Garden Journal

I started a garden journal so I could keep up with where I planted what, where I got each plant, and if I move I know what I had. I also add magazine articles, notes, quotes, sketches and anything I feel like. Here are a few pages from my garden journal: This is one of the newer beds in the garden. I call it the Heirloom Garden, because everything in it came from someone, or I found at an old home place. The only 2 plants in the bed that were purchased where the blueberry bush and a climbing rose on the arbor. Clipping from a magazine on planting depths

Some sketches and quotes

I keep a list of all of my plants and where I got them (I told you I was a garden dork). I number all of the plants, I also have a 3 ring binder with plant information printed out for each plant, in order as I have them numbered. Here is one of the plants list....I am up to 92 plants right now...

Here is a sketch of one of the beds

A larger sketch of that area

A lot of the ladies in the Garden Society keep garden journals. We like to share information and it is lots of fun to see other peoples journals. I put a lot of photos in my journal of plants, and how the beds look during certain months. It is always nice to have that as a reference, you can look back and see what was blooming when.

TGIK - Thank Goodness Its Kiki

I don't have children......so I love my sweet precious angel cat Kiki like she is my child. How could you not ;). We named Kiki after Waikiki, Hawaii. The Hunter and I got married in Hawaii, and I have a special place in my heart for Hawaii....and Kiki. She is quite the character.

Every Friday I will do TGIK - Thank Goodness Its Kiki post....lol!

So here is your first TGIK post

The day has come

A Seat Beside You by Robert H. Gilbert, Jr.

I never cried so many tears till I saw you lying there

Tonight you will spend it in Heaven above

The smile on your face shows the peace in your heart

Won’t you please save me a seat beside you?

I don’t care if the seat is old or it’s new

Some slats on the back may be missing 1 or 2

The legs may wobble, the seat may be warped

I don’t care as long as I’m next to you

We knew the day would come to say our goodbyes

But, I did not think it would be so soon

The family, they help me when I feel so down

But Mom , they can’t hold me like you do

I prayed to go, to ease the hurt and pain

But the answer I got was, Ok someday

Until the day comes to go beyond the blue

Will you please save me a seat next to you?

The day will come when we all have to bury a loved one...a spouse, parent or child. This week my mother-in-law passed away. She had been ill quite some time, so she is no longer suffering. She is in a better place than we all are, a place we all hope to someday be.

My wonderful, amazing friends in the North Mobile Garden Society are making dinner for the family. This means so much to me. My life is truly blessed to be able to know these women. They are angels.

Another sweet friend of mine brought us a Red Velvet cake. I love red velvet...and she makes them from scratch and they are heavenly.

So thanks to everyone....

Japanese Magnolia

Who Hath A Garden

Who hath a garden, he has joy, However small his plat may be. Wide his horizons; in his demesne Master of beauty and lifer is he. God has graciously smile don him, Made him a helper in His great task- Building a glorious world in time; What finer task could any one ask? Who hath a garden, he has friends - Lilies and roses will not forsake; When they depart, 'tis but for a time; They will return when the spring winds wake. Let him rejoice on his kingly throne Who hath a garden of pink and gold; Kings bear burdens and soon are gray - Who hath a garden shall not grow old. - Thomas Curtis Clark

Mardi Gras

Today is Mardi Gras Day! Whoo hoo! There are thousands of Merry Revelers in Downtown Mobile feasting on moon pies while I write this. I however, am sitting behind a desk wishing I was at home in the yard....where else!

I love to find junk on the side of the road...one mans trash is another mans treasure! Yesterday on the way to work I spotted 10+ huge bags of leaves on the side of the road. Ofcourse I wanted to stop then and grab a few bags....but I was running late! So I went on lunch. The bags were really heavy and I could only lift a few. So I threw them in to the back of my truck and headed back to work. I need to add them to the 2 new beds I made. I will get around to that this weekend.

