Jarvis House

Creating a Container Garden with Mini Plants

2013-05-18T15:46:00.002-04:00

I retrieved a broken cement oval planter from a friend's garden shop.

Last Fall I used Gorilla Glue to piece the planter together and left it out during the winter months to see if the glue would hold the pot together.

The glue puffs out a bit when drying, but that was inside the planter pot.

This month I filled in two missing chunks with Bondo and repainted the outside with white outdoor acrylic house paint.

When I went to the garden center I looked for miniature plants that were in a gray to white to light green spectrum, to be compatible with the flag stones on my porch.

I selected Sedum Makinoi Variegata

Sedum Cauticola,

and Sempervivum Arachnoideum Hens & Chicks.

I had an oval plastic pot that just fit inside the concrete planter.

I used potting soil,

to fill in the spaces after placing the plants in the plastic pot.

A neighborhood friend gave me some plants that she could not take on her move out of state. This miniature sedum was adopted, and used with the other three.

I tucked it into the spaces in the front of the container.

After sprinkling more potting soil into the gaps, I brushed off extra soil from the Hens & Chicks.

Water was added next, and daily for the next few days.

The plants responded well on my stone porch which gets afternoon sun.

This is the planter two weeks later, filing in with new growth.

An inspirational book on container gardens is, For Your Garden, Pots and Containers by Warren Schultz, 1997, Barns &Noble Books, New York. It has wonderful ideas about combining plants, both flowers and vegetables in an array of planters.

Building a Raised Garden Bed

2013-04-18T18:42:00.002-04:00

Well here I am building a raised planting bed in the back garden. I decided to do this after seeing my daughter's raised garden beds in Virginia, and my son and daughter-in-law gave me two Raspberry plants for Valentine's day that needed a sunny p[lace to grow.

Fortunately, my brother gave me some leftover wood from a fence that he took down. I had stored it for years out back, but it was stacked so that air circulated well underneath and around each piece. It was treated wood so it was solid.

First my friend William and I laid out the 4"x4" pieces for the bottom course.

We cut some in half for the end pieces.

Lucky for me, William is an experienced dock builder and knew which tools and screws would make creating this raised bed successful.

TimberLok 6" screws that I bought in a box of 50 screws.

Here William is using a drill bit that will get through both thicknesses of wood. He drills the wood by going out and in so that the drill wouldn't jam in the wood.

The extended drill bit.

Then he used a compression screwdriver to set the screws in the wood

Being an experienced woodworker, William brought enough batteries for his drills. we used an extension cord and a plug strip from the barn outlet to get to the back yard.

Getting through two courses of wood, here William is tacking the courses.

The compression screwdriver. The nails cam with a special adapter for their shaped heads.

The ends are attached from the side
.

He removed a lump in the soil to get a level fit.

With a skill saw William started to trim off the end piece, which we finished with a hand saw.

The Chop saw was used to cut the lumber the correct length.

William standing inside the planting bed with the blueberry bushes!

He decided to add two extra wooden braces on the inside of the box, so that it wouldn't bow out, and so that the lawn mower could get up close to the edge of the box.

Day two was up to me and I got out a spade, a claw tool, a garden fork, a garden rake, and a metal leaf rake. I used all of them to get the grass and other plant material out of the box.

I used the garden fork first to break up the clods of grass.

Next the garden claw,

then the garden rake,

and finally the metal leaf rake.

I avoided the areas near the shallow roots of the blueberries.

To get this job done, I had to count on Pomegranate juice, cut in half with cold tap water, that I keep in a really cute Champagne bottle, and Jelly beans! This was a lot of work!!

I added top soil and potting soil,

with pot ash from my wood stove.

By the time that I got to adding the soil, I was so tired that I rolled the bags near the planter box with the garden wagon, my favorite tool of all.

The pot ash added.

The Raspberry plants.

After reading the directions, I dug the holes and added a handful of Triple Phosphate to encourage rood growth,

Watered the plants.

Added plant markers and a ceramic bunny for fun. A lot of work, but with a great friend who knows how to build things, and the correct tools, a wonderful result.

Hanging an Exhibit of Paintings

2013-03-30T05:18:00.000-04:00

Suzanna Hsu, a longtime friend and colleague from my art teaching days, asked me to help her mount an art exhibit of her paintings at the Half Hollow Hills Library.

The gallery space was downstairs. We carefully wrapped all framed paintings in blankets and placed them in our SUVs back to back, front to front, trying not to damage anything.

Fortunately, the library was using the Walker Display, of Connecticut, system of hanging artworks. The system consists of moldings, hanging rods, and two types of clips. The beauty of this system is that you can slide the rods along the molding, and also slide the clips up and down on the rods, making the hanging of paintings simple. It also eliminates putting holes in walls and re-Spackling.

The first paintings we hung came in a series of three square unframed pieces. For this arrangement, we measured the clips on each rod to match, and used the large clip which notched into the back of the wooden stretcher. We used the shorter rods because we did not want them to show below the artworks. Each painting was placed, considering the directionality of the composition. Some were left facing and some were right facing.

Suzanna is adjusting the paintings on the second wall, for height. This second wall went quickly because the paintings were closely related in color and subject.

We started with the center, and placed the largest piece in a dark frame, and worked outwards to the ends of the walls. At first we thought that we should match the bottoms or the tops of the paintings, but later decided to split the difference and work from the center up and down. The paintings were placed on the floor below the rods, at first, and after shuffling them around for color flow, we put them on the rods, and adjusted them for height.

We borrowed a ruler, ladder, and pliers from the library. But we should have brought a 25 foot tape measure or a laser marker and level. Anyway, we eyed the arrangement and it came out well. Adjusting the paintings really took the two of us, one on a ladder, and one at a distance. Having someone stand back to look at the walls from afar, was essential.

On the third wall, Suzanna placed her favorite painting. This was the wall which would be seen from one of the entry points.

She steps back to see if the height is correct.

We arrange the other paintings on that wall.

