Coffee and...For Monday, April 3, 2006 =^..^=

Here's the daily continued from
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/587991/
♫ ☼ Have a great day! ♫ ☼

Susan
=^..^=

hello, getting ready for work, have been lurking for many moons. Really enjoy the folks in DG. Just thought I'd stop to say howdy.

Well, good morning and welcome to greta!! Made some cookies yesterday, but just noticed that DH snitched all the leftover ones for work - shame on him!! I'll get busy and fill the plate up - greta - you need to tell us all about yourself- family etc.

Not much planned out of the ordinary today - especially since the weatherman said the four lettered 's' word. May just sit on my duff and pout... Winds are expected to get up to 40mph - hope the greenhouse is tied down good enough.

All 4 of my castor bean seeds sprouted - man are they a huge things!! Anybody ever grown them? First year I grew them, my one plant turned into a huge beautiful tree. Last year it never got above 36 inches and puny.

Well, need to hit the shower, dehair the legs, get on my workout duds and get on with the day - see everyone later!!

Good morning all,

Welcome, Greta. Please tell us more about yourself.

Feels too early to be up with the time change, but I'd better get breakfast and head out to Aquafit. BBL.
Have a good day.

Ann

We dodged the tornado bullet again yeasterday leaving St Louis. The super cell was southwest of us and moving over a pretty large area and when we stopped to gas up all the sirens went off. It formed a couple of minutes in back of where we just went through and touched down in a area called St Peters that is a suburb of St Louis. I have not heard how powerful it was but it was pretty small and did not last to awful long. It just hit the right areas to make a mess of things. It hit a Wallmart store along Interstate 70 in St Peters and took a hunk of the roof off and deposited it on the interstate. Tore up some power towers further West near the interstate 70 and interstate 40 junction knocking out a lot of power. Was enough junk and live wire on those 40 and 70 that they shut down where they cross. Boy am I glad we were past there. That is one of the cross roads of the country. In minutes I bet the traffic was miles long. Other than that we brought home 32 plants. 17 were Heuchera for the new bed that we will make this spring.

Morning all, Just poping in quick with good news...not....LOL the weatherman says we are in for a wetter than normal month of April. So it sounds like we are going to go straight into summer with out spring this year. Have to get to vets for DMSO to try to get the swelling down in my horses ankle so I can get him shod and he can walk on it better. Waves to all and welcome Greta. I'll try to get something on the counter later today for an afternoonish snack...LOL sarv, I'm having leftover pizza for breakfast....Lauri

Morning Every one especially Greta a nice, warm welcome to you!
Am having company for breakfst in a little while perhaps I should say brunch, so I will see you later

Well Good Morning all. Survived the night of stormy weather. Didn't have any damage, except blowing things around. Had to go rescue some patio furniture that blew off the deck. Oz glad to hear that you were untouched too. I hate this season, but in this area of the country, that is the cross we bear. In today's paper, they were talking about a fault in California, that is expected to cause a huge earth quake in the near future.

Maria, oh brunch sounds really good.

Sarv and Viann, off to the work out joints, do some for me!!

Good moring lauriewilson. Hope you get the horse taken care of, and new shoes on.

greta, welcome, glad to have you.Stop in and tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I am chasing dust bunnies today, and trying to reduce the size of the laundry monster. So better get to it, then I can relax later on.

Morning all...still seeing dire weather warnings all over the central states. We had quite a bit of rain, and wind, but the hail that was forecast didn't happen. My greenhouse is safe in the garage, where I stashed it after it's adventure on Friday. Good thing I didn't have anything in it. Sure is dark and gloomy out for almost 8: am.

Managed to come home from the H&G show with only a few pansies, since all the vendors there that aren't connected to building or gardening have the usual junk, jewelry cleaner, garish t-shirts, pricey jars of jam or condiments, they hit every big venue. They must make money because they always come back. We got some estimates on replacing the sliders, which pretty much stopped us in our tracks! Like $5000...............said to DH, we could turn the top level of the deck into a 3 season room for that kind of dough. By the time we left there, we decided that would be a good idea, so he might tackle that himself. It would be a nice spot for starting seedlings, without the danger of cats sleeping on them or nibbling them to death.

Sarv, no ice cream in the house? That's living dangerously! I always buy two-fers when they are a supermarket special. And then there's my secret stash of Dove bars.... I rarely stop at McDonalds but the one thing I do get is their $1 salad, which is a quick fix to make a couple of salads for dinner when I don't feel like fussing.

Mary, your drive through the mountains with the horse trailer sounded scary. Glad you made it safe and sound and sold the horse. It would have been a bummer to go through that and then have not sold it.

Kooger, so sad about the bunny. Those lopears are cute so you found a fortunate replacement! Pics were charming. They do make good pets, especially if they are handled and petted when they are young. My dad used to raise New Zealand Whites, but it was for food. My chore was to stop at the grocer's on the way home from school and pick up vegetable cullings, carrot tops, lettuce, etc for them, and then to clean the cages after they digested it. The females were very protective of their young, and the bucks were downright mean. Never thought of them as pets until years later when a friend got one, and it lived in the house.

