Happy Birthday Sean

Sean Harrison

Sean was one of those Grand children that makes a Grandma's head swell so big they can hardly get through the door.  He loved Grandma more than any one.   As just a little baby, Sean when ever I was around, nobody but Grandma counted. Out of 22 Grand children I only had two that felt that way, Tafta Rodgers and Sean.  Liz had four children Sean was the only one that would leave his mother and come to me.  After Tara went through that 'I want my Mama" stage  would spend the night with me and we would watch scary movies.  Wish Tara and I could sit up all night watching scary movies on more time.  When Liz and Jerry would come to the house visiting Sean would hide, sometime right behind me.  He would close his eyes  thinking if he could not see them, they could not see him.   Jerry would find him and say "Boy open you eyes I can see you."   We all had to laugh about that, a good memory I was not working I would tell them to leave Sean and I would bring him home.  I like for Sean to love me and want to stay but it made me sorta sad to hear my little boy cry, because I was leaving.  I worked in Big Star in the meat market when he was big enough to climb out of shopping buggies, if he saw me through the window he would start climbing.  I would clock out and carry Sean while Liz shopped.  My boss would tell me Liz was out there and to clock out and hold my baby. When Sean was little,he would play with any thing that made a noise.  Sean loved his bath, one day I bathed  him, then  I placed him down on the floor  after his bath Sean rolled holding on to his under shirt and hit the refrigerator with the snaps.  He was happy baby, you did not have to hold him all the time.  But holding him was fun to  hug and kiss, but now he has a girl friend.  How ever I know he still loves his Grandma.  I hope you have enjoyed watching my garden grow and bloom and grow one of your own.  Happy gardening to you from me.  Juanita


I can not believe I still have roses blooming.  Sean here is a rose for you held in Grandma hand, love you Sean.



December 27, 2007

     To the world you may be just one person but to one person you may be the world. Bill Wilson

Like the name of the rose "Dream Come True"  this man is my "Dream Come True."  I worked until after I reached 70, finally I retired, or thought I did.  I had been looking  at  houses here for a while, because my friend and I sewed together every time we got a chance.   Houses were cheaper here  than in any cities my children lived in, and I wanted my own home.  I don't know how many houses I looked at, before I saw this one.  A blue house I really loved did not need much work at all, had a nice big room for sewing, told the lady I wanted it.  However I had a dream that one night someone hid in the carport and attacked me.  Sometimes I believe we are warned in dreams or at least detoured.  I woke scared so badly, I did not go back to sleep, called the next day and told the Lady, I did not want the house.  I had it narrowed down to two houses this one and another one.  My daughter Lenora came up and we looked at both on the out side.  We talked it over and she liked this location best, so I paid my earnest money, decision made.  On October 14, the owner was suppose to meet me here and close the deal, however she had to wait until the next weekend.  I had asked my daughter Debbie and family to come up, however I was given the key so I could show them the inside of the house.  While we were looking around this Lady across the street came over and introduce herself and told us the man(Carrel) next door to me, wife was in a wreak and died two weeks before.   Just about that time Carrel drove up and Missy ( his Poodle) jumped out of the truck and ran over and my great grand Daughter, Audrey started screaming. So I picked Missy up and handed her back to Carrel. I introduced myself and told him I was buying  the house and would be moving in shortly.  He looked at all of us like "Oh man," so I said "just me not all of us."  I know now he was still in shock.  When he went in the house my grand daughter Tafta said "Grandma there is you a boyfriend."  "Tafta I do not want a boy friend and his wife just died, he is not looking already."  I had a little saying "I do not want a dog, cat, bird, fish, nor a man.  If I have to feed I do not have time for it and don't want it."  I went through two bad marriages and did not want another one.  I did not see Carrel until spring, I went back to work and he stayed gone a lot.  He did not like living by himself, I did.  My son Frank came up and started building my flower beds and Carrel would come and talk to us.  Between us was some ugly bushes, I ask him to  whom they belonged and he said  "To you and if you  have Frank cut them down I will haul them off."  So Frank cut them down.  I was planting flowers in the bed by the carport, he stopped and ask what I was going to do about those bushes Frank cut down and I reminded him that he had said he haul them off and he said " I did didn't I."  So he did.  I was over looking at his roses and told him I would love to have roses but I can not spray them.  I have too many allergies, he told me to buy all the roses I wanted he would spray them, so I did.  Frank was there on day and he told he had learned one thing since he had met me.  Frank asked him what was that and he said to keep mouth shut when he was around me but he did not, he asked me to marry him and I did.  My  Daughter Charlotte bought me a yellow rose (Eureka) when it bloomed he came over and asked me  what kind it and he wanted one.  I looked every where for one and could not find one, however last year Selman's nursery order two for me to give him.  

