Kansas Cottage Garden

The garden of weed'in

2008-08-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, and I was actually really trying to get a picture without that stupid ladder in it. Oh well. This is Jeanne Lajoie miniature climbing rose, and it is starting it's fall show, which promises to be a fabulous one. I haven't fastened it to the post yet, thinking I would get the post painted this summer before I did. Shut up, I really have tried!!
This is my orange Butterfly Weed, and it so happens to be surrounded by that purple leafed plant that is an annual, but reseeded so badly this year that I have pulled and pulled and pulled it out. Huuuummmm, I really need to remove the rest before it goes to seed this year, don't I?
I have weeded a lot, and I'm not sure you could tell. It has been a really bad year for weeds here, with all the rain we've gotten and all. I had the kids help try to get the strawberry beds in control, and they are looking pretty good. The vegetable garden is bad where the melons are, but they're done, so I'm just going to mow it down and till it all under. I'm picking tomatoes, okra, and peppers every day, though. I take two bucket with me to pick so I can separate the good from the bad, and the chickens wait for me at the door for the bad to be thrown into the pen. It's rather funny to watch them all run and fight over it all. I also throw the weeds in their pen, which they love. Can I use that as the excuse for my overgrown flower beds? Yeah, I was doing it for the chickens!!

Finally, an update!!

2008-08-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

My Love-Lies-Bleeding in bloom.
Can you believe it? I actually had a little time to post. You have no idea how amazing that is to me. I would like to say that I have been busy canning and keeping the garden very weed-free, but that is simply not true. Emily has gone from taking two naps to taking one nap, and the kids keep waking her from that one! Last year she contently played in a play pen on the back porch while I weeded, not so this year. Two seconds and she's half across the yard headed for who knows what. I picked up my 17-year-old at the airport on Saturday after a summer with his Dad, and on Sunday when he looked out the back door for the first time all he could say was "ah Mom!" with a very sad tone. I have failed as a gardener this year. Oh well, we had trips to the park and pool, and hot afternoons slipper sliding on the water slide thing in the yard. We took bike rides and had water fights. And somehow we made it to the end of the summer vacation with no trips to the emergency room. Well, I did with Jeff once, I guess, but that was for a horrible, horrible rash like I have never seen. But the kids are all intact, and I am somewhat sane. School starts on Thursday, I hope to get all the gardens weeded, one at a time, before frost.

This rose is one of those that got planted and apparently was very happy with her placement. This rose grew amazingly fast, and blooms up a storm. Every end of this bush has a couple of blooms on it.

I tilled the garden to start a fall crop, but didn't get anything planted, and now I'm glad I didn't. A million weeds are coming up, and instead of weeding I can wait until it dries out (it rained) and simply till again. It will be too late for more green beans and corn, but maybe some lettuce, cabbage, and a ton a spinach will do.

I grew this. Well these, because there are several around the garden. Have no idea what they are, but they were supposed to be asters. I started them from seed, and after planting them in the bed they grew very, very tall. I wondered all summer, and now I know the truth, these are not what they were supposed to be. I don't particularly like them, so very soon I will have to cut them out.

Nikki, I hate to tell you this, but the vine borers got most of my pumpkins plants. And the ones that they left either aren't blooming or aren't getting pollinated. I will have to do some research on what to do to prevent the borers before next year. If anybody has any ideas, do share.

For the love of Zinnias

2008-07-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

I would really love to get a better picture of my zinnia bed later, but that just probably won't happen, and I know it! Jeff starting repairing the roof last week, and worked and worked all weekend. His Dad and brother came to help, so my job was to make pitcher after pitcher of iced tea and fill their cups. Abby's birthday was Saturday and I feel really bad that I haven't posted a picture like I did everyone else.
This afternoon Timmy and Cameron (one of the two I babysit on Mon and Tue) decided to pick a ton of mint from the yard and 'sprinkle' it all over the house to make the house smell good. I'm rather hot, so it simply upset me when I saw the mess, but at some point I will giggle when I tell that story!
I have tomatoes to can! I used to have one of those squeezo strainers, and I haven't seen it since the last move. I loved that thing, I keep hoping I will come across it some time when I'm going through boxes in the garage. In case some don't recognize the name, it's a gadget you attach onto the counter and after washing and cutting your tomatoes you put them through it and it separates the skin and seed from the pulp and juice. It makes canning tomatoes a breeze, and if I don't find it this summer I will have to ask for a new one for Christmas.
I was given three boxes of apples on Saturday too. So I will be making applesauce, hopefully tomorrow. We ate squash with our dinner last night, yum, and fried okra sounds good tonight. Aaahhh, the joys of summer.

The Fair Birdhouses

2008-07-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the bird houses Jeff made with the boys. Timmy's is a barn, with him being my farmer his design was easy. Tyler's wasn't as easy, but Daddy came up with a KU theme. I'm just now getting almost caught up on the household things after spending so much time on the Fair. But I'm afraid it will take a while for the yard to recover, the weeds are going to take over if I'm not careful. The good news is I canned five quarts of green beans and seven quarts of tomatoes yesterday. The vine borers are still winning the war on the pumpkins, I'm afraid. I haven't surrendered, but I'm not sure I will get any pumpkins this year. Oh well, there's always next year, Lord willing.

A roof-top view, number two

2008-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Jeff had to climb onto the roof to measure for the impending roof repair, so I thought I would get a picture or three. It would have been interesting if I had taken a picture in the same spot every two weeks from early spring to fall, but maybe that could be a thought for next year.
I really need to get a better camera sometime, these really don't do it justice. The black-eyed susans are beautiful, and the weather has been so mild the bachelor buttons are still blooming up a storm. The hibiscus are starting to bloom, and them and the purple cone flowers are loving the heat we are finally getting.

Yes, I actually use the clothes line. I can't see why more people don't use them, it's FREE. Anyway, we're getting enough eggs right now to sustain us, and have extra. Actually, four of the chickens will be spending a little time at the 4-H fair in town this week. I will post pictures later this week. I have four in 4-H, and all will be entering flowers (along with other entries), those who haven't seen my yard should really wonder about it, huh?
I have been picking okra, a few squash and zucchini, some green beans, and quite a few tomatoes. I haven't had enough green beans to can again, but I have had enough to fix another big pressure cooker full of beans and potatoes and bacon. I have been picking blackberries, and have enough to make Jeff a blackberry pie, but he decided he'd rather me make a batch of blackberry jam instead.

Massive Bee Balm

2008-06-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

I happen to be 5'6 1/2" tall, and I took this standing on the ground, looking straight forward. What do you think? I personally have never seen Bee Balm get quite this tall. It could be the plentiful amount of rain we've had this year, or maybe I should check the seed packet label, you think?
I am having a terrible time with the vine borers this year. I have sat on my knees many times trying to dig the little worms out of my giant pumpkin plant. That poor thing is not looking good at all. And I will definitely have to replant squash this year. I picked my very first ripe tomato today!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!! I am still trying a remember to write everything down in my notebook as I harvest. I have picked two okra and two yellow squash, and of course more green beans. I think I will definitely have to plant a fall crop of beans if I want to have enough canned for the winter. But the potatoes will be done soon, so I should have enough room to start another big patch. I tried to till the bottom of the garden the other day, but it is still way too wet. I would love to have it dry out so I can till and harvest the potatoes, then it can rain again after I get the beans planted. I have heard it is just going to be a wet year, so everything might not happen just as I hope.
Jeff and the kids helped me weed the garden, and I must say, it is looking very good. There are still a few places to finish, but at least now there are more plants than weeds.

Punkin Head

2008-06-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

(Last night after supper)

I (punkin head) wanted to play in the dish water some more. Mean Mommy said no, I had already played in it for thirty minutes, and the floor was soaking wet. I got mad and went to find my blankie. When I found it on the dining room floor I sat down with it to pout, and accidentally fell asleep. If you look closely, you can still see my halo.

John Deere tractors and Catalpa trees

2008-06-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

I took this picture of our Catalpa tree a couple of weeks ago, then forgot about it. I was scanning through my cameras storage and figured I had better post it before I forgot about it again. It's a beautiful tree, but it has long bean like seed pods that make like a million seeds. I am forever pulling trees out of my flower beds, but this is not the only culprit. I also have elm, maple, mimosa, red bud, and a few oak. We cut out the mulberry tree in back so I don't have any of those here, just in front.
Look what my deary beloved found at a garage sale last weekend! One tractor runs, the other has a motor, its just in pieces. The yellow thing in front on the left is a mower deck and on the right we have a tow behind tiller. We actually have been looking at the tow behind tillers at the local farm store, but they have their own motor and are quite expensive. This one tills by means of a belt hooked to where the belt would go if using the mower deck. Wow, I'm not very mechanically minded, I hope that makes sense.
In other news, I have vine borers already. I've had to rescue the giant pumpkin plant already, and the other vines are very close behind.
Jeff was SO happy, I managed to get a cooker full of green beans, potatoes, and onions cooked tonight. Everything was from the garden except the little bit of bacon grease I added. Boy, was it ever good! I also canned 7 quarts of green beans, and as late as it is, I'm here on the computer waiting for the pressure to go down so I can take them out. Hope your garden is growing up a storm!

Another hollyhock photo

2008-06-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hey! I managed to get a good photo of the hollyhocks. I took it on one of those few days here lately that it hasn't been raining, and that definitely isn't today. Oh well, it's a good excuse not to be outside weeding! I could complain about parts of my garden drowning out, but I have to look at the bright side- we haven't had to turn our air conditioner on this year yet. And I don't think my tomatoes have ever looked better this early in the season. And one variety already has tomatoes, and if we could get just a bit of sun, would ripen within a week. I walked through the garden yesterday, and a big pot of new potatoes, green beans, and bacon is very close. The potatoes show signs of dying down, and the green beans (even as weedy as they are) are sporting lots of beans. I planted two different times, and the first planting of beans is as weedy as they come, but the second planting has hardly none. I guess if I had waited a week on the first batch, I could have tilled under most of these weeds that sprouted and be further ahead. Live and learn I guess.

These poppy's are new to me this year, and I almost can't wait to see what other colors bloom. They are so pretty!

Giant Pumpkin Plant

2008-06-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, the giant pumpkin plant. I ordered the seeds, there were six in the package, and this is the only one the germinated. I was a little disappointed, but at least I got one. We have a terrible time with vine borers and squash bugs, so we'll just have to see how far it makes it.
And here are the tomatoes. They look really good, I already have a lot of little green tomatoes on the vine. I plan to can a ton of them so I don't have to buy tomatoes for the next year. I have the jars, I just need the tomatoes, and the time to get it all done. Jeff and I were talking of setting up a place for me to can on the covered back porch, so I don't heat the house up. All we need is an electric hot plate thing to set the pressure cooker on and we're in business.
The green beans are looking good, too. I should have some green beans to pick in a week. My onions are almost a total loss, they sat in a wet spot all spring, and haven't grown much at all. I might be able to add them to a stew whole, that will be about it. And I pulled one carrot yesterday just to see how they were looking, and so far it looks like we'll have carrots to harvest, too. The head lettuce got mushy, but the good new is the chickens were happy to get them!
Hope you gardens are doing good, too!!

Puddles, puddles and more puddles

2008-06-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it was raining and I was trying to take the picture and hold the umbrella and dodge the tree limb right above me. It's a wonder I got anything at all. Anyway, my hollyhocks are blooming, and they looked beautiful. They're not horrible now, but from last Monday on we've had either forty-fifty mile and hour winds, torrential rains, or both. Needless to say, my hollyhocks don't look quite as good as they did last Monday, when I should have taken a picture. My bachelor buttons were fabulous, but now are pretty much lying on the ground.
These look cheery, though. Last week was a rough one- I took the kids to Fredonia all last week to Bible School at a Mennonite Church. I had to have them ready and leave by 5:30 every evening. Then Saturday I took Nick to the airport so he could fly to Indiana to spend the summer with his Dad. Boy, I'm going to miss him. Then Sunday evening was the Bible School program, and we drove home in a huge rain/lightning/thunder storm. Today I'm babysitting two extras. It's still raining, and I have five buckets in our leaky room (will get fixed just as soon as it stops raining for more than two days in a row) and the dog doesn't like to "go" outside when it's raining, and Emily is in training panties today. Needless to say, I've seen my fair share of puddles today!!! Hahahahah. We really do have to have a sense of humor in life, don't we?

My Mom's Garden

2008-06-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hey, I've missed you!!!

