The Yard 2008, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.
Sharing some of nature’s blessings on this very warm Sunday.
Jun8
The Yard 2008
Category Archives: gardening
Jun5
I’m so proud!
First my lettuce!
Had some in our shrimp salad boats (hot dog rolls) for dinner tonight. Lots more left too.
And where I snipped it from, the garden in an old tractor tire:
I didn’t pull it out, I snipped it with my kitchen scissors. I plan to do that again before our heat wave arrives as it may bolt. I also have nasturtiums in there. I have nasturtiums everywhere! I just found two more packs of them and decided to add them to flowerpots and in the ground all over the yard.
Then I assembled this cross stitch flat fold for my friend’s upcoming birthday (I don’t think she reads my blog). She’s from Birdsboro, PA and I thought this was perfect. It took me about 3 weeks (exclusively, but not that many hours each evening). It’s a The Prairie Schooler design. Shrinking the photo made it look a bit distorted:
Here’s the backing material. I am glad it matched the design so well as I had bought it years ago!
My garden across from the front door is looking good. The large plant is coreopsis:
Mom suggested floating the fallen begonia blossoms (from the heavy rain) in my different birdbaths:
Peonies are so gorgeous and last such a short time, but unfortunately, both my shrubs had one only bloom this year. Any ideas why? The leaves are healthy!
And last but not least, a cool plant called ‘Spiralis’ surrounded by portacula:
Yes, we are expecting a heat wave starting Saturday-ugh! Got to be expected. I am sure it will boost seed growth. I did weed out my seed only garden of zinnias, etc. and I see more of them all then I thought. Whew.
Sean will cut the grass tomorrow. I asked him to get out the weed whacker to do a few areas. He bought it for me, but it’s for a taller person, or I just can’t handle it well. I loved my little Toro one that I had for about 15+ years and it just fizzled out.
Jun2
Magical mystery tour
You can bet I couldn’t wait to get outside tonight and see my new mushroom lights change color. I know these are blurry, but trying to hold that heavy camera wasn’t easy.
Earlier, Bri hoed some dirt in the garden and I planted some assorted gourd seeds. Some were red and green colored-interesting. I think the company colors them to differentiate seeds that look so much alike.
Yeah-I finished a cross stitched piece! When I assemble it into something, I’ll share a photo.
Jun2
Tomato tepees?
Today I was planting zucchini and beans in one part of the garden. I would like to toss a few gourd seeds in there to ‘ramble’ and to see if they amount to anything. I then tried to make the tomato tepees as strong as possible by adding metal poles I had. It’s a process. I hope it works. I think you have to keep the tomato vines as sucker-free as possible because they usually get heavy. I’ll add a photo if all goes well and they stay up.
Things have quieted down over at my group. I posted a blog comment over there (not here) about possibly leaving and mentioned indirectly who was causing me to think this way, no names. So the lady giving me the grief posted the first comment revealing the who, what and wheres of the situation. She then went on to publish it in two more places until I took the original off and she did hers. I read her grandfather was having surgery today, so I wished him well in a note to her.
It drives me bonkers though when someone completely ignores my point of view-like my brother did. The cons for this trip outweighted the pros. If you are thinking about having a get together with blog pals, research the travel options first. Make sure everyone is on the same page. My friend didn’t want to travel at all, not to even meet us half way someplace. She also didn’t want us to go to the tourist attraction, but to spend 4 days with her exclusively. How many of you would want to spend 4 days with someone you really don’t know that well? These are my thoughts.
With the cost of gas, we won’t even be traveling that much this year!
Off to the store in a few, though Sean is taking me. I have a tire that keeps going flat on the van! Bri is going to get that taken care of tomorrow.
I was so out of sorts yesterday, I could not get the fountain fixture in the pond to stay upright and to keep the tubing to the waterfall attached to that. I waited until the water settled today and it dawned on me that the tall plastic container that my water plants came in would be more stable. It worked! I was so happy. And happy that the changing mushroom solar lights came today too!
May28
Da da da da….da da da…
Yep, it’s the theme song music (if you can’t tell) to the Indiana Jones movies! Sean and I went to see the latest one tonight and enjoyed it! I think there were only 20 other people in the theater. Sean was nice enough to take me to dinner. He sort of owed me (ha) as he was a little mean with me early in the day because I mentioned ‘a job’. Well, I know he is trying to find an internship and is taking a night class. His best bet may be his old stomping ground-‘Big Lots’. He would save gas money (a big thing) and he knows the job. It’s not like it’s for a year or so. We went to Friday’s and it’s just okay with us, except for their desserts (we split a piece of Oreo cake-he had shrimp and fries, plus a Caesar salad and I had Salmon which had a 1.5″ bone in it).
Anyway, Harrison still has it after all these years. I think being almost 66, he’ll past the whip on to a younger guy. I won’t spoil who I think it will be, but he’s good! Also in the movie was Indy’s love Marion from the first movie, Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchett. Lots of chasing and treasure hunting!
Today I pretty much finished mulching. I think I planted everything! So I may be on time for my June 1st gardening deadline. I do have to plant some green bean and zucchinis. Rats-almost forgot. I’d like to mulch around them too.
I may go to my mom’s to weed out the lilies I planted a few years ago. She has a major honeysuckle invasion going on and they tend to get under the shingles of the house and loosen them. Sean would drop me off before school.
Have a great Thursday.
May27
Captures
I’m pleased with the way my pots with the coleus, petunias and lobelia are taking off. No signs of critter munching yet. We have noticed a lot of caterpillars around the yard (they fall on us too!) I got that little wrought iron birdbath at a discount store last Friday. It was missing some bolts and Bri had to find some that would work with it.
