HI Everyone. I haven't posted this week.

I'll go back and read in a little while.

Our gardens are pretty messy. They got too wet, of course. But it's amazing how "too wet" can go to "too dry" so quickly.

Some things aren't exactly doing well, but it's not all horrible either. There's disappointments for sure, but still so much life and goodness out there.

Honestly, my mood stays more positive when it's not super hot....and we've not been super hot. In my mind (because I'm probably really a negative person), I wonder how we're going to "pay" for the non super hot days. Or maybe we paid it in advance starting last October.

Some of you might have seen the ridiculous video I posted at FB and know that Rick and I worked most of the day and night on garden things. I had a few errands to do mid-day and that took me away for a couple of hours. We have 2 friends on vacation this week and we are feeding kitties and watering gardens for them. ANYWAY, Rick worked on reviving the SG. I cleaned out the hoop house.

(Jen, do you want more trays and cups? I have a bag full. All colors)

I did save between 300 and 400 cups. This week I will begin seed starting of brassicas for the fall.

Rick also harvested a few shelling beans. We shelled them last night before he left.

We had a nice 4th. Family came over and friends--Rick and some of Mason's friends. It was a nice time. Good food. Good company. I was SO glad to have my sister and her family here. My daughter hasn't been to my house since Christmas which is crazy to think about. We've seen her fairly often, but just not at our house.

Our house is just now getting back in order from the bathroom remodel. Tom did a nice job on it. He still has a few more little things to do. And I need to touch up paint here and there.

I'm not working much this week and am excited about that. Getting lots done around here. Lots more to do.

This week we need to finish getting ready for the chicks that should be here in about a week. We have SIX broody hens now. Remind me to never wait this late to get chicks to them. It causes many to jump on the broody bandwagon. I have 6 chicks coming. Two Green Queens, two EE, a Speckled Sussex and a Speckled Hamburg.

Then, I took (because I'm ridiculous) eggs to put under some of the broodies. Of the original 4, only 1 seems to be fertile. It is my Bantam Dark Cornish. It will be interesting to see which rooster is the father. If the baby makes it, of course.

So, then I took another one of Rosslyn Kaye's eggs and put it under a hen maybe 4 days ago. She's my one full sized EE. Went out to check everyone last night and that egg is GONE. Maybe it broke and the girls ate it? The chick wouldn't be developed much yet. It's gone.

SO...then Friday morning I woke to find Jorie unable to walk. She was then taken to the old coop to rest. She seemed to want to eat and drink and she talked to me. She's very friendly. She hatched in our coop 2 years ago. She's a red girl. And later, she laid an egg even being lame. I took that egg and put it under a hen too. In case Jorie doesn't heal, I want her baby. But, I thought I marked it but couldn't find it either. However, maybe I didn't mark it because what I think was her egg, was still in the same nesting box. She lays a medium sized light brown egg.

The blue egg is gone though.

Oh, and Jorie is doing better. I let her into the pen of the old coop. I'll keep her there for a couple more days to see how she continues to heal.

I hope her egg hatches. It would be cool to have a 3rd generation chick. Jean Luc Picard hatched in our coop, Jorie hatched in our coop and hopefully this egg will be fertile and hatch too.

We have aphids on the noodle beans, but they seem to be okay. The ladies haven't shown up yet to take care of them. They left the garden after clearing it of aphids back in the spring.

Grasshoppers are bad too. The love the hibiscus plants, which are so pretty right now other than the little bite holes from the hoppers.

My neighbor is giving me a quart of green beans tomorrow morning. (ours haven't produced yet.) And the wild blackberries behind her property are ripe again, so I'll go pick berries in the morning.

I need to get offline and get busy. Still have a lot to accomplish today. Need to work on the kumbucka and put a bag of paste tomatoes in the freezer.

I'm not checking this for errors...

<3

Good job on the chickens. There are officially too many for me to kind of keep track of now. Holy mackerel!

Oh, Danny, my garden is certainly not about "looks." On the other hand, Stargazers are sort of exceptional. What happened with my attitude and me. . . once I had begun learning about natives and finding out the value of them, I sort of lost all interest in non-natives. And so it has sort of spoiled "pretty, but non-native, flowers" for me. If they have nothing to contribute to the insects and ecosystem, just not that interested.

