Now that this blog has been going for a while, and successful, I thought I would talk a little about me and why I blog. This information will come as no surprise to folks who know me, but there are many reading this blog and the newspaper version who don't know me.
I am happily married to the GREATEST man in the world for many years. Life with him just gets better everyday and that amazes me. Contrary to popular opinion, my plants are not the center of my life; he is and always has been.
I have four wonderful children. They are 26 year old twins Christy and Liz, 22 year old son Brian, and 13 year old son Jimmy (the Jimster). My oldest son is married to his high school sweetheart from Northwest High School, and together they have a nearly one year old son, Josh. He is my next gardening generation, though all of my children have the gardening gene.
I have lived in my house for almost seven years. It is the longest I have lived anywhere. My husband and I decided for logistical reasons we would retire in this area
Why do I do this blog? A friend (Debbie) of mine recently said to me, "You have the heart of a teacher and more plant knowledge than anyone I know!” That kind of sums it up. I like to teach. I believe you can best teach things you know and experience. I have gardened my entire life and have learned a lot in that time. I continually learn. My blog has taught me many things as well as brought me new friends.
I really like this area and have met many wonderful folks. When I first retired from
I believe my community is not only the
Did you notice the picture? White impatiens next to a 'Sum and Substance' hosta. A nice combination on its own, but look closely at the impatiens leaves. See the dew drops? A world within a world and a reminder of the greater environment we all live and garden within.
in the garden....
Tina, thanks for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteYou are so compassionate about gardening and so willing to share your wealth of knowledge with everyone. I am so grateful! I wish I had known you back in 2002 when I started my first hillside garden. I had never heard of Structures or bones in a garden!!!
Jean, I am hoping when you get down this way you are planning to be here a few days. I to would like to meet you!
Nice post. We all heard 'bout the tornados in Georgia and major power outage in Florida. Everyone ok? Tina, and everyone in Tenn, you musta got alot of snow?
ReplyDeletegood morning. slept late this morning. pups were up early so i felt justified.
ReplyDeletethank you nina! i hope you are feeling much better. don't go out today, that is for sure. snow day for the kids though it appears the roads are clear. i am sure your hillside garden is beautiful. anyone who likes to garden can't help but make it beautiful! glad someone caught my 'bones' in a garden. it is mighty important as it takes the longest to grow!
dawn with peaches,
not much snow at all. enough to make it pretty and since it is cold, it is sticking, roads are clear. how about your snow? another foot or so?:)
Hi Tina, beautiful picture and you certainly have a great way of describing things. Everyone was up early here --of course because no school. lol I have a few errands this morning so it's good to hear the roads are pretty clear. Catch you later --morning Nina, Jean and Dawn with Peaches --Lola too:)
ReplyDeleteHi to every one on this gloomy day.
ReplyDeleteGood post Tina
Nina I also hope to meet all you fine folks down south when we next go. We went in August last year as Tina got her masters degree and we went for her graduation and I hope we NEVER have a reason to go in the summer again! What do you all think the odds are for... Graduation day for your masters with a 4.0 average on your birthday? That is exactaly what happened to Tina last August.
I thought that was very cool. We stayed over a week and then went on to Fl to Joanne's (Tinas's sister). We plan on staying longer next winter, if my daughter can stand us that long. You know how it is, great to have company but also great, with a little sadness to see them go! LOL. Then on to Joanne's for a couple of weeks. That will give us, with travel times over a month. I used to go straight thru but too old for that now so have to tie up on the road.
Dawn you did not mention how Nikki is this morning so I take that as a good sign. Let us know. If you have to take her to the doctor be carefull. It is okay down here but probably not up your way. Don't know why you don't get a doctor up there instead of coming way down here.
We only ended up with 3 inches of snow and it is warn so everthing is melting, a constant run of water from the roof. However it is a very dark and dreary day but they say the sun will shine tomorrow.
Love the picture Tina and as always, Your words… Wow, that must have been a wonderful day for you have a birthday and receive your degree! Ah, the Memories…
ReplyDeleteWe had a half inch of rain from the cold front and today it is COLD and really windy! Hope to reach 50 but not sure that will happen. I know 50 sounds nice to Jean and Dawn with Peaches but with us having upper 60's and some low 70's lately, 50 is cold to us down here! LOL... I have lost power twice while on the computer and I assume the 20-30mph wind has something to do with that. I wish we lived in a world of all underground power lines!
Would love to stay inside and burn some more of the old firewood, but have an appointment in town so must get out in this windy mess. I am so glad I wacked my hair shorter a while back!
