Terrariums - fun project for a snowy afternoon

Give me a day off of work and I can easily find things to do. Was inspired to build some terrariums today when I found some really fun glass pieces at a thrift store.  Does anyone remember making these as a kid?  I'd get so lost starring at mine - I could imagine a whole separate world in that container.

 Got some great advice at Jung's Garden center and they set me up will all the proper materials including pea gravel, charcoal, Zippy potty soil, moss and some cute little plants.  With the cover, it's already warm and nicely humid - Just what plants love.

For this terrarium, I put an elephant in for one of my favorite books as a child - Horton Hears a Who.

And of course I'm already wondering what is going to happen to Horton in his new habitat.

Post 400 and the last rose of summer

Holy cow, I've been doing this little blog since May 2007 and this is my 400th post.  I started blogging to simply write about things that amused, amazed and sometimes even frustrated me.   When I look back over the years, I find it's a rich reference of my life's plotting.  I refer to often for the first garden blooms and the last, how Beatons is progressing and how the girls have grown.

A nice history source, perhaps for some future geneaologist (once I export the files and put on a server in my datacenter.....for posterity)

Anyway....began cleaning the garden beds last weekend and put the roses to bed for the winter.  This beauty was one of two roses still in full bloom. And the smell is just divine.  The cranberry glass vase was my great great grandmother's (Nanny).

Cosmos aren't just for drinking

I just love Cosmos.  They grow like crazy in just a few months, fill an area with lots of color and make a great back fill.  Here in Wisconsin, I'm seeing them actually self seed.  The Cosmos pictured here are mostly from self-starters that germinated and grew in the pebbles below.  I pulled them out and replanted them and look at what happened - these babies tower at 6ft tall.

I saw some orange ones by a church yesterday.  Think I'm going to have to find some of those for next year....

The end of summer

Probably the last bouquet of this Wisconsin summer.  We had a good frost last weekend (31 degrees) and all the annuals have bit it.  This is why I lean towards perennials - they can stand a shot or two of artic cold blasts.  Pictured above is a bouquet of sedum, coneflowers, cosmos, vervain and one rose from my back garden.  

Best garden producers this year

Looks like the Chard and bird-house gourds are the winners in this year's garden.  The tomatoes flopped, the rabbits got the peas and the arugula, while awesome has totally gone wild.   The Chard is just delicious this year and I have tons more to harvest.

Pickles make the world go 'round

One jar of sweet pickles is what came from our garden this year.  Alright, I confess, we do have two other jars of dilled pickles, packed by Todd.  

But these babies are mine....

My favorite pickles are the kind you get at multi-generational potluck dinners.  Those butter pickles, sweet and full of warm summer memories.  This is what I've attempted to created.  

Recipe: 10 smallish pickle cucumbers from your garden - sliced, water, sugar, cider vinegar, dill, a little more sugar, pepper corns and a few red pepper flakes to spice 'em up a bit.  I'm sure there's some salt in there as well - a good pinch - and then marinated in the refrigerator for a while.

   They will go quickly at the upcoming Wedekind family reunion. 

Summer flowers

August and September are proving to be great months for my backyard flowers.  Here's a link to some more photos - if you'd like to see some color!

Rudbeckias rule!

The dazzling yellows of Rudbeckias are in full bloom!  Gotta love the sunny, happy colors.

The peak of summer

The gardens are going full steam this month with several new additions this summer, including this midnight Hollyhock.  As a kid, my neighbors always had this tall plan growing along the side of their house.  I loved the colors and height.  

This delicate flower is Vervain and the French use its leaves for tea.  

 The Yarrow and daisies are waiting for the Rudbeckia to bloom.  Soon, very soon.

Garden looks pretty good this summer.  It's always a work in progress but I'm happy with it so far this year!

Here's some more photos if you'd like to see more of how my gardens grow.

The first flowers of summer

 Yay!  The first summer flowers are coming into bloom after a tropical start to the week.  On Monday and Tuesday it was in the 90s, hot and humid.  Perfect for the plants to grow.  And of course, this being Wisconsin, a few days later, the temps are back in the 60s.   Above is one of the dahlias I planted.

This rose is called Moon Dance and it's going on its fourth summer in the gardens.  I love the way the early evening sun hits off the center of the bloom.  Almost looks like a painting. 

 My one and only peony bush is just starting to open.  I love that smell. 

This is tickseed and in theory is a perennial.  However in my gardens they only seem to last one season. 

I'm having fun this summer doing some container gardening.  This Hen and Chick looks so cute in the pot.  It loves the hot sun on the patio.

Teiko watches the garden grow

Kind of been wondering why I have a few flowers not thriving in their current location.  Guess I have my answer now.  Of all the places to lay, Teiko chooses the rocky/muddy spot where I have a few flattened flowers.

We've had some narrow misses this May with temps plunging to freezing at night, but my hopes now spring eternal that the last of winter's grasp is beyond us for a few warm months. 

The Magnolia tree opened its flowers and shed them all in a weekend.  Kind of messy if you ask me.  These trees really look great on someone else's lawn....

The grass needed lots of help this year.  I'm not a big fan of it - I rather spend time with the flowers, but I thought I'd give it a boost if I could.  Seemed neighborly of me.

May, really?

I was so proud of myself, I had made it through the winter, unscathed this year.  I wasn't battling the seasonal effective disorder I normally develop through the cold harsh Wisconsin winters.  March was nice, daylight savings kicked in with sunny days to boot and the warm promise of a soon-to-come Spring.

