Sunday, June 8, 2014

Early June 2014 Garden Walk

Early June, and even late May, are really some of the best days in my garden for colorful blooms (zone 7a, full sun). The grass is greening up nicely, with bursts of color popping up here and there, like an orchestrated symphony.  A daily walk through the garden shows many changes in each of the plants. 

The spireas and salvia mix well at the front border of one side of the lawn.
Bee balm stands tall behind the spirea and salvia, as seen in the photo below.  They're just beginning to open up now.  It's nice to see a little bloom from all three overlapping.
Front to back:  spirea, salvia, bee balm
Bee balm blooms
Buttercups are glowing on the right side of the photo frame below, with a Rose of Sharon (an hibiscus variety), in the center of them. Just to the left of the buttercups are my tall butterfly bushes.  They were pruned to the ground due to winter freeze, but are bouncing back nicely, and will have purple blooms. 



My buttercups have not disappointed this year.They are a sea of sunny, yellow blooms right now, behind the hostas, surrounding the Rose of Sharon. I will prune the Rose of Sharon to shape it more like a tree later this year, so that by next year its canopy will be above the buttercups.
The photo opportunities the yellow flowers provide, en masse, make for wonderful screensavers....
 ....or bowls of nectar for the bees to imbibe....

From my vantage point, in the chaise lounge chairs, I have pretty much a panoramic view of the main landscape garden.  I can see all that I've already described, or look toward the road and river to see passersby, whether on foot or in boats.....
I can lay back and look up at the sky..........
Looking in front of me, I can see the large magnolia tree, with an arc of knockout roses just in front, framing in the growing Lord Baltimore hibiscus.
The magnolia is just now starting to open its blooms.....
Magnolia bloom 2014
...and if  I look under the magnolia, where the birdbath is situated, the birds are regularly jumping in the pool to play and then jumping out to dry off (sometimes perching on the watering can)... (hibiscus visible in photo below, with garden stakes).
Robin on watering can spout, at birdbath; growing hibiscus (staked) in rear
Sometimes I can catch the birds up close (they're a little skittish when I come too close).
Robin at birdbath
If I look to my left, front corner of the landscape, I see my newest addition in the garden, a hand-built trellis of wood with spiraling copper around each leg.  My clematis is taking off with blooms...
Jackmanii clematis vine
The blooms look regal against a blue sky, don't they?
Jackmanii clematis blooms
Beneath the trellis, I've been adding a couple of perennials that complement the blue/purple of the clematis to fill a no-bloom void between the vine and my azaleas. I have rozanne geranium (full to part sun) and mountain bluet (full sun), neither of which are strong specimens by themselves, but look good together. Both are low maintenance, and mountain bluet (related to cornflower and bachelor's button) attracts butterflies.
Azalea, rozanne geranium, mountain bluet
Rozanne geranium and mountain bluet
Of the two bluets I bought and planted at the same time, the one below struggled.  I moved it just a foot away, to a spot with more direct sun, clipped off the dead leaves, and it seems to be happier, pushing new growth and bloom.
The knockout roses against the courtyard wall have struggled this season to put on a stellar show, but they're trying.  The dwarf butterflies in front of them were necessarily cut to the ground due to winter. I moved one of my containers here to fill the void.
Knockout roses (background), dwarf butterfly bushes (foreground), container (center)
Last fall, I had seven hydrangeas (Endless Summer) that were taking over the back section of landscape, so one was removed, and the rest were hard pruned to about half their size.  I knew they may not bloom this year as a result, which I was okay with, but I have found a couple surprises already.
Endless summer hydrangea patch (Background: nandina (left), hibiscus (right, staked)
From the woody stems that were cut during the pruning process last fall, several pieces remained throughout the mulch beds, and guess what's happened? I'm seeing a few volunteers sprouting from those stems!
Piece of wood from hydrangea, with sprouts on each end
I'm leaving these in the mulch to see if they continue growing, and I'll decide whether I want to nurture them in pots later on.  There are a couple more in the mulch beds surrounding the other bushes.

