Hey All

Jan, that's the coolest discovery! Funny how you commented on her neat handwriting. She must have practiced her penmanship. funny how far (?) we've come in less than 100 years. I was talking to a teacher just last week and she was saying that at their school, a local public elementary school where she teaches 3rd grade, they do not even teach kids cursive handwriting anymore. They are too busy teaching other things for the standardized tests. I could not believe it!! Lots of the kids come to 3rd grade looking forward to learning cursive, but they do not have time to teach it. If a kid really wants to know how, they give them some worksheets that they can do at home. No one is bothering with handwriting anymore. I have mixed feelings about it since my handwriting has always been terrible, even though my teachers tried their best to help me with it.

I'd like that gluten free recipe for carrot cake, too. My son is supposed to limit the gluten he eats.

I lost my dad this year and he kept a few pictures of my early family but the last few years I asked him the history of each person and who they were in the pictures and kept a log. I value the knowledge it gives me to pass down to my daughter. Some interesting stories. I had my Grandma tell me stories when I was a child when she put me to bed and I think that got me going with the rest of the journal. My favorite was a pig that was a pet of her's who went fishing with her every day and ate the cleanings when she caught fish. It literally followed her to the house and waited for her to come out each morning.

Cool pig story. Wow, I am sure this has jogged everyone's memories and we have all had tidbits pop into our heads.

Pix I sent you a Dmail with the recipe.
Gwen - promise me that you won't publish the recipe since I am considering writing a gluten-free cookbook. Right now I feel too lazy to do it!
Last year I was asking my father questions about his life and he started talking about WW1. After a few minutes he disappeared into the bedroom and came out with a belt that he traded his for with a Russian soldier. It is so cool, with a big hammer & sickle on the buckle. My sons had a fit that they never knew about it, and now they share it. Dad is going strong as is my mother. At 92 and 85 they are remarkable.

Hi Tills I am here. I have been so busy with work and the longer days I'm not inside to be on the computer at all. Now that is it dark out earlier I'm sure I will be on more. I still have landscaping jobs to do when weather permits then there are always the jobs around here. Last winter I was Helga the manure wheelbarrowing queen. So far this year Dave has dug one huge a-- mud hole for a bigger pond. I think all the dirt or some of it will go in the front pasture for a new 3 or 4 flower beds. Wow soupy stuff. I'll show my progress once we get going. Thanks for checking in on me. Heidi

Here is the cool truck that we will be hauling all the muck around with.

Here is another new bed we will plant this winter. Dave welded this for another landscaper years ago and It was sitting in his yard and I talked him into setting it up out, Here he also has a huge concrete couch I am trying to get him to bring out here. He also has the greatest stone lights as well.

Here are some of the cool lights Dave made the little metal covers on the originals. Asha has some one else make them now. They are very cool and work great

You are a woman with resources!! A tractor, a cool big truck (not to mention the herding dogs making sure all goes as planned...) , fabulous welded objects (plus a welder dh), and those are the coolest lights ever!! Are those available at your nursery? I don't remember seeing them.

Here's my family history animal story to contribute: My dad grew up on what he termed a 'dirt farm' in east Texas. The floor of their cabin was actually dirt, too. They had a covered front porch, as did most everyone, and some chickens who lived underneath the porch. My dad had a favorite chicken who would come up onto his lap and pick his teeth. Yep. That's my dad. He had the prettiest teeth you've ever seen and never wore braces or had a cavity in his life. Wonder if that's due to the chicken dental care?

Hee hee, I love it, Pix. I had a bird who would do the same thing if you let him. It's all about the grooming. Ha!!

Lots of fun at your place, Heidi. I love the posts with lights - wish I could have a row of those out here. What an impact that would make!! And I love all Dave's welded work, the first thing I think I ever saw of his was the chain arbor. So cool!!

