A Little Spring Update

 

Typical spring weather here means lots of cloudy, cool days, some rain, a few warm sunny days, and this week some lows in the 20's F.  My young peach trees are in bloom, so I hope they will be fine if I cover them.  A nice day means I'm gardening or working on a project, one of which was the beginnings of a stone garden path between the tool shed and the raised beds.  Next up is to lay stone in front of the shed entrance.  With lots of help, I also have a compost bin now, built out of a few free pallets.

One warm day we hiked at the wildlife refuge looking for some signs of spring--leaves are starting to unfurl and some wild flowers were in bloom. 

The hellebores were cut Easter morning and lasted a couple weeks in the vase.  Tulips and snow in summer are in bloom and leaves are starting to open on the trees...I can't wait until all is green again.  Hope you are enjoying Spring!

Deb

late summer projects

Surprisingly I managed to sew more than I am usually able to in the summer.  The top in the picture above was made of chambray linen using the free Grainline Hemlock Tee pattern, to which I made several changes:

• widened the sleeves
• changed sleeve length to 7"
• used a 1/2 inch seam allowance
• raised the neckline by 1/2" at the front center
• shirt length 18 1/2"
• added a bias-cut, raw-edge hemline

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  The lightweight linen has a nice drape, and the loose style was perfect for a hot summer day--of which we had many this year.

My daughter made me a stamp with my business  logo.  With a bit of practice I was finally able to get a good result.  I sewed up several zipper pouches for the shop with my faithful companion for company. As you see, there is still no baseboard and one window yet untrimmed--our winters project.

There is not much left in the garden, but I am picking lots of Heritage raspberries.  Also still getting some zucchini, eggplant, random tomatoes, and out of a half dozen plants, I found one Charantais melon--last year's never ripened properly, but this years melon was delicious!

Today I planted two boxwood next to the back porch and two redbud trees in the meadow.  I'm hoping to find a couple more limelight hydrangeas to add to the front, as the ones I have are doing so well.  
What are your late summer projects?

Deb

summer news

It is difficult to acknowledge that summer is beginning to wind down. Parts of the garden are looking a bit forlorn; it has been a great year for pests--bad for the plants.  I have been busy in the kitchen eating/cooking/preserving what is good -- tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, many eggplant, zucchini, peppers, basil, and raspberries.  Delicious red haven peaches found at the Amish store have been frozen and baked into pie.  I planted two Red Haven trees this spring and can't wait to be able to pick my own! 

This is our third summer at our new-built home, and we continue to work on finishing things inside as well as adding to the outside landscape.  The limelight hydrangea are thriving and perfect for indoor arrangements.  This year we added a snowball bush, rugosa roses, a Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose, oakleaf hydrangea, bleeding heart, white pine trees, clematis, and more...  Inside, the pantry was finished and wall planks & a range hood were added in the kitchen.  A hundred year old beam from a corncrib was used to trim out the hood...still need to add crown molding.


We were happy to get away to the woods one weekend with our camper--we haven't camped since selling our previous home.  It was very relaxing, except for the night a large black bear decided to visit!  I've also been enjoying time spent with my first grandchild, a boy born to my son & his wife, and looking forward to another grandbaby my daughter and son-in-law are expecting in January.  Life is so good!

Whenever I could, I have squeezed in some knitting and sewing.  A sweater started for grandbaby no.2 and a dishcloth is always on the needles.  I sewed 4 tops for myself and a pair of pants, all out linen I had on hand--I was actually happy with how all turned out and have loved the coolness and comfort of wearing linen this summer. And most recently, I finished up a few zipper pouches for the shop.

It feels so good to be back here on the blog--please let me know what is new with you!!

