Apparently Beryl has decided that she may visit Texas
2 years ago
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Afterglow from visit to FW Botanical Garden
Comments (25)Annie, I'd like to hear about that Montreal garden too. Ann, it sounds like you are right about it being R. bruonii. It was definitely huge, and no blooms at all that day. Thanks for the info! Malmaison, I was surprised at how much I liked MAM, they had several specimens and they all looked great to me. One of the happiest looking plants in the garden, and a very shapely bush habit. Bon Silene was as big as an ornamental tree. It was a huge plant, perhaps the biggest tea rose I've ever seen. Nur Mahal was grown as a free-standing shrub. The plant was wider than tall, with an open habit and arching canes. I thought of a fountain when I looked at it. It is not a huge plant, and will fit nicely in my garden. Just guessing, I'd say maybe 4 ft tall and perhaps 5 ft wide. I was like a deer caught in the headlights will all these old roses around me, I'm afraid I didn't sample the fragrance on this one. A guy walking around alone in a giant rose garden in Texas could get beat up for looking like he's TOO interested, so I didn't go out of my way to stick my nose into too many blooms :-) In the book, 'The Organic Rose Garden', Liz Druitt raves about this rose's scent. MadGallica, thank you for the info on brunonii ... I am sure you are right. A person could have crawled up under it and been hidden from view it was so mushroom-like and massive. In the step garden area, I think the designer was going for a "knock-your-socks-off" view as you enter the garden from above. That would explain why they had so much of one variety in that area. It is definitely impressive from that vantage point. Valerie, I felt really fortunate to have seen that many old roses in one day at one garden. It says volumes for the city of Fort Worth to offer something like this free to their citizens. Randy...See MoreApparently The Time To Start Seeds Is 'Now'
Comments (21)George, I know that if you were starting plants for yourself, you wouldn't be starting them now....just like y'all know me well enough to know I generally don't start seeds until February. It did take me a few years here to learn the best time to start seeds because at first I started them in late January like I did when we lived in Texas, and that's too early for our area even though we warm up fairly early some years. I'd have tomato and peppers plant that were 18" tall before it was warm enough to get them into the ground. Even in those years when we warm up early, only the days tend to be warm or even hot and the nights still tend to go below freezing. If I plant too early, I pay for it by having to cover up plants on freezing nights for weeks, and that gets old. Ironically, the county in northeastern Texas where the master gardener who was on TV this week is from is under a Winter Weather Advisory and very well may have some sort of wintery mix including snow, sleet or freezing rain as early as Saturday or Sunday. I hope his little seedlings (they looked like pepper seedlings too) get to come inside from the greenhouse to stay warm....or he might run up a big bill heating a greenhouse in those conditions. Apparently my garden's problem is that it does not sit on a pile of rocks, and now I'm wishing it did. Maybe I could fix the drainage issue by excavating soil and putting rocks beneath my garden! Really, the problem is that the neighbors property is a lot higher and their runoff drains onto our property, so I can't fix that. Since their property sits so high above ours, even my raised beds can stay too wet because their water runs off/seeps underground for weeks in heavy rainfall years and then wicks up into my raised beds from the grade level soil. I am glad we're about to get cold. We have had some very, very warm days here scattered throughout December and January and my fruit trees are budding and trying to bloom too early....same story as every other winter here, so I'm hoping a good, cold arctic blast will tell them to 'chill out' and slow down a bit. Dawn...See MoreCan't decide - BM & TOM in our (tiny) apartment?
