It's a 2005 acura. Not fancy. But OMG how wonderful to sit on a warm seat, especially when you have artificial hips. You don't notice they hurt until they warm up with that heater. One of the best things about that car.

Carpet's been marked twice now.

He's supposed to go to rehab because he's weak. He couldn't get out of bed on the weekend. I don't get it, but I'm guessing he's feeling better since he can walk now. But he really can't go home, Mom can't help him, my sister is not strong either. I don't know what will happen. Mom can't walk to his room to visit him. We put her in a wheelchair and took her up there today.

Weird stuff just happened to my post

Oh, Amy. I get it now. Prayers for you all, and for my Mom, too. This is so hard, isn't it! And we thought child-rearing was tough.

Yeah, floor covering is an expensive pain. Our kitchen/

Yes, car seat heaters, and they're really nice in Mpls, too. I was asking GDW how to fix car seat heaters today. He actually had the approach figured out, but has never had to do it. But would entail re-upholstering seats, too, most likely, where you'd need a hubby who actually could do the fixing and then one of the partners to be able to do the re-upholstering. Sounds formidable to me!

You know he worked at American as an aircraft mechanic in various positions for 20 yrs. That explains how if something can be fixed, he can fix it. You know what's funny. When I was a young adult (not a teenager who wanted to marry a doctor or lawyer), I figured out, what I REALLY want in a husband is for him to be a carpenter or a good car mechanic! Then when I gave birth to two sons, I prayed that one of them might turn out to be a good carpenter or mechanic. Well. Now I have a passable carpenter and a mechanic I'd trust ANYTHING to. Funny funny funny. Thank you, GOD! LOL. And a capable tree-cutter-downer! And an enthusiastic partner in gardening. Oh, how COULD life get any better--oh, and he loves God and likes to study and learn, and his take on it echoes my own. Well, there ya go. What's not to love about the guy--oh, but there is one more thing to love about him. I love fires in the fireplace of course. He did not. Formerly in his life, a wife insisted on fires in the fireplace. And when there was no firewood, firewood had to be bought. And then hauled in. And then the fireplace had to be cleaned. It seemed to me that GDW did NOT like fires in the fireplace. And I told you all that we didn't use the fireplace much, in fact, and had been giving firewood away. I certainly hadn't asked him to use it, feeling he hated it. So when he decided to clean out the blowers (and I was mistaken, yes, he'd had the blowers going the first 4 years here, he just figured they were so filthy, they needed to be cleaned), and see if they'd work, today, my mind was boggled. Well, it took him all day, but at 7 pm, he told me any time I wanted a fire, he was fine with doing it. I said. . . "Well, we have more firewood than we'll ever use right now. COULD save us some money, right? Let's try the blowers out, if you want." He promptly got some firewood moved up here to the deck in the wheelbarrow and we started it up. Those blowers came on, and oh my--heaven. He confessed that what prompted him was that we have all that firewood stacked up in the yard. And realized that it was silly to give it away if we could cut down on the electric bill. The only thing he resented about the fireplace was when he had to BUY the firewood. Okay, one more reason I love the guy. It is SO cozy and warm in the house, even passably so in the art room, garage, and back master bedroom. My feet AREN'T cold!!! I'm happy!

Lest you think I'm just a silly newly wed. . . Well, guess I am kind of (3 years now), Thing is, our difficult years were 50 years ago. Guess we worked the kinks out, eh? Life is a funny ole possum.

Have been multi-tasking. . . isn't working well. I have been entranced doing researches on all the odd-ball seeds Jen sent for the seed swap; watching a TV series I'm starting to like (Good Wives), corresponding via email with far-away friends, and FB and here. The two main contenders this evening have been the series and seed researches. What is with the New England asters!!! That sounds like a plant doomed for OK! LOL. . .

AND HJ, you thought YOU were rambling. If I'm good at nothing else, I'm good at rambling! I love your ramblings!

I like all the ramblings they are the best. Sometimes I type out long rambling nonsense and then think Oh Lordy no one wants to hear that mess lol so I delete it.
I have been packing sorting purging stuff and doing all the good and then a seed cat comes in the mail. Or I decide I need to work on farm plan.
So far
There are 80 acres total transitioning. 70 acres are planted in various cover crops. each of the 10 acres are a zone with a subirrigation drip. Drips lines are 80" apart. Each 10 is a rectangle. my section for vegetables will be surrounded by cover crop zones as a dust barrier and windbreak (haygrazer apparently gets 12' fast). This will be the zone I use year after year to build the soil. So I must plan for family rotation. I told my new boss its a good thing I knew you all otherwise we might get into trouble. She knows nothing about families. They mostly know cotton and she has a dream so here we go. Part of 10 will be mulch compost crops. I basically have 72 800 ft rows. Between crops will be tilled with tractor, not my favorite but for now it works. They also have a ............
Flameweeder! Cant wait to figure that out. So rows will be hand hoed or plastic. Tomatoes have great system already. They get planted in red plastic , individual cages and wrapped in clear plastic. Cages are stabilized by wire. her tomato production last year was phenomenal.
I have 4 wheeler and large trailer to haul crops out to process and load for market/delivery. There is lots of help available and family works to earn free food lol. Me too will work for food.
You all may not know but at one time I was without a home. Not like city homeless people but we lived in our van. I would have given anything to have quality food. We ate beans and bananas and bread for so long it was terrible. To this day my 2 oldest will not eat beans. It was only several weeks but it significantly impacted me. coming from a wealthy home I had no clue. Any way I wont ever mind working for food, shelter etc. In essence that is what we all do no matter what type lifestyle we have. Corporate trades time for money for food. I kinda cut out the middle man lol.

I so enjoy what I do and look forward to learning and doing what I love bigger and better.
Nancy I must say you give me hope that someday I could have a healthy fun marriage. I am so happy for you two. It reminds me of a friend in MN. She met her love after being single 45 years. So sweet.

HJ allow yourself some grace to do what you want ,be selfish, sleep extra, whatever it takes.
My birthday marks one year since my dear mentor friend passed and I guarantee I am going to do exactly what I want this year.
Dawn a sweet yellow cat showed up here crying and hungry. I immediately thought of you and how generous you are with your strays. I told her that Sophie might try to eat her so she needed to be aware of that before she decides if she wants to stay here. I chained Sophie up so at least the skinny thing could get a meal. Soph was not impressed but she acted more like she wanted to play than eat it. She is probably lonely with oreos gone. Me too.

Water has not froze up so it did not get too cold yet. It is getting hard to keep feet warm tho, like walking on a block of ice lol

Amy, I'm sorry about your dad. He is at such a delicate stage in life, health-wise, and I'm sure the folks at the hospital just want to use rehab to help him gain strength and improve his mobility because that's so important at his age. Hopefully he'll be able to come home soon. It could be something relatively simple making him weak---like dehydration or at least low levels of some electrolytes like magnesium/potassium. As we get older, I don't think our bodies process or absorb electrolytes as well as they did when we were younger.

Nancy, Poppy seeds are just that way---they are rebels. Luckily you probably have tons of the tiny things. Mine reseed all over, so once you get them growing, you'll have them forever, which I think is a good thing.

Yes, why do we do this to ourselves? I have found that most people who love growing plants also love animals, so we just try to find ways to have them both. Animals can be hard on a garden, or even on potted plants, but I wouldn't want a home with no pets even though it means that some plants have, um, difficulties surviving.

I'm glad Garry got the blowers fixed. With cold weather in place now, having the blowers working might come in handy.

We have heated seats in our VFD's Fire Rehab suburban. Our guys saved their money for years and searched high and low for a cheap, old, but well-maintained suburban for us to use to haul food and drinks to fires. When they found this one in OKC, went and bought it and brought it home, they were more excited than we were. They had such a ball fixing it up, getting it painted, etc. and raved about all its wonderful features, including the heated seats. Fran and I weren't nearly as excited as they were----we just wanted something that would run, so to us, the heated seats seemed like a silly luxury that we didn't think we needed. Guess what? They are wonderful. Sometimes we are out in strong, cold wind for hours and hours and climbing into the suburban and sitting on those heated seats help thaw us out enough to go back out into the cold. Of course, being a very old suburban it seems like it has a mind of its own. I'd swear that this summer the heated seats kept turning themselves on when the last thing we needed at a hot summer fire was more heat, and we couldn't turn them off. It was good for a laugh anyhow.

