Our life in Oregon's Willamette Valley bounded by the Cascade Range to the east, the Oregon Coast Ranges to the west, and the Calapooya mountains to the south.
My sister recently gave me Mary Engelbreit’s book: She who Loves a Garden. Then I remembered that I also had ME’s book: A Book about Tea. Since some grandchildren are coming to spend more time with us, I have been busy thinking about Elevenses, and Low Tea, and High Tea, and getting the tea things organized. My granddaughter informed me in one of our recent phone calls that she would like to do the watering of the flowers when she came. I have a watering can ready for her for that activity as well. Not to mention the doll quilts, and the refurbishing of the Pooh Club House in past posts. These two books in my ME collection represent two of my favorite things.
Repotting my four lemon trees has been on the “To Do” list ever since learning about a good potting soil mix for lemon trees. They have been under a light for the winter in the house and they were too dry, and while the light helped, I have seen them happier.
My plan was to repot them with the new soil recommended for lemon trees in pots, and letting them spend the spring in the hoop house which can get quit humid at times, and there is more natural light. I also wanted to prepare the beds for getting in my salad greens.
Marvin has named the trees, and I think this one is Jack, who will be guarding the door. It was recommended that the trees be planted in pots no smaller than 14 inches diameter, and 14 inches high. I do not recall where I read the instructions, but when I run across it, I will update this post. I grew these trees from the seeds of a Meyer lemon.
These two trees, Sunny and Su are quite opposites for having come from the same lemon. Next to them behind the end of the bed, are two hydrangeas I started from cuttings. I am giving them a little more time to mature before planting them out.
A Closer Look at the Hydrangea Starts
The fourth tree in the terra cotta pot to the back right side, is probably the healthiest plant named Hannah Banana, because the leaves are growing large and they tend to get yellow, whereas the others do not. I am hoping my new soil recipe will cure that. I also repotted an ivy I found along the fence while weeding last fall, and it will grow on the lattice, and I will put some colorful flowers in with it later in the spring. The pot with the blue star flower has a repotted geranium I over wintered, and when it gets over it transplant shock, I am going to start some petunia seeds to go around the sides. The long bed with the square white lattice is prepared for three tomato plants: two slicers, and a cherry tomato. The long blue bed on the right is for the salad greens, the bed by the door next to Jack is for peppers and a few other salad things, and a basil plant.
A few days previous, I also weeded a space to get the peas planted. I made this stick arbor for them last year, and it worked well, so I will try it again this year. I changed its location though, as it was along the fence, and it cut off sun and light to the back side, so I have it out in the front of the bed this time.
I plan to plant a small climbing pink baby rose bush on the arbor. I know a Morning Glory would probably be lovely, but I love roses, and they will bloom most of the season. I am always worried that the morning glory will over stay its welcome.
Always give credit to the opportunists who brighten their corner.
Finally, the gardener’s best friend, the potting shed. Cleaned and organized, but not cutesy, for another exciting gardening season of great expectations.
The Winnie Pooh Club members are watching the quilt being made, and Pooh is testing the mattress..
It was decided that the club house needed more comfortable sleeping arrangements for Pooh and Piglet. Rabbit wasn’t sure about it, and thought he would wait and see how Pooh’s bed turned out first. Roo was comfy in his mother’s pocket, and Eeyore had his rug. Tigger never stayed in a bed, because he was too bouncy. Owl could only be comfortable at home in his own bed. So they solicited for two beds, mattresses, pillows, linens, and a special quilt for each bed. The club members took a field trip to watch some of the work being done. Pooh decided to test the bed while he was there.
The quilt was almost done!
The designer told them that the quilt was made to look like the hundred acre woods, with some blue sky peeping through the pine branches, some buzzing bees, and thoughts of “hunney.” It was made for the largest bed that would be Pooh’s.
The bed was delivered to the club house the next day complete with all the trimmings.
Pooh gave the bed a thorough inspection. Everything seems to be just as it should be. He tried the bed out on both sides of the room. Did you notice Pooh sporting a brand new vest? While he was visiting the designer’s workshop, she noticed his vest was a bit tattered, so he got a beautiful new one. After all, it is only proper for a bear of his notoriety. Pooh decided to get Rabbit and Piglet’s opinion of the first bed.
They thought it was a splendid bed.
They told Pooh they couldn’t be sure, of course, until they laid down on it. Rabbit almost fell asleep, but Piglet was bothered. He wondered if he could try the bed by himself.
It was just as he feared. It w-w-was way too b-b-b-big!
Rabbit had to agree. Yes, indeed, it would never do. They decided to call the designer immediately and request the second bed be made smaller. After Rabbit and Piglet decided to explore in the woods, Pooh thought he should crawl in the bed under the quilt and perhaps even take a nap. What an exciting day it was.
