Garden Explosion!

Just a few snaps from our Garden today...

Peony 

We only have one

But

It is going crazy with blooms!

It was supposed to be 

a very productive week 

in the Garden last week...

But the Wildfire Smoke situation

 was way beyond what my system could take.

I got this done last Monday

As you can see

We are building up beds as we go

with our cardboard acting as weed block

or as it appeared to be

very fun toys 

for the baby foxes to rip up

& drag all over

and I wouldn't have it any different...

The Summer Wine Nine Bark came into its own this year

Took a few years

but

worth the wait.

Humming Bird Loving the Irises

we love them too!

Cranesbill Geranium

Has become a full shrub for us here...

and 3 others have popped up for us in not so far off spots....

Free plants 

Thank Goodness!!!

There are other regions of garden bed building here

The process is going way too slow for me

especially not being able to be out in it last week...

We have propagations of plants from cuttings that are doing well...

There are some nice bits of colorful 

vertical interest...

And

We finally got our Mailbox!

after 7yrs

installed and functional

&

Giving me more thoughts on Landscaping for 

minimal

Low maintenance

scenarios around it...

Evergreen Groundcovers anyone...???

Anyway

Life is happening at lightspeed over here...

Posts may be intermittent while a few wrinkles 

get ironed out

lots of decisions that require

full attention and time.

Wish us luck!

x~J 

 

The Plumber Drama: part two

Well we have had our success!

In the outdoor faucets!

Having a long plot of land, requires a lot of hoses when you are building garden beds!

But we had other things to inquire about...

Things that had been on our chacklist of priorities for a long while...

Our well water comes in (if you are not familiar) & gets stored in a bladder.

Well water is never truly known for its grand water pressure.

So we asked if there were a larger version we could upgrade to.

The theory was to have more water in storage to create more pressure, especially if one were watering the garden and someone else were to be washing up indoors, etc...

Of course the Plumber said he would take a look.

Luckily, even though, we had thought he was just there to give estimates, he had a schedule open enough, to do more than just chit chat.

He inspected the small bladder & said that there was not enough air left in it to create much pressure to begin with.

Ok, so we are making this a priority today then.

I would get you a pick of our set up...

All I focus on when I look in the cellar is cobwebs & dust. Yuck!

I won't put you all through that... 

He also said something about algae, & honestly, I just sped passed how that could be super gross...

And we agreed, let's just take care of this today!

Now, when we lived in apartments, having no knowledge of any real inner workings of wherever we lived, or, how much it might cost... Spending a couple grand on anything but fun, food, or experiences would have just blown our minds.

But, now, watching all of the rents in our area surpass what we pay monthly to live where we do, & knowing how our property value has gone up as we have owned... The investment, sits front & center when we make these repairs and changes. 

That purchase doesn't just go away... It grows with your home, and you, and if/when you plan to live somewhere else... Rent or sell, you benefit. Not to mention your everyday life can be enhanced by fixing/improving. 

Now, if we can get a contractor here to do the bulkhead, and the trim around the windows...

These are not things that I am well versed in...

Sure, I've watched a few videos...

I have read about, and I can understand how to do those things...

I would be more apt to try taking down our pony wall between the kitchen and front room, than I would ever be willing to try heavier chop and water proof, check for other signs of damage & know what to do about that, etc... Not to mention, I still do not have the tools...

Anyway,

The faucets work great, the bladder has been working great...

Glad we had them out to do it, some of the piping by the front spigot in the basement had all sorts of areas that would be at the end of their life soon, and needed upgrading as well... would have been interesting if something had gone leaky there, because they hover over the current laundey situation... Eek!

Can we make more plans though please!

An Electric Hot Water Heater for the elimination of using the furnace during the warmer months?

Or get the new laundry set up in the old linen closet upstairs...?

New back door?

Finish painting the inside?

Maybe once the summer heat prevents me from building the garden beds? 

And Mother nature is providing me with so many volunteer plants, I am really just scrambling to get things in the ground/raised beds asap!

Yellow Paintbrush or Meadow Hawkweed has sprung up and I am here for it!

The False Lily of the Valley is so charming... The real Lily of the Valley is having a moment in the backyard... I should really take some time to take more pics...