I've planted over three dozen plants this season in the landscape, NOT including my containers. Many were replacements for hard winter freeze, but some had just grown tired.  My lavender took a beating from freeze, and has only yielded the bouquet I cut, below, so far this year.  You can see in the background (below) how small my plants are. It's like starting over, after a bumper crop year last year.
One more surprise in the garden....it appears a couple has moved into the magnolia...thrasher dudes!
Brown thrasher, aka French Mockingbird
From 1 am to 5 am for several nights in a row, we'd been waking up to the sound of every Eastern woodland bird under the sun, and thought it was a Northern Mockingbird taunting serenading us. We think we found a remedy to shutting him up in the middle of the night - we turned off our landscape lights - and it worked!  It could be the male simply found a mate, though, but Mr. P. enjoys thinking he's the Bird Whisperer. While out in the garden this weekend, I caught two of these, first bathing, then preening, then scampering up the magnolia.   Unlike the Northern Mockingbird's grey color, these are reddish-brown.  Research says they're a French Mockingbird, or brown thrasher.  Well, okay, then, since they're French, they can stay awhile...

Remember those path lights I bought at Lowe's and put in my containers? Well, I kinda got happy on those, so I picked up enough for all my other containers, this time at Wal-Mart. These look like cake pops, in crackled glass, and only $1.97 each.
They're definitely not as bright as the others from Lowe's, but, then again, I'm not trying to set an airstrip landing in my yard.  Just enough twinkle to make me happy.

What makes you happy in your leisure time? Whatever it is, c'mon, get happy!
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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Auction Logic - or Lack Thereof

This year's Memorial Day weekend was different than most for me, as I am usually in the kitchen days prior, getting things ready for a family cookout for Mr. P.'s side. We didn't get together with his family for various reasons.  So, my sisters and I (Panoply), went to an auction on Saturday of that weekend.  The good news? It turned out to be a great day at the auction from a buyer's perspective. The bad news?  We were NOT prepared for what we could have scored that day because a) the gavel came down so fast on certain items and b) our decision to even go to the auction was a bit impulsive because we had a previous commitment on our side of the family planned for that evening, and we just weren't mentally in the mood, do you know what I mean?

Look at this gorgeous couch, below.  I wasn't prepared for photos, either, as evidenced by the angle and lighting.  It was already pushed aside as sold when I took these pictures.
The couch that sold for $50
The condition of this beauty was mint, or near mint.  Look at the carving on the back, below.
That floral basket is typical of early 20th Century, and the pattern is on everything from wood carvings to hand-embroidered linens to hand-beaded purses from the era.  Here's a look at the gorgeous leg, below, with a truer look at the (clean) fabric and wood coloring of the piece.
Okay, here's the really, really bad part:  the couch sold for $50!!! And we didn't get it!  There were furniture deals galore, like a West Virginia hand-carved walnut corner cabinet for $60, and so much more.  In general, salt-glazed crocks consistently sell high at auction in our region, and that remains unchanged for at least the past ten years.  So, you could buy an entire living room, dining room and bedroom for what you'd pay for one crock, at least at this day's auction.  There were some World War I photos that also sold, individually, quite expensively - for more than the couch.

We did manage to fill the car with our purchases, and what we came away with were items typical of each of our styles. M rescued a composition doll and a quilt.  J rescued six (6!) Winchester, Virginia handmade ladderback chairs with rush seats (last thing her husband said as we were leaving was "if you buy more chairs, make sure we can sit in them this time").  I bought some great Blenko glasses that match something I already have in tableware, I just haven't quite figured it out yet (need to take inventory).  I know I have a classic, Blenko water pitcher that's either an exact match or close enough - from the mid-1960s - in Peacock.  I'll be keeping these.  I have another set from my MIL that are clear, and I love their thickness, durability, and easy-to-hold dimpling.
Handmade, West Virginia Blenko Glassware, Crackled & Dimpled,  They are never quite uniform when produced by hand, but these look especially wonky due to the old ironstone plate they're photographed on.
I also bought an instant collection of ten (10) head vases from the 1950s-1960s.  When they came up, the three of us agreed if they went cheap, I'd take them all, then we'd divide them and split the cost.  I won, and I took three, and the other two split the other seven.  I let them have first choices, so the one on the far right is a no-name, flaky chick.  The other two are Napco and more valuable because of the jewelry, no chips. Each is worth more than gavel price, and we're selling them all.
Subset of Napco head vases
A couple other items I picked up are metals - a mechanical Uncle Sam bank, and a very cool, Council of Virginia plaque, commemorating the 350th Jamestown Expedition (which was in 1957).
Mechanical Uncle Sam bank, Seal of Council of Virginia
     
