Going Local Series-Shanklin Library Garden

This week, we are combining Garden Friday

with an addition to our "Going Local" series.

We had a chance to visit the Shanklin Library Garden,

located at 7837 Fairfield Forest Road, Denver, NC.

This memorial garden is chocked full of beauty and interest.

Color, shape and texture give the eyes ample to feast on.

I've always loved the look and function of a dry river bed.

No doubt when rain or snow trickles down its meandering path,

it is an auditory delight.

With a myriad of paved pathways from which to choose,

this garden is almost meditative in its movement.

The garden is a designated certified wildlife habitat,

creating drink, food and shelter for a number of critters.

Benches scattered throughout invite walkers

to take their time and savor their surroundings.

This sacred garden adjoins the Shanklin library,

also named after Mrs. Shanklin.

The perfect combination, in my opinion.

After all, what could be better than sitting down with a good book

in this tranquil setting?

About his mother, her son, Mark said,

“She was a reader,” but she was also very much an earthy person; 

she enjoyed gardening and nature. …

(The memorials are) little bits and pieces of her. 

It was the right way, a good way, to remember her. … 

She really loved flowers. She loved wildflowers. 

She was just that good old, down to earth person. Everybody loved her to death. 

She was the best friend to all eight of us kids.”

source

I can't imagine a better tribute.

The family is still actively involved in the care 

of this living homage to Mrs. Shanklin.

This would be the ideal place to do nature studies throughout the year.

What a beautiful outdoor space for families to discover together.

Aviary families have a magical place to call home.

The Master Gardeners in our county help to nurture this property

and as you can tell, the job is well accomplished.

Every Tuesday morning volunteers come out and provide tender care

for the 2 dozen native species planted here.

With so much to explore,

plan to spend some time wandering and appreciating the splendor here.

I look forward to returning in spring

to see the pollinators enjoying their feast!

Going Local-Mundy House Christmas

The Christmas Market took place this past weekend,

and Big K and I decided to check it out.

The East Lincoln Historical Society and Mundy House hosted the event,
and local artists were invited to showcase their handiwork.

We found Marjorie Fairbanks displaying her wonderful artwork.

She had a variety of outdoor scenes available.

She is based in Denver (NC)

and can be reached at 704-257-6429.

Brian Stack is new to the woven arts.

He is a weaver who finds the pasttime a great way to relax.

His wife is a knitter who has encouraged him to explore his talent.

We found out from chatting with them,

that they used to live very near our old house in Cooper City, FL.

Small world, huh?

To get more information about Brian's offerings,

email him at Stackman54@aol.com.

These mermaids created by Laura Johansen were truly works of art.

I can't imagine how much time and energy goes into making 

these whimsical treasures.

Laura designs an assortment of dolls using various materials.

She can be reached at 704-483-6625.

These glass Christmas trees were captivating!

The artist, Mary Miller, explained the multi-step process

and it can be described only as a labor of love.

Mary is the owner of FatCat Kiln Works

and you can contact her at 704-489-9494.

What local, hometown event would be complete 

without an array of baked goodies?

Although very tempting, 

we decided to walk right past all the calories on the table.

You know if it's homemade, it's gotta be good!

We featured Mundy House when we initially moved to the area.

It was one of our first local field trips.

Inside, the house was well-adorned with decorations

fashioned by the members of the East Lincoln Historical Society.

This group gets together before the holidays

and creates the most unique and charming vintage embellishments.

The best part is that they are all for sale!

The proceeds support this most valuable asset to the community.

These paper chains were so festive!

Most of the trimmings were incredibly simple,

but unrivaled in originality.

From ornaments to wreaths, 

there were a good deal of garnishes to be had.

Many of the decorations were made using natural materials

donated by members of the Master Gardeners group.

With a sampling of everyday materials,

this crafty group fabricated so many authentic offerings.

These paper trees were gorgeous!

And would you look at the clever use of these dried okra pods!

They were turned into snowmen and Santas!

I wish I had gotten a better picture of them.

In any case, 

I know what I'll be doing with my overgrown okra next season!

The two sleeping rooms upstairs were also decked out for the holidays.

Delightful bouquets of money plant and hydrangea

could be picked up at a bargain price.

There really was something for everyone to enjoy.

Big K and I had a great time not only revisiting Mundy House,
but seeing it bedecked in all its holiday glory was a real treat.

Next year, I am hoping there will be room 
for me and my daisy totes.
That way, 
I can have first dibs on all the handmade goodies!

