Coffee and...Part 28...! :-D

hi everyone

first, darius - a big hug. it's hard. a lot of us have been there and know how the finality, even when expected, is a jolt.

i've been reading everyone's entries every night since the magnitude of the gulf coast catastrophe hit the news. it's a terrible thing, feeling helpless. i've been *almost* wordless till tonight. seems like we all are having to force ourselves away from the tv and pc - mental health breaks. i was so bummed out wednesday and thursday. by friday i had to get back to life. forced myself to go grocery shopping & do some errands. and today & yesterday i cut loose all the pent-up feelings from the past week via a pick-axe, followed by hours behind the roto-tiller. this kind of heavy physical stuff is my best therapy. anyway, from all the angst, my kitchen garden was born.

it was good to share this awful week with you guys. and now that i've had too much peach pie and PF cookies, i'll waddle on off to bed.

goodnight, all.
dig

Happy, glad to see your post about the microwave. For a change, it seems I made the right decision. I just was thinking of the extra counter space I would have had. I love to cook and entertain, if it was financially possible I would have a real professional kitchen and about 1,000 sq ft dining room!!

Welcome back Darius, I know that your trip was tireing and trying. Glad to know that you have a DG friend to comfort you. For the next few days, just rest and relax, and limit your tv viewing. You need time to rest your mind and soul. Let us know if you need anything.

MollyMc, welcome back to DG. Sounds like there was no time for anything other than work. Glad you got to meet Dravencat and DD. After chatting with DG people I've never met, can't wait to see what they are like in real life.

Sarv, some of Katrina's victims were moved into our local hospital last night. They say there about 20, with more located in Louisville. Did you mean to say DS stopped by for the ribs? If he made that comment about them, he should be made to eat bones and all!!

I am one of those people who never see a movie. Have no one to go with as DH doesn't know that there is any other kind of entertainment except sports!! None of my lady friends are into movies either. I just like to have someone to rehash things with. Kinda like winning the lottery and no one to tell about it!!

Well I watched the intense rivalry football game this afternoon, and of course my UK team lost. It was a close game, though. 2 years ago, DH and I went to the game in Lexington, had great seats, but before the game started, the heavens opened and it poured. Of course every one headed for the exits and there was a bottleneck, couldn't get out of the stadium and couldn't get back to our seats, so stood there and was thoroughly drenched. Didn't know that you could pour 6 inches of water out of your shoes!! The rain stopped, and the game began, and we sat and watched in our saturated clothes, with the temperatures cooling dramatically. That was the most miserable "entertainment event" that I have ever endured. From now on I will watch on tv, but never in person again.

Well, going to bed as tomorrow may be a busy one. Working in my mother's flower bed.

Bonnie,

Sorry, I forgot to mention, the seeds came while I was gone. Thank you so much!!!

My labor day will be spent going through my veggie seedlings to see who's ready to go into the garden, sort out trades that are still in pots, plant them, tag 'em and start some new seeds now.

I am tired now, off to sleep in my own bed.

Nite
Molly

Thanks for the photo Molly, nice to see a smiling image after all the dreadful ones from Katrina! Good that you finished up that big job and are home again. There's nothing quite like your own bed....

DS made a quick overnight on her way back to NC. She's eager to get her furniture settled in their new home and start decorating, etc. It's not likely she'll come back next year, altho her DH plans to do some remodeling of the lake house for the son that bought it, so he'll be back in spring. He won't stop here. I was shocked when he came down with her three years ago,,,,but I think he came to see how our house turned out, not to see us.

Sarv, your DS sounds like a brat. Crappy ribs, indeed. I'd throw that remark right back at him in front of everyone. And what is he contributing to this gala? His charming presence, I assume. I made ribs for my DS, and when I checked the price difference between the usual spare ribs and the baby backs, I got the crappy ones! All tastes the same....

All our mumblings seem trivia in the face of the disaster in N.O. Those poor people have a long hard road in front of them. I hope the donations from our generous citizens get into the right hands .

Robert, if those guys were smart, they wouldn't be crooks!! That's not the first time I've heard that stunt, but most owners know how their cars run and what it sounds like.

