The Garden Lady

The Garden Lady - Old Thoughts 2004 Image of Bleeding Hearts

December 30, 2004 - Ice Fishing?

Collins Lake on December 29, 2004:
It's been cold enough that the lake is frozen and folks are out on it. You wouldnt catch THIS gardenlady out there, but ice fishing is popular, and perhaps this is what people are doing. Most times, they are on the Mohawk River, but ice is thin there, and there are small ice jams. So, it is NOT conductive to the popular sport just yet.

December 24, 2004 - Santa Stopped Here

This morning, little old Scotia had welcome visitors at MaMaLee's Restaurant for breakfast and to meet the kids young and old. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus brightened the day. We're not sure where Rudolph was, but his picture showed up on someones T shirt. Merry Christmas to all.

December 21, 2004 - Merry Christmas

Or, peaceful greetings no matter what your Holiday. My card to you is here. Have a wonderful, safe Holiday season, and a happy and healthy New Year!

December 19, 2004 - Season of Song

On Friday, December 17, we went to the annual Carol sing at the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center. It was a lovely evening, the choir was terrific, and we were not too bad either!It's a great night out, and I'm looking foward to their New Years' Evening Program. I do a little volunteer work there, and stay at their "Windmill" now and then, plus attend a program now and then. I recommend them highly

To Srs. Pat, Sue, Aimee, Carol, Caroline, Bernice, and Barbara, to Jeanne, Jack, Barbara B., Shawn, Katie, Bill and Michael, thank you. And, Peace both now, and in the New Year.

December 13, 2004 - Season of Lights

It is the Christmas season, and that means lights! I went out on 3 occasions and took pictures of a few different displays in the area. I love looking at people's decorations, and nothing looks more homey than a tree in the window, and lights strung up. Even if it is commercial, it sure is pretty. My personal preferences are for simple displays, but I am usually awed by the energy of SOME people! Christmas light pictures are here.

December 6, 2004 - It's Snowing

Snow was predicted to come in this afternoon, with accumulation of less than an inch. It started this morning at about 10, and right now, there is about 3 inches out there. I took some pictures, and one of the lake.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

November 25, 2004 - Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!

November 21, 2004 - Habitat House #1 is done!
The work is finished on House #1, and today was the dedication ceremony at the Scotia-Glenville site. The dedication pictures should be up on this site in a couple of days, but for the meantime, here are more shots as the work goes on. Melissa and the boys will be in the home hopefully soon. Only some minor details to complete, the usual government paperwork for occupancy. And, soon, Marie and family will join in House #2. Stay tuned!

November 4, 2004 - Habitat House #1 near completion!
The work goes on, and now, House #1 looks like a home! Things are beginning to come together rapidly, and hopefully the family can spend Thanksgiving in the new home. I try to imagine what it must feel like to be a participant in the BUILDING of your home. Many thanks go also to all of the volunteers over the months. It wouldnt happen without them!

October 28, 2004 - Total Eclipse
What a night... a total eclipse of the moon, and at a time when we could get some pictures. Even the weather cooperated and I had an unhampered view of the activity. It was a rusty colored moon, not blue as Boston's winning of the World Series might have led you to believe. Coincidence? Hmmmmmm...

October 24, 2004 - Habitat update
Work continues at the Habitat site, and many volunteer groups are always joining in to help ready the homes for their new owners! It is a real community effort - youth groups from local schools and churches help around the site, many volunteers prepare meals to bring to the workers, and it all makes the project that much more special. The workers build these homes as if they were building their own home. Anything that doesnt look right is done over until it IS right! And, the sense of pride grows as the homes take shape. It wont be long now.

October 18, 2004 - Fall Arrives
It's one of the most beautiful times of the year, and I finally have some Fall pictures up on the site. Winter may be just around the corner, but for now, we're enjoying the riot of color that precedes the long, cold winter. The pictures were taken at various preserves locally, and some from further north, on Rt. 30 in the lower Adirondacks. Have a hot cup of tea, and enjoy!

October 9, 2004 - Balloons!
I'm finally updating again! Things have been busy, and pictures got put on the back burner. However, and FINALLY, I have pictures from the photo groups' trip to the Balloon Festival. And, I did get out today and started taking some new fall pictures, as the leaves are starting to turn. Some are even starting to fall!

September 26, 2004 - Habitat update
It's been too long since I updated! More pictures are up from the Habitat. pages, and I hope sometime soon to have pictures from the Adirondack Balloon Festival in Glens Falls! Otherwise, things are really busy, which is a "Good Thing". Fall is coming in, and the garden is slowing down.

September 6, 2004 - One more thing
I got an email from my nephew Mike, who writes some wonderful poetry. He submitted one to the main office where he works, and hopefully it will be published in their company magazine (fingers crossed)

I've read a few of his poems, and have a few tucked away here in disketteland. But you may enjoy reading this ode to fall entitled "The Change" as much as Aunt Gardenlady did :) You can find it here.

