Posted by: JAK ®
03/04/2003, 17:30:32
Author Profile Mail author
|
Ramona,I must apologize for posting above your very nice, refreshing post on gardening. It is a much nicer thought than my somewhat tongue-in-cheek editorial just above. And we are thinking about doing just as you say...as soon as the 8 inches of snow melt from our gardens. :-) JAK
|
Posted by: ramona ®
03/04/2003, 17:48:59
Author Profile Mail author
|
We have daffodils, crocus, and pansies in full bloom. My flowering apricot is magnificent in it's double pink bloom show. And I only pray that our peach tree doesn't experience a hard frost or we will have no peaches this season. You see, our peach tree is already in bloom. Our roses are beginning to bush up nicely. Ah, spring is here again.Ramona
|
Posted by: rdl ®
03/04/2003, 19:19:03
Author Profile Mail author
|
Thank you Ramona,
Now I'm completely depressed. First I read JAK's little quip above and now I have to hear about peach trees in bloom. It was 2 degrees here last night and yesterday the wind chill was about -20. We are likely to be planting gardens in August at this rate.rdl
|
Posted by: JAK ®
03/04/2003, 20:52:11
Author Profile Mail author
|
Warmer air is headed east. We went from 4 (that moved east) to 48 today. Chicago was predicted to get 4 to 8 inches of snow. No garden planting there.
|
Posted by: JAK ®
03/04/2003, 20:47:49
Author Profile Mail author
|
Well, I am jealous. We will just have to settle for Longwood Gardens at Kennett Square, PA --the indoor gardens of course.
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/04/2003, 23:54:24
Author Profile Mail author
|
JAK, 8 inches of snow? Are you trying to taunt me or amuse me? Springtime in the Rockies, means snow, snow, and more snow. Tree bending can't find your mailbox drive with your parking lights on navigate by moonlight and treetops open the drivers door to see if you're still on the road snow! Here,we cannot plant until after Memorial Day. I have seen snow fall in all 12 months! 8 inches, indeed. The little yellow snow plow would laugh at such a sight! Tee hee. Victoria
;-)
Modified by jersey girl! at Wed, Mar 05, 2003, 00:02:37
|
Posted by: ramona ®
03/05/2003, 07:40:59
Author Profile Mail author
|
Complain about drought and then show off about the quantity of snow you receive. Ah, Victoria you are a fickle one.Ramona
|
Posted by: JAK ®
03/05/2003, 15:41:06
Author Profile Mail author
|
Vicki,First, I am so ashamed that our snow level is not up to your standards. But the Indianapolis Weather Bureau has 60 separate snows for this winter which is more than any other winter in the history of records at that bureau. IN ADDITION, February has had more snow than any other February in the history of Indianapolis. We were in Grand Teton National Park one winter a few years ago, and I know what you are saying. It’s all in the perspective. In fact we have friends in West Palm Beach, FL. When we talk about snow, they look at us with a blank face and say, “What’s that?” Then we had them up to Chicago one winter. They are now back in West Palm Beach. I like snow, I love snow. I don’t like snow plows removing mail boxes. They do that, you know. JAK
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/05/2003, 21:35:13
Author Profile Mail author
|
JAK, Unfortunately for you, I can snow-chat for a week and not run out of descriptor's. Yes, 8" is a little tame by Rocky Mountain- the ice build-up on your wiper blades won't get you home-bring the in dog or you'll have to dig him out in the morning or deal with a stiff- definitions for snow. I am not responsible for the standards-they are divinely determined-I simply put up with them. Rule #1 when you see the first snow flakes fall, put the snow shovel IN your house. It will do you no good outside the door the next day. Not here at least. Mail boxes...the little yellow snow plow does not attack mail boxes. However, there is a band of night rovers that squashes them with baseball bats on Saturday night. It is good to know, that vinyl mail boxes from Super Wal Mart :-) are not smashable. They do however fly farther than their metal counterparts. You will of course note that I worked in religion, social studies, ecology, science, art (the smiley faces), and Super Wal Mart (the economy) as I do not wish to be accused of chat. Bob forbid! Victoria
;-)
Modified by jersey girl! at Wed, Mar 05, 2003, 21:38:23
|
Posted by: JAK ®
03/05/2003, 22:04:48
Author Profile Mail author
|
Me think thou hast ODed on SNOW. On the matter of yellow snow plows, I must disagree. They hone in on poor defenseless little mail boxes. They hunt them down, they aim their frightening blades at them at break-neck speed and mow them down. If they should fail to make a direct hit, the snow is moved with such force that the little box is gone - history. I have seen it with mine own eyes (who else’s). You have no idea how vindictive, how aggressive, how independent, how belligerent, how warlike those yellow monsters with slicers can be. The economy (Wal*Mart) has not yet produced a mail box which cannot be destroyed by the snow plow. Indeed, it can turn 8 inches of snow into an avalanche. JAK
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/06/2003, 16:40:55
Author Profile Mail author
|
ON A TREE FALLEN ACROSS THE ROADThe tree the tempest with a crash of wood
Throws down in front of us not to bar
our passage to our journey's end for good,
but just to ask us who we think we are. Insisting always on our own way so.
