Glory's Garden

First snow for 2012

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

It's the first snow fall of 2012 (I'm posting this a week late) and as always I wish it to be the last. I know, rather silly of me, but there you have it. Snow was never my friend.

I ventured out on my porch without a coat for these photos, so I hope you appreciate it! It was chilly out there. A few photos down you'll see exactly how chilly.

It may be a beautiful sight for some, I suppose, but I do find it awfully dreary. The monotone days just zap me of mirth and vim and vigor. ~Sigh~ And spring so far away.

It was still snowing when I took the photos so don't know the total snow accumulation yet.

I do believe Tommy will need to plow though. Our magic driveway can only do so much.

Why is it a magic driveway? Because the blacktop allows a light snow to melt, providing the sun is out to warm it up. Tyler's car is the only one out in the snow. Tom was in New Hampshire working while this snow came down here in PA, but my car is snug in the garage as were the plow/work truck and the van.

Oh, my poor Julie/Abby friendship rose garden! I do hope you make it through this variable winter. From bitterly cold to almost mild, temperature fluctuations are the worse things for plants.

Well, at least a multitude of flaws are covered with the snow. As if I care about weeds and such while the sun's shining warm on me! I live for my garden flaws. I wouldn't be needed if everything was perfect, now would I?

Oh, but it will be a while before I'm out there fussing and yanking weeds, transplanting this and re-planting that.

My-my, but it be cold! The Rhododendrrons tell the tale. They huddle down to protect themselves and to tell us tropicallies to stay inside on such a day as this. BRRRRRRR!

So, much for the first snowfall. There will be others, I'm quite sure.

Ice falls

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

I have a thing for waterfalls, but as it is winter, all the waterfalls have turned to ice falls--Justin's name for frozen waterfalls. Only thing is... they don't fall much anymore. They're pretty much in suspended animation until warmer weather comes.

I see these all along the highway on the way to taking Justin to Lords Valley. Ther are tons of them but I don't like stopping in the middle just for a picture. I took these on the off ramp--much safer there.

In spring and summer while it rains these waterfalls show up and gush from the rocks. It really is nice, but these ice-falls are nice too.

Winter does have some nice things to show us, if we're willing to see them.

Aww, nuts!

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000-05:00

You may recall how I collected my hazelnuts before the deer got to them. That was in the fall. I did much better than last year. I got two lousy little nuts and that was all she wrote! This year I plucked two buckets full of those hazelnut husks, so I was happy about that, I'll tell you!

Of course, as you can see, they are still in their husks and even in the same bucket I used to harvest them. Guess Jim Bessey isn't the only procrastinator, huh? Well, all I can say in my defense is, I had a good reason to wait....and it wasn't Just Camping Out!

See this? That is the hazelnut husk and to get those nuts out of them is...how can I put this delicately... Is a pain in the butt! So, I had an idea. I would allow the husks to dry thoroughly in the vague hope they simply would fall off, saving me a heck of a lot of trouble.

Did it work? Not in the slightest. Oh, the husks did indeed dry up but those nuts were not budging.

They are tricky too. They kind of get lost in the mass of leaf-like cluster that is the husk and man-o-man do they hold on tight to their home! Takes a force of nature to get them out...that or a hungry squirrel. It was Tom that noticed it first. He told me I better do something if I wanted those nuts cuz it looked like the bucket of husky nuts which I kept on the porch was attracting some critters...field mice or that nasty squirrel which terrorizes my birds and ruins my feeders. I hate that squirrel!

What was Tom's first clue? He told me he found a hord of nuts on some of his leak detector equipment--a hose full of nuts---and Brandon opened up some pumps to find they were used for storing nuts too. Field mice are just too funny and resourceful!

So, I brought in my bucket and got to un-husking those nuts. It took me a while...a whole movie, in fact. Yes, I put on The Lake House while I did this. This is one of my very useful containers half full. Once again my container stash was useful, lest you think otherwise.

It is rather odd that two buckets worth of harvested hazelnuts can be reduced, once you remove them from the husks, to one small container and it was only 3/4 full.

I did find evidence of critters having themselves a feast. Some of the nuts were chewed right into the kernel. Pretty nifty!

Lookie here! Here's evidence the nut was either scratched out of the husk or chewed to get the tasty meal inside. Where there is food, the critters will find it. I almost felt bad taking it away from them, but not enough to allow them to have them. The deer got them last year, so they weren't getting these, if I could help it. Well, they are mine, after all. I planted the two Hazelnut shrubs, not them! They can look for nuts in the woods.

Maybe it's not just me!

2012-01-25T16:52:00.000-05:00

Here I thought surely this perpetual need to grow things must just be me, then I open up a pumpkin.

Why did I open it? Well, it started getting soft. Took long enough. It's been sitting on a shelf for months now.

When I noticed it was rotting, I cut it open and lookie what I found! Yes, seeds but do you see something odd about those seeds? Like...they're sprouting!

Gees-Louise! They couldn't even wait to be out of the pumpkin! It wasn't just one or two of them.

There were a bunch of them on either side of the pumpkin half. After gaping at this miracle I looked about me and found a little bit of soil, a tiny spot to dig and I tossed my already sprouted seedlings in. They're growing with one of the many tomatoes I rooted. Oh, boy! Do I need a greenhouse or what?

See? I'm not the only one eager for spring to come so we can set our roots into the soil and grow, grow and reach for the sun. It's not just me!

What it's supposed to look like

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

Do you recall when I told you how important it is to read crochet instructions carefully? And do you recall why? Sure you do. Cuz if you don't your project comes out looking like this instead of what it's supposed to look like.

Ta-da! Here is what it was supposed to look like. Pretty, isn't it? But I wonder, do you know what it is?

Take a guess while I tell you what I did. See the practice one I made--that mess in the first picture--was done in a thicker yarn, my regular favorite for most projects acrylic worsted weight. This one in blue I did in a nylon crochet thread--much thinner than yarn. It also has a bit of sheen to it. It's the same thread I used to make my little purse. Hmm, I don't think I showed you that yet, did I? Well, time enough for that.

Well, here it is with its drawstrings, so surely you can see what it is now, right? Just a tiny drawstring bag. It's perfect for a little girl on Easter morning, especially if you make a matching Easter bonnet. The pattern I used to make this also had instructions for the Easter bonnet. While I don't have a granddaughter to give this to, I do think I will use it to present a small gift in future. It'll be a double gift then, won't it? What's inside and what it's in.

So, if you take anything away from this, know this: Read instructions and follow them carefully. Otherwise you'll end up with something very different.

Rooting tomato plants

2012-01-23T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, you know about my two large and producing tomato plants living on the picture windowsill, but did I tell you I've been pruning them? Well, I'm telling you about it now. Why? Because it will explain why I'm rooting tomato plants in water in deepest, darkest winter time.

I'm telling ya, folks. It's a sickness, an obsession, something I gotta do or I may explode or something!
I just can't toss a piece of a plant which I know I can root...I can't even toss a piece I have no chance of rooting, but that's neither here nor there. Rooting tomato plants, that's what we're here about.

Root baby root!

If you know nothing about tomato plants, you should know that every bit of this plant can be rooted with very little effort. My father used to allow his tomato plants to crawl on the ground and wherever the stems touched the soil, it would eventually root. I didn't know it then and it's not like my father told me this, but doing this allowed the plant to be healthier and stronger. More roots meant it could gather more nutrients from the soil, plus get more water when it needed it.

I'm guessing some of you die-hard tomato growers are shrieking, "Stakes! You gotta stake your tomatoes!" But I never have and I doubt I ever will...outside in the garden anyway. Inside here in pots, I have to. I just don't have the room for them to flop all over the place.

Way more plants than I need in winter

So, I pruned my tomato plants of those extra branches--suckers they call them because they never produce fruit and just suck the energy from the plant. These suckers grow in between the fruiting branches and I pluck them off and set them in one of the many rooting bottles which I have on my kitchen windowsill and let them root in water.

How many new plants do I have? Far more than I need so far before spring planting time. OY! But I had an extra pot full of soil and so....I planted them, several of them in one pot. I had to! The roots were too many and barely fit in the tiny rooting bottles anymore.

So now I have a few extra tomato plants. If I can keep them going until the no frost date ...yikes...that's June! I'll have a few rows of tomato plants all ready to produce. Good luck with that!

I did tell you it's a sickness, right? Maybe now you'll agree with me.

When you don't have the proper tools, improvise!

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, I mentioned the other day, that I needed a trowel for transplanting my tomato plants. Well, it wasn't readily available so I had to make do by improvising. The trowel in question was not found in the greenhouse where it usually would be stored for the winter because the greenhouse isn't very...shall we say...put together. Tom never got around to fixing it up so it has gaping holes in it. It's actually half roof-less--not exactly a waterproof place for keeping anything, but least of all my precious garden tools.

Nifty scoops

So, where are my garden tools now? In the pole barn. While it's not that far away that I can't go there, it was a particularly cold day and I really didn't want to go outside if I didn't have to. As it turned out, I didn't have to. You see, when I don't have the proper tools for a certain job, I just improvise! I didn't need no sticking trowel after all!

How can this be? Well, I have the good sense--Hmm, some might not call it good sense, but humor me for now-- to have sea shells* to decorate my plants. In one houseplant I have large clam shells covering the soil and these are what I used to scoop up soil into the pots and around the plants. Worked great, maybe even better than a trowel would have done. It was much easier to maneuver the shells around the branches of the plant without breaking any off.

So, you see, just cuz you don't have the "proper" tools doesn't mean you can't do as the cave people did and just use what you have. Whoever said gardening is expensive can kiss my...sea shells.

*There is a good reason for the sea shells covering the soil which I'm pretty sure I have told you before, but it bares repeating. Using the lovely sea shells we collect at the various beaches we frequent to decorate my plants serves to keep the cats from digging in them. See? There is reason in my madness.... sometimes anyway.

Transplanting tomatoes

2012-01-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, I've told I have these tomato plants growing on my cats' sunny windowsill. Well, it used to be theirs, but I confiscated it this winter. I had to! Look these plants, they're huge! They've gotten so big in fact, that I had to transplant them.

Baby grown up good!

I didn't really wish to do this. It is traumatic for them and they are fruiting at the moment, so the fruit could drop and, well, don't want that to happen!

But look at that root system! The plant was constantly getting droopy, too, so I had to water it often. A sure sign it needs a bigger pot in which to grow.

I searched within the house for a pot and soil to use...yes, I keep a few pot of soil just in case I get cabin fever so bad that I have-have-have to grow something! Good thing I did. Although, I did have to go to the greenhouse to find...what was it? Oh, yes a trowel, but I didn't find one there. They were up in the pole barn and I just wasn't going there. What did I use instead? I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

I do so hope the baby tomatoes don't drop. What is that white speck?!? White flies! We'll take care of those buggers!

Well, there is one down and one more to go. I hope this pot which is only a bit wider but much deeper will suit it for a while.

here it is happily back in place, none the worse for the disturbing transplanting process.

And here is the other one, the bigger one whose root system was even more tightly packed. And look at those tomatoes! I'm a happy camper today. I actually got to garden while comfortably situated inside the house. Can't get better than that!

Let's bake some cookies

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000-05:00

Brandon asked me to bake some cookies so he wouldn't go to his girlfriend's family home empty handed over the new year's weekend. So, I made these mint-chocolate chip cookies with a recipe I revised from the back of a Nestle Toll-house cookie recipe.

If you're expecting a cookie to rival store bought kind, hard, crunchy, nothing special and full of preservatives, fageddabodit! These cookies are yummy and while perhaps not exactly good for you, they won't kill you either. Ask anyone who has had the good fortune to have tasted one.

Unless they were just being very polite...but anyway!

These cookies stay soft for several days and according to many cookie monsters of my acquaintance, are the best ever. I think they are okay--chocolate chip just are not my favorite. Ask me about my thumbprint cookies one day--heaven in a mouthful!-- but I digress. People ask me how I keep them so soft and chewy. The trick is to bake them for precisely 12 minutes, not more, not less. I've made them in both a regular oven and a convection one, so there is no difference.

Fresh out of the oven

Want to make your own batch? Then run on over to the kitchen--my kitchen page, I mean to say. You'll find the recipe there. You'll find loads of them there actually. This recipe is a versatile one, as you shall see. I often use chips of unusual flavors to make these cookies, so they could be cinnamon, peanut butter, white chocolate, semi-dark, milk chocolate and even raspberry flavored. I wonder what I'll make next? Anyone's guess!

Well, that's another thing. I never make just one batch. I always make a double. One is usually to give away and the other for my bunch at home to snack on. This time I filled a big tub for Brandon to share...his girlfriend has a huge family and they all were gathered for the new year celebration.

Now, I'm not one for fancy gift wrapping. Just not my thing, but I did do one thing to make the top--which wasn't right for a gift of cookies even if they are yummy.

It once contained ice cream info and now?

I used a Christmas card I had received and taped it onto the lid. That's as fancy as I get and I make no apologies for it. My love goes into the cookies, not the packaging. If you try the recipe, let me know how you like them. I've given the recipe out many times and get this whine, "I followed the recipe exactly and they didn't taste anything like yours!"

Perhaps they just didn't put in the love? I just don't know why.

Old denim jeans made into a pocketbook

2012-01-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

It’s CraftTuesday. Crafts are a big part of my life, so I’m taking Tuesday for talkingcrafts. As much as I would like to be in the garden all the time, I must on occasion do somethinginside and that is where sewing, crocheting, knitting and other crafts come tosave my sanity.

After I made several potholders with Brandon's old jeans, I was left with two perfectly good back pockets, a waistband and some assorted other pieces of denim and I knew I could do something constructive with them. Well, I made myself a nifty little pocketbook.

I decided to show you how I did this on this craft Tuesday.

1. First thing I did was cut out the center seam which held both "cheeks" of the jeans together. That made the back and the front of the purse.
2. I cut off the waistband to use later on as the handle.
3. I removed the zipper from the front of the jeans (which I still had) and sewed it onto the top of one pocket.

