carolyncat353's Blog

October almost over! It goes so fast these days!  I've been sick with a cold & cough, but I'm on the good side of it now!  I just don't remember colds being this bad when I was younger! Yuk! 

I've been slowly cleaning out flower beds, and I finally got the broccoli and cabbage planted.  Last night I put up some hot peppers in vinegar and this evening I'll pull up the hot peppers.  I've had enough of them.  I am going to have an onslaught of tomatoes in the next week or so, and the bell peppers have perked back up, and I'll have enough to stuff this weekend for Football Sunday!

I haven't been paying attention too good in the yard.  I almost missed the Butterfly Vine blooming

The flowers are the little yellow bunches, and then they turn into the "butterflies"

Since my last post the Heavenly Blue morning glory has taken off.  They are so dang pretty!  This morning I counted over 50 blooms-and the color is amazing!  I have some more pictures in "What's in Bloom"

Also, under "house plants" I have some more pictures of this unbelievable plant!  This corn plant belonged to my son when he was in college-over 6 years ago-I got it when he went in the service. This summer I repotted it for the first time.  Several days ago I noticed it putting out what looked like "seeds".  Well, it wasn't seeds, it was the beginning of flowers!  I went out the front door at dark and smelled the most wonderful sweet scent.  Very similar to the smell of an Angel Trumpet-but they're in the back yard.  I kept looking around for what was blooming and realized it was the Corn Plant!!  It was being bombarded by a Hummingbird Moth and another smaller fast flying moth.  Wow. Always learning something new!

 The little white petals open more and the smell is wonderful!

I have posted a few pictures here and there in the forums, so go look if you want.  The Confederate Rose and the Rain Trees are starting to bloom, so I'll get some pictures of those up in a few days!

Later gators!

Those of you that have been here a while know that I dislike Winter tremendously-so that makes me melancholy in Fall.  Urk !  I haven't been posting much-really not much going on it seems-a quick run-down:

My neighbor that was diagnosed with brain cancer and given 12-18 months is still kicking-over 2 years later, although he has trouble with his speech now, and had a little stroke about 2 weeks ago.  It does look like time is nearing though.  I really hate to lose him-Such a good neighbor.  :(

My little dog has been having major medical problems and costing me a fortune.  But he is much better now, didn't realize how bad he was until he starting feeling good!  Our work has picked up some, but not enough to say we're ok. Another URK!

I'll be putting in my fall garden soon.  We've started to have a few 60 degree nights, so I guess I can start planting.  Things that bloom are sad looking, and not many of them.  I planted some Heavenly Blue morning glories this year and I just love them!  Wish they bloomed as much as the Grandpa Ott's!

The Hummingbird plant is blooming up a storm. The hummers love it, and Ittty likes to lay under it to try to attack.I have tried to make starts from soft wood cuttings and haven't been successful.  This thing puts out lots of seeds, so I may have to try that route!

I haven't been paying much attention to my night blooming Cereus plants, until I notice the dead blooms.  It is so startling to see early in the morning, especially if there is more than one bloom!

The white on the elephant ears is water reflecting the flash.  This was taken very early morning. 

Hope everyone is doing ok-I'm still here, I just "lurk" Ha-ha!

Man, where did the summer go? It's been awfully humid this summer and I guess I just can't take it like I used to! Always after a hurricane it's so dang humid and hot you can barely breathe-and this was no different.  I tried picking up a few branches and cleaning the patio yesterday evening, but the mosquitoes were horribly bad!!  And I was soaked with sweat in no time.  This weekend I'll be having a pine cone round up and burning, and hopefully start getting the fall garden ready. I planted some squash a couple of weeks ago, but Itty decided that was a great litter box-I'm going to have to put hardware cloth over the plants until they come up!

Sunday we're going to BBQ on the river and ride...On The Pontoon...which we haven't done much of this summer. Have a safe and happy Labor Day-I hope to!

It has been so 'humid' these last few days you can barely stand to be outside.  Sweating buckets is for real! I have just about nothing growing.  My bell pepper that I baby through the summer is suffering badly.  Hardly any zinnias are blooming, and even the hibiscus seems to be suffering from the heat. 

I have been very sloppy this year with my gardening.  My flower beds were totally overrun with weeds, and last weekend I got busy and pulled all the grass and weeds from 2 beds.  I had a stack of grass and weeds over 3 ft. tall! Now I have baby zinnias starting to come up, and my poor Angel Trumpet looks much better!  Usually by now it is over 6 ft. tall, but this year it is only about 3 ft. tall.  My plumeria's are doing good, though.  And so are the new black elephant ears I planted.  Only, they're not staying black, kind of striped with black.  Not what I thought I was getting.

Anyway, kinda boring in SW La. these days.  It's even too hot to go out on the boat.  Watching some Olympics, and planning that fall garden!

