The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[Wneighbor]

Morning Ruthie. I'm thinking after Hair's description of Sean that I might have to make it a point to drive someplace to see him if he comes south again. Sounds too good for a single gal to be looking at. which reminds me of the guy at Lowe's on Saturday when I had to run pick up more landscape equipment. took me 2 trips to Lowes to get that done. get mind on work - get mind on work - get mind on work.

[My back yard]

Cooooffffeeeee, thank you, and I'll help myself to some papas con huevos, and a biscuit. yummm.

[RosieCotton]

LOL...the 50's would be a heat wave for us!

Us too! All this talk of gardening is driving me nuts! Look at our weather... Ugh!

[Overtaxed]

I like my All Devourer. Never used it to break ground before and they say it's not supposed to be used for that.

[Overtaxed]

....and it takes a while to do a large area, but other than that, it works great!

[Wneighbor]

Rosie would you like to come for a visit? It was 80 here yesterday. I could stand some more company if you need to thaw your toes.

[Corin Stormhands]

BUT, the trouble is, when we do get it, it all comes in about 5 minutes and runs off.

I'm still working to get something growing in the back, on at least part of the land. We have about 10 huge oak trees back there. The previous owners didn't rake in 8 years (I am NOT making that up).

But the land slopes towards the neighbors yard and all the water runs that way. I've planted a couple of shrubs and put in some grasses like the type used for shoreline erosion. But that's still recent.

The previous neighbor was a hoot. During hurricane Fran she called and told us she was watching our trees which were leaning over her house. We spent over $2,000 to take out trees. Then when Dennis and Floyd hit, she called me during the middle of the freakin' hurricane to complain about the water running in her yard. You know, the water that those trees were holdin' back.

New neighbors got a little more pro-active and built a berm to re-direct the water. But now when it rains I have a stream in the back yard. So I'm trying to plant to get some of that soaked up.

All that to say that I'm trying to get grass also in part of the back, but right now it's a mud pit.

[Wneighbor]

Ah, I need to break ground too. But, I could pay someone to do that and then have an All Devourer after that. I think I might like one... It looks like less work.

[RMDupree]

Hair was taunting me! I could see through her innocent and casual description!!! ARRRGGHHHH!!!!

hehehehehe...

[RMDupree]

ENJOY! Glad to see you around MBY! :)

[Overtaxed]

If it rains all week, it might be too swampy for the Devourer next weekend. Brother wants to rent a tiller and till it up (go for it bro!) but I'm not holding my breath.

[Wneighbor]

I feel for you Corin.

At the old house I had some drainage issues. I became a ditch digger/landscaper just trying to keep the run-off directed in a good place. And part of the drainage control was what made me a little more experimental with gardening and organic programs.

For the first few years I just couldn't get anything to grow in some spots except Johnson grass and the rain washed out anything I put out. It was a mud pit winter and spring and a cracked disaster looking plane the other half the year!

I eventually got the marsh drained and a fair amount of ground cover. I was in no means finished to my satisfaction when I had to leave and move up here... but at least it was draining and not washing off soil.

[Wneighbor]

Hair was taunting me! I could see through her innocent and casual description!!!

The guy on the forklift that loaded my stuff at Lowes on Saturday was taunting me too. He should have followed me the 6 blocks back to my house and unloaded those things for me too. I like watching.

[Wneighbor]

Well, I'm not looking for rain here. If it does it'll be over in 5 minutes and dry again in 1/2 hour. Folks from around these parts tell me that the best time to till is the day after the rain. Ground's a little softer then, they say.

[Corin Stormhands]

Well, I just have a lot of work to do. And I have to keep reminding myself that it's not all going to happen this summer. If the grasses I planted hold that should get me through the summer. Then I can do more in the fall.

I did find the equipment I want though. I went to "Garden South" (which is the Southern States store) to get the stuff Hair recommended for the dog.

They had a "yard vacuum." That's exactly what I want. That way next spring I won't spend two months getting up the leaves and I can work on trying to get stuff to grow.

[My back yard]

And to any other gals I have left off..

Does anybody here do quilting? I am getting ready to buy a new sewing machine, and I want one that can I can make quilts on too. I don't intend to get real fancy or anything. Just some simple quilts, easy. I intend to start with a couple of pillows. Any body have a suggestion?

[2Jedismom]

Woohoooo!! What a night! I sat up almost all night watching my live feed! Saw that statue of the horse with Saddam on it get blown to kingdom come!

What an unbelievable night!

[300winmag]

Got your package, Hair. Many thanks.

My mom's having her vertebroplasty today, and I have to get her to the hospital by 12. We have a blizzard going on, but I have four-wheel drive, so we'll get through. Still, prayers are always appreciated.

I hope they replay yesterday's second drive-by shooting by the Army. The previous one looked like a bad video game, where mindless badguys throw themselves in front of your weapons. I love it.

Sounds like it's payback time for Saddam's flunkies in the cities. Payback's a bitch, and they might consider an American bullet the easier way to get to their 72 virgins.

[Wneighbor]

Are you quilting by machine!!!

Don't tell my GRAMA!!!

I quilt. but by grama's rules.

[RosieCotton]

OK, I could use some gardening / lawn suggestions. I have a pitifully small amount of land, most of it on a slope behind the house - the house is built into a hill, and slopes down to a kinda swampy place. I probably can't do much with what's beside / behind the house, so I want to do as much as I can with what I DO have. Here's the house as it was when I bought it, though it's a rotten angle...

The strip of grass in front isn't as small as that pic makes it look, but still not much to work with. I've got tulips and something else (I forget! Tall things with clusters of flowers?) planted by the path in the background of the picture...hopefully those will come up! But I'd like to do something else, too. I have another little chunk of flat land on the other side of the house, if that makes a difference. I'm half tempted to get rid of most of the grass. It's such a small amount that's it's a pain to mow, but I'm not sure what I could do instead.

In a few years (if I don't sell the house and get something bigger and more out of the way...), I might try doing a rock garden on the side of the house where the ground slopes down. No one would see it but me, since it's below the road level...but I'd like to try it!

In any case, I'm open to suggestions. Just don't be too harsh on my little bit of earth!