Apropos of Nothing v.3

Oh Lordy- you paid for the bloody things? Ack! They grow wild in the vacant lot across the street from our old house. They started out at the house and squirrels spread them over to the lot where they've been happily multiplying for years.

Well darn, I bought some hardy cyclamen on sale last year and they never came up. I need to know the location of this vacant lot if you care to share.

The ones that I paid for are the fancy florist variety with the huge flowers and the questionable hardiness, so they were worth the $$ for the flash of color in the window boxes (when I can actually see them in the light that is!). I love the hardy ones as well...the leaves are just so cool and they are a treat in the garden when most everything else is resting. Wish the squirrels would spread some of Mom's down in my yard...she has some great hardies and I only have a teeny tiny one. I was inspired by our walk through Lakewold's woods though, and will be adding many more in my woodland areas!

MHF and Julie, I can give you each some. The ones I dug today were mostly kinda little, with trading via mail in mind, but they grow and spread fairly quickly.

Would love some! Little is OK...stuff seems to grow quite quickly here, and as they are a hardy and spread on their own, they will be perfect in the areas that I am thinking about. Thanks millions!

No problem! Now we just need to figure out when and where. Or I can mail them to ya.

Lordy! I cleaned up some of the ones I dug and I think the biggest on is about 8 inches across. Can't remember ever seeing one that big before. I'll be planting tomorrow.
I can always bring some up to people who are going to the green elephant swap.
I am so glad we didn't get arrested. I have to admit I was getting a little anxious as more cars drove by. But I guess no one cares. I can't imagine we'd get away with that in Seattle, where there is more gardening competition.

Well, like I told ya there, a lot of those people recognize me from having lived in that house for four years, and I was always out there in the yard digging and fussing with things. So they probably figure I'm not up to anything harmful. ;)

Hey, I could send some of mine along with you if Julie and/or Holly are going to that swap thingie. In fact, I could go back and get some larger ones for them and keep my little guys for trading.

Pix and Pony, if you dig more, I'd love some. I have a couple areas where I'd like to get them naturalized.

My SIL routinely "rescues" plants from sites where houses are being torn down or on lots where they have volunteered in North Seattle. I don't think anyone has bothered her yet.

Okay- I'll go back and dig more next week and get them to Melissa before the 7th. (Unless you want to go back for more too, M?)

Next time I go, I'm going to scatter some flower seeds- poppies, daisies, whatever else I have in my stash that would do okay there. :)

Thank you . . .

Who knew gardeners were such clandestine people. LOL Thank you both. I'd love to have some. I don't know if I'll make it to the swap, but may well be driving southward in the near future and could stop in to pick them up perhaps.

Pony, I would love to have some bigger cyclamen, but am all good with tiny too. Like I said, stuff grows (or dies...depending on the plant) quickly in my yard. Mom and I had every intention of going to the plant swap, but it looks like we will most likely have to spend that weekend over in E-WA repairing the front door of our house that was broken into. Yup...over there too... appears to have been the day before Mom went over last weekend. They must have gotten interrupted as the only thing that they took was an atomic clock from the living room. Not that we have a whole lot of valuables over there anyway, but I had a couple of shotguns in my closet, and my brother had his hunting bow in the store room, and all were still there. I just shake my head at an economy (or whatever else the cause) that is bringing out such creepieness in so many people. I am trying to have faith that Karma will get them in the end.....

Anyway, wasn't going to vent on that, but it was along the topic of not being able to make the swap...

So, anyway... I would be more than happy to head your direction at lunch sometime during the week to pick up the bulbs...whatever works for you!

Done blabbering.....

Sure, I can go dig some up with you. It's more fun when two people are doing the scavenging. I've got plenty of free time this weekend, or even the end of next week before the swap. There are tons of them left. I can bring some seeds, too. I have some beautiful purple annual poppies that would look lovely in growing in that lot.

Awesome! I'd rather go during the week, I have stuff going on this weekend. Which day is best for you?

Ack, no caffeine in my system yet... Julie, good Lord, what are the odds of your EWA place getting broken into too?! That sucks!

We'll figure out a way to get the corms to ya- I'll D-mail you after I've dug more.

And Holly, if you're going to be anywhere in Tacoma I could meet you over there.

Julie, that is terrible news. I can't believe what is going on in the world. Has it always been this way, and I have just been oblivious to it?

Julie and Sharon, I'm so sorry this happened to you. But I do think that the state of the economy has made many people desperate. What a blessing that they weren't there when you were, Sharon.

