I had another busy day and almost had no time to sew, but did manage to get the ruffle attached to Ten Ping’s bodice.. Then I was working on her pants and got a jam in my bobbin… so I decided to call it quits with my sewing and share some of my hubby’s “pretties!” But first my pictures…
Now for what my hubby had been working on… he bought some 55 gallon barrels that had diet Dr. Pepper and Mt. Dew in them, and then cut them in half to make his raised garden beds. He has his tomatoes in them and cattle pen panels beside them to tie them up as they grow.
Now for the new thing he did. He has his cucumbers planted in the white barrels and while they are pretty nice, the branches of his cucumbers like to travel out of the barrel and hang over the edges. When the cucumbers are on the vines it adds weight to them and has a tendency to cut the branches on the rough edges.
He decided to try some swimming pool noodles to pad the edges where the barrels had been cut in half. He sliced the noodles lengthwise like insulated pipe wrap, opened them up and slid them onto the barrel and pushed them down. They were perfect and really padded the edges…
This is a picture looking from the garden back to the house… he has some kind of Japanese pepper plant on the trellis.
I caught Reuben hiding in the Hibuscus bush… he doesn’t like it when the gnats bother him…
Well, I have to go again… I have an early morning dentist appointment…
I’ll see what I can get done before we meet again!
Blessings, Jeanne
I think Ten Ping’s outfit is going to be really cute! However, I must confess I’m not a fan of the fringed edges. That long-ago 4H training, I guess!! (Of course, we were also taught not to mix prints, and I now do that in certain circumstances, although not usually on myself!)
George’s garden is coming along nicely. What a brilliant use of pool noodles! There are so many things that can be done with them. I am always amazed to learn of something else!!
I read everyone’s comments on yesterday’s blog, and have to add that I have 18 cousins, 9 on each side. It would have been 20 if the two stillborns had survived (again, one on each side). On my dad’s side, I am the third oldest cousin; on mom’s side, I’m the oldest. Two of my cousins on mom’s side, who were sisters, have passed away. I miss Gail the most; she was a year younger than I, and we always had such fun together! We lost her 5 years ago, a few months after her younger sister died.
The curtains came down in the small bathroom recently (I think Ron grabbed for them when trying to stand or something), and when I took a good look at them, I realized….we need new curtains!! Not only faded, but the part up near the top, most exposed to the sun, is just wearing out! I guess it had been a while since I last really REALLY looked at them! So, that is a sewing project that will be coming up soon. (The window is high up and frosted, so the curtain is for looks, not privacy.)
Barbara, yes and no–Featherweights haven’t been made for many years, but they are still very much available. As with any machine, if you can buy from a reputable dealer, that is best, but you never know when the opportunity will fall into your lap, so be watchful!! They truly do “sing” when they sew!
Anne, so very good to hear from you, and I am So glad you have a surgery date at last! I will keep you in my prayers, also your doctors and your family.
Ten Ping’s little patriotic outfit is coming along nicely, Jeanne! You won’t believe this, but Emmy has one almost like it, and even uses that same the star material, although
it is just pieced with denim. She will certainly steal the show at the Fourth of July parade!
Wow, George’s garden is really coming along quite nicely! Those containers look perfect for the veggies, and I am wondering where does he get the soil and what kind is he putting in them? Those pool noodles sure do the trick, not to say they make the garden look so fashionable! I’m sure “fashionable” wasn’t what he was going for, but they do dress the bins up!
Glad to hear from you, Anne! So happy to hear that you have a date for your surgery, and hope you get relief soon.
