Time to share some color in my Florida garden!

Oh, yes...Happy Aniversary!!! I was so enthralled with the scenery I fogot to say it....my bad!

Me too! Hope you & Hank had a great day!

Hi Jen! The mansion was built in Venetian Gothic design, patterned after the Italian baroque architecture they liked in their European travels. It isn't my cup of tea, but the use of colorful marble was. I'm with you, Celeste - I loved the terrace and will take our lunch there to eat next time.

Hi Pat! I'm so happy the photos brought you some warmth and cheer! At the moment it's actually misting and quite cool. I finished planting one of the patio gardens this morning, and we put up some lights around our palm trees in the front, but a surprise rain came while we were all napping. I am not a napper, but I have a sore throat and Hank convinced me to join him and the girls for a nap, and I really slept for quite awhile. When I woke up, everything was wet out there!

Marilyn - that must have been pretty disappointing to visit the Ringling grounds in the pouring rain! I can just picture you out there under your umbrella checking out the rose garden. :) That would be me too! The dog wasn't a mastiff; it was quite large and very furry, light blonde fur somewhat like huge golden retriever. He was very friendly and gentle with the annoying girls who were both jumping at him at once. They love big dogs and just can't get enough of them. She told us the breed and it had "Italian" in it. It's one I've never heard of.

Thank you, Bill and Celeste! We both enjoyed it very much and now are happily into our 23rd year. :)

I'll try to get some fresh shots tomorrow.

Thanks, Marilyn! Hope you are having a spunky, sunny day!!

one of these Louise?
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/spinone.htm

Thanks for the blooms Louise.

Beautiful, Louise! So nice to see color.

Thanks, Jen, for posting the link...my next guess was going to be spinone....my son & DIL wanted one, but there was a waiting list, so they got a wirehaired pointing griffon. who looks exactly like the brown one in the photo! And yes, Louise, it was a disappointment for the garden tour, but DH & our friends were happy to roam around the museum...

It could be that breed, Jen, but it looked most like the dog on the right in the link photo. The other two with the bloodhound faces didn't look like it. He was a really nice dog. It was his 5th birthday and he was out for a birthday walk.

JoAnn - you are so welcome! If it weren't FRIGID out there right now and really windy, I'd try to take a few more photos. I will have to cover my impatiens and coleus tonight, along with my newly sprouted Jade beans. I don't ever recall such cold temps this early in the season! Hank just went out all bundled up to take the girls for a walk along the River. I have a sore throat, so I'm staying home to do Victor's hydrogen peroxide remedy. It really works for me.

Hi Victor! Nice to have you visit!! Thanks!!

Hi Marilyn! I was interested to see that you are aware of the Spinone. That's a breed worth considering if the one we met is any evidence of a great, calm temperament and a beautiful coat.

Hope you feel better fast, Louise! I'm still not 100% and it's been a week....have to babysit tomorrow, will probably get reinfected. As for the spinone, yes, they have a wonderful temperament...but so does Garret's Ollie...they were actually bred from the spinones.

Is the griffon considered an Italian breed? I saw one on Westminster and thought it was very cool.

Merv??

Yeah, that would be a cool name for one! lol

Well Louise you shouldnt of snuck back up here, as now I have a sore throat. I dont remember the last time I had a cold. Please tell me I am not getting sick!

Think positive thoughts, Sherrie. No, Louise, the WHPG was actually a Dutch breed.

You're not getting sick, Sherrie

You are staying well!

Got it. Jims got it. Yesterday I put some papers away and totally lost a folder of income tax & banking information. I have searched this house and it has disappeared. I never left the office or the kitchen.

My head is so big maybe its stuffed in there. This is crazy.

edit - found it in the bathroom that we dont use. I remember setting it down and saying "what have I got this in here for"?

This message was edited Dec 8, 2010 8:25 AM

Know the feeling well!

Trust me I will live.

Sold a set of dishes on ebay today so now me head feels better. Was not
penny/dime/dollar stuff. Going to be a pain to package it. I will wait for Jim.

Nice set!

Very pretty, Sherrie....did you collect it over a period of years?

Very nice Sherrie, hope you made some $ on that!

