Lots has been happening lately in my little gardening world. I attended the Van Dusen Plant Sale last weekend, and picked up some treasures. I have been busy trying to plant them, and still have a couple last ones to put into the garden. I'll post some photos when I'm done. While at Van Dusen with my kids and mom and friends Violet and Irene, Irene offered me some plants from her garden. So Wednesday night I had the pleasure of visiting her garden, and receiving these wonderful plants. So I need to plant those in also, especially since the weather continues to be very hot & dry. Then today I bought some more at a veggie store I discovered today (surprisingly, they also had a pretty good selection of bedding plants, veggie plants, and even some perennials and small shrubs). So I'm hoping for another significant gardening weekend, to get caught up. Since my husband is returning late Friday from a business trip, I'm hoping he's too tired on Saturday to plan any big outing, giving me my opportunity.
Recently I've also amused myself, by introducing some "non-aquatic" but moisture-loving plants into my two aquariums. So far, the experiment has been successful. If you're curious, see my blogs postings :
Non-Aquatic Plant Experiment
and
Continued Non-Aquatic Plant Experiment
I've been pleased to find a use for the Carex Pendula which has been an absolute disaster in my garden (reseeding itself by the thousands if not millions!).
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
What is a Weed? Tough Love Day in the Garden
One of the questions which newbie gardeners frequently ask is "Is this a weed?" It was very enlightening to me when I realized that weeds are simply the plants which I don't want growing in my garden. That's all. So rather than fretting over what is a weed, just observe the plant, and decide if you want it there or not.
If it is ALL OVER your garden, there is good chance you should be wary. But if just a few spring up, you can leave one to observe, but be careful not to let it flower and then set seed before you decide to remove it. I've made that mistake many times, and then pulled it by the hundreds the next year.
One of my first loves in the plant world is the hardy geranium "Victor Reiter". I love the deep burgundy deeply lobed/fringed leaves, and then the cheery purple flowers which appear to float above the foliage. (See photo below, lifted from a plant site - I'm too tired/lazy to look for one in my photo archives.) So I was happy to let my first plant reseed itself liberally in the garden. But it was interesting that of the offspring, some (maybe 20% or 25%) had the beautiful burgundy foliage, but the remainder had identical leaves, but just green. The flowers were the same. The green variant (which I guess it truer to the basic species) even seemed more vigorous and slightly larger. But not nearly as attractive.
For years, I have tolerated the green variant in my garden, allowing it to grow as a filler in some areas (since I have a very large garden, but have been filling it over time with a very nice collection of perennials). But this year I have finally had enough, and it's on my "weed" list. So I will be slowly removing all traces of this green geranium from my garden. Today I started with the lower hillside (next to the fairy garden). I filled a clear bag from this area, much of it the green geranium. I think of it as "tough love" for my garden. Clearing out the clutter, and making room for more varieties of plants.
Both the weather and my family cooperated today, so I was able to spend a total of 6.5 hours of hard work in the garden, mostly clearing old growth. My mom is planting a new garden area, so I was happy to dig up lots of seedlings which I have been hoping to get rid of. I have a hard time disposing of seedlings, so I tend to accumulate lots of them, waiting until I can find a home for them. I would love to donate to a plant sale, such as the local BRAGS one, but 1) don't have time to pot them up 2) don't want to lose too much soil. Since my mom agreed to take the seedlings and replant them the same day, I could dig them up with little or no soil.
I yanked a fairly good patch of my white Lychnis coronaria (rose campion). It reseeds itself very aggressively, even into my lawn. So I have decided to remove the ones crowding around my tree peony and choking out my strawberries, and just leave one strip of them, along the edge of the lawn.
I also showed some "tough love" on my purple osteospermum, which was hit hard by this cold winter. Usually, it comes through looking a bit straggly, but this year it looked dead on the top. So I am cutting the osteospermum way back, to where it is showing new growth:
Last year, I had noticed a single shoot of a daylily (possibly Stella D'Oro) growing up on the edge of one of my clumps of Astrantia major (masterwort). At the time, I made a mental note to separate them, but didn't get to it. So this year, I saw about 5 shoots, and decided it was time to do it once and for all. So I first took a shovel to the clump, and divided out the part with the daylily in it:
So far so good. But then the 1 hour job of separating out the two plants started. I was surprised how deeply connected they were. The Astrantia has very fine roots, which had intermingled with the daylily, and it was a fight to untangle & remove them. First I tried banging the clump to release the extra soil. Some soil was released, but the clump was pretty solid. So next I got a large bucket of water, and tried plunging the clump repeatedly to release the soil. But I still had a fairly tight clump:
Then I tried to cut out the bits of Astrantiam using my garden clippers. I should have used a knife, but was too lazy to go back into the house for one. I was still not able to work the daylily plants loose, but I was able to remove most of the Astrantia. One they were washed, I could see that the daylily roots were beige, whereas the Astrantia were a dark reddish colour. So I kept pulling out the dark roots until they were pretty much gone. Finally, I had my clump of daylilies:
...and found a nice spot for them in the garden.
I cleared a number of areas today, and planted in some of my purchases from last weekend. So by the end of the day, my hands were aching, and then after I came inside, I found out how much my feet were hurting too. But I guess I consider it a good day in the garden if I can work until I'm hurting.
If it is ALL OVER your garden, there is good chance you should be wary. But if just a few spring up, you can leave one to observe, but be careful not to let it flower and then set seed before you decide to remove it. I've made that mistake many times, and then pulled it by the hundreds the next year.
One of my first loves in the plant world is the hardy geranium "Victor Reiter". I love the deep burgundy deeply lobed/fringed leaves, and then the cheery purple flowers which appear to float above the foliage. (See photo below, lifted from a plant site - I'm too tired/lazy to look for one in my photo archives.) So I was happy to let my first plant reseed itself liberally in the garden. But it was interesting that of the offspring, some (maybe 20% or 25%) had the beautiful burgundy foliage, but the remainder had identical leaves, but just green. The flowers were the same. The green variant (which I guess it truer to the basic species) even seemed more vigorous and slightly larger. But not nearly as attractive.
For years, I have tolerated the green variant in my garden, allowing it to grow as a filler in some areas (since I have a very large garden, but have been filling it over time with a very nice collection of perennials). But this year I have finally had enough, and it's on my "weed" list. So I will be slowly removing all traces of this green geranium from my garden. Today I started with the lower hillside (next to the fairy garden). I filled a clear bag from this area, much of it the green geranium. I think of it as "tough love" for my garden. Clearing out the clutter, and making room for more varieties of plants.
