Stained Glass Reincarnation

This is one of the stained glass windows I bought at an auction around thirty years ago and I think I paid $11 for each half. At the time I didn't realize they were originally one double-hung window, probably from a farm house. The center panel was plain glass with blue and red inserts on the sides.

The picture above shows  the bottom section missing a center and side panel and I decided that was a good time to refresh the paint.

 

Here's the top, relatively unscathed. Over the years I've replaced some of the stained panels as well as the center panel that started out as clear glass.

I shudder to think what I've spent on these simple windows over the years.

 

During an earlier incarnation I had a frame made to hang them on the deck, with hooks holding the top and bottom. and the top window shows here. Any strong wind had them waving back and forth violently so I removed the bottom part while I reconsidered.

I retired the top part (probably another broken pane) and the  bottom panel tried life outdoors. The wind was still a problem so this one went into the basement. I didn't have any space to hang them indoors, separately or together.

 

Then came the eureka moment when I turned  part of the family room into a home theater; a rather grand name for a nice little nook to separate the viewing area from the rest of the room.

(I had a better picture but I haven't figured out the new blogger codes for switching pictures around.)

The windows hide the telly and they look perfect. The top center panel is still frosted glass and the lower window now sports a mirrored center panel.

Barring a nasty tornado or another move, chances are this vignette will remain unscathed for a long time.

The Deck Goes Undercover

Here we go again; it's time to bundle up for winter.

Soon only the tops of the furniture will poke out from the white stuff.

The china berry vine has taken a firm grip on the awning and they can hang out together for now.

I had the good sense to love every minute of summer. It's such a luxury to step outside without pausing to lace up the boots, layer the sweaters under padded jackets, find the mitts and hope the snow tires are in good form.

So good bye for now, deck. Looking forward to seeing you in the spring.

Hark--Who Lives There?

                                              See that big nest in the centre of the tree?




I thought it was inhabited by either grackles or squirrels and sometimes I suspected it might be a house full of noisy vultures.

In the summer when the tree is enveloped in thick leaves I can't see who goes in or comes out but at what must be feeding time, it's loud, a bunch  of hungry- little- mouths loud.

I did some  Googling and chances are it's a squirrels nest.

Squirrels are not garden-friendly little rodents-- they snap the heads off tulips just because they can and they shove the birds out of the way while the hang from any available post near the feeders, like flexible licorice sticks and eat to their heart's content.

I don't know what they do in the winter; there are always a few around but most of the population disappear for a while but they'll be back. They always come back.

I was kind of hoping for a thousand hummingbirds or something spectacular but you can't choose your neighbors.

Anyway, the puzzle of who lives in the nest is solved.

The Shed Gets An Overcoat

A metal shed is an asset for storage but it ranks zero on the attractiveness scale.
Mine stood out like the proverbial sore thumb and to soften the effect I planted a vine against the wall.
What I had in mind was a miniature version of a stately though miniature English manor, thick with ivied walls.
Beginning with soft green netting fastened securely, I guided the vine toward its helper, but apparently mine was a shy vine and it hid itself behind the netting, squishing it's way upward.
It got stuck at the roof join but eventually found a way to wiggle its way  up and over.

The bird feeder was in its path and vine was up to the challenge; it slowly crept inside and up the walls, found a small opening on the roof and popped up and out.

That wasn't what I had in mind and the stately English manor look was gonzo.The picture pretty well tells the story--my plan failed.

Inside the shed, the interloper was having fun apparently trying to make space for a sun roof.
My clippers made short work of that little caper.

As it re-sprouts next spring, I'll give it a continuous brush cut to keep it in order and the netting will be loosened a lot.

Either that or I'll have a roofless shed.

One Windstorm Later

Three days ago my vine "fence" was gorgeous

One windstorm later and it's beauty is diminished.  Winter's approaching footsteps are getting louder.

The Garden's Fall Colors

Ontario can be a tad hot and humid in the summer and if you're not into strapping on skis and tearing break-neck down an icy slope you may not care for the winter but we all agree our province excels in the fall.

The partition hiding the clothesline takes on a lush multi-tone effect  

These plants come into their own now and best of all they thrive in marshy conditions so they have a special place in the boggy part of the garden.

Hen and chicks flourish in the terra cotta pot; soon I'll turn the pot on its side and leave the plants to settle in for their winter nap; in the spring they'll strut their stuff once more.

