More Disabled Gardeners, Laughing with Joy ...

Susan, Sony recently designed an aroma-phone. Aroma computers can’t be too far behind. LOL. I’ve taken over Nadine’s Moon Garden while she is away. That seemed an ideal place for Cestrum nocturnum. Do they survive Georgia winters outside or do you have to bring them in when it gets cold?

The Virgin Island Christmas tree is so odd. It is hard to get a mental picture of it. Think traditional wedding cake. It is a 5-tiered planter made from small tires from vehicles like ATV’s, golf carts, go-carts, etc. We removed one of the tire’s sidewalls, turned them inside out and painted them green. We stacked 4 tires, each smaller than the last, and put a small green pot on the top. Planted the tires and pot with aloe vera and decorated it like a Christmas tree. Jim’s right. We had way too many aloes that year so we gave them away as Christmas gifts.

I suppose you could do the same thing with different size pots, but, if you go more than three tiers, I would advice you drive a piece of PVC pipe or something in the center through all the layers to stabilize things.

BTW, we provide the tire company with pics of our creations to put up on their walls so they give us all the tires we want. I guess we should make them Amargia’s official sponsor.

I’m not sure if it stays within the restrictions of your diet, Jacki, but the Oatmeal Pancake recipe is at:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Flourless-Oatmeal-Blueberry-Pancakes/Detail.aspx

I used canola oil, entire eggs and made them silver dollar size. I like the unadorned taste of honey so I omitted the blueberries. They came out fine. You can play around with this recipe quite a bit to suit your taste and what you happen to have in the kitchen.

Vickie, looking forward to your thread on dietary supplements and the like. I take a lot of vitamin and mineral supplements and things such as Glucosamine chondroitin and grape seed extract. They just put me on Lexapro until spring. (S.A.D.) and hormones to prevent osteoporosis and Diovan for high blood pressure. That is just the result of T.M.B. (too many birthdays) Still not taking as many pills as Jim (or most the people who contribute to this thread) but I seem to be gaining fast. :-) Kay

Photo: Moonflower

Wow, the tire thing sounds awesome. LOL I've seen flower pots done similar with them being stacked from largest to smallest on top, painted like lighthouses at craft faires. They're very pretty and have solar panels on the top ... just charming.

My jasmine was killed all the way down to the ground last year, but we did have an unusual hard year. Even though I covered it with 2 bails of straw, the freeze still killed it. I could have just cried when I pulled the straw back at the beginning of spring and didn't see a thing living. I honestly didn't think it was going to come back. You wouldn't believe it, though. It's taller than me, now. Last year it was all spread out. This year, I was scared to death to trim it, so it grew straight up. hahaha I think I'll root a piece and put it in a pot to be sure I'll always have some. It's my all time favorite. I love moon flowers, too. I did those from seed a couple of years ago, but I don't have any now. I collect different varieties of jasmines and a few tropicals.

Vickie, I too, would be interested in your thread. I don't take a lot of herbs and vitamins, but I sure believe in the ones I take. I think we could heal a lot of things if we only knew what to take.

Okay, guess I better go see what else is going on before I turn in. It's getting late. Y'all have a blessed night.
~Susan

I looked at the recipe and was going to come back and ask "what's coconut oil and why does it have to melt" but then i reread what Kay said-- canola oil!

I've read some of that lady's blog, she pledged for one year to cook everything GF and in a crockpot! Even bread! But she has like 5 - 6 (or more) different crockpots....

Hi y'all ... thought I'd share this picture of my Maid of Orleans jasmine with you. I'll have to get one of my Cestrum later.

One more ...

Nice pics, Susan. Speaking of scent. The following is an excert from an e-mail I just received from Nadine. Thought it was funny.

