Sweet Cindee!

I do not reply much because I have been in extreme overload at school. One of our teachers had her foot amputated (diabetes), and I was asked to teach her class. It is not my subject area, so that was awfully hard. However, I remember my grandmother losing both of her legs above the knee, quite suddenly due to surgery that went bad (allergic reaction), so I accepted the challenge.

Also, I am the coach for robotics team. That is an overwhelming task in itself...

So, anyway, I am lucky to have time to read these threads. I must say that I enjoy all of them and all of the friendly atmosphere. I hate it when threads get unfriendly, for any reason.

Thank goodness, it is friendly here.

I am thrilled to hear about your magnificent progress and it is so wonderful to hear that Dennis is doing so well.

You GO Girl!

Hugs to YOU and Dennis!

Ann

CIndee, First, A BEEEEG HUUUUGGGGGG! It is so great to see you back here, and so great to hear how well you are doing! I have just been having a great day myself, spending about 6 hours digging in the garden as I cleanup long neglected flower beds. Boy is that ever a change from the old bad knee years! I had to have DH dig for me then, and I have discovered that I love digging! And no pain even when I finish for the day and go inside....

I got a darling puppy in June, A Gordon Setter named Josephine, the Flying Machine...Josie for short. Shehas been going to Puppy School with us and is learning her lessons like the smart girl she is. She is getting to look more like a Gordon and not just a cute puppy now and We adore her. She helps me garden by digging where I show her, LOL. Otherwise she is a nice companion while I Am out working. She is calming down enough to lie down and watch for long periods of time.

Howard is away for a month working in Saudi Arabia. Life is peaceful and going well with my son Zach and I. Howard and I plan to get away to Mexico in Early December to re-connect after he recovers from Jet lag.

I see my order from Van Engelen should arrive on Friday, then it will be bulb planting for the next month for meInteresting...I thought I ordered 6 Gervase bulbs for Christmas presents but the card I received with my order shows 6 (x3) Pasadena bulbs! That means 18 of them?! I think I mentioned that I loved the one Pasadena I had seen and would love to have healthy one but I know I did not order 18 of them! And I really planned to send my family all Gervase for Christmas!

If I Am reading this right I would be glad to make some trades for some of those Pasadena's, like about 9 of them!

Cindee, you can barge in anytime! Your spirited demeanor always makes my day!

Forget about grabbing a cool one... you'll need a nice warm beverage to barge in on me now! A nice hot cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso should do the trick! It is now officially Autumn, and the weather is chilly and damp. We've had a couple of mild frosts, but the gardens are still colorful... with the last of the roses, plenty of gaillardia and asters, and the pineapple sage is still in full red bloom! Even a couple of the Clematis vines still have flowers!

I'm so incredibly happy that Dennis has gotten a clean bill of health, and you're flying around like Superwoman... faster than a speeding bullet with your new hips! Faith truly does move mountains, and I know prayer was coming in from points all over the globe...

Your plant swap looked like loads of fun! I sure wish us Hippeastrum folks weren't so spread out... getting together to trade bulbs and have a good time would be wonderful! Do tell... what kind of goodies did you bring home?

My life has been a flurry of bad luck lately... one thing after another, it seems... although, for each cloud of poor luck, there's a thin silver lining trying to emerge. To make several long stories short, we've had major car trouble, been dropped by the attorney handling our accident case, have court to avoid fines from people dumping on our vacant property, and so on and so forth. My health has not been the greatest, and I've been moving very slowly trying to get things done before winter sets in.

I'm not going to complain overly much, though... we've been north to visit the grandkids twice in the last couple of months, and that's been a joy! They're growing so quickly! Abby is in the middle of potty training, and Caleb is about to start walking... Bryce is really growing fast, too, and is a prime candidate for ADD testing! Inherited from his mother, I think!

My daughter-in-law, Kendyl, has kept her Hippeastrum bulb alive and well since last Christmas, and I just helped her re-pot it... she's looking forward to getting a new bulb for Christmas this year, and this thrills me no end!

Maia and Huck are doing well... now that we have a car with a little more room, we take them with us when we travel. They're a little rambunctious around the grandkids, but they do enjoy road trips!

