Hey, I sent out my order to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds that I got with my gift certificate that my pal sent me. I had so much fun picking out veggies!!!! I have really enjoyed growing vegetables for the first time this year and have had some pretty good success.....of course the 12" tall raised beds full of top quality soil and mushroom compost is mostly the reason, that and I water every day!

I only added 4 dollars to my $20 gift certificate and got a ton of seed....they have good prices.

I ordered:
Kazakh melon
Dewings early Blood Turnip (Beets)
Kuroda carrot
Chantenay red coure carrot
edmondson cucumber
european mesculun salad
little gem lettuce
little marvel pea
white hailstone radish
california mammoth white raddish
golden midget watermelon
sugar baby watermelon
and the add green zebra tomato as a gift.

Thanks again Pal!!!!!!

Mary, it sound like you got a colorful, yummy mix : ) Hope you and DH are keeping cool with these hot days. I just looked up on Accuweather.com and it says were at 93 with a real feel of 118 (it doesn't seem quite that bad to me). Then I looked at Weather.com and they say we are 93 with a real feel of 109... in either case... IT'S HOT.

But if that weren't bad enough... For Sunday afternoon AccuWeather.com calls for 104 and real feel of 110; Weather.com lists 101 with a real feel of 122 !!!!! With Mon and Tue being about the same. Then Tue pm-Wed we're supposed to get some showers and then temps in the 80s. Hopefully some relief soon.

I just put one of those big plastic turtle things out (it can be a pool or sandbox), filled it with water and Max got in and laid down in it. Now I have to wait until he's dry before I bring him in or he'll just radiate wet doggy smell. (ick even when he just had a bath Monday) LOL Hope the rest of you are cooler and that any drips outside are from nice rains you need and not drips of perspiration the moment you step out the door.

Sounds like all of you up north are experiencing a "deep south" summer. I failed to post a few days ago when I received the sweetest package from my SP. Included fall planting bulbs (yes, fall WILL be here soon though it is hard to imagine in the HEAT!), a cute butterfly stamp with stamp pad, watering can with flowers in it (which is part of my indoor decor theme so I have the perfect spot for it), a cute celestial votive holder, and a Texas cookbook! Thanks so much Pal. Hope you are staying cool somehow. We are spending next week at the beach so perhaps the seabreaze will keep us cool. Happy summertime everyone!
Theresa

Hey, Where is everyone?? It must have been cooler somewhere for everyone to be away from their 'puters : ) I'm looking forward to a potential cool down by midweek. Today was terrific, with great worship and then a friend of ours from MI --actually she's the sweet lady who let God use her to introduce DH and me even though she was 450+ miles away from us-- called and said they were only a few hours away (rather than the 9 or so they normally are). We ended up meeting them for dinner along with our 3 DSs, my mom, and their DD and DS (he's 13 days older than our oldest so they talked the whole time about Legos and StarWars I think). July has been good to me for meeting new friends and getting to see some we haven't seen in years !!!

Oh, plus in between her call and getting to have dinner with them we got to see another old friend and his 3 DKs that we hadn't seen for about 3-4 yrs.
We also picked up DS (10) from Grandmas and left DS (5) there for a day or two. When oldest goes to a church camp out T-W-Th, we'll only have DS (3) at home. Wow, that's different. Oh, and I almost forgot... we also got to look at some wonderful pictures on my DNephew's (17) laptop that he took in June/July while he was on a Mission Trip with Teenmania in Botswana Africa !! Cool!! 8~D I think he's going to win some nice ribbons in some photo contests he's entering at area fairs and art exhibits. He's a sweety and such a great kid/guy!

Busy but fun day!! Hope all of you had a great weekend!!

