Plant Propagation part XIV based on my own experience

Sharon, what are you talking about that I should have something under my box that would allow air to flow through?

Oh Jen, you have no idea how sorry I am Aimee is not happy there. I wish I could help. She needs sunshine and less water just now. Can you give her more light? Throw her away and next Spring I will send you another to kill. LOL

By the sounds of it you guys had a busy night, naming dogs, talking about your weather.
I personally was trying to watch a football game and fell asleep and never woke up until 5:30 this morning. Game was over. I have no idea who won and I had a dollar bet with my grandson on the outcome of the game. I found out this morning I lost. Which I expected I would but I love betting against the team he picks so we can dicker. He is such a sweet kid.
Not all the time.........just when Grams is with him. I make him naughty his Mother says.
I teach him bad things. So, what are Grandmas for?

I was to meet a lady today with three kids and deliver food. She called this morning and said she was called into work....which is a good thing, she gets no child support from the rotten husband, deadbeat, skunk, etc. so now my day is completely turned around because we will meet tomorrow. I have adopted this family for the holidays. They are related to my daughter's husband....his nephew is a bottom feeder, low life, who lies and has the entire family against the mother of his kids.( There is a restraining order against him now too. ) Except for me and my daughter, we will not just abandon these kids now. Why can not adults stop acting like children and remember life is short and what goes around comes around. Also, the grandmother of these kids will not permit the Mother of the kids in her presence, so she no longer comes here with the kids for holidays. The kids and their precious father come with Grandma. I could vomit. If it was not for my daughter I would not be present at the same table, but I owe my daughter that much. Does not mean I have to be cozy friendly. I will be cold and polite. The adults are the problem here. Ignorant asses. Now I vented. I am off to take a walk. I need some fresh air after that.
Good news, I lost 4 pouonds, no booze and extra walking. Yahoo...BP is 122/74...something is working.
You all sound cold.................yes I about the weather. So what? I am allowed.
I am moving to another forum where we can talk about something other than snow.
Humpf!!!!!!!! I am getting cold just hearing all this and my old body does not like cold.
I think I will move to North Carolina. A bit warmer but not too hot. Something to think about while I walk. Hugs to all of you ice people......JB

Is there a "warm" forum? Could we start one for the winter? We could serve hot toddies and warm hot chocolate and warm cider and Irish Coffee..........now there is a good drink. I used to like Coffee with a shot of brandy in it when I had to go out and feed the animals in the snow. That was a great way to start the day. I had a glow about me that melted the snow. I must go. Have a great day. JB

What do you mean you had to go out and feed the animals in the snow? You don't have snow. You live in the banana belt. Nothing but beautiful sunshine and sandy beaches you old witch.

Just because I had to take a broom out and clean off the satellite to even get to talk to you and then I have to listen to all that diatribe. Bet you can find a forum with sunshine and Margaritas somewhere on here. You should go there for the winter. My sister and BIL are going to Costa Rica for a month in a couple of weeks. They have a condo down there. You should do that. Get a condo in Hawaii or CR.

See what laying off the booze will do for you? 4 pounds yet! That's good. How old is your grandson?

I have an HPS light on Aimee for 16 hours a day. And she is in a window. Don't know what else I can do for her. She did real good last winter.

People are just plain cruel to each other. Unfortunately kids get caught in the middle. I can't imagine that it is a holiday for your daughter, knowing the way you feel towards the nephew and being at the same table with him and his mother is it? She probably holds her breath all the time they are there waiting for you to explode.

Well, gotta get dressed. Bob has a dr. appt. to get the results of his test. I am planning on going in with him. Hopefully. ttyl.

My daughter is an Angel. She is very diplomatic and since this witch is married to her husbands brother, and they live across the field, they are very close. She is really in the middle, but has told the witch she will not abandon the kids. The two of them are very close and it must be difficult for them, yet, an adult woman who has 3 grandkids and a brain in her head, has to realize that the mother of those kids will always be a part of the family. I don't give a s*** how many wives or husbands they have other than each other.. Blood is blood. Those kids did not ask to be a part of a crappy life caused by two adults acting like children and involving everyone else in their private life. i was divorced and my husband and i remained friends until the day he died because of the kids. We tolerated each other and our respective spouses and we always spoke kindly of each other to the kids. Never once would we not do that. That is because the kids come first. Good God, I am off on this again. ENOUGH ALREADY.
My grandson will be 17 the day before Christmas. I am praying he will decide to go to college on the East Coast. His Dad graduated from USC and that was really hard for me when he got Hodgkins and I had to commute to LA to take care of him when he got his Chemo. He came to Univ. or Miami for his Law degree because I could not keep flying out there every other week. It took over four years to put him into remission back then and I was working full time as Executive Director of the American Cancer Society in PA and I was divorced, really a stressful time for all of us. His Dad paid the expenses and I did the nursing duty in LA. All worked out well. We got him cured. There is truly a God. I had a miracle cure. Back then, there were not too many. He never missed a day of school and he graduated. It was all worth it. That is what you call working together for the sake of the children.
Sorry, I got carried away here. Gotta Go. Love and Hugs. JB