4. I cut a 3 inch wide strip of the remaining denim--I think it was from one of the legs-- and sewed it onto the bottom of each pocket. This would be the bottom on the pocketbook so it would sit flat. Who wants a pocketbook that flops over, after all?
5. I cut out equal sized pieces of denim to use for the sides of the pocketbook, so it would have some room inside for my usual stuff--wallet, chapstick, comb and a book, must have room for a book!

Bottom of pocket book to make it sit flat

6. The tricky part was sewing this cube shape on the sewing machine, but I managed.
7. After the cube was formed, I added the handle sewing it to either side.
8. The last thing to do to finish it up was sew the second part of the zipper on the other side of the purse. The zipper wasn't really needed--without it, you'd have a mini-tote bag which is fine, but I like to be able to close it up.

And that was it. It took several hours. Most of that time was just figuring out how to do it. I had never done anything like this before, but once it was done it's become my favorite. I love those handy pockets for a note pad and pen and on the other side is another one prefect for my cell phone.

Tom was so funny. He kept staring at it until I asked what was up and he said, "You made that out of jeans?"

Waist band now a handle

"Yes, the ones that Brandon ripped to shreds on one knee and stained all over from the exploding pump. I salvaged what I could," I said. I certainly didn't want him thinking I used a perfectly good pair to make this!

He kept staring at it then said, "Cool."

I guess that means he approved. LOL

Dusty houseplants make for unhappy plants

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000-05:00

Winter time is hard enough on houseplants. Don't make it tougher on them by letting dust collect on their leaves. A dusty plant is just not as happy as a clean one.

My dusty Clivia looks sad

I took stock of my own plants one day while vacuuming. Gees-Louise, but they were dusty! And not just dusty...there was cat hair and in some cases spider webs all over the poor dears. Well, I knew I had been neglecting them horribly.

Whoa! Spider webs? Eek!

So, I took a useful container from my stash in the kitchen--see? I told you they were useful!--and I filled it with warm water and a tiny drop of dish soap. I took a soft rag--I think it might have been a sock in a former life-- and I carefully wiped at each leaf one at a time. This also helps prevent any insect infestations before they start. Must work because I hardly ever get any!

I can't see the leaves for the dust!

It's not exactly a glamorous job nor is it quick and easy, but it does help the foliage stay useful to the plant--photosynthesis and all that, you know, works best when the sun can actually penetrate the dust to get into the plant!

This is a good time to check plants for dried or dying leaves, any problems and possibly to re-pot if need be. I actually like to dawdle and clean each and every leaf, slowly and carefully. It brings me to my happy place, I guess. Lacking the garden, that's important for me.

Of course, there is an easy way to clean your houseplants and I often resort to it. Just stick them in the shower. The gentle spray for a few minutes will refresh, clean and hydrate them like nothing else. Like a warm spring shower in mid-winter.... How lovely!

If you wish to make your houseplant happy, I suggest you clean those dusty leaves. You'll be happy you did.

The push to keep bees

2012-01-13T04:00:00.001-05:00

I'm thinking you recall my desire to save the Bees. I suppose you also recall how I thought Tommy would be the reason I wouldn't actually get to start the fascinating gift-to-the-world hobby of keeping bees. Well, my push to keep bees was rather subtle.

While making lunch:

"Tommy, did you know one bee hive can produce 40-50 pounds of honey in one year?" I said.

"Wow, that's amazing," he replied.

"That sure is more than I could use in one year," I countered. "Explains why my father has so much that he's constantly giving it away and they use tons of it. A beekeeper could make money. Raw honey is very sought after, you know, and natural wax, too."

"True," he said.

"They say it's about $300 to start. Well worth it, I think, for all the real raw honey you can eat or sell. Pays for itself in no time," I say.

"I'll bet," he agrees.

YAY!

Later while doing paperwork:

"I think down by the silo near the lilacs or maybe in the orchard. It would be close enough to the pond and they need water," I mumbled to myself while staring out the window.

"Who are you talking about?" he asked, his mind only half on what I'm saying, the other, on paperwork.

"I could rip out those annoying, mostly dead plants and put them there. Oh, that would be a great place for a few bee hives," I say. "It's a nice protected place. It's not too windy and in full sun, just like they want."

"Yeah, if you were really going to do it, that would be a good place, out of the way," he said, a bit absent-mind.

Elation! That was not a full out no. That was even almost a yes!

Later on in the afternoon, just after he asks me to go to the bank and post office for him before picking up Justin:

"Julie's also thinking of keeping bees and she asked me to go with her to this workshop PennApic is sponcering this spring. It's just 2 miles from her house. She's so excited about it," I say, casually.

"When is it?"he asks.

"March 24."

He says nothing, which could go either way. He knows how far Julie's Wooly Acres is from home--a good three hour drive and that's with no traffic to slow you down. I think I should be able to get there by myself with good directions from Tom, but I choose not to tell him this. He still most annoyingly recalls when I was trying to meet him in Allentown and somehow ended up in New Jersey. Okay, so I'm not good at driving all over creation, but I would make an extra effort for this.

So, the seed is planted and all I have to do is see if anything grows. Bee keepers, here I come!

Clutter be vanquished!

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000-05:00

See what being trapped inside during winter does to me? Now I'm going around vanquishing clutter. Not a bad thing to do, I supposed, but I'd rather be...no, not Just camping out....gardening.

I have the tendency of collecting sturdy plastic containers the ones in which food comes in from the store. I keep them just because I might need them one day. Sure enough, I do....often for storing leftovers, but other things too. I love using them in the garden, to pick berries, to root stems, collect seeds and sometimes to start seedlings once I poke holes on the bottom.

I suppose you're wondering why in heaven's name I would keep all these around. I like the variety of sizes and I always use them for storing all sorts of stuff like seeds, sewing notions and Tom or Brandon always need a few of them to separate small hardware from this pump so it doesn't get mixed up with the hardware from that pump. After the containers wear out, get funky looking from stains or whatever, then I send them to the recycle center and hope...yes, hope...that they actually do get recycled. There is no guaranty they will. Those recycling centers may just decide to take it all to the dump and then what good is that? In any case, it's just easier to wash the containers and store them in case I may need them than it is to take them down to the recycle center and then say, "Gees, I could really use a...." See what I mean?

But there does come a point when I just have too many, so out they must go. I keep the ones I will most likely reuse and chuck the rest.

That looks better. Yes, I probably still have far more than I need, but I have space, so no worries.

It's when I run out of room that I really start saying, "I guess I have to go to the recycle center".

With the boys setting up household soon, most of these will go to them....in the way of food they smuggle out of here, I suspect!

Guest post from Alexandra Heep

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Alexandra Heep (you know her, she's into NASCAR and has a really nice blog to make you think, a sunflower patch for her cat Gracie to make you wish for summer and another blog to acquaint you with the obsurdities of life. Yes, you should check them out) wrote this story for a magazine in the hope of getting the prize offered. Well, much to my bewilderment, it wasn't accepted. So, she asked if I'd like to feature it here. Well, yeah, baby!Unlike that stupid magazine, I loved it. I guess that means I should pay her. We'll see about that.

My true gardening horror story by Alexandra Heep

Having grown up with a mother who had a green thumb and let me have my own garden plot, I have always longed to duplicate my childhood experience. Not only do I remember home-grown vegetables fondly (yes, I ate my vegetables), but of course also the beautiful flowers which attracted colorful butterflies.

I moved around a lot, so I always blamed my adult brown thumb on external circumstances, like climate and soil. Alas, my friends did not have these problems. So as the years went by, my determination grew. Unfortunately, my gardening spaces also shrunk - a reflection of economic times.

Eventually, I found myself in a cookie-cutter townhouse apartment with a concrete-slab patio, located in old suburbia in a humid city in the Mid Atlantic. Each patio had a white, wooden fence about 6-feet tall for a simulation of privacy. But, the only green to be seen was the strip of grass that ran between the building rows. It was rigorously and unceremoniously cut down on a regular basis by maintenance personnel to maintain an outward semblance of order in a disheveled community.

A writer friend of mine who heard of my plight suggested containers for gardening. I browsed some of his articles for a crash-course on container gardening and set out to plant flowers and vegetables in vessels of all sizes and shapes. For good measure, I kept some outdoors and some indoors. Regardless, after an initial growth spurt they all joined their unfortunate predecessors in plant-heaven.

Still not willing to give up, I perused my 10x10 patio, wheels turning inside my head. I just had to have some greenery! I needed something to spruce up this area. That is when I noticed that there was about a six-inch strip between the patio and the edge of the fence that the vicious, motorized lawn-eating monsters from management could not touch … and an idea began to take shape.

Off I went to the local gardening store and came back armed with several bags of soil. I proceeded to spread the soil on that six-inch grassy strip. “So far, so good,” I thought as I stood back and admired my handy-work. However, what to plant?

Back to the store I went, looking at flower seeds since I did not trust myself to transplant live plants. I was smart and read all the soil and temperature requirements on the back of the packet, since my patio faced the south and was really hot. Plus, we were in the midst of a drought so the plants had to be hardy. While some plant requirements sounded promising, the flowers were too short. I wanted tall flowers, nothing else would do.

“…thrives in full sun and any type of soil, especially if it is not moist or fertile. Height: 6 to 10 feet.” That sounded perfect. I turned the seed packet over to see what kind of flower this was, and even the name was pretty: Morning Glory. I was sold.

At home, I planted them mostly according to instructions but added some extra seeds because of my prior failures. Since I sowed them close to the fence, I omitted the suggested twine. To my delight, only a few days later I observed tender but healthy looking shoots. Every day they noticeably became taller and I grew happier. Could this be the time I finally managed to grow something and make it last?

After almost two months, they had grown to the top of the fence and provided me with the home-grown greenery I had craved for so many years. Even though they had not yet bloomed, looking at the abundant flora that enveloped the formerly white fence made me feel quite accomplished. I had done it, nothing could mar this accomplishment!
At the height of my success, I had to go away for about two weeks. I was concerned of course how my sweet morning glories might fare, but all in all hoped they would be fine since they had survived the heat this long. I needn’t have worried; instead I should have been afraid, very afraid …

When I came back and rushed to check on my little oasis in the concrete jungle, instead of death and destruction, the foliage had turned into lush vines worthy of a habitat for monkeys. Vines had not only encircled my patio table and all four chairs, rendering my little outdoor refuge useless, but grown over the concrete floor towards the patio door, trying to snake their way in to my living room.

It was creepy ... the Stephen King-kind of creepy. What was worse, this sweet-sounding plant had even grown to the side and over the partition on the neighbor’s patio to put a stranglehold on his potted cacti. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that my morning glory vines had a master plan to take over the neighborhood!

I knew I needed to stop this invasion, but was not sure how as I lacked the proper tools. Like a ruler threatened by the subjects of her unruly kingdom, I hid. I kept the blinds closed to the glass patio door, avoided my neighbors and hoped management would not knock on my door to slap me with a fine - or worse, oust me - all while visions of sinister vines coming into my home haunted me. At last, I called up a male friend, explained the situation, and asked if he could come over and help me. He laughed and said, “Don’t exaggerate, it can’t be that bad!”

When my friend showed up with simple garden shears in hand he took one look, and after some unprintable comments went home to get more powerful arsenal. In stifling 100-degree temperatures, he spent several hours hacking and slashing his way around the monkey retreat. Among plenty of sweat, some blood, and perhaps a few tears punctuated by the occasional burst of colorful language, he managed to eventually take all the vines out by the roots, but not before making me promise to never try to grow anything again.

Thanks so much, Alex. You're such a hoot! The check's in the mail! ;-)

The Ultimate Frugal Craft: Quilting

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-05:00

It’s CraftingTuesday. Crafting is a big part of my life, so I’m taking Tuesday for talking crafts. As much as I would like to be in the garden all the time,all year long, with my short growing season and perpetual cloud bursts, I must do something inside andthat is where sewing, crocheting, knitting and other crafts come to save mysanity.

When I started the recycled denim series at Self Reliance Works I went straightto demonstrating piecing and quilting without really introducing nor explaining the ultimate frugal craft which is quilting. I thought I'd do that now.

Quilting is one craft which started back in the beginning ofrecorded history and has continued to this day. Quilting is the process oftaking small pieces of fabric, assembling them in some practical, logical and/orcreative manner to form a larger piece of fabric which could be used to makeuseful things for living. To hold these tiny pieces together they would sandwich the top pieced fabric with filler and a bottom piece and then stitched the whole thing all over, to keep it from unraveling and to make a nice thick, more durable fabric. Quilting provided many household items, clothing, bedding and wall coverings to ward off thechill of winter and to make life more endurable.

Back in the day, it was a necessity of life to quilt. Fabricwas not something easily gotten. Fabric was an extremely valuable commoditybecause of its rarity and the amount of work involved in its production. Therewas a time, as hard as it may be to believe now, when people had to start fromscratch. This meant they had to get fiber from animals and plants. Sheepprovided wool, worms provided silk and linen and cotton came from plants. Thesewere processed and then twirled into long threads. Then the threads were woveninto fabric.

So, when people did have fabric, they used it until it wasquite literally in tatters. When it was in tatters, the wise and frugal personwould salvage as much of it as possible, pieced it together with other bits of salvagedfabric and quilting was born.

Now, in modern times,quilting is still done although for many of us the necessity is gone. Quiltinghas become an artful endeavor. Masterpieces stand in museums and quilt showstour the country and even the world to show off the exquisite workmanship ineach quilt. They showcase the expertise of the quilters, giving them a statusamong the highest praised artists.

If you priced the fabrics used for these present day artforms, you’d understand completely how the frugality has gone out the windowwith quilting.

That, however, was before I came around. I’m the one tellingyou not to throw away old clothes and perhaps now you understand why. Forgiveme but fabric going to waste just rubs me the wrong way! Knowing that, you cansee why I say to take out your old clothes and old sheets and try your hand atthe oldest craft known to humans, quilting.

