Category: Gardening

Getting Busy with Cleaning up

14/6/2015

A few weeks ago I posted a blog titled Busy Time is Summer Time. I shared images of the property my husband, and I were getting not too far from home but would be a nice little getaway area.
This last Friday my husband and I went up and started some initial clean up. It looked worse when we got there as the weeds had gotten taller. And for those of you that read that post I'm sure you remember how bad the roof was looking due to tree branches. Well, I'm happy to say it is looking much better with just a bit of work; and thanks to some friends that were there we had access to a ladder thus access to the roof. And yes, by us I mean my husband for going up on the roof. lol
The little area around the building, the fire pit and the roof are looking so much better than what it had been. There is still a ton of work to be done but there is already a very noticeable difference, and that makes me very happy.
I will be going up with my little vacuum as it has attachments for both carpeting and the linoleum floors. Trying to sweep things up was just a waste of time so I will not be trying that again there.
I also found a beautiful piece of art buried under weeds next to a tree. It is now cleaned up and next to the totem post. I also got the moss all cleaned off of the three little cement mushrooms. I took a little gargoyle up that I found, someone at some point had painted on him, this will be corrected as soon as I have the time.
I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and that your summer vacation is starting off nicely.
Blessed Be Everyone.

You can really see the fire pit now. Yes, the Foxglove plant was left there on purpose. The honeybees were loving it and I am for helping them not hindering them.

Looking out and across the road. This is the area I'm going to put stepping stones for a little path into our place.

The little mushrooms and the gargoyle that needs to be repainted.

He had me toss him up a broom so he could sweep the leave and such off the roof.

Looking better all the time.

My husband is amazing!

You can see the ground now instead of just weeds. lol

From the outside looking in for what will be the stepping stone pathway.

You can already tell that my husband has cleaned off part of the roof in this image.

Trimming up of some of the branches. Ones we had thought were broken off and just laying up there are actually still attached to the trees!

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Life, Gardening and Writing

31/5/2015

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Black Walnut start

This last week has been crazy busy with work, school, getting papers filled out for the property at the lake and trying to get plants repotted. It feels like there has been very little time to write anything.
Thankfully that is not the case. I had some new characters start chattering away at me, and I have over 2,200 words written for a new story. I have the feeling it is going to be a few different new stories that will be listed as adult content.
I have managed to get new fencing up with the help of my wonderful husband in the backyard. The new set up will make it much easier for me to get to all my plants for repotting, watering and weeding. It has also opened up a new little area for the dogs to play in. Looking over my mint plants I’ve so far managed to get a start from the lemon mint and will be getting starts from the pineapple, Kentucky and the chocolate mints. The other four plants are still too small to try and get starts from without doing potential harm to the entire plant.
I will be getting starts off of my sage and oregano plants as well as taking quite a few strawberry plants and pansies up to the lake once the area is ready for planting. We should be signing this Friday and since the Bellingham Highland Games are that same weekend I won’t start going up to work on the weeding until the week of the 8th. I found a great buy at Target, some little solar garden lights that were only a dollar each.
I have managed to replant a small Black Walnut tree and what I think is a plum tree. Only time will tell for sure and then once I know they are doing well enough I will have to find someone that wants them and will continue to care for them while they are little.
Our radishes are going crazy, and our carrots are finally starting to really show themselves. And the little cherry tomato plant that I rescued is doing just grand. I read an article about getting starts off of your tomato plants and I’m going to be trying it. I’ll keep you all posted on that event.
As always I’ve added some photos to this post.
Blessed Be Everyone.

Plum tree

Carrots 1

Carrots 2

Tomato plant

Radishes

Garden lights

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Mother's Day 2015

10/5/2015

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I hope that everyone had a more relaxing day than I did today. Lol Last night another branch decided to come down off of the apple tree in the backyard here. So, my day was spent cleaning it up. Thankfully no one was injured; the dogs were in the house with me when it came down. It even managed to miss damaging the garage. There are photos below showing from start to semi-finish of today’s clean-up of the apple tree branch. The part that is left will have to be finished with a chainsaw and a friend that has one of those is coming over on Tuesday—weather permitting.
I got my spearmint, peppermint and catmint plants repotted finally. There is a photo below showing them all lined up in that order and even a close up of the little flowers that are on the catmint. They look like tiny little evil orchids to me. Yes, you read that correctly, I think that orchids look a bit evil. Almost like some type little alien that wants to bite you. Lol
My husband was sent out of town for work last week and got to come home today. He bought me two sweet cards that made me cry, and he got me a new rose bush.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day whether your children have two legs or four, skin, fur, feathers or scales; it doesn’t matter kids are kids. May you all have a great week and bright blessings to you all.
Blessed Be.

