She's about to... 65... Spring will be here soon!!!

Those are so pretty! Love the colors!

Fruity that garden is beautiful. What are the bigger spots of purple. I would like some seeds. I have one columbine and it has reseeded it is the purple color, if I remember right.

Debra those are beautiful pics.

Off work, out to play!

Hey all - Yes, Froot - I dug to a depth a well-heeled woman should never see. Yellow hard packed clay with gravel in there. I gave up on the spade and came home for a weeder (long metal stick) and my favorite skinny trowel.

Got to a point where my beat up hand/wrist was protesting, the sun was at an angle already behind the house across the street, and folks were coming home from work. I didn't want to hurry because there were only a handful of small feeder roots. I cut it off with by-pass pruners where the root was a little less than the size of a dime.

At least 3 hours of digging. Took me less than 5 minutes to dig the hole in my yard (thank God the soil was so beautiful where I chose to put it) and backfilled it with a bag of soil conditioner to boot.

My hands, particularly my right (injured) hand was a little numb this morning and swollen probably. I took some aspirin and massaged it a bit. Feels a lot better. Best to make it look horrible - my workers' comp mediation is tomorrow and I'll have this giant balloon hand to show them that I'm "all better" and okay to go back to work. Hmmmm >:/

It's such a pretty little thing. I can't help but think it must be really old. There were only 4 or 5 little stems coming out of that root - skinny stems. I guess you get the idea. In other words, if this were a miniature rose I purchased at retail now it would hardly have any roots in about a 4"-5" pot. I'm going on and on thinking out loud I guess. I have been Dmailing Carole for advice and she thinks I may have done a good job. People on the street - a neighbor across the street came to offer advice - she said she moved other rose bushes from the house next door to this one and she dug a little down and "yanked" until it came out. Of course they're gorgeous and huge in her yard. I've a feeling the plant was more substantial than this forlorn thing. Another neighbor - Billy's momma - is mad at me - because she was approaching the night before when I was just inspecting initially - she was walking her 3 giant dogs which she can't control and I didn't want to talk to her and have to explain while her dogs danced on my head. I asked her - okay I barked at her - to go away - keep walking - please just go! Yesterday while she was walking the dogs she just walked right past and didn't respond when I called to her. O well.

I've a right to be crabby once in a while don't I?! Can't wear the polite happy face ALL the time.

Going to take it VERY easy today. Somebody remind me to pick up my dry cleaning so I can look all well-heeled when I go sit at the grown-ups table.

A.

happ, if you're talking about the wave of ground color near the front of the bed, that's NOID Ajuga. Spreads by runners and I started with a handful of plants 3 years ago. It's hardy to at least Zone 3. You or anyone else here is to welcome to try a chunk.

Good luck tomorrow, Manda. Make sure you wear your big girl panties too...lol

Yep that is the one. Beautiful, since those are hostas I am guessing they are in shade?

LOL, Mandy you are a jewel of a mess. Don't change!
hello all, weather here is cool and very windy. Have lots of Angel Trumpets taking a beating from the wind. Iris are opening so pretty, just wish more would open at a single time. Would love to have a picture of "The Iris" instead of always having a picture of a single Iris. I think my entire plantings do that on purpose to frustrate me. I have so many Angels and plan to advertise in the paper to sell them when I can be home on a Saturday.
Ray is doing so good. I am so blessed to have him, lol now he is waiting on me and I'm eating it up. I had Sinus & Eye Surgery Monday, doing good but I do know what yucky feels and looks like.
Mandy, my heart wants to come to your plant swap and if I can keep Ray well, I'm looking forward to being there. Don't know what if any plants I'll bring, but I saw where someone wanted a Brug. (Angel Trumpet) I'll bring a white, pink and yellow for her. Have company, have to go.

