ND - I saw on the news last night about the floods in your area. They told us on the report about the $ that the flood ruined, however they did not show us any of the devastation or show us any pictures or tell of any loss of life. I live in an area that floods - we have 2 rivers and they are on either side if us - we are on a peninsula. We still have the watermarks from '72 when Agnes roared through. Best of luck to you and yours- I hope you live on high ground.
Tropicman - you are probably younger than I am! I have been enjoying your pictures on the other thread and I am trying to figure out how to get hubby to go along with birds!
Introduce yourself with a picture!
You do what my wife does to me,she says,oh I bought that a long time ago,you just now
noticing it!!!!LOL
NDFarmgirl, Iowa City had record breaking floods last year in June, it was horrible. The University of Iowa alone has over $700 million in damaged buildings. We're slowly but persistently moving forwards, but it will be years before things are back to normal. Hoping that this year we won't flood again, the river is higher than it was at this time last year...
Stay dry!
And we've had smoke from the drought brush fires! If we could just make a national Alaskan Pipeline, but for water, to go from state to state, we'd reallly have something! Drain those who have too much, to those who don't have enough...
Tropic ("old tired man"-your words not mine. . .) you are the second man to post his picture up here-we congratulate you on not being too intimidated by all us gorgeous and "hot" gardening ladies!!!!
You look just like my brother and he's not a tired old man (unless he worked out or something . . .). BTW: Do all us women use that line "your just noticing that now-I bought that ages ago . ." I thought I invented that!
Linda
LOL I just wanted all you hot ladies to see your brother just in case you hadn't seen him in a while!!!LOL
Maybe seeing a pic of me you will call and say hi to your brother,and tell him you love and miss him,believe me he will appreciate it!!!!!
Our busy lives and schedules we never take the time for family and friends like we wish would could!
I know I'm guilty of that myself!!!!!
Tropic-
Amen to that. I am guilty of not taking the time for family myself and now as things start to slow down, I find those family members are either just as busy or busier than I ever was. Sometimes it's hard.
Glad you posted! and I don't think you are a 'tired old man' either!
^_^
Your welcome!
I hope everyone has gotten the spring fever feeling again.
Prayers go out to the ones that the weather has been causing troubles.
Mother nature can be hard at times!!!!
OK folks ... I have been holding back on a bit of good news ..... Remember the hydrostatic pressure dilemma, and the ensuing sadness .... Well, guess what .....
SPARKS MADE IT!!! I don't know how, but .......
"Oh happy day!!"
Indeed it is!
Congrats!
Willie -
that is fantastic! Congratulations!
Wow...I just read this entire thread (with coffee in hand, of course) -- what awesome, interesting people you all are!! I really enjoyed reading the stories. I laughed out loud, found myself getting sad here and there, but it was worth the read. I really enjoyed all the pictures too; of the people (good looking bunch, you are) and the animals (even the hairless little baby bird, lol)...
We are so fortunate to have DG, for so many reasons. Some of the nicest and coolest people on the planet post on this site...no doubt about it.
My heart goes out to those of you that have found yourself in hard times. ;-( I hope life takes a better turn soon.
Otherwise, my name is Shelley and I'm generally more of a lurker. I LOVE looking at the water features you all have! I *still* have an unfinished small pond on the front of our property and a 100 gallon pond that just got placed in the ground at the end of the season last year. In other words, I don't have any fabulous water feature pics to add to the mix at the moment, but in the future...maybe so.
Here's a pic from December '08...
Here's a pic of my little gal, Maitreya playing in the snow. She is just now a little over a year old.
Here's one of the four kitties, Brillo, stealing an intended shot of Maitreya, lol!
Hi Shelly,
Great looking pets!
Wondering who is luckier,us having the pets or the other way around>???
I guess it's both,my pets keeping me sane!!!!
Is Brillo,what they call a Russian Blue?
Speaking of the weather,looks like ole man winter can't let go yet,were expecting snow Friday and Saturday here,with a low of 26*,and all the trees are in bloom here.
I hope it misses me here,I planted a bunch of seeds last week with 12 to 14 days to germination that decided to pop up a week early,now I need to go figure a way to cover them,so the snow doesn't kill them!!!
I know the last frost day is April 12th here,but the seed package said I could plant in March by the color code on the back of the package!!!!
