A Glorious Thanksgiving day to all.
We are expecting only one guest for dinner. My dad is spending the winter with us, so it will be the four of us. Menu: cosmopolitans with munchies, shrimp mousse with crackers and crostini, grilled steaks, baked otatoes and Caesar salad and 7-Up pound cake and pecan pie for dessert.
Take care, everyone.
Sylvain, a.k.a. Pu'ole., just look at my Maui dirt shirt in my avatar.
THE COCONUT WIRELESS CHAT THREAD NO.5
Happy Thanksgiving All
I hope all of you had a wonderful thanksgiving day. We always go to one of our friends home and maybe there were 30 of us. Tons of food and lots of food to go.
I had been involved with several fund raising for the victims of the Philippine disaster and a the big one was last Friday where we raised $350,000.00. All the area churches are doing special collections. Sun trust bank donated $100,000.00!!!
The Philippine Cultural Center is the drop off for canned goods and clothing and so far over 1,000.boxes had been collected for shipment to the needy.
All my tropicals are in the garage as well as in the sun room and all are happy. It is now freezing here so my golf is on hold.
Take care and stay warm!!
Belle
I also hope you all had a great day!! I had a nice day with very little drama so it was relaxing.
Belle, that's great that you guys are helping the Philippine victims!!
Things were very quiet here. A cousin from Houston came for 2-3 days and she along with DD and SIL were here making only 5 of us. Ordered dinner from Cracker Barrel. Not bad but probably won't do that again. Mike cooked an organic, pasture raised turkey yesterday on his Big Green Egg. Been so long since I had tasted real turkey. It was worth the cost. In years past we always had 11-13 or more at the table. Many have already gone ahead of us. Mike's mother has fallen multiple times lately and spends lots of time in the ER. Her birthday is Jan. 4 and she is to be 96. We had to move her from assisted living to full-care nursing facility. So sad, I pray Our Lord takes me home before I get that old. Jen, we are still in love with Hawaii. Bet Frank really misses his daily swim in the ocean. We are coping with the usual Texas climate. Today and tomorrow should reach upper 70's. By Wednesday and the rest of the week mid 20's with sleet. This has already occurred twice this season. 2-3 days of summer followed by deep winter for 2-3 days and then repeat. One of the main reasons it is so hard to grow things here.
Much to do today so better get busy. I love all of you. My life wouldn't be complete without you.
PK
Happy New Year to All!!!
I hope we all have a healthy 2014
I am glad to hear that Jeanne is better and will continue to pray for her.
We spent Christmas in Alabama and had family dinner on Christmas eve.
WE brought home our 4 year old G-son because our daughter is having a major kitchen renovation and will be very dusty and unsafe.
He is keeping me very busy but he picks up his toys before nap and before bedtime. He is not as bad as last year. he is eating much better.
Spent New years eve with 200 other guests at the Philippine Cultural Center and it was very nice , a lot of dancing and BYOB was the best part..
Weather wise it was freezing here few days ago but yesterday was very nice so DH went to the range.My plants in the sun room are thriving and I an glad I was glad that I am allowed to bring plants there because DH likes to relax there but now it is full of plants.
Stay warm !!!
Belle
We have been caught in the "polar vortex".. Lowest temps in several decades. First winter in many years that we have a prolonged cold spell with no warm days scattered along the way. I expect many of my beautiful plants will not come through this weather. Being retired has been a blessing. No fighting the weather to get to work.....or anywhere.
Hugs to all xoxoxox
Hi, everyone.
My, oh my, this thread has fallen into disuse. I just now realize that I haven't wished you all a happy, prosperous asnd healthy New Year.
I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon beating my head against the wall working through a PhotoShop tutorial only to find it was designed for a more recent version. Drat and double drat!
What has everyone been up to? Let's bump this thread up.
Take care
Sylvain
Well, I'm here. YAY!!!!!
Wishes come from moi also. Sylvain, did I spell that right?
I have been as dreary as the weather here and I hope the sun comes out soon or I will be a basket case for sure.
