Has anyone used a clone machine?

No, not my husband. My husband never looked that great when he was that young and none of our kids look even close to that guy in the photo either. We are ho hum... boring looking.

I would love for you to come up and visit me. Not to work or do laundry or anything. My husband has taken over dishes and kitty litter boxes and we're probably going to hire a cleaning lady for a while if we can find one who speaks English. I've got reinforcements coming to help get all the plants I ordered in the ground and my husband would like me to hire a service to come in and take down another 1000 buckthorn or so this fall. I probably won't go that route because the last time I hired people, they took down a 100 year old black cherry and trampled a lot of plants that I had specifically pointed out to them to steer clear of. There is no way on this earth a buckhorn and a black cherry can be confused even by a neophyte. It was in their way so they feigned ignorance and the path through plantings was shorter than walking around. Anyway, I have a good sense of humor and I would love for you to come out and stay with me. I could watch you play with my RainForest (still in the original packaging). I'll cheer you up in no time flat. My whole family is real nice and they have a way of rubbing off on people with their silliness. If you do come, you will be well received.

Chin up aprilbaby.

Oh I would love to come and help clear the buckthorn! I have no idea what one is but feel like if you pointed it out to me I'd be able to recognize it! LOL. and how hard could 1000 buckthorn be to remove? Is it hard?

I know what you mean about hired help though. One of the small landscape jobs that my daughter & I did was four entrances to a subdivision- we did a nice job only to have much of it trampled when they brought in folks to do electical work, etc. It was frustrating.

You better be careful who you invite, you never know who will take you up on it! LOL. You are a peach!
Thanks.

The buckthorn is back breaking work. They form impenetrable thickets and there is a reason why their common name is Buckthorn. They have thorns. Although they are no where near as thorny as Barberry or Multiflora Rosa, they are tough. Seedlings can easily be handpulled after a nice rain and tossed on the hot asphalt to fry out their little brains. Saplings can be ripped out of the ground at any time of year providing you have the correct tool that has some torque to it and that would be a weed wrench. Some of those saplings are in the ground pretty good and although I weigh over a hundred pounds, I still find I have to lean all of my weight on the tool to get it to pull some out. It can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes ripping one sapling out of the ground. I think it would be easier for somebody who weighed at least 150 lbs to do but you work with what you have. Now, some of the larger buckthorns are actually full size trees. Those come down with a chainsaw. I got one for Mother's Day a few years ago. Although I have a good quality chainsaw that some professional arborists use, it's not enough to get some of the largest ones. Those require considerably more formidable chainsaws which I am not capable of operating. They are too big and too heavy and I can guarantee I'd end up amputating something and I'm not in the mood for any more severed body parts these days. I personally take down all but the largest myself leaving those to my husband, dad, or one of my brothers. There aren't too many really large ones left here. Maybe 500 or so. Once they bring them down, I take care of what's on the ground. I leave some where they fall to create biomass for the soil, some I use to create habitat brush piles, and any fruiting tops we haul off and burn.

Trust me sweetie, when you come to visit... you will not want to help clear buckthorn.

On the plus side, I am in better shape now than I was at age 30 or 40. This "active" phase of gardening (invasive species removal) has really been a big help keeping me some semblance of in shape.

Wow you got your very own chain saw? I have never even used one...fear of amputation. I thought I was doing well when I broke down and bought myself a dremel tool!
I am a hard worker and hard work does not scare me...put me to work!

Why yes Maam, my very own chainsaw. This year I want a blow torch I think. Took me a while to work up to using the chainsaw. I got it and took the classes then retook the classes and was very intimidated by it but one day I decided that if I didn't do it, nobody would. I now have well in excess of 4500 buckthorn kills to my credit. 500 from just this year and my goal is another 500 this fall. I'm making up for lost time and it isn't even fall yet when I can go for the big mommas with the chainsaw.

Why I think I will put you to work when you come.
Here are some exercises for you to do before you come-
1)reach over with your left arm and recreate sliding something toward you.
2)reach up and swipe motion.

These two are very important exercises. One is to prepare you for grabbing potted plants off tables at nurseries and the other is to swipe your credit card for the purchase.

Seriously, I could put you to work but then that's no fun for me. If I get company, I want to be with my company visiting botanical gardens and plant nurseries and going out to eat at restaurants and such not working my company. Lincoln did emancipate the slaves...remember.

If I wasn't working in the yard...any yard, I wouldn't feel normal...normal is rather a challenge for me under the best of circumstance, but I can't say no to visiting nurseries, botanical gardens and who can refuse food food and wonderful company.

Blow torch? What are you planning?

To start burning off my grass. The blow torch is much better than chemicals. I want to get moving on eliminating grass here. I want to go with a no-mow lawn. Considerably more natural.

Very cool, what are you going to put down? Burning is a great idea...I'd love to burn somethings...grass/weeds uh yeah that's what I was thinking of. LOL.
What sort of grass do folks in your area grow? Here the most common is St. Augustine which is not my favorite.

Crab grass, quack grass, ribbon grass and everything but good stuff.

Burn... burn...burn!

Well that sounds like Houston area- my daughter is convinced that crab grass is synonomous (did I spell that right?) w/ Buffaloe grass...they have simillar growing/spreading capabilities but one is planted by some local home owners although for the life of me I cannot figure out why anyone would want to plant something so invasive!

Here's the Weed Dragon I have my eye on-
http://www.flameengineering.com/Weed_Dragon.html

Which reminds me, I need to go and post a question about that because I don't own one and I'd like to know what similar products are out there.

