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Feb 27, 2009 | 4:06 AM PST
Well, the weatherman got it right, sort of. Yes, it did get up in the 60's, but it was two hours before sunset by the time it did! It was cloudy, cool, and windy all day. Son got here early with both chainsaws. They managed to fell two big dead trees that they had marked. They got it cut up and a few huge pieces split before they pooped out. He might be back today to split some more, load up, and take it to his house. He moved my bench. Funny, but it looked a lot larger out at the chicken pens than it did when it was placed out into more open space. I like it, though. It is very rustic after all these years out in the weather. I fear that the second natural area is going to be split in two by the zoysia. Who am I to say that it can't grow through my natural area? Who am I to dig it up? Not I. Live and let live! It can grow wherever it wants to, save the flower bed. I'll just pull the straw away from it and see what it wants to do this summer. We all went out for Chinese, and I enjoyed every bite this time. It's been so long since I went that it was good, and Mike kept bringing me the things that he knows I like. I was so stuffed that I didn't even get any dessert. We came back home and got some more stuff done in the yard, and since I didn't have to fix supper, I stayed outside until the sun left the yard and hid behind the woods. I got my two hours' worth! I don't know why I kept calling it the Thomas Jefferson step stool! It was designed by Ben Franklin!! Oh, how quickly our brains turn to mush! I posted a picture in the Garden Furniture section if you want to see it. Remember, I am no photographer.

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Out with the Sun

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Feb 26, 2009 | 3:29 AM PST
It was cloudy and cool most of the day--not conducive to playing in the yard, but the sun broke out in the afternoon, and I broke out of the house. I found a double daffodil that finally popped out. I thought that I had planted a lot of them last year, but so far, that's the only one that has bloomed. I cut that along with a few of the other nice ones and brought them into the house. They are such a joy. While I was out shopping, I bought a Chamaedorea elegans--a dwarf palm. I had checked again to see if they just happened to have the pink arrowhead vine, which, of course, they didn't. I wanted something to go on the Thomas Jefferson stepladder that would fit. It looks really cute. I have a few of the smaller chickens placed on the steps. I'm sure that someone with an eye for decorating could do a better job, but it's the best that I could do. I'll see if I can get a picture of it. Now that the chicken pens are down, the bench that Hubby made that used to be in front of the Biddy Barn is just sitting out there doing nothing. I want to move it and use it as garden art. I don't want to put it anywhere that Hubby would have to mow around it. I was thinking that perhaps in the second natural bed by the lorapetalum. That way we could see it from the front while we are porch-sitting in the summer. Son should be coming today, so why not use his muscles for something practical?

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Back Indoors

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Feb 25, 2009 | 4:34 AM PST

I didn't do much yesterday. I tried playing outside, but the wind was still biting. Then a veil of clouds rolled in. I'm sure that it was only over our house! I gave up on that and worked on cooking a wonderful supper. Hubby got the whirly thingy fixed. I came up with the idea to use a chopstick as a post. It fit perfectly. It's back out whirling away in the wind. I decided to do a little cleaning (very little). I have one of those Thomas Jefferson chairs that flips from a chair into a stepstool. I thought that I'd flip it around into the ladder position. My intention was to display some of the many chicken figurines that we have collected. So far, I only have one piece on it. I wanted to put a plant, but the plant was much too big. Maybe I'll get creative today.

I just had to come back in and tell you that I just looked out the pooter room window and to my surprise there was a bluebird sitting on the box. I called to Hubby to look out his window and verify. Yep! And there were two of them. Yay! Maybe we will have a nesting pair soon!!

