Friday, August 16, 2013

I Can Explain!

Hellooooo!  Remember me?

 I haven't been myself lately.  Well, actually somebody else has been me.

I can explain...

My computer was hacked.  My email accounts were hacked.  My ebay, paypal and Amazon accounts were hacked.  Thank the Good Lord they didn't hack my Pinterest!  That would have been the last straw!  For cryin' out loud, though!  Don't people have better things to do with their time than to attempt to steal from random strangers?  If they spent that kind of effort on getting an education or a legitimate job instead of indulging in illicit activities the world may have already had the cure for cancer.  Geesh!  Some of my accounts are gone forever but I think they actually did me a favor in the long run! I never realized how much I depend on my email for things like phone numbers, addresses, passwords to all my accounts!  I do now, however. But I digress...

I still had Craigslist.  Wait until you see...

Anyhow, I am mostly back.  I've missed me so!  LOL!

I have been able to read your blogs but I had not been able to reply since my gmail account was compromised.  I actually got it back then it was hacked again.

Being offline gave me the time I needed to get off my derriere and get some work done outside.



Why, yes!  This is the Aidan Gray Laura Mirror that I found on Craigslist for $30!  I have two!

We have been working on the potager, our formal kitchen garden.  There were myriad challenges associated with that one!  Translation: If you have a bad feeling about your contractor you're probably right.  *sigh*  I have to say that it looks better than I could have imagined!  I couldn't even look at the potager bed for almost a month until I came up with an idea to fix it!  I am much happier than if it had gone my way in the first place!

We also planted a total of  forty Limelight Hydrangeas, thirty Arborvitae, sixty Hicks Yews,  twenty-one red Knockout Roses,  twenty-five Annabelle Hydrangeas, sixty more boxwood, over 200 perennials, apple trees, pear trees...

When I say we, what I really mean is me.   Someone has to go to work to pay for all this.  Handsome Husband worked a lot of overtime this Summer!  
Speaking of overtime...the weeds were neverending this year!   I actually used Preen, a pre-emergent that prevents seeds from germinating, in the front parterre.  I hated to do it but I could not keep up with the weeds!  Mr. Toad hopped through the Preen granules when I applied them.  I panicked!  I ran after him and gently washed him off with the hose, then set him in the side gardens.  I was so worried he would suffer adverse effects!  Not Mr. Toad!  He is happily hopping around his parterre domain as I type. I love that little guy.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to photograph our new plantings because our neighborhood is so new, all you see is the neighbor's houses. The plantings need to grow a bit more, I suppose.  I will try to get better photos.  I am really excited to get your feedback!


The hedges to the right of the parterre are computer generated. In real life they are only two feet tall and three feet apart!  Also, though my neighbor recently had a new fence installed, it merely highlights their primary colored swingset, enhances it, if you will.  I edited that out too...In time the Limelight hydrangeas will grow to cover the view.

I already harvested the first crop of lavender from the circular beds.  The second crop will be ready in September.  The Lilac Standards were Handsome Husband's Mother's Day Gift to me!  The Autumn Blaze Maple in the left rear was my Birthday gift to him.  The leaves stayed red since it was planted in Spring. 
Remember when the parterre was just a baby!?  *sniffle*  Look how much it has grown!  I trimmed it for the first time this Summer!  First haircut!  *sniffle* *sniffle*

Tomorrow, I will rearrange the boxwood surrounding each lilac standard.  The linear shape is a distraction.  I am shaping them into curliques!

It's good to be back among my Blog friends!  I have missed you!

xo

Andie


32 comments:

  1. Wonderful to see this post from you, Andie. I've been worried about you and glad to see that you are well and back blogging. The garden looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Been missing you! I really was curious where you were. :) I recently purchased my dream chair (see a recent post) on Craigslist, and I thought of you - the Craigslist Queen.

    XOXO,
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Andy,
    Good return among us with your beautiful garden and your beautiful decorating ideas.
    Kind regards.
    Fine Bessot

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh What an ordeal! So glad your back and seems your busy- Your parterre is beautiful! I'm so jealous! looking forward to seeing more!
    Christina
    pennyWise

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good heavens -- that is one beautiful garden.

    I had wondered what happened to you since I get your posts in email. Sorry you had all these difficulties. It is always frightening to me if I think too much about how much personal info is really out there. I have had a lot of spam on the blog, and that is troublesome.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have no idea how proud I am of you and your garden design talents.

    Beautiful.

    Even though the hedges aren't mature & hiding the neighbors.

    Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

    ReplyDelete
  7. After all the work you've done on this how can you say that my chair is a lot of work?
    By the way I think that Mr. toad is actually Ms.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Welcome back!!!!
    Have missed you terribly!!!
    The garden looks amazing

    ReplyDelete
  9. Welcome back!!!!
    Have missed you terribly!!!
    The garden looks amazing

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good Afternoon Andie, Gosh, I wondered where you had got to, but I thought to myself that you were busy with something wonderfully creative to share with us. I am so sorry to hear about all the problems you have been experiencing. Like you I just don't understand why people hack into private emails.
    Your garden has changed so much much, the boxwoods look wonderful. I am growing two standard lilacs at the moment. I took cuttings from my mother in laws lilac bush, which my husbands father planted. They are about two feet tall at the moment, but coming along beautifully.
    Andie, it has been lovely to catch up with you. Enjoy your weekend.
    Best Wishes
    Daphne

    ReplyDelete
  11. Welcome back Andie!! That is crazy though...how horrible, the ultimate violation. Sorry for you having to deal with that, have had a few incidences myself and it always freaks me out then I get over it:)

    LOVE your gardens...wow, you are giving Versailles a run for their money:)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your garden is lovely! I look forward to seeing more photos.

