Category: Outdoors

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Rain, Snow and Ice

Even though the temperature today was nearly like Spring, at about 8:00 pm it was raining and then it turned to wet snow. The old body sure can feel it too. ):

It is supposed to snow from today on. Everyone is so used to it not snowing, that to tell you the truth, even if I’m supposed to go to my Mom’s this weekend with my daughter and her boyfriend, who my Mom will just be meeting, I’m not sure I want to go. I mean, it would be a disappointment to her, as she is making all kinds of good things to eat, and I was going to go over my garden plans for her yard with her, but I don’t trust the other drivers. They just are spoiled by the odd weather and lack of snow and ice. It gets scary when drivers become complacent.

I went outdoors a little while ago, to let the dog out. He didn’t want to get his feet wet though. He’s really strange like that. I did notice that the temperature is dropping quite fast, and the winds are picking up. It is kind of doubtful that the kids will have school tomorrow. We have to be at the bus station by 2:00 and it’s out of State, where my Mom lives. I’m going to try and get an appointment for my daughter and I at the clinic, as soon as they open. I like the MD there and I just don’t want Mom and my daughter’s boyfriend to catch what we have. I’ll get some masks we can use, from the clinic. Hopefully we will be feeling up to par sooner than soon. I feel for my daughter. She had all kinds of plans to clean our “wing” and our rooms upstairs at Mom’s, but I seriously don’t think she feels much like doing anything. I personally have to tend to the plants and annuals I am growing inside, when I was told they would never grow in the house. Pfffttt… they are inpatients and are starting to be turning into very long vines with flowers all over. I’m going to need a bigger elevated pot for them come Spring, but they are still going to stay inside. I’ll take them out for fresh air, now and then, but now they are used to being inside in my bedroom. Apparently they love it in there as much as I do!

 

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Grand daughters garden plans

My grand daughter who is nine called me this evening. My daughter had called earlier to ask me if I would be home so KK could ride the school bus to my house after school. She had to take my grandson to the dentist before school was out and didn’t want to take KK out of school early.  Of course it was fine by me, but I didn’t want KK riding the bus, her aunt and uncle ride home, as they were staying after school (at the high school) for computer lab and wouldn’t be able to make sure the bus driver stopped at our house. Plus this bus has a long route and doesn’t get the kids home until a lot later, so I’m going to go to the school when the kids are let out to pick her up.

Well, when my grand daughter called she told me that she had drawn out plans for her garden here. I wasn’t really surprised, since even when she was really young…not even in school yet…she would sort seed packets into the right categories, and knew the difference between annuals and perennials, and the herbs that could be eaten and the ones that couldn’t be. She knew which flowers and herbs could heal which ailment and actually she was pretty impressive with the way she caught on to all of what I told her at such an early age.

Now that she is nine, KK knows about root systems, various was to use herbs for healing, and which ones are to make tea out of, and the herbs that go with what foods to make them tasty. Not to mention the ones that are for decoration since they are poisonous. I’ve taught her how to make ointments for both people and animals. And the list goes on. In the winter she studies seed magazines, my books and all the garden magazines I get and had to her for the winter to read.  I can’t wait to see her garden plans tomorrow. She is so excited. I might just take her into town when I pick her up for school and get her some seedling trays and some packs of seeds to start. I’m looking forward to this!

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Some new flower boxes

My flower boxes are old and starting to look really shabby. I would really like to get some new ones. I love how the flowers are under the windows so they partially look like they are peeking into the house. I can also tell when they need water, or pruning and weeded. I don’t know where the weeds come from since I plant with clean dirt, but I guess they sort of blow in from all directions and of course the birds that come up to feed on the feeders hanging on the front porch have a lot to do with it. I’ve decided to get new boxes this Spring. I honestly don’t think the ones I have will last another summer. And even if they did, they wouldn’t look nice.

I’ve been “finger shopping” on the internet and think I may have found the window boxes that will look awesome under my windows. They are kind of pricey, but look and seem like they will last a good while. This is worth the price, since the ones that I have now, I sort of scrimped on and are already looking like they are ready to fall apart.

I’m going to also go with a window box under my kitchen window that I will grow only herbs in. I think that will be a nice touch for the kitchen, not to mention handy, since my screens slid up easily and I can then get fresh herbs when I need them.

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A great Spring gardening magazines

I’m so excited. My son brought in the mail today and handed me not one, but two new Spring 2012  Native Gardener’s Companion magazines! This is like a catalog, but with tips on growing various flowers, potted plants, shrubs and trees, plus a whole lot more.

In the What’s New section, I see that they now offer a Pollinator Kit that I would like to try. It consists of a tray of 38 potted plants for moist soil situations, and from the sound of it, there are a variety of really pretty colors, and forms of plants that attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, all of which I love. Some people are afraid of bees and try to get rid of them. I’m not one of those people. I love bumbles and honey bees. The only kind I don’t like, are the ones that are long and yellow and up here, people call them yellow jackets. They like to attack and build nests under the eves, and actually anywhere they can. Those are scary and so very mean. Plus they do nothing for my gardens. I’m glad that I rarely see them anywhere near my plants.