I have been trying to work as efficiantly as possible, but I have put up a few shorts on the YouTubes...

I have been wearing a pedometer while working on the garden:

There's a lot of movement happening!

Ive been waiting for this level of vitality to come back.

Let's get all the things done this year, yes?

Was this more about gardening than plumbing? Maybe, but who's arguing with that?

K, I'm going for a walk lol

x~J 

The Woods Have Come Alive (with Baby Foxes!)

 

What a surprise this week!!!

We have Babies!

These wee ones

are using our yard as a training/playground

sent an email to all the neighbors

to keep an eye out

Just in case they happen to pop down to the road etc...

So far they have stayed up near and behind the house

They are a painfully adorable thing to watch from the kitchen

whist I am making my Three Beverages to go with

my breks...

More about them later...

The false Lilly of The Valley is blooming...

So are the Lady Slippers...

Some grand stramash...

Spotted on one of my walks 

on the road...

If I weren't so Germ Minded...

I might have 

Maybe...

picked these up...

Back to the yard tho...

The Bittersweet was already leafy

and 

ready to conquer...

So, I suited up

put the tape to catch the ticks

around me ankles

and got stuck in...

3 hours of cutting

and

4 fifteen minute breaks later

90% done...

all of the harder woody stems

and

the bits that had climbed the trees I cut out

I can definitely

consider this a win...

next step is the weed block fabric

gravel

and stone for the new 

backyard patio...

plan is to have a nice place to sit

gather

eat

fire pit

lounge

and just rest ones eyes

from all of the wild foliage...

because 

unless you already knew this

nature will creep in 

unless you give it 

boundaries

&

We are 

all about the 

boundaries!

One of the plants I hope to add to the garden

that the new patio will look down into...

there will be a fountain as well...

Cannot wait!!!

We are going hunting for stone this week...

One of my Top of the Driveway patio views

while

taking the breaks

I really do understand 

now

why so many gardens have seating areas

like

lil rooms

here and there

why would you ever need more than one 

lil area to sit in?

Because gardening is so physically 

taxing

you need to sit

not only to 

enjoy

bit

to contemplate 

the space 

&

what to do next...

while you are in the building 

or maintanence

phase

you need 

to rest

take in the view

prevent injury

so you can keep gardening!

(and buying or propogating more plants!)

lol

Anyway

back to Fox Pups! 

Catching the big bugs that fly around the front porch light...

So adorable

Two nights in a row so far

They are just so small

Such lil hunters

This morning watching them

stalk each other

and

go after butterflies

it's like a 

Disney movie 

for Pete's sake!

Anyone grow up with

the movie

The Fox & The Hound

yeah I'm just living 

my dream here!

They were

Eating the wild strawberries

that I refuse to mow or pull

they multiply every year

along with the blueberries 

and 

raspberries

I bet they would love a few apple trees as well...

And just when we thought 

that the 

horrible amounts of ticks

this year 

with the cool Spring

that we 

are having

was turning us off

from living in the woods

These wee ones show up

and

make us fall in love 

with where we live 

all over again.

Hope you are all well

and finding 

your moments

and

things 

that make you 

fall in love

with 

your life again

x~J aka Painter LeFay

The Plumber Drama :part one

Was there drama?

Well, when you call up your trusty plumber and he’s closed up and retired… 

First thought was YIKES!

Panic was lurking 

Waiting 

Just along the perimeter 

Of thought.

My curiosity won out though.

Thank goodness really.

I asked the lovely lady who rattled off some other business name, that of course I hadn’t any reference to, so it did not register as having any importance yet…

My thoughts were wanting to lead me down the path to fresh and frustrating memories. The episode of concern was my most recent efforts of watering plants outside using our well defunct faucet in the backyard.

The tap at the front of the house used to be my go to until it broke 4years ago. So we doctored up the back one with tons of plumbing tape, and put a trugg under it to catch the dripping leak… 

Last year the leak became bigger, still usable though…

I’m yelling in my head, “WHY DIDN’T WE TAKE CARE OF THIS SOONER?!?” 

Yes, we are agreed, we should have just done it.

Supposing that there hadn’t been anything that financially blew our timeline for such things way out of reach in the recent years…

We probably wouldn’t have put it off.

