Green Thumb Sunday

Hibiscus in my favorite shade of pink

My one and only tomato in my Topsy Turvy

Spider plant is doing awsome - making lots of little plants

Border is filling in with bromeliads & heliconias

Bromeliad with baby brome

One of the new broms from Green Thumb Festival and this one has been having trouble getting rooted and I've knocked it out of the ground a couple times :(

This is popping up in my brom garden and I can only assume it is a brome

Staghorn ferm suffering a little from the heat

Anthirium blooms look good but the plant is showing a little stress due to heat

Shrimp plant could care less about the heat

Dendrobium bloom in the key lime tree

And another

Remember the pool garden border I cut back a few weeks ago - it's back

Never got these vincas planted but they seem happy anyway!

It's Here!

I've been on the waiting list at the library for weeks to get the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel. For those who don't know, it is the series that the HBO series "True Blood" is based on. When I first put my name on the list for this book I was number 74! I check about 10 days ago and I was number 16. Now it's my turn! I can only keep it two weeks because it is a new release but that shouldn't be a problem - I read the whole series before this one (8 books) in less than two weeks. LOL.

Thanks Charlaine, I'm ready for an interesting trip to Bon Temps.

Bye Bye Baby Boomers

Yesterday morning, at work, we heard the news that Farrah Fawcett died. I was interested in hearing the news reports and mini bios of Farrah that usually follow the death of a celebrity but instead I heard that Michael Jackson died too.

Don't get me wrong, I owned the Thriller albumn in the 80's and as a kid liked the Jackson 5. But even I, who knows nothing about babies, knows you don't hang a baby over a ledge! My interest in Jackson wanned with what I saw as bizarre behavior and the balcony incident sealed the deal for me.

I'm disappointed that Farrah's coverage appears to have been cut short by the coverage of MJ. I was looking forward to the trip down memory lane with Farrah. I remember in my senior year of high school that a friend and I saw this ad in a magazine:

and we both instantly wanted hair like that. My friend was a blonde so she had an advantage and I believe she probably had a better stylist (they weren't called that at the time) but I had thickier hair with more of a natural wave to it. We both had something akin to "the Farrah". Here's mine (and I did it myself):

It's shocking to have TWO celebrity baby boomers die in the same day, especially since I am a baby boomer. I'm not listening to the radio or watching TV tonight because I am sick of hearing the theme song of the day - Thriller. I've even heard it on NPR!

While many people are honoring MJ tonight, and I have to admit that the "We Are The World" thing was phenomenal, I'm a little disappointed I'm not seeing more of Farrah. She made an impression on this young girl.

As silly or as trivial as it may sound, she brought glamour to me. I grew up teased and embarrassed about having red hair (I remember wanting to just be "normal") but having"my Farrah" sure changed the way people looked at this redhead - suddenly my hair was pretty and not wierd.

Oh and I should add the disclaimer that I am not a celebrity watcher normally. There are only a few that catch my attention and one of them was Ferrah. In fact, coworkers were talking about Jessica Biel one day and I thought she was the girl from Flashdance, LOL.

Thanks Farrah. Rest In Peace.

"I Get No Respect!"

There's something about driving a Scion XB. You get no respect on the road. We should call it our Rodney Dangerfield car! It started the first day we drove it home from the lot and were cut off by an SUV within a mile of the Toyota dealership. No, its not that they didn't see us because they had been behind us so we would of have to *poof* disappear not to be there. It seems no matter how fast we drive other drivers need to get ahead of us as if our "toy" car isn't capable of sustained speed.

This car actually deserves respect in my estimation. It gets good gas milage, the interior is smartly designed, and it's very easy to park. What's not to like? Better question, what's to hate to the point where you (and you know who you are) feel compelled to pass us or run us off the road. Is the Scion that insignificent?

Tell me what you do or own that gets "No Respect"? Please share your stories. Looking forward to reading your comments! Oh - and spread the word, "I Get No Respect!"

Thanks For Your Prayers

My friend is up and moving and won't have to have the really bad chemo. All good news.

My Friend Is Having Surgery Tomorrow....

....for cancer. If you pray, please include her in your prayers. If you do not pray, please send her positive thoughts. Thank you.

