Batnavel's Blog
Batnavel's Blog
Last Post 5 days, 16 hours Ago
Jan 3, 2009 | 9:13 AM PST
Well, I am off for the weekend, and dont plan to do much but relax. I am going to post some new photos on my space here. I realize that I put a ton of photos in blogs, but didnt really update my albums too much last year, so that will happen after this blog.
When looking through my old blogs I realized that I never gave my Pepper the proper credit it deseved by sharing the story with you. Well, I wasnt too good at growing peppers this year. I had four different pepper plants, 3 from the Master Gardeners sale, and on Bonnie Red Bell. None of them did well at all until I abandon them at the end of the season. I pulled them all up but the Thai Dragon, just cause the plant looked so healthy. Well, when I gave up on it, it flowered like mad, and produced a good quart and a half of hottest peppers Ive ever seen, so hot in fact we didnt use them for anything. Well, there was this ONE LITTLE PEPPER that grew before that plant, and I harvested it, and decided to celebrate its success by photographing the crap out of it!! It is now, that I share its journey with you.
Here's me holding my baby.....
Then here he is sunning on the deck railing.....
Awwww, napping in the Fiesta Pasta bowl....how cute!!
Trying to make friends with some corn.....
Working out on the stand mixer....
And finally, ready to enjoy a nice cordial before bed....
And....Just incase you didnt get a chuckle out of that....how bout this....this is me 20 years ago when big hair was in. I know I am looking like a Chippendale here, but I was really getting ready for a prom.........ah the good ole days...
Thanx for looking, have a nice day!! ^v^
Jan 1, 2009 | 10:02 AM PST
I made that up about year of the Garden, its probably like year of the Rat, or the Snake or something....but I felt you would all like "Year of the Garden" -- For us, isnt every year the Year of the Garden??
I have been reading a lot these past few days on here, Myspace, and Facebook and I am seeing a lot of comments about how 2008 was a bad year, or how people think that 2009 should be better, or they are wishing for it to be better. I too could point to a LOT of reasons 2008 wasnt the best year either, but as I have grown through the years, I realize how lucky I am, and how much worse it could be. I really think that all those younger people on my Facebook and Myspace just dont realize that yet. Im not trying to lecture, but rather point out my thankfulness that I have had the opportunity to learn, and that I still have the opportunity to look at other peoples thoughts, and know that I was once where they are in their thinking.
In 2008, the economy sucked, gas prices sucked ,this sucked, and that sucked. However, I lived through it, and I learned from it. Even at times my relationship struggled, the thing I hold dearest to my heart, but I made it through, and I lived and learned, and my life is better today because of it.
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." -- I heard that old saying somewhere a few days ago, and I have thought about it every day. Think about it. Say it in your head. Say it out loud. And then think about it. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Thats absolutely true. You dont need it to be January 1st 2009 to be a new beginning. Feb 18th 2009 is a new beginning too, as is June 10th, and Sept 5th. Everyone holds their own destiny. Dont play the victim to what the economy or other people have done to you. Life is too short, and you only have one chance, make it a good one.
And now for a picture:
The first bit of planning that popped into my head for 2009 was to dig beds along the entire lenght of this front fence. I plan on leaving the containers about where they are, but I will be planting something different in them this year becuase I want to do Petunias in the new beds. This will give a great spash of color when people approach the garden.
Dec 30, 2008 | 3:51 PM PST
So I have been meaning to write a little blurb wishing all a happy holiday and telling you I would be absent for a while....but time slipped away from me, and the holidays are just about all over, and now I think I will be back on line on a more regular basis. Due to my crazy holiday work schedule in retail, and the lack of what goes on in my gardening world this time of year, I wasnt really investing any time that I didnt have in stopping by Garden Guides. Well, my Burpee catalogue arrived, and I get a normal amount of days off now, so the planning for the 09 garden is going to kick in soon. I hope you all had a great christmas, and have a happy new year. ^v^
Oct 26, 2008 | 6:21 AM PST
Here are a few pics from our vacatioin to Upstate NY, and Niagra Falls.
Oct 4, 2008 | 2:47 PM PST
Does anyone have an opinion about this:
I usually wait for my Vinca seed pods to start turning a little brown before plucking them, however, I have been missing the opportunity on a lot of them, and I lose the seeds. They seem to go from green to blown wide open. My question is, if I pick them straight up green, do you think that affects the maturity of the seed, and will that in turn affect the grow-ability next year??
Second question.....and I have done NO research on this, thought I would just ask you guys.....if the heads of a Zinnia dry out, are the little flaky things in the middle the seeds, and are they a direct sow in zone 6????
Let me know. Sorry I am too lazy to research, working a lot due to INVENTORY, blah.....but vacation is 6 days away!!!!!
Thanx, hope you are all doing well.
Sep 27, 2008 | 5:07 PM PST
Took a few photos today......
Same vine, totally different color flowers.
Thai Dragon pepper that bloomed LATE.
Bouquet I made for my wife today from flowers around the yard.
Flower box.
And finally, the Goat Cheese inspired lunch that we had......DELICIOUS!!!
