Saturday, July 25, 2009

Petunias...

You'd think a master gardener would know better than this. Nope!!! I bought them, put them on the patio and this happened within days. You know I don't kill snails. I've kept this six-pack for over a good 2 months hoping for some sort of recovery. I recently decided I didn't have a prayer in hell. Yes, it's true, even the best of us fail at growing sticks.
~
XO ;)

59 comments:

MARIA said...

♥ Have a wonderful and happy Sunday, dear Suzanne!

Suzanne said...

Thank you my darling friend.

XO

Leah said...

Suzy, did you know that your petunias are actually little sticks?

; )

xo

Anonymous said...

I do so sympathise. Everone else is picking their abundant bean crop and mine look rather like your petunias.

Damn snails.

Abi said...

Did you magically sneak into my garden and take a photo? ;)

Mike said...

I have a brown thumb when it comes to gardening! I couldn't grow dandelions!

Cece said...

Now those look like my plants! HA HA HA HA

Karen ^..^ said...

Oh, boy... I have a homicidal caterpillar eating up all my plants on my back porch... I don't like pesticides, so I tried marigolds. But they like them too...

Yeah, I've got some sticks just like yours. :(

Megan said...

I'm cracking up. I can't help it. Leah's comment sent me over the edge...

Best of luck with your stick growing, Suz!

Skeeter said...

Hi Suzanne,

Don't ya just hate it when that happens? Too bad they won't let you keep a chicken or two there in the big city. They'll take care of pesky snails and drop off an egg or two in exchange.

Hey, congrats on winning those tickets. That sounds like a great time.

Best wishes,

Skeeter

Merely Me said...

I have what looks like a whole flat of petunias! Maybe now I'll just call it my "Petunia Patch"?!

Ha! Thanks for the idea! ;)

Merely Me said...

P.S. Did you catch this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?_r=2&em

:) Yea!! Happy Reading!!!

Suzanne said...

Thanks for all the terrific comments. I'll try to respond tomorrow. I had very, very bad case of low blood sugar/hypoglycemia yesterday and I honestly think I'm lucky to be alive. I'm still not thinking too clearly today, so writing seem like a chore. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I'll be able to respond to all the kind and funny comments. For now, writing seems like a challenge and I'm just no dmn good right know.

XO

MARIA said...

I wish you a bless day ♥

the walking man said...

I wouldn't call it a failure at growing sticks. actually it looks like your stick growing was pretty dang successful.

Mr. Shife said...

Wow. Now I don't feel so bad about all the plants I have killed. I am in the process of trying to kill some hydrangeas. It is really quite easy to do if you don't water them. Hopefully I can salvage them but I definitely was not born with a green thumb. Hope all is well and you are having a great week. And I will be curious to know what Sexy has to say after you find someone to translate what they typed.

Mark Sanderson said...

I've tried a similar experiment with lettuce on the balcony of my flat. Needless to say it's gone tits up.

Leah said...

Hope you're feeling better sweetie pie!

Suzanne said...

Leah,

Knock it off.

Suzanne said...

Cinnamon,

What bean crop? Do you have any zucchini?

Suzanne said...

Abi,

No. I've been there the whole time!

Suzanne said...

Otin,

Brown thumb. Hummmmmmmmmmmm. Look at your photo darling. It's all brown with an escavator. Baby, get out of that escavator and smell the roses.

Suzanne said...

Cece,

I know. Yours inspired this post!

Suzanne said...

Karen,

Isn't it funny how "they" just say to plant marigolds and all is forgiven. HA!!! What a damn lie. Snails love them too! Oh, and good luck with Ms. Caterpillar. No really, you don't stand a chance in hell.

Suzanne said...

Megan ~ Knock it off. Don't encourage Leah. She's trouble enough without encouragement.

Skeeter ~ WE CAN HAVE CHICKENS!!! We live in a lovely part of Carmichael with land and zoning law permits it. In fact our neighbors had them and a rooster used to wake me every morning. I LOVED IT!!! Then he didn't. I wondered about him and a stock pot and that made me sad. My chickens on the other hand would live forever. If they dropped and egg or two, great. If not, great. I love chickens. Why? Because they're pretty and funny!!! Now you would think I live in rural America. Nope. In a gorgeous, established developement from the late 50's called Holby Hills or Holby Meadows. After 5 years I still can't figure out if I'm a hill or a meadow. Yes, both exists and both are lucky because zoning blessed the hell out of us! I want chickens!!!

