Can y'all help me welcome a new Subscriber?

blueskyes!

Longtime friend of mine - I'll let him tell you his story, but he's a commercial pilot and a wannabe again Gardener!

Give him a big DG welcome, will ya? His name is Ken :)

Welcome Ken! You'll find DG a very warm, friendly and helpful place. Many knowledgeable people here who love to share their experience. You can bring a unique perspective to 'vertical gardening' having looked down at many gardens! Have fun.

Regards,
Victor

Hey, Ken!

Any friend of Dea's has to be a good soul. Welcome to DG! There's lots to find here, be it gardening, books, jokes, antiques, crafts...you name it. It's not just for gardening anymore. :D

Hi Ken!

Welcome to DG! The absolute BEST website on the planet earth!

I was blessed to have a beautiful sunny day and played in the dirt for awhile. Fun!

I'm TERRIFIED to fly :-) - I fly, but I just HATE it - lol

Have fun and if you need any help with anything, just ask!

Maybe we should rename it, Dave's Emporium??

Hey Ken... Welcome Aboard Flight DG 101... Destination Anywhere and Everywhere.

Wow - darius, you must know about some forums that I don't!

Hi, Ken, my husband works for jetBlue and we fly wherever and whenever we can afford to - welcome to DG!

I just happen to have written an article you may find helpful - it is by no means comprehensive!

Have fun...

x, Carrie

LOL !!!

Thanks all for a great welcome - I think he's on a jump seat flight right now from Amsterdam back to Jersey - hoping he'll pop in tomorrow and get acquainted with all of you :)

I can tell you first hand he's a super pilot; flew with him over some funky skies many a time - he's good, but it's time for him to get back into gardening !

well, reckon he could pick me up some lycoris in japan? lol. welcome to you ken. dg is a great place. and if you decide to go for the lycoris please dmail me.

Wow! Thank you all!

I am overwhelmed by this welcome!

So this is Flight DG -101? It looks to be an interesting journey, with gardening and everything else too.

Dea and I go back many, many years and she guided me to this earthly website, surrounded by lots of knowledge and experience and wisdom too. I do look forward to participating in the exchanges and communicating from different parts of the world in my travels.

Greetings from the Sheraton Hotel at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands! No gardens in the immediate area at this time of night, but lots of glistening planes parked at 215 am Tuesday morning.

Thanks to all of you!
Ken/ Blueskyes

Hi All,

Japan, Licorice my favorite, which I pick up in Netherlands, but not good for your teeth. Oh, I guess you mean the lycoris plant from Japan??

No, Dea, not on the plane back to the states, yet. Delta 81 to JFK at 940am, which is 6 hours ahead of you. Hopefully, home by early afternoon.

Now, I am getting motivated to have gardens again. I miss the variety of gardens that once occupied much of my time. Maybe its time to shed the townhouse and move back into a house, but I can't do it alone! Any Ideas?

Ken

Gardening we do, friendship we give. The rest my friend is up to you - we don't give relationship ideas - lol!

Fly straight and dig deep - this truly is the best gardening site on this blue globe we all live on - ask questions, there are like a gazillion forums here and good people abound.

Enjoy the folks you'll meet here and the information you'll gain - no better place to land !

Hey, you made it. Ken, I"m jealous...You will have the chance to meet international DG folk! You should take a look at the member listings and see just where we all are. DG's a worldwide circle of friends!

Heya, Ken! Welcome to DG!

There's a thread on the midAtlantic forum (titled "Doomed Gardening," but it got off topic rather quickly) where we were recently chatting about flying, mostly talking about small planes...

"Any Ideas?" LOL

By Gardeners... For Gardeners... Bringing Gardeners Together... what, now we are a matchmaking service? ;-)

I do have a friend... with a big garden...

Ha! :-)

You might consider a house that's a duplex or otherwise set up to be fairly easy to share... housemates/renters might be a solution for you, although I really don't know if that's what you had in mind or if you were looking to meet our eligible "friends..."

Be that as it may, I'm glad Dea brought you on board!

I'm confused, though... is your townhouse in Amsterdam, or are you just there on a layover and living in the US?

Do you know yet where you want to do your gardening?

if you're only in Amsterdam laying over, that spot is really meant to show where your garden is - I know people who have "NH Florida" or "The World" or plenty of creative things in that spot, but people will say "oh, I wouldn't plant that in Amsterdam! when really you're planning to plant it in MD with Dea and Jill!

x, Carrie

No, not a matchmaking service? You make me laugh Dea and Critterologist! Thanks for the welcome Gardenwife.

I am happy that Dea brought me to the site too!

I am now finishing a trip in the NL, and staying at a hotel, until I return to my home in Stewartsville, NJ.

I lived for many years in Flemington, NJ and over 4 years installed about 4,000 sq ft of gardens and enjoyed all of it until I sold my home in 2002 to move into a townhouse. I really miss the gardens, property and swimming pool, most of all the privacy. It became too dificult to manage traveling 15-17 days a month, especially during the growing months! This time of year I would be stockpiling boxes in my garage shipped from Walters Gardens in Holland Michigan, to begin planting in March.

Being introduced to a website like this has my mind motivated, missing the past, and considering moving to a house, but south of NJ. I stayed in the NJ area for many years, because my daughter lived there with her mother and I did not want to leave the area. She is now 21 and almost established, therefore, may be the time to head south. Maryland, Virgina and maybe NC. Somewhere near a major airport so I can drive and fly out international for my trips.