She likes to halt us in our runner tracks,
and make us get down in a foot of snow
debating what to do without an ax. And yet she knows obstruction is in vain;
We will not be put off the final goal
we have it hidden in us to attain,
not though we have to seize earth by the pole. And, tired of aimless circling in one place,
Steer straight off after something into space. -Robert Frost
|
Posted by: JAK ®
03/06/2003, 22:32:34
Author Profile Mail author
|
What does this have to do with snow? I will explain.Recently, our own Victoria made reference to the Rocky Mountains, and I began to wonder about when a mountain is a mountain and not a hill.
We will never answer this one. Most American geographers refer to a hill as a natural elevation that is smaller than 1,000 feet. Anything above 1,000 feet is usually called a mountain. In Great Britain, the traditional boundary line between hill and mountain is 2,000 feet. Still, some geographers are not satisfied with this definition. Hill conjures up rolling terrain: mountains connote abrupt, peaked structures. A mound that rises two feet above the surrounding earth may attain an elevation of 8,000 feet, if it happens to be located in the middle of Victoria’s Rockies, whereas a 999-foot elevation, starting from a sea-level base, will appear massive. For this reason most geographers feel that mountain may be used for elevations under 1,000 feet if they rise abruptly from the surrounding terrain. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hill may refer to non-natural formations, such as sand heaps, mounds or even molehills. A mountain in the Rockies might hardly be noticed, while a hill in the mid-west might seem like a mountain. Hence, snow 8 inches of it in some places seems like more than 2 feet in other places. JAK
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/06/2003, 23:16:51
Author Profile Mail author
|
Hi JAK, Your post finds me in a much needed light hearted mood. This is how you know...the dog you left outside is the hill, the fourteener in the background is the mountain. Victoria
;-)
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/06/2003, 23:43:28
Author Profile Mail author
|
Hello again, JAK, Following are excerpts of an essay written to save a historical building in a rural area. I hope it gives you a taste of country attitude and I hope you like it. Some words necessarily changed for this format: "It is weathered and worn from use. Its floors have felt the shuffle of boots, dancing feet and roller-skates. Its walls have echoed the call of the auctioneer, the clink of champagne glasses, the call to order of the business meeting and scout meeting, of voices raised in hymn and the music of life. Its windows have mirrored love, patriotism, art, fellowship and the pioneering spirit that created the rural community it calls home. It was built to serve, it was built to last." "The people who live here today share a common bond with those first families who settled it so long ago. They are people who appreciate a patch of land with enough space for horses to run and a healthy environment for children to grow. It isn't easy to live here. Inspite of creature comforts like backyard spas and the convience of teleophones and automobiles, the people are humbled each winter as storms blow in bending tall pines and making a simple trip to the mailbox impossible. They hunker down and ride them out. Many leave after their first winter, it takes a certain brand of folk to stay." "Perhaps the pioneering spirit of the 90's has not so much to do with forging the future but of preserving the past. The desire to live in a small community where store keepers greet customers by name, where clergymen are involved and accessible, where teachers are valued, where a scout uniform commands the respect that it should from adults, and where children can grow upright, cusioned by realities learned too soon in today's cities and suburbs. The community, to many of it's residents provides solitude and safe haven from the fast pace of life just outside of the tree line. Like it's counterparts, this building serves as a symbol, a rustic sentry guarding a way of life that is fast disappearing from the landscape of America. To preserve it, is to preserve ourselves."
