Peace 
About Face is by far the hardiest rose I have at this time. It has made it through 3 Illinois winters with no protection and been dug up twice to be put in more prominent positions. Yet, it keeps blooming and thriving no matter what.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Roses, Roses and More Roses
For most plants I am the grim reaper. House plants keel over and die as soon as I bring them home. If a plant thrives outdoors it is mainly due to their refusal to give up. The problem? Who knows? Afterall, I water, feed and tend to them. My husband says I just have a black thumb as opposed to a green thumb. That is until I brought home this scraggly little stick that was supposed to be a rose bush. No one could blame me if it died, right? I mean it was already close to its last gasp when I bought it.
To my surprise not only did this little stick grow, it flourished. By the end of summer I had beautiful, scented blooms on my Fragrant Plum. The next spring I brought home more roses, 10 to be exact. When they too started to exceed my black thumb expectations I decided to get serious. I studied diseases, insects, correct pruning methods and anything else I could that pertained to roses. A hard lesson I did learn was that some roses aren't meant for my gardenng zone 5. I lost 4 of the 10 I had brought home to a harsh winter. Today, I have 22 roses, 18 varieties, that have done well for the last three years.
I also found several sites that talked about starting roses from seed. It is not a task for the easily discouraged. Out of 100 seeds I have managed to grow one rose. It is two years old and has already survived one winter in the ground. I'm looking forward to next spring when I will finally be able to see what color blooms it will have. This year the first bud was killed by an unexpected frost. Oh well, just that it is has survived and will be a one of a kind, no other rose exactly like it, is incentive enough to give it the time and care it needs. I look forward to posting my original rose pictures here next spring!
Products I have tried:
Jiffy Professional Greenhouse Kit
Carefree All-In-One Greenhouse
Vigaro Bone Meal
Rl Flo-Master Premium Sprayers
Ortho RosePride Orthenex Insect & Disease Control
Schultz Peat Moss
Jiffy Starter Pellets
To my surprise not only did this little stick grow, it flourished. By the end of summer I had beautiful, scented blooms on my Fragrant Plum. The next spring I brought home more roses, 10 to be exact. When they too started to exceed my black thumb expectations I decided to get serious. I studied diseases, insects, correct pruning methods and anything else I could that pertained to roses. A hard lesson I did learn was that some roses aren't meant for my gardenng zone 5. I lost 4 of the 10 I had brought home to a harsh winter. Today, I have 22 roses, 18 varieties, that have done well for the last three years.
I also found several sites that talked about starting roses from seed. It is not a task for the easily discouraged. Out of 100 seeds I have managed to grow one rose. It is two years old and has already survived one winter in the ground. I'm looking forward to next spring when I will finally be able to see what color blooms it will have. This year the first bud was killed by an unexpected frost. Oh well, just that it is has survived and will be a one of a kind, no other rose exactly like it, is incentive enough to give it the time and care it needs. I look forward to posting my original rose pictures here next spring!
Products I have tried:
Jiffy Professional Greenhouse Kit
Carefree All-In-One Greenhouse
Vigaro Bone Meal
Rl Flo-Master Premium Sprayers
Ortho RosePride Orthenex Insect & Disease Control
Schultz Peat Moss
Jiffy Starter Pellets
Thursday, December 4, 2008
My Birthday
Today is my birthday. As I get older (not a good thing) they seem to come with less excitement (a good thing). I remember when flowers, dinner and a night out at a club were mandatory. Now I'm excited that my birthday present from my husband is overhauling the engine to my 1994 Isuzu Trooper. I don't want jewelry, I want a new alternator. No flowers or candy for me, give me some new spark plugs! See the difference in being a 20-something and a 40-something?
There are other differences too. Tomorrow, instead of taking aspirin for a hangover, I'll be taking Alleve for arthritis. I won't have a night out with my friends drinking and dancing. I will be staying in with my family, ordering pizza, playing Trivial Pursuit and talking about things that we found funny, sad or of general interest.
Now that I have the younger generation shaking their head and saying I'll never be that boring let me tell you a secret. It isn't that I have to do those things or "settle" for that present. I could still go out, tie one on and live it up. But, as you get older priorities change. I choose to stay home and be with my family. For me that is living it up. Being surrounded by loved ones, laughing (a lot) and celebrating not just my birthday, but my life as it is now. Got to go...they are waiting.