Sep 25, 2008 | 9:07 AM PST
Yesterday was a beautiful day, and I was off, so I got busy digging at about 8:30 in the morning, and proceeded to do so most of the day. I made a new bed in the garden. Here are some before and afters. Not sure what this will be next year, flowers or veggies. FYI, everything in my garden has a limited life span as it sits. In about 3 or 4 years, we are going to undergo a remodle project here, and the garage is moving to where my garden is. I will salvage everything I can, and begin re-designing the garden in the space between the house and the garage. It will keep me busy.
Here is a before:
And a few afters:
And here is a close up of one of my Asters with some Hibiscus flowers thrown in:
Hope you are all doing well. ^v^
Sep 1, 2008 | 2:38 PM PST
Ok, this is pretty silly of me, but I clipped this off something in the yard last fall, and I cant figure out what it is. I know that when I did it, I figured it was a seed pod, and my intention was to dry it out, and see if there were indeed seeds inside, and plant them. Well, I came upon it in the garage, and broke it open, and there are indeed seeds inside, and now I CANT REMEMBER FOR THE LIFE OF ME WHAT IT IS. Check out these two photos and tell me if you know. The seeds are about half the size of a pea, and really wrinkled, like a raisin. What every it is, I am assuming I will know again this fall, as I still have all the same plants. Acutally, I had sooooo few last year, you would think I could narrow it down. Im thinking possibly Crepe Myrtle, or Canna's ( although I know Canna's come from tubers or rhizomes ) Help me out here.
And for something a little prettier.....another Kentucky moonshine inspired hybrid of mine......a double morning glory:
Hope you are all doing well. ^v^
Aug 26, 2008 | 5:56 AM PST
Here are a few photos of the ULTRA RARE Hibiscu-althe-zin-dahlia
-sun-moon-flower vine.
You can ONLY grow these in Kentucky !!!! : )~
Hope you are all doing well. ^v^
Aug 9, 2008 | 9:34 AM PST
I love nature, and weekends off. Here are some more photos I took this morning. I caught a busy bee doing his thing. Unfortunately, in one of the pics, you can see the handy work of a Japanese Beetle!!!
Here are some other shots:
Thanx for looking.....have a GREAT day. ^v^
Aug 8, 2008 | 10:57 AM PST
I wondered around just now and took a few pics....
Still didnt get the Heavenly blue at its best.....was up too early, and then took a nap......but here is what I got!
Some of the old containers still doing very well. Vinca growing up nicely.
And a newer container. This was a rescue from Lowes:
Most of whats in the GIANT flower box are all rescues from Lowes too:
Double Red Althea:
I added a little more color to the front corner of the house, and the Hosta added a little color of its own recently. :
Sunflowers :
And some new Petunias that were clearance at Lowes:
Have a nice day!!! I have to work til Midnight thirty, but then I am OFF for the weekend. Weather is supposed to be beautiful here!!
Aug 7, 2008 | 5:23 PM PST
Seven days early!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO. And, I FINALLY dont have to work at the butt crack of dawn, so maybe I can get some good pics of the Heavanly Blue Morning Glories tomorrow. I actually got a chance to see them today, as I got home from work before noon, and there wre about 10 or 12 BIG BEAUTIFUL blooms, but they had just started to close. I want to get them in all their, "GLORY" -- So hopefully tomorrow morning is the time, and I will share with you then.
Looking forward to getting some time to read some blogs.......have to go retrieve some pics and get my itunes and other things set up now.
Hope you are all doing well!!!!!
Aug 4, 2008 | 12:47 PM PST
AHHHHHHHHH, my computer crashed. Seems the harddrive might be fried. Anyway, hvae been offline for a little over a week, and will probably be off line til about the 15th.-----I MISS YOU GUYS!!!!
At the library now, and have been busy, so I dont get here that often.....dang work for not having accesible internet.....AND the library has a no Myspace policy,,,,, yuck.
Anyway, in exciting garden news, the Heavely Blue Morning Glories have FINALLY started to bloom. I have had star of yelta for months, and didnt know where the heavenly blues were. Check this out though....I hav eonly seen them through cell phone pictures from my wife. I was out of town for a week, and now that I am back, I have worked every single morning, and leave before they open, and get back home after they close. I keep telling her to get the good camera out there. Hopefully there are some good opportunities this weekend, as I am FINALLY off.
I guess the worst news of all as far as the computer is yet to come. If indeed the harddrive is trashed, I may have lost about 5000 pictures that are NOT backed up anywhere, and NOT printed. I am crossing my fingers.
Hope you are all doing well. Hope to be back on line soon with photo updates for you all. Take Care. ^v^
Jul 26, 2008 | 12:18 PM PST
This mornings trip to the garden was VERY exciting for me. My first Gladiolus bloom, my first Double Purple Althea bloom, and a TON of tomatoes ripening. Then, to top that off, my wife says "I want to go to Lowes today" --- I got some GREAT deals on clearance plants, all in pretty good shape, a few annuals and a few perrenials.
Here is the Double Purple Althea bloom. There are a ton of buds ready to pop open on these. I have two Double Purple, and one Double Red.
the buds......
The Gladiolus.....
The Maters.......
Thanx for looking. Have a great day. ^v^