I took this picture at my Mom's house. No, I have no idea where I got my love of gardening from, either. In this bed she has bachelor's buttons, larkspur, perennial snapdragon, bluebells, hollyhocks, and daisy's. And this is just one of many! It was so beautiful, I just wish my camera was a better one, this picture doesn't do it justice.

I have been canning jam- I made 12 pints and 6 half-pints of cherry, and 3 pints and 3 half pints of strawberry. Jeff and I decided that strawberry jelly is cheap, and frozen strawberries are not. So we made mostly frozen strawberries with sugar. I have even made five bags of cherries with sugar- each with four cups of cherries and ready for a pie. The garden is looking good, we even have a few green tomatoes! The farmer that owns the other half of our block did plow up a spot and we tilled it and planted his corn seed. We planted something like 15 or 16 sixty foot rows. Even after sharing we should have plenty for the freezer.

Computer's demise

2008-05-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

My computer crashed. No kidding. I have no idea when I will be able to get it fixed, and our 'stimulus' check won't arrive until July, so I'll just have to figure something out.

Climbing roses

2008-05-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

This Golden Celebration really is a celebration right now. Sorry about the pun, I just couldn't resist! Here's another view of the trellis's/arbors I built. I planted a white climber- Sombreuil- to climb up one side of the one on the left.
Queen Elizabeth in the foreground, and I really think the one behind it is Pink Don Juan. You know the story behind that already. The Queen has really large blooms, I don't remember them being so large last year! On one of the posts to this middle structure I have an America climber planted, but it isn't looking very happy. Okay, so it looks awful. I'm going to move it somewhere else, when I figure out where, and plant a very light pink blooming climber in it's place. It's sad, I can't just throw it out, I just can't!! And this is the Rainbow's End I showed you a couple of posts back. I wanted you to see the change in color. It was bright yellow, and now most of the blooms are mainly a dark pink or red color. It will look spectacular in bloom once it climbs the arbor, won't it?

The trellis's that anger built

2008-05-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I can't take credit for the cute title, that was simply my sisters response when I told her about building them. You see, in my family we have one trait that seems to be passed from generation to generation. When we're mad, we work the hardest. I won't tell why or who I was mad at, but I will tell you I was absolutely furious Saturday night, and so I went out and collected the leftover branches from when we took down the cedar trees, and built these. I collected, planned, laid it all out, sawed, and nailed all six of the pieces together all Saturday night. I was so mad I even went and got a lantern and kept going when it was dark. I let Nick and Jeff help me put it together Sunday afternoon, after I was cooled down. I already have a climbing rose to plant on each one. All the structures in my garden are rustic, so I think these two beauties fit right in. I think a picture from on top of the house would help to see where these fit in, so I might just have to drag the ladder out tomorrow and get a couple of shots.

A stroll through the roses

2008-05-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

First, I have an announcement to make!!!!!! My son, Nick, has qualified to go to state in Track. He will be running the 300 Meter Hurdles next Saturday. Yeah, Nick!!!!!!!!
Here is the miniature climber - Jeanne La Joie.

And this is the miniature climber- Rainbow's End. Here is a fairly bad picture of my climbing Crown Princess Margareta. Last year I planted some Love-in-a-Mist around the bush, and not one came up. I thought oh well, and was planning to try something different this year when all the sudden they decided to grow! I'm sad to say I really don't like them here, either.

And here is a fairly decent shot of Abraham Darby.

Today I ate my lunch on the back porch, the yard is so full of flowers I couldn't help but sit out and enjoy it a while. There is so much in bloom, I have to share a picture of my Canterbury Bells when they get in full bloom. The Sweet William's are covered, and the Phlox and Foxgloves are in full bloom, and the Iris's are almost finished. Tomorrow I really must get some recent shots of the vegetable garden. It has been beautiful here the last couple of days, and the tomatoes and peppers are starting to perk up and grow now that they have gotten a bit of sunshine. And if I finish getting it nailed together I'll share the little project I started tonight, and the story behind it.

Countryside Roses

2008-05-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

I found this wonderful little place on-line for roses. They sell own root roses, old fashioned and new. Right now they are having a buy three, get one free sale!!! They are really great looking rose bushes, a few were even in bloom! I couldn't believe how much bigger they were than the ones I had ordered from ******** a year and a half ago. If nothing else, you HAVE to stop by and check out their virtual tour! www.countrysideroses.com I'll give you a list of the new roses another time, I'd like to make a list of all of the roses I have one of these days and make a whole post about it.

Here's the once blooming, smells like heaven, came with the house roses. Aren't they pretty? I realize I need to do something about their growing situation. They are growing inches from the house, and don't have a trellis. I have just recently come up with a solution for them, I just have to get the materials and do it.

I saved this for last for a reason. My oldest son gave this for me for Mother's Day. He had told me some time back that he wouldn't have the money to get me anything, and I was okay with that. And here he ended up getting me one of those things I have ALWAYS wanted, but have never bought myself. I love the way it sounds when the wind gently rolls through it. Every time I stepped outside to put clothes on the clothesline on Monday (and all week, for that matter) I heard it and had to smile from ear to ear. I love it, THANK YOU NICK!

The Roses are coming!

2008-05-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, this first picture isn't one of roses. But aren't the foxgloves pretty? I definitely want more of these next year. They are supposed to reseed, but if they don't I have already decided to help them out.
Here is 'Zepherine Droughin' - yes, I do know the names of my roses, at least. This is it's second year, like most of the own root roses blooming this year. The smell of these is wonderful, but doesn't match the old ones growing along the side of the house. (Came with the house, will have to get a picture tomorrow.)
The Sweet Williams are beginning their show, and I do love these long-blooming plants! They aren't even all the way open yet, but they are already a sight!
This rose is Blue Moon. No, really, it is. That's what my Mom ordered, anyway. She ordered two, one for each of us, and I think hers is pink, too. But it's okay, this one sure is trying to earn it's keep, right now it's really out blooming everything else! The Crown Princess Margarette is close behind, though. Maybe if the sun stays out tomorrow long enough that one will be in full bloom.
I started on a happy note, but will have to end on a sad one. This morning I went to the funeral of a 7 year old boy who died in a four-wheeler accident. I wasn't doing too bad, then I saw the Mothers heart-wrenching face. The little boy was her and her husbands oldest of four, and he passed away on Saturday. I had to fight this huge urge to stop off at the school on the way home simply to give my Timmy a hug, they were so close in age. Please remember this family in your prayers.

Nicky's Iris's

2008-05-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

First of all, I wanted to wish each and every Mom out there a Happy Mother's Day. I hope yours has been as wonderful as mine. My Mom came over early and went to church with us, we had a great dinner, we went to Nicky's and walked throught the Iris's, then at my MOTHERS insistance, we went to Sunflower Farms, our local nursery (but I sure didn't put up a fight). In between it all we enjoyed the yard, looking around at everything that was blooming.
Here's the pictures of Nicky's yard. I asked how many varieties she has, and she said- over 500, and you know what, I didn't doubt her for a minute. She has Iris's in every square foot of soil available all around her house. To one side there is the side yard, (here in the pictures),but also by the back door, behind the garage, all along the other side of the garage and house, the front yard, even a bit in the neighbor's yard. I kid you not, everything but under the short tree in front is covered.

Here's proof- my Mom went with me!! Too bad she had her back to me.

Here's a picture from almost to the back looking toward the front. My camera's battery went dead after this and I couldn't take anymore pictures. But I'm sure you get the idea. It''s so pretty right now, it's hard to decide which ones to write down on my list of wants for Nicky. I started a list, but I didn't give it to her yet, I need to scale it down just a bit. She only charges $1- 3 for each one, mostly closer to the $2 and under, and I try to keep what I spend to around $20 a year.
Thursday night Jeff said we would wait and find a small tiller at an auction this summer, but ended up surprising me with one on Friday after work. It was so easy to use, and I got so much of the garden tilled through in no time. The old one we had Jeff got at an auction very cheap, and it didn't work much. I am completely thrilled to have this one. My weeding chores in the garden are not completely abolished, but that tiller sure makes it all a lot easier!! Thank you, Jeff!!!!

Clematis in bloom

2008-05-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here's two clematis' that I have planted beside one end of the clothesline. They didn't bloom last year, but this year they're blooming up a storm. I have a white one planted up by the porch, and another one the same lilac color as the one here over by the garage. I look in catalogs, and they have some very beautiful ones. Just something else to put on my 'list of plant wishes'. I know, I know, most people will list the name of the plant with the picture. Sorry, one of these days I'll have the time to update my plant notebook and will then consider doing it also. But in consolation, here's another shot of the lilac purple one.

I rained and rained here the last two days. After feeding and watering the chickens and putting the clothes on the clothesline, I made a quick walk through the garden. The wonders of nature do in trance me so. Everything I have planted thus far has at least a couple of little green leaves pushing through the soil. I know gardening isn't like rocket science, but sometimes it makes me want to yell- 'look, look, I planted THAT'. Of course it takes the wind out of my sails when I happen to notice the hundreds of other little green things coming up, that will have to be hoed out as soon as its dry. Weeds. Tons and tons of them. Jeff hoed the garden some last week, and he has now decided that with the rebate check we really should replace the small tiller I used to go in between the rows until it quit working last year. YEAH!! That SO works for me.

Hooray for the Iris's

2008-05-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

I have three main patches of iris', and here is the one up by the porch. I know you can't see it, because it's not in full bloom yet, but I have a black one getting ready to bloom. There is one patch I didn't take a picture of that was planted behind the garage when we moved in. The entire patch is a grey/white color.
I didn't get close enough to this patch, but it's been raining and I didn't want to get off the brick pathway. The old fashioned phlox in front is beautiful right now. I will spare you the torture of looking of pictures of my rose buds that are getting ready to bloom, but it's looking to be a show-stopping sight. Sometime this week I'll take you on a field trip. There is a lady here in town that has hundreds of Iris's. No, I'm not kidding. I stopped by last weekend, but the majority were still budding and not yet blooming. Right now is the time to walk around and decide which ones you would like, and write them down, and she will dig the extras and sell them in a month. Yes, I already have a list started......

New Strawberry Bed

2008-05-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Can you see it, can you, can you???? Okay, I guess I'll probably have to tell you what it is. Wednesday we got a box, and I simply put it inside on the table thinking it was for Jeff. He didn't touch it when he got home, and I figured out it was MINE. Oops. It was my strawberry plants, rhubarb roots, and blackberry plants. I quickly planted 50, and finished the other 150 yesterday. I planted them in this new bed, I made a circle with rocks, (yes, I need to get some bigger ones, and more at that) and planted them inside the circle, and when it was filled, I planted them outside around the circle. This will make much more sense when they start greening up. I also got two different varieties of watermelon and two different varieties of cantaloupe planted in the garden. Oh, and yes, those are bachelor buttons growing at the bottom of the picture. I planted them around my surprise lilies, and now I just need to figure out what I'm going to plant here after the buttons die down. Maybe cleome? Or zinnias? I have some new striped marigolds this year. HHHhhhhhmmmm, something to decide.

I have had several questions about my milk jugs lately, so I thought I would explain what they are for- for everybody. I put a small hole in each one almost to the bottom, and 'planted' it halfway in the ground. I planted a tomato beside each one, right beside the hole. This summer I can send the kids down each row with a hose to water them, and I know they will water each one enough, and the plant will get all the water. My Mom did this last year, and I thought I would try it this year. Plus, I figured I could put some Miracle grow in each jug before they water once in a while.

I am SO tired today, I'm afraid I might not get much done this morning, except the grocery shopping. It rained quite a bit last night, so the only thing I could do today is pull weeds in the flower beds, something I might do later this afternoon. I have a hundred little trees in the flower beds right now, something my Mom loves to raz me about. I really do have to get them dig out before she comes again.

Planting, planting, planting

2008-04-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I meant to blog on Monday. It's been a crazy week, and today is the first day I have felt good. I have got a lot done today, it helped that Emily took a very, very, very, long nap.

I worked in the garden this morning. I planted all my pepper plants, and then planted a bunch of seeds. I'm not done, but here's what I planted today:
Peppers- Hot- (56), Jalapeno, Anaheim, and Tam Jalapeno
Peppers- Sweet- (92), Giant Keystone, Orange, Gold Marconi, Red Marconi, Paprika, and Pimento
Pumpkin- Giant Atlantic- One plant that I had started from seed.
Pumpkin- Amish Pie and Jack-O-Lantern
Okra- Clemson Spineless
Squash- Yellow, and Zucchini
Cucumbers- Boston Pickling, Homemade pickles, and a few Ashley (they were free seeds)

The bad part is that when I got done with all the peppers I realized I had not planted any California Wonder, so I knew I had missed some in the greenhouse. I should be able to find a spot to squeeze them in. I am trying something new this year in the garden. I have had a hard time in the past with forgetting which variety I planted where. This year I am going to try saving seed, so I had to come up with a way to keep track of what everything is. I read in a magazine about using old mini-blinds as markers, and I must say, I really like this one. I cut the blinds into root-long pieces, and wrote the name on with a permanent marker. I may have to touch up this summer, but it has helped so much today in remembering what I planted in what row!

