Coffee and...For Saturday, March 4, 2006 =^..^=

Here's the daily continued from
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/580045/
Have a super day! ♫
Susan
=^..^=

SLOW SLOW SLOW LADIES. hehehe.

Hi all, I've been a lurker lately, just don't find enough time in a day to post and keep up anymore. Other than the following link, not much exciting in the past month - had to say goodbye to our best buddy Barney, the end of Jan. Still miss him lots and watch I don't trip over him everytime I walk in the house. Old habits...... He was abt 13. And two weeks ago I tested the water temp in a pan with the top of my foot - it was boiling! Truthfully, I accidently spilled some and my foot was in the way. Had to wear slippers to work - got some interesting looks.... And Wed. I had a mtg with DS, his GF and a neurosurgeon. Pls read the link and help if u can. Thanks so very, very much!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/580267/

Kooger, that sounds so bad. Hope you get some answers and hope she can do what the doc says to do. I do not know anything at all.
Wanted to say to Sheila, take me on a trip anywhere in the world. I love to travel. For only $500, that is a great deal.
Ann, sounds like your DH came thru just fine. Hope he gets home soon.
Dcat, yes, you are so right about how parenting parents is harder than kids. I have seen both kids and parents and believe me, parents are much much harder to deal with.
Ahhhhhhh, Sarv, you know, I was so good today, didn't eat much. So for dinner I had a toasted cheese sandwich. Then my son came home at 8 pm tonight and wanted me to go with him and his girlfriend for pizza and gelato.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! I couldn't say no because he wanted to tell me what his counselor had said when they talked today about his college decisions/tests for 2 hrs. So I went and had only 1 piece of pizza but a small gelato.
Tomorrow, I guess I have to work out harder in the yard in the rain to make up for it!
Well, off to bed soon to go to the indoor farmers market, and many errands that I really need to do tomorrow.
Nitey nite, Carol (DR)

Good Morning - just letting the hair dry in the air for a moment - then dressing and off to the whole day at the garden seminar!! Can't wait.

DR - don't worry - DH brought home a huge veggie sub for me - I intended on eating only half, but the naughty side of me took over and I downed the whole thing. Then to make things a little worse, I had a small, small little sundae. Hopped on the scale and it stayed the same - that is good!

Good to see you again Kooger - gosh that tumor thing sounds serious. Will be thinking/praying about the GF, hoping that things work out for her.

Time to beat the DH to the shower...if it was bigger we could share!! LOL

Hi all - today we're up to 22 degrees....

Kooger~wow, that sounds very tough. I will certainly keep her in my prayers, that it is benign, they get it all, and that she has complete healing. TOugh job you've taken on, dealing with it, but it is good of you.

Oz~you are too funny

sarv~have a GREAT day! A whole day out!! You deserve it

dr~You did the right thing going out with DS so the calories don't count!! I'm rooting for your son you know, I am so sorry about his wrestling setback. My DD #1 was also an excellent student, now a freshman at college. DS struggles, and has probably always compared himself to her. He's now a junior and seems very depressed. It is so hard, they can't even imagine how completely you love them, not for their talents or job prospects, just because they ARE. My parents died when I was in my 20's so I suffer only for my kids. It's a tough world!

Elaine~wow, all of the DG's are meeting at high noon to "take care" of whoever it is that "doesn't like you" LOLOL sounds like a roundup to me!! Hope somebody brings refreshments!!(look what you started!) LOL

defoecat~"used to moan about not having talents" oh my goodness, what a wonderful person and inspiration you are!! I keep reading about your patience and self sacrifice with DMIL and DM and every day you keep going and caring about everyone else. You must know what an inspiration you are...it has inspired me to pray a lot more for people I don't know, and to think of things I can do to help...Now, isn't that a great talent? Makes me think of the biblical talents.

9kitty~describing your raking and pulling the muscle in your butt - I know exactly what you're talking about!! We won't have spring for weeks, but that will be the first thing that happens to me, and I'll keep thinking "pain in the butt" LOL Glad you liberated your poor crocus!!

Yes I was worrying about Kelly too!

Maria~Get better!! There's a big old hole in the middle of the coffee thread where you're supposed to be!!

Ann~Glad Dh is on the mend. OH I would pray long and hard before getting into a money project.....I always think "no good deed goes unpunished" especially when there's money involved. It's so sad. I wonder if leaving money without explicit directions just tempts you know who to take over.

bal~I'm probably not the sharpest tool in the shed...couldn't figure out what the heck Apple phone help was going to do to help with moving he stone.....LOL

McCool~LOL on the hair stories!

Mary~I like your diet plan. I'm going to start with G+20. If I put the number down it looks too big to deal with! Did you get a good ride in? I wish you were closer...well you sure couldn't get much farther away!! I would be on your doorstep with my horse trailer, although I would only accompany you the first few miles!!!LOL I am so not conditioned for endurance riding!

suzieq~glad I don't have stepchildren! I think it would be so much harder, and the kids themselves are hard enough..good luck.

