Weekend Update Jan 9&10 with extra snow!
First of all, I’ll start with a bunch of snow pictures:
This was Friday at about noon-ish.
and by Saturday morning:
We got about 25-26 inches. It’s really hard to tell because the high winds created drifts as high as about 4 feet. Neither Stefan or I went into work on Friday. Saturday was all about snow-blowing. It took for-ever. Stefan did most of the work but the hour or so of shoveling the porch and deck was enough to wear me out. The governor issued a driving ban starting at 2:00 on Friday and lasting until 4:00 PM on Saturday. There was also a parking ban in Arlington. That made clearing out the driveway difficult. Generally, we pull the cars out into the street, snowblow the driveway, and pull them back in but with this much snow and the parking ban, we spent Saturday snowblowing around the cars. Sunday we dug out the cars and shimmied them around in the driveway so that Stefan could get the snowblower through the remaining snow on the driveway. The parking ban is still in effect as of 10am on Monday. Our street desperately needs to be plowed again and could handle about 6 feet of widening. The difficulty is where to put all the snow. The banks are 6-8 feet tall in places which limits visibility and the smaller plows the city generally uses just don’t have the power to move a 6 foot snowbank not to mention we’re running out of places to put all the snow!
To top it off, we’re supposed to get about half an inch of rain today. Talk about bad driving conditions!
Sunday evening we braved a trip to 5 Guys and Home Depot. After our trip, we got some help from this website and worked on plumbing and electric in the 3rd floor bathroom for about 2 hours. That was the extent of the work we got done on the house this weekend. We did get lots done in those 2 hours. The electric is done and the plumbing is about 75% of the way there, just need to install a butt weld. Another 2 hours and we’ll be DONE with PVC!!! At least until we re-do the first floor bathroom. That just leaves putting in the vent fan, running Pex to the appropriate locations, and the attic stairs before we can call the 3rd floor bath ready for insulation and drywall.
I’m hoping this is the end of the winter but there’s another snow event on the horizon for next weekend. I’m already exhausted just thinking about more snow!
Stay warm!
Sarah
Weekend Update Double Feature: Jan 26&27 and Feb2&3
I seem to be on an every-other-week schedule. I did post a bit of plant news so hopefully that makes up for my silence.
Jan 26&27 my sister Bekah was in town. She had a business meeting in the Boston area on Friday and stayed for the weekend. It was great! We did a bunch of electric in the bathroom, talked paint colors, planned out the third floor bathroom, decided on light-fixture placement. It was a great trip. I took no pictures but instead just had fun with my sister and did a little of this and that. Stefan did get a good bit of the bathroom plumbing worked out on the third floor and cut all the beams in the ceiling of the master bathroom to make room for the duct-work to the half-bath fan. It was a great weekend with Bekah.
On Feb 2, we didn’t do much. It was an extremely rough week but I won’t get into that now. We read a bit and relaxed and did a bit of this and that. I winter-sowed a couple more jugs with Pansies and Black Eyed Susans. I also spread cardboard over the grass where we’re planning on planting the privacy hedge of Arborvitae. It’s the easiest way to kill the grass. In the spring just cut holes where you want to plant the trees and let the cardboard decompose. It really works great.
While I was out there, I saw something exciting:
Remember when I planted a whole ton of bulbs last fall? Probably not cause it doesn’t look like I mentioned it on the ol’blog. whoops! Anyways, this is a crocus bulb poking it’s head out of the ground. Yay! Crocus are really early bulbs and they will naturalize in a yard if you let them. I planted a whole bunch along with some tulips and daffodils under the weeping cherry tree. Bulbs are a bit of a new thing for me. They are a colder climate phenomenon and they fascinate me. Now I just have to keep the squirrels off the tulips. Yay bulbs!
The Washer and dryer we ordered on Black Friday was delivered.
You can imagine we aren’t quite ready for it. Oh well. I covered them in a thick blanket and wrapped them in plastic to protect them until it’s time to unwrap them and put them in their home.
In the afternoon we worked on the toilet drain in the 3rd floor.
This picture really tells the story of what we’re doing. A big tangle of wire, a bunch of PVC fittings, plastic on the ceiling to keep it warmer at night, a dust mask because everything is dusty. I think this might be a photo we frame just to remind us of this time.
Sunday we worked on tying in the sink drain in the 3rd floor. We’re almost done with PVC. I can’t wait for the day we can call that done! Stefan also had a late-night burst of energy and buttoned up the PEX supply on the second floor. I also put up this awesome shelf:
That should keep the cat out of my plants. The Bromeliad and Lemon tree will stay on the counter but Vector doesn’t seem to bother those as much as the succulents. I LOVE this shelf. It was meant to be a temporary thing but I think I may make it a more permanent fixture. I’m thinking perhaps a glass shelf supported from the ends. How thick would that glass have to be? Preliminary research indicates 3/8″ glass 4′ by 6″ would hold about 30 lbs. That’s about what I’ve got on that one now. I’ll have to visit a glass place and see what we can do. Hm. I’m liking this plan!
Well, that’s the update. I hope you’re have a good February. I’m liking the fact that it’s a short month and after February is March and with march comes the first bit of spring!
Sarah
Winter Sowing
I’ve had cabin fever in a serious way this year. I just want to be in my garden digging around, harvesting squash, sharing a cucumber with Vector, generally enjoying the sun. But alas, it is less than 20 degrees outside and we’re looking at a solid 2 more months until spring. The bulbs start popping up around mid-march, earlier if it’s been warm.
