RUG HOOKING BLOG

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I'm a mother of four grandmother of seven and great grandmother of three. I live with my husband in the house that we built with the help of my brothers and will have been married for 57 years this February.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

THINGS ARE GROWIN FAST, EVEN MY TO-DO LIST

It's been a beautiful several weeks and I've been living in the gardens with the mosquitos. I spray my thin long sleeve shirt and my straw hat with Deep Wood repellent and it keeps them away without smearing that stuff on my skin. The mosquitos seem to come out in the morning and in the evening. When they get too bad near the hedge, I sometimes smoke them away with smoldering egg cartons. I keep an eye on the carton as they can catch on fire if there's a breeze.



Today is a rainy day so I did things indoors like soup and biscuits for lunch, and I took some garden photos in between raindrops for my poor neglected blog. I went to church for mass and devotions and went to visit my aunt in the hospital, made a nice salmon dinner and uploaded my photos on the computer then my i-library didn't want to cooperate. I despise those external drives on my MacBook Air.  Occasionally, they play hide on and seek on me... Grrr... I lost some great flower photos. Oh well...

I've got a lot of work done in the yard but still, I'm not caught up as usual. The weatherman announced showers every day for a week. I moved tones of soil left by the flood, reseeded the damaged spots in the backyard, weeded, planted, pulled out old clumps that overtook the garden, etc. My to-do list is being checked off but somehow, it keeps growing every day. I like to check things off so I can see my progress.




I babysat my little great granddaughter while her mama took her brother to an award ceremony at his school. He received a Citizen Award for being such a sweet helper to his classmates and the teacher. We are all so proud of him. I don't have a picture of this happy event.



My little great granddaughter had a great time at my house but she moves faster than a mosquito and kept me on my toes. I got her to laugh for a picture. After a few hours, I was exhausted... Like her big brother, she is so polite.


These daylilies are usually the first to bloom. This year, they will be later because my husband built a carport and they have more shade. This one on the end is getting more sun than the others.


This spring before the weeds started growing, this area was covered with about by about 6 inches of soil and compost from my son's garden that migrated here in the flood. Free fertile soil for me but so much hard work to remove and spread in my garden.

There were a lot of big weeds like Angelica, Burdocks, Creeping Charlies,  Milkweeds, Couch Grass, Dandelions, and other weeds growing at the end of the back garden that I cut down this week. This is the third year in a row that I reclaim a little bit more space for my vegetable garden by getting rid of the weeds by digging them out totally. The burdock has big long roots and is difficult to pull. Pictures don't do it justice but I know how hard it was to remove the excess soil and compost. These weeds are beside my shed and my son's shed in the back.

Early this spring after I planted my blueberries, at the end of the newly reclaimed space I put an old strip of jute carpet down to keep the Creeping Charlies from spreading in the garden.  The carpet was to keep the creeping Charlies from going to seeds before I could get to them.   I'll remove the carpet and I will plant some rhubarbs there. I have bought two varieties, one is called Canada red and the other is called German Wine. I wanted some red rhubarbs. I have an old heirloom variety that I will transplant next spring or this fall. They didn't do so well after my husband tilled them under by accident.




This is the end of the garden after I weeded and chopped down the tall weeds.
Two of my broccoli plants were attacked by some worm eating the roots.



One variety of peas are started to blossom.




My spinach is doing so well this year. The leaves are bigger than my hands. This is one big leaf under my hand. We had so much rain, everything is growing well.


This is Couch Grass and it has taken over my old compost area. It is in seeds now and I will have to tackle them sometime this week between raindrops. The roots have to be pulled out or they will root all over again. They are difficult to get rid of but not impossible.






My seat swings are in dire need of cleaning and repainting from the flood damage but it will have to wait. I still enjoy sitting in there for a rest and a break from the sun in my dirty garden cloths. I look like a hillbilly in my old silly straw hat.



My Lady Kim late blooming Lilac is starting to bloom and one of the hostas is getting some buds.



With the anticipation of all the rain we are supposed to get this week, I had to reinforce my peonies. They are growing so tall this year with all the rain we had.  I'm afraid they will all droop before I can enjoy their beauty. I have more by the shed.



The tall burgundy and yellow bearded irises are on their way out while others are just starting to bloom in the background.



These mauve irises behind the big rock were given to me by my daughter Jackie. My daylilies in the front are just beginning to bud.
I know this is a lot of photos but I lost some of my best from my photo library when my external drive hickupped because it wasn't ejected properly.


I'm thankful for my faithful visitors  who leave comments. I have so many many visitors who are lurkers. I would like to read even small comments from you.

Enjoy the rest of the week.
Hugs, Julia



19 comments:

  1. I am super, super impressed at your garden. And well aware of the work involved.
    Couch grass has invaded my bulb bed. Each time I think I have got it, I discover that I left a tiny bit behind and it is starting its world domination yet again.
    Love that smiling face you shared - and hope you are making some time for a little relaxation too.

