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chattycarnation's Blog
Last Post 11 days, 7 hours Ago
Jun 27, 2008 | 10:04 PM PST
Tag: oriental lilies
The midwest is having more rain and storms. The tomatoes and peppers I planted are looking better for the rain, but the rivers are flooded and levee breaches in nearby towns are a worry for our county and surrounding counties. There was another levee breach today , so that will change the river levels, but flooded more homes, farms and farmland. Some of the towns I visit often are flooded .
We got another 2 inches of rain yesterday and today, with more coming in during the night that is not going to help the river flood stages at all. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to share the extra rain with the states in a drought? The midwest could use a few days break from the rain so the water levels can go down. Hopefully that will be this week. The forcast looks like we might have a 4 day break coming up, along with some cooler temps. The cooler temps will be welcome too. I think Sunday's high will be about 78.. darn near perfect for me!
We have several projects on hold because we cannot get a backhoe in here to level out our driveway. Once we can get that done, we hope to start on the porch. I am anxious to get started!
My oriental lillies are blooming like crazy and they smell soooo good! One plant has two stalks and between them there are 17 blooms. 10 are open right now. If you dont have an oriental.. put them on your list, they are not only beautiful,, but fragrant too:)
Jun 21, 2008 | 4:38 PM PST
In addition to tomato plants my husband plants I got a bit carried away today by planting 9 more that I got at my local nursery for FREE. I thought, oh well, what is a few more tomatoes..?? I know it is late to get them in the ground, but should be coming on before September so I should have plenty to go around for everyone in the neighborhood! LOL I planted 3 cherry, 3 Roma and 3 Brandiwine.. the Brandiwine has the longest time for production so we will see. I think my hubby planted all yellow, so I planted all red!
Also planted green peppers, chocolate peppers and sweet yellow banana peppers. All free plants at Outback Gardens. Love free stuff!!
I started my day this morning with weeding the north bed where all my hydrangeas are in bloom. Lots to be done. Did not notice as many butterflies or bees as I usually get. The other day on a garden show they said the lack of those we caused by our late soil warm up and lots of rain. Too cold I guess for the hummers and butterflies.
Also picked up at few annuals at the nursery, but too tired and sore to get them in the ground today. Guess I will just rest up and do that all tormorrow afternoon.
Jun 20, 2008 | 8:35 PM PST
Tags: gas , plants , floodwaters
Finally the rains have gotten a few days further apart and we have been able to plant a few tomato plants and peppers. Going to look at the nursury tomorrow to see if any veggies are left. The flood waters are coming down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers to towns about an hour drive for me. Some of the towns are places we visit often so when we hear that a levee had been breached or more rain is in the forcast we just cringe!
Things in Indiana are doing better. FEMA has been in to help the people who lost their homes, Red Cross is feeding them, an organization called Helping Hands is helping to drag their belongings out of destroyed homes and helping them clear their property of debri and salvage what they can, in addition to many other people offering help. My daughter is doing ok, has got her place cleaned up and is so thankful her place is on a hill and was only moderatly effected by some of the 11 inches of rain, multiple storms, tornadoes that were 3/4 of a mile from her home and flash flooding, but no total destruction like so many others.
I have had a busy day today and I am pooped! LOL My 9 year old granddaughter came at 7 this morning to spend the day, then we planted some new plants in the flower beds, watered.. did I actually say that?? LOL Yes I had to water all the new plants this morning. We do have rain in the forcast, but you never know if the new plants will get enough. Took her to the CrackerBarrell, she had never been before and had a wonderful lunch. Then hubby had to go to the cardiologist and then we have to get gas.. one place had even run out of gas.. paid a bargain price of.... $3.98. Just knowing the 4 was gone made it seem better until we got the total bill of $58!
