Farewell 2009...

Isn't this a nice rendition of Times Square? This is actually a sweater i found at a thrift shop! Yes, i am actually planning to wear it tomorrow at work! It WAS for the year 2000, but witha little tweaking (and fabric paint) it becomes very current!

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..So if you see this sweater, say hi, 'cause i'm pretty sure i'm the only person goofy enough to wear it in public!

Have a fun and Happy New Year!

A Snowy Walk

We've been very lucky with our snow so far this year - only an inch or so at a time. Here's a couple of small bushes that still stand out in winter. This is my THUJA occidentalis 'Rheingold'- (Dwarf Golden Arborvitae) with a frosting of the white stuff on it.

Below is a  CHAMAECYPARIS obtusa 'Crippsii', or Golden Hinoki Cypress. This is by far my favorite winter shrub- it has this golden yellow color all four seasons, and looks particularly bright after a snowfall.

Oh-Oh. Someone forgot to come in for the Winter!

Good Ideas (AKA- Good Old Polish Ingenuity!) :o)

My motto has always been, "If something isn't the way you want it, MAKE it the way you want it!" SO..., when i discovered this cool new product from Pledge (since i have two hair- infested cats!), i had to try it out, and i can tell you that it works GREAT! Much better than any other clothes brush i ever had! So the Pledge  company is on to something here, except for one thing - it's made to be disposable. The instructions even tell you, "Do not try to empty or disassemble disposable sweeper". Of course not.Then you would have no reason to throw it away and shell out ANOTHER 5 - 6 dollars for another one! Plus, what happened to the "greening" of our country? This product has a LOT of plastic to be throwing away every few weeks - NOT acceptable! So this was my solution:

i did try to empty it! Oh, it's made to NOT disassemble-i looked at the bottom and the seams, and if you tried to take it apart, you'd ruin it. But, all I did was to take a razor knife, cut a door in the top area the trapped hair is in, pull out the hair, and tape it back up! Taa-DAA! Good as new!

Well, it's not real pretty, but so what? i just saved five bucks! And i'll continue to save 5 bucks every time i empty it in the future! Even solved the one problem i had with it - i have dry hands, and it would slip out of my hand at times, but the tape is easier to grip - so i just improved it as well!

Hey, Reuse, Reuse, and Recycle, right?!

Big New Year's Eve Party!

Well, actually, no, but i look forward to this as much or more than a party. For the past 8 years, my hubby and i get a movie (usually a video  of a classic rock band's concert), get pizza, snacks and booze (!) and stay home, just the two of us (with the cats), and see the new year in together. i'm not a 'drinker' per se, but i have nothing against it, and like to try to get drunk once in a while! (Notice i said 'try'- i'm old- usually i have 3 drinks and fall asleep!). But this way, i can get as goofy as i want, won't be driving anywhere, and when i wake up in the morning, i'm pretty sure who'll be waking up next to me! ;o)

My biggest dilemma is what to drink - a lot of people i know have a 'trademark' drink - they'll always have wine, or Long Island Iced Teas,or Margaritas, whatever; but i just want something new every time. Being

a most -of -the- time nondrinker, i like sissy drinks like Kaluha and cream, Pina Coladas, Irish Cream, stuff like that, but they get sickening sweet after a few, so i have to go to slighty more potent things. So this year it will just be diet cola and Rum (which has NO carbs, by the way!), and/or Strawberry Margaritas.

Anyone have any favorites to recommend? i'm open to suggestions!

Still remembering the December of 2004, when DH had had intestinal surgery, and was in the hospital that entire month, coming home ON January 1, 2005, So i stayed home alone that New Year's Eve, feeling

sorry for both of us, (even though he had almost died, he was doing much better, so i should not have felt so bad, but even the night before he was released, we hadn't been informed yet and i didn't yet know when he'd be home).

So anyway, i am thankful every New Year's Eve that we can celebrate together, and i wish everyone a fun and safe New Year's Eve, whatever your chosen kind of celebration is!

I Want One, Too!

(CBS) The words, "Yes, dear," have a whole new meaning in one Ohio household.


This family has a deer living inside their house.


Dillie the deer has lived with the Buteras in Canal Fulton, Ohio, for the past five years. Abandoned by her mother at birth, because the mother incorrectly thought she was blind, Dillie has since become part of another family -- a family of humans.


