The Good Life

Gardeners, Cooks, Oenophiles, DIYers, Naturalists, People and their Pets

Welcome to the first Irving-created thread in the Mote!

Another milestone!

Glendajean, feel free to delete this post when you write your intro. I presume Irv will give you the necessary instructions and URL.

2. joezan - 8/23/1999 12:02:27 AM

All my tomatoes came ripe this week. I've got 3 gallons of spaghetti sauce in the freezer. Anyone got a good salsa recipe?

3. AceofSpades - 8/22/99 12:04:34 PM

My boyfriend and I are thinking of going into the tulip business. Anyone know of a reliable distributor?

3. SpenceMirrlees - 8/23/1999 12:03:32 AM

Someday Joe, someday you'll get it right.

4. SpenceMirrlees - 8/23/1999 12:03:48 AM

Toys!

5. joezan - 8/23/1999 12:05:01 AM

Yeah, Mary. There's a coupla fellas live next door to my folks...I can hook you up...

6. joezan - 8/23/1999 12:05:39 AM

What toys?

7. SpenceMirrlees - 8/23/1999 12:06:04 AM

Well, I wouldn't want to take away from the fun your parents are having.

8. SpenceMirrlees - 8/23/1999 12:06:27 AM

Turn off your HTML tags when you are done posting!

9. IrvingSnodgrass - 8/23/1999 12:08:32 AM

I hope GJ doesn't mind that I created this thread for him. Now I'll ask him if he's willing.

10. joezan - 8/23/1999 12:10:08 AM

Spence:

That was a joke. You see, I CAUGHT the mistake right after I posted, went back and fixed it, but you obviously couldn't wait to RAG on me, and we X-posted!

11. SpenceMirrlees - 8/23/1999 12:11:33 AM

oh, I see. Sorry to be so quick on the draw.

So, let's quit spamming this thread.

12. Bubbaette - 8/23/1999 7:45:50 AM

Joezan

Fresh salsa?

Chopped tomatoes, about 3 big ripe ones

1/4 cup chopped onion (rinse after chopping

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

fresh cilantro (optional)

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon corriander seed -- crushed

Mix the above and let sit at room temp for a couple hours

I prefer not to refrigerate fresh tomatoes because I think it makes them
grainy.

An extra tomatoe salad for good measure

Chopped tomato

olive oil

vinegar

green pepper

chopped onion

chopped calamata olive

chopped onion

salt and black pepper

This is a nice picnic dish because it doesn't need to be cooled.

13. Bubbaette - 8/23/1999 7:46:59 AM

You don't need the chopped onion twice for the salad.

14. SpenceMirrlees - 8/23/1999 7:48:00 AM

both of those sounds fantastic.

15. SpenceMirrlees - 8/23/1999 7:48:28 AM

That's Southern talk for, "both of those sound fantastic."

16. Bubbaette - 8/23/1999 7:52:29 AM

Why, thank yew, Spence.

Joe

Do you want a canning recipe?

17. Judithathome - 8/23/1999 11:23:39 AM

Bubba:

You can add chunks of cuke and crumbled Feta cheese to that salad and call it Greek. 'Course, then you have to put it in the fridge...unless you eat it within a couple of hours. (The Feta is actually betta at room temp.)

18. Fraaankster - 8/23/1999 4:26:04 PM

Oh jeez,another recipe....

While we are on recipes,a couple of weeks ago I decided to watch "Dinner and a Movie" to see if I could possibly grasp how to make something I just adore -- buffalo wings.
Y'all know the show.It's either on the TBS or TNT network on Saturday nights with two young hosts who during commercial breaks, break down what it is you need to do and have to prepare their featured plate for the week. Well, I put up with their cheesy movie ( and humor btw ) thinking this plate would be relatively easy to prepare, but as it turned out,the damn thing required something like 30 ingredients and a certain pan I didn't have.
Well, it just goes to show ya, if you want good buffalo wings, let the nearest bar prepare them for you.

My gardening question ? I plan to remove about three inches of hard clay surface on the side of my yard.Would fine mulch work in amending what is left there,or would compost work better. I plan to till it.

19. joezan - 8/23/1999 8:15:01 PM

Bubb:

Many thanks for the Salsa recipe, and the bonus. I'll be trying them real soon, as I have about 40 tomatoes that need to be picked right now, and probably 3 times that many within the next 2 weeks or so. I can't give any of 'em away, because EVERYONE's tomatoes went nuts this year...

20. Thoughtful - 8/23/1999 8:57:07 PM

RE clay, we improved the soil in our garden quite a bit with mulch, but it is a temporary solution. In areas that don't get tilled regularly...like where my perennials are...we added perlite and/or vermiculite which is a more permanent solution. (I'm not sure what the difference is, but I'm sure someone here will know.)

Re tomato salad -- yum. I like to add fresh basil and fresh mozzarella cheese with olive oil, salt & freshly ground black pepper.

I also like my homemade "pizza" -- toast up an english muffin then sprinkle it with olive oil. Place a slice of mozz cheese on each, top with a slice of tomato. Sprinkle with italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Toast in a toaster oven or under an broiler until the mozz starts to melt and the parm starts to toast. Yum!

21. Thoughtful - 8/23/1999 8:59:51 PM

Don't forget tomato juice, soup, and sauce for cooking up lots of tomatoes when you are flush with them. I've also made homemade ketchup with some success -- only I think I finally gave up, cheated and added some corn starch to thicken it -- but I did end up with a good batch (that was about 25 years ago so i doubt I'd find the recipe.)

22. Bubbaette - 8/23/1999 9:56:55 PM

Joe Zan

If you've got lots of freezer space and don't want to can, drop fresh
tomatoes into boiling water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Pull
them from the boiling water and put them into cold water. The skins
on the maters will then slip off easily. You can then quarter the tomatoes
or place them whole into zip-loc freezer bags and pop em in the freezer.
This winter when you're cooking pasta sauce, take a few of those bad
boys from the freezer and put them in your sauce and viola -- the fresh
taste of your own summer garden.

23. Fraaankster - 8/24/1999 4:00:18 AM

Thoughtful,

Re: 20

Thank you for the tip on the clay and mulch question I had. The area in question is where I plan to plant grass,so tilling is out of the question, except of course, during the initial tilling to break the clay up. A permanent solution is more what I'm in search of, so I'll look into the products you mentioned, including what others have suggested such as gypsum.The only thing growing in that patchy area now is a bit of crabgrass and some weeds. It's just too hard to get a lush carpet of grass, or anything for that matter, going in its present condition.The reason I'm leaning toward fine mulch is because it's available free at the local dump.I would prefer compost but that will cost me, albeit not much.

Thanks again!

24. Thoughtful - 8/24/1999 12:56:57 PM

Fraaaank, nothing wrong with mulch either -- and grass can be very tolerant of a lot of things including a clay soil. Unless you get a real dry summer like we are having -- then the grass turns to a brillo pad.

Interestingly, at the other house, many moons ago, my dad-in-law put in some zoysia and it's spread like crazy. That patch is the only thing green and weed free in the whole lawn. Only problem is is we are far enough north that it doesn't green up until late spring. But I say I'd rather have green grass in the summer. Besides, before it greens up, its a rather nice shade of beige -- but beautifully even and weed free. It's also really cushy to walk on.

25. theDiva - 8/24/1999 1:03:06 PM

Frankus, shame on you, relying on Dinner and a Movie for a recipe when you have a perfectly good sister right here just dying to give you unsolicited advice and recipes!

26. msgreer - 8/24/1999 1:05:33 PM

excuse the spam,

diva check yahoo email.

thoughtful get back to the healthcare thread when you have time.

again sorry for spamming.

27. theDiva - 8/24/1999 1:06:45 PM

gotcha, sweetness, and it ain't hardly spam.

28. ranheim - 8/24/1999 3:46:29 PM

My small town in rural LA bills itself as the "Cochon du Lait Capital of the World".Way back when, they meant what they said : the piglet was slaughtered when it was to come off the teat. Currently, the most popular size is 35 - 50 lbs. dressed. The pig is sread eagled on wire, front and back. It is suspended via an attachment to a motor which very slowly revolves. The fire is wood. If caught in a bind, briquets will do; but, the purists will laugh at you. The constantly turning pig is suspended over a low fire. Several times during the cooking process the pig's position is turned; tail down to head down. BTW the head can be cooked as well; most of the time currently, the head is not cooked. My father-in-law preferred very lean pork. He would get up at about 3:30 AM and would slow cook the pig until about 11 - Noon.

The pork has a wonderful taste and when cooked properly, is not greasy at all for those of you on a low fat diet. Traditionally served with sweet potatoes, cole slaw, a green bean casserole, lots of salad, and French bread. Beer is chosen more frequently than wine.

My wife and I have cooked pigs on the island of Okinawa; in the outskirts of both Moscow and Washington, D.C. Come Saturday we are going to introduce Cape Cod to this LA delicacy.

29. Uzmakk - 8/24/1999 4:49:47 PM

Damn it, Ranheim, eating succulent pork whilst drinking wine and beer, my mouth is awater. Teach those Cape Codders well.

Now onto a question--

Just yesterday I transplanted into the ground some tiny leeks that I had started in a tray. I Started the tray late and then never got around to planting the things so that what I have put into the ground is a bunch of stunted little things. Now I understand that leeks, once planted, come back year after year. How do they do this? Do they seed? Is it likely that my stunted little seedlings will be able to make it back next year, or will they be too immature to do whatever it is they do to reproduce?

30. Fraaankster - 8/24/1999 5:34:42 PM

Buffalo wings are just melted butter mixed with tabasco and then brushed on the wings and broiled.

Deev,

Hey, I go wherever I can when it comes to learning how to make use of this place called a kitchen and leave it to you to simplify things for me on the cooking front with regards to chicken wings. If I remember correctly,'Dinner and a Movie' had everything from paprika to brown sugar included in their recipe and that's when I knew it was time for me to get out and to leave that plate to someone else. I don't understand how my local tavern can spit them out so well in such little time,they are ( Here's my best Andy Griffith ) gooooooooooooo - ood !!!

...I can't help not using a gardening term in describing the new content page -- 'tilling'. It's a bit too drab and cheesy for my taste and to top it off, it doesn't fit my screen. :-(

31. theDiva - 8/24/1999 5:41:18 PM

Frankie

32. Fraaankster - 8/24/1999 5:47:46 PM

Deev,

Know what ? I think you ought to consider hosting that show,or one like it. Your recipes are a hell of a lot simpler,and who says this country has had their fill of movies with dialogue such as the following, Hey, Guido, whacha do wit da body ?

33. theDiva - 8/24/1999 5:58:07 PM

Frankie

34. Thoughtful - 8/24/1999 9:46:38 PM

If anyone else here is as much a chocoholic as I, let me recommend Bernard C. for excellent excellent chocolates. Delicious with the most terrific, sinful combinations of flavors. Yum!

35. ChristiPeters - 8/24/1999 9:55:20 PM

First you dig a large pit in the sand. (Be sure you are well away from the horses' favorite gathering spots)

Next fill with dried mesquite and burn down until they are coals.

While the mesquite is burning take a goat whether (that's castrated male) age 4 - 6 months that has been properly slaughtered, skinned, and dressed. Slather the goat inside and out with your favorite BBQ sauce, peppers, onions, and seasonings and wrap in aluminum foil.

Bury the goat in the mesquite ashes, top with sand, and tamp it down firmly. (If you are doing this in your pasture, don't worry, the horses are smart enough to not to walk on burning hot sand -- they won't bother it. Just remember what I said about staying away from their favorite spots.)

Go back 48 hours later, dig up the goat, EAT!

36. ChristiPeters - 8/24/1999 9:56:05 PM

Hey! That's as specific as that recipe gets. Honest!

37. ChristiPeters - 8/24/1999 9:59:00 PM

It's ok to eat an uncastrated baby boy goat, but make sure you get him young. Once he's gone into rut even a little bit, the meat is ruined -- unfit to eat -- seriously yucky.

No, you can't eat the doelings! They are worth too much for their milk to use for meat!

38. Fraaankster - 8/25/1999 4:22:28 AM

Deev,

I was just having fun with you in post # 32. Since you're frequently refering to your Italian butt with pride, I figured you for one who would want to host such a show ( Dinner and a Movie ) with a fresh, new Italian angle to provide it with some badly needed spunk. Accompanying your Italian wit would be a slew of obligatory mob movies and spagetti westerns, along with the complimentary bevy of Italian dishes. You can't see it working ?

39. theDiva - 8/25/1999 10:35:13 AM

Frankie

40. Fraaankster - 8/25/1999 1:10:41 PM

Deev,Deev,Deev!

I know that. I was just taking your humorous side a step farther in a parody sort of way. If anyone has fallen victim to stereotypes and generalizations it is none other than yours truly. It's unfortunate that there are still some ( usually the ignorant and uneducated ) in our society who suscribe to this line of stereotypical thinking...I was just funning you kiddo.

"Big Night' is only one movie, what's up after that ?

Gotta go kiddo, and when is this D.C. bash ?

41. ChristiPeters - 8/25/1999 1:12:02 PM

I take it no one liked my goat recipe?

You don't know what you are missing

42. theDiva - 8/25/1999 1:13:43 PM

Frankie

43. Bubbaette - 8/25/1999 1:16:22 PM

Christi

Ukrops here in Richmond doesn't carry goat.