Later Gators!

Hi peeps. Haven't posted much cause I haven't been doing much.  It was very hot at the mid-last part of June, with no rain, so my garden was fried.  Bugs were worse this year than ever before, so I finally gave up.  Now it's been raining so much, I can't work the bed to plant my late summer stuff-squash, cucumbers, eggplant. Not happening yet! Here's how the summer has gone:

My son came in the first of June for 10 days.  We ate, BBQ'd, swam in the river, went boat riding. He & my 2 nephews and one niece went out almost every night-I think they have a reputation around town now.

For Father's Day, we had another bbq on the river with lots of food and another empty bottle of tequila.

The end of June, my son tells me he will be leaving the military-he's had enough-and hopes to be home by Christmas.  I have mixed feelings about this, but he has already started the process.

 Early July, my youngest brother that lived in Colorado has come home.  He got a job with another Oil/Gas company and they've moved back and are currently staying 2 blocks from me.  We've been eating a lot (it's all about FOOD!)

My nephews have been using the dock at my BF's house so they cleaned up a lot and repaired the dock, and so far, every time  they have been there-someone has gotten hurt-they're crazy!!  We've invested in a first aid kit for the downstairs and have the number of the emergency clinic on the downstairs door!

It has been raining and raining and raining.  Hard to cut the grass and keep the mosquitoes and fire ants under control. 

Nothing spectacular!  And no pictures.  Everything is ugly because of the weather, and not much is blooming anyway! Hope to have a better blog next time!

I'm posting a picture of my deep purple crepe myrtle that is in full bloom right now. It is also raining, and I know when I get home it will be almost touching the ground with purple flowers all under neath-like purple rain!

My lawnmower has been out of commission for a few days, and so has the weed eater operator (me), so the yard  looks a little sloppy.  That, and I have the "don't wannas"!

Clint has come and gone, and I couldn't find my camera the whole time-looked everywhere-found it after he left. :( He and my 2 nephews went out almost every night and I think they tried to drink the town dry.  There should be 18 wheelers coming in to re-stock the bars!.  So glad they survived without incident! Rascals! We ate plenty-BBQ, fish, shrimp, crawfish.  Swam in the river-they did go fishing one day-we really had a good time. I sure hate it when he leaves!

My garden is done, except for a few cucumbers and hot peppers.  The tomatoes came & went quickly this year.  The eggplant are just covered with spider mites, but still producing. The beans did almost nothing, and the bell peppers just quit.  I think the bells will come back this fall-I have plenty in the freezer.

My flowers are not doing real well this year, but I have a few surprises.  The branches I cut off my Plumeria and never potted up-just threw in an empy container with wet newspaper-has blooms on it.  Picture under "other plant discussions".  The Pride of Barbados (aka Mexican Bird of Paradise) is blooming now-usually doesn't bloom until fall

So exotic looking!  I have a few glads blooming, too, but I didn't plant many this year-most are left over from last year.  The sunflowers are blooming, and I have more coming up. Even the vincas aren't doing well, and usually they are out of control. 

Hope you are all doing well-I'm just hanging on!

At this moment, my son is in the air on his way home-2000 miles and one left turn! Haven't seen him in over a year-I am excited!  A big BBQ is planned on the river tomorrow-Ribs & Brisket with some shrimp & fished tossed in occasionally! The weather is going to be in the low 90's, sunny and just right.  Can't wait! We're also gonna have fresh salad:

The little peppers in the container are the Cajun Belle pepper-HOT little devils.  I pickled some last night, and burnt my hands.  Peppers have never affected me before, but they sure were burning last night!  I had to get some aloe and squeeze all over it-then some gel from the refrig.  They still kinda tingle this morning.  Guess I have to wear gloves from now on when messing with them! Hmph!

 The cucumbers & tomatoes are taking off, so I'll be making some pickles and freezing tomatoes soon.  Eggplant should be ready in a few days, also!  My plumerias are starting to bloom-I really want to put this pink one in the ground.  It is in a pot that is too small, and I know it's gonna turn over and break branches:

The white one is blooming, too.  I made a new flower bed in a corner where I removed the arbor.  I've got one Black Magic elephant ear planted there, with a few black-stemmed ears, also.  I am not a fan of elephant ears, but I like these dark ones.  I also planted some stray caladiums in it , and some begonias and also threw in some Cosmos seed.  This is Itty's flower bed.  She lays on the begonias (yes, some are broken-what the heck-I can replace flowers, but not the cat!) and watches the bird feeder which is a few feet away.  I guess I'll just have to leave her a 'spot'.

