Stone Walkway Leading To Guest Cottage & Lighting Bling

 

This post comes after hosting our first two groups of AirBNB guests.  The hosting went fairly well -- other than a leaky shower and neighbors shooting fireworks at 3 am.  Both items now under control.  We have guests booked for all the other November weekends, so we are off to a good start.

Obviously the walkway was completed before then. But my husband did such a great job with it, I needed to take pics of it.  And then we added solar lights along the walkway... icing on the cake.

First Frost, Pumpkin Washout, and Ode To Cherry Tomatoes

First frost last night.  Sigh. These were my brave nasturtiums, which flourished despite 6 weeks without rain.  I see their cheerful faces straight out of my kitchen window.  This is the second summer I planted them there, and will probably grow them again next spring.

I also harvested my ONE pumpkin.

I planted too late, and couldn't haul enough water for the drought.

And I forgot what kind I planted.

I don't think the final product is supposed to be dark green.

Plus an armadillo took a taste.

(Maybe wasn't an armadillo, but we blame everything on armadillos.)

Better luck next year.

The frost also took my cherry tomato plants.

These were volunteer plants from ones that I planted last year --

but those DID NOT thrive.  These were SUPER HERO tomatoes.

They took the drought.  They took the chickens (who learned how to 

wait for the ripe orange color, and then would leap up and pick them).

They took the two year old who came and picked to his hearts desire.

I did pick any last night that were starting to turn.

But now I wish I would have read up on whether I should

 have picked the green ones.

The vines were not "dying back" after summer, 

without a frost I think that they would have kept producing for weeks.

The cherry tomatoes were a literal bright spot in 2020.

Play Area Inside Of Old Barn Foundation Finished

 

We (he!) finished the play area.

It was a ton of work this last month.

We bought it off of Facebook Marketplace for $100.

But it needed some TLC, including both "feet" replaced on one side.

This is my favorite addition -- a rusty tin roof over the fort.

We (he) added wire "cattle fencing" (that we already had)

to two sides of the fort.

View from top of the slide --

yep, that is the back of our guest cottage.

Play area is directly behind the guest cottage.

Addition of a bench in the cellar of the fort.

Here is the "front" of the play area that faces the cottage.

Very shady.

You can see how the play area is inside the old barn foundation.

Notice the trees which have also grown inside of the foundation area.

Just west of the play area is the picnic area.

Amish made picnic table, and we just ordered two adirondack chairs for the area.

Inside of the old stone foundation.

Gorgeous.

And lastly, icing on the cake.

Orange Pandora Sphinx Moth Caterpillar

So funky cool right?

It will actually become a funky-looking moth.

Even looks interesting from the top view.

Split Rail Fence For Stonecrest Cottage Entrance

 

This has been a project we (he) have been working on for over a month.

My husband thought the new guest cottage needed a better entrance

than an old broken down barbed wire fence.

He was right.

We left the old gate, and just added a couple of split rail fence sections on either side.

The gate has so much age and character.

As guests pull into the drive,

they will instantly recognize they are in the right place.

My husband routered the sign, it was the icing on the cake.

This is the view from the left side of the gate.

When this little lilac grows up, it will be a great accent to the fence.

Preparing Old Barn Site For Play Set

I discovered the old barn site the day we first looked at the house. I say "discovered" because it was buried behind grape vine, poison ivy, tall weeds, old tires, broken glass, tree limbs, and more.  But I was smitten from the beginning.  All that is left of the barn was the lowers walls.  

Half of it is stone, and so cool looking.  The other half has old concrete walls, not quite as cool.  But with plants, vintage gates, etc we will give it more of a vintage vibe.  THAT is the half the way are talking about today.  It sits directly behind the new guest house. To make it safe, I would have either had to rope off the barn site or clean up all of the glass.  So this spring when there was a huge ditch around the guest house exterior I knew it was time to act.  I filled the ditch with all of the old metal, broken glass, melted glass that had been inside the barn site.  No more danger zone.  It took a few months for us to decide the next step.

Last weekend we ordered pea gravel from a garden center, and it was delivered Tuesday.  8 scoops. Also on Tuesday I found a playset (new fangled word for swingset) on facebook marketplace.

 We ended up buying it for $100.  

Today we fueled up at our favorite restaurant.

And tackled the disassembling and LOADING of the playset.

Good old van!

Barely got everything inside and on top.

Next Saturday is assembly day.

Stay tuned!

Pumpkin Patch Learning Curve

 

This is my second summer of growing pumpkins.  Last year I let pumpkins compost from the previous fall and just transplanted the young plants as they popped up.  And I had more luck than this year!

This year I purchased three packages of seeds -- one was a flat white variety.

And the other two were squatty gray-green varieties.  

This is my ONLY white one.

For a long time the white one was the only one that "set" on the vine.

Now, we are finally getting a few more babies (no white.)

There are quite a few differences from last year, including use of seed.

Last year I planted in a field that used to have livestock,

so maybe the soil was a little better.

(This is my biggest one, I have to lift it with two hands.)

Last year the field had a bit more sun than where I planted this year.

Last year we had more rain than this drought-ridden summer.

Last year the pumpkins plants were surrounded by wildflowers,

this year maybe there weren't enough polinators.

I think the main problem was that I didn't plant early enough.

I planted late May when it was recommended,

I feel like one more month would have been idea.

Probably next year I will plant in this same spot, and one additional area.  

One of these summers I will have a bumper crop in the pumpkin patch!

Cool Looking Fungus On Stump

Luna Moth Caterpillar

 

Not a huge surprise when I found it what it was.

We have seen several luna moths since moving here.

Butterflies on Butterfly Bushes

We have two large butterfly bushes on the south side of the garden shed.

Like most plants on the property, it is only a couple years old.

This is the first year it has flowered profusely and as promised --the butterflies are loving it.

 This is the violet variety,

and it has the most flowers -- and butterflies.

 This is the dark purple variety,

and it has some fans.

 While I was taking pics,

I caught this guy mid-lunch.

My oregano is also a popular butterfly stomping ground.

Juvenile Western Rat Snake

 

I walked out my front door to find this guy on my front porch.  So of course I ran back in and got my camera.  I knew by the eyes that he was not poisonous, so I wasn't afraid.

I know he looks bigger, but he was only about 14" long.

He had a striking pattern, and I thought he was one I hadn't seen before.

Or had I?

It turns out that he is "just" a black snack.

A young one, that still shows off his gorgeous gray and black pattern.

In another year or two he will be completely black.