I'm Back!

Didja miss me? Didja even notice I was gone? No, I didn't go anywhere. I just really haven't had that much to blog about these last few days.

I don't really have that much to blog about today, either, but you get to suffer through a boring post anyway.

I came home today and realized I'd forgotten to get Jesse a new bag of dog food, so off to town I go. While I was there, I decided to go ahead and get a couple more pots and separate the remaining petunias that I had still in one pot.

They each have their own pots now.  Honestly, this is my first foray into petunias, and I had no idea how big they'd get. This one was in the flower bed, but I put it back into a pot.  Something is eating my flowers up, and I thought picking it up a little bit would discourage whatever it is.

I'd bought some insecticide/fungicide, but it doesn't work too well.  Every time I spray the plants, it burns my blooms.  So I started using the old trick of putting a squirt of dishwashing liquid in my watering can.  It seems to help, and is less harmful to my plants.

This one is still my favorite,

but I love the shocking pink of this one.

It's much brighter than this picture shows.

Anyway, James came out there while I was repotting the petunias, and we got my little trellis up, and I got my moonflower seeds planted.

Meanwhile, the big garden is really taking off.

Grapes are coming on.

We're going to have blueberries out the wazoo.

And it looks like we might even get some figs this year.

The bad news is, something has been getting my plums.  Once the trees were loaded with them, but today when I checked, there were only a few left.  At least we now know that they will still bear fruit. But I still have to get the rest of the poison ivy out of them. 

Anybody have a Hazmat suit I can borrow?

Dear CoWorker

I have a dog who snores.

I have a dog who farts.

I have a cat I'm constantly cleaning up after.

I have a dog who demands my undivided attention every second of the day.

 
They all expect me to wait on them hand and foot, and none of them listen to a word I say.

Now, explain to me exactly why I need a man in my life?

Whew!

I finally finished clue 1 of the 2012 AMS.

Now, I'm only half a week behind.  Not that I'm worried about it.  I still haven't finished the one from year before last, after all.

This is my life.  I'd told Shelbi that I would do a cross stitch picture for a charity auction to benefit St. Jude.  I check Walmart for DMC floss, and they don't have it.  I check again a week or so later, and they still don't have it.  I check one more time, and they still don't have it, so I break down and order it online.

The very next time I went into Walmart, they had DMC floss.

But the good news is, I've been wanting to do a paint by number here lately. I used to love to do them as a kid, and I've had a hankering to revisit my childhood.  While I was ordering my floss, I checked out the paint by number kits and found this one on sale.

I can't wait to get started!

Except that I have to clean off my table first, so I guess I can wait just a bit.  These 10 hour work days really take a lot out of my day.  Oh, and I need to find my good paintbrushes.

The good news is, James found my water hose nozzle, with the hose end still in it.  He said the dogs must have chewed it off the end of the hose and were playing with it.  I appreciate that he found it.

I also appreciate how my dogs chewed my hose in a perfectly straight cut, and didn't leave a single tooth mark in it.  And that they neatly coiled the hose back up after jerking the end off of it.

Boy, I have good dogs.

Still Mad

Yeah, I should be over it, but when I went out to water my flower bed and had to lug that heavy watering can around because I no longer have a hose end or nozzle, I just got all mad all over again. 

So all you get today is a song. 



Kind of appropriate, in a way, doncha think?

Mad

So, I was going to come here and blog about how I'd forgotten to mention that Wal-Mart does have plant growth bulbs there, and that they fit the old aquarium hoods I'm using to light my snake tanks.  And I was going to tell you how I almost bought one, but decided to just wait until next year since it's warm enough to just plant seeds outside now.

And I was going to tell you that I'm almost finished with clue 1 of the 2012 Anniversary Mystery shawl, which is good because clue 2 was released yesterday.  And I was going to take a picture to show you.

And I was going to tell you that I started the cross stitch picture, and I was going to take a picture and show you. 

