Here 's the new thread for those who have dial-up.
I've been so busy with school I haven't had time to hang out here!!!
Texas Coffee and Gardening in the AM...Sept. 23 to Oct.
Hey Connie,
you are a busy woman these days! How is Brutus doing? I'd sure like to come over and love on that kitty. He looks so sweet. Do you update his blog still? I didn't book mark it so I can't find it again.
Looks like we are about to get some rain. hard rain and not for long. A string of red storms coming...they are in Fredericksburg and south of Killeen right now...so it shouldn't be long before it hits us. It will be nice to have a cold front. It is 97 and feels like over 100 with the high humidity. YUK.
The sun is gone so I bet the storm is getting close. I hope we get some good rain...but NO hail.
Merae,
I love the pictures of your plants on the other coffee thread. Those caladiums are gorgeous! Mine sure do not like this heat. The perk up tho when it cools off as it is suppose to tonight. Hope you are not working too hard today.
Michelle
Hi, Michelle!
Yes, it's about to rain here in Lakeway too! I'm excited!!!
My Brutus is such a cutie...here's a recent pic of him!
And another of him
Connie,
Brutus is really too cute for words. I love the pictures!!! He reminds me so much of my Alex who passed away 2 years ago. I sure would love to have a kitty now, but DH is extremely allergic. :(
Michelle
Michelle....here's a photo of our pet 'chicken'......"guaranteed non-allergenic." I sure hope you get one really soon!
Bigbubbles, what an adorable pic of your "hypo-alerginic chicken"! My new grandbaby is 5 months old and has carrot red hair. Of course he's gonna be a pumpkin for Halloween! Your sweetie is just too cute.
Well what happened to the pictures? They are not posted anymore??? I want to see the pet chicken!!!!
crow, post a pic of your grandbaby!! We wanna seeeeee!
Good morning everyone. I hope everyone has a good day.
We got a total of about 2-1/2" last week in rainfall. YAY! Everything is growing really nice. Tomatoes are growing out of control. I need to put my cages around the earthboxes. Weeds are growing out of control. I need more time in a day. It is a very hard balance to work as much as I do and find time to have the yard and gardens look great and do great for that matter. In my next house, I will definitely be looking for a sprinkler system or having one installed. I really, really want one.
Michelle - I want to see the pictures too! My computer isn't showing them either.
Connie- I sure hope school is going well for you. I know you are super busy and not getting enough down-time to spend with Brutus. =+> Adorable cat, Connie.
What do you Austinites (and those surrounding) think about all trying to get together sometime soon to catch up and get some plant shopping in? Would you be interested and would you prefer a weekday or weekend?
This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 11:59 AM
I was up early this morning and responded to Crowellli....and it didn't transfer...good to know it wasn't just me....again.....
Crowellli..thanks, he just turned one, and runs everywhere. I can hardly keep up with him. I hope you post pic of your little "Pumpkin" for us. I went to the other forum to ck out your Scotland photos last week. Gorgeous. Hope you have more to show.
Michelle......hope you get to see pic...
We had planned a "garden party" Saturday night for the neighbors. Made sure it wouldn't interfere with the UT/ISU game. Didn't plan for the thunderstorm that delayed the game! We just moved the party inside and turned on all the tvs! Great night. Had fajitas and all the trimmings catered from Taco Cabana.....surprisingly good...best part was no stress for me!
Going to work in the yard today and start thinking about what has to be moved, and removed before it gets cold....
If you're in the Austin area this weekend....
This is an announcement from the Native Plant Society of Texas.
We have scheduled a plant rescue date for a property near 2222 and
Jester Blvd on Saturday, Sept. 30 around 9:00 AM, weather permitting,
etc., with a possible alternate date for Sunday, Oct. 1 (around 1:30).
If you cannot come at one of those times, it MIGHT be possible to
schedule another alternate, but you will need to contact us directly.
We can give you information about safe parking, etc.