Dcat, we always get scolded when we leave the house for any length of time. Sammi especially gets very vocal when we get home, and runs to his food dish and yodels as if he hasn't eaten in days. Then he wants to be picked up and held, until he is reassured we aren't leaving again. After that he wiggles away and goes off to chase the girls. He and Souky have been playing hide and seek lately, since she finally figured out he isn't going to eat her alive. Your JR must have figured out you were going without him and started pouting early!

McCool, you had a good day in the garden and accomplished a lot. We are doing a lot of the early gardening technique. Standing and staring. Mental gymnastics, move those, dig that out, put this or that somewhere else. Picked up a big tub of Preen at Home Depot, and DH got one of those cultivator spreader attachments for the riding mower. So, mostly we're planning and scheming but not doing much in the way of real work. LOL about Mr. Black Thumb....I still have to keep an eye on DH but he's learned a lot, so he's not quite as dangerous as he used to be.

Elaine, you will probably have the first ripe tomatoes, you're off to such a good start. Terrific germination rate! I suppose my little mini-pear tomatoes will reseed themselves again this year. So many of them come up it's like pulling weeds. Last year I propped the vines up all the way up to the deck railings, so they were about 6 feet long.
People were locking their doors when they saw me coming, I was giving away so many. You can't eat them all! They don't keep or freeze well.

Honestly Darius, what can people be thinking to say such a thing? It sounds like she started out jealous, and let it fester from there. There's no dealing with people like that, they like to feed their worst demons, and it's best to just stay far away. One of DH's younger stepsisters approached me at an early age...maybe 12 or so, and announced that she "didn't like " me. I was shocked, I never even knew her. I said, "Fine, then stay away from me" . We have little to do with his family, they are all gossipers and backstabbers, except for the ones who are moochers! The less we have to do with them the better. He never initiates contact with them except for the one half-brother that I can barely tolerate...but you've all heard about that already.

Oz, you were lucky not to have gotten caught in that mess! Coming home after dinner last night we got a heavy rain right after we got on the Xway. Huge mess. People were pulling over to the side, and then getting rearended by idiots who were following them too close. If they had just slowed down, and let the drivers who wanted to speed take the other lane it would have been fine, but it didn't work that way. Panic had set in, and ruled the road.

~~ to Susan, Bal, Maria, Dmcd, newbies, and anyone I've overlooked, time to hit the shower and find something for breakfast that isn't chocolate or leftovers. Good day to make soup. And maybe haul out the bread machine. And pull the curtains so I don't have to look at the ugly weather!

Here's Sammi and Mini protecting us from those awful birds!!

Later..

Sheila

Morning gretagibbs! So nice to see you today. Do sit down and tell us about yourself. There's usually something on the counter ... we have some marvelous cooks here. I've just made fresh coffee if anyone wants any.

Seems I woke up tired today. Guess it's this blasted time change. Got to do the usual Monday stuff, so I'll be back later.

Oz , so glad y'all missed the bad weather. Oh ... and Defoe, glad you had no ill affects from your storm either.

Lauriwilson, did you ever find out anything about your son?

Carol, if you check in please know I'm praying for your Dad as he starts his treatments.

And who lost the pretty little rabbit? So sorry to hear that, but it's nice you were able to find one to give a good home to. :) I had a long haired Netherland dwarft named Smokey cause he was the prettiest wispy smokey grey. He lived to be quite old.

Hi Maria/Samson, McCool, Mags, DMC, Susan, Kelly, Sarv, Meezers (and gang), Darius, Pati and everyone else I've not mentioned by name. Haven't had enough coffee to name *this* entire group!! LOL Here's hoping everyone has a blessed day.

... Elaine

Back from the h/puff - didn't do more than go thru the motions. Everyone was in a funk because of this stupid weather!! It's downpouring and windy.

Just before I left, the phone rang. I checked the caller ID and it was MIL. I thought about not answering it, but I did (and wished I hadn't...) She wants me to pick up downs syndrome SIL (who lives with her) but is losing her mind. She hollars and bites and refuses to talk. Anyhow wants me to take her to another SIL house, then take MIL for blood test, then back to pick the 'kookie' SIL up again. Now they all move slower than molasses... Then she says 'oh the weather station that you got me for Christmas isn't working and I want it fixed'- you can do it when you get back here. Grrrrr,,,,that is something I did NOT need to hear. I went to the huff/p and pedaled the bikes like I was being chased!! Oh woe is me.

Gonna sit on my duff and do nothing until I need to pick up the 'bunch' -just had a peanut butter sandwich (comfort food)

I do need to make an ice cream run.....be back later!!

Good morning. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, but just not here, unfortunately. Maybe in your neighborhood? Snow and rain showers here. I'll have to try to do some riding between showers.

Greta, so nice of you to join in this morning even if it was just to say Hi and I'm lurking. We have several former lurkers who have joined the fun on a sort of regular basis, so please come back and stay awhile, tell us about yourself, and have a cyber goodie (no calories).

Meanwhile, inside where it's dry there is AmandaPanda kitty to entertain me, the laundry to do, some housecleaning, you get the picture. Back later.

