tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26119836929656598842008-07-22T19:07:34.581-05:00Outside ClydeChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comBlogger350125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-35337231904633428742008-07-21T21:16:00.002-05:002008-07-21T21:48:08.197-05:00Air Quality AlertI guess they wanted to get our attention.
...Air Quality Alert in effect from 6 AM to 9 PM EDT TUESDAY...
Madison-Yancey-Swain-Haywood-Buncombe-Northern Jackson-Southern Jackson-Transylvania-Henderson
The North Carolina Division of Air Quality has issued a CODE ORANGE air quality action day for the Asheville region. An air quality action day means that ground level ozone concentrations Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-59044541853031175302008-07-20T22:13:00.005-05:002008-07-20T22:32:14.830-05:00Butterfly BluesChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-14667603446028460732008-07-19T08:00:00.007-05:002008-07-19T21:59:00.335-05:00The Big WiltWe have been invaded.
Last night I half expected Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier to come running out of the dark woods. The hounds were baying in surround sound; on the ridge top directly above, out at the road and in the valley just below. Gunshots had been heard. Klieg lights swept through the tree tops and down on the ridge top garden. Muffled voices crept between the constant long barks. TheyChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-36366668248193637532008-07-17T20:58:00.006-05:002008-07-17T22:14:33.286-05:00Color ChoicesPink and pastels are fine for some purposes.
The Astilbe, bought in all its colors reverts to this pink. There are pink Astilbe stem to stern.
Red has been on my mind today. Red is bold. I am thinking of a cozy cabin with red trim. What would that be like? What should the house color be with red trim?
Stark white is not an option for a wet, often muddy, deep green forest or the generallyChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-59487673200783397322008-07-16T22:30:00.004-05:002008-07-16T23:41:05.881-05:00The Inspector Man VisitsIt is unconventional to build a roof on the ground near the building it is supposed to go on. We did it anyway. The physical aspect of building the roof on terra firma as opposed to eight, twelve, fifteen feet and higher in the air if you count how far the cabin floor is from the ground was way easier. This unconventional construction does present unique challenges though, the least of which is Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-43993174659334912282008-07-15T22:59:00.000-05:002008-07-15T23:07:59.034-05:00Flower Images On Bloom DayWorld headquarters for Garden Blogger Bloom Day must be getting swamped these days with the ever increasing number of gardeners online. Carol is this still a one women operation or have you had to hire an intern?
Here at OutsideClyde the ever increasing number of things blooming is well beyond my ability to catalog all of them for a Bloom Day post. Besides, I have chores to do, cabins to build Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-87923786273449459902008-07-13T17:25:00.011-05:002008-07-13T21:50:08.141-05:00Mid Summer MeadowThe monsoon continues.
In between waves of falling water there are chances to walk outside.
And see the ever expanding riot of blooms emerging in the utility meadows.
Blueberries are picked coming or going.
Daylilies, daylilies and more daylilies.
Lots of daylilies. Is that what the drive-by compliments are about? "So pretty" they said. I know they didn't mean me. I thought they Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-27745698881069339582008-07-13T07:28:00.002-05:002008-07-13T17:50:12.763-05:00Inside AshevilleIf it was possible I might never leave this mountain top.
I could even get used to that without an internet connection over time.
I have come to learn and accept that as much as lush green serenity is good for my soul, so is contact with members of my own tribe. Oddly, I have to make some effort for this to happen on a frequent enough basis. I could get lost in a small garden in a big city Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-33930347282138911732008-07-12T01:22:00.002-05:002008-07-12T01:29:15.464-05:00Still LifeChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-74696314403656317962008-07-10T22:41:00.005-05:002008-07-10T23:42:46.266-05:00DecorationA monsoon has descended upon us.
Perfect weather for the task of thinking about flooring, appliances, cabinets, kitchens and bathrooms.
It is easier to spend hours inside a home improvement store when it is pouring outside.
Somehow this kind of weather slows the process of my head beginning to spin or explode from all this exploratory shopping.
A final design for the kitchen and bath hasChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-44422638691194413292008-07-07T21:37:00.010-05:002008-07-07T23:09:25.460-05:00Cue The Melodramatic MusicIt is a violent jungle out there.
Something big is lurking out there amongst the poisonous vines that grab your feet, the thorns that gouge your flesh and the vermin that crawl over your skin to find the perfect spot to suck your blood.
A monster has been let loose in the thickets and fields of an ancient landscape.
Some hard shelled body thought it was best to take cover. A disturbance Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-50989454650228561162008-07-06T19:09:00.010-05:002008-07-06T20:25:01.487-05:00The ScarecrowSomewhere in this pile of leftovers is some Garden Whimsy for Gardening Gone Wild's design workshop this month.
I had an idea yesterday for the vegetable garden and decided to strike while the whimsy had me.