Okay, update on my whine...I was very depressed yesterday thinking of the property I'm going to sell. I called my sister to tell her I hired an attorney, told her very gently that I just want to get things in writing, she will either consent to buy or to sell in writing. She of course got very nasty and said she would rather talk to me than an atty. I told her, I don't want to talk, we've been "talking" for 18 years, I want it resolved. She basically indicated that she will stonewall it, which means my atty. will give it to a judge who will order it sold at auction. I'm pretty sure my sister figures I don't have the cash to buy it, nor does my brother, so after all this time and expense, she'll snatch it up at a bargain price anyway.

Mind you, this is the sister that has been dependent on me to be the mommy since my mother died, who comes to my house whenever, stays for dinner with kids, hundreds of times, and has NEVER ONCE so much as treated me to a cup of coffee. She has never had me to dinner. I have spent 30 years trying to cheer her up, get her motivated, DESPERATELY trying to keep her interested in her own kids for the kids' sakes, given her plants, planted her gardens, and prayed endlessly. I have been in therapy to deal with her, since she refuses to get help. Of course she is very ill, and her wealthy husband supports her for now although her youngest is 13 years old so the kids still need protection.

It breaks my heart, but I can't carry her illness any more and I need to get out of this more for sheer liberation from her than for money, yet the blackmail just makes me realize how rotten she is to the core and what a fool I have been to try for all these years. Also, my brother could use the money, it would ease his worries, and I thought that one good aspect of my stirring up this hornets nest would be that he would get a nice check. But there never was a solution really, my sister repays a lifetime of kindness and herculean effort on my part with a sneer....

God has gifted me with lovely horses however..DD#2 does her jumping lesson with Sassy this morning, that will cheer me up. I cannot look at that horse without smiling, I love her to pieces, oh I love DD too, but look at this mug...../

Ahh Kooger, that is indeed bad news, you've had a rough time. You know we miss you when you aren't here but with old friends, you know you can drop in anytime and be sure of a warm welcome.

Is it just my hinky connection causing problems this morning on DG? I'm not looking forward to another visit from the cyber squad.

LOL, Elaine, you have to be careful about making fun of yourself around here, some people are very protective of you! A shoot out on main street might be interesting but we can't afford to lose anyone!

DH came home with a dandy head cold, which had started earlier in the week. This is one of those guy colds, accompanied by coughing, blowing, moaning and etc. You know, the kind we have to cook, clean, herd children, make the bed, etc. through.

Ann, I don't know how they can expect your DH to produce anything but fluids on a liquid diet. He'll be happy to come home to real food.
Soon. The windfall for your church sounds like a generous gift which will result in a lot of internal conflict about how to distribute the funds! Sounds like something that would send me running in the other direction as fast as I could travel!

Sarv, co-showering sounds better than the reality. We have a very large shower and occasionally share it when we both have early exits to manage....I've gotten an elbow in the ribs occasionally and soap in my eyes on more than one occasion. And he likes the water much hotter than I do, and whoever is on the side with the dial is in control. Plus I have to lean over to rinse my hair, and that becomes something like a game of Twister...highly over rated!

Glasses....I had my first pair at age five, for my extreme nearsightedness, and what they call a lazy eye, plus astigmatism! I sat in the first row in every classroom all the way through school. I never got a perfect correction, and before age 50 was diagnosed with refractory cataracts. This is an extremely rare condition and there is no way of knowing when it started, but I suspect it was long before they figured out what it was.

In this age of medical miracles, they did surgery and implanted corrective lenses which brought my vision from 20/200 and 20/250, to 20/30 and 20/40. It was utterly amazing....I could read house numbers from across the street. Seeing clearly, required me to clean my entire house! I never saw that clearly in my entire life! I wear my glasses for reading and computing, but don't need them otherwise at all. A close friend had cataract surgery a few years back and said after she got home that if she'd known she had so many wrinkles she'd have gotten a face lift instead!!

9kitty, kitty pee is the worst! It may be scents coming from outside, or something has changed among the herd, change of litter, or they are marking territory for some reason. Since you keep a close watch on them, it's probably not FUS, or a bladder condition, try the scented fabric softener. Wash whatever has been peed upon over, rinse with vinegar in the water, and rinse again, so no smell remains and they don't go back to it. Scrub out the laundry baskets too, plastic retains those odors forever.

About the gall bladder condition, how can they say it MAY be a pre-existing condition? It either is or isn't. If she hadn't seen a medical professional for it before, they haven't got a leg to stand on. I swear insurance companies now look for a denial before they even ascertain the facts. Just say no.

