2011 Garden - AKA - Our TreeHouse

Last year I planted about 6 plants in my vegetable garden plot. It is a relatively new spot for a garden and used to have 2 very large Monterey Pine trees with a terrific tree house above the now sunny area.

I guess I'll tell that story now.

When our family moved to this little Town of Los Gatos in 1994, the big kids started plotting and planning to make the little kids a great tree house. This double decker house was to be located in 2 very large pine trees that were located in the back northeast corner of our property. David enlisted the help of Jonathan and Dad and within the year the treehouse was built.

1995    Kathryn (9), Stephanie (7), David (13)

The first year of the houses existence there was a 2 x 12 leading up into the branches. We had a couple of mishaps during that period of time making the mother of this little family insist on some safety rules.
One accident happened because there were nails sticking out of the ramp, and Kathryn's derrière was injured as she was sliding down.
Another problem was that this loving mother couldn't see the side back yard from my kitchen window. For some reason I thought that my children were more intelligent than other peoples kids, but I soon started to catch these very smart kids jumping from a different 2 x 12 between the the branches of the two trees down onto our trampoline below. They would move the trampoline across the lawn just so they could jump from the tree above (probably 15-20 feet or so) and land right in its center, bouncing them back into the heavens. We were lucky to not have any broken bones. I realized fun and smart don't always go together.

Eventually, we had 3 levels of a tree house. The first level being a short 9 foot distance up a ladder from the ground and a resting place for the way up.
There was a nice window in the main level of the house, as well as a balcony off of that same level. This level was big enough to put down five or six sleeping bags. Stephanie made a trap door to cover the hole into the room so that no sleeping child would fall through. The kids also carpeted this level and put in some draperies, and everything but electricity.
The top level was a rooftop deck and had fencing all around.
In this picture taken in 2005, the dead trees are ready to be cut down and we are beginning our mourning of the loss of our beloved tree house.  (Normally, when the trees were healthy they covered much of the house better than these pictures show.)
Our neighbors Fran and Bruce would talk to the kids from their driveway which was down below the side of the trees, just on the other side of the fence.

The shed down below was added to the yard in about 1998.  Jonathan had replaced the fence in 1995, but had to do the side fence over again after we destroyed it for the placement of the shed.

 Michael would like everyone to know it was the best tree house on planet earth.

The lousy bark beetles killed the trees, just as they have been doing all over this Santa Clara Valley, and within just a few weeks they turned almost completely brown. They had to come down, and with them our beloved tree house.

I'll actually post about the garden later.

Our Latest Graduate

I better hurry and post this most important family event before tomorrow, or else I will be wrong in my headline.
Yes, tomorrow our 1st granddaughter graduates from preschool...... but I digress.
Last weekend we watched our 2nd baby boy receive his MA. He was given his Masters Degree in Geography with an emphasis in G.I.S.

YAY David!!
Woo Hoo!
Good Job!
He has been able to accomplish this task while working at Men's Wearhouse and being married for 7 years and having 3 children during it all. Kinda crazy, but all done is all done.

Just look at his accomplishments!! Aren't they cute?!?

The proud parental units,

and supportive little brother participated in the festivities.

Nice hood in the Cal State colors.

Now, we are all praying for a specific job he has in mind.  They'd be lucky to get him.

Decoration Day

Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations, that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic. - John A. Logan

Grand Army of the Republic Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan
General Order No. 11, May 5, 1868, mandating Memorial (Decoration) Day
www.jalc.edu/loganmemorial.php

We forget what this day is all about. Thanks to all who serve(d).

Neglected Yard

I haven't spent more than a few hours out in the garden this spring. Several reasons for that.
1. Precipitation was ALWAYS happening.
2. I was sewing in most of my free time.
3. I was traveling and exercising, and having my bum neck worked on in my "other" (as in out of the      house) free time.
So .... because of these very valid reasons, our large yard looks like it has just been mowed and blowed but otherwise neglected for several months.
I have a semi reliable employee who shows up at our house every week or two and makes it look somewhat presentable.