44. theDiva - 8/25/1999 1:20:14 PM

goat?

45. ChristiPeters - 8/25/1999 2:24:40 PM

Yes, Diva, goat

See msg#35

It's yummy!

HONEST!

46. ChristiPeters - 8/25/1999 2:25:52 PM

Where did you get the goat in your freezer?

Have you ever had venison?

Goat tastes a bit like venison.

47. theDiva - 8/25/1999 2:57:49 PM

Oh, my neighbor gave it to me....they're Ghanaian, and Muslim, and they give out goat when they have a baby.

48. PsychProf - 8/25/1999 3:03:09 PM

Indeed

49. ChristiPeters - 8/25/1999 3:04:56 PM

Well, there were quite a few dairy goat farms in the area of NM where I used to live. My husband and I got a lovely Alpine Nanny. She produced lots of milk. We sold her doelings castrated and ate her bucklings.

I fed my goats the same sweet feed and alfalfa hay I fed the horses. This made for rich sweet milk. I made ice cream, cheese, and butter from the milk.

I liked our goat meat, but I haven't ever eaten any I didn't raise.

(We also raised Califonian rabbits and White Leghorn chickens)

50. PsychProf - 8/25/1999 3:09:28 PM

Goat stuff with Adam Sandler

51. ChristiPeters - 8/25/1999 10:33:53 PM

Hey, PP, that was cute. The talking goat and the next one down look like Nubians. They are known for milk with a very high butterfat content, but not for volumn. The last one on the page looked like it was an Alpine-Nubian cross. These were getting very popular when we had our goats in the early 80s. The Alpine was bread for high volumn and our Alpine certainly lived up to that. You can see how crossing a goat bred for volumn and a goat bred for richer milk would seem like a good idea. We lost the farm in 1985. So I stopped following all that. Still the web page looks like they have goats for pets -- not the way we thought of ours.

52. ChristiPeters - 8/25/1999 10:34:48 PM

Ok, I'll stop now. I'm probably the only one here interested in this.

TTFN
&:o)

53. Judithathome - 8/26/1999 11:17:07 AM

ChristiP:

You're talking CABRITO, hon...goat on the barbie.


I just have to write this and y'all can file it under "envy": yesterday was a slow day at the Antiques Mall where I logged in 4 of my 8 hours for this month so I had lots of time to wander around and find things I desired. I found (and now own) a Russian crystal limosine vase! It is shapped like a horn and has the typical cutting so common in Russian crystal, sort of hyper Star of David. It is absolutely gorgeous and I have it displayed on the etergre in front of the window in my garden room where the western sunset catches all the glass and in the late evenings, my room is filled with rainbows.

I also got a crystal perfume bottle from the 20s that has an intact tasseled sprayer (silver gray) and I poured my newest perfume into it and feel like a movie star spritzing myself. I love my job!

54. Judithathome - 8/26/1999 11:19:35 AM

The vase is shaped not shapped.

55. Thoughtful - 8/26/1999 12:59:53 PM

Judith, you'd probably be the one to ask about such things. I have some silver compact cases from my Mom-in-law. Are they worth anything? Are they collectible? I don't really want to sell them, but don't really know what to do with them either. Any suggestions?

56. Judithathome - 8/26/1999 1:15:48 PM

thoughtful:

Compact collectors are among some of the most rabid; values run the gamut from $10.00 to whatever someone is willing to pay, and that can be a LOT!

I would suggest getting a mirrored tray and displaying the compacts on it in your bedroon, along with some pretty "boudoir" stuff. Or you might find a nice little corner shelf and install it...then, you could put the compacts there.

I have a brass towel rod up high in my bathroom and I've draped an antique ecru doily, some peach colored roses, a peach staw hat, and some lacy gloves held by a glove clip on it...it's a nice little girly touch and compliments my peach towels. You could put the corner shelf in your bathroom and work out something similar. One nice thing to mix with the compacts would be older perfume bottles from the same time period.

57. ChristiPeters - 8/26/1999 1:21:34 PM

Judithathome -

If you wanted envy... it worked! Both of your acquisitions sound lovely!

58. Thoughtful - 8/26/1999 2:46:27 PM

Judith, hmmm. Sounds interesting and gives me some ideas. I have a dressing room that might be perfect for displaying some of that stuff. She also had a fold out comb with a silver case and a cigarette case too. It's amazing to think about these things which we don't use any more. Both in-laws were smokers and I've got more odd-ball ashtrays than I can handle, including one that -- if it wasn't recessed in the top -- could be used as a small side table.

Any value to little ceramic tchotchkes that say "Made in Occupied Japan"? At least they're easy to date!

You wouldn't believe the stuff I've got from my in-laws. Finally made my hubby get rid of the metal box of coins. The banks in our area were complaining about a penny shortage and the box was filled with pennies & nickels -- we weighed it at about 87 lbs. worth! I've already sold a bunch of it at a tag sale, and still have more leftover. I'm sure I must've sold something valuable for cheap -- but then I sold some cheap stuff for more than it was worth, so who cares. Mostly I just want it gone....especially the 300 mason jars.

59. Judithathome - 8/26/1999 3:10:49 PM

Thoughtful:

The receessed ashtry could be used as a side table if you balance piece of glass or an small tray on top.

Occupied Japan stuff is very lucrative. Some of it is really ugly but most of it can bring much more than garage sale prices. If you have the time and inclination, take it to a few antique malls and ask if anyone is interested. Some dealer will probably be more than happy to take it off your hands.

One of the hardest things for me to give up when I quit smoking years ago was my cigarette case: it was antique tortise shell and I had a gorgeous Calibri lighter which felt so sensual...it was faux tortise. My husband is so sweet; he knew I missed my cigarette case so he bought me a card case for my business cards. It's just as lovely and what I tote around in it is much more healthy for me.

60. Thoughtful - 8/26/1999 3:55:57 PM

JudithAH, that's very interesting. Part of the problem is the trade off -- it takes time to lug this stuff to the right people, and time is money. The two pieces I have in mind go rather well where they are -- we have some french provincial needlepoints in the bedroom (hubby's grandma said she made them, but I doubt it) and the figurines are french provincial as well which we have on top of the dresser. Now that I know they might be worth something, I'll probably break it. Seems to happen with all that kind of stuff. The cheap ugly junk never seems to get broken. Murphy's law at its best.

Thanks for the info.

61. Bubbaette - 8/26/1999 4:09:50 PM

Thoughtful

I could use the 300 mason jars in increments -- about 100 per year. But I don't suppose it would make sense to ship em.

62. Bubbaette - 8/26/1999 4:10:13 PM

Thoughtful

I could use the 300 mason jars in increments -- about 100 per year. But I don't suppose it would make sense to ship em.

63. Thoughtful - 8/26/1999 4:29:25 PM

Nu-uh.

I've used some for storage in my kitchen -- keeps the buggies out of the pasta and such, but there are still so many.

I'm wondering if there isn't some other way to use them up -- say concreting them in somewhere for a sidewalk or something.

Maybe I can have a big party with a lot of Greeks over and serve the drinks in them and then they can smash 'em all in the fireplace. Kewl!

64. PsychProf - 8/26/1999 4:37:25 PM

Now, if you'd invite a geek with the greeks...

65. Thoughtful - 8/26/1999 4:43:53 PM

pp, nice to see ya. Glad you managed to cross the mote.

66. Bubbaette - 8/27/1999 11:10:23 AM

Thoughtful

The folks to whom I give canned goods are getting better every year about returning the mason jars to me (except when they live far away, and then forget it.) I only bought 2 dozen quart jars this year. And though I'm still doing a little canning here and there, I think I can pat myself on the back this year that every single one of the more than 100 jars I canned sealed immediately. i think I've got my system down.

67. ChristiPeters - 8/27/1999 12:06:13 PM

RAIN! Beautiful rain!

Once more I have been spared tha agony of dragging my single hose and sprinkler around the yard all day Saturday.

We got RAIN

68. Judithathome - 8/27/1999 1:32:03 PM

You Dog! :-)

69. ChristiPeters - 8/27/1999 2:21:15 PM

wooof!

70. Bubbaette - 8/27/1999 2:41:22 PM

nanny nanny boo boo. we've had rain 4 days this week so far.

71. Judithathome - 8/27/1999 2:46:07 PM

You guys are cruel....not only have we had no rain, it's been like 106+ for about 2 days now. And over 100 for about 18 days straight.

Making matters worse, our well is being repaired so we've been watering very stingily.

Christi, if you watch Channels 5,8, or 11, on the weather map of the D/FW area, I live in the A of the NAS designation west of FW. Not literally, of course!

72. ChristiPeters - 8/27/1999 4:19:28 PM

Well, I'll admit I was miffed last night when all the T-storm warnings were well North of me. Still, this storm seemed to be moving steadily South at lunchtime. I'm surprised it hasn't reached you yet.

BTW, I plan on heading down to check out your antique mall next month. It's the third Thurday, right? Sept 16th?

73. Uzmakk - 8/27/1999 9:09:43 PM

Well, well, what can I say? -----oh, just a minute, I've got something written on a scrap of paper in the shop. Let me go get it.


Had eye but not a camera--

The bee-fly hovering
Before the blossom
bud, blossom, flower
A Harrier
A pink rose
and
A strange white spider, crablike,
Alaskan King
On a forward sepal

74. glendajean - 8/28/1999 9:05:04 PM

Howdy! I just got back from a week's vacation in New Mexico. This is my first return to the Mote since last Friday.

75. arkymalarky - 8/28/1999 10:14:16 PM

Hi Glenda! How was the trip? And more importantly, did your yard survive your vacation? I don't know how things are in DC, but we got a beautiful rain a couple of nights ago. Probably about two inches, though we didn't measure.

76. glendajean - 8/28/1999 10:35:04 PM

Arky -- I got home too late to check my garden out closely -- will do so in the morning.

However, I think we did get some DC rain this past week, so I am hopeful that it's hanging in there.

I only found out tonight that I'm hosting this thread. I feel so ... Martha Stewartish.

77. arkymalarky - 8/28/1999 10:45:02 PM

Haha. Martha Stewartish? Then you should have this place looking and smelling like something out of Victoria in a flash.

78. glendajean - 8/29/1999 2:45:23 PM

WWMD -- What would Martha do? Whatever she would do, it would be more complicated and more difficult than anything I am capable of performing. So this is the not-Martha thread. Instead, it is made up of a delightful cast of folk whose interests stretch from redoing a study to wildlife to gardening. It's all here. Please join me in swapping recipes and detailing our gardening adventures and updating our room re-dos. Think of this space as a civilized corner of our Mote.

79. Judithathome - 8/29/1999 5:16:47 PM

Welcome home, glendajean!

Let's plan on some tea and biscuits soon....

80. glendajean - 8/29/1999 6:12:28 PM

Judith -- I have a nice Brown Betty teapot to make it in. You provide the scones.

Thanks for the welcome. I really like the new look. Much nicer than former haunts.

81. SnowOwl - 8/29/1999 6:34:33 PM

Glendajean

Welcome back. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. Wednesday is the first day of Spring here, but we've had such an extraordinarily mild winter that many things in the garden are about 6 weeks ahead of schedule. I love this time of the year, every day there's something new to be found. Today's excitement has been seeing the first blossoms open on my miniature weeping cherry. In a day or two the whole tree will be a glorious mass of pink bloom. I can hardly wait to see it.

I spent most of the weekend pruning roses but I still have a long way to go before they're all done. It's thirsty work so I hope I can wangle an invitation to the tea party. I'll bring a NZ speciality, pikelets with jam and cream, if that will get me in the door.

82. glendajean - 8/29/1999 7:29:50 PM

Snow Owl -- thank you for the description of spring in your New Zealand garden. I am in the middle of winding down my garden in anticipation of autumn. The asters I planted last month are now blooming, I'd like to add more, and this year I will plant chrysanthemums, something I've resisted because of a personal dislike of their brilliant colors. (There are softer pastels that I can tolerate). And my continual garden building, cutting back shrubs, cleaning up debris, clearing out beds, -- this all awaits, chores I put off till cooler seasons. I am also a bit sad because there is a possibility that we're moving later this year to the American midwest, and so my garden work has a taste of letting go as well.

83. glendajean - 8/29/1999 7:30:36 PM

Oh, Snow Owl -- you are always welcome at our tea party. What are pikelets?

84. SnowOwl - 8/29/1999 8:27:21 PM

Glendajean

As far as I can tell what we call pikelets are very similar to what you call pancakes (what we call pancakes you probably call crepes). They're very popular here and are a staple of morning and afternoon teas (we take our tea breaks very seriously here), normally served buttered, jammed and topped with lashings of sweetened whipped cream.

I can imagine that you'll have a lot of regrets if you have to leave your garden. On the other hand, there's always something exciting about planning and planting a new garden. I don't know a lot about climatic differences in the States but I would think that the midwest would be very different from where you are now, so you'll also have the challenge of adapting to new conditions, and you might find yourself learning a whole host of new gardening techniques.

85. glendajean - 8/29/1999 10:31:14 PM

Pikelets sound yummy, Snow Owl. You're right about learning a new region. That will be interesting. OTH, I would like to see my garden grow into a maturity. So, some regret on my part. It's not a done deal, just getting prepared mentally in case it happens.

