Anyone care for coffee and....? :-)

I guess I got tired when I sat in my chair (picture a little...nope...BIG old lady snoring in her recliner. :-D) I can't keep my eyes open and if get too 'awake' I'll be up all night.

Catch up with ya in the morning.

~julie~

Im listening to DH snore. Its so cute when he starts to talk, LOL. Why do men like thier hand in the pants when they sleep? Too funny

D.C. LOL for sure on that one as I just got up, poured my coffe and stumbled to the computer...only had one sip so far. I'm not responsible for anything I say for the next hour. :-D And obviousdly (oopssssss) can't control the fingers either. Not a good time for comment yet. hehehe

~julie~

Good to see everyone is still indulging...I might like drop or two of hot chocolate and just a tiny dollop of whipped cream on top...otherwise I'm going to be Very Good today, lest I no longer fit in my loose jeans and have to carouse New Year's eve in my jammies. My computer went back to the cyberstore for a free virus scan and hard drive cleck up and I'm forced to use DH's, he had to go to work today. I might actually get something done instead of cruising the forums and babbling to other frustrated gardeners. I don't even dare open a catalog, that will be the end of anything constructive. Did you eat up all the biscotti? I tried pignolas (pine nuts) in the chocolate dipped ones this year....and those thumbprint cookies have pomegranate/raspberry jelly in them, so try those too. Ahhhhhhhhh, whipped cream, elixer of the dedicated dessert freak Yummmm See ya later, got a hot date with the vacuum cleaner...........................! Kinda hate to pick up those empty gift boxes with the tissue paper in them, cats have been such a great time playing hide and seek in them...........

Good Morning! Can someone please pass the fudge? I feel the need for chocolate........

Well - another year almost gone. I'm looking forward to a new one - got a new job and many blessings to be thankful for - one of which is all my good friends here at DG. So - to all my friends here - I wish you a Happy New Year! Be safe and I'll stop by again later....

M.

Good morning, it's early here in the Pacific time zone, still very dark out but the family is all up and functioning! We have an extended family here in our house with youngest son and his wife living here temporarily and a bachelor friend also stays here. DIL cooks breakfast, I do dinner, good system! We share clean up, try to coordinate laundry days, showers (one bathroom) etc, it works well. My son and our friend have gone to work already, the company they work for is building a church in town. After today all the work will be inside, none too soon because I think our winter has just arrived for real. It's about a month late but that was good for getting the building framed and the roof on it.
Hot chocolate does sound good this morning with some of that biscotti for dunking. No calories in these cyber treats is a good thing because the leftover Christmas cookies are just way too handy. Yesterday I bought some Siberian Iris seeds on ebay. I know they don't have the best germination rate and won't bloom until next year but I thought they were worth a try and it's something different. This one is called Ceaser's Brother, dark blue. I have one surviving plant of a lighter blue, had a nice clump, dug and divided them, gave lots away and then didn't get mine replanted until last spring. The tubers laid in my greenhouse floor getting a bit of water now and then which I thought should keep them alive. I planted 5 and only saw one last summer. Kicked myself for that one. Should have given them a home in a pot under the gh bench and I would have had flowers! Maybe that survivor will bloom this year, last year it didn't even make many leaves.
Well, I should go now, nice to see all of you, have a great day. Happy New Year, be careful with the partys and the partyers on the roads. Unless we go to our neighbors we stay home and go to bed early.

mary, you don't have neighbors..you have "distants"..lol..i've been there, you can't fool me!

Happy New Year all.

*streeeeeeeeetch* Well mornin' y'all! Someone pass me those thumbprint cookies. I can't say I've ever had pomegranate jam, yumm!

So I'm gonna have the bestest New Year's today ever! I'm working half a day (in my blue jeans I might add) and then I'm off to have lunch downtown with my sweetheart. I'm going to suprise him with tickets to the Peachbowl and take him to the Fanfest peprally after lunch. He's a U of Miami graduate and he was giving up watching this bowl game to spend the evening on the couch at my house vegging out. I don't even have ESPN. He's such a keeper! I can't wait to see his face, it'll so be worth sitting through football (ick) for. :)

I hope y'all have equally happy New Year's!

WOW!!! it's GREAT to see so many of our group here this morning. I'm on the 3rd cup of strong black coffee...hehehe I stashed a couple of those Biscotti so I'm doing fine now. Thanks for all the treats, everyone!

