The "frosty stuff"

I forgot to mention that it's a lovely and happy Whazel. I just love all of them!!

wait.... is this the first or second year after it has been planted or transplanted? Every now and then a strange phenomenom can happen, usually where a branch or two ---but sometimes the whole plant---is affected by something, and comes out several different shades different than it is supposed to. It usually only happens to relatively recently transplanted plants. Last year I saw a bunch of Dianes that had one or two branches that came out yellow. I still wouldn't think that it is a Diane though, the flower petals are too long for a Diane.

Yep Sally, they're still trying. yep, I think nature dumped snow cones on them! Oddly enough, Micha, the first one up there, has sprouted up lots more buds in the last couple of weeks! But they keep stopping growing at the size of the one in the picture up there.

I think you must be right. It is "Jelena". It's crazy orange - I don't really get much light here and today was overcast and snowy, so even what I'd ordinarily get was muted. I just couldn't remember how orange Diane is - I thought it was yellower.

Sadly, I took the plant tags away from the plants because I thought I'd remember when I planted them. I should know better.

I absolutely love these plants that are unaffected by the snow . . .

lol, I'm sure that your not the first to do that! I least you took yours. the squirrels take mine to play with. Your Jelena is sure a nice one. It has a really good shape to it and it's going strong! Don't you just love the smell of it!

You know, it hasn't been warm enough to generate a fragrance. That, or my sense of smell is going. LOL I have a great property for light without direct sun, but in the winter, not getting much light from the west makes it tought for things to heat up. I keep checking. It seems very happy where it is - I had thought I might try to move it to a spot that gets more western exposure, but if it's happy, it's happy.

I don't have much of a squirrel issue (fenced yard - dogs out). But when I first got Magic, he wreaked havoc with all my tags (and hoses, and plant pots . . . ). Thank goodness he's out of the puppy chewing stage.

I agree, don't move. Like you said... if it's happy, it's happy!

Gotta love those puppies!

I think the problem was solved this morning with why Mozz, the one of the dogs that i'm taking care of that throws up. This morning he threw up about 2/3 of a tube sock. Really gross. But, my guess is that they'll be no more throwing up.

I hope so. They should really make sure with an x-ray (and it sounds like they will) that there's nothing else in there, though. If he ate one, he might have eaten more and you don't want it get lodged or twisting up the intestine and rupturing it.

I'm so grateful that I don't have dogs who eat my clothes. How worrisome!!

I am lucky in that department also Katie. When Porter was a pup I stopped to talk to someone on one of our walks....while laying on the sidewalk waiting she chewed a tiny dime sized hole in the side of the fleece lined boots I was wearing......we had a fleece blanket in the house with a hard satin tag sewn in the corner and sche neatly removed that tag. Aside from that if we give her a fleece toy, or other toy she may chew it up if she can......but she doesn't bother any of my stuffed animals, or any of Sages toys.....only those we give to her and tell her they are her new toys.

Great pics all.
Aren't dogs fun, Glad Tylers over the chewing stage, Now its how do I get the squeaker out and hid it.

Got a couple pics today, So cold out there, I messed this one up.

Walkers Low

Dafs, on the way.

Hey, for you Seattl-ish animal/dog lover people - Temple Grandin will be speaking at Third Place Books in Bothell at 6:30 on Friday, January 30th.

http://www.templegrandin.com

I had a poodle a while back who's favorite thing to do was "Kill the Squeaker". We'd make bets on how long it would take her, believe me, it died quickly. LOL

Nice pics Tills, my dafs are popping up too.

ohhhhhh the daffs Tilly, I like the Daffs!!

I agree Katie, While I don't have a dog right now, i've always had a dog or two up until a few years ago. I guess that I was fortunate to be able to get them to stop any chewing habits at an early age. I'm not sure that Mozz's issue is so much that of chewing as opposed to eating. he doesn't seem to smell anything first or check it out. He just opens his mouth and starts gnawing at stuff, almost as if it's an OCD thing.

One of Tylers, best is to get a water bottle (empty) and have a ball with it, makes the crackly noise. Plays with it till its flat.

He's a lab, right? Retrievers often are the ones with the oral issues . . .

Yes. I would relate his issue to people chewing nails. I don't chew my nails, although if I have a rough edge I'll bite it off and get rid of it, then some just chew their nails, Mozz would look at his claw, think "tasty", pull the claw off in one bite and swallow.... without chewing!

We had a golden retriever for several years when I was a kid. He didn't chew things up. He would haul stuff from the garage out into the middle of the yard and pile it. When bored with our garage.... he'd go to the neighbors house, grab their stuff, and bring it to "his pile" in our yard. Since he didn't chew things up, we were always able to return things to the neighbors. They actually all liked charlie and thought that it was funny.

I would have thought that was hilarious!! My cats do that, but I never had a dog do it.

Actually, we really thought that it was pretty funny too. We learned to leave "his pile" alone, minus the neighbors stuff, because he seemed to like it a certain way and wouldn't add to it as often if it was left alone. He was a funny dog. Hyper!!