But here's something I AM excited about!! The fringe tree I had planted last fall was a stick. And when Garry accidentally pulled it up, it was about 16" tall and had 4 or so leaves.

WELL! Today the new replacement chionanthus virginicus saplings arrived. Oh MY!! They are each 2-3 feet tall with more than a dozen leaves. Woo-HOO! Big-time score. I am loving Etsy vendors. Now need to go find some other splendid shrubs!

Yes, I repotted my buttonbush and witch hazel today, because they were drying too fast...from that same late summer order that you got the fringe tree from. They're in quarts now. I should be able to plant this fall (the area with the tree being cut today will clear up area for both)...which I'm still trying to eradicate the privet and euonymus in.

I just went on a binge. . . 2 more button bushes; eunonymous americanus; 2 more callicarpa americana; hemamelis virginiana (I meant to get Ozark! Ordered the wrong one); and 2 Lindera benzoin.

T

Both witch hazels are elegant bloomers for late or early (depending on your definition).

I strongly support your binges, Nancy. I had issue with lindera, it really really doesn't tolerate getting dry.

Nancy, my condolences to you and your family. How tragic!

Congrats on your new saplings. That is exciting for you.

Yes, my chicken keeping is out of control.

Haha, Jennifer--how many ARE there?

You asked about the Hungarian paprika pepper. What I noticed upon tasting the first ripe (red) one was that it WAS seet and spicy, just as the SESE descripton said. I thought that was quite delightful. They go on to say this: "The sweet, very dry flesh is ideal for drying. Grind dried fruits for a superb paprika seasoning." I'm not sure how best to showcase the flavor. . . I'll have to read up on it a bit more before testing them.

I'm impatient for the Roz de Mallorcas, Ancho giganteas. . . and more. The hot hot peppers are small, since I got them in late, too--but they're growing like crazy now. I think I will begin looking up ways to preserve them.

It is too hot to be wanting to work outside today. I DID just go out and do a walk-around. Bees a-buzzin lazily around the flowering basils, along with a couple clear-wing moths, a few small checkerspot-looking butterflies, and some black swallowtails across the way in the big center bed. I was aiming for the veggie beds. STILL no tomatoes quite ready (I said I was really really late with them--maybe I'll have a good crop of fall ones). The peppers are looking awesome, however. A small summer squash taking off in another bed. That's about it. At school there is a bunch of stuff--I'll go in Friday to check it out . There are watermelons, cantaloupes, summer and winter squash (c, moschata), gourds, okra, green beans, PEPH peas (I was excited to grow them even if I decide I don't care for them. Then John said to me he didn't really care for them! I laughed hard. He's from here!). I'll start some kale, chard, collards, and cucumbers in a couple weeks. I am really wating some tasty green beans!

I'm thinking maybe should start a new thread on natives, since I seem to be bogarting the discussions here--that's because the vegetables have proven to be such a non-starter in conversations for me, with little to say about them. Might help me keep the plants/shrubs in order, too, and other considerations about them.

That reminds me. . . do any of you know what I mean when I say I seem to be "bogarting" the discussion? I never heard the term used, except by my son Wade. That's where I learned it--he never explained it, he never had to. LOL. Wade was the master of making up sayings. . . loved it.

AND speaking of Wade--since the hip is feeling better and since it has been a long long long time since I've been to Mpls, I believe I may go for it in August. Surgery is Sept 8. If I wait til after surgery, won't be able to get up there til end of Oct probably. I'd rather get there before it gets cold. I told Steph last year there was no way I could ride 10 yrs in a car, Now, I'm confident I can. The prospect is quite exciting--both to see the kids and grandkids--AND to see wonderful longtime friends.

Okay--today's project, consolidate my notes in a word doc or Excel doc on native shrubs. Later, friends.

Ride 10 HOURS in a car--lol--and other typos.

Nancy, I enjoyed your correction because I didn't even notice that you wanted to spend 10 years in a car...the dedication! :) It does seem like years sometimes. Do you often find yourself uttering the phrase, 'Are we there yet?'

Nancy I am sorry for y’all’s losses. I pray for peace for you all.

I learned bogarting in the “smoking” world when one person would hog the cigarette instead of sharing
; )

Thank you for your kind thoughts. What a shock this was--can't imagine what their kids are going through.

