Hi All!

I am having severe technical difficulties! I crashed my computer so I am at the library to send you all a note on what is going on! Hope to get it back soon and be up and running again! I miss it and YOU all so much!

Repurposed, recycled, reused, free vegetable garden

I schemed and planned and dreamed of a vegetable garden all those months on that truck...I ordered seeds and carefully kept them under my bunk...I would take them out in my free time and sort them, look them up on the internet and plan my garden...

I looked up gardens pictures by the dozens....the one garden that stood out and really made me dream was a Potager(pot-a-jzay) garden...the kitchen gardens from France...they mix architecture and beauty...flowers and herbs in with their vegetables...

Well then...this did not look like anything like my saved pictures...how does one go about making a beautiful, picturesque Potager out of this mess?

I admit, it was really hard for me to get past the 3ft tall grass and overgrown shrubs and trees...the piles of garbage...

I knew for sure I wanted it close to the house...with a fence and arbors...I wanted it lined with flowers with scrambling vines growing up those arbors...I must have mapped it out ten times on graph paper during that long winter...it's kind of hard to see a bountiful garden thru 4ft of snow when you are looking out the window in December...it was hard to picture it growing out of the overgrown grass!

 The dirt here is clay with plenty of rocks...and improving soil takes a long time...so in my research I found an amazing technique called sheet mulching...now, in Montana, I was no stranger to using newspaper to suppress weeds, what I didn't know was that newspaper fed the worms who in turn, tilled up the soil and fed it...I also never correlated the fact that in a forest...all the fallen leaves, needles and debris turned into dirt that was rich and could grow anything! Sheet mulching mimics this process and in turn gives you a raised bed with terrific drainage...and in time, turns into rich, black dirt...well, I didn't have time...I wanted a garden now!

The spring in the UP came earlier than usual...by the end of March all of the snow had melted...much to my delight!  I got out in the yard and thatched, cleaned, mowed and dug! I was ready to sheet mulch with a vengeance! I had come up with a plan and laid out my garden with string and stakes...I studied the pictures and I wanted something unusual...I decided on U shaped garden beds....there was only one problem...sheet mulching takes organic material...a layer of brown(straw or dried leaves,etc) a layer of green (fresh grass clippings or chopped weeds,etc) and all this is alternated until you get to be about 24 inches tall...well, in March in the UP...nothing is growing and I was in the wrong season for leaves...I could probably get straw but I was loathe to spend any money...I really wanted to practice the principles I had started with the house...free, cheap, recycled, reused...repurposed....vintage...

More research...I found that the next town over had a city compost pile...it was worth a look...

The city compost pile was beautiful...you drive down a 1/2 mile dirt road in the middle of a heavily wooded parcel...complete with a large deer population and pop out into a clearing...there is a separate place for brush and one for grass and leaves...

I drove past the brush and came upon a 60ft x 300ft  pile of compost...this compost had bags and bags of "stuff" thrown all around the sides...looked like whoever didn't want to pay to dump at the transfer station dumped everything they had here...old windows, bricks, block, building material...piles of bark...bales of straw!  Oh man...I was in love....it was like hitting the jack pot!

I walked around the pile in awe...the plastic bags really got on my nerves...that is just plain wrong...you are supposed to dump them out and take them with you...but in this case? I was thankful!   I stuffed the back of my rig with bag after bag of leaves...they were already shredded! Bags of dried grass...corn stalks....everything you cold possible want to sheet mulch a raised garden bed...

I took the first load home and went back for compost....I backed my truck up directly to the pile and had to immediately go forward again...the top layer of the heap was mostly garbage and "new" material...I had to rake a space approximately 2ft deep and 4ft wide to get at the good compost underneath...I backed my truck up again and started shoveling...as I shoveled I sifted out bricks...bras, old pants...plastic bags...chunks of wood...even food containers...the compost smelled wonderful...it was steaming hot and black....I shoveled an entire truck load...

When I got home I dumped it all on a tarp...

at first, I had thought turning over the top layer of crabgrass and putting it upside down would help with breakdown since I wanted to plant in it soon...I did one side...that was enough for me...I am glad I did it on the one side, though,  because the ground was so uneven and it really helped to make the beds level...water was channeling a small ditch to the back of the property...I used a lot of the sod I dug up to put it that ditch..I filled the crevice with sod chunks turned upside down...it eventually broke down and now is just part of the lawn but it really helped with drainage...and that ditch is no longer there...

The ditch was where I wanted to put my fence...

