Scattelogical ramblings and desultory humor - SB Edition

Pirl & Patti, No date has been set, only talk of having one and the best time. Here's the link to the thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/805174/

I thought Victor might have been referring to the big Texas one (that isn't happening as a national convention but will be a huge RU).

I'm secure enough not to correct my spelling!

Me to, AYC.

LOL

Thanks, I am watching now, so I can come if it is at all feasible.

Pirl, I am not so sure a national gathering makes much sense unless it takes place at the same time as a major garden show or at a major botanical garden. However, I could see having some big regional shows. Ours could be a Biennially gathering, one at the Philadelphia flower show in the spring and then one two years later in the summer in New England. We could use the biennial Digitalis as our logo plant as we all would probably be having heart palpitations at seeing each other in the flesh. I think these shows will have to grow out of RU's. Let's put Victor in charge. Patti

Northeast and the Eastern Providences, Maritimes, NF and Lab.
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,

Midwest and the Prairie Providences
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

South Eastern
District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

Southern Midwest
Alabama, Arkansas,, Kansas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas

South Western
Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

Northern Midwest
Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana,,Nebraska, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Wyoming

North Western and BC
Oregon,, Washington

Alaska and the Northern Providences and territories

Hawaii

Hawaii Roundup sounds good.
I sort of thought of trying to combine 2-3 regional roundups together would be more feasible.

I'm for the Hawaii one - right now.

You and me BOTH, V.

Wait for me!

Always funny that they say the busy time for Jamaica is summer and not now - more wedding driven I guess.

I'll take your weather over mine, Mike!

It's a lot cheaper then, Al.

Since I've never lived with snow, what happens when it all melts? (I'm referring to when you have several feet of it...) Do you then have mud for weeks on end?

I know you guys have soil that drains better than ours, but when you winter is officially "over", how long before you can start working in the soil again?

When we get this much rain, it takes over a month for the soil to dry out...sometimes longer.

Yes - lots of snow = lots of mud.

For here winter is over 4/1ish and you can start working in the soil 5/1ish. Can be muddy until the frost is totally out - then it gets better.

What's your official last frost date, Al? Mine is around the 23rd or so of May but I can't remember frosts anywhere near that date since I'm here. I'm assuming it keeps moving to an earlier date.

I think we are right at 5/23 also. I start a few things right around then.

Bridgeport is 5/15.

Why don't we put the NE roundups on the roundup forum? When we had the Logee's one, Dave mentioned it to me in a Dmail, and that's where i kept looking for it. Finally i looked on the NE forum and found the thread...

I think it usually gets posted there once the date is set.

the last post i could find on the roundup forum about a NE RU was june 2, 2006.

i just remember that when i was new here last spring, i read about RUs and thought they sounded cool, but when checked the RU forum, there was never one in this region. i guess it just seems like if we keep it on here, it keeps it more exclusively for regulars on this forum, as opposed to newer members who may not have found this forum yet (or travellers who may be around).

My last frost date is about May 15. (lower Westchester Cty)
However a couple of years ago we had a light frost on May 21.

I usually start setting up & moving pots around Mother's Day.
When I was working (I just retired last Aug), I always took my vacation the week of Memorial Day. I'd try to get everything done by Wednesday of that week so I could enjoy the rest of my vacation by sitting back & enjoying it all.

This year I'll be in Greece that week so everything will be done 1 1/2 week later than usual.

Nancy

Don't remember that frost Nancy. I must have had it too. I use Mothers day as a benchmark too. I usually start my annuals the week before. Congrats on your recent retirement and enjoy Greece! I look forward to visiting there one day. Still know a few words from growing up on Astoria.

If I remember correctly, that late frost was in 2003. It was a wet, cold Spring.

I was in Greece in 1993. It's a beautiful place.
This will be a similar trip - and includes 3 1/2 days in Rome.

Ahhhh... so you're a Queens boy, eh?

Nancy

Yes, I'm a Queens boy. Where in Greece are you going? (We should do a vacation thread.)