Even if you’re not willing to do anything with old clothes,you can still make really nice heirloom quilts for your family without spendingloads of money. At many Walmart stores you can get very pretty fabric for adollar a yard. Really, just about anyone can quilt, so give a try. If you have any questions, I'm more than willing to help.

Seeds, seed heads and such

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-05:00

I said I would show you some seeds, seed heads and such, to help you in your seed collecting endeavors.

I had said I would show common flowers, but this one is not at all a common one for most people to collect seeds from even if they had these in there garden. Don't misunderstand me, it's not an uncommon plant, but collecting seeds from it is a tad unusual. Can you guess what it is?

Most people pick all the flowers in spring to bring inside, because they smell so nice and they are such show-stopping beauties. Still no clue? It's a Peony gone to seed, one is the regular peony and the other is a tree peony. The seeds are roundish, black or dark brown when ripe and about the size of a small pea. There usually are several seeds in each pod. When they are fully ripe, the capsules or seed pods split open to reveal the seed within. That's when it is safe to collect them.

What you do with them once you collect them is either plant them straight away or store them in old junk mail envelopes or folded sheets of paper (label them too so you don't forget what they are. Do it! I always say I'll remember but they all look alike after a while so, LABEL THEM!) Then store them in a dry, cool place out of direct sun. Shoe boxes are great stored in a hidden place, closet or cubby-hole.

You may be wondering how I got the peonies to go to seed. Nothing I did except not deadhead. The blame or credit goes to the butterflies and bees that pollinated them. You ask if I have collected these seeds? Of course, but some I leave where they are just to see what happens. Want to know what happens? I'll tell you! The seeds fall to the fertile soil and some of them germinate and a baby peony is what I find. Sometimes several of them, which isn't that good as I have so many of them and I am seriously running out of room for them.

We'll do another flower next time.

Where do seeds come from?

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-05:00

Do you recall when my pal Jim Bessey sent me this package? It contained seeds which I had requested of him for about a year before he actually got around to sending them. Can we say procrastinator supreme? Yes, that would be our dear Just Camping Out guy. Perhaps he was too busy doing all those Kitchens and baths...yes, that must be it.

Where are the seeds?

Anyway... this mass of twigs which were supposed to be the seeds from Jim's Phlox paniculata...He also sent me pictures of his darling little plant and, of course, I had to have it. No surprise there! Well, I wasn't impressed. That is to say, I wasn't convinced there were any seeds in this bunch. You see, I had never seen a Phlox paniculata gone to seed, but this certainly didn't look anything like what I expected.

Sweet William seeds

For some reason I thought they would be more like Sweet William seeds, small, black and round, mainly because of the flower shapes of both plants are similar.

Sweet Williams are very similar, but not quite the same

If Jim actually knew what he was doing--he told me point blank he knew nothing of seed collecting, after all--then I have reason to doubt, don't you think? My confidence in him was weak to say the least. Hence, why I still wonder if Jim sent me weed seeds instead.

Jim's Phlox paniculata

Well, Jim insisted the seeds were there and they were of his pretty flower, too. It was up to me to find them in that mess he sent me.

Some of you may not even know where to look for flower seeds. While I find this almost incredible, it may be the case, so I may as well start there.

In flowers, when they fade and die, the gardener can snip them off the plant and then seeds won't develop. I told Jim not to cut them off. Yes, the poor dear didn't even know this much*. The flower if pollinated, by insects or even humans can do this as I showed you I did on my indoor tomato plants, when I was pretending to be a bee, will go to seed. So, you should look for seeds where the flower had been. They are either encased in a little husk (in the case of Columbines, Foxgloves and Sweet Williams) or they can be out in the open, (in the case of Cosmos, Dandelions and Cranesbill.)

Columbine seeds in their husk

Well, I could only see that the seeds must be at the ends of the stems, where the flowers should have been. I hoped anyway, but I did what any person not certain of where the seeds may be hiding...I planted the whole bunch, stems, leaves and seed heads and I hoped for the best. We'll see if anything comes of it. If not, I shall hunt Jim down to the ends of the globe...or maybe just send him a nasty email.

Cosmo seeds ready to shatter

So, if you ever are wondering where the seeds are hiding, look for them where the flower used to be. They should be there. I'll show you exactly where on some commonly known flowers in future posts.

*I must tell you that some flowers are so very intent on taking over the world--dandelions come to mind here, but there are others-- that merely snipping the flowers off the plant is not enough to stop them entirely from going to seed. Most flowers which are very much desired in the garden, however, may not do this as readily or at all.

Save the bees!

2012-01-05T04:00:00.000-05:00

We must save the bees!

I don't know about you ( I can guess this is definitely not the case for you), but I love bees. They fascinate me and I want to save them. Here they go from flower to flower collecting pollen for their own survival and in the process they do us the supreme favor of pollinating our crops so they can produce fruit and veggies for us and they hybridize our flowers so they can go to seed and you know what those seeds produce? Oddities, of course! That's the backbone of the ever-expanding garden. Oh, I love that!

Bees love the trumpet vine!

I know there are some--or should I say many?-- of you who are terrified of bees. To you I say, if you don't bother them , they will not bother you. How do I know this? Because while I'm in the garden, humming to myself and pulling weeds, the bees buzz right by me and pay me no mind. I, on the other hand, love to watch them. I especially like when they get pollen all over their bellies! They're so cute...in an ugly bug sort of way, of course. No, I don't find them as cute as a kitten, by any stretch of the imagination, but they are funny creatures and helpful ones to have in your garden. It is a sign of a healthy garden when you can boast of seeing bees buzzing about here and there and everywhere.

Perhaps you know--unless you've been hiding from the world for several years...not a bad idea, grant you, but it does make you a tad out-of-touch-- but the bee population is in dire straits. No, not the rock band! Keep up with me, will ya! We're talking bees, if you please!

So, where was I? Ah, yes, the plight of the bumble bees. It's bad, folks, real bad. Bees are dying away in droves. Why? An over-use of pesticides, that's why. You think you're just getting rid of Mosquitoes when you blast the yard with that killer stuff? No, baby, you're hurting fish in ponds, birds in their nests and more than those pesky biters, I'll tell ya that! You're hurting beneficial bugs, too, and that includes the poor bumble bee! The horror, the carnage!

Gotta have bees if you want apples

It's quite a shame, actually. Without bees, the gentle bumble bees to be exact, our crops won't be pollinated as they once had been, thus that's less food for the masses, honey production will go further down than it already is and we won't have wax for those lovely natural wax candles and other products made with natural wax. Yes, they have synthetic things to replace natural wax and there is a honey of sorts made with corn syrup, but really, if you've had the real stuff, you'd know there is no substitute for real true honey, just like there is no substituting the fake stuff for natural Maple syrup.

So this is why PennApic, the Pennsylvanian Backyard Beekeepers Association encourages beekeeping and even offers training, workshops and all sorts of assistance for this hobby which serves far more than just you and your backyard...more like a worldwide benefit, this is. I'm seriously considering doing this. What's stopping me? Fear. The bees, as I have stated before, don't ever bother me while I'm minding my own business, but let's face it, sticking your hand into a hive full of bees and taking the fruits of their labor, honey and wax , is not exactly minding your own beeswax, now is it?

Bees don't like Pooh bear when he's after their honey

There's also, Tommy. Will he want me playing around with bees? Somehow, I think not. He might put the cabash on the whole thing before it goes anywhere. Ah, well. We shall see. I'll have to do some research on this fascinating new endeavor and get back to you.

How to collect daisy seeds

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-05:00

Some time back I told you of my trip to Julie Helms' farm Wooly Acres--or what I like to call it, Dingleberry Farm-- and the topic of how to collect seeds came up. As Julie was not the first person to ask how this is done, I knew I had to plan a lesson of sorts so everybody can do their own collecting of seeds.

You may be asking why it is important to learn how to collect seeds. There are many reasons the best of which is when you collect your own seeds, you need never buy them. I did mention once or ten times that I'm rather frugal, haven't I? In the case of Heirloom seeds, once you buy one pack, plant them and they produce the fruit or flower, you can then collect the seeds and you'll never have to buy another seed of that type and you'll always have the seeds which produce that particular heirloom variety.

Hybrid seeds, however, don't work like that. I'll tell you about those some other time. For now, let's collect some flower seeds.

Daisy seeds just right for the picking

At Wooly Acres I spotted a nice patch of Daisies most of which were going to seed, but they weren't quite ready for picking. How I knew this is...well, you just kind of have to get a feeling for it. This is where practice and trail and error come into play. I saw that they still had a yellowish color and they were moist. Ripe seeds usually turn brown or black and are quite dry when they are fully ripe.

Daisy seeds are easy to tell if they are ripe just by touch. They should be dry and give way with a tiny bit of pressure. That is to say, the seed heads fall apart. You have to be careful with some seed heads at this point. They become a bit fragile and if you're not ready with a container or envelope in which to catch the seeds, you may lose them to the wind, the birds or other critters.

Seed heads ready to collapse

Of course, that's just the daisy which I just showed is easy to collect seeds from. Some flowers are not so easy to even spot where the seeds are hiding. We'll show you those next time.

Make your own potpourri with Belle Santos

2012-01-03T04:00:00.000-05:00

Guest post by Belle Santos

Fun with Potpourri

Hi everyone!My name is Belle and I’m so glad to have this chance to share my thoughts withyou. I’ve loved flowers ever since I can remember. Seeing the myriad of colorsspread across my garden brings happiness that can’t be put into words. Morethan the colors, the one thing I love about flowers the most is their wonderfulscent. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just package it and share it withother people? Oh, I forgot...it is called potpourri.

The word“potpourri” is a French term that literally means “rotten pot.” Don’t getturned off by the translation. It just refers to the moist method of makingpotpourri. This kind has a stronger aroma that lasts longer than what you’d getfrom a dry potpourri. The downside to moist potpourri is that it is notvisually appealing. I will be focusing on how to make the dry kind ofpotpourri. So how exactly do we make it?

1. Gatherthe flowers you want

Here iswhere it all begins. There are lots of flowers to choose from such as roses,hydrangeas, carnation, hibiscus, etc. You can use the flowers you received fromyour loved ones or collect used flowers from parties you’ve been to. You caneven ask your local florist if they have any discarded flowers that they canspare. For me, the best way to do this is to pick flowers from your garden andsurroundings. Make sure to pick flowers as soon as the dew has evaporated. Thisusually happens early in the morning. Choose the flowers that are about to openbecause those give out more scent. Remember to collect 3-4 times the amount youneed because flowers shrink and lose weight during the drying process.

2. Dry theflowers

Moisture isdefinitely a big no-no. Mold is not something we want to see and have in ourmixture. Start by removing the petals from the flower. If the flowers are smalland delicate, just leave it whole. If you want to use leaves, twigs, and such,include them in the drying process. Spread out the materials, preferably on ascreen wire, to allow air circulation and place it in a warm and dry place thatis well ventilated and out of sunlight’s reach. You’ll know it’s dry when theflowers and leaves feel slightly brittle. You can also tie the stems togetherand leave them out to dry. The whole drying process usually takes up to twoweeks but make sure to check up on it every now and then. Once they’ve driedup, store them in sealed containers until you’re ready to use them.

By the way,if you want to try adapting modern technology to dry flowers, then by all meansdo so. I’ve heard that some people use dehydrators or microwave ovens andachieve the same result.

3. Select afixative

A fixativeis a substance that basically holds the fragrance and scent in the potpourrimixture, thereby making it last longer. There are two kinds of fixatives:powdered and chopped. The powdered fixatives work better with bags and sachets.If you’re going to store the potpourri mixture in a container, make sure to usea chopped fixative. The most common fixative used in making potpourri is orrisroot which comes from the Florentine iris plant. It is widely available inmany health food and herbal stores. Other fixatives include cinnamon sticks,vanilla beans, and nutmeg. These add a nice spicy scent to the mixture. You canalso use fruit peels from fruits, such as mandarin and lemon, if you want acitrus aroma.

4. Selectthe essential oils

Essentialoils are highly concentrated plant oil extracts. It carries with it the essenceof plants and has many other applications in the medical and culinary world.The essential oils have various scents such as floral, spicy, citrus, andherbal. If the flowers you chose have a scent of their own, make sure that theessential oils you use will best complement that scent. I recommend using 3essential oils at most. One would act as the dominant scent and the other twoas accents. Some oils that are good for blending scents together are lemon,coconut fragrance, and sandalwood.

5. Puttingit all together

This is theexciting part of the whole process. Get a large, glass container that can besealed tight. Place the chopped fixative inside and add the drops of youressential oils as you see fit. Stir it well then seal the container and let itsit for several days. The general formula is 1-2 tablespoons of choppedfixative for every 4 cups of flower petals. After about a week has passed, openthe container and check if you like the fragrance. Add essential oils andspices as you see fit. Then, add your petals and leaves and stir to blend. Sealthe container once again and set in a cool, dark place for about 4-6 weeks.Don’t forget to shake or stir the contents occasionally.

6. Wrappingit up and then some

Once you’resatisfied with the mixture, it’s time to repackage it in pretty containers foreveryone to see. To add that personal touch, extend your creative juices andmake your own container. If you want to place it in a bowl, you might want toput netting over it to keep those pesky bugs out. By the way, you can add saltas an ingredient as well. It acts as a preservative and absorbs excessmoisture. To add to its aesthetic appeal, you can add seashells, marbles,confetti, and any other materials you can think of.

You can makeso many potpourri blends. Some of you will prefer fragrance over the visual andvice-versa. For me, mixing and matching is the best part in making potpourri.Try it out for yourself and show it to your family and friends. Have fun!

Belle is ablog editor at Flowers and Chocos.She loves gardening, doing handicrafts and taking pictures of the beautifulenvirons.