Victoria
Modified by jersey girl! at Fri, Mar 07, 2003, 00:22:40
|
Posted by: rdl ®
03/07/2003, 06:56:08
Author Profile Mail author
|
I was gratified to learn this morning that there is indeed a place colder then New England. ...just wanted to say I've been enjoying your exchanges, JAK and Vicki. Ramona?...you I don't want to hear from, oh witness to blossoming peach trees. ;-)
rdl
Related link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2783941.stm
|
Posted by: ramona ®
03/07/2003, 16:06:02
Author Profile Mail author
|
Then I won't mention that today was 70. ;-P I wore a multi-blue checkered sun dress, brown sandals, and silly blonde pigtails. Oh, did I mention that due to the 4 inches of rain that fell the night before last, we are flooding all over the place? After 4 years of severe drought, Lake Lanier is 1 foot over. Ramona
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/07/2003, 18:58:11
Author Profile Mail author
|
Hello rdl, This information came up on my AOL news. Amazing, huh? I'm glad you are liking the peaceful and pleasant exchanges, me too. You must read everything. ;-). As for Ramona, her post brings to mind an old song... "You're the cutest thing I ever did see, really like your peaches wanna shake your tree" Of course I have no empirical evidence regarding the cuteness of Ramona, it is merely a belief. Victoria
|
Posted by: Gunnar ®
03/16/2003, 05:40:51
Author Profile Mail author
|
What is this "snow" stuff some of you are talking about? I never see any of that stuff where I live in Sacramento. We had a particularly mild winter this past winter. There were only a handful of days that I thought it necessary to wear a jacket outdoors, and a very light jacket at that. I should tell you though that being originally from Norway, I'm quite comfortable in shirtsleeves at temperatures at which most of my acquaintances think I am crazy for not donning a jacket or sweater. Still, I stand by what I said about the mildness of this past winter. There were days even in late December when I observed some people Christmas Shopping while wearing shorts (though some of them were also wearing jackets or sweaters at the same time, which I found somewhat perplexing).Gunnar
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/04/2003, 22:20:06
Author Profile Mail author
|
The Regal Ramona writes:For those interested, now is a great time to start the garden plants indoors. Victoria shares a helpful hint: You can use your kiddie pool to start your garden indoors.
The Regal Ramona advises: They will be coming along nicely, just as the last frost hits. Last frost? We're talking JUNE round these hills! Thus spake the fair and precious,
Victoria
;-) p.s. yes, yes, milady...this was a puff post!
Modified by jersey girl! at Tue, Mar 04, 2003, 22:20:57
|
Posted by: ramona ®
03/04/2003, 22:31:40
Author Profile Mail author
|
Would it be too cruel to mention that it's 11 my time and still in the 50's? What a wench I am. But you will get your comeupance in the Summer when I will be glistening like a pig.Ramona
|
Posted by: jersey girl! ®
03/04/2003, 23:08:47
Author Profile Mail author
|
The Hot and Humid Ramona writes: Would it be too cruel to mention that it's 11 my time and still in the 50's? The Frigid Victoria replies: Only if 6 inches of snow had fallen over night and still hadn't stopped. Brrrr! Ramona taunts further: What a wench I am. But you will get your comeupance in the Summer when I will be glistening like a pig. Yes, but my hair will be straight without A/C! And yours? ;-) Thus spake the fair and frozen,
Victoria
Modified by jersey girl! at Tue, Mar 04, 2003, 23:55:17
|
Posted by: ramona ®
03/05/2003, 07:38:57
Author Profile Mail author
|
My hair will not only be straight come summer, but painfully flat. But then on my skinny bod, flat is commonplace. ;-)Ramona
|
Posted by: Jenny ®
03/05/2003, 12:55:16
Author Profile Mail author
|
Thanks for the topic Ramona!This year I get a 6' by 5' garden. Last year I had to share the space with another gardener, but this year it is all mine. I’ve been scoping out tomatoes and peppers at the nursery. Last year I did some squash but it took up too much space, so this year it will be a salsa/gumbo garden: Tomatoes, peppers, and onions. My city lost two of its inner-city lots that have been community gardens for years; development…sigh.
Modified by Jenny at Wed, Mar 05, 2003, 12:57:11
|
Posted by: james ®
03/16/2003, 18:15:12
Author Profile Mail author
|
Hello Ramona,
Thank you for your post! I have an interest in gardening. I actually started a small indoor garden. More like a forest! I have planted a variety of fruit trees, which may take a LONG time before anything happens. However, I found that some fruit trees or vines do NOT take very long, and make very beautiful house plants. For instance Passionfruit can fruit within a year of planting. Jackfruit can fruit within 18 mos of planting, which is a very short time for a fruit tree. I am sure that there are more...oh yea, tomatoes, cukes, strawberries don't take long either...
|
Posted by: ramona ®
03/16/2003, 19:46:18
Author Profile Mail author
|
Passionfruit? What type of Passiflora do you have? I planted a couple of seeds last years and will know what I have when it blooms. Oops, you mean I was supposed to remember what I planted?Have you ever tried a banana? Tyty has great trees for sale, both ornamental and fruiting. This year I will plant a couple of fruiting trees out back. I will also attempt a couple of Pawpaw's. You think you have a forest? I have a 4-5 foot poinsetta that I just can't bear to depart with. Orchids and hoyas are another addiction. Oh, I am so very hopeless Ramona
|
|
