Well, i've been jabbering about all my yardwork (and lovin' it, too), so i snapped a few pix this a.m. Keep in mind it's an overcast day with rain on the way.


This is the "North Slope."

This is one of the beds in the front yard; those reddish things shooting up are some peonies that do very well here. The deer don't bother them and i get some spectacular magenta blooms. You can also see a copper birdbath, which is solar-powered, by the way and features a small fountain when it's sunny out. There's also a small pagoda i recently got.


This is the new veggie garden i put in, in the FRONT yard cus that's where all the sun is. It doesn't matter at all as my front yard is just as private as the back, so no one will see it anyway. It's small, about 5 x 7, and i just planted 2 tomato plants, cucumbers, stringbeans, snap peas and zucchini. My hose BARELY reaches the spot, as it's about 75 feet from the house. I hope that lightweight deer fencing will hold. If a deer rammed it, they could easily knock it down. The right side is a little temporary until i figure out what to do with it. I need one end that i can easily open and close so i can get in there for weeding, etc.

Note the wheelbarrow; that's the new (used) one I got from the guy i gave my locust wood to. It's very sturdy. In the background you'll see a large burning bush. I mean, it's huge. Turns red in fall. I want to cut the right side of it way back becus it's blocking the view of 2 very nice evergreens that have finally reached an impressive size. Problem is, i won't be able to prune the top of the burning bush, even on a ladder.


Nothing much to see here, just the massive stump of the black locust. The bluebird box is inhabited, but i'm not sure how permanent it is. Between my frequent presence working in the yard after work and on weekends, plus the neighbor's cat who comes running for a rubdown when it sees me and some crows that might be nesting in a huge white pine nearby, i'mnot positive those bluebirds are staying. They'd defintiely like to, but i'm just not sure how tolerant they are of activity so close to the nest.


This is in area in the back that i planted with rescued lungwort. I say "rescued" becus it had it's back to my asphalt driveway with pachysandra closing in. The rock sculpture is what i call a cairn, which they may use to mark hiking trails, but i like it as a garden accent that costs nothing to construct.



This is a dormant clematis coming to life. Now if i had "cleaned up" the garden too much and pulled down those dead-looking vines, I wouldn't have the spectacular mass of blooms later in the spring. All those vines are very much alive.


Lest you think i have nothing left to do, behold, the Picket Fence Garden. For some reason, this always ends up last on my list. Maybe becus i can't decide what to do with it. It's a pretty large enlcosed area. I raided it for plants when i thought i was moving to T.'s, but there's still lots of good stuff in here: 3 dwarf cherry trees, a willow, about 5 blueberry bushes, wild strawberries that are migrating to my brick patio, a gooseberry that's also expanding its turf, a bleeding heart, a few hostas, salomon's seal, jacob ladder, day lily and who knows what else.

It's just a mess in there. Prickly brambles keep popping up there and i yanked out what i saw (with gloves) a few weeks ago cus they'll RAPIDLY take over. The weeds just always take over if i tidy up in there and i can't seem to keep up with it with all my other yard duties.

So let's see, this weekend i was on my usual frenzied schedule to accomplish AS Much As Possible.

I took an early a.m (8 a.m.) trip to Lowes to see if they had a longer reetractable clothesline than th 20-footer i got from Home Depot. They didn't, so i just bought a 100-foot clothesline rope. I'm afraid the rope will stretch too much when i hang clothes, but we'll see. I also picked up some plastic fencing there and a nozzle for my hose, which i plan to return for the $7 it cost when i found a plastic but perfectly workable hose nozze at Xpect Discounts for .69!

I transplanted the rest of my seedlings arrived in the mail. Two hardy fuscia, one of which is dead (will call Spring Hill about that), the remaining blackhaw viburnum and 2 corkscrew willow.

Then loaded up just a little bit of trash and a whole lot of broken up tree branches and sticks, crammed all in my trunk and back seat, and away we went to the transfer station to unload.