Thanks again for your welcome notes!

Ken

You should be able to install something low maintenance, no? Maybe more xeric, bigger than a town house, with consideration given to privacy as well as manageability? x, Carrie

Just a short Amsterdam laying over for 2 days!

I guess , "NH Florida" or "The World" are plants? Pardon my knowledge and/or ignorance.

Thanks for your insights Carrie as you almost read my mind about heading south to plant a garden again and be a "wannabe again Gardener" ! I miss the gardens and the relaxation that it gave me!

Ken

No they are places, like where you put "Amsterdam". Sorry if I was unclear.

Carrie, I re-read your earlier post, " that spot is really meant to show where your garden is - I know people who have "NH Florida" or "The World" or plenty of creative things in that spot,". think I got it now! Your insightful text makes me laugh ! LOL
Ken

Welcome Ken! Sounds like you keep pretty busy. Hope you enjoy the site I know we do.

Thanks Carrie, I better get to sleep as the sun will be up in about 2 hours. I have planted in planters at my townhouse, but few owner's do anything. However, there is a neighbor, retired, who has done a beautiful job with the frontage of his townhome. Very creative and reminds me of my old home. But, I have to figure a way to water the gardens while I am traveling. My previous boxes got too dry that were on my deck railings. There are many deed restrictions with respect to changes in shrubbery and plants installed by the builder. Thanks for your comments and welcome.
Ken

Thank you Howie for your welcome!

Could you install drip irrigation that's on a timer, Ken? That's my dream here, and we never go anywhere! LOL

A hearty WELCOME TO DG, blueskyes!

Your new home away from home! Pull up a chair and sit a spell!

Hoping you get to participate in gardening again soon! Sounds to me like you have a definite longing to play in the dirt again. Wishing you the best and hoping you get dirty!

Shoe
(Now about that licorice! Yummy! Partaking of Dutch licorice was a wonderful habit I once had; one day I hope to invest in a licorice company and pig out on it once again!)

Hey, Shoe! :D For me, there's nothing like Swiss chocolate...With orange and hazelnuts...Oh, my! A missionary friend of ours sent us several different chocolate bars once. It's sweet torture.

Hey, it's too early to be craving this stuff! LOL

Hi Ken,
Welcome to DG! Dea is one special friend..so any friend of hers gets grandfathered in as a friend of mine!

Hey, if you get a chance, I'll clear a spot in the front yard..can you fly in and pick me up? I want to go see my mom in Louisiana...*chuckle* I'm running low on a 'momma hug' and I'm almost out of good Louisiana coffee...

lisa, you are not talkin' about that awful chickory stuff are you? i could go for a beignet but not that coffee. but anyways here's a MAMA HUG for you ((LOL))!!

awful!!???

*snicker*
I love it, raised on it..can't do without it..

did yall make your own? or was it store bought?

Community Coffee brand, all the way. Right Lisa? I'm with you mamajack -- it's an aquired taste! LOL

My, you all have been busy while I was relaxing and flying as a passenger on Delta 81, AMS-JFK, flight was nice, and as usual a business seat. Not bad for abot 36 euros for the tax, which I will get reimbursed.

It's nice to be back home, even though it's a townhouse, with dreams of moving into another house. Hey, heavy rain on both sides of the Atlantic Today.

Now free for a while in NJ and can relax a bit. Maybe start looking at places south of here, and maybe hit the road to visit my 91 yo Aunt May who's southwest of Raleigh in a town called Goldston, NC. She a lifelong gardener. Still digging at 91. Several pilots I work with, the Iranian connection, located themselves in the Fredrick, MD area and have invited me several times to see their location, and encouraged me to move to MD and VA. These two left Iran many years ago and raised families in MD.

Coffee, Huh?

JustMeLisa? you wanted Coffee? Ever hear of D&E (pronounced Day and Aay) Douwe Egberts is one of the oldest coffees in the NL. I have several packages here, that I will not use as my cardiologist suggested I give up coffee. Let me know, I'll send it to you. Very fine ground. Excellent stuff.

Bye for now. I am also a subscriber to the newsletter now!

Welcome aboard, Ken.

If your travels ever bring you to Texas, there are quite a bunch of us here, an would share a cuppa anything you want.

This is truly a www of friends, but it is more addictive than anything you can eat or drink. So MANY forums - so LITTLE time.

Bill (but most DGers just call me Bubba)

Well, you know I'd encourage you to move to the Frederick area also! As would Dea, I'm sure... and then there's that friend I mentioned... ROFLOL...

Seriously, we moved out here after living in the DC suburbs (near Silver Spring), and we just love it. There's a little airport in Frederick, and we're less than an hour from both BWI and DUI.

I also give you a very hardy welcome to Daves , Cindy

I Thank all of you for the "Welcomes

!" I look forward to participating in these many wide-ranged forums!

I received the following "facts from the past - 1500's" when I returned home last night.

Hi All,

I want to share some interesting facts from much simpler times - 1500's...that someone shared with me

In The 1500's
Simpler Times?

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying; Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying; It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way.. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme;
Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old…..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and ..... chew the fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up.

Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Educate someone. Share these facts with a friend

that was the most fun read i have had in a while. lol.

Thanks Mamajack.... That was fun reading when I received it last nigfht in my email. Lot's of interesting facts. I also placed it on the Jokes Forum

who's the one that wanted GOOD coffee? where did critterologist go to?

Ken

just click on anyone's name and you can send a d-mail