Hi Debbie - glad to see that everything is (relatively) okay. I kind of figured it was something to do with your mom. Is she settling in okay? I guess that the stress drains you too. Take care of yourself!

I've started trying to get some of my seeded perennials into the ground before it gets too late. This evening i planted some crocus zonata (fall crocus), alchemilla mollis, Jacob's ladder, a daisy and several gaillardias. And some foxgloves. There's still quite a few and i have no idea where to put them, so i'm just going to put them in the back bed where there's room and they can be moved next year. I still need stepping stones for one bed, but i found a bunch of flat rocks at the lake on the weekend and dh is going to bring them home when he can. I kind of don't think i'll be going into the water again this fall! :)

I still have a ton of bulbs coming, too. I don't know exactly how i'm going to plant them. My knee has been bothering me - torn cartilege, apparently. It doesn't always hurt, but i'm afraid to damage it more by crawling around. Oh well, we'll see when the time comes!

Things are still blooming a fair bit, and the gardens look nice. There hasn't been any frost here either, but our luck can't hold out too long. It's time to take some cuttings again - this year i'm going to try other things besides impatiens, such as petunias, lantana and bacopa. My houseplants have been inside for awhile, and i'll bring in some of the geraniums and impatiens baskets, but i really don't have room for it all. I have a container full of coleus that is gorgeous, and one of my friends is going to take it for the winter because she has more room in her house.

Yesterday i picked some ripe tomatoes - 3 of them! But they all had a fair bit of slug damage. I also picked a bunch of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, a bit of broccoli, some kohlrabi and some beans. Things still aren't producing too well in the main veggie bed, but dh has plans for expansion and ammending, so i'll have to get it cleaned out pretty soon.

Janet, sounds like you had a great garden this year. Are you going to post some pictures? I thought Gale would be able to post now because her kids are back at school! LOL

Anyway, not much else going on besides work. I'm off to surf a bit before bed.

Hope you feel better soon, Debbie!

Marcia

Hey Buddies!

Sorry I haven't posted all summer....where does the time go?
One of the best summers for gardening this year, so I was outdoors until dark almost every evening and then too pooped to post!

Glad to hear you're back home *Deb*. Remember not to take on too much at once. Hope your mom settles in her new home.

Hey *Janet* you should have stopped by. If you don't see me in the front yard, good chance I'm in the greenhouse or veggie garden.
I weeded that garden practically everyday this summer..so hopefully won't be too much work next year!
I made 50 jars of dill pickles and ate tons of beans...didn't get any of those in the freezer!

Still have lots of tomatoes & peppers ripening too.

I'm hoping we don't get frost tonight...everything is still blooming so nicely...but it IS that time of year.

Put my potted brugs that have just started blooming the past 2 weeks into the garage and a couple in the GH for the night just in case.

Took a quick trip to Winnipeg in August for a concert and hung out by Judy's pond. Her yard is gorgeous!

Entered some plants and veggies in the annual Hort. Soc. show in August. Out of my 15 entries, I won ribbons on 13 of them. Not bad for a 1st timer! I'll receive a chq. for $30.00 for my winnings...cool!
My mom won a bundle too....lots of preparation, but fun. I'll be more prepared next year.

Now it's been seed collecting time and may dabble in a few trades.

Sounds like everyone had great gardens this year.

I've looked at the pics and everything is gorgeous!

Sounds like you've been busy *Marcia*. Take care of that knee. Sounds like something I get every year.
I've learned to NEVER KNEEL now and that seems to work...LOL

Anyhoo.....time for bed....the days are shorter now, so I get sleepy sooner...lol

Glad to hear everyone is fine, and I apologize for being too lazy to post for so long!!