Went to get a prescription filled and ended up spendign $22 on a long-sleeved t-shirt that says my town's name on it. (I'm very patriotic about my town.)

Rest of the day i continued yardwork, planting what i mentioned in the veggie garden, which is really an attempt to get fresh, organic produce and fight rising grocery costs.

I was very surprised last night to get a phone call from the manager of my local Stop N Shop. I had emailed Stop N Shop corporate complalining that they had a very limited selection of organic produce and they passed my message on to the local store. He acknolwedged they have serious supply problems and basically chalked it up to there not being enough large-scale organic growers who could supply a 500-store chain. I had suggested local growers (my sister, for instance) but i think the paperwork involved in doing that would be too involved to keep track of numerous small scale farmers, all of whom would only supply a part of the total offerings at the store.

As long as the woodchuck stays away, i have a chance to actually harvest something. Altho i've had even cute chipmunks gnaw on tomatos, so i'm not positive.

Had a physical on Thursday. We agreed that since they were taking blood anyway, they should test me for Lyme disease, too. I've been having somewhat continuous, low grade headaches which sometimes continue into the next day. Lyme disease in my state is an epidemic.

My friend and neighbor H. called to ask me a favor, to bring a repotted snake plant back into the house. Not a biggie.
She knows I'm Ms. Muscle Lady.

Vacuumed the upstairs here; it really needed it. Was thinking i might be able to squeeze in some lawn mowing, the 1st of the season, if the grass is dry. It sprinkled a little last night.

The forecast for Friday looked so good, i couldn't resist. I took that day off from work, the 2nd day off in my 3 months at the new job. I only get a stingy 2 weeks and 2 personal days, but it was soooooo worth it. This weekend was picture-perfect weather.

Friday's project: do something about the many branches, either dropped during storms or pruned, accumulating in growing piles along the perimeters of the my property. I always figured, well, they'll decompose eventually. Surprise! They don't! Not in 13 years! And the place was looking more and more like an impenetrable jungle and tick haven.

So i began dragging out the larger tree branches and cutting them into manageable 3 foot lengths with my bow saw and loppers. I put a giant tarp in the trunk of my car and crammed as much brush in there as i could, then made 1 trip to the transfer station.

Went back home and continued in this mindless, but satisfying vein until i had built up 3 more pilies of 3 foot long tree branches. I'll plan to bring a load with me each week when i make a trip to the transfer station.

Yesterday a.m. at 7:30 a.m., a guy and his brother came over to take the rest of my cut up black locust as firewood. I had posted an ad on Craig's List saying i wanted to barter for a wheelbarrow in good condition.

He wrote back saying he didn't have a wheelbarrow but would be happy to buy me a new one. COOL. In a later email, he said he'd gotten my wheelbarrow. Then when he showed up, he said he didn't have it but would have to wait til the hardware store opened. I became instantly suspicious, thinking he was going to try to just take the wood and not come back. Besides, he had told me in the email he had already gotten one for me. Oh, it had a bad tire, he said, and i want to get you a new tire. Hmm, i thought. He said he was buying a new one so how could the tire be an issue? As a precaution, i took down the license plate of his truck as he was loading it. They made 3 trips here to load up wood, so i think he got a good deal. Anyway, they left me a wheelbarrow. It wasn't new, as it turned out, but it's perfectly fine, and what i'd asked for in the 1st place so i'm happy.

Old BF T. called to ask me if i still needed the dead apple tree cut down. (He wants the wood.) I said yes, so maybe he'll be up next weekend. At least with smaller trees, it doesnt' seem too hard to get the work done becus everyone's interested in firewood these days with the cost of heating oil. Maybe next time i can barter some wood for a pair of wire cutters. My neighbors still have old barbed wire running along a stone wall separating our property, and i don't like it there. An animal could get snagged on it; it's really a hazard.

A little later yesterday, friend M. came by and we did a 5-mile hike nearby. It took me several hours to recuperate from that, but i managed to rally and by 4:30 p.m. i was out in the yard again, this time mulching my giant rhodie and sweeping the debris left over from the wood in the driveway, etc.

