Best & Worst, what did I learn today. July 2025

New thread, we came from here
https://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1571507/?page=3#post_10577628

This message was edited Jul 18, 2025 8:12 PM

We have NOTHING scheduled and I could not be happier about that! Too many commitments. We have the neck coolers all sewn but are waiting on the water absorbing crystals so we can finish the job.

Movers coming on Thursday, but now my "cleaner" friend is heading out the day before, to a funeral in Manitoba so she won't be able to help. She'll be gone until after I'm gone We took a load of garbage to the dump today and Monday will be another trip to the Thrift Shop to off-load some stuff. Then I'll take my car & cargo trailer to my mechanic's to have him look after my oil & my trailer hitch lights etc. Moving furniture around that they'll take & not take.
I'm supposed to go for breakfast at Kraft Pond tomorrow with the Fish & Game people, and Tuesday night at Dianne's for a weiner roast. Now that it's just me, it's going to be tougher to get everything done.

Thanks for the new thread Pat.
Susan, we will be praying for you, that the moves goes smoothly for you.

Thank you, Linda Kay - appreciate it. I know that things will go smoothly for the new place, I stress slightly about getting things wrapped up here though. I have to take down my security system and return it, plus my home phone's modem & return it, too. Security system requires stepping up on a ladder & removing the camera in the backyard & maybe the camera in the living room. I want to make sure I return everything required or I get charged for it.

Getting everything returned and not accidently packed up can be a problem!

Good luck with the move. It is often considered a very high stressor. I always helped other people move with my truck but when it came time for me to move, nobody would help. I would only do it now if I am properly paid for my time, my truck, gas and labour.
My mind and life is all about plants. I can't help it. So I now have a "Jack & the bean stalk" tree in the front yard. It's Paulownia kawakamii, which is a critically endanger species in habitat. Better to grow this one than the invasive P. tomentosa. It really looked sickly so I eventually found a pdf instructing me to cut the trunk to the ground and leave 1 bud. Leaves are huge and the trunk is over 2" width. It grows taller every day. I even rooted some cuttings which I couldn't believe they took. Finally they are paving the road out-front this Friday. Grit dust is everywhere. All the plants and vehicles have a thick covering of dust. My truck died today which is a bummer as a friend had just done some trimming on his Iochroma australe & Fabiana imbricata ‘Violacea’, both of which I really, really want cuttings. I don't know why my truck refused to run but I lost out on the cuttings as a result. I guess the best of today was attempting to pull all the fireweed from inside the greenhouse. Slow big job.

Being helpful and not receiving help is very disappointing.

We got ALL the neck ties sewn, including the filling of the product in it. We are hydrating them now, will include ice late tonight and deliver them all tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be a BUSY day. First the movers (9:30 - 10:30 arrival), then I take my car back to the mechanic's to finish getting the cargo trailer set up, THEN I go to the lawyer's to sign off on the Offer To Purchase papers. He'd wanted me to come in July 30th, but I told him NO, my movers arrive tomorrow, and I leave Friday at the crack of dawn. We first saw him May 26th, two months ago, and he kept saying that he would have the paperwork ready to sign "early next week". He set up for me to come at 3pm tomorrow. NOT impressed. I'd hoped to spend the afternoon cleaning so I can get some rest and leave in the morning. Now, I'm running around hither & yon, I tried to mow the lawn today, because I've sold the lawnmower to Dianne & will take it to her tomorrow afternoon when I'm on my way to the lawyer's. Started to rain, so I stopped. Earlier today I called the people who installed the furnace, because RAIN got in where they installed the new chimney last Oct. My buyer was NOT amused when he saw this.

Good luck with everything, Susan. This will be a hectic and stressful day for you. Praying all goes well.

Oh the last-minute hassles. I will be praying for you!

We spent 6+ hours at SVdP hanging up clothes etc, and passing out the cooling neck scarfs. Then off the Goodwill outlet where they sell clothes by the pound. The SVdP free clothing boutique just does not have enough jeans for men etc. We also bought sleeping bags, backpacks. I was exhausted by evening.

This weekend is the boat races. I would love to be anywhere else. Not only do we have our own crazies, we will have all the others from 200 miles away.

It took me FOREVER to mow the lawn today, or so it seemed! I usually mow the back yard a different day from the side & front. I only have to weedeat everyother mowing in the front. TODAY I had it all, front, back, side & all the weedeating. I ran out 2 full batteries on the weedeater and had to go back to finish.
I have such a farmer's tan. Brown from the elbows down, neck and face and everything else as white as a ghost. Today I mowed in a tank top bathing suit top to try & even it out a little.
Marie, Debbie (a good friend, she also on the cruise with us) and myself are all enrolled in a pet portait art class next Saturday. I hope it's worth the cost!

