Garden Inspirations and Lots of Changes

Hi friends,

Sorry I've been mia.  

So much has been going on so I thought I'd jump on and document 

the newest changes.  

I'd shared that we had taken down our old fenced in yard and were having 

chain link put in.  Before that could happen, we had to clean out red honeysuckle vines and 

prune roses and our tulip tree that was all in the way.  Also we had a forsythia bush

that I wanted gone.  It used to look so beautiful years ago but a few years back I 

pruned it and ... boy did it rebel.  It up and quit blooming and did nothing but grow suckers and 

make mowing difficult. For years it has not bloomed.  So with fence guys coming 

... we got the tractor up and with a chain... tore it all out.  

We were thankful to have the tractor because the roots were crazy. 

It looks so open and bare now but the Harry Lauder's walking stick 

tree my Mom gave me will be much happier now without getting crowded out 

by the forsythia.  In time ... I'll figure out what I want to plant in it's place...

something smaller and pretty; maybe a Dogwood.   

The fence people came and put their posts in all in one day.  

They said they'd let them set up the next day and would be back the next.

So before they came we took the wood off  the walk in gates and Myguy pressure 

washed them and while they were off we painted the posts that they went on. 

It was a hard decision what color.  We ordered the newer style black chain link but 

didn't want white posts anymore.  Our barn is dark brown on the front and our porches 

will be dark brown and so we went with dark brown paint hoping that 

it would also be a little more cohesive for this rusty gate 

that our son made.  

Honestly I was kinda scared  how it would all go with 

black chain link but ... we both like it.  

After we saw how it came together we've decided our old pipe 

corral will probably get painted brown as well.  

With planting season nearing; 

I've started cleaning out beds. 

I'd made a mistake in my herb bed.  

When I planted rosemary I had them planted in the front and they got 

so big toppling out of the bed and what I had planted  behind them was all  shorter. 

So... biting the bullet I pulled out the rosemary and cut it in two and 

replanted it elsewhere.  Lemon balm too had gotten crazy big.  

It's all weeded and cleaned out and ready for something new. 

Myguy put in two more raised beds for me.  

He'd been saving used lumber from jobs he's been doing so he 

made both beds with recycled boards.  

I'm really excited about it because I will have hardly any tilling 

I'll have to do anymore.  

It rained a ton last night ... and water is standing on this end of it so we might have 

to add a little bit of fill dirt on this end ... but we have a couple dirt piles so that's okay.

I'm still toying with two garden gates I have like this one... and 

another white bed frame.  

Baby peonies have sprouted up outside of my other white garden bed so I might? make

another small peony bed with them.  -I can't decide. 

Another awesome thing: One of the places Myguy does work for has him 

fixing conveyers ... and he has to haul off all the old rubber belts.  He has sooo much of it 

so he cut some  and put it around my beds for paths and ... no weeds!  

That leads me to another little project... 

I cleaned out my goldfish pond and have extra plants... 

That brought me to bath tub ideas.  

A friend gave me another antique tub a couple years ago- 

There's not many good places for it other than in front of our privacy fence behind this sign. 

So the signs getting moved and my next project is putting the tub there.  

We found legs for it at an antique store and Myguy said he could put more conveyer belt

down in this area and we'll set the tub there.  I don't know if I'll put the water plants in it or 

actually use it in the summer time for a bathtub.  It's very private back here and I think 

it would be a great spot to take a long soak on a hot Summer evening.  

I can just see it full of clean cool water and zinnia or rose blossoms.  

There's one more thing I'm still hunting  for this Spring:  a new chair to plant. 

I went searching  for one and came up empty ...so far.  

But I did find this chippy, pale blue chair for our new porch.  

That blue got me; ... my favorite color.

Rosie is growing like a weed.  Her ears tho were seeming slow to stand.

One perked up and the other flopped.  Someone said to give her cottage cheese in her food-

so we started doing that. 

I don't know if that helped or what but 

boinggggg... both ears shot up. 

We're still having trouble with her nipping. 

Puppy chew stuff is one thing... this is something else.  

Yall pray she gets sweet and grows out of it.  

It's just a phase right?  

Other than that... and working in the garden, 

Our new chick order came in.  

We got leghorns, Americaunas, Buttercups, and Bielfelders. 

We've never had buttercups or bielfelders before. 

I'm pretty stoked because it'll be nice to have big eggs for baking and cooking.

And as for  baking???  

This is our latest thing:

Another game changer for me. 

Baking sourdough bread with 

these new toppings.  

The one with the "works"... omgeeeee 

It has garlic, onion, paprika and seeds etc... 

So I sliced homemade sourdough and 

made cheesy garlic bread to go with 

some goulash.  

I had to share in case anyone else wanted to try it.  

I sign off with this funny. 

I see this smokin Oak every time I walk to the mailbox. lol 

It's one of those things you can't unsee? 

Until we meet again,

<*))))><