Haha re bogarting! How did I ever miss that?! Danny--when I lived in Mpls, I'd have to make the trek to Buffalo WY a couple times a year--THAT was 13-14 hours. So from here to Mpls, 10 hours straight north, seems like a walk in the park. BUT when I moved down here from Mpls, the trip to Buffalo WY WAS brutal--20-21 hours. OUCH. I just really don't know if GDW and I will ever get back there again. Even now, he won't be going to MN with me. . . he'll have to stay and take care of the critters.

Since I have nothing else to share from here today, some of the peppers. First--Jen? Do you happen to recognize this one? I lost the label!! I know I had you bring me a Cajun Belle (which is a great plant--can hardly wait to taste it), and something else. . . I don't THINK this is one of my weird ones. Might be, though--maybe Sugar Rush Peach or Grenada seasoning. Hmmm, kind of nondescript, to taste.

Thunder Mtn Longhorn underwhelmed us. It's long, all right, but so puny/skinny. I was expecting long and robust! lol

Roz de Mallorca and Ancho gigantea, about the same size.

Nancy, the Hungarian paprika is tasty. Very unique. Tried it today.

We have 22 hens and two roos. Six chicks on the way....and possibly 3 in eggs under broody hens. One for sure. But, it's that "don't count your chicks before they hatch"...

I don't have room on the roost bars for them all. I don't know what to do...

I think a thread for your native talk would be good. It might be easier for those of us who are interested to find information as well.

LOL, HJ--well perhaps you need to begin a new thread for chickens, too! Love all the branches of gardening that Dawn spurred, God rest her soul!

Nancy, the peppers look nice, mine are not that large. I am behind on everything. The squirrels, groundhogs, and rabbits are trying to eat everything I have growing. I set a live trap a while ago.

We had a wet cool spring, now it seems as though hot and dry is all we can get.

Hauling water for plants for the critters to eat is getting old.

I'm pretty sure that no one is interested in chickens other than me, Nancy. lol

Dawn was, but even she was not adding to her flock.

HOWEVER, many of us are interested in natives....and it would be easier to find information on a specific thread. I am interested and want to add more natives. A thread specific to those would be awesome.

That's a respectable flock. If I lived in the country (and there weren't so many chicken predators), I'd probably have a flock or something like the Silkies or something. I truly appreciate fresh eggs (vs store-produced (lol)).

However, I'm an obligate predator and I would plan on meat chickens too. Fresh pastured chicken is great too! Unfortunately, so many predators like fresh chicken too.

Jennifer I am going to get a couple chickens. I am going to fence in my yard around my garden and put at least 2 hens in there. They will have a hayday eating grasshoppers and I also get scraps from natural grocers. My daughter can have the eggs since they make me so sick. I wish I would have thought about this before almost everything was stripped

As to splitting topics, I will vote both yay and nay. It makes sense to compartmentalize, but it also fragments us and makes each topic having less traffic, and thus less viable.

Just notes to think on :) I don't know. I'm glad we have an active small community here.

Yes. . . . Well what I was thinking about was putting a list of stuff I've been looking up so that I could easily find it later. "List of NE OK native shrubs" seemed more crisply definitive than "July 2021 Week 1"! lol

Jennifer, we were interested in chickens to the point where we actually bought a "how-to" book on raising them and checked out coops. In the end, we decided we just wouldn't be able to keep them safe here. Sure would love fresh eggs.

How often does Rick get over to see the garden at your place? When I only see the garden at school once a week, it is not often enough at all! I'll be going in tomorrow.

Can't remember for sure, but I think it was Moni who forced me to take what I thought was a hibiscus at SF. Well, it was a hibiscus, but, more specifically, a roselle! I guess I had mentioned I'd not grown any to date. I plunked it into one of the mineral tub containers and lopped it off when it was getting kind of tall. . . now it's branched out nicely and makes a nice foliage plant. I was wondering if any of you have cut yours back. ? I do that with some peppers, also. Have you ever done it with other veggies?

What's your favorite cucumber to grow? I didn't care for the Armenian ones last year. This year I will plant two I got from Kitazawa: Housaku and Palace King. Both sounded marvelous. We'll see. First I'll have to actually find Palace King. It's somewhere around here.

