Small Talk: I Like Them All, I Just Can't Choose!

[Cricket]

Walnutqueen...

I think I have made their home irresistible with a pond, rock walls, and bird seed. They are those relatives that come and never leave...

[walnutqueen]

6 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Stargazers are one of my favorite flowers.  Their fragrance is outstanding!  Unfortunately, since I am a keeper of kitties, they are a no-go for me.

A scent so intoxicating even I cannot resist buying them for someone else - that someone was my visiting Mum, and we had to lock those Stargazers in the spare bedroom to keep them from the kitties.  I'd go sit in that unused bedroom several times a day, just to delight in that scent.  

One fine day, when the loss of my Mum isn't so devastatingly painful, I shall return to my local flower stand (best flowers ever - cheap, and open at 6 in the a.m. every day of the year) and buy a couple of Stargazers for that spare bedroom.  Then I'll sit on the bed with my back to the closet of her leftover clothes and once again drink in that intoxicating scent.  I'll even let my Babalu kitty sniff them 'till his nose turns yellow and he sneezes, because that will make me smile, and let me imagine she's smiling somewhere, too.

Yikes - that was totally TMI, wasn't it!?!

[Cricket]

4 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

A scent so intoxicating even I cannot resist buying them for someone else - that someone was my visiting Mum, and we had to lock those Stargazers in the spare bedroom to keep them from the kitties.  I'd go sit in that unused bedroom several times a day, just to delight in that scent.  

One fine day, when the loss of my Mum isn't so devastatingly painful, I shall return to my local flower stand (best flowers ever - cheap, and open at 6 in the a.m. every day of the year) and buy a couple of Stargazers for that spare bedroom.  Then I'll sit on the bed with my back to the closet of her leftover clothes and once again drink in that intoxicating scent.  I'll even let my Babalu kitty sniff them 'till his nose turns yellow and he sneezes, because that will make me smile, and let me imagine she's smiling somewhere, too.

Yikes - that was totally TMI, wasn't it!?!

:(

I miss my  mom so much, still. She died in 1992.

I feel your pain, truly.

[SuprSuprElevated]

6 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

A scent so intoxicating even I cannot resist buying them for someone else - that someone was my visiting Mum, and we had to lock those Stargazers in the spare bedroom to keep them from the kitties.  I'd go sit in that unused bedroom several times a day, just to delight in that scent.  

One fine day, when the loss of my Mum isn't so devastatingly painful, I shall return to my local flower stand (best flowers ever - cheap, and open at 6 in the a.m. every day of the year) and buy a couple of Stargazers for that spare bedroom.  Then I'll sit on the bed with my back to the closet of her leftover clothes and once again drink in that intoxicating scent.  I'll even let my Babalu kitty sniff them 'till his nose turns yellow and he sneezes, because that will make me smile, and let me imagine she's smiling somewhere, too.

Yikes - that was totally TMI, wasn't it!?!

Sounds wonderful, right up to the Babalu kitty part.  Those are very toxic for kitties.

[Lady J]

6 minutes ago, Cricket said:

:(

I miss my  mom so much, still. She died in 1992.

I feel your pain, truly.

I lost mine in 2003, and I miss her every day.?

[Cricket]

In honor of all the moms we have lost, wondering what your mom's two favorite flowers were? My mom loved lilacs and roses most.

[Lady J]

5 minutes ago, Cricket said:

In honor of all the moms we have lost, wondering what your mom's two favorite flowers were? My mom loved lilacs and roses most.

My mom loved wildflowers and lilacs.

[walnutqueen]

2 minutes ago, Cricket said:

:(

I miss my  mom so much, still. She died in 1992.

I feel your pain, truly.

I know, @Cricket.  And I really wasn't ignoring you - your lovely little chipmunk pic posted as I was slowly typing my own post.  Chipmunks take me back to a happy place in my childhood, as do squirrels, swans, and many other critters.  So thanx for the pretty pic - I host a plethora of backyard creatures, but squirrels & chipmunks aren't part of the not-glass menagerie.  ;-)

 

Just now, SuprSuprElevated said:

Sounds wonderful, right up to the Babalu kitty part.  Those are very toxic for kitties.

