Preparing Roses for Winter by Donna Duffy

The recent cold snap has made us all realize that winter really will be here soon. Among all of your other fall garden chores, be sure to plan some time to get your roses “tucked in” and ready to brave whatever winter may bring. According to the Denver Rose Society’s publication “Growing Roses in Colorado,” there are five basic steps to remember.

FIRST – Pick up and discard all the leaves that have fallen from the rose bushes. This is especially important if you have had mildew and/or blackspot. You can repeat this step in another month or so, when the roses are truly dormant and more leaves have fallen. This simple sanitation practice will decrease the likelihood of having the problem recur next year.

SECOND – Wait for Spring to do heavy pruning. If your roses are taller than 3’, you could top them off to prevent them from rocking in the wind or breaking off in heavy snow. Save any additional pruning for Spring.

THIRD – Water your roses well before the ground freezes. Watch the weather: if the temperature is likely to drop below 25 degrees, get the roses watered. Roots will suffer more from cold temperatures in dry soil than in damp soil.

FOURTH – Keep watching the temperature. When it drops to about 22 degrees in your yard for a few nights, it’s time to cover the crown area of each bush with a few shovels full of soil. Add mulch for additional protection. If you live in a windy area, you might use a rose collar to hold the mulch in place (purchase them at garden centers).

 FIFTH – Check the roses for moisture content every couple of weeks. If the temperature will be 45 degrees or warmer for six hours, watering can be done. Dig down with your trowel for 4-6 inches to test the soil moisture.

AND IN THE SPRING... don't be overly anxious to remove the mulch and start pruning. Watch this blog for Spring rose care information!

Get a Head Start on the Holidays with I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes that Use Less and Mean More by Anna Getty is a great book to help you get a head start on greening the winter holidays.

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas is a fabulous book full of tips, expert advice, crafts, recipes, decorating ideas and directions and pretty much everything you need to make the holidays more eco-friendly.

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There’s Still Lead in Lipstick but the FDA Says it is OK

Rodale recently published an article about the new FDA report concerning lead in lipsticks.
What did they find? Well, the FDA scientists found lead in every brand of lipstick that they tested, but they don’t consider the toxic metal a safety concern.

OMG! Seriously. Back in 2007 the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics first blew the whistle on lead filled lipsticks finding that 61% of the 33 brands they tested contained some levels of lead. Shortly after the results were released to the public the US FDA said they’d look into it. Gee, it only took 3 years.

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Unexpected

Ever notice that often the best things in life are, well, unexpected? You know. The unexpected little store you find by chance or taking a wrong turn and winding up in some incredible place you had never heard of?



Last week I met my college age daughter in Des Moines for lunch. She did not have a great amount of time but did want to meet around 11:00. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm fall day. She suggested we eat at this little BBQ place close to where she lives. As we drove along I could see the Principal Building ahead of me (our tallest building -- 44 stories -- everything is relative...!).



But I had no idea where this place was or when I would be close to it. My daughter just said turn here or turn there... Suddenly there it was. Surrounded by houses. Of course, nearly all these houses are actually older homes that are now apartments. I had forgotten how these college places are so often stuck in the middle of some otherwise residential area.



When I got out of the car I could smell the BBQ and it was quite pleasant. It was doing a brisk business on a Friday morning. I saw people in shorts and t-shirts. I saw people in business attire. I saw college kids and adults.



I did not take a lot of pictures -- for some reason my daughter would have been embarrassed (imagine that?!). But I am sure you have been to this sort of place.

It was a Friday and I saw lots of men and women from downtown in their power suits. Lots of silk ties, expensive shoes and even more expensive jewelry. That brought memories of my life as a lawyer. I was glad to be sitting in khaki slacks and a shirt!

We ate outside -- so did everybody else. It was like being at a family picnic with all the BBQ sandwiches, potato salad, glasses of tea and lemonade, etc.



As I ignored the business people, retired people and college kids, I just sat and enjoyed talking with my daughter in the sunshine and open air. Much to my shock and surprise, she asked if I would mind driving to the state capitol with her.

I said I would love to that. Talk about UNEXPECTED! Heh!