I said I'd planted aralia racemosa in way too much shade. Just looking, maybe I can talk GDW into sawing off a not very large limb above it, rather than having to dig it up and find a different place for it . YEAH! THAT'S the ticket! I just pitched the idea to him. He didn't object--said no problem. Hmmm. Not sure how we'll keep branch from falling on the aralia. We'll think of something. Not going to be a problem--we'll take two smaller ones down that won't have a chance of falling on the aralia--he got one; will get the next in a few minutes. It'll be perfect for the bee balm, asters, and oakleaf hydrangea, too! Yay!

My shrub list is 46 members long and not complete, by any means. Then I have to add all the details, like bloom time, soil conditions, sun, etc. I think I WILL post that list separately. Be way too long for a post here.

It's a song supposedly released in 1978.

Little Feat

Roll another one,
Just like the other one.
You been holding onto it,
And I sure would like a hit!

Don't bogart that joint my friend,
Pass it over to me!
Don't bogart that joint my friend,
Pass it over to me!

Based I suppose on Bogart's cigarette hanging on his lip. I KNOW the term goes back before 78, but don't ask me HOW I know.

I would like a native thread, so I can go back and find info. Finding anything in our weekly threads is nearly impossible. Searching houzz is useless.

I'm interested in your chickens H/J, some day I think we'll have them again. I do miss fresh eggs. I could not do meat chickens. I read Dorothy's (Nancy will know her last name, she used to post here) book, "Keep Your Fingers In The Dirt". She talked about the first time they processed chickens and I'll pass, LOL.

Nancy, get a 2nd shot right before you go to MN, the shots don't last forever. I'm sorry for your loss.

I lost someone July 4th. I never met her, but we were Facebook friends and I liked her sense of humor. I think the grief I feel for her means I haven't fully processed my grief for my father.

We babysat the last 2 days. It kills me. I also had vertigo Tuesday. We put the boy in a corral. It's about 6x3. Maybe bigger. He's trying to walk and he crawls really fast. Pulls up to stand. The toys he likes make noise. One is meant to be pushed by a beginning walker and it talks if you breath across the room. It has several things like book pages and shapes. Then there's one that does the alphabet song. And finally there's one with piano keys plus the dogs nose plays bingo. His thing was to get them all going at once. Or he stood at the fence and stepped on the piano keys, that seemed to tickle him. At the same time he wants a kids show on the TV. Meanwhile my head is exploding. We didn't have all that cute sh*t when my kids were little! We removed batteries and noise makers before the kids ever saw them. don't judge, there were 4 and they still made plenty of noise.

Ron's zucchini plant died. I asked from what?

He didn't know, but it was sudden. I told him probably SVB and not to compost it. He's about to get a yellow squash and a cucumber. We've brought in enough tomatoes to start giving them away.

To be honest, Kim, I don't remember my chickens eating grasshoppers. I mean, they were opportunistic, eating whatever presented itself, including mice, but I never saw them eat a grasshopper. Ducks eat bugs. I have no idea if they have preferences, they don't make as big a mess of your garden (I think).

My daughter is fostering a little pit bull who thinks he's Alfa of the world. She brought him by when she picked up the baby Tuesday. What WAS she thinking.

Nancy, I have a better maintainable idea. Put your stuff in Google Docs and start a thread with a link to your (shared) Google Spreadsheet (bet that's what you want to use anyway). I started a thread (and a google sheets doc).

I finally (yesterday) gave up on being a all positive dog trainer since my wounds were mounting up and I was tired of teeth marks. I started 'ouch'ing and binding his muzzle shut (like a mama dog would)...he seems to get it..but he forgets frequently. But it's better than it was...I know I hurt him sometimes..but he sure hurts me.

NO! Not a Google doc fan. I can't even figure out how to get my photos to the Google photos. I have Iphone, Ipad, McBook Air, and stand-along Dell. GDW just got a Macbook, and we had to load all the Word programs to the Mac stuff. So now I had the option of using Word and Excel or Numbers/Pages. Did I want one more flippin' option? Not really. . . . YES, I saved the spreadsheet to Google. . . but have no idea how to get the photos moved there from Word. Mutter mutter cuss cuss cuss. Thing is, not inclined to want to use Googledocs if I can't easily use Google photos. Didn't I read some time ago that Google wasn't going to support photos being moved??? At that time, that's when I said, "Forget Google."

