Sunday, May 15, 2011

Time to build an ark?

I don’t know how the weather has been where you are living but we’ve had a cold, damp spring here in Nova Scotia.  There was a short reprieve from the rain yesterday and I did manage to get a few more plants into the ground however that was short-lived because…guess what?  It’s raining again today and it’s calling for more of the same over the next two days.  I’m not really complaining because my new plants are thriving with the abundance of natural water.

It’s time to build an ark…just in case!  *wink*

Noah's Ark 2

Apart from the two shrubs and lungwort plants,  all the other perennials in the flower bed on the side of our house are new this spring.  This side of the house gets both early and late afternoon sunlight and is in shade for the rest of the day so I chose plants accordingly.

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Look at the chestnut tree in the background.  The flowers are beginning to form and should be in full bloom within the next couple of weeks.

This is also the bed where we dug up some overgrown pines and shrubs.  Along with various perennials, I planted a pink magnolia.  There is still a lot of work to be done in this area but gardens are always a work in progress.

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Here’s a close up of the magnolia in the foreground and a pink rhododendron on the corner of the bed in the background.

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Just outside our back door and relatively close to the house is where my herb garden will be.  So far we have planted 3 varieties of rhubarb and some raspberry canes.   Just yesterday I put in some onions and I’ll plant the herbs later on this week.  We’re hoping that because they’re so close to the house, the deer won’t venture here.

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These guys are waiting patiently to take root in their new surroundings.  It is our goal to have them planted by the end of the week because…

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Mr. Painted Quilt is digging me a huge new bed, halfway between the house and barn.  This is the barn that will house our chickens in due course.

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I don’t think I’ve ever shown you what we call the back porch.  This room leads into the kitchen and is situated at the back of the house.  From the outside, we enter into a ‘mud room’ and then step up and through another door into this area.

This room was a part of the addition to the original house which took place in 1917.  Directly above this room is Mr. PQ’s office.  There is another porcelain sink with running water however we do turn the water off in the winter.  The outside tap is also connected to the same water line. 

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I apologize for the dark picture but the steep steps on the left lead up into Mr. PQ’s office through a trap door.  They certainly had much smaller feet in those days…bodies too it would seem!  Each stair is well worn in the center so they were definitely used and served a purpose at some point.

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With all the physical work of digging and planting, I haven’t seen the inside of my studio for the last little while.  All I want to do when I come indoors is to have a shower, have a bite to eat and curl up with a book.

If you are looking for a great read, I definitely recommend this book.

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I started it on Thursday and finished it last night.  It was almost impossible to put down.  I promise you a great read.

And the library called on Friday to say that the book that I had reserved was in so I drove into town and picked up…

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The latest book in the Elm Creek series called The Union Quilters.  I have read all of Jennifer’s other books in the series and I couldn’t wait for this one.

Guess what I’ll be doing tonight?

knametag2

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

We could use some rain, today we had some rain after a several weeks. I have ordered the book from Jennifer Chiaverini.

Needled Mom said...

I loved seeing all of the garden pictures. I am sure the flowers are loving this damp weather. We, too, are having unusually cold and wet weather. Our rainy season typically ends in March which means we have NO moisture again until Oct/Nov. We had our second rain this month just last night and more forecast for tomorrow and Tuesday. Very strange, but we are not complaining about a little rain to lower our water bills. ;~))

Enjoy your read. I have enjoyed the books of hers that I have read so far.

Karina said...

We need rain, since a few weeks we had no one. Just a little bit yesterday. But it wasn't enough.
The forecast says the rain is coming, but the dark clouds we had today are passing without any drop of rain.

I love your blog!!!

Greetings Karina from Germany
karina.t@web.de

anneke said...

I love the books of Jennifer Chavieri, but they aren't translated anymore after the 4th one. So we have to read them in English, which is a little less appealing. And I'm interested in the other book, but I have to look for it in translation.

I just read a book that was placed in North Canada Nightradio from Elizabeth Hay. Loved it!

Lilian Pilar said...

Hola Kaaren!!!!
cuanto tiempo a pasado sin visitarte,
tu casa esta quedando preciosa
y el jardín una maravilla poquito a poco vas adecuando a tus gustos.
Un gran abrazo
FELIZ SEMANA!!!!
GRACIAS por tus patrones...

Heartsdesire said...