  

     

Carrel's Eureka

Johnnie ( Carrel's) son who lives in Tyler asked him was he ever thinking about remarriage, Carrel likes being married, and he said " No, he was to old to go out any where looking, unless God dropped a woman in my lap, I won't"  I guess He did and we did.  I hope you have enjoyed watching my garden grow and bloom and will grow one of your own.  Happy gardening to you from me Juanita


Red and white camellia

My Camellia is blooming this one usually blooms just before the azaleas but they are young so I hope they continue to bloom early.

Day After Christmas

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel. Which means ,"God with us" Matt. 1-22-23

It is raining the day after Christmas.  When my children were home I loved this, I always bought games that we could play together.  We would sit around the table and play all day.  I still like to play games, I have no one to play with, except this wonderful machine the computer.  I hope that all of you took  time to thank God for sending his Son.   Carrel and I had a quiet dinner Christmas day.  I got everything ready Christmas Eve and he decided he could eat it for supper, so I baked a pan of dressing that night.   Christmas day I made the sweet potato casserole, I do not use a recipe, I just put together potatoes, sugar (brown and white) egg, a little milk, butter, put it in a baking dish, top it with a mix of chopped pecans, flour, brown sugar, melted butter, put it on top of the sweet potatoesand bake.  Tastes like my Grandma's sweet potato pie.  All my Children have children of their own so they now cook Christmas dinners, like I use too at home for their children.  I do not feel the empty nest I know I could go to any of the kid's house's except Debbie's, she makes the rounds by in-laws and children.  We have Thanksgiving at her house.  I have had the dizzies for a while not really sick but not well to walk and ride much.  Did no shopping this year, sent a check to Debbie "the shopper."  We will have a family Christmas Saturday 31, at my Son's house.  We have it at different house's each year.  I don't remember having roses at Christmas time before.  I know if I brought them in they would not look too good but there is some color in my yard.  The tree  still has yellow leaves and the yard is covered one more time.  Carrel will mow.

We still have a few roses, they are droopy.   This is sort of an eye sore, the Schwan's man backed into it turning around, I am the last house on this street. Carrel is going to build a bed here and I am going to get pots to wound the hoses up into, when we are not using them.  This is a necessary eye sore, if you live in Ar., La. or Texas you know this. Carrel planted a few pansies here.

Hope you have enjoyed watching my garden grow and bloom, and grow on of your own.  We will be looking back over the past year and I will be ordering lots of bulbs just as soon as the daffodils bloom, so I will know what I need and where.  Happy gardening to you from me. Juanita

Meet Mr and Mrs Gast

Happy birthday December, 18  Elizabeth.  We went to Elizabeth's and Calvin's wedding reception in Fayettville, Ar.  All her children were there, and her Grandchildren.  Elizabeth stayed single for many years, I think She has met and married a very nice and smart man, he sure has some pretty black curly hair.  It is not right that a woman should have to live alone.  Her children are now grown except for Baileigh, her youngest.  In a few years Baileigh will be grown and have a life of her own.

I was glad that all her children could be there with her on this day.  Her oldest, Tara and baby girl Farrah flew in from Florida.  Tara stays home with Farah and is doing a great job.  My camera and spent about six hours with Tara and Farah and did not get a good picture and I knew I was going to write this blog page. However modern days are here so I went to face book and got one of Tara  and Elizabeth's first Grandchild.

Jason is Elizabeth's second child.  He and his family were there, a lovely wife, Amanda, daughter Burgandy and son Tenneson.  Jason teaches preschool age and Amanda drives a school bus another full time Mother. 

Jason, Burgandy and Amanda

Jason and Amanda's son Tenneson daughter Burgandy



Sean's girl friend





Sean



Sean and his girl friend were there and their dog.  I did not get a good picture of the dog.

 Sorry Sean and no one had one on Face book.

My daughter, Debbie Evans and Joe her son, came by the house and Carrel rode up to Fayetteville with them.  Elizabeth and Calvin had a very good dinner for us.  Calvin grilled shish ke.bab with shrimp, little tomatoes, beef cubes, peppers.  We all had a good time.  I am very happy for Elizabeth and Calvin.  The picture above is Baileigh and she seemed happy for her Mother.



Thank you for watching my garden grow,and  I hope grow one of your own.  Happy gardening to you from me.  Juanita


Joe Evans Debbie's son

Ben Evans

We stayed at Ben's house while we were there and enjoyed the visit.



