Garden – Page 6 – This Old House 2

Updates here at This Old House

We’ve had a busy few weeks, and today on the 4th we’re going to enjoy having to do nothing much… and I welcome the quiet with open arms. Might even catch up on some reading.

We attended another Quarter Horse Show two weekends ago. K and Max did OK, but they weren’t on top of their game. Sometimes it’s not all ribbons and that’s a good lesson to learn. My thinking is… we’re there to enjoy the relationship with the horse and work together as a team on a goal. It’s the journey, not the reward. As long as the journey is a safe and enjoyable, we’re doing what we set out to do.

Right after the Vineyard trip there was another Dog Days Adoption Event

at Bishop Orchard in Guilford, CT.

Making Hay and other stuff

Sometimes a good post title just doesn’t come to me. Case in point above. Anyway… despite all the rain and rain and more rain we’ve been getting, yesterday was a clear blue sky with a light breeze… good day for making hay. The hay equipment was dropped off last week, pulled out yesterday and the fields were mowed. Just before the rain returned for an evening shower, good enough to drench it.

What it needs now is time to dry before it’s picked up with the baler.

Unfortunately, we’re supposed to get more rain later today.

*sigh*

Making hay ain’t easy.

Kinda like love. There’s all those annoyances you’re not expecting, don’t ya know.

Anyway.. yesterday morning we woke to a Rosy glow at about 5:30 am…

The knockout roses matched the hue…

It’s my favorite time of day, especially the early summer mornings

when most of the world is still sleepy

Up at the barn, Opie says…

this is NOT my best angle.

Senior Max and mini Coady discuss the hay and rain situation…

Every day when I approach the barn I stop at the gate

to lay my hand on this heart rock.

Love lives here, at This Old House.

Impatiens I planted at the chicken coop below.

I haven’t had to water them in weeks.

Henrietta, my lovely vintage mini Cochin out looking for bugs..

…While Snow, Dorothy and Autumn relax and take dirt baths under the pine tree

in the front yard. They are all here in this picture.

Do you see all three? Look closely, all are actually touching in the picture.

Kudos to the person who sees all three correctly.

Snow is truly a beautiful chicken.

A large Cochin.

I’ll leave you today with my basket of flowers on the front steps.

I’m a big fan of something that says “welcome” at the entrance to a home or property.

Something that speaks of happiness.

When I see a home void of any kind of adornment,

I can’t help but think of it as a sad house.

Adornments don’t have to be extravagant…

it can be a little stone bunny with a small pot of geraniums..

or a sign that says Welcome..

or a flag, a wreath, anything that speaks to the occupant.

What speaks of YOU at your ‘front step’?.

It’s a new day all, make it a good one…

and as always, thank you for taking the time to stop by.

Hay fields

We’ve had so much rain lately that the first cutting of hay

has not been harvested yet. You can’t cut hay and bale it when it’s going

to get wet or you’ll have moldy hay down the road. – not feedable.

Atleast several dry days are needed to get the job done.

You need the fields to be dry to begin with.. then a day for cutting..

then a day for more drying in the sun and then baling day…

and maybe one more day for picking the hopefully

dry bales up off the field and stored in the barn.

We took a ride around the fields last night just before sunset….

We surveyed the gardens for water damage…

so far, everything is holding its own…

however, more rain on the way today and tomorrow.

After all that planting, we’re hoping not to lose hay and vegetable crops.

We farm on a small scale, but I can only imagine the

backbreaking labor and sometimes hardship real farmers

suffer as a result of uncontrollable weather issues.

I finally got him to smile a real smile for my camera.

No easy task.

Beach roses & Ben

I’m trying to figure out how to steal a few beach roses from the State Park Beach we are lucky enough to have just down the road a piece. How much trouble would you get in if you were caught in the act?.. hmm…

I took Ben for a walk yesterday as the clouds starting rolling in due to Tropical Storm Andrea way down in Florida.

If I could bottle that smell of Rosa Rugosa, a species of rose native to Asia, I would send you all a little…it’s the most heavenly scent if you’re not familiar with it. As we walked down the sandy lane, the smell lifted and swirled with the sea breeze and I thought.. even a troubled soul would feel tranquility here.