When I had my heart attack, I went through three procedures within eight hours, because the first two failed. Then they did the bypass. Then my insurance carrier said, that was too many and the expense was beyond the usual and customary (they alone establish what is usual and customary) and I argued with them for almost a year. I finally decided it wasn't worth the stress, and paid the balance of the bill myself, after writing them a blistering letter asking if I was expected to go shopping for a better price in order to meet their criteria. At the end of that year, there must have been a final review of some kind because I got a check for the amount of the payment that I had made out of pocket.

Bear in mind that "usual and customary" charges are established using national averages, and if you live in a city where the average is much higher, you are out of luck. If it is lower, the insurance co. benefits.

Who got me started on that rant? LOL OK I'm stopping now.

Maria, feel better soon! Anyone else with aches and pains or pesty family members, or just general cabin fever, hope it all goes away. It's almost impossible to address everyone individually but we all try to keep current on the daily, so you are noticed and thought of, and not being ignored. ~~~ to all, have a sunny day! And in some cases, rain if you need it!

Sheila,
(who is too fearful of losing this entire message to preview and will edit afterwards.)







This message was edited Mar 4, 2006 7:44 AM

Today's Sammi update. I think this was a joint effort. They all look like "Uhhhh, it just fell over, honest!"

Just gonna say good morning everyone. I slept in until DD phoned at 9. Two more phone calls since then and I might get another from the other person who might be chairing this committee at church; so no time to respond properly to all the concerns above at this time. Just know that I read them and will try to answer later.

Hope you have a good day.

Ann

Morning everyone
Please forgive my Ambian post of the night before! LOL I'll come back and speak to everyone , but for now ... I'm off to a nursery!!!! ~~~~
... Elaine

Good morning everyone. It's winter again. Ugh.

Hello again Kooger, I hope you will keep us updated on the GF's condition. When reading about the somewhat limited experience of her doctors I thought of the recent case of Gardenwife's hubby Howie, who had back surgery a couple of months ago. What his own orthopedic surgeon wanted to do to fix it would have made it worse according to the surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital where he had the surgery done. Get to the best one you can. I know that being an adult advisor is a heavy responsibility but apparently she has confidence in your judgement. You'll all be in my prayers.

A few minutes after I posted yesterday about going for a ride I looked out the window and saw one of my horses standing with his foot through the barbed wire fence. I rushed out and got him loose, thankfully he wasn't fighting, was cooperative and there was no blood. So I repaired the fence, then took a quick tour to see if there were any similiar potential problems, and by the time I finished it was starting to snow. He followed me around sticking his big nose in my way while I made the repairs and seemed to be wanting to thank me. Such a funny guy, he has the most expressive face.

Last night the sheep were not too busy. When I made the first check at 11pm the wind was light, visability was good and there were no new lambs. In the barn however there was a fresh set of twins and a fresh set of triplets, both with a weak lamb that I needed to monitor to be sure they were nursing. Both were able to get around on their own and both had warm mouths, so I was pretty sure they were ok. One mother was just worried when I was near her lambs, the other was showing agressive signs so I had to get her out of the pen (used the stronger lamb as bait to get her out of her pen, then closed the gate while I checked the weaker lamb). Thankfully he looked ok, otherwise I would have had to get some milk from the ewe or from another one with colostrum and tube him if he hadn't been since there was none on hand, only milk.

On the second check at 2am, the weather had deteriorated, snowing and blowing, 25 degrees and not a good situation to have lambs being born. I found a yearling ewe with a huge newborn lamb. She was a very cooperative momma and followed the lambmobile without hesitation while we made the quickest possible trip to the barn and a dry warm pen. I wanted to hurry but needed to go slowly enough to keep her interested in following. Visability was almost down to 0 and I thought goggles would have been a good addition to my winter attire since the wind and snow made it hard to keep my eyes open. There is an electric fence to watch out for and I was concerned that I might find it the wrong way (suddenly) but was able to see the darker fenceposts through the blowing snow. I knew I was going to have to make another trip out to the field since I had seen a couple of ewes that had isolated themselves from the flock and was concerned that another one was going to deliver in this horrible weather.

As soon as I got her and the lamb into a pen I checked the weak lambs again, decided they were both ok and made another trip to the field and brought all the ewes inside the barn. The drop band (ewes still carrying lambs) is small enough now that they do fit into the large open part of the barn. Paul has been bringing them in every day to eat a bit of hay, see the new mothers and their lambs and learn that the barn is a nice place, something he does when the drop band gets small enough and contains a higher percentage of yearling ewes that need to know it's ok to come there when they do have their lambs. It seems to refresh their memories of when they were tiny lambs and I think that is why the yearling I brought inside was so cooperative. Or she may just be an extra good mother and sensible sheep. Sensible sheep is almost an oxymoron but there are exceptions to everything.

