gardenlog

Summer

2011-07-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's 75 degrees with a breeze and mostly sunny skies at 12:15 pm.

June Flowers

2011-06-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor Totoro! He and his friends are making all the flowers and trees grow. I suspect they are making it rain too, because they are close allies with Slammy.

Columbine

Bleeding Heart

48 degrees and cloudy at 8:00 pm.

It's Alive, Part II

2011-05-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's Alive

2011-05-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

(45 degrees, cloudy and calm at 9:00 am)

Many of the flowers are coming back to life, and the roses and trees are leafing out, though the snowberry is still bare and most of the herbs are dormant.

Here are some of the many green things coming up.

Grass

Garlic and onions

Chives and daffodils

Bleeding heart

Lily

Raspberry

2011-04-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

April Flowers

2011-04-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hello March!

2011-03-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

It's a snowy start to the month when spring begins. These pictures look dark, but it's actually very bright out there, which makes my inner gardener wake up and think about digging in the dirt.

The gardens are not ready for planting.

But they will be soon!

It's 34 degrees, snowing and winds calm at 9:30 am.

Tracks in the snow

2011-02-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

What are they?

Crabapple

2011-02-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

The crabapples are hanging on for the birds.

I Spy a Chickadee

2011-01-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

See if you can find the Chickadee in this photo taken by JJ.

Thank you everyone for your comments, I didn't realize comment moderation was enabled, so I just read them today.

It's 19 degrees and overcast at about 11:00 am. Low of -3 last night. Snow is expected tonight.

Snow snow everywhere

2011-01-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

It's another snowy winter. I thought maybe we would be living in Hawaii by now, but since we're still here, why not continue the blog?

The moose have been visiting us, and I put up some pictures on Lounging About. The birds have also been here, and I'm feeding them sunflower seeds.

The temperatures have been fluctuating a lot, and the weather goes from pleasantly fresh and moist to uncomfortably icy and dry. The trees sure look pretty when it's cold enough for the snow to stick to them though. The crabapple tree was all bent over in this picture, like a weeping cherry, but it sprang back up miraculously when it thawed out.

It's 37 degrees and lightly drizzling at 11:00 am.

The End

2009-11-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

I'm all done! It's been about a year and a half since I started gardenlog, to observe and record the North Idaho seasons, critters, plants and gardening adventures. It's been great fun, and I've loved taking all the pictures. But now it's time for something new. Thank you for reading, and for your wonderful comments.

Fall colors and patterns

2009-11-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

This log is embossed with an intricate maze of worm tunnels.

This is one of those times when I realize that we aren't that clever, our best designs are just copies of things that exist in nature.

This view looks to me like salmon swimming upstream, what are those worms up to?

It's not even winter yet and I've had enough

2009-11-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

This cheers me up. Why can't it always be spring?

It's 45 degrees, and partly sunny at 1:45 pm.

Cat tricks

2009-11-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

The face of an angel. Today Snoodly jumped on my lap and simultaneously put his paw on my lunch. I almost thought it was an accident. But now I remember he's done it before! He's got some moves, that's for sure. It doesn't get him the food, but it does get him a tasty paw to lick. Snoodly casts a long shadow

Woolly thyme

Rusty's favorite log

It's 44 degrees and sunny today with 35% humidity at 1:20 pm.

It's Cold, It's Dark, It's November!

2009-11-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Larch are a deeper gold now, almost done for the year. When they first change to bright golden yellow, they remind me of a Christmas ornament I grew up with. It was a little glass tree with gold trim, old and delicate.
We had a little snow a few days ago, but nothing stuck. It's been mostly cold and damp, when it's not cold and dry, enough to keep the fire going continuously. I love hanging out in the house, but I do feel healthier when I force myself to go outside.
There's a coyote prowling around, no doubt after the scent of our cats and their cat food. Rusty was in the kitchen and caught sight of him outside and then shot across the room and up the stairs. I hope he doesn't get the kitties, we should probably move them inside, but they're so rambunctious and messy. And who would catch all the mice in the garage? Snoodly is almost as big as Rusty now, he's a fine Tiger beast, and I think he will surpass Rusty soon.

October chill

2009-10-03T15:40:00.000-07:00

This guy was fascinated with our clothesline. It kind of looks like he was really just posing for pictures. I love the way moose look like they're smiling, with their mouths, and their eyes.
He and mom stopped by for a drink and a snack from the willows. (The white blanket is covering the new flower bed in the foreground.)
The deer come daily, nightly. They've made a mess of my new flower bed. But how can I be mad at them for long with faces like that? One night I heard clicking and clacking outside the bedroom window and looked out to see two young fellas sparring, while a younger one grazed on grass a few feet away. It looked like the teenagers were babysitting, and trying to have some fun on the job. It isn't hard to relate to these creatures and love them.

It isn't hard to hate them either. I have to cover the flowers with the white blanket day and night to protect them from the destructive little beasts. Yeah, that's what I wanted, a view of a white blanket from my kitchen window.

It wasn't me, you can't prove it, nobody saw me do it.

The weather has finally cooled down, after a warm September. First frost wasn't until September 21st. But now it's cold enough to have the fire going. We've got wood from a big Ponderosa that fell, and we're buying some more birch.

Of course now is when I realize I've got to paint the cabinet! That zero voc paint I got from Sherwin Williams seems to absorb odors, or go bad. I think the Bioshield stuff is ok, I should've stuck to using that.

I've been getting my mercury amalgam fillings removed. It's a great relief to me to get that poison out of there. As much as I hate the dentist, it's difficult for me to get all this work done, but way overdue. I'm doing what I can to detox and get the mercury out. I certainly seem to have all the symptoms of someone with poisoning--tremors! Vision problems. And many more. Yikes, why didn't any doctor mention that? I hate doctors, they are beyond stupid! They never, ever help! The only thing you can do to improve your health is to help yourself, be your own doctor.

It's a good time to start walking. It's also a good time for a road trip! I've been watching the National Park show---A Film by Ken Burns (don't you forget it!)---and it has reminded me of all the parks we visited on our big road trips back in 1999-2000, before we moved to Idaho. What an adventure. We went to the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Arches, Yellowstone, Teton, Mt. Rainier, Crater Lake, and a bunch of state parks too. Those were the days. What happened to our adventurous spirit? Now we can't get off the couch. We traded it all in for 10 acres and a nice house. Our cars have over 200,000 miles on them, could we even make the trip if we wanted to? There's only one way to find out. So, will it be Glacier? Or Mt. Rainier again? I think the desert sounds good, I love rocks. And sun. Then again, I love big trees too. We'll just have to do another big circuit.

It's 52 degrees, sunny and windy.

Seattle

2009-09-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Hogwarts. Nah, it's just the library at the University of Washington. But it feels like Hogwarts inside, with a huge stone staircase that just might start moving.

The University was founded in 1861, which is old for these parts. The buildings are magnificent and make you feel about two feet tall.
There's a wonderful pool with a fountain, surrounded by rose gardens and more magnificent buildings.
Herbology, I mean Biology.
Looks pretty good on a sunny day. But remember, this is Seattle, blue sky is not going to be the norm.

Our student tour guide told us that you can see Mt. Rainier from this spot when the conditions are right (we wondered if that ever happened) and that this was deemed the best view of the mountain by someone or other a long time ago and a law was enacted to protect it from obstruction. Now that's my kind of law. I can imagine sitting here, gazing at the view while pondering my herbology thesis.

What a huge school though, a little bit overwhelming. And some of the architecture is very 70s: Butt ugly. The dorms we saw looked like cell blocks. I guess the austere feeling goes away when 42,000 students are milling around, but I think we need to look at some smaller, cozier schools for comparison. Thanks to Jr. for taking all the pictures.

We couldn't go to Seattle without visiting IKEA and Trader Joe's. We got Slammy a new bed and had to put roof racks on the car to get it home. While we were dealing with this, Jr. got to sit in that red sports car at a Nissan dealership, which he admits was the highlight of the trip for him.
Rusty got in the bag I was airing out on the porch after the trip. Ofcourse as soon as I came out to take his picture he got out of the bag to greet me, so I made him get back in and he sat there agreeably, posing for pictures. Anything for attention.
It's 79 degrees, 23 % humidity and clouding over at 3:30 pm.

A Miracle Has Occurred

2009-09-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

Red tomatoes! Those little "Siberias" win the prize, they're small but mighty. 'Course the greenhouse helped too. I think I'll make some more salsa tonight. Here's how I've been doing it: First I drop the maters in hot water to remove the skin, then I chop them up and add chopped onions and cilantro and a sprinkle of salt. Please share your favorite recipe if you have one. Oh! I didn't plant hot peppers this year (a lost cause usually) they would be good in there too.

Bees bees and more bees

2009-09-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

The cilantro is covered in honeybees, and below this are strawberries, covered in yellow jackets.

Does this remind you of a motorcyle cop?
Just coming in for a landing when I took this picture of an orange cosmos.
We have more honeybees than ever this year, it's wonderful to see them all. They're mostly on the cilantro, lavender, and mint; all herbs with hundreds of little flowers. I wonder what herb honey tastes like, mmmm, I think it must be pretty tasty.

Butterfly bush

2009-09-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Harvest Time

2009-08-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

The past week has been wet and cool, with highs only reaching 70 degrees, and lots of thunderstorms. I decided to enclose the greenhouse again, just in case. Wheat farmers are none too happy about the rain, but it was a joy and great relief to me. I'm concentrating on sending it down south to where they really need it now.

The harvest includes some nice yellow potatoes, swiss chard, carrots, beans, onions and zucchini and lo and behold, a bit of lettuce that survived the heat. The fenced garden is much cooler, and better for crops like lettuce, I must remember that next year. Tomatoes in the greenhouse are still green. Having a bit of trouble with the soaker hose watering in the greenhouse. It seems to be bypassing the beans and a few others, leaving them thirsty, while flooding other areas. Very tricky business, watering. No wonder farmers flood their fields, it's the only way to ensure everything gets a good drink.

The sunflowers are about 5 ft. tall in the garden. A few volunteers came up elsewhere, but the deer beheaded them. They must be salivating over those ones behind the fence. I don't know if they'll have time to bloom, we only have a couple of weeks left before the first frost.

The chillier nights have turned some leaves already.

The Echinacea and Rudbeckia are becoming more cone like as summer winds down.

But some of the flowers still look fresh as a daisy:

Calendula

Poppy

Nasturtium

Prairie Mallow (I ordered this from Guerneys and it was supposed to be bright red).

Moje Hammarberg Rose and Heliopsis

This rose is "a more compact and flowerful version of Hansa" and has a strong spicy scent which is heavenly. It's a Rugosa grown on its own root, so it's practically indestructible. My favorite rose, so far. I also love the Heliopsis and picked up a couple more this year. It looks sunflowery but the deer leave it alone.

The hunting party. They followed me around as I took pictures.

Snoodly managed to catch a hummingbird on the bee balm one day, which is now done flowering and cut down. We'll have no more of that, Snoodly.

Safe, up in the hanging baskets.

Grasshoppers are one of Snoodly's favorite snacks, though he seems tired of them now. There are thousands of them. The plants move as you walk by.

The squirrels are getting fat on pine nuts. Another sign that winter approaches. This little lady was nibbling away until the cats approached me, then she became still as a statue. She knows who not to trust.

Beware the panther.

