The Front Patch Battle Continues

Regular readers may remember the ongoing saga of the front patch garden that greets those driving toward our property. I spent weekend upon weekend weeding the area last year until I admitted defeat and just let it go, whacking what I could where I could and trying to accept it. But, thanks to some free advice from a lawn professional, we fought back in the fall, cutting back as much as we could with a weed whacker and and using weed killer to finish the job, thus obliterating good with bad in some cases, but providing a nearly blank canvas to start over.

Patch pre-mulching

Said generous lawn professional also recommended that, early in the spring, we mulch the bed mercilessly and the plant whatever we like. We've had such a mild winter than many plants are coming in already, but luckily most of them seem to be wanted ones, including this unidentified lovely:

Crocus/iris hybrid? Who knows?

Anyway, we started mulching today. We knew we would need more than the 10 bags we bought, but not how much. Observe:

The fresher-looking brown patch is the mulch.

Behold how much more there is to go.

Gratuitous buggy shot. Very hard to get this opportunity!

Anyway, I was disappointed that it didn't go farther, but optimistic about the improved look of the front area. Ultimately, I would like a lush patch with just a few mulch-spaces between, as I prefer a more natural to a heavily landscaped look. But for now, the lack of chaos is satisfying. Luckily we have some time off this week, so we can keep running out for and spreading mulch.

Mulch. Who knew how happy it could make me?

Vegetable Beats Rock

I destroyed the beginnings of a perfectly good rock garden last week. The interesting thing is that it was in my vegetable garden.

Being a bit out of practice with the blog, I didn't take any before pictures, but I'm sure you can visualize a yea-by-yea patch of earth surrounded by low wire fencing to keep the rabbits out and covered with all manner of moss, lichen, and other terrarium appropriate plant. You see, we've had such a mild winter that not much has frozen, and things have started kicking off early, even weeds. Bastards. But I have a plan.

We live a few miles from some terribly fragrant mushroom houses. Luckily for us, the smell almost always blows down into our poor, unfortunate, blighted "city." We, instead, reap the benefits of cheap bags of rich soil. All you do is drop in a random person's backyard, drop $2.50 in an honor system box, and shovel your own feed bag full o' rich, filthy earth. Steal.

So today we spread that mess over the garden, turned it all over, and put down weed barrier fabric in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the purslane invasion of last year.

 

Ignore the bag label – this is the mushroom soil.

Mushroom soiled and turned over

 Alternate angle

 

E

 

Weed barrier – we might have done more, but we ran out. This should help.

Alternate angle

So now for this years crops – we are planning to repeat the tomatoes and peppers with a few alterations. I think we'll focus on the little yellow Sunsugar cherry tomatoes that were delicious, prolific, and the most useful. As much as I like the idea of heirlooms, I will probably forego them, or perhaps get one, as heirlooms seem to be heirlooms for a reason and are probably not intended for the novice. As to peppers, last year I bought purple bell peppers that turned out the be green peppers in disguise. So this year, I'm going for any hearty, tried-and-true red pepper. and in the hot pepper department, we will probably keep a few serranos but try a habañero or lemon drop as well.

In herbs, we will get a lovely basil plant and I will try to do some cilantro from seed as I've learned you need to stagger plantings to have a steady supply.

New experiments this year: scallions, Stuttgart onions, Yukon Gold potatoes, and, of all things, peanuts. It's going to be jam packed, and perhaps a snarl, but what the heck.

And We're Back

Back from many holidays, an incredible trip west, and a new baby niece, we emerge to tell you that...well we're still working on the green room. I know. But the bones are almost in place and then I swear it's on to the next. The final decorations/shelf inhabitants will be a work in progress to which we return to document as events warrant. So for now:

We will be changing out the mirror over the fireplace – it's a bit too small. And we still have to install the lights over the bookcases, fill the bookcases, etc. Aaaand we have some blinds to put on the windows. But rather than wait, I wanted to let you know a) we're still here, and b) we're getting back into the swing of things. We took a bit of time off to just enjoy the place over the holidays, but now that the decorations are boxed up, we're eager to get back to spiffying. More soon, promise.

Yet More Decking

More holiday decor for your review:

 

Tree:

Window box swags:

Fireplaces:

China cabinet:

C's family nativity:

Merry Christmas!

More Hall Decking

The process continues...

We will have to try to get a close-up of the flower boxes – they are decorated with swags of real greens and holly, each with a faux-cardinal perched on top. E's family is originally from St. Louis, so it's a bit of a nod, what with their big year and all, but what bird says Christmas more than a cardinal?

Sneak peak of the inside – more to come:

Hanging of the Greens

So it's our first Christmas in our new house and we are just atwitter with possibility. So much space to decorate! But we're keeping it simple, both because we prefer that, and also because we are still working on acquiring surfaces to gee-gaw up with Xmas-y things.

I am always torn this time of year because I simply like too many Christmas decorating styles. European/Austrian/Alpine woodsy greenery, Victorian postcards and sparkles, modern retro mercury glass and shimmer – so many directions at once! But as my Annie would have recommended, I gave myself a talking to and decided to keep it simple, Martha-Stewart-esque magazines be-damned. If the place is only semi-fab, I'm sure we'll muddle through just fine. So it all began today as E and I set for the to get the greens and some old-school C7 incandescent (you heard me – INCANDESCENT) lights. Can't you just smell the fossil fuels burning? Yes, I'm all for saving the earth but DO NOT make me do it with garish LED fairy lights. Get back in the lab, science types, and come back with something that doesn't look like it belongs in a club or a used car dealership and we'll talk. In the meantime:

 

Much more to do, but we're pleased with the start!

Mailbox Redux

So you may remember that, as part of our freak early snow storm this year, our old mailbox post met a slightly untimely end (although it was rotting and listing to port, so I suppose the heavy, wet, snowplow spray was only somewhat to blame). Anyway, we  quickly replaced the post and returned the undamaged mailbox to its right, now less slanty, place.

We next needed to put our house number on the box or post as it appears nowhere else. We looked for post numbers but couldn't find any we liked. I had seen vinyl decals on Etsy meant to be placed directly on the mailbox, and I preferred that, but the silver mailbox had a slight ridged texture that would have made a decal wonky. In a "darn-it, this-is-our-house-and-we'll-get-what-we-like" moment, E bought a new black mailbox with flat sides that would accommodate a decal. The silver box has been added to our growing yard sale pile.

So here's the new box:

I wish I could show it to you in all its glory, but I simply must obscure the address. Instead, here's the example photo from the woman who made it:

 

So now just squint and mentally merge. Pretty, no?

Plus it matches our spray-painted shutters. It all coming together! Slowly.