Jennifer, It felt like the flu and hung on for a good two or two and a half weeks, but I didn't have fever or chills. A friend of ours had the same thing but his hung on for a month. The folks we know with the flu have the same exact symptoms and it is hanging on forever, and some of them have had fever/chills and some haven't. So, who knows? Maybe those of us who didn't have fever/chills have had this strain of the flu before and have enough immunity that our body didn't react real strongly with fever and chills, but we're just speculating about that. Regardless, I'm glad it is gone. It seems odd that OK is one of the first states to have widespread flu this year, but maybe that means that, as a state, we'll get over it early as well.

Replacing flooring is expensive, so we're going slowly, one room at a time, and it will take us forever to get it all done. By the time we get all the rooms in the house done, we'll be too old to care---but at least it will be done and I'm sure we'll be glad. By the time all the rooms in our house are redone with animal-proof flooring, all our cats and dogs probably will have died of old age. Somehow, though, new pets always find us so I doubt we'll ever have a home without a cat and dog in it.

The latest news on the flu shot is that in Australia, which used the exact same flu shot available this year in the USA, the flu shot was only 10% effective during what turned out to be a really bad flu season there, and yet, the doctors here still recommend that everyone get it. I never do. I'm not a fan of immunizations. Tim always gets the flu shot at work. I never get it. He tends to get the flu, and I rarely get it. I don't know if that is relevant to anything because certainly he is exposed to a lot more disease at work at an international airport every day than I'm exposed to here at home, but I use it as my argument against getting flu shots.

Kim, That is too funny about your dad cutting down the tree.

Yes, I agree with you about carrots (and everything else) from the grocery store. Sometimes in winter I feel STARVED for real, fresh produce, but still would rather eat frozen cooked carrots from our own garden, for example, even though they aren't the same as fresh, than eat grocery store produce. I wasn't always so picky. At first I was only picky about home-grown tomatoes....then potatoes....then all kinds of melons...and, before I knew it, I found that grocery store produce as a whole no longer appeals to me. I think it is because I know just how good real, fresh-from-the-garden produce can and does taste, so then anything purchased through the commercial food system just doesn't satisfy my taste buds any more. Even when we are at Central Market, which tries to source as much locally (defined as being within one day's drive) grown produce as possible, I think the produce looks better than it tastes. It always looks perfect, but compared to fresh garden produce, it falls short. Still, sometimes the organic produce we buy there is close enough to fresh that I can eat it. I still cannot eat purchased tomatoes from there (or anywhere else), not even purchased 'heirloom' tomatoes---I think that they must be raised hydroponically because even though they look good, they smell like chemicals to me and they taste like chemicals and I cannot eat them. Who knew that being a serious edible gardener would ruin us for eating commercially-grown produce? I didn't. As a child, we ate a lot of home-grown stuff but also commercially-grown stuff and I didn't even notice the difference very much if at all.

Weird stuff has been happening to my posts all week. I've written tons y'all haven't seen because some little invisible monster gobbles it up before I get it posted. It makes me crazy.

Nancy, I think that by the time we reach our happy golden years, stuff that bothered us or would have bothered us 50 years ago just don't bother us in the same way. To me, all that sort of stuff is 'small stuff' and I don't sweat the small stuff any more. What matters? Well, love matters most of all. I know you agree! There's nothing wrong with acting like a newlywed---y'all still are newlyweds! Doesn't it make you wonder what would have happened if you'd been able to stay together a entire lifetime? At least you found each other again in recent years and you have each other now. Now is all that matters....now. (grin) I know I'm a ton more laid back about stuff than I used to be, and I think it is because now I know what really matters---and what doesn't. Even Tim, who is a Type A anal compulsive person is a lot more laid back than he used to be, both at home and at work. I'm surprised sometimes at the work-related stuff that no longer drives him crazy---because some of it is the same stuff that used to annoy him beyond all belief. It is good that he has mellowed---his current approach to the frustrations he encounters in his work life is much better for his blood pressure.

Kim, Y'all are embarking on a great adventure together and, even though there will be a learning curve, I know y'all are going to have a great time and make a big success of it all.

Flame weeders are awesome. If I didn't have a garden surrounded by fire-prone grassland on two sides and woodland on two sides, I'd have a flame weeder. As it is, since I don't leave bare ground, I'd be afraid to let a flame weeder anywhere near my garden or yard. You'll have to let us know how well it works for you.

Being homeless must have been difficult, but y'all survived it, even if two of your kids still cannot bear the thought of eating beans. I agree that all you're doing is cutting out the middleman and working more directly for your room and board. There's nothing wrong with that! When I gave up my career to be a stay-at-home mom, people who knew me were incredulous and couldn't understand how Tim and I could even begin to think we'd survive on one income. I knew we could do it though, even though it mean eliminating some costs---like big family vacations and new cars on a regular basis---and I didn't care because the things we gave up weren't that important in the overall scheme of things. We gave up lots of work-related costs too like having to have a professional wardrobe, eating more meals out because no one had time to cook, paying for day care, paying higher taxes because of two incomes, etc. Looking back, it led us to this place at this time in our lives, and I have no regrets about that either. Life is what you make it. You're always going to thrive and make a success of life no matter where you live or what you do because that's the kind of person you are, and I like to think that Tim and I are the same. We bloom where we are planted, even if we find ourselves planted in a place we once could not imagine.

I know you are missing your mentor. I cannot believe it has been almost a year already since you lost him. It seems like it was just weeks ago. How the time flies by!

I do miss Yellow Cat, and I know that you miss Oreos. We were so lucky to have such sweet loving souls in our lives, whether for a little while or a long time.

I have to break the news to you all that Augustus (the turkey) crossed the Rainbow Bridge this morning. It was hard. I never thought it would be so hard to lose a bird, but then, I never dreamed we'd have a turkey who'd follow me around the garden, up and down each row as I worked, like a cat would. He talked to me all the time, in his own way, with all sorts of interesting sounds. If anyone loved that garden as much as Yellow Cat and I loved it, it was Augustus. My garden is going to be so quiet without the two of them in there with me in 2018. I can scarcely believe we lost them both so close together, even though both were quite advanced in age.

In turkey years, Chris believes Augustus was approaching his tenth birthday in a couple of months, and the average maximum age for his breed is 5 to 7 years, so he overachieved in that area. Yesterday Augustus had trouble standing up from a sitting/crouching/kneeling position, so I feared the end was near. Once a bird is so sick it cannot get on its feet, that's usually the beginning of the end, especially an aged bird. I finally was able to get him up on his feet and get him into the coop for the night, but found him down on the floor in the back corner of the coop this morning unable to stand or walk. Chris came over and said good-bye to him and then euthanized him. It was probably harder on Chris than it was on me, and it wasn't easy on me.

I think it always is hard to accept when an animal we've loved and cared for has to leave us. I wish the animals we loved could live as long of a life span in years as we do, but that just doesn't happen. So, I think I am about done with 2017 and am looking ahead to 2018. Surely we won't have such a horrible year with old pets next year (largely because all but 1 of our really aged pets has died in 2017). I told Slim Shady that even though he is very old and in failing health he absolutely cannot leave us any time soon.

Dawn

Enjoying your posts Dawn and Kim. Internet outage so have to comment later. (Windstream) Tears came down my cheeks about Augustus.

Aw, poor Augustus! He had a nice life, and will be missed.

I have a 16 year old poodle that is half deaf, blind and senile. Every now and then I start worrying that his behaviors are the sign of the end. Then he rebounds and acts like a puppy.

