2011 New Plant Introductions

Each year I look forward to the announcement of the new plants that will be introduced for that gardening season. I have never been disappointed in the wide variety of perennials, annuals, vegetables, or trees/shrubs that have been offered. This year was no exception. Here are a few of the most interesting introductions.

Echinacea 'Guava Ice' - I love echniacea, and the interesting color combination sounds too good to pass up. This flower is advertised as having enormous double orangish-pink (or guava colored) blooms.

Echinacea 'Hot Summer' - This cone flower opens yellowish-orange, matures to a deep orange, and then, as it peaks, turns deep red. Very interesting.

Calibrachoa 'Blackberry Punch' - This tiny petunia is very dramatic with its coloring...deep violet-purple edges surround inky black centers which make the yellow eye jump.

Petunia 'Phantom' - This petunia is toted as having black flowers with a perfect yellow star shape in the center. It could be interested when planted in a basket with 'Blackberry Punch'.

Hosta 'Cherry Tomato' - I am a lover of hosta, with over 200 varieties residing happily in my shade-filled yard. This hosta is a mini with long, narrow lance-like leaves. They are yellow to creamy white with green, and have red on the lower part of the petiole and up the back.

Peony 'Bartzella' - 10 years ago I planted my first tree peony and I've never looked back. If you've never planted one, DO IT NOW. You won't regret the amazing flowers. 'Bartzilla' is a cross between the regular garden-variety herbacious peony and tree peopny. The gigantic flower is bright yellow and has a sweet/spicy scent. The bloom of this plant has the qualities of a tree peony; the leaves are those of the herbacious variety.

Crabtree 'Ruby Tears' - Weeping trees hold a special place in my heart. Combine the weeping form of this small tree along with the pink blooms and dark red fruit that stays on well into winter, and you definitely have a winning specimen tree for the garden.

For more new plant introductions, go to Goodsearch.com, enter the charity of your choice, then search "2011 new plant introductions." You'll not only get a ton of information, you'll also be giving free money to your favorite charity!

shel

Electricity, My Love

Electricity, oh Electricity, how much I love you!

You never know just how dependent you are on something until you have to do without it. Yesterday our electricity was out for approximately seven hours thanks to the blizzard that central Illinois was blessed with.

Bryan woke up, crying hysterically, at 4:10 a.m. It was blacker than black in the house and I ran into the walls on more than on occasion as I stumbled down the hallway to get to him. I never would have imagined that it was able to be this dark. Usually I walk around the house at night without turning on the lights. I go to the bathroom three or four times a night, get up and get a drink, or check on the stove (did I remember to turn that burner off?) at least once.

I did a quick head count and figured out exactly WHY it is so light in here at night. (I never realized it was light until I had to do without these helpers!) The telephone has two red lights that stay on, the computer screen has a dash light and the monitor has one as well. The glow of the clock radio and the clock on the oven add to the illumination. There is also a pole light at the end of our long, long driveway that actually has enough power to shine into the dorm window above the door and through the gaps in the vertical blinds.

I couldn't heat anything up in the microwave or on the stove, nor could I safely open the refrigerator or freezer doors. The furnace wouldn't work, and I couldn't flush the toilets because I have well water, and the pump wouldn't work.

I never realized how important a part that electricity played in my life. Like many people, I took something that is important to me for granted.

Electricity, I am so glad that you are once again part of my life. Please don't leave me again.

Stay warm, everyone.

shel

Home Grown Tomatoes or My Love of the Beef Master

Here it is, near the end of January (and awfully close to the beginning of winter) and I have a craving that can't be appeased. I desperately want to go out the sliding doors, across the deck, through the gate and over to my rather small and unruly garden so that I can pick a tomato. I wouldn't bother to wash it; instead, I would wipe it quickly across my t-shirt and take a big, messy bite.

My favorite garden tomato is the Beef Master. This tomato has the kind of face that only a mother (or tomato freak like me) could love; uneven and creased, often with tomato pieces protruding like a Jimmy Durante nose. These extremely heavy fruits are chalk-full of meat, making it a great variety capable of fulfilling a multitude of tasks.

