porch — Page 12

Prettying Up the Porch

May 3, 2017 at 9:02 am by Claudia

Weather, weather! Cold, windy (very windy), more wind today, heavy rain due on Friday and Saturday. And, a frost advisory for tonight!

So, I’m holding off on buying plants for pots and urns and hanging pots until this passes.

I planted the morning glory and zinnia seeds yesterday, but forgot that moonflower seeds need to soak for 24 hours, so I’ll be planting those today.

And I put together the other Adirondack chair – this time, it only took about forty-five minutes. Since the bench cushion arrived yesterday via UPS, everything in that little sitting area is now ready for some photos.

Hello, pretty Adirondack chairs! Since our porch is covered in bluestone and also slopes downward a bit, finding a place to set up the other chair was a bit tricky. Then, later in the day, the wind was so strong that it actually collapsed (but not in a bad way) with a loud bang – now I know that they really do fold up for storage!

The chairs are from The Christmas Tree Shops. The cushions are from Home Goods. The little table was a last minute find from Marshall’s.

The funky, rusty glider with its new clothes…I really love this look.

The bench cushion was ordered from Plow & Hearth. Finally, a bench cushion that actually fills the entire seat! The cushions on either end are from Home Goods and the one in the middle is from Marshall’s.

Everything was inexpensive – including the chairs. It was time for some sprucing up. I started with a plan to find a bench cushion for the glider and some pillows to match. Then I saw the ad for the chairs, and so I had to buy more cushions and the little table.

It’s bright and colorful and I love that. The house color is muted, the bluestone is grayish. A lot of the other furniture is very weathered teak. We need some pops of color!

An impulse buy from Home Goods, but one I’m happy about:

This plant stand, which also folds up for storage. I’m looking forward to filling this up with some lovely plants.

I want to share another great find from The Christmas Tree Shops:

These great urns, made of fireclay. I had an itch to find some antique urns, but who knows how long that would take and/or how expensive they would be! Then, I saw these outside near the entrance to the store and I bought one and stuck it in the cart with the chairs.

Then I couldn’t stop thinking about them and I bought three more. They are only $16.99 and have a nice, hefty weight. I haven’t planted them yet because of the weather but soon.

The gray version, which picks up the gray in our shutters. One on the funky patio, one next to the kitchen door. Aren’t they great?

Once I plant some impatiens in the hanging pots and fill some other pots with flowers and plants, the porch will be ready to go!

Don has been following along via texts and he loves it, which makes me happy.

Happy Wednesday.

Flowers, Porch & Apple Trees

May 2, 2017 at 9:29 am by Claudia

Thank you for all the wonderful comments yesterday. Well, make that every day. And don’t worry about commenting, I was referring to the times when a frequent commenter suddenly disappears and I find myself worrying about them.

I love that you’re there, silent or not. Thank you for that.

This is a weed that is popping up all over the property. I don’t know its name, but it’s awfully pretty! Such a pretty dash of yellow. Between these and the dandelions, there’s quite a bit of yellow around these days.

Wild honeysuckle. If there’s a scent, it’s so faint that I’m missing it. This bush is right by the shed.

Just because they don’t last very long. So there will be lilacs here as long as I can still take pictures of them!

Yesterday, I drove north to visit another HomeGoods store (looking for more cushions for the porch) and I marveled at the seemingly endless variations of green everywhere. Truly astounding! I did find some more cushions and I’m awaiting the bench cushion I ordered for the glider to be delivered. Once I get that, and once I put the other Adirondack together, I’ll show you what I’ve been doing. It’s all about color and lots of it. I’ve been texting photos to Don and he’s very excited. Nothing earth shattering, by the way, but rather a sprucing up of the sitting area on the porch. It needed it.

We are known for apple orchards around here and everywhere you travel there are apple trees in bloom. It was gloomy yesterday as I took this photo, so I brightened it up a bit. This particular road has row after row of apple trees and it’s quite stunning. I’ll try to get more photos when and if the sun comes out again!

I’m going to sow my morning glory, moonflower and zinnia seeds today. Then to the nursery to buy some mulch and some impatiens.

Happy Tuesday.

A Discovery in the Boxwood

April 30, 2017 at 9:53 am by Claudia

On Friday, I was doing something or other near one of the boxwoods and I heard a frantic flapping of wings. I thought that there must have been a bird on the bush, startled by my sudden presence.

Yesterday, I was weeding and, at one point, ended up in the same area. Again, the frantic movement of a bird. Curious, I walked over to the boxwood, looked down, and saw this:

I gasped. Luckily, I had my iPhone in my back pocket, so I quickly took some pictures.

If that isn’t one of the most beautiful sights one can see, I don’t know what is. A miracle, tucked down inside a boxwood.

I was filled with wonder at this beauty, this perfectly made nest with five blue eggs.

After I tended to some other things, I carefully and quietly walked toward the boxwood (but stayed far away enough that I figured all would be well) and again, Mama flew off. Since I had been planning to mow the front yard, I decided I should get on it right away, starting with the area of grass right in front of the boxwoods that are at the front of the house. I had scared Mama enough and I wanted to mow while she was still watching from the neighboring maple tree so that she could relax for the rest of the day.

Since this is right in front of the porch, I will have to be very careful. Later in the day, I was sitting on the glider, not making a sound, when Mama started screeching at me. Oh boy. I got the message and went inside.

I don’t want to get too involved with watching the eggs hatch. I did that years ago while working on a job in Wisconsin (the nest was right outside my door) and I was stressed the whole time. I worry too much.

I also put together one of the Adirondack chairs.

It took me a long time and it wasn’t easy. It’s really a two person job, and since there’s just me, myself, and I, many curse words were uttered. Interestingly this didn’t seem to bother the nesting robin (I put it together on the porch). By the time I finished, my hands were sore! Still are.

I imagine the second one will be less problematic.

I’m thinking I’ll paint them as the natural wood is very light in color and I don’t really want to go the stain route.

And I’m thinking that this color (used on the mini adirondacks in Don’s studio) would be perfect. (Note that there just happen to be mini boxwoods in this photo.)

I asked Don whether we should go with white or this green and he enthusiastically went for the green. There you go.

A splash of color in the midst of all the weathered teak will be perfect.

Today, a trip to the store for some supplies. Tomorrow, I’ll buy mulch and potting soil and I’ll soak my morning glory seeds and get ready to plant them this week.

Happy Sunday.

Prettying Up the Porch

Flowers, Porch & Apple Trees

A Discovery in the Boxwood

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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