What to do, what to do? Some answers, finally!

Dear friends,

Ever since we bought this house over two years ago, I've pondered exactly how I'll use the little cottage in the backyard. It's hard to know how you'll use a space until you've actually used it.  Make sense?  LOL.  I knew I needed a space for garden stuff--all those piles of tools, rakes, shovels, hand tools, pots etc.

I decided to tackle the little room that used to be a laundry facility for the Two Sisters who lived here before. It's where the claw foot bathtub used to sit.   After more pondering and lots of note-taking, I decided that it would be the Garden Room and the other part of the building will be a workshop for ME, studio space, and quiet room where I can go to write (hopefully) without interruptions of an Internet nature.  (I'll get back to you on that. LOL)

So, first order of business was to get the room cleaned up and some paint on the walls.  I decided to go with white for now, something I've never done.  In this photo, you can see the Big Mess of tools and such that I have to deal with.

And here's all the other "stuff" that's in the room now.

Some of it can go into the wonderful little cabinets that hang on the wall to the left, including a 1950s medicine cabinet that hangs by the front door.

But mostly, it will go into the big cabinet that I'm planning to build all along the back wall, using old doors we removed from the house.  That will be a big project--the largest I've tackled, and I want to do most of it myself.  Right now I'm measuring, doing sketches, and want to use up as much scrap wood as possible.

Although the house was mostly empty, two things that got left behind were antique ironing boards, made of wood.  The base on one was broken, but the other one is in really good shape.  After removing the FILTHY covers on them (three layers), I was surprised to find some amazing antique pine.

I love how this one has been repaired over and over.  There must be two dozen screws, nuts and bolts in this.

The second one, believe it or not, is our future coffee table for the living room--after some sanding, that is.  I've been looking for a long narrow table for years without any luck.  It seems that most tables are made for McMansions these days, or are square.  The Two Sisters were hoarders of broom handles, too, and left behind an array of different colors---red, turquoise, green, etc.  Those will be the legs of the table.  But that's a project for Another Day. :-)

One of my favorite projects so far is my garden hand tool storage door.  This old door once lead into the garage.  Now it's screwed shut and caulked to keep the varmints out.  I used cup hooks, screwed them into the door and hung my trowels, etc. from them.  The garden gloves (which I can NEVER find) are on a binder clip hanging from a cup hook.  The big loppers at the top are there temporarily.  Eventually there will be a shelf across there for small pots.

 A bunch of fresh cut rosemary helps de-stinkify this old room.

And I FINALLY was able to unpack and hang my collection of cement and ceramic sunfaces and garden plaques.  I actually forgot I had this Greenman one.  I think he fits, don't you?

 

 Until next time,

Happy trails!

bobbi c.

Plant some herbs!

Plant some herbs!
by Bobbi A. Chukran

Fall is the perfect time in central Texas to plant new perennial herbs and some annuals. My "rule" is that if it's not freezing, I can plant herbs.  As long as they are watered well while getting established,  and as long as I don't plop them out into the middle of a blazing lawn with no shade, they'll do fine.  I also divide and move some of my perennials during the fall, too.

We use a lot of our herbs for cooking, but even if you don't cook, it's worthwhile to grow herbs because they attract and support our pollinators.   And they make gorgeous landscape plants when tucked in here and there with the roses or other shrubs.

Honeybee on blooming rosemary plant in a Texas garden

It's still in the upper 90's here, and a few days last week went over 100.  But herbs are tough, and some even like the heat.

Rosemary harvest for drying

This time of year, your best bet is to try and find plants in local nurseries.  It's a bit late to start plants from seeds, although people in central and south Texas can probably get a small crop of basil started and harvested before our first freeze.

Herbs and a small fig tree grow in raised cement block beds in a former garden.

Herbs do very well in raised beds since they don't like to get their "feet" wet.  This photo shows rosemary, a small fig tree, santolina, and potted herbs of various kinds.  The cement blocks were painted with a very thin wash of leftover latex paint.

Lavender in a Texas garden

Herbs like lavender especially like growing in containers and pots.  Be careful not to water them too much, or they'll turn to lavender mush. :-)

Sweet marjoram growing in a Texas garden

One of my favorite herbs is sweet marjoram.  It's kin to oregano, and is not quite as easy to find in nurseries, but is well worth seeking out.  I harvest it in the fall and dry it.  It's an essential ingredient in my secret Italian herbs mixture.  LOL.  OK, it's not THAT secret.  I usually use a mixture of sweet basil, rosemary, oregano and sweet marjoram, depending on what I have at the time.

I hope this has given you a little spark of inspiration to plant a few herbs.  If you're like me, you'll get obsessed with them and expand your garden over the years, adding new plants as you find them.

Feel free to leave comments and questions.  I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

Happy trails, and happy gardening!

bobbi ann

Goldenrod, Blooming -- An Illustrated Poem

Dear friends,

Something different--a poem.  The photos were taken by Rudy, the Husband. Enjoy.  bobbi c.

Goldenrod, Blooming

The large patch of goldenrod that blooms

outside my office window 

swarms with millions of  bees.

 Millions of happy bees.

So glad I didn't cave to busy-body passerby-people

 who thought I should have cut it down last year!

And so glad their advice to drench  the soil with poison

to keep it away--forever--went unheeded.

They have no love for the bees.  

So glad I was patient, waiting for the rains that 

finally came and for the sigh of relief from my garden.

I almost could hear it.

It's the same sigh I hear from this swarm of bees

Happily feeding outside my window.

For now, safe, and sated.

bobbi a. chukran

October 12, 2012

A New Pledge of Allegiance--to the Earth

I saw this floating around various places the other day, and thought it appropriate for the blog.

"I pledge allegiance to the Earth and all the LIFE which it supports.  

One Planet, in our care, 

irreplaceable,
with sustenance and respect
for all."

Works for  me!

Go plant a tree!

Happy trails,

bobbi c.