Monday, November 3, 2008

GIFTS FOR MY LADIES FROM FRENCH HOUSE





Here are the gifts I chose from French Garden House to give my elderly ladies on the angel tree at Christmas. They will each get a beautiful bouquet of Pink & Cream Roses in an Italian Lace Pot. These are so pretty in person. They will also receive a set of three Bee Pollen soaps wrapped and tied with a pretty gingham ribbon. Lidy is also throwing in Holiday cinnamon scented, sachets for the ladies. Thank you so much for your generosity, Lidy. They smell so good!

I want to thank Brenda for putting on this drawing and giving me a chance to win this $50 gift certificate, and Lidy for having such a generous heart to double it to $100. Thank you. Visit Brenda's perfectly wonderful, blog, at the URL below. And don't forget to take a look at all the wonderful things, Lidy has in her shop at Frence Garden House.

I am going to ask them to take pics at Christmas, I will put pics on of the ladies who receive these gifts if they do. I hope they enjoy what I have picked out.

FRENCH GARDEN HOUSE


BRENDA'S BLOG

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

TIME OFF FOR A LITTLE WHILE

Billy needs some help getting his catering business off the ground so I am taking a little time off from blogging to see what I can do to help. I'll be back soon. Smoked Ribs, smoked, pulled pork, BbQ and this delicious gumbo are on his menu. You know, MAN food. LOL

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE



I am thankful for the tree trimming people who left us a big bunch of wood chips for mulch. Even if they did grind up Billy's favorite Mulberry tree limbs he had set aside for his BBQ. OOPs... I guess what we had there was "a failure to communicate" as Paul Newman said. Did you know that silkworms only eat fresh Mulberry leaves? I love my Mulberry Tree because it helps to feed a lot of birds. But people do wonder what all those purple puddles are in our yard! Birds have poor toilet etiquette. I'd show you a pic of my mulch but after you've seen one pile of mulch, you've pretty mulch seen them all. LOL..It does smell so nice though. All a green, woody, nature, fruity, sort of smell. That fruity part is probably Billy's Mulberry limbs. ~00~

I don't have much available right now for mulch other than that, except pine straw in the woods. That is so hard to gather though, with all the limbs and junk in it since the winds whipped through. Thank goodness I still have some of my old hay left though. I am going to throw that over my square foot garden boxes as soon as everything is harvested.

I have to talk Billy into leaving some Okra to dry on the vine. He keeps picking it for his gumbo making. I thought I might make some of those little little angels I found over on this blog. She makes the cutest angels from Okra. You can buy dried Okra even if you can't grow it yourself, at craft stores. Check out her blog, you will love it. flaurella's blog It is not just about crafts.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

GINGER PLANT--A MOSQUITO HOME


Someone pointed out to me that certain plants can be a home for mosquitoes. I never thought of that. Plants that have cups like this one, the Ginger plant, are not good plants to grow if you have Nile Fever cases in your area. We had several cases here this year and I never once thought of a plant as a home for mosquitoes. I think I will think twice about buying a plant of this type. I go around all the time looking for any thing like empty plant containers that might be holding water but it never crossed my mind to be careful about what plants I grow.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

HOW TO HAVE A SPRING FLING


You have to start in the Fall to get a really pretty Spring Fling.

Start with crocus, snowdrops, and winter aconite. These just signal, Spring is here!
Others to consider are daffodils, tulips, iris, so many different varieties to choose from and anemones. Alliums, Iris, and ranunculus should be planted as soon as your weather permits. Living on the Coast, I will wait a little later to plant than a lot of you.

Early blooming snowdrops, daffodils, tulips that bloom the middle of spring and then alliums that will bloom all summer long would be a good choice. I don't have good luck with tulips, I wish I did, I love them. If I lived further North, this is what I would plant for Spring and plant them all in the same area.

It would go like this: About the time the snowdrops begin to fade the daffodils will come up and continue the show. Next the tulips will appear so you won't notice the daffodil foliage when it starts to die off. Then along comes your pretty Iris or Alliums for color that will last throughout the rest of the season.

