kimberly

I have never planted garlic but I am about to in the rose garden. Roses love garlic, so the book says. I have been studying the garlic thing. It may take me a while. I have to study, think (that usually is a long process..ha..ha) figure out, study some more, find the right species, etc., etc. waysider, garlic and rosemary in warm olive oil is the best dipping for foccacia. Yum...yum... Well, winter 2008 the lake was down 22 feet. It is now down 1 foot. That is how much rain we have had. The garden is sprouting. The herb garden is flourishing. I need to prune back the cilantro and parsley. The stand of dill is the best I have ever had. The glorious tomato plants are looking green and strong. I think what happened to the cukes is that I forgot to water them (beat me with a wet noodle) after transplanting them. It did not rain for a couple of days and was quite hot. Still studying the asparagus thing, too.

Shame on you silly boys for being ugly towards Bride's post. I don't agree with a lot of her posts on doctrinal but she is, as Ham pointed out, a lady. She has always acted so in her posts. Bride, I love words, languages and the origin of them. I don't know where you live but if I was close enough and my schedule permitted I would take your class. Like you, I have a business of my own. Besides, being a culinary arts instructor at the college, I give private sewing lessons. Right now my largest class is a group of home-schooling mothers. Whether, I have one or 10 (the limit) the price is the same....$30.00 an hour. They pay one month in advance. The class is once a week for 2 hours. I have a waiting list. The tougher the economy gets the more people are interested in learning this art/skill. On top of that I have 2 clients I cook for. I go to their home and cook a week's worth of meals. One is an older lady and her children have me do this and pay me. The other is a couple. He is a neuro-surgeon and she is head nurse in her dept. This pays more than teaching sewing. My price does vary with the number of meals I prepare. Funny, how it is thought the fee you charge is all profit. After planning, studying, preparing, materials, gas, oil, tires, wear and tear on the vehicle, food, hotel, cost of room to hold classes, taxes, and more taxes, insurance, wardrobe, hold $$$ in reserve in case the aforesaid vehicle croaks etc., etc., the profit margin dwindles. Did I mention taxes? You go girl!!!

leafytwiglet, I am with you at this moment about plants being more sensitive than folks give them credit for. The 3 cucumbers I planted on the trellis have vanished. I mean lain over dead and given up the ghost. Plenty of rain and some sunshine. Daggum, cukes have always been so hardy and prolific producers in the garden. Maybe they don't like roses or the roses don't like them. I have never had this happen. Thankfully, the roses are flourishing. My love for asparagus compels me to try my hand at it one day.

"Asparagus grows best in sandy soil and cooler temps." Well, the sandy soil eliminates my region from growing asparagus. Maybe I could put in a sand box. One like the children played in?!?!?? If it grows well in Leafy's heated region maybe it would do well in the Sunny South. Hhhhmmmm..... Early Girl is a hybrid so it probably would not be affected by the Roma. How dreamy to just walk down a road and cut asparagus. None would make it home with me because I would have eaten it all. Kind of like when my grandma would take me to their strawberry field to help her pick. She couldn't find me because I was lying down in the rows eating the strawberries. I was hiding because I knew I was suppose to be picking instead of eating. Even now, I smell those strawberries.

Mrs. Garden, wasting a good ole Budweiser on a slug is alcohol abuse...abusing the beer...get it!! Hardy har har!!! Bramble, my favorite vegetable is asparagus. I love it so much I eat it raw. It is never for sale at the farmers market. It is available only in the grocery stores in the late winter and through late spring. It takes 3 years from the first planting to harvest it, right? I don't think asparagus can be grown in my area. But now, I think I may study that a little more. Never know, never can tell. Amongst the rainy days, finally, the garden is in. Halelujah, for the rain. This year I decided to plant 3 rows of Silver Queen corn. It will produce about 36 ears. Not much. But it will be from my garden. The farmers market will offer plenty more. Besides the 3 cukes on the trellis, there is a total of 15 tomato plants, 3 green bell peppers, 2 jalapeno (planted on opposite ends of the garden), 3 yellow Crook Neck squash, 3 rows of speckled butter beans, 3 rows of green beans, a row of carrots, and a little patch of pumpkins. I sowed chives and planted a Lavender starter into the herb garden. Seems like I am leaving something out. Purple Hull Crowder peas will be planted July 26. The mean little beetle that likes to eat them will be gone by then. It has been so wet the Lightnin' Bugs are late coming out. I learned the reason my heirloom tomatoes were so small last year is because I planted them too close to the Roma tomatoes. Duh, me. Carry on gardeners!!!