                     
Then, there always seems to be at least one real oddity at auction.  This one was no different, in that there was a (non-working) electric chair for sale.  I've forgotten the gavel price, but I think it was below $100.
One of the auction staff hamming it up in the electric chair
We had to leave the auction before it was anywhere near finished.  There were some great, old apothecary bottles with Charleston, West Virginia in relief on them, more furniture, lots of vintage hats, and plenty of good box lots that we missed out on.  You just never know how the stars will align on auction day, but one thing's pretty certain - there is no logic to the buyers' collective brainpower - it seems to be pure instinct and/or impulse when it comes to prices paid for items on the block.

Oh yea, remember when I said Springfield 2014 was pretty much bust?  It's true.  You know how you walk away and think long and hard about the things you didn't buy?  Well, I saw this chandelier, the vendor had just dropped the price, but it was in one of our first tents visited, with the rain, etc, I walked away.....long story short, I bought the chandelier a week later, via phone.  

I received the chandelier in less than perfect condition - twenty crystal drops were chipped or broken to the point of unusable (why didn't they remove the crystals before packing????). They're in CA, pickin', not due back in OH until mid-June, but they tell me they'll make the purchase whole by replacing the crystals.  In the meantime, the burden is on me to file a claim with the USPS for the refund.  I've already spent more than three hours unpacking, separating and sorting the pieces, taking photos, and trying to put it back together as best I can. Grrrrr. 
Chandelier, as received, with crystals that had fallen off.
Broken and chipped crystals, shards of glass
After working all afternoon on the chandelier, I managed to reposition all the crystals except for the bottom circle (underneath the light bulbs), where I left off all the broken ones. Here's a little better photo of what it's supposed to look like (below). I'll adjust all the wires once all the drops are on.
So, we'll see where this saga leads. I was hoping to hang it in my office/spare bedroom, which has a sort of Art Deco vibe with most of my vintage and antique mesh and beaded purses. Right now, in my book, its purchase and accompanying headache is right up there with auction logic - or lack thereof. Mr. P. walked in while I was on the floor, trying to assemble it, and said, "that's kinda cute" (the light). Can you believe it?  I would've expected him to ask how much I paid or where I planned to put it, but never a compliment.  No logic. 

Sharing:
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Sunday, June 1, 2014

Getting Organized - Part IV of a Series (Tableware)

This post is all about where I keep my tableware and accessories. For me, it's all about loving what I have and using what I love. However, selling vintage and antique items with two of my sisters in our local antique mall certainly can help justify an impulsive purchase for more tableware, in that I can reason, "I can always sell it". Blogging has further fueled the flame of my love for tableware because I have only recently begun using my real-life tablescaping as subject material.

In my first photo, below (Great Room wall sectional #1), I keep china from my former marriage, crystal stemware, some ironstone and a few other glass and porcelain pieces.  The lower drawers (1 and 2) are linens, the 3rd drawer (not visible) has larger platters stored. That wall sectional is on the left side of our fireplace in the sitting area of our Great Room.
Great Room wall sectional #1
Our Great Room, as well as our Dining Room, was originally furnished with Henredon campaign pieces. It's a nice traditional/transitional furniture line, and it's especially nice in that it can be arranged in different ways. We have 3 sectional wall units, as well as a credenza (in the photo immediately below). The credenza was formerly in our Dining Room standing alone, but is now the central section of a larger wall componentry in our Great Room.  All situated on a large wall area right of the fireplace sitting area, we placed wall sectionals 2 and 3 flanking either side of the credenza.  The flat screen TV rests on top of the credenza. My credenza has part of my dishware in the center, flatware and some better metal serving utensils on the left, and linens on the right.
TV/Great Room Credenza
Wall sectional #2, left of the credenza, has more dishware, flatware, serving and occasional pieces.
Wall sectional #3 (not pictured) has only a few serving pieces in it, alongside some small electronic devices and books.