86. Judithathome - 8/30/1999 10:48:27 AM

Snowowl:

When we lived in Japan, a friend went to New Zealand on business and met the love of his life, Elane. She came to visit for 2 weeks and they invited us to what she called a typical Sunday Kiwi tea. We went, expecting cookies and tea...

This young lady had managed to whip up a meal in a Japanese kitchen (an unmarried GIs efficency apartment kitchen, meaning beer, fridge, and hot plate) with things she's found at the local market. We were astounded! There was roast pork, veggies, salad, and a steamed pumpkin pudding cake-like thing.

Needless to say, he married her and they are now living in New Zealand, with 3 beautiful children.

87. theDiva - 8/30/1999 11:04:26 AM

ACK! GLENDA! Here I am all ready to welcome you back (welcome back, dear) and I read that you may be moving!!!!!!

now?

90. glendajean - 8/30/1999 11:30:48 AM

My dear sweet Diva, I cannot imagine leaving this city without the opportunity to meet you. If it happens, and I won't know for another week or so, my actual leaving won't take place for another couple of months -- time for us to MAMBO!

91. theDiva - 8/30/1999 11:37:39 AM

sniffle

92. glendajean - 8/30/1999 11:44:41 AM

I want to hear from Ronski, too.

I just got back from New Mexico, a place that must be a geologist's wet dream (in terms of variety). At a friend's cabin in the wooded mountains outside of Ruidosa, I must have seen hundreds of hummingbirds. And given the August rains there, I also saw a variety of wildflowers, some which I think I can identify (asters, penstemons, sunflowers, wild roses) and many which I can only guess.

93. ChristiPeters - 8/30/1999 12:46:39 PM

I spent 14 years in New Mexico and fell in love with just about every inch of the state.

For 6 of those years I was in the USAF in a supervisory position. So I saw a lot of people come and go. There seemed to be only two reactions to NM - you either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. I never saw any so-so reactions, just the two extremes.

94. Judithathome - 8/30/1999 2:33:03 PM

ChristiP:

I meant to answer you yesterday or the day before but YES! We are having the late night at the Antiques Mall on the 16th and you are more than welcome to come. Just ask for Judith at the front counter; I will be sure to attend and bring some Shoyu Chicken, too...

95. ChristiPeters - 8/30/1999 4:01:54 PM

JudithAH -

Yipeeeee! Lil' Darlin' and I will be there with bells on!

96. SnowOwl - 8/30/1999 4:03:13 PM

Judith

That was a nice story. Our terminology can be a bit confusing for newcomers. Tea can be morning or afternoon tea (also known as smoko) referring to mid morning or mid afternoon breaks, tea is also the common term for the evening meal.

We do have some local expressions which often catch newcomers out. The famous one is the line on an invitation Please Bring a Plate. Many people who see this for the first time wonder why on earth they're being asked to take crockery to a function. In fact, they're being asked to bring some food with them. But there are plenty of stories of newcomers turning up with an empty plate after receiving such an invitation.

97. Judithathome - 8/30/1999 4:09:17 PM

snowowl:

I'm sure it wouldn't be empty for long! :-)

98. glendajean - 8/30/1999 4:15:09 PM

Snow Owl, when I was growing up in Texas, it was quite common to bring a dish of food to someone's home whenever there was a terrible illness or death. Recently my partner and I fixed a couple of meals for a wonderful friend of ours undergoing cancer surgery (for when she came home from the hospital). She's from Texas, too, but was surprised and amazed that we had cooked the food. It's been 30 years since she lived back home and had forgotten the tradition.

99. Judithathome - 8/30/1999 5:11:05 PM

glendajean:

I thought that was a universal thing...I always take food to anyone who's had a death in the family. Lately, I've been taking big fruit baskets, tho, because usually there are tons of sweets and casseroles but for a change of pace or glutted appetites (or lost ones) everyone seems to like fruit.

100. glendajean - 8/30/1999 5:30:23 PM

Judith, when I was growing up, it was fried chicken and potato salad. Casseroles came later.

We thought the same thing, but it's not done here in DC -- as far as I can tell.

101. SnowOwl - 8/30/1999 8:03:44 PM

Glenda and Judith

I think it is a fairly universal custom, we certainly do it here when there is a death, or serious illness in a family. When my husband had major cancer surgery some years ago we were overwhelmed with kindness, I didn't have to cook anything for several weeks. It's also quite customary for people to welcome newcomers to the neighbourhood with gifts of food, which can be a great boon when you are in the process of moving in.

102. glendajean - 8/30/1999 10:36:17 PM

Snow Owl, sounds like we have all grown up with this traiditon of hospitality. I think in big cities like DC people hardly know each other and rarely think about doing such customs that they might describe as quaint.

BTW, given the description you gave of your NZ climate, I suppose you don't get black spot on your roses. I haven't sprayed my Austin English roses in over a month and its time to spray again. My new Gertrude J, btw, is finally taking off with new shoots. What a frgrant gal she is.

103. glendajean - 8/30/1999 10:37:33 PM

traidton = tradition
frgrant = fragrant

104. ranheim - 8/31/1999 8:31:45 AM

The pig was very well cooked and tasty.

The beer was cold. The wine flowed.

About 100 Cape Cod people now know what the LA speicalty of "Cochon de Lait" tastes like!

We had a great time.

In reading through the previous posts, I find pikelets mentioned. My nurse at the embassy in Moscow was a Scot. She treated our two small boys to pikelets. An instant hit!! When we returned to the USA, all the cousins, nieces, and nephews had to have Aunt Laurie's pikelets when they visited us.

If I can find my wife's recipe book I might print out that Scot's recipe to see how it compares with New Zealand's.

105. Judithathome - 8/31/1999 9:52:35 AM

I'm amazed at how many old customs have fallen by the wayside, things that seem only natural to me but bring stares when someone hears of them.

I have baked Christmas cookies for the mailman and "paperboy" since I was a young married girl of 18...just like my mother taught me. I did this throughout my first marriage and when I married my "final" husband, we moved into an apartment and that was the first year I didn't do the holiday cookies. We then moved to Japan and later to Germany so I fell out of the habit.

Moving back to Texas, our first year here, I decided to revive my little tradition. Impossible to do...there are about 3 or 4 mailpersons delivering on different days, and our paper "boy" is a group of day laborers throwing our paper from the back of a moving truck around 4am.

106. Judithathome - 8/31/1999 9:56:19 AM

So I have started a new tradition: I bake fruitbreads and muffins and take a platter up to our local post office branch so not only the carriers can enjoy but the sorters and counter people can, too.

The newspaper folk have to fend for themselves.

107. ChristiPeters - 8/31/1999 10:26:52 AM

When I was growing up, we also took food to people who have had a death in the family. This tradition was very helpful to my mother in 1997 when my father died.

We also brought food to new neighbors as a welcome to the neighborhood. After I grew up and started moving around, I didn't encounter this tradition again until I moved to Texas. When I moved into apartments - nothing. When I moved into my last house and my present house, I was greeted with casseroles and baked goods.

108. Bubbaette - 8/31/1999 4:53:24 PM

What's this about GlendaJean moving? Damnit, I haven't even gotten the pickles in the mail.

109. glendajean - 8/31/1999 4:59:39 PM

It's a real possibility, my dear Bubbaette of the Camelias.

I won't know for another week or so. But if it happens, we still have to sell our house, etc., etc.

110. Bubbaette - 8/31/1999 5:00:57 PM

Where to? Is there a good growing climate?

111. glendajean - 8/31/1999 5:03:32 PM

The midwest. Don't know much about the city. My partner and I are going out there next week to check it out. It's not a done deal, yet, but I'm ready for a decision. How are you doing? I've missed you.

112. SnowOwl - 8/31/1999 5:05:38 PM

Glendajean,

My roses get a little black spot now and again, although it's not really much of a problem. Some bushes seem more susceptible to it than others. I do spray but not very methodically and only when I think of it. That's one of the reasons I love Rugosas, they don't take any looking after at all and continue to do beautifully despite my neglect.

113. Bubbaette - 8/31/1999 5:09:49 PM

Peachy

Just got back from Rochester visiting my sister. I picked a gallon and a half of jalapenos and enough green beans for dinner tonight. I suppose it's my redneck heritage, but there are few summer dinners that I like more than steamed green beans w/ potatoes, onions, and a end bit of ham.

I was so impressed with Miz Phys's perennials -- more variety than I can name. And her indoors is filled with plants, too. I'm going to have to snitch some of her ideas, because I'm running out of places to put houseplants. I set my weeping fig out in the shade this summer and its getting so large I don't know where I'll put it this fall. But I still brought home a big ol beefsteak begonia that Phys gave me.

How was your vacation?

114. glendajean - 8/31/1999 5:23:52 PM

Wonderful. We saw a production of Carmen at Santa Fe Opera Saturday, a week ago. It's an open air theater, and probably one of the most beautiful places to see opera in the world. Santa Fe was also having its annual Indian Market that weekend where artists come from across the country and line the streets and plaza with their booths.

Then we drove into southern New Mexico to stay with my best friend from Austin, her husband, and another couple we know at her family's cabin that is set on 200 acres on hilltops next to two large forrested mountains.

This cabin is surrounded by porches. Sitting on a chair in arid 80 degree temperatures and reading a book, then looking up at the more than 20 or so hummingbirds fighting over the feeders, and then going for walks in the Lincoln National Forest, and taking naps, and cooking meals with friends. We did that till this past Saturday. It was pure heaven.

115. ChristiPeters - 8/31/1999 5:26:48 PM

ooooooh, glendjean

I am so green.

sigh

I do so miss NM

116. glendajean - 8/31/1999 5:27:03 PM

Snow Owl, I've seen wild rugosas this summer along the dunes on Cape Cod at Provincetown (by Boston in New England) and on my friend's land last week in New Mexico. Hearty, big plants. That's why I stick to Austin or also what we call Antique Roses or Old Roses. Nothing like the hardier stock. I have your identical spraying philosophy. I use Safer fungicide (as recommended by Ronski).

I hope Ronski is on vacation instead of not getting the most recent url for the Mote. It changed while I was gone, and if it weren't for the kindness of a friend, I'd be locked out of here.

117. ChristiPeters - 8/31/1999 5:27:31 PM

ummmmm... that's glendajean

118. glendajean - 8/31/1999 5:30:38 PM

ChristiPeters -- It was all beautiful, particularly the colors from the sunrises and sunsets. We did a short trip to White Sands, which I found a bit depressing (but interesting). We also drove from Capitan over to San Antionio to get back to the Interstate to return to Alberqurque Airport. That meant driving through a fairly recent (georgraphically speaking) lava flow called the Valley of Fires. The first A-bomb was detonated in the neighborhood. Very isolated and sparsly populated. On our friend's hilltop, one could not see any house, road, or other sign of human life. Very peaceful.

119. glendajean - 8/31/1999 5:33:01 PM

August seems to be a rainy season for the southwest. A few years ago, my partner and I spent a week in Big Bend and the Davis Mountains in Texas during August, and everything was in bloom. I cannot tell you how green NM was this past week. On my friend's land, there, among a jillion other wildflowers, a smallgrowing plant with yellow blossoms -- it looked quite alpine. We noticed as we walked through the meadow that we were smelling lemons. When we picked the flowers, they were full of lemon fragrance.

120. Bubbaette - 8/31/1999 5:35:41 PM

It sounds wonderful. I hope someday to make a trip out west.

121. SnowOwl - 8/31/1999 5:42:44 PM

Glendajean

Your holiday sounds tremendous, I'm envious. There's nothing better than sitting in beautiful surroundings reading a good book and enjoying time with good friends.

I often recommend rugosas to friends who aren't really into roses but would like one or two. I think they have a particular beauty of their own apart from their ease of cultivation. In fact, one of my very favourite roses of all is the rugosa Blanc Double de Coubert. She's a stunner, with the most wonderfully flimsy white petals (she is sometimes called the Muslin Rose or the Bridal Rose because of them), and a sweet fragrance. And beyond having to hack her back when she gets a bit exuberant she needs no looking after at all which is the clincher for me.

122. glendajean - 8/31/1999 5:48:36 PM

Snow Owl -- you start talking roses and I get dreamy-eyed.

123. SnowOwl - 8/31/1999 6:09:50 PM

Just slap me in the mouth with a bag of fertiliser when I start to ramble on. I should be out attempting to tame an overgrown Shropshire Lass right now, instead I'm staring at the computer screen while visions of a whole new garden dance in my head.

124. ChristiPeters - 8/31/1999 6:18:46 PM

glendajean -

sigh

I've been all those places. I lived in Tularosa for 5 years, in Alamogordo for 7 years, and in Las Cruces for 2. We made regular trips to Albuquerque. You can bet that with Cloudcroft just 16 miles from Alamogordo, we went there very often. I didn't like the OB in Alamogordo, so Lil' Darlin' was born in Ruidoso.

So I am very familiar with the areas you describe. I used to ride my motorcycle from Alamogordo up to Cloudcroft, hang a right on the road to Sunspot, follow that to where it meets back at the Hwy by Mayhill, then shoot on down home - just for the scenery and the fun of the twisty roads in the mts.

ooooooo, now I am SO homesick!

