February 20, 2014 Potato Bed, Nectarine Tree, Peppermint, and a Wash Cloth

Today I am still dreaming of garden creativity.  Along the fence line for the big garden I have set some eight foot cedar posts for stability for the fence.  The fence is necessary for keeping out deer and occasionally there is a dog running loose and I don't want to be surprised by it.  Anyway, I have already dug a hole for another cedar post along the front side of the fence.  I have the cedar post and the cement to set it.  It has dawned on me that I would like to plant a shade tree there instead.  Our summers are brutally hot and any bit of shade is welcome.  In this location the plants all do much better with partial shade.

Now to decide which kind of shade tree I would like.  This will require a trip to either Lowe's or Tractor Supply.  I'd like to get something that is fast growing.  I'm reading some things online, too.  Like here.

Another area I'd like to create is a bulb and cutting flower garden.  I think this would do well in the area next to the chicken yard.  I can't work on this until the new chicken fence is up.

Enough dreaming for today.  Something I need to work on is getting a picture of the potato bed because I finished digging it!  I think I'll be planting those potatoes very soon.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to wait till after the last frost date.  Something else to research.

 

Here is the lovely potato bed.  It looks narrow in the picture but is 3 feet wide.  There will be 2 rows of potatoes.  I'll cover the bed with hay.

 

 

Hello Spring!  The nectarine tree is most definitely ready.  I'm sorry all the people living up north are still blanketed in snow and can't experience this yet.

 

 

My experiment with melon seeds in the egg carton is doing well.  So far 21 seeds have sprouted.  Now where am I going to put 21 melon plants?

 

 

Peppermint has beautiful blue eyes.  Dreamy.

 

 

This is a wash cloth I finished today.  It has seed stitch on the border and then basket weave stitch for the main body.  I like making our own wash cloths because they last forever and they feel so much better on your skin.  The longer I have them the better they look. 

February 14, 2014 Estate Sale, Strawberry Plants, and Nectarine Tree

Today I'm doing something I hate.  A mammogram.  I generally hate all doctor visit kind of things.  They're so tedious.  Waiting in the waiting room.  Waiting in the exam room.  And you know it's absolutely beautiful outside.

The rest of my day will include things like paying the bills.  My life is getting more exciting by the minute.  I do hope to have some pictures up.  I've been scouring Craigslist in case there's something I can't live without but need a truck to pick up.  I need to get my money's worth out this truck we bought. 

On our way to town I noticed a sign for an estate sale.  Oooooh.  There's rarely one close by our house.  Rowan and I went to the sale after we had done all our town stuff.

 

Here's a picture of almost everything I bought.  Rowan picked a game and I also got a rug.

 

 

If you're like me it's hard to resist so much wonderful stuff.  I had no problem resisting this cherub riding on a smiling (?) dolphin soap dish, though.  Later as I was editing this post I thought, "You know it's so absurd it would look great tucked away in a corner holding a potted plant."  I should have bought it...

 

 

True spring fever.  I'm now planting seeds in everything I can find, including this egg carton.  I simply poked holes in the bottom, filled with dirt and seeds.  We'll see if I get 36 melon plants.

 

 

A typical day's fashion sense:  My sloggers, leggings because chiggers suck, a cool skirt, my apron because my skirt doesn't have pockets, and my sweater.

 

 

One of the eleven strawberry plants!  They've become more intensely colorful and the leaves are opening up.  I bought these in a box for $4.99 at Tractor Supply.  (Not an endorsement, just a fact) I've decided to give 2 plants to a friend when I'm certain they'll survive.

 

I went to look at the nectarine tree again.  Is it really spring?  I have blossoms on my tree!  The apple tree is not too far behind.  The weather for the next week will be mild.  I hope it's not too soon for these blossoms to appear.