Morning all. Meezer. I'm amazed at the cost of replacing the slider(s). The 6' and 8' sliders I built into the sunroom were not insulated and finally were replaced. The 8' one was removed and the opening closed, except for a nice window, and the 6' one was replaced with a 32" hinged door. Neither job was a big deal and the biggest cost was the new door. It shouldn't take more than a little framing to do the job since the openings are usually smaller and don't require larger headers. Dove Bars, my dear one's favorite, the small ones are just too small for me. I require a MAN'S serving of ice cream. Wonder if that might have something to do with my britches getting too tight ?

Oz, glad you made it through the storm. Hard for us out here to imagine the terror and devastation of hurricanes and tornados. We get occasional earthquakes, lots of rain, infrequent volcanic eruptions, a little snow and freezing temps, and lots of greedy Legislators.

Hey Maria, what's for Brunch ? Your menus always sound so wonderful.

Sarv, Too bad about the attitude of the in-law side of the family. It can't be easy to always be on the 'do-everything-for-me' end of the conversations. Sounds like a thankless situation.

No rain today (so far) and there's the prospect of actually being able to get back outside and work in the yard. So very much to do with the new landscaping. Hope the soil is dry enough to spade so I can lay out and prepare places for the overabundance (121 packs) of seeds. Sort of like putting 10 pounds of fertilizer in a 5 pound bag. LOL Since I'm such a slow 'typerist' I'll have to post and go back to see what I've missed in the meantime.

Best thoughts to all, and welcome Greta.

Hi All, and Welcome Greta.

Been a lazy day so far. Just spent 30 minutes in the shade outside watching an entire squadron of dragonflies doing practice runs over the front yard. Guess Molly shouldn't have any mosquitoe problems this summer.

M5, I'm flabergasted at the estimates too. Too easy to do it yourselves.

Maria, how's Samson?

Update on DS....he was given a clean bill of health and told to stick to his diet as is and little or no drinking which he told him(DR) ..no problem as I don't drink....He will still be tired from time to time if he over does it so he knows to keep it slow....Now to NOT be like his mom and try to do everything in one day....Off to DMSO the horse bbl.......Lauri

Okay, I have decided NOT to dignify my estranged half-sister's accusations with a reply. I do have a story to relate that may explain some of the things she may have heard about me before she was 2.

I had the occasion to spend a week during winter in St. Simon's Island (GA) with friends about 10 years before my father died. I hadn't seen my dad in a few years and he was just an hour or so south of there so I invited him to come visit. I met him on a Saturday afternoon at a pub on the pier and we had a beer and shrimp. He told me this story.

On leave from the Pacific during WWII, I took the train to Miami to see you, playing cards and gambling most of the night on the train. I had money coming out of all my pockets! The porter awakened me when we got to Miami (the end of the line) and he directed me to a car rental place. No cars were available but when I told the man I came to see my daughter, he took me out back and rented me his own personal vehicle for 4 hours.

I went to the house where you lived only to find that you were quarrantined at the nursery school (someone had smallpox) so I went there. The closest anyone could get was 30 feet, and you stood at the fence and cried, "I want to go home." I couldn't even hug you. Broke my heart.

Lots of reasons for her jealousy and resentment.

Of course, I have resentments too. They did a military 21 gun salute at my dad's funeral. I asked my stepmother for one of the shells and she told me she had 21 grandchildren and the shells would go to them. Most of them never even knew him.

Bitterness grows a bad garden so I try not to let it get to me.

Well Darius That is one of the ways that people now days stike out at others is accusing thme of child molestation. If they keep that up time will come whgen they wear it out and it will be like the little boy that cried wolf.

I am sorry to say Darius bitterness can grow a pretty nice garden as long as he does not think about the people he is bitter with.

Bet she made that up about the same time she sent the E-Mail. I am not going to tell you what I would do.

Dearest Darius,

You don't seem to have a lotta' luck with your biological sisters. Would you accept me as a "soul sister"? I promise to always love and appreciate you, and mi casa es tu casa.

A bitterness garden can be "weeded" with love, and once that's done the "cuttings" can be shared with everyone. I'm sending you the first bucket full....just pour it on!
((hugs))
Pati

Darius, here's another bucket full.

Just interrupted writing to check out a thump in the living room. I have a huge, blooming Amaryllis. Found it fallen over earlier and though it was just top heavy and that watering it well would do the trick. NOPE. This time, it toppled itself right onto the floor. Dirt and water all over the place because it was in a self watering pot; so I had lots of water in it. Broke one big flower bud off. It's on it's second flower stalk. The first one, which is just drying up now, had 6 blooms on it. The second had 5. This is an Amaryllis which I bought through a charitable organization last year and it never bloomed. I planted it out last summer in the garden. Lifted it, dried it, dusted it for bugs and planted it in new dry soil. Then left it in the cold storage area until a few weeks ago. It has really rewarded me, but I'm rarely able to get them to bloom in a second year. Anyway, I've sopped up what water I could with a paper towel. It will have to dry some more before I can vacuum. maybe it's time to get my carpets cleaned.

Went to Aquafit this morning. Found that many of the group have been so inspired by helping the one clean out her house before moving that they went home and tackled their own houses on the weekend. I know cleaning out my mother's house in 1993 had a similar effect on me.

