Lucy and Ethel Play With Concrete Part Twenty-Something

Over twenty years ago, for the Fourth of July, my friend Chris and I decided it would be fun to make something for our gardens.  She'd read a magazine article about making hypertufa pots and we thought it would be fun to try. We had a great time but the results were less than stellar as we really didn't have the right supplies or forms to do such a thing but we tried anyway and decided to also make stepping stones.   This was before the internet and before taking then teaching classes on making stepping stones.  We both still have the sad products of that experiment in our gardens which make us smile when we see them.  We'd unintentionally started a Fourth of July tradition of creating yard art.

Another Fourth, after seeing the fabulous Little and Lewis Dinosaur Eggs, we thought we should be able to make them as neither of us could afford to buy one.  Having little experience with cement and apparently a limited understanding of the law of gravity, we purchased  concrete mix, which includes gravel and simply tried throwing a wet mix of this on an exercise ball.  Thinking that the aggregate in the mix was what was causing the problem, we thought of making a trip to Home Depot to pick up some sand mix but we were both pretty filthy by then so decided instead to sift the stones out using a colander which took forever. It was hot as hell and the dust was sticking to us and everything around. Anyway, mean old Mr. Gravity seemed to still want to pull the sides of the sphere to the ground. Chris named the bowls we were able to make dung domes.  Since that attempt and after reading a book about making concrete objects, I did make a couple of semi-respectable spheres.  You know, do it first, read the directions after making a total mess of everything, the Lucy and Ethel school of yard art.

Projects over the years have included leaf castings, glass flowers, and mosaic bowling balls.  This winter, Chris found a concrete hand project online and we decided it would be a great craft for the Fourth.  There are several  tutorials online about how to make these.  If you're interested in making them, look here or here.  Again the concrete and fun flowed.  When we were finished...

Yellow concrete-filled gloves were everywhere.

A bird in the hand is worth three hands in the bush?  Wait, I never get those proverbs quite right. 

Because it's a handrail. 

Chris wisely is waiting an extra day to come and un glove her hands but I couldn't wait to see how mine turned out.  Laid down, they could hold a small succulent.

This one was meant to hold a pot. 

This pot to be exact. Now, what should I plant in there? 

Where will these end up?  

Another enjoyable Fourth of July playing in the mud with an old friend. Aren't traditions fun?