Too Grows

 

 

Well, the flowers grow at Too.  Too isn't growing yet -- like a little porch addition between the two cabins.  But it will!  Back to growing . . .

Himself has transplanted a thousand shrubs and plants and bulbs from home to Mo. I have helped, of course, but have done twenty percent of the planting, if that. The intent of all this planting is to eliminate the banks from the ‘to mow’ list. They are too steep and Himself wore out the Snapper push mower. He doesn’t want to buy another.

When we left today, there were irises galore blooming.

Several clumps of columbine are in bloom. We are finally getting those pretty native plants established.  Honeysuckle is in bloom, both yellow and pink.  Lovely!

There will soon be lilies. Then coneflowers and all the native Missouri ditch bloomers. 

I planted three new little Creeping Phlox (thank you, my daughters!) My driveway is going to be so pretty next spring.

(not my photo, had to borrow from the web)

 

And all those flowers bring these -- the butterflies.  And the hummingbirds and all manner of God's little creatures. 

 

 

Do you see Himself, out there in the yard in the top photo?  He's probably figuring out where to plant the next batch!

 

 

 

Amish

Echo Valley Greenhouse opened a couple of years ago. It is part of an Amish community near the old town of Modena.  There are two greenhouses full of bedding plants and beautiful hanging baskets. I never turn down a trip to the greenhouse.  Just don't go on Thursday as the general store down the road a piece is closed on Thursday. 

I am always sure to comply with the request on the door at Echo Valley.

 

Garden gate

Earlier this spring we strung chicken wire around the fence posts we put in last fall. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be because of the lay of the land. We got in a tangle or two, figuring it out but finally got it done to our mutual approval. Or should I say acceptance.  I had imagined running 1X4s, painted white, horizontally around the garden. Like an old chicken yard. I may rethink that because the garden isn't level. And that is an understatement.

We brought our old garden gate from home. It had just leaned around for 8 or 9 years with the center board broken out. Himself replaced the bad one with a scrap piece. I was going to paint the gate but after we got it up, I liked the old vintage look. I will leave it, as is.

This week we put in some tomatoes,  cucumbers and peppers. In spite of the cool weather we are having, the potatoes, radishes and greens are up. The onions are growing. 

Garden season is off to a good start!

Wild black raspberries

Wild black raspberries are available here at the cabin but not without a fight. 80 degrees outside but I dress in blue jeans and long sleeves. I spray myself, including my face and clothes, with mosquito repellent. I tell myself to put on my boots but I just can't take that last step. So wearing flip flops and full battle gear, I arm myself with a berry bowl and the nippers and flip flop out to the ditch. It is true that there are big, ripe black raspberries here but there is also Sheep's Coat, wild grape vine, hops vines and other rampant, vicious thorny vines. There is also a high probability of poison ivy. I cut my way into the berry vines. I throw weeds and thorny sticks behind me as I go. Halfway in I decide I need my leather gloves as my hands are already scratched and sore. The day (and I) get hotter by the minute. Sweat runs down my temples.  I capture ripe berries as I go. The sorry part of this whole venture is that the berries on a vine don't all ripen at the same time. I will have to re pick the vines each of the next few days. The moral of this story is that the berries are tempting enough to me that I will cut my way into them and by cutting and trimming today it makes tomorrow's venture easier.  The ditch hasn't been cleaned really good for a few years so between the prickly native plants, the water in the ditch from all the rain and the creature holes in the bank I cannot reach all the ripe berries.  I just have to close my mind to wondering if snake or wild critter lives in that mud hole. Guess I will be glad to share what I can't reach with the birds.  Below is a photo of all things removed.  Can you see the thorns on the light green stem?  They are razor sharp!

My garden project

 

A year ago I determined to dig a garden. A vegetable garden. I wanted to be able to pick tomatoes and cucumbers both at home and at the cabin. 

Mid-summer someone gave me a start of rhubarb. Forced to fish or cut bait, I  chose a spot up at the top of our yard where the soil is better and where the garden would get the most sun. I dug a small patch which involves removing 6" of thick sod and roots. I planted the rhubarb and grubbed me out a 6' X 6' plot. 

