So, what have ya done so far....

Ruby, You sure do have a mountainside of rocks. Moving all of them around will really keep John in good shape. Just love a man with muscles. LOL
I would love to send you some OSP and I'll send them in a couple of weeks. I'll just wait till the weather warms up a little.

ruby- I hope you don't feel slighted by the lack of comment of your rocks. Personally I was too jealous of your mountaintop splendor to reply then ~~~~~~~
The first pic, looking down, with the sun and shadow in the evergreen tree!! aahhh!!~
Maybe because my mother is from Cumberland Maryland, I don't know, but the mountains have always had a certain appeal for me. I thought it would be so cool to be the survivalistic kid in My Side of the Mountain. Beach sure is nice, but all that sand gives it a sterile feel for me, whereas the woods are just chock full of life.
So now I have the "best" of both worlds- flat as a pancake lot in the 'burbs!!

I guess I am the really bad one for commenting on things,Ruby. I read the threads, think about making a comment and get side tracked. Sometimes I do a quick read in the morning before I got to work and forget about it when I get home.
Ruby, it is really nice John is making your hill side more accessible, it will give it a lot of eye appeal. The property I grew up on had a hill in the back, and growing flowers was a thrill as you could see them from the kitchen window doing dishes. My yard now is so flat, I miss the hill.

Holly, I like the new path and the added garden space. Keep us posted with pictures of your progress.

It is warming up a little around here but we are getting some rain today. If it clears up tomorrow, I may get some beds cleaned out. Wednesday is my day off and I have NO doctor appointments scheduled. Yea!!!

I got quite a bit done this morning, started another flat of seeds, mostly tomatoes. Raked out one flower bed, moved my compost bin to start fresh this season, added the leaves that I raked to the bin. I had left my small veggie garden emptied for 2 years and just used it as a compost mound, so I started turning and breaking up the mound and I have some beautiful black gold under there, one robin just couldn't wait for me to leave the area so he could get lunch.
Hip started hurting so I had to put my tools away, can't over do it the first day. But it was so good to get out and play in the dirt. ☺

Lady- what a lovely morning- Too bad we don't both have neighbors like us, for lunch break.
Finally got around to making the trash bed nice. A neglected area on the side yard. Starting last fall- I moved some daylilies and divided them to make several clumps for the border between me and heighbors. ( had to move them anyway to make room for knockout roses) (I read a really funny article once about somebody digging one thing up that leads to a chain reaction of moving and dviding--bet you all can sympathize too!)
Other neighbor has been grinding up junk as he cleans up his wood pile, so I have as much as I can use of finely ground old wood- Doesn't sound so nice, but it'll do for free mulch, conditioner, weed suppressant.
And tried to remember to stop and smell the roses, well, look at the daffs LOL. Finally have 'joy' in one pot of saved caladiums!!

Sally -- How did you save your caladiums??? Did they overwinter?

Ummm, I let the leaves all wilt, that wasn't hard to do LOL. Then I left the pots in a warmish part of basement, until the peaty soil became rock hard. Then I dug around in the dusty peat rocks until I found a few things that looked vaguely organic. Planted same, in March, watered and put on warm spot . Oh wait, the ones that I did that havn't shown yet. The ones that have poked thru- were dug out of garden, plopped in empty pot, put in same warm spot on shelf to dry, then pot, water, warm.

Wow! I have some I brought it last fall, but I haven't started to water them. I guess there is no time like the present.

I started watering my caladiums several weeks ago, have not seen anything yet, but I hear they take a while to wake up. Left mine in the pots they were growing in last summer.

I bought a bag of 8 caladium tubers at Lowes and potted them in 4" pots deep down. Put each pot in a clear newspaper bag and sort of, folded it over. All these pots have been sitting on top of my water heater now for several weeks. Nothing showing yet....

Caladiums need serious bottom heat to sprout--maybe like 85*. The top of my WH is not all that warm. They insulate these things much better nowadays....Maybe I shold set them right on my floor vents???

Gita

Ok kids everybody outside, Mom has to clean.


I have to take it pretty easy for the next couple of weeks. I have stitches in my shoulder again and the Dr. doesn't want me to pull them. Really a pain in the you know what.
I brought my Caladiums in and put them upstairs under my light table for the winter. It's a pretty warm room as the mud room with the wood stove is under it. I didn't do anything except stop watering them and shove them under. A couple of weeks ago I pulled out the pots and started dumping in water. Some of them are coming up.

agree, Gita, my water heater isn't that warm either. I now have some floor heat vents I can sit things sort of around./on. South facing window sill when sunny. Shining a lamp on them. Mine were nice and cozy but I think still three weeks to tiny spears.
They should make a computer-monitor mount plant shelf- this baby runs all day here!

I guess that the old saying is true.......great minds think alike. I bought caladiums yesterday. Was at Walmart and they didn't have them, so I stopped by Lowe's and found some. Glad that I read this about the need for warmth underneath. Me thinks it time for a heat mat. I am going to also pot them this year versus in ground. I am cheap and want to have them again next year.

