You start.

My intro is on My Page linked above.

I'll add that right now I am trying out ideas re adding an organic lawn install/care component to my business. The more I learn, the less I know. Might not be this season! Also am looking into rain gardens and finding out all I can.
On Wed I was appointed to an open alternate's seat on my town's conservation commission - something I have wanted to do for some time. Also had my 25th wedding anniversary on Tues. - a happy week Next?

Ginger

{{gwi:1186165}}

The details of my life are quite. . . inconsequential.

spectre

Cop-out . . .

My details are listed on my member page. To get the latest, click on the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: The latest

My page has some information.

Squinting in the winter sun...

"I'll be back"

{{gwi:1186165}}

Ginger, very well. Where do I begin?

My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament.

My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian woman named Vilma ritualistically shaved my t-------s. There really is nothing like a shorn scr---m, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it.

spectre

I could of told all that from the picture ... Why did she have to ask ? ... Woman ?

Good Day ...

I think we are going to have to start a thread here or in the Tropicals forum on who is the real Spectre. I wonder if anyone can come up something close before we get to post # 100.....

As to who I am, it's pretty much all on my member page. I guess I could add that I feel lucky that I get up everyday to a job that I love. What would life be without landscaping???? Through it I have had the pleasure of opening up the world of plants to not only clients but also to so many unskilled employees who never in their lives had looked twice at a plant before working with me. To give these uneducated fellows a skill and self-esteem and pride in their work is as big a high as to design a beautiful garden.

Gosh, my life is tame compared to some people (Spectre).

Most of my knowledge comes from making big mistakes and reading anything I can get my hands on related to gardening in Texas, as well as listening regularly to two call-in radio gardening shows, attending gardening/landscaping seminars, and cruising around to all the gardening sites on the web.

My husband & I have been gardening since 1991. DH turned me on to gardening, when he became limited physically and could no longer play beep baseball or participate in judo.--He tore the main ligament in his left knee. We bought a duplex at that time that had no landscaping and a bunch of dead grass, and suddenly my husband became Mr. Turbo-Macho-Gardening man. DH started by using native plants and gardened organically.

I know very little about garden restorations. Regarding old house restoration, I have a fair amount of knowledge. In 1999, we moved a two story house built in 1902 from Brady, Texas to Austin, Texas. We've been working on this house ever since.

At our new old-house, DH installed an 85 ft. brick-on-sand pathway correctly, all by hand, all by himself. This required a lot of digging, measuring, leveling, etc., and it looks beautiful. I mention this because my husband is blind, but he doesn't let that get in his way.

I'll bite! I'm 44 (JUST!) and have a DH of (nearly) 20 years and two sons, 15 and 18. I've spent most of my life masquerading as a housewife--when in reality I am--not sure WHAT I am! I design and make jewelry, but have yet to find a place to sell it. I help put on large scale amateur musicals. (I'll include a link to our most recent production.) I get called in to advise my friends on color and paint selection...and garden stuff. I have a penchant for getting over-involved and over-committed--my husband Mike once made me spend 30 minutes standingin front of a mirror parcticng saying the word "no." I am SERIOUS. I am doing better since--but still slip up. (He thinks I need to start a "volunteers anonymous" program. Hello, my name is Melanie, and if it's a good cause I can't stop myself...)

OH--and I'm Landscape Design's self-appointed court jester.

And you people make me smile.

melanie

PS--if you go to the linked site--the first pic you see--I'm the woman in black whose back is turned to you. If you click to the "more photos" page and scroll down, I'm the "stylish stage manager"--the blonde. And if you got to hte "publicity photos" you'll se a pic of my older boy--he played Motel. The website hasn't been updated in awhile--the final total was over $72,000. Not bad for a "little show" put on in "Our Father's Barn!" The really fun part is we drew people from all over the community--not just our church.

