Summer Begins this Week! Part 1

Where to begin about the last 2 months? I've been so busy working outside but I literally haven't had the energy to write about what we're doing with the house. I get up early in the morning, put on my outside work clothes, put on my bug netting and work outside between 2 and 3 hours every morning before I have breakfast. Then I come in, have breakfast and then go outside for another couple of hours until it is too hot or I'm too tired to do anymore. The yard is literally littered with invasive species or things that have been allowed to go to seed and spread. I have Japanese Knotwood which is an invasive species that I have to phone the Ontario government about and hopefully we'll be allowed to purchase Roundup in order to successfully remove this plant from our space. But there's also Chinese lantern, Linden broom, Buckthorn, some form of thorny Wild Rose, Manitoba maple and sumac all through the property. I am going to leave the scads blackberries alone (for this year) and I was delighted to find that I will have a harvest of red currants this year. There is some form of ornamental plant that has overgrown the rhubarb so there will be no rhubarb this year and I will have to dig it out and move it to some place it can be successful. But there has also been the joy of watching the garden come to life over the last few months. A true joy. 

Pink Poppy!

Siberian Iris

There is a painted turtle in there nesting! No digging there anymore!

Cedars early morning.

 

                                                                    Cedars all gone!

Crabapple blooming with all my seedlings out in plastic containers to keep them warm.

                                                                This cherry is beautiful but will have to be moved.

Hugelculture mound started. This is a lot of work but I have to get rid of all this wood left over the property somehow.

I have learned how to use a chainsaw, I bought myself a new electric weed wacker and I have pruned and pruned and pruned. And dug and dug and dug. We have piles of cut cedar bushes that are 10 ft tall now. I unfortunately unhomed a baby robin while chopping down a cedar but it was a fledgling so it was okay but the parents were quite indignant.

A work in process!

Inside, we've got a lot of stuff done, but nothing finished, finished. The bathroom upstairs is almost done, but not finished. I think the only thing that is completely done is my closet in my art room. Peter built it for me. It's been made of cedar, and it smells great. Hopefully it will keep the insects and critters away from all the canvas. Chris and Peter installed a lot of shelving for my art supplies.  Peter is currently installing the vinyl floor in that room right over top of the pine floors. I've left the wallpaper and ceiling alone for now. We made a decision as a family that we just weren't going to tackle the old floors as they are covered with lead paint and there is just so much else to do. This is something that can be tackled at a future date. Who knows sometime this summer I might actually have time to make something in that room, but I think probably not. Just too much to do while the sun is still shining!