Well, I'm about to head out to the Food cupboard with 3 yrs worth of Canadian Living magazines and about 1 1/2 yrs of Canadian Gardening magazine for the help yourself table. I've decided there really is no point in keeping the magazines around too long. The ones I'm dropping off are 2000-2002. If I haven't clipped the recipes by now, do you think I'll ever really do it?

Funny day here. Not too warm. Was raining, but is looking brighter but with gray skies all around. At least we haven't had the kind of weather some of you are experiencing. We've been known to get the odd tornado associated with violent thunder storms in the summer, but nothing like those of you in the US midwest. I did a grad. degree at the University of Illinois and some of the storms we experienced while there were horrific, and they WEREN'T tornadoes. Sure hope all of you stay safe.

Ann

Hey - we can all be Darius's sisters!! (and bros!!) What a wonder family we have!! Oh Patti your posting about the garden was wonderful..how beautiful.

Now, I have to apologize for ranting on about MIL...she just caught me at a bad time when I was feeling 'hateful'. She does and has had a miserable life. One of her sons is now in the mental hospital and they will be placing him in foster care. This is one of several. They are all such a unusual family (read between the lines- weird~) They all want to be left alone and seldom if ever help each other out. I on the other hand was brought up so differently. We all help each other. And if my brother was in the mental hospital, I would be the first to be there for him. None of the siblings in DH family even go visit this brother. Plus MIL spends the whole time I am with her talking about such 'down' things. It does get to me - and often.


Well, the 's' arrived - I couldn't believe it...(no wonder I was feeling hateful LOL) I need to think about something to add a little heat to the greenhouse. I thought about putting a piller candle in a can - or maybe just covering things up with a blanket. We don't have electricity in the greenhouse - but I could run an extension cord (but probably won't)

Oz, I taught with a guy that was accused of molestation. He went thru pure H - ended up the girls recanted what they had first accused him of- but the damage was done. He ended up having a complete breakdown and quit teaching. What a terrible shame. (and shame on those girls)

I think the bit about the shell from the funeral was so selfish...how can some people be so cruel. I just don't understand things like that. But Darius, at least you have wonderful memories of your dad - no one can take that away!!

Lauri - good news about DS....hope he doesn't take after you!!

Bal is there a difference in a man's and a woman's size serving of ice cream?? Ice cream is a major source of calcium - I want a BIG bowl!!

Spareribs are smelling delish- just drained all the grease from them and added the BBQ sauce...yum. That and a baked potato!! Can't wait!

BBQ chicken here Sarv.......son's favorite. DS and DH can finish off a half gallon of ice cream in two days, it is never ending. I love it when Breyers is on sale for $1.99 a half. One week I bought 11 half gallons and they were gone in less than 3 weeks. It gets embarassing to keep buying it but at that price you have to do what you have to do.

((((Darius)))) this can make you stronger, I'll be your sister too.

Vann, so sorry about the flower, hope you got some pictures before the fall.

I know I don't post much anymore and I hate to jump on here and boast, but who else would understand but fellow gardeners. My DH just bought me a Mantis tiller!!! WOOOO HOOOOO. He put it together and I have tried it out on a small piece of soil. It will take some time to get used to but maybe now I wont have to ask for so much help. It comes with an edger (sp) tool, I hope I can put it on and take it off by myself.

I have tomatoes a foot high down in the gh so Sarv keep your snow I don't want it. I do have propane heat but I am cheap and hate to run it. Now I need to get the garden raked off so I can run my tiller and get going!

I must confess DH has been so great this past year I finally asked him if I was dieing or something cause he was being so nice LOL He said that he just loved me and wanted me to have some of the nice things I always wanted. Well, with a gh last year a laptop computer 2 weeks ago and now the mantis whats a GOB to do but give him a big ol kiss and say I love you right back!! Of course now the new puter will be handy when we travel so he will enjoy it also. With our RR and All in one phone and cable I am set. Too too blessed.

Joy

I'm like a bad penny..........

Here is an interesting fact I received today.

On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00
in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03, 04/05/06.

That won't ever happen again.

You may now return to your (normal ?) life.

Darius - Here's a bucket of love from NJ. ((((hugs)))) to you. Just let some of us DG'rs have a crack at her with the 2x4.

Welcome Greta! Hope we see you back here often.

Went home from work early on Friday for a dentist appointment. Stoped at home and greenhouse was fine. Light wind, but not bothering it too much. Went to the Dentist and came home 2 hrs later to find it in the corn field. Grrrrrrrrrr. We went to Lowe's Saturday and got some of those squigly dog tie out things to put on the corners and sides. We are supposed to get storms tonight/tomorrow, so after that we will try to resurect it. In the meantime, seedlings are getting shuffled around to get the best light.

Susan - DH would have a fit if I fed another animal. Because we have a farm, we are always getting drop offs. Farmers always need barn cats right? (not!) I am forbidden to feed/try to tame stray cats. I still try, just have to be sneaky about it. We have been lucky though, no drop offs in the last couple years.

Sarv - Good luck with the family errands. Hope you get that ice cream on your way home. Sounds like you need some chocolate therapy.

Bal - carving is great! Hope you get to work outside today.

