Mountain Mama's Point Of View

  When the sun begins to cover my work area, I head back down to the vegetable garden. The next board waits to be dragged to its destiny. Five bags of mulch left to distribute before I will plant my new Crepe Myrtle tree just about where the pile of mulch sits. So much to do, so little time! Back to the lower garden ..... Looks like a giant ant infestation! Progress! The raised beds are done, inside and outside the fence. The netting is up on both sides and I can rest, know I have dragged and flung the last board down the embankment! Next year will be a breeze when it comes time to plant! Still need to get the netting up on this side of the yard. The pet fence is still up on the outside of the fence, but the crops seem to be doing better on this side of the dog yard. It all meets in the corner. I still employed the big green containers, but probably won't next year. The two huge pots of onions will be used in a different location next season. Probably with flowers instead of onions

  My grapevine is growing. Starting to cling to the trellis. This grapevine is in a sunny spot between the tiny shed and the tool shed behind the carport. Not an area that we spend a lot of time in. There is also a clothesline HeWho put up for me.  The clothesline is very high. Higher than I can reach, so it is not in use much. One day I will go out there with a ladder and lower it. One day, not at the top of my list of chores to be done. I only had one trellis that I liked, but the vine was trying to find something on the far side (left) to cling to. I employed an old frog plant holder and one of my creations of last season. You can see the electrical hook ups for the RV and a side of the tiny shed. And the rocky clay soil. I decided that some of the extra iris could go along side the shed and as I was about to go get the mower and the shovel I looked around. You can see how close the woods are. They is a trail that goes into the woodsand I think it might actually end up at the bottom

  The weather was so nice and cool all week and I stayed outside every day.  Even in the sun was nice, but the shade was better. I worked in the narrow garden next to my She Shed. See the Hibiscus on the right? I planted stuff up here last year, but it just didn't come back. You can't see them, but I planted Iris in that first section of the lattice. They are in shock and fallen over, but next year they should do well. In the meantime I planted some little seedlings of Marigolds in front of them and they should be blooming soon.   This is a closer shot. They look so sad! There is a frog trio serenading the peony. The bird houses will have to go. They are full of wasps! I put the first live edge border up today, then started the trench for the next piece. I went to the trailer still holding it all and for the life of me I could not get the next piece out! I moved these to the beginning of the drive garden. There is my Mother's Day boat from HeWho loves me dearly. We need ano

  You remember Dora, the explorer. I found some $ Tree garden fence pieces that someone abandoned. I find them unattractive and wouldn't buy them, but I wouldn't toss them, either. I found them with my garden stuff not long ago. Occasionally I will sort and re-sort my stuff to make discoveries of things long forgotten. When I picked the 5 pieces up and was about to store them in a new place, I took a closer look (not unlike Seth Meyers) and realized that the bars were close enough together for a possible enclosure for Dora. I was cleaning Dora's habitat and admiring my tiny shoots of grass that I water religiously. Thinking that turtle poop is a fine fertilizer, I let the nasty water run out onto the lawn. Dora was restless and I remembered the $ Tree garden fence ... Viola! Look closely and you will see Dora investigating this new enclosure. I was quite pleased with myself. Dora can play in the grass and I can piddle around in my gardens and spread more grass seed.  Dora w

  The other Hibiscus I rescued from Walmart clearance finally bloomed. Not the same color as the one that already bloomed, but still very lovely. My raised beds are coming along. I cut the last piece for the outside of the fence yesterday. I still have the inside to do, but I was out of garden soil and energy. So tired I didn't take pictures. While watering, I noticed that one of the beds inside the fence has a bare spot in the middle. I know that the green limas planted there had come up. I had seen them, so this was a new situation and I wondered if maybe a rabbit or possum had entered the back yard. The planters on the outside had not been disturbed and the only way in would be through the porch as I still don't have a gate. You may recall that the gate exists, just hasn't been installed. This morning I discovered that the culprit was none other than Mr. BoJangles!! I caught him in the act! There he stood with his paws on the fence, standing in my garden bed. "What

  Bless my bloomers is definitely my motto. Much work awaits me in this stretch of garden. Spring brings so many garden chores that are labor intensive. True enough that you can build on the previous years efforts, but a lot of my perenials have not returned. Mulch is needed here. But other things pop up that require immediate attention, like covering the drain pipe that will direct the water down the drive and under the carport so that it ends up in the ravine. When the guy with the bobcat dug out the side of the embankment to create my parking spot, he dislodged the drain and the water from heavy rains has gushed through the carport making it a muddy mess. I was out there digging a trench to place the pipe and HeWho happened upon me. He dug some and I dug some then he decided we needed river rock to cover the drain. Have I mentioned that he is not a fan of manual labor? He was all set to hop in the truck and go get said rocks. The voice of reason (that's me) insisted price checki