The Return of Huckleberry Hollow

 It's been a long and challenging recovery for HH but grateful it wasn't worse.  Spring arrived and new growth came forth as if nothing had happened.  Luckily I was out working in Feb. and March clearing broken brush, downed trees and repairing collapsed or slipping banks.  

The biggest project was probably the collapsed tree stump behind the house.  I needed to haul out the extra dirt and debris by cart-fulls.  Fortunately I had just the place to relocate it - the slipping bank!  I added dirt and rocks to build it back up.  No photos of that project, but I do have a few of the back bank.

This was its original state.  I waited till the snow melted to deal with it.

Then I began hauling out the dirt and debris.

And here I am beginning the rebuild of rocks and a few cinder blocks.

In February my friend Harry came and fell the Alder next to the house.  It had lost some branches in the storm and was now leaning toward my house.  I decided it was time for it to go.

It made for a lot of nice firewood and kindling.

Then the fun months rolled around;  March, April and May.  It was a beautiful, typical spring for us, cool and rainy with just enough sun to coax out the vegetation.  A perfect combination to rejuvenate the forest.  All the ferns have grown back as well.

Planning the greenhouse and new raised bed was an exciting prospect for me after the crazy winter.  This would be my second full year to grow in the greenhouse and my first season with the new raised bed.  

Between April and May I started seeds and bought starts for everything I wanted to try this year.  I also went from 3 gallon grow bags to 5 gallon bags.  The latter work well for tomatoes and broccoli. 
I've enjoyed fresh greens for salads and strawberries so far.  Soon there will be sweet peppers.

 At least the back bank is cleaned up and I can get around the house now.  I'll continue to add rocks there and shore it up for any future follies.  But the hill brush has been cut and trimmed now too, so less chance of damage there in the future as well.

The iris are making quite a show this year too!  I've got triplet blooms on each stem.  

When the garden veggies are fuller I'll take more photos.  The tomatoes and squashes are all moving to the patio area soon, too.  I won't keep many things inside the greenhouse after July.

Thanks for following along my humble journey.  :)

Long Lost Blogger

Miss me?  I'm pretty sure this is the longest I have ever gone without a post.  My apologies.  I'm well and life is pretty good.  I really don't have a great excuse for my absence except to say that, like everyone else, I have been living the Covid Life;  isolated and safe, for the most part.

I am still working!  Thank goodness as there is no back up pay for the self employed.  Not even in the relief funds, except for the stimulus, which did help.
Because I am in the janitorial field, I have not lost any work, except about two weeks when the library closed for quarantine.  Then I was allowed back in to keep it up.  They are still not open to the public here, but are doing curbside service.  Their staff are there four days a week, now I am too, every morning before they arrive I am the magic fairy sanitizing everything.

With these new added days I have to double up my other work which is great for income, but wearing on my moral as I feel I am working full time again, lol, wasn't I semi retired??

With more stay at home time I have caught up on projects I put off for years!  That's good.  

I grew a small container garden with lettuces, spinach and carrots.  The scarlet runner beans are in as well.  

Most of my photo sharing this year has been on Instagram and Facebook, I hope you've been following me there.  I have to admit, it's so easy to shoot photos on my phone that automatically save to Google Photos, then I can download them from there onto my iPad for posting to Facebook and of course instantly to Instagram.
The Spring flowers put on a real show this year as it was a cool Spring, uncommon here these days.

 

The renewed photo business got underway back in May when I had a great idea to lease framed work!  I got my first client for real estate staging and an ad out. I'll be sending out post cards to vacation rentals as well.  I think this will be a great opportunity for rotating art exhibits that's very affordable.

I'm very pleased with my ad and they even did an Artist Profile article on me for the Summer issue of Tracing the Fjord, a local magazine.

I'm hoping you're all staying safe and following your state's regulations.  I know it's annoying to not have our usual freedom, but I am optimistic that good things will come out of this.

I'll try not to go so long between posts this time!!  Meanwhile, find me on Facebook @jenigrayphotography for my page and @jenigray.photography on Instagram.

Nature Wakes

At last sweet nature is waking up!
This lilac tree is one of my first to show her buds.

The day lilies began popping up weeks ago.  I always worry it will snow again and crush them, but they're pretty hardy and usually recover.

These daffodils are about eight inches tall and have only begun blooming just last year after years of only coming to this stage.  Odd.  But it could be my elevation, dafs have just never done very well here.

I'm not big on domestic flowers, as you can tell by my very modest surroundings.  I mostly enjoy the natural and wild things.

