tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768014276368721292024-02-06T21:53:11.388-08:00The View From Our GardenPeter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-77158726948791886412021-03-02T10:31:00.000-08:002021-03-02T10:31:03.493-08:00March, and a New Season is at Hand!<p>Somehow, it has gotten to be March.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppTAqBAkzxzBs0Edr1sVGf2BEW2gMMSEWNIejfgv8WQyUiBVr7kzNhz2TvTvjRvAWs2CrSrix-Qn9J3q-_3hTyNIO4k2t6Ewj7BOI0QOD3OUi048gDe-VS71Z31yvHqcgL4WbvYP80_8/s1400/20210302-Forsythia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="1400" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppTAqBAkzxzBs0Edr1sVGf2BEW2gMMSEWNIejfgv8WQyUiBVr7kzNhz2TvTvjRvAWs2CrSrix-Qn9J3q-_3hTyNIO4k2t6Ewj7BOI0QOD3OUi048gDe-VS71Z31yvHqcgL4WbvYP80_8/w400-h364/20210302-Forsythia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Yesterday, I went in search of signs of Spring. Although it is definitely still winter out there, there are signs of life, already... which also means that the time is at hand to start working outside, again.</p><p>As always, the forsythia is one of the first signs of spring. It's just <i>starting</i> to show a few bits of yellow.</p><p>I remember that, from being a kid in Denmark, too. When we could see the yellow of the forsythia, we knew that spring is not <i>that</i> far away.</p><p>Looking around, the lawn has that "<i>lumpy</i>" appearance that follows winter. We have moles this year, over between "BeBe's Island" and Magellan. They were very active a month or so back, but don't seem to be, anymore.</p><p>There is still standing and slow draining water over at the base of Orange's Hill. Clearly, the uphilll changes in construction and drainage now comes this way.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gE5tllPPkq71mMbjY3CkKLnVkQAUllLuqNzJcnEMdzV5EtWI-fq1IRsUChvTwPnSxV2v2tkpJm0i2Qs8-h0khnrxTsmgIsFgQrnV70LHKU2rhQHv6IwpeY5p1EID074lf5AR0O4Gmkg/s1400/20210302-Leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1400" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gE5tllPPkq71mMbjY3CkKLnVkQAUllLuqNzJcnEMdzV5EtWI-fq1IRsUChvTwPnSxV2v2tkpJm0i2Qs8-h0khnrxTsmgIsFgQrnV70LHKU2rhQHv6IwpeY5p1EID074lf5AR0O4Gmkg/w400-h319/20210302-Leaves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Looked for more signs of spring; not sure what this bush is called but it made for a pretty photo.<p></p><p>We've had a fair number of winter storms this year, and there are quite a few loose branches and twigs that need to be picked up.</p><p>There are also "dead things" to be removed, the old daisy stalks, and last year's dead irises. </p><p>Never any shortage of things to do, when you have a garden!</p>Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-6509100650354309092019-05-21T21:32:00.000-07:002019-05-21T21:32:10.479-07:00Taking Back Our Garden from the WildernessWell, there it is, our lovely home in the afternoon sun.<br />
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Things have sure grown up, since we moved here.<br />
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What I suppose I will think of as "<i>The Red Dragonfly Years</i>" added a certain air of neglect... which isn't really neglect so much as a lack of time and energy.<br />
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I look forward to resuming the quest to create something that resembles an English garden. Or, at least, something that is<i> our</i> garden, reclaimed...<br />
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The lawn... and so many other things have gotten away from me.<br />
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Some parts look pretty respectable, all in all, like the lower driveway area. Nothing that a good lawn mowing can't maintain. Trim a tree here, cut back a shrub there...<br />
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We have a shrubbery!<br />
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I mowed today... or at least tried to get a little further along.<br />
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The thickness of the grass (and weeds) and the pervasive mist and rain have made mowing much like trying to create creamed spinach with a lawn mower.<br />
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Not proud of that thicket down at the end, though.<br />
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The foreground looks OK, though... even if it's mostly weeds.<br />
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At least Daisy has a place to poop, without getting her butthole in the weeds!<br />
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Eventually, I'll get to those weedy bits down there, as well.<br />
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But we have lots of lovely things going on, as well. And those are worth celebrating. I don't want to get all mopey, because I do love this place... and all it needs is a little more <i>time</i> and care. Funny... how important "<i>time</i>" becomes, sometimes.<br />
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The eucalyptus tree is blooming!<br />
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That's the second time, since we moved here.<br />
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Funny how eucalyptus trees aren't even supposed to grow here, but we have the 2nd largest eucalyptus tree in Port Townsend.<br />
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Eucalyptus trees also aren't supposed to <i>bloom</i>, here... so much for the whole "<i>supposed to</i>" gig... but we are well aware that we have a garden filled with "<i>not supposed to's.</i>" I actually rather like that whole idea... and I am sure we will develop new "<i>not supposed to's</i>" in the years ahead.<br />
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Meanwhile, another not-supposed-to, also known as the Princess Tree, is now blooming quite well.<br />
