Plumbing Tutorial

Yes, well, this post borders on insanity, BUT now I know how to do this, and who knows . . . you might need it someday.
When they installed the chimney for the wood stove, someone stepped on the water line that runs around the house and brings water to the front so I can water the jungle during the summer.
This is what it looked like:

I tried fixing it with duct tape - I fix a lot of things with duct tape. In this case . . .

It didn't work. 

Excessive leaking and spraying all over the place. So the man from Home Depot showed me what to do. This is what you need:

Purple stuff. Glue. The connector pieces. The pipe. I got a ten foot one. It had to stick out the sun roof on the way home. In this case I was going from the old 3/4" pipe to the 1" pipe because the hose is 1" thick. Teflon tape. A hacksaw. I'm not sure if this is a hacksaw, but I do know it's a saw.

And it worked. I cut off the split, broken end.

The purple stuff is a primer/cleaner. If you ask for purple stuff they will know. Note to self: Wear gloves next time. The purple stuff is disaster for the manicure, because it runs all over the place, You should see my cuticles! They are a purplish-gray. Nice for a nurse.

The purple primer gets spread over all surfaces that get glued together. Let it dry for a minute. Note my purple hands.

After it dries, go over the same surfaces with glue.

The glue is clear. Then put the 3/4 inch connector on the 3/4 inch pipe. At this point discover that the old pipe is not 3/4 but 1/2"  Arrrrrgh! Back to Home Depot for a 1" to 1/2" connector.

Measure! Measure! Measure!

Put the 1/2" connector on the old pipe. Add the 1" connector to the other connector. Add the long 1" pipe that will connect to the hose.

All done!

Do the same thing to the other end that connects to the hose.

The metal part on the end gets connected to the hose.

Any place you have threads, use the Teflon tape. Three turns around and it seals out the water. All done!

Connect the hose. Let everything set overnight. (I cheated and watered everything. It works!)

Love, Linda

Cottage Garden Party

It's Etsy Cottage Style's Spring Cottage Garden Party! I don't have a cottage garden anymore, although I used to, but flowers that like sun don't grow in the woods. Here's what is coming up now:

Pink and white bleeding hearts

Lots of ferns

My onions are coming up!

 I also planted basil, peas, chives and parsley in pots. And with the help of Ben (who hires out for yard work), we moved all the plants and trees out of the greenhouse.

 Another photo of my magnolia tree.

Ben carried out plants for two hours.

More photos after I get my flower pots planted.

Happy Spring!

Love, Linda

House Tour - continued:

The tour of my house continues with , , , the foy yea!

The previous photo was taken toward the front of the house. In this one, I'm standing on front of the double doors. The pump organ belonged to my great-grandmother - father's side.

The painting over the doorways is of orange blossoms to complement the porcelain fruit - a gift from the previous owner.

The door to the powder room.

Cassie's crate is in this room as well, and yes, I play the harp - quite badly!

Have to restart my lessons.

Best wishes to Miss Middleton and Prince William on their wedding day.

Love, Linda

Cottage Colors Party

It's the Cottage Colors Party on Etsy Cottage Style,
and this time the color is Pink!
So . . . here's some of my pink stuff!

Pink roses from the flower show.

Some of my Pink rose china.

Rose painted door - it has the old glass doorknobs along the bottom to

 use for hooks. It reads "I'll always have Paris."

Scrap Soup.

My Pink patchwork curtains.

John Waterhouse print of Psyche Entering Cupid's Garden,

in her Pink outfit.

My magnolia is finally blooming!!

Wonderful rose fabric from Teacupstitches! 

I know it's not the season, but I wanted to share my Pink tree topper.

My Pink begonias made it through the winter. Going to plant them outside this week.

Hope your day is "in the Pink!"

Love, Linda

Planting Onions

I'm used to flower gardens - I've cultivated flowers for years - but never any vegetables, except the odd cherry tomato plant. Since there's not much sun here, I'm going to try vegetables in pots - hmmmm, we shall see.

I planted some tiny sage plants. I'm starting everything in the greenhouse for a week or so - except the potatoes - more about them later.

And the lettuce is starting to come up. I planted lettuce seeds.

Onion sets. I have no idea what kind they are or how close to plant them. Well, here goes!

Isn't this a great pot?? It came with the house.

Anybody know if they are too close together??

Too late!!

I took some more pictures of the sky and trees. Look, we are finally getting some baby leaves!

Oh, the potatoes. I read about this somewhere. Get a HUGE flowerpot or a half barrel, and fill it about one fourth with potting soil. Plant your seed potatoes and cover with about an inch of soil. When the plants start growing, cover the stems with soil until they gradually reach the top of the pot. More potatoes will form off the stems as they are covered. When you harvest, the whole pot will be full of potatoes! This sounded great so I tried it. No sprouts yet, but it seems a lot easier than planting them in the ground.

And, made a quick spring wreath for the door. Before . . .

And after.

Happy Easter!

Love, Linda