I've used Beef Masters (aka Beefmaster, one word) to eat straight from the garden, on a BLT, diced and mixed with olive oil, mozzarella chunks, onions and basil, and made into juice. It's fabulous made into sauce to be frozen, grilled between a slice of garlic bread and provolone cheese, or cut daisy-like and filled with cottage cheese.

The downfalls of this variety? It's susceptible to disease, which can be somewhat controlled by rotating your crop, practicing good garden hygiene (clean up all dropped leaves and fruits) and watering at root level. The enormous fruits also have a tendency to weigh down the fragile plant branches, causing them to split or break. I use a good support system for each plant to help dodge that potentially fatal bullet.

Yes, I have a love-affair with my garden tomatoes. I eagerly away summer so that I can have a true garden delight. I'm not about to cheat with those mushy, mealy store-bought Jezebels!

shel

Happy (Gardening) New Year

Oh, it's that time of year again. I've done as much as I can with my houseplants (have you ever heard of killing houseplants with kindness? I have the tendency to do that!) and am now chomping at the bit to get my hands in the good old earth. Luckily I have a few seed and plant catalogs to look through so that I can keep my sanity.

Every year I flip through the pages, scanning the pretty pictures but not reading names or descriptions. Then I go back through the catalog and read each word, circling the items that I think I'd like to order. My third time through the catalog is a reality check...I draw a line through the items that I really SHOULDN'T order (I'm in zone 5b, but there are some zone 6 plants I yearn for!) My fourth, but probably not last, time through the catalog I will actually fill out the order form. Money is tight, so I know that I can't REALLY order everything from each magazine. Instead I stick the order form to the refrigerator and hope that my husband will take the hint and order the goodies for me. (It never happens.)

Today I received my Gardening How-To magazine. It has an article entitled "New Varieties 2011" (go to www.gardeningclub.com for more information.) Hydrangea macrophylia 'Fantasia' is one shrub that I absolutely MUST have. The first big plus is that this shrub blooms on both old and new wood, much like the Endless Summer series. Each cluster of flowers is covered with a variety of colors ranging from light pint to apricot-mauve. The picture shows a close-up of a bloom that looks almost striped with the different colors...just beautiful.

There are two interesting new annuals for 2011. Calibrachoa Superbells Blackberry Punch, which has vibrant magenta flowers with almost-black throats is a must-have. It will look great planted in a hanging basket with another new introduction, Petunia Black Velvet/Black Cat (Ball Seed.) This full-sized petunia shimmer with a deep almost black color. The mounding habit of this petunia combined with the trailing Blackberry Punch would be stunning.

It's only 45 minutes until 2011. I still have time to salivate over the new coneflower introductions and welcome in the new year. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful night. Dream well...spring will be here before we know it.

shel

Up since 5 a.m. assembling platters of cookies and candy. Today will continue to be a busy day with running, shopping for last minute gifts and food, and delivering the Xmas platters. Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining. I absolutely love the business of Christmas.

At this time of year the people in the stores and on the streets seem much more friendly and compassionate. I love that I can say "hello" to folks as they linger with me in the toy aisle, and a conversation ensues regarding the child for whom we're shopping.

My wish is that it could be more like Christmas all year long...the caring and sharing are amazing. With that in mind, please remember to smile at your sales associates, stay off of your cell phone while you're paying for something, be friendly toward your fellow shoppers, and be generous with your donations of commercial items, money and, especially time.

Merry Christmas, my cyber readers. God bless.

shel

Catching Up

It has been way too long since I have blogged. I need to make it a regular part of my routine once again. Perhaps that would calm my mind.

K-Mart was a big disappointment today. Mom got a pair of house slippers for dad and the price rang up higher. Unfortunately, I didn't think about it until after mom had already used her debit card. The sales lady ran back to check the sale price and when she returned she said "No, the $7.49 price is just for boys' Route 66 house slippers." I went back to the shoe section with her and showed her the sale sign, and she agreed; yep, the slippers were on sale. She took me up to guest services and told the very busy lady there that the shoes were on sale, and that mom needed a refund. The woman was rather snotty and argued the point. We waited and waited, but she woman kept telling everyone that she was too busy to help them, so we finally left. K-Mart service sucks. This isn't the first time that we have had a problem with incorrect pricing, either.

