She's about to... 66... Spring is here!!!

Morning Faye, hope you have a good report from the Dr.!

Faye, hope everything turns out fine.

I took a picture of the top of my new pergola. It needs to be washed in spots because there was mud on the lumber I should of washed before we put it up but I didn't. Now it will be harder..rofl.

Elfie so glad you are back. I would miss everyone soooo much and we did miss you alot. How is the house coming along? How exciting on the dahlias. I love them but they have to be dug up every winter here, which I am usually good about doing, but I have trouble storing them all winter, but that is probably just me. Most plants have to survive in spite of me.... ;(

Here is the top of the pergola, course bottom is just 4 post over to the left side of the pic is the garden room. I offset the pergola so the building wouldn't block all the south breeze in the summer.

Took pics of the chicks and ducks and the taj macoop but the camera is doa....dead batteries, kind of like I feel. I need a nap!

***edited to say *** I apparently need more than a nap because I didn't remember posting a pic of it already....good grief.
Sorry everyone, you know you can't edit the picture out?

This message was edited Jun 8, 2012 2:28 PM

That looks really nice! Lots of hard work!

Thank you Linda Kay, I have surely lost it, not sure what it was, but I am sure it is gone....what a dork posting twice. Did I say I was excited about the pergola...rofl.

Will it have a roof over it, or will it stay open? I can see some pretty hanging baskets hanging from it!

It will stay open, I am going to weave some shade cloth until the vines get big enough to shade. I got an old brass chandaleir (I am sure I didn't spell that right) but I am going to put solar lights in it in the center. I think that will be funny. I saw it somewhere, it won't cast alot of light but be fun.

That will be nice!

Fun,, I like fun.
Feel like I live in Tx. we are in a real drought. I haven't mowed in weeks and the weeds are dying....course like you know the plants aren't doing too great either tho.

Do you know anything about trumphet lilies? Mine have taken over, I know I am suppose to wait until fall to move them, but I am digging them up and putting them in pots. Do you think they will make it?

Does anyone know what this plant is? 2nd picture is close up of the buds.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'll let you know when the results come in. happ, hope you enjoy your pergola as much as we do ours over the patio. I am not growing anything to cover it because I want the filtered light for potted plants. I have a chandelier over my patio table. I took the wiring out and added candles and also wrapped clear miniature lights around it and now I have a choice of electric or candle light. I'll look for the picture, know it's here somewhere.

This may show the chandelier better.
LK, love your headboard ( T to T ) and what you're going to do with it.

I have it painted, and hubby says he likes the idea of a bench, rather than a bed. So it is going to be a bench. I just need to get the lumber, get it cut and painted!
Here it is the day I found it. I will post pictures as I go!

Darn. Faye, I know I wrote a post wishing you well but it's not showing up. I may have had one of those CRS moments myself and failed to hit send. Sure do wish I was sitting under either one of your Pergolas, Ladies. I so want one over our back deck that faces SE and would love to grow Morning Glories, Moonflowers, and Hyacinth Bean vines on it instead of having seeds scattered in the baskets and planted here and there.

Very nice find, LK. I have a similar one with the posts, arches and keyhole, and a foot board that my Mother's best friend gave me when she sold her home and went into a nursing home in the mid-1990's. Still have the bed set up in our small guest bedroom along with the matching dresser and chest-of-drawers that belonged to her daughter and were purchased new in the 1950's. Are you planning to paint or seal your headboard to help keep the joinery from falling apart over time?

I have painted it ivory, and I am going to make it into a bench. I might try to find some stencils and paint butterflies or vines on it? I will post pictures as it gets done.
Anyone have stencils?