Well, it's been busy around here due to work and all. I haven't even gotten done unpacking all my boxes yet (I think my phone is in one of the small ones) anyway.
There is a really cute cat living around the apartments I'm in. His name is Shadow and he's so cute! He's gray with white feet and the people in the complex leaves cat food out for him and he sleeps on the balconies..
I usually come home from work around 12:30 at night so I see some pretty weird stuff.
When I came home about a month ago I saw someone had thrown away one of those big plastic houses for little kids. It was sitting next to the dumpster with all sorts of stuff on it. I heard scratching coming from inside the house and figured maybe Shadow got stuck in the dollhouse somehow since a pile wood blocked the door of it and the windows were pretty small.
So I walked over to the dumpster and cleared all the stuff off of the dollhouse. Once I opened the door, boom! Out darted a skunk (they look so funny when they run by the way.) It darted into the tiny clump of woods nearby.
I think it was looking for food when the stuff fell, trapping it in the plastic house, poor thing.
Anyway, I walked by the next night at the same time and I saw the skunk sniffing around next to the dumpster. I figured he was hungry and he was used to people food anyway, so I said, 'Hi Stinky' tossed him a chicken tender from the box I'd brought home from work. It's kind of a habit now,
He sits next to the dumpster, I say hi, walk by and toss him a chicken tender that would just get thrown out anyway.
I think it looks funny when I do laundry because he waddles about three feet behind me when I go to the laundry building sometimes. (I do laundry at night since I'm usually at either the library, walking around town, or at work during the day) I guess he considers me 'the chicken lady' and wants to protect his supply or something. It makes me nervous.
I haven't gotten sprayed yet but I'm keeping some tomato juice handy in case Stinky gets mad at me.
So during the day I say hi to Shadow and at night I say hi to Stinky.

That's funny Jim. Just try to stay at the pointy end of Stinky and you should be OK

Nadine sounds like quite a character herself.

LOL ... That's a good one.

Vicki, I meant to tell you congrats on the garlic! I tried growing it in containers here a couple of years ago, but didn't have any luck. I ordered some garlic that was suppose to like southern climates, but apparently it didn't like the container. Maybe I'll give it a try another year.

Off to get my jammies on. I'm reading a good book so will ~ for now. Y'all have a blessed night.
~Susan

Jacki, you may start seeing coconut oil being used often in recipes again. It got a lot of bad press back in the 90's because it is a saturated fat and overweight is such an issue for so many. Coconut oil does have health benefits, however. It is a medium chain fatty acid like mother's milk. Among other things it has anti'viral properties. People with HIV, chronic yeast infections and even those who just have fever blisters (herpes simplex) a lot. are all big on using coconut oil.

Jim is laughing at my degree of "chlorophyl addiction" today. We had a car accident yesterday. After I was sure everyone in the car was alright. I immediately jumped out to check the trunk. Not to see the extent of damage to the car but to see how the plants I had just bought at the nursery came through the accident. So be it. If it helps him get through the extra pain and dealing with insurance companies, he can laugh all he wants. "Hello. My name is Kay. I am a chlorophyl addict"

I lo-o-o-o-ove coconut flavored ANYTHING, thank goodness Mounds candy finally got too sweet for me or I would weigh 400lbs!

We all hope Jim feels better soon and wish him luck dealing with insurance co.s. As for you, Kay, there's nothing to be done!

Thank you. I, the tarragon, the dwarf mondo, the glacier ivy and the pampas grass are all doing well. I know she loves me now. After all, she DID check to see I was okay before she checked the plants. LOL. I never liked that car anyway. Too low-slung. Hard to get in and out of without pain. Jim

Kay, I'm so glad you, Jim and the plants were not hurt! Are you two feeling battered and bruised today?

There's lots of talk about coconut oil in the no gluten, vegan blog world. I just haven't tried it yet because it costs about $9 for a little jar of it! Some of this healthy eating stuff isn't cheap. But if I stay thoughtful and don't get caught up in too many replacement foods, I'm okay.

And speaking of addiction...I was looking this morning at my plant shelves where I seem to have about a dozen "no-id" african violets that need to be repotted. Yeah, they are all from the same noid plant. What was I thinking? I don't need a dozen AVs that all bloom the same (plain) color!