On of the things that we tried to do was to get the colors to flow around the room in a continuous wave. Colors in one painting were picked up in the next painting.

By moving the paintings around, we achieved this successfully.

The last wall was the most difficult because the paintings were less connected in color, and subject. We placed them on the least prominent wall, the wall not seen from the stairs or from the entrance hallway.

On this wall, the painting on the left continued the color scheme from the previous wall.

Suzanna Hsu

She arranged a guest book for comments, and her calling cards.

Suzanna's exhibition is open to the public for the month of April, 2013.

Vireya Rhododendrons Exhibit at the Planting Fields Arboretum

2013-03-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

An amazing collection of Malaysian Rhododendrons are on display at the Planting Fields Arboretum. They are off in a side room from the Camellias. "This collection contains over 100 plants with approximately 20 species and 80 hybrids."

This display has been created against one of the green house walls in a sloping berm, with large limbs supporting some of the plants which were wrapped in moss and suspended from the branches. Others were directly planted in the prepared soil.

The overall effect of this display is magical and wonderful, almost unbelievable.

The blossoms are stunningly and deeply colored, and sometimes very large in their clusters.

They almost seem too large and full for the branches that support them.

Because they were entwined together, I hope that I recorded the correct label with each plant. Any corrections are welcome.

According to the printed document in this exhibit, "there are over 300 species of Vireya (Rhododendrons) which makes them the largest group in the genus of Rhododendron. Their flowers are very attractive and the most diverse of the genus having a large variance of size, color, and shape."

" There is only one truly unique characteristic of Vireya that sets them apart from other Rhododendrons. They have large cells called Idioblasts in their leaves thought to aid with water holding capacity just under the epidermis. Other characteristics are minute scales on the surface of leaves, seeds with a tail on each end, the ovary-style junction is tapering with the pedicels arising directly from a done-like base forming an umbel."

Here is an example of the way in which the horticulturist hung some of the plants on large limbs.

Here we can see how the berm was shaped and the plants occupy a side alley way in the greenhouse. what a fantastic use of this space.

Again according to the printed explanation, " Most Vireya are native to the Islands of Malaysia along the equator. There are some as far north as Southeast Asia and a couple as far south as Northern Australia."

Other plants leaning on limbs covered with moss. Amazing. Truly a learning experience for me. The information from the exhibits sheet, did not list the author, otherwise I would have given credit to the writer. What a wonderful thing

to see such exotic plants with their stories so close to home. Visit this exhibit soon. Click to enlarge photos.

Camellia House Weekend at the Planting Fields Arboretum, New York State Historie Park

2013-02-26T14:00:00.001-05:00

What do Long Islanders do when the month of February begins to get awfully dreary? We go to the annual exhibit of the Camellias at the Planting Fields Arboretum, in Oyster Bay, on the North Shore of Long Island.

Fortunately the Coe estate is under the jurisdiction of the New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Click photos to enlarge.

The Olmsted brothers of Brookline , Massachusetts, oversaw the estate projects from 1918 to 1944, including the Camellia House.

Camellia trees were planted directly into the soil within the greenhouse, and have matured ever since.

Other plantings such as this Jasmine,

and the Creeping Fig vines enhance the brick walls.

The amazing blooms both very large,

and very small,

offer a spectacular desplay,

which can take one away from the blues of February.

At this event, Roberta Erlagen, a water color artist,

demonstrates her techniques,regarding capturing the essence of Camellia blooms.

Visitors, both adult and children, gather around her work table,

to see how she captures the fragile Camellia blooms and,

shiny waxen leaves.

The result is a delicate harmony of shape and colors.

If that wasn't enough, the charming Josh Kekoa Cho, serenaded the visitors with his ukulele and Hawaiian songs.

So if you want to get away, go on "stay vacation" as they say, without really traveling far.

The Planting Fields at Camellia time is the answer, and you can learn about their blooms, names,and habits while also enjoying talented artists. what a great day.

The Nor'easter Called Nemo Snow Storm February 2013

2013-02-10T09:10:00.000-05:00

According to meteorologist and long term weather forecaster, Joe Bastardi, we are in a weather cycle similar to what we experienced in the 1950's.

This week, February 2013, Long Island and most of the top half of the Northeast, was slammed with a storm named Nemo.

Here on the north shore of Long Island, the western end of Suffolk county, snow totals were as high as 29 inches in Huntington. The further east you got, it rained for the first part of the storm, then caught up later with snow.

These are the back steps with the snow covering. I started using a broom to whisk away the crystals of ice and fluffy snow.

Later I went out to see how things looked. The snow was up over the mailbox.

The back yard look pristine.

The shrubs were laden with ice and snow and the sun dial was covered with many inches of snow.

Winds were fierce, and blew snow up against doors and buried the boxwoods.

The only thing nice that I can say about Yews, is that they hold up under mountains of snow.

Everything was coated with ice and heaving under the snow. The very old Quince tree split in half.

Looking west.

Drifts were up past the front steps, and almost to the windows.

North where the plows has piled road snow in front of the driveway

Looking south

The big holly tree, shown here with its berries, fed the wild birds, especially the Robins.

The Leylands were droopy,

the Kwanzan Cherry trees in the park were covered.

For some reason, Robins forgot to migrate south and were in the trees. Fortunately, there were plenty of berries to eat on the trees and shrubs.

It is a long walk to the street in deep snow.

Garden furniture

Rhododendrons covered with ice

Starlings waiting for better weather and warmer temperatures. Today started out at 15 degrees F. Tomorrow it should get up into the middle 40's, then everything will begin to melt. Long Island is know for its roller coaster weather. "If you don't like the weather on Long Island when you go out the front door, go out the back door."

Making a Pot Roast Meal Jarvis House Style

2013-01-23T14:54:00.000-05:00

What could be better on a very cold day in January than a home cooked meal with Pot Roast.

I followed my mother's recipe and chose a lovely Bottom Round cut of meat.

This cut of meat is wedge shaped, and perfect for potting because of its flat sides.

