Town House Homestead Tuesday

I have been missing for over a month. Well, as far as blogging that is. As far as getting outside and getting work done not so. We are at the beginning of year three in our home and it seems like all we've done is work to upgrade Ms. Beldon. 

The painting of the shed is basically done, but still needs a bit of touch up. For now, however, it is in almost brand new condition and being used for garden supplies and tools. Also some wood to burn. The cement blocks are getting painted and I have planted Pansies in them. I have hanging baskets of Nasturtium on both side of the doors now too. 

Ms. Beldon's bees didn't survive winter, so we are taking the time to create a good pollination garden. Lots of earth to clear and treat along with adding vegetable and flower plants. We were short about four bags of stones to finish the walk, but that will come in the next few days. The stepping stones are of my grand children's feet and hands. It is looking quite nice and more thought out.

My garlic came up well, but needed a lot of TLC as far as weeding. It took my broken body a couple of mornings to get it done and the straw down, but it has grown now to about twenty four inches tall. I am looking forward to scape's and hopefully some good size bulbs. I have just run out of last years harvest and purchases. 

I have container tomatoes growing as well as tomatoes in the ground. Probably too many, but I have people who will help eat them and they can be frozen or canned in many ways.

I have squash varieties that I have been transplanting into buckets. There will be ten total for squash and as they die off I will plant more. Already getting what looks like blossoms. Next will be peppers transplanted into buckets. I have planted some peppers in the ground at the front of the house also. 

I am trying my hand at Glass Gem popcorn. Only three seedlings survived the wind and rain, but they are healthy and I can hope.

The sunflowers are doing almost too well. They need to because Hunter found a way to dig under the fence to get at them. We used some of the old screens from the old windows to deter him, and so far so good. They blow back and forth with any wind, hit the stakes, and then blow back and lean on the fence. It startles him so he's getting the message.

These are two of the varieties of Iris we planted two years ago. They are having a grand time in the sun. This year we were gifted purple ones and they are being planted around the yard, and there will  be many added to this garden. 

We were also gifted several large clumps of Hosta. Most of them we put in the ground as clumps and we will thin them over the years as the gardens grow. We separated one large clump and planted them around the back and sides of the compost bin. Just to beautify it a bit. Until last week they were closed in because guess who thought he should dig them too. Yes, Hunter.

But Hunter isn't the only issue as far as my garden goes. Along with the ground hogs, mama deer has been leaving her baby along the fence during the day which is about ten feet from my garden. So far she has not eaten anything and I am putting pinwheels up and will leave Hunter to bark at it, so maybe mom changes her mind about leaving it there. Gardening sure has it's challenges, and all of this before we even talk about insects. 

It wouldn't be my post if I didn't include a picture of Hunter. I had a lot of choices including a video of him stealing a set of keys and the owner chasing him around the yard for them. He is such a proud thief, but this one is the best. It's the reason we have furniture covers, wear clothes several times before washing and the stack of towels that are in and out of the washer and dryer. He is forty six pounds of pure energy and he is not quite my best friend. I have so much more work to do with him. He forgets all that he is taught and it's start from the beginning every day, but they say it will come. I will keep trying. To think I wanted chickens too. One animal is enough. Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. Have a great week, love one another, and share your bounty. Until next time. 

Town House Homestead Tuesday

Well it's taken until the third week of April to stop snowing and completely turn warmer. This past weekend we actually had blue skies and sunshine. Temperatures went from the mid thirties on a daily basis to upper fifties Saturday, and upper sixties for Sunday. It was so nice not to have snow, rain, and mud.

We actually took the outdoor chairs out to enjoy the sun and relax a bit. We haven't relaxed like this in the last two years with all the work that has had to be done. It felt great.

Hunter is enjoying the better weather and is learning that it is okay to be out by himself. The nicer weather has brought more for him to chase and bark at. It is going to be an interesting summer watching him learn about all of these new things. 

It was such a pleasure to open the shed and have everything neatly put away. We still have some painting to do on it, but it is coming. We raked some of the winter brush out of the garden and got a two foot chicken wire fence around the whole thing. We know it won't keep the deer out, or even some of the smaller critters, but the intent is to keep Hunter out. It became his through the winter, but now it is ours to develop more. To the right of the shed you can see the root ball to one of the massive pines that were blown over with the last wind storm. Two went down, and as much a mess as it is for the neighbors to clean up, we now have morning sun for the house and garden. 

