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shellyinphx · Long Lost DiMera Daughter

Whats new

KaeEll · Original Soap Dish Diva

I'm drinking my coffee now too. Just got up a little while ago.

Shelly, if you FEED the squirrels, they'll leave the bird food alone. I've done battle with those little guys for ages, and it's the only solution I've ever found. I always throw out my stale bread each morning, and a handful of Ted's almonds. The scramble onto the front porch, Chloe sits at the window and watches them. Cute.

As for flowers, the bulbs might take longer to establish than annuals, and you say you're moving away soon, so I'd plop in a few flats of bright annuals. Begonias, impatiens, pansies, alyssums, whatever catches your eye at the nursery. What exposure do you have in that area?

We have garden chores today too. The snow came so early last fall that leaves didn't get raked up completely, so there's that to do, a tall hedge to clip, the good garden furniture to drag out of the garage. Then we're heading out to Erin, about a 45 minute drive, to our friend's organic farm for his maple syrup. Yummy stuff, and he makes it right there on the property. Now I know why the stuff is so expensive! He doesn't have any honey this spring as last summer was too something or another and the bees weren't very productive.

Nick went off to a poker game in the suburbs last night and stayed over. Tony's back from California now, late last night, Mike's working furiously on another linguistics project for school, Ted's at his desk downstairs doing tax forms.

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

I'm drinking my coffee too, not only in an effort to wake up, but also to wash down my throatful of pollen. It is NASTY here lately! I woke up the other morning with what I thought was a blossoming virus (sore throat) when my husband told me that it was probably the pollen, and he was right.

Everyone's cars are coated in yellow, and my husband (who has a convertible) found that the INSIDE of his car was coated with big CHUNKS of the stuff, after he had put the top down the other day, during his home commute.

I need to address some outside stuff too, but there's so much that I barely know where to start! We put off doing a lot of what SHOULD have been done last year because we thought that the wretched MIA handyman was going to do it, and also because of my husband's disc surgery; he couldn't lift or pull stuff. Now, it's just overwhelming...

KaeEll, I don't know what summers are like in Toronto, but because Washington, DC is literally built on a swamp, it's very tropical here; hideously hot and humid once summer hits in its full glory. This means that major yard chores need to be accomplished while the heat is still bearable because NO ONE wants to be outside doing major work anytime from late June through the end of August!

Looks like I'd better get myself another mug of liquid energy...

PS -- Shelly, KaeEll is right about the impatiens! They're a great way to put a splash of color in your yard, they're inexpensive, they grow quickly, and you can hardly kill them. The one thing they like is to have a little bit of shade rather than full beating sun all day long. Bulbs can be expensive, depending on what you're buying. If you have a full-sun area, a package of mixed-color daylilies might be a good solution. You can usually find them for a good price, and if they're planted soon, they'll be up in time to enjoy this summer.

-- Edited by Moore ideas at 10:21, 2008-04-26

jessicad52178 · Jessica Almighty

Hello to my favorite green thumbs! I envy you guys with your gardening prowess. I'm not very god, of course I've alwas had "special helpers" . I don't think that helps a lot. I'm just hanging out considering a night out with the girls maybe. I need to see if there is anywhere around that does karaoke on a saturday, because I'm not a big drinker. I'd much rather just go have some soda (my new treat now that I've cracked down uber hard on my dieting) and karaoke .. or maybe dance preferably karaoke though.

KaeEll · Original Soap Dish Diva

Since I last popped in here, I've been struggling with Google Earth, trying to find that satellite picture of our old house at 966 Janet Lane, Lafayette, California. Tony drove by it on his way to the San Francisco airport yesterday and said that he looked at in online first. It's the house he was born in, well the house we took him to live in right after he was born in the John Muir Memorial Hospital in Walnut Creek.

Anybody more proficient at navigating that site? I'm all alone here, and my techie guys are out. I really would LOVE to see our old place. Tony took pics of it, but he's on a super short leash now that he's back home and hasn't time to send them to me.

Help???

Moore, we have Manitoba maples here blooming away, causing all kinds of pollen and sneezing fits. I wake up with cotton mouth and a pounding head from the dratted things. But it's spring, so I can't complain. Summers here are beautiful, but we do get some hot and humid days in July and August, but never so hot as you suffer through in the DC area. We've visited my s-i-l in Silver Spring many times in August, so I know what you're griping about, lol. Too HOT!

jessicad52178 · Jessica Almighty

Sorry I'm no good at Google earth never even tried it.

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

KaeEll, I have Google Earth, so I'll take a look for you.

I have so much to do today that I'm probably going to pass up the chance to go see Aidan Turner (Aiden on AMC) who is going to be a couple of miles away from our house. Now, if it were Adam Chandler or Tad Martin, I'd be over there in a flash!

PS: I see it, KaeEll. There's also a Carol Lane, and a Marlene Drive nearby. I think that I can tell which house was yours, although Google Earth's markers are sometimes in the middle of a neutral area (in between two houses) rather than right at the spot you're trying to identify! The house that is sort-of marked as yours (and it's a bit difficult to tell where Janet Lane is because it seems to morph) appears to be on the top of a curve, as it turns back toward Carol Lane. "Your" house appears to be shaped like an open V at the back, and is very close to a traditionally-shaped house. HOWEVER, it's hard for me to tell -- maybe the V-shaped structure is attached to the other house, although it looks like there might be some trees in between the two.

