Alabama Jubilee

Yesterday we finally all had a day off together, so we headed over to Decatur to see the hot air balloon rally. We are usually gone on Memorial Day, and one year saw the balloons as we were driving by, but never actually attended. A friend of mine lives in Decatur and invited us to go with them, so we all woke up early and headed out. We set up our lawn chairs, got our funnel cakes and sat down to watch the shows. It was amazing to see the balloons go from being spread out flat on the ground to huge towering balloons capable of carrying people. The sky was soon filled with colorful balloons and it was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. If you ever have a chance to go to one, make suree that you do. :)

A Gnome at Rest

Spring has definately taken over the back yard. The rose bushes are blooming like mad, and it is so reassuring to see that they made it back. In fact, I had a surprise return this spring. Last year I had to dig up and destroy my 'Neptune' rose. I was sad because that rose was such a beautiful and reliable bloomer. Imagine my surprise when I saw leaves that looked an awful lot like rose leaves. Apparently, 'Neptune' is staging a comeback from the roots. :)

I also finally got to see my Pheasant Eye daffodils bloom. I planted them quite a few years ago but never saw them bloom.

Trees in Silos and an Old Lotus Pot

Last year I bought a beautiful clay pot to grow my lotus in. It was not cheap, I paid about $70 for it. It was so beautiful and the lotus grew in it and bloomed. Fast forward to the winter. My husband and I were eating in the breakfast nook that looks out into the back yard. I thought it sounded like people were shooting in the field behind the house, and wondered what the heck they were doing. The next day, when the snow was gone, we found out what the gunshot noises were. My beautiful pot lay in pieces because I hadn't drained the water out of it before the freeze, and it broke.

Two things happened this spring. In our mad dash across the country too see my Dad, we passed through beautiful farmland. On many of the old farms, there was an interesting sight that I had never noticed before. Trees grew out the tops of old, abandoned silo buildings. I suppose that it does make sense, since trees fight up through thick forests to small openings in the canopies after all. Apparently there are other people whose interest was piqued, because there is a Flickr group dedicated to them. We also started renovating the garden in the back yard (again), and I wanted to find another use for my broken lotus pot. Thinking back to the trees in silos, here is what I came up with:

I pieced together the remains of the pot with the bottom up. I tried to think of what to plant in it, and found this plant. I thought it would be a neat thing to have cheerful orange flowers peeking out of the top. We'll see what it looks like when it fills in. :)

Spring Cleaning

I apologize for taking so long to write an update, but things have been pretty hectic. Since my last post:

• I got laid off from work. Being the only earner with a stay at home spouse and child, it was a huge blow.


• My mom's house burned down to the ground on the same day I got laid off. They all got out okay, but they are waiting on insurance money to get settled to figure out what they are going to do.


• My dad slipped on ice at work, fell down and hit his head. He had a concussion, seizure and went into cardiac arrest. He was in the hospital unconscious for a few days before he finally woke up. My sister and I went on a cross country trip - me to Arkansas to pick her up, and then we went to Minnesota to visit him.


• My husband found a job and is working again (thank you God), so we have benefits again. The Gnomeslayer is in preschool now, hopefully they have no gnomes to be at risk.

The job search continues for me, along with taking classes at night and trying to get our house fixed up (in case we have to sell it). Life has been better, but we are all healthy (knock on wood) and we are getting by.

So with that housekeeping out of the way, it's finally spring in Alabama! Actually it has been for a few weeks at least. When I left on my trip to MN, the cherry and pear trees were blooming and the daffodils were up. And here is what we found when we got to Duluth:

Let there be no doubt in anyone's mind why we live in Alabama instead of Minnesota. :) It was very nice to get to see family members that I have not seen in a long time. It was an impromptu family reunion of sorts, too bad my dad couldn't enjoy it more. He is at home now, resting and recovering. My step-mother had leg surgery about a month or so ago and can't drive either so they are getting to enjoy each other's company a lot. :)

I'm glad to see everyone doing well, I'm so glad that I can get in my garden again. I'm still anxious to see who will come back and who didn't make it, but at least it is fun to be outside again. :)

January Snow Day

We woke up to about 10 inches of snow in our back yard this morning. The weather has been calling for snow since mid-last week, so we were ready for it. I cooked a big pot of vegetable soup last night, and we have lots of hot chocolate and tea. We took the Gnomeslayer out for a while to let her play around, but it was hard for her to get around since the snow came up to mid-thigh. She played around with our neighbor's grandkids for a while, made snow angels with her daddy, and then we all came back in to thaw out. I think I'm all set with things to do...books to read, an afghan to work on, and possibly a nap. :)

