tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post8315016393462899072..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: Spring Ahead!Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-34387958409737977882009-03-07T22:06:00.000-05:002009-03-07T22:06:00.000-05:00Hey, Kirsten! Thanks for the shout out to those o...Hey, Kirsten! Thanks for the shout out to those of us still buried in snow. I took my husband out to a fancy dinner for his birthday tonight, & since it was in the mid-thirties (practically a heat wave) I went bare-legged. Well, bare kneed. My boots come up to the bottoms of my knees, my skirts comes down to the tops of them, so I really bared about three inches of skin. But hey, I wouldn't have dreamed about that sort of nonsense a week or two ago. <BR/><BR/>Spring is really coming. The sun is so bright & strong now I can feel it through my jacket even when the air is pure arctic tundra still. :-)<BR/><BR/>Not quite ready for the first DQ of the season, though. I save that for the first day we can bike to there. I'm really, really looking forward to that. IT's been a loooooong winter.Susan Seyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18033511012283092945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-70907962921865371342009-03-07T21:40:00.000-05:002009-03-07T21:40:00.000-05:00A real quick hello as I just got home from DDJ at ...A real quick hello as I just got home from DDJ at 9pm OLD time and immediately "Sprang" ahead to the NEW time which means....<BR/><BR/>I'm late for bed!<BR/><BR/>I bought a pot of budding tulips at the grocery yesterday! I tried planting them years ago but moles or squirrels or rogue PEEPS got them!<BR/><BR/>BTW, if you have any of those sugary chicks on you, send them my way :-)Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12566704374877697300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-11299886375497409142009-03-07T19:30:00.000-05:002009-03-07T19:30:00.000-05:00Oh Cassondra, thank you too for the compliment! I ...Oh Cassondra, thank you too for the compliment! I am amazed the kids don't pick off all the little pussies (stop snickering, Tawny, I don't know what else to call them!) and some actually get to grow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-71392216054652777742009-03-07T19:29:00.000-05:002009-03-07T19:29:00.000-05:00PinkPeony, with a name like yours, how could your ...PinkPeony, with a name like yours, how could your peony not thrive? :-) I have heard the peonies don't like to be moved, so give it a few years to get settled before you expect big blooms. But I'm sure it will do great. And the lavender is certain to thrive. I love lavender -- there are so many varieties, it's fun to see the different types of blooms. <BR/><BR/>And thank you! My pussy willow is fatter than you can imagine. It's supposed to be a dwarf variety but it's one of those things you try to prune and three limbs sprout for each one you cut back. So I just gave up on it a couple of years ago. It looks like a muppet in desperate need of a haircut. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-22299101118989082802009-03-07T19:25:00.000-05:002009-03-07T19:25:00.000-05:00Cassondra, I think I need some witch hazel as well...Cassondra, I think I need some witch hazel as well. When you get some, can you take pictures? It comes in red and yellow varieties, right? I want the reddish one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-57914816013193196702009-03-07T19:22:00.000-05:002009-03-07T19:22:00.000-05:00Leslie, your flowers sound absolutely stunning. I ...Leslie, your flowers sound absolutely stunning. I would love your winters but I don't think I could survive the summer. We vacationed in Florida last summer and it nearly killed me. LOL. <BR/><BR/>I must say, though, I did survive living in North Carolina for four years (including summers!). I won't pretend I didn't do some complaining during that time, but I did survive. So maybe I'm stronger than I think. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-43803084246214401632009-03-07T19:17:00.000-05:002009-03-07T19:17:00.000-05:00Hi Nancy! I love the idea of having the husband do...Hi Nancy! I love the idea of having the husband doing the gardening. My husband is pretty sure he's the only one who does any of the weeding, though I beg to differ. ;-) And LOL about your dog. I'm impressed he can get the basketball in his mouth -- must be a big dog! <BR/><BR/>70 degrees sounds lovely. It's cold here today and we just had a bit of hail. But I'm still feeling spring in my bones!