Feng Shui in the Garden

Why use feng shui in the garden?  it will help attract nourishing energy to your home and delight all your senses.

The size of the garden doesn’t matter when it comes to working with feng shui. You will need a scale drawing of your garden area.  Use the BTB feng shui bague to map out the life areas of your garden. I like to think of each area as a separate outdoor room. Ask yourself what would be a good purpose for this room and match the purpose to the life area.

Strengthen each life area by using the five elements feng shui theory to bring auspicious energy to your garden.  For example a water feature would benefit the money and abundance,health and family,and the career and life path areas.

Use relaxing, flowing shapes and pathways for your feng shui garden to allow the Chi energy to flow smoothly.

Look at each of the Bague life area and decorate each with objects that match the energy of the area. A children’s play set would work well in the children and creatively area, where as a running water fountain would encourage the energy in the money area.

Wind chimes can be located though out the garden to help send out healing vibrations.

Another way to enhance the areas is with colors since each area of the Bague is associated with different colors. These colors can  be added with cushions, flowers, and statues.

Don’t attempt to do you whole property at once. I recommend that you choose one life area and begin your improvement there. Not only will your yard start to look better but your life should improve in that area.

Remember that removing clutter both inside the house and on your property is the first step in using Feng Shui. I am working on one room at a time to clear and decorate but I realize that not everyone has lots of time for this. There is a great website that can help declutter a house. Each day they ask for you to spend a minimum of fifteen minutes doing a certain task. You are encouraged to work longer if you want but it is your choice.  The site  has printable charts for each month which started in January; however, since I only found the site lately I will be starting in April. I plan on taking this month’s challenges and  reporting daily on how will I do. Your welcome to join me on this journey to a cleaner house.

 

 

Time to Prune the Fruit trees

I stayed up way to late last night (this morning)  watching TV, surfing the web, trying to catch a feral cat inside our garage, and catching up on things in general. Friday and Saturday was spent bringing the hutch home, running errand, and visiting grandma not to mention that I had a cold most of the week which meant I had a list of things that needed to be finished this week.

I noticed yesterday morning when I want out to feed the cats that the water from the rain was pouring off the back roof and not down the gutter. My first though was that the gutter was clogged – until I looked up. The gutter had pulled away from the house and was hanging down.  It was so wonderful to actually go back inside and say ” Hun, you need to check the gutter” meaning he got to do the heavy work of dragging out the big ladder and repairing the gutter in the rain.

While he was doing that I noticed that the fruit trees had also suffered from some winter damage. The best time to prune is during late winter or early spring just before the beginning of active growth. The trees will not be harmed if the sap is beginning to flow when you prune.

The main reason to prune now is because:

• Wounds from pruning will heal quickly
• Winter damage, undesirable branches and any other branches can be easily seen
• The bark of the tree is less likely to tear when the pruning cuts are made
• Less likely to damage the growth of the tree.

Why should you prune your fruit trees?

1. To help control tree size
2. To help develop tree structure
3. To help provide light penetration
4. To remove damaged wood.
5. To prevent this: This is a four-year old tree that was not pruned correctly and due to heavy fruit on too many limbs it broke in half. In this picture the broken limbs have been removed as will as all inside and weak branches. We are expecting it to survive but it will need a little more shaping as it gets stronger.

 

There are three methods of training fruit trees: one is called the central leader, the other is called the open center method or vase, and the last one is called the Modified Central leader.  Apple, pear, persimmon and pecan trees are generally pruned to the center leader method.  In this method the main stem of the tree is the dominant and the central leader in the growth of the tree. Almond, apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, olive, peach, pear, persimmon, plum & pomegranate trees are usually pruned using the open method. Almond, apple, apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, olive, peach, pear, pecan, persimmon, plum, pluot, pomegranate & walnut trees can use the modified  method.

The central leader method has a central trunk from which the scaffold branches grow. These branches should form wide angles (60 to 80 degrees) with the main trunk of the tree. The branches should be spaced on different sides of the tree to help balance the tree.  The branches should not be directly opposite each other or below another branch. They should be spaced about 6 to 10 inches apart. The finished tree looks like a Christmas tree. The shape give the highest production, due to the light and air circulation, but it grows too tall for most home orchards.