Steve Heathman, Dillie's owner, said the deer is "like my daughter and son."


Over the years, Dillie has adjusted to living indoors, eating pasta and ice cream -- and even swimming in the family pool.


Dr. Melanie Butera, the veterinarian who rescued Dillie and her other owner, said, "She pretty much runs the household. Everything revolves around her."


Butera said on "The Early Show" Dillie was three days old when she came to the house. A sickly triplet, Dillie, Butera said, was almost dead when a deer farmer brought her to the house at 3 a.m.


The Buteras also have a dog and two cats.


How do all the animals coexist?


"Dillie grew up in the household with them, and she thinks they're part of her family," Butera said. "... The dog can't be too far away from Dillie at any time. They're very close to each other. Dillie just thinks the dog is her mom and we're just part of the family too."


As for Dillie's impact on the home, Butera said, the deer hasn't destroyed their furnishings. Butera said Dillie just spills coffee cups and glasses every now and then.


But where does the deer do its business?


Heathman said Dillie is litter-trained.


For more with Dillie and her family, click on the video below:



Watch CBS News Videos Online

RANT FOR THE PLANET

Well, i haven't had a good rant for a while, here's one near and dear to my heart...

My hubby listens these days to all of those inane conservative talk shows on television (Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, etc) , filled with all those people who just like to hear themselves talk. i think it's a waste of time, but i guess i'm as bad, but in a different way - i don't have any use for anything political at all, and that isn't good,
either - BUT unfortunately, that's how i am.  i can't help but listen to them when DH and i are in the same room, though,and one thing does continually stand out to me - they go on and on about how ridiculous Al Gore is, because there really isn't any global warming, and come up with all sorts of "experts" who have all this proof to that effect.

i myself believe that global warming is an actual problem, and i seriously doubt that we can change the way things are being done in time to prevent Humankind's extermination (Like I say, it's not about "Save The Planet" - the Earth cannot be destroyed by us alone- it's "Save Our Environment" - we only have a tiny window of air and temperature extremes that we can survive in, and if we screw THAT up - well,  remember that little story about dinosaurs and how they

disappeared?...)

Anyhow, on to the point i'm making, which comes from my own simple observations, and that is IT DOESN'T MATTER! Why? OK, say there really IS global warming. Well, we have all heard what the effects could be, so i won't repeat them here. But, what if Al Gore and all those scientists ARE delusional and global warming isn't happening? Everything will be

fine, right? Uh,...no.

We are still polluting our water and air. We are still tearing down the rainforests at an incredible rate. We are still exterminating countless other life forms - Bison, Seals, Frogs, Sharks, Tigers, Whales, and hundreds or thousands of others! Does anyone NOT think that's going to impact US? We still need to change the way we do things to save our

asses, global warming or not!

( Although i do know some "religious" people who think that God put all this on Earth JUST for us to use, so we can use our resources irresponsibly forever - God will provide. How do you reason against THAT way of thinking?) I seriously am not sure why i'm worried about it - i

never had children, so once i'm gone, i really shouldn't care what happens- y'all can take care of yourselves! But still, i recycle and compost and stay away from chemicals when i can - if we do destroy our environment, at least i won't be a part of it...

CORN

As I mentioned before, I started out creating jewelry - I always loved beadwork, and did the normal bead and wire necklaces and earrings, as well as some Peyote stitch amulet bags, things of that nature - and many years ago, I received a catalog in the mail with Native American jewelry, clothing and crafts. I looked thru it, and ran across a necklace and earrings incorporating tiny ears of Indian corn made out of glass seed beads with leather husks. I thought they were the cutest things - till I saw the price. The necklace was $100.00 (USD), and the earrings were $40.00! Plus shipping!

My "ears" compared to the originals I discovered in the catalog

Now, I'm NOT saying that they weren't worth it - I'm just saying that I was not willing to pay that much for them. And it was a good cause - I'm always behind anything that benefits the Native American people - they had gotten the short end of the stick for sure thru our nation's sordid history, and I personally feel that we owe them much more than they will ever get back!(...but that's fuel for a posting some other day....)

