A Day Out

I needed some new pictures for my website. As there really isn't much gardening going on around here at the present, Dan and I decided to go to the local conservatory. It's a beautiful park and gardens on the South Hill called Manito Park. We got up there just before they opened so we started with some pictures around the grounds. It was quite cold and the ground was crunchy under our feet. In fact we stopped at the pond to look for the swans , but the pond was frozen over. I wonder where all the birds go for the winter?

Inside the greenhouses they had spring bulbs in bloom and on display.The air was scented with their fragrance. Hyacinth, daffodils, tulips were everywhere. Many other plants were also blooming. And the orchids! They were all around. All different varieties and colors.

This is such a beautiful and special place. All the different species of plants, even a small pond. Benches to sit and reflect and they even sell some of the plants! Their first tropical plant sale is in March. I can't wait!

There is a wing on the conservatory that is all cacti and succulents. It must have taken many many years to get some of those cactus that big. 

It was really great to see all these wonderful plants growing and thriving when it is still so cold and dreary outside. I need more plants in my sunroom!

Hopefully we got some pictures that we can use on the website. I love digital cameras! You can take pictures forever and still have room for more.

On the way home we stopped at a garden center and picked up a few supplies. Should have got them at the wholesaler, but oh well. I have some terrariums that need planted for an upcoming sale and was all out of charcoal and coir mix. I wanted clay pellets for the bottom layer but they are really expensive so opted for charcoal which I have used in the past. And naturally while we were there we had to look at the animals. Lots of cute bunnies and the funniest colored chicken, Apparently they put food color in its feed and it changes the color of their feathers.

Back home my chickens were happily enjoying the sun that decided to come out. They are really getting the garden all turned and fluffed up. And they have almost finished turning one of the compost piles. In fact, they have tunneled from two sides. As soon as it gets a bit warmer I need to shovel out the coop and add more fresh bedding. They actually turn the bedding and manure on the floor in their coop when they scratch around and this causes it to compost which adds warmth for them plus keeps it from smelling. and then you throw it out into your garden! It's wonderful stuff.

The artichoke seeds are planted. I have three different kinds to try this year. The bloom is almost more exciting than the fruit. You can dry them and use them in arrangements. Artichokes don't winter over here so they have to be kept in a garage or some place where they won't freeze. 

I am researching the grain quinoa. There was a very nice write up in our paper on Wednesday. It is very nutritious and can be used many ways. All parts of the plant can be used; the leaves for salads and have been likened to spinach and the seed heads are used in breads and in recipes calling for rice. They also are very colorful and would look good as an ornamental in the garden.

My little shop is starting to fill up. Betsy and I were down there Saturday with more boxes.  I can't believe all this stuff has been  in our basement. It was like Christmas seeing everything again. I almost don't want to sell anything! Alot of the stuff I'm not sure what to price so I've been researching on the internet.

Just found out my big Mother's Day sale is actually the following week. What were they thinking? I sell so many of my hanging baskets that weekend plus everything else that people want to buy for their Mothers. So now I have to arrange for a sale either at the shop or at the farm. There goes my advertising budget!

---

• 

Garden Expo 2011

Photos from Garden Expo 2010

     GARDEN EXPO – OUR BIG ANNUAL EVENT FOR THE YEAR! DATE – 14 May, 2011 – 2^nd Saturday in May
HOURS – 9am-5pm
LOCATION – 1810 N Greene St, Spokane, WA
EMAIL – gardenexpo@comcast.net
Admission is FREE with lots of free parking 
An Extraordinary Annual Event - 13th Annual Spokane Garden Expo
This year’s theme is “Gardening–That’s Entertainment!”

Hope to see alot of you. Come by my booth and say hey!

The Story of Me -- A Gardener

I remember gardens wherever I lived. Both my parents loved to garden; Mom with her rhododendrons and flowers, Dad with his fruits and vegetable gardens. My siblings and I spent every chance we could outside digging in the dirt, climbing trees and exploring.

My dad’s side of the family were all farmers. Immigrating from Holland and  settling in North Dakota then coming to Oregon’s Willamette Valley to put down roots. And what a time we had on all those farms. Milking cows, picking cherries and blackberries, moving irrigation pipes, weeding, digging for arrowheads in the fields.  Trying to keep up with the older cousins. It was all there to be explored and discovered. In one Aunts kitchen, there was always some kind of baby animal sleeping behind the wood cook stove. An orphaned lamb or goat that needed extra attention. Oh we ran wild those wonderful summer days.