Bryan's Christmas program was last night. Chester-East Lincoln School did a wonderful CHRISTMAS show (not a generic holiday show, as is politically correct now.) They sang and did some acting, and many of them, including Bryan, did a little nose picking. At least his didn't go into his mouth! One of the songs that they sang was about Martha Stewart. It was hysterical! I suggested that Jessie send it in to Martha, but she's reluctant. (Yes, I'm a Martha fan.)

Tonight was Jaden's Christmas program. It was short, sweet, and to the point; not to mention adorable! The preschool kids were fabulous. After the program we had cookies and punch and visited. It was a very enjoyable evening. This program, too, celebrated Christmas and was not just a winter program.

It's 12:43 a.m. and I still can't get to sleep. Time to have a cup of hot chocolate with a shot; perhaps that will calm my mind.

Sleep well, my cyber friends. Dream of the magical time yet to come.

shel

Gabe's Toy Adventure

My grandboys have hundreds of dollars worth of toys to play with at my house. I have purchased some new, got some from rummage sales, have had many handed down or from Freecycle.org, and have some from Happy Meals.

What was the toy of choice when Gabe was here last night?

My pots and pans were the hit of the evening. Gabe spent the better part of an hour pulling them out of the corner cupboard, stacking and re-stacking them. He then decided that every pan needed to go into my sink, and stood on his little tiptoes to drop them in. After that Gabe found my two cookie presses and their various shape plates. He got into the Tupperware cabinet and pulled out a big green container to hold all of those pieces. Perhaps we have an aspiring pastry chef on our hands!

Gabe missed picking up one dutch oven. It was on the floor between the dining room and kitchen. Little Jaxxon, in the beginning stages of crawling, made record time getting to it. He enjoyed picking up the edge of it and dropping it back onto the vinyl floor. It made a very satisfying sound for him from the way he laughed each time it "kling"ed.

Alana, Max, David and I were able to play two good games of Rummikub while the boys played nicely with their "toys".

This morning I had a full load for my dishwasher. I don't mind...Gabe and Jaxxon had a wonderful time with my cookware. Maybe I should get them a child-sized set for Christmas!

Hope you all enjoy your day.
shel

Change of Plans....

When I die, my tombstone will have my name, date of birth and death, and the phrase that I seem to say more and more often..."Change of Plans..." It seems like something always comes up that throws my perfectly choreographed day into utter chaos.

Take today, for example. I had planned on following David to Springfield so that Alana's new car door could get painted. Since I had to be back at Erin's by 10:00 to relieve Shannon, I wanted to leave the house by 7 a.m. Nope. Didn't work out quite that way, but that's okay. Alana, Gabe & Jaxxon rode with me in the van to Maaco. David hadn't shown up yet, so we had to wait a short time, but that's okay. We still made it back to Clinton in time for me to drop David and Alana off at their new apartment. I hadn't planned on bringing the boys to Erin's with me, but that's okay.

I had planned on taking Jaden to mom and dad's house with me (Ady was in school) because he had asked last week if he could go. We were going to work in the yard. Jaden was sick, however, so we stayed here, but that's okay. Alana, Gabe and Jaxxon stayed and played all day. I was able to squeeze in cleaning the upstairs bathroom carpet (does it mean I'm a weirdo if I truly enjoy cleaning carpets, and find every excuse to do so?) I had planned on picking Ady up from school and going out to our house to start spaghetti for dinner, but Ady's father J.R called and said he would be here to pick her up for the weekend. We didn't get out to the house, but that's okay. Instead, I sent Alana out for Subway (love the steak & provolone cheese sandwich on wheat with everything except jalapenos and with extra, extra onions and a touch of honey mustard) and we had dinner here.

It's now 10 p.m., and Jaden is sleeping in a special spot. His NumNum (grandma Shannon) got a huge box for him and placed it in the library. He is now sound asleep in his "fort", dreaming of laughing dragons and dancing frogs. I plan on finishing here then watching my favorite channel, National Geographic.