Monday, September 29, 2008

INCREDIBLE TREES






















"THE ROOF OF ARABIA: Socotra is considered the "jewel" of biodiversity in the Arabian sea. The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora (which may, therefore, be vulnerable to introduced species such as goats and to climate change). Surveys have revealed that more than a third of the 800 or so plant species of Socotra are found nowhere else". This information is taken from one of thier tourist sites.
Here is a sample of the trees. I have seen these before by thier comman names of Umbrella tree, bottle tree..etc. Aren't these incredible?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

THE GREEN ROOF HAPPENING

These photos were taken by Felder Rushing, our Mississippi, gardening guru. He loves green roofs. This first picture is his home. I love his yard. It is just full of all kinds of garden whimsy and unusual plants. I don't know if I would put a green roof on my house but maybe on a birdhouse. : )






Wednesday, September 24, 2008

I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TODAY...COME SEE


Look what I found when I made my usual rounds this morning. Over on...Brenda's blog I have won a $100 gift certificate to French Garden House.
I am just thrilled and since we are a little stressed on finances, it gives me a chance to do something for someone else at Christimas that I may not have been able to do. We have an Angel tree for those who live in homes for the elderly and no one to buy them a present at Christmas. Thank you Brenda, I am so happy. The certificate is to this beautiful shop...french Garden House. Go take a look. She has some very beautiful things. The picture above is from her shop. Let's pay it forward, Brenda and Lidy!
Lidy's blog

French Garden House

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We have a winner of my 200th post giveaway, folks. And the winner is...

Eve! Of Gardening On The Gulf Coast!

Eve, you have just won a $100 gift certificate to French Garden House. As soon as I finish this post, I will contact Lidy, owner of this beautiful boutique, and order your gift certificate. Please email me your full name and address so I can have this gift ordered for you.

I know you will find something for home, garden, or self. And you will also be donating to charity. So have fun with your gift! Start shopping! Congratulations, Eve."

Monday, September 22, 2008

YOUR DINNER IS READY MR SQUIRREL


Do squirrels get your bulbs every year? I have heard that you can take chicken wire and anchor it over your bulbs after you plant them and that will work to keep them out. but you must remember to remove it when they they start to grow.

You could always just plant a double layer too, and hope they won't find the second layer. The bulbs will come up a couple of weeks later but at least some will come up. I don't have a problem with squirrels where I am now, but when we lived in the country, they were a bit of problem. Rodent repellents are useless according to all the information I can find, so don’t waste your money on them. You don't want the squirrels laughing at you behind your back. : )


If you are planting a large area, you could try using an electric fence, but that may only slow them down. The same goes for using ground up oyster shells in the soil where you plant the bulbs. If the squirrels are hungry enough and your neighbors aren't feeding them their bulbs, it won't do much good. You could also try to keep the squirrels away by getting a dog. But again, if the squirrels are hungry and the dog is one of those "could care less" dogs, like my Solo, who makes friends with all wild creatures including the family of rabbits in the woods.....it won’t work. : )

Thursday, September 18, 2008

BLUE IN THE MORNING SUN

As usual, one is to dark, one is too light, and one is perfect! Guess who took the perfect one? Billy takes much better pics than I do. He says you have to do more than point and shoot. In this, I have to agree.

I got this old chair to sit a plant on but it always has a cat on it, so I just let them have it. It is their porch! How spoiled is that?

I love how the center of this morning glory looks like it contains a reflection of the entire surface of the sun. The beautiful blue looks like some expensive silk fabric. Billy took this early one morning and when I uploaded it, I couldn't believe how breathtaking it was. I just love it. Click on it to get the full effect!

Monday, September 15, 2008

MAMA'S GONNA BUY ME A MOCKINGBIRD




No, this is not a Mockingbird. This is the Wyoming State Bird: Western Meadow Lark (Sturnella neglecta)

Do you know your state bird? The state bird of Mississippi is a Mockingbird and I just saw one land on my herb garden on the back porch. Of course, I didn't have time to get my camera but he sure was pretty. I think he likes basil or thyme. He is always at that end of the bed.

I love the pretty Wyoming state bird. It think he is really pretty. Here is a link to find out if you don't know yours, which I am sure all you enlightened readers already know yours. But it is fun to see the other states. You can even hear most of the birds sing. Unfortunately all I got was a rocked out version of "Mama's Gonna Buy me a Mockingbird" when I clicked on my bird video. LOL


Click here to check out your bird

Friday, September 12, 2008

VERTICAL GROWING


I want to do more vertical growing next year. Pole beans, both contender and Kentucky Wonder, cherry tomatoes, cukes were just great for me this year. We had worlds of cukes as I expected but the abundance of peppers surprised me, especially the ones that grew so tall I had to trellis them. So apparently you can grow them up a trellis if you pick the right ones. It sure is a lot easier on the back than bending over to pick them.

