my own private idaho

I know I haven't been blogging much

but I've got lots to say.

I've been busy working on our back yard.

This is the first year we aren't undertaking a big project back there so this year is all about pretty-fying.

And by pretty-fying I mean flowers and lights.

Let's go back and review.

Year 1

We cleared the chaos.

Oh and it was chaos!

Year 2 

We had to get a new fence built.

Before

After.

That same year we built a deck.

Year 3

We took out these bloody awful trees. They were hideous. In the winter it looked like snow covered boobs were peeking up into the living room window. 

Shudder.

Better!

Year 4 

We built a shed. 

I realized when liooking for photos that I don't actually have a photo of the finished project. I'll get on that and update later...

This year?

No big projects. 

Just a lot of pretty. 

The payoff.

We've come a long way.

spring is coming

I was delighted to notice the date on this photo from last year

Oh I know it doesn't look like much

but that photos was taken April 2 last year.

Now I know that we had a mild winter last year and that we may not get early cherry blossoms this year

but that, right there, is hope for me.

Because April is only two weeks away!

(and yes, I'm desperate.)

Get Outside

I don't know about you

but I am positively itching for spring.

To see green things

to get out in the garden

and get out of the house.

I love our house

but I feel like one of my favorite rooms has been off limits since September.

How fitting then, that Etsy's daily email was on this very subject today!

How cute are these bird feeders?

$55

$90

Last week I was scrolling through some photos and I found this:

I showed it to fella and he didn't recognize it as our own backyard right away.

But it is! And it's coming!

Spring is coming!

night light

Sometimes my fella has great foresight.

He can see something

that others think is junk

and see how it can be

something beautiful.

This works in tandem with his love for bidding on things at auctions

that no one else wants.

vases

dolls

glass shades

Some of these things have come to great purpose.

Others

are sitting in our basement.

But let's see what brilliance he came up with with the third item on the list.

Glass shades.

A box of them.

Hmmm.

On the weekend, he got busy stripping some copper wire he had and strung them up.

Success.

This one hangs from the apple tree.

We also hung some mason jar lights from the pine and apple tree

as well as the ugly telephone pole at the end of the yard.

And now it really feels like an outdoor room.

 This one is hanging from a wire that runs across the yard - it's quite high so we need a ladder to reach it, but it's like a chandelier suspended from the sky...

I'm so in love with our yard this summer.

It's finally getting tamed

and of course there's still lots to do

but I'm so happy with what we've done so far.

Sometimes I just sit and admire it.

And feel peaceful.



green giant

i decided to try my hand at growing some plants from seeds this year.

I don't think I've done it since I was a kid

(do you remember growing grass in a can when you were in elementary school? They had labels with faces on them that we coloured and everyone called their grass-can-head Harry. 

Endless funniness when you're 5.)

but packets of seeds are only a couple of dollars so I figured the investments was minimal

which made it worth a try.

Of course, I only looked up how to start plants from seeds after I had already planted them, 

quickly realizing that the likelihood of my success was, well, let's just say, my chances were not good.

(they said to start them in moist paper towel and then transplant them once they've started. I just threw them all in pots with dirt and water. )

I planted them two weeks ago.

I also had bought some basil and was trying to keep it alive long enough indoors until it got warm and I could transplant it outside.

The basil is hanging on.

I put them upstairs in a south facing window, thinking they'd get lots of light there

(since I read that you need to get seedlings lots of light. 

They suggest those plant light thingies. 

I don't have one of those and I'm not buying one. 

Minimal. 

That was my word.)

Well, I forgot to water them over the weekend so I thought I should tonight.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?

green!

green in every pot!

green!

I 

was

tickled!

I was growing stuff!

Wheeee!

Like I said, the basil is not exactly... excelling

but it's holding on.

I just wish it would warm up so I could get it outside.

What did I plant, you may wonder?

Well let me tell you -

I planted:

french lavender

which I am hoping to put on the corner of our little patio out back. 

I picture myself relaxing with a book and catching a whiff in the breeze.

Cilantro

(which I generally don't have much luck with so was hoping for better with the seeds.)

and

more basil.

I read somewhere that basil doesn't regenerate so once you cut it, that's the end of that stem.

And that you should have basil at three different stages so you have it all summer.

I have no idea, really, but I figured 

what's another little pack of seeds?

$1.49 to be exact.

Here's hoping tonight's watering didn't drown them!

post haste tree departure

When we moved into our house

there were two ugly trees in front of the living room windows.

Those trees haven't gotten any prettier

so we decided that enough was enough

and they were coming down.

Before:

 ghastly, unruly things.

I mean, really. Look at them!

ugly from every angle.

 

I don't think the cats were in full support of this decision

but we knew it was the right thing to do.

Here's the After:

Admittedly, it looks a little bare there now

but we'll get something else planted to "spruce" it up a little.

I felt totally relieved once they were gone.

I really hated those trees.

(The kill)

 

I'm thinking maybe one of these:

It's a flowering almond shrub.

The blossoms are glorious.

We'll see.

As I keep saying,

it's all an experiment!

harvest

We did some major weed pulling on Monday and after hacking the heck out of a forsythia that belongs to our neighbour (but was taking over the back corner of the yard) I discovered that the rhubarb was alive and well and ripe for the picking.

I have already mentioned my plans for a galette

but I think this calls for some additional baking plans!

And while we're on the harvest topic....

How about this basil?

My herbs were far more successful this year.

home made pesto = delicious.

Raspberry Harvest

The raspberries seemed to come a bit late this year

and they've suffered with the lack of rain

but it doesn't make them any less delicious!

1st pick!

Spring is here. It is decidedly so.

My heart dropped when I heard that it's supposed to snow tonight.

I stopped wearing my puffy winter coat a week ago

(it resembles a sleeping bag and I hate it by this time of the year.)

On Sunday, I decided to clean up the yard.

I couldn't stand looking at all the garbage that had blown in over the winter and gotten trapped in the snow drifts.

I raked

I tidied

I swept

I took photos of all of the tulips that are sprouting.

That is SPRING people!

It looks so much better after the clean up.

It worked out perfectly because this week is the first yard waste collection of the season

(what does it say about me that I was excited to discover this? How my life has changed)

and I have a full bag in the garage, ready to be collected.

But tonight?

Snow? Really?

I tell myself it's ok

because I know spring is here

its just hiding behind an impending snowfront.