People selling cars aren't always honest either. DH drove all the way past Minneapolis with his buddy yesterday for a car he wanted to use for parts, and it was such a mess, they turned around and came home. Twelve hours on the road, and God knows how much for gas using the truck and hauling a flat bed trailer. I think he'd better be careful about complaining to me that he's broke....LOL (On a brighter note, at least this time he didn't pay for it up front!!)

Would you believe that that cursed horsetail is still trying to come up? DH gave the front another dose of weed killer last weekend, and there seems to be nothing that will kill that stuff. We're going to rototill it (again) and layer newspaper and landscape fabric over the entire area and leave it until spring.

Leaves are turning on the maples and the sumac already. I'm sure it's partially because of the dry dry summer we've had but fall is surely just around the corner. Days are getting shorter very fast. Doesn't it seem like it gets darker faster in the fall than it gets lighter in the spring?

Darius, I hope your spirits lighten up in the coming days. I know how you feel, and how difficult it is for you, but you will remember your mother the way she was in her lifetime, not just how it ended. I still think of my beloved stepmother often, and remember the things we did together. How we laughed about people saying I looked like her, how she would spend hours french braiding my hair, all the clothes she made for me, there will be good memories for you too.

Maria, the Penguin movie isn't amusing, but it is fascinating, showing how these determined creatures travel huge distances to create the next generation and there are parts that are very sad, but it is well worth seeing.

There is only one theatre in our entire area that uses real butter on their popcorn!!! And it's a budget cinema!! I hate that other yellow grease they put on popcorn, and it is very unhealthy. I have an aversion to food that contains ingredients I can't pronounce!

Off to start my day. Sunshine to you all!

good morning every one and wishing you a fun time for this holiday.
Looking forward to see the movie, meezer, am sure the whole film is not amusing but never the less I shall enjoy seeing them in the film.
Have to find out what a horsetail looks like? must be a very determent weed one has a hard time getting rid of. I have tons of crab grass this year in the lawn, more then ever before.
Wonder if my tomatoes will ripen some more, days are starting with very cool mornings, I actually have to put on a robe when I get up.
Talked with one of my daughters yesterday, she just came back from taking her younger daughter to college, now her nest is empty causing her to be some what unhappy but she will get over it, I certainly did after having all four of them not at home any more.

Off to take a walk through me garden, it does not look as nice as in previous years what with that horrid drought we had all summer.
Maria

Maria, I posted a photo in one of our previous threads, it looks somewhat like a small evergreen or yew when it comes up, it has a huge underground root system established by the time you see the green sprouts emerging. I hate it. It has ruined the upper tier of our front gardens.

Here's the only photo I saved, and there's no detail, but you can see how it spread. We had already taken out the perennials we wanted to try to save, hoping that none of the horsetail root system was interwoven into their roots.

meezer, never have I seen this around here, you do have quite a job ahead of you in order toget rid of it, I don't envy you! Do other people have it near you? Or are you the chosen one? Or was it delivered from an earlier loam you needed?
Maria

hmm never heard of horsetail.. wonder if it lives in Mich?

I am still battling with the sore tooth, cheek, head etc. Can't wait until tomorrow comes- I am gonna call the dentist as soon as they open. Sure hope they have a free slot to squeeze me in.

M5- the son that said that is my nice one too!! I think he meant he bought them before and they were 'crappy' - I tend to get my feelings hurt easily!!

DH is still working on closing the pool. He gets in a tizzy every time he closes it. He calls the boys the day he wants to do the work and they usually already have plans - then he is disgusted with them. I keep telling him he needs to plan ahead and give them fair warning, but he doesn't see it that way. He just came in the house and plopped in the chair and said 'some holiday this is for me!!' - I just laughed at him....

Family get together later this afternoon. New DIL was real 'chilly' about going - sheesh, some things never change. She said they would come, but not early as they had too much to do. Guess they will miss all the fun games we play!!

Hope all is well with everyone else! Still watching the Katrina stuff on tv - just not as much as before.

If you're taking both aspirin and ibuprofein for a painful tooth, do any of you GOBs know what's a good thing to do about shielding the tummy from those painkillers? Sarv, hope you didn't try that aspirin remedy on top of the ibuprofein - I should have asked you first if you were trying anything else for the pain before I talked you into putting an aspirin pill on the sore spot.