Larry has hung some good sized shop light fixtures for me, so now my indoor plants are happy! I just need to rearrange the jungle so everyone will fit in the east alcove. I want to use the north alcove for seed and cutting starting, and to grow on my seedlings that were started this past spring. All of my orchids are still alive... the large Phal dropped some buds, but that's normal after being taken from a greenhouse environment and placed in a normal home atmosphere. Several bulbs are currently resting, and others are growing like crazy!

Let's see... what else is happening? Not too much... just trying to get the gardens buttoned up for winter, get some new spring blooming bulbs planted, and working on expanding my bulb collection!

Close your eyes and imagine standing outside in the crisp fall air... hear the sound of leaves falling and swirling around the ground, and grasses rustling in the breeze... inhale that scent that only fall brings, one of decaying leaves and fresh air... feel the chill breeze on your cheeks, as you stuff your hands deeper into the pockets of the warm jacket you're wearing... open your mind's eye and see the colors of red, orange, yellow and green on the trees, splashes of color in an autumn painting... the seasons are changing!

That's what's happening in my neck of the woods... temperatures are dropping, and normally, I'd be dreading winter. But this year, I have Hippeastrum Season to look forward to, and in fact, it's upon us right now!

As we move from the heat of summer into the chill of autumn and bulb season, I'd like to take a moment to thank you all... you walked with me all summer long through my gardens, you indulged my pictorials... and for that, I thank you. I also must thank you for getting me interested in growing and breeding Hippeastrum bulbs, and for sharing so much cultural knowledge... last winter was a whirlwind of bulb buying and learning... and this winter promises to be even more wonderful! I look forward to seeing the beauty of your bulb blooms, and to hearing about your lives!

For now, I must go back to mine... today is shopping spree day, just us girls heading out to shop in Champaign... hopefully, we'll be stopping at a few stores that have bulb displays!

Have a wonderful day! Hugs for everyone, and an extra for Cindee! :-)

((Eliz)) I was repotting hippi seedlings today and thought of you as some of those from you are getting bulbous!! LOL So sorry about your teaching mate. How sad is that. You are always keeping busy, woman, I can't keep up with you and so glad you responded, my friend. ....."coach for robotics team"??? Do tell, sounds like exercise!!! lol

((lizalily )) hey fellow surgery-recovering-getting-back-to-gardening friend!! Isn't it amazing when our bodies can work WITH us for a change?? Gordon setters are a cool animal, for some reason I have been wanting to get a dog lately...talk me out of it!!

Jodi, what can I say! Well this I can say, you wanted to know what I got at the trade, remember the first photo of the slide show? The orchid???? Eat Your Heart Out!! I now have one!!! {{gwi:431275}}From Ricky-Ricky-Ricky's!!!!

This lady who hybridizes Orchids brought Huge clumps of this Cattlyea to give away, I got a large cluster to hang in my Tabebuia tree. Oh...and it smells HEAVENLY!!!!

I got so many nice plants and things including a decaying nude statue, very surrealistic as she is made of very pourous stone and like melting. Her features are a whisper of what they once were, will have to take a pic of her...she has her own story.

Along with a bunch of different colors of Epidendrum Orchid cuttings, some lovely Hoyas, one blooming and fragrant, Sunshine Blueberry plants. Sunshine Blues are supposed to be great for Florida due to their low chill hours and produce tons of jucy blueberries after their first year.

I got a mess of lovely Bromeliads including this blooming beauty (Countessa) a Billbergia.
{{gwi:431276}}From Ricky-Ricky-Ricky's!!!!

A delicate Small Ming Arealia Tree draining out on the pavers after potting up today. It will go in the Great Room {{gwi:431277}}From Ricky-Ricky-Ricky's!!!!

and a beautiful Begonia, Known as "Gram's Begonia" as the lady I got it from comes from her Grandmother's begonia she has had FOREVER and the plant comes complete with Gram's story. The leaves are huge and beautiful red underneath. Oh by the way, Gram turned 94 last month! {{gwi:431278}}From Ricky-Ricky-Ricky's!!!!