And there were a few other things I was going to talk about,

buuuuut....

When I went out to water my flower beds this afternoon, someone had stolen my new hose end --clamp and all-- right off the end of my water hose.  Not to mention the nozzle James lent me.

I got so mad that all my plans went out the window, so now I'm just going to sit here and stew.

And wonder at people who think a dollar's worth of brass is worth getting shot over.

Bunches Of Stuff

Since I haven't blogged in a few days, I've got a few things to catch up on.

It all started Tuesday after work. I went into town to get a replacement end for one of my garden hoses. I've had those hoses for at least 15 years, and hadn't used them in ages. For a while there, I didn't even know where they were.

 But, with my renewed interest in gardening, I dug them out and hooked them up. There was a problem, though. Somehow, in the period of their idleness, one of the hose ends got smushed. We tried to reround it with a pair of needlenose, but it just wasn't good enough. I'd try to water my garden, but would end up having as much water spraying back into my face as onto the flowers, so I figured it was time to replace the end.

You know you live a thrilling life when the highlight of your week is replacing the end of your garden hose.

Male

5/8"

Try to contain your excitement.

Well, since I was already in town, I decided to go on to Wal-mart and get the rest of the marigolds we needed to plant amongst the tomatoes. 

And I had a few left over to put into my flower bed.

Speaking of my flower beds, it's getting mighty busy in there.  Even some of my little perennials are coming up.

In order to better deal with my impatience--having discovered that shouting "Grow faster, darnit!" does little to produce the desired effect--I've decided to rework the front flower bed, too. 

I want to spread my Hosta out a little.  Eventually I want to have it all across the front of the house, since not much else will grow there.

And I want to do something with my Lily-of-the-Valleys, since they haven't been doing so well.
 

They were doing great before I moved this new house in, and moved the plants.  I think it might be just a little low where I have them now, and I think if I built that bed up a little, and improved the drainage, they might just pick up a bit.

So there I was in Wal-Mart buying marigolds

Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the marigolds... (you were singing it, too.  You know you were.)

 and I saw that they had gotten some more of the border I'd wanted in the first place. 

It was kind of high, so I only got one box.  I'll use it across the front of the bed, and I have some leftovers from the other stuff I got to do the sides.

I got some more dirt to help build the bed up.

And I got one of these.

I've always wanted one of these.  They look dangerous...

See, I figured that once I got all the plants dug up, the soil would be pretty well turned.  Well enough to make the big tiller unnecessary.  This will do to finish breaking up the soil and mixing the Miracle Grow into it. 

Being my normal, impatient self, I couldn't wait to try it out.  It works surprisingly well. 

Anyway...

I had promised to cross stitch a New Orleans Saints thingy for a charity auction to benefit St. Jude's Children's Research hospital.  Well, I went to Wal-mart a while back to get the stuff to do it with, and they didn't have any DMC floss.  I waited and waited, and they never put any out.  I finally broke down and ordered some from Herrschner's. 

Wouldn't you know it, the very next time I was in Wal-mart, they had the floss out.  I bought one skein of each to get started. 

So I guess I need to get started...

Jesse has this thing.  He likes to lick my end table.  When I was growing up and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, the scenario in which I say, "Stop licking my end table"  never entered the picture.  But now I say it regularly.  You never know where life is going to take you. 

Just thought you needed to know that.

Busy Reading

Life will return to normal (quit laughing!) once I've finished reading this book. 

Ten On Tuesday

It has been a long, busy, tiring day-- which I will tell you all about tomorrow-- so in lieu of a real blog post, I'm going to cop out and do a Ten On Tuesday. This week's topic is 10 Things On Your Bulletin Board. Since I don't actually have a bulletin board, I'm revising it slightly to 10 Things On My Refrigerator.

1. My to-do list, which hardly even gets looked at any more since I keep my to do list on my phone nowadays.

 2. A card reminding me of my next dental checkup

 3. Jesse's Dog License, which they told me was optional, but I chose to get it anyway so that if he ran away, and Animal Control picked him up again, they'd know who he belongs to.

