One solution for the skeeters is to
wear Avon Skin So Soft.
TEXAS: its a whole nother world, thankfully !
I tried Avon Skin So Soft one time and was nearly eaten alive. Mosquitoes LOVE that stuff on me.
Welcome to Texas, Carrie. I moved here from Michigan in 1980 and absolutely love it. I hate cold weather and even the H*ll On Earth summer we had last year wasn't enough to make me change my mind. You will get used to the heat and you will love the winters. And being able to work in the flowerbeds year round!!
Carla
The mosquitos around here just laugh at skin so soft and Deep Woods off only lasts a couple hours. I dont know which I hate the most, getting eaten alive or spraying some awful chemical on my skin that tans it into leather. Im outdoors a LOT and I find that just about dusk they are the worst so I plan around that time period if possible.
Many varieties of roses bloom all yeat tound, including Novemver
December January and February
Hey, Carrielamont!
Don't know if you remember me from the Coleus threads of 2007, when I first joined DG!
Welcome, welcome, welcome!
One good thing about becoming a Texan is that you'll be able to save on gas and electricity for cooking. We can scramble eggs on the sidewalk here in the summer. Which, BTW, lasts from around April to October.
Also, you can forget that "Winter-Spring-Summer-Fall" thing. Here, we go from Fall to an overnight chill, to about 1 week of pure heaven, then straight to H - - L. Truly makes you wanna walk the "straight and narrow..."
Only thing I like better about Houston weather vs. my native Louisiana weather is it's less humid here. You only need to wring out your clothes once in awhile...oh, and there aren't any nutria rats...ok...
Holler!
Carrie, AC is not an option here as you have probably guessed. Your house must have it, your car must have it and where you work must have it. It is expensive too. Ask to see the electric bill for a house before you take it. Good insulation in a house is the key to a lower electric bill. Look in the attic and see how many inches of insulation is there, ask about insulation in the walls. On the bright side, heating bills are quite low especially if you heat with natural gas vs electricity. Generally speaking gas appliances are less expensive to run than electric ones. Choose a house with gas appliances if you have the option.
Dallas doesnt have the humidity Houston does, even in dry summers- the ac tonnage is higher per sq ft in Houston because of the humidity- But Texas doesnt pay for the electric nor gas bills like the neast corner, we dont make the pay either, so it evens out. The roads unfortunately are being turned into toll roads instead of freeways-but I doubt there's very many Texans that know what pikes are- or Twnships either, chuckle. Yup to the mosquitoes, dunks in standing water, always empty uncovered standing water, and they dont like breezes nor sun, and we have little native fishes named mosquito fish, and citronella bushes, and none of em last on our hungry skeeters. If you go to Houston, beware of the Nile virus those beasties carry if the season shows up. There are supposed to be certain colors that attract mosquitoes- as well as the salt and sugar we eat drawing them, oh, well. Enjoy your stay, gtg back to work.
What a complicated place to live. Here you get up in the morning, go about your business, go out to eat at your favorite restaurant, dining on the patio, then maybe home to sit out on the deck for the rest of the evening. Farmers raise soybeans here, so no mosquitoes.
Wring out your clothes, wow!
Come on now... you've heard about tall Texas tales. LOL But it is definitely not boring.
Hey! I don't have any roses that bloom in December or January? Are you all holding out on me?
C
Mosquitoes usually prefer my daughter--I'll just make sure she's upwind of me. I'm worried though, because every time I've been to Texas so far, I have packed for heat, and have been freezing in the AC. Even in the hotels, I can't seem to get things adjusted right so that I'm comfortable. I'm either hot, sweaty, and sleepless, or cold, icy, and sleepless. I really hope that once we are in our own bed in our own house with our own food I will sleep better. Otherwise, I won't play!
Once or even twice or three times a year I write an article for DG about being cold, gardening in the cold, rainy, short season in New England, not taking my lung underwear off, or some topic related to being cold. I'm hoping that this move will provide me with a fresh batch of things to write about! But I'm worried I may have packed my down parka too soon. Every time (so far) that I've come to visit, it has rained and/or I've been cowering in the frozen front aseat of someone's car. (Brrrrr.)
I hate to admit it, but a lot of people around here don't know how to drive in the snow and ice either. Especially kids or new drivers. People who have never driven standard transmission. People who weren't listening during driver's ed. And we make panic trips to the grocery store too. But it all will be a learning curve!
My husband will have to work 365 days a year as his job counts as an emergency utility transportation type of thing, but I am happy to stay home. I read a l-o-n-g trhead on the Tomato Gardening forum today and I am psyched....can't dig in the yard.
We have lots of mosquitoes here too, that "no standing water" isn't just Texas. Remind me to check on the screen door! The house is brick with AC, electric stove, hmmm I can't remember what kind of heat, as long as they have internet so I can log on to DG.
just remember if "God had intended for TEXANS to ski he would have made B____ ___T white "
If the stove is electric,, prolly
the heat, water heater and
everything is also electric.
One must have is a BBQ pit,
so you can sit outside on the patio
and enjoy yourselves, we do that
all tear round
You are probably right, right about that. I have an old crappy charcoal kettle but not worth bringing--but if we pack EVERYTHING we will just end up with a bunch of junk out there.
Meant to tell you yeaterday- all that little stuff
they said they cant load - just put it into
boxes and seal em up.
But dont bother with things that arent really
inportant. There is wonderful shopping.
magnificent estate sales and garage sales and
excellent antique shopes and antique malls in
this aea.
We have gas heat and water, but electric stove. Helps save on the electric bill.
Stephanie, whatever the house has, it has. We already signed the lease, so I guess we'll take what we get.
