tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81392086280116576112024-03-27T11:42:25.715-07:00My Home and GardenMy Home and GardenErinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.comBlogger824125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-54447806925233045322024-03-19T08:34:00.000-07:002024-03-19T08:34:17.064-07:00Plum tree trimming day can make a dining room very special. <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqZp9IPbneWuK4IvTTex5hi6DjcAJHdRnSd6uN7MONFf8ngJzP5ZESwZ8S8Ni1utM3so4QC_HNtIMZfI-iHcALAvf5PQ_7uxzqVtSVexHAaDr-xoDOaLsF5qrCnjifpnxt_TkdhA1caswAbS4zpSrH1Mb-PjnDcnqYaVNJUov_-AAMAeCfrMqZETFNzk/s4032/IMG_0266.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqZp9IPbneWuK4IvTTex5hi6DjcAJHdRnSd6uN7MONFf8ngJzP5ZESwZ8S8Ni1utM3so4QC_HNtIMZfI-iHcALAvf5PQ_7uxzqVtSVexHAaDr-xoDOaLsF5qrCnjifpnxt_TkdhA1caswAbS4zpSrH1Mb-PjnDcnqYaVNJUov_-AAMAeCfrMqZETFNzk/w480-h640/IMG_0266.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-75124923970762991002024-03-10T13:36:00.000-07:002024-03-14T12:19:11.057-07:00Can I really be thinking Christmas in March?I have LOVED Christmas all of my life. I listen to the music year round and look forward to the decorating, baking, wreath making and cooking the turkey. I have been doing it all for 50 years and a bit. It never gets tired. See how easily I can go off on a tangent when it was simply a plant that triggered this post. I have been looking for a red Amaryllis since moving to this little island four years ago. They are not easy to find when you can't just pop into stores at will because going anywhere is a ferry ride. A wonderful neighbour just gifted me an amaryllis plant in full leaf and green buds. I asked what colour it is... she said she thought it was red. Today the first flower started to open. It is indeed a red. It was in the sun and had sparkle on it. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy79pLgcTraK2cLAg-AY5b_kH32FTaK3NvnMOLTeGQPYaTSChj5cM5cbl63cq2K7fU-1_AaMCiysMWiqHDDOZcHxdmLDz4qgGssDOT6Yxrbd5EDx4Be_yySwfHtCiEUmAQNfzclC52oiPDNMQ62yVXatE6r6XsvEaSMLx7RVflFC4SYIT8aul5rbuG8F8/s4032/IMG_0248.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy79pLgcTraK2cLAg-AY5b_kH32FTaK3NvnMOLTeGQPYaTSChj5cM5cbl63cq2K7fU-1_AaMCiysMWiqHDDOZcHxdmLDz4qgGssDOT6Yxrbd5EDx4Be_yySwfHtCiEUmAQNfzclC52oiPDNMQ62yVXatE6r6XsvEaSMLx7RVflFC4SYIT8aul5rbuG8F8/w410-h546/IMG_0248.jpeg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58YUf9O6ovvypt5yf_PXmKKiae1c7aMFoD7NKT_84KNBYyfRsGUh1jgRIiahP1DZDAhafy4TFDvDKzl1_t8OCJzDb2l_RSlxz6TdJaX-Ppb0_ysYrtHy2Pe1ZtPPR3_VTsiQR878586Y1G4XvGrtRnFqMMiZycERavCeweQgEgq9o_lgFFZ8Br2VnjJQ/s4032/IMG_0245.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58YUf9O6ovvypt5yf_PXmKKiae1c7aMFoD7NKT_84KNBYyfRsGUh1jgRIiahP1DZDAhafy4TFDvDKzl1_t8OCJzDb2l_RSlxz6TdJaX-Ppb0_ysYrtHy2Pe1ZtPPR3_VTsiQR878586Y1G4XvGrtRnFqMMiZycERavCeweQgEgq9o_lgFFZ8Br2VnjJQ/w413-h550/IMG_0245.jpeg" width="413" /></a></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-54230557146188429642024-03-05T13:39:00.000-08:002024-03-17T11:05:07.848-07:00I have been trying to find a David Austin Lady of Shalott rose for two years <p>Finally. A David Austin Lady of Shalott rose in my garden. They are so gorgeous they take my breath away. Thank you Dinter Nursery in Duncan. I got it planted right away. Lots of compost mixed in. I am a happy gardener. </p><p>I really grow flowers not only look at in the garden, but to pick for the house. I always picture how they will look in a vase. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0vxlkcZ0pW2rm93c9V5gvRD1E9XIr4Dpb37MAd9BEb16Vjz2hTpy0G9fwlMjaJsoWO36MEotDltgWh7Oxh8vfAm68MBPSjRmYSrn08pZmj0Go216kL_xJnu8ubQRjkZsbFwq49Zrd7-4LdTQLYqd_x14rsb5d-QNA4ZLJIqB9XF9-I1lQhryr9UGNqU/s795/IMG_4497.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="795" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0vxlkcZ0pW2rm93c9V5gvRD1E9XIr4Dpb37MAd9BEb16Vjz2hTpy0G9fwlMjaJsoWO36MEotDltgWh7Oxh8vfAm68MBPSjRmYSrn08pZmj0Go216kL_xJnu8ubQRjkZsbFwq49Zrd7-4LdTQLYqd_x14rsb5d-QNA4ZLJIqB9XF9-I1lQhryr9UGNqU/w400-h400/IMG_4497.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-66529370862616043602024-01-06T04:06:00.000-08:002024-02-14T10:08:35.238-08:00I added a little something to my chandelier<p>I found some bright red crystal drops and some other red crystals, but stopped myself before I added anything more. It kind of takes my breath away in the evening. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFQkYXDmvqNJ0dG3o3SizV6EuuACxmvxGa107aRfJ-IqIXHBH9y1So8S_Q4HEemmu0SI1q4xsffy500MA07UrW_okif8UFZcsu7sC5UQjgV_qeh0xTtwMkdJ9tEl6Rd67B4PjasGsW4K_h4iEMhtwj2E_SGSxK1t5i-onwcxIkEG7w42kr3tGFXItJm0/s4032/IMG_0140.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFQkYXDmvqNJ0dG3o3SizV6EuuACxmvxGa107aRfJ-IqIXHBH9y1So8S_Q4HEemmu0SI1q4xsffy500MA07UrW_okif8UFZcsu7sC5UQjgV_qeh0xTtwMkdJ9tEl6Rd67B4PjasGsW4K_h4iEMhtwj2E_SGSxK1t5i-onwcxIkEG7w42kr3tGFXItJm0/w400-h300/IMG_0140.jpeg" width="400" id="id_77f0_b1_475f_ca32" style="width: 400px; height: auto;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jjmW-A8qe1T3fKTYWoWmVx1v2OSvvUVQJ6kCTkyhs3ToZIwNeVyfgq-gcyAEbnVH3BpJmFc39A0PzrY2c8i-u7A7eDzLEO1R7kBGYmiMMrPU0OGIAZYNn6u0mEQj6yO4Yd5Qjz_Y5oAts9VcyPcUjYRaxsPewq-S5fte3hnuS_s9W99APFHaCRVICzo/s4032/IMG_0144.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jjmW-A8qe1T3fKTYWoWmVx1v2OSvvUVQJ6kCTkyhs3ToZIwNeVyfgq-gcyAEbnVH3BpJmFc39A0PzrY2c8i-u7A7eDzLEO1R7kBGYmiMMrPU0OGIAZYNn6u0mEQj6yO4Yd5Qjz_Y5oAts9VcyPcUjYRaxsPewq-S5fte3hnuS_s9W99APFHaCRVICzo/w400-h300/IMG_0144.jpeg" width="400" id="id_fab1_76e9_cec0_f60c" style="width: 400px; height: auto;"></a></div><p></p>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-65193631756104868252023-12-25T13:24:00.000-08:002024-02-14T10:07:08.826-08:00My little sanctuary all ready to go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1cH0x6CgTf1lMAGkAXHfCWuF_1sI-Tcsp2zQudepyKJajwcKCrI8tilu6B07fDh-MvRVLjknSZs4D2zEQBQobYzf637cP8BH-ZvRwjJkkFYfwo9ErASrQ69o1sYLGvOsuK4brseAepqtwHempW_rvkZuCke4Z_Sxq7Fj605kxshBmHukeDtde7oQTGQ/s2040/IMG_4326.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="1530" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1cH0x6CgTf1lMAGkAXHfCWuF_1sI-Tcsp2zQudepyKJajwcKCrI8tilu6B07fDh-MvRVLjknSZs4D2zEQBQobYzf637cP8BH-ZvRwjJkkFYfwo9ErASrQ69o1sYLGvOsuK4brseAepqtwHempW_rvkZuCke4Z_Sxq7Fj605kxshBmHukeDtde7oQTGQ/w480-h640/IMG_4326.jpeg" width="480" id="id_1074_c6f5_25ec_6fcd" style="width: 480px; height: auto;"></a></div><br><p>I am utterly amazed at how wonderful this looks. I'll be honest... I have never been good at picking colours, but I LOVE the way the colours of the walls and floor look together. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwLeCs6FQnlDmKFYzYtlVPH2x4KZOWPn866EW_45gLSyntlampfBhw1HKUTWQpD123JDGNeFRtMPlUt-zW5F-wrjT35dHnxclcKf_bg3xl03oDiUyZTSiQFNd-LJfuOgm4fRB5FTMGqjlOh5oEG6FtmpAByMJ7d_JD5xg2-GMSDXP2gN6PskuzIQG3iY/s4032/IMG_0160.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwLeCs6FQnlDmKFYzYtlVPH2x4KZOWPn866EW_45gLSyntlampfBhw1HKUTWQpD123JDGNeFRtMPlUt-zW5F-wrjT35dHnxclcKf_bg3xl03oDiUyZTSiQFNd-LJfuOgm4fRB5FTMGqjlOh5oEG6FtmpAByMJ7d_JD5xg2-GMSDXP2gN6PskuzIQG3iY/w300-h400/IMG_0160.jpeg" width="300" id="id_838e_9f8a_95f8_7020" style="width: 300px; height: auto;"></a></div><br><p style="text-align: center;">Here is a photo of this room before. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gaIm83MDHwLu03ZJ4BVGwN8QNfWZSQnzbhpFFlvC5EIPs9boFe2wUiQlcj_uM1hlSMqGLMZKlRMJ0F2S2ZDh9Wqo-l_hW6PAssuSAVPm5cOovh0fJgc-izCQpayK_MVQzpbzeXfYS6Y9TSBxRyEqcA0s02TDn8kasHr3hNXfm3B_3F4UUJ3_LF91nho/s4608/P1020128.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gaIm83MDHwLu03ZJ4BVGwN8QNfWZSQnzbhpFFlvC5EIPs9boFe2wUiQlcj_uM1hlSMqGLMZKlRMJ0F2S2ZDh9Wqo-l_hW6PAssuSAVPm5cOovh0fJgc-izCQpayK_MVQzpbzeXfYS6Y9TSBxRyEqcA0s02TDn8kasHr3hNXfm3B_3F4UUJ3_LF91nho/w400-h300/P1020128.jpeg" width="400" id="id_12bc_4baa_292f_9690" style="width: 400px; height: auto;"></a></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-31528908909749781172023-06-09T19:23:00.001-07:002023-12-10T07:27:35.903-08:00One of my garden favorites. Peony’s. Last year I didn’t get a single peony flower. We were hit with a blight/fungus that really stopped the growth and flowering of almost all of my iris and peony plants. It was such a cold wet spring. This year is more than making up for it. Here are a few of my remaining peony’s today. <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh8ipqR1rrTryUviEc8la5oAJNFLR-J_tHkChSUKQWWGL9OrOTACYPxC8KlBbdCdft-ScPjRJNX13QkQ7_32B_QVZYI5lIWcsYhq16YWERzxGrDe8XKNdunXxom9mbVTai-hrrp6tyUpKIR2N7K8ujgdWgT4X32gjAeORZupREWz5TdPRI0_AHtYe46g/s2860/IMG_0002.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2802" data-original-width="2860" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh8ipqR1rrTryUviEc8la5oAJNFLR-J_tHkChSUKQWWGL9OrOTACYPxC8KlBbdCdft-ScPjRJNX13QkQ7_32B_QVZYI5lIWcsYhq16YWERzxGrDe8XKNdunXxom9mbVTai-hrrp6tyUpKIR2N7K8ujgdWgT4X32gjAeORZupREWz5TdPRI0_AHtYe46g/w400-h393/IMG_0002.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVd6SkqVXZEHB6LMtpKAi_ZM8uRrwzx-k-q9Eyo4K3QLFGb1Al4vf8NC1n1r1n2xldH5ti27ojmKsvTZ1C4a0BVsGh_4JtcaH56_F-yA805slloMrniHDlYSZ0GdPBJeb1T-YRQvo00slEvhPas2_nRa_hIUpxuGUPAcQ96T5kJbebHJAtzwvFZ5grhE/s4608/P1020459.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVd6SkqVXZEHB6LMtpKAi_ZM8uRrwzx-k-q9Eyo4K3QLFGb1Al4vf8NC1n1r1n2xldH5ti27ojmKsvTZ1C4a0BVsGh_4JtcaH56_F-yA805slloMrniHDlYSZ0GdPBJeb1T-YRQvo00slEvhPas2_nRa_hIUpxuGUPAcQ96T5kJbebHJAtzwvFZ5grhE/w300-h400/P1020459.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Iris ‘Edith Wolford’<br /></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-21580549112878253432023-05-08T17:11:00.001-07:002023-08-26T11:22:59.475-07:00A perfect birthday gift. A road trip to my favorite garden nursery. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK8gZx2DbUFzQyEQASmLp6gHepi4_OvQBI13SpuTE4UFD5GA694HbO5HeOipA_dQRoW8Lcp36KFm2bhK-pnGHiK0aHJShQFQP9DmkozgMnZ3QYH3c6iGaCcPpO3HOCafcaz8GNKXOXnpznHn8hISRsY_JuS5r_q_O5Qy84MN5E4JUbz6PVDMWEJfVtbA/s4032/IMG_8199.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK8gZx2DbUFzQyEQASmLp6gHepi4_OvQBI13SpuTE4UFD5GA694HbO5HeOipA_dQRoW8Lcp36KFm2bhK-pnGHiK0aHJShQFQP9DmkozgMnZ3QYH3c6iGaCcPpO3HOCafcaz8GNKXOXnpznHn8hISRsY_JuS5r_q_O5Qy84MN5E4JUbz6PVDMWEJfVtbA/w480-h640/IMG_8199.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My new birthday rose opened within the week. </div><div style="text-align: center;">“Olivia Rose Austin”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div>Today we took a road trip to Dinter Nursery. It is truly my favorite nursery. I went with a list. From my wish list I found the following… I cannot wait to get planting!!!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lupin - Salmon Star</div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple azalea</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dahlia - Cafe Au Lait</div><div style="text-align: center;">David Austin rose - Olivia Rose Austin</div><div style="text-align: center;">Foxglove - Dalmatian Peach</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXEL2Q6-k2s51nk72qYQ5pJKaILgcViTSWRnO-Akpi5SFQWMWNhX8m-fuoXyLvLT5kLEH6nGdz9fmoegJDJdDfeNr1bJZy7s8f_nce_S5hlCsMyWDTD6k0Ai8k2IAIjaoJkxMzLOGX-1gG_EIHAQcXrSkHqgwaXomju6npuBveD5-bCelv3R7cPqMwoM/s795/IMG_3861.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="795" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXEL2Q6-k2s51nk72qYQ5pJKaILgcViTSWRnO-Akpi5SFQWMWNhX8m-fuoXyLvLT5kLEH6nGdz9fmoegJDJdDfeNr1bJZy7s8f_nce_S5hlCsMyWDTD6k0Ai8k2IAIjaoJkxMzLOGX-1gG_EIHAQcXrSkHqgwaXomju6npuBveD5-bCelv3R7cPqMwoM/w400-h400/IMG_3861.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A mature Olivia Rose Austin rose bush from the David Austin website. </div><br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-61902382590619823872022-10-12T13:38:00.001-07:002022-10-12T13:46:00.655-07:00Surprised that my favorite David Austin rose, Abraham Darby has been discontinued. <div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_7739_5a90_7d_7f2c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/eUdNSHOrKd5rkmXXejt7JiASm_hYPNzq-oLLdTtBbOPr8WGEhAxhT8JJXvVl80Nk9B0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am madly in love with Abraham Darby roses. This may not be the best staged photo ever, but I really love this photo of my precious roses in my little Waterford vase in my old house in Sidney. I now live in the Gulf Islands, and below are my first flowers up here at my new place. Next year I will definitely have lots to pick and share. I’m a happy girl. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I feel bad that David Austin has discontinued them. So many people will be deprived of the beauty of this amazing rose. That said, I will be selecting two new varieties for my garden next year. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_bf50_9b4b_59b9_b6a3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Y87cDKQRXokHbjcYxssBXrfvx-UnCittaSTxsU3ndI5vSEt-ZvxezlQaXlHGmqDg3dI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_4cfe_229a_1177_bee6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/59ijbFgim-gnK2zD1prDBAiwm-McL_8Y_XtROe4vuJkoJdxSopHLdsOr1MV6Y5GevcY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div> Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-34206287150131179962022-07-03T12:12:00.001-07:002022-07-11T10:01:25.484-07:00Front door makeover<div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_666e_f9d8_d37_2673" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/fD0E17qOCiT1sUHwRIvwH_pNga_RVnbIaW86y14MwUw29hAGviPghZpLgrfIy6Y0atg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div>A couple years from now, on the renovation schedule, we will be moving the front doorway forward and putting a westcoast style beamed entry over it. This will of course include a new door and lighting. In the meantime though… we ordered a piece of safety glass and decided to turn the existing very outdated western horseshoe/English Lion knocker/bizarre carved panel combo door that created a claustrophobic and dark look to this part of the house, into a simple glass door. Win win. More light and not so oddly a 70’s, western and English style combo door. Also, the door bell didn’t work and there were wires dangling from it. All in all, it needed a bit of love. <div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">BEFORE</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_fbf_2301_9105_84e9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BhJTB9Bw3vufL4UDAb3ZYvDRD6s8S8B4XQk2KO23qgmTzlh7E0tJ_f1qF9vzGXlAoUI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-89853580951081068812022-05-07T06:04:00.000-07:002022-05-11T16:12:28.486-07:00Trees on the move… and a new Japanese maple tree. I cannot believe how much work the new garden is. But also how exciting it is. Moving a few large/mature trees is wonderful. It will give the garden a more mature look instantly. We moved a lilac tree and a Pink Lady Dwarf Apple today. <div><br></div><div>It is the second time I have moved my favorite plants from my old garden in Sidney, in the last two years. I located another of my favorite Japanese Maple “Harvest Orange” at Dinter in Duncan and will be picking it up on Tuesday. They had a large one, so that is wonderful. I’ll take a good look around while I’m there and see if there is anything else they have that is on my list for this year. I don’t really plan on moving again any time soon, so it is fun to be setting up a garden to last for many years of enjoyment. </div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">My Sidney Japanese Maple “Harvest Orange” </div><div style="text-align: center;">See why I love it so much. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_19b_aca8_95c_2c63" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tfaaG4yAfr-L9PpmEfNtsjPkzzxmcySRXVvkFDqnOQJXr6rDQJRdz1HxupuZ8xuV40" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-11294255547529023482022-03-16T17:28:00.001-07:002022-04-04T09:54:21.139-07:00Raking sticks and large pieces out of bark mulch in the flower garden This is something I learned in Sidney when I turned two large back yards into a Back to Eden garden. When you get free wood chips there can be a lot of sticks and debris to remove. (I have learned that even if you buy it, that can still be the case). I just do a gentle raking over the surface, in kind of a herringbone type pattern with a soft leaf rake. (Either water it well first, or wait for a heavy rain. It is so much easier). It allows you to both level the mulch and make piles of sticks and large ‘chips’. Look at the difference it makes. <div style="text-align: center;"><b>BEFORE</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_8e85_9ba2_45c3_29ca" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/meMosGM6zx92qvQLIquhF9jQZOhNS8aDEG7kGDcFWxNWOWQC5gUcykKdxMvpseDYIso" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Jumble of sticks and huge chips… close-up</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_880f_d2ed_ee4c_b58b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a_IocodQuQ1aZ0uvgghTuCJfDYtvneoFqF2x6sWpo6nhhXQmTvo74ZxfMFxwyEu42R0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Very messy garden</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DURING</b><br><img id="id_ef38_2f01_8aeb_ac84" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/op0j4_MFHNcSzbXlWMopqvobdO6F5MavS5cOksAupxQCUO7i1r4YhPJKJbE65S1PKn0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Piles to be disposed of</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_42b1_dd75_4d2a_b770" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/munUE1KbJopq9J_ph9WlNgalPr8Cp54CWGpA4gT0fadP_Y2OKMAlRGnTfPXQVMIr9BQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br>One side done, one to go <br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>AFTER</b><br><img id="id_56d0_76b2_4594_2d40" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lQKwLd0vDSSYQRE5V6xs3Vt2Uy2UcrofDOJaAOo5JXpmdXhz_pImqqPaNt9XXvk5D0Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">I do this raking every week or so for about a month and after that I just pick up sticks that pop up to the surface. So easy.</div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-77766765804307161142022-03-08T16:13:00.001-08:002022-03-08T16:59:33.983-08:00The chandelier is finally finished it’s makeover<div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_b9d1_adf4_be0e_5ae8" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/76I2Dp9YqxUrA_H5x906ERgPMhlJirG3qahurQv8H7JJnS5pptoATv_tCdSRaShJZcE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_5a61_824b_dec5_2db" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/TWI2G55VtwXBPC7hG06YzL13shBOBXx2Zy6prY1LvEdXSc91C5ELiZTyLzJXOgRql44" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Really happy with how it turned out. I wouldn’t change a thing. <br>Remember this?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_fd8a_94db_d94f_d09e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aaM_3qbPECPlUcKqLzMi4UNH1x-bsOcfv9WY-OlCMm802CT38wlC6ItcA2WkaYK5p5I" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div> Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-42817544627885963092022-02-20T17:16:00.000-08:002022-02-23T08:01:25.615-08:00Slow going but I got ‘er done!