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Post by wilderness on Aug 7, 2016 15:18:49 GMT -5
This was a request by several members. We have a lot of new members and some who have changed their screen names. Lets everyone introduce themselves and give a little bio.
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Post by tasty on Aug 7, 2016 16:09:33 GMT -5
A little bit about me - retired for several years, living with my hubby (also retired) in a house we built (had built) close to 10 years ago on 25 acres in Eastern Ontario. We moved from the big city to a sleepy little town of about 4000 on Lake Ontario. The town is a very popular resort in the summer months but reverts to quiet and sleepy after Labour Day. Lots of wineries locally inspired hubby to grow his own grapes and attempt to make his own wine. We have gone thru the wine making process a few times now and have improved from red wine vinegar to questionable wine. Certainly it is alcohol but. . . He also makes our own wine from the boxed kits available these days and has made some very smooth, palatable brews.
We have one son, in his late 40s who is getting married for the first time next month. No grandkids.
Hubby and I are both very involved in our local curling club which keeps us out of mischief from the middle of September until the end of the season in April. Summer months will find us both either in the garden or on the golf course. I do some volunteering for the local hospital auxiliary and the Festival of Trees . we run a bake sale every November for the FOT so we pickle anything and everything it seems, makes jams and chutneys all summer and fall and bake like crazy come November. Last year our little group at the FOT raised $7000.
I find both gardening and cooking very relaxing, love to read and do quite a bit of knitting, again for the local hospital auxiliary.
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Post by nanatnzone6 on Aug 7, 2016 16:12:25 GMT -5
Well let's see. I'm female, name Stanette, 72 years young-have a great hubby we call Goose. Have been married 53 years. We live in southern Middle Tennessee on a one acre lot with many very tall trees. One reason I like hosta, ferns, helleborus, anything for mostly dabbled shade. We live on golf course-used to play lots, but now I really enjoy working in yard. We have two grown sons, 4 grand children, 3 g-grandchildren. I think my gardening skills (if any) come from my Dad-he could grow about anything. I love sharing plants with friends/strangers. Sometimes I give way too many at a time. I think everyone loves flowers as much as me-but no. I'm not on here much, but read alot & enjoy all the wonderful people/gardeners here. Everyone is very helpful & understanding. I really do appreciate all the info & friendships. Take Care, Happy Gardening, nanatnzone6
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Post by Angela on Aug 7, 2016 17:49:05 GMT -5
As my user id says, my name is Angela. My hubby, Ray & I have lived at Dauphin Lake in Manitoba since 1995 when Ray retired. We have three children, two are married & youngest is divorced. We have 5 grandchildren, 25 yrs. old, 24, 23, 16 & youngest just turned 7 yesterday. Our beach subdivision is quite busy in the summer, not a resort by any means though and is very quiet come winter. Ray is a busy kind of guy & finds plenty to keep him occupied. Being wheel chair bound my activities are limited. I am so thankful for the internet & my cyber friends. Truly my life line. I am looking forward to "meeting" new members here & seeing those I have become familiar with these past months.
I have been enjoying the Gardener's Shed since the beginning at ToH. I gave up on gardening when my mobility worsened. However, I like the people & the conversations here & so, seems like you are all stuck with me! 😊 Perhaps my 4 cucumber plants, 2 tomatoes & 6 marigolds allow me to pretend I am a gardener. I am so amazed by everyone's knowledge and the variety of plants which I have never heard of. Plus everyone is so friendly & encouraging.
Looking forward to new friendships and learning new things as everyone's shares their experiences.
Edited to say that I forgot I have 3 baskets of begonias & 1 potted coleus. A bit more to my gardening attempts! 😊
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Post by Kathy_SD on Aug 7, 2016 17:51:32 GMT -5
Hi everyone!
My name is Kathy and I started out in the Birds and Blooms forum in 2006 and then we moved to TOH on now I am on here.
I am 63 yrs. old with 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls and have 13 grand children ranging in age 5 months to 24.
