Photos
Some Garden Pictures
A few pictures of the garden. We lashed bamboo all day yesterday and built a sun shade structure for the veggies. Last year the Texas summer sun burnt everything up, so we are hoping to combat that a bit. Lots more mulch and a sun shade. We’ll see how it works out. We may need another shade cloth, I got 30% but I’m thinking it might not be enough. The good thing is, the hard work is already done.
Putting up that structure was a lot of work but also alot of fun. I love it when we have a project where we can all work together. The girls helped pick out bamboo and then were our “helpers” – holding tools to hand to us, holding bamboo poles, keeping Mongo away, and allowing us to enjoy their laughter while they were swinging. Around the base of some of the poles I planted Morning Glory and Trailing Nasturtiums seeds. I also got some Petunias, Zinnias and Cosmos in there to help attract beneficial insects as well. I want to make a Mason bee house, so will hopefully get to that this afternoon.
Out front we put up tiki torches with citronella to help combat our horrible mosquito problem. Living by the lake is great, but we also have to deal with these issues. I love the way the torches look at night in the garden, and now am inspired to plant more white blooming plants that will reflect the glow of the fire light.
A few weeks ago we were gifted by my in-laws with a trip to this wonderful ranch, Bamberger Ranch, out in Blanco County. I’ll put up a proper post devoted to just that ranch, but we had a wonderful time and that place is truly inspiring. Please go to their site and check out what they all do. Mr. Bamberger is quite the man! This was where I got my inspiration for the Mason bee houses, and where I also spent my birthday money on a birdhouse made by inner city school children. The children get to go to the ranch for free, and they make these houses to give back and help continue to fund the program, so I had no problem plopping my gift money down on one of these houses. And it’s paid off as we have our first resident already hard at work on her nest! Everything we read said not to be surprised if it took a good year before someone found the house and decided it was the perfect residence. So you can imagine how exciting it is to have a little mama loving her new home.
We’ve also officially started our upside down tomatoes again this year. Last year we did well with one of the plants, so are hoping to have a repeat success, as well as be successful with the rest of our plants. The tomatoes last year didn’t do so well with the heat. By this time last year we were well into 100 plus weather, so they didn’t really stand a chance. This year, we have tried to plant them strategically in both the front and back so they get good sun but also some relief from it all. Crossing my fingers they all work out!
On a side note, I did in fact plant Sugar Pie Pumpkins seeds and a Halloween Mix. Let’s see what happens!
So enjoy the photos (in no particular order) and remember to have a great day! Peace!!
Our newest member to the farm:
Tomatoes, peppers and potted mint:
Basil and bush beans:
Pumpkin blossom and friend:
I just love bamboo:
We got all this from a gal who was clearing it out of her yard. She put up an add on Craigslist and it was all free if we could haul it away. So we got a good van full of it.
Potted mint:
Zinnias!:
I spy with my little eye, something green (and hot! habanero baby!):
Hello little cucumber:
Oh, what do I see? My volunteer tomatoes are giving back already:
Cucumbers with peppers in the background:
More pumpkins!:
An overview from one angle:
And another:
Let the upside tomatoes begin!:
I love fire:
Namaste!
6th Photo
So Amber, over at The Nutrients of Life, has tagged me to play a little game. It goes like this:
“Open the 6th picture folder on your computer, open the 6th photo and blog it. Write something about it. Then tag 6 more people to do the same.”
What fun! So here is mine. My darling little Xi from a year or so ago (my photos on this computer are more recent than the computer downstairs). She has the biggest eyes and was looking up at me with all her innocence. I had to snap a shot and it turned out to be one of my favorites!
Now for all of you:
Nicole
Amanda
Michelle
Marina
Carrie
Stephanie
Tag!! You’re it!! Peace!
Up Jeans
So our darling X wanted “up jeans.” I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about. I thought she wanted to wear her jeans that pulled up rather than snapped or buttoned. For weeks I believed this is what she meant and wasn’t sure why there was a moment of hesitation from her before she’d put them on. Then, one morning, I finally figured out what they are and the happiness in that child’s eyes was confirmation. Up jeans are cut-offs! So we took her old Levi’s that were finally getting too short and cut them off. These are now almost all she wants to wear. She’s my little hippie farmgirl through and through. Haha!
Yay for Up Jeans! Peace!
