Green Thumb Chronicles

New Area planted with Pole Beans

2009-06-18T14:09:00.002-04:00

Decided I didn't have enough planting space, so we borrowed the neighbors rototiller and dug up some more ground.. We put in beans and sweet potatoes..

Seeds, Seeds, Seeds

2009-04-22T13:58:00.001-04:00

Which should I plant first??? So many seeds, so little time...

Well Last Freeze has Past.. I HOPE!!

2009-04-09T13:01:00.002-04:00

I am getting ready to put three Lemon Boy tomatoes in the ground.. I need to line the super deep holes with newspaper, wet them with compost tea and let them sit for a while.. I need to go get some manure, top soil and moss for the rest of the garden I need to bring up to speed.

Some Pics to Get You in the Mood for Spring...

2009-02-06T14:40:00.002-05:00

Life Can Get So Crazy

2009-02-04T14:50:00.004-05:00

I know I have been totally MIA.. With five kids, two of them teenagers in school sports, a full time job, etc. etc. the time just gets away.. I did however get to go home to Idaho for the funeral of my beloved Uncle Dave. While I was there I had the opportunity to shovel and snowblow. I have not done that for decades, literally. Living in Georgia, you really forget how cold a Zone 4 can get, especially when you are used to living in a Zone 7b. The Daffodils are starting to peek out of the ground and so are the hyacinths. That gets me excited to see spring, along with all the seed and plant catalog's arriving in the mail. I now leave you with some of the snow photos, photo with my sisters (we don't look a thing alike), and my oldest two boys who are 14 and almost 13. (to really understand how tall they are I am five foot ten inches)...

Sweet 100 Tomatoes

2008-10-15T22:23:00.003-04:00

All of these sweet one hundreds were picked Monday afternoon, from one plant.

This plant is still producing many, bite size, perfect for salad tomatoes.

Of course they rarely make into my house.

I eat them right off the vine!!!

Yum!

No Gas, No Rain No Problem??

2008-10-04T21:51:00.004-04:00

Well we have had ZERO rain since my last post. Yes Fay was the last to bring my yard rain.. We have also been under a gas crunch here in the SouthEast.. Crazy, Crazy, and more Crazy. I still am getting tomatoes, but not a ton, as the season is winding down. I did have four different come on at the very same day. Lemon Boy, Celebrity, Roma and and unknown Green Heirloom tomato. They sure tasted wonderful on my homemade chicken enchiladas.

Fay Has Arrived

2008-08-25T14:23:00.003-04:00

Well she took long enough. We desperately need the water and the cooler temps. Although the last 4 days have reminded me of Seattle, with the gray skies, light breeze and misting.. I was able to do some much needed weeding. Here's hoping we get some good rain totals and no tornados (unlike my sister in Parker Colorado)!!!

My sisters photo of the tornado, with my nephew in the forefront. Scarey!!

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Dirty Fingernails

2008-08-08T15:21:00.003-04:00

44 Things About Me....
1. Do you like blue cheese? the actual cheese yes
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Cough Cough No
3. Do you own a gun? Pediatric ER RN what do you think?
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Lime
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Heck I know more than the Dr. LOL
6. What do you think of hot dogs? YUCK!!!
7. Favorite Christmas song? Little Drummer Boy
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Dr. Pepper
9. Can you do push ups? Hmm, haven't tried in a while, no interest
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Wedding Ring
11. Favorite hobby? Sleeping
12. Do you have A.D.D.? My hubby would say yes
13. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? Bossy
14. Middle name? M. that's it the intial M
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. I am getting too old for the job I do, How much are all of the school supplies going to cost? Will I ever catch up on my sleep?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?Dr. Pepper, Mr. Pibb, Smoothie King
17. Current worry right now? I need more sleep
18. Current hate right now? My messy house
19. Favorite place to be? Grand Tetons
20. How did you bring in the New Year? I worked
21. How old are you? Thirty Five
22. Name three people who will complete this? John, Shady Gardener and whomever else wants to
23. Do you own slippers? Yes
24. What color shirt are you wearing? Black
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No. I like 600 total thread count or higher cotton ones
26. Can you whistle? Yes
27. Favorite color? Red
28. Would you be a pirate? It depends upon what I was pirating
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower
30. Favorite girl's name? Lots
31. Favorite boy's name? Lots again
32. Last thing that made you laugh? Crazy mom at work last night, thinking the ED was the Ritz Carlton
33. Best bed sheets as a child? Flowers on them, lots of yellow ones
34. Worst injury you've ever had? Splintered Nose
35. Do you love where you live? Yes and No
36. How many TVs do you have in your house?3
37. Who is your loudest friend? Joel
38. What is your favorite game to play? Cranium
39. Does someone have a crush on you? All the cute little babies I take care of at work
40. What is your favorite book? Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1945
41. What is your favorite candy? Peanut M&M's
42. Favorite Sports Team? Any team my kids play on, sometimes that can be 6 teams in one season..
43. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Helping stitch up a lacerated forehead
44. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Crap half the day is gone.

