Life's a Garden- Dig It!

Husband and I spent all day on Sunday working in the garden. Planting flower bulbs and pulling weeds. He and Son took out the awful rock border and we replaced it with trapezoidal stones to make it even and pretty and more effective at keeping the grass out. There are tons of weeds still, but I clipped dead parts off of the rose bushes and the old irises and lilies and dug up lots of tiny rocks. We took the weed suppression tarp out of the garden on the west side of the driveway and will be planting more stuff pretty soon. I took some "before" pictures so that after we work ourselves to death, we can look back and be reminded that it was (hopefully) worth it. Last year we found 31(!) rose bushes in the gardens. Some of them are going to have to go.

This is the garden on the front east side of the house. It has a large majority of the rose bushes in it, some daylilies next to the bench on both sides (both of which are BADLY in need of dividing), a couple non-tropical hibiscus bushes, some Gaillardia that hasn't done much yet, something that I suspect is a patch of iris bulbs (that also really badly needs to be divided), some random plants that I can't identify.... Lots of weeds. LOTS. I pulled up about 6 buckets full of weeds just from the area where the edging stones are all ready down.

This shows the little walkway that leads from our driveway to the front porch. I live in suburbia, so most people don't use their front doors for anything, we all enter and exit through attached garages. In the section in the back, we have daffodils starting to come up. In the barren, depressing strip in the front are some newly-planted lily bulbs and eventually maybe some pansies. We had pansies there last year and they were strong and healthy and beautiful all the way through July.

Here's the garden on the front west side of the house. Last night we took out the weed-suppressant tarp. I have a couple tea roses planted that I put in last year. On Sunday I put in some Red Hot Poker in the front. I haven't decided what else will go in yet, because it depends on how much heat everything can withstand because that section is in the sun ALL DAY. The plant in the black bucket thing is a blueberry bush. Don't know yet where we're going to put it, as they get pretty big. The bird bath may or may not stay there, depending on what I finally decide to plant. The bench used to be in the garden on the other side, with another one that's now out in the backyard, but it was too crowded and asymmetrical, so we moved them last spring.

Here's a cherry tree. It's in front of the west garden, but hasn't been planted or staked yet. We bought it impulsively on Sunday night and will plant it this weekend.

This shows another cherry tree on the east side. We bought the cherry trees for the blossoms, but if we get cherries, then that's a bonus. Both trees are different kinds of sweet cherries.

This is The Circle of Sketchiness. The previous owners had a trampoline there, and they didn't care for aesthetics (not surprising as it's been two years and they STILL haven't put in a change of address, but that's a complaint for another day). Right now it's weeds and boards and treachery. The bug spraying guy is a little leery of it and always sprays it extra carefully. I hate it. I want to eventually put in two tiers of raised flower beds. This is where I plan to put all my butterfly attractant bushes and flowers. After Husband cleans out the scary stuff.

This is the view from the top. This whole area was poorly planned, and the hill down to the yard is insanely steep. I want to put in stairs. Husband wants a more gradual ramp. The compromise is that he puts them side by side, so I'm conceding the stairs because side by side will be ugly. Also, this whole area is some kind of weird mud that slides down and makes huge rivets every time it rains. There's also someone's dog buried right back behind where I was standing to take this picture. Not a problem, just kinda weird that we had to discover it after we moved in.

Here's the view from the back yard into the side rose garden. There used to be a white plastic picket fence that was all crooked across it and a rose arbor in the middle, but the wind destroyed it a couple months ago. There are LOTS of long stemmed rose varieties in here, and I really like them. They get huge blooms on them.

This is taken from where the rose arbor used to be, looking up toward the front of the house. The trees with the white blooms are pear trees. There used to be some sketchy thorn bush trees something or others up in the tiered levels. They were scraggly and ugly. So Husband took them out. We still haven't cut them up and thrown them away yet, as you can see. I don't know what all the random greenery is that's growing in the rocks. This garden is a thistle haven, too. We're going to put veggies in it. Lots of sun but mostly shaded late in the day when it gets blistering hot.

Here's a more straight-on view of the rose garden, looking up. It's a mess. I'm reluctant to start on it for fear I'll never be able to get it under control. So there we have it. I have grand plans for all of it. Now all I'm lacking is time and energy and lots of money. It will take a few years, but I will make it beautiful!

Lizards have cool tongues

I've got a couple ideas for glass projects, but haven't started them yet. I actually haven't been doing ANYTHING productive over the last couple weeks. I've been spending all my time playing The Sims 3: Showtime and Angry Birds: Space. I need to get a life.

I made an Angry Birds cake for Son's birthday. In the process, I've discovered that I really don't have any patience at all for cake anymore. He liked it, and I like that I'm done with it. Next comes a cake for Grandma, but it can be simple. Her birthday is on Easter this year. Then a cake (or cakes) for the girls and then I'll be done until November.

A few weeks ago I went to a glass supply store and got AWFUL service. Sent a letter to the president of the company and subsequently spoke to him on the phone. Went back on Tuesday to discover that the employees there now know me by my first name.

New torch is almost ready. A couple more parts and a more effecient propane supply and I'll be in business. Oh, and ventilation because I'm not terribly keen on the idea of dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Have a couple requests for new stuff, both of which I can probably do but haven't tried extensively yet.

Spectre left on the 21st to go live with my sister. I miss him lots, and Ghost is such a pest now without someone to bother all day.

Started reading The Hunger Games a few days ago and am about halfway through the second book. Reading is taking more time away from artistic endeavors.

I posted a stupid rant on craigslist Missed Connections last night to some jackass who tailgated me on the highway the other day and have gotten a considerable amount of emails saying they've nominated is for Best of Craigslist.

