Ridiculous mosquitoes

Is anyone else noticing these huge monsters at their house?! They are constantly swarming by my back door, and there is no standing water or any other obvious attraction other than my two doggies and myself. I've always been a tasty attraction for mosquitoes - maybe my blood is super sweet?

The one plus is that they are very slow-moving, so thwacking them with a shoe is pretty easy - I think I've successfully swatted at least 2 dozen in the last four days. But still, what gives?

I'm curious about whether this is a localized problem to North Carolina - or is it even more localized to Durham - or even more localized to my house?!

Strangely enough, I have not experienced a rash of mosquito bites on myself. Perhaps that is due to the colder temperatures and my being more covered up when outside. However, that situation brings up an oxymoron - WHY are these mosquitoes persisting in the colder/often freezing weather?!

I'm not exaggerating - at any given time there are at least a dozen of these pests flitting around by my back door. Would love to hear if anyone else is experiencing such an unwelcome mosquito infestation.

Luke duty

How sweet is that face? S-W-E-E-T! and he's the best dog ever on top of his suave looks.

In addition to impeccable house manners I was pleasantly surprised by his "house guarding" tactics. He reminded me a lot of Zoe from years back - every time I leave the house he goes over to the closest window to the door and makes his way under the blinds and into view. He keeps his eyes on me/us at all times. The noise of the blinds being rattled as he noses his way into view has become a source of comfort - I love that he's on the lookout!

Lucas will soon be a permanent fixture in my house and I eagerly await his induction into all that is TARHEEL.

Transplant update

Here's my hydrangea again - now with blooms!

Successful transplant

I was a little worried about my hydrangea after transplanting it last fall. It was gorgeous last year in a large planter, but over the winter it looked quite bleak. I knew it was supposed to die back, but it looked completely dead. I tested a few of the branches by bending them and they didn't snap so I left it alone and hoped for the best.

I saw leaves emerging about six weeks ago and now it appears to be flourishing in the ground. I thought that transplanting it would make it skip a blooming season, but as you can see it's going to bloom this year. I can't wait for the big pink flowers to arrive!

Hot spot

As I've mentioned before, my house is quite cold in the winter. My heat is currently set at 61 degrees and has been for weeks. Zoe is not a fan. Therefore, she parks herself in front of the space heater or fire place whenever either is in use. On Sunday night I had the gas fire place set at full throttle and she backed herself up to it so closely that I had to move her (more than once) to ease my mind. I don't fancy a deep-fried Zoe in my near future.

Gotta love that tongue though!

Fall Color

Behold my new combo pots hanging from my shepherd hook: calibrachoa, dichondra and petunias. The previous plantings were looking quite bleak. I had a $20 Lowes gift certificate, so these pots were free!



It's realistically no where near fall here in North Carolina, but I'm hoping these combo pots will make it through October.

More flutterings

Had another visitor to my verbena at about 5 pm yesterday and braved the brutal heat to take some pictures. As you can see, the poor little guy has damaged wings, but he had no trouble fluttering from flower to flower. He called my attention to the verbena on the other side of my front yard, too, which has sprouted a few new blooms.

This will likely be my last post until I return from vacation, so I hope everyone enjoys next week as much as I plan to from Holden Beach!

Butterfly magnet

My purple verbena flowers drew in a pair of swallowtail butterflies on Sunday. One of them buzzed out pretty quickly after I started taking photos, but the other hung around for a bit. I was on my way out, but glad I noticed them before leaving because a pretty strong thunderstorm hit soon after.

T Gardener

My neighbors have been heavily stroking my green thumb ego for the last couple of days so I felt the need to post some updated pics.

Pardon the poor photo quality - pics were taken after sundown. The first is of my most recent planting: trailing verbena, petunia and vinca.


Next are those baskets I posted earlier, which have filled out quite a bit.



And lastly - my hydrangea - that which I have been bragging about for weeks.

My neighbor came over with her daughter last night to ask me to "teach her how to make that lovely plant." Of course I told her I didn't make it - I acquired it with a rewards certificate from Lowes - and that I truly have no idea how it turned out so well. I parked it in my back yard and left it there all winter without any care whatsoever, but lo and behold it sprouted a brood of lovely flowers.



