What I do in my spare time

It's been roller coaster weather, hot and dry or cool and wet, but the garden is coming to life. The mini irises went above and beyond to put on a show for us, and might even need to be divided this year.

The peonies and iris stalks are growing a lot taller than I remember them in past years. What did I do?

 

It was a disappointment after realizing this newly planted rhododendron was deciduous, but it's awfully pretty once it gets growing.

 

Some pretty roses beginning to bloom.

 

This cistus is one of the few that avoided major winter damage. The others will be culled if they don't recover.

 

We are no one special anymore

The sheep don't even bother to get up when Hattie and I come to clean up in the morning.

That's no pad Mocha is sitting on, that's what's left of his winter coat. He's always the last to shed.

 

He is a handsome boy.

 

The white version of the rose above.

 

First large iris ready to bloom. 

 

The worm hunters.

 Clay work

 A coil built flower pot that is larger than it appears here.

 

Some covered jars. One will be for Tux's collar and things.

 

Coronavirus project

This is a pattern for a face mask that I really like. It's a bear to cut, as you can see all the angles and nips to follow in the photo. The mock up I made is above the pattern.

 

This is the inside of the mask. You tuck a filter into the folds. That can be a folded paper towel, cotton batting or other filter material. The mask fits snugly over the bridge of the nose (so glasses can sit on top - no fogging!) and under the chin.

 

Here it is folded in half. It's a simple, clever design. Brilliant really. Sort of origami. I have a giant polypropylene bag my sink came in to use as mask material, but am waiting on delivery of a cutting blade, mat, and the clips for adjusting the elastic band.

Small Wonders

Daily morning chores: throw ball for Hattie, feed animals, do yard work.

Grass is growing tall and if the boys don't eat it down I'm not sure our mower will be able to cut it. This would be a new problem for us.

The peach mini iris opened this morning. Those electric blue beards! I have to get more of these little guys in different colors!

Epimedium might be my favorite plant, the heart shaped leaves and delicate flowers. The first one looks like sparks and embers flying from a campfire.

 I cut the foliage back in late winter so spring flowers could emerge first. This one is loaded with spider-like cascading pink flowers that stood alone for days. Then overnight a flush of leaves grew up and over them like an umbrella and the flowers are now quite hidden.

 Tissue-thin red tinged leaves on wiry stems.

Ready for my close-up.

 

Hellebores are blooming, too. This one is almost black with a dusting of yellow gold. 

Now I need to stop being dreamy about all the flowers and get working on sheep feet. They are  ragged. But I procrastinate because my hands and back ache just thinking about it. 😩

Mini Iris

More of the minis are blooming. They are so pretty and almost glow. Tomorrow the peachy colored ones should open. That's it. Just a few pictures.

Spring things

Our shaggy boys are home again. They were a bit destructive at the neighbor's field, somehow finding a way to break the irrigation water line (for which we are covering the cost of repairs). After that I started thinking how they are likely to break the old wire fencing which I don't want to have to replace when we'd only use the field for a few months of the year, so it was nice while it lasted but the boys will have to settle for their home pastures now. The grasses are lush after all the lime and fertilizer we spread last fall so there should be no complaints. I think they miss all the people walking by who stopped to chat though. The boys are a friendly lot.

The mini iris are beginning to bloom!

 Early rhodies, too. There has been a lot of boring weeding to catch up on.

 

This is how I've decided to hang the clay fish, using bug flies to hide the hooks. I made the flies years ago. Bob found them when he was cleaning the garage. The fish are going to the Port Angeles house but I don't know when I'll get out to buy the nails to hang them (coronavirus).

Stay-at-home order suits me

Bring food or we're coming in! The ducks, better known as the bottomless pits.

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Toady, a visitor in the front garden beds.

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Flowers in the back gardens where frogs (and toads) risk their lives with hungry ducks prowling.

The endless seasonal mowing, trimming, weeding and watering has begun. Ratty sheep pictures coming soon.

Mutation

 Found an unusual daffodil growing with the standard type. A bit smaller than the others and frilly. I will mark the plant and save the seeds to try growing more. That's the plan anyway.

And yet we live

There is work to be done in the garden again. I found old packets of bean seeds in the garage and the greenhouse soil is warm, so they have been put in ground and given a chance to grow. There will not be any shopping for starts this year so more seeds are in the mail from Baker Creek. I'd rather not bother growing from seed but you do what you have to do.

Bulbs are bringing some cheer now.

 

With no n95 masks to be found I have gotten creative and begun to make my own. Here's my first. Not the best thing, but better than nothing if I get sick or need to go out. And Bob can use them as allergy masks. Hundreds of people have been tested for the virus but only five confirmed infected at this time in Clallam County. Most of us oldsters are doing a pretty good job of self isolating I think, although the runs on toilet paper, rice and beans are like people are shopping for the apocalypse.

 

Waiting for the Virus

We are self-isolating. I guess. Our lives haven't changed much except for fewer trips to Costco. We are really boring.

Nothing has changed for the animal family. The sheep still pasture across the road, Hattie still herds them around the neighborhood, one of the ducks is laying eggs off and on, and the rest of them are bossy as usual.

 Bossy girls bathing

 

Must we get up?

  

You will pluck my wool and give me a scratch, then.

My turn next.

There's a late freeze down from the Fraser River Valley but some of the early flowers are surviving. We won't be shopping any spring garden sales this year.

Long awaited clay projects

It's that time of year. 

 

The gulls are back. 😣 

I finally fired up the kiln and finished this fish project. I think they'll look cool on the wall at the rental.

These are glaze color samples on two clay types.

Chip and dip bowl. I hope to be making a gazillion jars of currant pepper jelly this summer and it is to die for with cream cheese and crackers.

Bob's first hand built project, an apple. We went with a wash of red underglaze, sponged on some yellow and finished off with clear satin glaze. Leaves are avocado satin glaze. The clay is Idaho Buff with manganese for the dark speckling. Looks good enough to eat!

And the orchid pots with repotted orchids. This time they fit the pots with room to grow. The fire ran hot and the glazes ran like crazy but I was able to salvage them for my own use and they look fine. I'll be chipping the glaze runs off the kiln shelf for days without a grinder though.