Rarely a day goes by that I do not come in contact with a veteran. I am outraged how budgets continue to cut their benefits that adversely affect their health, and overall standard of life. Above all else our veterans, their families and those still in service should be the ones on the top of the list....above all else. I shall not forget. I owe the privilege to live in this country only to our military men and women who have sacrificed it all. As a mother, I owe so very much to those mama's who sent and continue to send their babies into what is most assuredly war.

twi was blind as to Whom leadership and husbands were to submit to.

now I see, thank you. I did just that. The movie is The Straight Story. Indeed, a true story about Alvin Straight. Great movie from just the hour I watched.

Let me tell ya'll how courageous I have become. For some reason I have always been intimidated by roses. Remember, when I was going to put in the pond and then it was the fountain. I have all kind of crazy ideas. I decided the fountain would be the center of my mother's rose garden. I have yet to figure out how to build the form to pour the concrete for the pool of the fountain. Anybody on GS experienced in this? I saw one of those plastic baby pools and said that is the perfect size for the pool. Anyway, I told my children I wanted a rose bush from each one of them for Mother's Day for my mother's rose garden, get it??!!! I wanted red, pink or white. I have been studying on this rose thing. A woman up the road has about 12 rose bushes and they are always so healthy and beautiful. I consulted her expertise. For Mother's Day I received two pinks, a red and a white. One pink is a Double Knock Out. The other pink is a climbing rose. I planted it by the fence. I forget the name of the red. The white is a Bob Hope. Since, I have put the fountain on the back burner until I figger how to make it you will never guess what I put in as the center piece for the rose garden.....the cucumber tripod trellis. And heck no, not a fancy store bought one. Just 3 sticks put together in a tepee style. That should be a sight to behold!!! I hope roses love cucumbers and vice versa. A week or two ago I almost posted, "I never have problems with slugs." To tell you the truth I think I have maybe seen a couple in my entire gardening life. Well, because our late winter and spring has been sooooo wet, what do you think my plague has been? Yep, the sluggard. I have never seen so many. They dined mostly on the outer leaves of the lettuces. Yet, because of all the rain this is the best lettuce crop ever. I had much to share. Even after it snowed my snow peas were a total flop. My broccoli had large beautiful leaves but no broccoli heads. So, I worked wood ash into the soil. It takes very little. Imagine the ash from burnt tree wood is what produces the most prolific blooms. Go figure. Ain't God smart...... gc, welcome home.

Okay ya'll, I am busted. I must confess my drug of choice is dirt. Yes, I do dirt!! I am addicted to the euphoric/peace induced state resulting from gardening, weeding, raking, digging, sowing, sweating, watering, mulching, mowing, pruning, seeding, transplanting, composting, harvesting and canning.

Roy, how eloquent and beautiful. I especially love, "Upon this night so bright in the open sky without end of space to travel where the winds blows of endless love." aaahhh, where the winds blows of endless love. You are so right.....that is our Father's love and how our love should be for one another.

Last year my Darla of 13 years passed away. She was part Cairn or Rat Terrier. Little brown thing. She owned the neighborhood. Just 2 weeks before she passed she was in the front yard, standing her ground and nipping at the neck of a collie who wandered into HER yard. They are called terriers for a reason. I almost grieved myself to death when she passed. I couldn't stand it anymore, so the boy and I headed off to the pound where we adopted Darla when she was 3 months old. I told the receptionist I want to see the puppies. We went in and looked at all the "puppies." Some looked to be the size of a baby donkey. They all were barking and jumping as if they were saying, "take me, look at me, puuuhhhleeezzzz take me home with you." We held one little pup and it was so timid. All along I noticed this little brindle scottie just sitting in the cage and quietly watching our every move. He was so proud of himself. I told the boy let's hold this scottie. I picked him up, he layed his head on my shoulder and I said o.k. where do I pay?!?!!! He was 2 years old and in the baby room. Go figure. Just like Darla, he was very independent yet loyal and obedient. He got his feelings hurt easily. So sweet and loving. I have never had a furkid with such personality!! He bossed Lily the Lab, she complied and loved every minute of it. A month ago the meter reader pulled into the driveway, did not see Bucky, ran over and killed him. I miss that little prince. We never had a problem with his behavior except for his chewing. By the time he passed he was down to chewing up only one major costly item a day. Funny, though he never chewed up anything that belonged to me. He was smart enough (and they are VERY smart) to know about the hand that fed him. He loved to ride in the car which I was told is common with scotties. I would have another scottie in a moment.