Tomorrow morning I'll wake up early and shampoo the living room carpet. At 10:00, after Shannon gets here, I'll go pick up Alana, David and the boys and take them to Springfield so that they can pick up Alana's car. After that I'll either work in my poorly maintained yard, go to visit my father-in-law, or get much-needed groceries. If something comes up, there will be a change of plans, but that's okay. I have adapted and can now go with the flow.

Perhaps my tombstone should read "Change of Plans....But That's Okay!"

Hope everyone is having an agreeable day. Life is so much easier that way!

shel

Autumn Clean-up

It was a perfect 72 degree day yesterday in central Illinois; perfect weather for tackling those dreaded autumn chores.

I spent the day closing down the gardens at my mom and dad's home. There had been a hard frost, so all delicate plants that were not protected had to be removed. I pulled out tomato plants (not easy to do as the doggone roots had really taken hold, which makes for a great tomato but also for a bad back!), clipped them into smaller pieces, and put them into the black standard compost bin. I also added armloads of silver maple leaves (more on that later), spent coneflower heads and stems, and dozens of Wave petunias, seed geraniums, coleus, nasturtium, and impatiens that had been killed.

There were many geraniums that were protected from the cold temperatures. I carefully pulled the plants from the potting soil, cleaned all of the soil from the roots, and pruned off the old growth to about 3". These geraniums are kept in my temperature-controlled garage (it is 3/4 underground, so the temps are rarely below 50 degrees) in a paper bag. During the winter I will check on them about once a month to make sure that there is not damage to the plant from either errant mice that have escaped the three cats and two huskies that reside here, or from fungus or disease. If the plant appears to be infected I throw it out; if it looks too dry I will lightly spritz it with water a few times a week until it looks rehydrated. At the end of February I will pot up the geraniums into a sterilized container that has been filled with fresh high-quality potting soil (please, do NOT put those awful packaging peanuts in the bottom of your containers!) and begin to wake the plants up by giving them a deep drink of water and putting them in my sun room. At the first signs of new growth, I will begin feeding my geraniums with a weak fertilizer solution. As the plant gets more robust, my fertilizing regime will increase. By the middle of April I will have beautiful, full plants, ready to be moved out into the sunlight on warm days. I have successfully overwintered standard geraniums like this for many years. They continue to get bigger and better.

Back to my leaf story...the maple leaves had blown into a corner area close enough to the compost bin that I didn't have to mess with a rake. Instead, I used my arms to scoop up masses of leaves. Mistake!!! I was totally creeped out when mom pointed to the hundreds of minuscule wolf spider infants crawling from the leaf pile onto the skirting of their trailer. Normally I am a proponent of spider survival (they do, after all, control the mosquito population) but this was too much. I ran into the house and grabbed the can of Raid Ant & Roach spray, the only kind under the sink. The spiders that were exposed got a good spray and died a quick death. Some of them escaped under the trailer, and I'm sure that there were many, many more in the leaf pile. That was the end of my composting for the day. I wasn't about to let any spiders crawl around on me, no matter how beneficial they are!

Before my day had ended, I had spread another four bags of cedar mulch onto the garden with the freshly-planted Cleveland pear. Friday I will continue with my autumn clean-up by planting the last of the bulbs (a few tulip and hyacinth, with some bloodmeal added for good measure), unhooking the garden hoses and putting them into the shed, pulling the last of the stubborn cool-weather weeds, and placing the snow shovel on the porch. Since the folks have two raised vegetable beds, I will add compost and additional garden soil to them, along with some peat moss, and till it with my Mantis. After that, I start in on my own two acres.

I hate autumn chores simply because there is so much death involved. But I truly look forward to a season of rest, where I can dream over garden catalogs and drool over my Horticulture magazine. Rest well, gardens. Spring will be here soon, bringing about the rebirth of beauty in our gardens.

shel

brrrrrrr

Tonight I turned on the furnace for the first time without having the grandbabies here. Normally I just tough it out...a few extra blankets while I'm reading, a t-shirt under the sweats, and my fuzzy house slippers. It's hell having propane for your furnace, water heater, and dryer. Prices are out of sight, especially this time of year. I will be frugal with the energy (thermostat is set on 65 right now, but I'll turn it back to 60 when I go to bed tonight).

