"And Windy has stormy eyes..."

And we've gotten both lately. I know this is Oklahoma - where the wind comes sweeping down the Plains - but give it a rest! It feels like we have 2 or 3 days of WIND...not wind, mind you...but WIND and then 2 days of storms. The winds are generally around 20-30 miles an hour, sometimes stronger, and when it rains, it RAINS. The other day we got about 4-5 inches in a 12 hour period. And that was just the latest in a long line we've had so far. The trees are bent in the wind's direction and the grass is pretty battered down. The farmers are crying...I know, farmers always cry about something...but this time they have reason. At least the wheat farmers do. They might get one or two good days to harvest then they have to wait another one or two to let everything dry out again. You walk outside and don't dare open your mouth most times because all you'll end up with is a mouthful of grit and dirt. Everything is dusty both inside and out - the house, the office, the people. Even the OK natives are saying they've had enough for now.

Okay...I'll stop whining and complaining now. *L* But speaking of OK natives...there was a piece on the radio the other day about how a transplanted Oklahoman knows they've really become a true Oklahoman and I'm rather proud to say that I've made it. *LOL* I can't recall everything they listed but I've definitely been within a mile of a big tornado (had two F5s pass closer than a mile on both sides of me when I lived in OKC), I've taken shelter in a small windowless room during a storm (different tornado), I've been a good Samaritan (stayed with a lady I worked with while waiting for her son when her car died), and I know by habit which station to turn to as soon as I hear the weather radio go off. I also know not to panic every Wednesday at noon when they test the sirens. Oh, and I've chosen a in-state college football team to root for....GO POKES!! *L* I reckon that makes me an Okie good enough.

It doesn't mean that I don't miss the water though. We have plenty of lakes and such but there's nothing like the ocean...and there never will be. And of course, I don't mean that big thing out west that has no personality. I'm talking about the grand old lady Atlantic. Now THERE'S personality and character! The storms out here can be awesome but still don't beat a good hearty Nor'Easter blowing in. Out here the storms eat wooden houses....back East they chew concrete and spit it back out! *G* And I guess that's enough waxing nostalgic about my ocean. *sigh*

Sadly, we lost two fish within a day of each other recently. One of our fruited tetras and one of our Sunburst wags passed away. I hope there isn't something going on in the tank. We have very nice fish at the moment and I'd like to keep them that way. It still leaves us with 3 fruities, 2 Sunbursts, 2 chefs, Deamon the angelfish, a few guppies, all 6 of the Glowfish, and Al...who is huge and sassy as ever. Richard swears Al is a girl because every time we clean the tank, Al redecorates. Doesn't matter where we put the plants and rocks, Al moves them to where ever he wants them to be. And for a big old carpy looking thing he sure is cute when he tucks himself across the bubble curtain stone and gets his spa treatment. *L* He's quite spoiled and quite happy to stay that way.

Another not-so-happy thing - I think our rose bushes have aphids. Looks like a piranha went chewing on their leaves, the poor things. The yellow bush is leafless at the moment and the pink/white bush is fairly chewed up too. We put some stuff on them to take care of the bugs, any diseases, and to feed them. Just waiting to see if it works. Most of the other plants are doing well. Ruby seems to be dropping some of her leaves but I fertilized her the other day as well and I'll see how she does with it. We can't really plant anything else at the moment - anything small or young will get drowned before it can take hold right now. The tomatoes seem to be loving the storm-heat cycle though.

Well...I think my head is empty for the moment so I'll hush for now. Back again soon if I don't blow away or float away. *LOL*

"Parsely, sage, rosemary, and thyme...."

What is it about Lowe's lately that I can't seem to walk in there without walking out having bought some new living thing???? *L* Yesterday we went in for sandpaper and a water filter and left with two rose bushes, a pot of tarragon, and a pot of rosemary - but forgot the sandpaper! *LOL* I did get pics of the new roses and the new herbs and they've been added to the photo album site in the House Flowers album.

