It sure was beautiful out there. I walked as far as the mailbox, that was a big deal for me today. Oh, I would have loved to do just a few little things out there, but I needed to get back to my lounge chair.
Terri, So glad your Mom is home. I hope she continues to do well.
Your Neck of the Woods part 7 Galloping into Spring
Got another gorgeous one on tap for tomorrow - maybe Terri can wheel her Mom around outside to enjoy the great outdoors for a while tomorrow! Mom would probably LOVE that!! :)
I made jambalaya and took it up to mom and dad's for dinner. We are still trying to figure out the best ways for her to get in and out of the wheel chair around the house - couch, bed, toilet, shower, etc... I'm sure in a few days it will be routine. Dinner was enjoyable, just got back. Weather was nice and the snow seems to be melting. I hope to get outside a little bit tomorrow.
life is looking better around the ol Mid Atlantic!!
What a nice welcome-home dinner for your mom. So nice that she is far enough along that she can leave the rehab place.
And congratulations, Holly, on your outing too!
Almost all our snow is gone now. At last.
Is this an egg sac of some sort? Found on asters that were left standing.
Oh yes, I think it is Praying Mantis. Good thing to have and the tiny little Mantises are so cute.
Yipee!!! Thanks for the ID, Holly! So far I've found two egg sacs. I'm looking forward to seeing little baby mantises running around. They're such great hunters!
Another reason to leave your perennials up all winter. :)
Yes it is.
Little baby mantises are sooo cute! I left my perennials up all winter too, wonder if I've got any soon-to-be babies out there? I sure hope so, I love those things.
Just FYI---
Baby Praying mantises emerge in a chain--each hanging down from the other.
They are carnivorous from birth and can, actually, eat each other...
Years ago, before there was any kinds of highways and roads around here--
I used to go walking in the overgrown fields around here looking for
Praying Mantis cases.
If I found one--not easily!--I would cut off the length of stem it was attached to
and bring it home and tie it to the stems of some of my perennials.
That is how I got to see them all born...I was watching for them..
If you want to go looking for one--go to overgrown wasteland fields.
The egg cases can be found at about 4' high stems of tall grasses or shrubbery.
Have fun hunting! G.
OK, now!!! HEAR YE---HEAR YE----
Remember the B&D Trimmer i was talking about earlier this year for $69???
The 12" 18 Volt trimmer--straight shaft--comes with TWO battery packs, which each
sell for $39,97 separately, and back then, it was yellow-tagged at $69.
Remember??????? Hold on to your britches!!!!!!
IT IS NOW $25.03. That is $15 less than ONE battery pack by itself!
Besides--these battery packs can be used on over 20 different tools.
That is amazing!!! YES???
We probably have 15 or more on hand.
Right now--they are in overhead where all kinds of other tools are on good
clearance. NOT on the floor! When they bring them down on the floor--
they will FLY out of there--the price! The season is coming! Theu will be gone!
At this price--I am going to buy TWO of them. What an awesome gift for somebody!
PLEASE--if you need a new trimmer--RUN to your nearest HD and see if they
also have these available.
This one looks like it--from the description. The price is not up-to-date.
It is the second one marked $79. But--the yellow-tag now IS $25.03.
**I am sorry--neither of the two links I c/p come up with a trimmer... Just all kinds
of other products. Whasssup???
If you go to Homedepot.com---- and search for "B&D 18 Volt trimmer" it should come up.
Gita
This message was edited Mar 9, 2014 6:34 PM
this one? trying a link
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BLACK-DECKER-18-Volt-Straight-Shaft-Cordless-String-Trimmer-NST2118/202590029
Mark will go tomoroww to ours, just for the battery deal! We like the system but batteries have worn out.
This message was edited Mar 9, 2014 7:27 PM
Sally or Gita, could you pretty please pick one up for me also if available? Our Frederick HD seldom has the same clearance items at Baltimore stores... That's an outstanding price. Jim's trimmer has a cord, and I'm not a fan. I can reimburse via PayPal.
Jill--
I plan to stop by my HD after I have my taxes done today.
Will pick one up for you....Getting one for Aina as well...
Not sure sally's HD will have these...I AM sure mine does.
I do not have PayPal. I am not an on-line shopper..
Will hang on to it till the Plant swap..
Will have to let you know via D-Mail. Not hard to figure out...
$25.03 + 6% tax...
Thanks, Gita!!
If anyone wants to check on-hands in other stores--just go to
Homedepot.com--enter the Sku: 924-985 in the "search" line, and this trimmer
willpop right up.
I believe you can check "other stores" and how many they have of this item.
