99:almost there!!!!

Linda May 5th, 2009

  The weather here has been wonderful the last few days and it is all I can do to work in my studio and not run outside and play.  I got the veggie beds cleaned and planted with the early veggies.  The peas are already up about 1 and 1/2 inches.  And ofcourse so are the radishes, lettuces and spinach.  I trimmed and tied up the raspberries and we are going to have one of Scott’s spring favorites–rhubarb bars, yummy good.  Noel and I have been busy with his running start application/testing/meeting stuff…it is almost over, whew!!!  I have just finished up writing an article (with pictures) for Doll Crafter and Costuming magazine (hopefully it will be in the Oct. issue). Was requested by Art Doll Quarterly Editor to send off 2 dolls (yet another post office run–the lady there is now used to my weird shipping requests and questions ;0).  Gypsy doll was in the latest issue of ADQ (page 72 if interested). In the picture above you can see 2 jean skirts that I made for my daughter and I.  Hers is the blue-ish one and mine is the pink and orange one.  Scott donated the fabrics–I am not sure which line they are from but were decorator weight and washed up beautifully.  My 100th post is coming-up and I have added new goodies to the pile so stay tuned.      

A place I call Haven

Linda June 23rd, 2008

 (I just added this for you city folk–I wake up several days a week with deer grazing in my back yard–now some of you might think this is cool but for those of us who garden…well let’s just say, I wish we had a dog to chase them off!!!)

 About 5 years ago Scott built me this garden.  It has an 8 foot fence (to keep the deer out, to stop my beloved kitty from pooping in the beds, and other creatures etc) and raised beds.  It is appprox 30 by 27 feet.  It is “my” garden, haven, and no one is allowed in unless “the mama” says so.  It is my own little spot to myself (I even have to share my studio space, sigh).  The wisteria bloomed this year for the first time.  It is purple and very fragrant.

      These are views from inside it.  I am growing:lettuce, spinach, rainbow swiss chard, 2 kinds of edible peas, cucumbers, zuccini, strawberries, blueberries, herbs, carrots, flowers, pumpkin starts, egg plant starts, basil starts, radishes, and rhubarb.  Whew!!!  It is all very compact.  I don’t use any chemicals except slug death (this is Washington you know)–I find that crop rotation works very well thank you.  And it gets regular doses of compost and chicken/rabbit manure. 

  A view of my raspberry patch. Not many make it inside–most end up inside me!!

  These are my peas–most of these end up inside my kids before they make it into the house.   

    This rose came from my grandmother Alma, and who knows where she got it–it was always in her garden.  It is not a very well behaved rose, but it brings back such fond memories.  It is a “cabbage” rose and give off such a heady scent.

 A view from the garden.  To the left is the garden shed-the one with the red door.  And the building next to that is Mimi’s play house.  Sadly she does not spend that much time in it–she spend most of her time running away from any flying creature because she believes it is a bee/yellow jacket.