Front Flower Planter

The planter just outside my dining room window is HUGE.  Just really did not have a handle on how HUGE this planter/flower bed would be when completed, nor how challenging to plant.  I can reach the ledge on tip-toes, but need a ladder to do the job right.  At least ten feet long, quite a few plants are needed to fill the space … thank goodness it’s only about one and a half feet wide.  The rocks in the planter are dual purpose; they hold the soil in the planter and help conserve moisture.  Texture and eye appeal are added bonuses.

The first year, Stella d’Oro day lilies purchased at the end-of-season box sale at our local greenhouse were planted with the idea that they’d bloom for years.  Generally a hardy perennial, easy to care for, drought resistant, and colorful all summer long, Stella d’Oro’s are perfect for a busy mom … but apparently they don’t survive in my planter.  Only two came back in 2010 and none in 2011, so gerber daisies (an annual, beautiful color and moderately drought resistant) and Butterfly Argryanthemum were planted.  All were purchased at the end of season box sale around the end of June – yeah, I wasn’t real timely last year, either. 

Gerber daisies are a favorite and have been for years, but the Argryanthemum (below) are now on my favorite list, too. 

Last year, they’d been cut off at about 4”, but the greenhouse said they’d come back more full and  colorful.  They were accurate and the plants filled up the planter with greenery and beautiful, long-lasting yellow flowers.  I’ve since read that cutting back also keeps them from getting leggy.  This year, both Butterfly (the color shown above) and Madiera Primrose (a lighter, creamier yellow color) were planted.

A couple Ballerina Rose Guara (Guara lindheimeri)  were added to each end of the planter, too.  This plant is also drought resistant.  We are plenty wet here, but busy moms don’t have much time for watering and then watering is often forgotten until the plant is drooping and wilted, too!  Best to look for plants that can thrive in the environment my family creates.

This particular variety grows 12-18” in height.  Perfect for the front planter.  The color is great against our green siding and shows from a distance.  So, I thought I’d get a few more plants.  However, the second batch I picked up is ‘Pink Fountain’ (Guara lindheimeri).  Didn’t realize this variety grows to approx. 24-36” until after I’d planted them in the center of the planter!  Stubborn as I am, I’m going to leave it.  The base of the plant is full and compact, but the flowers grow and bloom on tall stalks.  I think it’ll be ok; if not, I just won’t do it next year! 

My hope is that I’ll be able to save seeds, roots or whatever I need to do with the gerber daisies, argyranthemum and guara to grow my own next year.  The cost of annual plants has gone up so much in the years since I married and started caring about planting gardens, both vegetable and flower.  Normally, I’d plant hardy  perennials, but this planter doesn’t provide enough winter protection for ANY perennial (based on experience with Stella d’Oro’s and tulips).  I’d rather put in a little time, teaching my kids along the way, to grow the annual plants and save the money for something else. 

Monday DayLook: May 30, 2011

Looking out from my back porch... it’s just plain wet.  However, the lawn looks so green and lush; it’ll need to be mowed for the first time very soon.

I am thankful for... Life, Health, Happiness.

I am reading… StAR magazine.

I am hearing... the kids playing Wii downstairs.

I am wearing… khaki capris, blue t-shirt

From the sewing/craft room (aka. laundry room!)… finally getting the sleeping bags from the camping trip washed.  Hope to do a bit of sewing on Angelina’s 4-H projects.

From the school room... standardized test results were returned last week.  No surprises on the scores.  Angelina finished up her Latin final exam.  Dash still has some work to do on a couple final papers.

From the kitchen... Banana cake w/ pecans and caramel frosting, Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie, Whiskey cream sauce, BBQ ribs …

Rosemary Potatoes: this picture really doesn’t do the dish justice.  They were quite yummy.  The recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Berry Trifle (thanks to my friend, Sarah Grant, who’s family was out to the farm visiting yesterday):  we ate so much steak, Rosemary Potatoes and Berry Trifle, that we couldn’t eat the Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie!  I divided the pie and sent it home with them to eat today!!

