**SWEET INTERRUPTION** 6

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Aren't BJ's zinnias lovely? I had been looking up on zinnias earlier, and know I must have these old fashion lovely ladies. They were the cut flowers before roses became de rigor!

Of course you're missed Linda. Your cooking must be so good, that you don't need dessert to 'sweeten' it up! Love lemon cake anytime..just like chocolate cake....and since you do grow your garden with zinnias, post pictures of them if you could.

Grandma's letter

GRANDMA STILL DRIVES
HERE IS GRANDMA'S RECENT LETT ER
SHE IS EIGHTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD AND STILL DRIVES HER OWN CAR. SHE WRITES:

Dear Granddaughter:
The other day I went up to our local Christian book store and saw a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting. So, I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper. Boy, am I glad I did, what an uplifting experience that followed.....

I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good he is, and I didn't notice the light had changed. It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn't honked, i'd never have noticed. I found that lots of people love Jesus! While I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy,and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of God! Go! Go!Go! Jesus Christ, GO"! What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus! Everyone started honking! I just leaned out my window and started waving and smiling at all those loving people. I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love! There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a sunny beach.

I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. I asked my young teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant. He said it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I have never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign right back. My grandson burst out laughing. Why even he was enjoying this religious experience!! A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me.

I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed. So, I waved at all my brothers and sisters grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed that I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared. So, I slowed the car down,leaned out the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away...

Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!!! I will write again soon.
Love,
Grandma

Oh, that's priceless, Jaye...

Friend emailed that, must share this with y'all 'priceless' grandmas.
Kel's ready with his carpentry tools..not going to give him any excuses to lay them down!! I better be running along.
BJ, you're gonna try look for bugs this morning? Got my camera with me, just in case some butterflies decide to visit Jaye's Eden.
Ta ta!

Sorry, Jaye... I'm going to get myself (and Don) ready to fly tomorrow... the bugs will have to wait...
Have a great day, and I hope you and Kel get everything on the "honey do list" done today.

Okay Jaye, I have to clean my monitor now. Coffee everywhere. ROFOL!!!! Linda, please hold my piece of cake a moment as I need to refill my cup with coffee.
Yeap, did miss you and was wondering what had happened to you. Sounds like you had a nice evening.

So, you know the Hawai'ian good luck sign too eh, Marion? You are a cool grandma!

the good luck sign ! too funny!
ok bj--if you don't need zinnia seeds then just save me some of yours when they go to seed please-pretty please! and i will save the short ones if you want --they are pretty but they go pale and dull instead of bright and colorful--they look faded after a short time--and thanks for sharing that you forget the dessert too! you know how miserey loves company? well i think ditzy loves company too!
jaye that is so funny-don't we all wish we could go thru life like that sometimes? it makes me want to share my story of the honk bumper sticker--my kids put a "honk it's my birthday" sign on the back of my van on april fools day --of course it wasn't my birthday--i had no idea why people were honking and they loved it!!

Living in a college town--oh yes Jaye, I know it!!!! Haven't noticed it here as much as I did in Gaineville but I am not as close to the university either. Very funny!!

Oh misery does love company, Linda 1, how about forgetting to serve a side dish? Made a crooked neck squash and zucchini (sp?) cassarole and forgot all about one Thanksgiving! Love the bumper sticker your kids put on your van!!

have you ever turned off the oven and left something in there to keep warm and then forget it? next time you turn on the oven to preheat you smell something cooking and look in and there it is!

Oh my yes, my broiler pan and cast iron skillets!!! Then you can't take 'em out because they are so hot they burn right through the oven mitts! LOL Hummm, I think we are all sisters under the skin.

Linda when does your school start back?

Well, I'm taking a lunch break from it all because I was cleaning the fridge (don't want to grow any experiments while we're gone) and found the left overs from Thurs night... was some incredible pork chops, fried cabbage, and smothered potatoes... so I immediately got hungry... mmmmm..