Hoping to find a place for it in the ground for next season.

Fresh cuts

I have a beautiful hydrangea in blooming prime so I took a few cuts for a vase. I might have to take a few more because the plant is completely laden with blooms, or what many people call "snowballs". I'm pretty proud. I just hope it doesn't shrivel up and die when I go on vacation this summer - my aqua globes only last a day at best. Gonna have to find a hydrangea sitter!

What'dya think?

Sprucing Up

I've kept two coco liner baskets on a shepherd's crook for the last few years in my front yard. Until recently, the baskets were occupied by mums, which my dad claimed were deader than a doornail the last time he visited. Little did he know that a little water always revived them without a problem.

Nevertheless, I decided to put a bit more effort into my hanging-basket-presentation.

I combined Copia Bacopa (the white flowers), Lanai Verbena (the purple flowers) and Celosia. While I hope the baskets fill out a bit more with growth, I was pleased with my results.

I implemented a tip, too, to combat drying out. I cut the handles off of regular plastic grocery bags, cut a few holes in the bottoms of the bags and placed them in the coco liners. The bags don't show and they help to hold moisture in the coco liner. I really hope this technique keeps my new arrangements from shriveling up!

When persistence is bad

Very bad - more like downright obnoxious.

When it comes to my home, I am a very private person. I never have people over, and I really don't appreciate uninvited visitors or solicitors. My blinds are almost always closed, and curtains cover the large windows in my front door.

Unfortunately, my neighbors have come to learn that I live alone, therefore if my car is in the driveway it most likely means I am home. Even more unfortunate is the fact that they obviously don't understand that my car in my driveway doesn't mean they should practically insist I answer the door.

Perfect example from last night: someone rang my doorbell (which immediately sent Zoe into a barking frenzy), and when I didn't come to the door, they rang it two more times in quick succession. When I still didn't answer the door, they rang it three more times in a row and also rapped on the window. The triple ring was repeated two more times.

Seriously? There are very few instances in which I would find this behavior appropriate.

1. I have an appointment with someone at my house at a specific time, but I don't answer the door upon the visitor ringing the bell.

2. Someone fears for my life and is therefore desperate that I come to the door and show that I am in fact okay.

Upon reflection of the highly irritating situation, I wish I had answered the door, very rudely, and screamed, "What the eff is so important?!"

From what I gathered after peering out of an upstairs window, my next door neighbor had a piece of my mail - something which I do not see as remotely earth shattering, and especially not cause for ringing my doorbell 12 times in less than two minutes.

Maybe I do keep a bit too much to myself, but I'm fairly certain such behavior is completely within my rights, no?

Closet Office Complete

I finished the closet office on Saturday, after hanging my homemade bulletin board (blue-framed item in the center of the photos). I still need to hire an electrician so that I don't have wires and cables tangled every which way, but otherwise I'm loving my new little office space (ignore the glimpses of my blue dresser on the right).

Unexpected perk and simultaneous downer: While cleaning up for the office project I found my Chris Reuther memory ribbon, which I thought I'd lost. I was so happy to have found it, but finding it also made me break down into a long fit of tears. Chris' ribbon is the green and blue ribbon pinned to the central bulletin board.

In order to not end this post on a severely solemn note, I'll just say that Chris' ribbon will now remain safe in my new closet office for as long as I live in my current residence.

While I don't need a ribbon to remember Chris, I'm proud to keep a reminder of him close to me.

Project in progress

The closet office is almost complete (thanks a TON to Jim, my fabulous guardian angel who does so much for me).

Only waiting on a few adornments - I am so pleased with my results. My life feels more organized already!

However, I'm not looking forward to hiring an electrician to provide convenient power with minimal extension cords, and sadly I feel certain that additional complications will arise. Anybody out there have an electrician on speed dial in the Durham area whom they really trust?

I've become torn about home ownership. I love the tax benefits, but I hate the fact that the health of my yard and weed population has been made a top priority. THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE.

SERIOUSLY - MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE.
I have neighbors who are complete NAZIS about dog poop - even when it's in MY yard. In my dreams, I punch those people, repeatedly in the face, especially since I poop scoop 4-6 times a week, and it is MY yard.