I was only joking, of course.  I've never allowed my kitties anywhere near a flower or a houseplant (the "houseplants" are all outside in a makeshift greenhouse for the generations of baby raccoons to demolish - yet the plants live on!).  But I did let my dearly departed Beanie Baby lick the orange off my Cheetos, and my fingers.  Which reminded me of the incredible staining power of a Stargazer's yellow pollen.  Bad jokes are my forte.

My Mum knew how to "weave" a head-wreath of wildflowers - prettier than any rhinestone tiara I ever owned.  Her favorite flowers?  The ones I gave her - all my lifetime; didn't matter what they were.  Her last? A beautiful orchid that graced her hospice room for almost 6 months, and now graces the nurse's station.

Enuff with the wallowing in happy/sad memories.  I need a jolt of snarkasm to snap me back to reality.  :-)

[Cricket]

3 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

Enuff with the wallowing in happy/sad memories.

Not at all. You (we) are blessed to have them.

When I was little, I used to bring my mom wild flowers on my walks home from school. One day I brought her some which included dandilions... and proudly presented them to her. I was about 5 but still remember this. Mom was "pleased" but she said they were full of ants! I said no problem, took them to the kitchen sink and using the sprayer doused them - severely - with HOT HOT water... to kill those ants. Mom said she laughed so hard when I put them in a glass and walked away. Apparently to my 5 year old brain, I never thought what scalding hot water would affect the wild flowers!

[walnutqueen]

3 minutes ago, Cricket said:

Not at all. You (we) are blessed to have them.

When I was little, I used to bring my mom wild flowers on my walks home from school. One day I brought her some which included dandilions... and proudly presented them to her. I was about 5 but still remember this. Mom was "pleased" but she said they were full of ants! I said no problem, took them to the kitchen sink and using the sprayer doused them - severely - with HOT HOT water... to kill those ants. Mom said she laughed so hard when I put them in a glass and walked away. Apparently to my 5 year old brain, I never thought what scalding hot water would affect the wild flowers!

Crapballs.  Buttercups.  My elders used to hold one under your chin, and if it reflected the yellow (it always did, quite magically), it meant you loved butter.  Which tasted MUCH better back in the olden days (the butter, not the flower, that is).

[Cricket]

I still like butter cups, and queen anne's lace.  I only use butter... I will cut calories elsewhere but I have to use butter. :)

Well ladies, almost time for Columbo! Funny the show I look forward to most during the week, is 30 years old! Ha!

Night  all!

[Thumper]

27 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

Crapballs.  Buttercups.  My elders used to hold one under your chin, and if it reflected the yellow (it always did, quite magically), it meant you loved butter.  Which tasted MUCH better back in the olden days (the butter, not the flower, that is).

Lol.  We did that "butter" thing with dandelions!!  Guess we didn't have buttercups.  ?

[walnutqueen]

12 minutes ago, Cricket said:

I still like butter cups, and queen anne's lace.  I only use butter... I will cut calories elsewhere but I have to use butter. :)

Well ladies, almost time for Columbo! Funny the show I look forward to most during the week, is 30 years old! Ha!

Night  all!

Still an hour to go before Game of Thrones battles with The Great British Baking Show, not to mention the true crime, John Oliver & various wildlife shows that test my DVR's limits on Any Given Sunday.

It is 5:00 in the p.m. here - y'all can start drinking now, if any reality teevee is on your schedule.  I made hummus and chopped veggies for that horrid Shahs show later - because food porn is yet another weakness of mine, and those people actually EAT!

[imarocker]

2 hours ago, Lady J said:

I lost mine in 2003, and I miss her every day.?

Same here - so strange without her....daffodils and tulips

[lovemesomejoolery]

5 hours ago, Cricket said:

Saw my first Hummingbird Moth on these today but was not with camera at the time. Shame I have to crop them so, doesn't do the flowers any justice at all.

Beautiful pictures of your flowers!

I love hummingbird moths!  I have two that hover around my yard, but almost always on the white flowers.  Phlox David seems to be a particular favorite, as well as a huge white butterfly bush I have on the side of my house.  They come at the same time every day - around 11:00 and then again around 4:30. 

Hope you get everything straightened out tomorrow with your medical test.

2 hours ago, Cricket said:

In honor of all the moms we have lost, wondering what your mom's two favorite flowers were? My mom loved lilacs and roses most.

My mom loved Lily of the Valley and Peonies.