The birds are finally showing up, slowly but surely. I made a few bird baths for them. It broke my heart when I read that water is more scarce for them to find than food....poor little things. So I decided to help them out with this. Sunday afternoon around 4pm the yard was a buzz with animals. I was so excited. Kiki lay asleep on the couch, and I had to let her see this (after all I started feeding them for her entertainment). I picked up sleeping beauty and took her to the window and set her on the chair so she could see the festivities. She looked at them for about 2 seconds, and took off back to the couch. How dare I wake sleeping beauty from a nap for a few piddly birds!!!!!!!

http://www.mobilemardigras.com/index.php

Hidden Treasure Part 2

Hidden Treasure (Part 1)

You can live a place your entire life, and never really know what's around the corner. This is the case with Garden Lake. Garden Lake is owned by a lady in my garden club. It is an amazing hidden treasure. The property is 32 acres, and every square foot of it is covered by camellias, various trees, shrubs and other plants. The previous owner had a nursery and liked to hybridize and graft plants. His plants are located all around the property. The are trails all throughout the property that take you to and from. There is a huge lake that is home to a few swans...Jim and Nancy are 2 of them. Jim owns the lake and he will be sure to let you know it....don't get to close to his dock. Then there is Bob...he is my favorite. Bob is the resident turkey, he is a male. He loves to gobble (year round) and strut around to show you just how big he is. The owners recently bought Bob a hen (Pearl) so he can have playmate (he is currently out numbered by the swans, geese, peacocks and chickens!). There are several peacocks around also. There are a few white peacocks, and regular peacocks. There were a few baby peacocks when I visited. I wanted to snatch one and put it in my car...maybe they wouldn't notice ;). This place is breathe taking, and pictures don't come any where close to the real thing. So enjoy the pictures. There are alot of them...it was so hard to narrow them down. Enjoy!

Windy weekend

I got quite a bit done this weekend. One of my favorite things to do is to visit other gardeners. This weekend I had a wonderful visit with WC Gardener. I was going to pick up a blackberry bush, and take her some daffodils....needless to say I left with a lot more! I even picked up some fresh collards which I quickly cooked up. The Hunter loved them. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Found Objects #2

I got a creative bug over the weekend and made a few things. I bought this table base at Sage Consignment. I thought it would be cute painted with some crazy beaded things sticking out of it. Add some color to the yard. The Hunter.....well he had another idea. He asked me where I come up with all these crazy ideas I have. He said it look like something the circus left behind. I think otherwise! We had a few 1x4's laying around the yard. I decided to make them into yard signs. I cut them down, spray painted them, and painted various sayings on them. Then I took some floral wire and beaded it, and glued it around the edges. I just need to nail the staked to them so I can stick them in the ground. While I painted....Kiki did what she does best....nap!

