Changes Coming for Spring

I think there will be big changes in the garden this year. It seems after a long evaluation that a good many of my roses didn't make it over the winter. That in itself has been happening over the past couple of years, but this year I lost or am losing four OGRs! These roses never die! The dead one was Charles de Mills a huge gallica that's been around since before we built this house. It lived in a pot for 2 years before moving here and being planted in the garden. I am sad. I'm thinking I might be able to save Red Rose of Lancaster. It is starting to push but is late and weak. But it must be moved anyway so I might sacrifice the blooms for this year to move it and hopefully get it thinned out and strengthen for next year. Last but not least, I'm extremely worried about Wild Spice. This rugosa has been growing like gangbusters in the garden for the past 4 years and all of a sudden, this one becomes so weak it's frightening. It's in a prime spot in the garden too. But it does seem to me that we've been having trouble, until this rose growing things in that spot. I might have to save up my money and see about a nice BIG fountain for there. But first I'll wait to see how Wild Spice does. Frau Karl Duschki is looking more than a little sad this year. It never did good for me and this one was the last hold out of the roses I got from Antique Rose Emporium. Their roses just didn't do all that good for me.

There were two other roses that were lost that make me sad. Artistry, a large HT that has done very well for me in the past has been failing for two years and finally died. And then Chicago Peace, my favorite pink. That one might have to be replaced but not this year.

Other roses lost this year were Gemini, Irish Creme (this one was amazing that it lasted 5 years in the garden, being a tender rose), Vasuzious, Arizona (I finally gave up on this one), and two Scent from Above (They started growing out of the root stock).

Roses that I'm not so sure what I want to do with or on the near death list: Sunsprite, Love and Peace (I really don't like this one anyway), Touch of Class, Chihuly (I really don't care for this one either, it's not a nice plant), MME Paul Massad (probably will go) and Pink Gruss an Aachen (I might move this one first).

There are two roses slated for moving. Red Rose of Lancaster if it continues to improve and Happy. Poor Happy is crowded under the huge canopy of a very large Marie Pavie and needs out from under her shade. I will have this little one moved to a nice sunny spot with well drained soil where the roses are doing exceptionally good.

So far this year I have two Tahitian Sunset roses one of which is planted, the other will be planted today. Two Sunny Knockouts and three miniatures for a pot. I also have a Peace rose and a Pink Peace in pots and a Mister Lincoln planted. I have three miniatures to go into pots this year, Jennifer (which isn't a good overwinter rose), Sweet Hanna, another delicate rose and Lovely Lorri which doesn't seem to do well in the ground but is wonderful in a pot and is winter hardy.

I also have coming yet, 2 Dublin Bay climbers for the one arbor and a Julia's rose for a pot.

I've replaced Charles de Mills with a small crabapple tree that is such a lovely color! If Frau Karl Druschki dies, I will replace that one with another Hybrid Perpetual. That one just was never all that good for me. Yet my other Hybrid Perpetuals are wonderful. I'll check Landis Valley this year and see what I can find.

I have been getting away from the grafted HTs more and more over the past couple of years and going with the own-root shrubs and OGRs more. I find the shrubs and OGRs actually do better and live longer for me (until this year!).

And wait until you see what we do with the back perennial bed! Most of that stuff is coming out and we're going to weed block it and replant any of my precious perennials that we can find. Most, however will be buried along with the wheat grass from the farmer's field. Some of those plants are getting scrappy; others want to take over; and the weeds, oh the weeds. That bed has been killing us for too long now. The grasses will stay; the roses will stay; and I'll just replant the perennials that I like. The bulbs will be dug out this season, dried and replanted in other spots in the garden. It's time for this to be done anyway.

It's a lot to do in a week and it probably won't all get done. But I do have the summer and it will get done. Right now, I'm mostly planning on planting the garden with my flowers I have waiting.

Sandcherry

Crabapple tree - Flame

Camellia, April Remembered

Pictures of Spring

Lemon Yellow Columbine

Lemon Glow Daffodils

Flowering Quince 'Toyo-Nishiki'

Epimedium 'Pink Elf'

Periwinkle, Creeping Myrtle, or Creeping Vinca. Three names, one plant.