And last, but not least, here is a picture of my bleeding hearts. The flower beds are filling up nicely, my goal is to have them all full by fall.

Happy Birthday Nick!!!

2008-04-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today is Nick's 17th birthday. He goes directly from school to a track meet, to which I am going to as soon as Jeff gets home. At the moment it is pouring down rain, lightening, thunder, the whole works. Once in a while they cancel these things in weather like this.
These pictures were taken yesterday, yes, I actually thought AHEAD!!!
Here are some of the tulips with wild hyacinths blooming behind them.
Did I mention I have a few Star of Bethlehem?

This picture is not a good one, you really can't see the hundreds of little white blooms covering the place.

A couple of weeks ago I was checking ebay, looking up plants just for fun. I found a lady from Texas that was selling rose cuttings. I've had some success with starting roses from cuttings, so I bid on five and won! Two are hardy to my zone, but the three that aren't will be either put in very large pots and moved into the greenhouse for the winter, or will get planted in the ground close to the house and get extra winter protection. But I thought it would be fun to try. I might end up with a few roses to get rid of, if all goes well. We'll just have to see. Here's the list of what I got: Duchess de Brabant, Ducher, Perle des Jardins, Cecile Brunner, and Old Blush. I would love to make a small business of rooting and selling my own root roses, it would be sososo much fun!

New cabinet and new chickens

2008-04-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a picture of my new china cabinet! I know, I know, the color is a little weird, but it's actually starting to grow on me, and I usually hate turquoise. It's not a great shot, I didn't get the very top molding or the bottom (there are two drawers), but I didn't feel like moving the table to get a better shot. Sorry. I still have an elephant standing on my chest today. Anyone out there who has had a cold will understand that analogy. I love being able to see all my dishes when I go through this room.
A guy Jeff works with had some three year old chickens, all mixed breeds, that he wanted to get rid of. Because of his kids, he couldn't butcher them. So he asked us if we wanted them, (of course we did) so Jeff brought them home last night. Here is a picture of our newest 15 members to the family. Yes, there is one rooster in the pack, and my, is he a pretty one!!
With the most of the family's help, I got the tomatoes planted. Well, most of them, anyway. Jeff buried the jugs, Tyler filled the dirt in around them, Timmy smoothed out the rows, Tiffany planted the tomato plants, Abby wrote the names of the tomatoes on the jugs with permanent marker, and everyone watered. What did I do? I helped anyone who got behind. I had started this earlier in the day, but boy, did it ever go faster with help. There are 82 planted, and I have to get 10 more jugs to plant the rest. I want to save seeds this year, and in past years I have had problems with knowing which plant is what variety. So I thought writing the names on the jugs they are planted beside would work.

Prom and Pink Tulips

2008-04-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Thursday night three of the younger ones had a school program. Friday afternoon my Dad and step-Mom came from Arkansas to bring me a china cabinet (I love it!!!). After that I drove a half hour to Nick's track meet, and got home after midnight. Saturday I had to help Jeff put the net over the chicken run and in the afternoon I tilled the new strawberry bed again. Saturday night was prom here, and my oldest in a Junior, and he took his girlfriend. Here is a picture of them before they left. After church Sunday I went out to transplant some stuff, and planted green beans, and I ended up working until dark. And now, drum roll please, I'm sick. No kidding. I coughed so much Sunday afternoon I lost my voice by the time I went inside It's supposed to rain most of the week, I guess I've been trying to get as much as I can done, and I clearly over did it. So many people are planting their tomatoes around here, and I'm trying hard to fight the urge. I would just hate to have to cover 90 tomato plants.

Now on to happier things. That picture just screams 'spring', doesn't it? The tulips are absolutely beautiful, and both of my bleeding hearts are blooming. My tall phlox is getting ready to bloom, and soon the roses will start budding out.

I have been trying to plant all the perennials from the greenhouse, mainly just to clear up some room. It will be nice to get everything planted, I need to concentrate on weeding before all the weeds go to seed. Speaking of weeds, my Star of Bethlehem's are starting to bloom, maybe tomorrow they will be ready for a picture.

Beginning the Herb Garden

2008-04-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I didn't really need another project to start, but I couldn't help it. Really, I tried to fight off the deep, embedded desire. I have always wanted an herb garden, but have never had the room. This house has plenty of room, so I mapped out and tilled up a spot yesterday. It's 25 feet by 25 feet, with 2 1/2 foot pathways dissecting it. In the center I also cut the corners, so there is a larger space for some architecterial element (have no idea what it's going to be, though). I'm going to plant lavender all the way around it, to help distinguish it from the flower bed it butts up against.
Notice the pot in the center? Some time last weekend my 8 year old son dug up some wild onion from somewhere, and yesterday when I wasn't watching, planted them all in that one corner of the new herb bed. I really don't want them, let alone want them in my herb garden. But I told him he did a great job (he REALLY had). I thought maybe I could till him a little spot all for himself somewhere, and convince him he needed those onions in HIS garden. What do you think, think it will work?
I have been telling my dear, sweet husband for a while how much I would LOVE those two ugly evergreens taken down. Last night he took them both down, YEAH!!!!!!!!! I had just enough time before it got dark to till the spot in front of it up for the new strawberry bed. It will also do the raspberries behind a lot of good, they will get a lot more sunlight.
There are three HUGE evergreens out back right in the middle of the orchard, and one of them is turning yellow, what a shame (hehehe). I can't imagine how many more fruit trees I will be able to plant in the area these three evergreens take up.

I have three blueberries, all ready to plant where the evergreen was. I have read that blueberries like the acidity of the needles, so I'm thinking they will love being planted right where that one was. Now all I have to do is order the strawberries. No, that's not all I'm ordering, but that's for another day.

Tulips and Star of Bethlehems

2008-04-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

If you look behind the round bed, the new bed is just full of purple tulips. I just took this a little bit ago, and the morning light just doesn't do it justice. If your wondering about all the green stuff that looks like weeds, the clumps are Shasta Daisy's, and the tall skinny green stuff is some of the estimated ten thousand Star of Bethlehem's that are taking over everything. I plan to make a post when they bloom, you won't even believe how many I have. I pull them like weeds, but I can't even make a dent in the number. Right now my flower beds look out of control, for the sheer number of this one plant. No, I didn't plant it. But I did plant some obedient plants at my last house. And wow, was I ever surprised! I didn't bring even one with me. When I find a huge pot or something to bury first, my Mom has some I can get. Probably a LOT I can get.
These tulips are prettier in person, I guess I should have waited until afternoon to take pictures. I have two patches of phlox here, and a light pink one blooming just beyond the picture.
On Sunday, I looked online at the forecast for the week, and decided my week. Mon and Tue were nice, so I weeded, and today I am planting, since there are chances of rain tonight and tomorrow. Friday I am expecting company, so it is a clean-as-much-as-I-can day. I have so much to plant, I'm not sure where to start. Flowers or vegetable garden? And then later, I plan to have Jeff take down a tree, a very old ugly evergreen that we had planned on taking down soon anyway (apple trees and evergreens don't make the best of neighbors). I want to start tilling a spot beside it for the new strawberries, so the spot will be ready when I order them next week. I didn't want to start preparing and then have everyone have to walk through the tilled area to dispose of the branches. I already have enough vacuuming to do, thank you very much.
Well, it's a beautiful day, I had better get started if I want to get everything done.

Meet Eric Kimmel

2008-04-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Abigail, the one on the left, won a young author award at school. For the last few years, every student in first grade through sixth gets to write a book. Then the teachers select the two best from every grade, and they get to go this conference, parents invited. There are hundreds of students at this thing, so each winner can only have two guests. Jeff elected to stay home with the kids so that I could go, and we took Tiffany. (Who won runner up, and someone didn't show, so she should have gotten to go anyway.) This was the celebrity in attendance, Eric Kimmel, who writes children's books. So that is what I did most of the day on Saturday.

Well, I guess I DID get home in time to clean out the chicken coop, lucky me. But it was very cold, so I didn't miss out on doing outside work.

I have sosososo many extra tomatoes and peppers, I am even selling some this year. How cool is that? Money to buy more plants!! I want more strawberries, the patch I have is all June bearing, and I want to get another patch started, of everbearing strawberries. No, that's not the only thing on my list, it's quite long, and if someone would just send me two hundred dollars, I could get all the fruit trees and plants bought. Then I could start working on the list of other plants I would like to have. I told myself that I couldn't get any of the roses and flowers on my list until I got all the fruit bearing bought and planted.

I'll go wait by the mailbox.

Flooding

2008-04-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

I took theses pictures yesterday morning when I was coming home from taking the kids to school. I have talked to several city officials and they claim that since our property is so low, that there is nothing they can do. I beg to differ, and I will prove it once MY family gets done with all the work. Sad, isn't it?
Part of the problem is on the other side of the blook, the ditch is diverting all the water there down to here. We are in the process of fixing that, and digging the entire ditch out by hand, moving all the dirt in wheelbarrows. The guy that owns the place across the street from this picture is digging out his ditch, something the city said didn't need done, and he discovered the culvert under the road is plugged. REALLY????? Go figure. I'll keep you posted on our process.

Track and Flood

2008-04-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

I spent the last part of yesterday at Nick's track meet. This picture was taken right before we left, sometime around seven-thirty. Look at the guy to the left of Nick, does that tell you what the temperature was like? Anyway, our school doesn't usually go to track meets in this town, it is quite a bit bigger than where we live. But he did very well, he placed first in the mile. Yeah Nick!!!! Isn't he handsome?
It started to rain this afternoon, and it wasn't quite dry from the last rain, anyway, this is what the very back part of our yard looked like at 6:30 pm.

And this one I took a half hour later, from the back door. I went out at eight to take some more pictures, but the pictures are pretty dark. By then the water was up into the garden by fifteen-twenty feet, but it was going over the road, so it probably won't get any worse.

If your wondering, I have been trying to get the city's attention in this matter for two years, to no avail. These pictures are for the city administrator, and if that doesn't work, the city council, the mayor, maybe even our senator. I'm tired of being ignored. Do you blame me?

My heart collection

2008-04-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's cold and rainy today, so I thought I would share what I'm doing inside today. No, I'm not showing you my laundry or me cleaning the bathrooms. Something better, I hope.

Here's the before. I collect hearts. I have a very large grape vine wreath (about 2 1/2 feet across) that I have displayed above Jeff and I's bed. My collection of hearts has quite outgrown this large wreath, and I was afraid I didn't know what to do with anymore I might find.
And here's the after. Last fall when we cleaned out the back of the property, I created this wreath out of a small portion of the wild grape vines we cut out. I had planned on hanging it out on the backporch, but today I decided to put it in the bedroom. Here is the new one, about 4 1/2 feet across. Now I can get many, many more heart things. I added the pillow today, my grandma made it for me fourteen years ago. Some of the hearts are Christmas decorations, some are wall decorations, a few are Valentines decorations.

It's supposed to rain the next three days. I know, I know, April showers bring May flowers. And I definetly want lots of May flowers. But I want to play in the garden SO bad.

Yellow and orange tulips

2008-04-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

My patch of purple tulips is in full bloom, and this one just started blooming this morning. There are more to come, and if I remember right, theres a lot of red in this patch. You can see two different patches of phlox in full bloom, and a patch of pink phlox is just starting to bloom over a ways. And just to the right of the tulips is the remains of last falls mums, well, the white ones anyway. I actually spent a lot of time this last week weeding, you know, those horrible purple flowering things. I trimmed a lot of the remains of last years perennials, but obviously haven't made it through the entire bed. I am working through the flower beds, and one day I started weeding the circle of fruit bushes and strawberries in the center of the yard. I weeded, then got a load of mulch and covered what I had gotten weeded. My goal was to finish this weekend, but it just didn't happen. On Saturday my Mom invited me to go with her to Bartlesville with her. It's under an hour and a half, but just barely. It's a larger town, large enough to have a mall. But we didn't even go close to the mall. And the bonus was a town on the way to B-ville was having a city wide garage sale! We went to a bunch of garage sales, then headed on. We went to Hobby Lobby, Atwoods, Lowes, and Kmart. My Mom wanted a bistro set, and I wanted a pecan tree. I did manage to get my pecan tree, but at Lowes they had Azaleas for $1.98, and I had to get three. One white, one pink, and one red. Yes, I did too HAVE to get one. I also found two small pink mums, I have mums, but I wanted to get a couple for the new flower bed. I like having something blooming all the time, which is the reason I interplanted most of my flower beds with spring bulbs.

