For those of you who have gardens coming on now, I'd love to know what you are growing and how its doing. I've got Toms finally, Big Boy, Early Girl, Champion, and Celebrity, a grape tom and volunteer cherry toms. I've got California Wonder green peppers, sweet banana peppers, A jalapeno pepper called "Holey Mole,'' a Habanero pepper, several kinds of squash and Tenderpick green beans. Also Straight Eight cukes, and parsley, cilantro, sweet basil ,chives, curry plant, oregano, rosemary, thyme, dill, several kinds of sage, peppermint, spearmint, pineapple mint. I'll fall plant more lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, and Sugar Snap peas.
Well after all the water we have had, my garden patch just didn't want to dry out enough to plant anything I would have grown.
I finally had to just concentrate on flowers...........and I did get some late cukes in the ground.
May have some before frost...........if not the cucumber........I will have pretty vines in front of my apartment.
My gardening is in flower pots. Not a big spot for growing things. I live in an apartment and we can plant in the area just in front......but since I am not healthy enough to really plant and maintain a garden, I am still able to get my fingers in the dirt come spring.
I figure I can pick produce from the community garden, that the garden club keeps for us without the means to plant. so I have been able to get the tomato's from up there..Good... Not sure what kind........red and yummy. that is all I ask.
Hugs and God bless
Judy
About half of mine drowned >:( But apparently cukes will grow no matter what the conditions are. :-\ Zuchinni and squash are doing great but only one pumpkin is growing (last year we ended up with 15) Tomatoes were going great until the rain drowned the plants but some of them look as if they might recover. Okra is coming along nicely. Cabbages are in the freezer in the form of spring rolls except for the ones that morphed into cole slaw. Broccilli did really well got lots in the freezer and ate quite a bit fresh, next year going to plant twice as much broccilli and cabbage. Peas beans and most of the onions drowned. Peppers like our dirt and they are growing lots of fruit I'm picking from them every day now
I am concentrating on flowers since I, too, am limited in what I can do. Vegetables would be fine, but I can't eat most of them fresh and there is only so much one person needs. Also, my days of canning and freezing are over. If I need it, I will buy only what I need at the time.
But the flowers that I planted this year are struggling because of the excessive rain. Millie, my predecessor, used mostly raised beds and filled them with iris and day lilies that survive under the most strenous conditions. With 1st daughter living across the street now, maybe we can conquer the weeds, grass and seedling trees that are trying to overcome the flowers. At least we are trying.
My garden sucks and that's all I have to say about that.
Well, Janet, that's clear and concise. ;D
My sister is a character (no surprise there, right?) and when she gets started you would think she was a 30-year veteran Marine in the barracks. She also has a rather quirky sense of humor (again, no surprise) and taught me that famous nursery rhyme when I was a toddler, like this:
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
and one @%)$@# eggplant!
My garden consists of 4 climbing rose bushes, 3 lilac trees, a maple tree and a whole bunch of weeds; all of which I have managed to keep alive for 3 years now, so I'm doing great!!! LOL
I have somewhat of a Black Thumb. My houseplants are all plastic. I have 2 plants on my desk at work that are drought tolerant on purpose, and then my co-workers always make sure they are watered for me, or they nag me until I do it myself. ;)
We have lots of flower gardens around our home and they're lovely this year. The same weather patterns that brought devastation to many of our friends also ushered in the best assortment of flowers we've ever seen.
We only planted three tomoto plants and they grew to seven feet tall. We're now enjoying delicious Big Boys and Cherry tomatoes.
Last year at this time, we had totally given up on our flowers, and we didn't even plant tomatoes.
I love hearing about all your gardens. For those that drowned, you might still plant bush beans and the fall weather stuff, unless you are sick of the whole thing by now. As for flowers, we are having slugs big time this year, so I put all my annuals in hanging baskets and big pots. petunias, impatiens, snapdragons, red and blue salvias,and the squirrels planted some sunflower seeds which have grown into nice plants. The gold finches are after them already. In the ground I've got several roses, lilies, cone flowers, sweet william, a lot of daylilies (from my parents) nicotenia, many hostas, pholix, asters, poppies, and more.
And you live, where?
In the tee- pee under the pole beans. Actually, there IS room for our 2 storey colonial in the yard. I have flower beds on all four sides and three free standing beds. It's only 1/3 acre and the vegetable garden is up in the back corner, but there always seems to be plenty of room. It was built in 1962, so we have some mature trees also. And lilacs and wisteria and holly, pussy willow and Harry Lauder's walking stick and ferns and primroses and 4 colors of butterfly bushes , burning bush and 2 magnolias, 3 dogwoods, a red bud tree, azaleas, and a rhododendron, Iris, bleeding heart, and lots of spring bulbs. Whew! There is actually some grass too.
Let's all go to Diane's house for a garden tour! I'm sure she would like that surprise, especially if we came for supper ... unannounced.
So, attach a photo, Diane. We'd love to see even a portion of your yard.
test Photo attachment
Oh my goodness, will you look at that crab!
Be still, my heart!
I hope you are referring to the red item in the lady's hands, frawgie.
Be patient with us, we are just learning how to send photos. This one seemed to be lost but did come through. It is also on Good morning.
LOL! Wilma, how could you!
Yes, I was referring to the crustacean. Diane has never been anything other than cheerful, as far as I can tell. But, boy, we are very unlikely to get to go to many crab feeds here in Kansas. That one looks like pure heaven to me.
:)
There were many larger than that one. I could only eat 5.
Having spent so much time in San Francisco, I am prone to the Dungeness crab, but I have never met an edible crab that I didn't like. I can't even tell you when the last time was that I had crab. Boy, is that a sad fact of life.
Dungeness is good too, but the blue claw has a more delicate, sweeter taste.
< smile >
I think we're all going to favor our local crabs.
Having no current local crabs, I am falling back on my most recent local crab.
Oddly enough, I'm not a big King Crab fan. I have no idea why. I will, of course, ingest it but it would never be my first choice and it is the only crab you can commonly get in Kansas.
Diane, you're so lovely!
Oh,sure... your glasses need checking! A sassy smart alec maybe... blushing.
I meant you're lovely when holding a delicious looking crab!
Still, take away the crab and I still see a beautiful person who seems to enjoy life to its fullest.
Have you ever tried a crab and frog legs stir-fry?
I've had both, but not together. Daddy loved frog legs. I did eat that crab and it was delicious. We went to a conference that was held down state and a crab fest was held at the armory one evening. There were a lot of people who came down from New England( and other areas too) that knew what do do with a lobster, but were clueless on how to open a crab and what to eat. We gave lessons.
I love both crab and frog legs. However, after spending some time with Mustang Sally, I am no longer able to eat the latter. Sally patiently explained to me (and whoever else would listen) that one should not eat one's own totem. Since I was the frawg, I could not eat frog legs. Then she proceeded to tell me that most people are given several totems on the journey through life.
