Too pooped to pop

I decided to take a vacation day today, making this a three-day weekend, and I had way too much fun.  Well, my kind of fun, which involved a lot of soup making and bread baking.  I took photos of the soups, but I'm too tired to download them.  Take my word for it:  they were beautiful (especially the beet ginger) and they were delicious.

The day was mostly sunny, but looks can be deceiving because it was cold outside.  Not as windy, though, and still above freezing, so I spent some quality time with my compost pile.  My composting method is known (at least, by me) as slow composting.  I pile stuff into one side of the double compost bin while digging compost out of the other.  When the compost is all dug, I shift what is in the first bin into the second.  This happens about once or twice a year, so the piles don't reach optimal cooking temperature to kill weed seeds.  Today I decided to experiment with another method of cooking compost, and I place the finished compost into plastic garbage bags and laid them in the sun.  Theoretically, this should kill weed seeds.  I will be combining this compost with peat to fill containers, so if it is still full of weed seeds, it should become apparent.

I filled four bags, but still had some compost left over, so I spread a little on the rhubarb patch, covering the barely emerged plants, then threw the rest on the garlic bed.  Then I had a walkabout, checking the flowers, shrubs, and trees for signs of life.  Buds are swelling, and in a few cases, leaves are starting to emerge.  It won't be long now!

Still too cold to garden...

... so I made a few more purchases online:  a row cover for brassicas and an oriole feeder from Lee Valley (free shipping ends Mar. 28!), and from Stark Bros., three redbuds (on sale!), a Meyer lemon, some June-bearing strawberry plants, plus a strawberry planter kit that comes with some everbearing strawberry plants.

Last night I watched "Food Inc."  Yikes!  I avoid processed foods, so am not consuming corn this and corn that to a large degree, and I try to buy organic and/or local whenever I can.  But most people believe the "food-like products" in the grocery store are at least safe and healthy enough, or they are constrained by circumstances to buying what is cheap and convenient, or they just don't think about it.  I did not realize that corn subsidies (which keep our food cheap) put farmers in other countries out of business.  So Mexican farmers cross the border illegally, looking for work, and third world nations can't feed themselves which results in food riots and starvation.  Most of what we eat comes through the hands of a few mega-corporations, and they wield a lot of power in DC.  But we the people can do something about it, as evidenced by WalMart promoting organics and Coke offering a version without HFCS - because that is what their customers want.  Sometimes I get a little miffed about spending more for organic/local food, but now I see that cheap food is expensive in the long run.  If nothing else, buying organic/local is an investment in my health.  End of sermon.

Now I am going to go make some soup and watch my marigold sprouts grow.

The last and the first

I was down to the last two onions from last years garden.

I harvested the first thing of 2011:  mint.

Both went into a batch of light vegetable broth, recipe from Love Soup.

Mmmmmm!

It's raining, it's pouring - no, wait, it's hailing - no, wait

Many places lay claim to the motto, "If you don't like the weather here, just wait a while."  Today, it's here.  The day started gray but dry, then sprinkles, then rain, then thunder and lightening (poor dog), then hail.  The sun made a brief appearance, and now it is just gray again.  This weekend, it may snow.  Fun times.

Last night I needed to dig in some dirt, so I planted the marigold seeds inside.  I originally started planting marigolds in the vegetable garden because they are reputed to repel pests of one sort or another.  I don't know if that is true, but including them has become habit.  The garden just would not look right without them.

The grass is just barely starting to turn green.  I, for one, cannot wait for the other colors of spring.

The guilts

Yesterday I was in the West Wing checking my email when I noticed a sparrow that was having difficulty drinking at the bird bath because the water was so low.  Okay, okay, I'll get you some more water.  Once outside, I discovered it was indeed a lovely day.  Okay, okay, I'll spend some time outside in the yard.  I was feeling lazy, though, so all I did was move the last of the woodpile closer to the house and cut down errant mulberries and other unwanteds.

Inside, when I tried to turn on the lights over the now-sprouted zinnias and calendulas, the GFC kept tripping.  I am not electricity-savvy, so I have no idea why it the circuit worked fine for several days, but now would not.  Originally, I had placed my freezer in this spot in the mudroom, but the recalcitrant GFC convinced me to move it elsewhere.  Placing the wire shelving with the grow lights seemed like a good idea, but not if the lights won't stay lit.  So that too was relocated.  What I really want to put there is a cupboard for coats and cleaning stuff, but I haven't found one I like yet.