I love starting roses from cuttings, and I am presently considering selling rooted cuttings to fund buying more roses. Maybe not just roses. Hehehe.

My favorite daffodil

2008-04-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the progress on the chicken coop. Jeff and the kids worked on putting the posts into the ground yesterday. He bought the red paint at an auction last weekend for $1. I need to come up with a cute name for it, maybe Chicken Palace? Ooooo, that sounds like a fast food place. I'll have to think on it, let me know if you come up with anything good. I think it all looks great so far.

Drum roll, please!!!!! Here is my favorite daffodil this year. This picture really doesn't do it justice. It is so bright and cheerful, I think it stands out so nicely off the white and yellow ones behind it. I have two different varieties of pink ones that I planted in late fall that are blooming, but they're not REALLY pink, are they? They are if you compare them to the yellow ones, I guess.

My first tulips of the season!

2008-04-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have two tulips bloomings, both dark pink, and a ton more just about to open. I think I am more excited about each development in the garden this year than I ever have been. This year, I am convinced, will be the one where I fulfill my life long desire of a beautiful cottage garden, full of all the gorgeous flowers I have seen in my books. As each new leaf comes into view, and each new flower emerges, I swell with joy. Over the past ten years I have tried to advance my skills enough to get here, moving several times has interupted my progress. Which explains why I seem to have hurried to get everything done here at this house. I have been doing this for so long, and have never gotten quite this far. It is so exciting to finally see in person the idea that has been stuck in my head for so very long.

But don't get me wrong, it will probably never really be DONE... hehehe.

Dusk

2008-03-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

The daffodils are really blooming up a storm right now. The ones I planted in front back in January are not blooming very heavy. I think they would have bloomed better if I had planted them in fall, but since I didn't buy them until Jan, I'll just have to wait until next year.
And here are a patch of my grape hyacinths- every yard needs some of these!
I planted some sweet peas under all three of my new trellis', and if you look in the very middle of the photo, you can see some of them coming up! I've been checking for them daily, and was very excited to see some progress. Hurry little sweet pea, hurry!
And here is the reason all my photos here have the flash in them. I didn't think about getting photos today until it was almost too late.
Big news!! Tonight my 11 year-old daughter made dinner, all by herself. Tuna helper and frozen corn (I bought the tuna helper just for this). It wasn't completely home-made like I usually make, but I thought it was a wonderful place to start. She and I were BOTH very proud.

Dates

2008-03-26T07:20:00.001-07:00

On Sunday I went ahead and downloaded pictures for the last three posts at one time, thinking it would save time later and all I would have to do is add the text. I didn't realize that meant all three would have Sunday's date! Oh well, it was a good plan, except for that one flaw. I'm certain there is a guru out there who knows just how to fix it, unfortunately I am not one of them.

To garlic or not to garlic

2008-03-23T14:46:00.001-07:00

Here is my garlic, just poking it's head up. Behind it is the three rows of potatoes I planted. I planted one 70 foot row each of three different potatoes: Kennebec, Cobbler, and Red Pontiac. Now all I need is some green beans and we'll be in business! My husband loves it when I can fix a pressure cooker full of fresh green beans, new potatoes, onions, and bacon. Sounds good, doesn't it?I'm trying to grow a cow. No, not REALLY! I used a small screw driver to punch a hole in each one, and 'planted' it half-ways in the ground. I'm going to plant a tomatoe beside each one, right next to the hole, so I can send the kids down the row to water, and I know they will each get enough, and the plant will get all the moisture. I started 'planting' them so that I could plant cool-season crops around them, and not have to disturb them when it is time to plant the tomatoes. The first row has spinach planted on both sides of the jugs all the way down the row, and the second row I started planting lettuce around.

The chicken coop is mostly finished!! Jeff even got the roosts inside done, and the chickens moved into it on Sat. The door and trim is painted, but the siding is going to be yellow when it warms up a bit.

Yesterday I got started on the onions, but I didn't get done. There is a chance of rain the next few days, hopefuly I can get them in the ground before it rains roo much.

Hyacinths and Daffadils

2008-03-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here's the hyacinths the are planted right outside the back door- the scent is heavenly! These bloom a little early because the way the house is situated, they are blocked from the north and west.

Here's the first batch of daffadils in the backyard, they sure are a welcome sight. I remember having more here last year, but we had a mole burry through here, also.

Well, it's a beautiful day, and I need to go water the raspberries I got planted last weekalong with the perrenials I recently planted, plant spinach and onions in the garden, feed the chickens and cats, and check the greenhouse. If only I could talk Emily into taking a nap. Please?????

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the four middle kids, don't they look great? Notice the bunnies beside them- my step-Mom-in-law bought and painted them for us just this year. There are seven little bunny kids with them. Aren't they adorable?
Here is the beginning of the Easter egg hunt. We made everyone let Emily get a head start. She figured this egg thing out very quickly! This year I bought the candy to go inside the eggs, but Jeff and I decided not to put it in the eggs, because we just found the last egg from last year a couple of weeks ago!
I hope you all have a great day!!

Pense Nursery Shipment

2008-03-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

I tried for a moment to come up with a better title, but honestly, I'm just too tired. It's spring break week here, and it rained both Mon and Tues. (Need I say more?) Today was nice, but muddy. I planted peas, potatoes, and cabbage. I washed and hung up four loads on the line, and when Jeff got home we drove a half hour away to take down a 6 foot tall by hundred foot around chicken pen to bring home. It's actually funny, we started taking down the end they put up first, and I took out a ton of huge metal staples, and I thought it was going to be a long evening. But as we went along, the staples got further and further apart. Hehehe, they got tired of putting them in, just as I was getting tired of taking them out! But the price was right, she just wanted to get it out of her way. One of the horizontal boards must have been bent inward then nailed into place, one of the ones at the top of course, because when I used the bar to pry it off, it flew out and hit me- right in the nose. Wow, my nose bled, and it hurts a bit. I can laugh about it now, because everyone was too busy to see it happen, but it had to have looked funny.
Last Friday I planted the majority of the broccoli plants, then it rained and rained, so I'll just have to wait and see how they turn out. Yesterday I spent two hours digging a ditch for rainwater, my yard was flooding quicker than usual, and it turned out the farmer to the east plowed the ditch under last fall, so I had to redig the entire thing! It is just entirely too early to be this sore.
I planted my huge pumpkin plants in peat pots the other day. I planted all six seeds, and if they all grow I'm going to have to find someone to share with, I do not need that many huge pumpkins. But I can't wait to watch them grow this summer. I know, I usually don't like peat pots, but there are some plants you simply have to use them for. Pumpkins just happen to be one of them.
I feel bad, I haven't even told you the best news- I got my berry bushes and canes in from Pense Nursery!!!! It's just like Christmas, and as sore as I am, I still can't wait to get them planted. Here's what I got:
25 Nova red raspberry
25 Heritage red raspberry
25 Fall Gold yellow raspberry
3 Crandall black currants
3 Red Lake currants
3 White Imperial currants
3 Pixwell gooseberries
3 Invinca white gooseberries
3 Blue Crop blueberries
5 Apache blackberries

I know it sound like a lot, this is what I got to spend out of our income tax refund, and I spent under $200. Really, Pense Nursery is the way to go.
I bought the blackberries to fill in spots in my rows. I have some currants and gooseberries, I simply wanted more. The raspberries are replacing a patch that drowned last year. In the fall I plan to order some black and some purple raspberries, they were simply out of them by the time I ordered this year.

2008-03-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here's the progress on the chicken coop. I plan to borrow Martha Stewart's idea of planting climbing roses along the fence to the chicken run. It's kinda shady in that spot, so we'll just have to see.
And here is my first blooming hyacinth for the year. As you can see, I have others just peaking their heads up. This spot should be a heavenly scent in a week.
I planted most of the day Tue. and Wed., thinking it would be a perfect time before the rain today. (Still clear skies, but it's early.) When I plant these smaller plants I usually leave the little plastic cups half burried beside them, so I can see where I've planted easier. Boy, I wish I'd taken a picture last night before I cleaned up. It was a sea of little white cups all over the place. My oldest daughter and I picked them all up and counted them. In my last post I stated 50. I was wrong. Last night we counted 238 little cups. I am SO sore, from that constant up and down motion. And the sad part is, I am no where near done. Oh my. I took all the tomatoes and peppers out to the greenhouse yesterday evening, and I have to admit the only room left is the floor, what little room is there. If it doesn't rain, I might try to plant outside a little. If it rains, I need to transplant some more peppers in the sewing room. (After I vacuum a bit, I suppose)

Here's just the beginning....

2008-03-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

There aren't very many, but they are such a wonderful sight, aren't they? I have yellow, white, purple, creme or very light yellow, and some pThere aren't very many, but they are such a wonderful sight, aren't they? I have yellow, white, purple, creme or very light yellow, and some purple/white bi-colors. It was such a beautiful day today that I started planting the perennials that I started from seed. I managed to get over 50 planted, which doesn't really make a huge dent, I'm afraid. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer, and I plan to do more planting. Tomorrow evening it's supposed to rain, so this is the perfect time. I actually made it out to the veggy garden yesterday and planted some seeds to go with the garlic bulblets I planted last week. I planted spinach, carrots, and cabbage. It would be nice to get the broccoli and lettuce I have already started in the garden if it does in fact rain tomorrow, and buying and planting some pea seeds would make it even better. This is the kick off for the spring rains, and I can't help but think of it as a race to get it in before it all starts. I absolutely hate having to plant in the mud, simply because theres no other choice. We'll see if I make it, and if I don't, the chances of it raining are even better. You can all blame it on me, either way!!!!

A roof-top view

2008-03-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Jeff got on the roof Saturday to do some repairs, and I, even being scared of heights a bit, climbed up to get YOU some pictures. It's not really the going up, it's the going down that makes my stomach jump into my throat.
It was in the upper 60s on Sat and Sun, so I spent as much time as I could outside. I even weeded some flower beds! The trampoline in the above picture doesn't go there, it got moved when Jeff took down a tree, and never returned. The chickens got moved out to the greenhouse. They were looking rather stressed from all the foot traffic by their cage, and then theres that little two year old that liked to bang on their cage and talk to them. Gosh, I can't IMAGINE why they were so paranoid! But Jeff and I made a cage, and its bigger than the bird cage, so they look happier out there. I do miss not being able to see them whenever I pass by, though.
Well, sorry, I gotta go, Teletubbies only last so long.

Memories and Sweet Peas

2008-02-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

Not long ago I was talking to my sister, and I was telling her that I was planning on growing sweet peas on my new trellis. I was sharing the reason why, which is when I was in forth grade we lived in an old farmhouse in the country that had a very long fence in back that was entirely covered in sweet peas. I remember how beautiful I thought they were. I have wanted sweet peas since then, and now, at 36, I am going to fulfill the dream. My sister is a year and a half older than me, and she cannot recall any such fence. We both laughed, and agreed that I was destined to become a gardener. Now with that, I have to share this photo:

A very tiny someone got into my plant area. There is a baby gate there, but somehow it failed on this occasion. The worst part is, it's not the first, or the second, or even the third time. It happens to be the forth. She loves playing in my dirt. And uprooting little seedlings. My middle daughter loves to help me in the garden, and I think we just might have another gardener in the mist.

One heat lamp away from freezing

2008-02-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

I know it's kinda dark, but here is my two younger boys helping Daddy construct the walls to the chicken coop in the garage over the weekend. Sat. morning we loaded all the scrap metal around the yard onto the truck and he took it to the junk yard to sell, and took that money and bought wood for the coop. Killed two birds with one stone, since we really needed to clean up the yard anyway.
Yesterday I moved a LOT of plants (all the ones that had been transplanted into the larger cups) into the greenhouse. With the heat lamp on Sunday night it only got down to 44 degrees, but last night it was bit colder, and it dipped down to 34, but everything still looks fine. As soon as the temp gets to 55 today, I'll unplug the lamp.
And this is how it looks after I moved the other plants out. It still looks like a lot, but now I can actually walk about the room, but I DO need to transplant some seedlings today, so maybe not for long.

