Wednesday, September 24, 2008

What Do I Recieve? Learn? Enjoy?....From Blogging


What do I receive from the blog? Learn? And Enjoy? Too many things to remember for this one post! But I will try. All categories kind of grouped together in no specific order.

I have found a nice way to be able to communicate with my family, including my mother (Jean), my sister (Dawn), and my daughters, Christine and Liz.

I learned you can really make friends through the cyberworld and want to thank my new friends for being loyal and taking the time to talk with me! The commenters of course: Lola, Nina, Anonymous, and Skeeter, my mother and sister. .

One of the first important things I learned about gardening on this blog was that viburnums need a pollinator (or at least they berry better with a pollinator). I learned this from Frances. I have learned so many things from her that I would need an entire post for it all! I enjoyed my visit to her garden and the plants she gave me are doing well. A piece of Frances in my garden. The Sheffield has buds and I am excited. Frances was nominated in many categories on the Blotanical Award Contest. Among them are Best Writing. Like Skeeter said, "It is a talent" and you do it so well Frances. Good luck! You are a super writer and storyteller!

I learned an awful lot about propagating plants and building a patio from Dave. Let us not forget the linking thing and all the other things he has helped me with these past ten months. Dave's was the first blog I found in Tennessee that was a garden blog. I was thrilled to find other garden blogs since mine was through an FTP at the time, and I was so new to the blogging community that I didn't have a clue. I enjoyed meeting Dave and his beautiful family recently. Dave, I am working on a peak fall color post for you too. Skeeter and Dawn will probably do one as well. We have always enjoyed tracking the seasons here and can take peaks at Maine, Tennessee and Georgia and can't wait to see them all.

I have learned about recycling and conserving and and different geological soils from Gail at Clay and Limestone. Her post about Naming Blogs was a wonderful post AND nominated for the Best Post of the Year on Blotanical. I can see next year her relationship post might be up for the awards too. I might have a new favorite:) I have enjoyed meeting Gail and love her enthusiasm for all in life. She is such a happy person that it can't help but rub off on those around her. I guess that might be a perk of being a therapist. Her garden is most beautiful and I am betting a very mature garden with some great specimens. Can't wait to meet the blackhaw, Susan, and PPPP.

I have learned about poetry and literature from so many: Donna at Mother Nature, (I learned male hummers migrate before the females from Donna too!) Nancy at Soliloquy, Marnie at Lilacs and Roses, Rose at A Prairie Rose Garden, Cindy at A Walk Down the Garden Path, Walk2Write at Roamin and Bloomin Idiot, And if I have forgotten anyone, please forgive me. I do know many more of you post poems, including original ones but these few come to mind right now. I really enjoyed meeting Donna recently.

I have definitely learned about Square Foot Gardening from DP at Square Foot Gardening in Nashville. I always get a smile about lime when I think of DP and let's not forget the video where she (or rather Cam) was adopted by Luka.
I enjoyed meeting DP recently.

Dan at Urban Veggie Garden is another square foot gardener and quite talented with his HUGE Angel Trumpet. I couldn't imagine moving such a big plant but will think of that plant when I am moving mine around this winter. And I am going to be extra vigilant about the squirrels and toad lilies in my garden.


I have found many local bloggers who have a passion for gardening just like me. Here are a few: Jan at Square Foot Gardening: Starting Small, Gisele at Quilts, Crafts and Things, Sarah at The Adventures of the Childers Family, Marmee at Things I Love, and Rhonda at Adventures in My Garden, and Life by Lindsey Rae.

I have learned about compost and Tecnu lotion for the dreaded poison ivy from Aunt Debbi/Kurt's Mom. She seems to be a very hard worker with all the monkeys and her landscaping jobs and the master gardeners and all. I don't know how she keeps up with all.

I have enjoyed learning about the nursery trade and designing gardens from Linda at Garden Girl.

Sophie has the funniest blog on the Internet (that I have found) and I always get a good laugh reading her.

I have learned about Cricket, Oxford and living as an expatriate in England from Sarah Laurence. She is a wonderful writer and I wish her luck with her third novel. Since she lives in my hometown, I hope to one day visit with her.

I have learned I am not the only one who likes whimsy-lots of whimsy-in her garden. Cindee also really likes it too. What a relief I'm not the only one.

I found there is another blogger out there who loves to post as much as us here at "In the Garden". Many of you know her and enjoy her blog. She is an excellent blogger to relate to and I enjoy the talk very much. Can you guess who it is? Yup, Racquel (PGL) at Perennial Garden Lover. She was nominated for Best Commenter on the Blotanical Award Contest.