Another Father's Day Post

Now, a post for my mother's side - my maternal grands. Had to do two post because I a lucky to have these old photos and it gets confusing working with both sides at the same time!

This photo is of my maternal grandparents, David Andrew Barnes & Ethel Vernolia Gillihan, with my Aunt Frances in Grandpa Barnes's lap and an unknown girl in the background.

This photo contains the same Grandpa David Andrew Barnes only he is the little boy standing behind his mother and beside his grandmother. The man sitting in the chair with a little girl on his lap is his father, my great grandfather William Andrew Barnes (1869 - 1935)


Now, let's switch over to my maternal grandmother's side. Here are the father's on my Grandma Ethel Vernolia Gillihan-Barnes's side:

My great grandparents on my grandparents Henry Newton Gillihan and Icie Brewer

A younger photo of Henry Newton Gillihan

And an even younger - he is the young man to the far right standing in the back row.

This photo is of Henry Newton Gillihan's parents so they are my great, great grandparents William Riley Gillihan Jr. (1854 - 1937) and Ava Sophia Thompson (1856 - 1930).

A little younger shot of William Riley Gillihan Jr. He's on the right.


Switching from grandma's Gillihan side to her Brewer side.

Grandma's mother (my great grandmother) Icie Brewer is the second girl from the right standing (behind the little boy in chair). Her father, my great great grandfather is the fellow in third chair from left with leg crossed. His name is Argyle Homer Brewer (1847 - 1903).

So, these are the men to whom I owe my existance. They also passed values down from generation to generation that are now a part of me. Funny, from you would think I would be a vegtable gardener with all these farmers in my blood!

A Tribute To Dads

These photos are of my paternal dads. I am thinking of them all today.

This is an old photo of my mom & dad before I was born.

These are my paternal grandparents - Andrew Jackson Manning (1892 - 1970) and Rose Cleo Truxler (1893 - 1967). Both were born, raised, married, and died in Lawrence County, Arkansas.

I am related to most of the kiddos in this photo; however, what makes it really interesting is that my grandparents (Andrew Jackson Manning & Rose Cleo Truxler) are in it. Both are in the front row - he is the 4th from the right and she is second to the left of the girl holding the sign. Photo from Union School (Lawrence Co., ) Arkansas in 1903.

This is James Jon Manning (1866 - 1944), father of Andrew Jackson Manning so he is my paternal great grandfather. He was born in Indiana or Kentucky during a brief period when his father was a coalminer (they left their home in Alabama after the War Between the States) before the family settled in Arkansas.

This photo is of the Manning clan. My Grandpa Andrew Jackson Manning & his wife Rose Cleo Truxler are the young couple in the back. His father, my great grandfather James John Manning, is the man sitting in the chair. I know it's Father's Day but another interesting person in the photo is his mother, my great, great grandmother Emily Kitchens-Manning. She the oldest female and sitting between the two young girls.


James John Manning's first wife died young (poss during childbirth since a baby died on the same day). This headstone is her (Sarah Maryann Whittaker) father's headstone so he would be my great, great grandfather. And, the old tin type photo below is thought to be him.

Happy Father's Day

My hubby and our "children" - Eddie Ratbone & Daisey Mae.

Too Hot To Do Anything Productive

With the heat index, it was supposed to feel like 109 here today. This is what I did instead of something productive:

First, a strawberry & cream frappucino

Followed by a visit to the nail salon. Haven't had a pedicure in over a year. But it's so hot and I'm wearing the barest of shoes, that I let the technician get carried away and paint a dragonfly on my toe. LOL.....In reality, I was delaying getting in a scorching car. Isn't my Daisey cute???? You know it's hot when she isn't interested in laying in the sun.

Oh, I did do a little writing. I have so many characters in my story now that I had to create a spreadsheet with names, occupations, story lines, etc. I wonder if this is how real writers do it?

Encyclia Tampensis

I couldn't wait for Green Thumb Sunday. My Tampensis has gone blooming crazy! I thought last year was fabulous when it produced 15 bloom stalks (although I broke 2 so there were only 13) but this year I can't even count! I'm a very proud mama.