It's 69 degrees and cloudy at 11:45 am.

August

2009-08-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

A good scratch.

Yes, the mosquitoes are still here. They like Rusty.

Late summer flowers

The new bed is done.

Had some time on my hands...

Rusty's checking out mom's old knot garden, which I planted with moss and herbs. Boy did that bring back memories. Mom, searching for the perfect little plants that were just the right scale...hunting down the best moss, collecting it wherever she went. Remember the little round ones she got from the wall at Whittington Court, T?

I have a lot of "steppables" and plenty of moss to play with. Mom would love all the mosses we have! She'd also love that little silvery thing, (Scabwort), in the center, it has tiny leaves and looks like it could be santolina or sage. I'm not worried about scale, I really like the texture of that hairy moss in the hearts, though it's far too coarse for mom's standards. It's fun to play with, if the transplants don't take, I won't mind starting over.
Next I need to clean out the Oxford garden and replant it with moss. I wonder how the rest of the little gardens are doing?

Veg News

The tomatoes will make it, fingers crossed!
Beans and zucchini are coming out of our ears, yay! Where's that little vegetarian now? She needs to hurry and get home to help us eat all this good green stuff. I harvested the first kohlrabi, it was nice and crisp, despite the hot weather.
The raspberries are growing tall, and have started to flower!
This is an exciting year, gardenwise; everything has fallen into place and works well, finally! The leaves we put on in the fall made a difference, but it also just comes down to time, in two respects. First, we've been here long enough to make it work and figure it out. And second, this summer, unlike other years where I leave for a few weeks, I've spent most of my time devoted to the garden: watering, weeding, fertilizing and covering the greenhouse every night. At this very moment I feel a pull to go out there and check on things. See ya later!

It's 86 degrees, 35% humidity, sunny with a breeze at 1:00 pm.

The 90s

2009-07-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hot weather has arrived. Yesterday, July 22, was the first day I was outside without the constant buzz of mosquitoes. It is now possible to sit down outside in one place for more than 30 seconds! I was finally able to enjoy some time in the lawn chair, my favorite place. Happy day! This morning I sat on the porch and read a bit of the paper. The contents of the paper were disheartening, but sitting outside without getting bitten was lovely.

The Rudbeckia is blooming, along with the Monarda, Nasturtiums, roses, and lavender. All the wild color brings bees and butterflies and hummingbirds, and plenty of grasshoppers. Rusty and Snoodly are scaring all the birds away. They were trapped in the garage yesterday morning and a little flock of grouse came by, searching for seeds in the grass.

The harvest in the greenhouse includes beans and zucchini now. Carrots and onions are ready in the box, lettuce is done. Out in the fenced garden, arugula and lettuce are ready, and a few strawberries are on the new transplants. Everything is doing well out there now that the weather has warmed.

Slammy is on a trip and I miss her.
It's 80 degrees, with a light thunderstorm passing over at 12 pm.

So pritty

2009-07-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all, Snoodly here, long time no see! I've grown, and I just keep gettin' better looking, don't you think? I've got the natural eye liner, cute little rose nose pad, and gorgeous green eyes. The markings on my forehead mean something in cat language, but I can't tell you what they say, 'cause then I'd have to kill you. Well, I'll see ya later, I gotta go catch some crickets.

Boom!
July is here! The weather is great, the mosquitoes are terrible, and the garden is bloomin'! We watched the fireworks at J's coaster, and Jr. took these Outstanding photos.

Most of the flowers are bigger and better this year, the garden has finally filled in and looks so much prettier! It's a mix of wild stuff and things planted from seed, bulb or small plants. It takes a few years for the tiny plants to get established, but all the waiting has finally paid off. The mosquitoes make me want to abandon all of this though, they are driving me crazy!

It will help to mow all the tall grass, if we could get a lawnmower.

Ox-eye daisies

Snapdragons. These are doing so well this year, the plants are much bigger and somehow survived the winter.

Yarrow and bachelor buttons

Coreopsis

Gaillardia. I love this flower! It was grown from seed last year, and this year it's big and beautiful.The wild version, blanket flower.

This is my new project, another flower bed. It's so much fun working in the dirt, I have been in no hurry to finish getting all the grass and rocks out in preparation. Honey has been niggling me, trying to hurry me up, but why? Is it that pile of topsoil waiting on the lawn that the cats are using as a cat box, or could it be that he can't stand to see a project go on and on unfinished, with no seeming progress taking place? I don't know. All I do know is that I love working out in the sun, playing with rocks and dirt.

The cats love it too, when Snoodly hears the rake he comes running over to play. Here's Rusty, taking a little nap in a cool spot.J and Jr. collected some nice big rocks and I got them in place today. Next job is putting on the topsoil, then planting, then I may put on a rock mulch.

We took the plastic off the greenhouse and replaced it with row cover fabric. It breathes better.

The beans are doing great, looks like they're nearly ready to harvest. We've been eating peas, lettuce and lots of herbs. The zucchini are almost ready, but the maters are very slow. Hurry up maters!

It's 77 in the greenhouse, clouds and sun at 6 pm.

Summertime

2009-06-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

Middle of June! How can it be?

I haven't even taken any pictures lately. We went to the car show and and Jr. got that nice shot of the Corvette and Mustang.

The weather has been alternating between very warm, and nice and cool with thunderstorms. We actually got a couple of brief downpours. Puddle making rain, it's a blessing here. Very pretty outside, green and lush, flowers blooming, but the mosquitoes are driving me nuts.

Garden update:

We had frost this month. The beans I planted out in the fenced garden got burned, even though they were covered with the blanket. Everything in the greenhouse is fine.

Potatoes are coming up out there, I thought I had dug them all up last year, but nope. I transplanted strawberries from Aunt J's garden and planted lettuce and flowers out there which are coming up slowly.

I've been harvesting radishes, bok choy, and lettuce from the box, and had the first greenhouse peas on Saturday.

Peas, zucchini, bush beans, onions, tomatoes, kohlrabi, carrots, radishes, spinach and a few flowers are in the greenhouse now. I put a tarp over part of it for shade on hot days, and that keeps the temperature down.

Animal news:

We have more birds this year, I'm sure, because there is a lot of lovely music outside, night and day. Well, it seems like night when they're singing, but the sun rises at four thirty so to them it might be morning at three.

Research on goats has made me think twice. Apparently they don't like grass and clover much, but they love trees, roses, tender tips of shrubs and pretty much everything I want to protect. They do eat some weeds, but not enough to make up for the damage they do to other stuff. Then, they turn out to be great escape artists and can undo latches and jump over fences and push through them and---what a headache!

I'd actually rather have a donkey, because they'll eat grass, and they're way cuter. But he'll need a friend, so maybe a little pygmy goat would be ok. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it? The goat will be the instigator and mastermind, and the donkey will carry out his evil plans. Good luck catching them once they break out.

Rusty is behaving very badly, I don't know if he's jealous or has indigestion or if he's just a brat cat. J took down the swing support so he can't climb on the roof anymore and wake everyone up three times a night. Snoodly is behaving angelically, he's turning out to be a great cat. He's happy living out in his garage, never grumbles or demands more attention. When I pick him up he's a little rag doll, relaxing into my arms with total trust and purring up a storm. No wonder Rusty is jealous!

The fish are multiplying like mad, pretty soon the tank will be a sea of orange, as the huge school of Platy swim by, and Sharky and the bottom feeders will just be flashes of silver and brown.

It's 61 degrees, sunny at 8:30 am.

The Goat House

2009-06-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to my sister and brother-in-law, and to J, for turning the old coop de chicken into this beautiful new goat house. Everything used was recycled from the old coop and from other materials lying around the place. Staggering ingenuity went into building it, and the whole project only took about an hour! The eyesore full of junk has become a sweet little shed, where the goats will look out at us and say "feeeeeeeeeed meeeeeeee!" We'll probably put up a fence for an outside yard too, with a wee mountain for them to climb on.

Now, what kind of goats? Pygmies? Milkers? Cashmere? Time for some research...

The weather has been warm and sunny and summery this week. The mosquitos are biting, the crickets are chirping and the butterflies are flying around. I've seen two garter snakes in the garden. A couple of deer have been visiting at night, eating clover and birdseed. One nest box is occupied by western bluebirds, down by the garden.

The chives are blooming, and the blue flax, which only opens in the morning.

It's about 70 degrees, sunny and breezy at 10:30 am.

Knock knock!

2009-06-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

Anybody home?

I had a visitor on Friday. We've been having a little heat wave, and I guess I'm not the only one who isn't ready for it. She was panting and very thirsty and tired. But also curious.

She checked out the pool.
The garage.

She found the water.

And drank it all.
Then she had a little rest in the shade.

Her feet were dainty.

Her tail too.

She headed off into the forest, and I told her she was welcome to come back...as long as she didn't eat my plants.
She gave me a sly grin, and said, but of course.

Koo Koo Ka Choo

2009-05-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

May flower

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Yesterday I built a little fence to block the view of the electrical box. (Looking at this box from the kitchen window has been such a thorn in my side, there are so many things to consider when building a house! I didn't even realize our view was being spoiled until it was too late).

Now, you may laugh at the crudity of this effort. I'm not in the habit of building stuff. This is a big step for me. It's held together with twine. Very low tech. But J will make it sturdier with his power tool expertise. Then I will try and grow something on it, that the deer don't like of course. This is on their smorgasbord route, and I'm sure they'd love it if I planted beans or sunflowers here. They'd eat everything then knock down the fence to spite me. What's that poisonous climbing bean called? Castor? I need some of those seeds.

I'm still trying to figure out where to plant some sunflowers. Without a fence they'll get chomped for sure. Maybe I should prepare a little field of them with an electric fence around it. I've got electricity right there at the box...Heh heh, heh heh, zap!

It's warm today! I prepared the fenced garden for planting raspberries and ?. The race is on for growing as much as we can as quickly as possible before the end of the season come September. Or we could just lounge around in lawn chairs and go shop at the Farmer's Market...

Lunch

2009-05-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Oh yum, I love lunch. My favorite kind is a bunch of stuff on a plate with salad dressing. Here's what I had today (I know, this is a cliche to write about my lunch):

Baby greens

Baguette slices

Hummus

Raspberries and Blackberries

Cheddar Cheese

and The Dressing--Australian Olive Oil (first time I've tried it, it is good!) Rice Vinegar, Water, Chopped garlic, Salt and Pepper.

...and an organic beverage.

I started this plate of random stuff habit many years ago at my sister's house, and she thought I was a loon. I would get kippers, salad vegetables, cheese, french bread and oil and vinegar dressing. Oh my gooness, it was good.

I went shopping today, that's why we have yummy food. It should last about 4 days, if we're lucky. I think if people had yummy food all the time they'd be happier. Eating should always be a pleasure, not a bore or a chore. It is a chore when you're eating low quality, processed foods. Whenever I feel down, I go back to the garlic, olive oil and fresh fruits and vegies and it really helps. I think fresh garlic may be nature's anti-depressent. You won't win many friends or influence people, but you'll be happy about it.

It's May!

2009-05-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Happy May everyone! A busy time of year, too busy to keep up on the blog. It's so nice to be outside again. In comparison, it seems like a chore to sit at the computer desk. But I need to keep track of all the progress that's been going on out there. It's raining today, so it's a good time to get up to date.