Her spot is just to the left of the bird bath.  The cannas in that pot will be for sale at my next yard sale (after Clint leaves), and so will those daylillies.  The bed should fill in nicely once the begonias get started good.  It's part sun & shade all day long, with some long stretches of sun, so it should do good!

It's going to be a very busy week with Clint in-I hope to post some pictures of our party-Red Solo cups are ready!

I have had this plant for 5 + years and it never bloomed.  I had red-tinged leaves, but no "red birds".  Yesterday while watering, I noticed these little pink "birds that I had never seen before!  RED BIRDS! It is amazing to look at them up close and see how they really resemble a little bird!

That is the whole plant, here are the little 'birds"

 They are so tiny!! My interesting flower for the day.

The veg. garden is coming along-I've got bell peppers galore again.  This year I planted a "cajun bell", that is supposed to be a bell pepper with just a little heat.  Well, to me, It's a hot Banana Pepper on steroids-I don't have a pic, today, but will post one soon in the vegetable forum.  I have tomatoes everywhere, and cukes are finally vining.  The sunflowers are starting to bloom:

I prefer the giant ones, but these are volunteers, and they came up early. Daylilly row is blooming madly now-and it is sooooo neglected-weeds and briars growing with them:

Itty likes to help in the garden-I have a hard time pulling weeds, cause she pounces on every movement.  She's a year old this month:

She's a digger-and digs up more mole crickets than I can count!  She is ridding the yard of them bit by bit.  She will dig in a mud hole up to her neck to get some yucky bug-doesn't mind water too much!

More later-I have work to do!  One last note-The black boy, Josh, on American Idol is from my hometown of Westlake. Two of his older siblings are my son's age, and Clint know them.  He's a durn good singer (wish he wouldn't scream his notes sometimes), It's down to the final four-you should watch-he has an amazing voice!

Have a Great Day!

Let's see if I can get the pictures I tried to post yesterday on here: The hibiscus

Now, my new little Iris:

My clematis in full bloom:

 And, my arbor that was on my East fence, we took it down, gave it some new legs and a new roof and a paint job, and then re-located it as the other one was falling down, too.  It is next to the clematis and the entry to my back yard now.  I have a vine called a "hummingbird vine" and some morning glories that I will plant next to it.  Then, I am sure, as soon as they start to vine, Itty will figure out how to climb it!

 Jacked up Again!  The arbor is the first picture-don't know how that happened! 

It has been so beautiful the last few days. Highs in the mid 80's, slight breeze, sunny, cools into the 60's at night.  Won't last long, though!

My vegetable garden is planted, and all is doing well except the cucumbers and beans. The cat and the doves won't stay out of the beans (I've replanted twice!), and the cucumbers are struggling.  I've already picked 2 bell peppers, the tomatoes have blooms,and the squash is vining.  Slowly, my flowers are coming to life-like Mom's rose bush:

It always blooms really nice-the petunias at it's feet just fizzled this year.  My multi-flowered hibiscus that is in a pot that is way too small is gorgeous, too:

 Screw Up?? Anyway, the yard is starting to perk up.  My Amaryliss are blooming, but only a few-I'm thinking the winter wasn't cold enough-I just don't know.  Lots of things are different this year.  Still hardly any zinnia volunteers, and my shrimp plants are not coming back strong.  Of course, Itty & Peanut's favorite lizard hunting place is in the Shrimp plants!  I do have a new Iris that Pink Damsel sent me 2 years ago-it has finally bloomed!.  The flowers are really small, but so unique!

 I give up-GG is not co-operating.  Will check ya'll later

I've been checking in now and then, just haven't been posting.  This season I don't have my usual "gung ho!" ready for planting! I do have my vegetables all planted, and actually will have 2 bell peppers to pick by the weekend. 

I am not having the usual riot of color that I usually do in early spring.  My beautiful deep purple iris' did not last very long, nor the azaleas.  I have very, very few zinnia volunteers coming up, and my petunias, pansies and snaps did not do their usual breathtaking show.  They are blooming, just sparsely.  The Bottlebrush always puts on a spectacular show:

Sadly, we had some heavy winds and rain come through, so it didn't last too long either, although, now it is going to seed, and the little finches are in it fighting constantly.  I finally planted my clematis in the ground, and it took it a while to get started, but it is blooming now:

A close up:

 I have an abundance of slugs and snails this year-it's going to be a rough one for insects in the garden.  The aphids are already covering the day lillies, which are already starting to bloom.  Usually, they start in May, so, I'll be spraying them, too.  I can't do too much insecticide this year because I have another kitten/cat.  Itty BItty is 10 months old-she was another stray showed up at our shop.  I lost Fancy Pants in February, found her in the neighbor's yard. Don't know if she was hit by a car or if a coyote got her-pretty torn up.  Anyway, Itty and Peanut play together-well, Itty plays, and Peanut tolerates, so far she hasn't gone further than the other side of the fence to watch the birds and squirrels.  She's a little cross-eyed, but that doesn't affect her at all.

