Random Thoughts 14: I can see clearly now 2020 edition
- Thread starter Cybirdy
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I've totally enjoyed that role for the last 20+ yrs. Last one just graduated HS this yr. Most yrs I still get to take them all to WBB and pizza. 4 of the 6 have never missed a yr. I think I must be a pretty good uncle because even after growing up and getting their own lives they still make the time to do things with me. I really appreciate that.
It was the first day of a 72 hour disaster recovery test. If I was in the office I would just put it on speaker phone and listen to updates. I spent the majority of the time configuring the automation on a new system we are putting together for Anheuser Busch
Watched "It: Chapter 2" yesterday in bits and pieces. That was quite an accomplishment, They took an overly long & boring book and turned it into two overly long & boring movies.
What did they do as a reception? I have been hearing of the drive bys where you don't get out of your car. Saves the parents money since they don't have to feed people. So far our invitation list has been short (class between two of our kids that was not a friendly class) and I am more than fine with that. Many times we end up with some where around 12-15, outside of any family ones, and sometimes I've never even talked to the kid.
Wife's niece is this year. That crew is always a show. The mom, had several small functions that would have been around that 10 mark (such as a church confirmation class get together, and such) cancelled due to her asthma and the corona situation, but has no issue inviting everyone to their house for a full sitdown graduation reception, or letting her kids work at busy grocery stores and going to Iowa city to see friends. If she isn't the center of attention, she tries to squash whatever is happening.
Son and I watched Angel Has Fallen last night. This guy:
Gerard Butler
was in it and we couldn't place what we had seen him in recently and when I googled, noting rung a bell and everything was 7-8 years or older. Not sure why we both thought they seemed familiar.
Gerard Butler
was in it and we couldn't place what we had seen him in recently and when I googled, noting rung a bell and everything was 7-8 years or older. Not sure why we both thought they seemed familiar.
@ImJustKCClone and @Ms3r4ISU, the gf and I are planning the flower garden for next year. Any recommendations? South side is full fun, west side is probably mostly shade.
First, do you want to plant new every year? That would be annuals like geraniums, marigolds, OR you dig every fall and plant in the spring - cannas. If you want some that reseed or regrow on their own, that would be perennials. - like coneflowers, tulips, columbine, etc.
Second, what size is your space and is it close to trees/bushes and/or your house or other building?
Based on your description, I think I'd spend most of my time in the fun garden.
For starters - I'm lazy. I don't like high maintenance gardens. My garden is wild & messy & has weeds in it (gasp!). I prefer perennials that will come back each year, and will propagate themselves.
There are a lot of plants that will thrive in shade, but won't necessarily bloom as enthusiastically. Expect most of the time for the shade garden to be more green than anything else. I've worked on trial and error for my shady area. Iris & azalea struggled (except for the one azalea by the house, and it's VERY low to the ground, & does not bloom heavily), but the mini rhodedendron has done reasonably well (again, with more foliage than blooms). Hostas grow like crazy, but the blooming period doesn't last very long. Same with lilies. The columbines probably bloom the longest. I have a couple wiegelia, two bleeding hearts, and the rest is pretty much all lilies & hostas & columbines. Sweet Williams and Dianthus make nice little bordering plants and will keep blooming if you dead head them. There is one coreopsis that returns ever year, but is honestly kind of unenthusiastic. It spends too much energy trying to grow to reach the sun, and has none left for blooming, so the flowers end up looking like exaggerated orange eyestalks on a cartoon crab.
In the sunnier area down at the eastern end of the garden I have established the coneflowers. I also have rudebeckia (brown-eyed Susans) and blanket flowers down there, but they have not settled in as well as the coneflowers. One thing nice about coneflowers - once they bloom, the flowers stay for a month or more - unlike the lilies, that are a week and "outta there".
I planted sunflowers, dahlias, and marigolds in the other sections of the retaining wall (it's built like a tall terracing, with a long bed in each of the four sections. Time will tell how well they do, but supposedly the marigolds are not as attractive for deer munchies (which tends to be a problem in the lower two beds). With the exception of the iris and daffodils, everything out there is an annual. We're trying to decide what perennials to put out there. The only problem with those beds is that they are a loooooooong way from the spigot, and those hoses get HEAVY.
