A Little Curb Appeal

We (I) have had a lot of different projects planned for our new home (the garden being one of the smaller ones), and yesterday I finished the first major project: some back-breaking landscaping! No really, I'm sitting here confined to the couch with an ice pack because I was stupid and just had to finish it before another busy week started.

But it was worth it. I think.

After we moved in and the snow melted, I saw that this had been hiding under the snow bank next to our driveway:

Now, I don't really mind low-maintenance stone. But there were flagstones on top crumbling to pieces making it not very attractive, and some boring evergreen bushes in front of the porch, and I wanted pretty. Oh so pretty. So I quickly designed a little (ha) landscaping project: dig up the all the rocks (easy, right?) and plant a bunch of pretty border-type stuff.

I wanted plants that were native to Colorado, mostly so they'd be harder for me to kill but also because Colorado pride. So I started researching and came up with a list of perennial shrubs and flowers and groundcover that were either recommended for our dry/psycho weather region or had already proven at the old house that they could survive--at least a few years--under my neglect.

After deciding on the plants, I drew out the design I had in my head: the tallest plants by the steps, graduating in height down to the groundcover by the curb. I carried my silly but helpful little paper with me to the nursery, then posted it on the side of the fridge as motivation to start. In the end, I pretty much stuck to the original design with only a few minor adjustments.

The flora of choice, in order:

Carl Foerster's Feather Reed Grass

Sunset Hyssop

Russian Sage

Dianthus (Sweet William)

Blue Fescue Gass

Arizona Sun

Creeping Myrtle (I couldn't find any Frikart's Aster, and Creeping Myrtle had almost an identical purple flower color/profile, pluse a super awesome name).

Ice Plant (Delosperma, magenta)

Snow-In-Summer

Bugleweed






Next to the porch/boring evergreen bushes, I had already transplanted my Asian lily bulbs from the old house (they're actually sprouting! hooray!). They're a day-glo orange color, and between them I planted a magenta calla lily bulb (which remains to be seen) so I sort of stuck with this color scheme of magenta and orange with a mix yellows, adding in some lavender with the Russian Sage and Creeping Myrtle too.

I got a about a quarter of the digging done a few weeks ago before quitting because wheel barrels full of rocks are heavy and tip easily where they shouldn't (like into the entrance of the shed where they block the lawnmower and snow blower and take forever to clean up). When my motivation returned, Peter mentioned that the little red wagon might provide a little more stability. So that's what I did. All by my lonesome, start to finish, dig, pull, and dump 160 cubic feet of rock. All in one Saturday (with a little break for some crazy hail). To his credit, Peter was busy installing an opener on our third garage door so we wouldn't have to pull it up and down by hand anymore. No shorty-can't-jump complaints here...

Sunday afternoon I picked up the rest of the plants, replaced the landscaping fabric, set the border bricks, and finished digging and planting right after sunset (and right before the rain showed up--again. Seriously Colorado, what gives?!). It sounds much simpler than it was, of course. But little old me got er done.

There was still a tiny bit of light left...
at least they got a good drink!

And even though I woke up cringing and immobile, it makes me perfectly happy to look at. I'll be even happier to see it all in bloom in a few weeks.

So yes, definitely worth it I think. I think I'll even agree to my own HGTV contract when the network sees this and decides to call me up. Just as long as someone else does the heavy lifting...

Growing My Green Thumb

Ah, gardening.

It's a talent in others that I've always admired and one I've always wanted to master. I've put a lot more effort into the mastering part these past few years, although it has come at great cost to many green lovelies that have perished too soon under my black thumb. But my ability to keep flora alive seems to be gradually improving, especially as I learn what I should take a chance on and what I shouldn't in this striking(ly dry) state of ours.

[Strikingly dry, that is, except for the past two weeks when the skies have opened up and won't close because Colorado had an existential crisis and suddenly thinks it's Seattle.]

Anyway, one of the many wonderful things about our new home is the garden that I inherited. I'm feeling dorkishly giddy about it for a lot of reasons; topping the list is the determination it gives me to finally become a competent gardener, along with the fact that with so much of it already established, there's a good chance it might not all die under my watchful eye. I'm also pretty keen on the fact that if even just half of it makes it, we will be enjoying fresh garden eats all summer long!

We moved in during some pretty harsh weather at the end of February, but by the first week of March, the snow had melted enough for me to take an initial inventory.

There were four different raised beds, each divided into thirds...

Along with:

Two rows of grapevines.

Two rows of raspberry bushes (my favorite!).