Early May was pretty windy. We had a frightening thunder storm, it seemed to be sitting right over the house one night. We've had very cold windy days, and some warmer sunny periods. The clouds are always up there, puffy and white and so perfect in the blue sky. When they cover the sun, the temperature goes down dramatically.

The grass likes this weather, I've already mowed a few times. I just got some grass shears, so I can do the edging around the garden without a weed whacker. Not that I ever used a weed whacker myself. I use a manual push mower and grass shears and it's so much nicer than using those loud, dangerous machines.

The peas, radishes, and other stuff came up in the greenhouse. I made a little climbing structure for the peas with twigs and twine. I (bravely) planted the tomatoes out there about a week ago, and planted zucchini and bean seeds on Saturday May 9. Ooooo, that's early. I set out some flower transplants outside in the garden, most of them are perishing from the cold. Better wait till June.

I had to refill this birdfeeder once so far. The bags are working, I'm glad to know. Except, look who found it. I don't mind, I like watching squirrels as much as birds. There's also a nestbox in this tree and he was sitting by it while a bluebird and some other birds drove him off.

Rusty was looking with us out the window, making those weird noises and licking his chops.
The wildflowers are starting to bloom, here's the Arrowhead Balsamroot, nearly ready. It's blooming around the neighborhood already. It is colder here at our house, I knew it.

Here's one I don't know the name of, I'll have to get a library book.

This one has a hitchhiker.

The violets and some willows are also blooming.

Birds are waiting for better weather, I think, to start nesting. We now have five boxes up but no takers. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows come to look sometimes. I hope Rusty hasn't scared them off. The hummingbirds are back and they are at the feeder a lot, since there aren't many flowers out there. We have some Towhee visitors frequently, I'm still trying to get a good picture. The crows are coming around more, making their strange noises. I don't know what they're after, though Snoodly thinks it's him. A foggy morning and two crows on a branch outside your bedroom window is pretty spooky. And noisy.

It's raining and 49 degrees at 12:00 pm.

Don't count on it...

2009-04-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

The weather was (is) warm. It is (was) cold. It is (was) snowing. It was (is) dry and windy. A sprinkle of rain fell (falls). A warm sun shone (shines).

The daffodils are blooming.

And the Avalanche Lilies.
Snowberry is leafing out.
The new improved greenhouse! A few things have sprouted. Mostly maple tree seedlings from all the leaves we put on last fall. The greenhouse doesn't hold heat at night, but as soon as the sun rises, it heats up fast. On warmer days I have to open the doors and lift all the flaps.
Snowy daffodils

The flower starts are ready to be transplanted, but it's too early.

It's 34 degrees and snowing at 9:30 am; 43 degrees in the greenhouse.

Lake Dreams

2009-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

I took a drive to the end of the lake road a few days ago when the weather was perfect. I parked the car and walked down the logging road that continues after the paved section ends. I couldn't see the lake from this road but I knew it was off to the left somewhere. After a bit of walking, (and a bit of imagining mountain lions lurking in the trees, waiting for me to hobble or look weak), a gravel road appeared on the left with a log across it. Naturally, I went in. I discovered a magical place down there.

A marsh!

The moment I came in view of it, there was a cacophony of sound from frogs, toads, ducks, geese, birds, and squirrels. This place is alive!

Next to the marsh, was the lake proper. Stunning! This is why I must get a little boat this summer.

All around was a forest of cedar, firs and pines that were huge and lush because they get plenty of water. Some big trees had been cut recently, and there was a site cleared for a house. I had thought maybe the gravel road was for a new nature preserve, but no. It's for a millionaire's vacation home. Single tear.

Here are some of the animals I saw:

Red Squirrel (doesn't look very red, does it?)
Columbian Ground Squirrel, guarding his den.
Canada Geese (these were making a racket and trying to hide from me).
Wood Duck
And mate.

Great Blue Heron
He just stood there.

What a place! I was probably trespassing, but I didn't care. The house will go up soon. What will the animals think of that? Maybe the geese will poop all over their lawn. Divine justice.

Blog Anniversary

2009-04-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Gardenlog is one year old! It seems like I've been doing this a lot longer. I started it to keep track of the seasons and garden activity. I want to find out what's different from year to year and observe how things change or stay the same. Well, I can finally do that now, starting with the Crocus. Last year they bloomed April 25, and this year we discovered them April 12, Easter Sunday, during the hunt.

Since Easter, we got a little snow, but mostly the weather has been much better.

All kinds of things are starting to grow.

Moss and grass were first. Buttercups are a close second. All the shrubby things have buds.

Now that the weather is better, I'll be outside a lot more and won't want to be on the computer anymore. This morning I was out there pruning, though it's too early, I just couldn't wait! (I consulted some herb books and they advise pruning in mid to late spring). A few days ago I planted cool season vegetables in the box, then put the row cover on top. I also planted the greenhouse with radishes, carrots, kohlrabi and beets, but I saved room for the squash and tomatoes. The peas never came up! Boo hoo.

I would make a terrible pioneer. My approach to gardening is not serious. I throw seeds around willy nilly. I use old seeds that probably aren't viable anymore. I don't prepare the soil properly. I plant too early or too late. I'm too lazy to build fences and wind blocks. If I were a pioneer woman, my family would starve and die. The reason I'm thinking about this is that I just reread My Antonia. Imagine living like that, where everything you do is about survival. Right now I wouldn't be sitting on my derriere writing silly things at the computer, I'd be out plowing the fields, planting grain to feed the cows and pigs and chickens and goats. And when I planted my kitchen garden it would be a very serious task, no room for experimentation or half-baked plans. I always wanted to be that sort of gardener, focused, efficient, and successful. But it just isn't in me to work that hard unless I have to. I need to be plopped down in a place where there are no supermarkets, no easy outs; then maybe hunger would propel me into action. Because I do love to eat!

It's 54 degrees and sunny at 2:00 pm.

Kitty Has a Name

2009-04-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

And the winner is....Snoodly! Variously altered to Snoobly, Sneebly (as in Ned), Snooders etc. Hey, don't blame me, Slammy picked it. Dori is the winner! Expect a poem soon, Dori.

Snoozin' Snoodly

Name That Kitty!

2009-04-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Slammy is having a bit of trouble naming the kitty.

Rusty thinks he should be called Shoo Fly (don't bother me).
I KNOW, let's have a contest to name the kitty! Give us your suggestions in comments and if Slammy picks your name as the winner, you will get an amazing prize. Slammy will write you a poem.

Buried Treasure

2009-04-10T13:15:00.001-07:00

The snow is gone from the planting box and I found 8 carrots in there. I ate 3 already and they are sweet and crisp. Bonanza!

Spring Arrives

2009-04-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Grass!

55 degrees!

And, oh yes...we have a new darling.
He doesn't have a name yet. William, Jinxy, Scotty and Tito have been considered. How about Camo?
Or maybe Destructo.
On mommy's lap.
He's Slammy's baby, so she gets to name him. And clean up after him. Unless she's at school...
Luckily, he sleeps a lot.

Mini rose at the kitchen window.
The guys covered the greenhouse. I may plant some peas in there today if the ground has thawed.

The Juncos are plentiful this year.
And well fed!

This Spring's Fashions

A grey coat with tails, trimmed in black.

An eye-catching vest in burnt orange completes the look.

Distinguished in any setting.

It's 42 degrees, sunny at 9:30 am.

Finding Good Food Faster

2009-04-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

For OTGF I have a cool website called the Eat Well Guide. It's a database of restaurants, B & Bs, stores, farms etc. where you can find organic, sustainable food by zip code. It even has a trip planner so you can make your next trip more healthy (Mickey D's is not an option).

The site also has a blog called Green Fork where there is a list of some more cool green blogs. And for all you adventurers out there, they have The Spring Break Challenge, a chance to win prizes for telling them about the food and fun you had on your Eat Well inspired trip.

Road trips will never be the same!

Going with it

2009-03-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Every morning I wake up to new snow.

By afternoon the clouds are clearing and the snow has melted.

This is the flow in the Northwest. After almost 9 years I still haven't learned to surrender and just go with it. Many Californians can't take it and leave. Long, cold, dark winters and then this. It is not supposed to snow in spring. However, I am coming to realize that snow in spring is not a negative. By watching the natural inhabitants, I'm catching on.

Snow does not make the birds sad. They are active and cheerful no matter what the weather. They seem to like snow, maybe because they appreciate all the moisture it brings. Moisture in any form - snow, hail, or rain, is welcome. It brings life.

A Robin looking for morsels in the leaf litter.

A Pileated Woodpecker found the suet.

Finches (undoctored photo) found the other feeder.

And a Nuthatch (doctored photo).

It may be a bit early to start seeds outside, but indoors the flowers sprouted in only a couple of days. The grow light works wonders.
It's 33 degrees, sun breaking out of the clouds, at 9:00 am.

Cooooooookiiiiieeeeees!

2009-03-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

Dori posted a recipe for her favorite cookies and asked for others to join in. So here's a recipe for wheat-free chocolate chip cookies that actually aren't half bad. It's adapted from a recipe in Rebecca Reilly's book Gluten-Free Baking. Bob's Red Mill makes the flours.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca starch or oat flour or almond flour or whatever else is around

Rebecca also adds 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum, but I haven't got any (it costs a fortune), and the cookies are a bit crumbly and fragile as a result, but still yummy.

2 (yes, two) sticks of butter at room temp

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts (if you like) chopped

Mix the dry ingredients. Cream butter, add sugars and beat till fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients slowly, follow with the chocolate chips and nuts. Form dough with two spoons into the size you desire and space 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to a rack and cool. Get a big glass of milk (or soy milk) and dig in!

Rebecca's book is full of treats, like Sour Cream Coffee Cake, which I made last week, and it was YUM. Gluten-free does not mean deprivation anymore. It's all pleasure, no bloat!

Living in the Moment

2009-03-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend, there were no commitments so we got to spend time together doing whatever we wanted. On Saturday we shopped at the bead store for The Good Medicine Project, and got ice cream at Zips. Then we had green beans and won tons at Noodle Express. We managed to squeeze in all the four food groups: Cream, sugar, fried food, and dipping sauce.

Slammy read The Art of Hand Reading, by Lori Reid, in the car. It's an excellent book on palmistry with many illustrations and photos.

On Sunday we got crafty and I drug out the sewing machine, which didn't die, thankfully, until I had finished mending Slammy's gypsy skirt and making a medicine bag. I pity the kid who gets my bag. Oh well, it's the thought that counts. Slammy and I went for a chilly walk (Rusty declined) and collected rocks to make into pets. She painted one of them, but seemed more interested in painting her hands. It's nice to know that she hasn't changed in that respect.

Jr. and J worked on the Datsun.

I just went out and checked for daffodils, not a sign of them. It's 30 degrees and there's a chill wind blowing. The birds are absent, hunkered down in their nests.

The receding snow is exposing many bent and broken trees. The little Japanese Maple is thrashed. Pretty soon it will be time to do some pruning, when it's a lot warmer.

The butterfly weed has come up.

These cedar nest boxes are $5 each (bargain!) at The ID Department of Fish and Game.

Also this weekend, the WBH (World's Best Husband) put these up and cleaned out the third. Rusty can't get to the ones on the garage, because it has metal sides. The one on the tree he may be able to climb to, if he discovers it. However, I plan to keep him inside most of the time and arm myself with a squirt bottle on his supervised outdoor excursions, (a likely story). I had a dream last night that we had a pet lion. Hmm, I wonder who that could've symbolized.

