Thursday, March 13, 2014

A Month Ago To Today

 I can't believe it's been a month ago today since
I last blogged here.  
This has been such a growing season for me even though
it's Winter still.  
I'm sorry I've seemed absent from the shed.  
Growing in the word, and in art
has really been a focus lately.  
If you ever drop in at my art blog you'll know what 
I've been up to.  

Anyways, this what it looks like at the shabby olde potting shed today.
It's chilly... has been incredibly windy 
but the grass is beginning  to green up! 
In fact; just this week; Myguy and I were walking down our long driveway
and he pointed out how tall the wild onions are getting.  You know how "they" are!*
They shoot up above the grass and are the first reason to mow.  
But I can hardly wait to mow them down and inhale their SPRINGISH 
strong scent.  It will be a delight for sure!
 Wanting to grow my own tomatoes n things from seed; I had spotted
a similar stand of growlights in a garden center catalog.
I tore it out and showed to Myguy about a month back and asked if he could make one.
The  price in the catalog was around 450.00!   He assured me that he could
most definitely make some for much less.  
Looking in his stash of pipe and stuff; he was gonna weld a stand; but worried it might  be 
too heavy for me to lug around.  And a day or two later while we were in Lowes he 
saw this set of shelves and said he could make grow lights out of it really easy.
It actually came with five shelves but we only needed two and he made it put it together so  as the 
tomato and flower plants grow taller;  I can raise the  lights to give them more room.    The lights are just chained on and 
are the cheap flourecent ones from Walmart.  Sorry I spelled flourescent wrong.. woops did it again.
I've tried to fix it and mental note to self... look it up and learn it later. 
Anyway, ... what we weren't sure of is if you could just use regular "f" lights - shortened coz I can't spell them... or if there is a different bulb needed.  We googled it a little bit and decided to give the easy to get cheap f lights a go.  
Planting all those seeds was so much fun.  I watered and plugged them in....
and waited...
and waited...
until the day Myguy heard me squeal "come look... we have one baby tomato!"  
Yeah just one was born first out of all those!  It was the prettiest little tomato seedling I ever saw.
Hope was reborn right there in a sprig of green.

As you can see in the photo above, I only had one of the black plastic containers that had a lid-
and it definitely did way better than using the dixie cups.  But... I'm pretty sure once they all get going, the dixie cups will probably be better in the long run because there is more dirt in them.  

 This is how they are doing today.  
I can hardly wait til our night time temperatures stay above freezing so I can 
lug the shelves/lights out to the greenhouse.  Then I wouldn't have to have the lights on them 
for long.  The afternoon warmth and sunshine will take over.  

Last year I ordered strawberries from a company that...
didn't deliver.  The box came in the mail and opening it, I discovered everything came
but the strawberries-  although it did say on the receipt that they were in the box but they weren't.   When I called the company who will remain nameless to tell them they forgot the 
strawberries, they then said sorry we'll get them out to you... then came 
back on the line and said, ... Sorry but guess what?... they're all gone now.
:(  I was so disappointed.  But they promised me "this" Spring they'd send them to me.

So... "this" Spring I placed another order from them and since I knew they were sending me those strawberries, I ordered yet another order of them.... totaling 2 right?  
They sent out an email thanking me for the order and they were mailed out so I finally 
figured out where to build the new strawberry bed.  Got that done, and here comes the box
of strawberries.  Opening it... there was only one order ...
it happened again!  
?
It even said on the receipt again two orders, but 
there was only one in the box.  
I just hated to call them again.  I even wonder if they believed me?
But I didn't lie and I really want what I paid for you know?

 This is what they looked like when I opened the box... 
Not much there... nope; just ten little berry plants.
They do have good strong little roots on them and I'm excited to get them going....
 This is the new bed looks like. 
Today it's still unfinished... but at least the berries found a new home.
In a different bed there were 17 other berries of a different kind strewn here and there so I dug those up and transplanted them all together.  Hopefully the other ten will come and we'll eventually have a real strawberry bed.  This weekend I hope to get a few bags of soil to put on the top of the weed barrier and then will add a little straw ontop.  That way the new runners will have something to grow in.  Throughout the summer I hope to build it up a little more.  
Myguy built the new bed up against this little rosebed.
  I hope the two get along okay. 
Rose meet Berry
Berry this is Rose.  
 This is a fairly current photo of the new guineas and turkeys.
Happily; all  6 made it... even through our cold snaps and another ice storm. 
The last storm I did bring them into the living room for a couple days though.
Didn't take long to smell like the barn in the house.  

The little fellers are  getting big enough now that I raised their brooder lamp again yesterday...
The guineas sure are flighty little things.  And the two turkeys ... I still can't tell if they're boy/girls?  
I sure hope at least one is a boy. 
But I'll love them no matter what.  
ha
One day last week the weather warmed up and it was actually heating up in the greenhouse.  
I took my watercolors out there and started painting feathers.  
It was sooooooooo fun.  All the birdfeeders were full and the birds put on quite a show
outside the windows.  It really was hard to come back inside.  

I've much to learn with watercoloring but ... totally totally love it!  
Already I'm dreaming of sketching hollyhocks, cosmos, bluebirds, and dragonflies,
and sitting right out in the garden listening to the windchimes, while painting my little heart out.

The tulips are stretching to the sky now... and  calling to the buttercups 
who are already in full bloom.  
Spring is finally in the air 
afterall.

Well, it's time to gather the eggs and go let Violet and Spirit out to pasture.  
I locked them in a stall because Gracie eats faster and then runs them off their feed
and hogs more than her share.  I'm sure they're standing down there wondering where I ran off to.
-- Before I go, I just want to say, ... I'm glad we connected here today.
I pray "you" have a wonderful day.
God bless you!
Love, Leaon Mary

7 comments:

Denise said...

So nice getting updated my friend, love you.

Anonymous said...

I love that those seedlings, berries and little feathered friends are all growing well Lea. I am glad that you are having some art time too with the company of the garden birds. Sending blessings dear friends. Jx

Dee said...

It made my day to find you back at your blog....\0/ art is a good reason to be gone :) I am behind on journal 52...life got in the way...but i will catch up. Love visiting here....♥

Rebecca said...

You are so energetic and productive at so many levels, Lea. I love your heart. I'm going over to your art blog. I've seen bits and pieces on facebook, but I'll bet I'll be blown away on your blog!

Oh. And your shed continues to charm me... ♥R

Cora from Hidden Riches said...

So glad that signs of spring and new life have arrived for you, Lea. It's been a long winter, hasn't it? Loved your little seedling tomatoes and those baby chickies!!!! Spring is here for sure, too, and I'm so glad to see it all again. Can't wait to see your art work progress throughout the summer months!!!!

Dee said...

Your blog is so full if new life beginning...love it.

Kayla Star said...

Keep a careful eye on those strawberries when they are big and fat.. My ever watchful hubby might sneak down and snatch some . He sure does love strawberries