So, have you ever made a dish to take to a covered dish dinner... and the whole idea is that everyone get together to visit, and each bring their favorite dish. Well, I went to all the trouble to make homemade pasta, homemade Alfredo sauce, and Swedish meatballs... then left it behind... we were pulling into their driveway when I remembered... had to drive home (about 20 mins one way), and back again... held up everyone's dinner for over an hour... I was so embarrassed because it was our first time to be invited by this group of people... not a very good first impression... Don was so ticked... he turned down the next invite, and we've never been invited again...

Oh, Linda... I got ya covered with zinnia seeds... too bad those little pale colored ones fade so fast... I'll take some anyway though and mix them in with some other short ones... thanks.

Hey folks...Kel want those tall zinnias. He said his grandma grew them in her yard, but the short ones. Never seen the tall ones..
Ok..got these today..
My oldest cat, Rimau (Tiger in Indonesian/Malay).

Linda, if I were to pull that on my late father, I won't be sitting for days!!!!
Lol...your kids must still be talking about it!

Poor passi..a forlorn beauty

Jaye...you tell Kel that I got a box all ready to go for you two... but it'll be after next week before I can get it mailed.
Oh, and did you know that you can plant zinnias all though out the summer?... they'll perform right up till fall... even had some bloom till frost... so, you can enjoy some this summer too. You'll have plenty seeds... thousands ... maybe even a million seeds in this envie.

Yeah, that's what I read this morning BJ...right up till frost. How wonderful, and the hotter the better. Also not bothered by much insects and butterflies love them. Only problem will be some form of mildew. But if you plant masses, that's not so noticeable. Windy over here, so there will be plenty of ventilation ;)
Got our bug today... :D

BJ, the site also says that seeds can be sown till late July!!! How about that??
Oooh couldn't wait! But no hurry...there's always next year.
He he he!
Bug on Casa Blanca

Bug on Starfighter
sheesh..bugs bugs bugs everywhere!
Thank God!

Close up of Kelvin's Floodlight dahlia.

Off to a late lunch. Gonna go for some soul food. The stick to your ribs kind.
Marion, stay cool.. Linda save a piece of that lemon cake if you still have some.
BJ, I'll pray you have a fantastic trip.

Thanks Jaye... I think we're going to have fun... that's for sure.
You get some of these seeds in the ground as soon as you get them... so you can enjoy some this year. Get your bed ready...

But you already have some really beautiful flowers... love the bugs on them... and so nice of you to stand there all day to wait for them to pose for you so you can show them to me.

Marion, are you working way too hard in the dungeon? Girl... remember to pace yourself... just tell DS you're doing the best you can... and if he wants it done faster he's just gonna have to get a bigger whip.

Oh how I wish I had been in the dungeon but unfortunately I was in the yard!! Just some potting that was way over due, put some things in the ground that was way,way over, due then gotso I couldn't breather. Inside for the rest of the day. Just as I was coming in DD came out telling me the heat index was way to high for me to be doing what I was doing. What was her first clue?

Think I will clean the dirt of and start ripping down some more paneling and molding according to the newest idea.

Going to stop earlier today as DD is preparing a salad with grilled chicken, gorgonzola cheese and craisins for dinner. Want to be cool and relaxed so I can enjoy it!!!!

yes marion i guess we are sisters in our blunders as well as our gardening!!
bj-how embarrasing with people you don't know well--a bunch of hungry people waiting on you--talk about pressure!
bj -have a fun trip--
i have spent the whole morning into early afternoon watering--so i think it should rain today--that's how it usually works for me!

Marion... pace yourself sista... you've had enough for one day with all the heat you endured already.
That sounds like my kind of salad... love those salads that make a whole meal.

Linda... looks like all the rain is going north of us today... so, good thing you watered.

Well, looks like I'm packed, cleaned up, and ready to go... Don will be home for dinner tonight, which is rare (day game today)... then it's early to bed, early to rise.

Marion dahlin...do as BJ sez..pace yourself. Hoard some Gatorade, you also need to replenish your lost minerals from all that sweat...oops, perspiration. My little niece would say girls don't sweat..we perspire!
Hope the rain's heading this way, Linda. My plants sure can use the rain again.

