I'm still around. I just haven't posted recently. I've been VERY busy in the garden. This is the time for dividing/transplanting and re-working, and I'm trying to get everything done before Oct. 1st.
I haven't taken many pics recently. While there is still plenty of color, there hasn't been much picture-worthy. Now that my grasses are all in bloom, and fall colors will be starting up soon, I'll get back out there with my camera.
Plus, Halloween is coming!(hence the reason I need to be done with the above by Oct. 1st)My wife and I REALLY enjoy this holiday and plan on going shopping this weekend for some new stuff.

I'm also a regular here. My excuse is the company consumes most of my time and DH has been ill.

I pop in to read posts and usually take a moment to guess Lucia's daily trivia.

It nice to see many new faces. I'm sure the regulars will be back as fall/winter approaches.

Ed-

Long time reader, sometimes poster here. Always enjoy reading posts, seeing everyones beautiful pictures and getting great ideas!

4 kids, my own business, life in general keep me away at times. Always glad to check in and see old time regulars still here!

Janna

Well I am a sometime poster too, and have been missing all the action that is normally here. I've dug and divided a lot in my main garden preparing for the winter; this is the first time I've divided many of the plants (garden is 3 1/2 years old) so I'll be nervously watching next spring to see if everything made it.

I read regularly and post occasionally. I am soooo far behind on the things I needed to do to my HOUSE this year that I've really got to get moving on house stuff.

And now I am feeling a bit discombobulated. A few months ago, I had applied for a job in Oregon,not really thinking I'd be in the running. Two weeks ago I learned I made the first cut. gulp. Then I made the second cut. double gulp. If the job is offered, I'll probably take it, though I have no idea how to deal with my little cottage that is livable but not rentable, move cross-country in the late fall with two cats and an oversize beagle, and try to find a place to live in with same. With a garden, of course.

Life does this sort of thing: makes you make decisions, ready or not. I'm not ready yet! I think I'm in shock! I guess the only thing to do is keep working on the house, and see what happens.

Dayle Ann

Yup I'm still here but mostly reading posts too! I just started back to school at a brand new school for me. I'm a school nurse and I went from a small elementary school to one with almost 900... 5th and 6th graders. So every day when I get home I am so pooped I just sit at the computer and read the posts! My garden still has a lot of color and I am gathering seeds for the seed swap, Most of what I get done happens on the weekend now though. This is such a great forum with such fun people. I think Fall is just a really busy time for most folks!

Thanks for shaking my tree, Haziemoon. My apologies for being so out of touch with all of you. Getting past my mother's death has been a lot harder than I anticipated. There for a while, I lost interest in just about everything. When I got back from Florida, my garden was decimated from the horrible heat wave we had in July. Brian has done a good job of keeping things alive, but it definitely needs attention. I just haven't had the energy or inclination to garden. I've gone through the August gardening doldrums before, but never like this. I haven't really beat myself up about it though. I've given myself a break.

All this has just now started to change. Brian threw me a kickin' birthday bash last weekend. It really raised my spirits. Plus the garden has started coming back to life with my late summer bloomers. I got the Annie's fall catalog in the mail yesterday which sent a little zing through me. And best of all...Brian's folks bought me a Mantis for my birthday! All of this coupled with the fact that Brian has finished the fence and arbor (turned out incredible!) has me ready to get back out there.

I'm ready to start preparing the soil in the front yard in anticipation of planting. I can get a lot of things in the ground this time of year. I'm putting in some roses for sure as well as spring blooming perennials. I'm still in the planning stage, but it has so much potential! I'm also gearing up to place a huge order of bulbs to chill for December planting.

So, I'm getting back in the swing of things. I also just realized how much I've missed the CG. It doesn't get much more therpeutic than this.

Warmly,

Steven

OH Hazie - I am can't access at work anymore - which means I've lost my High-speed access. That means that coming into the forum takes F_O_R_E_V_E_R!!!

Very busy with the house right now - I've taken my house off of the market, as my realtor and I have reached the end of our contract. It will go back on the block next spring, but it's just too exhausting to keep up now that the cooler weather is here.

So, still here, just can't do as much(OK, I could but I don't have THAT much patience).

I'm hoping that I can get high-speed at home soon.....fingers crossed!!!