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I suppose its only real "concession" to living this far north is that it sets bloom and leafs out much later than the native plants.<br />
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They don't really get a lot of snow in South-East Asia, but I'm guessing certain sub-varietals of these grow in mountain regions, and that's the kind we have out there.<br />
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Well, it's getting pretty late in the day, and I should get this out and published... another little reminder of our surroundings, and a snapshot of what is happening in the garden as time moves by.<br />
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Meanwhile, I'll close out for today with a shot of the first white iris of the season. Noticed it earlier, when I was mowing behind the labyrinth.<br />
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Means the rest of them can't be far behind.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-73370389800145890122017-01-01T22:45:00.000-08:002017-01-01T22:45:02.102-08:00Starting afresh...And so, a new year begins. Somehow, it has become 2017.<br />
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This morning we woke up to the remnants of a few ice pellets that came down last night... seeing white on the ground for New Year's Day is something I have not seen in a really long time... perhaps not since I lived in Denmark as a child.<br />
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Thinking about my childhood, and walking around through fields and woods during this fallow time of the year... the colors then were as they are now; some green but mostly shades of gray and brown as things lie dormant.<br />
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Nature is alive, but not growing.<br />
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Around the garden, our resident mole seems hell bent on causing ongoing disruption in the labyrinth! Of all the places it could dig its tunnels, it chooses the labyrinth. Oh well...<br />
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Meanwhile, one of our forsythias seems to think it is spring-- a few yellow flowers a peering out. Reminds me that here in the Northwest we seldom see much of a really "hard" winter. Can't say as how I mind. The relative maritime mildness allows us to grow all sorts of things here, even though we are about as far north as you can get and still stay in the continental US.<br />
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The "microclimates" here never cease to amaze me. Just a mile up the road, there's actually a good layer of snow and ice on the road into town. Here? Just a few thin patches of white...<br />
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Well. One can but hope this will be a better year than 2016!Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-90569519064042762702016-11-16T16:05:00.000-08:002016-11-16T16:05:06.251-08:00Winterizing the labyrinthSo it finally became time to "winterize" the labyrinth. Somewhat later than usual, since we now have the gallery, and have been dependent on Wednesdays-- our official "day off"-- to be nice enough to work outside.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few random leaves remain...</td></tr>
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Ironically, today was supposed to be rainy, windy and nasty but instead we were served up a nice sunny and breezy day.<br />
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I started up outside around 9:00am, wanting to get outside and "get things done," just in case the weather forecast turned out to give us the promised nastiness a little bit late.<br />
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There's a fresh dusting of snow on the Olympics, and it was surprisingly "fresh" out there as I started gathering tools for the day's work. Winter is coming-- there is little doubt about that.<br />
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The recent winds have pretty much blown all the leaves off our trees-- save for a few tiny clusters here and there-- so the first task at hand was to rake up all the leaves. That quickly turned into quite a pile. I had intended to haul them to the dump with some brush, but decided instead to pile them in the mulch/compost pile... putting a bunch of wet grass on top of them will keep them from blowing away later.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's about 10 large plastic bins of leaves, covered with heavy wet grass</td></tr>
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Truth be known, the leaves were already pretty heavy and wet from the steady rains for a couple of months... and they made quite a mound. I think I probably hauled 9-10 big plastic bins' worth over there.<br />
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The labyrinth was a bit rough looking when I started work. Not only had it not had much maintenance done since July, but a mole seems to have taken a liking to it... and a number of small mole hills had to be leveled.<br />
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Getting the labyrinth ready for winter is really a three step process.<br />
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First, I mow the grass... and quite a few weeds that have taken root. This also gets rid of a few loose leaves.<br />
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Second, I weed-whack all the brick lines that create the labyrinth pathways. That was actually a hell of a pain in the butt as I didn't just have to weed-whack, but I often had to stop to scrape piles of soil away, deposited there by the resident mole. Still not sure what (if anything) we are going to do about him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisy has inspected the freshly "shaved" labyrinth and approves</td></tr>