As you would expect, she went on to divine my other totems. The first was Horse. The second was Beaver. The third was Eagle. I think she was trying to butter me up. (no pun intended) However, at least she did not name anything that I would normally expect to eat as a totem. I don't know how I would have made it through life if she had named lobster, salmon, and ice cream.
;)
Tell me about Mustang Sally.
No.
Uh- oh......never mind.
;D
There is a Mustang Sally who has a music Company called Blue Frog Company..
Then of course there is a Mustang Sally cafe and eating place.. but I would say that this Mustang Sally has "gifts".. lol
I had a totem reading once.
It was interesting.. but I already knew what my 2 were.. and she did validate it without me saying anything to her.
(love that parapsychology :) )
Janet! Interpretation please!
The Queen is hallucinating again.
Diane, how about those pictures of your lovely yard? If I can't grow 'em at least I can enjoy looking at some else's.
Ya better let me pull some weeds first! I should have taken some photos a couple of weeks ago. The best lilies and daylilies are done and I just fed and cut back most of the petunias, so they will have another flush of blooms soon. I'll see what I can come up with.
Quote from: Rudy Taylor on July 30, 2007, 06:14:48 PM
Janet! Interpretation please!
The Queen is hallucinating again.
Rudy! I am not hallucinating.. :)
And why in the world would you ask Janet to interpret anything from me?
She has a hard time helping her self.... ::)
The 2 of us together is like the blind leading the blind! 8)
Love the smiley with the shades. You crack me up.
So, somebody tell me that if I put a picture on here of our flowers it won't turn out to be billboard size.
It prolly won't let you upload a billboard-sized photo. It will just tell you that it cannot do that. Like most computers, it will be a binary decision: "Yes" or "No."
;)
prolly? Rudy, show them off, big and prolly or not.
prolly = probably
More posting shorthand.
Rudy if it don't want to take your picture, it will down-right insult you like it did me. It told me I was to big >:( now what do you think of that???
I don't know about Rudy, but I think that Kjell and Teresa should have a talk with the software to see if it can be nicer to Flo!
The nerve!
OK, you guys. Now everybody thinks I have this beautiful estate to show off ad it's really just a dinky little flower garden. I've seen some pretty ones in Elk County this summer, too.
Well??
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/146.gif)
Ya gonna post it or whistle Dixie!
::)
Rudy, if I were you, I would just whistle Dixie for a few minutes, and let them just wonder what beautiful garden flowers you are keeping hid. hahahahahahaha :laugh: :laugh:
whr whr whrrrr whr whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
(Whistling Dixie sure does sound different on the internet, doesn't it?)
Quit stallin' Pilgram... and git ta puttin' that picture up.
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/106.gif)
Quote from: Kermit on July 31, 2007, 02:33:40 PM
It prolly won't let you upload a billboard-sized photo. It will just tell you that it cannot do that. Like most computers, it will be a binary decision: "Yes" or "No."
;)
PROLLY????? And that word came from where?????
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/cryinglaughing.gif)
He prolly pulled it right out of his 'Fruit of the Looms'..
You guys are so funny. I wish I could get the internet at work, so I would quit missing out during the day.
We have intranet that gives us information for use in the facility. We are able to access a few links that deal with stuff from the State of Kansas, but that's it. Waa Waa Waa. What a poor baby I am? I can't have Internet at work. :'( :'( :'(
Actually, I think I invented it. ;D It was adopted as normal posting shorthand by most of the members of Compuserve, just like LOL and ROFL, beginning in about 1980 and continuing through at least 1995.
I don't want to hear about Kermie's Fruit of the Looms!
I did, indeed, extract the term from thin air, I guess. (Is that better, Rudy?) But it was over 25 years ago, so I think the statute of limitations has run out and the charges should be dropped.
Back to gardens as in flowers. I have a cottonwood tree that is shedding and filling my flower beds with leaves already. I kind of have an idea of why they are shedding but could some of ye mighty founts of information tell me why?
Our cottonwood is shedding as well and we have no idea why, ??? we are guessing it was too much water but that doesen't really make sense so I am standing in line (queue) behind Wilma to find the real reason why they are doing it
Wilma,
sometimes they get stressed with the heat. And, yes the water early on could have something
to do with it.
I hope it isn't telling us that winter is a coming.....not yet anyway.
Right after Fred rakes the yard every morning, it is a beautiful green --- then Mr and Mrs. Cottonwood look down and say " Oh, my goodness, doesn't Fred know that we just carpeted his lawn yesterday with our nice brown leaves and here he is raking them up and bagging them, then off to the dumpster they go. So we will have to redo it I guess" AND THEY DO JUST THAT---EVERY DAY Poor Fred, back to the same task day after day.
Those leaves really are a pain - the ones here have been shedding ever since they quit blowing their cotton fluffy stuff all over everywhere.
Pesky things !!1
It probably is all that water early on and all the heat now. We have young oaks and maples in our back yard (maybe 8 - 10 years old) and they are certainly showing the effects of the heat. We have been watering them every other day; they are just too young to make it in this weather without a little help. Both oaks have started to brown but the maple seems to be holding up fairly well.
Here's a question about leaves for you. I do not have one tree in my yard, yet I have bagged 12-15 LARGE bags of leaves both falls that I have lived here. The wind blows from the South and I get all those, then it blows from the north and I get all of those. For some reason they don't go on across the street, just stop at my house. >:( If I'm gonna have all those leaves, wish I had some of the trees to enjoy the shade along with them.
See, the leaves know who is friendly. Can you leave them and just mow over them several times, spread out the little bits and leave them to feed the yard?
I would love to have them mulched and left on the grass but my son-in-law mows the yard and he isn't careful where the clippings go. So they are thrown into the flower beds where they have to be cleaned out. Normally the leaves would make good mulch but all the cottonwood leaves do is prevent the water from getting to the roots of the plants. They are large and waxy and when they are several layers deep, water just runs to wherever it can get through, often not near the plants. I don't complain about the mowing as I don't have to pay for it.
Oh, you pay all right. You just haven't figured out that we just let you be our mother.
Ta Ta, you repent ... right now!
Firgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been 52 years since my last confession.
Heck, it would take 52 years to "give" your confession.
How long does it take to say 42 billion Our Fathers?
Why you be so mean to Ta Ta? Why you mean? Why you make fun of Ta Ta? :'( :'( ;D
Well, I guess it's because it's fun to see your answers.
;D
I love it. You guys make me laugh so much.
I think Janet has narrowed down the very reason why most of us participate in this
little forum family. It makes us smile.
But we also cry sometimes. We learn. And we share.
It also has placed Elk County right in the middle of my heart, even though I spend very
little time there. I have other friends there, too, who are not a part of the forum. Overall,
it is the heart of rural America.
Quote from: Rudy Taylor on August 10, 2007, 08:32:31 PM
I think Janet has narrowed down the very reason why most of us participate in this
little forum family. It makes us smile.
But we also cry sometimes. We learn. And we share.
