yard stuff good, work stuff bad

I think I mentioned previously that I got my two ! raised beds planted at the very end of February and maybe the beginning of March. The tomatoes were definitely in in February, the earliest I have ever got them in and even so, it may not have been early enough. It's an early spring, yes, but it is also getting hotter fast. Tomatoes stop blooming and setting once the nights and days get too warm. My tomatoes are just now starting to bloom and I'm already worried that I won't get much fruit off them.

I have beans coming up though.

Things have sort of gone to hell in a hand basket work-wise. I've been putting off starting my new work in the cast glass waiting for this big job to come through, expecting to be funded at any time which hasn't, so far, happened and now might not. Apparently there was a lack of communication between the art consultant, the client, and the architect. The change in the structure of the wall that was supposed to be made to accommodate the glass as we proposed it and was approved by the client, wasn't made and on top of that, the manner of installation which I had requested details of early on and never received until last Wednesday also put the kibosh on what we proposed, all of which I found out last Wednesday. My installer met with the architect last Friday to see if they could come up with a solution but I haven't heard the result of that meeting yet. We haven't even started this job yet and it has already become a nightmare. I've wasted months of time waiting on a job that may not happen now.

I was thinking about all this last night after spending all day working in the yard yesterday and didn't get even a third of the things accomplished that still needs to be done out there before it gets too hot, already the june bugs have hatched en mass. Thinking I should just get out my model making stuff and start in ernest on some new pieces. But while, normally I would have until about mid-June to be able to work outside, this year with such an early spring and early really warm days I may only have a month so I decided to keep working out in the yard. For today anyway, which I'm already late in starting because we slept til the sun woke us up at the usual time which turned out to be an hour later. I like DST but I hate the transition.

So, I mentioned it's spring here. The wrens built a nest in the birdhouse I put up on the outside of the barn and yesterday I saw a fledgling in the barn. I could hear the little cheeper and it's parent all day.

I discovered this little guy

 

hiding in a plastic pot when I was rummaging through them to pot up some cuttings I had taken for the garden club's plant show and sale next month. Also got my zinnia seeds planted in starter trays.

I dug some stuff up and moved it and put some other stuff in the ground. I had four huge fire ant beds to get rid of and several smaller ones. I use a Dawn dish detergent and orange oil solution, both biodegradable and it kills the shit out of fire ants. I weeded part of the old vegetable garden and need to reclaim it. I cleaned the filter for the turtle pond which is really murky right now as I guess I inadvertently killed the bacteria in the filter. It will recover but it may take up to six weeks to get the water clear again. I dug up sprouted pecan trees.

I got the little water plants back in the filter to the water lily pond which those wild dogs had torn up.

Saw this bee buzzing around the bluebonnets which are coming into bloom.

All the rain early last week has got the frogs all jazzed up and laying eggs. Saw this cluster caught on the chicken wire to keep the wild dogs out.

Another day planned for out in the yard today.

a bit of history and some yard work

Panel installed, circles with stars delivered. When I delivered the circles I got to see for the first time the railing that they are accents for in the little theater in the Texas history museum at the San Jacinto Monument, the battleground where the Mexican General Santa Anna was captured by General Sam Houston of the Texian army and as a result of which Mexico eventually forfeited about half it's territory, an area that encompassed all of Texas and parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and on up into Wyoming.

We have finished all the work we had in the shop so I should be starting on some new models but I keep casting my eye outdoors. So much work to be done out there.

Last Friday afternoon I got out there and hacked back the wild space that continually encroaches on the yard. I cut down about half a dozen small rain trees (3” in diameter or less) that were leaning into the big cedar providing a bridge for the wild grape vine that was all up in it. Got all that pulled out and lugged over to my not-in-residence neighbor's burn pile since, technically, all that stuff was on his property. The cedar is on the property line so I claim possession.

This is the cleaned up shot taken from my neighbor's side. As usual it didn't occur to me to take a 'before' pic. The shed is ours, about 5' from either property line.

my side

Sunday was overcast all day so I took advantage and expanded the flower bed around the water lily pond...

the one that has the natural filter that this:

is growing in, which is called white snowflake I recently found out, and it smells so sweet. I had no idea it was so fragrant...so I could get the cutting from the heritage rose at the old city house in the ground since it wasn't doing all that well in the pot I stuck it in a year ago. The rose bush at the old house was from a cutting my across-the-street-neighbor gave me many years ago and I'm not sure where she got it. You can barely see it for the mistflower that hitchhiked along and is now blooming.

The mistflower (a native wild ageratum) is invasive and spreads through root runners and seed and it will quickly fill in any available space. I do love it anyway (though I have learned to be ruthless when it starts getting too greedy) and am glad it is getting established here. I'll put a clump over at the shop when it gets big enough and it can run wild to it's heart's content over there.