125. Judithathome - 9/1/1999 11:51:12 AM

I am so proud of myself and at the same time, can't believe I've done this "cutsey" project.

Recently, I bought this board-picture for resale and it had originally had a gold hook type thing on top as a hanger. The top of the hook broke off and the screw portion was embedded in the board. Even if I could've removed the screw part, which I can't, it would've left a hole in the board.

This picture is of a kitten standing on his back legs and he is biting a tassel hanging from a drapery tie-back. I'm not a cat person but everyone else seems to be: I sell an inordinate amount of catanalia. Anyhow, the board is trimmed on the sides with a sort of green checkerbaord pattern.

I have a bolt of wide green checked taffeta ribbon and it matched perfectly so I wired a sort of vee shaped hanger which extends above the top of the board and then laced the ribbon over that and tied a decorative knot in it. It looks just too, too cute...so cute, I am almost ill from thinking about it. But I know it will sell so...

I'll let you know when the sale goes through...not taking it to the shop til next week.

126. ChristiPeters - 9/1/1999 12:01:29 PM

Too, too cute and it has a kitten on it, huh. Sounds like just the kind of thing Lil' Darlin' loves.

127. Judithathome - 9/1/1999 12:54:40 PM

ChristiP:

Lots of Lil' Darlins...and not so Lil' ones...feel exactly the same. I have one little cat statue that has been around for a few months but most of my cat stuff just flies outta there.

128. glendajean - 9/1/1999 1:04:04 PM

Judith -- whatever happened with your caladiums?

129. Judithathome - 9/1/1999 1:09:18 PM

They've been euthanized. Compassionately.

130. theDiva - 9/1/1999 1:18:20 PM

oh God....don't remind me. The neighbor's hounds trampled my beautiful coleus last night. I hate dogs.

131. ChristiPeters - 9/1/1999 1:30:32 PM

Diva -

I'll bet you wouldn't hate Lil' Darlin's dog. Of course her dog isn't big enough to trample anything. By the time my lawn is due for it's weekly mow, you can barely see Rose's head above the grass.

Still, I'm not really sure a 'dog' that small really qualifies as a dog anyway.

132. ChristiPeters - 9/1/1999 1:33:07 PM

It's a good thing Rose doesn't bark very often. When a dog is that tiny, their tiny tiny vocal cords are incapable of anything other than a high-pitched bark (yip, really). It grates on my nerves, but as I said, she seldom barks.

When she's playing with her toys or one of the cats, her 'growl' sounds remarkably like a cat purr. Lil' Darlin' thinks it's hilarious.

133. theDiva - 9/1/1999 1:44:13 PM

Christi

I don't really hate dogs, I was just grousing. I just can't stand it when people don't take care of their animals. grumble grumble.

What kind of dog does LD have? I've forgotten.

134. ChristiPeters - 9/1/1999 2:41:20 PM

Diva - It's supposed to be a Pomeranian. Rose looks like a Pom, too, and we have her registration papers and all...

But one of Lil' Darlin's friends also has a Pom and, at 8 months, Rose is only half the size of the other Pom. She weighs about 3 3/4 pounds and stands all of 8 1/2 inches at the top of her head.

She's not the usual 'orangish' color I've seen a lot of, but is marked more like a sable German Shepherd. It's an officially listed variation in the literature we got from the Pom club after we got her papers, but I guess it's uncommon.

I have never had a dog less than 50lbs and thigh-high at maturity and this tiny thing is a bit weird to me.

135. PsychProf - 9/1/1999 2:46:17 PM

"Saw my breath" this morning on my daily excursion...where did the summer go.

136. Judithathome - 9/1/1999 2:49:28 PM

PsychProf:

To Texas.

137. glendajean - 9/1/1999 2:57:18 PM

Judith -- did you dig up the old bulbs? You can use them again next year. If you leave them in the ground, they'll rot. You may get a two or three to return, but not much.

138. theDiva - 9/1/1999 2:57:47 PM

oh man, it has been gorgeous here the last few days. We've had the quilt on the bed for the last two nights. Yummy. I hope it stays this way, our church festival is next weekend and I'm chairing a booth again. This year it's (drum roll please) tote bags and firewood!

139. Judithathome - 9/1/1999 3:01:03 PM

glendajean:

I thought I was supposed to leave then in the ground til the stems dried or something...? I didn't actually KILL them; they're in differing stages of death.

140. Bubbaette - 9/1/1999 3:02:14 PM

No No No

It's much to early to be Fall. Though we're stocked up with firewood, I just can't face Fall yet.

141. theDiva - 9/1/1999 3:06:55 PM

Bubb, are you kidding? Haven't you had enough of this lousy Virginia heat? Yuck. Thank God it cooled off. I think I'd have gone postal if I had to face another 95 degree day.

142. Judithathome - 9/1/1999 3:16:34 PM

I don't even want to bother with Fall...get me straight to Winter and hurry!

I'm so sick of getting all dressed up and looking nice, then after 2 minutes walking out to the car or into a building, I look like a wilted piece of lettuce and my clothes are sticking to me and my hair is feeling as tho it's never even been dried.

I'm sick of having to run the AC both at home and in the car. I'm bored with my summer clothes and with seeing people dressed like they are at the gym 24 hours a day. I'm sick of going out to eat and having to see some overweight slob in shorts with his hairy legs and back eating at the next table.

It is not hot as hell here in Texas....it IS hell and I am sickened unto death of it.

143. Bubbaette - 9/1/1999 3:16:51 PM

Diva

I need the light more than I need the heat. Shorter dark days make me want to hibernate.

144. ChristiPeters - 9/1/1999 3:25:26 PM

JudithAH -

YES!!!!

I have only had been able to turn the AC off at night a few times and then only because we have ceiling fans in every room. I am SO looking forward to sleeping without the hum of AC and/or fans!

Give Me Winter!!!!

145. ChristiPeters - 9/1/1999 3:26:30 PM

bubba - Get some full spectrum lightbulbs for your house. (Not too many, they are expensive. Pick a room to "sun" in over the winter and put them in there)

146. theDiva - 9/1/1999 3:33:51 PM

Bubb

Well, there is that. I hadn't thought about it.

Judith

God, yes, and you should know I have spent an entire steamy Virginia summer with no frickin' air conditioning in my car because I'm too broke to have it fixed. Bleah!

147. Judithathome - 9/1/1999 3:43:43 PM

Deev:

I had to drive from where my business is to my house only ONCE without A/C in my car and I swore I would never do it again.

Can you believe that ass Martin Lawrence...he should've just come to Texas and walked around for a few days.

148. PsychProf - 9/1/1999 3:49:49 PM

Deev...how did you do colored italics...could you e-mail me an example...

149. ChristiPeters - 9/1/1999 3:51:53 PM

PP (font color="blue")(i)type what you want(/i)(/font)

except use angle brackets instead of paranthesis

150. arkymalarky - 9/1/1999 6:27:16 PM

We're getting a little weather right now (not too bad, just some lightning and wind). It's been cooler (low nineties) the last few days, too. This summer wasn't as bad as last year, since Texas has evidently been a buffer for AR wrt heat (smirk), but I'm ready for fall.

Talking about killing plants, I left my impatiens out to die in the woods and danged if my husband didn't go get them and revive them and they look better than they have all summer. He makes me so mad.

151. Bubbaette - 9/1/1999 9:13:31 PM

HaHaHaHa!!!

152. Thoughtful - 9/1/1999 9:14:45 PM

We still need the rain, though for you hot cookies, this a.m. is was 55 outside. In a few weeks hubby and I are going to NH. We're going to stay in an old victorian mansion and head to the top of Mt. Washington. Someone told me they did it when it was 90 on the ground and still froze when they hit the top of the mountain -- fastest wind speed on earth was recorded up there. Kewl!

153. Bubbaette - 9/1/1999 9:20:14 PM

Thoughtful

It was in the low 60's up in Rochester when I went to see Phys this past weekend. I don't think this is natural and am not at all ready for the summer to end. Still, I do love sleeping with the windows open.

154. Thoughtful - 9/1/1999 9:23:41 PM

bbbtt, I'm with you on missing the light, but the coolness is nice. I already hate having to exercise in the dark in the a.m. and notice how quickly it gets dark at night. I don't like it. Blame it on Stephen King -- never had much problem over the shortening of the days until I read Salem's Lot.

155. cmboyce - 9/2/1999 10:28:40 AM

bubbaette,

I too was in the Rochester neighborhood last weekend and was delighted by the weather. I love the chillyish days in August that give a hint of autumn. In fact, in any season, those first outliers of the next are wonderful (though I grant you that a bone-chiller in November ranks below a balmy February afternoon by a lot!)

156. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 10:41:29 AM

So far I have noticed the following seasons in Texas:

Spring

Summer

Hell's Oven

Fall

I am really looking forward to Fall (Oct - Feb)

157. Thoughtful - 9/2/1999 12:16:47 PM

We had business acquaintances (hubby's) from Houston area up once and we took them out to dinner to a restaurant where we ate outdoors. They were so surprised as they said the weather and the bugs there were usually too bad to eat outside...ever.

158. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 12:19:35 PM

I haven't been to Houston other than when passing through the airport. I will probably visit eventually.

Currently, I am just 15 minutes south of the Texas-OK border and it's still too hot for me. I'd probably never go outside if I was in Houston.

159. SpenceMirrlees - 9/2/1999 12:21:37 PM

Seasons in California:

Mudslide

Earthquake

Fire

160. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 1:57:22 PM

Well, if those are the choices, I'm glad I have avoided California. Apparently it really is the plague of my first impressions of it. (visited once, never went back)

I'll take The Enchanted Land north of Albuquerque anyday.

161. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 1:59:58 PM

Don't get me wrong, Texas isn't bad when you're not in the Hell's Oven season.

Hell's Oven also has the advantage that it is much shorter than the Frozen North (knee-deep in snow and frostbite in 10 minutes) season I hated growing up in Michigan.

162. PsychProf - 9/2/1999 2:21:49 PM

Texas State Flag

163. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 2:22:56 PM

chuckle

164. Judithathome - 9/2/1999 2:59:06 PM

PP:

I'm assuming those are skulls?

165. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 2:59:41 PM

Does anyone remember way way back when in TPWWDMA when I posted a comment/question about the lizards I found living in the garage when I first moved into my house?

Well, anyway I left them alone. They have multiplied and we occaisionally see tiny baby lizards in the house. If we get to them before the cats do, we gently put them in the garage.

Lil' Darlin' was stressing over the mean ole puddy Tats picking on the poor baby lizards and wanted to keep their latest victim who was intact other than missing it's tail. So we put it in a shoebox with hoels punced in the lid and carted the thing down to the local pet shop to see if anyone knew what it is.

It is a "house gecko". Turns out they are popular as pets, but the store gets most of it's business in the critters from people who come in and "buy half a dozen or so to turn loose in their house or business. They're clean, don't spread or carry any nasty diseases and do a better job of getting rid of all the bugs in your house than any pesticide made."

continued...

166. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 3:07:19 PM

Lil' Darlin' wanted the lizard to be donated to her science class as a pet, but the pet store owner didn't think it would live. It's too small to eat even the tiniest crickets which they sell as food for the geckos.

So we bought a bigger one from the store, plus a habitat for it, a smaller habitat for the baby gecko, and a mess of tiny crickets. Lil' Darlin' still wants to keep the one we rescued, but didn't want to take it to class if it was likely to die. "It would make the kids too sad, Mom" she said.

Well, it's been a week and both the gecko at school and the baby gecko at home are doing fine. Baby has finished all the tiny beetles that some boys from LD's class caught for it. So, on the advice of the local lizard expert, we will go down to Plano this weekend for "pinhead crickets" for it.

The live bugs in the habitat give me the willys (I hate bugs), but the gecko is kinda cute. At least now I know why I haven;t seen one single solitary bug in my house and that it was the right decision to leave the geckos in residence when we moved in. As long as they keep on eating the bugs, they are welcome housemates, indeed,

167. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 3:12:00 PM

Ya know, PP, I chuckled at your pic, but it is kinda pretty here in NE Texas - slightly rolling, green countryside with lots of trees. It's just so darn HOT this time of year.

168. Judithathome - 9/2/1999 3:12:24 PM

Christi:

When we lived in Japan, we had geckos galore and were thrilled to have them. The Oriental ones chirp and once, I was watching a Teddy Pendergast concert (not much on Japanese TV) and the geckos started to chirp away as backup! They loved Teddy!

169. ChristiPeters - 9/2/1999 3:40:38 PM

JudithAH - That sounds like a neat experience.

I've only seen the big gecko I noticed while moving in once or twice. Either it has enough sense to stay out and avoid the cats or it is better at getting away from them. We only see the babies once in awhile - mostly when the cats are after one. If we see them going after one, we stop them. I know this does nothing about when we are gone or asleep, but I figure a bit of natural selection isn't all bad.

170. Thoughtful - 9/2/1999 5:20:54 PM

We had a few lizards living in our room in St. Johns and, though they had bug spray in the room, we never needed it. Others we talked to who didn't have lizards had bugs. I kinda like 'em and am thankful that they don't make noise!

171. glendajean - 9/6/1999 6:19:00 PM

It's almost time to start fall garden work, and that will be made much easier by the recent rains courtesy of Hurricane Dennis. The soil is thoroughly soaked. (Now if I can only get rid of those pesky mosquitos).

