Wishful Wednesday - Deck Decor

As I mentioned in Saturday's post, I've been able to do some finish decorating in some areas.  I'm really happy how things are turning out. For today's post, I wanted to share a total splurge purchase. I'm trying to convince myself that I need it and not just want it. I mean, it would go a LONG way in supporting my breathing therapy, "In. Out. Let go. Repeat."

This gorgeous chaise if from Pottery Barn, and I have no claim on the image (it's from their catalog). The frame is made of moisture resistant eucalyptus and the cushion is from Sunbrella. It's on summer clearance, regularly about $1300 for the frame and cushion, on clearance for around $900 which makes the purchase tempting.

I LOVE that my sailor and I could curl up on it together and cuddle, read, listen to the river, or just take a nap. Making the purchase VERY tempting.  It's even tall enough for my guy, at 90" his feet wont hang over. LOL!



It would definitely be a splurge purchase, so I will defer until when my sailor gets home (someday). If he says yes and it's still in stock, then we're meant to have it.  So don't by the last one, OK?

To Do List Tuesday - Garden Notebook part 2

I'm continuing my To Do List project from last week. Now that I have my fabulous new Garden Notebook, I have been fervently working to transfer over the notes and cut outs, and plant lists I had tucked in my marble notebook.

I realized in putting the pages together that I needed to move the form around a bit to give more room for the care and instructions part. I want to be able to have notes at a glance on overwintering or end of season care. I'm finding this layout works much better.

It's a slow process, but will worth my time - especially since once it's done, I'll only have to add pages for new plants and it will be a book tailored to Our Haven.  It will be  a work in progress, but when it's done, it's done.

I'm thinking it might be a better project for the winter when things are dormant. For now, I'll work on it a bit here and there as I have time or need a diversion from other projects.

Mystery Plant Monday

My Mystery Plant of the week is a variegated vine with heart-shaped leaves. It's spreads low to the ground and grows is shade to dappled sunny locations around Our Haven.

It's called Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum' and goes by several names including Bishop's weed, Bishop's Wort, Bishop's Elder, Dog Elder, Dwarf Elder, Ground Elder, Goat's Foot, Goatweed, Farmer's Plague, Garden Plague, Ground Ash, Pot-Ash, Jack Jumpabout, English Masterwort, Pigweed, Eltroot, and a list of others.

No wonder people have a hard time identifying it!

 At first I thought it was pretty - very woodsy and it seemed to have little cream flowers. I thought, "What a neat ground cover."  HA! Little did I know.

As the season progressed, I started calling it "The Blob" because it spread quickly, swallowing everything in its path.  Now - it's a weed taking over the one flower bed I worked so hard to purifying and rejuvenating this spring. It went from a small section around the stump pictured above, to covering over 1/3 of the bed.  It is no longer "cute" but a weed and I want it out.

I have always been patient with weeds - after all, they are only plants growing where gardeners don't want them. However, according to my research on this darling, removing it will be a battle, and one I probably won't win.

One of my favorite comments was from This Garden is Illegal

DISCLAIMER: If you are ever offered this plant, run, do not walk, run quickly from the area before you are talked into taking some home.Bishop’s Weed is an avid gardener’s worst nightmare. Worse yet, it is sold in garden centers and big box stores with no warning label. Really, before they are allowed to take this stuff home, people should be required to sign iron-clad contracts that requires them never to pass this plant along.

Here are the good things about it:

• It is a vigorous ground cover great for shady spots.
• It's fast-growing and easy to care for (little care needed, really). 
• It's deer resistant. 
• It tolerates poor soil and conditions where little else will grow. It's like ivy in the respect that you can plant it and let it be and not have to do much. This is great for those wanting low maintenance. 
• It's good for erosion control.

It grows best in zones 3-9 (so just about everywhere) in part sun to shade.
It starts at 12-24 inches tall and 12-48 inches wide (but doesn't stay there - just thing "the Blob"

It blooms early summer and the flowers rise above the foliage, seemingly floating in the air.

Bishop's Weed has been used medicinally for bee stings, burns, and the treatment of gout and psoriasis. That might convince me to grow it in a container out of harms way - but I don't want ti where it is now, no matter how woodsy it looks. It's about to choke my poor roses!

I'm not one for herbicides. I have been able to maintain pretty much all weed growth I need with a mixture of white vinegar, salt, and water.  This lovely however just laughs as the salty shower.

Next in my battle plan is conscientious pruning to keep it at bay until the spring. Because it's perennial, it will die back for the winter. I plan to cut it to the ground and cover it in black plastic tarp. Hopeful that will do the trick. If not, I pull out the big guns.

