Good luck with your health and skin care. As gardeners our skin is exposed to so much-I will be thinking of you.

As for what I am doing today, right now I am taking a break! For the past hour and a half I have been ”deer spraying” my yard. Went through two bottles of deer off and my fingers are permanently cramped in the spraying position!

I only spray the outer edges and the very small plants-the bunnies have already come by and while the bottle doesn’t say anything about deterring rabbits, I figure it can’t hurt…..but typing all this with my dang fingers sure has :)

Those little hooties are so cute. The Bald Eagle is flying all over now. Soon to be gone.

Paula..I’ve also had spots cut off and spots frozen..so has my husband..we have regular dermatologist appointments..another fun thing in life..🙁
swimming in a pond?..snakes?..alligators?..no thanks!..
oursteelers..sorry that you have deer..I think you’re not alone..I forget who exactly but others here (Laurie?..Beth?) have deer..
old_dirt..beautiful owl photos 💕..sorry about your neighbor..I’ve been there..start planting!..
my garden is waking up!!..I’m deliberately delaying clean up..we’re going to have more cold weather..count on it..
August Moon..

Autumn Frost..I caught a squirrel sitting in this pot!..

Fire Island..

Undulata Albomarginata..

Pineapple Upside Down Cake..

hellebores..

brunnera..

blood root..

Clausa..got to admire it’s strength!..it was ripped out..

I have these throughout the yard..

I’m smiling thinking that summer is coming 😃..

nw, I can’t believe how up your Autumn Frost is! Such gorgeous colors!

oursteelers..Autumn Frost overwintered in the garage..it has a head start!..

Good you're getting your skin taken care of. I just had a clean checkup, had another basal cell removed last year.

Beautiful day here. Taking the pots out of the shed and garage for some free watering tonight. I'm eternally optimistic it is the last pot hauling of the season. Only 3 are leafed out, but the rest are pipping. As long as they stay pips, they will stay outside. The conifers should be fine outside now.

Noticed the squirrels were running amok in the pots I left outside to slow down, grrr. Well, that slowed them down all right.

Celebrating 40 years at Boeing today smoking a bit of the leaf - cigar not the wacky kind.

I see my dermatologist for screening twice a year. She often finds pre-cancerous spots and an occasional basal cell carcinoma. 30 years ago I was diagnosed with melanoma, but fortunately mine was detected early enough that surgery was the only treatment I needed. So keep up your screenings -- early detection is key.

I have hostas in all stages, from fully leafed out (mostly in containers) to no signs of life at all.

My Dream Weaver looks like something might have eaten the crown (or would rot do this?)

Squirrels have been digging my Blue Mouse Ears out of this container on almost a daily basis.

(That's a Rocket City hosta on the left, and at top is the remains of a carex that didn't survive wintering in our shed.)

Since the forks aren't doing any good, I considered placing chicken wire on the surface but that seemed tricky with the plants already leafed out so much. Instead I tried crisscrossing individual wires across the soil (and I replaced the dead carex with a small division from an in-ground plant):

The squirrels just laughed and proceeded to dig up the new carex entirely, partially uprooted Rocket City, and tossed BME all around.

I'm trying hot pepper flakes now.

As for the girl in the pond, that reminds me of something we observed at work some years ago. From our third-story windows we could see a woman slowly drive over the curb towards a pond, jump out of the car and let it continue until it was halfway submerged, then she jumped into another car that had pulled up behind her and rode off.

steve..40 years of employment deserves a celebration!..

Ben..squirrels annoy me too 😡..what a weird story about the car in the pond..ever hear the truth behind it?..

we took the pots out of the shed..like always the pips are pale and leggy (as expected)..I sprayed some animal repellent on them..worth a shot..

the worst leaf of Autumn Frost is chewed off now and laying in the pot..

If you’re not in a big hurry, and you want to save your back, that pvc pipe hack might be a good one.

Finding a person in your retention pond is really weird! Did she leave on her own?

I wish you all the best for your next checkup. It seems like a lot of people have skin issues from the sun. I remember we used to put baby oil on as teens. Didn’t even think of using sunblock, we wanted a tan!

Old_dirt, wonderful owl pictures! I’m glad they’re doing well. Maybe your neighbor is turning over a new leaf and clearing to improve his property? Crossing my fingers for you.

Ann, your gardens are ahead of mine this year. Great photo of your hellebores with your rock wall in the background.

Steve, congrats on your 40 year anniversary. Not many people can say they’ve been with the same employer for that long.

Last week I got a tetanus shot – why can’t all vaccines be good for ten years?!? And I’m watching over my DH who has three blood clots in his leg! Eliquis has been prescribed, but it’s nerve wracking.

