I added several jobs to my list today – mowing for one. Why is this grass still growing? I did not get all the flocks dug up but the kitties enjoyed being outside with me. Greta is so brave she turned up in the barn while I was there working.
Three went to the vet this morning and got his wound treated and he’s looking a whole lot better.
I stopped at the care center and met Big Gus, Little Gus and Chet. I did not realize three dogs roamed the halls. So fun!i
I asked Rick to pull out this volunteer lilac bush/small tree and honestly the tractor couldn’t pull it out. This is where I want to “remodel the rock garden”. I guess that does sound pretty funny.
Look at all these stupid phlox – sorry, Connie, but I hate them. They have strangled out everything I planted here. Such a huge job and I am just getting started.
And Sweet Annie – ugh. I chopped and hauled – more pictures tomorrow. It’s actually all cut down but I forgot to take a picture. It’s such a lovely filler plant and smells so nice but good grief, it’s 8’ tall!! And the stalks are like little trees – it took a small chain saw to cut it down.
Meet Queso! He belongs to my cousin in Peoria but I have always wanted him! I think he’s the prettiest cat I’ve ever seen.
I have so many quilt pictures to post but it’s already 11:30 pm so I’ll save them all for tomorrow. You will love them – such great quilts for you to drool over. Too tired tonight.
You inspire me!
three will feel so much better. looks bad but will continue to heal now. your cousin’s cat is very beautiful. is your cousin a quilter also? or a fabric collector? looking at all that yard work and cutting down made me tired. i’m going to bed now. sleep well to all, patti in FL who is not looking forward to her roof being replaced starting at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. ugh!
Patti – oh, my – a new roof? That means people around your house for days – it feels like you’re being invaded, doesn’t it? Yes, my cousin, Laura Beth (middle name is also mine and she was born on my 9th birthday!) is a quilter and I sent her that box of fabric as I’m trying to sort out and get rid of some. It’s the second box I’ve sent her and it didn’t make a dent on my shelves.
Your strong feelings about the phlox reminds me of my sweet neighbor Elsie. She was a darling and never had an unkind word to say about anyone. Despite that, she was fun to be around and an absolute delight. That’s why it was such a hoot to hear her vent about the blasted cosmos and how it invaded her garden. Oh, she wanted to wage war, she wanted to make cosmos pay. Every spring I debate whether planting cosmos would be an homage or an affront to Elsie’s memory.
Beth – I would have loved to know Elsie – she sounds like a woman after my own heart. Just don’t plant phlox either!
You would have loved her. She was in her 80s when I was in my 30s and it made no difference. Now that I’m about to turn 60 I understand that dynamic from the other side as I now have friends who are decades younger than I am and I just don’t think about it. As I learned from my mom explicitly, and Elsie implicitly, we feel the same inside as we always did. Elsie has been gone for awhile now and I miss her and think of her of so, so often. Good neighbors have been one of the real blessings of my life.
Queso is a beautiful cat. My son and his fiance (will be his wife 10/21!) have 2 cats. Their names are Salsa and Queso! Love the name! You inspire me too with how much you get done!
I hate that your pictures don’t show on my phone. I still really enjoy your writing!
Sue -there has to be a setting that needs to be changed so you can see the pictures. Can you go online and see them there?
I love Beth’s comment about Elsie. I can just imagine! A red and white quilt log cabin sounds grand, but you didn’t hear it from me lol. I made progress on fabric cutting and I’m hoping to start sewing a simple quilt tonight so it’s ready for Christmas gifting. Dare I to hope for a finish?!
Oh Mary, wish I lived closer to you so I could snatch plants from your pullout piles! 😊. Your cousin’s cat is just gorgeous.
Susan – I just finished the carmels last night and thought of you. I doubt I could get any plants to you – you didn’t want phlox, did you? They’ll take over your yard!
It appears that Rick is getting around pretty well. Thank goodness . It’s a long haul, isn’t it? The work you do overwhelms me.
All that work trying to get done before the snow flies! Queso is a pretty cat. Will be watching your log cabin quilt come to life! For some reason I can’t figure out how to go about cutting it out. I am terrible at math. We also need to mow again.
Margie – I think I have it written down – maybe a quilt along?
You work to hard Mary! I still have plants to cut down but it has rained here for 4 days, farmers have been at a standstill, good thing they had some nice weather before ! My lawn is saturated, no mowing for awhile!
How do you get Sweet Annie started? I have the perfect spot for some and I love the smell!
Thanks
Susie – boy, don’t I wish I could give you a branch! All you do is lay it on the ground and it will come up next spring – and you’ll have trouble keeping it in check. I wonder if I COULD do that. Write to my email so we can discuss this.
Sorry thought it was a goat that got chewed on. That’s a nasty wound. Hope it heals.
Yard work. It gets to be too much! We had a light frost again this morning. I love this time of year however.
Just an idea for your phlox removal. Cur down to ground level now. I use my hedge trimmer. Cover with black plastic and some rocks to hold it down. I always used black garbage bags. Next spring, when they start to grow, get out the Roundup. It might take a few applications,but they are not so hard to destroy. Much easier than plants that grow by rhizomes.
Diane Deibler – thank you so much – I’ll try it.