So, if you love your garden, and like your neighbors, this is not the plant for you. It's known to spread  most auspiciously because people pull it up and toss it in the woods or even compost where it takes root and takes off. So be mindful with it - if you must have it, contain it.

Simply Sunday

Snapshot Saturday

 I have been putting the finishing touches on decor at Our Haven, a room at a time. My latest project was a wall hanging for our bedroom. I saw this knot design I really liked and my brilliant artist-daughter helped me tweak it and add the phrase I wanted.  I really love how she made it look three dimensional and yet kept the sketch aspect of it. I had it canvas printed and it is exactly what I wanted!

 It looks great on the wall above my bed. The next thing is a furniture project - a pair of twin antique wrought beds from 1920's. I'm going to refinish them in a hammered bronze and join them together for our Cal King bed. 

This is the view that makes me not want to get out of bed. 

I also have to celebrate a fabulous find - summer season clearance plus $30 off for a great bistro set (I paid $60 for a $250 set). The chairs swivel and rock and there's a cute little table, too. You can just see the edge of one of the chairs in the picture above. 

I took these pictures from my balcony vantage point enjoying my new find with a cup of homemade lemonade-tea.  

I practice breathing daily, "In. Out. Let go. Repeat" and I think it's finally starting to work. Too bad I have to return to school next week.


Thanks for stopping by!

Therapy Thursday

My therapy project today was an extension of my Garden Notebook.  I really wanted a chore list available at a glance for family members to reference but didn't see anything I liked at the stores or online, so I made one. ^.^

Here it is all finished:

It took me longer to make my custom lists than it did to put it together.

Basic info:

• The font is Jane Austen - I like it even though I'm not an Austen literary fan.
• The lists are printed on resume paper for a parchment look.
• I bought a 12x36 poster frame with glass  - important if you want to use dry erase on it) for about $15 at the store 
• I raided my fabric stash for the backing and 504 spray.

With my materials all laid out, I got started.

I trimmed the fabric to the board with about an inch and one half extra all around. I pinked the edges so they wouldn't fray.

I sprayed the 504 on the wrong side of the backing board and smoothed the fabric onto the surface. Then I flipped it over and sprayed the 504 along the edges.

I pulled the corners in first and then did the sides to make a nice edge. Then I worked from the center out to the edges to pull the sides down. I didn't need to tug much, I just wanted to keep it smooth and not wrinkle.  You can see from the picture above, I wasn't really worried about perfect lines with the spray glue (5o4). No one is going to see that side anyway. 

Sorry it's a bit blurry. Here it is ready to flip and add the checklists. 

I did a little math to center the pages, put a touch of 504 so they don't slip and then it was ready to frame.

In the frame the metal turn downs will hold everything in place.

All I have to do now is mount it. I'm going to put it in the laundry room along with a dry erase marker. The expectation is that when people do chores, they will be able to check it off and initial. I'll be able to see what's been done and what needs doing and I don't have to maintain the list in my head. Win on both accounts.

To Do List Tuesday - Garden Notebook part 1

Updating and creating a "good" garden notebook has been on my list to do for quite awhile. I just wasn't sure what I wanted or needed in it.

Until now, my garden notes have just accumulated in a composition notebook. That's fine - everything is in one place. The down side is that it's not as organize as I'd like and it's hard to find something without having to page through it all.

Today, I sat down with a cup of tea, a few of my gardening books, and my laptop and put one together. I think I mentioned I'm a bit neurotic with organization - I like everything to have and be in its place. I think this notebook will allow me to do that.

I will put it in a vinyl 3 Ring Binder, use page protectors where appropriate, and dividers for the sections. The beautiful thing is that I saved it as a PDF and can just print pages as needed. I also have it as an open file so I can make changes and tweak things as I see the need.

The notebook is divided into 5 parts, detailed below:

Planning & Projects: pretty self explanatory. In addition to the forms I created, plant tracking (what was planted where), a project tracker, and planter design pages for box and barrel pots, this section will include graph paper for drawing plans.

Maintenance & Chores: I created forms for seasonal and monthly maintenance/chores with check lists as well as amendment/fertilization record page

Reflections: I have a choice of a weekly Observation/Note page or a week-at-a-glance page with daily details.

Plant Profiles: Annual, Perennial, Orchard, and Veggie - color coded

References where I'll keep images of planting charts, or plant identification charts and other reference photos.

That's my To Do for today. Let me know if you think I have missed something. I think the next notebook I need to tackle is for house and equipment maintenance. But that's another day.


Thanks for stopping by!

Mystery Plant Monday

Our mystery plant of the week. 

