The World Changes in September!

Hello Daylily Friends,

Diana and I returned from visiting our daylily friends in Detroit, Michigan, and then on Thursday, September 15, 2011, we got up early, loaded our car with auction plants, and drove southeast to visit the Savannah Daylily Society.  We were met for dinner by Scott and Dominique Elliott, and we ordered "all you can eat" from the shrimp menu.  Oh was it good!  I would have eaten more, but I didn't want to fall asleep during my program.  I am pleased that Scott and Dominique will be growing RED SAPPHIRE, and they say that they are coming by to visit our garden just before our Fall Fling that takes place in Atlanta on October 14-15, 2011.  Looking forward to the visit, and to the Fall Fling.  I took a Club picture.

On Sunday, September 18, 2011, Diana and I drove across north Georgia, west across Tennessee, and then south to Huntsville, Alabama, where we visited with the North Alabama Daylily society.  The meeting was wonderful.  As we drove into the front gate of the Botanical Garden, where the Club meets, we say a very large cat wearing a hat sitting beside a pumpkin, and Diana wanted her picture taken with the cat.  So, you can see the picture here of Diana and the cat.  We met Randy Whitt, the Club President, set up our equipment, and talked all afternoon about daylilies.  Diana and I did not stay overnight; instead, we drove back home.  Regretfully, I didn't get a Club picture.  I wish that I had.

This past Saturday afternoon, on September 24, 2011, our own Cobb County Daylily Society had its annual Fall Picnic.  I'm showing Club Members around a sales table where we sold popular daylilies for the low price of only $15.00.  We had our annual "Chicken Dinner Feast," and everyone brought a either a dessert or a casserole or a wonderful drink.  I especially liked the "Peach" flavored sweet iced tea.  Diana never lets me eat croussants, but there were so many on the table.  I ate quite a few.  Then, even though I ate too much, I had a big piece of coconut cake prepared by my friend Lois.  We then had an auction where people mostly used points they had earned during the year to purchase daylilies.  All went well, and I regretted seeing the picnic end.  It means that a year of daylilies is past, but more will come after the winter of 2012.

On Sunday morning I got up early to go to the Greenhouse to see how things looked.  The evening before when friends from our fall picnic went into the Greenhouse I was surprised to see that the lights did not come on when I turned on the light switch.  I checked the power unit, and one of my "breakers" that controls the lights, had "tripped."  I turned the breaker back to its "on" position, and things were OK.  I just wanted to check on Sunday morning to see that everything was still OK.  Well, the window over the coolant system was closed, the fans were not working, and the lights likewise were not working.  What should I do?  Well, I called my friend Tommy Bell, and meekly asked for his help.

Tommy came over at about 8:00 a.m., and checked my wiring.  It was bad.  Very bad.  Tommy went to his truck to get some of his tools, and I took the opportunity to take a picture of the burned wires.  I don't know what happened to cause the wires to spark and burn, but Tommy and I surmised that moisture got on the wires, and after 7 years, the wires just got too hot.  Or maybe the wires came into contact with each other as a result of vibration in the Greenhouse.  I'm very fortunate that the breaker tripped like it was supposed to do.  Otherwise there could have been a much more serious situation.  Well, Tommy worked on the system for about an hour or more, and got it all repaired.  Then, everything worked fine, and I took Tommy's picture.  Thanks Tommy!

Diana went to Church while Tommy and I worked on the Greenhouse wiring problem.  When she came home she prepared a wonderful breakfast, and afterwards, we drove over to Jeff and Kelley's house to see beautiful Lily Rae.  She was sleeping.  While we were visiting, Jeff's sister-in-law Stephanie came over with her two wonderful children, Jack and Cameron.  Stephanie held Lily Rae, but Lily Rae kept on sleeping.  Jack and Cameron held Lily Rae, but still she kept sleeping.  Then, Diana held Lily Rae, and still she kept on sleeping.  Finally I had the chance to hold Lily Rae, and everybody thought for sure that this would cause her to "wake up," but still, she kept on sleeping.  Little Lily Rae is just the most wonderful child.  I'm showing a picture of myself and Lily Rae.

This past week the AHS Daylily Journal came, and I must say that the Executive Editor, Meg McKenzie Ryan, is doing a truly outstanding job as our Editor.  Meg works with my friends, Brenda Macy and David Kirchhoff, and together they are indeed a great team.  One of the flowers that I particularly noticed in the Journal was Bill Maryott's PRICKLY SENSATION, which is on page 36.  I received this from Bill, and it bloomed several times this past week.  It has an "applique throat," and a lightly colored purple eye.  Then, there are the tenacles on the edges of the petals.  A very unusual daylily.  I took the pollen and froze it so that I will be able to use it this coming April in the Greenhouse.  I'm showing a picture.

Lots of daylily fun is happening here at the Kennesaw Mountain Daylily Gardens.

Bill