I needed something big and scary to shoo away any potential unwanted diners from my roadside produce stand.
A good set of eyes to watch over the vegetables seemed like a good ideaChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-30842160138098915842008-07-05T21:36:00.012-05:002008-07-05T22:21:49.713-05:00Out There In JulyLilies
Filipendula
Hydrangea
Barb Wire Roses
Liatris
Spirea
Rudbeckia with Aster
Loosestrife and Fritillary
Daylilies. They're growing on me.
The window over my bed.
Sun and Moist Clouds
Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-32560399411419932822008-07-04T18:01:00.013-05:002008-07-04T21:18:51.777-05:00Vegetable LoveThe two Michel(l)e's on opposite coasts are agreeing that good bone structure can help a vegetable garden in the overall landscape design of the larger garden. This is particularly important with the increasing interest in edible landscapes in the front yard.
My "front yard" is still kind of wild.
I can get away with a bit less formal structure in my front yard roadside vegetable garden. The Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-51643550121865722022008-07-04T17:33:00.002-05:002008-07-04T17:39:12.129-05:00Nymphaea And CompanyIn the vicinity
of a pond.
Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-50815174035395577392008-07-02T21:56:00.006-05:002008-07-02T22:24:31.772-05:00Playing With The SkyWhen I am exhausted.
The Original Sky
Variations
How do such long summer days end so quickly?Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-63961782055479215042008-07-01T23:22:00.002-05:002008-07-01T23:39:37.541-05:00The Beginning Of ExuberanceI showed you theirs. Now I'll show you mine.
The second half of a roof is formed.
A dried in cabin looks possible in the near future.Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-37658767517725352502008-07-01T21:13:00.000-05:002008-07-01T22:43:04.409-05:00Haywood County Garden TourPart II
Link to Part I
The second half of the garden tour begins in Junaluska Meadows, a neighborhood of newer homes set on large acreage in former pasture lands. In this setting a garden must be built from scratch.
The promos I saw and read online said a master gardener would be at each location to answer questions. I expected one. Imagine my surprise when already at each garden there had beenChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-3950582356151306892008-06-30T23:26:00.002-05:002008-06-30T23:29:55.775-05:00FascinationsChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-65903662936521524282008-06-30T18:17:00.000-05:002008-06-30T20:59:16.720-05:00Haywood County Garden TourPart I
I probably don't get out often enough. When I saw the flyer for the Haywood County Garden Tour for the next day, I was determined to go. The event was being sponsored mainly by the NC Cooperative Extension and the Haywood County Extension Master Gardeners. It would be a chance to mingle with other humans and see some beautiful gardens in the mountains of western North Carolina. I wanted Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-45453717790769064142008-06-29T22:36:00.004-05:002008-06-29T23:01:17.366-05:00Old Barn New BarnOne of the good things about the upcoming garden tour was that it took me down roads I had not traveled yet. I saw neighborhoods you would never know existed from the main roads. The hills and forest hide much.
An old barn
With a half round roof that struck my fancy.
The new barn was at the M3 Ranch, one of the gardens on the tour.
Inside the barn were four Highland cattle, a breed fromChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-57462264431638846322008-06-28T20:37:00.002-05:002008-06-28T20:59:19.107-05:00Pastoral Scene
Coming up next - it'll take a spell - a spoiled and jaded view of the Haywood County Garden Tour of 2008.Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-62687912231177316862008-06-27T19:41:00.013-05:002008-06-27T22:16:53.113-05:00After A DownpourI've never seen thunderstorms like this before. For the last few days we have been in the path of several mini-thunderstorms a day. Mostly it is dark clouds and thunder that threaten for a while and then move on. Blue sky returns until the next one washes by. Maybe there is a little sprinkle, maybe not. They are so small you need a direct hit with the center to get any rain.
This afternoon we Christopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-31337414919934930372008-06-27T16:41:00.009-05:002008-06-27T17:11:08.214-05:00Bzzzzzz Bzzz Bzzzzzzzzz ChirpJust stepping out the front door can be dangerous. You might get your eye poked out by a flying, buzzing, kamikazee dart.
For such little things, Hummingbirds can be quite obnoxious.
They apparently are not taught to share as children.
Control of the sugar water tap takes more time and energy than sipping peacefully.
There are two feeders and six hummingbirds jockeying for control andChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611983692965659884.post-30010318416271015832008-06-26T20:18:00.004-05:002008-06-26T20:55:28.048-05:00Quality Time With The WallIt has been a long time since I added another rock to the wall. My building contractor had to go to Florida for a week. After I finished what I knew what to do with the roof, there was time to spend on the wall. It is best to wait until the brains of this cabin building operation returns before we move on to the next step.
Someone was worried that the footing for the front porch was being erodedChristopher C. NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.com