It also has placed Elk County right in the middle of my heart, even though I spend very
little time there. I have other friends there, too, who are not a part of the forum. Overall,
it is the heart of rural America.
This is why you are the newspaper guy and the author of a book and we are not.
Ok folks, by now those of you who have vegetable gardens should be drowning in goodies. What have you got, or has it all burned up in that heat? Al took baskets of veggies to 6 of our neighbors...again. I am out of space in the kitchen. It's heading into the living room and family room. It has a life of its own! I'm going to get my jug of vinegar and threaten the bushel of cukes with pickledom if they don't behave. ;D I pulled out my Farm Journal Cookbook and I'm looking for my favorite pickle recipes. I think I'll make my favorite summer squash casserole this week too. There are enough toms to can some now and maybe sauce some too. In the meantime, I have a CPR instructors class to teach to some of my EMTs next weekend, so I need to review my notes. Maybe I can do that while the tomatoes are processing.
Our garden is totally trashed. It burned up in the heat. It didn't grow very well from the rain. A total diaster. My neighbor, who always has a wonderful garden, has had problems with his, too. I noticed that the weeds are out of control.
The neighbor just south of me planted a small garden in the shade. His garden appears to be doing okay.
I don't have anything planted this year. But my next door neighbors always plant tomatoes
and cucumbers on their side of the fence. They always tell me that whatever ends up on my side of the fence is for me. Every night I water both sides of the fence and boy do we have some really big tomato plants coming on!!!!!!!!!!!! I am blessed with good neighbors all around.
My fence also feeds toms and cukes to my neighbor at the rear too. My neighbor to my right trades veggies for crabs and fish. He has a big boat and I treat him VERY well. :laugh: :laugh:
Now, there you go again, Diane --- making us feel like the land-lubbers we are. You trade veggies
for crab and other fish? Wow! Our idea of seafood is occasionally ordering fried shrimp at the
local cafe. Dad-gum it ... Delaware is just a fancy place to live, that's all. Is there anything at that
we eat in Elk County that can't find on the east coast?
Elk?
Kermit, we have Elkton Maryland 15 min. from here. (yes, it's the one that people use to run away to, in order to get a quickie marriage.) Rudy, you all have wonderful big catfish out there, much better than ours. It's not so much that Delaware itself is so great, but the location puts us near to a lot of wonderful places and things. I think you have better natural air and water than we do. Culturally we are in a hot spot. Washington, Baltimore, Philly and New York are easy to get to. We have no mountains here, but the Poconos are easy and western Maryland and on down into West Virginia are a cinch to get to. We love Cape Hatteras and Kitty Hawk is just 8 hours from here. Here in New Castle County, traffic can be awful, but in just 10 min. I can be in farm country. This is beach season, so the highways north and south are gridlocked on Fri. afternoon and again on Sun. Last night we went up the road a bit to get out into the country to look for meteors, didn't have to go far to escape the city lights. But we have our share of troubles too. 3 of the Delaware State College kids (Dover) were murdered up in Newark N.J. recently. They were really nice kids who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. New Bolton Center (Barbaro) is not far from here. A friend worked there for years and I've been there many times. The poor horse finally did have to be put down, but they learned huge amounts of information about treating laminites. You should have better beef out there, but ours isn't bad. You definitely have wonderful people out there and probably better personal services too. You have chiggers and Jimson weed and you can keep them! ;D
Diane, you and Kermit are absolutely right, although one might have trouble finding elk in these parts. But we have the best white-tail deer in the country. Hunters come from all over the nation to find these beautiful but plentious deer.
Yes, we have chiggers and I can't stand them. That's why I will never pick wild blackberries again. I grew up on a farm and my mom made me go with her on hot summer days to pick berries. Those chiggers can find places on a person's body where the "sun don't shine."
On the other hand, my limited experience in your vicinity has been on the Chesapeake Bay and I remember not being able to swim therein because of the jelly fish.
So, I guess we all have our wishes about faraway lands, don't we?
Yes, the jellies are seasonal and can be a nuisance when the tide comes in. Their stings aren't usually serious. We treat the stings with hot water and meat tenderizer.
I just thought of another one. eggs! We grow lots of good tasty chicken, but our eggs here are mediocre at best. They're fine for cooking, but for eating,... The last really good egg I had was in Kansas. The yolk was bright orange and sat up like a golf ball on the white...yum. Ours, unless we drive a long way for them, have yellow, flat yolks and taste very ordinary. Our lima bean season is just starting. Delaware grows almost all of the country's fresh limas for canning and freezing. We have pole limas too. They are my favorite, the big "King of the Garden" butter bean type. I don't know if you all have those.
not too long ago a friend and I were discussing beans. She said butter beans and lima beans were the same thing. I knew different, cause butter beans are twice as big. Am I right, Diane? Pretty please say I win that argument (really just a discussion)
Well, you are both sort of right. Butter beans are a kind of lima bean. The most common form of lima is the little kind, that we call baby limas, but they don't grow up to be any bigger (Fordhook). Fresh pole limas (green) are the big kind, and have to be harvested by hand because they grow up on a support and have a rather long growing season. "King of the Garden" and "Big Mama" are the more commonly grown kind. Frozen, the big kind are still green, but are usually called butter beans. Canned butter beans are big, tannish in color and are not the same as the little ones that are a bush variety. So, they aren't technically the "same," but are both in the lima bean group. All can be dried.
I like canned butter beans. They are very good. I even have been known to cook butter beans with ham. Very good.
ham and butter beans....wonderful :) I have a butter bean casserole that has tomato sauce and bacon that is very good. If y'all don't already have it, I'll put it on the recipe thread, just ask.
Yes, Diane, please put the butter bean casserole with tomato sauce and bacon on the receipe thread. It might just be that we will have to print out a "forum" receipe book----wouldn't that be cool? And thank you ahead of time for the receipe.
Oh My Gosh. A singing duo. A frog. A Ta Ta, of course. A picnic. Many mommas. And now, maybe a Forum cookbook. How funny! We are just so full of ideas.
Maybe we can put together a recipe for butter beans and elk!
I have eaten elk, in Canada. I would not particularly recommend it, if what I had was typical. Perhaps we had better stick with butter beans and ham, which I dearly love. I'm not thinking much about cooking, as hot as it has been, but I am looking forward to cooler temperatures so that I can get back into the swing of cooking a little. I tried to talk myself into creamed chhipped beef on toast this morning, but just settled for some Rice Crispies.
Heat, heat, go away.
>:(
I would take elk over deer or beef...IF it is prepared right.
Lots of people don't like wild game.. but you have to know how to process it and prepare it.. and then how to cook it.
We butcher and cut up all of our own... which makes for better meat.
I have had people over for meals and they say that they hate deer burger etc.. but rave about "the 'beef" that they are eating .. only to find out that it is deer meat.