This year I decided to clear out behind the wood shed, open up that area and use the back for garden tool storage.

I also bought a new garden cart without air type wheels or too much metal!  They always rust and the tires go first.  So back to basics with this Smart Cart from Ace Hardware.

I also purchased a shelf type portable greenhouse and a contained composter!!

These are temporarily in the back of the house.
This composting unit has allowed me to finally do what I've wanted for years, eliminate the open compost in the yard.  It was always just too inviting to uninvited wildlife!  This unit is small, about 30 gallons, so it will take a little more work but worth it.  It easily turns in place for faster breakdown.

I am working on an enclosed area out front for a small vegetable garden.  It's already fenced and the containers are picked out for the plants.  Photos as it progresses.

What are you working on this month?

Happy Holidays 2019

Happy Holidays!

I hope this finds you all doing what you enjoy.

I am reflecting on this past year of 2019 and all the many wonderful things that occurred.  Some were big, some were small and then there are the things I'm grateful didn't happen.  I'm sure you can all relate.

Today I am thinking about hope and how we should all have it, looking forward with childish enthusiasm and making plans - for next year, the year after, five and ten years from now.  I think this is healthy and keeps us alive and vibrant and looking forward - as opposed to backward.

If you garden there are months of plans you can make now.  My sister gets all of her seed catalogs at Christmas and plans her gardening for the following year.  What a wonderful tradition!

On winter Solstice I journal, make lists, and plan out my upcoming year.  I break it up into two or three month sections, mostly according to weather.  This gives me a whole year of possibilities and plans.  Nothing's set in stone and I can change my mind at any time.  Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of living alone!

Plan for projects.  I make two lists for indoor and outdoor projects.  Some are just things that need to be done, others are fun things I'd like to do (and can afford), others are hopefuls - like if I can get help or additional funds.

Last year I repainted the back room and painted an old ugly dresser in the same colors which was just like getting new furniture - but for free!

If you live alone you are your own cheering section, your own boss, your own better judgement.  So plan to stay healthy, plan to enjoy your life and plan to do it for a really long time!

I am counting down to full retirement - when I don't have to work - anywhere.  That's seven years from now, I'll be 70 years young.  I have a plan for these years too, an overview, because we need to be flexible and allowing for variations.

I'll be saving money, staying healthy, taking day trips and an annual over-nighter or two, a little socializing, learning new things and making a list of things I'll be doing after retirement.  One of my dreams is to buy a modestly small RV and travel as far as I'm comfortable.  

It's not a grandiose plan, it's doable!  I'm realistically hopeful.

So make plans, don't look back at your past, look forward into your future - your long future.  Ailments and aging are a choice, choose life.

Thank you all for a lovely 2019.  I enjoy your comments and emails.

Summer Happenings

It's been a long summer here.  We are dealing with a huge fire in the Olympics which is stressful in itself, but the smoke is overwhelming now, added to the Canada fires smoke blowing south.

So today I shot this from the canal, can you spot the sun?  Pretty eerie!

The Maple Fire started about the 4th of August I think.  They have it contained on every side where there are people, at the forest roads.  I'm only 6 miles as the crow flies, so I'm keeping close tabs on it.

In more joyful news, I think I have all the winter firewood in.  This fun dump truck delivered.

I get a good workout stacking it!

My plants are mostly native to the cooler Pacific Northwest temperatures, so this long, hot, dry summer has been a little stressful for them!  But the tomato and Clematis seem happy.

The swallows finally got their turn in the nesting box.  There was a tenant dispute with the chestnut-backed chickadees early on and the latter won.  But the swallows persisted and eventually got a late hatching in.  

This little guy was the last to fly the coop.

 I was busy in the Spring planning and creating new work for both my jewelry business and the supply shop.  I have a lot of new work up in the Etsy shop, which can be viewed here www.jgray-design.com .  I spent a few days creating some new hand dyed fibers for ribbons.  It was fun to hang them outside on the deck for the first dry run.

I later cut these into ribbon widths and rewash them for a frayed edge look.  They are a great supply for all kinds of DIY projects from jewelry to floral arranging.  You can see them in my supply shop here www.jgdsupplies.com .

As Fall approaches I'll be wrapping up the outdoor projects and planning my annual trek out to the coast.  I plan to take a zillion photographs!  I need some new work to add to my website at http:j-gray.pixels.com .So be on the lookout for those toward the end of Sept.

So that's a wrap for now!  Thanks for following along.