I enjoy gardening very much and don't have a huge yard anymore but I think that is a good thing with getting older and with the heat we are experiencing this summer.
I have met many members here and think of all of them as friends. The first person I met was Charlene and we visit with each other (and Larry) every year. She has become my best friend.
I work full time but plan on cutting down to 3 or 4 days a week soon.
Well I guess that is about it in a nutshell.
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Post by iloveflowers on Aug 7, 2016 18:28:00 GMT -5
HI IAM WILLIEJEAN POPE,THE NAME MY GRANMPAW PUT ON ME BECOUSE HE WANTED HIS FIRST GRANDCHILD TO BE A BOY, TO BAD. I AM 78 YRS OLD AND HAVE 2CHILDREN 4GRANDS AND 1 GREATGRAND CHILD.WORKED IN SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR 25 YRS ,RETIRED FOR 3 MONTHS THEN WORKED FOR FLOWER SHOP FOR 6 YRS.ALTER THAT WORKED AT A DELI FOR 12 MORE YRS,NOW I PLANT SEEDS IN WINTER FOR FLOWERS IN THE SPRING,STILL DO ALL MY YARD WORK,MOWING,WORKING IN MY FLOWERS,I LOVE IT. AKA ILOVEFLOWERS. TALK LATER.
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Post by iliz9 on Aug 7, 2016 19:26:20 GMT -5
It has been very nice for the last few years to be part and learn from this group of knowledgeable and friendly gardeners...I'm Ili, DH is Ray, both retired and garden in Z.9. Three years ago we sold our bigger home (Sanger) and moved to a pretty neighborhood (Harlan Ranch, Clovis, Ca.), DH was tired of taking care of lawn and plenty of space for plants...Now, we only have a C.Yard and many pots everywhere in our home...I think I'm known as the "Succulent Lady" by the Neighborhood Association (I've sold plants at the twice a year Community Sale).
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Post by luvmyb_b on Aug 7, 2016 19:30:46 GMT -5
Thanks for starting this, Bette! I think it is going to be a handy little cheat sheet for remembering info about new friends. My name is Karen. I love to garden for wildlife. I didn't realize that about myself until I stumbled upon the Birds and Blooms Community some time before January of 2006, which is when the TOH board reminds me that I registered on their parent company's web site. Once there, I followed a link to Ron's Gardening for Wildlife site, and my passion for why I garden was revealed. As some will also say about their origins on the site, I lurked for a while before I actually got brave enough to join in the conversation, and thus, registering on B&B. My life has never been the same, and I am eternally thankful! It has certainly been enriched by the fabulous people I have met both online and in person. A bit about me ... next month my husband and I will be have been married for 34 years. In 1988, we adopted our two children from South Korea. They are biological brother and sister. Our daughter was days away from her 5th birthday, and our son had just turned 3 the week before. A fun little fact about them is that they can home to us on Feb. 29th that year. Being a leap year, it is always a bit confusing to me as to when to recall the exact time when they became our kiddos. If it isn't a leap year, do I reminisce on Feb. 28th or March 1? LOL! Anyway, our daughter has been with the man who I affectionately refer to as our DSonIL-E (dear son-in-law equivalent) for more than ten years. I can't even say how long for sure. I just know she told me a couple of years ago it has been more than 10 so I will stick with that. They have lived in many places and visited all around the world. Currently, they reside in Chicago. Our son also lives in Chicago. He is probably the one who started our family on our love affair with the city when he fell hard for the basketball talents of one Michael Jordan, who played for the Chicago Bulls when he was a kid. After college, he moved to Chicago and met his wife on his first job there. They were together for a little over 2 yrs. before they married over Labor Day Weekend this year. DH and I are hoping they are thinking of starting a family because we are very ready to be grandparents. :D Professionally, I have done a number of things through the years. I went to college to work in social work. That didn't go as planned, and I discovered I really was not social worker material. After having worked in a runaway shelter for three years, I moved on and never looked back. I then worked as temp secretary for our local AAA baseball team while someone was out on a medical leave. That was interesting. I briefly worked in a flower shop, and as a cake decorator in a grocery store. Both required me to constantly be on my feet and were tough on my body so I left those positions. I also managed one of our two video stores for