It's very cool and damp here on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Some sun, but the wind has been cold, so flowers are blooming, but no vegetable planted yet. Hope it warms up soon.
I read The Book of Negros and loved it. It's gloomy and rainy today and I just finished reading Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg. A very good read. Perhaps I'll have to try something by Jennifer Chiaverini now.

Larkrise garden girl said...

Everything looks so green and pretty!

Shelley said...

Yep, an ark oughta do it! Same weather here. We have to make the most absolutely divine sewingroom on the ark, though :) That and a special room for chocolate!

Candace said...

We are having the same weird spring, Kaaren! Please save room for us in your Ark! Just when I think I can plant seeds we get another severe storm warning! Your yard is looking fantastic so far! I do love seeing the progress of perennials throughout the spring and summer! Before long your yard will be just as stunning, if not more, than you previous home! Love the stairs and trap door to Mr. PQ's office - any idea why the trap door?
Cheers!

Nanci said...

The Union Quilter's is wonderful, you won't be disappointed. I can't wait to look up the Book of Negros to see if my library has it. Thanks for the recommendation. And since we are in a major drought in Texas we would love to have all your extra rain.

WoolenSails said...

I was going out for walk and the minute we parked and got out of the car, we got a downpour, lol. So I came home and it hasn't rained the rest of the day, figures;) Love your gardens, they are coming along beautifully.

Debbie

Sue-Anne said...

Hi Kaaren, You have been very busy in the garden and your yellow tulips are gorgeous. I have just finished reading The Union Quilters and loved it.

Miriam said...

I love your pink magnolia! Thank you for all your garden photos. I look forward to watching your new garden grow and bloom.

Linda - Behind My Red Door said...

We have had plenty of rainy days here too and enough warmth that things are pretty lush right now - though a little later than usual. My cherry tree is already dropping it's blossoms.

Your gardens are coming along nicely. How rewarding it will be when they fill in and start to look like the more mature gardens you envision. I agree - they are always a work in progress - much like our homes!!

Do you use the back porch as a mud room of sorts?? How neat to have those extra stairs.... if only they could talk!

I hope you get enough clear weather to meet your planting goals this week. We have rain predicted each day.

And since you are a hooker, you might enjoy my brothel post over on the APP blog.... http://aprimitiveplacemagazine.blogspot.com/2011/05/peek-at-our-visit-to-brothel.html

Have a great week Kaaren! warm hugs!!

The Quilted Finish said...

I have really enjoyed the photos of your home and garden as you make it your own. Your house is such a beautiful old building, you've made it so attractive with your personal touch. I'm sure you'll also work your magic on the garden. As to rain...we had the wettest summer this year and Autumn so far has been freezing,our idea of freezing,lol,I'm sure you guys would consider it mild! Just think the garden will be loving it.

Allie said...

Everything looks so lovely! We've had nothing but rain here too, and today someone opened the fridge door, it's FREEZING. After 80's last week, my body is in shock. No plants seem to mind though, everything is growing like gangbusters. I love that back porch area with the stairs!

You are going to LOVE The Union Quilters. Oh what a great book!

Robin at The Primitive Hutch said...

Your garden beds are beautiful!
Weather here has been kinda yucky ~ hopefully today will be better.
Enjoy your book!
Prim Blessings
Robin

Sandi said...

Hi Kaaren,

Yesterday we actually had a bit of sun with some rain here on the west coast.

Today was rainy and talk of some flooding in the interior.

I've got Lawrence Hill's book but haven't started it yet. I believe it was released with a different name in the U.S. I think it's called Someone Knows My Name.

I bought it while taking a quilting class about the history of quilting in Canada.

Haven't finished the quilt, want to incorporate some of my personal history into the designs.

Your plantings are looking great.

MyCretanlife said...

Hi Kaaren,
We have had the most awful winter/spring. Rain, rain and more rain. It has been ever so wet, to be honsest with you I don't know where it all came from. Also with all the rain we have had really cold days and it just makes the house feel damp and miserable. Things have improved here too but I think we are forcast for more rain on Wednesday. Better keep our chins up eh!

barcord said...

Kaaren, Your garden looks good. We had a lovely sunny Spring, and now that May is here, we have had the rain AND hailstones. The ground will be well softened for my sweetpea which is still in the pot and trying to climb along the ground :-(

Jenny's Place Online said...

