Planning for this day

April 2008. Not a speck of dirt, just clay and rock. But I wanted to grow clematis here. Wha? Am I nuts? Well, OK, a little.

I dragged out the pick ax and began to attack the ground under my newly attached reclaimed lattice. It was laughable, and soon I had the help of Super Dave. We dug down about a foot and encountered a huge boulder, half of which was under the retaining wall. Since we couldn't get that boulder out, we moved the lattice over and continued to dig.

We added good soil and plants and developed patience.

It was worth the wait, the digging and the planning.

These iris were here when we moved in, but not in this spot. I moved them from a shade garden on the westside of the pond and now in the full sun they are blooming properly, and spreading into a huge clump. White, peach, yellow, purple and soon to see, pink. I am encouraged.

Last night at cocktail time the light on the pond showed the clear waters from the recent rains. The fish are just floating around and so visible. Our littlest water lily is reaching for the surface and will do much better this season since we had Mike remove the overtaking rushes last October.

Deck wall progress:

O man! This is way more than I had expected. Now I hear that this wall is going to get stuccoed. Imagine that. I told Dave that if I had presented this as my original plan, he would never have OK'd the idea. Heehee. Sometimes it pays to keep my mouth shut.

 

Getting Started with Basil

 Around here, we cannot have too much basil. I found these pictures from last September, but I know I started harvesting it much earlier. I planted Genovese, Lettuce Leaf and plain ol' no name basil. There are ton of fancy varieties, but when it comes to Caprese Salad or Pesto, big glossy green leaves are what we want.









The success I had last summer with this one Basil Lettuce Leaf plant made me decide to plant them individually this year, rather than toss the whole packet of seeds in the dirt, resulting in crowded plants, with smaller leaves.
To start the plants:
Place a single paper towel on a small plate, pour on water, enough to wet it thoroughly and sprinkle a packet of seeds all over the towel. Cover and place in a warm spot. In two days all the seeds will have developed a clear gooey coating and white sproutings will show.

I retrieved some leftover 3" pots, six packs and four packs which I then filled with potting mix, saturated the soil, and then with a tweezer I lifted the seeds into the pots, three to a cell, and set them in the warm sun on the back deck. There will be tiny leaves by next week and I will keep them in the nursery until the second set of leaves form. I hope to have at least 36 plants.
Then I will try and find an open sunny spot to set them. From there I will learn patience as they grow into harvestable size. In the meantime, I expect the growing tomatoes to be ready for their eventual pairing.

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Martha Steele, one of my quilting friends sent pictures of the tornado damage done to our quilt shop.
https://picasaweb.google.com/mssolitudefarm/SewBeeIt4272011Tornado?feat=email#

We're in the Clear

Yes we had WEATHER here in TN, but not so bad for us on the mountain. The worst thing was losing power for a while and missing the first fifteen minutes of American Idol. Phew! That was a close one.
Lately the wind has been strong, but the storm yesterday was not a windy one here.Thankfully. I know my garden loved the rain, and so did the goldfish.
On another topic, I have begun a year of 'At Last' and this chest of drawers is another one on that list, right after real tomato cages, and that magnolia tree.
I thought I would clean out my drawers and take a lot of things to Goodwill, but except for lots of worn out socks (storebought, not hand knit) I had nothing that I needed to unload. There is a lot more room in these drawers than my previous chest. And it is much taller, and thus that mirror pretty much just shows my gray hair.
 I confess that I had Dave and Mike assemble the thing, since it was raining and they needed indoor work.
They also got out the big ladder and cleaned the ceiling fans, and to reward them I made a big lunch.
Several of you have asked how I get them to do my bidding. Ha! I hand Mike cash, and Dave likes to work with him, as he feels he is helping. We are going along with this fantasy.


And now back to our nap.




This just in...Dave's Mom died this morning, peacefully and without pain. She had Alzheimer's and was living with Dave's Dad in a really nice assisted living facility in Chicago. We'll miss you Ruthie.
We won't be going to Chicago as there will be no funeral at this time.
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This just in...again... Just heard our beloved quilt shop in Ringgold GA, Sew Be It has been wiped out by a tornado. All that fabric, yarn, books and quilts, GONE. Devastating news.

Capelet Directions. . .Sorta

The directions for this little shawl/cape were written backwards to my way of thinking, so if I were to share them with you, I would not be confident of a good result. So here is my take on how I would make this. Knit this top down, so when you run out of yarn you are finished. I am not including the crocheted edge because I don't know what they did. Make up your own edge.

The yarn is a lightweight worsted silk and merino blend, and the directions called for casting on 100 stitches and joining in the round, on like size 10 needles. Knit stockinette stitch for two or two and a half inches and then go up a needle size for a similar amount of rows. If this is too iffy for you, gird your loins and realize that knitting is like cooking, do it to your taste. Keep increasing the size of the needle and think LOOSE. 200 yards ought to work for most sizes, but if your shoulders are super teeny make it shorter, and if you have a football player chest use more yarn.
No one has that many circular needles in all those huge sizes (13, 15, 17) so this is a really great reason for a yarn shop to give away a pattern like this. So you buy more needles!