    ReplyDelete
  13. welcome back andie, you had been missed!

    this is an amazing project, that is some serious numbers of plants, WOW! need more snaps to see what you have done.
    xx
    debra

    ReplyDelete
  14. Welcome back. So sorry for your hacking troubles. I had something similar happen a while ago. What a pain. Love what you've done outside.

    ReplyDelete
  15. So glad to see you back, Andie! Your garden looks fabulous! Hugs, Leena

    ReplyDelete
  16. So glad your are back! I kept coming here just to see and no Andie! Can't wait to see all you have done.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your garden is beautiful and inspiring!!!
    Ange x

    ReplyDelete
  18. Andie, I missed seeing your wonderful Craigslist finds and glad to see you back. So sorry you were hacked...been there myself! The Parterre looks beautifuland what a great find with the mirrors.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  19. You really have been busy! Welcome back!

    ReplyDelete
  20. WOAH!! First of all I thought your garden was an inspiration photo from Pinterest!! But its YOURS!!! How wonderful!! I think it is just amazing!! Glad to see you back and death to the hackers! xo

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh how awful but glad to have you back :-) Your garden looks AMAZING! Patience is the key - in a few months you won't even notice your neighbors!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Olá, estou feliz que voltastes e estas bem. Voltastes cheia de novidades. Adorei seu jardim e teu espelho todo decorado com plantas. Que pena que tem pessoas má nesse mundo.
    Bjos e tenha uma ótima semana.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Andie, I am so glad you are back. Waiting to see more of your furniture recreations!
    Beth W

    ReplyDelete
  24. Welcome back, Andie! Your parterre looks amazing already! Such a stately and beautiful design. Good luck with your lavender plants. I grew mine really close together and lost a few. Too much humidity and not even air circulation, even though the drainage was good.

    ReplyDelete
  25. What an AMAZING garden!!!
    Happy to see you're back up and running!
    Hugs,
    Suzan

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi, Andie.

    "Sweet are the uses of adversity," said Shakespeare (please don't ask me where!), and in your case he certainly was right. What an impressive amount of horticultural accomplishments you've added to your already astonishing list of achievements!

    I'm so glad you, apparently, took my advice and planted some Leyland Cypress. Though not so beautiful, perhaps, as English Boxwood, Japanese Holly or Yew, Leyland Cypress with only the slightest encouragement can grow three to four feet in height in a single season. SO, your neighbor's less-than-attractive playground equipment, etc. should soon -- quite literally -- be out of sight.

    Thanks for lamenting the demise of my blog. I was not hacked, but I was -- in effect -- boarded by pirates with grappling hooks who tried to lock me in my very own brig. I know you understand this use of figurative language.

    Fending off a pack of malicious, verminous trolls got to feel too much like a full time job, so out I went.

    Anyway, thank God you're back safe and none-the-worse for your ordeal. I think all of us love your positive, productive approach to living, and many must envy your considerable talent.

    Please just keep on keeping on., and thank you always for being you.

    ~ FreeThinke

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a dreadful experience Andie! I am so glad all is okay now.

    I am simply astounded at all you have accomplished I hope you are staying there forever. Your garden, your parterre, stunning.

    Now to the Aiden Gray Mirror!? Really? It is gorgeous! 2 of them? I might cry for a minute....

    Xoxo
    Karena
    Feature: “Love Where You Live”

    ReplyDelete
  28. THANK GOD you are OK. I had a dear blogger pal email to ask me if I had heard from you and I had to tell her that I too was worried since you never responded to my emails; I had also sent you some invoices for the work you had wanted me to do, but unfortunately now, I am no longer illustrating. I am teaching and writing so the chain of events just didn't make our collaboration possible. I am SO grateful you are well, Andie! Anita

    ReplyDelete
  29. Andie, so sorry to hear of you being stolen! Identity Theft is so exasperating and such a violation! Glad to hear you recovered and got yourself back! And I'm ADORING how your Garden is Transforming into the Vision you have for it! In a word... DIVINE!

    Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

    ReplyDelete
  30. I AM SO THRILLED TO KNOW YOU ARE OK! YOU...your person, your family! I had a dear blogger contact me to ask me if I knew of your whereabouts!!!

    Thank you so much for coming to visit my blog today! I do hope you will be blogging regularly? I know that with schooling it could be tricky; I am spending my weekends grading senior high French papers and planning for my 8th grade beginning French students, while trying to keep up! Oh Andie, how delightful to hear of your dear Gracie and her WISDOM! I love 10 year olds....I taught fourth graders for nine years, all in French!

    ENJOY all that the Lord has for you all. And you did not cause me any disorder...I just wanted to find out if you truly wanted those illustrations, and these days, I find it hard to even write the poetry I wish to produce. But if you ever are set up to make those illustrations happen, let me know. I'd love to do them for you.

    PEACE, LOVE and blessings for a great new school adventure! Anita

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing what you have to say!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...