tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14437269846967566462012-02-01T10:13:25.373-06:00Hello from The Divas of the Dirt, a group of Austin women who garden with and for each other in the heart of Central Texas. Our current adventures appear at this Divas of the Dirt blog. Stories, photos and recipes from previous years going back to 2001 are archived at <a href="http://www.divasofthedirt.com/">original Divas of the Dirt</a> Website and at our <a href="http://divasofthedirtarchives.blogspot.com/">Archive Blog</a> .DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-30822472639785995102011-06-01T18:10:00.000-05:002011-06-01T18:10:00.532-05:00

The mists of February barely dampened the ground and the heat was firmly in place by the time we met for our March project at Buffy's house. As always, entering her beautiful dining room made us feel special.Then the delicious eggs, potatoes, sautéed peppers, fruit and biscuits kept that special feeling going... good grief! Buffy had cooked up a batch of homemade Apple Butter for the biscuits!The

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-91314137183183620542011-05-31T17:56:00.001-05:002011-05-31T17:56:21.561-05:00

February is always an iffy garden month in Austin - sometimes pleasant, sometimes cold and rainy. But in more northern states little real gardening can ever be done in February. Here, at least, "iffy" does not mean impossible!For the February meetings of 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 & 2009 we enjoyed decent, sometimes even beautiful weather. It was off-on mist in 2006 and we were totally rained

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-19734621865502511752011-05-13T16:32:00.000-05:002011-05-13T16:32:27.531-05:00

Buffy had a craving for applewood bacon, so she suggested Manny's Uptown Kitchen for our annual planning meeting - we were glad she did. The Divas of the Dirt arrived at the Gateway Shopping Center in drizzle and mist on a gray Saturday morning.In just a few minutes the people in charge had our group set up in the cozy & comfortable main room. Other commitments meant a few Divas of the Dirt had

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-23675124921592424632011-05-11T15:12:00.001-05:002011-06-01T18:32:52.393-05:00

We always get together in mid-December - and not for a project/work day - just for fun. The Divas of the Dirt take turns being hostess - in 2010 I was the lucky one. The tree was up: The table was set. I was in a nostalgic mood and decided to use the tartan cloths from decades-ago Christmas dinners in Illinois:Diva-Sugar was out of town and Diva-Mattie was not well but we other 6 Divas were in

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-34056170824125904782011-01-14T15:12:00.000-06:002011-01-15T11:10:39.825-06:00

2010 OCTOBER - Sugar's Compost & Horseherb Garden DaySugar is one of the founding members of the Divas of the Dirt but she had dropped out for a few years and we hadn't worked in her yard for a long time. She warned us that it needed help:We won't be doing much other than pulling weeds*, weeds, & more weeds, then adding compost... I am planning on building a new garage... etc... can't plant

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-62747876682754299652011-01-13T23:22:00.001-06:002011-01-13T23:27:49.955-06:00

2010 September, Buffy's Garden DayThe Oxblood Lilies were in bloom at my (Glinda's) house when I left to pick up Sophia for Buffy's garden day. Sophia had planted caladiums in the border with her Oxblood Lilies. Aren't they gorgeous? That generous Austin gardenblogger MSS of Zanthan Gardens had shared some of these classic Austin passalong bulbs with the Divas of the Dirt a few years ago and

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-31368574084352115912011-01-11T16:31:00.005-06:002011-01-14T01:07:45.335-06:00

LATE SUMMER - EARLY FALL 2010Mindy sent out an email about a plant sale near her with great bargains.Karla couldn't go to the sale, but she shared an odd happening in her parking strip:I don’t know what happened but realized one day that I had 3 stalks of corn growing in my bed between street/sidewalk...Hope everyone is having a great summer!!Sugar was surprised: Corn?... do you actually have

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-68634329490551861192011-01-10T12:34:00.002-06:002011-01-15T11:10:39.828-06:00

MINDY'S TURN FOR 2010LATE MAYCrowded June schedules meant we had two meetings in May 2010 - Karla's turn went well at the beginning of the month and Mindy planned hers for Memorial Day Weekend.The temperatures were in the mid-90's but it was Red-White-and-Blue gorgeous inside the house...I may have taken as many photos of the spread in the dining room as of the work in the yard. Mindy's buffet

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-29107005855929693662011-01-09T14:08:00.009-06:002011-01-15T11:10:39.831-06:00

2010 Early MAYKARLA'S TURN FOR 2010We Divas of the Dirt like to tease Karla about being spoiled because her sister Callie has often acted as chef for meetings. But last May Callie had a broken leg & Karla had to cook!The table looked fine and we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of sausages, a grits casserole, melons and strawberries.Our garden project wasn't adding something new this time - it was