600 Things

This doesn't really relate to gardening, but there isn't much going on out there right now. My husband and I were watching the news (sorry can't remember which channel or who said it), and they had a lifestyle coach on. She was giving people advice that they should try to clean out some of the clutter in their lives this year. Her advice was to get rid of 50 things a month. Or 600 things in a year. That sounded like a lot of things to me, but we decided that we would give it a try. So we were pulling together a load to take to the Salvation Army, and figured that would be a good place to start. Add in decluttering under the sink in the bathroom and our hall closet. So our first load has 81 things in it, and might be added to before it finally gets taken in. We'll see how we do on the other 519. :)

Visitor

We still have a few patches of snow left, mostly in shady areas around the yard. As I was out walking, I found these tracks. Evidence that we had a little visitor sometime in the last few days. :) The snow was very beautiful and nice to have for Christmas, but I'm glad that it doesn't stay that long. I remember when I lived in Minnesota that the snow would end up getting dirty and gray after a while. We get to have it pristine and white, and then gone. :D Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and are busy making plans for next year.

White Christmas

For the first time in 20 years, we had a white Christmas. Of course the Gnomeslayer went crazy and had to go outside and build a snowman.

She chased her daddy and me around with snowballs and made snow angels. Then we went in and warmed up in front of the fireplace. It will probably all be gone by tomorrow, but it has been a magical couple of days. :)

Is He Safe?

We were walking through Costco today, when I came across what I think is the answer to one of my gardening prayers. A cast iron garden gnome. Considering the other casualties we have had, I think I may have found one that is Gnomeslayer-proof. He looks so peaceful sleeping there on his mushroom pillow. I don't think he realizes his potential peril.

Where Does Time Go?

I am ashamed to see how long it has been since I've posted anything. I have been busy studying for finals, trying to keep up with the Gnomeslayer, doing some holiday baking, and a sudden renewed interest in crocheting an afghan. Combined with flowers that aren't very interesting right now, and there wasn't much to write about. The picture above is from a trip that GS and I took to a local farm to pick pumpkins. The pumpkin patch was very pretty, with morning glories winding around the pumpkin vines.

And here was the result of our pumpkin picking expedition. I do think that it was the first time I have ever carved a pumpkin. My DH is not into Halloween at all, and I am the artistic one, so I took it upon myself to make the jack o' lantern. It was sticky and nasty work and it smelled bad, but the result was fun to look at. :)

We've been getting in some play-doh time in the evenings, and this caterpillar was one of our projects.

We've been getting in as much time outside as possible before the warm weather goes away. Can you believe it was still up in the 70's this week? Of course today was cold and rainy, but it isn't too shabby to be able to go outside without a coat on Thanksgiving.

And here's another of our art projects that we have been keeping busy with. You make color photo-copies of leaves, and cut them out. Then you can make lots of art projects with them. I got the idea from a book that we got out of the library called Leaf Man. It's good because it lasts a lot longer than a project made from real leaves. I hope that everyone has been doing okay while I have been away. :)

The Mum that Ate Alabama, Revisited

For several years, my front flower bed was graced by a mutant mum that ended up being about three feet around. It was growing all over the other flowers and looked like it was eating them. I dug it up last fall because it was just too big and floppy to be there in the front. We have a drainage ditch in the back yard, and a dead space behind it that has been the dumping ground of various bushes and large garden waste, until we were ready to do something with it. I chalked it up to the plant graveyard in the sky and went about rebuilding the garden this year.

The Gnomeslayer and I went for a walk around our lot collecting leaves to make a fall leaf book, when I happened to glance over and see this:

It was TMTAA, thriving (albeit much smaller) along the back fenceline. It looks like we finally found something that will grow there. :) It can grow to its heart's content back there, because there is no competition. Though if it starts to eat the house it might have to go again. It actually makes me very happy, because as a gardener it hurts to dig up a plant that is obviously thriving, when there are so many things that don't make it.

Coat of Many Colors

Have I ever mentioned that I *love* my Joseph's Coat rose? It has such beautiful vibrant colors and the roses sseem to glow from within. We took a walk in the back yard to enjoy daylight when I get home, while we can. The roses all look so lovely this time of year, but Joseph's Coat gets the benefit of the setting sun to enhance its blooms. There are still a few odd plants blooming now, but I know that it won't be too long before frost comes and they are all gone. At least I will have my pictures to tide me over until next spring. :)

Amish Saturday

I'll start with a totally off topic picture of the cotton field by my house. I have been fascinated by them since we moved here and am frequently seen on the side of the road taking pictures of them. This is a pretty unspectacular picture as far as they go, because the cotton is low on the plants this year, and the brown top keeps the field from being snowy white. Ahh well, can't have them all perfect I guess. :)

So, on topic. I had heard a while ago about a new trend in parenting, 'Amish Grounding', where you take away TV, cell phones, computers etc. Last weekend was raining all weekend and we spent most of our time zoned out in front of computers and the TV, so I thought it would be nice to have a day with no TV, no computer games, no DVDs, no e-mails, Facebook or texting. So yesterday was the day that I decided on. So here is what we did yesterday:

1. Cleaned and decluttered the kitchen bar, our mail dumping spot, as well as most other clutter.
2. Went to the bookstore, let the Gnomeslayer play with the train set and got some coffee. Got her two fall themed books, and Anne of Green Gables for me.
3. Grabbed deli sandwiches for lunch and went home to eat.
4. Went for a walk.
5. Started reading a book - Anne of Green Gables (I don't know how I missed this one when I was growing up).
6. Read six books to GS - On the Day You Were Born, Pumpkin Soup, Max & Ruby Falling Leaves, Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat.
7. Went in the back yard and prepped the bed for our fall planting.
8. Went for a walk.
9. Took pictures in the garden.
10. Lay on the grass with GS and looked at the sky.
11. Made an outstanding pot of chili verde for dinner. GS "helped" and threatened my newfound inner serenity.
12. Gave GS a bath.
13. Practiced playing a new song on the guitar.
14. Finished my book - have I mentioned that I read pretty fast?
15. Sat outside watching the sunset, and the stars come out, while GS ran in circles around the firepit making monkey noises...for about the whole time we were outside. Where'd that serenity go? :)

It was a really nice day, full of awareness of what I was doing and spending lots of time with my little girl. After spending a regular day today, I missed yesterday a lot. So I think I'm going to have to re-evaluate how I spend my time using technology. Time goes by fast enough without losing awareness of whole hours of your day. But it's time to go, Hop on Pop is calling again.

Fall Weather

The weather has been so beautiful for the last week or so, beautiful sunny skies, cool breezes...

Bees are busy getting the last pollen.

Purple asters blooming in the rain garden.

Sapphire blue skies with white puffy clouds.

Think Pink

When I was younger I L-O-V-E-D pink. I remember having hot pink clothes, and light pink clothes, and all kinds of pink things. Being a redhead, pink was *not* a good look, but I didn't care. I liked unicorns, Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake too.

And then I turned into a teenager, complete with teen angst, headbanging metal-head, skulls and crossbones and owned nothing pink.

And then I became U.S. Marine, and I was a helicopter mechanic, and the word girly was not anywhere in my vocabulary. My perfume was jet fuel, engine oil and hydraulic fluid. My favorite color for clothes to this day remains olive drab green. And I think that I'm really getting daring if I wear something navy blue.

When I started planting gardens, pink was a taboo color for me. I had peach colored plants, yellow plants, purple plants, rust colored plants, and even lavender plants. But I was anti-pink. Then this year, suddenly pink started creeping into my garden. And the world didn't come to an end. ;) I blame Grace, and her beautiful garden pictures. :)

North Alabama Railroad Museum

My little girl loves trains, so this afternoon we went to the North Alabama Railroad Museum with a friend of ours. It is located on Chase Road near the Alabama A&M University in a neighborhood with historical homes. We showed up, picked up our tickets and waited for the train ride. They have train rides most Saturdays from March through December, with special trains for holidays.

The museum is ran by volunteers and is a non-profit organization. The proceeds from the train rides helps to pay for their projects. The ride lasted approximately an hour, and keeping the Gnomeslayer occupied throughout took some effort. She liked seeing the train and hearing the horn, but once we got on board she started bouncing off the walls. I plan on taking her next year when she understands what is going on more. :)

Zephyr Lily

Yesterday we went outside to check out the garden before the big thunderstorm rolled through. I was glad we did, because I found this zephyr lily blooming. Their blooms are very short-lived, and if I hadn't gone out I probably wouldn't have seen it. It was so beautiful, it almost seemed to glow in the sunlight, with little droplets of water on it. This is one of those plants that you forget is there until it blooms.

Cowpeas!

This year I planted some 'Ozark Razorback' cowpeas. I didn't think they were going to make it through an aphid infestation in July, but they have put on quite a lot of peas anyway. The Gnomeslayer was fascinated by cowpeas, and wanted to help me shell them. I have never seen anything keep her attention for so long. There was something almost magical about pulling open the pods and having bright red and white cowpeas inside. :)

Harbinger

My favorite sign that autumn is nearby is blooming in the front garden now. I remember seeing these at a local nursery and having to ask what they were. There aren't many plants still blooming this time of year here. :)

Sigh of Relief

I'm breathing a sigh of relief because it is now mid-August. We've had a slight break from the terrible heat and humidity, and even had a light rain a couple of times. I discovered our new garden visitor above when I almost walked into her. She built her web across the pathway behind 'Elle', shown in flower below. The roses have started blooming again and are doing a lot better since the Japanese beetles are gone. It's actually been pleasant enough the last few days to go outside and work in the evening. I keep getting hints that fall is on its way soon, and can't wait. I'm already looking through catalogs for fall planting. I actually only have two or so spots that I need to fill, so I'm going to have to keep myself in check. Really.