Hello to all
Ya Ya what a sweet gift from your pal!! I see you put it to good use!! You Go Girl!
ilsonshine It sounds like you are having a great summer!! It is wonderful that you have been able to meet new friends and also visit with some older ones!! Do you have anymore visits planned for this summer?
I was blessed with a weekend at the beach!! Ohh the water felt so good!! I was at Lake Michigan. The water temp. was 75. The waves were up to 6 feet. It was so refreshing!! Also had a nice little breeze. The temps. were around 100 all weekend.
The Blue angels were in town. This was the second time I have seen them perform! WOW What a show! Watching them perform always sends a chill down my spine.
Today I will spend some time weedin!! I don't mind doing it when I have the time. This year seems to be the year for snakes around here. I can deal with the small ones but a couple aren't what I call small!! I know they do good but they always surprise me!! I have blue racers and blow snakes which I haven't ever seen before this year!
Paul why don't you pay me a visit and take them home for your son!! Please!!
Teresa I hope you and Gabby are both feeling better.
To all enjoy your day!!

Yes, things have been nice. My favorite niece (well, she's also my only niece as she reminds me) who is almost 23 will be coming back to the area from Gainesville, FL for a week or 2 in Aug to visit and work her Hawaiian Ice stand at their local County Fair. It's great as her lil bro. (17) scheduled his presentation about Africa while she is here so she can attend as well. I think that is all of the plans for other visits that I know of, unless someone else calls/writes me that they're gonna be in the area (like yesterday).

Glad you got to the Beach, Jan. I'm hoping we can make it to the city pool tonight (I think it is 25 cent night, so that'll $ave $ome).

A big thank you to my Garden Exchange Pal! I received a really nice package today - everything from Snickers bars to a lovely picture frame for one of my daughter's wedding pictures. There were dog biscuits for the dog, fly tape to catch pesky flies down at the barn, horse note pad, and lots more... even a decoration for the fish's aquarium! She (he?) also sent a note written on note paper that has the cutest shaggy horse on the front. A few of the little gifts were wrapped in lovely gift wrap, too. Thanks once again. You are always the best!

Sandlapper Rose

Hi everyone! Are you all staying cool? We are having some miserably hot weather right now. It's just awful to be outside. And we need rain so bad... I hope things change soon! Supposedly we are going to get some rain tomorrow, but I'll believe it when I see it.

I got a package from my pal today. She sent me a lovely note pad and memo set, a little garden sign that says Welcome and a little bonnet for Gabby. That's so sweet of you to think of her. Thank you so much!

Things are going good here. Gabby is over her cold and I am just about over it too. She goes to the Dr. next week to get her first set of shots. I'm dreading that appt. My Mom is going with me for moral support since DH has to work. Gabby is just smiling like crazy and babbling all the time. It's just so cute to watch her and play with her. And she is sleeping about 5 hours at night now, so we are all getting some more sleep! Woohoo! :)

I hope my pal received her package ok. I sent it out last week and haven't seen her post that she got it. I hope it arrived ok.

Now, for the bad news. I am going to have to drop out the group. I feel really bad leaving, but I have to have surgery next month and am going to be down for 4-6 weeks. Nothing too serious, but it's going to be rough for awhile with that and everything else. My sister is going to take some time off work to stay with me and help take care of Gabby while Andy is at work. So that's a huge help. I'm just so bummed out about having to be laid up with a new baby and everything. I don't want to miss out on anything and it's hard for me to have to depend on other people for help. But I don't have a choice. I will keep checking in though from time to time though and say hi. And I want to thank my pal for everything she has done. I really appreciate it! This is really a great bunch of people and I feel bad dropping out. Thanks again for everything! Teresa

Teresa, glad you and Gabby are feeling better. Congrats on her sleeping those 5 hours!! That really does help at least if you get in bed and sleep as soon as her eyes shut! Take full advantage any chance you get.

I'm sad to hear you're thinking of dropping out. Can we talk you out of it? I realize everything is so busy and sorta crazy when a baby comes along. But you'll probably 'bee' bored recooperating in the bed/couch/chair, so you'll want to check in on the group anyway... You could send your pal a note or email or ecard, and I'm pretty sure some of us could work together to take care of your pal for awhile. It can be very hard asking anyone for help (it's a pride thing), be it family or friends, but God wants us to share our burdens/cares/concerns with one another so that people have the opportunity to share and serve. Surely, you don't want to hold us back from, dare I say, deprive us, of a chance to serve you and share with your pal, now Do you?

