A place rich with all the strange beauty of your nighttime dreams

Well we are deep in winter. Everyone has been surprised by the "sudden" cold. Parts of Texas actually had snow last week which threw everyone in a tizzy. The lake levels are still headed in the upward direction - we are now at 654, 2 more feet woohoo! - which is good for everyone. However, my backyard is a mudslide. My porch has a fine layer of mud all over it. Since I can't plant anything, I've decided instead to work out more on what is going where. I'm going to have to put mini-retainer walls here and there for example. Maybe I might be brave enough to put up pictures so I can have a before and after shot, who knows. I have found 2 interesting tidbits. There's a group here who call themselves the GardenPosse and they had a little workshop on making seed bombs. The recipe is super simple:
5 parts dry red clay*
3 parts dry organic compost
1 part seed**
1-2 parts water

*This is potter's clay which can be bought at Armadillo Clay & Supplies - 3307 E 4th Street.

** Use native seeds like a Texas wildflower mix.

Mix together dry ingredients. Add enough water to roll into balls, about a size of a nickel. Let seeds bombs dry for about 3 days before throwing/planting. Best to throw right before it rains.

We tried to get to there to make our own but when trying to get somewhere with kids, you don't leave to arrive there on time, you leave to arrive at least an hour early. If you leave to arrive on time, you usually get there just as everything is wrapping up which is what happened to us. They gave us some to take home and the boys planted them in the backyard in the corner I've been working on. I think since I'm not going to be able to dig and such, that I might start buying the supplies like bricks and things after the New Year.

Oh the other tidbit is that a neighbor down the street has turned his backyard into a working garden to the point where he is trying to sell off the extra produce. Hello! I had the same idea. Hopefully soon I'm going to go talk to him about helping me set up my backyard. I heard he was very open to the idea of helping others and am much excited by this!

2nd verse, same as the first

Finally got to feeling better and then Thanksgiving - the unofficial beginning of baking season - arrived. We had a lovely small Thanksgiving with another couple who introduced me to the wonders of Chocolate Chip cookies WITH CAYENNE PEPPER. Don't knock it, it is FABULOUS! You don't taste the heat of the pepper. It actually makes the cookie taste likes its warm straight out of the oven with a hint of gingerbread taste to it. FABULOUS. I'm going to try and wrangle the recipe out of my friend.

So I haven't been able to get in the backyard at all. Tobie as become accustomed to the aerial run and is doing OK with it. We have another dog, a rat terrier named Bruce who is enjoying Tobie on the aerial run as well. We got Bruce from the animal shelter and whoever had him prior to us bobbed his tail. Tobie's favorite pasttime is to nip at Bruce's tail. So now, Bruce likes to step just outside of Tobie's reach and put his backside to her. I swear he does this with a smile on his face.

Anyhoo, the last 3 months have had record rainfalls. Lake Travis is considered full when it is at 681 feet. On September 11, it was at 630 feet. Today, it's measuring at 651 feet. So our backyard has gone from hay to emerald green to mud. Clovers, it turns out, do not have deep roots. I was talking with my husband yesterday and LCRA had announced that while we did have significant rainfall, it still looks like we are going to be in a drought next summer (hopefully not as harsh as the one we just had). So even if we do get more rain, I don't think I'm going to buy any sod until sometime after or around April,2010. So in the meantime, I'm going to work on leveling the yard and figuring out more of where stuff is going to go.

In other words... back to the drawing board!

"And Tired" always followed sick.

Worst beating I ever got in my life, my mother said, "I am just sick..." And I said, "And tired."

I don't remember anything after that.


One of my favorite quotes so I just had to finish it. =P Went to visit the parents and mom had pulled out all of the ground cover that we were looking at. I decided that I was just going to go with an aerial dog run

However I have not been able to get going in the backyard. Down with a sick kid again and this time I'm starting to feel sick.

And tired.

Wait a minute! Wait. I'm having a thought. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I'm gonna have a thought. It's coming... It's gone.

Well, the temporary fence idea went bust. Our dog, Tobie - soon to be renamed The Culprit - respected the boundaries for about 4 days before the fence was nothing more than a muddled mess of plastic chicken wire and rope. I think she was rather entertained with the puzzle presented before her and rather proud of her victorious solution. Husband and I have been pondering what to do for the next try. I really don't want to spend more money on temporary fencing supplies only to lay a goose egg at her feet and I also have a fear that by putting up a temporary fence, I may inadvertently teach her how to jump over the fence. I got into a discussion with a neighbor - they have a similar problem with their border collie - and they have resorted to the old fashion notion of placing objects around their backyard to get their dog to avoid certain areas. I have a couple of outdoor shelving units that are rather tall so I'm thinking of moving them over to where the temporary fence was.

But this also brought up another issues. Clovers don't have deep roots. I mean, grass doesn't either but it gets thick enough so that it's hard to dig through. I don't know if it's because of the frequency of the rain lately but we've noticed it's quite easy to dig through the clovers. My mother had this ground covering that we both really like and we're going to go spend Halloween with my family so I think I'm going to take some clippings of the ground cover she has and try transplanting it. I'm really not fond of the idea of 2+ types of ground cover. That means I have to do some shaping with the covers and that requires maintenance.

We'll have to see how this works out.

It's just a flesh wound

We took a vacation last week (which is another reason I got behind in posting) and came back to this.


another view


A better look at the carnage


As a result, this has occurred


Meet the culprit


So far, she has respected the temporary force field.

