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dooley's Blog
Spring and choices or decisions!
Category: Choices | Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:22 am Choices! I've always hated making decisions or choices. Here again I'm faced with decisions. I moved from Arizona to Texas. I had flower beds and gardens all set and every year I added things to them. I moved the vegetables around so they didn't grow too many years in the same spot. I grew things in pots if they didn't do well in the desert soil such as it was. It was very alkaline. So, now I am in Texas. What grows well in the Texas soil. It isn't the same as Arizona soil. It isn't even the same as the soil we had when we lived in Wisconsin. It seems to be sandy. I added some mushroom compost along the front of the house and raked it into the soil. Maybe I should buy a big bag of potting soil and mix in with it, too. When I planted my lettuce and spinach I mixed potting soil, MiracleGro moisture control soil and mushroom compost and it seems to like it. The spinach is outgrowing the lettuce two to one. I bought a new tub yesterday and will start some more lettuce and spinach. I'm thinking of adding a row or two of beets for the greens. dr likes the greens and they would add to the salad, I think. I dug along the front of the porch to plant vines. dr put up fencing for the vines and tomorrow he is going to add a gate so we can close off the space. Chance will be able to go out with us in the afternoon and evening when we sit outside. I'm hoping the vines will grow up the fence and provide a windbreak and close out some of the afternoon sun. Now, I'm trying to decide if I need to dig it a little wider to plant some lower growing plants. Do I need something other than the vines. I know the morning glory vines have flowers at all the levels but I think the sweet peas only have flowers higher up or am I mistaken there. I think I will look for some more vines too. I found some hyacinth beans. I think Netty sent them to me and Glenda gave me some. I like Scarlet runner beans, too. I have a small packet of cardinal vines. I have a melon that my son Tom sent me that is grown mostly for fragrance. They are called pocket melons because ladies used to carry them in their pockets for the scent. I am thinking I will also plant some morning glories around Chance's fence in the back. I want to put some hollyhocks along her fence, too. Maybe some lower flowers. She likes to "stop and smell the flowers." I've seen her doing that sometimes. She loved the rosemary that grew in her yard in Arizona and I just might plant some more for her here. So, with the big yard I still have a lot of space. I'm going to dig a circle around the windmill in the front yard and fill it with mixed flowers. I was thinking of planting the cottage mixture and the wildflower mix and a perennial mixture. I have a package of each. I also have some zinnia that I could mix in with them. But, dr thinks that would require a large circle and he thinks about four feet all around would be enough. That would make the bed eight feet across. I don't want something that climbs on the windmill though because I like to see it turning. Do you think beds dug around trees look good? There are several trees and bushes in the front yard. Some of them have oxalis growing around them and it looks good. Would it be too much to have circular beds around the trees if I have the big circle around the windmill? I need to get a start on some green stuff like Swiss Chard before it gets way too warm for it. I did see some Swiss Chard listed that says it's tolerant of heat and drought and would grow through the summer. I'm not sure of that. It may be too late for Kale. I usually grow it more in the fall so it can go through a frost. I have 10 different tomatoes and 8 different peppers and 18 different melons to find a space for. I know the yard is big but I really wasn't planning on digging up the whole space. Whatever I plant has to have a fence. I mean for the vegetables and melons. The neighbor works nights and he said when he came home at 6:30 am the other morning there were nine deer in his yard. He has dogs too and they didn't chase them. I just know they will move here if I don't put up a fence. In Arizona we had to put up fences, too. They were for javalina and cattle that roamed at will. Ranchers didn't have to have fences. If you didn't want the cows on your land you had to fence it. Most people did fence their yards. Who wants to clean up after cattle and javalinas? I'm going to start seeds in my peat pots tomorrow, I think if it isn't too windy. I probably should have started them already but there is that word "decision" again. I'm really not good at making decisions so tend to put things off rather than making a wrong decision. I'd much rather someone else made decisions or told me I was making the right one. dr says I have to decide. He's not the gardener. There is just too many choices here and I'm still learning my way around. I ask a lady at the garden center about the soil here and she told me she didn't know. She was just buying what her husband put on the list for her. Does anyone want to make a list for me? dooley This blog entry has been viewed 516 times
