The New Back Patio

Here it is: a couple of months' worth of work, finally giving us a back patio. (It's actually Phase I of several years' work.) Thanks to Jay, Sharon, Jordan, and Dave for their help in making this happen.
[Hold your mouse pointer over the pictures for captions.]
~ emrys

In the Tall Grass

Strawberry farmers plant in rows. The plants grow in lines separated by about twelve inches of space through which you walk when you go to pick the sweet and succulent dilectibles. This late in June, however, most of the obvious strawberries have gone away to the kitchens and stomachs of earlier pickers. But there are more to be found . . .

Not much weeding seems to happen in the strawberry fields. Thus in certain stretches of strawberry rows grass grows thick and high over the fruiting plants. Most pickers, it seems, pass by these tufts of weedy growth in order to find more readily accessible fruit. To do so, we found this morning, is a mistake. For within the patches of high, thick grass those strawberry plants keep on bearing. What's more, the strands of grass, though they hide the red jewels from the untrained eye, also keep the plump morsels off the ground and therefore protected from quick rotting.

To put one's hand through a tuft of grass is to find hidden treasures of bright red sweetness, even when the rest of the field has been harvested dry of berries. By putting our hands through grass and weeds, we found about ten pounds of diamonds in the rough. Ah, the joy of fresh-picked strawberries! Let me share with you a vision of this joy--I apologize that our photos cannot convey the smell nor the taste. I'd tell you to satisfy the craving which is certain to arise in your tongue by going out to get some strawberries at the supermarket; but it just wouldn't be the same.

~ emrys

Patio Phase I- Complete!

Today hit 98 degrees! A bit toasty! We've been busy around here! Below are pictures of the completed Phase I of the patio - Emrys worked really hard and many thanks to our friends Jay & Sharon who helped a lot as well! The veggies are doing their thing - growing. We picked the first strawberry today - yum! We'll have Alaska peas soon. We're still getting spinach and asparagus and I even have a head of broccoli getting started! I keep looking at the loaded blueberry bush but unfortunately they're still green-berries. :( Everything in due season!

(Scroll over the pictures with your mouse for the captions)

Let it Rain, Let it Rain, Let it Rain!

We've had such a dry spring and start of summer. The ground's been dry and the grass wilting and all the water for our garden is hauled out there. God's helping us out tonight. We're getting soaked! So the last load of laundry had to go in the dryer instead of the line - oh well - I'm thankful for the rain. And as an added bonus - it arrived with thunder & lightning :)

Fruits & Veggies

Summer is here and in our yard that means GARDENING! We have vegetable beds and patios in progress - and just so we don't get lazy, we have deadlines of summer entertaining planned so that the projects get done! We also have some crazy animal that keeps punching holes in our screened in porch! Never a dull moment!

We're enjoying fresh spinach, lettuce and asparagus and strawberries and blueberries are working on "growing up" for us to eat! We also have raspberry/blackberry all over our property and we're just waiting to find out which one is which!

The "Sit Back & Watch" Garden

We managed to purchase a home from an amazing gardener. It has been awesome to sit back and watch as perennial after perennial comes up splashing the front of our house with color. I had been told there were lilacs on the property and looked and looked - mind you with people who knew what they were looking for - and it wasn't until this morning that I saw the brush strokes of light purple among the green the I FOUND THE LILACS! I was so excited! We have an azalia bush in front of the house that is getting ready to bust open too. Flowering quince bushes line the driveway and along the road. It's great!

Then there's the edible stuff. Blossoms on the blueberry bushes, little pea plants coming up, an asparagus bed that gives us a few spears each day, just warming up for the harvesting season! Peppermint and onions are on a mission to take over the yard. Carrots, corn, and snap peas are in the ground and I'm patiently waiting for them to come up. The little strawberry plants seem to be happy enough - although someone told me you're not supposed to let them berry the first year - bah humbug! I'm looking for a second opinion on that one! Anyway, enjoy the picutres of our little corner of the world

So Sara…

What’s going on with Charity’s Candles & Crafts? I’m so glad you asked! I just finished a 5 day craft show in the local mall. Overall, it was good. Too many hours for me, myself and I but fortunately Emrys and friends from church were able to bail me out and give me a few breaks and some company. At the end of the weekend, Charity’s Candles & Crafts has products in over 100 local homes and over $150 will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I love my job!

Next stop, the Bainbridge General Clinton Regatta over Memorial Day weekend and I’ve recruited a “tent buddy” so I’ll have company and extra help – phew!

Learning the Land

We closed on our house the first of December. As you can imagine, the yard and garden areas were at less than peak. But now it’s spring! As I walk around my yard, because I’m a Gardening Neanderthal the words most commonly heard out of my mouth are “oh look, another pretty flower”. (I have to make time to open up those books my mom brought at Christmas!)

We have bulbs and plants coming up everywhere! I’ve been educated that some of the flowers are irises and crocuses. Both are coming up purple. There are also some little white flowers coming up too. I’ve been cleaning out the garden beds and there are onions coming up all over the place out there. Either they’re renegade onions from years past or something! There’s also a bed that’s supposed to be asparagus. I’m hoping to clean the junk out of it this weekend to see if anything is coming up yet.

I’ve also realized that I have a small streak of “girly-girl”. As soon as the gardening gloves are donned I’m Gardening Girl – unafraid of the dirt and all the creepy crawly things living in it. My confidence bolstered by the thin layer of cotton between me and the dirt. Without the gloves, ew- worms and spiders and “there’s dirt under my fingernails”.

It’s another sunny day and I’m off for another somewhat busy day of running around. But I’m thinking that there will be garden time in there somewhere.

April Snow Storm

That's right folks! These are from Monday's snow storm! Monday, as in April 16th Monday. I sure hope spring's on the way!

On the Rock

Jesus tells us that it's better to build a house on rock than on sand, citing important historical precedents regarding the laws of physics in storms. And I agree with him that it is better to place your foundation upon bedrock than upon a substrate that easily erodes and washes away.

Unless you're trying to put a sump pump in your basement. For that chore, put my house on sand any day.

We are now native New Yorkers, having collected about two inches of water in our basement a week ago. The remedy? The easiest and cheapest remedy should have been to dig a little hole, insert a sump pump, and let it work its magic. However, upon going down with a shovel myself and starting to excavate that little hole, I discovered that our cellar sits directly on the bedrock of the hill: a layer of shale.

I think it's time for a plan B.

~ emrys