I really hate coming across as such a bitter hateful person, but what I hate more are the people who make me this way.

I have a new conviction - I will be a better person no matter what.

Home Improvement task #1 complete

While some touch-up painting to the trim, etc. is likely in order, I consider task #1 completed. The threshold support under my front door is now far more structurally sound, effective and attractive.

I must admit that I find it extremely irritating that ALL of my other doors are constructed with similar supports that haven't deteriorated. So, was it just some slacker jackass that took care of my front door or is there some other random explanation? I'm sure I'll never know, so I'll just have to let it go and be proud of my ability to remedy the situation.

Should there be any interest in how I did this, I've included rough instructions following the photos. The whole job only cost me about $42. Many people probably already own some of the items I had to purchase, so the task is likely a bit less expensive for most. I've included the items needed below with the instructions.

If you eliminate the necessary shopping and the drying time for certain steps in the process, this project only took about 2 1/2 hours to complete.




Items needed:

• 2x4 piece of treated lumber, cut to the size you need

• Sandpaper, 120 and 220. I was lucky enough to have an electric sander. 220 to sand the bare wood, 120 to sand between coats of paint and/or to sand over filled screw holes

• wood filler or spackle

• a decent drill and the following drill bits: 3/16" regular bit; 5/32" x 4 1/2" carbide tipped concrete drill bit (if you're on a slab like me); 1/4" titanium countersink bit

• Concrete anchors, I used (4) 3/16" x 2 3/4" Tapcon brand (not sure what you'd need if not on a slab, but I recommend some kind of anchor in addition to liquid nails if that's what you use)

• Interior/exterior primer; oil or latex base

• Exterior latex paint (I used Valspar premium semi-gloss from Lowes)

• 9" Caulking gun

• DAP Concrete & Mortar Filler & Sealant (not necessary if your foundation is without cracks)

• Liquid Nails Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive

• GE Premium Waterproof Silicone Caulk for window/door/attic/basement, Clear, 10 oz


1. After forcefully ripping off the previous support, I took that piece of wood to Lowes to have a new piece of treated lumber cut. I then sanded, primed and painted all sides of the wood. (While many people, including the guy who cut my wood say that painting all sides is unnecessary, I couldn't help but think that by priming and painting all sides, the wood would more likely be thoroughly sealed from the elements).

2. Remove any materials/residue from the original support base. I used my hair dryer to heat the leftover liquid nails residue and an industrial scraper. I used a standard caulk remover tool to remove any extraneous old caulk.

3. I found the previous attachment method asinine. Whoever attached the original support used a tiny amount of liquid nails and then actual nails to attach the support to concrete. The nails were placed only towards the middle of the support board and the liquid nails were applied in much the same way. No wonder the wood separated at the ends! Therefore, I decided to use both concrete anchors (screws) and liquid nails. I drilled holes through my wood piece, evenly placed across the entire support, then lined it up where it was to be placed and drilled through with the concrete bit to make corresponding holes in the concrete. I used the countersink bit to make impressions in the front side of the wood where the anchors would rest.

4. I coated the backside of the piece of wood with generous strips of liquid nails and positioned the wood in place. I then immediately screwed in the anchors, working from side to side to keep the wood even while the liquid nails dried.

5. Once all the anchors were screwed in, I used spackling to cover over the screws. After allowing that to dry, I sanded the entire area and then painted over the entire face of the wood with another coat of exterior latex paint.

6. Following a suitable period of drying time for the paint, I applied clear silicone caulk, using a caulk gun, to seal all gaps. I then used a standard caulk finishing tool to neaten up the edges.

Reborn chair

The chair pictured right is the chair I listed in my September 9th post, but looking much better now.

I painted the frame to match my dresser - an antique that my parents bought when they were in their 20s. I inherited the dresser and two matching bedside tables when I moved back to North Carolina from Michigan in 2003. I stripped the furniture, painted it and replaced the outdated pulls with cool modern silver knobs.

The paint from 2003 was completely solidified, but I was pleased to find that Lowe's still had paint chips for the same colors. I used spray paint primer (Kilz odorless interior oil-base) and Olympic Premium Interior/Exterior High Gloss Latex paint.