It's a trip called "Following the Footsteps of Paul"
I'm going with my mother, sister and her hubby. It's trip with my sister's church.

The info can be found here:

http://mcleanbible.org/uploads/holyland_2008_june.pdf

We went on a similar trip with my church in 1993.
There were some differences.
That time, we flew to Athens then took another flight to Thessalonica. We traveled via tour bus back to Athens, making various stops along the way. We also went on an island cruise that includes a stop in Ephesus (Turkey). We then returned to the USA.

On this one, after the Greece part (including the cruise), we fly to Rome before we head home.

Nancy

Very interesting - following where Paul preached. Take lots of photos and share them with us!

5 million posts, a team till 5am, cyberbabble contest, the club... lots to assimilate. ☺

I'm up for an RU in Hawaii. I'm sure I can stowaway in someone's luggage.

I'm up for the 5 millionth post... maybe we could start talking about it in a few months.

Nancy, your trip sounds fantastic! Can I stowaway in your luggage too? Your tag says you're zone 5b, but I think you're actually 6b. Zone 6's last frost date is May 15.

JD, places with lots of winter snow usually call Spring the "Mud Season". It gets messy.

Harper

New England, JD, recently has had strangely cold and mild winters, short springs, and interminable hot and humid summers and gorgeous, quantified autumns*. I contrast this with the climate of my childhood, when we had wild and wicked winters, sweet springs, interminable hot and humid summers and gorgeous autumns.

* When I was a kid, you would say "gosh, the hill looks lovely today..." Now, you have to say "gosh, I believe the hill is at about 48.6% of maximum fall color today."

And did you not read my recent article on zone envy, which alludes to the problem of snow NOT being white?

x, Carrie

Harper - I tend to knock off a zone because my garden is totally a container garden.
When shopping for perennials, I use Zone 5 as my guide for plant survival.
I put 5 here so I wouldn't confuse myself and have to think about more than 1 number. LOL! I know - lazy.

Nancy

anyone here near Fitchburg MA? i give up on looking at a map and a member list...
i think i'm going up there tomorrow night for a couple of days...

Oh, of course Nancy! That makes sense!

Sorry Amy. Don't know anyone up there.

Harper, last (and first) frost dates are very local. You can't go by the zone. Your extension is the best source for that. Even in my county it varies, though we are all in the same zone.

Victor-
Considering the amount of pics I took when I went to Ethiopia in 2005, I'm sure there will be TONS of shots.
:o)

I have over 350 pics taken in Ethiopia here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlf/collections/72157600077353412/

There are 5 albums, one for each area we visited.

Now THAT was a trip to remember!
What a fascinating place!
This is a shot of Bet Giyorgis (aka -St George) was taken in Lalibela.
It's a church carved out of the solid rock surrounding it
You can go down a sloping path along the sides of the walls and enter the church.

If you've ever seen "The Amazing Race", this was one of the stops. I think it was TAR5.

Nancy

Wow - amazing Nancy! Looked at some in the album - what a waterfall! That must have been some experience.

Ahhhh.. The Blue Nile Falls. It's the origin of the Nile River.
The falls used to be wider.
The river was been partially dammed in order to construct a new hydro-electric plant.

One of the other fascinating things are the paintings on the walls and ceilings of the churches.
Very colorful!
In the Debre Berhan Selassie Church the entire ceiling was covered with the angel faces.
I wasn't allowed to use a flash so it's a bit dark.

Nancy

Nice detail!

I didn't know that Victor! I'll call CCE this week and find out.

Nancy, I can't wait to check out your albums! I wish I could browse through them now, but I'm fading. I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

Harper

Growing up here in MA (Norfolk), my dad always told us to go by Memorial Day as a last frost date, just to be safe. That seems too late for me. Around 8 years ago I remember planting out in April, that month was so warm.

In recent years I've heard an old saying that there will be no frost after the full moon in May. Then you can plant out. Makes sense to me.

When I'm starting seeds indoors, I always count back from the first week of May just in case it's warm early.