Have been under the weather a lot - very sorry I couldn't be with you and Dravencat, Molly, when you came to Baltimore. Would have liked to have met you.

M5, I was thinking as I read about your tango with horsetail about its ancient fossils that predate that event at the end of the Cretaceous (?65 million years ago - off top of head) that is thought to have killed off the dinosaurs and so many other life forms along with them - but not the horsetail (Equisetum arvense). Horsetails not only enjoy a good wollop, they also love to be cut into little itty bitty pieces, because then they get to reproduce themselves with each piece. The following link confirms rototilling as a nono in this case, but says smothering helps and names a specific pesticide - albeit tentatively: http://www.thegardenhelper.com/horsetail.htm

Darius, I can only be with you in spirit. Hope you are listening to your creek and healing in September chiaroscuro of the woods nearby.

Am doing a penguin dance (imaginary) - DH has made a screen door - better squeeter control and prerequisite to bringing home two adopted puttycats Tuesday evening. The vet who kept our last 3 cats comfortable through their end-of-life illnesses over the past year also rescues cats - abandoned, mistreated, wild - on a nonprofit basis with local volunteers. Wonderful group of people. You have to sign a form promising to keep them indoors - period. So we've been making some changes around here. We've been screened ourselves as to whether we would be worthy of adopting any of her kitties - all of us, cats and humans, perused for personality chemistry. They have all their shots, spayed/neutered, and we might get assistance with their future medical care.

Robert - crooks are like woodchucks aren't they? Just magically appear given tasty enough bait. But they have the ability to know better and to care about others. Aria, was it you who said once they were innocent newborns? Where does it go?

Welcome diggingit, ViolaAnn and fireant13 to GOBs. We have our tootsies in soil and the rest of us is pretty far-ranging.

Bluespiral, lol, where is it?

Chaseron didn't touch it!! Paid almost $50 for a gallon which diluted should have covered the entire subdivision! I'm becoming more knowledgable than I want to about this prehistoric hardy pesistant devil weed... Hopefully, the newspaper and landscape fabric should smother them . We think it came in with either the big rocks on that layer of the tier, or with wood chips. Fortunately it hasn't spread to other areas. Other people in our subdivision seem only to cultivate wild mustard, because they think it's pretty with it's yellow and orange flowers. Fools.

Dug up our dying shrubs from under the poison tree and trying to revive them with root stimulator and amended soil on the front berm between the holly which is doing quite well. The gardener's life, plant it, feed it, move it! Getting warm out too, so I'm thinking of something urgent to do inside!!!

POOL IS CLOSED!! and with no harse words to each other!! yahoo - sure feels good. Now I don't have to listen to the pump running and more $$$ going down the drain. It's a good feeling I tell ya!

Oops, I did do the aspirin thing along with ibupropen - I certainly can understand people getting addicted to pain meds. I am counting the hours until tomorrow.

I have some whiskey slush in the freezer that I am gonna finish off at the rib gala. I just want it gone. Summer is over for me... However it has been SOOO dry here and they are talking 90's again next week - just when the kids get in school full time and no AC. I would like to give up watering, but things look so sad. My mid size/small dahlias have been outstanding this summer. They have been in bloom constantly. It is a pain to dig all the tubers up, but I have such good luck with them, that I'll do it again. I only wish I could find a fool safe way to identify the colors. I just toss them in a plastic container and repot in the spring. It would be nice to group all the colors together.

I am on the fence with my brugs. They are just now flowering and haven't gotten big this summer. But to be fair, I haven't been deligent (sp) about watering/fertiliz . Maybe I will try them one more year and give them TLC.

Gonna make cheesey potatoes out of the hash brown things - just noticed that I bought cheesey hash browns. When did they start making those??? I need to be a better package reader when I shop. I tend to just grab what is on sale.

Heard the neighbors shooting this morning - bye bye more woodchucks. If they wouldn't destroy so many things by digging under our barn, I would let them co=habitate with us. But enough is enough..

Gotta go get my receipe book and see what I need for the spuds.