So nice to hear from you guys..be well and happy!!

Cindee ((((hugs)))

Welcome back girlfriend! And as usual...

Flowers for you...There's not much right now. But it's a beautiful beginning. Lemon Sorbet...

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What a haul, Cindee! I am jealous of that orchid! It's gorgeous! I hope to have my own flowering cattleyas within a year or two... mine are a little young yet.

The statue sounds very cool... can't wait to hear her story! All the plants you brought back are wonderful! I would so love to live where gardening and growing could take place all year... but Larry will never give up his winters, so I'm stuck in the north! I don't know that I could move so far away from my kids... and though it's not quite the same, indoor growing is more than acceptable!

Lemon Sorbet is lovely, Maria! I hope my Lemon Star is just as pretty!

Hello hippi lovers: its my favorite time of the year again, when the hippis bloom. I was pretty well knocked out of summer gardening, by a newly diagnosed case of Rheumatoid Arthritis, but I'm a month into treatment, and doing much better. My first hippi is in bloom, an African cultivar from White Flower Farm, Rock and Roll. I've gotten 18 bulbs so far. They actually look pretty healthy so far. Maybe, all our complaining, last season, about the sick bulbs actually made a difference. Got an email from RC today, still haven't gotten their USDA permit so can't ship their Africans yet. Bummer.

Welcome back Cindee!! I too am "buttoning down the garden" as Jodi says (I do like that expression), but being in zone 4, I am rather further ahead of the process, and today as I write we have snow! I just managed to get in my last few bulbs and last minute perennials that have been sitting patiently in pots all summer. I always grow too much from seed, order too many bulbs, and then I panic trying to do everything in time before the frost arrives. Now, amaryllis bulbs are arriving in the mail (thank goodness there is someone at home to meet the mailman when he arrives itÂs getting cold out there!), dahlia tubers and other basement dwellers are waiting to be processed  this will take the next several weekends IÂm sure. And so for the next 6 months or so, my routine upon returning from work is checking the progress of the hipps, new and old. Since late April, my daily routine after work consisted of dumping briefcase and purse on the porch and having a close look at what was new and exciting since I last saw the garden. These days, itÂs getting darker and darker by the time I get home, and watching over my growing collection of hipps really gets me through the winter doldrums, and gives me a badly needed gardening fix. All sorts of refugees from the outdoors are also huddled in every window space: impatiens, geraniums and even a baby elephant ear. I always tell myself I wonÂt do this again, but sure enough, the threat of frost on plants that still have gorgeous blooms is more than I can bear, so in they come, and my house resembles a greenhouse run by a mad gardener. But it will all get sorted by Christmas (I hope!)
In early summer, something weird happened to my back and I had to walk with a cane and couldnÂt even bend to reach or lift the simplest thing. I was terrified I would not be able to tend to my garden this summer. As I looked down onto it from the bathroom window on the 2nd floor of my house (the best view!), I was racked with pain, and in my misery I truly felt that I had no wish to live if I couldnÂt garden anymore  if I could no longer do what I loved the most. But without my garden maybe I wouldnÂt have recovered as well as I did: every day I forced myself out there, in spite of the pain and difficulty to move, as there were some things that really needed to be doneÂin the old days, pre-gardening fever, IÂd just sit on the couch and feel sorry for myself. And of course, the cats needed me too. To close, here, is an autumnal picture of my Manitou (we saved him from the icy cold this past winter) with the last dahlias of the season:
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Since I have Lupus, and a back and hips that go out all the time, I can sympathize with both of you. Without Larry to put me back together, I'd already be in a wheelchair.

Spring and summer gardening keep me moving fairly well, but when fall rolls around, I can feel myself weakening... by the following spring, I'll need to build myself up all over again... and each year, it gets a little bit harder. But without the gardens and the dogs, I don't know where I'd be.

And since depression is tied in to the changing seasons, I can't tell you what a difference it's made to have the Hippeastrums to look forward to, and to care for each winter. Spring is still my favorite time of year, but now winter isn't my least favorite!