They are shocked..but I do change their mind about liking wild game.. :)
Years ago I had an antelope steak which was close to the best steak I have ever eaten. Never have had the oppurtunity to eat antelope again but my memory returns to the moment often. I may have been lucky with the first and only antelope steak consumed. Love deer meat. My dad was a bow hunter but could never bring himself to kill the deer. He enjoyed the challenge anyway. He said it was something about looking at the deers eyes that stopped him. His ability with the bow and arrow was certainly more than adequate. Now the amount of fish he brought home and gave away was amazing. (I did find a frog soup recipe.)
I love venison, depending on what it's been eating. My next door neighbor, the one with the boat, also deer hunts in western Pa. Where the deer are very big and taste wonderful. I have deer that come into the yard every night, but I couldn't bear to kill one. Well, maybe strangle it if it eats my azaleas... again! We have a herd of 15 that live around here close. I have a big woods one street over and they live back in there and come out each evening to feed.
That elk steak was about the only bit of wild game that I have disliked. Maybe it wasn't the elk's fault.
I, too, love venison. Wild boar is excellent. I adore rattlesnake. I can't think of a game bird I don't like. When I lived in Las Vegas, I worked across the street from a restaurant called Papa Gar's. He was famous for the buffalo they served, but he also had quite a variety of other items: lion, giraffe, zebra, ostrich, emu, etc. The list went on forever.
;D ;D ;D - just thinking about someone ordering the ostrich and saying "I'll just have a drumstick, please"
LOL! Better be hungry, huh?
Top that, Diane --- you Delaware sophisticate. Rattlesnake! Wild boar! Emu!
But me? I still stop at Toots once a week and order a cheeseburger with mustard
and pickles. It's my idea of on-the-road gourmet dining.
I don't trust people who eat snakes. Gick.
Rudy, do you trust snakes who eat people? I've tried quite a few interesting edibles but I stop short at bush meat. The last emu I saw was running up the road near here. I didn't see anyone with a knife chasing after it yelling, "I want the drum stick," either. :D
Eating at Toot's and Poplar are about the best in this whole wide world as far as I am concerned. Anything at either place is fine. However; I really like the large cheeseburgers and fries at Toot's and Wing Dings at Poplar.
I'm with you, Janet. My dad, retired game warden, used to fix all kinds of game.....I could handle pheasant, but the thought of other things just didn't set well.
When I was growing up, we had a pet mallard duck, Elmer, for a number of years. My mom and dad took our family to a Wild Game Feed at the Baptist Church and they were serving duck.......At that time, I was the oldest of 6 and I think all 6 of us starting bawling and had no appetite. That night, Elmer slept with us.
Ohhhhhh Susan....that is soooooo funny -- Bless your heart, that must have been the worse night of that week for all of you.
I have cooked and we have eaten probably every wild game meat that is known to man. Both of our girls loved wild game, and it is a good thing they did -- 'cause we sure ate a lot of it.
have eaten a lot of game, some good some not so good. It's lots of times in how it is cut and prepared. There are certain kinds of fish in our lakes and rivers that are not edible. I have a recipe you should all try when cooking some fish other than cat, bass or crappie. I'll post it on the recipes thread
Have you ever had moose?
I think I had moose in Canada, a long time ago. That memory is trying to get loose and come to the surface. I guess if I did, it wasn't memorable. Or at least not as memorable as what was going on at the same time.
;)
I'm still trying to picture Empty Nest sleeping with that duck.
I'm not a dirty old man, mind you --- I just seem to get stuck on such scenes when I hear about them.
May I ask questions? Naw, I guess not. You were just kids. And, yes, it was a touching story. Tell
more of them, OK?
yes, please,emptynest ...How did you happen to have a pet mallard?
Her dad was a game warden.
And that makes it OK to sleep with a duck? I'm gonna call Bill O'Reilly!
Oh My Gosh. What a story that would make?
By the way, Rudy, I got the paper tonight and I loved the place where you put LTC. Green's story. I hope you get good comment on that.
Is that a right wing duck or a left wing duck?
As it started out, we had 2 mallards that were given to my mom. From what I remember, my dad had nothing to do with us getting them. But the very first day we had them, one got killed by a neighborhood dog. That just left little Elmer and we started right then and there to baby him. We brought him into the house--he slept nights in the utility room. He grew into a beautiful mallard complete with the green head and the greyish brown feathers. He traveled with us across state in a wooden crate when we would go back to western and northern Kansas to visit our grandparents. He was quite the pet for 6 kids. But he was mean to my 3 sisters. And before you knew it, the highway patrolman, who was a dear friend of our family, put up a sign in our front yard, that said "BEWARE OF MAD DUCK!" Elmer picked his victims very carefully---especially girls. He would run after them with his head 'ducked' down and go for their ankles. Once he got them, he would pinch and twist. Walking traffic ceased to exist on our street or alley for some time. But as for me and brothers, never once did he attempt to pinch or bite. As for him sleeping wtih us, it was a real treat. But then, he didn't think like a duck. He even took his baths in the middle of our waxed hardwood floors. (more later)
this is back to "How does your garden grow?"
HOW TO PLANT YOUR GARDEN
FIRST, come to the garden alone
while the dew is still on the roses
PLANT 3 ROWS PEAS
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of Heart
3. Peace of Soul
PLANT FOUR ROWS SQUASH
1. squash gossip
2. squash indifference
3. squash grumbling
4. squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS LETTUCE
1. Let us be faithful
2. Let us be kind
3. Let us be patient
4. Let us love one another
NO GARDEN WITHOUT TURNIPS
1. Turn up for meetings
2. Turn up for services
3. Turn up to help one another
ALL GARDENS MUST INCLUDE THYME
1. Time for each other
2. Time for family
3. Time for friends
WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND LOVE.
THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN, BECAUSE
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW !
That's the best kind of garden there is. Thanks Flo.
I am annoying tomatoes. I have bushels and it's cool today, so there are toms all over the kitchen and dining room and more to pick. So now the kitchen smells so good, like hot tomatoes. Is anybody else canning yet?
Dang it. I have no ducky experiences.
As a kid I took my bath with a rubber rat.
Woe is me.
And what was the rubber rat's name? Hmmm?
"Ratso", after the character in the Kinky Friedman mysteries. At least that has a semi-literary connection.
I wonder if he'll quit writing if he gets elected Governor of Texas?
This is really neat. If I had room for a garden this next year, I would try this..
Round watermelons usually take a lot of room and the usually round fruit often sits awkwardly on refrigerator shelves.
Smart Rutherford County farmers have forced their watermelons to grow into a
Square shape by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while
The fruit is still growing on the vine.
So, how do they get them back out of the "square, tempered glass cases?" Maybe the cases come in pieces?
This is the case that they are grown in.
Cool! They come apart. I guess I could get over the shock of not being able to get a traditional "wedge" of melon.
;)
They must know the average size those melons usually grow. Can you imagine what a truck load of those would look like? Neat!
My guess is they use regular melons and square water.
Rudy, I almost hurt myself reading that.
ROFL!
