FishinBC's Blog
FishinBC's May 2007 Entries
Last Post 104 days, 6 hours Ago
May 30, 2007 | 6:32 AM PST
We had a wonderful relaxing Memorial weekend. I spent Thursday doing the inside spring cleaning. What a relief to get that done! Friday we decided to replace the Japanese maple we lost in the spring freeze. It was crunchy to the base of the trunk so I know it wasn’t coming back. With the brick at the front of the house we decided not to get another red maple, we opted for a dappled willow. The white and green foliage breaks up all that brick really well and it will get plenty of water there near the pond.
The hyacinths bloomed this weekend in the pond. Everything else loves these humid days and afternoon showers we have been having. Saturday we mostly spent on the porch watch the passing rain showers. My daylilies I ordered and I put in recently are taking off and I so hope that they bloom this year.
The veggie patch is looking good! I counted 53 tomatoes not counting blooms. The squash has blooms and the cukes are filling in nicely. Never got around to counting peppers but there are a ton of those also. I picked a couple of large bowls of spinach and lettuce and this morning it looks like I never picked any! I need to tie up some more of the tomato limbs that are starting to get heavy.
Big decisions on what to start on next. It’s time to start planning what we will do in the back of the house. There is a curved driveway and a deck and that is about it. The property slopes down hill towards the lake right at the driveway so the original plan was to build a retaining wall with stairs to level off some area back there. I think we will still do a smaller version of that and add some flower beds around the lower deck.
Monday, Ryan and I took our kayaks down to the lake for a paddle and got caught in a down pour!! Well, at least it wasn’t thundering and lightening. We made it back to the dock and slaushed up the bank to the house to get dry. A good BBQ steak dinner had us all full and ready for bed to start the new week.
May 23, 2007 | 10:47 AM PST
Tags: elephant ears , cone flowers , leaf lettuce , spinach , birds , peppers
So that means that the decks won’t get finished. Oh well.
Brought some pallets home last night and will work on getting them put together for a compost bin. My Friday is today, so tomorrow I will work on that and can start filling it with the pile I have been saving.
Just putts’d around last night dead heading flowers and checking on things. I bought a cone flower and put it in the ground. I think I am going to get some more and put them in the bed where the squirrels did a number on my petunias. There are already some sunflowers coming up there from the bird seed. I left them to grow for the birds.
I need to harvest more lettuce and spinach tonight, so salad is in order with dinner. Checked the peppers and they are all blooming now or have little peppers. The cukes and squash are going crazy since it has warmed up again.
And surprise, surprise…one of the elephant ears that I planted before the freeze and that I thought was a lost cause suddenly made and appearance over night. It wasn’t there when I was checking on things last night and viola! this morning it is 4 inches high!! I hope the other two made it also. Guess I will know in a few days.
Watered the herbs on the deck and filled the bird bath on the deck with fresh water. Came back in and watched all the birds come to bath while I cleaned up the dinner dishes. One tit mouse was a hoot, it would sit on the side of the bath then slip off the side into the water and waded across a few times; none of the usually flapping and fluttering with this guy (must be a kid with an aversion for bathing). A chickadee came and soaked itself really well then sat in the tree preening itself. The Summer Tanagers come to bath every evening also, and last night they did some bee hunting from the tree, picking off a few victims from the verbena potted on the deck railings. They caught them then took them back to the oak to bang them to death against the limb before eating them.
May 21, 2007 | 12:30 PM PST
Tags: Birds , Deck , Daylilies , veggies , dogs
What a beautiful weekend!!! Lot’s of sun, perfect temps and best of all no humidity.
The rest of the daylilies I ordered came Friday night by the UPS man. The dogs were out front with me when he delivered the flowers. He gave them all a cookie, said he keeps them in his truck because some dogs aren’t very nice to guys that they think are mailmen. He got a big kick out to the black and white brigade, all three sitting at the same time and looking up at him when they realized he had treats. He said he wished all dogs were so polite to him!
I got brave and decided to give the dogs their lion cut for the summer. Left their manes, front leg feathers and tails. I hate doing it and hate how they look but I know they feel better with all that hair off.
I got busy at 7AM Saturday morning prepping the bed I put the daylilies in. Put some more mulch around the pond where it was wearing thin from the traffic to the hose bib. Hubby cut the grass and then we gave everything a good watering.
The veggie patch is growing, we had our second salad out of the garden and there are loads of maters. Yummy. I staked and tied of the green beans and caged the tomatoes that I have in containers because they are starting to get big. My carrots tops are growing but there isn’t a lot of activity happening under ground. Is that normal? Never planted carrots before. Lot’s of blooms on the bell peppers and a couple of peppers well on their way.
The pond is off and running again. Everything is coming in great. The lotus is filling in and the four leaf clover is ALL over. We had one lily and my hyacinths are making little hyacinths already. No blooms yet on the cannas but they are growing nicely. All but one of the 25 cent gold fish dozen made it. They are growing fast and giving the four big fish a run for their money. We had zillions of tadpoles a couple of weeks ago but no signs of tadpoles and no little frogs at all. I think the fish have been eating tadpoles; the new fish sure are growing fast!