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday dear lilylouise, Happy Birthday to you!!! And Maaaannnnyyyyy Moooooorrrrreeee, ChaChaCha!

Hope you have a great and special day!!!

Gina - You guys are so talented with your cute little signs. Everytime I go into our den and see Eddie's animals on the wall I grin remembering your son thought I was saying we had a -bare hog on the wall- and I was saying a bear, hog, and deers on the wall. I've got to get my film developed. Can't wait to see the pictures.

Teresa - Glad you and Gabby are over your colds. You need to post a picture of Gabby. I bet she has grown alot since we last seen her. Please don't feel bad about not being able to send a secret pal gift. You take as much time as needed for yourself. You have been awesome this year in all your gifts. Hope your surgery goes well and do keep us informed.

I received the cutest basket from my secret pal this month. It had body lotions and scrubs in it. I need to keep it hid from my darling Brittney (Granddaughter). She loves stuff like that. Thank you so much.

Lunch time and I'm off to yet another daylily farm.

Shirley

Happy Birthday, Lilylouise!
I hope you have a wonderful day.

Sandlapper Rose

I tried to add a picture and have my instructions on how to do it right here, but for some reason - no luck!

Poochella: I hope that my dahlias continue to do well. I don't want to jinx them in the meantime LOL! I'm going to have to take some photos with the digital camera and figure out how to post pictures. But you know how it goes with to-do lists... sometimes they turn into what wasn't done lists =(

-Stephanie

Hi Teresa
As you can see we all want you to stay in the group!! Please reconsider!!
I am so sorry to hear that you must go through surgury at this time. Please remember everything happens for a reason and good comes out of bad. My thoughts and prayers are with you. If at all possible please stay in the exchange and please know we will all step in and help. Please let us do that. I know it is hard to ask for help...however sometimes it must be done and the people asked feel honored to be included and help!! I am sure you have always been there for others now let others be there for you. Please give this some thought and keep us posted.

Hello Everyone!

I have been off the computer for a bit and will have to catch up on all of the news, but I wanted to jump in to thank my wonderful pal for the package!

I am having fun with chicken month! My pal is so creative! My pal knows that I have chickens so this month I received a decorative chicken hook, a chicken pot holder, a chicken decoration that says Chicks rule (LOL), a pen from a chicken farm (or at least a farm that uses a chicken for its motto) and a bag of hens and chicks as well as a nice card with a note. Thanks so much for the fun package Pal!

Things are going ok around here. I am getting used to my Dh's employment situation and we are beginning to think that he should go into business for himself. It is actually kind of exciting in a scary sort of way, but I have faith that things will turn out for the best.

I am off to catch up on all of the news I have missed. Garden Web seems to be loading slower for me these days...is anyone else finding this to be a problem? I think it is my dial up- there is definately a downside to living out in the boonies!

April

CHA CHA CHA and Happy Birthday to dear LilLouisie! I knew there was another special day sneaking up on us and here it is. For you Lil, whose real name is not Lil or Louise at all. For a little birthday trivia test: Who can tell us Lil's real name?

And my wishes for many more years of bountiful bloomers and happy sails.

Teresa OH, i wish you'd stay too. Who will be our mascot if little Gabby disappears? I wish you well with your surgery and hope you are back up and at 'em like Speedy Gonzalez.
PastVast- Way to go on those dahlias. Everything's popping here in our newfound Summer. It's over 80 for a few days and I swear buds form hourly. I know many of you have been scorching in the heat, but it's a welcome arrival here.
Shirley, 'Arabian Nights' is ready to blow! I see red on the buds and many buds are they. Some of the daylilies you sent are budded up too. Ooh Wee! I feel like a new mom!
April- You have chickens! That is a dream of mine someday. Do you have different kinds and what do you do with them- egg layers, chicken tractors, bug pickers, gulp- stew?
Pchang- plumeria NW update: it looks grim. LIttle spikey leaves haven't moved a millimeter. I put it out in the sun but forgot to bring it in a couple nights when it got down to 45. I remain hopeful, if not delusional that it will grow!