Sorry, I missed your birthday. I have enjoyed getting to know you from your posts. Anybody who loves baseball is a friend of mine!

I just realized the way I worded it may sound like I am trying to play name that movie, or John Deere. Seriously, I saw about the last hour of this movie. The end notations said it is based on a true story. That is what interests me. But I forget the names. The brother on the mower does not have long to live. He and his brother had a terrible falling out some 40 years earlier and had not spoken since. He wanted to make things right with his brother before he died. The lawn mower riding brother was the sheriff that Kathy Bates shot in Misery. Anybody else seen this movie?

What is the name of the t. v. movie where the brother rides a lawn mower across several states to see his long lost brother?

Rum, your post has everything to do with our gardens. "Life will find a way" says a microscopic crack in cement. A friend needed a ground cover. On a whim she planted Bougainvillea. What an astounding stand of beauty.

I just got home from visiting my mother. There was a mother-daughter banquet at her church. She had all her girls and her girl's girls there. My Lord the best eating in the world is all the cooking the church ladies bring. I never eat sweets but today was an exception with all those made from scratch goodies. I don't know where my life would be without my mother. This bundle of dynamite stands 4'10", weighs in soaking wet at 89 pounds. When her size 4 (she has to shop in the children's dept.) feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says, "oh crap she's awake, let's hide!!!" If you ever need someone on your side it is my mom. I am convinced when this powerhouse prays God stops everything in His realm and listens. There has never been a Thanksgiving, Christmas or hardly ever a Sunday dinner that was just our family. If mom knew someone didn't have a family or would just be alone, they ate at our table. Somebody sick, need a shirt, a dollar, a ride, a babysitter, etc., etc. to the infinity.....that is my mom. All this and at 72 she still works full time as a bookkeeper because she wants to!!!! She has passed on to us a powerful heritage. We endeavor to pass the same to our children. What a woman!! What a woman!! And I get to be her daughter. Life is good. It is very good.

Maybe, it was early exposure to white wine and BBQ ????

Cindy, How precious it is when we make memories for our family. What loving parents you are. I KNOOOWWW you are not going to spoil that little baby grandaughter.

gc, How goes the Fuschia? Saw one at the nursery today.

Indeed, a fine piece of art. Probably the first accurate depiction that the Lord did have hair on his chest! Too dang funny!

Happy Birthday, Roy!!!! Blowing holy kisses and loves your way!

Bramble, how dreamy. I have seen pictures of those meadows with all the wildflowers. One day, I am going to experience that beauty.

Rejoice, basil is an annual, but it is a prolific producer. Pinch back when it seeds on top and it will branch out. I have clipped it near the ground and it comes back during its growing season. Fresh basil is the absolute must in tomato pie. In my area thyme and oregano does not die back. Although, they do not produce new growth I will sneak a few clips. I clip enough during the growing season to dry and use them during the winter. So do that with your herbs if they produce more than you may be in need of using at the time. Dry them out. Use them during the winter. You can do the same with Italian parsley, curly parsley and Cilantro. Clip them babies back (the same with the perennials) and they will keep on producing during the growing season.

Bramble, I often dream of having a daffodil garden. When we bought this property 13 years ago, it was owned by holly bushes, that I am sure were radiation mutants due to their size, honeysuckle (not a bad thing) and of all things irises. Dig up iris, throw it in a pile and it will continue to grow and bloom. Over the years I have landscaped it where I want it. The variety of colors are magnificent.