Civil War Enactment
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:30 am Today, dr, Glenda and I went to a civil war enactment. We had a great time and walked all around the encampment and took a great lot of pictures. We will post them as soon as we get them uploaded and sorted out. The enactment people were trying to be as authentic as possible and were dressed in period clothing and camping in old fashioned tents. We asked if they were waterproofed. The man we talked to said that each year they were dipped into a waterproof substance which generally worked. We just asked because it was quite cloudy and windy. Rain wasn't in the forecast until Monday but they are there tomorrow yet and it could rain on them. They were all cooking over campfires and using the iron pots and old cooking things. A few had some modern things interspersed but not too many. I had to laugh at one lady. She had on a really elegant black dress with red lace and a hat with the lace hanging down the back. She was wearing high heeled boots and holding her dress up with one hand and trying to keeping her hat on with the other hand. Over her arm she was carrying supplies in two WalMart plastic bags. I wonder couldn't she find any cloth shopping bags. When the enactment started they were shooting with black powder and fire came out the end of the barrels of their rifles or pistols. There were big cannons going off and filling the air with more smoke. Sometimes it was so smoky it was quite hard to see the people. Soon, there were "dead" bodies laying on the ground and these wagons were going around picking them up. The confederate army wouldn't pick up the union guys but they went through their supplies to see if they had anything then left them there. There was a union officer who "died" right near us. But, he kept sitting up and shooting. Once the horses ran right over him or so it looked. He sat up and shot at them when they were past. I think he was supposed to be out of action but didn't want to quit. There were vendors there selling things like you would have bought. Candles and clothing and cooking pots and dishes. Glenda bought a really cute miniature tea set. I would have bought some books but they were a bit overpriced. They did have some nice dresses though. I wouldn't have any where to wear one but they were beautiful. I'm glad we don't have to wear those long dresses and all the petticoats under them. I had a hoop under my wedding dress and it was a pain to walk and sit in it. Pictures will come tomorrow, hopefully. Between dr and I and Glenda we certainly took more than a few. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 495 times
Chance took a walk!
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:27 am Well, actually Chance took a run. dr and I were getting ready to walk over to Glenda's this afternoon. When I opened the door Glenda was coming up our step onto the porch. I was surprised to see her when we were going out and forgot that Chance was in the house instead of out on her deck. She heard Glenda and darted past me. She did actually stop by Glenda and then seemed to realize she was out in the front yard. She took off like a streak of lightening. I thought she was going over to Glenda's which is what she done last time but she headed down the driveway and out into the road. I'm sure glad none of those pickup trucks were flying low through there. I was right behind her, going as fast as I can which isn't as fast as Chance. I can't run much at all anymore since I hurt my knee. I kept hollering at her to stop and she kept going. She did stop down by Bob's house when his four dogs came out to check her out. I thought I would catch her. I was trying to sort of sneak up on her so she wouldn't run. Bob's dogs went back under his fence but Chance couldn't figure out how to get under the barbed wire. I almost caught her but at the last second she sensed me there and took off again. She made it to the end of the road and turned the corner. I was still back by Bob's and thought now I would never find her. dr went back after the truck figuring he could catch up to her if she got too far ahead of me. When I was almost to the corner that DOG came back around the corner, smiling and wagging her tail, and sat right down in front of me. Of course, I grabbed a hold of her harness and started chewing her out and turned to go home. It was by now a few "city" blocks from the house. Luckily dr was coming with the truck. Chance was panting hard and thought "Oh, boy! A ride back home." Wrong, dr got our and hooked up her leash and he walked her back home. I was panting hard too, but I got to ride home in the truck. Chance got hollered at all the way home and stuck out in her yard. We ignored her until supper time. We went on over to Glenda's and fixed the railing on her steps. When we came home she was laying right up against the door. She now realized she goofed. Will she do it again? Sure, as soon as she catches us with the door open. I want to get a screen door for the front as we had one in Arizona and she never went out of the door even if the screen was open. But here, it's every chance she gets. We are thinking of sectioning off a bit of the porch with lattice so if she gets out she can only get onto that section of the porch. It would have a little gate. Sort of like the entryway some stores have to keep the heat or cold out of stores. Chance may have recovered from her walk but I'm not so sure about dr and I. We are getting too old to run races with the dog. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 495 times
MORE seeds
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:48 am When we moved here and I saw this big yard I thought, "Wow!" I can plant lots of things. I thought that one section of that long porch would make a fine greenhouse. But, we've rethought that for now and are building something on smaller lines on the east side of the house. I bought a black tub, 25 x 19 x 6 inches high and I'm going to use it for salad fixings. Lettuce, spinach, radishes, etc. I have several kinds of lettuce seeds already and some spinach, too. I thought I would buy a couple more of those tubs, too and try some early vegetables in them. I think beets might grow in them and some other greens that I can use in salads while they are small. They will fit in our cold frame/greenhouse type thing very nicely. As for seeds, my oldest son sent me seeds, I brought a few saved seeds with me, Glenda sent me some seeds, I bought a few seeds and today I got a package from Netty. Thanks, Glenda and Netty. Now, I started a garden book for myself listing seeds I have, seeds that I would like to have and seeds that I will still buy. I listed in the book all the seeds that I have now and there is 135 different ones. Now, I wonder if that is enough to fill up this big yard. I still want to buy some herbs as plants so I can use them earlier than seed started ones. I did so hate leaving that big rosemary bush back in Arizona. I do have a basil plant already growing on my counter. I need to make a list of the seeds that are annual and the ones that are perennial and think if I want mixed up colors or beds of all the same colors. Do I want a huge bed or small beds, close or apart? Yikes! It's a good think I still have a bit of time to start the ones that need to go into the ground as plants. Some seeds do better put right in the warm ground. I'm going to put some dianthus in a bed maybe tomorrow and I'd like alyssum in with them but it's just a bit early for those I think. The ground is too cold. So, I have some research to do first and maybe I'll start on it in a bit. I wonder if I google some plants if I will end up back here. On another note, last week I went to the doctor. Glenda kindly consented to share her primary care doctor with me. I found that I liked him very much. He sent me for a full panel of lab tests which I went and had blood drawn for yesterday morning. This afternoon a girl from his office called and said that they had the lab work back this morning and everything looked very good and the doctor told her to tell me, "Good job!" I'd been worrying about the thyroid levels since it had been three months since I had a test for it. But they are still in the middle of normal. The doctor did assure me that they would go down. It sometimes just takes longer in some people. Of course, it took many years to grow back and over produce and raise the levels so I guess maybe a year isn't too much for the going back down part. My diabetes is in good control. My A1C was 5.9 which is lower than last time so I am pleased with it though I will work at lowering it just a bit more. I'd like it to be down around 5. Andy said his was probably higher but I'm diabetic and he is not so it doesn't count with him. Not yet anyway. My son Dan just went through the testing and came out very good. His was borderline a couple of years ago but he's got it down to normal levels now. He'll just have to be tested every so often to make sure it's staying in control. So, the list of things needing done is growing shorter. I still need to have my eyes tested and see if I need new glasses. The eye doctor called just before we moved and told me it was time for a checkup so I guess that's on the list. Now, I guess I will look and see what I have to do next. I think, go wash the supper dishes. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 543 times
I have seeds now
