Doomed gardening

Thank yew.. Thank you verra much.

We tried to fly the old plane to Florida one Christmas. Oh it was gonna be cool adventure! Made a plan, packed up four yr old and six month old kid, took off. Well, the headwind was re DIC ulous. We took three hours kind of following I-81 (the highway that goes down Shenandoah valley way) and it was incredibly bumpy the whole time. We're still over Virginia ?! Hubby decided we just weren't getting there, so we turned around. What took three hours, took one with the now tailwind. By the time we got home, I was so jittered....... My sister offered to get us free commercial tickets from her frequent flyer miles, but I was so strung out, I couldn't agree til the next day.
The kids were fine- So trusting!!! "Yay we're going to see aunt and uncle!"

Yep, seems as though I am in good company with those of you who aren't thrilled with the airways. The last time that I flew was in the early 1990's. I was able to get a ticket to New York City for less than one hundred dollars. The only catch was that there was a lay over and plane switch both going up and coming back. It happened to be a hot August afternoon that turned in to nighttime before I was able to leave Dulles Airport. There had been very severe thunder storms all along the east coast but that affected the whole country with air travel that day. Most every air terminal across the map was basically shut down.

I was about six hours behind schedule by the time that I reached my destination. My luggage was lost and didn't get it until the morning of my return. I was also suffering terribly with foot and ankle pain and that just didn't go along with sight seeing in NYC, where you walk most every place.

I called my brother from NYC during the stay and begged him to drive to Dulles to get me so that I wouldn't have to ride the tiny plane from Dulles to Charlottesville. He wouldn't do it, the dunce. So, I bit the bullet and crawled in to another jalopy of a plane. Thankfully, I arrived in one piece but it sure has affected the places I have visited since then. So far I have only gone places where we get there via automobile.

Interesting topic and thanks for sharing Sally. I get a smile on my face whenever I see your name on here. I can't wait to see you and give you a great big hug for keeping me in laughs this winter.

Ruby

OMG:

Too cute. I didn't get it the first time. Duh!

Ruby

Ruby, i feel your pain - i hate flying commercial too, though i do it fairly often - not as much as DH who travels a lot for business. Living in New Haven, the only flights you can get to/from Tweed, our local airport, are USAirways (sigh) Turboprops to Philadelphia. blah.
They lost our luggage on vacation a couple years ago - we got it back, but they handled the situation SO badly. Mostly we fly out of Bradley in Hartford or one of the NYC airports, but that is a whole other layer of inconvenience.

When i fly in a little plane, i understand what can be done if something goes wrong, and they don't need much room to land. On big jets, i always think - owell, if something goes wrong, that's it.
But perhaps i am just sick...

: )

Wow--the plane stories are great!!

So, Amy and Ruby, did you plant your bubls and perennials on time?? What sort of garden are you working on?

i planted quite a few tulips, and a few other bulbs - crocus, muscari, uva vulpis, a few allium. i don't have much room. Black tulips are my favourites.
It depends on what you mean by "on time." Um, everything was in by January 1..? (i save a few things to plant on New Year's Day because it seems like such a hopeful start to the year.) But way too many things went in the week before Xmas and New Year's - i don't know if it made the plants unhappy - it made ME kinda unhappy! Brrr.

a few Queen of Night tulips last May

"On time" means that they went in soon enough to get established and be exposed to the prerequisite cold chill period of at least 6-8 weeks before spring. I guess you made it by New Year's. Most perennial plants need to be planted at least 6 weeks before the first frost to be "established" before going into dormancy.

If you get dormant plants or trees in the fall, they can go in before the ground freezes, I think. After a freeze, planting is kinda an optimistic activity. I think the springtime will prove things.

"Queen of Night" is gorgeous!! I thought of doing that one with hot pink tulips, but Queen of Night was sold out. I settled for red "Renown" and a red and white one called "Sorbet". I also have a bunch of mixed colors, dark and pastels, in other beds. Got them in by early November, whew!!

Renown wasn't really red (at least not for me last year). More of a deep rose with a little peachiness on the edges in sunlight. i liked it a lot more than i anticipated and i have planted more for this spring!

Here are some QON with Renown last May.
i'm too lazy to hunt for a better picture, but i have lots! ; )

That picture is lovely, especially on a gray and icy day like today!

Thanks, Happy!
(have you checked out the "What's in a Name"thread ove on NE Forum?)
This is the most snow we have gotten this winter. So of course DH has to get to Columbus OH. We got him to Philadelphia on a TRAIN, now he is waiting for a plane the rest of the way.
sigh.
It would've been such fun to have a snow day off together!

amy
*

I know what you mean. My spouse decided today was a great day to take the car in for servicing, so he has spent the day sitting at a repair place . . . . but not much snow here.