So, have any of you used a clone machine? {:o)

oladyhoo
Why do you want to bring reality into this?
No I haven't, but it can't be harder than brain surgery. I haven't done that either but I'd be willing to experiment on my DH. muahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Ever hear of "No Mercy Weeding" tool? I have to check that one out as well, can't recall where/what I heard, but I did make a note to myself to check into that one.

oladyhoo, do you recall those commercials on tv about peole sleeping in Holiday inn Expresses and then the next day they perform brain surgery or disable nuclear bombs or other off the wall techincal activities all because they were smart enough to save money by sleeping at a more affordable hotel? I think I am in the "sleep at the Holiday Inn Express" phase with the Rainbow. Does it count that I ordered it and that it is paid for and here for me when I'm ready to use it? Eek, now I feel guilt. Quick fast aprilbaby, buy one and start using it so that all eyes are on you!

It's on my list of things to do... you do have an excuse for not using it right now- not all of us are recent survivors of killer storms!

Yeah, I looked at the 2 videos on the site and frankly looked liked they were simply hoeing- is that the right word?- heck I can do that w/ my hoe. I am not interested unless someone comes along and tells me why it's better or how it's different from a hoe.

Glad you appreciated the comment about brain surgery. I know that sleeping @ a Holiday Inn Express and a little experimentation will make us quite capable!

I just showed this thread to my husband and he walked off shaking his head. He's such a good sport.

Poor guy, you know he has to be worried now.

Naa, I tease him all the time and he teases back. We get down right goofy sometimes.

I'm in the market for a cloner.. anyone try one yet?

(Hanging head in shame) No

Grasshopper say "Mangled hand is suitable excuse."

Tee he, my bad... I took the cast off a while ago (wasn't supposed to be removed until next week) and removed all the splints from the broken fingers a few weeks ago. All I have have left is the cage over the one finger. I've been typing with almost all of the hand for at least 3 weeks. The whole hand is doing great overall. I just hesitate to use it yet.

Well, I can snap my stub just like the tip that was there before, so I am healed. That was my favorite fingernail though. Had the perfect curve to it.
Glad you are healing well. Flexing is one thing. Lifting or other heavy finger/hand work is best eased into.
Hugs,
Sidney

You tell her Sidney!!! Someone has to...lol. It's hard to keep us down isn't it???
When I broke a bone in my foot during the crop last year, I was just going to walk on it and get it fixed later, but the surgeon said he could put a screw in and I would be walking on it in 2 wks. Injuries can be so frustrating.

Sidney-I sprayed the Messenger on all my plants the other day-took 1.5 gallons to do it! I am excited to see the difference..

LAUREN! look I am all for ramping up rehab but I am telling you for your own good, don't do anything else w/ that hand/fingers- wait until you have the go ahead before you do anything heavy, strenuous, etc. Trust me, I speak from professional experience and I because I know what can go wrong- I speak of what might be, not what is, there is still time to change the future...(my paraphrasing impretion of the ghost of xmas yet to be) just be carefull!

Interpetation;GET THAT CAST BACK ON RIET NOW! ;)

Sidney, you are good, hope that Lauren is as well! It's not so bad that the cast is off, but I fear that the cast was all that was keeping her from do things that might cause problems.

Sugah! Sorry about your fingernail. I've lost the fingernail on the finger they reattached to my hand but I fortunately did not lose the whole finger.

Tigger! Me thinks the pot calling the kettle black- no?

Hi Mom! I haven't dug even one hole. Not because I wouldn't if I could but I can't. Truth be known, I'm not into pain. The cast was great for a while but after the first few weeks, it was like lugging around a bowling ball. When I carry something that needs two hands, I use my left hand and my right forearm. I really don't use but a little bit of it for typing. I still sleep with it up and and out of the way.

Oops, people typed! The cast is long gone. That smelly nasty thing that prohibited me from taking a bath. Sorry about that. It had to go. My doctor's appointment to have it removed is next week. Look at all the money I will save in that it's already gone.

Well just a word to the wise.

Hello Conscience and Hello Mom, you both need to come visit me and help me spend all the money I saved removing that cast and the splints and by gosh by golly, I even took out some of my own stitches this year. Must admit I couldn't get them all left handed so I did have to break down and have the rest removed by my primary care doctor. She's used to me. I took off the cast on my arm last year a few weeks early. That doctor loves native plants. Matter of fact me and my girlfreind Garden4Birds (a member here) ran into that doctor at a native plant sale last year and that's when I got caught without that cast.

I figure you two and me could come home with quite a few pretties for the money I saved practicing DIY!

I am all for removing stitches I have been doing that myself since I was 18!
Would love to come and spend your money and get out of the hear here- 98 temps and hummidity in the 90 % range. What's it like there?

Upper 50's right now but we have a tendency of going from snow straight to blazing heat and humidity all in about one week. We seem to have very little time to transition these days. Soon it will be in the 90's and you can take that to the bank. Spring and fall are by far the best times of year here.

Welll here too and I bet most places. How far from Chicago are you? I recall some very hot humid summer days there in my youth.

About an hour north of Chicago. Your memories of your childhood were quite accurate. Without our AC, we'd be pretty miserable around here and then the mosquitoes would eat us alive.

Oh well mosquitoes are the state bird in TX

lol April....when you say " just a word to the wise"-who are you referring to as wise??? lol Lauren?? She is acting as stupid as I would in her case...well maybe she would be the wiser one! Thats not saying much in this case...

And yes Lauren, I am calling the kettle black...everyone that knows me will tell you that I would have screwed up my foot to keep walking for the crop. Thats why I am laughing now-even though its not funny lol

I just reread this..." walking for the crop" sounds like a fundraiser!

Yes it does Tigerbaby, LOL.
The crop being annuals and tender perrenials right?
:)