The garden is starting to come into color now. Every day brings something different.

A Stress Breaker

With the situation at work, I need a stress breaker when I get home. Remember now that my Husband is going though the same thing at work and his stress release is to talk about it ALL THE TIME!


Tonight when I got home, in mid sentence AGAIN! I grabbed the camera and went outside.

The grass has turned a rich green and color is beginning to pop up all over the garden. I have yellow and dual tone daffodils; very lovely deep blue native violets with very deep purple leaves.

The wee tiny bright yellow flowers of the spice bush, show here with a fly resting on one. This is a native bush to this area. When a bird planted a mulberry tree right next to it, I asked a environmentalist which I should move. He said the mulberry tree as it is not a native. But whatever I do, DO NOT disturb the native spice bush. He mentioned that they were rare.

Then there is the very lovely Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry. This little tree is very happy with it's home and grows and blooms wonderfully.

Last but not least are my little primroses. I simply love this little flower and use it as a ground cover. If they make it through the first summer and winter, they will return to a very thick colony and be better than ever. I have several that are a number of years old now.

It was so pleasant walking around the garden today looking at all my plants. I still have some work to do out there and yes, it will get done, eventually. But right now, just watching them bloom and watching the birds in the garden are all I need.

Early Spring

Flowers on the red maple

Crocus

Black Pussy Willow in full bloom

The 1st thunderstorm of the season

More of the thunderstorm

It was a very unstable day, but I was able to get outside and do some work in the garden. The weather is like this through March and early April. Everything is feeling the effects of early spring. Even the toads.

A Frog's View

When our tiny development was first started, there were these lovely drainage areas built. They are all over the area, including the next development over. They are necessary as we are on the top of a hill and there is a lot of water up here. People have a tendency to like dry basements.

Over the years these drainage areas have filled up and are even now being fill by ground water as well as run off water and have turned into bog areas and ponds. You know what they say "Nature always finds a way."

You can just see the roof of my house from the outside banks of this pond. Also note the bluebird houses that are installed around this area.

This was left go natural and is teaming with life, even in the dead of winter. The bluebirds are always hanging around as well as the red-winged blackbirds. Water fowl come to spend the nights here.

Each year this little pond gets prettier and prettier, wilder and wilder. Now we have toads, snapping turtles, bullfrogs and any variety of insects living there. There are also a large variety of bog, water and field birds living around this pond. The deer visit her regularly and can often be seen from my deck playing here.

This year, at the finch socks, I'm getting the regular gold finches that are here year round. Lately I've heard a lot of noise and squabbling out there and noticed another species fighting with the gold finches. These had to be finches too, as they wanted the seed in the finch socks. It turns out they are pine siskins, here because of a seed failure to the north. I don't get these interesting little finches very often, so it was nice to see such a gracious flock of them. Besides the pine siskins, the redpolls have also come to visit for the same reason. Both of these are northern birds that consider this area a bit to far south to inhabit. There is seed here for them. And it's nice having them here.

Finally Home!

Finally, after almost 2 months, Mom made it home. All those antibiotics that weren't doing her any good and all what we went through until the doctors finally decided to listen and saw she was severly reacting to the antibiotics, taking her off them and watching her get better in leaps and bounds. She is finally home and glad to be there.

A Cry for Color

It wasn't so long ago - or maybe it was - that my house cried out to me for more color. When it was first built, I had some colors painted on the wall that I truly liked (in my other house). Well in this house the color looked gray and grayer and it didn't impress me the way I thought it should or would.

Now, 7 years after building it, I've finally decided on a color. The decision actually came when we remodeled the bathroom. (It's been 7 years! What remodeling could the bathroom really need?) Well that's a whole other story. Anyway, in remodeling the bathroom, I decided on a color to match the tile we had installed and that led me to decide on a color for the rest of the house.

Well, now it's finally getting there. I'm not rushing this project at all and do it mostly on weekends or when I have the time. It's the peaks of the cathedral ceilings that are the bugger. To do those, I had to enlist the help of Husband. He did a really good job too.

