Name: Cherie (Cece) Coogan Southeastern WI zone 5a (Zone 5a)
Beautiful Neil, there is none of that here.
Stephanie is still missing, Oh wait I don't know if I put it here,. A friend of mine's 22 year old daughter went missing on the 10th of October, Still no word for her. Cops are saying foul play, they have combed the banks of the Wisconsin River, all parks and woods around the area. She still has not been found.
Another friend told me Wed that her 34 year old daughter had a total hysterectomy in Sept due to cancer. Now its been found that she also has cancer in her liver, colon,spine and lungs.
She has started chemo but that is only prolonging the inevitable and they are trying to accept that.
My heart is breaking for both sets of parents and wish I had all the answers the give Claudia and wish i could take away the cancer from Ann Marie. I haven't that ability and it breaks my heart. Such young girls, so much pain.
Dear Cherie, I know your pain as I have buried a great friend of mine just recently. Now there is but one of us.
I did not know what to say to his Parents, as he could stand no more and took his own life, Such a shame of a good man.
Ours is not to reason why, my dear.
Be good and come back fighting!
Hugs and super hugs.
Neil & Sarah.
+ Phoenix.
Cherie,
So sorry to hear your sad news, our heart goes out to you all.
Muriel
Freezing and wet, windy today, just pop't in to have some soup to warm me up, then will have an other go with the poppies.
Hope all of you are well.
Muriel
Dear all, it seems that the Farming cubit has answered Richard from Kew Gardens questions about the US even though he has put some stunning pictures on for you!!!!!!
How strange is that.
One of my small Tree ferns.
Regards.
Neil.
It was the first time I have been out properly today as the sun was gorgeous, and I was feeling a bit better. First time with a new lens and camera in anger as well. Some of the Autumn /fall sights are amazing.
So here is a Mulberry Morcus nigra and below it is my mothers Paperbark maple Acer griseum, which has not even gone its fiery red yet.
There is a lot more to come picture wise yet that I have taken, what fun.
Regards.
Neil.
The Paperbark is incredible. It was old when I got it and put it in, in fact they have to be over 70 years old for the seed to become viable which this one is!
A lot of people get confused with them thinking they are a Japanese maple which they are not. They were found in China during the second world war by some British Soldiers and some were brought back. To me surely a tree that gives you wonderful leaves then Autumn/fall colour, finally that incredible cinnamon coloured peeling bark and is ultra hardy is worth growing. Plus they do not mind sun or shade or indeed Acid or chalk soils. What more do you want from a plant, and yes they flower as well.
Regards.
Neil.
Dear all, I thought I would put a lot on at once.
I planted this Acer griseum or Paperbark maple from China years ago after I rescued it from the Chelsea Flower Show, when I was doing Chelsea. It is spectacular this year and there are some other things that should not be in flower at this time of year but are. Hope you enjoy these.
Regards From England.
Neil.
I can understand the Holly being in berry, but a Rose in flower near Christmas? Plus we have had frosts, how strange!
The colour of this Mulberry is awesome and even the ornamental Blackcurrants are joining in.
What is a Pieris formosa doing in flower in November. Or a Californian Lilac a Ceanothus?
A lovely Berberis and a Mexican orange blossom or Choisyia ternata.
Dear all, I went over my mothers today to fix the wardrobe handles and a clothes hanger on the door that had fallen off! Whilst there I thought I would get some pictures of the paperbark maple from the third story of her house, which I did. For it is not often you see a paperbark, let alone from up high and in such glorious colour! Mother asked if I could bleed the radiators as a few in her house are not working as well as they should be. I have done this and ours hundreds of times as you get any air out of the central heating system and then they work well. However I went through the house and all was well with them until I got to the double one in the top bedroom. As I slightly loosened the screw to bleed it, a huge hiss of air erupted, then a jet of water and I got soaked! So did the carpet and other things. Luckily as I had a jug to catch any drips, the bleed key and the screw flew into that! In 30 seconds it filled up and I could not get my mother as she is a bit deaf and was on the ground floor. and I was on the third. Eventually after I had got a lot of towels from the bathroom, she shouted up the stairs to see if I was alright, this was 30 minutes later. Mother came up and gave me a plastic bucket and that was soon full up as I could not get the screw back in as the pressure was too great. So she rang the Gas Board who fix such things and they did come round very quickly. By the time this nice lady engineer came I had my finger with the key stuck in a radiator for an hour and half. She managed to turn all the water off which was most useful as I could not let it go as there are a lot of electrics in the way. It seems we were lucky as the little screw is a Whitworth and 40 years old being Imperial and not metric. Although she carries metric ones, there is no way you can get Imperial ones anymore. So she sorted it out and I could eventually move my arm and fingers.
This could only happen to me.
Regards.
Neil.