Yesterday, I pulled in the soaker hoses, put a new layer of mulch on the rose bed, planted more bulbs, and added some stone edging to the corner garden. I also put away all the garden decorations, hauled flats and pots of perennials into the garage for the winter.

I did a little too much, and today, I'm paying for it! I spent much of today napping, not feeling very well. Hopefully, I'll feel a little better tomorrow, and I can get the rest of the bulbs in the ground before we get colder weather. I can't even think about snow yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be a wicked winter. The fuzzy caterpillars that are normally brown and black, are all black this year. I can't remember if this means a harsh winter or a mild one... my grandma used to know this little piece of folklore.

Anyhoo... I should have my Evergreen bulb within the next couple of weeks, and I've already planted my new Lemon Star and Papilio bulbs... the Papilio is already growing leaves. I'll be watching for good deals on local bulbs for Christmas presents... my daughter and daughter-in-laws each receive one every year, a new tradition from me! They do enjoy the flowers, though!

I hope everyone is having a nice autumn... I keep meaning to take jungle photos to share... I'll have to get on that! Lovely photos, Anna! Nice cat, too! :-)

Happy Gardening!

Hello Cindee, I'm extremely happy to know all is well with you and Dennis. At our age, being healthy is prime thing, so you take care of yourselves.

There's nothing much happening with me. I've been going back and forth between our two homes to take care of my plants and my man LOL (they are so dependent!)

I have a couple of orchids blooming, the best must be my cymbidium. I have it moved to my living room. In the evening, the room is flooded with fragrance from my hoya and this cym. Here's a photo of the cym in full bloom for you.

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I also have these cute looking blooms of a NOID cactus for you. Don't you think they look like some medals? Well, the medals are for you and Dennis having won over the battle of illnessses LOL!

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Oh, I forgot about our dog, Biam. He's a big boy now. Here's his photo.

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Cheers

Xuan

I feel in such good company, having had to take the last week off of gardening because of my back. (Too bad they can't do new spines as well as new knees and hips!) Jodi, Girl friend, I do know how you feel...its so nice to have a gardening friend who knows! Fortunately I seem to be doing much better with the fibromyalgia since my knee surgery...much less stress on my system probably... but the other arthritis just doesn't go away. And yes, the darkness gets me down bigtime also..have spent the last 2 days mostly sitting in my recliner with back pain, but will be up and moving soon.

All you with orchids...how beautiful and wonderful! I dvided my cymbidium this fall into 3...wonder if I will ever get it to bloom again! I only saw the blooms the first year and non last year..had to cut the pot off it was so full. It is a mauve pink with claret center.It was labeled "Strawberry PArfait" but does not look like the one in my orchid book. Any advice other then to keep them under the lights in my workroom for the winter? Anyone want to trade for one of the extra 2 pots? Sure would rather have 3 cyms then 3 of the same!

My Van Engelen order came this week. Today will probably be spent in the workroom potting the amaryllis up. I bought the supplies last night. It includes the following bulbs, 3 each: Gervase, San Remo,Amourette, Pink Star, Fairy Tale, Carnival, Lemon Sorbet and Misty .Then there are the 6 Pasadena's I ordered for Christmas gifts. THose should keep me until the old ones kick in, I hope! Ummm, there are also 2 orders coming from Royal Colors. Now where am I going to put the new ones...I had a full house last winter!.

Hmmm, if I leave my car out of the garage all winter and set up my plastic greenhouse in the garage with shop lights inside? Too funny!

Hey, My GF, Cindee!

Yes, coaching a robotics team will make you "Just Plane Crazy" which is the title of this year's competition. You can find out more at http://www.bestinc.org .

OMG! The seeds that I sent you? They are still growing? I still owe Jodi something. I am not sure what for the pollen that she sent me. We'll figure it out, eventually...

This is my first year to be able to go on a buying BONANZA for new varieties, and many have arrived, and my next couple of weeks will be spent potting these bulbs up.

The teacher with the amputated foot looks better than I have ever seen her look. She is doing GREAT, and it makes me feel good that I could help in some way.

Hugs to ALL of YOU!