Or do I?????

$9 a bottle? That IS crazy! So sick Americans pay through the nose to get tiny amounts of oil the poorest people in the islands use as primary cooking oil? There is something fundamentally wrong about that. It wouldn’t be so bad if the poor women who still know how to cold press the oil were getting the profit, but somehow I doubt that is how it is working. This sort of nonsense is something you might touch on in your thread, Cando. There are people who are desperately trying things to restore their health and there are predatory types taking advantage of that.

Jim was so stiff and sore today I was finally able to talk him into a water aerobics class at a local community college. It is an indoor, heated pool. They have a chair lift and all the amenities. The car ended up in a ditch, but luckily we were both wearing our seatbelts. No serious injuries to people. The cars and the poor stray cat who caused the pileup wre a different matter. I felt sorry for the lady who hit the cat. The police determined the pileup was her fault for trying to avoid the cat. I think that was just a natural instinct.

You could trade the violets here for plants you do want, Jacki. A lot of people don't care whether or not they are named cultivars. I would trade if I had something you wanted. I don't have any African violets.

All the above talk has given me an idea. (Collective groan.) Amargia has an over abundance of some varieties of Canna lilies to put it mildly. I would like to try an experiment, but need some help. Would any of you more northerly folk consider trying to grow cannas as an annual? The way coleus is grown. Is there a reason I haven’t thought about that is not commonly done other than the fact Canna starts are usually expensive? Or, is it done, but being in the south, I just haven't heard about it? The ladies here are completely incapable of just throwing the excess plants into the compost bin. (Seems to be a common symptom of chlorophyl addiction, Jacki. You're not alone.) If I find these Canna would grow well up north, Amargia could probably price them low enough that replacing them every year would not be a strain on people’s garden budget, which would be the perfect solution to the problem. I could send roots to anyone who wants to take part in the experiment this spring. All I would want in return is to know how well they grew and to know of any problems that occurred. If it does work, I will have found a new way to market these types of cannas. Amargia can always use the extra funds. Jim Photo: A purple leaf variety of Canna

Well this is what one gets for not checking in everyday. A lot of catching up to do. Nadine is a person i understand. I'd do the same thing for a skunk. I have no use for them around farms. But DH and i have camped out in the wilds of Okla for weeks at a time and i have made cautious friends with anyting that came along. There were 2 skunks that came along ever night at 10:30 along with a family of coons,one possum and a wild feral cat. Yes i fed them all. and sat and watched them. There was no question of trying to tame them. We were just temporary companions. I was never afraid of being spreyed. To me it was amazing these animals all got along while eating. There was never a squabble. They simply ate and left. I would have liked to rescue the cat. but she would'nt come as close to me as the others did. I don't think skunks sprey unless they really feel they're in danger.
I'm sorry about your accident and ruined car but thank goodness you and plants were ok.
Jim and Kay, I love cannas and have tried to grow them up here. but every 2 or 3 years we have around 0 degree temps and i lose them and as you said they are expensive to buy as annuals. I'll try them . PLEASE. I'll try them both in pots and ground. I'm in Z6. They do well in the valley Z7.
Some people dig the bulbs(or is it rhizomes?) every fall and store in a cool place till spring than replant. But for most people thats a lot of trouble. I can't throw good plants away either. LOL
Kay, You definately don't want to get me started on the awfull prices we pay for drugs here and the much cheaper prices paid in countrys that regulate prices.
Jacki, I would love to try African violets some other time if you have any more extras. but i just bought 3 new houseplants and i've got Christmas cactus,poinsettias, geraniums,begonias to bring in for the winter and not much room.
I've always wanted some African violets but was afraid they were hard to take care of and just heard this year they are'nt hard at all. Hope you can trade them for someother goodie.
Carrie, Have you ever tried the sugarfree chocolate covered cocoanut candy that comes in little bags? Ilove them.
I'm fighting depression again. I got out my fall silk follage and started decorating to help build my mood up, Even put out my jack-o-lanterns. Only 6 weeks till holloween. LOL
I went to Hobby Lobby the other day to get out also. Their Christmas decos were out. Have any of you ever seen black Christmas decos? iT GAVE ME COLD CHILLS.
Must be part of the taking Christ out of Christmas thing.

