's garden center every day--watering and culling. We no longer do much of that.

In a way that is good as in the "old days" this company would cull cart fulls of dead plants and leave them for us to take the markdown. We just don't have enough people any more to take care of all the plants. The number of associates has been cut to the bone. So this works pretty good both ways.
I do not know if this policy is widespread among all the HD or just some. I would think in the immediate area of Baltimore it should be the same way in all the stores.

Hope this explains things somewhat.

Gita

Gita and Buttoneer, bless you both and hope you are fully recovered soon. Gita, I noticed last spring that the people watering and tending plants at the HD store in Bowie were not HD employees.

Sally, what you really need is a rat snake in your yard. Had one in my neighborhood when I first moved here. No voles until people chased away the snake. Pookie (my cat) was a good hunter when he was young but he is 12 now and weighs 19 lbs. He's slowed down a lot. Also eating critters sometimes gives him parasites, yuck.