Later in the summer and fall, I spent 2 or more days digging out the sod, turning the soil and then covering the area with newspapers in an effort to kill the grass and weeds. By winter I had about a 12 X 12' garden.

This spring I took advantage of early warm days and enlarged the garden by another 6 or 8 feet. I hope to double the garden's size again this summer and fall.

Now my labor looks to be paying off. The tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes are twice the size as our vegetables here at home where our problem is too much shade.  If this garden turns out as well as it seems it will, we will grow our vegetables in Mo and leave the Creston beds for the flowers.  Shade loving flowers, that is!
 

 

Asparagus!  We have started a small patch here beside the rhubarb.

And the potatoes never look this good, up home. 

Bird watching

Who ever would have guessed when I was a child that I would grow up into a lover of flowers and birds and all things nature?

This is an Orchard Oriole. Some live at The Lake. They seem to like neighbor V's oriole food better than mine. Rats!! But we still see them flitting around . . . And the hummingbirds like our food just fine!

 

Another Summer Gone Sept 12, 2014

This has been a great summer, but to quickly gone.  Herself retired as of  May this year, and it has allowed us to spend just about as much time at the cabin as at home.  We had no real major projects this year, other than finally giving in to putting in a kitchen door in the old cabin. We had to cut out the kitchen window and enlarge the opening to fit the door. Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly when we attempt a project. Nothing major, just had to eliminate an outlet and move wires, but we did it.
We also spent time planting more flowers on the big bank, and now I have started planting honeysuckle shrubs on the bank by the road, looking forward to,  and planning on the time I won't have to(or be able to) mow it anymore.
As we had more time at the lake, we both did extra work for the lake assn. Herself walked the gravel road leaking from the K road into the lake area and picked up trash that people throw out.  There are no 5 cent can and bottle laws in Missouri, so people just throw stuff out. 
I, on the other hand, did extra mowing for the lake, pulling the trailcutter mower with the 4-wheeler, and using the big lake mower to try and keep things mowed up. A never ending job this year with all the moisture.
We also cut down a lot of dead trees on the kid's lake lots and keep busy mowing them.
We still have not installed a permanent heating system yet, but still looking.
We did install a new inside, on demand, water heater. And it keeps up with baths, showers, and laundry, so we are very pleased with it so far.
What will this winter bring. Hopefully we will spend at least some time at the lake.

2014 Thursday May 15: a Work Day

It didn't start off as a Work Day.  I slept until 7:30 this morning.  That is later than I like but maybe it was meant to be because I worked my buns off today, later on.

We didn't bother with breakfast this morning; it was catch as you can.  I ate tuna salad and I think Himself had a bowl of cereal.  Then we loaded up and drove out to find the Amish Store.  The New Amish Store.  Yes!  I don't have to drive all the way to Jamesport anymore! 

The Amish Store is over by Modena.  (Modena didn't even come up on the GPS.)  But take the road to Modena after the "S" curves, go to the top of the Hill.  A phone call to my hair dresser mid drive when we hit Mt. Moriah because I hadn't found the landmarks.  "Go back, take the Modena Road, the Variety Store is closed on Thursdays but go on past there and the Greenhouse is open".  So we did and we found it.  And wrote a nice check and brought home fine flowers from the Modena Amish family that used to live at Redding, Iowa. 

Oh those flowers are beautiful!  and different than what Wal-Mart has to offer. 

Well, so much for our nice morning drive to the Echo Valley Greenhouse.  The title of this post is "Work" so we'll get on with that!

I have signed on to mow Vi's yard this summer.  She made big noise about paying me well.  I have mowed three times, as of today.

The first time I just plain mowed.  There were no extras.  No weed eating, weed pulling, leaf blowing.  she paid me $20.  The next time we mowed, trimmed and primped.  I expected $25 and got $20.  Okay.  I know exactly what happened.  Vi's Great Depression upbringing made her wig out, cheap out.  She meant to pay the $25 but couldn't do it.  Shoved a twenty dollar bill at me. 

