Done In.... But Happy :)

......................................................................................................................................................... UPDATE: I decided to keep to the old fashioned way of laying the other bricks. I don`t like the look of how they will surround the circle that`s showing in the picture. Seems to take away from the circle. Hopefully I can get more done next weekend.

We went to hubby`s job site today and over to the dumping ground for bricks left over and just thrown away. I wanted the red, terra cotta and ones with a hint of black on them because I think the reds look warm and inviting with plants. They`re still quite dusty but should wash up nice and deep. Too tired at the moment. We picked up as much as we could haul home for the start and began a pattern in the back garden. Only had enough for the circle but at least it`s a start. May need to cut a few bricks for the inside better with the right tool. We`ll level the rest and fill it all in with sand after we get more bricks. Some of the spaces in the circle will look nice with a bit of moss growing in the cracks. The bricks will go right up the the door and we`ll leave 2 feet along the front for more plants. The bench can go down the other end and eventually I will most likely paint that grey planter maybe black or? as well as those raised wooden bed boxes. I can picture it with some nice big strategically placed potted plants too, a delicate wrought iron table and chairs over by the side maybe, delicate because the area is narrow and long, a high plant wall and an arbor leading out to the lawn...so many plans and ideas. And it`s gonna take forever for the laurel and boxwood to get big. I`m totally exhausted. It was so hot again today too
! Whatever happened to those nice hot sunny days with no humidity? That`s the best summer weather.

I Cheated But.....

Hubby`s boys are down this weekend and the youngest one`s a birthday boy turned 12. Their father is a wonderful Dad. He drives 2 hours away on a "good" traffic day every other weekend to get them and then take them home again. I make a cake for birthdays so I thought I`d make something summery this time. I cheated. I used a white box mix and icing. Layered some icing and sliced strawberries inside with whole ones on top. It`s far from perfect looking, but I think it will still taste good. I made this last night but today I didn`t want to turn the oven on again. Makinge roast beef that`s in the crock pot right now and we`ll have it with gravy and mashed potatoes. I love crock pots.

I Took a Walk This Morning

Before hubby went into work this morning we were sitting in our back garden looking at all the work that needs to be done to make it look even half nice. That lonely odd looking white trellis isn`t permanent. Just stuck it there to picture maybe a few amongst the laurel and box I`m planting. Maybe put vines or something hanging on them. Just a half arsed visual experiment. A small "outdoor room" would be pretty. The property is so beautiful but the gardens close to the house and the house aren`t yet. The house used to be a small barn at one time, so we do have the nice posts and beams inside, but the windows are too small. One day......
I kind of was thinking of stone or brick to cover all this wood chip mess back here, they track into the house, but we decided that wood planks would be the easier and fastest for now. Hubby said if I hated it we could take it back up in a year because it would only take him an hour or so to put down.
I can`t imagine being that awful and saying "take that up!" though. I think once the wood is weathered nicely and I can get some big planters and nice seating it will look fine.
I`m also thinking of how to make a plant and ? something type wall along the back. The sides already have foilage and trees.
The reason I want the lawn and woods view blocked is because through those trees is someone else`s property. Well that`s no problem but they are hill billies! Two younger men and their old Dad. The old Dad is always drunk. My parents are our neighbours and one day he came stumbling over telling my Dad he`d like to move in with them.... would that be alright with them!
They don`t live there but come on weekends and I have no idea what they do in there. The Dad has a house somewhere with a naked mannekin in the picture window and car engines on his front room floor.
It`s all full of old junk in those woods on that side of us. Cars and car parts and barrels and God only knows what else. I think they sit in the trees and watch for deers to shoot.
I hate that fact that someone could be watching while I sit out there. I creeps me out.
We`re completely surrounding on all sides by woods except for the road up front and thankfully there`s no weirdos in the other parts.
Anyway....I went for a walk around the pond this morning after removing the ugly little umbrella table from the back. It was bright blue with big bright orange flowers. I made my eyes sore looking at it. No more junk. Nicer chairs later. Better bare for now.

When I was a child I played with Barbies. I also climbed trees, but that`s another story. How could I ever forget her, she`s still around and showing off more then ever.
I`ve often wondered why I wasn`t blessed with Barbie`s more than generous bosom.
I`ve often wondered why I wasn`t blessed with Barbie`s luscious long legs.