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-90271637617340953852009-03-07T18:36:00.000-05:002009-03-07T18:36:00.000-05:00Kirsten...your pussy willow bush is huge! I don't ...Kirsten...your pussy willow bush is huge! I don't think I've ever seen one that big. We had a much smaller pussy willow bush in our backyard when I was a kid. And whenever the piano tuner came over to tune the piano, my mom used to give him a few stalks for his wife, who was blind. <BR/><BR/>I'm not much of a gardener. I found daffodil bulbs yesterday that never got planted. I think it's too late. I'm planting lavender this weekend and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the peony roots I planted in October will flourish. It's barely 60 today, the sun is shining and there are people out in shorts and flip flops already! Spring ahead! Have a good weekend everyone.PinkPeonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08474965710589933443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-54660921742122495782009-03-07T17:21:00.000-05:002009-03-07T17:21:00.000-05:00Kirsten said:Am I getting plant geeky here? I susp...Kirsten said:<BR/><BR/><I>Am I getting plant geeky here? I suspect I am... :-) </I><BR/><BR/>Plant geeky is okay with me. That was my grad school. And it's a perfect subject for spring.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and yes, since you asked, I DO love your pussy willow. I want one of those, along with some witchhazel for early spring blooms, but don't have either yet.Cassondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05215682018033681470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-56787789246620966522009-03-07T15:08:00.000-05:002009-03-07T15:08:00.000-05:00Kirsten, you would be totally out of your comfort ...Kirsten, you would be totally out of your comfort zone during the summers here. LOL The highs in the summer are 100+F and the lows are upper 80s to 90s. Thankfully southern California is a short 6-7 hour drive. We go to San Diego or Disney nearly every summer. <BR/><BR/>Winters are wonderful here. When other parts of the country are deep in snow we've got mild weather and mostly sunny skies. We do have spring weather. Right now my bougainvilleas, oleanders, yellow bells and ruella are all beginning to bloom. Beautiful pinks, reds and purplesLesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12055116610295076439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-60799463603903201672009-03-07T14:04:00.000-05:002009-03-07T14:04:00.000-05:00Cassondra--I hope you're the one with the chainsaw...Cassondra--I hope you're the one with the chainsaw, and the rooster is just manual labor. The image of him with it in hand--er, claw--evokes the words "Texas" and "Massacre."Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-53505351779684886862009-03-07T13:59:00.000-05:002009-03-07T13:59:00.000-05:00Gillian, those ices sound wonderful! We used to g...Gillian, those ices sound wonderful! We used to get sno-cones at the beach every year. The crushed ice and the sweet, flavored syrup were a wonderful treat. I still can't see one without dropping back to those days in my mind.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-24569500331777085732009-03-07T13:58:00.000-05:002009-03-07T13:58:00.000-05:00Trish, I get allergies, too. Seriously not fun. T...Trish, I get allergies, too. Seriously not fun. They're the downside of Spring for those of us plagued with them.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-91935150992965557082009-03-07T13:57:00.000-05:002009-03-07T13:57:00.000-05:00Anna C., the dh also loves the in-between seasons....Anna C., the dh also loves the in-between seasons. He grew up in the Colorado Front Range and went to college in New England. Fall and spring are minimal in both those regions, he says. <BR/><BR/>He loves to garden, and his plants actually thrive, so he's in charge of tomato production. I do love tomato sandwiches and iced tea in the summer. As the weather warms, I'm starting to look forward to that.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-8757276878253812492009-03-07T13:54:00.000-05:002009-03-07T13:54:00.000-05:00Cassondra--You snagged the rooster! Way to go.Kir...Cassondra--You snagged the rooster! Way to go.<BR/><BR/>Kirsten, I love spring, when the air seems to vibrate with freshness and possibility.<BR/><BR/>It's 70 degrees here today, which is unseasonably warm. And it's still not too late for us to get snow.<BR/><BR/>I don't garden. My main gardening tendency is plant-killing, which isn't exactly useful since it's never the weeds that die.<BR/><BR/>I like the warm weather, and I enjoy sitting outside to read. We have a short window of opportunity for that, before the weather gets muggy and the mosquitoes come out. We don't know where the little pests breed, but it has to be somewhere close by. Once that starts, our outdoor activity becomes minimal since none of us loves the smell of repellent all over us.<BR/><BR/>I like shooting hoops on the boy's goal, though we have to watch out for the ball-killing dog. In her universe, for whatever reason, anything spherical is The Enemy. Or possibly Prey. If there's a difference.