Enough already: The election was over Nov. 4. We’ve had politics shoved down our throats for more than six months. Please, please take down the Jim Martin, Don Martin, Saxby Chambliss, Obama and Jack Kingston signs. Isn’t there a person working for the county who is supposed to take these signs down? He sure took down all my yard sale signs one year. And how about all those signs nailed to utility poles. What’s up with that? During my 16 years of living in Liberty County, this was the first election for which I voted early. I guess I secretly hoped all the ads, signs and bickering would go away.
Pine straw and leaves: Thank you Mary of Isle of Wight for giving me those seven barrels of leaves. Mary has lots more, but I need to rake some of mine right now. I put the ones she gave me in my “Cassia” quadrant and in the bed with my four citrus trees. Then on Tuesday, Jimmy Leonard of Hinesville called to say he had four big bags of leaves for me. I told him I couldn’t make a special trip that far from Lake George, however I have to pick up some photos next week and will contact him them. Thank you, Jimmy.
Right now, I really need pine straw to dress out my beds. I’m willing to come rake it, however, only in the Midway area. Thanks to all of you who recycle your leaves and pine straw instead of burning them. It’s incredible how many people burn them or take them to the dump. What wonderful “compost” these leaves become within a year. If you have even a 6-foot by 6-foot area in your backyard to make a “compost” bin, do it. It will be the richest soil for potting plants. Remember to shred your black print newspaper and put that in the bottom of your flowerpots to reduce watering.
State highway wish list: According to an Associated Press article on Dec. 7, more than 5,000 highway projects are ready to go if Congress will come up with $64.3 billion as part of an economic aid plan. That makes more sense than bailing out banks and automakers. The projects would provide jobs and help reduce crumbling roads and bridges. Hey, Hinesville mayor, maybe now we can get South Main resurfaced.
The state with the highest dollar list was Utah at $10.8 billion, followed by Florida with almost $7 billion, Texas with $6 billion, North Carolina with $5.2 billion and California with $5 billion. Out of our southern states, Georgia topped the number of projects with 319 at a cost of $1,933 million and Alabama was lowest on the list with 16 projects at a cost of $877 million. Let’s hope Santa grants this money.
Garden report: All this warm weather has made a lot of my plants and trees bud out early. My tulip tree is full of buds — the most ever — and my wisteria trees also are full of buds. I’ve been feverishly collecting seeds for the spring. Something I haven’t done before, but am trying this year is collecting plants when they turn brown and dry out. My formosa lily has an awesome seedpod, as does my lions ear plant. Even the seedpods of Confederate roses are great to put in a dried arrangement.
I “rescued” two pindo palm seedlings Tuesday — one at the base of an oak tree, which is 3 feet tall, and the other about 12 inches from inside the frond of my mama pindo palm. I put them in 3-gallon pots.
My century plants are flourishing, as are all the Carolina jessamines that I dug up and planted in pots. I have one great honeysuckle in a pot on a trellis and plan to dig up more. They are all over my fence. At our plant sales, honeysuckle is really a favorite since it’s native. Virginia creeper is another awesome plant, which vines around trees and turns blood red in the fall.
I also managed to plant seeds from my mahonia, which blooms beautiful yellow flowers in December and produces five nice plants. I know that I will definitely have to spray my chinaberries, mulberries and fringe tree with Neem oil, since they became infected with a scale. I just can’t spray with rain pending.
Take time to walk around your yard and search for plants that have come up from a bird dropping a seed. This is how I managed to accumulate so many lantanas. Enjoy nature and make sure you do everything you can to preserve it for your future generations.
Unwelcome visitor: Since I adopted a young male cat and I have a 12-year-old female cat that doesn’t get along with him, I keep my patio door cracked when I’m home to let them come and go and get their food as they please. I won’t be doing that anymore. On Tuesday night while watching TV, I heard a commotion in my kitchen but figured it was my male cat playing. Turns out he was bringing attention to a juvenile possum under my sink. I called neighbors in to help catch him, but had no luck. They advised me to turn off all the lights and take refuge in my bedroom in hopes of luring him to a bowl cat food on my deck. I finally got up the courage to turn my kitchen light on to see if the possum was gone and he was. This is one of the perils of living in the south. I will definitely set my humane trap to catch this little guy and take him to Lyman Hall Road to release him.