And honey, if you want the tickets, they're yours. Long trip, but probably worth the effort. I can't go. XO

Sexy, Baby, how'd you make that square? Now see, I can't find that on my keyboard, but know it's on WordPerfect. I don't have time to go to WordPerfect, type, then post it here etc. *Takes Sexy's head in hand and firmly says, "Sexy, there are only 24 hours in my freakin' day and I don't have time to respond in a bunch of damn squares, so knock it off."* Oh, by the way, right back atcha!

Merelyme ~ You know darling, it's funny how so many people suck at gardening!!! Baby, I tried the link. Didn't work. I'll try again when I'm sober. Of course I'm kidding. No, it just didn't work because one of the letter/symbols was hacked off and I couldn't figure out what it was. I'll wing it next time!

Suzanne said...

Maria

And me you.

XO

Suzanne said...

The Walking Man,

I LOVE YOU!!! You are absolutely right. XO

Suzanne said...

Mr. Shife,

For Christ sakes man, I gave you comlete instructions on how to care for your hydrangea on a previous blog. People all across the world are benefitting from that comment, so what that hell's your problem? Changing a diaper or something? Pathetic. Don't waste my time mister. That just pisses me off!

About Sexy. I've tried to decode. I have no better hope tonight than I did 6 months ago. It's damn hard. I think she's just fucking with us. I do. I know I can access that icon on WordPerfect, but when I try to decode it, it simply comes up as a box. Hummmmmmmmmmmm. I'm now trying to figure out if there's a code in B. O. X. What?! You gotta think outside the BOX! What?!

Suzanne said...

EM,

I've tried lettuce as a decoy. It works brilliantly, but they eat through it an head over to my veggies. How rude! I've been waiting for a gorgeous tomato to ripen and it hasn't. Looked at it today and wondered why. Pulled it within eyeshot and realized some jerk had eaten a huge hole in it. How rude.

Suzanne said...

Leah darling,

Thank you. It's been a struggle.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Megan said...

Oh, sure. You love Leah to bits right now, but where's MY love?

;)

Mark Sanderson said...

Slightly off subjest, Suzanne - I found Conrad Earnest on google. I didn't have to look very far! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Earnest

Suzanne said...

Megan,

Come here my pretty little "painting" and let me give you a big old hug and smoooooch. I also have latte and crescents. You hungry? Oh, and some fresh blueberries. I bought a 3 lb. pack of them yesterday at Safeway for $5!!! They're from Canada and absolutely DELICIOUS. I've just been eating them like candy, but if you want whipped cream, stop by the store on the way over and pick up a small carton. See you in a few!

And darling, I LOVE that handwriting post. I'm going to take part, but I have to get the one I've had in the vault completed and up and running before I can justify playing around with a pen.

Love you Ms. M. I'll stop by to chat soon. Hope you're having a beautiful Thursday and also hope the blueberry truck made it to Southern CA!

XO ;)

Suzanne said...

This is just into the wind.

I'm about to meet a ranger from Discovery Park. She has two kitten that need to be adopted. She called me as a last resort before taking them to the pound. I would never allow an animal to go to the pound. She works at the park until 7pm and the ASPCA is closed by then, so only the pound in open. No. I would never let that happen. She brought the kittens to another state park where she worked today in hopes of getting them adopted. No go. So she called me. I'm off in a few minutes to collect them. Our house is so full and this is going to be a major adjustment, but I have amazing cats and T-Bone, so know everything will be okay for at least a few days, until I find a solution. My concern is always for the animals and I know both kittens have had a stressful day, so I want to bring them home and hope they find peace. They'll have wonderful food, air conditioning, a clean litter box and LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of new friends!!! Should be a fun time for all! I'll keep you informed. Cross you fingers and wish me luck. This is always a difficult time for me and our family. Just close your eyes and think about peace. Inhale. Exhale.

Wish me luck.

XO

Anonymous said...

Good luck ! x

Skeeter said...

Hi Suzanne,

Hope the new kittens are doing well and enjoying their new surrounds.