On our wedding eve I wore a lovely pair of 4 inch high pale silverish/pewterish strappy satinish sandles.
I knew they wouldn`t be comfortable.
I knew I would want them off shortly after I`d put them on.
But I knew they would look good.
Why would one wear something that makes one teeter and totter backwards and forwards, makes one break out into a sweat?

Fashion darling!

I`ve never been able to properly wear the most sleek, the most sexy shoes. The kind of shoes that make a woman walk like a woman. The woman who enters the room with a small hint of the arch in her back...the glide...or the strut in her self confident steps.

Why?

Because, as you see, I`ve been blessed with Barbie`s feet.
Now that stinks.

Tea Time

I guess my last post must have been my 'Margarita side' popping out, so I thought I`d post something from my 'Tea side' this time.
This is a front garden in progress. It`s slightly embarrassing looking after seeing all the beautiful gardens in others blogs but it`s new, just a baby. There were mostly just annuals in here for years so I`m starting from scratch.
I came home twice from work to find some newly planted flowers dug up so the picks are to keep the cats from digging for now. Pretty sure it`s old Teddy that did it. I think I can soon get rid of them (the picks, not the cats) because the spaces have filled in. Those two "strange things to have in a garden" on the left are for the cats. They use them to jump up and get in and out of their "cat door". It will never feature in Better Home and Gardens but as a mad animal lover on a budget that`s the best idea I could come up with for now.
The roses have bloomed more now but I`m still waiting to get some more batteries for the camera.

Why??

***********************

We live in a rich country.
We pay large taxes.
Food is wasted here daily, thrown out at the end of the day in the grocery stores.
We are all human beings....equal in importance.
No one should be without a home...without food...without care.
NO ONE.
You might say "Oh, most want to live this way, most are drunks or druggies."
Maybe some are. Perhaps many. But many have lost their jobs or are not paid enough to survive and pay rent as well. There are families living in their cars.
There are families who have no car to live in.
Life has dealt them each a bad hand whether financially, physically, mentally, or emotionally.
Does this make them less a part of our own species? The people, and the families that are without?
This is merciless, inexcusable.
Inhumane........un-human.
This should not be allowed to continue....here or anywhere else.
Do we not agree?
Then tell me WHY??

**Credit for the picture goes to YFile at York Unniversity who kindly gave me permission to use it.
***** Had to take the original picture down due to a mistake about which picture was being asked permission for.

Feline Felon Stealing Gardening Gloves

By JIM FITZGERALD

PELHAM, N.Y. (AP) - A pink-and-white gardening glove was missing from Jeannine Goche's front porch. But there was absolutely no mystery about who had taken it.

Willy, the cat who loves gloves, had struck again.

"It has to be him," said Goche, a lawyer. "I've heard about him."

As if the gardeners of Pelham don't have enough to worry about, with the rocky soil, slugs and big trees casting too much shade, a feline felon has been sneaking into their backyards and carrying off at least two dozen of their gardening gloves.

Goche's flower-patterned number may soon take its place on the clothesline that's strung across the front fence at Willy's home, which he shares with Jennifer and Dan Pifer, their 19-month-old son, Hudson, and a mutt named Peanut Chew.

Above the line is a sign that says: "Our cat is a glove snatcher. Please take these if yours."

Nine pairs of gardening gloves and five singles were strung up Thursday morning. Willy, looking innocent, was playing with a beetle in the driveway and occasionally dashing after Hudson.

"This all started about the time people began working in their gardens, I guess March or April," Jennifer Pifer said. "Willy would just show up with a glove, or we'd see them on the front steps. I guess it's better than if he was bringing home dead birds."

She doesn't know how far Willy goes to find a glove, but she has learned it takes him two trips to bring home a matched pair.

Willy, born to a stray last spring and taken in by the Pifers as a newborn, appears to assemble his collection in daytime raids.

"Mostly it happens on weekends, I guess when people are out gardening," Pifer said.

John Cassone, who lives and gardens across the street, said he isn't missing any gloves. He uses "the big, heavy leather kind" and figures Willy isn't strong enough to drag them away.

Guess again: There's a pair of the big, heavy leather kind among Willy's trophies.

In winter, when gardening gloves are hard to find, Willy doesn't become a mitten kitten. His offseason prey is dirty socks, which he brings from the laundry room.

Despite his criminal nature, neighbours get a kick out of Willy. Cassone said the cat likes to accompany the mailman up and down the block, all the way to each front door.

Since Pifer grows flowers, vegetables and herbs herself, isn't she tempted to make use of the endless supply of garden gloves that arrive at her doorstep free, shipping included?