Good afternoon:
I agree its sad when the kids have to suffer for the crappy decisions their second brain makes for them. Life is too short for all the drama. some people thrive on it. I do believe blood is blood no matter what.
ok gardening plans. I am thinking of taking the soil level down on my veggie beds for the winter and builing makeshift Mini hoop houses on each one. I can fit 25 trays on each one so I will end up with 50 trays.
I was cleaning out some old boxes and found some "scap" silver from back when I was trying out casting and jewelry repair as a possible lower demanding (on the body) type job. I went to school at a local college and found out it really was not what I wanted to do. so you ask whats this have to do with plants. well the scap is a pound and a half of silver. I should be able to turn it into enough plugs to plant them all and have a good selection to sell from in the spring.
now back to the raised beds. I am planning to put down heater cables in the bottom with a layer of gravel to keep the soil up above 65 degrees. Corriopsis, Gailardia, Echinacea, some ferns and other flowering perrienials are what I plan to grow in the flats of 3.5" pots.
I am also thinking of doing 50 or 100 - 10" hanging baskets of annuals. any suggestions on other flowers to grow????

JB: my wifes best friends hubby just bought a $900.00 christmas tree. Is there really such a thing? did he get taken for a ride?

Have a great evening everyone
Dave

JB, Yes, adults should do their thing but in a way that does not affect kids in a derogatory way. Unfortunately, sometimes parents use kids as a weapon against each other. They should be shot.

I have been wondering how your friend, who is terminally ill, is doing with her son.

Then Dave, I promise I will not bring anything like this up. But I do worry about these people sometimes.

DAVE, wake up!! question: If you are going to grow 10" hanging baskets of annuals, you need to make them beautiful for Mother's Day. Those plants are normally 3 different main plants: Petunias, begonias, or fuchsias. That is the way it is here anyway. Then of course there are the combinations.

I think to do that you need to start the plants in January and February. I read an article one time about a nursery that grew their petunias and they "pruned" them twice. With a hedge trimmer! That is how many they grew. Too many to do it individually.

I saw a begonia in August last year that was so beautiful. It hung down around 3 feet. She said she got it for Mothers Day and told me where her daughter got it. I went to that nursery and asked how they grew them to get them like that. The woman told me she plants one nice size hanging begonia tuber in a 12" basket with a good planting mix and Dynamite slow release fertilizer. From then on she said she uses Super Bloom, like Schultz or one of those until they sell. The woman who had the plant said she does nothing but water it. That was because of the Dynamite.

The $900 tree. It would be nice to know a little more about it. I.e. it obviously is a rooted tree, the $900 might include planting? What kind? What is it decorated with? How big is it? Why is it called a Christmas tree other than being decorated? You can charge anything you want, and somewhere threre is probably someone who will pay it

Howdy:
no the christmas tree was a cut christmas tree. I thought it might be a B&B and include planting but I was scolded for not listening when she said "christmas tree" I was shocked.... it better be some what of a special tree not a charlie brown special....of course it might cost that much because its a "charlie Brown" tree.

I was planning on doing some mixed ones too. Its something i have been toying with for a while. really not sure if I will or wont. but I would rather do a small batch and see how they go as sock a ton of money into a bunch of baskets that I missed the market on. I tried doing a few on my own in my spare time but I got a late start and missed the market. i had a sales rep tell me he wished I had them a month earlier. I think by shooting for april 1st it gives me some room for error but of course I still might not do any and take what I know will sell and concentrate on that.
I had a senior grower tell me once that what ever you do always do 1000 basket you'll never go wrong. well I don't have the energy, facilities or help to do that many baskets. now if I had an acre and a hoop house with heat that would be another story. This is all trial and error so we will see how it goes.
I use the miricle grow with osmocote and moisture crystals which is similar to dynamite. I did some trials on the stuff before they were marketing it as dynamite. I got the same results as with osmocote. I plan on fertilizing with every watering.
The more I talk about baskets the more I talk myself out of it. I may just do some for my family and friends and see how that works out. there are new plugs out that have 3 and 4 different plants in each plug for the balanced mix look.