I was watching on tv one day...might be 'bridezilla' where the guests had to wait for food cos the caterer didn't show up with the food. Poor bride's family had to hurry and buy fried chicken!! Imagine beind served KFC at a wedding dinner.

Ate some good roast brisket with cabbage and great baked mac and cheese. Yummy...and I cheated. Had a slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
Said grace and added..Lord, may my DG sistas enjoy their Sunday dinner too. ^_^

I'm sorry to tell your niece... but I just plain SWEAT... profusely.

This is the first year ever that I've grown Celosia... don't know why... just haven't before now... WOW What performers they are. NOW, I'm wanting to save the seeds for them so I have them next year too... so, I'm on a mission to find out everything I can about this wonderful annual.
Of course, I'll not plant them next to my cherry tomatoes again... they're getting all tangled up together.

i have not had good luck with the celosia bj--but i have a few that are doing so-so and i have had people look and say that they will be everywhere soon--i can only hope--is yours in full sun? do you have any advice?

Well, what I just learned is that they like rich soil... are somewhat drought tolerant... but like to be watered... and if you pinch off the first bloom, they bush and produce lots of blooms.

I just bought a six pack at Lowe's this year and put them in a spot I needed to fill with something. Yes, they're in full sun, there by the steps to the lower level, near the zinnias.
Mine are doing great... don't know why I never planted them before...

To collect the seeds, just clip off the plume when it's finished and save it on newspaper till it's dry, then shake off the seeds...

and you can also tie 8-10 of them together, hang them upside down for dried flowers.

Ooooo... I hear thunder... there's a storm cell forming before my eyes on the radar... right over my house.

Well some of you won't be getting the rain!! It's headed our way along with some very loud thunder. I haven't looked at radar but DD said it doesn't look good. Yikes!!!!! Keep all the wonderful pictures coming of the flowers. That way I can enjoy them also. It is getting more and more tempting to have more trees taken out!!!

The storm we just had just built right on top of us... nothing on the radar at all... then Wham... out of nowhere. Rain has stopped now, but I still hear thunder in the distance.

Not all trees Marion!

Had Celosias last year, not repeating this year. The only annuals I repeat are the torenas and a few hanging baskets. Must have those torenas every year.

Oh yeah..forgot to add I had some yellow ones too..the Celosias.
BJ, post pics of your trip, and if you have access to the 'net, breeze in sometimes. We'll miss you a bunch!!

What was your experience with the celosias, Jaye? Why don't you want them anymore?
I just like the way they just keep going and going... just like the bunny.
I'm going to pack up my computer tonight, and take it with me... I already know the hotel has access, we stayed there last year. So, I'll touch base when I get a chance. And take pictures too.

I had them growing in an old wheel barrow BJ. Planted them in the back with torenas in the front. Both of these love water, but torenas are a little more forgiving.
Not only the celosias were not on this year's list, but the daturas too.
Have fun BJ. We'll follow your trip here!

I have decided not to take the computer with me... sorry sistas... more my loss than yours, I'm sure... but the extra baggage just wont do. Don has to have his, and with all I packed... just can't do it. So, I'll be sure to take pics, and post when I get back.

Shutting down now, so night night...

Ya'll gossip a lot...ok?... I need plenty to read when I get home.

Had to shut the computer down when the storm went through!! Nasty is all I can say but very little rain. I had huge limbs down from yesterday so I am almost afraid to see what there will be in the morning. Never ending job--picking up limbs. I need a chipper for sure!! Plus a hunk to run it for me--anyone got one they can send?

If we're living next door to you Marion, Kel will be there in a jiffy!
Winds must be bad to be breaking some limbs off....as much as you want trees gone, thank God none are fallen!

Oh that is so sweet. I would atleast provided a meal if he were closer for him and you!!! Gladly. Last year I did have a redbud blow over but they are prone to do that anyways. I think these are weak limbs near the top that are scraggly trying to get some sun. Just glad a car or someone wasn't stand when 2 came down--would have done some damage for sure.

Well it is off to bed. Tired and my eyes are feeling strained from these glasses--better than not seeing tho. Good nite everyone.