Giving a new blog a chance

Howdy! It's been almost a year since my last post- unheard of! It's hard to get computer access during the day, and I found it more difficult to blog about our etsy shop. I tried the idea of letting the rabbits rule the blog, but they grew disinterested in being photographed fairly quickly - even though Lola will occasionally tweet on her twitter account. ;-)

I've wanted to write about gardening for some time now, but never felt I was "seasoned" enough to participate in the discussion. But this past summer I've found myself wanting to talk more and more about my garden with others and photographing it nonstop. Maybe it was time for me to join in the discussion, even if my blogging skills are a bit rusty!

So I decided to start a new blog which would be dedicated to that topic alone. If you'd like to follow me, you can find me at frauzinnie.blogspot.com . Hope to see you there!

- Jen

Thursday

It's Lola's FOURTH birthday today! Happy birthday!!

Wednesday

Max: Please phone my secretary to make an appointment.

Monday

Max: I've gone visiting, and Lola won't stop napping! (Yes that is a 48 inch high gate I cleared- I am a super rabbit!)

Sunday

Domino: nap time

Sunday

Domino: That's some mighty big basil you've grown there...

Friday

Lola: I enjoy eating wicker.

Wednesday

Max: I need my own show. We can call it, "Little Bunny, Big World..."

Tuesday

Domino has gorgeous eyes!

Monday

Domino: It's safe to sleep here.

Sunday

Lola: I'm sorry, there is no complaint department.

Saturday

Max: Already?

The bunnies have taken over!

Hi there- this is Max, one of the three bunnies that lives here at McGuinness Photography. We've been eyeing this blog for some time, and since the human hasn't made good use of it in a couple of months, we've decided to take it over! Today you'll meet the gang. It's me, Lola and Domino. I came here in late April after being a rejected Easter bun.


Lola's been here for what seems like forever (she's turning four on Sept. 30!) - she's also top bun in this house.


And there's Domino, who was adopted shortly after I came here. (Before Domino and I came here, there was Molly, who was sadly lost to the Rainbow Bridge in early April.)

So that's us- it's nice to meet you!

Awaiting spring

It's cloudy but warmer today in Connecticut. Many seed and plant catalogs collect on my tables, offering a glimpse of what spring and summer may hold. Everyday I have big plans, and everyday they shift. Last week the new vegetable plots in mind for the southern portion of the property line have been moved back behind the house where they will be east- facing and less likely disturbed by the neighbor's dog. Today lattice trellises may be the problem solver for the need for privacy on the back patio, as well as a place to grow climbing roses.

This is my first official spring in our home. We moved in last June and while I had a fun time playing catch- up, I'm really looking forward to planning this growing season, and planting at the right times. I also have a better idea of how the garden will look when the black walnut and maple trees towering above our home set to leaf. Last year I planned for more sun then the trees provided, and had to transplant several plants in an effort to save them- some of which did not survive the journey.

A garden has always been a source of inspiration for me- not only as a muse for my camera lens but a sense of tranquility and accomplishment rolled into one. Creating a better garden not only is a hobby, but a way I become a better person as well.

So I'll continue to daydream and sketch- and then resketch where the apple gourds wil grow, how many raised beds I need, or how alpine geraniums may look clustered in window boxes out front. For while the garden is gray and muddy at this time of year, it is a blank canvas awaiting the spectacle of color only nature can provide.

Treasury featured on S and O Productions blog!

Last night, I had the great fortune of logging into the treasury section of etsy at the exact time the treasury opened up for new lists. The word "alive" rapidly entered my mind, and in an instant, the treasury was mine! It's been some time since I had the ability to create a treasury, and even though I'm not online as much as I used to be, I've kept a pretty current list of my favorite items from sellers on etsy. Today I learned that my treasury was featured in the Elite 8 - what an honor! Here's hoping the treasury gets "hot" enough to make it to the etsy front page!

Hoppy Holidays!

From our house to yours, have a merry one!

Fantastic!

Bunny Benefit Day raised $74 for 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue! Thank you for participating!!

BUNNY BENEFIT DAY!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Sunday November 8 is our first BUNNY BENEFIT DAY!

100% of any purchase made from 12:01 a.m. EST through 11:59 p.m. EST will go to 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue.

Offer valid only at our Etsy Shop, www.mcguinnessphoto.com.

This is a great opportunity to stock up on holiday gifts and help rabbits at the same time!

Blog Mentions

Wow! It's been an exciting day for us at McGuinness Photography! Our photography has been featured in two fall themed blog posts!

Jack and Ella Designs wrote a lovely post that used "The Falling of Leaves" by Yeats with our photos!

Rob's Bennington photo was featured on the By Hand Gallery, via 1000 markets, curated by Shelley MacDonald.

Thank you!!

Winding down in the garden

Today I finished planting the rest of my spring bulbs. I began two weeks ago with the help of my husband planting 100 daffodils, 75 crocuses, and 50 grape hyacinths. Since then I also acquired some alliums, windflowers and Dutch irises. We had a rapid cold snap this past week and I regretted not getting everything in the ground at once. But today it appears that Indian Summer has arrived late, but finally, in Connecticut, so I embraced the warmer weather and feverishly dug several beds for next spring.

This was my first year I had my own garden that was not on borrowed land. I ended up acquiring too many plants and had to relocate several as the tree leaves grew in and full sun areas turned into partial shade. As a result, some plants didn't make it.

It was one of the rainier summers we've had in a long time, so slugs seemed to multiply effortlessly overnight in the garden; destroying with them several dahlias, petunias and other delicacies. (I learned that wax begonias do surprisingly well when confronted with massive slugs.)

The tomatoes were a disappointment, and to say that I got five tomatoes is generous. This year they were grown in pots against the shed. I'm toying with a permanent location for a vegetable garden next year, which will either end up by the driveway or behind the house, whichever seems to get the most sunlight.

I planted my first tree, which I felt was important and symbolic. I also learned, a little too late in the season, the importance of good foundation shrubs on the borders of the garden.

It was a year of firsts for me, and several times I was reminded of the The Secret Garden, the book I cherished as a child. I'm looking forward to the plants that return next spring.