Hi From the Antelope Valley Mountains

Hi there! I'm new here and live in the mountains above the Antelope Valley in California. We're at an elevation slightly above 4000 feet and we do get an occasional snow here but the summers are very hot and very dry. My husband and I try our hands at gardening every year...its been a learning experience, thats for sure! We do all kinds...flowers, fruits, and veggies.

We have a great little spot of land with lotsa big pine trees and big open areas, and some shaded areas. We have two apricots, two almonds, two cheries (new), two pears, three peaches, one plum, blackberry bushes, and a nice big strawberry patch. Ive got one potted blueberry that produces like crazy and he just planted a couple in the ground this spring to see how they'd do. We also grow some herbs, I have a lavender garden he grows potatoes and onions and together we try to tackle a few tomatoes (usually a few heirloom varietys) every year. And I have a variety of flowers, roses, and flowering shrubs. We also have about 30 lilacs.

I'm a quilter but in the summer I usually spend more time outside than I do in the sewing studio. I like challenges so I spend alot of time nurturing and trying to grow plants that aren't normally found in these parts. I'm originally from Ohio and I have one garden that I call my Ohio garden...which supports some nice hostas and other shady plants that flourish in the spring, suffer but survive our hot and dry summers.

We've had an exceptional year for rain and there is stuff popping up in my yard this year that I had forgotten was even there! Think I'll head out there right now and see how many of my garlic plants I lost to the gophers last night. Everyone told me that gophers hate garlic...well...I'm here to tell you thats not so. They completely wiped out one entire crop and are working on my second one now. (and the second one is in my wooden raised garden...a wooden worm bin from the days when my hubby and his ex roomate thought they would become millionaires raising worms...LOL.... they found one of the drain holes and musta thought they found heaven) I'm willing to sacrifice the garlic...if they'll only leave my peas alone. (Garlic is cheap) So far, so good...we've got more peas than whe know what to do with!

Janis...in Lake Hughes, Elizabeth Lake, CA

Waving from south west KY!

Welcome to DG! It's a great community here, and you sound like you'll fit right in.

So, you're a quilter.....we just had the AQS show and convention in Paducah...my mom...(YoYo1 here on DG) is a docent at the MAQS and we had a great time last month...Kathleen from here at DG flew in and joined us.

We saw lots of wonderful quilts and are a LOT poorer from all the stuff we bought at the vendors. I got metallic fabric dyes (I'm a textile artist) and lots of things that will make my craft much more interesting!

I'm one of the resident 'veggie folks' around here and do a lot of heirloom/open pollinated things. Love them tomatoes! Got lots of beans...lots of peppers..all kinds of unique edibles.

Here's the AQS winning quilt for 2005...it was a $20,000 purchase prize and the artist turned down the money and kept her quilt (...gulp..)

My screen name and my real name are the same...see you round DG,
Mel

hello from upstate new york

Hello from Arkansas! I live on a mountain, too, although compared to yours, mine is just a hill! Good luck battling those darn gophers. My main problem is moles and when the kitties catch one, I am so happy!

Take care and I'll be watching for you in the forums. Have you checked out the trading forums yet? Some good stuff to try here at DG. I love this site!

Angie

Hi welcome.. your way up there.. have fun here its great great site wonderful friends here...

Hi Mel...I had a feeling there had to be some fellow stitchers on this site! Thanks for the info about the quilt show but I'm already well aware of it...been a member of AQS for years. I'm an artist as well...and am not only a member of our local quilt guild but the local art guild too. Been working all week on my journal quilts for Houston...do you do those too?

And thanks for the welcome from everyone else! Its been a busy week...this is the first chance I've had to get back to DG...the weather has been great and I've been outside! We're looking at a REALLY hot weekend ahead....they're calling for triple digits....I can pretty much kiss my peas good bye (what the gophers haven't already eaten) but my tomato seeds should sprout! Hope so!

See you all around!
Janis

Hello Stitchinfool! Another quilter here.....I'm in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. I've quilted for many, many years. Like you, I tend to do less sewing in the summer and more gardening, going from a calloused finger to dirty fingernails.....

Hi Stitchinfool. Welcome to Daves. I haven't quilted in a while, but did make 11 log cabin quilts in about three years, all by hand. Gave them all away to family members and we don't even have one ourselves. One more is in the making if I can ever get back to it, but I'll have to give up a few plants in order to find the time for quilting again. Hope you enjoy your time here at Daves.