I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
John Burroughs

Saturday, July 18, 2020

The evolution of my garden shed...

It was intended, we think, to be a shelter in which to boil maple sap, built by previous owners. It was off in the bush behind the barn. Shortly after settling in, and getting the house organized, I had a light bulb moment, and claimed it for my garden shed, something I've always wanted. My husband went to work preparing to move it. He dug up the footings, braced the building, jacked it up and put skids  under it, wrapping them in roofing steel to make them slide. Not one for superfluous profanity, he did state that it was built like a brick s***house, and perhaps regretted his willingness to agree to my idea!
We cleared out the place it was to be situated, slightly south-west facing, beyond the gardens and beside the pond. That clearing out involved a lot of brush cutting and removal of a large clump of dead elms. We had to make sure there was a clear path beyond the desired final placement of the shed, so Jeeper could drive on out once the shed was in place.That involved  moving some large rocks that had been deposited in a pile when the pond was dug. In the process of clearing out the space, we discovered shasta daisys, an echinacea, lupines, sweet williams and a lone peony, all struggling to survive in the overgrown mess. Someone had at one time tried to create a wild garden there!

Jeeper stepped up for the job, and we only had a few minor adjustments to make with the ATV's winch,  cables and strapping around adjacent trees, to situate it. Once leveled on cottage blocks, gravel from its original placement was carted up and spread inside, and 2' square patio slabs laid for a floor. Hubby installed a window he found in the barn loft and inside, under the window, he built a full length shelf.  I then had the fun of organizing the inside of my shed. Later, Hubby built, then mounted a window box under the window. The following spring, having found a discarded window along the highway in the winter, he built a cold frame to fit the window, and we put it in front of the shed.

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