ROMFLMAO Me, too, Rudy. Me, too.
Why oh why in this world can't we leave well enough alone? ??? ??? ??? ??? :-\ :-\
Rudy, I know about heavy water, but I don't remember my chemistry teacher or my father teaching about square water. :)
You guys are just easily entertained, that's all.
Quote from: Rudy Taylor on August 21, 2007, 09:16:45 PM
You guys are just easily entertained, that's all.
whew.. you can say that again.. ::)
Aw, c'mon, keep it up. I like to see those ROFL abbreviations and try to figure them out, especially
when you're referring to my keen wit and gentlemanly wisdom. Apply your kudos generously.
Just exactly where would you like those kudos applied? :D
I'm not sure I'm old enough to be reading this exchange...
;)
Why, Diane, I'm shocked that a nice Presbyterian girl like you would make
such an inquiry. You surely must know that I would never intentionally
leave myself open for such an intentional and maladroit retort.
Personally, my kudos have been applied to the wall, next to the staircase. There are 4 kudos there and one accolade upstairs on the wall in Al's office. Whatever did you think little old me meant? :angel:
Maladroit? Maladroit?
Forsooth, Sir Rudy, thy tongue hath spirits!
;)
Oh, no ... I've been forsoooooth again!
...and maladroited. (Whatever the hell that means?) (I mean heck!)
Don't tell me. I looked it up in the Webster. Don't put it on here. If anyone else is dumb like me, they can look it up.
:DI'm to lazy to look it up, I prefer to stay blissfully ignorant.
maladroit means not adroit....now see how easy that was? ???
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/worried.gif)
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/39.gif)
Well, heck, "maladroit" is better than "nonchalant." At least there is an "adroit." There ain't no "chalant."
As an aside, that's a smashing new photo of our King and Queen.
:)
Thanks..
That was taken at a NCOWS Cowboy shoot in Garnett Ks. this year.
Well, the both of you look just real spiffy.
Those shoots have absolutely got to be fun.
:)
Our garden is almost done for this but still have some tomatoes and peppers. The watermelons and mushmelons was good but they didn't do as good as last year. Finished digging the sweet potates today, one of them was baby giant that should make a good sized sweet tater pie.
Holy Sniikeys!! :o
Is that a sweet potato? or..............or...............................
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/11.gif)
something that's mutated from outer space...
Wow, that is one beautiful sweet potato! I wish I had room to grow those. Next year I might send a cantaloupe up over the wood pile, but I don't know if the squirrels will leave them alone. I've always said I'd like to try to grow potatoes in a stack of tires, but I'd have to hide them somehow. I'm not sure the civic assoc. will allow it. My cukes are done and the squashes and beans are too. The whole neighborhood enjoyed them. I still have lots of toms and peppers and my herbs and mint, mostly in big pots, are going strong. The impatience and salvia still look good and my night blooming cerus had another bloom and scented the whole yard. There are a few asters and chrysanthemums that are starting to bloom. I never did much with a fall garden because I've always been so busy this time of year. We are very, very dry now. Newark had to dip into it's new reservoir for the first time last week. Most of our water comes from deep wells and White Clay Creek. But the creek is really low now.
I am so glad that DeeGee put this post of their sweet patatoes -They drove out to the Camp Ground yesterday and showed these Monsters ( lol ) to us and never in all of my many years have I ever seen any sweet taters that big.
They gave me one --- but since Fred is not a fan of this wonderful veggie -- I accepted a smaller one - and in the stores - it too would have been labeled as large.
Yummy --- that is my opinoin !! Then as I posted on another thread -- the watermelon is ohhhhhh soooooooo goood !!!
and Mrs. Dee Gee gave me a jar of her home canned cinnammon pickle slices...I used to can them every year, but have not had any for quite some time, so that was a wonderful gift - and she makes and sells the cutest little tote bags -sewing bags - litter bag -- whatever you care to use them for -- and hang on here YEP She GAVE me one of those too. Like I said --- VERY NICE SHARING FOLKS !! Thanks again, you two. Earlier in the season we were the recipients of watermelon and cantalope and squash.
Dang -- it doesn't get much better than this !!! :laugh:
Diane, are your chrysanthemums later than usual this year? Mine are just tiny buds yet and I am thinking that they won't bloom until freeze time. I think the late freeze set them back and the surplus of water didn't help any.
Yes, my mums are late for here. I'm not sure why. We had a late spring, but had enough water until late August and have had nothing since. I don't usually have to water that bed, but I may have to go out and water soon as there is no rain in the long range forcast... but no hurricanes or tropical storms around here either. It's a trade off.
Quote from: Jo McDonald on September 29, 2007, 10:38:04 AM
I am so glad that DeeGee put this post of their sweet patatoes -They drove out to the Camp Ground yesterday and showed these Monsters ( lol ) to us and never in all of my many years have I ever seen any sweet taters that big.
They gave me one --- but since Fred is not a fan of this wonderful veggie -- I accepted a smaller one - and in the stores - it too would have been labeled as large.
Yummy --- that is my opinoin !! Then as I posted on another thread -- the watermelon is ohhhhhh soooooooo goood !!!
and Mrs. Dee Gee gave me a jar of her home canned cinnammon pickle slices...I used to can them every year, but have not had any for quite some time, so that was a wonderful gift - and she makes and sells the cutest little tote bags -sewing bags - litter bag -- whatever you care to use them for -- and hang on here YEP She GAVE me one of those too. Like I said --- VERY NICE SHARING FOLKS !! Thanks again, you two. Earlier in the season we were the recipients of watermelon and cantalope and squash.
Dang -- it doesn't get much better than this !!! :laugh:
Well, aren't you just the spoiled one? :angel:
Quote from: Janet Harrington on September 30, 2007, 04:01:08 PM
Well, aren't you just the spoiled one? :angel:
If you would happen to stop by you might get spoiled some also.
Dee Gee, I just have to tell you that I love Jo McDonald almost as much as I love my momma. I got to see her today (her spoiled self). She is still and always will be one of the most beautiful women I have ever had the chance to know. That's why I can call her "spoiled" and get away with it. Thanks for the offer of getting spoiled to, but everyone will tell you that I already am. ha ha
DeeGee, if I lived close enough I would sure enough stop by and get a small one. I love baked sweet potatoes. I always order one if we go to a restaurant that serves them! My husband isn't fond of them, but I do. Since we'll be moving closer to where you are, maybe I can have one next year!!
Myrna
Myrna, I have quite a few this year but last year I didn't have any, but I have more to give away at this time. My better half cooks them with a steamer and then just heats them up in the microwave with a little butter and brown sugar, and they are sure good. But I don't understand why Frank and Fred don't like sweet potatos is it just a man thing?
Al loves sweet potatoes, cooked in the microwave, a little butter, skins and all.
Ewww.. the thought of them makes me shudder. I hate them! :P
Jim and I eat them for the fiber. It is one thing that Jim can eat which is better for him then white potatoes. I just wash them, cut out any bad spots, wrap them in a paper towel, and then microwave them. Excellent.