Both the weather and my family cooperated today, so I was able to spend a total of 6.5 hours of hard work in the garden, mostly clearing old growth. My mom is planting a new garden area, so I was happy to dig up lots of seedlings which I have been hoping to get rid of. I have a hard time disposing of seedlings, so I tend to accumulate lots of them, waiting until I can find a home for them. I would love to donate to a plant sale, such as the local BRAGS one, but 1) don't have time to pot them up 2) don't want to lose too much soil. Since my mom agreed to take the seedlings and replant them the same day, I could dig them up with little or no soil.
I yanked a fairly good patch of my white Lychnis coronaria (rose campion). It reseeds itself very aggressively, even into my lawn. So I have decided to remove the ones crowding around my tree peony and choking out my strawberries, and just leave one strip of them, along the edge of the lawn.
I also showed some "tough love" on my purple osteospermum, which was hit hard by this cold winter. Usually, it comes through looking a bit straggly, but this year it looked dead on the top. So I am cutting the osteospermum way back, to where it is showing new growth:
Last year, I had noticed a single shoot of a daylily (possibly Stella D'Oro) growing up on the edge of one of my clumps of Astrantia major (masterwort). At the time, I made a mental note to separate them, but didn't get to it. So this year, I saw about 5 shoots, and decided it was time to do it once and for all. So I first took a shovel to the clump, and divided out the part with the daylily in it:
So far so good. But then the 1 hour job of separating out the two plants started. I was surprised how deeply connected they were. The Astrantia has very fine roots, which had intermingled with the daylily, and it was a fight to untangle & remove them. First I tried banging the clump to release the extra soil. Some soil was released, but the clump was pretty solid. So next I got a large bucket of water, and tried plunging the clump repeatedly to release the soil. But I still had a fairly tight clump:
Then I tried to cut out the bits of Astrantiam using my garden clippers. I should have used a knife, but was too lazy to go back into the house for one. I was still not able to work the daylily plants loose, but I was able to remove most of the Astrantia. One they were washed, I could see that the daylily roots were beige, whereas the Astrantia were a dark reddish colour. So I kept pulling out the dark roots until they were pretty much gone. Finally, I had my clump of daylilies:
...and found a nice spot for them in the garden.
I cleared a number of areas today, and planted in some of my purchases from last weekend. So by the end of the day, my hands were aching, and then after I came inside, I found out how much my feet were hurting too. But I guess I consider it a good day in the garden if I can work until I'm hurting.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Weeding and Clearing by the Wheelbarrow Full
I have come to realize that I am most happy in my garden, not when I am strolling through, or planting, or cutting flowers, or even stopping to smell the roses. I am the most happy when I am on my kneepads, struggling to clear stalks or clumps of old growth to make way for the new growth, or pulling weeds by the wheelbarrow full.
Fortunately, in my garden, there is no shortage of this kind of work. Here is a typical "before" garden view this Spring (click the photo for a slightly larger view). Note the hydrangea which needs cutting back, the old stalks to clear off the ground (and remove the weeds hiding beneath them).
That is the stuff I thrive on. Tonight I cleared a pretty large patch of my garden, along the top retaining wall on the west side of our lower yard. Old stalks of fall asters to break off, a cascading rose bush to cut back, old iris leaves to pull out, the climbing hydrangea to cut back. A good wheelbarrow full. It looked so clean and green afterwards (but was getting too dark by the time I finished gardening, to take an "after" photo).
Then I cleared out the garden where I grow my dahlias. They don't seem to be coming up this year. I suppose I have lost them. This winter was unusually harsh, and I have lost a number of plants, especially those with a mediterranean or sun-loving heritage, such as lavenders, a rosemary bush, some hebes. Some of these lavenders were pretty sizable, and it was a struggle to pull them out. Another wheel barrow full.
The hillside yielded a full clear bag of old stalks from phlox and daylily and such. Everything I pull or cut is going into my dumping area just outside the garden fence, which is technically still my property, but on the edge of where it falls off into the abyss (we're bordering a fairly steep ravine on the back east side).
It feels good to clear some garden areas, even if by pulling out dead plants. I have yet to plant in the new perennials I picked up at the BRAGS plant sale last Sunday. I was passing by on the way home from church, so as usual, arrived in time for the few remaining plants to be discounted to half price, so filled a small flat with plants. Nothing to rave about, yet. But some plants that I don't have yet.
This Sunday will be the Van Dusen plant sale from 10am to 4pm. As always, I will be heading after church, so will be arriving half way through. But there will still be lots of plants to tempt me, and encouraged by the newly cleared areas, I plan to yield to temptation. Last year, the kids picked up their carnivorous plants which survived very well outside and then overwintered on my kitchen windowsill. The Himalayan Lily which I planted is sprouting this Spring. And a beautiful chocolate coloured geranium I picked up, is looking wonderful this Spring:
I have a few plants in mind already, so we'll see. Let's hope for more of this wonderful weather on Sunday.
Fortunately, in my garden, there is no shortage of this kind of work. Here is a typical "before" garden view this Spring (click the photo for a slightly larger view). Note the hydrangea which needs cutting back, the old stalks to clear off the ground (and remove the weeds hiding beneath them).
That is the stuff I thrive on. Tonight I cleared a pretty large patch of my garden, along the top retaining wall on the west side of our lower yard. Old stalks of fall asters to break off, a cascading rose bush to cut back, old iris leaves to pull out, the climbing hydrangea to cut back. A good wheelbarrow full. It looked so clean and green afterwards (but was getting too dark by the time I finished gardening, to take an "after" photo).
Then I cleared out the garden where I grow my dahlias. They don't seem to be coming up this year. I suppose I have lost them. This winter was unusually harsh, and I have lost a number of plants, especially those with a mediterranean or sun-loving heritage, such as lavenders, a rosemary bush, some hebes. Some of these lavenders were pretty sizable, and it was a struggle to pull them out. Another wheel barrow full.
The hillside yielded a full clear bag of old stalks from phlox and daylily and such. Everything I pull or cut is going into my dumping area just outside the garden fence, which is technically still my property, but on the edge of where it falls off into the abyss (we're bordering a fairly steep ravine on the back east side).
It feels good to clear some garden areas, even if by pulling out dead plants. I have yet to plant in the new perennials I picked up at the BRAGS plant sale last Sunday. I was passing by on the way home from church, so as usual, arrived in time for the few remaining plants to be discounted to half price, so filled a small flat with plants. Nothing to rave about, yet. But some plants that I don't have yet.
