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Mar 19, 2019
Mar 14, 2019
Still Working on Pottery
I thought all my pottery things would be finished by now, but there were a lot of big pieces to be fired and they got pretty behind. One of my pieces still needs to be bisque fired and three others are waiting to be glaze fired so I'll have another pottery post where I might style my bud vases with little flowers. Here is the last lonely thing waiting to be fired and my first totally finished thing!
Mar 12, 2019
Vancouver Trip
Yesterday was my birthday! To celebrate I took a few days off work and made my way to Vancouver, BC! Here are some photos I took on my little vacation:
totem poles. steam clock. not holding a frog. smores. a stranger's dog.
totem poles. steam clock. not holding a frog. smores. a stranger's dog.
Mar 7, 2019
2019 Garden Plans
I had great timing when I setup my greenhouse! That weekend was warm and sunny and since then it has been mostly colder and wetter, it has even snowed several times since. Even though the greenhouse is setup in my back yard, I haven't taken advantage of it. My plan is to start seeds next Monday since this weekend I'll be taking a mini vacation for my birthday and don't want things to accidentally dry out. So lately I've just been planning and shopping.
There were a few plants on my wish list for which I didn't have seeds. I tried to find them locally, but came up empty handed so I turned to the internet and bought more than I was planning! The two plants I wanted were luffa and white sweet peas, but I also bought two types of Brussels sprouts, red wildflowers and cat grass (this one is for inside for Winslow). So now I have more seeds to grow! Anyway, here are my plant plans for this year:
Annual Flowers:
Sweet Peas - Every year I plant little sweet pea flower seeds on St. Patrick's day. Last year I built a raised bed specifically for these vines to grow up the house. The area I have set aside will become a "moonlight" garden where I plan to grow lots of white (and some black) flowers that will glow in the moonlight.
Sunflowers - My favorite privacy fence! I don't normally need to plant these because the birds usually are messy and drop seeds so the "self sow", but most of the plants last year were all towards one end instead of spread out along the fence so I am planning on adding some more seeds.
Red Wildflowers - After sectioning off my vegetable garden from the rest of my yard with some pavers I have this section of empty yard that I'm planning on filling with these red wild flower seeds. It is currently filled with mounds of sod that I removed last autumn when I was reducing my lawn so I'll need to get a bit of soil to fill in the lumps and make the berm look more intentional or maybe just nicer. Confession: I kinda want to make it heart shaped. Let me know if this is a good idea.
Geraniums - I was planning on growing these from seed, but realized I just want about four plants to put in a planter to hang by my humming bird feeder so I've changed my mind and will just be picking up starts when they are available.
Vegetable Garden:
Garden Huckleberries - I'm a major fan of tart fruit; the garden huckleberry jam I made a few years ago was fantastic and I need more! Also, that purple color... I think I have to try dying some fabric!
Brussels Sprouts - While browsing seed catalogs, I decided it would be fun to try growing Brussels sprouts! I ended up purchasing two varieties: Long Island Improved Brussels Sprout and Red Rubine Brussels Sprout.
Corn - Two years ago I grew glass gem popcorn that didn't actually pop because the moisture was low (it's way too dry here). Most has gone to feed the squirrels so I'm not sure if I should plant more of this for the squirrels or something else for me/other humans. I have a bit of time to decide, but I'm leaning towards feeding the squirrels!
Pumpkins - I need to get my cold frames in place so I'm ready to grow all the pumpkins! These are one plant that I've saved seeds from lots of different varieties so I definitely need to find out what I have and what I want to plant!
Luffa - I've never successfully grown these; I want to add some luffa inside some handmade soap. Also, I am continually trying to reduce my waste, and scrubby sponges I can grow in my yard are perfect! Since these are a squash and I always have problems with squash bugs I'm going to sow these directly in the ground (in a cold frame) because my squash/pumpkins seem to do better that way.
Tomatoes & Peppers - The plan is to start these from seed, but I've got to check out the Peaceful Belly Plant Sale again this year. They have so many different varieties of tomatoes and peppers so I'll likely end up buying something new.
Other New Plants:
Fig Tree - Last year I kept a little fig tree on my front porch and moved it inside when the weather turned. It has sprouted a new branch and the ends of the other two branches are getting some new growth! Anyway, I think this guy needs to be planted outside in a permanent home, possibly in the area with the red wildflowers.
Nut Trees - I was planning on planting some smaller filbert trees for the squirrels (lots of my plants are for the wildlife), but I went to a horticulture conference earlier this month and learned about Xanthoceras sorbifolium (Yellowhorn), a low water/drought tolerant tree native to china that produces nuts and I want to grow them instead. However, it seems like I'd have to start from seed so It will be a long time before I have mature trees And now I'm considering filberts again.
Landscape Plants - There are a few different areas in my yard that ready for some beautification. I got a lot of inspiration from the aforementioned horticulture conference and I'm ready to plant everything!
My Perennials Need Some Attention Too:
Honeyberries - I bought a frost blanket for my honeyberry bushes so I can finally have fruit. This is their fourth year so they should have produced fruit, but I didn't get any last year, probably due to a late frost, so I've got to protect their little buds this spring.
Rhubarb - After dividing my rhubarb and moving it into a new bed I need to get my sprinklers automatically watering them. Last year I added a branch onto my sprinkler line to go to the rhubarb bed, but didn't get the holes/drip pieces added. I also need to check my sprinkler system to make sure all the other drip lines are working.