From the Garden…  darn deer found the strawberries.  Although one plant was tugged out of the soil, I was able to replant it.  I do not believe any plants were lost because little leaves at the soil surface were visible.  However, I did fence both the strawberries and blueberries, which have bloomed.  Future to-do will be to fence the entire garden.

From the FarmYard…  it’s a soggy mess to get from our home to the animals, but all the critters are doing well. 

A successful moment…  Eric and I synced our calendars this morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Monday: Happy Memorial Day … kids are having a pajama day.

Tuesday: Written driver’s test for Dash.

Wednesday: Dash drives today, Swimming registration, Angelina and 2 girl friends plan to do clay projects in the afternoon, Angelina is helping Grandma Green Acres at an Apron Show in the evening.

Thursday:  Happy 5th Birthday to Graham!  4-H Communication Arts Contest for Dash and Angelina.

Friday:  Dash drives today.

Saturday: Family Wedding in the early evening.

Sunday:   Happy 11th Birthday to Angelina!

A picture memory... our first blooming tree … in our yard.

 

 

 

So far, so good

The flood fight in Bismarck, for my brother, is going ok.  They realized that their dike wasn’t as high as it should be due to a faulty measurement, so that was fixed yesterday for the most part (just a little more work to finish it up today).  My dad feels much more confident that the house could withstand a 23’ crest.  While the basement has remained dry, the sump did start pumping.  Hopefully they are being spared the rain that is falling all around our farm today.

The Missouri River hasn’t risen as fast as first  predicted because the increased water flow has been dredging the bottom and pushing soil/silt/sand down the river, thus creating more room for water!  Amazing.  Definitely a blessing for those who have been so worried and had almost given up.

Thank you for the prayers offered; they are felt!

Memorial Day

 

Pioneer Woman has a beautiful collection of Memorial Day Pictures from families.  I cried.  The families sacrifice much.

Bismarck Flood

 

That middle little bump is where my brother’s house is located.  The dike is being built on Riverwood Drive; they are obviously on the wrong side.  The huge snowfall and now melt in MT and the rain there this past weekend has pushed up the release levels and shortened the time period in which to prepare. 

On the updated flood map, his home’s location is best seen on the second map.  Just look for the five little bumps under a sea of blue.

 

The water was at 15.5 feet when Eric sent this picture.  It’s forecasted to reach 19 feet, but that number is old and WILL go higher.  The top of the post in 20 feet. 

 

The house is protected to 22 feet.  But, access will be a problem.  How does one keep a gasoline-generator-run sump pump going if you can only access the property once each week (that’s the talk)??  How much do you move up or out?  How much do you try to salvage?  Do you try to stay in your house?  Lots of hard decisions.

Some have just packed up and left; with heavy hearts, I’m sure.  My brother and parents have chosen to do as much as humanly possible.  Thank goodness family live close enough to help out.

The sheer volume of water officials/the corp are predicting is truly amazing.  We toss around these big numbers … 85,000 cfs (that’s cubic feet per SECOND – I can’t even fathom how much water that means) … 95,000 cfs … 120,000 cfs.  That last number is what a friend of ours believes everyone should be planning to withstand. 

An interesting tidbit Eric learned today … if the water in Lake Sakakawea starts flowing over the dam on its own, it would flow at 600,000 cfs.  Try to imagine THAT amount of water.

I’m physically here at the farm, but my heart and mind are in Bismarck.

21/52

Joining Barbara in commemorating the year in once a week posts … just whatever is going on in your life: the mundane, the crazy, the normal, the everyday.

 

Sunset after the storm. 

Rhubarb sauce … is this the last batch??  Nope, not even close!  Rhubarb sauce over vanilla ice cream is a refreshing summertime dessert.

Fresh picked asparagus.  It’s been sitting in water for a day because we aren’t ready to eat it.  Still crisp.

Progress on the patio.  It won’t be done by the weekend due to ALL the RAIN this week!  But, since it’s supposed to rain this weekend, does it matter?