Thought I had it licked this year. But dang,  April was the longest, coldest, snowiest damn miserable month I've experienced.  My psyche was worn out.  I was not seeing the joy in life or even caring.

And five days into May it wasn't much better.  Yes, the plants are finally coming out, the grass is green but 48 degree days with freezing nights just doesn't bring to mind warm summer days, gardening,  or sitting on the patio with friends.

Until this afternoon,  Mary and I took a little trip to heaven when we went to Kopke's Greenhouse north of Oregon, WI.  With Mother's day just around the bend, I knew their greenhouses would be overstocked and plum-full.  And they failed me not.

I think I actually asked one of the very friendly women who work there when I could move in.  I don't remember much from a cognitive level - it was just pure soul happiness.  I was surrounded by rows and rows of the most beautiful gigantic geraniums, fuschias, dahlia, digitalis, coneflowers, hostas and six million other plants.  I was in heaven.

So, of course, this being Wisconsin, the annuals I bought, which I consider cheaper than a therapy session, must remain indoors for a few more weeks.  But that's okay in my book.  I'll just lay down by them every day and enjoy their beauty.

I'm a simple woman, really.  Flowers make me ecstatic, whole and and very grounded.

Yep, the life of Rylee....it's a good place to be.

Spring has finally, almost, oops, it's gone

Spring made a spectacular entry this past weekend.  One of the longest winters in my recent memory, Spring finally hit my frozen, addled soul with a double whammy this past weekend.  Temps raised 30 degrees overnight.  By Sunday, we were at 82 degrees.

So, of course, my Spring bulbs finally made their appearance.  And as one can expect, the rabbits did their darnedest to eat them - but this being a hard winter and all, I don't beget them their food.....

As this is Wisconsin, and as I write this four days later, the temps are back in the low 40s and we can expect high temps this weekend of 46 degrees.  At least the weatherpeople have taken back their earlier threat of weekend snow...so far. Last year, the crocuses were up by March 25.

Anyway...I'm enjoying my three crocuses that survived the hungry bunnies so far and I wait with baited breath the arrival of my tulips.  

April Fools Day gardening

April 1 and only in Wisconsin (well, I suspect there are other places too...) does it start out at 50 degrees in the morning with the sunshine warming my winter frozen skin.  So I decide to take the day off from work and spend it in the yard, clearing the flower beds.  By Noon, the weather takes a turn and the next thing I know, it's snowing and worse, sticking to the ground.

My spring bulbs are just coming out of the ground so a little snow doesn't hurt them, but dang, I sure wish they'd start flowering soon and the damn temperature would start rising!

Will Spring ever come this year?

Dang,  it's the end of March and I still have nothing in my outside gardens.  Two weeks ago, we had two 50 degee days and since it's back to freezing.  Not liking Wisconsin at all.  Thank goodness for the orchids which appreciate the sunlight and are blooming like crazy.

Third time is a charm...

Brought my Rosemary plants in this weekend.  This is their third year growing crazy in the summer and somehow surviving my limited winter care.  I'm thinking of stringing lights on this one for Christmas.  It's about 3ft tall now.

I would so love to live in a warmer climate that allowed my Rosemary stay outside but in Wisconsin, you do what you have to do....

Where has October gone?

I don't even know where to start.  This October has been just crazy with work, up north, weddings and California.  I just haven't had a chance to write and then I find myself overwhelmed with content to post, a wacky camera and too much to say.

Here's one thing that amazed me this week.  The above rose was blooming on Saturday.  I think this was the latest my rose bushes have been able to give me gorgeous blooms since I planted them in 2008.  As this is Wisconsin, the roses have since been frosted over so the blooms are now gone.  But I have my memories....

I'm going to post a few stories of my October in subsequent entries.  I promise great photos and fun....

Busy weekend. 

Continued the never-ending painting of the house on Saturday.  I know boring old lady.  But on Sunday the fun began.  

In the morning the girls and I drove up to the East Lemonweir Lutheran Church between Mauston and New Lisbon (abt 97 mins from Madcity) for a lunch celebration of our beloved Uncle Bear and Aunt Marlene's 40th wedding anniversary.  Last time I was at that church I was 4 years old and was the flower girl.  Love the Norwegian words written over the front door.  

Later when we got back to Madcity, Raine and I headed out to Elliot's farm for some apple and pear picking.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  The sky was perfectly blue, everyone was happy eating and picking organic apples and we just enjoyed the beginning of the end of a Wisconsin summer. 

Love this photo of Raine.  She'd climbed up into the apple tree to get the best apples.  And of course, had to take a phone call from a friend.  We ended up with about 4-5 bushels of apples and 1 bushel of pears.  The Underground Food Collective, where Raine works, should be able to make great apple'y things this week with the bounty. 

 Love this shadow shot here of Elliot and my legs.  See if you can find the apples hidden in the photo.

The fruits of summer

The tomatoes are now coming in a fury along with the zucchini and swiss chard.  With the mosquitoes ready to carry anyone daring to enter the garden, Todd prepared for battle.  Covered from head to foot - think beekeeper - he braved the fierce enemy and made away with a wonderful basket full of veggies.

That night we dined on grilled Great lakes Sturgeon with a fresh tomato, caper, basil topping, sautéed chard and rice.  Don't see sturgeon much around here.  Todd got it at the Seafood Center at the Willy Street Coop. The fish grilled nicely and was filling, rich and delicious.  I'd definitely eat that again.