Today's mission is to get out of here in just a little while (it's only 7:15 am) and run a few errands, mainly getting a crateload of annuals for all my pots and to get a retractable clothesline from Home Depot. The one i've had for about 5 years now ripped off the house under the weight of 2 wet quilts. I love that clothesline.

I am going to plant a vegetable garden. It was like an epiphany. I have 1/5 acres and in 13 years have never had a decent veggie garden beyond a few potted tomato plants!!! Why, you ask? Mainly becus of resident woodchucks, who are just as bad if not worse than deery, IMO. But after a large evergreen on the north side came down in a storm and a drainage pipe was put in that area, the secret woodchuck den was uncovered (with a front door and a back door) and the whole area, which was hidden by brush, etc., is now fairly exposed. So i don't think he or his ancestors who living there.

that means that perhaps a fenced garden could thrive here. And do you know where i'm going to put it? Smack dab in the middle of my sunny, sunny front yard.

In the past i'd tried veggie gardening in my picket fence garden, which is already protected, but i'm a little leery of continuing to do that because it's very close to the house, about 10 feet away, and i'm worried about paint chips that may have settled in the ground there. If i'm going to go organic, and that is a large reason for my own garden, that and the rising cost of fresh produce, i should make an effort to keep it healthy. So the front yard it shall be. The front gets a ton of sun and it's a good 30 feet from the house, so no paint chips.

It'll be narrow and rectanngular so i can easily walk around for weeeding purposes. And that way, too, if i want to continue to elongate the garden over time, i can do so. Nothing too crazy...snap peas, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, stringbeans. the hardest part will be digging up all that sod. Better get going.

Yesterday, we were supposed to visit some Japanese gardens but cancelled our plans due to expected rain. Of course, the day was bright and sunny. Today, I planned to do yardwork, and it was rainy and chilly. Go figure.

When i invited H. to the asian gardens, she was very interested. The only weekend day they're open is Saturday, so that's when we'd need to plan our visit. Since H. spends most every Saturday shopping with her friend N., I wasn't too surprised when she asked me if it was ok if she invited N. to join us. I told her it was fine, though privately my enthusiasm for the outing just went down a notch. I met N. once before and she's nice enough, but i sensed it would change the caliber of the trip, actually requiring me to be social and "Chatty Kathy" when i'm not that way at all. The thought of just going to these gardens by myself was looking more and more interesting. I really just want to wander the grounds and take in the design with my camera and bring home some ideas for my own gardens.

N. is a big shopper; she's married and i guess has money to burn. but my friend H. is living on Social Security in a house that's falling apart. I really can't speak for N., and i hate to say this about H., but she's the kind of person who doesn't really have many hobbies. the only thing she does with her time is, you guessed it, shop, drive around wasting gas, and that's it, unless i get her to walk with me, which is happening less and less. She really shouldn't be shopping at all, becus you know how exposing yourself to nice things makes you end up buying something. I'm not a big social person and sometimes spending more than an hour or so with certain kinds of people, usually the ones that talk a lot and require a running dialogue, simply WEAR ME OUT.

But with the weather forecast we all agreed not to go yesterday. Instead, i went to get my oil changed and snow tires off at the car dealer. I was miffed to have to sit there 2 hours just for that, while it was 70 degrees outside. I was a woman with things to do! I wandered the lot looking at all the shiny new Hondas and came away with the general impression that Honda, which has always been known for reliability and fuel economy, was slipping in the latter department. I know they revised the mileage ratings a year or so ago, but still, only 26 mpg?

Yesterday's mission was to dispose of some large hemlock branches that sat for the past year where they fell, north of the house. I took care of the branches, then decided to pull out (with gloves) all the bramble that was taking root there and getting in my blueberry patch. The stuff has very long root systems. I didn't want animals to step on the sharp prickers, remembering that the neighbor's neglected cat had a slight limp. i decided to cut up the bramble branches with a pair of clippers into 5 or 6" pieces so i could fit them neatly into plastic bags for disposal at the transfer station.