Edited July 31, 2017 by lovemesomejoolery

[Booney]

Flowers and critters made me think of this gif of these sweet kittens that I saw recently - wanted to share it here. 

[Girlydiva53]

I lost my mom in 1980. I remember her liking gardenias and carnations. 

[Thumper]

We had a chipmunk get in our house once!  We think it came through the garage into the mud room and then in our kitchen/family room.  My husband ended up buying a live trap to get it, and we did capture it overnight.

[zoemom]

Thanks for the lovely images from your garden Cricket!!!   I wasn't familiar with the "Hummingbird Moth" so I looked them up on Mr. Google.  Interesting!  I wasn't aware there was such a creature!  I'm just now seeing hummingbirds flitting around my lantana's and hibiscus (mainly Ruby Throats, but I have seen a couple Anna's this year too!)  Stargazer Lilies are one of my favorites, but due to my feline population I don't risk growing them - a couple of my cats will go out on my balcony "garden" and I haven't seen them try to eat anything out there that is plant related, but just don't want to risk it.

Yes, those damn chipmunk's.  They were the bain of my existence back in the day when I had a "real garden"/house. - They are such destructive little buggers (although I hate squirrels even more, due to the bulb digging proclivities) but why do they have to be so cute?????  Although I grumbled about them I'd never intentionally harm one.  Our next door neighbor had a cat that would try desperately to catch our chipmunks, (I'm not a big fan of people that let their cats go outside) but he was only successful one time in catching one - darn it if he didn't leave it for me at the bottom of the steps going up to my front door.  I think the rest of the chipmunk families loved to taunt him!

 

Quote

 

,,,,,,,One fine day, when the loss of my Mum isn't so devastatingly painful, I shall return to my local flower stand.,,, (best flowers ever - cheap, and open at 6 in the a.m. every day of the year) and buy a couple of Stargazers for that spare bedroom.  Then I'll sit on the bed with my back to the closet of her leftover clothes and once again drink in that intoxicating scent.  I'll even let my Babalu kitty sniff them 'till his nose turns yellow and he sneezes, because that will make me smile, and let me imagine she's smiling somewhere, too.

Yikes - that was totally TMI, wasn't it!?!

 

Not at all WalnutQueen, I too miss my mom everyday!.  Friday (7/28) was my mum's birthday.

This last week of July/first couple weeks of August are particularly rough for me as she passed away on August 11, 2005.  She loved gardening (she was British it's in the genes!) and all the critters that visited (and ate!) her plants.  It never bothered her.   She even had a raccoon that would come to the back of the house in the evening, rattle the screen door and would come inside and sit on the couch next to her (there are pictures in one of the boxes - I need to find those!).  She called him Rocky, she'd have a bowl of water, some marshmallows, strawberries, bananas for him to snack on.  He'd hang around until about 10 pm and then  he was off again.

Today our weather was lovely (low humidity) and I spent the day outside reading/relaxing on my the small balcony- which doubles as my garden.  I picked some basil and made pesto with pasta for dinner.  My balcony is off my bedroom on the 2nd floor, its a bit awkward of a set up, as I have to bring all the potting materials/pots/plants thru the bedroom but it works out. It's like having my own little treehouse as it backs into the woods. At dusk all the critters came out (raccoons, deer and possum),and I put out some fruits and veggies (our townhouse association doesn't like us to feed the "animals" but some rules are meant to be bent IMO).  Had a glass of wine and thought how much my mom would have loved to see this (I know she's out there somewhere in the universe.....)

Quote

In honor of all the moms we have lost, wondering what your mom's two favorite flowers were? My mom loved lilacs and roses most.

Another reason why I enjoyed your post so much Cricket - Stargazer Lilies were one of my mum's favorites.  She also loved lilacs and Iris.  My mom owned a small floral shop when I was a kid; some of my earliest memories were spending afternoons with her at the shop.  She'd let me trim flowers and make my own "arrangements".  Eventually the 1-800-Flower types put her out of business but my love of plants and flowers were cultivated in her shop at a very early age.

Unfortunately most kids don't have the opportunity to grow up like this nowadays - or they'd rather spend their days playing video games or glued to the latest and greatest "app".

Sorry.....now I'm starting to sound old and crotchety!

Thanks Cricket, I needed this!!!!!!