<div>It was a heck of a job but it is all done and a temporary herb garden installed. </div><div><br></div>This full of potential 11x3’ alcove just under the dining room window was a bit of a nightmare. It had been raised with brick and boards, half filled with dirt and like every other garden here, filled with a minimum of 6” to about 10” of irregular sized rock. Mostly in the 2-3” size but wildly varying. So many of them are buried in the dirt after years and years and impossible to get out with out picking them out of the packed soil one by one with your fingers. It really has been a crazy amount of work for just a few smallish gardens. I removed two Sidney back yards replacing lawn with huge vegetable and flower gardens in clay no less, and that was a lot easier than the little bit I’ve done here so far. But here we are. Getting it done. <div><br></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DONE</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_850f_1903_a9e8_c087" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/byC0s1Z2lFHS0d__fFRSmAh6lWmXVH5C5vaqWwPER7kvzJ-5smB9D_f0-K7NH91jHL4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4bf9_9e7c_8e31_665e" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/bN3Ghiur1HABU48N-hMwq8hOJHBaSrKgu8TgP_YQFpHFr4hfdrQkz6TncskpKiGvGJM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DURING</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_c601_2301_e4d0_3140" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1hzpi5bVYGaRcI-QnCdyHJiqud2JozPF4NZ3lRORyK2QC3KVNSPb7sgv3cU-GSJwfPY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_98b4_f6a3_e937_eab6" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/1oxT1Dll_GwhhEiAgcZsuSq77dFwIarDU11jey2emza-L6ogZSxr9awcwR3he5d25qM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3015_9cde_e20d_8724" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mjcrZZzDuZfDG-qWB_ZAzZH672GJQpzhtMDeLoJ9Kl4QaewdfEHj_HHPhFJ7bMjvjrs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>BEFORE</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_a712_1ac4_e799_1e15" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/C4dnWtxbv6EmA0rp-2kPLFH9Tzv9hifomRQDbeCmWhOg1OeeIWHMYBRhyZ4XX_woL5Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_f69a_1498_9df0_1b77" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M8EtftOZqwWf2lRYpDRwurOo_qn--LJ_HVrJnX-mEZdfmc6T31xlOtzysTJVheA4grc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c087_f461_17fc_e2a5" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rhm7Dk1OKns3ggST0l2X4J1ngKyZ2e4EkBiAEjvwEYSjD2n6pIfcuTjRecLyAKuxskA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a56e_b7a0_d78_b837" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/E3VzYE0VbYgYWnSqDUrZC4ulUcR5s9sOu7nryPAkbWBYslD-gt5p0_TaL8-ofazhGvI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">These stones are all now holding up fence posts securing </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">the wire deer fencing in place. </span></div></div></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-19307464914551034232022-02-09T10:18:00.000-08:002022-02-09T21:36:44.575-08:00Just planting a few things… Until the deer fencing goes up, I am very limited in what I can plant. But there are a few things. Deer don’t seem to touch daffodils or snowdrops. And the hostas are dormant so no worries. That means I can plant the shade loving plants in the garden by the north wall. <div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_a3b7_e342_b62a_7c46" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EX4ifuDuuqEnZ2_OwT8lRRf2rW1fKc3MzL_VxVdq3u-aSLQgbh3ouYpTCz8BIQXRkMg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_bdd5_ffbf_47ed_e9f0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/CqqOY7kgaQvn9u-Ef97yGLbotVokrtqqN12qKko_6e2vR4vqI7ZC19MQj4PwZsC0nfc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); text-align: left;">Garden cleaned of all the stone mulch (what a job) and planted with hostas (pink flags showing me where they are because they have not begin growing yet), snowdrops and narcissus brought in from my old garden. Then I top dressed with mulch and chips from the fir trees we had removed. They will be used 100%. Mulch and chips, lots of beams for building and some firewood for the pieces that can’t be used. This makes me feel very good. </span></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-49255125131702615052021-12-02T14:13:00.001-08:002022-01-05T13:32:12.975-08:00Chandelier makeover<div style="text-align: justify;">My chandelier makeover has been a long project. It was so dirty and crooked that I really wasn’t sure I wanted to keep it. But, I love chandeliers and thought it had potential. So as you know, I took everything off and cleaned it up. The next step was deciding to change the bulbs to LED to I could save 95% on my hydro bill for it. It was running at 400 watts of consumption and with the change it is now using 20 watts. HUGE DIFFERENCE. And to be honest, the 25 watt LED’s are as bright as the 40 watt incandescent bulbs. But then I discovered that the LED bulbs had stamped paint on three sides of the bulbs and a huge silver band that was too side to hide under the plastic ‘candle covers’. I used a scraper and windex to take off the paint, taped the bulbs up and spray painted the silver bands white. It really was an insane amount of fussy work just to make this thing “cute”, but it was so worth it, don’t you think?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_9eb9_d780_27a1_7bfd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kc0Ttt471lUHrfdsHA7PP1bV7ZJ51t5m72UWWo9q63O0RVOoB9Ab8uGNpQTOJvNLlAE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Before<br></span><br><img id="id_c55f_4be9_c7d7_1d90" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/pYeH92nM5QX3NwELfINBQNaSVmlaLdimgm4Tbvg_6yyoerS10IofWuPh3aBz9puQ3Zs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> LED bulbs with painted writing on bulb and huge silver band. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_3ad9_6e6c_5b7d_7cb4" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/8GKFjp7qfh5g9SwuXuC-nhdAE8q3lKoEr2drdh6r1PVusbYhTszTeuvCI-SyfLLHJM8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Paint about to be scraped off using this blade<br></span><br><img id="id_61c5_e03b_fad3_43ed" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/R46m9PrnMzzJd7sgYhj68jXgf3yNG7DEgfrG1Q0tBAAcetdcVSWrPkTLQNJVfVYGB9g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Bulbs after paint removal<br></span><br><img id="id_8ad9_4513_9c54_b2c1" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sEd55TbWS9j2dpkWF8re0nQSBYKBAcP00_JSeC0DrYdqVkhCmnghrIx3AgJnZzQw0PM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Silver bands painted white and bulbs installed</span><br><br></div> Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-34214244216785610762021-11-27T15:39:00.001-08:002022-01-05T13:32:18.385-08:00My house and Feng Shui. I used to own a Feng Shui store. Dragon Horse in Sidney BC. I loved that store so much. It was amazing and fun. I still have a soft spot for all things Feng Shui and personally practice the traditional Chinese way. It is a wonderful opportunity when you buy a new house to know what the correct Feng Shui layout would be so that you can take that into account when making changes. My house faces south. It doesn’t get better than that. My front door is recessed and you can’t see it when walking up to the house. Bad. Front and back door are not in a straight line. Good. Chi meanders around the house. Good. You also have personal good and bad directions. I have our lists and you can then set up where at tables you sit, couches and sleeping directions. I tend to be really loosey goosey on the couch/sofa part as I tend to just plunk down where convenient at any moment. But the bed direction is very important. <div><br></div><div>I cannot wait to get my Asian art and Feng Shui pieces up here. I love the energy and colour of them. </div><div><br></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_aa3d_112b_c4bb_ccde" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VjxwsVpGzRNEihP23yrQio5MJZMMWooRZUF69bNwi13hqf8zcytDD3yiwFyh_MG_OeU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><img id="id_a098_8b3d_9dfc_1b92" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YaHStkplhUhQgdxwUFnk6fRmUplUwGDYA2sc6QwWHvcibre-kvsqvpYbejl7l8tRzDw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div><br></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" id="id_8a67_15e3_fc60_5822" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gT9NbnJ_3I0i_TsCxfh6bTIDr0gwYXSpilNEzkJ_5fMNv-fZm0upAkLboxSymkPam74" style="height: auto; width: 500px;" title="" tooltip=""><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div>This coming Chinese Year of the Tiger is going to be a good one. </div><div>So I am preparing for that. </div></div></div></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-44530640673825709752021-11-20T06:31:00.000-08:002022-10-21T16:48:19.837-07:00 What I’ve learned. Removing wallpaper 101After two months of removing a massive amount of wallpaper, encountering several different types of ‘wallpaper glue’ (I suspect actual glue may have been added to dining room wallpaper paste) tons of staples and struggling to get it all off, I’ve learned a few things. Mostly… it is very hard work. There are no shortcuts. And I wish I had figured it out earlier on as I would have been done in about three weeks at most. <div><br></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_c4e9_a55d_66c4_8b3e" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/dDX_dTcpUQcl6uZHIdWPN3gWQlnr0TsyOk6hthOAR1-lsHW5ZCjMvDElJ32gw_9yst4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">This paper was in all but two bedrooms in my 2000 square foot house. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_9452_5c3e_4c20_314f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VtrXZwW24RwtmJNQO-uxwUbgXwWRYxAYWcgjviTdhhLlS9gQbVBE-NqJtsZMmkx8Ioo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div><br></div><div>If you google wallpaper removal, or wallpaper glue removal, there are dozens of differing opinions on how it should be done. And often what expensive products you should use. Mine is very different from theirs, but I tried them all before I figured it out. Here is my technique. </div><div><br></div><div>One:</div><div>Tarp along the wall. Use tarps for every step. Then peel off the vinyl layer of wallpaper. Water etc. really didn’t help. We just pulled. </div><div><br></div><div>Two: </div><div>You will be left with a thick layer of paper backing from the wallpaper. Take a garden sprayer, use plain water in it and spray. Do a smaller section of wall at one time. I would say, about five feet. I would start with a quick spray over the whole section. Quickly grab my big peanut shaped sponge and wipe it before it runs everywhere. Then I go over it again with the sprayer, quite a bit more water this time as it will soak in better. If you have a buddy, get them to use the sponge as you spray. Once the paper is quite wet, let it sit for about five minutes. Take a ‘drywall taping knife’ and start scraping off the paper. I used both 4” and 12” ones depending what was working best at any given moment. I found it worked best taking it off in strips of about 4”, but sometimes depending on the glue used, great big sheets could come off at once. It was a total crapshoot. Even parts of the same wall could be different. </div><div><br></div><div>Three:</div><div>Washing off the glue residue: Why is this so important? When the glue gets wet it turns into slippery ‘eel snot’. Gross but that is what I was calling it for two months until I figured it out. Can you imagine trying to paint over it? Because the glue is completely water soluble, first time you put the cloth in the pail of water to rinse it, you are moving that slippery thick glue onto the area you’ve cleaned. I did one wall six times. Fresh water several times with every single cleaning. Frustrated was not the word. It was still quite thick with glue. </div><div><br></div><div>So here is my method. Moisten the wall. Let it sit for a few minutes. Take your 12” scraper and push and drag it on the wall. Some of the glue I found was substantial on the scraper. In this case I used the scraper first and took off the bulk. I only had to do a few sections this way. Most of them had little to no real bulk. I went to my local Ace and bought cheap rolls of what look