Daily Musings - page 11

Raining here too - got the Sunday newspaper wet - the plastic bag cover had a tear in a corner.

Pansies are on the veranda under the patio chairs just in case of wind.

I hope by Wednesday to FINALLY plant the sweet peas and the pansies . . .

Harper, the house is not pink! The photo was in full sun so it got washed out. It's much 'browner' than it appears.

Oh Seandor, did I tell you about our postal carrier? We think he has a different weather system in his truck than out here in the world. Our mail will be all wrapped up and watertight on the sunniest days. Other days, we come home to really wet mail. We just shake our heads and say "I guess it wasn't raining in the mail truck today...."

LOL, unless it was important mail...

xxx. Carrie (too soggy to go outside)

When I was much younger I used to be a letter carrier in North Vancouver, BC. It usually just rains there - and we didn't get little trucks, but we had raingear and I don't recall delivering soggy mail.

I do remember one January when it snowed, then melted, then froze. North Vancouver is built on the side of Grouse Mountain, so many homes have lots of stairs before you get to the mailbox.

It was okay walking up - but coming down seemed much more treacherous. So I sat on my bottom and bounced my way down the stairs. I bet it looked very funny to see this uniformed young women with her postal satchel slung across her back bumping down the stairs LOL

LOL. I used to go down stairs that way when I could still more or less walk. But did you have plastic bags?

xx, C

Plastic bags for what? the mail? No. the mail satchels were water proof, we had huge rain capes and hats - there was no need for anything to get wet.

they do a lot of stuff better in Canada.....

x, c

Yeah - but the US has an elected Senate. :-)

Dave, you do lots of interesting 'little' garden things. sounds like fun. I am disappointed in my scabiosa. I don't fertilize. this will be their 3rd season, so they should leap (?) I have Butterfly Blue and Pink Mist. they were still alive last year, had a few more flowers than their first season, but still very few.

If they don't perform this year, you could try moving them to pooer soil.

Sad thing is I signed up for 3 garden classes, 2 longer ones and a short one. I forgot to show up for the 2 big ones because I put them on my work Outlook calendar and they were both Saturday when I don't look at my work calendar. You'd think my first disappointment would have been enough to teach me but I repeated it! I enjoy garden classes and the free "garden walks"

Ah Dave47, like me you need a private secretary to keep you on track :-)

Alas, I don't have such a thing, so my computer is littered with post-its reminding me where i am supposed to be and who I am supposed to meet :-)

Yeah, appearently I don't notice my palm pilot beeping on weekends.

This is one area where that second woman would really come in handy.

Just saw the weather prediction for the next seven days - looking forward to 72 DEGREES on Monday. Yahoo!

I really get to plant the pansies and sweet peas on Saturday - and I will start potting up some of the other little seedlings.

yea! next weekend looks like a winner! I need to prune my roses ASAP!

DG needs to add a reminder calender on our signin page. it's the only place I go everyday.

Dave, I don't think I could find any poorer soil for those scabiosa.

Good idea, gram. Why don't you ask Dave if it's possible?

Victor, I was teasing you! Hope you laughed.

Seandor, your butt-bumping story definitely had me chuckling!

Harper

Harper, I have been crying ever since. Been to therapy, did breathing, yoga and biofeedback. I'm starting to come around.

Victor, I tryed to go solar... didn't get much positive feedback... my house is all electric and my electric bill runs really high in the winter... and believe me my house is not warm... to me is ok... but on the other hand we paid 145.00 june, july and august last year... so it was good... but I definitly want solar... clean energy is really my desire... but it's so expensive to start...

It really depends on two factors, Kass. The size of the system and your State's incentives. Until a couple of years ago, it was still way too expensive in NY. But with the State and Fed incentives, I am paying for 1/3rd of the total and that 1/3rd is financed with a low interest loan backed by the State. Pressure your State people to improve the incentives. That's what I keep telling everyone to do.

Victor you're cruel! Don't pull on a woman's heartstrings like that. Sheesh. Nyeah.