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Based on your description, I think I'd spend most of my time in the fun garden.
For starters - I'm lazy. I don't like high maintenance gardens. My garden is wild & messy & has weeds in it (gasp!). I prefer perennials that will come back each year, and will propagate themselves.
There are a lot of plants that will thrive in shade, but won't necessarily bloom as enthusiastically. Expect most of the time for the shade garden to be more green than anything else. I've worked on trial and error for my shady area. Iris & azalea struggled (except for the one azalea by the house, and it's VERY low to the ground, & does not bloom heavily), but the mini rhodedendron has done reasonably well (again, with more foliage than blooms). Hostas grow like crazy, but the blooming period doesn't last very long. Same with lilies. The columbines probably bloom the longest. I have a couple wiegelia, two bleeding hearts, and the rest is pretty much all lilies & hostas. Sweet Wlilliams and Dianthus make nice little bordering plants and will keep blooming if you dead head them. There is one coreopsis that returns ever year, but is honestly kind of unenthusiastic. It spends too much energy trying to grow to reach the sun, and has none left for blooming, so the flowers end up looking like exaggerated orange eyestalks on a cartoon crab.
In the sunnier area down at the eastern end of the garden I have established the coneflowers. I also have rudebeckia (brown-eyed Susans) and blanket flowers down there, but they have not settled in as well as the coneflowers. One thing nice about coneflowers - once they bloom, the flowers stay for a month or more - unlike the lilies, that are a week and "outta there".
I planted sunflowers, dahlias, and marigolds in the other sections of the retaining wall (it's built like a tall terracing, with a long bed in each of the four sections. Time will tell how well they do, but supposedly the marigolds are not as attractive for deer munchies (which tends to be a problem in the lower two beds). With the exception of the iris and daffodils, everything out there is an annual. We're trying to decide what perennials to put out there. The only problem with those beds is that they are a loooooooong way from the spigot, and those hoses get HEAVY.
Sounds like Lew can solve that one for you, time to have him run a new water line to your new gardening area. It would give him a reason to buy a trencher for the bobcat
. I'll leave now after giving you that great suggestion LOL.
When we switched over to rural water from the well last year, the plan was to keep the well & pump for watering the lawn. The pump was only a few years old (we had to replace the one that was there when we moved in. I'm not sure why/how, but there was some issue with blocking off lines & stuff that the water guys told us was going to add a lot to our price so we backed off of it. If we do anything, it will be to get that well & pump to functioning again. Free water.Sounds like Lew can solve that one for you, time to have him run a new water line to your new gardening area. It would give him a reason to buy a trencher for the bobcat
When we switched over to rural water from the well last year, the plan was to keep the well & pump for watering the lawn. The pump was only a few years old (we had to replace the one that was there when we moved in. I'm not sure why/how, but there was some issue with blocking off lines & stuff that the water guys told us was going to add a lot to our price so we backed off of it. If we do anything, it will be to get that well & pump to functioning again. Free water.
I hope rural water works well for you, when they ran by my place I passed on it. My biggest expenses on the well are some chlorine pellets, the top electrical box and the pressure switch since they don't just sell the contact points anymore. But then I do have a softener in the house though.
I bought a couple of commercial grade pullman bread loaf pans.Used one this morning for the first time on some no knead bread. Maybe it was beginners luck but the loaf came out perfect. Next time I am going to try is doing a regular knead bread recipe.
This isn't what I made but it came out just like this
This isn't what I made but it came out just like this
300 probablySon and I watched Angel Has Fallen last night. This guy:
Gerard Butler
was in it and we couldn't place what we had seen him in recently and when I googled, noting rung a bell and everything was 7-8 years or older. Not sure why we both thought they seemed familiar.
The first 2 Fallen movies?Son and I watched Angel Has Fallen last night. This guy:
Gerard Butler
was in it and we couldn't place what we had seen him in recently and when I googled, noting rung a bell and everything was 7-8 years or older. Not sure why we both thought they seemed familiar.
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