well its my bed time. see ya'll in the am
Dave

Jnette, on the thread I was reading, they said not to place the container you had the plants in directly on the wood, concrete or whatever. You needed to have it raised off the surface and it would not get as cold as if it was sitting on the solid surface. But you know the best but you are living it and doing it, whatever it is>>>>......OMG, I sound like Bill Clinton.....

JB, you are such a good heart. I agree. We are going to dinner at our daughter Tracy's Thanksgiving and it will only be Vern & I, Tracy & Kris and children minus Hannah and then Kris' mother and step-father, Vern. Can you believe it, two Vern in one family.


We usually have a very large, mostly Kris' side of the family dinner. His mom and dad got divorced over 40 years ago and she has been married over 35 to her new husband. But her father died recently, 102 years old, and she found letters from her ex-husband to her father explaining why he left. I guess her father wrote him. Opened old wounds so now she will not attend anything that he is at so they are having him this year to the big dinner and then next year she will be there. So, to make sure she was not alone, Kris broke away from his 3 brothers and invited his mother. I will have to hold my tongue to make sure I do not say what I am thinking. LIKE, GET A LIFE.......

I spent the majority of the day inside. The landscape helper came over and moved my pots into the garage. They have moved the freeze up to tomorrow night.

I cleaned the laundry room. I took photos. I will post later. Right now I am going to have a big bowl of bean soup. It took me 5 hours to clean the laundry room. The majority was just putting things away.

LOL, Sharon, I will take BC any day!! I suppose that is right, but it is too late. That thing is heavy by itself, and I have it full now.

Guess that is the problem with big family get-togethers. Always a problem somewhere. When my mom died it kind of ended those for us.

Sharon, glad you had them move those pots. They are heavy.

Dave, I think the big thing was using the Super Bloom while she had them in the nursery. I would think she would use a good nitrogen first for a bit to get some size, and then the super Bloom for the last couple of months prior to Mothers Day, or selling.

Here is my clean laundry room. You must realize it took me close to 5 hours. Most of the time was spent putting things where they went. The majority belongs in different rooms. All put away. Now I have the dining room table and the laundry room clean. Two places I have promised not to pile things. Both close to the back door to the garage. I took photo before clean up but they were way out of focus.

Other side. Yes it is a large laundry room. Is also the wash room for the dogs and my potting room when I need it.

This is a photo I took today of Strawberry Tree.

Bloom close up.

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving. If my h came home with a $900 tree, he would be living in it. Merry Christmas buddy. If it has no roots than it better be helicoptered in and fighting for it's place in Rockefeller Center.

I bet it is an artificial, already strung with lights. I have seen them up to $2000. With homeless children it is shameful.

I would be happy to sell a Christmas Tree for that kind of money, but our trees are just plain old firs and spruce. Not gold plated. Actually, I would guess in the city, New York that is, there would be many places with the artificial trees costing that much money. I would guess it was a pretty one. If not, that guy had to be in trouble. I hope it lasts 50 years. LOL

I overdid it yesterday and I am tired today. My legs hurt, too much cleaning bird cages and not enough walking. I walked but was not relaxed, rushed to get done so I could get back to work. I also have an ingrown toe nail. @##$%$#@

I started to clean out the greenhouse and threw away all the begonias except one. They looked miserable and I am tired looking at them that way. The inside plants in the house all have something bothering them. Mealybug mostly. I have had to take them all outside, including the two over 5 ft. Aimee trees and hose them down. What a mess.
That is an endless battle with those bugs.

I love the pictures you guys put up. It gives me a feeling of being able to get off the farm and see places. I seldom do any traveling anymore. Just into town and back or the Base and back. Too busy and too expensive. I have wonderful memories of my traveling days and that keeps me happy. But, I do enjoy your pictures. It is like visiting you. LOL

Must get moving and get ready for my three little bundles of joy and their Mommie. It is getting cloudy here and it is in the high 50s. It hit 60 yesterday and was beautiful, that is why I was so full of energy.