I also wanted to soften up the seat just a touch, so I stretched some natural cotton batting (1/8" thickness) over the foam from the original chair before adding the fabric.

My mom found the most perfect fabric. I'd sent her paint chips of the colors of my bedroom walls and furniture and she hit the jackpot. All of the colors in the chair cushion fabric are either on my walls, my furniture or my duvet cover. I am quite pleased with my results!

Home Improvement

Don't let the title of this post fool you. I am no fan of Tim Allen. In fact, I don't know why, but I HATE the show "Home Improvement," even though I know for certain I've never watched more than 5 minutes of any episode. : waves hand in dismissive fashion :

The following are a few of my home improvement projects that have come to the forefront. Any advice regarding materials suppliers, installers, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I would particularly appreciate any local advice regarding upholstering - particularly as to acquiring upholstery fabric to be applied by myself. I have had NO luck finding a local, quality fabric vendor.

Task #1: Repairing the front door "trim" (I'm still not sure that's what it is called)

As you can see below, whatever that piece of wood is, it needs to be replaced. If anyone has experience with this, please share!



By the way, I plan to eventually replace the front door, too. After all, what dim whit decided that it was a good idea to put a door on the front of a house that is half glass along with a single-key deadbolt entry? Jeez! All a burglar has to do is break or cut the window and then easily unlock the front door for themselves via a simple knob twist. I still can't believe that it is illegal to put a double-key deadbolt on a door. Fire hazard my ass. I think if the occurrence of house fire were compared to home intrusion/break-in/theft, the irony of the "double-key ban" would be very clear. I'm not afraid to break that home insurance policy by-law.

Task #2: Replacing broken kitchen window (double-hung vinyl)



This freakin' window has been broken for about three years. Only the outer pane is broken, or I couldn't have avoided it for this long. When I asked Mr. Lowes about window installation services, he told me I'm far better off hiring an outside contractor to install the window because supposedly Lowe's charges an arm and a leg. Calling for window replacement advice!

Task #3: A little perk project

I've had this little "school house" chair for years. My mom gave it to me, along with its little dookie brown leather padded seat. I've been meaning to reupholster it for years, but have just now gotten around to being serious about it. Unfortunately, I have had NO luck finding any quality fabric vendors in the Durham area. HELP!

Eight legged freaks

I’m not a particularly squeamish girl. Unless creepy-crawlies launch themselves at me within completely unforeseen circumstances, I can handle critters. Beetles, spiders, snakes, mice – vermin in general don’t freak me out. What I do NOT like is discovering what I can only describe as an out and out spider invasion of my house.

A few months ago I suffered from a near death experience that could only be described (by the ER paperwork) as “Bite of unknown origin suspected, bright red welt on lower abdomen noted. Anaphylactic shock, administration of epinephrine and fluids. Medical history did not reveal any known allergies to insects.” (I really hope my dad doesn’t read this).

Amongst the following days I plucked two – albeit small – spiders from my person. I probably should’ve had the Orkin man on speed dial, but no, I took no drastic measures.

Rocketing back to this past week: I found two horrifically large spiders - each living in his own impressive tapestry - attached to the outer perimeter of my house. The first one scared the bejeezus out of me, only because I discovered it in the evening while pruning the vine-like plant that covers most of my front porch railing. By the time I saw Spidey, my hand was practically on top of him and his 3-inch legs.

After deftly avoiding a full-on panic attack, I sprinted inside to retrieve my Raid Ant Killer - the only bug killer I had on hand. At first my panic began to return and heighten because let me tell you, that spider was FAST. At first spray he was climbing at warp speed for shelter, but I refused to embrace defeat. I showered that creature in a sea of Raid and hoped for the best. Of course the next day I could find no evidence of a spider corpse, so for all I know he marched away - or right into my house.

Last night while watering plants I spotted an enormous spiral orb web - only because my eye first registered the hand-sized spider within said web - and almost swallowed my tongue. I'd just purchased a 1.33 gallon size container of Ortho Home Defense MAX so I made a beeline for my car and after engaging the dispenser I sprayed bug poison with no mercy. It took a LOT of spray, but I'm pretty sure I witnessed the death of Mr. Oversized Arachnid.

