The Shed - At Work and At Play

I knew from the beginning that there would be a certain element of "play house" to my garden shed.  Up until the time it was delivered, I insisted to myself and to Eric that element would be small and temporary.  I warned Eric that the stinky, dirty lawn mower and gas cans would have to stay in the garage for a while longer.

But when I started filling the shed with stuff, it became obvious that the "play house" element was here to stay.  One of the first things in the shed (after the curtains and candle lamps in the windows) was a small wool rug that had been languishing in our garage.  And then a collection of children's tea sets...

And a spare picnic table, dressed for a tea party.  

The shed will always be a working garden shed -- storing rakes, shovels, grass seed, a wheel barrow, hand tools, outdoor furniture cushions, umbrellas, and etc.

It also serves as storage for my gardening books and a place for me to do garden planning and garden day dreaming.

That's my "grab and go" bucket of gardening hand tools by the door.

And this storage cabinet can easily be turned into a potting table by removing my tray of "curiosities" and adding the potting tray stored on the loft shelf.

But, to me, nothing says "Garden Shed" louder or more emphatically than this Waterford crystal table lamp that I bought at an estate sale.

Or the antique cherry drop leaf table that replaced the old picnic table.

It is Blueberry Season!

We have 11 blueberry bushes -- four different varieties.  I know that 5 of the bushes are Elliot, but I cannot recall what the others are.  Four of the Elliots are not even close to producing -- they are under 2 feet tall.  Our goal for them this year is to help them survive the rabbits.  We have them caged to protect them.  

Last year, 2013, I covered several branches on each of the 7 bushes that were producing with floating row cover to protect the berries from the birds.  I only picked from what was covered.  What was not covered got picked clean by the birds.  Between June 29 and August 11 of 2013, I picked 34 cups of blueberries. Wow!

This year, after pruning the bushes for the first time ever, I was worried about the bushes being less productive.  My fears were totally unfounded.  Actually, quite the opposite is true.  The bushes are more productive than they have ever been.  One of the bushes is so full of berries that the branches are bent over and touching the ground.  

For at least the last two weeks, the robins, blue jays and chipmunks have been feasting!  And I have been picking!  Last year at this time, I had picked 7 cups of berries.  This year's total, as of today is 12 cups.  And we haven't covered a single branch with floating row cover.  

A Gift for Lois

In the event that you are looking for that special gift to buy for me, I have discovered the one thing that will make my life complete:

The auto in the picture is a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Convertible Sedan.  I am not too particular about the year -- I'll take any model from the 1920's thorough the 1930's.  But the color is rather important -- only green will do.  And, of course, it must be a convertible.  

If only every gift giving dilemma could be solved so easily...