like blue j-cloths. There were 22 in a roll for under $5.00 so I bought three. I put them in a clean bucket and moistened them in the sink. Tossed them around until they were wet, but not dripping wet. Eyeball a 2x3’ section of wall, take two cloths fold them together and wash section. Turn over cloths and use clean side and do it again. Grab two more clean cloths and repeat. When you have a whole section of wall done, have a bowl or pail of half water, half white vinegar solution. Take two clean cloths and dip in vinegar and wash the same way exactly but you don’t need to do the second set of cloths. Just once and fold and use other side. Feel the wall to make sure the glue is gone. The odd time I would grab another set but very rare. Part of the process is not to go way over the edge of the section you are working on or you will drag that slippery glue back onto your clean section. You get really good at this and it is a lot faster than it sounds. </div><div><br></div><div>Tips:</div><div>Never let anything touch your clean cloths. Do NOT wring any excess water in there or you will get slippery glue onto them. And have another pail handy to toss the dirty cloths in. I would stop when I ran out of cloths and put them in the washer. Just plain soap. Don’t dry them, just put in the clean cloth bucket add the same amount of water needed for wall washing and away we go again. </div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_7aae_add7_39a2_5523" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/R9AKfGP9nJqjhg1SYkHjE4Wc9KJ_p7yQEK9S_pAvXgUP-V_wlyGpK5tQcplEjHoQq5k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br>Wallpaper gone and walls clean. Next up… painting. <br></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-87425587566657049452021-11-09T07:29:00.001-08:002022-01-15T10:18:39.398-08:00Switching the whole house over to LED lighting. I had no idea. It was a comment made to me when I was in the dining room working at the table. My frugal friend said, ‘that chandelier is going to take a toll on your hydro bill, why don’t you dim it a bit.’ I looked at him like he’d grown another head. He then said, ‘it is using about 400 watts right now’. I looked up, did the math and realized he was correct. I brought up my hydro company website and they had a cost calculator. Using the chandelier a few hours a couple times a week translated into about $100.00 per year. I immediately realized too that in a 2500 square foot house, lighting is a huge expense. I did a bit of research and found that LED lighting uses about 1/10th of the actual hydro for the same amount of light. I immediately ordered ten 60w equivalent dimmable chandelier bulbs. They arrived and I put one in and was taken aback. It was SOOOOOO wrong. It was bright beyond belief and a very hot jarring bright white. Ten of them would be unbearable even on a dimmer. (I can’t believe I didn’t take a photo.) So I took them back immediately. I realized also that Daylight meant a very blue light rather than the incandescent warm light we are used to. The other fixtures I had purchased with LED’s built in were clearly on the warmer side of the spectrum. I got a crash course in LED. <div><br></div><div>Right away I ordered 25w equivalent chandelier bulbs which use about 2 watts of actual power. They are 2700k which is a much warmer colour. The bulbs arrived. The colour of the light is perfect. The brightness, perfect. There are two issues with the way the bulbs look. The visual. The old ones looked just fine. These ones have painted print on three sides of the glass bulb about half way up the actual bulb. Check it out. And also note the size and bulk of the silver band that unlike the last ones is too huge to hide. The larger wattage bulbs I had that I returned, had a silver band that slid under those white plastic candle covers. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><font size="4">BEFORE</font></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_79d0_ebc0_3455_7bcf" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3EYFKgbYrlRjHp7P2oiy3qCFYqJMvJCWkIFShS49koPc-enTZ2a05OVS9dPBuYxgMao" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br><div style="text-align: left;">So I used my trusty scraper, a new blade and a little Windex to use as a lubricant and the ink stamped on the bulbs came off. Thank goodness. If you do this, really take your time and you won’t scratch the glass. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_77af_d2d8_4bf6_fd39" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/gB1iSTXqbljgTM--pN3QjB9HB473aQOy29MBNuhm1w8HU5kgCrzFk3w5xgH5kdXNuKs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><b><font size="4">AFTER INK REMOVAL</font></b><br><img id="id_a91d_e8fc_b16b_d15a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jqXs8rnSV7Za03U3KzIq10iLp5PUB43epOKiHcJl2dRLX3hoPNTbZcouvmXEyFNhYvc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-51763427920074519602021-11-08T07:34:00.001-08:002022-01-05T13:32:29.661-08:00Old chandelier cleaned and realignedMy house came with a chandelier in the dining room. There was much discussion amongst those who saw it about whether it should stay or go, should it be painted, etc? My decision was to keep it, not paint it for now.<div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>AFTER</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_e873_a9d2_a611_c5bb" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/EMbVFfzcP8ffXOd0cQtiuzj3weNefZrY-ave_BYIErPKckmVFnQtAn43QBux3naI9jw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_58e5_f8fc_f9ff_a5c9" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FtinCy8qqkEh4AEJgspSv4sAvbHQkkJCyUfxxumahhX0L-oENGB8dOHB5iKSZm7dTJk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><b><font size="4">BEFORE</font></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_be46_b795_855c_75c6" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rzUXg4XSj2FVqZcFYo0PsTpdyPrxYAkugutnTO79yPxAiyUnWKQCbXlcccLZat4MUGg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br><div style="text-align: left;">The chandelier was quite dirty and dull. The white ‘candle covers’ were very dirty. It looks to me like it was sprayed with chandelier cleaner instead of washed. So I dismantled the chandelier, my sister and I realigned it so the upper crystals hang in the middle of the lower rather than right beside the lower arms, and I washed everything thoroughly. Many of the crystal hanging wires were facing backwards, stretched right out or bent so badly that I redid about 80% of them. Some needed undone completely and re-wired. I have a great feeling of satisfaction right now. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_d_31d6_9e6_bab5" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/fDoGBhId5fyIGSQdb_NzIFmSKye42HH9Esrzl9pafp5U-2yGuHcBXhannHJN1b2rWx4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_4338_cf60_cd5f_4457" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/94RXeRRFT8pysLXmKShUMI7Wwla9liKJXdlubF5mQxpbmJEeAsGr49f784Mpijz4TBI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br>I’m going to do a bit of a chandelier makeover and will do a follow up post when it is finished. The parts have been ordered. </div></span></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-2743424707805847352021-11-03T17:53:00.001-07:002022-01-10T09:17:24.811-08:00A room of my own… sewing, crafting and a desk. Part one. I have always wanted a room of my own to just go hang out in, sew, do some journal writing, work on my computer… you know what I mean. That has finally come to pass. I love it. Here is the epic journey, from wallpaper, bad lighting, closet door to the ceiling…to this! We are getting there. <div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="4"><b>BEFORE</b></font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_a8_59ef_67f2_1bde" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ewvPybKhHoTQ2xgDSZKh8pRU2NPmDk7LC1OTWloBqZYZ21InXWxQSMNPeIdg87wleYA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">As with most of the house. Striped wallpaper. <br></span><br><img id="id_85ac_9480_1d1a_a03a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kffu-xcKit7VlYEbAPCTu8jdSbPQqd-cmWna54qM-Pk4dNHAHl4gNnCB1_vz2HITSRA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Wallpaper and closets right up to the ceiling. Very confusing. <br></span><br><img id="id_82cd_cd91_747f_ea43" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/f2WDeT6m7lkFQYGBvsbjn-MBW8X5h3138F6Co8q-rq34bq7vsxpGWIidxel7aVrIi_E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Wallpaper removed and very bright yellow paint revealed. Lots of patching to do. <br></span><br><img id="id_9438_4a17_85b9_f484" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bBqkwLoOVOgEDjkWcmbfh-U5nEkH_y4C6zCjFkSUA90sDv8ht20vaoP9-arvFEnfiEU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The closet has been closed off to give it to the master bedroom. <br></span><br><img id="id_be45_b0b1_ed6d_7a7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/KTdPwKWrCkQmX5R9gn-Z6x3njmJW3wjHKnPhjnIRg2iZYZiVGCrKrCk2CJA0ei4aiXo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br>Last of the yellow paint!<br></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-22992956472832472232021-10-22T19:49:00.001-07:002022-01-05T13:32:33.349-08:00Oh my gosh. Two months in….. wallpaper and glue cleaned off and ready to fill holes and paint. I thought I had a week or two to remove wallpaper and be ready to paint. It actually took two months. I am unsure how many types of glue were used and some didn’t really seem to be wallpaper glue at all. And more staples holding up the wallpaper than I could count. But, here we are now. All finished. I cannot wait to see just one room painted in Benjamin Moore Gray Owl. But first, we have dozens and dozens of nail holes to fill and damaged walls to fix. Theeeen we can paint. We’re getting there. <div><br></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_72c3_1424_eb95_dbb0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xhF2F6ciB7MWsiBeDT23tFOzNLLjd56ubi5wt1d2t18voX4NkPeEdY5_sQqwPqRLcx8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our little sitting area when we are taking a break from working. The walls still need patching and repair, but the wallpaper is gone and walls cleaned. It is wonderful to sit in there and imagine what it will all look like soon. </div><div><br></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_9065_1114_3fc4_6f83" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0VejPSszwjQE7XTqnHZhJIwTiZJzDqFLJTq_AP4qDJdFHohPwu1FBo2lRJFN6ngc_hE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the room before. With wallpaper. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">I am very anxious to move to the next task. I think I need to plant something!!</div></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-13066722828262930882021-10-10T21:04:00.001-07:002022-01-05T13:32:38.565-08:00First planting in the new garden… at the new houseI am so excited!! We spent a couple days putting together a new raised bed, of the many yet to come, so that I could get the garlic in for next July harvest. I prefer planting about September 15th, but will go as late as October 15th. So it needed to happen right now. The deer fence isn’t up yet, but the buried garlic bulbs should be safe until it is. <div><br></div><div>This year I lost all of my old garlic to what seemed to be simply a failure to thrive. They were small and stunted and a lot had bright yellow cloves. So I disposed of the lot of them and just used the other garlics from plantings from the nursery and farms. Here is the bowl before they were separated. They are HUGE. Some are Music and I think some are Red Russian. </div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_37f9_998e_5d34_2145" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/evFy_7PltPNytYs9jnrtLtvEDDc0dRm8kwtoHSr4oXXSoK0CU_UC2WlsiebhI8eO1Ls" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_536e_2eb_3c9e_a7d2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/5h8baYCKxVmhO5VNh7d-ItOL2QCPeToxMm5leJr1fYB_U0C8aXuBKiAuCYHE4_r5vok" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">This new raised bed is made with our usual formula. Small fallen alder trees in the bottom. A thin layer of soil. A sprinkle of Urea. A thick layer of soil. A heavy sprinkle of Fish Bone Meal and a tiny bit of Urea. Then about five more inches of soil. With a bit more Fish Bone Meal in the top layer. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">This year I have planted 45 nice big fat cloves. They are exactly 6” apart. I poked 3” holes with my dibber and positioned the cloves so that each had about 1/2” of soil over it. Some cloves needed a bit of soil pushed in the hole so they didn’t sit too low and other had to be wiggled in a bit further down as they were HUGE. All in all, what a fun day planting in the rain. I love everything about growing garlic. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><img id="id_7faa_4d7e_86e3_fd1b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NSeJNd0-WM2PHAFjV_F-wvxvxYs2WuEXUtmmA0Ux3SGxhfSwzO6ERYjkL5wkGzch1-M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Precision holes poked</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_ee15_d0c4_d7d8_edb6" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/InBEvRnBmHP-y6Tl3PDhr4162goviT4o50Nq_1byEHP7qY57c0pNUQVvq7gBlmJLLkY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Laying out the garlic<br></span><br><img id="id_222c_f9aa_14f5_588f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XOsYbg5HwY50RLEbgYPYMmRVC1lfVtLWX5bNnCAkIowwIFY5l-igmLTrkAglrUspmPE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Garlic planted and wire down to keep the wild turkeys from scratching in the bed</span><br></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-13352749622928364222021-09-22T14:43:00.001-07:002022-01-05T19:49:33.640-08:00Old Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottles<div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_d6c6_65fc_e846_2aac" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/bQ-arkiQJpHccn4uWG0WktzsCQUvzNyqQ6Jeb8U1hB6BMhHIWQFUuas0yd6G8J5VXZk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I have a wonderful 5’ tall crawl space in this new house I bought. There was a small amount of stuff left in there by the previous owners. I found a treasure. I love old things like Pyrex. So these old wonderful Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottles remind me of my childhood just like Pyrex does. The largest is about 11” tall. The smallest about 9”. I always thought they looked like glass dolls. </span></div></div> Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-10561675304271585042021-09-10T19:34:00.001-07:002022-01-05T13:32:41.576-08:00Yet another Leylandi Cypress hedge… gone! Beautifying the garden world one hedge at a time.My new house came with a Leylandi Cypress hedge. You may recall my old posts about the hedge from hell at my Sidney house? That hedge (row of HUGE bloody trees) was my nemesis. Refresh your memory <a href="https://www.erinmiddlebrooks.com/2019/04/the-hedge-from-hell-is-gone.html" id="id_bbe5_90af_45fa_d38b">here</a>. This one was only eight years old and were less than a foot tall when planted. They were already about 17’ tall and the largest trunk was about 9” across. So I immediately booked a backhoe operator as soon as he was available and our fire rating decreased so machinery was allowed again. That day was yesterday.<div><br></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_dcf5_3c87_8ba8_c9b2" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7bN5XeB1bxnHKLYq7QovGGUM2pPoUVaT2_4dAtlrxxwsbb8vz5WvXTtv4oV6MjCRlA4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><div style="text-align: left;">You can see the hedge through the window. It doesn’t look like it in this Realtor listing photo, but the trees are about 15+’ tall. </div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_daca_dafb_a4d8_2328" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qAPM1wjjOQkzlRAW5wyuBHQhzQ0se7KVmbZYig3qojLviT3PWCS-gurpWhWDmtWq3GU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Some of the branches trimmed off for chipping. <br></span><br><img id="id_abbc_40d7_bd86_a5e2" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/k1Ieq0gSAtDmRaS0xzMl6FP3LyAVBRP6FoQiWcrxugBYLuyOKxg0Kby2f61K8JBXDZU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_bf67_2cdc_ce1a_c9fd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/uTNJqpKdhMJrMSgyyzivA2iVvBxXjOXVwaWqTC8PHXSn3lyNc9z7vkRhjy3cBBaB6eA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">A twinned fir tree that was cut down ages ago. <br></span><br><img id="id_4666_1f4f_136a_6d96" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dVV5AwFRrMpfuoewnCffWYslExVEwN-V6aoZx0lqeFJT_LWeTR7S00AKiI0q1N9LOk8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br><div style="text-align: left;">Too heavy to lift and take way, but roots are out for us. I’m betting it will be slow tedious work with the chain saw. </div></div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8139208628011657611.post-9762962890912935732021-09-04T13:31:00.000-07:002022-01-10T06:41:29.606-08:00A little holly tree of my ownWhen I bought my house I didn’t really give much thought to the very few plantings as most were in terrible shape, not my style and would be coming out. I noticed this tree that was full of dead branches and really barely hanging in there. I inspected the leaves and thought it was perhaps a laurel. When I took a few minutes one day and really had a good look at it, I looked up. In the green leaves were some, not a lot, green berries. My excitement level went to a ten. I took a photo and zoomed in. OMG, is this a holly?! I started looking at the leaves again. It is obviously older and they lose that classic pointy holly leaf shape and smooth out. But sure enough, it is a holly. I am pretty sure an English Holly. My favorite nursery (Dinter) informed me a while ago, that because English Holly is now considered an invasive species, they can no longer sell it. I have been trying to propagate cuttings from mine at my old place. In a full year, I did get one variegated to take, but not a single green. So this is pretty thrilling for a girl who loves her holly. I have fertilized it, given it lots of water, trimmed off most of the dead tips and branches. And now, back to wallpaper removal. <div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_44c4_c5ec_b0da_e9c4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Iy691rvVI2xEf8hcY9FbaZ-ZM8osZhlyaM_vJP-zAnge7DPWTKKxYbZhXnhLBAWJOQg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><img id="id_e8a3_4ad3_bc56_cfce" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ixu7BWLQpykOne3IQkva94JaV6G79tDSTLRV3-Z1WgDHgUwXbpoSzCoRo4r4Kfp6eco" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 500px; height: auto;"><br></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03394245146898073227noreply@blogger.com0