Category: Odds and Ends

It’s Sunday and what a glorious Sunday it is! We’ve had sunny skies all weekend and no rain in the forecast until overnight. I don’t even care that we’re in the midst of the 3rd plague of summer and poplar fuzz is coming down like snow.

If you’re wondering the 1st plague is those little bugs that look like mosquitoes and poop green specks all over everything, the 2nd is maple keys. Fourth is May flies. After the 4th plague I usually wash my siding.

So about that funny story…

Yesterday I was up bright and early, 5:30 am because middle age is waking up when you don’t need to be awake. First stop, as always, the bathroom. No glasses, no phone I hadn’t even had coffee or a swig of Diet Pepsi – don’t judge me. All was well until I tried to leave the bathroom to start the coffee maker. The doorknob was turning, but it wasn’t doing anything!

So apparently the guts of the doorknob are stripped or broken somewhere, and I’m locked in the bathroom. It felt like an episode of Scooby Doo or I Love Lucy! Both boys are still sleeping – like sensible people on a Saturday. I have no glasses on, so everything is just a random blur, but I figure I’ll be fine because I always have tools in the bathroom.

But nope, not this time. What I had was one of those miniature electronics screwdrivers and a pair of those flimsy barber scissors that they throw in with men’s beard trimmers. The truly lucky part was a spare pair of readers in one of the vanity drawers.

And that was how I came to be MacGuyvering my way out of the bathroom at 6 am with a pair of flimsy barber scissors.

Pickers Pig Pen!

Early in the morning yesterday I made a run to Pickers Pig Pen. I have a couple of things I found there that you’ll see later, but I can show you one thing now.

I found this black table base! Steel and very solid it’s perfect. I had been planning to make a small stand for my miter saw. Usually we end up hauling it from the shed to the front deck and it’s heavy and awkward to carry. Plus working on the deck isn’t ideal because there’s always something in the way. Truly, clutter follows me wherever I go and the deck is no exception.

My oldest boy tends to have clutter too, and I used some of his clutter to make a top for the table base. Two pressure treated 2x6x10′ cut down to 5′ made a 4′ x 5′ top, and a couple of cement pavers made a solid footing for underneath the legs. I do need to get some sand to level the ground under the pavers, but the table works perfectly for what I needed. You can tell by the sawdust I’ve already used it. Some gravel pathways are a part of next years garden goals and that will take care of the muddy ground to the front of the bench.

In Other News…

Houseplants have been moved outside for the summer, and not a moment too soon. My Peace Lily was looking pretty sad before the move. The house is bare without them, but there’s just not enough light indoors in the summer to keep them healthy.

Most of the planting is done but I did grab a flat of white begonia to add to the new back garden. I think they will look quite showy with the dark soil. If you missed my post on that earlier this week you can see it here – The Back Garden, Mostly Done. I still have a couple of planters to finish and show you, those will come later this week.

For now, I have to head off to the grocery store. I would love to put it off until Monday but we’re on our last roll of toilet paper so that’s not happening. I can always pull a meal together with what’s on hand but toilet paper is a necessity that can’t wait.

Have a great Sunday!

I’m not sure of the exact number of rain free days we’ve had here since May, but I know the number is low. Like really really low. Let me tell you about this past week. We had a sunny day or two at the beginning of the week, I think Monday and Tuesday. I think it rained Wednesday. Thursday either rained or looked like it was going to rain. Friday the clouds parted, angels sang and the sun shone. You could hear lawn mowers and weed trimmers fire up through the neighborhood.

Saturday – more rain. Today? More rain. The forecast called for rain most of the day but only partly cloudy for 3 hours – from 5 am to 8 am.

I slept until 7.

Honestly there is not a spot in my yard that isn’t soggy and spongy. There is so much left to plant! Outside projects are impossible if it takes more than a couple of hours. Wash windows? Nope. Hang out laundry? Hardly but I did hang a couple of loads out at 6 am one Saturday so it would dry in time for the rain expected by noon.

Never the less, I persisted! On Friday I spread two more loads of compost. The last load was a very generous yard (it was way more than a yard) and I am done spreading compost for this year.

The Back Yard

The goal is to rehabilitate this scruffy back yard. You can see the chain-link fence with a bunch of maple trees growing through it. I can’t afford to have the trees removed let alone replace the fence, so I have to make it work. You can see where I’ve run wire for the pet-fence to keep the dogs contained. Neither are wanderers, but the Shepherd does want to do what Shepherds do and protect the yard. That behavior absolutely must be contained to our yard.