The circular areas have such a tight radius, they’ve had to trim a number of the blocks to make them fit properly.  Extra work, but can’t wait to see the end result. 

That’s right!  Graham is sporting a bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS!  A new skill learned at the Father-Son Camping Trip.

Good friends – Angelina with Miss Grant (Jamie, doesn’t she look like her mom??).  While the boys played, the girls took in the Camria Spring Dance Recital – Cinderella.  We enjoyed it immensely and then joined the Grant’s for supper at Buffalo Wild Wings afterwards.

Seriously, their feet are NOT as big as they look in the picture below.  I don’t know what trick of photography I applied to make their feet look so huge!

Flood update

Sandbags from Fargo were delivered to my brother's cul de sac today!  So, they were able to get a couple pallets.  Eric and Dash left around 5pm, so will be there to help build a sandbag dike around the house.  I did what I could and sent food.

They did have a 'person' who builds ring dikes stop by the house, and he thought they'd be ok.  I guess that gives a little peace of mind.  Thank you for the offered prayers.  We will continue to pray, as rain can certainly change the outlook.

What’s planted …

 

… and hopefully growing!

North West SFG:

1. White onion sets
2. Garlic chives
3. Chives
4. Green Sprouting Calabrese Broccoli *
5. Emerald Giant Sweet Pepper *
6. Green Acre Cabbage *
7. Red Acre Cabbage *

South West SFG:

1. White onion sets
2. Yellow onion plants

North Middle SFG (Angelina’s):

1. Super Sugar Snap Peas **
2. Danvers Carrot **
3. Cherry Belle Radish **
4. Michihili Chinese Cabbage *
5. Paris Island Romaine Lettuce **

South Middle SFG (Zeke’s):

1. Maestro Peas **
2. Chantenay Red Core Carrots **
3. Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach **
4. Lettuce Blend #2 **

North East SFG (Dash’s):

1. Contender Green Beans **
2. Lincoln Peas *
3. Scarlet Nantes Carrots **
4. Provider Green Beans **

South East SFG (Graham’s):

1. Little Marvel Peas
2. Ruby Queen Beets **
3. Slenderette Green Beans **

East SFG:

1. Provider Green Beans **
2. Golden California Wonder Sweet Pepper (Red) *
3. Orange King Sweet Pepper *
4. Red Acre Cabbage * [later planting]
5. Green Acre Cabbage * [later planting]
6. Snowball Self-blanching Cauliflower *
7. Cilantro

Tomato Bed:

1. Delicious *
2. Rutgers *
3. Mortgage Lifter * [later planting]
4. Amish Paste *

Around the Garden:

1. Garden Huckleberry *
2. Tomatillo *
3. Hales Best Jumbo Cantaloupe *
4. Homemade Pickle Cucumber *
5. Early Prolific Straightneck Yellow Summer Squash *
6. Black Beauty Green Summer Squash *
7. Sugar Baby Watermelon *
8. Burgess Strain Buttercup Squash * and **
9. Jack Be Little Pumpkins
10. A larger pumpkin variety (can’t recall name!)

Left to plant:

1. Mortgage Lifter tomato
2. Amish Paste tomato
3. Various herbs
4. Red and Green Acre Cabbage
5. Mary Garden Planter

We actually had a frost warning last night.  After watching the news and just having that ‘gut feeling’, I (and Eric) went out in the dark to cover the newly planted buttercup squash and pumpkins.  Thank goodness!  In the morning, the ground was frosted.

Pinch me, please!  Isn’t it almost June??

All the transplants are covered with hot caps.  I consider these waxy covers a necessity.  Well, if I’d have had ALL my gallon milk jugs, I wouldn’t have had to run to town to purchase more hot caps …but, that’s another story.  Transplants need to be covered, whether with waxy hot caps, milk jugs, or coffee cans.  Besides frost, there is THE WIND.  Covering allows the little plants to get established before being whipped and wilted.  Once our shelter belt is established, I hope the wind will be less of an issue.