Nancy, I had a feeling the poppies would leak. The person whe sent them didn't seal all of them very well. I tried to fix the ones I thought were the issue, but I guess I should've done all of them. I'm glad they didn't do any sort of DEA inspection, her bag was covered on the inside. I feel bad, she probably got a mess with those tiny seeds covering everything.

Nancy, enjoy your fire! This house does not have a fireplace and I miss it. We bought an electric one....just for aesthetics. I looked for a used fireplace mantel/surround to attach to the wall...and then would build a back and bottom for it. Of course we would only be able to put candles in it, but it would make a nice look. However, I found a deal on this electric one on Craigslist. The plan was to take the electric part out and just use the opening for candles, but it has a pretty fake fire and it's warm! It's white, but I still want to paint it...probably more of a linen white instead of a white-white. That's on my list of 74 things to do. ANYWAY, a real fireplace is much nicer. Enjoy!

Kim, keep telling us about your new job. I LOVE it. I hope you can blog it or youtube it someday! But even if you can't, it's fun to read about it here. :)

Amy, I"m sorry about your parents. That's so hard.

Jen, my little Percy Dog died 4 years ago. He was 16. I'm glad your little poodle is rebounding.

Dawn, poor Augustus. I know he lived a long life and was well loved, but still! You're going to miss his company in the garden. I have an image of the puddles you would make for him in the hot weather. Of course I have no idea what your home or property looks like, but I see the puddles in the front of your (in my mind's eye) house.--in the driveway.

It just freaks me out that they are pushing us to get the flu shot. I don't understand it. My illness was a high fever/chills for 4 or 5 days and then it turned into the cough/sinus stuff that finally drove me to the doctor. Honestly, even though it's been a month, I'm still tired from it. I think that's why I want to sleep so much. I have a bad feeling that I'm getting sick again with something. Time for the Zicam! A little girl coughed right in my face last week. There was moisture involved. Ugh. She stayed home sick for the next couple of days. Great.

Speaking of pets. Charlotte has decided that my lap is the place to be right now and it makes typing difficult.

Thanks, Y'all. I'm just astounded at how attached I had become to that turkey. Now, I'm wondering if Jet knew this was coming because he was very restless for a couple of days and every time I let him go outside, he walked over close to Augustus and sniffed at him. I had to tell him to leave Augustus alone---not that he was harming Augustus but I think it made Augustus a little nervous to have the dog walking in circles around him sniffing. Today Augustus left us, and Jet did not have one restless moment of pacing and constantly wanting to go outside.

Jen, Sixteen is pretty old, but we have had dogs live to be as old as 23. Yes, at 23, Lady, who was an Australian Shepherd, was half-senile, deaf and half blind but she seemed happy and content with her life as well. We left her sleeping in the yard once (a year or so before she died) on a fairly decent day---not too hot or too cold, and Tim and I walked back to the back of our property to check on something (I no longer remember what, but it must not have been snake season). Somehow, Lady awakened, determined we were gone, followed our trail and suddenly just popped up there with us---literally out of nowhere. She was huffing and puffing, but she found us, and she did it quietly without barking to let us know she was hunting us down. We were roughly 1000' west of the house, virtually all of that land being woodland thick with underbrush. Usually she acted like it was almost too much effort to climb the stairs to sleep upstairs with us at night (eventually, in her last few months, she just slept downstairs) and yet she had tracked us through roughly 1000' of rough terrain. Dogs are just amazing like that sometimes. Jet is about to turn 14 in a few months and is so gray-haired that now he is turning white-haired, so there's no way, I believe, that he'll live to be 23.

Jennifer, Your fake fireplace sounds exactly like what I want to do in our living room---I don't care if we have a fireplace that has heat, but I want it for the structural interest. It is on "the list" of things we hope to get around to one of these days, preferably in this specific lifetime.

Augustus did love those little puddles in the gravel driveway. Tim hated them, so he'll be happy we don't have to do that any longer. I think life will be infinitely quieter around here without Augustus talking to me all day long when I'm outdoors, but I don't want another turkey because they do tend to not be long-lived. One reason Augustus lived so long is that he was a heritage breed who had not been bred to have a huge body too large for his legs to support. Usually, once modern turkey breeds attain any size at all, their torso is too heavy for their legs to support and they don't live long before they break a leg, which of course, ends their life. If any of y'all ever want homestead type turkeys to keep around, Miniature Beltsville Whites like Augustus are highly recommended---they tend to be very friendly and bond with their humans, which many turkey breeds do not.

The chickens seemed lost tonight---they were used to sort of gathering around the coop door, and then here Augustus would come, walking across the yard as if herding them into the coop---and they'd see him coming and go inside. Then he'd wait for me to come walk him to the door and he'd go inside. Tonight when I went to walk them in without him, they just looked at me like I was messing up their routine.

Charlotte knows a good place to hang out when she sees it!

We have battened down the hatches and are ready for the coldest night of the season so far. Our forecast low is 18 degrees. Brrrr! I'm already dreading going out into the cold morning air tomorrow to let the birds out of their coop.

Drought and pre-drought conditions expanded across the state. I'll link the latest map tomorrow.

Our burn ban must be working---I didn't hear a single VFD paged out for anything today, except as first responders on medical calls. Yay! Maybe we'll get a break for a little while.

The Seed Savers Exchange 2018 catalog arrived today but I was busy in the kitchen all day and haven't had a chance to look at it yet. There's radishes on its cover this year---usually they have something a little more 'exciting' like tomatoes or something. It is hard for me to get very interested in radishes----they seem to me to all be pretty much the same.

Dawn

Internet's back. I sat out in the truck this morning for 45 minutes on the phone with Windstream (30 of those minutes were on hold waiting to talk to the phone division). Was too cold to just stand outside!

Dawn I am so sorry about Augustus. It is so hard to lose our garden pals.

Oops. Didn't mean to hit submit. I just can't wrap my mind around this farming project of yours, Kim! It's mind-boggling! I sure HOPE you have plenty of good help! Wow! She sounds amazingly organized--had she done this before? Sounds like this is a first for her, although she sounds mighty prepared (She or They?). And what an amazing opportunity for you! You'll have to refresh us or tell us how this all came to be sometime.

What is the soil like there? 72 rows. 800 feet long. That's a LOT of seeds. The tomato set-up intrigued me--plastic wrapped around the cages, you say? I'm like HJ--it ALL intrigues me.

Yes, you need a blog. If for nothing else, to keep track of things. Or a computer with a spreadsheet program! (LOL--right, Amy?) Or better yet, a dictaphone and a secretary so you can dictate what's going on and the secretary can get the spreadsheets and typing done!

And if you hope to find a happy partner down the road, I hope you do! That was the LAST thing I was looking for. I wasn't homeless ever, but oh so close to it sometimes. And finally I had been making good money the last 16 years of my work life, and was really excited about drawing SS AND drawing a full wage and being able to sock tons of money a month into 401(k). . . but that was only the last year--so I was excited about working til I was 70. Well, so THAT didn't happen--I was, what, 67 when GDW and I ran into each other. So I didn't get rich $$-wise. Hahaha!

You know what kind of freaks me out? That I can't give food away. Isn't that insane? We offered it to so many people last year and no takers. (I did have friends who wanted all the offered pepper and tomato and flower seedlings, however.) And then we go to town when we need to and see a line of cars wrapped all the way around McDonald's. Every single time we go to town, no matter what time of day it is. I know, I can find SOME source for give-way veggies, if I try hard enough. A local food kitchen, perhaps. . . Wagoner is a VERY poor community.

I do love the fireplace. And am really loving it now. I have Garry's former (deceased wife Arlene) to thank for it--and the house. GDW was against buying it because he thought he couldn't afford it. She HAD to have this house. I tease him sometimes about it, telling him how much I appreciate her insistence! (However, at least I have some income to assist him. . . so we're fine. Until they take away his pensions and our SS!) But she was not an outdoor person and was the person who cooked and cleaned house, didn't do things like mow lawns. So that's why he always hated anything to do with gardening or landscaping. She had all the ideas, and HE did all the carrying out of them. Still, I just chuckle. I've thanked her many many times for picking out the house I'd love! Bless her soul. And I love her children, too, as just some of our kids.