Thanks for this nifty idea, Belle. Now we all know what to do with those flowers we have growing in our gardens during spring and summer and also the ones we get in the dead of winter. Turn them into lovely scented potpourri!

Happy New Year! 2012

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, 2012!

I must say, I never thought I would live this long. Don't quite know why, but the thought of living into the 21st century seemed too bizarre when I was younger. I never said I ever made sense...or maybe I did...don't recall.

What? Me live that long? Not gonna happen!

Well, we all made it to 2012 and I'm quite certain you are as delighted about it as I am. I'm also sure some, if not all of you, have made those silly New Year's resolutions. I, on the other hand, made a final resolution about a decade and a half ago never to make another resolution, and gosh-darn-it, I've held fast to it!

Why no resolutions? It just seems rather silly to make promises you have no intention of keeping. If indeed you did have the best intentions to resolve never to do this or always to do that, I figure you wouldn't need to wait until January of the following year to enact them!

Not gonna do it...can't make me... So there!

Okay, okay, so you insist on making a few resolutions and I shant stop you, but I beg of you, be sensible about what you choose as your steadfast resolutions, lest you beat yourself unmercifully once you fail or fall off the resolution wagon or whatever it is.

So, what are the most popular New Year's Resolutions which almost all make and few succeed in keeping? I had my ideas, but I thought I'd consult the web, so I Googled it. This is what I found. I'll comment on each as I see fit.

New Year's Resolutions:

#1- Spend more time with family and friends.

Family time don't cost a thing

Really? You have to resolve to do this? Alas, in this day and age it seems so. Pity...this used to be a given.

#2- Fit in time for fitness.

You don't have to climb Devils Tower to get in some exercise, but it does help!

Blimey, not this again! Of course, we should all exercise more and we all know it. We are such a sedentary society now, it's become ridiculous. Remember those old stories told by your great-grandfather, uncle or your mother of how they had to walk several miles each day just to get to school? Well, they're true and they were lucky for it! Lucky? Yes, lucky to have their daily dose of exercise built into their daily lives.

#3- Lose Weight.

Yum! Everything in moderation

Ah, yes, the endless battle of the bulge which always starts with strict diets depriving you of all that make life worth living. Precisely why this is the first resolution to go. Just eat less folks. No need to kill yourself.

#4- Quit smoking.

A healthier Papi

I recall my father trying to stop himself from the hideous, health-sucking habit each and every single year for about ten years and he would make it 2, 3, sometimes 4 whole months and then...crash! Back he went to smoking. It wasn't until I was 16 and half years old that I realized he had really quit for good. He quit the year before, but I though for sure he would relapse and go back. I was a bit slow to catch on that this time it took. So, it can be done, but only if you truly want to.

#5- Enjoy life more.

Just have fun!

By Jov, why didn't I think of that? Such a shame that more people don't just do this, but too many of them put their main concerns--keeping up with the Jones' being upper most for some-- before this simple thing. Enjoy life while you have it!

#6- Quit drinking.

Silly Tommy!

Well, for me to understand this I would have to have a liking for the stuff, which I never did and never will. Wait, I forgot those yummy pina colada drinks we have at the resort in the Dominican. They make them with Bailey's Irish cream and no rum, so there is nary a taste of alcohol. Just my speed, and Justin's, too! Of course we only get those once a year, so it's quite a treat. More folks should do that if they can't control themselves.

#7- Get out of debt.

Cherish the simple things in life

Easier said than done, to be sure, but it is not impossible to live within your means. Just live simply. No, you might not be able to have a 62 inch flat screen TV nor the decked out SUV of your dreams nor the mini mansion, but you would have more time for your family, friends and hobbies and getting fit and so on and so forth if you stopped getting into debt seeking those things which won't make you happy anyway.

#8- Learn something new.

Fort de la Carolina in Florida? Who knew?

Again, do you really need to do this only at the beginning of a new year? To live is to learn and that means daily. It doesn't have to be anything great or grand...just a tiny fact here and there, something simple, something new. It all counts and it keeps us from stagnation.

#9- Help others.

Special Olympics, a worthwhile organization where you can truly help people

This is another Duh moment. If you don't try to help others, then what are you doing here?

#10- Get organized

babies are allowed to be messy, especially on Christmas morning

This one is funny. If you have no head for organization, why in the world would you kill yourself to try to be something you are not? Yes, you can try, just don't beat yourself up about it. Life's too short. Sure, it's easy to be organized for those with Obsessive/compulsive disorders--Tommy is nothing if not the most organized person in existence, but normal folks don't need the aggravation, really they don't! You have my blessing to be a bit of a slob...within reason.

Do you have a resolution not stated above? Tell us! If you make it public, it may spur you on to keep it alive. In any case, Happy New Year and I do hope 2012 is a great one for you and yours.

In winter desperation

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

Tom and I wake up on Christmas morning huddled together for warmth and he says exactly what I'm thinking--this isn't unusual, he does it all the time-- he says: "We should have gone away."

I know the feeling and that feeling is bitter cold, my winter desperation. We didn't want to get out of bed. It was too cold out of it! Yes, I have a warm house--warmish, anyway-- but it simply doesn't feel warm without the sun and gosh-darn-it the sun's been barely making an appearance lately. Whenever it does show up, I stand at the window basking in the faint rays. Hmm, I may be turning into a cat!

I do believe the sun has gone on holiday, which, of course, it has. It's down in Australia now and other places in the southern hemisphere. A few of my Aussie Facebook friends were saying they usual celebrate Christmas at the beach. Well, bully for them!

I wish to be at the sea, free with glee

I put on layer upon layer of clothing until I look like a pregnant grizzly bear. I wrap hand crocheted throws around me and a shawl, too. I drink hot tea all day long and when all else fails I even exercise to get the blood pumping and still I feel a chill through to the bone, a chill which just won't leave.

Here I am longingly staring out the window and Tom jokingly asks, "Has spring come back yet?" and I want to punch him.

Winter has only just started. Boy, am I in trouble!

Going to extremes for blossoms

2011-12-29T04:00:00.001-05:00

A while back...let's say some time in the summer...one of my Facebook friends asked about hydrangeas. Her problem was that her plant never bloomed. After ascertaining that her particular hydrangea grande flora--you know, those big, showy, mop-top ones-- was simply not hardy enough for her climate, I explained a method I discovered to help in such a situation.

Let me clarify one thing. The hydrangea was root hardy which meant it survived the winter and she always had foliage, but as hydrangeas produce flowers on old wood, if she didn't find some way to keep those stems and branches from dying during the cold winter months, she would never get flowers.

So, this is what I told her to do to protect those stems and those potential flowers.

1. Do this after the plant has gone dormant--Depending where you live this could be late September to mid October. It's safe to say it's some time in the autumn after foliage has dried up and fallen off.
2. Using chicken wire at least a foot taller than the plant's tallest stems, fence in the plant. Anchor this with stakes to keep it from falling down.
2. Leave enough room around the branches for a few inches of space.
3. Take dried leaves--oak leaves would be great for hydrangeas because of their highly acidic nature which Hydrangeas love, but any kind will do--and stuff them loosely around the branches making sure there are no huge air pockets.
4. As winter progresses, these leaves will pack down, so have a ready supply of dried leaves to refill and keep the branches covered.
5. In spring after all danger of frost or when growth starts to show on the stems, remove the leaves and toss into the compost pile.
6. Cross your fingers and hope for a miracle. If it blooms, it worked, If not...well, at least you tried, right?

I told my Uncle Julio to try this method on his fig tree which, after particularly rough winters, didn't quite make it through the winter. The roots did, just not the branches and so, he wouldn't get the plant big enough for fruit production. Whether he tries this, is up to him. His tree would need a fence at least 6feet high and several feet in diameter, plus an entire maple tree's worth of leaves for insulation. Yes, some would say this is going to extremes for blossoms and fruit, but what the hey? If you're willing to try, you may get nice results from relatively little effort. Worth a shot, I declare!

* My apologies to Raymond Alexander Kukkee who begged to know this method of mine in time to save some of his plants. I never said I was as timely as Incoming Bytes. Sorry!

More tropical gardens

2011-12-28T04:00:00.000-05:00

Because I'm feeling especially forlorn without my sunny days, I wish to indulge in some tropical gardens. Crotons on parade! Love those vibrant colors.

This is in the Dominican, in the gardens around the villa where we stayed recently.

I may not know all the names of these tropical plants, but I do so like them!

Alas, even tropicals fade away and die. Such is life.

Me and my Knitting looms

2011-12-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

It’s CraftingTuesday. Crafting is a big part of my life, so I’m taking Tuesday as the dayfor talking crafts. As much as I would like to be in the garden all the time,all year long, my short growing season and perpetual inclement weather-- I must do something inside andthat is where sewing, crocheting, knitting and other crafts come to save mysanity.

If you follow my Thursday posts on Self Reliance Works, you'll know I love my knitting looms. Why? Well, I find them super easy to work with. I can start and finish a project in just a few hours and sometimes, in just a few minutes, such as my spool knifty knitter candy cane ornament which took all of ten minutes! Which begs the question, why didn't I make more of them for my Charlie Brown Christmas tree? Ah, well, there is always next year.

4-loom set

Anyway, I thought I'd show my looms to you. They come in all shapes and sizes, some long and narrow and some with swirling designs which turn on themselves for making large pieces on a somewhat compact loom. Mine, however, are all round with varying numbers of pegs, from 24 on the smallest to 41 on the largest. The tiny spool knifty knitter came separately from this 4-pack and has two ends for different sized tubes, one end has 5 pegs and the other 8. You can make tube shaped items with all these looms, of course, but you're able to make flat panels, too.

Spool knifty knitter

There are several stitches you can use to make many different items, both wearables and giftables. I can show you how to do each stitch in future posts. For now I'll just show off some things I've made with these fun crafting tools.

Tube Scarf

Trivet

Neck warmer/ hat set

Bottle gift sleeve

Hat and neck warmer

Flat panel with garter stitch edge

What will I make next? Wouldn't you like to know!

Garden at the Villa

2011-12-26T04:00:00.001-05:00

While most people would be too busy being lazy sunning themselves beside the pool, I was taking a tour of the garden villas...or more accurately put, the garden at our particular villa.

You had to know I would. Yes, even while on holiday my thoughts are consumed with plants and their oddities. Take this Datura for example (Some folks call them Angel Trumpets). I had never seen them go to seed. I so wanted to snatch me some, but alas, they were not ripe enough.

This one had one white flower almost ready to bloom. I had grown these once upon a time, but I don't know if I have any more seeds. I'll have to look and see, search through that seed box of mine. I really ought to grow some of these again. I rather like them.

These Cannas made me nervous. Know why? I forgot to dig up the ones in my front flower bed and by the time I got back home it was too late. I'm tell you, I can't handle plants which do not make it through the winter without being pampered and yes, if I have to dig them up, allow the tubers to cure and then package them into sealed plastic containers (to keep rodents from feasting on them) with ample amounts of peat moss (to keep them from rotting) then they are just not worth it to me. Ah, well, live and learn.

The Villas, many of them, had mango trees and some, the one at my villa, actually had mango growing.

I think mango trees are super beauties. They are large and tall with wide canopies, lustrous, dark green leaves and the fruit is the best ever. Great for shade with all those densely packed leaf clusters, something you really need in the tropics.

That was only part of the garden at the villa. I'll show you more on Wednesday.

If the Grinch can figure it out....

2011-12-23T04:00:00.000-05:00

And the who's down in Who-ville stand close together, hand in hand with Christmas bells ringing for a Christmas Day sing:

♪ ♫…Fa-who-for-rays, Da-who-dor-rays,

Welcome Christmas, bring your light...

Fa-who-for-rays... Da-who-dor-rays, welcome in the cold, dark night,

Welcome Christmas, fa-who-for rays

Welcome Christmas, da-who-da-mus

Welcome Christmas while we stand heart to heart and hand in hand…♩ ♬

Just a reminder: As much as the Grinches of the world may try to make our Christmas go away... we know they can't. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we.

We may even convince a Grinch or two that Christmas means more than shopping and spending loads of money. Christmas, after all, does not come because of ribbons and tag, packages, boxes and bags. Christmas means just a little bit more.

♪ ♫… Da-who-dor-rays, welcome, welcome, da-who-dor-rays

Christmas day is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp…♩ ♬ 

Welcome Christmas bring your cheer, cheer to all who's far and near.

Christmas day will always be just as long as we have we.

Merry Christmas!

Going bananas

2011-12-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

On the perimeter of the villa property we found a long row of banana plants growing. Talk about going bananas for banana plants.

Oh, you do know Bananas are not trees, right? Know why? They have no bark. They are just really tall perennials.

Not too many folks know that there are many varieties of banana, some sweet, some bland, some for raw eating and some which should only be consumed after cooking and all of them have a taste all their own. Those living in northern climes don't get to have but one kind of banana, Cavendish. Yes, they are good, but it's a pity we don't get to taste the others. Ah well, perhaps in another life we'll all get to go bananas for a while.

The leaves of the banana plant are often used in cooking. No, they are not eaten, but food is wrapped within the leaves and then either baked, boiled or steamed. Funny, huh? The many uses of plants still boggle the mind. Now if I could only have my own banana plant in my house...

My own Charlie Brown Christmas tree

2011-12-21T04:00:00.001-05:00

This will be the first time in about ten years we're to stay home for Christmas. Why this is the case is that Brandon and Tyler are now homeowners and their new home isn't. Isn't new, I mean. It needs a lot done to it before they can live in it. We're talking a new heating system, floors, baths, appliances, the works. Some of the work they can do themselves, but they do need a knowledgeable supervisor of sorts and that would be Tom. So, that's what they will be doing instead of wandering off to a warm place. ~Where is my extra sweater?~

Justin loves Brandon and Tyler's new house

Anyway, I rarely decorate for the holidays ordinarily because I figure, "What's the use if I won't be around to see it?" Well, this time I will be so...I wanted a Christmas tree. But I am the new Lorax, you know, and the thought of getting a cut tree sent an evil shiver up my spine. Yes, I see the cut Christmas tree stands all over town, at Agway, next to the auto shop, at the garden centers, well, everywhere! And I can only think of the massacre.