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Sun and Blue Skies

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Feb 24, 2009 | 2:42 AM PST
Yesterday morning, John was getting ready to go out and feed the chickens, but he was just standing at the door, looking out. I asked what he was doing. He was trying to figure out what bird that was in a tree by the shed. I peeked out and saw a female cardinal sitting next to a great big bird. I couldn't tell what it was either, so I got the binocs. When I finally got zoomed in on it, it was a squirrel! Squirrel and bird, looking at the feeder. Of course, the second that we opened the door, the squirrel took off like a shot. He knew better than to hang around the Bucolic Bungalow. The bright sunshine and the Carolina blue sky were deceiving. I ventured out in a light jacket around 2 p.m., knowing that it would be pretty warm from the looks of things. Au contraire. The wind was biting. I had to put on my ear muffs so that I could stand it out there while I searched for the thistle sock that had blown down. I started for the woods, but thankfully, I spied it between the Hisbiscus Garden and the Butterfly Garden. I also found one of our whirly thingies that had blown off in the Garden Garden. Hubby will have to fix that one before he can mount it back where it belongs. I filled all three of the thistle socks, the two in the front and the one in the back. Those finches are devouring the seed like crazy. The minute that I had them back up, they were covered with the birds again. They must have been in the woods, watching and waiting. I did a walkabout and spied three large daffodils, a nice variety. They were a bit droopy from the cold, but I cut them and brought them into the house. They perked up when they became warm. I'm surprised that any of them are left because of morning temps in the low 20's. It is supposed to get up into the 50's today, so maybe I can get outside and play.

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Winds

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Feb 23, 2009 | 4:42 AM PST
I don't know what the official measurements for the wind was yesterday, but it sure was strong. I was looking out the window at the Butterfly Garden, and it appeared that the wind was trying to wring the shrubs like a dish rag. They would spiral one way, and then spiral the other. It's a wonder that they weren't wrenched out of the ground. It didn't seem to bother the birds any. They were still out in full force. The finches were clinging to the thistle socks, and the gusts would blow them almost horizontally. By evening, the thistle socks were almost empty. I noticed that the one on the shepherd's crook was gone. I didn't have that one attached with a twist tie. It has never blown off before, and we have had some really stong winds in the past. I suppose that I will find it snagged somewhere on the edge of the woods. At least no trees fell on the chicken pen. If the winds are this strong in February, what in the world will they be in March?

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Bird Hogs Bath

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Feb 21, 2009 | 3:50 AM PST
It's been a mite too cold and windy to play in the yard, but yesterday while I was out, I spied a big ole mourning dove sitting right in the middle of the new make-shift birdbath. It was so big that it almost took up the whole thing. The little finches and chickadees where flitting around from bush to bush, trying to get their turn, but Mr. Dove wasn't budging. What a hoot . . . or should I say what a coo!? Finally, the finches and others gave up. I hope they spotted the birdbath in the backyard. There's a lesson in here somewhere, but I'm not sure what it is.

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Thistle Socks

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Feb 18, 2009 | 3:43 AM PST
There was nothing exciting on our trip into town. Since our list was short, our time was short, and the bill was about half what it usually is. Hubby liked that. I suppose I'll have to be creative with the meals this week. Even though it was cool outside and windy as usual, the sun was shining brightly in blue skies. I couldn't resist bundling up and going out. The finches cleaned out the thistle sock in the backyard already. I refilled that one. It's easy to take down, fill, and put back up. . . now. I decided to fix the sock in the front yard so that I can take it down to refill easily, too. I am tired of climbing up on a stool, with my arms way up in the air, and eating the thistle that the wind always blows in my face. I finally untangled the knot and got it down. I discovered a hole that they had pecked in it, so I got a needle and thread and sewed it up. No problem. I used a twistie tie to put it back up. Oh, it's sooo much easier to do. The one on the shepherd's crook was never a problem. Now we have all three thistle socks filled, and the finches are having a ball. The goldfinches are becoming more yellow everyday! Flying daffodils! Speaking of daffodils. The daffodils were drooped flat on the ground yesterday morning due to the freezing weather, but thank goodness they perked up when it warmed up. I picked another bouquet to bring into the house. I just fadoodled around in the yard enjoying myself, knowing that today may be rainy. I hear a little drippy going on now. I do hope that we get a substantial amount. I suppose we will be housebound today, but that will give me a chance to get some work done. Well....I hope so anyway.