Haven't toured the entire garden, but I think it took our almost chill pretty good. What doesn't make it will not be replaced. This is a one shot garden. Either you make it or you're gone.
Hugs
Been hibernating here in the house. Snow isn't slick enough to play in so I stay inside and do some work inside. Going nuts but it's too cold to do anything. lol
We are accustomed to Winter being a couple of days a little cold and 7-8 days of balmy Spring and then repeat. Not this time. It got really cold at least a month earlier and it has stayed cold.
Today was heavy fog in addition to cold. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same. YUCK!
Happy,
How is the weather there? We were there few years ago but it was summer and I just love the clean beaches.
I wanted to spend 2 weeks there to get away from this cold weather but DH said it is going to be 70's tomorrow. in fact he is playing golf today.
Stay warm !!!
Belle
Hi All,
Belle is has been miserable the last few days. 47F one morning. It's 72 right now and means it will come close to 80 this afternoon, The sun is trying to peek out and that's the first I've seen of it in days. Thought it went away. The rest of the sky is broken clouds, so that should burn off in a while. Other than that, it's another day in paradise.
Hi guys,
Polar vortex...wonder what the name du jour will be for next polar invasion?
My garden is fried, but will come back like it always seems to.
Lots happening here. With the UA CO merger United discontinued CO pension, and converted it to a distribution when I'm retirement age, so decided to take the lump sum and early retire. It's a scary decision but am loving it so far. Am helping Wayne (friend and neighbor) open a physical location for zone9tropicals.com!
Christi dear, prepare for a visit before I get too busy again!
Rj
Hi.
Yes, early retirement is scary at first, but you quickly adjust and you realize you have nothing to fear but fear itself. I did it 8 years ago and I'm now wondering why I waited so long.
Keep we'll, everyone
Sylvain
that is GRRRRRREAT news, RJ. Mike retired 7 years ago and I was scared to death. Have to say 2008 kind of put a damper in our investment funds but we have survived.
Had the crew here today (3 guys) for almost 6 hours just cleaning up the freeze damage. As I stated above, we haven't had continuous freezing in several years, definitely before I had become a tropical horticulturist. AHEM! We did our best but most of my 20 gallon tropicals are severely ill. This is only mid January and we don't usually have winter until early March so we still have time for the weather to finish them off. Multiple nights in the teens with the following days not getting above 30. Have to admit our nest was warm and dry and that's the most important part.
Randy, most certainly glad you aren't in Chicago. Just appraised Mike of your impending visit and he is thrilled. Already planning what he will cook on The Big Green Egg.
Hi.
We're expecting 3 or 4 nights of temps in the lower 40s F here. What is this? Had I wanted to freeze my orchids off, I would have stayed in Montreal. This is a conspiracy, I just know it. All the Northerners are jealous of our subtropical climate and they set fans outside pointing South so we could share their misery. Shame on you all, Northerners.
I'm very disappointed. I may move to Costa Rica, or Equador; even better: Hawai'i. Yeah, I could live on Kauai with a view on the ocean outside the front door and a view of the canyon out the back door. It's something to think about.
Take care, all.
Pu'ole.
Take care, all.
Sylvain.
Sylvain,
You wouldn't dare move to Hawaii. What would we do without you here? What would happen to our little luncheon group? Couple of cool snaps doesn't scare me. Yes I lost a few plants over the years but when I lived up north I lost everything every year. This is definitely an improvement.
Just bundle up!!!!!
I wish I had thought of the fan idea. I would have done it. :~p.
We've actually warmed up some up here so now it's a muddy mess. On top of that neighbors at end of road are clearing land and burning trees so all the smoke and ashes comes down here. Walk from truck to house and I smell like smoke. Love the smell but not like this. lol
Rj, congrats on early retirement!! You will be too busy having fun to scared for long. :~)
Hi, everyone.
Sitting outside right now is not all that great: 65 degrees F (18C), cloudy skies, high humidity, gusts of wind and definitely cooling down slightly every half hour or so.