When I was quite young we moved from Oregon to the wilds of Vancouver Island. There Dad hauled truckloads of river rock from the streams to make a terraced vegetable garden on the hillside that was our backyard. Everyone said don’t bother trying to grow in the rocky soil, but he did. He added mountains of compost and his own mix of soil until it was a fertile  ground. And boy did his vegetables grow. After that they asked him to write a gardening column for the local newspaper.
 My beloved Nana, who we spent every summer with back in Oregon, had the biggest most beautiful yard I had ever seen. The back part held the nut and fruit trees, blueberries and every imaginable vegetable. Plus Papa’s mysterious brick and glass-paned greenhouse where he hybridized and grew his award- winning chrysanthemums. The gardens nearer the house were more fussy, with every kind of flower and flowering shrub neatly ringed with aromatic boxwood. A formal rose garden led to a vine-covered gazebo where I spent many a day reading or dreaming. Orderly brick paths wound there way all around these gardens and we spent many an hour hoeing the moss from the mortar keeping them in place. I first learned of the beauty of a hydrangea bloom and the smell of boxwood from that garden; memories that still sustain me. I still think about that house and those gardens.
In later years after losing Mom, Dad spent all his time in the garden. His yard was meticulous. You almost didn’t want to walk on the lawn for fear of leaving footprints. He grew many beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs, intermingled with his favorite vegetables and berries. His was the first garden where I saw tomatoes and squash growing next to roses and lilies.

I learned from these people as I grew up amongst them. But it didn’t come to me right away. It wasn’t until I was married and  had bought our first home that it began creeping out. First with houseplants. I read every book on the subject and became familiar with the plants needs and even their Latin names. Then I ventured out into the yard and never looked back. At first, it was all about living off the land. Gardening with a purpose. Raising fresh food and being self-sufficient. The Mother Earth News magazine became my Bible. And after seeing the beauty and fragrance of herbs and vegetables and  fruit trees with their fleeting blooms, I wanted more. That’s when I found flowers. And I found that they too could serve a purpose. They nourished my soul.
Mine was a much wilder and eclectic garden than the well-manicured and formal gardens I was used to. I couldn’t afford to buy plants, so I begged and borrowed from friends and neighbors. A bit of this a bit of that. And I learned what worked where. When I ran out of room in the beds, I looked for ways to grow upwards, enlisting my husband to help  build arbors, trellises and tuteurs. I added whimsy and fun. I began hauling ‘trash’ home to reconfigure as ‘garden art‘. I planted in whatever container would hold enough soil for the roots. I added sound and sparkle with wind chimes and gazing globes; mirrors and candles. We built a pond and invited the wildlife in.

Now I’m hoping that I gave to my children and grandchildren the same joy and wonder that I found back in my family’s gardens.

Super Bowl Widows Unite

Out in the greenhouse early this morning. I had several avocado pits that had sprouted on my kitchen windowsill and some citrus seeds ready to go. They had all needed planting for some time but hadn't wanted to go out there as I knew I would start moving plants and heavy things around. Still have to be careful what I lift since the surgery. But it was nice to go out and see the various plants growing and even blooming out there. And it looks like the scented geraniums have tripled in size. Some lilies are poking green shoots out through the soil and the fuchsias have buds. Looks like the hostas are waking up too.
Well, how many of us are finding other things to do today like our blogs, the laundry, or catching up with correspondence? Hubby tapes it for me so I can go thru later and watch all the cool new commercials. I like this commercial from last year. Is it just me or is Betty White in everything? I wonder what made her start doing all these ads, shows, and movies all of a sudden? It's great to see her.

Another busy week and still not enough getting done. More old catalogs gone thru and tied up for the poor recycle man to heave up into the truck. Might have to bake him some cookies! And  the magazines are steadily taking over a spot down by the front door. Betsy said if anyone opened the door and looked at the entryway they would call the 'Hoarders' crew immediately!

My good friend Don, who owns and operates the local feed store has given me an upstairs room to set up shop! Betsy and I are working on it whenever she gets a free moment and we want to have all sorts of things for sale. Betsy is very crafty and has been busy designing wreathes, topiaries, and trash to treasures. We both love to remake items we have found into new ideas. I have lots of dishes, knick knacks, vases, kitchenware, etc. I inherited and collected over the past 37 years. It will be fun just to unwrap everything and see it again.
 Here is a fun photo I found of' 'controlled chaos'.

Do any of you out in bloggerland have tips for creatively displaying while still making it accessible? I thought about making different "rooms" and putting like things together but don't have alot of space. Also, what kind of shelving and tables can I use? And would you cover the tables with quilts or shawls or lace? Or just get as many tables in as you can and let the wares speak for themselves?
So, Christy, who's working on my website wants some photos of me. #1 I hate my picture taken #2 I am not in any way photogenic, and #3 I am usually the one behind the camera. Naturally Dan had to grab the camera and convince me to pose in the sunroom and I grudgingly e-mailed her several that I thought might work. When did I get so old and tired looking?
I love this book. I got it at a library sale. It has very interesting facts about how different animals mate. A real eye-opener!

