We added more garden to our garden. Again….

Hops came from our fence where it was completely beaten by other plants. We newer even noticed we have hops until we moved it out of shadow.  The tepee was built from old fallen brunches and some totems made from glass. It takes only month to fill it in… WOW! I newer think hops can be so powerful!  I can’t wait to pick it and make good bread with hops. Lately we became big admirers of sourdough bread. It is easy to make, and it supposed to be less gluten. But most important is smell…. Oh, boy! Nothing smells as good as a hot loaf of bread just out of oven…

Добавили еще сад к нашему саду...
Что новое? У забора под дубом мучился хмель -  темно, глинисто и скучно. Отмучи

лся – пересадили ближе к центру сада два полудохлых корешка. И за месяц они выросли вот в такой вигвам. (Фиг вам! Не загубили!)  Не могу дождаться когда начнем собирать шишки и  поставим закваску из хмеля для хлеба.  В  последнее время часто печем хлеб дома (Гордон у нас такая домохозяйка!). Закваску сами ставим, сами руками месим. Только потом я ползаю  и отдираю тесто со всего к чему прилипло – от ручки в ванную, до  телефона. И как только умудряется заляпять столько! Кстати, для тех у кого celiac disease- хлеб из закваси имеет намного меньше клейковины. 

We also added an arbor. I hope more hops will grow over it by next summer and we will add small red bench under it.  It would be good place to read in the shadow… And more new plants – marshmallow, fox glove, hollyhock, mullet, digitalis, valerian, rose bush, rose of Sharon, shiatsu and who know what else. The place looks out of order now bit it getting better day-by-day.

Что еще новое?  Наконец-то поставили арку. Позавчера посадили под нее хмель. К следующей весне получится  небольшая затененная беседка. Я уже нашла две старые спинки от кровати из хорошего клена и начала делать из них  садовую скамейку.  Для покраски выбрала  Rust Oleum, Barn Red color. Спасибо симпатяшке из Home Depot, который разрезал мне  доски как надо. И  благо у меня шарма немеряно – еще и даром!  Фото вывешу попозже.
Рядом с аркой посадили всякого разного много. По русски не знаю большинство растений -  позор! Из того что знаю посадили  пионы розовые, диджиталис,  ромашки, бакопу (ет по русски или нет???),  черноглазую Сюзанну (хе-хе!) закопали, валериану,  розу и еще немерянно всякого-разного  дикорастущего Мичиганского великолепья. С неделю все это выглядело ужасно, потом прошли тропичeские ливни и как поперло расти!!!! Вобщем уже выглядит намного лучше, но надо снова ждать весны.К слову - Мы в лес ходим гулять с  лопаткой и рюкзачком.   И выкапываем и домой приносим и выращаваем дикорастущие анемоны, два вида орхидей, либелию, дикую герань,  и  всего много.  Лучще потом повешу фото. Мичиган просто роскошен летом! 

Mrs Kitty having good time in her kingdom. She finally settled and spent all her days playing with daisies in the backyard.  (And pooping under my foxglove, but who mentioned it?). So far her favorite place is under birdfeeder, in the flax. She is the tigress!  Just a small one…

Тетя-Котя  переселилась в сад окончательно. Домой приходится отлавливать и заносить усталое тело.  Папа вчера искал с фонариким после полуночи уже. Принес сонную кошку в  спальню ( у нашего Величества отдельная опочивальня!).  Котя только муркнула устало, не раскрывая прекрасных глаз. Да, очень тяжело управлять таким королевством. То белок разогнать, то пчелок приструнить. Опять же охота на птиц,  удобрение растерий и осмотр территории.  Любимое место под  фарфоровой чашечкой (это у нас кормушка для птиц). Удобно  за угодьями наблюдать.  Под лапками лен растет, от солнца  подсолнух прикрывает,

  ну и птички опять-же... Тяжело, все в заботах. Но кому-то ж  надо управлять королевством!

Working on new canvas

I am working on new canvas. Kind of…. When I am not in the garden, when I am not traveling, when I am not working 60 hours/ week…. So - it is not too often I have time to take needle in my fingers. But when I do! Oh, my! I can stitch from sunrise to sunrise! And I love every second of it!
Most of time I don’t use any patterns, I paint a picture or make very simple sketch of my design, and then let my imagination work.  Surprisingly it is easier for me - I have no patience to follow the pattern.
Now I am working on story of Little Red Riding Hood.  I think… At least I hope so...