172. Bubbaette - 9/7/1999 8:31:12 AM

Glendajean

Looks like we're up to the 100 year flood plain in my neighborhood. My lawn is sprouting mushrooms.

And speaking of fall gardening, the kale and mustard I planted when I pulled up my Roma tomatoes are up and growing like crazy. I really need to get out and thin it, if the ground weren't so muddy.

173. Bubbaette - 9/7/1999 8:33:58 AM

And the mosquitos have been hideous this summer -- the ponds in Bryan park, about 2 blocks away have grown stagnant because the water level is not high enough to push any water over the dam. It's gotten so that when I work in the garden, I douse with Cutter, carry a burning mosquito coil, and still come in with 10 or 12 whelts. Anyone have an idea what to do about the bloodsuckers?

174. ChristiPeters - 9/7/1999 9:31:09 AM

?move?

(there aren't any mosquitos in the desert)

175. ChristiPeters - 9/7/1999 9:38:34 AM

Well, the house gecko that we bought at the pet store for Lil' Darlin's class expired of unknown causes sometime last night. this is the one we bought when the store 'lizard expert' said the wild one wouldn't live more than a day or two. LD was the first kid to take "Chateau" home over the weekend.

The wild baby gecko, otoh, is still going strong. I will be heading to Plano today to buy it some pinhead crickets to eat as it has devoured all the little bugs the kids in LD's class caught for it. I had planned to go get the crickets over the weekend, but for once, I actually called first. They are all out and expect a new shipment today. So I'll call again to make sure they really did get them in and LD and I will head down there after work tonight.

You know, the geckos are kinda cute, but having to get live bugs for them to eat really creeps me out.

shudder

176. glendajean - 9/7/1999 10:01:27 AM

Christi -- move to Houston. There is no shortage of bugs there.

Bubbaette -- I seemed resigned to let the mosquitos chew on me, but it certainly makes garden chores tiresome. Yesterday, I cut back my liatris (gayfeather), my purple coneflowers (maybe I'll get a little rebloom before fall ends), pulled up all my larkspur, and did a little weeding. I still need to divide my shasta daisies and move around their seedlings.

The DC government is re-paving the road in front of our house, which means everything is covered in concrete dust. The rains are taking care of some of that, too.

177. glendajean - 9/7/1999 10:04:30 AM

Hey, my object was moved without notification. Bless you, Alistair.

178. Bubbaette - 9/7/1999 10:05:36 AM

Glendajean

The only option that I've found that really seems to help is to wear longhandled shirts and pants and a straw hat sprayed with bug repellant into the garden. That limits the bites to my hands and neck

179. Bubbaette - 9/7/1999 10:06:21 AM

Mine too, and I didn't even notice it.

180. cmboyce - 9/7/1999 10:08:52 AM

Speaking of geckos, an enthusiasm for them as apartment dwellers swept NYC a few years ago, at least according to the media and the media-inspired scuttlebutt. The common wisdom had it that they did a great job on the cockroaches, but that they had a bad habit of dying behind the refrigerator and stinking the place up. (Probably died of starvation after cleaning out the roaches.)

181. ChristiPeters - 9/7/1999 10:38:25 AM

cmboyce -

Well, apparently the wild geckos living in my house have a steady supply of bugs. None of them have died inside to stink up the place.

glendajean -

Move to Houston! Are you insane? There's no air in the air there - it's all water! &:o) The humidity and bug population here are just about the max I can stand.

I am forever grateful to my resident geckos that I never have to see a bug in my house. Now If I can only convince Lil' Darlin' that Baby would be happier turned loose again to join its wild family, I won't have to deal with seeing any bugs again. Not only do I find it eeeuuuuwwww to have to put the bugs in Baby's habitat, but I am really offended by the idea of buying bugs! They are very cheap (0.98/dozen) but it's the principle of the thing!

182. theDiva - 9/7/1999 10:40:18 AM

Hey Bubb

We had some of your pasta sauce on Sunday night - molto bene! Are you sure you aren't Italian? How did you make it?

183. Bubbaette - 9/7/1999 10:54:03 AM

Deev

With mostly roma Tomatoes

First take fresh tomatos and drop them in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then put in cold water. The skins slip right off. Run the tomatoes through the food processor (we're talking about 25 cups at a time) Chop onion, green pepper and mince garlic. Sautee in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add chopped tomats, a little sugar, bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, crushed red pepper and fresh basil leaves. Add canned tomato paste till you get the desired thickness. Bring to a boil, put into sterilized jars, seal, and process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Everything came out of our garden except the garlic, sugar, most of the spices, and the tomato paste.

184. theDiva - 9/7/1999 10:54:56 AM

Well, it was fabulous. Gracie ate two bowls.

185. Bubbaette - 9/7/1999 11:00:10 AM

Deev

You can also try mixing a small can of tomato paste in with the quart of sauce and it makes good pizza sauce.

186. theDiva - 9/7/1999 11:05:50 AM

I was thinking about putting it on pizza. That is, if there's any left. Sweetie is planning to make pasta for dinner tonight.

187. ChristiPeters - 9/7/1999 11:48:11 AM

bubbaette -

You recipe sounds yummy. I have saved it for next year. Lil' Darlin' wants to have our very first vegetable garden and tomatoes were at the top of her list of things to grow.

188. Bubbaette - 9/7/1999 11:51:02 AM

Christi

Some folks say that you have to cook a marinara sauce all day to make it really good. I prefer to cook the sauces just enough to bring out the flavors of the spices. Oh, BTW, add the basil very last, because it doesn't stand up well to long cooking.

189. theDiva - 9/7/1999 11:57:20 AM

That's correct, Bubb. Fresh as possible. Now a good Bolognese sauce, OTOH, ought to take all day. But that's cold weather food.

190. SnowOwl - 9/7/1999 4:48:06 PM

I planted tomato seeds yesterday. The area I live in is marginal for growing outdoor tomatoes, but a friend sent me seeds of the Siberian variety last year, which is apparently well suited to cooler areas and those with short growing seasons. They did wonderfully well for me, so I saved some seeds from the crop and that's what I'm attempting to start this year. I can hardly wait to be eating fresh tomatoes again. The ones available in the shops right now are horrendously expensive, and taste like cardboard so I don't bother with them.

191. alistairconnor - 9/8/1999 7:24:12 AM

Hey Snow, perhaps I'll ask you for some seeds if they work for you. We are going back to France in April, and our climate there is very Central Otago, we've pretty well given up on tomatoes as they often rot on the vine when the first frosts arrive.

192. theDiva - 9/8/1999 9:59:10 AM

This is a kid-related issue, and I thought this would be the best place to post it.

I'd like opinions, please, on the text of the following note (unedited except for names) which Gracie brought home from school yesterday.


Dear 7th grade parents,

Every year seventh and eighth grade students sell sodas to the students on pizza day (which is every Wednesday). The grades switch off every other week. The money raised with this helps pay for the trip to PineTree and for Graduation (seventh grade does the breakfast and graduation for the eighth grde). Attached you will find a schedule for the days that the seventh grade is responsible for. On this day where you find your name you are to send in (3) 12 packs (36 cans) of soda. PLEASE SEND IN BRAND NAMES ONLY. Thank you for your cooperation.

Mary Gray

????????????

193. glendajean - 9/8/1999 10:10:49 AM

Diva -- a bit adrift from the role of educating children. Sounds a bit out of control, but my elementary school years were in the early 60s so I'm a bit out of the loop about what is normal practice. We had a school carnival where parents made cakes for the cake walk.

194. theDiva - 9/8/1999 10:15:16 AM

What gets me is:

1. She doesn't identify herself beyond her name (the school office says she's a PTO officer, which explains A LOT.)
2. She gives no phone number
3. The tone of the letter is, at best, abrupt and officious.
4. The only time she uses the word 'please' is in uppercase letters and dictating what is to be purchased.

ARGH.

195. glendajean - 9/8/1999 10:43:01 AM

Well, don't buy the Wal-Mart knock-off colas are you will be in BIG TROUBLE.

196. theDiva - 9/8/1999 10:44:40 AM

I feel like going to the Dollar Store and buying the tackiest brand I can find.

These PTO dames drive me up the wall.

197. glendajean - 9/8/1999 10:55:13 AM

Since we're getting signs that the Mote may be ready soon to open our doors, I thought we should have a discussion about what we want in this thread.

I see this thread as covering the domestic side of life. My own personal bent is toward gardening, but others bring different passions and experiences --and I find the open-ended conversations to be interesting.

Would it help to organize thoughts if we dedicated one day a week to a specific topic, or is that being too organized? What kinds of links and articles would you like to see attached to the thread? I'd like to do a few comments on designing a garden for your yard. Does anybody else have ideas?

Since we've never had an incident that I can remember where someone abused the tone of this thread (or its ancestor in the defunct old place), I don't think its necessary to set out ground rules about conduct. If it became necessary we probably should get another host because my own civility level is probably too high to be in charge of the delete button -- I'd probably err on wiping out the first sign of it when others might not think the offender was being rude or misusing the thread.

I think we should take turns hosting. Why shouldn't one week be Bubbaette on canning, camelias and tomotoes? Or Thoughtful on how to organize a room re-do? Or Judith with tips on shopping at antique stores or fine dining adventures. Ronski tantalizes us with little observations of wildlife and flowers -- he'd be a great guide.

So let me hear from you.

198. glendajean - 9/8/1999 11:03:43 AM

And Diva can teach us about modern parenting.

199. theDiva - 9/8/1999 11:08:53 AM

ixnay on that last suggestion, Glenda, I'm making this up as I go along.

I like your idea of a weekly feature/topic co-hosted by one in the know. You really ought to be the main host, though.

200. glendajean - 9/8/1999 11:28:28 AM

About the only feature that I really liked in the old place were the diaries. Diva, maybe you or ChristiPeters could do a a short diary entry each day related to being a parent. Others could give a week on a different topic.

201. Bubbaette - 9/8/1999 11:29:49 AM

I think you should be the main host too, GJ.

I still haven't found anyone who can tell me what these golf-ball sized fruits are on my camilias. The past two falls, I could tell when the buds had set, but they obviously looked like dormant buds. If they are actually camilia seeds, I'd love to distribute them far and wide. Regardless of what they are, I wonder if I should thin them, since they're really weighing down the branches.

202. theDiva - 9/8/1999 11:30:00 AM

hmmmm.....interesting. Maybe I could.

203. glendajean - 9/8/1999 11:38:00 AM

I scoffed at 109109/Hoke's fear of the technical side of posting, but I know zilch about linking, html, etc.

Still, I want, content-wise, to make this an interesting place. I'd enjoy reading Bubbaette creating her world and thoughts on tomatoes or whatever else she wants to write about, whether its nosey neighbors or making salsa. We definitely need a recipe section, too.

204. cmboyce - 9/8/1999 11:40:48 AM

PTO = Parent Training Operative?

205. theDiva - 9/8/1999 11:45:26 AM

Parents Take Over.

This is generally where bored suburban housewives get to live out their fantasies of autocratic control.

Not all PTO members are like that, but the ones who are....watch out.

206. Thoughtful - 9/8/1999 1:01:56 PM

glendaj, I vote to keep you as host as well. As you know, my ability to host a thread for a week would be very chancey due to my schedule. Beside, I like the open-ended flavor of this thread where topics come and go as people want to discuss them.

I view this thread as like a House & Garden magazine and think of it as anything you might find there could be discussed here. That includes interior design, exterior landscaping and gardening, cooking, recipes, pets, and entertaining. Even light discussions of travel and restaurants (as opposed to the heavy-duty discussions in the old travel thread) I would see as appropriate.

I would be a little nervous about parenting in that, depending on topic, it could get hot and heavy vs. this thread which has always been a "haven".

207. glendajean - 9/8/1999 1:12:05 PM

thoughtful -- I didn't think about parenting as generating that kind of conversation, but you have a good point. Still, Diva writing a diary about her and her kid for a week, or ChristiPeter or whoever, could be interesting and enertaining. Given how much work and thought you put into your study re-do, that would have been a good subject, too.

I still like the idea of using the diary format from time to time. Alistair said we could do articles and that might be a good way to cover an interesting home project.

And I agree that we should try and keep this as a haven from the colder and crueler threads.

208. Thoughtful - 9/8/1999 1:23:49 PM

Glendaj, oh yes, those kinds of parenting stories as have been posted here in the past would be fine.... just not contentious issues. (At work I've seen people get in such a huff with each other over silly things like what is the appropriate bed time for a 2 year old!) I don't see why we can't have the occasional "diary" approach mixed in with our usual style of comments or Q&A. It might help keep the thread moving through its quieter spells.

209. glendajean - 9/8/1999 1:44:37 PM

My babies are my 3 cats, age eleven, two and two (give or take 6 months). I'd hate to get in a fight over whether there needs to be a separate litter box for each.

Any more suggestions for the threads? Any volunteers to do a diary? Make your voice known.

210. SnowOwl - 9/8/1999 3:59:05 PM

Alistair,

I'd be delighted to save you some seeds. If you're not leaving until April I'll have a fresh supply ready and I'll get some to you before you go.

Glendajean,

The thread suggestions so far all sound good to me. I very much enjoyed reading this thread in the old place and so far it is shaping up well in its new home.