Pine straw and leaves: Thank you Mary of Isle of Wight for giving me those seven barrels of leaves. Mary has lots more, but I need to rake some of mine right now. I put the ones she gave me in my “Cassia” quadrant and in the bed with my four citrus trees. Then on Tuesday, Jimmy Leonard of Hinesville called to say he had four big bags of leaves for me. I told him I couldn’t make a special trip that far from Lake George, however I have to pick up some photos next week and will contact him them. Thank you, Jimmy.
Right now, I really need pine straw to dress out my beds. I’m willing to come rake it, however, only in the Midway area. Thanks to all of you who recycle your leaves and pine straw instead of burning them. It’s incredible how many people burn them or take them to the dump. What wonderful “compost” these leaves become within a year. If you have even a 6-foot by 6-foot area in your backyard to make a “compost” bin, do it. It will be the richest soil for potting plants. Remember to shred your black print newspaper and put that in the bottom of your flowerpots to reduce watering.
State highway wish list: According to an Associated Press article on Dec. 7, more than 5,000 highway projects are ready to go if Congress will come up with $64.3 billion as part of an economic aid plan. That makes more sense than bailing out banks and automakers. The projects would provide jobs and help reduce crumbling roads and bridges. Hey, Hinesville mayor, maybe now we can get South Main resurfaced.
The state with the highest dollar list was Utah at $10.8 billion, followed by Florida with almost $7 billion, Texas with $6 billion, North Carolina with $5.2 billion and California with $5 billion. Out of our southern states, Georgia topped the number of projects with 319 at a cost of $1,933 million and Alabama was lowest on the list with 16 projects at a cost of $877 million. Let’s hope Santa grants this money.
Garden report: All this warm weather has made a lot of my plants and trees bud out early. My tulip tree is full of buds — the most ever — and my wisteria trees also are full of buds. I’ve been feverishly collecting seeds for the spring. Something I haven’t done before, but am trying this year is collecting plants when they turn brown and dry out. My formosa lily has an awesome seedpod, as does my lions ear plant. Even the seedpods of Confederate roses are great to put in a dried arrangement.
I “rescued” two pindo palm seedlings Tuesday — one at the base of an oak tree, which is 3 feet tall, and the other about 12 inches from inside the frond of my mama pindo palm. I put them in 3-gallon pots.
My century plants are flourishing, as are all the Carolina jessamines that I dug up and planted in pots. I have one great honeysuckle in a pot on a trellis and plan to dig up more. They are all over my fence. At our plant sales, honeysuckle is really a favorite since it’s native. Virginia creeper is another awesome plant, which vines around trees and turns blood red in the fall.
I also managed to plant seeds from my mahonia, which blooms beautiful yellow flowers in December and produces five nice plants. I know that I will definitely have to spray my chinaberries, mulberries and fringe tree with Neem oil, since they became infected with a scale. I just can’t spray with rain pending.
Take time to walk around your yard and search for plants that have come up from a bird dropping a seed. This is how I managed to accumulate so many lantanas. Enjoy nature and make sure you do everything you can to preserve it for your future generations.
Unwelcome visitor: Since I adopted a young male cat and I have a 12-year-old female cat that doesn’t get along with him, I keep my patio door cracked when I’m home to let them come and go and get their food as they please. I won’t be doing that anymore. On Tuesday night while watching TV, I heard a commotion in my kitchen but figured it was my male cat playing. Turns out he was bringing attention to a juvenile possum under my sink. I called neighbors in to help catch him, but had no luck. They advised me to turn off all the lights and take refuge in my bedroom in hopes of luring him to a bowl cat food on my deck. I finally got up the courage to turn my kitchen light on to see if the possum was gone and he was. This is one of the perils of living in the south. I will definitely set my humane trap to catch this little guy and take him to Lyman Hall Road to release him.