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| Back Yard |
It won't win any awards for landscaping and design, but, the back yard is looking nice and green after Monday's rain showers and Tuesday's drizzle. This picture was taken on Tuesday, from the back door steps. You can see the purple leaf mustard greens and mizuna (and baby beets) in the planting bed in the foreground, the practically leafless moringa tree growing in the heart shaped bed, one of the lemon trees (and a glimpse of a second lemon tree) to the left, growing against the white side wall of the garage, and the orange tree a bit further down, on the right of the picture (clicking on the picture will enlarge it, I believe).
Growing in the bed just behind the moringa tree are broccoli seedlings and the pea vines; I picked another five or so peapods, today (Wednesday) and added them to the leftover chicken stir-fry for tonight's dinner. The lone serrano chili pepper plant is growing just behind the bed with the peas and behind that, the peach tree, which has been pruned severely to minimize broken branches and falling over, later this summer. The Asian pear tree is behind the purple mustard plants, in a pentagonal planting bed! It started out as a square, as did the moringa tree bed, but, my planting beds change shapes at will! This was where the famous Fort Wawamelon was located!
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| Fort Watermelon |
M planted some watermelon radish seeds (keeping the watermelon theme going) and something else (carrots, I believe), around the Asian pear tree, today.
The small circular bed behind the Asian pear tree has the hibiscus plant growing in it and the black planter behind it, to the left, has the avocado tree growing in it. There is a plum tree behind that and a nectarine tree further back, but, they are barely visible because they don't have any leaves on them, yet. There really is no rhyme or reason why things are planted where they are, other than there was space in that spot, as we worked around what had already been planted and was growing!
My day didn't start out quite as early, today, as it did, yesterday. But, once morning devotions were said and I was dressed, etc., I walked in the drive way for a bit, collected the mail, and the two packages that had been delivered. They contain a punch needle kit and embroidery kit that my daughter ordered for herself with one of her Christmas gift cards and a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt that we ordered for me. There's another pair of sweats that will arrive, tomorrow. Once they both arrive, I will do some decluttering!
M arrived a short time later and tended to the garden, planting several varieties of seeds: the watermelon radish seeds I mentioned above, carrots, Japanese spinach, a type of broccoli, and burdock. Now, it is a matter of keeping the cats away from where the seeds were planted and hoping things will sprout and grow!
Afterwards, I did a load of laundry, including the new sheet set. The patch held well and the new sheet is on daughter's bed. The sheet set included only one pillowcase and my daughter has more than one pillow; but, since my daughter doesn't use the flat sheet for covering, I will cut up the flat sheet to make more matching pillowcases for her.
In the evening, daughter and I took our painting class, together. This time, it was painting what they called "icy florals". We were shown the painting the instructor had already done, then, she showed us how to go about painting it. You start out by putting a dot for the center of each flower (there were three flowers) and you draw a five petalled flower around each dot, using brown paint (which was painted over, later). We were shown how to do the background first, going from light in one corner to darker at the lower area and then, the flowers. The finishing touch was to use some gold paint to highlight the flowers. These are the paintings my daughter and I did:
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| Icy Florals |
My daughter finished her painting by the end of the class; it took me at least 45 minutes longer to finish my painting; I still can't blend my background colors and my painting is bluer than what the instructor did. I also added leaves to mine, which was not part of the original painting being shown.
After I finished the painting, there was a lot more paint left in the palettes we used and rather than wash it all away, I decided to do another painting to use up the paint, in an old sketch book:
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| Palette Cleaning Flower! |
This painting took me all of 15 minutes and much of that time was spent daubing all the leftover paint on the paper! LOL.
We had some of the leftover cottage pie for our lunch, today. For dinner, I added more peapods to the leftover chicken stirfry and cooked a pot of rice to go with it. Daughter had a banana and a slice of zucchini bread for her dessert; I had a couple of dates. Later, we shared apple slices and peanut butter.
Today, I am grateful for:
- The backyard garden
- M tending to the garden
- Free painting classes/painting with my daughter
- The new patched bedsheet
- Having packages delivered
Today's joyful activity was painting with my daughter.
Plans for tomorrow include doing some paperwork and maybe sewing pillowcases.
How was your Wednesday? What are your plans for Thursday?
Your garden looks lush and green. And so full of wonderful things growing! This picture and your explanation gives me a good "lay of the land".
ReplyDeleteThe walkway-does that extend to the front along the side of your house?
You have nice mature trees & bushes along the back and sides for privacy. That is so nice to have.
With the new plantings M did, you are on your way with your 2022 garden.
(Remember - one zucchini plant will probably suffice :)
Your paintings are great and it seems like this has been a fun thing for you and your daughter to do.
Thank you, Debra; it won't stay this green for long, so I am enjoying it while I can! :D The tall trees and bushes at the back merge with the neighbors' trees and provide some privacy (neighbor immediately behind me has a 2 story house).
DeleteThe walkway becomes a cemented area closer to the house which becomes a cemented area in front of the garage and becomes the driveway. :)
Yes, the 2022 garden is well under way! We have not brought up the Z-word yet! :D
I'm enjoying the painting classes and have signed up for the next one, too (Monday). The classes are free and right now, I have enough paints on hand to do them without additional cost for supplies. I don't have the paint brushes that are recommended, but, I am managing with the ones I do have. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all the painted canvasses, though! :D
Your garden appreciated the rainfall and is looking great. You have lots growing and it's evolving into a very productive space.
ReplyDeleteBoth of the paintings are good and I do like the blue background on yours even if it wasn't quite the same as the instructor's painting. Best of all though is your palette cleaning flower ... I really like that one 😊 Have you booked any others classes?
Thank you, Eileen; yes, the garden appreciated the rain and it continues to evolve. I want to grow more vegetables, this year, if all goes well.
DeleteThe palette cleaning flower has character, doesn't it? I am thinking that I might just do a series of them, after each class! Yes, I signed up for next Monday's class - a glass vase of wisteria flowers! :)
I always enjoy seeing your garden. Do you get enough rain that you have to mow any of your yard?
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy seeing your paintings. They could become a weekly feature, "Painting with Daughter and Bless."
Thank you, June. We no longer mow, as there is not enough space between the various planting beds for a mower to go through, but, M will occasionally cut down the grass with a weed whacker!
DeleteAs for the paintings, I signed up for next week's class, too, even though my daughter might not be able to join me (she usually has an exercise class on Monday evenings); so it might be "Painting with or without Daughter"! LOL. The craft store sent a survey asking if I'd consider joining in-store classes if it was safe to do so. It might be something to consider, but, for now, I prefer the online classes.
Those pictures are lovely. I particularly like the palette cleaning picture. It looks so light and lively. Your garden is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa; my daughter said she liked the palette cleaning picture, too! I was a lot more relaxed when I did that as I was just having fun with paint that would have otherwise gone to waste. :)
DeleteThe garden is coming along, nicely. I'm hoping to have a productive garden this year, too, with maybe fewer zucchinis than last year! :D
Your paintings are both lovely. What a great way to spend an evening together. Your back garden looks very lush after the rain & if it works for you, all the better :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary-Lou; it's been a very fun way to spend an hour or so together, doing something we both enjoy doing. I am also thinking that maybe I can use some of the techniques I'm learning to paint some greeting cards!
DeleteThe garden appreciated the rain! It will revert to being brown later in the summer! :)
It is so nice that you and your daughter could take a painting class together! I would like to have someone here to do things with me sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI agree; it is much more fun to take a class together than to do it alone. Maybe your sister or DIL2 might join you, sometimes?