Last week we had good weather so I was able to get the crabgrass pre emergent on the lawn, and I put out some Soil Acidifier on a few plants that can use that around here. I also planted a Serviceberry ‘Standing Ovation’. Tag says 15’ high but only 4’ wide. Time will tell. Then everything got rained in, along with some snow and some hail. Good thing none of my hostas are up yet. My smaller bulbs are flowering, Crocus, Puschkinia, Scilla, and Chionodoxa.

Adding: Today I moved my red and yellow onion seedlings, and tomatillo seedlings under the lights. The beginning of my vegetable garden!

nicholsworth, no, we never learned anything more about that incident.

Hmm, never been to dermatologist. Appt there anywhere 6 months to couple of years ahead...

Did my mammogram and ultrasound breast today per PCP insistence. High five for technology, in and out in 40 minutes for both, US now done by machine..

Steve, how does it feel 40 years in same place? I have been for 22 and now work with teenagers lol

Loving seeing everyone hosta and plant pics, raining here and cold. We have stalled after snow came , couple of " but now gone.

Spent rest of the day planting tomatoes seedlings in trays.

Probably need to up cup biggest seedlings of hostas, very few this year sizeable as I started later.

Yes, Paula, also join others in saying sorry to hear about the skin cancer. Both myself and my husband have had basal cell carcinomas removed within a few months of each other. Mine on my forearm and his on a knee. His was far worse as it was in such a bad spot where there’s no fat. He was quite immobilized for a good week at least. We both recovered fine. Both of ours started as tiny, itchy skin patches. So my friends, pay attention to those. We both go for annuals and wear our sunscreen. Sandyslopes, I remember the baby oil too! We didn’t know any better!

Today it has been raining and melting all the snow we got two days ago, about 5”. I have no pips, but my lilacs, my Tamukeyama Japanese Maple and Salix Caprea Pendula are all budded out. In fact the willow flower buds are already turning greenish as they do before blowing. I ordered all my garden plants last week from the CSA we support in that way. I am anxious for the planting season to arrive, but it won’t be here soon. I am surprised to see so many pips from others!

What else is going on???? Well, this probably belongs on another forum and perhaps it will make it there, but we are redoing our main bathroom. We have a half bath and a full one upstairs. This is a 1935 house with original tile and tub. So we made the decision to take out the tub and just have a walk-in shower. It will be a project, but we have our floor and shower tiles, our contractor (who’s a friend) and our measurements for the custom cabinets we are having made. Since it’s an 89 year old house, let’s hope there are no huge surprises!

Also went to my weekly massage today……I know, I know it’s wonderful!

debra

P.S. I love the owlets!

debra

Paula, glad you had your skin cancer taken care of. I am seeing more and more people wearing the spf clothing on the beach. I was also one to use baby oil to enhance my tan when I was younger, but I guess I was lucky I lived in chicago and with the pollution I didn't get tan. Now first thing I do on days I am going outside is lather up with sunblock.

Skin cancer is always in the back of my mind. I was a teen that fried herself with baby oil and iodine. Mostly I now have lots of brown spots, so attractive. I usually show the dermatologist some spot and at just a glance she says oh that's nothing.

I love seeing hostas at pip stage and clematis have all leafed out already. Sour cherry trees are almost ready to bloom, and weather says 24 degrees tonite. I think they will be ok. I hope so for my neighbor's sake. She and her daughter come pick cherries every year and she makes cherry preserves to sell at her farmer's market stall.

Have been going to the children's hospital 3x a week to sit with my daughter. Her new baby is in NICU cause she was born so early. My daughter goes and sits and holds her every day, all day. Baby girl may come home this week after 5 weeks. Spring is especially sweet this year.

Ladypa, congratulations on your new granddaughter. Fingers crossed she gets to come home this week!!!

I hope everyone has succes with their skin problems, hubby has had a basal cell on his arm and back removed. I have been lucky in that regard.

I noticed my A. Montana has pips that have reached four inches tall. It never has the sense to stay in the ground to avoid frost damage. All my other hosta are smarter, no pips. guess i should check the hosta in my shed to see if they show any signs of life.

Talk about hating squirrels………they are even higher on the list this year. my daughter lives in an apartment so her car is parked outside…….she had $1700 of damage on her car from all the squirrel chewing that took place under the hood. She is first on the list to acquire a garage. The maintenance people see squirrels jumping up in the tire wells all of the time. Little furry #=-(&,!!!!!

Sherry

What a sad day in the news. The bridge collapse is horrible. Does Ester live there? Many prayers for the families of the missing.

