Since it was a balmy 39 degrees yesterday AND sunny, I decided it was time to do something-anything-in the garden. Granted I have started some cold weather crops in the house and also at the greenhouse, but that wasn't cutting it. So, I took my peas, the inoculant, a shovel, and a trowel out to the veggie bed and got to work.
I sowed three types of peas;
Burpeeana Early,
Dark Seeded Simpson; and
Dwarf Gray Sugar.
I flanked the 'Early' and 'Simpson' peas around the garlic rows, figuring the pea should be over by the time I'm ready to dig the garlic. I placed the dwarf type along the fence, since I will be ripping them out before I plant any pole beans later, in much warmer weather!
Since my garden shed is on hold for a bit, I plan on using the sunny space to put in a few raised beds for tomatoes and peppers. That's the biggest problem with lack of sun; I am always trying to figure out a way to rotate crops.
I was less than thrilled to wake up this morning and find snow on the ground. Doesn't Mother Nature know that I want to get started with spring? Gee whiz, the nerve of some people. I guess I'll find out just how cold hardy those peas are, huh?
"That don't befront me", as George T. would say. Just as long as I get my peas before summer!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Seed order coming soon!
I finally got off my duff and placed my order with Pinetree seeds. Hopefully all my items are in stock and I get all I wanted.
I plan to sow my brassica family seeds tomorrow at the greenhouse. Ah, the perks of working for a greenhouse are without measure when it's 20 degrees F outside!
I also have some lettuce crops to start. I have some plain-Jane types, but I am looking forward to the Asian mix from PT. I am really going to try to grow a bit more of my own food than just my usual tomato/pepper lineup. My biggest experiment will be when I try some fall sowing of vegetables to try and store in my makeshift root cellar. I don't plan on having a lot of one crop, but am going to try a few of this-and-that just to see. I think it will be fun. I plan to take notes so that I can share my results with my Ohio Valley friends that might be interested.
Kentucky weather in our area can be tricky; it gets freaky-hot and humid in the summer and one never knows how the fall and winter will go. It can be mild or (like this year) really, really cold in the winter. It can be really dry or super wet. That can play havoc with trying to regulate a root cellar. I am still trying to figure out just how I can open and close the vent in the root cellar without having to go down there every night and day! I just know that some other farmer got sick and tired of hoofing down his/her set of slippery cellar steps to shut/open that blasted vent and invented an automated one. Maybe I'll invent one and make a bazillion dollars one day!
My arms are tired from scooping snow, let me tell you. I did have fun making designs in the light snowfall we got before this last seven inches. It was just enough to use a broom to scribe "I hate snow!" all along the tarmac, accentuated by stars, musical notes, and a nice scrolled border. Too bad that I did it too early in the day for anyone to see it before the sun came out and promptly melted it away. Sidewalk art is such a fleeting joy....
The above image is fuzzy, but Fi has a snowball in her mouth. As long as it doesn't disintegrate on impact, she can find her 'ball' in any pile of snow it gets pitched in. Amy can only hold her snowball for a short time before she has to spit it out and get feeling back in her tongue. Both of them have great fun at 'cold fetch' until one of them squashes the ball.
Both gurls love to cuddle up when the weather is chilly. We keep the thermostat down pretty low and they figured out pretty quickly that laying on a human is like their own personal electric blanket. They don't get away with that with this human, but the other human in the house is known to be the weakest link and they haul their dog butts up there on a nightly basis.
Fiona looking smug upon attaining
LapDog status.
There is yet another batch of snow coming on Sunday (be still my beating heart). Hopefully that is the last of it for the season. I am ready for some warmer weather, even if it's just the 30s and 40s.
I plan to sow my brassica family seeds tomorrow at the greenhouse. Ah, the perks of working for a greenhouse are without measure when it's 20 degrees F outside!
I also have some lettuce crops to start. I have some plain-Jane types, but I am looking forward to the Asian mix from PT. I am really going to try to grow a bit more of my own food than just my usual tomato/pepper lineup. My biggest experiment will be when I try some fall sowing of vegetables to try and store in my makeshift root cellar. I don't plan on having a lot of one crop, but am going to try a few of this-and-that just to see. I think it will be fun. I plan to take notes so that I can share my results with my Ohio Valley friends that might be interested.