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-22677760549611482832009-03-07T12:32:00.000-05:002009-03-07T12:32:00.000-05:00Janga, I'm glad Cassondra asked too, because I lov...Janga, I'm glad Cassondra asked too, because I love that little white forsythia, so I'm happy to talk about it. When I was planting my yard, I wanted a shrub to flower in early spring, and I had a fondness for forsythia because we had them out in front of my house when I was a kid. But I didn't have the room for a big shrub, and I also have another gorgeous flowering plant called a Kerria japonica, which puts on showy yellow blooms in later spring. So I didn't want another bright yellow bush. Anyway, I was thrilled to find the white forsythia -- even if it isn't a true forsythia. *g* <BR/><BR/>Am I getting plant geeky here? I suspect I am... :-) <BR/><BR/>I love the image of you winding along those country road with your ipod full of oldies playing. I'm a sucker for the Doobie Brothers for plain old happy rock and roll. I've had my little ones singing Little Bitty Pretty One after playing it in the car all last week. They think it's cool. ;-) What's in your ipod right now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-22994934252325521312009-03-07T11:26:00.000-05:002009-03-07T11:26:00.000-05:00I'm glad Cossondra asked about the forsythia becau...I'm glad Cossondra asked about the forsythia because I was wondering about the color too. The daffodils and forsythia have turned the world golden here. Fruit trees are blooming too. Our high today is supposed to be 76.<BR/><BR/>I get a little tipsy with this first breath of spring, but my favorite stage is still ahead. When the azaleas and pink and white dogwood are in full bloom, I think my home place is the most beautiful spot on earth. It makes me feel young again to download oldies to the ipod,let the top down on my car, exchange the interstate for country roads, and just drive, singing along at the top of my voice.Jangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-40189524299550299172009-03-07T10:12:00.000-05:002009-03-07T10:12:00.000-05:00Trish, I've never had allergies, but my husband su...Trish, I've never had allergies, but my husband suffers from them, and he says the same thing. Even with the meds, it's still a bad time. Ug.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-5893065287189476752009-03-07T10:09:00.001-05:002009-03-07T10:09:00.001-05:00Kirsten, no, thankfully the allergy meds don't mak...Kirsten, no, thankfully the allergy meds don't make me sleepy because I'm on prescription stuff -- Allegra and Singulair. I had to go to those a few years ago when the over-the-counter stuff (which did make me sleepy) stopped working. Still, for some reason March is still awful, despite the meds.Trish Milburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812010789617982102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-83059258114906218572009-03-07T10:09:00.000-05:002009-03-07T10:09:00.000-05:00Oh Louisa, you paint such a beautiful picture! I w...Oh Louisa, you paint such a beautiful picture! I want to come sit out there with you! Five acres does sound like a lot of work, though. Wow. How much of that do you garden? Vegetable or flower or both?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-88697868068042520022009-03-07T09:52:00.000-05:002009-03-07T09:52:00.000-05:00Hi Maureen! i also can't wait to open the windows....Hi Maureen! i also can't wait to open the windows. That's the worst thing about being at work -- no fresh air! <BR/><BR/>So what kind of garden do you plant? Vegetable or flower?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-30893729759581931872009-03-07T09:51:00.000-05:002009-03-07T09:51:00.000-05:00Tawny, how can you make the knots in one's shoulde...Tawny, how can you make the knots in one's shoulders sounds naughty? *VBG*<BR/><BR/>You are such a lovely and optimistic person -- I should have known you'd love all the seasons. But the lilacs. Ahhh. Lilacs. I could fill my house with them. Our neighbor has a few clumps run amok that grow over the fence that we cut and bring inside and they just fill the air in such a lovely way. Not overpowering. Not too much. Just right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-3767917347696186812009-03-07T09:47:00.000-05:002009-03-07T09:47:00.000-05:00Leslie, how hot does it get there over the summer?...Leslie, how hot does it get there over the summer? My comfort zone is really small -- like between about 50 and 80. Outside that and I get really whiny. LOL. I suspect I wouldn't be outside much if I lived in Phoenix in summer. <BR/><BR/>But I bet the winter is lovely! :-) Do you have a noticible spring there -- like are there certain plants that you notice blooming? Or does it just sort of slide into hotter weather?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-56071531915492447872009-03-07T09:44:00.000-05:002009-03-07T09:44:00.000-05:00p226 -- thanks for stopping by -- you managed to c...p226 -- thanks for stopping by -- you managed to capture a perfect image of spring in just a few words! Wow. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-1521276572573698182009-03-07T09:43:00.000-05:002009-03-07T09:43:00.000-05:00Jo -- ooo, warm tomatoes right off of the vine. No...Jo -- ooo, warm tomatoes right off of the vine. Now there's a summer treat that's just as good as ice cream. Maybe better. <BR/><BR/>I love the blooming fruit trees. There's a line of cherry trees I can see from my office that isn't blooming yet, but will in a few weeks that I love to walk through. I think they're a memorial to the Japanese who were in the Internment Camps in WWII. They're just beautiful and have just a hint of sadness about them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com