The ewe I milked the night before needed to be milked again, she "donated" about a half a pint since I was leaving some for the lamb that she is feeding, a transplant. Her own lamb died in the field at birth, maybe the sac was still over it's head, that happens and is the most frequent cause of death at birth. Usually the lamb just shakes it's head and the ewe gets up to clean the sac off, but not always. Some of those sacs are very tough, combine that with a weak lamb and that is the result. And sometimes the ewe has had a difficult labor and is slow to get up to attend to her baby.

Back later, I need to get dressed and feed the horses. The weather is better this morning but it does look like winter out there.

Been busy here too. Hope everyone is feeling better and happier now. My DD#2 is sick too, but on the mend. She is 8 and in 3rd grade. Her reading practice included sneaking in here and "helping" me read a little on the thread.

Was funny last night when she got to "LOL", she giggled. It is cute! Of course, since she got to read a little last night, when I was fixing lunch, she had to jump in my chair and read, "13 paragraphs, Mommy!"

Did you say we were having a Round Up at High Noon? And bring a special gift for Elaine, sure! Can do!! Here, I brought some choc chip cookies! As a special, I took all the calories out for those on diets. I look like I took all the calories and stuffed them inside me, LOL.

Kooger - Sorry for the GF! Great move to arm up with LOTS of info and get the best help you can!

dmc - 2 cuties in that pic!

Glasses - wore since 6th grade, needed them MUCH earlier! Have lazy eye still... At one point, had an advantage cuz "knew" there was an E on the top of the darn chart. That was when I accid put chigger med (TX) in my eye instead of lubricant for contacts.

Legally blind w/o my glasses, but correctable. Need new ones really bad now. Work is going to pay for a pair of safety glasses, but I still have to go get exam. Every time I get new ones, it is like WOW! I can see the individual leaves, numbers, street names, etc.

Well, I have to run across the st and ck my mailbox... expecting tomato RR and if I get it, yahoo!! My best for everyone! Yes, I have been reading the posts and thinking of all. Couldn't begin to have time to comment on everything.

Waves for all!! May you have a gorgeous, fun-filled day!! ~ Suzi :)

GM, all you DG chillin's!

There is actually some sunshine outside this morning and I'm going to go take advantage of it here in just a few minutes. I have to work today, so I only have a short while, but you know the old story about making hay while the sun shines. And I want to weed out my planters while it's not raining!

I've skimmed over the last 24 hours of posts so I'm pretty much UTD (up to date) on issues and just let me say, I send my care and concern for all involved in their personal issues. I won't enumerate.

If any of you've seen the news about the EA-6B that went down in Pendleton, Oregon yesterday you'll know that Whidbey Island is being inundated with the press. They were camped out with their satellites and RVs full of new people at the top of the hill just outside the base all day and most of the evening. Here's a link to at least one version of the story.

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_030306ORNplanecrashEL.807318c7.html

Suffice it to say, these 4 individuals were very lucky. I'm grateful for their return safe to NAS Whidbey and to the loving arms of their families. Of course the base is in safety stand down mode and the EA-6B's will be grounded for 1/2 day during the week for safety review.

I'm amazed these planes haven't had even more trouble than the last 9 crashes. They are old, stressed to the max and need to be retired soon. They are slated for phase out very soon, but I fear not soon enough. The FA-18 Growlers are scheduled to come here starting in 2008 as replacement for the EA-6B's and the A-6's which were retired back in the 90's.

The P-3 Lockheed Orion's are scheduled for replacement in 2010 by the Boeing P-8 MMA (multimission aircraft) which is based on a military version of a civilian aircraft.

The times they are a changin' and it's time we oldsters retire and let the younger ones take our places. Another 14 months and we'll be just like the EA-6B's and P-3 Orions, RETIRED from the service of the US Navy! Yeeehaw!

Have a fine Navy day everyone, I'm off to the garden and work this afternoon.

With care, ~Babs~

Babs!! So glad they made it out safely!! I understand about the 14 months. I was in the Army; married an army man and then worked for the Navy in NY too. May you have fair winds and following seas! ~ Suzi :)

Back again, now that the horses and I have both had our breakfast I went back to read the many posts I had missed.

Dmc, the picture of the girl and her horse is beautiful. I would be so happy to have you come and ride with me! Yeah, I could take it easy on you, we could go out here about 2 miles and I could just turn you loose to explore a 700 acre pasture while I go through the next gate and on for a few miles at a faster pace, then I could find you on my way home. We could both have a nice ride, you at your pace and me at mine. Your situation with your sister has gone on long enough. By this time you could have raised her had she been your child instead of your sister. Just because she is your sister I don't think she should be treated like any other unreasonable adult in your life.

Maria, are you out from under that bunch of germs yet? We miss you.

Meezer, that is a priceless picture of the 3 guilty looking cats! And, fortunately, I see that your plant is the kind without a lot of dirt to clean off your carpet. Good thinking! And good for you on that insurance claim, I guess somebody there has some common sense even if it took months to find it.

vAnn, good report on your hubby. Re hospital food, I have always wondered how they expect you to get well when they either don't feed you or serve food that is so bad nobody wants to eat it. They could just as well show pictures and save a lot of money.