Ten little chickens

2008-02-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

It was an honest, innocent trip to the farm store. I promise. Jeff and I ran to the next town, and I mentioned I needed to go to the farm store to get a heat lamp bulb for the heat lamp to put in the greenhouse. Then I saw these little things. Well, to be honest, I saw the bunnies first, but I wasn't as interested in them. But CHICKENS, well, thats a different story. I had them once, a few years ago at a different house, and really wanted to have them here. So I talked Jeff into letting me have ten. Two each of five different kinds. My plan is to keep them inside as long as they will fit in this old birdcage, them make a spot for them in the greenhouse under a table, with a board as a fence. Then when it is warm enough I will build a small pen for them in the yard, and I will just make a 'tent' of sorts for them to get out of the sun, and some crude nesting boxes. Maybe by summer I will have my own eggs to go with some free fertilizer! (Yes, of course, there is a little gardening in this post, too)

Nick and the Frig.

2008-02-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, thats my oldest, and yes, thats the refrigerator. I thought it was a good picture, and I thought it was appropriate since he's the reason I can't post a new picture, and have to use this one that I took last week. You see, I reliquished the batteries from my camera for his MP3. At least it wasn't cash!!!!!
Every year, I'm bummed when my tomato and pepper plants aren't as big as the ones from the stores. I know I shouldn't be, as I know mine aren't over-fertilized junkies. But still, in an attempt to bridge the gap in sizes a bit I started them a little early, on the 10th, and today I had to transplant them into little cups. Wow, that was fast. I am officially out of trays, and I have so many that I hate to buy any more. I have a few cat litter boxes, a bunch of foil pans, some thin plastic ones made for holding peat pots (I don't use them much anymore), one old cake pan, and some of those plastic trays you get from the garden centers. I have quite a collection, I can't believe I need more. I'm going to have to the store and get some of those short boxes cases of pop and canned goods come in. If I line them with foil, they should be water-proof, don't you think?

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

2008-02-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

I took this picture last week, but it's better than any I got yesterday on her birthday.
Here's the party, Nick was teasing Emily with the laser dot from his aerosoft gun. Did she ever have fun chasing that little red dot. And her and older sis Tiffany playing together. Tiffany put two of Emily's new hair clips in her hair.
I took this one on Saturday, can you see them, can you, can you????? There are daffadils coming up all over the place! Yeah, spring!

Oh man, I need more room!

2008-02-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

I realize this will shock you, but I had to rig up another shelf in the sewing/plant room. I know, I know, you simply can't believe it. I scrounged up a board long enough to fit from my sewing desk to the top shelf of the plant stand (with the help of a couple of boxes). I'd like to say I have all kinds of room now, but that would be lying. And the really sad part is I did it mainly because I need to transplant seedlings, and had to have a place to put them. Now I have the pathway through the room clear, I can use that again.
And now were in the greenhouse. Here's a picture of all the roses starts I have. The other day I was walking around outside and just happen to notice that the ice storm we had last Monday broke a couple of branches off two of my roses, so I quickly got out the growing hormone, cut them up, and stuck them in some pots.

Here's all the stuff leftover from last year. A lot of it is still green, and the stuff thats not I'm going to wait to see if it greens up with the warm spring weather before I call it dead.

Jeff suggested we take the kids out tonight, and got to a bigger Wal-Mart a little further away. The only thing I could think of is- I wonder if they have different/more gardening stuff out? If you think thats bad, this morning I had to take the younger five to a 4H thing at the next towns high school. They had a drink/snack table. We all grabbed a cookie on our way out the door, and I took two of the empty gallon orange juice containers to start seeds in.

Griffin's Hibiscus Seed

2008-02-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

There is a house here in Cherryvale that has one of the most beautiful hibiscus plants that I have ever seen. Actually, it had the blooms of a hibiscus, but the leaves have 'fingers'. It stands about twelve feet tall, and has the biggest, deepest red blooms all summer. This last fall I went and begged for some seed, which Cheryl gladly gave, but she said nobody had ever had any luck getting them started. GUESS WHAT??????? I have no idea what I did differently, but I got them to start. Right now I have three, but I'm hoping more come up. I have no idea what the name of it is, so I'm hoping its something that come true to seed..... I guess we'll all have to see.

Huge Pumpkins and Asparagus Seed

2008-02-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

As of today, I have started 125 different packets of seeds total. I guess at least 10 of those were seed that I had saved from my yard, so technically some were envelopes of seeds. I have 600 little pots, of which are 28 different kinds of perennials and one annual. To add to that count I have 31 other different kinds of perennials that have grown, and two different annuals. These aren't in the original plant count because I don't count the individual plants until they are transplanted to the little 3 ounce cups. I have wintersown 25 different packets, 20 perennials and 5 annuals. I don't have 25 jugs outside, I cheated a little and squeezed two different packets in some. I just 'seperated' the soil into two different sides with plastic spoons, and made sure I marked what was on each side.

I have three different kinds of seeds started for the vegetable garden: asparagus, tomatoes, and peppers. I started six different kinds of tomatoes (all but one are open-pollinated, the grape tomatoes), seven sweet peppers and two hot peppers. I have one more packet of hot peppers to start.

I bought a packet of those gigantic pumpkin seeds, I though it would be fun for the kids to watch a couple of those grow this summer. I remember reading somewhere that the people who get them really big have to start them really early, but I'm not sure exactly HOW early. I also remember something about them needing a lot of water. HHhhmmmmmm. Going to have to work something out for that.

You may be wondering what I'm going to do with all these plants. After I plant what I want I give the rest away. I have lots of family that loves this little infatuation I have with starting plants. I have a theory, I can buy one plant for $7-8, or I can grow 20-30 from a $1-3 packet of seeds. I tried to keep a list of all the money I have invested this year, but I'm afraid I got busy and haven't kept up with the tally. It would be interesting to see what the price per plant would be.

Three Trellis' and Seventy-five Holes

2008-02-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hey Sherry! Here is one of our cats. He is the prettiest of the bunch, and also the toughest.
Here are two pictures of the branch trellis' I finished on Saturday. The picture doesn't do it justice. The three are all set at different angles, and set that way to let some light through, but not too much. It gets quite hot here during the summer, and I am trying to make a spot for the lupines, astilbes, and delphiniums that is rather sheltered. The plan is to grow three different kinds of sweet peas then follow with morning glories and moonflower vines. Where I am standing to take the second picture I am facing due South, and there is a large tree just to the right and behind me. My little rock bench will be a very nice place to rest this summer after weeding flower beds, don't you think?
And here is the reason for my sore shoulders today. I ordered my fruit bushes and vines from Pense Nursery last week. This is the second time I have ordered from them, and I must say, he was SO nice, and very helpful. The first time I ordered was a year ago in early fall, and got my order in November. I have ordered fruit bushes from at least four different companies over the years, and I have to say the plants from Pense were the biggest and nicest I have encountered. I couldn't believe how big the blueberry bushes were. I ordered 25 plants each of three different kinds, so here are my seventy-five holes. I also ordered more currants, gooseberries, blueberries, and a few more blackberries. I ordered a lot of strawberries in the first order, and with all the runners I have plenty (for now). If you look to the left in the picture you might catch a glimpse of my elderberry bushes that I also got with the first order. I moved all my grapes, they are directly to the left of where I am standing. It will make more sense, later, I hope, when everything has leaves.
Do you like the split-log bench my hubby made for me? He made four, so we could give one each to our Mother's on Mother's Day, and I get TWO, YEAH!!!!!

More poinsettias!!

2008-02-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

I had to go to a local church's recreation hall today. It's a church I don't attend, and I noticed they still had all these poinsettias sitting in a corner, the same place they had been two weeks earlier. Except today they looked very sad. I asked about them, and I was told that nobody wanted them, that I could take them!!! I have four of the potted ones (I left two behind) and one very large hanging one. The hanging one was completely bone-dry, and most of it's leaves are completely dried up. What will I do with all these, if they all live??

I finished the sweet pea/morning glory trellis. I made the teenagers help, and I couldn't believe how fast it went. I would have taken a picture, but I was lucky to get the picture above before the batteries on the camera went completely dead. I will absolutely have to get more batteries tomorrow, since I have a couple of things to post pictures of.

Happy Birthday Tyler and Tiffany!!!!

2008-02-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

This is late, their birthday was Sunday, I just forgot to get a picture then, and couldn't seem to get it done til tonight. I can't believe it has been ten years since they were born.

My Greenhouse is Finished

2008-02-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

My hubby (Jeff) decided that with a little bit of the tax return we needed to finish the greenhouse, which, of course, got no argument out of me. For my last birthday, in October, my Mom got me the translucent plastic for the roof. The heavy plastic had been torn off by a storm just a month before. Here is the finished product!I need to repaint the door when it gets a little warmer, but the brick sidewalk is finished all the way from the back door to the greenhouse.

In this picture you can see the end of my rose trellis that goes along the garage. I don't have the greenhouse heated, so my plants will have to wait until March (hopefully early March) to get moved out there. Although I do have a couple of heat lamps leftover from when I had chickens, I just haven't had a chance to set them up, and test to see how hot it would get if I left one or both on for the night. I'm running out of room in the sewing room, so I may have to find the time very, very soon. Jeff also put up another shelf on the wall, and made a new bench for in there. I just have to spend an hour or two out there and get it all cleaned up, and I will post a picture of the inside. I do have some plants in there, some from last year that never got planted outside for one reason or another. The only thing I wish was different is I would love it attached directly onto the house, it would be easier to spent time in it here and there, and I do so much LOVE to check on the plants during the day. And on a sunny winter day it gets quite warm in there, and I have to open the door. I have mentioned to Jeff that if he put in a window between the garage and the greenhouse, I could open the window and heat the garage a little.

Tom's Midnight Garden

2008-02-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

Last week (I think), I made a comment on Mr. McGregor's daughter's blog about liking a certain children's tape for the cartoon garden in it. (Peter Rabbit, of course) She suggested that I watch a recent movie, 'Miss Potter', because it had some really nice garden's in it. I talked my hubby into picking it up at the Blockbuster in the next town, and watched it as soon as he got it home. It was really good, but it made me think of another movie that had really good garden scenes, 'Tom's Midnight Garden'. I taped it years ago, and it is presently loaned out to my Mom, but I wanted to tell you when it was made, so I googled it. I was shocked to find out that it was made into a movie in 1999, but the version I have is one of the three made by the BBC (in 1968, 1974, and 1988.) I also have one version of 'The Secret Garden', and my Mom has yet another version, which both of them have the greatest garden scenes in the end, of course.

The reviews for the newest Tom's movie indicate the garden scenes in it are lacking, but now I must see it for myself! Has anyone else heard of this movie? Or do you have any other suggestions for movies with great garden scenes?

Snow Day!

2008-01-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Guess what we got? Snow, and a ton of it! We were supposed to get 5-7 inches, and we got that plus some, and it just started snowing again. Oh goodie. The kids were out of school due to the powdery white stuff, so it's been one of those 'I haven't got anything done' days. I guess I did manage to get a little done, I got my seeds ordered from two of the heirloom seed companies I found. I can't wait to get started sowing my tomatoe and pepper seeds. I took inventory of the seedlings yesterday, just to put on paper the number of each kind of plant that I have. I will post the numbers when I move them all to the greenhouse, hopefully later next month.

Sweet Potatoes

2008-01-30T12:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I decided to get my sweet potatoes started. Well, get my starts started. I tried growing sweet potatoe slips before, but I did the cutting them in half lengthwise and pushing them into dirt thing. This time I decided to do the toothpick- water in a jar thing.

Back in November right before Thanksgiving, sweet potatoes were 17 cents a pound, and I bought like four bags full. Luckily, I still have a few, so I didn't have to buy any. One even had a few sprouts already! So this is what I ended up with, I think they look kinda neat in the window. I just hope the gnome doesn't get thirsty and drink all the water. I bought him for $2 back in October at a garage sale. I also bought a shovel and wheelbarrow his size, I just have a find the perfect place for them this year. Maybe I need a fairy garden like Carol has?

