and the weird little snowman…

So, this odd little snowman was display signage for the Dept. 56 series All Through the House, I had seen it on ebay (with the acrylic sign) exactly once during my searches to complete the series. I wasn’t compelled to include in it the set. I suspect it wasn’t exactly part of the series; it […]

tess steps out

This is Tess: Tess is hard to find. Last year, a very damaged Tess came along with a large lot purchase of All Through the House pieces. At some point in her life, Tess had a considerable tumble, breaking both ankles, removing chunks of the molded resin. I tucked her behind the christmas tree to […]

getting saucy

I made tomato sauce today. This was my first time ever blanching and peeling tomatoes. It might be an okay task… Per usual, I started with a recipe, but more for steps and times the measurements. Two cloves of garlic? No, one whole head. I also added more carrots than listed, mostly since we’re growing […]

the garden of happy accidents…

Sometimes, I simply let things happen in the garden and see what they do. Last year, I installed cedar lattice down the property line fence. Virginia creeper showed itself the prior year, and I encouraged it to grow upward. It flourished this spring. When the Japanese beetles hit this year, they decimated the creeper, but […]

a thifty return…

Yesterday was not my first trip into a thift store since the pandemic, but it was the first time I didn’t dissuade myself from purchasing thrifted things while keeping away non-compliant shoppers. Such a score! Gilded-edge Wexford, previously unfound, must be going out of vogue because it’s starting to pop-up everywhere. The gilded trifle bowl […]

flora and fauna

I present to you: things in the garden, from the past two weeks…

garden d’art

Last week, I had a great opportunity to add more furniture to the garden and support local art. A dear friend, Apryl completed and posted for sale the pieces seen below. My husband and I agreed instantly to bring the set home. Apryl and her man, Thom, delivered them this morning, and the set is […]

rise, my brassicae, RISE!!!

Mwah… Mwah… Mwah-hahahahaha! The first fall brassicae bed, about two weeks in…? I’m fascinated by how similiar the broad variety of brassicae start out in their growing cycle. They’re so identical, but they will be cabbages, and broccoli and cauliflower and mustard greens and kale and kohlrabi and brussel sprouts and and and…

quonset hut no. 2

Mental note: half inch PEX piping needs half inch fitting, not three quarter. Meh. The second bed is properly covered. The first covering offered a quick learning curve, so the second structure is sturdy and even. I will have to go back into the first one to add some extra cross braces. The extra bracing […]

fall beds no. 1 & 2

Both beds are now sown for fall harvests, both covered with screen netting, since the first attempt was stripped bare. Contents below… Bed No. 1: Bed No. 2: Apologies for the janky panning in the first video…