Oh Faye, I hope you can come too. That's such great news Ray is continuing to improve.

happ, that side garden faces North. It's shaded by our utility building in the morning and is in pretty much full sun the rest of the day. That's the strangest NOID Hosta and have already noticed scapes. Starts out variegated, blooms early, gets a little raggy looking in the Summer when I shear it back nearly to the ground. The second flush of leaves are solid green and it reblooms through the Fall. Weirdly wonderful.

Faye, so glad to see you posting good news about array! Hope your feeling better soon, after your surgery. Sinus surgery does not sound fun at all?

Glad to hear about Ray. Sinus surgery sounds horrible....hurts to think about it.
That is a strange hosta!

Thanks, Fruity.. I think I already entered it..
anyway, love columbines, I had to dig most of my special ones up when we knocked down the south brick wall wing, but the others out front and back are doing well, a native weird red one and some purples. My cool ones have not bloomed yet.. it got up to 95 today, so prolly a lot will not bloom for long if it stays this hot. *sigh*
My EE's are fried and they started out in shade, Isabella out front is budded she is in shade last half of day.
Joyce my Gunneras all have bloom stalks, do yours?
took Paula out to applebys tonight and i had the perfect margarita, so if I type funny that is why..

got a bid for a fix on the basement.. 14k for just a 25 yr warranty no water fix, no excavating needed, and a bid for new paint all over with 25 yr paint caulking and all that, and tearing down the house eating 60 yr old blooming english ivy on north wall all for 4200. * sigh* Joe is still sticking his head in the sand when I talk about repairs here..

the other bids I have had were 28 k, and 15k sheese!

So glad to hear Ray is doing better, I hope your sinus surgery works for you, Faye!

Debra I have not taken my monster plant out yet we had heavy frost on sunday morning
So i am waiting until sometime in may we are going back to the 40s later this week

Geez, Debra, that's a lot of moolah either way you go. We have so much to do and finish inside and out of our old house. We did get the porch columns, rails and spindles installed on the front porch....finsihed that job on the 13th. Next project, among many, is picking out shutters so our house doesn't look like a block of yellow butter.

It's way past my 11 o'clock bedtime and will see everybody tomorrow.

Those columbines are beautiful. I have yellow ones that have bloomed beautifully. I am going to have a bunch of seeds soon. I would be happy to trade seeds. I would love to have some different colors. I am hoping to get some started at my mothers house this year so she will have some to bloom in a couple of years.

fruity i need columbine's so any seeds will be welcome .

We are moving in the next couple of days and my landlord informed us last night that he is turning off our power this morning, I have been packing and running like crazy the last few days. I never had someone get so mad because we wanted to move!!! It is just unbelievable!! So this may be my last post for a while.

I am working with Charter to get the cable run to my new place and will keep Linda and or Fruity up to date by phone.

Now for the really bad news!! The address we have is still not being acknowledged by the post office. So I will be going to the E911 office next Tuesday to get that fixed. I might have to get everything sent to my daughters house and Goober will take care of what ever I get until I can go get it,,, Or I can ask Ralph if things can be sent to his Domino's Store in Alexander City. I need to remember to ask him today. I will call LK or Fruity today and let them know for sure.


Huggs to all And I will miss you so much...

Elfie

Home repairs can be brutal to say the least...ugh! That is a major chunk of change Debra.

We need to get our outside porches (concrete) mudjacked back up to level, one of them has slipped probably 2 inches so it makes for a nice place to trip if you don't know they are there. Stupid thing is we waited probably 5 years before we poured the concrete, you would of thought the ground would of settled by then. We also need to get some windows replaced, always something.

Wish I could figure out where my camera is....I am starting to get worried....if I have laid it down outside I will be horrified, but hope if I did I find it before DH does since it was a present from him.....I thought maybe it was here at work but not here...geehz.

Elfie let us know an addr when you get one. We had that problem when we first built because it was in the middle of a bean field...rofl litterly...

Another beautiful day but I am back at work....hope everyone enjoys it, including my DH...