MEEZERS!! Hi from the other side of the State! Good to see ya hanging out with us. Boy I know what you mean with the freezes and thaws...and it's not much better here in the sand. I'm just hoping *something* survives this strange weather. (Super looking kitty you have there! ...and can you all believe that there's NOT a speck of dust on that computer table??? :-O ;-))

Okus...can you believe that when I finished high school the hottest job out there was "Key punch" data entry? Talk about "old"...I'm not feeling that way...I AM! hehehe

Kooger that crack about the "nice clean floor" had me ROTFLMBO! Hate to tell you, but I think my New Year's resolution is going to have to be CLEAN the cotton picken HOUSE! :-D (Good thing about THIS table is we can just all blow the dust away and it'll *never* come back. hehehe Oh...and you're welcome to leave those boxes on my counter, maybe they'll get opened here and I'll be able to ooo and ahhhh with you guys.

Mary...I think Green Bay is getting your weather...but here in the SW corner of the state the grass is turning green and the perennials are starting to sprout! :-O And yes, I saw those orange coneflowers and wondered if anyone else noticed them. They are TERRIBLY expensive...I think I'm going to treat myself to some Black-eyed susan vine seeds though...have to at least give them a try. ;-)

BLOOMS! You really MUST show us more pics of your adventures. Do you ever take any when you're out "rammin'" (I take it that that's what I cal "4-wheelin'" right?) If so it's a *good* thing we aren't living closer to each other...we'd *never* be home. :-D

Hey Eco-Angie...you sound just like me..."I want...and...and...and" LOL This is probably the *most* expensive time of the year for my pocketbook (read that hubby's wallet :-D). I'm already starting my 'wishlist' and am actually finding things that DH "approves" of. hehehe He just don't know HOW much work I have planned for HIM to do. Oh...feel free to take some of the duplicate catalogs I've got here.

Mary...I didn't get that coreopsis but I did buy the "Heaven's Gate" from Park's last year. I was kinda disappointed but then I didn't do a very good of nurturing it. Then I was afraid to leave it outside for the winter because of conflicting Zone hardiness for the plant. So now it's sitting dormant (I hope!) in my basement. Got my fingers crossed for spring.

Jo (roadrunner), great to see you here. Welcome to our table.
...Calamari? Uhhhh...I'm not *that* adventurous. :-D I kinda stick to lobster or chicken...they're pretty hard to disguise. LOL

D.C. can I come spend my winter with you? I really wouldn't mind working outside (...and accomplishing something!) instead of just munching and gaining weight back. Halloween did it! I *love* Maryjanes...and my DH gave me several bags before Walmart closed out the candy aisle for Christmas. tsk tsk tsk....bad julie!

Hey meezers...I wonder if I should have taken MY computer to someone else to 'fiddle' with. I hate it when I'm forced to do those utilitarian tasks. And I'd much rather NOT deal with defragging my C: drive...scares me to death. And as for virus protection, I swear by Grisoft's AVG. They have a free version for personal use. I've installed it on ALL the computers in this family. That way the email THEY send me is virus free! :-D

Mary, I had to LOL about your Irises sitting in the gh. Would you believe that when I cleaned off my computer table to install that new DVD writer that I found a tuber of some sort stuck in a pile of papers? :-D :-D Lord knows what it was before it shrivelled up in there.

HI Lisa! Good to see you poppin' in, too! And here's wishing you a Happy New Year in return!

Eco-Angie....tickets to the Peach Bowl? You're a *real* peach for doing that. I'll bet his face is going to light up like a kid at Christmas!

Now...I haven't refreshed this page...in fact I've been reading the posts and writing my response in a different window. hehehe I've gotten bit by the Dumper more than once when I've written long replies. So if I've missed anyone...just sit down and enjoy yourself til I get back. OH and don't buy anything without me! :-D

~julie~

P.S. Just in case I don't get back here today (highly unlikely!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you ALL!!!

Wow! tickets for the Peachbowl. Lucky guy, with a girl like you... may be live action will make it more interesting. Tho without the camera to show me where the ball landed I'd probably never know.

...oh good there's thumbprint cookies left - with raspberry? that's the way we had em when I was a kid. Pomegranate jam? Seedy? ohkay pass me one. mmmm good. Here have another biscotti, that bag my nephew sent is huge, one of those giant zip locks full.

Marye, I gave a friend a wash basin FULL of Iris that had been waiting for planting for two years - she had 'em in the ground the next day and they're loving it. Would ya believe there's a dishpan full of white ones that's still not planted. I'm ashamed to have left them struggling to survive for so long.

