Stop and visit, talk all you want. pt 8

Here's the flower bed in front along the driveway:

I love those rocks. I am a rock hound too. These are from various sites around our state.
I will have to post a picture when I get home this weekend.
I am so sad. The other grandma is picking my gs up a day early :o(

Mau it looks like you have the largest yard there! And I bet the purdiest, too!
Marie, that poor baby, having to go back and forth like that! :(

Unfortunately, it isn't spring yet. :o((( That's why I'm posting these photos--to remind us all what we have to look forward to. Our new flower beds in front are pretty much planted out and we have mulch on them now. They look better with the mulch. You can tell from the photo above that down here we are dealing with soil that is mostly red clay so I'm hoping all the plants do okay. I imagine we will have to fertilize them to give them the nutrients they need. Our knock-outs were planted in yucky red clay and we put those giant Jobe's timed-release fertilizer spikes in the ground with them--two to a plant and those babies really grew this past season. Here's a "before" pic of the knock-outs shortly after we planted them and I'll post the "after" pic in the next post.

edited for spelling

This message was edited Jan 3, 2008 2:57 PM

What is that brown box you are trying to cover?

We call that the "army tank". It is the box that the electric company puts between every other house in this subdivision--we have underground electric service in this subdiv.
Here's the after picture:

Your home is beautiful!! I wish I could afford to live in a house like that but here it would probably run 350+ here and you would not get half of the yard.

And it just happened to be time for your yard, huh! The flowers cover it nicely, though. A house like that would run way more than that round here I bet. Thus the reason we have a crappy little house, but a nice yard for my plants! LOL

Well, believe me, Marie, it wasn't 350 down here. Home prices here are considerably lower than they are in other parts of the country, thank goodness!
Our lot is about 100 x 125 which is all the yard we want. We moved here from the country where we had a home on approx 16 acres. My DH kept about 10 of those acres mowed and it took 2 days a week during the growing season for him to keep up with it. That is one of the reasons we moved--wanted a smaller house and a lot less yard!!

I often at realestate online. Especially when I really want out of the city. We are becoming a smaller versio of Southern Cal and I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You more yard than most house areound here. I found a house similar to yours that I fell in love with on an acre and they wanted 600+ for it. So unless I win the lottery I never play I will not be buying it. I am on an acre but my house is not much and when we bought it was totally uninhabitable (sp)
I just got the call that my baby has left:o( I have never felt so sorry for someone.

+

Just beautiful Marilyn! Love it!! I know what you mean about too much to mow! We have about an acre around the house with gardens and grass. It seems that is all DH gets done in the summer...is MOW! I get so tired of it!! Plus..I have way too many gardens to keep up with anymore! I know ...I know...it's my own fault...lol!! I think one of these days we might have to move too. We have 6 acres here....and our farm before had 40 acres. Need to keep downsizing...lol!! Unfortunately, neither of us wants to be back in town to do it!

40 acres would be heaven to my husband . He would love to farm. Only problem is he comes from a very tropical area and there is not too many places to grow mangoes.

Marie, I'm sorry about your grandbaby having to be shuttled back and forth between his grandmas, but at least he does have the two of you to love on him!
I think I have mentioned this before but my best friend has custody of her granddaughter. The girl will be 13 on the 10th of this month and she considers my DH and I to be her second set of grandparents. The girl's mother is "spaced out" on drugs. So many children of these druggies are being raised by their grandparents these days. At least, they do have their grandparents!

Marcy, you surely have more photos of your flowers that you could share with us. I showed my DH your photos above and he thought the lilies were gorgeous. You mentioned having to be back in town if you downsize. I know what you mean--it is an adjustment to live in a subdivision after you are accustomed to having all kinds of room around you but we haven't found it to be all that bad. In fact, it is kinda nice to be close to everything instead of having to drive 8 to 10 miles to the nearest grocery store. I gotta go check on that soup I am making. It is starting to smell real good so if y'all want some, you better hurry up with that pilot and the airplane!! LOL

Good thing I have my own soup, Mau, cause I haven't found that sugar daddy just yet! :)

Marilyn, I'll look for some more pictures after supper. I probably have a few...lol. Right now, I better get cookin'. DH will be home soon from work. He works 3 afternoons a week at our local little grocery. Only two cash registers at this grocery and they only take cash...lol! Is that small town enough for ya? He goes there to make his "play" money for flea markets, etc...and to get all the local gossips...andddd...to get away from ME for a while!! He loves it. I wish he would quit...but I doubt that will happen! Ok...back later!!

I'd like to find a job like that Marcy, for either me or my DH. We need to get away from each other for a little bit during the week, too. Of, course the way we 'get away' is for him to take a nap on the couch and for me to chat with my DG friends! LOL Still, it would be nice to have some of that "play" money for buying more plants and flowers or whatever.

Yeah, Tammy, I figured you would be tired of soup by now, since you have had it all week. LOL

Anyvody else have any flower pics they want to post. We have to pretend that something is blooming in this cold weather!

Ok Marilyn...here come some pictures to make you feel like spring!
Not many flowers in bloom in this one, but I like all the green in it! If you can see the black pump, there is a half barrel under it with water and plants. Water comes out the pump faucet and recirculates. This is inside that part of the fence where the daylilies were.

This is my tropical garden behind the house. The part you can't see is the fountain and the pathway and bench.

These are my window boxes at my kitchen windows this past summer. I have 13 window boxes...which I sincerely regret....LOL!!! It's wayyyy too many to take care of!

This is across the driveway from the house, and behind the garage. Our driveway is between the house and the garage, and the barn is at the end of the driveway. It's like a wind tunnel on windy days!

This is a pot of million bells with a small head statue inside that fence.