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:21 am Today, I was going to work outside and I did start out to do that. But the mailman came and we had to go make a deposit at the bank from a check that came in the mail and the bank closed at noon. The truck didn't want to come home so soon so it turned and headed too Huntsville. We ended up at the super WalMart. dr wanted to look at ladders and find out how much they would cost. Now, he knows and can plan on when to fit one into the budget. Some things don't fit into a budget, they just have to come when they appear. But, a ladder will have to fit into the budget. But, we had to go in through the garden dept because that is where we could find a parking place that wasn't out in the back forty. I bought two six paks of dianthus, a wine color. We bought nozzles for the hose we bought last week. Then, I found the seed section. I bought 20 paks of mixed flowers and vegetables. They are the cheap seeds but if any of them grow it will be worth the money. I probably won't need to buy anymore seeds. Tom sent me seeds, Netty sent me seeds, Glenda has seeds to share. I probably won't need to buy a lawn mower with all the seeds I have or will have. But, I do like flowers and would maybe just grow flowers but then I like vegetables fresh out of the garden, too. I don't like weeds too much and there always seems to be more weeds than flowers and vegetables. I wonder why? We plant seeds for flowers and vegetables and water them and feed them and end up with a reasonable amount most of the time. But, the weeds just come up on their own and no one waters them unless it rains and no one feeds them and they grow just fine and dandy. They try to take over the flower beds and garden. You keep pulling them and they come back twice as thick because you loosened the dirt for them. But, they'd be there anyway. I've seen weeds growing out of little cracks in rocks. Why won't our seeds do that? Is it because we baby them too much? Maybe they've been bred to be finicky. It must be the seed people's fault. Oh, well! I think I must be about ready for bed. Tomorrow is another day and while it is not going to be as warm as today it won't be raining and I can finish cutting those weeds and make the goat happy. I may even fill my peat pots and plant a few of those seeds. dooley Last edited: Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:21 am This blog entry has been viewed 496 times
A beautiful sunny morning
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:03 pm It's a beautiful sunny morning and the temps are climbing so soon I shall go outside and see what I can find to get into today. Yesterday it was sunny so we went and cleaned up the branches that we dragged over here last week. We will use the big pieces for kindling wood and eventually cut the small stuff for mulch. Right now the birds are enjoying it. They climb through it and under it looking for bugs, etc. I doubt they will find much. The cats are staying away thanks to some well placed water spray. We bought a lawn table and four chairs last week. They had been stored outside for sometime under a tree. They were covered with a green mold so yesterday, I washed them down with a soapy bleach water. dr washed them off with a hose. I think when it is a bit warmer they will receive a coat of paint. They are metal with a heavy plastic ribbing for seats. We are going to purchase a set of cushions for the chairs. There isn't an umbrella but it will be on the porch anyway so we aren't worried about that at all. Whole set was just ten dollars. We bought a large dining room set from the same lady. It only has five chairs but that's okay, too. I want to recover the seats. The lady offered some green upholstery material but I'm not sure I want green. The color matches the china cabinet pretty close so if we get it fixed up we'll have part of a set anyway. dr says we are collecting too much again so we are going to stop for awhile. (Yeh, right) I finished with the rose bushes and they are looking better. They are getting lots of new leaves. I was thinking of feeding them but maybe it's still too early for it. I'm not sure when roses start to bloom here. I know they bloomed early in Arizona before the weather got hot. It will be interesting to see what kind of blooms they get. I could ask Glenda but I'd kind of like the surprise, I think. The little narcissus blooms disappeared. Do animals eat them? Glenda has been losing some plants, too. She thinks something is digging hers because the whole plants are gone. She says it is not something, but someone. I might start digging some flower beds because I will have to do it slowly or my knees will protest big time. When we are ready for the garden we will find a place to rent a tiller, I think. I am NOT digging a whole garden. I can finish cutting back those big weeds along the fence line too and make a compost place in the back corner. I cut some thistles yesterday and fed them to the goat. The horses ate a few but I think the goat got the most of them. I'll run out of weeds and things to feed them pretty soon. They have food but do like a snack now and then. They do like apple peels and cores and carrots, too. No wonder they hang around the fence when I go outside. So, with the temps climbing and the sun shining why am I still here on the computer. I'm out of here. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 430 times
Good Friends!
