Friday, January 19, 2007

Everyone's So Intimately Rearranged

Thanks for all the compliments from the roses the other day. They were purchased at Whole Foods on sale. Like, sale-sale. Nine dollars for a dozen sale.

Everyone's compliments and asking if they came from the garden made me think I really need more rose bushes in my garden. Yes! More rose buses!

Of course, we have lots of work on the garden this year. I'm trying to convince Aaron that we should go ahead and chop down a tree (the limbs constantly bang on the house and it makes icky leaves that don't compost correctly over winter - they turn slimy and that's not good for the garden beds), tear down the dilapidated greenhouse (I've been working on that one ever since we bought the house, it is dee-lap-i-date-ed), take out the compost bins (too close to the house, which brings mice to the house and WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENS THEN) and then build raised and tiered garden beds so Aaron and Griffin can have a proper fruit and vegetable patch.

The hardest part of all that will be convincing Aaron to agree with me that I should do it. Yeah, notice how I said "I" -- he's not so much of a DIY'er.

So, I need some advice on this. I purchased it at a thrift store this week (99 cents) for my mother-in-law, because she collects camels. It is frightfully funny. But I need to know how to clean it, the tin is kind of yucky. Any thoughts?

Also, does everyone want a recipe for gluten-free blueberry muffins or pumpkin pasta this week?

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Please post a picture of the green house...I'd love to see it!

Roses are such a beauty to have in your garden...just looking at them will brighten your days....I say plant 'em!

Anonymous said...

I completely feel your pain about getting things done in the yard. This will be the year that I clean up our backyard and make it habitable! Normally the mosquitos drive us out by the end of May. Also I'm going to get Matt to tone down the garden. Every year he gets way too excited and plants way too much and then it's a huge overgrown mess by the end of the summer.
So good luck, maybe we can have garden parties once we're done.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to spring too. Good luck getting your husband to do stuff! I've had a mirror in my hallway waiting for over a year and it will never be hung while we live here. (I would do it myself but the walls are concrete and awful to drill into.)

Have a great weekend. Maybe you'll get your chance to dye something. Bleaching was fun too if you can stand the smell.

Anonymous said...

more gluten-free recipes are always welcome. although i admit that after trying various bread and muffin recipes i mostly use mixes. i don't think it's more expensive either. or not much - all the flours and things are so $$!

ps - we compost and don't have mice problems. my husband says that that's because we only put fruit/veggies in. meats/breads,etc are supposed to draw mice rats. ew!

Anonymous said...

Michelle speaks the truth about her husband and gardening. I've seen it. :)

My one rose bush died after last winter which made me sad because it was a gift from my grandpa. I really want to replace it and add a few more. Ah if only I had more time and money.

And as for your tin camel - adorable, btw, I think the best thing for tin is warm soapy water and dry well.

heatherfeather said...

do you have CamelCleaner (tm)? that's all i've got, other than seconding warm, soapy water.

and muffins or pasta? hmmm... how about pumpkin pasta since you had cupcakes this weekend - give the muffin papers a mini-vacay.

LLA said...

I'm a gardening moron - so no help there. And the only camel cleaning advice I've got comes from SNL - "have you tried soapy water?"
Love the camel...
Off to check out recipes...

Anonymous said...

Don't ask my advice on gardening if want to actually grow something other than weeds.

I use the Lysol/Clorox wipes for everything. Maybe that would work on the funny little camel?

Kim -today's creative blog said...

Good luck on your garden....maybe you should map out a timeline, then you HAVE to do it.

Camel.......Since you're probably allergic to 409, I would just do the soapy thing too.

Chickenbells said...

Well...the garden sounds like a lovely project...HA...like a whole lot of work, why is that?! At least it's fun work, and much fun to plan while in the throwes of winter!

Pumpkin pasta please...

diana said...

yumm pumpkin pasta.... would love that recipe

Paula Adams Perez said...

Yep, I agree - pumpkin pasta! (I already can make muffins well).

Guess what? Now my younger son is on the wheat-free, dairy-free diet with me! He'd been having tummy aches for 6 weeks and, by gumby, that was it! But now I need to make a lot more "carbs" - before I avoided baking to much so that I wouldn't eat it all myself. Now I have a W.F., D.F. wrestler to feed!

Me and Him said...

Ohh pumpkin pasta please.

That's exactly why moved to a town house - no gardening! I do not have a green thumb, infact I have a "die thumb".

As for tin - I third or fourth the warm soapy water. It worked on some tin decorations I picked up in Mexico.

Anonymous said...

I hear you on the garden. Everything that has been done in our yard is because of my planning and my aching back. I would love to eliminate a few trees that don't do anything but torture me.