Oh, I feel your pain Susan. When the surprise survivors start showing up, things will start looking up :-)
My Cottage Home Fire and Rebuild
Yes, it will all come back :) With a little love :)
Susan - I have a feeling that you might be very surprised at what DOES come back! And stressed plants come back very lush and determined! ;-)
Thank you. That was the perfect message at the perfect time :) I'm going to do that same thing- come back lush and determined! :)
"Lush & Determined"
I love that!
I've got a fat packet to get out to you, courtesy of the "Think Spring!" seed swap party we had yesterday here in Frederick (Mid-Atlantic DGers). I just need to go through the remainders in the "free to good home" bin to see what else might be in there for you... :-)
Susan,
I just read your post. Please send me a d-mail with your address, and I will send you some seeds. Is there anything else you need besides seeds?
Evelyn
Thanks so much Critter :)
Thanks Evelyn :) Hmmm. what I need beside seeds... Lots of great sunshine, warm spring days ahead and unlimited time to work in my garden! :) Thank you. I'm just grateful for the offer.
Susan
Susan, your story, told, is an instructive story for those listening and observing. The destruction is nothing I can comment on but your response and re-building is commendable. "Lush and determined" is a great phrase, and I thought, at first reading, it was being applied to YOU! :)
Ok, Susan...I cannot send you our CA sunshine...as it is not in the realm of my *powers*, but I can send you seeds, clothes or anything else that is not too large for my budget. If you tell us what you need, I am sure that we can send you some things to get started....
Best of luck to you. We can all send prayers....
You all are sooo sweet! :)
First of all... CRITTER!!! I LOVE YOU!! You made me cry!! In a good way! I just stood there and tears ran down my face after I opened that huge package of seeds. I was a mess. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. They are sooo appreciated and I am sooo grateful. Forever. I have no idea who all contributed to that seed swap and i really want them to know that their seed gifts/love was most appreciated. Please post in your regional forum for them to come over for some appreciation. Thanks so much!! :) I'm pretty sure there is someone at my local post office opening these seed packages and taping them back up after they don't see what they are looking for. I am sure it was taped back. I'm so glad they are not a gardener and I have them :) Forgive me for the belated thanks. I'm building a home :)
Thanks Anastatia! "Lush & Determined" Those are going to be my personal catchphrases ;-0 !!
Evelyn, :) Thanks so much. Actually, most of our clothes was okay.. Being a gal and having a small downstairs master closet, I used the upstairs as overflow and out of season stuff (as most gals do), but most of my day to day stuff was sitting in our closets downstairs. My kids and husbands clothes were all downstairs. They were fine for the most part. I love the offer of prayer and good energy being sent my way :) Thank You.
My home is about one week away from being finished!! Painter are there right now and the bathrooms are 98% done! I will update all the new pics soon :) While i am happy to be moving into such a beautiful, gorgeous home, I would have imagined myself as happier for having it. What I wouldn't have imagined was ALL THE WORK! Its really like any goal I guess.. The fantasy of how happy I would be having it doesn't include the actuality of each and every step it takes to achieving it. I am grateful to have such a wonderful rebuilt home. We were unsure at first, but our insurance company, The Hartford, has done right by us and they have been very fair. I've been informed by family that they may drop us after this claim, I hope not, but I understand its just they way things are done if they do.
I will probably feel better about the home once I actually move in and LIVE there instead of just working so much to get all the things needed to get it built. It's probably like a garden.. You work and work and work and then you finally enjoy the blooms :)
I'm ready to enjoy the blooms :)
Susan
Susan - May you put down roots again in your beloved home, flourish, and bloom! I know your garden will be beautiful once again, too! My motto since I started gardening 6 years ago has been, "grow lush and determined with each passing year". I went from sparse and meek to having a beautiful blooming yard! And yours was and will be once again ... inspiring as ever! As is your family's detemination to recover from the fire. :-)
Wishing you a wonderful Spring in your new home that is still in an old setting of comfort and memories! You will have the best of both worlds now. Old family property with a new home! Memories to cherish and memories still to make! Wishing you the best always!
Thats right Becky :) Thanks :)
Happy first day of spring everybody! The growing season begins!
Susan
Ah... I think I might have opened it before posting to stuff in a couple more packets, then taped it back up. LOL
We were delighted to be able to share with you! I think a good many of this seeds should be suitable for winter sowing or direct sowing, and I hope you'll be able to start tossing seeds around this spring.
Lush & Determined!
^_^
Critter, Thanks for confirming my paranoia!! LOL!
Last night was my first night back home. After 284 days, we are back in and it is so nice to be back home. I'm trying to get things in the home organized as quickly as possible so that I can get out into my garden! It took me a full hour to collect and find all the things i needed to take a shower and get dressed this morning, so I'm looking forward to having it all unpacked and getting things in their place.
So many things have greened up and sprouted and need to be tended to. I have roses that were never pruned and look kinda wild :) I've got two pink knockouts that are starting the season at five feet! Whooops...