a while. That worked out pretty well until the video business changed and mom and pop places like ours became obsolete. It did allow us, though, to have the kids with us when they needed to be, and they were properly schooled on DH's favorite thing - movies. When DSon was in 7th grade at our parish grade school, I went to work in the cafeteria and on the playground there, working as an aid. When he got ready to go to college, I went back to school to get my bachelor's degree so I could substitute teach. I'd read where the diocese was always looking for subs and I decided that I liked the idea of setting my own work days. Before I could really sub anywhere, the principal at our school came to me and asked me to be an aid in an extra-large 3rd grade class. They didn't have enough kids to hire a second teacher, but an aid was definitely needed. I took him up on his offer, totally loving the experience. I also went on to be an aid in preschool, kindergarten, first and second grades. Along the way I also did tutoring and enrichment as needed by various teachers. I spent one year substitute teaching both in our parish school and our local public school system. After that, my old principal asked me to teach second grade. Again, I took him up on his offer. To date, that is my greatest highlight of my working years. I was teaching kindergarten in the 2011-12 school year when my hip replacement that I'd had done in 2008 failed. I have gone on to have 3 more surgeries since then on the same hip - two of them in 2012. That final surgery ended my short-lived teaching career. I turns out there is a limit as to how many times one can have the same muscles cut into and have things turn out okay. My mobility and my gardening abilities are limited these days. My cane will be my forever-friend the rest of my life. It has taken some getting used to, but life is good again. These days, I volunteer at our local city memorabilia museum once a week. We package for display all kinds of historical materials that are either donated or the curator has been able to purchase on Ebay. We'll soon work on a display for September 11th that will be housed at our town fire station. Additionally, our church will be having its 175th anniversary in September so we are working with them to get things ready for that. The volunteer work helps keep me out of trouble and allows me to feel like I am contributing to something outside of myself. I really struggled with my identity when I had to give up my teaching. Oh, I guess I should add that I am addicted to saving seeds from my flowers and veggies; and I love to start my flowers and vegetables indoors over the winter. This is a passion brought on by the wonderful folks I met on the B&B board. I often will save seeds just because I can. I won't need them. I'll just save 'em in case I need them. I guess that is about it for me. Anyone new to our little group will find that I tend to be wordy in my posts. I write like I think, I guess. Like Angela said, I am looking forward to making the acquaintance of some wonderful new people here. I've already had my interest in birding and food rekindled as a result of some of you being here. Thank you for that!
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Post by Gayle on Aug 7, 2016 20:20:22 GMT -5
I'm Gayle & I live on the Eastern Shore of Va. I tell people here as far east as you can get in the state of Va. The Atlantic is only a few minutes away & I was raised on an island (Chincoteague if you've ever heard of it.) Used to be nobody ever heard of it. Then the children's' book & movie, Misty came out & we became known as a vacation spot. Especially after a bridge was built to the barrier island, Assateague , just east of us. Now we are a summer resort. Good & bad there.
When I was growing up on the island, everybody literally knew everybody else & all their relatives; Where they lived & what they drove. If you did anything wrong, your parents knew about it by the time you got home. LOL The lighthouse on Assateague used to sweep across my BR walls at night & on some summer nights with the windows open (no AC back then) & the wind just right you could hear the surf in the distance & the sounds from the Fireman's' Carnival about a mile away. Ahh, those were the days my friend. I now live just across the water to the west of the island but I hope to move back there one day.
So I got married & left home at 20. Have one child, a son, & 2 GKs.
Worked Civil Service in DC when I first got married, later as office mngr for family physician for 20 yr. I did a lot more than just manage the office. He was semi retired so it was just the 2 of us in the office. He treated patients & I did everything else.
