Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
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Joy H., Group Founder
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May 16, 2011 05:47PM
Nina, how great that you are communicating with your grandchildren on Facebook. It seems easier to send messages at Facebook. I don't know why. I think it's because everything is so compact. Sometimes it's a strain on the eyes, but I'm managing.
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It's even fun to read what they are saying to each other, don't you agree?
Yes, Nina, They're lucky to have this way to communicate. When we were kids, we didn't have this social advantage.
On the other hand, it made what letters we received, special; I have a packet of letters my now husband wrote as we were in different places and I wouldn't part with them. They will be handed down. nina
Nina wrote: "On the other hand, it made what letters we received, special; I have a packet of letters my now husband wrote as we were in different places and I wouldn't part with them. They will be handed down...."That is so true, Nina. We gain at one end and lose at the other. Life is full of trade-offs like that.
I'm testing this message which I'm sending from my TV's computer. Hope it gets there.
Looks like it worked, Joy. I had to hook our TV up to our wireless network so it could get updates & have a PC hooked up to it that is wired in, but we rarely get on the Internet with either. Our Internet connection isn't fast or stable enough to stream movies well.Today I am going to get a lot of yard work done; weedeating, spraying & weeding. I am also going to forget about work. It's been a very hectic, nervous week at work. Yesterday was particularly frustrating. At one point, I spent 37 minutes on hold being told the hold time was less than a minute every 5 minutes. Then it hung up on me & the line wouldn't pick up when I called back. :(
Jim, talk about frustration! The Outlook Express program on my TV's computer has a password-recognition bug in it. It recognizes some passwords, but not others. I was going crazy dealing with it trying to test email. I remember that particular OE problem used to plague me years ago. I had forgotten about that maddening frustration. When I called my ISP yesterday, they told me to call Microsoft. Thank goodness I don't need the TV for email. I was just trying it out.I might try deleting the troublesome OE account and creating it again.
Good luck! I don't think they support OE any more, though. They never did much. Free programs either worked or didn't unless a big company like IBM nailed them for it.My frustration was for Symantec's Backup Exec, a program we use to backup all our data & pay a couple of thousand for each year. The program was working fine, but the last time I bought it, the licensing site told me I didn't need a license key. Turns out that's wrong, but no one knows how to fix it in a timely manner. I HATE spending money on something only to have it get goofed up by licensing & then have to spend hours getting that fixed while they're fondling my money. Jerks.
Instead of getting raptured today, I got the fence lines all weedeated today & even got some of the paths in the woods. I guess I had just started my last tank of gas when rapture time rolled by. My weedeater, the biggest one Stihl makes, has a great harness, but after swinging it around for several hours straight in 80+ degree weather, I just wear out.
The good news is that another few hours should finish up the paths in the woods & then I have another hour around the ponds & miscellaneous areas. I should get it all done tomorrow, I hope. I'm also hoping we don't have as much of a breeze tomorrow so I can get some spraying done. I want to get some 2-4-D on the worst weeds. That only kills broad leaf plants & leaves the grass alone. Too much wind & it sprays back on me or on to good plants, though.
Wow, Jim, we could use some of your energy around here! LOLToday Romeo and I took a walk, one of the few walks I've taken during this rainy month of May. Gee, the month is almost over. Where does the time go?
I wish I had more energy, Joy. Lily ran around the entire time & never seemed to get tired. We got 1/2" of rain last night. With all the sun we're going to have today, the hollyhocks that I transplanted yesterday should be doing well. Last year, I took the old stalks with all their seeds, laid them along the bottom of the fence, & then covered them up with some dirt. I need to keep the dirt high to keep the dogs in the back yard, so I was going to do it anyway. It's a board fence with wire inside of it & I have one panel with hollyhocks. They're so pretty I thought I'd do some more. I weeded along there yesterday morning & moved a few around as I was doing it & forgot to water them. Momma Nature helped me out, although the rain will make for a late start this morning. It's too wet & slick in the woods to weedeat. I guess I'll go out & find some other trouble to get into...
Hollyhocks always remind me of my dad's garden when I was a kid. He had a beautiful garden, full of all kinds of flowers. He loved roses and built a huge trellis for them in the back yard. One time, while planting bulbs, he lost his ring in the soil. The next time he dug up the bulbs, a year or so later, he found the ring! PS-The rose trellis was square and you could walk inside it and feel as if you were in a room with roses all around. It must have been at least 12'x 12'.
