A manlier Man Cave

The man cave got a little manlier this weekend:

Yes, the girls are now air hockey fanatics.

The cool thing is, it’s not just an air hockey table; at also has pool and ping pong.  You can see the ping pong cover leaning against the wall.  To play pool, you roll out a rubber mat on top of the air hockey part.

Now Pete just needs to hang his dart board and his Man Cave will just ooze testosterone.

Quick update

Even though I haven’t posted here in a few days, things are still hopping out in the garden.  First of all, check out the latest on the patio:

We’ve expanded it by a couple of rows and then did that neat cut-out with the tree and the flowers.  The tree is an Eastern Redbud that I dug up in the old ‘hood.  Unfortunately, even though I’ve watered it faithfully, the leaves are looking really droopy and I’m not sure it’s going to survive the transplant.  So I might be putting a new tree in this fall.

I also transplanted some peonies from the old house:

Oh, and the peas are growing like mad:

Since this photo was taken last week, the peas have reached the tops of the supports.  No peas yet, but I’m hopeful.  The lettuce, on the other hand, is growing s-l-o-w-l-y.  Maybe I should have put the seeds out earlier?  I don’t know, but I do know the lettuce will be mercilessly ripped out in another week or two whether it produces or not.

So that’s what’s going on ’round these parts…

Recycled homes

Here’s an interesting post on houses made of some unusual things, including airplanes, missile silos, and more.

The kitchen garden

I attended a seminar on kitchen gardens earlier this spring and learned, among other things, that a true kitchen garden is one that has a certain symmetry and form to it — aesthetics play a big role in the design and plan of a kitchen garden.  So there are flowers mixed in with the edibles.  Not only are the flowers there for beauty, they also attract bees and butterflies, which pollinate.  No bees equals no tomatoes in July.

I think our garden is fitting the bill nicely:

This is still very  much a work in progress, but I think you can see where I’m going with this.  Right now, we have 200 s.f. for veggies and herbs and another 120-150 s.f. for berries.

The main part is the five vegetable/herb beds, each of which is 4′ X 10′.  In case you’re wondering what’s going on in each, here’s the breakdown (they’re numbered 1-5, starting from the bottom):

1. tomatoes, basil, and marigolds — Right now, I have two kinds of tomatoes (four plants each) and will be adding another variety next week.  I have six sweet basil and am wondering if I should add more.  We love basil.
2. edamame — I’ve put in two rows and will add two more rows every week this month, so as to stagger our harvest.  I’ve also tucked in a few pepper plants along the edges.
3. Peas and lettuce (spring) / Black beans and peppers (summer) — I have spring plants in now, but have started adding summer plants.
4. Pole beans, cukes, and melon — The three bean teepees have a type of pinto bean on them, which I’m planting over the course of a month (one teepee every two weeks).
5. Asparagus, garlic, and pumpkins — The asparagus will eventually fill this bed, but this year I’ve put in garlic (to be harvested next month) and pumpkins since I have the space.

I’ve also planted herbs in the corners of beds, 2, 3, and 4 — rosemary, chives, oregano, thyme, mint (in a pot so it won’t spread), etc.  Not only will they add flavor to our meals, they’ll help repel bugs and, if I’m lucky, deer.

Bracketing the vegetable/herb beds are the blueberries (left) and raspberries (right).  The blueberry bushes have small berries on them, but I’m not going to net them this year, as I want the birds to eat them so that the plants will instead put their energy into establishing roots.  I’ve also planted flowers along the fence and in other nooks and crannies, so as to encourage bees and butterflies to visit.

On the lower right, I have a small rose garden.  Eventually, I’d like to add one on the upper end of the raspberry bed, but am feeling no rush to get to it.

The rose is cherry red and already has a few buds on it.  I can’t wait!  The blue ceramic ball is something I’ve wanted for years and only just found recently.  I’m not sure it will stay there, but I thought it would add color for now.  I planted zinnia seeds around the rose and plan to add more roses at some point in the future when my checkbook isn’t groaning from all the abuse it’s taken this spring.

Long term, I definitely want to put in paths around the garden beds and get rid of all that grass — less to mow, plus the edging is already something of a chore — but that’s a project that can wait until I’m feeling ready to lay down dozens of yards of landscaping fabric and then cover it with tons of pea gravel.

So that’s what’s going on in the kitchen garden.  Any questions?

Other green houses

Check out this post at Mother Nature Network on ten great green homes!  My faves are #2, #6, and #10.  #2 is not surprising, as it’s by Michelle Kaufmann, whose prefab homes we considered carefully before deciding to design our own.

Drinks on the patio

We have finished the first phase of our patio:

As you can see in the first photo, we still have some bags of gravel and sand left over, and we’ll be using them to expand the patio at some point in the future when we can contemplate the prospect without wanting to reach for a bottle of Advil.

Between the patio and the house, I’ve started a succulent garden and have already planted some interesting sedums, including this one:

On the other side of the back porch, the old fashioned garden is coming along nicely:

Okay, maybe it doesn’t look like much in the photo, but there is a lot going on in there, I promise.  I’ve added a rose (on the left), irises from my grandmother’s garden (far left), and various perennials in recens weeks.  On the far right, the bee balm is going gangbusters.  The gnome by the porch is a recent gift and will eventually be somewhat hidden by the lilac just to the left.

In other news, we had our first big party last weekend — Dos de Mayo festivities for my 40th birthday.  We had 60 people here and, while things were a bit snug, we had enough space for everyone.  Adults tended to congregate in the kitchen, living room, and man cave.  The children (around 20) were mostly either upstairs in the toy room and secret attic or were outside playing a no-holds-barred game of soccer that more accurately resembled a mostly female version of Australian Rules Football.

Coming up next on this blog:  I’m working on a post about the kitchen garden, which is nearing capacity already.