I pointed out the statute of Lincoln and his son, Tad. It is the only statute of Lincoln as a family man. He is reading to his child and I have always liked it a lot.



We stopped and looked over the skyline of downtown from the steps of the capitol.



And for the next two hours I gave my daughter a guided tour of the capitol and later the Judicial Building where our Iowa Supreme Court is located. She asked me if I was ever going to return to the legal business. I said I might but for now I was enjoying what I was doing.

Her favorite place was this room where I have spent many hours and which I am sure you have seen if you ever watch the Iowa Caucus coverage. It is our State Law Library. This is where Katie Couric did her CBS evening news.



Take care and thanks for stopping by. Now go out and do something ... unexpected!

THURSDAY'S RAMBLING

This week has been treating me unfair. First, the lagging Streamyx and Celcom Broadband connection that always driving me crazy. I notice the decline in connection quality since the first day of Hari Raya! Pity poor my farms in Farm Town and Farm Ville. My elephant, horses, ducks, cows, sheep, dog, llama, hen and chicks - they are all hungry! :p

Talking about workplace. An office is ain't an office without dirty politics and cheap gossips. The latest gossip is still hot and crispy, spreading in one night. I better not reveal it here, perhaps I will in future but to my friends/colleagues, Shella and Caynie De!! The story gave us all a heart attack kannnn????? Wah wah, nampaknya semua gadis2 sekarang mengikuti jejak langkah Dato' Siti Nurhaliza yang cemerlang, gemilang dan terbilang. But, do not collapse in shock as our 'Dato' punya father and brother pun membuka cawangan di merata tempat. His brother lagilah.... artis/pelakon terkenal Malaysia & famous for his character jadi tokoh korporat and Our 'Dato' pun apa kurangnya. For his age, he still looks sexy, charming and handsome gila!! - *imagine, kwang3x.

Now we move to weather news. Lil Gabby slept at our home office last night. I took my last bath at 12:30 a.m., after midnight OK, otherwise I can't sleep. My body itches to death with rashes and sweats. I noticed her sleeping with only her panties on every night. Poor Mama's girl. I can't sleep early at night ever since this crazy global warming getting too far for me. I could only sleep after 3 a.m. and wake ueveryday. p Nevertheless, my sleeping pattern might be disturbed but I still feel normal, which is OK for me, so far. *cross fingers. What is happening to our Mother Earth now? Flood in the Phillipine, Tsunami in Samoa Island, Earthquake in Sumatera, Indonesia, and what next? These disasters then remind me of the new movie - 2012, in your nearby cinema this coming November! *promotion.

Guys, I'm now having a mug of hot Nescafe whilst listening to the pouring rain. So sentimental. I mean, the weather... Eh, where is my Ayam Penyet by the way?

Update From Ron Onks

Ron is one of the missionaries we support at WBF. He and his wife, Angie, serve in Austrailia as teachers, missionaries and evangelists. Here's an update n his father's cancer treatment:

Wednesday morning September 30, 2009 Australian time

Dear Pastor Kuvakas & Saints of Warrenton Bible Fellowship

I would like to update you on the condition of my father Bill Onks. First we would like to say thank you so much for the prayers you have made to our Heavenly Father on behalf of my earthly father, Bill Onks. We have received dozens of emails from many saints who have expressed their concern and told us they are praying for my father. We are so grateful to God for the love HIS children have shown to us and for their concern for my father. We realize that our Lord is always in control and HE knows what is best for us: thus we will praise the Lord our God no matter what circumstances our Lord chooses to bring into our lives, whether they be difficulties or delights. God is always so good and worthy of our praise simply because of whom HE is. We are very much aware that in spite of life’s difficulties, they pale in comparison to the pleasures God’s children will one day have in HIS Presence and it is that hope and promise that keeps us trusting the Lord here in Australia. It has been difficult not being able to see my dad during this time of his serious illness: however, I have been comforted by our Lord’s grace and by knowing that my sister and mother have been faithfully attending to and supporting my father with their presence while he is in the hospital.

