Fall Color 2

Missing you, Louise!
Safe trip

Louise, Sounds like a wonderful way to travel.

Hello from South Georgia, Everyone! Boy, Debbie, we sure were close! We had bad weather on I-81 to contend with the trucks - and Boy Are There Trucks!! It was raining heavily with white-out conditions most of the day yesterday. Fun visit with friends in TN last night and a great visit today with my childhood best friend and her husband. I want to show you an amazing sight! We passed a huge lake, Lake Allatoona, in Georgia on our way to Cumming. The lake was almost completely dry! What a sight that was! I asked my DH to stop and take a picture so I could show you.

Victor - if that wasn't your home prison we passed, what do you think it was? Huge! You might want to put in for a transfer...looks like they could use some gardening and some mega-landscaping!

What is interesting about driving south this time of year is that you keep hitting peak foliage as you drive south. Now, of course, it is flat and southern, so no fall colors.

Thanks for the warm thoughts and connections. It was so nice to sign on and hear from friends here in a hotel! It will be great to get to our house tomorrow! Stay well, Everyone! Bye for now! Check out this dry lake bed! Water supply is in dire trouble!

Hi Louise. Wow - that's a scary photo! Have a safe last leg.

Thanks, Victor! Scary is right!!

Louise - good to hear from you. Hope you arrive at your destination safely. That lake is scarey!! Eleanor

Enjoy.

Thanks, Eleanor and Dave!! We have arrived home and are slowly getting settled in. The great news is that more of our flowers and trees that we planted last winter survived the drought here than I expected. I am just itching to get my hands on the weeds out there and to get some seeds started, etc. Kassia sent me some blackeyed susan vine seeds and I have a great place to put a vine, so I'm excited about that. Thanks again, Kassia!! I will also plant some of Celeste's famous blue mixture of seeds, so Thank You too, Celeste!

It was 90 degrees yesterday and today, and our little Molly is struggling a bit with the heat and humidity, so we are keeping a close eye on her. She was such a trooper on the trip down. Hopefully, Fall will descend upon us soon.

I posted on an earlier thread that we had been broken into down here and we were worried about what was taken. Amazingly, it seems so far that only a couple things are missing. The main thing is an heirloom sterling silver punch ladle that had my DH's family initial on it. It has come down through many generations and that was upsetting. It was one thing that came to my mind as soon as we were called about the break-in. Strangely, the other thing we can't find are my good pruning shears. Is that wierd? We've looked everywhere for them. They may still turn up, but the empty space in my china cabinet where the ladle was pretty much takes care of that. We will check the pawn shops for it. Thankfully, there was no vandalism even though the drawers had clearly been gone through, and many things were not taken that could have been. I think we were very lucky. Other things may occur to us, but we are feeling fortunate under the circumstances.

So, how are things going with everyone up there?????? I'm about to get caught up on the other threads to find out what's happening! Hope everyone is enjoying the cool temps up there!! Right now we'd welcome them here!! LOL

Welcome home Louise. Sorry to hear about the heirloom but thankfully that's all. Wow, 90! That's an adjustment. Stay cool!

Good for you Louise, that you made the trip unscathed. Too bad about the ladle but if that's the worst, that's not too bad. Hope you get used to that 90* fast, because up here we're getting used to 30* real fast :~)

Thanks, Venu and VG! Stay warm up there!!

I have the fireplace stoked, Louise! Did you check your AC yet?

Our a/c is cranking as we speak!! Amazing, huh? I always love November here, and this is ridiculous heat for this time of year. At least we closed up in NH with some oil still left in the tank! LOL

Welcome home!

Louise, glad to hear you arrived safely! Sorry to hear about the vandalism :( Looks like you left just in time, as the first killing frost has finally arrived! I'm really envious of your trip south. We travelled to Florida during November three years in a row for a short vacation and loved it - it's been two years since we've been back and I'm really missing it.

Louise!!!!!!!!
So glad you made the trip safely. So good to see you posting so soon. I agree with the others: sorry about the ladle, but at least things were not vandalised. That would have been horrid, too!!

I'll take that extra oil that you left ... ha ha!! It was very cool in the house this morning (58*!!) and outside ... well, it could have snowed, it was that cold!! You are going to love seeing all the snow pictures we post this winter, aren't you? Keep snuggly warm my friend!!

Ooh - 58 inside! That's cold.

sh-sh-sh-sure is!

Thanks, Dave! Today we made lots of progress in settling in! We also took our first long morning walk along the River. No tropical wildlife to speak of yet....

Hey there, Candyce! So nice to "hear" your voice! I will actually enjoy seeing all the snow pics, and I will miss the beauty of it. I look forward to exchanging and sharing our differing natural beauty this winter.