I've often thought about making a rose trellis, but I'm not much of a rose person. When I try to take care of them, they die. When I try to kill them, they come back stronger than ever. It's very weird.;-)
We tried roses but we didn't take care of them. I think some roses need a lot of TLC. It would make a wonderful hobby for someone with the time and inclination... and the energy.
I got some gardening done yesterday, mostly trimming off the dead heads on the roses & iris. The day before I weeded a bunch of Chameleon Plant around the fish pond. Danger! That stuff is a weed. It's even choking the Evening Primrose, which is pretty much another weed.Chameleon Plant is a pretty ground cover that likes a lot of sun & water. We originally got it from our neighbor in MD who had it growing submerged, in their fish pond. While it likes water, it doesn't seem to require a lot. I'm going to see how little it can get by on. I have a bank along the road that has gotten too steep to mow, so I transplanted some there the day before yesterday. It's clay & wet now, but gets very dry in the summer.
The more sun it gets, the more the Chameleon plant should turn colors. It starts off green, but lots of sun should turn it red. Ours here has never gotten much red in it. All the articles say the color is sun based, but I put some lime on half of it around the pond & miracid on the other half in hopes that changing the soil acidity will give us more color. It does get a small white flower that's pretty, too.
I searched for pics of a chameleon plant. Here's the link:http://www.google.com/search?q=chamel...
Sounds like a good ground cover for a spot where nothing else will grow, especially because it's invasive. How much sun does it need? Is it good in the shade?
PS-Here's another link to info re the chameleon plant:http://www.perennialresource.com/plan...
About its name, it says:
Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon'
Common Name: Chameleon Plant
Common Name (Alternative): Tricolor Houttuynia
Have you gardeners ever heard of Spanish Lavendar? My ID daughter says it is beautiful; shaped like a pineapple and lavendar comes out all over it and smells wonderful. It is steam bath hot here today. Although lovely to sit in my garden early to read the paper; nice breeze and only seventy degrees. Summer mornings and evenings are the best. nina
Sounds like a nice day there for you, Nina. It's a steam bath here today too... but I'm getting used to it. I'm trying to ignore it. Haven't heard of Spanish Lavender. Here's a link to pics and another to info:
http://www.google.com/search?q=spanis...
http://www.what-about-lavender.com/sp...
As for the flag, yes we have a small wooden image of a flag by our door. It's from one of those kits you get from Lillian Vernon. You change the wooden image to match the season or holiday. It says "Welcome". Nice... and easy.
Joy H. wrote: "I searched for pics of a chameleon plant...."It will grow in the shade, just doesn't get much color nor stripes - tends to be solid green. Look at the pictures you posted & see where it is growing mixed in with the ferns as compared to where it has lots of red & yellow in patterns? Same plant - different amount of light &/or something.
Spanish Lavender doesn't ring a bell, Nina.It's really hot & humid here, too. Well over 90. Marg put on the AC.
Jim, yes, the chameleon plant is named well... its colors depend on the amount of light it gets.We're sweating here. No AC. But the day is pleasant enough. So nice to have all the windows open for a change. I LOVE fresh air... especially after being indoors all winter.
Nice idea for change of seasons; like the small flags at hardware stores. Thanks for the website for Spanish lavendar. It looks beautiful. I am going to see if they have it here at our nurseries.
The one flower we're definitely going to buy are begonias for my summer pots. Maybe one potted geranium. I'm doing a minimum of gardening this year. I get tired too fast or my back starts to hurt. Have to conserve my energy for reading. I think my back hurts from opening windows. It's a strain, even with our new windows.
I am lucky as the windows in our house open out. You just crank them open. Otherwise they are thermopane and don't open at all. We do have ceiling fans and they also help. Or else we succomd to A/C; better to have it than not where we live.
Nina, we have some crank-type windows on our sunporch. Yes, they are much easier to open. Ceiling fans are great!
We do have 2 of the Spanish Lavender - Marg has just always called it plain Lavender, but it looks the same. Both are on the south side of the house & already bloomed. One is getting crowded out & I should have moved it, but forgot to this year.
Luckily, Marg walked outside at noon & heard a weird sucking sound - the fish pond was almost empty! She unplugged the pump & refilled it. Somehow, the waterfall hose had fallen to the ground & watered the underside of the porch! Easy fix, but the poor fish, frogs & lilies were upset. The big refill also stirred up the water something fierce.
Were any of the fish harmed, Jim? Glad Marg discovered the problem.Yesterday we were sitting by the water and a HUGE turtle came lumbering by. Our dog started barking at it and we had to hold him back. I took pictures. The turtle never ducked his head under its shell. It just kept looking at us. Then it plodded onward toward the water. We suspect that it had come out of the water to lay its eggs and then was returning to the water. We watched him swim away.