I uncovered my pond,and the parrot feather has leafed out so pretty green as well!
Well better get started 50 * here now,and I'm burning daylight!!!!LOL
willieB....I LOVE that fish! I've been looking for one that looks like that exactly! I'm happy for you that he/she is still with you!
Hi Tropicman,
Thanks! Brillo is what we refer to as the mutant of the litter. Mom & Dad were both black & white mystery mixes. His other three siblings came out black and/or black with very little white. Brillo's fur is even a different texture than the others. I've had several people ask and/or speculate that they seem to have some siamese genetics; as they have very long tails, slender builds and are very talkative. Either way, they've got great personalities!
And yes...who IS luckier, us or them, lol?!
Weather: I hope that icky, cold stuff passes you by! I don't know if it's possible to cover the plants with plant pots, but that's what I do when it will work to protect the tender babies from the cold. Last year, I didn't even get to see my frittalarias(sp?) bloom, as a late cold spell came in and took them out. :-( They're already getting a bit tall to put pots over, so I'm just hoping they don't start to get blooms until the really cold spells take their final toll. The farmer's almanac says April 17th is the last frost date here, but another site says the 22nd...we'll see.
I played it safe on the seeds and planted a couple of flats inside and have them sitting by a south window. However, I have some that I'm going to direct sow as well. I've been forcing myself to be patient, which is not easy when I have future foliage on my hands!
I would do well to get away from the computer to get some work done outside too! It's 61* here now, woohoo! There's SO much to do.
P.S. Tropicman, what do you cover your pond with? Sorry to extend a tangent conversation more than I already have, but I'm new at this pond business and I'm curious.
Otherwise, I hope everyone has a lovely day!
Hi Shelly,
I use the poly tuf stuff,looks like the corrugated tin that the farmes use to make tin roof
sheds or pole barns as they are called here,only this is clear hard plastic,so sun can get thru. If I don't cover it the leaves will pile up like crazy,and I'll have to clean it out and disturb the water and the Eco system,I don't have a filter system in it just let nature,plants fish and frogs do all the work,it is very clear,and being it's next to the house it never freezes,so that may be why It stays clear,just a guess,don't see how that would make a difference.
I'm using the same stuff to cover my radishes up right now,only 52* here your warmer than me,but it's very cloudy outside,
The almanac is right. I never uncover my flowers until after April 17th which happens to be my BD but I have seen it snow on that day and have seen hail in July so I just take it as it comes. BEV
My peonies are already 2ft with flower buds,not sure if they can take snow!!!!
Better find something to cover them up!
Back in the 60's driving back from Shreveport,it was in Early April,ran into 2 ft of snow on Easter weekend at the Okla,Kansas border!
So you just never know!!!!
NDFarmgirl -
Where is Page in North Dakota? Just watched the news and it does not look good. How far are you from Fargo? They say the Red River is supposed to crest as tall as a 2 story house.
saying a prayer for you and your family.
Let us know.
Tropicman, were do you purchase that poly tuf stuff from? I like the idea of using it for earlier starters in the garden too.
I'm not sure about how hardy the peonies will be, the ones here aren't blooming just yet.
Bev, that's a good BD gift; for it to be the day of being able to let the flowers loose.
Farmgirl, I hope things haven't gotten even worse in your neck of the woods.
Lowes and Home Depot both have it.
Prayers go out to the people in the flood stage areas.
Keep safe.
Hi Shelly and welcome. All ponds, big or small are great and all pictures are appreciated by all. Please don't feel intimidated! Indy happens to be one of my favorite towns. Love the way the city center is developed and the weather difference only 3 hours away from Chicago.
Where do you live there? I keep telling my husband that I want to take him down there to visit.
Willie: That fish sure grew a lot since you got him. I remember you posting his picture when you first got him. I'm glad he survived for you. How are the birds? did you see TropicMans beautiful birds? Amazing collection.
Big Hellos to everyone who's joined, that I have missed!! Business is keeping me busy!! WooHoo!!
I haven't seen anything of T-man's birds, just yet. I am sure to be envious. Even of those who have only one! At my peak, I had 10, but now down to the two babies I hatched and hand-raised. Who, BTW, are as charming and entertaining as ever!