I'd rap him smartly across the nose while "NO!"

Well, what would you suggest then? I'll delete the thread since I don't want to be the odd man out.

NO. . . please re-submit. I'm over my little fit now. I DO have the shrubs list saved as a Google doc--don't know how to save the entire spreadsheet. May have to add each category separately as a new sheet.

It automatically saves, you can open a new tab by pressing the big PLUS.

I deleted it, will reinstate.

Well anyone that wants is welcome to come contribute or read or whatever.

Amy is probably laughing, Danny. She could have told you I wasn't going to be fond of Google stuff.

BTW, I DID finagle a way to put more recent photos into Google photos, but it was loading about 1 per every 2 minutes. I only have 2 yrs to load.

And TO the Natives spreadsheet via Googledoc--first page is shrubs. 2nd is host plants, 3rd is flowers. . . I have two more cateogories to add--grasses; trees.

Funny thing . We have the three cats. Tom is the guy who LOVES me. Jerry loves me when Garry's not around, and Tiny's my outdoor gardening buddy and sometimes also loves me indoors. Routine with Tom is that every evening I retire and watch a good TV series or read a good book or have a good conversation online, Tom curls up in the chair next to my chair cupping my hand in his paws. AND most of the time, he walks by my drink (bourbon with water), sniffs it, and walks on by. Well tonight, it was pretty weak, and had ice cubes in it (which it . usually doesn't). Before I could react, he'd dipped his head down and taken a sip. WHOAA--I laughed so hard--not out loud, of course. He didn't take a big enough sip for it to be dangerous--just a touch. But was HE every surprised. It WAS very funny. Oh, I love our cats--they're all so funny, except at 4-5 a.m.

Amy, please tell your daughter for me that her fostering a pit is beyond crazy. Nutso. What is WITH all these macho human women that must stick up for the poor persecuted pits???? I am SURE pits are great dogs for those who have the smarts to train them right, just like German Shepherds. But those who have the smarts are not common. Both breeds, along with several others, are best left to great dog trainers. AND doesn't she have enough on her plate with a baby and fairly new marriage..................... never mind, she doesn't need to hear from ME on the subject! LOL . Mind your own business, Nancy.

Kim, where will your hens stay at night? You know, I'm considering some animal carriers to put inside the "dog kennel" pens for my broody hens and their chicks. I'll close them up at night in the carriers and they can be out in the pen during the day. I have 2 5'x 10' dog kennels that will be divided into 2 broody areas. And the old coop can maybe handle 2 as well. We'll see.

Danny, I've not had too much of an issue with predators (knock on wood). I've lost two to coyotes (I think) and a neighbor's dog killed one. The dog wasn't violent, but just picked her up and it broke her neck. It was before we had the fenced chicken yard. I do think one coyote jumped the fence and took Peggy. BUT, I think Sunshine got out of her yard and that is how the coyote got her. She was escaping often prior to her disappearance

I am prepared to have a meat flock if Tom wants to do that. I have a couple of dark cornish chickens--a male and female and they are supposed to be good meat birds. They could go in a separate area--and I could add a few more female dark cornish to start having chicks for meat birds.

I don't eat meat very often, so I could care less about having it. BUT my family eats meat, so I'm down with it, if they want that.

Nancy, Rick comes over whenever he has time and there's stuff for him to do here. Last year, Sunday night and Friday night were the regular nights. I have a messed up wrist (I'm sure it's because I've overused it. I don't slow down much and things like this happen to me. I need to rest it....but that may not happen. Then, I remember what happened to my feet 3 years ago when I didn't slow down and I still have issues. Dumb) ANYWAY, I've asked him to come over and help me with some things. Tom has to work on the chicken pens and mowing. We need to get the rest of the harvested/cured onions into nets and harvest okra, beans, tomatoes, and possibly corn. And a few other things. We haven't canned anything yet because this year is "behind". We'll probably can a lot during the fall. Hopefully. Holding out hope for a good fall crop. I'm down to my last jar of black beans. Those look the best of all the beans in the garden now. Fingers crossed.

I made jelly yesterday. Did I already say that? Blackberry jelly from the wild ones I picked in the area west of our neighborhood.

He's bringing over some seed and seed starter mix so we can get the fall brassicas started.