Dcat, I agree with Dmc, you have talents. You are a helper, mercy extender type of person. This ole world needs more like you. This just came to mind while I was thinking about what you do: back in the old days, a great organist needed a boy to run the bellows to move the air to make the pipes play the notes when he pressed the keys. Neither one produced much alone, but together they made beautiful music. Yes, we have doctors, teachers and other great talented professionals, but it takes a lot of people working behind the scenes to make the system work.

Sarv and Elaine, both off playing today, oh what fun! Around here the nurserys close for the winter and there aren't many of them when they do open. I missed the flower show they had at Portland, it's 350 miles away and anyhow I was busy with lambs.

9Kitty has a pain in the rear from trying to rake leaves off the crocus. Well, at least they will reward you while the pain goes away. Some things aren't so grateful.

My hubby left early this morning on a short business trip. The roads weren't good due to the storm. I think I will call him, he would be out of the bad stuff by now and still on the road. He usually doesn't call me because the cell is his business phone and he doesn't pay the bill. Ok, I did, he said he was the first car over the first pass about 10 miles from us, no tracks to follow and there was 8 inches of new snow. Then he got down into a valley and no snow there but the next pass had new snow, its about the same elevation as the first one, and very slippery conditions, thankfully not much traffic, and now he is out of the snow again for the rest of his trip. Tomorrow when he comes home he will have another storm coming in behind him so the roads will be better.

Well, now that I've yacked on almost endlessly, I think I will go see what's new down at the barn. I'll take the camera, may get a good picture to show you. Bye.

Hi all

I'm back from the nursery. What fun!! This lady had absolutely *everything*. She walked me through herself, and was so interesting to talk to. A lovely place. I was sooooo good. Walked away with only a meyer lemon and a Maurumi Kumquat. I will *be* going back. Could have listened to her for hours. LOL

Babs~= so glad those 4 are okay. That was terrible to read about. It sure could have had different results. Hope you got some work done out in your garden before you had to go to work.

Mary~= Oh no ... poor horse! So glad he didn't hurt his hoof. Yeah, just trying his best to say "thanks, Mama!" Sounds like you had another *bad* night. Wish I could at least send you decent weather for the lambing season. :)

Kooger, that's just terrible about the GF. Don't know anything about that condition but will keep him in my prayers. Hated to hear about your doggie. Mine is 11. Can't *even* go there. My brain won't even wrap around that concept.

Hi Maria ... know you haven't checked in ... but if you do, hello and I'm waving ~~~

Well, got to run go supervise where the DH is planting my trees! LOL Am waving to everyone else, also ~~~
... Elaine

Mary, your exploits with the lambing sound more like a novel. Something from the 'old west' about the trials and tribulations of survival on the frontier. Hope all the little ones are doing well and enjoying their milkshakes.

Babs, those pilots were sure fortunate to have survived with minor injuries. Can you imagine the anxiety they must have felt when they knew they had to ditch. 14 months till retirement sounds great, but what will you do for excitement when there is job to go to ?? lol

Ann, the concert was excellent. The Everett Symph. played Entry of the Gods into Valhalla;Die Valkyries;Siegfried's Rhine Journey;Sigfried's Funeral Music. A H.S. Sophmore played Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 2, first movement, with the orchestra sort of helping out. He was very good. Can't say much about the Tolkien Ring performance, a bit too 'modern' for my taste. But the Youth Symphony performances were really good too.

Sun is out, better get back to working on the pond before the next rain drops in.

Hi All,

FINALLY getting a chance to post. I have to admit that I haven't even been able to skim over the last few days worth of Coffee posts. The Salon has been wicked busy,,,,for which I am Very thankful. However, that means No DG time,,,,was going to post the other day,,,,just then an unexpected customer came in,,,so, had to go. Then, was going to post the other night but a friend was over and he was on the internet all evening so that took care of that. I just can't win,,,LOL

Bill took his sled in today to get an estimate for the insurance co. Don't know how long it will take to get the estimate. They will go over the whole sled with a finetooth comb.,,,,They better as if one part is out of place,,k,it can affect the whole sled. Certain parts have certain tolerances that they have to check,,,so on and so on.

M5,
Loved the pic of the 3 furkids,,,,I am stilll ROFLOL,,,they Do have that Who Me? look,,,,lil stinkers,,,LOL

Hi to everyone,,,I"m going to get some things done today,,,haven't had time this week,,,so will have to do them today.

Will try to check in later.