Sometimes--you can click on it as if you were going to the checkout
and then you may see this option.
Hmmmm---it says "On line only"---but then how come we got in a pile?
Here's the link--the same one Sally posted just above...
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BLACK-DECKER-18-Volt-Straight-Shaft-Cordless-String-Trimmer-NST2118/202590029
Well--you can always call your nearest store and ask. Mention the price--$25.03
and that it is yellow-tagged.
G.
Gita, I looked them up on the HD web page, none cheaper than around $75.
Darius--
I don't think the prices on the web page are updated as they should be.
Even in the link above--it says $79. They were already $69 when we got them in.
I also don't know whether ALL the stores got these in--or just some.
Call your local HD and give them the SKU (924-985) and ask them to look
it up on THEIR store computer.
The orig. price on these was $99. When we first got them--they were already
yellow-tagged at $69. I almost bought one then...Phewww...
You can also go online (Homedepot.com) and buy it....and have it shipped to your store--
and then go pick it up there. It is a service all HD's provide. Just not sure what price they
would come up.
Tell that at store #2502 (us) in White Marsh, MD has them clearances at $25.03.
It is NOT our store that clearances things--that comes from Corporate--in Atlanta.
so there cannot be different prices in different stores. make a stink--and you will get it
for $25. 03.
Good luck--G.
Thanks Gita.
David--This will be a question to you---
Story first.....
The other warmish day--I was cutting back all kinds of dead foliage,
including my two large perennial ferns. Never did this so early--but it was
better now than later--or i would be stepping all over sprouting things in this bed.
The fern on the left (in this sbed) is the Autumn fern--this was established last year--
I even gave you a section of it. Trimmed all the dead leaves off of that too.
This fern also shows about 4 separate clumps. I need to, drfinitely, dig up the
one that is now encroaching on the bed. More to share....;o)
The other fern (NOID-so far) has also split up in about 4 different clumps.
One of them must be the original--as the root mass has risen a good 10" or so above ground.
In this mass , there are several "terminal" clumps which have the still-dormant
bumps which will grow into the new, fiddleleafs--stems-to-be.
My question is: What should I do with this above ground clump?
1--leave it alone?
2--Dig it up and re-bury it deeper? Would it root if i did that?
3--Dig the mass up and divide it in sections where each section would have
a cluster of "bumps"--leaves-to-be--on the top?
4--What is this mass made up of? Why has it grown up, and up like this?
Here are some pictures:
1--Looking at the bed (East side of house) and the area where this fern lives...
It is the one on the left. Looks like the one behind it is also raising up.
2--looking down on the mess--both of the clumps.
3--A close-up of the top--showing the bumps. There are, probably, 4 separate areas
that have these tops with the bumps on it--so--each one of these areas will
produce its own cluster of leaves. Right?
SO???--is there a way that these areas with their own "bumps" could be,
somehow excised and re-potted in their own spot--or Pot?
4--This is the fern in question (what kind is it???) in May of last year.
5--Here is the Autumn Fern on the other end of this small bed
That's it for Questions...Thanks--G.
One more smaller fern I need ID'd.
This one is by my Bird bath--and is 'existing" in a crumbling corner of this bed.
Almost no soil. I want to dig it upand move it to the corner bed in fromt of
the N. corner of the house. It will look good there.
Would you know the name of it? No biggie if you cannot ID it...
Thanks again--Gita
Gita, I'm fairly sure your mystery fern to the right of your Autumn Fern is a Polystichum tsus-simense, commonly known as Korean Rock Fern.
Right now is the best time to divide your ferns. These plants can generally take a lot of abuse and rhizomes are often simply sliced up with some frond buds on each portion and replanted with the soil line just below the crown where these buds are. Keep well watered while rhizomes break dormancy and establish.
Sooo...your choices are 1, 2, or 3.
Thanks, David----
I will try to divide them--one more thing to do!!!! Geesh!
Can't do anything in this weather....
G.
Just checked the radar. Should be clearing right now. You have about a 2 hour window before the front gets to your location. We have about an hour here, 65 degrees now.
A brief, intense wind and rain just passed through here about half an hour ago.
They said we "might" heve some tornadies, This wind and rain looked like it was
really coming....then--POOF! and it all stopped.
We never got to 70* here. It was kind of chilly. Many people dressed lighter
than usual at work expecting the 70*--then had to go rummaging for sweaters and jackets...
What else is new?????? G.
