Liberated Gardener

The Leaf-Mobile Arrives

I've been getting a lot of compliments on my truck's paint job when I pull up at gas stations these days. One friend christened my truck "The Leaf-Mobile."

 

This is my 1990 Chevy S-10 pickup truck. I bought it ten years ago when it had only 24,000 miles despite being 10 years old then. The owner had the use of company car and only used the truck on weekends to haul fertilizer. He apologized for not having time to clean the truck before he showed it to me (I was the first to respond to his ad.) But when he lifted the hood I swear my first thought was that the engine was clean enough to eat off of. The only reason he was selling it was the gout in his left leg made using the clutch a pain--so he had already bought himself an automatic S-10. 

My mechanic gave it a clean bill of health so I bought it, figuring it would last me 20 years, since I only put about 4000 miles a year on a work truck (I only work in neighborhoods contiguous with mine.)

Within a year the grey paint began to flake and peel. And after ten years there were rust spots and a very blemished complexion. When a body shop offered coupons for 50% off on a paint job I had them sand out the rust and paint it John Deere green. They gave me a $600 job for $300. 

Then despite Chris' doubts I bought some dark green automotive spray paint, clipped some leaves from the garden and used the leaves as stencils and voila. 

Below, the Leaf-Mobile delivers a Leaf-Stabile.

 

Clothes Line Posts = Garden Sculpture

With the warm, dry weather we've been able to reduce our power company's use of coal and oil (and conserving our money for our Travel Fund) by putting a lot of laundry out on the clothesline to dry instead of using the dryer.

 

If you think these clothesline posts look a little odd, then obviously you've no appreciation for art. 

I installed these posts after Chris heard that I had built sculptural clothesline posts for a client. She asked "When are we going to have a clothesline?" 

I don't like the idea of the cobbler's children having no shoes, so I kicked the idea around awhile and created this sculptural clothesline, which I call "Spanish Dancers." 

I put all the actual clothes lines on the same side of the posts so that I could position the posts at the edge of our property, between a rolled bamboo fence from Bamboo Fencer and our still-under-construction patio. 

The lumber is sustainably harvested Ipe; a rot-resistant wood from South America. To keep it from turning grey in the sun, I've given it a couple of coats of Tung oil. The lines are a black cord I bought at the Army surplus store. The wooden clothespins are from a dealer who bought them in East Germany. I cut the tops, arms and notches of the posts freehand with chainsaw, circular saw, jig saw and chisel. 

I've got a commission for another one that I'm going to build of locally harvested cedar and attach it to the side of a deck. It will be shaped like a conventional clothesline post, meaning a 'T' shape. But with the cords attached to glass insulators from old power lines. So it will look like an old-school power line. Kind of fitting for something that saves energy. 

Below is the original sculptural clothesline post, named Clothesline Christ in homage to all the domestic goddesses who've kept our clothes smelling fresh over the millennia. 

 

Cedar Arbor

My last project before taking my summer break from garden-making, included this arbor built from cedar trunks and branches.

The clients asked for something that looked like elves made it. I also drew on my memories of beaver lodges, with branches twisted through each other and loose ends sticking out. 

 The arbor also serves to define a transition from the public space to the private space of their front yard garden.  A transition from the everyday space of the neighborhood into the magical space of the garden. 

 

A Tinbrella for the Rain

All this rain calls for a good Tinbrella, for those folks who REALLY like the sound of rain on a tin roof. Actually you're looking at one of my sculptures, this one is called Rain Tin Tin. 

But it does work--keeps you dry and sounds good too. Price available on request. 

A friend told me that if I put rain gutters on each side, it would be the world's first hand-held mobile home.