I live in Bristol, TN near the VA/TN border. I'm only about 3 miles from The Bristol Motor Speedway for all you NASCAR fans although I'm not a racing fan. I have been inside the stadium but never to a race.
We live on almost 2 acres of rolling red clay with lots of white pines borders that the original owners planted 40 years ago. The yellow pollen drives my allgeries crazy but we cannot afford to have them all removed. We did take down 3 maples this winter. Still have lots of shade from a giant pin oak, dogwoods, redbuds, star magnolia, crabapple and more maples.
I am married to my soul mate. We have shared the past 35 years together come June. We have 4 great kids, Janina (30, lives in CO), John (29), Katherine (24, lives in NC) and Emily(10). I have mostly been a stay at home Mom and have volunteered for many events and programs at schools and through church. I have a master in pastoral studies, my undergraduate degree was in math and accounting. Since Emily I have backed out of many things simply because parenting seems harder at 55 then it was in my 20's and 30's.
I have always gardened. My parents had large vegetable gardens and I was the chief helper. We canned and preserved most of the vegetables we ate. My mother had a passion for flowers. Working in the dirt and watching her flowers bloom was always a source of much joy for her. I still have many plants that came from the homeplace.
My mother died 10 yrs ago(when Emily was 6 months old) and I started gardening big time. Why so late to start. When our older children were younger there wasn't alot of money to buy plants. For 4 years before Emily was born I worked in the lab at a pharmaceutical firm to save for college for the kids. But when I had our 4th child at 45, I quit my job and took up gardening as a way to keep sane.Some times sanity is questionable at best!
Before Emily I had 3 different hostas. Today I have around 450 different cultivars. All our older kids are starting to get hooked on plants. Our son is the only one who owns a house, so he is always getting starts.
Will list my hostas at a later date and would like to list 100 facts about myself like Hummingbird did.
I enjoy the Hallson's forum but I am more a brower then a poster. We got a digital camera recently so perhaps I will learn to post pics. I have some lovely hostas but my designs are not nearly as eyecatching as some I see posted. But they keep me happy. It is joy to walk around my yard daily to see what is changing.
Becky in TN
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newtohosta-no more
- Posts: 15270
- Joined: Oct 25, 2001 8:00 pm
- Location: Ohio, Zone 5
I enjoyed reading about your life! I admire you for raising your children with such a wide difference in ages, especially having a baby at 45! I can't even imagine having a baby at my age. I just don't think I have the energy for it, but sometimes God surprises us and we find we actually can deal with things. 
I will look forward to reading your list of 100 things about you......I sure did get a kick out of Hummer's list.
Happy Gardening!!
I will look forward to reading your list of 100 things about you......I sure did get a kick out of Hummer's list.
Happy Gardening!!
I'm glad to see someone else from Tenn. There doesn't seem to be but just a few of us. I love eastern Tenn and western N. & S. Carolina. Whenever visiting in that area, it always made me a bit sad when I left. 
Billy from Murfreesboro, TN.
Billy from Murfreesboro, TN.
BillyB
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." - John Muir
My Hosta List
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." - John Muir
My Hosta List
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Becky in TN
- Posts: 425
- Joined: Oct 20, 2001 8:00 pm
100 Facts
1) 55 yrs young
2) married 35 yrs to same wonderful hubby
3) 4 children; 3 girls, one son
4) lived in same house 21 yrs
5) have slightly less then 2 acres, lots of trees
6) have a masters degree in pastoral ministry, undergraduate degree in mathematics
7) I was the first person in my family to graduate from college
8) I'm overweigth, my dr says 40 lbs over high end of ideal
9) I'm 5 ft 6 inches tall
10) I have mostly grey hair (used to be medium brown)
11) Eyes brown with green rings
12) got "my first new car" in all our yrs of marriage this yr, a Buick Le Sabre, white gold
13) am a girl scout leader
14) am active in PTA, have been treasurer for 2 yrs
15) am Catholic but don't volunteer the hours I used to, weekends are special because now that 3 kids are grown, weekends are when we have time together
16) favorite food: shrimp
17) don't drink coffee, but love tea, hot or iced
18) used to bake alot, but seldom now
19) like chocolate and brownies with nuts
20)my only addiction is hostas
21) have around 450 different named hostas
22) around 30 different daylilies
23) around 20 different iris
24) around 15 different peonies
25) I don't have landscaping, I have a plant collection
26) my hubby and I are "do it yourselfers, have done a lot of updating and remodeling to our 40 yr old home
27) used to sew alot, made many of the older girls clothes, but now I seldom sew
28) hope to get back into quilting -- to use all my saved scraps
29) am a crafter but seldom stick to anything long enough to become a master
30) used to crochet lots of afgans
31) would love to learn to tatt
32) I live in the same area as my brother and sister still live, I enjoy family
33) our oldest daughter lives in Denver, we visited last yr for 12 days, had a wonderful time
34) second daughter lives in NC, moved last week from PA; now they are only 3 hrs away instead of 8!