Between ordering seeds and plants for spring and reading gardening magazines, I am really getting spring fever. But step outside where the temperatures are hovering in the 20's and that will put a damper on any outdoor endeavors! Even the chickens are happier coming out for a quick turn around the garden and then back inside. Besides the ground is so frozen I doubt they could get anything from it. Still they like to scratch around in the hopes of unearthing something.

Actually, as I went out to check on the chickens it began snowing. They were ready for some more corn and the doors shut for the night.
I tool a little interlude and watched Eat Pray Love. It was okay.A little slow. I like the fact that she could afford to go in search of herself. I know I wish I could. But I'll just have to have my awakening in this neck of the woods. But I understand what she means about how hard it is to clear your mind for meditation. When I try to sleep at night so many thoughts and ideas are racing around. Things I should have got done, things I need to do, projects I want to do. Dan hates it when I wake up in the morning saying, "Guess what I was thinking about?"
I went to a greenhouse sale this Friday. they were selling pots, flats, carts, etc. I picked up several cases of assorted hanging baskets and inserts for flats. Also some greenhouse equipment and a pallet of seedling mix. Took me two truck loads to get it all home.
That will definitely help save me money. I've been noticing how the  prices at the wholesalers have really skyrocketed.
Saturday morning Dan and I drove up to visit our good friends in Chattaroy. Karen has fixed their place up so awesome with all her antiques and plantings. I am so envious of all the barns and outbuildings they have on the place. And all the wildlife that visits her; turkeys, deer, elk. Well, maybe not the wildlife as they would eat all my plants! They raise cattle and fainting goats. If you have never seen a fainting goat faint you are so missing out. And they are so cute and friendly.

They took us for a drive and showed us the land they were renting to put more cattle on. Made us really think again about finding ourselves a few more acres so we could broaden our growing area. Dan wants a couple cows and pigs and I would like to get into raising some  heirloom chickens and turkeys. Plus more room for vegetables, flowers and fruits.

Well dear readers, it is bedtime and more projects to plan for tomorrow. Hope your team won tonight and you enjoyed all the commercials. And remember to dream of spring. It will get here eventually. The groundhog didn't see his shadow. As I gaze out onto an inch or so of fresh snow, I bid you adieu.

Oh Baby It's Cold Outside...

I Owe My Mother

1.    My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. 
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3.  My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because,  I  said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC . 
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My  mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY. 
"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about."

8..  My mother taught me about the  science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught  me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11.  My mother taught me about  WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother  taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF  LIFE..
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out"

14. My mother  taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My  mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother  taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught  me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20.  My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. 
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my  ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you.  Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. 
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

And my favorite: 

25  My mother taught me about JUSTICE  .
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Oh my gosh! How funny, but I had better add a disclaimer. My Mother would not have said half of those things. In fact, I think she only ever said #6. And #15 without the part about the parents. The one I most remember was to eat everything on my plate while thinking of all the starving children in the world.


 Hmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with my eating problems?

Well, the cold weather is back and there's ice on the pond. But yet, the chickens have coerced me into opening up the doors for the last several days so they can forage in the garden. I'm a bit wary and repeatedly run outside and check on them as there has been a chicken hawk lurking around. The roosters are really good a raising an alert like earlier when a low-flying helicopter decided to circle overhead a few times. They signaled the alarm and all the hens scurried back into the shelter.
I've got my tomato seed order in and my order for the starts of the new pink blueberries which according to the trend-watchers will be very popular. Still deciding on flower seeds for my hanging baskets and other plants I might want to try. Next is to check my plant tag inventory and see which ones need re-ordered.
I have someone working on my website! Finally, after years of trying to do it myself and getting so frustrated Christy came along! So besides this blog, my Facebook and Etsy, you all can keep track of me on my very own website. I will keep you posted as it progresses. Might have to have a super-duper opening sale, huh?
The dogs are barking, but not because of any hawks. The squirrel has appeared on the fence and is telling them I need to refill his feeder with peanuts. He loves to sit just out of their reach and drop shells on their heads or race up and down the fence line. Hey, he's exercising them for me right? Plus it might give me some good footage for YouTube! 

