got to love Michigan!!!!!

Morning all I guess I missed the ice it was just starting to sprinkle when I went to work and had stoped be for I got out but my steps were icy here at home we have 76 more days till spring !!!!;0)
Gloria

Lets see, we had winter a full thirty days before the official day, so can we subtract 30 days from that number. ^_^

Ice here too, not too thick but enough to make driving really bad. Stayed home, walked the dog, made some homemade bread, made homemade icecream and watched a long movie. We had a pretty nice day.

Wow I sure am sorry to hear that we missed the ice! We did have rain but not freezing rain. Hope everyone made it to there destinations alright. Especially work, wouldn't want any one to have a "free" day ;) I will have to look at the co-ops kinda following the hosta one, but have'nt looked tonight yet. Hey cparts... I like your calander better than the one hanging on my wall! So next month we should be seeing warmer weather coming in right? lol. Well at least we are into January that is nice to know. Today was cold but, the sun was shining so bright it beckoned me outside I took the dog for a nice long walk and mw too! really enjoyed it. That is my favorite kind of winter day. Hope you all enjoyed the sun shine also. Ronna

I wrote to llahsalover already to ask if she was going to do the water blobs thing.
I think she is . I never get a straight answer! LOL...

Last year I ordered $50 worth? It was like 8 lbs of the stuff. This year I think
I might double that order, my chickens LOVE it. They will dig all day to find
specks of it. I am so happy that I can throw money out the window for my
chickens. Grrrrrr

This is the year of tall fences for the chickens, and clipped wings. I have had it,
just have had it had it had it.. no more nice girl. I am on a mission to curtail
my chickens search and destroy whatever I plant.

We butchered the turkey yesterday, she dressed out at 18 lbs. Nice bird.
I simmered the giblets and froze the broth. dogs got all the gibbies. MMMMMM.

This year, we will raise a lot of turkeys and meat birds. We lost too many last
year to fox. DH will sleep outside with the birds this year.

You can tell I am going stir crAzy this time of the year.

School for me starts again Jan 26th, so I have some time to post, repost and
talk with all of you.
I completed two articles for DavesGarden and will be working on lets say,
3 or 4 more before I have to stop writing and start with the school work.
I got A's in my classes last semester! So far, all A's!!!!
"I am woooooman,......hear me roar...."
I think thats the words?

DH and I are going to diet. anyone have any advice, or favorite
diets? What is the best and longest lasting? I am thinking weight
watchers, but DH says Deal A Meal is cheap and same, and you
don't have to buy WW foods. Gene Simmons has a good product
he says.

My rose garden looks so forlorn this time of the year. ugh.
Sher

Hi Sher,

In my most humble opinion I think ww is the best one out there and you really don't have to buy there food, you can do it without it. Just stay within your points range and pound the water ;o) but I do know that if you exercise atleast 30 min a day that also helps tremendously even just walking in place...I know it sounds dumb but it works as long as your getting your heart rate up. Good luck to both of you;o)

I joined Curves last March and it has done wonders for me. My only suggestion is to join with a friend so you can visit during your workout--it can get a bit boring otherwise.

i have been working out on the wii fit -im trying to do it everyday now that the kids are back at school and hubby is working! so no one can laugh at me doing the hoola hoop without a hoop! some of those games are a work out! yesterday the game called me a couch potato! sigh

I need to eat better n drink more water and not as much tequila!!!
IM TRYING!! want to lose some of this extra weight-by to my new improved girls! LOL LOL LOL

Sheri glad to have you back here yaking with us
i wish more people would join in over here! i know they are out there :)

Today is the day we take Dayme to the doc(therapist) to see what up with him! fingers crossed n praying!!
I think he has ODD myself, but we will see what they come up with.

SNOW on the way again but the days are ticking away-you know when we get to July i dont keep track-its like i can make summer last longer if i dont know the date! lol

have a great day all-i have to play with zander now-sponge bob must be a rerun!
hugz n warmth
dori

***HEY DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY HITLER REALLY COMMITTED SUICIDE???

Dori.....

There are some who question if he ever did....however Hitler finally recognized that all was lost and did not want to be taken captive and paraded through the streets of Moscow.

He had seen how the Italian people hung Mussolini in a public square and heaped humilliations upon his corpse. He definitely did not want to suffer that fate. He could do away with himself easily because he lacked respect for human life.