Well, I've managed to waste another perfectly good day and got nothing accomplished either outside or in. Guess I'll go take the dog for a walk.

it was nice while it lasted

I have been trying to stay focused on my work this week and stop wasting spending so much time on-line or out in the yard. The weather has obliged as a cold front came in Tuesday bringing with it some much needed heavy rain accompanied by lightning, thunder, and hail.

Working non-stop basically since last August up until several weeks ago had left us in need of some time off, part of which was spent with the grandkids here during spring break. Not exactly what I would call time off but the following week found me dithering away and remembering how much I like not having to work.

tomatoes (we're heavy on the tomatoes this year) and garlic, lettuce (which is bolting and will be pulled up), okra, zucchini, bell and jalapeno peppers and a japanese eggplant, and cucumbers with onions on the side

I finished planting the garden except for one tomato and the cantaloupe and pole bean seeds but we just now got one of the little squares cleaned out. I got the azaleas fed and mulched and some other things moved from the temporary pots they've been living in for a year and into the ground.

I cleaned out the little pond and was surprised to find it full of tadpoles as well as the minnows that have been keeping the mosquito larva from growing into mosquitos.

This year I added a little pump and a natural water filter and another pot of water lillies.

But that's all over for now, since I do actually have to work and I'm fortunate to still have some work to do.

So.

I am trying my best to ignore the beautiful warm day out there (since I don't have to work in the antique store this Saturday) and make more progress on the full size art work for the ranch house entry and the Leadership Wall and the one proposal I still need to finish.

Yesterday I did the full size 'artistic' drawing of Churchill. Today it's Vince Lombardi.

Edit: the image of Churchill is not my drawing. They gave me a photograph which I manipulated into 5 tones using a graphic program. The drawing part is where I convert the shown manipulated image into a line drawing.

work, blooms, and pecans

Having work again is kicking my ass. The whole shuttling back and forth thing is a pain too leaving me little time to surf the internet, visit blogs, or impose myself on social networks.

sob

I know, it's heartbreaking, right?

This is our schedule:

Monday – office work and button down the country house, try to remember all the things we need to take with us for the week, and head into the city.

Tuesday, Wednesday – work in the temporary shop. The first two weeks, I cut stencils while Marc worked on getting the sandblasting equipment and booth set up. The third week (this week), he blasted while I tried to make some progress on a sample doing metal leaf or working on some compositional sketches for a pair of doors.

Thursday – more of the same and then return home but yesterday the blaster was being balky. Too much moisture in the line caused Marc to have to stop frequently to get it unstopped or try to increase the flow. Frustrating. And a problem to be dealt with next week.

Friday – sleep late! And more office work and lots of piddling around the yard or doing house stuff.

Saturday – I work at the store.

Sunday – my freaking day off.

Back before we finally moved permanently, back when we had regular work or as regular as it ever gets for us, one of the first things I would do upon getting here is walk the yard to see what there was to see.

And so that is what I did and there were some very nice surprises.

This was the most unexpected. We've had this little water lily for many years and it bloomed right after we got it and never since. You might remember that this spring I moved the small pond into a sunnier location and it has rewarded me.

I also saw that a couple of the little yellow rain lilies were enticed by the recent rain.

The miniature amaryllis had sprung up.

And the first of the mature ripe pecans have fallen. I think we are going to have a good crop this year. Maybe our best so far.

new pond

Did I say I was working on my 'W' post? Hahahahahahahaha.

I'm such a kidder.

Actually, I'm thinking about working on my 'W' post. I should be working on my 'W' post.

Today, I think I'll sink the small pond, Big Mama's previous pond. I've finally picked a spot on the other side of the fence from the big pond which is not sunk. I couldn't sink it because it is snugged up against the ginkgo tree and I didn't want to cut out a big slice of its roots.

I also have four azaleas that need to be planted plus all that stuff I got at the plant swap weeks ago. It's overcast and cool this morning, probably the very last one so I want to take advantage of it. The weather guessers are predicting a high of 90˚ today and the humidity has been upwards of 70% this week.

So out I went. After a short break for a late breakfast, I finished up about 1 PM.

getting started

hole dug

leveling the pond

see, it's level!

the sun came out so I had to go get my hat

fill 'er up!

all done

The water plants have been in a galvanized tub. There's a papyrus, an arrowhead, and a bedraggled water lily that has never bloomed. I've got some others that are still in the tub but my back was saying 'enough already' and they need to be repotted.

I've already had a visitor. This red dragonfly was checking out the new digs. It's perched on the dry seed pod of a larkspur that is beside the pond. That's my rosemary behind it. Poor picture but the darn thing wouldn't let me get close enough to not have to use the zoom.