Happy Birthday LilyLouise! I hope it's been a wonderful one and you got at least one new plant for your gardens.

Teresa, we'd really hate to lose you and Gabby. Please say you'll stay and I'll be happy to pitch in if you need me to, JLMK.

April, good luck to you and your DH if he does decide to go for it. It's truly a leap of faith but well worth it if you make it. We've been in business for 16 years and some of those have been pretty slim but we seem to make it thru never the less with me working and carrying the insurance. I really like that he doesn't have to answer to anyone since he's not had to in about 30 years. It would be awfully hard to go back to that now. ;-)

Have a great night all!

Nancy

Happy Birthday Ruth, hope it is/was a great one.
(i win trivia, pooch!)

hello all, hope everyone is well. we are having one heck of a day here. the weather is horrendous, but on the flip side, i picked some delicious broccoli, various squash and some extremely tasty tomatoes. it's just real hard to be out there picking weeds. i did get a little watering time in, but not enough. i can't even walk out there without becoming a magnet for the biting bugs.

spent most of the day at the hospital as my son broke his hand and it was set today with pins. the cast is supposed to stay on 6 to 8 weeks, and then therapy/rehab. 6 to 8 weeks....i'm going to go out of my mind.

the house was full of visitors late in the day, early evening. pretty much after everyone cleared out, my dog kind of socked my 5 year old niece in the nose - i'm still cleaning up blood spots. thank God her mother had gone home already, it would have made matters worse. my delightful niece, not a tear - even after all that blood. her biggest concern was making sure not a drop got on her kim possible shirt. as soon as we got everything cleaned up, she went right back to playing and petting the dog.

another hot and humid day awaits us tomorrow. boy do i miss fall and winter.

Hey Shirley, I think our son at one point thought you were sayin' "Bearnboar" or "Bar-n-bor" and he wasn't quite sure what kind o' critter that might be. But in any case he and his brothers thought they were cool. I thought it was cute/funny when you asked me if my hubby might be one of those anti-hunting guys. He hasn't hunted since we've been together, but I guess he did in the past. Actually, both of us like target shooting. We really should go do that again sometime, he deserves to get out and have some time just doing what he enjoys. So how is Kerry doing?

On another note... I hope the daylilies/beebalm/cannas you gave me (+ the rest of my flowers) will grow stronger now. We just received some rain this evening. Hope oldest DS(10) isn't soaked as he went to Church Camp and is actually camping out in a tent and they're making their food over a fire (which none of our family realized until I took him there today); all new experiences from Tues afternoon till Thurs evening. Now temps are supposed to come down to the 70-80s for highs and in the 50s for lows, so camping out shouldn't be too bad for them with the cooler temps.

Dusty, how is everything going with your DS, the shop, DOT, etc? Hope things are looking up. Whether things are looking up or down, I'm still lifting up your family and Shirley's and others from the group who have mentioned health/job/family concerns as I look up to our Lord to give you all strength and support.

April, good wishes and blessings to you and DH as you embark upon a new and exciting (all be it scary) endevor. Hope all works out well! : )

Thanks for all your Bday wishes. Thankfully the day ended with spectacular thundershowers that broke the hot spell and continues as a steady rain today. I hope this relief from the HHH (hazy, hot, humid) weather continued south and east to bring relief to the Boyscouts at Jamboree. DGS#3 is there. The phone tree they have set up reports his particular group are far removed from the tragedy of the electrocutions.
The garden is in the doldrums. Quite a few different plants are blooming but not many of each. The wave petunias I started from seed are just beginning to show color in the window boxes. One of the two heirloom tomatoes has yet to bloom much less set fruit. But boy-oh-boy the weeds are daunting. Why can't the flowers be as prolific?

Glad to see everyone is still so active with this post--it's good to hear from everyone and see what all are up to.

For those having a birthday this month, Happy Birthday to yooooouuuuu!

