tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206559062024-03-23T13:46:46.934-04:00Gardening and other StuffA collection of stories from the garden and other stuff as it suits me to tell it.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-89876410183756912042013-06-21T07:32:00.001-04:002013-06-21T07:32:22.367-04:00WinterthurWith this time off work, Bob and I decided we wanted to take a trip to Winterthur. It's been 40 years since I've been there and he's never been. I was surprised to see it so very close to Longwood Gardens and easy to get from one to the other! Winterthur is just across the Delaware border, maybe 5 miles from Longwood. This time we went mainly for the garden. Our tickets are good for two days, so we'll be going there again for the house and museum.<br />
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The grounds are stunning! Even though they are in a warmer zone than us, and all the spring flowers were spent, the ground were shady and inviting and full of texture. There were some flowers, but most of the summer flowers haven't begun yet.<br />
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The meadow at Winterthur is large and lush with paths meandering through it.<br />
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It looks like a lonely gazebo standing in the middle of a grassy plain, but we were told that early spring that grassy plain is a field of blue crocus which were just recently finished with their spring bloom. A reason to go even earlier in the season. All the azalea, rhododendron and other spring flowers were done when we were there.<br />
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The house is incredible! Just the massive size of it needs to be seen to be appreciated. The conservatory here is small compared to Longwood Garden with it's massive conservatories, but it is sufficient. Henry DuPont designed and built the house around the lay of the land. It is 6 stories high, but 2 of the stories are underground. He built the house so as not to disturb the natural slope of the land. There is also a stream that he bridged the house over rather than try to change the flow of the water.<br />
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This is a two-tier Koi pond that is fed by a small run-off from the patios. The patios are quite high up the side of a bank which lends perfectly to the tiny run-off. The patios of the house are shady and inviting with Bristol tables and chairs overlooking the Koi pond and reflecting pool.<br />
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The reflecting pool is banked on each side by a pool house, one for the men and one for the women, which was the style of the day.<br />
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One of the pool houses.<br />
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I couldn't leave this post without a view of one of the areas of the museum. We didn't do much in the house this time but plan on going back since the tickets are good for another trip there. This time will be for the house and museum. It really does take more than one day just for the grounds, but I'm thinking it'll take just as long for the museum as well. <br />
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-50924108851644784992013-05-30T20:59:00.000-04:002013-05-30T20:59:27.063-04:00A new lens<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><tr><td><a href="http://smilebox.com/play/4d7a59344d546b324f54633d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link&partner=encoreprintshop" target="_blank"><img width="420" height="330" alt="Click to play this Smilebox scrapbook" src="http://smilebox.com/snap/4d7a59344d546b324f54633d0d0a.jpg" style="border: medium none ;"/></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.smilebox.com?partner=encoreprintshop&campaign=blog_snapshot" target="_blank"><img width="420" height="46" alt="Create your own scrapbook - Powered by Smilebox" src="http://www.smilebox.com/globalImages/blogInstructions/blogLogoSmilebox.gif" style="border: medium none ;"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center">Free digital scrapbooking design personalized with Smilebox</td></tr></table>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-20201251621017026862013-04-14T07:01:00.000-04:002013-04-14T07:01:11.059-04:00Snow Fountain Cherry<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow Fountain Cherry</td></tr>
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I was watching the news Friday when WGAL had their little 2 minute excerpt from "The Garden Guy" a local nursery man for a larger nursery in the area. He was talking about the Bradford Pear and how it shouldn't be planted any longer. He talked about this pear tree and the Cleveland pear because they are in bloom right now. My question is - Why would he talk about the many other lovely trees that are in bloom or coming into bloom right now that are beautiful in people's gardens such as the Sow Fountain Cherry shown here. This tree is not only lovely but has a wonderful fragrance and encourages the early pollinators. The pear trees smell like, in my opinion, dead fish and draw in flies that it needs for pollination.<br />
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It took me a couple of tries before I found a tree that could tolerate the somewhat soggy conditions I have in this spot. It's not a wet spot, but has a tendency to flood when we get heavy rains. The Snow Fountain Cherry does especially well in this spot and is helped by a larger honey locust on the east side of the walk. For years now, this spot has been acceptable as the trees help to keep it from getting to soggy. It will tolerate drier spots as well as the moist one I have mine in but will not grow as quickly.<br />
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The only problem I see with the Snow Fountain Cherry is that the bloom time is too short. Usually it's soggy and rainy when the tree is in bloom in early April and the temperatures are cool and raw. It's sometimes hard to get out and see how beautiful this tree is or how wonderful it smells when the temps are so raw. But for the past couple of years I've been able to do just that. It would be best as a ornamental in the front garden where all folks driving past your home could see and appreciate it. If you do plant one near your home, give it some room as it will get wider as it grows. I have this one planted about 15 feet away from the house at an angle which gives it plenty of room right now. I would suggest maybe 20 feet as it would give you no problem at all, even as it gets wider. <br />
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Usually with grafted weepers as this one, they don't grow much taller than what they are when you purchase them so be selective and choose one that would fit where you want to put it height wise.<br />
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After the flowers fade, the tree gets covered with tiny cherries that are black. No fear, the cherries won't last the summer on the tree. I usually see it covered with birds feasting on the cherries until they are all gone. I especially love those Waxwings that swoop in, gorge, and swoop out when the cherries are gone. I have several flocks of Waxwings that make my garden a daily stop for the summer and fall. I have a lot of native trees that provide the berries and fruit they so desire. I have two Serviceberries which provide a lovely red berry that I don't see very much (because of the birds), two Chokecherries, Winter King Hawthorn, Spice bush, Winterberry, Crabapple, Dogwood and several different varieties of Viburnum. There are other plants and trees that provide food even for the winter birds if left stand over the winter months. But I digress. <br />
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The Snow Fountain Cherry is one of the most beautiful trees that provides interest for the garden for all four seasons. Early spring (now) it blooms a lovely white with a wonderful fragrance. Summer it has a nice green color with the black cherries and autumn it is a lovely bronze color. Winter it shows it's structure with the hanging branches. It is one I recommend for a showy area that might be a little on the wet side, but not boggy.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-9311948940240844212012-10-12T17:20:00.001-04:002012-10-12T17:21:38.440-04:00The Gateway Lodge - Our Cooks Forest Adventure cont.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Gateway Lodge - where we stayed.</div>
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This life size sculpture greets you as you enter the lodge grounds.</div>
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When you enter the rustic building, you first come to the office where you check in. It's a quaint little area without a lot of room and is well separated from the main lodge guest area above. There was always someone there wrapped in those huge soft chairs reading books. Opposite the large windows of the two story room was where the wood burning fireplace crackled constantly. This was an utterly gorgeous place that was well kept and highly maintained with the best you could ask for. Wi-fi was available in this room only. The rest of the lodge wasn't privy to Internet or cell phones. Breakfast coffee and fruit was served there every morning for the early risers.</div>
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The lodge also had a very high class gourmet restaurant. We had our breakfast of fruit, eggs over easy with a slice of whole grain, homemade bread, choice of apple sausage, again homemade, apple bacon, juice, coffee and homefries. Breakfast came with our package.</div>
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For dinner it was dinner for two, with choice of entrees, a salad made of spouts, grass shoots, dandelion leaves, nasturtium flowers and green apples thinly sliced, covered with a lovely oil and cheese curd. A tomato bisque laced with worcestershire sauce which gave it a wonder zing and a fried mushroom appetizer and apple crisp ala mode drizzled with caramel. They also served a lovely wild mushroom soup that not only rivals Longwood Gardens, but passes it with flying colors! My new favorite mushroom soup!</div>
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They were proud that all their food was organically grown and in season.</div>
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Down the hall from the guest main lodge was a hall way that housed a lovely billiards room seen below and a wonderful massage spa with products that are very lovely. We also got them in our room. The TV in the billiards room was the only TV and it was a nice one over the fireplace in that room. Who wanted to watch TV anyway?<br />
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The rooms were just as rustic as the rest of the lodge, but each suite had a fireplace, whirlpool to ease those tired muscles as well as the usual shower. It was a lovely room. The whole place was 4*** all the way.<br />
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There are few places we've been that Bob made it known that he was planning on returning. This is one he said that about over and over again. It was a really great place to spend time. This is my kind of camping.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-11337807738410393112012-10-11T21:44:00.000-04:002012-10-11T21:44:07.121-04:00Our Cook's Forest Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jqxtmps2frfJDhSgdlh1KklqFUKj8Yzm7MrCR5aJMYjLswASQMoU_wnAPw2z093RGt8PmZrXG6s3UwP_iGIKDATSditBfM26oMvIzFWc47CIXMq94B3vzYtK03UkLcccKxMS/s1600/cookswood-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jqxtmps2frfJDhSgdlh1KklqFUKj8Yzm7MrCR5aJMYjLswASQMoU_wnAPw2z093RGt8PmZrXG6s3UwP_iGIKDATSditBfM26oMvIzFWc47CIXMq94B3vzYtK03UkLcccKxMS/s320/cookswood-4.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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For the first time in 10 years, we finally had some time off together and I used it making reservations to Cooks Forest. We had first heard about this ancient forest, the only one in the US that is protected from logging and mineral depletion from a Harvard Professor at Longwood Gardens in March.<br />