I started by pouring few tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a large stainless steel pot that has its own cover.

I "browned" all sides of the meat on a high flame to seal in the juices.

An old large cooking fork makes this easy.

Next I chopped a large onion.

Each side of the meat was turned and sealed.

I took the meat out of the pot and placed it on a dish while I added the onions

to the pot. They were sauteed and turned golden brown.

The meat was then returned to the pot,

and I added around four (4) cups of water, covering the meat a bit more than half way.

Salt, ground pepper, and dry mustard were added to taste.

The pot was covered with a small crack left open, and simmered for several hours on a very low flame.

Later I peeled eight medium Yukon Gold potatoes,

and boiled them until they were cooked but not too soft.

Three large carrots were peeled and sliced.

I steamed some cut green beans.

About one half hour before I stopped cooking the meat, I added the carrots.

Later I removed the meat and carrots from the pot and poured the liquid into a measuring cup to make the gravy.

Corn starch was whisked into the liquid as a thickener.

I put this into a smaller pot and continued to whisk it over a low flame.

The potatoes were strained, mashed with a depression era potato masher,

milk and

several tablespoons of butter added,

and finally salt and ground pepper to finish.

The bottom round cut very easily

Table was set with the sliced meat, a divided oval white bowl for the potatoes and vegetables, and a white gravy boat too.

This looks a little messy, but boy did it taste really tender and good on a cold January day! Try it soon.

Winter Walk on the High Line NYC

2013-01-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

What would there be to see at the High Line in January. A lot!

Junipers with their berries.

An adjacent wall that had been used as a canvas.

An window on a building on the other side with a bit of humorous art.

Signs of the tracks with grasses whirling around.

Another wall as a canvas.

Seed pods and sculptures.

Very large trees that were planted below,

and ferns and mosses seemingly indifferent to the winter's cold.

Small additions to beautify a building's window, with what looked like plastic grass, (pigeon repellent?) A huge mural in dazzling color of a WWII photo,

Driftwood sticks humanizing a chain link fence.

Giant areas of the Meat Packing District undergoing gentrification.

A well kept lawn?

Wonderful Mondrian like structures of Hudson River colors,

more whimsical art both large,

and very small

a truly strange installation called "Broken Bridge," with a tarp keeping off the falling shards from parked cars beneath?

Lovely plantings that can survive Winter.

A Mahonia.

Lovely blooms,

winter berries,

Epimedium,

a struggling rose bud,

a purple ground cover.

It was hard to decide where to look. At the buildings,

at the Bride and Groom.

at the seed pods leftover from Summer and Fall.

There were flowering plants hoping for continued mild weather.

At one end of the High Line, which stretches from 14th to 34th streets on the west side of NYC between 10th and 11th Avenues, there were announcements of the new Whitney Museum building, which is moving to one end of the line. It will open in 2015. Which only goes to show how an impossible dream, the re-purposing of a defunct rail track, can have a great effect on an old neighborhood in NYC. A great destination and a fun day.

Beef Stew on a Cold January Sunday 2013

2013-01-06T21:13:00.003-05:00

Today was a cold Sunday in January, the perfect day to make Beef Stew.

Although this hunk of meat was expensive it made enough large servings for eight.

The butcher at the grocery store advised me that a beef chuck roast was the best cut for juicy pieces in a stew.

The marbled meat required cutting and trimming,

but the chunks looked wonderful, and was worth the effort.

I placed the chunks of beef into a mixing bowl and added a few tablespoons of all purpose flour, salt, and pepper and tossed.

In a large pan, I poured some vegetable oil,

then added the coated meat chunks.

I browned the chunks and stirred with a wooden tool.

Next, I pealed about eight smallish Yukon Gold potatoes,

and chopped the potatoes into small pieces.

I did the same with two large fresh carrots,

and Fresh Parsley.

The potatoes and carrots were par-boiled.

Two cubes of beef bouillon

were melted in a measuring cup with some of the vegetable water.

The potatoes and carrots went into the crock pot.

Frozen cut string beans and cut corn were added.

Red wine and dry mustard were added.

Usually I would have started this recipe with sauteed chopped onions, but the guest requested no onions, so I snuck in some onion salt for taste.

The stew was covered and the crock pot set at high for several hours. If the liquid is too thin, add some corn starch to a cup of the liquid, whisk, then return to the crock pot. Slow cooking and the correct cut of beef makes each piece tender.

Along with some good red wine, the beef stew was served with a Pumpernickel roll. It turned out to be delicious, and the leftovers will be even better! Compared to dining out and ordering Beef Stew, making your own is actually less expensive and probably better due to selecting a really great cut of beef. Enjoy, and Cheers from the Jarvis House kitchen! Happy New Year.

Sunken Meadow Beach in a New Year

2013-01-01T15:15:00.003-05:00

We were wondering how the beach at Sunken Meadow State Park, N.Y, fared after the huge October storm, Sandy.

New Years Day was a time out and we went for a rather chilly walk. The beach looking east.

Looking west

The beach looked pristine and the water looked really cold and choppy, at an outside temperature of 40 degrees F.

The tide line was free of un-natural debris. There were a lot of tiny, deeply purple colored lady slipper shells.

A very orange jingle shell, and a piece of popper sea weed.

The Plover were scurrying about,

trying to find food. Off in the distance were quite a few more, so I guess there was plenty for them to feast upon. Plover never like to get their feet wet and dart at the edge of the waves.

Baby Lady Slippers attached to a clam shell.

An egg casing from a Whelk Snail.

The winds made sort of moguls out of dune grass clumps.

We thought that we might find some of the "Wagon Wheel" Plastic shapes, and there were a few higher up on the beach.

The storms pushed the sand up against the board walk,

but a few of these escaped being buried by the fall storm.

I noticed that the pines were looking sort of "burned" on their edges. Wondered if the winds had done that.

Even on the First of January, plants can surprise you. Here is a Dusty Miller sort of planting that was doing well in spite of the cold.

These were planted as ornamentals along the entry to the park.