Husband hung new lights out by the driveway and over the back deck that are nice compliments to the house. He's also been working on building coffins for Spirit and Da Vinci so we can bury them when it warms up later this spring.

That's all I've got for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Lucky Number Seven

Today my oldest son turns 7. I didn't take the road of grace or tact to the point where he was born, and not for a long time afterward, but I can't say I'd change it or take it back because I really like where things are now. Happy birthday, Son. I love you. <3

The Muse is on sabbatical

I haven't written in a week because there hasn't been much to write about. After stupid neighbor, I got shitty service at a glass supply shop. The president of the company called me and fixed everything, but I still can't force myself to work on anything.

I have a bad tendency to obsess about everything, particularly the negative, and that whole mess has kinda ruined everything for me. I don't feel like doing anything else, either.

I kinda think I need to go into psychiatric rehab or some shit, because I feel like I'm losing my mind and I might flip out and kill everyone. Everything is making me crazy and I'm uncomfortable even in my own skin. It would help if I could ever stop thinking for a while.


*sigh*

I might go try to make some tiger beads for Pandora bracelets. Or I might not. I gotta snap out of this funk though, for real.

A Glass Act

I made some beads over the weekend, including a double layered vine stringer bead that I was very impressed with.



I took a couple up to the bus stop to show a neighbor since she's been asking me about them for weeks. She insisted I show them to another neighbor. I don't get along terribly well with the other neighbor, so I avoid her if I can. I explained how the beads are made (in short: 3000 degree torch flame, molten glass, metal mandrel, kiln at 1000 degrees for 8 hours). The second neighbor then proceeds to volunteer me to teach her 10-year-old daughter to make beads. Like she didn't hear anything I just said. I was stunned into silence. So I finally said "Maybe in a few years" which sounds better than "Not in a million years, bitch". I don't even like her kids, for one thing.

I don't even let my OWN kids near my glass stuff. I might teach my kids when they're 15 or 16, if I think they can be responsible and careful at that time. No one else under the age of 18 is allowed anywhere near it. I'm not taking responsibility for other people when burns are an inevitable part of the whole equation. That, or I'm gonna have a waiver drawn up saying that they know the dangers and they don't get to sue me if they hurt themselves. They'll still have to be at least 18 though.

So yeah. Some people.

Spectre is doing great. His wounds are healing up nicely and he can put weight on his leg again. He's running and playing and happy. He doesn't like the antibiotics but he takes them without a fight if I rub his nose. He's a sweetheart. I was scared for a couple days because even though the vet warned me that his skin my slough off a bit, they didn't tell me so much would come off that I'd be able to see the muscles underneath. Gross. Husband had to do his warm washcloths at night because I cried every time I had to do it.

Ghost has been exiled from the bedroom for the last few nights because she insists on sleeping on my throat and kneading my chin and playing in my hair and just generally being a pest.

Son has learned to ride a bike with no training wheels. When he tried the first time, he fell over and broke his arm. He was terrified when we took them off again, so the first thing we did was teach him to catch himself with his hands and feet. Once he learned to balance, that was all he needed. He got a new bike as an early birthday present because the other one was way too small.

My torch got here yesterday. I'm excited to set it up, but not terribly excited to have to re-learn everything on it.

So that's it for today. Thanks for reading.

That bites.

Rushed Spectre back to the hospital today. His hip was doubly swollen this morning and he was all sticky, so I went to clean him up and an abscess on his hip opened while I was washing him.

Turns out he'd never hurt his leg the other day. He's got an infected bite from Ghost and it had gotten continually worse until it ruptured today. He's at the vet now, he's been cleaned out and stitched up and he'll be home this afternoon with antibiotics and pain killers. As long as we keep him warm he should heal up just fine.

My poor sister is going to be in for a terrible surprise when she hears me crying over the cat on her voice mail. But I did call and leave a second voice mail explaining what the vet said and that the cat is okay.

For now, we'll watch the kittens when they're together and keep them separate when we can't be around them. Ghost is a beast, she's been constantly wrestling and bothering him the last couple days. So we'll keep them separate until he's bigger and can take better care of himself.

Bead-y eyed

Spectre is now eating from a bowl and both cats are weaned completely off of milk. They still eat softened kitten food, but we're working on making it a little less soft every time.

Spectre fell or jumped from high up on Friday and hurt his leg. I thought he'd dislocated his hip, but x-rays showed that wasn't the case. Vet thinks he may have damaged his growth plate and he may limp or have a short leg forever. Surgery wasn't really an option because he's so little that it's too dangerous. He's young enough though that any problem he has will be second nature. For now we're giving him pain medicine twice a day.

I made it out to work on glass today and have a set of rainbow beads in the kiln at this very moment. I plan to etch them, but we'll see what they look like when they're done. If the nice weather holds up, I'll be making some faux beach glass beads this afternoon.

I have a blood donation appointment in about an hour. Last time, they couldn't get the bleeding to stop and I ended up with two people clamping down on my arm with ice packs. I was cold and out of sorts for a week or so after. Awful. Hope it goes better this time.

Here are some polymer clay bobbin beads I made and listed on Etsy. The rage is glass and bobbin beads, but I don't have the time or desire to make them right now. Maybe another time.



I plan to make a bunch of beads for Beads of Courage because word on the glass forums is that they're running drastically low. Beads of Courage are sent to hospitals all over the US and a few other countries (Japan and New Zealand that I know of for sure, maybe a few others), and every time a child in one of those hospitals has something done (chemo, blood draw, etc), they get to pick out a bead. Parents get beads too. It's a neat program, but sad that there's such a need.

Husband is outside cleaning the garage. The wrong torch is supposed to be delivered back to the glass retailer on Wednesday and the right torch should be on it's way out to me shortly thereafter.

Yup. That's all I have to write about for now. Thanks for reading :)