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Since we arrived at the Lodge several hours early, we used the time with a hike through the old forest and to the tower to view the entire Allegheny forest. We were there at a good time (autumn) and the day was beatuiful and sunny. Perfect for taking pictures. We stayed at a lovely century old lodge within walking distance of the Clarion River. It was a beautiful area.</div>
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I've always been told that to have a healthy forest it must be managed and logged. So much for the infinite knowlege of mankind. In this ancient and beautiful forest, there was a place for life as well as death. In death, these majestic beautiful trees were covered with moss and lichens. In the crevice of this old dead trunk, a fern finds shelter and grows nicely. Other dead trees littered the forest floor providing a place for moss, insects and tiny creatures and sometimes almost hidden by the masses of forest ferns that shared the floor with moss.<br />
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The eco system of this incredible place was unchallenged and left to be tended the way it was meant to be tended. Not by human hand but by the Hand of God, and left in the care of Mother Nature.<br />
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<br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-86359843585848179692012-09-14T20:59:00.000-04:002012-09-14T20:59:02.880-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPQ7_VOMywRbcLuuevfv0vewxKSCjUL2gwARjcPDkk5YUYB5n5T5lLR04Qj_nENp3yFcuOKlnvFeeTrqE6cc918VBWavPkYZbiUx1h5amubl_Pi3sAchBqzejpyKkzJFwoeHY/s1600/After-the-bath-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPQ7_VOMywRbcLuuevfv0vewxKSCjUL2gwARjcPDkk5YUYB5n5T5lLR04Qj_nENp3yFcuOKlnvFeeTrqE6cc918VBWavPkYZbiUx1h5amubl_Pi3sAchBqzejpyKkzJFwoeHY/s320/After-the-bath-3.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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Diamond Hills Pretty Boy Little Brat</div>
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He came to live with us July 3rd, 2003 at the age of 3 years. He passed away this past Monday, September 10 at the age of 13 years. I just hope he was happy while he was with us. He was a devoted member of the family, never one to run or chase, but was by out side to the end.</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-76009304985818745512012-08-18T20:04:00.002-04:002012-08-18T20:04:46.889-04:00An Unusual Butterfly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKm-bWWIxJqqnHOmMGmn2zK1cLJ9o-irjo6cbv4jjWEhAGjvo7Fj7RWG63kVJ-gnSrVJaZtZiksxFO4k5OKAHKV1jpAXD_zBAdGBYsoU30ihck9lQPSDm7stw3Dl53oJDPKcE2/s1600/Acadian-Hairstreak-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKm-bWWIxJqqnHOmMGmn2zK1cLJ9o-irjo6cbv4jjWEhAGjvo7Fj7RWG63kVJ-gnSrVJaZtZiksxFO4k5OKAHKV1jpAXD_zBAdGBYsoU30ihck9lQPSDm7stw3Dl53oJDPKcE2/s320/Acadian-Hairstreak-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the past six weeks, I've been pretty much laid up with a bum knee. I twisted it somehow and am only now able to be on it. I was out in the garden today and found a beautiful unusual butterfly there that just screamed to have it's picture taken. It is an Acadian Hairstreak. According to information I could find on it, even though it is within it's range, we are at nearly the lowest end of it's regions. <br />
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<a href="http://enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?shapeID=978&curGroupID=2&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=24">http://enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?shapeID=978&curGroupID=2&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=24</a><br />
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I also understand from reading about this beautiful butterfly that the willow is a host plant for it. I've never seen this stunning butterfly in my garden before and am glad that I have all the elements it needs to live here.<br />
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Nature never ceases to amaze me.<br />
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-56673267510055935182012-08-10T07:15:00.000-04:002012-08-10T07:15:36.519-04:00A Hornet's Nest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When we first moved into this home, we had a lot of trouble with paper wasps building their nests all over the property. Everywhere they could find an overhang, they would build. It was always around the house, near doorways, porches or the shed door where they would be a nuisance. Then a few years ago, the number of wasps decreased to the point where they either found another place to live or they weren't such the nuisance they had been. Occasionally, I will see a small paper wasp nest under an overhang, but rarely. Here's why...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_aPbrUzMDb89iZcGt2YJGnknIhOHeJXLDG2C4R-ra6-xw8bhI-QjfWZKFdwyzFecM8W3yau82J7jaAg9OJo37abLDxRMY-oS5-PnrxBOeC62A98XV-U60pgd1iEsx1mdn12T/s1600/bald-faced-hornet-nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_aPbrUzMDb89iZcGt2YJGnknIhOHeJXLDG2C4R-ra6-xw8bhI-QjfWZKFdwyzFecM8W3yau82J7jaAg9OJo37abLDxRMY-oS5-PnrxBOeC62A98XV-U60pgd1iEsx1mdn12T/s320/bald-faced-hornet-nest.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
We noticed a few years ago when I got stung in the face that a colony of bald-faced hornets made a nest in my largest climbing New Dawn rose, only inches from our grill. It was a very large nest so it had been there for some time before I got stung. Of course, being so close to the place where we grilled almost daily, it had to go. To bad. I had asked a friend what they were and he informed us that they were a quiet beneficial insect that prayed mostly on paper wasps and other destructive insects. I hated to do what we did to them, but they had to go. Paper wasps returned to the garden.<br />
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The following year, they were found in the top of one of the maple trees. Our tree trimmer found them and refused to prune that tree. Understandable. However, because they were at the top of the 10 foot tree, they were allowed to remain there, not being a problem with stinging. There were no paper wasps in the garden that year. By November of that year, the nest had long been abandoned and was blown from the tree in a stiff wind.<br />
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The year after that, they decided to make a nest in my vegetable garden, near the ground. We couldn't harvest the strawberries without being stung numerous times. They had to go again. Once again paper wasps returned to the garden.<br />
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This year, I found a fine, very, very large bald-faced hornet nest deep inside the Star Magnolia. This nest is even larger than the one we found in the New Dawn rose - about the size of two human heads put together. It's been there undetected all summer and just increased in size over this time. I stood and watched the activity around it for a bit and realized that the hornets were using a hole deep within the tree to enter and leave. It would be very hard for any person to get that far inside the magnolia.<br />
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I had to tell Husband about the nest and he got upset. "I was working really close to that spot pulling weeds," he said. I told him to be careful around the area and don't do anything to dislodge the nest or disrupt it in any way and he will be fine. He was insistent that it had to go. I hope I talked him into leaving it alone. Even with hornet spray, there's no way you could destroy this size nest without taking on a lot of battle scars. I do prefer that they keep their nests at the top of the larger trees, but this one really isn't in the way and should be left alone. Besides, they do keep the destructive bug population down a good bit.<br />
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September is coming and the temperatures are going to be dropping. They will leave the nest and hibernate underground for the winter. The nest will be abandoned forever. They've lived here this long without incident and hopefully will be able to live the rest of the summer quietly. At least I hope so. Most of the work for that garden bed is done for the year. It won't be until early spring when we go there again to prepare it for next year's growth. The only work around that area is mowing that will be several feet away from the nest once a week or less depending on the rain. Since the hornets enter the nest from inside the tree, no one, even the mower will get close enough to upset them.<br />
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I have seen a nest that was even larger than this one, near the top of a 80 foot dying tree. These insects are incredible and having them in the garden isn't a bad thing. Just when they choose a bad spot to start a nest. Next year, they will find another place to build and hopefully it will be at the top of one of our larger trees. Up there, they will be left completely alone, to live their lives and do their thing without consequence. I like what they do for my garden - the way they keep it clean of destructive insects, but I can't have them where I work a lot.<br />
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They've been living in this garden for the past 4 years and I hope they continue to stay. Each year it is interesting to see where they decide to build a nest and I can only hope they choose a spot where I won't find them a nuisance. They are usually quite quiet and don't get upset if you meet them in the garden away from their nest. Their protective instincts, however, can cause problems in more high traffic areas.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-44415347169923040742012-06-20T21:29:00.000-04:002012-06-20T21:29:38.324-04:00A night of fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last evening we went to a pollinator's challenge. For those of you who don't know, my garden is registered with Penn State as well as the Audubon Society as a "natural" garden. </div>
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For the Audubon Society it's registered as a bird sanctuary. With Penn State it's registered as Pollinator Friendly.</div>
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Basically what this means is that I limit the herbicides and insecticides in the garden which allows a more poison free environment for both birds and insects. There was a very small fee of about $10 each to register my garden and my garden as also inspected by Penn State Master Gardener's which was no big deal since by then it was already registered with the Audubon Society.</div>