Deann

wrong answer===anyone else

gigglez!!!

ok....................
the answer was
BECAUSE HE SAW THE GAS BILL!!! ;) he he heeeeeeeee

LOL..^_^

dori, hey, very funny!! you didn't tell me this was a joke, I thought you really wanted to about history....... *S*

Deann

Deann you should have guessed with Dori it was going to be a joke good one though I just paid mine !!!! I think just about every one I know got a wii from santa so I guess we will have a bunch of skinny people by spring ;0)
Gloria

Mornin' everyone.

It's snowing heavily here on my side of Au Gres. Not sure how much we're supposed to wind up with. Glad we don't have to go anywhere today except to the mailbox. Forward came to fill our propane tank on Monday. We were at 40% and the bill was $610. It was our first fill since last September so I don't know if that is good or bad. Doesn't matter. We have to pay it anyway. I hope this one lasts us till spring. Got to stay warm.

I bought a rosemary plant at Christmas time. It was pruned into the shape of a Christmas tree. It sure takes a lot of water. I give it one cup a day. The tag with it says if it ever dries out it's a goner. I had tried to grow one years ago and I think that was the mistake I made. I didn't water it often enough. I plan to plant it outside come spring and see if I can keep it going. Fresh rosemary is nice to have around for cooking. The geraniums I brought in for winter are doing great too in the east facing window and have continued to bloom. It is nice to have something green to take care of during the long winter.

I hope everyone is staying healthy and doing well. Lots of bugs going around out there. Stay warm and have fun perusing the garden catalogues coming in daily.

Brenda

Oh I agree Loon, rosemary is so great in beef stew. I made some today it was so good. I cut up a nice beef roast and cooked it some then added some broth, veggies, onions, and potatoes. Yummy. It filled up my cold tummy. Snowed some here in my part of the world very lightly though. Suppose to snow some tonight maybe 3-4 inches. COLD. But I still managed to take the dog for a walk. He really is not a big fan of the snow and cold. But he is always ready to go for a walk. Happy to get back in the warm house though. Me as well! Well hope everyone has a geat day! Ronna

snowed some here too Traveler loves the snow me not so much its still snowing here but not hard I sent for some dog toys they came today and now I have a very happy boy!!!
stay safe and warm

Gloria

Mymom orders from some place for dag toys also. They are pretty nice toys.

snowed here most of the day-looks like 4inches of nice white snow! everything is very pretty again
cold but pretty!

I had my grandson today so did some cleaning and playing for the most part!!!

stay warm!

Loon, I hope you know that your rosemary plant is not hardy to our zone? You will need to dig it back up in the fall if you plant it outside for the summer,

ton of beautiful white stuff here too!! We have a doc appt at 10:30, so hope DH feels good enough to plow! I think we need to get a small plow for my little john deere. We have a huge JD, but I cannot handle it and with DH sick....we need help!!! LOL

hope every thing goes good to day ;0)
Gloria

Sun is blinding today which suits me fine. I've opened all the drapes up and it feels so good streaming through the window. I heard we are going to get a real bad cold snap in here with highs in the single digits. brrrrrrrrr......... I'd say we got a good three or four inches of new snow too. Very pretty. The other day I saw a herd of 18 deer come running across our fields which were icy at the time. It was kind of funny to see them slipping and sliding. They must be laying low because I haven't seen them since. They seem to bunch up in bigger groups this time of year. I hope they can find something out in the woods to eat. We observed some fox tracks or bobcat tracks around the outside of our fence. He was stalking the rabbit. He must have got him because I haven't seen any fresh rabbit tracks. Doesn't break my heart since that pesky rabbit comes in here and chews on my climbing rose canes and trees.

Today I plan to give the two dogs a bath and a haircut. That is an all day job for me so I'll be spending it in the basement. They need it so bad. I hate to cut their hair this time of year but if I let it go another couple months it will be worse. I'll put a sweater on them.

Yes, I know rosemary is not hardy here. I plan to try to dig it up and prune it and bring it back in for next winter. Not sure if I'll be successful but I have nothing to lose by trying. I will try to save some of the needles for cooking anyway.

Have a great day everybody.