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Birds

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Feb 17, 2009 | 4:37 AM PST
I didn't realize until later, but we got 2/10ths inch of rain Sunday night. It's better than nothing. It was a bit too cool for me to play in the yard yesterday, so I started working on a book that I have been editing. It's a layout nightmare. Later, the sun was streaming in the window, and I just couldn't resist going outside. The sun was wonderful, but the wind was c-o-l-d! I didn't last out there for long, but I still enjoyed being outside. Hubby just decided that we will do our run-around-town day today since it will be raining tomorrow or so they say. It's in the 20's this morning, but that's better than being in the rain. I don't mind the shopping so much, but he doesn't have a thing on the grocery list to eat. I hope that my brain gets into gear soon, and I can think of something. There are so many birds in the front yard right now, that I couldn't count them if I wanted to! When I was counting them the other day, there weren't very many. Now, wow. It's a huge flurry of activity of all kinds! I have noticed that the goldfinches are turning noticeably yellow now. The birds are using the makeshift birdbath, so I assume they don't care what it looks like. I suppose that it will stay now.

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Restful Day

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Feb 16, 2009 | 4:41 AM PST
Happy Presidents' Day! Yesterday turned out to be a lot prettier than they were predicting. I went out later in the afternoon, and it was quite pleasant. Hubby told me not to bend over and pick up a thing because he knows just what that causes. Once I start, I can't stop! Instead of working, I just did a walkabout, looking at this and that. I did pick some more daffodils to bring into the house. I looked at the things that I want to do. This week won't be as warm as it has been, but it may be tolerable if there is no wind. Now I must figure out how to submit the backyard bird count. I looked at the site, but I didn't see exactly what I was supposed to do. We were sleeping in big-time this morning. We didn't get up until 6 a.m. We both felt like we had been drugged. I attribute that to the chemicals in the fish, the sunshine, and fresh air. Who needs Ambien or any other sleep aid?

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No Yardwork

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Feb 15, 2009 | 2:46 AM PST
No work on Valentine's Day! I think that I needed the break. My wrist was aching after all that rosemary pruning. My first thought was Oh, no. Carpal tunnel syndrome, but it seems to be better today. Daughter and Grandson got here well before lunchtime so we had a chance to catch up on a lot of things. She brought some DVD's that she thought we might enjoy watching sometime and some books that she thought we would like to read. She was surprised by her birthday presents. It's been so long since her actual birthday, I guess she had forgotten about it. She was thrilled with the cupcakes and the candied orange peels. She loved the plant and its pretty container. Of course, she really loved her Burt's Bees hand cream. She never did put on her knitted slippers that I made to put the duct tape on the bottoms. I always put duct tape on the bottoms, one, to keep from slipping on the floor, and two, it makes them last twice as long. We were so busy yapping that we forgot to do it. Yes, we made it out for seafood! I ate until I couldn't get out of the seat and still have leftovers for tonight's super. They really piled it on. Everyone had the seafood except Grandson. He has become allergic and had to have a hamburger, but he seemed happy enough. We returned home and yapped some more. Hubby gave Grandson his twelve-string guitar. He doesn't play it anymore, so why not? Grandson was tickled to death. He played us a tune or two. Hubby and Grandson did chicken stuff while Daughter and I did a walkabout. She was impressed at what all I had done. I now realize that I really don't have that much more heavy work to do. The Old Gourd Garden needs to be de-leafed badly. It's deep, but the Hibiscus and Butterfly Gardens aren't in too bad of shape. Daughter was afraid that I had pruned away all the rosemary and wanted some for cooking. Then she saw the one in the Poison Garden. Yep, there's plenty! You should see how big that one is. That'll take a day or so! She got a bag full for cooking and an arrangement for house and work. They were loaded down when they left with all their surprises and a few dozen eggs hot out of the hens to boot. It was a good day, but no cards, candy, flowers, pearls, or diamonds. Just my beloved seafood. I was grateful for that!