Another one along the driveway....hmmm...not sure if this was after the daylilies were done blooming..or before?
Going to look for one of my front yard.

This is my swing arbor in the front yard. We took out all the sod, and put gravel pathways in, just because I bought this swing...lol! I will post one more pic so you can see how some of the rest of it looks.

Ok..this one is probably the best to explain. The path on the left goes all the way down the driveway side of the fence, where the daylilies were in the other pic. The path on the right goes right to the swing arbor. And then there is a path that circles around a tree and some shrubs in front. I designed this and DH and DBIL executed it....LOL!!
We all were pleased at the way it turned out.
Tell you DH I said thanks on the flowers. I can see what a lot of work you guys have put into your place. It looks great!!!

Edited to say...I'm done!! Let's see some more pics from others!!!

This message was edited Jan 3, 2008 8:11 PM

Here's a picture of a native clematis, Clematis glaucophylla

Here's one of my favorite pictures....Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Monarda fistulosa, Liatris pycnostachya.....

Terry...love both of those pics! Are those in your gardens? That clematis is really cool!

Wow, Marcy, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your gardens. They are beautiful!!

Marcy, DH and I will definitely put Ohio on our itinerary when we plan our next vacation. I must see your gardens in person! I love your house, too. You had said somewhere that it was 100 years old?
Terry I have never seen a clematis like that--it is beautiful and the Tiger Swallowtail, too.

Why thank you Marilyn! Yes...this house will be 108 yrs old this year sometime. It is just a cottage style house...story and half.. they call them. Sometimes I wish the rooms were bigger, but then, I think...just more to clean...lol! And we would LOVE to have you come see us..so by all means...do that!!
I love those little bell shaped clematis! I have a yellow one on an arbor that is very prolific. Last summer it even reached out and climbed a willow tree close to the arbor...lol!

Well, there is nothing like someone inviting themselves to your house, is there Marcy? LOL Seriously, 4 years ago DH and I took a driving vacation through 9 states. We drove through, Missouri, Iowa, So Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and back to Arkansas. I think that trip was about 4000 miles and 3 weeks long. We didn't have reservations anywhere--stopped where we wanted and stayed as long as we wanted. Now we would like to do that in the other direction--up in your direction and other areas that we have never been. I could probably make stops at your place and Janis' and Terry's and Tammy's--and mooch off all of you in the process!!! LOL
Sorry, Celia and Marie, you are too far to the west for us to make your places on this next trip. (I can hear you breathing a sigh of relief!)

On that note, I think I will go make myself a cup of hot tea. It is still cold down here. My feet are freezing and I have on two pair of socks! BRRR!!

LOL!!! I don't mind a bit if you come!!! I will feed you too!! I do have to say if you expect to sleep, it will have to be on my hide a bed couch though...lol. I do have 3 bedrooms upstairs, that we use just for storage. I keep telling DH...we NEED to get at least one room fixed up for a bedroom for guests.! My poor little GK's have to sleep on the hide a bed.
Anyway...we aren't formal here ..AT ALL! Just plain ole folk. Love to have friends visit!
It is plenty cold here too. Haven't looked at the thermometer lately, but they are saying it will warm up by the weekend..at least 50° over what we have now! I'll take it!!

Are you sure it isn't Spring time yet?????????? LOL
Mau, you just bring yourself right on down here and we will have a blast! :)
Would you believe I have ANOTHER head cold?!!! Which means more chicken noodle soup! Gettin mighty tired of the stuff ya know! LOL

Ohhhh I WISH it was springtime, Tammy!! I am soo ready!! Sorry you have another cold!
Well..think I am off to bed here. Tomorrow is my running around day...grocery..errands...whatever.
Ya'll take care of yourselves, and have a restful night.

Thanks Marcy, think I will take a dose of nyquil and be out soon myself! ♥

Mau, that isn't Russian, it's Latin. I spent years gardening knowing only a handful of Latin names. But every plant seems to have multiple common names. So I started really practicing on my Latin. Now what's funny is going into a nursery and asking for a plant, using the correct Latin pronunciation (got a friend in TN who's really helped), and they haven't a clue what I'm speaking of. The last one was my search for a Liriodendron tulipifera. Not a one knew what I wanted. So I had to resort to both common names that I know and they finally understood. Not that they had any, but they understood what I was looking for. The MoBot site has pronunciations also. Liatris pycnostachya is prairie blazing star.

And yes Marcy, these pictures were taken in my yard. I have a Peony, 2 unknown iris' (1 from my friend in TN), and a mum from my friend in TN. Every other perennial or grass is a native plant. Native to northern, northeastern IL. Same with my trees and shrubs, with the exception of some viburnum. My yard is a certified NWF yard. I garden exclusively for the wildlife.

Tammy, I was going to go to the store to get all the fixens for some homemade chicken noodle soup tomorrow or Sat. Sounds yummy....but sorry about the head cold!

Thanks, Terry! Shaun says he is gonna make me some home made, which will be way better than the little Campbell's cans! LOL

Sorry about that head cold, too, Tammy. Have you tried nasalcrom? It's a nasal spray and it really works for me. Helps to keep my sinuses clear when I am sniffling. I don't use it every day--just when my sinuses act up. You'll also probably need some kind of decongestant-type pill. I had an RX already so I didn't have to go to the doctor for that. With that and the nasalcrom, I got over it pretty fast and it never did really develop into a full-fledged cold. Anyway, I hope you get to feeling better soon.
Like Marcy, I am off to bed now.
Thanks for the latin lesson, Terry! LOL

nite-nite all.

Thanks Mau! I have taken cold meds and a dose of nyquil! Night night all! ♥

Hey Celia, sorry I will miss you tonight and won't be here till tomorrow evening, so I know I will NEVER catch up! Sleep tight!
HUGS
Tammy