Hopalong Hollow....

Hopalong Hollow, where the Blueberries grow sweet, and the moss feels soft beneath your feet.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Building a Cedar Grape Arbor, for next to nothing...

  
     The Lord of the Manor was on a mission. He donned his baseball cap and leather gloves. Armed only with  his sharpened  saw...  into the woods he went. A few hours later he began to drag them out of the hollow..one by one, long cedars  27 of them!!! What a man!
This is the little courtyard we build outside the Potting shed last autumn, using old, old bricks, brickbats and stone. It really needed a Pergola  overhead.
So now you know what those cedars are for. 


The grapes were sitting in their pots simply bursting at the seams and longing for a place to climb.
              A few days later, they had it..  A wonderful rustic cedar arbor/ pergola.
Oh JOY!
.

It has the Peabody boys stamp of approval.
.
That's important, because, after all, the Peabody boys will undoubtedly perch atop the rafters to taste test all those divine grapes which will be POURING over the sides this summer! ( I planted 8 vines, yummy!)
 I think it will be quite beautiful once the greens start clambering up the poles and across the top.
It's very simple, but stout and rustic. Just what I like!
Of course, the Lord of the Manor did require my assistance, you know, holding hammers, measuring poles, filling his cup with ice, etc. etc.
I am indispensable. 
 
 Total cost: Under $20
(Nails and gas for the chain saw)
This project took 3 days, that includes the acquisition of all those logs.
AND he also built a raspberry trellis long enough to contain 12 raspberry canes!!!
 I had drawn this arbor months ago for my new book, it is on the copyright page..( I will be painting this soon)


It really belongs to Mamsey Bear.
 And she makes wonderful grape jam...

36 comments:

  1. You are so right! What a man... Oh I love it Jeri! So much accomplished in such a short spand of time.. This man really tackle's a job! I can just see Peabody perched on top..
    My hat of to you both.. Great job
    Blessings,
    Penny

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  2. It's just beautiful Jeri! What a delightful area you have!

    happy day!

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  3. Wow, that looks great Jeri!
    You're so lucky to be able to draw what is in your mind's eye!!
    Dan
    -x-

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  4. That is so wonderful, and right out of your imagination and lovingly built from scratch by your dear husband. Being his helper is valuable. You are a team working together, making your life even sweeter than it already is.

    Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  5. A beautiful arbor! I can just imagine the grape dripping from the roof line. You also have a beautiful garden.

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  6. JERI! First of all, it was a treat to hear your VOICE THE OTHER NIGHT..secondly, you have done what we are going to do this summer. We are also building a pergola from the French door entrance out to the boxwood garden. YOU REALLY DID IT on only $20....you are something else. And I am sure the feathered flock is going to really appreciate all those grapes and berries! What a lovely place you have created my dear friend.

    HAVE A BLAST!!! Hugs to all feathered folk, please.

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  7. Brings back fond memories of my childhood - my grandfather had a grape arbor, tucked amid his rows of trees and shrubs in his nursery where we would play hide-n-seek - thanks for reminding me!

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  8. So, so pretty arbor! I'm going to show it to my husband in hopes that he'll march right into our woods to gather cedar for an arbor I've been wanting for a very long time. We even have a cedar tree/post into which a "woods spirit" has been carved, just waiting to be used in the arbor.

    Planting grapes is a wonderful idea. I keep changing my mind about what I want to plant. I love Granpa Ott's morning glories and they do self seed every year, so that's how I'm leaning. Then again, I like purple hyacinth bean vines, or loofahs. Hmmmm....I'm still undecided. Anyhow, I reckon it doesn't matter yet since Mr. P. still hasn't gone to the woods to cut down the cedars. So now I'm off to tap him on the shoulder ONE MORE TIME to get started on the arbor. Oh, but before I go, your husband's trek to the woods reminds me of this quote:

    "You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters." Attributed to St. Bernard.

    I love your books. I think you've already found the "something more in woods" that you've been able to put down on paper. Lucky me to have your books and the woods.

    Diane in North Carolina

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  9. Dear Jeri,

    My goodness, what a work of rustic art! That's a lot of logs, and your husband should be proud. You're both working to make your home a bit of Paradise on earth, and the love shows in everything you do.

    Blessings today,

    Marqueta

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  10. Good morning Jerri.That A Mamsey knows how to plan an arbor.Your new arbor is just wonderful.I like the rustic look.It will look beautiful when those grape vines start growing. And Raspberries too? Sounds like the folks in the Hollow are berry hungry. Are you sure they will leave you any to taste? LOL!

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  11. You must be excited to sit beneath a shade of grapevine and oh how delicously ripening will grapes fragrant the air. You must get Mamsy's recipe for grape jam.

    Have a wonderful day!

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  12. I want one too!!! This is right up my alley, perfect when you live in a wooded site. I cannot believe your husband created this for so little, of course his hard work is worth a lot! So enjoyed my visit today and looking over your interesting blog. You are bookmarked for later reading...come visit me in Arkansas.
    joycee

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  13. How marvellous! It looks perfect! Now, may I borrow The Lord of The Manor to build one for me, too?

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  14. Jeri dear ~
    I used to think that Tasha's homestead garden would suffice for
    Paradise when I arrived there, but
    you have added another dimensionto
    my dream of what Heaven will be
    like populated with kindred spirits
    and idealized animals who dress and
    communicate with Hopalong Hollow
    finesse. I think most of us are
    putting in our request for your
    Lord of The Manor to replicate his
    masterpiece on our very own piece of earth...Such talent in tandem!
    Blessings ~
    Gentility

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  15. Oh, how beautiful it is! It is such a charming addition to your storybook setting, Miss Jeri!
    My mother and dad are coming Saturday to help me wrestle these budding, rascal-ly grapevines up to the tip top of our arbor... I am getting quite anxious for those juicy sweet grapes!
    Happy day, sweet girl,
    Christie

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  16. What a beautiful place in the garden ! Your manor is wonderful Jeri ! A fairy tale manor, with all the animals : a dream !
    I wish you a nice week-end, under the spring sun.
    Greetings, amitiés,
    Nathanaëlle

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  17. Oh Jeri,what a marvelous addition to your Hollow ;-)and the ceder logs are so straight!!!
    Your Lord of the Manor can be quite gratified! What a glorious hide-a-way it shall be!(maybe a bit like Sharon L's Sunflower houses oooo)
    Lots of Blessings and JOY, Linnie

    PS
    Maybe you should plant a batch of those birdhouse gourds while you wait for the grapes to mature???

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  18. Dear Cousin Jeri,

    When we first saw your new Pergola we noticed how much it looked like your wonderful drawings! What a lovely place to picnic! We know Mamsey Bear must love hers, too! The thought of Mamsey Bear's jam is making me hungry! Can't wait for your new book to come out!

    Your Cousins,
    Diane and daughter Sarah at the Corgyncombe Courant

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  19. Jeri, How wonderful! So glad for you that you've had opportunity to add a beautiful pergola to your property. Wishing you warm and joyful afternoons spent under the climbing vines.

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  20. JERI DEAR!!!! Oh, you came to my beach fantasy! Well hop on board and come back next weekend for a romp on the beaches of NICE FRANCE AND ITALY...oh how I love those beaches; in that photo of me, I was in NICE and the color of the water is a LIGHT AQUA that you would flip over. And yes, I do work out in our basement gym. We are fully equipped with free weights and a SMITH MACHINE which allows me to do my lunges and squats with support! As a ballet dancer, I never had a great lower back form, so doing squats on my own is not the best of things...so the machine helps. YES, ONE MUST KEEP FIT, especially working with FOURTH GRADERS! It was a delight, hearing YOUR voice as well last week dearest. Thank you and yes, your information did help us a lot. We were also told by a woman in the publishing business to stop posting our writing ideas on blogs...she told us that conventional publishers frown upon work that has already been on blogs, so Mr. Polyglottus will no longer make a public appearance! But Tea and Rattus will still join in on Nowhere fun....I can't cut off my fun!!!!!

    HUGS TO ALL...I see Hamish here, stretching those orange legs of his!!!

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  22. Hi Jeri
    Thank you for coming to the Luau. She is quite the gadabout is'nt she.. I should be so lucky! I would love to put my feet in the warm sands of Hawaii.. Next year, maybe we should go and she can stay home. haaa
    Enjoy your week and thank you!
    Penny

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  26. The Lord of the Manor was on a mission. He donned his baseball cap and leather gloves. Armed only with his sharpened saw... into the woods he went.

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  28. These are brilliant ideas, especially the outdoor storage for my gardening items. I would love to start on this project soon. My brother came over to my house, and he just told me that my gardening shed needs a gardening storage makeover.

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  30. I am so grateful for the inspiration and am going to tackle my backyard overhang project next spring. Thank You :)

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  31. Thrifty and stylish! Creating a cedar grape arbor on a budget. LJR Tree Services Inc

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