Kelly

Just a quikkie. I'm up to date on reading, but will have to go back in more detail to respond. I just had to say, Mary wrote

This is the third day I have not been out of the house even had a snowsotm of about 6" so I guess I did not miss much since I would not have gone
out .anyway. Happy to tell you the cold so far has not developed in something worse like the pneumonia last year, so I guess I shall survive.
Samson has behaved with admiration, I think he knew I felt miserable.

Sorry not to keep up with all your interesting posts, but am glad things went ok for Viola's husband, hopefully his recuperation will continue.

GG, your husband was very lucky, I knew of two neighbors who had accidents with their snow mobile and got killed, one was on my pond in NH that was off limits to the kind of vehicle but he went on any way but the pond was not frozen enough and he drowned.

Robert, I am with you about neo classical music don't care for it at all, but then so have others felt when listening to something Mozaert wrote .way back then.

Elaine glad you are having loads of fun buying plants, it was so sweet of you to call me the other day I enjoyed talking with you.

Babs. thanks so much for your Dmail you are the best!!!

M5 and Sarv , when Richard and I took a shower together he bathed me and then I him, never got an elbow!!! :-)

Mary, I never tire reading about the sheep or your horses, you have a great life!!I know some of you aske for me and I do not meant oneglect thanking you so hello love all of you lots and lots

Whers is Defoe???
here is Samson in the new snow

Here is your lambie fix for the day. When these guys are a few days old they discover that other lambs love to run and play, often taking them quite a ways from their mothers. At this point sometimes they take off running again, or sometimes stand in one place and yell for momma.

Back from my day at the garden seminar!! Whoopee, was it a good one.. Had 5 different speakers, got a goody bag filled with stuff, a big pot of mini daffys, a delicious lunch and all in all a great time. P Allen Smith spoke 2 times - what a wonderful sense of humor- I really enjoyed him!! Checked his ring finger - he's not married LOL And his gardens are to die for..... They had tons of drawings and gave away wonderful big pots of plants and other goodies, but alas I wasn' t a winner. Gonna plan on going next year again!!

Have to go back and read all the posts....I'm whipped, hungry and am fighting a nasty sinus headache...see ya all later!!

And here is a little guy who expects his mother to come to him! MAAAAAAAA

When the lambs are 3 days old they go outside into a little corner of the big world. The little building in the background is part of a creep feeder. The slat fence allows the ewes to put their heads through to eat hay on the inside, but the lambs can go through the slats and into the building for shelter.

Same pasture viewed from another direction.

Molly and I WENT TO TWO OF THE LOCAL FARMER'S MARKETS THIS MORNING. BESIDES BUYING SOME PASTRIES FOR BREAKFAST, I ONLY BOUGHT A LOAF OF EUROPEAN STYLE BREAD MADE WITH KALAMATA OLIVES AND PARMESAN. Rats. didn't notice Caps on and too tired to re-type it. Sorry.

Then we bought more fish for her pond and some centipede grass seed. Man, enough seed to fill half one of my garden boots was a small fortune! So, Molly and her son cleared much of the back yard of rootballs and lots of chaff. Molly planted several strawberry plants and I planted a few escarole plants.

Whew, I was tired just watching! Now, it's ham steaks and baked white sweet potatoes for dinner.

A few days ago I mentioned the birds roosting in the baleing wire stack. Here it is, and in the foreground the endless supply of soiled bedding that comes out of the pens a wheelbarrowfull at a time. I am always glad to see somebody else dumping the barrow. This material is piled up with the help of a tractor and it slowly decomposes. I can have all of it that I want for my gardens. Wonderful stuff. The haystacks are at the right of the picture, they will all be gone before there is enough grass to feed the animals. Beyond all these things you can see misc old farming equipment, some still useful and some not. Most old farms have a similiar boneyard. It doesn't get hauled off because it just might be found to be useful for something, someday, and sure enough, if it was gotten rid of, then right away a use would be found for it. Besides, moving it would take time and no farmer ever has enough time. Much of this stuff came with the place about 30 years ago and hasn't moved since! Paul keeps saying that he should advertise it on e-bay and make a fortune, yeah, right. Hasn't happened yet, probably won't.

The barn, not a very impressive building, has lots of ventalation. Corrals are attached to the back and side of it so we can bring the sheep in from the pasture and right into the barn through some large sliding doors. I took this picture standing in the stackyard (haystacks) looking across the county road.

This message was edited Mar 4, 2006 3:12 PM

A closer view of the creep feeder. Bales of hay are stacked inside the enclosure which are opened and fed a few at a time. The lambs can walk all around the little haystack to get out of the wind if it blows from the other direction.

We got the rest of the veggie garden cleared today, after Darius and I went to a couple farmers market this morning.

Then after I got the veggie area cleared, we started working in the back yard. Seems warm enough so I wanted to get some of the centipede grass planted in the next couple days. Jeremy and I got all the debris cleared out except 1 pile. We'll finish that tomorrow, get the fertilizer spread and broadcast some seed.

