lulu1107's Blog at GardenStew.com

Switching Gears

lulu1107 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:04:10 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:04 pm (GMT 0)

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!

Archie Lives On

lulu1107 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:06:31 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:06 pm (GMT 0)

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.

Hybrid Homesteading...Just the Ticket

lulu1107 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:36:06 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 12:36 pm (GMT 0)

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!

Welcome to the JJJJ-Jungle

lulu1107 — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:30:51 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 12:30 am (GMT 0)

..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!

A Sad End to a Great Friendship

lulu1107 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:17:40 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:17 pm (GMT 0)

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?

Dog Days of Summer? Depends on Your Perspective!

lulu1107 — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:10:15 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:10 pm (GMT 0)

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?!

All Aflutter...Almost

lulu1107 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:48:32 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 11:48 am (GMT 0)

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!

Hands Across the Water..Hands Across the Sea

lulu1107 — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:22:33 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:22 am (GMT 0)

(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!

A Child's Mini Wonder House!

lulu1107 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:39:33 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:39 pm (GMT 0)

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!!!!

The Supreme Compliment

lulu1107 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:24:50 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:24 pm (GMT 0)

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!

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemonade!

lulu1107 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:49:36 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:49 pm (GMT 0)

You know the expression... When life gives you lemons. How true it has been for me! As a self-employed person, I've had to think outside of the box many times. So...what to do about the fact that I went through yet another spring without being successful at growing cabbage, brussels sprouts and cauliflower? Actually, the broccoli didn't do well, either. Hmmmm.... I've researched things and I have at least two factors against me...soil that tends to be acidic, due to the nearby oak (I may not be liming enough to compensate), and the garden probably is infected with clubroot. Could white fly also be a problem?
There are a couple of ways to handle this... One, put together a raised bed elsewhere. Okay, that's on the agenda for late summer (fall garden).Two, eat the plants as sprouts instead. Why not just sprout them?! Aparently broccoli sprouts are quite a bit more nutritious than their full-grown counterparts.
Problem solved.Yippie!!!

Sustainability... Yeah, We Can Do That!

lulu1107 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:03:11 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:03 pm (GMT 0)

I'm ashamed to admit I've been playing favorites with my new veggie garden and my old one is feeling a bit put off! The old garden is 50+ percent partial shade, which makes it less than ideal for some of the more popular veggies.
The new veggie garden is in a primo sunny spot and is thriving, chock full of broccoli raab, 4 kinds of tomatoes, at least four kinds of peppers, several kinds of eggplant, several pumpkins, green beans, summer squash, Proso Millet, Golden Amaranth, garlic and tall vining cucumbers. The neighboring sunflower maze is now almost as tall as me!
I've been growing mizuna, kale, peas, lettuce, mesclun mix, several mustards in the old garden.With the summer heat, its time to re-do it. This would be my first 3 season year, if I pull it off!
Recently I decided to transition the old garden to a perennial veggie garden. Bountiful Gardens (California company) has really neat stuff like Old King Henry, a leafy perennial veggie that dates back to the middle ages.It's like spinach. I'll also add French Sorrel, Perpetual Spinach, Rhubarb and Sweet Cicely to my existing Jerusalem Artichokes, Lovage, Egyptian Walking Onion, Welsh Onion, asparagus and strawberries. Presto changeo, I'm now in love with the old garden again!!! Each of these perennials can take a little partial shade and they are all hardy to at least my zone, 7. Never give up! There's always a way!
The herb garden has taken on an Italian countryside personality of its own. Its at the sunniest, hottest side of the house, surrounded on all but one side by driveway or stucco. Hot and dry, just the way they they like it! To the established herbs I added six artichokes, from seed. They are looking impressive with their erect, jagged, silvery tinged leaves. The 5 kinds of Lavender are bursting with white or purple flowers and teeming with bees. The Greek Oregano is actually looking like a bush. Time for us to put it together with the little bit of Basil that I have and some of the pile of Italian Garlic I just harvested to patiently await the arrival of some tomatoes for a great pizza or sketti sauce. The Tansy and Rosemary are also helping to keep bad bugs off the "floor" of my veggie garden. I've strewn their leaves there and it's working!
Each year we are getting closer to being able to cover a major portion of our food needs with our garden. Keep reading, Rhonda...Yep, I could be a modern day pioneer, with some work and a few dozen pointers!