On the perspective of this lense, we did great with what we were dealing with. 

Until the leak was so bad… 

Just even a slight turn of the tap and it would spray off so far… 

It was comical.

Having a hose with just a trickle coming out to water with…

Not to mention that in the brief action of turning the tap slightly…

My knees were soaked, and nearly 10 feet away would be a puddle for the rest of the day… The sense memory of the drips making their way down and into my gardening boots. Gently mixing with the small bits of sand, potting soil and mulch that had already breached the short boot perimeter. Now being married to the socks, and beckoning the toes to squirm. 

No trugg, bucket or plumbers tape would save this.

It was time. 

The woman on the phone had been very reassuring. Able to recall our recent records of service with the old plumber, and she even had the previous owners of our houses information…

She was going to send out someone to give us estimates for the job of getting both taps replaced. 

Part two tomorrow: The What, Where, When & How!

Julys Manifest Course Correction

Wearing red

Feeling red

Looking at blue

Deep breathing 

And not forgetting to hydrate 

Taking in nutrition 

Not just temporary medicine 

I’m following the instincts 

And correcting 

The negative self talk

That voice

Is not mine ~ it never was.

Anyway ~

Messages from the outside on the heavy humid nights ~

We now have enough “yard” to need an actual lawnmower ~

Battery powered and self propelled FTW …

A lil capture from the wyze cams for you…

This is a view from The Arches in the east yard~

We have some raised garden beds of the hugelkultur variety~

Lined with logs from our dead standing trees.

There are planters waiting for their drainage holes to help encircle the table and chairs within ~ whatever will we nestle into these planters… ? ? ? 

I now understand why I have heard that gardens can take 20 some-odd years to build. And considering that I’m building it up from having a derelict wooded lot ~ then terraforming up~ with removal of a monoculture of eastern white pine that had sucked all of the water from the soil. And not to forget the invasive bittersweet vines, etc… and coming up with a plan that has evolved as we’ve gotten along… I get it. 

Maybe we will win the lotto and hire in and have it all delivered and installed in a wink… dreaming is free…

Lil Kit is helping me with my cool oil footbath~

So curious, and cute, I think it helps soothe and charge the process. Cold soak on a hot day is refreshing… reminds me of the old pool days, sitting on the edge and putting the legs in… 

And we have been keeping our lists of wants and needs going for the home projects… 

We are gluing our brains together at this point tho, Bodies & Entities~ would be nice if we could get some handy hands to come round and take our monies. But, it’s no one getting back to us land as we wait for the train to do it yourself purgatory…

Jokes on us, eh…? Well it’s all in the same breath that some of these blokes say ‘no one wants to work’ as they aren’t takin the job or even messaging back… they’d rather hold on to their economic model of keepin the cash and not giving a living wage to their crew… prove me wrong luv, k, I’ll wait till you get back from ye summah house vaca… jokes… 

As I keep accumulating tools to do these things, we are going to really need that garage…. BUT WHOS GUNNA BUILD IT!!!

Belly laughs!

Who will

Build

Our extension?

New kitchen 

And garage with the almost finished apartment 

Thingy 

Hmmmmmmmm???

I tell you what…

The contingency is…

Keep going on the garden 

And

Bide my time 

Until the house is worth double what we 

Bought it for (mebbe sooner than later)

Then go buy 

A house with a garage and the bells n whistles 

Buh bye

Sorry house

Thought we would die here

Loved you much

And our hearts are broke

But

The last 6yrs of begging ppl 

To get back to us is a lil bit much

From electricians 

To landscaping 

And trim work and front door 

Don’t forget the 

Screen porch 

Idk

It’s why bother 

It’d be easier to sell and move all our stuff again 

Lol 

Who would have thought it?

No wonder I’ve been seeing red….

Buh, shake of that mood now*

And what could shake us more~

One of the manuscripts I’m working on  

Is about this lil lady, my great grandmother’s sister 

I was given a picture from a Facebook friend~

& as it turns out is a distant cousin ~

Anyone else get into ancestry while quarantined?

Details filled in a bit…

I think about this bit of the family 

Every day.

Ok that’s it~ for now~

X~ J aka Painter Le Fay 

Let’s Talk Gardening! Yarding 2021

 I never knew 

That I would love Gardening this much! 

