Days Of September

The picture above is VaVoom .  It is 4:40 AM can not sleep, not unusual.  I read this wonderful blog "notestomyself"  she tells what to do to sleep.  I am trying, so far not so good.  Just talking to myself here.  My legs hurt when I go to bed, she says to walk.  Carrel and I are walking on the treadmill.  We started on Monday.  He is 74 and I am 77 have had a broken hip.  I went to sleep early 8:00, slept  just a little while and now wide awake.  Just talking to my self.  They had a birthday party for my favorite Rose this weekend and Paxton came brought the baby boy, he is so pretty and sweet. I see the pictures on Face book and he looks like a Darling. I have only gotten to hold him one time and he just smiled.

I took this just before dark.  I could see the rose but the back  ground was dark.  I think this is the best time to take pictures. You can see the true color of the roses like this.  Vavoom is a beautiful rose.
Many days have past since I started this.  Charlotte called but I was down with the stomach flu.  Charlotte said she and Don  had driven to Monroe and was coming here, but she couldn't get me on the phone.  They ate at PG's an old favorite of ours, a new one on Sterlington road. They had a Poor Boy.    Charlotte takes care of Rose while Mama works 4 days a week.  I sure did not want that little one  to get sick from me.

Debbie brought her bright smile to see me and I had a wonderful surprise Tafta and Orin,  this is not his name however it should have been.  Tafta has an older daughter name Audrey Jane.  One morning in day care Audrey told one of the ladies she had a little brother in heaven and his name was Orin. We tink she dream this. However in spite of this Momma and Daddy decided to name this baby boy Samuel something.  Well Audrey  told her Mother it was alright but everyone was going to make fun of him being called Samuel.  She didn't say the name like she liked it much.  They still may have a little baby boy in heaven named Orin.  If I was Tafta the next boy would be named Orin.  I would be afraid I would be given a yard full of boys if I didn't.  Debbie is a very careful shopper, she saw this shirt early in the summer.  Debbie never pays full price for anything.  She went back not too many days before she came here and found it very cheap and bought it. Debbie always looks good in whatever she wears because she buys the right style and size.  This was a very pretty green and white striped shirt.

Tafta was smiling here however Orin was not probably because someone called him Samuel.  Grandma ( She calls herself something else I really don't know what is wrong with Grandma.  I have answered to it since 1976, I think) will make Orin smile in another picture.

 
I think Debbie is tickling his feet and I bet she called him Orin.  Just wait how he smiles when Great grandma holds him.      

Doesn't he look content in my arms.  I just don't get to see him much.  I will be glad when I can go to Shreveport more.  We plan to buy a 2014 Impala Chevrolet The Consumer's Report says it is the safest and the most reliable on the road today , for the first time.  I have always like the car.  I drove a Chevrolet  Lumana for 13 years.  Never had any thing bad to go wrong.  I love the way these cars drive. The doctor told Tafta Orin should triple his birth weight by the time he is one.  Here he is three months and weighs seventeen pounds.  His birth weight was nine, if all goes right he should make.









I always hate to say goodbye to Debbie, and Tafta.  Here they go in Debbie's little red car.  I always feel a little sad to see them go.  I really enjoy them coming.










We had a beautiful sunset to end a beautiful day.









I hope you have enjoyed this time we have spent with Debbie.  Thank you for watching my garden and my family grow and bloom.   Hope you will grow one of you own, Garden and  family.  I love my large family it just keeps growing, God has best me well.  Happy gardening from Carrel and I, Juanita.

Black Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia  Gold Strum

If you drove into my drive today you would be greeted by this colorful flower.   No yard should be without them, especially if you have a large yard. There are  three colors all yards need one of, orange, red, or yellow.  These are colors to move the eye from one bed to the other.  You should not plant a bed of any of these colors.  However I have broken that rule by having an all orange bed, of VaVoom roses.  When planting one of these colors in each bed the eye moves from one bed to the other.  I choose yellow.  Most of the Rubeckia family are only biennials, however Gold Strum is a perennial.  It is the most hardy flower I have ever planted.  The English was believed to have brought them over to America.  We know now they were native here, from the East coast to Texas. The Vine was named after the Black Eye Susan, a great market ploy.  The name came from this poem of an English poet. In honor of a Susan with dark brown eyes. 
                                

  This is a portrait painted of Susan and a poem written by John Gay.                   

  All in the downs, the fleet moored
  Banners waving in the wind
  When Black Eyed Susan came 
  aboard, and eyed the burly men,
  "Tell me ye sailors. tell me true
   Does my Sweet William sail with you?" 
   
    "Though battle calls me from thy arms
                              Let not my pretty Susan morn,
                              Though cannons roar, yet safe from harm,
                              William shall to his Dear return
                              Love turns aside the balls that round me fly
                              Lest precious tears should drop from Susan's eye"
    
There where many more more stanzas telling Susan, William was high on the rigging and she waited for him to come down.  On this page they said the Sweet Williams in England bloomed at the same time as the Black Eyed Susan..
The Black eye Susan is the state flower of Massachusetts . In Baltimore they have the run for "The Black eyed Susan."  The winning horse gets a horse shoe wreath made of Black Eyed Susans around his neck.