Kentucky weather in our area can be tricky; it gets freaky-hot and humid in the summer and one never knows how the fall and winter will go. It can be mild or (like this year) really, really cold in the winter. It can be really dry or super wet. That can play havoc with trying to regulate a root cellar. I am still trying to figure out just how I can open and close the vent in the root cellar without having to go down there every night and day! I just know that some other farmer got sick and tired of hoofing down his/her set of slippery cellar steps to shut/open that blasted vent and invented an automated one. Maybe I'll invent one and make a bazillion dollars one day!
My arms are tired from scooping snow, let me tell you. I did have fun making designs in the light snowfall we got before this last seven inches. It was just enough to use a broom to scribe "I hate snow!" all along the tarmac, accentuated by stars, musical notes, and a nice scrolled border. Too bad that I did it too early in the day for anyone to see it before the sun came out and promptly melted it away. Sidewalk art is such a fleeting joy....
Amy and Fiona, on the other hand, are having a blast in this white stuff.
The above image is fuzzy, but Fi has a snowball in her mouth. As long as it doesn't disintegrate on impact, she can find her 'ball' in any pile of snow it gets pitched in. Amy can only hold her snowball for a short time before she has to spit it out and get feeling back in her tongue. Both of them have great fun at 'cold fetch' until one of them squashes the ball.Here they are playing together while DH is shoveling a path to the gate.
(Didn't have my good camera, so the video is little rough)
(Didn't have my good camera, so the video is little rough)
Both gurls love to cuddle up when the weather is chilly. We keep the thermostat down pretty low and they figured out pretty quickly that laying on a human is like their own personal electric blanket. They don't get away with that with this human, but the other human in the house is known to be the weakest link and they haul their dog butts up there on a nightly basis.
Fiona looking smug upon attainingLapDog status.
There is yet another batch of snow coming on Sunday (be still my beating heart). Hopefully that is the last of it for the season. I am ready for some warmer weather, even if it's just the 30s and 40s.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Hoarders
I have GOT to stop watching Hoarders on A&E.
It's like some terrible car accident and I can't stop rubbernecking as I drive past it. I am amazed that people can ignore such a mess for so long.
I think most of us have issues with keeping clutter under control and are guilty of piling up some place with junk, and then, instead of dealing with sorting through all that stuff, we just move on to some other place and start piling it up there.
A good example for me is the mail. I will let it pile up in the Mail basket, then do a meager sort into a rough grouping of to-be-filed piles, which will then sit in a heap on my desk for 3-6 months before I file it in the cabinet. My excuse for not filing is laziness; I just don't want to deal with it everyday-or every week-or every month. Then the pile becomes this huge chore that will take HOURS. I can't just file the first 10 items, as that seems like a waste of time. No, I say, it makes much better sense to just leave it until I have the time to file all the pile. However, at some point, I can't take it! I will spend the whole day sifting, sorting, filing,culling.
So, I get it. The only thing that separates me from these clinically diagnosed hoarders is my ability to NOT be able to ignore it as long as they can, and that's a very thin distinction.
I save things for three primary reasons:
Reasons two and three are tougher for me to resolve. My parents were babes of the depression, and their generation (and those before them) did not grow up in a disposable, "Made in China" culture. They practiced reuse, recycle because they HAD to. So, the very thing that keeps me from ringing up my charge cards is also the reason for a bit of hoarding tendency.
I have started to cull a lot of the junk I had saved to 'do something with later'. The time frame varies, but after a while it gets on my nerves and I own up to myself that I am never going to get around to this task anytime soon, so why keep it! I can always start saving it again if I feel the need. It seems easier to part with items that have value only to me, versus parting with stuff that I assume others might covet as well.
I guess that last sentence is the dividing line between me and the true hoarder; I know the difference between trash and treasure.
If I can just keep up with letting go both the trash and the treasures, I will keep off the TV show!
It's like some terrible car accident and I can't stop rubbernecking as I drive past it. I am amazed that people can ignore such a mess for so long.
I think most of us have issues with keeping clutter under control and are guilty of piling up some place with junk, and then, instead of dealing with sorting through all that stuff, we just move on to some other place and start piling it up there.
A good example for me is the mail. I will let it pile up in the Mail basket, then do a meager sort into a rough grouping of to-be-filed piles, which will then sit in a heap on my desk for 3-6 months before I file it in the cabinet. My excuse for not filing is laziness; I just don't want to deal with it everyday-or every week-or every month. Then the pile becomes this huge chore that will take HOURS. I can't just file the first 10 items, as that seems like a waste of time. No, I say, it makes much better sense to just leave it until I have the time to file all the pile. However, at some point, I can't take it! I will spend the whole day sifting, sorting, filing,culling.