SO, anyway, I still wanted some, and decided to make my own. Now, I'm sure there's a pattern online somewhere, but 15 years ago, not so much! So I worked my own pattern out using Peyote stitch, and I like them more than the ones I initially wanted! A lot of people see them and think it would be a cute craft for their children to do for a project - but I think mine are have finer details and are a lot more work than folks realize. I know they're not really art, but I'm still sorta proud of them...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Plant Snobbery

Years ago, when i really started to become a plant maniac, i began to feel like less of a gardener if i planted 'common' annuals, such as Marigolds, Petunias, Geraniums (Pelargoniums), things like that. i sent for all the uncommon seed and plant catalogs, and thought, "Why would i plant the average stuff when i could be growing Salpiglossis and Clarkia, Bacopa and Euphorbia and Datura and cool things like that?!

 i would look down my nose at Impatiens

( Note to a few of my fellow gardeners - they are not "Impatients"! Impatient is what i get with people who mispronounce it!)

....and roll my eyes when everyone rushed out in May to purchase many flats of Salvia and Rose Moss. Not me- for me there was Zea Mays and Papaver Somniferum (grown by me from seed), variegated Abutilon, Persian Shield plants, and "Flirtin Skirts" hybrid Coleus from Glasshouse Works or comparable unique plant purveyors like that. So here i am, Ms. Master Gardener, Ms. Plant Collector, going along for a few years like that, some of the oddball plants did OK, and some-not so much.

*Note to novice plant maniacs- beware of Thompson & Morgan- while they DO have unusual seeds and exciting descriptions, don't get carried away by them. One warning - when they tell you a plant has "very fragrant" blossoms, keep in mind that "fragrant" means it has a smell - doesn't necessarily mean a NICE smell! Learned that the hard way. LOL   - Also, they'll stick photos in the catalogue that look like dinner plate sized blossoms, and when your little seed grown guy blooms after months of constant care under fluorescent lights, you find out that you SHOULD'VE read the rest of the description, which tells you that those huge looking flowers in the book actually could just about cover your little fingernail!*

Anyway, my  "unique" plants didn't seem to have the stamina that, well, plants like Marigolds had. I started to realize that there was a REASON that everyone planted these "boring", run of the mill annuals! They're dependable, long lasting, and long lived. Well, like today, November 21. Today i passed a flower bed with orange and yellow Marigolds that almost looked as good as they did a month ago. Didn't see any Datura still blooming...

So, these days, myself, being slightly more mature and slightly less manic than i used to be, i have Marigolds, Petunias, Pansies and all those Walmart standards AS WELL AS the collector plants. ~PLUS 'tunias are nicely fragrant! :-)

Make A Simple And Quick Pond Plant Pruner (AKA- Good Old Polish Ingenuity) :o)

So the weather got cold sooner than you expected (or hoped), and you still need to get those Waterlily and Lotus leaves trimmed off before they rot in the pond. i don't know about you, but i don't want to get into 50 degree water for maintenance! SO, i use the handy-dandy pond plant trimmer i 'invented'! i use this thing all season and thought i'd share the instructions. 

Here is what you'll need:

• 
  
  One of those cheap plastic envelope openers you can find at office supply stores or that a lot of places give away (at least around here!)
  
  
  
• 
  
  A long sturdy stick (mine is bamboo, about 5-6 ft long, enough to reach at least halfway across the watergarden) with 2 or 3 notches cut into the end
  
  
  
• 
  
  Cable ties or 'zip' ties, the kind that lock securely. i like to use a dark color - it seems to be more resistant to the UV rays that make them brittle
  
  
  
• 
  
  A file or tool that will cut notches into the plastic letter opener - i use a pair of wire cutters, but whatever works for you
  
  
  

Cut 2 or 3 notches into the plastic - you just want to make sure it's secure and doesn't pull off and fall into the water (sharp plastic with RAZOR BLADE attached- get it? Very bad around pond liners!) i also cut off the little plastic guide piece that was near the blade - you want that a little wider by the blade

Attach the letter opener with the cable ties, making sure that you have it secured in shown direction, and that the ties fit in to the notches on both the opener AND the stick. Tighten the ties as much as you can, so that the opener feels secure and doesn't move.

Cut off the excess ends of the cable ties. 

If you can't picture how it works, here's a pic of how the cutter is placed around a lily stem.  

After you grab the stem with it, give it a sharp tug! Try to get as much stem as possible along with it. You'll get better with practice

i have become pretty good at using the flat side of the cutter to lift the leaves out, but you could just net them out as well.