In a previous blog post I talked about my foibles with my bulb order (read more here). I got them planted but there were quite a few mystery plants due to the labels washing off in the soak. 

Now they look like this . . .

Some of them show no signs of sprouting. I'll overwinter them in the greenhouse and see what happens next year. If there's still nothing, then I'll compost them and try again. 

Others, like the Irises and Montauk Daisies seem to be doing just fine in spite of being appetizers for the chickens. Then there's this one (below). No idea what it is. At least I have my order form to start with and I know some of the things it's not. 

My method this time? Do an image search on my order list and see what I find. 

 And the winner is . . .  Asiatic Elodie Lily

Here's what I learned: 

Family: Liliaceae (lil-ee-AY-see-ee)

Genus: Lilium

Cultivar: Elodie

It will bloom with candy pink layers of petals. It is pollen-free and is often called a Kiss Lily. Blossoms can be anywhere between 3-6 inches. Tends to single bloom the first year and then double bloom in following years. 

Plant bulbs 4" deep about 8" apart.  It does well in pots or containers and will grow to 24-36" tall. It is hardy in zones: 3-8, hardy in 6-8, mulch in 3-6. 

It prefers a rather heavy soil with lots of humus and good drainage. It likes the soil to be mildly acidic (6.1-6.5) to neutral (6.6-7.5). It does well in full sun or partial shade and blooms mid to late summer. 

Propagate by dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms, or bulbs. Plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile (no pollen, remember)

Care: remove faded flowers and do not cut back stems until autumn. Bulbs shouldn't be lifted, only mulch if necessary. Will bloom annually for many years. 

Mystery solved. Now to add the details to my garden journal. 

I can't wait to see it in bloom. 

Simply Sunday

Snapshot Saturday - FINALLY!

Finally! They finally figured it out.

The Dingle Twits have gone into the coop on their own four days in a row.  How you ask? I have NO IDEA.

In desperation and frustration, I kept them in the run for a few days, but let the Goddesses out hoping that would do it. Then I let them out too and waited. . . They waited until almost dark and perched in the tree.

I decided to try something different. I waited until they were asleep and moved them into the coop and put them on the perch. I also put the Goddesses on the perch since they were just dog-piling on the floor.

After that . . .

The funny thing is that the second night of voluntary cooping (don't know what else to call it) they reminded me of siblings in a fight that draw a line down the center of the bedroom.  The Dingle Twits were on the left, the Goddesses on the right and two feet of space was between them.


I don't care how or why they set themselves up in the coop as long as they do it and I don't have to fish anyone from trees.

Here are some of their favorite gathering place (of course, their favorites tend to be mine and I have to hose the deck or nurse potted plants but I'll take little victories).

These two do this at some point every day. It's like kids swinging at the park. 

They tend to gather here in the afternoons for a dirt bath or just to chill in the shade. 

I planted "Chicken Salad" in the boxes outside the coop: It's a seed packet from My Pet Chicken I found containing Dwarf Essex Rape, Purple Top Turnip, Bracco White Mustard, Forage Kale, and Landino Clover. We'll see what the girls think.

I've been trying to balance my To Do list for the new school year with the To Do List at Our Haven and finding balance has been difficult.  

Thanks for reading - come back soon.

Simply Sunday

Snapshot Saturday - The Goddesses are 16 weeks!

I has been a beautiful day here at Our Haven - clear blue skies and just enough of a breeze to keep thinks cool. Temps only got to the high seventies.  SO, how did I spend my day - doing curriculum work on the deck with a FABULOUS view of the  river.  Every so often the Goddesses or Dingle Twits would come by for a visit.

I'm really torn between letting them free range and having to hose down the deck every morning or afternoon before I can use it, but they seem so miserable when I don't let them out.

Today's Snapshot Saturday is in honor of the Goddesses - they're 16 weeks today and really beginning to look like grown up hens. 

Artemis at two weeks

Artemis (now) with the ladies enjoying some water and Greek Yogurt (a special treat)

at a week ish

Ariadne at 15 weeks

at two weeks

Hera at 15 weeks

We had to put Eris in "chicken jail" at least 4 times in the first few weeks.
She's finally settled down - only causes chaos for the Dingle Twits now. 

Eos, above, heading for some shade.
Persephone below, having a sit.

 You want to sit here? 

Never too far apart from eachother - 

Ganymede on the perch
 I can hardly believe I used to be worried  because she was half the size of the others.

Not anymore . . .

Now she's as big as Hera. 

I caught this one just in time: 

 "You won't BELIEVE what the Dingle Twits did next."

Did you guys say something? 

The last two photos were too good not to post. If nothing else, keeping chickens is good for lowering the blood pressure.