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Hog's Heaven

Category: Childhood Memories | Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:12 am

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Mom always started her own plants from seed. I was probably the most interested in helping her with them and helping in the flower garden. We were all required to help in the vegetable garden. When I was really small I don't remember the process of seed starting. I know we had a wash shed with a boat shed attatched to it. She started the seeds under the boat shed and if it were going to freeze we brought them into the wash shed. Then Daddy built us a lean-to greenhouse off of the side of the boat shed, a big one too. Mom and I were in hog's heaven, no more having to put the seeds out in the sun during the day, bring them into the washshed if it were going to rain or freeze, we had our own greenhouse. Mom saved everything to start seeds in, cardboard eggcartons, which I still use, tin cans with holes punched in the bottom for drainage, waxed milk cartons, cut longways, any and everything that would safely hold a seed to germinate. We had flowers everywhere and vegetables too of course. I never tasted canned vegetables until I started school. I can remember they didn't taste the same as our veggies at home. That's just one more thing I love my parents for, instilling the love of growing things into me. Of course, as a teenager I saw it more as a punishment then love, but I know different now. Even though Dad is now gone, I am so thankful for this knowledge and the 2 people who taught it to me.

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First Signs of Spring

Category: Family and Everyday Life | Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 4:18 pm

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Daddy used to tell us the first signs of spring were when the robins showed up and when the pecan trees started to put out new growth. He always said there would not be another frost after the pecan trees did this. Well, I haven't seen a pecan tree yet, but we do have robins, by the hundreds. Everywhere you look, big fat, red breasted robins. I love it!!!!!!!! Come on spring, I'm ready.

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The Line

Category: Childhood Memories | Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:35 pm

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When we were growing up the line was our favorite playground. It was nothing more than a deep ditch with trees and shrubs left to grow up which divided the cattle pastures. I can never imagine letting my kids play in a place like that, but we lived there. Boring you say, not in the least. Everyday was an adventure. Our favorite way to pass the time was swinging on vines. We were Tarzans and Janes, just did't have a Cheetah. You had to find a strong sturdy vine and cut it at the base of the tree. Of course, one of us always had to be the guinea pig to see if it would hold us. Then you would grab hold and propel yourself off the ditch bank and wrap your legs around the vine. If you were lucky the vine held and you didn't go tumbling into the blackberry brambles which filled the ditch. Later we got very creative and pinched some of Dad's nails and a hammer and nailed a board across the vine where you could stradle it and someone would push you. My sister and I decided to swing from the vine together, one of us on each side of the cross piece. It broke halfway across the ditch and we couldn't keep our grip and down we went. By the time we climbed out of the ditch we were all scratched up and itchy. We were just lucky there wasn't a snake down there. There was also a type of tree which had these little nubby projections growing off of it kinda in layers. We would break those off the tree and spend hours building pretend villages and forts and play with my brother's army men in them. We were only allowed to go the the first line when we were little, but when we got older we could venture across the pasture to the second line. For some unknown reason we didn't find it nearly exciting as we thought it would be and rarely ventured back. I think the boys went just to get away from the girls. I will have to post more line adventures later, time to come back to reality and get ready for work.

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Semi-Junkin' Day

Category: Garden Junk | Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:18 am

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We have to go into town Monday to take care of some business. I haven't been junkin' in so long so I am going to the Fellowship Center. It is a favorite place for glass for totems. I am also looking for plates to break to try my hand at mosaics. They are so very cheap there. I am going to keep my eye out for things for my fairy garden. I am going by the Dollar Spree to look for some tiny angel figurines to go in a totem. This should hold me until the garage sales start this spring. Then I will take a day off for a full-fledged junkin' day.

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

Category: Other Stuff | Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 1:58 am

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Even though we are missing the worst of the storms, our yard is still a soggy mess. Imagine walking on a huge sponge saturated with water, that's our yard. And it will stay that way for days. Just as it starts drying out, guess what, more rain. I will never get my flower beds worked for the spring. I still haven't gotten leaves raked, way too wet for that. And I want to get the neighbors leaves and the ones at the church. Also, the lady who bought my Mom's place said we could come rake there, nothing but big oaks covering the whole yard. The more leaves, the less weeding I will have to do this summer. Plus, it gives all the little worms something to eat, then I get nice rich worm castings for free. I like to bag the leaves and put grub worms in the bag with them, more castings. The rain is stopping me from rooting plants I want to sell at a plant sale this spring. I am hoping to get enough money to buy some bedding mix for a new flower bed. Oh well, can't do anything about Mother Nature can I. Sorry for complaining, I feel all better now.

