Hallson Gardens

Night Train to Mombasa -- it's an Agatha Christie novel, just begging to be written! Your description conjured up several literary bits and pieces stored in odd corners of my mind. First, the train noises -- right out of Shakespeare: Caliban, saying "The night is full of noises". Then, the trains go...

A good survey idea, Tigger. My answers -- Zone 4a before -- now listed as 4b St Paul area, Minnesota Listed minimum for 4a is 30 below, which we only got down to in wind chill and not actual temps I'm sure we surpassed the minimum for 4b, but I've not looked it up to see what it is. There is a snow ...

You two manage to find adventure where the rest of us would see a second-rate shopping mall and a whole lot of merchandise for which we have no need! Thanks for taking us on another of your quirky journeys. I especially like the guy playing soccer down the cluttered aisle of the shop! Phyllis

The Governor cancelled school for the entire state yesterday, and the schools voluntarily kept it up for today as well. There is no standing outside waiting for a school bus when the temp is at 21 below, and the wind chill makes it minus 35! We were comparatively warm here, however -- northern MN wa...

Awwwww! How can anyone resist a baby? Cool pics, Jim -- and congrats to Sheila on her darling "nephew". Phyllis

What a series of kerfuffles you managed to pack into one eventful day -- and you only started out at mid morning or even later! It was interesting - and even, in some spots, hilarious -- reading, but only if one is safely back at home and not confronted with the vicissitudes of foreign travel, curre...

Hang onto your safari hats -- disreputable or brand new. Here we go again along with the Idiots on their travels, including Jim's quirky take on just about everything. Can hardly wait for the next installment, particularly since it's been below zero all day and night (FAR below at night) here for ne...

A Merry Christmas to you all! I suppose that many folks have migrated to Facebook, but not I -- too much contact with people I probably am not overly anxious to be in contact with asking me to "friend" them. At least when I post here, I know that everyone who answers IS a friend! I do Hallson's foru...

What a transformation -- it's classy, is what it is! Congrats on getting it done. Re: the young nurse who knows nothing about gardening -- next time you answer a question like that, translate that 2-3 hours into actual tasks -- carrying, pulling, pushing, digging, carting dirt, mulch etc., dragging ...

To all you Kansans out there -- individually, you are a charming bunch, and your state also has a certain charm when the fields are green and growing, or later on, ripe for the harvest. However, in our numerous trips from Minnesota to more western states we pretty much get through Kansas as quickly ...

This cactus flowers profusely every November, putting out one flush of blooms for a couple of weeks, and then following it with another set of buds. Last year the second set of buds fell off, and I got no blooms at all. It remains to be seen whether it will do the same again. This was how it looked ...

Jim -- Again, you have taken me to one of my favorite places. I've collected a few images that I'll add to your excellent travelogue. Love, Phyllis

In that last pic, the raven is the poster child for the expression "beady-eyed"! The series with the raven and the cat is a hoot. That raven wasn't giving any slack to anybody, was he??? In your list of ravens in song and story, don't forget that Elijah was fed by the ravens. AND, Charles Dickens ha...

Thanks, Karma -- same to you and yours. I hope that your family troubles are lessening, and that you can truly enjoy each other on the holidays. Love, Phyllis My good wishes to all of my "seedy friends" at Hallson's. I've been here a long time, and have never found a person that was not empathetic a...

Amazing! The first pic under "threatening skies" was taken at the same spot I took one of the photos I shared in your previous post -- the one with the artist and easel sitting on the edge of the canyon. How could the two of us, at widely separated times, hit on the same spot in the vast wilderness ...

I didn't know that there was a road into the needles area. When I was there a few years ago, we only viewed the "needle" formations from quite a distance, and I longed to get in to where I could see them up close. Being a Sr. Citizen, albeit a spry one, I was not up to the arduous hike that I suppos...

I feel as if I've been escorted through a museum by one of the official guides! I'm anxious to hear how you experience Canyonlands. Be sure to get out to Dead Horse Point - the views are spectacular, and nearly 360 degrees in width. Phyllis

Jim -- You have brought back great memories for me. I was at Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "de Shay") on a photo group tour lots of years ago, and it is one of the many places I'd love to go back to. We drove around the canyon floor in a four-wheel-drive, open topped touring vehicle; because there ar...

Quoth the Raven --Again -- lovely! the petrified wood is truly spectacular -- jewel-like, and evocative of eons past. I'm looking forward to your visit to Canyon de Chelley. One of the best photos I've ever taken was done there -- a dead tree with its dry leaves still on it and golden grasses at its...

When we were in New Mexico a couple of months ago, we visited Golden, NM, population 10. When I asked him how many voted for him in the last election, he responded "I did!", so I guess he is self selected and elected. He is also the custodian of the church, and gave us permission to skin under the c...