qwilter said:The next ones I do, I plan to paint before I put them together. I was going to paint these but then just didn't have the time.

Now I'm heading out to throw dirt around and see how much I need to fill the bed.

"Just THROW that dirt around!............!

In them or around them or a combination? HaHaHa! You are so funny Jean!

I sure worked off a lot of frustrations the past 2 days!!!!

Winter is a dull time in most of our Florida gardens, yet there is always something pretty blooming somewhere. Its a fact!

Heres one!


Tis' a great time of year to regroup, replan, amend soil (and easy weeding, as the weeds have slowed to a crawl!).

Nothing 'dull' about my 5 inch 'Leticia' plumeria blooms - picture taken today!

Nothing dull there!

DavidofDeLand said:Winter is a dull time in most of our Florida gardens, yet there is always something pretty blooming somewhere. Its a fact!

Heres one!


Tis' a great time of year to regroup, replan, amend soil (and easy weeding, as the weeds have slowed to a crawl!).

The weeds have NOT slowed to a crawl here! Lord knows…I wish they would!! I'm so tired of the Florida betony! Seems that this time of year…It's growing by leaps and bounds!!! I spent all morning pulling this up! Seems that the only thing growing now …Is the weeds!!!!

the weeds are still going strong.

Noticed my Lifesaver is also blooming.
Beautiful Plumeria. My "stalk" is in the shed for the winter. I'm hoping it does something for me next year.

Have indoor obligations today so will miss the BEAUTIFUL fresh air today.

Sun I think I'm going to make another Nursery run. I need more of the red spinach.

Ugly day here today. The air is totally saturated with moisture & it's still quite foggy. You can hear the moisture dripping off the trees & it is so profuse it sounds like rain. Well over 90% humidity. It's nasty. Water rivulets are running down the porch screens. I expect it won't be long before the back porch tiles are completely wet.

I think it's a good day to stay inside & wrap Christmas presents.

...and back here in AR, the sun is shining, but it is still cold -- a very chilly 26. The sleet is still on the ground and looks like a light snowfall. Thank goodness we didn't have freezing rain or we would be dealing with broken limbs, etc.

@flaflwrgrl No presents to wrap here. Years ago we just started giving money -- too many things and sizes to keep up with and they seem to enjoy having the extra $$$$

Jean, since we have no kids & everyone else is gone pretty much then it's just gifts for each other. This is the 1st time in about 4 or 5 years too. If we need/want something, we pretty much buy it so come Christmas there really aren't "things" but this year we actually put up a tree --- a "real" one that shiver me timbers! we got ( a very nice 6' frasier fir) for 20 bucks! It's hard to beat $20 for a real tree, in fact I've never before seen one for that amount of this type & size. And the way we do presents is...... he wanted this & picked it out & doesn't get it till he opens it on Christmas; I wanted that & picked it out & we bought it or I ordered it & when it comes, I hand it to him & say it's for Christmas. I don't get to look at it until I open it for Christmas. He has all mine wrapped but I haven't done any of his. Course, yesterday, I helped him wrap 2 of mine.
We bought a new bird bath back in Sept. or Oct. but we just stick it in the coat closet & we have now wrapped it & it's under the tree. That's a gift for both of us.

With us, it is pretty much the same. If we want something we get it. Since we bought a new van back in November, DH informed me that was my birthday and Christmas present combined! Now we're back to the "combined." I used to get that when I was a kid! But I always got a beautiful velvet dress from my Aunt, two of which I vividly remember! DH is an electronicss "addict." so during the year he has racked up a lot of newbies!

You must have a Dec. birthday too then. Both dh & I are Dec. babies.

Boy, your Aunt sure knew what a girl wanted didn't she? A velvet dress --- oh my! bet she was your favorite.

Yep! I'm just a few days before yours on the 21st. Aunt Lou was a dear. Since she had no children I was sort of her "adopted" child. Lucky me!

And now that I think about it, I'm not the one that was aching for a new car -- maybe at Christmas I'll get a big bow and put it on the van with a "Merry Christmas, Dear" on it!

sounds like a plan

Always my favorite thing is to go on vacation, then see what's blooming when I get home. We were gone a week, and came home to brugs blooming (again!) and some orchids that weren't close to opening when I left.


I perched four of these little brassavolas on a big oak tree branch a couple of years ago, and a miracle! They are all still alive, and one has two nice blooms!

I came from a very basic and frugal family background. I always try to use and reuse any and every object that comes my way and create as much beauty as I can with it. I came from poor farming gardening folk on the whole.

I love Grandma's old outhouse to this day! She would hand me a little flashlight and a stick by the backdoor at night, and tell me to use it to knock down any Banana Sider webs that might be over the doorway. I loved that in Spring when we actually stiil used to have Fireflies, and especially when the Moon was big and the sky was just turning into that perfect clear shade of backlit crystal clear navy blue!

Yes! She still had one up until 1968! It never seemed to effect the family reunions much and their simple Cracker house was a clean beloved place for me.

I still don't get everything I want when I want it, and have found I have too much now that I need to get rid of!

Grandma and Grandpa were the ones who helped me understand the beginnings of life and the beauty of nature.

Merry Christmas!

Rocklady Jean, we'll celebrate together then! The hubs was on the 1st.
That's a great idea with a big bow on the van.

Elaine, that purple orchid grabs me! Yah!

David, we are far from getting anything & everything. I just meant if we *need* something like a new pair of shoes or such stuff as that then we get it. Each of us are getting a book this year which we don't usually spend money on --- generally, it's the library where they're free. I was an adult before I learned that we were actually not middle class b/c my folks never said we're poor but always couched it in terms of, "we can't afford this or that".

It's sweet memories like yours of your Grandma & Grandpa that make the season so special. May we always remember those times of our lives with fondness.

I'll be honored to celebrate with your hubs, and a girl with no arms from Jupiter!