Tomatoes Coming On! And the Pumpkin Grows On!

2008-07-30T19:55:00.005-04:00

Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato. Doing very well, but needs trellised. It is an indeterminate that is a vine. Produces well!

The above three are heirlooms, I am anxiously waiting to see what type they are.. They are also indeterminate, which means they grow and grow and produce on a vine like plant until the first frost. I had a packet of heirloom tomato seeds I started indoors, I just picked some seeds and now we are getting close to finding out what they are..
The Pink Elephant, continues it's growth.. Maybe we will get one pumpkin out of it.

Look What is Blooming!! Varigated Angel Trumpet

2008-07-30T19:17:00.004-04:00

I have had this Varigated Angel Trumpet since early spring. It spent a few months in the house and outside for many more than a few months. I was so excited to see the blooms today. It really just bloomed out of the blue. The buds were there for a day, maybe if that.

Family Reunion in Idaho

2008-07-21T16:34:00.003-04:00

Grandpa and Grandma had three sons. Those three sons had 17 kids combined. Look what the seventeen kids did.. Had lots of their own.
Can you believe one couple and all of their posterity?..

It really is mind blowing.

It also reminds us that what we do in our life can and will affect our own posterity.

Update on our Pumpkin RIP

2008-07-20T19:48:00.003-04:00

On our trip our neighbor Miss Terri took care of the garden. We had a ton of rain while we were gone and I guess the pumpkin didn't like it.. It rotted. She said it was a sad, day when the smelly, moldy, rotten pumpkin had to be put in a bag and put in the trash. She knew the kids were looking forward to having it as a jack o lantern for halloween. That was the first things when we hopped out of my FIL van, how big is the pumpkin. Oh well, such is that in the life of a gardener. Some things make it, and others don't.
The vine is still flowering and we still may get one yet, there is a lot of growing season left here.

Idaho Mountain Wildflowers

2008-07-20T18:49:00.004-04:00

Our trip to the Idaho side of the Grand Tetons was a beautiful one. We were there at the right time, just when all the mountain wildflowers were starting to bloom. I miss is already. The mountains in Georgia are not nearly the same.

A Visit to West Yellowstone MT

2008-07-09T21:07:00.003-04:00

We had a fun trip to West Yellowstone National Park yesterday. We got to see some wildlife in their own habitat. One that we saw was unbelievable, and to see in the wild is unheard of. We saw a father bald eagle protecting his nest of young eagles. You could see two little eagle heads poking out of the nest. We also saw old faithful, buffalo, coyote, and elk as well.

Pink Elephant in the Garden Continues

2008-07-01T15:07:00.002-04:00

We still get a good chuckle out of this huge vine growing at the edge of the garden. I have a feeling when we get back from vacation, it will be HUGE!!! I have no idea what kind of pumpkin it is, but hopefully we can get on jack-o-lantern out of it..

If You Live in Southeastern Idaho....