Amy, I hope you get your chickens again. They are entertaining for sure...and the eggs! Yum.

And I hope you're feeling better.

I love our 3 cats too, Nancy, even with their issues. Juno is sitting next to me now. I also like bourbon and water.

Anyway...I need to take a bath in my new gorgeous bathtub. Right now.

Thanks for starting the natives thread.

I'm not real fond of the big companies (Google, MS, Apple, Facebook,etc), but I felt like in this case, it was the best free tool for the purpose. One has to remember in dealing with them (and well most everyone) that they're out for themselves and you don't really matter (at best you're a product they're cultivating half-heartedly).

At least in this case, we can extract the data and manipulate it in other native tools (like Excel or whatever Apple's equivalent is) in the event of anything happening. Personally I use Libreoffice (a free cross-platform alternative).

When my son was starting up his business and tax records, I did all his spreadsheet work for him. At that time we used Open Office. Frankly, I'm not sure why I ever stopped using it. Probably because Word came free with my next computer. I always liked the Open Office concept--still do. When did Libre splinter off? Looks like Open Office is now called Apache Open Office.

Amy. . . . I think pits are the most prevalent dog out here where we live--pits or mixed breed pits. And for sure the most complained about for running about and causing mischief. We have two daughters who LOVE "pitties" and decry the bad press they "unfairly" receive. Neither daughter has had one for more than a year or two when their life circumstances change and they must "re-home" the unfortunate dogs. I tend to not appreciate ANY aggressive dog (including German Shepherds, which can be very challenging to raise.) . I'm more of a butterfly person.

I was so thrilled with Garry's limb-cutting! Every bit of sunshine opened up in the yard is welcome--however, I have come to appreciate this shade yard.

I have to deadhead the tithonia, which is going to be no easy task. They're 8 feet tall, PLUS they're in a 16" high raised bed. Tricky. I think I'll just raze them down, 2-3 feet-- a few now, a few later, so there will still be flowers for the pollinators at anyone time.

It's not THAT hot--why does it feel like it is? I do not like cooking and do not feel like eating real meals when it's hot. And looks like no rain--for a long long time. I guess the water bill will be going up--a lot--this month. However, it has been below average overall for the past several months.

I think I'll go back to studying. Have a great weekend, all.

I use Google sheets, because I work on an android tablet. I knew excel well, when I was working, but MS has priced me out of using it. I looked at the native thread. I'll see what I can come up with later.

H/J they sell wrist braces at Walmart or pharmacies. Ron calls them boxing gloves. I had an expensive one, years ago, for carpel tunnel. But nowadays they do the Walmart ones even for that. What are your wrist symptoms? Please take care of yourself.

Nancy, where are you loading the photos from? I found loading direct from my camera excruciatingly slow. I got a device https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Reader-RS-MMC-Micro/dp/B006T9B6R2/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=micro+sd+card+reader&qid=1625846509&sr=8-3

that made it much faster (this was camera to computer). Uploading to Google drive is another matter. Actually, I email the photos to myself and open them on my tablet so I can deal with them there, LOL.

Supposedly if you yelp when the pup hurts you he will make the connection that he hurt you. Never worked with Sasquatch. But she hurt me by pawing me. Then, too, I wonder if that would make him think he was Alfa over you which wouldn't be good. I got a dog training book when Sasquatch was little. Fortunately she was smarter than me and she's mostly good now. She CAN climb the chain link fence like a cat. She chewed through the cable to the TV 3 times. We put it through electrical conduit to stop that.

Later.

I would say (offhand) that due to philosophical difference in licensing, Libre came into being 5-7 years ago. OpenOffice is essentially dead.

I've never HAD a pit or pit mix, but all interactions I've had is that they're sweet dogs. I'm not prone to like hunting dog lines, too many issues.

There's more life in the sun garden to be sure..than in a shady one :0

I was looking at my ashy sunflowers today which are 7 foot high, as are my giant rudbeckias, heck even the common milkweeds are taller than I am. All that rain had to go somewhere :)

Hmmm I lost my post. I think it was my fault :/
Jennifer I am going to build a small coop. I have plenty of lumber, tin, hardware cloth. I want to make it mobile so I need to find wheels or do skids. I hope this works because I am just sick of the destruction.