One of these usually lasts me a season, and the cable ties have to be replaced periodically- check them before each use so you're sure they won't break when you're using it

Here i am using it to cut a Lotus stem (can you tell i'm really behind at my pond maintenance, too?) Yuck! Look at those skanky leaves!

Here is another 'invention'. This one works well to pull string algae out of the pond. Same principle - different tool - a toilet brush!

Speaking Of Fish....

...This is MY fish tank...

....And these are MY fish! Since i'm almost always outside in the warm months, my allegiance lies with my outdoor pets! i have Goldfish, a few Koi, a bunch of Rosy Red minnows, and Japanese Trapdoor snails (at least i think they're still in there!). i always thought that Shubunkins were just as hardy as these others, but i have never had one live through a winter (...or a season, come to think of it...). So for now, these are the residents of my "tank".

Fish: Inside And Out

                                    Male Guppies

When i was a child, i went to a county fair and won a silver goldfish in one of those  games along the midway. Thee fact that it was a SILVER goldfish was - i thought- the greatest thing (even back then i liked the unusual).. Of course, i learned later on that the silver color is the "junk" color, the color of feeder fish! But i thought it was cool! Anyway, in a few months, i had the whole shmear: the tank, the filter, some "gold" goldfish to keep the silver guy company, and it grew from there as well. i eventually had several tanks, tropical fish, plants, snails, catfish, breeding tanks, etc., and became quite the young fish expert! i especially liked the live-bearers (as opposed to egg layers), most notably Fancy tailed Guppies.

Female Guppy (...notice the EYES in her belly!)

 They came in brilliant combinations of colors, the sexes were easy to tell apart, they bred constantly, and it was fun to watch the babies grow inside of the mothers' bellies and predict when they would be born. That was some of the most interesting stuff i did during my childhood!
The funniest part about this is when i met my husband to be, he told me that HE had been into tropical fish during his younger years, and had tanks all over HIS parents' house! We now own a 72 gallon tank in our house, but it is mostly his fish - i'm more interested in my fish in our watergarden.
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Never Say Die

My Sago Palm ( that i have had for about 3 years now) was doing quite well thru most of last winter, then ...it decided to die. The fronds turned yellow and dropped off (was i taking care of it correctly? Well... maybe not ...). and the base/ trunk part just sat. i figured i could just water it, and soon the new leaves would start to sprout again. Waited and waited, but no leaves. Oh-oh. At that point, many people would toss it on the compost pile, but not me. i moved it outside in the spring, once again hoping that the warm sun would generate some action. Nope. Did i pitch it? Nope. Well, the trunk wasn't soft or rotten, and also we started to get busy with the garden and art shows and summer life in general, and it was sort of forgotten about until 2 weeks ago - i glanced in its direction and guess what? Here are a bunch of new leaves sprouting! I'm so excited! What happened? i'll give you my best Master Gardener answer: i have no idea! But it's alive and well, and i'm happy...

i also   "lost" my Silver Cloud redbud last winter. The other Redbuds leafed out and bloomed, and that one was all bare trunk and branches. Did i dig it out? (Do you really think i would, after reading the above story?) i WAS awfully sure the Redbud was gone, though. Anyway, i waited some more, and then i spotted it - a tiny sprout off the trunk, very low. i wasn't too optimistic, though. i was thinking the sprout was under the graft (see definition>>>>>>>), which would mean that the growth coming out would be on the rootstock, and therefore would be a plain Redbud, which i didn't need another of. And i was partly right - about 3 sprouts started, one of which was plain green, but the other two came out variegated! This is how it looks now - a lot shorter than it was, but still among the living! So if you have a favorite plant that appears dead, stick by it and baby it for a while, you may still have a chance!

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. This extraordinary chemical absorbs from sunlight the energy that is used in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch.

Along with the green pigment are yellow to orange pigments, carotenes and xanthophyll pigments which, for example, give the orange color to a carrot. Most of the year these colors are masked by great amounts of the green coloring.

But in the fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.

At the same time, other chemical changes may occur, which form additional colors through the development of red anthocyanin pigments. Some mixtures give rise to the reddish and purplish fall colors of trees such as dogwoods and sumacs, while others give the sugar maple its brilliant orange.

The autumn foliage of some trees shows only yellow colors. Others, like many oaks, display mostly browns. All these colors are due to the mixing of varying amounts of the chlorophyll residue and other pigments in the leaf during the fall season.

