Friday, January 27, 2017

working in the yard and studio


Some of you might be wondering what I've been doing all week. Well, I'll tell you. I've been digging holes. Big holes. 24” in diameter by about 10” deep holes. Three of them. Then I lugged 40 lb bags of compost over and mixed it with some of the dirt and filled those holes back in.

Ta Daaaa! 3 blueberry bushes!

Actually, that's just what I did Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I still need to get all the bricks around and eventually I'll get rid of all the grass in the triangle, outline it with the bricks, and fill it in with mulch to make mowing easier. I also cleaned three more windows. I've been slacking on the one a day thing though. That window cleaning is a chore.

I've been surveying the freeze damage and here's a list of all the established perennials I might have lost. I say might have because it will be March at least before I know for sure.

The...
*rangoon creeper that I planted three years ago and bloomed for the first time this year
*shrub that I can never remember the name of with the long spikes of small pink flowers
*Mexican bird of paradise
*shrimp plant
*night blooming jasmine
*yellow angel trumpet that I didn't think to take a cutting of
*plumbago
*upright rosemary which still has some green needle leaves but looks terrible and is struggling
*angel wing begonia
*all my succulents and cacti except for the hens & chickens, the big aloes, and the century plant
*most of the walking iris
*butterfly weed
*pony tail palm
*purple orchid tree which I just planted this spring
*white orchid tree which is in a pot

but then, there's this crazy thing...


It doesn't usually bloom till late summer.

And, of course, I've been obsessing about keeping an eye on Crybabyman and his executive actions, orders, proclamations, declarations, and obsessions. The man is insane. I had a running list going but I inadvertently deleted it but essentially, he's trying to gag the media and portray them as liars, gag the governmental departments whose work and science is at odds with his beliefs like the EPA and NASA, and the National Park Service because they tweeted that his crowd at the inauguration was small (as if he is going to stop information from coming out). There's plenty more about Crybabyman Trumplethinskin but it will need it's own post. I even dusted off my twitter account so I could follow the rogue accounts of the silenced departments and so I could send my displeasure directly to @POTUS and @realDonaldTrump.


Oh, and this week I did finish the three new pieces, got them secured in their frames, and today I have to box them up and send them off to Kittrell/Riffkind Gallery in Dallas for their show in February.

Robin with Cottonwood Leaves 6.5”w x 6.5”h x 1.25”d

Green Wo/man 4.75”w x 4”h x 1.5”d

Bumblebee with Red Hibiscus 6”w x 6”h x 2”d




16 comments:

  1. Your perennials will probably all come back. Have patience.
    When I got to your hibiscus, my heart literally skipped a beat. It calls to my blood.

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    1. really? you like that one best? it just screams red to me, so overpowering. and I'm not happy about the way the stamen looks. I think I'm going to have to do this one again, or rather a hibiscus flower again (this is one of the few reproduction molds I made so I could essentially crank them out) OK, well I just made myself laugh with that last thought. I used the wax from the reproduction mold on this one and the model still took me 9 hours to construct. anyway, if I do another one it's going to be one of those luscious white/pale pink ones I saw a picture of.

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    2. re the perennials. some yes. I don't know about the rangoon creeper. it might be more tropical, same with the mexican bird of paradise and the white orchid tree. the purple one was young and so that one is iffy.

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  2. All three pieces are wonderful. Unlike Mary, I can't pick.
    Berry bushes are wonderful. We had some dessert at the old house with the new owner, and she served raspberries. You'll have your own, next fourth of July, I said, and her son asked Laura to go show him where they grew. I always wanted to plant elderberries. I may find a place, yet.

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  3. Super accomplishments. We have had a mild winter and will not loose perennials...unless they start growing in this early spring weather!!

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  4. The robin is my fav. I suppose it's because of my midwestern upbringing, since I rarely see them here. They do sing nicely in spring and summer.

    Do you want some native spineless prickly pear? I've been trimming mine back, and have some nice, multi-pad stems. They'll be subarized in a week or so, and I could bring them by the next time I'm roaming your area with my camera. Just let me know -- they'll probably get tossed out, otherwise. Or, I might try some by my front door. It's a completely shaded spot, but I wouldn't be losing anything to give it a try.

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    1. Yes! I would love some. If you aren't coming out my way you could box it up and mail it. I'd reimburse you for the postage. it's funny about the robins. we had them all year long at the city house in the Heights but I haven't seen a single one out here about 60 miles distant.

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    2. Great! One I've got them all clipped and they've dried a bit, I'll get them to you somehow. I don't want to mail them. Single pads would be ok, but I'd be afraid of larger sections breaking in the mail. We'll get it done.

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  5. You definitely know how to keep busy. Beautiful work!

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  6. Beautiful pieces. Let's hope those plants come back. I do so love perennials. The liar in chief is just unbelievable and I hope the press comes down harder on him than they have. Maybe I'm more radical, but call a spade a spade. Don't let anything slide by. Press should become harpies and dodge him relentlessly.

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    1. I totally agree, but the press is a bunch of cowards. their bosses don't care about news or facts, just ratings. real news in this country doesn't exist, it's all just entertainment now. though I am encouraged by Dan Rather coming out of retirement.

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    2. Ellen, I think that is true of TV news. But newspapers (especially the big ones) are still doing their job -- the NYT and Washington Post (for example) have been hammering Trump on his lies and dangerous policy decisions.

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    3. yes, you are right. I read today that those two papers have been hiring reporters.

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  7. Love the glass pieces, especially the robin! I bet some of your plants will come out again from the roots. Our purple orchid tree used to get frozen back every few years and it always emerged from the ground again and again. So here's hoping!

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  8. Ellen, your going-to-the-gallery pieces are so charming, I'm sure someone will fall in love and take them home. Your industry in the garden is admirable. And as for the Emperor, well. . . .

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  9. Oh those are gorgeous! I love all three of them! We'll have hens & chickens at the new house! And maybe crocuses, or lilies, or something like that - we saw little green spiky leaves when we were down there last week.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.