Planting Time Is Almost Here! (And A Finished Project)
So garlic and onions are in the ground! Today I will do potatoes and pick up our seeds at the feed store for more veggie goodness. We are really hoping for a better year this year in terms of rain (and everything else if we are going to be honest here). Last year we had 100 degree weather starting in May and it didn’t end until well into November. Needless to say the gardens were not very productive or happy, neither was our water bill! So maybe I can request that everyone do a quick, happy rain dance for this year? haha! We’ll see if that appeases the gods any. We are also busy amending our soil with what we have here and it is turning out well so far! We are going to add organic topsoil to the lasagna bed, but the nutrients are just exploding out of what we’ve put down already. It’s very exciting and we are hoping to have a better garden this year. Upside down are the way we are doing our tomatoes this year too. We really liked how well they turned out last year, so are going to do alot more this year and save the garden space for other veggies.
The animals are doing good. We’ve added ferrets to the brood as well. They were gifted to the girls from some good friends of our’s. We have 3 of them, Calamity, Pookie and Moose. They are so funny to play with and are the friendliest little creatures. The girls love them!
I’ve been knitting and knitting and knitting. Finally conquered my fear of socks and am now on a mission to find the perfect yarn for my darling little red-head who hates anything that might be even remotely itchy. 100% cotton for her…and not just any cotton, so the quest begins. L is much more laid back for that and already picked out her yarn from my stash. So her socks will go on the needles this week, I hope.
Some new pictures and lots of peace going out to you all!
Icy mornings the past few days.
Really hoping Kubra is with kids, hard to tell now although she is looking rounder in the belly, but we won’t be certain until late February or early March.
My new sconces (thank you Nicole for the gift card!)
My first socks! For me! Yay!
Busy Times
The kids have been extra active lately so it’s not easy to update these days. But things are going okay. Jason is working hard on a couple projects, the girls are growing and learning daily, the animals are all healthy and happy – we are really hoping Kubra is with child(ren). We’ll know for sure in another couple weeks or so. Exciting!
The weather has been so strange. We’ll have a day of 36 degrees all day, then 75 the next. In light of it all, we’ve all suffered from colds and allergies as pollen is floating around that really shouldn’t be right now. Crazy!
I’ve been knitting and getting ready to plan our spring veggie garden. We are probably going to start seeds in a couple weeks for the early things. I can’t believe it’s getting to be that time again! Life just keeps moving forward.
I’ve also been getting excited about new music again. In a previous life I was heavily involved in the music scene and miss it terribly. So have been seeking out new sounds. As I discover more, I’ll try to remember to share here. For starters I suggest checking out The Limes. From their site:
“The Limes draw inspiration from foreign film directors, 70’s porn music, and the great musical couples of yester-year: Joao/Astrud, John/Exene, Paul/Linda (whose “Bluebird” is covered on the Limes’ eponymous debut), resulting in groovy, off-kilter pop tunes separated by the odd instrumental track. Lovers of early Pizzicato Five and all things Jobim, take note.”
If you like lounge music, check them out!
Here are some pics to keep you company. Peace!
Busy Holiday Preparations
Just a few pics. The girls made a gingerbread house on Friday and it came out great! I also learned to fold paper lanterns and love the way they turned out. So here’s to warm holiday preparations! Only a couple more days folks! I’m frantically trying to finish…
Peace!
X-I-O-L-A
Images From Austin
The Race, Part II
Just as I promised. More on the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot here in town. After Lola’s race we decided to walk around that part of town. It is down by the capital, just about the heart of downtown, and we never get out that way. So we had a little adventure of our own.
There is a path that runs down by the waterways under the streets of the city. I’m sure at one point they were just beautiful, but time and more people have made them less so. Although, I have heard that there is a plan to redo all these paths so they are more of an enjoyable riverwalk of sorts. But we had fun exploring anyway!
Some of the architecture along the waterway shows that it must have been a beautiful place to enjoy the water. This building was built in the 1800’s.
More bridges.
After our walk we went back to see more of the race. The 5 mile and 1 mile were both going on, so we found a spot a block up from the finish line and cheered them all on! Thousands of people were racing. And along with them were many characters. Including…
A fairy, or two:
The Incredibles:
Canines:
Crazy hats:
Turkeys and other costumes:
Dad’s and babies:
Hippies and babies:
Grandpa’s and babies:
And everyone in between:
I even saw 2 very, very pregnant women, but didn’t want to appear rude by taking their pictures. Same with the woman who I swear had to be close to 90! It was so much fun seeing everyone.
Great fun in Austin! Peace!