Tomorrow I will spread weed & feed at mom & dad's place. I will also need to pull the tomato plants from the gardens, mulch the newly-planted Cleveland pear, and do general winterizing.

I brought the banana tree, giant elephant ear, and one pot on light pink geraniums into the sun room. Hopefully someone will water them while I'm in Alabama in January.

Now is the time to plant new trees and shrubs. Just be sure to give them lots of water so that the roots can grow nicely before winter sets in.

Stay warm.
shel

I Voted...Did You?

I have to admit that I got lost on my way to the polls....literally. We live in the country, and must go about 5 miles to get to be able to vote. I have always gone through the country to get there, but today I was in Clinton so I decided to leave from there. Silly me...I forgot that Lane is on Route 10. Instead of going there, I followed 54 almost to the power plant before I realized my mistake! Instead of learning my lesson and traveling the route that I knew, I decided to take a shortcut from 54 to 10. Max always cuts cross country to come home, so I thought I would do it to. Another mistake, as I turned on the wrong road and ended up winding around the countryside for about half an hour. To make a long story short, I finally DID make it to Lane and voted, which I consider a privilege and an honor. I hope that everyone else made their voices heard, too.

shel
p.s. I STILL have perennials to get in the ground, as well as quite a few spring bulbs. Hope the weather holds out!

Halloween

It was a beautiful Halloween night. There was just enough of a nip in the air to make heavy costumes comfortable.

Earlier in the day Alana and David brought Gabe and Jaxxon over so that I could watch the boys while they put on their gory make-up. Papa Max was able to get grumpy little Gabe to sleep. With the help of a bottle of soy formula, Jaxxon soon joined him. Unfortunately Gabe's nap was not quite a peaceful one, as his mommy needed to get him dressed for his big night.

Jaxxon wore a stuffed monkey suit. While we were trick-or-treating, the poor little guy fell asleep in the double stroller. Technically, he's too young to enjoy the spoils of the evening, so I suppose it doesn't matter that he snoozed.

I had a great time walking with a rock star (Ady) a puppy dog (Jaden), my monkey and cowboy, and Erin, Steve, Alana and David. Thank you, God, for such a beautiful evening.

Fall is Failing

Autumn is such a depressing time of the year for me. The only blooms that I have are the mums and asters, and everything else is pretty much brown or black. Leaves are falling by the millions (we live in the middle of the woods on two acres with thousands of trees and doggone Japanese Honeysuckle.) The pond, or what is actually left of it, is filled with 2' of leaves. Ugh.

I have many autumn chores to accomplish:

The grass needs to be mowed (and leaves mulched) again. Unfortunately the lawnmower has a flat tire and I can't get it to hold air.

There are hundreds of volunteer trees that have popped up in the gardens. I need to go out with the loppers and cut them as close to the ground as possible, then soak the little stump area with Round-Up. This doesn't always work, but I have had luck with it in the past. Green-X used to work well with killing the stumps of mulberries, but I can't find it anymore.

Over the summer a lot of junk has accumulated in front of the house, mainly in front of the garage. I must find a home for the 55 gallon aquarium (doesn't seal anymore, so it's only good for reptiles), convince Max to take the snow blower in to be repaired, and get rid of the straw that was around the horse trough that held the water garden. There is a multitude of white plastic garbage bags full of crushed aluminum cans forming a mountain of eyesore near the edge of the driveway. Critters - probably raccoons or possums - have gotten into the bags and spread the cans all over the place. Max was the one that insisted on keeping the cans, so I hope he will be the one to take responsibility and clean up the mess. I won't hold my breath, though. He's not much of an outdoor worker.

All of the dead coneflowers and black-eyed Susans need deadheaded. I usually keep them for the birds to much on during the winter, but the doggone things have taken over the gardens.

All of the wood from mom & dad's pear tree needs to be carted to the back yard and piled by the fence. Wish I had some help to do it.

The shrubs and tree branches have grown so that they block the view when backing out of the drive. They all need to be cut back

There was a heavy frost last night so I should pull out the annuals that were bitten. Luckily the banana tree and giant elephant ear planters made it inside.