What? sure, stop by and I'll give ya a shovel full - they've shrunk in size but they're for sure still viable. Tough plant Iris, seems they'll take anything but soil over their toes.

The wind here this morning has my new chimes dancing in the peach tree outside my kitchen window. Big storm coming to the upper part of the state, means we get winds that knock stuff over. Doesn't necessarily mean we get the moisture.

Hope everybody has a safe New Year's Eve and that all of us'n on DG have the best and bloomingest year ever.
HAPPY NEW YEAR'S to EVERYBODY ~Blooms

Julie, I gotta learn that 'other window' stuff. I think my computor wasn't behaving last night. Can't find some of the stuff I 'know' I posted - as in ooops I put one in the wrong thread heehee.

We were talking at the same time. A failing of mine. All my friends know to hush me now and then. I get going and one tale leads to another.

Ramming is running the roads be they paved or dirt, Dirt is better cause then there's nobody behind me when I screech to a halt to take pictures. I can't do really rugged 4-wheel stuff, don't have the clearance... but I have loved my Subarus all three of them. The 79 was the best cause it was shorter and a bit higher, with it's rear end cocked higher too.

Here's a pic of the one I drive now one one of those roads leading into the canyons in AZ.

This message was edited Dec 31, 2004 12:18 PM

Blooms we have SO much in common...LOL. Screeching to a halt is my signature behavior! So much so that the Grands know to buckle up if they're riding with me for a photo-op. :-D

About 20+ years ago, I was notorious for getting into spots that my DH would have killed had he known about. hehehe. I was also known for getting my old Scout 4-wheel drive STUCK! :-D Once it was in my own back yard...and now that's a story that DH and the kids just LOVE to relive. But you have to remember that back then 4-wheel drive wasn't automatic like it is today...you actually had to get out and TURN the "knockouts" (I buried that sucker to frame that day...DH goes out and does his magic and the darn thing drove right out of the holes I'd dug. :-D)

And then there was the day I took out cross country in the summer over what looked like solid ground. Well....the grass was really tall so I could honestly tell.
:-D THEN I ran into what I know know was 'creek' beds or water shed gulleys. The only problem was some of them were pretty deep...like water running into the car!

Maybe I'm a little worse than you are. ROTFL

~julie~

That's a bit more than I go... but then I've never had a 'real'
4-WD - But I watched the guy in front of me turn the thingy on the wheels of his Jeep so I shifted my li'l ol Subaru into four wheel too. No point jouncing in 2 wheel when it gets that rough.

It was only a little rocky, seen worse, just go slow drive around the worse stuff [or straddle it] and then this guy in an Explorer who had passed us on his way in met us on the way out and stopped, grinned and said: "Subaru or no Subaru, you're gonna have ta turn around in bout half a mile... the Bill Williams River is in the road."

Heehee, just the 'little old lady from Pasadena' - as my Mom would say: "Don't loan her your Daddy's Cadillac"
Not that my Dad ever had one. My kids say the thought of me with a real monster of a 4-Wheel is too scarey to contemplate. I figure it's to get ya outta trouble NOT into it.

LOL Blooms...don't bet on THAT one! They've gotten me into more trouble than anyone would care to hear about! :-D :-D (Hmmmm....that Bill Williams River sounds like *just* the right place for me. However, I don't think DH would appreciate me taking *his* new Ford pickup out there. :-D)

~julie~

Found you !

BBL

Julie, with a pickup's clearance there were several side roads we could go. My wimpy car wouldn't quite handle it.

Well, actually, the distance from the nearest 'help' across a combination of lush choking growth & water in the River's direction and Cholla/Saguarjo desert in the other - combined with at least 30miles of slogging thru either, plus my friends COPD problems kept me a little more cautious than I am around here where I feel a bit more daring.

Scooter does that "BBL" mean blah, blah ladies or "be back later?" :-D (Glad you found the table too!

Blooms...I'm afraid you and I would have a GREAT time out there. That is, of course, if know how grab my nitro and take the wheel. hehehe. Maybe I *am* too old for mud boggin' after all. (Nah! ;-))

~julie~

Out here there's little bog Julie... heehee just rock of various shapes and sizes and slant with gravelly grit to pack it in...

If it comes up a shower, there ARE stretches of mancos shale sand that are flat treacherous when wet, even with four wheel. we'd have two choices, Julie, turn around while still on reg ground or park and take pics, eat, yak, or read.