I have learned that the garden writing world and gardening world as a whole is actually a pretty small world (but I guess that made sense already to me). TC at The Write Gardener is a professional garden writer and a kind mentor. And Layanee at Ledge and Gardens is a garden celebrity. And I have talked to them both! (On the Internet of course:) Does that count?

I have really enjoyed hearing about Cosmo's travels to Denmark and all about her garden. She is a very nice and sweet blogger who just happens to be a part of academia. Which means she is VERY smart. Thank you for identifying my hibiscus and all you share. I look forward to when my husband's job can take us back to Virginia so we can say hi to both Racquel and Cosmo.

Cindy at Walk Down the Garden Path grows more than flowers in her garden and has the sweetest baby bloom in her garden. I always enjoy talking with Cindy and hope to visit her soon. Perhaps even TC too. I and hubby liked her recipe for 'Mock Crab Cakes' very much. Thanks!

Australia is a pretty neat place and Linda enjoys sharing her bit of it at The Tree Changer.

Kanak at Terra Farmer showed me how star fruit grows AND gave a neat pictorial of how to cook a banana bloom. Can't wait to try that out one day.

Cindy at Cinj's Chat Room sure loves to garden and helped me understand the process of building a shed. She also showed some really neat butter sculptures I might never have seen had it not been for her blog. She keeps it very real on her blog.

Eve at Gardening on the Gulf Coast has introduced me to a "Mad Potter" and has shown some great courage in the face of hurricanes and adversity. Come to think of it, so has: Randy and Jaimie at Creating Our Eden, Jan at Always Growing, Meadowview Thymes even has had to face hurricanes, and all with great bravery and optimism. And to think we here in Tennessee get all stressed when Ike, just a rain storm with 40 knot winds comes through here and drops a few limbs and trees. Imagine a 15 foot storm surge!

Annie at The Transplantable Rose is a super singer. I will always think of her when I see lilacs in May. She has met SO many bloggers and I think she loves that part of blogging even more than blogging itself. Annie puts asterisks next to the bloggers she has met on her sidebar. I think I am going to follow suit here soon too as this is a good idea.

I have learned about the vine Dutchman's pipe vine from Phillip at Dirt Therapy. He is a good writer and writes gardening articles for The Alabama Gardener gardening magazine. I really enjoy my Tennessee Gardener so I know this magazine is a high quality publication; which Phillip contributes too. As an added benefit he gets to visit gardens. He also identified my mystery hibiscus, along with Cosmo.

Let's not forget blue cohosh from Monica at Garden Faerie's Musings. She has a lot of cool plants at her place. I am looking for this plant for my garden now.

I enjoyed a VERY good meal thanks to Jillybean at Post-it Place. She also has a funny chicken blog found here. And she makes some delicious barbecue sauce that Skeeter, her husband the Saint, and I just love. She just lost her stepfather in a painful battle but is doing okay.

One of the neatest pictures I have seen in a long time can be found at PARSEC's blog, the Coconut Palm. Parsec is quite the traveler and shares beautiful photographs on the blog.

Stacy at Squirrel Chatter is an excellent blogger and does her town a great service by relaying many local happenings, and by taking the bus when she is able to:)

Benjamin at The Deep Middle planted a buckeye during the very same timeframe as me and I thought that was cool. I had never even heard of Fine Line prior to purchasing it and then to find another person planting it the same time was fortuitous. Many garden bloggers are on the same sheet of music with their gardens AND postings.

Some of the rare moments that tickle me most in blogging have been to visit blogs I have never even heard of and find a link to my blog in the blogger's blogroll. This has happened only twice in the past year. The first blog I visited was Sarah's of The Adventures of the Childers Family, and most recently by Grammy of 13 at Living Life After 65. Thanks guys! These kinds of things remind us that even with no comments, people are still reading. And that makes a difference to me and probably many other bloggers too.

There are so many blogs I have visited and so many bloggers AND readers (who don't blog) who have visited us here at "In the Garden" that I sometimes have a hard time remembering them all. But, I can tell you all I do remember! (with a little refreshing every now and then-okay-sometimes a lot of refreshing-comments sure help with the refreshing:). Thanks to blogging I have traveled all over the world, gone to trade shows and plant shows and county fairs and Denmark and India and Australia and Canada and California. I have enjoyed the excellent cooking of those talented bloggers who cook, their home decorating and garden designs, their trials and tribulations and a little bit of all of their lives and I thank each and every single person who has ever commented on here or who humored me by responding to my comments on their blogs. For me, two way communication is vitally important in the blogging process, but even without it, thanks for sharing all that you have-readers and bloggers alike!