Brenda

good morning every one well more fluffy snow last night I heard its going to be real cold for a few days also I rather that then ice happy day I have the whole week end off now if I could just get some cleaning out done it would be a good thing I tend to play with the dog more than the closets ;0(
Gloria

Ha, I have the weekend off too and plan to clean the house. Not sure I will do the closets though, that is asking for too much. LOL

My dog could use a bath too, but being a lab, his fur takes way too long to dry and he tends to chill. So, I put up with dusty dog and hope he rolls more in the snow. (thats bad huh?)

I find my expectations lower as I get older.

theres al ways been a rule at my house " you can write your name on anything you just can't date it" I don't know about the dog though;0)
Gloria

Buurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............... it's cold outside. It got down to zero here at my house last night. When I woke up it was all the way up to 6 degrees. I've read that it's going to get even colder next week. Thank God we had that foam insulation put in last fall for extra protection. It really has made a difference. I also ordered drapery liners from J.C. Penney's for the livingroom. They were easy to attach to the back of the drapes and they make a big difference as well. Every little bit helps I think. Unless the sun comes out today I'm not even going to open them. When the sun is out it really helps heat the house up. One thing is good.........it's too cold to snow I think. :)

We have the little granddaughter spending the weekend. She sleeps between me and Vern. What a nice way to wake up with her head on my shoulder and her hand on my chest. She is two and a half and so much fun and so full of questions and energy. She's still sleeping with Vern. I snuck out early to tint my roots and shower and have breakfast. Everyone should be waking up soon.

My TV set gets the most dusty around here. I think it attracts the dust. I try to keep it wiped down just so we can get a better picture. :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend and stays warm. Don't work too hard cleaning house. Make some time for some good Lifetime movies and hot cocoa. :)

Brenda

Brenda,
I really like the lifetime channel...I to have drapes with the lining in them for the living room and I also don't open them unless the sun is out as it warms everything up...I'm just so looking foreword to spring...I had two finches yesterday at my feeders I was so thrilled...I haven't seen them in a while. This next week I'm gonna get the inside of all my windows and screens cleaned really good so I don't have to bother with them in the spring and that gives me more outside time...I have to order mulch this year 8 yards or so and redress all my beds I never thought I'd be so happy to do that (mule work) but with this cold it's looking and sounding better every day!! I just have to remember when the time comes that I can't complain about it...LOL I'm sure my 15 yr old will be complaining though! ;o)

Have a wonderful weekend Everyone^_^
stay warm and cozy!!

Delane

Last fall I bought a whole pallet of really nice mulch from Home Depot. They were 40# bags of pine mulch ..........really fine and dark brown and earthy. They had it marked down to $1.80 a bag. We had to drive to West Branch to buy it but it was worth the drive. I forget how many bags there are but a lot! I have them stacked on a wood pallet inside the pole barn. Next spring I'll have plenty to top dress my ornamental bed out front with and to put around other plants that need it. One of these days I'm going to invest in a nice chipper and make my own mulch. :)

Brenda

wow where did every one go!!! I just went out with the dog MAAAN IS IT COLD out there even Traveler diden't mess around did his business and wanted to come back in the house
we have deer in the neighbor hood the first time in all the22 years that i have lived here the poor things are looking for food I so wish i could see them they must come in the night all we ever see are tracks where they have come through and where there eating the trees the snow must be realy deep in the woods I feel sorry for them now but I'll feel sorry for my self in the spring when every thing is comming up!!!! ;0(
have a great day and stay warm
Gloria

Wow, i havent been on daves for a month or more. We have internet finally!!! Im still in NC and strangely envious of all of you for getting to hate the snow. i miss snow. Its been two winters for me with no snow. It just gets cold here but nothing pretty to look at.

Are there any MI plant swaps this spring/summer? I would love to go this time.

Since i got back down to NC i have been playing catch up on car payments. It took me two months to find a job at Goody's which is now closing all its stores including mine. We are in liquidation right now and we dont know how long we will be open. I have been job hunting but cant find anything. Should have gone to school for the medical field! THats all that is hiring. I do plan to start school again in the fall.

boy is it frosty and beautiful!! and COLD!
Im home babysitting zander today.
i may have a get together here this summer!
may even trade plants-lol
Im leaning more towards just getting together maybe
for a weekend. Still up in the air!!!