Garden Friday

It's slim pickins' this Garden Friday.
With the seasons seemingly going from summer to winter
without much autumn in between,
the garden is at nearly a standstill.
The only thing growing with any vigor is the kale.
I pulled up a few teeny carrots just to take a taste.
Sweet as sugar, but not enough to feed a mouse.
I left them for the resident bunnies to find.

 About the only thing that got my juices going this week
was the sight of the cover crops sprouting.
We had a couple of days of constant rain,
and that was enough to germinate these seeds.
This is my first experience with cover crops,
and it will be exciting to see how it affects these raised rows in the spring.

 For the most part,
it's leaf invasion time!
Our lawn is strewn with a crinkled and crunchy cover.
I see raking in my future.
Big K will most likely run the mower over them one more time,
to break up the bigger bits.
This way, they can be gathered up to use as flower bed mulch,
or left in place to feed the soil for springtime.

Our neighbor has bagged up and donated her stash,
so that it can be added to our leaf bin.
This leaf bin was here when we bought the house
and we just continue to add to it.
I haven't been good about turning it,
but I can imagine it will make a great soil additive. 
Here's a fabulous video about making leaf mold.
I like his idea of keeping the leaves in the plastic bags,
and just poking them with a pitchfork to aerate.
I'm gonna try that this year with some of the leaves
and then note how they break down compared with those in the open bin.
If you don't already subscribe to this chap's video channel,
you're really missing out.
Every couple of weeks he sends a link to his latest gardening video
and there is always something to learn.

Big K scored bigtime when he was perusing a local swap-n-shop site.

The folks were cleaning out their garage and found this "Lawn Buddy"

that they no longer needed.

He got in touch with them right away and we went to pick it up.

It looked brand new and was a real bargain for $15!

These little carts are so useful in the garden.
Even if you have raised beds, it's sometimes necessary to bend over to tend them.
With these cute gadgets, it sits at just the right height
so that you can weed, plant or harvest while seated.
They can also assist with hauling tools, seedling pots, soil
or small harvests and the lid folds over to use as a handle,
so that you can pull it behind you.
My farmer friends Faye and Lynn in Florida have a few of these
and they are invaluable.
What a great find!

We are hoping for a few more autumnal days
before the harsher December weather kicks in.
Garden Friday may be taking a hiatus
if nothing much is worth reporting.
We'll see how it works out.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

Little Things

We've been in our house for a year and a half now.
It's on the small side, at just over 1400 square feet,
but it suits us.
We were determined when we moved here
to make it our own,
as we hadn't done much to our house when we lived in Florida.
For 11 years, not one color changed on the walls,
and we changed all of that here.
Last year, Big K and I sat down and created a project list
of things we wanted to change.
One of the easiest things we've done is paint the interior.
Each room is a different color, how liberating!
We finally completed the last area of the house,
the foyer and main hallway.

 I'm not sure why, but it took me forever to figure out what color I wanted.
A couple of ideas were discussed and then it just sat there,
unadorned.

 After a few months, the color celadon came to me.
I'm not sure why this popped into my head,
but it kept returning when I thought about the feeling I wanted in this area of the house.

The actual color we chose was Wasabi and it seems just right.
I like that it adds a soothing vibe to the entrance
and when heading to bed for the evening,
the warm color accompanies you to slumberland.
I think it was worth the wait.

Here's one thing that wasn't on our original list,

but it kept gnawing at me.

We had already replaced the mailbox with a larger, rural box,

but never did anything with the post or the barely readable numbers on it.

A fresh coat of white paint and new numbers really made a difference.
Sometimes, you don't have to spend a lot of money
to create a big impact.

A few more things crossed off our to-do list
makes me feel that we accomplished a lot this year.
We still have two or three major projects to start,
including a kitchen makeover and two bathroom updates.
We are also considering relocating our laundry room
to another area of the house where plumbing is already in place,
and turning the current laundry "closet" into a pantry.
This house is a bit on the quirky side,
so we're trying to make it work for our family.

With only a month left in the year,
we hope to complete the front door install
and replace all of the interior door handles.
That will put a good dent in the list
and keep us motivated to get the others knocked off in the new year.

I'm also going to re-evaluate our storage areas
and do some reorganizing to make everything more orderly.
It will most likely become a series next year.
There's nothing like taking a new look at old spaces
to spark fresh ideas for living more efficiently.

What home projects have you tackled this year?