A lot of cantaloupes served as dinner for the rabbits. I'm ready for them next year. I am growing the small ones and putting them up in the air. I'll use netting as a sling to hold them up. I think vertical growing is so much fun. You have less disease and pests and it is just so much easier on the back to harvest. Can rabbits climb? I believe I can train yellow squash to go up a trellis too. It is worth a try.

I am going to check into the baby type veggies too. I love the baby ones for salads. Baby corn is something I love. Baby carrots, baby corn, pearl onions, cherry tomatoes, baby pumpkins ( they call one "baby boo"), midget cucumbers, tiny cabbage heads, tom thumb lettuce, baby eggplant, Easter egg radishes, little dumpling squash...and the list goes on. These could be raised in containers all around the property. A healthy vegetable plant is as pretty as any other green plant.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED TURNING?

On Friday, November 16, 2001 Alan Jackson had the lyrics of his song "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning" read into the Congressional Record by His Honor, Congressman Mac Collins.
HONORABLE MAC COLLINS of Georgia
House of Representatives
Friday, November 16, 2001

"On September 11th, 2001 our nation suffered a cataclysmic attack of unprecedented proportion. More than 6,000 Americans lost their lives in less than 1 hour's time.

In the two months following that tragic day, our citizens have struggled for ways to accept and deal with such a horrific loss. We have held candlelight vigils, all night prayer groups, talked of memorials and rebuilding. We have launched a major military campaign to seek justice for those victims. But one young man, whose name is known to many of this body and many of the American people, has found a way to genuinely memorialize those victims and that day in song.

Alan Jackson was born in Newnan, Georgia in 1958. Since that time he has grown into one of the nation's most loved Country Music stars. Some have called him the conscience of Nashville for his actions and the type of music he makes.

On November 7th. at the Country Music Awards, Alan sang a song he wrote, which more than any other that I have heard, expressed the wide range of emotions experienced on September 11th, 2001. I would like to read those lyrics to you now. "



Where Were You [When The World Stopped Turning]
By Alan Jackson



Where were you when the world stop turning on that September day

Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.

Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Rising against that blue sky

Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know

Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do

Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I could
Tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran

But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stop turning on that September day

Teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate

Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone

Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her
Did you dust off that bible at home

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
And you close your eyes and not go to sleep

Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street

Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun

Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Stand in line and give your own blood

Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love



"I would like to take this opportunity to commend and congratulate my former constituent, a great American who has used his gifts as a songwriter and performer to lift the American spirit in this great pursuit for justice. Alan Jackson has crafted a thoughtful memorial to the victims of September 11th and serves as an example of how all Americans can help heal our nation from the wounds we suffered on that tragic day. Thank you Alan, for helping us to remember those we lost and for helping to keep their memory alive."

Monday, September 8, 2008

WILD THING, YOU MAKE MY HEART SING

I looked out the window along the woods this morning, and saw all these wild morning glories. I wish I had a decent camera because it was awesome. Some are pink and some are purple. I wonder if the type of soil has anything to do with it. They look like the same morning glory but just different colors. I also spotted this lantiana that looks different from the ones I grow. Pretty little yellow flowers and some type of pea blooms. It was early and I was in my PJs, but determined. : ) My camera is a real cheapo so I don't do close ups but I just had to try. It was beautiful in person, just climbing up in the trees like that.





Friday, September 5, 2008

FREAKY FRIDAY....MAD POTTER OF BILOXI









I want to introduce you to my favorite potter. He was born next door in Biloxi MS. I loved his work so much when I first saw it because it is so different. He is the reason I took up pottery. They say he use to ride down main street in Biloxi in his Pajamas with that handlebar moustache just a flying. LOL...I bet he was a sight to see.

The following information is from wiki:

While Ohr had a healthy self-image, during his lifetime many others in the art world did not accept him or his pots, and considered him a boasting eccentric. In the early 1900s, the Arts and Crafts Movement and its leaders (such as William Morris) advocated that an artist should display control and perfection in all art forms. Ohr displayed little obvious perfectionism in his art or control in his person, antagonizing art leaders nationally and political leaders at home. Ohr's work is now seen as ground-breaking and a harbinger of the abstract sculpture and pottery that developed in the mid-20th century. Ohr's pieces are now relatively rare and highly coveted.