Span Dragons were also stubbornly blooming along side the Dusty Millers.

In the distance was a huge pile of fallen trees from Sandy. I was surprised that more storm debris wasn't in the parking lot, because there are so many, many large downed trees on the North Shore.

The gulls were sitting in the parking lot.

A photo of the "Wagon Wheel Pasta" shapes that I blogged about was included in a publication concerned with Long Island Sound Health.

In their Article they reported that 33 million of these wheels were released into the Long Island sound in a waste treatment plant overflow last march.

Pretty unbelievable, but we found some as far out on a beach in Orient Point last September. Can there be some in France or Morocco?

These are the shells that I collected today: Oyster, Quahog, clam, Whelk and Razor or Jackknife Clam.

This is a small water color painting that I did a few years ago of a Whelk with Barnacles. Shells make interesting subjects, and when you live on an island, they are plentiful. Happy New Year to all.

Revisiting Christmas 2012

2012-12-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of a weathered barn in Virginia, upon which the owners thoughtfully hung a lovely be-ribboned wreath.

The holidays started with helping out at a house tour for the local historical society.

This re-purposed Chapel was filled with wonderful decorations including

many, many Annalee Dolls

The homeowner did an outstanding job of decorating with urns and live twinkle lit outdoor trees.

There were Byer Dolls too.

Down on the farm, crocheted Christmas stockings made over the years hung over the fireplace.

A John Deer toy tractor found at a local baby consignment shop, with the cut offs from the live tree.

The real tractor on the farm.

The outdoor tree.

We decided to go traditional with a live tree, but when we couldn't find one with a root ball that we could plant for the future, we bought a live cut tree.

A galvanized tub and some pieces of wood for a stand worked well. We placed a plastic cloth under the woolen blanket and looked for leaks which never materialized. I cut the star from two pieces of white paper.

We added wooden Nut Crackers and Jumping Jacks, and candy canes.

Baked a few banana breads,

drew a silly scene on the large slate and recycled barn fencing framed chalk board,

planted a Calicarpa from the nursery that didn't have a balled Christmas tree, and protected it from marauding deer,

visited the folks next door and saw their Pug,

looked at old and new photos of Christmas mall memories,

looked at the mall decorations and

silly hats,

and added to the Advent calendar.

Back on Long Island went to the beautifully traditional Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, New York where they had a large nativity.

Made several lemon cakes,

saw the wreath that someone placed on the door of the Dove Cottage,

saw another fantastic outdoor tree in Centerport,

loved the variegated Poinsettia,

finally discovered that all the while the Lenten Roses were coming out even in the coldest weather! Happy New Year!

Leftovers Piles of Storm Debris, Late Bloomers, Thanksgiving Leftovers, and Recycling after the Holiday

2012-11-25T16:41:00.001-05:00

It has been a very busy month here on Long Island.

We had Sandy the mega Hurricane, then a nor easter storm shortly after that.

The winds from both of these storms created a big mess for all of us to clean up.

Weeks later, there are giant piles of debris from fallen trees and stacks of branches at the ends of almost every driveway in our neighborhoods.

The town is using every available open paved space to pile up the stumps and branches. Later they will be moved and be recycled into mulch.

This auto has been the subject of many photographs! It was outside the body shop near our thrift shop. Hard to miss it!

Believe it or not, there are still flowers blooming in the Jarvis garden, even after these awful storms. Chrysanthemums are resilient.

Herbs and a wonderful droopy plant remain.

Knock Outs, and

Marigolds are blooming as late as this.

Today I repaired an American flag for a friend, then

worked on the leftovers from Thanksgiving weekend, turkey, and Shepard's Pie.

Volunteering in a thrift shop has its advantages. I am able to purchase small oven proof dishes which I use to make smaller portion sized meals for reheating.

I start by covering the meals with waxed paper, then plastic wrap,

finally slipping the dishes into plastic bags for the freezer with notes containing the dates and the contents.

Leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and green beans look pretty.

Extra stuffing and potatoes can be used as sides for other meals.

Everything wrapped up, and

ready for the freezer. Careful when taking these out, the plastic bags make the dishes slippery and you wouldn't want to drop one on your foot or break any dishes.

Recycled plastic and glass remains from the parties.

Now we get to the entertainment. Bread crumbs are cast out on the beach for the Sea Gulls, as the starter.

Their special treat is the turkey carcase.

Gulls make a lot of racket and are pretty aggressive with each other.

The largest ones dominate the scene.

Finally these lovely annual Salvias were still putting on a show in their tree stump planter.

Hurricane Sandy Huntington Long Island, New York October 2012

2012-11-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

The reporters weren't exaggerating this time when they said that Hurricane Sandy was going to be a "Storm or the Century."

Waves from Sand before the storm hit. Huntington Bay.

Pictures during the week in Huntington Bay as Sandy made her way up to Long Island. The Long Island sound is usually calm, but it looked like Robert Moses beach on the South Shore with wild and high waves.

The back back with many small and medium trees down.

Town workers with a tree around the corner from my house that took up part of the roadway. Unfortunately it was leaning on a large old house.

Across the street from my house is Heckscher Park.

The area is very boggy and many, many ancient trees toppled over in the hurricane force winds.

They hit one another and changed the look of the park for the next generation.

A huge Locust fell fell next to the painted gas station.

Around the corner on 25A, or East Main Street, a tree hit another old house.

I kept walking around Heckscher Park.

The area is low lying and trees along the Creek couldn't hold.

Some cracked with the intense winds.

Willow trees fell.

This was along West Main Street,

and just across from these trees a telephone pole snapped, hit trees and ripped the wiring off this beautiful old house,

creating one of the many, many driving hazards on 25A that day. There were wires everywhere across Long Island.

an out building crushed by a tree near the tennis courts.

ancient tree after ancient tree felled by this storm.

The out building by the Arsenal, crushed.

The tree was there this morning waiting on a long list for removal.