This tree in front of the house is to be dug up and replanted elsewhere. A job for Tom's new toy.

Yes, I know they are grown specifically for this holiday. I know farmers grow more and more of them each year as the demand grows and therefore there are always more trees being planted--a great thing in my view--- and I try to tell myself that it is no different than cut flowers, sort of like a dozen long stemmed red roses given to a lover. Alas, I cannot convince myself of this. Flowers, for instance the cut-and-come again Zinnia or the perennial favorite the daisy, when you cut a flower, another takes its place. Not so with Christmas trees. Once it is cut, the roots are useless and need to be dug up for mulch.

Oh, the humanity!

Balsam firs, spruces and other evergreens used for Christmas trees normally grow about half a foot a year and when properly tended and overly fed, possibly more. This means that 6 foot tree you see in the store is about 6-10 years old and that 10 foot tree was similarly 10-14 years old when their lives were snuffed out. So, when that 80-100 foot high tree is erected at Rockefeller Center or on the White House lawn you can imagine I just about cry. That's at the very least 40-50 years of growth down the drain. Oy, the humanity! Okay, maybe not humanity, but there is no word for this mass flora genocide.

Yes, I know getting a cut tree is tradition. Doesn't mean I like it. So, when I said I wanted a Christmas tree, I never mean a cut one. I could go the artificial way, but have you seen the prices for those at the store??? WOWSA! I'd just as soon not have one at all. We had, when we first got this house, bought live Christmas trees complete with root ball which we would plant out in the yard. That worked out fine, but only when we first recalled to dig a hole for the proposed tree sometime in October saving the soil for back fill and hoping it doesn't freeze solid, as sometimes happens. After years of this practice, we ran out of room for trees. So much for that!


Christmas trees become yard ornaments and homes for the birds

So, how was I to get a Christmas tree without going against my illogical principals and without hurting a poor tree which should live to be much older and bigger? Well, this is where Brandon and Tyler's new dwelling came into play. The land on which their house resides is overcrowded with trees. Some have to come down in order to make the driveway big enough for both their cars and some are growing too close to the house, dangerously so. Well, Tommy saw a smallish Eastern Hemlock which was in a bad spot, too close to the house, and if allowed to grow there it would end up damaging the foundation of the house. No, this one had to go and it ended up at my house.

If you know anything about Hemlocks, then you'll know why I call it a Charlie Brown tree. This poor little tree, growing amongst kindred giants with little sunlight and less proper tending, well, let's just say it made for an unusual Christmas tree, limbs sparse and weak. I doubt anyone will envy me this tree.

Is there such a thing as a Christmas Shrub?

Am I complaining? Oh no! I think it's cute in a sort of pathetic way. I also like that this particular tree will have a little flash of grandeur before it makes it's way outside for me to snip its branches to be useful around my more delicate plants, much like a winter blanket. I hope that is how most people will use their cut Christmas trees after the holidays. If not, bring them on over to my house and I will put them to use. Nothing from nature should be wasted, after all. Such is my belief, silly as it may be.

All dress up for Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown! I always liked your tree best of all.

Recycle yarn

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-05:00

It’s CraftingTuesday. Crafting is a big part of my life, so I’m taking Tuesday as the dayfor talking crafts. As much as I would like to be in the garden all the time,all year long, my short growing season and perpetual bad weather, I must do something inside the house andthat is where sewing, crocheting, knitting and other crafts come to save mysanity.

When I have a new knitting or crocheting project in mind, I always first go to my stash looking for the re-used knitting yarn. I rarely have to head to the store to find the perfect skein for a project. I almost always have it right here in my craft room.

How did I ever think of re-using yarn? Well, let me tell you a little tale.

Can't tell these are re-used knitting yarn, can you?

When my mother taught me how to crochet, she told me the story of how she had learned. It seemed she was too sickly most of the time to attend school which was a 5 kilometer walk from their farm. So, she mostly stayed home and waited for her elder sister and brothers to come back and teach her whatever they learned. Well, this sister, Christina, had the opportunity to learn something the boys didn’t. These were rather frivolous crafts such as crochet, cross stitch, embroidery and knitting and she wasted no time in teaching these activities to my mother.

Unfortunately, Cristina had received from the her teacher only one precious ball of knitting yarn and one crochet hook. Money was extremely tight and their father, who didn’t approve of this useless endeavor, was not about to splurge on another hook and more yarn. So, they shared. They took turns crocheting, practicing all the stitches Cristina learned, making wonderful doilies until the ball of yarn ran out. Then they unraveled it and re-used the yarn.

Can you imagine that? Sharing a ball of knitting yarn and a sole crochet hook with your sister, making perhaps the prettiest little doily imaginable and then having to unravel all your hard work to pass the yarn to the next person so they can do it all over again. The story left me stunned and humbled. I realized I was rich indeed. I had several crochet hooks from which to choose, in all sizes and so much yarn available that I need never re-use another skein again. I didn’t even have to share! I had only one brother who didn't care for yarn play, thank you very much!

And yet I do re-use knitting yarn even though I don’t have to. Why? Because my mother’s story stuck with me and will forever. Waste not, want not, comes to mind. When I make a sweater for one of the kids and they, as kids will do, out grow it, I will not toss it away. I will unravel it and save the yarn for yet another project, possibly another sweater for the same kid in a bigger size, of course, adding another yarn in a contrasting color to achieve the correct size.

If you are as frugal as I am, you may want to try to re-use knitting yarn. So, the next time someone gives you a thoroughly ugly sweater, or you feel a crocheted blanket has outlived its usefulness, don’t toss it out! Sit down in a comfy chair and unravel it forming balls of perfectly reusable yarn that you can use over and over again. Only your imagination is the limit.

What have I made lately with recycled yarn? Do you recall the crocheted flower blocks I showed you a while back? I even showed you how to make the flower block. They were entirely made with yarn which had been something else, once upon a time. It's fun this recycling yarn. You ought to try it!

The real dragons

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

Raymond Alexander Kukkee of Incoming Bytes has written guest posts for Glory's Garden in the past--recall if you will his guide to making bonsai and he has, once or thrice, mentioned my musings about maples and sundry other gardening topics on his blog. Alas, I am sad to inform you, he, the poor dear, has now gone off the deep end.

Okay, not quite, but he has taken an expected turn. That is to say, he has turned me and Tommy into fictional characters in one of his fanciful creations! I won't tell you how he does this. You'll have to read it for yourself.

So, what prompted his imagination to create this story, strangely enough, it was my post on the inhabitants of the everglades, namely the alligator. You see, Raymond seems to think it bares a striking resemblance to a dragon. Well...kind of, I guess, but I believe we have real dragons around, creatures which I am quite certain are descendants of real true dragons. Here are a few of them.

Look at that beast! Is not that more closely related to a dragon or perhaps a dinosaur, which as anyone knows is the original dragon? I should say so! The spiked ridge along its back, the long, deadly tale, ready for knocking you off your feet, nasty jaws to rip the flesh right off your bones and let us not forget those beady eyes which can stop you with their frightful gaze. Horrors! All that's missing is the fire breath and I ain't getting too close to find out if he has it, either!

Ooh, they're looking at me! Yikes!

Okay, so, they're only half a Glory long, but still....I don't want to meet up with one of them down in a mountain cave or along a beach, or while trekking through the forest or hiking in the desert. Heck no! They are as close to a real dragon as I wish to get and thankfully that was behind a chain-link fence at Ocean World in the Dominican. Yep, that's far enough for me.

Will the pilfering ever cease?

2011-12-16T04:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have been pilfering again, and to answer the question, not likely will I ever cease. It's a sickness I tell ya, and frankly, I've yet to find a seed pilferers anonymous. In my defense, I had forgotten about this little...shall we call it borrowing of plant material? I remembered only after I unpacked from our trip to the Dominican. No, I didn't get these from there. I would have been hanged by the agriculture czar if I had! No, these came from the USA, harvested, snagged, pilfered and/or stolen somewhere along our route from Pennsylvania to Florida...I just don't quite recall where.

My only clue is to the plant material themselves and where they were likely to have been growing. Well, it couldn't have been anywhere too cold. How do I know? Well, look at the stuff. You do know what it is, don't you? No? Okay, then, I'll tell you.

See these smaller nuts? They are live oak nuts, the seeds from which I wish to grow a live oak for a bonsai. I expect to follow Raymond Alexander Kukkee's instruction for this...but first I gotta grow the tree. I have not had much luck with that at all, and it's not from lack of trying! They simply don't want to grow for me and I don't quite know why. Doesn't stop me from trying. Like Dory I keep on planting, planting, keep planting-planting-planting...and hoping, too.

These bigger nuts? I must confess I don't remember at all what they are, but I do know I collected them at the Fort de la Carolina near Jacksonville, Florida. I remember now. We went for a "short" walk which ended up being a bit more than we bargained for. Justin, who is not a great walker, was not happy. Well, on this walk I saw all these nuts all over and after going a considerable distance trying to ignore them underfoot, I decided to pick up a few and stuff them into a pocket. I think they may be either shagbark, shadbark or swamp hickory. I simply couldn't tell.

Now this...you must know what this is! It's cotton. We passed acres and acres of plowed down cotton, some of which still had fluffy bits here and there and a few with some cotton still clinging to it. I had to have some. Why? Just curious I guess. I probably passed these plants a zillion times in all stages of development without knowing what they are. I only can tell it's cotton when they pop in fluffy white clouds. Well, these fluffy white clouds have seeds in them and take a wild guess what I plan on doing with them.

Fuzzy little seeds are going in a tiny pot of soil and we'll see what happens. I may need grow lights.

Don't know about you, but I think it is one of nature's extraordinary gifts...plants which we can turn into threads and yarn which we can then turn into clothing, blankets and a zillion other things. Have I mentioned lately I love nature? And that is why I will never cease to pilfer from nature.

A trip to New Hampshire

2011-12-15T04:00:00.000-05:00

I promised to tell you about our trip to New Hampshire. I like to keep my promises.

Before we made it there we had to stop in several places along the way. Tom had pickups and deliveries to make in Massachusetts and Connecticut. I would have liked to stop for a visit with my friend Doreen Martel, but Tom had a precise schedule to maintain because, "These union guys, if you get there when they're on a break, you wait an hour and then you're screwed!" Well, that just isn't Tommy's idea of fun, so he had to hit Fishkill, NY at exactly 7AM and Waterbury, CT at precisely 8:30AM and hell would break loose if we didn't get to Lexington, MA at 10AM. Such is life when you travel with Tommy!

Can you see her back there?

We did have a few minutes to spare, however, and we stopped by the Minutemen National Park, which I had never been to, although Tom had several times. Unfortunately, they were closed for the winter. Bummer! But it was a nice little walk to loosen our legs after being in the car for so long and Tommy gave me a bit of a history lesson, which he so loves to do.

Zooming in didn't quite capture the beast

When we reached New Hampshire, first I noticed it being very much like the Poconos only more of it. More lakes, more rivers, more woods and more mountains. Breathtaking, indeed! But we also saw an unusual sight. There be moose in New Hampshire!

The moose liked nibbling on tender maple branches

Our final destination was at the new building Tom's friend Scott built for his business. Scott was to fix a leak detector for Tom and Tom was to fix one for Scott. They were each unfamiliar with the leak detector they had--go figure! Well, as we were coming up the drive we spotted a moose. Being Scott built this new facility in the middle of a 60 acre plot of land far away from everything except Lake Winnepesaukee, they really ought not be too surprised that they have to share it with the natives, meaning the deer, black bear, and yes, a Moose or two.

I had only seen a moose once and that was at Yellowstone Park several years ago and from much further away. This was way cool! We believe this moose may have been a girl--no antlers--and possibly a yearling. Whatever she was, she was not at all put off by us being there. She had her snack and moved on at her leisure. T'is a good life for a moose!

The view, however, was what truly captured my attention. Lovely beyond belief! I couldn't get enough of it. Tom had to drag me away and he did because we had a long drive ahead of us, 6 hours--oh boy. We had to be in New Jersey at precisely 6PM for the Christmas gathering at Kip's Castle. Here we go again!

A Visit to Kip's Castle

2011-12-14T04:00:00.000-05:00

We took a detour on our way home from New Hampshire...oh, wait, I forgot to tell you about that trip, didn't I? I'll do that tomorrow... Promise! For now I'll tell you of our detour which took us to Essex county, New Jersey.

Frederic Kip himself in a portrait done by the prominent artist Irvin Wiles

You may be asking why we would go from New Hampshire to New Jersey instead of straight home to Pennsylvania. I mean to say, at that point we had driven almost 900 miles and we were a bit stiff from such a long time in the car and we should have been eager to get home, but we weren't.

You see, Tom got a call from his pal Marc who invited us to a Christmas gathering at Kip's Castle Park which was the home of Frederic E. Kip--an heir to the British throne-- and Charlotte Bishop Williams Kip. Well, we were promised a pretty sight and we wanted to go see it.

The ceiling of the main room was stunning!

Kip's Castle was saved from being turned into condos--Yikes! What insanity is that? Destroy a piece of history? Where is the architectural Lorax when you need him?

Well, it seems the county of Essex --the next best thing to the Lorax--stepped in just in time and saved this home and now it is in the hands of the conservancy which will direct the restoration of this beautiful building and its surrounding grounds. Kip's Castle was on the Historic Holiday House tour this year, but unfortunately that was set for last weekend, December 10 and 11 only. I'm too late! There is always next year, however.

This is the chapel room...

Look at those stained glass windows! Look at that ceiling! Look at all that detail!

Patrice, one of many helpers at Kip's Castle

Careen Lazarus of Hartmann Staging and Design (who just so happens to be married to Tom's pal) went all out on the holiday decorations, but she kept them in the style of the time, circa 1928.

