Apropos of Nothing v.21

Soooooooo excited for Andrew's adventures. Glad to hear everything seems to be going well. Awesome memories he is making.

Catching up a bit here - I had tried to follow Charlize's progress via those caring pages, but my server kept blocking the updates no matter what. Steve, this is the best news ever.

Melissa, wow! I had no idea what was going on with your son . . . he's quite incredible and I do know how much you are missing him. My kids are your age (or older) and I'm still missing them. Fortunately they're awfully good to me.

MURMUR, it's soooo good to see you. How have you been? I am coming to the PNW this summer. Possibly getting together at Sharon's place the Saturday after July 4. Would love to see you and anyone else able to come.. Are your Master Gardener classes finished? Did I remember that correctly?

Jan, how exciting is that???!!! I sure as heck hope I can make it - at this point, I see no reason why I won't be able to. How long will you be in the PNW? I can't remember - do you have family/friends here?

The MG classes are indeed done - I'm not as active as I had planned on being, but sometimes that just happens, I guess.

Please be sure to look at our inviation I jsut posted on this forum:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1170095/

apropos of nothing, my friend is looking for recommendations for an evergreen vine that grows fairly quickly and will grow well in large planters (very large). She had star jasmine that had survived for many years, but it bit the dust this winter. I thought of evergreen clematis, but does anyone have other suggestions?

I recommend Silver Lace Vine

Appropos of nothing, I just orderred some Asian vegetables and greens from Tainong Seeds, if anyone wants to trade or send postage via PayPal.

Taiwan Bok Choy 8-12" 35 days
Green Petiole Ching Chang (O.P.) 6"-7" 40-45 days
Red Amaranth 30-40 days
Dark Green Gailan (O.P.) "Chinese Kale" 50-55 days Good heat tolerance.
Japanese Komatsuna ("Spinach Mustard" or "Mustard Gaichoy")
"Oriental Spinach" HYBRID (ID?) Strong against Mosaic and Downy mildew. Heat tolerant.

- - -

These blurbs are form the vendor, Tainong Seeds, I don't know how accurate they are.
I'm sure #2 and #3 are OP.
#5 is hybrid.
Not sure about 1, 4 and 7, but most of his offerings said "F1 Hybrid".

1. Taiwan Bok Choy
Large, oval, light green leaves with flat, white petioles. Matures in ~35 days after sowing. Harvest 8 ~ 12 inches tall. Very tender, delicious. Often used in soups


2. Special Green Petiole Ching Chang (O.P. variety) 6"-7"
Special Green Petiole is tolerant to high heat. Medium dark green leaves and big, bright green body. Matures in approx. 40~45 days.


3. Dark Green Gailan (O.P.) "Chinese Kale" 50-55 days
Top selling, high yielding O.P. variety. Smooth, dark green leaves with long, thick stems. Excellent uniformity in size and shape. Good tolerance to heat. Very strong against disease. For Spring, Summer, and Fall.



4. Spinach Mustard (Japanese Komatsuna) ? "Mustard Gaichoy & Misc. vegetables" 30 days
Japanese Komatsuna. Very nutritious! High in Calcium and many other vitamins. Very easy to grow. Deep green leaves with tender stems. All season variety tolerant to heat and cold. High tolerance to common diseases.


5.
"Oriental Spinach". Large upright plant with long tender stems. Big, slightly pointed leaves. Dark green color. Strong against Mosaic and Downy mildew. Heat tolerant variety. hybrid


6.
Red Amaranth 30-40 days.
Large, pointed round leaves with red purple center. Grows rapidly and high yielding.
Hot season crop. Growth is best on well drained, light-sandy, and fertile soil.

Corey

Thanks, lettuceman, I'll let her know.

WOOHOO!!! Just got the call Grandybaby #8 was born at 7:35 Texas time. So excited for them. It's their first!

Congratulations, Jan!!

Good news indeed Jan. Congratulations!

Oh a new baby! Congratulations Jan, and also to the new parents. What a nice spring happening!

Definitely. New life - that's what spring is all about.

Congrats to you and your extended family. At my husband's youngest brother's wedding, a photo was taken of all the kids (7, less 2 who have passed) and then one of all the siblings + spouses + children + grandchildren. Amazing how that number exploded! I think there were ~40 in that shot.

It is amazing how families explode!

Looking outside at my oldest son who is mowing our lawn. DH is so thankful that he flew all the way from OR to do that. heehee. It is good to have him here for a few days as we celebrate mom's life and death tomorrow. Have a lot to do today to get ready.

Thoughts are with you Jan.

Thank you. It was a wonderful time of family and sharing. My son had the most beautiful eulogy. Everyone wanted a copy. It was very fitting. He had the Beatitudes read and Proverbs 31:10- the Proverbs woman. He said these epitomized my mom. Lots of healing tears shed.

It sounds like it was a very good service and a wonderful remembrance of your mother. I'm so glad.

The passion of your mother is carried on with your joy of her life. She has left a legacy of love that is now being shared with your new GS. How wonderful. You are fortunate to have had her!

Thanks, GHG. Very fortunate indeed, Sofer.

I am truly thankful for all the wonderful friends I have made here on DG. It is a blessing for sure.

I cleaned up my pot ghetto. DH is happy as it was very visible. Amazed how it opened up an area. Now, I need to clean the pots themselves. I dumped all the dirt into the compost area. There were 3 wheelbarrows full. I'll wait til two grandkidlings go home.

Also, I was motivated by DH starting to put up the kitchen cabinets that we had stored in a neighbor's garage. DH started making them 2 summers ago. Perfection takes a long time. They look nice. He still needs to plumb the island and run electric to it.