4. Some pictures of Cody, his sisters, and some of our cousins

 5. A recipe for caramel icing, and instructions on how to use ground flax seed as an egg substitute.

 6. A picture of my nephew Joshua with Santa Claus when he was about 5 years old.   Joshua, that is, not Santa Claus.  He's much older than that.

7. A clipping out of the news paper featuring karate promotions which my State Farm agent cut out and saved for me.

8. A picture of me, Amy, and Christi when we got together in Hernando last fall. That was a fun day, and I can't wait until we do it again. And Christi, you still cheated on the yarn buying contest! And a picture of me holding a cat, taken when I was a freshman in college.

 9. A magnet snowman photo frame missing an eye that Cody made in Cub Scouts

 10. And last, but certainly not least, a magnet featuring the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

 So that's what's on my refrigerator. Yeah, that's more than 10 things, but hey, whatever.

Music Monday

This song had been running through my head ever since I planted those marigolds the other day.

Yes, I sang it while I was planting them.

No, don't ask.

Sheesh...

What A Difference--And Some Knitting Stuff

a day makes.  Or a couple of days.  Whatever.

It's only been a couple of days since I spread my petunias out, but boy what a difference it made.  No sign of the fungus, and they're all doing better, but this one..

this one has absolutely exploded.  

Now, that is what a petunia is supposed to look like!

It's all part of the learning process, which is why I'm glad I'm going with annuals.  If I kill them, at least I don't have to feel too guilty-- the way I would if I killed a perennial.

Speaking of, years and years ago, I had a bird feeder in my back yard.  Around that bird feeder, I'd planted some morning glories.  Now, when I got the new house, I had to put it in a different spot than the old house, because it's a bit bigger.  And the bird feeder had to go.

The morning glories had long gone, or so I'd thought.

There, among the grass and weeds, it looks like some morning glories are trying to come up.  This amazes me, since they hadn't come up in years-- or if they did, they got mowed down long before they had a chance to bloom.  This year, they will get that chance.

James had a piece of leftover lattice sitting around, and we are going to make a trellis for them.

I also bought some moonflower seeds to plant, since I will already be at work by the time the morning glories open up.  Maybe they will open up before I have to go to bed.

Oh, and I was researching how to harden off seedlings, and I think I found the problem with mine.  Almost every site I read said that when they get all long and spindly like mine are, it's because they aren't getting enough light.  Even sitting in the sunniest window in the house won't be enough.

So, next year, my choices will be either invest in a grow lamp, or wait until it's just warm enough to plant them outside.  I think I'll start pricing grow lamps, since I know I won't be patient enough to wait that long. 

Now, the knitting...yesterday the first clue of the Anniversary Mystery Shawl '12 was released.  I debated for a long time whether to cast on, or wait until later.  Either way was a win for me.

If I cast on, I could make progress on my goal of knitting from stash.  On the other hand, if I waited and continued to work on WIPs, I could make progress on the goal of reducing those.

I thought about it a while, and realized April is almost over, and --get this-- I haven't cast on a new project all year.

I know, right?

So I decided to go ahead and cast on.  The yarn is Knit Picks Shadow in in the discontinued color papaya. 

After a few rows, I switched back to the AMS 10. I have to knit on it while the mojo is here, since it tends to wander off --sometimes for long periods of time.

In fact, that is why it still isn't finished. The mojo has been gone for at least a year and a half.  It's not that difficult a pattern.

But it's here now, and I'd better take advantage of it.

Lots Of Stuff

going on around here--at least in the nature department.

My petunias have some sort of fungus on them.  As I was researching how to get rid of it, most sites said to make sure they had plenty of space between them.  So, I bought a fungicide and repotted a few.

Purple Pride now has a pot all to himself, since he was the biggest. 

These were smaller, so I put three in this pot. If they get too big, I may have to move some more out.

