txrose's Blog

Amazing my first Tomato arrived on Fathers Day! I love that because it was my Dad who taught me how to purchase a hoe, dig a garden, water a garden etc...MOSTLY how to plant a tomato!!! I love it!!!

Since my Dad is gone now it is extra special to use what he taught me and even the hoe we went out shopping for one day to grow his favorite garden veggie! What a special Fathers Day!

(Also , I forgot to add for BLINK our garden friend....Texas tomatoes will grow all season but maybe they are slower like our talk ...lol) Hope your's are in now too!

Happy Day to all of You!! Love and Hugs to all the Fathers!! 

I must be doing something wrong..I work and work and work in/at my gardens and they don't seem to change that much. Every day off I get I turn the compost in the heap, I hoe the grass or weeds from the beds and its seems it is there again each day off...laughing at me. So I toss the weeds etc up again!!

Granted the compost is looking pretty good but it sure is slow going. The marigolds are blooming and in the right spot they have gotten pretty large. The tomato, pepper & eggplants are all doing okay just ...well, hey at least they are not dead okay.

The zinnias want to lay over on the ground for heaven's sake they are the giant ones and they just want to take a nap its like they have a low self esteem "like no! I don't want to be the biggest , tallest flower in the garden let the marigolds do it" . A tomato plant was laying down  to but I  staked it up.

All this and I have so many repairs to do to this home its just overwhelming sometimes. I just think that maybe I need to move back into an apt. that way all the yardwork and house repairs are up to them. But I really love having this place its just so much work!

Are there others on this site like me?  You own a house and have a yard and repairs to take on?  Maybe I'm too impatient?  Thinking I need to live a little and wait till I am older to take this on...fyi I'm single , working and almost never go anywhere I haven't the time.

Early today it rained and I am truely thankful for that (the lightening was a little dramatic)the plants looked like they liked it too. The birds really did they've been singing all day (almost to the point of driving me mad)

Here is another question maybe someone can answer for me....when you are working out in your yard so hard and everything is beautiful...do you think of when in a few months all the leaves are going to fall again and then....what do you do?? leave them on the flower beds until next planting time or what? I have a WHOLE LOT when they fall so they will cover everything....I will take some to compost...but should any be left on the beds?  Do you wait until next season and rake them off then???

Sorry so long and drawn out ...I'm from Texas blame it on the drawl. :)

Most people who see my backyard tell me that it looks like a park. It sorta does, because the only thing that is really back there are trees and a wooden fort built by the last owner.

I walked around out there today and enjoyed it a lot! There were mushrooms growing I don't know what kind..but there were a lot of them. My herb plant, that I can't recall the name of, is growing and I keep an eye on it to see if it blooms then I could see what it actually is.

Picked up a lot of twigs blown down by the high winds we've had. Then I checked my compost pile and turned it. It is looking a lot like compost now I am happy about that!

I sat on the back stoop to look over my so called "park" very relaxing. Then I noticed two woodpeckers on the fort eatting bugs. I quickly got the camera to show you all.

I know I should be worried about woodpeckers in my yard as I have wood siding on my home...but I can't worry there are enough trees and bugs out in the park aka my backyard to keep them busy. And they are so pretty.

Its the first time that I have ever seen the male and female together. Hope that you enjoy the pic as much as I have. There was of course no way to get closer to them. I like the way they are just sitting there like me looking at the yard.

Putting a photo on my blog using instructions from the Ky Hillbilly Bill :)

AWESOME I finally did it!!!!!!!! Thanks Bill!!!!

This is a plant given to me as a house warming gift from my oldest son he made the planter. Talented huh:)

Today I thought to begin it I would mow my backyard. I had finished the front yesterday and it looked great!  Plans changed as soon as I got a phone call from my Mom she said she was coming over today and bringing me some eggplant, tomato, and various pepper starts. I was over joyed!! 

I cleaned out yet another spot to put in more plants and I saw that my herb that I had bought last year made it back this year...for the life of me I can not remember what it was!  I thought it was sweet basil, thyme or something I put a pic of it in my profile if I don't figure it out soon maybe I'll post it on a id topic.

