Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Garden Window, Blog Anniversary

I started blogging October 1, 2008, and this is my 670th post.  Wow, it's been four years!  I have noticed I don't post as often as I used to, partly because a former student talked me into starting a Facebook account so I could see her photos.  Little did I know that I would end up there almost every day.  It is fun, though, and it is cool when both local and blogging friends end up interacting and liking each others' statuses.

All of the plants in the garden window spend the summers outside. 


Not too long after coming inside for the winter, the holiday cactus plants start blooming. 


I looked at some past posts, and am pretty sure this is the 'Caribbean Dance' I got two years ago.


This looks to be the 'Dark Marie' I got three years ago.


I have been having pretty good success overwintering rosemary in the garden window.  I think I usually put the aloe vera on the shelf in the toy room, where a number of other house plants are.  The poor parsley plants should have been put into a larger pot, but I kept forgetting to.  Maybe I will get that done one of these days. 

Can you see the moving van in the street, and the bird feeder on the window?  We've heard that the guy who owns the house across the street where I attempt to have a second vegetable garden may have a buyer for the property.  Some neighbors said the renter had moved.  I never saw anything going into or coming out of it, so I don't know what was going on with it.


I've had the bay plant a number of years.  It had some problems this summer, but is looking better now.  I've used a couple leaves for cooking the past couple of weeks.  That's a third rosemary next to it.  I dump any unfinished water, coffee, or tea onto the plants each day.  The best way to keep rosemary alive through the winter is to keep it from drying out.


 It's always a fun surprise to me to see those buds forming on the holiday cacti.  I love it!  This one is 'Naomi', and I've had it longer than the first two.  When I looked at the past posts, I saw that this has bloomed earlier than this before.


Here's a sparrow eating the safflower seeds in the feeder.  When we had sunflower seeds in it a few years ago, the squirrels somehow got to it and knocked it down so the seeds would spill onto the ground for them to eat.  Later in the season, we should see house finches, juncos, and I can't remember what else right now.


I am so glad the election is over, and the ads are finished!  I think politicians should consider only posting about themselves and not their opponent, or at least don't have the same ads multiple times a day, day after day.  This is a garden blog, and I don't talk about politics here normally, but the ads, and some of the things I've seen on Facebook lately have bothered me.

I like what Obama said in his acceptance speech about us having the right to disagree and argue with each other, because in some countries they don't have that right.  Still, it is not useful or helpful to call someone names because they disagree with you.  The word that bothers me the most is, "hater".  It seems to me that someone who uses that word is being hateful. People, let's agree to disagree agreeably!

I really hope the politicians start working together for the good of the country.  We need to be more loyal to the country than our political party.  Let's forgive each other for having ideas or opinions we don't like.  Larry and I disagree about a multitude of things, but don't hold it against each other.  I've mentioned that there probably is not a person who thinks exactly like anyone else on all there is to have opinions about.

OK, I better quit.  Folks affected by Sandy, I am still thinking of you and praying for you.  I see on the news that some of you are getting snow now.  I am so sorry you are having to go through all of that!  I hope you are finding safe, warm places to be.

24 comments:

  1. Hi Sue, i share with you the experience on FB. We started almost at the same time, but i haven't checked my posts not even know the month i got in, haha! So we are 4yrs here now, and i appreciate the friends from all over the world, and the goodwill we spread in the cosmos!

    I love your Cactus, which unfortunately wants subtropical temps, so i can't grow it in our hot climes. And, is the background you used here your plants? Those are marvelous yellow plants! very beautiful.

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    1. Hi Andrea, Yes, the plant is amsonia hubrichtii. I love the fall colors of it.

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  2. I used to overwinter Rosemary years ago when I had a greenhouse--it really thrived in there and would get to shrub size. Bay is one plant I've always wanted to try, but they are extremely hard to find--I've been unable to find one locally.

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    1. Hi Sue,
      I don't see bay plants often, either. I hope this one hangs on for awhile. It doesn't look as good as it used to.

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  3. Well said Sue, it's time to work to get along. I don't have flowering houseplants not since I had a cat, but, I could now and might. They used to be a big part of my winter gardening when I lived in MO. But, it was colder and snowed a lot. I can go outside here and actually garden in much of the winter. Btw, I have a 6 foot tall bayleaf tree in a container that I put in the shed when it gets below 28 and then put back outside after it warms again. That means a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with a big plant! gail

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    1. Yes, Gail, Please enjoy that longer growing season for those of us with shorter ones. Wow, do you remember how many times you've transplanted your bay plant, or, was it already large when you got it?

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  4. Your window garden must bring such joy during the cold Winter months.

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn, I do enjoy having that window, and usually plant tomato and pepper seeds to put there after they come up in March.

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  5. Well congrats Sue!! It is amazing to look back and see how many years we have been at this stuff. LOL! I have always loved your garden window. Your cacti are so pretty in it. Mine are starting to bloom too already. I love your Dark Maria. So pretty. Have a wonderful week.

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    1. Thanks, Lona, I hope the winter days go by as quickly as these fall days are, so that spring will not seem to take too long to return.

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  6. I love your garden window Sue. I used to have all sorts of houseplants, but don't have any now because (a) we have cats and (b) our living areas are all on the north side of the house with no direct sunlight.

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    1. Thanks, Jayne. Sometimes I think I have too many houseplants. The ones in the toy room don't get as much attention as the ones in the garden window.

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  7. Congrats on your anniversary. And I understand about the facebook attraction. It looks like your ready for winter. I am glad the election is over too. I look for tough times ahead. We are blessed to have employment and family. God Bless.

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    1. Thanks, Greggo, I hope the legislators start working together.

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  8. Congratulations and here's to many years of blogging to come.

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    1. Thank you, Jason! Sometimes I wonder how long I'll keep finding things to post about.

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  9. Such a nice plant window. Those Christmas cacti are pretty in there.
    Happy blog anniversary!

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  10. What a lovely thing to have that window to look at during the winter months.

    Congratulations on your 4-year anniversary!

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    1. Thanks, Glenda, I don't have it as full as I sometimes do, and like it the way it is.

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  11. I just love your window Sue! I also have a bay bush in a pot which I just brought inside. This will be its first winter indoors - hope it does OK. I don't have such good light as you do with that bay window set-up - what a great place for sun-loving plants. Happy anniversary!

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    1. Thanks, Rebecca, I hope your bay does well this winter. I don't think they need a lot of light. In fact, I'm thinking they don't like direct light very well.

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  12. Congratulations on 4 years of garden blogging. I started in the spring of the same year as you, but it will take me a lot longer than you to get to 670 posts. Now I feel like a slacker blogger. :)

    Your Christmas cactus look great on the windowsill. My Dad had a very old one that he kept alive for a long time, sunning itself outdoors in the summer, and on a window ledge over winter.

    I really like your little bay window for the herbs. Is it in your kitchen? It's so convenient with lots of sun for the plants.

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  13. What a beautiful and well grown potpourri of plants. I can just smell the rosemary and parsley. I'm from Australia where we wouldn't think of not using them in all our mash potatoes. Just try it once and you'll become infatuated with growing. And it was a sight to see such beautiful Christmas Cactus before Thanksgiving. Nice job.

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I welcome comments and questions from anyone, including those who do it anonymously. Some people find my posts by doing searches, and I like hearing from them. I guess spammers won't even read this message, but I will delete spam as soon as I see it.