And I miss the rascal daughter who has vacated with her new lineman husband to live for a year or 3 in San Francisco. I am jealous that she'll get to see the redwoods and sequoias. I told her when she said she could hardly wait that I had a really bad attitude and had to adjust it before I could hear how spectacular they are. (I was in SF a few times and loved going there. Told her I thought she'd love it, too. She does!)

I got a good laugh out of your comment on the poppies, Dawn, and then yours, Jen. I wasn't all that dismayed by their escape from the envelope. They had spilled out onto my desk (table, actually), and there's a crack right where they spilled (caused by the insertion of a leaf in the table), and I'm sure lost some through the crack. I was feeling pretty cavalier about it, though, because it's not like poppies were on my "must have" list. THEN I looked up that particular poppy, and am now thinking I need to get some scotch tape and try and gather some of the missing ones up from the indoor/outdoor carpeting below. They were red peony poppies. I googled them, and, oh MY. Yes, gotta have red peony poppies! AAAGGGHHHH!

I need to wrap this up and post--and I haven't even begun comments on Dawn's or later posts, yet.

I'll miss Augustus too. He was the de facto mascot of the OK Gardening board.

I am also NOT a fan of the new Fedco website. Entirely not user friendly.

I'm going to go backwards this morning because it is easier to remember what I just read last.

First, the weather---just to make all of you feel better about however cold it is this morning at your house---the overnight low (assuming it doesn't drop again since the sun isn't actually up yet) at our Mesonet station at Burneyville is 8 (I believe their forecast was for 15 degrees). At our house it only dropped 2 degrees lower than forecast, to a relatively warm 16 degrees. At 8 degrees, it wouldn't surprise me if some folks out in the Burneyville area have frozen and/or busted waterlines, but it might help that we've been so insanely warm that the ground still is fairly warm.

Thank you all, once again, for your kindness and sympathy in the loss of our magnificent turkey mascot. How I will miss him and I know y'all may miss hearing the adventures of Augustus the turkey. I hope he knew how much he was loved. He had a lot of personality for a member of the poultry family.

Rebecca, I haven't ordered from Fedco in ages, but remember what a nightmare their paper order form was before they finally computerized it. And, I think it is quite an achievement if they've managed to make the new website even worse than the old one. That takes a special sort of skill.

Nancy, You know that you can talk about anything here and we'll understand and offer support and encouragement. We are gardeners, of course, but beyond that we are people first and are bound to one another, by choice, through our common humanity. I am sorry for your family's pain. It is hard to see people we love go through such painful experiences. I am going to be Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm here and suggest that some day, hopefully not too far off in the future, your niece and her children will make peace with this situation and move beyond it....and I know that saying that does not make it so nor does it make it easy for them. I do believe it will happen.

Peony poppies are stunningly beautiful. I love poppies and grow lots of them. Unfortunately their season is relatively brief here because the heat just burns them up, but most years they look spectacular in April and May, and sometimes even into June if the heat doesn't arrive too early. You ought to have ideal soil for them there as they prefer well-drained soil. I do not. I grow them in clay and they do awfully well considering how poorly our clay drains. In the wettest years, though, they will rot off right at the soil line in the clay. Our poppies reseed with reckless abandon---occasionally one pops up in the middle of our road or in our neighbor's bar ditch, both places where you wouldn't think they'd have a chance.

I bet your daughter with love that part of California. We have a niece in California, though she and her husband hope to return to Texas one of these days. Housing out there is so expensive, so the huge salaries you can earn in certain fields of work out there sound much better on paper than they are in reality. They moved there for one of those jobs---so her husband could support the family and she could stay home and raise their three little boys, but I know they'd rather be back in Texas closer to both their families.

I used to give away tons of veggies, but became really discouraged when some of the recipients suggested I cook the veggies for them. Please! Give me a break! If a person cannot cook their own squash, or whatever, then I'll just keep that food here and freeze it for us to have later. So many people cannot be bothered to cook any more and it makes me slightly crazy. No wonder we have so many diet-related health issues in this country when people are growing up on fast foods and convenience foods that often are quite poor in nutrients compared to fruits and veggies grown in home gardeners and cooked/eaten at the peak of perfection.

I am phasing out the canning of tons of extra produce to give away and next year will can only enough for the two of us. A lot of our friends and family members will miss their Annie's Salsa, candied jalapenos, and various kinds of pickles and jams/jellies, but I am tired of canning for the whole world and am retiring from that. For several years now, I've repeatedly told Tim how burned out I was getting on canning excessively in an effort to make him understand that canning for everyone is was something I no longer wanted to do. In the past, he reacted with panic, which showed up as him buying/surprising me with all kinds of fancy canning gadgets that I didn't want or need and that I did not keep either. I even told him to stop buying stuff like that when it was clear his motive was to keep me chained in the kitchen canning for other people. Now, he finally seems to have accepted that I'm done feeding the world. He finally gets it. I told him a couple of days ago that when he gives his coworkers their Xmas bags of salsa and pickles this year, he needs to make it clear that this is the last year because I'm retiring from making it, and he agreed with me. (When I tried to suggest this in past years, he was in denial and didn't want to hear it, so it basically went in one ear and out the other.) I told him we could point anyone interested in the direction of the Annie's Salsa recipe, but I'm willing to bet that none of them are going to be interested in actually doing the work to make salsa for themselves. It is quite labor intensive. People have offered to buy jars of Annie's Salsa from us, but I've pointed out that in order to make a fair wage, I'd have to charge so much per jar that they wouldn't be willing to pay my price, and I've steadfastly refused to name a price because, for me, it isn't even about the money---it is about all the hours involved not just in making the salsa but raising the ingredients for it too. So, beginning in 2018, our garden has less food, but food only for us, and more flowers, also for us. I'm looking forward to that. I've given away home-grown food in various forms for my entire life, and I'm not sorry to be giving up that part of my gardening life.

I need to get off the computer and go out and set the birds free from their coops. I told myself I'd go out once we made it up to 20 degrees, and we're at 19 now, so I expect by the time I get downstairs and put on my coat, hat, gloves and boots, it will be a relatively warm and toasty 20 degrees.

South Texas, by the way, got snow last night. Dixondale Farms posted a photo on FB of their first snow since the 1980s, but said for us not to worry, that the onion plants are fine.

Dawn

Dawn I am happy you are making this tough decision to retire from all that intense canning. I don't think you will regret scaling back to enjoy more of the stuff you love.

Dawn - I am so sorry to hear about Augustus...he really sounded like a great garden companion. You and I got down to the same temperature last night. My car showed 16 when I left for work this morning. It's still snowing down along the TX coast and up into LA, MS, AL, GA and into the Carolinas. Unbelievable for this early in the winter! Still dry as a bone up here with no rain or S word in the extended forecast. The little bit we got on Monday didn't do anything except knock the dust down a bit.

I don't blame you a bit for cutting back on canning. My 100 or so jars a year takes up a lot of my time. Between canning and freezing it can be quite time consuming. I bet your 2018 gardens will be beautiful with so much space dedicated to flowers.

We're going to B'ville again today. It was not the plan, but I'm worried about Dad, and if we go, Mom can go.

It went down to 19 last night, that is up close to the house. Mesonet said 21 in Tulsa, 18 in Skiatook, so I guess that's about right.

Sorry to hear about Augustus, Dawn. We will miss your stories. #2 son threatened to buy me geese for Christmas. I told him they would live in his back yard.

Have to go.

Well, they lasted as long as possible, but, my Turks Cap just died, it was up to close to 6' tall this year. It was our first freeze last night, all the annuals went with it. We just harvested our fall tomatoes (close to 100), beans, and now all that is left is the snow peas. Just using a raised bed.