25 Random Things About Me

Here is a list of 25 (very) random things about me. My mom often refers to me as "a modern day housewife"...which is hilarious to me. 1) I have a wonderful husband, and a great marriage. There are days when I would like to knock his teeth down his throat (don't we all), but I usually get over that 10 minutes later. We fight, we make up. We let it all out, and move on. He is my best friend. 2) I love to hunt. I bow hunt, deer hunt and turkey hunt. There is nothing more amazing than being in the woods at daybreak when the woods come alive. All the birds, squirrels, etc. It is amazing to hear. I feel close to God in the woods. I get to see so many amazing things and animals in the woods. Turkey hunting would have to be by far one of my top 5 favorite things to do in life. 3) I am obsessed with gardening. I love to dig a hole, throw some seeds in it and watch it grow. I am a member of the North Mobile Garden Society and have met so many knowledgeable wonderful women in that group. I love to find old flowers at abandoned home places. I have found several rare flowers that cannot be bought at old homesteads. It is like hidden treasure. Nothing like free flowers. 4) I have the STRANGEST things happen to me. my friends tell me I should write a book called "A Day In the Life Of...:". Here are some examples of my strange things: - an owl flew into my head while riding a four wheeler, & knocked me out. - I fell down the top flight of stairs at the Eiffel Tower and broke my tailbone - The first deer I killed, I busted my head open with the scope and had to have 12 stitches 5) I am addicted to Jon & Kate + 8....LOVE IT! My Monday nights revolve around watching Jon & Kate...they amaze me. They make me want to have 8 kids...well only for the 30 minutes I am watching, then I get over it. 6) I cannot stand for my house to be messy. I should learn to let that go. 7) I HATE HATE HATE to put clothes up.......HATE IT! I will wash 500 loads of clothes....but loath the thought of having to fold them and put them up. 8) I have learned a lot this past year due to unexpected life lessons. I lost my job Jan '08, and my life has not been the same. I had a great job designing commercial buildings. I have done every type of building you can think of. I loved my job and love being an interior designer. Then I got laid off....and the Lord has been testing me every since. I have learned that my self worth was based on my job and my job was my identity. I lost that, and I had to find it. Since then I have not been able to find a job in my field in Mobile...but I have been working that. There are so many jobs in Birmingham and Montgomery in my field...but none here. I had to learn that working at Walmart may not be so bad...its a paycheck and it is paying the bills (no I do not work there...just an example). Never judge the person on the other side of the counter...they too may have a college degree and just can't find anything. You job does not define who you are as a person. 9) I like to make things....anything. I like to be crafty. Paint, draw, whatever. I used to paint all the time, but since getting married and moving into our house I do not have the space to paint. See #10 for follow up to that 10) I want a house that is 3,000sf. I need 1500 sf of it to be living and the other 1500sf to be walk in storage...lol! It will be a "faux" house....half and half, half living, half storage. 11) I am blessed to have a great family. I look up to my parents, they have been married 38 years!! Now that I am married I have a GREAT appreciation for that. You develop a much greater appreciation for marriage when you get married, because then you see what its all about. 12) I have, and have always had issues with myself. I never feel good enough, pretty enough, skinny enough. Its an inner demon that I am trying to conquer. I look in the mirror and see something totally different. I HATE taking pictures because I will obsess over how hideous I look...especially with braces. 13) I do not associate myself with dramatic people. That is all sop childish...and I do not have people in my life who bring me down...only people who life me up. 14) RAZZLES!!! I LOVE Razzles...they are my favorite candy and I can't quite explain why...but man I LOVE RAZZLES!!! However...the braces don't 15) I have to have coffee...everyday....several times a day...coffee...love it.... 16) I despise going to the bathroom only to discover there is not toilet paper........that is NO fun at all. 17) I love to dress up. I used to dress up everyday for work...but now I don't hardly ever get dressed up. I miss wearing heels everyday. 18) I love to travel and I make a list of places I would like to go ( I am a dork). So many places to see and life is short. I have been to Oahu, HA, all over the southern part of England, and to Paris (it was not a good visit for me). And a few other states. I want to go skiing...but I am scared I may ski into a tree.... 19) I talk to my mom 4 or more times a day. When you are young you think your parents are such idiots....but somewhere around 20...the light bulb went off. My mom is my best friend. 20) I aspire to be a better person, and be more Christlike. To let things go, forgive and forget. Not curse. Be selfless. Help others. Be a inspiration to others. 21) I am still hoping that Extreme Home Makeover will call me..... I met with the producers when they were in Mobile. (Keeping my fingers crossed...you never know) 22) It is amazes me when I walk into a building I designed. To touch it, feel it, see it in 3D. You take your ideas and put them on paper.You work on designing the building for 1 1/2 yrs - 2 yrs...you see it through every step of the way. Then you get to physically walk in it and see your ideas...from your brain...to paper...to life. It is beyond words. I miss it.... 23) I try not to complain...even though we all do. I tell myself..somewhere, someone has it a lot worse that I do. 24) My dad taught me how to take care of myself...in other words...I own way to many guns for a girl. 25) I take one day at a time and always thank God for the life and blessings he has given me each and everyday. I don't take anyone or anything for granted...because in one minute all of that can change. Love your spouse,mom, dad, siblings, children, friends, etc....and never leave them on a unkind note. Never go to bed mad, and never leave mad. The last words you spoke may be the last they ever hear. Eric and I had a really good friend who was killed by a drunk driver. He had been downtown on a Saturday night. He called Eric on their way out and asked him to go. Eric told him he couldn't. I can still hear Bryan say " that's alright man....we will do something next weekend". There was never another weekend. He was killed that night. Eric wanted him to be the best man in our wedding, and that didn't happen. We were married 9/2/05 in Hawaii on Brian's birthday.