So, I get it. The only thing that separates me from these clinically diagnosed hoarders is my ability to NOT be able to ignore it as long as they can, and that's a very thin distinction.
I save things for three primary reasons:
- fear of loss of information
- crafts (Hey, I can use this [insert item name] to make something, one day!)
- thrift (Wow, I should keep this to save money!)
Reasons two and three are tougher for me to resolve. My parents were babes of the depression, and their generation (and those before them) did not grow up in a disposable, "Made in China" culture. They practiced reuse, recycle because they HAD to. So, the very thing that keeps me from ringing up my charge cards is also the reason for a bit of hoarding tendency.
I have started to cull a lot of the junk I had saved to 'do something with later'. The time frame varies, but after a while it gets on my nerves and I own up to myself that I am never going to get around to this task anytime soon, so why keep it! I can always start saving it again if I feel the need. It seems easier to part with items that have value only to me, versus parting with stuff that I assume others might covet as well.
I guess that last sentence is the dividing line between me and the true hoarder; I know the difference between trash and treasure.
If I can just keep up with letting go both the trash and the treasures, I will keep off the TV show!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
my favorite float of the 2010 rose parade
It's not a very good image, but I loved this float best. It was just pretty to behold
Pasadena was great!
Somehow I managed to get DH to agree to go with me to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. I think he believes going on this trip will exonerate him for taking as many motorcycle trips in 2010 as he wants. I have to agree. I have gone on three big vacations in 2009, and we still have a cruise to look forward to in May.
The floats were gorgeous and we got to walk up close to them the day after the parade. Even on close scrutiny they still looked artificial due to their perfection. They use a lot of ground up strawflower, statice, onion seeds and rice, I can tell you that much.
It was hard to leave 70 degree weather and come back to the teens and 20's, that's for sure. At least it's better here than in Chicago, where we exited the aircraft onto the tarmac at a very chilly 17 degrees.
They are forecasting snow tomorrow. Not much, only a few inches (supposedly). Amy and Fi have only seen a dusting so far, so it will be interesting to watch their reaction to a blanket of snow. I predict they will have a grand old time in it.
I have been feeding the birds and have quite a few diners in the early morning. Of course, Fiona just HATES squirrels at the feeder, but I won't let her out to chase them until they have had a chance to fill up on seeds and corn. Then, once they have a full belly to keep them warm, I let her out to take a run at them. Poor Fi, she will never figure out that those furry intruders can hear the 'snick' of the door latch and are off and running before she can even clear the dog door.
Grandmummy called today to say that she wants her furry grandchildren back, as she can't get used to the quiet house now that they are back home with us. I told her to lay off taking so much cough medicine. They tore up the usual amount of stuffed animals and tracked in the maximum amount of mud onto the kitchen floor, but the worst stunt they pulled was sneaking a full can of soda from a carton to 'play' with. One of them (I know it was Fiona, she's the only one with enough jaw strength) then proceeded to puncture it and spray sticky cola all over the floor.
Only my mother would miss the chaos that those two 1-year olds' create.
Took a stroll in the garden today while I played ball with the girls and noticed that all the beds are in a deep sleep. Funny, just a week ago, the foliage was still hanging on, obscuring the ground in most places. Now, I can see the contour of the beds and, I hate to admit, all the little winter weeds that germinated since I last weeded in the fall.
Oooh, the best part of January just appeared-say it with me-Seed Catalogs! Now I can curl up on the couch with my books and dream of all the stuff I want, even though I haven't the room to put out 1/3 of what I am salivating over growing.
Guess I should get off here and work on my knitting project for an hour or so, then it's off to bed to dream of onions, and leeks and turnips, Oh My!
Happy 2010, world wide web
The floats were gorgeous and we got to walk up close to them the day after the parade. Even on close scrutiny they still looked artificial due to their perfection. They use a lot of ground up strawflower, statice, onion seeds and rice, I can tell you that much.
It was hard to leave 70 degree weather and come back to the teens and 20's, that's for sure. At least it's better here than in Chicago, where we exited the aircraft onto the tarmac at a very chilly 17 degrees.
They are forecasting snow tomorrow. Not much, only a few inches (supposedly). Amy and Fi have only seen a dusting so far, so it will be interesting to watch their reaction to a blanket of snow. I predict they will have a grand old time in it.