Best wishes,

Skeeter

bindhiya said...

Dear Suze,
Hope you having a beautiful day...
I loved them little sticks you are growing... they will be useful someday :)
am a bit down. so many of my friends are leaving town. three of my friends are going to Africa. then three of them moved to TX..
take care dear
♥ & ((hugs))
bindi

wv. wifer... what does that means??

Suzanne said...

Emerson,

I commented on your blog. Who knew he was so famous? Thanks!

;)

Suzanne said...

Cinnamon and Skeeter,

So far, so good. They're adorable and only 5 weeks old. Too young to be taken away from Mama, but that's just my opinion. I've taken photos and will post them because, well, you'll see! Thanks for keeping an eye on me and for caring. Would you like to adopt? No, not the kittens, me!

XOXO

Suzanne said...

My Darling Miss Bindi,

Hello! I'm having a beautiful day. Thanks for asking. I'm sorry to hear you're losing so many friends because that's never easy. I hope they stay in touch via email/blogs/snail mail/etc.

Thanks for your call the other day. I'm sorry I didn't return it. I haven't returned any calls all week because I've been ill, but hope to play catch up next week. So get ready!!!

I'm eating lunch and trying to blog at the same time and frankly, running out of time, so I've gotta check on some other friends before I finish my grilled cheese sandwich. I always make myself a promise: I will only sit here as long as it takes to eat my lunch. I've learned to eat very, very slowly. I hear it's good for the digestion and has absolutely NOTHING to do with wanting to blog longer!

Love you honey. Hugs and kisses to you, Serene and Noah.

XOXOXO

P.S. Almost every morning when I get in the car to go to the park I start laughing because I think of you driving. God, I'm just so proud of you. As you drive more and more your confidence will go sky high and you'll stop being afraid in probably 6 months or so.

Also, I visited Maria in Poland last night and had such fun. I love her blog and I love that woman. I accessed her Polish blog first and obviously couldn't understand a single thing, but had so much fun looking at all the beautiful photos. I saw a recipe for a cold tomato soup, but couldn't read it. When I visited Krystyna's blog I found it in English. THANK YOU GOD!!! I'm making it this weekend, so I'll let you know how it tastes. I also found a whole lot more on Krystyna's blog as usual and love to learn as I navigate. I enjoyed her post on raw food so much, and also the one on green. I think I'm going to invest in a juicer. I've wanted to buy one for a long time.

One more thing before I leave. You know how I love piano music. I didn't realize Maria's grandson is a concert pianist. Wow. I listened. Just beautiful. I actually closed my eyes and listened and felt complete relaxation. It was lovely. And as I type this, I'm looking at Maria because she commented first and guess what I finally realized? She's sitting behind a piano!!! DUH!

Love you Bindi. Happy Friday darling.

Suzanne said...

Bindi,

I love the photo of the back of your head. I think I've already told you so. Is that a current photo?

XO

Mike said...

I love it when you stop by! Late is more fashionable!!!

Suzanne said...

And I love it when you stop by!!! Otin, you're a damn hoot and that video is a classic! I can't remember who said it, but love the comment (and I'm paraphrasing) "I can't hear what you're saying over the music." That nearly killed me. The home video, the comments, everything, it's brilliant. I laughed my ass off. Honestly. I'd be too embarassed to post all the stuff from my teen years, but I'm so grateful when fellow bloggers do. It's a blast.

It's funny too because I raised the canopy of my 3 multi-trunk birch trees a few days ago and left the clippings on the lawn for Rob to pick up and put in the green waste bin. I was in the back yard and came in to discover a number of kitties hiding which of course meant the door bell rang. I looked out the window to discover a guy picking up a bunch of branches and stuffing them in his SUV. Tons of florist stop by the house and ask for clippings of all sorts of stuff. I assumed he was a florist and realized my front yard was a wealth of free white birch limbs and twigs. Good for him. Anyone who helps me take care of the yard is like a God to me!

Love you darling. And thanks. You gave me such a terrific laugh (you really have to post more). By the way are you Italian or Greek? I Googled your name in an effort to find out, but ended up LaughingMAO. Do me a favor. Just Google it. Oh, and your blog's #4! That's an honor after being a penis and FEMALE Islamic teacher. Good luck with that!