Lots of trees, KaeEll. Very pretty area!

What has been your difficulty with Google Earth? Are you having trouble zooming in? Let me know, and maybe I can help...

-- Edited by Moore ideas at 11:42, 2008-04-26

Tess0707 · Senior Member

I have been very busy and productive this morning! I built shelves for the shed this morning. I stopped at Home Depot on my way home, and the gentleman in the shelving isle told me that I would be wasting my money if I did not go with plywood and use 2X4's. The cut the plywood for me, and this morning I have been outside with my saws, and darn if I didn't do a really good job. I only hit my thumb once with the hammer, and I pretty much used screws to install it.

I then started bringing things into the shed. Unfortunately I tripped over a hose going down my basement stairs and managed to twist my ankle pretty good, so I put that project on hold and proceeded to mow the back yard, I have a riding mower.

I hope that we get some rain up here, everything is so dry, and the lawns and trees really need it to be able to finish-up their coming out of the winter.

I was supposed to do a telephone screen today for a candidate for work, but I put it off until tomorrow, I just don't feel like doing it, and I am going to treat myself to the entire day off from work. I have to get some stuff done tomorrow, and I already have another phone screen scheduled, so I figure I'll get it all done at once.

Shelly, do not plant anything outside until after Memorial Day. Even though the store have the flowers out, here in New England is notorious for late May frosts. I have also found that for some reason if I wait until the weekend after Memorial Day, the flats of annuals have much bigger plants. That extra week in the greenhouse really seems to make a difference.

I am a huge fan of impatients, mixed in with my perenials. They must have partail shade though. One flower that I have found really hard to kill, are petunia's. I tend to put two of them into a hold that I dig, it really fills out nicely, and as the plants mature over the summer, they don't look as scraggly as they grow taller.

Sophia

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

Last year, we planted "spreading" petunias in one of our flower beds, and they looked nice!

Another plant that I discovered about six years ago is carpet roses. They grow quickly like climbing roses, but are low to the ground, and can be used almost like a ground cover (although the main part of the rose is probably about 18" - 24" high). They're great for sunny locations.

I'm envious of your productive morning, Tess! I've been very slow to start today, even though there's a ton to do, and it's GORGEOUS outside. This pollen has made me feel very sluggish, but I don't want to waste the day...

KaeEll · Original Soap Dish Diva

Moore, that's it!! The house with the V shape - family room addition. We had fig trees and jasmine all over, also huge oleander bushes across the back. It was far too hot and dry to grow grass so we put in an ivy ground cover in front. 966 Janet Lane was at the crest of a curve, about half way to Carol Lane.

Could you e mail me link when you have a moment, please? I'm so excited!!

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

Hmmm... There's not really a "link" to email you, as far as I can tell. You kind-of need to go there yourself.

Go to Google Earth, and download the latest free version. Then, just put the address in at the very top left, where it says "Fly to". Google Earth will begin to spin, and take you to the basic area. What you do then is to zoom in, using the controls on the right (depending on your version).

I'm so sorry, but I don't see where I can send you an actual link... I'll keep looking, though, just in case I'm missing something.

KaeEll · Original Soap Dish Diva

Thanks, Moore. I did manage to see my old house with your helpful instructions, and then Tony sent me the photo he had taken of it yesterday morning. What memories!! Life would have been so different had we stayed in California.

Our old house in Lafayette ,California

-- Edited by KaeEll at 13:44, 2008-04-26

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

It's SO pretty, KaeEll. I just love the trees, and the front porch.

I wish we had a covered porch. It's a very "southern thing" to have, but I do enjoy our front patio nevertheless. You just can't stand out there during a great rainstorm to enjoy it!

I'm glad that you were able get Google Earth to work, and that you got that great picture in the meantime...

shellyinphx · Long Lost DiMera Daughter

thanks tess for the advice. I had forgotten that it does get darned cold here late...I would rather not waste this gorgeous weather digging things up anyways/

jojolin · The Naughty Bad Girl

Hey everyone! Looks like ya'll are all having productive days! I may get around and clean a little, but I'm content sitting on the couch for the time being watching the NFL draft.

How cool to see your old house, Kae! I would loooove to see my first house, that I remember anyway. But, it's been torn down. So sad.

I would really love to get a hanging basket or something for my front porch, since here in the apartmment, we really don't have a yard. Any suggestions? I'm afraid to do one right now though, with the spring snow storms we're having. I'll wait until June I think to do one.

Oh, Moore. That would be so amazing if you could go see Aiden Turner! What a cutie.

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

I skipped the event, Jojo... My heart just wasn't in it to begin with, and then my oldest daughter (in North Carolina) called, and we had a marathon chat (about two hours)! Somehow, "bonding" with my daughter was more important than driving five miles to see Aiden. LOL...

jojolin · The Naughty Bad Girl

Oh definitely! I'm glad you got some bonding time in with your daughter!