I always have a book to read or photography mag in my car. Old habit, never know when ya might get the urge to read. oh, I brought a plate of cinnamon crunch topped coffee cake... haven't made it over ten years... dare ya ta try it.

I'll have a piece of that coffee cake Blooms...but only if you'll try my strawberry rhubarb sour cream one (I grew the fruits and saved them especially for this group!)

And while we're at it, I'll trade you a little bit of my woods and water for your rocky terrain, what do ya say?

~julie~

Good deal, go for anything with rhubarb.

And started as a kid on Sunday afternoon we drove woods-lined roads with my Mom at the wheel of a 36 Dodge Terraplane and on the whole THAT was a car. Watched her back up two miles on a two lane rutted one lined up tight with trees when we came to a deadfall in the road.

Good example. Right? Never been to Wisconsin... YET

LOL...I've done my share of driving in reverse, let me tell ya. :-D

You're welcome at my place in WI *any* time! Just bring your camera and LOTS of bug repellant!

~julie~

TNX - I have a list of states and places I've never visited or only crossed on the way to Sis's in NY. I don't use the Interstates 'less I'm forced to. Kansas is a wonderful state to cross as long as you stay off I-70.

There's so many little county parks and lakes. And great second hand stores. all along rte 50 and rte 166. Spent half an afternoon looking for the 'original' Little House on the Prairie. Got thourougly lost but a kindly farmer got me straight.

If I'm in a 'hurry' I use rte 36 all the way from Denver to Indianapolis. That way I get to stop in Hannibal and check out Twain's River.
I'd love an excuse to check out Wisconsin.
Okay, now to today. First thing all the ornamentals I hauled in before the tree trimmers came are in boxes in there.

Hello everyone. Could I have just a wee bit of both of those coffee cake flavors, please. I thought about bringing my leftover fruitcake, maybe tomorrow. It's home made, started with a banana bread recipe, got prunes and dates and nuts added and NONE of that colored orange peel stuff anymore, I want REAL fruit.
Oh look here at this Amaranthus called Love Lies Bleeding. What a crazy looking plant! Anybody grow it? It seems that on every page there is another plant that needs to come to my garden, but then there are limits to what I can care for and there is only so much cultivated space. Oh, and then there is water. Well, that's what these wish books are for. We can enjoy the plants without weeding or watering.
A few days ago I made some grape jam from juice I had frozen. 2 batches turned out fine, the third one is pancake and ice cream syrup because I forgot to add the pectin until after I had the sugar in it. There evidently IS a reason they tell you to add the pectin to the fruit or juice, bring it to a boil and then add the sugar.
Oh, boy, now I'm looking at Astilbe, such nice feathery looking things. Oh well.
Time to go, you all have a great day. Count your blessings.

Hey Mary... remember the funny photo our own Dave Whittinger posted with the "Amaranthus / Love Lies Bleeding" wig on his head? LOL, that was so funny!

Please bring a small piece of the fruitcake so I can try it. Sounds like I'd like it.

I may be by later if I can get a nap. Four days with my half-sister and neice have worn me out. Glad they left this morning.

Ooooo, Mary, I want to try that fruit cake too! Sounds delicious! I hat to admit it, but my MIL make one fantastic "fruit" cake. Filled with dates, pecans, and cherries, it lasts a long time until I can't stand it anymore. hehehe then I eat it by chunks. It would be simply WONDERFUL soaked in brandy or rum...yum (But I think she might not like that idea at all. LOL Oh well... ;-))

Darius, sometimes the nicest thing about having family come to visit is having them go home so we can rest up. (You'll have to find that thread with the love-lies-a-bleeding wig. I'd LOVE to see that!)

~julie~

Julie, here's the thread with the photo: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/115582/

Now *that's* great!! I think we all need to grow the plant AND wear the wigs! We might just start a purple hat and red HAIR trend!

Thanks Darius...what a hoot!

~julie~

OOOPSIE !

This message was edited Jan 2, 2005 5:35 PM

I need to grow that plant so that I can have long, thick hair and not have to -un-shade out the gray.
If I may, could I stop and share the scones that I can make quite quickly? I would love to share some of the goodies offered, didn't do much baking this holiday.
Some winter in WI Julie- did you get the white stuff for Christmas AM? It was nice to see, could have done without the icy rain yesterday though. I think most of the US has seen more snow than we in southcentral WI have. :( I need it for my plants.
Anyone see the new green zinnia in Burpees (I don't think it was Parks) anyway, I cannot see the difference between it and "Envy" that they also carry. Opinions anyone?