LK, Have you thought about using a crackle finish over the Ivory paint, or the whole design when you're finished? That would be so pretty and would give you a modern antique look...if that makes sense. See if you like the Vines stencil in the link below. It's the only one I have and used it years ago on a step stool. You're welcome to it and think adding butterflies or a sprinkling of flowers would both be easy.

http://www.atomicmall.com/view.php?id=1226589

Faye I love your pergola that is beautiful. I can see the chandelier. Love the idea of string lights. Don't know if I will have power or not but kind of hope so. Fruity I planted a hyacinth bean plant on the pergola but it hasn't taken off yet.
LK That bench is going to be so cool. I bought an old metal bed made into a bench a thousand years ago. I didn't have any imagination about making one.

So good to hear from you. We missed you and hope you had a great time.

I have missed u all too! here is me and sherry at a gator ride place in new orleans
and the gators

her first ever vacation... we spent a DAY in new orleans .. oh, and she brought her false boobs, but I told her if she didn't want to wear them, not too.. after all, I wanted her to be comfy..
she oooohhhh'd and awwww'd all the whole time we were gone
last pic is of us in vicksburg, having lunch at a place called Rowdys..

This message was edited Jun 10, 2012 12:40 AM

Debra, so glad to see you posting, you must have been exhausted driving 18 hours. Wow! Glad you two had a nice vacation.
What do you mean prepping for the C thing?
Love those pictures. I don't think I would like to get that close to those gators!

Fruity, I would love to have that stencil. Let me know what you want and I can get payment out to you. Thanks so much.

So glad you all had a good time. First vacation...wow, sure glad you got to enjoy it with her.
18 hours driving wowzer.
Glad you are back.

thanks, it was a long drive back, but we had a car full of plants and a bucket of beach sand and water and crabs in their little funny shells, she was like a 5 yr old on the beach in florida..
the toast was in biloxi we had a large toddy each.. and then back to the beach

ya know, we only had a few moments of sisterly spats, mostly when one of us said go left..
LOL
once we finally got PCB, we met KayJones, and FlordaHeat.
we stayed a couple nights at KayJones place in PCB, it was so paradise like. Sister had more fun chasing lizards, tropical frogs and critters than she did with the plants..
had to stick that creole lady bloom of hers in there, it was so pretty, now I have to find one..
the C thing... Colonoscope or however it is spelled.. start drinking the crud here in a bit. so won't be going anywhere too much today..

This message was edited Jun 10, 2012 11:12 AM

Been there, done that drinking that horrid stuff! Good luck. They are not fun at all!

How fun to take a trip with your sis and to meet dg'ers. Everything looks beautiful....wowzer.
I want to go on a road trip!

What a wonderful trip with your sis and getting to hang out with other DG Friends, Debra! My kind of fun and can hardly wait for our June 30th Round-Up. Hope you wiggled your toes in the sand for me.

Nothing, LK. Consider it a Birthday present that's going to be a tad late. Glad you can use it. It's literally been hanging around, in the closet, for years.

Don't remember which thread it was that I mentioned being on a mission to find 1/2 a whiskey barrel. Well I finally did at one of the farmer's supply stores, of all places and close to home. Yesterday I found a hardy Hibiscus and some pinky-red clumps of grass and filled in with Creeping Jenny I already had along with Black Mondo Grass gifted at Manda's Round-Up last month. Here's the barrel sitting on our well cap. Hoping those soon-to-be big Red blooms will attract more hummers.

oh that is a beautiful barell.. you know we get ours at ATwoods right around the corner from here, about every 5 years we have to replace them as they get stuffed out. I keep one for prennials, one for what ever is my fancy, and one for things I need to pull out in fall. not fun breaking them down, but it is nice to start out with a clean slate when I do.
Love that hibiscus, where did u find one that size?

One of my local nurseries had about 6 of the same one lined up, $18.95 each. The name is 'Midnight Marvel' and is supposed to have 8-9" red blooms. Should be wowsers! Hardy Zones 4-9.
We could work it out if you, or anyone else, would like one.

This is the link to the website on the tag for more info: http://www.perennialresource.com/encyclopedia/view/?plant=2216

Fruity, that is so pretty! Thanks for the stencil!

Phew !