Have been busy on the phone promoting our tv program tomorrow morning for my home business. This weekend is our little town's 150 yr sesquentennial and we went to supper there and then watched some wonderful fireworks. They did a great job for a small town. I was impressed! So now I am winding down. Hubby is watching his ballgame that he had on Tivo. Tomorrow looks to be a busy day as well.
Hope all is well with all of you!
Jun 10, 2008 | 6:41 AM PST
One of the local nurserys is having 1/2 price sale on annuals.. So I got a nice collection of things to plant.. maybe tomrorrow if the it dries out enough. I got a wagon load full. So when the perennials are taking a break, the annuals should fill in for color. I was happy the dahlias were on sale too. so I got a couple of new ones and will winter those babies over in my basement!! Yippee!! I love a good bargain!
Jun 9, 2008 | 6:33 AM PST
Tag: Indiana flooding
Here is a link to pictures of the flooding around my daughter.
http://www.indystar.com/a
pps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
Her home is high enough that she did not sustain any damage. She can get out of her town now thru one road. The Camp Atterberry road is open I think, but I am not sure about Rt. 31. She has to go thru either Edinburgh or Franklin to get to Rt. 65. She lives between Franklin and Prince's Lakes. Although she was on alert for evacuation, she did not have to leave her home. The only way in was by boat or helicopter. The pictures at Prince's Lakes are taken from Logan's (who is 6) ball field.. he is upset about not being able to play ball anymore. The only way in and out of Prince's Lakes is over that piece of plywood you see the people walking on. They are expecting 1-3 inches of rain today. Most of the flooding occured within minutes. These people need lots of prayer.
Jun 7, 2008 | 8:06 PM PST
Tag: Flooding
I don't even know where to start!! First of all I think I will also post this on my blog, and maybe on the prayer list as well.
My daughter lives south of Indianapolis and a couple of days ago 4 tornadoes did millions of $$$$$$$$ of damage about a mile from her home. Then last night and today, they got just short of 11 inches of rain.. on top of all the rain and hail they have gotten this week.
During all this, the dam at Princes Lakes broke and added to all the flooding. The town she lives in is virtually isolated at this time. Her home is safe for the moment, they are on alert for evacuation, but she does not seem to think that will happen unless it starts raining again. She keeps calling me to let me know she is ok.
If you are watching CNN today, tonight or tomorrow and they mention Johnson County, Indiana and Franklin, Ind, Martinsville or Greenwood.. that is all her stomping grounds and she knows people in all those towns. Paragon, Indiana is where her husband's family races sprint cars. Please say extra prayer for all those effected by these storms and floods. According to CNN awhile ago, you cannot get from Terre Haute to Indanapolis because Rt. 70 is closed. You also cannot get from Indianapolis to Louisville because Rt. 65 is closed. South central Indiana has been hit very hard. the rain came down fast and furious and people had no time to react. The newsmen say that it looks like Katrina.. scary for the middle of the US..
I would imagine you can get more information at www.wthr.com or www.cnn.com
I am praying for all those effected by severe weather.
May 19, 2008 | 9:49 PM PST
Tag: Cannas
The weather today was cool, but dry this afternoon, so I got busy and planted some of my cannas. The ones I planted on the pipeline are a low-growing yellow canna called Eureka and Red cannas called Red King Humbert. I still have quite a few cannas that I dug up last year before the first frost and wintered over in my basement. It does not look like my pond lily made it over winter, so I think I will pot up a few cannas and elephant ears to put in the ''pond' Actually the pond is about the size of a bathtub and holds about 90 gallons of water. We plan to clean it out as soon as we get a few warmer days. So far the temps are staying about 10 degrees below normal or more.. mostly in the 60s with a cool wind almost every day.
May 17, 2008 | 3:04 AM PST
We have been having a wet cool spring. Compared to the dry, drought we had last year this is a blessing. however...it makes it hard to get things done in the garden! The forcast says that we are supposed to have 3 days before the next rain. Farmers are really getting antsy. Is it not too late to get the crops in, but if they farm a lot of acreage, it is beginning to get down to the wire for them.
