Sci Fi Muse Vs ME!!

For the past few days I have been trying to figure out WTH is going on with my poor Grape Tomato plants. I could tell that "something" was feverishly munching away. I was looking for the same little black monsters that were eating my Dahlias in the front border. I only saw ONE. Now I know that this skinny short black booger was not the culprit!! And that's when I found the 3rd cousin twice removed, of the muse for the dreaded Alien that made Sigourney Weaver look good bald.


Seriously!!Doesn't that look like an eye on the side?? It arched up when I touched it with a twig and EWWMG I swear that thing was laughing at me!!
Look at the destruction it has caused!!








All my leaves are gone. All my buds are gone. I was so upset!! This creature of evolution even munched on a few actual fruits!! WAH WAH WAH.... see my cute puppy in the back tho?? She's so sweet.




Well from the size of this veggie eater, I could only assume that he could not have done this alone. I was so very right. I found 10!! That's right TEEEEEEN!!! I couldn't believe it!! Now I need to clip off all the branches that they ceased useless. No reason for them to use much needed energy. I really hate spraying anything on my plants. Especially the ones that the little thumbs will be eating from.... SO I decided to have a little fun!!
I picked up two twigs long enough so that they couldn't attack me. They are freaky I tell ya!! They needed to be sturdy enough for me to pick them from their meal though.

NOW the fun began!!!!

One by one they lost their food then got squished!! Some of them did not want to die I tell ya!! They wouldn't let go of their perch....almost as if they knew what was about to happen. I just couldn't let them stay their no matter what. If I hadn't gone out there that day they would have surely eaten both plants in no time.

So these are the first few i snagged and made sure they would never return. Check out that spike??
I wonder if that spike is poisonous???

WFMW - SparkPeople

So I'll admit it..... I'm not a small girl (well Mr Thumb says my toes are but that doesn't count right?)
Well what works for me is SparkPeople. In my fierce effort to lose about 70 lbs (long run wise), this site has been so very beneficial for me!! Not only can I see actual calorie counts for most foods, there are many videos and instructional areas to help to workout from home. The endless support from other members of SparkPeople has truly been what works for me. You wanna know the kicker...... IT'S FREEEEEE!!! No monthly charges!! No sign up fees!! NOTHING!!

Join me at SparkPeople!! If you only need to lose a few lbs or you really want to make the effort to simply learn how to eat better this is def the place to start!! When you sign up look for me "daisywahm".... I'm somewhere in there tracking my progress and learning on the way.

Free Online Diet Plan at SparkPeople.com


Want to know how many calories you ate today? Use this quick search!

Food Search:

So what works for you?? Tell us about it!!
Want to see what works for others as well.. Check out Shannon's ever growing list at RocksInMyDryer. I learn something new every Wednesday... thanks Shannon!!

Tree Integrity

I love to look at trees. I truly get a sense of joy looking at the twists and bends of the branches. I really love finding their scars. Whether it's a nice pruning job or a nasty lightning strike.. I love to see the scars and guess how it happened.
I wish I could drive around with a saw and "fix" some of the pruning jobs I've seen lately. People get suckered in everyday!! Just b/c you have a piece of paper saying that you CAN cut a few branches obviously does not mean that you should!!
There are lots of Historic Live Oaks in my area. As these enormous Octopus tentacle trees get larger and grow older, the pruning they received in the first 10 to 15 years really can make a difference. This is usually only in the case of such a tree at a residence or near a business.
Forethought about the true size of most trees should really be considered before you plant any type of tree.

Just a little vent today lol no "really" good info. I'll be back in the swing of things soon.

D

Snip snip here, rub rub there and a couple of la dee dahs

My neighbor walked over yesterday as I was weeding my front border to ask about a few of her plants she keeps in containers. She has beautiful pots and striking blooms but they are ALL in containers. I know there's nothing wrong with leaving your plants in containers but I just have this thing about a landscape consisting of only containers and half dead plants. The reason she walked over, which she rarely does, was to ask about a hydrangea she was hiding in a corner near her front door. By her eye it seemed to be doing well... except the bloom fell off 2 days after she bought it. She did mention that she cut the dead flower off and remove it but how she did it is the reason for this post today. Just pulling off the wilted flower (in this case and many others) does not always do your sprouting wonders justice.


Pruning is essential for the survival and integrity of many many types of plants. From Oak trees to Crepe Myrtles and from Hydrangeas to Coleus pruning (or dead heading depending on the type) is very important to the life cycle of these plants. Of course they aren't all done in the same way... you would cut your finger nails the same way you cut your hair... right?


Let's talk a little about pruning your blooming beauties. Let's say you have a beautiful tri colored Coleus, like the one above. I've been seeing it pop up more in the last few years in my area. Mostly in a commercial setting where little to no maintenance is needed.... and then it gets picked up by the consumer. So now it's at your house and it's tall and thin with broad leaves near the base. It doesn't look anything like the huge bush you saw and fell in love with at the nursery or that office building down the street. What gives? And now it's blooming?? But that's not what you wanted right... well that's where pruning comes in. Coleus is a great little specimen who even love people with a light brown thumb. They do quite well in the sun but rather the shade to show off their brighter colors and they don't mind too much if they get a little dry.