What can I say, it was on clearance...

If we keep the beast inside, he's got to have entertainment.

Good Clean Fun

2009-03-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've been saving all these netted bags for some purpose, I didn't know what. They look like the kind of thing that would end up in the ocean and entangle animals. So today I got a suet cake for the woodpeckers and discovered that my feeder was all black and gungy. Not a keeper, since it was made with wood. I've read that people put hunks of suet in these net bags, so I decided to use one for the block, and then I got carried away and made ones full of thistle seed and sunflower mix. I knew I'd find a good use for these bags! I think they may stay cleaner and clean up better than regular bird feeders too, we'll have to see. It's possible that the birds will rip them to shreds and choke and die on the plastic. But since it's OTGF, I won't ponder on that.

You know what tomorrow is...

2009-03-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

Rusty and I can't believe how much snow is still here. His paws have disappeared! But spring is coming.

Look who showed up!

Female Western Bluebird...
and male.

I was just lamenting to Janeywan that it's hard to take pictures of birds, because they run away as soon as they see me with the camera, like it's a gun or maybe a soul stealer. So I had to be stealthy and take these from afar, behind some trees. Just yesterday, the Western Bluebirds, Juncos, Robins and Finches all returned here together. They must travel in a group. I'm really happy to see them again. The air is filled with bird song!

Just now the bluebird was attacking my bedroom window, I think he sees his reflection in it. Isn't there a story or song about a bluebird at my window?

The willows have buds.
Ahhh mud. You know it's spring when there's mud.
It's 50 degrees! and cloudy at 3:00 pm.

It's All in the Hands

2009-03-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

I recently found my long lost bff, and was pleased as punch to learn that she is a palm reader now. She's just read Slammy's hands (we made prints of them) and today I sent off mine to be read. Considering that she's never met Slammy, her analysis is eerily accurate, and full of insight and useful information. It's amazing what secrets your hands hold. And Karla has quite a gift for interpreting them. I'm looking forward to seeing how mine turns out, though my short life line does give me pause, and makes me a little wary. Fortunately, Karla focuses on the positive, and solutions, not problems! Maybe she will tell me that it's imperative I move to Hawaii immediately, or my health is at risk, and I'll just have to agree with her and follow her advice. Wouldn't that be a shame.

If you want to give it a go, visit her website, I highly recommend it.

All About Me

2009-03-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Rusty. This is my story.

Me, in my younger days. Don't say anything about my ears.

My first friend, Silver. She just up and disappeared one day...

Other friends I've had over the years:

Chickies, mouthwatering...

Kiki, she disappeared one day, just like Silver.

Pyewacket, cute little fella, don't know where he went either...

Now it's just me, and the humans.

It can be lonely at times.

But the peace and quiet is pretty nice.

And I have the laps all to myself.

Having the human's undivided attention has its pitfalls though. Baths! After scratching them to smithereens they're sorry for doing this to me.

Winter is boring. I spend my days climbing onto the roof, trying to get into an upstairs window...

I wander the roof, until I find a window with a human behind it, and then I meow incessantly and claw at the window.

This time I saw one at a window I can't get to. I didn't know what to do!

Then, I made the mistake of looking down. Whooooaaaa...

But mostly in winter, I just sleep.

Sometimes on the dryer.

Sometimes by the fire, as close as I can get.

This is my "don't mess with me" pose.

I really prefer spring and summer, when I can go out for my morning nibble of grass...

...hunt for pesky varmints in the garden....

...and beyond...

...and of course, engage in one of my favorite pastimes, birdwatching.

Don't worry, I just watch, mostly. They put this stupid bell on me and it doesn't scare the birds, but it throws me off my game.

Well, that's my life. It's pretty rough. In my next life I'm going to be a sloth.

Good Friday the 13th

2009-03-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

On This Eclectic Life, learn about Only the Good Fridays and then you will know why I'm calling this Friday the 13th a good friday.

Fridays are always good because it is the end of the work and school week and we will soon be enjoying some free time, and an extra wink of sleep. This weekend we are going to watch a concert, where Jr. will be playing in a saxophone quartet. I heard them practice once, and it was beautiful; I love quartets.

The sun is shining! That is very good.

I'm reading a good book, A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle.

This is a very relaxing book, and one I need to memorize so that I can stop being a jerk, (oops, I hope that wasn't too negative). Or maybe I can just remember this: We are all one.

It's true that the more open you are to others, the more joy you will experience. I have been witnessing this myself when I'm out and about. Normally I tend to ignore strangers. But I've been paying more attention for a few days, trying to live in the present. On Wednesday, a woman in a parking lot made my day. She was voicing everything about the frigid weather that we're all feeling, saying she had to park way out from the store, away from the ice so she didn't break a hip, and that the cold was probably going to last into July and she'd have to cancel her vacation plans! She cracked me up and I appreciated her diatribe, even though it was essentially negative. Everyone is talking about spring out there, and everyone is anxious for it. We're simple creatures, awaiting the return of the sun and life.

And here it is...It's...Alive!

The Thyme and Lavender, growing right under the snow.

It's 18 degrees and sunny at 9:45 am.

Clear and cold

2009-03-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

This morning it was -10 F. A bit chilly. Whoooweee!

From 2009-03-10 moon

Yesterday morning I got up just early enough to see the moon setting in the west.

From 2009-03-10 moon

Followed by the sun rising in the east...

From 2009-03-10

It's 10 degrees, with sun and clouds at 10:00 am.

From 2009-03-10

Rusty's walk

2009-03-09T15:07:00.001-07:00

Rusty's walk, cont.

2009-03-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's a blizzard out there!

I took the above video last week when it was warm and we had a little thaw (oh how I miss it!) Rusty, as usual, would not cooperate with the director. In order to get him to walk forward, I had to walk as well, so please excuse the shaky camera action.

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I've been thinking about changing my template so I can get bigger pictures. Like the beautiful ones on Robin's Nesting Place . My pictures will never be that pretty unless I get a Canon EOS 50D with a 75-300 lens, like Robin uses, and learn to use it with her skill, but at least they'll be bigger!

_____________________

At any rate, she inspired me to put up a slideshow of my favorite flowers.

_____________________

I'm adding some more fabulous blogs to my list over there > There's a great variety of locations represented now: Idaho, (of course), California, Colorado, Hawaii, Texas, Indiana and London!
_____________________

I've also added some new websites lately, that help you find organic food in your area.
_____________________

If anyone knows of a good organic gardening website, please let me know. One that answers those important questions, like is it ok to use ashes from the fireplace on the garden, when you've been burning newspapers and stuff with inks of unknown origin on them? My guess would be no. I have yet to find a safe, easy, and effective form of fertlizer. It's the easy part that gets in my way. I have not committed to a serious composting system yet, but I know this is the best way to feed the garden. My system consists of a pile out in the open right now, where compost happens in geologic time.
______________________

It's 19 degrees and snowing at 10:00 am.

The Long Goodbye

2009-03-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes winter just doesn't know when to leave. Though technically, it still has every right to be here until the 20th, which is the Vernal Equinox this year.
The winter poll told me that most people read in winter, and a few go quietly mad. Watching TV just makes me go noisily mad, so I try to limit that. We did enjoy Hercule Poirot on Netflix all winter, and a few movies. The ones I like best are the oldies like Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and The Thin Man series. So we rented more Cary Grant, William Powell and Myrna Loy films, which are nearly always good.

We liked Ghost Town, which came out last year, but most new movies are a disappointment. We just saw Coraline and it was interesting, but the villain and the storyline were way too predictable and stale for me. We did like Wall-E, even if it was rather chilling. Brrrrr! I need warmth and humor and sunshine in winter, not visions of horror and devastation and piles of trash. Robot love does not warm my heart. But as a cautionary tale, it was a hit.

Speaking of trash, we went to the new transfer station yesterday to recycle. It was neat and clean and easy, with separate shiny bins for cans, plastic and paper for your sorting pleasure. I will be returning often. I never thought I could love a dump, but this one is special. They take all plastic, except #6! I think I may write them a love note.

Moon + Venus

2009-03-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

The moon and Venus were together on February 27th, they seem like a good pair. Venus is leaving our sky and will be gone by the end of March until 2010. Goodbye Venus!

The crescent is pretty by itself.

Thanks to J for taking the pictures.

Hibernation Ends

2009-02-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

More animals are around these days, the birds are singing and it really feels like spring is coming. The sun even came out for a good stretch today and I started dusting the shelves and opening doors!

The Mountain Chickadees came this morning, they have been faithful visitors all winter. This one stayed within view of me long enough to take an almost clear picture. One of these days I'm going to set up the tripod and get some better shots. They move so fast!

We also had a visit from the squirrel. Rusty alerts me to his presence by quickly slinking over to the window like the killer he is.

Who would want to kill a cute little thing like that? So fluffy and adorable.

That's who.

It's 34 degrees, mostly cloudy at 4:00 pm.

The Day Before The Day After Tomorrow

2009-02-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

I'm reading The Prophet of Yonwood, by Jeanne DuPrau, third in the Ember series. While I love disaster and end of the world type books and movies, I'm wondering now if maybe they're a bad thing. Sometimes science fiction becomes fact, so if you want the future to be good, maybe you should write it that way. Are we getting too used to the idea of robots taking over the world, nuclear apocalypse and other self-inflicted destruction? I love these scenarios in movies, so I can say, "See, I told you, you jerks, you're gonna ruin it all!" But I certainly don't really want that to happen.

Now that we have a new President, it may be time for a break from the doom and gloom. We should start to make stories about how a miracle is going to get us out of this mess and everything will be great. And then maybe that will happen...it beats the alternative, making stories about the end of the world, and that happenning.

How about aliens land on earth and fix everything for us and then leave, (I've started my own story about this one). Or a bacteria that feeds on mean people's brains wipes them all out and then the rest of us can live in peace. Or here's my favorite, the animals revolt and take over the world, and allow us to live if we're good and don't overpopulate the world again and hog all the resources.

All you writers out there, take note: It's up to you to create the future, get busy! Because I don't want to wake up one morning to The Day After Tomorrow. That was a really bad movie.

The Return

2009-02-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

My Spring Robin is back. See, I told you spring was coming. First the snow began to melt over the septic tank area (a sure sign), then the rains came. Now this guy is here. It's conclusive. Pay no attention to that white stuff behind the Robin, it's not snow, NO, it can't be.

Last year I saw the first Robin on March 10, but it was also in the 50s that day, imagine, 50s, how nice.

I got a bunch of garden books at the library yesterday. I really like John Brookes, who I mentioned before, and got another one of his, called Garden Masterclass. He has great photographs and a wonderful eye. He relies on nature for inspiration a lot more than other garden designers. Exactly what I'd like to do. Now I just have to figure out how. It's not as easy as it sounds. You need to study natural forms and landscapes around you and keep your garden in harmony with them and kind of flowing with them.

Dagnabbit, all this grass has to go! We live in a forest! Well, some of it has to go. I do love grass, and the goats will like it too. They'll also like the rose bushes, the fruit trees, the flowers, the vegetables...

It's 40 degrees, overcast at 10:15 am.

Rusty's Remote

2009-02-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

You're not gettin' it.
You touch it, you die.