A notable feature of Ohr pottery is that many items have thin walls, metallic glazes, and twisted, pinched shapes. To this day potters marvel at Ohr porcelain-thin walls and unusual glazes. No one has been able to replicate them using a pottery wheel, which is how Or made his works. Or dug much of his clay locally in southern Mississippi from the Tchoutacabouffa River. Tchoutacabouffa is the Biloxi tribe's word for "broken pot.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

GOOD CONTAINER COMBOS




I found this picture on one of the retail gardening sites. I just love it. This container features white sweet alyssum, purple-leaf fibrous begonia, and pink tuberous begonia. Don't you just love the old bread box?



Here are a few suggestions they gave for good container planting combinations.

SPRING: Hellebores, with tulips and ferns. When bulbs die down replace with pink impatiens.

BEGONIAS: Mix rex begonias with their colorful foliage with tuberous camellia-flowered begonias in colors to blend with the rex leaves.

SILVER: Helichrysum petiolare (licorice plant) trailing under annual dusty miller. Add pale pink or red geraniums depending on the effect you want. Or try it with purple heliotrope.

SHADE GARDEN: Trailing ivy and ferns with nicotiana, impatiens or pansies.

FOLIAGE: Palace Purple heuchera with Bowles Golden sedge and Margarita' sweet potato vine

SUCCULENTS: Sedum `Vera Jamieson' and `Bertram Anderson' with Sedum sieboldiana.

BLUE AND YELLOW: Yellow daylilies (Penny's Worth, Stella d'Oro) with Campanula carpatica `Blue Clips'.

PINK AND PRETTY: New Guinea impatiens (bright pink flowers) and pale pink verbena and pink zonal geraniums.

DRAMATIC: Black Dragon coleus with Ipomoea batatas `Blackie' and Helichrysum petiolare `Aurea'.

I love containers but sometimes I can end up with things that just didn't grow the way I thought they would. I have had things that should trail, grow straight up. LOL. But I keep trying. These all sound so pretty. I am going to try the foliage because I started a sweet potato vine that is yearning to be potted up in some sort of arrangemnt. All I need is some purple heuchera and Golden sedge. That sounds so pretty to me. I like purples and golds together.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

GOODBYE GUS,,,HELLO HANNA


Well, we made it through another one. We had a rough ride with the feeder bands, lots of rain and wind gusts of 75 mph, but nothing at all like Katrina. We lost our power but just a few minutes ago, we got it back on. It was a hot time in the old town tonight, let me tell you.

There is still a curfew and they are not letting anyone come back home that evacuated, until tomorrow, Wednesday. Trees and limbs on the road, flooding and power lines, down everywhere is the reason for that. We stayed when we realized the winds at the worst would be 75.

Our problem now, is Hanna out there and not knowing where she might go if she turns.and right behind her, Ike and Josephine. Never a dull moment this time of year. I hope all of you in the path of this storm, are doing well. Thank you all for caring so much. You are amazing people.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

WHERE DID THAT PLANT COME FROM?


I love being surprised with a boquet of flowers. But the plant surprises that just show up in my yard are great too. We had a little shrub just sprang up a couple of years ago. It is so beautiful now. I still don't know what it is but it has these nice glossy leaves and a dark green color but no blooms yet. I think we might have brought the seed in with some old manure we added to our soil. I also had some purple heart just spring up after I planted some potted plants I bought at Lowes. I think birds spread seed around too. At any rate, it is always fun to see them.

Sometimes I know what they are and sometimes I have no idea. A pretty little plant is growing in my Lantana bed. It is just hiding up under all that foliage. It has these pretty little yellow flowers that look a lot like violets. I didn't plant it although I did plant some johnny jump ups earlier in the spring. This is much bigger though. Lantana springs up in the most surprising places. Herbs will spring up everywhere too. I have basil and thyme coming up all over the place and lemon balm is growing back where I pulled it out at the beginning of summer. That's good, because I really like it now but at the time I wanted the room for chives.

Another surprise I had this year was finding a vine with gorgeous little white flowers, blooming around my mailbox pole. We have a rural mailbox and I always planned on decorating it with flowers but never did. I hope it comes back next year. I am hoping for a new mailbox too. One the mailman will actually close shut. : )

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

LIVING WREATHS AND KISSING BALLS





Aren't these wonderful? I made some of these in the early seventies and gave them as Christmas gifts. People just loved the Kissing Balls. The one in the center is from the Martha Stewart website. She gives you instructions for hers. You can also make them square like a dish. Here is the link to the website for the Kissing Balls and the other wreath and square. These are so much fun to make. Try one and surprise someone with it.