Though, I had a nightmare last night, in fact, that Queen Bouddica flew the coop. Weird thing was, it was like she was in a pond, I went to pet her, and she dove deep to the bottom of the pond, then, like Superman, bolted up from the depths and like a missile, rocketed herself to the top branches of a nearby oak tree where other cockatoos, Moluccan, etc. were all perched. Kids were climbing into the tree to pet them, but no one would bring me Boudicca, like I was invisible!!
It was weird!
And:
Thanks, folks!! I couldn't be more happy about Sparkles' survival.
I know quite a few of you pegged Sparkle as their favorite.
Of course, I had no favorites, but Sparks was a birthday present, along with Butters who is sorely missed, along with Big Blue and Token II, esp. ... Even those un-named were fondly appreciated. It's been hard going to the nurseries recently, seeing them all starting to stock their koi again. But, I look and long for this one, and for that one...... once the pond is fixed!!! Look Out!!!
Actually, the picture of Sparkles I posted is an old one from the end of early last fall. Sparks is even bigger now!!
I am hoping to get out to the store and get a fiberglass repair kit today or tomorrow and fix the fiberglass pond form I have, move all the fish into that and start the plans for the re-build on the in-ground pond. Of course, I will have to wait for my yard to drain and dry up for that. Water is still standing about an inch or so just below the soil's surface. My yard feels like walking on a peat bog.
We'll keep y'all in the loop with plenty of photos. For sure.
Willie..Glad Sparks made it through the winter. He/She is beautiful.
I do not have any pictures of myself as I am the one always taking the picture. Here is one side of my pond taken last summer.
I have two daughters...1 is in College and the other a senior in HS and two fur daughters..they just had their 8th Birthday's.
Fur daughters wearing their christmas sweaters
Sweetpea (left) and Blossom
My daughters in the snow taking their christmas photo.
How could I forget.. I have a feline grand daughter..Feisty. She is my eldest daughters cat and is away at college with her. They are coming today for spring break!!
Hi Mothermole, glad to hear that Indy is a favorite town of yours. ;-) Did you used to live here and/or have family/friends here? We're just about 4 miles NW of downtown Indy, very close to the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Marion College. If you come down to visit, please let me know. You'd be the first DGer I've met in person!
My guy lived in Winnetka when we met over 4yrs. ago and moved to Indy about a year later. That's when we bought the house we're in now. At present, he has to travel up to Chicago for most of the week for work. (We have a lot of referral business up there and it just keeps on coming!) Once I get a more reliable vehicle (in the near future), I'm going to be going up there to stay for at least a day or two a week. At the moment, I have an old 92' Ford pickup...no way I'm driving that up there with all the miles that it has on it and oh, the gas that it would guzzle!
How long have you and your hubby lived in Deer Park?
Thanks for the encouragement to post pond pics. I will have to see what I have in the way of decent ones.
Willie, I'm glad business is good for you! My guy and I have our own business as well and are *very* grateful to be able to say the same, especially during these tough economic times. That was quite a bizarre dream about your bird. Did you look up the symbolism in a dream dictionary? When I remember mine and/or if they have an emotional impact on me, I like to look up the elements to see what they represent. I don't know if that's something that interests you, but thought it might be worth suggesting. Also, I'm glad that all was not lost in your pond upheaval. Sparkles is a beautiful little birthday gift buddy!
Beahive, I love the pond pic! What are those blue/purple flowers in the far upper right corner? Also, you have lovely daughters and your fur babies are darling as well! As far as you being without a picture of "you"...well, take a self-portrait then! I'm often by myself and/or the one behind the camera. In fact, the pic I posted was taken by me on my shabby camera phone. So, there you have it.
I really enjoy matching names to faces too. With that being said, it would be nice to have you on the "here's me" roster as well.
Here's a pic of the first pond lily that I'd ever had . It's a James Brydon lily.
Beautiful Lilly! The purple flower is a petunia. It was stunning. Not sure of the name.
I'm out of town at Landscape Design School. Eight hours daily of classes. Exam tomorrow. Then home. (Four sessions over two years.) It's H A R D! No time to say a proper Hello. But you're a great looking bunch!
Just dropped by to catch up on the pics of everyone,
I joined a few co-ops and now have some plants, also recieved lots of seeds from the newbie seed mail group, and I found some great deals at the local flea market on some pansys got 4 flats for only $3.00 a flat so I have some color in my garden finally. Also a couple of people here at Davws Garden sent me some seeds to get my vegtable garden going. I am so humbled and amazed at the nice people here.