Angie and I give thanks to our Lord God for His marvellous grace. A great team of doctors and nurses have been caring for my father and God again has chosen to heal my father; he is so much better now than he was this past Friday and Saturday. He is breathing fine, his kidney has started working beautifully again and his blood pressure is good. His catheter will soon be removed and his stomach pump has been removed. Today (Friday your time) he is drinking fluids again and he finally ate solid food, a hamburger and he loved it; he then also had a meal from the hospital kitchen and he enjoyed that as well. He now has been moved out of ICU and is in a “stepped down care” room. The doctors are very pleased with his recovery and my father may be released from the hospital within the next couple of days. We are elated and certainly my dad and family is very happy about this. Please keep on praying for my father, Bill Onks, as he still will be recovering from a very large incision that was made in his stomach to remove the cancer. I’ll update you again in a few days as we know more. Thank you so much. God bless you all from Australia.

Your Missionary Friends,

Ron & Angie Onks

Green Halloween Craftiness

Last year I made a lot of recycled, upcycled and green Halloween crafts from things that normally get tossed in the recycling bin. I made pumpkins and cats from laundry soap bottles, decorative luminaries from tin cans, and all kinds of little creatures and critters from yogurt cups and even fun and frightening favor boxes out of cardboard toilet paper rolls.

Read more: http://craftingagreenworld.com/2009/09/04/are-your-ready-for-a-green-halloween/

Here’s a cute way to upcycle plastic laundry detergent bottles into fun Halloween decor.
You can use different size plastic bottles to create an assortment of black cat decorations for your green Halloween party.

Read the rest at: http://craftingagreenworld.com/2009/09/11/cardboard-rolls-transformed-into-halloween-favor-boxes/

Empty cardboard toilet paper rolls are one thing that everyone seems to have.
My kids love to play with them to make binoculars and all sorts of fun playthings.
I have found several creative ways to transform toilet paper rolls. Favor boxes for special occasions and parties are one way to put them to good use.

Anyone can easily take empty rolls and turn them into fun party favors, especially for Halloween.

Read more at: http://craftingagreenworld.com/2009/09/11/cardboard-rolls-transformed-into-halloween-favor-boxes/

After all the Halloween craftiness I created from tossed trash last year I am trying to figure out new things to create this year.

I grabbed an ice pail and painted it orange and black for Halloween. I want to find some crafty Halloween paper designs to cut out to decoupage to the pail to dress it up a little more.
I was thinking about wrapping it in scrap book paper but I had no Halloween colors or styles. But I think it turned out pretty good considering it started out as a plain white pail headed for the recycling bin. I would love to make a Halloween bucket with paper like I did when I turned an ice cream pail into a flower girl basket for a wedding.

Finish this article at: http://craftingagreenworld.com/2009/09/26/more-green-halloween-makeovers/#comment-38138

Bees in Paris

Here's a fascinating story about Parisians and their bees. There is probably a similar tale to be told about beekeepers in the Denver/Metro area. Perhaps gardeners will save the bees!

BEES IN PARIS

Great Green Products I Personally LOVE

Here's a list of some of the green products and companies that I really love

Badger Balm: Organic Body Products

Better Life Green Cleaning Products

Bring It In a Bag-Stylish and Eco-Friendly Reusable Bags

Brittanie's Thyme Organic Personal Care Products

Butterfly Effects Soy Candles

Coco-Zen Organic Chocolate Bath and Body Products

Crazy Rumors Lip Balms

Eco-Artware: Everyday Artistic Products and Gifts Made From Recycled Materials

EcoDiscoveries Cleaning Products

EcoSMART: Organic Pesticides

EcoStore Products-Bath, Body, Home, Cleaning and More-I Love Them All

Eve Organics- Organic Cosmetics

greenPots Eco-Friendly Planters

Illume Candles

KINeSYS Safe Sunscreen

Little Chickie Wear

Lorain's Touch Soy Candles

Maggies Organics

Maris Naturals Bath and Body Products

Nowali Moccasins

Pin Up Lip Balms

Scandle Body Candles

Shea Terra Organic Bath and Body Products

Stubby Pencil Studio Eco-Art and Crafts Supplies

TerraCycle: Recycled and Upcycled Garden and Office Products

Vive Sana Organic Sunscreen

Zulu Grass Jewelry

TWISTED BY KEITH SWEAT

I'd love to bring up this subject and shared here. This particular song is always, always have been my favorite. I'll listen to it for my inspiration my blogging. You can find this song in my handphone and my Mickey Mouse mp3 player too.