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-80190836464063065572010-04-22T15:42:00.004-05:002011-01-10T01:34:11.626-06:00

MARCH 2010 WAS FUN, BUT NOT A GARDEN DAYGlinda's turn (that's me) was scheduled for March. Stacks of collected rocks, bags of mulch and compost and some new plants awaited a redo and rejuvenation of the Pink Entrance Garden. The other Divas of the Dirt arrived at my house. We shared a Soyrizo, eggs & red pepper casserole, blueberry muffins, corn muffins, berries & pineapple and lots of

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-17089894420155812282010-03-30T21:30:00.000-05:002011-01-15T11:19:37.119-06:00

It's already the end of March and we haven't completed a single Divas of the Dirt project!The planning breakfast at Z-Tejas on 6th Street worked out fine with no more than the usual conflicts in dates. But we've had rain twice when we should have had a meeting. And it's been a very hard winter in our Divas of the Dirt gardens - this January we saw temperatures in the lower teens - not what we or

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-7036014675022994372010-02-09T23:30:00.000-06:002011-01-15T11:12:47.805-06:00

Buffy played hostess this year - and the theme she chose was Mexican Fiesta: The Divalicious Christmas Luncheon is upon us! Next Saturday at 11:30. I will be making Enchiladas Suizas, half with crab and half with chicken. Let me know what you all want to bring. Y'all stay warm and safe! I'm making a make-shift green house out of my rose arbor. I hope we get some real snow!We had no problem

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-18632629966974673862009-12-05T22:39:00.000-06:002011-01-09T21:54:06.530-06:00

Back in January when we set up our garden projects, Annie set her date for mid-October. But things changed by fall - she sent the above photo of her September-blooming Oxblood lilies (they were Passalong plants shared with the Divas of the Dirt by MSS of Zanthan Gardens), reset the day for early November and we all crossed our fingers. A few days before we met, Annie sent out this call to action

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-19773912978034806482009-09-21T23:06:00.001-05:002011-01-09T21:53:37.572-06:00

For my previous turn as hostess the Divas of the Dirt made the big native and adapted flower bed around the birdbath in the front yard. That was 18 months ago, in March of 2008.It was exciting when this year's turn approached:Sunday, September 13: "It's been a long, hot dry summer since we were chased by rainstorms at Karla's house last May. My Diva day is scheduled for next Saturday...[hope we

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-24513767911896788152009-06-29T17:35:00.000-05:002011-01-15T11:10:39.833-06:00

Sophia's garden day looked like a tough one: "... just looked up the temp for Saturday-97 degrees! ...All I can offer is a little shade, cool beverages, and ... vinca to pull out (the sequel to (Mindy's) Bermuda Triangle!) We will be working in the front yard on the bed close to the house and ... in the sidewalk strip, make a bed there and top with decomposed granite... will have breakfast ready

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-3237145205657759632009-06-28T17:05:00.000-05:002011-01-15T11:10:39.835-06:00

Part II - Previous post has Part I A week after Karla's rained-out garden day the Divas of the Dirt tried again - hoping the possible storms would wait until evening. We started in quickly, determined to finish at least part of what Karla requested. Last June we'd worked in Sophia's garden when the temperature hit 96°F ... the same heat was predicted for Karla's day. This time Diva-Annie was with

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-49567425760490282272009-06-10T20:45:00.001-05:002011-01-15T11:10:39.837-06:00

Karla: Bring the usual tools – mostly we will be cleaning up the beds (I know, it’s mid-May and I haven’t done that yet!!), composting, mulching, trimming – planting a few things. My goal is to have breakfast on the table at 8:30 so we can get in the yard before the temp reaches broiling point.I might need some limbs cut on the ligustrum, Glinda, so if you want to throw your pole cutter in, that

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-51857677258723732572009-06-08T13:49:00.000-05:002011-01-15T11:10:39.840-06:00

In the weeks between Mindy's March garden day and Buffy's April date we in Austin experienced a Weather Event. On March 25th hailstorms pummeled parts of Austin setting records for the amount of damage. I took a video of the hailstorm and put it on YouTube and the photo above is from Sophia. The storm's path was erratic! Mindy and Diva-Annie escaped unscathed, but the other five Divas had been

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-66190384475300885602009-06-07T15:45:00.000-05:002011-01-09T21:51:51.579-06:00

Earlier this spring we Divas of the Dirt chipped in and bought an electric Mantis. That way we'll have one available when we do out garden projects and to share for use by the Divas during the year. Here are a couple of seconds from yesterday's project in 95°F temperatures.The fun of being together outweighed the hard work.