I dont collect. I do auctions and if something comes up reasonable I "think" I can sell, I buy. I bought that set in September for $55. I sold it on ebay for $450. With all the fees and free shipping I will pocket around 275 - 300.

If after a certian time limit and I cant sell it on ebay, I send it back to local auction.

Would LOVE to do this type 3 times a week but on this I got lucky.

Wow...that's great, Sherrie. You have an eye for the nice stuff!

That's a lovely set, Sherrie. Do you know the maker and pattern? I think it sold for a good price given how many pieces there are. Good for you! Wheeeee! When we were selling antiques and collectibles in a group shop in Keene, I would get so excited to see that something really good had sold.

Glad you found the tax folder! I just did a very similar thing and was feeling that adrenalin panic until I found what I did with it. I'm usually very organized about those things, and I was having a fit until I found it.

It's cold and rainy here today, if it's any consolation to y'all up there! We had to turn on the heat after we tried to go out and eat our lunch on the front porch. Bailey was shivering, so that was that! lol

My nursery person here got me a tray of osteospermums that I couldn't find anywhere. They are the white ones with the dark blue centers that I planted (and loved) last year. I got six large plants for $3.99 each in a tray......yahoo!! Here's a shot of them from last year...

Thanks for the wonderful tour Louise! Everything looks so bright and colorful. Hope you're feeling better...Marilyn and Sherrie too...Looking at all your gardens has put me in a shopping mood. And I'm not talking Christmas shopping;)

Oh, cool, Weeze! I just got my Bluestone Perennials catalog, and I'm looking forward to ordering some NH perennials. There are so many new pretty cultivars out there. There aren't many for zone 10 in most of my catalogs, however.

Yes, I am feeling better, thank you. I took it easy today since it was raining and cold.

Here's yesterday's shot of the area I'm working on up next to the back of the house...not finished, but a start....

more distant shot from the back of the puppy yard..

nice to see the pulled back shot... do you ever get any humming birds Louise?

Thanks, Weeze...still not feeling 100%, but doing better. Louise, the garden & yard look great! I love the osteospermum, too.....also saw some lavender delospermum in Bluestone that I will order.

Those are one of my favorites too!

Oh, very pretty, Pixie!

I am giving up trying to grow them from seed... always too leggy for me

:(

will just have to buy them

Yes, Allison - we've actually had more hummers this year than ever before. They are really big ones. They love all of our red flowers, especially the bottle brush blooms, and they've been buzzing around that garden you can see with the red salvia in it. One year we put up a hummer feeder, but never had any. I may try again.

Celeste - that's a really pretty shot of the osteo's I like.

oooh, Marilyn - I'm going to open up my Bluestone catalog and look for the lavender delospermum. I already have lots of pages turned down in it. Have you seen the Red Cauli sedum? I like that and the Venice hydrangea and Purple Pillow hardy geranium, among others....I'm just getting started!

We put our tree up today and Hank put his annual parade of toy soldiers on the mantel. You can barely see them, but they are there! It's looking pretty Christmasy here with the tree and the dining table set with my Christmas china. and the lighted palms out front. Wheeee - we just found out that my stepdaughter is coming down to see us for a weekend in January. She'll be in Orlando on business and will rent a car to come see our world for the first time. I'm very excited! Then, Hank's brother is coming in March! Early Christmas presents!!

that is cool Louise.. the first thing I thought of with all that red

The house looks wonderful, all decorated, Louise! Great news about the company coming, something to look forward to.....

Thank you, Marilyn. :)

YIPPEE! YIPPEE! DonnieB says the day gain with her luvly FL gardens ablooming in the time of the cold and the dark! LUV seeing the roses and the osteos. Me too onewish about growing osteos from seed. Mine don't get leggy and look luvly for a bit but then look like crap when it gets hotter. They have been eternally stroked off my seed list. hmpf.

Welcome, welcome, welcome, Dear DahliaNut!! So happy to share my prettiful blooms with you! I will be certain to capture the osteo's when they are plump and bursting with blooms, especially since you've had to stroke them forever!

Here's a little River scene from our walk this morning......Have you ever seen so many coots in all your life? This is one big raft of coots visiting from your whereabouts........