For those who know this song, it was very popular in the mid 90's. I miss all the quality R&B songs that lingered on our ears during that era. I'm not telling those kids out there that their songs now are suxxx but the reality is, biting us the older generations painfully. A real pain in our butts.

OK kids, to tell you peeps the truth, during kakak time,


Keith Sweat was like Akon,


Tommy Page was like David Archuleta,




Debbie Gibson was like Britney Spears,


Fauziah Latiff was like Siti Nurhaliza....


Pooja Bhatt was like Priyanka Chopra...


Hahhaha.. the last two, apakah kaitan?? ahhahaha...

Therefore,......

It's the sign of aging. To myself, welcome to 30's. *Uhuk.

Newcomer's Dessert

We had another wonderful time of fellowship and yummy desserts tonight at Ernest and Robin Ariola's home. Todd Stull, Bob and Carla Hoke and Kelly joined us as we greeted and chatted with some of the new faces at WBF:


David & Laura Winks


Mike & Hil Weeks


Walter Phillips


John Huggins


Stephen Siksay & Dana Stratton

Not pictured are Steve and Lorena McCurdy

Fall Traditions by Gardener Janet

The air turns cooler; the apples on the backyard trees are ready for harvest. In our family, that means it is time to be baking apple pies. A few years back, my husband discovered a tool I had found at a garage sale. This simple tool had a profound impact on our family. The apple peeler-parer-slicer spoke to my husband who became obsessed with harvesting, and using every single apple produced on our two apple trees.
Needless to say, the rest of us needed to become competent at doing something with the buckets of peeled and sliced apples he was producing. Thus, the apple pie assembly line was born. My daughter became the “spice girl”; she would mix sugar, flour and spices to create the perfect pie filling. My job was the crust; I would make dough for a double crust over and over. On a good day we would make seven or eight pies. Neighbors, friends, and family were the recipient of these pies.

Apple pie recipes are a dime a dozen….but here is what happens on the assembly line.

7 cups of apples (peeled and sliced)
¾ cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
Splash of lemon juice

Toss apples with spices and sugar.

Make a double crust.

2 cups unbleached flour
2/3 cup shortening
1 tsp salt

Mix these ingredients in a food processor. Pour this mixture into a bowl and add 5 TBS ice cold water. Mix with a fork and form into two balls. (Mixture may look very wet at first. Wait a minute or so and the moisture is absorbed). Place one of the balls in the center of a sheet of wax paper slightly larger than the pie pan. Cover with another sheet and roll out for bottom crust. Place in pie pan, add apple mixture. Dot with butter. Then roll out another circle of pie dough, place on top of apples. Fold top and bottom layers together to make an edge and crimp with your knuckles.

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 60 minutes.

Another favorite (when we run out of pie plates) is a quick, rustic looking apple tart:

1 cup unbleached flour
1 Tbsp sugar
½ stick butter

Mix these ingredients in the food processor. Place flour mixture into another bowl and add 3 TBS ice cold water. Lightly toss and form into a ball.

Roll out dough (using same wax paper method) into a large circle.

Filling:

2 large, tart apples (peeled and cut in half…no special tool used here)
Slice the apples from top of half (makes apple circles). When no more circles can be cut, chop the rest into bite sized pieces.

Arrange apples in center of pie dough circle. Start with chopped pieces and end by placing apple circles in a concentric pattern (leaving about a two inch edge of pie dough). Sprinkle with a mixture of 2 TBS sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger and cloves. Dot with butter. Fold edges toward the center. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes (until pastry is golden brown). For the tart in the photo I made a caramel drizzle using several tsp of butter melted with a couple of tsp of brown sugar. Heat until dissolved and drizzle over baked tart.

BUJANG & I - WE LOVE CAMWHORING!