Open center method looks like you have opened an umbrella and set it inside the center of the tree and trimmed around  the umbrella. There is no middle trunk but  two to five scaffold branches forming the spokes of the tree.

Pruning trees can be a bit scary and if in doubt contact your local nursery for more information. In the meantime, it is best to remove all damaged branches, branches that are rubbing against each other, and any small branches that endanger people or property. DO NOT work on any tree that has branches touching electrical wires or that poses a danger to you or your property due to size or placement of branches. When in doubt get help!

We had a very bad wind storm a few years ago which took out most of our fruit trees. These are just two of the replacements that were planted last spring.

open

central leader

Mudroom locker hutch arrived!

The locker hutch is here! It took my truck and Mr. Wichman’s truck to get all the pieces home. Then we had to screw the pieces together,

This photo …

with some instructional design changes from me and a lot of cabinetry skill by a master craftsman became my dream locker hutch.

Now I need to remove the baseboard behind it and screw it to the wall for stability before I can start using it.

Italian Lentil Soup

It may be spring but we had snow on Tuesday,the snow is gone but the cold air has stayed so a nice hot bowl of soup sounded very good.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

4 cups tomatoes

3/4 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup pearl barley

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

In a 4 quart dutch oven, cook onion, celery and garlic in the oil until tender. Add the broth, water, tomatoes, lentils, barley, rosemary, oregano, and pepper.  Bring to boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer for another 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

This will make five servings at only 321 calories and 10 grams of protein.

BTB bagua

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What is the BTB Bagua and how to use it.  Bagua in Chinese means “eight areas” and it is a grid that divides the home, rooms, or property into nine areas. The center is the yin-yang area which is the heart of everything.

This is the BTB Bagua map:

This is how to use the Bagua:

Locate the front door of your area and  align the bottom of the Bagua  with the wall that contains the main door.  The Bagua  is aligned so that you are walking into the map. Your front door will always be in one of these areas: Knowledge and self-cultivation, career, or helpful people and travel area.

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The Bagua creates zones  which helps one to understand the energetics of oneself and their surround environments.  It also tells which color(s) and element is associated with the life area

The five elements are bound with the eight zones of bagua. They are earth, metal, water, wood, and fire.

Earth stands for energy associated with knowledge and self-cultivation, the center, and the love and marriage area.
The element of Metal is associated with children and creativity and the helpful people and travel area.

Water conveys the choices in our lives, including our careers.

The element of Wood represents health and family, and wealth and prosperity.

Fire carries our reputation and fame.

Remember  to  use only one Feng shui school and do not try to mix other schools teaching together as this will only confuse you. I prefer BTB feng Shui because it is easy to use anywhere since you do not need to carry a compass with you.

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I have the area for the locker hutch cleared out except for the last-minute things that will have to be moved out just before it arrive (the dog food bags and the nook bench and table). I have not got much done today because last night my nose started running and today i have a stopped up head – that explains why I felt  tired all this week. I have managed to do most of the laundry but spending most of the time on the sofa under a heated wrap.

 

How to make a photo shelf

When I was repainting the study I got so tired of patching all the holes on the one wall.  Every time I wanted to hang a new picture I would just pound another nail in the wall  – and I was always changing out pictures.

So after the  new paint job I wanted the pictures on the wall but did not want to mar the wall with a bunch of nails.

The solution was a photo shelf but the ones to buy were super expensive and the wrong size.

Picture of a photo shelf that I could have brought. Below is the one I made – it looks great, is simple to make and cost less than $20.00.

Material needed:

• Lumber: 1×2, 1×3, and 1×4 in the length of your final shelf. I wanted an eight foot shelf.
• Paint with primer ( I used the flat latex Swiss coffee paint that was left over from painting the kitchen)
• Screws (I used (6) 1.5″ #6 screws for assembly and (5) 2″ #6 screws for attaching to the wall)
• Wood putty

Tools:

• Electric drill
• Paint roller & tray
• Putty spatula
• Screwdriver
• Stud finder

Once you’ve got the lumber, start by making sure they are all the same length.  Next prime and paint each piece. Then clamp them together in the following order 1×3 across the back so that the 3 inch side will be against the wall when finished. The 1×4 butts up against the lower edge of the 1×3  – the 4 inch side creates the shelf that the pictures will rest on. The 1×2 will butt against the 1×4 to create rim to prevent the pictures from sliding off the shelf.  Pre-drill the holes and screw the assemble.together.