I took this shot from my son's deck, overlooking the soccer pitch in the park.

Soon the leaves will disappear and we''ll settle in for the winter but I'll keep this sight in my memory bank.

Horseradish Season

Horseradish can be harvested anytime in the fall before freeze-up but now is the time at my place.
The prolific roots have invaded throughout the  garden and there's a certain satisfaction in beating them back if only for a while.

My method is to position the shovel just so, then jump up and down on it, getting it as deep as I can. The tip of the shovel will cut into the root system and sever a big piece for me to dig out.

There are more leaves than roots but I prevail with the mental picture of my loved ones eagerly awaiting the moment they willingly char their sinus cavities with this stuff .



Here are the roots when freshly captured. With better muscle strength I could have dug deeper to get at the fatter roots, but these will do.

Now they're ready to come inside for a scrubbing in the sink.

After that I use my sharpest knife to chop them up into small cubes, toss a handful into the Cuisinart, add white vinegar, mayo and a touch of cream and turn it on.
By this time the fumes are enough to seriously consider either abandoning the project or investing in a gas mask.

After a thorough whizzing and one or two dashes outside to take in fresh untainted air, it's still not the consistency I want so I move the mixture into the blender, adjust the liquids and whizz again.

Eventually it will be smooth and creamy and ready for pouring into sterilized jars.

Ta da.

A friend told me that as a child she watched her parents prepare the sauce each year and they used a food grinder. I'm tempted to give that a try next time and then finish off in the blender.

Next time I'm going to solicit the help of the most proudly muscled family member to dig deeper so I can increase the output.

And I will look into buying a gas mask.

Defrost Time

Okay, I confess the freezer hadn't been cleaned out for four years.

It took that long to want to clean it out.

Large chunks of ice rimmed the interior and that didn't seem to fit into any energy-saving category, so they had to go.

I dredged up from my memory bank just how I went about cleaning up last time and I remembered using the hair dryer to defrost; turned  on and left  dangling closed inside, once all the food items were pried out.

The hair dryer only took a few minutes and then I got busy with a paint scraper and carefully chipped at the slabs of ice that fell quickly to the bottom.

Here's the debris at this point. A few food stains and a lot of scattered blueberries but it didn't take long to clean it up. It would have taken longer if I had been a bit taller but my reach wasn't that good.

In fact, you know those ducks you see in the pond? The  ones that spot a goody at the bottom and they bob down with their rumps and birdie legs sticking up in the air?

Well, I did bear a fair resemblance..

Here we are with a carefully edited bunch of stuff returned to the freezer, like with like, orderly and organized.

And a lot fewer blueberries.

The stuff in the  basket is mostly hot dog and hamburger buns; I'm hoping to foist them on my daughter-in-law with the three teen-agers next time she drops by.

In case you wonder, the freezer is draped with a skirt because I keep it in the family room, to save heading down the basement everytime I need a package of peas.

Now that I know how relatively painless it was, I may not wait so long for the next time.

Unless I shrink some more.

The mirrors

There are mirrors hanging on every fence in my garden. I pick them up at

Habitat where they were once part of  shower enclosures. They disappear from sight during the lushness of summer and reappear as growth dies down

Morning glories didn't get into gear this summer. Not enough rain.There are one or two blooms at a time but they are shy. The mirrors help the illusion that there are more of them, although at this moment they are sleeping in.

Cow stands guard over the too-lazy-to-chop-up compost pile stashed behind her. By spring this pile will be flat as the proverbial pancake, and I may hide that with another mirror.

Potato Harvest

 

This is my second barrel; I harvested the first one a few weeks ago and delayed with  this one  in hopes the potatoes would grow larger. That hope didn't pan out but they are lovely little things.

They will be divine steamed a little and finished off in the skillet with butter and seasonings.

I'm just finding my way planting seed potatoes in barrels; next year I'll experiment and add two or three layers.You plant the first sprouts near the bottom and cover them with earth and as they grow, you continue to add more earth. That's when I'll add more sprouts, during the topping-up process.

The garden space is too small to accommodate planting them in the beds.

The great thing about gardening is you are learning forever; it's very much like experimenting in the kitchen with an often-cooked dish, finding ways to to add variety.

Next  year.....