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-89269575338142854732009-04-01T11:12:00.001-05:002011-01-09T21:47:46.534-06:00

Mindy thought her courtyard was boring, but at least she could see it this spring. In this photo from November 2008 the stone arch of the courtyard is almost invisible. On that day the Divas of the Dirt met at Mindy's for our November project. We spent that entire day taking down every visible piece of an out-of-control creeping fig vine, ripping it off stone walls, the arch, siding, the timbers

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-86055545188851354982009-04-01T11:11:00.002-05:002011-01-15T11:10:39.842-06:00

Photos taken during the project were by Glinda (that's me). Photos taken a few days after we left are by Mindy. Karla thought our post needed this view of all the stuff we seven women use on these projects. In addition to the horticultural supplies like composts, mulches and plants, the hostess provides coolers full of cold drinks and we each bring an assortment of tools and totes. Sometimes we

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-27730493906883162402009-03-02T00:50:00.001-06:002011-01-09T21:46:44.100-06:00

Austin set a heat record the day before our first project of the year - ninety degrees in February! It was a relief when we Divas of the Dirt woke up to cooler weather on Saturday. Heat would not be our foe, but the fierce wind never let up the whole day. Mattie presented a perfect breakfast - berry bowls, English muffins and two broccoli-cheese quiches (one cheddar & one Swiss). Here's

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-73154735178072665332009-01-10T18:20:00.000-06:002011-01-15T11:18:42.759-06:00

We Divas of the Dirt enjoy cooking for each other during the rest of the year, but in January we like to meet at a restaurant. The declared reason is that we need to set up the calendar of project days for the coming year but the real reason is that it's fun to be together.Mindy had already been out to Trattoria Lisina in Driftwood - she didn't have any trouble convincing us that we needed to see

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-82010132084974245892008-10-12T21:00:00.000-05:002008-10-12T21:09:34.049-05:00

The 2008 Diva Diary will be posted next January - but we can't resist sharing a few glimpses of what we've done this year. The jury is still out on whether we're a garden club whose members enjoy cooking for each other, or an eating club who tries to work off a few calories while helping in each other's gardens. Diva Mattie's February FeastDiva Glinda's new front bed was made in MarchIn April we

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-8173429333228855132008-02-03T16:29:00.000-06:002008-02-03T16:30:36.094-06:00

The Diary for 2007 is now up on the Divas of the Dirt Website. While the current diary for 2007 tells the story and photos of our gardening adventures in the past year, the website documents what we've done as a group each year since 2001. In addition to our cooperative garden projects - there are also recipes, shopping and lunches involved! The website also includes the original 2002 magazine

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-71479099870309804252007-07-31T10:49:00.001-05:002009-08-16T00:42:47.949-05:00

When we set up our annual garden project dates, the Divas of the Dirt don't use July or August for workdays - these months are usually too hot for remodeling a garden - but they're never too hot for fun. Mindy emailed a good plan for last Saturday. Sophia was out of town but the rest of the Divas met for a seminar at the Austin location of Smith & Hawken, leaving the weeds, garden gloves and

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-64194944835356228492007-03-18T20:55:00.000-05:002011-01-15T11:11:34.752-06:00

Last fall Julie Bonnin, garden writer for the Austin American Statesman, came to spend two project days with us. She then wrote a feature article about our group, telling how the concept worked and showing us in action.We enjoyed meeting her, and had fun being in the newspaper, getting calls from friends and even seeing the story picked up by other sites. A week ago Julie Bonnin wrote a Saturday

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-85074466755046178882007-01-25T23:40:00.000-06:002011-01-15T11:10:39.844-06:00

The 2006 Diary is now up at the Divas of the Dirt Website, with stories, photos and some pretty good recipes, too!Here is something that might be fun for Saturday - an event at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Tree Talk and Winter Walk 2007, January 27, 9 am - 5 pm. Join the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in celebrating our annual Tree Talk & Winter Walk on Saturday, January 27,

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-69424117275384340942007-01-24T10:32:00.000-06:002011-01-15T11:07:56.997-06:00

Sugar is one of the original Divas, and although she hasn't been working on the landscape projects with us for a few years, she comes back to visit and we're always glad to see her.When the Divas held the annual planning breakfast this January, Sugar was there to join in the fun - luckily we held our meeting before the ice came. Just look how thickly that ice formed in Central Austin seen here

DivaGlindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06140849628673816110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1443726984696756646.post-83123054197563549922007-01-23T15:52:00.000-06:002007-01-23T16:47:37.945-06:00

Welcome to the Divas of the Dirt Garden Blog.The Divas of the Dirt Website has been online for several years, telling the story of our group of gardening friends. We take turns working on each other's landscapes here in Austin, Texas, making them a little more beautiful while we share meals and have fun together. Our site is full of photos, before-and-after projects, links to local garden

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