I have a dumb question I hope someone can answer for me. I have landscape fabric under some of my flower beds, topped with beauty bark. Is it ok to put shredded leaves on top of this to help protect the perennials? Can the shredded leaves go on top of the beds where I put the bark over newspapers, and not landscape fabric? Or am I wasting the leaves this way, and should I put them on top of newspapers/cardboard where I am going to make a new garden next spring? We put the leaves today around the bamboo we had planted last year, on top of the grass clippings from the summer. It looks much better than old dead slimy grass!
Thanks

Cattledogs, your lights and welded garden art are really cool.

Oh Heidi, that looks like fun, wish I could send my DH over to help and you could pay him in plants LOL Can't wait to see it when its done. We tried to make a pond years back, my neighbour came over with his backhoe dug it all out, and we had some nice rocks a few plants and bought 25 goldfish. looked great for the summer. Then the crane came to visit. took most of the little guys we ridge up some nets. I think I had 7 left at that point. Then the rains came, the flood of 92 and wash it all away. Somewhere under all that silt are my big lava rocks and a large truck rim, we used for fires. So we have never tried that again.

Lynn, I would use the leaves more so on the new beds, let the worms do their magic, But it does not hurt to use them also to protect the perennials, where there is no fabric. To use it where you have the fabric, you will cause a greater problem, once it composted you will have more weeds help them self to those areas. Most of my gardens have no cloth, only the trails where you walk. Hope this helps. Or someone has a dif. idea.
Tills

You said it well Tills.

Heidi, when your DH digs a hole, he digs a HOLE! What fun to be able to that. Would love to see the end result.
Love the welded yard art too. Wish I was younger, I might try that.

Most of my family memories go back to race tracks. My dad built cars as a hobby and loved racing. He didn't race but one of my brothers did, the other was his mechanic. Many happy hours spent at tracks with my boys. Dad took his old 8 mil film and had it put on VHS tape, now I need to have that put on a DVD so we don't lose it. My sis is in to geneology and keeps a family history going, even found a horse thief way back. LOL

Now a stupid question from a new gardener...
Can the leaves be left on the ground around the shrubs? Would that be like putting down mulch? I have so much to learn!

Yes, I never rake them up but off the lawn.

Good stories. Heidi, love the nursery that I must soon visit when I am free in Seattle.
I no longer use fabric under anything. I every spring before plants emerge I vaccum the beds of all of their mulch (bark), leaves, pine needles, left over perenials trimmings and anything the chickens have deposited. I do this with a debris loader which has an eight inch hose that rapidly sucks up all material and shreds it. Then I deposit my completed compost at an inch or two over the beds before I reverse the loader and blow the now mulch evenly over the bed making it look sweet and happy ready for the perenials to emerge into a world of worm infested nitrogen rich, bacterial enhanced soil to make even more compost for next year. It take me about two days to do my entire 1 1/2 acre of raised beds into the finely chopped mulch layer. If I need to I add some more shredded bark to "pretty up" the beds.

Thanks Tilly - you saved me a lot of unnecessary work. More time to play.

I have debris loader envy!!! Hey, do you suppose that is something that could be rented from one of those rental places? Cuz, for some reason, I don't think you would like to travel to NJ to do that chore here, would you? Yep, I thought not. LOL

Don't we all!! Wouldn't it be nice to speed Mother Nature up like that?

There are no rental places that know the value of Debris loaders, if they did I am sure they would rent one. Tell your rental place and have your garden friends support its use. Landscapers are the ones you get them from. I got mine on a trip to Michigan where I picked it up for $750. (Ebay) They are easy to start and the only costs running them are the hoses you need to replace every 5 or so years at about $300/ 12' hose. I have it hooked to my multipurpose trailor so I can shred collect and dump without using a shovel. More time in the Hammock. Ahhhhhhhhh

That thing looks bigger than my yard!

It is my Log hauler, split wood carrier, compost collector, debris loader, rock picker/hauler, manure hauler, topsoil mixer, and a million other uses trailer. It is only 12' long and 9' high. Just right for the garden use.