The entire yard is clay, but it is more of a problem in the back yard than anywhere else. There’s a significant slope to the yard, watering can be difficult because the water just wants to run down hill. Hopefully the thick layer of compost will help to absorb some of the water on it’s way through.

The plan is to grow a hedge. All of my research says that Yew is the best option for this location. It will tolerate shade and prefers things a little dry. Well-drained we can’t do but I’ve got dry covered – if it ever stops raining.

Nothing planted in this photo is in it’s final location. If we get any breaks in the rain this week, I’ll plant the hedge then start on the garden in front of it.

Is it rainy where you’re at? How are you coping with the disappointing weather?

I’m not into making New Year’s resolutions, but I do have a few goals for the upcoming year.

I know most people reading this came here by way of a topiary turtle, and I’m happy you’re here, thrilled really, but as much as I love Fred I don’t want to spend all of my time making topiary. It’s expensive and doesn’t really fill any of my needs. If you’re currently following this blog, you’ve probably noticed the last few posts are sewing related. I hope you aren’t too disappointed that my first 2018 goal is to…

Sew more

Sewing satisfies me on every level. Choosing fabrics that are economical and wearable, in colors, prints and textures I like. Cutting out fabric and lining up my projects. Pressing each seam as it’s sewn and watching a garment take shape from flat fabric. Oh and the results! Sure some of my attempts have hit the trash, but when I wear the successes and they fit properly? That is heaven.

So I will continue to sew and share my makes here, I still have a few wardrobe gaps that need filling. I’ll probably also take part in some weekly sewing challenges from the Facebook group 52 Week Sewing Challenge, provided the result fulfills a actual need. I’m not interested in owning patterns or fabric just for the sake of having it, I’m interested in sewing items that will actually be used, which brings me to my next goal…

Spend mindfully

I follow two types of Facebook groups, Sewing groups and Hosta groups. Occasionally I get put off by the excess I see. Honestly? There is a fine line between pursuing a hobby or spending money as a hobby.

The Hosta groups…

In the Hosta groups I see it all the time – gardens full of Hosta with only one or two eyes that you know are all new. Collections are lovely, when they are carefully curated over time. Some hosta take up to 5 years to reach maturity so if those single eye babies make it, you’ll be searching out new homes for them.

It’s not only that they get bigger, it’s that some of them look different too. Hosta collectors who build their collections over time have gardens that are so much lovelier. You can see the careful selection and layering of color, pattern and texture. That isn’t something you can replicate in a single season no matter how much money you spend.

Gardening is a marathon not a sprint. If you’ve got hundreds or even thousands to spend in a single season, it’s better spent building ‘good bones’ for your garden with hardscaping. The plants themselves will evolve over time as they should.

The Sewing groups…

Oh the sewing groups! Have you ever watched Hoarders? There is a reason that you see a sewing machine in nearly every episode. Some of the women in these groups are super frugal, repurposing old clothing and carefully planning their pattern purchases. But some women get into such a buying frenzy when sales are announced that they end up buying the same patterns multiple times!

So as much as I love having clothing that fits me and makes me happy to wear it, I have zero intention of falling into the trap of filling my house with shelves and totes of fabric or boxes and boxes of patterns. I prefer using patterns that I’ve already prepped and adjusted for fit, so some of my posts will show how I used those patterns to achieve a certain look. Otherwise known as pattern hacking. I also prefer sewing garments that will get used often, so my pattern and fabric purchases are carefully selected for garments that fit my lifestyle and taste.

Get rid of stuff

My house is small, just 1,000 square feet with no basement or garage. The rooms are laid out oddly – it was built as a summer cottage, and there isn’t much closet or cupboard space. I did an enormous purge in the fall, but I hope to continue purging things I don’t use, need, or love.

Blog regularly

This is something I used to do daily at one time and love. I don’t think I want to go back to that level of time commitment or obsession, but I would like to blog regularly enough to build that level of community again. I also want to avoid the parts of it that are distasteful and sometimes downright slimy.

Yes, you will see advertising and affiliate links on my blog but hopefully you will also see my enjoyment and satisfaction in the projects I share. I also hope some of my projects will help someone else, either figure out how to do something or find the inspiration to take on their own projects.

Happy New Year!