Garden Tour Yard Highlights

As I mentioned in a previous post, The North Mobile Garden Society will be having its annual Garden Tour May 9th from 10:00am to 4:00pm. We will have 6 gardens on tour this year. Some are old, some are new. Here is a run down of the yards on tour. Brown Garden (Creola, AL): This garden is an amazing treasure. I often refer to it as The Secret Garden. The Brown's have lived in their home for 50 years. They have 2 acres, and very little grass. It is full of hidden paths. The garden is mainly shade, with huge camellias and oaks. There are probably 75+ heirloom roses in the rose garden. A variety of unique and heirloom plants the Brown's have obtained throughout the many years of gardening. There are many whimsical touches in this garden such as the old dishes being used as borders, mosaic table tops used as pavers, and the collection of iron andiron's the are nestled throughout the garden. Jackson Garden (Satsuma, AL): The Jackson's have been in their about 3 years. The home is located on Gunnison Creek, and the view is spectacular. The flora and fauna you will see in this yard is quite unique. Butler Garden (Satsuma, AL): Reminiscent of an old Southern courtyard garden. Mrs. Butler just began gardening in March of 2008, and you will be amazed at all she has done. This garden will make you want to have a glass of lemonade and cozy up on the swing under the screened in porch. Lister Garden (Satsuma, AL): Green and lush is what comes to mind when I think of this garden. Although there are very few flowering plants in this yard, it is still a beauty. Lush green plants that are meticulously landscaped throughout the yard with stones, sitting areas and water features. You will want to stay and have tea in one of the sitting areas. Strickland Garden (Satsuma, AL): Out of all the gardens on tour...I am most familiar with this one, since they live next door! The garden is very large, and has amazing landscaping. The Strickland's love day lilies and have been collecting them for years. I would say there are probably over 300 day lilies in the garden. This garden reminds me of some of the English country gardens I visited while in England. You will definitely be impressed with this garden. Jones Garden (Chickasaw, AL): What a treat this garden will be for visitors! The Jones' have it all, amazing flowers, abundance of fruit trees, and an amazing greenhouse (that I would LOVE to have). Their garden is close to 2 acres, and every inch of it is beautifully landscaped. Mrs. Jones has taking a liking to irises, and all kinds of them. She has many different species of irises in her garden that she has collected throughout her travels. Mr. Jones is quite the gardener also. I was amazed my the varieties of fruits and vegetables he has growing. Please take a look at Mrs. Jones' blog here: http://wcgardener.blogspot.com/2009/02/irises-my-first-love-in-garden.html (if you are unable to open the link, please check the blogs I follow for WC Gardener)

Out In the Fields with God

Out in the Fields with God by Anonymous Works The little cares that fretted me I lost them yesterday Among the fields, above the sea, Among the winds at play, Among the lowing of the herds, The rustling of the trees, Among the singing of the birds, The humming of the bees. The foolish fears of what might happen, I cast them all away, Among the clover-scented grass, Among the new-mown hay, Among the husking of the corn, Where drowsy poppies nod, Where ill thoughts die and good are born-- Out in the fields with God.

More daffodils

Saturday we went to our camp, and I got some more daffodils....I think I am done digging daffodils! I had previously dug some of these up, but they weren't blooming at the time. I got to see what they will look like next year when they bloom. I am not sure what each is called, but I will look into it. This Bloom is very small, about the size of a quarter.

Coming up roses on a rainy day

I wanted to create a new bed...strictly for roses. I have 2 roses from my grandmother, and that was it. I purchased a few more from Big Lots....$3....if they die I am not really out much! This morning it began to cloud up, I worked fiercely to get the grass up so I could get the roses planted before it rained. I put the last one in the dirt, and the bottom fell out! In all I planted 6 climbing roses, 2 roses from my grandmother and the 3 purchased from Big Lots. I want to make a trellis for the climbing roses, unfortunately I didn't get to do that today....maybe tomorrow.

February Garden Club Meeting

Last night the North Mobile Garden Society gathered for our monthly meeting. This month's meeting was at my mom's house. Each month the host does a program for all the members. This month's program was on how to root plants. Becky's Rooting Tips 1) Cut section off of plant and strip all leaves except for top few. 2) Pour rooting compound into small container and dip the bottom end of the cutting into rooting compound ( Do not dip stems into jar of rooting compound). 3) Push the cutting into a small container filled with potting soil, burying atleast 2 leaf nodes under the soil. 4) Water the cutting, thoroughly drenching the soil, Use a plant tag to name and date it. 5) Set the plant out in a shady location, and keep the soil moist. Leave the cutting in the pot for several weeks up to a year depending on the size of the plant. The plant needs to develop a fibrous root system. 6) Your cuttings can be left outside during autumn. During the winter, bring cuttings inside if temperatures dip in the low teens.

