2015_Day 201: A distressed but beautiful blue

The base of my new cabinet, made out of reclaimed wood.

The base of my new cabinet, made out of reclaimed wood.


A month ago today, I wrote about my desire to have a cabinet custom built for an odd shaped area of our house. Husband and I had met Jim and Carolyn Pfau at Poppy Days in Georgetown back in April and then saw Jim again at Fredericksburg Trade Days in June. Jim creates signature pieces from reclaimed and distressed wood and metal and I was instantly intrigued by the Pavo Real Furniture. Continue reading

2015_Day 200: Sunday snapshots 

My flowers — everything from the zinnias and gazanias to the marigolds — are holding up pretty well despite the heat and the fact that they were planted back in March. Continue reading

2015_Day 199: Can tomatoes stand the heat?

Tomatoes on the kitchen windowsill.

Tomatoes on the kitchen windowsill.

On this hot, summer Saturday, I’m happy to report that I’ve got a windowsill full of tomatoes from my garden. But looking at the forecast for the next week to 10 days, I think it’s going to take a lot of extra water to keep that sill full of the red fruit. Continue reading

2015_Day 198: Peppers struggling under tomatoes

Flowers on peppers.

Flowers on peppers.

I’ve never grown peppers before, but I think it’s odd that it took four months for them to flower. Maybe it’s that the tomato plants have moved in on their territory, so they’re getting less direct sun than they might need. Although given it’s been in the 90s for several weeks, the shade may be helpful. I honestly don’t know.
Tomato plants tower over peppers.

Tomato plants tower over peppers.

I’m not sure how much longer the Easy Girl and Better Boy tomato plants will hold up to the heat. They’re getting plenty of water, but they’re still getting pretty brown. There are still a couple dozen green tomatoes on the vines and even a few yellow blossoms, but at this point in the hot summer, I doubt the flowers will amount to anything. The cherry tomato plants are finally full of red and green tomatoes. FINALLY! And they’re delicious, too!
Cherry tomatoes.

Cherry tomatoes.

2015_Day 197: Pumpkins get a new home

Room to breathe!

Room to breathe!


It felt like a good day to repot the pumpkins today, and since it’s just going to get hotter this weekend, I found a few containers, a bag of dirt, a trowel and a can of water. And the pumpkins, of course. Continue reading

2015_Day 196: Seedlings continue to grow

The good news is that a few more lettuce seeds have sprouted despite temps in the 90s and a lot of heat. The bad news is that it’s been 10 days since I planted all the seeds, and the pumpkins (below, center) desperately need repotting into bigger pots. No time for that tonight. Let’s hope tomorrow is better.

  

2015_Day 195: Migraines a lifelong battle

When I was a young girl, maybe 10 or 12, I went to a friend’s birthday party. I was so excited to spend the afternoon away from the farm with no mom or dad, brothers or sisters. I remember getting dressed, the ride to her house, the anticipation of playing party games, drinking Kool-aid and eating cake and ice cream. I don’t recall going to a lot of kids’ birthday parties that weren’t for my five siblings, so this was special. Not for long though. I couldn’t have been there for more than an hour or two when my friend’s mom had to call my mom to come pick me up; I had a splitting headache that was so bad I was throwing up. Continue reading

2015_Day 194: Pumpkins in need of repotting

Day 8, 6:45 p.m.: Pumpkins are growing like crazy.

Day 8, 6:45 p.m.: Pumpkins are growing like crazy.


If the pumpkins keep growing so fast, I’m going to need to repot them in the next few days. I planted pumpkin seeds on July 5, along with tomatoes, lettuce and zinnias. Everything but the lettuce is growing pretty well, although I did notice another one or two peat pellets had lettuce sprouting from it today. Continue reading

2015_Day 193: Patience pays off with daisies

For at least the third time in as many months, the Gerbera daisies in front of my house are flowering.

For at least the third time in as many months, the Gerbera daisies in front of my house are flowering.

A few weeks after I transplanted some Gerbera daisies into a small area of mulch in front of my house, the flowers died off and the green leaves were full of holes. I bought them because I thought the bright pink and red flowers and pretty green leaves looked so striking agsinst the brown mulch, gray concrete and red brick on the house. Disappointed they looked so shabby so quickly, I thought about replacing them. After all, they were in a very visible spot, and it would be nice to have flowers there that looked good longer than a couple weeks. Continue reading

2015_Day 192: Enjoying the beauty of a summery Saturday

Love how the evening light hits the white zinnias.

Love how the evening light hits the white zinnias.


A simple Saturday post of photos from my backyard. Enjoy. Continue reading