Care for your Poinsetteia

My brother Walter Avant worked in a plant over seeing the building of the machines to make aliumfoil in Jamaica .  They had a Poinsettia in their back yard, the time they bloom is not at Christmas time.  These we buy are forced to bloom at that time.  You have to give them a lot of dark days and nights to accomplish this.  I was really disappointed when we went to Wal-Mart yesterday, I could not believe they did not have any Poinsettias this year and had not had any.  I wanted to tell you how to take care and how to make your Poinsettias bloom next year, and do mine at the same time.  May not be at Christmas, because I have seceded and then sometimes they bloom at Easter, not enough darkness.  Poinsettias like the moister of the dirt just right not too moist and not dry.  I put three ice curbs in the top of the pot every morning.  If your pot is covered with foil cut the hole out and drain off any excessive water, place a saucer under the pot to protect your furniture.  Never let them go to bed with wet feet.  Water only in the morning and just a little. That is why the ice cubes, they will melt and the dirt will be moist but not wet.  When your Poinsettia starts to look ragged place it in a dark place (closet) do not water much maybe once a week ( still three ice cubes) take out in April or May depending on the weather.  If you can put it out side where it will get no light at night put it out, cut it back to about three or four inches. Still water daily with ice cubes.  when the weather is begaing to get cold bring in like all your other house plants. Place in a window with plenty of light during the day at night back in the closet, remember it needs lots of darkness to force it to bloom at Christmas.  However all was not lost Carrel bought my Christmas present, a President  Roosevelt Rhododendron, we will have to plant it in the back yard because it does not like sun.  In this country if a plants says morning sun only, it is best to plant it in the shade.  Azelias do not like our sun down here they do better in the shade.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Baileigh,my granddaughter.  I was in the delivery room when Baileigh was born, I had been in Little Rock with her Mother nearly two weeks before she was born.  Her dad Jerry was gone on the truck so I took Liz to the hospital.  I had never seen a baby born, so it was quiet an honor to see Baileigh being born.  She had black  hair not only on her head but all over.  Liz ask me what she looked like and I told a monkey with hair all over her.  The Doctor laughed and said it would fall off and it did.  She was a beautiful baby and her Mother was very happy about her.  As you can see she is a very pretty girl now.  I hope you have a good day todayon you birthday.  Baileigh was a sweet little girl and sassy. 

Jason's birthday was the 23 of November but I was sick and not at home so I am combining his and his little sister's. Jason teaches preschool in North Ar. and his wife drives a school bus.  I hope you had a good birthday Jason.  This is Jason and his family Amanda wife, Brandy his little girl and Tenneson his son.  They seem to be a very happy family hope you had a good birthday I will have you something in the mail before long. love you.

Hope you have enjoyed watching my garden and my family grow.  Hope you will grow a garden of your own.  Happy gardening from me to you.  Juanita

                     
                    Rain on Dream Come True

This Dream Come True is still blooming on December 16, 2011.

Final blooms of the year

             
             God gave us our memories so we might have roses in December. J. M. Barrie  However God gave man the knowledge to invent the camera so I can show you my Roses, that are blooming in December.  Elsie Juanita Avant Sheffield



Dream Come True



The last blooms before the dead of winter.  I know of nothing more gloomy than looking out of my reading room window and seeing dead sticks.  My garden is almost gone but here are the final heartbeats of summer.  Our Dream Come True was not without a bloom all summer,aGrandaflora about six feet tall.

This is All American Beauty and Mr Lincoln. We decided to cut them because Mr.Lincoln looks a little frost bitten on the outside petals.  When we brought it in it was very cold, so I got the water just a little warm, cut the stem off under water.  I think it will open, when I cut flowers I fill a pan with water and place the end in it and cut under the water.  When you  cut a rose from the bush air goes up into the stem.  when you get inside cut the stem under the water you will see tiny bubbles that is the water forcing the air out.  Your flowers will live longer if you do this every day when you change the water.   Almost all of our Gerber Daises are blooming, notice the red one that has 2 blooms on one stem.



The fabulous Va Voom is still blooming.  a florabunda but does not bloom in clusters, however it blooms back quickly.  When you dead head most roses you cut them at a five leaf branch, Va Voom will bloom back at a three leaf branch.

Carrel's house next door to us, he has kept and maintain.  Last year Carrel added another eight feet of flower bed.  He has about seventy feet of roses.  I am going to show Carrel's that are blooming now.  We met in October of 2006.  We became close friends and he brought me Mr. Lincoln.  In fact the Mr Lincoln  I have shown you was his, Carrel moved it to my back yard so it would get more sun.  I know that the Tea Rose, is thought to be the most beautiful.  I like Florabunds or Grandafloras, because you have more color.