September 6, 2004 - Fall Cleaning
September rolls in, and I've started Fall Housecleaning.

No...not in the house, specifically, but here at Gardenlady. I'm moving pictures, deleting old files, and trying to keep the site fresh.

One of the first things you may notice, if you are a "regular" is that individual trip pages will be disappearing as I consolidate the highlights into a (what else...)Highlights page. Then, perhaps, have pages just for birds, flowers, things like that. With the occasional trip as well. As always, the Habitat pages will remain as work continues so you can follow the progress.

August 24, 2004 - Habitat progress
Oh my...has it been THAT long since I updated? I guess so...

The S-G project for Habitat for Humanity is moving right along, and I finally have new pictures. The first house is taking shape rapidly, and the materials for the second house should be coming in soon. It is absolutely amazing to watch all of these people from all walks of life come together and work so well together (i.e. smoothness of work). Our VERY rainy summer (Record 7.2 inches for July) has been a challenge, but the work continues. What a group....

August 9, 2004 - Day Trip
Today was promising to be the best day of the week, weather wise, so we decided to get in the car, drive to Massachusetts, and see the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in West Stockbridge, MA. The gardens were absolutely lovely and after a couple of lazy hours exploring, we drove back into Stockbridge and had a late lunch at the historic Red Lion Inn .

Both are only a little over an hour away. It made for a wonderful day for this gardenlady, and pictures are up!

August 8, 2004 - CATS!
I realized recently that in all the time this site has been up, I didnt have any pictures of my cat Mirage on site. So, though I have a lot more updating to do (new Habitat updates and new pictures from Magic Wings to be prepared for the pages) I'm posting our little kitty to the web. Mostly doing what she does best - lounging. Enjoy!

August 2, 2004 - Summer Garden
New pictures of the garden for 2004 are now on the July Garden page. The colors are lovely this year, and the plants are so healthy! Grab a cold one and come on along.

August 1, 2004 - Habitat again :)
A lot of work continues at the Habitat S-G project site. Latest updates have been added to a second page.

Pages will be added as the project moves along. Tomorrow, the basement floors are due to be poured, and work is really moving along, thanks to the incredible efforts of the volunteers. Hopefully soon, I'll also have a few pictures of some of the kids from the local Vacation Bible School, who all helped build picnic tables for the new families!

July 24, 2004 - Habitat for Humanity
In May of 2004, Scotia-Glenville started on it's own Habitat for Humanity project, building 2 homes for two families.

The project is interesting in that it involves a lot of volunteer work, and the families that are chosen also work on the project, putting in a number of hours of sweat equity. They DO pay a no-interest "mortgage" as well, it's not a giveaway. As the project progresses, more pictures will be added to the page but for now, here are the highlights so far.

Project Pictures are here.

July 19, 2004 - Retreat
Last week, from July 11-14, I spent a few days at the Windmill at the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center in Niskayuna. Each year, I take a few days, usually on the weekend (but this year at weeks' beginning) and enjoy the solitude. I did get some pictures off grounds, but the pictures were of the Windmill, inside and out, and some of the flowers in bloom around it. More information about the Windmill are on the picture page, and also available on the DRCC website. There's something for everyone at DRCC, from group retreats to special programs, to the hermitage Windmill.But for now, it's back to the computer, the cell phone, and life in general.

July 3, 2004 - July 4
Well. actually today is the 3rd, but not for much longer. I hgot some new pictures up of the fireworks display we went to last night at Freedom Park in Scotia. Have a safe and happy 4th.

Plus - a milestone. July 4th marks the first anniversary for Gardenlady! The site was launched a year ago. How time flies :-).

July 1, 2004 - Summer travels
Out on the trails again, and this time we went to Kaaterskill and Bastion Falls. I love waterfalls, and Kaaterskill is by far the nicest, although I should have gone earlier, when the water levels were up. Oh well... it's just another reason to go back!

Also visited the Vischer's Ferry preserve.

June 28, 2004 - Some Updates
I'm finally getting around to updating some picture pages, replacing dull and muddy spring pictures with newer, late spring pictures. More leaves..more color!

Things are blooming in the garden, lots to see and do, and we're battling a bumper crop of mosquitos this year.

June 11, 2004 - Nothing in Particular
No pictures tonight, maybe later, but we went to (and participated in) the Centennial Parade here in our little local village. And, I've been busy putting compost around the garden for the past 2 days. We had 3 yards delivered - the minimum order. And now, things look really well-groomed.

The weather has been almost like summer, the flowers are growing almost as fast as the weeds, and I just dont seem to have time to fit everything in. But that's more than fine. It feels SO good to be outside again! The mosquitoes sure think so.