My son, grandson and one DIL and step son will be here for an old fashioned breakfast on Thanksgiving Morning. Creamed dried beef, hash browns with eggs, sticky buns juice and coffee. They leave before the other group arrives. They have a two hour drive and I like them to get home before dark or I worry. I will do all the cooking for breakfast.

JB it sounds like a nice morning ritual for the holiday. yes travel this time of year is so unpredictable.

Our temp yesterday was 79 degree's. we have the fronts that everyone has been dealing with coming in tomorrow. If the cold front kicks into gear and moves faster than they think it will be another icy mess on the road to little rock. a few years ago we sat on the hiway for over 8 hours while the hwy patroll had wreckers pulling semi's up a steep hill. it was a solid sheet of ice on everything. I refuse to deal with that again so I am hopefull we will beat it and I "think" we will. they are talking lows in the lower 20's brrr.

Well I started wrapping sunday for xmas. anyone doing black friday???? Best buy has a 55" plasma tv for 699.00 120 htz processor would look great on our livingroom wall.

Jeanette: last fall i bought a 25 pound tub of super bloom that works on foliga and the soil. I will be using it along with a batch of my michorhyza tea to get things going. then its the bloom buster untill june. after that its plant plant plant for the fall. i will be a busy little boy come spring. On the perrienials I am thinking of doing them in february under little hoop houses. I found instrucyions for building them out of PVC. I think I can get them built for under $50.00. Of course the heating cables wont be cheap either.

Sharon I did not think you sounded like slick willie.... if the containers are on a cold floor or against the outside edge of their housing the walls and floor act like a heat sink and draw all the cold out. The same applies to passive heating for greenhouses.
I think the calculations for water as a passive heat source is 5 gallons per sq ft of GH. which explains why it got colder than I would have liked in the gh out back.

Have a great day I am off to vist the dr. refill time for the morphine pump. i am so glad its helping. I would be a wreck without it. I am going to set up for the annual round of steriod shots. I am thinking mid december so that I will have one on board for the trip to florida.

ok who want pics of the ice storm a couple of years ago? please dmail me an email address to send them to so I can just do one post of all of them.

he said he didn't do it

ttfn
Dave

How cute is that? What a darling little demon. LOL

I would like to see pictures of the snow. As long as they are pictures. As pretty as it was this morning, it is now cloudy and looks like it will rain anytime. I feel like a truck hit me but I am trying to get some energy together for the kids. They have chosen McDonalds for lunch. Oh God...there goes my cholesterol again. What can I say? They call me Granny B because their grandmother (the witch) is MAW, the great grandmother is grandma. Poor kids have so many grannys they do not know which end is up . Unfortunately, I am the only one who speaks to the Mother of them, so, that is where we are at this time.

I have to go and get my act together. Later. Hugs. JB

Oh boy, it is cold. Went to town yesterday, got the car oil, lube, etc., did the grocery shopping for my part of the dinner Thursday, and Bob got his test results from the dr. Got home late in the afternoon, then the power went out while watching a movie. It was out for 3 hours!!

Bob threw a couple of quilts over me and he put a bunch of clothes on and went to bed. I was so mad, I called the power company and all I got was an answering machine. The house got down to 52 degrees, it was 14 degrees outside. Finally it came back on at 11:30. 5 minutes later the phone rang, it was the power company wanting to know if we had our power back on.

Yes, we have a generator, but guess what? No gas. Plus, it was almost bed time so why bother heating the house? It takes so long to get this big house warm again. It is still only 64 degrees in here now. I like it around 72.

I have a question Sharon, was it all your company why your laundry room took so long to clean? I can't imagine with only you and Vern that you would make such a mess it took 5 hours to put things away?

Haven't had the creamed corn beef in many years JB. We used to put it over toast. Sounds good.

Been trying to figure my camera out to send you a couple pictures I took yesterday.

I was talking Super Bloom to get the hanging baskets blooming good for Mom's day Dave. Then they would be out of your hair and give you time to deal with the perennials.

I crossposted with both Dave and JB

Yes JB, you DO need energy to keep up with the grandkiddies. LOL, I remember my grandson always wanted to go to McDs. He loved the play area ones. Didn't care about the food, just wanted to play with the kids.

That is when I talked my daughter into putting him in pre-kindergarten. What is that called? Can't remember any more. And he loved it. He was/is an only child so he needed the contact with other kids. He Couldn't wait to get out of her car each day.