I didn’t even think 

I would enjoy mowing a lawn-

Not that we have a lawn… anymore 

I could barely keep 

A houseplant alive!

That was then & this is now.

Knowing what little I know now about plants

Soil

Trees

Carbon capture 

And now being in charge of a small plot of land

I want to be as responsible as possible 

As well as catering to my personal tastes 

And make something lush

And self sustaining for whoever 

Comes along to enjoy this wee corner 

Of the world next…

When we first moved here 

There weren’t any signs of animals 

Although the neighbors said there were

Deer 

Moose

Bears

Etc…

We weren’t being visited by anything 

I kept hoping for at least a squirrel 

The second year 

We started seeing squirrels 

And more 

As the years went

With help from our bird feeders

Then learning about pollinators and plants

I tried going to the garden center 

And with very little knowledge or guidance 

I picked out some pretty plants and popped them in the ground

Not knowing growing zones or the 

Ins and outs of

light requirements 

***

None of those plants survived 

And the first couple of years not much happened

Except for the bittersweet that was here

Which we are still battling 

***

Third year as I was watching as things were springing up 

We had a patch of daffodils 

Why after two years they came up 

I don’t know 

Maybe freeing up the space from bittersweet 

Helped somehow?

And so my research began 

I was looking up info 

About other bulb types plants

Like tulips

And stumbled across YouTube channels 

That were taking the mystery out of it all for me

It was all starting to make sense 

And then of course 

Beginning to learn about permaculture 

And essentially helping nature be abundant 

On its own

And be

Whatever it wants

While getting out of its way

And capture carbon while we’re at it

So…

Two years ago I brought in hundreds

 of different types of plants

And shrubs 

And a huge amount of them are actually still out there 

And thriving!

Progress!!!

And the generosity of friends 

Sharing plants that they’d divided

And gifted me like:

Bee Balm

Day Lilies 

Wisteria 

Persicaria Lance Corporal

Rose of Charon

Daisies 

Lilac 

Hostas

Solomon’s Seal

These

Have added to the lasting excitement 

And brought so much enjoyment 

And now we have an amazing array of volunteer plants: 

Wild Roses

Queen Anne’s Lace

Black Eyed Susans

Persicarias

Raspberries 

Meadowsweet 

Creeping Charlie 

Wild Violets 

Goldenrod 

Jewel Weed

Tall Phlox 

Milk Weed

Serviceberries 

Wild Cherry

To name a few lol

I try to just get out of the way

And let nature plant itself 

Of course taking out anything that’s 

Invasive or poisonous 

Since we stopped mowing our grass

Leaving only a path in the frontage and a small eating area

In the back

We’ve been slowly reseeding any thin patches with clover 

To hopefully eliminate the need for constant upkeep 

In the summer months 

And the clover is making the pollinators happy 

And helps balance 

Nitrogen levels in the soil…

The front path 

Has only been mowed twice this summer 

So happy that the once a week hour in the heat and bugs

Can now be used for enjoyment or other projects 

***

Speaking of other projects 

We had our friends from ArborClimb 

Come out to help us knock back our canopy 

By one notch… this ended up being 

72 trees 

And we seriously still have so many trees!

Some were sick and dead

Some were over 100 feet tall 

And within 25 feet from the house

And we still have 

More than we can count 

That are dead-standing 

60ft tall

That we will be chipping away at…

Until that’s done…

We now have enough sun 

That plants that had never bloomed 

Are now living their best life 

***

And I’m trying 

To get a good sunny spot for seed starting 

Should be much easier 

And I need easier because I’m still 

Very inexperienced 

As a gardener  

Any help I can get!

***

It was an easy choice 

To go with a tree removal company 

That would take the logs for lumber 

And

Leave us the wood chips

 To help get rid of 

The lumps and bumps 

In our landscape 

And 

Squelch out the bittersweet

 In enough depth to Keep it from thriving 

                                  Future garage idea… ???

I’m so thrilled 

That so many native plants have been moving in!

                                              Lookit!

                               So much Queen Anne’s Lace!

                                       Oh and Hello 👋 

Kk that’s it! Doing this all from my phone and now my eyes are super tired lol what’s growing in your garden?