The M.A.D. House Artists (Mom And Dad)
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GARDENING IN THE DARK: |
THE M.A.D. HOUSE ARTISTSOur home was built as an artists place, where each of us may pursue his or her peculiar talent. When first envisioned, Grandma was needing to be diverted and her special needs were addressed, making our facility particularly well suited for the handicapped, sporting special steps throughout the grounds designed for wheeled chairs, and an elevator between floors at the main house. The first terraces were created around the Wheel Chair Steps. The shortest dimension of each step is long or wide enough to park the wheeled chair on any one of them. The gardens in the center of the stairs and ramp were the first ones we made.
The telephone poles were surplussed by the electric company, costing only alot of elbow grease. Mom excavated 18 inches down for each one. Dutch iris and hostas given as starts from the neighbors combined with other iris we did buy complete the beds. The llamas supply the fertiliser each year. |
These beds were the next project, as we attempted to slow down the erosion of the front yard and save the house from inundation. Mom designed retaining walls all over the place, but the lions portion of the erosion control was with very simple means, involving rocks and concrete block. The soil is kept in place with day lilies gathered from the grounds of a demolished house nearby and the descendents of the iris Grandma brought and planted here on our lots before the move to Texas in 1965.
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Here is Mom with the newly erected Duck Dock sign. Behind Mom is the block terrace that keeps the back concrete deck from falling into the lake. Crocuses, Jonquils, Tulips and Narcissus along with more day lilies and iris to hold the soil. The concrete block steps were placed by Grandma in 1970 before any of the house was built upon the foundation (1996). |
Through a lucky fluke we inherited the large rock refuse excavated by the water and electric company a few years ago, which really helped us in our rock-gathering exercises. This is a vegitable garden with green beans and cucumbers from 2008.
These terraces are just placed rocks, with gradually built-up soil of llama and leaves. every year we have carried more of the llama fertiliser to cover the leaves, and we have such rich soils that now in 2009 we are getting a good crop of green beans and cucumbers even in the partially shaded garden(above).
Mom is very pleased that the sedums given by the neighbors have finally overcome the chickens and set into the garden!
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In 2005 and 2006 Dad and Mom set in these steps to carry one to the five-sided playhouse built for Mink's many toys and friends. |
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This was the coupe du grace
The real challenge was to terrace this huge vale without spending any money. This carries the runoff for the whole hill and the road in front of our place, and was washing out anything we had tried: concrete block terraces, bales of hay, all washed away into the gates at the bottom of the hill. Dad read in his copy of Martha Stewart Living about railroad ties and beautiful grasses, but railroad ties cost money. Then Mom had an idea.
Mom has dug places for each tire, set each tire into its place, Dad has filled each tire with rocks, dirt, and llama droppings. By August 2009, over fifty-five tires have been placed, with three terraces yet to build. Access to the gardens has been acomplished with concrete block steps between each level. The green beans, phlox, redbud trees, tomatoes, snow peas, basil, and hostas are all planted in the tires and flourishing. The plants will hold the soil and the rocks and soil have helped anchor the tires and eliminate the chance of mosquitos.
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The M.A.D. House Artists are host to a number of unusual pets. We have twenty named chickens and a guinea, two handsome gelded llamas, eight neutered & spayed cats, a neutered rabbit named Dot, goldfish, koi, tropical fish, Yertle the turtle, six Land Hermit Crabs, and two newts (John Cleese and Isaac Newton). In time Mom will feature each of them on his or her own page.
Watch for the "Cute Furry/Feathered Creature of the Month"
Nymphadora, Cute Furry/feathered Creature for August, 2009. |
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