 Here is Panfilo, who does odd jobs easily when asked and when he understands what it was that was asked. In this pic he is in the process of cutting down my cool gnarly wisteria tree/vine. (Yes, he was asked.)
This vine turned tree trunk, of beautiful green leaves and 1 - 6 flowers annually has been tried and tested in pruning techniques, fertilizing techniques, and just general patience techniques over the 18 years I have known it. We tried anything we could to get it to flower. We let it grow up into a huge ash tree nearby, we cut it out of said tree and pruned it neatly, we root pruned it, we fertilized with flowering non-leafing fertilizers, we starved it, we babied it. Nothing worked. This promising purple flowering vine never performed.
I thought it was I that was the negative influence in it's life as this was my second attempt at having a beautiful wisteria. While we lived in Portland, Oregon I planted one to go all around our hot tub gazebo. It too never bore any resemblance to the magnificent vines I saw all over the city. Everything grows in Portland, Oregon, but I couldn't get flowers on my wisteria. My inferiority complex was being fertilized every time I looked out the window.
About 6 years ago I bought another wisteria plant while it was in bloom. I had heard that some of them just are duds and I wanted to test out the notion of my blame.

 Well, for the past 5 years this originally small plant has bloomed along over 30 feet of our side yard fence. The Hubby and I enjoy it from our beautiful bathroom and I take pictures in front of it each year.
So, now that I had tested my theory that my thumb had not turned black in regard to just one type of plant, I RIPPED out the old wisteria in our back yard. Long story, eh?

 In other flowering news, it appears that the Cineraria that was planted in a partly sunny area of the back yard a few years ago, has reseeded itself into a much more desirable shady spot in the brick work or the patio. It looks pretty cool.

 And this flowering sedum is such a beautiful chartreuse color flower against the burgundy leaves makes me want to plant a lot of this type when we redo the back yard.

 Here is our "Cossette" rose that is really healthy and beautiful outside of our bedroom door.

"Cossette" close up.

 There aren't any flowers whiter than a white azalea.

And lastly, the "Sweet Peas" reseeded themselves X 400%. They are everywhere around the pool equipment. They smell sooooo good and are beautiful as well.
Moral of the story is that Mother Nature tends to continue to produce beauty even if left to her own devices.
She also lets the weeds take over, so I better go augment Panfilo's work and get myself and Michael out in the garden for some organizing and recovery efforts.

Easter Sewing (11) - One More Dress

Last of the "Bliss" fabric line dresses coming right up. This one is not really an Easter dress, because it is more casual than churchy. But the fabrics are again so cute together and the whole little family will now match.

Check out the headband as well. I just used round pieces of felt folded into quarters and sewed them onto a hard, fabric colored head band.

There is 1 inch wide red grossgrain ribbon loops all around the dress near the bottom with 1/4 inch wide tan matching ribbon sewn over the up-to-down loops. The bodice is trimmed with white rick rack and the halter style dress is finished with 2 big red buttons in back.

Here are the 3 cuties in our San Jose crew all dressed in their finished items of fashionable attire.

He doesn't want to stay still and his big sister is holding him tight while keeping her perfect smile all the while. Pretty funny.
Good job kids!!

Easter Sewing (10) - A Tie

Yes, I am still sewing with that fun Bliss line and have a couple more items to show off before I'm finished.
This one I sewed for the little guy. I haven't sewn anything for the grandson. Just a little knitting to date, but this tie just might be a habit I get used to.

I found the pattern on this website. It is a very good tutorial so I just will add a few suggestions.

First: The pattern was kinda hard to download, so I improvised. For the 18 month size I cut (on the bias - or diagonally) fabric 21 inches long and shaped it roughly as a men's tie on the ends.
With the seam allowance, a 5 inch fat end was about right.

Second: Cut out a lining the same width as the main fashion fabric but 1/4 inch shorter overall to allow for the right sides showing a little toward the back when finished.
I then sewed the two short, flat "V" ends with right sides together and then turned it to the right side and ironed the points flat.

Third: I think the interfacing is too much weight for a quilting cotton, so I don't think I'll use interfacing in the future.

But ... aren't you all jealous? Don't you want one too?  I'm not talking about the tie.

Second Cousin's Wedding

We didn't get pictures of me and my ol' cousins, but the day was very fun for me, and the bride was beautiful, happy and radiant.

We went to the Sacramento Temple yesterday afternoon and attended the wedding of my cousin Cindy's daughter Sabrina.

The Hubby was a trooper and indulged me staying into the evening to chat it up with my Chipman cousin's Kerry and Todd. These, along with the mother of the bride, were my closest cousins as I was growing up. Their mother was my special Aunt June, who always made me feel like I was just amazing and was my mothers only sister. Kerry and Todd both had their cute wives with them to inform me of many going ons, and I met 3 more of their children.  These little second cousins (of my children that is, they are actually my first cousins once removed) who never remembered meeting me several years ago, were very nice and engaging new family members.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Congrats to Sabrina and her love Jared.