Not sure why but can't up load all the pictures at once so they will come as new posts.

Things are full on summer here now-looking forward to tomatoes,potatoes,beans and lots of other goodies.

summer shots

Banding Hummingbirds in my garden

We had the hummingbird guy come and band hummingbirds in my garden yesterday! very cool to be a part of. The first photo is the smallest bird in North America-calliope hummingbird. The second is a Black-Chinned. The last photo is how we catch them-they fly into cage and then he pulls the string and catches them. He handled them for just a few minutes, weighing them, measuring beak, wings and tail.

Spring

Got all of the beds done and planted. I put in new raspberries and will pull the old ones out at the end of the season, and get rid of weeds and add new soil. We are having a beautiful spring with lots of rain and nice warm temps-hoping to find a old wooden picnic table for gravel area.

Check out this link to other very beautiful cordwood homes-my favorite is the first one-it is a fairy house for sure.
http://daycreek.com/dc/asp/forum2002/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=2&TopicID=1935&PagePosition=1

Fence up

This weekend the fence went up for Phase 2. Our neighbors came and put it up in a day and half. I hung my rusted tool garden gate. That only sat in yard for 8 months!. We took down the center part and am able to have the whole thing enclosed. Next early spring we will take down old part and make it go with the new part but couldn't this year because I had already planted and didn't want deer in there.

Jeff says wednesday for door-sat a prayer for me that it goes up!

planted a flowering crab, 3 honeysuckle to go up fence and climbing roses.

Birds

heard western screech owl last night and had a varied thrush in yard today!

The Weekend

Painted trim on greenhouse Friday evening 1st coat. Saturday and Sunday (today) got a huge chunk of area done for planting. stakes show where hopefully garden fence will be going. Had bed in front of S windows and a tiny piece of W when my neighbor showed up with his tiller-got all of E done or tilled and all of west tilled then removed weeds in west bed-doesn't look like a lot but I bet they saved me a weeks worth of work-not to mention my hands,back etc....

This side of Mississippi

Well, I have a door-it is the prettiest door this side of Mississippi. Hand carved handles, the coolest latch system, a darling shelve and dutch door. I am waiting to have Jeff hang it. Might just have to take photos of it now and then when it is up.
I got all my peas in, carrots, beets, potatoes and some lettuce in. I bought 24 casa blanca lilies from White Flower farm and got them in as well. I placed them in between lavender and around roses etc. It is going to be so fragrant!
Getting dirt delivered for phase 2 of garden-lots of work coming up.

Picking up door April 9th

Yipeee-door done and picking up in a week and half. Can't wait!

Drawing of door

Here is the drawing my dad did of my new door.....Our friend dirk is a woodworker and offered to build me a door! hoping by end of march.

Inside Greenhouse

Inside greenhouse today-all tools hung and working on more shelves. Got some cool old rusted railroad pins and making shelves out of those, drilling into cordwood. Will wait till spring unless weather holds to paint trim around windows. Looking forward to taking down fence... inclosing new south portion and creating a larger creative fun area to grow things.

Till Spring...or till door.....

Sealing wood

Yesterday I was able to seal the west gable and south wall.
I did all T and G and overhang of roof. I got a UV guard from Weatherall with a hint of honey color. It just added a nice warm color to wood and made it richer.
Still no door but it should be coming....hopefully soon.
Still no freeze yet...amazing!

All Done

Well I completely finished all of the cordwood yesterday! what a great feeling to know I am done mixing mortar. For the most part I have really enjoyed the whole process of the cordwood part except this last little push, I noticed I was very eager to be done and impatient at times.
Waiting to take picture of north wall until jeff gets door installed.

The end is near

Finished the east wall completely and more than half way done......yeah.

This week is supposed to be beautiful so I believe I can get the greenhouse done!

Then for the most part it is just staining and sealing around edges.

Northern pygmy owl

Woke up to a Northern pygmy owl calling-ran outside and found her sitting high up in a pine tree.
What a beautiful morning.

Moving right along

View of west wall-impressive! you can see the glass bottles set, From inside it looks so pretty. I wanted random and no design with the bottles nothing but splashes of color, It looks really fun and whimsical!
I wish I had taken a photo of everyone today- a big group shot.
I had Laura(faces by laura), Laura (neighbor), Susan (neighbor), Becky, Mary lakes (previuos owner), Caroline, Jen (friend of carolines-from berkley), Jen (painter), Anita(from CA), and Dean (our token male). Then I had many send me(via mail) there wishes to enclose in bottles (I wont look) from SLC, CO, WA.......then at the end of the day we had other friends show up to sing, eat dinner from the garden and have an amazing cake (photo to follow) baker not for sale. So SO much fun. Thank you thank you for a special evening.

Bele, Susan, and Laura ohhh and Mary Lakes (hiding behind wheelbarrel) starting on East wall. We got 3-4 feet done on west wall and this was about 3 pm and finished 3-4 feet on east wall about 5pm. Much faster with everyone fimilar with routine.

Birthday BABE Building day

What an AMAZING birthday party. This photo is of anita (who surprised me from CA), and bele.

People starting showing up around 11:30. We started the day by putting our wishes-hopes in the glass bottles and then sealed them in the walls "to grow" in my greenhouse. I was amazed at how everyone just knew how to do the mortar and were naturals at being creative and making it so beautiful!

Tonight the moon is shining bright and I just came inside from just sitting there with the moonlight looking at this beautiful building that so many people have help create. THANK YOU.

I might not be able to do dirt floor in here it might be to pretty.

Dean our "lookout man" stopped up and was our token male! We would have crashed much earlier if it wasn't for him mixing mortar by hand..... wheelbarrel after wheelbarrel.