Anyway I noticed that there were pecan saplings growing in this bed over run with weeds. I dug one up to make sure that that is what it was...it was!  Knowing that my Mom had wanted me to save her some trees if I ever saw some growing I began digging some up for them. The trees were all over the backyard , glad I didn't mow yet. I collected over 13 saplings for her .

I don't get to visit with my Mom often as we are both busy working and she lives 50 miles away. I was glad when she got here to see two close family friends with her. Lee & Pat good good good friends the kind that will do anything in the world for you!!!

Lee had brought his chain saws and got busy trimming my trees I was so excited!!

I just love friends!! I now have a pomegranate tree, 4 pepper plants, 4 tomato plants ,6  eggplants and all my trees trimmed up nicely.

I have gardens that surround my home and have one that half way surrounds the cottage. Then there are two others out in the yard. They asked who tilled them for me....well, its only been me and my trusty shovel they were surprised and delighted that they looked so good.

They are mostly empty gardens but with friends and also gg friend knowledge it won't be long before they will be brimming over!!! What a wonderful day this turned out to be.

.....I still didn't get to the mowing...it can last another week don't ya think?

One more reason to add to the "Why I Garden" answer :

"If you want to rid your diet of bug extracts, you'll need to avoid not only reddish foods but also many shiny ones. Shellac, made from the excretions of insects, is used to glaze everything from apples to coffee beans. If you get really obsessed, you may starve; blended-in insect remnants are everywhere. The FDA permits a typical jar of peanut butter to contain over 100 bug parts. A can of tomatoes can include one maggot or up to nine fly eggs."

from this article: http://money.cnn.com/magazine
s/fortune/fortune_archive/2003
/07/21/346103/index.htm>

That's good enough reason for me, if you read the whole article you'll have even more reason. I know the best reason is "because it fun" but you know we always wonder why there are so many health problems. Maybe, just maybe, its not just our environment..although with all the production of store goods its that too.

As ya'll know I am a hairstylist and we joke about hair being in our food, air , drinks, breath , under nails, in our skin etc.  Now in that article you will see they say we pretty much eat hair everyday.

 Lets plant gardens edible gardens and plenty of them.

(Now I'll be off to work to breath, eat , and drink more hair :( if you wonder how I found this info I was looking into the price of rice getting higher ...how to store it)

Good health to you all! Garden, Garden , Garden!

I thought I'd share this its a interesting take on our summer routines. Ya'll have a great week!

God Finds Out About Lawn Care

"Winterize your lawn," the big sign outside the garden store commanded. I've fed it, watered it, mowed it, raked it and watched a lot of it die anyway. Now I'm supposed to winterize it? I hope it's too late. Grass lawns have to be the stupidest thing we've come up with outside of thong swimsuits! We constantly battle dandelions, Queen Anne's lace, thistle, violets, chicory and clover that thrive naturally, so we can grow grass that must be nursed through an annual four step chemical dependency.

Imagine the conversation The Creator might have with St. Francis about this:

"Frank you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracted butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles."

"It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great extent to kill them and replace them with grass."

"Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?"

"Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn."

"The spring rains and cool weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy."

"Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it _ sometimes twice a week."

"They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?"

"Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags."

"They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?"

"No, sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away."

"Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?"

"Yes, sir."

"These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work."

"You aren't going believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it."

"What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life."

"You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and have them hauled away."

"No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and keep the soil moist and loose?"

"After throwing away your leaves, they go out and buy something they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves."

"And where do they get this mulch?"

"They cut down trees and grind them up."

"Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?"

"Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about..."

"Never mind I think I just heard the whole story."

Got a faster start today than yesterday had to get that mower fixed before my kid took off with friends. I never get help in the yard..bet ya'll all know the feeling.

Turns out it wasn't the belt but the "self propelling" cable thingy is no good...yep that's right folks I had to push that puppy everywhere! But I did get the entire yard done front and back. Yes, I am way sore but you know what it kinda makes one feel better knowing your back is hurting (all muscles really)when you can see that you accomplished so much.