I only noticed the day after the storm that my 40 year old Blue Spruce out front had been lifted and was leaning over the road. Since it has been compromised and will fall with the next extreme wind or snow, it regrettably has to come down. Many people were killed by this storm while driving as trees fell on their cars. Just can't take a chance with this tree, no matter how lovely it is. The area that was photographed was just a block or two. It was too dangerous to drive, so I took theses pictures while walking. The post is late because my electricity was restored a day or so later.

Home Maintenance Jobs to get Ready for Winter

2012-10-16T19:29:00.000-04:00

When you live in the North East there are jobs that you have to do to get your home ready for Winter. Bringing in the hoses and turning off the water from the inside, is one such job. Freezing temperatures can cause water pipes to burst if not properly drained.

Cleaning the chimney is another annual job.

My son, is an expert at cleaning the stack and re-positioning the wood burning stove.

Later, I put down old Oriental carpets to protect the floor from my wet feet and falling logs. I have two small log racks.

A few weeks ago, while my son-in-law was visiting, he helped me fix the leaking metal frame on my shower door. Water had made the areas next to the tub disintegrate.

He filled in the holes in the wall board and caulked the metal shower door frame. I painted the repairs to match the original faux finish.

When you live in the Jarvis house you have to deal with many different styles of storm windows. Several have bottom sash screens which pop out and the storm glass replacements should fit in their places. Over the years they have to be finessed in, with scrapers and planes, to remove old paint.

Having the correct tools is essential in this house.

I worked outside storing the large ceramic planter in the small garage.I clipped the Cana stems and removed them.

While in the garage, I layered the glass patio table tops with padding.

I tucked two other ceramic planters in the garage too.

One of the jobs that turned out to be a lot less difficult, than I anticipated, was storing the concrete fountain. It came apart and my son and I carefully turned the base upside down, and placed the obelisk which contained the pump on top. We covered the fountain with a tarp and tied it down with a bungee cord.

The dish on the large concrete birdbath was removed and placed next to the stand, so that ice would not collect in the top.

I flipped the wrought iron furniture into a pile.

The cast iron urn was broken down so that ice would not collect in any of its parts.

Earlier that morning the exterminator came for his usual three month visit. He used a telescoping tool to insert powdered bug killer into two holes that were filled with Yellow Jacket nests. One in the eve of my small garage,

and one way up above the second story in the Yankee gutter return.

The faucet on the driveway side of my foundation wouldn't turn off.

The plumber came and put in a new and improved turn off valve.

My son-in-law added outside latches and a locking chain so that I can get into the basement from the outside if another flooding condition should arise. This was necessary should I have to drop a Trash Pump into standing water, although the knee wall has virtually eliminated most of the flooding so far.

He also replaced an outdoor lamp with a fixture that turns on at night, when anyone enters its path, which helped illuminate

the back door entrance. I also replaced the fluorescent bulb with an Edison bulb, in the pole lamp. That makes a real difference and the steps are less dangerous.

The pumpkin is plugged into the pole lamp for the holidays. Well not everything is a difficult job! Take each job step by step and it will go well, and you will feel ready for the colder days ahead. Fortunately, I have great family and friend helpers.

GCHA Pickle Festival 2012

2012-09-28T09:15:00.002-04:00

This was the GCHA The Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association's, Pickle Festival of 2012, our 33rd. annual Pickle event.

We offered pickles, jams, and jellies, with salsa and other jarred goods brought in from Pennsylvania.

Horman's Gourmet Pickles of Glen Cove featured "pickles fresh from the barrel." The Horman family are third generation Long Island picklers.

The historic Gardiner Barn getting ready for the day.

Tomatoes hand picked on the farm.

Under the GCHA's tend, we offered " hand held pickles," New Dill, Garlic Dill, And Kosher Dill.

Here, trustee Rick, dispenses Pickle flavored Pop Corn.

Divine Brine with culinary delights of pickles and chutneys.

Our friends from The American Legion post 2144 Greenlawn came out.

We had a display of vintage restored cars and trucks. This is a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria.

We had working team engines,

restored antiques cars,

a restored English sports car,

a El Camino,

and the restored truck, the Alco.

We offered a free corn maze and free hay rides for the kids.

Our ladies mad home baked goodies.

We brought in huge apple, pumpkin and cherry pies specially created for the festival.

They went quickly.

We had a holiday decorations booth.

Miss Judy and Miss Belle ran the collectibles.

We had new this year, Pickle tee shirts modeled by Master Nick, the driver of the hay rides and Miss Belle.

The crowds kept coming,

and coming,

and coming.

Children were photographed in the historic Lollipop Train all day.

Live music was performed by the Snappy Even band.

New this year we had a roasted corn vendor from St. James, with really fabulous roasted Long Island corn that they grew on their farm.

Everyone was happy that t he day was successful, and grabbed a kiss under the pickle sign.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and helping out at next year's pickle festival contact:

http://www.gcha.info/GCHA_Home.html

http://huntington.patch.com/articles/33rd-annual-pickle-festival-held-at-john-gardiner-barn?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001#video-11463641

Watch the Patch Video

Late Summer Bugs in the Jarvis Garden

2012-09-16T03:54:00.001-04:00

Praying Mantis, so named because of the gesture of its arms , or Preying Mantis also know as because of its predatory nature. Love seeing these in the garden.

A Monarch feeding on the leaves of the Asclepias, or Milkweed.

Butterfly bushes attract many, many "bugs."

As do the Phlox in the late summer garden.

My yellow butterfly bush seems to out grow in size and flowers, its brothers in purple, and is more attractive to the garden bugs.

Monarch butterfly on a perennial Ageratum bloom. I always think of these plants as "back to school flowers," because they always seem to bloom the first week of school, right after Labor Day.

I guess that I will have more Monarchs next year!

A large Bumble Bee on a Sedum just beginning to show color.

The National D-Day Memorial Bedford, Virginia, USA

2012-08-19T13:04:00.000-04:00

These are photographs from the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, USA. Their mission stated is "to preserve the lessons and legacy of D-Day." (Video on their site.)

Ticket office

Memorial grounds map and inspirational painting.