Praying for gentle rains and no hail from here to harvest.  Oh, yeah!  Some sun would be nice, too.

 

*Transplants grown from seed purchased at St. Clare Heirloom Seeds.  **Grown from St. Clare Heirloom Seeds.

Flood worries…

Bismarck Flood Map

My brother’s home (Eric) is in the unprotected area.  My parents have been in Bismarck for the last couple days doing what they can to protect the home and possessions:  move all belongings out of the basement, sandbag the window wells, etc.  Come Saturday, if needed, my hubby and Dash will head to Bismarck to help do whatever else needs to be done to salvage as much as possible.  The basement will at least get seepage, it’s quite possible electricity will be shut off, and access by car/truck may not be possible at some point (Riverwood Drive is only open to local traffic currently, with checkpoints).  All this in Bismarck, the capital of ND.

I didn’t get it …

 

I’ve seen Nutella advertised, but haven’t fallen for it.  I mean, come on!  Peanut Butter and other nut butters are a healthy snack, but adding sugar in the form of chocolate just seemed wrong.  Wrong in the sense that I’m trying to teach my kids to eat healthy snacks and Nutella just doesn’t seem to be the wisest choice … or habit to start.

But, my SIL who lives Germany gave us a couple jars of Nocciolata, an organic hazelnut spread with cocoa and milk made in Italy.  It’s absolutely yummy.  I will admit that it took me a year to open it, and I pretty much hoarded the first jar.  Silly me, I opened it just before Lent, too.  How’s that for sacrificial … knowing you have an open jar of Nocciolata in your cupboard, and further knowing that you aren’t going to eat it anytime soon.  No worry, it’s not Lent right now, and I just enjoyed a slice of homemade bread slathered with the hazelnut/cocoa concoction. 

 

 

Does anyone else buy this product??  What else do you ‘do’ with it besides spread it on bread??

DayLook: Monday, May 23, 2011

Looking out from my back porch... cloudy.  Green and yellow on the ground.  Trees are leafing out and adding more green to the surroundings.

I am thankful for... lots!  I really do appreciate being able to stay home with my kids.

I am reading… how about, when I sit on my couch, I LOOK at the books I would like to be reading.

I am hearing... it’s quiet for the moment…maybe I should go check on that.

I am wearing… beige capris and a purple top.

From the sewing/craft room (aka. laundry room!)… Whoo-Hoo!  Angelina’s corduroy skirt is done!!  The hand-stitching was a bear, but she made it to the end. 

From the school room... Dash is actually in the brick-and-mortar school this week for Driver’s Ed. He’s in class from 9am-4:30pm … guess it’s a good thing he’s been practicing long days this past semester (that’s a joke … I did NOT enjoy his practicing of the long days).  I’m not quite sure how I feel about my oldest soon to be a permitted driver.

From the kitchen... brownies and bread.  This new brownie recipe really is a good one.  Instead of shortening, which I don’t care to use, coconut oil was substituted.  Coconut and chocolate … MMmmmmm!  I’d like to mix up the dry ingredients to have on hand, individually bagged for ease.

From the Garden…  nothing much cuz of the rain.  I just keep shuffling the seedlings out to the sun and then back into shelter at night. 

From the FarmYard…  the chicks keep growing and the hens keep laying.  It’s truly time to make the brooder bigger and loose one of the heat lamps. 

A successful moment… the cards for my in-laws 50th Anniversary are ordered. 

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Monday – Friday: Driver’s Ed. all week for Dash.  TKD for the four oldest on Monday & Thursday.  The overall theme is to get the 4-H project work done, do some gardening, and muck out the barn.

Saturday/Sunday:  the Grant family is coming out to visit on Sunday.  Memorial Day weekend – Have a great weekend!

A picture memory...

Last year … about this time! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

My week’s Un-To-Do List

So, it’s felt a little crazy lately … more like it’s felt crazy for a number of months.  I should probably say NO more often, but that’s hard to do sometimes and impossible at other times. 