The organizing still continues around here. I have gone through almost 500 magazines, tearing out articles I want to keep and bundling the remaining for recycling and giving away. Anyone need old issues of Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, and numerous gardening magazines? It's kinda hard to part with them and also to finally confess out in the open that yes, I am a hoarder. But just like the very few things I have got rid of in the past, I will need them as soon as they are gone. I mean, my hot pants (remember those) and platform shoes became trendy again as a result of me! So for now the magazines are off the bookshelves and stacked in piles by the front door awaiting their fate. A few might find their way back onto a shelf; who knows.
By the front door also sits an overflowing hamper of clothes I have weeded out. I'm down a couple of sizes after the surgery and don't want to even look back. No keeping anything just in case I gain weight again. And besides I had to make room for the couple of new/used items I found at Value Village this week. What a feeling to shop in the middle of the  rack and have a selection!



"I'm not overweight.  I'm just nine inches too short."
~Shelley Winters


“The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends” ~ Unknown Author

This and That

Well, again, too much time has passed since I was on here. I could make excuses. Business taxes need to get done, big sales at Joanns and Michaels, organizing the craft room and going thru old photos. Well that has been happening, but still I should be able to work this in, right? I'll try harder, I promise.
So yes, I'm trying to resurrect my craft room. It was a mess and it wasn't getting done on its own. All the linens, fabrics, and treasures in the closet were sorted out (somewhat) and sucked into space bags. Dan made me lots of shelves for the neat, flatter bags and there was still room left over for more!
Cardboard boxes were gone through and sorted into clear plastic bins. I forgot how many different types of crafts I like to do. Now if I can just start working on some of them.
There are boxes of other things to go through. I don't now if you know this about me but I am mad for flamingos. I have run out of room displaying them, so they are stored in boxes; many boxes. I visit them from time to time and really wish I could find a way to bring them all out of storage.
Oh! You would be so proud of me! I have been going through my stash of 20- plus years of magazine subscriptions. Country Living, Mother Earth News, numerous gardening and decorating and remodeling ones. One last look through them for any important and pertinent articles and then tied up and put down by the front door. I hate to just take them to the recyclers so am hoping to find a good home for them. Any takers?

Betsy and I have also been visiting lots of shops. I think I have replaced eating with shopping! But there are still great Christmas bargains to be had. Yesterday Betsy found bargain bags of decorations and greenery at Michaels for $2.00 each! And Sears had their leftovers for 92% off. You simply cannot pass up those deals!
I also met with a lovely lady who is helping me get my website up and running! You don't know how many frustrating years I have been trying to work on it myself. She seems to understand my visions for it and will try to keep me reigned in and focused. No easy task. I am so excited!
I have also been frantically searching the seed catalogs and putting in orders. I stopped at 63 varieties of tomatoes. I particularly like the early, cherries, and bush tomatoes, which will grow  in containers. There are alot of new gardeners that might not have planted veggies before and who might not have alot of space to do so. But I can tell you, after they have eaten a tomato right from the vine, they'll  be hooked!
While Betsy and I were shopping this weekend, the granddaughters were cleaning up the greenhouse, getting ready for all those seeds. Organizing benches, cleaning and stacking pots and flats, and setting up the lights. Our oldest, Jessica even found time to talk Grandpa into letting her practice driving the car. She is in drivers ed and has to log a certain amount of hours behind the wheel. Suffice it to say they all survived!

The weather has warmed here and all the snow is gone. The pond is melted and the waterfall is thunderous with all the water running over it. It, like our nearby river is almost to the point of overflowing from all the rains and snow melts.When we went for a drive the other day we saw alot of houses getting their feet wet. There has been heavy fog in the mornings so I might try to go out tomorrow and take some pictures. I like how the trees stand out so starkly against the grey-white background.
Well, I need to get to bed. Lots more organizing to do tomorrow!

P.S. Getting anxious to start decorating for Valentines Day! Look at this heart on my sunroom window!

Happy New Year! The Best Is Yet To Come!

When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out.
~ by Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) ~

 Sorry I have been so remiss with this blog. I had stomach surgery on Dec. 7 and it has been a long road of recovery with its good and bad days. sadly, it has been hard to sit at the computer so I have not been able to keep in touch that way. Thanks to everyone's prayers and good wishes.

Who, being loved, is poor?  ~Oscar Wilde

The scenery here is so beautiful. We have quite a bit of snow and then became very cold so the trees are just loaded down. It is truly a winter wonderland! We made comments as we drove around last week that even the ugliest and messy yard looks like a postcard. So there's hope for mine!
Wistfully, Christmas is packed back up and downstairs. My darling Daughter and Granddaughter put everything into boxes and Hubby put them away. We have more this year to try and store because Betsy and I went to Lowes for my daily walk and found all their decorations for 75% off! We came home with a car full, but saved about $450. Can't wait for next year!
A hard part of this recovery is I can't bend over or lift. You never know realize how much stuff falls on the floor until you aren't able to pick it up. I'm trying to organize my receipts to get my business taxes done, and I swear half of them landed on the floor.