Last time Lanny mowed with the rider and I push mowed and used the weed eater.  This time I pushed the whole thing with Vi's self-propelled mower and then cleaned up with the weed eater.  Vi paid me $20 again.  Now, you know, Vi is 80 years old and I would mow her lawn for free but she was vocal and vain about paying someone to mow for her so I am taking her $20.  I am taking it because I go above and beyond.  I pull her weeds.  I 'leaf blow' her sidewalk to get rid of Maple Tree helicopters and grass clippings.  I pick up 350 sticks and put her dog out on the leash when it is appropriate. 

And besides, mowing Vi's Missouri Lake Lot is the best work out ever!  I am building stamina and muscle and getting paid to do it!

Meanwhile, Himself mowed all the lots and lawns today that he possibly could.  He did not mow Craig and Traci's because 'Pegleg' did yesterday.  Pegleg is like a Benji wannabe. 

We are both tuckered and stiff and sore today.  We figure this is just the way it will be, here on out.  Our muscles don't stay toned liked younger folks so we are always in the process of building muscle. 

We will have plenty of Work Days.  We will have plenty of sore and tender muscles. 

a Wednesday, May 14

We are at Too.  The weather is unseasonably cool.  It only got up to 59.8 degrees today -- but who is counting?  Even this cool, we worked outside today.  Himself cut trees and firewood and I helped him carry and stack wood and then we hauled the tree tops to the burn pile below the dam.  We also helped Craig's neighbor George clean up his old wood pile.  It had been there so long it was just purely rotted.

It has been cool, cloudy and damp all day.  That is good for working outside once you get the number of clothing layers figured out.  You go out feeling cool so you usually have on one more layer than what you need.  The way I work it, I go out and work in my layers until I'm sweating, then I strip the top layer off.  It would be better for me if I would go out and work a little cool and not work up a sweat. 

We are sitting inside now, at 8:00 pm.  Himself is watching "The Hummingbird Wars" outside our living room windows.  I have been sewing (cross stitch panel for Virginia -- I will be so relieved to have it done.  I have 1-1/2 flowers to do and then that is it!). 

While taking the tree branches to the burn pile, we saw a flock of Bluebirds.  We have never seen that many before.  There must have been 100!  We doubt that they will all stay but I hope a few do! 

 

Here is a pair of Eastern bluebirds, photo out of the internet. 

 

Guess which is female? which is male?  Tisn't fair, is it?

Flowers at Too

 

This is the purple cone flower.  A native plant to the Midwest prairies.

 

This is the first of my Hollyhocks at Too . . . and more Purple Cone Flowers.  I thought I had yellow cone flowers started in this bed too but they didn't come back this spring.  I will have to go find some.  I will track them down and transplant them here. 

 

This is Purple Cone Flowers blooming away east of the steep bank, east of the bridge.  Perhaps this whole entry should have been titled "Purple Cone Flowers"  ???

 

 

This is a May Apple.  When they sprout in early spring they make me think of a newborn baby.  They are so delicate and pretty : )

 

 

This is "The Bank".  Himself has planted some new plants on this steep bank just about every visit this spring and summer.  He is determined (and rightly so) not to have to mow it anymore.  Eliminating this bank from the mowing schedule saves Himself about an hour each time he mows.  

 

That is significant and adds an hour to the Porch Sitting time. 

 

This is "The Bank" in April 2013 after a late snow. 

 

This late snow saved Himself an hour's mowing time. 

 

In this case that hour saved didn't impress us so much

 because we had an hour's snow shoveling and tree cutting time. 

Weekend Visit

We. Had. Great. Weather. 

We did have great weather this past weekend.  I took a day of vacation Monday so we had a 3-day weekend. 

I hate to say it out loud as I'll jinx things but I think I already have -- just by thinking about it. The weather is jinxed because the forecasters are saying words like "rain, cool, snow, cold" for the next 5 to 7 days -- depending on who you listen too.  I sure hope they are all wrong!

This past weekend we enjoyed 70 degree days and the last two nights were mild enough to sleep with the windows open.  It was wonderful! 

Plants and trees and flowers are starting to bud, flower or leaf out.

This creeping phlox was bought and planted just this spring. 

We have high hopes. 