I read the rock comments to John. He laughed at Holly's comment on muscled men. He said he is breaking down fast Holly. From your comments on your hip and re-stitched shoulder, I am sure that you know what he means. Why the re-stitching? You sound a bit like myself a couple of years ago after breast surgery when I was over doing things and had quite a few folks on here getting on me about it.

Chris, I 100% know how thrilling it is to say that you have a week without seeing a doctor. That was the same thing coming out of my mouth a couple of months ago. Thankfully!!!!!!! The two main things that I was dealing with at the time are now finished. I have now done a prescription for myself. I take one relaxation massage on Wednesdays and all is well. ha-ha Can't remember for sure, but I think that I was actually moaning out loud yesterday during the massage. ha-ha At this stage of the game it takes a lot to embarrass me these days.

Wonderful thread folks. Enjoyed hearing from everyone. Have a good day.

Ruby

Ruby, Last year when I had my shoulder done I developed a stitch abscess at the top of the shoulder. As a result I ended up with a dime sized hole. Kind of a really, really deep dent. The surgeon told me it would fill in some and it did but not very much. It wasn't just that it looked bad, that didn't bother me. It was the dent itself. I was constantly reaching up to touch it, feel it and stick my finger in it. So I took myself off to a plastic surgeon and got a scar resection. It wasn't just a surface thing they had to go in pretty deep and tag it together so I have some pretty deep absorbable stitches. He doesn't want me to pull those loose. Of course as soon as the skin stitches were out I was out there digging, raking and moving rocks. Then one day I could feel a sore spot deep in my shoulder and decided maybe I should hold off for a couple more weeks. Sounds just like you doesn't it. LOL
Tell John, I know just what he is talking about.

Holly - please be careful - not too much too soon!!

Ruby and Chris - does my heart good to hear that you both are doing so well!!!

Hmmm...water heater...not checked that yet...using the cable box..LOL Not much room...ugh!

Gosh Holly, you really went through it. Does not sound like much fun at all. I have one more plastic surgery appointment and if all goes well, I am finished with them. I would like to have some tummy lipo and will try to remember to ask him about it. I am not sure if they do lipo for cigarette smokers or not. I know that I was reminded each and every time I needed the four surgeries that smokers take longer to heal.

Thank you for the well wishes Chantell. I appreciate it.

Ruby

Ah, I'll be back at it in another week should be good by then. Really enjoying this nice weather. My guys have been putting on the push to get some of the projects done. Josh just went back to work and had promised to finish up some of the things he was doing for me before he went back. So last week he did everything that he hadn't done before and Ric is just out there going from project to project. I'll be posting some pictures of the most recent projects some time soon. Want to get all the finishing touches in place before I post them.
Yesterday we moved all the house plants outside so Ric could hang the window blinds. Check out the neet little hooks I came up with.
Then he put this together for me. I had some really pretty glass balls that I wanted to display together. So I've been looking for something that I could hang them all from. I found this pretty pot dolly. You know the kind you sit your big floor pots on with the wheels. Ric took a grinder and cut off the wheels, touched up the paint and then hung it up with some steel fishing lure wire.

Wonderful idea Holly. I might have to steal your idea at some point and hang some of the cobalt blue balls that I bought after Christmas two years ago. I want to hang mine in front of our bay window too. I reallay love that project.

Ruby

OMG...you could sell those...sooo pretty!!

I like that - veeeeeeeeeeery pretty

I am making some progress here - nearly all the MG are up - I decided to start some indoors for pots on the deck - I think I received a delivery from Bluestone - there is a huge box on the steps and I ain't touching it - too heavy - I hafta plant them this Sunday - leaving town next week and I don't want to rely on DH to keep 'em alive! My backyard is being worked on as we speak - I hired a couple of guys to do all the work - we needed drainage pipes dug (kept drowning the grass), new sod and new gravel - I can't wait till it's done - my little "eden" will be all pretty once again - fixing up the deck this spring as well, new furniture, installing a shade canopy - moving plants around and I am also getting 8 glass shelves for 2 of my windows - all my "fat plants" & tropicals will have a new home!

On a sad note - I just found out a couple of days ago that one of my cousins passed away - he was all of 33 - nearly broke my heart - he was "my boy" - I used to babysit him, change his diapers - he was my buddy! So, in memory of him I planted a flowering Clematis I just got in - his mother really appreciated it - she loves to garden and he used to help her.

Becky - he's smiling a ray of sun down on his bloom!!! Hugs, my friend

aw Bec, so sorry. Yup, you see him smiling on his new flower there.

I Sally--I think I will put all the Caladium pots on one of those trays that I have my seedlings on and put it right in front of the floor heating vent in my LR--under that bench where all the plants are on. They will never make it on the WH!

Holly--GREAT idea with the glass balls.....Hmmmmmmmmmm....idea!!!!!