Take care All.

Steven,

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. My deepest sympathies.

Haziemoon, the forum certainly has been quiet. I pop in here every once in awhile (hanging out in the photography forum) and miss seeing the photos posted.

Summer is coming to an end and I'm kinda down about it but then there's Halloween which I look forward to....

Steven, I'm glad to see you're posting again, and I hope you continue your garden therapy.

I haven't been around as much b/c our internet connection at home has been on the fritz, and I haven't had much time at work to play online.

Plus, school has started, along with soccer season, Girl Scouts, etc etc etc. It's really sad that my 8 year old has more of a social life than me (or that all my friends are really just her friends' moms)!

Lastly, we're in the middle of horse sales, so work is incredibly busy. If you want to see what it's like, go to www.keeneland.com, and go to "sales." If it's between the hours of 10am-5pm you can watch the sales live on streaming video. Or, you can just click on the link below to see the video replay of the yearling that sold for $11 million and change last week.

That's right....$11 MILLION. Pretty sad, isn't it?

--Broody

Here is a link that might be useful: Wanna see what an EXPENSIVE horse?

I tried brightening things up on here for a couple weeks to no avail so I have been just hitting highlights. Not much coming through that I know anything about. I added another class to my teaching schedule this year and do not intend to let things get as out of hand as I did last fall. Plus my allergies are at an all time worst so I cannot go outside and am in too much a stupor to really care. My cardinal climber is blooming though : ) And I have spring seeds sown. Waiting for the rain...

I'm so glad to see all you guys chime in!
The cottage has felt pretty empty lately.

Steven glad to hear you are alright. I'm so sorry you had to
go through this. I'm glad you are feeling excited about something again. Show us some before and after pics of your new project. Good to have you back!

It was great to hear from all of you, hope to see you around more.

Haziemoon

Glad to see you back Steven! I hope you enjoy the Mantis, they seem easy to handle.

I hardly ever post on this side since I usually don't have anything constructive to add. Who am I to give advice when my garden is a shambles? : )

I'm just now getting back out in the yard, I give up when the heat and humidity rise. Unfortunately, we went from hot and humid to rainy and chilly quickly this year, so my window of opportunity is looking more like a pet door every day. I still have one long bed that needs to be ripped apart and I just can't seem to get motivated. I suppose I'll be feeling frantic when all my new bush cherries arrive.

Last week we had a visitor and this week Johnny has been in Florida visiting relatives, so I've been in the kitchen trying out new-to-me cake recipes. The neighbors are beginning to look leery when I leave the house, most of them have been forced into being taste-testers. But at least I'll have plenty of cake to give out at the block party this weekend...if Paula Deen doesn't make my heart stop with all the butter & eggs she calls for.

One more day before I have to clean the house again... ; )

i don't know about winding down any, i think i am speeding up!with this summer being so hot and the bugs eating half of everything,the last few cool weeks i have enjoyed my garden more.and i just can't pass up a clearence sale.so i have alot of things that are just going in the soil, not to mention the bushel of bulbs i have picked up this month.the weather is cool but i still have tons of dirt ground into my knees !

hi! long time reader, somewhat frequent poster here who has been MIA for about 6 months due to Grave's disease. my garden has been a heart-ache this year because i haven't been able to tend to it at all (and this was supposed to be the year my garden exceeded my dreams!! ) i'm looking forward to next year's garden and plan on spending lots of time here again getting ideas and inspiration from all of you.

hope everyone had a great summer and glorious gardens!

jiggreen

I'm here and I read faithfully, but I am not a cottage gardener YET, and not one of the regular posters, either.

My cottage garden space is now holding about a million Golden Guardian marigolds which grow into a vibrant green hedge with orange flowers. Cottagy it isn't, but it looks very nice, if boring, compared to the other flowers and foliage in my garden which turn brown this time of year.

I won a small turf war wtih dh and made a 1/2 lasagne bed out of my winnings. It's cardboard with horse manure on it until the leaves start falling or my hot compost pile cools down, whichever comes first. It will be the perfect place to put my wintersown jugs, but dh will *not* be happy with the White Trash Winter I am planning!

