REPOST for Dad's Birthday....Dad & his Daylillies

Today is my Dad's birthday, so I'm reposting this one. I also saw 2 daylillies the other day in his garden that are still blooming that I don't have. What I like most about these two? They're like 5 feet tall! One is a gorgeous pale peach, the other a spikey petaled yellow. Don't know how I never added them to my stash before, guess I should go over with my shovel & some pots.....but first going to go kayaking with Mom over at Round Valley. My daughter, Mom & I decided a couple of years ago that on the anniversary of my grandson's death we would do something we have never done before. A way of adding to our lives instead of just sulking. So I think we should find a little something to add to our "live list" today...hmmm....what kind of trouble can we get into today? The other week, for Dominic's day we went kayaking down the Delaware, which we have done before, but this time we stopped & had lunch at "The Hotdog Man" floating BBQ in the river, literally. The tables are in the water to! Then we ended at a different spot so we had to go through the "wing dam". We never considered the thunderstorms from the day before so we're a little shaky about doing this (not that either admitted it till after), only to find it was no big deal, at all!!! SIGH RELIEF EXHALE...well then we were done...OOPS! guess who took her keys with her & left them in the truck up river???? Long story short, within minutes Mom got a ride with a State Trooper....a first for Mom: riding in a police car! OK, lets see what we can do for the "first" time today!

My favorite picture of my Dad
James P. Halligan
August 5, 1939 - December 27, 2007

This blog is dedicated to my Dad. I caught the garden bug shortly after he did. First he started with irises, then he found his real love: daylillies. At one point he had over 400 different varieties. Dad, a very "anti computer" kind of guy, logged every single flower in a binder with each individuals information (name, cultivator, colors, height, location in the garden etc.). He also had metal name plates staked for each one as well. Dad's favorite thing in the garden was making more (AGGGGHH!!) gardens & splitting & potting the lillies to give away to anyone who wanted some. Of course I can't forget the how much he loved to take anyone who was interested, on a garden tour. There was always a promise of your favorite getting potted when it was done blooming.
Dad's gardens got to be more then he, or all of us, could keep up with and since maintenance was not one of his favorites, they began to get messy. Unfortunately the named stakes started falling down, sometimes got mowed over (really NOT good for the tractor!!!) or just plain vanished. Eventually the outcome resulted in of us no longer knowing what daylilly was what, well except the Stellas....everyone knows those!
Every daylilly that I have, originally came from my father except 3 that I had purchased on a trip to "Ralph's" with my Dad. Later on, when they got bigger, I split them to give Dad half. Below are a sampling of Dads daylillies in my garden. Now if only I knew their names! If you know their names please tell me!!!

These pictures were actaully taken last year. Since then I have a better camera and I am currently in a digital photography class. So hopefully my picture taking skills get better!!

When Dad first started this adventure, one of the first presents he had gotten was a rock engraved with Grow Dammit! Now maybe it's a New Yorker thing of some sorts or maybe it's just my family, but I always considered that to be spelled "damnit", so now you also know where I got the name of my blog from. And yes, I am a total rough and tough total sentimental pile of mush, just don't tell everybody!

Happy Birthday in Heaven Dad!

My New Upcycled Potting Bench

Before

Made from pallets & a piece of old plywood from a relatives deck redo. I was going to do this myself
but hubby stepped in and did it for me!!! It was a little hard for him to stick to my "making it out of free stuff"
concept, but in the end I think he was proud of himself to that we made it all for free.

Adding some sealer/stain

Atlanta Bridesmaid.....My Absolute Fav! and the only daylilly that I remember its actual name....

Caster Bean's new home

All done with shelves to. The quail pen next to it will be getting a make over as well soon. Also going to be bringing up rocks from the creek to build up in front  of the bench, eventually I'll  probably make a landing with cement.

Look what hubby brought home! I love free stuff! These are some of my husband's brother in law's "babies". His castor bean plants are more like trees, 14 foot trees! Meanwhile If you looked REALLY hard you might be able to spot my measly attempts at growing these puppies. His babies are monumental giants next to mine.

Like a lot of the country, its unbearably hot here. Me & Manny will be heading down to the river to cool off.
Hope wherever you are, you are getting relief to!

Is anybody else having problems with pictures staying put when you are doing a post? This is driving me crazy. Sometimes I can move them back where I want, and other times I want to rip my hair out. If anyone has any tips on posting using pictures I would love to hear them!!!!

Low, lie the Fields of Athenry,
Where once we watched the small free birds fly,
Our love was on the wings
We had dreams and songs to sing,
It’s so lonely ‘round the Fields of Athenry

In Loving Memory of My Beautiful Grandson Dominic

July 18 -26 2007

A little clean up & prepping a site for my homemade DIY potting table

OK, so it doesn't look that bad from far away, but this is actually quite a mess

Been working on getting all the weeds out of the sitting area, been very neglected while finishing up classes. As you can see, I have taking some of my time off chilling in my pool... I decided to change the water first and was using the bucket to splash water in & around the flowers, you know, no wasting the stuff around here! BUT.....what I didn't know was that my cat, Tess, was sleeping under the daylilly leaves and she got whacked with a bucket of water...OOPS

Amazing with just adding an umbrella can do, beside the fact that  it is just plain beautiful outside today.

The pictures weren't staying in order UGH...anyway, here is my latest addition to the gazebo graveyard. Hubby moved it to my garden since its been almost 2 months since I said I would clean it up. This puppy lasted a whole week, I think, before trying to see if it could fly and do flips etc. I thought, or maybe I should say dream or prayed, that if I put it on the side of the garage that maybe, just freaking maybe, it would escape the freak wind tunnel that insists on barreling through my backyard.

Back to the shed.....cleaning this up today so I can start on my potting table. I'm going to up cycle some pallets for this baby!

Making some nice headway here till this showed up:

you know that song: I don't like spiders and snakes.....so of course it took some convincing to get this guy to move on, I was taking over. But then it seemed like everything was moving and probably a snake....OY!

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Well, she cleaned up pretty nice, though I still have to get rid of some stuff, or put it somewhere or who knows.

Of course the whole time I have been working here in MY garden, the house wrens who are raising a family here have been very vocal about letting me know it was THEIRS. Check out them ears in the back, cool huh? VERY, especially since I grew them last year for the first time dug them out in the fall & promptly threw them in a bucket and forgot about them in my basement. I wasn't very nice or considerate to them, but apparently they weren't offended. I really wasn't expecting them to do anything so I am very pleasantly surprised and promise to treat them with more dignity and respect this fall!

Looking much, much better! Time to get making some hypertufa castings off those leaves to!!! Hey, notice the cleome that has made a late appearance this year off to the left. Just when I thought none were going to show up, they are popping up all over again.

OK, seriously, I swear I do NOT have a chimnea addiction, well kinda sorta maybe. Thinking the one on the right is going in the garden in the fall to be a new planter next spring. This particular garden is actually on top of my septic tank (on the right). There are TWO manhole covers and about 5 or 6 pieces of PVC pipe sticking up all through  it.  I will put the chinmea on top of one of the manhole covers since my other contraption I have there rusted away and couldn't hold a potted plant anymore.