Susan... you should have some great hoarfrost pics tomorrow, if you don't still have a lot of snow. I know that tomorrow would be a great day for getting some good ones for myself, if the sun comes out as they said it will, but I have to be to work before dawn. So... no chance for interesting pics from me. I still have some to go on from this last week though.

not my favorite by any means, but it qualifies for the thread.

unless anyone has objections for some reason, I'll start a new "frosty stuff" thread tomorrow after I get home from work.

I love the last pic RC. What type and brand of camera do you shoot with? Is it a digital SLR? Are you using a macro lens for most of you shots? Beautiful shots :0)

You're sooooo sweet Rachel. No, I don't have a SLR :-( some day. I tell myself that for 1) have to save the money first 2) learn how to use ALL of the functions of my current camera and 3) take a photography class. then I can get a DSLR!!! (it'll be at least 3 years)

I just moved up from fun saver/disposable cameras in maybe May of '08. I bought a Lumix DMC-LZ8. (which is Panasonic). I had several requirements when I was looking for cameras: scored high with Consumer Reports in it's price range, cost between $140-175 (It cost my $150 - now I've seen it for $119), 8 mpix, and definitely have a micro feature!!!! There were several cameras that met all of those criteria, and I've heard good things about all of them, but the Lumix was the one that I happened to come across the easiest when I decided I had the money to get a camera.

This message was edited Jan 27, 2009 12:27 AM

Shelly, I'm sorry I haven't responded to your compliment on the boys so, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I have them on an all natural diet, the cats too. I've found too many bad things in commercial dog and cat foods that (no pun intended) turned my stomach. And with all of the recalls on pet food it cinched my decision. It's a little more expensive, but after losing our last two dogs to bone cancer and a neighbor losing her two Rotti's to bone cancer and they ALL ate the same brand of dog food, I decided to do a little research and immediately switched all these guys to a natural diet. The dogs also get an egg in their dinner a couple times a week. I found a really good organic treat made in Monroe, WA. It's called Wet Noses and they sell it at Costco. The boys are crazy over them, the flavor is peanut butter & fresh banana. After the recall on peanut butter I called Wet Noses and asked if they were involved in the recall and he assured me that they use organic peanuts not peanut butter and to prove that, when I got down to the bottom of the container I keep them in lo and behold there was a half a peanut on the bottom.^_^ It made me feel better.
I'm loving all of the pics and stories. Here's a pic from yesterday, hoarfrost AND snow.
Susan

your weather out this sure is different - shelly is sharing plants blooming on a thread in the NE Forum - all this really cool hoar frost - back here we will be getting dumped on by another foot or more of snow tomorrow - so it all white here.

wha, the high yesterday was 27, the low last night was 2. It's 23 now at 8:45 a.m. and is supposed to be 40 today. A wintery mix rain/snow this week-end (so they say). Yah, it's pretty strange. We've even had it rain here when there wasn't a cloud in the sky! And temperatures that can be 0 at night and 50 during the day!
Susan

We got down to 21 last night and the forecast is for 50 today and no frost in sight, too dry. We're supposed to get rain off and the next few days. I'm sure I'm going to lose a lot of plants, we don't usually stay this cold.

Sally, I hope you don't lose too many.

Thanks. I was fretting over it, then I thought, I get to go find new ones! Plus I have a lot of seeds DGers have given me, so I should have plenty of room for them. I few favorites lost already, but I'll see if I can't replace them.

Now you're thinkin'! LOL

Susan which one of the sheep is in the last pic you posted? I really miss having my sheep and goats. I'll have to get a livestock fence up this year so that I can get a few pygmy goats again :0)

Rachel, I'm not sure but I think that was Frodo. Here's a better pic, Bilbo on the left Frodo on the right.

Here's another taken the other morning when it was foggy that's why their eyes are glazed because of the flash.

So darling! What breed are Bilbo and Frodo? I love the names.

They're Barbados. Thank you.

I wish I was in Barbados. LOL

Me too! LOL

Your funny Bill, and very estute! Gardner prettty much summed up our weather, but this is the explanation. I know I've mentioned it lots before, just not sure what threads. Even though I live only an hour away from where I work in the winter.... I live in the mountains but work in the valley. It's a pretty common situation here for folks to make that commute. However... the platau of the cascades (where Gardner lives) is influenced by almost every weather system--- other than coastal or marine. The valley floor, an hour away from me, is primarily marine air influenced! Hence the big difference in climates..... in only an hours drive!! Gardner and I only live about an hour from each other ...in good weather.

I know what I need to show you Bill. I took a picture yesterday, but I wasn't all that happy with it.... so I might have erased it. It's a picture that I took of the hills while I was standing beside the little violet that I posted in the other thread.... then, it will make perfect sense. It probably looked warm in the picture with the violet. However, it might have been 38 deg tops. But, It was a beautiful day out!

Ok, here's the picture Bill, or for anyone else who is curious, maybe it will help clear it up how I go from snow to clear ground and skies without driving 6 hours!! This is fun, playing geography with pictures. This is pretty rough shot, especially since it's hard to see the three sisters. But, they're there. I took the picture of the violet, which is in a planter, that sits atop of that brick pillar that's in the right of this photo. Sally, is actually really near to the location of the pic, maybe just a mile or two b-line to the rt of this photo.

Sally, The place where I'm landscaping and took this picture is a driveway on Camp Creek Rd. Sounds familiar right?

here's the pic of the violet that I took yesterday while landscaping there.