Apropos of Nothing v.18

Very nice!

I love the wine rack!

Both of our kids have fall birthdays, and when they were little we used to invite their friends over and do hayrides around the property (we have twenty acres), in and out of the woods and through the fields. They always loved that.

Romantically wonderful, Steve.

Ahh, the making of good memories. When we first moved to our mini-farm about 30 years ago, the neighbor across the road had some sort of raised bench on sleds that seated maybe 8 people (back to back) he would pull around with his tractor on snowy days. Hot chocolate for the little kids and hot toddies for the big kids. As I recall, we also dragged kids on snow-sleds behind the big one. Fun times.

Today I bought a Big Rope Swing. Later off to the hot springs.

It's chilly here this morning, and great for sleeping in. Didn't wake up until 8:30. The cooler weather feels wonderful.

I just ordered a total gym system. I sure hope it will help get rid of this "muffin top" and flabby upper arm business that has developed over the past few years. Dieting is just not doing the trick! I think it should help the abs muscles and give my back pain some relief too! Spent most of the morning dividing my Bearded Iris. Finished one bed and have many more to do. Sure hope the back holds out this fall season unlike last year. I have so much to get done out there. I hope to move next spring to an acre or two and I must pot some of the plants I want to take with me. It will be a real bummer if I can't move and I have to replant all these plants again. I am leaving pleny for the new buyers.. Wish I could pic up this house and garden and move the entire thing to its new location...that would make it easy!!

Wow, Beahive - that's big news - the idea of moving, not the gym. best of luck - I think you will enjoy it. Every since we moved here, I've thought that the best way to have neighbours is to have a full field between you and them - (more if you can swing it!) - makes me such a tolerant neighbour. Well done.

We have lots of distance between neighbors - so much so that we rarely hear them and DH can put up a deer-stand in our woods and not have to worry about shooting too close to other human habitation. But they're there if we need them, and vice versa, which is the nicest kind. Beahive, lots of luck on your total gym system and especially with your upcoming move. What could make it fall through, though?

Laurie I totally agree with your views on neighbors. Right now living in a residential neigborhood I feel like I am living in a fish bowl. I have three back neigbors and two on the side. My backyard has no privacy from all 5 houses. I love my garden , but feel like I do not spend as much time out back because the neighbors are out in their yards (with screaming small kids) all the time. GH-gal. Not to crazy of a deer stand...let them live! The gym will be interesting as I have never been one who exercised...except normal house & garden and walking the dogs. Live & bodies change after 50.. bummer! The move can only happen if I am able to sell this place for what I need to get out of it $$ wise. I have put a lot of $$ into the pond,deck and garden ...the house itself was a bargin I felt coming from California in 2006 and selling my home there before the housing market tanked. I was so lucky to move when I did.

BeaHive, there are way too many deer around here and not enough food. We used to be anti-hunting but have changed our opinions after seeing what starvation can do to a herd, as well as what deer can do to motorists. I don't know if it would make you feel better or worse about it to know that we eat what he shoots.

Good luck selling your house for what you need to get out of it. This isn't a great economy, but if you find the right buyers it's doable!

ohh, beahive - never believe that bodies slump after 50 - hit that mile stone many years ago and am fitter now than when in my 30/40's (and I was good then) - it takes work, but make it a pleasure. Start small and build - and get good advice. Honestly, I find power walking is brillant, swimming great, and pilates lovely and challenging with a good instructor. So please, find something you enjoy and that you can sustain - and then reclaim your body!

One of the things I love about doing the moonwalk is the number of women over 40 who have just gone out and decided to walk a marathon. I am sure there is something similar in Washington state - having a project to train for really helps get going. Once you have done it, it just becomes part of your routine.

GH-Gal. Thanks for clarifing the deer situation. If you eat the meat than I suppose that is a good thing. Laurie , my plan is not to look like my Mom. I enjoyed being thin and feel better when I am. Thus the purchase of the total gym to get me started. Giggles..away they go! LOL!

Then all the best, enjoy - AND no one wants to look like their mum!! (Well, almost no one).

Hello to all. Just calling attention to this thread I've started to announce the "Great Plant Giveaway". I'm pretending that you all have absolutely no plants in your own gardens, are rank amateurs, and need to hurry over to my place with your respective trucks to take these away. Or, if you are coming to the roundup at Lynns, I'll bring them to you.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1127172/

My youngest daughters boyfriend is planning a surprise 19th Birthday party coming up soon. A group of their friends are going camping next weekend to celebrate. Guess what will be part of the decorations?
She is going to kill me.

No she won't. You're too fast! Jump in your little golf buggy and drive like mad!!

That adorable. She'll really love it. Did you make the sunflower coustume?

Awwww! Bea, that's SO cute!

Yup, she's gonna kill you, but that's the cutest darn sunflower I've ever seen!

I did not make that costume but it sure was cute. Her teachers always called her the "miss sunflower" at the pre-school " following halloween that year. Sunflowers are now her favorite flower too. She is 3000 miles away at College in PA so I don't have to worry about anything until she comes home for Christmas. Safe for now. I sent this one too. Her table manners have improved over the years. LOL!