This Sunday will be the Van Dusen plant sale from 10am to 4pm. As always, I will be heading after church, so will be arriving half way through. But there will still be lots of plants to tempt me, and encouraged by the newly cleared areas, I plan to yield to temptation. Last year, the kids picked up their carnivorous plants which survived very well outside and then overwintered on my kitchen windowsill. The Himalayan Lily which I planted is sprouting this Spring. And a beautiful chocolate coloured geranium I picked up, is looking wonderful this Spring:
I have a few plants in mind already, so we'll see. Let's hope for more of this wonderful weather on Sunday.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Crocosmia Cleanup
Today was a perfect gardening day, mostly sunny, calm, and with 90% probability of precipitation tomorrow. Ideal weather for transplanting and dividing perennials. So while my husband and kids went to visit their grandma, I got their approval to stay home and spend the day gardening.
Here is a diary of my gardening day:
11:00 AM - Into the Garden
I finally got the family out the door, and slipped into my gardening clogs and gardening clothes (ones which will end up in the laundry for sure!), and started out. First I did some light weeding in the herb garden, took a few "before" photos, and got myself in the mood for the big project.
11:30 AM - Tackled the Crocosmia Patch
The crocosmia patch, which started as a few small plants maybe 4 years ago, has become a large patch, a couple of feet across, blooming handsomely in front of my buddleia each year (see 2008 photo - 3rd photo in the posting).
In the last couple of years, though, a nasty creeping grass poked its way up through the centre of the patch, and my attempts to pull it out between the blades/leaves have failed. I had this project on my mental list already last year, but never got to it. So this Spring, my patch looked like a hairy mess (as always, click any photo for a slighly larger view):
So I decided to dig up the whole thing, separate out the crocosmia corms, and then replant them. Little did I know how big of a project this would be. When I started digging, I found that the patch went down about 6" to 8" deep, and was a big mess of tangled, connected corms, shooting out sideways (which is why the patch spreads so nicely) but also vertically, forming little chains. Reading in Wikipedia now (see Crocosmia article), it indicates that the corms are able to dig themselves deeper in the ground (wow! weird!), so that the youngest corms are on top, the oldest further down. What an amazing survival strategy! And good reason to think about where you want to plant crocosmia, since it may be a bit difficult to remove later!
1:00PM - Break for Lunch
After 1.5 hr of heavy shoveling, cutting, tugging and pulling, I was more than half way through the patch, but quite exhausted. So I took a break for lunch, and then collapsed on the sofa for an hour.
2:30PM - Back to the Crocosmia Project
After my break, I want back to the task with renewed vigour. Even after cleaning the soil off the crocosmia corms, and pulling off much of the roots too (the fine grass roots looked very much like the crocosmia roots, so I wanted to be as sure as I could that I've removed those grasses), I ended up with an amazing pile of crocosmia. Probably 25 to 30 pounds worth! If they were edible, I'd be pretty happy!
I decided that instead of just replanting a patch, I would plant a ring around the base of the buddleia, and then about 12" along the edge of the grass. In between, I planted some daylilies which I salvaged earlier this week. I took the opportunity to also remove some of the grass, and expand the garden bed by a few inches also. I also removed a lavender which was dead. (This cold winter killed off a few lavender, one rosemary, and possibly a few other plants and small shrubs).
I ran into lots of roots of the buddleia, which I tried to work around, or push back into the soil. So I hope he will forgive me, and do well this year. The hummingbirds sure do enjoy his flowers. I think the garden looks pretty good now, and I think it should fill in quite nicely:
5:30PM - Cleanup and Wind Down
After the 3 hours of tough gardening work (5 hours total today!) I was beyond exhausted. But I managed to put away the wheelbarrow and buckets, and tuck the extra crocosmia away in a shady spot near the house (I must have some 10 or 15 pounds to give away!), and make my way back to the house. On the way, I overseeded the lawn in spots where it was too bare (it was recently dethatched, removing a significant amount of moss).
6PM - Dinner and Blogging
I managed to microwave a 5 minute Red Curry Chicken frozen dinner, but it was quite unimpressive. The taste was fairly good, but the chicken was rubbery. My body is aching all over, especially my feet. My plantar fasciitis was diagnosed just recently, but I guess I've been suffering for about 6 months now. I finally sought medical help, and am in physio sessions twice a week, to try to resolve this situation. It seems to be helping, but it may be some time to be entirely pain free, if that is even a possibility.
I am very thankful for my chance today, to spend the time in the garden. There are few other activities which I would enjoy more.
Here is a diary of my gardening day:
11:00 AM - Into the Garden
I finally got the family out the door, and slipped into my gardening clogs and gardening clothes (ones which will end up in the laundry for sure!), and started out. First I did some light weeding in the herb garden, took a few "before" photos, and got myself in the mood for the big project.
11:30 AM - Tackled the Crocosmia Patch
The crocosmia patch, which started as a few small plants maybe 4 years ago, has become a large patch, a couple of feet across, blooming handsomely in front of my buddleia each year (see 2008 photo - 3rd photo in the posting).
In the last couple of years, though, a nasty creeping grass poked its way up through the centre of the patch, and my attempts to pull it out between the blades/leaves have failed. I had this project on my mental list already last year, but never got to it. So this Spring, my patch looked like a hairy mess (as always, click any photo for a slighly larger view):
So I decided to dig up the whole thing, separate out the crocosmia corms, and then replant them. Little did I know how big of a project this would be. When I started digging, I found that the patch went down about 6" to 8" deep, and was a big mess of tangled, connected corms, shooting out sideways (which is why the patch spreads so nicely) but also vertically, forming little chains. Reading in Wikipedia now (see Crocosmia article), it indicates that the corms are able to dig themselves deeper in the ground (wow! weird!), so that the youngest corms are on top, the oldest further down. What an amazing survival strategy! And good reason to think about where you want to plant crocosmia, since it may be a bit difficult to remove later!
1:00PM - Break for Lunch
After 1.5 hr of heavy shoveling, cutting, tugging and pulling, I was more than half way through the patch, but quite exhausted. So I took a break for lunch, and then collapsed on the sofa for an hour.
2:30PM - Back to the Crocosmia Project
After my break, I want back to the task with renewed vigour. Even after cleaning the soil off the crocosmia corms, and pulling off much of the roots too (the fine grass roots looked very much like the crocosmia roots, so I wanted to be as sure as I could that I've removed those grasses), I ended up with an amazing pile of crocosmia. Probably 25 to 30 pounds worth! If they were edible, I'd be pretty happy!