Dawn - totally agree with giving away of veggies. I would add to the list "it doesn't look like the store bought ones". Yes, it doesn't, it's better!

Still surprised we are in 7b not 8a. I've seen different maps though, and at least one of them showed us in 8a.

According to the map, it's colder in Brownsville right now than here (sitting at 35 there), and they are supposedly getting some snow. That really went far down!

I SAW that about Brownsville and Houston, Corpus Christi! UPSIDE DOWN! Amazing. Mesonet says it got to 9-12 at our house . . . cabbage was good and a few heavily mulched rose campion and newly growing echinacea clumps--the herbs all look just fine--tansy, comfrey, parsley, lemon balm, sage, rosemary, catmint, thyme, oregano; verbena is still going strong (trailing and moss), asparagus ferns. Strolled around this morning to survey the survivors, among which were not the two 5'5" avocado trees. haha

I had no idea what a Turk's cap was, Steve, so thanks for that! What a pretty shrub!

Amy, how was he today? I'm glad you went. How far away is it?

I had an interesting day. Garry was looking for an ignition coil for a throw-away chain saw he has in the shop, as he decided he could fix it. So I was researching ignition coils. And after 3 hours, finally quit my tool/equipment/appliance learning for the day. I found "Repair Clinic" on the internet, and watched four of the videos in a row. We were both laughing at me. Never in my life would I have thought I'd have fun learning about how to repair stuff. Told him I was going to watch all the videos on freezers and we'd by gosh fix ours.

Then my niece called. We talked for another 2 1/2 hours. I told her when we were wrapping up the call that I didn't know if SHE felt any better, but I felt a WHOLE lot better. (Frankly, now I'm feeling a little like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, too.) We laughed. . . and she said even she felt a LITTLE better. Dawn, I do believe she will come to peace with it all, and I believe the children will be better off, actually. She grew up without her father and always yearned for a relationship with him, and realizes her children will probably be in the same position. I'd deleted my paragraph above this morning before her call, realizing I had no business sharing it with anyone until I checked with her. She's close to her mother-in-law, who is also devastated about the situation, and someone asked her MIL if they should keep quiet about it. The MIL said, "Well since HE doesn't seem to care who knows, I'm telling everyone I CAN. " My niece told me she was taking her MIL's cue, and I could feel free to say anything to any ONE. lol

Got a good laugh out of your Fedco comment, Dawn. I just checked it out. I have to say, I DO like it better than the old one, Rebecca! LOL

Lonejack--seemed to ME that you canned a lot more than 100 jars, as I was seeing the results of some of your canning.

I used to have an electric fireplace, too, HJ and Dawn, and I LOVED it. It got dropped in a move about 8 years ago, and didn't replace it.

Here it was a few weeks ago, it had gotten a little out of hand. Usually gone for the winter by now. Photo does not do it justice. Hummingbirds love it.

Does it have a scent? I believe you--saw a bunch of photos of it online.

I don't actually know, I have never really sampled it. If it does, it's not a lot as you can't tell standing next to it unlike some other plants.

Mesonet says ~15 for Durant, but we are 10 miles or so SW by the lake so we're always at least 5 degrees warmer. I was up at 7AM and thermometer said 24. Allowing for a few degrees too high being by the house.

And it likes SHADE, I see! Woo-hoo! :)

It does well. My photo is from an Eastern exposure, so, it's full sun first half of the day, then all shade. That year I measured over 100 inches of rain on our property, 1 of the 2 I had died. It was only the first year for it too, so, probably was not well established. But since it has gotten so huge now, took over both spaces anyway. Late leaf-out (somewhere near May),you cut it to the ground, and, blooms somewhere around August until freeze.

I just searched Turk's Cap in the Oklahoma GW and found a most delightful thread from 2011, discussing flowers. As you all know, I'm constantly on the lookout for plants/flowers/herbs/veggies that will tolerate part sun or total shade. It has really been kind of a fun adventure and that was a great thread from 2011. I have lots of part-sun places; I think Turk's cap will do beautifully here, as I have plenty of dry part sun! I appreciate learning about it; have been reading up on it online since you mentioned it. At first I just kind of ignored your post, thinking, yeah, not that interested. Had a weird name and I have way too many seeds to plant this year. Then it occurred to me I'd never even heard of it before, so decided to see what it was. Glad I did the double take, and glad you posted the photo, Steve. Thank you. It definitely belongs in my yard.

Kim, It has been a long time coming---I've been pushing Tim to accept this decision for years and he has steadfastly refused to believe I mean it. This year he finally believes. That's a good thing, but I was retiring from canning for the masses whether he accepted it or not. My mind is and has been firmly made up. I did tell him back in the summer months that if he thinks canning is such a walk in the park, he could volunteer to spend all his weekends canning and I'd teach him how to make and can Annie's Salsa. He had zero desire to take over the canning chores from me. Imagine that.

Lone Jack, How odd that we were as cold as y'all. Two weeks ago we still were in the mid-80s on an occasional day here or there, so I have been ready for the cold. The best part is that I can walk across the yard now and not worry about a copperhead or timber rattler getting me!

I hate to confess how much I miss Augustus. I cannot believe how attached I got to a turkey. Today our 13 year old dog, Jet, looked all over the yard for Augustus, checking all of his usual hangouts. I don't know how to make Jet understand that Augustus is gone and not coming back.

I sent my son a link this afternoon that included video and photos of his favorite vacations spots on the Texas Gulf Coast---covered in snow. He was at work at the fire station and had no idea it had snowed in south TX because when he works that 24-hour shift, it's all about the job and he isn't paying attention to what is going on in the rest of the world. He texted me back and asked "Really?" as if I was pranking him, and I assured him the video and photos were legit. lol.

Amy, I hope your dad is okay. If you're worried, then I'm worried too. Getting older is hard and what I noticed with my parents and Tim's parents was how fragile their health was---they'd seem fine, and then one little thing would happen to them physically, and then it would just snowball and we'd all be immensely worried and nervous about their health. Then, suddenly, they'd be back to their usual selves again. It was so bizarre. Please keep us posted on how he is doing.

Geese would make you crazy. My brother had geese, and I saw enough of their behavior to know I didn't want geese. He did have one good one---if you crouched on the ground and held out your arms for a hug, this goose would run to you, throw himself into your arms, and wrap his neck/head around your neck to hug you. He was making sounds and talking to you the whole time---joyful sounds. A goose like that could be okay to have around, but the other geese were aggressive and mean and didn't like having people around, so I didn't care for them. I just know if we had a goose, it would be the mean, aggressive type. And, by the way, Goose was one of my nicknames for Augustus....I called him Gustus, Goose and Goosey and he came to me no matter which name I called him. Maybe I could have hollered Hey You and he would have come as well---I never tried that.

Steve, I imagine your turk's caps will come back next year. Mine usually do. Occasionally I lose them in a really bad winter. I have both the red-flowered ones (native at the back of our property, but they do not do well when transplanted from there to anywhere else) and a pink-flowered one I bought at Redenta's Garden in Arlington. It was about 5-6' tall by the time it froze back a few weeks ago. I like how subtle but beautiful they are. They don't have to scream and shout and have flowers the size of dinner plates to get one's attention---I love their simple beauty.

Some years we have a zone 8 winter. Some years we have a few zone 6 nights. Most years, I feel like we really are zone 7b in winter. The coldest it ever has gotten since we moved here was 1 degree, and our pipes in the kitchen froze (and then burst when they thawed) during that cold spell. We usually aren't very cold for much of the winter, but almost ever year we'll have a couple of nights drop into the single digits. Luckily, it never lasts long. Sometimes I can keep zone 8 plants going for 3-5 years before a particularly awful cold spell gets them.

It was colder here in many parts of southcentral OK this morning than in Fairbanks, Alaska. Think about that! It sure seems topsy-turvy.

