Garden of Weedin' Phase II

When last we visited our Garden of Weedin', we had just finished...weedin'. And it was a LOT of weedin'. So now we start Phase II:

Cody, our supervisor, oversaw the start of the laying of garden cloth.

Halfway done! Our garden is 40' x 30', so this part took a couple of days. Fitting the "cloth" (stiff wire) around this one bed we left in the garden was a challenge.


                                                 







                                                   Done!

Next step - lay the fabric.

Whoa, that was fast! Actually, it took another couple of days. This looks a lot better than dirt and weeds.

We had 24 yards of 2" Rainbow gravel delivered. We'll use a little over half of that in the garden, and the rest will go in various flower beds, around the woodshed and in the driveway.

My garden clog looks pretty good against it.










OK, Bruce, your break time is over. There's much more to do.

Bruce built six 10' x 5' x 18" beds out of split 6" logs. That should give us enough growing space for all of our crops :-)













Before bringing the beds into the garden, we filled the entryway with rock.

Bruce assembled the first bed in the back corner.

Three done, three to go.










Make up your own caption for this one...

Six beds plus the existing 7' x 3' bed. Think that will be enough? We also left a little space here in the front corner for a small fruit tree.

We left space in the  back corner for two fruit trees and our table and chairs.







Bruce needed to modify the wheelbarrow handles for his height. Dave, the owner of our local hardware store, gave him a couple of metal posts that another customer had given him. Bruce spruced them up, painted them, and attached them to the existing handles.

That's better!











The last step in Phase II was to haul in the gravel and lay it around the beds.

Lest anyone out there think I do nothing except take photos, I am participating in this project. I helped lay the garden cloth and fabric, and shoveled and raked gravel. Really! Here's proof:

And so we reach the end of Phase II. We left the middle aisle gravel-free so it's easier to bring the soil in for the beds.

A few years from now, we'll be sitting at our little cafe table here under two beautiful trees.

What's Bruce saying?  "I built this!"  With a little lot of help from me.

Home Improvement

Even though we've been living here for a year and a half, we're still nesting, decorating, and making improvements. Here are a few things we've done to make this house our home:

I found some really fun fabric and took up the challenge of making lined curtains. Thank goodness for Google! After a little research online, I figured out my own method and created these for our kitchen door.

I love the woodsy theme. They fit right in around here.









Our friend Jeanie, who visited us last summer, sent us some really cute "thank you" gifts, one of which is a moose bell. I had been wanting to hang a bell outside to call Bruce in from wherever he's working on the property. How did she know?

We hung it right across from the front door, just to see if anyone uses it for a doorbell. It's really LOUD.












Our friend Gary made some more furniture for us using the Port Orford cedar from our Oregon property.

We now have a nice table for our loveseat glider...

and two rockers with a table.

This is our new favorite place to rest, wake up, chill out, or just "be".

Something we both really wanted from the time we moved in was a bench for the back door. The older we get, the more interesting it is to put shoes or boots on while balancing on one foot or bending waaaayyyy over.

Bruce built this bench completely out of "scrap" wood we had left over from other projects.

He added wood siding onto the wall behind the bench to create a cozy nook. What is he saying?

"I built this!"













Something else that has been on Bruce's "honey do" list is adding much-needed shelves in both bathrooms. Pedestal sinks are pretty but there's no place to put anything.

Just in time for our new Waterpik Flosser! By the way, if you don't already have one, buy one now. Seriously.

For our future visitors, you now have a shelf in the guest bathroom. No more balancing blowdryers on the towel bar.









As spring unfolds, we turn our attention from indoor improvements to outdoor projects. Stay tuned for "The Garden of Weedin' Phase II"!