Ann

Ann, I divided one of my cyms in 2006, it skipped blooming last year and this year it gave out one spike! But my neighbor over-watered it and the spike aborted... huhuhu!

So I guess, divided cyms won't bloom for a year. Hopefully, you will see blooms again in 2010. Something to look forward too, right? Wish I could trade with you, but I'm so far away... sigh!

Update: the seedlings amaryllis I got from the seeds you sent are growing and producing babies like mad. I hope to see them bloom next season. Thank you again, Ann.

Xuan

First of all... I'm having so much fun reading this particular thread! It's as close to sitting down and having coffee together as we can get! Wouldn't that be fun, if we COULD all sit down and have tea or coffee together?!

Elizabeth - no need to send anything... I was happy to send you the pollen! I'm just glad it made it through shipping, and all. Robotics is something Larry has had a bit of experience with, being the geek he is, but it's been more in the industrial sector... as an industrial engineer, he worked on machines that were integrated with plastics injection molding machines. Amazing in their own right. I can imagine how amazing what you're doing is! Bringing new technology into the classroom, keeping up with changing programming... it's got to be mind-blowing, but the kids need this! The world today is so full of computer technology, and most fields have something to do with computers or machines that use modern technology.

Xuan - as always, great photos! Those cactus flowers almost look man made! I've never seen anything quite so unusual before! There are unusual flowers, and then there are UNUSUAL flowers, and those fall into the latter category! I hope my Cym will bloom next year... and maybe my miniature Cym will even bloom, although it seems so young. Biam is a cute little guy, for sure! Just look at that sweet little face! Wonderful pictures!

Lizalily - I'd trade Cym divisions with you if this one were big enough to divide! I'm afraid I have a couple of years before it'll get that big. I just hope I'm able to bring this thing to bloom! Orchids will survive for me... I've figured that much out... now, to get them to bloom! These are not like our resilient, take-it-on-the-chin bulbs, that's for sure!! They require a little finnese! (Did I just butcher that word?)

Talk about our age, and our pains, and our health... for the very first time, I came up with high cholesterol! I'm a little shocked... I'm usually on the low side with blood pressure, cholesterol, everything... I need to stop eating those sweet rolls! I've had this horrible sweet tooth lately, and I have no will power... the sweet rolls call me, with chocolate harmonizing in the background, and I lose control! I've actually packed 10 pounds back on my hips and rear... and I was doing so good losing weight!

Well, now that Hippi season is here, I'm hoping to concentrate more on my plants and less on stuffing goodies into my mouth! LOL!

My memory being what it is, very poor... if I owe any of you seed packages or plant material, please email me! I'm beyond behind in my correspondence and package shipments, so if anyone is waiting for perennial seeds or cuttings of anything, please tell me! :-) I have most of my perennial seed pods harvested and awaiting new homes, and I can still get cuttings from a few things, like my mini roses... it's chilly outside, but beyond a couple of frosts, we're still in early autumn.

Today is looking to be a beautiful day! The sun is shining, and the temperature feels cool, but nice. It's expected to warm up into the 60's or 70's today. I'm hoping to drill in the rest of the spring blooming bulbs we purchased... a few alliums, some daffodils, tulips, camassia, etc... I also want to get some photos of my crowded little jungle before I tear it all apart to rearrange it.

Here's to a lovely day for all! Happy Gardening!

Many (((hugs))) to all of you. Have missed everyone. Thanks for sharing your lives, flowers, family, and pets. Love it! I sure would have enjoyed that plant exchange, Cindee. Our garden club has one each May. It's such fun.

I, too, was not with you for the whole summer. This has been the worst ever summer time-wise. Each time I turned around, something HAD to be done. Art class ran into June (which is no good for me). Then it started again in Sept., but I told her there's just no way, so I got a two-month reprieve. Start again this coming Thursday and am taking my 15-year-old granddaughter Katie with me as a visitor. She has awesome talent and is as bad with art as we are with Hippis.