211. glendajean - 9/8/1999 4:19:26 PM

Snow Owl -- I'd love a report from you about gardening in New Zealand (for example, your comments about growing tomatoes). I hope you will be participating with a diary, too.

212. Thoughtful - 9/8/1999 4:35:07 PM

Other thoughts: I've posted some websites that I thought would be of interest, and would love to know of any others that people have enjoyed. Also another topic (which I'm sure Judita.h. would contribute to) would be flea market/antique store finds. I love stories like that. Also the fauna with the flora (bird feeders, luna moth sitings, etc.) are great.

213. Thoughtful - 9/8/1999 9:53:13 PM

Latest project, or a beginning of one -- I can't draw for beans. I always had the sloppiest coloring book and my art teachers would make comments like, "She put a lot of effort into that collage." I think that's why my marbelizing looks ok -- I can't repeat a straight line to save my life. Well, I got intrigued with a painting style called "One Step" with very simple brush strokes, where you double load the brush e.g. red on one side and white on the other, which helps create wonderful flowers and leaves. My roses were getting pretty good and the leaves are very simple. My pansy needs a lot more work. I also got the very long, thin bristle brush to do tendrils with. I need some more practice to make sure they are smooth and even, but all in all it was fun and very easy to do. Now I just gotta find something to paint.

Oh, Hubby....

214. glendajean - 9/9/1999 6:44:20 AM

Dear hearts, I'm off on another short trip. Please talk amongst yourselves --and all best!

215. Bubbaette - 9/9/1999 8:35:19 AM

For those of you who are growing tomatoes in colder climates -- some suggestions.

Start your tomatoes indoors under florescent lights to get a head start on the growing season.

When you plant the tomats, lay then in a trench with a good bit of the stem buried -- the buried section will quickly root thus increasing the plants ability to take up water and nutrients.

Put black plastic between the rows and use black gardeners cloth around your tomato plants. The black collects heat, while the gardener's cloth allows moisture through, thus speeding up the season just a bit.

216. ChristiPeters - 9/9/1999 10:38:49 AM

All the suggestions mentioned sound good to me!

217. Thoughtful - 9/9/1999 12:57:30 PM

Bbbtt, this year was the first year I planted tomatoes in the concrete flower box by the porch -- it runs the length of the porch and has a southern exposure. We also have a decent overhang on the porch so the good news is it will help protect them from early frost. The bad news is I have to water them as it never gets any rain. We had a real hot spell when the flowers were really blooming and I read that temperatures over 90 actually change the chemical make up of the pollen so the flowers can't be pollinated -- I think it was in the NY Times. Anyway, now the darn things are loaded with tomatoes, but they're still green. It's a race between the red and the frost. Don't know how it'll turn out.

218. ChristiPeters - 9/9/1999 1:02:56 PM

Well, keep us posted!

BTW, the wild baby gecko that we rescued from the cat is still going strong. You know, the one the pet store guy said would never live past a day or two? We went to a pet store in Plano and got it some 'pinhead crickets' to eat. It is fat and sassy and it's tail is growing back, too. I'm not sure if we will donate it to LD's science class or just turn it loose when it is bigger. I vote for turning it loose, but LD may want to keep it in her class.

219. SnowOwl - 9/9/1999 4:09:51 PM

Thoughtful,

If your tomatoes don't ripen in time there are a number of things you can do. You can pick them and store them in a box with an apple (the apple releases an enzyme which speeds the ripening process), or you can simply pull up the whole plant and hang it upside down somewhere inside, in a bsement for example. I tried that method for the first time last summer and had great success. All of the remaining green tomatoes ripened, even the very small ones.

220. Bubbaette - 9/9/1999 10:21:21 PM

You can also put the tomatoes between two sheets of newspapers to ripen. The paper (or the box in Snowowl's example) allows air in, but traps the pheremones that cause ripening.

I've also put tomatoes on the windowsill to ripen after the first frost came, but the real green ones get grainy after a while.

Part of the slow ripening may be attibuted to the overhang you mentioned. Tomatoes do best in full sunlight all day long.

221. Thoughtful - 9/10/1999 10:17:11 PM

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm all for keeping tomatoes as long as possible. I've heard of some, but not hanging the plant upside down. Cool.

The overhang is not wide enough to block the sun -- just the rain. I really think they suffered from that hot spell too early on. Now I remember why I garden so little -- so much effort, yet so many things over which you have no control can duck things up. Doesn't mesh with my "control-freak" personality.

222. KULIGINtheHOOLIGAN - 9/11/1999 11:56:50 AM

Some time I'd like to talk about plants in Namibia and the various ones I recently put in my yard, if anybody is interested.

223. glendajean - 9/12/1999 10:52:19 PM

Great tomato discussion.

Kuligan -- are you Vic? Please tell us about your garden and/or plants in Africa.

224. God - 9/12/1999 10:56:17 PM

Yes, Vic. And tell us about the fauna that munches on them, too.

225. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 7:23:38 AM

God

Do you know anything about camilias?

226. KuligintheHooligan - 9/13/1999 9:02:56 AM

I will be most happy to talk about my yard/garden here in Namibia, but give me a few days. The new school term starts tomorrow and, horror of horrors, I found out late last night that I have lost or misplaced the disk with my class notes for one of my courses! Unfortunately, I think I forgot it back in the States.

227. KuligintheHooligan - 9/13/1999 9:04:42 AM

Oh, sorry glendajean, yes, this is Vic, and greetings to you!

228. God - 9/13/1999 11:07:08 AM

Bubba

I know more about Camillas. Camilla Klingstroms, to be exact.

229. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 11:17:30 AM

God

Well dagnabbit! I'm trying to find out whether these golf-ball-sized fruits on two of my camilia bushes can be planted to grow new camilias, and if so, how to plant.

I mean, if God can't tell me the answer, the situation is helpless.

230. God - 9/13/1999 11:21:20 AM

Oh, is that all? Remove the fruits from the bush. Dig a hole. Put the fruits in the hole. Refill the hole. Pour water on the earth where the hole used to be.

231. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 11:22:09 AM

How deep a hole?

232. God - 9/13/1999 11:24:52 AM

7 inches deep.

233. Mr.Right-O - 9/13/1999 11:29:58 AM

We have a bushel of corn that is going "dry" on us. How can we save it?

Put it in a bucket of water?

235. Mr.Right-O - 9/13/1999 11:38:16 AM

That was a serious question. What type of answer is that? It's hard to eat a bushel of corn, especially when we should finished another.

236. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 11:54:51 AM

Mr. Right O

If it's sweet corn, you can parboil it for about a minute and a half, cut it off the cob and spoon into pint or quart freezer bags and put it in your freezer. It should stay good for at least another 6 months or so.

237. glendajean - 9/13/1999 1:17:34 PM

It's almost official. I and my beloved are moving to Indianapolis, Indiana.

238. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 1:18:44 PM

So what did you think of the great city of Indianapolis?

239. glendajean - 9/13/1999 1:19:36 PM

So I will soon be learning midwestern gardening conditions.

A jillion years ago, I went to grad school in eastern Iowa. My next doors neighbors were from Arkansas. We decided to grow a shared vegetable garden. Being southerners, we decided to grow okra, among other veggies. Our okra plant was shorter than a foot and we got one three inch okra pod on it.

240. KuligintheHooligan - 9/13/1999 1:25:21 PM

Ridiculous trivia about Indianapolis. It is the largest city in the USA not on a navigable (sp?) river.

241. glendajean - 9/13/1999 1:25:32 PM

Host note: Post 234 was deleted. God, you need to clean up your act in this thread.

242. glendajean - 9/13/1999 1:29:27 PM

Vic -- I heard that -- although Dallas and Fort Worth and San Antonio are all on non-navigable rivers and I think they're larger.

Funny thing about American cities. They all have terrible inferiority complexes. I heard more lists and rankings by people trying to impress me on what a great city Indianapolis was. They didn't have to do that, and it's not peculiar to them. Their graveyard is the third largest in the U.S.

Bubbaette -- very sports oriented, very clean and organized, very Republican, polite. Best thing for me is that I'll be able to afford a larger yard and have a vegetable garden in addition to my perennial flowers, herbs and roses. Too cold for rosemary, or so a local gardener told me.

243. KuligintheHooligan - 9/13/1999 1:31:52 PM

glendajean, when I heard that trivia about Indy it was several years ago, but even then cities like Dallas had to be bigger. I wonder what's up with that?!

Anyway, I've spent a fair amount of time in Indy and I liked the city. Southern Indiana is a nice part of the state to visit too.

244. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 1:36:48 PM

Glenda

Could be that all the folks from Indianapolis go back there after death to be buried. My grandmother lived the last three years in Virginia, but went back to Liberty Mills Indiana to be buried.

245. glendajean - 9/13/1999 1:37:17 PM

I like my cities a bit more of an edge and have no interest in sports, and don't vote Republican, so it will take some getting used to. Still, I think it's odd that people who obviously like where they are living feel defensive about the place.

OTH, no road rage. And for half what my house in DC costs, I'll get a big yard to garden in.

246. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 1:39:31 PM

My grandmother gardened and grew just about everything in her little hometown of Bourbon Indiana. She had some wonderful raspberry canes and all varieties of flowers.

247. glendajean - 9/13/1999 1:40:08 PM

I read that $2700 will get you a double crypt in the country's third largest graveyard.

They've had a worst drought than we have. I thought I was back in Central Texas. All the grass was dead. There's a wonderful new botanical garden developed by the zoo, planted this spring. The plants were incredibly heat stressed.

No hills in Indianapolis. Pretty flat.

248. glendajean - 9/13/1999 1:42:18 PM

In Iowa City, every home had a rhubarb plant. They even made rhubarb wine, not to mention cobbler and pie. I started hearing rhubarb recipes while I was there. Must be a midwestern thing.

249. Bubbaette - 9/13/1999 1:48:21 PM

I don't understand why people think that rhubarb is edible.

As often as Indiana suffers from drought, it's a wonder the state has any farmers at all. But I *told* you it's a good place to ride a bicycle. The movie "Breaking Away" was filmed in Indiana -- around Bloomington, I think. Highschool basketball is also real big in Indiana.

250. SnowOwl - 9/13/1999 4:24:03 PM

I love rhubarb, and it does make reasonable wine. One of the most delicious soups I've ever tasted was a combination of rhubarb and spinach. It sounded so strange I had to try it, just to see what the combination was like. It turned out to be incredibly delicious, and I've kicked myself ever since that I didn't ask the chef for the recipe.

It's a glorious Spring morning here, with the proverbial clear blue skies and golden sunshine. Almost all of the Spring bulbs are flowering now and those that aren't are well on the way. From where I'm sitting I look across the street and see a fabulous magnolia in full bloom, with huge deep pink flowers outlined against the blue of the sky. It's a wonderful sight and one I look forward to all through winter.

According to our weather forecasters La Nina is bringing us an unusually dry and warm Spring. This isn't good news. We had a very dry summer and much less rain than we normally get in winter. If their forecasts are right we are likely to get serious droughts during
summer.

251. KurtMondaugen - 9/13/1999 4:25:03 PM

Made some pretty fab rhubarb sorbet last week, actually. Better than it might sound, but not as good as the apricot/basil sorbet I made at the same time.

252. marjoribanks - 9/13/1999 4:27:43 PM

Er, Mond, old pal, surely you mean "phat", unless of course you're speaking of milk solids. But then they wouldn't be in a sorbet in the first place.

253. KurtMondaugen - 9/13/1999 4:29:26 PM

No, marj, I mean 'fab'. As in 'reet, daddy'. My pants fit, ergo, I do not speak "phat".

254. ScottLoar - 9/13/1999 4:34:00 PM

Nothing quite matches home-made strawberry-rhubarb pie. One too sweet,the other far too sour, yet together a perfect combination in pie or cobbler.

255. marjoribanks - 9/13/1999 4:40:34 PM

Oops, sorry, I need to take a break from staring at the screen. And it's my damned day off too. I'm going for a nice little walk around the block.

(To stay on topic I will purchase a nice sorbet from the Italian fellow on the corner, perhaps the old stand-by, lemon).

256. ScottLoar - 9/13/1999 4:42:03 PM

No, let it be almond. If he has it, and he should.

257. theDiva - 9/13/1999 4:47:57 PM

lemon ice? real lemon ice? sigh send me some, will you, banks?

258. theDiva - 9/13/1999 4:51:02 PM

the good kind....the kind that comes in little pleated paper cups, and the ice (it isn't really ice, it's gelato, but we just call it that because our parents and our grandparents did) gets all melty when it's really hot outside, and the paper cups gets soft, and you squeeze the paper cup to get every last little lemony drop of that fabulous ice, and if you're lucky you even get a nice little bitter bit of lemon peel.

Now I'm homesick.

259. glendajean - 9/13/1999 5:29:38 PM

Speaking of sorbet -- I want to add recipes and keep them for a few weeks on the side.

Kurt, if you post your recipe, we'll put up. Scott, if you have recipe of rhubarb/strawberry pie, please share. I'll post that, too.

260. webfeet - 9/13/1999 5:32:32 PM

yes, do post sorbet recipes. ive been eating the haagen dazs--which are luscious and guilt-free, but am curious how to do it myself.

261. glendajean - 9/13/1999 5:39:00 PM

Ben & Jerry's is better (if you like a more creamy, less icy taste).