She's a sweetie, but doesn't like to be held much, I call her my "alarm cat".  Wakes me every morning at 6 AM, whether it's a weekend or not. Then, after I get up, and I'm up for an hour, she goes back to take a nap! Dang cat.

As long as I don't get the "virus alerts", I'll post now and then.  It's been an eventful spring-a few deaths, my youngest brother is having a lot of family problems now, Clint is reaching the end of his military service and trying to make decisions, it's just been one thing after another.

Here's the back patio-not much color-The amaryliss are not even blooming like usual.  The hibiscus is taking a long time coming back, and I haven't planted Sunflowers yet.

Make it a good one! :)

I hope all of you are  enjoying the holiday season-Not much goes on here in my little world... no kids, no money, so I am content to stay at home and shell pecans!  And it's good, I am NOT complaining!  Our weather has been mostly mild, though we did have a few nights down into the 30's and even about 27 one night.  That finished off the zinnias, and the majority of the blooming plants.  My christmas cactus is coming into bloom, and I still have a few blooms on the Hummingbird Plant, and the pansies and snapdragons are starting to bloom, but they are still small.

I have pulled up the pepper plants, and the eggplants, and chopped away at the tomato plant, but I'll have to get a shovel to get it out of that pot.  I am in the process of pulling up the dead stuff and will cover it with a tarp until February.  My cabbage is looking good, but the broccoli is very slow.  I think I planted it too late, but it will eventually produce.

This one is ready to go-I'll have 2 more ready for New Year's!

And, finally, a note to all.  I will not be visiting GG very often for a while.  In the past year, 3 times my computer has alerted me of a virus and all 3 times I was on GG when it happend.  My computer guru has told me it probably has something to do with the spyware on this site, or possibly being infected by other users on this site. I just had one removed less than a week ago, and yesterday, I was told another one has been found.   Sooo, I am on facebook and we can visit there.  I do go to a couple of other sites, but not often.

Later Gators!  Have a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!

Carolyn

Looks like the "Eatin' Season" is upon us again.  I will be going to Colorado for Thanksgiving this year.  My youngest brother lives there and paid half my ticket to go, otherwise I couldn't afford it.  Haven't seen him in 2 years or more.  Of all my family, he is the most "coonass" of us all.  Has the deep cajun Louisiana drawl and the hilarious story-telling gene.  Should be fun...not sure about the cold, though, but I guess I can handle it for 4 days!  There should be a funny story or two to tell when I return.

It's been rather boring here.  The weather is mild (70-80's during day-occasionally below 50 at night).  Leaves are starting to fall, and last week I heard my first geese flying overhead.  It's dark at 5:30 and I hate it.  One of the perks of getting older is - the older you get, the faster time goes, so before long, it will be spring again, and time will change back, and I'll be happy! 

Stay safe & warm  - Later Gators1

I have made my final harvest for summer vegetables.  Oh, not everything, though!  I have cabbage and broccoli, radish and carrots planted, but they won't be ready until sometime later this month or in December.  The cabbage is usually ready for New Year's.  The Asparagus beans didn't make quick enough, I planted too late.  I love this bean, though, and will plant it again.  It will be in the 30's tonight, so I'll cover the tomatoes, but more than likely, the beans will be done for, along with the zinnias and eggplant.  The bell pepper may make it-sometimes does, sometimes not.

I've checked into my past garden diaries, and we're right on track.  Last year, we had our first temps in the 30's a week earlier.  I will need to take cuttings of the Morning Glory tree, because it will start to wither-and so will the Angel Trumpet.  Well, that's how it goes!

Have a great day!

I noticed this weekend some of the trees starting to turn yellow and red.  Not much in the way of color change goes on here-the leaves mostly just turn brown and drop off! This past weekend was mild, so I repotted a couple of plants I will be bringing indoors for the winter, gave them and the pots a good wash with soap and water and a heavy watering.  Supposed to go into the 30's at night later this week, so I need to clear out the shed to put the bigger plants. I always hate that part!

Most of my winter flower planting is done, though I need to separate my Amaryliss and get them in the ground before it gets real cold, or they won't bloom this spring.  I still have zinnias blooming, but they'll be caput before long. Here is the Black-eyed Susan vine.  I really don't like this vine where it is, and this arbor will be coming down this winter, so, I'll have to scatter those seeds somewhere else!

\

My cabbage and broccoli aren't doing too much yet, I guess they have to get those roots established.  They got their feeding of fertilizer this weekend.  With the cold predicted, I am concerned about my tomatoes!  They're too late this year:

 If it wasn't for Football, it'd be boring, except when Itty has a bug!

Have a good one!