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More Rosemary Pruning

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Feb 14, 2009 | 3:25 AM PST
Happy Valentine's Day! My feet hit the boards running yesterday. I threw in a load of dirty gardening clothes and started mixing up a cake for Daughter's birthday, which was, of course, back in January (the ninth). Every time that she was supposed to come, something came up. When that load was done washing, I started another. I decided to do cupcakes, which I haven't done in ages. That way she can easily take one or two with her to work. That's a slow process of doing a few at a time. While they were baking, I changed out all the linens and put fresh. Started another batch of cupcakes and started washing the linens. I had to get all the winning poems from January formated and posted on the poetry site while things were baking and washing or drying. I also had to see what was happening with everyone on the Garden Guides as well. Got the cupcakes done and got everything cleaned up. Finished with the linens and got all of them put away. Would you believe I got all that done by 10 o'clock? I was ready to hit the great outdoors. I went back to that big ole rosemary and finished trimming up spots that I had missed. Then I went to her neighbor and started pruning that one. There was a lot of dead wood in it. That took forever, but boy, did it look better. While I was taking a break, I noticed that the rosemary in the Outhouse Bed, was all out of shape, too, so I pruned it as well. Next, was my poor, pitiful, pearl. The original rosemary. She's out all by herself near a dogwood tree. The first one that we ever had. All the other rosemary bushes were rooted from her. She's a mess and just barely hanging on, but I can't bear to dig her up for sentimental reasons. Talk about dead wood! The leaves had really piled up underneath her, and I had a time getting them all out. That exposed a whole bunch of toady-frog holes. No wonder the poor old thing can't live. Leaves all over and holes under. What do I expect? I jooged up the froggy holes as best I could, and got out most of the leaves. Of course with all the wind blowing, I'm sure more will be back today. When I would take a break, I would be entertained by the finches, both the goldfinch and the purple finch. There were lots of chickadees and titmice, too. They were all over the place, using the birdbath in The Cement Garden, the feeder, and the sock. I had had it by four o'clock. I was so pooped that I could barely move after all that. I'm all ready for Daughter and Grandson to come, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll go out for seafood, but you know how it goes. Something will cause us not to be able to go there. So far, no mention of Valentine's Day from Hubby. So what's new? He hasn't acknowledged that holiday for ages! Some romantic. He did buy me a great pair of washable leather gardening gloves at Walmart last week that actually fit my small hands. They were too expensive, but I let him buy them. I think that's my Valentine's gift. Hmmm. I'll take 'em!

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Birdbath

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Feb 13, 2009 | 8:21 AM PST
It didn't look all that great outside, but I put on my jacket and ear muffins and went out anyway. I decided to fix a birdbath since my pelican birdbath basin crumbled. The pelican is left standing, and I like that because it's the state bird of Louisiana from which my husband hails. I tried to create a makeshift birdbath out of two terra cotta pots and a terra cotta saucer. We'll see how that works. It doesn't look great, but if it works, it can stay. After an hour, the skies cleared, the sun came out, and I came out of the jacket! I eventually came out of the ear muffs as well. The wind was still blowing, but it wasn't a cold wind. I was taking a break and didn't like the fact that I couldn't see the birdbath in The Cement Garden through the rosemary from the Thinking Bench, so I started pruning. It is huge. I pruned down about two feet. I can't take it back but so far because it is old, and she doesn't have any growth way down inside the plant. The last time I whacked one way back, it died. I didn't want to kill this one. When I finally finished, (actually, I just pooped out) it looked better, but I still couldn't see the birdbath! I want to trim the other one on the other side. I'll get to that when I can. The cold weather is coming back, so we'll wait and see. The finches have found the thistle sock. They were all over it. They haven't gotten their yellow summer plummage yet, but that's ok. I was glad to see them home where they belong.

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Too Nasty

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Feb 12, 2009 | 9:01 AM PST

We got our running-around-town done in record time yesterday and had plenty of time to work outside. I started doing a few things, but it was cloudy, cool, and windy as heck, so there wouldn't be any playing in the yard for me. One of my gal-pals decided if we couldn't work in the yard, then we could play. She came over around noon, and we had a great time playing cards with our usual junk to eat. The mini-Snickers were a huge hit! We did a walkabout before she left, and she could see all the work that I had done, but she could also see all the work I have left to do. Her truck bed (long-bed) was loaded from front to back with pine straw. Ooh, what I wouldn't give for half of it! At least she had already scouted out the place to get the best pine straw and where not to go. After she left I spied some nice daffys blooming at the corner of the Front Flower bed. I just had to cut them and bring in the sunshine.