So much more to do, so little time to do it in. Winter will be here before we know it.

Hope you are all able to work outside and then come in for a nice warm cup of apple cider.

shel

Drats! Foiled again!

I can't believe how dry the ground is! It was quite a chore to dig a hole for the viburnum yesterday. I decided that, in order to finish planting the rest of the garden additions, I would water. Yesterday I had the sprinkler running for two hours in the garden where I planted the shrub, then switched it to the platform feeder garden straight off of the deck. It ran for about three hours there, then I switched it to the garden to the east that has Storm and the yellow magnolia tree. After Max got home we went to a clam bake (wow, the food was incredible!) and left the hose running. I forgot to turn it off! It ran until about 9 p.m. Now I need to water the rest of the two acres...a chore I don't look forward to. Hopefully it will rain soon. Those poor plants MUST get into the ground!

Tonight I'm making hot dogs and hamburgers on the fire pit for family members. I also made creamy ranch pasta salad with cheddar cheese and peas and broccoli cauliflower salad. After I hang up here I will make an apple pie to go with the vanilla ice cream. Hope mom and dad can come over too.

Have a happy day, everyone.
shel

Beautiful day

Today is an absolutely perfect day. I couldn't sleep last night, so I have taken it rather easy this morning. I've done dishes, picked up remainders of the party, and did a belly dancing video (I'll be teaching a class soon, so I need to get back in shape.) As soon as I finish on the computer, I plan on going outside to putter around.

I have a viburnum 'Autumn Jazz' to plant in the west side hosta garden in the back. It's a great shrub with all-season interest. Already, while still in the gallon container, the leaves have turned a beautiful red and yellow. In the spring there will be highly scented clusters of white blooms, and all winter long the birds will be enjoying the fruits of the bush. I love this particular shrub because it's low maintenance.

I also have a rose campion to plant, 'Rolley's Favorite'. I love, love, love campions. They not only attract butterflies, but will also bloom and bloom. This plant, too, is relatively low maintenance. It handles heat and drought very well (we have plenty of that in central Illinois!) I haven't decided where to plant this yet, as it requires full sun and those gardens are pretty full.

When my government stimulus job was terminated on Sept. 30, my wonderful co-workers presented me with a mum the size of Kansas. I will plant it in the container in front, under the mailbox. It is a stunning pale yellow beauty that will attract the eye from quite a distance.

All of my containers need a good drink of water. It's been very dry this fall, so things are just limping along. I have two ivy geraniums that I have overwintered for two years that are absolutely gorgeous. They trail almost to the ground, and are very lush on top. I will have to find a home for these, as I won't be able to take them with me when we go to Alabama for the month of January. Max wouldn't water them here, and sending them for Alana or Erin to care for would be to give them the death sentence. Guess I'll post them on freecycle.org, and some lucky person will be blessed with stunning plants next year. I'll advise them to do what I do...cut the plants down to about 4" and water them sparingly during the winter. I keep mine in the sun room on the north side of the house, so they don't get tons of sunlight. I also start fertilizing near the end of February so that the plant looks healthy when I put it out in mid-May.

My last chore is to plant a thornless blackberry. I've had them in the past and was thrilled with the ease of harvest. I had stupidly cut out all plants when I put the greenhouse up, and now I am ready to plant again. This one gallon container has grown all summer long, so the canes are about 8' in length. I will spread them to the side and cover small sections of the cane with soil. Hopefully they can root before winter. This spring I will cut the canes from the mother plant, and have enough individual plants to give me a good harvest. Fingers are crossed.

I could paint the fence today, but I just hate the darn thing. I have always wanted a white picket fence (like you'd see around a cottage garden) but Max got a little carried away while he was building this. He made it 6' tall and put the pickets only a quarter of an inch apart. It also has bends in weird places, instead of being a straight or angled shot toward the shed. The fence is more of an eyesore than an attraction, and I just have spending hour after hour painting it. It is nearly finished, but I just dread wasting my time on it. Wish I had one of those spray gun painters.