I love them stuffed in baked apples. Myr grandmother always made them at Christmas time. They are yummy.
DeeGee, I don't know why Fred and Frank don't like them either. Mom fixes them in the microwave and seasons them like your wife does. Anyway, if you have any next year, maybe I can get up and beg one!!
Does anybody remember Gin Smith, wife of Fritz Smith? She used to have a fantastic receipe for sweet potatoes. I used it once, then promptly lost the receipe. This receipe used half and half when baking. I loved it. Just wished I had the receipe again. Can't get it from her unless I hold a seance.
I remember her, but don't have her recipe. She was a good cook as was her mother, Mollie Flory. Doubt that Bill woul have it, either. Trying to think who lived around her that might still be living. I'll work on it.
Myrna
She and Mama were best friends for quite a long many years.
I will ask her to be sure and check here and see if she has it.
That would be fantastic. Mostly I remember using half and half in the dish. Thanks everyone.
I don't have Gin's recipe - but the way I always fixed sweet potatoes was to boil them with the skin on-- peel them, cut them in slick slices and mix cream - brown sugar, a little cinnamon and butter and a small amount of white sugar. bring it to a boil and cook it for a while, butter a baking dish - pour some of the mixture in the bottom of the dish - put in the sweet potatoes - pour the rest of the caramel mixture over them and put them in the oven and bake - sometimes, I would put marshmallows over them and bake until they were melted and browned.
I will write to Bill and ask him if he has their recipe - He was a good cook like his "Gin and Mollie" They were very good friends of mine - loved them both.
Jo, that's just the way Mother always fixed "our" sweet potatoes. We called them "Candied Sweet Potatoes." And so, now, that's the way I fix sweet potatoes. We also like them just baked in the micro-wave oven, then peel them, and put on butter, and I like a little cinnamon on about everything. Makes me hungry for sweet potatoes!
I just have to do this...
Jo, just how did you get your sweet potatoes slices slick???? :angel: :angel: :angel:
Man, you guys are HARD on mistakes! You'd think you were all teachers or something! I'da beter mak sur i dont' mystipe anthing. ;)
The BEST way to have sweet potatoes are on the GRILL. Slice them up in aluminum foil packets (I spell-checked that one), add just a slice of butter, and wrap them up tight (or they'll leak on your grill). To keep them from sticking, you can spray the foil with veg oil first. Put them on when you start your grill, and then they'll be ready the same time the steaks are (unless you're cooking rare). Then use salt and pepper; just like a regular baked potato, only BETTER. ;D
The best way is boiled, mashed and eaten with white gravy.
For me, anyway is better.........as long as they are sweet taters.........I will eat them.
Do have problem with the ones out of a can..........but if you can't get fresh will do in a pinch.
Hugs and God bless
White gravy on sweet potatoes????? That's a new one to me!
MLW
Tim has always loved to eat sweet potatoes (with or without being candied) with round steak and (white) gravy.
White gravy in preference to brown gravy. I prefer them with gravy rather than sugared. They are sweet enough without adding more. I usually have them just mashed with plenty of butter.
Now, I learnt me something tonight. I didn't know my mama liked mashed sweet potatoes with white gravy. Yum yum. Of course, the white gravy would have to be chicken gravy.
Tobina,
I always wanted to be a teacher. However; God had other ideas, so I have to pick on people on this forum. ha ha
They are very good with chicken dripping gravy. I could have eaten a whole chicken (fried) with sweet taters and gravy and would have thought I had died and gone to heaven. Good stuff. Thanks for the memory of good food. with my sense of taste almost gone, I do enjoy remembering what things use to taste like.....
My taste is coming back. But, different foods taste better than others and most of the time it isn't what I use to eat.
But, I am cancer free, so that is a good thing......As Bonnie B would say.
Cancer free is what we want to hear. Hallelujah.
Well, Janet, girl --- for your info....I am one good SLICK TATER SLICER !!! And - you know what??? no mater how much I love you -- this nit pickin' stuff, just gives me the willies -- BUT I am so happy that you "LEARNT" something on this thread. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Silly girl !!!!
I believe I have what is known as the last rose of summer. I found it the other day and first daughter cut it and brought it in. I can't imagine there will be another, but that is what we thought when she brought in one 2 weeks ago. Do any of you still have roses blooming this far north? You'uns that live in the south don't count.
I live just a little ways south of you but I have some beautiful red roses still blooming on the south side of our home
We haven't had frost yet, so I still have some nice roses and no bugs eating them. We stripped out the garden this afternoon, still have a few tomatoes, but the quality is falling off as the days grow shorter. That's ok, it's pumpkin pie time! :D
Diane, you must take after your Grandpa who was a big Gardener. When they moved to town they lived a block from my parents and they always raised a big garden.
Frank Winn
We've still got some pink roses blooming in our yard at Caney.
Strange year, heh?
We had our first touch of frost on the garage roof last night. I'm glad I brought the house plants inside. Not cold enough to kill anything, but a good reminder of what's to come eventually. I'm going to try to keep some herb pots going inside. We'll see. Frank, I do love to garden and wish I could fit a bigger one here. We do get a lot out of a small area.
That wasn't my last rose of summer after all. I was out at the garage this evening and while I was waiting for first daughter to run the car into the garage, I looked around a bit. Out by the alley I spotted some spots of white. The miniature white rose that is out there was blooming again, along with what I would call a miniature peppermint rose. The last roses of summer is now in a vase in my house.
Wilma, you would love all the flowers that are in bloom here in Texas --- that is one of the things I like best about coming here in the winter time...we have to mow the lawn, trim and I have beautiful blooming plants in many hanging baskets around our site. Roses galore and double hibiscus are just gorgeous, in lots of different colors. Alas....I don't get to enjoy my beloved snow, but I can't have everything, I guess.
We picked and wrapped many tomatoes from our fall plants when we left the Elk City State Park - so I will be enjoying some home grown tomatoes before too long. Fresh veggies are wonderful down here also. Fred usually plants some vegetables in pots, like onions, radishes and tomatoes. It doesn't take much to keep us happy -- just a little pile of dirt here and there. ;D ;D
Ok, who's going to tell her?
Well, I wasn't, but if you insist. Jo, look at your last sentence again.
;D ;D ;D ;D
Well, I'll be darned ---Nope, I don't want any little piles of dirt on my mush. Just butter and strawberry jam, thank you. hahahahahahahahahahaha
but we do want some little piles of dirt to plant our seeds in.
Does this pass inspection?????
Yes, this one passes.
((( I changed it for you Mama)))) :-*
Ms. T is a good daughter.
Hey Jo, I'll just plan on seeing you and Fred in the spring. I think you left some butterfly kisses along the way without realising it, because I had such a wonderful time in Elk Co.
Thank you, Tressy --- I love you
And Roma Jean, I will be honored if you do stop and see us. That will be NICE, NICE, NICE !!!!