I'll guard it in my sleep.

The next day...On the papasan...is that the remote under your tail, Rusty?

See these claws? You've got no chance, lady. The remote stays with me.

Manifest Destiny

2009-02-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Exciting news on the manifesting front! Well, the swimming pool has not materialized yet, but Jr. managed to make the smoke alarm in my bedroom go off last night with his mind power. Very strange and mysterious. I've asked him to redirect his efforts onto winning the lottery, so I can keep my hearing, and visit that tropical island in the picture I bought yesterday. I'd show it to you, but it's probably not ok legally, so I'll draw a picture of it instead.

Well, you get the idea. Palm trees, white sand, clear water, me just outside the picture on a towel, taking a nap.

Out for a walk

2009-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

We have a new friend, her name is Sheba.

She loves to run.
She likes to watch people making snow angels.

She's curious.

But she's not ours!

Sheba's driveway.

Sheba is a neighbor's new dog. Everytime we pass her house she comes out and takes a walk with us. I talked to her owner and it's ok by him. So now we have the best of all worlds in Sheba. A dog to accompany us on walks, but no dog at home to feed, wash, train, clean up after, chase down, or apologize for. Yes!

Besides all the work involved, Rusty wouldn't be very welcoming if Sheba came to stay. Sheba wasn't too keen on him either, she started barking and lunging. I wonder who would win that fight? It would be ugly, no doubt about it.

It's 36 degrees and cloudy at 10:15 am.

Babies

2009-02-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

We spotted a baby in the fish tank! Then another!

That must be the mom, she's getting really bulky. The tank is overgrown with algae and plants right now. The only maintenance I do is to add water. We haven't had babies in a long time, so I guess overgrown is what they need. There are two platys, one shark, two catfish and about a hundred thousand snails in the tank right now.

The weather has been snowy and cold. I see from the poll that there are only 13 days left of February. That's good, because Rusty and I are really tired of taking our walks in the snow.

Snow cat

There are hardly any birds except a few chickadees. It's too quiet, too cold, too white. Maybe March will bring some green. Only the Leprechauns know.

Full Moon Tonight

2009-02-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

We took these pictures on Saturday, not quite a full moon. If we're lucky it'll be clear tonight so we can try to get more shots, but it's cloudy right now.

J used a long exposure on these:

Isn't the moon amazing? It looks as though a big rock hit it down in the lower right area and shock waves are emanating out from the crater. And what about the bright spots...moon cities?

It's 31 degrees, a few flakes falling from grey skies at 12:00 pm.

Last Winter

2009-02-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

It was just as snowy last year, if not more so.

The difference is that we got most of the snow in December this time, and last year we got it in January and February. So I think we may thaw out quicker this year.

The garden fence. The garden still had a few patches of snow in late April.

We didn't bother shoveling a path this year, now we just walk through or alongside the garage.

This February is very foggy. I can see the sun up there, trying to break through. So close! As soon as it does, this white stuff will start drip drip dripping away.

It's foggy and 33 degrees at 9:30 am.

Neighborhood color

2009-02-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

That's all folks!

What do you do with a cat like that?

2009-01-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

Life is just so hard for a cat. Eat. Sleep. Contemplate the meaning of it all while lying on the piano.

Rusty is a little bent out of shape because Slammy and I were followed home from our walk by a dog. Rusty got all fluffy and puffy and upset. Serves him right, he deserves a lot worse for what he did to Coconut. It's a wonder we don't throw him into a box and mail it to Timbuktu. But that wouldn't be very nice, what did Timbuktu ever do to us?

It's been over a month now, since our beloved Coconut died. We sure enjoyed him while he was here. He was a good friend. I'm sorry we didn't get to take him back to his home and set him free. He earned it.

The Sun is Back

2009-01-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

It was -11 degrees last night. The house was going, Bang! Pop! I was hoping it wasn't a pipe. But we have pex, so not likely. More likely the cells in the wood were exploding because the roof is soaked.

I noticed this morning that the light has changed. It's much brighter, back to normal. Normal for me, I consider the dark days here like something out of the Twilight Zone. And that's exactly how I feel, until the sun returns. Like a zombie out of the TZ. Or perhaps a phantom (that's right, I know about my nickname, you ingrates. See if I ever host another slumber party for you!)

I don't know how people here can stand it year after year! It's like that excellent book, which I read this winter, appropriately, The City of Ember, (thanks to Janeywan, for recommending it). Those poor people down there, they didn't realize they could get out of that dark hole. Am I like those people? Stuck in the dark, when the light is right up above? Except in this case it's below. I could be in Arizona or California in a few days by car, or a few hours by plane. Go go go! But then I'd have to come back...which would be a total huge tremendous bummer, causing a massive humongous gigantic plunge into a depression so deep, I'll be cursing my time in the sun. So I'd better just stay here and enjoy cold sunny days and the (sssllllloooooooooooooooowwwwwwww) coming of spring.

My beautiful bouquet

Just what makes that little old ant...

The precious balls Sharky, one of our few remaining pets.Slammy took me out for a walk yesterday and that raised my spirits considerably. She has promised to be my personal trainer. Vitamin D supplements help too, to brighten the mood. The daily recommended amount has shot way up. If you can't have the real thing, then you just have to fake it.

Speaking of faking it, have y'all seen The Secret on DVD? It's a great pick me up as well, and a challenge to your imaginative powers. I just saw it last week. I've heard the same concept in different form, but always enjoy hearing it again. I'm a firm believer in our power to manifest whatever it is we want. And in feeling good. Not that I'm naturally inclined to practice it, but I'm working on it with a new fervor. Why not feel good? My programming seems to make me suspicious of joy. Time to throw out that program.

We saw August Rush this week also, which I was fearing would be a hopelessly corny and sad tragedy. But it was really a happy little allegory about manifesting what you want, so that's kind of weird. Funny how they came up in the Netflix queue at the same time...

Right now I'm busy manifesting my new swimming pool, so I'll check in later and let you know how that's coming along.

Until then, it's 15 degrees and sunny at 1:00 pm.

Thinking about summer

2009-01-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

It was summer once, wasn't it?

I've been enjoying a book I picked up at the library called Natural Landscapes, how to design and plant a garden in tune with the landscape, by John Brookes.

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The bee balm, yarrow, coreopsis, sage, lavender, mullein, and daisies in July.

I love meadows full of wildflowers and herb gardens that sprawl all over the place, and that is just what's in this book. I never had the energy or patience for a well manicured and organized garden. Besides, they look so boring. Gardens should be full of life and buzzing with activity, and bursting at the seams!

So far, I've had a hard time making things as lush and healthy as the gardens in this book. I think I've figured out a key ingredient though. It's called water. Yep, we are lacking it. Brookes lives in England, where they have to worry more about drainage, than drought.

Look at this poor hard baked "lawn". I want to rototill the whole thing and plant a meadow of wildflowers...(and just look at our dull looking house! it should be painted a new color, bright white or a dark brown or gold, anything but khaki!)

... how 'bout a field of sunflowers, wouldn't that be amazing? Hubby would be horrified.

But how would I keep it moist?

John Brookes likes to use a method that I have only recently discovered as the secret to water retention here. It is so obvious I can't believe I didn't do it a long time ago. It's rocks; as a planting medium, and a mulch. We have a ton of them and last year we filled in a retaining wall with rocks and I planted herbs in it. Well, guess what grew like mad? Shoulda known. Our rock pathways have always grown the healthiest weeds you've ever seen. Herbs love rocks too, and do much better under them, than under a bark mulch. Rocks! Duh!

Let the rock collecting begin! ...as soon as all this snow melts...

Birdwatching

2009-01-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

Black-capped Chickadee

Steller's Jay Cedar Waxwing

One thing that makes the dark days of winter a little better are the birds that visit.

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Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees are here all year, as long as we have sunflower seeds. I love these quick, energetic little birds. It's hard not to smile when watching them.

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The Steller's Jays don't visit very often, they were much more common in California. When you see just one loner, it's amazing how striking they are. I've always thought they are the best looking of the jays.

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This morning I saw Cedar Waxwings for the first time, visiting the Crabapple. People with Mountain Ash trees see them a lot, but until now we haven't had anything they like to eat. I'm very happy they came. Watering that tree all summer has finally paid off.

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We have fog this week, but no snow. There is an air stagnation alert. Good thing we don't live in the city, where it's not just fog, but smog.

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Winter is dragging on, as always. But we're on the back side of it now, with February around the corner. I'd rather be on this side, than back in November, ugh, November, what a horrible month. Or October, blech! don't get me started on October, and don't even mention December!

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It's 31 degrees and foggy at 11:30 am.

Barnalanche

2009-01-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

You weren't planning on going anywhere, were you?

The J crew came to the rescue and tackled it, just in case we needed more mint chocolate chip ice cream in a hurry.

Another avalanche: Snow from the roof of the house.

This is the front porch after J shoveled. When the snow kept coming and coming, we got lots of new cracks on the walls and ceiling, and ominous noises were coming from the roof. Some of us were spooked and decided to sleep downstairs until the roof was cleared of snow, while others (okay, it was just one of us), were unperturbed. We have many debates in our house about such matters, and let me just remind folks that it is not the pessimist's house that collapses under the weight of four feet of snow, but the optimist's.

Despite all that hard work, the roof still sprung a leak above my closet, where ice got under the shingles. Getting ice off of a roof is a tricky task. Some try to melt it off with a blow torch. J used a hammer to dislodge it. We will have to deal with roof repairs in the spring. Oh winter.

The weather is wild, and everyone is exasperated. Roofs are collapsing, and snow shovels are breaking from constant use, and good luck finding a new one. The chorus around here is, "so much for global warming!" But to the contrary, I see this strange weather as an indication of something out of whack. Of course I keep my mouth shut. Because I'm a good girl. And a big chicken, braaak, brraaaack!

The bird feeder - this is what our house must have felt like under all that snow.

The tractor is still in the shop.

After weeks of snow, now we have a dramatic twist - the pineapple express is here, from Hawaii! Rain and howling wind hammer the house at night, keeping me awake. I like it, it's a nice alternative to the white death blanket. The blanket is receding, which is the good news. The bad news is that it's leaving an ice rink and slush in its wake. The driveway is very tricky, I think I may have killed the car trying to navigate the mountains and valleys. Oh, fun!

And we all thought that last year was crazy. I don't know what the snowfall total for our area is, but it's well over 6 feet for Spokane, so I imagine we've had 8 feet or more!

The kids have had several snow days. They went back today, which is why I have time to write this. What surprises will the weather bring us next?

This all makes me think of that wonderful book by Arnold Lobel, Owl at Home. "You must go, Winter! shouted Owl. Go away, right now!" I believe it is time for some tear-water tea.

The black and white world

2008-12-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

Even the animals are black and white, like the ermine (sounds like vermin) in the picture above.

It was running past the window towards the house when J saw it. Jr. just got a mammal book for Christmas, so he identified it right away. He/she was so cute, scampering across the snow.

Later I found prints going around the house and to the wood pile. Must be some tasty snacks in there.

Very light feet

Winter Solstice

2008-12-21T08:48:00.001-08:00

Yippeeee!

It's the shortest day of the year! Hip hip hooray! Sunrise: 7:32 am. Sunset: 3:59 pm. Eight and a half hours of light, fifteen and a half hours of darkness. Look at how low the sun is in the sky and the long shadows it casts.

