Perennials are the ONLY Flowers to Plant

As I mentioned somewhere earlier, I don't plant a vegetable garden anymore. I only plant flowers and I try to plant perennials. They are the kind that come up every year; like tulips, iris, daffodils and crocus in the spring; lilies, liatris, black-eyed Susan, russian sage, and peonies in the summer; and sedum, hostas, and mums are the most common in our area for fall blooming. Roses bloom from early spring through summer, depending on the type. They do take a little more care than other flowers, but their continuous blooms and 'delicious' aroma make them worth it.
This spring I dug up a 4 foot area along the length of our garage so I could plant a flower bed to enjoy during the summer. I dug up some tulips, daffodils and a bulb some people call 'Naked Ladies' or 'Surprise Lilies' that were growing on the east side of the house. These lilies send green leaves up in the spring, then the leaves die off, and just when you least expect it (around the middle of August) large green stems with clusters of beautiful soft pink lily-shaped flowers 'surprise' your flower bed! My husband suggested I move them or they were going to 'disappear'. We needed to build up the dirt beside the house to help drainage away from it. I gladly followed his 'command'! Later in the spring, I brought a Stella D' Oro lily, a sedum and a hosta (don't know what kind they were) and some really beautiful deep purple iris and some yellow iris. I don't know what the name of these were either because they were already growing at the cabin we purchased a couple years ago. Whatever they are, they are really pretty and the flowers are GIGANTIC. I 'strategically' placed them across the prepared bed, trying not to dig up some of the spring bulbs I had transplanted earlier.
Later, I planted some petunias and marigolds. I know these aren't perennials, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet to add some color. And besides they were only 50 cents a six-pack, so I got a lot of color for a few dollars!
Of course, then my son got a puppy and she has been a little tough on the plants, but they were getting ready for winter anyway, so we will see how they fare next spring. I'm reasonably sure they are going to be alright.
Until next time, have a great day!

My Daughter has Gestational Diabetes

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Now it's not the end of the world, but it is a something to be concerned about. I went with her to the dietitian, who explained how the condition happens, some factors that may have contribute to it and what to do to control it. Her 'factors' are she is over 30 and had a previous baby that was over 9 pounds. Other factors are being overweight, family history of diabetes, and high blood pressure. Having a stillborn, a child with birth defects or too much amniotic fluid during pregnancy put you at an increased risk for gestational diabetes.
She is controlling it with diet and exercise. Although it's not a fun or easy thing to do, she is adapting. The hardest part is deciding which foods to eat and how much she can have. Some foods are considered 'free' because they have very little or no carbohydrates in them. Others can count as 2 servings because of the amount of carbs they have. So determining the foods to eat can be the hardest part.
The dietitian showed her how to use a moniter and she takes 4 readings each day. The first is when she gets up in the morning, and the other 3 are 2 hours after she eats her meals. She also has to eat a snack between each meal and one before she goes to bed. The first couple of days her first reading was a little above the acceptable readings, so she checked with the dietitian and she suggested trying to walk in the evening. She works 8 hours a day at a municipal plant and walks each day to the bank and post office. Now she and her two boys try to walk down the gravel road near their country home as often as they can. It has helped to keep her numbers under the designated levels.
She only has about 8 weeks to go and in her words, "It can't get here soon enough!" It can't for me either. It's been 5 1/2 years since we have had a baby in the family and I'm getting really excited to do some rocking in the ol' rocking chair!!
Until next time, have a great day!!

Where Did You Get that Crazy Name?

Our oldest grandchild, Colton, hung that 'moniker' on us when he was around 3. He was talking about his "papa" and his mother asked which papa are you talking about? He replied, "you know the one that lives on the farm, papa farm!" "What do you call your other papa?" He gave it some thought and said, "well, he would be papa store, of course." We owned a grocery store at the time and it seemed quite reasonable to him what our names should be. We've been Grandpa and Grandma Store ever since to all our grandkids, even though we don't operate it anymore. We lived above the store in an apartment and he didn't know we farmed, too!!
The second oldest, Gracie, put a different spin on her grandparents. We are Grandpa and Grandma Store to her, but her other grandpa is "Goofy Papa". He fits the bill perfectly. When she was small, he would call the house and if no one answered, he would leave a message like, "hey, Gracie girl, where are you?" Then he would do a rendition of "shake, shake, shake, shake your booty" one of her favorite parts of a song. She was just a little squirt and would sit and laugh and say "ghen" (again). So her mom would play the message again and again.
Our other 2 grandkids, Jacob (Gracie's brother) and Connor (Colton's brother) followed their older siblings in calling us G'pa and G'ma Store. It's all they've ever heard so they don't question it. Just go with the flow!
Until next time, have a Great Day!!

What's in My Potpourri?

As I like to write about a number of topics, I thought the word 'potpourri' would cover all of them. My interests include gardening, cooking, crafts, grandchildren and now, training a 12 week puppy.
I love to garden. When I was younger and I could bend over without squeaking, I would plant a big vegetable garden. Canning green beans, tomatoes, and beets and freezing sweet corn would fill my summer. I'd also plant carrots, peas, and potatoes. Now 'in my old age' I just like to plant flowers, especially the kind that come up every year.
I've cooked FOR EVER! Started when I was 13, my mom worked at the local cafe in the evenings, my sister had a broken leg and a full size hip-to-foot cast, and my dad drove a truck picking up eggs and cream from farms. I bet you are getting a real clear picture of how old I am now! I've learned a few things over the decades that I'll be glad to share with you.
I also like to 'mess around' with crafts. Everything from arranging flowers to making computer print-outs for the grandkids shirts. I also used to sew a lot, but haven't done much since our kids grew up.
I have 4 grandchildren, and in November, that number will increase to 5. It's been 5 1/2 years since we've had a baby in the family and I'm getting really excited. We don't know the sex yet, my daughter asked her boys (ages 5 & 8) if they wanted to know if they were having a brother or sister, and they said no. Neither she nor her husband wanted to know either. So it's going to be like Christmas in November when they 'unwrap' their baby. The oldest boy, Colton, wants a brother and the youngest, Connor, wants a sister. At least, one of them will be happy. Mom and Dad don't really care, just a healthy baby and an easy delivery would be nice!

And lastly, our youngest son, Alex (now 20) decided he wanted a puppy. Well, okay, he never had a pet when he was growing up. Not a real pet, I don't classify a chameleon or a biting guinea pig as one of these. But now we have a 12 week old golden retriever. Of course, guess who gets to take care of her? He's at work all day, so 'we' go for walks. Guess she will keep me healthy whether I like it or not! Note to self, look into puppy training books.

Well, that's a small synopsis of what is to come on Grandma Store's Potpourri. I'll share with you how the name Grandma Store came about in the next post. Until then, have a great day!