The dining room had lovely inlaid wood floors. Alas, they are in desperate need of repair.

Careen didn't just do the decorating though. This place was totally empty, so she beg-borrow-and-stole furnishings to make the castle a home for the holidays. (Oh, yes, she had to borrow Tom's truck, too!) She did a fantastic job. If you wish to sell your home, consider having her do the staging for you.

Everyone had a wonderful time at the castle. Christmas music playing in the background set the mood and yummy treats were served along with wine and cheese.

Glory felt quite at home in this castle. One thing would have made it better.

A roaring fire in that magnificent fireplace, for one, but I also would have loved seeing the grounds and the outside of the building. Alas, it was too dark when we arrived. Another time will have to do.

The view was extraordinary from this enclosed patio

It really was a lovely stop over for us before heading home. Who wouldn't like a visit to a real life castle?

If you are ever in Verona, New Jersey, do consider a visit to Kip's Castle Park. As a matter of fact, there will be an Afternoon Holiday Tea at Kip's Castle from 2-3PM on Sunday, December 18th. Call for reservations (973-239-1390 or email mich1p@aol.com) as space is limited. Admission for adults is $30 and children under 12 is $15. There will be a wonderful assortment of culinary delights, including scones, cakes, tea sandwiches, petites fours, mini quiches, and of course, tea. All proceeds will benefit the restoration and programming efforts of Kip's Castle Park Conservancy. You'll have a lovely time going back in time to a proper Victorian Christmas and at the same time you'll be helping restore this lovely castle.

Crocheted Christmas Stocking: Guest post by MJ Joachim

2011-12-13T04:00:00.001-05:00

Crocheted Christmas Stocking Guidelines

by M. J. Joachim

You can use any of your favorite crochet stitches to make delightful Christmas stockings for anyone on your list. Personally, I prefer using doily thread to make my stockings. However, you can use whatever thread works best for the desired effect of your intended stocking.

Choose a simple pattern, combine different stitches for added effect; join motifs in interesting ways and have fun with these general guidelines on how to make crocheted Christmas stockings.

General guidelines for making a crocheted Christmas stocking are as follows:

You will need:

Crochet thread, yarn, embroidery floss
Lining fabric
Fusible web
Fabric for back of stocking
Sewing pins
Embellishments

Front of Stocking

1. Crochet a horizontal rectangle. This will be the foot part of your pattern.

2. Continue crocheting the leg part of your pattern, but only go approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the distance across the foot part, to create a vertical section.*

*At this point, if you have an open weave pattern, you may want to weave an embellishment like ribbon or contrasting colored thread through it, before lining the front of the stocking. It might also be a good idea to embroider the name before lining your stocking, but this really depends on your overall design and pattern.

3. Using fusible web, iron or steam fabric lining to crocheted stocking front, according to instructions provided.

4. Pin back stocking fabric to front of stocking, and satin stitch around edges with yarn or embroidery floss, making sure to create a sturdy seam around the entire edge of the stocking.

5. Embellish with ribbon, charms, beads, crochet borders etc., and don't forget to add the little hanging loop at the top.

That's all there is to it, but don't let the ease of these guidelines fool you. Imagining and designing the "perfect Christmas stocking" for the "perfect someone" takes time and special consideration. Finding the perfect lettering to embroider the name, or the unique beads to make your stocking glisten, is not always as easy as running to the nearest craft store. These stockings are designed to last for years, and be handed down as family heirlooms. These are not only annual Christmas stockings, but true holiday decorations, meant to make the season come alive with anticipation, just one of the reasons you need to enjoy the process of making these stockings, as much as you enjoy giving them to others. Merry Christmas!

____________________________________________________________
Thanks so much, MJ! I'm certain making and sharing these lovely stockings will get people into the Christmas spirit. MJ Joachim has a new website Effectively Human devoted to the human spirit. Run along and visit, you don't you!

Horseback riding with Justin

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-05:00

In thing we do as a family in the Dominican...okay, part of a family...is horseback riding. Justin loves it!

Happy camper is Justin!

The first few years he had a buddy ride with him, but he's so experienced now he can go it alone. Boy, is he happy about that!

This time it wasn't salt water that got us. It rained!

We like that we get to ride along a beach and sometimes the horses go in until the water reaches their belly and if there is a wave, we all get wet...very wet!

The owner of the horses knows how to cater to Americans. Why do I say this? They name all the horses after celebrities and people of note. Tom's horse was Bill Clinton, Justin rode Micheal Jackson and mine was Prince, this time around. We've also had horses names George Bush, Sadam Hussien and Osama Bin Ladin.

See the rainbow in the background?

While Justin gets to go horse backing riding with his pals from PCDC, he likes taking a long ride with mom and dad in the Dominican. It's our thing.

Winter wonderland

2011-12-09T04:00:00.001-05:00

I awoke yesterday to a winter wonderland. I have to say, it looked exceedingly beautiful and I thought I'd share it. Although, I'm sure many of you have quite enough of the white stuff--I know I do--but there is always something special when it's the first time in the season that you get to see every tree, shrub and mailbox covered in snow.

Note to self: Fill bird feeders

Addendum #1: This wasn't the first snowfall of the winter season, but it is the first one I actually saw. If you will recall, I was on my way down south when the first one hit so I missed it entirely. It all melted by the time I was back home.

YAY! Blue sky

Addendum #2: I know winter doesn't officially start until December 23rd, but to me it starts as soon as the turkey is done roasting and the hunters take to the woods in search of Bambi. That would be the Monday after Thanksgiving day, for those of you who don't know that day as the start of the Pocono deer hunting season.

Finally know how to curb the rampant growth of the wisteria: Freezing temps!

The snow was so heavy many branches drooped and one snapped off the old apple tree. It was a dead branch which had to come down anyway, so no worries.

Did I mention it was heavy snow?

Don't why it is but the snow kind of muffles sound...or is it that all gets quite by the marvel that this sight inspires?

Poor little snow covered Rhodos!

The snow was already melting in the bright sun.

Not a branch uncovered

Amazing, isn't it? All that snow clumped together on every branch.

With a sky so clear and blue, you know the sun will be busy melting things

Yes, I do like my winter wonderland...I'd like it better yet if spring was next week!

Some inhabitants of the Everglades

2011-12-08T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, there we were with a few hours to kill before we had to be at the airport and what should Tom decide to do? Why visit everglade and you should see some of the inhabitants we met!

This bird just strutted across the road easy and steady as you please. He didn't even glance our way! Sorry, I don't know what kind of crane it is, but it was tall...at least 3/4 of a Glory high!

Tom, the nut! He went right up to this sun-bathing beast to get the shot...well, the zoom on the camera did actually. There was a very prominent sign stating quite clearly that everyone who wishes to remain alive, whole and well should stay at least 20 feet away at all times...a bit tough to do when the walkway on which the alligator lay was only 15 feet wide. I was not at all keen on going past him, I'll tell ya!

This falcon was perched on the building containing the restrooms. Impressive creature, don't you think?

This Turtle shied away from the camera. I know the feeling. Who besides celebrities wants some nosy guy sticking a camera in their face?

I love these funny birds--call them Cormorants or just call them silly. They are forever spreading their wings to dry them in the sun after preening. Goofy guys!

This swamp crane methodically stalked about then quick-as-you-please struck out and caught himself a fishy for lunch! YUM.

This was such a pretty bird, but, alas, I didn't know its name. Shall we call her Bella Bird?

I must confess

2011-12-07T04:00:00.000-05:00

I must confess something. I've been pilfering again. This time chartreuse and burgundy colored Coleus in Orlando, Florida. I love Coleus.

I hope I haven't shocked you, but you have to know when I saw this pretty planting of contrasting coleus, I couldn't help snipping off a couple of pieces and setting them to root. Coleus roots in water so easy! Even you brown thumbers couldn't possibly NOT get them to root. I can even get the leaves to root.

I took them from the front of a nice hotel while Tom and I went for a walk. It was actually his fault! Yeah, I'm going to go with that. You see, Tommy got a business phone call on his cell while on our walk and he stopped right under a nice shady tree so he wouldn't get too much sun and burn. Well, just guess where this tree was.

Right next to this lovely patch of coleus, of course. So, I'm standing around watching that colorful foliage. It was teasing me, taunting me. I tried to resist, really I did, but Tom and this client, who must have been an idiot-- Tom had to explain about ten times how to use the Helium Mas-spectrometer they rented from him and still they couldn't get it-- so he talked on and on with this guy for nearly twenty minutes. That's just too long to for this unreformed pilferer to keep her hands to herself.

I plucked them and stuffed them into my pocket. So, here are the stolen plants all rooted and ready to place in a pot of nice potting soil.

Here now is my new little houseplant. Do I feel guilty about stealing bits of plants and taking them home for my own use? Heck no. The more coleus is snipped the bushier the plant becomes. By this time, the pieces I snipped may have already grown back. I just wish I had taken more!

Make a candy cane on a knitting spool loom

2011-12-06T04:00:00.001-05:00

It’s CraftingTuesday. Crafting is a big part of my life, so I’m taking Tuesday as the dayfor talking crafts. As much as I would like to be in the garden all the time,all year long, my short growing season and perpetual cloud bursts--yes, ittends to rain too much around here at times-- I must do something inside andthat is where sewing, crocheting, knitting and other crafts come to save mysanity.

Just in time for Christmas, I thought I'd show you how I made this cute little candy cane using a knitting spool loom--the knifty knitter--and some scrap yarn. It just kind of popped into my head to do it and within a few minutes it was done. No, really, not more than fifteen minutes from start to finish.

I had a tiny bit of white and red yarn and don't you know those colors are exactly what is needed for a candy cane, although, a bit of bright green would not go awry in this project.

The spool knitter is a nifty little thing for making cords and this works up quickly and super easily. I started with the white yarn first and after a few rows I switched to red. I suppose you may want to know how a tube made of yarn can take and retain the crooked candy cane shape. This is where we go high tech again--not really. I used a regular pipe cleaner and stuffed it inside. I made the tube to the length of the pipe cleaner.

I suppose you could use wire, but I think that would be more likely to poke out of the end. The pipe cleaner kind of gets 'caught' in the yarn and stays relatively in place after the ends are sealed.

What can you do with these knifty knitter candy canes? Decorate wreaths, packages, Christmas trees, garland and you can even dress up a holiday sweater or hat by pinning one to it. They're kind of cute, I think.

Fort de la Carolina

2011-12-05T04:00:00.000-05:00

Because you can only stay in a car, no matter how comfortable and entertained you may be with movies on CD, great music and lively chatting, you just gotta stop the car and get out every once in a while.

So, Tom usually will pick a place along the way to stretch our legs and he often finds an interesting place to visit. This time we found a fort. Fort de la Carolina was not as I suppose you would expect, in South or even North Carolina..DUH! Well, it was in Jacksonville, Florida. Weird, huh? You can never tell!

I didn't particularly like to read about the death and evil deeds done to defend and eventually conquer the fort--Spain wanted it and France wanted it and well, you know how it goes. But I did love being out in the warm sun, even if silly Tommy forgot his sunglasses in the car and had to squint all the time.

But forget about the fort. Look at that blue sky! Not a cloud in sight. We didn't stay long as we had a long way to go still but it was a nice respite from the drone of the highway, which so often puts me right to sleep...just like a baby!

Swirling sherbert surprise

2011-12-02T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, there we were somewhere along the way on our trip down south--Did you really think I know where I am at any given moment? I want to say Georgia, but I could be wrong...very likely I am!-- when the sky suddenly becomes a Swirling sherbert surprise.

The colors were so extraordinarily beautiful that I had to whip out my camera and hope to capture some of that loveliness for all to see.

I believe I succeeded.

I can't help but thinking this sunset was a gift. It certainly made me feel happy to have been alive to see it.

Glory as bumble-bee

2011-12-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, here I come home from holiday and one of the very first things I do is check my houseplants to see if Tyler did indeed water them as I had explicitly asked of him and what do I find? ~Well, besides an extremely messy house of which Tyler says, "It's not messy at all. What are you talking about?" But that, my friends, is another post entirely.~

I found this! Baby tomatoes growing on my window sill, the very one I confiscated from the sunbathing cats. Now, I'm betting you're sitting there saying, "So, what? Like she hasn't grown tomatoes before? She's already told us she has, indoors, too. So, what's the big deal?"

That's not me on the coneflower, just in case you were wondering

Well, I'll tell you! This tomato plant, more expressly its flowers, had not been pollinated when I brought it inside. It didn't even have flowers yet! The flowers showed up after I brought the plant inside for the winter and I lamented that I wouldn't get any fruit because I wasn't a bumble bee and I didn't have any buzzing inside the house. Yes, only I would whine about NOT having a buzzing bee inside the house. Yep, I'm nuts all right! I have told you that before. You should believe me.

So, how in the world did I manage to get fruit to set? Yes, I heard you asking and so I will answer. I did as any bumble bee might; I did the pollinating all by myself. While I don't have stinger and whatever else a bee uses to gather pollen, I did use high quality and very expensive equipment for this delicate and extremely dangerous procedure. It also helped to sing the Tigger pretending-to-be-a-bee-to help-Pooh-get-honey song.

I used a cotton swab. High tech stuff, isn't it? Pity you can't tell sarcasm in print form. But there it is, an ordinary cotton swab-- I didn't even use the expensive Q-tip brand! Can you believe it?-- I dabbed at this flower and...

buzzed along to that flower, dabbed some more and.....

lo and behold! I come back home to fruit. Tom is always saying I'm half bumble bee anyway, because I get pollen on my nose all the time from smelling flowers. Who knew I really could be a bumble bee? Ain't nature lovely, especially when you really get to be part of it? Now, if I could only make honey....