'Farted'

2008-01-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

CHEESE!!!!!
Emily Sue passes gas like an almost two year old. She sometimes squats, occasionally grunts loudly, and will definitely do it front of absolutely anybody. Anytime. Anywhere. Her older siblings found this completely hysterical, of course. For some reason they all started telling her 'you farted' after every incident. You guessed it, now my almost two year old thinks that the thing she needs to say after such as occurence, is, of course, 'farted'. She will say it after anyone else in the room does it. Loudly. I tried to reason with the children, by asking, what do you think is going to happen when she does it in church? She is going to tell everyone exactly what happened, even if they didn't hear it!! (But of course it will probably be during prayer.) This picture, posted bright in their heads, did not bring the desired reaction. Instead, it brought huge gales of laughter from my loving children. I can't wait until we're in Wal-Mart, and the old lady next to us passes gas.

Seedlings, seedlings, everywhere!

2008-01-24T10:56:00.000-08:00

I am seriously running out of room in my sewing room for seedlings. I have moved the tiny kids' table in here, it's just to the left of the picture. I rotate the trays, the ones that are taken off the lights go under the table, and what was under the table moves taward the windows. I know it don't look like it, but I really do have a system. I actually sit in one of the mini chairs and use the table to replant seedings, and start seeds.
The brown tray on the top left of the bottom picture full os seedlings, too. It's a kitty litter tray, I bought like six of them last year, They are great in the greenhouse. (Not to mention something I can easily pick up at the local dollar store.) My plant markers are plastic spoons, written on with a permanent magic marker. I have to break the rounded end off of the ones that go into the smaller pots, but thats easy enough to do.
On a personal note, I know several others have had colds lately, and I must have forgot to wash my hands after visiting their blogs, because I now have it. I have to be well by the weekend. I HAVE to. But I know that if its going to be that nice, I'll go outside anyway and suffer the consequences later. One station today at lunch said Sat 55 degrees, Sun 60 degrees, Mon 60 degrees. Wow. If I don't post until Tuesday, you all will know why!!

Spring is 57 days away!

2008-01-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

I love seeing those counters on other peoples blogs that say only so many days till spring. Today they said 57 more days. It won't get here quick enough, February seems like the longest month of the year sometimes. But then again 57 days might not be enough time for me to get everything finished before spring. Saturday is supposed to be 47 degrees, and Sunday is supposed to be 55 degrees. I HAVE to get all those bulbs in the ground. I also hope to finish the arbor. Or arbors as it might be. Oops. I'm telling on myself. I have decide that my pea trellis is either going to be longer, with not just two 'sides' but three or four. Or I'm going to leave the two posts with the branches started, and simply move the other one, and put it further over, with another post, making two free-standing walls, so to speak. Maybe three free-standing walls. HHhhhhhmmm.
Gotta go, have to go get milk before I have to get the kids. Taking five kids to the grocery store is just no fun.

Wisteria and Moving Furniture

2008-01-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the other picture I took on Saturday. You can see the new bed, it's the newly tilled area just past the white post in the middle of the circle. You can see the three posts I put in the ground for the trellis. I have a wisteria I got from a neighbor that I want to plant by the clothesline post. I got it a year ago in fall, and the poor little thing has had to stay content in the pot the entire summer. I simply couldn't come up with the perfect place to plant it, since I have an exact idea of how this particular plant behaves in a garden once it becomes settled. We had one at the last house, it was trained to an arbor that covered the walkway to the driveway. I miss the blooms in spring, it was always so beautiful. And yes, I also recall the number of times per year I trimmed the thing.

Almost all of the Lupines have been replanted into those cheap little styrophome coffee cups. (Yes, with a drainage hole added) They really have taken off, and should be very good size when planting time comes. I love planting more seeds, but I'm running out of room for seedlings. I'm not sure I could stand it if I had to wait another month to start more!

We've been moving furniture around, and perhaps we will have an extra shelf when we're done. Hhhhhhmmm.........

Pea Trellis Progress

2008-01-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

I had a basketball game to go to at eleven this morning, but I did manage to get outside for a little bit this afternoon. I loaded around 12 wheelbarrow loads of mulch and put in three different places. One was by the front door, a spot of heavy traffic that needed help. Tomorrow I'll show you what I did. I had to go to the south side of the pile of mulch to find a spot that wasn't frozen. After that I worked on the trellis I'm making for the sweet peas and morning glories. A couple of weeks ago I got the three large posts in the ground, right before it got so cold and froze the ground solid. This is all I got done today before my fingers got too cold and I had to go in. I have a ways to go, but I like the way it looks so far.

I have another picture, and I want it below here, but I can't seem to get it there. I'm feeling rather stupid right now, so it'll just have to wait til tomorrow. I fought the computer, and the computer won!!!!

More spring bulbs

2008-01-18T05:42:00.000-08:00

It's not my fault, really. It started when had to go to a nearby town for one of my oldest son's basketball games last night. In my defense I went to Wal-Mart looking for seeds, you know, the cheap 25 cents a packet kind. I know they usually carry a few things I want, and I'm tring to make sure before I send my next seed order in. Well, they had spring bulbs on sale, usually $7.96, marked down to $2.50. Jerks. I had to buy some. You see, now, don't you?

The four Packages of King Alfred Type daffodils are going out front, I can't plant tulips up front, we have too many squirrels up there. Since the cats hang out by the back door, that's where all my tulips go. I just happen to have a new flower bed ready for the two packages of Purple Flag tulips. The asparagus wasn't on sale, I just don't have any, and want to start a bed. I figured I'd better get them now, because after a month of sitting on the warm shelves at Wal-Mart, they will be growing out of their packages.

Now I just have to plant them all, along with the other two packages I bought back in November that are sitting in the garage. BBBBBbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Vegetable Garden Plan II

2008-01-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, here is number two. I guess I'll start with the basics. My vegetable garden is 70 by 70 feet, as of this year. It was 50 by 50 feet last year, but in September I moved the grape vines that were on one end to another spot, so I could increase the size of the garden. If you look real close you can just make out the square of the garden in the top of the picture. Sorry, I could have taken a better picture, but I didn't realize what it looked like until I pulled it up on the computer, and frankly, it's just too cold to go outside and get a new one. I have 19 different vegetables and 3 fruits in the garden plan this year, we'll have to see if it all comes together as I hope. I also plan to order some different fruit seeds from rareseeds.com, I have a tendency to plan way more than I can truely accomplish, but I'm ordering kiwi seeds, passionfruit seeds, huckleberry seeds, kiwano and narajilla seed. Yes, all that plus my vegetables, flowers, kids, and maybe a garden on the other side of the block. That is a story for another day, though. Don't let me forget to tell it. It's building up to be a very busy year.

The first year we were here I tilled part of the garden area, but it was already June, so not much got planted that year. I added sawdust from a woodworking place here in town, huge bags that were taller than me, and about two feet wide in both directions. Last year I added more sawdust (about 10-15 bags), and a huge pile of manure from a farmer, which had to be dumped by the road and moved by the wheelbarrow load. Every year I add all the leaves from raking most of the property, which the kids help rake. Improving the soil is so important in vegetable gardening. You don't absolutely have to, but boy, does it help the yields.

One last thing. I have read several places that adding a book of matches in the bottom of the hole when planting peppers helps them grow. Has anyone tried it, and the stick matches are the same thing, aren't they?

Vegetable Garden Plan I

2008-01-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well at least it's a different garden this time. But to be honest this is the second sketch I made. I'm a visual person, so I have to see it on paper to really be sure it's exactly what I want. The only reason I did it now was because I want to make sure I order enough seeds.

I can't even begin to imagine how much money I have spent on seeds over the years, but I do have a plan this year. I have never been very comfortable saving seeds, but I saved a lot of flower seeds last year, and I'm feeling more confident in that area. So I am ordering as many open-polinated and heirloom seeds as I can, with hopes of saving seeds from as much as possible. The pink highlights are the all-season vegetables, and the yellow highlights indicate the ones I will be sowing in spring and again in fall. I didn't have much of a fall garden last year, and I really regret it. It's sounds so funny to say last year, it was just four monthes ago!!!
I guess I'll have to continue this tomorrow, my oldest is dying to get on the computer, and I'm not sure I could move his 6'1" body if he did. Has anyone else planned their vegetable garden for next year?

The new plan, shut-up, It might too be the last one.

2008-01-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Over at Mr. McGregor's Daughter, she posted about the latin name of a plant changing. I told her I didn't have the desire or room in my memory to even begin down that page. But, I will admit it actually came in very handy today. I started a packet of lavender- ' lady' about a month ago. The packet of Burpee seeds said the height would be 8-10 inches. I bought a packet from T's, and her packet of lavender- 'lady' said 18-24 inches. I was so confused. Then I happen to look at the genus names, and they were different!! Ahhh, mystery solved. But I can't explain why the packet of seeds I bought this year of Burpee seeds, yes, the same lavender- 'lady' said 12 inches. Same genus name and everything. You may ask why I keep buying so many. I plan to plant them completely up and down one pathway. Won't that look spectacular in bloom? One path will have lavender 'lady' and another will have pink lavender. I'm just not sure I'm gong to have enough of the pink to do all I want. I'll just have to get more seeds, and start more. What a shame, heheh. The page above is the new plan. I really like this one a lot better, although I will have to move two paths and find a LOT more brick.

The funny thing is, it took me forever to type this out, I have to keep getting up and checking on Emily. At this moment she is in her sisters' room, won't they be happy when they figure that one out? For some reason they can always tell when baby sister has been in their room, rearranging the Bratz house, go figure. I'd better go and rescue the ugly little dolls. Have a nice day!!!!

The Rest of the Family

2008-01-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

This is Nickolas, my oldest, he will be 17 in April. This is my step-son, Matthew, he's 15. I have no idea why, they just decided to be wierd for this picture. This is Abigail, she is 11 and 1/2.
The one above is Tyler, below is Tiffany. They will be 10 in two weeks.

Happy Birthday Timothy!!!!

2008-01-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's Timothy's 8th birthday, so he decided he didn't have to comb his hair today. This is his mischeavous smile, he looks like he's doing something he shouldn't. Isn't he a cuttie?? And yes, that is dirt on his fingernails, he was helping his Dad finish stacking the firewood. Voluntarily. No, you can't have him.

Abby's Petunia

2008-01-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

Isn't it pretty? And look at all the little seedlings in the background. I spent all yesterday afternoon moving firewood and burning off brush piles. We took a large round of trees down in the far end of the property, and most of it was cleaned up except for the small brush that needed raking up. So I spent a lot of time raking all that up, too. Boy, I felt it all when I went inside last night.

Today is my youngest son's birthday- Happy Birthday, Timothy!!!!!

I love Oreo Cookies!

2008-01-10T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon my kids got a rare treat- Oreos. I gave them each a cup of milk and some oreos, including little Emily. I think she left hers in the milk a little long, but boy, did she enjoy herself!
I can't believe I forgot to put a bib on her. That shirt is going to have to soak. My Mother and I made yo-yo's together with her new set of yo-yo makers. This is what I came up with. Do you think I have gardening on the brain or what? The rick rack didn't match perfectly, but somehow it made the picture pop. What do you all think?

All I wanted was some soil- stupid Wal-Mart people.

2008-01-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

I went to Wally World last night for groceries, sometime around seven, I'd say. I went to the garden center for soil. I did, too. I initially went for soil, just because they had one small section of seeds out is not my fault. Anyway, all the soil was outside in the little caged-in area and the door wouldn't open. I had to go to the sporting goods guy to ask for help. Twice. Than a guy came who didn't have the key, radioed to the guy who did and left. Manager with key came, unlocked the door and walked away(I had only been waiting like 45 minutes). I went out into the cold by myself, loaded the largest bag they have after removing the large metal thingy laying on top of it. And he watched me come back in and locked the door behind me again. You have GOT to be kidding me. The check out lady only had this to say- "who goes outside to get soil at this time of night?". It's official, I am crazy, and it is apparently showing. Tell me where and I'll try to wipe some of it off.

After Christmas Cactus

2008-01-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

I had to go to Kansas City yesterday to get my son at the airport. He spends two weeks at Christmas and two monthes of the summer with his Dad up there. I only get off at one exit, the only one I feel comfortable at. It has a Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, Lowes, bookstore, and about a hundred other places. But all I wanted to see was seeds. Shut-up, I do too need more seeds. NO ONE HAD THEM OUT! Can you belive that? But I did check out the clearance rack, since everything on it was an additional 75% off. These little beauties were marked down to 50 cents. So with the additional discount, I got all of them for a whopping 12 cents apiece. I figured I could nurse them all and give part of them as gifts next year when they're blooming.

