I've been busy as a bee. Projects all over the place. The weather is so nice I can't sit still.
Project 1: Making stepping stones and a bird bath using leftover cement. Giant rhubarb leaves served as the mold. We covered them in cement. The stepping stones were laid flat on an old piece of drywall. For the giant birdbath, we took the biggest rhubarb leaf and spread it over some grass clippings to make a concave form. Since it was so large, I added fencing as rebar. The stepping stones turned out great. I will let them dry a bit longer and then stain them.
I'm letting this bad boy sit for a while. It will be tricky to get it turned over. We shall see in a few more days.
Project 2: This winter my little sign fell off of the fence. It was hard to see during the summer, because the plants covered it. I took its demise as a sign to move it to higher ground. I put it on top of the cow waterer bird feeder/bath combo we made a few years back. The wood was a piece we had sitting around, because it was twisted. It is still a bit twisted, but I like the outcome. All that is left is to plant a vine at the bottom.
Project 3: The Maitake (Hen of the Woods) Mushroom log. I am super excited about this project, but patience is the key. The mushroom plugs came in December and have been patiently sitting in the refrigerator. A few weeks ago my husband and I cut a fresh oak log to innoculate. It had to sit for two weeks before adding the mushrooms. It is super important that the log does not get exposed to other mushroom species. It sits off the ground on a pallet. Finally, inoculation day. I gathered my tools. First, I drilled 5/16 holes in the log. I tapped the plugs in the hole and then covered them with melted beeswax. That was my favorite part. The beeswax smelled heavenly. Now it must sit and stew for several months. I will keep you updated.
Keeping weeds down between rains has been a big one. I mulched with straw in my veggies.I incubated some eggs for new chicks and have 50 new rabbit babies. Headed out today to drown worms.
ReplyDeleteKeeps ypu young oh yes always a good thing to keep busy for that reason:) I LOVE LOVE your cement stepping stones. You have been a busy bee:) Hug B
ReplyDelete2nd try! I've never heard of a mushroom log. Interesting! I have leaves big enough among the hosta but have never made imprints with them. Neat.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I tried to make the rhubarb leaf bird baths, but they were a failure. We didn't use the screening for strength and probably should have. However, the fact that some little feet stepped on the "bowls" didn't help either! I like the stepping stones idea. That might be more practical. I hope your bird bath bowl turns out!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your mushroom experiment too.
Looking good. Your projects are definitely keeping you young! I'm just working on getting things ready for the open garden weekend. Painting little plant stand chairs this morning. ;)
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