I'd rather be gardening Part 2

Thought I'd show you more reasons the house projects are neglected, heh-heh.

Hubby and a neighbor cut up a tree that fell due to a rotten base. That's the tree I heard fall one day without hearing any chainsaws before hand. That tree alerted our neighbors to a couple of hazard trees that need to be removed as well. 

We got to bring some home for future firewood.

See that whole front row of logs including some double stacked? I moved all those from the grass, by myself, and lifted them in place.

"Cue Popeye arms"

That was after I edged the grass and weeded.

I am almost done with edging the gardens.

This is the edging my hubby did a few years ago to keep the gravel contained. I love the use of brick.

This bed in front of the house has been troublesome for 25 years. I don't know how many garden designs I've done there only to have them fail. Almost complete shade now. I am considering digging it all up, again.  Maybe not this year. Sometimes I just put out pots of impatiens with fingers crossed that the deer won't find them.

You may see a container to the far right. That is a hydrangea I've thought of planting there but I am afraid it is too shady to get any blooms.

But look - the strawberries are turning red!!!

The robins were eyeing them so I covered the bed with netting.

And suddenly the wild huckleberries are ripe!

Wild huckleberries and blackberries always make me feel at home.

And my own bathroom. 

I'd rather be gardening. . .

Remember the master bedroom re-do?

Or the bathroom remodel?

Yes, those projects still exist but are very neglected right now because the garden is where I'd rather be.

Instead of painting the bathroom last weekend, hubby and I got all involved in outside projects.

I've been getting the gardens edged.

I use these tools to get a crisp edge that I can then easily keep neat the rest of the season.

I like to mark the edge with the garden fork since any mistakes "heal" quickly. Then I use the edger tool to cut a deep trench. That keeps the grass from encroaching into the garden too quickly and gives me a great workout!

I am almost finished edging all the garden beds and then I'll need to mulch the exposed soil.

Hubby limbed up some branches that were reaching too far out into the yard including an extremely long maple branch.

The pile grew and grew.

And in case you are wondering, this is how I've been living since my bathroom was demo'd MONTHS ago. :)

Yes, I could paint the bathroom so hubby can install the toilet, lights and sink but 

I Hate To Paint.

And I'd rather be gardening.

Sweet garden surprises

What a gorgeous day with a warm breeze and blue, blue skies!

I would really like to take down some trees so more of that sunshine reaches my gardens. I am so jealous of friends with sweeps of blossoms. Peonies, delphinium, roses, lilacs - big, fragrant blooms!  What I get are a few blossoms here and there unless it is a very happy, weed-ish plant. Or native beauties like these foxgloves.

So, I walked around the garden today finding spectacular flowers even if they were soloing it. Like this poppy (that I don't remember planting). Just one bloom but so gorgeous.

Or this columbine whose colors I love (hey, I see two blooms!!)

 How about this vine I popped into a planter? 

Cannot remember what it is but what an interesting blossom.

I had read that Mimulus looked like little orchids so I gave them a try. Such a sweet surprise.

How about bit of coral bells in a deep red?

 And I am so tickled to finally have my prized Just Joey rose inside the deer-fenced garden. Such a color and so fragrant.

With all the remodeling going on, I kept my deck planters to a minimum, which isn't easy, I tell ya!

I am very, very fond of nemesia and used several varieties plus succulents and perennials I already had. Hopefully they will all last for most of season.

If not, I will have to visit the plant nurseries again.

That could be trouble!

Life interrupted

Right in the middle of a lovely Memorial Day in the greenhouse and golfing for hubby and son I needed this:

Not sure if it was this one exactly since I basically had my eyes closed the whole way to ER while dealing with pain. I thought maybe a kidney stone or appendicitis but it turned out to be of unknown origin. I am still a bit sore and being careful in hopes it doesn't return.

My firefighter son was on duty which was such a comfort to me. I wouldn't want anyone else but him and C-shift to care for me!

Since then, hubby has moved the electrical for one of the bathroom lights.

The new vanity needed to be positioned a bit more to the left.

That resulted in a new center for the mirror above the sink.

So hubby moved the electrical box and cleverly used the removed wall board to fill in the old space.

He's been mudding and sanding every couple of days in several places. 

Almost ready for paint!

And look what arrived:

Goodness, this shiny beauty is hard to photograph. 

Can't wait to see her installed!!

The cutest painter

Yay - hubby is painting today!!!

The ceiling needs an anti-mold primer applied.

But hubby is painting the "board" (wall) and battens.

This is where the custom cut mirror will go.

I am not really sad that there isn't room for two of us in there painting, heh-heh.

I'd rather be gardening . . .

and admiring my cute painter hubby - thanks, honey!!

The Homestead

Good Morning!

We didn't do anything on the bathroom/house remodel this past weekend. We needed a rest and then we had a wonderful Mother's Day at my mom's teensy house. We were very thankful for sunshine most of the day so we could spill outside. My 90 year old mom was thankful to just be home for the day. 

This is what the neighborhood looked like back in the 40's when mom & dad moved there.

The arrow points to the property.

They bought and moved a WWII surplus house to the property.

Wish I had that car!

The "garage" was the gravel basement entered under the back of the house.

My older sister and me surrounded by mom's wonderful flower beds.

It was a great place to grow up!

Now mom's house looks like the one in the movie "UP"! 

Houses have been built close by and there it sits tucked back from the road.

She has lived there most of her adult life and we are so thankful she can still be there!

None of the above. . .

Choices have been made!

Ordering has commenced!

Sneak preview!

Did you catch that none of these were in my previous bathroom choices?
But this time I can picture the result.

Suddenly I am googling/pinning kitchen flooring ideas.

I have moved on!