I have enough seeds now, but as soon as the catalogs come out, my "French Marigold - Orange" will not be good enough and I'll need a named variety instead. 'Jewel Mix' Nasturtiums will give way to 'Carribbean Cocktail Mix' and so on, and so on.....

Right now I am thinking of two big projects I don't have the stamina (or money) for: One is to remove all the English Ivy in my backyard...over 50 year's worth. The other is to make a really solid arbor. I go back and forth between a wood one or a wrought iron one.

The English Ivy is a host for white fly. It needs to go, but it is such a big job just keeping it TRIMMED that I'm not sure I can dig it out. If I take it out, I'd need to replace it with something...just to keep the weeds down if nothing else. Naturally it's growing in shade, so it's not like I can have a bunch of pretty flowers (which would motivate me). The ground is wonderful texture and (presumably) fertility, but it is also uneven and low & needs to have about 10 yards of soil added. Then the soil needs to be graded...not up for that, either. LOL! I'd love to win a little lottery and hire the whole thing out!

So mostly I've been thinking and not doing, Hazie. Trying to figure out which seeds I need to start first and stuff like that.

Lime

I'm here, checking several times a day. My garden is slowing down and so are the forums :( I'm gradually winding the garden down for the season... pulling up the spent annuals, tidying up, I've transplanted a few shrubs (early... I hope they make it). Yesterday I lost a bunch of rose canes in a windstorm, so today I was out there tying the rest of them in so I don't lose any more. Ordering seeds for winter sowing, planning next year's garden, but also getting ready to switch gears to my indoor, winter hobbies. Transition time.

I come to this forum often, post occasionally. My garden has been hit by a very severe hot summer this year, nothing much bloomed as it was just too hot (in the triple digits more than usual--record breaking!). Now plants are coming out of 'survival mode', thank goodness. Salvias are blooming, and roses are putting on new growth and buds, yay! Temps are cooler now thank gosh, and I'm coming out to play in the dirt for a bit while its comfortable. My back has been bothering me so can't do too much w/o paying for it dearly-- have to pace myself now that the big 50 is looming... Starting to sound crotchety, oh my.

Cheers & Happy Fall to all of you good people!

-Becky

Hi, I'm here. I check CG everyday (at work! Quiet please!) but I don't have much to contribute. However, being on this side of the planet, I'm not affected by the element so here're some pics of my plants.

First my white anthurium
{{gwi:746721}}

Then, my bromeliad
{{gwi:435554}}

My lipstick plant
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My Christmas/Thanksgiving cactus
{{gwi:112363}}

{{gwi:746726}}

And a vine whose name I don't know
{{gwi:746730}}

Finally, my ever-blooming AVs
{{gwi:746733}}

{{gwi:746737}}

{{gwi:746741}}

{{gwi:746745}}

Thanks for looking

Ha Xuan

HaXuan those are beautiful!
You need to try to do our seed swap.
Put them in a box, instead of a bubble envelope. Tell them it's clothes or something, if they ask!

Haziemoon

I still live and breathe!!!

Thanks Hazie for getting me off my ahem.
I've noticed the same theme running through all these responses. The weather really beat us up this year.
Both my veggies and my flowers took a hit so the pictures were not very pretty.

It's so nice hearing from everyone..kind of like a reunion!!!!
Dayle Ann...I give you points for spelling discombobulated!!!! What a great word, it says it all.
Broody...What horse farm are you working for. I'd be afraid to have so much money riding on 4 little legs.
Edna...Hope DH is better.
Steven...Happy Birthday and woohoo, a mantis. We got ours this summer. I'll post pictures of us welcoming it to our home. I had too much time on my hands that day.
Eduarda...Anymore pictures of Timmy on the beach?

Happy Fall everyone.
georgeanne

P.S. This is so off the wall...I'm at work and the Laughing Club that meets on Sat. mornings is now warming up by laughing to the theme of Bonanza. hooookay.

Broody - I want your job :-) *BEAUTIFUL* horse.

georich5 - we'll know in a few months if DH will be okay. He's on some pretty heavy med's that make him ill. Worst part is I've had to learn to give him injections, needles give me the shivers.