I purchased another garden tractor this summer - I now have three and use them all -- there is just so much to take care of. Have also been picking up kids from school - into June this year, and come Sept. that started again. It's 1-1/2 hours r/t which really cuts into my days. Next year they will at least both be in the same school. Now I'm dog-visiting. My friend went to FL for many weeks and her husband pays me to come and be with them for an hour each day while he works. Oh, and I decided a truck would be in order, so purchased my son's 2000 black Dodge Dakota V-8 Sport. The price was right, and this will be better to carry mulch. It was hard to get with the Explorer (plus it's fun to drive). This way I can just drive up to the mulch heap and have them dump a bucket into the truck. Then I can drive it right to the garden that needs it.

My days are all just cut up and I get nothing done. Lots of my plants got frosted, and the hippis were under blankets for several 30 degree days. Had some construction going on until beginning of Oct. and could barely squeeze through the furniture stacked around for probably two months.

It was not a bad summer, actually a pretty good one, but it was stressful. For the most part I was healthy, and pretty much kept up with things like the 25-year-old I think I am -- not the 74-year-old that I just turned today. I neglected my orchids and many of the gardens, but the hippis grew and grew. I repotted most of them for the sake of better growing medium.

I could probably exchange some orchids in the spring if I get a chance to repot. Right now they should be throwing spikes, so not a good time. Also, some Hippi bulbs.

I have to say, this has been like sitting down at a nice table under some palm trees with warm breezes relaxing with a bunch of dear friends that enjoy the same things and understand eachother's obsessions. Soon we'll all be sharing tons of gorgeous pictures. I also have a bunch of bulbs coming from RC and want to order some of those on my wish list. But gotta run now and try to dig the rest of my dahlias.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KITTY!!

Wow! You do get around! I wish I could be as active, and I'm only looking toward 50 in a couple of years!

I hope your Birthday is a day filled with love and family... and bulbs and plants and flowers, and digging in the earth that we all love so much!

Happy Birthday, Kitty!

Happy Birthday, Kitty!

Jodi, I will email you, dear, in a couple of days when I can finalize where the seeds could be sent to.

Xuan

The offer to trade cymbidiums or for something else is open year round whenever the weather agrees as long as I have the 2 extras. Around here they spend all summer outdoors and get brought in at the end of October where they go under my lights. I do need to get some fertilizer for them.Do they need a special kind or can I use what I use on the amies? Mostly orthocote with a bit of liquid fish occassionally...

I got all the new amies potted up last night. My daughter Krissie now calls me "Mrs Potter", LOL. I mixed up a whole cart load of soil and pushed it into my workroom and it was a very relaxed evening.

6 of the new bulbs from VE came with babies attached, all looked healthy and dry this year....much better then last years. THe bulbs were nice and plump.

Lizalily, I use MiracleGro liquid for my Hippeastrums, but I use Schultz's orchid food for the orchids. I think the formulation is a little different, although I'd have to look at the labels. I occasionally use a bit of Superthrive on both, though. I have fish emulsion, but I've found that my bulbs respond better to the MiracleGro for some reason. I have no thoughts as to why, but I go with what works, and right now it's the MiracleGro liquid with a little Superthrive every once in a while.

I do feed using a diluted solution, and I use that every other time I water. In between, I flush with plain water. Our well water has lots of minerals and salts, so leaching helps keep that running out the drainage holes!

Since I've been using the more bonsai-like, porous medium, I'm watering more often... and I think that since I feed a weak solution, the plants might be getting a little more food. They've been doing a lot better since I switched mediums and got more lights put up! Even my orchids have perked up, and some have new growth!

I'm glad the bulbs are looking better this season! I, too, noticed that the bulbs at the local garden center were larger and fatter this year. Several in each bin had babies, too! I haven't heard anything, but I would think that it was a better year for the growers.

Xuan, I've been collecting Clematis seeds as they've been ready on the vines... this is the first time I'm harvesting them. Usually, I just let them fall or blow away. I wasn't really aware that you could grow them and cross them, although that's what the commercial growers must be doing!

Even though we've had a few light frosts, there are still a couple of Clematis flowers blooming! There are large purples and some beautiful bell-shaped pinks! I've got several types in individual packets, and some that are mixed. I'm not sure if they'll even germinate for you, but it's certainly worth trying! Each seed head has a lot of fuzz, so they're quite different than other seed types.