My own garden is in dire need of weeding. And I am going to invest in a LOT of mulch this year. So as I get it cleaned out, I am adding more mulch. The local feed and seed place is going to deliver 30 bags of the stuff to get me started, but I know it is going to take a lot more than than. Our van is down at the moment so we cant hual anything for ourselves.
The plan for tomorrow afternoon... plant the 30 canna bulbs I dug up last year to winter over. I have some elephant ears that I need to get into the ground as well. Right now the annuals are giving me color along with the 30+ giant alliium. My russian sage is greening up. No sign of green yet on any of the hardy hibiscus or the butterfly bush. The kockout roses are looking good, no buds yet. I have most of my containers planted now, some sunny, some shady.
The buffalo gnats ran me out of the garden last night. Hubby had to wear a mask and LOTS of vanilla in order to do the riding mower. It is sure hard to get the grass down when it rains every time you turn around, you cant mow if the ground is too soft and we still have a place or two that is standing in water.
May 15, 2008 | 9:14 PM PST
Tag: Giant Alliiums blooming
I finally got 5 pictures onto my album!! Yipee! LOL These are last years pictures and not some of the best ones, but still a little idea of what I am doing in our gardens. Last year was a rough one.. we were in drought for months and it was so hard to keep things going.
This year ..As I look out our backdoor right now, mostly I see green things, some pink tulips are on the tank along with some nemesia , some red salvia, purple colombine and several large purple alliums, not much color going on at the moment. Most of my tulips are gone by now and I have a bit of a lull going on with perennials. The weather has still been cool and wet. Way different than last year for sure! Now I will be playing the waiting game to see what died off after a drought, several ice storms and a difficult winter.
May 8, 2008 | 4:40 AM PST
Tag: orioles and hummers
We have always liked to feed and watch the birds and have several varieites of birds in the neighborhood. After going to a garden club meeting and listening to the speaker tell about how to attract oreoles to our backyard. We decided to give it a whirl!! And yes... that beautiful bird has joined the other birds in our back yard feeders!! Yipee!!
Who knew that they liked grape jelly?? Surely no us LOL. But now we do and plan to continue to enjoy the orioles along with the cardinals, woodpeckers, doves, Eurasean Doves, sparrows, red finch, yellow finch, purple martans, Red winged blackbirds, bluejays, robins, and the other various speciies who visit our feeders. And I dont want to forget the hummers!! They showed up this week as well:)
Sure wish those birds would eat the bufflow gnats!! People here are having to go to extremes to protect their animals from those nasty buggers..Last year one of my friends lost 27 prize winning chickens to those things.:(
May 6, 2008 | 9:18 PM PST
Tag: buffalo gnats
Well, I was certainly hoping that last year would be the one and only time we would have to deal with those little buggers.. but NO.. this morning I went out early to prune my roses and get them looking good .. when a swarm of the nasty bugs surrounded my face and tried to go up my nose. I had to run.. well.. walk fast LOL into the house for protection.
I got to thinking about the remedy we had last year.. not foolproof by any means, but very helpful. I got out my vanilla and a cotton ball and dobbed it all over my face, neck arms and ears. Then I was able to complete my task.
In case you are not familiar with buffalo gnats, you can read up on last years blog. Or just do a google search.. they are awful!! They are drawn to a person or animals breath and swarm at your head the minute you walk out the door. Last year they lasted for weeks and we were unable to do much outdoors. They bite and send people to the hospital. They kill numerous animals by going up their nostrils. Mnay local people lost a lot of chickens and other pets due to the buffalo gnats.