I've always hated Husband picking up a paint brush in my house (my toy) because he had a tendency to kind of "slop" the paint on and it did horrible things to my sensibilities. But with these peaks, so high and near the clouds, I had no choice and he actually took his time and did a really good job. Hats off to Bob.

Now my house has color. Lots of color. I went with a Southwestern theme, not intentionally but that's just how it worked out. The ceilings are still the original color and that was actually what dictated what the rest of the house would be. The color is neutral, but a bit darker than my regular pallet, but it is just so lovely! Everything matches it nicely and I think all my accents stand out against.

There is one more peaked wall to paint and after that all peaks will be painted. All that will be left are the private areas of the house. Although, both bathrooms are painted and both halls. The next thing will be the master closet. I have already enlisted Husband to build the closet organizer (Another thing I was voted against when the house was built). So I must prepare it for this undertaking.

My guess is that we have about 20 years to get this place finished before we have to sell it. Who knows, maybe one of the granddaughters will inherit it.

The Morning Commute

It started late last night.  I had been watching TV and drifted off to sleep only to wake up to the late news.  "It was a surprise", I heard as I woke and realized they were talking about a surprise snowstorm.  They indicated that Lancaster County was hit pretty hard and show the Doppler.  I ran to the window and saw....NOTHING!

In the morning I started out of the garage to a light dusting of snow.  Oh, so it did snow after all!  The roads seem basically clear though wet.  I had no problems with the roads where I was but as I got into the city, they became icy and treacherous.   Once on a main street, going was a little easier but I did notice that traffic seemed heavy for that time of morning.  I got up the the intersection that would take me to the company's parking garage and a tractor trailer blocked the path ahead with police everywhere directing traffic.  Luckily I turned and didn't have to try to find a route around the blocked road.

Once I got the car parked and inside, I went to a window that showed the blocked street.  A trash truck that was trying to get up the road and slid into the side of the very building I was standing in.  There was the trash collector pinned between the truck and the building.  The entire street was very busy with fire trucks and ambulances.  People were everywhere.

At first reports I was told the that trash collector had died, but on following reports was that he actually hadn't died but I don't know what condition he is in.

The city was riddled with accidents of all types this morning.  I was thankful that I was able to get to work without incident.  Right after I got into the garage another car, a smaller sports car skid into a bunch of parked cars on the same street that I took and blocked that road as well.  It was a mess on the streets this morning.

The sun is out but the temps are staying rather cool.  The snow and ice are still here so I'm hoping that things are better by the time I want to return home.

Stuff

I've been keeping myself busy still painting the house. I will continue to work at it until it is all done.


Husband looked at the rooms I have finished and commented that he really liked the color. "It looks like butterscotch but with a hint of gray in it." I have to agree and the cream colored trim also has just a hint of gray in it and compliments the paint color gloriously. It's a beautiful warm color that is inviting. My house seems to really like it.


All the rooms except for the great room will have crown molding, so now that I'm starting the great room, I will have to be seriously careful about the ceiling lines.


Friday the doors to the master suite are supposed to come. These were custom made because of a french door in the bedroom that opens to a secluded deck that I have set up to accept a hot tub should I ever decide to put one in. The interior door into the suite interfers with that lovely french door, so it's out with the hinderence and the custom doors should not interfer at all with the french door, nor the laundry closet in the hall.


Today I painted the wall of windows in the dining area. That's all that needs painted on that wall since what wall is there is stone. So, now I will start the short wall between the wall of windows and the fireplace, including the french doors that lead out to the main deck and patio.


I've called my mother a couple of times this week, all at different times. To me she is sounding very weak and tired. Then I found out that they gave her medicine that she wasn't reacting to very well and no one bothered to notice. When they finally realized it, they did take her off that medicine but they never started her on the regular medicine that she takes for her lupus. She is continuing to fail and will do so until they start up the meds for her lupus again. This hospital is really getting on my nerves. Believe me, they don't want to see me and my sisters.


Today, my niece Rachel, her husband, my mother's husband and the baby went to see her. Before she got there for the afternoon visit, sister Lori gave her a call and asked that she inquire as to why Mother wasn't getting the medication she needs and to make sure the hospital knows that we are all keeping tabs on them, even with 1400 miles of distance between us. Rachel did say that she would inquire and let us know what the answers were to our questions. We are now waiting to hear.


It's been unusually cold here for the past week. On the way to the grocery mart today, I watched a group of kids ice skating on the pond. I remember doing that on a pond near my parents house when I was a kid and I enjoyed watching the children as they skated and played. It was truly a Norman Rockwell moment. It actually looked like one of his paintings where the kids were ice skating and one was on a sled in the middle of the pond. Do you know that one? It was the sled that really made an impression on my mind and when I saw that sled at the exact spot on this pond as the sled in that painting, it too made the same impression. It was almost De-ja-Vu.


All in all it was a good day. I will now make dinner - ham steak with rolly-polly potatoes sauteed with parsley and pepper and greenbeans. Then I will have to start to tape off my wall so I can paint the trim as the week goes on and hopefully start the wall color next weekend. The house is far from done, and I'm hoping to start the master bedroom very soon. I will start with the closet since Husband is about ready to start building the closet organizer. Then I should want to move on to the rest of the bedroom so I can choose the new carpet when the times comes.

Update on Mother

Mother is now out of SICU and in another room. At least this one has a phone in it. Now her doctors are suspicious that she has an infection. I thought it funny that when my sisters and I called after her on Thursday, she was still in SICU after a week and the very next day moved into another room. It makes me wonder if we call again, if her infection will mysteriously disappear.


It also makes me wonder how much bullshit her nurse was trying to feed us. The story we got from her and the story we got from Mom's husband, Ralph, were completely different. Now, granted, Ralph is no doctor, but baby sister, Cindy, is.


If Mom does have an infection, it is suspicious that she might have gotten it from the hospital. She didn't have it before she went in there. Sister, Lori, and I are debating on whether we want to go down there or not. We'll wait and see how Mother fairs in the next few days. Maybe Cindy will join us if we go. If that happens, the hospital better take this time to make sure all the eyes are dotted and the tees crossed in all the paperwork.


That's all the news to report right now.

More on Mother

Last evening I called the hospital where my mother is staying. Since there are no phones in the patient's rooms, I spoke to her nurse. It appears that this hospital does put surgery patients in SICU right after surgery and with my mother's condition and age, it was taking her a bit of time to recover. Of course this frightened the family.

I liked Mother's nurse right away and we chatted a little, talked about my mother some, and this nurse was very informative, not leaving anything out as well as being patient will all my questions. She told me that she was hoping that my mother was moved into a general room in the AM, this morning and that she was doing quite well now, was chatty and a pleasure to be around. This nurse also told me that there was a good chance Mom might be going home by Friday. We chatted a bit more and I found out that this nurse was a Florida transplant, originally coming from Pittsburgh. We exchanged pleasantries and holiday wishes before I hung up.

I will be calling my step-father this evening to see how Mother is doing. If she was moved, he is probably the best person to speak with to get information about where she is and her phone numbers. I will probably be posting an update a bit later.

Today's Emergency

Christmas Eve my mother went into the hospital with a very serious case of diverticulitis. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diverticulitis/DS00070 Today she had surgery to remove the infected part of her bowl. She came out of the surgery good, but then became unresponsive. She is now in SICU and they won't let any of the family there in to see her. Once again my blood pressure rises.

This is all I know right now. I hope to know more later this evening.

A story

Though this was not meant to be a Christmas present, it came at Christmas this year.

Almost 7 years ago I decided to retire my 20 year old Kirby vacuum. It was a big heavy upright vacuum that was very powerful and when I used it I actually felt that my house was clean. It had all the attachments as well as a carpet shampooer. Yes, I like this vacuum or I wouldn't have kept it for 20 years. The vacuum before was a Hoover canister that lasted me all of two years before I gladly sent it packing.

My Kirby was old and well beat up. I used it for cleaning things like the outside mat, the attic that was full of debris and just about anything I wanted to clean as well as the carpets and wood floors in two homes that I owned. It was big and heavy and the furniture zip didn't work anymore (that was the second one I had used to death) and the beater brushes were dying (again, the second beater I had used to death). Just about every 5 years I was replacing the hose on it. Actually, I really liked that machine. I liked how it cleaned and with two cats and a Newfoundland dog, I needed that machine. My house always looked and smelled clean.

When we moved into this home, I decided it was time to retire the Kirby. The hose had a hole in it again, the furniture zip wasn't working and hadn't for some time, and I couldn't find another one to fit my machine. The power beater was almost dead. We took a trip to the local vacuum cleaner store and I told the salesperson what I wanted. I wanted a light weight upright vacuum that could just as easily keep up with hardwood floors as well as carpets. I told them I really liked my Kirby but it was getting harder and harder to find replacement parts. I also wanted one of those new bagless models thinking it was less likely that I would lose power as the bag became clogged. They insisted on a Meile canister machine. My first reaction was "NO" because first and foremost I wanted an upright vacuum. They insisted it was the best on the market and I would love it.

Well, with all the pets now gone except for one cat and the carpet being brand new, the Meile worked fine for a couple of years. Then Bratley came to lived with us and I found the canister to be exactly what I thought it would be. It was OK before but now it was proving to be not what I wanted. Still, I didn't want to spend the money on another vacuum. So I lived with it and did extra cleaning to try to keep up with things. Then Tootsie came to live with us. Now the Meile was proving itself to be totally unable to cope with all the pet hair and dander. My house smelled and looked dirty even after spending a day cleaning. I felt cruddy and dirty after spending the day cleaning.

This is when I started seeing the Dyson Animal advertised. It looked interesting, it claimed to be maneuverable and also laid claim to do wonders with animal hair. Still, the price kept me from taking the leap. The Meile just simply had to do. So one fine day, I came home from work to find, sitting in the bedroom a Dyson Animal with it's canister full of animal hair and dander. Husband said he was it on sale and had to get one. Then he told me that the animal hair and dander in the canister was just a light vacuum of the bedroom only. The room actually smelled clean and the carpet looked about 5 years younger. It came with all the attachments including a furniture zip brush that I missed so much; the Meile didn't have one.

It is so nice having a house that feels clean again! We used this Animal 3 times in the past week and I think we're finally getting ahead of the dander and hair. The house smells fresh and I can see that the carpets really don't need shampooed. I haven't seen them look this clean in years. I may even decide to keep carpet in the bedroom and office.

http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC17-ANIMAL

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas everyone!

It's a quiet day here today. Just me and my husband busy doing absolutely nothing. The day is beautiful. He's outside washing the cars and I spent a good bit of the afternoon lingering in the garden mostly just inspecting my plants, making sure everything has survived the ice storms this month and that all are looking strong and healthy. All but one, anyway. I see a mess come March when it's time to prepare for the spring but that will come when it comes. Right now, it's a pleasant day and a holiday and we plan on enjoying it just doing things we love to do. I even got a nap! How about that!

I did make phone calls to the family. My mother's Christmas could be better. She's in the hospital 1400 miles away. Right now she's not feeling the best, but there is family near her and they were on their way to visit as I talked to her. So she hasn't been alone. My other sisters have been calling her as well. Everyone else has their special plans for the day.

Husband got me two gardening journals and both are an absolute treasure. One is a 1-year Pennsylvania garden journal with plenty of places to scotch tape pictures of my garden; a vendor area for plants that I am planting new in 2009 and a weekly journal to keep account of all the plants and how they perform. I've been keeping this journal every year since 2002 when I started this garden. The other is a 5-year journal with a place for vendors, new plants and a brief update on the week and how plants performed. There is also a lot of room for pictures of the garden as the weeks and months change it. He got a couple of flannel shirts to keep him warm over the winter.

So far the day has been quite lovely and restful. Isn't that what holidays are for? Husband does work tonight. This will be a regular shift for him. He doesn't mind though. The paper pays well for those who work holidays. We just posponed our holiday celebrations until the weekend. All is well and fine. I hope everyone has a joyous holiday.

Winter in this area can be a wonderland. I love winters here just as much as spring summer and fall. The only difference is driving the other three seasons is much better. Not having to drive in the weather conditions we have here would be a plus.

Still, the scenery is breathtaking.

I do have two 4x4, having finally (after 12 years) sold the Sebring. Husband finds it nice not to have to clean off the truck or car before leaving for work in inclement weather. That was just another plus to doing what I did with the cars. This way we keep both cars in the garage which is nice for both of us.

If you recall I often mention the toad pond behind my house. In this earlier photo, my property lies about 1000 yards off the right of the picture. This is a manmade drainage ditch for the homes on the mountain that aren't built yet. This pond is one of about 4 on this side of the mountain. Something happened here and it is no longer a drainage ditch, but an actual pond. It is a watering hole for the many deer and other wildlife as well as a stop over for the geese, herons and ducks. Toads and frogs live here year round now and the eagles and hawks watch this spot closely. Swampy and unusable for crops or development, this area which is about 2 to 3 acres is left wild for the creatures of this area. There is another within 1000 yards of my house but that one isn't as nice as this one. It hasn't filled with water but is still a bit swampy and supports all the swamp vegetation that provides so much food for the small song birds here. There is a third one in the woods about a half mile from my house and this one is just beginning to fill up with water. That one so far seems to be clear of overgrowth and will probably remain a water pond. Thr 4th is just over a 1/4 mile and is a pond where you can often see geese and ducks. That one is filled with mostly bull frogs and supports bull rushes as well. All four ponds do seem to have all the proper natural cleaning and filtration. Underground water seems to flow freely into them and they drain into one of the many rills all over this mountain. There were also manmade filtration systems installed. They are all beautiful spots to visit.

I get all kinds of insects and wildlife in my garden and now you see why. Deer bed down right behind my herb fence at the back of the property. I get fox, opossum, skunk, badger, mice, groundhogs, snappers and a whole variety of beings wandering through the garden. Some of them stop for a bite (rabbits!), but most of them don't.

The earth has taken over something that man has created and challenges man to take it back, but the residence of this neighborhood enjoy the wildlife on this mountain and are willing to give these 3 acres back to the earth.

I went and did it now!

We're always doing something around here. For some reason we just find it hard to sit still.

It all started when we got a note from GM about the Canyon. In the note they boldly stated that they wouldn't honor the contract we signed when we leased the truck and that we were to take it back to the dealer at the end of the lease (coming up) and turn in the keys. None of this made much sense to me. But then, in the contract, they were supposed to move the lease into a buy without changing anything like payment and such and I guess they decided that they weren't going to do this any longer. But still, it was enough to make someone very angry.

We went to the dealer because they said they had an Envoy SE, certified used, for about the same price as the value of the truck. I really had my doubts but we went to look. I questioned Husband about it because it would mean giving up the truck with the pickup bed, the insurance on it and the high cost of registration. But he really liked that truck and it did serve some purpose. It was Husband's decision if he wanted to keep the truck or get another car. The Envoy is an SUV but it still won't haul some of the really big stuff we've hauled with the pickup. He decided that we could live without the pickup since we have most of the really big, heavy and dirty stuff we get delivered anyway.

When we bought the truck, we had to consider that it was new and that the other cars we had were older. I've been telling Husband that if I buy another car, I wanted a certified used one since we don't drive our cars hard, keep all the maintenance up on them, etc. It wasn't worth taking the huge hit on depreciation for the way we used them.

So we went to the dealer. When we got there, I told them where I stand with this, that I was angry about it and I didn't want a car salesman breathing down my neck about it. We went in with a print out of the contract we signed when we bought the Canyon, a print out on where the Canyon was as far as mileage, etc. and a print out of possible loan for buying it should we want to, including interest. I also told our salesman that I would leave that day without buying anything and if he wanted to sell a car, he'd better not give me a hard time about it. I am a car salesman's nightmare.

We looked at the car. We test drove it. It was nice, heavy, solid, missing some knobs to make some of the features work which I showed to the salesman when we returned. It was rather plain, without fanfare or bling. That was OK. It would sit outside anyway, so we didn't need the bling.

