Linda and I had the pleasure of visiting Vivian and her husband Mike last Friday. We had gone to Durio's to pick up a couple of fig trees in Opelousas La. and detoured to her house in Lafayette. What a great visit we had with a great couple. We had such a nice time just jawing away. I was amazed at her trees. After hearing all summer about her problems with them, I was expecting the worst, but low and behold, her trees look great and put mine to shame. Her Smith that we heard so much about is absolutely beautiful. It's about 4 foot tall, nicely branched and growing well. I only hope that I can turn my little tree into such a lovely specimen next year. I'll have to take pointers from her. (I think her secret is to try to kill them, then rescue them at the last moment, then they will be ever grateful and grow into a nice tree for you). Don't tell her that I figured her method out. LOL V. Vivian evidently has more than just a green thumb, I think she speaks their language very fluently.

I want to thank her and Mike for allowing us to come to their home and invite us in with open arms. I know that we will be back again and again and looking forward to it.

A warning to Herman, she's headed your way this week. Just be careful because she just might want to take you home with her. That's just the way she is. Bless her.

Here is a picture of her trees with the Smith being the first on the left. It started out as a stick early this Spring. The second picture is of her "babies" which are really teenagers and should grow up into young adults next year.

Gene, how did you talk Vivian out of all those trees behind the car? Just joking! I can see she is a perfectionist from the picture and you are right, she most have more than a green thumb, we must learn from her. I hope to meet Vivian and Mike one day soon. What did you get from Durio?
J.A.

I had the pleasure of meeting Vivian following one of my recent visits to the Lafayette area. Like Gene said......she's a very nice lady that loves her figs very much. She told me that she may be taking one of her smaller fig babies with her on vacation to New Jersey. She wants to make sure that little one gets proper attention while she is on vacation. Gotta love it..........

Dan

Greeting from our home state of New Jersey!  We had a nice trip up here, no bad weather, but enough overcast to give us a glare-free ride.

Well darn, Gene, you're onto me!  :)  All I have to say is, "Don't try this at home!"

Gene, thanks for all the nice things you said about the fig trees.  It made me feel so good to hear that you think they looked great.  I just did my best for them and it's no testament to any gift on my part because I still don't know how I didn't kill all the trees in the row against the house.

From the left:  "Miz Smith", LSU Purple, "BT", "Tex", "Imp" and "Hunter."  (Smith, LSU P, BT, TX Everbearing, Improved Celeste and Hunt.)

Four of them got transplanted three times and two, twice.  It's really a testament to Fafard Professional Potting Mix because after they got planted in it, they took off like crazy.  All they needed was to be in soil that drained well.

What I learned was that the figs survived in spite of me and that they're really tough plants as long as you don't drown them!

Gene and Linda are precious, precious people and we are blessed to have gotten to meet them.  We hope they'll come back again and hope to be able to visit them and see the trees and vines Gene talks about.

I can't wait to meet Herman tomorrow morning.  I promise I won't kidnap him and take him home with us, even if I will probably want to!  Who'd take care of all his trees if I did that?

I enjoyed the brief visit with Dan and am so glad to have gotten to meet him.  I met up with him at a store that has some delicious boudin and I thank him for letting me know about it.  It's so good!  I hope to be able to see him again, maybe at the fruit orchard in New Iberia next summer.

Now, I hope to meet Jeff, as well.

It's so special to get to see my figgy neighbors in person like this.

JA, I told Mr. Robin that Mike and I would pick him up and take him to TX when we get to meet you!  Wouldn't that be so much fun?

Blessings to all and now I have to get off this dial-up connection we're on up here.

noss

Looks like I need to meet up with Vivian myself.
Sounds like a fun person to be with.

Maybe we'll hunt gators and wild hogs together.

V I'm glad to hear that y'all made the trip with no trouble. Tell Herman hello for me, I'v got a nice Paridiso growing from his cutting. Do enjoy the vacation and be careful on the way back. Linda and I will certainly drop in again when we head to Lafayette and you're always welcome to come to Houma.

Rafed my friend, Vivian is a special person that you do need to meet. She'll win your heart over in a minute and man did I say she can grow fig trees. I'd sure like to see you and her hog and gator hunt.

"gene"

Hi Rafed,

I'd love to be able to meet you.  I don't know about those wild hogs and 'gators, though--How about we hunt down figs?  :))))))))))))))))))))))))  We could probably chase down someone who could take you on a good hunt, or two, though.....  How 'bout some squirrel hunting? 

My heart is so touched by the sweet things people have said about me, here.  Thank you.

Y'all don't know how happy I've been to find all of you in the two forums and the information that you have shared with all of us has helped so much.  I had no idea there were so many people who love figs like you do.  I feel like I've found my "peeps."  :)

Bye for now,

noss

Hey, hey, hey, I'm game for a squirrel hunt. Perhaps I need to become a nuisance squirrel control specialist. I could just keep the squirrels for my pay.
"gene" 

Gene,

OK, you and Rafed could go hunting squirrels and we could all go hunting fig trees.

We had a nice visit with Vasile a.k.a. Herman, on Friday.  His little granddaughter was there and she is crazy about her grandfather and he, about her.  She's a pretty little girl who looks older than she really is.  She was scampering about amongst the fig trees.

Vasile's fig trees are beautiful and his yard is full of them and all I could do was look at them and wish I had as much room as he, to plant my trees in the ground, with paths all around them.

I got to taste a couple of figs and the first one was, I think, Atreano, or Adriano, I'm not sure I heard it correctly, but it was a big, green fig and had red pulp.  It had the nicest fig flavor to it and Vasile said it wasn't as good as earlier crop.  I can't imagine it being able to taste better than it did.  I need to ask him to tell me, again, which it was.  He said it was one that would be good for selling commercially.

It was fun to see all the things that show up in his eBay pictures.

Vasile is a sweetheart and it was so good to be able to see him in person.

noss

Vivian, Glad to hear you trip is going well, so you continue to enjoy.
"gene"

Thanks, Gene.

It's bittersweet because Mike's mom had colon cancer surgery last year at this time.  It has spread, but she is still feeling very well and is loving having us up here with her.  She makes it so easy to talk about next year's visit and who knows--that may happen.  We're having such a blessed time with this extraordinary 93-year-old woman who is still independent and can still drive and take care of herself.  I have been so blessed, also, to have had such wonderful mother and father-in-law for so long.  Mimi feels so blessed to have had such a long and healthy life and she just doesn't talk about anything negative, so things are still positive with her.  I wish I had her temperament.

noss

Mimi sounds like my father in law. Independent until 3 days before he died at 96. May God bless her and be gentle in his bringing her home. She and the family will be in my prayers.
"gene"

Thanks, Gene.  That means a lot to us.

noss