We took a good long look at Lucy (the bush I was growing from a cutting) and found that she wasn't rooting at all....absolutely nothing. In fact, she was drying up before our eyes. Luckily we saw her at Lowe's yesterday so...yep...back to Lowe's this morning. *G* Remembered the sandpaper this time and, of course, came away with a new Lucy. We found out that she is actually a Golden Euonymus and in the winter the golden edges of her leaves will turn red! She's a beauty and she had a nice dense root ball when I transplanted her so I'm hoping she'll grow like crazy. I'll have to keep her well pruned since I have her in a container - I'm going to try keeping her sort of round. We've discussed having Richard build another planter and maybe putting an azalea bush in it. I've loved azaleas ever since the house on Bedford Road.

I wasn't able to find any thyme but I'm still looking. I'd also like to grow some sage. That would give us a very nice basic selection of herbs to cook with. I've really gotten into fresh herbs thanks to the Food Network...especially Rachel Ray. She's annoying most of the time but she has some decent ideas and she almost always works with fresh herbs. I've become quite addicted to the taste in my foods anymore. *LOL*

And Aunt Cawnin...the sunflowers wouldn't do well in a container so we're deciding where we might like them in the yard. Once we pick a spot we'll have to check the drainage and such but our goal is to get them planted when we can!

I reckon that's about all for now. Just wanted to update everyone on the new plant babies. *L* Oh...and the yellow roses look like they're about to burst into bloom....once they do I'll get some photos.

"Where have all the flowers gone..."

Okay...finally got it done. I was going to put the pictures of the house flowers here on the blog but in my opinion there are a few too many for here. Anyways...I've put them into an album on our photo site:

http://no1shome.myphotoalbum.com

Just look in the album titled House Flowers and you can see pictures of all the gals and guys that are growing around here! Or at least....the leafy ones. *LOL*

Let me know what you think! Here's a little sneak peek! *G*

"Feelin' hot, hot, hot..."

Whew...yesterday was a scorcher...hot and humid and totally ICK. The kind that makes you feel queasy whenever you step out into it. Today we've got the "Oklahoma breeze" going though and the temps aren't quite as high. A MUCH more pleasant day! *L*

The flowers and plants are undecided about the weather right now. I got a cutting from a woman I work with, Starla, of a bush that she has in her yard. It has pretty little leaves that are yellowish-green with a thin dark green border and I named her Lucy....not sure why but the name seems to be perfect. Richard built a wooden planter for her and though she's kind of small right now, she seems to be quite happy in her new home. She's on the back patio just outside the sliding doors and I think when she grows her color will be beautiful against the brick of the house. Laura put her tomato plants out and I think we'll be 50/50 on those. The smaller plants seem to be getting a bit wilted but the larger ones are enjoying the sun. We also put several different kinds of flowers and leaves in two pots in the rock garden out front (where the lighthouses are). Those plants look like they're doing well so far - they get a break from the sun in the afternoon when it drops behind the house. And the pansies on the other side of the garage door are doing fantastic. They seem to just eat this warmth up and bloom like crazy. I'll see about getting some pictures and post them up for everyone to see. Now all I'll need is for my little gardener man on Lookout to plant his sunflowers again and I'll be a happy girl! *L* Still pretty envious of Pete and Linda's tulips though - I just can't seem to get tulips to grow for me. Linda's are gorgeous - she has them planted all along the fence on the side of her house and she has colors ranging from a deep butter yellow to a black-red. Pete also got some pretty lavender and pink ones to bloom this year. Some teenaged girls walking through the neighborhood picked a few of them and Linda wasn't too pleased with that but she's still got plenty of blooms.

Hmmm.....maybe I should have titled this post something with flowers....."I'll give you a daisy a day Dear, I'll give you a daisy a day...." *LOL* I'm out for now! SNOOTCHIES!!!!