Fun seeing Ten’s 4th outfit. Looks like she will be perfect for the parade. Maybe she needs to be pulling a decorated wagon with a pup? 🙂
And oh what a garden. George, has outdone himself this year. Great idea on the raised barrels. I presume that he drilled holes in the bottoms? Did he use your compost/soil or buy a special mix? So jealous of the richness of his plants. Must be that southern Illinois, atmosphere or something. My cucumbers are still seedlings and the tomatoes, only two plants, are about a foot high. However, the cherry actually has a tiny tomato. 🙂 Loved seeing Reuben. Tell him no gnats here, and he can play with little Winnie next door. We give her mini dog biscuits through a hole in the fence. 🙂
Reuben stole the show today!! That is an adorable photo. If only that worked for mosquitos LOL.
Dear Jeanne, your husband’s garden is beautiful. I am trying to remember the nursery rhyme about “how does your garden grow.” Is he fencing his garden in to keep out rabbits or other roaming animals? Where I used to live, my landlord did that.
It looks like some little cutie will be getting an outfit just in time to celebrate the 4th of July.
Dorothy, is it “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With cockleshells and silver bells, and pretty maids all in a row!”
Dear Linda, thanks for that! Usually I can remember poems/rhymes but that one was eluding me.
We had to recite the poem Barbara Frietchie in seventh or eighth grade. I loved standing in front of the class and reciting it. My classmates did not enjoy recitation. I still remember most of the poem.
Red white and blue will be a winner for sure. Everything looks cute on Ten ping. That garden looks fantastic. George has sure eliminated any weed problem. The blue pool noodles look so cool on the tubs. Clever idea. Our garden is next to a cyclone fence so we let the cukes grow on it.😀 My tomatoes are not near as big… but hope they have blossoms soon.
Hope the dental visit is painless and feels good when finished🤭
George’s garden is amazing with a lot of wonderful ideas. The pool noodles are a stroke of genius. My son and daughter-in-law are into gardening and make their own compost (our pasture helps a lot with this). They actually have people asking to buy it but they don’t have a big enough batch to sell any.
I love Ten Ping/Gigi/Mini Sara’s cute little outfit. I made something similar for Lolla last year for the 4th of July but with shorts. The top was the same. I love mixing fabrics. I was brought up during a time when that was a no-no so it took me a while to feel the freedom to go for it. I have and it’s been a lot of fun and had some pretty cute outcomes.
If I should decide to ask for a Featherweight machine (from Santa) I might have to do a lot of research. I’ve done a little and find that the machines go for a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars and not being able to see the machine could be dicey. I checked out a few dealers and they wanted a lot for the ones they are selling. You can find some on eBay for affordable prices and they say they are in good shape but how would I know for sure. Sadly no one in my family had one to hand down and based on my family’s history of passing things down, it probably would have disappeared anyway. But in the meantime I’ve learned a lot about the history of a machine I’ve never heard of in all my years of sewing if it hadn’t been for this blog.
So very nice to hear from you, Anne, and that your surgery date is scheduled. Be praying that everything goes well and you will be walking like your old self again.
The little patriotic outfit is going to be very cute.
George’s garden is really amazing for the beginning of June. We had a very late frost, so I was glad our tomatoes weren’t planted out yet. Our neighbor’s look much worse for wear after that cold.
Rueben is adorable in that photo!
Jeanne,
Having grown up on a dairy farm, and BOTH of parents being tremendous at growing things, dad – crops, mom – vegetable garden as well as beautiful flowers, and berry plants, you would think I would have had SOME of it rub off on me, but I evidently DIDN’T inherit a green thumb. When we were in Costco a month or so ago, hubby noted the tomato plants and asked if I would like to buy one (He pretty much won’t eat ANY “good for you” vegetable) I said, Sure why not? They’re just not the same from the store these days. So we did, and have been trying to get it to produce ever since. Hubby was going to re-pot it, but the guy at HD told him it wasn’t necessary. It’s a Roma variety, but so far, most of the tomatoes have been more the size of grape tomatoes, SOME a bit bigger, which is fine. I’m hoping eventually they’ll get bigger. BUT, evidently the BIRDS are getting to them, (as soon as they start getting to be almost red) sigh!! Would your hubby have any ideas for a solution for this? Thanks for any help