Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Autumn Torment
I, like many other people, have a love/hate relationship with autumn. On one hand, it is gloriously beautiful with an array of color that is unparalled at any other time of the year. One the other hand, it is a precurser to winter. I revel in the crisp air, the colors, the feeling you get after taking a deep breath, the taste of crisp apples, and all the other things that say "autumn." But, the little voice in my head is saying, "Here comes winter!"
Right now I am going to just enjoy the scenery and take what comes next with the best of intentions to not complain.
Right now I am going to just enjoy the scenery and take what comes next with the best of intentions to not complain.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Chapter Two
I intended to write this chapter about three months ago. Time flies and no one catches up with it! It is a cloudy, fall day and I have some beautiful fall pictures of the garden to post, but first let's finish the story about the backyard transformation. We left off with the mystery of what was going on to the left of the new fountain.
This is the before shot of the area in front of the garden house. The really lovely garden house was just not being shown off to its best potential and the raised beds which used to grow vegetables were now too much in the shade for good vegetable growing and had been relegated to nursery beds for perennials waiting to go into the garden, weeds and lots of self-seeding garlic. Time for a change!
Digging out the dirt so that the raised beds could be removed.
The original plan was to remove the raised beds carefully so that they could be transported to our daughter's house and placed in her vegetable garden. But, in the process of digging and lifting three, heavy frames Dave stacked one on top of another to get it out of the way. Wait a minute! That looks like the perfect compost bin! So, Plan B: keep the frames and stack them all up on each other for two, side-by-side, 4x4' compost bins. Ingenious!
Voila!!
The other addition to the space was a potting bench. I wanted one I could stand up at without breaking my back and I wanted to be able to face out into the garden while standing there. So, I designed, and Dave built, a potting bench with shelves for nursing new plants and also with its southern exposure, a place to grow herbs.
There you have it. The backyard transformation summer 2008.
I have lots of really pretty garden pictures taken recently. I promise to start posting those tomorrow.
This is the before shot of the area in front of the garden house. The really lovely garden house was just not being shown off to its best potential and the raised beds which used to grow vegetables were now too much in the shade for good vegetable growing and had been relegated to nursery beds for perennials waiting to go into the garden, weeds and lots of self-seeding garlic. Time for a change!
Digging out the dirt so that the raised beds could be removed.
The original plan was to remove the raised beds carefully so that they could be transported to our daughter's house and placed in her vegetable garden. But, in the process of digging and lifting three, heavy frames Dave stacked one on top of another to get it out of the way. Wait a minute! That looks like the perfect compost bin! So, Plan B: keep the frames and stack them all up on each other for two, side-by-side, 4x4' compost bins. Ingenious!
Voila!!
The other addition to the space was a potting bench. I wanted one I could stand up at without breaking my back and I wanted to be able to face out into the garden while standing there. So, I designed, and Dave built, a potting bench with shelves for nursing new plants and also with its southern exposure, a place to grow herbs.
There you have it. The backyard transformation summer 2008.
I have lots of really pretty garden pictures taken recently. I promise to start posting those tomorrow.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Baby, oh baby!
There is a reason this happy couple are smiling. They are expecting a baby! That definitely makes them headed for parenthood, but it also makes Dave & I headed for grandparenthood. Oh, my!! The baby is due in March and we look forward to every day getting closer to the birth and being able to hold a most precious bundle.
For details check out Klay's blog http://www.klaydoughdreams.blogspot.com/
Congratulations Klay & Richard!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The New Look: Chapter I
The transformation of the back garden started in mid May. Is it complete? Not quite. Complete enough to finally post about our progress? Probably. Is any garden project ever completely done? Not around our house! There are still some plants to plant to fill in the gaps, but I am waiting to do some fall bulb planting and see what little gems I pick up at the Friends of Manito Plant Sale http://www.thefriendsofmanito.org/index.html in September.
For years (10 to be exact) Dave has been wanting to build a water feature in the backyard. Our backyard is long in width and narrow in depth. Our drain field for the septic system is the whole backyard. So, our options are limited in what we can dig up. Thus, a few years ago a section of the front yard beside the front walk leading up to the door became a basalt columnar water feature and patio. Very nice. But, we don't sit out there even though there is a bench. So, next plan was to build a sluce box-type water feature off to the side of the house with the pond area next to the deck. Plausible. Would we see the pond? Probably. Would we hear the water? Definitely. But, I think that the best view would be for those people walking down the street and looking into our yard from the neighbors viewpoint.
Then, last summer a glimmer of a great idea started to take shape. The back garden had become very overgrown with a few select plants which had decided that none of the other plants needed to be seen. It called for drastic measures like digging up the whole 12 x 50 foot garden and starting over. If we were going to do that, why not incorporate a water feature? A Cathi-type water feature with slightly more refinement than the Dave-type water features of rock and hard edges. An urn! A large urn!
We went shopping at the end of the season to see what was left but, nothing worthy of coming home with us was found. So, with much patience and the help of a long, snowy winter, we waited. In May, we went shopping again. This time we found the perfect urn. Only the cost of the urn ate up our whole budget. My very clever husband decided that instead of spending big bucks on a "pond package" he could figure out how to install the urn on top of it's water base by purchasing the needed items individually and putting them all together. The urn was purchased and left at the site for drilling and installation of the plumbing.