She WILL KILL you only if her college friends see it. It is good to love our children and it is only fair to punish them with forgotten memories. Well done Bea.

There is no way I am going to even try to catch up on three weeks of being off line, but do have to say Sofer, I love the wagon, and Bea, those pictures are great! There is something so great about those embarrassing "young" pictures.... if you are the subject, you love and hate them at the same time.

Belated birthday wishes Kymmco and Lynn!

Went out today to run some errands, and made the mistake of coming home via 100th st. which happens to be where Lowe's is... can you guess what's coming? LOL I swear, my truck turned into that driveway on its own- I had NO choice but to park at the gate to the nursery center, you know, to check my truck and make sure nothing was wrong... *snort*

They had a bunch of plants on closeout, of course. I wound up coming home with 2 daylilies, ('Ming Toy' and 'Little Business') 2 rudbeckia 'Toto Rustic' and 6 little garden mums in red and orange. So that's 10 plants, and I only spent $18. :)

To me, that alone qualifies today as a good day. :)

10 plants for $18 is excellent!

Such dicipline is an honorable action Pony.

What a great deal!

Hahaha! I told Tracy about my "truck problem" and he said I obviously needed the weight of the plants in the bed to correct the steering alignment and get me home safely. ROFL! Oh, I do love that man of mine. :D

Nice score Pony! Don't you hate when you have a truck with such problems? I am driving "the Beast" to work tomorrow, and have a new very empty bed that I need to put some color into for the next month, so I may have a drift into the FW Lowes clearance rack tomorrow night myself...

Ooooh. The Beast is on the prowl... hehe. I hope you find some good stuff! :)

I think the NHS plant sale is coming up . . .

What are you people doing buying plants when I have a garden to unload? Oh, well, pony did need to steer the truck, and she did buy things I can't offer. I guess it's okay. But Julie? Et tu???

Pixy, I have a very good excuse for plant shopping (like I ever really need an excuse anyway, but I have been SOOOOO good and have not bought one single thing all year until last weekend....). I am also buying stuff that you will not have.... I have a large new and currently empty garden that I want to put some splashes of temporary color in for the fall. Kale, pansies, blooming asters.... stuff that will not interfere with my ultimate plan for the garden, but will keep it from being completely empty until I start moving my daylilies into it. Trust me, I am keeping an eye on your list!

Sigh. Okay. I can understand the mums, I guess. Last year I took cuttings of some 'football' type mums from Bluestone and I am glad I did! They have disappeared from the garden this year. Probably slugs.

10 plants for 18 dollars is great! I have a few holes in one of my beds that need filling - my daughter's dog pulled up and ate a few plants. Since I am having a gathering for my fellow students on Sunday I want to do that today. Of course I will have to do it in the rain, but the plants will love it!

Why all the guilt about buying plants? They make the world beautiful, and make us happy. And forget about that word "need" - it's ok to want!

Judi, I only feel guilty about buying plants when I have no where to put them. I hope you find exactly what you are looking for today... what better way to spend a rainy day than buying and planting and adding a cheerful spot of color!

Mom and I have been diligently weeding and then topdressing our beds with our load of tagro, and although it has been time consuming and we still have a long way to go, the satisfaction of knowing how happy the beds will be is wonderful. We did run into a distraction this last weekend though, and I wanted to share at least my portion of it.

We had run into a dilema with my daylily project... we have chosen several of my seedlings that we want to watch for possible introduction, but had no where to move the special ones to to seperate them from the pack. How to fix that problem? A new garden of course! We came up with the brilliant idea of extending our current beds out into the lawn area a bit, and presto.... lots of room for daylily seedlings! The best part is that the areas that we are working in in both yards are already in the sprinkler system, and we already have to edge/mow around them, so no added watering and only a bit of added weeding.


Here is my project. Our dwindling 15 yards of Tagro, next to my early birthday present..... what is still left of 10 tons of 1/2 man rocks. After almost 20 years, Don has finally realized that I am very serious when I say I want dirt and rocks for my birthday......

And this is where the rest of the rocks have gone. I am only about half way done with my project... still have half again as far to go along the front of the lawn, and the whole other side of the yard to do, but this was a good start. There is a creek running to the left of the lawn and it was bordered by large stones (from the area we cleared for the house). I have now brought a garden about 2 1/2 foot from that rock border. The creek is edged inside the large rocks on the lawn side with Japanese Iris, so those will now be the backdrop of my new bed.

Lots and LOTS of room for my special seedlings now!

Oh Julie, your new garden is Rock On Beautiful!!!

Rock on. Your rocks and dirt and new project are awesome!

OK, so Julie has me motivated to share a picture of my new bed, too, which I will use for some of her daylilies, some of mine that I want to move to a better location and, of course, some NEW plants. I see that I have to straighten out the blocks a bit here and there.

Kathy, those are the Kapowsin Blue rocks from Washington Rock. We thought they would be more grey and look like the ones I used for my last new bed, but that was not the case. We were thrilled with the color.