New Projects in the Mid-Atlantic almost spring 2013

Yes, owls!

Rocks not mine. I like my rocks au naturel.

coleup -- what funny idea -- a road map for tourists. Mine would say "This dried dead twig was supposed to be [insert name]. That dried dead twig was supposed to be [insert name]," etc.

The first photo below is of a white oak in our back yard - it is 85-90 feet tall. Look closely -- there are two guys in it trimming it and cabling it! You can barely make them out. No way in the world would I do that job!

This message was edited Mar 28, 2013 11:08 AM

I could say this empty space use to be.......


LOL just realized that when I do my garden tour I quite often point at the stump and say That's where the Blue Spruce was. I need to replace it.

This message was edited Mar 28, 2013 2:48 PM

Too funny!

Yeah, I got a few laughs reading this thread this morning too. Especially Jan and her I am organizationally challenged....I would definitely belong in that support group.....Also loved Holly's garden tour speech involving...this is where the Spruce used to be......I do things like that too Holly.

I haven't been here for some weeks. Finally finished clearing the attic of all contents in order for John to begin insulating at some point. While emptying it a few lost things were found......yippie!!!!!......For three years at Christmas time I have had three different people go to the attic and look for some Holiday china I purchased but never used. I have had three different people tell me they couldn' find it.....well, it was finally found and the cool part for me is that there were actually two sets of it, so I now have place settings for eight. Yippie again!!! It is now clean and packed in a bin and labeled as to contents.

Last summer I had new carpeting installed through out the house. That meant that for at least a month all my spare time was spent packing up the contents of the house to be stored while the carpeting was installed. One evening towards the end of the packing up, I took a small ceramic frog and put keys to two desks and three china cabinets in the frog......I remember doing it vividly. Only problem a couple of months later when unpacking all the packed up things, no frog and keys could be located. We actually had a lock smith come to open on the china cabinets because we needed to move it and the glass shelves were going to break unless it was opened first and the removed......well, the keys showed up last week too!!!! Hip, hip hooray!!! The third item that had been lost were two DVD's a neighbor had loaned John a while back. I really hated emailing the neighbor a couple of months ago and telling him that the DVD's were missing. It did feel great to write him last week and report that the items had been found and would be returned soon.

Anyway....de-cluttering has been a major theme at our home for at least two years now. I am very happy to report that for two months running I was able to schedule pick ups by the Purple Heart Veterans Organization who will come to your home and pick up donations that they in turn sell to thrift stores to fund their organization. A hold has been put on the de-cluttering because I am at a point where I cannot access the bins that still need to be gone through.

I did get a phone call on Saturday from a girl friend who is going to allow me to go in to being half owner of a space in a local Antiques Mall. For some years back at least ten or so years ago I was involved in buying and selling collectibles and had a lot of fun doing it. I have held on to much of it and am really happy to be getting back in to it again. I will be going this afternoon to check out the space in order to then begin taking items there for sale. I did some research on selling this weekend, and hope the ideas I read will improve our chances of making some good sales......you folks please wish me luck. Anyway.......I am excited about having a place for some of the items which are currently just sitting in bins waiting on me to sell them.....How things accumulate over time, I do not know......I have run upon several things I have no remembrance of acquiring.....duh!!! It is kind of like Christmas morning when I open some of the bins, because some of the things I haven't seen for almost ten years.

Thank you to all who are here sharing their current projects.....always something it seems.....oh yeah, forgot to mention that I also got a good laugh at Sour Puss Sally's first post......Sewing is definitely something I was never very good at....don't have the patience needed to do a good job. My grand daughter was here last week and asked me to make a dress for one of her dolls......by the time the dress was ready to wear it was held together with small gold safety pins.....my idea of making clothes.......she did have fun decorating the red velveteen outfit with glitter, so it wasn't a complete bust......

Have a good week all and good luck with all projects.

Ruby

Ruby--

Where do you go to find out how much an antique item is worth? Any item?

I have little travel mementos my Mom bought on all her trips--usually commemorative ash trays
or just little paper wights. But--they all were from early World Fairs and such.

In general--do you have a good site to suggest? I am not good at looking through Amazon.

Thanks, Gita

G- you might just Google one. See this result for "collectible ashtray worlds fair"
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=collectible+ashtray+worlds+fair&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Be more specific, if it says on your item - "1939 Chicago Worlds Fair ashtray" for example.

Just a suggestion...

Thanks, sally---Google IS awesome.....
Haven't dome anything much with e-Bay. Aina is the queen of that! G.

Ric's building a flats cart. Just the right size to move in and out of the sliding doors in the garage. It has two levels and I think it will hold 8 flats. We can just roll it in and out, it's for the plants that we want to start hardening off. I'll post pics of it. He is welding it together and hasn't cut a hole in himself yet but he did set himself on fire. Oh well, it's not a project unless there is some damage. Luckily it was just his old jacket this time.