35) son lives 30 miles away, so see him more often
36) have no grandchildren (yet)
37) my father was an alcoholic so I seldom drink
38) my mother was a passionate gardener, got the love of plants from her
39) my father always did a large veggie garden but it was work.... not joy
40) we have a veggie garden, since 3 children no longer live at home, our veggie garden has gotten smaller every year
41) don't mind giving away veggies but hate to do all the "picking" for those unwilling to help themselves
42) share my hostas but only give favorite ones to special people
43) have an area of seedling and sweep of Fortunie albomarginatas that are gifts to anyone asking for hostas
44) have some 4 and 5 yr old TC's that I sometimes sell by word of mouth
45) these are my major sore thumb with hubby as they are mostly in pots that he hates to see
46) I am a pack rat, my basement is no man's land, have "things in boxes" from settling parents property., things kids left behind.... they hold memories I'm not ready to part with yet
47) I am a bargin hunter, save coupons, and buy when senior citizen discount days are in effect
48) my ancestory is german, scotch-irish
49) I'm an avid recycler
50) recycle not only newspaper, plastic and cans but craft "this into that"
51) like to hike, used to walk the Applachian trail in our area... we have lots of wonderful mountains with great vistas
52) all the kids are hikers, oldest daughter runs marathons
53) like to read... fiction , non-fiction alike
54) esp like John Gresham
55) dislike horror books or books with grapic violence
56) favorite writer.. Dr Wayne Dyer and his "Power of Intention " series
57) always thought I might take up writing.. haven't nailed the coffin closed yet so there is still time
58) suffered a horrible depression following my Mother's death, Emily was 6 months old so "hormones" may have played a part and son was sowing seeds of rebellion , drinking heavy and experimenting with drugs.. a mother's nightmare
59) Son joined the army to find some self decipline... his idea..not mine
60) used many guardian angels and much prayer to protect son from himself.. but is settled and maturing now
61) father committed suicide 4 yrs after my mom died from cancer
62) father was in the army 21 yrs, so we "traveled" as children
63) mother was an army nurse.. that is how a gal from North Dakota married a guy from TN
64) have a cat, Merlin, that our oldest daughter left here 9 yrs ago during one of her "move home" phases
65) have a dog, Holly; a Benji type terrier mix we rescued from the animal shelter this March
66) like music , "oldies" and light classical are my favorites
67) am not a shopaholic for clothes... would rather buy hostas
68) besides going to see our children, I love to go to the beach
69) Edisto Island below Charleston is our favorite family vacation spot
70) took Emily , our 10 yr, to Orlando and all the Disney parks during spring break
71) would love to go to Hawaii and Maine
72) would love to visit Switzerland and German
73) play the lottery... hope to be a big winner one day soon!
74) On Myers Briggs, I am an INFJ .. marginal introvert, intutive, feeler, marginal judger
75) married to an ISTJ: strong introvert, sensate, thinker, strong judger
76) on the enneagram wheel I'm a # 2, a helper
77) married to a # 5, thinker
78) husband thinks "less is more" . opposite to my pack rat way
79) favorite season, spring in spring, love early summer and am exhilaterated by fall
80) one 3 inch snowfall is enough for me each year
81) suffer from SADD so I hate glum winter grey days
82) am more serious then "life of the party", my brother took that role
83) was always the responsible one, youger sister was always I can't get by on my own... at 49 she is still always in want of help
84) can't wait to feel the dirt between my fingers in the spring
85) the older I get, the less particular I am about housekeeping
86) my energy level is less so would rather use my energy in the garden
87) although overweight, I'm in good health... my knees especially suffer joint pain
88) take levoxal for underactive thryoid, the only mediction I take regularly
89) have spring allergies, especially to pollen from the 60 pine trees in our yard
90) mean to mulch all my beds... but never get them all done in the same yr... so it is weed, weed ,weed
91) have compost areas but never turn them
92) get leaf mold from the landfiill area
93) battle red clay but am amazed how the beds with 10 years of leaf mold mulch have 8-12 inches of nice black loam
94) would rather buy hostas from hosta nurseries then often mislabled ones from local box stores
95) don't have any friends or avid gardeners I live near who are hostaholics
96) get my "hosta juice needs" from the forums, especially Hallson's
97) hate to spend more then $40 for a hosta , prefer the $15 to $30 range
98) found TCs a lot of work since you have to buy in quanity and baby them , too much work for me since there is not a easy market for hostas here, at the flea markets, shoppers want to pay $3-5 each... don't buy TCs anymore
99) believe"all things work together for good"
100) life is short, handle it with prayer!