The pet portrait class should be fun! You'll have to post a photo of yours when you're done.

I hope Susan has safely made it to Manitoba.

Another hot steamy day here, and it's supposed to stay in the 90's for the next few days. Definitely hotter than usual for us in the midwest.

Me too! I was hoping Susan would have a chance to post.

90 degrees would NOT be above normal for us. Although, thankfully, our heat is very dry. When I flew to AZ years ago, the first thing that hit me was it was even drier than here. I had to go get eye drops. When my DDIL came 10 years ago from China with my son to visit, the dryness was an issue for her.

Yes, I'll post pics of all our work, my sis, Debbie & me. I will also try to get the orginal photo that the painting was based on posted with it.

I saw Susan posted on Facebook that she's there, and she loves her new place.

Hey. I've been working on a project since lastnight. There is a woman who lives up Vancouver Island and knew me by all my pic uploads to DG. She sells seed online. We have decided to do a street tree seed expedition in Vancouver in a while. 2 plant nerds with lists and bins in the back of my truck. What's so cool and very helpful is a webpage which plots all of the street trees. https://vancouver.treemap.ca/ and I found an app where I can enter every address and it creates the best routes to each address. Unfortunately the map only used the common names. But it is very cool. There are some rare trees such as the Hardy Rubber Tree (Eucommia ulmoides) which is surprisingly hardy to zone 4. So I'm stoked to have my comrade accompany me with the seed harvesting. Some people who approach me tend to be confused or concerned what I'm doing to the tree. I try to harvest in stealth mode and leave promptly when I have enough.

So, they finally paved the road out front. There is a layer of orange grit all over my 40' plastic greenhouse, the floors of the house and coating all of the plants. I guess I'll wait and let the rain wash it off from the greenhouse. Sure is nice with the much safer road. Unfortunately people will probably speed more often now. They come flying down the hill at 80K in a 50 zone which makes backing out of my driveway dangerous.
What's good is that I was able to do a 72 plug tray of cuttings of Fremontodendron 'California Glory'. The stock plant was completely covered in beautiful blooms over a month ago (below)

Sounds like a VERY cool project. Tell me more about harvesting the seeds. I guess I never thought much about trees making seeds, other than maple trees which were the bane of my existence when I lived on Jean street in Kennewick for more than 10 years. I cleaned up after that tree 3 x a year. Leaves, pollen and seed pods.

Marie & I are in the midst of altering clothes. EVERYTHING my sister wears ends up needing altering. Shortening, resetting waist bands/ and /or darts added.

Sounds like everyone is busy.
Susan, we are praying you are getting settled into your new home.

CRAZY busy right now. I look forward to an update from all of you.

We had company for dinner last night. We are not the best house keepers and always do a GOOD of cleaning before we have company. My cat sheds like crazy so it means vacuuming all the chairs. NOT my favorite job.

My bedroom closet is very small and with the addition of the new clothes I bought, I have to go thru it really well and take out excess. Marie has a tendency to buy me clothes and I hate to hurt her feelings. I have told her please don't buy me more Tshirts, she doesn't listen well. I was much more disciplined living on Jean street. 1 in 1 out. I am going to have to reinstate that rule if I want it all to always fit. I hate having clothes jammed in a closet. I'd rather than less clothes.

Been a busy week. Had a surgical procedure on Monday, healing, I guess, at least not as painful as the week has gone on. Hope I'll be back to normal by next weekend, I've got one of my boys entered in dog shows both days.
I hope Susan is settling in, and happy in her new place.
I understand the small closet problem, Pat. It's sure frustrating when people don't listen, but, you know she does it out of love.

Deb, I know she does it out of love and just really doesn't realize how many black Tshirts with slogans she has bought me plus all the other stuff. I don't wear Tshirts but RARELY. She has a shopping problem. I've encouraged her to delete that shopping app and she said she would. I don't know if you meant it when she said it, but she's not willing now to delete. Oh well.

Good afternoon everyone.
I had to get a new phone last week. After I made the purchase, I handed him my old phone and ask him to transfer my data and apps.
He tells me they no longer do that. So I have had to do it myself. It's not that easy. I finally got DG loaded, and had to sign in 3 times.
I hope this goes through.
Deb, good luck with the dog show.