Look- I have a lot of place for forest and trees (not done yet). I have her grandma cottage stitched already. And I have rose garden in full bloom around cottage.  The Little Red Riding Hood will dressed in simple blue dress with white apron and black shoes, the wolf will … I think he supposed to be handsome wolf.   And it is possible, after all I will have the tale stitched to the sampler also. Not a wolf tale, but a FAIRY-tale.

What do you think?

Sandhill Cranes at my sis-in-law house

An about month ago I visited my beloved sister-in-law. She and her husband lives near the Nashville, MI on a lovely 68 acres of land.   It is pure heaven! Bees buzzing, birds singing, wind making soft “whusshhhhh” sound…  Quiet and peaceful…

 

I woke up early in the morning to make few pictures of Robin’s devine garden in a down. (I did it! Just at the sun rise!) And at the way back to the house on the hill I was captured by the beauty of morning fog gently covering meadow…

And then came two cranes.

The simply walked from the meadow to the grass around house, toward me.  I didn’t have a choice but step back and let them walk to the road down the hill… They stop for a few minutes to call other cranes.  Somewhere, not too fat at the forest other cranes answered.  I was so close  -  I can see mist coming out of cranes beak…  This two was not shy at all. Looks like they use to be around people and didn’t expected anything bad from humans…  

 

Even month late it take my breath away to  see this photos! What a beauty!

 

 

 

Building garden

I should admit - it is addictive to see garden in bloom…  We wake up every morning, pour cup of tea and take walk in our PJ’s thru the garden. Garden in the back of house and then garden in front. It became our routine from early spring till very late fall. As long as we can see some green on the ground….

Then every evening we repeat it.  Of course, the Kitty-Cat walking with us. She is big fun of our garden. In fact, she is the Quinn of this little kingdom.  Ruling it with her soft paw: no squirrels allowed! 

Somehow we not working too much in the garden.  It simply growing like wild. Well… Occasionally we adding few new perennials here and there. Sometimes I weed, but not too often to be honest… You can’t see weeds when it is so many plants. 

     And I talk to every little flower in the garden. Usually it is one way conversation: “Oh, you are poor baby!  This despicable bags eat you!” or: “Look at you! Aren’t you a handsome?”   I think it is the secret to the good garden… Mine growing wild and happy….

So many birds, so little time....

This winter I discover rug hooking. Since I didn't have all equipment I need initially, I start making birds from scrap wool. Of course red and white color combination  my all-time love. But also I'm working with bold & vibrant colors. The texture of wool is perfect for inexperienced person like me. It is  very forgiven -  all mistakes I made so easy to undo. Wool  easy shapes to the right form. I make few pincushions.  They are quite primitive and lovely.  I made pictures  today in the morning and suddenly realize how many birds of any kind I already planted in my house.  There are only few of them: 

When we combine goodwill shopping with little imagination and latex glue....

New addiction . When we combine  goodwill shopping with little imagination and latex glue....  That's what happens. I am making candle-holders for my garden and also make few bird-feeders.  Lovely and cheap. In a sunny days  my glass creations glimmering in between plants. At nigh  they are perfect for little votive candles. 

 there is  the key for my friend's cottage. I also finished my bans sampler and will give it to my dearest friend Marian.  

 Bird feeder. Just finished. Need to find place for it...

lots of gardening and one very hot dog

My garden finally looks like a true English garden. It took only  five or six years of hard labor, sweat and back pain. But this summer it looks  really good.  I can't see any soil under the plants. I am thrilled to see no weeds anymore. They probably still exists, but my flowers much bigger now.  Lots of gold and house finches as usual, lots of bunnies (monsters try to eat all my David Austin roses!)

So, there it is: My  Garden 2011

It is Logan  - my daughter's dog. He spent couple weeks  with us and became true michigander.  Finally learn how to walk in the yard without mom and dad. It take 3-4 days until he became so brave.  But look at him now! Happy face!

 I used  part of rotten bench to make Forth -of-July flag. Looks good!

He  even help Gordon to plant tomatoes. Of course, the most exiting part of summer vacation in Michigan for  him - sleeping in the shadow.  He prefer to do it in the air conditioned home, but I try to keep him outside as long as possible. 

 Yesterday I make six balls covered in beach glass and marbles. Glue gun such a  powerful tool in my opinion!

 Old clogs find new place as a planters on my fence

 Little nap after dog spa.