1) 55 yrs young
2) married 35 yrs to same wonderful hubby
3) 4 children; 3 girls, one son
4) lived in same house 21 yrs
5) have slightly less then 2 acres, lots of trees
6) have a masters degree in pastoral ministry, undergraduate degree in mathematics
7) I was the first person in my family to graduate from college
8) I'm overweigth, my dr says 40 lbs over high end of ideal
9) I'm 5 ft 6 inches tall
10) I have mostly grey hair (used to be medium brown)
11) Eyes brown with green rings
12) got "my first new car" in all our yrs of marriage this yr, a Buick Le Sabre, white gold
13) am a girl scout leader
14) am active in PTA, have been treasurer for 2 yrs
15) am Catholic but don't volunteer the hours I used to, weekends are special because now that 3 kids are grown, weekends are when we have time together
16) favorite food: shrimp
17) don't drink coffee, but love tea, hot or iced
18) used to bake alot, but seldom now
19) like chocolate and brownies with nuts
20)my only addiction is hostas
21) have around 450 different named hostas
22) around 30 different daylilies
23) around 20 different iris
24) around 15 different peonies
25) I don't have landscaping, I have a plant collection
26) my hubby and I are "do it yourselfers, have done a lot of updating and remodeling to our 40 yr old home
27) used to sew alot, made many of the older girls clothes, but now I seldom sew
28) hope to get back into quilting -- to use all my saved scraps
29) am a crafter but seldom stick to anything long enough to become a master
30) used to crochet lots of afgans
31) would love to learn to tatt
32) I live in the same area as my brother and sister still live, I enjoy family
33) our oldest daughter lives in Denver, we visited last yr for 12 days, had a wonderful time
34) second daughter lives in NC, moved last week from PA; now they are only 3 hrs away instead of 8!
35) son lives 30 miles away, so see him more often
36) have no grandchildren (yet)
37) my father was an alcoholic so I seldom drink
38) my mother was a passionate gardener, got the love of plants from her
39) my father always did a large veggie garden but it was work.... not joy
40) we have a veggie garden, since 3 children no longer live at home, our veggie garden has gotten smaller every year
41) don't mind giving away veggies but hate to do all the "picking" for those unwilling to help themselves
42) share my hostas but only give favorite ones to special people
43) have an area of seedling and sweep of Fortunie albomarginatas that are gifts to anyone asking for hostas
44) have some 4 and 5 yr old TC's that I sometimes sell by word of mouth
45) these are my major sore thumb with hubby as they are mostly in pots that he hates to see
46) I am a pack rat, my basement is no man's land, have "things in boxes" from settling parents property., things kids left behind.... they hold memories I'm not ready to part with yet
47) I am a bargin hunter, save coupons, and buy when senior citizen discount days are in effect
48) my ancestory is german, scotch-irish
49) I'm an avid recycler
50) recycle not only newspaper, plastic and cans but craft "this into that"
51) like to hike, used to walk the Applachian trail in our area... we have lots of wonderful mountains with great vistas
52) all the kids are hikers, oldest daughter runs marathons
53) like to read... fiction , non-fiction alike
54) esp like John Gresham
55) dislike horror books or books with grapic violence
56) favorite writer.. Dr Wayne Dyer and his "Power of Intention " series
57) always thought I might take up writing.. haven't nailed the coffin closed yet so there is still time
58) suffered a horrible depression following my Mother's death, Emily was 6 months old so "hormones" may have played a part and son was sowing seeds of rebellion , drinking heavy and experimenting with drugs.. a mother's nightmare
59) Son joined the army to find some self decipline... his idea..not mine
60) used many guardian angels and much prayer to protect son from himself.. but is settled and maturing now
61) father committed suicide 4 yrs after my mom died from cancer
62) father was in the army 21 yrs, so we "traveled" as children
63) mother was an army nurse.. that is how a gal from North Dakota married a guy from TN
64) have a cat, Merlin, that our oldest daughter left here 9 yrs ago during one of her "move home" phases
65) have a dog, Holly; a Benji type terrier mix we rescued from the animal shelter this March
66) like music , "oldies" and light classical are my favorites
67) am not a shopaholic for clothes... would rather buy hostas
68) besides going to see our children, I love to go to the beach
69) Edisto Island below Charleston is our favorite family vacation spot
70) took Emily , our 10 yr, to Orlando and all the Disney parks during spring break
71) would love to go to Hawaii and Maine
72) would love to visit Switzerland and German
73) play the lottery... hope to be a big winner one day soon!