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  2. Your gardens are quite extensive but so beautiful! You have been working so hard but it shows in how amazing they are doing. Your soup looks delicious and salmon sounds even better. We finally had a hot day yesterday followed by an bad thunderstorm. I do not like humid weather but I guess I don't get a say.
    Cathy

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  3. Oh, Julia,
    Your yard is magnificent. So huge no wonder you can never get caught.
    Your hostas look like they are on steroids. Are they in full sun?
    Great granddaughter is just too cute.
    xoxo
    Lauren

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  4. Julia. your garden looks so gorgeous and lush! You sure do keep busy! It's so hot here...yesterday we hit 98 degrees... even my hearty neighbors were not out doing yard work. Your ggdaughter is adorable...you are making wonderful memories with her.
    Take care,
    Robyn xo

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  5. Hi Julia,
    Your soup and biscuits look so tasty! I LOVE soup anytime, plus who can say no to a biscuit with butter and honey??
    I am always so amazed by your green thumb, or should I say hands?? Your gardens are just beautiful and so huge and I just wonder how you can take care of it all, plus all the other things you do?? Your sweet little ggdaughter is so very sweet and so nice you can spend time with her!! Don't you just wish they had little portals we could plug into for a bit of their energy?
    Take care and hope you have a lovely weekend!!
    Heart Hugs, my friend~
    Julie xo

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  6. Hello,
    Beautiful, beautiful Julia, goodness your garden is just beautiful. The plants all look so big and healthy. Your hosta are amazing!!! I love the color of your Iris.
    I had to chuckle, I do the same with my mosquito spray.
    Take Care my friend,
    Carla

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  7. This is absolutely my favourite type of blog post. I am always filled with joy to see the beauty of a garden and yours is truly wonderful! So lovely to see the fruit of your terrific hard work! I like your tip about the Mosquitos as my legs are currently covered in bites! I must be Mosquito Haute Cuisine!
    I am rather envious of your peas! They look super!!x

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  8. We dont go out on the grass in the early morning or evening due to the mosquitos...and because of the non stop rain in June they are worse than ever. Your garden looks like it is coming along great! Ale=ways nice to eat the fruits of your labor. Janice

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  9. I surely don't want to be thought of as a lurker! I am always amazed at all you get done. Thank goodness you did retire from calf duty. At least that is one thing not on your plate any more. Your gardens are wonderful. All those veggies and the beautiful flowers, too. I like the idea about the mosquito spray, but it is so hot here in TX, I don't have any light weight long sleeved tops or pants. We have had enough rain to give us hordes of mosquitoes, though. I have to use the spray to be able to walk our dogs. Have to do that just before dark, because of the hot sun. Thank you for your blog!

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    Replies
    1. RunN Rose, thanks for your comment. and your support.
      I certainly don't see you as a lurker. Your comments are always valued.

      They say everything is bigger in Texas. I hope this is not true for the mosquitoes, lol...
      Hugs, Julia

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  10. cow pies work wonders as mosquito repellent...light a cow pie and let it smolder in a bucket. You can carry the bucket around with you. Grandma taught us to smolder horse poop in a bucket while herding sheep. Grandma also hung smoldering buckets in sheep corral to keep flying bugs away.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Rita, I had never heard of this. It's been raining so often that the cow pies are probably soaked. So far, my technique has worked amazingly well. The mosquitoes are leaving me alone.
      Hugs, Julia

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  11. Such a lovely garden. You work so hard. Thank you for sharing the pictures so we can all enjoy them.

    Your vegetable garden is enviable. So beautiful and green.

    Have a wonderful week.

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  12. Oh, my! Sweet Julia you are really making great progress getting things back in shape after the terrible flooding. Your plants look amazing. Your little great-granddaughter is adorable and what a beautiful smile. Mosquitoes are terrible here too after all the rains and flooding here. Your biscuits and soup sure looks good. Sending you love and hugs.

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  13. Hey Julia...glad to see you are recovered from the flooding and doing great things with your gardens, etc. once again!!! All of us seem to be busy this summer as we don't see much activity on Rug Hooking Daily. I am coming along with my large rug...but slowly (!!!) but i was hoping that you and family were all recovered from the wild weather earlier in the year! Your posts here have set my mind at rest...! Hugs to you, Sunnie :)

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  14. Oh my goodness Julia what an amazing garden you have both flowers and vegetable. You have a green thumb girl. Man I get the mosquitoes we sure encountered them while we were horse camping. To answer your question about our Oskar going with us riding, he's happy to stay in the camper. Your great granddaughter is adorable with a darling smile, what a lucky grandma you are to have the opportunity to watch her. She's going to have great memories of being with you. Not many people get the privilege to know their great grand parents, they are lucky children! Have a wonderful weekend Julia!!
    X0X0 Saimi

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  15. awesome article..
    thanks for sharing and have a nice day

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  16. So glad to see how you & your garden are doing. I have not heard from you in awhile so glad I popped in here.With all you do no wonder you are tired! You wear me out just with reading all the going ons after the flood. Your plants love you & look great as does your veggie garden, something I'm going to try next year. Beautiful little great granddaughter, child learn what they live, glad they are polite. That was the one thing I remember 25yrs ago were the compliments given to me by caregivers at the day care, that they had manners & were a joy to care for. Can't say the same for the teen years lol, but as adults they make my heart sing. Sorry to hear about your frustration of the loss of the photos however I enjoyed what I saw! You made me laugh at the term 'lurkers' no one comments on my blog but you & my son occassionally. Take Care. Hugs, Cynthia

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  17. Wow, you work so hard but the results are worth it! What lovely gardens you have. I smiled as you named all those weeds. I have trouble remembering all the flower names and couldn't name a weed to save my life...except thistles! (and poison ivy!) Your Great Granddaughter is adorable and yes, these littles are very tiring! Have a good week!

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