Well has everyone finished celebrating Labor Day? Mine was sort of laid back. Did some straightening of the house, and 1 load of laundry. Took DGD home, DM rode with me. She was bored. Came home and packaged some seeds that I had collected. Started reading and before I knew what hit me was in lala land. Good Nap!! Fixed supper, then went to DM and started raking and cleaning the flower bed that I had used Round-up on. Trimmed 2 overgrown shrubs. Tomorrow, I will start to till the bed, and hopefully by weeks end I will have it planted. I have lioripe, red sedum and hostas ready to go. May put in a few bulbs for some color early next spring. Then will plant some annuals. I am also going to make another bed for her, as she has expressed interest in a wildflower garden. I may even kill out a strip by her front porch that has some kind of ground cover on it and plant some annuals there. The bed I am working on is beside her house and since she is not too mobile, she wont't see it often.

Molly hope you have good luck with the cabbage and kale. I started some in early July as right now is the time to plant here in Kentucky. These plants take our cooler and cold weather really well, and provides something after the mums have finished. The germination rate was really poor. So try soaking the seeds, (which I didn't) and you will surely have better luck.

Well I am off to bed hopefully to sleep soundly.

Oh man, you wouldn't believe my bad luck. I have suffered with this stinkin sore tooth since Fri. This morning, bright and early, I called the dentist- he is on vacation until next Monday. Can you believe it!!! I don't know what I should do. He did leave his cell phone, but I feel foolish calling him - he has a young family (3 little kids) and I know it would be disruptive. I'm eating a piece of toast, just trying to decide what I should do....grrr

Ribs from our yesterday's gala were delish - good sauce and very tender. DS even said he was surprised they were so good!! New DIL showed up in a fowl mood - she said she didn't feel well - sat and pouted, and was grumpy. Then demanded to be taken home. We kept DGS with us as he wanted to play games with us all. Delivered him home and just hollared that he was there- didn't see his folks at all. Lord give me patience with this one!!

Weather here is still very warm and dry - need to haul out the hoses again. Pumpkins are all ready to harvest too = seems early! We have tons of smallish ones and no huge ones - lack of rain I suspect.

Well, gotta go - am going to call the doc's nurse - she is a friend of mine - maybe she will give me some pointers as to what to do with this owie..

Sarv,

He may not be an MD, but dentists don't go off for a weeks vacation without setting up arrangements for his patients to see another dentist in case of emergencies.

I'm surprised his office didn't tell you that. And you DO have an emergency.

Molly

Molly - complete office is closed. They did leave the doc' s cell, and I may end of calling that. I couldn't remember the doc's nurses husband's name -common last name. I feel caught!! Story of my life it seems!

I just took some more ibupro - going to give it more thought.

Wow Sarv,

So call his cell phone. Any concientious medical provider would have asked another dentist to cover for him. If his malpractice insurance carrier knew he was doing this, they would drop him like a hot tater.

Okay, so I won't be so hard on him. Call him and he will probably listen to your specific problem and then decide which dentist to send you to in his absence.

But DO call. If you have an absess or bad infection, it may not stay confined to the local area, it could spread to other parts of your system.

Molly

OK< Molly - I will call this afternoon - I have a hair cut scheduled at noon. Beauty first LOL I just needed someone to boot me in the butt to get going...I have a very HIGH tolerance to pain - sometime a good thing, but often bad too.

Sarv...I hope you get that tooth fixed SOON. One thing I can't stand is when my teeth start acting up. (Arghhhhhhh)

Before we get bogged down with a thread that takes too long to load, I've started Session #29. Here's the link.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/543347/

~julie~

A lot of ground was covered in three days. I am sorry about the loss of your mom, Darius. I hope you get your tooth fixed quickly Sarv. My mom had a dentist who met her in the middle of the night to fix her abcess. She had had a root canal done that afternoon, but actually had four prongs to the root instead of three, so he missed one. She called in misery, and he told her to go to his office. He fixed the problem and apologized profusely for not getting it all out earlier. He's probably not a typical dentist.

Julie, the situation in New Orleans upsets me too. I know that leadership should have acted more quickly to help those people, but I can't believe that giant city was so ill-prepared for any hurricane, much less a category 5. A well-developed plan of action could have offset some of that misery.