Saturday, January 2022
At home
I moved the cyperus (papyrus) to its new home. Allan helped get it in place. I’ll trim it later. It is conveniently located next to rainwater barrels.
I still have not weeded much this winter. It’s not all this bad.
I love glossy leaves. Sunshine makes the escallonia look glittery green and silver.
I found another area that needs soil and dismantled two of my soil stash pots in order to fill it.
The soil went to this bed where we dug out my suddenly dying cutleaf elderberry last year.
Allan put purple toppers on the front fence and four leftovers on the south fence.
He happened to appear in the willow grove just in time to pickaxe out a batch of salmonberries for me. I had decided I’d like to use the space for some starts of red twig dogwood and for the black pussy willow that will arrive at the beginning of March from Forest Farm. (I wish I had chosen an earlier shipping date for that order.)
I got into the bridged swale and dug all afternoon, the most fun I’ve had all winter. It was most satisfying. I got down to river sand and the water table, and I think the results are interesting. I very much wanted to get a low spot dug before rain comes again (tomorrow I hope) so I can see what happens, if there is enough rain to fill the swale.
Allan was deep into tidying his fern garden when I returned to the front. He discovered Halloween candy wrappers the bears had dropped (from their) behind after breaking down the fence, twice, to feast on our apple trees.
He had also made two garbage can lids into planters with the stool frames that I used to top with the table tops that are now decorating the south east gate. (You don’t have to follow all that.)
Finally, we took six new outdoor combination locks and put them on the six gates in the south garden. I’ve been hopping mad ever since surveyors came in and chopped and dropped branches on our property and left such a big mess. Anyone who tries that again will have to go in from the front yard and walk over 225 feet to even get to the south garden, and then they will know damn well they are trespassing.
Some cats for the lowering of blood pressure (they all got some fresh catnip except for Faerie, who was napping indoors):
I do hope it rains tomorrow as I would love a reading day. Do other gardeners manage to take reading days even when the weather is gardenable? I just feel guilty then, like I should be outside.
Some days one just needs to slow down and read a book or do something else. Some of that is enforced on me right now until my shoulder heals. I can’t dig right now. I can do other small things out there.
The surveyors – I am sorry they did that to your property. That was not responsible of them. Sounds like their company could be contacted and a complaint filed.
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I haven’t been able to find out who they were…but haven’t tried very hard because…I’m just too mad to ask politely.
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And I am sorry about your shoulder, hope it heals soon.
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Thanks! It will take a while.
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Even though I’m sure they were no fun to clean up, the bear droppings and candy wrappers made me laugh out loud. My, my Allan is clever. Those purple fence toppers are so pretty, and I like the snappy look of the tool toppers. As for the planters using trash can lids and stool frames…I am over the moon.
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Thanks, Laurie!
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Did the leaves of your elderberry droop almost as if it lacked water? I had this problems with mine and thought it was verticillium wilt? I just cut the limbs with the diseased leaves off (the tree is huge) and will see how it responds this year. If it is wilt then the tree is done.
I love your garbage can lid planters – so perfect for succulents, and easy to plop into place in a garden bed.
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I forgot to respond to your reading query. I do not read during the day, even if the weather is not conducive to gardening. Daylight is for gardening, puttering in the yard, or working on indoor projects. Our house is now 50 years old, not old by many measures, but old enough that there is always something to sand, repaint, replace, or fix. We split that task pretty much evenly. I also like to repurpose free or second hand things, like repainting a frame or chair – items I have salvaged from the curb or picked up for a dollar or two. We “purpose” walk – taking a backpack to the grocery store, or the library, rather than drive.
I read for a couple of hours at night, usually averaging around 90 books a year.
Oh but when we go camping – it is daytime reading for us, snugged up around a campfire or just under the trees, with a cuppa and a stack of books.
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Thanks for the detailed reply. I live for daytime reading….and indoor projects are neglected as a result.
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The leaves on the branches, half of them, suddenly got all dry and crispy is the best way I can think of to describe it. It had never done well anyway, so it was time for something new.
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Here is another vote for those clever garbage can lid planters! Also, the cats do look rather like they’ve had enough catnip. haha! I love looking at your blog in spring — so much to enjoy (even with the work in progress) that I won’t see here until May.
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That is a long wait for spring!
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I, too, love the garbage lid planters. I’m curious about how Allan secured them to the stool legs?
You asked about reading. I normally read at night. I figure daylight is for being outside and darkness and/or rainy days are for *thinking* about cleaning the house or reading in my armchair or in bed while snuggling up with two dogs.
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Allan says he wired them on but that zip ties might have worked better.
Since no one comes over because of Covid, I haven’t had to clean much for the last two years. We don’t live in a pigsty, but I don’t pick up as much as I used to. I don’t really WANT people to come into my house unless I’ve had a day to prepare, and therefore only when I have time to prepare, like for a party, so although it’s weird to say so, Covid has had its blessings. (Zoom being another Covid bright side.) Be assured I am not saying Covid has been a good thing.
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The garbage can lid idea is pure genius, I have lids from water barrels that leaked and were turned into planters already. I often read on an easy chair in the greenhouse, if I waited for it to be dark I would read between 1 and 3 a.m. in the summer.
Really enjoy your blog but find it difficult to comment on my phone… keep up the good work!
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Oh, of course, you have the midnight sun!
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The fence is really a work of art.
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Thanks, Mr T!
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I thoroughly enjoyed those cat photos! Love the shimmering escallonia. You took nice action shots of Allan swinging the pickaxe. The garbage can lid planters are going to look cool planted. Glad you had fun digging in the swale–it does look interesting. You were smart to add locks to the gates.
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It took about 20 pictures to get the perfect swing of the pickaxe. Good thing “film” is cheap these days.
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Trash can lids on stool frames … genius! I can’t wait to see them all planted up and in place. Maybe this summer we’ll finally make it up that way and I can see your garden in person…
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That would be fun! You could see Steve and John’s, too. They’d love that.
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