From the Garden

Its been a tough year as far as the garden goes.  It was really a fight to keep things watered enough that they wouldn't shrivel up and die.  This was one of the successes.  This particular plant has about 12-15 of these massive blooms on it and has been flowering for two months now.  It was a gift from my neighbor.

The Garden

I love gardening.  Unfortunately the last couple of years have been so busy my garden was sadly neglected. (wish I had thought to take some before pictures lol).  So this year, while its still busy at my house, I decided that I was going to clean up the garden and whip the back yard back into shape.  I roto tilled a nice little spot for a vegetable and herb garden, fenced it off and weeded and planted all the beds along the fence and the garage. And then it hit the upper 90's with a bit of 100 degree weather thrown in for the fun of it.  My garden is struggling, despite the fact that my water bill has gone way up trying to keep everything alive!  There are some bright spots in the garden, this corner is doing very well.  And the weather is supposed to drop out of the 90's to a more reasonable mid 80's today and for the next couple of weeks.  I might actually get the rest of the garden up to par!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Well my garden is finally growing lol. Bit of a late start here this year, lots of rain, kind of cool. I finally got my topsy turvy tomato going (I have been dying to try this since its something my dogs can't trample lol). I also put the seeds in the seedling flats, the wildflowers are coming up already, the veggies, not yet. My daughter and son bought me roses for Mothers Day this year and I got those planted. Here are some pictures of the the roses and also of my irises which are doing very well this year. I am really hoping that the peppers, green beans and watermelon do well. I planted basil also and would like to add a couple more herbs to the collection. I would have liked to put in some cat nip for my cats but unfortunately there are a LOT of cats in our neighborhood and I have no desire to entice them all into my front yard lol.

Spring Alert!

Okay check out what I just found on Artfire. Now I am really longing for spring to arrive (as the sun glares off the snow that fell last night and this morning lol)!

All of Andrews items are recycled and I am going to insert what he has to say about them as he is much more clear and coherent than I am lol! As some of you may know I am a big believer in helping our environment and am doubly happy that I found Andrews stuff since it combines my love of gardening and nature with eco friendly things lol! Here is what Andrew has to say about what he does:

Quality And Value

Prized by boat builders and other artists for centuries, clear Western Red Cedar is the very best lumber for outdoor use. Its properties of stiffness, straightness of grain, high strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to decay, beautiful color, and enchanting scent are even greater when sawn from old-growth trees.

Unfortunately, there are so few old-growth cedar trees left, that with a steadily growing demand, the cost of this material is rising at such a rate that it’s becoming difficult for we as consumers to justify its use over cheap-looking shiny alternatives. The good news is, the lower prices I pay for this higher quality lumber gives me room to spend the time to carefully craft into each piece properties of unusual strength, and higher overall quality than normally found in cedar garden structures, and to sell the finished piece at a fair price.

Originality

Every piece is unique, as all have been crafted from woods full of different clues to its history, in decades-old fastener holes, tool marks, embedded mineral stains, and other minor inclusions. Although I saw and plane most stock to uniform thicknesses, I like these imperfections to remain as evidence of its antiquity.

Environmentally Friendly Goals

Thank you for considering recycled cedar. You may be contributing to a healthier future for your children and theirs, by playing the most important role in the preservation of our forests, and encouraging the further use of sustainable forestry practices throughout the Pacific Northwest and all over the world. You are actively contributing to the conservation of some of our most beautiful and beneficial resources, while finding the perfect addition to your garden.

So, go check out his shop at ANDREWSRECLAIMED or just click on a picture to go straight to that listing. Also Andrew might have mentioned something about a give away closer to spring so make sure you check back often.

More give aways are in the works also, including jewelry (not mine lol but maybe in the future), and beauty/skin products, so that's at least 3 give aways coming up in the next couple of months.