In the 60's my cousin came home from the Navy and gave me about 5 of those colorful, floating balls people use in japan on their fishing nets. They have been sitting in a box ever since then. Time to maybe make a mobile!
I would have to attach some kind of a hookto each one to hang them by--OR--cradle each one in that stee wire Rick used. Please tell me where I could get some of that and how does it come and how much does it cost?
I have a "Boaters World" next to the HD I work in. They would have it? Yes?? Would clear, vinyl fish line hold? I like the wire idea, though. More "classy".

Now I have to keep an eye out for some kind of a "rack" like you used....
"Copy cat" me......:o) ..You know--the highest form of flattery.......

Gita

Gita it's all put together with fishing gear. The pieces at the top that hold the plant dolly are steel lure line. It comes in different weights (thickness) The heaver the fish you want to catch the heaver weight line you use. The balls are hung by fishing line. Same as the steel lure line it comes in different weights too. Also the fishing line comes in several different colors some is very, very clear and some has a blueish or greenish tint. You tie or clamp all the lines to fishing swivels also in different sizes. Fishing swivels open and hook back together at each end so you can snap them on and off if you need to and the other nice thing is they do swivel so you can turn your display. They sell little metal clamps that you slide the line through and then clamp them with a pair of pliers. Most important is that you get a good clamp or knot on the line you use. Knots in fishing line can slide open. There are several types of knots used to tie fishing line. The sports department at Walmart and places like that will sell what you want. But I suggest you find a Bait and Tackle shop they are usually smaller and you will get more help getting just what you need and they can show you how to tie a good tight knot that will not slip loose. Go check out your "Boaters World" if they don't have it they will be able to tell you where to get it.

Oh Bec, So sorry to hear about your cousin. It's so hard to lose someone you care for and at such a young age. I lost my 38 year old cousin to cancer several years ago and it was just heart breaking. He was about 5 years younger than me and I have such great memories of us as children playing together. Adding a plant to your garden in memory of him is such a wonderful idea. I hope it grows and blooms for you.

Bec: That is so sad. The flowers are a lovely memorial.

Hugs, Bec. My deepest sympathy to you and your family on your lose.

Oh, Becky, I'm so sorry. Planting something beautiful in his honour is a wonderful way to keep his spirit around. I've never really shared this, but part of my inspiration for planting my flower beds is for my late mother -- when my garden "feels" right to me, I will spread some of her ashes on my beautiful blooms.

Sending you huge, warm hugs!
xoxo
w

Wrightie - that is awesome - my late mother was a certifiable garden nut - and it seems I have inherited the bug from her - she had the most incredible plants, veggies and flowers - and I love your reason for planting a flower garden!!!!! My aunts about fell over laughing when they realized I had inherited the craziness and her obsession with stiletto shoes :-)

I'm feelin' ya! Stilettos - now that is H-O-T. I'm envious that you know how to walk in them; I'd wear them, too, if I didn't look like such a moron while trying to move in them. :)

That's a pretty clematis -- it looks like one of mine. Draws me right in!

Becky, if you tell me you have even one pair of Jimmy Choo's I'll be sooooooo jealous! Rick said I should get pair, but I'd have to garden in them to justify it ;-)

I love Stiletos, although I can no longer wear the really high heels. I broke 2 toes on one foot, (the pinkie and the 4th toe) and cracked the metatarsal. When it healed the nerves have shifted, if I try to walk in high high heels, hurts like the devil...sigh I just think they are so cool......and at 5'7" makes me almost 6'tall (I've shrunk and inch, phooey) I've always wanted to be really tall and got gipped. My Dad was 6'5", Uncle 6'7" and 2 Aunts at 6'8". Big German people. My one Aunt taught kindergarden for over 30 years. Retired, got bored and proceeded to revamp the Head Start program in Mason City, Iowa at the age of 90. She didn't like their program and had the "muscle" to make city hall listen. All those kids she's taught and some of their kids as well, got behind the bandwagon to make great changes. She died at 105, I have kept all of her letters, she was a total hoot!

Becky, so sorry to hear of your loss. What a lovely way to remember him.

LOL - who said I could walk in them???!!! No, I do not have any Jimmy Choo's - but, never say never :) Hmmmm, Jimmy's and gardening - me likes!

Having size ten feet which is big enough--that I see the 11 and 12 spike heel shoes in Payless- all I can think is -cross-dressers!
I don't think I could walk in a heel more than an inch anymore...

SNORTY SNORT!

ROFLMAO!!! sally you are toooooooooo much!! LOL

what? WHAT?? Do you know any females with size 12 feet? c'mon.
That would actually want to be another five inches taller then everybody?
serious O T alert- sorry Bec!

One doesn't have to walk in them, just looooook goooood! Sally, opposite problem here. Size 5. Not much selection in sexy. I shop in the kids section when I can find something without buckles and bows :-/

This message was edited Apr 5, 2008 3:19 AM

well good morning!
oh all the shoes look cute in size 6 and boatlike in ten-