Time to get busy. I hope you are all able to enjoy this beautiful weather!

shel

Alana's Birthday Weiner Roast

Tonight was a wonderful night. We held a wiener roast to celebrate Alana's 21st birthday (hard to believe it's been 21 years!) and I think it went quite well.

I spent the day cooking and cleaning. I made potato salad, baked beans, pickles wrapped in cream cheese and ham, and Barb Bodine's 14 Karat Carrot cake. Yum. The only thing that I have extra of is the OM hot dogs and buns. I may have to have another wiener roast this week.

The best part of the evening was the laughter from the young adults. Max and I watched Jaden (almost 5), Bryan (just turned 5), Gabe (21 months), and little Jaxxon (5 1/2 months) so that Alana, Jessica, Steve & Erin could run into town. Bryan and Jaden had a wild time playing with the hundreds of balls (from a ball pit that had a leak) and running and hiding from Gabe. There were lots of giggles, and a few bumps and bruises as the play got more rowdy. We finally got them settled down to watch "Ice Age". Shortly after Jaxxon went to sleep, the gang came back from town. They sat at the dining room table while we were in the living room. It was great to hear them laughing so much.

Tomorrow I plan on doing yet another load of dishes, putting the house back in order, and planting a shrub, a perennial, and a thornless blackberry bush. In the afternoon Max and I are going to a clam bake. This is a big step for Max, as he doesn't usually socialize with the men from work. I look forward to meeting them.

Hopefully I will be able to get to sleep soon. It's 1:20 a.m. and I'm still wide awake.

Sleep well, my friends.
shel

Updates

Please forgive me for my rant. I promise it will only be a short one, then I will continue on with life's updates.

Oh, what a busy life it's been. I wouldn't change it for all of the money in the world....what I would change, however, is the attitude of my husband! Unfortunately, we are opposites. I don't really have "days off". I will always have to cook, clean, do laundry, etc. even when I'm not technically at my job. In the meantime, the sunroom leaks in FIVE places, the tires on the wheelbarrow, lawnmower cart, lawnmower and Honda are flat, there is a 3' tree growing in the gutter in back, all of the garbage cans are full, and the list goes on and on. Yes, I could do some of this myself, but I just don't have the strength anymore after doing everything else.

There, I'm done.

Mom and dad are doing...well...they are doing. They are both still in pain on a daily basis. Dad is seeking medical attention at a back pain facility, and hopefully mom will soon be a patient there as well. Over the past two weeks they had a Bradford pear tree that came down a third at a time, so we spent many hours cutting and loading the wood onto a trailer so that I could haul it here. Jerry, the kindly neighbor, did the majority of the "heavy" work. He has a bad heart, so I worry about him doing so much. He, however, worries about mom and dad doing too much! I hope to get over to mom and dad's again this afternoon. There's lots of spring bulbs that need to be planted.

Thursday my parents will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary. Shannon and I plan on taking them to lunch.

Bryan is doing well. He is now in half day preschool and half day kindergarten. The poor guy is worn out by the end of his day, but he still has enough energy to play dinosaur with grandma. He loves for me to chase him around the house, waving my arms and roaring at him. His giggles make every trial in life bearable.

Gabe is another pistol. He, too, loves to be chased around the house. The little stinker is 20 months old now, and into everything. He has discovered that if he uses Grandma's kitchen bench, he can carry it around and climb onto ANYTHING. You just can't scold this boy; he just flashes that 10,000 watt smile and all is forgiven.

Little Jaxxon, now five months old, is smiling much more now that his stomach upset is controlled with soy formula and Nexium. It won't be long and he'll be crawling (can you believe it?) If I put him down on the floor, he gets onto his stomach and scootches all over the livingroom. His face lights up every time that I talk to him. He loves his grandma!

All of my boys are very special, very unique. I love them to pieces.

Oh my goodness, I leave for work in five minutes and I am not even dressed yet!

More later.
shel

Back After a LONG Absence

Hello, my long-lost blogger friends. I'm sorry to say that I am STILL on dial-up (although we are supposed to be getting broadband to the area very soon) and STILL going six different directions at once.