Oh my…mumbled a sleepy bear, this is so cozy. And thoughts of bees buzzing in the pine trees soon had him sleeping soundly. Come back later to see what Piglet’s bed is likel
Vinyard Avenue was looking like Iceland for a few days, with most neighborhoods without power. Thankfully, we had a generator that made the crisis more bearable. Our neighbors came for firewood a couple of times for their fireplace. We used ours, until we got the generator operating. There were many trees with broken limbs. Power lines were down, and many transformers required replacement. When the sun finally came out, the ice coatings on the branches and power lines started falling, sounding like someone was throwing the china around. Our situation in Oregon wasn’t nearly as serious as those in other states, especially Texas, where my sister and brother-in-law are trying to “snowbird” near San Antonio in 8 degree weather. Unheard of, and they want a refund.
The last month or so has been project “Reduce the Stash.” My sister visited Japan a while ago, and brought me some fabric. I asked for the little dolls, and she brought back a lot more. I finally decided to use some of it for project bags. She also found some cute cardinal fabric for the next box my way. The bottom three are mine that already have projects in them. The top two are a thank you for my sister. I found some cute paper beads and tassels for the zipper pulls. If there are any family members that cross stitch and need a project bag, we can talk.
I also sewed a stack of pillow cases. My sister went through her stash and made a contribution. She mailed me a box of fabric, and I went through my stash and mixed and matched what I could add to make as many cases as possible. I returned the same box back full of pillow cases. Pretty sweet deal huh? Nine pairs made and two singles. I only kept the set on the bottom with the blue tulips and polka dots.
While the sewing mood was on me, we decided I should make about ten hot pads to match some hand towels in my sister’s shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RafterRoadTreasures. Stop in and see what’s available.
During the fires in Oregon, the smoke got so heavy in the valley that it was eerie. Some suggested it was like the atmosphere on Mars. For a few days, it was very uncomfortable going outside, and noon time looked like this:
a very strange orange color. Our house must be built pretty tight, because not too much smoke seeped in. All I could do was read the news, and feel sick at heart for all the loss to those who lived in the paths of the fires. When the winds quit blowing and the evacuations slowed down, I decided to get busy on one of my “Fall To Do” items.
Last winter, my sister and I did another round of Farm Girl Quilts. We used Lori Holt’s book Farm Girl II this time around. We each picked the blocks we wanted, and then bought our fabric. We divided our fabrics in two, and mailed them with our block list to each other. As I sewed my blocks, I made two if it was on my sister’s list and visa versa. My sister made up some of her own. Her quilt has been done for awhile, but mine got set aside, ending up on the “works in progress” pile. I am finally getting mine together while I was cooped up in the house from lingering smoke. I got my top finished, and layered to be ready for quilting. I plan to quilt mine by hand over the winter. It is all set to go. This is the bottom half. I will post a finished picture in the spring.
It has been a long hot, dry summer, so I was not always out in the garden as often as I would have been in previous years when the heat spells were broken up with cooler weather. Never the less, things did grow with or without me. Besides what we ate fresh, I was able to can the following: 8 pts. strawberry jam, 2 qts. refrigerator dill pickles, 15 pts. green beans, 6 pts. beet pickles, 7 pts. raspberry jam, and a jar of syrup, 11 pts. garlic dill slicer pickles, 9 pints of dill relish, and 7 pts. of sweet relish, and 13 pints of diced tomatoes.
We also ate fresh cabbage, rhubarb, pulled about 20 garlic bulbs, 48 red, yellow onions, 15 pumpkin pie pumpkins, peppers, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuces, and spinach, strawberries, raspberries, and corn. My garden journal has a long list of “no-nos” for next year, and suggestions for improvement. Still waiting on the two melons who decided to appear finally. I only got two carrots seeds to germinate after several plantings, but those two were the most perfect, beautiful carrots I have ever grown, really.
After painting the front room, it seemed a bit of color from the garden was in order. The only problem is the flowers can’t bloom fast enough sometimes, and sometimes they bloom and are gone before I get around to bringing them in. It came together this time. I sent my mother some yarn for her birthday and a book of patterns. I marked a couple patterns that I liked, and she knitted the little mat and mailed it back to me. It is one of my treasures now. My sister Merrie crocheted the nesting baskets, which I also treasure. A home full of beauty. The rose in the center of the bouquet is called “Double Delight” and has the most wonderful fragrance.
Ever since my sister, Merrie, got her hoop house, I wanted to try one in my garden. I thought with our climate here in the Willamette Valley, it could be a way to stretch out our garden season. The most expensive part was buying the greenhouse quality plastic for the covering. I already had my location picked out, so early spring I got busy, while waiting for the frame work to get underway. I started making beds, and getting seeds started.
Soon it was time to get the frame work set up. I used the long blue bed I had my strawberries in that was covered with leaves above, and placed it along the shed wall. I moved the strawberries to their new location in the south west corner of the yard.
Little by little we got our hoop house ready to be moved into. The plants seem to thrive in the more controlled environment. I really needed one more bed across the back wall, but decided to experiment with some potatoes in a basket, and another bunch in a large garbage bag with a tomato frame to hold up the sides. They seem to like it. I have petunias planted in the hanging pots. In time it will get filled up.
