Bird House Project

As I was clipping back dead stalks I realized I could put to use some of this material.  The brainstorm came overnight as those typically do, that I could decorate wooden bird houses.  We stopped at Joann's on Saturday before going to see a wonderful movie (The Artist) and there outside the doors were an assortment of wooden houses just waiting for me.  I couldn't pass up getting three different ones.

Wednesday afternoon I assembled my supplies in the the wood shop: a folding table, chair, hot glue gun and refills, bird houses, clippers, assorted dried stalks, seed pods, leaves and flowers and went to work on the first one.  Here is the result:

Now I have to figure out how to preserve it and whether it can go outside.

Wordless Wednesday - Return of Some Familiar Faces

Harvest Monday and Other Stuff

I actually had a harvest on Sunday evening: spinach from last Fall's sowing.  There were just enough leaves to add to a stir fry at the very end so they just started to wilt.  What rich flavor they had.  I wish there had been more.

You can see other harvests at our host: Daphne's Dandelions.

In other stuff here's a look at how the seedlings are doing.  I've now only had no shows in two pots of Delicious tomatoes.  I may try to put some more seeds in there or just try some marigolds which I know will germinate.  I planted three or four seeds in each pot and now face the daunting task of deciding which one plant to keep in each pot.  You can see below that of the three, no four New Ace peppers there is not much difference so how to choose?

 I'll have to decide fairly soon which of these Amish paste is the one as they get their second set of leaves.   Decisions, decisions!

 And finally also under the category of other stuff, here are the daffodils outside the bedroom wing windows ...

 ... and the hanging pot of pansies using the cinchers I got at the Flower Show ...

 ... and an interesting pattern on the window of my study in the morning light.  The drips are left over from when I had the humidifier in here when I had a cold but the other mark is left by can you guess?

Yes, a bird making contact with the window.  A hazard unintended by having large clear windows in a woodland setting despite my attempts at putting decals up to warn them.  No dead bird was found on the ground so I think this one survived to hit again another day.

Philadelphia Flower Show - Part 2

Part 2 - Purchases
 So one major reason to go to the Flower Show is to see all the new products for the garden and beyond among all the vendors.  Last year I was more circumspect in my purchases.  Maybe it was the economy.  This year I was not so inclined.  Maybe it was the economy, too!

I purchased these two succulents since two were a better price than a single and I didn't want to carry a prickly cactus home.  I plan to try to plant them in some old glassware per the inspiration of the vendor mentioned in Part 1.  I love their stripes.

This broom was demonstrated by the vendor and I was sold.  Another selling point was that profits go back to Sri Lanka where it's made.  It will be great to get the leaves out of the rocky paths I made last year.

 I saw stone and iron birds last year but didn't buy any.  This heron spoke to me and I got it this year to put near the pond.  These are made in Minnesota by Francis Metal Works, LLC from stones that appear in farmland fields.  My friends and I all purchased something from this vendor before lunch and she tagged them for us to pick up at the end of our day.

 Another demonstration sold me on these pot hangers.  They work for all sizes of pots and can be reused year after year.  I plan to use them for the pansies I just hung up on Thursday.  It will give a sleeker look than the plastic hangers on the pots.

 A tropical plant purchase was this plumeria stalk.  Three were cheaper than one so I split it with a friend.  Supposedly easy to grow and then winter it over in a dark spot to grow again another year.  It came with instructions which in reading here at home differed from what the saleswoman described.  Hmm ... wonder which I should follow and if it matters.

 My last purchase will be shipped to me in mid-April because the vendor had sold out of his supply.  He did give me this which I think I'll use on the pruners I currently have.  The pruners and loppers I got have ratchets which makes cutting easier as I learned from trying them on all sizes of sticks he had in his display.