There are other differences too. Tomorrow, instead of taking aspirin for a hangover, I'll be taking Alleve for arthritis. I won't have a night out with my friends drinking and dancing. I will be staying in with my family, ordering pizza, playing Trivial Pursuit and talking about things that we found funny, sad or of general interest.
Now that I have the younger generation shaking their head and saying I'll never be that boring let me tell you a secret. It isn't that I have to do those things or "settle" for that present. I could still go out, tie one on and live it up. But, as you get older priorities change. I choose to stay home and be with my family. For me that is living it up. Being surrounded by loved ones, laughing (a lot) and celebrating not just my birthday, but my life as it is now. Got to go...they are waiting.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
People
I ventured out of my cornfield friday. Yes, I participated in the Black Friday sales. Unlike many people I made it home safely. A temp employee was killed, and several injured, at a Wal-Mart in Valley Stream on Long Island. Two men shot and killed each other at a Toys R Us in Palm Desert, California. While the latter event may not have been Black Friday related the shoppers were still in danger.
What really gets me about the Wal-Mart incident is that the shoppers were angry and uncooperative when told to leave the store. A man had just died and they didn't care. It was more important to save a few bucks on that item they couldn't afford any other time. Here is a thought...if you can't afford it any other time maybe you shouldn't own it. Instead of getting that 32" flat panel television "settle" for a 27" flat screen TV. Instead of stampeding over people to get that 8 megapixel digital camera "settle" for the 6 megapixel one you can normally afford. When did we become a society of people who care more about things than other people?
I know that mindset has been around since the beginning of time, but it didn't use to be normal, accepted behavior. I would like to know how many people who were at that Wal-Mart went home and bitched to family members that they didn't get their TV. More importantly, I would like to know how many went home, hugged their family members and were thankful that they were alive. I can guess at which happened more often.
What really gets me about the Wal-Mart incident is that the shoppers were angry and uncooperative when told to leave the store. A man had just died and they didn't care. It was more important to save a few bucks on that item they couldn't afford any other time. Here is a thought...if you can't afford it any other time maybe you shouldn't own it. Instead of getting that 32" flat panel television "settle" for a 27" flat screen TV. Instead of stampeding over people to get that 8 megapixel digital camera "settle" for the 6 megapixel one you can normally afford. When did we become a society of people who care more about things than other people?
I know that mindset has been around since the beginning of time, but it didn't use to be normal, accepted behavior. I would like to know how many people who were at that Wal-Mart went home and bitched to family members that they didn't get their TV. More importantly, I would like to know how many went home, hugged their family members and were thankful that they were alive. I can guess at which happened more often.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tis the Season
It is the time of year that many look forward to. Am I talking about the holidays? No. It is hunting season. While my husband enjoys the holidays because it means a lot of great food, they take a back seat to duck, goose, deer hunting. If you have a hunter in the house I have a few great holiday gifts to recommend.
One of the items I bought my husband, that he truly likes, is the Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn Scope. Another product that even I can enjoy is his Moultrie Digital (Game) Camera. It is a camera that straps to a tree and snaps pictures when something crosses its motion sensor. We've been amazed at how much, and what type of, game there is in his hunting area.
If you need to find something a little cheaper than those two items how about a camouflaged thermos? Is the hunter you know on the water a lot? Then he (or she) should not be without an Avery Floating Shotgun Case. It is cheap insurance for an expensive gun.
One of the items I bought my husband, that he truly likes, is the Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn Scope. Another product that even I can enjoy is his Moultrie Digital (Game) Camera. It is a camera that straps to a tree and snaps pictures when something crosses its motion sensor. We've been amazed at how much, and what type of, game there is in his hunting area.
If you need to find something a little cheaper than those two items how about a camouflaged thermos? Is the hunter you know on the water a lot? Then he (or she) should not be without an Avery Floating Shotgun Case. It is cheap insurance for an expensive gun.
As if all of that is not enough...dryer sheets that smell like dirt. H.S. Scents Scent A Way Dryer Sheets cover up a hunter's odor by making his clothes smell like...well...dirt. Did I mention that the whole house smells like that for a while?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
More Yellowstone Photos
After writing my post yesterday I went back through my Yellowstone photos. I'ld like to share some of my favorites with you. I hope you enjoy them.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Yellowstone National Park
The other day I talked about my mom's favorite vacation spot. Now that I'm feeling better (see last post) I want to share the place that was everything & more than I could have hoped for. That place is Yellowstone National Park. One thing I had always wanted to do was see a bear in the wild. My trip to Yellowstone, this past June, was planned with the hopes that my wish would come true. I thought that if I got lucky enough to see one it would be through binoculars at a long distance. I thought wrong. Within 40 minutes of entering the park, on my first day there, I saw two black bears. They passed about 20 feet in front of my car. For several minutes I got to observe the bears up close from the safety of the car. I was so excited I couldn't speak.