If you remember a few quick tips you can have a nice full Coleus just like the one in the nursery. Pinching off the top 2 sections of the coleus before it grows a bud will produce 2 more branches. Doing this every time a new branch has 5 or more sections will keep your Coleus growing and getting quite fat. If you decide to let these go all the way to bloom you will more than likely get no new growth. There are a few herbs as well that will have this same growth pattern. Just follow the same tips as those we just went over and you'll have more than enough to go around.

This is exactly the type of pruning I did today with my neighbor's Hydrangea. I'm sure she'll come over when she has new blooms for me to see. I really do love when people ask for my help with their yards or gardens. Oh how I miss being in school and really do plan on going back in the next few years....... *sigh* I'd love to finish my degree. I'm not sure what I'd do with it now that I'm home with my 3 little ones. I guess I just want to say I have the degree. Just a little justification for myself, the lifetime student.

BadaBadaBadaBadaBada (come on it's a drumroll)

So I walk up to Mr Sand Thumb and say "Pick a number from 1 to 128."
"Huh... Why?"
"Just do it please. I want to be fair" I pleaded.
" Tell me why"
" Blah blah blah just pick."
"Ok fine 486,723" he just smiles. And I walked away lol He's so sassy.
I then wrote 2 numbers down and that how we have our 2 YES 2 winners for today!!!

And the winner iiiiiiis.......

Kim!! at themisplacedmidwesterner
"Autumn Walk sounds like it wants to come on over to my house and live! :)
What a wonderful giveaway you are doing here.
Have fun with your giveaway. Don't forget to head on over to my blog and enter mine!"

AND since you guys went over my 100 comments goal the 2nd winner iiiiiis.....

Melissa!!
"Man, it's hard to chose. I would say I'm sure I would most like 'water garden' I like 'bella' as the product line name. I'm expecting my 1st child & if it's a girl her name will be Bella. I just think it's such a pretty name. For a little girl or a candle! lol"

Melissa please contact me within 48 hours. I don't have an email or website for you??

Congrats to you both!!! Thank you all for playing and coming to my page. I hope to see some of you back soon. This is such a fun outlet for me. I love to play in the dirt and my hope is that this will soon help other's learn to love it as well.

I can't wait to do this again it was so much fun!!! Don't forget to check out the rest of the winners at Bloggy Giveaway Winners.
Did you win anything else?? I hope I did!!

Bloggy Giveaway - Gold Canyon Candle

I'm a little late in posting my Bloggy Giveaway but there is still time to get in on the fun.



I'm giving away a gorgeous 26 oz Bella Gold Canyon Candle!! The Bella is elegant beauty, sleek and dignified. A different way to experience Gold Canyon’s favorite Signature Series™ fragrances and add a touch of elegance to your décor. Bella is available in many of the most popular Signature Series scents and available all season long in this timeless glass jar.





This is so easy!!! Just follow this link and pick your favorite scent that's available in the Bella line this season!! These 26 oz candles are guaranteed to burn evenly and beautifully for over 200 hours. You will simply love these candles!!

All shipping and tax are covered in this giveaway!! Unfortunately this giveaway is only for US residents. It will be shipped by UPS so no APO's either.

Entering is easy!! Leave me a comments here. I'll post the winner Saturday morning. If I get over 100 comments (no duplicates please) I'll be happy to announce 2 winners!! Tell your friends and help my comment count to help your chances!!

Does this tomato make my bell pepper look fat??

Lettuce, tomato, cucumber,bell pepper, and green onions... sounds like the start of a great salad right?? Throw in a few shrimp or cut up chicken breast and I'm a happy girl. Now I can't grow shrimp in my garden and a few chickens might make my harvest a little more difficult but I can produce the rest of my ingredients in a great abundance as long as I know what grows well next to each other.


A great garden does not consist of only 3 or 4 plants. Many veggies and herbs have little buggy friends that help them to stay healthy by inviting new friends and consuming their enemies. You can help your harvest greatly by simply planting certain varieties near one another and on top of one another for that matter. This is called Interplanting your crops. There are many different ways you can do this and I'll list a few below. Not only will this save space if you have a small garden but it will also save on time when you harvest and it looks great to see such a full lush garden. Choosing the right varieties for interplanting will keep your weeds to a minimum and help you to save space for next seasons crops.

There are many ways to Interplanting (or Intercropping)

• Row Intercropping - growing two or more crops at the same time with at least one crop planted in rows.
• Strip Intercropping - growing two or more crops together in strips wide enough to permit separate crop production using machines but close enough for the crops to interact.
• Relay Intercropping - planting a second crop into a standing crop at a time when the standing crop is at its reproductive stage but before harvesting.
• Mixed Intercropping - growing two or more crops together in no distinct row arrangement.

This is a beautiful way to incorporate lots of different plants together. The flowers and herbs with attract more pollinators to your veggies that they would not be able to do alone.

Here are a few examples that you could try this year....

• Corn, Beans, and Squash
  
• Marigolds or Basil and Tomatoes
• Broccoli and Dill
• Onions and Bush beans between Strawberries
  
• Radishes and Carrots
• Leeks and Sweet Potatoes

As well as plants that you should group near one another there are also plants that never do get along well. But I'll save that for another day.

What plants do you find work well together? Have you ever tried Interplanting? I'd love to help you have a great harvest this Spring and Summer. If you have any questions please leave me a comment. Have a wonderful day. It's beautiful here!! I'll try to be outside as much as possible.