Steven - I would be concerned for you if you weren't still mourning. I don't think anyone gets over the loss of a mother, it's just becomes more tolerable as days go by. The grieving process takes many forms and a rollercoaster of emotions. It seems as though your feeling them all and that is healthy. Thank God you have a wonderful partner who supports you. We have to get together one of these days at Annie's. Are you going to the fall bash? I'll be there.

dayleann - All the best wishes in your possibly new venture. Oregon is a beautiful state and homes are reasonably priced compared to other states *no sales tax*. I have a friend who is selling his home in Cottage Grove, Oregon. HUGE acreage, big home plus barn & dog kennels. He raises Wirehair Pointing Griffons. He's wanting to move to Nevada to be closer to his grandkids.

Kent - you always have something worthwhile to say. I love your sense of humor.

Debbie - Thank you for trying to brighten things up. I always look forward to your posts.

jiggreen - My prayers are with you.

Still MIA is Diana, Gramma Jan, Niki, Hawthorn and PianoLady

Hello all. I am a regular who posts sometimes but not a lot. This has been a busy and hot and dry summer here. I had surgery on 8/7 and am getting strength back so I am looking forward to a busy fall.

Steven, so sorry about your mother. I know the feeling....when my mom died 4 years ago I was a big quilter and sewed all the time...but lost all interest and haven't touched a sewing machine or a quilt block since then but just now am getting interested again. I am jealous of your new birthday present! I want one!

Dayle Ann, I envy your independence and bravery to even think of moving across country to a new job!

DancesWithWolves, I am sorry your husband is ill...I don't know what I would do without mine if he ever got sick! I hope yours recovers quickly!

Hazimoon, great thread! Thanks for posting it...we are getting to learn what everyone is or isn't doing! LOL.

Nanahanna

Edna, I'm so sorry DH is ill. My prayers for you and your hubby.

I am still battling with the slowest internet connection known to man, and I'm on the "Accellerated" system!! So I do come and visit but I don't post because just signing in to GW can take me like, 3 minutes! Forget trying to download more than one photograph at a time in a thread. That takes a lifetime, it seems.

Now that cooler weather is here, I'm busy in the garden - selling plants with my church group (and doing much more volunteer work there than ever!), collecting drying and packaging seeds for my own little seed company, and getting together my public speaking materials and demos for the local winter gardening clubs.
We're also slowly (even slower than internet connection!!) gearing up for massive renovations. I think we are starting piece by piece in two weeks...so I'll be spending much more time shuffling around household belongings from room to room. Blech.

I still secretly check in to "see you all". I'm glad you are beginning to bounce back, dear Stephen.

GGG

Tenderheart(Val) is missing as well,where are you our little pink patootie??? M

Hey everyone, I don't post often but I'm always here taking a look see at what everyone else is doing. This is a great thread, its been fun reading...thanks Hazie. I've been busy in the garden cutting back and clearing out. Moved several things around (which I am always doing) and I'm excited that 2 of my clematis are reblooming. I also started a corkscrew vine from seed this spring and it is beginning to bloom!! I will try to get a picture and post at the gallery. Best wishes to everyone...Vikki

I too check the Cottage & Container forums everyday and sometimes 2 or 3 times....I have some '06 pics I would like to post, just don't know which forum gallery to post in. I do like Cottage side so well.

The Cottage has always been the real busy forum, but I am a Container gardener as we have hardly any yard. However
summer '05 I found a spot about 8' by 16' to start a cottage garden. Did not do my homework very well and it
has not looked like much, and it faces the street too. Not proud of that project, so I am back to the drawing board.

I like the GW so much, been Container Gardening for 3 yrs now and have learned so much from this GW site.

Will get some pictures posted real soon. Shirley

Edna... I'm sorry to hear that your DH has been ill. I hope he will recover soon.

Ha Xuan

Hazie

Look at you gatherin the troops! I fall victim to the same lulls each year- it gets too hot or the wasps chase me insdie at the end of summer. haha
Now that fall is upon us though, we will be discussing moving things aroudn and planting new spring bulbs and all that good stuff.

Miss preggo here wants to do it all - and I still can- but waht happens is I will exhaust myself in the garden and cant get anythign else done the rest of the day! so instead of doing little bits at a time ofcourse i do nothing. ha!
bad bad bad

But I am sure we will all be madly collecting seeds and chatting fall garden stuff soon!

