The brighter side of a cold and snowy day...
3 Flower Papilio Bulb #2 opens it's flowers
Comments (51)
mariava7
9 years agoRescued a pink aglaonema "Valentine Gift Item". The rest of these will surely be left out in the cold to die in that store.
mariava7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAnd the cardinals are out in my backyard enjoying this day. Ya'll keep warm and be safe!!!
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OT - Winter Bird Pics on this Snowy Day in IA! (pic heavy)
Comments (17)Jeanne, your bird pictures are beautiful. Snow pictures always look so pretty, but I know what a hassle it can be to have to shovel it. So good that you feed the birds, poor things, everything is all covered up! I have Berber carpeting too, Jeanne, we put it in when we moved here about eleven years ago. Mine is showing wear in the traffic areas like in front of the couch and love seat, and I found it harder to clean with my steam vac because it was so "textured"--but I loved the look and it was really the "in" thing at that time. Now I need to see about replacing mine too, probably with more carpet unless the flooring guys think they could "blend" new wood in with what's already in my entry and hallway. Wish I would have just put wood in there to start, but we thought it would feel too "cold". Now I realize we could have used an area rug! Live and learn, right? LOL On your new vinyl flooring--make sure you follow the directions for cleaning. Just a slightly damp mop and don't use any other products unless it's something reccommended by the mfg. I used one of those Swiffer wet pads on mine and it left a "film" so it doesn't shine like when new now. And remember, liquids are it's enemy! Other than that, it is almost indestrucible and easy to clean. Enjoy! Luvs...See Morelow-pitch roofs in snowy climates
Comments (16)Minimum design "Ground Snow Load" is contained in charts by cities & towns in the 7th edition of the MA State Building Code. The single family portion is published separately and taken primarily from the 2003 IRC but there are sections unique to MA. The code comes in a 3.5" thick loose-leaf binder and can be purchased at the state bookstore at the statehouse in Boston for $35. It can also be seen online at the link below. Your location probably has the highest snow live load of 65 psf. For comparison Boston is 45 psf. If the dead load is 10 psf the total design load would be 75 psf. This number would be modified by roof slope, potential for drifted snow, etc. This is not a big issue for a typical house design because the building code rafter design tables take into consideration the ground snow load. As I mentioned before, in terms of waterproofing, the important issue is not the amount of snow but the extent of freeze-thaw cycles. Unless you have lived in snow country near the east coast you might not understand how destructive ice can be on a roof. You should use full coverage Ice & Water Shield roofing underlayment and put any gutters an inch below the projected plane of the roof surface. Personally, I would consider the Prairie Style the least practical house design for northeastern MA. I've designed ski resorts in the Rockies and the Alps and built houses in VT, NH, and ME. Snow is never the problem; it's ice and poor detailing that destroys houses. Wright might have been ahead of his time artistically speaking, but his stubborn, arrogant disdain for the practical aspects of building and the comfort of his clients is legendary. His houses were not only non-owner-friendly but were difficult to keep dry and warm and he didn't care. Personally, I think his net influence on the architecture of single family houses was negative. Check out the Westhope house in Oklahoma for a good example of how not to design a house. This is the house where he told the owner to move his desk when informed by phone that the roof was leaking on it. The man's wife when moving pots and pans around the living room to catch roof leaks in the newly completed house is quoted as saying that "This is what we get for leaving a work of art out in the rain". Here is a link that might be useful: MA State Building Code...See MoreSnowy Pacific NW Pool Pics
Comments (11)Kelly, thanks for the comments. Regarding the freeze we had. This was a 20 year storm. We almost never get into the 10's and 15's here. We almost never have any snow accumulations because it doesn't get cold enough. We will keep our fingers crossed regarding the Oasis sheer decents... I haven't turned them on yet. I'm curious though - how would you winterize the sheer descents? Cover them, wrap them? Also Kelly - the palms held up fine. The are hearty Washingtonian Palms and I've had them for about 15 years. However I have some other plants that look pretty bad and my little Gem Magnolias look sad but are perking up a bit. Time will tell. Here is a link that might be useful: My Pool Pics...See MoreNewbie needs help. Large order arriving in days
Comments (3)First - try to pick them up as soon as the mailman brings them. Sitting on the curb is not good - especially with another cold blast coming. Second - do nor repot immediately. Let them recover after the trip - at least for a week or 2. When you see that they spruced up and even started growing a bit - it will be soon enough. Your bright window is probably just what doctor prescribed. Direct sun at midday is not good, morning sun is good. I am thinking that you will get small starters in 2" pots , not 12" plants - so - you can try your windowsill. If your open your white curtains - should be just right. If you feel that some direct rays hit your plants at the midday - shade them with a piece of white paper. If you bought them from CVVIOLETRY - the plants look like they are grown in a greenhouse on a natural light - so they should be tough. i....See More
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agomariava7 thanked dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusettsmariava7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoI clicked on those "Say thank you" thing. What does it do? Does it send a message to u guys or something? I hope it did!