Well he has not turned off the power yet. I threatened to sue him if he did. My rent is paid till the first and if he shuts it off it is going to be ugly here. I am soooo mad right now!!. I have added a temp addy in the address exchange. You can send mail to me there till I can get it fixed.

Our land has not been lived on since 2008 and there is no record of the address anywhere for some reason,,sigh. Just one more thing to get fixed.

I have run out of boxes, am waiting for Mike to bring me the car so I can go to the post office, and then go find boxes!!

Mike is to stay here and guard my stuff I have heard this guy will ste4al anything he can get his hands on,, In 55 years I have never met such an awful person. We were told last night that he is really mad to be losing the $900.00 per month he gets out of us.. Oh well,, I will be done with him soon,, Thank Goodness. Now if I can just control my temper!!

Kris, go to a liquor store, they usually have lots of nice strong boxes! Either that, or go to the post office, they have free boxes!

happ Wouldn't it be nice if they would or could put a adaptor on the cameras & TV Remotes :) as they do to find a lost Phone's or cars so we can just call them & Locate them :) hehe Now watch someone invent them & Get rich ☺

well i went for my blood work this morning & his 5 sales between there & HOME My Car was Loaded I Bought Loads of Pots & A Girls Bike for Little ZOEY , Material for my SIL, Plants & Movies CD's for Me , & Spent a total of $15. of my BINGO Money .

so now i have to go wash up my pots & grab me some lunch & Get my plants potted up . chat later

sort of quoting

Well so far I still have power!! HE is very careful right now not to come anywhere near me..lol I walked out side while loading Mikes truck and he turned around and went the other way.. guess an very mad Elf is no one to mess with.. I am sooo up for a drink.....

Ralph just got home took the rest of the day off to get us out of here.. I figure 4 more hours and I will be gone...............

Here ya go Kris, help your self!

well here is my Haul after I got them washed up :) & Zoey's New $5.00 bike I Have to get her some training wheels so off to town after super :)
oh I'm haven fun planting in them already :))) My Sedum POT For i have No HERBS For It :)
Don't ya love the Kangaroo Salt & Pepper I got for 10 cents , & i love my platter its a "round the clock bermuda rose By Cannonsburg pottery , will be much prettier when i get done with it :) well off to start super you all have a great eve will be back later .

dang dj you hit pay dirt, congrats on all of that.

Will save Columbine seeds for you, Tammie and Susie. Anybody else interested?

Don't cha just love sales like that, Susie? Somebody in the neighborhood left a brand new Earth Box next to one of our dumpsters and I scarfed it up to make a small Herb garden. It always amazes me what people throw away or are willing to sell for pennies on the dollar. Last Monday, hubby bought a bush hog on Craig's List for $200, worth at least $500 'as is'. It's in good shape with hardly any rust, and it cuts like a charm. With his welding and sheet-working abilities, it'll look good as new when he's finished with it. He just finished my Dad's old one with the whole housing rusted out, so this one will be an extra for him to make a few bucks off of.

You know what I think of your so-called landlord, Elfie, and the stunts he's pulled on you and Ralphie in the short time you've lived there are beyond belief. I'm so happy you're out or will be soon.

Columbine seeds:
Tammie
Susie
Joyce

This message was edited May 17, 2012 7:24 PM

I can't imagine the frustrations of trying to move out and deal with all the 'drama' on the side. Hope you finally got it all done without any problems.

I was able to get my first yellow columbine seeds today. Only three of the pods were ready. There will be many more in the coming week or two but I look every day and was surprised to see those already brown and opening. I wish I had thought to take a picture when they were in full bloom. There are only a few blooms on the plants now. It is really getting hot now. Yesterday it was 103 and was supposed to be as hot today but we were lucky and had some clouds so it only got to 94. Still no rain. My front yard is almost completely dead. I water the amount allowed but one day per week is not enough.