Now, he is 21 years old, and a mole. He is on his computers constant. Even does his college on line. I probably told you guys he made the Dean's list for his grades. I didn't know they included the on-line students in that but they do. They should since they have tons of homework to turn in, and it costs so much. I thought it was a lot, but my SIL compared it to attending classes and living in dorms, or apartments near the school, and if you look at it that way I guess it doesn't cost that much.

Well, gotta get going. It is 15 degrees out there now, and trying to snow again. We only have about 6 inches, but the snow keeps it warm. Gotta go feed the birds too. ttyl,

Jnette, I can blame no one but myself. The majority of everything in the laundry room had to do with gardening, not laundry. It took 5 hours because I had to put everything where it belonged. And some of the places where things went had to be rearranged to get things put away. But I had my i pod blaster on and maybe I was was just in there day dreaming and that is why it took so long.

OK Dave. I do not understand. Does having a pot on a cement floor that is cold make it colder. I do not understand your explanation.

Jnette, every Thanksgiving morning when my dad was alive, I fixed fried potatoes and sausage with eggs on the side. That was the only time all year we made that dish. Since he died, we no longer make the dish. My son in law now makes Christmas Morning breakfast which is similar but with pigs in a blanket and bacon. The children have to wait to open their presents until after breakfast. Each child receives 5 presents and Grandma Sharon is not allowed to go overboard with presents. Then Christmas dinner is at our home. I make a large prime rib with fresh horseradish, hot bread, potatoes, gravy and a large salad. Then for desert Tracy makes something. I do not bake.

Well Lee should be home with Stormy. Lee, where are our photos?

Dave, you be safe in your travels.

I am going to get dressed and go to Lowes and see if they have any frost protectors. Every gardener is the neighborhood is rushing to wrap the Queen Palms. I have no Queen palms.

Jnette, stay warm today. What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Is BC coming over for dinner?????

Dawn, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?

I think I will take a photo of the bougainvillea today because it is in full bloom. So is the Queen of Sheba. Probably will not be tomorrow. I am also going to cut a bouquet of roses. I have been saying that for days but I think today will probably be my last chance.

I am out of here until tonight. Love ya, Sharon.

JB, a good greasy hamburger will make you feel better when you feel crappy. The worse you feel, the better it tastes.

Hi, y'all! Sorry it took so long but I routed my images through my printer for now.

Here is my "birthday present"......snow day! This was taken at 7:36AM, Nov. 20th.

So I had planted my asparagus a couple days before and did some composting and some burning...pine needles and oak leaves. No shredder. Maybe when the ground (and leaves) are dry, I can get DH (Steve) to run over them with the mower so we can compost them, as he has been burning them for many years, so I am not sure he will want to change. I am not sure I want the pine needles in with the oak leaves for compost. What do y'all think?I even take their ashes and put it in the gardens.

The bulbs are on the back porch, and hopefully I will be able to plant them in between storms, otherwise, I will have to put them all in pots. Fortunately I got a bunch of large ones on sale at Rite Aid....75% off, so the price was right. That was at the "end of season sale, so they could put up their "Fall Decor", and then Christmas Decorations and other things.

The large bags of peat, perlite and vermiculite are in the fenced garden. I will have to take them onto the back porch, so I can mix up some potting soil.

Steve is now baking some pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. He does this every year, so who am I to disturb this wonderful tradition?

Yes, I want to see the puppy, Lee!

Wow, I am too old for 4 , 7 and 9 year old kids. We tagged their Christmas Tree, took pictures, ate cookies and then went to McD's for a late lunch. They wanted to tag the tree before it rained. I will send pictures when I get them. Have a good evening. JB

