About Me

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I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Before and After

Fanfare! Trumpets and Flourishes! This is my 100th post. Big deal, right? Well for someone who wanted no parts of blogging, maybe it is. It took Cheryl almost two years to convince me to write, and I'm glad she did. I've met some wonderful people through blogging and have also had a whole, wide world of ideas opened to me, gained some technical know-how (thanks to many of you), and maybe even had an epiphany or two about myself.

Today, Sun Nurseries came out and did some sprucing-up of our front landscaping. I usually do this type of thing myself, but was a little overwhelmed and perplexed as to why we were losing our plantings pretty consistently. The design consultant, Donna, was great to work with and the men who did the planting were courteous and exemplary in their work.

Before

After

Before

After
My personal battle with the rabbits continues. Today, however, UPS delivered the Tree Guard that I ordered. I have already donned, gloves, an apron, and protective eye wear, and doused all my plantings in the back with the stuff. It usually works pretty well -- is latex-based so does not have to be re-applied after rain or watering. We'll see. The rabbits have been climbing into my pots and decimating the zinnias, trailing verbena, portulaca, and impatiens. I know that their persistent defoliating of my roses is responsible for my losing quite a few this year. If the Tree Guard doesn't work, I'm considering electric wire or a flame thrower.

16 comments:

Jay said...

They did a great job sprucing up the front of your house. Very nice. And your house is a pretty blue!

I'm sure you can find some good rabbit stew recipes online. hehe ;-)

Purple Flowers said...

The Landscapers did a great job. I love edging; I think it enhances what's planted. I hope you no longer have problems with the rabbits. I like the idea of flame-throwing. Do you have prior experience with this sort of thing?

Purple Flowers said...

I forgot to mention earlier - Happy 100th post!!!

Jamie said...

Your yard is georgous!

Happy 100th post. I'm happy you took up blogging, too.

:)

Cheryl said...

Happy Hundred friend! Yes, it did take you a while to get on the bandwagon, but you've stayed on and flourished.

The landscaping looks awesome. It really enhances the curb appeal. Just don't move, OK? And no flame-throwing either.

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

Happy 100th. I love the sprucing.

I think I've tried every rabbit repellant known to gardeners . . . including sprinkling fox urine in my yard. Can we say EWWWWW?

They haven't been as bad this year, which I think might be due to the visits of hawks. If I knew how you could entice hawks to your neighborhood, I'd suggest that.

Anonymous said...

Wow, he did a great job and Happy 100 post. What a beautiful house you have!!

Lena said...

I am very happy you began to blog. I enjoy your posts very much!

Your house looks great!!

Our cat keeps the rabbits in line.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

The landscaping is awesome! Wish the front of my house looked half that nice.

Congratulations on 100 posts! I'm getting close to 100 myself.

Good luck with the war against the rabbits. I might be willing to rent Mazie Grace out. She catches rabbits as well as birds, moles, lizards, squirrels, and she even chased a ground hog the other day.

Gilly said...

What about a dog? Especially the terrier type. They love chasing rabbits!

Happy 100th! And your garden looks very sprice!

Rick Rockhill said...

WOW!!!!!!
You have been busy for sure. I must tell you how nice it is to see the fruits of your labor. Do keep us posted as it grows in.

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

I love the colors of your home..the red door and what they did to the landscape..Spruce I know fully comprehend as a vocabulary word for lawn :)

:) Thanks for everything by the way. :)

jane said...

hi kathy! congrats- i would also like to thank cheryl! have a great week! hugs-jane

happyone said...

Your yard looks nice spruced up. I like your house colors too. Had those exact colors on our house in Waldorf.
I've seen LOTS of rabbits all over the place when I walk. Sometimes 10 on one walk!!

pve design said...

Congrats to you on your 100th post and to you for your spruce up in the front of your home. We worked many hours this weekend in the garden and planted lots of things- looks like I will be watering and weeding. Perhaps there is a reason the rabbits like your garden. I wonder if there is something naturally inviting to them.

Brad said...

Congrats on your 100rth post! - Sorry I'm so late. The front flower beds look GREAT. Fingers crossed the anti-bunny stuff works. I'm back to fighting slugs - not sure what to do now that I know Bear will eat the slug-death-in-a-can. Picking them off the plants and flinging them isn't fun.