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The weed whacking actually took the better part of 1 1/2 hours, and also served as a reminder that I am NOT 29 anymore!<br />
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Once weed-whacked, the final step is to run the mower one more time-- with the grass bag-- to pick up all the loose grass and debris. The mower with the grass bag actually works as a nice "picker-upper" and the blade works as a bit of a turbo fan to blow loose bits off the bricks.<br />
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All the heavy wet grass and dirt bits ended up as a heavy layer on top of the previously raked leaves. In a couple of years, it should have cooked down to a nice mulch we can use somewhere else.<br />
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I feel pretty relieved to get this done-- almost a month later in the year than in 2015. But better late than never, and since the growing season is now seriously over, hopefully little will have to be done before spring growth starts up again.<br />
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There are still lots of things to be done in the yard during the winter season, but this was the most urgent item on the agenda, and I feel happy to have gotten it out of the way.<br />
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Sadly, we have very little time to garden these days... other commitments seem to eat up all our daylight hours.<br />
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As I walked around, it was nice to see that these purple flowers-- purchased this summer from the "save me, I am almost dead" bin at the local garden center-- doing very well and still blooming. The entire plant has more than doubled in size!<br />
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Small victories...<br />
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<br />Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-21724627516655787912016-02-02T18:17:00.000-08:002016-02-06T16:27:39.960-08:00Longer Days...Sometimes, it's the little things we notice.<br />
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Like sitting at my desk and looking out, and then realizing that I can actually <i>see</i> what's going on, at 5:00pm... where just a month ago, it would pretty much have been pitch black.<br />
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There are many things about living here that reminds me of my childhood in Denmark... the weather and the light... and what grows here. Of course, some things-- like the eucalyptus trees-- don't grow in Denmark, at all.<br />
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So far, it seems to have been quite a wet winter, which bodes well for the year ahead. After a super dry 2015, I'm at least<i> marginally</i> hopeful that we won't end up with a severe drought situation again. The rain has translated into a lot of snow at higher elevations... which means there are decent water reserves on the ground. At Snoqualmie Pass, the December snowfall was the highest recorded in the 60 years they have been keeping track up there.<br />
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As of late, I have been starting to think about the garden again, and about what we might do this coming year. Last year was pretty much a write-off, in part because we had zero funds to sink into gardening, in part because we went to Denmark for 24 days in the middle of the peak growing time (June) so we decided not to do the whole vegetable thing, at all. We did put down some tarps late in the year to keep weeds from growing... not sure how effective that is turning out to be.<br />
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The only other "thing" going on out there is waiting to see if the Peony seeds we put in in the fall will turn into "something" when the warmer days of spring arrive. Growing peonies from seed is evidently not the way most people go.<br />
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Still contemplating whether or not to undertake the project of starting in on the garden beds.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-21620598874126781092015-10-17T11:07:00.002-07:002015-10-17T11:07:54.044-07:00Labyrinth Fall "Haircut."Our labyrinth got its "Fall Haircut" yesterday-- it looks nice and "tidy" and hopefully will make it through till spring without needing any further work.<br />
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The labyrinth is really one of our favorite features in the garden. We built it after being inspired by a lavender labyrinth we saw on a farm we visited, near Mount Shasta, California.<br />
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Building it was quite a lot of work-- and took almost a full year. It has had a few years to mature, and the surrounding row of lavender plants have filled in nicely.<br />
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The ongoing maintenance is quite a lot of work, as well. We didn't foresee that the brick lines that define the labyrinth's paths would need to be weed whacked quite as often as they do. I think I had an expectation that "maintenance" would mean regular mowing (easy enough) and then using the string trimmer maybe once in spring, and once in fall. Not so much so. The bricks get covered by grass remarkably quickly, and I'm probably out there weed whacking at least once a month between April and October.<br />
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It's a lot of work-- the average maintenance session takes about two hours-- but well worth it.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-65038343232718996692014-05-20T23:31:00.000-07:002014-06-03T23:47:38.804-07:00Our Purple Flowering TreeSince we've moved in here, we've been admiring the rapidly growing tree with giant leaves, located at the north end of the labyrinth.<br />