OK here is the latest in the Saga of Stormy. Monday morning we called to make sure he was hooked up to his wings and ready to go, was assured all was a go so, we left Miles City. For about 40 miles, clear roads, then they started to go bad and the next 110 miles were getting steadily worse. We finally got to Billings, with a few slides, and settled in for the wait for 11:45 to pick him up. (they were really scarey for me) For some unknown reason, I called the breeder, and guess what, NO WINGS!!!!!! Horizon said it was running behind too far, and they couldn't pick him up, besides, they were having trouble in Seattle, due to the Snow. OK, now what you ask...Well I'll tell you, they have an embargo on animals until after the Holiday!!!!! Soonest they can attach the wings again is Tuesday, the 30th. Now it is too late to come home, or we would be driving in the dark, so we stay at the motel. This morning we get ready to leave for home (- Stormy, of course). The truck won't start!!! Tried to jump it, nothing. plugged the block heater in, waited about an hr, nothing!!! Panic now is mine......Called the Ford garage, explained the problem, he says it must be something other than a freeze or battery. Now Panic and I called a tow truck (Ford Garage has no way to help with the vehicle not there). DH tried several times more to start, nothing....Tow Guy showes up, DH tried again......Truck started!!!!!! Tow guy chuckles and says no problem, sometimes that happens, didn't charge anything, SURPRISE!!!! We gave him $10 for his trouble, and gas. It is now about 11 oclock, another storm (not puppy) is coming in, do we take a chance, start out, or stay for several days. (BAD Storm predicted) We left......Should have had (forgive me for this one) a diaper. It was Sooooooo bad, and the storm hadn't even come in yet. I just closed my eyes, so I couldnt see the road. But as you can see with a lot of help from Him, we made it. I will never ever do anything like this again. On the 30th, I am going to see if I can find a friend going up to shop or something, and ask them to pick him up. He needs a live Mommy, not a heart attack victim!!
I honestly think DH was as bad as I was, but he HAD to drive. I am so glad to be home.
I promise pics when we finally get him. BTW His pedigree name will be----Omega Marle's Starker Schneestrum which means Omega Mark-Lee's Severe snow Storm, roughly translated.
No time to take sno pics for you, too busy hugging the ice and snow with 4 wheel drive. May think about it after I relax, return to breathing normal again in a day or so. Hey Jeanette, think we are having a contest with the weather--Supposed to be down to -25 to -30 for the next few days. Wouldn't you guys think that is just too cold to snow. They say NOT. predicting another 8 or so inches. Only have about 5-6 rite now. OK, long winded Lee is signing off for now. :) :) :) Enjoy the Saga

Well I am back and now they say we are going to be in the 20s. That will freeze a lot of plants that normally do not freeze. It is still tomorrow night. I got freeze cloth a Lowes and asked to speak to the Manager. He came over and I asked him why he did not have the stakes to put the cloth in the ground right next to the freeze clothes. They were 10 rows away in the back of the store. He said, good question, did I want a job. And he went and got the stakes and did place them by the display of the freeze cloths. Could not put them on today because the wind was over 40mph. The cloths are green this year so they will not stand out like a sore thumb.

Went to Costco. It was a mad house.

I did make one last trip to Home Depot to see if they marked down the Plumeria. No way and they said they were going to wrap them in burlap. I told them you might want to look at the plants because they are already showing cold burn. So I guess I am not suppose to have this very large Plumeria. I am just about out of room in the garage so I guess I need to get a life.

Housekeeper is coming tomorrow so the house should be in good shape by the end of the day. This weekend I will decorate the back landscape so it can be seen by the little ones in the tot lot in the greenbelt area.

Just got off the phone with Todd in Spokane. Said they got a foot of snow and currently it was 14 degrees. He is a San Diego fan so he was very happy about last nights football game.

Evelyn, I love pumpkin pie. Actually, it is the only pie I like. Your snow looks cold.

Lee I am so sorry you had to go through all of that and not come home with Stormy.

JB, you have a warm heart. Three children that age would wear out anyone 30 years younger than you. God bless you.

Vern has an appointment with the pace maker mechanic tomorrow. I call him that because he is the one that checks the pace maker and adjusts it each week.

I will be back tomorrow. I still have not picked a bouquet of roses.

See you all tomorrow.

OK guys, the temp is down to 6 and it is only 6:30. Bob finally broke down and started a fire in the wood furnace. Wood heat is so warm and cozy, but oh so dirty.

Lee, I laughed and cried while reading your saga to Bob. So sorry you didn't get the little guy. Hell, he is going to be full grown by the time you get him. NO, just kidding. Anyway, you can call him Stormy while he is little and Storm when he is an adult. Or, what is it, Schneestrum.

But glad you got back safe and sound. Hope you find someone to go on the 30th. What a New Year you will have with him!!

JB, I'll bet you enjoyed that Quarter Pounder all the time the kids played in the play area.

Evelyn, good sale at Rite Aid. Isn't it nice that Steve makes the pies? So are you cooking the meal?

Don't know about your pine needles and oak leaves. They are both pretty acidic. Do you have some evergreens, Rhodies, or Azaleas? They all like acid.

