Neck of the Woods Chat January 2013

I'm watching Scruffy again - the cutest little Westie. I've got the TV on as background noise, and a frickin rooster just crowed on it. Woke Scruffy up out of a dead sleep, and has him all agitated. Too funny. Well that didn't last long, he just settled back down in his sleeping spot. He'll be here all week - my friends are in the Napa Valley, doing the wine tour thing. What a great time of year for a vacation like that.

We do understand your excitement over your garden turtle, Terri. My neighbors think I'm looney when I get a new load of "dirt" (topsoil to go over our clay). They women tell me that the "D" that I ask for should be "Diamonds" instead.

LOL what a group we are.
Apenhill, Love that turtle he is great.
Roses I would take a load of dirt over diamonds any day.

compost/ diamonds- carbon either way right? I vote dirt!

Cute turtle!! Would love to have it in my garden along with any amount of top soil :-)

Aspen, your turtle is AWESOME!!! Love his cute smiley little face!! I'm with you, that is a wonderful gift, better than jewelry any day! (I'd wonder who that man is and what he did with my Hubby if my DH ever showed up with JEWELRY for me, quite frankly... he knows better! heeheeheee)

Sorry I've been away for a few days too, been workin' my butt off around the house, first getting ready to lay the tile for the bathroom floor (pre-cutting and then "dry fitting") on Friday, then repairing a leaky toilet yesterday (ended up having to replace the flange and part of the pipe beneath it, UGH!!), then today we finally got that tile LAID for real! Marble tile is a PAIN IN THE DUPA, let me just tell you!! Now we just wait for the thin set to dry well, then grout, and we'll have to replace that toilet plumbing like we did the other bathroom (turns out the tile sitting higher than the old linoleum was causing the troubles)... THEN we can finish the bathroom... cabinet, sink, etc.

So, here it is, the "before" and "after"... YIPPEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Marble tile might be a PAIN IN THE DUPA, but it sure looks great. LOL

Yes, dirt over diamonds any day!!! I knew this was the one place where I wouldn't get the raised eyebrows and the "are you serious???" look LOL. Speedie - marble is so classic, I love it. Looks like you've done a great job too. Great place for the toilet - you can take a shower and do your bizness at the same time HA HA HA.

Marble is always good, anytime...anywhere. Looks great.

LOVE the turtle. Sounds like you have it in the perfect spot, too.

Nice tile work, speedie!!

great job Suze!

GO RAVENS!!!!!! 23 TO 13 WIN!!!!!

I still don't believe it!

Thank you thank you, but I gotta say, 99.9% of the credit and kudos go to DH, I was the gopher... and I occasionally lent my 'eye'; 'yeah, scootch that one about 1/8" toward the tub' (you know, the one with THE TOILET IN IT, HAA!!). Well, where else ya gonna store a toilet for the duration? ;) Lay out an old crappy towel (no pun intended) and pop that toity right on top of it; perfectly out of the way.

Gita!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVEN'T WATCHED THE GAME YET!!!!!!!!!!!!! We record as much football as we can (directv with dvr ROCKS!), then watch at our leisure, zipping past those pesky commercials. (Whee!!). We watched the first game last evening, then plan to watch the Ravens game this evening. Well, at least I know my "pick" won! < =D (Ssshhhh, don't tell DH that I know the outcome already!) We also make our "picks" every week during football season.. ALL games, ALL season long. He beat me by 3 games this season. =(
Now I'll be CHEERING on Ray Lewis all the way through the Superbowl.. I know, I'm a Steelers fan, not supposed to cheer on the Ravens, but who can possibly NOT love Ray Lewis!?!? Not me, that's for sure! =)

speedie---

I NEVER watch any games either.....Las night--as I watched "Roots"--I was checking back
to the game just to see the score.

It is wild at HD when a big game like this is coming up.
For one--there are hardly any customers--the business just dies! Oh, there are the few that need purple lights
and some such--but not many.

However--yesterday I saw a big plant I have never seen before- "Tacca Chantrieri--"Bat Plant".
It looked like a Spath Sensation--leaves just like it--but had these weird, black, whiskered blooms.
Google "Bat Plant--black" and check out the "images" in the upper left corner. WOWSA!!!
Seems we got 6 of them in.-in 10" pots. When I left at 6PM, there was just one left.
To me it was the "ugliest" thing I have ever seen!.
Here is a link to it--you can find more--but this shows the bloom well....

http://stokestropicals.plants.com/Tacca-chantrieri-Black-Bat-Plant-P263.aspx

http://davesfiles.com/Plants/Tacca/Bat_Flower_FAQ.htm

edited to add another link.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2013 9:47 AM

Gita, I sure do like that will have to check out our local HD and see if we have any. Yea, just what I need more plants. LOL

Heehee

Anyone checkout the new Garden Showcase section? Haighr's lovely garden is featured.

Holly, I didn't even notice it - thanks for pointing it out. You should add an album for your garden. I'm going to try making one too.