I'll await your email for a shipping address.

Hey there Cindee!!!
Welcome back, Hi to everyone else too. I'm missing this site and y'all quite a bit. School is all consuming right now. Doing well, but it really does take up quite a bit of time.
Everyones photos are wonderful, Cindee that orchid is gorgeous!
Hope everyone is doing well, I read the forum when I can nibble out some time but often too tire to post.
Chaz

Hey, Chaz! It's good to "see" you! I hope school is going good for you... I know how consuming it can be! My son is on the go constantly, with classes, studying, tests, papers due, and working at the same time! I don't know how he does it, and he's a kid! I can imagine how tired you must be at the end of a day!

I'm glad you're doing well, though... keeps those grade points up! :-)

And, I do hope you'll have more time to join in once bulb season is in full swing... the photos should be starting soon! As a side note, the little Dendrobium keiki is growing well, and the Clivia is doing fantastic! I've actually been looking around for a yellow one, or some seeds for a yellow one... they're such easy plants, and so low maintenance!

Hey Jody...keep it warm up there in IL!! The kids just surprised Dennis and I with plane tickets for THANKSGIVING!!! I am sooo excited but just KNOW I will freeze my butt off. But who cares! The grandkids are always asking if Grampa is ok, since they last saw him just after his treatments and surgery. So they are going to get to see for themselves how fantastic Grampa is looking and doing. I am soooo looking forward to this trip!!

Oh, how fabulous, Cindee!! I'm so glad you'll get to come up to see the kids and grandkids! Thanksgiving is the perfect time, too! What a wonderful gift!

Be sure to pack warm clothes! We've had some really beautiful weather lately, but by this Friday, temperatures are supposed to drop and we're going to get some cold rain! Yesterday, it was so warm outside that I worked in the gardens wearing a summer dress, believe it or not! By the time the sun went down, it was getting chilly, as in fall jacket chilly.

I got 90% of the bulbs planted, put in 3 Holly bushes and a Hydrangea, 2 Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts, and got the Glads dug up out of their pots. I had no idea Glads could produce so many tiny babies in one season! I've got a bag containing about a hundred tiny Glad corms... I know they'll take a few years to reach flowering size, but I'm really impressed with the multiplying!

Speaking of multiplying... even though the Cannas weren't my favorite plant of last season, they multiplied good, too! I dug them, and they've all grown new rhizome sections! Next year, they'll all be planted in the garden instead of in containers. I think they'll do a lot better.

I'm so thrilled that you guys will be able to visit the grandchildren! What a perfect gift... I know you're excited, but I'll bet Dennis can't wait! Just don't forget to pack your long underwear! LOL!

Hi Cindee!!
Welcome back! Sorry I missed chiming in earlier!

The seeds that you sent last season have grown into several fine seedlings. Many didn't germinate, but those that did are nice and strong.

Glad to hear that Dennis is doing well. YEAH...Another triumph over the "beast". Makes my job more bearable!

Nothing new here. In my spare time I edited a children's book (really for tweens) a couple of months ago and it's just gone to the publisher. We are finalizing the selection of cover and the author has shared the choices with me! I published a cookbook a couple of weeks ago and that should be coming out soon (limited availability - for a group), and I just pulled together the semi-annual pictorial for the Gordon Setter Club of America. WHEW....now to clean house!! (it's not been a priority!).

The dogs are fine. As you probably gathered from postings, I lost Maggie in July, which hit me very hard.

Work is WORK! Some of the people I work with seem to think it's their lot in life to bully others. Now that national politics are over, I get to deal with politics in the office!

Hippi land is growing! I think my Night Star blooms will open today. WHOO HOOO! The chips are growing into little bulbs. I got brave and pulled the larger ones out and put them under the lights in baggies. They are turning nice and green and sending out leaves AND ROOTS. This spring, I hope to have something large enough to send to KAVB.

Other than that, just plodding along. I know how great you must feel with your new hips. I had my knee rebuilt a year ago and I walked a 5K last month in 62 minutes!! YAAAAAH!!!
:-)
Take care!
Kristi