Dmc - Glad you got you "horse ears" picture.

Hope everyone in the tornado areas are ok. We had a small twister touch down about 15 miles south of us. Put a large tree through a friends house just after his daughter had left that room. But, that damage was nothing compared to what those in the midwest endur. Very scary stuff.

Gotta get going. 1/2 hour of work left. Not sure if i'm going to Kohls tonight or just staying home. Have a wedding to go to Easter weekend of all times. The bride is one of the only cousins that I'm close to, so have to go. We will be traveling to DE with Sis and DBIL, so should be a fun weekend.

~~~~to everyone I didn't mention. I have read everything, but not time to go back and comment on it all. See ya!

Yum, Sarv, ribs sound so good. I just got back from a major haul of groceries and Sam's club supplies, and had to take a load off before I start putting things away. After all that walking around yesterday and then shopping today, my dogs are barking! I try to buy large sizes of detergent, cat litter etc. and then hate myself for it when I get home. Usually leave it in the garage to DH to truck down to the basement or where ever, but then I've already loaded it in the cart, out of the cart, on the conveyer, back in the cart, so I figure I've done my share.

Darius, you have a large loving family here, and the less you expect from yours, the less you will be disappointed. Some people have no shame in saying cruel or untruthful things about others, but you are probably not the only target. They don't reserve their nasty side just for youand are probably friendless as few people will tolerate that kind of behavior. Count yourself lucky you haven't seen her in decades, you are all the better for it.

Bal, it should be a simple job to replace the slider, but every time you talk to a contractor about jobs like that, their eyes light up with dollar signs. It shouldn't cost that much, but getting a realistic price on a well insulated replacement is like hunting for hen's teeth. I'm more confident that DH can build the room than replace the slider, and it looks like it would be comparable in expense. He built the deck level and square, but I don't think he wants to tackle the door. I think we'll need a building permit too, as it would be attached to the house.

ViAnn, I've never gotten an amaryllis to rebloom, I think I'm too absent minded and either get them out too early or too late. Or forget to water. They are beautiful, but I'm a bad plant mother. All my houseplants have learned they get a drink once a week, and if they can't handle it, they better just dry up and die right away. Some have, and some have lived so long that I no longer love them and say bad things to them. Still very windy here, but it's a tad warmer than yesterday, and the clouds blew away so there's sunshine.

Laurie, good news that there is nothing seriously wrong with Josh (Hope I got the name right) and that is one worry off your mind.

I suppose the fairies aren't going to come and put this stuff away, so I better get at it.

Daylight savings time switch makes me tired. Why don't they just leave it that way all year long?

~~~~'bye

Sheila

Ahhh, I am really touched with ALL my new sisters! What a great family!

Truly, DG has been more of a family to me over the last 5 years than my own fractured one. Big hugs have come from people I may never get to meet, and more suppport than I can articulate. Thanks, all!

love ya! And thank you for all of the wisdom that you give to this family. I know I can always count on you to play nursery rhymes, share plant info with me and join in on many other arenas of fun and learning.

ginni

Wow, you've been talking this aft. My ISP went belly-up again for awhile.

Joyous, I've been looking at that Mantis tiller and wondering if it was worth $500 Cdn. Let us know what you think about it after you've used it awhile. In fact, I was gonna post a question on the forum that's about gardening equipment (forgot it's name), but I hadn't gotten around to doing so.

that interesting fact is sure making the rounds. I got it too.

Sheila, I think that Amaryllis is just making up for lost time because it DIDN'T bloom the year I bought it. Most of the ones I summer in the garden develop little bulblets or get a parasitic fly that eats the inside of the bulb. It's rather rare for me to summer them successfully, but for some reason I keep trying.

Joyous, unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of this one, but we sure did enjoy it.

Ann

Hi all,

After a rainy and dreary weekend we had a beautiful sunny day today. I slept for 12 straight hours on Sat. night, a record for me after being awake most the night before worrying about storms. We had a window blow out in a storm a year ago and ever since then I worry every time I hear a storm is heading our way. Seeing all the rain pour into our new house will never leave my mind. Worse things have happened to people but sometimes it's just the little things that get us down.

Darius, don't worry about your half sister. Sometimes I think people see all the things on tv and think they have the same problems and make them up if they don't just so they have a reason for being miserable.

We have a Mantis tiller and DH loves it. I guess I could use it but DH likes to think of it as his property. And if he wants to do the weeding I'm not going to complain too much. I am the one with the hoe in the early morning during the summer but that really is my time to talk with God and nature and I wouldn't give it up for anything. And I'm the one who gets really close to those plants.

Kooger, so glad to hear I'm not the only one with a son who could sing and his mom never knew. The first time I knew he could sing was when I came home from work early and there was someone singing something in Italian in the shower upstairs. It was my youngest!!! He did very well in high school contests and was asked to be part of a group who went to Europe for the summer to do concerts. He wouldn't go because he didn't want to been seen in a Tuxedo in Europe. He did go with the French Club his Junior year. He was the only boy who went with 35 girls. He told me French was a feminine language and men didn't speak it. He felt a little different when he got home and also considered himself a lady's man. When he was in Sub school in Groton Conn he told us about how everyone loved to hear him sing the Bohemian Rhapsody on Karaoke night at the bar on base. Well, we had to put him to the test and rented a Karaoke machine and the Bohemian Rhapsody. I'll be darned but the boy really could sing! He's American Idol type material but he's way under the sea now so they won't see him soon. What a fun weekend that was. We had 18 people spend the night in our house. My daughter's husband was on call and couldn't come so she brought a girlfriend. When she left she told me we had the "funnest family" she had ever met. We may not be normal but we do like to have fun.