The roses come in several shades from white to deep fuchsia..

and I noticed they were vibrant and abundant this year.

Hurricane Sandy sandblasted them and

I figured they were decimated.. but it turns out they were rejuvenated.

Nature has its ways and means, you know.

Unfortunately for us, dogs aren’t allowed on the beach from May through September.

We took a peek anyway…

…sat on this beautiful piece of driftwood..wish I could lug it home

to my seaside real estate garden.

…and I thought of how I could do the stealing… of just one plant or two.

Ben took a drink at the dog spicket ( I just love that.)

There is a spicket for people and dogs on a road to Gay Head (Aquinnah)

on Marthas Vineyard .. a warm extension to people passing by.

This gesture always warms my heart when I see it in a public place.

Ben is now five years old… mid-middle age for a Great Dane.

Due to their size, their life span is relatively short.

Eight years is old for a Dane.

This makes me very sad.

I see him beginning to slow down and I rue the day…..

not even going there.

This is my buddy right here…

If I could give every person the comfort and companionship of a good dog,

the world would be a better place for sure.

Let’s go home, Ben. We’ve got some leftover steak in the fridge

and it has your name on it.

Whats Growing in the Gardens of This Old House

I saw a picture of a glass mushroom garden on FB a while back, and decided to put something similar together in a bland area of our perennial border. So… I went to the ~~junk~~ antique places along the shoreline and found a bunch of old glass bowls and vases to construct my own “mushroom” garden.

Do you spy the oddity?

Come closer….

I crazy-glued the bowls to the upside-down vases and then “planted” them about an inch

into the soil.

This one is my favorite, I love the edge on this pretty bowl.

$5. at the thrift shop.

My husband thinks it’s tacky, but I love it.

A really easy, cheap, simple way to dress up any corner of your garden in a unique way.

Lets take a walk in the drizzle….

Now in it’s third year, the perennial borders around the backyard are really taking hold

and multiplying. This spring I added a rock border as an edge to clean it up some.

I’ve potted some plants at the door to the shed…

and the rose bushes and peonies around the little greenhouse are thriving.

Connie… should I be cutting these rose bushes back some or let them go wild?

I had to treat the peonies for ant infestation, for some reason ants love peonie buds.

The greenhouse is empty now that all seedlings have been planted outdoors…

Mike has given the tomato plants much more room to grow this year.

He’s learning as he “grows”… I am so very proud of the farmer he has become.

When I met this man, he wore pristine white sneakers and gold jewelry,

having grown up in the city of West Haven and then a preppy suburban town on the shore.

On our very first date, it was May 5th, 1987, I don’t know why I remember that…

I saw those perfectly clean white sneakers, his perfectly clean Z28 and that gold jewelry

and said to myself…

uh oh.

HOWEVER… as time rolled on…

I like to think I countrified him.

His love for growing things and enjoying and working the land

has made my love for him grow deeper.

Who woulda thunk it.

If he’s reading this, he’s looking a little incredulous right now

at my blatant display of unabashed and public affection, right dear?

In the background of the above picture are onions, lettuce, basil, parsley, oregano and garlic.

These are my Italian Ice tomatoes… they are white!

I’ll let you know how that goes.

Out in the big garden we’ve got tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumber,

and string beans, peas in the background.

We learned the hard way that raspberry bushes produce every other year.

So the pruning we were doing was ruining that years crop.

Considering four years ago we took this old house down and put her back up,

we’ve come a looong way, baby. The yard is starting to fill in again, and look lived in,

it’s a beautiful thing.

Starry night Viola I have near the birdbath… it’s one of my favorites.

The knockout roses around the foundation of the house are very robust this year.

I over-fertilized them last year and almost killed them.

We Learn as we Grow.

Hopefully we Grow as we Learn.

Isn’t that the truth in all things life-related.

Bailey and Frasier agree.

MOM

Truly, my most cherished roll on this earth.

I’m grateful every single day that I have been blessed

with two pretty terrific kids.

Today there is a magnolia tree planted next to This Old House.

…a Star Magnolia..

Mike and I went to the garden center yesterday

for some plants for our moms, and also for a few

more perennials for my “seaside real estate” garden.