Oh...we also got some new chairs (outdoor type) and a table for the sunroom, and rearranged things out there. I have to get some pictures up sometime soon. But for now, it's almost 10:30 and I'm really tired. All that parade walking, and compost shovelling plain wore me out.

May 31, 2004 - Back Yard Blossoms
For the past year, I've been busy digging up more of the yard and planting more things. Last year, the project was to landscape around the garage, and this year, it's around the sunroom. A lot of digging, shaking out sod, cultivating and planting. But, it's worth every minute.

May 29, 2004 - Spring Sights
Spring has arrived in force, and I took some pictures to prove it! Over the past few days I visited 5 Rivers, the stream at Plotterkill and Central Park. It is just so nice to have the flowers blooming and see all the baby critters again. Truly, it is a beautiful world.

May 19, 2004 - Sunday Drive
Sunday, we took a ride through Schoharie to check out some of the sights I had passed briefly a couple of weeks before. The weather was lovely - the heat had broken and it was pleasant and sunny for hiking and picture taking.

May 7, 2004 - Back to Magic Wings
New page up for Magic Wings! And a couple of new butterflies this time. Every time we go we see new varieties of butterflies, and right now, we are looking forward to the opening of their addition. Pictures are here. Now, I need to refocus and get busy in my yard. So much to do...so little time.

April 29, 2004 - Walk on the Wild Side
It's time for hiking, and more picture taking as we breeze into spring. Today, I went to Indian Kill, and spent time taking in the sights and sounds that were there. I saw a mallard pair, heard many birds, including a red-bellied woodpecker, and just enjoyed seeing the earth come alive. What a wonderous thing, to see the awakening. It never gets old.

April 23, 2004 - Adirondack Expo
Today, we went up for opening day of the Adirondack Expo in Saratoga Springs. I've never been to this expo, and it was a mid-size show with many wonderful things to see. You could choose your home, right down to the stone you might like, and furnish and fluff it up with all that was offered. many informational booths as well, and I had a wonderful time chatting with a couple of the vendors there. Plus, I bought a walking stick, to replace the old stick from Plotterkill that is falling apart in my trunk.

April 16, 2004 - On the Road Again
The past two days, I've been out and hiking, and taking more pictures. On April 15, I checked out the Featherstonough and Schenectady County Forests,

Then, today, April 16th, hubby and I checked out Five Rivers Environmental Center in Delmar. Spring is finally winning the battle in these parts, things are starting to bud and bloom, and none too soon, IMHO. Needless to say, not much getting done inside right now, it's far too lovely outside.

April 11, 2004 - Happy Easter
Taking just a little time to wish everyone blessings on Easter.

This morning, I brought some flowers out to the cemetary for Dad, Mom and Kims' graves. They are buried in Memory's Garden, hubby's folks are buried back in Massachusetts, so I couldnt do anything there :(. I was happy to see that someone (probably the kids) already brought Kim flowers! In addition to Easter, today would have been her 46th birthday.

Happy Easter, Happy Birthday. Although I know you are all in a better place, I still miss you all.

April 4, 2004 - Winter's redux!
This morning, all was calm, all was bright.

Tonight, the wind has come up, and the sound through the trees is WINTER. We're supposed to get some snow, and it's going to be cold again. Just as I was glorying in the emergence of my spring plants!. Not a happy camper, am I.

March 31, 2004 - Spring Springs!
The ice is out, the robins are back, plants are beinning to push up. And, it's raining instead of snowing (for now). Spring is arriving! I've put up some pictures of the local landscape and fauna, plus EMERGING SKUNK CABBAGE. Lace up your mud boots, and come on along for a trip around the area. March is truly going out like a lamb.

Plus - visit my new page on Collins Lake

March 17, 2004 - What a difference a day makes
We DID luck out in that the storm yesterday only left us with about 6 or 7 inches of snow, and we've had "nuisance snow" all day today. But, I took pictures out the atrium door. For what? I really don't know....

March 15, 2004 - Not a Quitter
Winter just wont let go. Tomorrow we have a Winter Storm Watch with an expected 7-11 inches of snow, and that's only ONE storm. We're due for snow all week.

And the garden was finally free of snow!

So, I'm filling the bird feeders again (as usual) and we're gearing up for another wallop. No one in their right mind puts the boots away until mid-May. Meanwhile, an online friend continues to tell me all about their flowers in bloom. Oh my......

March 7, 2004 - Spring Arrives - NOT!
Today, we upstaters awoke to a few inches of wet snow.

Just when I was starting to think I might see some plants poke their heads up. And, after I journalled about our warmer weather!

Oh well, not wanting to waste the opportunity to take pictures of the area (it WAS lovely), I grabbed my camera and started shooting. Dad always called spring snow the "poor man's fertilizer". If that's the case, I think I've had about enough of this (sigh) fertilizer for now.

