INEXPLICABLE

I have the goofiest troubles with computers...For two days I have pulled up this site only to find all the colors have migrated, morphed, or what have you...into unreadable combinations...sometimes even the template seems altered. I found this site today, and it is very close to the one I started with, so here goes.

At least it won't drop needles

We bought a fiber optic 6 foot tree complete with stand. Yes, it's artificial but at least it won't shed.
Now I can showcase the prettiest ornaments in my collection.

For the front door wreath I'll jazz up my old artificial one...give it a fresh red bow and some evergreen cuttings from the garden.

(Actually, what I did do was to put a red bow on an old "Eskimo" brand snow sled and tied it to the garden bench in front of the living room window.)

Christmas is on the way

It's December and our neighborhood leaves no room to doubt it. Dazzling lights (I think enough to read by) plywood Santas, roly poly plastic snow men, crosses, nativity scenes and Peace on Earth signs. (Somewhere nearby there's a "Whirled Peas" sign).

I get to select a tree today, test the old lights and find the decorations. And find an extension cord.

MORE

Perhaps the early rising plants are fooled by the great location they enjoy---a sunny spot on a slight slope which , in summer, lets the plants drip and dribble their leaves gracefully down to the path below.

The path at the foot of the berm is just for me so that I can slip in to tend the garden and keep the bird bath filled.

Hail and a drop in temperature have chased me indoors.

Berming it

Working on the berm with the sod was enlightening - - all manner of small, fresh young leaves are pushing up through the brown remains of summer past. I wish they knew it's too early---winter has only just begun.

Magic

The slide show continues to say, "loading," but it never produces a picture of my garden. The program might have been confused (?) at one point when it was displaying pictures of someone else's garden. Enough already.

Well, eat those words. We have lift off.

And the heading picture is back. Don't ask how. I'm sure I wouldn't know.

what

I loaded the sod into a wheelbarrow and pushed it to the fenced back garden. I figure I can build up and further support the back of my berm with the sod if I lay it grass-side down.

I'll take a digital picture of this particular project as I learn how to transfer the shots to the computer. I make such a botch of following directions.

That might be why I love gardening so much! It is so freewheeling and forgiving compared to working with computers, for instance.

Where did the illustration in the heading go?

At first I had a neat background for the heading but now it isn't there. Then I tried the new slide show feature and it didn't load right away. Now it loaded but it is not showing the pictures I picked out...It dug up some other ones. What nerve!

Starting a blog before you know what you're doing is certainly challenging.

Down and Dirty

Not especially a great day for outdoor work, but it isn't raining right now and the ground is nice and soft because of all the earlier rain... The ground here is rarely soft unless we have had a fair share of rain.

It is the perfect time to neaten the edges of the front yard gardens.


LATER...
The digging was easy and the severed sod heap grew to an intimidating size. But, why does one thing always seem to lead to another? I mean, what is somebody supposed to do with a load of heavy sod when the dump won't accept it?

ONCE UPON A TIME...

All gardeners like to say that there "was nothing here when when I started this garden," and I'm no different . There were Oak trees an old 'King' variety apple tree, and a crazy wisteria vine that sent runners through the back door screen right into the house. And I forgot to mention the ungraded lawn. Walking on it made a person look quite drunk as they reeled to and fro.

The little house we bought sat on a partially wooded lot and the land sloped down to the north, east and west rising a bit at the foundation. This helped the drainage of the tough clay soil until it was gradually improved by truckloads of loam, sawdust, compost, sometimes sharp builders' sand and sometimes by raising the beds.

I was initially surprised by the impenetrability of the clay. I dug in and broke the tip of a new spade. Thinking perhaps I had rock and not clay, I took what samples I could wrest from the "garden" and soaked them overnight in a pail of water. Since the so-thought rock dissolved I guessed it was clay after all.

BACKSTORY

THE PICTURES ARE SOMETIMES DUDED UP WITH PHOTOSHOP EFFECTS AND SOMETIMES NOT. SOME OF THE PICTURES ARE GOING TO BE TAKEN SEASONALLY...DATED ENTRIES OF WHAT IS HAPPENING "AS WE SPEAK."

PHOTOS WILL BE MINE (c)

THIS IS a path in the woodland section of the garden.
As illustrated articles appear, I'll attempt to name all plants in each picture.

BY GUM! I THINK I'VE GOT IT!

NOW TO WORK...

COMPREHENSIVE GARDEN INFO TO COME

Before serious posting, I want to try to customize the blog title with picture... know lots about plants but little about programing a blog.
Leafy signing out for now