A Wee Backyard

My mom owns a townhouse about 10 minutes from us.

She bought it after my parents divorced so that she would have minimal maintenance on both the house and yard which is about the size of a postage stamp.

Seriously, her backyard is like 8 feet by 10 feet, and a third of that space is consumed by her ginormous A/C condenser which is an absolute necessity in Texas in the summer.

With the help of her brother, and obviously some sort of black magic voodoo, she made her backyard into a miniature botanical garden-y lavish oasis.

Yes, I'm slightly jealous but not nearly committed enough to do something like this at my own house.

It's fun to hop from one stone to another and pretend the pebbles are lava.

Some viney stuff on the gate around the AC that will eventually cover it so you never have to see it.

Her statue named Isabella that is probably some magical Italian gardening witch.

Potted herbs and a close up of the patio she painted to look like an outdoor rug.

Fleur de lis in the patio corners to ward off evil or something.

Some green things in cute ornamental hanging baskets.

Hose snake.

Normally she has a patio table with 4 chairs and an umbrella but some bad weather in the spring killed the glass so she's on the lookout for a suitable replacement.

Isn't it lovely, though?

Thanks, mom, for letting me photograph your yard while you were out of town and knew nothing about my intent to expose your gardening witchcraft.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Thrifty Thursday: Rosemary, the Multi-Tasker

It dawned on me after last week's Thrifty Thursday post that it's probably really annoying to read about my great Thrift Store finds because it really only benefits me.

So, today my Thrifty Thursday post is one that you can use, share and enjoy for the rest of your life!

It's all about Rosemary and why love it almost as much as my own 3 children.

1) It grows.

 I know that sounds silly but I am notorious for killing off just about everything I plant. 

Rosemary is the exception and it grows faster than Jack's beanstalk in my backyard! 

I planted this one last summer from a tiny little sprout:

 

2) It smells nice.

Rosemary has a nice woodsy smell.

And when my dogs roam around in it and it gets on their fur I can go a little longer without giving them a bath.

Sort of like doggie deodorant.

Hard to imagine something so cute could smell so bad.

You could probably rub it under your armpits, too, if you were out of deodorant.

3) You can smoke it.

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Not rolled up like a crazy hippie, but in your smoker or on the grill.

With some pork, or beef or chicken.

It's very fragrant while cooking and gives a nice flavor to your meat.

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4) It's pretty.

I like the dark green leaves and the general shape of Rosemary stalks and in the spring it produces little flower blooms.

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One of my favorite ways to use it is clipping several stalks of it and putting it in a vase since I'm way too cheap to buy fresh flowers regularly.

I don't even add water to the vase.

Because I'm lazy.

But I can jusitfy it by telling myself that when the rosemary dries up I can make my own jarred herbs if I have a fancy mortar and pestle.

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5) It's bug repellent.

I haven't confirmed this yet but plan to this summer when the man-eating prehistoric bird size mosquitoes overtake the state of Texas.

If it's true I may launch my own clothing line that is woven entirely from rosemary plants.

Something along these lines would be lovely, don't you think?

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6) It's drought tolerant.

And also lack-of-attention tolerant.

Because I tend to forget that I have plants that need to be watered when it's 110 degrees outside.

Rosemary doesn't mind.  

She just keeps on living and deodorizing my dogs despite me ignoring her.

And, most importantly...

It's CHEAP! 

(Hence the reason it's featured in this Thrifty Thursday post)

You can buy a small sprout of it (or just clip some off a neighbor's plant while they are at work), plant it, and it will grow into a beast of a shrub.

Like this:

It's a lot cheaper than buying actual shrubs.

And most other shrubs can't be eaten, smoked, used as doggie deodorant or made into dresses.

You're welcome for yet another life changing post.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney