Messages

1261

Pond Chat / Re: New Fish Pix!

« on: October 03, 2006, 05:49:08 AM »

The third pic does look a bit like a chagall  . . . . have you ever visited the Maeght Foundation in St. Paul de Vence? 

I like the first fish the best . . . . but I'm sure Jamie loves them all!  Are you going to keep them indoors or put them in the pondsai?

1262

Chit Chat / Re: Do yall ever feel overwhelemed by all the work in your gardens etc?

« on: October 02, 2006, 06:14:35 PM »

Yes, we all get overwhelmed (at least I do).  Sometimes I just let things go for a while.  It'll be ok if you do.  Relax and take a day off - if you can't be outside without worrying about what you see, go inside and don't look!

1263

Chit Chat / Re: What are you likely to buy at a bake sale?

« on: October 02, 2006, 06:12:38 PM »

What about doggie treats? Get a bone shaped cookie cutter or just cut them in squares or whatever. People are a soft touch for things for their pets. I even bought a bag of rawhide doggie chew bones at Costco and packaged them in sandwich bags individually,   and sold them for a lot more than the cost of the package. SHHHH, don't tell anybody.

That's the best idea yet!  You've got a couple of great recipes for doggie treats, so package some up and label them as doggie goodies!  They'll sell like hotcakes!!!  Sell a couple in each bag for about $1 a piece - then send some down south!

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Chit Chat / Re: What are you likely to buy at a bake sale?

« on: October 02, 2006, 04:41:20 PM »

Neither of my girls will eat cupcakes or buy them.  The little bags with one or two cookies sell for about 50 cents and brownies are usually about a dollar (or bigger cookies.)  The kids are going to buy the little bags and they are going to sell their parents on buying them so the kids can eat them right then and there.  Packages of a dozen or so cookies will be bought by the parents and a couple bucks (4 or 5) for 12 to 24 cookies beats the grocery store price and homemade makes them better.  The adults are the ones who'll be buying things like cakes, pies and banana breads.  At all the bake sales I've been to lately cakes go for about $10.  I haven't seen much banana bread, but I'd sure buy it before I'd buy a cake (especially since my girls like it better), but I'm betting it won't go for as much as a cake.  A smaller cake, like a pound cake won't bring as much as a good sized cake.

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Chit Chat / Re: Sex Ed

« on: October 02, 2006, 02:33:52 PM »

Oh my daughters are definitely being properly educated, both at home and at school.  I was just wondering what the rest of the world is doing.

1266

Chit Chat / Re: What are you likely to buy at a bake sale?

« on: October 02, 2006, 02:32:20 PM »

Depends on who will be there . . . . if it's kids and young people then cookies and cupcakes and brownies and package at least some of them in small (one or two cookies per) packages and sell separately.  If it will be mostly adults then things like pound cake or fancy cakes or even pies will sell better. 

1267

Chit Chat / Re: the Heating season has begun

« on: October 02, 2006, 07:01:37 AM »

I love the stacked wood fence and that musta been a LOT of work!  (Especially with a bad back . . . . can we assume that's feeling better?) 

Our fireplace isn't efficient enough to heat the whole house . . . the house wasn't built that way.  We do, however, have 3 furnaces so we can heat just the part of the house that we are in at any time.  That saves some money.  I still love a good fire in the fireplace . . . or the fire pit outside!

1268

Chit Chat / Re: Sex Ed

« on: October 02, 2006, 06:57:50 AM »

Only one answer?  I was hoping for more info.

I know the public schools here don't do anything about sex ed thru 5th grade.  Don't know what they do after that. 

The private school the girls are in does . . . they have field trips (seperated by sex for several years) to the Fernbank Science Center where they have age appropriate classes.  They start out teaching the kids how their bodies work and what parts they have in 5th grade.  They go on from there each year and add more.  So far, I've remained ahead of the curve . . . DD#1 knew a lot of what they taught each year before the field trip (not so sure about DD#2, but since she's in 5th this year, I better figure out what she knows).

The High School has a guy from the CDC coming in this week to talk to the kids.  He talked to the 11th/12th graders together last week and answered any questions they had.  (The questions were submitted prior to his talk in envelopes thru the english teachers - tho there was also a q&a session during the chat).  The 10th graders went by themselves and the 9th graders will go by themselves tomorrow.  There was a parents session after the 11th/12th graders and we were given a list of the questions asked . . . . . All I gotta say is WOW!  There were some doozies on there. 

I think it's information that my daughter will need someday, but she doesn't yet.  I had the option of saying she couldn't go, and considered taking it but ended up giving permission.  We've had 3 or 4 really good conversations about things she didn't know or understand in the last week, so at least she'll have an idea what they are talking about. 

1269

Chit Chat / Re: Casey

« on: October 02, 2006, 06:50:39 AM »

They are cute John, but I'm not sure how you tell them apart!!!  I assume they are siblings?

Thanks Kim, I think she's pretty darn cute!

1270

Pond Chat / Re: What is your Pond temperature?

« on: October 01, 2006, 06:09:52 PM »

I don't even want to know . . . . so I don't!

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Pond Chat / Re: Pix from Allentown MAKC Koi Show

« on: October 01, 2006, 06:09:20 PM »

Looks like those fish are standing on their tails to talk to Jamie!  Great pics (as usual).  Glad you had a good time!  (Where are pics of you?)

1272

Pond Chat / Re: Grrr.....

« on: October 01, 2006, 06:07:25 PM »

You absolutely need to net the pond because those big birds come very early . . . . before humans are awake and sometimes just before it's light out . . . then they come again in the late evening.  You can also string fishing line across the pond and around it and that will help keep them away.  And you can float something big and flat on the pond (like styrofoam lids from coolers or hunks of plywood) to provide the fish a hiding place.  Just remember that herons are very persisitant.

Some folks have had good luck with motion activated water canons.

1273

Pond Chat / Re: Winterizing tub planter

« on: October 01, 2006, 06:04:16 PM »

I tilt my big containers like that onto either a dolly or a luggage cart and roll them into the garage.  They go dormant, but don't die.  (The taro won't die, not sure about the papyrus.)  Then I wheel them back out in the spring to start again . . . .

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Pond Chat / Re: Finished winterizing...

« on: October 01, 2006, 06:02:29 PM »

Winterized ponds just shouldn't look that good!  It's absolutely gorgeous.  I wanna see pics when it has a foot or more of snow, too, please?

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Pond Chat / Re: Peaches & Cream says goodbye for the season

« on: October 01, 2006, 06:01:31 PM »

Wow!  That is a gorgeous lily!!!  I never realized it was so pretty!!!  And whatta goodbye!

1276

Chit Chat / Sex Ed

« on: October 01, 2006, 05:54:12 PM »

How many of you live in areas where the high school (or junior high, or any level of school) has sex ed?  Do you/have you let your child participate?  Do you give them a primer first?  What's covered in your primer and what's covered in the educators part?

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Terrestrial Gardening / Re: Passiflora and ti plant

« on: October 01, 2006, 04:25:58 PM »

I need a red passion flower . . . . that's just gorgeous!  (not that the rest aren't)

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Chit Chat / Re: Casey

« on: September 30, 2006, 02:14:59 PM »

Poor Andy!  Unless of course he just doesn't care!

They are adorable . . . not as cute as Casey, of course, but adorable!

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Terrestrial Gardening / Re: 29 Sept - Home early from the office

« on: September 30, 2006, 02:13:18 PM »

Your bulbine doesn't look so bad . . . . looks like a nice blooming grass.  I like the lion's tail too . . . perfect colors for this time of year.  (Cept today feels more like winter than fall)

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Terrestrial Gardening / Re: The last few blooms here

« on: September 30, 2006, 02:11:19 PM »

I love toad lilies! 

What's the last plant with the beautiful blue flowers?

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Pond Chat / Re: Pond? What pond??

« on: September 30, 2006, 01:50:52 PM »

Doncha just hate those trees that drop all their leaves at once and all in your pond?  We have bradford pears around our pond and they are the last to drop their leaves, but they do it all at once.  Go out in the morning and they all have all their leaves.  Come back in the afternoon and the trees are all bare and the pond is full!

Good luck getting them all out!  They do make for some interesting photos tho, don't they?

1282

Pond Chat / Re: Blooming 29 Sept - "Hanging onto Summer"

« on: September 30, 2006, 01:46:13 PM »

They are gorgeous Mike!  Do they smell good?

And you might wanna watch out if your pond is tilting . . . isn't california sposta slide into the sea?  It could be an early warning . . .

1283

Chit Chat / Re: Know what happens when the drive shaft on your car breaks?

« on: September 30, 2006, 09:07:01 AM »

That's the spirit Teresa. A prior roommate of mine who drove an old MG said - "With a new car, I have a payment every month. With an old car, that I like, I have repair bills, but every once in a while, it gives me a month off".

Mind you this was a girl who eventually learned how to remove and bake spark plugs to get the car to start, and kept an old toothbrush and baking soda on hand to scrub the battery terminals. Her other comment of note was, "It's not broken, it's just British"

Cheers,

Mike

Actually my very first car was an MG midget, so I completely understand her thinking!  I actually dated my mechanic back in those days . . . . it was the only way I could afford the car!   And, this rover is not unlike the midget, tho the repair bills are not yet monthly (they will be by this time next year as 8 years seems to be when that begins . . . .)

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Chit Chat / Re: Know what happens when the drive shaft on your car breaks?

« on: September 30, 2006, 08:06:13 AM »

Thanks Jessica . . . . it's definitely worth a try . . . wonder if the shocks would be covered too - that repair was almost $2000 and they said it happened to every rover out there too!  (The dealer wanted $4000 for the same work . . . . thiefs!)

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Chit Chat / Re: Know what happens when the drive shaft on your car breaks?

« on: September 29, 2006, 08:04:08 PM »

They would do a recall only if this was happening before the first warranty period ran out.  Unfortunately it happens after that . . . . when they aren't responsible anymore.  It IS odd tho that it is so prevalent with this type of car that the tow truck driver says he sees it 'all the time' with rovers and has never seen it with any other car. 

However, now that mine's replaced, the car is running smoother than it's run in a long time.  I figure it's good to go for another 3 or 4 months before it breaks down again.  I have no car payment, so if the next break down is less than $1000, I'm still ahead keeping it.  I like the beast . . . most of the time.

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Chit Chat / Re: Back pain puts avid gardner on hold!

« on: September 29, 2006, 08:01:08 PM »

Jerry you will let us know what they find out, right?  Sure hope they can help you!

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Chit Chat / Re: Back from seeing the specialist about my swallowing problem

« on: September 29, 2006, 08:00:08 PM »

Oh Bart - I do hope that this will help identify what's going on . . . if not to you, to the doctors.  Sometimes it takes a lot of proof to get them to believe what their eyes are telling them.  Good luck!

1288

Chit Chat / Re: Casey

« on: September 29, 2006, 07:51:10 PM »

I'm not sure the new her is not very strange looking!  the bottom looks too skinny for the top. DH said I didn't get enough cut off the top, but I think there was too much cut off the bottom. . . . I miss her elephant legs. 

However, she doesn't bring in every leaf within 100 feet of the house every time she goes out to piddle.  I guess there's something to be said for that. . . . tho I had gotten used to sweeping them out and DH hired someone to take down the river birch which dropped all the danged leaves. 

Mike, she'd love all your kids . . . . she's only met two dogs she really didn't like - a 4 month old Jack Russell who was just too jumpy and a 14 week old West Highland who bounced on her head.  Other than that, she's loved every dog, puppy and behemoth she's met (and she's met more than a few cuz she walks 3 miles a day in a dog park).  They are adorable . . . .bring them to Atlanta!

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Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Re: Aussie Seed

« on: September 29, 2006, 07:38:29 PM »

You know what they say about the class clown - joking to hide their ignorance!

Hmmmm, ignorance and Tammie . . . . Nope!  They don't go in the same breath . . . .

Now class clown?  that's another story . . . .

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Terrestrial Gardening / Re: Kousa Fruit

« on: September 29, 2006, 01:42:35 PM »

I saw a couple of those on the ground while walking in the park a few days ago . . . didn't have a clue what they were.  So happy to have learned something new!