Mark your calendar

Mark your calender for May 9th! The North Mobile Garden Society will be having their Garden Tour. This will be from 10am - 4pm. We have 6 gardens on the tour. The gardens are located in Chickasaw, Satsuma & Creola. Each yard is very unique. We will be pre-selling tickets, or you can buy tickets the day of the tour at each house. I will post more info about where to buy them as well as the price as May gets closer.

A few of my favorite garden spots

Here is a list of a few of my favorite gardening spots from plants to accessories: Sage Consignment: Located on Hwy 43 near Burger King. They have unique items, and you never know what you will find. They get new items in daily Big Lots: you can always find nice garden accessories and plants. They have great garden gloves, a pack of 3 latex coated gloves for $8. They now have roses for $3 each, a variety of bulbs for $3, and a great bulb digger for $3. Sun Daisy: Located on the corner of Hwy 43 next to Big Lots. I believe it is Anderson Road...not sure though. It is a bright yellow building. They have tons of unique garden accessories as well as plants. Petals From the Past: located in Jemison, Al, exit 219. If you are headed up I-65 to Birmingham, give yourself 2 or 3 hours to stop by and tour Petals. They sale heirloom plants, as well as fruit trees. This place is amazing. http://petalsfromthepast.com/ http://www.backyardgardener.com/ http://www.waysidegardens.com/ http://www.oldhousegardens.com/ http://www.gardenart.com/ http://www.territorialseed.com/ http://www.oldhouseparts.com/ http://www.dutchbulbs.com/ http://www.tmseeds.com/ this is one of my favorite places. You can buy seeds for a fraction of the cost and grown your own plants

February yard photos

Each month I am going to post pictures of my beds. As we all know January and February, our yards don't look there best. All of the beds below are in my back yard. When I moved in 3-1/2 yrs ago there were no flower beds in the back yard...it has been a work in progress....as gardening always is. This bed is 85% shade...so I have several hostas, a hydrangea, mexican heather and a few other shade loving plants in there. I want to add some good plants to it this year. The car tags on the fence came off of both of my grandfathers old trucks.

I enlarged this bed over the weekend. It was a rectangle. You can see my mess all over the ground! A few plants in this bed are: Clematis, daylilies, amaryllis, iris, daffodils, bee balm, sweet william, & hydrangea.

This bed is the newest of them all, and it is HUGE! I created this bed in September. I am proud to say that EVERY plant in this bed (with the exception of the blueberry bush from Petals, and a climbing rose) was either an heirloom bulb I found, a plant I divided from existing plants, or was given to me by someone. I am so excited about the plants in this bed blooming. I have big plans for it. I have saved seeds from all of my zinnias, coneflowers, & black eyed susans and I plan on planting them in this bed in the Spring. I also purchased Dinner Plate Dahlias in pink and purple to go in this bed. I planted a white climbing rose to cover the arbor. The stepping stones are actually 12" x 12" mosaic tiles. They were left overs from my moms house. I am not going to out any mulch in this bed so I can freely sow seeds in it without any problems. A few of the plants in this bed (starting from the back next to the house): butterfly ginger, mexican petunia, irises (not sure what colors yet....found them at various places), crocosmia, crinnum lily (again not sure what color, they came from hunting camp), amaryllis, daffodils, old chrysanthemums (from my grandma), bee balm, to name a few. The kettle hanging up was my grandmothers....it is not going to stay there...I am going to make a planter out of it...it is just hanging out there for now.

This bed was the 3rd bed I created in the yard. It is in front of an old playhouse. I have plans to tear it down this summer and tie this bed into the one pictured below. The wall art is actually from a friends old door in Blacklawn. It was on his original screen door. He was going to trash it, until I saved it!

Here is a shot of both beds This bed was created last summer....it was a royal pain. It was all monkey grass...every square inch. It was so thick that I could literally stand on my shovel and not penetrate through it. It had to be tilled up and it took about 2 weekends to haul off all the monkey grass. The iron trellis came from Sun Daisy...which has to be my favorite gardening store besides Petals From the Past. A few plants in this bed: Jacobean plant, Mona Lavender, & Bat Face Plant

This one is tricky....there are alot of roots from the oaks, so I am going to start adding in containers to fill in gaps. There are alot of plants in this bed...all of them currently dormant. To mention a few: gardenias, lantana, phlox, tibouchina, red jasmine, purple salvia, coneflowers, coreopsis, gloriosa lily, and many more.