Nancy, Our weather here in this part of the country is always entertaining. About the time I think I have it all figured out, it changes and we get totally different weather. It sure keeps us on our toes. When I saw Dixondale's photo of the onion plants buried under snow, I just had to laugh---trying to imagine snow as far south as Carizo Springs. Since they last had snow in the 1980s, it might be a long time before they get snow again. I hope they enjoyed their snow because I'm sure it didn't last long.

My sister had a bad marriage and a worse divorce, but she and her kids survived it and now she's married to a different person and is blissfully happy---an ending she never expected. It makes me so tremendously happy to see her so happy with her second husband.....I think it helps make up for the miserable years in her first marriage. Sometimes happily ever after arrives long after you've given up on it, like she had. Who knows---maybe down the road that same thing happens for your niece.

We had fires tonight, not in our fire district, but in at least two others. We only had a medical call here, and it was just up the road a bit so Tim wasn't gone very long. The difference in how busy we were before the burn ban versus how busy we are not right now is striking. I hope that when this burn ban expires (by law, countywide burn bans are limited to 14 days), our county commissioners extend it another two weeks. I think they will do that until significant rainfall and greenup occurs.

Tim had a great day at work. The airport public safety department (police, fire, EMS) worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to give a special little boy a special superhero day today where he got to be the superhero saving the world, rescuing his doctor from the bad guys, etc. and they finished it up with a big spaghetti dinner and cupcakes decorated in the same colors as his superhero costume. The attention to detail was awesome, and the Make A Wish Foundation had posted a 20 minute video synopsis of his day in no time at all. I saw the video even before Tim arrived home and started telling me about it. My favorite part of this boy's video is when he's in the SWAT Bearcat vehicle and is looking all around with big, wide eyes. I can only imagine how much fun he had today, and you know that any child that is getting his wish fulfilled already has traveled down a rough road. I hope this day was everything he'd hoped for.

It is so dry here (29-30" of rain this year compared to an average annual rainfall of 38-42") that our clay soil is deteriorating into some sort of dust. It is scary looking. Instead of raking up leaves out of the yard, I'm going to rake them out level all over it, and then water them heavily with the sprinkler to pack them down in the hope that they'll keep all the dusty clay from blowing away. It isn't so bad in the garden, but the soil there has a higher content of organic matter and already is heavily mulched. In the yard, I kept trying to figure out what the soft stuff was that I was walking on (it feels like you're going to sink down into a hole when you walk across the yard) and that's not usually how our clay feels---it usually feels rock hard like concrete, so the dusty layer on top of the clay is a new phenomenon. I don't like it at all. Tonight, driving back from Gainesville, we could see the dust in the air---especially around street lights or buildings with big exterior floodlights. Tim kept saying it was smoke, but I told him it was dust---just like the dust in our yard. It is just weird. It isn't even windy, but the dust was in the air.

Dawn

My Turks Cap has been around for 4 winters now, no problem at all here. It was the unbelievable rain that killed it that one year. The coldest we have ever seen here is 12.

No problem Nancy. Glad you looked at it. I think it's a great plant, bush, whatever it is. Now I have to go find me an Arctic Frost Satsuma. Got to order my seeds too so I can start them Jan 1 or so.

Arctic Frost Satsuma is a Texas Superstar so generally is pretty easy to find in the spring at all the nurseries that support the Texas Superstar program by carrying those plants. I think Neil Sperry mentioned it in one of his e-newsletters this week or last or maybe the week before and said it would be widely available in Spring 2018. He may have said he was going to get one himself.

If you don't want to wait until spring, try one of the Texas nurseries that carries lots of fruit and nut trees like Bob Wells Nursery (Lindale TX) or Womack Nursery (DeLeon, TX). Both have webpages and both sell online/ship, though I think they have a limited shipping season. I am pretty sure I've seen Arctic Frost on the website of at least one of those two. Or, if you want to live dangerously, Womack usually had Arbequina olives.

Oh, and I agree photos do not do justice to how pretty Turk's Cap is in real life. I'm not sure why photographs cannot capture it well---I think just because it is a quiet, understated plant, and I do have mine in the best-drained soil we have, the sandy soil at the west end of the fenced garden so it gets morning sun, afternoon shade and incredibly fast-draining soil (it almost drains too fast in the heat). Oddly, the red-flowered native ones at the back end of our property are in soil that doesn't drain nearly as well, but they sure do not tolerate being transplanted so I leave them there, where they mostly are enjoyed by deer, coons and coyotes passing through, as well as a very prolific copperhead population that drive the adjacent property owner crazy. I get to see them every now and then if and when I venture back there during snake season, which is not often.

Stop it, Steve! LOL But if you're interested, I ordered, oh, say 40-60-80 different plant/flower seeds I've not grown here or anywhere else before. . . Rebecca's recommendation about the Cape Daisy? Wow. Got mine from Swallowtail. I already ordered all my seeds, after experiencing lots of "out-of-stocks" last year.

Dawn, yes, the ground is SO hard. Although my Endless Summer hydrangeas have performed like champions this 3rd year here, and though I have watered them this fall. . . as dry as it is I can only hope. Oddly, even without the rain this fall, many delightful surprises out in the yard and in the garden. It just is FUN learning a bit more about what grows good in the garden and yard by watching the plants. I remember you saying, you have learned after all these 30 (30-plus, soon) years of gardening, that you tend to stick with what does well, and not giving prima donna treatment. I am SO with you on that, all of a sudden this year. Like rudbeckia--always before a dependable no-fail. Third year in a row it has failed here. Nope, don't have the patience for it. Like the morning glories. Like Gaillardia this year and last. These are givens for most OK gardeners. Not here. And zinnias, for crying out loud. I am going to sow zinnias in July for fall flowers--they did beautifully this fall, but when they begin popping up next spring they are going to either be obliterated or thinned mightily--same with bee balm. And I ADORE bee balm. Tradescantia, I KNOW, will do great here, but had no idea the deer would mow them down. (They were in an unprotected bed.) Our little blueberry bushes have blossomed and grown mightily from about August on. But in their defense, they were only about 4 inches high when I got them (from Burpee's--MY bad). I put them in a raised concrete block bed (definitely not giving off vibes of acidity. . . lol. . .) but with a ton of peat mixed in the raised garden soil mix. And will be adding lots of acid supplements. But still, they're about 2-2 1/2 feet tall now and look happy. So I'm happy. Joe Pye weed--one of my beloveds in MN. Now from this 2011 thread, see that Susan recommended it for here, and I actually now am thinking it will do well in MY yard. Any of the rest of you with mostly part-sun/shady yards growing it here?

And, Dawn, I'm so thrilled about the burn ban, and sure hope the folks in charge see the wisdom in extending it!

I'm glad Tim had a great day--it's a wonderful thing folks do. My experience with Make a Wish wasn't something we wanted to do. For SO many reasons, the main one being Russell N. One 13-yr-old girl in the bone marrow transplant ward participating in it (and being gifted with it) of course loved it. This isn't at all about the folks who set out to do this for dying children. It's just the take from a different side. And it's not for discussion here. But to briefly summarize, it was about my own son's personality; his absolute disdain for wanting attention from a disease that would have labeled him a victim. In other words, his pride. He was so determined to live life as a proud independent person without ever using his illness as an excuse for anything. He in fact forbade his teachers,2-3 close friends and brother Wade, and me from ever telling anyone he had leukemia. I love who he was. We all did; and guess what--when you're dying, those who know HAVE to do what YOU say. He was a beautiful Jesus-loving Christian, first; a scholar, second; and then maybe the rest of us were third. . . . LOL. Oh what a pill he was. The school called me a year after he died and wanted to start a music scholarship in his name. I had to tell them no. I would have loved it. He would have hated it. Stubborn little brat. I would have gladly approached "Make a Wish" for Russ. To Russ, it would have been selling his soul. So you, see, it's not about the folks who want to do something good, not one little bit. Now on the other hand, if we had received anonymous money gifts, to help with his medical treatment, even HE couldn't have objected to that. And that is a MOST wonderful way to help out, too. There are so many ways we can help out, and I hope all of us do, whether through Make a Wish or paying it forward, or dropping money into our Christmas Salvation Army's buckets. (I admire all the folks who get barely any thanks for doing that! Better folks than me, for sure!) Please don't get me wrong. I LOVE Make a Wish, I truly do. This giving thing is about giving, not what is about the right way to give.