My roof would be a perfect candidate for solar panels. It faces south, and is only slightly pitched, not steep at all. However, the two huge red maples in front of it would block most of the sun. Bummer!

Harper

Hi Harper,

I had to cut down our only shade tree for our patio - a maple. I have to address that now. I am leaning toward a pergola with retractable shades.

How about a pergola with wisteria or something on it?

I don't think I could cut down our maple. My son's treehouse is in it and the other one is on our neighbors property. They keep saying they'll cut it down (they're kill nature - happy. They just topped off about 20' from a beautiful spruce tree. Duh!), but they don't. Probably because it's too difficult for them to do themselves, but they don't want to spend the $ to have someone else do it. It looms over my garage and is not very sturdy looking. It has a few trunks that I think should be cabled, but they don't do that either. I ought to warn them again that if it falls on my house, it'll be a lot more expensive for them...

Harper

I prefer the option of having sun when I want it. They look real nice.

http://www.shadetreecanopies.com/pergola/

Those are really nice!! Not like your old fashioned awnings (like I was thinking). Send pics when you get it done!

Probably will not be this year.

A lot of different topics since I've been gone. It's been interesting catching up.

Monday, spring resprung and I moved my wet compost pile.

Tuesday, I edged the Half Moon bed, meaning, I made it larger.

Today turned chilly and I did much needed housework and repotted peppers.

My homemade dirt, ready to use! Two more pictures to come.

Tuesday, beginning to ''edge'' the Half Moon, Harry Lauder and Mock Orange beds.

Tuesday evening and I was feeling all my 50 years. I didn't save the sod like I usually do. I shook the dirt out of every chunk. A little tweaking and some black edging and it will be ready for a few more flowers.

Sally, that's beautiful!! Nice job.

Sally that looks great for a 30 yr old - forget lamenting 50! I'll be there in six years myself.

Sally, great job my gardening friend!!!!! at least you didn't do like me! I was sitting in my driveway crying that I could not do it!!!!! so I called my landscaper and cryed!!!! he felt sorry for me and rush to help... even his wife and kids came to help!!!

wow... and you still have a lot of grass to get rid off... lol..... just like me!!!!

Kass, if you ask me, you're the smart one. I'm gonna try the crying game myself.

This morning I have a dental appointment, then my neighbour is supposed to come over and help pot up some seedlings so she has something to donate to her church gardens. THEN I get to do major work on the triangle garden and plant pansies. I am going to take pictures 'cause I am so happy to get some flowers in the garden

What a nice day today! My husband planted up the old wheelbarrow full of annuals... I planted still more pansies... and spraypainted old terracotta pots my favorite colors of blue!

I also got deliveries from High Country Gardens, and my eBay annuals seller, and some blue pots I bought on eBay.

xxx, Carrie

Carrie, how happy are you with the eBay annuals? Good quality? Reasonable price? What size?

Victor, I can't answer for Carrie but from my own personal experience with ebay sellers are usually pretty good. I bought alot this year from a seller named hirtsgarden: http://stores.ebay.com/Hirts-Gardens_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZQ2d999QQftidZ2QQtZkm
It usually has a description and size in the info.
Also bought from bulbmart :http://stores.ebay.com/Bulbmart
and perfectplant: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZperfectplantQQhtZ-1
Have had good luck and so far no complaints. As a matter of fact I have a DL w/a bud on it already and it's just sitting in the house!
Hope that helps, can send picture and or list of what I got if you'd like.
Celeste

I buy plants on eBay as well and almost always they are OK. I had problems with Hirt's Garden years ago - I think they just didn't have themselves set up for the volume they got from eBay - I should try them again. I did get stiffed once on a plant by a seller - but just once and that isn't bad at all. Now I always go to Garden Watchdog before I buy on eBay to see if the seller is in there before I bid.

Thats good advice Yank, never thought about checking for an ebay seller on watchdog!

Thanks to both of you. I was not aware that eBay sellers were on GW. I'll check the links, Celeste. Please post the photo of the plant. Thanks.

Victor