Instructions for Kissing Balls and squares

Monday, August 25, 2008

OUR KITCHEN WINDOWSILL












Our kitchen windowsills serve as an art gallery for a lot of us. I have put tomatoes on my kitchen windowsill in various stages and let them sit there too long. Then I end up cleaning the window and feeling really sad when I let the red ones sit too long. I am responsible for them not reaching their ultimate mission which is to nourish our bodies. I love to see them all lined up there, looking so pretty in red, yellow and green. It is particually nice if we have a window above our sink. I am blessed to have a bay window over my sink but the sillls are not that wide. I would like to make them wider.

I also love to see pots on a windowsill, holding herbs or flowers. Chives, basil, lavender, parsley, mint and thyme are good choices for herbs. One of the first things I wanted to do when I got married was grow herbs on my windowsill. I will stick little flowers in small bottles of whatever wildflowers I find on my trips outside. In the early Spring, there is a riot of yellow and purple flowers along my roadside. I don't know their names but I enjoy them every Spring.

I had a friend who lined her windowsill with beautiful, colorful bottles. Some green ones, one vintage, vaseline colored, one dark cobalt blue, and some lovely ones in various colors that contained scented vinegars someone had given her as a gift one Christmas. They looked really pretty with the Sun shining through and I am sure, cheered her up every time she looked at them. I haven't seen her for years, but I'll bet wherever she is, she still has those bottles on her windowsill. I hope she has a window over her sink.

I have seen windowsills lined with old, vintage salt and pepper shakers. Or those little miniature pottery pieces that we all love. I have seen little tiny vases and salt cellars, toothpick holders or even little miniature cups and saucers or cute little animals. One friend has marbles on hers. She puts them in little clear jsrs. The light makes them sparkle. I have seen shells, bringing back memories of a special trip, lining a windowsill.

The next time you visit someone, look at the windowsills. I'd be willing to bet, if I was a betting person, that you will something interesting displayed there. If someone looked at yours, what would they see?

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

PEPPERS- -DRIED, FRIED AND STUFFED INSIDE



I love peppers. Hot, mild, sweet, any type of peppers appeal to me. I like their pretty colors in the garden but most of all I love the many ways you can use them in cooking. I lost track of how many types I raised this time, because I threw away the little markers. I know I have at least six types of sweet and a couple of hot. I didn't plant enough hot or poblano peppers this year. Next year I will plant more of those. I love the bright red of the little tiny chili peppers.

I have dried enough for a string of dried peppers for my kitchen in addition to putting some up to grind for later. I like the look of dried peppers and herbs, hanging in the kitchen. I think it gives it a homey, warm look. I love peppers too because they are easy to freeze. I just seed, slice and freeze. You don't need to blanch them if you use them in a month or so. Billy will probably use the ground up ones in his tamales. Although I have been known to add hot pepper flakes to kick things up a notch. I love hot! I think they will keep producing up until the middle of October at least.

I like poblano peppers for stuffing with cream cheese and then wrapping with bacon. Pop in the oven until the bacon is brown and crisp. Billy smoked some once and they were really good. I think my favorite way to make peppers though is the same way Mama used to make them. Stuffed bell peppers with rice, meat and cheese was a dish I loved as a child. I love rich, red pepper pesto made from bell peppers for corn chips, crackers, crusty bread, pasta, and roasted potatoes too. You can find that recipe all over the Internet. Everyone has their own version.

If I could only grow five veggies, I would pick yellow squash, peppers, tomatoes, green onions and potatoes.

DIY drying and stringing peppers

Monday, August 18, 2008

OKRA-YOU EITHER LOVE IT OR HATE IT



I love it fried up all crisp and brown. But this year I grew some for Billy to make his world famous gumbo. I am not a fan of gumbo, although I like everything that goes in it. I just don't like it mixed together. I prefer my shrimp, boiled with a good cocktail sauce or fried up in a nice sandwich with lettuce and tomato. I love crabs dipped in butter. Now, I know according to his brothers, his gumbo is really good. I'll take their word for it. I don't like the texture on my tongue. That is funny in a way, because I do like boiled okra in field peas with a big ole hunk of buttery cornbread.

My basil, if I don't get it out of there, is going to overtake my okra. We have been picking okra from just these few plants for a long while. It has been enough for his gumbo but I think next year, I will plant just a few more plants.

Here is a good recipe for Fried Okra..you can leave out the hot sauce but it won't be Southern fried. We use hot sauce in the South.