I screwed the back (1×3) onto the 1×4  first, I do not need to cover those screws since they’ll be against the wall.  I never added the lip (1×2) yet.

I had to get my husband to help attach it to the wall because it was too long for me to handle alone.  We first found the studs using my stud finder and marked them vertically with painters tape. Then we lined up the shelf where we wanted it – centered between the two outer walls and at a height we liked. We attached the shelf to a stud on one end with the drill about half way down the 1×3 so that the screw would be below the front lip when attached. We  used a level to make sure it was nice and flat, and attached the shelf to four  more studs in the same manner.

I then attached the front, I sink the screws in past the face of the wood so I would be able to cover them up with wood putty. I had to retouch the paint over the dried putty.

Mudroom update

I met with Mr. Wichman yesterday to inspect the locker/hutch and make the final decision  about all the coat hooks.  He has done a wonderful job, as usual, and I am looking forward to having it delivered.

I decided to use only four of the hinged hooks inside the lockers (two per locker) and to add three smaller double hooks to the top board (over the bulletin board) to hold keys.

Chris and I will be meeting Mr. Wichman  later this week to help load it onto the two trucks to bring it home.  I was originally planning on painting the master bathroom today but I need to prepare the area where the hutch will set.

 

 

Feng Shui for the bathroom.

Our house is filled with bathrooms – four (downstairs bath, boy’s bath, master bath and studio bath)  which makes this a major issue for me since bathrooms are a major area for energy drainage.

Is there a why to create a good  Feng Shui bathroom?

Yes! Just follow these steps.

1. The bathroom should always be spotlessly clean and clutter-free to help keep your Chi energy moving.  Clear everything  from your closet and medicine cabinet and only put back the things you love and use; discard the rest. Clean the bathroom completely once a week and  always use clean towels and wash cloths. Your guest should have  high-quality linens.

2.  You need to balance the five elements.  In Feng Shui bathrooms are associated with the water element, symbolizing spirituality, truth and reflection.  Water moves downward and your bathroom contains the most powerful drains in your home in the bathtub, sink and toilet.  To counteract this downward flow you need to balance the water with wood, the element of upward movement and growth.

How do you bring wood into your bathroom?

• Add a healthy live plant or beautiful silk one
• Add items in the color green
• Add wood accessories (a wooden toilet seat perhaps?)
• Add artwork with vertical objects: a photo of trees, columns, tall buildings,etc.

3.   Now you need to activate the bagua area in which the bathroom is located.

How? Here are just a few examples.

If the bathroom is located in your homes Relationship area you could place a pair of something like dolphins on the back of the toilet.

If your bathroom is in your Wealth area, decorate it with the most luxurious artwork you can afford.

In your Health/Family area add healthy plants.

In your Fame /Reputation area add something red or extra lights.

In your Children/Creativity area try adding pictures of children.

In your Helpful/Travel area add spiritual items or posters of places you have or want to travel to.

In the Career area you could add a tabletop water fountain.

In the Knowledge area try adding books of things you are currently studying.

If your bathroom is located in the center of your home, hang a mirror on the outside of the door and maybe paint at least one wall in a Fire Element color like red, orange, or purple. You can also decorate the space with objects made of the Earth Element, such as a ceramic bowl or clay pot and use Fire Element colors, especially red for towels and accessories.
If your bathroom is located over the front door or over the kitchen, use double-sided tape to attach a small round mirror on the ceiling directly above the toilet to symbolically reverse the downward flow of water and you can also place Earth Element objects in the room to ground the energy.

If possible hide the toilet with a partition such as a small wall or a chest with a plant on top or better yet  have the toilet in it own private room. the toilet should be position it as far away from the bathroom door as possible.

Mirrors speed up and circulate energy but they should never reflect the toilet. In fact some experts do not think any mirrors should be in the bathroom unless they are covered.

Invite sunlight and fresh air in with windows and skylights by opening the bathroom door for a few minutes after a shower to air it out. Use full-spectrum bulbs if you have no windows.