I have to say "gee thanks" to my secret pal--you've done gone and gotten me hooked on daylilies. I did already like them, and have been adding more this year (especially all the really cool ones I've been receiving from you!), but hadn't really caught the bug yet. Well, I think I have now. I got a flyer in the mail for Homestead Farms, they're having a field clearance sale. Just put in an order for Fires of Fuji, American Indian, Gentleman Lou, Maho Mite, Siloam Trinket, Iron Gate Glacier, Untamed Glory, and Crimson Pirate. Dang you, secret pal! (Just kidding)

We also got some much needed rain here. I'm hoping to get outside this afternoon now that the temps have dropped and get some weeding done. I've got a butterfly garden somewhere under a mass of bermuda grass and I'm determined to find it again! LOL!

Theresa_Ohio - please let us know if you need a surrogate sender for the next few months, we'd be happy to take over for you so you don't have to drop out completely. :-)

Mary/Yaya - very cool selection of seeds. Let us know how they do.

April - sounds like a cool box this month! I was trying to do a "themed" box each month but I quickly ran into a few months where my theme went sort of awry. I've always wanted some chickens myself, hope they'll take care of the buggies that I can't seem to bring myself to actually touch.

By the way, did I mention that Paul is the nicest guy? He recently sent me a Plumeria as a wedding present, totally unexpected! The blooms it had when it arrived were so gorgeous and reminded me of the blooms used in our Lei's for the ceremony. I can't wait to get this one to bloom again! Thanks again, Paul!!

Hi everyone! Sounds like the whole mainland USA is having a scorcher of a summer.Makes me appreciate being here in Kodiak all the more. It has been rainy/misty the past 3 or 4 days with temps in the 40's and I'm loveing it. The plants here grow so slowly but they also seem to keep their blooms in good condition longer than down south. The delphiniums have been beautiful for well over a month. Crazy daisy started from seed last year is blooming for the first time and it is fasinating to watch. They are each different and the one has large blooms that look like big white mums. Quite impressive!
I have not been able to sign in for a while and was beginning to wonder if I had been sent to Disney. Today I got in on the second try
I want to add my request to the others for Theresa to stay. We want to keep hearing how you and Gabby are doing. Grab a card before you go for your surgery and send it along with a chatty note to your SP for next month. That will be fine and I'm sure she will understand.
Pooch, Carol, or anybody ... I planted some dahlias here in a big pot on the south side of the house. They look good and healthy but are still only about 6 inches high. Since I'm new to dahlias.. I have no idea if there is any chance for them to bloom yet this summer. One is Seattle and the other is something all white ( forgot the name). August is usually our warmest sunniest month so I hope that gives them a shot.
I went fishing last Friday and saw several pods of killer whales. It was exciting even though none came very near to our boat. This week I'm helping at VAcation Bible School.
All is well, BB

Hi All, I am still here. Got an email from my pal saying the box I sent hasn't arrived. Checked the DC and it's in limbo somewhere so I'll be sending her another. I'm telling you if it isn't one thing, it's another.

The shop is in limbo right now.. still waiting on DOT to either give me a permit to re-align my driveway or tell me they don't care. Hoping for the latter. I'll be in debt up to my eyeballs before this place opens! The mortgage isn't cheap and there's no money coming in!

Anyone have PC troubles, run Ad Aware and Spybot. GW is putting so much spy stuff on my computer it isn't even funny! All that will slow you down... I know a lot is coming from GW as I scanned and got rid of their adware junk... then came here only.. ran ad-aware again.. and wala! 8 new entries! Many web sites do this.. it's not just GW.. but both the ads and the spy junk will slow you down and make it hard to keep a connection if you use dial up. I have DSL so there's no disconnecting.. but there is a slow down if I don't run the programs enough. Going to have to run them everyday. Hard to want to be a contributing member when they're spying on me. I wish the government would do something about the ad's and the spy's. It ranks right up there with virus' in my opinion.

Haven't heard from my pal again this month. She's always late and seems to send after I post I haven't heard from her. So I'm sure I'll hear something soon.

