Thanks, Nadine! I have to find out the information so I can write the article....and I've been assigned to do new diascia varieties first! I'm in a not good place with my editor right now so when she says write I have to write.
I did go take some pictures for you guys -- I think they're on the "joy" thread.
So here's my practical matter: the exercise physiologist at the Y hooked me up to electrodes today and shocked my glutes and tibia into firing, and I biked for like 20-30 min!!!! At first it felt like mosquito bites, then like wasp stings, then like a really hard massage. Strange but not painful. I wouldn't have been able to tolerate the wasp sting stage for long but it was over in seconds.
#11-Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners
I think that's good, isn't it? I don't want to cheer if it wasn't. kb
It was exciting and interesting....I don't know if I'll be able to maintain a 3x a week schedule. But with MS, you never know how something is going to feel. It could have set off spasms, or stayed at the wasp sting stage for 20 min. That would have been awful. So I'm cautiously optimistic.
In that case I'm happy for you and hope things continue to go well. kb
:) Thanks.
Carrie!! That is GREAT! [big hug] :-D
I think thats great too.Another hug.
Carrie, inspired me to spend some time on the recumbent bike. It was getting dusty from lack of use. :-)Jim
hmm...recumbant bike huh.....can you do it in your sleep?
wonderful news, Carry. I pray that it continues to be tolerable for you.
The question is, can I make it over there two-three times a week? Thank you all for your support and cheers, and go, Jim, go!
Go, Carrie! PJ probably WISHES he could exercise in his sleep. :-)
Ah-h-h, yes!!! Another victory in the plant ID arena. (Okay, so it doesn’t take much to get us unjaded, newbie gardeners excited. lol.) I finally IDed a plant that has been blooming in PJ’s porch rail planter as Chinese forget-me-nots as (Cynoglossum amabile). I’m harvesting the seeds from them. They will make a great underplanting for the lilies in the CanDo Garden. I want to sow some real forget-me-nots there too. They will bloom along with the daffies and iris next spring. Well, that’s the plan anyway. Real forget-me-nots are marginal here. ~N~
Sounds like a good week was had by all.
This photo is what has been sitting across the street from my office since Monday. Crews are putting in a huge storm drain.
Since it has just been *sitting* there unattended since Monday...welllll... :-D
Second load with smaller chunks coming next week. Will make a good border for the new small bed and I won't have to go to all the box stores in a 15 mile radius looking for clearance pavers.
...AND we can use them to help build the Green Amber project.
:)
Green Amber project?????
My Green Amber Gardens project, Vickie.
www.greenambergardens.com
It is to remember people who were dedicated to service, of all kinds, and don't have any immediate family (spouse and/or kids) to do that after they die. The idea is that you send in a person's story, or chose a person from the site to do something garden-related in their memory, or both. My side yard along the drive way is going to be cleared and several tiered planters/raised beds built so I can personally add more plants, trees, and yard art as I run across more people I want to remember. Problem is getting anyone to find the site and send me stories! Maybe you can help me out, there. Would you look at it and let me know what you think?:-)
Great score, Debra. Making concrete pavers is time consuming and exhausting. I’ll have to stay on the lookout for opportunities like that.
Nadine mowed the Fragrance Garden and it didn't even rain. She must be losing her touch or is exhausted from all the “It’s your day to mow” rainmaking she’s done in the last month. We haven't been able to mow for a while because the grass never had a chance to get dry. The place is getting that abandoned, gone back to the wild look. Now, with a whole two days without rain we are struggling to catch up. Hopefully, that means other parts of the country will start getting their share of liquid sunshine. .
Jim is still recovering. Staying in bed most of the time. I’ve never been able to do that. My GC’s and I play a Wii game, the object of which is to see how long you can stay perfectly still. I never do well with that one. That’s okay. 3 of the 5 seem to have inherited my nervous energy so it is a challenge for them too.
I may regret it, but I’m moving some irises. I’ve heard you can actually kill irises, but you couldn't prove it by me. :-) Slowly getting plants that aren’t fragrant out of the front walkway border. None of these irises are fragrant to my knowledge.
Wish me luck. I’m about to do battle with some aggressive wasps that have taken over one of my wooden planters. No one has been stung yet, but only because no one has challenged their claim to the planter. We've been backing away when they've flown at us. I decided on a sneaky, midnight raid to eliminate the problem before someone is stung. . It's guerilla warfare. Let’s see. First, I need to don some of Nadi’s bee gear. Tiptoe out to the planter without rousing the nasty buggies. Braille on the planters side until I find the opening into their nest. Still without waking them, I hope. Insert the nozzle of an insect fogger into said opening. Pull the trigger. Then, find out how fast - an old, blind lady can run. Nah, on second thought, this sounds like a “Honey, darling, sweetheart, will you…” kind of thing. Like taking out the garbage and cleaning up the gruesome deeds committed by the dogs and cats. We can discover the top speed that can be achieved with a manual w/c. Well, I'll push.