Diane, how does your garden grow?
or is it still under snow?
No snow and nothing but rain expected, but it's still too chilly for anything but peas and such. It's almost ready to till ,but a little too wet yet...almost!
I went to Wichita yesterday for the purpose of picking up some garden supplies, namely a Queen Elizabeth climbing rose, a bleeding heart and a clematis. We visited a nursery. No roses yet. And everything was so much higher than Lowe's that we decided to just go back there and see what they had. No climbing roses. No bleeding heart. The clematis was pale pink or lavender and I want deep purple. Am I pushing the season? I did look at some bed edging that I might go back and get and I did buy myself a lightweight lopper that I hope I can hold good enough to lop off some small limbs. Next trip will be to another nursery that I have visited before and have found what I wanted. And maybe they will be ready for spring.
I dug up part of the tomato bed yesterday. Of course, I have been busy hauling seedlings in and out of doors for some sun. It's nice to have some sun for them. Today is gonna be a chore since it is windy again, but I do have one shelterd spot in the back yard that still gets the sun. Mother Nature just keeps foolin' with us doesn't she? Part of the flower beds are much too wet to dig in, and that is the one where the sweet peas are supposed to go. I have them soaking, hope they don't rot before they get planted. Good luck finding your plants, I have a feeling that supplies will be down, trying to outguess the economy. I miss the little greenhouse at Elk Falls. She always had such nice things and reasonably priced. I don't know what happened, but I miss her.
You might try Well Adjusted Plants in Sedan, right across from the highschool. She usually has lots of nice things, some that are hard to find. She is the local chiropractor, and does the greenhouse on the side. Good luck!
Y'know there aren't as many plants and stuff out down here as there usually is, the mill doesn't even HAVE garden seed this year and the general store only has a little, gotta find a new place for bulk seed now. I'm tryin raspberries this year, never planted any before, any tricks I oughta know?
the biggest trick is how you gonna get em up here without smashing em? ;D
Learn the "Raspberry Prayer"
They are tricky little devils to grow. We had them in Howard, -- some times we had berries -- sometimes we didn't. Good Luck
almost scared to ask what the raspberry prayer is lol been doin research on the internet and looks like this may be a challenge in my dirt! good thing I got horses :P
Woo Hoo! We were a little late getting our garden started, :o but yesterday the radishes & beats were up (barely). Today the peas & beans are making a showing. I got the tomatoes and peppers in and mulched too!
I still have several seed packets to put in, Marty is going to till some more and get his corn in soon so I'll put some of the viney things (melons & gourds) in with that. Wilma, I haven't found any okra yet ::)... Maybe if I grow some, you can cook it and share with Marty. It's probably one of the only vegetables I don't eat so he hasn't had any for well over 25 years. Ha! But I do like to grow lots of different stuff. I'm going to look for some egg plant; I don't eat it either, but it's so pretty! I still need some banana peppers too, so I'll keep looking.
We've only got about a third of our garden worked up now, I had them make it extra big so I can transplant a lot of the flowers & plants that I want to save for landscaping. I know when we get around to getting the old house torn down and the fence rows cleaned out, anything in the area is bound to get trompled or bulldozed. Anyhow, I've got plenty of space to put more stuff in if I don't run out of the season. Ha!
Joanna, we are just getting things in too. Don't feel bad. I am planting a garden in town and at our house, both. We haven't gotten anything in the one in town. Haven't even gotten it finished tilling. I threatened my husband that if it didn't get done, that I would go and by a tiller for myself. I got some land plowed in town, but not tilled yet. I will give him a few more days, but tilling the spot that he has plowed, I think that it is awful big for a little tiller. I don't know a thing about gardening. But I thought that with the daycare that having fresh veggies for the kiddos would be great!! I do have starts of Peas and Pumpkins. So, I will at least have those!!!
Marty is out of luck if he waits for me to cook okra. Never had and don't particularly like it. Liked what a neighbor fixed one day but didn't get the recipe for it then and it is too late now. I have peas up and the tendrils are curling. Hope it isn't long to blooming and picking time.
I must be confused. I thought you said you did like it. Must have been someone else. That's okay anyhow, he's lived without it this long. Ha!
It was green peas that I was wanting so I just went ahead and planted some for myself. I put them in the tubs that I will put geraniums in later so they are up where I can reach them. Can't wait to pick and shell some.
Everyone in my house is crazy for fried okra!!
My green beans are coming up like crazy. They look so nice and healthy. Our tomatoes, peppers, beets, radishes, and okra are also coming up. They're going outside this weekend. They've been like my babies for the past few months. I talk to them every time I walk by. Since our dirt is pretty much clay up here, Billy decided to plant them in empty mineral tubs since he & his granpa have so darn many. I've still got more seeds to plant. I'll probably do it this evening. Sweet corn and so many more I can't remember. My lavender never did come up. Not sure what happened.
We love fried OKRA in beer batter or cornmeal batter and even better is Okra patties. The only thing I don't like about Okra is picking it.
Frank
Y'know I had never ate fried okra till I married Joe, pretty good stuff! Except for that itchy thing when ya pick it :P
We love Okra, also. However, I will have to admit that we buy it already prepared and frozen, since we live "out here." I hated picking it, but we really liked eating it! I don't like it "boiled," (slimy) but we like it "battered," and fried.
:-\ know why Karmablvr never ate okra till she married Joe? Because I DON'T LIKE OKRA AND I DON'T COOK OKRA, PERIOD.
I'm with you Flo. Not sure my kids would know it if they saw it. They never saw it at home ;D
Put me down in the "no okra" category as well. Don't cook it either.
Jim does, however, and most of the kids like it. Especially pickled okra. :P
Bonnie, have you tried Okra Patties. If you haven't have Myrna give you the recipe, they are my favorite way to eat okra.
Frank
Love okra. My mother made a tomato and okra dish sort of like breaded tomatoes. Yummy! Fried okra is best. My Aunt Alice made a great pickled okra but now I don't need the sodium so do not do that very often. I will try the okra patties. Myrna did send the recipe but have not tried it yet. Remember the gloves when picking okra. Does itch!! I add okra to my stew for thickening and flavor. My kids or husband never knew I put it in the stew for years. It cooks down to where you cannot see it.
Wise lady! Don't tell everything like Barbara Walters! What was her point anyway? ::)
Today was very nice, but breezy and a little chilly. I got my petunias in pots and hanging baskets and a Humming Bird red Salvia in a big deck pot just in time to have a hummingbird come visit it. They're b-a-a-ck! The catbirds came on Friday and the House Wren is checking out all the houses. The robin and the cardinal both have nests in a big front bush and the Carolina wren has a bunch of babies in my porch wall basket. It's a busy place! My wisteria is beautiful. I'll take photos tomorrow. The the lilacs and dogwoods are full out and the azaleas in the neighborhood are spectacular. My Carolina Sweet Shrub is out so my nose garden is complete. Tomorrow I'll tackle more weeds.
