Times They Are a Changing

... to borrow a line from Bob.

I have news.  incredible and terrible news.  I've gone back to school.

I wish I could say horticultural school which would be way
more interesting to you folks but the day job won out

I'm kind of shocked and apalled at myself but it's a done deal.  I've completed the (multiple) applications, filled out the (numerous) forms and most importantly paid the fee.  Then two weeks ago I actually sat down and took a class..

..and panicked.

I forgot how hard this is.  Even harder now that it's been 13 years since I last took a class.  I keep hearing phrases like "this will be on the exam" and "due Friday".  I've been feeling a wee bit queasy.

Why go back now?

A matter of pride.  I spent four years in post secondary school and received two diplomas but no degree.

That has been a thorn in my side.  I want that degree.

I also want my credentials to be current and competitive.  Work experience is grand but you've got to keep up with the Jones' so to speak.

So I did some research and found I could change my diplomas to a degree by adding a few courses to my roster.

Which brings us to this.  I'm busy.  Silly busy.  But still committed to blogging.  Sporadic, unpredictable, I may not always respond to your comments but I still love you, kind of blogging.  If I disappear for a time know that I'm probably cursing over a legal research memorandum...

....but I will be back.

Canoe Cove Plant Sale

Muriel, I tried to email you but the address just wouldn't work?  So this post is for you!

It's that time of year again.  The sun is shining, the ground is warm and there are plants to buy and fill our gardens with.

Come join us in Canoe Cove on Saturday, May 25, 2013 from 9am to noon for the 7th Annual Plant Sale.

You never know what plants might show up on the tables but I'll give you a hint at what I'm bringing.

there's hardy geraniums in there, some bleeding hearts.....

and there might be some basil ......okay, a lot of basil

 So follow the purple line starting in Charlottetown and get on out here.



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Triumphs and Tragedies Renovation Style

Each time we renovate there are some interesting discoveries.  Some good and some bad.

Really?  there were rotten boards underneath all that paint ....

It's an old house, whaddya gonna do?

We're making excellent progress despite some glitches.  The old gal is more brown than white these days.

But you have to see this....

pre-sanding

Look very closely... somebody learned their alphabet.. that board is around waist height..

post-sanding

Do you think they got into much trouble for that?

Golden Echo Daffodils

I got a little camera crazy

This is the first time I've had daffodils in a garden in, maybe 5, perhaps 6 years?

I've missed them

funny thing though, I'm pretty sure I read the label when I bought these.  but then perhaps not.

I thought they would be taller, and whiter, with longer noses

Good thing I'm not too fussy and love them just the same.

Dare to Dream

Back in the fall of 2010 skunks tore up holes in our lawn looking for grubs and I wondered what the heck I was going to do to fix them.  In the end I decided a good way to fill those holes would be to plant bulbs. I've seen lawns filled with flowers before and I dreamed of having that for myself.  Acting on a suggestion from Jean @ Jean's Garden, I decided to plant Siberian Squill as it could withstand some competition from the lawn grass.

I had visions of my front yard looking similar to the one below.

I keep seeing lawns like this one awash in blue and I WANT IT TOO

In the spring of 2011 I waited for my squill bulbs to appear and colour my lawn in blue.  That didn't exactly happen.

The 75 bulbs I planted weren't even visible unless
 you were standing right on top of them

All those tiny bulbs didn't make much impact in my huge lawn.  I wasn't ready to give up though.  Each fall I keep planting more bulbs.  75 here ... 30 there.  I'm patient..... and stubborn.

my sea of blue in 2013

This week I looked out across the lawn from the flower bed and what did I see?  They are still difficult to see from a distance but my vision of blue is progressing.

Moral of the story here - dare to dream.

*thank you Kokanee for many years of commercial brain washing inspiration  ;-)

Blogging is Awesome

After 3 years of blogging there are some days when it starts to feel like a bit of a chore and I begin to wonder, what am I doing here?  have I really got anything to say?  is anybody listening?

Sometimes it feels pointless but then there are days when I think - this is freaking awesome!

Let's face it, my dear spouse does not want to hear every little detail I have to say about my garden but when I blog about it there are people who are listening. And sometimes those people find my thoughts interesting, and dare I say, useful.  Occasionally people contact me to express their interest and tell me they've enjoyed reading my musings.  That's very cool.

Occasionally I also get emails giving me advice.  That has also been very cool.  Suzi, my onions thank you!

Through this blog I've met people who have also moved to the maritimes from away and we've exchanged our stories and supported each other through the struggles.  Just this week I received a phone call from a couple planning to move here from Seattle, it was a pleasure to fill in some blanks for them and hear their story.

There are so many positive connections that have been made and continue to be made.

A couple years back I took this run of the mill photo of a dirty shovel and posted it.

I'm rather embarrassed to say that someone typed 'dirty old shovel' into Google and found me.  Although I guess it's not quite as embarrassing as the people who type in 'messy garage' and also find me.

John Rios from Sidefist Studios got in touch and asked if he could use this photo for a project.  and I thought.... really?  that crappy photo.  fill yer boots.

But sometimes a connection gets made, the universe has a plan and complete strangers find themselves coming together on a random project and making something bigger than the sum of their parts.

I asked John to keep me updated on his project and last week he sent me this. He turned my dull photo into this amazing book cover.  Now how awesome is that?

Sometimes I forget how creative blogging is.  We take an idea, write a few words, add some pictures and sometimes a spark ignites. It may be a conversation, a phone call, a project.  Books get passed along, seeds get tucked into envelopes bound for faraway places and friendships evolve.

I would just like to say thank you to all those who are reading, who inspire me and get inspired.

Also, get involved in some random projects people, it's a beautiful thing.

GOOPS - Don't Kill Your Seedlings

This is the time of year when my windowsills are covered with little pots of green shoots.  Shoots I have nurtured and coddled from tiny seeds.  They have sprouted leaves and soon will leave the nest for the big outdoors. 

Well if they survive my haphazard gardening regime that is.

A couple years ago I forgot to water the tomatoes and they collapsed.  That's a really bad thing to do.  Rule #1 - water your seedlings.  Not just once either - check them every day.

This year after weeks of fussing over my onion seedlings I began to put them outdoors to harden off.  A couple hours at a time, then a wee bit longer, until they were out all day long.

and then I forgot them....  outside .... all night long.  

Rule #2 - Don't do this either. 

Luckily I've been suffering a bit of insomnia lately (never thought I would say that) and I was laying in bed at 3:30am with nothing to do but think about gardening and I realized - ohmygod the onions!

So while they were a little scorched by frost they didn't perish entirely.

The upside of all this is that the moon was putting on quite a show when I went out to retrieve said onions.  So here's a little Skywatch thrown in for good measure.

GOOPS (aka Gardening Oops) are brought to you on the first of each month courtesy of Joene at Joene's Garden.