Hi Dee! Welcome to the mad, mad world of hosta. LOL We're glad to have you join us and hope that you remain out of hiding! :)

Andrea

dee...

welcome also,,,

i have been here just over a year (WOW,,,a year already)....and not a day goes by that i don't have to check the forums...
and quite often several times a day...

i think they are just as addicting as hostas...

jill

Welcome Dee,

That first post is the hardest. The rest will be much easier.

Do you know how to post pictures yet? We all enjoy seeing new gardens, big or little no matter. I just learned to post pictures these last few days so have been boring everyone with every picture I've taken since July!

I even have more to share so watch out! ! !

Again welcome.

Connie

Welcome aboard, Dee! So glad you are with us, not only in spirit but in person, of sorts! LOL

Hope you feel free to post as much as you like and on this side, you can go beyond "hosta"
whenever you like! We love hosta and we love hosta-folk!! Chat away!!

{{gwi:887163}}

Thank you ALL for the warm welcomes! :)

Andrea, "mad mad world of hosta" is right. Both mom and MIL gave me some $$ for Christmas and I am wearing out the pages of catalogs both online and mail to choose what I want to get!!! Do you ever look at your "inventory of hosta" and think...I don't have any "Y" hostas yet? (and I definitely need to get "Dee's Golden Jewel"! It's only right!) LOL I AM mad!!!...in a GOOD way, don't you think? *giggles*

Jill, the forums are addicting. But I would rather come here and relax after a long, stressful workday than any where else!

Connie, I do know how to post pics and YOU keep posting. I love seeing your gardens and everyone elses. Mine are all pretty new so not nearly as spectacular or well-defined as those here. It's a "work in progress" for sure. This year I took mostly pics of individual plants to track their progress as they "sleep, creep, and leap". :)

Janice, you've inspired me this year with your barrels. It's not easy finding "whiskey" barrels here so I ended trying "cedar planters" in the same shape. I started with three late this summer and I hope they do half as well as the beautiful ones you have! I must also say I ADORE your unique graphics and love to "play" with doing them as well!

Hope ya'll don't regret this "lurker" coming out!!! LOL Enjoy the day!!!!! I am going to get some hosta seeds started...ohhhhhh the waiting is the worst!

~Dee

Dee--I love it that you have been "infected" with the "whiskey-barrel-concept"! It's a disease I love to spread! Big Grin!
Far less detrimental to your health to plant hosta in them than store and consume their original contents, don't you think! LOL

BTW--that reminds me of a recent experience with obtaining some of those barrels. One of our local K-marts were clearancing them out
for the season, so hubby and I went and stuffed as many in our Chrysler van as we could get--about 8, as I recall. It was later in the day
and we didn't have time for me to go home, (we'd stopped by to see "Buff24" to entice her to get some for herself) before the BSF
(Bible-Study-Fellowship) class I'd only been attending since September, which was only a few weeks at that time.

Of course, handling those charred barrels was a dirty job and I didn't have time to clean up before attending the class. I do not know any of these
ladies very well,yet, (nor they I) outside of this group and later, after the class, it came to me, that I bet I smelled liked I'd spent the day
"taste-testing" at a distillery!!!!!Just driving from the K-mart in the closed van, with the strong whiskey smell, made me a little tipsy!!!LOL
Not really!! Grin!

I have wondered if the ladies think I had my evenings mixed up and was really thinking I was attending an AA meeting instead!!! Gasp!!!

End of story--but, I want to say that I am so glad you have enjoyed my amateur graphics! But--I am hoping you, and others (like Marsha)
will start posting some of your own, as well! The reason I do them (besides trying to elicit a smile from you all)
is that I really enjoy seeing them used by other folks, as well!!!

I really love to see "creativity" in others, in the garden, the home, hobbies and this is one more area I enjoy seeing
the personal touches of each of our unique personalities!!For me, it makes for an interesting place to come and visit
(this forum) and get to know our hosta-loving-family better!

And, you definitely "must" get "Dee's Golden Jewel" cause, you are right--it's only RIGHT that you do! :O)

janice{{gwi:887165}}

Janice,you are a real trip! You're lucky you can find whiskey barrels at all. Here in my small town,I've only seen them once at Lowes last year,when I got my first one. If they get any next year,I'm going to get some more,but they ain't as cheap as the ones you found. Take care,Phil.

LOL, LOL, LOL.
Those ladies probably went down on their knees the minute you left and prayed for you! That's not a bad idea as we need all the help we can get.

Connie

Welcome!

LOL Connie--you're probably right! They're a neat group of ladies and I'm sure they would pray
for me no matter how I need it and I do! :O)

Phil, I do have to admit I got a "real deal"!! They were $2.00 each--can you believe that!!!!
I have to say, I felt really greedy when we started trying to wedge as many as possible into that van!

I did let my other local hosta-buddies know about them, though--to share what "joy" there was left!
I knew I'd never get my hubby to go back for more so I could be real generous with what was left!LOL

I do need prayer to be less "covetuous" of whiskey barrels! I should have enough now--really--really
I should! Gulp!

janice

welcome!!!!!!

ken

Welcome Dee!
Rox

Thanks Teresa, Ken and Rox!!!

welcome Dee!!!
Janice, you are lucky finding those whiskey barrels, I have been looking for some and the only ones I have been able to find are at horse auctions, they are all rusted, not in great shape at all, and those buggers went for 50 bucks! Mom had to help me for although I have been into horses and been to TONS of auctions, I still can't keep up with those auctioneers, try as I might. there was a cool little plant wagon at one I wanted so bad, mom got it for me, found out later it cost her 75 bucks!! That sucker is staying in my house for sure! Was going to plant a hosta in it, but decided my gold pothos looks just fine in it.
okay I have rambled enough.
Hope to see you around a bunch Dee!!!!!!!
michelle

Glad to see you come out of lurkdom! And welcome to the happy hosta family here!