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:58 pm A good friend called on Monday evening. He wanted to know if we would be home today. He and his wife were thinking of visiting. They are from Black Canyon City where we lived before moving to Mayer (in Arizona.) They moved to Texas about 10 years ago. Sure doesn't seem like that long ago. They live in Hawkins which is about three hours north of here. We had been talking about meeting them somewhere so they wouldn't have to drive so far. But, they got up early this morning and drove down. We met them in Madisonville and had lunch and then came out to the house so they would know how to find us next time. Interestingly enough, they passed a couple miles from us on their way into Madisonville. They had to leave by 3 pm to get back home by dark. They neither one like to drive after dark and like us, neither one is too fond of freeways and interstate highways. They use the rural state highways as much as possible. We hadn't seen them in a couple of years and then it was such a flying visit. They were in Arizona over Thanksgiving but we were already headed for Texas. They were really surprised to get our Christmas card from here. We really had to talk fast and we filled every minute except when they were following us home. Marv and dr sat in the living room in the recliners. Judy and I made use of the rockers, but not on the porch. It was nice out but too breezy to sit outside. dr noted after they left that Judy and I certainly found a lot to talk about. Well, he and Marv weren't slacking off either. We will try to get up to see them, maybe next month. Like them, we will probably leave early and come home early. It's good to have friends willing to drive six hours round trip to stay only 4 or 5 hours to visit. We used to set up our flea market stand next to Marv every Saturday until he moved to Texas. We didn't know Judy as well because she worked as a cook in a local restaurant and didn't have Saturday's off. In all the time we were friends, I think we didn't visit in our homes more than a handful of times. Most of it was during the flea market days. Good friends are good to have and to keep, even from a long distance. She was saying they were thinking of moving again one of these days. Her feet like to wander and Marv goes with her where ever they wander. They moved to Texas because their youngest was in the military and their oldest lived in Texas. But she says their oldest moved on down the road and their youngest moved back to Arizona when they got out of the military. She says they have nothing to keep them in Texas now. They may move more east or maybe back to the west but not Arizona again. But for now we can go visit them and they can come visit us. She quilts and we talked quilting. She doesn't garden much. She says she doesn't have a green thumb. I don't know how green my thumb is but I still like to garden and what ever grows is welcome. Maybe even the weeds if that's all that comes up. When we were growing up we would have been lost without a garden where ever we lived. It was useful with seven kids to have the garden available when payday was still a couple of days away. Anyway, we had a good day visiting with old and good friends. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 537 times
A week for exploring things!
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:03 am We had a week of exploring things. Last Saturday we went to Jewitt. There is a flea market there the second Saturday of each month. We found it right away. It is on the main street of the town. It isn't a large town but it has a fair sized flea market and we walked all around it. The thing is, we left before breakfast and we were only going to one yard sale. We bought a couple of small things and then we decided we'd head for Jewitt and stop on the way for breakfast. We passed another sign for a yard sale and detoured but didn't find it. We headed for Jewitt again. We went through Normangee and spotted a restaurant. Did we stop for breakfast? No! We decided to go on to Jewitt and eat there. We found the flea market first. We walked all around it. We saw a lot of things. We saw chickens and ducks and other small animals. We saw a rocking chair but we left without buying anything. We looked for a place to eat and only saw a Mexican restaurant that wasn't open yet. So, we backtracked to Normangee and had lunch at the restaurant we bypassed at breakfast. We went inside and there was no one there and we sat down and ordered, wondering why no one was there. What would we get? But, we must have just arrived in a lull because when we had eaten and were leaving the place was full and busy. We saw some places we want to go back and explore but Chance was inside and we hadn't planned on being gone for long so we headed home. On Sunday, we only went and got the papers and back home. It wasn't a very nice day so we spent time inside with Chance. On Monday, we decided we were going to Huntsville to explore and see if we could find any resale shops. I found some listed in the internet yellow pages. We looked around the town square and found some antique shops which had some very nice things but they were rather pricey so we didn't buy anything. We stopped