As vacations often do, ours felt like it went by far too fast. We spent last week back in Michigan. It was a wonderfully busy week that included: working on the cottage, a couple of days in Traverse City (more on that to come soon), horse camp with my niece, golf and time enjoyed with family & friends. It was a nice mix of productivity and relaxation.
As for the cottage, we focused on hanging the remaining pine boards on the walls and vaulted ceiling. This was a labor intensive process involving sanding, sealing, then hanging…not to mention the puzzle of measuring & figuring sizes & placements of boards. That being said…it was COMPLETELY worth it, even with the sweat and sore shoulders. I am very glad that we (mostly due to Mark’s persuasion) decided to leave the pine boards natural. We used the poly pictured below that added virtually no color, just a very subtle finish to seal and protect the wood.
The last pieces on the peak still need to go up along with the trim. The cork floor was also installed in the kitchen and living areas, and then covered up for protection as work is still in progress. WE LOVE IT.
As a little side project, I painted these oars from my Uncle for future wall art.
After we headed back to Indiana, I received these pictures the next day…Dad & Mom finished the remaining cork floor in the bedroom…they are THE BEST
The kitchen cabinets were ordered but didn’t arrive in time for us to pick up and install during this trip. Despite that, we made great progress. My head has been swirling thinking about how everything is going to look all put together…it’s getting closer!
paint on the block foundation. She is a very good helper and I’ll take any excuse I can get to hang out with her.
subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens for the plant section, for the most part I rely on the information on the back of seed packets and the plastic stakes in potted plants. As a matter of fact most of what you need to know to successfully grow a plant is there. Packets and stakes tell you when to plant, how deep, how tall the plant will grow, whether it needs a sunny or shady location, when you can expect it to bloom (or be ready to pick for vegetables), how much water it needs, what kind of soil is best and even a picture of what it will look like.
husband, Fred, and I had the chance to get a number of plants that were being removed from a construction site . There were no instructions either time, so I just brought them home and put them in the ground, watched to see how they did and later moved the ones that didn’t seem to like where I put them at first. Plants are pretty forgiving if you pay attention and will sort of tell you when something is wrong—plants that need to be in the shade will look burned and droopy in the direct sun and sun lovers get spindly in the shade. I lose a few every now and then but most plants want to grow and make the best of where they are planted even if it’s not ideal.
Perennials can be grown from seed but are more often purchased by the pot or shared by a friend who divides a clump that has grown too big and unless there is a problem they grow from year to year often spreading into larger clumps. I like to have some of each in my garden. I rely on the perennials and bulbs I’ve planted in the past to get my garden started then add annuals a tray or a flat at a time for splashes of color as time permits. A mixture of the two as well as mixing vegetables and flowers can result in a pretty and interesting garden and some plants do double duty. One year I was given some okra someone had started from seeds and while I’m not a fan of okra it had beautiful flowers.
Measurements don’t have to be exact, but for 1 batch you will need approximately:
