Thursday, March 31, 2016

Our Yard 2016-Spring

Two weeks ago I started the mulching project with 22 cubic yards of mulch.  I have been asked
for photos, so here we go.  Will explain them when I have time but here are the photos:










































Tuesday, March 1, 2016

March 1 -- Seeds Available

This will be first come first serve, no holding.   Can do paypal and shipping is on top of the cost of the  seeds.  Here is the current list and have more to add later:

Perennial Hibiscus 'Red' --  $1,50
Nasturtium Alaska variegated  -- $.50  large seeds
Bleeding Heart Woodland -- Wild Pink  -- $1.50
Payaver Poppy Salmon Pink -- $2.00
Payaver Oriental Poppy 'Beauty of Livermore' -- $2.00
Poppy CA Perennial ' Lenin' Cream White --$3.00
Clematis Mix  -- $1.00
Iochroma  ' purple?'-- $1.50
Clematis 'Rognchi' OP  -- $2.50
Clematis Autumn Fall OP -- $2.00
Hellebors Mix colors -- $2.50
Elizah Blue Festuca glauca grass -- $1.00
Perennial Hibiscus White/red center  -- $1.50
Hellebors Mom is black OP  -- $3.00
Perennial Hibiscus 'Pink'  -- $1.50
Perennial Poppy 'Orange' -dinner plate size  -- $.50
Annual begonia White and Pink mix  -- $ .50
Canna Mix color  -- $1.00
Perennial Hibiscus  'Our Cross'  rich Pink  -- $1.50
Crocomis 'Lucifier'  'red'  -- $1.00
Lupin 'Pink'  -- $2,00
Hosta Mix  OP -- $1.50
Tomato--variegated  --$1.50
Rose of Sharon  mix color -- $1.00
Hosta Guardian Angel  OP  -- $ 1.50
Hibiscus TX Star 'Alba'  OP  -- $1.50
Callalily - White w/purple center -- $2.00
Callalily - large Yellow with Orange & Red on the outside -- $2.00
Perennial Hibiscus 'Swirl'  -- $2.00
Datura Inoxia --$2.00
Callalily - Huge Yellow  -- $2.00
Daylily - small orange  OP --$1.50
Trillium White -- $2.00
Perennial  Hibiscus 'Alba'  -- $1.50
Campanula -  Purple Bell  -- $1.50
Iochroma "Alba'  -- $3.00
Campanula  'White Chip'  $1.00
Baby Blue Eyed Grass  -- $.50
Lychnis Chalcedoncia ' Maltese Cross"  -- $.50
Hollyhocks  Mix color and special color  --  $1.00 to $3.00
Karma Kolumbines  Mixed colors with some special colors OP  -- $1.00 to $3.00


We will add more when we get them packaged.

Health Issues

About mid summer I noticed that the photos that I was taking with my camera weren't sharp and
a lot of them were blurry.  So a friend said to stop using it and try my phone.  There was a difference
but again things were looking blurry to me.  I knew that, according to the insurance company I could only get my eye checked ever two years and glass the same so that wasn't until the first of the year.
So I head in for an eye examine in late January and all I hear is, "You are going blind"  stop smoking and you need to change your diet..... what a shocker!!  I was handed a flier on Macular Degeneration,
age related or AMD.   I knew Glaucoma runs in the family history so we were watching for this.  But cateracts aren't in the history.

It wasn't until I went to get my new glasses that I found out how bad my eyes were getting.  The sales clerk was so helpful and she saw the flier and started to ask questions.  I knew that I had a problem with a hole in the back of one eyeball and there was a darken area from photos taken in 2010.  We talked about the Amsler Grid and it must not sunk in why it was important.  He also noted a start of a
cateract but it was so small, we would watch it.  2012 I went in and no mention of the Amsler Grid and I was in and out really fast with a slight difference in one eye the other improved, so I got new glasses.  One pair for my desk top and one for outside, darker transitions.  Happy camper as I breezed through my visit.

This year was a total shock!!  If it was known I had AMD then I should have had it noted in my file and it should of been noted more visits, not just every two years, right???  Well now I have another appointment for July as my cateract went from .o5 to a solid 2 in just two years.  Again I was told not to smoke!!  Are you scratching your head here too??  

It wasn't until I started doing research on AMD did I find out what this disease was about.  More on this when I finish the last couple books on the subject.

Yes a change in diet was made, no smoking.....more on this later and according to the books one should get a good team of doctors on your side so you don't loose your eye sight.  So soon I'll be seening a specialist, lazer doctor whom will probably recomment a rentina specialist.

For those of you getting upward in the years get a Amsler Grid off the net and put it where you can
check it daily.

More will be added soon.

New Addition to the Garden / Cement Pots

 This past weekend I located a large cement pot
at a nursery that was closing their doors.  I have always
wanted a huge pot and with the redoing of the back deck
in the future this would be great to use as a focal point.
So we grabbed some equiptment, a trailer and our youngest
son and his stepson.  Off we went for an adventure!!
Here is the large cement pot that we picked up!!  Just needs some
cleaning and to be put into place.   It took all four of us to put it into
the trailer.
While there the owner pointed out a smaller cement pot that
I might love too.  So it also was put on the trailer for the ride
home.  Both have had one good scrubbing before the rain hit
so I will do it again when I get a dry day.  I have some huge
Brugmansia that sit on the driveway that will look great in these.


Last Year's Heat Record!

For the PacificNorthWest to have 30 days over 90 is just a record breaker and I spent most of my
time with the hose in my hands, just wore me out.  I kind of neglected my blog and I was also dealing
with some problems with my sight, more on that later in another post.  So sorry and I hope to do better this year with what is going on here.  It's March already and we are starting to work in the garden on nice days.  Yesterday while cloudy I was able to pull all the scalloped edgers and get them
set upright again.   We have had plenty of rain since last November so our drought is over here, we are watching the mountain tops get covered in snow!!  A good year for the skiers after last year having very little snow.  Today we are watching it rain and wind is to kick up some later today so we
will be watching the trees sway.   Late last year we had a branch come out of the neighbors' tree while  I was watching the trees sway.  I got to watch it hit the ground and pop back up and hit our
fence.  We had over $1,000 worth of damage!!  Thank goodness for insurance.......everyone read your insurance policies as some acts of nature are not covered!!   I had the inspector out a few days later to view all the photos as by the time he got here we had all the damage cleaned up.  He was so surprised
how nice it all looked and saw the full pickup of stuff taken off the yard.  When it all came down to it
we just barely broke even with the work we did and what the insurance covered.  They found that the fence had moved and 8 post had to be recemented back into place.   Needless to say all the trees are in our neighboring yards can come down in high winds so the inspector said if the winds are over so much it might be wise to take the dog and go to the mall for a while.  Why do folks plant trees so close and put huge trees on property lines.   With smaller lots sizes they should be putting in the ornamental types of trees that stay small.  But again it's their property and their cost when they have to foot the bill for damage.