I came home from work tonight with so much energy - I think it has to do with the fact that the sun has been shining for the past few days and the days are getting longer. Boise is notorious for inversions in the winter. I don't know the technicalities behind inversions, but I know what it means: no sun! Basically we live in a valley and the clouds come in and form a cover over us. The air gets cruddy and the clouds stay for weeks and weeks. Cold, grey, gross. But like I said, the past few days have been sunny and it appears to be doing wonders for my spirits.
So I came home from work and checked on my succulent wall. Sunset magazine has had a few articles about how to make these. I tried to make one last summer - scored some bee boxes off craigslist and spent way too much dough on succulents from home depot. And it totally did not work.
They all died.
However, this year I am ready to try again. I used one of the bee boxes again, but instead of buying a ton of succulents, I am using hens and chicks that have been growing in a corner of my yard. And guess what? SO FAR SO GOOD! I used a rooting hormone this time and I think it made a huge difference this time. Only bad part is that I need about a bazzillion more hens and chicks to fill the bee box. I might have to buy some after all. :(
Here are a couple pics of the wall in progress...you can see how big it is (it is sitting on top of my washing machine!) and how I need many, many more to fill it out. But it is off to a great start!
With all my after-work energy I also checked on the seeds I started this weekend. I know, I know, its probably too cold to start seeds. I don't know. I'm not really a 'by the book' kind of gardener. I'm more of a 'by the seat of my pants' kind of gardener. I try things. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I figured I'd try putting some cooler crops in and then making a cold-frame of sorts (really, I shouldn't even be using these big words, I don't even know what they technically mean!:) for them with plastic - to insulate against frost at night and heat up the ground during the day. Here it is....
I wrapped each end of the plastic around wooden poles - that way I can grab one of the poles and pull the whole sheet of plastic up when I need to water the seeds (or obsessivly pine for them to sprout). I planted spinach, kale, and buttercrunch lettuce. Oh, I hope it works!
While I'm feeling all picture happy, why don't I do the formal introductions of the loves of my life?
(This is my husband Brant, being a good boy for the camera)
(Our dog Lucy, eating a brand new tennis ball)
(Our dog Maddie, doing what she does best)
(Our dog Maddie, doing what she does best)
(and me)
The end.
The end.
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