Amy
My friend had horrible grasshoppers and got chickens and they all went away. It’s worth a shot anyway right.

I would like to say to all of you, I enjoy reading all of your post. I do skip over spots every now and then, but it is because I don't see well on this tablet.

Kim I have thought the same about chickens, and I could make it work, but Madge does not want me, or, us to start any more projects because of our health. I have thought many times of how I would build a large coop, and when the chickens would go to bed, I would move the coop to a new spot, with one of the tractors if I had to.

Jennifer, I really enjoy your pictures and videos. I have told my grand daughter that I would like to make a video of the work I have done on the place, and where I would like to make a small lake. I don't think if will happen in my life time. I think I am more excited about the project than they are, but there is a great spot on the back of the place that has a natural low area that is fed by a wet weather stream and an artisan well.

I guess the lake is just an old man's dream, but one of my grand daughters is a civil engineer, working for a company that builds dams.

Larry--I get that, about starting new projects!

I was thinking about how much I enjoyed studying the geology of OK and thought I'd post this, just to confirm the many divergencies in the state! In fact, I've been into this many times! I keep forgetting where I find the best maps! lol

Hah, I have to talk up Arkansas now, it has more distinct diversity (plants found nowhere else) than pretty much any state (I think..I could have misheard), due to the river delta, the grassland, Crowley's Ridge, and the Ozark uprise. We have a diverse landscape whose features are somewhat isolated from others of their kind, resulting in unique plants evolving. On rocky outcrops esp in the SW part of the state, we have desert flora, we have swamps, we have prairie, we have bald knobs, floodplains, mountainous areas, seeps/springs, and probably more that I can't think of.

I always remember (and probably am retelling for the Xth time) that a friend that works for the State Natural Heritage Commission told me. There's a very disjunct population of arctic ferns currently found in Alaska at King's Bluff about 75 miles east of me. It's a very narrow (less than six foot) deep cleft about 150 feet deep. In the bottom there's a small stream running surrounded by these ferns, which are glacial relics from the last Ice Age. I know that's obscure and mostly irrelevant, but I find things like that fascinating. There's a lot of plants found in the Appalachians that have remained in the Ozark Mtns and like the fern, some from much farther north.

Danny can you pinpoint the area?

Moni

Yes, after googling everything I could think of...and finding nothing, it finally came to me (I edited above). I don't remember the species of the fern though.

Sigh. I just want to go back to school. SO many things I want to learn! Well, Danny- - - I'm not sure about divergent areas, but I certainly am sold on gardening in AR!! You have FAR more areas for natives, learning, and organizations!

Danny, that helps if one knows where you live... but it won't help me find it... and find if there is a hiking trail. That was my thought... go hiking there, and see it myself.

Well if you google 'Kings Bluff Arkansas', it does come up first. There is a hiking trail, but you're not going in the crevasse unless you rappel I understand.

LOL, Danny. Moni, when I read your comment, I thought how wonderful it would be to go traveling with you!!!! Except. I don't like to travel. And except I don't like to leave my home. Otherwise, I'd love to be going with you! So keep posting your pics, and your notes. I'll travel through those.

I still love day trips and I hope in a month or two, the puppy can safely go with me (after fully vaccinated at 16 weeks (he's 10 weeks now). Apparently parvo is a growing risk these days and they recommend you stay home with the puppy or take on ensured safe trips. The vet told me that parvo can lurk in grass/soil for up to 7 years and also encouraged me to stay safe.

Kings Bluff and Pedestal Rocks is a very nice place to visit, there's a 'grove' of virginia witchhazel that just GLOWS right after the leaffall of deciduous trees along the right hand trail (near the parking area..maybe a mile in?).

Oh, I wanted to mention that my narrow leafed mountain mint (pycnanthemum tenuifolium I believe) has been the absolute best for attracting the slowly growing number of pollinators, followed by purple coneflowers. I am actually seeing up to five bumblebees (and a fair # of smaller bees) at once!

On a sadder note, I visited a public garden about 3 miles from me that has hundreds of common milkweed (apparently planted last year), and there wasn't a single evidence of a monarch feeding. Sad..very very sad.

Thanks Danny! Awesome info. :)

Moni

Hey, we got a touch of rain and should get some more...I have to say since the start of June (when the flood finally stopped), it's been pretty much at needful times.

