I knew you would find things to do in retirement. Those are pretty scary; they will look better peeking out between plants. Why don't you make a cat. Then you can bring it to me on the plane sometime. I am combing stickers out of Honey and getting cockleburs out of Blackie. I am picking up millions of little pieces of chewed up stuff out of my yard. He is really a good boy and very funny. Blackie has given up trying to train him. Once in a while I hear a vicious snarl but it is no use. He even went in the dog house and got Blackie's paper plate that I gave him chicken on. I am still planting bulbs that I got on sale. I have several bags of sale daffodils that I didn't need. You can't dig a hole on the driveway because there is no soil just rocks. So far I have only thought about it. I am hauling in leaves from Joplin and draining my stock tanks by siphoning. I need to turn them all over. I am also planting my sale plants that I didn't need and digging up rocks.

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I am not handy and have to buy my faces. I like them too. These are pottery and the lady sells them. I have my eye on a head at Sandstone Gardens but it is very expensive.

You did make me laugh; I love these rock people. The one with the 'hair' is so funny. I would have to smile at her every time I passed by.
Helen, I just saw the new pics of Honey and he is a cutie! We had a Charlie just like than once only he was solid black.

I am not doing anything outside except milking when I need to.I have been reading a lot......The garden catalogs are coming in now. I need to start thinking about what I will be doing next season.

You MADE those Peggie? I'm impressed! The wild hair makes the second one look like a witch doctor. I love it!

Today wasn't as drab as the rest of the week is going to be so I got out and put straw around some of my salvias. Wish I'd had time to do some more stuff outside but had to make two trips to town and then it was dark already. : (

I've been looking through the seed catalogs too. I ordered some seeds to put under the Christmas tree, from me to me. Well really from my hubby but I got to pick them out - a few flowers for the butterflies and hummingbirds, a couple new to me melons (Saint Nick and Lambkin), and Sungold cherry tomatoes.
I went by Hummerts in Springfield today and they already have some of their seeds in. I got some zinnias and French Breakfast radishes to try.

Have you ever tried to force daffodils in the winter Helen? I wonder if it's easy to do. It might be fun to try since you have extras.

I'm still growing plants but now they are all inside. I've got 9 tomato plants, 1 Black Brandywine, 3 Sungold Select(2 cuttings) and 5 Green grape that resulted from germ. testing. The original Sungold Select is now producing fruit (already harvested a dozen) under shop lights and they are very good. I have many elephant ear divisions growing on shelves and in old aquariums. I've got around 50 plants that consist of 2 diff. Alocasias and 1 type of Colocasia. I have Impatiens, Coleus, Caladiums, Aloe vera and a chaste tree started from a cutting. I don't know what I'm going to do with all 5 green grape tomato plants lol. I didn't expect that kind of germination out of these seeds as all I got from the other 2 types (same ebay vendor) was 1 out of 5. I really can't wait to taste the fruit though. I've heard they were the sweetest from a couple growers.

Love the faces BTW.

This has been a fun project. Thanks for your feed back. The responses have been interesting. My sister-in-law asked DH if I was like this before we married or if this behavior was a result of the marriage. A friend suggested that possibly we were spending too much time together since retirement and wondered if we would get worse. Then that Nutty Women from Lowe's thinks I can make a cat and get it past airport security. NWLowe's did suggest that the pot people should smile. So I stuccoed a smile on him/her but don't really think it goes to his/her eyes. He was smiling more in the shop but not so pleased once he was back in the cold wet yard with his hair on. I didn't realize the pot is female but the consensus is that a women has cheeks'. The cheeks are even bigger now.

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Taz6122 my cold greenhouse is full of impatiens, mandevilla, petunias and what ever was flowering in my yard this summer. Harvesting tomatoes is over the top. My light shelves are full. Green things are a comfort. I was at Santa Cruz this last week end and there were very large aloe hedges full of the most beautiful flowers. I had no idea how beautiful they could be. I understand that they don't get enough heat in summer for tomatoes and peppers. Nice place to visit BUT got to eat garden tomatoes at least in summer. I also am trying to decide on seeds.
Now how to stucco a catâ¦â¦â¦mmm

I was kidding about the cat more metal flowers would be better but you need a cat or two for yourself. I like her better with a smile. I am trying to picture her with various hairs or hats. I think I would have to try them since I am not good at imagining. The grass is fine but I see her in something colorful in spring. It is so cold here that it is almost impossible to garden. I did plant some bulbs yesterday but I am having trouble finding places where I want to put up with the foliage after they bloom. In beds I dig into them.

