So glad to hear that lucky found a loving home. That was a very heroic thing you did. Great recycling idea with the sink. As for my garden my papayas are still fruiting and ripening thanks to the wonderful weather we have been having. A few peppers are still alive and my collards are coming along slowly. Wishing everyone lots of success gardening in 2014.

Hi Doug and Maxine! So glad to see you!

I loved the kitty "tale" . . . and just want to say thanks for posting and catching us up to what you've been up to.

In between showers, my 6-yr-old grandson and I harvested red wigglers, then cut back all the lettuce that accidently got spray-paint drift.

Over the holidays I joined a Round Robin and got tons of new seeds~ and thanks to wonderful gardeners, I got lots of different kinds of lettuce, so I should have a nice salad crop someday.

Happy Gardening in '14 . . .

Susie

This was a year of patience paying off: I have some mangoes growing, dombeya blooming, and some orchids flowering for their second season. My loquat is flowering for the first time. A good year...

Doug, what a great story saving the kitty! I am so glad to know that he has a home now.
You are so creative! that sink looks perfect and is going to be very helpful for you. Just this morning I was washing carrots to give away and I had to clean outside with the hose and finish in the kitchen sink.
Your peppers always look good, I still have the scotch bonnet from you and producing in my garden.
Today I will be burning sage, copal, allspice and others herbs....

To all I wish you a very wonderful and productive gardening year!

Silvia

That was such a wonderful story, great way to end a year. My year ending is not as cute as yours, but I do have a few nice blooms.

How beautiful. What are they?

Hiya Maxine.....good to hear from you....Are you planning any Hotter peppers this year ?

Thanks Susie......What do you 'make' with the worms :-)

Wow Dawn.....what a flower spike......is that a Tibouchina ?
I've never seen a display like that. The Bees are loving the Loquat right now......

Hey Silvia.....Thanks.....how's Blind Dog doing ?

I re-gifted your "Lasagna Gardening" book to a garden buddy..... He grows in Sand with Sevin.....I'm trying to change his ways.

I'm happy with the sink......also nice with the smoker/BBQ nearby...

I'll burn some Herb tonight ................

10, 9, 8.............

Good morning Doug

The blind dog that we named Merlin looks like he has 7 lives like the cats.:) After he was adopted, the new parent had to take him to the emergency room, he had kidney stones and they operated 2 weeks ago. Monday we picked him up and he is recovering with us during the day, nights and weekends he goes to his new home. Last weekend he took him to Gainsville and I noticed yesterday that he was lethargic, not his usual self, we found a tick and did the best to remove it and took him to the vet again. Today he is doing great.

He is working in the garden today

And yes books and magazines are perfect for re-gifting and next time that I see you I have the perfect book for you that I got when I went to Monticello...

Don't forget the herbs to bring in the happy new year! I am adding cedar and some bark from the Amazon today...

Silvia

Silvia
I hate to break it to ya, but you don't add bark by putting your dog in the garden!

Love ya and can't wait to see ya agin!

Susie

Wonderful pets and rescued animals seem to go hand in hand with gardening. My Itty Bitty Kitty is the love of my life, not a great gardening helper, but amusing when he tries to chase lizards. We found him after Hurricane Charlie, stuck in an area between 2 fences. The flower spike is a Tibouchina, but the leaves are large and fuzzy, very easy to propagate, too. I have to give it a trim after it blooms and will have some to share.

Hi Susie, lol about the bark. Very happy 2014 to you! hope to see you at the spring party and all the garden friends also.
I am starting the new year with sea island red peas, Carolina gold rice grits from the farm, greens and tomatoes from my garden. I will be toasting with Meyer lemon lemonade, count my blessings and be thankful.

Red cloak is blooming, thank you Mark

Silvia

Dawn, I can't seem to find a spot in my yard that the same fuzzy Tibouchina will like. It burned everywhere the sun touched it. I put it in shade and it got leggy and pale. Any tips?

I put it getting part shade facing east/west. It gets some morning sun, then late afternoon sun. Sorry to hear it is misbehaving. Haven't heard from you in awhile, must be busy gardening!

That's exactly where mine is, but it's unhappy. Bummer.
I wish I'd been busy gardening. This was a strange summer weather-wise and pest-wise. I just tore out a ton of plants due to ants (as you'll see in my comment on another post).
At this point, I'm seriously thinking about getting rid of almost everything and starting over. I'm overwhelmed with various issues.