I decided that instead of just replanting a patch, I would plant a ring around the base of the buddleia, and then about 12" along the edge of the grass. In between, I planted some daylilies which I salvaged earlier this week. I took the opportunity to also remove some of the grass, and expand the garden bed by a few inches also. I also removed a lavender which was dead. (This cold winter killed off a few lavender, one rosemary, and possibly a few other plants and small shrubs).
I ran into lots of roots of the buddleia, which I tried to work around, or push back into the soil. So I hope he will forgive me, and do well this year. The hummingbirds sure do enjoy his flowers. I think the garden looks pretty good now, and I think it should fill in quite nicely:
5:30PM - Cleanup and Wind Down
After the 3 hours of tough gardening work (5 hours total today!) I was beyond exhausted. But I managed to put away the wheelbarrow and buckets, and tuck the extra crocosmia away in a shady spot near the house (I must have some 10 or 15 pounds to give away!), and make my way back to the house. On the way, I overseeded the lawn in spots where it was too bare (it was recently dethatched, removing a significant amount of moss).
6PM - Dinner and Blogging
I managed to microwave a 5 minute Red Curry Chicken frozen dinner, but it was quite unimpressive. The taste was fairly good, but the chicken was rubbery. My body is aching all over, especially my feet. My plantar fasciitis was diagnosed just recently, but I guess I've been suffering for about 6 months now. I finally sought medical help, and am in physio sessions twice a week, to try to resolve this situation. It seems to be helping, but it may be some time to be entirely pain free, if that is even a possibility.
I am very thankful for my chance today, to spend the time in the garden. There are few other activities which I would enjoy more.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Signs of Spring
I managed to get outside for 1 hour after dinner last night, to do more cleanup in the garden, before it got too dark.
There are plenty of signs that Spring may finally be here, with fresh shoots bursting forth from the soil. There were a few flowers visible also, so I snapped a few shots while I could.
These grape hyacinths form a colourful edge to my poor neglected herb garden:
This primula is blooming nicely, not yet discovered by the slugs (which may still be in hibernation or at least in hiding):
I am too tired / lazy to look up the name of this flower at the moment, but I discovered this little surprise in my garden, the seed or bulb likely transported in the soil of another plant acquisition:
Many of the fruit trees, notably the cherries, are full of buds. But after last year's scare (when it stayed dormant for a long time after it was planted) I was very pleased to discover this single bud on our Frost Peach tree:
This morning we woke up to frost, and the nearby roofs were completely white. So it continues to be a very cool Spring. I hope to sneak into the garden more often, to enjoy what good weather we have.
There are plenty of signs that Spring may finally be here, with fresh shoots bursting forth from the soil. There were a few flowers visible also, so I snapped a few shots while I could.
These grape hyacinths form a colourful edge to my poor neglected herb garden:
This primula is blooming nicely, not yet discovered by the slugs (which may still be in hibernation or at least in hiding):
I am too tired / lazy to look up the name of this flower at the moment, but I discovered this little surprise in my garden, the seed or bulb likely transported in the soil of another plant acquisition:
Many of the fruit trees, notably the cherries, are full of buds. But after last year's scare (when it stayed dormant for a long time after it was planted) I was very pleased to discover this single bud on our Frost Peach tree:
This morning we woke up to frost, and the nearby roofs were completely white. So it continues to be a very cool Spring. I hope to sneak into the garden more often, to enjoy what good weather we have.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
He is Not Here; He Has Risen
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' "
Luke 24:1-7 (New International Version)
Luke 24:1-7 (New International Version)
Thursday, April 09, 2009
By His Stripes We Are Healed
He was wounded and crushed
because of our sins;
by taking our punishment,
he made us completely well.
Isaiah 53:5 (Contemporary English Version)
A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done . . . complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.
John 19:30 (The Message)
because of our sins;
by taking our punishment,
he made us completely well.
Isaiah 53:5 (Contemporary English Version)
A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done . . . complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.
John 19:30 (The Message)
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Early Spring at Shadbolt Centre
Today our family took advantage of the good weather, and strolled the picturesque grounds around the Shadbolt Centre in Burnaby BC. The trails lead down and around Deer Lake. Here is a view across Deer Lake, to some of the residential towers near Metrotown (click any image for a slightly larger view):
Everywhere there are signs of early spring, such as these bright yellow shoots of skunk cabbage:
The daffodils are now blooming:
As were some bedding plants, such as these pansies:
But what caught my attention today were the weird and spooky looking trees, such as this one, which looks like a bumpy monster screaming, and having a bad hair day:
This one was pretty interesting too:
But my favourite was this one, which looks like a very very contorted willow:
Here are a couple more images of this same tree:
Our kids' favourite spot is the climbing structure, seen here in the background:
It makes for some pretty nice shots of the kids, I think, with the beautiful blue sky behind, and their natural (at least more natural than usual) smiles. Here are my little monkeys:
Everywhere there are signs of early spring, such as these bright yellow shoots of skunk cabbage:
The daffodils are now blooming:
As were some bedding plants, such as these pansies:
But what caught my attention today were the weird and spooky looking trees, such as this one, which looks like a bumpy monster screaming, and having a bad hair day:
This one was pretty interesting too:
But my favourite was this one, which looks like a very very contorted willow:
Here are a couple more images of this same tree:
Our kids' favourite spot is the climbing structure, seen here in the background:
It makes for some pretty nice shots of the kids, I think, with the beautiful blue sky behind, and their natural (at least more natural than usual) smiles. Here are my little monkeys:
Monday, March 30, 2009
Spring is Finally Starting to Spring
I think Spring has finally Sprung. Or at least that's what my allergies are telling me. ;-) Actually, this year, due to the unusually cold winter, my allergies have only started about a week ago. Most years I am already suffering in February, and it goes until April. So hopefully it will be a shorter allergy season for me.
Today I went looking for some signs of Spring. Like this lone crocus (the only one not eaten by the squirrels I guess) poking through the decaying Gunnera leaf (as always, click the photo for a slightly larger image):
This past winter hit so cold and so suddenly, that I didn't fold the Gunnera leaves back over the crown to protect it. So hopefully the snow insulated and protected it. We'll find out.
I love this mini daffodils, they are a cheery sign of Spring (the tiny red sprouts nearby are from the Geranium "Victor Reiter" (cranesbill):
This time of year, my metal frogs are visible behind the bare twisted vines of the climbing hydrangea. Wow, those little guys have held up to a number of years of weather now, and look as delightful as when I bought them many years ago, in a little shop in Gastown, Vancouver, BC. If I ever see them again (they had lizards to choose from also), I will buy some more.
The fairy house held up surprisingly well to the winter, it appear to be undamaged from the load of the snow and pelting of the rain this winter. So I must have done something right when I built it (click "fairies" on the left for postings on the construction of the fairy house, and clearing and planting of the fairy garden).
Although not particularly attractive to me, the flowers of the Petasites Frigidus has emerged. It will be followed by very attractive leaves. For more photos of this handsome plant, click "petasites frigidus" at the left, or click here (note also those same frogs in the climbing hydrangea).
Some of the fruit trees are visibly budding. Particularly the cherry trees, such as this Lapin (dark) cherry:
...and the Rainier (golden) cherry:
This is the time of year for major garden cleanup, and fortunately the past couple of weekends have cooperated with good weather. I have pulled and cut many bags and wheelbarrows full of last year's stalks and rotting leaves, to make way for the new plant growth. I keep thinking I'll take some "before and after" photos, but forget to take the "before" ones, or move too randomly from place to place, and can't decide what I'm going to tackle first. So here's one of my "after" photos, after I cleared a lot of tall grass and weeds around the base of some of my missouri currant (Ribes odoratum) bushes (the clumps of dead-looking grass to the left will soon be an attractive green and white striped ribbon grass).
This part of my "hummingbird garden", with the Buddleia davidii (butterfly bush), Crocosmia, and red Monarda (growing all around the white stick), is substantially clearer, but still needs more cleanup. I have a nasty grass which has grown and tangled itself between the crocosmia shoots (that hairy mess in front of the buddleia), so one day I need to dig up the entire clump, sort it all out, and replant the crocosmia. I have a feeling it may not be this year. We'll see.
All the best for Spring to everyone! Go out and enjoy the garden whenever you can.
Today I went looking for some signs of Spring. Like this lone crocus (the only one not eaten by the squirrels I guess) poking through the decaying Gunnera leaf (as always, click the photo for a slightly larger image):
This past winter hit so cold and so suddenly, that I didn't fold the Gunnera leaves back over the crown to protect it. So hopefully the snow insulated and protected it. We'll find out.
I love this mini daffodils, they are a cheery sign of Spring (the tiny red sprouts nearby are from the Geranium "Victor Reiter" (cranesbill):
This time of year, my metal frogs are visible behind the bare twisted vines of the climbing hydrangea. Wow, those little guys have held up to a number of years of weather now, and look as delightful as when I bought them many years ago, in a little shop in Gastown, Vancouver, BC. If I ever see them again (they had lizards to choose from also), I will buy some more.
The fairy house held up surprisingly well to the winter, it appear to be undamaged from the load of the snow and pelting of the rain this winter. So I must have done something right when I built it (click "fairies" on the left for postings on the construction of the fairy house, and clearing and planting of the fairy garden).
Although not particularly attractive to me, the flowers of the Petasites Frigidus has emerged. It will be followed by very attractive leaves. For more photos of this handsome plant, click "petasites frigidus" at the left, or click here (note also those same frogs in the climbing hydrangea).
Some of the fruit trees are visibly budding. Particularly the cherry trees, such as this Lapin (dark) cherry:
...and the Rainier (golden) cherry:
This is the time of year for major garden cleanup, and fortunately the past couple of weekends have cooperated with good weather. I have pulled and cut many bags and wheelbarrows full of last year's stalks and rotting leaves, to make way for the new plant growth. I keep thinking I'll take some "before and after" photos, but forget to take the "before" ones, or move too randomly from place to place, and can't decide what I'm going to tackle first. So here's one of my "after" photos, after I cleared a lot of tall grass and weeds around the base of some of my missouri currant (Ribes odoratum) bushes (the clumps of dead-looking grass to the left will soon be an attractive green and white striped ribbon grass).
This part of my "hummingbird garden", with the Buddleia davidii (butterfly bush), Crocosmia, and red Monarda (growing all around the white stick), is substantially clearer, but still needs more cleanup. I have a nasty grass which has grown and tangled itself between the crocosmia shoots (that hairy mess in front of the buddleia), so one day I need to dig up the entire clump, sort it all out, and replant the crocosmia. I have a feeling it may not be this year. We'll see.
All the best for Spring to everyone! Go out and enjoy the garden whenever you can.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Little Carnivores For My Little Sprouts
Since I'm not yet snapping many photos of my garden, which is just barely emerging after all the snow we've had this winter, I wanted to say a couple words of appreciation about the little plants which have kept me company on my windowsill all winter.
Last Spring, I was excited to attend my first plant sale at Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver, BC. In fact, it was the first time I have actually been inside the gardens (not counting being in the restaurant at its edge). I had talked my mom and her friend Violet and my two kids into going. Although the weather was a bit drizzly that day, we carried our umbrellas, and enjoying the experience anyhow.
I picked up a few plants which were meaningful to me at the time. The most exciting was a Cardiocrinum Giganteum (Giant Himalayan Lily). I hear that it can take 5 to 10 years to flower, from seed. So hopefully the one I bought is already a few years into that. It didn't look too good by the end of the summer, so I'll be waiting anxiously for signs of life this year.
My kids are wonderful, the tolerated my shopping, and wanted to do some of their own. The ended up each picking a carnivorous plant : a sundew, and a venus flytrap. At the time, I tried to talk them out of their choices, they seemed too expensive (about $10 each), and I didn't think they would survive very long.
Well, I stand corrected. They have lasted very well, and the venus flytrap even bloomed a couple weeks ago. Here is the cheery white flower (click for a slightly bigger image):
The flower is not impressive in itself, but I'm impressed by how easy the plants have been to care for, and I'm not in ANY way an indoor plant person. (Seems contradictory at first, but for me the garden is my way to get out of the house and away from my household duties. An indoor plant, to me, is yet another thing to take care of, and I already have more than I can handle, thank you very much.) These little carnivores enjoy boggy conditions, so I try to keep the outer plastic cup part filled (which is a lot easier than noticing when the soil dries out, which I am NOT so good at noticing).
In the summer, we set them outside (in their pots) in the garden, and were amused by the many flies and pillbugs they trapped. For the winter, they have sat on my sunny kitchen windowsill, keeping me company. Poor things haven't caught anything in the house. We have screens on all our windows and doors, so rarely have any bugs inside.
I look forward to being able to set them back outside this summer (which seems a long way off, at this point), but also sure I'll also miss seeing them on the windowsill. If the kids want to each pick another plant for "themselves" this Spring, I'll be fine with that.
Last Spring, I was excited to attend my first plant sale at Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver, BC. In fact, it was the first time I have actually been inside the gardens (not counting being in the restaurant at its edge). I had talked my mom and her friend Violet and my two kids into going. Although the weather was a bit drizzly that day, we carried our umbrellas, and enjoying the experience anyhow.
I picked up a few plants which were meaningful to me at the time. The most exciting was a Cardiocrinum Giganteum (Giant Himalayan Lily). I hear that it can take 5 to 10 years to flower, from seed. So hopefully the one I bought is already a few years into that. It didn't look too good by the end of the summer, so I'll be waiting anxiously for signs of life this year.
My kids are wonderful, the tolerated my shopping, and wanted to do some of their own. The ended up each picking a carnivorous plant : a sundew, and a venus flytrap. At the time, I tried to talk them out of their choices, they seemed too expensive (about $10 each), and I didn't think they would survive very long.
Well, I stand corrected. They have lasted very well, and the venus flytrap even bloomed a couple weeks ago. Here is the cheery white flower (click for a slightly bigger image):
The flower is not impressive in itself, but I'm impressed by how easy the plants have been to care for, and I'm not in ANY way an indoor plant person. (Seems contradictory at first, but for me the garden is my way to get out of the house and away from my household duties. An indoor plant, to me, is yet another thing to take care of, and I already have more than I can handle, thank you very much.) These little carnivores enjoy boggy conditions, so I try to keep the outer plastic cup part filled (which is a lot easier than noticing when the soil dries out, which I am NOT so good at noticing).
In the summer, we set them outside (in their pots) in the garden, and were amused by the many flies and pillbugs they trapped. For the winter, they have sat on my sunny kitchen windowsill, keeping me company. Poor things haven't caught anything in the house. We have screens on all our windows and doors, so rarely have any bugs inside.
I look forward to being able to set them back outside this summer (which seems a long way off, at this point), but also sure I'll also miss seeing them on the windowsill. If the kids want to each pick another plant for "themselves" this Spring, I'll be fine with that.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Stopping to Smell the Roses (or Look for Signs of Spring)
Do you remember the story of that fisherman who was already enjoying the "Good Life"? Well, most of the time I am too buried in my work and running the household, that I forget. But last week (between episodes of more snow!) I needed to drop off some registration forms for my kids (they're at a visual & performing arts day camp this week, since there is a Spring Break at school) at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
Normally, I would plan about 5 errands to run at the same time, and barely make it back in time for the kids to arrive from school. Often I don't even make it out the door, and then end up dragging the kids with me after they come home from school. But this time, I decided to try out a small sample of that fisherman's Good Life, and not only go drop those forms, but also plan to take a walk about the beautiful grounds of the Shadbolt Centre, which sits on the hillside above Deer Lake. I decided to phone up Andrea, my friend who also buries herself in her work, and convince her to join me.
So we dropped off the forms, and then took a walk about the park. It was wonderful. Blue skies, interesting conversation, and signs of Spring (okay, this year we had to look for them, but sure enough they were there!). I carried along my camera, but hadn't taken any photos (too deep in conversation, and nothing had caught my eye) so when we came near the end of our walk, and passed the climbing dome in the playground area, I suggested to Andrea that she climb up and I'd take her picture.
To my surprise (wow, she's a really good sport!) she didn't take too much convincing, and climbed up to the top of it. I love this photo of Andrea, she looks so naturally radiant. I love that clear blue sky in the background, too.
I am trying to remember to make the most of the moments I do have, to enjoy the outdoors, or spend some fun time with the kids. We played the Michaels Arts & Crafts store $5 game again tonight (although didn't really allow enough time, the store was closing before we were really finished). We play that "game" almost every time we go to Michaels. Each of the kids have $5 to spend on anything in the store. It just needs to add up to $5. Good thing there are lots of small items and activities which are $1 or $1.50. So they practice addition, learn the value of money, and have fun doing so, while I have some time to do some shopping and dreaming of my own.
Last time I went to Michaels, I saw a wonderful little Tikki Bar bird feeder which I had to have. I painted it on the weekend after I painted plaster fairies with the kids. I'll have to post some photos soon. Too tired tonight, it's after midnight already. Sigh!
Normally, I would plan about 5 errands to run at the same time, and barely make it back in time for the kids to arrive from school. Often I don't even make it out the door, and then end up dragging the kids with me after they come home from school. But this time, I decided to try out a small sample of that fisherman's Good Life, and not only go drop those forms, but also plan to take a walk about the beautiful grounds of the Shadbolt Centre, which sits on the hillside above Deer Lake. I decided to phone up Andrea, my friend who also buries herself in her work, and convince her to join me.
So we dropped off the forms, and then took a walk about the park. It was wonderful. Blue skies, interesting conversation, and signs of Spring (okay, this year we had to look for them, but sure enough they were there!). I carried along my camera, but hadn't taken any photos (too deep in conversation, and nothing had caught my eye) so when we came near the end of our walk, and passed the climbing dome in the playground area, I suggested to Andrea that she climb up and I'd take her picture.
To my surprise (wow, she's a really good sport!) she didn't take too much convincing, and climbed up to the top of it. I love this photo of Andrea, she looks so naturally radiant. I love that clear blue sky in the background, too.
I am trying to remember to make the most of the moments I do have, to enjoy the outdoors, or spend some fun time with the kids. We played the Michaels Arts & Crafts store $5 game again tonight (although didn't really allow enough time, the store was closing before we were really finished). We play that "game" almost every time we go to Michaels. Each of the kids have $5 to spend on anything in the store. It just needs to add up to $5. Good thing there are lots of small items and activities which are $1 or $1.50. So they practice addition, learn the value of money, and have fun doing so, while I have some time to do some shopping and dreaming of my own.
Last time I went to Michaels, I saw a wonderful little Tikki Bar bird feeder which I had to have. I painted it on the weekend after I painted plaster fairies with the kids. I'll have to post some photos soon. Too tired tonight, it's after midnight already. Sigh!
Monday, March 09, 2009
Spring Cleanup - and More Snow!
Sunday afternoon was wonderful, calm and mostly blue skies. So I went outside to do some Spring garden cleanup.
First, I did one hour of cleanup in the front yard, so the kids could bicycle and skooter (hmmm, what is the verb? to skoot?) around the driveway. My usual cleanup rate is one large clear bag per hour, and sure enough, I filled my bag in one hour. At that point, the kids had retreated into the house again, so I happily went into the back yard, where the real gardening takes place.