I am also contemplating how best to fence in the vegetable garden.  Last year it looked like a graveyard for chicken wire, but said chicken wire did not keep the voles out of the potatoes.  My SO and I cruised Home Depot and Lowes last night, looking for ideas.  I also purchased some basil and marigold seeds, a new hose to replace one that has become brittle and leaky, a bale of peat so I can mix my own potting soil, some primer for painting my Adirondack chairs and new exterior doors, a downspout extender, etc.  Somehow I managed to blow $80 without even trying.  Still, gardening and yard work are cheaper than therapy!

FINALLY!

Yesterday was one of the nicest days we have had in a long time.  I spent an hour outside after work, mostly cutting down the ornamental grasses and picking up the last of the winter dog poop.  Green things are popping up all over the place:  daffodils, hyacinth, daylilies, iris.  Today is supposed to be warmer but windier.  Hopefully, more yard cleanup will ensue.

Last fall I dug up a pepper plant and brought it inside.  The peppers that were still on it hung there all winter until I ate the last of them.  Now the plant is blooming.  Not sure if I need to hand pollinate it to get fruit.  The rosemary is blooming as well.

Regarding ErinFromIowa's comments about calendula, judging from the number of cabbage butterflies I saw last summer in my yard, I must already be providing them a healthy breeding and feeding environment.  My "meadow" is not that far from the vegetable garden, and the butterflies just float across.  If I decide to grow any brassicas, I will have to enclose them somehow.

It just occurred to me that last year I did not see any tomato worms or hornworms, so maybe their parents prefer the meadow to my vegetable plants?  Or the birds eat them?  If I were retired, I would sit in the garden all day long and observe what goes on.

Robins!

Even though I know that I can take a walk in the woods on a winter day and see robins, spotting them in my backyard is much more satisfying.  They have not been amenable to being photographed, nor have the redwing blackbirds and blue jays.  But the sparrows are.

Yesterday I started some seeds for cilantro, basil, parsley, zinnia, and calendula.  The last in that list is defined as a "hardy seeding annual" which I assume means once it is planted, it will keep coming up year after year.  Sounds like a good candidate for the meadow.

And that is as close to gardening as I have come so far in 2011.

They're BA-A-ACK!

Starlings and grackles but no redwing blackbirds.  Yet.

 

The snow is back as well.

A little freezing rain on the bird feeder poles allowed the squirrel to feast at the source instead of beneath.

Must be March

If I were more diligent about posting in this blog, you would have seen this last week:

Today, most of the snow is gone, revealing this:

Daffs!  Can spring be far behind?

The ugliest month of the year

I work from home one or two days a week.  Usually I sit in the West Wing and enjoy looking out on my backyard habitat.  This winter the birds have been especially prevalent.  Until now.


Where ARE those birds?

Now it is warming up, and the birds apparently can find food and water elsewhere.  The snow is dirty and half melted and revealing not only the dull browns and grays underneath, but piles and piles of dog poop. 

I'll just slither down the fence...

During the winter, I try to keep up with Betsy's leavings, but once it snows, all bets are off.  With all the snow we received this winter, the leavings are worse than usual.  Also, they ring the patio.  Since Betsy does not like to walk where she has shat, this has produced a bit of a dilemma.


... and clean up under the feeders before that nasty dog sees me.

But not for long.  The pooper scooper brigade has started spring clean up, even if it is not yet spring.  Good thing she is cute.  And asleep, or she would be telling this squirrel just where he can go.

A taste of summer in February

Since I bought my freezer, I have been good at puuting things IN it, but not so good about taking stuff OUT.  So the other day I made some vegetable soup, using frozen tomato juice as the base, then adding frozen green beans, just sprouting potatoes and onions, plus some store-bought corn, celery, and carrots.  Needless to say, the tomato juice made the soup.

And now that the apples in the garage are gone, it's time to hit the frozen applesauce.  I was going to "treat" myself by sweetening it a bit, but guess what?  The combination of Fuji and IdaRed apples needs no sweetening at all.  Delish!

Tonight, I'll be baking a French apple pie with the frozen apple slices.  Tomorrow it's chuck roast, which should use up the last of the potatoes and a lot of the smallest onions.

The blueberries are gone, but there are still peaches.  And tomatoes.  Lots and lots of tomatoes.  Must consume them before the first ones come out of the garden.