1. Created invites and an invitation insert for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary (a wonderful blessing and occasion to celebrate with my husband’s family!)

2. Planted three blueberry bushes

3. Fertilized the square foot gardens

4. Cleaned up the kitchen island (completely cleared of about five stacks of paper and other stuff) earlier this week and put the papers/items away!

5. Washed 2 sets of bed linens before their ‘time’

6. Shopped at a greenhouse – this was fun and I plan to go back for more browsing

7. Ordered jeans for the four oldest kids … again

8. Transplanted more seedlings into bigger containers

9. Spoke with a dear friend on the phone … twice this week … we hardly ever speak on the phone, let alone see each other

10. Had a ton of fun with three friends and their children on Tuesday … this was on the calendar, but it was so much fun it just had to be included on this list because I should add spontaneous gatherings with friends into our life more often

Have a wonderful weekend dear friends and family!  It’s raining and expected to rain the whole weekend, but the wheat and corn are done being seeded.  This weekend is a welcome break from planting and fieldwork for my husband and father-in-law.  Soybeans are up next … when the fields dry next week.

20/52

Joining Barbara in commemorating the year in once a week posts … just whatever is going on in your life: the mundane, the crazy, the normal, the everyday.

Day 1: Progress on the Patio.  It almost didn’t happen today.  The grade change was larger than accounted for in the original plan.  But, they worked out the details by phone, added a retaining wall (with our approval), and started working away.  Thankfully, the semi loaded with our raw materials was able to turn around before getting too far out of Fargo.  Below is the pile of raw materials delivered for the project.

Dash and I planted 3 apples trees in the front yard on Tuesday evening.  Varieties:  Fireside, Sweet Sixteen, and my favorite … Honeycrisp.

My final project on Tuesday was to plant the Blueberry bushes.  Three Chippewa Blueberry bushes at the edge of my garden.  I’ve never raised blueberries before, so hope they grow!

Day 2:  Patio Progress.  By Wednesday evening, the crew had started the third row of the retaining wall on the patio.

Starting over on the strawberry bed after enlarging it a bit.  My sister told me about Sweeney’s Deer Repellent.  I sure hope it works to keep the large, 4-legged leepers/muchers away from the strawberries.  They don’t even wait for berries.

Did a bit more work in my ‘play around’ garden at the side of the garage.  My mom gave me a rose bush for Mother’s Day – it’s planted on the right in the below picture.  I also planted a Morden Centennial Rosebush in the center top photo.  Morden are my absolute favorite rose because they thrive in our ND temps without over-the-top efforts (ie. no effort at all on my part) to winterize. 

Day 3: Progress on the patio.  Drainage installed, and steps to the yard visible.

The square foot gardens were prepped, but not planted.  Dash and I did fill the 7th SFG.  Due to the expected storms, I was reluctant to plant seeds, only to have them swished around by wind and rain.  I did, however, plant the cucumbers, cantaloupe and watermelon, which are covered by ‘staked in place’ milk jugs.

Eric and the three oldest boys are headed to Fort Ransom for the FMCHE Father/Son Camping Trip.  I wonder is each family having as many trials getting their men/boys out the door???  I wish them well as they head out into the rain. 

Yes, they are bringing bikes.  Can you see the excitement? 

Angelina, Louis and I are left home to hold down the house, finish 4-H sewing projects, and take care of the animals.  I think we’ll watch a movie and stay up late.  It’ll definitely be quieter …

 

Monday DayLook: May 16, 2011

Looking out from my back porch... GREEN is everywhere!  It was sunny, but is now a bit cloudy. 

I am thankful for... friends who offer a willing ear and provide excellent advice.

I am reading…gardening and cooking magazines.

I am hearing... Louis talking and trying to push a chair around the school room so he can reach cool stuff (ie. stuff he shouldn’t be touching).

I am wearing… jeans and a grey NDSU t-shirt.

