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Switching Gears

Category: Sharing the Joy with Others | Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:04 am

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My daycare kids and I took down much of our sunflower maze, harvesting the huge heads of seeds as we went. I cut big lengths of the stalks for them to carry, drag, and otherwise play with. Then they helped me put them in the compost pile. After all that, we put our sunflower heads on a table in the sun to await further instructions! (I need to quick research how to properly dry and roast the seeds.) We will be roasting sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds this week. MMMMM!

Next to harvest will be the amaranth. They say you can pop it, as well as bake it or serve it like a porridge or even like a rice. I'll look into that, too. One of my new students is allergic to a LOT of things, including corn, so we may just have stumbled on a replacement for popcorn! We will be very careful to research it first, then try only a little until we know its effect on him. I can't wait to taste popped amaranth!

Fennel seeds are ripening nicely. Too bad the squirrels got most of the fruit, that would've gone nicely together.

I finally gave up on nursing the old sour cherry tree. It had been coaxed back, giving us quart after quart of cherries and still leaving plenty for the birds, but, as the last two years came and went, it became too much of a struggle. The canker had girdled the tree, so I hired one of my tutoring students to chop it down, just like good ol' George Washington supposedly did!

No regrets. This is all part of the circle of life...Yes I will compost anything I can't use in my wood stove!

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Archie Lives On

Category: History and People | Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 2:06 pm

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I always find a way to tell people about others who are now gone. It's a way to honor them and keep them a part of our lives. Even though I never met Archie, I especially like to tell about him. He was my dad's best friend and was a couple of years younger, about the age of my dad's younger sister. Archie, Robert (my dad) and Margory (my aunt) were inseparable.
When they were children, my grandma (Lucky 13) would take them places and would often be asked if Archie and Margie were twins. She'd smile and say, "No, they're six months apart!", and leave it at that! Granted, in THIS day and age, a mother could pull that off, with the help of some doctors and incubators, but THEN?!
Archie was one who loved to gross people out. He put together a sandwich of grape jelly, abalone, gravy and white bread that turned the stomachs of all who witnessed him eating it. That's why he did it! After a while he actually enjoyed them. Hey, don't knock it, as they say...
The trio continued in their childhood rich with fun, friends and promise, until WW11 hit. Archie was 17 and he talked his folks into letting him join the navy. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor and was trained to be a gunner.
On that fateful day, long before I was born, Archie manned the gun turret on one of the doomed ships in the harbor. As one of the Japanese pilots realized his plane was going to crash, he aimed it straight for the ship. He hit Archie directly. The ship sank soon after.
I'd like to meet Archie someday. I know I would have liked him a lot. I even thought to include him in my parents' 50th anniversary celebration. We had a big graffiti board that people signed and added comments to. I put a little something down on Archie's behalf, thinking that Dad would be touched by it. Unlike me, he feels better trying to forget. The memory is too painful, even to this day. You have to really tune in to see when my dad is upset. He won't out and out say so, but I know he was. I'll respect that.




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Hybrid Homesteading...Just the Ticket

Category: Getting Back to My Roots | Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:36 pm

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I'd LOVE to just move out into the woods or the mountains, into a little cabin or an old house. My preference is a nineteen teens house, or even a Victorian. It's not that I don't love this house, because I do. Still, the thought of being secluded..no, nestled in nature's arms is very enticing. It's definitely in my future!

So...I do hybrid homesteading in the middle of semi-suburban Pasadena, MD. It does have its advantages...Pure homesteading might involve a generator, coming up with my own wind power, or something. I'd also probably have to be even more careful with electrical consumption.

Yesterday I thrived in my little not-quite-this, not-quite-that world. I puttered in the garden, harvesting pumpkins, early sunflower seedheads,a huge green pepper, lots of poblanos and jalapenos, a batch of green beans, two baby summer squashes, herbs and a lot of Malibar spinach. I then proceeded to dry, freeze, or eat them!