Here is a link that might be useful: UCCH Fiddler on the Roof production for Friederich's Ataxia Research Alliance

my mom was a gardener who made me weed her gardens on a regular basis.(i recently told her this was bordering on abuse but she can't run afer me with the wooden spoon as quick as she used to) P.S. i love you mom........ as a result, all i ask of my boys is to keep the grass cut because nothing is worse than weeding someone elses garden when you don't want to weed in the first place. anyway, because of my mom's garden involvement (you kids keep those balls out of my G.D. hostas!) i aced my landscape classes at purdue. i wasn't a landscape architect, but we were required to take electives in related fields, and i was studying residential design. i've been in my 1927 brick 4 square for 21 years now. i got serious about landscaping my yard (not just planting things) about 12 years ago when we had our new (vintage looking) garage built. when the boys were young (i have twin 15 year olds and a 17 year old) i couldn't go anywhere, couldn't do anything, so i gardened in the yard while they played, making my yard a little vacation spot. i am my mother's daughter (boys, keep those G.D. balls otta my hostas). my back yard's biggest sore thumb is the half size black top, 2 goal basketball court. as soon as i can regain my back yard, the court is being reduced to one goal and half of that back top is coming out. we live in indiana so a basket ball goal in your yard is akin to a virgin mary in a grotto (God forgive me) i have way too many gardening and shelter mags from the 1920's and 1930's in my eternal quest for that holy grail of period gardening info. by the process of elimination, my yard is going to me on the local garden tour this june. the theme will be "yard verses kids" i hope i can keep it in halfway decent shape untill after the tour. i hope people will enjoy seeing a reality yard instead of a picture perfect speciman.

I'm just a small animal and exotics veterinarian since 1987 but a gardener all life long. I live on the now frosty shores of Lake Erie which gives me the advantage of having a microclimate in areas of zone 7-ish.

I like starlings and sparrows and everything else winged, webbed, furred, shelled, with or without scales. I do not take myself very seriously and am always trying to learn more about everything.

I like to play in the dirt and compost pile. I like to grow things and rescue things and fix things and help things. (Celebrex is my friend.)

{{gwi:1186167}}

That's it....

I'm a 27 y/old back to schooler currently majoring in chemical engineering. When not doing my homework I like playing with exotic plants in the front yard. Mostly things that are drought tolerant but underused in my area. Eventually I'll post some pics of my backyard and get some advice on relandscaping it with a tropical/edibles theme. You can see pictures of me and my family on my member page.

The Back Yard Guy is a 55 year old throwback to the old days. I was raised without the benefit of electricity or indoor plumbing. Even today, we have no television or radio. My gardening background extends back to age three, when the penny vegetable seed packages, in Dan Gurney & Henry Field catalogs set my heart a'twitter. I've been married for 35 years to the same wonderful woman. I have the unique distinction of having dropped out of highschool after my freshman year (never to return) and having a mechanical engineering degree.

At the age of 15, I went to work, full-time, on an oil drilling rig. During the years that ensued, I worked in the oilfield, construction jobs & farming.

Shortly before my 30th birthday, I wrote the president of a state university and told him of my background that I wished the opportunity to earn a ME. Two months latter, on my 30th birthday, I attended my first day of classes. Fours years later, I had my ME, with 8-semesters on the Dean's honor roll.

My wife and I have a small farm, which is home to abused/abandoned horses, cats & a dog.

The first day of autumn, 2002, I was building a fence. Suddenly, it was is if I were struck from behind with a baseball bat. Heart attack. I made it to ER, only to be struck again. I straight-lined that time. However, God still apparently had some unfinished business for me to complete. Today, I can stack hay and carry feed bags once more.

My great-grandfather, grandfather & father were all matercraftsmen (my great-grandfather immigrated here from Russia). I am attempting to emulate them with my landscaping business of crafting wood structures like arbors, pergolas, trellises, etc. I also install hardscaping like retaining walls, patios, flagstone walkways etc. I plant a lot of trees, and am currently attempting to purchase a truck-mounted tree spade to augument my business.

The link is a photo of me taken this last fall.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1186162}}

Perhaps this is silly, but here is a link of my first recorded gardening attempt at age four (51 years ago).

Larry

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1186163}}

BYG,
You were born to do great things, and you have. Gardening is just one of them.

And... you haven't changed a bit from that early photo. Still got the same twinkle in the ol' eyes. :)

Chicka3D-
Is that a baby starling?

SoCal23-
Love the idea (couldn't see any of the photos, unfortunately) of posting the twins sonograms! Big family for a 27 year old . . .

Larry-
Wonderful photos-you look like a Kansas man should! We are age mates - I was growing flowers(sweet peas and zinnias)with my grandfather and vegetables with my dad when I was 4, too - 1952. We had Dalmation dogs that liked to help in the vegetable garden - the mother liked tomatoes and her son favored cucumbers. It is said that you will be happiest if you can find an occupation involving something you loved doing before the age of 10 . . .

Ginger

Hi Ginger, Yes it is. I posted his picture by mistake. It was supposed to be one of a chickadee. :-)

You may be one of the few people besides myself who like starlings!