Can't see the trees for the forest

2011-11-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

I suppose you've heard the old saying, "Can't see the forest for the trees" Well, I must admit, I never quite understood how you could do that. I mean to say, I forest is the trees, so how the heck can you possibly miss it? Made no sense to me at all...that is until I looked into the woods recently.

By the way, what is the difference between a wood, a forest and a copse of trees? Hmm, that we shall leave for another post...I do tend to digress, don't I. My apologies.

So, there I was traveling down the road when I chanced to see into the woods. With most of the leaves already down from the low brush which one usually sees in the forest, it was indeed much easier to see the trees which still had their leaves. So, in essence, I hadn't been able to see the trees for the forest. Go figure!

I saw quite clearly into the woods and what I saw were beech trees yellow and green among the reds and burgundies for the forest. They were the last trees with foliage. They are very much like the oak in that they keep their leaves almost until the new foliage emerges in spring. Bizarre trees, indeed, but lovely to actually be able to see them. They are mostly hidden away deep within the woods, you know.

So, now I know. You really can, at times, fail to see the trees for the forest....or is that the forest for the trees? You decide.

My first T-shirt dress

2011-11-29T04:00:00.000-05:00

Welcometo Crafting Tuesday, a regular feature at Glory’s Garden. If you come toGlory's Garden expecting garden stuff, you'll know Tuesdays are the days tostay away. They will only disappoint you. Crafting is a big part ofmy life, though, and Glory's Garden just wouldn't be complete without some mentionof it. Alas, as much as I would like to be in the garden all the time, all yearlong, my short growing season and perpetual cloud bursts--yes, it tends to raintoo much around here at times-- I must do something inside and that is wheresewing, crocheting and knitting come to save my sanity.

See the dress I'm wearing in this photo? I made it. Surprised? You shouldn't be. It was super easy to do and cost me nary a dime...okay, a bit more than that.It cost me a dollar. I'm lying if I'm dying...wait, switch that, reverse it.

I used a t-shirt I found at a dollar store. Yes, it was a whole dollar. The fabric was in my stash...don't even know where it came from, but I know I didn't pay for it. Someone gave it to me. It was either my good friend Evey or Brandon's second grandmother.

Sidebar: Brandon's best friend, Anthony, has a huge family who pretty much took Brandon as their own. They're a lovely, close-knit family and Rene, Tony's grandmother, gave me loads of her fabric when she was simplifying her extensive stash.

I love the dress. It's so carefree, both for wearing and for caring for it. Wash and wear, baby! That's the ticket! No, it's not at all high fashion, but I have long since learned to wear what I like and not what some celebrity, fashion model or designer tells me I should wear. Ah, well, that's just me!

Want to know how I made it?

1. The t-shirt was a child's size so the neckline was a bit too tight for me. So the first thing I did was cut it out. I just made a u-cut, both back and front, and there was my scoop neck.

2. The next thing I did was figure where I wanted the waist line to be. I measured where I wanted it and added an inch for the seam allowance.I then trimmed a few inches off the shirt.

3. The skirt was twice as wide as the bottom hem of the shirt because I wanted a full, flirty skirt. I measured how long I wanted the skirt, just about knee length, and trimmed the fabric to that length plus an inch for the seam allowance.

4.I sewed the back seam of the skirt leaving a few inches at the top for gathering.

5. I then folded the hem at the bottom of the skirt about a half inch twice and then sewed it. Easy hem.

6. I sewed two lines of basting stitches at the top of the skirt for gathering. To gather the skirt, I gently pulled the bobbin threads until the skirt was the size of the bottom of the shirt.

7. Once they matched, I finished sewing the back seam to the top of the skirt. I then pinned the shirt to the skirt and then sewed them together.

8. The only thing that gave me trouble, was the trim I added to the neckline. I had never done it before so I was a bit unsure. Took me a few tries to get just right, but that's the only way you learn, by doing!

And there's my first t-shirt dress. Since I bought a t-shirt in every color they had--I think it was eight of them in total-- I plan on making a whole fleet of t-shirt dresses, all for about a dollar. You have no idea how much fabric I have stashed away, most of it given to me for free, just because I was willing to take it! So, you see, all of my t-shirt dressed will cost me but a buck. Told ya I was frugal!

Following the flowers

2011-11-28T04:00:00.000-05:00

Know what I like about going on holiday away from home? I mean besides getting Tommy to stop working for a bit. It's the ability to follow the flowers wherever they may be. Like these pretty little things.

We were wandering around Florida--we often do this, wandering about just to see what we can find--and there it was, a little island in the middle of some bay close to Tarpin Springs with a pretty little beach area and these sunny wildflowers growing on the sand dunes.

What are they? Heck if I know. They might be a wild sunflower. They certainly look like it, so that is my guess. I do believe Gracie, who frequents her own sunflower patch on warm sunny days and Alexandra Heep, who knows a Heep of Everything will want to think such. They have an affinity for Sunflowers, you know.

It was a very breezy and sunny day on this lazy, secluded beach. I wished to gather up that seaweed, so lovely washed up on shore. Okay, not that lovely, but it would make a great additive into the compost pile! I can't go to a beach without lamenting this seaweed and such going to waste! But I digress... Sorry.

Nice to know a sunflower patch can find it's way here, to grow, low and unassuming, on nothing more than powdery sand. The wonder that is a wild, I'll-grow-where-I-like sunflower!

See? Following flowers gets you places.

The difference a couple of zones can make

2011-11-25T04:00:00.000-05:00

It's continually amazing to me the difference a couple of zones can make. I speak of USDA zones which gardeners use to determine which plants will survive in their particular bit of earth. I've spoken, I believe, of this before, but who's to say I can't do it again? Certainly not I!

I say this now because it is most noticeable when we travel and being we just came back from a trip down south, it was forcefully brought back to my attention. We do most of our traveling to warmer climes and back again, after our holiday's done, to our colder region. That is when you really notice the difference!

When we left on a chilly Friday afternoon from our chilly Pocono Mountain home, the temperature was about 45F and the snow was threatening. What was odd though is, as we traveled south, the temperature dipped dramatically and it started to snow. Luckily, we kept going to where the snow wouldn't be.

The next morning--I think we were close to one of the Carolinas-- it wasn't much warmer, not for me anyway, but Tom donned shorts because, "We'll be warm soon enough," he insisted. Well, he was right. Passing each zone you could see the difference in the trees along the highway, but also feel it in the temperature and intensity of the sun...oh, that beautiful sun!

While in Florida we heard it was unusually cool, "only" in the 70's. Well, don't you know, after temperatures in the 40's, 70 wasn't too bad!

We stopped at a garden--really, were you shocked to hear it?-- and boy-oh-boy was this huge elephant ear Caladium a nice change to the frosted maple leaves and the snow covered Bird's nest Spruce I left behind back in zone 5b. Zone 9 was so much more pleasant, even if it was for just a week long holiday away from home.

Warm weather chasers, that's us.

Thankful for the Sunrise

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

One thing I do love about getting up and out of the house around 7am in the autumn, is the sunrise. Yes, I am one of those silly people who is thankful for the sunrise.

I do believe that is the time of year for the loveliest colors in the early morning sky. I caught this one while driving Justin to Lords Valley. It was stunning.

Alas, the photos do not do it justice. The time change, however, ruined it all. Now I'm sound asleep--or I should be--when this site comes to be. Ah, well, the time change does allow me to see a spectacular sunset while I'm cooking. or just about to serve dinner. The good with the bad, is the time change, I guess.

A most happy Thanksgiving day to you all!

Guest post by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

2011-11-23T04:00:00.000-05:00

Do you recall when I showed you the saplings I transplanted from the daylily hill where they choose to show up and into Tommy's ever-expanding arboretum? Well, my friend, the very knowledgeable Raymond Alexander Kukkee left a great comment after that post, but unlike most other comments I receive, I would not publish it. Wanna know why? Because I wanted to use it as a guest post about growing Bonsai, something I've always wanted to do.

Lovely man that he is, he said, "Okay!"

Love it when that happens! Thank you, Raymond!

Haha, Glory,nice saplings! Definitely the zeitgeist is at play! I'm guessing they are trying to get your attention, they always like to grow and do best where you're not looking.

By the way, you CAN adapt larger saplings--even 12' high-- and turn them into Bonsai, by cutting off the trunk carefully at the first branch or first visible bud. If you want an atypical (read crooked) tree, encourage the remaining branch to be angular. If you want the tree straight, encourage the new branch to grow vertically. You can tape, wire or tie it up carefully into position. New buds will form below.

You can pick and choose the ones you want. Grow it for a while and lop it off again if you think it's too tall. Pruning encourages stuff to grow. Make a very clean, angular cut and trim it smooth so it won't be noticeable after it grows for a few years and heals with callus. It will heal itself and the scar will be hardly noticeable--or invisible if it's done carefully. Make sure you Seal the cuts if they are big.

That maple, for instance, (for maples, only when they go DORMANT) you can trim it down to the first tiny branch, or even a single bud, seal the cut with tree paint, and clip off the BIG tap root as short as possible, making sure there are still lots of rootlets remaining. The little rootlets ARE the feeders. Place it into a pot of peat moss with a very small amount of soil mixed with it, keep it moist, and let the tree grow a new root system in the spring.

Add NO fertilizer until it is in full leaf again or you will burn the roots. Like any plant, it has to be actively seeking and UPTAKING nutrients before you add fertilizer.

If you confine it to a pot like that and it survives, you're well on your way to your first bonsai--we are getting to that!

Thank you so much for all that great information, Raymond. Well, don't you know, I have a plan now for the next time I spot a tiny sapling growing where it ought not! Now to find an appropriate shallow, decorative dish... As Mr. Miagi would say, "Bonsai!!!!To little trees!"

My rainbow thread

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Crafting Tuesday, a regular feature at Glory’sGarden. If you come to Glory's Garden expecting garden stuff, you'll knowTuesdays are the days to stay away. They will only disappoint, after all.Crafting is a big part of my life, though, and Glory's Garden just wouldn't be complete without some mention of it. Alas, as much as I would like to be in thegarden all the time, all year long, my short growing season and perpetual cloudbursts--yes, it tends to rain too much around here at times-- I must dosomething inside and that is where sewing, crocheting and knitting come to save my sanity.
Tommy is something else, but you already know that. Case in point, he came home with this decorative wooden box full of thread, but not just any thread...a rainbow thread collection to rival them all!

How many were in there? Heck if I know. I can't count that high...okay I can, I just never got around to do it. I thought I had a good assortment of sewing thread in plenty of lovely, usable colors, enough for any occasion. Boy, was I mistaken.

Needless to say I was impressed and thrilled. The dear man outdid himself. He didn't just buy one of these rainbow thread collections. He bought another one for my mother. There was one problem though. My mother rarely sews anymore, her hands plagued by arthritis being the culprit. So, now I have two.

There was something else, which I must beg you to not tell Tommy. Shhhh! The thread was not the type you could use on a sewing machine. (I tried with disastrous results.) As a matter of fact, it wasn't even suitable for hand sewing. (The thread kept snapping off as I sewed) Alas, Tommy, like most guys who know nothing about thread, yarn, fabric and/or anything craft related, thought he had done a good thing. I certainly told him he did. I told him I loved it and I do.

What type of thread is it and what is it good for if not the obvious? Embroidery... the one craft I never quite got around to learn or ever do. Take a wild guess what I'll be trying as soon as I can?

Frozen beauties

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000-05:00

The day after our first snow fall, I went to see how my last remaining flowers had fared. I found frozen beauties!

They looked nice despite the frost covering them.

Oh, but I felt for my lovely roses. It was a chilly morn!

This one somewhat shattered from the cold. Poor little thing!

I was astonished that they were in bloom at all, so I really had nothing to complain about...who am I kidding? I hate the end of my growing season!

Albino deer and pony show

2011-11-18T04:00:00.000-05:00

The other frosty morning, the ponies were grazing by the road in their fenced in pen. It was the albino deer which actually feigned fleeting interest in me. The others ignored me completely.

Normally I wouldn't have minded except that I wanted some close up photo of them to show you.

They were either too hungry...

...didn't like me at all...

...or simply had better things to do than pose for an amateur photographer. Well, who could blame them?

Dan's mystery tree

2011-11-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

I wonder if you remember my pal Dan and his mystery tree. Well, he's been anxiously awaiting my thoughts on what it could be, and here they are. My initial guess was a hickory and I'm pretty darn sure I'm right. The next question is, what kind of hickory. There are dozens of hickory trees.

The shape of the tree helped a bit, but Dan gave the size of his tree as being far smaller, only 30-40 feet high and about as wide, than the hickory tree I first thought this was, namely the shagbark, Botanically, Carya ovata. The leaves gave me no clue. They all looked too similar to distinguish just from photos. So, I sent the poor man out to get a shot of the bark. He stomped his foot and moaned and groaned, (Yes, his wife told me he actually did!) for it was raining outside, but eventually he went outside, braved the weather and got the shot for me. What a trooper, huh?

The nut, however, now that was tricky. There didn't really seem to be a perfect match. So, we had to rely on the bark. After I saw the bark, this threw out my previous guess completely out the window.The bark of a shagbark hickory is...well, shaggy looking. It kind of peels away from the trunk of mature trees. This trunk was too smooth. They also happen to grow very tall, up to 90 feet high. That would be way taller than this one, although, we don't quite know how old this baby is, do we? Could it be at maturity already? Maybe, but maybe not.

After I saw the bark, this threw out my previous guess completely out the window.The bark of a shagbark hickory is...well, shaggy looking. It kind of peels away from the trunk of mature trees. This trunk was too smooth. They also happen to grow very tall, up to 90 feet high. That would be way taller than this one, although, we don't quite know how old this baby is, do we? Could it be at maturity already? Maybe, but maybe not.

My next guess was Carya myristiciformis, the Nutmeg Hickory. This is quite common in the Carolinas, grows relatively small and like swampy or wet regions. That is why it is also called swamp hickory or bitter water hickory. The nut and the leaves look about right too.

So, that's my guess, Dan, the Swamp Hickory.