Snow Owl -- I hope you give us frequent reports on spring in New Zealand. Is your pink magnolia what we call a tulip tree?

Here I look forward to the Redbuds blooming in spring. La Nina was blamed for our dry summer. Supposedly a sustained cool spot in the Pacific bumped the jet stream further north than usual, leaving us high and dry.

262. marjoribanks - 9/13/1999 5:44:01 PM

Okay I'm back. And it was the sorbetto limone I had, I don't think they have an almond flavor but I will check next time.

Diva, actually there are three separate Italian preparations. One, gelato, is the superbly smooth and richly flavored ice-cream. Then you have sorbetto, famous all over the south especially Naples. The shop I bought mine from is about as Neapolitan as you can get without actually being there. Essentially, it's a smooth preparation using water instead of milk. And then you have the granita, which is the rougher ice-based preparation widely referred to as "Italian ices' in NYC. This is popular all over the South, again, but especially in Sicily. I don't know, but I surmise it came to NYC with the large wave of Sicilian emigrants several decades ago.

263. JudithAtHome - 9/13/1999 5:50:50 PM

Well, my sweet tooth just engaged, big time!

264. marjoribanks - 9/13/1999 5:55:02 PM

By the way, I can't remember the name, but the gelato/sorbetto Mecca of the world must surely be that place slap bang on the Piazza Navona in Rome. It's wickedly expensive (like $5 a scoop) but so unbelievably good that you can't imagine anything better while you're eating it. And the square is pretty damn beautiful as well, a promenade of well-dressed Romans in the evening. If I had yet learned how to produce pictures here i'd go hunt one down, but I don't, so imagine it instead.

265. KurtMondaugen - 9/13/1999 6:10:58 PM

The sorbet's rather easy, actually:

Puree your fruit of choice and mix with whatever other ingredients you may want

make a syrup (half water, half sugar, cook on low till disolved) and allow to cool to room temp

mix syrup and fruit (4 parts fruit to 1 part syrup)

put in shallow pan in freezer

every 45 min, take out of freezer and mash and mix to fluff
keep doing that for about 5 hours until fully frozen and fluffy

Not hard at all.

266. glendajean - 9/13/1999 6:21:47 PM

Kurt -- your sorbet recipe is now on the Mote article lists. Anybody who clicks on it will get your post. Thanks!


Is there another? Who's next?

267. KurtMondaugen - 9/13/1999 6:34:06 PM

Golly, glenda, I've got better recipes than that one. If you're going to post every one anybody contributes, I hope you have a lot of server space. The gesture is appreciated, however.

268. glendajean - 9/13/1999 6:40:56 PM

Kurt -- in #259, I asked for your recipe so we could post it. Webfoot also said she wanted a sorbet recipe. We'll keep it up for a few days to a couple of weeks. If you want to add or modify it, let me know. Again, thanks for sharing it with us. I hope you will share others.

I forsee Bubbaette's salsa recipes seeing the light of the Mote, too.

269. KurtMondaugen - 9/13/1999 6:45:09 PM

Ah, got it.

270. marjoribanks - 9/13/1999 6:59:46 PM

GlendaJean,

You're posting links back to this thread discussion. You need a separate sub-thread. Like the Maputo Diary one. Check out the difference.

271. alistairconnor - 9/13/1999 7:37:40 PM

No need for a sub-thread, Sub-Con man. Glenda's use of the News feature is entirely appropriate, and what it was designed for.

Carry on... I think I'll do sorbets this summer.

272. marjoribanks - 9/13/1999 7:39:33 PM

No, I know it's appropriate there, AC. It's merely that he thought he was creating a separate space for recipes (I think). I may be wrong, of course.

273. SnowOwl - 9/13/1999 7:53:16 PM

glendajean,

I haven't got any idea whether the magnolia I was talking about is what you'd call a tulip tree. As far as I know it's Magnolia Campbelli, which is one of the deciduous magnolias, this particular variety originating in the Himalayas (I think). There are lots of them in bloom around this city at present, along with a whole host of rhodedendrons.

274. scabby ho - 9/13/1999 9:37:07 PM

Watch out for any recipies that Bubbaette posts -- I wouldn't trust that bitch any farther than I can kick her.

275. JudithAtHome - 9/13/1999 10:33:49 PM

I'm sure the feeling is mutual.

276. scabby ho - 9/13/1999 10:44:46 PM

Why don't you run on to bed now, Judith, and leave these evening hours to we women who know how to use them.

277. alistairconnor - 9/13/1999 10:56:58 PM

What I miss most about the Auckland climate is raspberries. And cherries. Absurd prices. I'll bet they are good down your way, Snow.

279. SnowOwl - 9/13/1999 11:22:27 PM

I've got some terrific raspberry canes in my own garden, Alistair, and of course the cherries are great but very expensive down here too, especially at Christmas when the prices go sky high.

I'm a displaced Aucklander so I miss feijoas, tamarillos and passion fruit all of which cost a bomb here. I haven't tasted a loquat since I've been in Dunedin and I could weep when I remember the grapefruit and lemons rotting on the ground in my mother's garden.

280. alistairconnor - 9/13/1999 11:34:41 PM

Why are cherries so damn expensive? Must be undersupply. Hell, I think I'll move to Otago and start a cherry farm.

282. Simba - 9/13/1999 11:54:03 PM

time check

283. theDiva - 9/14/1999 9:46:42 AM

banks

okay, so now I'm really homesick. I've had all three types; the gelato you describe best approximates what I was cybertasting. There was a place we would go to on Sunday evenings in the summer....Coquelles....they had what seemed to be a million different flavors, and pink champagne was always my favorite. I last tasted it when I was 12. I haven't been able to find its equal.

284. JudithAtHome - 9/14/1999 10:52:56 AM

We're on a special diet around here because my husband had oral surgery yesterday...any suggestions for a good broth recipe?

285. theDiva - 9/14/1999 10:58:26 AM

Judith

Oh yes.

1. Get a big stockpot and put a nice juicy roaster in it. Cover the roaster with cold water.

2. Add 2 scrubbed, unpeeled carrots; 4 ribs of celery (use the ones from the middle with the leaves); 6 garlic cloves, smashed; 2 onions, with one cut in half and 4 cloves stuck in a half; a scrubbed baking potato with the ends cut off; a big bunch of fresh thyme; a handful of peppercorns.

3. Bring this all to a boil. Lower heat, add salt to taste, and simmer for two hours.

4. Strain broth; save the chicken for soup or sandwiches or salad.

And I hope your honey feels better soon.

286. JudithAtHome - 9/14/1999 11:02:09 AM

Thanks, Diva...all I've fixed so far is miso; thought it would be healthy. I might do one with the chicken and another with a small roast? Would that be good, do you think? Of course, the beef one might turn into gravy...yum.

287. theDiva - 9/14/1999 11:02:58 AM

Oooh, a beef broth. Yummy. You could probably add bay leaves and a cubanel pepper to that one.

288. glendajean - 9/14/1999 3:22:32 PM

Judith & Diva, there's a very similar recipe for making broth/stock in the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook. I think the herbal mix is fresh thyme and savory. Also add a cup of white wine. When we cook that recipe, we use the meat for homemade chicken pot pie and use the stock for soups.

289. theDiva - 9/14/1999 4:44:52 PM

Hey, neat, Glenda put me on the sidebar. I just noticed that. Thanks, dear!

290. glendajean - 9/14/1999 4:45:54 PM

I live to make you smile.

291. theDiva - 9/14/1999 4:48:04 PM

heeheehee. You spoil me.

Say, I see where you're making the big move for sure. Did you really buy a house already, or did you just find one that you're thinking about.

292. theDiva - 9/14/1999 4:48:33 PM

insert where appropriate.....

?

sheesh.

293. glendajean - 9/14/1999 4:53:56 PM

Diva -- I haven't even begun to start on selling my DC house.

Next time you're in church, say a prayer for me. I don't do moves well. I don't look for new jobs well.

BTW, if I'm still around through October, I'd love to a) attend the proposed DC moteunion and b) create for you one new flowerbed.

294. theDiva - 9/14/1999 4:58:42 PM

Glenda

Consider it done. I have choir practice tonight, I'll go into the chapel and light a candle for you.

Still, I hope you'll be here through October, and for the same reasons you've given.

295. theDiva - 9/14/1999 5:04:05 PM

Speaking of practice, I'd better get moving....have a lovely evening.

296. moonflower - 9/14/1999 5:24:46 PM

Hi everyone, I'm into gardening. Anyone have any cool plants to recommend for the fall or bulbs for spring?

Thanks, Moonflower

297. glendajean - 9/14/1999 5:27:13 PM

Moonflower, it depends on where you live....

Daffodils, tulips, crocuses, hyaciths are all lovely bulbs, but may be wrong for your region.

298. moonflower - 9/14/1999 6:50:47 PM

Hi Glendajean. I live near Philly. Our soil is a bit claylike. I have some of the traditional flowers (am now enjoying my asters!) but am also interested in some new or different varieties or species.

299. Blaise - 9/14/1999 7:22:24 PM

Moonflower: GET BACK TO THE POETRY THREAD! hahaha...

300. JudithAtHome - 9/14/1999 7:26:46 PM

glendajean:

I'm an old hand at moving...if you want any tips, just ask.

301. glendajean - 9/14/1999 7:28:18 PM

Start with daffodils. You can grow lots of different varieties and colors. One can never have too many daffodils. Make sure that your beds are prepared with compost (you can buy for $1.98 a bag from the Home Depot). Put a little bulb booster into the mix, and you'll have a beautiful spring garden.

Have you ever planted grape hyacinth? (muscari). It is a small purple flowered stem, not a true hyacinth, and naturalizes (or spreads out) well.

302. Blaise - 9/14/1999 7:28:29 PM

I am growing some tomato plants but the darn squirrels keep eating the tomatoes before they're ripe!

303. JudithAtHome - 9/14/1999 7:36:46 PM

I have grape hyacinth growing under my clothesline...they have "migrated" there and present quite a challenge as I adroitly skip over them while hanging clothes.

304. glendajean - 9/14/1999 8:24:25 PM

Judith, you can dig up the bulbs and move them. They should start sprouting soon, so I would do it fairly soon. They naturalize like mad in Texas.

Thanks for the offer to give advice on moving. I hate it and am bad at it. Any advice from you, my dear, is welcome.

Blaise, Bubbaette is our tomato expert. She might have some ideas for you.

305. ScottLoar - 9/14/1999 9:21:21 PM

The only sure cure for squirrels - kill them. Kill them not with poisons which may affect your fellow man and his kept beasts but with shot and arrow. A good pellet pistol, a crossbow, all are good, silent weapons. Some like to hang the carcass on a tree branch as a warning to its fellows but I say that taints the breeze. No, better to see the little buggers reduced in numbers until the straggling survivors are made to understand that to munch on your tomatoes is to enter the valley of death.

306. moonflower - 9/14/1999 9:22:36 PM

I have a few grape hyacinths and need more. Love snowdrops and a big thumbs up for anemones. Have 2 lenten roses and want more. But I have a relatively small space.

P.S. To Blaise. Ok, I'm heading over to poetry thread

307. marjoribanks - 9/14/1999 9:23:13 PM

Damn, that's a rather intense gardening attitude Loar.

308. KurtMondaugen - 9/14/1999 9:25:03 PM

Loar:

I have an as yet unidentified neighbor fond of poisoning the squrrels that populate our block. They often die in our yard, which is infuriating, not only because of the mess, but because of my concern for the neighborhood cats (mine in particular) and dogs. I'm tempted to nail a carcass to the local supermarket kiosk with a sign telling whoever's responsible exactly where they can put their poison, though I don't think it would stay up long enough for the guilty party to get the message.

309. ScottLoar - 9/14/1999 9:30:11 PM

Yes, dogs have the nasty habit of eating carrion (and cat shit by the way, attracted by the mineral contents, but having grown up around dogs just about every day of my childhood I've come to dislike the dumb brutes and their owners), and in some cultures people are curiously affected by a dog's death. No, the thing to do is pinion, hang, shoot or skewer squirrels.

310. ScottLoar - 9/14/1999 9:33:21 PM

Marjori, you have yet to see my wife with broom in hand racing about the second floor landing in Chicago chasing one fluffy-tailed and saucy squirrel who insists on uncovering My Lady's orchids. I dare not put pistol in my wife's hands for she'd use it with abandon.

311. marjoribanks - 9/14/1999 9:39:01 PM

Loar, one time in a hotel room in an exotic country, my companion, a very sweet and gentle Buddhist girl, became incensed at the buzzing of a fly. For an hour she stalked it with a glass in hand, to trap not kill, you understand. It was a ferocious stalking and battle, and eventually she won. We left it still buzzing mutedly on a bureau (under the glass) the next morning.

312. ScottLoar - 9/14/1999 9:40:32 PM

I've been that fly!

313. marjoribanks - 9/14/1999 9:42:49 PM

My wife, on the other hand, who spent her earliest years on farms in Africa and India, has not a qualm about slaughter. Watching her with live crabs, for instance, is not something I can manage for more than a couple of seconds. I try to avoid touching even the meat that comes ground and under plastic wrap, in contrast.

314. marjoribanks - 9/14/1999 9:43:45 PM

Very good, Loar.