Catching up

Gosh, I have missed one day of blogging and feel like I have a boatload of stuff to catch up on.
When we moved to the South I was hoping I would find a place with a big ol' Magnolia, but...no. Finally I just went and got my own and had Dave the wonder-husband plant it. So pretty and glossy-leaved. It will grow huge and have those delightful white waxy flowers. Do you think we have enough trees yet? I ordered a white lilac and just put it in a bigger pot, until I figure out where it can be placed. I may be nearing the tree planting limit.


The transplanted iris are blooming at such a rate, and I noticed yesterday some purple tipped buds. All of this flowering in April. What will be left for May-August? Better get the seeds started!

Tuesday our knitting group had a Knit-Out at the Yarn Shop in Dalton GA. I slept late (no time to blog) and left the house at 7:30 CDT to make the 10am start of the meeting, eastern time. This little mini poncho was one of the store samples and we all decided this was the next great thing for summer air conditioning wear.
Super simple and adaptable to most any yarn, it is knit here with Plymouth Silk and Merino yarn, so yummy, and takes only 200 yards. Cast on 100 stitches and knit in the round. Regular changing of the Big needles, like 17, 15, 13, 10 make the shaping simple.

Cherry, our guild president was making her own Magic Ball for a special project. She cut several different yarns and knotted  them in sequence to provide texture and interest. I loved the cute little shop with all the glorious yarn, but kept to my yarn diet, as I had other plans...Since I was half way to Atlanta, I left the Knit Out and headed for IKEA, only 90 minutes away. I have been waiting for the right day to get my longed for chest of drawers.

I was quick to find this and make my purchase and made it home by 5pm. That's a full day! I had a sunny day but it rained on and off at home so not much was accomplished on the deck. 

 The footings were made and poured for one side of the wall surround. Cement blocks will rest on these footings, and then the flower boxes will be the top edge. I hope you can imagine how this will work.

Super Dave and the Dawg enjoy a beer at day's end.

And that's the news.

Best Spring Ever

This is our fourth Spring in Tennessee and I think it is the best ever. I have finally gotten the hang of the seasons, and what will grow here. After all these years I have also stepped up and gotten real tomato cages for the first time EVER. These are called the Ultimate Tomato Cages, and I hope they live up to their name. I planted this bed early Sunday, in my pajamas, which is all part of living in the country. Never did get dressed all day. O well.
German Queen, an heirloom, Big Red, a beefsteak, Supersweet 100's, a cherry, and Mr. Stripey, an orange with red stripes variety. And in the same bed I planted peppers: California Wonder, and a yellow and a red bell, and dill.


My new little hosta bed is going great, with an addition of the lily of the valley I ordered online. And one set of iris leaves, which look like they might end up being Siberian Iris, but I'll wait and see. The azaleas near the mailbox are blooming like never before. They were here when we moved in, and so were these pink ones at the top of the driveway. Just full of blooms for the first time.

I am enjoying my Gallardia and Mountain Bluet and hoping they return next year. And this Tiarella, it's second year in the garden is showing off its candles of foamflowers. Thrilling to me.




Dave spent the day painting lumber and himself. The white primer stuck to his skin more than the gray paint, so he is just going to let it wear off. The gray matches the deck of course and will be the wood used for the planterboxes/fencing around the deck.
I was on vacation for most of the day, after morning watering and weeding, and just knit a new sock.


I was so preoccupied with the deck building that I never gave a thought to Easter dinner. I found some stuff to make...hummus and crackers, 5 deviled eggs, and some ham, cheese and pickles cut into cubes and stacked on toothpicks. It was kinda like a picnic lunch, on the deck, waving at motorcycles parading by, a lovely relaxing Easter.

Happy Easter Sunday

Happy Easter everyone, especially Deb White the winner of the Win This Book! Contest. Congratulations Deb, and thanks to everyone who entered. Woowoo!
And now back to our regularly scheduled program. The deck top is fiinished and we have already been trying it out. Here is the view from across the pond, where I can see that we really really need to remove that old satellite dish, which has never been in use since we moved here.


We seem to have oodles and oodles of seating all around the place, including the six chairs that came with that table, not pictured. I don't think the lounges will stay here. Too crowded. There is danger at this point that we will fall off the edge of the deck, but that won't last. The finish will be planter boxes attached on the three sides, with the pathway being filled in on the front. The Dawg loves jumping across the gap. It's his big trick of the day.
Dave who loves to paint is priming the planterbox lumber here. The white will be covered with gray to match the deck. The planter boxes will be supported by 1. a concrete foundation 2. concrete blocks 3. wooden planks secured to the underside of the deck supports.
The planters will be like the ones pictured below, attached to the front porch. More GARDENS!!!




Dave enjoys the dappled sunshine, after a hard day of deck building. The Dawg and his new favorite rock. He also loves sticks, branches, and bark, but rocks are #1.



The Frogs love April and are enjoying the sun, waiting for this year's sunglasses to arrive.  Blooming Clematis. Nelly Moser variety.

A little Grand Opening of the Iris, next to the snowball bush which is ridiculously loaded with heavy blooms.

I planted the lilies in pots to outwit the voles and they overwintered nicely and are already shooting up. In the center is a big bowl of coleus which I am going to gorge with Miracle Grow in hopes of a huge mound of redness by June. Still some empty pots to fill, but my herbs are doing well in the one purple pot.

And this Columbine I started from seed last year, and is gracing me with this lovely bloom. I am thrilled of course. Planting anything from seed is to me a tiny miracle.