I had asked the neighbor who was a chef in town if he had any cardboard...yes...he sure did! and he brought me cardboard until I said ENOUGH, Thank you! I had a whole trailer full...I layed down two layers of cardboard and soaked them with the hose...next came a layer of brown grass...soak with the hose...then a 2 inch layer of city compost..2 inch layer of shredded leaves...two inch layer of compost....of course, soaked with the hose...but I had no green...so...more compost...this process took me about 3 weeks...gathering and shoveling and finding things to make a raised bed...

it got to the point that my Honey and I had Friday date night...two little Ceasar pizza's and a cruise thru the city compost pile...I know, romantic, huh? THAT is when you know the honeymoon is over...but it worked for us...well, me...being a zealot about my garden and all...he was very accommodating...

I netted everything I needed from that pile...including bricks to line my front beds...the ladder, the flag pole...all of the "architecture" in my garden for my plants to scramble up...and fence posts...a new wheel barrow...

The rocks to line the beds  came from the back of the property...it is was common in the old days to line your property with rocks to mark boundaries but I think whoever owned this property before, used them to make a garden...there was Lilly of the Valley, Phlox and many other flowers growing in the 6ft tall weeds back there...and my Honey dug out big honkin' rocks for weeks and hauled them up to line the beds...

I had the compost tested at the county extension agents office...it came back deficient in Magnesium which Epsom salts scattered in the dirt took care of...you never know what someone has sprayed with or put on their plants....and after nurturing 600 of the little things all winter, I didn't want to plant them in DEATH dirt!

I planted seeds in this garden bed...I only planted the ones I didn't really care about...the ones that I could give up to experimentation...I didn't really think anything would grow in it...

My Honey built the Easel out of scrap...A masterpiece waiting for Mother Nature...

The strawberry/herb bed is made out of more of the garage...

I got this cute little garden cart out of pile destined for the dump...

Watching little green things shoot out of the dirt was extremely satisfying...and as you all know, I am inundated with produce this year! I had better get back out there! The finished garden tomorrow...

Hi All...

This month is starting out hectic, my garden is coming in all at once! I will be back to the house once I get some of this stuff in for the winter! The fall time is so beautiful but the preparation that comes with has done worn me out! See you all soon!

Venturing up the stairs...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! I spent a lot of time putzing around the yard and finishing up all the food I have been preserving....I am sincerely sick of cooking! Today, I thought we could venture into a part of the house I have never shown to anyone...it is the part I have spent the least time on yet have done the most work on! The upper level of the hut!

This was my first impression of the stairwell in my house...

The hand rail is classy, huh? If you like the repurposed  industrial, galvanized pipe system look...It actually looks better in this picture than it really was...this picture was taken by the county...by the time I got into the house, the paper had begun falling down the stairs due to water leaking from the roof down into stairwell...there was mildew growing up the wall in addition to the wet paper...

and someone's color scheme...I know that brown and blue are all the rage now!

To me, it looked like another black hole!  It was so dark, dank, wet, smelly! I started with scrubbing the stairs...there was a door to this stairwell until about a month ago...very charming with an onyx door knob and brass key assembly...that door is now out behind the cabin...it would not shut as the moisture had warped it badly...it really is a shame but it took up too much room in the walkway anyways...In this tiny house there are nine doors...can you imagine weaving your way thru the door maze to get from one tiny room to the next?  All I can say is it must have been COLD for someone to want to conserve heat in any one of these tiny rooms.

After removing the layers of wall paper...the same count as in the living room...guess what was underneath?  BIG SIGH...more BLUE PAPER! 

Scrubbing the stairs yielded the true color of the paint...it was the same as my broom closet, now pantry...

And...if you compare the color, side by side?  You can see how dirty they were...someone lived in this house like that...EWWWW!  

In my never ending request for light, scrubbing those stairs and walls and removing that door made a huge difference...I am going to take the paint off the treads and refinish them, they are solid oak... along with painting the stairwell a very bright color and maybe adding a window...but that is another project amongst the many and clean is good enough for me right now. The main living area is my most major concern as that is where we spend the most time...and all of you have gotten me excited about my living room again!

WHAT A FIND!

I just looked up my new Lady in the red dress! It is by M. Ditlef...it is called "Sonata"...it is for sale on the net...for $150.00 to $1500.00 big ones! Depending on if they are signed or not and have a tag...mine is signed and has a tag! They were also lithographed in Chicago by Turner Manufacturing...

You are right Sandi...it was a GREAT FIND! I am so excited!

Recycled....inspiration colors for my living room?