This is the garden where I have mostly Sweet William-Dianthus. It is suppose to be a biannual, so I add a pack of them each year. I have little Asian lanterns in there too. That tall, stalky thing looks like Freesia, but it only got like this last year, so I hope the orange flowers make an appearance this year!
I like geraniums in pots and plastic ones at that. I think the tighter they are, the more they bloom. The back of my houses needs some TLC and I’d like to start off painting that railing. I think I painted it red about 21 yrs ago!
I decided to put all ‘3’ hibiscus plants in one big pot. They were really pot bound. It should make an interesting display! They are full of buds!
These are delicate Japanese Irises near my little pond-in the background. The Canna lily I bought does not like it there (see tilted), so I think I will pot it up.
Another shot of that gorgeous Nemesia. And that is a telephone pole in the background.
May27
Promised ATCs
It’s nearly 80 degrees out and a bit humid. I went out briefly to plant a couple of perennials in the pond garden (which needs major weeding) and I got warm and came in. It’s not even sunny either. I planted Lupine and English Daisies. Seems my color theme there this year is pinks and purples.
Here is the Food challenge card I made for Emily over at ‘The Floss Box’.
I have all these sheets of letters in different papers that you punch out and am glad at the chance to use them.
Then I was clipping magazines and ran across this angel statue and decided to start a ‘Butterfly Wings’ series. The butterfly wings are from wallpaper border. The pretty white wings are from some papers I just got from Creative Papers online (love them!)
Then I did a Butterfly Fairy. Her ‘crown’ is part of a raspberry from the wallpaper border.
Her banner says, I wish you love.
And for my stitching pals-Art and Soul:
I think Emily fits in this category too!
I have these chalks that don’t photograph well (her neck), but I also colored her in with pencils.
Feeling a bit in a funk from not sleeping well last night. I was restless, it was stuffy in the house, I turned the air on, ate something around 6 am. I guess we all have those nights. I hope to do a bit more outside, but here comes Mister Sunshine!
May26
Memorial Day
We had our first barbecue of the season today. First Bri and I had to run down to the store to get the charcoal and meat! Before we went, I had cooked Red Bliss potatoes and some eggs for salad and deviled eggs. Getting everything cooked wasn’t that bad. I even made some ‘ham dogs’ burger meat in the shape of hot dogs as I had bought 12 hot dog rolls. I even cut up fruit for a salad and added a bit of honey to it to give it a little sweetness. Oh, we had corn on the cob too.
Bri planted tomatoes and peppers yesterday and mulched them today. I have to plant the other side with the zucchini and green beans. I am trying a Martha Stewart support approach for the tomatoes-you make a support out of bamboo or sticks in the shape of a tepee and have twine for the tomatoes. Hope it works! We have the tomatoes planted in circles. (Update-just purchased trellis clips, twine and 24-5′ bamboo stakes from 2 different internet stores! Sure beats running around from store to store with the price of gas).
I did make some ATCs, one for Emily’s food challenge (over at Floss Box) and will have to take pictures tomorrow and post them. I did do a little looking for solar lights that change color and found some in the shape of mushrooms, so I ordered them (from Amazon and a lady who bought them liked them a bunch!)
What fun!
Have a pleasant Tuesday!
May24
Happy Birthday Patrick!
Patrick, there on the right with his older brother Dave and my brother Dave (and Mickey) turned 19 today! Hard to believe the curly-haired tyke is now a sophomore at PSU now. We don’t see the family that often and are always glad when we do! Pat drives about a ’65 Galaxy that his dad and his uncle fixed up for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did some gardening with Bri today. I planted some tomatoes and he planted green peppers and a rose bush (named Dolly Parton, so I’m expecting some spectacular blooms!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 |
| Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants. |
~SHOES~
These are tiny brass slippers, about 4″ long. I believe they were meant to be used as ash trays because of the indentation in the back. I guess i found these on a white elephant table-boy, they are green inside!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is part of the fairy/gnome garden that I just mulched a few days ago. I call it ‘gnomeland’. I dug up a hydrangea and moved it, so I had more room for plants and gnomes! When the plants fill in, it really looks cute seeing those little people ‘hiding’ amongst them. Some of the paint on these to be touched up a bit. Another thing for me to do. : )
My pretty pinkish-orange (not quite salmon) nemesia. I think it’s going to need repotting soon.
May23
Mom
My mom went to the doctor this morning and ‘found out’ (but we knew it) she had hearing loss in both ears, the worst being the right ear. She’ll be going to a hearing specialist soon. Her doctor also said her right hip is probably what is hurting her more than sciatica. He gave her a shot there. He also gave her the ok to get her cataract surgery. Hopefully she’ll be all fixed up and feel better! Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
The sun is shining nicely and it’s warmer with a breeze. I finished most of my plants in pots. I need more soil! I usually put my coleus in larger pots so they get really bushy. All the coolest and rain hurt some of my seeds, so I added a few rows to where I have the zinnias, etc. Also stuck more nasturtiums and a few moon flowers here and there. We need to get the tomatoes, green peppers, bean and zucchini planted this weekend. Almost finished!
Almost forgot! Went on my first stroll around the yard and stopped at the pond. There was a garter snake stretched around the rocks sunning itself right next to the pond! I stared at it and it me! I came in to get the camera, but he was gone when I went back outside. Gee, have a lot to do in that area and don’t want to see him again. I think I’ll tap on the rocks before I start digging or anything!
Collages & Creative Goodness 