"No," she said. "I do a lot of gardening, but I don't use gloves."

And The Winnner Is...well eventually

I still have no new pictures of my slow growing garden but....
Another episode of Rock Star tonight. We`re hooked. We don`t watch a lot of television but there`s some truly incredibly talented people here. Dilana`s won already though. I have never heard anyone so original in my entire life. She had to do a Johnny Cash song one night and even made that sound great. If they don`t choose her when this whole show is over, she`ll be making it big on her own. These guys need her. They say their band is going to be different.
She`ll bring something fresh and new to their "sad, so old" heavy metal roots. Sorry, my love, but you know I don`t like heavy metal much. But he does agree about Dilana.

mmmm....Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

My Mum gave me some rhubarb....I love rhubarb, so..........

2 tbsp. butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups diced rhubarb
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Melt the butter in a deep fry pan or pot on stove and then add brown sugar and diced rhubarb.

For the batter, cream shortening and sugar together.
Add egg and beat well.
Sift the flour; add baking powder and salt, sift again.
Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with milk.
Pour batter over rhubarb in a cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.
Test ahead with toothpick.
Turn upside down on a plate to serve

Shame yesterday was my eat anything in any amount day. But I will have a small piece and calculate it into my eats for the day. When my jeans started to get too snug I knew it was time to behave. Just because I`m not 20 anymore, I refuse to let myself go. Is that vain? Maybe. But I feel good about myself because of it.
And although sweet hubby says he doesn`t mind what size I am, I know he`s happy :)

Another Quick Thorn Wound Update

Thanks to all my new blogging friends for the well wishes. My knuckle bone now is almost matching the rest and hardly any soreness at all! I`ve been doing some serious praying about this because it really was worrying me. I still find it hard to believe something so silly can end up as it did. But I looked at one of the branches of the large rose bush it came from...one that had been clipped off and dead like the one that got me. The thorns are deadly looking. Thin, fine and sharp.
I`m going to continue nursing it for the next few days though just to make sure.

This and That

Due to my camera being without batteries until grocery shopping day on Thursday, I haven`t been able to take any pictures of the beautiful pale pink roses that have started to bloom. They really are the best of the ones I`ve put in so far. Tons of buds coming out on this new little bush. It`s called Eglantyne English shrub rose. I hope it does well. I`ve made up a home made anti-fungal spray for all the roses and they seem to be doing better. It consists of :

1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. dish soap
1 tbsp. veg oil
1 tbsp. epson salts
1 gallon (17 cups) of water

Just made some scones from an import box mix from England I picked up in a tiny shop in St Jacobs where we went for our little honeymoon weekend in June. Added some currants and now I think I`ll make a nice cup of tea and try one out. Then I MUST look after those black bananas that are starting to collapse. Having taken them out of the freezer a couple of days ago and into the fridge, they`ve been waiting and waiting and waiting to be made into muffins or something.

I`m Working On It.........

Well, I can`t take any pictures at the moment so here`s my attempt at cottage style. Still lots of things I`d love to do but I`m happy with having painted the cupboards after 18 years of having them meduim brown. It was a bit scary painting over good pine and it took me 3 years of thinking about it. If you look closely you can see that they weren`t exactly built straight. I try to just think of it as part of their charm. I love peonies and as they were about to go on their last journey I picked loads and put them all along the tops of the cupboards. They surprisingly kept most of their form and colour.

Thorn Update

Went searching on the web and after reading at "Garden Web" http://www.gardenweb.com/ about others who have had this same thing happen to them and some of their horror stories. I then went searching for home remedies as a last resort before making that dreaded trip back to the doctor.

This is working!!!! My prayers are being answered. I`ve made a poultice of dry mustard and baking soda, slapped it on thick and wet and covered it with a big bandaid. Before that I soaked it in an extremely warm mixture of water and lots of Epson salts. When I woke up this morning the pain had subsided a lot as had some of the left over swelling. I`ve been doing the same all day while doing my hair and baking chocolate chip cookies.
I`m keeping my fingers crossed.

Moon Card and I`ve just done my roots so..............

***You Are Midnight***


You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.


What Time Of Day Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whattimeofdayareyouquiz/

The picture is from an on-going layed aside tarot card project I hope to finish one day. It represents the courage to walk past all ones inner demons and fears. This one is entitled "The Moon" This little quiz was amazingly dead on!
I wanted to go out in the garden this morning and check how everything`s coming along but it`s raining. I noticed yesterday that my Old Fashioned rose is starting to bloom and I can`t wait to see it in full glory.
My camera seems to have run out of batteries at the moment unfortunately.