You are so good hazie for getting us all back on track. :)
xxox

I am sorry to hear about your mom Steven. very sorry. I am glad to see Brian is takign such good care of you.
Edna, I am sorry to here about your hubby too! I will keep him in my prayers!

meanwhilw, enjoy fall everyone.

You know what cracks me up about this question? I found myself wondering, "Am I a regular? Do people know when I post or don't post??" From now on, maybe I'll just start thinking of myself as a regular! I love this forum. Have really been happy that this year, I have made strides in keeping my garden going into September and October. Still have quite a few things blooming- in no small part to all the advice I get here.

Hazie ~ Thanks for starting this thread. I think I'm a regular. I've been visiting a couple of different forums lately, Smaller Homes, Fla Gardening, Butterfly Gardening, plus one on gingers since I just got a couple of different ones.

Eduarda ~ I just thought of you the other day, realizing I hadn't seen you in here in quite some time. Haven't seen Patchoulie-Julie either and some of the other oldies that used to be here all the time. It's sad. I'd love to see some pictures from your garden over the summer. I think of you when I see my rose 'Phyllis Bide'.

Gardening never winds down here in s.e. FL. It gets miserably hot and humid and things just keep growing so you have to get out and work as early as possible and stop around 10.

DH enclosed our polebarn after Wilma knocked it off plumb by about three inches, and now he's starting to restore the shed that a pine tree crunched down into from Wilma's fury also. We still have fencing around the property to replace, but we want to use 6"x6"x8' posts this time, and fencing and posts take $ and unfortunately that doesn't grow as fast as weeds do. We are doing things a little at a time and making forward progress and that feels good.

We just saw our first hummingbird in years feeding at the Firebush, Hemalia patens, that I can see when I wash dishes. I was thrilled. Looking forward to attracting more of these little flying jewels.

I'm getting ready to plant seeds for fall/winter/spring growing here. This is the best time of year for us to work outside in the gardens and on projects.

We also took a week vacation to the NC mountains and that was fantastic. My boss had given me a week in a cabin up there in appreciation for my 9+ years working for him. DH and I had a wonderful time and it was hard getting out of vacation mode once we got back home.

It's nice to see everyone post a little something.

Steven, it takes time to grieve, not something that can be over with quickly. It sounds like Brian gave you a nice bday and the mantis will be a great tool for you. Let's see some pics of the fencing and arbor Brian worked on.

Tracey ~ I can just imagine how busy you are right now, with only three days until the wedding. Love and hugs for you on your day.

Marilyn ~ Glad your temps have dropped and that you've gotten some much needed rain.

Mr. Morton ~ Your gardens are always inspiring to see. Looking forward to Halloween pictures of your place.

Edna ~ I'm so sorry that your DH is ill. Keep up your strength, by getting rest when you can so that you can care for both of you. Hope your DH will soon be well.

Dayle Ann ~ Wow, congrats on the new developement in your life. Do keep us posted.

BroodyJen ~ Your life sounds busy and exciting. It's amazing that someone will pay that kind of $ for a horse.

Kent ~ What kinds of cakes did you make? Have fun at your block party.

Ha Xuan ~ Love your pictures from your part of the world. Very pretty. Your AVs are lovely. I've never had luck with them.

Georgeanne ~ That's a great way to look at this thread, a re-union of sorts, and it feels good hearing from everyone.

Nana ~ Hope you are healing nicely from your surgery. Just take one day at a time.

GGG ~ Your own seed co. Keep us posted. It sounds like you are going to be really busy with the house remodeling projects. We still aren't finished yet ourselves. Just try to keep a sense of humor, take breaks, and pretty soon it will be all done and you can sit back and enjoy.

Vikki ~ How neat to have gotten a corkscrew vine to bloom from planting a seed. Those are some lovely flowers.

Friend ~ If I read your post correctly there is a little one coming to your family? Just take care of yourself and don't work too hard.

To everyone else, regular, newbie, or sometime posters, thanks for all your input here. We all have things going on in our lives that need our attention, or just keep us busier at different times. Our gardens grow from good to bad. Life hands us lemons and we need to remember to make lemonade at other times. Each day is a gift, lets enjoy those gifts.

Friendships are gifts too, to be enjoyed and nurtured, just like our gardens.