XO

Mike said...

Too many women, too little time! HA! I am Italian, although my Mother worked in a Greek diner, so you never know!LOL! I am also a 70's child, I was a teen in the 80's but I got to be a kid in the 70's, it was a great time, even though it was not considered a great decade historically!

bindhiya said...

Dear Suze,
Stay away from road when am driving... :) other day i was at the post office trying to park my little car in two parking spots. one police car was watching me (am not scared cause i know it may be one of them i know). it was Ann and Laurel. Laurel came to me and said "stay way, Bindi is driving" :)
I'll be back to reply..
now it is 12.30AM.
Have a good night dear
♥ & ((hugs))
bindi

Suzanne said...

Bindi, I love you so. What are you trying to do honey, kill me with laughter? Between car and cop stories I'm not going to make it!!!

You're just too funny.

XO

Suzanne said...

I was a teen in the 70's. How dare you say that decades was not historically significant. There are plenty of polyester shirts and blouses still available in second hand shop to prove you wrong. And honey, HAVE YOU NOTICED fashion lately? Bell bottom pants, wedge shoes, etc. Baby, get your damn head out of the Jersey dirt and open your eyes. It's reveal day. (Sorry. I've been watching too much "Clean House.")

Italian. I knew it. And by the way, I don't know if I actually said it "over there," but you were a really handsome teen and that was such a fun post. I hope you post more video because I had a blast and I love to critique! And by the way, I knew an Italian once! I was 16 and spent the summer working at the gorgeous Catskill resort, The Villa Maria in Haines Falls New York! Best summer of my life. And there he was...Anthony Trezza (yes,real name) from Long Island. 18 and so stunningly gorgeous even men had to stop and look. Honestly. He played bass with the band that performed every night at the "club." We fell madly in love instantly. I worked in the dining room and I'll never forget one day setting tables for dinner guests and one of the waiters, a guy who wasn't gay, and I watching Anthony walk by on his way to the laundry room. We just stood and watched him walk and my friend said "He really is beautiful." I replied, "I know." That was my brush with an Italian. Oh, forgot to add, he had long hair! Past his shoulders, and styled beautiful for his face. The man was simply gorgeous. You don't forget a man like that! It was the summer of 1976. I'll never forget it. And you'll probably never forget this!!!

XO

kylie said...

notice how i never talk gardening?
and i'm not about to start now. whn we bought this house 12 years ago it was over thirty years old and it was basically a house surrounded by grass. there was one silly conifer thing, a very sad azalea, a young but potentially glorious magnolia planted behind the garage where no-one can see it and that was about it.
well, i cant say i'm a gardener but a house and grass? no siree, nuh-uh, it might have been neat and tidy but it was also sterile and boring and just not me.( just as i wrote that i realised that maybe i just like to be surrounded by chaos because i created a chaotic kind of a garden and it suits just fine)
anyway, we set about digging up grass and putting in plants and today the place is unrecognisable.
i enjoyed picking the plants and deciding where to put them and to start with i enjoyed watering them too. then i realised that i would water and hubby would come home and water all over again, even when he knew it was done. it made me feel like my effort was wasted so i stopped watering and that was pretty much the end of my gardening career. i still do a bit of pruning or whatever but not too much......
anyway, i was here to tell you about italians, one particular italian to be precise....peter regenzani
only now i also remember anthony salvato. he was in my class right the way thru primary school. he was so cute. he looked great and he charisma to burn. i wonder if there was a girl who didnt have a crush on him......

hope youre having a nice weekend
k

Mike said...

HAHA! Sounds like they made "Dirty Dancing" about your summer! The thing that I remember about 76 was the Bicentennial celebration! I was 11 at the time, Ahhh, The Catskills, my skiing location for many years!

Suzanne said...

Otin,

Where'd you ski? Hunter, Windham or Bel Air? I know them all well. It's a small world, isn't it? Here, let me pick. You're coming up the thruway from NJ and want to get to the slopes as quickly as possible. My first instinct would be Bel Air, but nope, I'm going to chose Hunter Mountain. Why? Because people from the city seemed to love Hunter Mountain because it's a bit more challenging. Yes you have to pull Palenville Moutain to get there, but what a beautiful, scary freakin' ride!!! Especially as a kid because you think your parent is going to screw up, miss a turn and drive straight off a cliff or into a waterfall!!! I'm sticking with Hunter Mountain. Did you ever go to the Alps festival at HM in the summer? What a hoot. Did your family ever visit one of the big resorts like the Villa Maria for a week or so during the summer? Was I your activities counselor?!