After doing some shopping I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the birds between loads of laundry. The blue jay pair has three fledglings and their wings and beaks are busy keeping their brood fed. The whole family spent most of the afternoon in the trees near our deck. I never realized that they would feed their young from my feeders. I guess I would use any resource I could if I was in their position. The young were certainly demanding. I also wonder if they are teaching them to come to the feeders. I guess that is possible. The cat birds are actually visiting my feeders as well. That is a first, normally I see them down in the blackberries but they have never come to the deck before. The rest were the usual crowd.
Sunday afternoon we started in on sanding the deck and prepping for re-staining. I am very sore this morning but the hard work will pay off. Just a bit more sanding to finish and we will be ready to stain. I am taking Thursday and Friday off this week and will start on the lower deck. Hubby is off Friday and will help finish up then. Other than the decks and the shed cleaning, which still needs to be done, I think we are almost ready to take a break from all the work and finally sit and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
May 14, 2007 | 2:50 PM PST
Tags: veggie , birds , Pond
I I had a wonderful weekend and a wonderful mother’s day, because I got to play to my yard the whole time and hang out with the boy!!
I picked a whole colander full of lettuce and spinach from the garden Saturday and we had a big salad with our dinner. Used some of the fresh herbs on the deck to make a dressing. Yummy! My tomatoes are going gangbusters and everything else is coming along. It was really warm this weekend with record highs. But we have a cool down this week so that will be nice.
Ryan and I went to the pond store and got some water lettuce and hyacinths for the pond. We spent most of Sunday morning just running errands, going to the produce stand and having lunch. A good mom and son day. When they turn 20, their idea of a good time isn’t really hanging out with mom. But I think if you asked him he probably wouldn’t deny he had fun!! We also got some more 25 cent gold fish and added them to the pond. The originals are now about 6 inches long and did great over the winter so we got them some friends. My lotus now has six leafs and all the lilies have buds. Looking forward to the lettuce and hyacinths multiplying and helping to shade the water.
The daylily farm called to confirm that my order was dug and packaged and will be sent out today. Of course now I can’t find my receipt and don’t remember what I ordered! Oh well, I like surprises. I have been saving room in one bed for them and listening to hubby grumble about the bare spots. I keep telling him they are coming. Whew! Now they finally are.
The yard got its second haircut this weekend. I am so glad we did the front as well as the dog yard. It looks great and feels wonderful on the bare toes!! Zoysia was the way to go. Even with the trees it is doing great.
We got the back of the house power washed. The next project is to clean and re-stain all the decks. Once that is done I am hoping we can sit and enjoy the fruits of our labor for a few weekends without working. I did take some time to sit on the deck and watch the birds yesterday. Had all the regular visitors and a rose breasted grosbeak passing through stopped for a bite and a drink on his way north. His mate looks like a sparrow on steroids. She ate her fill and eyed me from the tree a few times. Got some good photos of her, but he was hiding in the cedar by the time I got back with the camera.
May 4, 2007 | 10:17 AM PST
Here are a couple of photos of the yard so far.
May 3, 2007 | 7:33 AM PST
Tags: veggie , birds , Squirrels , dogs
Lots of good steady on and off rain for the last couple of days. The veggies and flowers are loving it. By Saturday, we are supposed to be in the mid 80’s and tons of sun. We have quite a few small tomatoes and tons of blooms. My spinach and lettuce is growing like crazy and I put in another row of lettuce seed. The radishes and carrots are up and going to town too. The peppers have a lot of new foliage and are showing signs of blooming soon. Onions are plumping and the cukes are happy in there new bed.
All the daylilies, dahlias and lilies I planted are all up and doing well. Columbines are still blooming like mad. My new shade bed looks so nice, it really added to the front of the house. The pond side of the front was so busy and this side was a brick wall with a couple of windows. I just need to find something to put in there for winter interest. Is there a holly that does well in part sun? Pictures of all will be posted as soon as the rain let’s up enough to get some good photos.
The sod is well established now and looking wonderful. It will get its first haircut this weekend. Still need to finish the edging around the grass and ring the last of the trees with stone.
Went out front and sat in the rocker to watch the hummer wars last night. We have three feeders in the front and one little guy that takes up a position in the tree where he can guard all of them. I watched as he sat scanning the area, his little head swing back and forth, determined to catch any others trying to steal from his treasure. As the interlopers flew in, he was quick to strike, diving from his perch onto his unsuspecting victims. He successfully knocked one opponent to the ground. After each attack, he then proceeds to test a sip from each of the three feeders to be sure that all is well. I think I will get some S hooks to hang a couple of the feeders from the trees further apart in the yard, so that others have a better chance at a drink.
Anyone need a few squirrels? GRRRRR!!! Went out to the deck to check on my herbs and other pots and the buggers had dug in every single pot on the deck. Oh! And they somehow managed to get to my hanging basket of strawberries and ate every one of those too!! Told DH I needed a gun. He looked at me and said, “What did you do with my wife?” Teehee!
This morning I loaded the deck railing with peanuts and bird seed and hope that will keep them busy enough today and keep them out of my flower pots. I just bought a new finch feeder because they ate the plastic one. I think I have peeved them off, because this one is metal and they can’t get to the seed and they’ve taken revenge on me. I need a dog door to put in the sliding glass door to the deck and post Rob there during the day; he’d take care of them for me. You know that’s not a half bad idea really!