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A few days ago, we noticed it had delicate pale purple trumpet flowers, near the top of the tree.<br />
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A little detective work identified it as a "Princess Tree" or "Empress Tree" (<i>Paulownia Tomentosa</i>) which is actually native to China and South-east Asia. Although a bit of an "exotic" tree, this area would be considered part of its normal range.<br />
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Here in the US, it's actually considered to be an "invasive" species, as well as rated rather "messy" by many horticulturalists. Evidently, they are all but impossible to get rid of, once they have become established, and if you cut one down, it tends to come back with 100's of shoots from the roots. And not just "a little bit," but for <i>years</i> after the tree was cut down. The 2-foot long seed pods are also extremely messy.<br />
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That said, it's also quite popular for use in parks and decorative landscaping, being quite pretty as well as fast growing. I suppose we'd better keep our eyes on it, as these trees can grow to some 80 feet in height!<br />
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For the moment, though, we're just enjoying the pretty flowers.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-21022971389457419622014-05-19T23:54:00.000-07:002014-06-05T01:01:29.902-07:00It's a "Big Dig"The progress is slow... I spent another 3-4 hours behind the garage this evening, trying to move through the weeds that make up our future vegetable garden.<br />
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Given how thick it is out there, I find it hard to believe that the people who lived here before actually did keep this space very clean or free of weeds.<br />
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Got a little bit further along today-- still not sure whether I'll be able to get to the end of this by the time Sarah gets back.<br />
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I'm grateful for the relatively dry weather, which means I am at least not having to dig through thick gooey clay.<br />
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I ran into a few random potatoes as I was digging today; their placement seemed pretty random. In the greater scheme of things, I don't think we'll be growing potatoes here-- those will be out in the open part of the garden where we currently have lawn, and that will not happen till later this year for crops in 2015.<br />
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Looking at these photos, I can't even tell that I made any progress today... but I am closer to reaching the rhubarb against the stone wall, and I am actually a little bit <i>past</i> the apple tree, now.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-38507025661488743512014-05-18T18:13:00.000-07:002014-06-04T18:28:51.115-07:00The Weeding Continues...Sarah has gone to California to visit her mom for a few days, and I have determined that I want to surprise her with having the vegetable garden space behind the garage completely cleared by the time she comes home.<br />
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This is a rather ambitious project, as I already tried to get started on this earlier in the spring, and it took me quite a few hours to clear just a tiny corner.<br />
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I tore at it for several hours today and managed to progress a little bit. The grass and other weeds are incredibly thick, and all I can do is clear a square foot at a time.<br />
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I am glad we didn't try to just roto till it all under-- it's a thick mat of weeds and vines, and there are some blackberries in there, as well. What's more, it seems like the previous owners may have deliberately placed sod in there at one time, because in places the grass roots seem extremely "organized," and laid on a layer of plastic.<br />
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At the current rate, it will be touch-and-go whether or not I will be able to finish the weeding before Sarah returns. I have till Thursday-- her flight arrives fairly late in the day, and since James is going to pick her up at the airport, I have a full work day I can apply to this.<br />
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I am feeling fairly determined... it would be nice if I didn't "let this slide" for another year. It has already become too late to try to "convert" the lawn area on the end of the house by the chicken coop, but at least we might be able to "re-capture" this piece of the property... which was already used as a vegetable garden at one time.<br />
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In the meantime, Tori has been weeding in other parts of the yard-- she finished the bits along the driveway, today. The bits under the apricot tree are completely clean again... the weeds had grown up quite quickly, after we cleaned the space out, a month back, or so.<br />
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We have both mint (not sure what type it is) and marjoram growing there.<br />
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Tori is also doing some work at Avis' house, but she seems to have a lot of enthusiasm for gardening at the moment.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-51936024015072609702014-05-16T13:57:00.002-07:002014-05-16T16:27:58.302-07:00Through the Wilderness!It's a blessing that sometimes "big" projects aren't quite as large and evil as you fear they are going to be.<br />
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Yesterday, I put on long sleeves, a hat, my wellies and went out to tackle the wilderness behind the shed and the chicken pen.<br />