Nancy, don't worry, we are not leaving. One can dream. And an invite for brunch on Kauai would be more of a schlep than scooting over to Delray-les-Plages. You would have to stay a couple days. Maybe you wouldn't want to leave. And maybe I would come to relish poi, or I could cook a huge pot of baked beans with some baked red cabbage and we could all do skywriting after lunch for fun and profit.
Hawai'i... we should have moved there when we emigrated, instead of Florida but we didn't know better and we already owned property in Florida. We were fleeing the cold, not seeking paradise. As Edith Piaf sang: Je ne regrette rien. (I regret nothing). We have met wonderful friends here. There is nothing to regret. But I have seen paradise and left a bit of myself there.
I guess I'll be taking cuttings of my tender tropicals, so I can restart the garden if the cold wreaks too much havoc in the next few days. Like Noah, I'll collect at least 2 of each species and wait out the disaster. I'm not looking forward to all this cold. We have a heating system. We won't be cold but outside is another matter entirely.
Take care, all.
Sylvain.
Stay warm down there Sylvain!! We are getting ready for some very strong winds tomorrow. Of course it had to pick the day I want to take my best friend's dog to dog park. Taking her anyways but bundling up. lol
Hello Everyone,
Just wandered by and was so pleased to hear everyone's news.
Congratulations on your retirement RJ, it sounds as if you are going to be busy with your new project, and it sounds as if it is going to be a fun one. How wise you were to rent out the house instead of selling it.
We are still trying to get used to the weather here, although it really isn't too bad when I see what some of you (especially Pepper) are coping with. We did have two nights when the temp went down to 9 degrees overnight - we didn't put our noses out of the door. Yesterday we had a dusting of snow overnight which was all gone by 10am. It's the first snow we have seen in over 30 years! We don't know what damage has been done in our garden because we haven't any clue as to what we have here yet. Looks like we have mostly magnolia, hemlock and dogwood trees, I have no clue if we have any bulbs in the garden although I did plant tons of daffs in November and I expect they will be okay. We did loose two very large crab apples due to all the rain and a waterlogged soil, such a pity.
The house is coming along painfully slowly. The kitchen itself is finished, but we discovered that the PO had painted latex over oil paint and it is peeling off, so now I am in the middle of stripping all the bead board and woodwork in the kitchen to correct the situation - what a horrible job it is too! Nice to have a functioning kitchen though - and one that doesn't smell of mildew!
We are loving being close to the family, but miss Hawaii dreadfully! We do have a trip planned for February to St John USVI with all the family, and we are looking forward to that. Got to find out where I stowed all the snorkeling stuff when we moved...
I have had a bit of trouble with stomach ulcers - it quite surprised me as I always said I had a cast iron stomach! All feeling much better now although I am on several meds, and I am one that hates being on meds and have to be sure that I remember to take them! Some psychological block I think!
Keep well and warm everyone,
Jenn
Hi, everyone
Oh Jenn, St.John, USVI. Such a nice place. I fondly remember the ferry ride from St. Thomas to St.John, and Trunk Bay, one of the world's 10 most beautiful beaches, according to Nat Geo.
Stay warm and have a great time in the USVI.
Pu'ole.
Oh, Jen, so sorry to hear of your health problems. Have read that ulcers are caused by a bacterial virus and they have meds to clear it up. Mike suggested today that we sell out and move to Hawaii. Of course, we talk of you and Frank often. I would think that the climate change has been hard. Strange that we all dream of retiring to HA and you have moved to the mainland. Being close to family always trumps paradise.
Pepper, have been feeding my two 9 month old pups locally harvested honey. They have terrible skin allergies and local honey is recommended for man and beast alike. The honey you sent from your neighbor was so good.
Cold here again with forecasts for more arctic air.
Jen, private d-mail with you phone number and address.
Princess Kilikina
Thanks guys. Sylvain, I truly think that, but do have small bouts of wthwit!!
Well, back to my futile efforts for polar vortexarama
Good morning to all!!!