It's blowing like crazy again today, but at least the sun is shining! I may just go out and piddle a bit.

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New Daffodil Bed

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Feb 11, 2009 | 8:44 AM PST
It was supposed to be a lovely, warm day yesterday, so I put on lightweight clothes. I went out to work and discovered that it was cooler than I thought it would be. I figured that it would warm up after I started working. I began on the New Daffodil Bed. It appeared daunting. It's about four feet by 17 feet with about a foot or two of leaves on top. I started on the edges and worked my way in, being very gentle so as to not pop off any emerging daffys and lilies. I was working with three buckets again, and the chickens were clamoring for their treat. Well, they got plenty, I assure you. Whew, this was taking forever. I found where a few rocks had fallen off the Great Wall of Willie, so I had to get Hubby to help me get them back without knocking more off. One little daffy barely missed getting shut out from life. One side of it was yellow from no sun, but it had struggled to pop out from under that rock and was about ready to bloom. I assume that it will straighten itself out. You wouldn't believe the acorns. I didn't mind picking them up, but 90 percent of them were rooted! The root was about 6 inches long, and they did NOT want to come out of the ground! If left alone, we would have another forest out there. I have never seen so many! That's all that I got done all day long! It took forever, but it was worth it to sit back and look at the little daffys that were blooming. It never really warmed up, and the wind was pretty strong. I just put on my ear muffins and continued to work as I was dressed. Oh, and the eye is still red, but it's not burning as bad as it was. It's just annoying now. The wind is blowing like crazy now. I've been watching the leaves blow back over everything. Hrrumph!

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The Beach

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Feb 10, 2009 | 5:09 AM PST
As I was finishing up my pootering yesterday morning, I noticed that my left eye was blurry, stinging, and watery. I finished what I was doing and took my morning shower. When I went to put on my make-up, I saw that my eye was red as fire and swollen. Not around the eye, but the eyeball itself! What in the world did I get into out in the yard? It stayed that way all day yesterday. This morning it's still red as fire, but it's not stinging and burning as badly. . . yet. It was another beautiful day. I started on The Beach. It was totally covered with leaves. That took me forever! Instead of filling two buckets for the chickens, I switched to three at a time. I lost count as to how many loads I got for the chickens. They had a ball. There is still a lot to do on The Beach, but I'll get back to it eventually. At least you can see the shells now. Next, I went to the Back Forty. What a mess that is. I only got about halfway through that bed. It's a biggie! I asked Hubby to take down the finch sock in the backyard so that I could clean it out and refill it. I can hear the finches out in the woods. We were getting no birds at all in the back. I wasn't happy with that. He had taken down the regular bird feeder because he said that sunflower seeds are too expensive. I guess he felt sorry for me, and he put it back out. It wasn't 30 minutes before the birdies found it and things were chipper again. The finches didn't come to the sock, however. Maybe with all the other bird activity that will attract them back. I cut two tiny little daffodils from the New Daffodil Bed and brought them into the house. They had burst forth yesterday morning. I don't know exactly what kind they are, but they are pretty. Oh, there is so much to do, but it's fun playing.