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Last night was the first every Pollinator's Challenge that was put on by the Penn State Master Gardener's at the test gardens in Landisville. It was very fun and even though I didn't win any of the door prizes, I had such a great time exchanging observations with others of like mind. There were bee keepers there explaining how the hives were kept and the honey extracted. There was a honey tasting event and snack that were wonderful! There was a lecture on the pollinator's garden and what it should be and as usual, the push for more registered gardens.</div>
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Above is a picture of an Agastache plant. In my opinion this is one of the the best plants for bees and butterflies. This plant will get about 4 feet tall and will spread nicely, creating a wonderful colony of flowers.<br />
Below is the <span class="f_title_genus">Heliopsis. Another very lovely large daisy that is a big draw for bees and butterflies. This plant can get close to 6 feet tall if in the right place and will also create a nice colony of plants as it ages.</span></div>
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<br />After the lecture, we ventured out with the hostess for a tour of the test gardens. A really lovely place. We entered through an arbor of honey suckle (below).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtA4qYrGoTexMpN3_BxZ7oApHkYerHwGkRO7blFmmru1PIPUf3fUNoyfnRB2PX0d-irn8Jxm4OQXzfJK5JCUQ1PqCnYiZYWePlpUG4b8rSsw4Obcejn-GDk5VpJWAB2OgMHwf/s1600/Honey-Suckle-Arbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtA4qYrGoTexMpN3_BxZ7oApHkYerHwGkRO7blFmmru1PIPUf3fUNoyfnRB2PX0d-irn8Jxm4OQXzfJK5JCUQ1PqCnYiZYWePlpUG4b8rSsw4Obcejn-GDk5VpJWAB2OgMHwf/s1600/Honey-Suckle-Arbor.jpg" /></a></div>
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We discussed all the native plants that were growing in the test garden. Did you know that Pennsylvania has it's own native petunia? Ruellia is the native petunia. A small plant that will definitely find a spot in my garden. I love petunias and have them around the house every year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQje5uhdjFkbzHRSuSCa9lMZ37D-3YzNW2BHj6H41Z9xJxP1wPNglvn-EKbbS7HoKv3ljAdAL_o-kCBEe4Y6ukdN5QutWjbQYS3xGc6ppPjIMhyCGs8KVquhl35OnRkMr8Jlm/s1600/Ruellia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQje5uhdjFkbzHRSuSCa9lMZ37D-3YzNW2BHj6H41Z9xJxP1wPNglvn-EKbbS7HoKv3ljAdAL_o-kCBEe4Y6ukdN5QutWjbQYS3xGc6ppPjIMhyCGs8KVquhl35OnRkMr8Jlm/s1600/Ruellia.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of Husband's plants of interest is the Yucca. I've always tried to discourage them because of the massive root system. But when they are in flower they are impressive, so I might have to agree to put some back in the meadow garden. Our hostess was telling us that they are surprisingly sought after by bees and butterflies.</div>
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Other plants that I have in the garden and saw peeping from under some of the other natives were the lovely wild violets. I got six plants several years ago at the Penn State native plant sale usually held around Mother's Day. They've now spread to just about every flower plot in my garden. We know these lovelies and won't pull them out as they cover the ground with their lovely purple leaves and deep indigo blue flowers in the spring.</div>
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It was a wonderful time altogether. It was nice to converse with and spend time with people of like mind - who realize what it is to have gardens that are pesticide free. To grow food and herbs in gardens without pesticides or herbicides and know that when you eat out of it, you are eating food as nature intended. </div>
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This was very last minute for me, but I'm glad I decided not to miss it.</div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-20897815747185267622012-06-18T20:57:00.000-04:002012-06-18T21:02:34.553-04:00Flowers to take Note of<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLMMGDljF-YNN4TXMyiqeC6Pxzr0nWLAsLdcyBl0dLiPgsrvox1CLjfbGU2a5E7yOSs5WIc11jz7zx_oZKNbryfdkTNGJLoqAyv_xg1W0EQFI1JPd_ZhGX20Sm1rD0fz9Fxvk/s1600/Garden-of-roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLMMGDljF-YNN4TXMyiqeC6Pxzr0nWLAsLdcyBl0dLiPgsrvox1CLjfbGU2a5E7yOSs5WIc11jz7zx_oZKNbryfdkTNGJLoqAyv_xg1W0EQFI1JPd_ZhGX20Sm1rD0fz9Fxvk/s320/Garden-of-roses.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white rose across the back of my vegetable garden is City of York, Climber, 1945<br /> Tantau, Germany.<br />
'Professor Gnau' x' Dorothy Perkins'<br />
This is one of a few climbers that I would encourage any Pennsylvania garden to have. It is vigorous, (mine is only 4 years old), and yes, all the white roses you see across the back of my veggie garden is simply one rose! It stretches across at least 20 feet of fencing wire. Even though it does get blackspot, it is so vigorous it will just push past the fungus and keep on looking incredible without being sprayed. Even when not in flower this rose is stunning. It does rebloom several times in a season. And you gotta love that fragrance! It has a wonderful spicy aroma that makes your mouth water.<br />
My only disappointment with this rose is rooting cuttings. When I bought this one from Roses Unlimited, I had plans on purchasing another the following year. When the time came, Roses Unlimited told me that they had had some problems with their mother stock and didn't have the rose available. I immediately cupped two lovely stock canes. One of them died within the first three weeks. But the other continued into the summer, still cupped and finally in October of 2010, six whole months after I first started the cutting, I finally planted it to protect it over the winter. It had only one ½" long root on it and I seriously didn't think it would make the winter. It not only did, but started growing slowly in the spring and continued to grow until now, it is about five feet long. It now has a total of six main canes. It gave me close to 2 dozen flowers this year and I hope that by next year, this baby will begin to really be as vigorous as it's mother plant. It takes about 3 years for a rose to establish in my garden but then it usually shows its full potential. <br />
Below is a close up of these exquisite beauties.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmYsJmZnErf3YrVM_rwwoTnE1GueWWbywhyphenhyphen9BusphCnrQa-Y3QVbk4g8LyoGYzxcagjCqw62thfWlUMFUrIN71mkFLzx-E_r5l9HGskOQpDKHG_zYW1InibI6WOi-wxu4NLQP/s1600/St.-John's-Wort-flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmYsJmZnErf3YrVM_rwwoTnE1GueWWbywhyphenhyphen9BusphCnrQa-Y3QVbk4g8LyoGYzxcagjCqw62thfWlUMFUrIN71mkFLzx-E_r5l9HGskOQpDKHG_zYW1InibI6WOi-wxu4NLQP/s320/St.-John's-Wort-flower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a flower that is so exquisite that I had to comment on it. It is the flower of the <br />
St. John's Wort. The variety show below is called 'Brigadoon'. About 4 years ago, this lovely variety of St. John's Wort was introduced and I thought it was so stunning I wanted to try it in my garden. Each year for three years I bought three plants from Wayside Gardens and the fourth year they didn't carry it any more. I was able to get one plant from Kehlm Nurseries, but I didn't see it in their catalog this year either. So, I wonder what is wrong with it? </div>
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I put all ten plants in the deep dry shade of our maple tree and it flourished wonderfully. However, until this year it had never bloomed for me. Could that have been the problem? I don't know. But, I do know that they lovely chartreuse colored leaves lend a great color contrast to an otherwise very deep shaded area. In brighter light the leaves would be more gold but for my purposes, the chartreuse is enough. The flowers are bright yellow and quite delicate looking. Also they are much larger than I had anticipated.</div>
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I do nothing to it, ever. Even when autumn comes, I leave the dead, brown leaves there and the new ones come up through in the spring. It spreads wonderfully in the bed and is covering all the exposed dirt, allowing us at least one bed that doesn't need to be mulched.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2AxyRO1abw8wbW1GC_VXITwEUZeWrXMbZYnvidPIDd0J3EfPlssjVqjlpNV42TusVSy4zWwRktJgqtna3O8Fjt0zkDfMcKyIv0hvz7Nv7H4J11ZAZEdUER1WaPYqFyDvLVpZ/s1600/White-hollyhock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2AxyRO1abw8wbW1GC_VXITwEUZeWrXMbZYnvidPIDd0J3EfPlssjVqjlpNV42TusVSy4zWwRktJgqtna3O8Fjt0zkDfMcKyIv0hvz7Nv7H4J11ZAZEdUER1WaPYqFyDvLVpZ/s320/White-hollyhock.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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"And so," I ask, "Where did these lovelies come from?" Above are garden hollyhocks that grow in the "Wildflower" weed bed along a fence of other notable roses and elderberries. One time, when we first move here, I had some wildflowers and black hollyhocks growing along this fence. Now after several years of not see hollyhocks at all, a bunch of them made an appearance. Most of them are yellow, but some this year are white. These beauties will stand up to 7 feet tall and are great for that back fence since they are so easily seen. These wild babies will be allowed to reseed at will since that's where they came from in the first place.</div>
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Below is a butterfly weed. Curiously, it made an appearance this year in a flower bed at our well. It is a large plant so it must have been there for several years without being noticed??? I honestly think I would have noticed the bright orange flowers. But nonetheless, it made an appearance this year and because of the bright orange flowers, it wasn't pulled out. We made sure that most of the weeds around it were pulled away so it has room to spread. No, I didn't plant this one at all and am curious as to where it came from. I did have one about 10 feet away many years ago, but it's been gone for a very long time. It got here somehow and I'm happy to see it. I hope to have it grow into a nice colony in the next years.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2-NoOqRnEugjjV2MWdQUtCXkh_TPrH7vL5IhWooVo96rzBilc07tERY8k1eWpkeLXnKebOqcyYxJUAFZvKC9eoC7ff_A29QBbZ4n7ah5jdPRTHAVHnXTDxI_9V6YveOx8sJq/s1600/Butterfly-Weed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2-NoOqRnEugjjV2MWdQUtCXkh_TPrH7vL5IhWooVo96rzBilc07tERY8k1eWpkeLXnKebOqcyYxJUAFZvKC9eoC7ff_A29QBbZ4n7ah5jdPRTHAVHnXTDxI_9V6YveOx8sJq/s320/Butterfly-Weed-2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-59321516545103367192012-05-25T20:51:00.001-04:002012-05-25T20:52:50.202-04:00Spring in the Back Garden<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33m9crWoRplxvmGOU3LzCW6GD5e5kM138LkmxLIIrWpMaPtGeTYoRkmczI0es8akZa6RWPwauLad4ZlnE_nTsrto3nyteC-wh_wV_J6vH3bGmEUCYvkc4_rjYkD8okYRpjqsY/s1600/Tulip-Tree-flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33m9crWoRplxvmGOU3LzCW6GD5e5kM138LkmxLIIrWpMaPtGeTYoRkmczI0es8akZa6RWPwauLad4ZlnE_nTsrto3nyteC-wh_wV_J6vH3bGmEUCYvkc4_rjYkD8okYRpjqsY/s400/Tulip-Tree-flower.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Spring is here in the back garden. After 10 years, I noticed the the Tulip Poplar is blooming! This is the first time I've seen this tree bloom and they are simply wonderful!<br />
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As this unopened bud is, most of the flowers for this tree were hidden within the dense foliage. I'm hoping, now that the tree has finally begun to bloom that each year we'll see more and more of these beauties.<br />
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This is one of two of our wood nymphs that we found at Lowe's. This one resides in the birdbath among the glossy abalias and the gold St. John's Wart. The other resides in the birdbath in the HOSPICE bed we created from plants we bought at a HOSPICE Auction two years ago. These two nymphs add the bit of whimsey needed in our garden.<br />