I’ve noticed also that the Gardner’s companion has include a color coded diagrams for planting gardens in various way, including plants in pots and various flowers and grasses. This is a great idea. I like to get new ideas and ways of making my gardens look different each year. I’m so excited for Spring to get here. And getting this magazine in the mail today boosted my spirits.

 

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A new Garden Trellis

Since I’ve been already planning my front yard gardening and also getting seeds, I decided I need new trellises. I’m really looking forward to getting them because I have been growing various climbing vines and they seem to be taking over the whole yard. I am going to get four, since I have four porch posts that actually look like they are holding up the roof of the porch, but are really for decoration.

I have tried a vinyl trellis in the front garden before, that my husband had gotten me for my birthday, but it didn’t last like the ad said it would. Within the season, it cracked and fell apart. I don’t think that he got it from a reputable place. I do though, give him an A for effort at getting me something that he thought I would like. I did too, but it just didn’t hold up in our weather here

I like a trellis that is strong enough to hold my runner beans, morning glories and my other types of plants that like to have something to climb on, other wise I end up with really pretty flowers laying in the lawn and they don’t look happy, plus they are really bothersome to mow around, if they aren’t picked up, then laid back down after the mowing is over. My husband used to try, but it was a loosing battle, since most of them were voluntary plants, and I had just let grow wild. I just didn’t have the heart to pull them up. This year, I’m going to do a lot of yard work and am looking forward to this new look also!

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Crazy weather

The telephone woke me up at 5:30 this morning. It was to tell me that the kid’s school had a two hour delay because of the fog. I didn’t expect fog, since it had just snowed the day before yesterday.

After I turned on the news, I let the dog outside to do his business, it literally felt like Spring out doors. It was raining and foggy, yes it was that, but the porch thermometer read 52 degrees. This is January! I couldn’t believe it.

I sat with my tea watching the news and weather report and indeed it was about 52 degrees. All of a sudden, I saw lightening, then heard the thunder. I jumped, since it startled me and spilled my tea all over the sofa. I had to get stain remover today when I went into town. The weather report said that the temps were supposed to drop drastically and we were going to have snow. I stocked up on some items we use a lot of, just in case. Also more lamp oil and candles. Things like that, which come in so handy if the power goes out. I spent way too much money today, but just in case items seem to cost more when not planned. It is snowing now and the temperature dropped steady every hour today.

 

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Address Plaques are a great solution

After my mail box got hit and demolished the other night, I’ve decided to look at cool address plaques. My old mail box had the house numbers that were reflective, right on the wooden mailbox post. It was free to have the first time, from the village I live in. Now, it will cost me a mint to get another one. Since the mail is delivered around 10:00 am, and everyone knows everyone here, my mail man does not need to know my the house number, so it doesn’t need to be a reflective address sign.

I rarely ever have company in the night time, and if I do, once again, I don’t need reflectors on the house number, but I would indeed like to check out house numbers for the front of my home. I like the look of them. I’ve seen many now after shopping around on the net, that are classy, but not too fancy or overstated for me.

I also have been trying to decide if I would like to buy something distinctive for the front lawn, since my herb and flower gardens are planted there. I’ve been looking at lawn plaques. There are some really very classy, but simple ones I wouldn’t mind having. I’m still undecided, but I am leaning to these, as they would give a great touch to my front lawn and gardens.

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Planning for window boxes for the Spring

As all of my family are aware of, I’ve been planning on putting up window boxes when Spring comes. I know it’s early to be planning such things to some people, but I am the kind of person who likes to plan ahead when it comes to my  out door plants and flowers. I plan all winter long for what I would like to do with my gardens and my lawn, way before most people are even planning for Christmas.

Since we have been remodeling the house, I have all new windows and I think that I want to put in window box planters. Every time I go by a home that has them, I really start getting plans in my head about the flowers I could plant that would match all of the flowers and herbs I have in my gardens, especially out in the front court yard. I think it would be a perfect accent to what I already have growing now. Not to mention that I could make more use of color against the siding of the house.

Window flower boxes would be an excellent touch to the atmosphere also. I could have the windows open and then smell the fragrant scent of the flowers and herbs I plan on planting in them. I’ve done a lot of planning on this and even my husband is in agreement that they would make a nice “finishing touch” on the home.

 

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Flooding and then ice

It’s been raining for days and our back yard now looks like a pond. This isn’t an exaggeration either. Yesterday the temperature dropped drastically and it all froze. I know if the kids were younger, they would be outside ice skating and having a riot. Me? I’m going into hibernation until the warm weather comes again.

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The weather is about to change

For the last few days, the weather hasn’t been bad for this time of year. In fact, it was nearly 60 degrees when I took the dog for a walk this morning very early. But I could smell the change in the air. I wish the kids would start wearing their heavier coats instead of just hoodies, to school. It bothers me a great deal, and also if they get sick, there is the doctors visit and the bill to worry about.