Can you tell I am tired of winter?

Not my camera

My SO tired of hearing me complain about my camera, so he loaned me his Olympus SP-590UZ.  I don't know what that designation means, but it does take better pictures than my little Sony.  The zoom lens really zooms, which makes it difficult to hold the camera steady, plus these were taken through the (dirty) windows of the West Wing.  And I don't have a fancy-shmancy photo editor.  What do you think?  Better?  I think I reduced them too much.

Kale and stuff

Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup

I made some kale and white bean soup from a recipe in Yoga Journal.  I am not an eater of kale on a regular basis, but this soup turned out great, perhaps due to the vegetable stock (from a recipe in Love Soup) or maybe it was the honkin' big clove of garlic I used.  Anyway, it was perfect with some homemade bread on a snowy winter day.

Last week I placed my orders for seeds and plants.  I probably still have too many tomatoes, but I did try to tone things down.  Also, I considered just what I eat and what I want to eat. 

Ordinarily, I don't grow pumpkins because in the past I have not eaten them much.  That has been changing, but not to the point where I wanted to grow my own.  Then came disappointment in the local sugar pumpkins from last summer - no flavor.  So I am giving pumpkins a try this year.

Ditto sweet potatoes.  Store-bought are good, but I'm betting home-grown are better.  I picked a bush variety that should do fine in the grow sacks.

I like eggplant but one goes a long way in my kitchen.  With Burpee's new mix 'n match, though, I can get one plant, a container variety that produces small fruit that look perfect for a one person household.

I mixed and matched my eggplant with a variety of peppers plus some container tomatoes; that's where I went astray with the "love apples".  I want to see if salsa tomatoes were really better for salsa, plus I want an early tomato - I hate to wait.

There is no room for brassicas except maybe here and there, so I will look for locally grown plants if I think I can squeeze them in.  But there will be root vegetables following the garlic, for fall harvesting.  That is another food group I eat more of, now that I know to roast them in olive oil and sea salt.

Over the years, I have tried a variety of beans, green and wax, but this year I am reverting back to the tried and true Blue Lake Bush.  And I am growing more onions so that I can thin them for scallions.  And I must remember to plant the sunflowers this year.  What is a backyard without sunflowers?

I'm a volunteer that the rabbits did not eat

Winter doldrums

Unusually pretty sunset for these parts

Once the holidays are over, it is a long slumber until spring.  Around here it does not snow much, so instead of a winter wonderland, we get dirty slush-covered browns and grays.  Even the initial manic of seed catalogs has given way to the depressive blahs of mid-January.  Bah.

When I purchased my ski equipment several years ago, I subconsciously made a pact with myself to ski whenever I could.  This has amounted to once or twice a year (see above comment about snow).  Last Saturday seemed like my only opportunity this year, so I drove to a nearby county park.  The snow on the trails was old and used, so the skiing turned into a lot of work.  And despite the signs stating the paths were closed to hikers, some bozos had tromped on the ski tracks, leaving bare ground showing where their heels struck.  I could hear my skis scraping bottom.  By the time I gave up, I had a big blister on the back of each heel and the realization that I see more wildlife in my own backyard.  I filed the excursion under the "We're going to have fun whether you want to or not, dammit" category and went home.

At least my backyard wildlife keeps me amused.  That rascally rabbit was out and about this morning.  It kept running along the chain link fence, from one side of the yard to the other.  Looking for a way out?  I was in an online meeting (stupid job) and tethered to my computer, so I could not get up and see if it could get through the gap by the gate.  Or maybe it is too dumb to remember the gap is there?  Or too blind to find it?  And what do rabbits eat in the winter, besides the bark off my shrubs (which are protected by chicken wire, thank you very much)?  There is cracked corn and sunflower seeds under the bird feeders, but I have also been throwing apple cores under the steps, just in case the poor thing needs something extra.  I know.  I'm hopeless.

Almost ready

A little over three inches

Technically, we need four inches of snow before breaking out the cross country skis.  The white stuff is still coming down, albeit in a finer state, but I'm hoping there will be enough.

In case you are wondering, I took pity on the last captured rabbit and unblocked the gap at one gate.  I just kept worrying there was a nest of babies somewhere in the backyard, starving to death in the bitter cold.  Getting soft in my old age, I guess.

Betsy sniffing for bunnies in front of the house

My neighbor across the street wandered over with his snow blower this afternoon.  The snow was light and fluffy, but I'm still glad I did not have to do the driveway by hand.