The Canyon Ridge developer has given final permission to begin. There
are stakes laid out where the buildings will go and they showed us the
general area where it is okay to take plants and where not to. We have
release forms for anyone who is interested and we will need these signed
BEFORE you can go on the property. You will need to contact Dale (or
Pat) BEFORE entering. The developer plans to start construction by
mid-October. For the benefit of the plants, we wish it could have been
delayed a little longer, but we will just have to do what is possible.
As we told some of you, the whole property is fairly large (fifteen
acres out of maybe sixty acres, although a large section is in a
conservation easement which can't be disturbed). We will not disturb
some of the areas around the perimeter since the developer is required
to preserve a "buffer" zone of trees, etc., and we certainly want to
encourage that! The property is located on the northeast corner of the
intersection of 2222 and Jester Blvd. The area to be developed (where
the footprint of the buildings, driveways, etc. will be) is about 15 acres.
The following may give you an overall idea of the "ecozone" and types of
plants available. There are large relatively flat areas as well as
slopes and drainage areas. The property contains heavy ashe juniper
areas as well as a mixture of cedar elms, Spanish red oaks, live oaks
(even some fairly large ones), escarpment black cherries (a few),
evergreen sumacs, flame leaf sumacs and Texas persimmons; there are
various sized seedlings of most of these. In addition there are
large grassy areas.
A sample of other plants we've seen include agarita, twisted leaf yucca,
zexmenia (lots of it!), cedar sage (lots of it), cedar sedge (and maybe
other sedges), American beauty berry (a few), two-leaf senna, a few
lantana (horrida), little bluestem, silver bluestem, and even a few
mountain laurels on the edge of an old collection pond (that were
probably "planted" some time ago). Some of you "grass experts" will
probably be able to identify many additional grasses. Oh, there are
some prickly pear cactus but I doubt many will be eager to retrieve that.
Please let us know if you are interested. We need all "rescuers" to
contact us before entering!
Dale and Pat Bulla
345-9528
Hey Bubbles,
The pictures showed back up! Oh my gosh...your grandson is soooo cute!!
Oh wow, the plant rescue sounds like a blast. I will have to talk to DH and see if we can go. I do have a baby shower to go to that day, but maybe I can make it to the rescue right at 9. I'd love to have another Beauty Berry. I'll call Dale and Pat if I can go. Who else is going?
Crow, let's see your grandbaby picture!
I need to see everyone's babies since it is taking so long to get ours. China only sent 20 referrals (1 Dossier Log in date) to our agency yesterday. Not good since their normal amount is over 100 each month. All the agencies are getting pretty upset with China, but what can anyone do? We are the 15th group in line for getting matched with a baby (referral) which if China were moving at their normal pace, that wouldn't be but a couple of months. But since it seems they are only doing one group per month, it could possibly even be another 15 months. We have been waiting since November of last year so I'm pretty angry.
I'm praying praying praying that the Lord will intervene, as according to His will, and that we will see China speed up and get to our Dossier and match us up with a baby by at least March.
All my buddies with the same "Dossier Log in date" as DH and me are outraged and angry. Some of us are downright depressed. I have faith that the Lord is taking care of everything and that this ridiculous unexpected longer wait will be blessed by Him.
Michelle
Michelle, I'm sorry it's taking you so long. It's a very trying and anxious time waiting on an adoption. At least when you're pregnant, you know what time frame you're working with and with adoption, you just feel like you never know what's working behind the scenes. Or at least, I felt that way. I wish you all the best of luck with it and please don't despair. I truly believe that things work out the way they're supposed to be and if this doesn't work, there another baby out there with your name on it. I was heartboken when my first adoption fell through, but things worked out where another newborn was shortly available that the birth mother was refusing to place except under very specific and narrow circumstances. We were the only people on the list who fit the bill. That baby is my youngest child,17 year old light of my life Jacob.
Here's a pic of my latest lil' grandbaby. He's 4 mos old and has bright red hair. What a little darlin' he is.
Here's a pic of the whole fam damily... from left to right, my daughter Moira, my daughter in law (little Red's mom) Marisol, my oldest son Matthew, the little garden gnome herself, my husband John the Scotsman, and my angel Jacob. This pic is about 3 years old, so you can figue in a few more wrinkles on me for accuracy.
