Jan, congrats on the grandbaby. Can't get that image of wizard of oz witch peddling away on the bike. I am chuckling at the great visual of you making the mad dash. Wow, ten grandkids - what fun family gatherings you must have. On my mother's side, I am one of 19 grandkids. Some of my fondest memories are the family gatherings that we had at my grandparent's huge old home in Pittsburgh. I still keep in touch with most of them thru Facebook, where they all post pictures of the 28 kids from the next generation.
I wanted to pass along that Wal-mart has some amaryllis bulb kits in a Susan G. Komen collection. There were about 7 or 8 different varieties - more than the standards usually seen at the box stores at Christmast time. I picked up 'Amigo', 'Pink Diamond', and 'Princess'. Price is $7.97, and includes a white pot, soil, bulb, and spanish moss. Also, 50 cents from each package sold is donated to the cause.
Your Neck of the Woods Chat Fall 2012
As our chatting away dwindle along with the necessary garden talk and chores---
the leaves will be all raked and our gardens will e put to sleep--
I would like to extend a "challenge" to everyone......
WE NEED SOME NEW THREADS HERE! How about it? Anyone?
Something we can all gather around--as if by a bonfire on a cold fall day.
My "watched" list grows smaller and smaller every week. I am starting to feel a withdrawal
cause there is nothing new to chat about. May have to venture into other Regional Posts....
NOT my comfort level, though. Would not know too many people.....
Surely, with the upcoming, busy Holiday season, someone could come up with a new topic....
Even me....
Thanks. Been thinking to post this for a while now. Gita
Thank you and thanks for the amaryllis info, AH
Will help take the siblings to meet their brother this afternoon. Can hardly wait to get my hands on him. Will be headed to son's house soon to help get the kiddies ready for church.
Uh oh. I think I just witnessed a swam of termites right outside by front door.
This is not a good sign, is it? I thought they swarmed in the spring, but I just read that there are some that swarm in the fall. Ugh...
Do I need to call Terminix?
It is odd that Termites would be swarming this time of year. Could they be ants?
If I ever find any termites in my rotting tree stump or RR- ties around my bed--
I just grab my Ant and Roach spray and blast them all. GONE in seconds.....
Do you know how to tell an ant from a termite????
Ants have a very thin thorax (waist). Termites have no waist--they look like a grain of rice.
Besides--termites are VERY seldom seen in daylight--they are sleazy darkness creatures....
that is why they always build tunnels to cruise around in.
G.
Gita, I should have captured a few of them for positive ID, but it didn't occur to me at the time.
I really hope it was just ants!
Also, if you find the shed wings- termite wings are all the same size but ant wings are in pairs of different sizes. (Google that and make sure I got it the right way around)
Don't call Terminix, I personally have very little faith in exterminators. They might tell you if you had termites, but if you really HAVE them now you don't need an expert to figure it out.
If you can find one of the critters, the antennae of termites are straight, while ant antennae have a bend (elbow) in them. Sally has it right about the wings.
ah yes- it might help to recall that ants are very closely related to wasps so they have the same shape, wings and antennae.
I found the identification info useful ,and appreciate the wisdom. I am feeling like a bug is a bug when eating you out of house and home ,graphically and literally!!!
I have also heard/or read that Termites exist, naturally, around gardens anyway.
In mulches, in dead tree stumps, in rotting landscape ties, stacked firewood, scrap lumber, etc...
It is part of nature. Just be aware of that. Do not freak out if you find some in any of these places.
Deal with it in any way you can to get rid of them. Like I mentioned--Ant and Roach spray will do the trick.
The thing to remember is to keep all these kind of things away from the base of
your house. Same reason----they cannot navigate over light-exposed areas to get inside your house.
G.
Totally different subject -- if you have experience with Yuccas, can you please take a peek at my post on the Cacti and Succulents thread -- http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1285311/.
I was gifted a Yucca division (actually, several), and I am worried about getting it to root.
Here's photo of it.
One fall I removed some yucca plants from a friend's yard at their request. I placed the plant material in a heavy black plastic construction clean-up bag and took it to my sister's. Intending to plant it, I left the tightly closed bag in the weeds at the edge of the property and promptly forgot about it. The next spring I found that the plant had sprouted through the bag and set roots through it too. While it was not variegated like yours, I think that yuccas are pretty hard to kill. From what I've read since, your division likely has sufficient roots to survive. Even cuttings of the stalk can be set in rooting mix and they will sprout.
I hope so .... I have exactly the right spot for this baby, so it would make me very happy if it would choose to live.
By the way -- I don't usually post TV recommendations, but Comedy Central's Night of Too Many Stars is on tonight at 8 (and undoubtedly will repeat at least several times) -- a fundraiser for autism -- and it is usually absolutely wonderful. There is a fantastic advance clip here: http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/43sq4x/night-of-too-many-stars-preview---katy-perry-and-jodi-dipiazza-on--night-of-too-many-stars-
Nuff said.
GH gas heater was hooked up yesterday. So we will see how heating the GH over winter will work out. One of the Trop Hibs is blooming. Should have taken the pic yesterday as it is gone today. Looks like more coming on. Here is the Mandellivia and Ric taking his morning coffee in the GH on a rainy day.
This is to all who got those massive roots of the red canna that jen brought to Holly's Swap.
If you did not notice----the spent flower spikes have these BIG, black seeds in every spent bloom capsule.
These seeds are the size of a large pea.
Do not just cut these spent bloom spikes off and discard them!
My other cannas, I have grown for years, never had any obvious seeds on them.
Jen---I LOVED the blooms on your Canna! I got the last 2 root chunks that no one
else wanted. These are massive growers! The shiny, maroon roots are starting to come
above the ground. I can see them at the base of the plants.