And a tag on one little sapling that said it was a plumb tree!

The grapevines are out of season, while the raspberries are
already intent on taking over the entire garden!

Another bonus: in-ground sprinklers are already standard
in CO but the previous owners also ran a drip system
throughout the entire garden/landscaped area, so my
chances of actually keeping things alive are even higher!

The plumb tree tag blew off shortly after we moved in, so I
can't remember if it's the sapling on the left or in the middle.
Sadly, I think it may be the one on the left that doesn't
appear to have made it through the harsh winter.

I saw signs of life in at least two of the raised beds right off the bat. At first I thought these ruddy little knobs with tiny leaves were maybe radishes or beets:

Nope. Rhubarb! Lots and lots of tall, leafy rhubarb....

...which will go perfectly with the strawberries (my other favorite!) that have been thriving in all three sections of one of the other raised beds! I've got designs for strawberry rhubarb pie, and a friend already sent me a recipe for jam...I can hardly contain my excitement.

Thus far, I've learned that rhubarb care requires cutting the seed pods as soon as they start shooting up so it doesn't sap the rest of the plant's energy...

And cutting it off as close to the stalk as possible. Otherwise the ants like to come and have a party in the hallowed-out shoot, and then crawl up and eat holes in all the leaves. Grrrr. I got some of this organic vegetable spray, which is just a bunch of organic and essential oils mixed together, the most overpowering being garlic oil with a slight hint of peppermint so it smells like an Italian kitchen when you spray it. Which was good at first but then it started getting old and making me gag. But it appears to be keeping the ants away for now...

In three other sections of the raised beds, I found markers for tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers--none of which come back around here. I've heard in the past that it's important to rotate the location of vegetables from year to year, and I'm not a huge fan of cucumbers or peppers. So in their place I've sowed lavender, spinach, and mint. (I was dreaming of lazy summer days spent relaxing next to some dried lavender, and sipping mojito with garden-fresh mint, and making fresh spinach and chicken salads...mmm.).

Lavender apparently doesn't always do well here, so we'll have to see if I can make it live. I already knew that mint likes to spread everywhere, so I thought keeping it in the raised bed would hopefully contain it a little. 

In one of the other raised bed sections, we will transplant these bean sprouts that Erik planted at school for Earth Day and brought home. For the rest, Erik and I made a quick trip to the nursery this past week, where we got three yellow cherry tomato seedlings. Erik also picked out summer squash and Asian red cabbage seed packets--both very good choices, I must submit.

Bean sprouts...

...and tomatoes!

We haven't planted the seeds yet since there is still a WINTER STORM ADVISORY for tomorrow, which would mean a SECOND MOTHER'S DAY IN A ROW WITH SNOW, and I have to figure out how to cover everything to keep it alive while not throwing and epic tantrum because SNOW IN MAY and MOTHER'S DAY we're just not going to talk about it anymore because it makes me want to do mean things and go crawl in a hole. 

Back to happy garden things:
A few weeks ago when I was exploring again, I found a tag on two tiny little bushes that said "Blueberries" (!!!).

Just look at these beauties.

A week or two later I saw that one of my bushes out back had tiny purple buds on it, and I realized it was a miniature lilac bush, one of my all-time childhood favorites (!!!!).

I wish your screen was scratch and sniff because this aroma is pure heaven.

And then this past week as I was walking past the deck, I looked down and suddenly saw buds that looked suspiciously like the peonies I remember from my childhood home--my other favorite! (!!!!!!!!)

Okay I admit I have a ton of favorites. But Brian Regan endorses me, sorry not sorry.

Can't wait to have some freshly cut peonies in the house!

Finally, the previous owners left this planter outside the back door, so I put it to use as an herb garden. The boys helped me plant basil, rosemary, parsley, sage, and oregano. Growing up, I loved being able to clip some fresh herbs for whatever we were cooking up that night, and I'm really hoping for some luck this year since my previous attempts at indoor herb gardens have failed. Miserably.

So that's the garden...and if all goes well, we might just be serving up some deliciousness in a few weeks (if the snow ever releases us from its misery, grrr.) Wish us luck!

{Not Your Average} Change of Command

Alternate Titles:

Never Say Never (Again)

Look Who's Laughing Now

Keepin' It in the Family

It's been quite awhile since I've posted, partly because of  the move, and exhaustion, and trying to get our footing back when it comes to daily routines. But it's also been due to another change in the past two months--a change in job description that brings with it all sorts of fun (namely extra work and responsibility)!

