It is absolutely gorgeous outside this morning and I was blessed to be able to take my cappuccino out to my new swing and start my day.......still in my jammies......listening to the sounds of hammers and saws. What!?! Yes, our backyard neighbors had contractors strip their house down to three exterior walls and now they are building a two story house. Yup, kinda loud starting at 7:30 in the morning. Anyway, I digress....
So, I was out there sipping my cappy and I realized I hadn't blogged in a few weeks so I brought my camera out with me and took a few shots. Last week our yard guys spread seashell under the new swing and removed the shell from around the palm and lilly of the nile plants. Ummmm, I was killing them because when I had them put the shell down 6 months ago I was unaware that the shells would leach calcium into the soil around the plants and kill them. Yes! I know! Now, the plants are calcium free and should recover. Lesson learned.
They used up all 3 yards of the mulch and only got half way around the yard, which meant I had to order more. That will be delivered and spread down next week after Thanksgiving. It is looking a lot better in the backyard now that the bare dirt is covered and the dogs are not tracking gritty/sandy dirt into the house as much as they had been. Bonus!
This part of the yard is a work in progress. I love the old rusted out shabby chic chair and our painted mirror behind it. Maybe I'll build a plant box to sit on the chair with some plants draping down around it. After Christmas!!! And speaking of Christmas, I can hardly believe it's Thanksgiving week already. Wasn't it just Labor Day?
Here's a shot of the proposed orchid house area of the yard. Not sure when or if it will ever get done, but for now, at least there is a "floor" there of seashells and I moved our table and chairs over there since it is in shade this time of year. The vine covering the old gate has gone crazy!! I love the blooms covering it.
Oh, yeah! And this weekend we had Jarrad's boys stay with us while mom and dad went to a wedding in Sarasota. Because Jeremy's room was empty and we haven't put any beds in there yet, I improvised and we made a tent for them to sleep in, complete with lights. They seemed to have fun playing in there. We went to Heritage Village and petted farm animals and gave them a chance to run around checking out the old buildings there. On Sunday we played at the local playground until they decided they were hungry for lunch. I guess they were worn out because Nate requested an apple around 2 o'clock and promptly laid down on the living room rug and fell asleep with it in his hand!
Oh, yeah, I also checked on my garden. The tomatoes are coming along nicely and starting to get some blossoms. Yippee! And the herbs are going crazy, can't wait to dehydrate them for use this next year.
The broccoli and lettuces are also looking strong and sturdy. I see some fresh salad from the garden in the not too distant future. I would much rather cut fresh lettuce from the garden than buy it from the store. Hope we can keep the critters away from our harvest. The figs on the fig tree are getting bigger and bigger and I am watching them to see when they turn from green to dark plum and then I can pick them. Yum!
More veggies to come,
Debbie