1 pound fresh okra
2 eggs, beaten
4 to 6 dashes hot pepper sauce
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
oil for deep frying

Wash okra and drain well. Now cut off ends and save them for your compost pile. Cut okra crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. In a bowl, combine beaten eggs and hot sauce. This is what I do, I like it. Add okra and stir to coat all pieces well. In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal, salt and cayenne. Dip okra pieces into cornmeal mixture to coat well.

Now Mama fried hers up in a big black iron skillet but I use a deep fryier. It's all good....

Heat oil in the deep fryer to 375°. Fry okra in batches until browned, about 4 to 6 minutes for each batch. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

LATE GARDEN AND MY DOG SOLO



We have had a lot of rain in the last few days, but maybe it will give my tomatoes and squash we planted last month, a boost. I ran out in the rain and put fertilizer around the plants and bumped my head on my storage container, I was in such a hurry. Now I know none of you run out in the rain like that to fertilize. I am an idiot. But my thinking was, it will help to wash it in. I am hoping to get in another harvest of fresh tomatoes an squash before I get involved with the fall garden. The peppers are still doing really well. Other than that, most of the earlier crops are gone. I do have a lot of basil left to harvest and I want to save the seeds from my marigolds I had in the garden. They were particularly pretty and I though I would save them. Since they are probably hybrid, I doubt I will get the same plant but it is worth a try.

I need to get a ramp built for my sweet little dog Solo. He is getting old and is losing his sight. I want to do everything we can to make his life seem as normal as possible. He is afraid to go down the steps anymore and I don't blame him. Stepping off into the dark has got to be frightening. He has mapped out the house pretty well though. He can find everything he needs. We taught him when we first got him to go on paper at night and we take him out in the daytime. It came in handy when we were gone a lot when he was younger. So that is not a problem for him. He does seem to be walking a lot though. Just pacing back and forth but I think in time, that will stop as we get him outside walking again. It hasn't affected his hearing any. He can still hear me try to sneak open a candy bar wrapper from two rooms away. LOL

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

THE LOVE BUGS WILL GET YOU


We are about to be hit with those blasted lovebugs again. They land all over anything and everything. They get in your hair, land on food or drink when you try to eat outside, die by the thousands on your windshield, lights, grills and are very hard to remove. To get rid of the mass of deceased love bugs that shellacked themselves to your car's finish, I have help. There is a product called Spray and Wash that can help clean them up. Simple Green can help too. They can cause your car to overheat if they get drawn into the cooling system of liquid cooled engines. These are some bad bugs. I feel no love for them at all. Okay, maybe a little.

The love bug, Plecia nearctica, is a member of the family of march flies. It is also known as the honeymoon fly, telephone bug, kissy bug or double-headed bug. The adult is a small, flying insect common to parts of Central America and the southeastern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. The adult love bug feeds on the nectar of flowering plants. Upon reaching maturity the love bug spends almost the entirety of its life copulating with its mate, hence its numerous romantic nicknames. Think of it like this: they meet-and-greet and date-and-mate all in one fun-packed evening.

"Once large enough, larva will spin cocoons in
which they will undergo metamorphosis and emerge
as fully mature flying adults. This change will
usually take 1-2 weeks. As flying adults, males
have one thing on their minds: find females".


And just how is that different from human males, pray tell!!!

Folklore says they might be a result of an experiment gone wrong in a Florida lab. Mixing a mosquito with a genetically altered fly to create an enemy for mosquito larva. See what can happen when you mess with Mother Nature!

Monday, August 11, 2008

YOU CUT BACK MY WHAT?



















So, I'm making chicken and dressing and Billy walks in. I like fresh chopped parsley in my dressing so I ask him if he would mind getting me some fresh parsley off the back porch. I hand him a bowl and the scissors I use to cut my herbs. "Just cut it all back because I will dry what I don't use" I told him. Parsley grows back really quickly so by the time I need more there will be plenty of new growth.

In a few minutes he comes back in, bearing not a bowl of parsley but my entire basil plant. He had cut it all off. I looked at him in total disbelief. I was going to pot it up a pretty pot after cutting back where it is trying to seed. I really don't need the seed, I have plenty but I can carry this plant through the Winter if I just pot it up and bring it in on the colder days. Oh well, I do have more out in the garden, just not the same type. I think the roots still have time to make another anyway before it gets too cold. At least he left the roots. LOL... Bless his heart, he thought I said basil. I let him off the hook but next time, I think I will attend to the herbs. For now, I hung the stems upside down with a nice piece of twine and will just let them dry.