Brighter and longer days are on the way, the sun is returning to our hemisphere tomorrow. I hope it turns up the temperature a bit. This ice age weather has got to go.

We had some beautiful blue skies on Friday, in between storms.

The little grand fir has a nice blob of snow at the top. It's right outside my bedroom window.
The next storm has arrived and is dumping a new batch of snow to shovel off the driveway. The temperature? A toasty 10 degrees.

Snowdays

2008-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Xenon. I love your song!

_____________________________________________________________________

It's been snowing. And snowing. And snowing. Two school snow days in a row.

The driveway is impassable. The crew attempted to dig out. Uncle's tractor is broken.
It may swallow the house...
And the trees...

And the children...naaaahhhh.

It's super fluffy snow, because it's been so cold, so it's easier to move. Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 3 degrees, as another arctic blast is coming. I told you the ice age was coming.

It's 31" deep in front of the porch. Not a big deal. Except...it's still snowing, and more storms are in the forecast all week.

The sun came out for a few milliseconds!

It's 23 degrees, light snow at 12:00 pm.

Winter approaches

2008-12-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

It snowed about 8 inches. Then it cleared up and some arctic air from Canada came down and decided to settle in and get comfortable for a while. It's also windy. It feels like the ice age has arrived, like in that movie, The Day After Tomorrow.

It sure is pretty though. It's almost worth the cold, to get to see blue skies, the sun, the moon and the stars again. Almost.

Is that Santa's sleigh?

Tropic-arctic sunrise

It's 5 degrees with clear skies and light wind at 6:00 pm.

I guess somebody was hungry

2008-12-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

Rusty investigates the carnage.

I left the row cover fabric on too long and it froze and then ripped, exposing a bit of the tall broccoli in the middle of the box. An invitation to a hungry passerby. I've been trying to remove the fabric for awhile, but it's a solid sheet of ice.

Note to self: take off the blanket next year before it freezes.

Trees

2008-12-08T14:38:00.001-08:00

Aahhhh, the foggy forest primeval

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The day we first looked at our property, this is not what I saw. I saw a lot of treeless areas, and not very happy looking trees where there were any. I took one look and said, nope.

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The land had been "selectively" logged a couple of years before, to improve the health of the forest, but it looked pretty sad. There were great bare patches, forlorn looking wispy trees and bulldozer tracks criss-crossing to piles of half-burned trees and slash.

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But...nothing better turned up, and I thought, wait a minute, I like trees a lot, but I also like the sun, and maybe this opened up forest is just the thing. So here we are.

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On further inspection, I learned that there are still some nice foresty areas on the property, with larger trees, native vegetation and nice little thickety mossy pockets. So here is the best of both worlds, really, sun and forest in one parcel.

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I never saw the before picture, but I learned that it was crowded with Lodgepole pines and not enough light made it in to grow healthy trees. Prior to the recent logging, it had been logged 100 or more years before, and the huge stumps from that event are still here. The recent removal of the Lodgepoles was no doubt necessary to make things better, although it didn't look very good at first.

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Now, finally, baby trees are filling in the bare spots. And the skinny, light starved trees that the loggers left behind are filling out and taking advantage of all the new space.

Someday, there will be a forest in there again.
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We're in charge of making the forest healthy and "productive" since we own it now and have the forest land designation, which considerably lowers our taxes. We've burned all the remaining piles and cleaned up a lot of slash, to discourage beetle attacks. And we try to get rid of dying trees quickly for the same reason.

There are a couple of things I wish I hadn't done, that have done some damage.

One, I planted grass seed, which competes with the trees. A big no no. But I do love a meadow.

Two, I had Firesmart come out to trim the trees up (it's a free service provided by the county to protect your house from fire). The trees look terrible without their lower branches! But more importantly, I think they're harmed by not having their root area shaded, and by the wounds made in their trunks, which invite insects and disease in. Some of the trees that were trimmed(mangled) have succumbed to beetles, and a couple looked so ridiculous that we cut them down for Christmas trees. Thank goodness they didn't do all the trees.

Not to ignore fire safety though. I think the safest thing is to have an area around the house that doesn't have any trees, or anything else flammable, and to keep any landscaping well watered. Not that we do that, but that's another story. At the very least we need to cut down the Douglas firs near the house, which are extremely flammable.

One positive thing we've done for the trees is to keep the knapweed invasion at bay. Nothing can grow where knapweed takes over.

And one thing we need to do in the future is thin out the excess Lodgepoles coming up and favor the Ponderosas over both them and the Douglas firs.

Whew! So much responsibility.

This is a list of tree species that I've found, starting with the most abundant.

Douglas Fir
Christmas tree! And that wonderful smell.
The needles on D. firs go all the way around the stem, like a bottlebrush.

A baby Doug fir growing with Bearberry

Lodgepole pine

The weed tree, to some, to others, very useful for making poles and log houses.

Groups of two needles per bunch - these used to be the dominant species before logging, now most of them are little.

Ponderosa pine

Love this tree!

Groups of 3 needles per bunch - we have all sizes of these but many young ones are coming up now that there's more sun.

The telltale puzzle piece bark - we have a few large Ponderosas still, good for hugging.

The differences between the pines: Lodgepole on left and Ponderosa on right.

Grand Fir

It is.

Needles lie flat in a row - we have quite a few of these beautiful trees, mostly young ones.

Our pet G. fir, in the lawn so it gets summer water; far too close to the house for fire safety, but isn't it lovely?

Western red cedar

We only have two of these, that I've found. This one is a baby near the house that I water in the summer to keep it alive.

Hemlock

The tip top of the tree and some of the branches bend over - our only one, and my favorite tree, probably because it's the only one.

Small needles

It's growing out of a massive decayed tree lying on the ground, which Rusty is standing on. I wonder if it was another Hemlock?

Western Larch - We planted about 50 of these one summer, only 3 or 4 survived. Burned to a crisp! We have a few wild ones too.

I'll have to add a Western Larch photo later, because I missed my chance to photograph them this year. They put on such a beautiful show with their golden needles in October. But now they are bare, so nothing to see.

And last but not least, the mysterious...

Western White Pine! Not a one here, but our neighbors found one on their property. By what the old-timers around here say, this tree was everywhere up in these here parts. Then they all got logged and completely decimated by White pine blister rust. Now we are encouraged to replant with a new improved variety. After the Larch experience, I'm not so sure it will work, but I guess we have to try.

That's the story on the conifers. In the spring maybe I'll go looking for some deciduous trees in the neighborhood. I've seen a Mountain ash, and some Aspens up the road...

Winter begins on the 22nd

2008-12-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Ugh. Aagh. Haaahghhghchooo.

Even the pine needles are cold.

It's the time of year I dread, the days preceding and following the winter solstice.

Although this is generally a miserable time for me, I have to admit that it may have purpose. As in, without dark there can be no light. Ok, but does it have to be sooo dark?

Every winter I wonder why we live so far from the equator. Why don't we live down there where it's always warm and sunny? The answer is, I'm a glutton for punishment. Yes, but also, wouldn't it be a little boring to have the sun all year? Maybe, but so is winter. I'd probably be happiest in a place where there are four seasons that rotate quickly. Or a place where it's spring most of the year, my favorite season.

For a gardener, winter is a welcome rest. It's time to organize the cupboards (oh boy, that sounds fun), or start a new hobby. People always talk about making plans for the garden in winter, but that doesn't really work for me until spring.

Wild strawberries

So, I've had time to experiment with the camera. I didn't read the manual yet. I decided to just start pushing buttons. I found the manual setting and discovered how to change the aperture or the f-stop or whatever (two photography classes really made a lasting impression, didn't they). Experimentation makes it a lot more fun.

I went around taking pictures of everything outside, and discovered a camera is a great device for getting me out of the house and into the real world. Part of winter's problem for me is that I don't go out enough and I get cabin fever. The camera will give me something to do out there.

Wild rose hips

He follows me everywhere.

This little viola still blooming against a nice warm rock reminded me of somewhere warm and dry and Mediterraneany. That's where I'd be right now if I had a magic wand, in a nice little stone house with a stone walled garden where I'd grow zucchini and tomatoes and green beans and I'd bake out in the sun with them. Then I'd sit on the stone patio at a little round table under the shade of lemon trees or maybe a grape arbor for lunch. No sweater necessary. Aahhh, sounds perfect.

The violas may be covered up in snow tomorrow, if the forecast is correct.

I'm prepared for the deluge this year, with two brand new snow shovels and new snow boots. Last year was a disaster with our broken shovel and none in the stores. I pledge to shovel often and early this year. Or to get someone else to do it for me.

My next post will be about our wonderful trees.

It's 31 degrees, mostly cloudy at 8:45 am.

Snow's a flyin'

2008-11-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

First snowball fight of the season.

Yep, it snowed the day after TG, now it's almost all gone.

Rusty's having none of it.
This is where he and I like to hang out.
Foggy, 38 degrees, air stagnation alert in effect! at 3:45 pm.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T16:09:00.001-08:00

Hi y'all, happy turkey day, or as I prefer to think of it, pie day.

Mmm, apple pie, I may just have to break the caveman diet for this.
Hope everyone has a good feast!

The weather:
12 degrees this morning.

The days are getting colder, but still no snow. In the mornings frost covers everything and when the sun comes out the trees and plants sparkle. The camera doesn't capture it well but if you look hard you can see the little sparkles on this tree. Is that why we decorate trees with lights?

The frozen yarrow and grass is still pretty.

Isn't this an eerie scene? It looks like the road to nowhere.

The fog was so pretty one morning I tried to take pictures of it. I think it's time to read the manual on the camera.

It's 30 degrees, cloudy and dark at 5 pm.

It's not that bad

2008-11-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again.

The wood has been cut and stacked (thank you dear), the pool has been drained, the trampoline taken down, the lawn chairs put away. Now we wait for the snow, which usually starts around Thanksgiving.

This is what we're burning now, pine and fir. It's pretty light and burns fast, which is good because the real cold hasn't hit yet. Now we have the fire turned down most of the time, so the wood burns more slowly. The pine and fir were generously donated to us by S and J, who still have a lot of downed trees on their property. We used to harvest our own, but our supply has dwindled. We have about 2 cords of this.

We also bought and had delivered 2 cords of a birch/tamarack (larch) mix, which is in the back row there. It's much heavier and denser so it burns longer. It's good to get this going with the lighter stuff and then throw on a birch yule log before bed to last through the night.We had more insulation put into the house this year, and J put in a bathroom heater. This morning it was 14 degrees on the thermometer, but I didn't know it till I went downstairs and looked.

Before the arctic air mass arrived, we had a few days of rain via the pineapple express. It was nice and mild and misty and moist. I imagine it's what Seattle feels like.

It was good to get all that moisture, but I can see how it would get old fast.

After the deluge, it was dry and windy, with the occasional bit of sun.

Rusty was pondering the universe here in the hot spot. Not 15 minutes later the clouds returned and it started to hail.

There isn't much color around anymore, everything is brown brown brown and grey and dark green, except for these bright spots:

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - Bearberry

Willow?

Oregon grape with Bearberry

Gaillardia trying to bloom, better late than never.
It's cloudy and 41 degrees at 1:50 pm.

First Snow

2008-11-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

The snow is here, for a bit. Rain is in the forecast later on.