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<strong>This is a rose of note - Anne Marie de Montravel.</strong> It all started in 1987 when we bought our home in Lancaster suburbia and I wanted a rose garden. Husband bought me a rose through a club he joined and I decided I needed a few more to finish the bed. On a trip to Home Depot, they had an antique rose called Anne Marie de Montravel, so I got it thinking that it would be nice to have an antique rose in the garden. It turns out that the rose was misnamed and actually was Frau Karl Druschki, which is also classified as an antique rose, but is a hybrid perpetual bred in 1901in Lambert Germany.<br />
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On the other hand, Anne Marie de Montravel is a polyantha bred by Francois Dubreuil in Rambaux, France and introduced in 1879. Anne Marie de Montravel is a much smaller rose than Frau Karl Druschki and since I have both in my garden, I will say that in my garden, Anne Marie is the far better rose. She towers at almost 6 feet tall and nearly 10 feet wide which makes her almost 3Xs the size she's supposed to get. This rose will cover itself with tiny white blooms several times a year.<br />
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When it was discovered that the rose I originally got was not Anne Marie but actually Frau Karl Durschki, I searched for Anne Marie but a friend told me it was not available in the US. In 2002, the year we moved into this home, Anne Marie de Montravel became available in this country in limited quantities through a grower which many considered questionable. Still I ordered the rose. It came so absolutely tiny I had serious doubts if it would make it. But I planted it anyway, right into the ground. The first year, a rabbit got it and chewed it to the ground as it began to grow, so I put a cage around it to keep the rabbit at bay. It lived until the next spring, still very tiny but outgrew the cage quickly and I had to free it. 10 years later, my very tiny, brand new rose is pictured above.<br />
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Two floribundas I had planted around it succumbed to the powerful Anne Marie de Montravel. One of which I will be replacing in the spring should another spot open up in the garden somewhere. She rivals my breathtaking Marie Pavie who often crowds Happy, a smaller bright red polyantha given to me by a friend. Happy doesn't seem to mind to much though.<br />
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It's funny, I have a lot of trouble with Hybrid Tea roses, but when it comes to the "Old Garden Roses" such as Ann Marie de Montravel (1879), Marie Pavie (1888), Happy (1954) and Leonie Lamesch (1899), all polyanthas, Some of the stronger hybrid perpetuals such as Baronne Provost (1842), and the exquisit Gruss an Aachen (1909), considered the 1st floribunda, just to name a few, grow so nicely in my garden with strength, disease resistance and breathtaking ease. These roses were bred to grow in a garden. And with these roses I'm quite happy.<br />
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There are other roses in the garden, most of which are the older, proven varieties that I grow in my garden. And I'll leave some of those for another day.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-23985171972365541892012-04-29T11:41:00.000-04:002012-04-29T11:41:10.493-04:00Longwood GardensYesterday we went to Longwood Gardens to attend Dr. Joan Maloof's lecture "Among the Ancients" It was a very interesting lecture about the ancient (virgin) forests that are now at 1% of their original numbers. The group was also surprised to find out that our National Parks and lands are not protected from logging and/or mineral depletion. We also learned that amount of time it would take to put protection policies in place would make it almost impossible to save what is left of our old wood. One of the group suggested that her old growth network get together with the game commission to help establish a network of old forests. This would be a win/win. The old forests is where the animals are most at home and it would help with the hunting experience for those who enjoy this sport. <br />
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<a href="http://www.oldgrowthforest.net/">www.OldGrowthForest.net</a><br />
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When I first moved to Conestoga, I loved the area for all the old trees and old forests. I moved to Green Hill and was so glad that I did. The deer, turkey, plaited woodpeckers and all the other animals were fund to watch and listen to. In the past 10 years, the plaited woodpeckers are now gone; the deer population and dwindled and I no longer see any of the huge 16 point bucks that roamed here frequently; and much of the old wood on this mountain is gone too. This was a wonderful forest of hardwoods such as beech, oak of several varieties, poplar, maple. Many have been cut down to make room for roads, houses and grass. What trees are being planted are Asian trees that have no benefit here.<br />
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Scientists are always warning us about global warming. How can this not be happening with 99% of our forests now depleted? They are the core of our earth. The oxygen that we breath, the coolness that we feel on a hot day, homes for animals and food for us all. They live on carbon dioxide and their roots stop erosion. They also help us save on fuel, but cooling our homes with their shade in the summer and in the winter, when their branches are bare, they allow the warm sun through to help with heat. And yet we continue to destroy our forests. We are drawn to the forest as are all animals. This is where we find the beauty we so need to drop blood pressure and make sense of life. Yet we are the only species that will see something beautiful and destroy it, hoping that it will become part of us. In the end, all we did was destroy something beautiful.<br />
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When we built our home 10 years ago, we placed it in a knoll of a farm field. The 1 1/4 acres that surrounds it we've planted 65 trees in that time, ranging from small understory food trees and large shrubs to poplar, ash, oak and maple for shade and living areas for birds. We also planted a number of evergreen trees included in that count, again for food and shelter as well as wind breaks from the strong Westerlies that blow across the property. Our bird population has increased to include sparrows (3 different species), wrens (2 species), finches (3 species), woodpeckers (4 species), thrashers, cardinals, blue jays, bluebirds, tree swallows, catbirds, mockingbirds, orioles (2 species), hummingbirds and hawks (2 species), the great horned owl and an occasional eagle. Lots of visiting birds migrating or just visiting.<br />
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Unfortunately, our trees are still very young. I won't live to see them mature, but will be able to enjoy them right now. I've already watched our garden grow from barren and hot to a much more shady and inviting garden. I hope to see it grow even larger.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-65256430120996746642012-02-22T17:19:00.007-05:002012-02-22T17:57:50.868-05:00Something BigIt's been about a month ago now, we had a visit from the local electric company. They were concerned that we had two white ash trees in "their" border zone of the high tension lines that run behind our property. This are is an easement and although they do allow plants in this area, large trees are another story.<br /><br />Our concern was the weather. It's been entirely to warm this winter and the ground hasn't frozen which is what is needed for the equipment to be on the property with the least amount of damage. I asked for an extension if I needed it to get these trees moved. PPL agreed since they were in the border zone and young trees.<br /><br />Today the tree movers we hired came to move the trees. The 10 ton tree spade was huge!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzyq4AzCUd8697cNR1HUvENq8kIa4PquLWQ9K_zWJW2KMjjOnePvPzl1ycbokZi-SDKAq9Tw-xHGbwxgiShebzhP-lJLx01bsg2dcXjclwR3mnBFu5gBCK4bCPZr_tCyyl8di/s1600/Tree-Spade-1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712092165005055842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzyq4AzCUd8697cNR1HUvENq8kIa4PquLWQ9K_zWJW2KMjjOnePvPzl1ycbokZi-SDKAq9Tw-xHGbwxgiShebzhP-lJLx01bsg2dcXjclwR3mnBFu5gBCK4bCPZr_tCyyl8di/s320/Tree-Spade-1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3i8IFTuUEgJzHcJ8Ow3k943Tzq3j97yw7jUhiIOTS9Tay2yQdnpApdw_xFkiqqOm25KRUHKaXXpoGHM94fsgCpyKu6EInuFj2ysM26aLp4Qbh4ioVi814s_o81jY1-yOnGeK/s1600/Tree-Spade-2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712091990398774386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3i8IFTuUEgJzHcJ8Ow3k943Tzq3j97yw7jUhiIOTS9Tay2yQdnpApdw_xFkiqqOm25KRUHKaXXpoGHM94fsgCpyKu6EInuFj2ysM26aLp4Qbh4ioVi814s_o81jY1-yOnGeK/s320/Tree-Spade-2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjNHg59WTg-57q5vLFiAMOSukrRaBfTEAfqx3V2EnUV0vTtTTb3uh3LfEEFl4YC0w5IBEZIZj5gkWFdUqOTeuOygFqyQWLo8_WUgSzRjC8dv19mZy8Er9GIgUtl02-9KDEr3N/s1600/tree-spade-3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712091984706985842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjNHg59WTg-57q5vLFiAMOSukrRaBfTEAfqx3V2EnUV0vTtTTb3uh3LfEEFl4YC0w5IBEZIZj5gkWFdUqOTeuOygFqyQWLo8_WUgSzRjC8dv19mZy8Er9GIgUtl02-9KDEr3N/s320/tree-spade-3.jpg" /></a><br />Brian got the tree spade into position and double checked everything before actually digging the whole that one of the trees will occupy.</div><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jfmNol6Aj4hBJR98RdIeQqO6zqlBIh_PcJVrSKnR5o_4TzwZ0bg8LxDbGBuAJIIXhEYP-4jdLHhEUXi5W4yCfcGM3lUk1FSWfP91nOfHcD3CUDJk6Js8b0EqKgw16cnkCype/s1600/The-hole.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712091985670963906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jfmNol6Aj4hBJR98RdIeQqO6zqlBIh_PcJVrSKnR5o_4TzwZ0bg8LxDbGBuAJIIXhEYP-4jdLHhEUXi5W4yCfcGM3lUk1FSWfP91nOfHcD3CUDJk6Js8b0EqKgw16cnkCype/s320/The-hole.jpg" /></a><br />When he was finished, the hole was 5 feet wide by 5 feet deep.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8q7oyrZpqhanY2cwTB_7Rf8Uhsok_uz-fxoYmDGWgUHbhkR5e-c10d4kyUPGygDlLYzYLFVAV4PUkxxr_559zgIZhAfTVikWKOLhh-IPrkhUrfFIMiMYgV5euPaPYHpUmbZ9/s1600/tree-spade-5.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712091979682203522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8q7oyrZpqhanY2cwTB_7Rf8Uhsok_uz-fxoYmDGWgUHbhkR5e-c10d4kyUPGygDlLYzYLFVAV4PUkxxr_559zgIZhAfTVikWKOLhh-IPrkhUrfFIMiMYgV5euPaPYHpUmbZ9/s320/tree-spade-5.jpg" /></a> After digging the first tree ( the smallest one), he stops and measures the size of the plug (dirt and tree) to make sure it is the same size as the hole he dug to fit it into. With this smaller tree, it will never even know that it's been moved! There were absolutely no roots cut with this one as the spade is much larger than necessary for the 3½" diameter ash.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL_Ad2Ttl3poGoJhojnxoiARp1dSVV1oDmq36T4ik0k1pdTWsUzl2UTvxRPl6VQ6nPJwnpT6mNEOB80EpC0HAW37VWLS5NhjBbcFOYXzlCL1ICrhGJ59RO4Swz983T3E7OTRb/s1600/tree-spade-6.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712091977685342162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL_Ad2Ttl3poGoJhojnxoiARp1dSVV1oDmq36T4ik0k1pdTWsUzl2UTvxRPl6VQ6nPJwnpT6mNEOB80EpC0HAW37VWLS5NhjBbcFOYXzlCL1ICrhGJ59RO4Swz983T3E7OTRb/s320/tree-spade-6.jpg" /></a><br />The larger 10" diameter tree was much more the size for this tree spade, but only a few roots were cut with it. This tree should be able to snap back quickly as well. In the above shot, Brian is placing the larger tree plug into the hole he had dug for it earlier.