Deb

2 May 2017

Looking back on April, it is a bit of a blur...so much happening both inside and outdoors. The month started with a snowstorm, but as it progressed, we had some very nice sunny days here and there.  
Inside, I painted lots of trim and closet doors which Mike installed.  Then the weather got nice, meaning that there are pieces of baseboard sitting in the laundry room still waiting to be nailed into place.  We changed gears and headed outside--me to the gardens & planting and he to start work on a fence for the back yard.  
In the raised beds I planted radish, collard, and kale seeds...so far the radishes are coming up.  For cutting, I planted some glads and dahlias also.  In the flower beds, I planted peony bushes, hostas, lilies, lily of the valley, a clematis vine, as well as an Angel Face floribunda rose bush and a bridal wreath spirea.  This past weekend I went to a 49 cent perennial sale and picked up coral bells, delphinium, coneflower, saxifraga, rock cress, english lavender, and carpathian bellflower.  The plants were a very generous size for the price and I had to restrain myself from buying more.  
Last year we planted a lot of trees, so this year we have only added a Kousa dogwood.  I would love some fruit trees {the two we planted last year died}, but am not sure I will get to it this year.  
On the snowy/rainy/cold days I enjoyed time at the sewing machine.  I made up some drawstring project bags and zippered pouches for my firefly farm goods shop   as well as a vintage army canvas tote.  Also started reading Onward and Upward in the Garden by Katherine White.  I am continuously knitting dishcloths and am working sporadically on the cable knit throw for my daughter.  Once in a while I pull out a sweater that I started for myself, and which will probably not be finished for some time at the rate I am going. 
My next major project will be outside...if it ever stops raining...All the fence boards and posts need to be stained, as does the Amish-built shed we had put up last year.  I just finished painting the antique gate and will be back soon with some pictures.
Thanks for stopping by--I hope you are enjoying warm weather---are you working on any projects?

Deb

Outside...

It's been a difficult summer to start a yard.  We are in the midst of a drought, having barely received any rain for a couple months.  The sprinklers run almost daily, and we have a mixture of weeds and grass--a definite improvement over bare sandy soil.  I have started digging beds across the front of the house so we can get started on some landscaping.  So far I have a couple hydrangeas which I found on sale.  Achieving the gardens we had at our old house seems a long way off right now, but I am excited to get going.

The vegetable garden has been planted, but most everything is doing poorly.  The soil we bought to fill the beds would seem to be the culprit, so I am fertilizing with some organic fertilizer, and come fall, I will amend the soil with compost and plant a cover crop.  I am really missing my old garden right about now.  Here is my current plant list:  tomatoes, onions, lettuce, green beans, broccoli, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, strawberries, raspberries, and rhubarb.

The bee house hanging out back at the edge of the woods.

The queen anne's lace is all in bloom--one of my favorite wildflowers:

Also seen on our daily walks:

There is a small wooded area at the back of our land where some ferns are growing.  I am hoping to make this a little woodland garden...

The blackberries have begun to ripen, so I am happy to have something to harvest...

Thank you for following along ~ I hope you are enjoying Summer!

Deb

cabin fever & a shop update

The world is cold and white here.  Out the sunroom windows a row of icicles dangle from the edge of the roof, and outdoors the snow has been getting deeper and deeper.  The sun rarely peeks out, but when it does it's cause for celebration...a glimpse of blue sky is instantly cheering.  Everyone, even the dogs, have begun to have cabin fever.  
I've been perusing the seed catalogs and have ordered some mara des bois strawberry plants and a few Heritage raspberry plants to plant on the new property.  There is no garden area as yet, so I will have to get some raised beds ready before they arrive sometime in April.
The house plan has been changed due to cost factors; disappointing, but we have come up with a new plan and will be sitting down with the architect tomorrow to finalize the details and changes.  This plan will have a walk-through pantry, which I am really excited about.  Everything should still be ready in time to break ground come Spring.
For now I'm concentrating on sewing, knitting, and finishing up projects. Some totes and pouches have been added to the shop, and I still have some more items I need to list.  I'm hoping that if I keep really busy, maybe Spring will come that much faster...