There are many perennials using the Backed Susan as the base.  Gold Strum is the longest living one.  The weed Black Eyed Susan is not the stock of the Gold Strum.

 
This picture shows where I have the four beds of the  Rudbeckia Gold Strum around my yard.  The weeds along the road side drop seed so it comes back year after year.  The Gold Strum may drop seeds I do not know, I do know it sends out roots.  You really have to control it.  I think this flower would take over all my beds if I let it.

Rudbeckia Gold Strum and a Potato vine

There is a season for everything, these bloom the last week in June, all of July and part of August.  I miss my Lilies, some will continue to bloom.

   
These are some of the plants from Gold Strum stock.  They are planted one year and bloom the next.  They only live two years.

Gold Strum and Lavender Mums blooming now

 
I hope you have enjoyed this page about the Black Eyed Susan, I enjoyed reading about them.  Thank you for watching my garden grow and bloom.  Hope you have one of your own.  Happy gardening from Carrel and I, Juanita.

Crafty Garden Gal: Crafty Garden Gal

Crafty Garden Gal: Crafty Garden Gal

                                        

We had a beautiful morning to start our trip.  Liz and the two girls drove down from North Ar.  on Wednesday and spent the night with us.  We left here at 8:00 Thursday morning June 13, 2013.     I made sandwiches so we did not have to stop at restaurants to eat.  I like to eat in roadside parks any way, we found some real nice ones.  I like picnics.


This is  Baileigh my Granddaughter, sweet as she looks.  I am sure like most teens, she stayed on her note book, or what ever, texing her friends back home.

This was Clarissa.  Very quiet.  She like Baileigh had her phone texing friends, maybe a boy friend, back home.  These two girl are fourteen all they think about is boys at that, hey I am sure we all did.  









When my children were young we would all sing, or play the word came.  Some one would think of a word maybe a state.  We would have to find the letters on signs or on big trucks.  We also saw how many cars from different states we saw.  This to me was a family trip.  These girls said very little as we road along, unless they were spoken to.  Witch I think was sad.  I don't see Baileigh much, even after this trip I do not know too much more about her.

This is a look at our new bridge over the Mississippi.  Some time ago the Mississippi  State entrance  was in the middle of the bridge.  However the river has change courses.  Now the state entrance is on the other side of the bridge.  I would think this bridge was paid equally  by Mississippi, Arkansas and the US government. This is  US highway 82 and goes through several states.

 We went around Greenville Mississippi. This is where Carrel and I do most of our shopping because Arkansas put such taxes on Carrel's tobacco.  The traffic was not heavy at all and we made good time.

 I thought the scenery was quite pretty.

This was a long, long road.  We are coming into Mobil.  Mobile was the largest city we went trough.  In fact we only saw small towns in Mississippi, we stayed on Interstate highways. 

Traffic is worse here than any  we  encountered.  Mobile is a pretty city.  I went there with Charlotte many years ago.  With her being on the School Board for Caddo Parish she has to travel.  Charlotte hates to travel alone, so I go with her most of the time. I pay my own way.  

We went through this tunnel out side Mobile.  When I saw this picture  it looks like fire at the end of this tunnel, of course it is only head lights.

Leaving Mobil behind.  We only stopped for gas and personal matters.  I had made sandwiches that morning before we left had plenty bottled water in the ice chest.  I bought the girls chips and dips, we all shared.  Liz did get rally tired.  It is a ten hour drive.  I though after seven hours we should have stopped.  Liz wanted to keep going.

This,
oh I mean who we went to see.  Worth the many miles?  Well of course.  Next the beach.

 I hope you enjoyed our trip down to Fl. Thank you for reading  my blog.  Hope you have a garden and it grows as well or better than mine.  Happy gardening to you from Carrel and I, Juanita.

These are some of the flowers  blooming in my garden before I left.

Putting Peas in Freezer

A friend, Joann. called and said our peas were ready.  So I gave Carrel twenty dollars and sent him after them.  I buy anything extra.  That means Wal-Mart does not sell it.  I wash them in two different waters.  These all shelled, and fairly clean.  He washes them before he puts them in the sheller. 

This is my second pot to heat to a boil, a rolling boil.  Then I put my peas in.

I reheat to a rolling boil and boil three minutes.

While those peas  are heating I am cooling the first pot of peas.  I cool water and all and pack them in the water.  They will last this way for years. This also keeps from loosing your vitamins.  If you boil the peas in water and pour out the water you pour out about half your vitamins.

We still have twenty four packs from two years back.  Carrel is reading while I do all of this.  He did put the ice over the pot.  Make sure you put a lid on your pot to keep the ice from getting into it.  Do not use aluminum to put up your peas.  You should not cook with it at all.

After I make sure they are cool, I put them in freezer bags.  For Carrel and I, two cups of peas and two cups of the water they were boiled in, into a quart bag.  This is plenty for one meal for us.  I do my best to get all the air bobbles out.  We layer wax paper between each layer of filled bags to prevent them from freezing together.  He is now up and carrying these to the freezer.  Carrel has placed the ice over the other pot.  I do not empty the ice water  out the other pot of peas were in, this helps to cool them faster.