FlowerLady

'What kind of cakes did you make?'

I made several types of pound cake, but wasn't thrilled, so I foisted those off on neighbors. Then I made a 'Tunnel of Fudge' cake (that I refused to give ANY of to a dieting friend of mine), that was too sweet and really needed balancing. I was thinking maybe a bitter-sweet ganache, or some spices. Anyway, that cake ended up at my mom's office.

So, I fell back on my favorite chocolate cake recipe (Chocolate Cavity Maker), which is super easy to make. I added a coffee-liquor glaze for taste and appearance. And, I took a chocolate cherry cake (with bourbon glaze, it started life as a different cake, but that recipe seemed boring, so I altered it), a Grand Marnier cake, and a spice cake with just a bit of bourbon in it. Can you sense a theme?

I ended up with enough cake to feed a village, so several containers found their way to friends and whatever wasn't eaten at the party got donated to the local Rescue Mission along with all the other food.

The party was fun, the food was fabulous, and the weather was nice. What more could you ask for?
-----------

3Orangeboys, your post cracked me up! I think you're a regular, you're here plenty often enough.

Hmmm, the Cottage Forum Irregulars has a certain ring...

Here is a link that might be useful: Chocolate Cavity Maker, you know you want it

Hello to ALL!!! I've been an "irregular" regular lately. Still busy with home renovations up here in the high country of So.Ca. The kitchen is gutted and my laundry room is now frozen food/takeout central. The grill is getting a bit more use, too. But I missed making my first of fall apple pie. Hmmm . . . do ya think I could cook one on the grill? lol!

My gardens are doing great and it's a good thing because I've basically ignored them since about May. I was telling a friend earlier today that they actually look better without my fussing over them. I'm not sure I like knowing they'll survive without my motherly touch but I'll just have to suck it up and move on, knowing they'll appreciate a heaping dose of compost in a month or so.

I'm shoulder deep in quilting projects, too. And I bought another sewing machine. I know, I know, I didn't need another one. But I was feeling sorry for my kitchenless self. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! : )

Kent, you really know how to get to a chocolate lover, don't you?! And here I am without an oven. How about you slip a slice in the mail to me? : )

(((Edana))) - hope DH is better soon!!!

Georgeanne and Marilyn - I have only two words for you - OCT. 4th!!!!!!

Tracy - hope your wedding day is all you dreamed it would be! I'll be thinking of you and Mike Sat. evening and wishing I was there to see you two exchange vows. But I know it's going to be lovely. Can't wait for the pics!!!

Bear Hugs to all of you! I'll try to check in more often.

Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen NOT!

Hazie,

Thanks again for giving us all the chance to check in.

Diana...loved the pictures of your urban renewal. I'll bake a pie and mark it with "D" for you. By the way, I've heard that (ahem) a little fiber in your diet will help that irregularity problem.

OK! Now for the serious stuff. Are Marilyn, Diana, and I the only ones who know what they are doing on OCT. 4TH????

georgeanne

Thank you all for the well wishes for DH. It's been a rough few months.

Please do tell, what's going on Oct 4th?

Diana - love the pictures. The kitchen is going to be beautiful. Love the picture of kitty trying to help :-)

Still have some people MIA. Warm wishes to Tender, Nicki, Hawthorn, and GrammaJan.

Ed-

There's a new sheriff in town! : )

Here is a link that might be useful: Oh yeah!!!

Diana, you crack me up, LOL! Is he your new kitchen cum garden help? ;-) Nice to see you back, I was wondering what quilting projects you have under way now.

Georgeanne, I have indeed a couple of pics of Timmy at the beach. Need to load my favorite into photobucket to post here.

Flowerlady, I'm waiting for the Fall colors to settle a bit more to take a few pics of the garden. Can't hurry Mother Nature, who is taking her sweet time to settle into Fall mood this year.

As for the ones still MIA, I think Nicki is currently on holidays, so I hope she returns soon. I don't know about the others, though, let's hope they're all doing fine.

Eduarda

Hey, it sure is nice to hear a bit from all of you and find out a little "behind the garden scene", as it were. Makes me want to get together with all of you over a cup of morning coffee (or tea or whatever). It'd take a long, long message to capture my thoughts as I read through everyone's posts. In a way, you all ARE my coffee-klatch friends!