The second day I saw two more black bears in a different location about 100 yards from the road. The third day a man offered the use of his spotting scope to observe two grizzly bears loping from a pond into the forest. Both of those encounters left me thrilled and excited. Yet, I don't think any wildlife I observe from now on will ever rival my first two black bears.
A few Yellowstone National Park area hotel reviews:
Big Bear Motel - Cody, WY
Super 8 - Sheridan, WY
Super 8 - Gardiner, MT
The second day I saw two more black bears in a different location about 100 yards from the road. The third day a man offered the use of his spotting scope to observe two grizzly bears loping from a pond into the forest. Both of those encounters left me thrilled and excited. Yet, I don't think any wildlife I observe from now on will ever rival my first two black bears.
A few Yellowstone National Park area hotel reviews:
Big Bear Motel - Cody, WY
Super 8 - Sheridan, WY
Super 8 - Gardiner, MT
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
In a Mood
Menopause sucks. I never know when I'm going to wake up happy, sad or angry. Today is an angry day. No one or nothing has made me mad, I just am. It doesn't bode well for anyone I encounter today. Luckily for my husband I've created a guide for him to follow that will save him some trouble. It isn't a foolproof plan, but it does give him some guidelines.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Smoky Mountains
The Smoky Mountains are my mom's favorite place to visit. We've been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area twice and are planning a third visit. We always stay at the Colonial House Motel in Pigeon Forge. It is a basic hotel that is clean with friendly staff. That is all we require from a hotel. If you need chocolates on your pillow with turn down service it won't be for you.
If you like the outdoors and great scenery you will like the Smoky Mountains. Hiking trails, scenic overlooks and wildlife lend to great photography opportunities.
Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have a great variety of shops, from the cheap souvenir to the very expensive, for those that prefer the town scene. While in Pigeon Forge make sure to visit The Old Mill. If you are like me, you will be amazed at the many, many types of jelly they have. Cactus jelly anyone?
We did take a trip through the Smoky Mountain National Park to Cherokee, North Carolina. I was looking for a pair of moccasins. After all, wouldn't an authentic Indian village have at least one pair for sale? Well, they did but they were expensive and made in China. No thanks.
If you like the outdoors and great scenery you will like the Smoky Mountains. Hiking trails, scenic overlooks and wildlife lend to great photography opportunities.
Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have a great variety of shops, from the cheap souvenir to the very expensive, for those that prefer the town scene. While in Pigeon Forge make sure to visit The Old Mill. If you are like me, you will be amazed at the many, many types of jelly they have. Cactus jelly anyone?
We did take a trip through the Smoky Mountain National Park to Cherokee, North Carolina. I was looking for a pair of moccasins. After all, wouldn't an authentic Indian village have at least one pair for sale? Well, they did but they were expensive and made in China. No thanks.
Hey There! It's Me...
Hi, long time no see. Well, okay if you want to get technical I've probably never seen you. There are two reasons for that. One is that this is the first post in a new blog. Second would be that I live in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a cornfield*. You probably haven't been to, or even anywhere near, my home.
What am I doing in your neck of the woods now? I have photos, articles and reviews scattered all over the internet. I needed one place to gather the pieces I want to have easy access to. If you find some value in them or like a certain piece...great. Drop a comment, roll your eyes, love it or hate it...just please be civil. If you think you have a blog I would be interested in let me know. I'm new to this and looking forward to a long relationship with my blog.
*Due to crop rotation it may be a green bean, soybean, wheat, or any other type of crop grown here. This year just happened to be a cornfield.
What am I doing in your neck of the woods now? I have photos, articles and reviews scattered all over the internet. I needed one place to gather the pieces I want to have easy access to. If you find some value in them or like a certain piece...great. Drop a comment, roll your eyes, love it or hate it...just please be civil. If you think you have a blog I would be interested in let me know. I'm new to this and looking forward to a long relationship with my blog.
*Due to crop rotation it may be a green bean, soybean, wheat, or any other type of crop grown here. This year just happened to be a cornfield.
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