Winter Tulips

A profusion of tulips hit the stores last week, and I made sure I was there to buy bunches and bunches of them! I bought white ones, and yellow ones, and orange ones, and put them in vases all over the house. Here is the bunch on the coffee table in the living room--they are so wild and beautiful!

The Heirloom Life Gardener

This is a wonderful new book written by Jere Gettle, founder and owner of Baker Creek Seeds in Ohio. He began traveling the world collecting heirloom seeds when he was in his early 20's, and today offers hundreds of varieties of non-genetically modified heirloom seeds for gardeners. This book is a great manual for understanding our food and the revolution that took place after World War II, with our government modifying our food sources and using pesticides and other poisons to increase the production of food worldwide (at a great cost to health, the flavor and appearance of fruits and vegetables), and forcing extinction of many thousands of varieties of living plants and crops.

The book is also a reference manual for growing every type of vegetable, and offers a guide for saving seeds, and for joining Seed Savers, a worldwide group who trades heirloom seeds.

Winter Yard Flag

Here is a picture of a new flag for the fence that I bought for the holiday season. Soon I will replace it with a new Spring flag. My Summer flag is a hand-sewn small quilt in the shape and colors of the American Flag, and by next Autumn, I will have a flag for the harvest season.

I love the way these flags set the stage for the seasons, and brighten up the yard with color and a focus for what is going on in the yard and garden.

Progress in the Greenhouse

I've almost got the greenhouse completely furnished inside now! The lovely chrome Martha Stewart shelves (four) were perfect for the longer sides of the structure, and give me a lot of room to store pots, seeds and all of my supplies. It really looks like a greenhouse now!

Copper Boiler With Lid

I found a great old copper boiler in Monroe last weekend, and I was pleased to find one in such good condition. I needed something like this for my new greenhouse, and it has a place now beneath my antique potting bench.

My Mom explained that when she was growing up in the 30's, her mother would wash clothes and scrub them on a washboard, then put them in the boiler on the stove and boil them until they were clean. Then the clothes were dried on a clothesline, and ironed. She said these copper boilers were an essential item for clothes washing.

Several bags of my organic potting mix are now stored inside the boiler, and the vessel brings back memories of my childhood. We used it to bathe the dog.

Seed Starting Kits

Several weeks ago, I bought several seed starting kits. Now that I have a greenhouse, I can plant seeds in February and March and then transfer them to raised beds in the garden when the temperature is right for each variety of heirloom vegetables. I've already received my seed order from Baker Creek Farm in Ohio, and they are waiting patiently in the garden shed. It's so exciting to see the 35 varieties of pure, heirloom vegetables, and to be a part of the growing group of gardeners who beleive in non-genetically-modified food and seeds.

Primroses (Primula vulgaris)

Primroses are here! I've seen them at all of the nurseries, Home Depot and Flower World. I found these lovely violet plants last weekend, and now that the snow is gone, I'll find a place to plant them. They come back year after year, and it's always to heartening to see small flowers such as these stand fast through the winter weather and thrive all the rest of the year in the more temperate climate.

Giant Icicles

With the snow and ice storms here this week, we've had periods of snow and freezing rain, and melting and freezing. It's produced some of the largest icicles I've ever seen.

Here's a picture of an icicle almost two feet long! It's hanging right in front of my kitchen window, and it adds a little length every day. I can't wait to see how big it's going to get before it melts.

Front Gate Covered With Snow

My last blog posting of the front gate was swathed in brilliant Autumn leaves, and before that, the summer's lovely purple roses were climbing up the arch. Now the white fence and gate are matched by a foot of snow, adorned in Winter's garments.

Twelve Inches of Snow in Maltby!

We topped out today at noon with twelve inches of beautiful snow! The power was out for an hour, but it's back on at the moment. You can hear sounds of generators in the neighborhood, as most of our neighbors have back-up power. I'm going to be going shopping for a generator soon myself!

I love this shot of the neighborhood's gravel lane, leading down to Roberta's chickens and llamas at the end of the road. It's so beautiful covered in snow--it reminds me of a scene from Dr. Zhivago.

Snow on a Sunday Evening

The snow reached a level of about six inches here in Maltby, and the sun came out briefly before sunset. It's quiet and surreal outside, and I got this shot right before the sun set.

Cabin in the Snow

The cabin is holding up well, and it's amazingly warm and snug inside. It helps that it is nestled underneath the trees as it experiences its first Winter here in Maltby.

Snow!!!

Well, we got all the way through the holidays, and into the new year, and it finally snowed! It started coming down yesterday around noon, and hasn't let up since. It's always beautiful to see the area blanketed in white, and the snow covers all flaws in the yard and garden and neighborhood.

Here's our little cottage tucked away from the road under large Douglas Fir trees. There's been a fire in the wood stove, and plenty of time to read the paper and get caught up on novels stacking up in my study.

Snow!

Outfitting the New Greenhouse

Last weekend, I went to Home Depot, looking for shelves and other interior elements for my new greenhouse. For a makeshift potting bench, I am using an old antique white table I've had for a few years. This coming weekend, I will visit some of my favorite antique stores in Monroe to see if I can't find some old shelves, buckets and other tools for my new space.