This rock is a gift from my daughter last year…

and I love what it has to say.

It’s a clear reminder to find joy in each day we’re here.

This is a painted rock about the size of a hand spread out..

I found it yesterday on the steps of a house one of Mike’s customers just bought.

It’s going to be gutted and re-done.

The heart rock was left behind by the family who rented the house before the sale

and the house will be used by more renters.

I couldn’t leave it behind, as I knew it would end up in the dumpster.

I love that someone, probably a child, saw the heart shape in this rock

and painted it red, keeping it on the front steps for I don’t know how long.

So back to Moms…

My mother and I were like oil and water when I was a young person.

Now? I talk to her almost every day.

Don’t want to imagine life without her in it.

When I need an honest opinion, a shoulder to cry on,

a compassionate ear, She’s my – go to –.

These days, it’s more like oil and vinegar… we make a nice salad dressing 🙂

Our relationship has grown and flourished over the years..

weeds pulled and cherished things added as time rolls on,

just like my little seaside real estate garden.

Happy Mothers Day all,

and especially to my Mom. xo

Blooms & Green

What a difference a few weeks makes..

We’ve got blossoms on the fruit trees….

The pasture grass is rich and green…

The Phlox in my seaside real estate perennial garden is happy…

Onions are coming up… The actual onion stays in the ground.

Once the greens start to fall over you know your onion is ready to harvest.

Our little greenhouse is loaded with baby vegetable plants..

and the roses and peonies outside are happy.

All those pots are full of dirt and ready for replanting of smaller seedlings on the right.

All are in need of thinning out so that the main plant can grow strong.

Are you gardening this year?

Have you planted seeds or will you buy plants at the garden center?

Trying anything new this year?

I’ve got purple dragon carrots to plant and Italian Ice tomatoes on the way.

They’re white!!..

Renewal

Spring took her time this year, but I think it’s safe to say she has arrived full figured and flaunting it. Finally. When I step outside in the morning the smell of damp earth greets me as I make my way to the coop and barn to tend the critters that make this place a farm.

Garden plots are tilled…

The grass is greening up…

seeds are sprouting in the greenhouse…

We’ve got enough Basil to appease the whole of Italy, I do believe…

There are buds on the trees…

The girls are free roaming whilst I keep watch for circling hawks.

(ugh)

This here is Henrietta… She is a Cochin, and I just love her small stout

vintage look. She reminds me of chickens you’d find in childrens story books…

When the hawk attacked one of my flock last week and I reported it on FB..

my daughter texted from work…

“OH NO.. NOT HENRIETTA??”

No, she’s just fine.

..and Andy.. my pretty blue andalusian girl.

I wish I had ordered more of these, they are beautiful and kind.

Yes, chickens can be kind.

The horses have shed a good part of their winter coats

and the shine is coming through. This is an indication of good feed and hay,

overall good health.

The Mr. has sprayed the fruit trees with oil that helps keep the bugs off..

We lost a few to this wicked winter.

I’m finding it hard not to focus on the horrible events in the news this week..

Such sadness and loss. Anger, questions.

..I want to know who it was this time… domestic, a lone wolf?

International? I’m not sure which would be worse.

But life goes on in the season of rebirth…

Life goes on.

PS. I had to remove the anonymous comment ability,

received too much ugly spam. I apologize to those who use this feature often

to join our conversations. Also, many of you leave wonderful comments that I’d

like to respond to or thank you for, but your e-mail is blocked. Just want you to know

your input is appreciated always –

It’s a new day, all – let’s hope they catch the Fucker responsible for this

monstrosity in Boston and he/they are consumed by their own blackened hell.

Garden Fever

Now that we’re beginning to see SPRING temps, I’ve got the itch to do something new in the garden. Although I want to get going on it, I think it’s still just a little early to put my flower seeds in the ground. This year I am growing them from seed directly in the soil instead of starting in pots. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I want to plant a long row of sunflowers along the stone wall that runs the length of the field behind This Old House. Anyone have any tips on successful sunflower growing? I also will attempt once again to grow some moonflower vine along the garden fence. Last year I had no luck with moonflower vine, the seeds didn’t germinate. I bought another packet and we’ll see what I come up with this year. Any suggestions are welcome.