You know what's so funny, I've never watch Dirty Dancing. I should. And it really was the best summer of my life. I'll tell you some funny stories when I have more time. Trust me, you'll laugh.

Otin, thanks for always stopping by. Getting to know you has been a blast and getting to know your friends, equally fun. We'll chat soon. Take care and have a great afternoon.

XO

Suzanne said...

Kyles,

You can garden?! What my dear soul, you think I didn't notice? Oh course I noticed. I caught a peek here, a peek there. I've always enjoyed seeing the variety of plants in your yard and still covet that bush with the purple flowers. Trust me, I called around. It isn't available here in America.

You know I often wonder how people live in houses with nothing but lawns and a fence. I couldn't come home every day to that or live every day with that. Even if I end up really, really poor, I'll buy a 99 cent packet of flower seeds to grow outside my slum window!!! I have to see beauty every day or I'll go nuts.

It sounds as if you created a beautiful environment to surround your home and I'm sad you don't get to enjoy what you love most. Watering. Rob loves to water too. It's very Zen, isn't it. We have a great irrigation systems, but some plants and pot still need to be watered. We used to enjoy sharing the chore, now it's just me and I'm always so rushed I never get to enjoy the moment. One thing I always love however, is when the hummingbirds come to take a bath in the spray from the hose. Pure pleasure. I'm sorry your husband has taken even watering the garden away from you. Really Kylie, I am.

Baby, I'm going to cut this short because I have to get the new kittens to the Vet's, but I'll write more later.

Love you so much,
Suze XO

P.S. Have you visited Em's blog? She's back in England on leave and there are some terrific photos of her and Peter. They're playing a new game that is SO, SO funny. I can see you and the kids walking around the city and posting photos of laying down!!! Please start it! PLEEEEEEEEEZE! It's way too funny. XO

bindhiya said...

Dear Suze,
am back to chat with a great back pain.. it is my first and am just enjoying it... I told Noah, baby i cannot pick you up so sleep as much as you can.. Serene got a chance to watch her favorite show.. (we will go without TV for weeks and weeks, we do have cable but i don't like the idea of sitting in front of TV.. so today is her special day. Here am sitting and enjoying my back pain..

yes, my friends will be in touch (facebook, email and text messages) but am going to miss them terribly. they are family to me.. they will stop by atleast once a week and call allmost every day.. so that is what am going to miss..
do not worry about returning my calls.. I will be in and out of house all day.. every day same.. if i have nothing to do then i'll be walking..
It is so good to eat very slowly.. i read somewhere or did I study some basic medical science.. don't remember..the only thing i can remember - Am A MOM to two beautiful butterflies!!
my driving.. I drive 25miles/hr and am staying away from busy roads as much as i can. most of the places i will walk with my stroller.. cause parking is a lot of trouble... my little car need two parking spaces.. most of the time I park far away from the store.
Maria's blog is so beautiful and Krystyna's too.. Krystyna have so much valuable information on her blog..
You can translate polish to English..
Krystyna have a youtube account and have many videos on youtube.. I used to email her before but now a days am so busy.. i will get only 2 hours a day (after Serene go to sleep at 10.00 pm).
That photo is from a week and half ago.. we had so much fun taking that photo.. once i saw kylie's photo I want to post one like that.. so ask my baby girl to take a photo.. She ask me mamma why you want your hair photo? I told her the story and show kylies profile pic. then she took several photos but it wasn't that good.. this one a friend of mine took after our walking.
Just now only i notice a comment in Chinese.. it can be a spam don't click on that link.. just delete it..
love you dear
have a beautiful evening..
am off to get some tea...do you like a cup.. It'll be a bit spicy :) when I say a bit you know what I mean :)
((hugs))
bindi

Mike said...