Debbie - get on down here this November! Actually, November is one of my favorite months here. The extreme heat we arrived in will thankfully be turning into cool fall weather this weekend, thanks to Tropical Storm Noel which is now over Cuba.

Victor - Turn that heat on!! Your boys must be about to report you for child abuse!!! 58!!! Oh, My!!

We started "setting up" the patio and garden area this morning. The first step was to spread the fire ant killer over the whole brick patio....those fire ants HURT!!! Step two was to spray vinegar over the weeds between the bricks. Then we set up our table, chairs, umbrella and big ceramic pots to hold my winter veggie garden. I'm so thrilled that my rosemary plant that I left here looks great! Then, I was a happy camper this afternoon when we made a trip to HD and Lowes in search of tomato plants and impatiens. Believe it or not, it is too early to buy glads and caladium bulbs. Bummer! But fear not, the car is now filled with my bargain purchases!!! Once I have the basics set up, I'll take a shot of the early stage and send it along!

Here I am in our little car that we'll be leaving down here. It was quite full, but we made it!! This photo was taken at the lake that is completely dry in Georgia. The wave is just for you all!

Ta Ta for now......Stay warm y'all!! LOL

WOW Louise - we don't even have to miss you cause you're still with us. You'll just be posting warm pics and we'll be posting cold pics!! Sorry to hear about the break-in and that they took something so dear to you. Glad you arrived safe and sound. Eleanor

Thanks, Eleanor! This is so great to be able to stay connected with you all! This group really does feel like family! I think you should all hop on a big flowery bus and come on down!!

Nice to get settled back in isn't it. Louise? The 58 was in Candyce's house, not mine! That's way too cold for me. The pellet stove is in full swing.

Oh, My,Victor.........and now I have to swallow hard and apologize to Candyce for implying child abuse...........but she knows I would only accuse you of that!!! LOL Please accept my warmest apology for casting false aspersions on your parenting .....I know down deep that you are one super Dad!! :)

Accepted!

Good. Don't you love the heat from your pellet stove, Victor? It is like our wood cook stove in our NH kitchen....so cozy! Do you get pellet deliveries? I really like the feel of a pellet stove.

I love it. Saves $ on heating - can practically heat the whole house due to its size and location, and we actually have the house warmer than I keep the thermostat with the gas heat. And the psych effect of weeing a flame adds a few degrees. I found a pellet place online and had them delivered - all nine tons.

How do you wee a flame?

Sorry, I had to read that one a couple times too.

Good pickup Deb! I could answer that one a few ways. First - carefully, when I can't make it to the bathroom! Second, when I put in the pellets and say 'weeee' as it lights. Last, and least, the 's' is right below the 'w' on the keyboard.

between the wee and the pellet deliveries, i was wondering what this thread was becoming!

LOL!

Love that!! "Weeing" the flame!! I knew that you missed on the keyboard, Victor, so I kinda skipped right over it.

58* in my house when it's cold is a little lower than the norm .... especially when we all thought that one of the other 'grown-ups' had filled the wood furnace before bed. Hence there were nice coals in the furnace, but no flame. It didn't take long to heat up the house to a more live-able temperature.

I'm happy to report that the house (all 17 rooms) are at a nice 65* this AM!!

Ginkgo biloba at our Town Hall hasn't turned its usual bright yellow yet. Think it was planted when the building was constructed in the mid 1930s. Never seen anyone collecting the fruit, which despite its smelly reputation, I've found to be good (yeah, I'll be down getting some in a week or two...anyone else nearby collect from this tree?)

Ginkgo has a lot of reported health benefits too. See here:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginkgo-biloba-000247.htm

Took the photo below at 600 x 400. Looks grainy on my old monitor. How does it look on others? Want to get a good shot for plant files of the tree now, when it turns and without leaves. Should I shoot at a higher pixel count?

Not too bad but I would do 800 x 600.

Thanks Victor...usually set it for print quality but didn't feel like reducing it. I'll go higher on the pixels.

btw...getting that heptacodium in this fall worked great. Hasn't grown that I can see but the leaves turned a nice healthy dark green.

Great to hear David!

Louise, I can't believe how all the lakes are drying up in GA. My parents used to live in Cornelia, GA and our best friends live in Marietta. I saw how Lake Lanier is really drying up on TV.
Victor, we have a pellet stove too, keeps us warm and toasty.

A pellet stove is on the wish list for next year.

I have a question, though, Victor, if you can answer it about pellet stoves .....
Did you have to change any of your heating system in order to accomodate the pellet stove? Any changes to the heating pipes, etc.?

No Candyce - just had to vent out the wall behind the stove. It's a 4 inch vent pipe. No alteration of the existing heating system at all.

Good to know, Victor. Thank you so much for the info. It will help more than you know.

Here's a shot of the vent.