The view of a walkway of generals with the Eisenhower memorial in the back.

Bronze of Omar Bradley.

Eisenhower's sculpture

View from the Eisenhower memorial

Plaque to General Patton

Eisenhower sculpture

Ceiling of Eisenhower memorial with D-Day invasion map.

Montgomery

View of interpretation of landing craft on Omaha Beach, with sculptures of fallen and fighting soldiers.

Interpretation of landing craft, the "Higgins Boat" in stone.

Interpretation of beach with mines and barriers.

Sculpture of fallen soldier.

Interpretation of soldiers Scaling the Atlantic Wall.

Sculptures "allude to actions and events associated with the amphibious landing."

"In the water, which is represented at early flood tide, two hedgehogs typify the range of obstacles the Germans set in the tidal flats to scuttle landing craft."

"A triumphal arch indebted to the Art Deco style that dominated European architecture between the World Wars rises forty-four-and-a-half feet....The word OVERLORD inscribed on its entablature is the name of the operation that commenced on D-Day."

Final Tribute, the sculpture emplaced a few paces to the north of the seal is a sober tribute to the more than 4,400 members of the ?Allied Expeditionary Force who were killed on D-Day. Emblematic of death in battle, the inverted rifle and helmet powerfully address the ultimate sacrifice of the fallen."

"Le Monument aux Morts, created by sculptor Edmond de Laheudrie (1861-1946).

Monument tribute to those who received the Purple Heart for their service on D-Day.

I was interested in visiting this memorial because my father, Carmelo Guglielmino was a soldier on the USS Susan B. Anthony on D- Day+1,

101st. 907th Airborne Division, Glider Field Artillery Division .

According to an account in the book, Kilogram, Bob Minick, 1979

page 61, "the initial mission assigned to this battalion was to land on D+1 on Utah Beach, assemble in an area approximately one mile south thereof, and be prepared to move from this assembly area to a position in support of the division or one of its infantry regiments. Shortly after dawn of D-Day+1, June 7th , the USS Susan B. Anthony hit a floating mine approximately sixteen miles off the coast of France, in a corridor which had been previously swept for mines. My dad said that he was on the rail of the ship watching the invasion activities from topside. Some how he, being a very strong swimmer, survived. I believe that he helped another soldier in the water and was awarded the Bronze Star for this act during D-Day. The rescue of the 2,689 soldiers on the USS Susan B. Anthony is listed as one of the largest rescue of people without loss of life.

All in all, a trip to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, is an inspiring experience especially for any of the family of the brave soldiers who were there, and for anyone interested in WWII history.

National D-Day Memorial

P.O. Box 77, Bedford, Virginia 245323

(800) 351-3329

e-mail: dday@dday.org

Web site: www.dday.org

Wedding Reception Baskets for Ladies & Gents Bathrooms

2012-07-26T23:30:00.001-04:00

A great job for the mother of the Groom is the creation of Guest Bathroom Baskets for the Reception hall.

My future daughter-in-law entrusted this task to me. So that is what this pile of items will be turned into.

After looking up suggestions for the contents of such baskets on the Internet, I headed for the local dollar store.

I decided not to use wicker baskets, but rather colorful plastic baskets, blue for the gents, green for the ladies.

At first I thought that I would line the baskets with pieces of a colorful plastic table cloth. But then I opted for weaving white tulle through the openings.

I gathered a second piece of tulle for a bow.

The colorful plastic cloth was cut up into smaller pieces to fit just the bottom of the baskets.

I kept with the color theme and loaded the gents basket with blue wrapped items. (List to follow.)

The dollar store had cute smaller pails for the hand soap, small cups, mouth wash, and room fresheners.

The ladies baskets contained green wrapped items with a few pinks and purples too.

I found very nice paper folded and monogrammed hand towels.

I added tulle bows to the pails.

My future daughter-in-law supplied me with two picture frames with easel backs which were perfect for a poetic message of welcome for the guests. I combined two poems that I found on-line and a free graphic.

I made tags which identified which wedding and which bathroom, ladies or gents, the baskets were intended for. The baskets are to be dropped off a day or so before the wedding, so no mistakes. This made it clear to the reception hall staff where the baskets were to be placed.

I added the towels to the pails.

At the dollar store, I found packages of two large cellophane gift wrapping bags.

These made it easy to wrap up the baskets, so that the contents would not fall out during their trip from my house to the reception hall. The items could be better arranged once they arrived at the reception hall restrooms.

Job done! It occurred to me that this could be a nice little on-line business for someone who likes to create gift baskets. An item list could be supplied, customized by a check off, and it easily shipped to very busy brides maids, or like me, mothers of the groom.

Possible items:

rolls of breath mints, mouth wash and small cups, band-aids, safety pins, Aspirin, or Advil, pocket tissues, small bottles of hand sanitizer, floss, deodorant, eye glass or contact lens cleaners, emery boards, cough drops, Chapstick, notepads and pens, hand lotion, Q-tips, combs, sewing kits, gum or hard candy, matches, bobby pins and elastic hair bands, tampons, panty liners, samples of perfume, cotton balls, take away tooth brushes, and tooth paste, Tic-tacs.

Three Books for Summer Reading

2012-07-06T07:10:00.000-04:00

Here are three books that I recommend for summer reading.

The first is Museum, (2007, the Penguin Group) a view behind the scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This book was written by Danny Danziger, whose mother was Gigi Guggenheim Danziger. For me, the tours, department by department, of New York's massive art museum were fascinating. Mr. Danziger collected more than fifty interviews of museum personnel, from the director of the museum, Philleppe de Montebello, to some of the staff " who create and maintain the Met's environment - the florist, the security guard, and the cleaner." In addition to the directors of various departments and collections, you will read about some of the "philanthropists and millionaires who keep the museum's life-blood flowing." The interviewees, give their personal picks of the most precious or interesting example under their care. If one made a list of these artworks, a wonderful day, or week maybe, of playing scavenger hunt would result. Something I plan to do. Since much of what I have learned about art and antiques has come from countless visits to museums, I loved this insider's behind the scenes look at the Met.