Have a great day.

Nancy

Nancy, did it just amaze u too? I'm still ga ga over it! He said he doesn't wanna try out for Swing Choir next fall but DD tells me a I is pretty much an automatic 'in'! Hmmm. I have to figure out a way to get him to understand that this talent can open doors for him, get him the opportunity to travel in college, etc, maybe even scholarships. I'll try to pick the right time when he feels like talking and really explain that even if he's not into it being his main focus of school, he can do lots with it. Besides, I'd love to hear more! lol

Elaine, it was DD who lost the bunny and now has a new lop-ear. Wonder how he's fitting in? Maybe I should call her..... :)

I need the 2x4 for the admins at work. Egg-heads like u have never seen. Too involved to try to explain right now - maybe another time. So very disappointing, seems all they care abt is money and more money.

darius, yup, it's a great bunch here at DG, my friend!! Best friends I've had since high school!

welcome to newbies - greta!

Mary, I was going to comment on ur scary ride and then forgot. Brought back memories of being stuck on a mtn pass with a load of dairy cattle and two of them were giving birth. The pass was closed, the town half way up the mtn had no gas for 3 days cuz the electricity was out so no plows cld run. It was a mess! Thankfully they had the road open in 4 hours. Sure made me worry for u, those passes are horrible!!

Hi to everyone else.... :)

Hi all.
DH was working on the computer all day, when he took a quick break I came in to check email and of course I screwed up everything he was doing-clicked the wrong screen and got him kicked off the work computer and lost his work, so now I know why I just avoid the office when he's around. I just have a knack.....

So I'm belatedly checking in and relieved to find that no one on here was hit with tornadoes or other catastrophes. The weather sounded dreadful through the midwest, and then reports of more mudslides expected in CA. We are supposed to get the four letter word that starts with s... too sarv. Ugh. Oh well.

darius-I would be honored to be your sister as well, my only hesitation in offering would be that my sister is also a nightmare, (although her tactics have not gone as low as your sister's accusation ,so sisterhood to me has come to have negative connotations. However, I would be happy to completely redefine it!!

Ann-sorry to hear your amaryllis crashed! I never have luck with them, or most any house plants in fact. Sounds like you made a fair amount of progress in the gardens. Getting the mulch off really helped my gardens thaw, but I did lightly re-cover my sprouty daylilies for this upcoming week.

Mary-trailering over mountain passes in a snowstorm sounded hair raising and exhausting. I'm glad it paid off in the sale of your horse.

McCool-sounds like a productive day in your garden yesterday, getting it all tilled already. LOL about Mr. Black Thumb!

dcat-sounds like dreadful weather, flash floods and hail, lightning, etc. Glad the tornadoes passed you by, that your back is getting better, and that DMIL is almost independent!

kooger-sad story about Oreo 1, much happier ending with Oreo 2. Very cute bunnies, both of them. Samantha too of course!!!

m5-Glad Sammi is still working to keep you safe from birds. Ouch on the slider cost!! I need to learn some building skills too, I can't believe how much they can charge to install stuff. Sliders aren't cheap to begin with but I bet you could do it all yourself under $2000 with good insulated doors.

Joyous-congrats on the new tiller! You sound *very* joyous today!! Glad to hear it ;-)

SuzieQ-sorry to hear your greenhouse did a bit of traveling too! I hope all greenhouses stop this nonsense soon!

Lauri-Glad your son is better, now best wishes for your poor horse to heal too!!

oz-there was post on one of the other threads about 2 wolves, I will see if I can find a link, popped into my mind with your comment about crying wolf. Seems that people will throw out any accusation to justify their own maliciousness, and how can anyone defend their reputation against something like that? ANyway, I'm glad to hear you've been avoiding the tornadoes as well.

greta-Welcome!!

patischell!Come in more often!

bal-hope you had a great day in the garden.

Off to check on dinner, I'll be back (I hope)!!

Here's frostweed's story about the two wolves. apropos of darius' not growing a bad garden of bitterness.
It's short and sweet
http://davesgarden.com/place/t/587775/

Joy, that was such a nice thing to tell us about your DH, you are a lucky lady to have the likes of him. My husband bought me one of the same tillers like yours a few years back, I loved it and did a lot of work with it, I found it just perfect, My DD's husband barrowed it and still has it, I think I have to ask him to till a bit around here, lol

Darius, it is too bad you had to find out about your sister that way but I do think she is not worth another thought from you.

Ann, I am just visualizing the water all over the place, poor you, and to lose so much of the plant.

M5, I am with you about DST, at least we will have it longer this year!

