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Sunday, March 2, 2014

Sunday in the garden

 My shade house has become a jungle, I plan to transform it as soon as I am finished with the house renos.

 One of my favorite Heliconias
 Lettuce ready to be harvested
 Scallop squash
 Cucumbers
 Milkweeds (asclepias) waiting to be transplanted for the monarch butterfly.
Jamaica Poinsettia
I am paying more attention to the garden now the house renos are almost finished. On Saturday my hubby and some helpers drained the round pond and cleaned it.
 See the two albino sharks and Moby Dick in the middle swimming together.
It was a right mess and had been so for several months. The pump was not working properly and hubby took it to the repair shop. The shop tried opening it and broke the case housing the pump because the screws were fused together. It is still there waiting to find a similar used housing. So last month Hubby went to visit his mother in Miami and brought back a new pump.  Now the pump and filter are up and running again with a clean pond to boot.
Have a great week my friends!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Bathrooms

I am having some issues with blogger so I decided to create a new post on the bathrooms. Below is a sneak peek of downstairs  bathroom.
 






My bathroom upstairs is still in its final stages just the wash basin and faucet to be installed. I found my mahogany slab and now the mirror looks out of place. Luckily I have some mahogany to make a frame to go with the vanity. I will relocate the mirror to another bedroom. My favorite carpenter Remington is working with me and it is a joy to work with him. 

Renos update









 

Hello friends and bloggers, it has been some time since I have written anything, those of you following my blog would know why.  Today I am blogging about the house renos.  The above photos show how it all happened. I am still working on the inside and have almost finished the downstairs bathroom.

Monday, January 27, 2014

RIP Sandy




Sandy passed away this morning around 7.00 am. He was at home surrounded by his buddies. Sandy brought tremendous joy and laughter to those who came in contact with him. I buried him in his favorite spot near the pond he loved. I would like to thank all of you for your comforting messages you have sent me. I am still trying to come to grips with his passing.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Sandy



Today I am writing this with a very heavy heart. My beautiful dog Sandy is fighting for his life. It has been a week he has been at the vet. I noticed  he was laying down a lot and thought it was a result of his shots the vet gave him the day before. He was not playing with the other dogs and then I saw him vomiting. I saw him with a big dead rat lying at his feet the evening before so my husband and I took him to the vet the next day. They quickly put him on a drip and started treating him for rat poisoning. His chest was very congested and he was badly dehydrated. The vet said it might not be rat poisoning but some other poison. She told us that if it were Gramoxone herbicide poisoning that there is no treatment and in most cases it was fatal.  It all depended on the amount ingested. Recently I was speaking to the man growing veggies in the field next door who told me he sprayed his weeds with some type of weed killer.  My heart sank, Sandy was always in the field bringing home discarded veggies and eating them.  I have not slept properly since he has been at the vet.
 My husband and I go twice a day to visit him. He ate some chicken two days ago and stopped the next day. Yesterday I made some chicken and pumpkin soup and he drank some. This morning the vet reported he had diarrhea last night and this morning but there was no blood and that was a good sign.  I took some  more soup with blended chicken but he didn't take any.  We took him outside for some sun and fresh air. This was his third time outside in two days.  He is not out of the woods as yet but he is  much brighter and happy to see people. His heart rate is faster than normal and the congestion comes and goes. His medication was changed yesterday and we are hoping for good news.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Upstairs update

The Honduras pitch pine floors have been sanded and finished.

 Bathroom tiles are down tiler worked until 10 pm on Saturday. I can recommend Rommel, a good tiler he is and he worked with me.  Sandy also helped himself to Rommel's chocolate and disappeared.

 Shower floor in a river stone tile.
 Waiting on a quote for a glass surround if it is too much money I have some ideas using non traditional materials.
I will call the plumber to install the toilet and shower hardware. The sink will be installed last because I am looking for an old tree stump to use for the sink base. If that doesn't work out I have a few more rustic ideas to try out.  The last project will be the bedroom closets and that will be completed early in January.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

A mystery solved


Do you recognize this face? It is the face of a very naughty dog called Sandy. 
Earlier this week I was given a small rum filled fruit cake. I tasted a slice and boy was it yummy and rummy. Later that evening I took a second slice. It was moreish so I went for a third slice. I found the knife on the floor, the foil the cake was wrapped in also on the floor and the cake nowhere to be found. I screamed out in shock and ran to look for the culprit. Now this cake was oozing with rum and loads of minced dried fruits in it. Fruits like raisins, prunes, dates and currants. I know raisins can be fatal to dogs so I hurriedly searched for Sandy. and found him sleeping soundly on the floor next to the bed. I nudged him to make sure he was alive. He barely opened an eye and quickly went back to sleep. He was knocked out! How did I know it was Sandy? He is the tallest dog in the pack, he has been seen with his paws on the kitchen counter looking to see what was nearby that he can reach. He had done this before with some ginger snaps I had left on the counter. 
 On Friday,  I was in the shower when there was a knock on the door, my husband wanted to know how long had I been in there. A bit perplexed, I told him about fifteen minutes. He said that there was toilet paper all over the kitchen floor and it looked like a whole roll. I checked the toilet paper holder and the roll there was intact. I checked the bag where toilet paper was stored and one was missing. Someone who was helping me clean upstairs told me that he heard Sandy barking, when he looked downstairs there was toilet paper all over the kitchen floor so he alerted my husband.
We had some friends visiting earlier in the week. We  sat around the table chatting for a while. When they were getting ready to leave my husband spotted some keys outside on the cobblestones. He asked if someone had dropped their their keys. My friend checked the table where he had laid his car keys and they were not there. He looked where Chuck my husband was pointing to and was shocked to see his keys on the ground. Sandy had disappeared.  The keys were still wet. 
Nothing is safe around Sandy! Many times a day I am running  behind him like a mad woman  shouting at him to drop whatever he is carrying. He will stop at some distance and peep at me from the corners of his eyes and then take off whenever I get closer. The gardener's hats, gloves and shoes are not safe. The mason's and carpenter's tools are not safe. And he is still growing! This morning he had the bright idea to wake up my husband in bed with two thumps on the back with his huge paws. What am I going to do with this dog?
P.S.....I forgot to tell you that Sandy goes into the vegetable field next door and brings home discarded cucumbers and eats them. Lately I have been finding green bitten tomatoes around the garden. Now he has brought home a butternut squash! I am thinking of sending him to the market to shop for me.

Wishing you all Good Tidings of Joy this holiday season!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day December 2013

 This blue Baleria obtusa or bush violet caught my eye this morning. I was surprised to see how well it looks since it is quite old and has been cut back frequently.
 A newer dwarf Baleria variety I use as a border plant.
 Here I have dwarf Balerias bordering pink pentas.
 White begonias are enjoying the cooler nights we are now experiencing with strong trade winds.

Deep blue duranta repens blooms drooping under the weight of the top heavy shrub.
 My snow on the mountain an euphorbia leucocephala  is not as spectacular this year as years gone by. The old one finally fell and this is a younger shrub whose shape will improve with future pruning.
Welcome to Garden Blogger's Bloom Day where gardeners around the globe post what is blooming in their gardens. Christmas is ten days away and this year the Christmas spirit has not caught up with me as yet.  
To see more blooming gardens please visit Carol at May dreams gardens
Wishing all a peaceful and joyous holiday season!