With the dehydrator running non-stop like you'd expect of an air conditioner, I am filling the cupboards fast. Fig crisps will be next. There's no better end to a day like that, than a plate of salad that has nothing in it but my own garden tasties.

Tomorrow I will have to step out into the world (to pay for some of these things!), then it's back to getting the fall garden off the ground. That'll be my third or fourth try at a decent fall garden. Here goes!

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Welcome to the JJJJ-Jungle

Category: Getting Back to My Roots | Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 1:30 am

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..as the song goes. I've been lucky enough to add several students to my family daycare (I now have 5 3 year olds and 2 8 year olds), all the while being blessed with a busy entertainment season. The result is that my stomach is no longer tied in knots about money (for the first time in years), but I am getting incredibly busy and TIRED!

The yard and gardens have been showing it. Once I gave in to the temptation of all-day air-conditioning, that didn't help either! I took a sobering look at the place yesterday and resolved to get down to business! So I weeded everything in sight today! I ruthlessly finished yanking out the Trip L Crops and I went on a wonderful treasure hunt for Rutgers tomatoes nestled happily in the tangled wilderness that was once so carefully maintained. The two huge baskets of round, red, luscious tomatoes helped ease the guilt of having been so laissez faire about weeding and keeping up with staking the veggies.

Now a bit sparse, but tidy, the veggie garden is navigable, even with the several pumpkins growing there. There are still green beans, Malabar Spinach, basil, anchos, at least a dozen Rutgers and several new starts that will now have homes. My dog, Wilbur, decided that the new spaciousness of the garden meant the old rule of staying out of the garden must not apply! OH YES IT DOES! He was quite adorable, though. Spiffy and Charlotte remembered the rules and stayed at the edge. Good girls!

The herb garden should have been harvested at least twice now. At least it's weeded again. I usually make a HUGE mess in the kitchen when I bring the herbs in and dry them. There just hasn't been time, what with the daycare parents expecting the place to be tidy and all!!!!! I'll make time soon. Luckily I can continue to dry the tomatoes, which has proven to be a very easy and non-messy process. The hard part is having some left after my son and I snack on them! Blackberries are still in need of daily vigilance. Soon I'll actually be able to save some for jam!

The persimmon tree has three persimmons on it! Please, squirrels, don't eat them! The figs are going full tilt, so they'll be the next thing to dry.

This is the time of the year when I resolve to stay on top of things through the dog days of summer next year. Here's hoping!




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A Sad End to a Great Friendship

Category: Sharing the Joy with Others | Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:17 pm

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A horrible accident befell our butterflies yesterday, on the day they were to be released. It's so sad. I had been acclimating them to the outdoors by putting them near outside or actually outside in a shaded area. My daycare kids and I had studiously prepared ourselves for the honor of being their care givers. We watched the instructional video that came with the caterpillar kit. We kept referring to the little information pamphlet. We even googled information on Painted Ladies butterflies. We even kept logs of their progress!

As usual, I had lovingly set the butterflies outside...this time on the front porch. It gets very little sun in the early part of the day and, when the sun got to the point of being direct they would have been protected under the table that sits there. Kyle (my 8 year old nephew), worried about his little friends, moved them to a shady spot by the front door. This spot only stays shady for a short time. A couple of hours later, while heading out to check the mail in the 90 plus degree heat, I exclaimed in horror that they were dead. (They were all exposed to the sun and laying on the bottom of the little "butterfly hotel.")

Of course I realized instantly that I shouldn't have let Kyle hear that. So, I did the only thing I could. I said I'd open the habitat outside and leave them in a shady place to recoup...."Perhaps they were just stunned." Then I quietly and gently placed them in the mint garden to 'rest in peace', being careful to hide them. The next part is just short of LYING! I came inside and proudly showed Kyle the empty butterfly habitat. He assumed they had recouped and flown off. I plan to let him believe that because it would devastate him to know he caused their demises. He was riddled with guilt as it was.