Thank you all for your good wishes on the job in Oregon. I didn't get the job, and though I'm disappointed, I am also relieved. I miss the West: I grew up in Oregon and raised my kids there. The best part of the job would have been it was just 2 hrs from my 88 year old aunt, and less than 4 from my daughters and grandchildren in Oregon. But not getting it takes a lot of pressure off. Now I can relax and get some work done on my house, and take care of me, too (I have to be careful about stress because I have chronic Lyme disease). So for now, this feels right.

As for my garden, it's a mess, but I am finally getting some veggies! Unbelievably, no frost yet, though the weather has been all over the place.

Out in the mountains this week working-- this year the colors are outstanding!

Dayle Ann

Diana & Georgeanne,

Don't worry I have Oct. 4th circled on my calendar! I loved the season finale, and can't wait to see where the story goes this season.

Diana,

Don't worry about your laundry room being frozen food/take out central! Heck, my kitchen often resembles that, particularly when the weather is nice.

Edna,

Hope dh gets well soon. Sending best wishes and positive thoughts your way.

Kent,

I would love to be your neighbor-taste tester! If it contains chocolate, I'm on board with it. :-)

Eduarda, Flowerlady and all hot-weather gardeners,

It's great getting ready to plant, isn't it? Enjoy the cooler weather, enjoy your fall gardening.

Georgeanne, Hazie, Friend and all,

Enjoy the fall colors! I really get nostalgic, and a bit homesick, this time of year. Nothing says Fall like the bright yellows, oranges and reds of Maple trees.

Marilyn

Hi all

I tend to be more of a reader than a poster - since I'm really still learning the ropes so to speak. I've spent the summer trying to figure out what I want to plant to create a cottage garden by reading everything that I can see and have loved all the pictures posted here and in the Far North Forum.

Broody what do you do at Keenland? I've an artistic friend who goes there to promote her art through a gallery there and she has brought back some beautiful pictures and wonderful stories of the area.

I hope that everyone who has had health issues with themselves or their loved ones have them resolved soon so that they can enjoy a beautiful autumn.

Fern

I had a reply from TenderHeart this morning, which is good as I was feeling like a troll. She's alive! Just thought some of you might want to know. ; )

Marilyn, if you were my neighbor you'd be complaining. All I ever hear is "we don't have room for any more plants/cake/etc." Sigh...

Diana, one of my chocolate rum cakes would easily last long enough to reach you!

I'm still a season behind (or two?) on Lost, I have to wait for the DVDs so I don't go insane watching it piecemeal, plus I would miss most of the televised episodes. Tell me at some point everything gets explained!

I'm here too. I read posts dailey. I just got out of the hospital again. I got some weird kind of pneumonia and am still on IV, oral and inhaled antibotics.
I am sorry that so many have or had illnesses in their lives. I fell like you are all friends of mine.
I feel like I have been very neglectful.
I talked to Patch.Julie about a month ago. She quit posting when the broohaha over pictures occured. She is really busy right now with her business.

Kent ~ That recipe sounds delicious as do all the others you hinted at. Yesterday I got into the mood to bake so made some lime sours. A flour/butter crust, baked first, then a mixture of eggs, brown sugar, coconut, lime juice, lemon peel, chopped walnuts, vanilla, a tad of baking powder, on top of the crust, then bake for another 20 minutes. Yummy, with vanilla ice cream.

Diana ~ Thanks for the kitchen renovation pictures. I remember those days when we did ours. Things were cramped and hectic for awhile, but not anymore and we love what we did. I can hardly wait to see pictures of your kitchen when it is done. Hang in there, keep a sense of humor, get plenty of rest and have fun, pretty soon it will all be over.

Edna ~ Keep us posted, and get plenty of rest and garden time for yourself, to keep your spirits up.

Eduarda ~ I understand about waiting for fall weather to get to where you are, same here. The colors definitely are better then as the flowers are not being fried. The last couple of days we've noticed a big change in the weather, cooler in the mornings and evenings. Such a welcome change.

Dayle Ann ~ Sorry to hear you didn't get the job, but glad that you are taking it in stride. Sometimes things have a way of working out even though it might not be what we had hoped for. Do take care of yourself, and enjoy each day and your home and gardens. I also enjoy this great group of friends here. It is always great to hear what is happening with all.