Edited July 31, 2017 by zoemom

[Coffeecup]

7 hours ago, Cricket said:

Some of my lilies are blooming. One of the Star Gazers I had was toppled over at the base this morning, another chipmunk victim.

I have since given Joe permission for open warfare on them now.

Sorry, Elvin. You and yours were warned...

Beautiful Stargazers! Mine didn't bloom last year or this year. I got leaves but no flowers. They're several years old, and maybe they just gave up eventually because the hot Georgia summers damaged the bulbs. I never cut the blooms to bring indoors anyway because the strong scent makes me sneeze. Same thing with gardenias. Wonderful fragrance but just too strong, so I leave the blooms on the bushes.. That's my allergy problem. I always have to rush through the cosmetics section in department stores because all the perfume they spray in the air makes my nose stop up and starts me sneezing. I run away like a deer whenever a sales clerk approaches me with a perfume sample. 

I used to have loads of chipmunks in my yard, but I seldom see one now. Between the neighborhood cats, the snakes and the hawks, the little fellows have disappeared. They sure can dig. Once they dug so much under my neighbor's driveway that a small piece of concrete collapsed.

[Cricket]

7 hours ago, Friedbaloney said:

I think chipmunks are adorable. I can't imagine killing any kind of animal. I have woodchucks that have been living underneath my garage for years.  I can only have petunias in hanging planters because they eat them when they're in the ground, lol. Last week they got ahold of my patio tomato plant and took a bite out of every tomato that was on the bush. I don't care, I'll just go to the store and buy some tomatoes. 

Maybe the key to not being " overrun" with any kind of wildlife is not putting food out for them.  Feeding the birds all year instead of just in the winter when they really need the help, can lead to trouble. In my area, it's hawks hanging around and making a meal out of every poor bird they can get ahold of. So I only put birdseed out in the wintertime. 

Ugh! I had a neighbor who put poison out when chipmunks ate her frigging strawberries. I've never spoken to the bitch since. 

We keep chipmunks here even through the winter. They don't hibernate. The idea is good, but even feeding the birds only in the winter I would still have the chipmunks. I don't poison them. We hunt deer in this family too. Clean quick and only if it is a lethal shot. And only for food, no trophy hunting here. No suffering. Some areas are over run with deer too because their numbers are not kept in check. No matter what we try, they always find one to get into my basement. After too many stories of house fires due to chewed wired from squirrels, chipmunks and mice, I can not over look this. You are right about the tomatoes too.. they won't eat one, they bite out of all of them.

7 hours ago, Girlydiva53 said:

I lost my mom in 1980. I remember her liking gardenias and carnations. 

Ah gardenias! My mom had some of them too, she loved the smell and she was surprised when I thought they were a little too sweet smelling. Never smelled a flower as rich as that before. Thank you for rekindling that memories. I think gardenia have an old fashioned Victorian back story? too lazy to google this early in the morning.

[Cricket]

7 hours ago, Thumper said:

We had a chipmunk get in our house once!  We think it came through the garage into the mud room and then in our kitchen/family room.  My husband ended up buying a live trap to get it, and we did capture it overnight.

A few years ago at our office, we had one actually running up and down the halls!! The building is on a slab so the boss was able to open a door and it eventually got out. Seriously, they are all over the place up here like rats in NYC. We had squirrels in the attic crawl spaces BAD. Took forever to find the hole they were using to get in and close it off.

[SuprSuprElevated]

17 hours ago, Fishy said:

I don't think I've ever worn a red lipstick in my whole life.

Red lipstick is most definitely not my friend.  

14 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

those people actually EAT!

Asa will gain 150 lbs. with her pregnancy, lol.  That girl can shovel!

[walnutqueen]

14 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Red lipstick is most definitely not my friend.  

Asa will gain 150 lbs. with her pregnancy, lol.  That girl can shovel!

I am askeered of my own colored lips; hence the occasional chapstick will do for me.

They can all shovel - IF I can watch.  That food looks so yummy.  Asa can gain as much as she wants, as long as she doesn't start dressing like MJ.  Now that's a girl who needs a mirror that reaches out and slaps her upside the head before she goes out in public.  ;-)

[SuprSuprElevated]

18 hours ago, Cricket said:

Saw my first Hummingbird Moth on these today but was not with camera at the time. Shame I have to crop them so, doesn't do the flowers any justice at all.