Donna...We feed the birds here all year round and birdfood is included in my grocery budget! Haha! We have to fill the bird feeders twice a day here.
When we moved in this house in 2001, there were only 2 cardinals in our backyard. A male(bright red) and a female. Now there's like 9 of them at least. Here's a pic of daddy cardinal taking care of scraping the bird seeds out of the birdfeeder so that the rest gets to eat below. Cardinals are very shy birds. Perhaps that is the reason why they come out on cold and snowy days as there are no other birds around except the small finches
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agapanthe64
9 years ago
chinhster
9 years ago
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
9 years agoI am taking care of all the critters....feeding birds and bees! Peach tree is in radiant bloom and the bees are very happy. Orange and lemon trees should bloom shortly and fill the yard with their perfume. Also, here is the purple martin condo that I just built (assembled 500+ parts) and am installing on a 14' pole this weekend.
K
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agokaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
9 years agomariava7
9 years agoWow, that is so cool Kristi! I don't know much about the names of the birds that live or visit our garden here. We just feed them and enjoy watching them. I do know that the Blue Jays are bullies though. Haha!
More snow today. And more cardinals to feed!!!
mariava7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agolenanen...Sorry I missed your post. Clivias are very easy and are not rpone to rot and virus like hippeastrums. They almost require the same care as hippeastrums only you grow them in lesser sunlight than hippeastrums. Same feeding program. Here are some Japanese multipetal clivias that recently bloomed for me this winter.
This one is what we would call "semi-double" with hippeastrums with 3 flower scapes.
This one would be a fully double.
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agomariava7 thanked dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusettsmariava7
9 years agoHow many leaves already Donna? Same thing with Hippies, if they got 12 leaves already you could try giving them a cool rest for 8 weeks and then bring them indoors and see if they'd put out a scape.
I haven't gotten out of the house for a week now due to this snow (21 inches). I'm so bored I am starting to talk to my flowers. Haha! This one got it's picture taken today. "Jewel of the Night" or not it's still quite pretty with it's very dark flowers, ovary, pedicels and scape.
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agoI guess mine haven't grown enough leaves yet. The seeds you gave those of us who donated to the South African seed drive
several years ago are doing beautifully, most with very wide leaves!! They were labeled S A Miniata orange/bronze and most of them have lovely wide leaves and I think they will be the first to bloom when they are ready.
I can't wait to see my first flower!!
Donna
mariava7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agomariava7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agomariava7
9 years agodondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agodondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years ago
jodik_gw
9 years ago
lenanen
9 years agoMaria thank you so much for the extra images of two of your clivias and for the growing tips. I have never seen such glorious clivia flowers before, they are amazing.
The two clivias I have are placed in the east and north facing windows and they seem to thrive which is absolutely fantastic because that side of the house has been detested by almost all of my house plants. Even the hippies that prefer more shade find it too dim at times.
I have treated my clivias like I treat my hippies and it's a huge relief to hear that it is the right way to do it. Thanks Maria!!
Here they are in a pic that was taken a year ago; now the green one is growing a new flowerscape with double the amount of flowers
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agomariava7 thanked dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusettsmariava7
9 years agoWell I declared today as "Mama's Day Off", so I ain't cookin! Kids have been off school for 2 weeks now due to this snow. They're driving me crazy! Here's "Yellow Garden"...
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
9 years agomariava7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoJust one Kristi. I don't go panick buying on bulbs anymore like I used to. Haha! The clump was huge so I seperated the biggest offset which is in itself a clump already. Just 3 scapes for now Kristi. Flowers are not as long lasting???
This is how my supposed to be "Jewel of the Night" turned out to be now. Flowers are quite long lasting and I do like it compared to RC's pictured one. Anybody ordered this also and how did yours turn out? With "Muscadet"...
It's black/red/purple petals...
Ray Schuck
9 years agokaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
9 years agoI had 5 scapes from the klister.
We don't have any snow at my house, but this is my friend's home (photo of her horse barn from her front door) in NH! I am slowly infecting her with CHAD!
mariava7
9 years ago
tsucath
9 years agoHi all
I ordered one Jewel of the Night from RC and here is what I got :
That's the closest to the color I could capture (mmm... hope you understand me !). But not quite the real shade, flowers were very dark. They were small, but I didn't think of measuring them. Also, there were 2 scapes but one was stunted and gave 2 sad little flowers at pot level.
We haven't had any snow this year, and your photos make me wistful. Hipies on snow background really are a beautiful sight, thanks for sharing
mariava7 thanked tsucathmariava7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoSame with mine tsucath. Yes it is like a miniature with just 3-3 1/4 inch wide flowers.
Yes Kristi, we had too much snow up here in the Northeast! It just kept on snowing, and snowing, and snowing! On a brighter side....beautiful temperatures coming in by tomorrow. We're finally going to have 40F and above temps. Wohooooo! Took this picture a few days back. A couple more inches were added to this. Ha! The sun is out today. Let the snow melting begin!!!
jstropic (10a)
9 years ago
blancawing
9 years agodondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
9 years agomariava7 thanked dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)