Crowellli, too bad you couldn't get that little'n to smile for the camera! LOL! Too cute!
Thanks Crow, I appreciate your encouragement. It is very trying indeed! especially when the rules suddenly change and for no really good reason, Chinese gov't decides to be secretive. I do have a lot of friends with babies or about to have babies so I get to play with them. But it just isn't the same as DH and I having our own.
I love the pictures. OH what a darling baby boy. He is precious. not a ham, is he? the entire fam looks wonderful.
Michelle
Crow, that's one precious baby boy! Please tell us you'll post pic of him as a Halloween pumpkin...going to be so cute....love that red hair!
Here is a website where people who just got their referral (matched up with a baby) this week.
http://www.julydragonflies.com/Referrals/babies1.htm
The 12th one down, Megan, wins for having the funniest hair! They are all so cute! I can't wait to see the face of my baby. :)
michelle
Okay....NOW I've just got to show you MY Scotsman....Roger (Clan McDonald) Murphy Webb....my DH. He's wearing "Pride of Scotland" because they didn't have a McDonald tartan large enough for his girth...hehe. Love those sporans too. huh? (man-purse, for those of you who don't speak "Scottish")
Were you attaching a pic Connie?
Connie, your pic didn't post. Please try again. My hubby is Clan Cameron. In my pic, hubby is wearing what he calls "an American version" of the kilt and sporan, because we couldn't find anywhere here that had dress kilts for hire. Plenty of tux shops, just no kilts!
Well since we are on a scottish theme, here's my 18 year old silkie (or as my scottish daddy calls her "An Nighean Dubh" the dark haired girl, in Gaelic; he also looks like a silkie I might add); I have auburn hair and green eyes, go figure....
Adorable looking young lady Debbie! Such a sweet smile.
I can't believe it's still this hot! I put out three flats of pansies today and just hope they don't die of heat before getting their little feet set! I found a bargain on one gallon Mystic Spires sage, so I had to have five more of these. I'm still battling mealy bugs. I think nuclear warheads wouldn't kill 'em at this point! I'm losing the war because they've already killed a couple of plants and are moving on to others. I'm almost ready to try the Q-tips and alcahol that someone suggested. That should only take me until next Christmas to accomplish. All the neighbors will surely decide I've been hitting the brandy too early in the day if they see me out crawling around in the flower beds with a Q-tip, although after the flashlight hunting, grasshopper up the nightgown episode, I don't think they'd bat an eye at Q-tips. Off to the neurologist tomorrow for my loopey Lupus check in. Y'all wish me luck, I'll need it. (I swear the doctors are ganging up on me.)
I do wish you good news at the DR. tomorrow. I will say a little prayer for you.
Crow, too funny about crawling around with your Qtips. my step mom uses a spray bottle with a mix of alchol, water and dawn soap to spray mealy bugs. maybe that would be faster than the Qtip? I'll pray for you this morning for your dr appt. Lupus is so difficult to control. I think I may have already mentioned that Merae and I have a friend with Lupus. One day she is spunky and doing great, the next day she is bed ridden. Poor think is on huge amount of meds.
Debbie, gorgeous daughter. You will have to give her a baseball bat to beat off the boys!
Btw, you said to run hot water over the Pride of Barbados seeds before planting them in moist soil to get them to germinate? Is that correct? I was going to do some this week and couldn't find where you told me that.
All, I HAD to post a picture of my niece, Hannah, in the fish costume that my sister made for her. She was in a Creation play in her kindergarten class at Hill Country Christian School. Is she cute or what? Yep, that is me with her.
Michelle
ps. and why is it so doggone hot still? I read in the paper today that El Nino is revving up so we will have more rain this winter and a cooler winter than last year. That is great news! We need the rain!!!!!
Have y'all heard about a NEW (just opened last week!!!) nursery close to Red Barn called Country Gardens?? I can't wait to go...perhaps tomorrow....