DeleteThank you for the tour around your garden, it looks lovely an productive. Your paintings of the icy florals are really very good, I like them. I don't blame you for using up the paint in your sketch book. It's wonderful you can do these free painting classes and such fun painting alongside your daughter.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Eileen. I'm determined to make the garden be as productive as I can! It costs a lot to water the garden, so I am shifting my focus from flowers to vegetables and fruits!
DeleteThank you for the kind words about the paintings. Yes, it's great that there are free classes (they also offer free knitting, crochet, and other crafting classes, as well) and being able to do them with my daughter is a lot of fun. Right now, we are using supplies we have on hand, but, eventually, we might have to buy more paint, canvasses, etc. But, that's OK, too, isn't it?
The paintings are lovely. And yesterday's mended sheet is brilliant
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela. :)
DeleteYour garden is fantastic. No doubt a lot of rewarding work goes into it - but the magic of eating what you've grown, can't be bettered. I had a massive vegie and herb garden for a couple of years, and loved working in it, and eating the results.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ratnamurti. I'm fortunate to have my friend M do most of the garden work for me! But, there's nothing as nice as eating what you've grown and picked fresh. :)
DeleteWonderful post!
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing the garden and understanding what is where. Ooh so many productive plants to enjoy!
I agree with Eileen: love the paintings, including your very pretty "extra". Very impressed with them. I prefer the blue background too!
Thank you, Lady Ella. Glad you enjoyed seeing the garden. :) I think I like the extra painting, the best! :D Done without any expectations of how it should look like! LOL.
DeleteYour garden is wonderful! I love that it is freeform and has do many fruit trees! It's quite arty, like your painting! Both you and your daughter created lovely paintings, and I do like the blue background of yours. You've reminded me that I have a lot of odd left overs frozen, I should make a cottage pie. It is very cold here now, and this would make good comfort food. Celie
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. I like the term freeform to describe it! :D Some of the fruit trees were planted last year; I'm hoping they'll get through the winter and produce more fruits, this year. Pies, casseroles, and soups are wonderful ways to use up leftovers and they are all warming meals to have, too. Stay warm and safe in that cold weather you are having!
DeleteHow lovely and green your garden is!
ReplyDeleteYour creative urge won't let you rest if you can add your own touch. That painting to use up the paint, seems to me to be fresher in expression than the set piece!
Still so cold but I did go down to the church for an hour and was glad to see indications when I was returning, that the mail lady had already been, so I stopped at our box. Of course I saved myself a walk in the cold later, but I probably could have used the exercise!
Thank you, Bushlady; I love seeing how green the garden looks right now!
DeleteWell, yes, I have to add my own touches to what I make! :D I had fun with the "use up the paint" painting! :D
I'm glad you were able to go to the church and collect the mail on your way home. Stay as warm as you can in that cold!
Love the random and different shapes of your vegetable patches. Nothing like picking your own food. Although gluts can be difficult to deal with. Mine at the moment is zucchini and runner beans.
ReplyDeleteYour art work is lovely, I really like the Palette cleaning Flower, it is more expressive and shows a lot of movement.
Its Friday evening here and I cant remember what I did Wednesday, lol. Thursday we had showers so I did a bit of decluttering and some card commissions. Today I mowed the grass out front that I didn't get around to earlier and then relaxed and finished reading a book.
Thank you, Sharon. My vegetable and flower beds keep changing shapes! Just the other day, M changed one from being a large circle to two smaller circles! Oh, the summer gluts of vegetables! I had a glut of zucchini, last summer! That was a result of planting 14 zucchini plants! I harvested over 130 zucchini! I was giving them to everyone who came to the house! My bean plants didn't produce much.
DeleteI think that palette cleaning flower turned out well because I had so much fun painting it! :D
Sounds like you've had a couple of busy days! Hope you have a lovely weekend.
What lovely paintings! The blue background really makes the flowers pop.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lovely garden with so many beautiful plants.
Thank you, Sharon. :) The instructor also said that we could change the colors in the background; I might try that, one day. :)
Delete