Jenn,
I hope your ulcers heals fast.
Visiting Hawaii sounds good right now. It is freezing here too!!
We had 3 inches of snow here and it was fun for our 4 year old G-son from Alabama who is here with us till their kitchen renovation is finished which is 2 more weeks.School was cancelled and I tell you life stops with snow !! They can not handle snow here!!!
I am having muscular pain on my neck, shoulders, chest wall and back due to lifting our G-son and after visiting my primary care Dr I opted to try acupuncture which is my first time. Her explanations sounded very promising and with only one session I feel better. the only downside is it is self pay because insurance does not cover. Dh said it will be worth it as long as I am pain free when golf season starts next month.I will be having few sessions.
Stay warm!!!
Belle
Hello everyone! So glad to hear from all of you!
It has been a very cold winter and my garden is fried also!
I posted over on my thread in Prayers. My numbers are down again.
Will be praying for all of you! Spring will be here eventually! It is supposed to warm up here this week.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Jeanne
Hello All!!
Do we need to keep this going?
Going back to my acupuncture I had to stop after 8 sessions because it was costing me $100.00 per week. I ended up having a cortisone shot and it was better.
My garden both veggie and flowers is beautiful. I did hire help at the early part of the season. It is just too much.
Jeanne,
How are you doing. I had not seen you post at the prayer request. I hope you are better. I think of you often.
Enjoy the summer and your gardens.
Belle
Hi, everyone.
This thread has been up since September 2013. I started it when the previous thread got a bit long in the tooth. i was pleasantly surprised to see activity in it this morning.
Everyone knows that a thread is only as active as the members following it. Do we need to keep this active? The question bears asking. This was once a vibrant thread. Sic transit gloria mundi. Whether it lives or dies is no skin off my nose. I enjoyed this thread. With 68 replies and 532 views since its inception 9 months ago, it is pretty much gasping for air as it is. Let the interested members have their say.
Take care, everyone.
Sylvain.
Lets resurrect it!!!
Belle
I loved, and still do, this group. I will try to do my part to keep it going. Anyone know how to get in touch with Jenny (Braveheart's mom). I know they sold their Hawaiian paradise and have moved to North Carolina on the mainland.
How's it going, Sylvain?
I'd like to keep this going. I feel close to the people here and like to know how they are doing.
I have sent dmails to Jenny but have not heard from her lately. I know her mother died soon after their move and I"m sure that has been difficult for her.
Woke up this morning at 9:30 with no electricity. I've been reading by a solar light while sweating a lot. Electric just came back on. It was off for at least three hours, unfortunately a rather common occurance during our hot and humid summers.
The good news is that it has been drizzling for most of the moroning. Any rain is most welcome here, especially if not accompanied by a hurricane. This isn't very heavy but it's welcome.
My days have been alternating between so painful I can barely move and pretty good. I spend a lot of the time of the painful days on my puter and have gotten some ideas about how to increase the insulation on my house. I pretty much stick to one all-purpose room during the summer - with brief trips to the hot kitchen. We installed foam insulation in the ceiling last year but it's not helping much. $1,000 electric bills wreck havoc on my budget, especially when I'm still barely hanging in on our worst days.
Tony is still working for me for four hours a day six days a week. He is truly a Godsend for me.
hugs, katie
Soooo glad to hear from you Katie. I must admit I still pay dues but have jumped ship to Facebook.......as have a number of DGer's. Like everything else there are risks but if one takes the time to learn, there are many,many ways to protect your privacy. There are even several "plant" based groups, again mostly old DGer's.
This website has brought me more friends than I can count. Will never, ever be able to leave it entirely.
Kate, I have been employing what I always thought was just junk medicine. I have had leg and foot cramps every single night for months. Dr. is rather nonchalant. Well, several days ago I started taking a hot bath with 2 cups Epsom Salt and soak 20 minutes. The nights I am faithful....no cramps. It appears that many of us are a little short on magnesium. ES is magnesium sulfate and somehow we can absorb it through our skin. Imagine that. I have been using it with great success on my plants and lawn for at least 10 years. It is super cheap so it doesn't cost much to try it. Tons of other uses as well.