I had to look up Hummingbird moth - cool!  Meanwhile, I saw this on my flower over the weekend.  Never have I seen one of these either!

That's my finger at the top of the photo, for size perspective.  He was very large imo, maybe 2" long or close to that.

Edited July 31, 2017 by SuprSuprElevated

[SuprSuprElevated]

30 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

I am askeered of my own colored lips; hence the occasional chapstick will do for me.

They can all shovel - IF I can watch.  That food looks so yummy.  Asa can gain as much as she wants, as long as she doesn't start dressing like MJ.  Now that's a girl who needs a mirror that reaches out and slaps her upside the head before she goes out in public.  ;-)

Agreed about MJ, but pre-pregnant Asa not much better imo.

[SuprSuprElevated]

R.I.P. Sam Shepard - 

http://deadline.com/2017/07/sam-shepard-has-died-at-73-1202139154/

[ennui]

13 hours ago, Friedbaloney said:

I  used a live trap to catch some mice that got into our basement.

And then what do you do with them?

[ennui]

54 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

R.I.P. Sam Shepard

Oh, no!

[SentimentalLady]

19 hours ago, Fishy said:

Fun reading them too - I am Black Honey.

My go to!

[SentimentalLady]

24 minutes ago, PearlClutcher said:

Black Honey from Clinique?  They say that is insanely popular.   My store here cannot keep it in Stock.  Fishy, you should give red a go.  You might like it.

I was lucky enough to get the Black Honey in a bonus.  Surprising.

I experimented with cheaper lipsticks to see which red I can wear.  I have to go more towards wine.

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

R.I.P. Sam Shepard - 

http://deadline.com/2017/07/sam-shepard-has-died-at-73-1202139154/

That's sad.  I didn't know he was no longer with Jessica Lange.

[TexasTiffany]

3 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Red lipstick is most definitely not my friend.  

Asa will gain 150 lbs. with her pregnancy, lol.  That girl can shovel!

Red lipstick doesn't look good on me. It says something I don't want to say. Corals look horrid on me. A mauve or berry color works best, but I like a subtle color, not a screaming lip color.

Dog walks into a store and takes a bone.

 

Follow-up. Dog owners pay for bone.

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

Red lipstick doesn't look good on me. It says something I don't want to say. Corals look horrid on me. A mauve or berry color works best, but I like a subtle color, not a screaming lip color.

Dog walks into a store and takes a bone.

 

 

Follow-up. Dog owners pay for bone.

 

I floved that segment when I first saw it on one of my many "animal shows".  That darned dog went almost 7 miles ONE WAY for that caper.  Guess she really was paying attention every time she went on a shopping trip with her humans.  :-)

Now I want to find "The Incredible Journey" (the original, that is), watch it and cry like a baby.

 

ETA - when my Babalu was a purse kitten, he went everywhere with me.  He walked the aisles of Petsmart on a harness/leash, and picked out his own cat toys.  He also liked sitting on the checkout conveyor belt thingy, and swatting at the shiny pet ID tags as he approached the delighted cashier.

Edited July 31, 2017 by walnutqueen

[CarpeDiem54]

1 hour ago, walnutqueen said:

Now I want to find "The Incredible Journey" (the original, that is), watch it and cry like a baby.

I love the original The Incredible Journey!

True story - my cousin had a deaf Dalmatian named Dice.  One day he took Dice to visit someone who lived about 40 miles away.  Somehow he escaped and ran off.  My cousin was beside himself with worry and grief.  He and his buddy he visited spent hours looking for Dice, put up posters, haunted every pet shelter, etc.  About two weeks later, a very filthy and hungry Dice showed up at his home.  My cousin had no idea how he managed to get home but he was welcomed with open arms, a bath and a steak.

Dice was "lost" in the north metro area.  My cousin lives out in the boonies in the southern part of the metro area.  He would have had to have traveled far more than 40 miles, through residential neighborhoods and fields, to dodge traffic since the route was straight up a major highway.  Keep in mind, he was deaf as a post.  Animals are amazing.