Then they're gone - so enjoy the colors of Fall while you can!

hummies

Okay, so these aren't GREAT photos of hummingbirds, but that's the best i can do at the moment! But isn't she cute? See her by the Trumpet Vine flowers? i am pretty sure it's a "she" - as far as i know, the only hummers in my area are Ruby Throated, and this tiny jewel does not have any red on her,(and i'm not sure i've ever seen red on any of them! Shouldn't there be some boys around?) This one shows up faithfully every evening, her favorite blossoms are the Trumpets and the Red Cypress.

i think the yellow Trumpet Vine is very pretty, and, although Trumpet Vines are almost more trouble than they're worth, when they bloom and the Hummies show up, i'm glad i have 'em!

Happy Fall ! (NOT)

Only a few more hours of Summer - it's the time of year i dread! Yes, the days are cooler (except that the whole summer was cool this year), a lot of the days are very pretty (except that i'm at work 5 days a week and can't enjoy them), the leaves turn beautiful colors (except that it means the leaves are DYING)...See where i'm coming from? Don't think i CAN be satisfied in the Autumn! It would be my favorite time of year IF the next season was Spring - but since we have cold weather- meaning weather plants will not grow in- from October through April (at least), to ME it's sad.

This is also the time of year i start grasping at straws- "Well, at least the trees haven't started changing colors yet." "Well, at least it's still warm." "Well, at least i can still feed the fish in the pond." "Well, the trees are changing, but they still have their leaves." "Well, at least it hasn't snowed yet." "Well, at least the ground is still soft enough to plant bulbs." "Well, at least there's a few more weeks of Daylight Savings time, and i can still have some time outside before dark." "Well, at least it's not REAL cold yet.".... You get the idea.

i have always said that i cry 2 times a year (barring the occasional wedding or funeral). First, on the first beautiful warm Spring day that I can move my houseplants outside - those are tears of happiness! And the other is the day the first frost is supposed to hit, and i have to bring them all back inside, because that day is when i realize that Winter is truly here....After that, i do finally reach the point where i resign myself to the fact that Summer is NOT coming back, and i begin to enjoy the season somewhat. But i'm not very happy about it! ):o/

More Lotus

It's been a cool summer - now it's going into fall and getting even cooler, so the Lotus aren't moving very fast. But here comes my Perry's Giant Sunburst, giving me what will more than likely be her only two blooms this year.

The flowers are very large, though, will last up to 3 days, looking quite different each day, then a little gust of a breeze will hit it, and the petals will all shatter, leaving the distinctive seedpod to develop.

Remembering Sept 11, 2001....

Today is a day of recognition I wish we didn't have - the day the Twin Towers fell.

It's another beautiful late summer day here, just like that day, and while I have a poor memory and can't remember much, I remember THAT! My heart still grieves for all of the families that lost a loved one that day because of some crazy fanatic who believes killing (and dying) is what his god wants him to do! I'm sorry we did not build the Towers right back the way they were, to show these cockroaches of civilization that they did not affect us any more than they had. But, it is not up to me, unfortunately.

BLACK SWAMP ARTS FESTIVAL NEARLY HERE

The countdown has started - all i want now is good weather (usually hard to come by in this area). Although we HAVE been having beautiful weather, seems like every time we plan a show the weather guys always forecast rain, even though it may not be correct!

Anyway, here is the press release for my next event....

Planning is Complete…Donʼt Miss this HUGE Regional Event
Bowling Green, OH--Wood County - The 17th annual Black Swamp Arts Festival will feature a variety
of visual artists from across the country, local and national musical acts, and an interactive youth art area
– all free of charge.
The Festival running from Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. thru Sunday, Sept. 13 5 p.m. Juried and Wood County Invitational Art shows will
be open Saturday and Sunday. Festival guests will be entertained with live music and art throughout the weekend.
As music rings through the Downtown on Saturday and Sunday, patrons can enjoy the two fine art and fine craft shows
featuring artists from across the nation as well as from the Wood County community.
The Juried Art Show features more than 100 artists in varied mediums ranging from watercolor, jewelry, sculpture,
photography, multimedia and glass. Along with past festival winners and familiar favorites, many new and exciting artists will
display and sell their work.
Additionally, more than 40 local artists display work in the Wood County Invitational Art Show. All art shows
are open Saturday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
For more information visit www.blackswamparts.org