The casinos are still pulling in the ca$h!
my husbands work has been pretty steady for the most part!
I hope to sell alot of STUFF this year if possible-we have way to much
STUFF around here!
glad to see you back with us michelle

did you see the hosta co-op and all the others that are going on or looking for interest?
spring is got to be here soon!!!
I added some more echinecea on the yahoo co-ops! so many new ones!
I was going through some of my seeds i got already!! im going to have to start some soon and then keep it up
weekly to get all these planted! lol

stay warm if you can-remember unfrozen water for outside animals!!! :)

will be checkin in all day!!

Hey Dori, glad to be back! It's a sunny cold day here. It fluctuates so much! 70 one day and 25 the next!

I hope you can have a weekend get together. THat would be awesome! Im looking forward to this spring and summer. Im not doing any co ops so it should be relatively stress free!LOL Im not gonna buy anything either!!! I say that now but just wait. I reallly dont have much room left. I do have a lot of rearranging to do this year as well. If i buy anything it will be irises! Need to get some newer varieties.

I really want to do a veggy garden this year too. My mom has a nice veggy patch so i will take charge of that one.

Tonight DH Lou and I will go and clean out stalls, and I am going to
hang JoyJoys turnout sheet and spray it down with that waterproofing
stuff. We will be putting the slobs in at night now for the next few
days, subzero is a bit much for them, especially JoyJoy who is like
24 years old...poor dear.

Tuesday is the day the temps will be dropping. Make sure your
car and tractor batteries have water in them!

I would love to have a heated bird bath, I think my neighbor does,
and we have running stream on our property, so animals all get
fresh water all the year thank god. I just would like to see them
taking a bath outside my window. Maybe next year.

We have a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker now feeding at our feeder.
I make fresh suet cakes with clementine slices in it. great item
at the bird old country buffet outside our window! You can tell
its a YBSapsucker by the spash of red patch right above its
beak, and the red cap on its head. No other woodpecker has
that patch of red on its face like this one does. also, he is
a bit skitterier than the others. he's new I guess. : ))

Its getting thick out. I guess it will start snowing any minute.
Having hot dogs for dinner tonight. too much to do.

Hugs to all
Sher

well we have about 3 inches of fluffy snow out there right now with more coming down don't know how much we are going to get!!
Hope you find a job soon Michelle there hard to come by any more at least the ones that pay more then min. wage

Dori if you need help for your get together this year let me know ?? I still have Tuesdays and every other week end off

have a good day
Gloria

Morning Michiganders........

It's snowing here in AuGres and the temperature is dropping like a rock. I heard on the radio it's supposed to be fridgid for a while. I'm not planning on going anywhere. I spent the day in bed yesterday with that awful flu. I hate throwing up and diahrrea. ugh!! I'm tired and sore today and after my shower I just put my nightgown back on. :) I think I'll make some chicken soup today for supper. Nothing else sounds very good. Thank God for my husband. He took care of everything including my mom while I was out of commission.

January is almost half gone. The time is going by fast. It won't be long before spring. We're lucky we've had a consistant snow cover for our plants this winter. We've seen tracks outside our picket fence that look like bobcat tracks. He's chasing that pesky rabbit. I hope he got him. I got most of my roses covered with foam cones but never got to cover the climbing roses with burlap. The rabbits are bad about chewing on that stuff.

Have a great day everyone and stay warm.

Brenda

Was real snowy - blowy here this morning, but it has calmed down. In fact the x-ways are just fine. The temps are falling though!!

We're back from the docs, but have another appointment at 7:45 tomorrow morning!!! sigh

Been out with Traveler 3 times today he loves the snow he has to stay in now cuz he was a bad boy and would not mind his mom ;0(

Gloria

It's almost eleven o'clock p.m. and the temperature here is six below zero!!

Bundle up everyone. It's going to be a C-O-L-D night!!


Brenda

well its 6am here and its -4 and thats darn cold!
Dayme wore a hoody sweatshirt for his coat!! took a shower and left with
soakin wet hair! cant tell that kid anything!!!

I am itchin to start seeds but i think its to darn cold in the basement to mess with that
yet-we are using the seed heat mat to sit on in the window! lol

bundle up if you have to go out!!!
dori

bad night last night my neighbor came running over she wanted me to help her she came home from work to find her dh on the floor he had died he was/is our best friend for many years its still hard to comprehend that hes gone its been a very long night ;0(

very sad
Gloria