A lot happening here today - welcome back Debra - I love your pictures - looked like so much fun. :)

Froot - WOW I love that hibiscus' foliage. Gorgeous . ...

And LK - I looked at the picture of the plant you posted for ID up there and was going to say Lunaria/money plant. But not sure about the buds. It'll be a nice surprise!

Goodnight ladies. O wait - it's morning. My usual wake up post love-seat nap.

xox
A.

I found out that the plant impost up away's is a morning glory tree. They come in white pink and lavender, so we will have to wait and see what color I have.
Do any of you have one? Did you by chance send me a cutting?
Someone sent me a bunch of brug cuttings last year, and it was with them, and I thought it was Brenda from a Facebook plant exchange group, but she says she does not have any to send. So I don't remember who sent it.

Love the barrel with the hibiscus, it is already pretty with those dark leaves, but it will be a wowzer when it blooms! They bloom later which is great.

LK that is me trying to remember who I got what from. LOL I am not the best at names anyway, never have been and I have tried all those things to try and remember.

Change in plans on the pergola. I was going to put my huge potting bench back there on it, but pergola is so darn pretty I just can't bring myself to trash it up. Is that stupid? The whole purpose of the pergola was shade for the potting bench.

I did get the furnace grate installed in one of the benches. Below the furnance grate I will sit a container to catch the soil the falls thru and it will have a lid. Now I am starting on the bench that will hold the 2 ton cast iron sink, rofl heavens it is horrible heavy. Hope the potting benches come out 1/2 as nice as my mines eye sees them. Once everything is built I will paint them the same color as the house and everything else.

Finally RAIN, it was suppose to start at 11pm last night, but started at 4am and was pouring, but I am happy.

This message was edited Jun 11, 2012 7:10 AM

Hi Debra, welcome back. From the pictures looks like you had a great vacation.
Susan I love your barrel and the Hibiscus. I have a Red Hibiscus but the leaves are so much smaller than yours. Save cutting please.
happ, did you yourself build the pergola? And are you yourself going to build the benches? Sure wish I had some of your knowhow.
I have never heard of a Morning Glory Tree but sure am interested.
Hugs!

Hey Faye, how are you and Ray doing? Hope you both got good Dr. reports?

Thanks LK. Ray hurts bad all the time and I'm so..so. Really don't know how that is but I do know I have to stay well to take care of my honey.

Sorry to hear about Ray, and yes you have to take care of yourself and that is a hard thing to do sometimes.

Actually DH helped me with the pergola, not sure why, he will help when I need it but he usually leaves me to do my thing. I asked for help to get the big boards up and with two of us that was a struggle but I figured I would do all the others, but all I did alone was cut the curves in the ends. The pergola was really simple to build, kind of like Lincoln Logs...rofl.

The potting benches I am building myself, I love working with wood, concrete, anything like that almost as much as flowers. I have been collecting pictures of potting benches so hopefully I end up with something I want and works in the end. Heck you can do it, no one was born with the knowledge to do much more than eat...rofl, and we learn the rest. I have bought several how to build books and magazines, and even from the pictures of the other benches you can figure out how they are built. The hardest obstacle for me was if I messed up, how much money it will cost...rofl, but I have found I still can make it a whole lot cheaper than I can hire it done and if I mess up a board I am still way ahead in the money department and whining to get DH to do it coast WAY too much...rofl.

This message was edited Jun 11, 2012 1:34 PM

Joyce, you amaze me. I wish I could do what you do.
Prayers still for Ray and You Faye.
I have a mg ( I carnea) tree. In Florida they were everywhere, and got some bloom pics, mine is prolly going to bloom soon. I bring it in every year and do cuttings, they are easy to root. will take a pic of mine when it blooms..
stictocardia bloom
hairy balls milkweed
plumeria
princess flower


Test was okay today, they cauterized some anolmoly vein and arterie thing they found.. All is good now.

Glad to hear you have good results! I have never heard of a hairy balls milkweed! Does it draw in the butterflies?