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Although it was a pretty miserable job, I got everything cleared back from the fence and all the way around the chicken pen, all in about 3 1/2 hours. In spite of gloves, my hands are rather torn up from blackberry thorns and stinging nettles, but all in all it was not as horrible a task as I had expected.<br />
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Experimentally, I left a "hedge" of greenery (sans blackberries) as a sort of "privacy screen" towards the neighbors. If it immediately starts taking over again, we may have to rethink that. Ideally, I'd like to see us grow a row of raspberry bushes along that stretch, but I am just not convinced the soil is good enough, nor that there is even <i>enough</i> of it. Maybe it should be gooseberries-- they are still delicious, but do better with poor soil and little maintenance.<br />
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I still need to continue clearing the space to Walt's property line, but the worst part of the job has definitely been taken care of. Of course, there is <i>quite</i> a dump run in our future!<br />
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If you compare today's two photos to yesterday's, it gives a pretty good impression of the change of scenery.<br />
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I'm glad this all went relatively fast and with less hassle than I expected... which means we are still on track to be able to use some of the space <i>this</i> season. We do have a rather "late" growing season here... it takes a long time before it warms up in spring, but it tends to stay fairly sunny and dry into October.<br />
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Now I need to get back over on the "other side" of the garage and see if I can't get the rest of the side yard fully cleaned up before the end of the month. It may be too late to grow quite a few things, but at least the space will be ready... and maybe we can get some herbs started, at the very least.<br />
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I really do enjoy gardening, but it can be hard to find enough time when you also have to worry about the daily task of making a living. Not that I am complaining, mind you!Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-65903230241608638032014-05-14T21:32:00.000-07:002014-05-16T13:42:35.537-07:00Cleaning out the Chicken Pen, Part DeuxThe chicken pen has been completely weeded and cleaned out!<br />
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Tori spent the better part of a day-and-a-half tearing everything out of there, and has turned it back into a usable space.<br />
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Keep in mind that this was virtually impenetrable "thicket," just two days ago. That was a LOT of work.<br />
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She is very enthusiastic about "growing things" and really wanted to "take back" this space and make it useful. And the fact that it is completely fenced in will keep any kind of critters (deer, raccoons, etc.) from getting in and nibbling on whatever is growing there.<br />
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Personally, Sarah and I are both thrilled about the progress we're seeing outside, as we both have pretty busy schedules that have kept us from doing anywhere near as much yardwork as we are really wanting to. And with Tori tearing into it, we're also feeling more inspired to join in-- it's a "win-win," all around.<br />
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Of course, there is a "looming thicket" still overhanging the space and preventing much sunlight from reaching the growing space.<br />
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It starts as a 6-7 foot tall barrier of stinging nettles by the compost bin, runs behind the shed, and runs as a 6-foot wide strip of "thorny wilderness" from there to Walt's property line.<br />
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It's basically a "wasted space" held in place by a retaining wall, where the soil us super poor and rocky (I think it was filled in with "fill" from excavating for the house foundation), but that has not stopped a number of blackberries from taking over and mixing with the nettles and well as what I <i>think</i> may be wild salmonberries.<br />
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At one point, I had this cleared out enough to build the fencing for the chicken pen, but it took only a year for it to completely grow over again. In order for Tori's project to move forward, there's no doubt this mess has to be cleaned up again-- especially if we want to get sun into the former chicken pen area.<br />
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I have no idea how much work it is going to be, and I don't look forward to tackling all those nettles and thorny things, but it just has to be done.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-68699891346578570722014-05-13T20:12:00.000-07:002014-05-16T13:20:25.410-07:00Cleaning out the Chicken RunTori has taken it upon herself to start cleaning out the weeds and overgrowth in the former chicken pen.<br />
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It's still a bit of a thorn in our side that we purchased a house with a built-in chicken coop and signs that chickens were recently kept there... only to discover that we were not allowed to keep chickens, at all. I put a lot of effort into renovating the space and "eagle proofing" it so the chickens could run around outside and not get eaten... and it was all for nothing.<br />
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I think Sarah and I both lost some of our enthusiasm and just let the space go to seed, after the chickens left to go live with Lesta. We talked briefly about using the wire "roof" as an arbor of sorts, to perhaps grow grapes but nothing really came of it.<br />