Alexa

Meesh--I took a job, only temporarily at $25 an hour at an auto auction, 2 winters ago. It was insane! I had to keep up with the auctioneer and the information about each auto as they came up for bidding, on the computer--the "particulars" of each car and the ultimate winner of the bidding, the winning bid (who won etc.) at break-neck speed! Hardly a breath taken between cars! Talk about high rollers!!

I hated it! It was the most nerve-wrecking job ever, for me! No wonder they were willing to pay $25 an hour! I finally told them I couldn't take it any longer after a few weeks!

So, I avoid "auctions"! It brings back the angst of that experience, except ebay! LOL

Sometimes, it just ain't "worth it" no matter what you get paid, especially if it stresses you out to the max!!

"Been there and done that" with another job of 2 1/2 years where my health suffered ultimately, translating into a multitude of health issues all in one 6-month period which contributed to my leaving that job as well. That was in 2000 and I have had none of the "health issues" that I did then (even was hospitalized, surgeries and potential surgeries, etc. ) since that year!

I thank God, literally, that we never had to depend on my salary to get by. We don't have "it all" but we do have it "well enough", and for that, I am truly thankful!

Janice

Yes, Janice was nice enough to come by my house and tell me about the great deal on barrels at K-mart. Then, stupid me, procrastinated on going to get some for myself, and then they were all gone. Bummer! Anyway, I was recently browsing a website and came across some "barrel-like" planters, a set of 3 for a somewhat reasonable price. They are not as big as the whiskey barrels, but these may still meet the needs of some. I have attached the link below.

Thanks,
Buff

Here is a link that might be useful: Lillian Vernon wood barrel planters

Hey Buff---Actually, I think those look rather promising! They could well carry out the "barrel theme" in our yard
and nicely accomodate some hosta and accent plantings. You are SUCH an "enabler" (hiss)! If it's not with hosta then
the barrels! You KNOW I'm "weak" and "vulnerable" to temptations in the garden, especially! {{gwi:887167}}

However, I'm doubting Steve (hubby) will go for it! Look at what's still in our driveway, now, and you'll understand why!:

{{gwi:887168}}

Aren't they "beautiful", especially along with those bags of pine bark mulch, potential planting medium, to be mixed in with
some compost and watered with "clay water" as was suggested to me by another "enthusiast", who will remain nameless for
the protection of "innocent and "guilty", alike!!! :O)

Count them if you can--okay--there are 7--- "yet" to be planted!!

Janice

Janice,Okay where do you live and when will you NOT be at home? LOL!!!!! Those ones at the auction were in much worse shape! I only want one, or two, or....... lets see how many could I get away with without you noticing, hmm.... LOL!
Hey my thinking is this, we want to move in a few years and I think it would be much simpler for hubby to move them via the cherry picker, then for me to be digging! I have it all planned out in my beady little mind, what he don't know YET won't hurt him:)

LOL, Meesh!! Now that I know you are on the "hunt", I will install a burglar alarm system to include my barrels!!!

But--if you're in the neighborhood, sometime, do come by and I'll let you sit in one of my barrels and have tea
with me, then you can go home reeking of whiskey! Try to convince hubby that you only had "tea", then!!hahaha

janice

Hi Faintheart! I tend to lurk then unlurk and then lurk again. :) How far NW in Iowa are you? I'm down by Cedar Rapids area.

Diann

Don't know how I missed this thread before, but Welcome Dee!
I was a new comer last year and although I don't post alot, I visit almost daily and have learned so much and now consider all who post here some of my bestest friends!

Janet

Thanks for your welcomes, Alexa, Michelle, Diann and Janet!

Diann, I am wayyyyyyy up north and west in O'Brien Co. Just 35 miles from MN and 65 from SD. We have a good blanket of snow and Tuesday it was -24 on my way to work...glad THATS over. Yesterday I was in Des Moines on business and drove through the snow squalls on the way back. More snow coming over the weekend. Oh well..its not ice!

We had ice.... Lots of ice. I am not a happy camper, for one my beautiful pine tree looked liked it was being forced into too tight clothing, a jerk ran over one of the middle branches that was frozen to the ground, poor tree! For another we had no electricity in teen degree weather and no way to heat the house (one of my friends heated her house with her propane grill, no way was I doing that!) then I fried my modem by not having a surge protector on my phone line (didn't even know there was such a thing!) spent my birthday in the dark, with 2 kids that were bouncing off the walls, they had the whole week off school, they had to stay inside as trees were losing branches, and whole entire trees were falling over from the weight of the ice. what a mess! we got above freezing today (finally!) but another storm is coming tomorrow, and they are warning of more power outages (alot of people still have no power in my area) hope everyone else is not getting this mess:)
michelle

A belated Happy Birthday, Michelle!!! I am so sorry you had such a horrible week. I know you to the south are going to get the brunt of this next storm too. Ice is definitely the worst...Please stay safe!!! (((hugs)))

OH no, Meesh! I missed your birthday but worse than that, all that is happening to you and others in your area!

Not seeing you posting "today" gives me concern for you today, as well! I'm praying for you to be able to stay warm, at least!!!

Janice

Hello Dee,
I'm glad you came out of lurkdom. I joined a little over a year ago and remember what it was like the first time I posted a message on the forum... Congratulations on fullfilling your New Year's resolution! I'm not sure I can make a similar claim for any resolution I have made over the last 20 years. Enjoy the forum and don't let us enable you too much....

Welcome Dee

I am in Iowa too but clear on the other side of the state. 35 miles north of Waterloo or 75 miles south of Rochester, MN. Isn't Iowa a wonderful place to grow HOSTA?!!!!

Becky