We got a big surprise yesterday when we noticed that a Bluebird had taken residence in our bluebird house. Usually the Swallows get there first each year. So we were happy to see the pretty bluebird there. Eddie had cleaned the birdhouse out earlier this spring; it had two old nests in it (one on top of the other) from last year's Swallows. I wonder if the Bluebird would have used the house if the Swallows' old nests had still been in there.
No, the fish all seemed to come through just fine. I haven't seen any of the frogs, though. I did see a raccoon out front this morning, so that might explain the hose falling out & the lack of frogs. I hate the idea of a coon hanging around. They're such a pain. Lots of sleepless nights until I kill or catch it, if it decides there is good picken's to be had.
What kind of turtle, Joy?
That's great about getting a Bluebird. We have a couple around, but of the 2 dozen houses I have up for them, I'll bet half have sparrows in them & most of the rest have Tree Swallows. One Bluebird got killed by a car. I found its body under the nest box while mowing last time. Drat.
Jim, I don't know what kind of turtle it was. I have no knowledge of turtles. All I know was that it was a BIG turtle. Below is a link to some of the pics I took of the turtle:http://photobucket.com/TURTLE-SEEN-JU...
Can you identify what kind of turtle it is?
As for raccoons, they are clever devils. They can figure how to get into things. One time I heard a noise outside at our vacation spot. I looked out the window and a raccoon was staring right back at me under the window! Imagine! They look cute but I'm afraid of them.
Hope your raccoon didn't eat the frogs.
How did the Bluebird get under the next box if it was hit by a car?
The nest box (bird house) is fairly close to the road. I guess it got hit & flew over that way. That's a common snapping turtle. From the looks of it, I'd guess it's about the size of the one that died in our pond not long ago. I don't know why it died. It's pretty much in the prime of its life & didn't have a mark on it. They're tough critters, too.
We used to kill them whenever we could because they were death for the baby ducks & geese. I've seen a dozen goslings disappear in the course of a week because of one hungry snapper about the size of yours. They were hard to kill, though. They'd float around with just their head poking out of the water & I'd usually wind up shooting at them from about 50 yards or so, else they'd duck under, so it was a long shot at a small target. At least it was still.
I would love to have a bluebird nearby. The only ones to view around this area are down in the Ozarks.
Jim, I never realized that turtles went after baby ducks and geese. I thought they were vegetarians. Thanks for identifying the turtle as a snapping turtle. Eddie had mentioned that but we weren't sure.Nina, the Bluebirds are so pretty to look at. Even prettier are the Indigo Buntings!
http://www.improveyourhomeandgarden.c...
I've seen only one in my life and I'll never forget it. The blue is so vivid! It was out on our deck almost 20 years ago. I've never seen another one and I don't know why the one I saw happened to be around.
I wish we had more colorful birds to watch around here.
Currently there's a Goodreads bug which makes it hard to post comments. They keep being rejected. Feedback has a thread going about the problem at: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...A trick is to hit reply and then delete the quote of the previous post (if you want).
Meanwhile save your comments somewhere on your computer before trying to post. Or at least copy them to your clipboard before posting. (i.e., click on "select all" and then click on "copy".)
Thanks, Nina. They say the short posts go through easier.
That one went through on the first try. Maybe it's fixed.PS-Seems to be OK now. We'll see.
Hello, let's see if it goes through this time.
Seems to be working fine now, Nina. Thank goodness!
We have Downy woodpeckers eating out of our hummingbird feeder. How odd!https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...
Last night my neighbor showed me where finches were eating the blossoms of her hibiscus plant. In the meantime, Happy Father's Day to all. We have twelve grandsons but only one lives nearby so that is where we are off to for a Bar B Que. nina
Jim wrote: "We have Downy woodpeckers eating out of our hummingbird feeder. How odd! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi... "Hmmm, I guess they like sweet nectar too. Cute! I wonder how the hummingbirds feel about that. They can be fighters. I've seen clips of them fighting with each other over territory around the feeder.
We have a hummingbird who takes sips from our impatiens on the deck. Last night he came around but decided we were too close, sitting at the table. We had moved the impatiens from the hanging bracket to the table under the sun umbrella to get it out of the sun. I wonder if the bird was a bit puzzled by the change.
