A Rose Like No Other

A rose like no other is the Confederate Rose also called a Cotton Rose.It is actually not a rose at all,it is a Hibiscus(mutabilis).you can find it in Pink,Red,and White,they also have a single bloom which has only four petals.They bloom from late summer til early fall.This tree can get up to 15 to 20 ft. tall with a spread as wide.They are hearty in the south and uo to zone 7,some have tried to grow them farther up north with not much luck.you can grow the confederate rose from cuttings or from seed.I grew mine from cuttings from my mother.Have never tried from the seed,I just found out you could grow the rose from seed,so I am going to harvest my seed from my rose and give it a try.To get cuttings you wait til all blooms die out around late November to early December then cut the limbs ,you remove the leaves,put stems in water in a place that is out of the weather,I put mine in the shed.When spring comes take out your stems,most will have some roots on them .Plant the rose,fertilize and keep moist til it takes root.Once it is growing good there is not much care needed,All I do is keep mine watered,one of mine is about 15 ft. tall,the other is catching up.The smaller rose of the two I have was taken out by hurrican Katrina,I thought it was gone ,but the following spring after the storm it came back from the roots that were left in the ground.My confederate rose is a double bloom in pink.
I am going to harvest the seed and if anyone would be interested in seeds to try and grow the confederate rose I will be more than glad to share.From what I have read it is easy to start from seed,this will be my first attempt but I am going to give it a try.

Goats at The Robbins Nest

Goats are one of the best pets you can have I think.We started out three years ago with two baby goats that I raised in my house on bottles.We now have six goats at the Robbins Nest.I would not trade them for any other farm animal.The kids love them and as you can see they play with them.We play with our goats from the time they are borne to keep them tame,that way the children can play with them without the worry of being hurt.Our goats are meat breed goats,There are a number of different breeds you can raise,but some of them are expensive.I myself would like to own at least one angora goat.Some people own the angora for the wool,I just want one because they are beautiful.I do crochet but you need to be a spinner if you use the wool and I am not a spinner.My friend Lady Katherine is a spinner and use to spin wool.When I have a goat problem that is who I ask for advice,she raised goats once before and she knows alot about them.
Sometimes our goats get run of the property,until I catch them in my flower beds which they seem to love.Especially my banana tree,then it is time to go back in their pen.We put the big round bales of hay in th pen for them and they like to play King of the hay bale,the boy goats really like to play it with each other.They all have names and they actully know their names too.We have the first two that came to us as babies are Little Girl & Kid,then we have Cocoa,Honey Dew,andLittle Man.Little man is a milk goat who was given to the grandkids by a friend of theirs.We had to raise him on a bottle also.As of now we have five goats ,two billies,and three nannies,but the three nannies we have are all bred.So sometime this winter we will have at least three more kids,we can not wait,I just wish they would come in the warmer part of the year instead of the coldest.





Kyler riding Kid

Kyler feeding Kid,Little Girl,& Honey Dew

Sawyer with Little Man and Little Girl

Sawyer holding Cocoa

Little Girl and Cocoa

A Pink Butterfly for a Lady

This award was given to me by my good friend Lady Katherine.She is a much stronger woman than she gives herself credit for being.Thank You Kathy.

1. 
   Where is your mobile phone? Computer desk Where is your significant other? In his truck in Texas Your hair color? Auburn Your mother? Home Your father? Arm,Ms. One favorite thing? Cloth Dolls I make Your dream last night? None Your dream goal? To go to Australia The room you're in? Front living room Your hobby? Doll making,sewing,crochet Your fear? heights, Where do you want to be in six years? Financial stable Where were you last night? At home What you're not? Skinny One of your wish list items? Nikon 35MM camera Where you grew up? Mississippi, & Louisiana The last thing you did? Had family dinner at my sister's house today What are you wearing? Sleep pants and a tee shirt Your TV? The Unit Your pets? Bull dog, Grand Persian dog,5 goats Your computer? pc Your mood? solitaire Missing someone? yes, my daughter and her three girls Your car? 1994 Ford Explorer Limited Edition Something you're not wearing? makeup Favorite drink ? coffee Your summer? Gardening and grand kids Love someone? yes, hubby, family and friends Your favorite color? Red When was the last time you laughed? Today When was the last time you cried? June when mother in law passed Why not join in and play along? Let me know....I'll come over to your place and learn more about YOU!
   

Be Thankful for the People in Your Life

This is a sad post it has been a sad week and weekend in our little area of the world.The first part of the week we had a family member pass away. He was in Illinos working with his son.His name was Kenny,he was talking on the phone with his wife when he had his heart attack.Kenny is my husbands cousin,he leaves a wife ,three children and a number of grandchildren.He will be buried tomorrow.
A teacher from our local preschool had two sons shot Friday night at a community club.One was killed and the other is in ICU in the hospital,they do not know if he will make it or not.He was shot in the stomach and the knee.Two years ago this mother lost a son in an automobile accident,now one to a gun shot and she may still loose another.I pray God will let her keep at least one of her sons.I can not imange what it would be like to bury one child much less two at one time.
Sometimes I think we take having our children for granted,but we need to step back and remember we could loose them in the blink of an eye.God gave us one of the greatest gifts he had to give a beautiul child to love and care for.It put them in our care and he can take them home with him anytime,so we need to really treasure all the moments we have with them and never take it for granted they will be with us forever.Everyone that can you need to hug your child everyday and tell them how much you love them everyday.Let them know how proud we are to have them in our lifes,
Thanksgiving is coming soon ,so on that day get together with your family and let them all know just how thankful you are to have them in your lives.I lost a brother 4 years ago to a stroke and I miss him everyday and I wish I could just see him and tell him how much I love and miss him.