I  fill the other bags.  Carrel is suppose to get the air bubbles out, but oh well.  You already know after reading my gardening blog, he does not always listen to me.  This is the beauty of packing them in water.  The water protects them.  I tried to tell him, but I do not make a fuss anymore.  Carrel is one stubborn man.  The last of the peas are on their way to the big freezer. We have sixteen more bags.  Carrel put the older peas in the refrigerator in side his house.

This is my french door, I have two in the back of my sewing and computer room.  I have been asking Carrel to put bird seed in this little feeder.  Joe and Cassondra gave me this for Christmas the first year I was here 2006.  I ask Carrel if he put some on the ground also.  He said that the squirrel must have kicked some out.  May be taking care of a mate.

Vavoom

Did you really think I would forget to put flowers on this Blog page. I went out and took this picture fresh, for this page.
I hope you enjoyed and maybe learned something from this page.  Thank you for watching my garden  grow and bloom, and hope you will grow one of your own.  Happy gardening to you from Carrel and I, Juanita. 








 

Charlotte's Menagerie: Dottie Belle Had 2 Doe Kids

Charlotte's Menagerie: Dottie Belle Had 2 Doe Kids

And now the Rest of the Lilies

 A lily a day is a  Day Lily

My daughter Charlotte came to see me in June in 2007, and we went to a Day Lily Farm.  Edna, my Sunday School teacher, raises Day Lilies not to far from me.  I bought three.  A dark yellow and a lighter one the  with a tan edging.  The light one with the tan edging died.  These are large and beautiful, multiply fast, however when they finish the seson they are gone to bloom no more until next year.

This was my very first reblooming Day Lily.  When I saw that they really did rebloom all summer until frost. That is what I wanted.  I had bought others some rebloom some did not.  However I see no need in buying any other kind now.  I will mark the non rebloomers and not move them to other places.  When I have to thin out, I will give them away.  Now when I buy I only buy rebloomer unless it is extraordinary and I do not have it.

I bought only two of these in 2008.  Over the years I have divided them and spread them around this 5x8 bed.  I divided them just as soon as Spring began, because I knew what was there. Most places start selling them in May because that is when they start to bloom.  You may not get a bloom until the next year, they have to know what they are sending you.  They cut off the stems.  When I dig mine up, if I know what they are, I do it when they first appear in the spring.  They usually bloom the same spring.  I take pictures and use picasa as a map.  You can drag your pictures around and know what is in each bed and then you can divide in early Spring.

I hope this is a rebloomer I am going to map this one in a file all it's own.  In the spring plant it in a place to it's self, where right now I do not know.  I can not make a new bed because I promised Carrel if he would build one more I would not ask for another one.  I may start buying bricks, then I can build them IF he will only tiller it.  I really do not want grass at all, however it does make a good back ground for flowers.   Without some grass as a divider it would look like a jungle.  That is why I like built up beds.  I like high beds because we have wet winters and a lot of root rot.  I lost a lot of my Asiatic Lilies.

 
 These are not rebloomers I have them all around two red beds.   Wherever I bought them they called the color red.  Really they look dark orange to me.  Colors are not always what they say they are.  These I will start giving away.

 They over filled the back yard so this was empty ,and I have not found anything that I want here so the over flow has a home for now.

 This is more red again not a rebloomer.  I will keep this until I can find a red rebloomer. They are at the end of this bed.

 I do not know weather this is a rebloomer most of mine are not.











In the fall I am moving this one to the orange bed, with my rose the VaVoom.

    

A gift from Paxton rebloomer.

I watched this last year and was glad to see it was a rebloomer.  I ordered 10 from Grady's Day lily farm 2011 and this was one.

A gift from Paxton rebloomer

                                                      A gift from Paxton rebloomer

             

I am going to move this one to the walk and put a rebloomer here.  This one is on the very front of the big bed.  I want a rebloomer here.

This is a real old day lily.  I have it in my orange bed.  Multiplies to fast.  Most lilies multiply close together this one send out roots from the main plant.  I will only have one here.

  This is a new one I planted last year.  I hope it reblooms.  This is in my Orange bed on the front so if it is not a rebloomer, I will move it when I
find and orange rebloomer. 

This was my first rebloomer planted in 2008.  I bought this at Selman's Nursery.  We divied it and over half went into Carrels bed.

This on will be moved also to the orange bed.

This is the reddest one I have, I hope it is a rebloomer.

This is almost the same color as my rose, Ebtide.  I will move it in the fall and plant it in front of it.  I had to wait for this one to bloom so I could get a picture to finish this blog page.  It is a late bloomer. 

I love Day Lilies.  They will bloom in part shade and full sun.  Day lilies will multiply quickly you can share with your friends.  Good in places where there is not much rain.  I will be giving some away.  Watch and I will announce when on my blog.
I hope you enjoyed seeing my Day lilies and will plant some of your own.  I thank you for watching my garden grow and bloom and hope you will grow one of you own.  Happy gardening to you from carrel and I. Juuanita.