74) On Myers Briggs, I am an INFJ .. marginal introvert, intutive, feeler, marginal judger
75) married to an ISTJ: strong introvert, sensate, thinker, strong judger
76) on the enneagram wheel I'm a # 2, a helper
77) married to a # 5, thinker
78) husband thinks "less is more" . opposite to my pack rat way
79) favorite season, spring in spring, love early summer and am exhilaterated by fall
80) one 3 inch snowfall is enough for me each year
81) suffer from SADD so I hate glum winter grey days
82) am more serious then "life of the party", my brother took that role
83) was always the responsible one, youger sister was always I can't get by on my own... at 49 she is still always in want of help
84) can't wait to feel the dirt between my fingers in the spring
85) the older I get, the less particular I am about housekeeping
86) my energy level is less so would rather use my energy in the garden
87) although overweight, I'm in good health... my knees especially suffer joint pain
88) take levoxal for underactive thryoid, the only mediction I take regularly
89) have spring allergies, especially to pollen from the 60 pine trees in our yard
90) mean to mulch all my beds... but never get them all done in the same yr... so it is weed, weed ,weed
91) have compost areas but never turn them
92) get leaf mold from the landfiill area
93) battle red clay but am amazed how the beds with 10 years of leaf mold mulch have 8-12 inches of nice black loam
94) would rather buy hostas from hosta nurseries then often mislabled ones from local box stores
95) don't have any friends or avid gardeners I live near who are hostaholics
96) get my "hosta juice needs" from the forums, especially Hallson's
97) hate to spend more then $40 for a hosta , prefer the $15 to $30 range
98) found TCs a lot of work since you have to buy in quanity and baby them , too much work for me since there is not a easy market for hostas here, at the flea markets, shoppers want to pay $3-5 each... don't buy TCs anymore
99) believe"all things work together for good"
100) life is short, handle it with prayer!
-
Becky in TN
- Posts: 425
- Joined: Oct 20, 2001 8:00 pm
updated May 5, 2007
Since a secret trade is coming up I'll post a few from my wish list. My have list is too long to type. Besides I haven't updated my Have list to reflect all the hostas I lost this past winter. I think most losses were due to the wet spring that went from days in the 80's to below freezing too often. I lost quite a few small and mini hostas, esp several with white centers. Most were 4 yr old or older.
Wish list
Summer Joy died 2005
Cat's Eye .. died 2005
Morning Light... died 2005
Grand Prize.. died 2005
White Walled Tire ..died 2005
Ghost Spirit..died 2005
Kiwi Forest (mine is just a solid so is mislabeled)
Pooh Bear ..died 2005
My Friend Nancy
Hart's Tongue
Mt Tom
Kabitian (lost 06)
Abba Dabba Do (lost 05)
Crested Surf
Stiletto
Ice Age Trail
Lsd Mom
Fair Maiden (mine have no wonderful white edge)
Lsd Baby Face (lost winter 07)
Jimmy Cracked Corn
I'm not picky... if I get a duplicate of what I have, I am just as happy... So no need to worry. I haven't purchased any of the newer hostas for a few years.. but am just as content with the oldies. Don't have much space to add x-large hostas (although they were my original love) medium,
small or minis are easy to stick in anywhere
Since a secret trade is coming up I'll post a few from my wish list. My have list is too long to type. Besides I haven't updated my Have list to reflect all the hostas I lost this past winter. I think most losses were due to the wet spring that went from days in the 80's to below freezing too often. I lost quite a few small and mini hostas, esp several with white centers. Most were 4 yr old or older.
Wish list
Summer Joy died 2005
Cat's Eye .. died 2005
Morning Light... died 2005
Grand Prize.. died 2005
White Walled Tire ..died 2005
Ghost Spirit..died 2005
Kiwi Forest (mine is just a solid so is mislabeled)
Pooh Bear ..died 2005
My Friend Nancy
Hart's Tongue
Mt Tom
Kabitian (lost 06)
Abba Dabba Do (lost 05)
Crested Surf
Stiletto
Ice Age Trail
Lsd Mom
Fair Maiden (mine have no wonderful white edge)
Lsd Baby Face (lost winter 07)
Jimmy Cracked Corn
I'm not picky... if I get a duplicate of what I have, I am just as happy... So no need to worry. I haven't purchased any of the newer hostas for a few years.. but am just as content with the oldies. Don't have much space to add x-large hostas (although they were my original love) medium,
small or minis are easy to stick in anywhere