Do you have any Parrot tulips, Debra? They are one of the few tulip varieties that will grow in the south. Looking at what I might send you in exchange for the DLs. One day I’ll get all the stuff around here on my trade list and in my DG journal. Seriously! We’re going to do it one day. We really are. Honest. :-) k*
I surely would and for myself too.What a wondeful idea. How do i find it? Duh!!!! I found it. What a wonderful idea. I just love it and I already have a candidate. My mother-in-law. I ve wanted to do something like that for her and this would be perfect. And she would be remembered forever for the person she was.
Thank you Debra.
Kay, We posted at the same time.What you doing up this time of night? I used to have parrot tulips but i think they all died out.Guess it's about time to buy and plant spring bulbs. Will hyacinths grow down there? Also iris?
My hostas are hanging in there and i have'nt watered them but will have to if it does'nt rain in the next few days.Also need to water my fig tree. Afraid the figs are drying up without getting ripe.
It's amazing whats hanging on in this hot dry weather.
Committing mass murder...if all went well. :-)
I can manage a morning lark schedule if I must, but naturally I'm a night owl. No work tomorrow and I'm not attending church services. (My hearing aids are in for repair and I'm not going to sit in the pews for hours just trying to appear like I know what is going on. lol.) My night owl tendicies are exerting themselves.
Love hyaciths and they grow here. Will have to put those on my "want" list. A friend gave Amargia her iris collection when she went into a nursing home. I'm still trying to organize them. None of them were labeled and many haven't bloomed yet because I keep moving them from place to place. If all goes well, this will be their last move and I'll finally know what colors we have.
What are YOU doing awake in the wolf hours? k*
I love nighttime. When the girls got out of school. It was so nice to sleep in and stay up nights.That all changes in winter when there is so much dark.
Kay, I adore Parrot Tulips and do not have a single one. :-)
I used to be a night owl. Not so much anymore. Tonight--or this morning, if you will--is oddball. Worried about work and my sister and the heat and the dogs and on and on. Too hot to get out and do much. Would take an extra Ativan, but the prescription won't be refilled until Thursday and I have just enough to get to then. :-)
are parrot tulips the orange or red ones with yellow fringes at the petal tips. I've seen them once and was amazed at their beauty. I thought all tulips had to have a cold winter period, though in order to get a bloom.
I've never gotten any cause I thought surely this Carolina heat would do them in
Yes, Sheri, that is a good description of a parrot tulip. They've usually got a little blotch of green on the bloom that really does make you think of parrots.Jim thought they were cool looking and ordered more than we really need. Amargia is primarily dedicated to edibles. My mother loved tulips and was very disappointed when she moved here in the late 50’s to find none of her tulips would grow here. I believe parrot tulip and one or two species tulips are all that can survive without the chill hours. Most southern tulip lovers console themselves with irises. Those bloom about the same time and thrive here with little care.
Vickie, is your fig tree in a container? Nadine was supposed to be finding a source for a good container cucumber called 'Arkansas Little League'. She fell through one of those trap doors in the web and ended up reading online Arkansas newspaper stories all morning. :-) The hidden snares of the web.
Debra, when Nadi’s brain gets stuck in worry mode, I make her sing Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry. Be Happy!” three times back-to-back. Do you know all the words? lol. {hug} k*
I know some of the words, and I do have his Paper Music recordings with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra where he vocalizes some of the instrumental parts. Really cool.
That particular song might not work for anyone but me. lol. My Da told me I walked around singing that song when I was a toddler. It is the first song I remember. Singing any silly, upbeat music works for me.
When MK goes into obsessive worry mode, I pullout whatever “worry book” I’ve squirreled away for just such an eventuality. For Mama Kay, a worry book is a book that’s funny, but also has enough serious content to engage the logic part of her brain. When I come across a book that has the right qualities, I see if it is available as an audio book or if it is available as a computer download. The last time MK’s eldest DD did something that threw her mother for a loop, I pulled out Empress of Mars by Kage Baker. That distracted and cheered her enough to break the cycle. You can count on her DD#1 to necessitate the need for a “worry book” fairly often so I keep my eyes open for the right kind of book.
On the other hand, it is slapstick comedy movies that switch off the perpetual worry machine in PJ’s mind. The campier, the better. I guess laughter is a good medicine for lots of ills. ~N~
yep! I second that emotion! Laugh on!!