Thank you all for your kind words about my arm. I have been going to a dermatologist regularly in the past but had to change for insurance coverage. I like these people, but they put three holes in me. I was, back in the day, a Malibu Barbie Recently I just got rid of my tanning bed. I could not even give it away free.

Steve congrats on 40 years at one company. That is an accomplishment. I lasted 36.5 years at mine. Smoke another for me.

I will probably never know what happened to the lady in the pond. I do wish that she gets the help she needs. In answer to a question: it took 2 calls to the police to get someone here. The parameds showed up right away. The second operator was far more helpful, and she understood the fear in my voice.

ladypat best wishes on the new baby. She will be home soon and taking over the house.

Well, this is my plan to taking better photos. Have the name clearly looking at you before you hit the camera button. Summer Music looking cute.

I've been busy buying hosta locally. I had some "found" money, so decided to splurge on hosta. There doesn't seem to be anything locally, except old tried an true varieties. I'll take that.

I picked up a Paul's Glory, Elegans, Guacamole, Devon Green, Fantabulous and Stained Glass. I'd never heard of Fantabulous, but it's a pretty hosta.

bk

It is a good thing you went Paula. I do hope that girl in your pond got the help she needed.

old_dirt at least the adorable owlets take some of the sting out of your neighbours slovenliness.

Congrats Steve!

ladypat1 it will be a sweet spring once your granddaughter is home. Congratulations!

Wow everyone is so far ahead of me, but that is no surprise. I hope you all have great weather.

I spent 3 days burning brush from last Aprils ice storm. There was a fire ban all last summer since it was so dry. I have been out tidying in the garden anything I did not get to in the fall.

Teaspoon is always my first up but it is crazy early this year because it has been so unseasonably warm. I took this pic yesterday just before I covered it with leaves and twigs. Today I noticed Ruffled Mouse Ears was coming up too. I did not have my camera with me so I covered it as well. I am protecting them from the deer as much as the cold that will surely return. I am so looking forward to the garden but my biggest joy is seeing my grandson nearly every day. I'm a grandma now!!

Healing thoughts to humans and plants!

We made it thru the snow.

Congratulations Laurie! Your garden may suffer this year as you will want to spend all your time with your grandson….. unless you take him out with you! Never too young to learn! Lol, lol!

debra

My Grandfather taught me the art of gardening. We planted Glad corms when I was about 3. I still grow them today.

ladypat and Laurie..congratulations to both of you..🙂..

the bridge collapse was shocking..so sad..

my potted plants are in the garage..again..

my outside plants are ok for now 🤞..

Thank you Debra & Ann! Paula I caught the gardening bug from my parents then I instilled a love of gardening in my daughter from a very young age...and it stuck! Hopefully it is passed to this very new generation.

My dad was a great gardener later in his life while I was in college but I didn’t catch the bug until later when I friend turned me onto hostas. The rest is history!

debra

Mine is a little different story. I kind of grew up in the garden, with 11 kids inour family and living on a small family farm, we grew and farmed most everything we could to be self-sustaining. Spent many long summer days in the garden, planting, weeding, harvesting, etc. I hated that garden as I wanted to be out exploring the woods and waters. I swore whenever I got to be on my own, I would never have a garden. A couple years after marriage and we got a place of our own, you guessed it, I dug up the back yard and planted a garden. Fifty plus years later, I'm still playing in the dirt.

Ladypat, I hope your granddaughter is home and doing well by now.

Laurie, congratulations on your first grandchild. How wonderful for you! What will he call you? Have you decided on that yet? I know it’s a little soon before he talks, but these are the things I think of. 😊

Bkay, new hostas are always fun to get. It’s too early for our nurseries or my mail order hostas to get to me yet.

Ann, you inspired me to try Elephant Ears again. I just got them and think I’ll pot them up to get a head start. But they’re staying inside for a while.

And how lucky for those of you who had exposure to gardens as kids. I watched gardening shows on PBS, Victory Garden comes to mind. Then I tried things on my own with the help of a few booklets from Burpees. Finding GW and the gardeners here has helped make sense of so many things. I’ve always loved seeing how plants grow.

First flowering hellebore in my gardens.

Thank you Lisa! I will be gramma. Then nana & papa for his other grandparents plus one for uncle and of course for themselves. This was decided ahead of time and the kids got us T shirts printed. Fabulous Hellebore!

Weird. The print is actually white and the blue brighter than it appears. It was such a cute idea and on Sunday we will get a pic with all of us in our shirts with the baby.

Laurie, your family is organized! The tee shirts are a great idea, and those little baby feet.... so cute!