at Home Depot and checked thing out but again didn't buy anything. We came home empty handed. Tuesday, we were going to go to Bryan/College Station with Glenda but the water line was shooting a geyser into the air and by the time it was fixed we decided it was too late to go any where and get back at a reasonable time. So, we decided we would go on Wednesday. Wednesday morning, Glenda called and said she wasn't feeling well. We decided we'd go for a ride and wouldn't you know we ended up going to Bryan and exploring on Texas Avenue. We found a grocery store and bought a few things and found our way back home. It was a long way to go for just a few groceries. During the week, the utility company came around the area and cut trees and brush away from the right away for the electric lines. We hauled a lot of the branches into the yard to break up for kindling and mulch. Thursday, we stayed home and worked on cutting it into sections and stripping the cedar (needles) off the branches. I decided that I would use the needles as mulch around the rose bushes. I had pulled the grass out from around and through them and put compost around them. I didn't get finished so I worked some more on that on Friday. But, about noon we decided to go back to Home Depot in Huntsville. dr wanted some 2 x 4's to do a project and some to build a small plastic greenhouse on one section of the porch. I wanted to look in the garden section. We bought the lumber he needed and a roll around toolbox (a small one) which he needed. I found a garden cart which I needed. So, for about the first time all week we came home with something. Today, we got up and went to a yard sale. then we went to breakfast and decided we would go to Bryan/College Station and see if we could find a flea market I had seen listed on the internet. After getting in the wrong place a time or two we found it but it wasn't doing much business so we headed back to Madisonville. As we left Bryan we saw a yard sale sign and stopped. We didn't find a yard sale but we found the neatest yard I've seen in a long time. This older couple lived there. She did quilting and he made wooden yard ornaments. She had a yard full of garden junk and lots of little yards and gardens and it was so neat. I sure wish I'd had the camera but I didn't. Anyway she took us into her little house where she did quilting. She had a quilting frame hanging from the ceiling. We got to discussing quilting frames and quilting and we'd made a lot of the same ones. But she had made a lot more than I ever made. She said she'd made about a thousand in her lifetime. She sold them for the cost of making them. Needless to say we came away with a quilt. I will get a picture of it tomorrow and post it. It's a handkerchief quilt. Each block has a butterfly made from a flowered handkerchief. She does it all by hand except she sews the border with a sewing machine. I finished the yard work when we got home. I still have some branches to cut up. I'm thinking of where I want to make some flower beds in the front yard. I think the back yard will be taken up with vegetable garden. Maybe! You never know from one day to the next what you will do or where you will go. The quilt lady told us of a couple of flea markets we should visit so maybe we will go next weekend to another flea market. We plan on going to Bryan with Glenda on Tuesday. She has a doctor's appointment and maybe she can show us some things we've missed. We still have a few places to explore and I'm sure we'll find more places as time goes by. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 572 times
New Yard and Garden
Category: Choices | Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:23 am It was a nice day today so I went outside and sat for a bit, just looking around at things. I took a couple of pictures which I will post tomorrow. I might even take a few more pictures to post for you to see what I have to work with. My son sent a lot of seeds which I posted a list in Veg. Gardening. I made a list of the vegetables I would like to plant and annual flowers that I would like to plant. I saw some Gladiola bulbs today but didn't buy them. I will one of these days. I have a small amount of money to start with but I'm not sure where I will start. Peat pots for sure to start the tomato and pepper seeds. Most melons and squash do better started right in the ground. Some are cool weather vegetables which could go in soon and some are warm weather vegetables which can wait a bit. I like annual flowers to fill in spaces while I wait for perennials. How many perennials do I want to plant? We are just renting the house, Of course, we were just renting the last one and I nearly filled up the yard with stuff. I figure that it's where I live and why should I not make it like I want it as long as I live there. Should I not have flowers just because I don't own the property. The owner said, "Do whatever you would like to do." She says she doesn't have a green thumb and knows nothing about gardening. She also had grandchildren running all over the yards. She was away so much she didn't have time to garden anyway. So, I will plant what suits me. Maybe more garden but with lots of flowers intermingled. I can fill up the yard. Maybe even this