We Will Rise Above Territorial Disputes and Heckling!

lulu1107 — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:37:10 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:37 am (GMT 0)

The daycare kids and I have been checking our containers, the herb garden, salad garden, orchard and veggie garden daily. Somewhere along the line, probably after several days in a row of sampling, the two year old has decided that the strawberry harvest is HIS! When my 22 year old son got wind of this, he made it clear that the strawberries are HIS! Luckily, the containers are the ones ready for harvest right now and the blueberry patch's alpine and musk strawberry ground covers will be ready to eat soon!

Meanwhile, I've made a couple of slip-ups with the salads. What's an occasional oak catkin or beetle in the grand scheme of things, anyway!!!! The daycare kids and I harvested some salad yesterday. They each took turns practicing their scissor skills, cutting one leaf at a time and putting it in the bowl. (That's where all of my gardener's patience serves me well!) We washed it, added some fresh peas (also from the garden), a few other things, and began digging in. I, of course, served up big plates to my two kids as well. My 17 year old daughter begged me to please serve her something canned soon, because she had dutifully "forced this stuff down for you" for weeks now!!!! That wasn't the end of it, though. My kids started making casual remarks to the daycare kids about finding various creepy crawlies coming out of their recent salads!!! (I've gotten VERY thorough and I think I've got a good system now.) Luckily, my sweet little daycare kids kept munching away, proud that they had grown this fine salad from seed to plate. Haaa haa, Jeremy and Cassie, you sassy chips off the old block, you!!

Accidental Gardener

lulu1107 — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:25:29 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 2:25 pm (GMT 0)

My sister, Nina, called this morning and, as usual, we chatted away for a while. The conversation got to plants after I lamented the fact that, these days, I always seem to be talking about work, paying bills or trying to replace my car! ...or plants...I added to the conversation.
That immediately focused our chat on some mystery herbs that she needed identified, so I took a whack at it. "This one has small blue flowers at the top and the leaves are green, but a bit fuzzy." "Are they oval?" "Oh, sounds like Sage," I said. "You can use that in poultry and stuffing dishes." Then she asked about ones that looked like green sticks with little stick-leaves coming out of them. I asked her to smell it. "Does it smell like stuffing or pork roast seasoning?" "Ah, its probably Rosemary. Does it look like a little pine?" Then I suggested she use an infusion of it as a hair rinse, or put it in a spray bottle as a bug repellent or natural disinfectant.
These two herbs were lucky. My sister's style of plant care suited them perfectly!!! Apparently, a long-forgotten pumpkin also "evolved" into little plants, so, of course I asked for one or two! I think the plethora of farming genes we have in our family just might be waiting to be "switched on" in my sister! If I'm wrong, she can definitely handle the cooking and I'll supply the herbs!

Great Day in the Sun............flowers

lulu1107 — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:24:42 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:24 pm (GMT 0)

I think the bug has bitten my daycare student named Jamie. Not only did she bring her banana peel to daycare (to be composted out back), but she and I single-handedly put the young sunflower plants into their proper places and set up our maze! Its simple, with basically only one L shaped leg and a secret "room" at the end, but it still took almost 30 plants. Its a good thing we love sunflower seeds! Hope the bunny will help us eat some...KNOW the birds will!

In my mind's eye I can see the kids frolicking and hiding amongst the towering plants with huge, bright flowers perched happily overhead. That's half the fun of gardening...anticipating what is to come. Now for the "layering". Next we'll plant edible amaranth all along the outside of the maze to help keep the boundaries well defined... We'll finally have some fun hide and seek places as well.

I'll be sure to take some pictures of the kids enjoying their maze this summer. It is proving to be an original, inexpensive, simple, relatively quick play yard project that I'm hoping will provide lots of hours of imaginative play. We'll soon see.

Bad Mulberry News

lulu1107 — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:41:24 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 5:41 am (GMT 0)

Well, I won't be screaming with joy about the Mulberry finally bearing fruit THIS year. There's always next year. There's lots of good news, though.
My kids borrowed a tiller from their dad as my mother's day gift. I was dragged and zigzaged all over the garden by that thing until I got the hang of it! I plan to put Quinoa, Amaranth and Millet there.

The Seckel Pear and French Petite Plum arrived and are settling into their new homes. I also planted a Salal (used to be used to add to buffalo meat by Native Americans), which gets pretty big in the shade and has tasty berries. Not far away from that is the new Oregon Grape.