That's exciting, to have the prospect of new cabinets! It's going to make a big difference in the look of your kitchen and in how you use it, I'll bet.

Best way to get a divorce = Remodel kitchen.

Or build a house.

We've managed all of those, but another real challenge to a marriage is to try paddle a canoe or kayak together. That really points up any deficits in communication skills!

LOL, GHG. I can't keep up with him in that department. 100 mile trips in 4-5 days. No way. I want to paddle and rest and look at the shoreline and any plants or animals along the way.

I figure I have stood alongside for almost 38 years that any problems can be worked out. He got some upper cabinets put in with the help of DS who lives around the corner. However, there is a gap about a FOOT wide between the last cabinet and the wall. Not what I pictured or drew in my idea picture. I know that I don't draw well, but I really tried to explain my vision. Apparently I failed. He doesn't think it looks tacky, BUT, when you have an idea in your head for YEARS and it doesn't look like your image then it is a BIG deal for me. :( He will be cutting a piece to fit there that won't do anything. But it will fill in the space and then I can do my idea below it. :))))
It's really not a big deal, but when we try to sell in the future, I know the woman would notice this H U G E gap right away and it would be a deal breaker. I don't think I'm asking too much. heehee

Turned into a beautiful day!!!

You're not asking too much at all! I know your DH does fine woodwork, so I'm suprised that HE is satisfied with a big gap like that. Sounds like he didn't measure twice and cut once, huh?

I did some transplanting of chard, a bunch of weeding with a hoe, and mulched the two Fortex bean rows. Then I weeded the raspberries and pulled the salt hay up to cover the bare earth around the stalks. It's nice out but cool. I put my peppers and tomatoes back into the greenhouse and DH will turn the heat on and close it up when he's finished trying to fix the tractor.

Jan, that gap sounds like the perfect place for a platter or baking sheet cupboard. I have a couple of those I don't know how I would do without! Or storage for extra oven racks, etc. Or portable breadboards........................

One-foot-wide shelves? Spice racks? Hanging knife racks? Broom storage?

I went out today to plant some Asian vegetable seeds. First the soil needed to be turned and raked, then another bed needed to be weeded with a hoe, then turned and raked. That one needs compost badly.

Since i'm in the middle of a cold, my SO convinced me that taking it easy and stopping before getting anything sowed was better.

I'm also trying to decide if it's warm enough to plant out zinnia & Cosmo & snapdragon seedlings that I started inside. Maybe under plastic cloches, since they haven't been hardened off yet. (I'm trying to decide whether I need to "pot up" some 72-cells before putting them outside.) Almost certainly, I should harden them for a few days in the 6-packs before putting them into soil. We still had nights that went down to 38 or 40 last week.

Corey

Spent the day yesterday weeding. Actually, it took a very long time because when I was working in the front yard neighbors kept stopping by for a chat. Everyone was out enjoying the dry weather. Maybe I will be able to finish today and be able to move to the back garden.

LOL, GHG, he actually did measure twice and cut once. He planned it that way. He just didn't see 'my' vision of that space. It will be modified so it will blend in with 'my' vision. He really does do great work.

Good ideas everyone.

We've had some pretty chilly nights also. Hope you feel better, today, Rick.

So nice that neighbors stop to chat when you're out front, Portland. Maybe you could point them to an area they could help weed and then you all could enjoy the front porch. That sounds like a plan to me.

I'm trying to train my dog to hunt snails and slugs.

How about a wall sconce to light up that corner?

The plan or 'my' vision was to have a built-in reading nook. There are lights already planned for underneath the cabinet. These are high cabinets - up to the ceiling. Above frig height - to the ceiling.

That's hard to picture! Photos or sketches, please?

Sorry, no pics. Just picture a daybed situated under a bank of wall-mounted cabinets that reach from just above frig height to the ceiling. The daybed is against the side and back wall. Now picture the bank of cabinets with a foot-wide gap by the side wall above the bed. Aesthitically it isn't pleasing to me. So, either a fake cabinet front or a trailing plant would work to fill in that gap. There is a big window on the side wall there that overlooks one garden, so I plan to spend a lot of time in that reading nook area. I have an old mirror that will fit in that area above the nook to reflect the light from the window.

A lot of mixed emotions today. Glad for closure, but saddened by the rejoicing. This isn't the place for political items, but just sharing my feelings.
Proverbs 24:17

I think the rejoicing is very natural, Jan, although it's sad to be happy that anyone is dead. I know what you mean.

"I've never wished a man dead, but have read many an obituary with pleasure." Mark Twain.

Thanks, Jan. Yes, feeling better today.

Sunday was also warm, dry and sunny (!)

So I wnet back out and got 7 kinds of Asian veegetables sown and covered with screened sandy soil and a little fine bark mulch. Today, Moday, the sky cooperated by sending a light rian my way.

I got plenty tired and was all ready to go in and sit down, when the DSO came home from spending a coupon on some Pansies from Lowes. They were VERY root-bound, so I got them into the ground, and now they are bein g gently rained upon.

Something about the sun and soil seems to be good for a cold, despite getting tired, sweaty and chilled.

Or maybe it was the thrill of FINALLY seeing a few very tiny Penstemon seedlings emerge from some WS pots in tubs after I gave up all hope!

Corey

Ditto for all of the coments. This is the first "kill" I have enjoyed. How does that compute with my heart being "like Christ", mixed emotions last night and today. Don't know about heaven and hell but how to get there. Hope I can understand the heart of Bin Laden.