This message was edited Oct 30, 2009 7:26 PM

Pony, I'll dmail you.
Julie, good Heavens! That's certainly bad luck, although it does sound as though it could have been worse.

Tracy and I carved pumpkins this evening. We usually just do freehand scary faces, but this year we decided to try some stencils we got a long time ago. I used a real simple one:

Tracy did a much more complicated one:

Did anybody else carve pumpkins? I'd love to see them!

We had 60+ trick-or-treaters last year. I wonder if it will be as crazy or more this year... I'm thinking of putting on zombie makeup to make myself look even more scary than normal. hehe.

Pony, your jack o lanterns are cool. I am luck to get the eyes cut out in a triangle, and don't even ask me what the mouth looks like
Dressing up sounds like fun. We haven't done that in years..

Actually, I carved a pumpkin this year. First time in, oh, I dunno, more than 20 years, maybe. It's a goofy freehand cat that I haven't taken pictures of. It has ears, though. :)
What's even weirder is that we are those grinch-y people who turn out our lights and/or leave for the whole evening. The only reason I bought a pumpkin was to try making roasted pumpkin seeds. For some reason, I got to thinking about how my mom always made them with the seeds from the pumpkins we carved, so........ Then, it didn't seem right not to carve it once I'd stolen it's brains (and being a gardener, saved a few, of course, lol!)


I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up on everything lately, so I forgot to mention to Julie that I was sorry to hear about her breakins. Still, you're very lucky-it could have been much worse.

This message was edited Oct 31, 2009 10:43 AM

Cute story Suzybell. You are so artistic.

Oh Julie so sorry your house got broken into. Drat! But glad you were not there at the time.

I will carve a pumpkin later today. no matter how hard I try to make them look scary they turn out looking drunk.

oh, wow, Thanks, Lynn!

Judi, drunk can be plenty scary....just imagine your pumpkin is a MEAN drunk! ;)

Oh No, beware of the drunkin punkin!

I carved this one for my GD 3 weeks ago.

Very nice pumpkin carving all! Cats do not like wearing costumes I just learned.

Tried a second one..she did not like that either. Guess she will be just a cat for Halloween.

Blossom was mad that I woke her from her nap to put this silly Devil's cap on her head.

Sweetpea,...everything makes her uneasy. Did not like her costume much either!!

This message was edited Oct 31, 2009 3:35 PM

ROFL! I love the critter costumes. :D

Cute costumes! I agree, cats definitely do not like costumes!

Sofer, your cat is much better than mine-very nice! Mine's a bit lopsided, among other things. If I do this again I'll have to rethink the tools I used.

WE NEVER GET HOLLOWEENER AT OUR HOUSE. NO KIDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I BOUGHT FIVE BAGS OF CANDY AND WE ATE IT ALL. HAPPY HOLLOWEEN!

GOOD CARVINGS. LOVE THE CAT IN THE HAT. PUPPYS ARE CUTE ALSO.

cute pictures everyone.

We bought 3 bags of candy, but no trick or treaters. Darn, there goes the diet.

The punkins are totally cool! We don't do much for Halloween anymore, even if it is one of my favorite holidays. Don't see many little monsters up this way!

Bea, your pet costumes are awesome....even if their wearers aren't totally thrilled about them!

Played in the garden today, despite the rain. Was the perfect way to tune out the world. I am working on cleaning up the areas that I can see from the house for winter...will move on to the outer gardens when that is done. I hate the time of year that I never get to see my yard in the light!

Thanks to all of you for comments about our second breakin. It was as good as it possibly could have been...missing a $20 clock and have to repair a door. With all that has gone on with Lynn's DH's jeep being stolen and our two break-ins, you really start to get disgusted with people. We have been really lucky in our incidents, but it still creeps you out and I am now locking my car at home for the first time in years, and setting the deadbolt before we go to sleep. I am angrier about losing my sense of security than anything else.

I do have to say that the good part of our neighborhood in E-WA is that it is a small community and everyone sticks together. We had made good friends with all of the neighbors when we bought the house, and Mom and I have been just amazed at all of the "White Knights" surrounding us over there that have devoted themselves to making sure we are looked out for when we are there since Dad has been gone. I pity the fool that tries to break in there again!

Bea, are you sure you can sleep without being disturbed by little furries tonight? None of them look very happy with you.......
I don't get any visitors either except the grandkids, and this year we agreed they could come in the morning when none of us are so tired.
And I DO know what to do with the leftover candy that I always buy "just in case."

Enjoy all of your left over chocolate, all!