Cady, your gardening style sounds fascinating. You COULD tell a little more about yourself and how you got here!!!

Ginger- how cool! Do you happen to have any pics of you gardening as a little girl? I'd love to see them.

This is overdoing it, but here's a picture of our flower garden in 1960. That's me on the left, with my four brothers.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1186164}}

dang backyard guy, is that a cockscomb? i finished my carpenter's apprenticeship in 1984 after i got out of purdue. got my second degree in 80' in construction tech, so i like to build small wood projects like decks, pergolas, patio furniture and trellis'. today, i am an inspector for our local fire department. i'd like to post some pics if i ever can get this scanner to work............

Oops, too bad I linked to this thread instead of my member page!

Ginger, I wish I could figure out a way around the various things computers do to infuriate us. They're images from one of the new 4D ultrasounds so you can actually see their faces (especially the girl's).

I'll post the pictures of the garden area as soon as my wife teaches me how to use the digital camera:-)

Ryan

Yup, Mommacat, that's what it is. You are certainly a multi-talented person! Don't run across very many women who enjoy carpentry. By the way, I laughed & laughed about the dang ball in your hosta's. Somehow, I could clearly envision that!! Sure would enjoy seeing your pics.

Larry-
That's how my grandfather planted his flowers, too. Like vegetables - in wide rows. Is the woman behind the shrub your mother? (What is that shrub?) Twin brothers? Beautiful photo. I have none of me as a child in the gardens. Lots of snow pics, 'tho, coming from just south of Buffalo. I have a scanner but have never figured out how to use it.
G.

Hi Ginger. yes, he's my mother. Lilac bushes. Yup, they're twins. About the scanner...send me an e-mail telling what hardware/software you have. My wife is a very knowledgeable IT person...lost her job in the aircraft industry cut-backs. I'd bet that she can tell you how to use. She'll respond to your note.

May I join in?

I have always been a gardener. My parents started me at about 3 or 4 (I'm now 45....I can't possibly be that old!!!!) though our Northern California coastal climate and heavy clay soil limited what would grow. But the seed was planted and the fascination never ceased. Through college and moves to Hawaii and San Diego the passion only increased with length of the growing season. My husband (together over 17 years now), an actor, is a gardener as well and does amazing things with orchids and tropicals. IÂm the old cottage garden devotee but we've managed mix the two to great effect - despite Spectre's misgivings at mixing tropicals and other "styles" ;-). As a fine artist (who has a real job with a group of Architects...sigh), my garden only confirms that every color and every texture can and does work together, and that a garden is just another palette to paint.

Old house restoration has been my forte since college and the restoration of the associated old garden ended up being a given. I'm a wiz with power tools, tile work, floor refinishing, you name it, and have become a rather decent carpenter over the years. My grandfather was a fine cabinetmaker in Hungary (I'm first generation) so I guess that's in the blood. Our 1920 bunglow (employee housing built by Charlie Chaplin) was a disaster when we bought it, a former crack/flop house in a marginal Hollywood neighborhood. Over the last 6 years weÂve worked on restoring the house and the landscape simultaneously and have accomplished more than we ever thought possible. The "garden" consisted of front lawn, one rose bush, and one large cactus (since moved) and in back there was nothing but dirt, a few weeds, a GIANT dog house and trash. In other words, one big blank canvas just waiting for my extensive plans. My husband says the word Âpotential has horrible connotations for him now....but we'd both jump back in in a hearbeat!

Barbara

Hi Barbara, welcome to this forum - well, Ginger's forum, actually. Based on your description, you've certainly come to the right place. What kind of woodworking projects to you like to tackle? Don't forget to check out the woodworking forum too.

Hi Back Yard Guy!

My latest greatest was during my kitchen restoration - the PO had done some really interesting "cutouts" in cabinet doors to fit a fridge - big old chunks just cut out of the doors and framing, plus doors missing altogether, so I completely rebuilt those to match my existing 1920 cabinets, as well as revamping my California Cooler (sheet zinc instead of wire shelves-more sturdy). I've also rebuilt and restored sash windows that were destroyed and buried under drywall, replaced wrong mouldings, restored floors, etc... My next project will be to restore the glass doors to the dining room builtin-will have to design my own since I'm not sure what was there originally. After that my husband and I will be building a greenhouse from recyled windows, oh, and I've also built pergolas and and huge Arts and Crafts trellis, etc for the garden.

Barbara