What's In Your Backyard? - Update

Had to show off pictures from the midpoint (or what I like to call the "so close to being done, I'm surprised that I'm not yet" point):

Friday night saw my sister, my nephew and I hauling cinderblocks from behind the fence to behind the shed (did you know that cinderblocks gain weight the longer you lug them? Maybe I was just getting weaker with each block, because it sure felt like they went from weighting 10lbs each to 100lbs by the time we finished!!)

(if you click on the picture, you'll see it larger than life)

Saturday, I hauled all the pipe and metal to behind the shed and raked.
I know it's not 100% pretty yet, but it will be soon. I have to figure out what to do with the old cook stove (hiding under the tarp), dismantle the fence and take care of the wood splitter. I was just so tired and sore that I couldn't have done more if I wanted to on Sunday!

I can't wait to see that space totally empty, to get the compost in, seed it and have a lawn again!! I'm giddy with the thought!

What's in Your Backyard?

backyard
Originally uploaded by faerytreecreations

I know I blogged about this last year...but tis the season and this year, I'm actually getting stuff done! The picture is tiny here, but click over to flickr and you can see it a little larger (esp. if you go into all sizes). This is the before picture. I took Tuesday and Wednesday off from work for a 5 day weekend (Monday was Patriot's Day - observed only in Maine and Massachusetts) and all I did was rake and rake and rake some more!

My brother helped on Sunday - we got rid of all that rotting wood behind the shed and two truck loads of leaves. Then I borrowed my parents' truck and got rid of another 6 loads of leaves! My nephew will be over tonight to help me move all the crap and cinder blocks from behind the rotting fence to behind the shed (out of sight, out of mind). Then the plan is to take down the fence and when the transfer station starts giving away it's free compost, I'll dump it in that soon to be crap free area and seed it, thus reclaiming a portion of the yard that hasn't been used as actual "yard" space in YEARS!

I'm hoping that I can get the garden tilled tomorrow and the fence up (to fend off any future veggie munching visitors) and possibly get my peas and beans in, as they are getting a bit big for their britches...er...pots on the porch!

As soon as I get the "After" pictures taken, I'll be sure to post!

Oh, I'm hoping to make next week a "Week of Mondays" - miniquilt Mondays, that is. I have a bunch done and photographed...just waiting to be posted!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Composty Goodness

Is it weird that I’m totally psyched for free compost?

The local landfill collects leaves, branches and yard waste all year long, and then each spring gives away the compost and wood chips created from them for free. You’re allowed two truck loads while they have it, all you have to do is drive in and they will fill the bed with their bucket loader. How cool is that?

Since I had to work today (and tonight), my mother went to the landfill for me, filled my Dad's truck and my brother is going to unload it tonight on my back hill near where the raised beds are going (I’m so glad I didn’t get the raised beds in this past weekend - hooray for procrastination!).

So I've been talking about reclaiming my backyard since last summer. Want to see what I have to work with? Please keep in mind that my Dad is the über-packrat and I have inherited much of his junk since he and my mother moved to a smaller house:

Old compost pile, leaf pile and a wooden "thing" of my Dad's

(no clue what purpose it ever served)

Behind my shed = my new fencing, 2 metal oil drums, my ladder and a ton of old rotting wood that my Dad thought he'd one day use

My back hill ~ as of Saturday morning, this was covered in leaves, downed branches, boards, pipes, scrap metal and plastic gutters (look how clean it is now. The arching branches belong to the lilac bush that is older than I am)

The old fence that needs to come down, a ton of bricks and cement blocks (all the pipe, plastic gutters and scrap metal is still sitting here waiting to find a home - preferrably in someone else's yard!)

The dregs of my wood pile, the old wood splitter that needs to go, along with the cable coil that Dad will never use

So this is my backyard ~ it's scary and very hillbilly-ish. I wasn't going to show anyone pictures of this, but I want to document the before and afters. If it wasn't for my brother's help and motivation, the three truck loads of brush, leaves and branches that we got rid of this past weekend wouldn't have been removed.

There is still a lot to do, but its a good start! And every time I walk out back I get giddy; the vision I hold in my mind of how I want it to look is getting clearer and clearer

I leave you with images of my sweet Sadie enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun (the top left is my fav). Enjoy your evening!

Spring snow, while the garden grows

Off and on snow showers all day

Crocus flowers topped with snow (daffodils behind it)
1 week 3 days and so much has popped!
There are little bits of green thyme and basil coming through!
I ♥ spring!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells…actually this is what will be growing in the Mt. Vernon St. garden:

This is just the tip of the gardening iceberg. I have mountains of seeds (I ran out of potting soil and need to go buy more), many of which will be going directly into the ground come June, when the danger of frost is gone.

Crazy thing...I started planting on Saturday - THE LETTUCE HAS ALREADY SPROUTED! How insane is that? I think I'm going to have to create an indoor soil box and transplant the lettuce soon!

So my garden really is beginning to grow! Whoo-hoo!

:^)

"Nothing but Ladybugs"

I love the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”. It’s just one of those fluffy, happy, feel good movies. I love the part about the ladybugs (especially the end).

Anyhoo, I found a ladybug on the windowsill of my boss’ office just a moment ago. It’s strange, there are no open windows in here, yet every spring we find countless ladybugs on or near the windowsill and far too often, the intense heat from the huge windows bakes them.

So I picked up Ms. Ladybug…and yes I know that not all ladybugs are ladies – if “A Bug’s Life” taught us anything, it was that – but this one’s a lady…because I said so :^)…so I picked up Ms. Ladybug and transferred her to my mini potted palm (which has spread like wildfire and needs to be separated and transplanted). She is now happily crawling around soil, hopefully eating any little aphides that cross her path and all in all, just brightening my day with her beauty! It's so neat; she stops, inspects an area and you can see her little front legs lift things to her mouth. It’s fascinating. She doesn’t seem too interested in wandering around the leaves, just the soil.

Ladybugs are just amazing to watch. Of course, we all know that ladybugs are touted as the harbingers of good luck, but did you know:

*There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide and 400 which live in North America.

* A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime.

* A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.

* Aphids are a ladybug's favorite food.

* Ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like people do.

* A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.

* Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them.

* If you squeeze a ladybug it will bite you, but the bite won't hurt.

* The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.

* During hibernation, ladybugs feed on their stored fat.

* Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

* The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.

* The male ladybug is usually smaller than the female.

* The Asian Lady Beetle can live up to 2-3 years if the conditions are right.

(info from Ladybug Facts)

Enjoy your Wednesday! I'm going to go watch my ladybug...er...I mean work...yeah, that's right, work...lots and lots work...over on the filing cabinet...near the potted palm...where the ladybug just happens to be :^)

S.P.R.I.N.G

Pots, plant trays and peat pots?
*Check*

Funky new striped garden boots?

*Check*

Mountain of seeds? *Check*START YOUR PLANTING!!

(don't mind the gnomes - they're a long running joke from a friend)

A Week of Things

Sun dappled train bridge

Foggy Spring morning

Mud Season has begun

53 degrees, not having to wear a jacket and being able to roll the windows down!

Sadie likes cooked carrots

Tallulah likes cooked cabbage

and has a tendency to look stoned in pictures

Happy Spring!