I’ve been a bad blogger. I’ve let other things (like working and earning money to eat) get in the way of sharing all the exciting things going on around here. I know you’ve missed me and are dying to hear how things are going at Wind Dancer Farm.
Well… not much really. Except that I’m about $1200 poorer thanks to Romeo. First a couple of weeks ago while grooming him, I found he’d got a grass seed in the sheath of his penis. Yikes. And while investigating that I saw he had a lump on his flank. It didn’t look like a grass seed but I took him straight to the vet. There was nothing in the privates, whatever had got in had got out thankfully. He got a course of antibiotics and it cleared up.
The other thing, the lump, the vet was concerned about. The ‘c’ word was mentioned. So Romeo went in for surgery to have the lump removed and a biopsy done. We then waited a week to hear. Romeo limping uncomfortably cause he also seemed to have a grass seed in his left front paw. I searched but couldn’t see anything so I waited to see if it would improve.
The biopsy said the lump was cutaneous reactive histiocytosis. Not something usually found in poodles or even, for that matter, on that part of the body. Wierd. We are waiting and seeing if it was a one off… I’ve got my fingers crossed.
When the stitches came out I asked the vet to check his foot which was not improving. He couldn’t find any indication of a grass seed either and thought Romeo might have broken his toe. He gave him anti-inflammatories.
Well, it got worse and worse till I saw that there was now a hole in the webbing between his toes. I searched and pulled out a grass seed spike and took him back to the vet. They kept him for the day and searched but didn’t find any more foreign bodies. They cleaned it out and sent him home with a red bandage, antibiotics and he’s also on anti-inflammatories again. It should clear up now but till then we call him Limpy.
Poor Romeo.
Other than that all is well. The garden is looking shocking but given that a reader commented on my old toolbox planter I thought I’d share some of my whimsical plant containers.
I have quite a few old and rusty galvanised buckets. This one, one of my favourites, sits on the porch cause the begonia doesn’t like it too hot or frosty.
Last year I bought this gorgeous 60s planter from a garage sale and have put small pots with succulents in it, as well as a cutting of a beautiful pinky white geranium I’m growing.
At the end of the porch I have my lovely old mop bucket. We had one of those things when I was growing up. I much prefer it as a planter.
Since its now autumn the garden is looking pretty awful. Most plants have finished flowering and look ratty. But some are coming up again. Like the sweetpeas in the rusty old washing machine tub and the columbines in and around the old ammo box.
The steps up the porch have some new seedlings in them, alysum and lobelia which will fill and overflow the old pots and loaf tins they’re in.
I’ve replaced the succulents in the bike basket with plants which will overflow and cascade as well. Cat mint, which has purple flowers, in one pot and a pink groundcover I’ve forgotten the name of in the other.
In three pots in a basket on the back of the bike I’ve got a white daisy like plant, some alysum and lobelia. The white will grow upwards and the others should cascade. One day it’ll look great… one day.
The succulents I put in my stacked containers are coming along nicely. I have three of these but the third isn’t looking too good yet. I made these a couple of years ago for indoor storage but decided they’d work better with plants in them. They’re made of spindles and baking tins.
I made hanging baskets out of old strainers and steamers, put succulents in them and hung them on the wall near the door. Only succulents do well in planters with so many holes as they dry out very quickly.
I’ve had this old cane chair for many years, I bought it in an op shop when I was living in Fentonbury. When I got it it was dark brown, I used a wire brush to brush off the flaking paint and sprayed it white. The paint is flaking off again now so I decided to relegate it to a garden ornament.
A bright petunia will full the jam pot. Next spring I’ll put in another one – this time in spring so I have flowers through summer.
I used to have a lot of old toolboxes with succulents in them but this is one of the last ones. I sold a few of them at the market stall I did in January. I love old toolboxes and this one in blue and rust is just gorgeous.
The last one is the one on the back of this little tricycle.
You’ll notice the flour sifter near the old (cheap) half barrel planter that I can’t move without it falling apart. I have 3 sifters but this is one in best condition – ie the plant is still thriving.
One of the other sifters lies next to an overturned pot full of succulents. Hopefully the succulent in it will grow and spread. If not I’ll just put another in there!
This little area is in a wasted corner of the driveway where the retaining wall meets the steps to the path. I envisage that the succulents will grow and fill the area.
The other side of the retaining wall is decorated with some more buckets and drums.
And more ammo boxes… with more seedlings in them!
Do you get the feeling I love rusty old things? Well, you wouldn’t be wrong!
I do need to get out into the garden and begin trimming things back for winter and, if things go to plan, there’ll be a ton of flowers next spring.
I’ve been holding myself back waiting for the right time to cut things back. I get the urge to do it as soon as things begin to look ratty. Well, time is fast approaching. Time to tidy the garden, plug up all the holes the birds use to nest in, continue making the yard safer for the dogs next summer (ie keep them safe from snakes).
Lots to do.
Always.
z
junk4joy 
I love your “junk gardening”! The succulents are beautiful in the galvanized metal and rusty containers. Good ideas!!
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Thank you. 🙂 Its fun to look at all the different things in the garden since I'm not the best gardener.
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Poor Romeo and his nether regions! How in the world did he get a grass seed “there”? And, growing in his paw? Only Romeo, I guess. I hope everything works out with him and his health (cutaneous reactive histiocytosis).
A month ago, we took one cat (19 years old) to the vet for a well-kittie check-up, and they found she had high blood pressure. Yesterday, we took another cat (about 12 years old) to the vet for his well-kittie check-up, and he has something going on with a tooth/gum. So, he got an injection or two, and needs to return to check on it, at which time we'll take another kittie to the vet for a check-up. He's a young one (about 4 or 5), so hopefully he'll be ok. It never ends when it comes to the animals we have vowed to care for. We have 6 cats now, so we should get them on a schedule of one every other month, unless there is something that concerns us…and there's always someone with a concern!
Take care of yourself and the animals! F
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Oops! I didn't even touch on your plants. The succulents are wonderful! The one in a strainer looks larger than my hand. Your “planters” are fun, too. I like the overturned one and the one that is stuffed with succulents. Wonderful!
Locally, we've had some daffodils bloom, then when we went to Ohio (north, way north) this past week to visit family, we saw crocus. On the way back and closer to home, the dogwood were blooming. The Bradford pear have already started blooming, so there were more of those. I love the spring. We hope to do a little bit of landscaping this year. We'll see how the money goes!
f
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Yes… there's always something but we love them and we'll do what we have to for them. 🙂
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Yes spring is lovely here too now I have flowers to look forward to. We have a field of daffodils if you remember. I can't resist taking the dogs down for a play and take photos each year. I've done my landscaping on the cheap using recycled stuff where I can and free plants or seeds whenever possible. Best of luck with your garden!
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