This is the first year I've had a cool season crop. It's coming along very nicely, filled with peas, India greens, mitzuna, kale, lettuce, mesclun, carrots, radishes, Italian dandelion, corn salad and more, all neatly arranged.

Basil and artichokes are now peppered into the side garden near some thriving herbs. I added more lavender, some southernwood, another hardy rosemary, some lemon verbena, Egyptian mint and lemon grass.

This year's tomato garden is hopefully going to be tall (trip-l-crops)and will be accompanied by eggplants, cucumbers, green beans and several kinds of peppers, including anchos.

My son tasted the first fresh radish from the garden. Won't be long until harvest season! Let's not rush it, though. Half of the fun is in the preparation!

Grandpa Gonzales's Yellow Trunk

lulu1107 — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:21:41 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 5:21 am (GMT 0)

My mom and I were talking today.Somehow, the conversation got around to inherited traits and conditions. My mother then made the comment she usually makes, that she doesn't know much about her mother and father. She says it so matter-of-factly.

My mother was born in Detroit, Michigan, daughter of two immigrants from Galicia, Spain. They had been farmers who had fled during the civil unrest there in the 30's. By the time she was two, she had lost her mother to complications during a gall bladder surgery. Her father, unable to read or write (in English or Spanish) made the decision to send my mother and her infant brother to be raised by relatives.

She apparently cried a lot. Who wouldn't?! In that same matter-of-fact voice, she has told me about her aunt, who put a pillow over her head to quiet her crying once.

She and my uncle ended up in Riverside, California, raised by her father's sister and her husband. I still have fond memories of that person, my great aunt. We always called her Grandma Fernandez. I bragged to my friends that I had extra grandparents! I'll never forget Grandma's arroz con pollo, or her chocolate cake (from scratch) and ice cold milk from a glass jug. Grandma Fernandez was a tough cookie. Every morning she tended her garden faithfully...no easy feat in a town that was carved out of the desert! She also walked everywhere.

I have always wished I knew more about my mother's parents. Apparently I look like my Grandma Gonzales, Anuncia (Nancy).When my Grandpa Gonzales died in the mid 1960's he had been keeping company with a woman who helped him with his reading, writing and day-to-day things. Slowly, this woman had gotten my Grandpa to put his "X" on the deed to his house, bank accounts, etc. Nothing was left when he died, but his yellow trunk. I like to believe that he died not knowing what she had done.

Even though the circumstances behind the arrival of the yellow trunk are sad, I'm so grateful it made its way to us. It is filled with old photos, letters, postcards, etc....all written in Spanish and all reflecting a happier time, decades before Grandpa's death.

My mom, after so much loss and hardship, met the love of her life, my dad, married him in Reno and honeymooned in Vegas. Even my Dad's mom (Lucky 13) said it probably wouldn't last. They had known each other a month! It did last and has passed the 50 year mark. In spite of the tough beginning, Mom is one of the most level-headed, generous-hearted people I know.

When it's all said and done, the memories others have of us are our real legacies.When we nurture those memories by telling the stories, we keep the family tree alive and strong.

Sharing the Joy...This Is a Bit Too Much!

lulu1107 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:42:58 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:42 pm (GMT 0)

My daycare children and I have been enjoying our time outside. For the first time this year, we left the side door open, with only the screen door closed. The sun was shining and we had lots to dig in and play with out in the garden and yard. Finally we decided to come in for a drink and some lunch.
I distractedly paced over to the kitchen, announced that I needed the kids to put their shoes by the door...blah, blah, blah...the usual. Ian, always one to speak his mind promptly, asked, "What is that?" He was pointing to a very long, but admittedly beautiful, sleek Black Rat snake!!!! I couldn't even wrap my head around what my eyes had seen at first!
So, in a forced calm voice, I firmly told the kids to step out onto the porch. I grabbed a toy tub and inverted it over the snake, placing something heavy on the top, all the while calling to my daughter to come help. I poked my head out the door to check on the two kids and I spotted my senior neighbor, Nancy. Without hesitation I called her over to help. "I need you, NOW!" (This was especially delicious, because she calls me over on the spot a lot!)
Next thing I know, Nancy (the neighbor) was sweeping the snake out the door! After only two screams (me, not the snake), the poor little thing (okay, not so little) quickly disappeared under the front steps and hid there the rest of the day! I wonder who was more scared...it or me!
Once I convinced the kids that they could indeed put their feet down and that all was well, we continued with our day. You can bet I googled the topic of snakes at nap time till I was just short of an expert on the subject!
That was Friday. Guess what one of the kids wanted to google today? Jake the snake! (It helps to put a name to something, I think!) Apparently, black rat snakes are great climbers and like White Oak trees (yes, I have one.) Either he came in through the bottom of the screen door after climbing the wooden steps, or he came up from the basement after hibernating there!!! I'm going to live in a fantasy world and choose to believe he came in through the screen door.
Well, I guess that wonderful habitat I've been nurturing right outside my home is welcoming to all sorts of flora, fauna, man and beast! I'll just have to get used to it.