Robert, there just four of us for breakfast, I had Orange juice, a mixture of fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries , mellon and raspberries topped with yogurt. I baked a frittata with ricotta and gruyere cheese served with bacon.. toasted challa bread, one of my favorite sweet bread and a whipped mixture of butter and seedless rasgberry jam to top it, and of course coffee, every one enjoyed the food.

In the afternoon I finally got around to see my accounant for the 05 taxes, now all I have to do is pay, lol

Who asked for Samson, he was very naughty when company came, jumping all over them, now he has learned that I will put him in his crate if he does that, that devil will not go in there, lol, but he loves to go for a ride, so now he gets to go into the car for a ride to no where, lol

Before I leave hi to everyone else, you have been busy too

Just made a mad dash to the store - just couldn't live anymore without some ICE CREAM!!! .By the time I got home, it was kind of melted and I like my ice cream rock hard, but I had a big dish anyhow. There's plenty left!!

Yum, Maria, your breakfast sounds heavenly - who'd you invite (did I miss that part of it?) Your menus sound so tasty...

The ribs turned out good- meat just fell off the bone. Had it with left over sweet potatotes and carrots - an odd mixture, but then I didn't have to do anymore cooking - so I was happy with it!

Oops, I need to get our taxes in the mail too!!

Ann it may take a while to learn what I am doing with the tiller, I ripped two branches off an evergreen shrub that I really like. Maybe I better get the garden raked off so I have a big area to work.

Sarv, would you believe we had carrots with our BBQ. But no ice cream they ate it all last night!

Maria, that Sampson he is just too friendly. Maybe with his surgery and a little more time he will calm down. Yes, I think I have a keeper in DH, maybe it is me I need the 2x4 for from time to time!

Dmc, it has taken me many years to live up to my name. Used to be an ol grumpy grump. Thankfully the Lord has reminded me of my many blessings.

So great chatting with you all and love seeing the newbees posting we certainly have a great family here at DG.

Joy

Have to go ahead and tell you about my day early.

I cancelled my physical therapy session because I was busy rescuing baby squirrels. LOL

Oz will love me for this. They were baby gray squirrels too. About a week ago, the dogs had killed a squirrel, I probably told you about it. It was probably their mama. Anyway, today we hear this crying up in the big tree right outside of the patio where the dogs crates are. They heard it too of course.

Well very high up sat two little babies crying their little heads off. Didn't look like they were going to come down but I decided to get a lawn chair and just watch for awhile. What to my wondering eyes did appear but two little squirrels heading right down that tree as fast as they could go. I guess they were really hungry and were searching for their mama. So I grab Wile E around the back of his neck by the skin, Piper has long ago pulled off his collar. Luckily Piper wasn't paying attention, because I had wileE in one hand and caught the baby in the other. It was not scared and just tried to snuggle into me and see if I had any food.

We put it in a cat carrier and then the other one headed down also. DH put all the dogs on the patio and put up the door so they couldn't get off. I caught that one too and put it in the carrier.

Now as fate would have it these babies have a guardian angel watching over them. LOL Remember the tree trimmer guys, well last week we were talking with one of them and they had found three tiny baby squirrels, eyes still shut and had taken them to a squirrel rescuer in Nowata and he had her card in his wallet. So today since they were still working here, I went down and got the information from him and gave her a call. She said sure she would take them. Told me to give them some milk, all I had was fat free but better than nothing, told me not to give them the kitty milk it wasn't good for them.

So I warmed them some milk and took it out and they were starving but kept getting it up their nose so I squirted it in the palm of my hand and they lapped it up. Have you ever seen a baby squirrel lap up milk. It was soooooo cute! I have raised two Fox squirrels and became very attached to them, but they never lapped their milk from my hand. While I was doing that, another cry came from the tree and there was another baby. This one was very skittish and we didn't think we would be able to catch it.

I am determined as you may have figured out, so I parked my chair under the tree and waited.....and waited.....probably over an hour, then the little thing came right down and I picked it up. I was amazed, but glad.

So I fed him, we have two boys and a girl btw, and got ready to go to Nowata. As I was leaving my driveway by the trimmers they stopped me and had to see the squirrels and hold them too. LOL

Then told me they would take the babies to the lady as they were heading that way anyway. They were from Nowata which I didn't know. And of course they knew where she was located since they had already taken her 3 babies.

OK, long story, NOT short, that was how I spent my PT time. Here is a picture of the first two before I knew about number 3. Was gonna name 'em Peter, Paul and Mary.....


When I called PT to tell them why I was cancelling, they said that was the best excuse they had heard in awhile.LOL
Susan
=^..^=

Good evening folks,

Welcome greta! Glad you decided to join in the fun.

Darius, got room in the "family" for yet another sister? I always wanted a sister, but all I ever got was brothers, four of the critters, to be exact.

I have faithfully read every post, admired all pictures, and applauded your doings (especially Maria's feast and Susan's squirrel rescue). I'm just too tired and have too many tasks yet to accomplish to address everyone individually.