Last note: Kittens and Titan are bonding. Daff and Titan never did. Daff was so little and Titan was so big. Daff had never been around dogs. She was wise. Because Titan basically had no clue about cats, he thought they were squirrels, and she didn't have front claws. It was an uneasy alliance. She never trusted him and refused to run. Instead turned and hissed. Truly, I never trusted him with her and felt the same way she did. He always backed off just because of our scoldings and her refusing to run. Now he seems enchanted by Tom and Jerry--they're not at all intimidated by him, and we scolded him from the get-to upon their arrival. And in fact, he has one large scratch mark on his nose. Plus, they have decided he's their big brother, and he's decided he's their big brother. This is going VERY well. It's quite cute. Loving the new kittens more every day. They are just charming and adorable and loving. And this is why we have the critters. We love them.

We're still having a power struggle with the new puppy. The poodle is resigned but does what he can to ignore her. Our older boy is great with all dogs so he doesn't care, & Cliff's cat loves having another minion to do his bidding. The younger boy and one cat aren't having it. The cat still spits when puppy gets too close and the dog tries to avoid her as much as possible when they're inside. But he does fine when they go out, so we're making progress. Eventually she'll learn the cat doesn't want to play and the cat will stop hissing when she bounces in the room.

Wait--so four dogs and 2 cats? You should have no problem with squirrels or bunnies or mice, then? Voles?

They moved Dad to "Rehab" in the hospital yesterday. This meant they "released" him from the hospital and admitted him to the rehab floor. I'm not sure the right hand knows what the left hand is doing. When we got there, he was still upstairs, sleeping in a chair and looking cold and uncomfortable. He seemed confused. He was supposed to be moved earlier, finally moved at 4:00. When he got in bed, got some hot blankets and warmed up he was able to talk to the nurse clearly. Then he went to sleep.

I have read all your posts. I don't have time right now to respond. I am glad the pets at Nancy's have bonded. And Jennifer's are working on it. Sasquatch is too big and wild for my cat. Priss has been queen of the roost for so long, she has arrogantly ignored 5 dogs. She tries to hiss and swipe at Honey, but Honey has NO FEAR. Not of the cat, not of other dogs, only mildly of DH and I. I read Jen's post just as there was a standoff between the two. Cat backed off and jumped the gate that separates the back of the house and the front.

I'm going to have to water again I think. Do you worry about asparagus? Does it need water in winter? Normally we get occasional rain, so I've never been concerned, but between cold temps and wind, I don't know. I should put up windbreaks around the brassica.

XOXO

Y'all, do NOT let me buy any more seeds! I don't need any more seeds! Seriously!!!!!

Except Cape Daisies. Need more of those to start some for mom, too. And the pelleted lettuce and carrots from Johnnys. My lousy eyesight and dexterity require those. And gazania. Those look really cool. Bunny tails. Drought tolerant, those are a must. But that's it! Nothing else. Until seed potato time...

What's the secret to hollyhocks?

Hahahaha, , , ,

Seriously. I cleaned out my seed boxes. I could carpet the county in zinnias.

Oh, I need some cupcake cosmos. Those are a must.

Hollyhocks. Shouldn't they do well here?

Amy, I know you must be worried and stressed about your Dad (AND Mom). I am SO sorry they're having problems. I sure hope the rehab unit gets their act together and fast! How often will you be going over? Where does your sister live? Can you take turns? I hate the situation--for your folks AND for you. I wish I could be living near enough to actually be of some help to you. (And near my Mom/near my niece, . . and on and on.) XOXO

You silly, Rebecca! How'd you GET so many zinnias?! Do you have some very special ones you love the most? I'm gonna become the brugmansia collector. And maybe coleus and perfect nicotianas that love part shade. And I put all my eggs in 1 basket for the next growing year--that is, the OK Gardenweb's basket. Every single seed I bought in the past 2-3 months was based on the recommendations of seed sources AND best varieties--from you all--understanding, of course, that what works for each of us varies from one yard and garden to another--not true--I ordered many seeds none of you have mentioned, actually. Haha. But I studied hardcore, here. from posts all the way back to 2005, and online, as well. I spend about as much time reading up on gardening online, as I did at my full-time job before I retired. There is SO much mis-information on the internet, that foolish is the person who reads 1-3 sites and takes their word as gospel. But I still say, as I am an earnest researcher from my law research days, that time and time again, I found the soundest advice from wise people here. And I didn't even know who you all were, then!

I suppose Dawn has spent the day in some shopping area, loading up on stuff. I'm starting to get that Saturdays are you go-to-town days, Dawn. I am astonished that it was colder in Love County than in Lone Jack County! :) We were closer to Dawn's temps, too. Wasn't that THE craziest snow path, down along the deep south and then heading up the east coast! And my SIL in Buffalo, Wyoming, said she was in her shirtsleeves today in the sun. . . 60s in the sun.

And HJ, Kim, Bon, Alexis, Jacob, George, Dorothy (oh should never have started naming names. . . this could go on and on), Lisa, JLH, all the rest of you. . . fond thoughts.

I spent a lot of time today reading up on freezer repairs and washing machine repairs. . . which inspired GDW to watch the videos, too, and the troubleshooting. So now he's about decided to just work on the freezer himself, since we have no freezer repair people anywhere close to us--and the big freezer really isn't that old (8 years old); the washer door problem of staying locked, we think we found the answer to that. I love it when I can find work for him to do! lol

I don't have anything you still need Rebecca. . . . well actually, I may have. My seed packet of Cape Daisies supposedly contains 500 seeds. Just looked at 'em. Yes, it looks like there are far more in there that I'm going to plant. Do you want some? If so, send me your address on FB.

Back to my series for a bit. It's kinda tense right now, so keep having to take breaks.

XOXO to all of you.

I am sad for you Amy. I go thru this pretty regular with my mom. My sister handles the care monitoring as she is an RN but being so far away is tough for me. That is one reason I thought I needed to move back towards Denton. But hey what do I know. I pray and hope they do the right treatments for her and for your dad too.
Y'all this is the first time I have felt like I wanted to decorate a house into a home since I was 29. I have been cutting out pictures of decor, flower gardens, and trying picture what kind of home I want. I feel as if everything has been temporary forever. Even tho this isnt my forever home I want it to be nice and peaceful. Lots of flowers and color outside.

I hope this isn't crossing boundaries. . . and really, I don't want any "I'm sorries" or "blessings" or comments. Just would like to share that HJ and I found out that the same week HER son died was the same week MY son was born, though many years apart. And so, for better or worse, HJ and I are bonded. :) BUT, if you don't mind, I'd like to show you who Russ was 3 months before the Lord took him home. And invite HJ to share her last picture of Lane. Please don't feel sorry or bad. It's not about that, it's about sharing who our sons were.

Thanks for checking in, Kim! I am SO excited for you!!! I know it's not your forever. But I went through that, too. Landed in a good job that led me to MY forever. And please, with your ups and downs, keep us posted!!!!

What a handsome young man he is. Xoxo

That is all we are to do.

I'm so far behind I cannot catch up. Yesterday was a fire department day all day long, and I fear that much of today will be the same. I'm not complaining, as our participation in the VFD is a choice we make and all the firefighters in all the FDs are our brothers and sisters. We may be 14 separate departments in this county, technically speaking, but we also consider our selves one big family---one big department---the Love County Fire Department. I never knew I'd be part of such a huge family of people who would, literally, walk through fire for one another.