The next selection The River of Doubt, written by Candice Millard (2005, Random House) is the chronicle of a very ambitious trip through the Amazon made by President Theodore Roosevelt after his defeat in 1912 for a third term. Candice Millard, not only wrote an outstanding account of this trip through an historian's eye, but as a former writer an editor of the National Geographic, she gives amazing details of the natural surroundings, the plants and animals, and the culture of the uncharted areas of the Amazon jungle, through which Roosevelt and his party struggled. One of the aspects of this book which grips the reader is the relationship of Roosevelt and his son, Kermit. With Brazil's famous explorer, Candido Mariano, Teddy and Kermit, and the adventurer's party, challenge themselves to find this legendary river, and to chart its existence. The extreme hardships that the experienced trailblazers underwent, only adds to the folklore of one of the most dynamic U.S.presidents. The dedication to reporting through journals, of this grueling venture, as Roosevelt and his party recount unimaginable details of larger-than-life obstacles to their quest, makes a contribution to history as well as to the legend that is Roosevelt.

My third pick for this summer is Game Change, written by John Heilmann and Mark Halperin, (2010, Harper Collins.) In my attempt to understand the upcoming election of 2012, I was handed this book about the election of 2008. This is a third behind the scenes book of an adventure of a different sort, becoming a U.S. president. John Heilmann, a former writer for The New Yorker, and Mark Halperin, the political analyst for Time, reconstruct the campaign for the 2008 election after conducting "more than three hundred interviews with more than two hundred people conducted between July 2008 and September 2009. Almost all of the interviews took place in person." As a contrast to the ethical and gutsy attitudes of the Roosevelts and their fellow searchers, the actors in this saga fall incredibly short. As a woman, I was confirmed that there is yet a bias against seriously considering a female for the U.S. highest office. Although clearly the more experienced, fearless, and worthy candidates, both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin come out in this tale, better than their male counterparts who are consistently less admirable. A great read for anyone who thinks that money and the press do not influence elections.

Have fun with these unusually connected books.

Clothespins and the Clothesline Back to Basics Reduce Energy Use

2012-06-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

The most practical way of reducing your energy use is to use clothespins and a clothesline. When I first came to the Jarvis House in 1975 I had a wooden "T" bar clothesline with four lines. But it was hard to mow around and the trees grew up around it blocking some of the light. It finally rotted.

The electric dryer was used even in beautiful weather. Then two years my dryer gave out. I decided to try to hang clothes outside for a few weeks in the summer.

I bought this retractable line at the large orange home store. I liked this a lot. When I wasn't hanging clothes I could wind up the thing and it was out of sight! On the new plastic line there was a plastic nipple on the bottom of the box which is used to wrap the cord around, to secure and keep the line tight.

Because I usually do two loads of wash, a white, then a dark load, I needed more line to hang the wet clothes on.

Then this wonderful vintage retractable line turned up at the thrift store. I grabbed it and hung it by myself on the barn, near the first line. The line is secured by wrapping it around the metal wheel. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that probably a metal box and parts will last longer than plastic.

This is the end of the vintage clothesline,

as compared to the plastic loop on the new line.

When I started hanging laundry outside, I made a clothespin bag like my mom's, from scrap fabric, a metal coat hanger and some cotton rope. The coat hanger keeps the bag open and has a hook for attaching it to the line or someplace else that is convenient.

Now believe it or not, after hanging clothes for my mom when I was a kid, I learned from her the "ART" of pinning clothes on a line. Long pants could be pinned upside down by the cuffs to keep them almost wrinkle free.

Flats, like top sheets and tablecloths are hung like so and they dry quickly, even if you double them up. Also no wrinkles.

O.K. fitted sheets are hard ot hang and fold, but the convenience of the elastic makes up for the strange shape.

There are many, many different kinds of clothespins. Some are single pieces of wood, like the "doll" pins, some are flat pins, some have the metal spring between two pieces of wood or two plastic pieces, some are made from springy plastic shapes.

I could hang the bag on the line while I was working.

O.K. even me, the original nerd, wears cotton panties, and I don't go anywhere without socks! There is a special way of hanging underwear. It makes it easy to match socks too. And single socks do not get lost in the dryer.

You can hang blouses straight across, or

by the collar,

or upside down matching the seams and hanging the shirt bottom in a straight way.

Towels hang straight like sheets.

Plastic laundry baskets can be used if you cannot find wicker baskets.

Because the Jarvis House has a back door entry, I have a laundry closet next to the washing machine and dryer sectioned off so that these basket with dirty laundry can be hidden. The vacuum, detergent, and garbage bags fit in too.

I learned the hard way that washing machine hoses can rupture. This happened once when I was at work and the washer had been turned on. It rained on my pantry for hours. Now I have reinforced hoses and a water main shut off for vacations.

The thermostat on an old dryer quit and kept on heating even when the drum had stopped spinning. Luckily the washer is near the back door and I smelled the heat. In poor weather I rely on the electric dryer, but I unplug the dryer and clean the lint trap after each use. Also, I clean the large vent hose frequently, including the trap door outside the house.

Other items are hung to minimize wrinkles.

Another way of hanging jeans and slacks.

After the clothes have dried, they are sorted and folded and have that wonderful outdoor clean smell. They have tried to replicate that aroma on dryer sheets, but if you have hung clothes outside, you know the real thing when you hold air dried clothes up to your face, or lie down on bed sheets that have been air dried.

In really hot weather the clothes dry faster and of course you are doing a "green" thing by using solar power instead of electric power. There is also a serene quality to hanging clothes outside and looking at the garden, the greenery, your mind goes to a nice place. This is a truly rewarding activity on many levels. Maybe the "back to basics" methods will help us in the new economy.

Lollipop Farm Kiddie Train Moved to the Gardiner Farm

2012-06-15T19:45:00.000-04:00

This is the Lollipop Farm kiddie train. The Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association has acquired this wonderful Long Island bit of history.

