Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Everywhere…

You’ve seen a lot of here through my posts of the past and I’ve shown you quite a bit of there through the last few posts. I’m having trouble finding the rest of the photos I wanted to wind up there with so now we are going to everywhere so you can see the blank slate that I am starting with… This is a rental home so I won’t be able to be as comfortable in doing any radical creativity but I can certainly make the place feel more like a home.

Here we go…

501 Starbrook Court 002 The house is on a corner and has this fourteen foot wall in the front yard. I’m already planning on what I’m going to do out here.

501 Starbrook Court 003 There are a few neglected and older shrubs along the about 3 foot wide bed that goes along the walk heading up to the front door.

501 Starbrook Court 004 then the walk is right along the house to the nook where you find the front door.501 Starbrook Court 005 This is looking north to the stockade fence. The shrub on the right is a rose of sharon that was there when we rented. Our rose of sharon that I’ll be bringing is younger and shorter and I will plant it closer to the brick pillar.

501 Starbrook Court 001 This is a crepe myrtle and there is one planted on either side of the drive way and you know that something else is going to be planted in there so it doesn’t look so plain.

501 Starbrook Court 008This is looking up the side yard from another gate in the stockade fencing. I love the fence, SueSue doesn’t. She can’t see what’s going on in her world except for the occasional squirrel that drops into the yard, the she is on a mission to get that critter. Being the ornery and lazy woman that I am, I’m going to start feeding the birds AND the squirrels. After I need some entertainment to lighten my day occasionally, too. And if she catches one and kills it, I know how to skin them and fry them. I’m not too worried about that happening, because while Suess is fast she is not quite bright. She runs straight at them and you know squirrels can twist and turn on a dime…

501 Starbrook Court 014 This is the back yard. It is pretty large which the girls love, except with the stockade fence they can’t keep track of what all might be going on in their corner of the world.

501 Starbrook Court 012 This is the side of the house that the front is on, just the other side of the fence.

As I do my planting thing, I will take pictures along but I must tell you that Carol’s sister has her ideas about how we should plant the place. She, besides being rapid cycling bi-polar, has got to be ocd as much as she likes and needs order in her life.

She likes things in a row, I like things the flow. When I got to the house I took my babies out and looked around. When I saw a number of plants all along the back fence all in a row and almost exact distance apart. I just got my shovel out of the truck and started working on them… even as boring as she like it. Carol and I have lived together for so long that she know that there is method to my madness and whatever I do usually comes out somewhat unusual. And usually she loves what I do even if I do things somewhat with odd combinations that I enjoy trying odd colors and/or textures. So I know that while I will keep as many plants alive as I can, this will be essentially a plain, basic garden because the riots of color and shapes of a garden that Carol and I both enjoy is like raucous noise to her sister.

So as I get things planted and growing I’ll keep you posted but for right now, besides my life being bland, I’m so exhausted from the moving that I probably won’t be a very interesting blogger. And if I don’t live through this move I just want to say thanks to all of you who have become my friends through this wonderful blogging medium.

21 comments:

darsden said...

Wow that is a really nice house and yard Helen. YOU can still make it your on...just make it removable ;-) Can't wait to see more.

The girls are going to love the fence yard HUH!!

Unknown said...

that's a great house, and you'll be fine , you'll make it through the move. can't wait to see all the planting.......

Twisted Fencepost said...

Once you get some rest, you'll be back....good as new. I have faith in you!!

Sharon Rose said...

Helen,
I can see right now, you'll have it the way you want it in no time at all!

We are thinking of investing in a privacy fence ourselves. I know it will Drive Wendy and Daisy mad!

Being the patrol dogs of rabbits and other critters, they will no longer be "in the know" of what is just beyond the other side of the fence!

You hang in there girl! Don't over do it! IT is a lovely place you guys have there! And the Rose of Sharon plants. . . . well, I'm especially fond of those. . . can't imagine why!

DocSly said...

I can hardly wait to see what you do. Lazy you are not! Get some rest so that you can get busy again as that seems to be what you need. I believe in you and you have endeared yourself to so many.

hetty said...

That's quite a stockade you've moved into! To me it looks like a blank slate - sort of! Take it easy for awhile. Pace yourself and don't overdo it. I know you will start planting and making it look amazing!

joanne said...

you've got a little while to plan those things out as winter will be here soon and planting season will have to be put on hold. I am curious as to what you will do with the empty slate...
hope you and the 'girls' get settled in and find Peace in your new place. Take care my friend...jj

farmlady said...

"..., And if I don't live through this move..." What? Come on. You can do this. We lived through the 60's. If we lived through the 60's we can live through anything.
Keep posting those pictures. You don't have to write a lot. Just let us know, once in a while, how things are going and plant stuff anywhere you like.It'll be beautiful!!

Unknown said...

I have faith you will pull through this move and put your thumb print on your new place. I can't wait to see what you do on the outside this coming spring/summer! It will be a show place....

Lonicera said...

Wow Helen, what a huuuuge house! and the garden (by British Standards)is massive... it's the perfect type for you, as it's more or less an empty canvas, probably what you need to get your spade stuck into. It'll keep you busy for years...
I can see different "rooms" - vegetable patch, fruit area, roses, patio space with wooden bench, maybe a pergola? Maybe rough paths between them? Your trumpet vine growing up the wooden fence... And I agree about the planting not being rigid - I'm fond of "drifts" of flowers, giving the effect of a splash of colour.
Phew - got carried away there. Just about organised your next five years for you!
Caroline

Reddirt Woman said...