Here is a picture of my Lupines, boy they are getting big, they grow so fast, don't they? Soon they will be moving out of the house and starting little families of their own. Just kidding. But they will be moving out. I also bought a digital min/max thermometer at Lowes so I can tell when it's okay to start putting all my seedlings out in the greenhouse. I have read a couple places say it has to be at least 55 degrees in there. And since I'm not heating it with a heater, I'm using large containers filled with water to absorb heat, I'm not really sure when the temperature will be high enough at night. I'll see if I can get out there with the camera so I can take a picture to show you.

And last but not least, a quick look at my Mandeilla Vines. One is red, the other fushia pink. They are recovering nicely from their accidental freeze. They both have lots of growth on them, and maybe I can get them to bloom again before spring.

Only 16 Weeks To Go!

2008-01-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

Here in zone 6 I am roughly 16 weeks until the average last spring frost. I know we have only just begun winter, but I only added it up so I could plan my seed starting a little bit. I don't mind starting the perennials a little earlier, they can go out to the greenhouse even when it's a little cool yet. (I was thinking maybe the end of February or the beginning of March.) Tomatoes and peppers are an entirely different story. If I start them too early they will be three feet tall before I could plant them outside. My family is pretty understanding when it comes to me and my obsession with plants, but I'm sure not going to push it. Sixty three foot tall tomatoe plants in the house just might send them over the edge.
I have a red and white petunia and a white geramium in bloom right now. And somehow all the rest of the plants seem to recovering well from their brush with death back in November, minus two I think.
I also added up the number of different seeds I have started as of today. Today I went out to the greenhouse and got more propagators to start more seeds, seventeen more to be exact. So I have 47 different perennials, two different kinds of onions, and some alpine strawberry seeds started. Yesterday I got my seeds in from T's (YEAH), so thats what brought on the seed starting today. No, I'm not telling you how many I ordered. But I will tell you that I didn't get them all started today, not even close.
I know I am not alone in my getting breathless at the sight of a package that is known to contain seeds. Oh, the euphoria involved in opening a package and holding in your hands the tiny little seeds that will one day produce the fruits of your labor, wether it be of the flower or vegetable variety.

I Need Ideas!!

2008-01-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

A while back I posted about a problem area of mine, and now that I have a digital camera, here it is:

Ugly, huh? The windows on the left go into the dining room, and the ones on the right are to the family room. The stairs also go into the family room, and this is the door we use the most. We have an air conditioner, guttering, and all the utility boxes to contend with. A trellis would have to not block the utility boxes or the windows, and I couldn't grow anything on it, because it would have to be able to be moved. I plan to build some sort of low screen for the air conditioner, any other ideas? The steps and door here face straight north, but it gets some sun in the summer.
This is a picture of the front porch, I have managed to do a little landscaping here. I realize it's hard to see, with everything hibernating. Straight right of this picture would be the dining room windows, with a fireplace in between.

Hopefully we will get around to repainting the shutters and trim next year, I don't really like the dark color. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

Guess what I did today? Yes, I replanted seedlings. This is what I did today, the bottom shelf of the grow shelf is what was done within the last week. I have way more plants than grow lights, but I'll just rotate whats under the lights until the greenhouse is warm enough to hold them.

I planted more seeds in the propagators, as of now I have started 36 different kinds of seeds. I counted all that I have replanted into the little cups, and here's the counts:
True Lavender- 12
Lavender, Lady- 81 (old seed, but WOW did it grow)
Pink Lavender- 20 (left after disease wiped out a good part of them)
Yellow Coneflower- 8
Astilbe- 4 (would have had more if I hadn't spilled the packet everywhere)
Lupine, Tutti-Fruity- 25
Evening Primrose- 45
Butterfly Weed, Cinderella- 27
Butterfly Weed, Gay Butterflies- 9
Lupine, Russell Hybrids- 31
Lupine, Lulu- 40
And last I leave you with a petunia. My daughter gave me this last year on May Day. It got nipped at Thankgiving, but it came back. I'm SO happy. Abigail loves the fact that I still have it.
I know you can't believe I'm not outside moving more brick, but I'm a little sore, and its a lot cold. Like 29 degrees cold. I'm terribly sorry, I guess I'm not dedicated enough to freeze my butt off for the sake of the garden. I hope that doesn't change your opinion of me. LOL

Circle of Bricks

2007-12-31T15:05:00.000-08:00

Here's todays progress. Sore or not, I just had to get out and get some of the path done. I left my kneeler in the spot I started from, so you could see how much I got done. I worked for about four hours, and still didn't do as good a job as I usually do. I didn't get them as level as I usually do, but the pile of bricks is about a hundred feet from here, and the method of transportion was a wheelbarrow (I simply got too tired). We have a trailor that hooks onto the lawnmower, but the lawnmower battery is 'deader than a doorknob'.

To Brick or Not to Brick

2007-12-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

I know it is a little blury, but I was in a hurry and didn't take the time to check it real good before we hurried off to church. These beautiful creatures are my younger five children. They are left to right Tyler, almost 10, Abigail, 11, Emily, almost 2, Tiffany almost 10, and Timothy, 8 in two weeks. I say almost on some because all of them here but Abby have birthdays in January and February. Good thing about that is we can buy most of their birthday presents off the Christmas clearance rack.
Guess what I did yesterday? I was told I could have these, I just had to move them from there to here. My Mom came yesterday and brought her truck, so I moved them. Abby, Tyler, Tiffany, and Timothy helped, and it took four trips to get them all. Yes, I am a bit sore today. But they were free, YEAH, and I will have enough to get a lot of the paths done.
I wanted to show you the mulch pile while I was out there. This is a pile I got free, from the electric companies tree trimmers that were working in town. I told them to stop and drop off anytime, I would definitly use it all. Say hello to Cece, our little black dog sniffing the bricks.

One of these came from a tree we cut down in our yard, but the other three were from a house down the street, they were piled with a lot of other firewood by the curb, and I stopped and asked if I could have them. You should have seen his face when he said 'well, sure'. Yes, sir, I have lost my mind. Can you just see them set in the flower beds, filled with soil and planted with flowers? I thought I'd put a couple by the kids playhouse, and one even has a hole in the side, which I can plant another plant hanging out. What do you think?

I finally got one!

2007-12-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

I rescued this beautiful plant from a horrible demise- the trash can. My in-laws were going to throw it out if I didn't want it. Of COURSE I do!! I'm thrilled, I haven't had one in years, and really wanted one this year.
Here is the updated map of the back yard. The green is the flower beds already there, with the red brick sidewalks and stone paths. The seperate green bed in the upper left hand corner has my currants, gooseberries, blueberries, and strawberries in it. The pink lines are what I would like add on next spring. Ther pink line on the far left will probably end up being further to the left (East). I have to leave the grass under the clothesline, because I happen to use it every season but winter. Other than that, I have free range. Notice the picture next to it, the one with the woman in her pantry. It's my very favorite, by John Slobodnik, and I cut this copy from a magazine. I've checked on line, and I can't seem to find anywhere that sells a print of it.

2007-12-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of my African Violets, the one on the front-right needs divided, the sad part is it has been so long since it bloomed that I have no idea what color it is. The pink one has purple spots on it, and the light purple one my grandmother gave me years ago. Two of the other ones in back are starts off that one. I used to have more, a white one, red one, dark purple one, light pink one, but the last two times I've moved have been in February. Somehow they didn't appreciate the extreemly cold weather we were having. I'm not moving anymore, so I may have to look into replacing them.

This is a picture of my favorite indoor plant right now. It's always happy. It never complains about the cold, the heat, the lack of water in the summer, just the perfect little plant. You can just barely see my veregated airplane plant, I have a plain green one in the bathroom, it's much happier than this one. Theres only one small window in there, but it likes all the steam from the shower.

It's supposed to snow again tonight. I was hoping for a sunny day to go outside and get pictures of the greenhouse, I might have to wait until Saturday.

My Gardening Notebook

2007-12-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is my Gardening Notebook. Yes, I am a geek, I guess. I am one of those people who make lists, and this was my solution to all my gardening lists. It is a 3-ring binder, the ones that have the see-through pockets on the front, side, and back, so you can slide a piece of paper in, and still see it. The paper in front simply states 'Flowers & More. I would love to make a prettier, more creative one, when I get the time. In the front inside pocket I have a packet of pictures of the garden in progress, shipping lists, generally stuff that needs to be filed in the binder. There are sections labeled for perennials, annuals, bushes, roses, herbs, trees, vegetable garden, gardening maps, shipping papers, and empty paper.

Here is a page from my perennial section. Each page represents a letter in the alphabet, and I clip apart and glue my seed packets down (I use the common names, it's easier for me). That way when I save seeds, I can always be able to tell someone exactly what I am giving them. Here is a page from the rose section, I have glued all the labels from the pots in here, not necessarily in order this time.
This is the page I slip into the back of the notebook, it is a drawing of my garden, with sections numbered. I did this so I could make notes as to what needs to be moved next year, what needs to be added, I just put the bed number on the paper.

What do you think? Yes, I am such a garden freak. Next I will post a picture of this drawing, with lines to show where I will be adding flower beds next year. Hope you enjoyed seeing this, I'll let you know that I have never shown this to anyone, (maybe for fear they would consider me insane). But I do so enjoy doing it!

Pictures of My Seedlings

2007-12-25T19:18:00.000-08:00

I actually got it to work!! It wasn't easy, and I am so proud of myself! This is a close-up of the second set of seeds I started, the Lupines in the upper right hand corner are the ones that need repotted into their big-plant pots, the little 4 ounce cups I buy and put a hole in with a knife.

This a picture of the entire shelf of seedlings. The picture above is the one on the far end. In the lower left corner is two more sets of lupines, and they will need to be repotted next, I'm afraid. The Lupines are growing faster than any other seedling I have. Here is a picture of my grow shelf. There is another shelf under the one with lights, the same distance apart, that will hold my seedlings after I repot them. The upper shelf has a container of soil (it kinda looks like foil with the flash), container of seeds, watering can, and a container of mini cups. On the other end is some of the geraniums, the two mandivillas, and one lone aleo vera plant I got from the library not too long ago.
Next I'll take pictures of the rest of my indoor plants, and maybe some of the greenhouse.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T14:28:00.000-08:00

Did you all miss me? It's been a crazy time for me, as I know it has for you. My hubby got me the coolest thing, a digital camera, it was under $50, and I wanted one so bad. I can't wait to start taking pictures to post on here. I already have a list of things I want to take pictures of.
I have a bunch of Lupines that need to be repotted, but I can't until I get a new shop light for the second shelf. I tried the one from last year, and one side won't work. Going to Wal-Mart tomorrow is not high on my list of things I want to do, so it might have to wait til later in the week. I almost can't stand it, I want to play in the dirt so bad. I got some money for Christmas from in-laws, guess what I am going to buy? Darn, how did you guess I was going to get seeds?

Last Day of Fall

2007-12-21T11:58:00.001-08:00

It is officially the last day of fall, I heard the guy on the radio say tomorrow is the first day of winter. The weather is beautiful, it's sunny and 60 degrees. I weeded a little bit, and dug a little bit. Our sewer clean out is right in the middle of one of my flower beds, and is buried a ways down. We've only had to dig it out once, and at the time it was on the edge of the flower bed, so I didn't mark it. Now it's in the middle, and I need to mark it, so if we should need to use it, I don't have to dig up an entire bed to locate it. Easier said than done, I have dug a huge hole, and can't seem to find it. At the moment the plan is to wait til hubby gets home, maybe he can remember better where it was. Maybe even help me dig the hole. (cross fingers)
Tomorrow I have to take my oldest to the airport in Kansas City (four hour drive) so he can fly to Indiana to visit his Dad over Christmas. I actually lived in Gas City and Kokomo, Indiana for five years, when I was in my twenties. I was actually dreading the trip a bit, not the trip there so much, but the lonely trip back. But then I saw everyone else's gardening ornaments, and now I want to go look for some!

My Mental List

2007-12-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

I sat down briefly today and started making a mental list of all the things I would like to get done this spring before gardening season hits full-swing. My sewing room has a set of sliding glass doors that face south, and when we moved in it didn't have any steps or anything, just a two foot drop down. So am in the process of making a rock patio, it's about four by ten feet, a cement block base covered in rock. I have located a place to get more free rock, but I will have to buy the cement blocks and cement. I need to find some more brick to finish my pathways (I'm hoping to find a bunch someone doesn't want, you know, free). And it would be great if it would dry out enough at some point so that I could till up the new areas I want for new flower beds. A couple of monthes ago my middle daughter, 9, and I were walking around the backyard, through the paths when SHE said, 'Mom, we need a flower bed right here!', pointing to an unused spot. I couldn't POSSIBLY let her down, could I? LOL She loves to garden, too. Loves to help me, outside and in the kitchen, too.