year. Well, with my knees not so good it may take more than this year to get it done but I'll get a good start. I hope we know enough people who like melon. I don't think it freezes too well. Can you make jelly or jam from them? I know you can make pickles out of watermelon but do I want to do it. Today, a little narcissus bloomed. It was already growing so I can't take credit for it. I have a good start on the roses but didn't finish them yet. It isn't supposed to freeze or frost for a few days so I have some time to work on them. I'm thinking I need to widen the bed around them and add some compost. Kevin was saying that the mushroom compost has a lot of nitrogen in it. We put sawdust on roses to add nitrogen so maybe I can put some mushroom compost on them. I'll mix it with some soil. That might work for now. I'm just rambling here while I'm thinking about gardens. I won't have one big garden. I think some small ones to start with. I'll need to fence them because I saw a rabbit tonight and there is that armadillo and some raccoons. Yep, there is already lots of things wanting my garden, even the ants. Glenda says I have to get something to put around the plants as they come up or the ants eat them. That happened to some things in Arizona, too. I need some herbs, too. I'll try to grow another rosemary bush and some lemom verbena and some lemon balm and some monarda (bee balm) and thyme and the list grows longer. Guess I'd better go online and see what I can order. Since the post office doesn't forward catalogs I don't have any to look at here. Guess I'd better go and sleep on it. I'm the only one still up and thinking about such things. Have a nice night. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 572 times
Rain and other things
Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:24 am All last year Glenda and Toni told us there was a drought in Texas and they never had enough or any rain. So, we moved to Texas and what happens! It rains! There have been more cloudy or rainy days than sunny ones. Poor Chance gets so depressed when it rains. She hates getting wet but how can she go out and check things if she doesn't get wet. Monday it was raining buckets off and on all day. During a lull in the rain dr let her outside. I walked past the door a bit later and there was Chance looking in the door. She was so wet and bedraggled. I had to get a towel and dry her off. She didn't want out anymore the rest of the day. Yesterday, we had some errands to do. It was cloudy but not raining much but we left her inside when we went to do the errands. Of course, while we were gone the rain quit and the sun came out and poor Chance could only look at it from inside. She was in such a hurry to get outside when we got home. She really enjoyed her day in the sun today. She didn't want to come in at all. I went outside this afternoon. It was so nice I started pulling grass out of the rose bushes. I dug some around them. Tomorrow I will rake up the grass and weeds and the pieces of dead wood that I cut off of them. dr says I can compost the grassy stuff. Then, I want to get some mulch and put around them. I think it's still a bit early to leave nothing there. I might "borrow" some of the stray bits of dry hay that the horses have spread around their pasture. I can reach some without going over the fence but dr says wood chips will work better. I can borrow the hay until I get some wood chips if it turns colder again though. I cut some broken branches off of a couple bushy trees. I think they are trees but they are fairly bushy so I'm not sure. Glenda says they are Althea? There is a daffodil or narcissus getting ready to bloom so I will keep an eye on it for a picture. I posted in the good morning thread that we were going to get our truck inspected today so we could get our Texas license plates. How can you be a resident of Texas with Arizona plates on your truck? We got our Texas insurance and that was a start and so we got up this morning and went to the dealership. We were going to have a general three thousand mile checkup and get the inspection. We had the three thousand mile checkup but not the inspection. We have to go back tomorrow for it because while the truck was sitting there waiting to get taken in for the inspection and checkup a person backed their big truck into our little truck and broke a tail light. You can't pass a safety inspection with a broken tail light. The dealership didn't have one in stock but they were going to get one today and they will install it and do the inspection tomorrow. The man who backed into us was very upset about it and he payed for replacing it. There was no other damage and accidents do happen. Then, we stopped and bought a Madisonville newspaper and discovered that they closed the place to get our driver's license changed. The computers were old and needed updated. So, now we have to go to Huntsville, Centerville or Bryan to get that done. We can't get it done anyway until we get the Texas plates on the truck. Ho Hum! Welcome to Texas, everyone keeps telling us that. They do seem to be so friendly and helpful here. I think we will stay awhile. dooley This blog entry has been viewed 455 times
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