Use rubber stoppers to cover your drains when they are not in use. Keep a night-light on twenty-four hours a day or place one healthy plant  higher than the toilet to help raise the energy.  A tabletop water fountain  placed on the sink or shelf allowing it to run continually is a great way to increase the energy level in the room. Do not place a water fountain on top of the toilet.

Finally, don’t forget to keep your toilet lid down and the bathroom door firmly shut to keep your Wealth from flushing away!

Monday Blues

I am feeling a little down this morning for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that our son’s visit is almost over – he has to be back in Ohio this evening.

Second reason, the cabinet-maker called this morning with some disappointing news. He is ready to put the final coat on the mudroom hutch; however, he does not think the all the coat hooks will work.  I need to go over there and make a final decision about them either today or tomorrow. I was wondering about that when they arrived as they were larger than I was led to believe. He believes that four of them will work but not the other two. If that is the case all I have to do is find some matching chrome color hooks for the other two positions. The top hook is the one causing the problem.

Third, my pup refused to eat her one brand of food this morning and want straight out the door to throw up. I ended up giving her the other brand of dog food. This is the second time she has refused this favor of food in the past month but the first time she has been physically sick. I still have over half a bag of this favor which I picked up by mistake so I may be making a trip back to the pet store. She usually gets one brand in the morning and a mixture of the two in the evenings.

Fourth,  the weather has turned cold again and they are talking about snow for this evening. I am ready for warm weather to stay.

On the positive side I received a survey call from Ashley’s of Greenwood. <smile> As you may know if you are following this blog I was lied to and had to wait for six months before receiving all of the front room furniture I had ordered from them. When asked if I would recommend  them  to my friends on a scale from 0 to 10  with 0 being no. I asked if they had a negative number to choose from. She laughed and said no and then asked why. I very nicely explained about how they never even sent a card or email for my major purchase, how they originally told be it would be delivered in two weeks when I handed them my check for the full amount and then they came back and said it would be four to eight weeks. Eight weeks later I ended up calling them and was told it would be another two to four weeks. This continued for six months. I asked when I brought the furniture if there was any chance of it being discontinued because I may  need another chair. I was told that this was one of their best-selling units and there was no way it would be discontinued.  In December, when two of the pieces were finally delivered, I asked the sales lady the same question and she said that when my pieces arrived that the company was also bringing a set for their store to put on display. I found out in February  when  our last piece was delivered that the style had been discontinued last October. I told the lady today that now I can not get the other chair and that I was a bit put out that the company had my money for six months and all I got back in that time period was the delivery fee and a $75 gift card that I will probably never use. I repeat “I will never do business with Ashley’s of Greenwood again.” I have nothing against their furniture, in fact I just brought a beautiful dresser for Chris’ room that was made by that company but from another local store. It was in stock and I carried it home the next day.

Plain Potting bench to Deluxe

It is getting warmer which means we are thinking about gardens and plants. One of the most useful items to have is a good potting bench but they are not the prettiest piece of furniture on your patio. However, you can change that with just a few easy steps and create a bench that you will  be proud to show off.

I started with an unfinished bench that cost $50 at Big Lots which I had to put together. I stained it with Minwax pine stain and then gave it three coats of outdoor polyurethane. I was pleased with  the results but it wasn’t much to look at when not in use.  I enjoyed working on it but was forever having to hunt down tools and run after the paper towels.

I wanted the bench on the covered patio so I could work in the shade but that meant i would see it from the kitchen window all the time. So I decided to make a few changes. The first thing I did was add a curtain rod to the front and make a burlap curtain to skirt across the front. This hid the soil mixing pail and water bucket from view. I then added a garden tool holder to the left side to help corral the tools needed for the job. A paper towel holder was added to the right side as well as a hook to hold a trash bag.  I then added wire across the front of the shelves to prevent the extra pots from being knocked off by our cats.

The blue trunk next to the bench holds bags of potting soil and doubles as an extra seat when needed.(Cushions stored inside.) At the time of this picture the trunk had not been repainted or repaired. It started out as my toy box, then my horse show tack box, a toy box for our boys and now over 50 years later a storage box.

As you can see this as a much better view from the window!