The above paragraph I started on Monday, but didn't have time to finish it, and I thought I would finish it yesterday. Well, I won't share the details, but I was sick all day yesterday. It's amazing how plans get changed, isn't it? I'm just here long enough to post the above, and tell you I have growth in 14 out of the 19 packets of seeds I have started. Yeah! Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go back and do something I normally don't do, sit. Two days in a row, wow a record!

Wintersown

2007-12-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

As of today, I have 19 different kinds of seeds started, and ten have germinated, and are growing. Four from the first six, four from the second six, and the last batch I started seven different types and two are already growing. It is SO exciting, well, at least to me it is.
Gina from My Skinny Garden listed a site called wintersown.org, that will send you six packets of seeds free if you send them a SASE. I thought- free? I have GOT to try this. I sent my envelope out, and got it back in record time. ! I got:
Sweet Fennel
Lettuce 'Color Salad Blend'
Early White Vienna Kohlrabi
Aguilegia sp. Blend
Yellow Iris
Blanket Flower
Black-Eyed Susan
Spider Flower
Scabiosa 'Ebony and Ivory'
Tomato Blend
Today I was at my Moms, and helped make an envelope out for her, I can't wait to hear what she gets. Included in the envelope I got was a card explaining how anyone can send them extra seed, for them to distribute. I really must try to do this next year. That is, unless, I can find SOMEONE out there who would want seeds. LOL

Greenhouse Woes

2007-12-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

The cats located a small hole in the side of the greenhouse, and made it into a huge hole so they could go in and out. Wonderful. I guess they figured out how warm it stays in there. I nailed up a blanket in the doorway to the sewing nook, and found an electric heater to put in there to warm the place up. It doesn't look 'house beautiful', but you gotta do what you gotta do. Hopefully I won't lose any more lavender seedlings.
Tonight is my husbands company Christmas party. It's always a blast, and I really can't wait. It's one of the few times a year that just the two of us go out. Jeff's Dad and siblings (high schoolers) are coming over to watch the troop. It has snowed and snowed all day. You know the song- It's beginning to look a whole lot like a blizzard, everywhere I look.

Snow, snow, snow!

2007-12-14T05:50:00.001-08:00

It is supposed to do just that the next two to three days. It's supposed to start this afternoon, and go through Sunday. What's that you asked? Oh yes, my seedings are doing fine. I have had a few casualties, due to damping-off. The sewing room got a little cool there for a few days, and I think that was the cause. Last year I gave a lot of seedlings away, and last night my Mom offered to give me a little bit of money to buy seeds, in anticipation of getting plants later. I realize I could turn quite a profit if I sold all the extras, but I have so much fun giving my plants to people and watching their face light up. But if I still have some extras next year when I have my garage sale, I just might set a tray or two out. Who knows?

Evening Primrose is Here!

2007-12-12T11:20:00.001-08:00

I can add 12 Evening Primrose to the count, and there are now 17 Lupines. I have never had any Evening Primrose, but the picture looked SO pretty, and it stated that they spread a bit, even better! No, I haven't gone out to my greenhouse for more seed starters. Only because it is way too cold today, maybe tomorrow, we're supposed to have a heat wave- 43 degrees! I am so jealous of those of you who are telling stories of visiting greenhouses. I may have to do that tomorrow, too. There is one family owned nursery on the edge of town, and they have a sign out advertising poinsettias. I haven't had one of those in years, hhmmm....

Plant Counts for Today

2007-12-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

And the counts are:
Lavender- pink: 48
Lavender- lady?: 9
Lavender- true?: 4
Luping- tutti fuitty: 12
I do wish the rest would hurry! The sooner they all emerge and grow a little, the sooner I can start transplanting them, and start more seeds in the section of the propagator they're in. I'm trying to refrain from going to the greenhouse and getting another starter, so the second shelf can be for transplants only. The first shelf is already full with three starters. Do you think I will be able to wait? No, I agree, I probably won't.

Blog Stealing

2007-12-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

I have seen several mentions lately about this blog stealing. I have no problem with the using of my material, but I should be ASKED FIRST. Period. I was raised in a house that please, thank you, excuse me, can I please? were the base. When did manners become so non-existant? If a newspaper was to republish someone else's work, they would give the author's name first, and never, ever try to publish it as their own. I guess that's the problem I have with the blog stealing. I tried to get onto 'the' website and look around, but you have to be a member, and I don't want to do that. But from what I've heard, they are not giving proper credit to the authors. And a newspaper or magazine would PAY someone when they publish an authors material. HHHhhhmmmm......

New Look

2007-12-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

How do you like the new look? I would love to have one of those counter things, too, but have no idea how to do that. Yesterday we didn't go to church because of the ice, and so I never left the house. The kids are out of school today, so by four o'clock this afternoon, when Jeff gets home, the I'm going to the greenhouse for a little while. I don't care how cold it is in there. lol Except with the weather the way it is, he's liable to be very late.
I guess I did go out to the greenhouse yesterday, just long enough to get another seed starter. I started:
St. John's Wort
Foxgove- Giant Shirley
Foxglove
Balloon Flower- white and blue, both double
Shasta Daisy- Alaska
Lupine- Russell Hybrids Mix
Lupine- Lulu
I noticed last night the Lupines I started on the 4th are starting to emerge. I think I counted five already. I have both the True and Lady Lavender coming up, I sure wish I was certain which was which. That is so going to bug me.

Pink Lavender Count

2007-12-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

The Pink Lavender Seedling count is up to 44 now. I count it several times a day, it is always so exciting to see yet another sprout. My oldest ,16, is on the varsity basketball team and my 15 yo step son is on the freshman team, so as the gypsy would say, I have a lot of basketball games in my future. This week I attended two each an hours drive away, and two on Sat. about twenty-five minutes away. I even missed one on Friday! I had company, and that hours drive just didn't happen. I did, however, send him with a bag full of homemade rice krispie treats, and some homemade bread. That makes up for it, doesn't it?
Our 'front ' finally came through. We have ice, a nice, thick, shiny layer of ice. I would have preferred snow. I am, however, going to slide out to the greenhouse later today. I just MUST get some more seed starters.

Log Benches

2007-12-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

When Jeff was taking down trees last weekend, he saved me two four foot lengths of logs, to which he split in two. Now, all we have to do is add four legs on each one, varnish them, and ta-da! Benches. Won't they fit so well into my cottage garden?
In other news, I now have 31 little pink lavender seedlings. Of the first six packages of seeds, the pink lavender was the only one that was bought recently. The rest are leftovers from last spring. I left them on the hot back porch all summer, so I'm beginning to doubt that the rest will sprout. I do have one true lavender seedling, I think. The lady lavender and true lavender markers were the two Emily pulled out. I'm not completely certain I got them put back in the right places. LOL. Gotta have a sense of humor when you have children.

Snow?

2007-12-06T05:52:00.000-08:00

We are expecting snow/sleet today. That's okay, I will sit beside my little plant babies, and watch it through the sliding doors. I took the four 'middle' kids for 4H last night. I was never involved in it, but my Mom was, and a lady I buy eggs from invited us to join. Last night they had a meeting, and we signed up. When I got home (after getting everyone to bed) I HAD to go check the plants, and low and behold, there was a perfect paw print in the middle of my pink lavender section. I was rather upset, to say the least. Between the toddler and the dog, I'm in for it. This morning I moved both of the seed starters to the second shelf, and moved the baby gate to in front of the 'door'. The dog can probably jump over, but hopefully won't be inclined to jump onto the second shelf. As I was sulking last night, and I added up that it will only cost $10 to replace the pink lavender and astilbe seeds. I guess I can handle that. As of this morning, I have 11 pink lavender seedlings, but I wanted to put them all along the path that goes from the back door out to the greenhouse, and I'm not sure there will be enough sprouting. We'll see.

Seedlings!

2007-12-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

Remember the seeds I started last week? I looked this morning, and I have two little pink lavender babies. Yeah! Yesterday it was beautiful here, something like 63-65 degrees. I managed to get outside and weed half of the flower beds, but it was a little windy. It was so nice to be outside, working amongst the flowers, well, half-hibernating flowers. And before I came inside I grabbed another strophone propagation thing and I started six more packets inside in the warm sewing nook. The bright winter sun dips down far enough that it shines right into the room through the sliding glass doors. On sunny days thats the warmest place in the house, information the dog just figured out yesterday, too. CeCe was all layed out, right in the middle of the floor, asleep. Anyway, this is a list of the six I started yesterday:

yellow coneflower
lupine-tutti fruitty
evening primrose
butterfly weed- cinderella
butterfly weed- gay butterflies
astilbe

I probably won't get too many astilbe, I managed to dump the packet on the floor. I tried to find the seeds, but they are very, very tiny. I am soso sad, I started them last year, with no luck, and I was hoping this year to get a couple. I guess I will have to go buy some this year. BooHoo.
No, being outside in the wind did not help my cold very much, a price to which I am paying for today.

Pinetree Garden Seeds

2007-12-04T05:51:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I made my order to Pinetree, and I can't wait to get my seeds. I am sososo a garden geek. I poor over each catalog I receive for hour and hours, make a list of what I would like to have. I spend two or three days revising my list, then I can't wait to get the seeds in. I have ordered seeds through the mail for years now, but just the last two I have discoved the joy of doing so online. And no, I don't order from every single catalog that I receive. Some companies charge too much for shipping and handling, and some just don't have enough of what I'm looking for. Right now I'm in to ordering perennial seeds, I love to find new ones, ones that I don't have. I just can't justify paying $8-$15 for a plant when I can grow 50 of them for under $5. (seeds, pots, soil) This year my list is quite long (no big surprise there, huh?). I will try to start posting pictures of the 'babies' when they emerge.
Timmy had the flu Friday, Tyler had it Saturday. I seems as though were done for this round. Wow. EVERYONE didn't get it. Over the weekend Jeff (hubby) went out and took down a couple more trees, several areas had three or four trees growing right together, and we chose which one to keep, and took down the rest. Anyway, I saved a pile of branches to make a trellis for sweet peas and morning glories. When I get over this cold I will get going on it. I DO plan to spend a little while outside today weeding in the flower beds, it's supposed to be 65, and I just can't help myself.

Pictures!!!!

2007-12-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

If you walk around the left side of my house and walk about 30 feet, this is where you would be. I'm trying to get more brick, and the pathway in front of you will be brick. There is a small brick pathway in the lower right hand corner that goes to the covered porch. Our property goes all the way to the back street and to a line just behind the evergreens on the left side of the picture.Can you tell I have kids? There is a pathway of rock and mulch that leads to the little house. This picture was taken standing just off the porch (on the left), and the rest of the house and garage would be behind you.
Here is a picture standing in front of my greenhouse, which is at the end of the garage. The brick pathway will eventually go all the way around the circle bed and back to the front. I have several rock pathways that intersect the brick.
The structure above has a climbing rose planted at each corner, my husband, oldest son, and I made this early last year, and so the roses haven't grown much yet. I put the stumps under the rose pergolla to use as tables, in warmer weather I have chairs that sit out there with them. On the left you can see the end of the trellis I made out of branches, that goes along the side of the garage about twenty feet. I have three climbing roses planted there, with flowers in front of them. I still have so much to do, I hope it will be fun to watch my progress. When we moved in here there was nothing here, not even one flower.
I had a terrible time getting these pictures posted, it took me four tries! But I won't let that persuade me not to try it again. Next time I need to get a picture of the front, to get everyones opinion of my 'problem spot'.

First Seeds Started

2007-11-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have started my first seeds for next spring. Actually, I started them Wednesday afternoon. I could be the first blogger around here to start flower seeds, do I win something? Do I? Do I? Do I? Maybe more seeds to start? Just kidding. I didn't start them ALL. Here is the list of what I started:

True Lavender
Lavender- Lady
Pink Lavender
Rosemary
Painted Daisy
Asparagus

I started the lavenders now because they grow so slowly for me, and I wanted them to be a decent size when I transplanted them in spring. I started the rosemary because I have always wanted one of those wonderful rosemary topiaries. I love painted daisies, but they also grow so slow that I decided to start them hugely early this year. And the asparagus was just because I had one hole left.

Yesterday my 22 month old found the little pan of soil I used to cover the seeds. (Just as I was getting ready to leave, of course) Boy, was she ever happy. Today I don't feel as horrible as I could, I suppose, I only have a cold. My 7 yo is home with the flu today. See? It's all in how you look at it.