Seven of my twelve fruit trees are planted within little circles cut into our upper lawn. In all but the last 2 we bought last year, I've edged the circles with flat river rock. A few of them are underplanted with daffodils and tulips, for a bit of colour in early Spring, when the trees themselves are just bare twigs.
I pulled the weeds that had popped up in the circles. Including a very annoying creeping/running grass, which is great in the lawn (which is where I think it originates), but is terrible to try to remove from the garden beds. Then I spread some fresh compost around each of the fruit trees. The few with bulbs poking through the soil, I topped with some bark mulch also.
I tried to take a few photos of my work, but after 3 shots, the memory in the digital camera (I was using my daughter's) was full. Anyhow, this is my Rainier Cherry, underplanted in small daffodils:
First, I did one hour of cleanup in the front yard, so the kids could bicycle and skooter (hmmm, what is the verb? to skoot?) around the driveway. My usual cleanup rate is one large clear bag per hour, and sure enough, I filled my bag in one hour. At that point, the kids had retreated into the house again, so I happily went into the back yard, where the real gardening takes place.
Seven of my twelve fruit trees are planted within little circles cut into our upper lawn. In all but the last 2 we bought last year, I've edged the circles with flat river rock. A few of them are underplanted with daffodils and tulips, for a bit of colour in early Spring, when the trees themselves are just bare twigs.
I pulled the weeds that had popped up in the circles. Including a very annoying creeping/running grass, which is great in the lawn (which is where I think it originates), but is terrible to try to remove from the garden beds. Then I spread some fresh compost around each of the fruit trees. The few with bulbs poking through the soil, I topped with some bark mulch also.
I tried to take a few photos of my work, but after 3 shots, the memory in the digital camera (I was using my daughter's) was full. Anyhow, this is my Rainier Cherry, underplanted in small daffodils:
This is my Frost Peach which we just planted last spring. I have yet to edge or underplant it:
Same story with my Morello (sour) cherry:
The other trees I didn't get a chance to take photos of, are the Fuji Persimmon, the mystery Apple, Lapin (red) Cherry (underplanted in tulips and daffs), and Bartlett Pear (underplanted in tulips).
As I worked, the bright blue/white sky had gotten quite dark. I was already getting tired (after an additional 1 1/2 hr in the back yard) anyhow, so I was amused to see small flakes of snow coming down.
But then they kept coming. And coming. Here is a photo later in the afternoon, of the back yard (where all my work under the trees has been completely covered!):
And the front yard:
It sure was pretty, especially how it hung in the trees, making them white. But by this morning, when there was 3 inches of it to shovel, and neighbours struggling to get their cars up the hill, it left us all saying "Enough is enough!" We've had MORE than our fair share of snow this Winter. We are ready for Spring!
Monday, February 23, 2009
How Much is Enough?
A rich man was asked "How much money is enough?" to which he replied "Just a little more".
A wonderful story about life arrived by email this morning from the people at Free Range Studios. I had heard it before, but this is a great little 3 minute movie version of it.
The email preface to the movie is this :
Dear Free Range Fan,
Nearly everyone agrees that this economic crisis was set off by a simple human foible — greed. From the bankers to the borrowers, people just couldn't seem to get enough of what they thought would bring them The Good Life.
Sure, there's a time to point fingers, but there's also a time to look at ourselves and consider how we are a part of this "more, more, more" culture. So, Free Range has teamed up with social values business leader Mark Albion to create the parable of The Good Life, a story that asks what "enough" really means.
This isn't your usual urgent call to action; instead, it's a chance to take a moment to reflect on your own life and the work you do. We hope this three-minute story of The Good Life adds some helpful perspective to your life.
Click this link to view the movie "The Good Life"
I wish I could say that I have already taken this insight and wisdom to heart, and am living life a bit more like that fisherman. But instead, my first thought was "Who should I email this to?" with the intention of then continuing with my work. As I started to compose the email, it occurred to me that I might benefit from taking the story to heart also.
When I think about it, my husband and I have all that we already need: good health, a wonderful family, a beautiful home (and garden!), a good neighbourhood, friends, church community, promising careers. But in the past few years, our enjoyment of these has been threatened by the company we founded and now find ourselves dedicated to. I try not to complain, since it's all good news. Our company has encountered much success in all ways, and is growing at a furious pace to keep up with the market demand. But that has meant a lot of long hours for us. Most nights working past midnight, after the kids go to bed. On weekends, we spend time together as a family, and then go back to work most nights also.
My only hope seems to be a "liquidity event". The vague hope that somehow someone will one day buy us out, and let us return to some sort of "normal" life again. For me, to spend more time in the garden, and to enjoy being with the kids, working on homework, or piano practice, or going to activities, or just "playing" and spending time. Not looking at my watch while talking to them, or being repeatedly called away by the phone. To finally make time for the wonderful friends I have been neglecting so long. Even to visit with our extended family.
I work from home to allow me to care for the kids before and after school, but the result of this is that I am never really "off" work, and have my work always close at hand, to mix into my home life any time I want to (and being a workaholic, it happens very often). As my daughter complains, any time I have a discussion with my husband, the first thing we seem to talk about (and the topic of the majority of our conversations) is work.
It is interesting that the topic of Sunday's sermon was "Finances and Faith" (click the eyeball link to watch the video), and one of the key verses for me was I Timothy 6:6 "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment". Recent events in our family have made it painfully clear how fleeting life is, and how we cannot take it for granted.
So will I heed the message that I keep receiving in so many forms? Not to sit back and live life selfishly (since that is not the message, either), but to stop to "smell the roses" and enjoy the people in my life, while I have time on this earth, with them? And to enjoy some of the things that give my life meaning.
For a start, I took advantage of the wonderful weather (a respite in between one day of rain, and the threat of more) to spend 1 hour at lunchtime, cleaning up more of my front garden. Now I will get off the computer (!!), and try to really spend some quality time with the kids before returning to work again this afternoon/evening. I hope to watch the video again tonight, as I plan out the remainder of my week.
If this movie has inspired you to consider how you are living your life, please share your thoughts with me, too. I know I will benefit from more reminders. Thanks.
A wonderful story about life arrived by email this morning from the people at Free Range Studios. I had heard it before, but this is a great little 3 minute movie version of it.
The email preface to the movie is this :
Dear Free Range Fan,
Nearly everyone agrees that this economic crisis was set off by a simple human foible — greed. From the bankers to the borrowers, people just couldn't seem to get enough of what they thought would bring them The Good Life.
Sure, there's a time to point fingers, but there's also a time to look at ourselves and consider how we are a part of this "more, more, more" culture. So, Free Range has teamed up with social values business leader Mark Albion to create the parable of The Good Life, a story that asks what "enough" really means.