I have filled every spot I can with seedlings. These are flowers and tomatoes. We are hoping to build the pollination garden more so that we can bring in bees again next spring,

I have a great start with the sunflowers. I started red ones this year too. I keep forgetting that I have bulbs to go out too and need to leave room for them. 

The kitchen table is loaded with seedlings. In the back I have celery growing, two pots of bird house gourds, and peppers. The peppers are slow and I think it is because I can't get it warm enough for them yet. I have a heater for the shelves in the basement, but it has been so cold that most attempts at warmth have failed. They need eighty degrees to really grow, but we only need sixty eight to be warm.

I started six cucumber plants and four popcorn. Most of my gardening will be container gardening for now, but the plan is to have two raised beds fenced in, in the coming month or so, weather permitting. I have hired the work out and I know it will be done well. 

These are petunia seedlings. I was hoping that I could grow my own for hanging baskets, but again I believe they needed warmer temps. I am not giving up on them yet, but if I have to I will buy a flat and make my own baskets. I have so many different flowers starting that I can't picture them all here. Now to get the garden cleared more so we can grow them. 

Finally the last window was installed. This process started before Thanksgiving last year. One last time for them to come and wrap two windows on the outside, touch up some basement insulation they missed and call the job done. This is the bathroom window that we have had to work back into shape. Fixing molding, priming it all, and getting it painted. We are so ready to have this bathroom done so we can move on to other projects. That is what has been keeping us busy here at the Town House Homestead. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week. 

Town House Homestead Tuesday

It was another weekend that the hive needed to be inspected. This venture has been a serious roller coaster ride. The colony at this point is not prepared enough for the up coming winter and will need to be fed. They are working hard, but they need all the help they can get at this point.

These are some awesome pictures she took so I could see what was going on inside the hive. You can see the new bees eating their way out, some capped honey, and the comings and goings after the mouse guard was put in place.

This lady followed her back into the house and became disoriented and tired. She gently picked her up and got her back where she belonged. 

I harvested a few more items from my garden. I have quite a few beans coming, but only a handful were ready. I cut back the chives to make my zucchini quiche, potato salad, and to have on baked potatoes with sour cream. 

I was given some very old, but heavy duty garden tools this past weekend. I will wire brush them clean and treat them so they will last even longer. I will be sharing some too.

My sunflowers are doing so well. One is opened and growing and two more will be coming soon. This happy Bumble bee is certainly enjoying them. Next year I hope to have a larger area filled with them. They are so photogenic.

They are so mystical and mysterious at the same time. My daughter never liked them, but for some reason this year she has changed her mind. This is the first time I have ever grown sunflowers.

I've been getting almost too much help from Hunter these days. I was cleaning sod and putting it in buckets for next years container garden and he wanted to dig too. My daughter calls this engaging the dog. I'll decide some day what it actually means. Maybe just a puppy who needs to dig in the dirt. I'm saying this because of all the holes he's dug in the lawn that I need to fill. That's what's been keeping me busy here at the Town House Homestead. We just keep growing and I want to thank you for stopping by for a visit. Take care everyone and be safe. If Irma is coming your way please start preparing. She seems to be very dangerous.

Town House Homestead Tuesday

This week was good for harvesting a few herbs and veggies from the gardens. I'm beginning to consider these practice runs for a larger garden next spring. 

We got a very large colander of mint that I have drying for tea. My lemon balm is recovering from insects that tried to eat it away, and I have chives and oregano ready to harvest this week.

I harvested patty pan squash and a pepper along with some calendula blossoms. My daughter is going to start making soap soon. We try to leave some blossoms for the bees too.

I boiled the squash whole and then stuffed and baked them. They are so good and make a complete meal or a great side dish. Not a large farm harvest for sure, but for the two of us it's fine. Our garden will grow larger in time. 

I have five buckets of beans growing along the walk and am hoping the deer leave them alone. They know we have Hunter now so we haven't seen them around, but you just never know..

If they leave them alone we may have a couple of meals that will have fresh beans as sides.

I've been cleaning and polishing a couple of vintage mid century chairs that my daughter got for her living room. I'm just taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and the sun. 

The big project has been the restoration of the shed. Something we've been waiting 16 months to get to. Our great friends at CCH Lawn and Landscape spent time this past weekend power washing it for us, measuring for new doors and investigating the way to secure the floor. This out building is needed to store our tools and garden supplies and we are very excited about it.

As soon as it was dry my daughter headed out to apply some paint. It will be gray with white trim. For now the doors will remain in place until they are replaced. 