Just realized I've been absent this week. We still can't have in person camp, so this year we're doing a hybrid. Every Saturday in July we're having an in person gathering at a different area, and those who can't meet in person can join us through Zoom. Today was our gathering in OKC, so I've been busy trying to finish up everything for that. It went well, not a great turnout but the kids so enjoyed seeing their friends in person. The next 3 weeks I'll be helping with the Zoom portion so I won't have quite as much to prep.

Pits...The media have hype pits to be killing machines much like they did rottweilers back in the 90s, or dobermans in the 80s. We have a pit mix and he's the absolute sweetest dog. He even got pinned by another dog at the park & didn't do a thing to stop it. And our most recent addition is a pit mix (client couldn't keep him & asked us to take him, and, well, now we have another dog lol.) And we have gobs of pit mix clients, plus a few full blood pits. 99% of them have been teddy bears. But a couple weeks ago we had 2 full pits, both rescues, and one attacked the other. Had to be the most frightening thing to watch, I thought the one was going to kill the other. And before all this they were complete angels, very loving. The biggest issue with pits is how they're raised. Any dog can be vicious, but pits get a bad rep because of how much damage they can do. But honestly, I'll take a pit over a chihuahua or terrier any day.

HJ, you know I'll always take any containers lol. I'm hoping that when we move I can set up a more effective seed shelf.

Speaking of, we went & looked at a place yesterday. The property was almost perfect, but the house was a little too cramped for our liking and it was in Lexington. Much as I'd love to have 10 acres, that was pretty much kill our dog sitting.

Nancy, I'm afraid that pepper doesn't look familiar to me. But all the varieties I'm growing this year are new to me, so I'm not much help.

Off to look at y'alls native lists. If we're moving, I'm going to have a lot of work starting my garden again. And I'm wanting to include at least half natives, half all the other stuff I like.

Waiting waiting waiting on Amy's spreadsheet stuff. . . . . . . . . . . . meanwhile will watch Downton Abbey. OH! I have six new shrubs to plant and they are all healthy as can be, and of generous sizes! (callicarpa americana, and the other 4! lol . spicebushes and. . . buttonbushes.)

Jen, thanks for your input on dogs. I could NOT agree more. It truly is how a dog is raised. Nonetheless, this Working Group of dogs. Those who are valued most as guard dogs--pits, GS, rotts, dobermans. . . . none were maligned while being totally innocent. The fact is mankind bred these traits into dogs. I used to train dogs, until I was in my late 20s. I still consider myself to be more enlightened than most dog owners. My thoughts are that with these guard guys, like you mentioned above, they should never be raised by anyone who has no clue. Even Titan was a handful for us.

Re chihuahuas, pomeranians. . . no, don't want any pampered baby dictators in MY house! lol . BUT! I have to say. On our weekly forays to the Marina, we have a new (to us) acquaintance. He's an 80-something old guy, and his constant companion is "Baby Girl," yep, a chihuahuah. I've never liked 'em, never could understand why anyone could.

I fell in love. So did GDW. We went into the bar. . . there was our new old friend with his Baby Girl on the stool next to him. It was getting close to dinner time, so the bar was filling up and getting noisy. And that little sweetheart just lay there. . . and now we're new friends. BUT. Stil never met a Pom I've fallen in love with! Lol.

Amy, Eileen, Rebecca (and Ron and Larry)--we need to set up some great lunch meetings! We have to pull Eileen and Larry away from their current fixing-up-the-new-home thing.

Oh WOW!!! We just became the grateful owners of a GREAT bargain great brand zero turn mower!! Sometimes fortune smiles on us.

My parents had a pom, she was a sweetheart but she was an exception I think. Rarely barked, wasnt the cranky spoiled thing like so many are.

I know I should make a new thread, but I want to reply here. Yeah, the little dogs are typically insane (I think). Chihuahuas are the ONLY dog to have intentionally bit me, as a child.

I bought Mom a Pom because she wanted one...oh yeah, insane. Never could stop the dog freaking out when riding a car, wanting to bite the driver. Going completely nuts if the windshield wipers came on, you get the picture.

Then there was Denver, which you all remember me mentioning, who was afraid of everything and fearful aggressive. Argh! Forget little dogs, you seldom find one that's not nuts.