I am thinking that this has turned out instead of a 'What Ever' pot it might be a 'Krack Pot' and maybe a 'Kat Pot' is a better idea. When a person has left over stucco you just never know where it leads.
Drab winter weather is freezing the east coast down to Florida. Ozarks in the middle and I hope not fairing as badly. Folks in the south don't insulate their water lines and this kind of weather is very destructive to the green stuff. So far it looks like a colder winter then usual this year.
More metal is a dangerous request. Get a load of the new trellis out front, 'Birds of Prey'

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Just wanted to point out the fence behind the birds is cattle panels. We wanted a 'green fence' so DH used metal posts and welded on a top ladder of square and twisted square. We have fancy gates to dress it up. The big hedge in the front grows through and here behind the birds is jasmine growing up. We are big fans of cattle panels. They are sturdy and don't block the light to green stuff and Big Dog can watch the kitties.

I like the friendly looking birds and the fence that you can grow jasmine on. It is good to see green too.

What a good looking fence. The top takes it out of the range of cattle panel fence...which usually look very utilitarian.

The birds are great!

I will refer to your list, lininginoz, in the future. I also found it by google instead of your link. Is anyone going to winter sow? I can't even find space for the sale bulbs and plants I bought, but I may look through my seeds and do some milkjugs if only for my winter mental health. I go outside even in this weather; I can not stand indoors too much. I have ordered some books. Maybe I'll read or look through the huge piles of old gardening magazines that have piled up in my basement. The pictures in magazines are nice for ideas and dreaming. I have electic blankets plugged in for my old dog. It is a risk for Honey, the chewer, but so far he hasn't bothered them. I have the cords taped and hidden. Old Blackie just can't take the cold even though he has thick hair. I made a shelter out of a turned over black stock tank, leaves, and straw bales, but they won't use it. They use the dog houses with a heated throw and electric mattress pad. I have been looking for good u tube gardening videos. If anyone finds a good one, let us know.

Helen, I wish you had my pile of Fine Gardening. I can't bring myself to pitch them. I also have quite a library of gardening books that I like to go back and read now and then.

I won't be doing any winter sowing this year...except for what the plants dropped naturally. My plants made very few seeds this year...a first.

I do need to go over my seeds and see what, if anything, I need to order.

Don't pitch those Glenda! That's a great magazine. I'm tempted to beg for them but I'm afraid they would sit around. I barely have time to check my computer occasionally. I don't get much time to read books or magazines. If you ever decide to toss them, let me know.

Helen, YouTube videos are so short and good ones hard to find. They lack the depth I crave. If you find anything good let us know. I watch a program 'Garden Smart' on TV. Their sight has some short videos. I was using it this morning and found a book review that I then found at the local library. The only advantage of winter I can see is that all the gardening books are on the shelf at the library.
As another related subject you might consider Nova's science videos. I am finding that the total video for their shows are on line. Nova Science Now is also good if you are interested in bird brains and bird stuttering and the like. I don't know if these programs are system hogs since DH is a system hog himself and keeps our home network updated. The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies is there. I could not find the program on hummingbirds so used their search.
I am doing things that I am not really interested in like 'One Stroke Painting'. I cleaned up some clay pots to try it on. The books are from the library. The painting style is a little sweet for me. I hope it works out better then the 'What Ever' pot. I did that because I had a plant that looked like hair. Now I have this pot and you don't like the hair, you want a pretty plant lol! Some of my best successes have been with things I don't know what to do with and then finally figure it out. Hopefully the pot will end up like that or be the predecessor of a better one. I figure if a pot with a face or a painted flower that will take over after the plant gets eaten by bugs or dies in drought. The metal flowers we make fill the same purpose. "If you cannot grow it build it" could be our motto!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies

I like the pot now that she has a smile. The hair is fine, but after a while I would also try other things in there. My utube and short videos pause and start again. I think when my computer was new it didn't do that. There are different prices for broad band and I have the cheapest choice. I wonder if it is that or not updating software. Honey is sick and I am taking him to the vet today. I think I know what it is. I put canned milk in a bowl that was out dated Aug of 2010. I don't think it was bad, but I think he may have drunk it all. I hope that is it. He chews on stuff and eats unknown stuff that he finds. I have him locked in the bathroom now since he is not to be trusted inside. This isn't about gardening except it would be nice to get some gardening shows. HGTV used to have some but I don't think there are any now. Allen Smith doesn't fit my situation.

Helen the cheapest broadband is in no way fast enough for video. I have one step under the fastest and still occasionally have problems with video but not often. If you pause and let it download it may play through without stopping. After having high speed I don't think I could handle anything slower but I watch full length HD movies online with only a minor pause once in a while.