In my Dining Room, I have a few areas of storage, some open, some not.  I definitely have more potential for this room, and intend to make it more useful in the future. Currently I have a small, Asian cabinet with dishware and serving pieces (drawer holds coasters, plate easels, a few linens).....
Dining Room storage cabinet
....I also have a bar cart with some serving pieces in the Dining Room........
DR bar cart
....as well as my French vitrine, which stores my metals and a few pieces of glassware (the bottom shelf has more metals stuffed inside).
DR vitrine
Moving to my Living Room, I have an Asian credenza that also houses much of my serveware that I use frequently.

LR storage credenza
In my kitchen area upper cabinets, I have my everyday dishes and glassware, as well as my holiday dishware and serving pieces.
Everyday, work horse dishware - looks bare compared to other cabinets, doesn't it?
L to R:  serving pieces, holiday dishware, glassware
Serving pieces in cabinet above double oven
I also have a few of my lower cabinets in the kitchen area reserved for serving pieces. I love my cabinets on my center island in my kitchen - they open on both sides, and they have pullout trays.  Visibility is very good, even though the trays only pull out in one direction from one side, not both.
Lower cabinet, pull-out tray for serving pieces; baskets layered over pans on shelf above
At the bar area, I have the last of my serving pieces that are on the main floor, including casual pitchers and ice bucket, glassware, and more baskets.
Bar area: casual pitchers, ice bucket, glassware, baskets
The majority of my linens not used frequently are stored in my Guest Room, on the second floor.  They are in two pieces of furniture: a 5-drawer chest, and 3-over-2-drawer dresser / bureau.  They are full.

This next part is not pretty.  Not Pretty at all.  We head for the basement, where I have numerous other dishware, glassware, flatware, and even linens stored.  The bottom boxes and tubs are NOT easily accessible, only somewhat organized, but very full of potential for a better system.
Basement tubs and paper boxes: among items for resale are more dishes, glassware, flatware and linens
It's in this basement area that I'd love to be able to set up industrial shelving units and a) unload the rest of my dishware, glassware, etc with dust-proof organization and b) get the rest of the stuff in better order, on shelves, so I can eliminate stacking / restacking every time I want to get to the bottom of something.
Basement tubs and paper boxes: among items for resale are more dishes, glassware, flatware and linens
In this post, you've gotten a behind-the-scenes look of where I'm storing things currently.  By documenting this, I hope to motivate myself within the coming year to get myself just a little better organized.  I'd really like to have more of my tableware better situated, and maybe this post will be the incentive to getting that goal achieved. There's nothing like accountability to reader friends once you put it in writing.

If you missed my related posts in this organizational series, you can find them quickly at these links:
Getting Organized - Part I of a Series (Paper)
Getting Organized - Part II of a Series (Bath)
Getting Organized - Pt III of a Series (Great Pantry Design)

I am linking with Alma from the Tablescaper with this post.  Alma is celebrating her 5th year blog anniversary, and she has posted Part 5 of her series, "Where Do You Keep it All?".  Oh my word, if you haven't visited her, you must!  I always thought my love of dishes and collections were getting to be a problem, but a visit with her and a few of her readers who have linked to her latest installment have me convinced I have no problem at all!

Sharing:
We Call It Junkin'
Savvy Southern's WOW
Ivy & Elephants
Inspiration Exchange
Mrs. Olson' SYC
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Nancherrow's Fridays Unfolded
Thrifty Things Friday
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