I''ll tuck some Cannas in with your Oxalis this spring, Vickie. You can just about tell how rainy it is here by how often and the length of Amargia's post. We are probably hard to keep up with during rainy spells. LOL.

Kay is making her yearly screcrow. That lady refuses to do anything in the normal fashion. I won't spoil the surprise. Post a pic when she's finished. When the days grow shorter and the cool season blues hit, she throws herself into decorating too. Jim

I'd be happy to send some of these little african violet noids out into the world. :) Just send me a dmail if you want some and we'll work out the details. I can do them for postage or for trades.

They are simple blue flowers but great plants to practice on. Easy, schmesey.

I tried to send Kay a d-mail twice and it was deleted before my eyes. I've been having so much trouble with my MSN2.I've started e-mailing them at problems everyime i have a problem so i may be kicked off MSN. Well gee whiz they should'nt have a problem site if they don't want it used. LOL
I tried to put it here and got a message it was not in an approved format like jpg etc. So i'll try again tomorrow. just too tired to think tonight.
Have a good nite all.
Vickie

Sorry to hear about your technical difficulties, Vickie. There was a time I thought sorting out a computer/tech problem was fun and challenging. Now, I just consider it a pain in the derriere.
Hopefully, black Christmas ornaments are just this year’s fad. I know black weddings were in vogue a few years ago. I couldn’t keep “black” flowers in the Guy Garden. They were coveted by would-be brides. (Most of the so-called “black” flowers are actually dark burgundy or something like that.)

Jacki, I will be making many new entries to Amargia’s “have” trading list over the next two weeks. If you haven’t seen anything you would like to have by the time I’m done, I’ll make arrangements to send you postage for the AV’s. Heaven forbid there be a plant my DW doesn’t possess. :-) (Compulsive plant collecting, yet another mark of the out-of-control chlorophyll addict.)

I DO miss Amargia’s “proxy” gardeners. Those among us who were so physically limited they could not turn a spade. We’ve lost three in the last year and a half. We grew dependent on them to do the work like creating the trade list, keeping up a garden journal and writing blog post. It freed the others up to do the mule work. I think I need to start visiting nursing homes to look for new recruits. I never have problems spotting the serious gardeners among old southern men and women. They are the ones who wear the interesting hats, especially the women. :-) Jim

Photo: The flowers (cones) of this year's Pine cone ginger match the unusual size of the plants themselves. Wonderful scent.

Now Jim, I'm a very serious gardener and i don't wear hats anymore. I was a newly wed when Jackie Kennedy changed the fashion trend and did away with hats, gloves and hose with a seam down the back.
And i dearly loved those dressy things and wish we'd go back for a month or so.

I'd love to send you one of my DD,s but she is a confessed plant murderer, She has the blackest thumb. I get concerned about any of my plants she even looks at.
So i would'nt do that to you. I gave her a silk plant when she was in the hospital. The leaves have probably turned brown by now.

Okay, okay…….maybe I am exaggerating and sterereotyping a wee bit. But, since that TV gardening personality from Florida who had a show on HGTV (Gardeners Diary), hats do seem to be back in fashion. At least, with women gardeners in the Deep South. What is her name? Erica……Glasner?
I wish those stockings with the lines up the back of the leg would come back. I think those were sexy. And, the black fishnet looking things, too.
The first time I can remember seeing Kay, she was in a mini skirt and white go-go boots. LOL.
Your DD sounds like Melinda. Mindy loves plants. but can't keep them alive. She's a special ed teacher with twice the number of students she should have and two small children. I think mostly it is a lack of time and energy. Jim
Photo: Only a southern lady could get away with a hat like this!

Hope no one minds. I started a new thread as this was getting a little long.
The link
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1040881