Sunday, October 20, 2019

three days


Thursday my sister and I went to an estate sale, it was Thursday, so yeah, which was no great shakes. I did pick up a good putty knife since mine seem to keep getting misplaced but the best thing about it was this ancient pecan tree in the yard. I have never seen a pecan tree this big and it was completely hollow inside.

for scale...


And there were pecans everywhere on the ground and good solid heavy ones. Drives me nuts that no one picks up the pecans in their yard. This isn't the first time we've been to an estate sale at this time of year where the ground was littered. It's free money people, all you have to do is spend a little time picking them up and the pecan wholesalers/retailers will buy them from you. I need to start taking a bucket with me when we go to these things in the fall.

On our way home we stopped at one of the big nurseries there in Richmond since we were driving right past it and I bought three small pots of blue lobelia and one of silver pony foot and then Saturday I went to the feed store and got 4 6-packs of pansies so I guess I'll be busy today.


I wanted to get out there Friday and start the weeding and cleaning up and planting but I was being a good girl and made myself get the powder layer on the five feathers so they could go in the kiln. Work first, then play. So Friday, I cleaned up the pink pansy and then started on the feathers. I got three done Friday and the last two yesterday, one of which I dumped all the powder and started over. I'm having a hard time determining how thick is thick enough and not too thick. The owl (?) feather fer sure is too thick but I opted to just let it be but the red tailed hawk feather I dumped and started over.

before and after pictures...


I got out there for an hour or so Saturday late afternoon and cut back the spent ginger stalks that were laying on the ground and cut the spent bloom heads off the ones that were still upright and started clearing out one of the flower beds, the one where I dug up all the mexican petunias in the spring, pulling up all the mexican petunias that defied me along with the dead zinnias in there and tons of wandering jew, a gift from the yard being flooded last spring. It was hot out there and I was soaked. If I was smart, I'd put off working in the yard til Monday as it's supposed to be 10 degrees cooler but there's so much to be done out there besides getting the pansies and lobelia planted.

Things are starting to perk up a little.  The confederate rose is nearing full bloom and the bird of paradise has put up three bloom stalks this year and this second round of white butterfly ginger has been pretty spectacular.


Well, I'd best get out there before it gets too hot.





12 comments:

  1. My confederate rose is looking good but none of my butterfly gingers are doing anything but falling over. Just not enough sun, I'm pretty sure.
    I can't wait to see how your feathers and flowers are going to turn out. As always- you amaze me.
    And that IS a huge pecan tree!

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  2. I love your flowering plants. I used to have hibiscus plants until they were over run by aphids. I wasn't able to get outdoors because of my surgeries and they died from lack of care and water. David doesn't believe in watering anything that mother nature should be doing. I do have one question. Do you have an aphid problem with your hibiscus/rose of sharon.

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    1. nope, never had a problem with aphids on the hibiscus or rose of sharons. they love the butterfly weed though.

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  3. Unbelievable that you complain about heat and equally unbelievable that you have such wonderful plants in full flower when I am ready to close that part of the garden down for winter. There is still much left to do but I will not be given the pleasure of huge new blooms, maybe a few pansies in pots.
    Enjoy your retirement, which is what I must learn to do too.

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  4. Beautiful feathers. Beautiful flowers. You are gifted.

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  5. Gorgeous work on the feathers and pansies. Such detail!

    We have started to put on the heating - just in the evening but yes, it's autumn. None of the magic bloom you have.

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  6. The bird of paradise and the white butterfly ginger are a treat to look at. Up here in the secondary snow belt, the furnace is on every night and parts of the day, except today, which is beautiful beyond description.

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  7. It is very strange that people don't take the trouble to pick up their pecans. The feathers are looking great!

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  8. When I looked at your feathers and such, those ovals seemed so familiar. I had to really dig around in my memory to pull up what they reminded me of, but I finally got it. Remember Necco wafers? We always had that candy around when I was a kid. I didn't like them, particularly, but there was 'something' about them that made us eat them. I thought the company had gone out of business, but it was bought out of bankrupcy and Necco wafers will be back. I suspect they'll still taste pretty much like your pretty pastel ovals.

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    1. I remember Necco! I would happily consume all the flavors just to get to the chocolate ones. my colored ovals, though, are color samples.

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  9. I love your actual flowers AND your glass flowers. It's funny how much of art is actually science. Which must be why I'll stick to crochet - it has a lot of math, but I'm ok with math.

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