| Blog series by MsDebbieP consisting of 16 parts so far |
Part 1: The beginnings
A few years ago I purchased a garden tent at a year end sale for a great price. The roof had a middle section that provided an air vent and the sides were a tarp wall as well as a netting wall which provided multi-weathered facilities. About one month after we put it up, we had severe winds and the entire metal structure was twisted beyond usability and my great bargain was now useless. For a year, it sat unused waiting for its rebirth. Last summer we built a 12×12 deck and wooden ...
Part 2: Two Walls
Last weekend Rick and I transformed the north wall on our gazebo. We put three windows on the top half of the wall and left the bottom half solid. The idea for next year is to take the area out above the windows and put screen in them, with a drop-down shutter to cover them for the cold/rainy weather. This past weekend we did the west wall. Same process and same plans for the future. We now have half walls and half tarps (oh and we put another tarp over the roof to temporarily cover ...
Part 3: Final Walls
With a deadline of Dec. 29th as a motivator (the scheduled family bonfire breakfast) Rick and I put up wall #3 last weekend and 2/3rds of the final wall today – we have to wait for the door to arrive before we finish the wall. Everything (other than the 2×4’s) are leftover pieces from something or other, cut and nailed to fit. It’s nothing fancy or beautiful but it works. Wall 3At Rick’s work, they were throwing out a glass table top. He salvaged it and it b...
Part 4: February's Bonfire Breakfast
Rick and I just spent a couple hours getting the gazebo ready for our monthly Bonfire Breakfast.We had to remove the remnants of the old tarp (well, we left some of it for added padding around the metal and edges). Then we put two old tarps over the top, overlapping in the middle. The weather channel says that the wind will be out of the south tomorrow morning so we overlapped the tarps in such a way that the wind hopefully won’t go swooping underneath and ripping them off. We als...
Part 5: Bonfire Breakfast -A Success
Feb 9/08 Our February Bonfire Breakfast was another success. My day began at 4:30 (just for the fun of it) and gathered all the cooking materials and got them ready to go out to the fire. Our typical meal includes bacon, eggs and toast but today I added something new. During on of the “road trips” that my sister-in-law and I were on (visiting antique stores) I bought a camping set which included a coffee pot, 4 dishes, and a stew pot. Well, today was the day to test them ...
Part 6: Bonfire Breakfast /March 08
March 8, 2008 (Happy Birthday Bullseye) With my birthday on Monday (Happy 50th yippee) we decided to have bonfire breakfast this weekend. What a day to have it—we could barely see each other, it was snowing so hard (well that’s exaggerating a little bit but not too much). Our gazebo was greatly appreciated today, with the semi-warm, semi-cozy (well, really cozy with 11 people inside it) , out-of-the-snow environment, it was the first time that we all ate inside. It was wonde...
Part 7: Windows: Check
May 30, 2008 One step closer!! Last weekend Rick put one of the window’s on hinges so we could get a breeze going through the gazebo. Once I saw how easy that was I, of course, asked that all the main windows be put on hinges. Next, well, we had to keep the mosquitoes out so I had him make a screen for each of the windows, out of the original screen enclosure (glad we are still getting our money’s worth out of that purchase). So, I now have a screen door, with a glass ins...
Part 8: Future Plans
June 21, 2008 My son and family were home from BC last week and it was a WONDERFUL time!!! It was supposed to rain on Saturday (our bonfire breakfast day) and so we covered the gazebo with a giant tarp which also provided a fairly large awning at the front as well. (not a great picture but it’s the only one I took at the time) Once it was up I knew that the future roof would have to create this same effect. We had lots of comments saying that with the big “roof” and...
Part 9: A Gnome Door
what a surprise I got today .. as I discovered this at my gazebo. Those little guys were busy during the rain today!
Part 10: "Deck" and Walkway
Check out our new “deck” and pathway. Bricks are from FREECYCLE—woo hoo!!! It’s not perfect since I didn’t know what I was doing and I’m not a perfectionist. But it works!
Part 11: Ready for Santa
Dec. 7/08 Our gazebo continues to transform. Rick and I laugh when we sit inside our “cloth gazebo” that we purchased for a great price. What a deal we got. Yes, we used the cloth gazebo twice, before it’s twisted fate. The resurrection went from an added wooden floor, to a wooden frame, to wood/glass walls, and now to a wood roof. Our cheap gazebo has transformed in appearance as well as cost! Sheesh. Anyway, here is our latest version of our gazebo. (and yes, I k...
Part 12: This story is for Joey.
April 11, 2009 Today, even though it is sunny out, it is really quite chilly out. I decided that the gazebo (or as it is now known – “Joey’s Shanty”) would be the perfect place to sit and do some writing. The sun should have heated up the space as it is protected from the wind. I go to the “Shanty”, close the door and sit down. I then decide that it isn’t much warmer than outside so I might as well go back in the house and be comfortably warm! ...
Part 13: Eavestroughs
May 28/09 Last week, the weather forecasts predicted rain for this week. Having used my one rain barrel quite frequently this past week or two I wanted to get another rain barrel set up at the gazebo before the rain arrived – which would have been yesterday, sort of (turned out we were sitting on the edge of the rain and didn’t get much yesterday). On Saturday I went to the hardware store and purchased the eavestrough stuff so we could put it up on Sunday. We needed a 12R...
Part 14: It's getting closer!
June 16/09 Yes, indeed, it is getting closer to being completed! More than 4 years ago we began with something like this, as sold by Canadian Tire? The year after the frame was destroyed (within a month of purchase, due to high winds) our journey began for a replacement gazebo. First step: we built a deck floor and built a wooden frame on which we hung the screens, walls, and roof. The next year, the roof tore to shreds and we put up a tarp roof. That hung on for a while but...
Part 16: June 2010 Update
just a quick update on our Cabin 1. a couple of weeks ago, for reasons unknown, the beautiful round window cracked. (no pictures.. I can’t bear looking at it). 2. the other day as I was carrying water past the cabin I saw a slithery come up from between the bricks in front of the cabin and slither under the floor boards … oh right. Now I can’t even go inside – just in case he has made a home inside. quit chuckling!! :D
gardening is a journey, a journey of learning how to connect with and support Mother Nature
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Blog Series
- Bonfire Breakfasts - 2 parts
- Dehydrating - 3 parts
- GT Talk - 14 parts
- Labyrinth - 3 parts
- My "Turtle Island" - 6 parts
- My Carolinian Forest - 9 parts
- Our "Edibles" - 66 parts
- Our Flower Gardens - 37 parts
- Our Gazebo/ "shanty" / Cabin - 16 parts
- Our Pond - 23 parts
- Our Wildlife Companions - 17 parts
- Photography - 3 parts
- Recipes - 13 parts
- Sculptures - 1 part
- Spring - 19 parts
- The SPICES of Life - 5 parts
- The Winter Season - 15 parts
- Walkabouts 2010 - 11 parts
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