And the rain rain rain came down down down

I'm a week behind in updating but there still hasn't been much to update. We've been getting lots of rain which has been quite enjoyable. My little replant area has been thriving quite nicely.



I also found this nifty little item at Lowes

The top opens up to reveal that that wagon is a little storage area. And that padding comes out so you can use it for a kneeling pad or to sit on.

But it brings the question: Why do little kids get red wagons and old ladies get beige? discrimination I tell ya.

It was an Alaskan Bull Worm!

As I began making the great clover transplant, I kept coming across earthworms which made me very happy as earthworms are great for gardening.

Say hello to my little friend


And then I came across this....


For comparison

(yes, the ruler was superimposed. I forgot to grab one when I took the picture. As you can tell, it is to scale)

That's one big mamma jamma!

Audrey II - Oh please.... grow for me!

I meant to update sooner but alas, I had a sick kid. It's amazing how much time you don't have when taking care of and trying to entertain a sick 5 year old. He was down for 3 days and immediately bounced back to his old self. However his brother is now sniffling.... (did I mention I have twin boys?) We've been loving the rain, but oh the havoc the change of weather always brings.

Anyhoo, Mr Postman has delivered my spoils!


And I immediately put the mini Ph tester to work.
Test 1


Test2


Test3


The soil is what I thought, on the acidic side. I've been trying to figure out what ground cover to use and finally decided that I am not going to stop the clover invasion taking over our yard.

Can you see the few blades futilely resisting. Well, I too have decided to live in harmony with what was formerly a weed. And besides, I like the idea of having a backyard covered in clovers. It's.... different and looks more lush. Kind of reminds me of the green rolling hills of Europe. Plus, clovers don't grow vertically like grass does so we can go longer between mowing during non-drought years.

So I have begun the great clover transplant. I've got this part of my yard where I want to remove the clover


And here is a better view of their new home


Oh by the way, my house has been in a state of constant renovation for well over a decade. It will also be getting a new external paint job.

I've also decided that since I'm going with movie quotes for blog titles, might as well rec the movie for all to enjoy!

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) remake.

It'll last a thousand years. Forever.

I'm trying to get in the habit of updating on a regular basis and my intention is that each update will be one foot in front of the other. Mind you putting one foot in front of the other maybe baby steps but as the saying goes, Soon I'll be heading out the door! But alas, there will be times that my update will be a, "Hi checking in!" kind of post and here is one. Wouldn't you know it. Monsoon week has hit Central Texas. Rain Rain Rain she's a coming down! It has been nice to enjoy the overcast days and cooler weather but can't do much outside with the rain. The corner where I started however is reacting exactly as I hoped it would. I was able to pull out what remaining grass was there and it is nothing but sweet mud. I even dug a little trench between the tree and the house to divert water away from the house. The tree actually sits a little bit higher than the most bottom siding panel causing water to collect in the very corner of the house. I dug a little trench between the tree and the house and angled it away from the corner. When the rain started it made it's little path away from the house and towards the fence. Yay! my first experiment as a civil engineer worked! Whether it lasts or not, I'm just glad it worked!

What the heck, I decided to brave the rain and take some pictures. This is the corner. That's our bedroom window, the tree in question and that gray long box is the battery backup from our solar panels.

The a/c units are over here as well


Here is my trench doing it's job!

but it does need improvement.

I did not account for water collecting between the backup battery and the house. I'll have to go back and make sure to include that area in The Trench. In that corner, I'm thinking of putting a decorative rain gutter like this. This corner doesn't get a lot of sun and it's kind of tucked away from the rest of the yard so we've decided to use it to dry our scuba gear or if anything needs to be washed outside. I'm looking at various ground covers to start in this area and eventually spread to the yard. I've also ordered my soil testing kit and am just waiting patiently for Mr. Postman to deliver.

We want ... a shrubbery!

Summer 2009 is set to go on record as The Hottest Summer ever for Central Texas. I do not have grass, I have dried hay. What better time than now to decide to change the landscape! Pull out that grass, pull up those...... well that's all we really had. Neither my husband nor I have ever been one to get into gardening but I've decided now is a better time than any; I'm a recent stay at home mom, we have a new puppy who has not only decided to surprise us on a nearly daily basis with rearranging the backyard but has also decided to aerate the backyard with really big holes placed... we'll go with... capriciously. With my decision to stay at home and recent turns in the economy, I've decided since our yards (both back and front) need new landscaping, we might as well embrace the urban homesteading trend and turn our garden into a modern day victory garden. A victory against the battle of rising prices!

So this is the beginning of a very long tale and hopefully one that I will see to the end.

Between the back and the front yard, the back is the more pitiful one so I've decided to start there. I've started in a corner and am working my way around to the other side. My goal is to complete phase 1 by June 21, 2010.


And what is Phase 1? It is:

• Soil testing completed
• St. Augustine grass gone from backyard
• New ground cover planted, taking route and prospering
• The basic layout of what will go where will be decided allowing me to move into phase 2

Phase 2 is:

• Identifying suitable plants
• determining if in-ground or containers would be best
• Planting and maintaining
  

So we are off! I don't want to pull all the grass out at one time and then have to deal with the subsequent recreation of the dust bowl thus I'm working in sections. As I get an arbitrarily big enough section ready, I'll test the soil. I'm in the process of looking for a soil testing kit and have come across a nifty site. Since I'm new to gardening I'm not familiar with local nurseries that support non-ornamental gardening. I know I can take a bucket of dirt to a state agency or even Lowe's and have my soil tested for free or near free but I found a soil testing kit for under $10 and I figure it'll be a good investment for future use.

And soon... shrubbery!