That little chore took me 3 hours, and by the end of it i was so sore, just from standing, bending, standing, bending. So i've got 2 bags of the stuff for the dump, along with a small pile of 3 foot wide branches and a tarp full of just brush. It's stuff that's accumulated for 13 years, and it's high time it gets cleaned out. At one time i figured it would all eventually decompose, but that process is a very slow one, and in the meantime i've created quite the haven for ticks. So getting rid of brush from the perimeters of the yard is on the To Do list this year.

Last night I watched "Talk to Her," a foreign film via Netflix. Very good, very different, with some sad and one hilarous part, too.

This a.m. i went to the giant flea market about 20 minutes from here, gassing up the car at the cheap station on the way. Damn. Within the first 5 minutes there i found myself reaching into my pocket for $12 for a framed piece of marquetry, which i have a soft spot for since my grandfather was a marquetry master. This piece looked like a view of some Swiss alpine village. The frame was garbage, and when i got it home i realized there was no way to separate the frame from the art which i wanted to reframe. Well, i guess i could take a hammer to it and carefully try to separate the 2. I also spent $10 on a "berry bucket," a small wood bucket with iron handle and painted a distressed green. That and the $2 for admission made the grand total to $24. Damn again. I suppose i shouldn't be pointing fingers at H. when i'm doing the same thing.

I arrived home to a chilly house (59 degrees) as i only have an eighth of an oil tank left and hope to save it for any future chilly nights. I don't want to refill til late summer as i'm counting on cheaper rates then, though who knows, really.

For lunch i made curried quinoa with chickpeas, shredded carrot, garlic, scallion, raisins and toasted pinenuts. then i dozed off for maybe a half hour. Oh, sweet luxury.

I also ordered some new wallpaper for the downstairs bathroom. It was difficult deciding on just one pattern, but i settled on a distressed marble look in the tan family. The color scheme in this bathroom has been blue and white, but this particular blue is not one i like, sort of like a royal blue. So with the new wallpaper, which will match the yellowish tones in the vanity sink (i think), i will repaint the cabinet and woodwork/trim.

I cancelled my subscription to the NYT, saving myself, afte rthe low intro rate had expired. $11 a month. Any time i can eliminate a recurring expense is a very satisfying experience. I will miss curling up in bed with the Sunday Times, but that was something of a fantasy, cus i rarely had time to read it all at once. I ended up force-reading it in bits and pieces, feeling "pressured" to do so since i'd paid for it. Now with the warmer weather is the time to eliminate it. I noticed that while i can access my account online, they won't let you cancel online. That's becus they want a phone rep to try to talk you out of cancelling, and that's exactly what he did. He suggested i just do a 4-month vacation hold, which i actually was tempted to do, but dollars and sense reigned and i stuck to my guns.

Netflix, on the other hand, i have no plans to cancel. I wish they had a plan that offered more than 2 movies a month but NOT "unlimited" numbers, as that, again, would make poor neurotic me feel "pressured" to watch them and return them as quickly as possible to "get my $'s worth." Anyone out there know what, for them, is the maximum number of movies you can watch in one month if you watch and return them as soon as you get them? I'd be curious. I'm guessing about 4 or 5.

Now i'm debating in my head whether i should try to do more yardwork or if i should bake something with sour cream and canned pineapple, 2 items i want to use up.

Mom called to tell me about her troubles separating an avocado pit from the avocado. And to offer me some salad dressing from Costco that she liked, but i am wedded to Paul Newman's balsamic vinegar for life.

I really felt like i could use a mental health day after "nose to the grindstone" for the past 3 months, so on a whim, i asked yesterday to take today off, knowing the weather was going to be great.