Sharon, it all sounds good, do you grow an grind your own horseradish? How do you do it? I got several roots from my sister, besides ones to plant, these Bob ground up using a blender. And outside on the deck. But, I LOVE fresh horseradish. He ground up about a cup. They say it starts losing it's strength in about 3 months. But, it still has it's flavor. I tried to convince my sister and she gave me a taste of some that she said was 2 years old. Well, it had the horseradish flavor, but no zing to it at all.

We will use all of that horseradish he ground, before it is 3 months old. And it is beautiful. So white.

No Sharon, BC isn't coming to dinner but we both would welcome him with open arms. Just like all the Reps would now. LOL

Stay warm everybody. I love this wood heat. It is now 5 degrees outside.

Hilary is looking really good right now. I watched her on an interview the other night and you could just tell she was so happy she was not the President.

I bought the fresh horseradish at Whole Foods. My friend gave me a recipe that I had at her home with lamb chops. Was hot and delicious. I will make two. One not quite so hot for the wimps. I will use the Cuisinart.

My parents home was heated by a wood burning stove until daddy died. Then my brother switched mother to pellets. You are so right. A wood fire is so wonderfully warm and cozy. You need a splash of Brandy.

We crossposted Sharon.

What is freeze cloth? Now if it weren't plants you were protecting I would say you guys down there in LV are such wuses. LOL.

Since they know you want the Plumie they will let it die first before marking it down.

What was the San Diego game Todd liked last night? Basket ball? I liked their football team when Dan Fouts was QB. LOL, when my daughter was working at Maxie's in Seattle he came in and one of the waiters got his autograph for me. So funny.

The pace maker mechanic manipulates it with the computer right? Gee, maybe I will get my grandson to get into that area of computer stuff. But he likes the connecting of all the networks. Oh well.

Oh Sharon, I almost wrote a lot about her but decided we would not only bore the rest but probably get shut down.

I'll pass on the brandy. I have never had a pellet burner, are they as dirty as the wood furnace? Or do you know? Are they equally as warm as burning wood? Yes, I know the pellets are wood. Not the same a logs.

Monday night football. San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos.

You are right about Home Depot. They must have had over 100 Christmas Cactus, small, every color in the world, all for $3.99. The large were $6.00. Each pot was wrapped in Christmas colored foil with a ribbon around each pot. How does a grower make any money at that price?

Yes, people who live in the Southwest are wusses. Our blood is thinner so we get cold easier, you old thick blooded person. LOL.

I will get the freeze cloth out of the SUV tomorrow and give you the particulars. It protects the plants from freezing but not your type of freezing.

Well, it's 8:30 and 2 degrees. May not go much farther down. Bob just put a couple more logs in the furnace. Feels soooooo good. Now you know why I have to wash the walls before painting.

BTW, don't know if I told you I got a call from a guy the other lady told to contact me about painting. He wants to do it. Said he would be in this area around the first of Dec. (not sure what that means) But, when I told him about the wood burning and Bob smoking, he wants to use oil based Kilz, which has a really bad odor. I told him it was the wrong time of year for that 'cause the doors need to be open. He said if we leave for the day and come back at night he says it will not be bad. But, with 2 dogs and a cat, I don't think so. The cat will leave home with a smell like that in here. I don't think Bob is going to go for it either.

I wanted to just paint it with a good paint for now and then do that in the summer if the smoke bleeds thru. Then he would get 2 jobs. But he didn't like that double work I guess. Weird.

Jeanette, my babies never grow up :) They say the weather will break and warm up to 20's in a couple of days. Great, not enough to melt the snow. Still don't know what will happen on Tues, but will keep all informed. Just know I cant make myself go back on the roads if they even have just spots of ice or sno. I do have a DH that will make the trip by self if necessary, meanwhile, he will continue to try to talk me into going. NOT going to happen unless they are completely clear. I did so want to be the first person Storm saw after his long flight. Tell Bob I will dmail extra pics if he wants.
About the freezing--I have found that if it is a lite freeze you can spray water on the plants before the sun hits them and most times it will save the plant. Doesn't happen here with the deep freezes, but a frost freeze will work with the spray. You guys probably already know that, but had to refer to plants somehow. Wish the freeze cloth would work here. not at below zero temps tho. ttyal, Lee