315. moonflower - 9/14/1999 10:59:18 PM

Squirrels annoy me because they DARE to dig up freshly planted bulbs, thereby robbing my garden of more spring color. Still, I can't quite bring myself to kill them. I just wish they weren't so, so Republican!

316. SnowOwl - 9/14/1999 11:04:12 PM

Squirrels in gardens sound so exotic. There are no squirrels in NZ, the worst damage in my garden comes from the neighbour's cats and dogs using it as a litter box.

317. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 8:03:11 AM

But you have your sporting ways in New Zealand; you have those cuddly possums which you electrocute by the thousands with wired fencing.

318. DanDillon - 9/15/1999 9:26:29 AM

I've been that possum!

319. DanDillon - 9/15/1999 9:27:08 AM

But perhaps I ought to reserve my electrocution story for another thread.

320. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 10:03:21 AM

Dan, sometimes it's good, but it's never that good.

321. DocBrown - 9/15/1999 11:08:44 AM

Moonflower, what sort of bulbs to the squirrels dig up?

When my wife and I acquired our house it had lots of squirrels and lots of bulbs, and the two have coexisted peacefully for many years. The bulbs are lillies and peonies. The squirrels are red and grey.

322. DocBrown - 9/15/1999 11:15:55 AM

Can anyone advise me on finding an interior house painter?

My wife and I need to have two rooms painted in less than a month. We had a paint contractor lined up, but they backed out yesterday because our deadline is too short. They told us that any interior painters will require much more time than we gave them (we first contacted them six weeks before our deadline) to fit us into their schedule.

This seems very unreasonable to me. I can get a plumber or electrician with only one or two days' notice. Why does a painter need two months or more?

I would be inclined to think these guys are BSing me, except they are in my wife's family and have an excellent reputation.

323. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 11:17:34 AM

Yeah. Go find interior housepainters who need the work.

324. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 11:19:45 AM

And squirrels will randomly dig up potted or outside plants most often out of curiousity, or that they have been attracted by freshly turned soil. Beds long maintained are less likely to attract squirrels, or so that's the case with urban squirrels.

325. glendajean - 9/15/1999 11:22:48 AM

Doc -- squirrels often go after tulip bulbs (much sweeter than a peony root). I've never had that problem, but I know others in the DC area who have had it. The solution is to purchase wire cage-like enclosures for the bulbs, either from a local nursery or by mail order. I've read that in some places, moles also go after bulbs.

326. Uzmakk - 9/15/1999 3:14:45 PM

#315 Moonflower:

I use squirrel assassination as a learning tool here at the Hermitage. Squirrels know not to go on the bird feeder under the pain of death, and we really have developed quite an understanding. I think the word is beginning to pass between the generations and I am beginning to feel like St. Uzmakk of Assissi as squirrel and man learn to live together..

327. DocBrown - 9/15/1999 3:52:38 PM

Uzmakk, did I miss something? You live at The Hermitage?

328. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 3:59:46 PM

A great link, I've a keen interest in Federalist architecture.

329. DocBrown - 9/15/1999 4:06:40 PM

ScottLoar, you have nicely explained how our bulbs can coexist peacefully with so many squirrels. Those lillies and peonies have been there for many years, maybe decades.

I'm trying to line up some non-family painters, as you suggest. BTW the previously mentioned painters (wife's family) are college students whose dormatory is in our neighborhood. Like many college students, they have a small housepainting business, and they definitely need money. It seemed perfect.

All we need painted are the dining room ceiling and the living room walls. They came out and looked at the job, but turned it down because it would take too long.

I feel sort of insulted. It's as if they said: "We thought we could do the job, until we saw what a dump your place is!"

Our house is in excellent condition. I think.

330. cmboyce - 9/15/1999 4:33:04 PM

Splendid place, Andy's joint, but I went there expecting this one.

And then, too, it could have been this one, with its nice orangery.

Or this, a geographical curiosity (and still on topic--food department).

Or, among many others (but entirely pointless to the thread, unless perhaps you live there), this one here.

331. moonflower - 9/15/1999 5:17:26 PM

Hi Uzmakk and everyone: I'm normally peace-loving, esp. w/animals, even squirrels. But I know of people who get these varmints in their houses and then all bets are off. They may not be easy to catch and poison or traps become the only realistic options. Unless, of course, one wants to live in squirrel shit and wake up to everything being gnawed. Though I admit, squirrels, even pesky ones, are often nicer than people.

332. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 5:22:55 PM

DocBrown, we most recently had the hallway, dining room, study and adjoining bathroom of our 1917 brownstone apartment gutted down to the bricks save some original woodwork, then rebuilt with dry wall (very thick non-standard drywall), new trim and kickboards, new garden box window in the study and new bay window in the dining room, new bathroom fixtures (a horrific expense) and the original ball-and-claw bathtub reporcelainized with new hardware (even more horrific expense) by a professional crew from start to finish. Neighbors saw the work in progress, would come over loitering about just to talk with the crew, even shout to them from third-storey windows... but the crew wasn't interested in anything less than total, quality jobs. They've got enough work to last 9 months with more bookings weekly. Nobody in the neighborhood could hire these guys.

Skilled labour is at a premium, and it seems painters - even college kids - can pick and choose. There's so much renovation and construction drywall needs 2-3 weeks to deliver. Drywall!

333. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 5:26:57 PM

Moonflower, although not terribly fond of the beast I grant that dogs, especially terriers, can keep squirrels distant if the terrain allows so. But for stalking get a cat, a big, big cat who thinks nothing of lining up dead fieldmice on the window sill. Squirrels don't like the cats.

Uzmak, though, may prefer gyrefalcons for squirrel control.

334. moonflower - 9/15/1999 7:20:33 PM

Hi Scott. Cats can help. I have 2, both indoors. They make weired sounds when they see squirrels. Unless one has had squirrels in the house, it's hard to know just how destructive they can be, little tornados with gray tails. But I'm not anti-squirrel. I've written two poems praising them. My praise prefers them outdoors but not digging up my bulbs.

335. Uzmakk - 9/15/1999 9:24:10 PM

My Dear Loar:

The falcons and hawks do hunt in the back yard, funny to see them, after a miss, walking around like an old man going through a mud puddle in knickers, still trying to chase down their prey on foot.

I have a nice big 13 pound cat, but he is often at the outer reaches of his realm and while the cat's away the squirrels will play. The most annoying thing, however, is that some chipmunks have decided to reside on the uphill side of the house. They really make quite a tunnel complex, and when it rains their little burrows can actually contibute to water problems in the basement. They must go, but I am in no hurry.

336. Uzmakk - 9/15/1999 9:25:30 PM

or, perhaps my cat has made some kind of an agreement with the squirrels.

337. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 9:29:46 PM

Chipmunks, eh? Perhaps you can gas'em. You know, some bleach and ammonia.

338. Uzmakk - 9/15/1999 9:32:39 PM

I think I'm going to get one of those sound emitter thingys for the chipmunks.

339. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 9:33:45 PM

Snakes. Chipmunks are scared of snakes. Get snakes.

340. Uzmakk - 9/15/1999 9:38:33 PM

Got snakes. Got chipmunks. Maybe they have made some kind of an agreement.

341. Uzmakk - 9/15/1999 9:39:19 PM

and I think the cat may be in on it too.

342. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 9:40:56 PM

They're in collusion. A cabal. Move now.

343. Uzmakk - 9/15/1999 9:45:16 PM

Nehvuh, as God is mah witness, Ah will not be run off mah land by a conspiracy of varmints.

344. ScottLoar - 9/15/1999 9:48:40 PM

Yeah? Wait'll the critters rip your throat out as you lay asleep. Better you get'em first.

345. DanDillon - 9/15/1999 9:59:17 PM

LOL!

346. moonflower - 9/15/1999 10:13:32 PM

At least the Japanese beetles are gone away. They bullied my roses long enough!

347. glendajean - 9/16/1999 6:57:14 AM

Moonflower -- I'd love to hear about your garden. Please share.

And Scott -- I remember your sharing a little about going through the process of working on your home. If your willing, please tell us more.

348. moonflower - 9/16/1999 8:36:47 AM

Hi Glendajean and everyone--you asked about my garden. It's not big. I have a small house and have flowers all around it, no veggies whatsoever: if it don't bloom, aint got no room! This year I'm madly into vines. My hyacinth bean has 13 stalks with purple blossoms now turning into pods. Some roses--good success with one called Pure Poetry. Right now Tropicana is blooming: what a sweet smell! Failures too--dahlias may not all bloom, still no buds on 3 of them, fancy ones I got from a nursery in Oregon. Maybe next year. LOVE TO GARDEN!

349. glendajean - 9/16/1999 8:41:03 AM

Moonflower, I pretty much share your philosophy, mainly because I have such small space for gardening. Do you grow any herbs? They make great companion planting to flowering perennials.

Do you have any tree/shade problems cutting into your growing space?

350. bubbaette - 9/16/1999 8:42:20 AM

Herbs are also nice near a walkway so you can brush them with your foot as you walk by.

351. KuligintheHooligan - 9/16/1999 9:03:46 AM

I still want to talk about my yard here in Namibia but just haven't taken the time to yet. Sorry.

I'll say this though. You have to realize that we don't get any rain for a good six month stretch here, usually from about March to October. And the soil is absolutely horrible. For example, we don't have any grass in our yard, just dirt. But this is the way it is in Namibia!

352. bubbaette - 9/16/1999 10:52:25 AM

The winds have picked up quite a bit, as have the rains. The ground is so soft from near 1/2 inch of rain per hour since last Midnight.

The water is over 2 of the dams in Bryan park near by, but still has a good 6 feet to go before it covers Lakeside Dr. There is speculation that the 3rd dam is weak.

353. theDiva - 9/16/1999 11:01:31 AM

Hey Bubb

When's DH due home? Got a pot of hot soup on the stove for him? Poor baby.

354. bubbaette - 9/16/1999 11:09:23 AM

diva

He should be home around 2:30, if all goes well. A number of the mechanics from the outlying areas cant get in because the roads are closed. The major roads in south Richmond are closed and under 6 to 12 inches of water.

Still, I hope they're not trying to make carriers deliver to submerged routes.

I have a big pot of chili on and have made up some sesame noodles and a big salad in case the power goes out. Looks like Virginia Beach is going to get socked the worst -- in about 2 hours.

Are you at work?

355. ScottLoar - 9/16/1999 11:17:57 AM

Our condominium was built in 1917, badly maintained as a rental unit for about 15-20 years until we purchased it in 1987, in a neighborhood which has since become gentrified to investors' delight. The structure is sound, the red oak floors saved from damage and zealots' misunderstanding who would stain such beauty dark mahogany, and original woodwork covered in layers of latex paint. Over the course of 10 years we have systematically renovated the place room by room, saving the windows and woodwork wherever possible, which includes the 1917 icebox in the kitchen which porcelain interior boasts The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

Our experience has been
1) Save no interior appointments unless merited so by quality construction, materials, or historical significance;
2) Do save windows and glass - it is best you strip, clean, glaze, caulk and rehang double-hung windows yourself as the expense of hiring others is prohibitive;
3) Replace hardware with quality - the cheap stuff doesn't last and looks out of place - but never beyond the tone or style of the premises (yes, you may like Euro-design fixtures but will they look appropriate to the room?;
4) Pay strict attention to all utilities - wiring, plumbing, electricals - and pay licensed professionals to do the work unless you yourself genuinely have the competency to do the work yourself;
5) Whenever a crew quotes a job be sure it excludes materials. If left to the choice and discretion of the crew (what do you think they know of taste?) the materials will usually be of common or inferior quality. By all means choose exterior woods, hardware, lighting fixtures, even switches and quality of paint yourself.

And it may be a cliche to say so, but be prepared for unexpected delays and difficulties which will throw the job way beyond budget and time allowed. Be prepared for expense and inconvenience if you want it done your way (take a lesson from Frank Sinatra).

356. glendajean - 9/16/1999 11:23:46 AM

Scott -- is it all finished now and are you pleased with the outcome? Yesterday, you talked about drywall. Were the original walls plaster and did you decide drywall was better? Would you do the work all over again?

One of the nice things about the older neighborhoods in this city are the annual home tours where one gets an opportunity to see both loving restorations and re-creations. Thanks for giving us a virtual tour of your condominium (and please describe more of the process and the finished product).

357. ScottLoar - 9/16/1999 11:36:43 AM

The place is now finished and the latest results are of course more pleasing as we gained experience in renovating and remodeling. The only original plaster walls remain in the living room/music room, which cracks were gouged free, reinforced with mesh, then replastered and the entire walls skim-plastered (I think that's the word: a sheet of plaster recovering the walls). I prefer a thick drywall to plaster, as it is convenient and cheaper, but if the house is of historical significance plaster should remain. Remember, a house attracts odors, and after 75-100 years the plaster and woodwork betray every scent of those past years. Stripping and refinishing the woodwork, and taking down plaster to replace with drywall, freshens the room. I have never seen any bathroom or kitchen more than 25 years old that could not stand a complete gutting.

Would we do it all over again? Yes, without hesitation, for the value of our property has increased more than three-fold in 10 years, partly due to the neighborhood but undeniably by reason of our improvements. Remember, this is where we live, and the condition and appearance of the place is not only a reflection of its owners but also