Baja, yeah, I was thinking of that idea. They're supposed to do the packing, but if some of it is already packed, what can they do, unpack and then repack it?
nope, if its boxed and fits the space, its sent. You will have central air, it dries out the air indoors. some folx add a cool mist vaporizer and it helps warm up indoor air, i always have my fan goin no matter the temps, and IF you are lucky enough, you will find that keeping temps to a certain range will help your tolerances of outdoor heat an cold, - better than just yankin the t'stat aroun-which is why my fan is where i am.
Carrie, its important to remember that when the plant tag says "full sun", it may not mean Texas sun. North Richland Hills is a nice area and they have a great public water park. There are a lot of great things to do in the Metroplex. There are some outstanidng art museums in both Ft. Worth and Dallas. But you have to try to visit the Hill Country in the spring and see the bluebonnets. Its like nothing you've ever seen. And if you really want to experience Texas, head west on I-20 on a Friday night in the fall and check out a high school football game. Out west we take our high school football real serious, mainly 'cause we don't have anything else to do.;)
Rampbrat, yes, I sort of deduced that, because in BOSTON full sun isn't FULL SUN, I mean I can sun burn a plant here by putting it in the sun too soon, or I myself can get a sunburn with this piddling sun here, so your sun in Texas is real SUN. I'm thinking High Country Gardens has plants you guys can grow--I always lust after their catalogs but my eastern climate is too soggy.
Last time ww flew into Austin it had just rained...late March I think....and the BLUEBONNETS WERE BLOOMING! I had heard of them, I have even written about thm and I have seen pictures but never seen them in person! OH!!! No wonder! My DIL had a picture on facebook -- she lives in DFW and is not a gardener but she does like parks and hiking and she posted a glorious picture.
I have ordered from them at least 5 times Carrie, with mixed results. Some plants have been nice but a lot have been quite small without well developed roots.
C
Newtonsthird--you're Cheryl, right? Anyway, yeah, sometimes the stuff from there is super wonderful (until it doesn't make it through mud season, or ice season), sometimes I just look and don't order, and sometimes I am very impressed. Once or twice I was Very Impressed until the plant didn't make it through mud season. ^_^ After that happened enough times, I just stopped ordering, since I am way too wet for their plants anyway.
Newton's Third Law is what, exactly? That's not one of the Laws of Thermodynamics (heat travels from a hotter body to a colder body), is it?
One of the laws of motion, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You won't have to worry about a wet season here...
I've had better luck with Santa Rosa Gardens, but of course there are a lot of great nurseries in the Metroplex. Some of the things that do well in the desert southwest, don't like east Texas humidity.
Ah, yes, the equal and opposite RE-action law.
Oh, right, Santa Ana emails me all the time.
Welcome Carrie. I'm another transplant (from the Chicago area). When DH came home and said we needed to move our business and to pick somewhere I said I wanted to move at least two planting zones above where I was in Chicago. I e-mailed him a copy of the USDA zone map and he started to work. NE Texas is where we landed and I love it. Hope you do too!
Hah! That's a great story! I am sick of hearing myself complain about the winter all year. I don't mind the heat, at least from this perspective I don't. (Still under my down comforter in Boston, that is.)
It's all hypothetical so far, but moving day has been set, we've signed a lease, DH has signed a contract, grand-kids want him to move in there but but I'm pretty sure his son and our daughter-in-law would not be so thrilled with the idea!
I'm bound and determined to love it for at least two years (the old college try we've all heard of). After that I may admit to be a little overwhelmed by the heat, but not before, lol.
By the time you go thru 2 winters, you will see
hrat yje heat is worth it !
I am praying for a mild summer with rain
... and smiling cuz we sleep with comforters
year round and a/c on ! smile
Makes for wonderful sound, deep sleep !
and whie noise of ceiling fan abd a/c is
like a lullaby.
In early am we turn off the a/c and waje
to birdsong.
It does sound lovely. I hate sleeping in a hotel! (I'm home right now, ie back in Boston, packing. Hubby is in DFW working already.
Carrie, I dont know what part of Texas you are coming to but .... bring your Hostas! Just bring the bare roots! :) I will tell you what to do with them when you get here. lol
Hopefully you are coming to North Texas. ;)
Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
Sylvia
If you don't bring your hostas....Sylvia will sell you some! :-))
I would have to keep them in pots! (for two years, then give them back)
What do you mean Carrie?
Sheila, not true! I give away more Hostas locally than I sell wholesale. I tried retail, it dont work for me. I just sent Chuck in Plano and Shawna in KY two big bags. I ordered 100 bare roots for the Dallas Catholic Diocese, now if I can get over there to plant them. :)
Oh, I thought you were still selling them.
Carrie...do you mean you will only stay in TX two years??
The current tentative plan is to stay in DFW until DH retires. He will be eligible in 2.5 years. So we have to stay at least that long. We will probably stay as long as we love it, but AT LEAST 2.5 years, no matter how we feel! I truly hope we love it, I do, moving is too stressful! And as he keeps pointing out, he may have a blast and love it. The last time he was in Texas he was 18 y o and in the USAF and loved it (away from home for the first time, out of NY for the first time)! We love to travel.
Hopinh you love it gere ...
Many advantages to retiring here,
many. many people do it !
There are only two places in the world
I eiah to live in: Texas or Mexico.
Both have beaches, mountains, tropics,
birds, butterflies, and plants.
Me too, Baja! I do not wish to move twice, and I would like nothing more than to move there and love it to death! I like Mexico too, btw.
Anytime you need a guide or translator,
just holler !
Si, senora.