Don't own so much clutter
that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire.
Wendell Berry



And I got to sit back and direct traffic as the family moved furniture around in the front room. Placed a new area rug and brought in more lighting for a cozy retreat. It also opened up a wider traffic area for when the grand kids come over and run amok.
I love my new sunroom! Have I said that before? While I laid in bed I could look out into it and thru the windows to the garden outside. The family put a second tree out there for me at Christmas. A white one adorned with blue lights and my flamingo ornaments. When I couldn't sleep at night I would just stare at the lights and feel at ease. I can't wait to decorate it for Valentines day. Did you know that is my favorite Holiday? I love hearts and red and pink, pastels and flowers.
garden sale farm chicks seed catalogs

"Valentine’s Day is when a lot of married men are reminded what a poor shot Cupid really is.” ~Unknown

I am getting the itch to design and craft. I filled out my form and sent it in for the Garden Expo sale I do every year on Mothers Day weekend. I am also going thru the seed catalogs in anticipation of getting the greenhouse going in the next couple of months. I also saw the ad for the Farm Chicks sale and would love to do that sale some day. Anyway, Saturday when daughter Betsy comes out to work we will venture into the crafts room and clean and organize. And dream up our next big money-maker!


Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.
A. A. Milne

The snow is still falling as I write this. I feel cocooned as the sounds from outside become muffled. Then the dogs come in and bring me back to reality as they shake their wet snow off onto me! I need to get out and take more pictures. And whitewash some dogs!

Well, it is now evening and I didn't get much done today. Anymore, just trying to stay hydrated is a job in it's self. I got so absorbed in reading all the great blogs out there the time got away from me. I am so into the vintage crafts. Hooray for Etsy! I love all the vintage ephemera that is out there. I want to learn how to do everything. And don't even get me started on the garden ornamentation aspect of it. I am so behind on all my projects for my spring sale. Does anybody have any handmade or trash to treasure project ideas for my garden sale?

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Oh the weather outside is frightful, with icy roads and bitter winds. But inside the smell of bayberry and oranges spiked with cloves, the sounds of football intermingled with Christmas carols, and the sights of decorations, lights, and very excited grandchildren!

Not too much baking this year. I am about to go into surgery and have been on a liquid protein diet for a couple of weeks so nobody is getting anything!! It was bad enough to have to prepare the Thanksgiving feast and just watch everyone else devour it.
We had a wonderful decorating party yesterday. What memories awaken when the boxes marked "Christmas" are lugged upstairs and opened. Handmade decorations  the kids had made through the years; ones handed done from loved ones no longer with us. Try explaining to a 4-year old that the "Night Before Christmas" book they find is older than Grandma! Hot cocoa awaits the frozen few that ventured out to string lights and garlands round the fence and to hang up the wreathes and flags. The fortunate ones stayed inside and put out candles, wreathes, window clings, and all sorts of finery.
It is a record this year because of my pending surgery, that all the Christmas shopping is done and all the presents wrapped.

And still, work must go on outside too. Hoses must be brought out to refill water barrels in the greenhouse and chicken coop. Paths shoveled for dogs so they will venture out and leaves mounded up on pots of various perennials to keep them frozen till spring.
I want huge quantities of snow. Hey, I won't be able to drive so why not? I want snow days so everybody has to stay home with their families. I want to hear the whine of snowmobiles running up and down the road because the cars can't make it through. Neighbors having snowball fights and kids making snow forts and sledding runs. Why can't we hibernate like the bears used to do, all snuggled together. Think how much money we could save on everything.

In the coming weeks I hope I am able to keep you posted on my recovery; my trials and tribulations; all the gory details!
Till then, embrace the Spirit of Christmas around you, down to the very smallest detail.

Joy To The World!!

Having a Vintage Thanksgiving!

Do you remember Thanksgiving when you were a child? I don't remember the meal as much as the preparation beforehand; the cleaning, the making of decorations, the excitement in the air.
Mom was a home economics teacher. She had that knack of having everything come out just right. I'm sure if she were here she would say otherwise, but I remember marveling at how perfect she made everything feel.
She had a  file cabinet I would sneak peeks in filled with construction paper, drawings, templates of  glorious decorating ideas. I can recall the feeling when she started decorating.

I want that feeling for my Holiday. I found myself at midnight, digging thru drawers, searching the Internet, thinking of times past.