My driveway is 50' long

The snow brought in the birds.  On the left is a blue bird, on the right a goldfinch, and I'm not sure about the rest.  

One is coming in for a landing

After these departed, a hardy sparrow came to bathe.  Brrr!

Despite the snow on the ground, the gardening catalogs keep piling up.  Several years ago, I started receiving Growers Supply, which targets nurseries and market gardeners.  Lots of greenhouses and greenhouse supplies.  I have never ordered anything from them, but I like to scan its pages for ideas.  Since the voles ruined my potato crop last year, I am looking for ways to foil them this year.  Growers Supply suggests lining the bottom of raised beds with wire mesh.  I was considering enclosing the bed in mesh, but if I do the bottom as well, that would keep the little boogers out.  At least I don't have to contend with deer.

First day of the rest of the year

Since the temps were in the 40's this morning and a cold front is on the way, I spent some time in the yard, cleaning up the flower bed on the south side of the house and the hosta bed on the north side, while Betsy sniffed out the rabbits in the front bushes.

Speaking of rabbits, I have been trying to clear my backyard of them for a while.  They girdled my serviceberry so badly it has never recovered - while alive and presumably healthy, it just won't grow.  Ditto the chokeberry.  All the shrubs are now protected by circles of chicken wire, and the chain link is lined with chicken wire and I have been catching the rabbits in a Havahart trap borrowed from a neighbor.  But somehow they keep sneaking back in.  I even dream about rabbits, sometimes that there are baby ones frolicking on the lawn.  The other night, I dreamed that there were several rabbits in the backyard and a hawk kept swooping down at them, but the hawk eventually caught a ground hog and flew away.

This morning there was a rabbit in the trap, so I freed it in the front yard, then patrolled the backyard fence.  The gates are the weak points.  At one, it looked like rabbits had dug under the chicken wire.  At the other, I found small snarls of chicken wire - do rabbits chew metal?  I reinforced the gaps under each gate with cement pavers and bricks.  While I was cleaning out the hosta bed, a rabbit (the same rabbit I caught?) ran toward the gate but could not get through.

When checking the fence, I found places in the meadow where rabbits had bedded down (and evidence that they had mowed down the Russian sage), but no sign of baby bunny nests.  That doesn't mean there isn't one under the porch steps or the shed, but I'm just going to try to harden my heart and pretend that is not possible.  La-la-la-la-la.

Feels like bad karma.

Schizophrenic weather

One day it is so cold the cat is sleeping on the register and the dog is hiding under the covers...

and the leaves of the rhododendron are rolled tighter than my yoga mat...

and then the weather switches to what could be considered a January thaw, if it were January.

The snow should be gone by the time we ring in the new year.  That means no cross country skiing (yet) and no snow cover for the garden, not a good thing.

When it is warm, the birds abandon the feeders, but this chickadee was eating something on the cotoneasters.

It wasn't the berries.  Lichen?  Who knows.

And the Cooper's hawk came back for a visit:

The seed catalogs continue to pile up - such gorgeous photos! - but I am holding firm to purchasing only what I need-need, and from only two places.  BUT I am using the catalogs to look into the future.  Maybe a piece of prairie?  Tree fruit?  Berry hedges?  A gardener can dream, can't she?

Meanwhile, have a Happy New Year!

Where we were and where we're going

Okay, I didn't get everything done that I planned to do last summer.  Gardening is for optimists, though, so below is a recap of last year and a to-do list for next year.


From 2010:

About that lawn:
1. Overseed bare spots in lawn with clover (in February/March) - forgot

And that unsightly tractor tire:
2. Move hosta from tractor tire to under the lilac - DONE
3. Get rid of tractor tire - did not get around to it
4. Use sand from tractor tire to create butterfly water site - ditto
5. Plant Prairie Fire crabapple where tractor tire is - tree not available locally

How about a little curb appeal:
6. Prune shrubs (boxwood, burning bush, etc.) - DONE (this should be a yearly thing)
7. Move some of the cotoneaster to the west side of the West Wing - reconsidered
8. Plant Big Blue Stem to fill in holes left by #7 - reconsidered
9. Move sedum from under asplenifolia to in front of Big Blue Stem - DONE mostly
10. Move 'Clara Curtis' from south side of house to 3B garden - reconsidered
11. Plant Magic Lilies, aka Naked Ladies, in holes left by #10 - reconsidered
12. Divide hostas and day lilies and give away extra - did not get around to it
13. Move/give away iris on north side of garage - did not get around to it