Found Objects

This is an old window out of my grandma and grandpa's house. I painted Bible versus on the pane's that pertained to gardening, and suspended it with chains in between 2 oak trees in my back yard.

I bought several old door knobs from Sage Consignment. If you have never been to Sage Consignment you should try to go. They have the neatest things!

I wasn't sure at first what to do with them...then I decided to make garden stakes with them. I bought wooden dowels and a cheap bag of beads. I strung the beads on floral wire and wrapped the dowels and then glued on the door knob...and whalah!

Are gardners sane people?

Some days when I am out working in the yard I have to question my sanity....is this what sane people do for fun? Deliberately do backbreaking work...for free? Saturday I got off to an early start. I was at Mrs. Carolyn Brown's house by 9am. Mrs. Brown is my 80 year old garden buddy who I dearly love. She is a plethora of information. I always learn so much when I visit her. I took her some daffodils I had. She of course knew what each and everyone of them were. The double daffodils are called Butter & Eggs. The ones that were not blooming that resembled wild onion are called Hoop Petticoat Daffodils, Minor Monarque are the small white clustered daffodil. She also told me that the amaryllis I gave her back in September is called St. Josephs Lilly, it is one of the first type of amaryllis. When I got back home...I began my sanity test. My first task was to plant the thousands of daffodil bulbs I had. Now when I dug them up....it seemed like a good idea at the time. But as I looked at them piled up on my lawn.....I began to feel a bit overwhelmed. So I began laying them out where they would be planted. Well this went on for hours...... After I laid them out...I started on a completely different project! I began enlarging one of my older beds. This soon began to wear on my back....so again...I moved back to the daffodils. Friday when I arrived home from work there were 2 flats of pansies on my doorstep. The only two people that leave things on my doorstep are my mom, and Ramona. Ramona had already called me earlier and she was at Lowe's, so I knew that they had come from Ramona. I began planting all the daffodils in the front beds. I have one bed that I had to put down plastic lining. The weeds were taking it over. That was a good idea, it keeps the weeds out....but it is a pain in the rear to plant in. I have to cut the plastic, and that is VERY time consuming. It took me close to 3 hours to plant the daffodils, irises and pansies in that bed. I gave up on even trying to plant the daffodils in the back yard until today. I eventually got all the daffodils planted in the back. I still have about 75+ bulbs to plant. I will save that for next weekend! If you plant bulbs...owning a bulb digger is thew way to go. I purchased mine at Big Lots for $3. You can squeeze the handles together to release the dirt. Ramona came by and brought me some bee balm (monarda), and some Jet Fire daffodils she purchased from Brent and Becky's bulbs. I did finally finish enlarging that one flower bed. I planted some daffodils (imagine that), irises, & bee balm. I moved the grass I dug up from there and used it to sod an area in the yard that doesn't have much grass. Hope it will take root and start growing. I took some pictures of the yard, I will post them tomorrow.

First day in the dirt

Tomorrow will be the first day for me to play in the dirt! And let me tell you....I am ECSTATIC! I have so much to do! I am going to plant all of the daffodils I found, trim some shrubs and pick up some leaves. I will post pics of my yard every month so we can see the flowers as they unfold. Right now everything is REALLY shabby looking. Keep in mind my flowers are only 2 - 3 years old (atleast in my yard), so it doesn't quite look like a garden out of Southern Living as of yet. It still needs a lot of work. I am going to enlarge one of my beds. It is in a really great spot, and everything in it does great...so I thought it needed some expanding. I put up a bird feeder out of our back window. Kiki (my precious cat...she is as inside cat) loves to sit in this window. I was hoping to draw some birds to the feeder for her to watch...so far it has been a week and none have showed up???? Not quite sure why, but hopefully soon they will come. I am going to be adding more birdfeeders as well as houses later on.

Here are some of the heirloom daffodils I have found. I am not sure what they white ones are called yet, but I do know that the yellow ones are Rijnveld's Early Sensation

Sometime around July or August I noticed tons of dragonflies in my yard...and I love them. I grabbed the camera to see what kind of shots I could get of them...here are a few