DH retired at 49 & we moved to his home state of Tn. for 15 yr. Had a home in the foothills of the Smokies. I loved it there, but his Diabetes got worse & worse so we moved back to this area to be closer to family. He passed away shortly after the move back.
I am an avid gardener & reader & also work 2 PT jobs
That's about it, I guess.
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Post by gkids3 on Aug 7, 2016 20:23:30 GMT -5
Evening everyone. I'm on my Kindle so I'm just checking in tonight. I'll give you my story tomorrow when I'm on the pc, so much easier for me to use. Have a great evening everyone.
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Post by hostalover on Aug 8, 2016 5:55:11 GMT -5
Hi there. I love this post. My name is Larry and i am married to plantdoctor. Can't remember who said they live in a small town of 4000. My idea of small is our town of 500. lol But home is home no matter where you are. I am 65 and retired as city clerk from our town. I will let Charlene give the details. lol We have been married for 39, pushing 40 years. As you can tell, i am into Hosta's. Basically all shade plants. I now have over 300 hostas. Some i know the names of and others i don't but will find out. Never realized when i first started with 5 of them, that it would be a hobby so threw the tags away. We belong to a Hosta society so hopefully find out the names of the rest. I know Charlene shutters every time we go shopping, for fear i will buy another one. LOL I do work 2 days a week at the local pub as a waiter/cook/bar tender!!! It is only 12 hours a week, so just perfect for me. I also love getting ahold of a spade and making a new flower bed. Don't mind weeding either. Everything looks so good when your done, that it makes it all worth it. I will let Charlene continue on. LOL Enjoy meeting all of you...................have a good day.................larry
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Post by davehhhj on Aug 8, 2016 6:30:35 GMT -5
iam dave iam from arkansas more later dave
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My Story
Aug 8, 2016 8:53:27 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by mnwildflowers on Aug 8, 2016 8:53:27 GMT -5
I'm on my phone but I will try to limit the typos! I'm Melissa. I have lived in northern MN my entire life in 3 towns. I have been married to dh Dylan for almost 22 years (Oct), and we have 4 children, 17, 14, 12, 9-two golden pairs so are very blessed. Was a stay at home mom until my baby went to kindergarten. At that time I went back to work and was lucky to find a job where I can use my degree. I teach preschool for a grant funded collaborative for low income families. I work 3 days a week, 9 months of the year. Allows me time to have a big veggie garden as well as tons of flowers. Start too many things from seed indoors! I love my MN native wildflowers and have been working on turning a large roadside area in to a restored prairie for 7 years. I lovingly refer to it as "my ditch"! Started posting on veggie gardening and birding forum about 10 years ago. Have been lucky enough to meet Charlene and Larry and share plants with them and receive more than I can recount! The knowledge I have gained from this group has been amazing!
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Post by ThatGuyRick on Aug 8, 2016 9:27:12 GMT -5
My name is Rick, and has been for over 65 years. I love gardening and the outdoors, (and the indoors.) I worked in manufacturing most of my life, operating and doing maintenance on machinery. Another part of my life is music, I play the guitar. I have been lucky enough to play with many musicians on tour - Chuck Berry, Tommy James (Hanky Panky, I think We're Alone Now), Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, The Turtles (Happy Together), Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & the Raiders) and a lot of local groups. I started playing music when I was very young. I am a widower. I haven't posted on the old Gardening Shed a lot but I always enjoyed reading it. Best Wishes to all. - Rick -
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Post by marylc on Aug 8, 2016 9:39:04 GMT -5
Hello I am Mary living in Louisville Ky where famous for the Ky Derby horse races,came to U S A in 1959,from England and lived in Mass until husband finished in the Air force and came to his home state to live. have six children ages 50 to 57,two girls are twins, 5 daughters and one son.husband died from Diabtese and am on my own now enjoying life with all my families who are a great help to me and all live not too far away so we see each other often. like reading magazines,gardening around an apartment,swimming, gym, feeding the wild birds and my little parakeet, enjoy meeting all you people from different states and countries.
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