J is putting lots of leaves on the garden and will till them in before the ground freezes. I hope.
It's 32 degrees at 3:30 pm, light snow falling. It's already too dark outside to take pictures.

Oh Happy Day

2008-11-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

Spring has come in November!

The Color Kittens' experiments have come to life, the paint has spilled and it's mixing and turning red and blue into purple. Yahoo! And what's next?

But they had no green. "No green
paint!" said Brush and Hush.
And they wanted green paint, of course, because
nearly every place they liked to go was green.

There it is, everything I ever needed to learn about life in one Little Golden Book.

Here's to a bright and beautiful future.

It's 41 degrees, mostly cloudy at 1:00 pm.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Black cat (Pyewacket)Brown Echinacea

Sunflowers

Rye (cause of mental illness in Salem "witches"?)

All the grasses have gone to seed, ready for next year.

Poor flowers. But the oregano and other herbs are still healthy, despite temps in the teens at night. Herbs rule!
That's all folks.

Next...Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. A little preview...

Chickadee in a Christmas tree

Pine cones and Oregon grape
SnowberryIt's 1:00 pm and 50 degrees, sunny.

Winter is here

2008-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

In case you live in the balmy areas, this is what it looks like on a cold October morning in Idaho. The greenhouse garden has finally surrendered, no more zucchini, sniff sniff. When the temps in October dip like this, it's always a rude shock. Wait--wasn't it just 80 a couple weeks ago? What happened? Now it only gets up to low 50s on sunny days, and nights are frigid: it was 14 degrees last night, 14. Where did the warmth go? I want to follow it, like the birds.

These Pine Siskins came with a flurry of activity to snack on the sunflowers. Looks like a happy family.

Well, I didn't get a good shot of the upside-down antics, their acrobatic tricks would be better to watch in a video.
If I were them, I'd fly south in a hurry.

What on earth is a meme?

2008-10-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

A meme is like an internet virus. It's an idea or activity that spreads from person to person, kind of like a chain letter, but without the bad luck.

Janeywan is passing one around that's fun so I thought what the hey, why not?

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Grab the closest book.
Turn to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence, (not the fifth line, the fifth sentence).
Post the text of the next two to five sentences on your blog, along with these instructions.
Make sure you choose the nearest book to you, not the dearest.
Tag five others to do the same.
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Here are my results for this experiment:

I picked up The Middle Moffat, by Eleanor Estes, which Slammy just did book report on last night at the computer. It's one of my favoritest books of all time so I was excited to see what the quote would be.

The fifth sentence: Everybody sat down around the shiny round table in the dining room.

Ok, this sounds like a good beginning, I thought, but then...

Mrs. Stokes sat opposite Mr. Stokes. Beatrice sat on one side. And Nancy and Jane, best friends, sat on the other side.
First they had vegetable soup. They ate this all right.

Hmm, phooey, we don't get to hear about Jane's lamb chop dilemma. I had to read the rest of the chapter so I could enjoy it again. I think I will have to read the whole book again. I noticed that Estes uses very short sentences, maybe that's one of her secrets. If I could write like her, I'd be pleased as punch. But could I ever come up with characters like The Mechanical Wizard, or The Oldest Inhabitant? I don't know. That woman was a genius. And so was the illustrator, Louis Slobodkin.

Perhaps vegetable soup should be on the menu tonight.

I'm tagging the people in my blog list, have fun! Or not...

October Surprise

2008-10-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

All tucked in for the night. Thanks to the Js for helping me so often with this task.

It's October, and the garden is still going strong. That's the surprise. Not only that, but the weather today is beeeauuuutiful.

The sunflowers are really shining now. The deer haven't been around to eat them lately, I'm not sure why.

The chickadees were out this morning, singing their wheezy little song.

Rusty wasn't too impressed. "Aaaah shaddup!"Clear and 67 degrees on the cold side of the house at 12:30 pm, it'll be around 80 later on.

Pitiful

2008-09-26T14:46:00.001-07:00

The garden is winding down and dead flower stalks need cutting. But some things are still blooming, like the sunflowers, butterfly bush and nasturtiums. I think a conversation my nephews had about it while they were over here sums it up nicely:

Younger nephew: Why do they have that fountain in the garden?

Older nephew: It makes it look not so pitiful.

Younger nephew: It's not so pitiful!

Sunflower power

Nasturtiums and hydrangea The wild areas are just as pretty, no, maybe prettier, with their fall colors.

Gorgeous day

2008-09-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

I've never seen so many honey bees here. Maybe they haven't disappeared, they've just moved north?
Coconut would love to spend all day outside, he got four bugs in minutes today when I took him out. Here he is back on his Ficus, giving me that sad look.
The beans are still going in September! We cover them up each night, along with the rest of the greenhouse. If I forget one of these nights I will kick myself.

One of the last summer days... it's sunny with a light breeze, 75 degrees at 1:15pm.

Good News, in a way

2008-09-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Health update:
Not much of a surprise, but the blood tests show that my thyroid antibodies are off the charts, so my elevated TSH is due to my body attacking my thyroid. Yes, it's all my fault, I'm trying to do myself in.
The good news is that my N.D. said that this problem often originates in the gut and the blood type diet is a good way to deal with it. If only I knew bread was poison a long time ago, I coulda been a contender...
Yeah right.
Well, something must be working, because I've already lost 6 pounds of Idaho weight. Yipee!

Weather news:
We're having a little heatwave, it's s'posed to be in the 90s tomorrow, and I say, bring it on. But could we please have a side of rain?

A Diet Without Donuts?

2008-09-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a book that's been out since 1996 called Eat Right for Your Type, by Peter J. D'Adamo. It's fascinating! It's all about blood types and how they determine what you should eat.

I'm willing to give it a go because it says, as a type O, I should eat red meat, fish, vegetables and fruits, and no lentils! I know I've talked them up before, but they aren't very good, are they? Sadly, no donuts, no wheat flour, no dairy, no pork, no potatoes. But I already knew those were bad for me. And apparently the Ezekial sprouted grain bread is ok. I tried it and it's actually very tasty.

So now we have to get everyone in the family tested to see what blood types we have, (so I can torture them with this new diet). I really hope the Js are not type As, because As are supposed to be vegetarians. Maybe that's why that book The China Study found meat protein to be detrimental, because in China most people are type A or B! Not me, I'm a carnivore, grrrrr.

I was amazed at how many of the foods I don't like are on my do not eat list. You know those things you have to kind of force down? And your mouth is like, uh, do I have to? No surprise that papayas are good for Os, but not for some other types, you either love 'em or hate 'em.

Peter D'Adamo, a Naturopathic doctor, has a blog too. In one of his posts he talks about Dr. Andrew Weil trying to discredit him. I never liked Dr. Weil, or his advice. He's a "holistic doctor." But usually he sounds like a regular old doctor with some new tricks. Anyway, I go to a Naturopath for my healthcare and I trust them. Their guiding principle is "First, do no harm." Regular doctors don't try to get at root causes, they just try to get rid of symptoms with drugs. I'm going to see my N.D. tomorrow and hear the results of my blood tests. Oh dear...

I'll ask the doc what she thinks of my new pet book.

This 'n' that

2008-09-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

What a life the bees have.

Mid September gardening news:

Even though we've had several freezing nights, the garden is still alive, (yay!!!) The house protects the flowers and the greenhouse is doing a good job for the vegetables. This is the first time ever I've had red full size tomatoes, it's a great joy. I'm almost persuaded that this isn't such a bad place to live after all, for a gardener that is.

Idaho organic:

It's a bit behind the times and ultra-conservative here, but there are some changes happening that look promising. The local health food store is expanding for the second time, taking over other buildings next door. I just wish I could afford to shop there more often. Most other grocery stores have organic produce and products now. There must be an increasing demand. My taste tests have confirmed that organic produce does taste better, maybe others are starting to notice that too. Not to mention that eating food without chemicals can only be better for you, especially when some of those foods are from other countries where they spray who knows what on them. Which brings me to my next topic.

Made in China:

The past few years, we've noticed that nearly every new product we buy (we're obviously shopping at the wrong stores) smells terrible for a long time. Chemical fumes emanate from these things, and we can't figure out what is going on. It didn't used to happen, did it? Well, for one thing, many of these things are made in China or Indonesia or some other place churning out cheap products. There doesn't seem to be much oversight on what kind of junk gets shipped over here. So from now on, I'll try to lay off the cheap stuff, although that's hard when funds are limited. I'll have to scour the countryside for wholesome products made in this country, or better yet, have the mechanical genius make it for me.

Politics:

Oh, the utter nonsense of it all. My eye twitch is back.

Global warming update:

Did everyone see Sarah Palin say that there may be some human causes to global warming? Holy Al Gore! Some of the doubters are pretending to change their minds! If that's not progress, I don't know what is. Meanwhile, the chanting gets louder: drill baby drill! Those are some real forward looking people right there. And the politicians cave and approve new drilling. So encouraging. I'm going to do what I can to end this slow motion train wreck by asking the kids to become scientists so they can invent new energy sources. I know they'll just ignore me, but it's worth a try. After all, they're a lot smarter than I was at their age, and they're even good at math, gasp! If I had been good at math I could've studied physics and maybe I'd be working on a new energy source this very moment. But instead I'm writing a blog which two people read. Two very very important people.

Jack's back

2008-09-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Poor, poor zucchini. Frost got it the morning of September 1, as usual.

But look at the one in the greenhouse, still going strong. Yay! I love my greenhouse, thanks J and J.

It's 68 degrees at 2:00 pm.

Gathering nuts

2008-08-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's been raining and cooler the past week. Thinking about firewood and insulating those cold spots. The long winter ahead is just around the corner. Time to get ready for hibernation.

Ok, here's where I go into weirdy territory.

Wow, gnomes read, who knew?

I don't actually know anything about gnomes, except that people put statues of them in their gardens. It was what popped into my head when I had to think of a name to sign my posts with. Y'know, gardens, gnomes, they go together.

Tonight I looked it up in The American Heritage Dictionary:

Gnome (1) n.

1. One of a fabled race of dwarflike creatures who live underground and guard treasure hoards. 2. A shrivelled old man.

Gnome (2) n.

A pithy saying that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle; a maxim, an aphorism. [Greek gnome, intelligence, judgment, maxim, from gignoskein, to know.]

Hmmm. Something to think about. Shriveled old man? Intelligence? Underground treasure guard? I don't know if I can live up to all that. I have to try. I'll spend more time in the sun. I'll read more books. I'll protect the dirt and worms. This is my pledge to America! (oops, been watching too many political speeches.) I will try to be a better gnome, and live down to the name.

Wait for me!

2008-08-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

I think I finally may have located my flock. This is my kind of bicycle race. Go Zentrok!

Some other news

2008-08-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

I'm going to leave the garden for a bit to talk about some other news.

Slammy got tired of sharing with a garden gnome, so she's moved here. And now there's another blog in the family, called Z Project. See what you started, Dori?

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We got hooked up to (so-called) high speed internet. It's only been working about 30% of the time though, too many trees in the way of the signal. Boo hoo. The company is virtually unreachable on the phone, so it's quite frustrating, and I'm close to throwing their equipment off the roof. There, how do you like that, you, you, bad service internet company!!!? And I'm not paying my bill either!