I love hearing about Ric's adventures!

Oh boy!!!! Did he stop, drop, and roll? That sounds like a wonderful tool for carting flats.

No I didn't stop,drop.... I just did the funky chicken till I got it out.

Oh, It's a wonderful cart will hold 10 flats. The big wheels easily move around the drive way. All built from scraps he had down at the barn. Leftover fence material, old bed frames that he picks up from along side the road and wheels from an old mower.

Great re-cycling, Ric!!!

Now--you will need to recycle your burnt jacket----time for a trip to the Thrift Shop!

Do you have a Sears Outlet anywhere near you? They have all kinds of clothes--NEW!
Really cheap! Womens--Mens--Childrens---they even run sales--like 2 for one...

NOT just appliances--which do not seem to be all that Outlet priced...

Great cart !!!!! Love the cleaning up the roadside and making something useful too.

Well, they were laying out with the trash along the road side. Even I stop and pick up bed frames when I see them. Ric uses them all the time for projects.

I can picture you doing the funky chicken. Love repurposing things. I showed Jeff these pics and he said, oh, he's my kind of man look at the piles of stuff to use.

And he didn't even see the back of the barn. LOL

Hahahaha. Even though Jeff doesn't garden, he will get on famously with everyone that comes, especially if they like woodworking or repurposing things. He is a teacher of AP Calc, AP physics and regular physics.

Hahaha, not to me it doesn't. Regular as opposed to AP. not as intense I guess. Elementary physics would be more my speed, especially if it didn't involve math. Life sciences for me, baby!!

We are contemplating a new back door- but thought Hey, wait for it to be on Sale!!! Almost everything goes on sale at some point, or they'll run some promotion.

Sally--

HD often has doors that have been returned, mis-measured, or such and they are discounted,
as Special orders cannot be returned to the vendor.
Go to the Millwork Dept. and ask if they have any.

They could also be in another location. Sometimes at the end of the Lumber aisle.
Worth a check--right? G.

Thanks Gita, a little legwork , I might get lucky and save $$

I have needed a new front door for years and just keep putting it off.
Gita Thanks for that tip I will also be asking our local stores.
Our HGHA plants came in yesterday so the flats cart is filled and it works great. We rolled it in the garage last night and back out this afternoon.

That cart is a thing of beauty -- I'm officially jealous.

He is going to make another when he finds another set of big wheels. So if any of you have a broken big wheel mower pull the wheels before you trash it.

How about a toddlers tricycle? Bicycle?
I bet you can pick one up at a Thrift Store--or will those wheels not be strong enough?
G.

Maybe a small size bike, but they should be strong enough but they do tend to go flat

I think we all are officially jealous. Heehee. Nice looking plants.

Wow Ric, that looks fantastic!

I finally finished my project in the front yard here are the pictures before and after also a picture of my back yard view from where I am sitting at the computer... .
The bed is where I used to have my veggie garden I replaced it with some other lumber and also made it so it is even with the property line for the city. I transplanted some of my tree peonies that were baked every year along the sidewalk from too much sun and I hope that this new location that t gives them some shade until 11 Am will help them bloom longer than one day. In the process they ended up being divided and they all seem to do fine from the transplant and are ready to bloom . The space under the holly tree will be filled with extreme shade loving plants including the resurrection lilies that seem to perpetually reproduce...as you see busy as always.Today at some point I will be in the greenhouse starting some of the impatience and the flowering tobacco and other things....

I forgot to mention , other than the peonies that were transplanted I also added some Orlayas and larkspurs that had been reseeding themselves all over the lawn , or what could be considered lawn .I also added some lilies stargazers, and Turk cap lilies , later I will be adding some columbines also a border of marigold . On the inside of the bed I will have a mix of wild violets(green all year and some low growing Sedum it makes a nice mix and easy upkeep. I do not have any intention to mow any lawn.... anywhere if I can do otherwise.

gorgoeus!

orchid---
I am surprised to hear that larkspurs grow so well in our area--and self-seed yet!
I always thought they were a bit of a northern flowers.....or am I thinking of some other blue flower?

If you are coming to the Swap--could you dig me up a few of the babies?
I love blue flowers....

Thanks, Gita

Oh that looks so inviting. Just lovely. Very worth all the hard work you invested.

I've tried so hard to get larkspur to grow for me, but I've always failed. But I know a lot of people locally are very successful with it.

Gitagal . I will not be able to go to the swap meet in NJ. I already have something planned for that week end. Maybe I can meet you next week when I come back from N.Y.. I have plenty and will be glad to share them. I live in College Park . We could meet half way from where you live.

Chris

I have larkspur self sow- Not anything fancy, but regular blue. Blooms early summer then dries up.