I will go see Candee's. HollyRic and aspenhill also deserve a spotlight.

sheesh, trying to work on an article but its way too easy to keep checking all these threads.

Ok, I made an album on the new Garden Showcase feature. It was pretty easy. The only issue that I had was that for every 4 or 5 photos uploaded, 1 wouldn't go. I had to try some of them multiple times before they took. Maybe just my internet connection.

Might take me awhile even till next summer before I can do one. After the computer crash I still have my saved pictures. Yes, 1,000's of them but I can only pull them up one at a time to look at them. Ric gave me a new laptop for Christmas and a new Photo program to play with.

Aspenhill your showcase is fabulous!
luvsgrtdanes also put some photos up, so pretty, of fancy morning glories.

Sally, thanks for the kind words. I saw luvsgrtdanes album - those morning glories are really pretty. I've had seeds for a few years that I haven't done anything with yet because I wasn't sure where to put them. I'll have to ask Ronnie how she does hers. I bought some deer netting late last fall thinking that I'll attach it between trees that are at the edge of the side lawn and let the morning glories ramble on it. Hopefully the seeds are still viable?

Hey, when you were looking at the different albums, did you have any problems where the picture didn't change but the captions did as you moved forward or backward? Either there is something a little quirky with the new feature or it is just me and maybe a flaky connection. Went back to the showcase feature feedback and saw that they recommend FF - they haven't optimized the other browsers yet - I'm using IE, maybe that is the problem.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2013 9:39 PM

How do I get to see someone's Showcase Garden?
I looked--but could not find yours --aspenhill.

Help! Gita

Gita, there is a "Garden Showcase" tab right below the DG title pic. Or you can click on this link: http://davesgarden.com/showcase/

Gita,
You can see it by scrolling thru the "Recently Added". Once it falls off as more albums are added, I'm not sure how you would get to it. Sally posted that question in the showcase feedback section, and I chimed in - neither one of us saw any easy way to get to a specific member's album.

This is the link to mine if you can't find it thru the Showcase.
http://davesgarden.com/showcase/album/view/3361

RosesRRed has her garden up now- Look to the right in the Top gardener list. Beautiful!

Speedie and other Ravens fans. In celebration between now and Super Bowl, our local grocery deli dept is having a special on Ravens Cole Slaw It is made with just enough red cabbage added in that, you guessed it, it is purple!

I just finished looking at RosesRRed's garden in the Showcase. Wonderful. Such a green thumb - everything is so lush, and I especially love the roses! I know she started with the blank slate of an expanse of grass at a new home, and what she has been able to accomplish in a few years is incredible. A lot of hours must have gone into the making of it.

Everyone--
I just wanted to tell you that Tapla (Al) has, sort of agreed to come over to the MAF
and "do his thing" with his endless knowledge on soils and drainage and all that.

I started a new Thread just so we can all pick his brain.
Please come visit and ask away....G. Hoping he will stay a while.....

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1295008/

Are you all, that have one, keeping your eye on your Clivia?
Mine is really progressing quickly to bloom. This was taken a few days ago--
it is now showing some color.
Will show you--and hope terp is looking.....Yoooo--Hooooo..
Gita

Al's coming to hang out at our place!? WOOHOOOO!!!! Thank you Gita, you're a GEM!!!

Heeheeheee, cool cole slaw!! Funny, I'm actually a STEELERS fan, but can't help but love those Ravens guys, their Faith makes them irresistibly beautiful! =)

OK, gonna go head over to say 'HI!' to Al now, Whee!! =)

None of mine are up yet. I stopped the dormancy period right what I got them from you. Should be interesting to see if they bloom.

11*F this AM. The birds have been sucking the feeders dry. I guess in an attempt to stay warm. It's just bitter out there. Ric

Winter has finally reared its face...

I'm usually refreshed by it the first day or two.

The GH has ice on the inside frame and the panels look frosted. I don't feel refreshed, I feel like Ralphie's little brother Randy in "A Christmas Story", I can't put my arms down. LOL Ric

Keep that tongue in your mouth!

Paul--
I think they bloom when they feel like it. It is earlier than usual--one of mine just got impatient....:o)
If I remember--all the ones, except the small one, I gave you bloomed last year.

One of the two I kept is blooming. The other one--still no sign. They are both upstairs now by my window.
They are both multi-stemmed and good size.
Basically--I ignore mine and don't fuss over them any.

The next "crunch" will come when my 6 pots of Amaryllis decide to "wake up".
They have been cut back and top-dressed. Just waiting.....
Where, oh where, will I put them??????? Will have to work the re-arrangement magic again.

Frigid here too- This Am at 9, the wind chill was 2*. I am off all week--hours cut.
Will cook something........Work on my seeds...all wonderful, leisurely activities....
Gita

Pictures--memories of February 2010! Was it ONLY 2 years ago?????

Paul---The last picture is just for YOU!!!!

Hmm well that is a relief gita. I just figured they didn't get enough of a dormancy period. I will continue to neglect them.