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I did get a charge out of the little Black-Capped Chickadees who all sat in the beech tree watching as we moved these trees. They were very curious and very unafraid. They made me laugh.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It was really a beautiful day for all this work to get done. My day started at 7am when I was outside digging up plants that I didn't want hurt or ruined by this spade. Husband joined me around 9am and we were able to get all the plants out of the way and are now shoed into the garden for a few days until we have a chance to establish the four holes and plugs that are now in the yard and make a nice place for them to be permanently.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The rest of the week is to be wet chilly weather. This will be great for the two trees and all the ruts that were put into the yard with this huge piece of machinery. It will water in and set the trees and prepare the other plugs for the plants we want to put in them.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxfV6XbCSsR05YZa8eT_rv-h3yUVLTOpBIx2_KmFNJPjHlMwdDeGmiC8hHWvy8oHaOHYwmk_1WSZ__CyBb2DWBoCGF-cSP43miUE4KID241cKEWNnv1LIKhiQfaE2Djgz6LOz/s1600/tree-spade-6.jpg"></a></div></div></div></div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-661683786843270832011-06-15T06:28:00.007-04:002011-06-15T07:05:25.119-04:00Trees of interest<div align="center">We went to Hershey Garden Monday, mainly to see about photographing roses. The roses weren't all that nice this time of year, but we were able to get some nice shots of some interesting trees.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618391755584042610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr-ZFbUHWftu7V5BWAejl_z87W_bZILdu_LY7ThUQIkcVe4iukaxlcfun7IG7o2v7g5dc_UPC3Seqt0miukiKt-bNpZRHKVdKhGl5f5KCPueyneieK7qlDzrDYGEGtxR7RNO2/s320/mature-tricolored-beech.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><div align="center">At my Open Garden Event, many folks were asking me about the beautiful pink tree in the middle of my back yard. It is a tricolored beech. The tree above is a mature tree in it's summer garb that grows at Hershey Gardens. It is about 30 feet tall with a lovely 20 to 30 foot spread. This tree is as impressive mature as it is in my garden as a young one. Ask me again why the beech (no matter what variety) is my favorite tree. I must admit to being more impressed with the mature trees than young ones anyway.</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzbs-Km-0C94LDqCIi9JW4O0FK9Jye_nMGRMRYHkMPf3rYNh28FsN7_bi7QgLsmMW9ehaka38KqBhqZBoVlR49zknm9-053ZiVwN24byJmzBMTwzF3ycnAx4SU44boYkHU4gL/s1600/Mature-silk-tree.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618391758941286370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzbs-Km-0C94LDqCIi9JW4O0FK9Jye_nMGRMRYHkMPf3rYNh28FsN7_bi7QgLsmMW9ehaka38KqBhqZBoVlR49zknm9-053ZiVwN24byJmzBMTwzF3ycnAx4SU44boYkHU4gL/s320/Mature-silk-tree.jpg" /></a>My new neighbors were given a variety of beautiful young trees as a house warming gift by friends who own a nursery. What a wonderful gift! There are a total of 8 trees for them. So far they have 5 of them planted. Three red maples, a weeping cherry and a young silk tree like the one above. They will be the first in the neighborhood to have a silk tree. The one shown is a mature silk tree. A lovely small tree that seems to get about 10 feet tall with at least a 15 foot spread. In the spring (early June) the flowers on this tree resemble in fragrance and look of a lilac. It is a really lovely tree! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618391753351596066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr8cKsQPPZeqT4yUdirqa3X9C6QF69-CyC2HbJ3FBWUob1q8abdGtWV9gMZT5-JssuIa8A26meRy20a_OY_PmA2Tnw8i6SmLdS6CBuGXshc4z8Bisfe0B6PQErF6KuW3j9PW7/s320/mature-katsura-tree.jpg" />The three trees the neighbors were honored with but not planted yet (until fall as I understand) are Katsura trees. When I saw this mature one at Hershey, my first thought was that the neighbors need a bigger garden! Three of these on their acre of ground! Check out the adult people sitting under this beauty! There would be no room for the house! They were told they get about 30 feet tall. Yep, that's about right. But they were not told this tree has a 60 foot spread! This is one glorious tree but it does need ROOM! Whenever we go to Hershey, we actually seek this tree out to sit under to rest.</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center">There are a good many beautiful trees at Hershey and when I was looking at planting trees, or whenever I'm looking for planting trees, I often go there to see the mature trees in the garden. This gives me an idea of what a mature speciman will look like and how much room to give each one. My estimate, at the moment is that when my trees are mature, my garden will be mostly shade with some sun around the house at mid-day and in the front garden over the drain field.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">There are reasons I enjoy going to the public gardens, especially the ones with such good reps as Hershey and Longwood.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-20755158864937084672011-06-11T15:04:00.004-04:002011-06-11T15:35:41.073-04:00Relay for Cancer<div align="center">Today we went to a "Relay for Cancer" event and the Conestoga Valley HS track and field. It was a wonderful day, even with the brief shower. Today was a cross dressing event for the men. Tons of fun!!</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">Shortly before my mother passed, another family member, Jim Ziggler passed away from cancer. This spurred on many of the family members who were closest to him to join in the fun and try to earn some money for the cause.</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">We couldn't resist the temptation to take pictures of the guys in the "Ziggy Zone" as they cross-dressed for this event. The object was for them to go around the entire track and field area collecting as much money as they could for cancer research.</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">While there we also met other folks we knew who have retired from work. This was a very fun day!</div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617040700337111442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGGCeMuLF1R1XEkxFQkcMpyftxDmLkUkuSD_uqgww28ogQo-q1uZpnxU0lB1TWjavK9MDWdNOb5YIBAYFHwt7YjyjIuZKreKH9_xjVk1HWKSuRRSRB5Lz7xwWujmCaAm_QG-u/s320/The-Girls.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617040692106357298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6DcqOU2dbS6mxl_I_jqQo3-7tUWahpad3ZYrHpVAKu7Nx9C5pW22SnGBwMKC1OvZYzx6Da6tujIO-MsKo20is3WxeRYSIvg-alVs33OmxRIqIVdCr2YUdE-TaoONNn_L5AxD/s320/Dad-and-Jim.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617040678371059330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE9sqrtvq9pDSQaK66cK0HSGsnspDPMwFTkrjyksDd7gmJ5Ps1IljhnE4JWnnifQUkA4v5owNco2bnEKc2GyQvUoCnSozUmvPe8BojE6EIzZoIy9Oq2gIp5zkbCPGoxRqwU3H/s320/Jim.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617040683782279458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rnTtDwbeRtwdH9wSrMochae1TaFT0Q6rhnDByBDFgwffuAyYRUUomLxh-JdfqDVRxdjiWSqF8Yk7PmtoBSWlehgS9R25RaEbyLR25jFNlbksuZ0Kgpjo6v1GE2mPZNar2eg6/s320/Jennifer.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617040702354146514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM90ZPevpWbqsmbc_cn-RWdAMNEkUPKiaathNcOgA-hagZILUCSLf7V4uxu-4EPZ3w5TyWAiNDKW2UL1EDHqvwZCuTnC413mW4coPrFYjUNu_JpGLv_kCFRMhiVw5CXcKt1Ui9/s320/The-team.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41a81llO0LktUsgsh0ZTRue1mZMrWQnB4M_4lIoXB6Y4vXhWG3l5-idz-q6kQTlyLWVg6iJvoX2ZLvZOlOh-rhlFgI68Kb3biBO0oaPyvpjcpDMyV8FvDedasuXQJZIUrs1DR/s1600/The-movie-star.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617041195298454962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41a81llO0LktUsgsh0ZTRue1mZMrWQnB4M_4lIoXB6Y4vXhWG3l5-idz-q6kQTlyLWVg6iJvoX2ZLvZOlOh-rhlFgI68Kb3biBO0oaPyvpjcpDMyV8FvDedasuXQJZIUrs1DR/s320/The-movie-star.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgV6yKdD9QMw2Fg8A1fI0qcU53-B1vYuVvnIAz-scxelo1sUJPtnIy4T9TAVImkYvesynoheIaqay0oa4SerTX2ReCUDCI97VkrDOcuqRIb0x0J7N3IEw7G9wxUZuz6DWgd2M/s1600/The-pout.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617041190347039314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgV6yKdD9QMw2Fg8A1fI0qcU53-B1vYuVvnIAz-scxelo1sUJPtnIy4T9TAVImkYvesynoheIaqay0oa4SerTX2ReCUDCI97VkrDOcuqRIb0x0J7N3IEw7G9wxUZuz6DWgd2M/s320/The-pout.jpg" /></a> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 151px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617041023441578146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ygjhatZX0D-hgKhvaDp-RxBX8XQ-mum07P1JilLSCeJa4zX7ftNYqQaa8mu-jYzQb9qxq5HORXub5nUi911cfgeCQR22MPjCt5-x-HWX6vaPxcxKG46RP26pIH7loF2r14Jy/s320/The-dancer.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617041016102676370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cfsmYNsMjQgzfuhemhR4vPa_odCW-BOdvr9RXafZo1DQmTXsO_rv3sCFnbTida96dcAxI60tCLkOFitL13U06PKCJ-eR-5QXh0wCbnukK-4eA-VEG41UVZfl74iSGsg3OQIp/s320/The-band.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617041013022621218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGeNKU4WE20JHNqfseGpmf0FWS9SE3OE5JHIrKnIt-4Koupzhhdw7xuAgRjjWibDMrROdaMYFqzyNt6DwRtgxkioRZgufl3J5Li9Kv-5h2TNKbm-S_FxosyAjlE4UpAnhU-dYv/s320/Contest-3.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617041010457758770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjoh1Mduzm7Z8jT7IiwZJmqVxlzFURCJoSDuDjUU3UCzMqz0XdaG0VrVL8dx4Mhw4-Nc4Qxy4cJF3lJxcV8hQNJkKo0o8IItGUcIH47Ux68W99_Zsz8TsruVUpKo1nksSwmRn/s320/Contestant-2.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617041005255060290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUczGZHjwnCHo0EDx-3kRbZFt5Lh02C_vNAKRXSSdiorEoj1f5Be2MU1ABBsI_PyWrb_3whZ6dIk8AEbAU_IKjLFGa0gxR2_X6LPoAmw3ix8-TaQzKM5nSEZlkhVd9kGpVrgwl/s320/Contestant-1.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><p align="center">There were quite a number of men dressing for this event and I must admit I was impressed with the individually and creativity they expressed with dressing up. They each seemed to have something different to share. Some were even brave enough to wear heels and strut around the field. Now there's a feat even I wouldn't want to attempt.</p><br /><p align="center">I'm not exactly sure how much money the "Ziggy Zone" made for the cancer research, but I do know they made it to the "Gold Zone". Great job, folks! </p><br /><p align="center">I do know I left there pretty much cash poor.</p>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-29917887570599864542011-05-22T09:07:00.003-04:002011-05-22T09:24:08.881-04:00Yesterday<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4tsewJ_4x8AK4B4o43zxdTTNcytaNRX8MIf2VF1G587V9flZhwkY9hy5w7oX7-oCNk21oxHFs51v1PtnQeSlXnrL0xiKsmHcFSKqYT61qk9WhxngsNuA7nhIT4IW9lnDs8lh/s1600/Rainbow.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609526558573706354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4tsewJ_4x8AK4B4o43zxdTTNcytaNRX8MIf2VF1G587V9flZhwkY9hy5w7oX7-oCNk21oxHFs51v1PtnQeSlXnrL0xiKsmHcFSKqYT61qk9WhxngsNuA7nhIT4IW9lnDs8lh/s320/Rainbow.jpg" /></a> After three weeks of rain, cold, raw weather, we finally had a nice day, just in time for my meeting with my rose club and the open garden. It was a pleasant day and the turn-out of folks was nice. There was more than enough food to go around for everyone. I was pleased, but as usual, even with both Bob and I working the room(s), it didn't seem like enough. We were both kept very busy. But I think everyone got out of the event what they really wanted to.