I am planning on having a weekend of fun. On September 10 and 11 I will be attending a "Women in the Outdoors" event. There are many educational (and enjoyable) classes offered. I think I'll take Intro to Shotguns, Nature Crafting, Outdoor Photography, Self Defense, Tree and Plant ID and Outdoor Survival. (Oops, that's too many...how will I ever be able to narrow down my coices?) It's been a long, long time since I've gone camping. I hope I can remember which way the tent goes! Any suggestions for what I should take to the potluck Friday night?

My gardens are in horrible shape. I had been getting up around 5:30 a.m. to water, deadhead, etc., but I have been naughty lately and have slept in. On Monday I went out in the evening to water my container gardens and found a nest of wasps inside of my watering can. OUCH. The little devils got me on the back. I was able to take two Benedryl right away, but my throat still constricted. Now I'm afraid to go outside. My poor containers are failing. (I can almost hear them...."heeeelp us, we need water!!!!") Somehow my heart just isn't into gardening this year. Maybe it's just exhaustion talking (well, that. and the fear of being stung again....I don't have an epi pen yet!)

My job will end on Sept. 30. It is a position that has given me much food for thought. In the 10 years of living in this town, I had never really opened my eyes to the poverty in the area. Yes, I see the world through rose-colored glasses. Now that my stimulus job is coming to an end, I realize just how much "need" there is in the area. I have always given to charities and fundraisers, but most of them were for clubs or catastrophic events (Hurricane Katrina, for example.) Now I realize that the need is also in the immediate vicinity, and I hope that I will be able to continue to help in any way that I can.

My weight loss journey has been successful. I've lost 8 lbs a month for the past two months. Tomorrow I weigh in again. Good thing my friend Vicki and mom and dad are keeping me supplied with tomatoes, as I've had tuna and tomato for two out of three meals just about every day. MMMMM, good!

It's 10:30, and I absolutely MUST get up early tomorrow morning to give my suffering containers another chance at life. Rest well, my friends.

shel

2005 GMC Savanna van

I have a 2005 GMC Savanna 8 passenger van that, for the most part, is one of the family. I drive my van just about everywhere and haul just about everything. Most of the time, it seems as if I live in my van because it's always full. Sadly, the people at Douglas have brought strife into our lives.

In the past few years we have had trouble with the middle doors on the passenger and driver's sides. The doors get extremely heavy, and will not close correctly. I have taken the van into Douglas (where we bought it) and they have adjusted the hinges on the doors and all was well for a spell. Eventually, however, the doggone doors become hard to close again.

I took my van into Douglas this week and asked that they fix the door for me. It wouldn't shut at all, so anything was better than what it was....or so I thought. They DID get the door shut, and advised me to not open it again because they weren't sure they would be able to close it again. (How am I supposed to put the grandkids in the van if I can't open the door?) AND they gave me an estimate for over $1,000 to repair the door!!! They have to re-weld the hinges, and paint the area where they work. Really, $1,000 for a faulty welded hinge?

I believe that this problem is one that the company should be responsible for, because it is a flaw in the design of the doors. The $1,000+ price tag is absolutely ridiculous, and I refuse to ever go back to Douglas, or buy a GMC product again. If GMC won't stand behind their vehicle design, then I sure the heck don't want to deal with them!

I urge everyone to think twice before buying a GMC Savanna.

shel

What's Blooming

I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to let the world know (if the world actually cares) about the plants that are blooming at my house.

The 'Rustic Rubra' magnolia is putting on quite a show with her big pink and white blossoms. I hope that today's hail and wind didn't ruin the tree.

Grape hyacinth are blooming among the daffodils, hyacinth, and squill. The crocus are just about done blooming, but the violets are starting to show their color. My tulips, what few the deer and rabbit didn't get to, are going to bloom within the next few days. I love to cut tulips and put them into a clear vase in the living room.

Today my weeping cherry burst into bloom. Its long, draping branches are covered in pink fluff.

The Grecian windflowers are open; their little heads are nodding in the breeze.

In the backyard, the Cleveland pear is just opening up. It will be beautiful tomorrow. I hope the weather will be nice so I can go outside and pull a few weeds!

shel