It's so funny that Kay is telling us about Nadine and Nadine is telling us about Kay, or should I say informing on?
Yeah, they rat on each other all the time, and they both rat on me so I might as well tell on myself. I made a manly sandwich for lunch with plenty of jalapeno peppers. I discovered halfway through I had underestimated how hot the peppers were. I exchanged one of my sandwich triangles for one of Kay’s. She used sweet banana peppers on hers. She makes two sandwiches for herself, but Tater-dog usually ends up eating the second one. How could I have known this would be the day she went for a third triangle and it would happen to be the one I exchanged. I’m innocent of any premeditated mischief. I solemnly swear. Besides, all the milk she is drinking to rid herself of the burn has got to be good for her bones. Right?
She says she is still going to help me clear out all the overgrown summer stuff in my porch garden to make room for fall plants, except for the jellybean tomatoes. The vines are running everywhere, but they look healthy and are still producing fruit. I want to keep those going as long as possible. Most tomatoes stop producing in high summer. These guys have small fruit, but nothing seems to stop them. High heat. Extreme humidity. Shade. They just keep on truckin’. (Jim
Kay, I just know you have something in mind for Mr. Solemnly Swear, right?
I ate all of his ripe jellybeans and half of the little pear shaped tomatoes too. :-) I needed the vitamin C to balance out all the calcium. Right? k*
Right!
Girls, You simply have to quit picking on that sweet Jim.I know he always is cheerful and hardworking. Never complaining.Granting your every wishes.Working his fingers to the bone to make your lives a little better.
My sleeping pill might be taking affect.
:-D
Wow, I couldn't eat anything that hot. Although, my body is behaving like somebody else's these days. I was able to sleep w/out long underwear for the first time in 25 years the other day!!!!
I like jalapenos and spicy food. I just want to know it's coming! :-D
I loved jalapenos when I was younger. I think my taste buds have become more timid over the years.
Those must be good sleeping pills, Vickie, evidently they take you to la-la land even before you doze off. :-) Nadine tells me all of AR is still under a heat advisory. She reads an online AR newspaper. One of the results of her wild internet goose chase looking for the container cuke variety 'Arkansas Little LEAF. Oooops, my blunder. I would have sworn the man said 'Little League'.
How hot is it in your part of the world, Carrie?
Jim has changed his mind about eating maypop fruit. I admit they do taste better this year. They've thrived in all the rain. I need to put up a higher strand for them to climb on tomorrow. k*
Somebody told me it was 100 and something the other day....let's just say hot. Let's just say it would have been a much better year for tomatoes than the year I actually tried to grow them. I was all set, too, but my supplier in NC had a back injury and crop failure (the two should be related) and I won't buy tomato plants from Home Depot.
Most of what I bought as plugs are doing beautifully! I think 128 is too many for me! By the time I get the last ones planted it will be frost. On the other hand, the things I bought 6 of -- tarragon, rosemary, basil, petunias, etc. --- I was able to plant out right away and now they're huge. The other problem is the stuff from Mitch didn't arrive until June 13, which is really about 3 weeks too late for lobelia to have a season, esp.when they start out that dinky. I knew it was going to come then, I just didn't realize how much of the summer I would be missing. I should have taken him up on his first offer and gotten ornamental kale instead of coleus, or maybe portulaca. My argument against the portulaca is that I can row it myself but did I? NO!
I've refrained for two weeks. Been watching and holding back and not spending the grocery money. Until today. [grin]
Mostly Late Season bloomers:
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Springfield Clan (early bloomer, but been hankering after it and found it almost 50% less than anywhere else)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/301732/
Sings the Blues (branching out from my purple and red tracks. late blooming and has some fragrance, too)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/234504/
Nosferatu (where would Dracula and Bela Lugosi be without this one for company?)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/167117/
Bonanza (seller is sending four fans of this one for $10 including shipping. yea!)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/20335/
Witches Laugh (four fans of this one, too :-)
http://cgi.ebay.com/DAYLILY-WITCHS-LAUGH-2-FANS-BUY-2-FANS-GET-2-FREE-/170666971006
Lady Bear Bryant (only white one i will have)
http://www.dancingdaylily.com/items/LADY_BEAR_BRYANT/
Dragon's Orb (had to add $5 somewhere to meet the minimum order. this one looked interesting)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/8941/
Frilly Bliss (a little like Magic of Oz)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/58845/
Voodoo Dancer
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/85519/
Rocky Horror (okay, so i'm doing the time warp again, but it just looks so coooool!)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/75685/
Cleo ($6 for three fans of this one)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/19633/