Soooooo much work when we just want to SEW! Beautiful cats….just wish I weren’t so allergic to them and most dogs! Wheezing and hives aren’t my favorite ways to spend the day. Love your toweling fabrics! My new quilt!
Carrolyn – those red and white fabrics are actually brushed cottons, not toweling.
Poor Three, that is a deep cut. Do you think it could have been something besides a cat? It looks so big compared to ones cats do. Just a thought. A red quilt–what a novel idea–LOL. I love those reds. Queso is stunning. We had a cat, Socrates, whose sister, Cinnamon, was part Siamese, but orange. She was beautiful and “talked” like a Siamese. We still have Dahlias which are gorgeous and poor, pitiful looking Cone Flowers, but they still have seeds that the Goldfinches eat so they are still upright and truly ugly! Oh well, we love the birds. Cool here again, but going to warm up, I hope.
Diane – Laura’s son found Queso as a kitten crying in a parking lot! I wish he were mine. I still have some cosmos standing as well. Three – yes, we’ve considered that. I don’t know – it started as just a puncture like a tooth mark. It has been a struggle for awhile now.
Gee, Queso’s story sounds like Squeak’s in the Big Lots parking lot in 2011! 4 weeks old and 20 ounces and feisty. Still is!! He is beautiful. Good luck with all that yard work. My “ragweed” allergy is kicking up like crazy so I’ve been mostly staying in. How is Three doing now? I hope for an Update next post tomorrow or whenever:) Thanks.
Diane – Three’s wound is looking just great – I have not gotten his antibiotic down him yet however. He’ll have to get better without it
Poor Three! Hope that wound heals quickly. Queso is a beautiful cat, reminds me of my late sweet Samo, a flame point Siamese mix. Miss him so much!
I love my summer phlox. It reminds me of my mother, who had it in her yard. Its bright, beautiful colors attract the hummingbirds, too. But it doesn’t spread aggressively here. Or maybe it’s a different variety.
Queso is a cat of good “taste!” I’ll bet he hopped in that box as soon as it was opened Ah, a new nest! What a sweetie.
I wonder if the dogs at the care home were named after friends or relatives. I love that idea. Names like Gus (Big and Little) and Chet seem like old time names.
Beth T. — Plant the cosmos! What a great way to remember Elsie, foibles and all.
Mary — When I see phlox out in the country it usually marks an old “home place.” So, I guess you’re right. It never dies, it just goes to seed.
Maybe Farmer Tim could bring one of his giant tractors to take care of that lilac bush/tree. Hmm, maybe not. Could he even get in your gate? Where’s that chain saw? I’m a fine one to talk with volunteer maples and hickory trees too close to the foundation. Time to put my loppers where my mouth is. Kris
Kris – I’m going to cut it down with the chain saw tomorrow and buy some brush killer that we’ve used in the past. I will keep trying. I don’t know how the dogs at the car center were named – I should ask.
So glad that 3 is on the mend and his wound looks better cleaned up and treated. I have never planted sweet annies or phlox at any of our homes. I have used round up to clean up beds that I wanted to redesign or clean totally up, it is a godsend. I love the idea of a red and white quilt along since I have collected lots of those colors. I look forward to the quilt show to come.
I’m sorry for the siege of the phlox; I think they are beautiful but they are terribly invasive. They will strangle out cattails along bodies of water or waterways and they can’t do what cattails do, filter the water!
It’s been a frustrating day. After several calls and several days, I decided I had to finally get Century Link on the phone to cancel their service. After 3 transfers and one hanging up on me, I finally got through – YEAH!!! It still took another 45 minutes to resolve everything but it’s done and a load off my mind. It’s so very hard to understand why these companies are so inadequate when it used to be one phone call and a few minutes. Then I wonder why I don’t get anything done. I keep petting my sewing machine every time I pass. It’s beautiful in the twin cities – 63 and sunny. More of the same tomorrow. Have a blessed day everyone.
Janet – I think I got Verizon settled but now it’s Xerox. I tried to call them multiple times in August and gave up – sure enough, they called me. I knew they would – eventually – when I didn’t pay my bill.
Oh, the tales I could tell about trying to get rid of a lilac on the edge of my garden! We cut it down. We dug it out. We even dug down below the root and used a chain to attach it to a pick up and pulled it out. And every year it came back bigger and better. I think a lilac thrives on abuse. In the end, we sold that property and moved. So I guess the lilac won.
Chris – NO! This is a volunteer bush! I guess I’ll just keep whacking away at it. How about a brush killer? I’m not moving!
Since the care home has three dogs in residence, I guess rehoming Fluffy there is not an option. Are there any care homes in adjoining towns who need a feline ambassador. Mary, I am sure you will come up with a solution for Fluffy, since she just doesn’t fit into a large family and is a threat to your other fur babies.
This afternoon, we gathered up our hanging pots of annuals and replaced them with colorful, variegated ears of corn. I take the hanging corn bundles to the cemetery, too. I love Fall!
Thanks, Mary.
Love that the Peoria cousin also has boxes of fabric!! You are lucky ladies!
Tanya – I sent her that box of fabric and I have more to send. Are you needing anything specific? Are you on your trip????
I see I didn’t proofread close enough – auto correct changed phlox to flocks! Good grief – I know how to spell lots better than my IPad!!!! Is there any way to turn off auto correct?