Diane, as we've said before, "Life is good!"
Does anyone have peas blooming yet? Not the sugar snap peas, you know the ones that you eat pods and all, but the regular old fashioned peas. Mine are at least 6 inches tall and not a sign of a bud.
Well, I am really not to sure what type of peas that I planted but they have blooms on them. I'll let you know how they do.
Mine are healthy, but not blooming yet. I planted a bit after you did though... We've got both kinds of peas in different places in the garden. The Sugar Snap peas did come up faster & are bigger than the regular ones that were planted on the same day.
Clay came home from college this week and helped make a ton of "hills". We're putting the corn, beans & vines together in hillls to see how it works this year. We did remember to separate the canalope from the cucumber and watermelon this year. Had some very strange cross pollination before ~ from getting them too close. :P
You know that saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence"? Well, it is true. I have been sitting at my living room window, looking at my beautiful peonies that are blooming out by the alley. On the other side of the alley, on my neighbor's property is a rose bush, also in bloom. Now, which do you think is the prettiest?
Now, Wilma...I LOVE peonies. They are so full and beautiful. I'd much rather have a beatiful peonie bush in my yard rather than a rose bush. I've never really been a fan of roses....Call me crazy.
Come by and look at mine any time you want.
I might just have to take you up on that.
I did take Wilma up on her invitation to view her peonies. Let me tell you, they are beautiful! She has so many beautiful flowers in her yard. Roses and almost every color of iris you could imagine. I didn't know there were so many varieties of the iris. They sure were beautiful!
Thank you again, Wilma, for having me this afternoon. :)
It was my pleasure, Devyn, and the white rose you picked for me is even prettier here in the house.
My peas have pods!!!!!
What, I didn't quite hear that. Congrats on your poddies.
Let me know when they get filled out so I can come pick some to eat raw. Love 'em that way!
This is what my neighbor across the street and passers-by see. The second photo is what I see. Now, I ask you, is that fair?
Pretty! This time of year is wonderful with all things so green and blooming! Thanks for sharing!
Nice pictures, too bad you live on the wrong side of the street to see the pretty side.
If I lived on the other side of the street, they wouldn't be my roses. What a quandary. Own the roses or be able to see them.
What beautiful roses. I had one little struggling rose bush here when I moved to this place several years ago and I have never been able to get it to grow. Your pictures have inspired me to get some rose bushes.
Wilma -
Don't you get the birdbath, though?
That's better than roses, isn't it?
(Or at least just as good!)
:D :D :D
It might be better than roses if there weren't so much other water around. The little birds haven't had to look for a drink or bath for two weeks now.
Roma Jean! Where have you been!? Or maybe I've not been reading the right threads and you've been here all along. Glad to see your face again!
My garden is piddly so far this year. My homegrown seeds didn't fare so well. I have a couple tomato plants, but they're still very spindly. Same goes for my cucumber plants. I did buy some pepper plants that seem to be doing well. So, guess I'll have to break down and buy some more plants to fill in the rest of my boxes. Better late than never? I hope so!
;D Na Na Na Na Boo Boo ;D
Sorry! That was rude :o
I'm just showing off our first tomato. I brought it in a little early because I just couldn't stand it any longer! Our peppers are not producing too much yet, some look good but others got a little too much water, we think ::)
We had some summer squash this week, and have had onions for quite a while. We only got a few radishes before we decided they'd all gone too hot to eat and wiped them out. I planted more this week, but don't know if they'll grow well this time of year. The peas were a total failure, but I think I've heard others say their's didn't make it either.
We have a million blooms on the cantalope, and the watermelon vines look great but no blooms. We also have a little bit of corn planted, but it was late so is still pretty short ~ as corn stalks go... Our green beans, well some look good and some don't; not enough to make a good panful yet though. I planted more of them this week also.
Indygal is spending lots of time over here weeding and Marty does all the tilling, so things are going pretty well.
Is it "real?" Really makes me hungry! Ours are coming on, but they're pretty slow. We've picked one ripe one.
Nothing ripe here, but a blue jillion on the vines. I bought special thick sliced bacon; it;s in the freezer just waiting for the word!
I bought praying mantis egg cases off of Ebay last winter, and we have lots and lots of grampus babies all over the place. The tiny ones are so cute the way they turn their head to look at you.
Quote from: sixdogsmom on June 28, 2008, 07:50:19 PM
I bought praying mantis egg cases off of Ebay last winter, and we have lots and lots of grampus babies all over the place. The tiny ones are so cute the way they turn their head to look at you.
What? I mean I know what they are.. but Why? What do they do and what are they used for ..and how do you know that they stay around your plants or garden or whatever...
I want to know this... so please explain.. and explain in detail and type very slowly.. Remember I'm a natural blond. ;D
They control pesty insects in your yard. They don't come with a leash, so they can go anywhere but will stay in your yard if there is food. I try not to use chemicals if at all possible, and this was entertaining as well. Not terribly expensive either. These are a natural pest control device, like ladybugs.
Youngest daughter works at a preschool and each year she purchases the praying mantis eggs for the children to watch mature. They also buy tadpoles so the kids can watch them become frogs. I use to watch this process but in was in the natural habitat of the creek.
I'll be darn. I've had a zillion tadpoles and baby crawdads and baby bullheads etc... and I knew that people used lady bugs..
but I never heard of Praying Mantis bought and used in bulk.
How many did you buy and are they expensive?
And food... what kind of food makes them stay in an area or location.
sorry for the questions.. but this is cool stuff. :)
Praying mantis eat other insects. You haven't lived until you have watched an adult praying mantis eating an adult grasshopper. Perhaps they should be called preying mantis instead of praying.
I agree! I have seen it as preying but believe it is praying. They do look sweet and innocent (pray) until they attack (prey) ??? ??? ;D.
I know I have asked this before, but can't remember where or when. Is there any natural way of controlling squigglies in your bird bath? Other than dumping and refilling all the time. I am thinking of some natural substance that can be put in the water that is safe for birds and pets but mosquitoes don't like.
I would like to know this too Wilma. I keep goldfish in a tub with plants, and they eliminate the wigglers. Oil on the surface will stop them, but I don't think that would be good for the birds. Anybody have an answer?
As an aside, I went out to check one of my birdbaths for wigglers the other day, and there was a baby mantis in the water trying to get out. It looked to me as though he had been hunting wigglers and fell in. He was sure happy to get out of there, just climbed right onto my finger.
You asked right here this time last year. "Mosquito dunks" are little round donut shapes that won't hurt birds or fish but kill the mosquito larvae. It contains Bti bacteria. You wouldn't want a child or pet to eat the little donut it as a "treat," but a small piece should take care of a bird bath for 30 days. The treated water won't be poisonous.
Thank you, Diane. I will look for some the next time I am where I can.
Cooksons have these I think..but they can get them if they don't.
I know that they have stuff for ponds that don't hurt fish..