Backing up a bit...

When I officially lost my marbles in October and joined the Army again, Peter had been assigned as the unit's Headquarters Company Commander for over two years. After observing all the headaches he had been dealing with, I did the [relatively] smart thing and signed up to go straight back to the type of work I had known so well in Army Human Resources (aka Brigade Assistant S1 for those who speak Army). Peter's time as commander was supposed to be coming to and end, and being as burnt out as he was, he'd been kindly reminding his boss that he couldn't keep extending his tenure; the time had come to find a new commander.

So that first weekend back in uniform, when I was chatting with the Boss (aka Colonel/Brigade Commander) we were barely a minute into the conversation when he jovially pressed me, "so how about taking that command from your husband? I'd love to have you!" My response was to rather unsucessfully and unprofessionally try to stifle a hearty laugh.

I've always known that company command can be tough. But the position for this headquarters company is all the more special--with no middle man (aka Battalion commander), the company commander, a mere Captain, gets to do all the same work and be in all the same meetings and get all the same chewings-out that the other units' Lieutenant Colonels--two ranks senior--have to deal with. So when the Boss asked me the question, it was a no-brainer.

Me? Command? After two years of watching my husband bending over backwards? Not.a.chance.

The Boss offered again the next month at drill, and the next. I still wasn't convinced. But I'd started to realize that the all new HR experience I thought I'd gain in my position at the Brigade (having perviously already worked a level down at Battalion and a level up at Division) was, by and large, something I already had a handle on.

Soon after, I also had a conversation with my "Big Army" career manager in preparation for my upcoming promotion board. [The good/somewhat unfair thing about the Army is that even after I took two years off, I'm still on the same timeline to get promoted as all my peers. The bad thing is that I took two years off, and squandered all the time I needed to complete schooling requirements]. My career manager said that since I'd already met the experience requirements for my HR jobs on active duty, it would be the perfect time to take a command in the Reserves as long as I met my schooling requirements in time for the promotion board.

I considered what my career manager said. I also thought about the fact that command would force me out of my comfort zone...but it would also force me to grow and learn and stretch myself as a leader in ways that I couldn't if I remained closed inside my little HR box.  If I took command, I would already be set up for success in many ways, with the support of a great team of soldiers already in place, and my husband, the expert, at my constant disposal; he knew the ins and outs of the unit and the position, and had succeeded at it better than anyone. And a husband-wife Change of Command, I thought wryly, would be one for the record books.

After a bit more thought and prayer, the switch was officially flipped. I called my would-be boss (the DCO) to get his perspective. He brought up some good points in favor of the job, and encouraged me to call the big Boss. So I did. The Colonel about did a jig on the other side of the phone. It was a done deal. Now I just had to make it official...and start doing the real work.

That official part happened this past weekend. For all the flak that Army ceremonies get, it ended up being pretty entertaining. There were all sorts of extra references to our first names--being that both our middle initials and last names are the same, adding to the narrating confusion. Our bios metioned each other, and there were cracks about who was actually hosting the reception and whether we should pass red and yellow roses to each other along with the passing of the guidon. (Traditionally during the ceremony, red and yellow roses are given to the spouses of the departing commander and the new commander).

The company saluting Peter for the last time.

During the National Anthem.

The passing of the guidon...

...when the transfer of responsibility
officially takes place. 

Giving speeches. 

Peter also got a nice little gift from our awesome First Sergeant: a flask inscribed with "Black Diamond Rough Riders." "Rough Riders" is the company motto, and since the company knows very well how much Peter loves to ski, the "Black Diamond" part was a play on both the classification of the most difficult ski runs, as well as the extreme difficulty of this type of command. The flask was also filled with Kentucky Burbon, because of course it would be with the Kentucky Derby going on the same day!

Liquid gratitude for all the blood, sweat, and tears.

Sadly, our in-laws had other committments and couldn't bring the kids to the ceremony and make it even more of a family affair, but I got some sweet cards and flowers from them all, including one from Marie that said, "I hope you like your new job, Mommy!" I hope so too, kid.

Changeover...

So here we are on the other side of our little swap, just a few days in. I've made it down my share of Black Diamonds in the past without completely crashing and burning, so I hope that despite my initial laughter at the absurdity of it all, I'll make it to the end of this "run" with a little more confidence and a lot more experience than when I started. I have two years yet to work on it...but as I said to my new unit, I am guenuinely honored to be charged with their care, and I'm certainly ready to do my best.

Never say never...