Hi all. Sorry that I haven't been posting. 9 hours drive on the 25th, stayed in a hotel (slept 10 hours), then drove straight through to Winnipeg only stopping for gas. Arrived late Saturday afternoon, got help from staff at the block to unload my car and trailer, then unpacked/put away that night. Next morning movers brought everything else. My nephew and his wife came by with some lovely arm chairs. I went thrift store shopping today and got antique furniture for the rest of my home - they'll deliver on Wed. Also on Wednesday my niece and her husband will bring me a dresser. Friday I get a desk delivered. That's it, that's all.
I love the view. People are nice, too. I haven't felt so calm and peaceful for a long time.
I got my new phone number, too, so I'll be able to get a buzz code (can't do long distance). All in all, I'm exhausted but it's a good feeling.
This is my view. I face south and west with lots of natural light

I'll post pics of inside when I get my furniture in, and my sewing table installed. Oh yeah, I need a sewing machine lol

Susan, you mean you need to set up your sewing machine, or you need to BUY one? You really went at it getting all that arranged. I can hear your peacefulness in your post in spite of the all the work you accomplished.
Linda, that sucks! That's a LOT of work to transfer all that data.
Deb, how did your dog do?

Beautiful views, Susan. How high up are you?
Dog shows are next weekend.
I got a new phone about a month ago, I was able to get my son to transfer everything for me, otherwise, I don't know if I'd have it done, yet. For some reason I'm completely lost when it comes to doing much with my phone. Glad you got it set up. You would think, if you're buying the phone from them, that it's a service they would offer. I bought my phone online, but, if I had bought it from a store, I would have expected that to be a service included in the purchase.

Thanks for the update Susan..sounds like you are getting settled in. Your views are beautiful.
I don't know if it is just the cricket service or what, but they would not transfer my data and apps.

Yes, I would have thought it would have been a service that was included in your purchase! It's a shame that you had to do it on your own.
I'm on the 17th floor.
Good luck with the dog shows.
I need to buy a new sewing machine and set up the sewing table on the wall.

I'm grateful that a new sewing machine is not on my "have to buy list"! I hope you find one you love for a reasonable price.

From our painting class.

Wow! You both did a fantastic job!

Pat, those are awesome.

Thanks!
I have chipped my front tooth; I this one was just repaired LAST week!

Oh no. Sorry to hear that.

It was the very edge and they were able to smooth the surface & not do anything else. Guess I was lucky. They said "as we age, the enamel gets thinner, especially along the edges" and it was just the edge of the tooth, not a broken filling etc.

So glad it was just chipped, Pat. Those paintings are darling and so good!
Today, after much tribulation, my computer desk arrives. It's coming from 1 hour out of Winnipeg and he's charging $300 delivery, but I've seen the desk, and it's worth it. Next is to mount a mirror on my new-to-me dresser and then buy a 4 poster bed. THEN I'll have a house warming party for family and friends. SO looking forward to that

Sorry to hear about your tooth. I lost all of my upper teeth and now have dentures. You know you are getting old when.....

Check out my Paulownia kawakamii! So weird. Online stuff said to cut it to the ground and leave a bud. It's like Jack and the beanstock. I planted a full plug tray of seed so I hope they germinate. They are endangered in the wild so not the bad rap of it's brother, Paulownia tomentosa. I recently found this very cool seed site: https://www.mediterraneanseedsandbulbs.com/ and did an order. Most people aren't aware there is a blip of Mediterranean climate here on the west coast of BC. Ordered some cool stuff and will order again this year. Several of my retail customers asked me to focus more on the rare/obscure stuff so I was delighted to come across this site. Germination seed is getting easier with learning how to stratify/scarify seed.
Finally they paved the road infront of my property. Thick layer of grit on everything on my property. Good thing I haven't been selling plants this year as they are all coated with a layer. I've been growing quite a bit of seed this year as I shipped a large batch of Acer macrophyllum and Trachycarpus fortunei. Doing it as a trade made for a good order of other seed. Well, hope you are all well.
Mike

Oh, forgot to mention, considering some of you are in zones 2, 3, 4, etc I came across seed of Halimodendron halodendron which is very cold hardy. Nice shrub with lots of blooms. It's available on the site I mentioned above.

Desk delivered, computer parts installed and now I can get on the internet, fully.
Tired, time for a nap

Sounds like you are getting settled in Susan.
Pat, glad to hear the tooth was an easy fix.
That plant is tall. Very pretty.