What Time of Day Are You?

***You Are Midnight***


You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.


What Time Of Day Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whattimeofdayareyouquiz/

I Will Now Take Thorn Wounds Very Seriously!

Two weeks ago I picked up some plant clippings off the ground and also a dead rose bush branch. One of the thin spiky thorns stuck in my knuckle. I really thought nothing of it other than "ouch, that hurt!" as I pulled it out. As the next few days wore on it got more sore and started to swell. I finally dragged myself to the clinic and the doctor said "gardening accident, tetenus shot" He also gave me 5 days worth of penicillin pills.
The swelling and throbbing continued but after the five days the throbbing left and some of the swelling.
Now I`m left with a sort of feeling of white heat in my hand and my index finger feels like a bad case of arthritus has entered it. It`s the knuckle below that finger.
I`ve been doing research on the net and have found that this has happened to many people with all sorts of remedies for it.
The two worst are having the knuckle opened up to see if somethings lodged in there and the other is that it`s stuck in my bone!
Right now I`m soaking it in Epson salts and at this momenet have a mustard and baking soda poultice on it.
If it`s not any further along by Monday I will be going back to the doctor. Impossible to get into my own doctor on short notice and oh how I hate the thought of waiting two to three hours at the clinic!
So if anyone ever happens to glance at my blog........please wear gloves while gardening! I`ve learned a hard lesson. I really can`t believe that something so silly has caused all this.

View From My Thinking Spot

While I`m at work today I`ll pretend I`m sitting looking at this, my favorite spot to think. Over the years there have been many sad thoughts as well as happy ones here. The loss of beloved pets, a broken marriage, searching for a job,watching my children grow up, meeting and marrying my soul mate who I wed this past June 2nd in a lovely private ceremony and all the many blessings I have been given. Today I will think about the flowers I want to buy and about being patient.

Something Ate My Lillies

In just two days of planting the two Star Gazers I bought, something devoured them! I think it might have been a slug because I found the little slimy bugger sitting on what was left of one. The daisies and roses seem fine thankfully. I was going to put some more on my list but I don`t think I will bother now. At least not for that spot. They looked so pretty too. On a lighter note the daisies, are called “Margaretas”in Europe!

Elvis and Angus and it`s Hot, Oh My!!!!

It`s hot again today. The humidity is 98 percent! This calls for one of my favorite frozen margaritas for certain.
Hubby was sweet and hooked up the camera to the computer so I braved this heat wave and took a few pictures. The first is Elvis...the sweet and patient boy he was today for me while I took this. And the next is Angus who looked down just at the wrong second.He`s a ball of orange fuzz and a bit goofy but I call him my calendar cat.
The animals don`t want to stay outside either for long. We`ve been lucky so far actually this summer and haven`t had too much humidity. I wish we could have only three seasons.......Spring, Summer and Autumn. Oh, to be able to skip the longest season of them all here! The dreaded Winter.

Hmmmmmmmm....I`m being a bit strange I guess.......it`s sweltering outside and I`m complaining about winter LOL.

The Small Slow Starts.....

This is a corner of the back garden. I wish I could go and fill this and the others all in right away. I`m so impatient! I should have moved those bricks before I took a picture.
We`re planning on bricking in this back area as a little patio and I want to get a nicer table set and have loads of potted plants around. Not with that colour of brick though. I`d like something more natural looking. Probably grey. And something definately needs doing with that little window. My dream is to have it bigger and longer but not until the day comes when we can cover that siding or remove it. I`d love stone or even stucco because it really is like a cottage inside and that siding spoils it. Dream..... dream...... dream on...........

Teddy

This is sweet Teddy. He`s now 19 but still healthy as ever although I think he`s retired from hunting now.

I long for an English garden. My originally one drowned before the raised beds. I`m working on it slowly again....................too slowly. One clump of Shasta Daisies on one side of the back door so far and on the other a dark red climbing rose and astillabe for starters which will look nicer once the peas have finished I planted and today my Dad`s bringing me a nice pale pink old fashioned rose bush.

The front is coming along though I hope the vine doesn`t choke all my new perennials out. A beautiful new coral climbing rose has also been added.
If only for myself, I`ll use this blog to see how far my garden eventually comes along.