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Meanwhile, there was lots of seed from the chicken feed, and it combined with the richness of chicken poop and what was already good soil to create a total thicket where there once were chickens. To make things worse, a bunch of very invasive and prickly blackberry vines are starting to take over, from the border between the pen and the property line. Whereas it's nice to have <i>some</i> greenery as a buffer between us and the neighbors, it has mostly been "junk" that has done well there.<br />
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The good news is that I got the lawn mowed. Grass always looks so nice and "tidy" when it is freshly mowed.<br />
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Of course, one of the benefits of dry weather is that it is so much easier to mow... instead of a several hour odyssey of pain, it took me about 90 minutes (including breaks) to the everything back into shape. There are still a lot of weeds in the lawn... they seem to move around a lot. One year it's clover here, next year the clover is gone, but can be found in a different area.<br />
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Of course, we didn't do the whole "weed and feed" thing this year... still, not sure how much good it did, last year. I will say, though, that it got rid of quite a bit of the moss in the side yard.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-82671996074416518562014-05-11T14:52:00.000-07:002014-05-16T13:07:27.334-07:00Photographic Garden WalkWe have had some spectacular, warm and sunny days here in Western Washington-- unseasonably nice for the first half of May. As a result, things have all of a sudden "jumped into bloom" very quickly.<br />
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Sarah and I went for a slow meander around the garden, each carrying our cameras... here are a few of the things spotted along the way:<br />
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The peonies are now in full bloom, and they are quite spectacular. It's hard to get a true sense of scale from a photograph, but these blooms are probably a full ten inches across!<br />
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Since we just have the single plant, we also just got a total of six flowers, and they will be gone soon, for another year.<br />
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Really looking forward to adding more peonies to our "collection," though.<br />
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Keeping the weeds out-- or "under control"-- seems to be a never-ending saga around here. Things are so <i>lush</i> here in the Pacific Northwest, and plants... of <i>all</i> sorts... grow super fast. I was always battling weeds back when I lived in Texas, but they seemed a lot smaller and slower growing, albeit generally "spiky" or poisonous. Don't miss the latter so much!<br />
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Speaking of "weeds out," the labyrinth is starting to look increasingly "established," especially since Sarah and Tori completely cleaned up the lavender border. Last year we had to replace a few dead plants that just didn't make it through the winter-- this year they all look like they are going to make it.<br />
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The plants are all quite big and healthy, and are showing lots of fresh new growth. In a few weeks they should start to set blooms, and I expect they will have turned into something close to a small "hedge" by the end of the season.<br />
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Considering that we have about 90+ plants around the Labyrinth, this actually represents quite a "crop" of lavender. And once it's well-established? Well, it's something to look forward to every year.<br />
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So on the "menu" for later this year will be the task of learning more about "<i>things to do with lavender</i>." I'm sure Sarah already knows a lot about it.<br />
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On a more personal level, I am hoping that having what almost amounts to a "field" of lavender here will help attract butterflies. One of my favorite things about sitting on the back terrace at "Tofte" was always watching the myriad butterflies that would come to the ancient lavender bushes there. Of course, there are just not as many butterflies this close to salt water and the salt fogs of summer... but one can but hope! Photographing butterflies in their natural habitat is another of my favorite (pre)occupations.<br />
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The bed by my office window always seems to be a bit of a jumble. We have planted various things there, and some seem to have perished, a few have made it OK.<br />
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"<i>Fred, the Upside-Down Goldfish</i>" found his final resting place here, and maybe the spirit of Fred will help... although... he was pretty confused.<br />
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At the moment, the bed is dominated by an ocean of purplish pink flowers. I'm not even sure whether they are a "weed" or something deliberate. Either way, they seem <i>very</i> invasive and aggressive, and I think we'll have to somewhat "control" them if we hope to ever have anything else grow there.<br />
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Their foliage has a very distinct smell, strong enough that Daisy has trouble finding her ball if it strays into them. All in all, they are quite pretty. They are also extremely popular with the bees around here... whenever you go close to the bed, there's an ongoing buzzing of bees, most of them bumble bees, laden down with pollen.<br />