Talk to ya'll later, Gale

Hi all! Good to see the thread up and running - little sad that it is September already. Glad you're back Debbie - sorry you're mom's ailing but its good you were able to go and visit to help her out.
Sounds like everyone's been busy. I'm looking at the garden now wondering were to start with the clean up.
I picked all of my peppers and tomatoes now - done about a dozen jars of tomatos, sauce ready to go.
This is the first yr in a long time that 90% of my tomatoes ripened on the vine - that was soooo exciting! Nice not to have too many boxes of ripening things in sitting all over the place. The peppers are almost ripe but I didn't want to risk the frost and am going to be too busy in the next few days to pick them so I just brought them all in to be safe.
Canned tons of beans already and have tons to go!
Got a few corn and am hoping they ripen soon they are huge! Just beets left to process and that'll be it for the veggies. What a prolific yr this was.
50 jars of pickles - wow! I didn't grow any pickling cukes this yr. Regreting it now. Next yr for sure.

Flowers are all but done in my yard. I have to look for some more fall blooming plants. Seems most of the ones I have were pooped out by the middle of August.
HAve to move my lily bed so we can extend our fence out. Still not sure where I'm going to put them all or what is going to be sacrificed to make room for them. Ah well, every year its something.
We renovated our bathroom this yr. Just some finishing touches left and OH I am soooo glad it is finally done! Next yr it will be the kitchen.
Well off to get ready for work.
Tina

Morning,

Glad to see everyone is posting, you can tell that we all check the site even though we might not have the time to post.

Glad to see you back Debbie, I know it is so hard to have your Mom in a nursing home, but at least you know that people are watching out for her now and she will have care, especially with you being away. I have only been on a train twice, and both times hated it.

No frost last night, but it is chilly, not going to pull everything though, hopeing for a warm spell.

Janet

Hi everyone,
I'm still trying to catch up here and get my body back together after being away. Have been moving dining room and kitchen furniture around for the past week. Now that my hip has sort of gone back into place I have started steam cleaning the couch and chair we had the movers bring up from the basement when they were here, it has a musty smell to them. So that will keep me busy for a week. I have been busy putting mom's stuff away too. Still lots of stress going on here with sister, but mom is doing better. yesterday she told me that she didn't have any pain, so that is great! Today she sounded good too. I have started sending her snail mail and jokes and stuff to give her something to look forward too, and pictures too.

Did some work in the garden, put a couple of the hoses away, caught one fish, still 2 more out there, bronght in the pond pump and pulled out a bunch of flowers in pots and put the pots away.

Marcia, sounds like u have been very busy too! I love foxglove, I was able to grow it once here but it never survived the winter. I'm sorry to hear your having trouble with your knees too, I hope you can fix them up.

What kind of bulbs are u going to be planting? I miss planting bulbs but with all the landscaping fabric I have on the beds now it is just easier to use it to keep the weeds down, though the weeds did take over when we were away.

Things are still blooming here, but I have most of my 50 pots ripped out before we have gotten frost. I pulled out a bunch of geraniums and put them in a cardboard box in the basement.

I picked a lot of tomatoes when we got home and have frozen a lot of bags of them as we just can't eat that many.

Gale, do u have a trick for catching your fish in your pond? I have been trying every day since we have been back and have only been able to catch one.... LOL I had a ton of elochea sp this year and had to pull some of it outta the pond in order to see the water. Also the water hyacynth almost blew apart the rain barrel when we were away too! LOL It just loved the hot weather.

Congrats on your Hort winnings! Did u enter your gardens too? Here u can enter as a Novice for the first year in the garden show and Hort show.

Tina, sounds like your garden did great this year too! I envy u being able to grow peppers, I wish we could grow them here, but tomatoes are a big enough headache to grow, though of course, this year they did good!

Janet, Mom told me today that she is getting use to the nursing home. My sister has talked her into giving up her apartment so that is sad. But that is all I will say about my sister, it is too upsetting.

Mom is doing well and we talk to her every day, I just wish she could of moved up here with us, but hopefully the other family members won't forget about her where she is now.

Well I have to go and move the fans again that are blowing on the couch. Still fighting with getting rid of the musty smell. If any of u know of any tricks please let me know. I have tried Frebreze, dehumidifer, lysol and now steam cleaning.

Take care
Debbie :-)