We did, however have a serious talk about checking with the grown up at all times about whether or not an action will be safe or not. I did so wish they could have had their freedom. What do they say about good intentions and roads?

Last edited: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:20 pm

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Dog Days of Summer? Depends on Your Perspective!

Category: Getting Back to My Roots | Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:10 pm

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I just can't let go of my summer garden, not that most of it needs it yet. Some of my neighbors are losing interest and abandoning theirs already, especially now that it's getting so hot. My cucumbers, however, have finally gotten sick enough (and I've finally gotten sick enough of fresh cucs) that I was able to ruthlessly yank them out of the garden and replace them with some young runner bean plants that were waiting for their turn. I also transplanted some Malabar Spinach and lined the edge of the garden with my rather tall Poblano transplants and some Jalapenos. Presto changeo, the tangled mess of a jungle is starting to look civilized again! The tomatoes are coming in (big time), the sunflowers are bowing their full heads and the pumpkins and winter squashes are slowly starting to ripen. Very soon the summer squashes will vacate their spots for something else. All that's left is to (once again) tie in the tomato plants.

My reward? All that weeding and digging made me VERY hungry, so I held a couple of tomatoes under the sprinkler and ate them like apples. MMMMMMMM! I walked by the blackberries and stopped for a moment to grab a few to pop into my mouth, then decided to peek at the fig trees. THEY HAD SOME FRUIT!!!! It's early, but three or four were ripe, so I ATE THEM TOO!! Before long we'll be making candied figs with a recipe (I googled it last year) that is over a hundred years old. That's when all self control goes out the window!

Some of the blackberries were put aside for drying, along with some store bought blueberries and strawberries (catch a sale and its worth it). If you've never dried sliced strawberries, you should! It's easy and DELICIOUS!

Last Christmas I gave gifts of dried herb blends. It's time to prep the herbs again, but this time I'd like to keep some for myself!!! You can google Mrs. Dash and Emeril's Essence recipes, as well as African Curry and Greek Seasoning. I'll be stocking the shelves with those, too.

The perennial veggies I recently bought from the Canadian company are doing fine, too young to transplant, but adorable and full of promise! The kale, carrots and arugula are still doing okay, probably because they're in a partially shaded garden.

I can't figure out why I have to force myself to mow the grass in this heat, but can spend half the day digging and weeding in the garden?!


Last edited: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:14 pm

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All Aflutter...Almost

Category: Sharing the Joy with Others | Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:48 pm

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Well...I never do things the easy way...but that makes life fun, albeit a bit messy. As far as I'm concerned, it a child shows interest in a subject, we will learn about it. Over the years I've become a temporary expert on jets, tanks, snakes, sharks, dinosaurs, all because a child led the way.
Our eldest daycare student, Kyle, age 8, is now into caterpillars. It started about 2 weeks ago, when he discovered a very unique, extremely fuzzy tan caterpillar on our outside climber. He immediately became attached and literally adopted it! Of course he wanted to put it in a jar or a coffee can and "take care of it". I don't even want to think of the countless little creatures that have died that way, baking outside...forgotten in the hot sun. So, I suggested that Kyle find a nice home for the caterpillar in the oak tree that towers over the climber. I said he probably would eat that kind of leaf. Kyle was not prepared for the little guy to disappear amongst the leaves...He literally grieved for the rest of the day.
Always one for finding a solution, I suggested that we order some caterpillars or google the kinds that are found in MD and look for some more. After two weeks, our Painted Ladies caterpillars came. We are even keeping cute little logs about their progress! Its a great activity for all of the kids. Yesterday the caterpillars started forming their chrysalids and will be moving to their new "digs", the butterfly house. The kids are excited, the moms are a bit grossed out, but tolerant!
Kyle even found two more little black caterpillars yesterday! They were respectfully left outside at the end of our play time. We still check the parsley and fennel every day for Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars, but, probably due to those long weeks of coolness and rain, none yet.
I think we should try ladybugs the next time... then I'll build up to being able to do the same with Praying Mantes, without screaming or making a face!
I'm glad Aiden, one of the two witnesses to Jake the Snake, is perfectly happy with his growing collection of TOY snakes!