Here's what I did:
* did a dump run
* grocery shopping
* picked up birdseed on sale at Agway
* LOTS of yardwork (raking, sweeping, rolling the LAST of the cut up locust tree off my lawn and into the driveway)
* Mom came over for a brief visit
* 2 loads of laundry and hung them out to dry
* posted a craigs list posting looking to barter my firewood for a wheelbarrow
* enjoyed the screened porch with kitty
* cancelled my NYT subscription; it's great in winter, but i have no time to read it anymore....this always happens...
* put screen inserts in 2 doors and a window
* vacuumed out my car and wiped down the inside

Thirteen years ago i got a Rubbermaid wheelbarrow from Home Depot. It's served me well all these past years. Two years ago, my boyfriend broke off one of the wood handles on it. And apparently Home Depot no longer stocks replacement handles. But i found i could still use the wheelbarrow. Then, a few weeks ago, the 2nd handle broke off too! It was a case of one too many times being left out in the rain.

I've got a ton of yardwork and am still using it by simply grasping onto the rim of the bin, but it's doing a real number on my back.

This a.m. i posted on freecycle for another wheelbarrow. I've mostly given things away there so i don't expect success in finding someone who has one and doesn't need it, but am willing to give it a shot.

The other problem is that i'm not sure getting another one, used or new, will fit in my trunk. But i'm not very good at putting things together myself. Usually i end up with a wobbely bookcase or a wobbely anything. Sigh. I REALLY need a new wheelbarrow.

Yesterday, the weatherman got it all wrong. It was a beautiful sunny day. So i got a lot done in the yard. Most of the black locust wood is in the driveway, and my sister made a 2nd trip to load up her pickup. The sawdust and mess is all raked up now and i already started filling up said wheelbarrow with mulch (I have a Mt. Everest of mulch sitting by the driveway with remains of the pine; the pile is about 7 feet high!) and carting it around to mulch various perennial beds in the front. This all takes a ton of time. Shoveling mulch in, then shoveling it out, and edging the bedds neatly first with a hoe before that.

I opened up the screened porch for the season, first washing down the floor, which gets all sorts of grit and grime from the winter, then moving in my bamboo rug and assorted furniture and windchimes. The cat loved it after a season of breezeless air. We sat out there for a few hours in the afternoon sun. I filled up the hummer feeder too, for early arrivals.

I re-erected my bluebird box, hoping that this year, bluebirds will indeed take up residence. Usually, it's wrens in there, but i moved the box away from the brushy perimeter of the yard more to the center of the lawn, a relocation bluebirds would approve of.

Let's see, i also built a cairn with some fieldstone i have but need to relocate it to its final resting position. It's a decorative feature that i'll put near or in my perennial beds.

A small Japanese pagoda arrived in the mail, and that, too, will go somewhere in the garden.

I was patting myself on the back for having gotten thru this winter heating season with just 2 oil fill-ups. I checked just now to see what exactly that cost me, and I believe the 2 fillups cost me $816, which seems like a lot, not a little. Comparisons, anyone? My space is 1650 sf.

Everything is still pretty mucy dormant here, so i have yet to learn whether the bulk of what i transplanted to get out of the way of the chainsaws here a few weeks ago survived my shovel & transplant work or not.

Aside from a group of 4 deer, i don't see much wildlife here as most of it is nocturnal. (I did see a few turkeys a week ago.) But i was delighted yesterday a.m. to see a very white opossum looping thru the backyard, and that made me wonder if that was the critter enjoying all my handouts. I assumed it was the deer relishing the leftover table scraps and cat food which i put out many evenings and which vanishes by a.m.

Last night's offering also was gone this a.m., but i caught a cardinal picking at the remains, no doubt the squash seeds that went in there, along with some stale cheesecake. I'm wondering if this could possibly be an albino opposum or if they start out with white hair when they're born. I suspect it's the latter. Most possums i've seen have gray hair. They're really pretty special animals as they're in the marsupial family. Like kangaroos, they carry their young in a pouch.

Well, yesterday's errands got postponed when the weather turned sunny, so i'll be running out to do those shortly. Groceries, Walgreens, filling up the gas tank for the week ahead at the cheap place.... I was planning on going to the flea market too, but it's a bit of a marginal weather day today, and since the flea market is now on thru october, i might as well wait for a nicer day to do it.