Flower Bulbs - I have lots of different flower bulbs in my raised beds that need to find a permanent home. Since my yard is "in progress" and I'm an obsessive plant purchaser, I buy pretty bulbs, but the place I want to put them isn't ready so I put them into a raised bed so they don't dry out and die. I need to move them all to a permanent home so my raised beds can be dedicated to veggies.
There were a few plants on my wish list for which I didn't have seeds. I tried to find them locally, but came up empty handed so I turned to the internet and bought more than I was planning! The two plants I wanted were luffa and white sweet peas, but I also bought two types of Brussels sprouts, red wildflowers and cat grass (this one is for inside for Winslow). So now I have more seeds to grow! Anyway, here are my plant plans for this year:
Annual Flowers:
Sweet Peas - Every year I plant little sweet pea flower seeds on St. Patrick's day. Last year I built a raised bed specifically for these vines to grow up the house. The area I have set aside will become a "moonlight" garden where I plan to grow lots of white (and some black) flowers that will glow in the moonlight.
Sunflowers - My favorite privacy fence! I don't normally need to plant these because the birds usually are messy and drop seeds so the "self sow", but most of the plants last year were all towards one end instead of spread out along the fence so I am planning on adding some more seeds.
Red Wildflowers - After sectioning off my vegetable garden from the rest of my yard with some pavers I have this section of empty yard that I'm planning on filling with these red wild flower seeds. It is currently filled with mounds of sod that I removed last autumn when I was reducing my lawn so I'll need to get a bit of soil to fill in the lumps and make the berm look more intentional or maybe just nicer. Confession: I kinda want to make it heart shaped. Let me know if this is a good idea.
Geraniums - I was planning on growing these from seed, but realized I just want about four plants to put in a planter to hang by my humming bird feeder so I've changed my mind and will just be picking up starts when they are available.
Vegetable Garden:
Garden Huckleberries - I'm a major fan of tart fruit; the garden huckleberry jam I made a few years ago was fantastic and I need more! Also, that purple color... I think I have to try dying some fabric!
Brussels Sprouts - While browsing seed catalogs, I decided it would be fun to try growing Brussels sprouts! I ended up purchasing two varieties: Long Island Improved Brussels Sprout and Red Rubine Brussels Sprout.
Corn - Two years ago I grew glass gem popcorn that didn't actually pop because the moisture was low (it's way too dry here). Most has gone to feed the squirrels so I'm not sure if I should plant more of this for the squirrels or something else for me/other humans. I have a bit of time to decide, but I'm leaning towards feeding the squirrels!
Pumpkins - I need to get my cold frames in place so I'm ready to grow all the pumpkins! These are one plant that I've saved seeds from lots of different varieties so I definitely need to find out what I have and what I want to plant!
Luffa - I've never successfully grown these; I want to add some luffa inside some handmade soap. Also, I am continually trying to reduce my waste, and scrubby sponges I can grow in my yard are perfect! Since these are a squash and I always have problems with squash bugs I'm going to sow these directly in the ground (in a cold frame) because my squash/pumpkins seem to do better that way.
Tomatoes & Peppers - The plan is to start these from seed, but I've got to check out the Peaceful Belly Plant Sale again this year. They have so many different varieties of tomatoes and peppers so I'll likely end up buying something new.
Other New Plants:
Fig Tree - Last year I kept a little fig tree on my front porch and moved it inside when the weather turned. It has sprouted a new branch and the ends of the other two branches are getting some new growth! Anyway, I think this guy needs to be planted outside in a permanent home, possibly in the area with the red wildflowers.
Nut Trees - I was planning on planting some smaller filbert trees for the squirrels (lots of my plants are for the wildlife), but I went to a horticulture conference earlier this month and learned about Xanthoceras sorbifolium (Yellowhorn), a low water/drought tolerant tree native to china that produces nuts and I want to grow them instead. However, it seems like I'd have to start from seed so It will be a long time before I have mature trees And now I'm considering filberts again.
Landscape Plants - There are a few different areas in my yard that ready for some beautification. I got a lot of inspiration from the aforementioned horticulture conference and I'm ready to plant everything!
My Perennials Need Some Attention Too:
Honeyberries - I bought a frost blanket for my honeyberry bushes so I can finally have fruit. This is their fourth year so they should have produced fruit, but I didn't get any last year, probably due to a late frost, so I've got to protect their little buds this spring.
Rhubarb - After dividing my rhubarb and moving it into a new bed I need to get my sprinklers automatically watering them. Last year I added a branch onto my sprinkler line to go to the rhubarb bed, but didn't get the holes/drip pieces added. I also need to check my sprinkler system to make sure all the other drip lines are working.
Flower Bulbs - I have lots of different flower bulbs in my raised beds that need to find a permanent home. Since my yard is "in progress" and I'm an obsessive plant purchaser, I buy pretty bulbs, but the place I want to put them isn't ready so I put them into a raised bed so they don't dry out and die. I need to move them all to a permanent home so my raised beds can be dedicated to veggies.
Mar 5, 2019
Another Palette Knife Abstract Painting
I decided to make another abstract acrylic painting using a palette knife! This one has found a home in my bathroom; I was inspired by my colorful shower curtain so the butterfly and flower shapes mirror that.
It looks fine, but I imagined it would be better so I'll probably be making some more paintings to go with it and fill up my bathroom.
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