OUR GARDEN FENCE

Last fall, when we were putting in our landscaping, Dave built our raised garden beds.  He did an excellent job.  We have 3 beds that are 4" high and 1 bed that is 8 inches high, (for our root crops).  These beds are 4' wide and 10' long.  They will provide us with plenty  of vegetables.

 This spring, he installed a fence to keep Balsa, (our CCI puppy that we are raising), from getting into the garden and digging - one of her favorite hobbies.  He installed a nice gate with a very good locking latch.  And it's very secure, so it will hold up for years.

Here's a close up of the latch.  Our raised beds have a root drip system, and each bed has it's own valve that we can turn on or off, depending on the amount of water that the vegetables will need.  (see next 3 photos). 

 I have already planted our strawberries, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, and peas.  I am still looking for cabbage plants.  Now if I could just get mother nature to just stop snowing on my garden and warm up a little.

 I have my corn packets and tomatoes plants sitting on the kitchen table just waiting for the nice warm soil.  And Dave's mouth just waters when he thinks about the juicy tomatoes that he's going to enjoy later this year. My herbs are doing well in the kitchen, but they also long to be outside in the warm sunshine.

I wish you all a warm summer, and enough space to plant a few tomatoes, or whatever you enjoy eating.  There's nothing more enjoyable than working in the dirt and then reaping your rewards, and sharing with your friends the excess bounty that mother earth provides.  We trade our extra garden items with our friends Karen and Neil for their farm fresh eggs.  Good deal!!  I always tell Dave, the more we share, the more our garden produces.  Happy Gardening to everyone.  

WHAT HAPPENED TO SPRING ??

 WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO SPRING ??

I woke up Sunday morning, April 3rd, and look at what was outside!!

Here we are starting our 3rd week into Spring and another 6 inches of snow on the ground !!

Is there any end in sight to this winter?  I am so ready to start planting my garden, but can't even get out outside to the garden boxes.  I need to move south.

Destin Florida

 Last Fall, the Asysco group asked Dave to chair the United States Lion Users Group, (L.U.G.).  Dave agreed to do it for 2 years, provided that they agreed to find a replacement at the end of his term.  Part of his duties include attending and helping to chair the annual Users Group meeting and doing round table discussions.  This year the meeting was held March 24th at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.  The resort was lovely and huge.  Most people get around on golf carts and bicycles.  And everything was awash in lovely flowers of every color.  Our room was on the 9th floor overlooking the pool and beach.  We flew out on Wednesday, March 23rd, arriving early afternoon.  The company had a lovely reception set up for everyone by the pool.  Lots of food, drink and entertainment.  Since Dave's company has been associated with Asysco for about 3 years and we have been going to dinners and functions with different members of the company on and off during this time, I have come to know quite a few of the U.S. and European company members and their wives.  It's always so nice at these events to see the spouses when they attend with their husbands.

 The weather during our 3 1/2 days in Destin was lovely, and the sunsets over the ocean lovely every evening.  We didn't get much time in our room to enjoy them, as the company keep us pretty busy with activities. But I did manage to get a shot of the sunset on the first day, between our welcome reception and dinner.  While Dave was in his meetings all day on Thursday, I did some souvenir shopping, sat on the balcony reading, enjoyed a long nap, and of course as usual worked, (I am never far from my blackberry, cell phone and laptop - always the property manager).  I did manage to join Dave and the group for lunch down by the pool - it was a wonderful lunch.  This group sure did know how to feed their attendees, and we had lots of good conversations and laughs as we all sat around talking.

After the meetings were over, the group had 1 hour to change, then meet downstairs to shuttle over to the pier for a dinner cruise around the harbor.  There were about 40 people who took the company up on the offer.  Once again good food.  The wind had kicked up and it was rather nippy up on deck.  But down below everyone was having a good time mingling around.

 As you can see by the flag - the wind is blowing pretty strong.

After dinner, quite a few got up to dance to the live music and work off some of the good food and drink.

The company gave Dave a thank you gift - a lovely jacket, engraved with Lions User Group President on the front.  It was a very nice London Fog jacket and he loves it.

 We returned to the pier around 10:00, and a group of 20 of us walked over to a club called the Funky Blues Shack.  They wanted to still keep the spirit of the night going and listen to a live blues band.  The place was an eclectic deco of just about everything imaginable.  Sort of reminded me of something I would have seen during my college days.

The band played wasn't too bad.  Dave enjoyed a couple a their songs.  The group hung around until 11:30 and then we all piled back into the van for a trip back to the hotel.  Some called it a night, (they had early flights home), some went to the bar for a night cap, Dave and I went to our room.  Dave did a little work on his computer - then lights out, we were going on a road trip tomorrow.

 Friday morning Dave and I got up, grabbed a quick breakfast then we hit the road for Mobile Alabama.  We wanted to see the Annual Flower Show and get some ideas for our new landscaping.  Around noon, we stop at a little funky roadside place called Derailed Diner.  It had all kinds of travel related stuff hanging all over the place.  It was the coolest place to see.  And the food was wonderful, real down home style cooking.  And the prices were very reasonable.  Highly recommend the place if you are ever in Southern Alabama traveling to Atlanta.

 It's fun to look around and see the different items from different eras tacked on the walls, sitting on the tables, inside the display tables, even the bar stools were travel related.

When we got to the flower show, Dave found some lovely Southern Belles to have his picture taken with.  Of course these lovely ladies were young enough to be our grand-daughters.  We loved looking at the different types of roses, and definitely want to plant some "Voodoo" variety type of roses, (they are a beautiful orange rose) along with the traditional American Beauty in our yard. 

Dave of course found a place to sit a dream about how he would like our yard to end up looking when all the planting is done.

Of course this is my idea of flower plantings for a yard.

On Saturday morning before we left for the airport, we shopped to get a thank you gift for Balsa's puppy sitter.  Dave found a chair that he wanted to take home for the deck.  But, I don't think they would let us take it on the plane, so I had to tell him "sorry not this time"....

All in all, we had a good time, and it was so nice to get away from the nasty snow and cold weather, even if it was just for a few days.