He's 8 months old now. Everyone in the house knows how much this kitten loves me and always attached to me. He would jump into our car before we leave the house or hangs on my shoulder and kisses me all over my cheek and chin.


The stroller is courtesy from Gabby. She didn't know I used it, I mean, Bujang used it. Look at him.... aaawwwww...


OK Mama, we're ready to go for a walk!


Brother Joey wants to join the ride too!

We went to King Centre yesterday just to follow hubby buying ToTo. We took Bujang along with us and the ride was hillarious!! He didn't scare at all and looking outside the window enthusiastically at the cars. Of course, he attracted some of the drivers who smiled and waved at him.

He's so adorable, isn'the?

Abandoned House

I'm not sure why, but for some reason I am attracted to abandoned houses. Some people like old cemeteries. Others like new skyscrapers. Some like antique cars. But, for whatever reason, I like abandoned houses.

Here's one I drove by today.



Though all the windows were broken out, I was surprised it had a pretty good roof. I liked the blue shingles.



I imagined children playing under, around and on this big tree.



There was even this old piece of play equipment in the yard. I remember these on school playgrounds. I don't ever recall seeing one of these in someone's yard.



Even though the windows were gone, there was still some charm in the windows - or lack of them.



Once upon a time this was a big yard. I could almost hear children playing and running and laughing.



Of course, these two windows were part of a bedroom. Once this was a really nice farm house.



I enjoyed the few minutes I spent here. I left with questions but no answers. Life is that way sometimes.

Thanks for stopping by. Bailey and I appreciate it.

A Chronological Conundrum by Gardener Dave

A task remains for me to do

It happens every fall

For with the weathers changing scene

comes Standard Time’s recall



My quandary is, my earnest friends,

(this gives my brain a trial)

that I don’t have “no” outside clocks,

just a big, round, bronze SUNDIAL

I can change all my “inside clocks”,

(so many I can’t keep track)

To change a SUNDIAL’s not my thing

How do you set it back?



I could unbolt it at its base

and turn it “just a crack”

but then I think: “It will be cold,

and no one will keep track!”



For a SUNDIAL is a summer thing

like working in my garden

And I won’t need its sunny face,

(For this I beg its pardon)



Through winter months and early spring,

I can “hear” it through my window

“When are the people coming back

to read my pretty shadow?”



But then it will recall the poem

(the words still show their form)

It will take heart and carry on

through cold and icy storm



For on its disk the poem is thus

for everyone to see -

“Grow Old Along With Me -

The Best Is Yet To Be!”


Cheers,
Gardener Dave

Old Reliable

For the past few weeks I have been looking at cars. First I thought I would buy a good used car. I sort of liked this one.



It is a 2006 Nissan Maxima and seemed to have all the bells and whistles.



I liked the interior a lot. When I drove it, it had a really smooth ride. That's important when you are older and have a bad back!



It had a sleek design I liked. Well, I thought I liked. I was most interested in how it felt when I drove it. I also wanted it to have some power.



But it was sold before I could get too serious about it. Someone else must have liked it, too.

Then I looked at new cars. The new Toyota Camry was nice.



It even had a fancy navigation unit in it. I was told by the 20 something salesman that "all" cars have that now -- "don't you know?" Um, no, I didn't know that. I thought it was an option.



Since I drive about 100 miles every day to and from work, I checked out the car everyone seems to love - the Toyota Prius. It is very nice. It also reminds me of a wedge of cheese.



Here's the same car in red. I kept thinking I should have a bottle of wine to go with the cheese slice. Yes, yes.... it gets something like 1,400 miles per gallon. Well, okay, more like 65 mpg. That would be nice. But I could not shake the cheese thing.



The young salesman looked at my car and told me if I bought a new car, I could give my college age daughter my car since "it still has a good 3 or 4 years left in it. Easy. Nice car. Those old Maximas are, well, old reliables! Built like a tank. Good old car!"

I looked at my car again. Hmmm....



If I washed it up. Waxed it. Got some new tires.



I decided to just keep it. Maybe that kid was a better salesman than I thought!

Bailey and I appreciate you stopping by. Take care.