100 degrees here for about a week and forecast again tomorrow. BUT, the forecast for Tuesday and the rest of the week is rain and temps not above 80. Sounds good but I'm a little leary for Texas in July.
Hope others will chime in. Pepper, where are you, sweetheart?
I'm here! Just got back from a 3 day float and camping trip in the Ozarks. Very relaxing. lol
I say keep the thread going. It always ebbs and flows but still keeps going. :~)
Hi, everyone.
It's nice to see this thread revived again.
I left FB for good 2 years ago. My account got hacked twice. The first time, I thought: "Such is life". But the 2nd time, I told myself: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.". There I was, lying in a hospital bed for a whole month when Gail got a phone call from a friend asking where I was. She said I was in the hospital, admitted 3 weeks ago, emergency surgery, flesh eating bacteria, might lose a leg, yatta, yatta, yatta.
My friends on FB got an email saying that I had been mugged in London. The story went on to say that my cell phone, my wallet, my computer, my jewelry and my passport had been stolen. I therefore found myself broke, unidentified, and badly bruised, with no way to pay my hotel stay and no way to return home. The email went on to ask my friends to send me $1,500 and expect prompt reimbursement when I return. And worse yet, another friend from DG got this from the FB hack. She was getting ready to wire me some funds. Good thing the sides of my bed were raised, because I would have fallen out of the bed. That is the nearest I ever came, in my life, to experiencing a conniption fit. Rel;uctantly, I had to self-administer a morphine shot.
Let me set this straight:
- I am by no means rich, but I can scrape together enough money to return from London and pay my hotel bills. I need not resort to FB to pander money to return home.
- I do not have the gift of ubiquity. I can't be in a hospital bed with tubes sticking in and out of me and also be London at the same time.
- When traveling abroad, I don't hang out in places where the odds of getting mugged are high.
- I am a Canadian citizen. If I ever find myself in trouble in a foreign country, I know that I have to point myself towards the Canadian embassy and they'll take care of me. I could also go to the British embassy and be treated with legendary British courtesy. Remember Tehran when ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the shah's regime. U.S. embassy personnel crossed the street and were hidden among the Canadian embassy's staff for nearly a year before they could safely return home. Canadians don't turn their back on their own, or their friends.
- London... there are no cruise ships there. The Thames is not a waterway decent cruise ships can navigate. They have to dock at Dover and bus passengers to London. Bus trips: Nay, Nay for this bear. Also, I don't do stay-put holidays, only cruises. Those friends should have known better, but their intentions were good and the hacker's email tugged at their heartstrings.
I left FB 2 years ago. My world didn't crumble. To the millions of people who use FB and enjoy it, I wish the best. I just had to leave it before someone else got burned.
It was sunny here a few minutes ago, but the sky has taken on a navy blue hue and I believe we'll get a storm or two in short order. The garden needs it, but my adeniums want me to buy them an umbrella because they don't enjoy all this water. I have a dendrobium orchid that will soon bloom. The rest is just growing wild, as usual.
Take care, everyone.
Sylvain.
I never joined FB. Never felt comforable with it. :~)
Hi, everyone.
I have learned that my friend Jeremy, aka FLAJAX has passed away yesterday after fighting a long battle with cancer. I have been down in the dumps since then. Jeremy was a gifted, talented, generous, sociable, kind and extremely knowledgeable man. When I first joined Dave's Garden, he was one of the many contributors to a thread I followed assidiously.
I only met him face to face once, at a round-up. It was a great day. I have some plants growing in my garden that he sent me. They're all in the same corner of my beds. I guess I'll make that my memory garden to him. I'll miss him.
Take care, everyone.
Sylvain.
So sorry to hear, Sylvain. Prayers out to him.
Losing a friend is hard. Take care of yourself, Sylvain. Extra hugs, katie
Losing a friend is hard, you have plants to remind you of him.
Belle