Yesterday we went and picked up some rabbit manure and I hope to get some more tomorrow. I used some of it when I planted the strawberry plants today.

Here's the rest of the veggie garden area, ready to be planted now.

We quit before 6 today and I sat by the pond for a few, then wandered the perimeter of the land. Saw one wildflower and some really beautiful, yet wicked looking thistle.

All the trees we have planted are budding out. I am really getting excited by all this. This is such a bigger scale of gardening than I am ever used to having. Oh yes, did I tell you? We got a plum today, and we have nectarine, fig, blueberries, citrus and cherry. All these will add so much more interest to the terraine than pines and black jack oaks.

Molly
:^))))

Mary, so nice to see the sheep out in the pasture and so many!
The mountains are just wonderful to look at too, beautiful background.

Molly, when all this plantings comes to fruition are you ever going to be busy!

Sarv, what is on your mind checking a man's finger to see if he is married, what ulterior motives do you have? But don't let that no ring business fool you, my husband NEVER wore a wedding ring, lol

Hi Maria!~~~~ Ooooh so glad you are back! Have missed seeing you. Tell Samson I'm glad he was a good boy for you. :)

Mary~ I enjoyed your description of the sheep so much. The pictures are beautiful ... makes me want to come calling. LOL The DH is following the saga of the lambs with me. :) I'm with Ann, though ... sure am glad you had a quiet night last night. ;) Don't know how you manage. Just to read it all still reminds me of "Little House". I know they didn't raise sheep, though.

Ann, how is your DH? Sure hope he's feeling better and will be able to go home tomorrow. I'm still saying prayers for his quick recovery.

Oh Darius ... does that bread *ever* sound wonderful! I agree ... you and Molly are sure going to have your hands full with everything when it starts coming in. Who's going to eat all those veggies? :)

Sarv, sounds like you had one terrific time! Oh my, P Allen ... and no ring? Wow! I sure like him on TV anyway.

Well, we had grilled salmon with a dill sauce and grilled asparagus for supper tonight. It was a gorgeous day out, but *very* deceiving as the wind was a bit chilly. Think I'll go get comfy. ~~
... Elaine

Hi folks,

Before I can address anyone or comment on any of the topics brought up today, I just have to vent a little. At the store today DH took a phone call while I was busy helping a customer. Either I'd neglected to clue him in, or he'd forgotten that I'd warned him about this kind of call ---- at any rate, he took down information and promised the caller that I would get right back to them. When he handed me the note he'd taken down I just about hit the roof because it had all the hallmarks of a major SCAM. Somebody, out of the blue wants to buy a 24 inch, 7mm (Big!) 18k gold rope chain from me ---- despite the fact that my website doesn't even offer 14k gold for sale. I'm sure that if I'd answered the phone the next question would have been something like "and how much will it cost to ship it to Nigeria as quickly as possible?" DH took down an e-mail address, so, on the theory that there was about 1/10000th chance that this was a legitimate inquiry, I responded with "sorry, can't help you. I work primarily in silver." What response do you suppose I got? "I can buy silvers too. Tell me what you have and prices." Oh yeah, right! I referred the person to my website and told him/her that I would accept payment through Paypal. I fully expect another e-mail with some reason why this won't work. It's bad enough that this person is trying to rip me off, but what really pushes me over the edge is that the original phone call was made through a relay operator, thus using a service that the really handicapped have need of. Kooger, was it you who works as a relay operator? My sympathies to you if that's the case. There are way too many of these schemers out there using the relay service these days. Sorry, people, but the smoke is still coming out of my ears, I think! These people are about the lowest of the low when it comes to petty crooks.

Okay, rant over. Now, kooger, good to "see" you again, but I'm so sorry it's in such awful circumstances. Every shred of positive energy I can muster goes out to your son's girlfriend. That's a horrible diagnosis. I hope for the best for all of you.

Mary, I love those photographs and your vivid descriptions. More power to you for all the hard work in horrible weather. I hope your horse is okay too after the close encounter with the barbed wire.

Sarv, I meant to say that I was 100% with you on the flying issue. The first time I ever experienced the inside of an airplane was on a transatlantic flight that took 7 hours. Ick! It's not bad enough that I just don't trust those gravity-defying tin cans, I'm also somewhat claustrophobic, so it was just a wonderful time, as you can imagine. I tried to get dead drunk in order to knock myself out, but was so "wired" with adrenaline that I couldn't even manage that. I'm slightly more used to it now and have some idea of what's going on in an airport, but still absolutely HATE flying and will avoid it whenever possible.

101, who said that they didn't like you? Must have been on a forum that I've never been to.

Maria, glad to "see" you again and to hear that you're on the mend. It looks like you got a lot more snow than we did. We only got about an inch or two.

dmcd, please don't fault yourself for having tried to help your sister; however, there comes a time when you have to refuse to be a doormat! I can't help but hope that she does not profit from the sitution that she has forced on you and your brother.