Skeeter, I am with you on the blue jeans, tee's and being a tomboy. Even in my 60's I still only wear jeans and tee's, a dress only when I have to. I only had one sibbling
ReplyDeleteand it was a younger brother but we lived out of town in the bonnies and all the neighbors had nothing for kids but boys with the exception of one girl that was a prim and proper kid who could'nt stand to get her hands dirty (could not stand her). Since we had the biggest house with 3 floors of barns with a lotta trap doors to play hide and seek (do kids even play that now), the biggest field to play baseball, the only paved driveway with a basketball net everyone gathered at our house so I really had no choice but to be a tomboy or a very lonely girl! Glad of it as I would not change it for the world.
Skeeter don't forget that down south the temps feel different. Your 50 feels like our 40 or less and right now it is 37. Not too bad, we just have the snow to go with it.
A great blog. Very heart warming & gives one an insight to a very knowledgeable & passionate person. Loved the pic.
ReplyDeleteJust talked to dau.-in-law in Ga. Has been snowing off & on last night & still this morning. Cold.
Hope all in path of storm is safe & stays warm.
There's nothing wrong with being a tomboy. I was one too. Still am just can't do like I use to.
You must have been on cloud 9 on that day. Congrats-late.
Not dau.-in-law. Step dau. But like my own.
ReplyDeleteTina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I have told my husband that I met a garden blogger and he wanted to know a bit about you. He is a nicely curious fellow so now I can say she's a mom, a wife, a grandmother, a gardener, a blogger and retired military with aspirations to teach! :-)
gail
We got a foot, I'm surprised mom that you don't get more. We'd already lost many roofs-even the local greenhouse/florist in the center of town! On and off snow showers and another storm on Sat. Very wet and heavy, but warm.
ReplyDeleteNikk got up with pep but she opted to go back to sleep, gave her more medicine at noon and she decided to have lunch. Thank god, she missed supper and breakfast, she gets sick like this and it has turned to viral pnemonia. Glad school was called, 11 days now but she may not go tom. Later
i leave for a minute or two and come back to tons of comments. i did not expect so many. seems like the human element posts don't get quite as many as some other ones so i am a bit surprised. you guys all know me fairly well, but this post is the one for the paper tomorrow. not sure who reads the paper AND the online version so i thought i'd share there too.
ReplyDeletepuppies are great. cj and bruiser have their health certificates, rabies and heartworm meds. they are ready to travel tomorrow. it will be bittersweet for us. hard to let them go but looking for some updates.
seems like we have a bunch of tomboys amongst us! do you think that is why we all like to garden?
Tina I know it must be bittersweet to drop off the 2 pups. You have done so much for them and if not for you, they may not even be on this earth! I can only hope their new home is as wonderful as yours has been for them the past few weeks. Really sad you are not dropping off all 6 but as B says, God does work in mysterious ways! You are not only a gardener, you are a Pet People too! But I knew that the day I met all your furry and feathery babies!
ReplyDeleteNice picture Tina! I was thinking of using that combination out in the back shady area of the yard.
ReplyDeleteBlogging is great way to meet other people and share stories and information! I think most of us blog because we enjoy it. They more you write the more you like it! It's good to have another Tennessee blogger to share stuff. Keep up the good work!
thanks skeeter, yes, with all my critters i have to be pet person. i think most gardeners are as pets are also living things we need to treasure as gardeners.
ReplyDeleteit will be easier for me to let these pups go knowing bridgitte and deb have taken great pains to find them good homes. they will be fine, but i am sure they will be scared leaving what they know. they really have adapted here. two are gone tomorrow. baby soon after. i can't hardly remember what it was like before i had them. but looking forward to it again!
dave, well said. blogging has been a great way to meet others. i expected that to happen, but it took a long time. though i haven't yet met you, i look forward to at some point, i did meet gail and almost all the others on here (except lola-but perhaps someday). the best part of making new friends though is seeing how everyone can make new friends, not just me. and we all have a love for gardening in our own unique ways. i have learned more than gardening on here and enjoy it each day. i am glad you have joined in and i can get to know you as well as see your garden. i was wondering if the rain garden is still working as planned? i am going to do a rain barrel post soon, though not a rain garden and i love hearing about yours! impatiens and hostas work well in the shade. i love the white one but the dew was a bonus.
So far the rain garden is absorbing all the water from the driveway which to me is a success. It still needs planted. The plants will help absorb the moisture quicker once they are in place.
ReplyDeletegood deal dave. it will beautiful once it is planted and soon you will be able to take both kids out to enjoy the warm weather!
ReplyDelete