Then looking around we found a very nice looking (the color was perfect) Envoy Delani, same year as the SE, almost the same mileage but it was priced several thousand dollars more than the SE. But I wanted to see that one too. We took it for a test drive. It drove a little nicer than the SE since it had a larger engine. It had all the bells and whistles and bling you could want. It did seem like a bit much for what we were looking for, but I liked this car. It was pretty, classy and in a different category than the other one.

We talked to the salesman a little bit more when we got back and decided we needed time to think about this. We left the dealership and decided to go to the market while we thought about it. It was there that I came up with the unthinkable.

I presented to Husband the idea that we trade in the Canyon (since we didn't seem to have a lot of choice there) AND my 12 yr. old Sebring on the Delani. This was an option that just blew Husband out of the water! He figured I really liked the Delani to want to trade in that Sebring. I bought that car out of the showroom all those years ago and have really liked it and I've never gotten tired of it. It is a good running car, well kept, and still in perfect showroom condition.

Still, the Sebring is 12 years old and the possibility of it beginning to cause problems is very real. Our third car, or the workhorse, is a 2000 Cherokee Sport we found. This car is now kept in the garage since it fits better than the Canyon. We bought this one to replace an old Wagoneer that was beginning to show it's seriously old age and was falling apart around us when we tried to drive it. The floor on the driver's side was gone, the engine was beginning to need expensive repairs but the day I decided to drive the Wagoneer and everything went with me except the entire exhaust system, it was time to replace it.

Since we have a tendency to keep our cars until they literally fall apart, buying a new one on a lease wasn't a really good idea. This Delani would be a nice choice since it was fairly new, low mileage, certified with a very good warranty and it was a buy - no mileage restrictions, insurance would be discounted as well as the price of the car. Trading in the Sebring (same as cash) as well as the Canyon could hopefully bring the dealer's price to where we could easily afford it. The Delani was also a step up and wouldn't be an embarrassment. The Sebring, in it's day, was top-of-the-line with all the bells and whistles of the day. I wanted a replacement that had the same quality as the old one, if I decided to trade. Remember, that Sebring was what I wanted when I bought it and I've never gotten tried of it. This trade would also bring down the price of insurance, inspections, registrations, etc, and all our cars would fit into our garage. I like that idea too.

Right now, I have the Delani in the garage to drive it for a week before taking it back to the dealer to finalize the deal. They have my Sebring. We will drive around the Delani, get used to it, etc. We've already found that it does indeed fit in the garage (very important!). I'm pretty sure right now that we will buy this car. I really like it and it has everything except for the TV. That I really don't need.

A project in earnest

A few weeks ago we started a large project in earnest. Painting the house. About a year ago (summer of 07) we remodeled the bathroom into a bathroom that I wanted from the start. With that finished, I had to paint. So I pasted a whole bunch of sample on the walls while the guys finished the construction and spent evenings just looking at the samples. When I finally decided, I chose two shades of taupe. In the end I really like the color I chose for the walls but not the trim.

When I decided that the entire house needed a face lift, I wanted paint the same color or very close to the same color I used in the bathroom. However, the paint I used in the bathroom wasn't the paint that I like best. So I had to choose a color that matched as closely as possible.

Since I like Benjamin Moore paints, I went with a lovely Broken Arrow color, a medium taupe for the walls and a nice cream color for the trim which I liked much better. I chose these colors because they were close to what I wanted and also matched the ceiling paint called Kitten Whiskers.

For the kitchen I wanted something a little different. I had a nice wallpaper on those walls that resembled a sponged look. I liked that for my kitchen but Shalimar didn't like the paper and kept ripping it off. So we removed the paper and painted the exact same thing back on using the colors I had chosen. The only thing to be done to the finished wall is the ceiling border paper that will tie this in with the rest of the house. I cannot put crown moldings in the main part of the house because of the cathedral ceilings. So this wall will get the border paper to even out the top line.

So far we've been doing good with working on the painting. Other than the border, the finished walls in the kitchen are sponged nicely (one project piece complete). The all (except for the laundry closet doors) are all painted including the trim (another project piece complete).

Now, the question is, do I paint the kitchen wall against the garage? Now that's a tough one. It will need to be done as it is part of the house. The problem is, it is also 16 feet high at the peak.