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Hands Across the Water..Hands Across the Sea

Category: Sharing the Joy with Others | Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:22 am

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(Like the old Paul McCartney song goes...) I have been researching permaculture as it relates to vegetables and have discovered some incredible things! I googled perennial vegetables and eventually tripped over some names that weren't the standard items one usually sees on that list. When I saw Good King Henry and found out it was basically like a year round spinach, I was intrigued. A little later, after more goggling....Perennial Broccoli...WHAT?!!!! Yep, a plant called Nine Star.To me it seemed like a cauliflower and some have called it that. (Even better!) I was impressed! Then came Perennial Kale. Amazing! As I got deeper into this world of unusual perennials, I began seeing more and more UK and French websites and forums.... So I had a chat with a few people on an Irish forum. Someone on that forum was searching for perennial veggies, so she and I exchanged info.

So, here I am, wondering how you mail a seed order form to BC, Canada, the wonderful nursery that has most of these unusual perennials. I'll find out tomorrow at the post office!

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A Child's Mini Wonder House!

Category: Sharing the Joy with Others | Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 3:39 pm

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I've been trying to add more play places to our back yard. Money is always a factor, so no fancy stuff. The other day I found a great idea. It's basically for a willow or forsythia house! The cool thing is that it is a year round structure. The article I read said that seasonal dooryard gardens could be planted next to its "door", an opening. In fact, why not make a vine door out of a piece of lattice or something? The door would not move and would be open, but it would add to the effect. Depending on the time of year, bulbs, annuals,etc. could be in the little dooryard garden. If the willows had an internal pvc pipe support, or had some willow branches added for horizontal support, perhaps some windows and all-weather curtains could be added. Very small bushes could even adorn the "front yard" of the structure. I favor the non-flowering structure ideas, to be sure there are minimal encounters with bees in an enclosed area. Positioned near the Sunflower maze,it would provide hours of fun! I hope I fit!!!!

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The Supreme Compliment

Category: Sharing the Joy with Others | Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 3:24 pm

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Over the Independence Day weekend I did what I'm used to doing...I worked and puttered. Friday and Saturday were spent literally clowning around (I'm a clown) at local events. Believe it or not,several hours in a full clown costume in the sun, face painting and making balloons may be a lot of fun, but it's tiring! So, what did I do to relax afterwards? I puttered in the garden with my three dogs close by. Now that's bliss. Of course there was a lot of sitting and watching the garden grow, too!

Several of the neighbors were having a get-together on their back deck next door. The first thing on my agenda was to harvest. So there I was, in my comfortably frumpy garden clothes, with cucumbers and squash hanging out of the pockets! There's nothing better than having several hours to play in the dirt! This group of neighbors is actually focused around 4 men who love to compete with each other, share great ideas, talk sports and yard work...etc. The women kind of group together and the men do the same.

When I first moved here 10 years ago I knew next to nothing about yard work and gardening. Slowly I have learned and am still learning. As I was busying myself in the garden on the 4th I was honored with the recognition that these neighbor guys usually reserve for each other. It was brief and simple, but a nice surprise.... One of the neighbors announced that I could grow anything (I wish) and he asked me how I do it.I was so honored I could only smile and stammer. He announced that I needed to come and touch all of their gardens (some sort of a good luck charm, I guess! The funny part is that they all have fantastic vegetable gardens!

As someone who is self-emplayed and who kind of stays to herself, it was nice to get some recognition...although I garden for other, perhaps more selfish reasons...the joy of plucking a fresh fruit or veggie and popping it into my mouth!...Or, the serene, beautiful green private world that a garden creates...Still...it was nice to be one of "the guys" for a brief moment!



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