If only those stairs could talk!! Thank you for letting us know about the books too. Happy crafting, Jenny

Janet said...

It's lovely to see you're making headway with the gardening. My grandparents had a huge chestnut tree like yours, thanks for bringing back lovely memories by showing it.
Enjoy the reading, I'll be looking for a good book soon and I'll see if I can find that one.

Susan said...

I remember your lovely yard from last year.... Just as lovely this year and in a different location.

You will enjoy the view for a long time.

Lori said...

Your landscaping is coming along very nicely!! After all the rain I hope you get some warm weather soon. I'm hoping that for us too!

~Laurie~ said...

The yard is coming along nicely - lots of hard work on your parts!! The Book of Negroes is published as Someone Knows My Name is the US and Australia. I read it a few months ago and absolutely loved it - although my heart broke many times. If you like these type of fiction/history stories you'd probably like The Seamstress by Sara Tuvel Bernstein. It is a wonderful book also, although it is heartwrenching. These books are so important to read so that we never forget the atrocities that have been committed by the human race. I am reading The Good Earth right now - never read it as a kid. Have you read this?

Janet said...

Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures of your garden, Kaaren. I just finished re-reading The Book of Negroes not too long ago. Someone reviewing it likened Larry Hill to Charles Dickens - not a bad analogy.
The real Book of Negroes - the ledger entries for all African Americans who exited what had become the USA, along with other people loyal to Britsin is online at the NS Archives and Record Management site. Another interesting list is the entire list of known fatalities of the Halifax Explosion in December 6, 1917 and the presumed addresses at which their bodies were found.

Briarose said...

I too have read the "Book of Negroes". Like you, I had trouble putting it down. agreat read, highly recommended. Claire

Siobhán said...

I loved all of your garden photos! My favorite, though, is those steep stairs leading to Mr. PQ's office. How neat!! I always have to laugh when I'm walking up or down stairs like that--definitely not made for my bozo-the-clown size feet!!

Jillian said...

I read the book of negroes..loved it!!

Miriam Lammel said...

Olá,é com muito prazer que estou seguindo seu blog. Gosto muito dele e de seu trabalho. Estou aos poucos fazendo o BOM Raggedy Friends. Estou adorando. Sua casa está ficando linda. Parabéns.

antique quilter said...

love seeing your pictures and yes its been rain, rain, rain here in NJ too
enough already I can't wait for sunshine and the flowers to start blooming!
does your husband walk up those steps to get to his office or is there another access?

Kathie

Galantry26 said...

I Kaaren
I've just discover you blog and learn that you live in Nova Scotia, near my "home". I'm from the french island, St-Pierre-et-Miquelon, and I've been studing english à Mount St-Vincent in Halifax, long time ago (1963-64, but I live in France since 1968. All my family is in St-Pierre, two cousins live in Halifax and Windsor. Where are you ? I'm gone to take time to visit your blog, have a nice day, here, in the south part of France it's already summer, to hot for me.
Love to ear from you, Anne-Marie ou Galantry26
http://quelquespetitescroix.over-blog.com

becciesworld said...

love the garden and the house. Love the stairs that look more like a ladder. I'm looking forward to the book by Jennifer Chiaverini also. And maybe I'll have to look for the other book "The Book Of Negroes." Hadn't heard of that one.

Willeke said...

I have read 'The book of Negroes' too. I was very impressed by the story. It tells a lot about the weather in Nova Scotia too, cold! I hope the sun will start to shine soon.

Melanie said...

I'm reading the Union quilters as well... I'm having trrouble getting into it.....tell me it gets better....

Nanette Merrill said...

Great post of pictures. Love seeing all the outdoors.

Carol said...

The Seamstress sounded good to me and I checked the online catalog of my 2 local libraries and one of them had one copy. I went by today hoping it had not been checked out and it was on the shelf. Then I had an hour wait at the dr's office so I was able to read! It has started out holding my attention--I give a book 50 pages and this one passes my attention/interest test so I will keep reading!

DOLORES said...

It's now June 9 - I hope all is going well for you. I just read your blog, caught by the music that was playing. (Old Cape Cod, one of my favorites!) I read your blog, particularly the last entries. You are in my prayers. I lost my best friend 2 yrs. ago to breast cancer and I miss her terribly. God speed, Kaaren.