</div><br /><div align="center">Later, after everyone left, just as evening was coming, a beautiful rainbow made an appearance. Actually there were two, but by the time we got the camera, only one was left. What a wonderful promise after all the nasty, unstable weathr we'd just experienced.</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTITZcqrjJHcKm6jPh5P5EDVWCTyJKWms1frRY0eKeTWHCKmz9adcbHMClC67T2k1SeWaxV3j2WP-EFmz3o0qamv3ZiosuwSAQ4y0S2ADNMAA3TphR2fZ1qEIoj0GqLFH1Bz8/s1600/Mist-from-a-pond.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609526551172042770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTITZcqrjJHcKm6jPh5P5EDVWCTyJKWms1frRY0eKeTWHCKmz9adcbHMClC67T2k1SeWaxV3j2WP-EFmz3o0qamv3ZiosuwSAQ4y0S2ADNMAA3TphR2fZ1qEIoj0GqLFH1Bz8/s320/Mist-from-a-pond.jpg" /></a>We also got some shots of the pond about 1,000 feet from the property and the lovely mist that was rising from it in the evening temperatures.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE0Po5Dw6QCYKPBqQiRB9Fz-Wu_3zQbcYxp_mo9e5bCDkPXCviz7wkSRCtjH8HCS8_VtD_OyH4WzQe4FLx0QGECyOYM2H89Odz1LOh7EtelmG9O1bvcWiWdUQk1QVHPhg992M/s1600/viburman.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609526551459952978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE0Po5Dw6QCYKPBqQiRB9Fz-Wu_3zQbcYxp_mo9e5bCDkPXCviz7wkSRCtjH8HCS8_VtD_OyH4WzQe4FLx0QGECyOYM2H89Odz1LOh7EtelmG9O1bvcWiWdUQk1QVHPhg992M/s320/viburman.jpg" /></a> During the gathering, while walking around with one of the guests, Bob was able to snap this shot of the opening flowers of one of the viburman, All That Jazz. Very similar, except for the leaf structure to the Blue Muffin viburman (which I have two), All That Jazz also gets blue berries after the flowers that the birds will strip before they have a chance to drop off the plant.</div><br /><div>The Blue Muffin viburman are only a year old, not very big but are producing an abundance of fower heads already. Something that All That Jazz waited to do for about 3 years.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div><br /></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-66479188428897011572011-05-14T19:48:00.003-04:002011-05-14T20:02:24.526-04:00One of the Finishing Touches<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ_3vWRhoAYQdF5RurWABtguq6b-W40LiwpTU_ogNEatIAXPWRI76ImeQ5ymVrypWfxLA17uiG7iX4sFV8VjbSgWjeQor5t8g48_uBMItpauQt9RfkuByx5yhByU2H3kcM8eS/s1600/walk-3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606723157963538242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ_3vWRhoAYQdF5RurWABtguq6b-W40LiwpTU_ogNEatIAXPWRI76ImeQ5ymVrypWfxLA17uiG7iX4sFV8VjbSgWjeQor5t8g48_uBMItpauQt9RfkuByx5yhByU2H3kcM8eS/s320/walk-3.jpg" /></a> One of the finishing touches to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">hardscape</span> of the property is a path that I've been wanting from the patio to the driveway, so guests don't have to walk in wet grass and mud to get to it from the outside.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5CkMfPTtO1NC9zepMef4uZDNkGE4TIq9isxbr4mabSFoG42R6lkOwf6M6A-8h0wyBf2ftxR43HrgcqUVWjpRyUs-i2-36m4OWjV8POrWyFosZIOA9OXVhsEc-MtpG58HFFxM/s1600/walk-2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606723155029689218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5CkMfPTtO1NC9zepMef4uZDNkGE4TIq9isxbr4mabSFoG42R6lkOwf6M6A-8h0wyBf2ftxR43HrgcqUVWjpRyUs-i2-36m4OWjV8POrWyFosZIOA9OXVhsEc-MtpG58HFFxM/s320/walk-2.jpg" /></a> I hired a handyman team to help with the initial digging of the pathway. They dug a hole 4 inches deep, 30 inches wide and 80 feet long and did it in only a few hours. I was impressed and very delighted with the work! Husband, who argued with me at first was so impressed and glad that we had done that. It saved him a lot of time and backache. They also dug up the rest of the grass between the path and the rose garden, giving me an area for favorite annuals and a serious punch of color.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1U3UtZxeAc74ro4mytgs4ziSttlBWgjddqj-Ex0M8Nhev7PSkgJjRvp3vi0tVibi1Y9H2Bz2UZlrAZgk95BArONtizgoVc8aM-PE2B4FiP9m17YRM12dMvgxGdFwxeHI-2Au/s1600/Walk-1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606723151255915218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1U3UtZxeAc74ro4mytgs4ziSttlBWgjddqj-Ex0M8Nhev7PSkgJjRvp3vi0tVibi1Y9H2Bz2UZlrAZgk95BArONtizgoVc8aM-PE2B4FiP9m17YRM12dMvgxGdFwxeHI-2Au/s320/Walk-1.jpg" /></a> Husband actually did the rest. He <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">laid</span> down the weed block into the hole. Covered it with 2" of rough stone chips and began laying the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">pavers</span> with three inches between them, cutting the ones on the curves. This took about a week with good weather. Finally, with this done, he filled with the decorative stone pebbles I had gotten as a finish. During some breaks, we went to local flower nurseries and bought four flats of colorful annuals, mostly snapdragons (one of my favorites), marigolds (Husband's favorite), summer <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">saliva</span> in different colors, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Gerber</span> daisies, stock and a few other kinds of annuals.</div><br /><div>The flowers have been in a week now and this morning I headed out to give them their first dose of fertilizer and saw several hummers busily working through them. I think this will be nice.</div><br /><div>This is one thing I've been wanting done for a number of years - since we put the patio in anyway.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-20256674217921663952011-04-18T06:01:00.003-04:002011-04-18T06:34:36.709-04:00New Dawn is Dead!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpmMVkHu2wcvWWHU7_cM3fhodyQe311aJ4cJ21zLZ-0OeDMVoopzXtWQZeBBkfuxsmx5icBrflacxQZPbTDtj3zLSPHv6kA58_NpbI2zk2c05xySa-Z-ARPJgIIOTnkkOj4ii/s1600/New-Dawn.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 283px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596861803687068034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpmMVkHu2wcvWWHU7_cM3fhodyQe311aJ4cJ21zLZ-0OeDMVoopzXtWQZeBBkfuxsmx5icBrflacxQZPbTDtj3zLSPHv6kA58_NpbI2zk2c05xySa-Z-ARPJgIIOTnkkOj4ii/s320/New-Dawn.jpg" /></a> The highlight of my garden, the New Dawn rose, my grandmother's and my mother's favorite rose is dead! Don't ask me how or why, it simply died. This rose with a 17" diameter trunk on it, gorgeous blooms several times a year has done well until this spring. I am heartbroken. I truly expected this one to last over 50 years, not just nine. Now to get the thing off the arbor. This will be no easy feat. Most of the main canes are far to thick for even a heavy pruner and will need a chain saw. Most of them in my case are larger than both my wrists together. I'm figuring this will be the summer project. I think I do want to replace it with an own root New Dawn. The one on the other side was from Vintage Garden and is now three years old. They are harder to start, you need more patience, but maybe it will last longer than nine years. Right now, three main canes are over 12' tall but it doesn't have the mass yet as the other did. I will have to check with Vintage and Roses Unlimited about getting another. The problem with getting roses mail order, especially with Roses Unlimited, you need to purchase three roses and I'd want only the New Dawn. That is a downer. However, now that I think about it, Roses Unlimited also has Summer Wine which is another I would want, so with just one more, I could order three. I need to think about that quickly. All my roses in the back of the house took a hard hit this year. Many of my strongest roses froze to the ground. So far, I've lost just Ellen Wilmont that I can see. Even my most tender Crimson Bouquet survived. Then roses such a Marie Pavie, Charles Aznavour, Shaifra Asma, Ann Marie de Montravel, Rose de Rescht, Baron Prevost, Frau Karl Durschki, Bonica, Gruss an Aachen and all the climbers except New Dawn seem untouched. Even the very hard to root City of York, only two inches high when I finally planted it last fall, made it through the winter. It had just one 1/4" root on it after 4 months of diligently struggling with it to get it to root. Finally I had no choice last fall but to plant it. It's growing beautifully now. Go figure. I'll have to let you know what I do now, but there's no question that New Dawn is dead. Oh, I am heartsick about this.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-78440952516650566652011-04-03T19:05:00.003-04:002011-04-03T19:16:51.074-04:00Garden thoughts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lIXtik19CtkrfdgPyv5bDAnw1yOhodl8cBLSYKIttV1erBRrcun_VByeAvYSlgeG4vowfBUMK0uFo_fvSk2FJ31sHkqZNTEzP0RbQRXsWofefxfUP4ML9Ijk54vD4jLpaPVw/s1600/longwood-17.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591498166274521106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lIXtik19CtkrfdgPyv5bDAnw1yOhodl8cBLSYKIttV1erBRrcun_VByeAvYSlgeG4vowfBUMK0uFo_fvSk2FJ31sHkqZNTEzP0RbQRXsWofefxfUP4ML9Ijk54vD4jLpaPVw/s320/longwood-17.jpg" /></a> After showing you this gorgeous picture of Longwood Gardens weeping hemlock, I must show you mine... <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Urm7Kqb9GnJv2oGEEyzExkLyPkoxGer0NozdVx6abMXbnJx-4MAyiE7p6jHD-564tfgcD4hjqMMHjCLJoWJL79_0mOHNmOLxlZkaekdVTTjBCOc0vpuHwmhSi7gBxzBD6aA5/s1600/My-Hemlock.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591497770037010050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Urm7Kqb9GnJv2oGEEyzExkLyPkoxGer0NozdVx6abMXbnJx-4MAyiE7p6jHD-564tfgcD4hjqMMHjCLJoWJL79_0mOHNmOLxlZkaekdVTTjBCOc0vpuHwmhSi7gBxzBD6aA5/s320/My-Hemlock.jpg" /></a> This little on is about hip high and has been in the ground close to 5 years now. It's average growth is about 1/4" a year and at this rate it should take about 200 years to look like the one at Longwood. I do have this one a bit close to my well, but at it's growth rate, I'm in no big hurry to move it. I figure the well will be long gone before the tree gets big enough to interfer with it. <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oRrxRpEIZuMx7qy17hIGc85aeBL9yrKt7JIr3QMT6Ovi_oiJ2e8wRU7uklTd7KgT61HSDJMfNJ_kLL_Nk9udCWZdsYMzomf467LitigC6jgbGXWAl-tXuj1R7VGjuQlRMG93/s1600/Saurbaugh-West-Garden.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591497765482026962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oRrxRpEIZuMx7qy17hIGc85aeBL9yrKt7JIr3QMT6Ovi_oiJ2e8wRU7uklTd7KgT61HSDJMfNJ_kLL_Nk9udCWZdsYMzomf467LitigC6jgbGXWAl-tXuj1R7VGjuQlRMG93/s320/Saurbaugh-West-Garden.jpg" /></a> My new and improved west garden bed. After we discovered that the forthsytia had a gull disease, we had them dug out and transplanted the area with other plants, most of which were planted last fall. I don't usually like planting in the fall because of the severe artic winds we get here, many plants that haven't had a chance to establish a root system will usually die. To make matters worse, the Douglas fir was a problem for the nursery man to get it dug. I'm watching this tree closely and making sure it gets plenty of water and fertilizer this year to keep it going. I'll know soon if this tree has made it or if it is a goner. There is some die back on it, but also there's some on the blue spruce as well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. <br /><div></div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-29435330658944492552011-04-03T18:47:00.003-04:002011-04-03T18:53:32.695-04:00The Bones of Longwood Gardens Cont.