Birds, butterflies, and bees:
14. Plant morning glories on fence behind 3B garden - forgot
15. Install ceramic bird house - DONE but no birds
16. Install mason bee house - forgot
17. Plant winterberry under arborvitae - DONE but it was holly
18. Plant hummingbird sage in 3B garden - forgot

Weed control:
19. Experiment with injecting Roundup and/or vinegar into stems of Canada thistle - tried this, too time consuming, but we'll call it DONE

Protection from the elements:
20. Get estimates for a pergola for the patio - reconsidering
21. Plant arborvitae on west side of house - DONE but it was juniper

Landscaping:
22. The West Wing needs some - partially DONE (hydrangea and two hostas)
23. Ditto
24. Ditto

Long term food:
25. Plant raspberries - deferred
26. Prepare asparagus bed - planted asparagus instead (mistake)

Misc.
27. Use gladiolas as row markers - DONE
28. Keep better (any) records re vegetable garden production - DONE
29. Start dye garden - later, but harvested marigold blossoms for dye
30. Buy a freezer - DONE

For 2011:

About that lawn:
1. Overseed bare spots in lawn with clover (in February/March)
2. Mow at highest setting
3. Treat with Fire Belly

And that unsightly tractor tire:
4. Get rid of tractor tire. Really.
5. Use sand from tractor tire to create butterfly water site

How about a little curb appeal:
6. Move ornamental grass by porch, replace with ?
7. Move rest of sedum from under asplenifolia to in front of Japanese maple
8. Plant Magic Lilies, aka Naked Ladies, on south side for some August color
9. Divide hostas and day lilies and give away extra, if anyone wants them
10. Move iris on north side of garage, but to where?

Birds, butterflies, and bees:
11. Plant morning glories on fence behind 3B garden
12. Install ceramic bird house in new location
13. Install mason bee house
14. Plant hummingbird sage in 3B garden
15. Plant sunflowers and other flowers I have seed for
16. Contemplate reorganizing this area and adding a water feature

Weed control:
17. KILL THE CANADA THISTLE

Protection from the elements:
18. Get estimates for a pergola for the patio
19. Plant Prairie Fire crabapple by patio

Landscaping:
20. The West Wing needs more (like the ornamental grass by the front porch?)

Long term food:
21. Prepare raspberry bed
22. Work on asparagus bed
23. Strawberries?
24. Mini dwarf fruit orchard?
25. Meyer lemon?

Edible landscaping:
26. Contemplate blueberries on south side of house, huckleberry as a hedge in partial shade

Misc.
27. Set up irrigation
28. Improve record keeping
29. Harvest hibiscus blossoms (and any other plant that can be used) for dyeing
30. Eliminate trumpet vine - it is taking over

The bluebird of happiness

Occasionally, I see a bluebird or two at the bird bath, early in the day.  Here is evidence!  Not too bad a pic, considering it was taken using the zoom, through a window, when it was still mostly dark out.

Today I also saw a LBB (Little Brown Bird - at a distance they all look alike) land on top of a foxtail, bending the seed head down to the ground, where presumably some seeds shook loose.  The bird would then release the stalk, peck around in the snow a bit, and repeat the performance.  Now I don't feel so bad about (some of) the weeds in my yard.

Some kind of crap (freezing rain?  sleet?  what is the difference?) was falling from the sky, but now it has turned to snow.  A good reason to stay put today.

More memory loss

This year, when I made my infamous cranberry bread (recipe from La Leche League's Whole Foods for the Whole Family - my copy is about 30 years old), I used a food processor to chop the cranberries.  What I good idea! I said to myself.  Later, while perusing some blog entries from a year ago, I discovered that I had discovered the food processor shortcut to chopping cranberries back then.  One thing about aging is, everything seems new!

I think this is new:

I bought a rasp zester.  Not only no more skinned knuckles, but the zest is captured in the holder AND it is easy to clean.

Another blog entry I ran across from a year ago was my plans for 2010.  All I can say is, HA HA HA.  I accomplished only about a third of the items listed, and some of those not completely.  (For instance, I moved some of the sedum but not all of it, and instead of preparing an asparagus bed, I planted asparagus, which was a mistake.)  The best part of gardening is the planning, though - time for a new list!