I like the chicken theme.. I use to raise chickens and had a rooster that thought he was a cat! He slept in my mud room.. seems he didn't like the chicken coup! lol

Has been hotter than all get out here but today we had a cold front come in and man did it ever feel cold! Had to put on long sleeves and pants even!

Went and saw Vince Gill over the weekend.. was a b-day present.. B-day was months ago.. but that's what I wanted for it and thats what I bought me! Hubby sucks when it comes to stuff like that so I just get my own presents!

Son is doing fine.. DD is home from Delaware safe and sound. Last Thursday was the 2nd year of Hunters Death.. we celebrated his life with the biggest fireworks show yet! Hunt Man loved fireworks and the night of his funeral we let them off... Last year, we shot his ashes up into the sky in a rocket that was special made for him and then had firworks.. This year, we went all out and had a 2 hour fireworks show. We got all the fireworks that shoot up high in the sky! Hunt would have been psyched. Youngest was in a NY State Paintball tournament and out of 29 teams his team placed 3rd. We're hoping they can get some sponsors now. They're placing 2nd or 3rd in all competitions so are starting to be noticed. Will be nice to get sponsors.. these things are not cheap! Don't ask me how, but the boys talked me into letting them put a paintball course here at the shop.. I have an acre here at the shop.. I argued they already have one at my house but they smoosed me... saying the more different courses they have, the better.

Lil T, my offer to come help you is still there.. just say the word.

Happy Birthday(belated) to the birthday girl, hope you had a wonderful day!

Hope everyone is well.
Tally Ho!

~Dusty~

Poochella - My arabian night has been blooming for some time. I really like it. I have a new one this year that has burgundy leaves and an orange cactus like bloom. I think it is called city of alkamaar, but will check again to make sure. The burgundy leaves is something different.

Daisy_ Me - I can see why you have been bitten by the daylily bug. Aren't they something? I will be glad when they quit blooming and maybe I will quit buying them.
Fires of Fugi is a good choice I have that one. I love doubles and really getting into spiders now.

Beth - Hello!!!!! Good to see you posting again. You slipped off again and did not take any of us.

Gina - Glad you got some rain. Those plants need the rain.
Steve called tonight and said Kerry was doing some better. She's really down and out that she can't work or drive. He has been trying to help get her some aid but alas I guess there's not any for us Americans. I will never understand our government. I know people who are able to work and are on disability. Then someone who works gets hurt and there's no help. I don't know what they expect her to do.
She's only 22 years old and no family. Her Mother is dead and she's never known her Dad. Sad situation. I can't imagine not having lots of family. I sent her a get well card and Steve said she cried and cried. Said no one had ever sent her a card before or cared about her.

Take care all.

Shirley

I am sorry to report that we have actually had 2 people drop out for personal reasons. It is hard to loose our pals, but we understand your commitments and personal feelings, and respect them. We want you to please consider rejoining us for next year!!!! I'm sure we would all love to hear from you if you can pop in to the board from time to time.

Peace and Health to you and your families.....

YaYa

Hello, everyone. I just dropped in for a quick post. Sorry to read that we've lost some people. I hope whatever they are going through, they'll come out the other end better and stronger. Same for everyone here.

Another plumeria to share with you. This one has a color break virus (yes, an actual virus), so it gets these random red splotches. I hope the virus is not harmful to humans because I can't help but sniff the flower every chance I get... lol.

Take care everyone.
Paul

{{gwi:1290535}}

Hello All,

Sorry to hear we are losing a couple of people, but family and home must come first. I hope you do drop in and say Hi once in a while.

We have 12 chickens and use them for eggs. We let them out in the evenings for a while to have some fun eating bugs, but have to be careful because there are lots of animals out there that would love to have one for dinner! Chickens are very destructive to gardens, so we have to chase them away from my plants. I have heard that guinea hens are good for in the garden, so maybe next year. They are also good 'guard chickens' but I don't know how fun it would be to listen to them all the time.