Spent all day at the mechanic yesterday getting some work done on my truck (got run off the road by some jerk on my way home from work on Tuesday)... I did the same thing Gita, dressed for the expected 70 degrees only to find myself FREEZING all day. Ugh, where did the warmth go!?!? Not today though; today I will wear FOUR layers, and my scarf, and a hat, and some gloves. Not gonna freeze today DARNIT! < =P It's really windy anyway where I work, so I expect today to be extra windy and cold. Brrrr, cold just thinking about it!
find every excuse to stay in the greenhouse!
Run off the road?!?!? geeze speedy!
I take it that you weren't hurt. What a dweeb.
That howling wind all night was something else---I was expecting to see
all kinds of branches down--but don't see any.
Before I went to bed--the wind was so strong--the 20' plus street light was swaying...
I slept a whole 11 hours last night--with some interruptions from the wind--
making up for having to get up at 3:45AM the morning before.....
G.
It has been blowing up a storm out there all day. We had some big branches come down, ones that have been hung up in the trees and a couple of big ones that were on the Barn roof they came down on top of the Chickies pen. Sure glad we built it strong. Bigger than I can move right now so it will stay there till Josh comes later today to do a few heavy chores for us. Ric is in having his leg Roto-Rooter today a friend offered to take him to Hosp for the procedure since I can't drive yet.
Been howling wind and very cold here today.
Holly, how are you feeling?
Better.
Yeah, I almost always have extra clothes at hand. My theory is you can always take more off, at least till you reach a legal limit. LOL Being caught out fishin' in a boat, and being cold or wet is no fun, and you can't exactly walk to your closet and grab something. One trip we went on in NOLA, we were bundled up in shirts, hooded fleeces, coats, BDUs, rainsuits, and gaud forbid, shoes and socks. By the time we came in off the water I was in shorts, flip flops, and sweat.
I finally went and had the angioplasty done on my leg. I had a stent put in 2 years ago to repair a damaged artery, at my 18 month check-up, I had a 50% blockage in the same leg. So today they fixed it. The findings were interesting, the only blockage was in the stent itself. So much for the repair.
Holly still has some rough spots but for the most part seems to be on the mend. Here's hoping we are in shape by April fools day, as we're off to the sun for 2 weeks.
Yes Ma'am, Holly, you are correct, nothing hurt but my temper. The bumpy off-roading knocked a hole in my already-aged water pump, so that was replaced, along with a little evap system tube; got the whole cooling system flushed and I was good to go. Morons need to learn to NOT pass AROUND a curve on a double-yellow -- especially if they're hauling a trailer. DUH.
Ric - LOL and YIKES!!! I'm glad you were able to get that repaired, and REALLY glad it was the stent itself and not your actual artery. What would make the stent get a build-up like that though? Aren't they supposed to **not** do that!? Sheesh! How's the leg feeling today?
Holly, I sure hope your back is getting better, even if it's not quite feeling like it just yet. Maybe the fun in the sun in April will be JUST the ticket for both of you! Time for a little R&R (or maybe just a bit of R?) for BOTH of you!
Was windy as all get-out all day yesterday and last night, but I think it's calmed down a bit by now. Was expecting all sorts of limbs to be in the road on my way to work yesterday morning, but I tell ya, the SMECO guys have been out for MONTHS, trimming and preparing for such things. Not a limb or twig in sight! I think I need to write to SMECO to tell them what a great job I think they're doing.
Edit: There we go, a nice "Thank You" note has been sent to SMECO for their great service. :)
This message was edited Mar 14, 2014 5:12 AM
I went most of yesterday without pain meds. They make me feel lousy. Of course I didn't do more than sit on the lounge chair and occasionally walk around in the house. Once down to the Chickies. Oh I have had some much rest that I could scream.
speedie those thank yous must be few an far between, bless you
Holly, I'm sure hoping that being able to move around helps you loosen up and finishes fixing you up.
I wondered out to the Lamppost Bed this morning pretty cold out there but I was able to get down on hands and knees without discomfort and do a little bed cleaning. Not much but it made me feel better doing a bit of gardening. That bed is just filled with spring bulbs so it is the first bed I clean in the spring. The cold really chased me inside but I may try again later and who knows I could end up with a clean bed by the end of the day or maybe the weekend. Depending on how things go. LOL
I don't know why it did that speedie. I was part of a part of a test group for a new Flexistent, in my opinion it failed. There was no mention of it being medicated, as some of the newer ones are to prevent just that from happening. I'm hoping that this will be like the older ones used, many of those patients receiving stents went a year or two later for an angioplasty then were fine. I'm a little bruised and achy, but not too much worse for wear.
Glad to hear that Ric & Holly are both improving -- Aruba, here we come!
Speedie, thankful to hear there was nothing worse than a busted water pump. Sheesh. "Moron" doesn't cover it.