I think window boxes are some of the most fun but most challenging containers to get right. Depending on their placement they may need to drape, may have restrictions as to how high they can be (so as to not block a window) and are often narrow, leaving not a lot of soil for plants to grow in. But done ...
It’s no secret that I covet chickens. For various reasons, they’ve been a non-starter with Mr. Much More Patient, so I enjoy chickens vicariously through friends who have them. And I’m not going to lie here, one of the main reasons that I want chickens is because I want a super cute chicken coop. My friend Roisin has created the ...
It’s no secret that I covet chickens. For various reasons, they’ve been a non-starter with Mr. Much More Patient, so I enjoy chickens vicariously through friends who have them. And I’m not going to lie here, one of the main reasons that I want chickens is because I want a super cute chicken coop. My friend Roisin has created the ...
I’ve been a bit slow in posting this week, in part because it’s that horrible just-back-from-vacation thing where you’re running around and feel like nothing is getting done, but also because I took SO many photos this year that it’s taking me awhile to get through them. I tell ya, Mackinac Island is heaven for a gardener. There is so ...
I returned home this past weekend after 10 days away from my garden. Things faired far better this year than previous years, thanks in part to the crazy, ongoing rain we’ve had. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen lawns so green in mid-July before. There’s always a lot of weeding and cutting back that happens after more than a few ...
I’m leaving my garden. Not permanently; perish the thought as I actually had a nightmare to this effect a few weeks ago. Nope, I’m just going out of town for little bit. But it’s difficult to leave at this time of year. The garden is looking good. And between the heat of summer and the plentiful rain we’ve been getting ...
It’s more or less the middle of the gardening season here in my zone 5 garden. It’s the point at which some areas of the garden are cruising along and others, neglected still, are looking worse than ever. They’ll be dealt with when time, temperature and the mosquito population allows. The urge is to sit back, relax and enjoy the ...
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Before I get into Friday Finds, a few notes. I have been working on a post with three book reviews in it for weeks now and still haven’t finished it. Next week. They would be excellent gift ideas too. Our first snowfall of the year is expected to come tonight and it could be anywhere […]
As a Midwesterner, I have been raised to be excellent at complaining about the weather. It’s the No. 2 most popular hobby in these parts, bested only by something related to football. But this fall we’ve had absolutely nothing to complain about. This El Niño year has given us the most lovely weather, including the […]
I’m a bit late on Friday Finds today, but there was some good stuff on the Internet this week. Here’s a taste. The One Room Challenge wrapped up this week. I still can’t believe these people do a whole room in six weeks. I particularly liked this entry and this bedroom. Check out the amazing guest participant […]
I got my latest issue of Gardens Illustrated magazine the other day. I say “my” latest issue, because this British pub take a long time to get to a mailbox in the U.S. and I believe the next issue is already out in England. I put up with that because it’s a fantastic magazine, one […]
So last week, I signed off on Friday Finds by saying that I didn’t know what I was going to do this weekend, but that it wouldn’t be cleaning a fireplace. So imagine my surprise when, just 48 hours later, I was crawling around in a firebox doing just that. A dirty old fireplace never […]
Before we jump into some great Friday Finds, a quick update on bathroom renovation planning progress (for the downstairs bathroom renovation that may or may not happen this winter). I have now found two accent tiles that have been perfect … until I ordered them and they were discontinued. I can only assume that the […]
Have you ever cleaned your stone fireplace surround? I bet the answer is no. I mean, how are you supposed to clean craggy rocks? We’re been in our house for more than 13 years and I know we’ve never cleaned our fireplace surround. My guess is that no else in the 70 or so years […]
I’ve been trying to source things for our potential bathroom remodel as I make a budget for it and over the weekend I came to the line on my spreadsheet for lighting. I started looking around in all the usual online places, trying to stay mostly in the huge lighting Internet superstores and away from […]
Glad to be back for Friday Finds this week. Blogland is humming these days; it seems like autumn has everyone in the mood for some seriously creative projects. First off, if you missed my review of the most empowering yard tool I’ve ever used (which was posted late last night because of an a.m. / […]
It is a big time of year for yard work. Those of us in the north know that any day could be our last opportunity to clean up the yard before snow and ice descend. And with the garden more or less minding itself at this time of year (at least until we get a […]
In my mind at least, the downstairs bathroom renovation is ON. My mind and reality are not necessarily in the same place though. One thing I learned when we did our major house remodel four years ago now (I cannot believe it’s been that long! I still haven’t hung any art on the guest room […]
There is a traditional among northern gardeners in which the night before the first frost we all run out to our gardens and cut every tender flower we can find. Last Friday, the night of the first predicted frost, I got home later than I expected, which mean that I ran outside in the very […]
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a few things you can do in your garden in fall to set yourself up for a great gardening year ahead. I accidentally came across another one: check out the sky-view of your garden to look for potential improvements. While looking up something else on Google Earth, I […]
Well, it looks like we may get our first frost tonight. I’ll be making myself a big bouquet of flowers from what is left in the garden and bringing the poor spider plant after work. I don’t think I’ve told you about the abused spider plant before and I’ll have to something. I bought it […]