I just peeked at the "What's in a Name" thread -- that looks very interesting -- I'll have to save a full read for another day, though. But now I've learned you are a stage manager! Is that what you do in New Haven?

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ... delayed puppy gratification for us ... gonna get on the road early tomorrow AM.

I'm so sorry, but I'm glad you guys didn't slide all the way up the map! Much safer to wait. Do you get first pick of the litter, or how is it decided which of the wonderful puppies will be yours?

yes. and lighting tech/designer. when i am employed.
o, yeah - you know New Haven (or at least Wooster Street)!
i meant so you to check it out so you could tell us all why you are Happy..!


; )

To be honest, and just between friends, it is my porn star name -- first pet plus street name where I grew up. There is great theater in the New Haven area. (I'd really rather live in New England than anywhere!)

The breeders chose a couple different pups for each person/family's requirements ... Their decisions were based on personalities, temperaments, training/showing interests, etc. etc. It's a very well-thought-out process. We're 90% sure of which one we'll get, but we want to meet them in person before making that final decision. We Could Not Be Happier!!! ... Well, except for the fact that this storm pushed back our visit by one day! lol

Yes, Happy, I was going to nudge you over to that thread because I knew that yours would be a great entry. lol

Schubart?

Hahahahahaha, Happy.
You HAVE to add that to the thread!
So, i'd be Christabel Kingshighway.
Doesn't have the same ring to it...

I don't know. Kingshighway has a certain "je ne sais quoi", as my mother used to say. And Christabel . . . .

Hunums Chestnut

i don't know if i'd be willing to admit i had a pet named "Hunums."
You are a bold woman, Wrightie.

Whoa. Now that's a really GOOD one, Wrightie. I like the whole thing. Chestnut -- is that perfect or what? And Hunums. My 13-year old is asking me why I keep laughing.

I'll have you know that that is the first time in my life that I admitted to that name ... Let's just say that my mother was a WEE BIT ECCENTRIC. I was utterly mortified as an eight year old to be walking a Shih Tzu named Hunums, when all I really wanted was Sabrina the Great Dane that lived two doors up. *SIGH* I've had a difficult life.

Where did you grow up? i suddenly am picturing somewhere a bit more southern...

LOL!!! NO! I'm a Yankee all the way - upstate NY.

oops - sorry.
It was the "Hunums" and the "wee bit eccentric" that had me picturing Savannah or Louisiana...

Nah, you're wRight on -- it definitely was not a good fit for this TomBoy. Sweet Dog, dumb name. :)

If I understand this, mine is Mohawk Marvin.

Snort.

LOL!! (Snort!) So, we have a Yankee amongst us?? I'm the Southerner, Amy. I'm from Arkansas, if that means anything.

Well, that was Happy's secret format--first pet, childhood street. Mohawk was a mutt that someone gave my dad when I was 5. He was beautiful--part Pomeranian, Chow and Spitz. He was tan, red, gold and white, and had yellow eyes and a pink nose!! His tail was fluffy and curled over his back. He was darn smart and very loyal, and we had him for 13 years. My dad named him Mohawk, probably because of his bizarre red appearance and that stand-up fluffy tail. Everyone who saw Mohawk just gawked at him. He was rare. My dad was a Marine so we lived in many places for short periods, but Marvin Street is where we stayed the longest--5 straight years!! That was in Southern California......

Amy--your tulip picture is great!! Renown is lovely!! Mine are just now poking out of the ground--and you said yours bloomed in May??? I sort of expect mine to bloom in 4-5 weeks. We will see.

Happy--I sent you a D-Mail!! About tomorrow......

i'm originally from St. Louis, moved to NYC in 2002 to be with my (now) DH, he got offered a teaching job in New Haven - and i HATED living in NYC, so we moved up here in October 2004. It was only supposed to be for one year.

Does that mean that you're likely to stay for the long term? I'd love to move up to CT, if everything fell into place.

and i am trying to escape!
i think i'll be in your town in mid-April. i haven't been down to DC in 4 years, i think. But by then it will be spring there - but probably not yet spring here...

Will you be here for work or play? You know, some of us have been known to meet for drinkies downtown ...

DH's work, sorta play for me - it's for the national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KC ACTF). He works with the 8 regional winners for lighting. i sit in on some, and i know a lot of other people who will be there. But generally, most of my free time has been during the day. Though who knows, this time...

What a groovy line of work! I want to go see a show now ... :)

There are several excellent theatres in the DC area - Signature and Arena Stage come to mind. (and of course Kennedy Center.)

I'm embarrassed to say that I've never even heard of Signature! I'll be checking that out - thanks, A!