I spent a couple of hours yesterday cleaning all the weeds and making sure she could paint all the way down to ground level. I discovered there is a border around the shed that has been covered in grass. On the shaded side of the shed I will transplant some Hosta's. There are plenty of them around the yard and it will be a nice touch. 

She came home from work last evening, ate some dinner and went out to paint another side. This is what it is becoming. Everything can be fixed up with a little TLC.

Of course Hunter has been such a big help lately. He's seven months old now. While we have been working on projects outside, and trying to build a garden, he has very nicely removed and torn to shreds the cardboard we laid to be a weed barrier. It upsets me to see my work undone, but I have learned to let it go, but not really. For every step forward we make in our relationship we always take a few backwards. I keep getting told to wait and he'll grow out of it. He probably will, but waiting is hard for me. So, until then, that's what's been happening at the Town House Homestead. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week. To all those recovering from hurricane Harvey, we wish you the best and have donated to help you out. Love to you all and stay safe. 

Town House Homestead Tuesday

So much going on around the property and keeping us very busy, but it's been worth every ache to see the results. After thirteen months we've got a yard that's starting to look good and work for us, a dog, and bees. Not to mention the developments on the house itself. So much needs to still be unpacked and organized, and I think I need to buy stock in shelving. 

My daughter did a quick inspection of the bees. The ladies seem to be surviving well, and in another few days she will check them more closely to see if she can spot the queen, and check on egg production. Weather has kept her from looking.

She did have time to notice that there was honey production, and when she sits to watch them come and go, she sees pollen pants. We are hoping to see a little more activity as warmer temperatures move in.

Hunter is trying to learn to be outside on his own. It's going to be a challenge, but he'll get there. He loves being outside, I have nick named him the Tasmanian devil. 

All I do is turn my back on him for a couple of seconds and he runs off with whatever he can steal. He keeps my busy.

My seedlings have been hardening off and I'm slowly getting things planted. These are mostly perennial flowers for the pollination garden, tomatoes, peppers, bunch onions and shallots.

I continue to dig out plants from around the yard to replant around the bees. I transplanted a rose bush, found even more chives,  spider wort, and more hosta. It's a work in progress, but so far it's cost only physical labor and a couple packages of seeds.

The plants are beginning to take well and are growing better than I expected. Can't wait to get more done this coming weekend and watch it bloom through summer. 

The compost bin is moving right along too. We've come a long way learning the composting process. It's ready for another good toss now that we've cleaned up some leaves.

Turning to the growth on the inside, she has added this beauty to the kitchen. It's smaller and gives us room now to be comfortable and it's in almost pristine condition. True vintage, and come this fall we will get back to adding color to walls. 

And finally I found a few moments to play with the succulents that have been growing around the house, and replanted my old steamer. Unfortunately last years plants didn't winter well and I had to start over. These are plants that were gifts and babies that we were able to collect. It's in the sun and already growing. Relaxation at it's finest. That's what's been happening in the last couple of weeks here at the Town House Homestead. Thank you for stopping by to visit and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Town House Homestead Tuesday

Closing did not go without tiny incidents, but she got there finally. For the last eleven days we have slowly been moving into the house with the help of many friends and members of the family. We couldn't have done it without them. Although we are not completely moved my daughter will be paying on the lease to the townhouse for four more months and we have all that time to finish and clean it properly before a final walk through and returning the keys. Once getting into the house it was quickly discovered that she had four minor gas leaks that have been repaired and now we're moving forward. 

This is a closer look at the overgrown garden and shed. Upon entrance to the shed we discovered some garden tools, cut up and stacked fire wood, five gallon buckets, and flower pots. Along the side is a stash of new landscape timbers and on the side you can't see is a stack of flagstone and bricks. In the garden itself which is actually fenced in there were tomato cages and a sprinkler system. I am lining up some help to get it as ready as I can for memorial day weekend planting. My tomato and pepper seedlings haven't moved yet, but just may tonight or at least this week. I am so ready to be out there working, but it's raining today. One step at a time. 

One car load at a time the canning jars have been brought to the house and landed in the breezeway. My daughter bought some heavy duty shelves for them to be store on in the basement, and this past Sunday we had some welcomed help at building the shelves and getting them into the basement. We have more to go, but for now it's progress and I can at least find the ingredients I need to prepare meals. That in itself is a blessing. 

Here is how it looks so far. Once we get the washer and dryer up and running I can make my trips down to the basement work and start organizing and updating my inventory. My actual canning equipment and empty jars will be store in the garage which will only require three stairs for my bad knees and hip to climb. Going to get busy now unpacking more boxes.Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week.