But, even in this cold weather, I can garden! Seeds just came out at Home Depot and I’ve already put in an order with Burgess.
In addition to dreaming and ordering seeds, I actually already planted some. It’s called winter-sowing and the internet says it’s awesome. Basically the idea is that you make little green-houses out of milk jugs and plant your seeds in them. They will freeze and thaw and get snowed on just like seeds in nature. The freeze-thaw cycle is great for re-seeding annuals and perennials alike. It increases germination rates and prevents the need for seed stratification, soaking, and nicking that some seeds need to get good germination. In the spring, the little green-houses will warm up faster than the surrounding soil. As things heat up, you gradually remove the covers and soon enough you will have seedlings ready to transplant into the garden.
Winter-sowing is different than fall-sowing where you plant perennial seeds and next year’s hardy annuals in the garden. Winter-sowing prevents the seeds from being eaten by birds or buried too deep for germination. The greenhouses of the milk cartons also prevent the death of the young plants by late frosts. I’ve never tried this process before but I’m excited to see the results. I’ll report on my experiences as usual.
For more information on winter sowing, check out this blog by Kevin Lee Jacobs:
http://www.agardenforthehouse.com
There is plenty of other information but Kevin is in zone 5b, not too far from me in zone 6b.
So far, I’ve planted Russel Hybrid Lupines and Shasta Daisys. I had two gallon size milk jugs, 2 half gallon jugs, and a large gatoraid bottle. On Jan 19, I planted a gallon and a half of the Daisies and a gallon and a half and a gatoraid bottle of the Lupines. On Feb 2, I planted Pansies in a windshiled wiper fluid jug and Black Eyed Susans in a gallon milk jug. Stefan just finished another Gallon of milk so I need to decide what to plant out next!
I’m waiting on Stefan to drink more milk so I can plant some more seeds I purchased: Columbines, Petunias, Foxgloves, Delphiniums. I also ordered some herb seeds from Burgess which should be here in the next month or so. Some seeds like Parsley and Thyme are receptive to the winter-sow technique. I need to do a little more research though. Here is a great link for a list of herbs that can be winter-sowed in what zones.
List of Winter-Sowing hardiness
I’m afraid I’m probably going to have to get creative about containers. I don’t think Stefan drinks that much milk and my lactose free milk doesn’t come in the plastic jugs but in the paper cartons.
Have you ever tried winter-sowing? Are there any plants you think I’m missing? I keep toying with morning glories but they tend to grow all by themselves without needing any help, I also got some great recommendations about the artificial plants Melbourne, I think I need to give them a try!
Sarah
Who’s Excited for Spring?
On Saturday, groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring. I am so ready for spring. Just a few more months. I’ve started getting seed catalogs by the dozens and I’ve started to keep track of which ones I like.
I’m a budget shopper and I’m not a die-hard gardener so I’m looking for good prices. The best prices I’ve found have been from www.eburgess.com. In fact, I put in a large order from there just a couple weeks ago.
Plants
Strawberry Bargain 25/$5.99
Lilac, Old Fashioned 2/$4.99
Gladiolus Garden, Glory 40/$2.99
Fern, Cinnamon 3/$5.99
Lily of the Valley, White 5/$4.99
Arborvitae, American 9-12″ 3/$4.99
Hydrangea Tree 2/$2.01
Hosta, Handful of 8/$10.99
Sale Hosta 3/$4.99
Phlox, Creeping 12/$3.96
Hosta, Regal Blue 2/$3.50
Lavender, English 1/$1.99
Periwinkle 25/$3.98
Seeds:
Sage, Thyme, Chives, Coriander, Dill, Oregano, Parsley for $0.79 each
Buttercrunch Lettuce $0.69
Gourmet Blend Lettuce $0.99
Tendersweet Carrots $0.99
With $9.49 shipping the total came to exactly $80. Not bad for the number of plants I got. I’m so excited! I hope everything comes looking good. The real drive for the order was the mini arborvitaes and the Tree Hydrangeas which are in the $30 range elsewhere and I got 2 for $2.01.
They are listed “Choice, 1-3′, nursery grown trees with vigorous root systems.” I’m hoping for a big one! I’m planning on planting it in the front of the house to replace the hideous Yew we took out.
For seeds, I’ve purchased Burpee Seeds at Home Depot in the past and have been pleased with them. Be ware that Burpee seeds vary in price a lot from place to place. I’ve heard Walmart is by far the cheapest but our Walmart is hard to get to and kinda far away. Home Depot was probably a dollar or more cheaper per pack than the Burpee display at the Supermarket. I also added some seeds to my Burgess order.
I think next year I may try to place an order from Baker’s Creek Heirloom Seeds. While I’m not anti-GMO for food production I do think that by planting heirloom veggie and plant seeds in the home garden we can insure that the genetic diversity of our food supply is maintained. I also find that the system of seed -> plant -> seeds -> plant is an amazing system that God has designed and that I hope to share with my children. Maintaining this system in the face of GMO food production which I believe is all-in-all better for feeding the world’s population is left to smaller farms and home gardeners who will act as stewards of this amazing cycle of growth.
I tried planting the seeds directly in the ground last year with very little success. The birds and squirrels got to them too fast. This year I’m planning on starting everything in pots even if I’m going to start them outside. I’ll transplant to the ground once they have sprouted. I also have a good number of seeds that I saved from last year that I’m excited to plant out.
Here’s to an Early Spring!
Sarah