2008-07-01T14:32:00.001-04:00

Idaho Fish and Game to offer free fishing class for kids
Post Register

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is hosting a children’s free fishing clinic.
The free clinic will be on Tuesday nights in July.
The first class will be 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 8 at the Fish and Game’s regional office, 4279 Commerce Circle.
The class will continue July 15, 22 and 29 at different fishing spots.
Fish and Game will provide the gear but any student older than 14 will need to have a fishing license.
Students will need to register by calling 525-7290.
Students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The class will be limited to 20 students.

Yummy!! They Were Delish!

2008-06-30T17:57:00.000-04:00

First Harvest (if you can call it that)

2008-06-28T19:03:00.002-04:00

I had my first harvest today. Two Yellow Boy tomatoes, One Celebrity tomato, One Better Boy tomato and plenty of basil.. The tomatoes are really starting to do something now that everyday is in the 90's. They love the heat.

For Dad, South Africa Climate

2008-06-25T11:50:00.003-04:00

My dad went on a church mission to South Africa back in the 1950's. This post of the climate is for him. We visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden's yesterday and experienced many different climates. Needless to say, this was a hot, dry one..

Update on Baby Birds (Purple Finches)

2008-06-25T11:23:00.002-04:00

They are growing fast and soon will leave the nest. One of the eggs was a dud, so we only have two cute little birdies.

Roses from Fernbank Rose Garden

2008-06-24T20:25:00.004-04:00

I Met a New Friend Yesterday.

2008-06-19T11:50:00.007-04:00

Before work yesterday, I wandered over to the Fernbank Rose Garden. My first time ever. Boy was I in for a great surprise.. I had no clue they had test roses there.. I saw new varieties that aren't available.. Did you know they were testing a yellow knockout rose? I met the head gardener, who incidentally gets to vote for her favorite roses in both AARS and ARS, Miss Connie. She was a wealth of knowledge and has my dream job. Far cry from ER nurse. The opposite of utter chaos. I didn't have my camera, but promise to go back and get photos. She helped me understand what roses do best in the hot and humid Southern climate... Best of all the garden is free to wander around in, as long as you don't pick the roses or let your little rugrats step in the garden..:)

The Robert L. Staton Rose Garden is open daily to the public free of charge The garden is located near downtown Atlanta at 767 Clifton Road. It is one of only three gardens in the United States that have both AARS and ARS test roses.
The garden is named in honor of the man who first established a rose garden at Fernbank in 1983. Bob Staton's love of roses, his desire to educate the public, and the absence of a test site in Atlanta's growing climate were key forces in the birth of the concept that evolved into the garden you see today.
The garden consists of approximately 1,300 roses from three sources: All American Rose Selections (AARS) test plants, American Rose Society Award of Excellence (ARS) miniature test plants, and donated named roses.
The Robert L. Staton Rose Garden is maintained by Fernbank Science Center. The garden is located on the property of Fernbank Museum of Natural History. The partnership of the Fernbank Museum and Fernbank Science Center has enabled this lovely garden to be available to all to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of roses. Be sure to visit the garden when in the area and return from time to time to view the varieties of roses being tested by ARS and AARS, as well as the seasonal changes displayed by the established roses.

Weeds

2008-06-19T01:09:00.001-04:00

Many things love to come and live off your plants, including bacteria, bugs, birds, and bunnies. If youdon't control them, entire crops can be ruined. The result of your careful cultivation, in your gardenand in your life, can be lost to predators in a short time. ... Take a look at your life, what toxic relationships, substances and emotions are feeding on your energy and taking away from whatyou have to give to others. Eliminate them.- Vivian Elisabeth Glyck, 1997

Heart Goes Out to the Boy Scouts in Iowa

2008-06-12T15:42:00.005-04:00

I heard the news and was so saddened. I have two at boy scout camp as I sit here and type. The anguish their mothers feel, I am feeling it with you. My sympathies, love and prayers go out to all who were affected. May the Lord comfort you in this time of crisis. I know the motto of the Boy Scouts "Be Prepared" saved more than they may realize at this time.

God Bless

From One Boy Scout Mom to Another