I look forward to another year of blogging and traveling and gardening and learning and relating and sharing. Thanks all!

You all will recognize the Sweet Autumn Clematis pictured above. Such a bunch of pretty little fragrant flowers but the bloom is so short lived in the garden that it can be disappointing to me. I do like the picture though. The person who invents a method of sending fragrances through the computer will be a rich and much loved person. Sweet Autumn is a very fragrant vine.

Stay tuned for some before and after pictures tomorrow as the Blogiversary week continues. Then on Friday I will announce the winner of my wee little contest. I guess I should've offered more money though, as I really thought many more would take a guess at the number of posts published here. What's up bloggers and readers? Or is it just me? Someone offers me something for free-I'm all over it! Just ask Jillybean! A guess was all it took to get me a nice meal at Chili's. Take a guess if you have the gander, if not, that is fine too. Friday at 5 am (CST) is the deadline.

in the garden....

39 comments:

  1. What a lovely post to commendate your Blog's anniversary! Thanks so much for mentioning me, how sweet are you! You have been a true blogging friend and I look forward to reading your posts each day & the comments you leave on my blog daily. Keep up the great work! Hugs!
    Racquel :)

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  2. That's alot of linking! You did a great job to get everyone!

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  3. Tina,

    A week of celebratory posts is a fab idea. That's how I celebrate my birthday.

    Your fantastic blogaversary parade just passed by and I can't believe there is a special float for me! Thank you for your more than kind words, my friend.

    A post at C&L without a comment from you is unthinkable! You have been the best Tina, really the best of blogging friends! It was a lucky day for me when I stumbled upon you, Frances and Dave!

    Gail

    ps I remember when making one link was a big deal for me!

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  4. Racquel, Thanks so much! I enjoy reading your posts and talking with you very much. Happy Belated Birthday! Hugs too-tina

    Dawn, I hope I didn't forget anyone with the linking and truly did get everything in but do you see my disclaimer just in case? Smart idea huh?

    Gail, Yes, a float for you indeed! Another Tennessee blogger I enjoy talking with and meeting and seeing her garden very much. You don't know how long I worked this post with the links. Hope they all work:) And thanks, I would not imagine a post without your smiles either.

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  5. Tina,

    Thanks for the kind words! I'm looking forward to seeing those Maine colors. I bet they are spectacular at the peak!

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  6. Tina, thanks for the mention. My friend Beckie of Dragonfly Corner and I were discussing blogging the other day, as we frequently do lately, and were talking about bloggers we would love to meet. Yours was a name that came up early in the conversation! I'm trying to convince her to take a few days off next summer for a little trip to Tennessee--would love to meet you, as well as Gail and Frances. Hmmm, maybe a Tennessee Spring Fling in '10??

    By the way, I think YOU should have been one of the finalists in the Best Commenter award at Blotanical!

    Are we allowed only one guess or more? I like guessing games just for fun, not for the prizes, although I was so impressed by that marker you made for Frances.

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  7. Good morning Tina. A couple things. I really enjoy visiting with you and all the garden bloggers. Sometimes I wish Blogger made it easier for more in depth chats--you know, back and forth questions/answers.

    I was kind of embarrassed to enter your giveaway. Sort of seemed like taking money from a friend;) But since you're twisting my arm... I guess 374 total.
    Marnie

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  8. Happy Blogiversary!
    I always love these kinds of posts that show the blogger's influences. Very cool.

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  9. Oh my goodness, that is a lotta blogs to read. Wow, wow, wow!!!!

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  10. Dave, I'll get Dawn right on it! Hear that Dawn?

    Rose, I am so honored and would love to meet both you and Beckie. I warn you though, I am a bit boring-tend to like to talk about gardens. lol I think we Tennessee bloggers could get together just about anytime with any notice and we have actually talked of a regional get together. Nashville is a mighty nice place and centally located. Even Frances came the last time we got together (3 hour trip). I think you are lucky to have a best friend who gardens AND blogs too! What a bonus. I have read Beckie's blog and find it good. I even commented too, which I usually do but haven't been as much lately on blogs I do read and subscribe to. You are welcomed to guess as many times as you like, only the first one closest will get the prize though. Glad you like the marker stone and THANKS for thinking of me as a commenter. I do pretty good I think, but believe it or not I haven't responded to all comments on here. Most, not all as I found out in preparing Friday's post.

