The Homestead Archives | Page 29 of 30 |

Our Surprise Little Pumpkin Patch (and a Peek at the Frogs, formerly Tadpoles!)

August 9, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

We just realized what we have growing outside our window in the back – it’s a pumpkin patch!! Ok, a very small patch, but it’s a surprise one, so we’ll take it!! We did throw our old and soft pumpkins out there last year, and the squirrels had a feast. But it seems some seeds took root in our very sandy earth.

Granted, it’s a brand new patch. Not sure what we’ll harvest in such a small patch, especially in it’s first year. But wouldn’t it be something to get at least 4 good pumpkins? One for each of the kids. That would just be awesome, as hopeful as it is. We don’t see any pumpkins quite yet though.

They’re probably not growing in the most ideal place either. This is right where the squirrels (and birds) spend their days frolicking about. We have good reason not to trust the squirrels, even with our big hard pumpkins we purchase from local farms. We try to adorn our steps and deck with such Autumn-themed harvest, but the squirrels haven’t much cared about our decorating. We put a pumpkin out on the steps, and they take a bite out of it! So we turn it so it doesn’t show. They take another bite, and we turn it once again. This goes on until there isn’t a good side to show. One year, we came home to find a squirrel sitting INSIDE our big pumpkin, having a feast from the inside-out. I was mad, but he was pretty cute in there, with such an innocent expression on his face. (The same misleading one they always have, and never changes. lol). They made an absolute mess of a corn stalk we ONCE put out there.

So we’ll see what becomes of this surprise pumpkin patch. Perhaps it’ll be surprisingly fruitful! We’ll keep you posted. Which reminds us: remember our 6 tiny potted-plants?? They didn’t make it. Ok – Daddy’s has a few remaining green leafs left, but the rest are as dead as can be. Not sure if it was the transplant, or the quality of the kit. SURELY it could not have been our plant care skills. : )

Had to throw in a shot of {A}s frogs. I actually took it through the observation window. They have their own pond-container now, and the still-changing tadpoles are in their own next it. They’ve all got a pretty nice pad out there. No pun intended. <croak>

Thanks for dropping by!

Baltimore Oriole Bribery…

June 6, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

Once I really saw the Baltimore Orioles this year, I got my heart set on wanting them to nest in OUR yard. But I think I learned the tricks of the trade a little too late this year. I know I did. Surely they were already building nests, if not settled in already, by the time I heard about using Baltimore Oriole bribery, of leaving string and such to help them along in building their nests. They’d been around for a couple of weeks by then. The Baltimore Orioles do come to visit in our yard quite a bit throughout the day, though. I think they realize by now, by the abundance of other birds and critters who hang out here, that our yard is the place to be! But the Orioles do seem to be nesting in neighboring yards, and frankly, I’m jealous!

Nonetheless, I’m still desperate enough to hope that, like people, the Orioles might decide to move! To our yard, of course. At the very least, I am showing them that this is where all of the GOOD STUFF is, and maybe they’ll remember that next year, when they fly in from South America. I’ll be ready for them, and on time. Meanwhile, this year they are welcome to come over and perch, sing, play and feast, anytime they’d like.

Re-potting Our 6 Tiny Potted Plants

June 1, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

potting soil on garden shovel

If you’ve been visiting us here at our blog for awhile, you may remember when we planted these 6 tiny-potted plants, and later when we gave an update on their sprouts growth. Well the time came re-potting our 6 tiny potted plants.

We initially thought when that time came for transplanting, it would be outdoors into the ground, but we don’t think their quite ready for THAT yet. The thing is, they kind of seemed to stop growing pretty much after that growth update, and we decided they must be root-bound. So we bought some cheap (but pretty!) pots and got to work.

First, the kids gathered some rocks from the driveway and put them in the bottom of each pot, to ensure proper drainage when watering. Then they put in some potting soil, some plant food, and a little more soil. Then they transferred their plants from their tiny pots to their new pots.

tiny-potted-plants

Below, {O} transplants hers.

child re-potting plant

{J} transplants his.

boy re-potting plant

{A} shows {J} all of the roots bound up at the bottom of her plant.

kids-looking-at-plant-roots

{S} makes sure his plant is all snug and pressed down into the new soil, after the transfer.

boy re-potting-plant

(O} gets hers in there just right.

little girl re-potting plant

{A} had to 2 of hers to re-pot; one being not of the 6, but another she had from awhile ago.

older girl re-potting plant

Just a shot I had to take. : )

potting soil on garden shovel

Here they are all done! You can kind of tell they’ve just been through a bit of a traumatic journey, but we know they will settle in and thrive in their new pot homes, once they get comfortable and used to their new surroundings. We hope eventually they will be big and strong enough to go into the ground, but for now they are lined up along the windows of our kitchen sink.

re-potting-little-plants

Did you notice we transferred our initial letters too? Where competitions go, it’s never over until there is no hope of winning, and none of us lose hope very easily! We’ll let you know if they really start to grow and thrive, and be in need of being transplanted again. Who knows…they may just make it to God’s rich earth someday! At least we’re all hoping so.

Lilacs for you . . . . . .

May 28, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

lilacs displaye in home

. . . . but mostly Lilacs for me.

Now that the Lilac clusters were all fully bloomed, the scent on the breeze around our home has been just beautiful. I just HAD to clip some and bring some inside.

As soon as I brought the Lilacs into the house, my son said “But Mama, what if bugs live in there and they come in our house?” To which I replied “Oh Honey, I don’t think there are any in there.” No sooner did I get the words out of my mouth, did a baby spider drop down on a silk swing, right out of the Lilacs.

My son follows me into the kitchen and asks if I think they are all out now, and I told him “I think so, Babes”. And then….a little fruit-like-fly flies out almost into his face. “Ok…NOW, I think they are all out.” lol

I placed them in the sun room, and it was no time before they permeated the whole house. They are simply lovely to have around, so I thought I would share them with you. I wish you could smell them too, but unless your computer monitor is of the scratch-n-sniff type, I think you’re out of luck!

Enjoy!

lilacs displaye in home

What’s growing around our house right now – Flower Photography

May 20, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

Not too much to say today really, but I did take some shots of what’s growing around our house at the moment, so I thought I’d share some of my flower photography with you. I hope you enjoy them!

Pink Apple Blossoms of the apple tree. The petals are looking a little beat down from all of the rain,
but there is more buds to bloom, and I think they are beautiful none-the-less.

Lilacs of the Lilac Tree. Still have lots of bud-opening to do as you can see. They put out such a lovely scent though – don’t they?

Purple Phlox. Such a pretty ground covering.

Bell Flowers

Pink Azaelias. This Azaelias bush was here when we bought the house. I look forward to it’s blooming every year.

I have to admit, of these photos, only the Azaelias are actually on our property. The trees and other flowers are actually just on the other side of our property line. But we manage that property, so it’s all as good as ours. : ) We sure enjoy it all.

The hostas are in their full glory. The tulips I was so looking forward to had not been bloomed for 2 days before their heads just got chopped off in one bite at the upper stem. Decapitated, with their heads just laying there on the ground, to be clear. It’s happened in years passed (and makes me mad as the dickens!) Who does it? Is it the squirrels? I’m not sure-but I suspect so.

That’s all for today! Come back soon!

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