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Anyway, the "butterfly bush" (which actually doesn't seem to attract that many butterflies) is starting to grow from below. There are a couple of salvias we planted last year that seem to be coming back, and a couple of calla lilies are close to blooming on the spot where Sarah put Upside-down Fred.<br />
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The irises-- which were pretty spectacular the first summer we were here-- seem to be struggling a bit. Maybe they need to be given more room and less competition. There's always something to learn about.<br />
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Seems to me it is somewhat limited what you can actually grow in these very "raised" beds. Even with a layer of mulch, they have no real way to hold water/moisture... which means they end up bone dry in the middle of the summer (unless we water a lot), and a lot of plants don't like that.<br />
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The previous owners planted a lot of "exotic" conifers around the place, and this bed is home to yet another which seems to be all but dead. I'll probably be pulling it out of there, come fall. I guess the lesson learned there is to stick with "native" plants, as they tend to be a lot hardier.<br />
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Out towards the street, the various rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom. One of the things we still need to learn more about is "the care and feeding" of rhodys. Seems a lot of effort was put into having a wide variety, but I have not the slightest idea whether they require any kind of seasonal special attention. I know Sarah had ambitions of entering flowers at the Rhody Festival competitions... but I guess there's a fair bit to understand before that becomes a reality.<br />
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Meanwhile, this creature suddenly came bouncing out of nowhere and disappeared under the bushes across the street. Not sure we have to be too worried about them eating anything, until we get some veggies going. At that time? Who knows.<br />
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With all the rain we've had-- and now the warmth and sun-- the grass is growing like crazy... it already needs to be mowed again.<br />
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<br />Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-34934849782836920412014-05-08T11:54:00.000-07:002014-05-16T12:05:30.575-07:00Vegetable Garden WeedingI have started the process of digging out the vegetable garden area behind the garage.<br />
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It was always our intention to have a vegetable garden, but somehow the whole thing got rather overgrown, in the course of the past (almost) three years.<br />
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Seems like the previous owners of the house were "on their way" to having a vegetable garden, but during their final year it more or less went to seed, or was neglected. We didn't really do anything with it, with the result that we have ended up as the proud owners of a considerable weedy thicket.<br />
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There are some rhubarb plants against the stone wall towards the fence, as well as a couple of decent (but "half strangled") apple trees, and a couple of lilac bushes. I'm sure I will uncover other stuff as I did through this mess.<br />
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Because the layer of weeds (and SEEDS) is <i>so</i> thick and matted down, it just didn't seem viable (at least to me) to get a roto-tiller and just try to till it all under. So I am undertaking the rather slow and laborious process of scraping the top layer of weeds and roots completely off, so we can get down to the good soil below, <i>without</i> (hopefully) having too many weeds re-emerge and immediately take over the place again.<br />
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So far, I have dug out what seems to be another blueberry plant, and a nice clump of marjoram, both right there by the concrete foundation, at right. As an "addendum" to this project, I am going to add a fence along the property line to Walt's driveway... hopefully tall enough to discourage the deer. Maybe an extra wire along the top will make it that much more difficult to jump. Potentially, putting short lengths of re-bar or spikes into the top of the fence posts and adding a wire at the top of that could "heighten" the fence by a full foot.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-57177813114392295022014-05-05T08:44:00.000-07:002014-05-16T11:53:33.880-07:00Peonies!The peonies over by the shed are close to blooming.<br />
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These are probably Sarah's favorite thing in the garden, and certainly among my own favorites. At this time, we just have the single plant, but we are planning to add more, as the garden starts to take shape.<br />
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They weren't quite "ready" for our Labyrinth Gathering; they look like they will be in full bloom in a few more days.<br />
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Peonies are marvelously "showy" flowers, even if their blooms last only for a few days. I remember being a kid in Denmark, and my Aunt Grete had beds of peonies in many colors from almost white with just a hint of pink, to deep purples and reds. They were quite spectacular, and the different varietals seemed to have different times for setting blooms.<br />