If This House Could Talk!!!

lulu1107 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:54:27 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 6:54 pm (GMT 0)

If walls could talk, as they say....Apparently there is quite a story behind my simple little stucco Cape Cod house. My neighbor, Nancy, likes to map out the history of the neighborhood often. I'm glad she repeats the tale, because there are so many details to keep track of that I need it repeated!
On September 11, 2001, my daughter and I pulled into the driveway to take a look at the house. We were immediately drawn to the huge red roses at the side of the house and the towering oak in the back. As we looked at each other to confirm that THIS WAS IT, a man came running out of the house yelling some unbelievable things. I remember thinking that the "seller" had to be nuts. I'll never forget that day.
In 1950 a nice man, a contractor who worked for Dupont, built this place lovingly and THOROUGHLY out of cement block. Years later, the basement waterproofing company I hired to put in drain tiles in the basement nearly had a fit about the thickness of the foundation cement!They tried to add 2,000.00 to the bill, too. Anyway,the builder and his wife bought the land from a sweet lady who had just subdivided her farm property. Pasadena, MD used to be covered with strawberry farms and this had been one of them.
It's amazing who still has ties to that sweet lady, even after several properties resulting from that original farm have changed hands a few times over the last almost 60 years. Her child's son now owns the house next door. I was given that piece of the puzzle by his wife a few weeks ago quite by accident.
The ruins of two farm wagons sit at the far end of my property, too heavy to move. I'm glad I had to put some thought into what was to happen to them. They are both so old. It would be sad to see them in a dump. I think the answer is to refurbish them into planter tables (with really cool wheels instead of legs) and put them back into good use.
I'd love to know who and what the huge White Oak has shaded over the years. It goes back a LOT further than the house and perhaps even the farm. I do know, that the guy who built this place planted a cherry tree (I nursed it back to productive health a couple of years ago), some var. Euonymous hedging, Rhododendrum, Dogwoods and Russian Honeysuckle. I kept what I could and it formed the backbone of my yard.
To me, this is a cottage and I've planned the landscape accordingly. I wove edibles and ornamentals around each other, inter-planting to be able to fit what I needed in. I do regret the Rosa Rugosa hedge at the front, simply because I can't seem to make it look robust enough...probably coddling it too much.
Like cottage "folk" of years gone by, I'll make rosehip jam, dry herbs, pick veggies for my dinner...Home sweet home.

Things Are Coming Along Nicely

lulu1107 — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:38:54 -0400

Author: lulu1107
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:38 pm (GMT 0)

The first place my tutoring and daycare students seem to look, as they come into my house, is towards our table farm! The Areogarden actually looks as ample and full as the ads show! Every day, for several days now, one of my preschoolers announces that a sunflower seedling has let go of the seed! I explained that the seedlings come out of the seed, then begin to grow their leaves, pushing the seed case up with them as they grow. Soon, the seed falls off of the seedling.In a few weeks we can plant them out, designing our maze as we go.
It's funny...what they tune in to and what they tune out. I put a really sweet movie on, The Secret Garden... nothing. A little dirt, a few seeds and BAM!(Actually, I'd rather play in the dirt, too.)
Our radishes, peas, greens, strawberries (leaves) are peeping out of the soil. The American Cranberry bushes have decided to bloom this year and have shown their little beaded buds. I screamed with delight like a little girl when I saw that! If my Contorted Mulberry actually bears fruit this year, I'm sure YOU will ALL hear my screams of pure joy, sans internet!!! Seven years till fruiting...now that requires some patience.
I've decided to add amaranth and quinoa to our sunflower maze. As I understand it, one of them is a cool season crop and the other prefers warmer soil. We'll figure out a way to do it. I do my best thinking standing out in the garden (after some research), scratching my head, staring for endless moments at possibilities, talking out loud to myself, and...probably scaring the neighbors!!!