It may sound sorta crazy but that is me. I think that if you do it and get as much as possible done its ..just one day..if you get to relax one day and enjoy what you have done it will be the most fantastic day ever. I haven't got there yet but I am going to keep up the work till I do.

Today I mowed then hoe-d and then planted some temporary "filler" flowers until I can get what I want. I planted some Giant Zinnias, regular ones, candula, marigolds. That will be one orangey garden for sure.

Now I am off to take a nice hot bath with lavender oil and epson salts yeah baby! Nice relaxing that's what I'm talking about!

All week at work when I'm standing all day cutting hair I will think....I can feel the work I did on my days off and I am so darn proud of myself I can't wait to do it again!

Yeah..that's what I'll be thinking ya'll have a great week!

Today got off to a rather slow start as I had to check in to GG and play a few games guess a few plants (though I'm usually not correct its fun and enlighting to seek information). I was able to get going once it warmed up to around 60 degrees outside. I purchased gas for the mower and that was the hard part...then I set out to rake the pecan shells and sweetgum balls up from the backyard. I ended up leaving the shells and bending to pick up the sweetgum balls! My back is sure to be feeling good tomorrow. I finished that and thought about saving the sweetgum balls for some bright idea, if ever there is one, other than a christmas craft idea!  Then I dumped them in the burn pile its easier and its allowed here even though I hate it as its not GREEN. Yeah, neither is the gas mower.

Ok, so then I retrieve the mower and mow good and steady at least an hour and cover 1/4 the of the backyard. Then all of a sudden the lever that makes it propel itself is loosened...okay I know that feeling, I shut off the mower and check it out. I couldn't fix it but thought maybe it will work anyway..so I pulled the start string and "POP" well...now I remember..the same thing happened last year the belt is off so I had to stop mowing until the morning when I will have help to fix it. I had to stop. (happy little smile)

So I went out to continue painting my future salon the fashionable dark purple (really its awesome). When I entered the shop I felt like something was looking at me I kept walking and then there it was!! A sparrow was in there how it got in I'll never know I checked everywhere. Do ya'll think that is a good sign? At least I know God does watch over the sparrows he looked healthy so I opened the door and let him out.

That was all I had in me I didn't want to paint. So I got back on GG of course and played some more. Then I got the bright idea to grab the camera and take some photos of the trees in the yard and catalog them.

 The neighbor told me while I was picking up sweetgum balls that "You have Mr. Doyle (original owner 1948) to thank for that" "Mrs.Doyle said no,no I don't want that tree planted out there" but Mr. Doyle did it anyway....Thanks a heap Mr Doyle.

That's what my friends are calling me because of the digging I did before the last flash flood rain in our area. I am diggin' it though and  gave them no reason to retract that statement as I dug around again this morning.

I've trimmed a cedar tree's low lying limbs so I'd be able to get the leaves raked up from under it. Hauled at least six wheelbarrows full of leaves to the backyard burn pile (don't worry I have plenty in the compost pile too.

I thought of one of the friends here at GG that had a spell with Poison Ivy a few weeks back when I saw vines of "leaves of three, let it be" s under the cedar. It must not be a bad one thinking maybe it was creeeping virginia? not sure. Anyway I didn't break out and I pulled and cut those vines to smitherines! One of my Hurcules trees is dead and I removed low branches from it , that was hard going as they have a lot of thorns and they will go right through your Croc's I assure you.

Don't want to make this too long and very boring to you all so I will end this blog with a question maybe ya'll could tell me the answer to. Would it hurt to bring up some Iris's that are growing in the area I've been cleaning today and later put them back ? They must've been there quite sometime as the tuber things are not even down in the soil some lay on top and have been only covered with leaves...till now.

I'm in zone 8 so I am thinking I could move them...only thing is arent they getting close to time to bloom ..they did bloom last year. They are purple and beautiful.

Have a great day!