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpywwWZUs1yJ_oKdbkCN-lppHLtqA-kq7zGeEzEcVrUjqphU2pg_61nmtvOq94JhyphenhyphencB1uUhekX5v960JZA9Is9XSOo778Tvy6TpPXdpmR7FDI670LLr7G2wjTApNxjScnqwtW/s1600/longwood-11.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 236px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591494234532413042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpywwWZUs1yJ_oKdbkCN-lppHLtqA-kq7zGeEzEcVrUjqphU2pg_61nmtvOq94JhyphenhyphencB1uUhekX5v960JZA9Is9XSOo778Tvy6TpPXdpmR7FDI670LLr7G2wjTApNxjScnqwtW/s320/longwood-11.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw9i-aJyu1SH22w5DDTXVaPRojQ7aT457FJYSYxZP_ytak6RrGdbC5Gh6BPkrZgkrdhLhQ5qQZNmVlV3HHa9NjHpTz2lpyK1-iK-Th58FTOFhhMVGSvK6Vk6gubqD2e7hckf9/s1600/longwood-12.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591494235253390386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw9i-aJyu1SH22w5DDTXVaPRojQ7aT457FJYSYxZP_ytak6RrGdbC5Gh6BPkrZgkrdhLhQ5qQZNmVlV3HHa9NjHpTz2lpyK1-iK-Th58FTOFhhMVGSvK6Vk6gubqD2e7hckf9/s320/longwood-12.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYwXvnNmRhRnRy6_b30HGfW5t0Zjpphyphenhyphenv6Z3dMrL1kSowdVoa9TEz6UFLjvSMy0qetSzWQKb9ZfybSwVy_-XsT52kaIpoflbQO23vMMrdiRyGAVGmUECmD5aqgO8eQJ3G1GTg/s1600/longwood-18.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492983033920066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYwXvnNmRhRnRy6_b30HGfW5t0Zjpphyphenhyphenv6Z3dMrL1kSowdVoa9TEz6UFLjvSMy0qetSzWQKb9ZfybSwVy_-XsT52kaIpoflbQO23vMMrdiRyGAVGmUECmD5aqgO8eQJ3G1GTg/s320/longwood-18.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEizFk32J3hZTFtgbyeZGbtFdbAsl4vk_hgT3WjTHpS-2kgn-YhwNuzwi71i139kZt55NLP1tgHpzapwHI8yTygPv8cjqrNvb4gl7AozLmXEu1XdWgmQlgcHqQ2LyNbJ9_jLg/s1600/longwood-19.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492975225853442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEizFk32J3hZTFtgbyeZGbtFdbAsl4vk_hgT3WjTHpS-2kgn-YhwNuzwi71i139kZt55NLP1tgHpzapwHI8yTygPv8cjqrNvb4gl7AozLmXEu1XdWgmQlgcHqQ2LyNbJ9_jLg/s320/longwood-19.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTeQsG-4IUqDYdCL_rRvhMpC2PLqNZDNWf9JCh05RcMT2hL4F5C2woCXQ6qPkv6sS0ibyY-Ihyphenhyphenwa-No47ipKYr1h5RtnC9xRVKL0koKCZ6KDkPqprq3i7OdPTy-Jth92Sgyg1/s1600/longwood-20.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492974054120962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTeQsG-4IUqDYdCL_rRvhMpC2PLqNZDNWf9JCh05RcMT2hL4F5C2woCXQ6qPkv6sS0ibyY-Ihyphenhyphenwa-No47ipKYr1h5RtnC9xRVKL0koKCZ6KDkPqprq3i7OdPTy-Jth92Sgyg1/s320/longwood-20.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MTYTr4toGOvhpBFj6Q3blW6IbxZt61o4rIFdb57MZsMbeTXToQzcvkBNUatR1VAxdu9nHVBLY2qbY1zX3jUCk40KWxYVK8X8UqbXh_g-dWJotfV6qDPpL4auCJCIC7-idv5O/s1600/longwood-21.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492967660664962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MTYTr4toGOvhpBFj6Q3blW6IbxZt61o4rIFdb57MZsMbeTXToQzcvkBNUatR1VAxdu9nHVBLY2qbY1zX3jUCk40KWxYVK8X8UqbXh_g-dWJotfV6qDPpL4auCJCIC7-idv5O/s320/longwood-21.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQJkbcxcpB7UY_zro5kFrt_778vGJe85kVTTt9PxQy4BU5KMaaBmGNsZDQNTnL1yUgNR0Hh7C-rNw-0mg_in6qyha68rGV4PcohVyY1En99Dsc-8KaW-eXcMYjpJMPdIRlIfM/s1600/longwood-22.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492966277556290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQJkbcxcpB7UY_zro5kFrt_778vGJe85kVTTt9PxQy4BU5KMaaBmGNsZDQNTnL1yUgNR0Hh7C-rNw-0mg_in6qyha68rGV4PcohVyY1En99Dsc-8KaW-eXcMYjpJMPdIRlIfM/s320/longwood-22.jpg" /></a> <br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-91861406160824204622011-04-03T18:41:00.003-04:002011-04-03T18:46:57.754-04:00The Bones of Longwood Gardens<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlzUBctGXzqrKpZPc9_1i-52urqBwOmBgUdAuP9gnjQeD0Dn4KNqCS02l3FB52opXElbkL0CEqk_PdZD9GH-tRHkU7k1yVs5nvWPQ9TGW7TP7yGH30xoSzh4poC_7otbuuzt7/s1600/longwood-1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492435909157010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlzUBctGXzqrKpZPc9_1i-52urqBwOmBgUdAuP9gnjQeD0Dn4KNqCS02l3FB52opXElbkL0CEqk_PdZD9GH-tRHkU7k1yVs5nvWPQ9TGW7TP7yGH30xoSzh4poC_7otbuuzt7/s320/longwood-1.jpg" /></a> We went to Longwood Gardens today to try out my new camera and we did! 162 pictures worth. We also wanted to start using our new membership cards which I just received and I'm thinking we'll go there a lot more often now. Here are a few of the pictures we took today: <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn3z-qLWqj2jWMLYXSTuhIv3fX2eJgZ2wD8TIuwVh48IQPMtWIDRF9rTHbfW7oFwXbnjJ1F9PH4IuW4R7YCKm7jnlVrWp-mLbh1ABPUnlSX-X3TvH2G-SP2fX-qA2Hfd0i_B6/s1600/longwood-2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492434735975154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn3z-qLWqj2jWMLYXSTuhIv3fX2eJgZ2wD8TIuwVh48IQPMtWIDRF9rTHbfW7oFwXbnjJ1F9PH4IuW4R7YCKm7jnlVrWp-mLbh1ABPUnlSX-X3TvH2G-SP2fX-qA2Hfd0i_B6/s320/longwood-2.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yMPUppkxBqKmEPtsPxEWSkADS02kVtrx575opgZ2NEUMDGQtSqEXT3iffymMPDYNVU-hIXEgktAZ8Srs-g3R7d6LRvaLgxQ2wqXA5POOuw59mgKG2fv0K7q0KlL-dUQtmyf-/s1600/longwood-3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492432774541858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yMPUppkxBqKmEPtsPxEWSkADS02kVtrx575opgZ2NEUMDGQtSqEXT3iffymMPDYNVU-hIXEgktAZ8Srs-g3R7d6LRvaLgxQ2wqXA5POOuw59mgKG2fv0K7q0KlL-dUQtmyf-/s320/longwood-3.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS1C8Yi5Uj_if3LHfMd4xT0iupcjYfhJglXkx_KiZ0U6np_Lp7NtlI5_Ub1XYTSY1plTk8DnuJTADDwGGzOsx9TAlsmU-9Sn3OUnTk4vkCXJfEdal5oAckKmorrrf8_u2ao7o/s1600/longwood-4.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492431028349330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS1C8Yi5Uj_if3LHfMd4xT0iupcjYfhJglXkx_KiZ0U6np_Lp7NtlI5_Ub1XYTSY1plTk8DnuJTADDwGGzOsx9TAlsmU-9Sn3OUnTk4vkCXJfEdal5oAckKmorrrf8_u2ao7o/s320/longwood-4.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PTTiIPysa0YfETCCVNM5uKeyo0c_0J0QhIZTBQ2nTZTMIkNHSJXEJuH8ud2XVyQT_w7ZEYm4FT1J1KRVmbejrloaT4k3c8w1-u8tT0zZe9LNDwxKnBsEidLMjX0EbC13rVl1/s1600/longwood-5.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492428516408946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PTTiIPysa0YfETCCVNM5uKeyo0c_0J0QhIZTBQ2nTZTMIkNHSJXEJuH8ud2XVyQT_w7ZEYm4FT1J1KRVmbejrloaT4k3c8w1-u8tT0zZe9LNDwxKnBsEidLMjX0EbC13rVl1/s320/longwood-5.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTx8YvApX7HlftEdVlrTBDPxVz9o9YD1zuGcdmg0lTXN3J1Z4k1Ovn3LSvYPE2NdsIzg73YQdAihKvQgXQUSeHhdhhSgGCMrsfvA1KHc68_YcZcFE3Y4VvhBVNM_DJ_89KNSfG/s1600/longwood-6.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492176295888130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTx8YvApX7HlftEdVlrTBDPxVz9o9YD1zuGcdmg0lTXN3J1Z4k1Ovn3LSvYPE2NdsIzg73YQdAihKvQgXQUSeHhdhhSgGCMrsfvA1KHc68_YcZcFE3Y4VvhBVNM_DJ_89KNSfG/s320/longwood-6.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUmB8Dhd7JlRXU2v9tLC8pU4knAo5w32zy1cQCNRNDyQy_TXygmOwL4vcB4WlaDLh6OKgoCYgLNOIeSnOK36sjW-hFmkXlIqpHDUQOggAA_nZVxFGxJxg04Sk8g-WiLuWPD3i/s1600/longwood-7.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492172034544962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUmB8Dhd7JlRXU2v9tLC8pU4knAo5w32zy1cQCNRNDyQy_TXygmOwL4vcB4WlaDLh6OKgoCYgLNOIeSnOK36sjW-hFmkXlIqpHDUQOggAA_nZVxFGxJxg04Sk8g-WiLuWPD3i/s320/longwood-7.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7aRMzV5nDf7UoHg1NGXfmdJsaCuVMkPCiztb2oksdBa-C43QdoElwYg63b82vjU52_arbPQ5Y_wDy_GdduB7lldcHGcZF5AUz9SmCVplDr1dzpHiSDUZg4Ri9j6ApvUy-m23/s1600/longwood-8.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492170154789058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7aRMzV5nDf7UoHg1NGXfmdJsaCuVMkPCiztb2oksdBa-C43QdoElwYg63b82vjU52_arbPQ5Y_wDy_GdduB7lldcHGcZF5AUz9SmCVplDr1dzpHiSDUZg4Ri9j6ApvUy-m23/s320/longwood-8.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwRZ1SxUXVXpXlSinJFtdP5lBgBacKNwBvKBcqu94VtJKkZFirRGUlWIouT5x51qa7e_2D9xB1f3RrIxZ-B5BeauPFd9aoPKuiQx1RGlmoOJTdrxKMJOzGcR1-9ig9EcPLEWX/s1600/longwood-9.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492163281797154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwRZ1SxUXVXpXlSinJFtdP5lBgBacKNwBvKBcqu94VtJKkZFirRGUlWIouT5x51qa7e_2D9xB1f3RrIxZ-B5BeauPFd9aoPKuiQx1RGlmoOJTdrxKMJOzGcR1-9ig9EcPLEWX/s320/longwood-9.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6xRp5XmgLSY6ye4hcYIThIbCjcTyBg4HVHpnt0XEVPazuOeYdPbin8poOq6wwtsDCaYIHif984NfhQIxmBH2Cn7VkY2JmQd9ol0gI0PZSWjFpN3Re7kbgDULiXap26du6GMQ/s1600/longwood-10.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591492160536214386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6xRp5XmgLSY6ye4hcYIThIbCjcTyBg4HVHpnt0XEVPazuOeYdPbin8poOq6wwtsDCaYIHif984NfhQIxmBH2Cn7VkY2JmQd9ol0gI0PZSWjFpN3Re7kbgDULiXap26du6GMQ/s320/longwood-10.jpg" /></a> <br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-63224644314685877742011-03-19T18:28:00.004-04:002011-03-19T19:00:36.359-04:00The Penn State Master Gardner's Symposium<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1CLrLQwjSFlhVwbPoJcqkJg8_5jkchYz5trt0_EoHKo21ov7Q1Cfe8XkRClPOnmisMbLK05GGsfLwN3VujDrXkD58a9V5ruWQx7WSBzxmR2p8jgdp4jQiovK-sxdhLOIlUvp/s1600/Penn-State-Master-Gardner%2527s.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585922089205867186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1CLrLQwjSFlhVwbPoJcqkJg8_5jkchYz5trt0_EoHKo21ov7Q1Cfe8XkRClPOnmisMbLK05GGsfLwN3VujDrXkD58a9V5ruWQx7WSBzxmR2p8jgdp4jQiovK-sxdhLOIlUvp/s320/Penn-State-Master-Gardner%2527s.jpg" /></a><br />Today was the Penn State Master Gardener's Symposium. This is a once a year seminar that lasts one day. We make this one of the spring beginnings for the season each year.<br /><br />Each year they have a number of speakers to talk about gardening from designing to vegetable garden and more. This year we heard from experts and doctors in their field for perennials, vegetable gardening, native gardening and we also had a local wild animal expert visit us.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYMpSWT5kaWH3o12VCVos8MTvgMuV-GdpZfs1RzuC5wIKxq06zLAMD9ZMzM8W1RAd53bMMfLwVejooTNFqfhNaxmKwXhK77vWkXo0WCHLfV4zk24aN76RyJy_fO1vhuLEI7M1/s1600/Jack-hubley-with-skunk.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585921916076793890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYMpSWT5kaWH3o12VCVos8MTvgMuV-GdpZfs1RzuC5wIKxq06zLAMD9ZMzM8W1RAd53bMMfLwVejooTNFqfhNaxmKwXhK77vWkXo0WCHLfV4zk24aN76RyJy_fO1vhuLEI7M1/s320/Jack-hubley-with-skunk.jpg" /></a><br />Jack <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hubley</span> is a licensed <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">falconer</span>, with several licenses to keep and maintain several birds of prey. He often does shows mostly for children, trying to teach about the wildlife in this area and how they impact us and the gardens. I must admit he was the highlight of the day especially when he came with several of his animals.</div><div> </div><div>He first showed us a skunk. He was trying to tell us how incredible they were when they weren't skunk pie in the middle of the road. And admittedly, I thought his skunk was actually delightful. This one was born a captive critter and had been <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">desented</span> at a very young age. Being born a captive critter, to be left in the wild it would become instant prey for the skunk's arch enemy (yes, there is an animal that will actually eat them).