Apr 26, 2008 | 8:09 PM PST
Tag: Weather man predicts frost Monday night
How does one control themselves when they visit the local nurseries this time of year? I went to three this week.. purchased a few things, but just enough to satisfy an urge to plant. It is early yet and we have frost in the forcast on Monday night..:(
So I will protect the plants I purchased under the deck and wait for a few days, but wanted to take advantage of the seasons open houses. I got a couple of things I am excited about.. a new Yellow blooming baptisia and a new Endless Summer Hydrangea. Really nice plants on sale too!!
Apr 20, 2008 | 4:11 AM PST
Tag: Spring in the midwest and an earthquake.
Well we had an earthquake this week. 5.4 on the Richter scale. Actually two of them and several aftershocks. The 1st one was 4:37 AM and shook us out of bed. It lasted about 15 seconds or so. The second one was later in the morning about 10:30, it registered at 4.5. NO damage, although my aunt who lives near Springfield had several items fall off her mantel onto her arm and she has cuts and bruises and broken frames and knickknacks.
We have had so many dreary days here lately that it is kind of depressing. Today however the forcast is sunny and 70 degrees. I am SO READY. i want to retire my winter coat for the season and get out my spring clothes and enjoy the outdoors for awhile. Maybe we can even sit on the deck and actually have a cookout soon.!
My daffs are all in full bloom. I did not realize it but I do have several different kinds. The daffodils on the long berm are mostly cream...some are all the same color and others have a yellow or orange center. The daffodils over the tank are mostly yellow, but some have different centers. This fall I want to plant some more as daffodills do not seem to entice the rabbits much.:)
I do have a few tulips getting ready to bloom. I went around the yard several times this spring and sprinkled creole seasoning on the emerging plants as the bulbs were coming thru the ground and I will continue to do that so the rabbits wont like my tulips. Since today is not going to be rainly I plan to do that this afternoon.
We have already mowed once. The grass was really uneven and thick. We mowed it really high and now we have had anoteher 2 inches of rain.. so the soil is soft and the rider will leave ruts..might have to wait a day or two to mow it again. Lots of dead grassy areas in the lawn due to last years drought. So we bought seed and will get the soil ready to reseed and when the next round of showers come thru, which is supposed to be Tuesday we will get that seed out. So much to do and not much cooperation from the weather!
The nuerseries are full of new and exciting plants. I cant wait to get going, but in the midwest .. you have to be careful. The last frost might not have happened yet! So will get a few containers going and enjoy them while we wait til Mother's Day.. that is about when our average last frost date comes aroudn. Happy Spring everyone!
Mar 25, 2008 | 3:20 AM PST
Tag: Snow on Easter Sunday
Well the old saying around here is ''Rain on Easter Sunday, you get 7 wet Sunday's after that''
So with snow and sleet on Easter Sunday I wonder what that brings for the next 7 Sundays?? LOL I certainly hope it is not snow! LOL Hope you all had a wonderful weekend !
The daffodiils are beginning to bloom close to the house and a few narcissus. Farther away from the foundation they are a little farther behind. I went around to all the bulbs coming up and sprinkled Creole seasoning on them to keep the rabbits away. Dern bunnies! They all seem to think my garden is a buffet! They wont like the taste of the foliage now I hope. I am so looking forward to the planting season. It is just around the corner, but we all have to be patient don't we?
Feb 3, 2008 | 8:26 PM PST
Tag: A mixed bag
Well, today we had quite a wide variety of winter weather!
It started off with frozen fog. Every single plant, building, tree, vehicle, everything.. was coated with frozen fog. It is like a fairy land when it is like that!
Then we went on throughout the day to have, snow, rain, freezing rain,thundersnow= thunder and lightning while it is snowing, sleet and hail. I don't think we could have had much of anything else! LOL All this on top of 12 inches of snow we got the other day, so the snow now looks like swiss cheese where the hail poked holes in it and the rain softened it and now that the temps have dropped it is sheer ice.
Tomorrow the temps are going to raise and supposed to rain so will melt some of this down, just in time for more snow later in the week. Be prepared for most anything when you live in the midwest in the winter:)