Says the man about his favorite big boy toy LOL Just kidding, it sounds like a very useful piece of machinery.

Sofer, when do you ever have time for a hammock?

I got a new toy, this summer. Best little machine when it comes to weeding and high stuff. like blackberrys. almost as good as a Goat, but would like one.
Love your set up Steve.

Looking at all your equipment, I am happy to have a small yard. I have a new pair of clippers - does that count?

How I enjoy reading all the stuff you guys write here!
And your toys!! How I wish I had more money so I could buy some of your toys. Like the one Tilly got this summer!! That is so neat! and would be much easier for me to use than the electric weed eater a friend bought for me this summer. You can push it instead of carrying it.
Tills - I have not posted much here since late summer and fall came. Been too busy with non plant things. - like sewing for some of the pre Christmas markets. Well, should have been working in the garden instead. People are not buying much this year.

Have a picture of a plant that I need Id. for. I have decided it might be a giant mullein. It is growing in a friend's rich compost pile (Compost she bought ). Initially, we thought maybe a foxglove. looked a lot like one until it sent up this big stem. Has leaves all around the stem all the way to the top. Stem looks round, not square.
I have done some research trying to identify it.
I just talked to Ruth. It has tiny.small yellow flowers on it. - a few here and there.

I will send several pictures

another picture of my mystery plant

3rd picture

and last picture

WILLIEB, looks like Digitalis to me, Jim

Oh Tilly, I love your new toy. What brand is it? Where did you buy it? Last year my neighbor bought a new one and gave me his old Ariens, but I cannot get it to start. He said it had carb problems. Then I bought a used DR off CraigsList. It ran once, and now it won't start. I am so bummed. I would really love to have one that actually works!

I agree. It looks like Mullein.

Yep - That's Mullien. Has a long stalk of tiny yellow flowers.

I've been out raking the big leaf maple droppings from 1.5 acres. My dh came out to ask if I needed anything from the hardware store. I said, not unless they sell beer at the hardware store. I am so dead tired...I think I need a nap!

That machine that sucks things up and then spits them out is the coolest thing I've ever seen. I want one - especially if it will suck up maple leaves!

galega, your husband sounds like a clever man! Jim

Thanks for the Id. help!
I went to the plant files and looked up mullein. I think I found which pone it is.
Great Mullein - AKA Adam's flannel. - Verbascum thapsus.
I don't know why I did not look at the mulleins before. Well, I did, but did not find one that looked like it. Thanks again!

Now that was fast and I don't have a clue anyway, would of when with Jims answer. LOL Hi Willbe, sorry I haven't be out there, heck I never get anywhere anymore.

Lynn, There is a great story behind getting it, good and bad.
Coming home from work on a Friday night, I blew the engine in my car. I got it home ok damage was done. I had to call work the next day tell the boss what happened and I have no way to work. Was in grumpy mood all morning. (thats the bad) My DH said lets go to the annual Big Valley yard sale down the road, so we did. (A lot of neighbors that live on this road do this once a year, next year I am taking plants to sell and I also live on the road)
As we where walking in I saw it, been wanting one sooooo bad. The lady told us all about it, Was used twice by her DH then sat in the garage for a year. I got it for $250.
Its a Craftsman, 6.5 HP easy start. The one I was looking at, at the Rental Center here in town that sells them was asking $750.
It made my bad day good. ( but won't tell the boss) LOL
Oh I also got a really cool doll house for my niece complete with all kinds of fixtures. But alas still using a borrowed car. Plan on waiting till new year and get a new one.

Too bad about the car....great about your shopping! I know your niece loves that doll house, looks like she can have hours of fun.

Wow Tilly, you really scored at that yard sale!

Forgot got the house and the trims for $20.
I miss having weekends off, love the sales LOL

What a steal!! You did good girl.