I have been feeding the birds and have quite a few diners in the early morning. Of course, Fiona just HATES squirrels at the feeder, but I won't let her out to chase them until they have had a chance to fill up on seeds and corn. Then, once they have a full belly to keep them warm, I let her out to take a run at them. Poor Fi, she will never figure out that those furry intruders can hear the 'snick' of the door latch and are off and running before she can even clear the dog door.
Grandmummy called today to say that she wants her furry grandchildren back, as she can't get used to the quiet house now that they are back home with us. I told her to lay off taking so much cough medicine. They tore up the usual amount of stuffed animals and tracked in the maximum amount of mud onto the kitchen floor, but the worst stunt they pulled was sneaking a full can of soda from a carton to 'play' with. One of them (I know it was Fiona, she's the only one with enough jaw strength) then proceeded to puncture it and spray sticky cola all over the floor.
Only my mother would miss the chaos that those two 1-year olds' create.
Took a stroll in the garden today while I played ball with the girls and noticed that all the beds are in a deep sleep. Funny, just a week ago, the foliage was still hanging on, obscuring the ground in most places. Now, I can see the contour of the beds and, I hate to admit, all the little winter weeds that germinated since I last weeded in the fall.
Oooh, the best part of January just appeared-say it with me-Seed Catalogs! Now I can curl up on the couch with my books and dream of all the stuff I want, even though I haven't the room to put out 1/3 of what I am salivating over growing.
Guess I should get off here and work on my knitting project for an hour or so, then it's off to bed to dream of onions, and leeks and turnips, Oh My!
Happy 2010, world wide web
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Jamaica was great!
Went on holiday to Couple's Negril, Jamaica for a week. Had a beachfront cottage and loved waking up to the sound of the ocean each morning. They had a veggie grill, just steps away from the cottage and so finding something to eat was too easy.
I got a couple very nice images of the beach and will post when I get off my duff and download them from the camera.
Survived Christmas and looking forward to the New Year.
I got a couple very nice images of the beach and will post when I get off my duff and download them from the camera.
Survived Christmas and looking forward to the New Year.
Friday, December 4, 2009
I'm done with December, already
I'm already tired of the cold and I promised myself I would not start whining about it until at least February.
At least it was dry and sunny, so that Fi and Amy and I got to go outside and play around and not come in dripping with mud. Amy did manage to arrive back into the house with a huge swoop of mud on one side of her chest, but otherwise, not too muddy.
Fat Man Who Smells Like Sausage (fmwsls) made a fire yesterday evening and they were in heaven! He pulled both of their beds closer to the fire and they instantly took to them and slept there for a good two hours. Then, Fiona must have gotten too hot, for she yawned and then lumbered over to the tv area to stretch out on the rug in front of us.
I have been collecting all the poly fil that they pull out of every single chew toy they get and finally got enough of it to stuff a good size 'mattress' for them. I just sewed a zipper into a big dog bed cover that I already had and it made a great fluffy pillow that each of them enjoys mushing down and curling up in.
I must say that the curtains between the conservatory and the study are working wonders along with the baseboard heater we purchased. I can keep the rest of the residence fairly chilly and still be quite comfortable sitting still to surf the net or watch some telly.
I promise to get back to a gardening topic in a few days; it's just hard to transition down from balls-to-the-wall horticulture. I have sort of enjoyed hanging out in the house for a bit, so bear with me until I get my priorities straight again.
Mostly I hide from the leaves.
At least it was dry and sunny, so that Fi and Amy and I got to go outside and play around and not come in dripping with mud. Amy did manage to arrive back into the house with a huge swoop of mud on one side of her chest, but otherwise, not too muddy.
Fat Man Who Smells Like Sausage (fmwsls) made a fire yesterday evening and they were in heaven! He pulled both of their beds closer to the fire and they instantly took to them and slept there for a good two hours. Then, Fiona must have gotten too hot, for she yawned and then lumbered over to the tv area to stretch out on the rug in front of us.
I have been collecting all the poly fil that they pull out of every single chew toy they get and finally got enough of it to stuff a good size 'mattress' for them. I just sewed a zipper into a big dog bed cover that I already had and it made a great fluffy pillow that each of them enjoys mushing down and curling up in.
I must say that the curtains between the conservatory and the study are working wonders along with the baseboard heater we purchased. I can keep the rest of the residence fairly chilly and still be quite comfortable sitting still to surf the net or watch some telly.
I promise to get back to a gardening topic in a few days; it's just hard to transition down from balls-to-the-wall horticulture. I have sort of enjoyed hanging out in the house for a bit, so bear with me until I get my priorities straight again.
Mostly I hide from the leaves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