Now I'm on a mission. If diligent perimeter monitoring and bombing doesn't do the trick, I guess my cheap ass will just have to call the Orkin man after all.

Unannounced Visitors

Am I the only person who despises unannounced visitors? Friends are one thing but solicitors are quite another, especially when they call on you at 8 pm on a Sunday night. My true friends, God bless 'em, know better than to drop by unannounced, and most of them know better than to ring the doorbell.

My "visitor" last night repeatedly rang my doorbell, bringing Zoe and Bailey to a rather heightened hysteria while I sat motionless on my couch praying for said "visitor's" departure. In my charade of appearing to be absent from my home, I couldn't shush or soothe the dogs, so the barking went on and on.

Afterwards I crept upstairs to peer out of the guest bedroom window and sure enough, there was a van parked in the dead center of the cul-de-sac, which was obviously transporting a group of solicitors door-to-door.

When I lived in apartment complexes, I was a tad more forgiving of random knocks on my door, but there's something about owning my own house that makes me feel I have a right to less intrusion by strangers.

The last time I mistakenly peeked around the curtains blocking the front door windows to see who was waiting (I was expecting a package and thought there would be nothing on the porch but a brown box) I found a twenty-something male ready to make a sales pitch. Without even opening the door, I waved my hands at him in a "no thank you" way and left it at that.

I suppose that is what in part makes me so irritated with solicitors. I feel I can only deal with them by being rude, which makes me feel bad, therefore I'd rather they just stay away.

It is ironic that I have a snoopy-like metal dog figure on my porch holding a "welcome" sign when that is really so far from the truth. I should replace the dog's sign with one that says, "NO SOLICITORS." I've considered this many times in the past few years because the "No Solicitors" sign at the entrance of my neighborhood is obviously doing nothing for me or my neighbors.

Blooming color

I noticed a couple of days ago that my irises had bloomed, but I didn't have time to photograph them before yesterday. I planted the bulbs a few years ago and this year they produced their second round of blooms.

I got the bulbs from my "digging friend," Judy, at least that's what she calls herself. She gave me another type of iris bulb at the same time, but those haven't ever produced any flowers. They sprout green shoots every year, but no blooms.

Judy has given me so many wonderful plants from her yard. She also gave me a cutting from a hydrangea a couple of years ago. It was flourishing so nicely before it suddenly died. Sadly I never got any blooms on it.

My mom bought me a lantana plant back in 2005 that managed to become a perennial until this year. (You can see a bit of my lantana plant from last August on this post). I propagated several other plants from the original, but none of them appear to be coming back this year and I'm so bummed. I shared some with Judy, so maybe I'll have to get a new cutting back from her!

I love lantana. I can't believe it's thought of as a pesky weed in many parts of the country! It's such a pretty plant, especially in potted arrangements. I have the tri-color (yellow/orange/pink), and I'll keep hoping it makes a comeback before the summer arrives.

I have several pots that need to be emptied and replaced with new plants. Some of my favorites for pots are pansies, dianthus, marigolds, verbena and ivy.

My dad gave me a great book, "Container Gardening," by Paul Williams, that has some amazing arrangements in it. It also has a container plant directory complete with photos, great step-by-step instructions on how to pot and sections on how to choose healthy plants and appropriate containers. My favorite find from this book is Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'. It is a hardy perennial, deep-black in color and fairly hard to find. The contrast of Nigrescens potted with brightly colored flowers is gorgeous.

The azaleas pictured are original to the house. I'm ashamed at how badly I've neglected my plants and lawn this spring, but these azaleas have always been a bit wild. I should do a better job of pruning them, but they seem to hang in regardless.


Back in 2006 I ripped out a few of the holly bushes that were originally planted in front of the house. I really don't like holly bushes. I always get poked when I prune them and mine tend to get moldy and no longer produce many berries.

I replaced the holly bushes with some additional azaleas, sedum and other colorful ground cover.

Unfortunately it's supposed to rain here this weekend and the following two weekends are pretty busy, but I hope to find some time to work in my yard soon. Happy gardening to all!