This message was edited Nov 24, 2010 1:04 PM

Hey their you Western Wildcats, I am here and almost ready to call it a day. It is getting colder, thank you very much for sending it this way, and I have two heaters on in the GH as well as everything moved inside that is coming in.
Tomorrow I am going to just eat and relax and hopefully Friday I will feel creative and be able to finish some orders for cemetery cones prior to the real cold weather coming. The cold front is due in here tomorrow morning and north and west of us the rain will start as sleet. UGH. Then it will rain all the day and Friday be nice until noon and another front goes by and we are to get more rain. Can you believe the first day we are open for trees it is going to rain. That is what happened last year. Every weekend it did something. Business was a mess if you remember. LOL Oh well, at least we are all alive and well and we will just take whatever is given to us.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving you all and please do not overeat. Hear Me?????Love you. JB

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of you. Have a Great day!! It's OK to overeat once in a while don't you think????? Just a small Turkey breast for us this year, but with all the trimmings, it will be easy to eat too much. JB I tried to send you snow instead of rain, but somehow the dance didn't work right :)
Lee

Just checked in again. i was thinking about you Lee and believe me, I do not need snow. You all have had horrible weather and miserable driving experiences. You just keep it out there. Now I am going to close down for the night. JB

Oh crap!! I missed JB. She's in bed already. Man! What a wuss. You would think she is an old woman or something. I guess we missed the worst of the storm. My daughter's in-laws on the coast lost their power for 36 hours. I would be screaming. I thought mine was bad. What is bad is that we have a generator and it had no gas!! Then when he got gas the next day, it has a leak in the tank. Got some stuff to fix it. I sure hope it works. Suppose to be -7 tonight I guess. Weather man just said we are going to get 6 inches of snow tomorrow night.

But that wood furnace is so wonderful. In 10 days it will be warmed up to freezing. 32 degrees. These are not lows I am talking about.

So are you going to leave your h to drive alone? Have you asked around to see if there was anyone going that is going then? Is this a state highway you are driving on? The snow is so dry that it just blows off. So our highway is bare. Bob tried to clean off the deck and the snow just blows all over the place.

Hope you guys all have a wonderful day tomorrow. Eat all you want. I made a sweet potato casserole today, and cheese sauce for my brussel sprouts that I will cook tomorrow, and taking a ham to my sister's for dinner. Her daughter's family were suppose to be in at noon today, flying from California, 6 of them. She is fixing a turkey and the rest of the dinner, her 12 year old granddaughter is making a couple pies. Hope they didn't have any problems. With 4 kids I might be really p.o.d. if my plane were held up for people causing problems. Flying is bad enough if it all goes well.

It is a freeway--I94 --2 lanes each way. Wish it was just snow--but it covers the snow pack Ice undeneath so when blowing you can't see the ice. But when it doesn't blow it sits on top and packs down more. with the minus degree temps it doesn't go anywhere, just sits there waiting for ME. They have had almost 600 accidents since last Fri, just in the Billings area. 50 injuries, 2 dead. That is why I don't want to go on the stupid hiway. Anyway, Hope you all have a good family holiday. Kinda sad here, considering it is the first without Mom. Oh well, it will get better as time goes by. Later
Lee

Lee, don't dwell on it. Just think about that little dog waiting for you on the other end. By the 30th you will probably have rain. My daughter was telling me that theirs on the coast is turning to rain.

If it looks that bad can't you ask the breeder to hold it another week or two? Maybe if you just hold off a bit it will get better? There isn't an airport in a different area that might be better?

Relax and have a nice day tomorrow. Things will work out. Have a wonderful day tomorrow.

Lee, your mom is there and watching your every move.

I am with you on black ice. You do not see it until your car is doing circles. I hit it one time when I was in my early 20s coming back to Vegas from home. Scared me to death. I think I sat on the side of the road for many minutes just to stop shaking. Then I turned around and went back to my parents home. Stayed the night and left the next morning. Never told my parents what happened.

Got my plants covered and placed under each plant cover a 75 watt halogen light bulb. Puts out a bunch of heat. The product is called DuPont Frost Blanket Plant Protection. To be used for short freezing periods and not guaranteed.

My ficus tree was so beautiful this morning but I was to busy to take a photo. It is in the courtyard and in a protected corner so it has the house on two sides and the garage wall is across the sidewalk. It got water today so with luck on my side it will be OK. It only cost $25 but tripled in size over the summer. I think I spent about $40 to save it.

Housekeepers were here today and the house is shining. I have some laundry to do but all guestrooms have clean sheets and towels. The rooms are waiting until you guys get so cold you will think about heading to the SW.

Have a wonderful day. Enjoy your company only if it is just you and your spouse and your four legged animals.

Love you all and you are one of the things I am most thankful for. Love Sharon.