Grass… not so much

I couldn’t get the lawn mower working so I had to subdued the grass some other way.

RIP Camellia

6 down and 0 to go. We saved the best for last and for good reasons, we knew she was the stubborn one. And she was.

Camellia stood her ground (literally) and it was a fierce battle of roots. BUT in the end only one can be standing, and it wasn’t Camellia! We kicked (rolled) this nationally recognized society to the curb (next to the rest of the brush)!

I’m not sure how deep Mark and I had to dig to get to all the roots but I do know it was deep enough and wide enough to bury a small child. We even had an audience that looked on for a little over 2 hrs, up to the minute that we were able to drag it out of it’s former living space and hi-five each other. I could only imagine what those two elderly gentlemen were saying, “shit, they ain’t goin be able to dig that up”, “damn, they still at it”, “well I be damn, they dig that bush up”, and so on.

It was a beautiful overcast day.

Back Porch Pt. 1

Pictures of the demolition of our 2nd story back porch.

Once Mark started to take the porch a part, it was obvious from the wood to dirt decomposition of how rotted the wood actual was and he decided to take it all down and start over.

The Front Yard Pt.1

Since the weather is trying so hard to be spring with fewer and fewer cool days, I’ve started to tackled the task of renovating my front yard. I’ve had all winter to think about this and considering the back yard is soooo next year, it only make sense to focus my landscaping efforts on the front yard. The front yard will have a little bit of everything; perennials, herbs, annuals, and veggies. A bit of a “potager” or kitchen garden.

For those not familiar with the term “kitchen garden;” the best description I have come across is a place to grow the things you bring into the kitchen (or house), such as herbs, veggies, fruits and berries, and cutting flowers for your table.

I really like the idea of mixing up the status quo of keeping your veggies separate from your flowers or herbs. In fact, quite a few flowers are considered edible and can be mixed into the menu if you choose too. (I posted a list of edibles at the bottom of this post.)

So with this the first step was to get rid of the over grown shrubs up against the house. This is no easy task and I’m 4 down, 2 to go. But nonetheless, one side of the yard is ready to be tilled and beautified.

Mark borrowed his uncle’s tiller, got it running and handed over. I haven’t tilled in a couple of years and forgot the vibrate power behind one of these, even a small one. So 5 mins into it and I had to suck it up and till. I got enough done to prepare the soil for transplanting the two Butterfly Bushes that were at the front on the sidewalk, careful not to dig to short on their roots. (Thanks for the tip, Heather) Also the weather was calling for rain the next couple of days so the timing was even better for transplanting these bushes.

(warning sentimental moment ahead)

Funny thing is, when I lived just a couple houses down I would pass these bushes and stop to watch the one or two butterflies feeding, I would also look at the house and think, “that looks like a lot of work”. Little did I know that one day these bushes and this “a lot of work” would be mine.

I managed to get the Butterfly bushes to their new home in the yard and I planted our new Weeping Japaneses Maple just ahead of them. I also got the rosemary and lavender in. Lots more to do and I’m not looking forward to wrestling with the roots of the Camellia but it’s a task that must be done to make room for the Weeping Cedar, another Butterfly Bush, and the Viburnum.

So far, so good. Everybody looks happy with their new home.

Edible flowers Parks Herbs

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) perennial
Bee Balm (Monarda spp. ) perennial
Begonia, tuberous (Begonia x tuberhybrida) annual
Borage (Borage officinalis) annual
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) perennial
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) annual
Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) perennial
English Daisy (Bellis perennis) annual/biennial
Geranium, scented (Pelargonium spp.) annual
Gladiola (Gladious spp.) annual
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) biennial
Johnny-Jump-Up (Viola tricolor) annual
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) perennial reliably hardy only to Zone 5
Lemon Marigold (Tagetes tenufolia ‘Lemon Gem’) annual
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.) annual
Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) hardy annual
Petunia (Petunia x hybrida) annual
Pinks (Dianthus spp.) annual
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) hardy annual
Rose (Rosa spp.) perennial
Sunflower (Helianthus annua) annual
Violet (Viola cornuta) perennial

First Snow!

Three weeks before the first day of Spring, a snow storm passed through the area and dropped 4+ inches through the night. I think the snow off the deck railing came in at 4.75″ but with the snow drifts from the wind it’s deeper in other parts of the yard.

Boomer LOVES the snow. There was a lot of in and out, like a five year-old who couldn’t make his mind up.

Boomer Playing

Can I go out, pleaseeee

2701 Snowed Bound Ave

No shovel, but a big dust pan.

Sidewalk View

Weeping Camillia

Weeping Camillia – Front View

At it again.

No More Leaks Here!

Mark and I got a new roof at the beginning of February. We hired Fan Roofing to do the job and they did an excellent good. Very professional and very quick. They even took one of two chimneys down, brick by brick, and didn’t charge us extra. Apparently the chimney was ready roll, it was just a matter of time. Thanks guys!

Mark here. Just wanted to add details on the roof. When they were removing the old roof, I found my opportunity to install a new vent stack pipe through the roof. My luck held as the pipe, uncut, was an inch and half taller than the minimum height I was shooting for. Everyone has commented that they like the look of the roof (and its a good thing ’cause its 50 yr shingle).

We didn’t get the turret done because we intend on getting that redone in copper and Mark wants to do that himself. So maybe next spring when we paint the exterior. Until then it’s onto drywall and interior painting from the water damage of a leaking roof.

End Table

I’ve had this small square table for over ten years and over the years, I’ve used it as a computer table, dining room table, outdoor patio table and kitchen table. Until last week it was just sitting outside being weathered.

Just one simple tweak to my kitchen and suddenly the flow become more fluid.