[lovemesomejoolery]

19 hours ago, Friedbaloney said:

I bought Stargazer lillies last year from Walmart. They're in bloom right now ( and smell beautiful) but they're only a foot tall! I thought Stargazers grow 3-4 ft tall.  Now I'm worried I may have planted them too deep. Heard Rev Humblebrag say this morning that the bulbs in the big box stores are sprayed with some kind of chemical that keeps them dormant until they're planted. And that the chemical harms the bulbs. All I know is, the Walmart bulbs I've bought have always bloomed and looked beautiful, whereas the bulbs I bought off QVC were duds.  The plants too. Bought Lavendar plants from Cottage Gardens and they haven't grown an inch since I planted them in May.  The daylillies from Roberta's never came up at all. So stick it in your ear, Humblebrag. 

Do not worry about the height of your bulbs this year.  The size given is when the bulbs are at their maturity, which can take several years.

Regarding what Humblebrag said (or azzhole, as I like to call him), I've never heard of that.  The largest issue with bulbs, particularly fragile lily bulbs, is that they dry out because they are kept too warm - and that's the fault of the place that sold them to you!  Places like Wal-Mart go through/sell so many bulbs, they are fresh when you buy them. 

8 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I had to look up Hummingbird moth - cool!  Meanwhile, I saw this on my flower over the weekend.  Never have I seen one of these either!

That's my finger at the top of the photo, for size perspective.  He was very large imo, maybe 2" long or close to that.

That, I think, is a Hawk Moth.  Gorgeous thing!

Edited August 1, 2017 by lovemesomejoolery

[Cricket]

18 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I had to look up Hummingbird moth - cool!  Meanwhile, I saw this on my flower over the weekend.  Never have I seen one of these either!

That's my finger at the top of the photo, for size perspective.  He was very large imo, maybe 2" long or close to that.

Pretty!

[Cricket]

17 hours ago, ennui said:

And then what do you do with them?

LOL Yup. THEY COME  BAAACCCKKK!

My brother lives literally around the corner from me at work, where we have the squirrel issues. He caught in one season, over 25 yes, 25 gray squirrels.  He had to drive to the country to release them, otherwise they would just come back. Squirrels need a little bigger hole than mice, rats and chipmunks, to come into your home so it was easier to find the entrance hole of our building. In an older home like mine, there are all kinds of entry areas for small critters to come in. And believe me, Joe and searched and corrected many yet they still find a way in. We even had a black snake in the basement a few years ago! And I like snakes, but we really had to go on a search to find that possible entry hole. Since I live in the country, there is no where for me to release them unless I drive miles away to do so... although, I suppose I could bring them to my brothers - ha! We had a large bunny population here too but they are not destructive here and unfortunately, the red foxes discovered they too like my yard and came to spend a few seasons. :(

Such is the circle of life I guess.

[SentimentalLady]

I've seen a large butterfly or moth in my yard the last few days.  It is large, blackish with dots around the edges of the wings.  I have not seen one before.  I'll try to look it up.

I want to try some Hibiscus next year.  @lovemesomejoolery will it work for Northern NJ?  I would want to keep it potted.

[ennui]

I have observed that squirrels are slightly migratory. Now that the walnut tree and the oak tree are getting ready with walnuts and acorns, I have more squirrels.

I read somewhere that when squirrels have a litter, the adults will move on and let the babies have the first home. So, there will always be new squirrels, no matter what you do.

In my area, it is illegal to relocate wildlife. Your only option is to make your yard less welcoming, but when people feed feral cats, it's a lost battle.

I hate raccoons. Hate.

That is all.

[Booney]

One of the funniest stories about squirrels that I've heard involves one of my friends. Years ago when she was getting married, her mother decided to make her bouquet as well as some of the flower arrangements. It was a spring wedding so, in the fall, her mom planted hundreds of bulbs intending to use them in the bouquet and arrangements. Squirrels started digging up the bulbs and her mom freaked, so her dad came up with a plan. He set out humane traps, and when he caught a squirrel, he would load the cage into his car, drive to a nearby parking lot, and drive the car round and round in circles, thinking he was confusing the squirrels and that they wouldn't be able to find their way back to his yard, and then he let them out. The squirrels proved to be smarter than he was! Fortunately, enough of the bulbs came up in the spring that there were plenty for the wedding.

We feed the squirrels in our yard. We put out ears of field corn, peanuts (which the Blue Jays love too) and a wildlife trail mix. The peanuts go in a metal box that's attached to one of the trees, and the squirrels learn how to open the lid to get to the peanuts. They really are smart little creatures!