My "day off" consisted of going in to my store this morning with DH to pick up some things we needed to test a radio control truck that a customer had been having trouble with and to cut a piece of shelving for my seedlings. We proceeded to test the truck ---- great fun (NOT)! I then spent hours on the computer trying to fix something on my website only to have the website tool that I use wipe out everything that I'd done and set me back to ground zero. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHH! Maybe tomorrow I'll try a different approach to try to get around the problem. I then proceeded to tackle a PITA jewelry job (I know that the customer is anxious for the piece). I still haven't done any of the cooking that I'd planned to do, nor have I set up my rosemary cuttings (from the plant that DH savaged last week) or started the rest of my seeds.

DH is working until 11 PM and I guess I'll just have to feed him some left-overs when he gets home. He'll probably be just about ready to fall into bed anyway.

Well, I'd best get back to it if I want to get anything more done tonight. Goodnight.

First of all I have to confess this rainy/snowy weather in the east is MY fault. I took my 95 Red Mustang Convert out of storage for the winter and got her on the road yesterday.I truly wanted to take it for a run with the top down today no matter what the temp but the sheets of rain but a stop to that.
Darius - you are one of the most sincere, caring people I have ever met (albeit cyberally) but I would be truly honoured if you would consider me a sister as well. Heck we both wear silly socks - we have Welsh ancestors - we have to be related somehow.Not to mention that we have both been known to speak our mind and rather bluntly too.
Joyous and VAnn, I am very interested in the mantis tiller. VAnn where did you see it for approx $500 Canadian?Really Joyous how are you liking it?
For all of you lovely melodic singers "not" I too can lay my claim to your choir. While in school when the music classes had groups like the Robins, Bluebirds and whatever I was in the Crows - yes the Crows. I was the one they told to mouth the words!!!My mother born in Wales and emigrated to Canada would not take this slight laying down.... after all she was a trained singer and my older sibs had fantastic voices and sang all around the county at weddings and such. Mom hired a voice teacher who after 5 min told her not to waste her money....... this all happened when I was about 5 or 6. All of my life I have truly felt like a Johnnie One Note but still sing away when no one else is around.
Maria, what was a Brunch? Robert is right you always have interesting dishes.
Greetings Greta, I have been a lurker here ever since the thread had started and finally got up my nerve to beak in. The people are grand and make you feel very much at home.
Made a cherry pie before I left for work this afternoon and noticed only 2 pieces were gone so I will put the rest on the counter for you to have. There is also some fresh pinapple slices, my DH cored the pineapple and sliced it up this afternoon. Yum!
Have a great evening all
Dianne

Dianne, Vesey's has the tiller. They sent me a video but I haven't yet looked at it.
http://www.veseys.com/store.cfm?product=3272

Cherry pie, yummm.

Susan, I have to ask - why do we go to heroic efforts to save squirrels given the amount of damage they do in our gardens? Yes, I know, the poor babies are cute and I'd do it too most likely. But we have to wonder a bit.

Maria, the carpet is still damp, but the dirt around the puddle dried out enough to vacuum. The plant looks a bit bedraggled, but actually came through the tumble amazingly well. One unopened bud broke off, but the remaining flower doesn't look too bad. The first flower stems were already drying up. I'll give the carpet a good vacuum tomorrow, but will probably call in the cleaners. It's due for a clean anyway.

Have been thinking about getting back into the groove housecleaning. Years ago, I had all the housecleaning chores divided up into those that needed to be done weekly, twice a month, monthly, and less often. When I got rid of my really old computer, I found that file. So I've been dusting it off and updating it. Gives me a check-list of manageable chores to keep the place in shape that I need to do each week. I'd had a cleaning lady even before I got involved with the food cupboard because for a number of years I had as many as 25 or more private violin-viola students; so it's a bit of a shock to get started again doing it myself. (For the newbies, I retired at the end of January and decided I could no longer justify the expense of a cleaning lady, especially as she was no longer doing a very good job anyway.)


Have a good night, everyone.

Ann

Folks OZ has shot his share of squirrels but this is out of need. They have caused thousands of dollars worth of damage in this subdivision alone. Kittymom I do not like to shoot anything to be truthful. It bothers me to pull the trigger but I do it. I take no glee in killing an animal. But in order to give you a hard time I have to act like it is nothing. Now a human like Darius half sister I would not shoot but you can bet I would be gleeful about being her worst nightmare and then some.

This message was edited Apr 3, 2006 10:04 PM

It's late but just quickly....we made it home. Yep, not having toilet and shower certainly can motivate the "getta move on's." We finished the 2nd job about noon today. Went back to the apartment, packed up and hit the road.

The sun had already gone down when we came up the drive. We were only gone 2 weeks and yet the turkey oaks have sprung up and grown to (in some cases) 2 feet tall. We were dodging these new trees in the driveway. Jeremy claims he will have a couple days off and then will be ready to work around the property some more. Cut these new trees down, and help me to clear my other property off a bit.

I have to drive back to Belleview tomorrow to pick up all my critters. The van was so full of plants there was no room for the dogs and birds. There will be lots of room for them tomorrow.

I hooked up with the S. Florida Galloping Gardeners yesterday and they were all very generous to me with plants. I am catching the native plants bug and the bug to conserve water with drought tolerant plants etc. Many of the plants I brought home are both natives and drought tolerant. I have all kinds of new ideas of plants and gardens to work on. Can't wait til the sun rises tomorrow so I can see what happened while I was gone.

Molly
:^)))