Comments (14)Thanks for all the responses. Marge - I can see why a mom would want to make sure the place was suitable for small kids. Even though she knows that BF is on top of those kinds of things, and a very hands-on parent, we still thought it would be a nice gesture to let her in, so to speak. I disagree that she doesn't care what the place looks like - in theory that's how it should be but in reality we were both curious about each other's living situations. She has openly admitted that she has been Googling me, looking at my website and MySpace etc. since the first day she found out about me and BF. She made a lot of comments when she was in our place re: home decor, something she is really interested in. I was a little curious about her place, too, just because I know she works, gets half of BFs salary, and her new DH is wealthy. She actually sometimes complains to me about not having enough money, to which I do not respond. !! I am sure her primary concern is/should be her kids, but with every situation I have given her an inch and she has taken a mile, i.e. I approve her to be my Facebook friend, then she starts posting comments on all of my pictures every day, or when I let BF's DD9 call BM from my cell and then BM starts sending me little text messages, saying how in "other circumstances" she thinks we would be great friends, etc. In other words, she wants to interact with me outside of the main topic which is the kids. I don't want to do this - actually, in my own friendly and naive way I do, but I know it is not a good idea. I know she is not my friend, but I figure things out as I go along because I don't want to be the one to reject a "friendly" overture. None of it seems outwardly hostile, but there are boundary issues, and that is something I struggle with, so it is a concern for me. I'm not very good at all this, and I only have my own experience to trust in and since I can sometimes be too trusting...I am grateful for the help. I've been reading, among many other related books lately, "The Enlightened Stepmother: Revolutionizing the Role" by Perdita K. Norwood and Teri Wingender, and last night I came to the part where the authors advised against letting exes into the home, as it feels like an invasion, encourages competition about lifestyles, the allocation of space amongst kids (if applicable), etc. I am just going with my gut on this, but from how I grew up I feel like as long as the bedroom door is shut this time it will be OK. I don't want to make it a touchy subject and take the blame for an awkward situation. Ima is right, I also don't want to appear controlling and insecure. (But as Ashley correctly pointed out, I am insecure about all of this!) I re-discussed last night with BF and let him know that I changed my mind and did not want to "ban" her, but just to shut both doors to the bedroom and he agreed 100%. But apparently he had already phoned and arranged to meet BM at a nearby cafe for the exchange per our conversation this wknd. So if they end up coming upstairs to the doorway or in to use the bathroom or help with bags later on, BF and I will be on the same page. I will not be there, though - I will be busy at work....See MoreSS9's attitude after visiting with BM
Comments (12)I don't think it's out of the question to curb a child's behavior when the behavior is out of line... but I also think that in this case, it's worth thinking about where that line ought to be. And also whether you can adjust your own behavior to help set him up for success a little better. It can be hard for a kid to make the transition between one parent's home and another, even if they've been doing it for years. It can stir up a lot of negative emotions even when the adults are doing all the right things. If one of the adults isn't doing the right thing (like trash-talking the other parent or being erratic about visitation), the kid's negative emotions can get even stronger. It is not an easy thing to deal with, particularly when you're a child and don't have much say in the situation. From what you're describing, he's coming back to you with all these negative emotions, and then you're being chipper at him. I know that for myself, if I am feeling a strong mix of anger, frustration, sadness, guilt, etc., the main thing I want is to be left alone so that I can get out of the bad mood. And if someone comes up to me and is, "Chipper! Chipper! React to what I'm saying!" I will do my best to suppress my reaction because I'm an adult... but what I really want is for them to knock it off and leave me alone. My advice would be to give him his space during the time that you know is going to be difficult. If he's picking fights or is deliberately rude, it should be stopped... but let it go if he's just being curt and not reacting as happily as you want. And for your part, to help him be more successful, don't go out of your way to poke him during that transition time. It may be good news, you may be cheerful and happy, but express it to someone else until he's had time to get back to normal. One more thought: if you do decide to go ahead and have a talk with him, it might be better to not focus on how he's hurting your feelings. If he's basically a good kid, doing that will add an extra layer of guilt and unhappiness into the mix. And if he's being a gremlin, it will give him more ammunition against you. I think it would be better to let him talk about his emotions, know that he's understood, and you/your husband set the standards for behavior without bringing your own feelings into the mix....See More- 2 years ago
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