Then there is also an artwork hanging there that will need to be brought down. This Divan was put there when we first moved in and hasn't been touched since. I wouldn't want to be the person responsible for taking it off that wall! The thing weighs over 50 pounds and has been bolted to the wall, straight through to the attic wall and supported on two different joist. It's a beautiful piece and fits there so nicely it's almost like we built the house around it. But to do this job it will need to be taken down, the wall painted and it replaced to it's original spot.

Getting up there to paint that will will be a feat as well. But once we get this wall as well as the wall at the opposite end of the public area, I will be happy. I'm simply happy we're not painting this ceiling which is why I had the house painted the Kitten Whiskers when we built. I simply didn't want to have to try and paint that ceiling. And I still don't.

With further thinking about the project again today, I've decided that I would like to sponge the guest bathroom. We should have enough glaze and wall paint to do that room too. I don't have the crown molding there yet, but that shouldn't stop us from painting the room and get it ready for the crown molding.

So I think the order I will continue with is to finish the moldings in the kitchen. There's only one door and two very short baseboards there. I can do that in an hour or so. Then move into the guest bathroom and do the trim and the walls since the whole thing will get a good shot of the same color. Then put on the darker sponged glaze. Since we're doing this on weekends only, it might be a few weeks until we get it done. But it will get there.

The crown molding should be easy to save up for. It's the hardwood floors and closet organizer that will cost some bucks and I will have to put away for that. Since both those items are for the bedroom suite, the bedroom will have to wait until I can afford the wood floors. The organizer will also cost some bucks. I saw the perfect one for my closet at a True Value today. Of course, Bob will build it but I will have to go look at it again so I can sketch it and take it home to see how it will fit in my closet and give him a plan. The closet will also get painted the house colors, but it will not get the crown molding.

I have the border paper for the kitchen, but I won't put it on until the paint has had a few weeks to cure. I don't want to put it on to early should we ever decide to remove it for something we like better.

We will do what we can over the winter but when spring comes, we'll be outside taking care of the garden. I'll see how far we get. We'll just keep working at it until it's done. The house is screaming for a new color. The color it is was nice in our other house, but not this one. The warm taupe and cream trim seem to be the ticket for this house. There are just a few areas where we need to be really brave.

Shalimar's new lease on life

Tootsie

Shalimar is doing very good now. It was a long, scary 5 weeks, but I think she is back on track and maybe even a little better than that.

I has to visit the vet's office yesterday to get more of her asthma meds, but I didn't take her along. Instead I did talk to the vet and told her about everything I was doing to help this cat and that she has finally improved enough to set up an appointment for her annual shots. Dr. DaLuca read through the book that I'd taken with me, listen to what I was saying and said that I obviously did something right that Shalimar had made such good progress. She also said that she's never used any alternative medicines before so this was interesting.

Today, Shalimar was coughing here and there. A dry cough and usually only one at a time. There has been no sneezing from her in over two days now. Her eyes are back to normal and she's been quite visible. The past two nights she's been sleeping in the bed with me. She's also been up to her usual attitude around Tootsie - "I'm the Bombay. I'm the beauty. I'm the boss."

She is definitely feeling better.

What do you think?

If you saw this picture of this rose and were in the market for a rose, would this picture make you want to investigate this rose a little more? Personally, being a rose lover and especially liking the polyanthas, this rose would definitely tweek my interest.

It actually did tweek my interest and this rose is in my garden. It is more than lovely, it is exquisite.

Pet Issues

Well, Shalimar is still sick. Can you believe this? However for the past week or so, I've had her on her aminophylline for her asthma and as a treat after taking the pill, I've been giving her about ¾oz. of moist cat food laced with stabilized oxygen (vitamin O). After about 7 days, she is showing stong improvment. She still has episodes of coughing and sneezing and snotty nose, but they are becoming fewer and farther apart and not as stong. For the past two days she's even played with Tootsie, becoming bolder each day.

If she doesn't continue to improve, I will be taking her back to the vet and see about something stronger for her asthma. I really don't want to do that. I would really like to see the stabilized oxygen begin to take over handling her condition and get her off the drugs. But right now that simply can't happen.

I want this bought with this asthma over soon, for her sake as much as mine.