Strawbale Gardening

Day 1 of our strawbale garden. 

Day 1,2,3; fertilizer and water.

Day 4,5,6; half fertilizer and water. Decomposition raises temperature.

Day 9, unrolling the cattle fencing material.

Cutting the fencing.

Arch completed.

Day 12, planting.

Black and White Bathroom

It's been a looong road, but the bathroom is finally done. This little bathroom is next to the laundry room, just inside the door from the pool area, so it will be very handy for pool parties.

It's hard to believe that the bathroom area looked like this when we bought the house: no fixtures, burned studs, antiquated pipes, and three (!) doors.

The behind the scenes work encompassed all new wiring, water pipes, sewer lines, framing, window, and the elimination of two doors.

Handyman did all the wiring, plumbing, and carpentry and built the cabinets,

and I did the painting and tilework

using my new laser level.

We tried to make the design a bit retro with the black and white tile. Those black liner tiles and 2x6 edge tiles weren't easy to find, but daltile carries them. All the other tile came from Home Depot.

 We found a space behind the door for a linen cabinet, so although the bathroom is small, it still has plenty of storage.

February Garden Report

The azaleas are right on target even though we've had very little rain. I'm still finding new ones like this delicate "Sweetheart Supreme".

Along with the azaleas, the magnolia is in full bloom.

And both the white and red quince are blooming.

We wanted to plant a vegetable garden, but didn't/wouldn't/couldn't prepare the soil, so we decided on a straw bale garden. The bales only cost $8.00 each and were easy to find.

After almost a week of fertilizing and watering, they are starting to decompose and create the "soil".

Only a few more days and we can plant these babies. Good thing too, because they are ready. I just hope it's  not too early in the year.