March 5, 2004 - Warmer Days
We have had a few days of warmer temperatures, and now some rain. Which means that we have had a lot of snow melt. Our front yard is just about bare, and the piles are receeding in the back and side yards. Everything is SO muddy!

Of course, all this melting and now rain means that we could have some ice jamming and flooding along the river. It's like a Rite of Spring around here. I DO, however, remember a spring about 25 years ago when we lived by the Kaydeross Creek, and it jumped it's banks and took anything in the way with it. We were without water for a couple of days (we stayed in our location, hoping to avoid getting looted) but luckily had electricity. But, no way to drive out to the main road. Every now and then, I find the old pictures that I took.

Life without running water is quite interesting. Ahhh.. the memories. Be sure to miss it if you can.

February 27, 2004 - The Latest and Greatest
Only 2 more days of February, and we are into March. For some reason, to me that means we're REAL close to spring.

When Spring comes in, finally (and all of us know that the calendar has nothing to do with it) there will be a lot of yard work to do. New landscaping around the sunroom, clearing up the flowerheads that I leave to go to seed for the birds, and a new season of hiking and picture taking. I can hardly contain myself.

February 21, 2004 - Nothing in Particular
I dont have much to say, but that never stopped me before!

I've been keeping busy trying to learn something new - programming. If anyone thought I was confused before, you should see me now. I started out pretty well, and I can understand some of the concepts, but as I go along, I'm getting bogged down. And, I'm only on Lesson 3 (of 8). Something to fill the long winter nights.

But - hooray, the sponge painting is done, and I have to get some pictues taken and uploaded. And, I'm waiting for spring.

February 9, 2004 - A Winter Break
The girls decided to do it again. Yesterday, we went back to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield, MA. It's been a long cold winter, and we decided a trip to ANYPLACE warm and flowery would be heaven. So, after getiing our original plans postponed due to - you guessed it - winter weather, we set out to Magic Wings and Yankee Candle.

These are all new pictures, and the sidebar reflects the change.

Now, we're back home, and it's all the way into the 30's. Spring is still a long way off, but this was a wonderful mini vacation for all of us.

January 27, 2004 - Work and winter challenges
Right around New Years' Day, I started to get antsy to be doing something... ANYTHING...to keep busy. It's been so cold, hiking would be a real challenge. So, I got some paint, sponges, and started a project that I've been considering for about 3 years now. But...now that I have started, I cant seem to finish. The living room is next.

Speaking of cold and snow and ice, had my first winter mishap in well over 20 years this morning as I hit a patch of black ice. I spun out, and planted the car firmly on top of a small solid iced snowbank. Took a tow truck and a winch to pull it off. I think I can live without that happening for awhile.

January 14, 2004 - Absolute (ly) zero...
We're in the middle of a deep freeze here. It is brutally cold, the back deck snaps and creaks when you walk on the boards, and the snow squeaks underfoot rather than crunches (those of you in areas such as this know exactly what I mean). It is bright and sunny - and below zero still, at 2:30 in the afternoon.

And, the furnace decides to act up. Lucky for us, our plumber lives about 3 blocks from here, and was here in an hour. It was still firing, but some of the flame was escaping and shooting down the tube, and was actually exposed. Wonderful!

But, all is well down there. It must be about 40 in the basement though. I made sure the feeders are full, and we're staying inside. Wind chill is something like 25 below. Running errands this morning, and filling the gas tank, I believed it.

Spring is sure a loooooooooooong way off!

January 9, 2004 - Life goes on...
Things have been pretty busy around the gardenlady household. Painting the kitchen, which led to painting the entry hall off the kitchen (and all associated woodwork) painting the small hallway between living area and bedrooms, which led to painting that woodwork, and NOW....painting the sitting and living rooms. Yep - I'm getting tired. But I guess I've been a working fool. Sometimes, you just need the diversion.

I will have pictures up sometime soon (before and after). If I can get the paint off my hands and I can keep from freezing here (15 below predicted for tonight) Things are busy at the bird feeders, that's for sure. And, a special "Get Well Soon" to a gardenlady special friend. Now, RELAX and recover...if you know what the word "relax" means, that is.

January 2, 2004 - A new year...
Well, we are now into a new year, and it's starting off busy. But bad weather held off this year, unlike last New Years' ice storm. I guess the people out west are getting some snow for a change (or so I hear from an online friend). I will be interested to hear the reports of how things are going. They're not used to it like we are around here.

Since my last entry, I sponge painted the kitchen, and repainted some of the woodwork. For a winter project, the living room and sitting/dining room and the hallway will be next. I will have to put "before" and "after" pictures on the site so you can see.

May you and your loved ones be happy and healthy this new year, and may we all find peace.

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