Edited August 1, 2017 by Booney

[SuprSuprElevated]

7 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

I've seen a large butterfly or moth in my yard the last few days.  It is large, blackish with dots around the edges of the wings.  I have not seen one before.  I'll try to look it up.

I want to try some Hibiscus next year.  @lovemesomejoolery will it work for Northern NJ?  I would want to keep it potted.

I may have seen one like this yesterday...not sure.  Swallowtail.

Edited August 1, 2017 by SuprSuprElevated

[SentimentalLady]

@SuprSuprElevated.  I think that is the one.  Thanks!

[TexasTiffany]

These butterfly photos remind me of a jigsaw puzzle I grew up with that was a collage of beautiful butterflies. I might google for something similar.

[lovemesomejoolery]

14 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

I've seen a large butterfly or moth in my yard the last few days.  It is large, blackish with dots around the edges of the wings.  I have not seen one before.  I'll try to look it up.

I want to try some Hibiscus next year.  @lovemesomejoolery will it work for Northern NJ?  I would want to keep it potted.

There are two types of Hibiscus - tropical, which will not survive in New Jersey and has to be treated as an annual grown in pots or even in the ground.  You can overwinter them indoors, if you have room and the inclination.  Can be tricky and it won't look good.  I buy them, grow them in the summer and replace every year.  I'm thinking this is the type you want?

There's also a perennial kind that you'd have to grow in the ground.  These will survive New Jersey winters.  Lots of options - I grown one called Copper King, burgundy foliage, beautiful pink, dinner plate sized blooms.

Both types need full sun - the more sun you have means the more flowers you'll have!

[lovemesomejoolery]

6 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

@SuprSuprElevated.  I think that is the one.  Thanks!

Black Swallowtail butterflies are the New Jersey State Butterfly!!

[SentimentalLady]

9 hours ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

There are two types of Hibiscus - tropical, which will not survive in New Jersey and has to be treated as an annual grown in pots or even in the ground.  You can overwinter them indoors, if you have room and the inclination.  Can be tricky and it won't look good.  I buy them, grow them in the summer and replace every year.  I'm thinking this is the type you want?

 

Both types need full sun - the more sun you have means the more flowers you'll have!

I guess this is what I was thinking of.  I'll have to decide if is worth the money since they will have to be replaced.  My yard is very sunny.  I have to avoid it from noon til seven. Thanks for your help.

So after 50+ years I have seen our State butterfly?  

[Fishy]

On ‎7‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 1:17 PM, PearlClutcher said:

Black Honey from Clinique?  They say that is insanely popular.   My store here cannot keep it in Stock.  Fishy, you should give red a go.  You might like it.

Seeing this late but yes Black Honey Almost Lipstick from Clinique. 

I am definitely curious about a red - not sure if my coloring could handle it, but then there's always blush that could be added.  Something dfferent.  :-)

[TexasTiffany]

You made me wonder what my state butterfly is... the Monarch.

I looked up Texas state symbols on wiki. There are some ridiculous sounding things listed. State fiber and fabric is cotton. State fiber? For real. The Texas state molecule is a buckyball. Why do we need a state molecule? State seashell is a lightning whelk. State stone is petrified palmwood. I'm so proud, not really. 

I might have the state snack later. Chips and salsa.

[Fishy]

My backyard is filled with the hardy Hibiscus.  Plants I've cultivated from a singular plant on the property to all over my back yard and formed them all into tree shapes with continuous pruning.  Another blue flowered plant with a siren song that hypnotized me.  Oh, to turn back the hands of time and re-think THAT!!  They are beautiful in bloom but a bear in maintenance because seedlings sprout absolutely EVERYWHERE if you don't get rid of the seed pods!!!  That was okay when I was young and had limitless energy, but these days, it's becoming a big chore.

[ennui]

20 hours ago, Friedbaloney said:

There's a squirrel that hangs out in my yard who shows off for the other squirrels by climbing 2 feet up a tree--then doing a backflip off it.

Maybe he's teaching them how to do it. Squirrels learn by watching other squirrels. 

28 minutes ago, Fishy said:

I am definitely curious about a red - not sure if my coloring could handle it,

Blue-reds are usually easier than orange-reds.