GOIN' TO THE HOOSEGOW!

What is a "hoosegow" anyway? I saw this old sign at our local La Pine, Oregon nursery, L & S Gardens, and ever since, I've had this little jingle in my head - goin' to the hoosegow, hoosegow, goin' to the hoosegow............ oh I'm just being silly.

What great fun this nursery is!  My dear friend, Judy, and I (we met in the 7th grade), who is visiting me from out of town, both decided we needed a little dose of some flowers, being it was a rare WARM day here in central Oregon. So we headed down to this sweet "step back in time" nursery. (Of course, that was LAST week - we had snow today.)

Goin' to the hoosegow..... (I looked it up) means going to jail or to the courthouse. Learn something new every day right?  To be honest, I HAD heard of this before, but just wasn't sure what it meant.

We spent hours at L & S Gardens. The owner, Linda Stephenson, and her husband, have created a little wonderland that took us back in time for awhile.  I urge you to take a moment to go to the above link, and read about her family history.  She has been instrumental in bringing the hardy plants, roses and wild plums to this area, from the Willamette Valley near Brownsville, Oregon. Her story is fascinating!


Here's an excerpt from her history:

"It was in the year 1849 when my Great Great Aunt Elizabeth Wilson Blain brought the first Sweet Brier Rose from her garden in Hebron, Indiana over the Oregon Trail and planted it in the Union Point, Oregon community of the Willamette Valley (this town no longer exists but for a small plaque along the roadside). Today this rose runs rampant throughout the valley and can be found on the dry hillsides, pastures and on many of the old homestead sites. I have this rose growing in my garden from cuttings taken from where the rose grew at the site of my Great Great Grandfather, James Wilson’s homestead south east of Brownsville, Oregon. I wanted to see if it was hardy enough for the La Pine area. It proved to be very hardy and blooms every year".

Opening her nursery in La Pine in 1990 by a "fluke" of having her own personal greenhouse to grow her own hardy plants, Linda and her husband, Sonny, are well-known for producing and carrying the "hardiest of the hardy" plants that will grow in this frigid area. (Temperatures here can drop down into the 20's, even in July and August!).
 
While we did see a few flowers, we had more fun exploring all of the old farm implements, machinery and signs. Take a gander and enjoy. Maybe you'll recognize some things you grew up with?  I did!

 

Old blacksmith "heating up the iron" table.

All of the greenhouses resemble old buildings.

Ye old garden truck!

Ye old tractor! Does anyone know how old this is? Old McCormick-Deering tractor.

Ye old "hunting lodge" NOT!

We had so much fun trying to figure out what things were used for.

We did see a few flowers, but they are just now starting to bring some in from "the valley" (Willamette Valley). We are still having COLD temps at night, in the low 20's, so can't place our flower pots outside just yet. 

I wanted to buy them all.

Trees all in a row.

Great planters!

 And last but not least, this sign says it all!

I really HAVE been busy crafting, but just needed a little break.... to get outside..... dream of warmer days...... and get motivated and inspired to put some color in my yard. La Pine is pretty brown this time of year.

I make up for it in my craft room that is simply "blooming" with the colors of my beautiful papers and fabrics. For now, that will have to do.