Wisteria fun facts

2011-11-16T04:00:00.000-05:00

If you will recall, my friend Diane Quinn recently sent me stunningly beautiful photos of Wisteria.

Well, I wanted to tell you a bit about wisteria floribunda, that would be the Japanese wisteria. Yes, that's just one fun fact. I have others which you may consider a bit more fun than that, or at the very least, interesting.

Japanese wisteria is a woody vine, hardy in USDA zones 5-9. It grows well in most soils and prefers full sun although it can grow very nicely in shade, but won't flower if not given some sun. They bloom in early to mid spring and have a lovely perfume which some folks say is similar to that of grapes. The small flowers grow on long, drooping sprays called racemes. The Japanese wisteria has the longest flowers of all wisterias, up to 20 inches in length. Blossom color can range from white to several shades of pink, blue or purple.

Japanese wisteria takes its sweet time coming of age. That is to say, a gardener needs to wait a good long time for a wisteria vine to bloom. It could take several years. The fact that they bloom so early in spring may cause trouble, too, because any lingering late frosts could kill the buds and there goes the flowers, which may explain why my wisteria has never even budded up! Ah, well, more trouble in the Poconos. What else is new?

Odd little thing to know: Wisteria is in the pea family, which only makes sense if you've ever seen the seed pods. Oh, but they are lovely! Velvety, long, pale green to light brown pods about an inch and a half wide usually contain 4-6 large poisonous seeds. Now these pods are fun and I'll tell you how I know this. 

I once, shall we say, borrowed some wisteria seed pods from a friend and placed them on the dining room table until I was ready to plant them. The next morning all that was left were the twisty remains of the pods and the seeds scattered all over the floor. Had the cats gotten to them? Oh, no, nothing so predictable as that.  The pods had exploded! Yes, just popped open to became ballistic missiles. Funny thing is, I had wondered what the odd sound was all night while I should have been sleeping. 

Now when I wish to allow these seeds to ripen, I first place them into a bag to contain the explosion and so i don;t lose any seeds. Ah, but I do tell you all the time of the fun the flora kingdom can provide, don't I?

Japanese wisteria, because it is a vine grows astonishingly tall--or perhaps I should say long. The branches are at times grown horizontally along a fence and can stretch out to one hundred feet. Ohm, yeah, baby! That's one heck of a plant. The oblong, smallish leaves are a medium to dark green and grow in groups or clusters to form drooping sprays of foliage.

Because the Japanese Wisteria is a wood vine, it forms, with age, a thick truck much like a tree. With careful and diligent pruning a vine such a this can easily be forced into a tree form. They make excellent bonsai specimens and have been known to live for fifty years and possibly longer.

Chinese wisteria, Wisteria sinensis, is a close cousin and very similar to the Japanese wisteria. The leaves, seed pods and flowers are all virtually the same except that while the flowering racemes of the Japanese wisteria are the longest, the Chinese are usually more abundant. Another way to differentiate them is the direction in which they twine. The Chinese twines in a counter-clockwise direction and the Japanese goes clockwise. The blossoms all burst open at once before the leaves emerge. The foliage can make a great shade cover on archways, arbors and can shield unsightly views if grown on a fence. These can live over one hundred years old!

The most effective manner in which to propagate either of these plants is through layering. The seeds will grow a plant. I know because I have done this dozens of times, but it is highly unlikely to get a plant from these seeds which will eventually flower. Don't know why this is, but there you have it....the most probably reason for my Tree wisteria never blooms. The bane of my gardening existence was likely grown from seed and not vegetatively propagated from a flowering mother plant. Woe is me!

Well, I do hope this sparked your interest in wisteria. At the very least I hope you enjoyed the pictures. A great big thanks to Diane once more for them. To share such beauty is to share love.

Guest post by Kay Whittenhauer

2011-11-15T04:00:00.000-05:00

It's Crafting Tuesday, a regular feature at Glory’s Garden. If you come toGlory's Garden expecting garden stuff, you'll know Tuesdays are the days tostay away. They will only disappoint you, after all. Crafting is a big part ofmy life, though, and Glory's Garden just wouldn't be complete without some mentionof it. Alas, as much as I would like to be in the garden all the time, all yearlong, my short growing season and perpetual cloud bursts--yes, it tends to raintoo much around here at times-- I must do something inside and that is wheresewing, crocheting and knitting come to save my sanity.
Today we have a special guest, Kay Whittenhauer who will show us how to make these lovely twinkling star ornaments.

I've been looking for a crochet project, and with the Christmas season approaching I got the idea to crochet Christmas ornaments. My "grand" idea is to buy a table-top Christmas tree and decorate it with only crocheted ornaments. So far, I searched the web and found a lot of patterns, and was even inspired to make up a pattern of my own!

I found this pattern for a star ornament on Caron's website. It's really easy to follow- I did just fine on my first try. :) It takes less than a half hour to make each star, and barely uses any yarn. I'm thinking of making extras to use as decorations on gift packages or maybe even giving a set of six as a gift.

The pattern shows the star in red and green, but I thought I'd prefer it in silver and gold. (After I started I thought blue and silver and red and gold would look good, too.) I chose Vanna's Glamour yarn because it's really soft to work with and already has metallic sparkles in it. (So I didn't use the thread in addition to the yarn.) The pattern says the ornament is about four inches, but I wanted the ornaments to be a little smaller. I used an F hook and they turned out to be three inches across.

Thanks so much, Kay. You are most talented. You've inspired us to make a very pretty collection of ornaments for decorating trees, wreaths and gift packages. We can use scrap bits of yarn, too, to make these stars in all sorts of colors. They also happen to be pet friendly...no broken glass all over the floor!

Here are links to some of Kay's original crochet patterns:

Easy Crochet Dog Toy

Hooded scarf

Unisex scarf

The best Christmas gift ideas for crochet lovers

Wisteria of Japan

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-05:00

I must say, I have the kindliest friends. Case in point, Diane Quinn who sent me these photos of Wisteria of Japan in full and fantabulous bloom, and I couldn't possibly thank her enough. These photos are gorgeous! See for yourself.

Look at that gnarly, twisty, curvy trunk! Know how that's done? It grows naturally like that. Well, Wisteria is a vine, you know, but with your help it can do outrageous things...like this stunning shape!

Lay on the earth looking up and this is the view. Spectacular, isn't it?

Wisteria come in several colors. The lavender color is most common, but there are white and other purple and pink hues.

Those Japanese gardeners are artful indeed in how they form a tree out of a vine. Just astonishing.

Those lovely draping sprays of blossoms also come with a perfume which will knock your socks off. Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but not by much!

Talk about heaven on earth! These millions of flowers are all from the extended branches of one wisteria tree. Being it's actually a vine, by nature and design, the branches can grow on and on and on... they certainly do here, don't they? The metal pole you see are to support those branches.

Here's a fun fact for you. Did you know there are two types of wisteria? The Japanese and the Chinese varieties. Take a wild guess what the major difference is in them. Here's a clue, remember, they are vines.

Second spring, you say?

2011-11-11T04:00:00.000-05:00

Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower-- Henry David Thoreau

My friend Janet Collinge showed me this quote and I thought I would talk about it.

Indeed there is some truth to that. Some may consider autumn to be second spring, alive with undeniable colors.

The green does subside to be replaced with what most would consider more vibrant colors.

Every leaf may become a flower for a fleeting moment in time. Even those whose leaves are bright red all through the year seem to get more alive and brilliant in Autumn.

But a second spring? I think not! A second spring would not lead us back into winter, after all.

To me spring is green, mostly green, all green, and any additional colors...well, they are just to add interest for those who don't appreciate green for the wonder that it is. Spring is green...let us not forget that.

Happy Birthday to my brother Alex!

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-05:00

Today is my little brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Alex!

No, he's no longer a itty-bitty baby. He's only a year and some younger than I am, but who doesn't love seeing baby pictures?

I love that cute little outfit.

Alex has changed quite a bit from these innocent times. For one thing, he doesn't eat sugar, unless force fed! Okay, I exaggerate, but only a bit. He has completely cut out all refined sugar, flour and preservatives from his diet and has reaped such health benefits from it all that he's in the process of writing a book about how he lost fifty pounds and regained his health. Pretty nifty, huh?

He's a smart guy!

I think I may have embarrassed him enough with these photos, so, all I'll say is Happy birthday, Alex!
I owe you a present...it's in the works...you know what I mean.

The flower game

2011-11-09T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, my Helium pal Mac Pike sent me a video of flowers blooming right before your eyes. He just knew I would love it and don't you know, he was right. Well, he ain't no dummy despite his assertions to the contrary. It is a stunningly beautiful video set to lovely music and I wanted you to see it.

I also wanted to make this a kind of game. I wish you to take pen and paper out, watch the video--as many times as you like--and name each flower as it blooms. I'm betting you'll get most of them, but a few even stumped me, so...let's see who gets the most right, shall we?

E-wrap cast on for knitting loom

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000-05:00

Welcometo Crafting Tuesday, a regular feature at Glory’s Garden. If you come toGlory's Garden expecting garden stuff, you'll know Tuesdays are the days tostay away. They will only disappoint you, after all. Crafting is a big part ofmy life, though, and this blog just wouldn't be the same without some mentionof it. Alas, as much as I would like to be in the garden all the time, all yearlong, my short growing season and perpetual cloud bursts--yes, it tends to raintoo much around here at times-- I must do something inside and that is wheresewing, crocheting and knitting, both loom and regular type, come to save my sanity.

Today I want to show you the super easy E-wrap cast-on for using the knitting loom. As you may know, I love the knitting loom and use it often even though I can and do use regular straight knitting needles. I've found so many new and interesting ways of using it that it's become such fun and I wanted to share that with you.

I've created my first ever video to show exactly how you do the E-wrap cast-on, but I'll give you the verbal directions to make it clearer still and to give any pointers.

E-Wrap cast-on for knitting loom:

1. Make a slip knot. This is done by picturing a no-smoking sign--a circle with the slash across it-- only you put the slash behind the circle and then you pull the yarn through the circle. Instant slip knot.

2. Place the slip knot over the anchor peg you find on the side of the loom. Tighten it only slightly. You will need to remove it once you start knitting so keep it loose. Anchoring the slip knot is just to make it easy for you to proceed with the casting on. I rarely use this. I prefer to wrap the yarn loosely around the anchor peg and with my left hand hold a 5-6 inch tale of the working yarn inside the loom while I cast on. You do whichever feels comfortable for you.

3. Once you have the yarn anchored, take the working yarn to the back of the loom toward the inside. Make sure the yarn goes to the left of the first peg. The first peg is the one to the right of the anchor peg.

4. In a clockwise direction wrap the yarn around the first peg.

5. Continue in clockwise direction wrapping the yarn around each peg for the desired amount of pegs or the entire loom.

6. E-wrap cast-on completed.

Here's the video if you want to see it in action.

Going on holiday

2011-11-07T04:00:00.001-05:00

We went off on holiday, once again, only this time I told noone. I wanted to see if I could get awaywithout anyone being the wiser, plus I was hoping for inspiration for myAuthor’s Challenge entry. What I learned is I’m madly missed on Facebook. Goodto know, but that knowledge didn’t inspire me either.

While traveling, Iheard a song which gave me a thought, just a thought, nothing else. Thesemeandering musings are my entry.

♪ ♫…If you took a Holiday… some time to get away…just one day out of life…it would be so nice…♩ ♬

I never said theywords of the song were profound—perhaps the reason I wasn’t very inspired?--butthey do hold some truth and therefore should be heeded. Why? For the same reasonTom takes me on holiday. Okay, that’s not quite right. He takes me on holiday toget me away from the cold, but he goes to get away from work, to have fun,relax and rejuvenate. You may be wondering why I don’t say going on vacation. I don’t like the word vacation ever sinceForrest Gump’s mother defined it as, “….when you go away and never come back.”YIKES! Can you blame me? I like vacations, but not that much!

We went to one of the only places on the east coast whichdidn’t get snowed in, Orlando. We made it out of Pennsylvania just in time. Wedrove through snow in the mountains of Virginia the night we left. Even thoughthe weather was unseasonably cold in Florida, seventy degrees and rainy isstill better than six inches of snow.

Like I said, we go away to get Tom to stop working...sortof. He had several business calls, emails and even had to arrange a shipmentwith Brandon’s help. Tom also had to pick up and drop off some equipment on theway back home. It’s never getting completely away from work. Such is life.

In truth, going on holiday is more to the point for us sincewe mostly vacation during holidays. There is barely a time we get to stay homefor holidays, any holidays, all holidays! This time it was Halloween. Never haddone that before, but I’m glad we did. We stayed at our Blue Tree timeshare.It’s a lovely place, comfortable but not oppressively opulent. They had goneall out for Halloween. They put together a party with cheese and wine, treats,cakes and cookies plus decorated pumpkins and a scary graveyard which Tomenjoyed thoroughly. Why? Because it scared me silly! Yes, now you know I’measily startled, even when I expect it. At least I made Tom laugh.

Now that the kids are older, they rarely want to come withus, but on occasion we can convince Justin to come along. We mentioned we’d goto Disney World which may have contributed to his decision to come. He had fourheated pools to enjoy, too. He’s such a guppy! He stayed at the pool all day.The one day it poured, Tom decided to chase the blue sky over to Tarpon Springs,the best place for truly authentic gyros and baklava. YUM!

We had a nice time walking along the water, visiting thesponge diving museum and looking around numerous shops full of handmade soapsand lotions, natural sponges, shells and the like. Tarpon Springs is much lesstouristy than Orlando, which we love. When going on holiday we much prefer ahermitage in the mountains where we can hike through the woods. We’ve learnedthat fancy all-inclusive resort type vacations are just not our thing. They’reentirely too boring for Tom.

The harbinger of Tom requiring another vacation is stressfrom too much work. Being business is booming, we’ll be off on holiday soonenough. Thanksgiving is coming up after all.