Beware of Attack Frogs!

A froggy Area!

I visited my brother in law's garden the other day, and set up a couple of surprises for him.  My sister doesn't garden or do yard work - she says it is Vern's hobby.   I finally got the leaf bird baths completed, and gave Vern a big rhubarb one and smaller hosta leaf.  I made these a little different than the pattern called for, and left more cement around the edges, making a bigger rounder bowl for the bird bath.  I think I like it better that way.

I placed the big one here in with the kitty and lady bugs in with the "Snow on the Mountain".  After I got done, I started to get itchy - forgot that I break out from those plants.  It didn't take long either.  You can't see it in the first picture, but the base is a 4" pvc pipe that fit into the bottom of the bird bath, and then just pushed into the ground.  Vern did pack a little more dirt around it to make it more firm.  It doesn't have water in it yet, but almost looks like it.  I used a shiny polyetherine to seal the whole thing.

You can see the base from this angle.  When the cement was wet, I pressed the pvc pipe into it so it could make an indentation so I could use it for a pedestal.  Pretty slick!  I was going to paint it, but the plants hide it pretty good.  Vern was worried that this bigger one will fall and break - no problem - they're easy to make.  I plan on making some more next summer.

I laid the small one on the ground - it looks like this flamingo is drinking out of it!  I should have taken more pictures of all of Vern's flowers.  Will do that next summer when they're really in bloom.  He has given me a lot of starter plants throughout the years.  You'll see that they even have some cherry tomatoes planted behind the flamingo by the fence.  They were really good.

It's fun to sit here and relax on hot days after they get home from work.  Our days need to warm up again so we can go visit and sit outside. 

I want to make this!

Today we attended our annual get together with our friends that also raise hogs.  We have a picnic and an afternoon of visiting at Bill and Kathy's cabin on Twin Lake.  Of course, just like in school, the guys all sit together talking "pig talk" and us girls talk about everything else but pigs!  We all catch up on where our adult kids are now and all the grand babies.   Then we walked to the neighbors house; as the women there had gotten together and made bird baths out of rhubarb leaves and hosta leaves.

Isn't this awesome!  These were dried and see the one with the green leaf still there.  The green needs to be peeled out, and then they paint it and seal it.  When they started the girls made mounds of wet sand in the form of how they wanted the leaf to look, or how deep etc.  Drape plastic sheeting over the mound of sand, and then lay the leaf face down on top of the sand.  They used sandcrete, and mixed it to a consistency of a brownie mix.  Once the leaf is covered with about 3/4 inch thick sandcrete in the middle of leaf, and at the edge about 1/4 inch thick; they said you then cover the leaf with plastic wrap and if it's really hot outdoors, put a piece of moist burlap over the plastic so the concrete dries evenly.  Giving it about 48 hours to dry.

After all dry, and removing the plastic, turning the concrete leaf over, you then peel of the second sheet of plastic and start pulling out the leaf.  They were using dental tools to get the veins of the leaf out of the cement.  You then need to let it cure for a day or so before painting.    If you don't want a painted leaf, you can seal it with Thompson's Water Seal. 

In process of peeling out the leaf on this one.  Guess that takes awhile.

Oh I didn't get all of Cindy in the picture!  But this is how she will have her's in her garden.  When her sandcrete was wet, she turned her little bike upside down and pressed it into the forming leaf.  It made indentations so it fits nicely on the bike.  Won't that be cute after her leaf is all painted and sealed!

Here's one all painted on one side.  Sharon painted it all green first, and then rubbed on a little yellow and red to give it a variation.  Looks good to me!

Sharon said you can go to this web site for the directions:

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/

then click on WebExtras.

Think I need to make some.   Now to town to get supplies. 

Have a great week everyone!