<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScfn5aVqoq5PR3c8CdmZgA1MkT_KShNqH6cIqcVswcvcpNqQDSdsTc9DmC2Oir2-qGWp0VzCuQ-4Er24USLK-Za4cOONq5s1Zzn3ZL79lhyphenhyphenaJuVn-PMsIs3rDOc8K_ZYbJumt/s1600/jack-hubley-with-red-tail-2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585921915769951506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScfn5aVqoq5PR3c8CdmZgA1MkT_KShNqH6cIqcVswcvcpNqQDSdsTc9DmC2Oir2-qGWp0VzCuQ-4Er24USLK-Za4cOONq5s1Zzn3ZL79lhyphenhyphenaJuVn-PMsIs3rDOc8K_ZYbJumt/s320/jack-hubley-with-red-tail-2.jpg" /></a><br />He also brought us his red-tailed hawk. This little lady was hit by a truck on Route 30 some eight years ago when she dove after a meadow vole and into the path of the truck. A passing motorist saw the accident and called the Dover Wildlife Rescue and stayed with her until they arrived to rescue her. Her right wing was permanently damaged so her days as a free bird are no longer. She now visits schools and functions such as this one to show folks how <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">magnificent</span> her species truly is.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-G3B4HcG0VuUbnbPBHS6wG73TlY1KSb_P76XkeVVZEf-KL1F8PpkZMT_ECULnFuwp7M5_06Ht4qTNskmdKE7y5sbg1DHyHH9Me1OEfxZdlJ6Aafj3B-MEwgVE107nGgQhPIC/s1600/jack-hubley-with-great-horn.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 316px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585921909343385954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-G3B4HcG0VuUbnbPBHS6wG73TlY1KSb_P76XkeVVZEf-KL1F8PpkZMT_ECULnFuwp7M5_06Ht4qTNskmdKE7y5sbg1DHyHH9Me1OEfxZdlJ6Aafj3B-MEwgVE107nGgQhPIC/s320/jack-hubley-with-great-horn.jpg" /></a><br />He also showed us the skunk's arch enemy - the Great Horned Owl. I know this bird as I see them at night around the house, especially when the baby rabbits leave the nest. Here he is showing the comparison size of the eyes of both human and Great Horned Owl. Not only do they eat rabbits, but cats and skunks. If you love your cat, you keep it in the house at night.<br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /> </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlZ6rolpqjrDuvTvJqNXQMq5zRAjnNmtJXhVilP6BYnPMaP8S5vaM864m4mx9iGr5FNMjR5jg1GIPixHedBixdu4_NR9yUtDHz2c4YyJdBCz5ytYoACTNtrtivbcyVa-a7ONw/s1600/jack-hubley-with-falcon.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585921901863541458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlZ6rolpqjrDuvTvJqNXQMq5zRAjnNmtJXhVilP6BYnPMaP8S5vaM864m4mx9iGr5FNMjR5jg1GIPixHedBixdu4_NR9yUtDHz2c4YyJdBCz5ytYoACTNtrtivbcyVa-a7ONw/s320/jack-hubley-with-falcon.jpg" /></a><br />He showed us his male <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">peregrine</span> falcon. He did say this boy was a prima dona and the bird proved it every time Jack opened his mouth, the bird spoke up even louder. He told us about the birds and how they've been multiplying nicely, their numbers increasing annually - but not as good as the eagles. He also discribed the flight abilities of these birds and how impressive they are.<br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2VDR5FXys8Cdj0WEBpbKjYC3TtqLSjfmW1Ry2Du5uRX10nVS3yPMUiIx04-MFltDNc7hiBkAULzrwSlBeyGeAjIB1mReANvr95ioBbKsu5rgu90a9t2r0griuFWYNYvsklpq/s1600/jack-hubley-with-a-black-ra.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585921902300527410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2VDR5FXys8Cdj0WEBpbKjYC3TtqLSjfmW1Ry2Du5uRX10nVS3yPMUiIx04-MFltDNc7hiBkAULzrwSlBeyGeAjIB1mReANvr95ioBbKsu5rgu90a9t2r0griuFWYNYvsklpq/s320/jack-hubley-with-a-black-ra.jpg" /></a><br /><br />He also showed us a 6' black rat snake, a very common snake in this area. This is a snake you often see sunning itself stretched across the less traveled roads around here. Even though they aren't poisonous, I'd still rather keep my distance and allow them the respect they need. </div><div> </div><div>He also showed up the white footed mouse (field mouse as we call them here) and the meadow vole, two of the most hunted animals on the planet. For being so tiny, these creatures are the corner stone of all predator life here. </div><div> </div><div>The whole talk he was moving through the audience with his animals and only one person left the room when he got the snake out. The rest of us gardeners were able to handle all the mice, voles, snakes, skunks, and birds of prey he presented to us and could even appreciate them.</div><div> </div><div>All in all, the day was incredible and well worth the money and the time. It started at 7:30 AM with coffee and breakfast and then a nice meal for lunch. It ended a little after 4PM because we decided to keep Jack Hubley and his animals a bit longer. It was a fun day and very enlightening. I look forward to next year already.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-23171012006182726102011-02-26T08:50:00.002-05:002011-02-26T08:54:18.506-05:002010 Overview2010 turned out to be an extremely rough year for the family. With my mother's passing, September 27 and some serious illness with the rest of the family, it was hard enough. Add to that the deaths of four friends and an aunt on Christmas Day and all this made for a very rough year.<br /><br />Even going into January of 2011, things still hadn't settled. But now, everything seems to be getting better, evening out and calming down. I certainly hope so anyway. I am in need of some quiet, restful time.<br /><br />Now, however, spring in right around the corner and the early spring events have already begun to start. My weekends are filling up quickly. But I still have quiet time, like this morning and they feel good.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-52273562937568106462011-02-26T08:30:00.006-05:002011-02-26T08:47:39.551-05:00A New Toy<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-HKm47QjSZTRCj7ubrFG_AmF8NNQpE2BFLtKhqSaSQ6n5e-VViXFj2xrqflX_A2jfsLEO155UVBChFIKomn72-MrJyWiPt5Xusf3aeFycH4i-r5yV3Rq9okDGCK1sgZvx02Z/s1600/winter-6.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577990565789265810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-HKm47QjSZTRCj7ubrFG_AmF8NNQpE2BFLtKhqSaSQ6n5e-VViXFj2xrqflX_A2jfsLEO155UVBChFIKomn72-MrJyWiPt5Xusf3aeFycH4i-r5yV3Rq9okDGCK1sgZvx02Z/s320/winter-6.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Using some inheritated money, I was able to buy myself a new camera. I got a Canon 7D. This is a really cool camera and it arrived just in time to learn how to use it for spring. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">I'm thinking I'm really going to need it this year.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYTWytUzKwmyPKj3tk-mhyrYf27H-Y10rWMU4u5_y9gS8iCBmkiDT55v_rHddPSPArYny2oJfE43zSwr9H7KNFUVv5mcoOx2gu6b5GwVAHXdc5ViswWh5lcPptvWZ2Wrinw5f/s1600/winter-5.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577990414509356738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYTWytUzKwmyPKj3tk-mhyrYf27H-Y10rWMU4u5_y9gS8iCBmkiDT55v_rHddPSPArYny2oJfE43zSwr9H7KNFUVv5mcoOx2gu6b5GwVAHXdc5ViswWh5lcPptvWZ2Wrinw5f/s320/winter-5.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Some winter pictures of my neighborhood.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG9SxoEWaRDgWK1ZxCyUKc1rmFSE6_scz_3wOrtofp1oiXJThL2h5HaPF_GnDFNLlnzWMsqntrEYCTUsHrH9FTwLMO46AHGbVZWuNC9U5sC1RIQcrMSLhmxqN1bK8i1V-0qQJ/s1600/winter-4.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577990410435483554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG9SxoEWaRDgWK1ZxCyUKc1rmFSE6_scz_3wOrtofp1oiXJThL2h5HaPF_GnDFNLlnzWMsqntrEYCTUsHrH9FTwLMO46AHGbVZWuNC9U5sC1RIQcrMSLhmxqN1bK8i1V-0qQJ/s320/winter-4.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROiVFuM7IUd3cpKnjY2W5j_9JjW4sqcXYVhGCT49INlwAWcAL0PRxAv_72vj_TkJaG5lwmLE0YEB2gERptRskUkmuSBLKVeq7Tt1_cSCTJQTbyrN0oFwWbefqXb-wtvSgECo4/s1600/Winter-2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577990405391941634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROiVFuM7IUd3cpKnjY2W5j_9JjW4sqcXYVhGCT49INlwAWcAL0PRxAv_72vj_TkJaG5lwmLE0YEB2gERptRskUkmuSBLKVeq7Tt1_cSCTJQTbyrN0oFwWbefqXb-wtvSgECo4/s320/Winter-2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">The dog, Bratley no longer goes for walks with me anymore. His joints have begun to break down and even walks can get painful for him. So I opt to leave him at home now. He will still go to the mailbox with us and is actually beginning to enjoy car rides. He will be 12 in August.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIYhdULImtq7Rpt0Yrl65o9iUHsgWgF91h-QgDtTpKBQ_5P2nPTENGKDKg7Y-r1ikHa3s6x-7vt9z-WpUftOcJv_EDv7ljfaplt5Z7HY7IL5vCHRftPF23s5EpvWdzE-ZBlLh/s1600/winter-1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577990405221773954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIYhdULImtq7Rpt0Yrl65o9iUHsgWgF91h-QgDtTpKBQ_5P2nPTENGKDKg7Y-r1ikHa3s6x-7vt9z-WpUftOcJv_EDv7ljfaplt5Z7HY7IL5vCHRftPF23s5EpvWdzE-ZBlLh/s320/winter-1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCn2apkHaLg9oGocPA_gCZMAddTPEkqehIpkwABD27nU7_Vsl4HpBHGAU89_k9Q2E4YxRnmyHsLmmc-bZH3WjArny5_fSM2xonDV42OEyndqmT1URxugThR8rCY5wtNh1GofhN/s1600/Tootsie.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577990406710526482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCn2apkHaLg9oGocPA_gCZMAddTPEkqehIpkwABD27nU7_Vsl4HpBHGAU89_k9Q2E4YxRnmyHsLmmc-bZH3WjArny5_fSM2xonDV42OEyndqmT1URxugThR8rCY5wtNh1GofhN/s320/Tootsie.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I think I'm really going to like this camera. The sharpness is so totally on and I like the idea of using multiple points of focus. It appears to do really well in dim and low light as well as compensates with the white light for the sun. It has all kinds of adjustments for all types of lighting and has an extremely fast shutter speed for when we decide we want to photograph wildlife.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">The sharpness brings out the depth of Tootsie's coloring in this shot. She is actually one of the prettiest diluted cocalicos I've ever seen. Even after three years, I'm still getting a charge out of this cat. She is silly, sensative and deeply bonded.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20655906.post-74236195022078414012010-10-20T19:23:00.003-04:002010-10-20T19:35:48.247-04:00Something New<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53jY3U0bzZBdJ6DGXKgjP-moPw0tDTYELkUR-0Wfzbnx-dcudkBcyLpI48lj0EZEb6tVXCFr8XjFoSf13FOTGaenwuE0bJhHtVwoPdDMIlZuWHC8lXOZHbYyM2WAllWH7-FNH/s1600/door-1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530273101273823266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53jY3U0bzZBdJ6DGXKgjP-moPw0tDTYELkUR-0Wfzbnx-dcudkBcyLpI48lj0EZEb6tVXCFr8XjFoSf13FOTGaenwuE0bJhHtVwoPdDMIlZuWHC8lXOZHbYyM2WAllWH7-FNH/s320/door-1.jpg" /></a><br /><div>There were some things that I didn't get when we built this house. It seemed that on some fronts I was out voted. </div><div> </div><div>The first was the hardwood floors, which I now have. They were put in about 5 years ago. </div><div> </div><div>The second was the master bath which was put in about 3 years ago.</div><div> </div><div>Today was the front door. I had wanted a nice fancy door for the front of the house, but was out voted for that as well. Now I have it. This door has a light in it to allow natural light to enter one of the darkest corners of the house. It isn't finished yet as the new trim needs painted, but that will come fairly quickly.</div><div> </div><div>This door was custom made since I wanted specific things with it such as the brass caning to match the beautiful lock set that I had bought when we built the house. I now also have my button doorbell that I bought when we first built the house but the electrician refused to install it. Instead he put up a yucky plastic thing that looked tacky and didn't belong to the rest of my house. Of course the door was a contractor's grade steel door too.</div><div> </div><div>There are still a couple of things I would like to do to my house, but one thing at a time. With each thing I get done, the closer I come to having the home I envisioned when we first built this place.</div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04928140378129395082noreply@blogger.com0