I found four stainless steel small shelves that will be perfect for housing my seed trays, and they line both side of the greenhouse. I'll be moving all of my pots and small garden tools into the corners of the structure, also, so everything that I need for starting my plants and tending existing plants will all be in one place. It's all coming along nicely.

The Fence is Complete!

Here is a view from the backyard of the fence with the cabin in the background. Before spring gets here, I'll be able to dig out the flower beds and have the yard looking tidy. The new fence creates a great backdrop for anything I will be planting this year.

New Fence--Part Two

Here is a shot of the fence boards being nailed onto the 2x4's with a nail gun. The cedar boards smell so wonderful!

A New Fence--Preparation

Now that the greenhouse is finished, Brian started on our new fence yesterday. The original fence was over 25 years old, and needed to be replaced. This fence separates our private back yard and patio from the pasture where the cabin, solar woodshed, and greenhouse reside. It's also the location for my fenced garden with four raised beds, a potting shelf, and small shade gardens.

Here's a shot of the fence line with the new 4x4's and 2x4's ready to have the dog-eared cedar fence boards nailed on. Brian cut each cedar board in the dog-ear pattern, as this particular style is no longer available at the lumber yards. Thanks, Brian, for the custom touches!

The Greenhouse is Finished!

Brian put the finishing touches on the greenhouse this afternoon, and it turned out beautifully! It has a nice sliding door, and two vented windows on the roof for air circulation.

I swept it out, and tested everything, and I can't wait to get it outfitted with shelves and potting supplies. My Baker Creek Heirloom Seed order is on its way from Ohio, so I'll be busy soon, getting the seeds started so they can be transplanted in early Spring right into the garden.

Hurry Spring!

Greenhouse Update--4 p.m.

Here is the 'almost' completed greenhouse today--all that is left is for the plastic panels to be installed. Brian will come back tomorrow, as it started to rain too hard this afternoon to complete the project. I'm impressed with what he got done in six hours today!

Greenhouse Update--2:15 p.m.

The supports are going up, and final adjustments are being made to the measurements before the roof and sides and door get started.

Greenhouse Update--Foundation Complete

Brian finished the foundation before breaking for lunch. He treated the wood for the floor, even though the greenhouse will cover it. It will help with any moisture that comes through from the ground under the foundation.

Next step: assemble the greenhouse.

Greenhouse Update--Noon on Monday

Here is the completed foundation, with the plywood base ready to be attached. Next comes the greenhouse!!

Christmastime at Disneyland

Here's what Christmas looks like at Disneyland! Every night, there's a parade and fireworks, and the weather was in the 60's and 70's all week. Hard to imagine the weather here was in the 30's and we were all huddled in front of a fire, trying to stay warm!

Dave and Kaila

Here's Dave and Kaila after opening presents. Dave is dreaming of the mashed potatoes he just ate, and Kai can't wait to go to Toys 'R Us to spend the money she got from the family!

The rest of the day, all our children hung out in the family room napping, watching sports, and visiting. It's a great feeling to have them here with us on this special day.

Kaila's Christmas

Kaila and Dave were in Disneyland until Christmas Eve, and they enjoyed the warm, sunny weather for a week. It was tough to come back home to cold, damp weather. However, we did what we could to help them make the transition back here with our annual Christmas celebration.

We had our traditional dinner, and everyone helped cook and clean up. All the kids were here, and we had a wonderful day together talking, watching TV, and sharing all of the joys of the season.

Kaila is almost seven, and she enjoys her family and helps us cook and organize just about everything. It's wonderful to have a child in the house again!

The Night Before Christmas

Here is my new Martha Stewart Christmas Tree the night before Christmas! It was a delight of over 200 "Shiny Brite" ornaments I have collected over the last five years. It was beautiful!

The tree itself is decorated subtly with gold glitter on the tips of the branches and small gold berries are attached throughtout. The lights came with the tree, so I will enjoy not having to put them on and take them off in the future.

You can see our lovely Andrew Wyeth print behind the tree, titled "The Big Room". It's a true winter scene with snow outside the windows and clues about the life of the resident of the house displayed in this room.

This tree was such an inspiration on the cold, dark nights of late Fall and early Winter.

Roses for Christmas

Here is a close-up of the lovely red and white roses that Liz sent me for my birthday and Christmas. There are small sprigs of evergreen tucked into the arrangement, and there was a tiny red plastic ladybug glued to the largest white rose.

Christmas Dinner 2011

I did a lot of decorating this year, and enjoyed every minute of turning the house into a special place for friends and family to gather this season. Here is the table setting with my holiday linens and lovely French dishes, and my best friend Liz sent me the lovely red and white rose arrangement. She doesn't even have to see my home to know what colors I need every year for my table. That's what best friends are for!

A Greenhouse Comes to Life

Brian, my contractor, showed up bright and early this morning to get started on the greenhouse foundation. The weather is mild, and there is no rain, so it's a go!

It's fun to imagine this space soon with a greenhouse filled with seeds and flowers and a potting bench.

Here's the "before" picture of the site. More updates to come today.