Yesterday was our Christmas parade in town. How did it go? I have no idea. At two minutes until parade time, our VFD and two others got paged out to a grass fire slightly east of Marietta. Two of our firefighters grabbed their bunker gear, jumped out of the engine, and raced to our station in someone's personal vehicle to pick up a brush truck and respond to the fire. The rest of us were going to follow as soon as we got through with the parade, which start to finish, only travels a few blocks through town and takes about 5 minutes. Since we were near the start of the parade lineup, we knew we'd whizz through town quickly and be on our way. And we were. Our truck seemed to please the children---tons of lights and a loudspeaker playing a song they loved and danced to as we passed them. That's all that matters to us---that the kids were happy. As we were making the short trek down Main Street, our pagers went off again because the grass fire was igniting a home, RV and there were other structures (like sheds, etc.) in danger. As soon as we could turn off the parade route, we stopped, removed a couple of large decorations that couldn't handle the fast response to a structure fire, and removed our decorated firefighter (so wrapped up in lights, he couldn't move) who had been setting on the firetrucks large front bumper throughout the parade. We unwrapped him, got him into the truck and took off.

I did have to laugh at myself---once we knew we needed to leave to go to a fire, we still were trapped in the parade lineup---with side streets blocked by crowds of people there was nothing to do but follow the route to its end so we could leave. I found myself waving faster and faster at the crowd, as if the faster waving would someone make the parade vehicles move more quickly so we could go to the fire. I am here to tell you that waving faster and faster and faster didn't speed up anything.

Amy, I am hoping for the best for your dad. I know all of you must be exhausted and no one more than him---it is so hard to rest in a hospital (that's ironic, isn't it?) with all the lights, the people in and out all the time, etc. There's no place like home and I hope he gets to return home as soon as possible.

Nancy, You have a seed problem! I know a seedaholic when I see one because I am one, though I am attempting to reform myself.

I totally understand about Make-A-Wish not being for everyone and certainly respect your son's viewpoint. There are many different ways to deal with cancer, as I know myself, and I think every family has to do what is best for them and particularly what is best for the person most affected by the cancer---the person who has the cancer itself. I know that Russell accomplished his mission in life, and at such a young age! He certainly was a handsome lad. I have had HJ in my thoughts this week as well, as I know the anniversary of her son's death was this week and I cannot imagine how hard that must be to endure.

Saturday usually is our big shopping day---we make a list and try to make the circuit of the usual places and gather all the supplies. Sometimes it is complicated---getting two baskets at Sam's, for example, with one filled with fire supplies and one with stuff for us at home, and then paying separately to keep the money and receipts separate. Tim is so bad when he has a shopping cart in front of him and a fire supply shopping list. I fill the basket with food and drinks we need to take care of the firefighters. Tim then thinks of odds and ends they need---fuel cans, a box of red shop rags, bungee cords, zipties, fuel additives, extra pairs of leather work gloves, new chains for the chain saw, etc. etc. etc. and before you know it, the VFD shopping cart has 39 items in it, though our list only had 20 items on it. He's as bad about impulse shopping for the VFD as I am about impulse shopping for the garden. (grin) I think he forgets about that nagging little list of odds and ends that they need until he is in a store shopping, and then he 'needs' everything he sees. Unfortunately yesterday was all about fire dept activity from start to finish so today is going to be our shopping day. I'm so tired from yesterday that I wish we could just sit around at home and do nothing, but we can't. I just hope we make the shopping/errand run, get everything done and get back before any fires break out. Yesterday wasn't to awful in our county until very late in the day, but the adjacent county (Carter County, also under a burn ban) had a lot of fires. Tis the season for that, unfortunately. For items only available from fire supply companies or whatever, there's a constant stream of vehicle parts, supplies, etc. arriving in various ways---often in our mailbox or as a package left on the porch. It is a logistics nightmare trying to keep old, often-used fire trucks running on a wing and a prayer, but thankfully our VFD has several incredibly accomplished mechanics (it is their career and their hobby as well) and welders. Sometimes the UPS guy or the FedEX guy cracks me up---he'll say "this is a big heavy package, be careful...." and I'll reply "yep, it's a radiator for our fire engine". (grin)

Kim, It is your home for as long as you're there, so make it what you want it to be. I feel like my soul always needs lots of flowers and ornamental plants in order to be happy, no matter how much I also enjoy growing the edibles. There's nothing wrong with that! Bloom where you are planted, girl! I rejoice over every bloom I see on any given day, even the tiniest little wildflower blooms that often appear randomly in winter on nice days.

For those of you wondering if your garden needs to be watered, In winter, depending on the soil moisture level in your area, you may have to water, but not as often as in summer because the temperatures are cooler and not as much moisture is evaporating from the soil nor is it transpiring from dormant plants like it does during the growing season.

One thing you can do is look at the attached map. Keep in mind it reflects conditions at your local Mesonet stations, so soil moisture levels at your place may be different. Anyhow, if the number on the attached map is less than 0.50, your plants probably need to be watered.

Amy, I think you mentioned asparagus? Mine is well-established and I don't water it in winter ever for any reason. I just don't think it needs it. Asparagus is bulletproof---it won't die and you cannot kill it. If your plants are less than 3 years old, you might want to water them---but not too much at once and not constantly. Maybe once a month in a dry winter.

One-Day Plant Available Water (Updates each morning)

Gotta go. I'll try to check in on the new Week 2 Thread tonight.

Dawn

Where did that other post go Nancy?

Stupid . . . (that is, stupid ME) I copied to paste in a letter, only I cut instead of pasted, and then lost the email! I have a heck of a time getting my fingers in the wrong place on the keyboard! And then lost another post this morning. I need to go mop a floor or something! lol

Sorry. I've been slow to respond, Nancy. This isn't Lanes last pic but it's the one I share on FB. Actually his last pic ever is one that he's holding a ball in both hands. It's taken from the back and side sorta. He was walking on the bottoms of his pants so they were pulled down to show his rear end a bit. This was in 99 before we had a digital camera and had to turn in film. We actually got the pictures back after he had passed. That was the last picture, but also on the roll were Christmas tree pics of him and his sister.

He was only 20 months when he died. But he had an unusually sharp sense of humor for such a young guy. He loved hot wheels cars and Blue's Clues was his favorite. He liked to tease Percy (the dog) with crackers. He would run down the hall laughing with Percy right at his heels. I always knew when he accidentally dropped the cracker cause I would hear a cry from the back of the house.

I loved that, HJ. What precious precious memories. I love him, too! Pretty bright, to love Blues Clues! :) AND hot wheels! (Weren't you warned not to let a 20-month old son not to play with hot wheels! LOLOL)

I have some later ones of Russ, too. That pic of him was at Christmas time 4 months before he died. I have a few great ones of him in the hospital. The night before he went into the hospital for his bone marrow transplant, he gathered his brother and a friend and me around and said, "Okay guys, Tonight we're going to cut my hair off." He'd been growing it all fall (thick gorgeous very dark brown wavy hair) because he knew once this day came, he'd be losing it all. He got out the bar stool, got out the clippers, and handed me the clippers. I was laughing at him but then started tearing up and said, "I CAN'T! Lane (Wow, HJ--just caught the coincidence there!) YOU start. Lane started, and Russ told him to aim for a mohawk. Then Wade chipped in, as I remember. And then after he got the mohawk, HE proceeded to shave off the mohawk. The funny thing about all that was that he didn't begin to lose his hair until 8 weeks later, and by that time the hair had grown back 3/8" or so. So one day when I got there as soon as I could after work, he said, "Hey, Mom--LOOK--and he pinched a bit of the hair and it came right out. So his brilliant idea was for me to pick out the hair to make an icthus. I did. Have the picture somewhere. (Of course, all this was before things began to get very scary and serious.) Yes, these are the precious memories

I have no words, ladies, my heart goes out to both of you.

Oh, Amy, sweet of you. But it is in the past. I'm sure we're both okay. It certainly did affect my life, and I bet Jen can agree. The worst experience in my life made me a better person. I'm sorry it was at Russ's expense, but am so grateful he was in my life. All is good, and I love what it taught me.