Tammie, I'll save as many seeds as I can of different colors for you to plant either at your house or your Mom's. Watering restrictions like that have to be the pits and wish I could send you some of our April showers. Our last stretch was all last week-end and Monday, and it rained again today with more expected overnight. With such high temps you already there, how do you tolerate Summer?

Last month I added a Columbine 'Origami Mix'. It's been a battle between my cats digging it up and me replanting it. I always add a little Bone Meal in the soil when I plant anything new. Don't have a clue why they've zoned in on this particular plant and have left all the other new ones alone I've received in swaps or trades.

I would love some columbine seeds of yellow, tammy. I just spent the evening with my 30 almost 31 yr old daughter, we got her a clothes rack and put it together, she is very happy and a new set of curtains she moved across the hall to a new apartment and it is smaller but she gets to start an ew..
wish we could just haul everything out and pour in the sand but can't do that, all the plumbing and heating and electrical is down there in the basement. went to tropicmans place today for his garage sale, he and patti are moving to texas to their new house. Rose realy liked their birds and ponds and fish and his white BOP finally bloomed after 18 years.. it is beautiful. he is taking his favorite tropicals with him all his tropical parrots and cocatiels and macaws, and poor patti is not doing real well, I guess that is dedication he loves her so much.

Glad u are getting things done, Elfie, wish I could send you boxes we have tons of them at the honda store even with handles.
Wish it would cool off here..

I wrote this in an email to a friend might as well share with you all:

*****************
Mmmm. The mediation sucked. I got pissed off right away and told the mediator when she came into the room to be "devil's advocate" that she and my lawyer could go ahead and argue about it, that I was leaving the room because "this is just going to piss me off." They both shut up and looked stunned as I got up and left the room.

When I came back to the room I told her I wasn't interested in sitting there all day to "dick around about a $1,200 case." They made it move pretty quickly after that. I was out of there by 12:15 p.m. Thing started a little after 10 a.m. Settled for less than I'd hoped, but it's done. I can pay my school balance off from last semester and make a few car payments if I don't blow it on booze.

I came home, exhausted to find that Court had locked me out of the house. I couldn't find my keys before I left so I took my spare car keys. Didn't lock the door but found it locked when I got home. Sat at the neighbor's house for couple of hours. Came home and took a giant nap. That shIZA sucks the life out of me. Glad I got out, but being back in the middle of it brings it back "right quick" as they say in the south.

Haven't spent much time in the yard this week. Rain, law crap. I will be glad when the weekend gets here.

************************

That's about all folks. I am a mess, Faye, but I get right to the point, don't you know. Hate lawyers. HATE 'EM!!! :P

A.

Edited to take out or modify my crabby lawyer curse words. Sorry! :/

This message was edited Apr 26, 2012 11:12 PM

tis ok with me miss mandy, cussin is useful when dealin with the system bull jabs..

Tropicman had a million tropical plants, he is going to have to have one big sale...wowzer. Is he selling on line?
Glad he is getting to go somewhere zones warmer so he can play with his plants. He is a gem and such a dedicated husband. I know you are going to miss him. It was an amazing piece of tropics in the middle of Kansas. I will never forget getting to see it. How cool is it that his bop bloomed for him, that is too cool.

In our old house we had problems with a creek that apparently ran underground somewhere, DH took the top off the floor drain and drilled holes in the side of the pipe and water would come in the pipe from the ground and go down the drain instead coming in the house. I lived there about 3 months and came home to the sound of rushing water and almost had a heart attack, I ran to the basement thinking the hose to the washer had bursted, I looked all around and couldn't find any water but could hear that sound, I call DH at work and told him what was going on, that is when he told me it was coming from the floor drain. I bent over and omg. Water takes the path of least resistance and it worked like a charm for us. Then I guy I worked with had the same problem with water in his basement for years and he did it and it worked for him. The only problem we would have is sometimes the drill holes would clog up so DH would periodically just stick a wire in the hole to open it back up, put the top back on the floor drain and all was well. I am not saying it would work for you but did for at least two of us and didn't cost anything.