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Popping Up Part 2

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 4:46 pm

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I got to walk the rest of the yard yesterday, still very sloppy.
I found crocosmia all over, more daylilies, more irises, including the walking irises, they froze but are coming back already.
The surprise was the butterfly ginger and the shell ginger, way early. The hidden lily ginger and pinecone ginger are still dormant, as they should be.
I still didn't get a couple of places checked, but I don't think any of that will be up yet, except the daylilies, most of which are evergreen.

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Ways to Tell You Are A Cajun (unknown)

Category: Cajun Sayings and Stories | Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 12:19 am

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HOW TO KNOW YOU'RE IN CAJUN COUNTRY:

You know you're in south Louisiana if ...

traveling distances are measured in minutes.

your idea of a traffic jam is being behind two cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.

vacation always means going to the family reunion.

people you know have accidentally hit a deer on the road at night.

some of those people picked up the road kill to cook later.

school classes were called off because of flood.

school classes were called off because of cold.

school classes were called off because of heat.

you've switched from heater to AC in the same day.

local stores have grocery sacks, not bags.

you see people wearing bib overalls at funerals or weddings.

the word "fix" might be used in an unusual way, such as "I'm fixin' to go by there."

festivals across your state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, or animal.

you carry jumper cables in your car --- for your own car!

you know what "cow-tipping" and "snipe-hunting" are and/or have done them.

your kitchen has three basic spices: Tony C's, Tabasco, and ketchup.

local newspapers cover national and world events on a single page.

local papers devote six pages to sports news.

the first day of any hunting season is a good reason to miss work.

you know which leaves make good toilet paper.

your four seasons are Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Christmas.

you know whether other Louisianians are from southern or northern LA as soon as their mouths open to talk.

there is a Dairy Queen in every town with a population of 1000 or more.

going to the local Wal-Mart is a favorite past-time known as "goin walmartin" or "off to Wally World."

you describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees for two days in a row ) as good gumbo weather.

any carbonated soft drink (soda or pop) is called a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor.

you can be satisfied with a meal consisting of only a hunk of bread dipped in flavored flour and water (a Cajun delicacy known as biscuits & gravy).

And...you really can be sure that you must be a Cajun IF... you actually understand what all of the above situations are about and share the joke with your internet friends.

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Things Are Popping Up All Over

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 2:52 pm

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I checked part of the yard before the BIG rain. We have canna shoots coming up , lots of them, they will freeze , but will come back again. I have daffodils, snowdrops, irises. Irises are all over the place, even where we dug them out after they finished blooming in the spring. We thought we had them all, but they are coming up anyway. Guess I will dig them out and throw them in the ditch, they will do good there. My daylilies are putting out new growth, but some haven't come back yet, they are probably the dormant ones. Hope I didn't loose them. One amaryllis is rotten, hope it wasn't my pretty double. I have vinca vine, plain and varigated going crazy. I found several rootings of the seven sisters rose I will have to dig out when it gets a little warmer. Our yard is a sloppy mess but I will try and check the side and back beds tomorrow.

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Realistic Spring Shopping List

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 3:18 am

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OK, I am going to be realistic here.

I do want some new daylilies, and since I can't afford the new introductions that cost hundreds apiece I will settle for the WalMart/KMart varieties. Maybe 5 or six, that is being realistic.

And although I would love to order tons of seeds, I already have tons of seeds. I do want the Brazilian Fireworks and Snail Vine seeds, and maybe the two new morning glories, Rosita and Sunrise Serenade, and the Star Ipomoea. I also want some new Mt. Fuji morning glory seeds because they don't come back true to color from the seeds I saved. And I want to find the purple moonflower vine seed, that is being realistic.

I don't thing I will get any new roses, unless I find one I just can't resist, or two or three. And I may need some new gladioli bulbs, because I stored mine in the uninsulated tin shed and they may have froze, I haven't had a chance to check yet. Even if they didn't I think I need a few more, they are, after all , my favorite flower. That is being realistic.

Now if I run across a ginger or a canna lily I don't have I will do my very best to resist them, but realistically I don't think I can do that. That is being realistic.

So come on everyone, let's all be realistic here, if I can do it so can you.

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Yeah For Daylilies!!!!!!!!!!!!

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:52 am

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I got something to begin looking forward to for spring. While browsing the reduced Christmas goods on my lunch hour today, and being bored by it, I went outside onto the patio at the garden center. There, kinda hidden to one side, were 2 big displays of bulbs, still shrink wrapped. Me, being the nosey person I am, but only when it comes to flowers, went and had a look. I saw at least 6 different daylilies. One display was behind the other and all I could see on it was the top row. I am going back tomorrow and see if maybe they have opened them. The only one I had ever heard of was Pardon Me, a red rebloomer. There was a beautiful two tone lavender/ purple. Can't wait till payday. LOL

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