This isn't your usual urgent call to action; instead, it's a chance to take a moment to reflect on your own life and the work you do. We hope this three-minute story of The Good Life adds some helpful perspective to your life.
Click this link to view the movie "The Good Life"
I wish I could say that I have already taken this insight and wisdom to heart, and am living life a bit more like that fisherman. But instead, my first thought was "Who should I email this to?" with the intention of then continuing with my work. As I started to compose the email, it occurred to me that I might benefit from taking the story to heart also.
When I think about it, my husband and I have all that we already need: good health, a wonderful family, a beautiful home (and garden!), a good neighbourhood, friends, church community, promising careers. But in the past few years, our enjoyment of these has been threatened by the company we founded and now find ourselves dedicated to. I try not to complain, since it's all good news. Our company has encountered much success in all ways, and is growing at a furious pace to keep up with the market demand. But that has meant a lot of long hours for us. Most nights working past midnight, after the kids go to bed. On weekends, we spend time together as a family, and then go back to work most nights also.
My only hope seems to be a "liquidity event". The vague hope that somehow someone will one day buy us out, and let us return to some sort of "normal" life again. For me, to spend more time in the garden, and to enjoy being with the kids, working on homework, or piano practice, or going to activities, or just "playing" and spending time. Not looking at my watch while talking to them, or being repeatedly called away by the phone. To finally make time for the wonderful friends I have been neglecting so long. Even to visit with our extended family.
I work from home to allow me to care for the kids before and after school, but the result of this is that I am never really "off" work, and have my work always close at hand, to mix into my home life any time I want to (and being a workaholic, it happens very often). As my daughter complains, any time I have a discussion with my husband, the first thing we seem to talk about (and the topic of the majority of our conversations) is work.
It is interesting that the topic of Sunday's sermon was "Finances and Faith" (click the eyeball link to watch the video), and one of the key verses for me was I Timothy 6:6 "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment". Recent events in our family have made it painfully clear how fleeting life is, and how we cannot take it for granted.
So will I heed the message that I keep receiving in so many forms? Not to sit back and live life selfishly (since that is not the message, either), but to stop to "smell the roses" and enjoy the people in my life, while I have time on this earth, with them? And to enjoy some of the things that give my life meaning.
For a start, I took advantage of the wonderful weather (a respite in between one day of rain, and the threat of more) to spend 1 hour at lunchtime, cleaning up more of my front garden. Now I will get off the computer (!!), and try to really spend some quality time with the kids before returning to work again this afternoon/evening. I hope to watch the video again tonight, as I plan out the remainder of my week.
If this movie has inspired you to consider how you are living your life, please share your thoughts with me, too. I know I will benefit from more reminders. Thanks.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Manga Kids Portrait
I am exhausted, but in a good way. I decided it is finally going to be Spring, since the snow is ALMOST gone from the ground, and there is sign of daffodils and tulips breaking the surface and starting to sprout. So today I took advantage of beautiful clear weather, to wash down the driveway.
It might sound funny, but this is one of my favourite jobs. There is something therapeutic about shooting out all the grime and dirt which has accumulated on the concrete, and in the cracks between. Our builder gave us a high-pressure hose connection (i.e. it takes advantage of the pressure from the City supply, prior to the pressure being reduced for our home's drinking/water system). So while it is not a real pressure washer, it does a pretty good job of blasting the driveway.
I ended up doing the driveway, a section of the road, both sidewalks, and the back stairwell. While I was doing that, the kids helped clean up fallen leaves and pull the old grass out of our blue oat grasses. Then I did some trimming of plants, bushes, pulled weeds, and cleaned up the beds at the front of our yard. With the grasses and cuttings, we ended up with two full clear garden bags. The kids lasted for about an hour and a half, but I was out there for almost 4 hours, working non-stop. Then I fought with the hose, which is very stiff, to put is away. By the end of it, I was pretty exhausted.
However, I still had energy for my manga (anime) portrait of the kids. I had finished the black & white of it while at soccer practice this morning (I "watched" from the car). I think I had put in about 4 hours total on the B&W drawing, so pretty quick progress. Here is the result (click image for a larger view):
I wanted to try colouring it also, but wasn't sure if I would destroy the drawing, or have trouble colouring some of the areas which I had drawn & erased (sometimes it leaves a trace), so I scanned a copy of the black & white, then used this scan to colour on. I think it turned out pretty good, too (although the scan doesn't render the colours and details very well - it looks a bit better in real life):
My husband says he doesn't really recognize the kids, but I think it is a pretty reasonable likeness of them. It has their favourite bunnies (stuffed toys) and my daughter's hamster also. My daughter has boots like that. So to me, it represents them fairly well. If I have my way, I'll plan to frame it and hang it someplace where I can look at it often.
It might sound funny, but this is one of my favourite jobs. There is something therapeutic about shooting out all the grime and dirt which has accumulated on the concrete, and in the cracks between. Our builder gave us a high-pressure hose connection (i.e. it takes advantage of the pressure from the City supply, prior to the pressure being reduced for our home's drinking/water system). So while it is not a real pressure washer, it does a pretty good job of blasting the driveway.
I ended up doing the driveway, a section of the road, both sidewalks, and the back stairwell. While I was doing that, the kids helped clean up fallen leaves and pull the old grass out of our blue oat grasses. Then I did some trimming of plants, bushes, pulled weeds, and cleaned up the beds at the front of our yard. With the grasses and cuttings, we ended up with two full clear garden bags. The kids lasted for about an hour and a half, but I was out there for almost 4 hours, working non-stop. Then I fought with the hose, which is very stiff, to put is away. By the end of it, I was pretty exhausted.
However, I still had energy for my manga (anime) portrait of the kids. I had finished the black & white of it while at soccer practice this morning (I "watched" from the car). I think I had put in about 4 hours total on the B&W drawing, so pretty quick progress. Here is the result (click image for a larger view):
I wanted to try colouring it also, but wasn't sure if I would destroy the drawing, or have trouble colouring some of the areas which I had drawn & erased (sometimes it leaves a trace), so I scanned a copy of the black & white, then used this scan to colour on. I think it turned out pretty good, too (although the scan doesn't render the colours and details very well - it looks a bit better in real life):
My husband says he doesn't really recognize the kids, but I think it is a pretty reasonable likeness of them. It has their favourite bunnies (stuffed toys) and my daughter's hamster also. My daughter has boots like that. So to me, it represents them fairly well. If I have my way, I'll plan to frame it and hang it someplace where I can look at it often.
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