Thanks for the well wishes for my Dh's new business. It would be less scary if I worked but I'm a stay at home mom so no benefits like insurance for me! We are working on private health insurance, but you have to prove you are 100% healthy and promise that you will never get sick and need to use it! LOL

Earthy sorry to hear about your son. When my youngest son was about 18 months he actually cut off the end of a finger on a rocking chair so I know how hard hand injuries are. They sewed it back on and he is completely healed, it just took awhile. I hope for complete healing for your son too.

Shirley I know it is very hard to get disability. I am glad Kerry has you and your son to help her through.

I'm loving the pictures and news from everyone.

April

Hi all,
My SP outdid herself again this month. In addition to candy, cheese straws (yummy), and scone mix: she sent a variety of iris (already in the garden) and a lovely crystal bday paper weight.
Earthly, sorry to hear about your son. What a bummer-and on summer vacation too.

I wanted to thank my pal for the pretty floral notecards! I am glad to have extras on hand as they come in so handy!! A big thanks for the long letter!! You are great at including letters !! I enjoy them very much!!
I know you asked some questions however I don't have the letter with me so I will answer them in a later post!!
We have been blessed with some rain and a cool front which feels great!! Take care and enjoy your weekend.

My sp sent a great package this month, I really enjoyed it. She sent me some chai tea packets and some sesame candy, which came at the perfect time. I've been missing my grandmother lots lately, and she used to buy both of those. I haven't bought any since I moved, there's a little less variety here, and these made my day. I also got this gorgeous hanging vase , glass and bottle shaped, with raised painted rings. It looks great, and I hung it near the firepit I just built. It helped integrate the pit with the rest of the yard, it was looking a bit bare. She (he? I still don'y know who my pal is) also included a purple sparkly butterfly that hangs on a pot. Thanks so much, sp.

Earthly won trivia- good going. Sorry to hear about your son's hand too. And April's son's rocker injury. Eww, that flips my rather strong stomach to think of hand injuries. Everyone take care of those digits and appendages!

Beth B- the lost soul returneth! Good to hear you're enjoying the wilds of Alaska once again. Do not give up on your dahlias, the hot weather and sun will be the key. Until last week mine were in slow mode. With a few days of heat and ample water, they are going nuts- buds forming daily, adding height hourly. It might help to give the pots a shot of average (10-10-10) or so fertilizer if you haven't and keep them from drying out.

Look who likes my climate! This is from my dear pal- a Peruvian Daffodil and I wish I could post the lovely, lovely lemon scent that goes with the blooms. I swear i just planted it and POOF up it came and bloomed overnight. I love it. Thanks Pal!

I am sorry as well to hear we have folks who need to drop out. Do check in from time to time though, please.

Off to water- it's the 'bluest skies you've ever seen' again in Seattle. Whooey!

as I promised when they bloomed I would post and I had to post one of my BEST BLOOM YET this is our 5 year old son by far the best thing we have ever grown!!!

Great pictures! I love that picture of your son, Skoochmagooch. He's a cutie! I'm curious about the Peruvian Daffodil. Don't know anything about them - but daffodils are my favorite flower. Is it supposed to bloom in the summer? Does anyone know whether they will grow in South Carolina?
Sorry to hear a few pals had to drop out, but I hope they stop by to visit us and to post.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Sandlapper Rose

April - We used to have guineas and I loved having them around, then we built a deck onto our house. Well the guineas took to the deck like you would not believe, thought we built it for them. They roosted on it all the time and yes you guessed it. They pooped all over it. It was always a mess and I told my husband those guineas have got to go. Until the deck business I loved having them around. My favorite was having mallard ducks. We raised them from babies and they never botherd anything. Just went around the yard eating bugs. They had to get on the pond at night because foxes would catch them.

Got to study my Sunday School lesson. Night all.

