Home / Blogs / CritterPainter's Blog / June 2007 /

Oh, groan

Category: gardening among the rocks | Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:10 am

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I just can't believe I forgot my camera today! We drove to Westport for the pirate festival- I've never seen so many pirates! All ages of people pirates, even the dogs were piratical! I did buy a disposable camera, though it will take a few days before I can get anything from that to put in here. I did get several good shots of our local movie star, the Lady Washington (a two-masted brigantine that starred in the Pirates of the Carribean movies). She's back in her usual paint job now, and looking much cheerier for it. She was built in a town on the way to Westport, so she was really at home today, been touring around a bit though. Oh, I hope I hope those photos turn out!

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DS graduates, castle discovery, wildlife report

Category: gardening among the rocks | Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:53 am

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DS has graduated, and will be moving out for his summer job in a few days. I'd be a blubbering mess, but decided to forego the overwhelming load of housework to go run errands with him, mainly shopping for his Father's day pres. When the two of them were out hiking in the Olympics last year, and got caught in a lightning storm with golfball-size hail, they had to rip his sleeping bag in half to shelter them after they dropped their packs and were running for their lives. Ah, good times. Very fitting that he get his dad a new bag, eh? Anyway, it was awfully good to just spend a day bumming around with him. sniffle.
My mom tracked down a geneaology book on the MacDougall line of the family. Always been curious about that one, since the pairing of my first and middle name has passed through every second generation of women for quite some time now. To my extreme delight, I find that we have a family castle! I googled it and got some great photos, and plan on doing some sketches when I get a bit of time to breathe. All odds are against me ever being able to actually go there to see it, but that's ok. It's pretty cool just knowing about it. Here's a site that shows it if anyone's curious: http://www.castles.org/Chatelaine/DUNOLLIE.HTM
I like that name, think my next critter might get named Dunollie! I'm actually Scottish on both sides, fortunately they don't seem to have ever been warring clans, lol! The castle is near Oban, overlooking the Firth of Lorn. So fun, there's a castle and a fellow who went down in a shipwreck on my Mom's side and a couple of people on the Mayflower on my Dad's side. And a bunch of folks that came here as indentured servants from Wales and Scotland on both sides, what a mix!
Dandelion control is in full swing. It's tricky, if I mow the prairie at the wrong time, it makes the native grasses too weak and the dandelions move in. But if I wait too long, the invasive scotch broom gets too thick for my mower. Tsk, this habitat management is for the birds! Or rather, the bunny that lives outside my kitchen window. It's so tiny! *melt* The quail population is definitely having a peak this year, there are at least two pair claiming my place as their own, and two other pair I've spotted across the road at the neighbors. I wonder if having the wildlife preserve expand this way will mean even more quail and pheasant? Probably more cougar encounters, but what I'm hoping is that the herd of elk that feeds not far from here will mosey up this way. Love watching them!

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a repurposed old door

Category: gardening among the rocks | Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:37 am

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Dad was a heavy-equipment mechanic. I can't recall where, but one worksite had a place called the "bone yard", where odd bits of equipment parts went to rest.
I have a spot hidden in the trees where I have a small pile of wood that can't be burned due to preservative or whatever. My own "bone yard". One of the things that's been sitting there for a few seasons is this old door. It was a freebie, but covered in layers of lead-based paint. A couple of rainy seasons and the paint finally peeled off in big sheets so I could properly dispose of it all. It didn't go far, it's now screening off the backside of my potting shed which is right near the bone yard.

I ran several screws through the wood to keep it from warping apart as it sits outside, then fastened it to the potting shed/blacksmith forge. A cedar post from the bone yard anchors the free edge of the door. The wire mesh in the door opening is reclaimed from a pen built to safely house baby chicks- I won't likely be raising up many new ones so cutting off a length of wire is no loss. It's attached to the back of the door with screws through scraps of cedar.
The little thuja in front may or may not make it- it was not doing well in it's former spot, hadn't grown at all in two years and was turning brown on one side. I figure this is it's best chance, since I'll be tending this bed to monitor the hollyhocks and iris I've planted alongside. Haven't yet decided what to attach to the wire mesh, to add to the screening power of the door, but I'm hoping the hollyhocks will get tall enough to help. I'll probably wire on some interesting bit of garden art.

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