I have decided that the "meatballs" - my huge evergreen holly's at the corners of the home and smaller ones in between are coming out this season and its time for a fresh new look. They really look too big and just aren't "right" anymore. Also, we are trying to get away from any hedges that need constant shaping.
I'm really looking forward to sowing my seeds :)
I'll be updating pics soon :)
Susan
Yay! You're back in your home! Congrats! So happy for you and your family!
Five feet tall Knock-out Roses! OMG! I keep mine at about 2 1/2 feet tall in pots! LOL! I can't imagine 5' tall! Do share photos! I can't wait to see how your garden shapes up! Sounds like plants have survived and are thriving to the point of over-thriving! LOL! Time to get out there to prune and move some of them! I think you are going to have a great garden this year!
maybe you can keep or move a few of the smaller hollies... let them grow out to a more natural shape.. they add a lot of color in winter!
Yes. We are back in and slowing getting things in order :)
I'll be spending some time outdoors today and starting to get my garden back in shape. The larger hollies were planted in 1970! They have huge trunks and there is no way I can move them :( I will plant with consideration on what will be the max size at full maturity when i decide what will take it's place.
Have a great weekend :)
Susan
Susan, I'm so glad your family is finally in your home. It will be a pleasure to see pictures of your new home and new garden as it evolves. God bless. Pam
Hi Susan,
I have some fancy, large-flowered chrysanthemum plugs from mamajack's Nashnul Mum coop that need homes. Some critter divested them of their labels (racoon? - we trapped and relocated 5 recently). Would you like to have some? I'll wait another couple of days before I find another home (sent you dmail yesterday).
Critter - before the racoon struck, I had divided the plugs into 2 groups, and each group was representative of all the cultivars. So I only need to grow one group in order to identify all of them this fall so I can bring over your requests next spring. I don't have room to grow what amounts to 5 of each cultivar.
Critter - when I asked the Frederick group of the Mid-Atlantic swap too divert any seeds coming my way to Susan, you and the others done good :) (Susan, I still plan to send you some more seeds, though - wintersowing for this coming winter will be here all too soon, methinks).
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Karen
Thank you Pam :)
Karen, I just now finally replied you you :( Thank you so much for your messages and kind offer. Sorry to have missed it.
Weezingreens sent me the most amazing assortment of seeds. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! :) I LOVE LOVE LOVE looking at them and the flowers that they promise. I sit and stare and google pics and love to see what treasures they hold. Weezins, i've always loved your garden and pics and I'm so happy to have some of it here! Thanks so much! :)
Right now, I am s-l-o-w-l-y getting my garden back in order. I had mistakenly believed things would be farther along by now.. While we are back in the house, and I'm thrilled to be back our home, I still haven't hung the first picture on the walls. School is out now and I'm hoping for some time to get everything sorted. I have spent some time in the garden and I have (AS ALWAYS!), really enjoyed it.. Even just the simple act of pulling weeds really gives me a great amount of pleasure. Especially when I look back over the results of getting a bed cleaned and mulched. I'm so grateful for the reseeders, perennials and shrubs that just come back happily, as if we have never skipped a beat. :) I have made one trip to a local growers outlet to purchase some evergreen shrubs I wanted for some foundation plantings. While, I do enjoy getting out there and doing as much as I can, we all know the perils of trying to do too much all at once and I did pull something in my neck/shoulder while carrying wet bags of mulch... So, I probably need to get some help and remember to pace myself! In the past, I would have been very uptight about having as many weeds and things that needed cutting back or just general work.. but now, I'm really much more relaxed about it, giving myself a break and realize that I had a major event that contributed to the state that its in.. Don't get me wrong.. I still have had compliments and am able to take great close-up's ;-), but it's not up to where i would ordinarily have it.. I'm getting there slowly but surely. I really appreciate the support, messages and thanks to Jim for the call ;-) Have a great memorial day :-)
Susan
An album of the garden during better times :)
http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb196/soulgardenlove/?albumview=slideshow
:)
Susan
Susan, I'm glad to hear things are coming along! Yes, pace yourself, and heal that shoulder, and take the time to relax and enjoy what you've already accomplished out there!
Bumping this thread!
My home is rebuilt and absolutely wonderful!
I'm in law school now! It was a dream of mine for years and I went for it. My garden isn't back to what it was and I miss it, but I'm all about reading and my books right now ;-)
Just checking in!
;-)
Susan
Glad you checked in! Congratulations on being a student again. There's nothing wrong with juggling multiple dreams & goals... your garden will be waiting when you're ready to take a study break! :-)
That is great news. Congratulation on deciding to go to law school. Good luck with everything!
sgl ~ Yes, go for your law degree. We need more lawyers like you. The very best of good fortune for you.
~ Evelyn
Thanks! ;-) Gardener lawyers ;-) I'll be one!
Susan