The last few days...the weather has been really cool...in the 60's for daytime high temps...with rain and wind...they are the harbinger of early fall....they sent me off like a rocket! I stoked my wood cook stove to the hilt.... For the last two days, I have been cooking to stock my freezer...It started with a trip to the groceries in town where I spent a total of $160.00...I bought a ham, a turkey, beef and some other fixins'...I have since roasted the turkey for lunch meat and soup, it netted me 8 quarts of rich, thick turkey soup and lunch meat that I am betting will last the next 4 months...the ham was sliced into breakfast slabs, lunch meat and netted me 16 quart bags of ham cubes for soup and casseroles...the beef netted me 6 pounds of meat balls for subs, spaghetti and the like along with two meat loaves...and enough for four quarts of taco meat...I made 7 quarts of vegetable beef soup with the veggies from my garden! Today will net me 6 dozen biscuits and 4 loaves of home baked bread along with however many quarts of frozen squash and veggies...so I thought I better post now! Well, yesterday, I had had enough...time for a break...

I went to down to St Vincent's thrift shop for my breather...the very place I got my platter for my bathroom inspiration....the very platter that dictated my Mamie Pink bathroom before I even knew it! and I found this...

I think it was the red dress that got me...or maybe the muted tones of the back ground...

but I thought she was beautiful for the grand price of $5.00....it is signed M. Dittel...the pictures don't even come close to showing how vivid she is! I thought she would be a great start for my English cottage living room? YES...all of you have inspired me to get back on the living room! I was at a loss for a while...that BLUE PAPER had just burned me out on this room...I instantly fell in love with her...and the fact that since I am painting all the rooms on this floor the same color for continuity, I could echo the red from my kitchen in the living room...and the frame is gorgeous, will have to do a little work as it is painted wood and is filthy...isn't it ironic that it is so bright in my living room I can't get a good picture of her because of the glare? LOL!

Just kidding Hooooonaaay!

My Honey came home for lunch...his usual routine is say  "Hi, Babydoll"....give me a hug and then use the bathroom and wash his hands...Well, this time he did something else...I have to tell you a little about his personality...he is very calm and soft spoken...I have watched this man be yanked all over a freeway by a trailer that wasn't loaded properly, from one side to the other...pull out of it, get out and say.."well, it just wasn't my time..." without a shiver...he is very calm and stoic in the face of danger, someone you really want around when there is a "situation"...when I first met him, he was very sensitive to being teased and was very serious...he has relaxed immensely over the years...especially living with me...I am a terrible tease and consummate prankster....he has gotten to the point where he actually recognizes my mischievous glint and usually he gives me a tight smile and walks away shaking his head...well, this day? He didn't recognize the signs... (BuuuuAAAAAH HA HA)....imagine how tickled I was...

He comes out of the bathroom...says "Honey, I don't want to seem wierd or anything but I really need you to look at this...."

I went into the bathroom and looked...nothing...To which my Honey replied "no, in the toilet, there is something wrong with me..."   

I looked...well...I had been cleaning and I had dumped Comet with bleach in the toilet to bleach the rust stains out...I usually leave it in there about an hour or so before I scrub and flush it...

This is where it gets soooo good...he had peed in the Comet and stirred it all up....and it looked really white and cloudy...

In my best nurse voice...I said "OH MY GOD!"  

He freaked! My calm, stoic guy just come unglued...."WHAT IS IT?"

"Honey? It looks like you have AjaxorCometitis..."

"Is it contagious?" he asked

"No...it usually goes away when you flush the toilet"...I said...I am staring at him in disbelief...big eyed...in shock....

"What IS it?" he asked totally not comprehending...

"Well...you can be infected with that when I clean and YOU don't notice" I said....

By this time he was calming down and staring at me...still no comprehension...

"What are you talking about?" he asked

"I am talking about you peeing in my Comet..."

"What is a Comet?" he asked

"It's the stuff I put in the toilet to get the rust stains out...you are not sick Honey..."

I am rolling around the kitchen laughing...and he is glaring into the toilet....and then glaring at me....

"Ajaxorcometitis?"...Hmmmm...Lisa...sometimes....YOU are the one that is sick... even in all his consternation, I couldn't stop laughing....I am thinking I am sooo funny!  I laughed all day! 

When he went back to work...he said "You got me..won't happen again..." and he was finally laughing too...

I blame my terrible sense of humor on growing up in Montana...it is harsh and at that time, most did not tolerate any weakness...they would tease you out of your bad mood...make fun of you til you laughed at yourself and were merciless most of the time...you grow up with a "I can do anything" attitude...

Anyone else out there identify? Do you play jokes on your kids or spouses? I would love to hear about it!

Learning to laugh at ones self is an amazing stress reliever...laughing is the best anecdote period!