I am not sick, I feel swine, I mean fine!hehe Hunter was my Catskill ski area, When we felt like driving we went to Whiteface or Killington! Hunter was a great time, and it was only about a 2 hour ride from where I was in NJ. I did not live near the city, I grew up in farm lands in western Jersey, near the PA border, across the Delaware River, from the Poconos. I drove to Windham one time and did not like the vibe, so we went back to Hunter!

Suzanne said...

"I did not live near the city, I grew up in farm lands in western Jersey, near the PA border, across the Delaware River, from the Poconos."

I swear to God that sentence nearly killed me!!! That's just too damn funny. And how in the hell can NJ be near the Poconos? Aren't the Poconos on the border of PA and NY? You know, like way the heck out in Western PA? And isn't NJ way the heck out on the Eastern side of PA. I swear to God I'm having a geographical meltdown right now. What? I am. I'm going to have to mapquest because I'm about to go freakin' nutty. Hummmmmmmmmmm. I really do have to Google a freakin' map! I've been away so long I don't remember know where the hell anything is any more. Apparently you do.

Wow, that was only a 2 hour drive to Hunter? I'm impressed. And yes, HUNTER!!! Is that a hoot or what? Baby, it's a small, small, small, small world!!! That's hilarious. And I agree about Windham. You know, it's become a very exclusive sort of mountain. Lots of celebrities live in and around town and it's all too sort of snobby for me. My sister and her husband live in town and rent out one of their homes to skier for about $2,000 a week. If you want reservations, book early because the house goes fast!!! Oh, and I think you have to buy your own coffee. ;) I don't think that's fair. Do you?

About your ailments. Honey, you look and sound just fine to me, but let me get out my "Kids Doctor Kit" and we'll get down to business. *Suze rummages through kit and is heard muttering "I seem to have a lot of plastic stuff in here, wonder if it works?"*

XO

Suzanne said...

"Remember know" should have been either "remember" or "know." Hey, it's late. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

kylie said...

hey suze,
liam wants to know why you are up right now, isnt it the middle of the night?
i'm just posting the comment to see the time stamp :)

ps visit the onion
its clever

kylie said...

you really SHOULD be in bed

now i'm gonna have to explain menopause ......

jeez suze.......

thanks

Suzanne said...

Liam,

Aunt Suzy was a lucky girl today. After much play (trimming freakin' hedges and cleaning the house) and taking the new kittens to the Vet's, I got to rest. What a beautiful rest it was. Yes, I think I actually slept!!! No honey, not because I was tired, but because I WAS EXHAUSTED!!!! Now see, you get to play and have fun all day, then go to sleep, but adult have to deal with a lot of variables. For instance:

1) Worry. Worry is when you can't think really straight.

2) Menopause. Let me just tell you right off the bat honey. Menopause is unkind. It's sorta like having to go to school with a toothache. Every day. For about 5-8 years. You don't want to. And just so you know and Mom doesn't have to explain, menopause is the change of life in women. Women go through so many phases as you will soon learn, and one of them is menopause. It's almost like a right of passage. The passage into adulthood because apparently the 30's and 40's weren't enough. It also means I will never have a child. My fertile eggs are drying up and life will change forever. Some woman find freedom in that. Usually woman like your mom who have had children!! Does that clarify things baby? If not, ask your mom.

XO to all!!!!!

Suzanne said...

Bindi,

Why do you have back pain. I hope you feel better soon. Take Ibuprophen for a few days.

You remind me of my younger sister Laura and her kids. She loved books and not TV. So the kids were rarely exposed to TV. I'm not sure how I feel about that because I think TV is a blast for kids and with so much good programming a really challenging learning environment. I also understand the anti-TV movement because there's so much crap on TV. I think there's a balance. Kids want to learn and TV is an easy vehicle, and Bindi, there's so much good stuff on PBS for children and even cartoon on Saturday morning. They stir the imagination. I can't even imagine becoming who I am without Saturday morning cartoons!!! I learned that men can be really HOT because of Tarzan, King Of The Jungle, and they can be really pathetic because of Scooby Dooby Doo. What? Yes, I watched them. Yes, way into my college years. My advice. Allow your kids to watch TV. I think it stimulates the imagination. I know it did for me.

It's almost 4 am and I'm tired, so I'm going to try to get an hour or two of sleep before a new day.

Love you so much darling.
XO

P.S. Leah has a great post about driving. Take a peek. You'll love it!