Shirley

Skooch,
The flowers are just gorgeous!!! How long will they last? Do you bring them in over the winter?
Your last 'blossom' is just adorable. 5 year olds are the best! Were you visiting the 'great white way' or does someone work for NYPD emergency services?
Next weekend is my family reunion. All my siblings and their families are coming from Ohio and Michigan for the weekend. Pressure!!!!

the flowers only last one day but they are beautiful and yes they are inside over the winter but they completely die back during the winter the entire plant consisted of 2 sticks and then in spring I put them outside and they flourished!!! I bought this passiflora at lowes for 50 cents because it was in the fall definitely a geat buy and we were visiting Times Square and the Police are just that nice!!!
Talk to you all soon
Marie

ok, lilylouise, what is 'the great white way'?

Nice picts of flowers and your 5 yr old. He's a cutie but my son is my favorite... which one... well the oldest is my favorite 10 yr old, the middle is my favorite 5 yr old and the youngest is my favorite 3 yr old : ) But hey, what do you expect from a mommy

ilsonshine - due to the illumination of the theatre district, broadway is also known as the great white way. you reminded me of my mother there for a minute. she always said the same thing "you're my favorite son/daughter your age".

poochie, i love that peruvian daff. that's going to become a new obsession! i googled them and a few places that sold them are all sold out. have you had it long? any fragrance to it? does it multiply?

i just got my catalogue from colorblends. so beautiful. i also just won a few daylilies in an auction. i want to find a daylily and an iris farm around here, but haven't had much luck.

my dahlias were a little funny this year, but then again i don't know much about them. they bloomed beautifully, and then poof, almost like they rotted away. my whole seasaon this far has been a little off on the flowers. some things did wonderfully (my veronica was absolutely stunning this year), others a real bust...sunflowers, can you imagine? they did so poor for me this year! my weeds are incredible, wish i could send you all some, but i rather enjoy this group and want to stay (lol).

for years i have been digging up rose of sharon from my uncle's - all different sizes - to build a natural type barrier to the property next door. this year they are just magnificent. they only grow so tall and each one is basically the same height now and blooming in all their pinks, whites and lavenders. and the birds are all nested in their bushiness.

i had great luck with amaranthus (does this flower???) and castor bean. these guys are over the top and i am loving them. next year i will know better where to place them. i read and heard things about toxic plants and how people get crazy and yank them out. i planted everything outside my yard, in case the dog would get ansy and want to sniff around it, but i've only ever seen her eat grass when her belly was hurting. as for the other critters, i did have a long involved conversation with a very knowledgeable woman from the PA horticultural society who assured me that animals are not that stupid, one taste and they will know it's off and not bother. there might be the occasion brain dead animal (wishing it was my squirrel) that might go the distance. castor bean is such a neat bush/tree and the flowers are so interesting.

my vegetables are scrumptious. nothing like going out back to pick a meal! my arch enemy the squirrel got my first ear of corn though. i won't care if it takes more, just at least leave me one to taste.

i'm learning so much this year by trial and error, especially since i winter sowed a lot of stuff, and have been showered with bulbs and plants and everything plantable under the sun from this swap and others, that i'm already plotting and planning on "stay's and go's" and what needs to be moved and all that fun stuff. i only yanked one thing out this year but potted it up because i need to learn more about it. the PA forum says get rid of it, but it's hard to just throw a plant away.

pal, my light green glads are just beginning to bloom and they are gorgeous. several other things that you sent me also did very well and i am so looking forward to loving this bouganveilla for a long, long time.

beautiful flower pics, adorable son.

i too am sorry to hear those dropping out, but can respect and understand their decision to do so.

teresa, i will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for your upcoming surgery and recovery. continued blessings on your beautiful new addition and i wish you everything wonderful motherhood has to offer. they grow so fast. mine is 23. i'd take 2 or 3 all over again (only with the knowledge i have now though).

To the second person that dropped out, (sorry, i don't know who you are) but if you are watching, i wish you well and continued blooms where ever your heart may lead.

lil, i hope you had a wonderful birthday. the family reunion sounds wonderful. are you always the hostess, or is this your turn this year? pleasant weather is wished for you. hope you have some fun games lined up for everyone to enjoy, unless that falls under someone else's committee.

you would think i didn't talk to a soul today the way i am rambling on...on that note, i'll stop!

take care everyone