Dar I would rather plant in rows than have no plants at all, so I will still have my color to walk out and visit in the mornings and through the day. The girls like the size of the yard, but I think I'm going to have to drill a few eye holes at schnauzer height so they can look around a bit.

Tonya it is a nice house, but it is smaller on the inside and it is going to be hard to get our stuff in it... kinda like when I tried on the Spanks before the wedding..No Way. So I foresee a big garage sale in our future.

Thanks Becky I needed that encouragement this morning.

PS I love the privacy fence but it is an adjustment for the girls. They, like your babies, love knowing what's going on and they are still giving me looks when they go out.

Sylvia you are absolutely right. It is what I need to keep me in balance with the world around me. The joy that I derive from watching things grow and flower keeps me smiling, inside and out.

Hetty it is a beautiful stockade fence I already am planing on training my clematis up on it and putting hangers on it for hanging baskets next spring.

JoJo I'm making a trip out to the old place today to get more of the flowers that we want to bring with us. I can store the iris and daylilies, but the non-bulb plants will need to get in the ground pretty quick. We have a week or so forecast in the 60's so that will help out in making the transfers.
And after the 31st I won't be able to get anymore stuff as that is when we told them we'd be out.

Connie when I threw that line in there yesterday I'll be honest with you... I was having a huge pity party and meltdown. I was absolutely dog-ass tired and wasn't sure if I could put one foot in front of the other. And you are right... if we lived through the 60's we can live through anything. After this weekend it will all be done on the plantation and I can rest up and get back into a routine.

Ronda I am truly looking forward to doing the planting in the front beds that I'm envisioning. Because of the weird shape of the area it will be 'my baby'. Carol's sis can have everything in the rows in the back, but my weirdness will fit in the weird shape of the front just right.

Caroline you and I could certainly have a grand time planting together. As for the veggies we are going to do those in pots and my first thought was planting a trumpet vine on the house side of that brick wall in the front so I could train it over on the front a bit but have the color when we go out the front door also and not just see plain brick. I've not seen how the sun goes yet being in and out with trips, but I know I will have some shade spot for my hostas that I love and some other shade plants that I was unable to plant out in the country because their was very little shade. While this is a rental house I am going to ask if I can build a pergola over the back patio if I leave it when I'm gone. I love pergolas and they afford places to put hanging plants.

Well I'm off to the country for another load of plants and to empty out the second little barn and that will just leave the big barn and Bro is going to rent a truck and we have some help lined up for that so I'm almost through the heavy stuff and can stay home and plant my tired heinie outside working on getting the plants.

Laura ~Peach~ said...

HUGS....

Staci said...

Helen, that's a beautiful house - and I see a blank canvas yard for you to paint all your flowery miracles in/on! I can't wait!

Brenda S Okie in Colorado said...

Take care Helen! And the pity party...Oh, I have them real often. And, I wish I had the energy I had in the 60's!!! As much as I want to be in Norman, moving is a scary thought. Can't wait to see your place in the spring/summer.

Lisa said...

I love the looks of the house and yard. I need to email you to catch up a bit. Hope you are doing well.

Caution/Lisa said...

That looks like a beautiful house, Helen. I can't wait to see wait your green thumb does with that yard.

The Wildwood said...

Helen you need to rest up and not over do it!

Roslyn said...

Looks as if you will have a busy time making over this rental!
But skin & fry those rodents??? HELEN.... [yelling now!] that's just disgusting. Even if you were joking, the thought is too much, yuck.

Tipper said...

YOU WILL MAKE IT YOU WILL SURVIVE!! The house looks nice-and at least the girls have a pretty big place to roam-and you can always make them some holes to peek out of. I hope you feel better after you get some rest-once it's all over you may need to sleep for a week : )

Reddirt Woman said...

Laura thanks for the hugs... I needed them...

Stac the best thing about the move is this is a good time to transplant a lot of the plants I brought with me... They are headed into dormancy and so the move won't stress them as much.

Brenda I've had to deal with depression off and on throughout my life but when I get as exhausted as I've been through this move I just have had more pity parties in this past month than I've had in the last 10 years. I'll make it through tho... and I appreciate yours and everyone else's support.

Lisa we do need to play catch up. Your life has been upside down with getting your daughter moved and settled in and then all my move crap... but we will visit before long.

Caution after getting to the point where I can start moving plants, it gets all better. Some healing powers in getting my hands into the dirt.

K.T. when you have a time you need to be out, you have to do what you have to do...and rest up later.

Ros, I'm sorry to be the rude awakener but a lot of folks, especially those of us raised in the south eat those tree rats. For years, our family and another would go visit a third family for Thanksgiving. On Friday Mr. Whitley and daddy would take us kids and the coon hounds out to the woods for some exercise. That is where I learned to shoot a gun. We had a single shot 22 rifle and if we were lucky we'd bring home 3 or 4 squirrels, help Mr. Whitley skin 'em and clean them and mom and Mrs. Whitley would fry them up and they were very good. Rabbit we only shot and ate early in the spring as they are more prone to disease. But I draw the line at opossum or armadillo (which some deep southerners call 'possum on the half shell. Surely there were things you ate in Australia that I would think were yuk... but yes I did like fried squirrel.

Tipper, I brought the last load into Norman today. It is still in my truck because I'm waiting until tomorrow to go to storage. I was too tired today. New stories to come now...

Brenda S Okie in Colorado said...

Helen,
I ate squirrel when I was a kid. My Great-Aunt would fry it like chicken. It was very tasty.