Sunday, March 22, 2009

Support your local peas

I love peas fresh from the garden - whether using the whole pod or the mature shelled peas. But I haven't grown peas in a couple of years because we were avoiding high-carb foods. Well, they are back in my garden since I learned we can still enjoy the immature pods without overly-high carb counts. I sowed 8-10 Dwarf Grey Sugar peas a few days ago - they were from a seed-swap where typically you just get enough seed for a sampling, so that was all the seed there was. And in anticipation that they will germinate and grow well, I've designed a unique support trellis. Old bed spring coils! I scavenged these old rusty springs earlier this month and have had several ideas for using them - a rusty "Spring" wreath, a rain-chain, wind-chimes, etc. But right from the start I had thought they could work as an unusual support for my peas and bring a fun junk-twist to the garden.
This last photo is enhanced to show the coils better. I'll post more photos as the peas start climbing (I have faith they will!).

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Chamomile, Marjoram, Thyme and More

Last weekend I wintersowed and within only 2-3 days the Cosmos were sprouted! That was fun - until the temps went from 70's to 20's in a day's time. And all the little Cosmos that had sprouted, turned brown and wilted. Good news is not all the seeds had germinated, and more are coming up even today. Plus I have more Cosmos seed and plan to direct-sow some in May. Other wintersown seedlings popped up this week too - Marjoram, Thyme and Chamomile survived the cold snap quite nicely.

The 4 plots of greens I sowed in the tubs-under-glass are coming along nicely - Kale, Arugula, Komatsuna, Endive and Spinach - and I'm guesstimating our first salad of the season may be in the works within another 2 weeks. I sowed Pak Choi last weekend and am seeing good germination there too. This is my first go at Pak Choi and I can hardly wait to taste it!

I had some help in my garden rounds yesterday....Roxy (aka Roxzilla), the 4 1/2 month old Pomapoo, joined me for a bit of serious sniffing and inspecting. I think she approved. Isn't she too cute?!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

What's up?

Colder temps bit hard last week, but a walk around the yards to see "what's up" proves spring is breaking out of winter's tight grip.

This forsythia is blooming bright at the corner of the front yard. I love their cheerful yellow and have at least 6 others scattered around our grounds.

The flowering almond's tight buds are rosy-tinged right now, but will soon open into puffs of cotton-candy pink. This bush is probably 50 years old, maybe more!

The Weeping Willow has leaves and some sort of bud that I don't recall seeing before, though surely it has appeared in years past.




A tulip pokes its strong points out of the bed I planted 12 of them in last November. I'm looking forward to the orangy-golden blooms the photos on the bulb bag promised.






















And Easter Lilys bloom in clumps along the edge the old coke cooler.

All these signs of spring have me in a gardening state of mind! Next post I'll share "what's up" in the garden.




Sunday, March 8, 2009

Sweet! I've been given an award!

A big hug and thanks to Midge (aka junkermidge), of
Having fun with Junk (and Life in general)
for presenting me with this blog award:



As a recipient of this award, I must list five things I'm addicted to and then pass this award on to five other blogs. So...here goes....

Five Things I am addicted to:

1. Gardening - obviously! There's something about newly sprouted "babies" that just gives me a real kick. I love seeing newly sprouted seedlings as much as preparing the delicious, organic goodness that goes on our table.

2. Yard Sales! I'm borderline crazy - at least according to my family - when it comes to yard sales. I plan out my route using craigslist and the local ads the night before, then get up reallllly early to hit 'em hard by daylight. What a rush!

3. Creating. OK, that's a bit broad, but then so are my tastes! A lot of this is DIY stuff - like refinishing a great piece of furniture or cabinetry. It also covers creating crafting, photography and re-purposing great items from junk.

4. The outdoors. Whether it be a bright, sun-filled day or a star-filled full-moon night, my stresses just wash away with a sweet breeze and the song of the birds and the peeper-frogs. Better than all the therapy and anti-depressants in the world!

5. The computer. My family would say this anyway. And, no doubt, they must be right for here I am! I make my living on the computer, communicate with friends and family via the computer, learn wondrous new things on the computer, and meet fabulous new and talented folks - again on my computer.

Now to pass on this award....drumrolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
.......................And my 5 blog awardees are:

1. Fluffy Flowers
2. The Clicks of My Shutter
3. Bloom Right Here!

4. The Waste Not Shoppe

5. Daffadowndilly's

Congratulations to all 5 of you and your wonderful blogs. Please accept this award from me, proclaim it to all your blog readers, list your 5 addictions, and then pass the award on to 5 other blogs of your choosing.

Thanks again Midge - be sure and check out her blog and website - she is one awesome, creative lady, and is always sharing lots of junk inspiration!

Teresa (aka luvmygarden)

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Spring exercise on hold

March is here at last, bringing the occasional sunshiny day and the desire to break the winter blahs with some outdoor exercise. And when a group formed at work to walk at noon a couple days a week I was happy to get on board. Our first walk was yesterday, and we had a choice of one of several predetermined routes, or our own. I opted for the 1 mile, thinking that would be a good way to start, and eventually work up to the 3 mile trail. My body, however, made it clear I chose poorly. Halfway through the walk I noticed the muscles in my left leg tightening up. Not a big deal really - might get a little sore, but I could handle that. By the end of the walk I had some mild pain. By the time I got home last night I could barely walk. Uh-oh.

And this morning it was only slightly better. I stayed home, on the sofa and babied my leg and foot. And, thankfully, I think I'm going to be back at work tomorrow. I did manage to sneak outside for just a few minutes late this afternoon. Perfect timing - the tiny purple crocuses were waiting for me - a nice end to a pretty boring day.
So, I'm thinking I may have to back off on the group-walking for a week or so....maybe start with a block-walk next week and work my way up. I'm paying for not staying active over the winter....and finding it gets a little harder each year to jump back in come spring!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Weekend Bargains

Yesterday was a good junking day, and I have the pictures to prove it. I'm drawn to kerosene oil lanterns and lamps , even though this one is missing the glass. The photo doesn't show it well, but the shelf has a towel bar underneath and is made of metal. I've got some ideas floating around about using that near my front door. The green metal file box has a locking mechanism and lock. Seems kind of pointless as it would be really easy to pry it apart, but I like the way it looks and needed a new file box for tax papers anyway. The neat chrome thing in the middle is an expandable trivet, made to hold various shapes of casseroles, but I'm toying with other uses. The cast iron candlestick is the perfect compliment to another one I bought a couple weeks ago. And the lone little fork - has great scrollwork engraving on it. Should make a cute hook for a coat or tea towel.

This is a scrapbook kit - perfect for someone building or remodeling their home. I'm not doing either and really was drawn to it because of the shapes and tags, but will probably end up selling it on ebay.




Just a couple of days ago I found a website that showed some really creative ways to turn bowling balls into garden art, so when I spied this ball I was really excited. Problem is, it is already a really gorgeous color - no need to add paint or mosaic! Instead I'll just spray on polyurethane (thanks so much to Dottie at gardensandcrafts.com
for sharing how to do this!) to prep it to withstand the sun's ultraviolet rays, and use my creative side to find or create an interesting pedestal to display it on.

This light shade is so feminine, I couldn't resist it! I don't do shabby-chic, or any really girly stuff in my decor though, so I guess this will be resold. I can see it as part of a birdbath or crystal totem creation, if not for its original purpose.


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