Nina wrote: "... In the meantime, Happy Father's Day to all. We have twelve grandsons but only one lives nearby so that is where we are off to for a Bar B Que. nina ..."You're lucky, Nina. We had to be satisfied with telephone calls from our sons for Father's Day. They'll be visiting us in July. I took Eddie out for dinner Saturday night. We thought it was a good restaurant but the service was terrible and the food was disappointing. Oh well, at least we went out.
The hummingbirds don't mess with the Downy woodpeckers at all. They keep their distance & wait their turn, quite unlike their normal behavior of dive bombing any intruder.On another note, I had a very interesting visit to the Woolery on Saturday. The store has a bit of everything, but tons of strings, yarn & wool for spinning & weaving. They probably had 100 different drop spindles of all different makes or styles; Russian, top spin, bottom spin, etc... Some were really fancy & many were made out of exotic wood. One fancy one was $85! While it was pretty, I'm sure it didn't work any better than the one I made up in my shop in 15 minutes.
The owner was getting ready to give a spinning class, but took a few minutes to show me how a spinning wheel worked. Very cool getting a demo. Her best all around wheel costs $550 put together or $350 as a kit. She said Charkas are best for spinning short fibers like cotton & tend to twist wool too much. She didn't have any of them in stock.
We talked over what I wanted to do - spin horse or dog hair into yarn. She sold me 8 oz. gray Icelandic Top wool to practice spinning with. It was already washed & carded for $7. It has really long fibers & is hard to pull apart. I practiced a bit over the weekend & made up some yarn, but it's twisted too tightly, I think. It also varies a fair amount in thickness. I can see where a wheel, so you have two hands to feed & hold the yarn with, could be really nice. Not $350+ nice, though.
Other interesting bits: She said that dog hair tends to be soft, short, & a better insulator than wool, so she recommended a 50-50 mix of Merino (very soft wool) & the animal hair. That helps keep the dog hair together & makes it a bit cooler. She thought horse hair would be scratchy. She also said I could make thick, one ply yarn, wash it & then let it dry. The wash & dry cycle keeps it from untwisting since the wool would dry in position.
She can spin over 1 lb of wool in a day & most scarves take less than half that. IOW, she thought that spinning my own yarn & knitting a scarf was a very doable project. Cool, huh?
Jim. I thought perhaps you only knitted as a winter project. How do you work, mend fences, cut grass etc in the summer which starts tomorrow and find the time to knit? Beats me.
I don't find as much time, but I do sit down & talk to Marg or watch the TV. It's amazing how much I can get done when I just pick it up each time I sit down for a while. The other day it was raining, so I got in a couple of hours. I like to do it better than vacuuming, anyway.;-)
Jim wrote: "The hummingbirds don't mess with the Downy woodpeckers at all. They keep their distance & wait their turn, quite unlike their normal behavior of dive bombing any intruder.On another note, I had a very interesting visit to the Woolery on Saturday. ..."
Jim, perhaps the larger size of the woodpecker is a deterrent for the hummingbird. I've seen our robin fighting with our bluebird. The robin sits on the roof of the bluebirds' house. I guess the bluebird doesn't like that.
That was interesting stuff about the woolery. I wouldn't recognize a spindle if I sat on one! LOL
A friend once told me about her friend who spun yarn by hand from her sheep's wool. I thought that was rather old-fashioned, but I guess it's still being done.
If dog's hair is a better insulator than wool, how would it be cooler? I thought insulators help keep the heat in.
I often wondered whether dog's hair could be useful in some way. We get lots of it when we brush our son's dog who is part German shepherd.
I imagine Maltese hair would be very fine and soft when spun. I wonder if anyone spins it.
I've seen hummingbirds chase off a lot of other birds. Some they won't mess with, though. I think it has to do with the other species aggressiveness & abilities. Woodpeckers are fairly aggressive & have very hard beaks, unlike tree swallows, blue birds or purple martins.Mixing in the wool would make the scarf cooler than if it was pure dog hair, is what I meant.
Check out this site:
http://www.chiengorafibers.com/
This gal will spin your dog's hair. According to one of my friend's calculations, it would cost $170 to make a scarf. I'm not sure of that, but it takes about 6oz of finger weight yarn to make a scarf. Look through the site & do the math. No matter what you choose, it would be pretty expensive, but a very cool gift.
My boss treasures his dog, Lola. He was the one that told me about chiengora & said the height of luxury would be for Lola to have a sweater knit from her own hair. I think that's a neat idea. I've toyed with the idea of making a sweater for Lily, although I think she'll rip it up quickly. Still, it would be a fun project, so I've told him to start collecting Lola hair.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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