Fruity I don't know how good I am with seeds but if you have a few yellow seeds left I wouldn't mind trying some.

You were lucky with the water flow! Wow! That could have bee a big mess!

Debra, you still planning your Texas trip? What are the dates?

The Yellow one, I believe is a native, happ, produces seeds like crazy and readily self sows in only mulch. Toss the seeds where you want them to grow and don't worry about covering them unless it's very lightly.

What an ordeal, Manda. Meetings and appointments like that leave me drained too. It's nothing to compare with your mediation hearing and the long road you've been on finally coming to a settlement, but when hubby has a dr appt, it's a two hour round-trip drive on top of the wait time, and I'm not worth a toot the rest of the day.

Neighbors and passers-by today must have thought, "There's that crazy gardening woman again digging and planting", except this time they might have been right.....because it was raining! And I was determined to get Cannas in the ground no matter what. One minute I was sweating and took off my jacket, and the next minute I had cold chills and had to put it back on. That bed is gonna be quite a show, at least in my mind's eye. Hubby teases me all the time that all I do is plant and dig for others. Sorta true except the laundry and dishes are done and the house is picked up, which all seem to be a never-ending chore, and we eat pretty good even if it is my cooking.

I have been out in the rain too! Hubby thinks I am nuts!

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THIS PLANT IS I THOUGHT IT WAS JOE PYE BUT NOT SURE NOW
HAPP I THINK YOU SENT THIS TO ME ???

Thanks Froot. I feel better now. Will feel better when the bills are paid and I have my VW back in my drive from PA. :)

I don't know what it is,,but is sure is pretty!

I guessed on the monthly plant swap thread it's Penstemon "Red Husker's" and another person growing it as well concurred. Ha! Finally guessed one right.....for a change.

Pic taken today.

hi ya all, getting ready for more rain and thunder dunders, hope ya all okay.
I love that pentamon, I grow it too. finally got to work outin the yard all day today, it felt good, I just wanted to hug the world.
LK. sis and I are not coming to Texas until later this summer, we only have five days to book it to florida this trip, and 4 days for texas next trip.

we were going to go to texas first and mosey to florida, but she is afraid we won't get back to work in time. we both look forward to the upcoming trip and the later trip this sumer. right now I have to get the GS and the Niece graduated ceramony attended to, and then there is Paulas Birthday, Roses Birthday and Mothers day all in same ten days in May. On MOnday the 14th I am going to Chevys grad ceramomy then on Friday I am leaving work at noon and zooming down to arkansas for Alex's graduation, and then on sunday chevys party.

getting another bid on painting house and basement this week.Can't wait. tired of dragging out the sand bags and big cushions for the water damm.

the hole drilling sounds good, but the water comes in from clear on the other side of the house than where the drain is. it all wants to run to that drain tho, so thought hmmm, make a little cement thing like a curb or something. Joe thinks I am nutz. If I could just build an inside pond, with stones and a water fall and fish and all, then I would chanel the water to come into that. Again he thinks I am just to full of imagination.
Working extra early for a few weeks, Sitting in for the Director of First Impressions, ( Dianne) she is having a really large mass taken out of her, it is the size of a healthy baby and is over 30 centimeters so here is a prayer for her that it is benign. She is a single mom and is 55.

Of to bed. love ya all. Oh, Mandy, got the white asters dug up, will get them sent to you as asap.

That's sweet Debra - I have been thinking of you all day as I transplanted my four o'clocks into Max's memory garden as well as 2 daisy fleabane I grew from your seed last year.

I see 2 or 3 of your moonflower seeds sprouting where I planted them, and I have the white hyacinth bean vine getting ready to sow tomorrow.

Loveyou sweet thing. I think Joe is right - you have too much imagination, but that's why I love you so. :D

Sweet dreams.
A.