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It's been a stressful summer, and I'm actually looking forward to Fall. Even to snow. (Am I crazy? What am I saying?) A nice cozy fire, a good movie, a savory pot roast for dinner with potatoes and carrots and apple pie for dessert, while the snow falls steadily outside the window. What a peaceful scene, but not likely to occur with two teenagers in the fam. Simplify, simplify, why is it so hard to simplify? It's all those after school activities, they completely mess up the dinner hour, and empty the gas tank. Should I just put a ban on them? So they can tell their kids what a mean mom I was for not letting them play basketball? I imagined such a simple, slow paced life when we moved here. A little cabin out in the snowy woods. My hermit dreams are not shared by the kids, alas, (or thank goodness.)
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Back to the garden

The potatoes are not a complete wash, I found a couple under the straw that weren't rotted, green or half eaten. I need to go and remove all the straw and see what's down there. Some of them are green because the straw is letting in light. I'll just cover up what's left with dirt.

I let Rusty in to investigate the gophers, and he got right onto their scent.

The cats follow me wherever I go, mocking my efforts to keep pests out of the gardens. I put the row cover back on the box, and it was working until Rusty decided it was a comfy blanket.

Katy likes it too. We have quite a few Katydids this year, and I hope they're bug eaters, not plant eaters.

Indy can get in this garden even when the gate is closed.The beans and squash in here are producing, good news, as it's almost fall. The pumpkin and watermelon are not going to make it. Single tear.

Knapweed Revisited

See the resemblance? One is cornflower, or bachelor button, and the other, knapweed.

I am the walrus.

I picked, and picked, and picked. This wheelbarrow full has a potent smell of poison. Toxic waste! I can't stand seeing livestock around here eating this stuff. Now that I've gotten rid of it in our grass field, I'm ready to go get a cow. After I build a fence, and a barn.

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Beautiful Bugs

The mint is attracting lots of buzzing flying things of all shapes and sizes, even the elusive honeybee.

I have no idea what this is, but I don't think I want to know.

Flowers Excuse the length of this post, who knows when I'll return?

It's 77 degrees at 4 pm.

2008-08-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

When I'm done with this bean plant, there will be nothing left for you, human! hahhahahhahha!

August would be a good month to go on vacation. Somewhere cool and refreshing like Glacier N.P. or maybe the Oregon coast. I'm tempted to hop in the car and do it. But my guess is there's nary a campsite or motel available, as everyone else probably has the same idea. Not to mention the fact that the garden would be toast without water. Not that there's much to lose...after the deer, grasshoppers and rodents have done their work, there isn't a whole lot of produce left for us, lucky we have a small family.

Check out the potatoes. I used to be smug about not having any gophers up here, and now look. If it isn't gophers, it's a close relative. Not only the tubers are damaged, but the leaves are getting completely stripped as well. Meanwhile, our neighbors' potatoes are doing fabulously well. I've decided to ditch the straw. It just isn't working. What the garden needs is some serious nitrogen. The neighbors plowed in leaves last fall and that really seemed to work for them. But now that the gophers have found us, there may be no point. Last year they took down a few bean plants, but that's all. I suspect it'll get worse every year. Where's that cat, anyway?

But the stuff in the greenhouse is doing well, even though it's only the first year and the soil is terrible. I used Jobe's organic fertilizer spikes and they help a lot. It's much easier to have a vegetable garden close to the kitchen, I've noticed. I think maybe the further one will be better for berry bushes or fruit trees.

It's time to put the row cover back over the box garden, as the deer have been coming and eating up all the cabbage, which is ok, since it had already been decimated by insects. I don't want them getting the carrots though. I've tried replanting some crops, but the grasshoppers and their friends devour everything. The row cover may help a bit.

The mosquitoes are STILL here. The dust is here too, in the evenings. August is not my favorite month. We have been having a little heat wave and it makes me thankful we don't live in Arizona. But it's sposed to rain, so that's good.

August does have some rewards, the potted maters are ripe.

And these.
I love this perennial, Heliopsis helianthoides 'Summer Sun', also known as False Sun Flower. Good thing I kept the tag, it's not in Sunset!?! How could they leave it out? It's very cheerful, and the grasshoppers don't seem to like it.
They do like the Rudbeckia flowers.They even eat the Echinacea, maybe they feel a cold coming on.

August

2008-08-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

The nights are getting cooler, many of the flowers are done blooming, and the grasshoppers are way way out of control. This is one of the more interesting ones, maybe only because it's rare.

We have green ones, brown ones, yellow, orange, grey, striped, you name it, we've got it. Coconut is partial to the small green ones, but he doesn't even make a small dent in the population. We need those guinea hens now.

I've been cutting stuff back, weeding and deadheading. There are a bunch of empty areas in the flower bed now, which I'm looking forward to filling. I have several things to move and transplant. A mock orange and a river birch that have become deer food, iris, a lilac, lavender, and a few daffodils, plus a rose and two echinaceas I bought.

The bee balm has been suffering from mildew, a serious drawback to that plant.

There are little gourds on the one in the pot, none yet on the one in the ground. The potted tomato had a red one we ate today. The zucchini are still a bit small to eat.

Our internet is so slow, I haven't been able to do much lately, and I don't have time to do the moon signs anymore. I hope we get a faster connection soon.

The mosquitoes are still here.

It's 68 degrees and clear at 8:45 pm.

July treats

2008-07-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Many shades of lavender

White, purple, pink, it's all blooming right now and all lovely. The white lavender smells yummy, like honey. There was a lavender festival in Athol last weekend, and once again I missed it. I will have to go next year...

New friends

We picked up Wheat, as named by nephew, yesterday, and walked home with him tucked into my shirt. Wheat doesn't quite fit him, so we're considering the name Indy. He's the runt of the litter, and he has an independent streak. His mama disappeared around the same time as Kiki. Indy is Kiki's nephew, maybe that is why Rusty is tolerating him so well. They'll be best friends in no time, and keep each other warm this winter.

Rain!

Amazingly, it did rain, and maybe it isn't so surprising since Slammy and best friend are at camp. Doesn't it always rain at camp? It seems to be pretty much guaranteed.

Vegie delite

I had the first baby zucchini. I figured out they need a lot more water than they were getting. The onions and potatoes are blooming. I don't think that's a good thing for the onions, I'll have to remove those pretty blossoms.
Speaking of pretty blossoms...

Campanula rotundifolia - Harebell
Trifolium pratense - Red clover
Monarda didyma - Bee balm

Linaria vulgaris - Dalmation Toadflax (a noxious weed, but pretty)

The sun has come out of the clouds. It's 67 degrees at 1:30 pm.

Lepidoptera

2008-07-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Chalcedon CheckerspotOur most common butterfly right now.

This one is rarer.

If you like identifying butterflies and moths, check out this site. The one above, I discovered, is a California Tortoise Shell, (photo credit Jr.). My Golden Nature Guide to Butterflies and Moths, published in 1964, is a little out of date and didn't have it. But it helped me narrow down the search. It has many common species, like this caterpillar of the White-marked Tussock Moth, which it says "is a serious pest of many deciduous trees."

I'm hoping to see the huge moth that visits the bee balm at dusk, this year. I'll try to get a picture, it's as big as a hummingbird.

It's 65 degrees and breezy at 9:15 am.

July colors

2008-07-13T21:31:00.001-07:00

OK, time to move on.
Too many bugs, not enough birds, where did they all go? They must not like the heat. One of these days I'm going to check the nestboxes.Coco doesn't mind, he's been feasting on grasshoppers. What did he think when this Checkerspot landed on him? Bugs land on him a lot, and he doesn't seem to mind. He's very patient. It's all part of his plan. Next thing you know, they're down the hatch.

Coconut sunbathing in the clover.

That was a good salad.

It's harvest time at last. We started that lettuce inside in...March? It was a long time ago. The bok choi, spinach and arugula all went to seed. It's the same every year, we don't have the right climate for those crops. Cabbage seems to be ok though. The carrots are coming along, if a bit crookedly.

This is a funny, pretty gallairdia that must have come from a seed mixture.

The hummingbirds have been visiting the bee balm, they love red! Who doesn't?

Purple! The lavender is blooming now, and the oregano is about to.Don't forget pink! This is the wild pink spiraea, which bloomed profusely this year.

More arachnids

2008-07-10T10:29:00.002-07:00

These boys came for a visit one morning. I've never seen males here before, I didn't know they hung out together. Slammy says they were fighting over the birdfeeder.

The next day, Jr. found this on his neck. It hadn't been on too long and he pulled it off himself.

I looked up deer ticks and I don't think this is one. It looks like a Dermacentor andersoni, or Rocky Mountain wood tick, which is not a vector of Lyme disease. It's a vector of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and other diseases, which can be fatal.

On the positive side, I found out that guinea fowl are a good control measure, clearing an area of ticks lickity split, and yellow jackets too! They also make good watch dogs and prefer roosting in the trees so they don't even need housing. I thought we were done with fowl, but maybe not...

It's 72 degrees and windy at 12:00 pm.

Eeeeeewwww!

2008-07-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

If you have arachnophobia, shield your eyes.

These hatchlings were on the foxglove right next to the house. Lucky I saw them in time to transport the group to the back of the property.
This may be the mama. She's nearby, nestled into the corner of the house. For someone who is terrified of spiders, it's big of me to let her stay. However, after seeing her babies, I think she may have to be relocated. What if she's a Hobo?

This jumper was also in the neighborhood.And this daddy long leg.It's been a good year for the spiders. Oh dear...

The Knapweed Revolution

2008-07-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Time to do battle with the knapweed. It hasn't flowered yet, but it's tall enough to spot. When I go out on a picking expedition I get on long sleeves and pants, a scarf, hat, and gloves. I chew on a bit of raw garlic before heading out as further protection from the mosquitoes. (Don't come around when I'm picking knapweed.)

Knapweed has been a part of our lives for seven years. First I just thought it was a pretty purple flower. Then a neighbor told me it was a noxious weed. Huh? What's that? I found out. It's a very bad, naughty plant that you must get rid of if it's on your property. We've been doing our best. We've tried pulling, poisoning, mowing, but nothing eradicates it. We keep about a third of our property nearly free of it. It takes many hours of pulling just to do this much. I've despaired of ever getting rid of it completely. Last year I offered to pay the kids 10 cents per plant pulled, but realized my mistake when 160 plants were produced in less than 30 minutes. One day we were thinking of wild schemes to do it in and came up with a solution: go back in time and prevent it from ever arriving here. Jr. wrote a riveting sci-fi thriller about it, called The Knapweed Revolution.

Well, maybe we won't have to invent a time machine, because now there are bugs. Flies and weevils have been released that actually like the toxic plant, and this year is the first time I've noticed lots of them on our plants. There is hope!

Isn't he cute?

But to tell the truth, when I'm out there pulling knapweed, I actually enjoy it. Even if the darn stuff keeps coming back year after year, making big piles of it gives me a sense of accomplishment. It seems to be in human nature to revel in destruction of an enemy. And I do love to kill knapweed! No guilt accompanies it. I'm very angry with the deer and moose when they eat my plants, but I could never kill them. Knapweed does not have a cute fuzzy face or a heartbeat. It's more like a robot, silently outcompeting and poisoning everything in its way until there's nothing left but knapweed. It is a truly perfect villain.

Now, with the help of the bugs, I say, let the knapweed revolution begin!

For information on knapweed and other invasive weeds and pests go to this great website.