On the up side we never have to water our grass all summer. Our house seems to be on a small slope from the other side of the street down to us.

I had yesterday to haul several loads of good dirt from the back yard to to the front and really made a nice little start of outlining my gardens. I dug trenches to channel the water away from the foundation.  Its a pier and beam home so I think it would have worked. I put the concrete funnel thingies under the gutters and the front yard looked promising.

This afternoon the weather guessers told us to expect flash flooding and severe storms maybe even producing tornados.  They neglected to tell me that the flash flood is for my yard only.

So one thing I am resolved to do is not to try to make garden areas. At this time its a waste of time!

There is so much to owning your own home its sometimes overwhelming. Tonight I am making some hot chocolate and getting lists made as to what is the most important first step in getting where I want my yard to be. Though I wish I knew what I know now all the winter long... I could have got the plan down!

I am really depressed that I worked so hard yesterday to see that it did NO good at all. I am glad that though it is depressing that it has made me to make myself get it all down on paper.

At least I have a goal so its off to work more on the details of that. Maybe I can get things ready by the end of summer to think of  a fall garden.

Did everyone wear green? I saw a guy with a shamrock painted between his eyes and a short lady with a tall furry green hat on today...that's all guess there aren't too many people round these parts run with it. I sure don't understand that because there is a lot of Irish in this neck of the woods.

It reached a high of 84 degrees today.

 I went and purchased a wheelbarrel found out its called a wheelbarrow...dang Texas slang. So now I had to look it up to see the spelling of it . Also got a caddy for the 100ft waterhose I've been lugging from one point to the next. If you wonder how I made it this far without a wheelbarrow I used a old shower curtain to rake up leaves on and lug to the leaf pile. That is how it is when you have a small car and a even smaller money vault. I did however learn you should not no matter how in need you are haul a wheelbarrow in the back seat of your small car. I figured ...well, it hauled an 8ft fence post and a huge tv and some other things like the wheelbarrow "huge" things! but you shouldn't over do it cause it ripped my door a little bit. And as with the fencepost I had to have a window down so as not to break the window and still get the monster home.

Then when I got the "wheelbarrel" home I set about to use it until the rain came. I read on freeplants. com that you could use newspaper as a weed barrior. I did it different than he suggests but I had tested it before and it worked so I did it my way. I laid down 6 sheets of newspaper securing it with garden staples and then took some good loam from the backyard and after wetting the paper I put the good loam over that and it looks really good and since I have done a practice run of it last year I know it will work. Oh, I removed the staples after the soil was in place.

When I am out in my front yard I always feel like I am on stage, I have to try real hard not to look around I just know the neighbors are all wondering what I am up to. Their yards are nicely kept up. This one has not been for several years now.

When I finish it will look wonderful and then I'll look up so funny I know but I am so new to gardening and I am sure I look quite silly sometimes. Like that short little lady with the green furry hat on!

Hope you all enjoyed your day today and I am hoping that grannylee   is feeling much better now.

Its so good to be back on here!! I've been away a few days because I couldn't get in here to blog. Something was wrong with my PC and all I could do was see you guys write and game and I couldn't say a word....& that is a biggy for me!!!

I even thought it may be the site having problems and wrote customer support and all MAAAAN!!!  Telling them to help! I'm having wtihdrawls again!! I'm glad I'm back!! At least I had your blogs to read and also your game answers.

We don't know what the problem was but we set time back and fixed the problem for now. Meanwhile I have been digging much like a gopher in my yard trying to layout the additional garden spaces so water (rain) will flow differently (not going up to the border of my porch).  And so there is less grass to mow this spring and summer.

I felt kind of silly there is so much space and its a lot of work to figure it all out. But it was just little ol me out there for 3 days scoping it all out and digging trenches LOL you see my front yard slopes down a bit toward the house so I've been trying by hand to level it a bit. Soon I'll have a man I know come and run a tractor to fix out the old driveways.

I'm sure it will come together but it sure does take a lot of time and work (sweat equity right!)

Ya'll  have a wonderful day and know that this ol gal sure appreciates you !!