 

Himself has been planting this bank full of flowers so as to avoid mowing it (Gramps rolled his rider down it a year or two before he sold out to us; I think it scared him.)  Himself  bought some bulbs and dug some up at home and brought transplants.  These tulips blooming out side my door just brightened my day each time I stepped out.  Cheery! 

I'm hoping I have hollyhocks started.  Hollyhocks will come back year after year if they like where they are planted and are magnificent when they bloom. 

 

We had some welcome company.  Traci, Gabby and Bella were down Saturday and Sunday.  Craig and Joey had baseball but Joey had Strep : ( 

 

Little Bella is a cabin girl . . . and Gabby is there right behind her.  Bella says something like "we going to our cabin house?"  maybe cabin home.  Cute!   You can tell she likes it and wants to stay. 

And after the company, the construction work and the gardening, there was a little porch sitting time.  It was a good weekend. 

You all come back, ya hear. 

Bring it on . . .

It is almost cabin season. 

 

I know. 

 

I KNOW it!  

 

I keep saying that and then Iowa and Missouri "W E A T H E R" keeps throwing in a monkey wrench and we take 3 steps backwards.  This past week we have had about 2" of rain and the temps fell like a lead balloon.   70 degrees last weekend turned into 40 degrees daytime highs this week.

 

Some of Iowa got snow yesterday.  Nebraska and the Dakotas got ice and snow.  Minnesota and points north and east were buried with snow.  We were lucky here and just got rain.  Welcome rain. 

 

Meanwhile, I have Cabin Fever.  Need to go.  Need to be there.  Need to get outside.  Need these . . . 

 

 

Nature. 

Need some outdoor, up and personal Nature.  Snapping Turtles and all. 

I need rain clouds and low clouds and Thunderheads and high clouds

 

. . . and Spacious Skies. 

 

I need lake views. 

 

And more Spacious Skies. 

 

2001 must have been another weather eventful year. 

 

What a combination -- Great Skies and a good camera. 

Heart Strings



I have been reading a book of journal-like entries.  An Indiana farm wife, back in the 60s, with a bent for writing.  She published her diary with the entries arranged by season and as my Iowa March waned into April, I was reading her Indiana March and April spring entries.

She was naming wildflowers . . . She named names.  Haha 

Trillium, Salt and Pepper, Mayflowers, Dutchman's Britches . . . and it all put me in mind of my early spring discoveries in the timber at III. 

 

Himself and I found a whole river bottom of Bluebells several times. 

I have never seen anything like it in all my years.

Extraordinary. 

 

 

We found the Fairy Flowers.

We only had one super-duper Fairy Flower year but it was a 

spectacular display of Fairy Flowers

amd worth the wait.  It is something I will always remember.

 

We had young lady redbuds dressing in their spring finery

wafting through the timber.

 

We had leaves frozen into the ice on the pond.

 

We had moss and fungus and puffball mushrooms

 and things I had never heard of before. 

 

Don't be eating any of those mushrooms!

I can only identify the Puffballs 'rooms and

there is not a single solitary morel in the bunch.    

Don't eat these at home. 

 

We had all manner of insects . . .

bees and ants and beetles and walking sticks.

 

 

 

Looking back through all the photos of these beauties of nature and top those off with memories of my children and grandchildren at III and all the adventure, and misadventures and you won't have to wonder why the memories of III still tugs my Heart Strings.

 

Ten Years Worth

January 2000

 I have this one labeled January 2001

but this isn't looking like January in Missouri. 

Wow!  Spring!

I can hardly wait!
Emerald City ?

The good ol' days.

June 2003
I loved that boat. 

No, he's not fishing.

He's got a boat out there.

A remote boat!  2004

2005.

This is the one and only photo

I found for this year.

Was I in a coma?

I know I had a digital camera. 

This must have been the year of my discontent. 

Really, I have no idea. 

Fishing buddies.

2006

This was one of our favorite spots.

Mid summer.  2007

Icy Day

2008

My kind of day

Fall 2009

Grandkids and their interest in a

Dead muskrat in the water.

wa hoo!  yes!

Wintery Day

Early 2010

I think this was the only time we spent at Too

where the road was snowed over.

There will be more days like this.

Promise to
Himself.
Happy Father's Day.
Love, the other side : )