    Marnie, I am GLAD you guessed. I couldn't possibly give everyone a marker stone but this opens it up for at least a chance for you to get one. Right? And I can share a bit. Talking on here is cool. Cosmo was telling me not long ago you can really see people's personalities coming out on the blogs. Interesting isn't it?

    Now Pam I just knew there would be someone I would forget! I enjoy reading your blog and learning about the Victory Gardens. I never knew there was a movement underfoot until you wrote about it. Thanks so much on my Blogiversary. I sure would love to read other posts mentioning the other bloggers influences, as I haven't seen too many. A few though. Thanks for dropping by.

    Mom, I read even more than this, but not daily and I don't talk to all. I would never do anything else would I? It has been fun. I am glad you are enjoying Sophie's blog and enjoy blogging so much! I always look forward to talking to you, either here or on Dawn's blog.

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  11. Tina, what a lovely tribute to your big family of blogging buddies. I can say we've all learned a lot from you too about gardening and being a good friend. You do tell stories well. I look forward to hearing more.

    Latest thing I learned in another's blog is this new "follower" thing from blogger. It adds the blogs you follow to your dashboard as an rss feed. It makes it easier to keep up with frequent posters like you. So that's what it is if you were wondering why I was now following you (the green profile on your dashboard). Lead on, I shall read.

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  12. Yep, I've already got my lakes and ponds picked so the trees will reflect off the water. They just started changing this week. May throw in a ski mountian with the trails! If it plays right this year....green grass on the trails!

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  13. So much fun reading on the Anniversary week! Cant wait to see what tomorrow brings us...

    Okay, I recall you saying you only spent 2 hours a day on blogging. I find that difficult to believe with all the blogs you mentioned here! It would take me all day to read and comment on that many alone much less more! I think you better get a new timer as the one you have been using is way off... LOL... Wish I could visit more but just cant as addiction and time are major factors....Sigh…

    Windy and what we in the Deep South call cold today! Sun sure feels good though... We still need rain!

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  14. 2 links to my blog... Awsome. Really nice post, paying tribute to all the other blogs you read and who commment.

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  15. Thank you for all your lovely comments about all your blogging friends. It's a very sweet gesture. I've learned a lot about gardening from you and Skeeter on this blog, not only with vegetable gardening but some insight on flowers and perennials.

    Yep, the lime memory is very funny. It's silly of me not to know, but LoL, I was new :-)

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  16. Hi Tina, you made me tear up a little with your heart felt praise, thanks so much. You have been an excellent friend and your blog shows your sweet and generous personality perfectly. I'll never forget seeing your comment, as I sat in a hotel on Christmas morning. Never. It was the most important thing you could have done.
    Frances

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  17. Good Afternoon All,
    First, Tina, Thank you ever so much for all the kind words. My friendship with you is an intricate part of my life. A treasure I hold dearly.
    I'm loving reading these post as it helps refresh my vacationing memory. And the ability to talk to other com mentors or blogger s is a delight to me. My life has been blessed with this privilege.Hoping for many more yrs. of learning from you blog. You are a very gifted person.

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  18. What a great anniversary post! I'm very happy to have found your blog and look forward to many more of your posts!

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  19. This is a great post Tina. Very heartwarming and sums up how we all feel about the people we have "met" through blogging. I have only been blogging about 7 months, and already feel like I have many gardening friends. Thanks for mentioning Meadowview Thymes and thanks for such wonderful posts!
    BTW--the caterpillar is in the box! :)

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  20. What a great post! Congratulations on you anniversary too. I have met so many great cyber friends out there since I joined blotanical. I enjoy making the rounds too, but I haven't found much time to do that lately. WHEW. I can't wait until I get those ever looming projects off my list.

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  21. Sarah, That follower thing just showed up one day. I was quite shocked at first. I like it very much. I follow most of my blogs with the sidebar for now though. I am honored you chose to follow my blog.

    Dawn, Ski trails will be great! Will be looking for it.

    Skeeter, Okay, maybe a bit more....need new timers to keep me off! Not all blogs every day, I just can't. But most I have talked with at one time or another.

    Sarah, Yes-a nice way to let others know how much I appreciate all the blogs.

    DP, You are very sweet and kind gal. Your enthusiasm and caring attitude is lovely. I enjoyed meeting you and reading your blog!

    France, That was such an EARLY comment in our blogging times. We really didn't know each other at the time. Remember? I am so glad it made you happy-it made me happy you responded ON Christmas too! And I am ever so glad we know each other now. Very glad. I'll be there this Christmas too;) Hotel or not but hopefully not for you. You need to be at Faire Garden.