Have you ever tried (just for fun) to grow out these seeds?
Gita
I always learn a lot reading about everyone's experimenting with different ways to tend to their plants. Lots of info gathered here today. Had this thread marked, but never ready until today. As always, very informative and it is always great to hear how others do things and their outcomes.
Jan, what great news about the grand baby boy. How exciting.......ten grand children is a very good number. I have two that I absolutely adore. So glad that you shared about his birth with us. Sending lots of good and healthy thoughts your way.
Ruby
Special Visit with Jill- for your consideration.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1285529/
Well, no T or T ers yet. I think our neighborhood sort of rescheduled Halloween for tomorrrow or something. I took off work tonight so I'd be here for it. Working tomorrow.
Sally, my 6 yo grandson just called me so excited that it wasn't raining in Vermont for trick or treat. He is Jabba the Hut this year and little bro is Brave Knight. He also told me that no one in Vermont lost any of their power but he was hoping that they could just use flashlights in their house for one night. He also thinks that the freddie kruger costume of one friend is too scary.
I love the innocent perspective on what's scary. And his tip for tonight? "Don't trick or treat on an empty stomach or you might throw up"
Happy Halloween all.
Judy
Good tip!!! Must remember that. Love innocent kids. Our T and T has been moved to Monday night per the gov.
THat's all precious, Judy. He would NOT have liked my sixteen yr old zombie.
We had two groups tonite, total of six kids
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1286365/
Please see the above from Chantell
Photo contest judging is open. So hard to choose, there are a LOT of entries in each.
I think I recognized a few of the Pets- (whistling)
Frost and freeze warnings here and all around on this Election Day.
Sally, are you working the polls again?
Thinking of Holly in the islands on her dive trip. Hope to see some pics of same when she returns safely. Hello to Ric if he is baching it again. How's that green house heater? Those pics of flooding and creeks become racing torrents in your neck of the woods, make me want to investigate flood insurance and wish my vehicles had better tires and much more clearance.
Judy
Heehee. For some reason I had a vision of you, coleup, sittin the driver's seat of a monster truck
Also looking forward to Holly's pics. Being underwater and breathing is such a surreal experience. Very freeing, but for some reason I can't relax and enjoy it as much as I would like. Guess the experience with a barracuda and my perceived danger (whether real or imagined) has imprinted on my brain.
lol Jan....That's it, I need a monster truck for my newspaper route! Wonder if my feet could reach the pedals or if my arms are strong enough to steer or I could see over the dashboard! Best start eating wheaties right away and bulkup alot!
That mind imprint thing is really powerful. I'm glad as winter approaches that I have a different rout from the one I had skid off the road and into ditches three times. Now I just have a lot of apprehension about snow slick hills! Mostly, I don't attempt them but park at the top and walk the papers down. I know, 'wimpy, wimpy, wimpy' but me and vehicle safe to deliver another day!
Jeff tells a story of delivering papers as a kid in a town outside of Syracuse, NY -so there was always lots of snow- and he had to jump off the sidewalk as a car came skidding down the hill and jumped the curb. Talk about mind imprint.
Hi all!!!
Any suggestions on a family friendly restaurant in Alexandria, VA?preferably no chain restaurants
It's been years since I've been there, but my family and I used to love the Fish Market, http://www.fishmarketva.com/. We'd bike there and have peel-your-own-shrimp and beer.... But there are gazillion restaurants to choose from.
Jen try googling 'yelp' for restaurant ideas. THe wisdom of the crowd ya know. I got good info with yelp for a couple recent outings.
Here
http://www.yelp.com/c/alexandria-va-us/restaurants
yum, Love shrimp!
thanks for the link Sally
Good thing I changed my reservations, was supposed to drive down today...we have 5" of snow here!!!!
I have a question---everyone....
I still have a bunch of Daff. bulbs in my basement from the ones I dug up this spring.
If you remember--i took many to Holly's swap and gave them away.
I kept some bigger bulbs of the reg. Daffs and also the tete-a-tete ones. Just a few.
I kind of would not want to give ALL of them away. I will not be planting them at this time.
What would be the best way to tide them over the winter and not have them dry up and die????
Would putting them in the fridge help????
Maybe--throwing them all in a big pot and putting some soil/peat moss over them????
Please tell me what YOU would do. Thanks, Gita
Gita,
I put the tete-a-tete bulbs that Sally gave me at our get-together last week in a pot, covered them with dirt, and stuck the pot out on the front porch to over winter. Took all of 10 minutes, and I've read that this method works pretty well. We shall see....
Yeah, I'm baching it again. I had Dr's appointments to keep. They gave me a tens unit and changed a couple of scripts to try and put off the knife. Bette Davis had it right, "Getting old isn't for sissies". I agree most heartily. Ric
Ric, hope dear Holly will return soon. Also hope that adjustments bring much relief and time to heal what ails and aches.
Did you hear about the experiment that was done with elderly men? They were told to pretend that they wereliving back in the 50 s and did the nursing home decor, foods, dress, music and old tv. magazines, etc for a week. At the end of a week blood pressure, and most other measurements of health status were improved and the men stood up straighter and had better balance and range of movements. etc.
Pretty cool.
Wonder if a trip back to the 60's would have a similar effect? Of course, some of us haven't much left that era!
Don't think I'm a sissy but I am more 'risk averse'. How's that greenhouse doing? Snow load rating?
Judy
Heehee, you had me reminiscing, dear of my college days. 69-73.
Hoping the tens unit does the trick, Ric. I couldn't resist. Hmmm.... Must have been remembering college again.