Easy Going



Carrel has easy going and gold metal





Gold Metal



Gold Metal







All the roses that I have shown are Forabundas or Grandaflores except Mr.Lincoln (Tea Rose) and  All American Beauty (Bush rose) and has bloomed beautifully.   Hope you have enjoyed watching my garden grow and enlarge this year.  Hope you will grow one of your own. Happy gardening to you from me.  Juanita



12/13/11



12/13/11

 I wanted to show how Mr. Lincoln and All American Beauty open since 12/11/11.  I cut just about one half inch off the bottom in a pan of water and change the water in the vase and be sure to wash the vase because it can have bacteria in it.  My next blog will be "Taking care of your Poinsettia"
















We have finished our Path

                          If a path be beautiful lets not ask where it leads.  Anatole France

         

            Some men like to make a little garden out of life and walk down a path.  Jean Anouith

                                                                                                                 

This beautiful arbor was given to me by my daughter Debbie Evans and her daughter Tafta Rogers and their husbands Ken Evans and Matt Rogers, for my birthday in 2010.  After much discussion we decided  where the arbor should go.  We both wanted a red rose to climb up the arbor.  After looking in all the nursery catalogs we decided to buy Highway to Heaven.  The pretty red rose has climbed almost to the top of the arbor, we planted it in the spring of 2011.  On the other side of the arbor we planted a very pretty white grandaflora rose bush  Moon Dance.  Then we had to decide what we would use to make the path.  My son Frank Murphy and his wife Carolyn came up and took us  to eat. I wanted fish and to my delite Carolyn did also. We went to Greenville to the Piccadilly, then to Lowes.  After walking around a little while they decided to give me a gift card, for 75.00.  You can never go wrong giving a Lowes gift card to a flower nut.  Carrel was concered that a strong wind might blow the arbor down after the rose  had covered  it.  Carrel dose  not rush into things he thinks about them a while.  The legs where not very long on the arbor so Carrel put it down father than the direction suggested.   When we started on the path the first thing he did was to dig down at the leg part of the arbor on both sides and pour cement into the hole, it was about five to six inches wide and about nine inches deep.  He cut tie rods and placed them on either side of the  legs of the arbor. Then he mixed the cement and poured it in the hole.

other side of the arbor we planted his beautiful Arbor was given to me for my



September 20, 2011

 

Taking a little rest.



After all that hard work the good man had to take a rest.  We still had not decided on the material for the path.  We went back to Lowes and looked at all kinds of stones.  There was one I really liked and thought it would be cheap enough.  We added it up after we got home these would cost nearly 400.00 dollars.  In 2007 I had bought a mold and made a short path.  We came to a decission to make this path the same way.   Here he is digging out from under the gate to pour the  cement.   We did not do this all in one day, believe me.







Getting ready to pour the first set.   Carrel decided to put two molds of cement under the gate, won't have as much trouble with grass.  This is the only area we have had a lot of burmuda grass.  It has been a real pain.  We had bought 5- 40lb bags of concreat and used them at the gate.

 





September, 24-27 2011



Filling the mold with cement I helped smooth.  We called it a day after that.  I think he had to think about how to do the next thing.  Carrel filled the cracks the mold left with sand, and made a curved mold to place a stepping stone my Granddaughter Bridget Kennedy-Edwards gave me with my great grandson Chase's name and foot print in it.  He put the stepping stone in two aluminium throw away pans so if any thing happens to us she can get the stones for her or her Mother's yard.

 

October 28, 2011



We started the path on September 20, 2011 and ran out of cement. Then Carrel pulled  up the Vinca getting ready to pour the rest of the path.  We had bought and used 5- 40lbs. of cement at this time. We went back to Lowes in Greenville Miss.and bought 20 bags more.   October 28 through Noverber 2 we finished the walk.  We went on a trip to north  Arkansas came back had plenty of leaves to rake.  We went back to Lowes and bought 25 bags of com post and cow manure for the beds beside the path.







Setting the mold to finish the end of the of the walk





Me and my shadow



When he finish the walk, Carell poured sand on it and sweeped the sand into the cracks the mold left.



Here Carrelis filling all the cracks with sand.







Carrel is wetting the sand down



The path was higher than the ground so we had to go back to Lowes and get some compost and cow manure to fill in the flower beds.  Carrel is pouring out the compost and I am raking it level.  We bought 25 bags cost 57.00 and some few cents.  All we need to do now is wait for spring and plant the beds full of color.  The full cost of the path was 87.50 thank you Frank and Carlyn for helping me to have a garden room. All I need to do is plant a lot of pretty flowers and get me a rod iron bench. 



The brownish stone that leads off from the path to make the semi circle was given to me by my Granddaughter Bridget and her husband Trinity Edwards.  Trinity is a very talented young man. f He built an outside kitchen, by the pool and made the counter tops out of cemment, stained and finish them,for a couple down the street from him and Bridget.  The room was beautiful.  Yes she is my favorite Rose.

           

Bridget and Trinity have three children, two  sweet boys and a darling little girl.  One little boy was born on my seventyth birthday 06/06/2006, I bought my house and moved here in October 2006.  That year for Christmas they gave me a

stone with ACE's (Conner) foot print on it. Welcome to GiGi's house.  I hope you have enjoyed my blog page about my path.  Thank you for watching my garden grow and hope you will grow one of your own.  Happing garden to you from me. Juanita