I've tried to upload the pic of Roger in his kilt and sporan...won't work...???
MIchelle...I visited the site and the babies are SOOOOO cute! My son Jordan was often mistaken for an Asian baby when little. He still has Asian-looking eyes...people in college/work would ask him if he was 1/2. I'll have to show you the pics sometime...or post some!!
Hi Connie,
I know, aren't they all cute?! I'd love to see a pic of Jordan.
I have not heard about the new nursery. Do you know where it is exactly? Hopefully they will give some competition to RB.
Michelle
This message was edited Oct 3, 2006 8:08 AM
Very windy yesterday, but I wanted to share how pretty my Mexican sage bush is. The hummingbird loves this as well as my pentas and lantana.
My hibiscuses are really blooming a lot too....
Okay, Connie, Ampy and Bubbles, y'all remember I bought this at Red Barn when we were all together? Isn't she just beautiful?
Tomatoholic, I've sprayed three times now with your mom's mixture of alcahol, water and dish soap and, I'm almost afraid to say it, but IT MAY BE WORKING! I've tried everything short of a nuclear blast on these things and they LAUGH at me! I even tore out a whole bed of copper plants that had the worst of the infestation and bagged them and taped the opening shut. These are serious pests. They're on almost every plant in the yard, but I'm out there every evening with my trusty sprayer and given' 'em hell. It's been good for my mental health to have an enemy to focus on, even if the critters have managed to get superhero qualities that I'm fighting against. Lordy, if they were as big as squirrels, they'd take over the world! Thanks for the spray concotion idea.
I am SO glad that I stumbled across this particular thread - - - one of my gardens have been completely inundated with those dog-gone mealy bugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems as though they started on a large cactus which is about 60 feet away from this particular garden. (the cactus is in the field, its just that we live in the middle of 178 acres of them! lol) After I identified them, I went to work attacking them. I started off with a mild dish soap spray, then insecticidal spray, anti-fungal spray (just had to try, lol), and another zillion other sprays that I purchased at my local garden store. So far nothing has worked!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have definitely slowed them down, but they are the most persistent pain-in-the-tail bug I have ever come across! I am seriously considering the Q-Tip idea with alcohol, but OMG that is a lot of Q-Tipping! If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, will you please d-mail me? I am desperate at this point.....................mealy bugs WILL NOT take over my entire 1 & 1/2 acre gardens or else!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for any help, seriously. You experienced DG'ers are wonderful help and greatly appreciated!
Belinda :-)
Gorgeous hibiscus, Michelle! I have some that you may want cuttings of when you come over.
As to those mealy bugs....this has been the worst year for my garden too. First it was the spider mites, now it's mealies....I've resorted to Neem Oil spraying. It's as tho they popped up overnight! I have them on begonias that are sheltered up by the house. Must be a perfect place to incubate. I tried just rubbing them off, spraying with water, alcohol, and then the Neem. I'm going out tonight to check around. Some have migrated to some of the coleus, but I'm not going to try to save them.....just get more next spring... We need a good chilly rain shower! ( Still want to dig plants, MIchelle????) And where's Ampy? I have been saving some cannas for her!!!
About the hot weather...sorry, guys...I've been in MAINE and wow...what wonderful weather...at least from last Thursday thru today!! We stayed in Bar Harbor for 3 days and 2 in Kennebunkport...even talked with ex-President Bush and Barbara at church on Sunday. What a treat!!
Here's a pic taken in Acadia National Part. Simply beautiful..and the leaves are not in full color there yet as it's on the coast.
And can someone identify this beautiful bush with berries?
And here is the CU of the berries...
And here is the Walker Point compound of the Bushes....
And a GORGEOUS nursery I stopped at in a little town along the Maine coast..they are CRAZY about mums and pumpkins in the fall...
I finally got my "FILL" of lobster....I had 3 tails stuffed with seafood and a bowl of clam chowder at one meal...at the world-famous Cook's...on an island off Maine. And has anyone had fresh Maine blueberry pie?? Well, this is a piece that Roger and I shared...or fought for! :)