Marilyn ~ This morning I was out watering and just felt so thankful and so appreciative for our home and property. We have had cooler weather the past couple of days and it really makes a difference in how you feel. Has your weather cooled down anymore? Have you gotten anymore rain?

Fern ~ You will learn a lot and be inspired here. Hope to see you more often as well as the rest of the newbies and lurkers. ;-)

Kent ~ Thanks for letting us know Tenderheart is still around. Miss seeing her in here. How fortunate your neighbors are that you pass along plants and 'goodies to eat'.

(((Kathy))) ~ I'm so sorry to hear you've been ill. I hope and pray you are soon feeling much better and able to get out and enjoy your gardens. Glad to hear PatchoulieJulie is still around. What is her business? Don't go feeling like you've been neglectful, you have to get well and we understand.

FlowerLady

Fern (and others who've asked),

Right now I am working at Glennwood Farm in Versailles KY. It's my first office job, so I'm not out with the horses like I used to be. We sell some of our horses at Keeneland (and race some, too). We don't have a website (yet), or I would post a link.

It is a little scary to have such valuable animals just bopping around outside in a field. You really have to watch for holes in the ground, loose fence boards, etc. But, interestingly enough, most of the horses are insured, so if something happens to them, the owner can recover some of the loss.

But I treat them all the same, no matter how much they're worth!

Jen

I am still here too. I lurk now mostly, but still usually pop in 2-3 times a week to see what been going on.
You may recall me posting a couple months ago about being overwhelmed because I'm single and I felt like my house was falling apart....well, lots has transpired since then. My fridge no longer fills with water. Mom and I 'completely' disassembled it for the most part and found the problem. My Dad fixed my leaking kitchen sink where the tubing had seperated from the sink and water had been gushing out, and I now have a brand new roof! All the other little things on my long list are repaired too. I have wonderful parents, who came over for a weekend and we had a 'fix it' party. I'm feeling much better these days.
Gardening is winding down and I will soon be up to my eyeballs in leaf raking every weekend until the snow starts flying. I have a leaf shredder, so I dump them into the gardens as mulch and winter protection for the roses.
I wil try not to lurk as much and pipe in once in awhile!

Mindy

Mindy ~ Glad that things have smoothed out a bit for you. Life can be a bit daunting at times. Do come back and post more about your gardens/home/hobbies, etc.

FlowerLady

I'm here too....just seems like I really don't have much energy this fall. First I threw out my back for several weeks, then a week later my shoulder. Took a 5 day 2000 mile road trip which really exhausted me, and I just recently proposed a new program to teach, so am in the process of setting that up. All-in-all just busy and tired. :-)

I do pop in almost every day to see what's new, but seems to take too much energy to type a reply! Boy, I must really be getting old.

So nice to see all the replies. Glad that all of you are still "around".

Great thread, Haziemoon!
Marylu

Here I am. Had a sinus infection a few weeks ago. I don't usually take drugs but this time the doc prescribed antibiotics. HOLY COW! Those were strong. Even affected my vision for a couple of weeks.
I'm better now but weak as a kitten. Luckily, the garden carried on happily and all DH had to do was gather up the ripening tomatoes.
Lovely to see all my cottage garden friends again.

Libby

Hazie - Thanks for getting things going here. I am in upstate NY, cleaning up and getting ready for winter. We had our first frost last night, but no damage that I can see. I've prepared one lasagna garden, but need to do at least one more before snow flies.

We have an ailing dog as well who keeps us concerned.

I'm going to tell DH that for Christmas and my birthday, that next spring I want to have a stump ground and a couple of large bushes removed, in order to make mowing easier. I have too much in and out and around right now. Too much work for these aging bones. He is just getting the gist of this type of "gifts", rather than "pretties". It's been a struggle.

Lets keep in touch.

Carol

I'm sorry to hear some have been sick! Hope you get well soon- you will be in my prayers. I have been on other sites but always check here too because some of my favorites are here. I hope everyone has a wonderful fall. We have been busy with many projects and took a break to go see the leaves changing in Mass. it was beautiful up there and nice to get some hiking in. Everyone take care and I hope more of the oldies will post too.