The train has been kept inside the storage barn at the S.P.L.I.A facility in Lloyd Harbor.

According to a brief history on the Internet, the trian ran at Lollipop Farm from1950-1967. It passed through several hands, including East Woods School, and other owners who intended to restore and set the tracks up and run the train for children.

Tony Guarnaschelli, a master antique truck and auto restorer, and big part of the GCHA organization, requested an got the train from S.P.L.I A. They knew after more than 45 years in storage, the train would be lovingly brought back to life at the Gardiner Farm.

The train and its parts, the cars, trucks, the tracks, and other pieces were in remarkable shape.

They put the cars and tracks on dollies, and

the move was on!

We loaded the straight and curved tracks onto a boat trailer.

The train cars came out of the barn and were carefully loaded onto another trailer.

The cars were tied down.

Then we got rolling and headed for,

the Gardiner Farm Barn in Huntington.

Even the bottom didn't look that bad.

Now that we had the train at the Gardiner Farm, the members almost jumped for joy looking at it.

This train will get loving care from the association members, many of whom rode on this train as children, including me.

We had heard that a Doctor had this train after East Woods. This card was still in one of the parts boxes.

So now the lead car, the end car, and one of the middle cars is safely tucked in the GCHA barn. Missing parts, such as the gasoline tank can be replicated. We expect to have this operational for the Pickle Festival in 2013, and the cars for photo ops set up for this year's pickle festival in September, 2012. This is a treasure that the grandchildren of Long Island Boomers will enjoy due to the GCHA volunteers.

Potato Planting at the GCHA Gardiner Farm 2012

2012-05-15T15:45:00.000-04:00

In the time honored tradition of Long Island Potato farming, farmer Tony Guarnaschelli and farmer Kerry Connolly demonstrated last Saturday how potatoes were planted with an authentic vintage tractor(1953) and the very old potato planting attachment.

Thanks to farmer Tony, the aging farm equipment is in tip top working order.

These are the bushels of seed potatoes. We needed a lot due to the popularity of "digging potatoes" at the annual pickle festival each September.

They are pre-treated to inhibit mold.

It was a perfect May morning and the planter was hitched up to the tractor.

Farmers Tony and Kerry use some twine to mark the first row.

Farmer William helps to secure the other end, and

gets the first ride

digging up the first row.

The seed potatoes are loaded into the truck,

along with the fertilizer bags.

The width of the rows is taken.

This is the guts of the planter. The "arms" pick each potato from the hopper, and drop them into the soil while

the cultivating wheels down below, cover the seed potatoes with soil.

Fertilizer is poured into its hopper,

and seed potatoes into their hopper.

A few potatoes are thrown into the planter to get it started.

Planting Long Island potatoes, Yukon Gold.

These rows of seed potatoes will grow into fine potatoes which the children at the pickle festival will thrill to pick out of the farm's soil and bring home for dinner that night.

Our director, Deanne Rathke, gets a ride too.

Click there to see Tony using the potato digging machine at the annual Greenlawn-Centerport Pickle Festival.

Azaleas at the Jarvis House Garden May 2012

2012-05-08T05:57:00.000-04:00

Right now the Azaleas in the Jarvis House garden are really at their peak.

All of these plants were purchased from a backyard gardener and azalea breeder.

The gentleman had died before I came along, and his wife was selling what was left.

The plants were in their plastic pots, and just left as if the old gardener had gone in for the day.

Each payday from then on anything that still had a leaf on it was grouped in a pile and bought without any knowledge of the color or nature and habit of the growth of the plant.

The azaleas were just planted around the garden boarders.

Now thirty years later, and after transplanting and moving the shrubs around a bit,

this is what resulted.

I found out by trial and error which plants were tree-like, which were low growing,

which were unusual,

which were loose,

which were wild,

which were compact,

which liked to cascade,

which had very deep colors,

which had buds like roses,

and which were just lovely.

This is the first group of azaleas from a different viewpoint, which is the other thing I learned. Azaleas like to take on their own shapes. You can prune them a little, but they have a destiny of their own, so don't mess with it too much. Click on the photos to make larger images.

New York Thrives New Shop in Town

2012-05-01T13:22:00.000-04:00

There's a new garden shop in town, New York Thrives. Lee Keil has put together an array of items that promotes "Self reliance, sustainability, and preparedness."

You can find rain barrels,

units that promote the growth of worms, the most important animals on earth,

generators.

solar reflector ovens,

freeze dried sustenance,

bee hives,

and chicken coops.

By far the most inventive thing that I saw were two products that we use every day, wrapping paper and mailing boxes.

Except that these paper items are impregnated with flower and tree seeds. As they are recycled they self plant. Wow what a fantastic idea!

Lee has organic plant starts,

and "founding fathers" garden books.

There is also a selection of heirloom seeds. After working on gardens since my childhood, I have learned that some of the less cultivated plants are far more hardy, and it is also nice to perpetuate historic gardens with appropriate plantings.

New York Thrives is located at 102A Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743, 631-923-0018. They also have a face book page. newyorkthrives.com

Ready to Plant Garden Containers

2012-04-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

Planting in garden containers is simple and fun. Here I used a vintage wrought iron chair, that should have an upholstered seat. I searched for a container that was 15 inches square at the top for an insert.

Salterini chairs without seats.

Plastic pots from the orange home store.

I removed the drainage plugs, but saved them.

Because the planter was so deep, and I didn't want the container to become too heavy, I added some bubble wrap layers to take up space at the bottom.

Containers filled with planting soil.

First in was the potato vine. Hopefully it will grow and grow and cover the bottom of the container.

Next I added Geraniums, a New Guinea Impatiens, and a white fluffy thing.

Because squirrels keep digging in my containers, I took my daughter's advice and tried sprinkling in some chili powder.

I placed the three chairs around the garden in shady spots.

All in all I was happy with this project and look forward to taking photos of the chair planters when the plants grow in. Maybe I'll add others as the seasons change.