I wanted to thank everyone who gave me advice on how to get my garden restarted on the various threads here at Daves Garden. BIG HUGS to all.
I still have not gotten any water palnts yet, I am going to work on that next. They are wanting way too much for them here in my area. Besides I have not had very good results with water plants from the local stores, they just died and rather quickly too.
My pond is looking better. I finally got a UV light and found out I do still have 13 fish not just the 11 I thought I had,,lol..
Anyway thanks again to all!!!
Funny thing having clear water!
Yeah it is funny,
I just got a mystery present in the mail. It is from someone I never heard of and from a state I have not been to in over 30 years! I am totally mystified. It came from Collections" and was a very very cool Toad House!!
Wow! Odd. Hope you figure it out.
Well I know who sent them and where she lives even,, I just donot know WHO she is, do you know what I mean?
Her name is Joyce and she is from Dundalk, MD.
Still doesnot tell me who she is though, I donot know that name at all...
Going nuts trying to figure this out,,,,
Wow. I am in Utah and haven't kept up on the computer. Wow, a lot of posts. Let's see I shall begin with Beahive. You have a beautiful family (your daughters are stunning). My kids would kill me if they saw I posted the "pets" before the "people" in the family and I really got a kick out of the fact that you did that (I would do that too . . . LOL). I love the picture of your pond and garden. I love the way the chair blends and compliments the flowers. Did you paint it or were you just very lucky (I doubt that . . .). Anyway, very nice.
Snapple: Good luck on the test and be a good girl in class . . . Also, come back with a lot of new information to share with us and teach us!!!!
Elf: I'm sooooo glad that you have experienced the generosity of Dave's. The toad house is darling! If was a mystery present? How come I'm never so lucky? I only get mystery credit card bills, LOL!
Chaos: Your hubby is from the North Shore like myself. My Indy experience goes back to college. I was offered a scholarship at both IUPUI as well as Bloomington for swimming and I visited there in high school the first time. Later, in life, I dated a man who is the leading physician in pulmonary care (he wrote the chapters in the medical books) at IUPUI. He also worked with the Colts and Pacers (lots of athletic induced asthma) and NIFS. Indianapolis is really fortunate to have him there. That was 15 years ago so I am not sure if he is there or not but I sure had a lot of fun meeting all the famous people in Indy and seeing all the great estates. I can't remember the name of that lake on the north side of Indy with the great shopping but all the Pacers lived there and I went to a lot of fun boating parties there. Also, Meridian Street and the old homes and the House Walks. I saw some amazing ponds on those tours. My memory of streets and locations is poor but the people down there were so friendly and welcoming. Does your husband like it down there?
Willie: TropicMan has the birds and posted this very cool link to a rainforest in someone's backyard complete with birds. It's only been posted in the last 7-10 days I think. It is really cool. It doesn't look like a backyard project but a professional zoo. BTW, glad work is good for you.
Well, as some of you know my family is in Deer Valley/Park City Utah on a ski vacation. Unfortunately due to the economy the resort area is down 60% in tourism this season. Because of that, the shopping has been awesome with steep discounts (but is sad because I see shops and restaurants that have already closed down). I went to check out some pond/koi places and all of them are "backyard" enterprises. This surprised me as we don't have that in my area in the suburbs of Chicago. None the less, the koi were gorgeous at some of the places. How many of you have these "backyard" koi retailers in your neighborhood?
Anyway, was trying to post a picture of my sons skiing or snowboarding but am having technical difficulties. maybe later. Take care-
Linda
Linda, My daughters do not enjoy gardening..so they get second billing on a gardening forum.(LOL) The dogs enjoy being outdoors and sniffing around the yard when the weather permits. I can't say that they are much help with the work, but they are good company and afraid of their own shadow!
My daughters have become beautiful young ladies. Thank goodess they got my genes and not their dad's. He..he.. I am very proud of both.
My pink chair was an after thought. The chair was in a natural wood tone and did nothing for that spot. A quick trip to Ace...and a quart of paint and ta da! I think it may be purple or lavender next time I paint!
Well enjoy your vacation in Utah! One of my friend from last summer!
The chair really works in that color!