Darius, you made me wonder what in the world had got you SO excited --- until I read your explanation of an unintentional caps lock. LOL. As I've said before, I'm in awe of all that you and Molly and Jeremy have accomplished so far.

Molly, good for you for tackling all that extra space. I have to say that it makes me tired just looking at the photos. In one way, I'd love to have that much room, but in another, I can barely manage the tiny area that I do have. There's never enough time!

DR, hope your son comes up with something that he'll really enjoy. I was thinking along the same lines as sarv. Does your son do better with "hands on" experience? That could be a really good way to go. My husband with all his more intellectual aptitude and training can't get a job these days. Many of the higher paying jobs involving software have been exported to India , but one of my cousins, who learned how to repair computer hardware is doing just fine. Nobody is willing to wait for a repairman to fly over from India when the computer has crashed! Just a thought.

Hi Babs, checked out the link that you provided. I'm glad that nobody got killed in the crash and even more glad that the Navy decided to take a good hard look at all the equipment.

I know that there's more that I meant to respond to and a few people that I meant to address, but I'm so tired that this is the best I can do. I've been making stupid mistakes all day, don't know why. I'm hoping that it's just tiredness and not a preview of instant senility! At any rate, that's it for me, I'm afraid. Goodnight to all. Sweet dreams.

Well it took me awhile to read all of today's posts and get caught up. You all don't even rest on the weekends!! My day got turned upside down before it even started. I think I wrote the quote about "the best laid plans"...Well, anyway, this morning DS gave DGD a perm. Her hair is long, and fine, hard to roll, but it came out just like she wanted it. If I hadn't told you earlier, DS is a barber, who has his license, does some barbering, but thinks after all the schooling, working in 3 shops and having his own, that it is not for him. I think people will always need hair cuts, but hey... After that aside, about 2:00 we went to the hospital to see DMIL. She is doing much better. They have dissolved the blood clots, and she is up and around again. She is at the rehab hospital, and they are starting to talk about her coming home maybe this next week. After we left there, stopped by another hospital to visit a former neighbor. This woman was our neighbor for 28 years. She and her husband took a very young married couple under their wings, and they became like grand parents to us. She has had some surgery, but the biggest problem is alzheimers. She recognized us, but thought that we had come to take her home. Had a very hard time getting away from her. A nurse came in to distract her while we slipped out the door. What a pity!! Then we stopped and ate a very tasty fish dinner. Finally home about 8:00. Tired and worn out.

I wanted to comment on so much, but first I want to thank Mary and dmc for complimenting me on my talents. As I said somewhere, I have a grateful heart and willing hands, so I am a natural helper. I am one of those people who have a hard time accepting compliments, gifts etc from someone, but love to give to others. Thanks for recognizing that.

Then for all those who read, I just finished the most amazing book. It should be a Required read for women. The title is The Interruption of Everything, by Terry McMillan. It is a fiction, but describes everything that I think at one time or another every woman feels in life. The underappreciation, the constant giving to the extent of ignoring our needs, the mid life crisis of men, and it effects, the joys and sorrows of raising children, and dealing with probematic family members. And the realization, that only we can alter or change our direction in life. This is all written with a liberal dose of humor. My gosh, at points, I thought the author had crawled into my head.

Then, I wanted to say, WELCOME BACK MARIA!!. I am so glad that the cold is not the same calibre of last years. And was happy to Samson playing in the new snow.

Mary, I thoroughly enjoyed your pictures. The mountains in the backgrounds are so gorgeous. I would love to visit your part of the country some day, and experience all that wide open space.

Sarv, I am envious that you got to spend such a lovely day at the seminar. And bare left ring fingers mean nothing. Sometimes for legitimate reasons, and sometimes for very underhanded ones, and anyway, why did you notice that? LOL. I have come to the conclusion, that men come packaged in many shapes and sizes, but basically, they are cut from the same cloth!!

And Darius and Molly, I stand amazed at your tenaciousness. My gosh, what are you going to do when all of this vegetation matures? And who are you gonna hire to come help? I know, one of these days in the near future, you will sit in your arbor, covered in lovely vines etc, raising your glasses and toasting each other on a job well done. Hope I can arrange to be at one of those events.

And 101, that nursery lady sure sounds nice. I am so glad that you enjoyed your visit, and came away with some nice trees.

To all others, I read everything, not ignoring you, but like McCool said sometimes instant senility prohibits me from responding. If you are in that category tonight ~~~ I am waving enthustically at you. ( I just love that ~~~)

Good night everyone.

Bonnie

I had two long posts written and both times kicked the front of the pc with my toe and rebooted the machine. So now I am peeved...and am going to bed. LOL

The daily is up for tomorrow at

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/580490/

Hope you and I have a better night than I have just had an evening...

Susan
=^..^=