From the sewing/craft room (aka. laundry room!)…the room has been temporarily moved to the main floor so Angelina can work on her 4-H projects and be close to me while I work in the kitchen.  She made great progress on her corduroy skirt, and finished cutting out her pajamas and knit top.  Patience be with me as I teach her to sew in an invisible zipper!

From the school room... closer, closer, closer to the end.  Cat tests are done for all students, just need to send them in and await results. 

An inspiration occurred while working with Dash on Latin today.  Since he’s really working on the 9th grade lesson plan for Latin, we are going to stop this struggle right now, even though there is only a week’s worth of work and a quarter test left.  He agreed with me that he doesn’t understand some of the sentence structure/translation rules as well as he should and that it would be OK to repeat this subject next year.  The majority will be easy, but we’ll be able to spend a little more time on problem areas.  Maybe he’ll even be able to test out of a few chapters by taking the quarter tests.  At least, that’s our plan for now …

From the kitchen... tried a new banana bread recipe with rum extract.  Eric and the kids liked it.

From the Garden…  hope to plant a couple rose bushes, a few perennials and irises, a few of the SFG’s, and dig up day lilies from my MIL’s garden.  This is a week long list!

From the FarmYard…  the Mallard duck has left her nest.  Either she finally realized that people live on the other side of the glass and we move around a LOT or she didn’t like the toddler banging on the window!  So, while we are extremely disappointed, that is the nature of nature.  I hope she is alive and has just found a better (ie. quieter!) spot to nest. 

The chicks are moved into their new and bigger home in the Wahoo.  I miss seeing them every morning in the garage, but not the chick-dust covering everything!  It’s absolutely amazing how fast the cornish rock cross chicks grow compared to heritage breeds.  The cornish rocks are definitely meant to be raised for meat – they are about twice as big as the Barred Rocks and Buff Orpinton chicks.

A successful moment… the basement and carpeted stairs have been vacuumed and a load of laundry has been folded and put away.

Another Inspiration… reminded once again during this weekend’s homily, of the importance of daily mass or an hour of adoration during the week.  And, that computer and TV are a source of distraction and waste (Fr. mentioned they are good, too, but in general waste a lot of time).  Adding either to our week includes a bit of planning, but the heart and mind do long for the peace of either!  The desire is here, now to pray for ‘the how.’

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Monday: School, cleaning, gardening, TKD.

Tuesday: Hosting a group of friends at the farm.  Fun for moms and kids.

Wednesday: School, cleaning, gardening.

Thursday:   Packing and prep for the boys’ trip, TKD in the evening.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday:   Father/Son camping trip for Eric and the three oldest boys.  Angelina, Louis and I get to hang out at the farm … planting and doing chores.  Angelina and I hope to attend the Camria Ballet Recital on Sunday.

A picture memory... it’s seeding time again … Louis has enjoyed riding in the tractor, as has Graham.

18/52 and 19/52

Joining Barbara in commemorating the year in once a week posts … just whatever is going on in your life: the mundane, the crazy, the normal, the everyday.

Lots of pics from the last couple weeks have been posted already.  But, here are a few of my favorites.

No current pic of the chicks, but BOY are they growing.  The little flyers are roosting on top of their quart-sized waterers, meaning it’s just a short flight to the top of their stock-tank home.  I fear I’ll find them running around the garage any day.  Probably time to move them to a larger home; that just might be on Saturday after we clean the Wahoo!

Thank goodness the formal school year for us is almost completed.  Dash and Angelina finished up their Math and Religion this week.  The three younger boys are going stir-crazy as I try to spend a little more time with the older two on final tests and finishing up their Latin.  If only the sun would shine a little more consistently …. they could go outside to play.  WE’ve been trying to fit in work on 4-H prjects each day, too. 

When the evenings are nice (ie. no rain and not windy), we are all outside.  The little boys enjoy playing in the sandbox, Angelina searches for worms to feed the chicks, Dash rides 3-wheeler, I garden (Eric worked/tilled my garden on Tuesday night), and Eric is usually out in the field late.  This equals NO TV … and baths every night!!