The rest of them, I put in along the border of my flower bed.

I think they've already perked up a bit.

The wildflower mix I planted is popping up all over their end of the bed.

Pay no attention to the tops of my daffodils.  I'll get them snipped off eventually.  I hope.  I got so much stuff coming up that I'm afraid to get in there because I'll step on my seedlings. 

Anyway, as I said, I haven't seen hide nor hair of the Four O' Clocks I planted on the other end.  I've been debating on whether to buy another pack of seeds (which would be the third one) or just hope enough of my seedlings hang on to put them in.

I've got a few Zinnias that haven't croaked, and three Four 0'Clocks left.  Maybe they'll live long enough that I can plant them outside, eventually.

Meanwhile, in the vegetable garden...

James let his marigolds die, so I bought some more.  You put marigolds between your tomatoes to keep the nematodes off, you see.  Anyway, he didn't get them into the ground quickly enough and they died.  So I bought some more and put them in this evening. 

I actually made a step towards one of my goals in doing so. There were people in the yard.  Yes, there were people in the yard, and guess what I did?  I went out there anyway!  Yes, I really did!  I became just a tiny bit less of a hermit.

So, I put the marigolds in, and didn't quite have enough.  I'll get some more next time I go into town, and put the leftover ones in my flower bed.  I still have enough space along the front border for several more plants.

We also cut a hole in my skirting so I could reach my outside spigot.  I got my hoses out and hooked up--surprised as all get out that they were still good.  That will make it a lot easier to water my flower beds.

Now I'm thinking of re-doing the bed in the front.  My Lily of the Valleys aren't doing well.  I'm debating on whether I should move them, or just get some more and start over.  My hostas need to be spread out, too.  I'd like to have hostas all across the whole front of the house. 

And the plums are really coming on, too.

Now, if you'll excuse me, the first clue of the Anniversary Mystery shawl came out today, and I need to go wind yarn.

NFL Draft Round 1

Christmas in April -- er, I mean Draft Day-- dawned bright and sunny.   Draft Day is one of the most exciting days of the football year.  You just never know what might happen...

 In round 1, Dallas had the 14th pick, so I wasn't really paying all that close attention in the early picks. I was watching the draft on NFL.com, while watching Big Bang Theory on TV.

Anyway, I wasn't paying that close of attention-- just glancing over every now and again to see who the picks were. Andrew Luck went to the Colts, as expected. RGIII went to the Redskins, again as expected. The Vikings traded the third pick to the Browns, who took Trent Richardson. And so on.

The Rams had the sixth pick, and Mike Mayock was droning on and on in that supremely annoying voice he has, when suddenly...

Suddenly I saw the Rams icon change to the familiar blue star.

That got my attention.  Jerry had traded up to the sixth pick.  Something big was going to happen.  I heard someone say, "Morris Claiborn is still out there."  Morris Claiborne?  Could it be? 

Barely able to breath, I silently plead, "Meaux Claiborne... Meaux Claiborne..." and then, Roger Goodell walked to the podium and 




 "Yes!" I shouted, jumping straight up out of my chair.  And Jesse ran and hid behind the bed, and Rylea rolled over and asked, "Is it football season again already?"

And Mama cried tears of joy....

And Giants fans showed their true class once again.  

Draft Day.  It is the most exciting day of the off season.

You just never know what might happen.  

Dear CoWorker

I can greatly sympathize with your frustration in being unable to find a man.  In order to facilitate your search, let me suggest that you do something about that string of spit that is constantly connecting your bottom lip to your top lip when you talk.

It really is a turn off. 

Seriously.

Thank you.

That is all.

Wow

Just wow.

Life!

My little flower bed is showing signs of life!

These are some of the mixed wildflower seeds, so I have no idea what it is going to be.

In the meantime, I go out there every day and stand over it shouting, "GROW FASTER!"  Somehow, I don't think that's the best gardening technique.