SAW the thread with Dave WEARING love lies bleeding on his head. Man has a great sense of humor. LOL
TNX

I'll have a slice of that fruitcake, homemade recipes don't have all that bitter fruit rind in them. Oooh that's good. If I don't stop indulging in sweet stuff I'm gonna get sick.

O yeah, that's right cyber food is non caloric. and sugar doesn't count either. Wondrful.

mmmmm Scones. I used to make some pretty decent scones in a cast iron frying pan over a campfire. I liked cooking over a campfire, did a lot of it when my kids were little. What IS it about the season that makes one want to munch more or less continually??

Munch more or less continually is akin to bulking up for hibernation, LOL.

Wouldn't mind hibernating. been napping a lot, just that low light thingy I thinks.

Unfortunately I think my 'napping' is more age-related, LOL.

Ummm, scones sound good. Please pass them my way. Next year I think I will make easier stuff to give away to friends and neighbors for Christmas. Cookies are very time consuming. Anybody got a good recipe?

I make scones, one kind for myself (oatmeal/dried currants), and a spongy kind (orange/yogurt) I used to make for my old housemate. Guess it's time to make more for myself! But, pass one to me for now, please...

Mary, the butter cookies I made this year were tasty, not too sweet and each batch made about 8 dozen, so it wasn't all that time-consuming. My choc/mint brownies are, because it's a 3 stage process. But SO worth it!

This year I tried Chocolate Mint Brownies. I was making them late in the evening, had the butter melted and dumped in the chips to melt, oops, the green ones. You guessed it, I called 'em Greenies and we ate them all. I thought you could use a good laugh.

LOL!

Mary! And you didn't even share those with us??? :-D I *love* that! I do things like that ALL the time!

Hi Marcia! Boy it's been a weird winter for sure, so far. We got a dusting of snow for Christmas morning...but it was all but gone in a very short time. This ice we got is a *mess*! Glad I'm able to stay inside...and also glad I have one covered set of steps to ground level in case I *do* need to get out. ;-) Don't like falling on my bass any more than anyone else.

Ok...I tried NOT to look at those scones...but pass the plate this way, please. I'll take one for the road as I head to bed with my ice water.

~julie~

Oh UGH!! No snow to speak of and today we are scheduled for freezing rain! Hahaha about the "no dust" on my computer desk, I have a DUST filter on my camera so dust, cat hair and etc. don't show up in photos. I'm shopping for a "Wrinkle " filter next. heeheehee You don't have to watch out for seeds in the pomegranate/raspberry thumbprints, I squeeze the pomegranate through my potato ricer and just use the juice, then mix that with the raspberry juice before I make the jelly. Love the color! Now I just saw a coupon in the Sunday paper coupon insert for botlted pomegranate juice, but I wonder if it's like those other bottled juices, where they use about 10% juice and the rest apple juice or sugar water. I know just how Darius feels about company leaving, we had dinner guests three days in a row and although I love them all dearly, boy was I ready to see NOBODY for a couple of days. Sometimes I miss the days when my kids were teens and the house was always full of sleep over guests, and cousins and friends, but then I gather my wits and realize I'd be pretty cranky if I dealt with that oise and confusion. I kinda like the quiet....
Want to hear my pie story? Sure you do. My brother in law came to visit, over the holiday. I had made a super sized pumpkin pie for dessert Xmas eve, but since my daughter in law brought a pie with them, we only used about three slicesof it , since some wanted the other pie or wanted a half slice of each. I made it in my deep 10" pie dish, so even a half slice was pretty generous. I was happy to have so much left, because I had more company coming the next day. Got up the next morning, and while brewing the second pot of coffee, Brother in Law stuck his head around the corner and said, "Would you mind me havin' some more of that pie??" I said, "I'm going to use it for dessert tonight, ,if you're hungry there's breakfast in a few minutes:.. He Said,smirking, (sit down this is a good one) "Hunhhh HUnnh, I only asked ''cuz I already had some!!" Ohmigod, I looked at the pie. There was one unevenly cut slice left. HE ATE HALF A PIE!!! No I didn't kill him. But one day.................! OK I'm just gonna have another little warm up in my coffee, and then I'm going to get busy. Ohhh only 8 more days to get my own computer back, can I stand it??

Meezers...that's funny. Don't you just love those kinds of surprises?

I got my C: HD defragged last night...finally! I was scared stiff of doing that one. Afraid that when I got up my entire computer would have blown up. Whweeeeee! It's still alive!

~julie~