    Lola, The same here. You have been such a loyal and great commenter for SO many bloggers, and I can say I had you first! Computers are very nice for us all. I know our conversations with all my special commenters are not as regular anymore, but I want to say the chit chat is still here-just more open now, and I do look forward to reading you each day. I always read your comments on the other blogs too and hope they all appreciate you as much as we do here! Keep us in your favorites for sure.

    Nancy, Hi there! I love your blog too and believe you live not far from where I was born in Calais. I know the area pretty well. It is beautiful and you display it wonderfully. I have not forgotten you were one of the early and regular commenters. I much appreciated your kindness. I wish you MUCH luck on the Blotanical Awards. I guess I should've put that in the post, I just forgot-sorry.

    Meadowview Thymes, You are welcomed. I was wondering if you would capture a caterpillar. You will enjoy it all. Now one caveat, not sure the weather in Texas, but with it getting close to winter, some caterpillars hibernate over the winter. This is what mine did in Maine. I think yours WILL hatch this year though. Just wanted to tell you in case it takes too long. Let me know when it turns. Should be in about two days. Meeting others thru blogging seems a bit weird, but who else knows so much about you? What your yard looks like? What you planted last week and how hot your compost got or whatever? That is more than some real world friends know about one another when you think about it. In person IS different than thru the blog, because of traits and so on, but you pretty quickly warm up to one another and develop a rapport.

    Cinj, Hi there! You have been busy-as always. Great to hear from you. And thanks on the congrats for the Blogiversary. It sure goes by fast doesn't it?

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  22. Tina--Thank you so much for your kind words--I feel very much like the new kid on the block, so it's so nice of you to include me. I really love your reflections this week, though at the same time I can't wait to see what you're doing in your garden (umm, and what I SHOULD be doing). My latest thanks-to-Tina thing--I'm rooting Angel Trumpet cuttings--I'll send you baby pictures (I hope). Enjoy your anniversary week!

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  23. Cosmo, I am blushing-so many thanks from you! I am also rooting Angel Trumpets-so easy. Do post on yours as I think this is an easy way to overwinter them and be SURE they return next year. Long reflections this week. Tomorrow's post much shorter. Friday's too. ttyl

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  24. Yikes, yet again I forgot to include my guess! 385.

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  25. Tina, you have a lot of fun guests at your blogiversary party - thanks for including me and for liking my garden songs.
    Maybe some day I'll get lucky and there'll be an asterisk next to your name on my sidebar ;-]

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  26. Tina, thanks for the link-love. I have learned a lot from dedicated gardener-bloggers like you and so many of the people you mentioned. Tell Skeeter thanks for the tip on a camera's video feature. I am so tech-backwards, it's beyond funny.

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  27. Thanks Annie! I have never been to Texas but you just never know. I hope I get to meet you for sure.

    Walk3write, Skeeter will get your message and learning is for sure a big part of blogging for all us I think.

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  28. Thank you for graciously mentioning Mother Nature's Garden and making me aware of Sophie's blog. I got lost laughing it up there. Your perspective of the blogs is dear.
    Donna

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  29. Donna, You're welcomed! Isn't she funny? Did you get to her caterpillar post? She cracks me up and is quite different. Glad you got a laugh too.

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  30. tina,
    wow! this post must have taken alot of time. thank you for adding me in, i am very honoured to be included.

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  31. Walk2write, I told you, Simple as can be!

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  32. Skeeter, simple for you maybe, but for me (intoned in my best Forrest Gump voice), simple is as simple does!

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  33. I can't wait to have some free time to browse through all these great blogs! Thanks for the mention too - I am flattered! :)

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  34. How 'bout that! Older gent, boy scout leader from Maine! He made it the first day! Yipee!

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  35. Whoops, wrong post I meant today's. Survivor is what I was talking about! LOL

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  36. Stacy (aka SuzyQ), You are welcomed! I haven't forgotten our early conversations at all.

    Dawn, I knew what you meant. I couldn't believe he was from Maine and didn't have an accent. What's up with that. He was pretty tough for 57! I hope it is a good season like the last one. It will be hard to top the last one though.

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  37. Walk2write, how ironic, I was just wearing my Forrest Gump hat this past weekend while at the beach!

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  38. Tina ~ I'm so honored to be mentioned in you post (twice!). I'm really looking forward to meeting you in person. I'm really enjoying all your Blogiversary posts.

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