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Poison Garden

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Feb 9, 2009 | 3:20 AM PST
It was another gorgeous day. I had no intention of working. We were just going to enjoy the beauty of the day, but before you know it, I bent over to pick up something, and you know the old saying: One good bendover deserves another. The next thing I knew I was cleaning up this or clipping that or messing with something. I wound up working the rest of the afternoon. I can't say that things are looking good yet, but I can say that I won't have quite as much to do when it comes time to really do the clean-up. My big forsythia has flowers on about half of it, so when spring comes, it probably won't put on much of a show. The chickens didn't lay much either. I'm sure it is because I was constantly disturbing them to bring them a bucketful of goodies. I've told the tale of the Poison Garden before, but since you asked. . . The Poison Garden was a bed that we made around a great big oak tree a long time ago. Nothing would grow in that bed due to the tanins produced by the tree. Then the tree died, and we had it removed. The next summer things started popping up all over the place. Things grew like crazy. While I was resting at the Thinking Bench, I decided to list the plants that were there. Here is the list: althea, artemesia, gardenia, mondo grass, shasta daisy, tansy, St. John's wort, perennial petunia, oxalis, columbine, sedum, red hot poker, Easter lily, day lily, lavender, iris, thrift, 2 different mints, ice plant, nandina, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, jasmine, southernwood, sage, Sweet Annie. Oops miscounted, that's 27. Oh, and I put some of the ginger and St. Joseph lilies in there, too, so that would make it 29. If the marigolds that were in there last summer reseed, that would make it 30. If they don't, I just remembered that there is a calla lily that my friend gave me in there that should pop up when it gets warmer. Sometimes I have a few sunflowers in there that the birds plant for me. That's the tale of the Poison Garden.

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February 8

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Feb 8, 2009 | 5:39 AM PST
I spent the whole day outside. Son came to get the stepping stones that Hubby dug out that led to the now destroyed Biddy Barn. No, I wasn't interested in going out to eat. I told them to go do their thing. I had lots to do. I got the stepping stones around the Rock Garden about half cleaned up and the marjoram trimmed back. Some of the leaves were wet, and I couldn't get them to "unstick." I'll give them time to dry out and try it again. I got about half the Back Flower Bed cleared of a lot of leaves, trying to find those stepping stones. I did a little more in the Poison Garden, and a little in The Beach. Just whatever struck me at the time. The chickens were having a ball playing in all the leaves. They don't get upset anymore when I go in clanging those big white buckets. Now, they are happy to see me. The wind picked up and became strong, but at least it was a warm wind. I sure couldn't stand being in the ear muffins! I ended the day contemplating at the Thinking Bench. I started wondering just what IS in the Poison Garden. I wrote down as many as I could. It came to 25 different plants. How about that! Oh, and I planted the ginger and St. Joseph lilies that I got from ccat. They were bursting out of the box. After I planted them, I gave them a little blanket of mulch all around. I'll have to remember to give them some more if we get another big freeze. One thought that I came up with, too, was the area in front of the Butterfly Garden. Since it is so shady there now, it doesn't grow grass well. There is not much need to try to sprig zoysia, so I think that I will sprig some creeping jenny. I asked Hubby about the idea, and he said that it was fine with him. He wouldn't have to mow it. If I can get a good stand of it, the weeds won't grow there. I'll have a job getting out these cool-weather weeds. I think I'll hand-pull rather than try a herbicide. Too many birds around in that area. It will be another beautiful day. I can't wait to get outside if nothing more than to just enjoy it.

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February 7

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Feb 7, 2009 | 4:02 AM PST
I can't believe that it is February 7! Well, yippee-doodle, wasn't it a wonderful day yesterday? It was a mite nippy when I first went out, but the sun was blazing, not a cloud in the sky. It must have been in the high 50's. I first did a walkabout to assess what I wanted to do. The Poison Garden was a mess. I started with it. There were a lot of shasta daisy stalks that I evidently never cut back. It looked awful. The oregano still had its flower stalks as well, dead of course. I took out spent artemesia and Easter lilies. I discovered runners from the jasmine that were under the leaves. They must have been 20 feet long. I tried winding most of them back onto the shepherd's crook, but they really didn't want to cooperate. I did as many as I could, but I'll have to go back and cut the rest of them shorter and try a different technique before they take over the whole bed. I cleaned up the drifts of leaves around one side of the bed. That was a few bucket loads in itself. I believe all in all the chickens received six bucket loads of leaves and weeds. They were thrilled with that. There is a lot more to do, but I'm getting there little by little. I took a seat at the end of the day at the Thinking Bench before the sun went down. A little wren landed and hopped under the rosemary, intent on finding bugs. Evidently, it didn't see me sitting there. I enjoyed watching it up-close-and-personal. I must have twitched because she left startled. I think that it scared me worse than I scared it.

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