A return visit in driving rain netted us an urn and all the parts needed to complete the project loaded into the trailer.
Well, almost all, as they sold us the wrong pump. But, the owner drove the 40 miles to our house to bring us the correct pump and consult on the project to make sure we were on the right track. Just how heavy is a 3' by 30" urn? Very. And, that is even before it has water in it. The urn made it home in one piece and was unloaded and moved to its new home.
Friend, Steve, who helped unload the urn and move it to the backyard.
The new home ready and waiting
The abridged version of placing of the urn
Fountain and dirt and rocks! Oh, yes. Gotta have the rocks!
Fast forward a couple of weekends and you have this:
The path leads from the deck out to the fountain with new stone patio and bench.
Another view
Trial run
Now to the garden.
Poor iris got dug up even before they had a chance to bloom this year. Hopefully, they will be forgiving and bloom next year once they get back into the ground.
Dirt & wheelbarrows
We were being watched!
The dug up garden replanted. Hopefully, it will remain tame for a while.
Chapter II is the companion project which was taking place just to the left of the urn/garden project. Will post that soon!
For years (10 to be exact) Dave has been wanting to build a water feature in the backyard. Our backyard is long in width and narrow in depth. Our drain field for the septic system is the whole backyard. So, our options are limited in what we can dig up. Thus, a few years ago a section of the front yard beside the front walk leading up to the door became a basalt columnar water feature and patio. Very nice. But, we don't sit out there even though there is a bench. So, next plan was to build a sluce box-type water feature off to the side of the house with the pond area next to the deck. Plausible. Would we see the pond? Probably. Would we hear the water? Definitely. But, I think that the best view would be for those people walking down the street and looking into our yard from the neighbors viewpoint.
Then, last summer a glimmer of a great idea started to take shape. The back garden had become very overgrown with a few select plants which had decided that none of the other plants needed to be seen. It called for drastic measures like digging up the whole 12 x 50 foot garden and starting over. If we were going to do that, why not incorporate a water feature? A Cathi-type water feature with slightly more refinement than the Dave-type water features of rock and hard edges. An urn! A large urn!
We went shopping at the end of the season to see what was left but, nothing worthy of coming home with us was found. So, with much patience and the help of a long, snowy winter, we waited. In May, we went shopping again. This time we found the perfect urn. Only the cost of the urn ate up our whole budget. My very clever husband decided that instead of spending big bucks on a "pond package" he could figure out how to install the urn on top of it's water base by purchasing the needed items individually and putting them all together. The urn was purchased and left at the site for drilling and installation of the plumbing.
A return visit in driving rain netted us an urn and all the parts needed to complete the project loaded into the trailer.
Well, almost all, as they sold us the wrong pump. But, the owner drove the 40 miles to our house to bring us the correct pump and consult on the project to make sure we were on the right track. Just how heavy is a 3' by 30" urn? Very. And, that is even before it has water in it. The urn made it home in one piece and was unloaded and moved to its new home.
Friend, Steve, who helped unload the urn and move it to the backyard.
The new home ready and waiting
The abridged version of placing of the urn
Fountain and dirt and rocks! Oh, yes. Gotta have the rocks!
Fast forward a couple of weekends and you have this:
The path leads from the deck out to the fountain with new stone patio and bench.
Another view
Trial run
Now to the garden.
Poor iris got dug up even before they had a chance to bloom this year. Hopefully, they will be forgiving and bloom next year once they get back into the ground.
Dirt & wheelbarrows
We were being watched!
The dug up garden replanted. Hopefully, it will remain tame for a while.
Chapter II is the companion project which was taking place just to the left of the urn/garden project. Will post that soon!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Holly's Engaged!
Holly's sister, Klay, already posted http://klaydoughdreams.blogspot.com a wonderful missive about Holly & Matt's engagement, but seemed like I couldn't let the opportunity pass by without noting the occasion. Dave & I are thrilled that she has found the person with whom she wants to spend the rest of her life.
It was such fun to share the moment with Holly & Matt. Her grandparents thought they were coming over for a shared birthday (Grams) - Father's Day dinner without all the fanfare of an additional reason to celebrate.
Should have known that there was an extra glow to Holly's lovely face all day before the big announcement.
Holly opening the chicken box which contained the ring. Ask Matt about the chicken.
Phones permanently attached to the ear for the next 24 hours as they had THREE pages of friends & family to call to share the news.
Oh, yes. Grams opening her birthday cards and Gramps opening his Father's Day present.
Matt, welcome to the family!!
It was such fun to share the moment with Holly & Matt. Her grandparents thought they were coming over for a shared birthday (Grams) - Father's Day dinner without all the fanfare of an additional reason to celebrate.
Should have known that there was an extra glow to Holly's lovely face all day before the big announcement.
Holly opening the chicken box which contained the ring. Ask Matt about the chicken.
Phones permanently attached to the ear for the next 24 hours as they had THREE pages of friends & family to call to share the news.
Oh, yes. Grams opening her birthday cards and Gramps opening his Father's Day present.
Matt, welcome to the family!!
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