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When you have <i>enough</i> of them, they can actually serve as pretty spectacular cut flowers... it will be nice to have a cutting garden here! Sarah is going to let the flowers bloom this year, and hopefully we'll be able to retrieve some seeds then they mature. Not even sure if that's how you <i>grow</i> peonies? Maybe we need to be looking for roots, or rhizomes, or something else...Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-7268185002825939892014-05-03T09:17:00.000-07:002014-05-16T11:41:06.356-07:00World Labyrinth DayWe have been working quite hard to get ye olde homestead to look presentable for our World Labyrinth Day gathering, later today.<br />
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The labyrinth has gotten a fresh "haircut" and the bricks have been cleared, which required a pretty thorough weed whacking. Tori has spent the past couple of weeks busting her butt at the seemingly endless job of weeding the lavender border. And it got done, and the labyrinth looks great!<br />
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We have invited friends from Port Townsend and around the state-- as well as everyone who lives here on the Colman Drive "loop" in Cape George. Since it is more or less an "open house" format, we really have no idea how many people might show up, nor <i>when</i> they might be here. I guess time will tell. We're about as "ready" for the event as we are likely to be. Now we just need to put the energy out there for it to stay dry, so people can actually be outside and walk the labyrinth.<br />
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Elsewhere, we have been starting to "tidy up" things, after what seems like a really long period of not paying attention to the garden... beyond just the most rudimentary stuff.<br />
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Tori seems to have developed an interest in yard work... and perhaps she's sensing (even if only inadvertently or subconsciously) the anti-depressant aspects of "playing in the dirt" and doing something physical.<br />
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The beds along the driveway have been completely weeded (we started that a few weeks back), and even the cracks in the concrete no longer have grassy bits growing in them.<br />
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I cut down the "eternally dying" madrona tree which used to be behind the red rhododendron at right. I never seemed to do very well, and every time we thought "<i>the last branch had died</i>" another branch would start wilting and soon turn brown. It seems there is some kind of "wilt" going around with madronas in the region, so it wasn't really specific to <i>our</i> tree. Anyway, the front looks a lot better with it gone, and now it will no longer hit against vehicles or people's heads.<br />
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Back when we started digging through the thick blanket of weeds along the driveway, Sarah discovered that we actually had six blueberry bushes, hiding below all the junk.<br />
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They have obviously been there <i>at least</i> since we bought the house in mid-2011, but they never really had much of a chance.<br />
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Now they have been "dug out" and Sarah built a small fenced pen to discourage the neighborhood "retarded deer" from wandering in there, too easily. Although this is hardly much of a "deer proof fence," it will at least make it a little more difficult for them... and since there is <i>so</i> much "deer food" in the area, hopefully they will move on to something that's a little easier to eat. We are still a little mystified by why <i>our</i> tulips seem to be such a delicacy for deer... yet other people in the neighborhood (without deer fences) seem to have beautiful tulips.<br />
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Maybe I should be researching to see if there are "complimentary plants" deer don't like, which you can mix in with the tulips to deter them.Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876801427636872129.post-21498840908391495992014-05-01T17:11:00.000-07:002014-05-16T11:43:11.006-07:00The Ever Changing GardenThe lovely thing about gardening-- especially in a locale with distinct seasons-- is that it offers a visible reminder of the passage of time.<br />
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Of course, there are many people who would prefer to <i>ignore</i> the fact that time passes-- but I am not one of them. Although I have the sort of personality that tends towards wanting things to stay constant and reliable, I also love watching the changing seasons, weather and plants come and go outside.<br />
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Gardening has long offered me a sense of peace, and I find it relaxing, even when it is a <i>lot</i> of work. Sadly, I have seldom felt like I had "enough time" to do much gardening.<br />
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Although I had this strong need to start a gardening blog, I am not entirely sure (as of yet) what I <i>really</i> want to accomplish with these pages. I think, for the most part, this will be a quiet photographic meditation... a place for me to pause and reflect in a world that otherwise seems pretty hectic.<br />
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There will definitely be some photos to show the ongoing projects and progression of our garden, but I expect some of this space will also be given to various philosophical musings. After all, there are few things quite as effective as weeding or mowing the lawn, to allow a person to drift off in contemplation of the deeper meanings of life and the world around us.<br />
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I expect I will also use this space to experiment with my interest in macro (nature) photography. Some of the musings will be mine, but I am also hoping Sarah will be my co-contributor.<br />
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Peter Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08413240103371243243noreply@blogger.com0