Rose bush label

Catmint blooms

2 Tree branch down

4 Tree branch down

My Mother's Day Rose Bush

Spearmint/Peppermint/Catmint

1 Tree branch down

3 Tree branch down

5 Tree branch down

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Life, Migraines and Gardening

19/4/2015

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Happy baby Cherry Tomato Plant

I hope that everyone has been having a wonderful weekend so far. Here in the Pacific Northwest we are having an amazingly warm, sunny weekend. Since getting a new to me, vehicle I have been able to get out and do some things that have been missing from my life for a couple years now.
Yesterday I went and picked up one of my best friends and then headed to Bellingham for a day of hanging out together and shopping. I had forgotten the wonderful feeling of freedom one has when they have the ability to go and pick up a friend and just goof off all day long.
Today has been spent getting my newsletter prepped and ready to go out later today – part 69 of my David and Ragnhild story. After getting that done, I got the joy of having a migraine try to sink its claws into my brain. I’m so tired of having these vile things. They started when I was twelve so for the last thirty-four years of my life I’ve had to deal with them. I think I’ve served my time, they can go away now.
Thankfully it is spring time, so I can get outside and do some gardening. I have found over the years that even with some of my more severe migraines, being able to get outside and sink my hands into soil and play with my plants helps to reduce if not completely alleviate a migraine for me. I spent a few hours outside ripping out weeds, picking up after the dogs, pruning shrubs and mowing the lawn, and now the migraine is gone (Insert happy sigh).
My husband has left for a few hours for training with his taekwondo instructor. Little does the poor man know that once he’s home he’s going to be helping me move some large flower pots so that I can repot three mint plants. I also need to get some radishes, carrots and the rest of the potatoes planted.
While weeding, I did find that where I had planted potatoes last year, it would appear that I missed digging them all up, and they are growing again. Score! I’m hoping that they are the Viking Purples as those ones are so yummy.
I was given a tiny cherry tomato plant by a lady while I was at work one day. Sadly she had been in an accident and when she had come the next day to clean her car out the poor little plant had been tossed about due to the accident. She asked where a trashcan was so she could throw it out, and I told her that all the plant needed was some water, love and repotting. She grinned then handed me the plant and told me to have fun. I brought the poor little thing home and set him up in the front kitchen window with a water tray under it for a few days, and it perked right up. I trimmed off the broken branches and a couple days later I replanted him outside.
I am happy to say that the sad little tomato plant is doing much better now and seems to be very happy outside in the five-gallon bucket that I planted it in. I do need to get one of those tomato cage things for it before it starts getting too big. Last thing I want to do is damage its roots if I can keep it from getting blight or any other nasty things.
What are some of your favorite things to plant? Flowers? Veggies? Herbs? And does gardening help you to relax and feel better?
May you all have a wonderful evening and a great upcoming week.
Blessed Be.

Three photos of the potato plants that I planted a week ago and a photo of a couple of the plants that are coming up in the area that I had planted potatoes last year.

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Garden prepping

29/3/2015

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It’s the time of year to start thinking about gardens. I have two new four shelf greenhouses that at least one is going to be used as a vertical planter holder instead of greenhouse. I will have to do some modifications to it, however; they just are not strong enough to hold my potted mint plants in their current structural format. I know this because one of the potted mint plants bent the center pole on the bottom rack. I’m thinking some pieces of plywood cut to fit over the top of the shelving sections will do it.
And speaking of mint plants—I’m sure those of you that remember my gardening posts from last year where I talked about having regular mint, pineapple mint, chocolate mint and lemon mint plants. Well, I have added spearmint, peppermint and an apple mint plant to my collection. I am so excited to try these ones for cooking. I did learn about another mint plant that I want to get as well. Its name: Cat Mint. Yes, you read that correct catmint. Not to be confused with catnip. Cat Mint is very ornamental in gardens and can be used in cooking and teas just as the other mint plants are and will not attract kitties like the catnip will. To learn more about catmint click HERE.
Today was spent cleaning up the strawberry plants by removing all the old dead leaves and stalks that I leave for insulation during the winter months. Soon I will be prepping an area for planting my Viking purple potatoes and the rainbow carrots that we got too. I’m going to see about converting an old small plastic trashcan into a potato barrel. My wonderful husband has said that he will help me with doing that.