Sandy Strauss
I’ve spent at least part of the last few weekends closing down the garden for winter. The days are beautiful, but there is an unmistakable chill in the air that signals that freezing temperatures–and probably snow, at some point–aren’t far behind.
I just finished doing cutting back the dead and dying foliage from one of the beds in the backyard. By the time I was finishing, the sun was already down–earlier than ever, of course, with the change back from daylight savings time. The sky at this time of year is spectacular during that twilight time. If it hadn’t been so cold, I would have loved to sit out back and watch the sky till darkness had descended completely. I would love to be able to have a place where I could build a bonfire at this time of year and huddle up close with hot cider or mulled wine.
I love the smell of fall. I love the colors. This year the colors have lasted longer than usual. I’m amazed that there are still so many leaves hanging on, and most of them are the near fluorescent reds and oranges. Earlier the yellows were glorious, but they are mostly gone. I especially love the aspens–they flutter in the wind, and the rustling is a calming sound. Three weeks ago we decided to make the trip to the Finger Lakes to take advantage of the leaves (and the wine!)–the changeover is earlier because they are just a bit further north, and a bit higher elevation. It was great to experience the height of fall colors twice!
Last weekend I pulled all the tomatoes that were large enough to save–mostly green–and brought them in to ripen. They won’t be good for eating fresh, but they’ll be fine for canning or making sauce. I also pulled all the peppers that were ready or close. We still have some broccoli and some greens. I’m looking forward to trying the parsnips. I dug up and moved a hydrangea that was in too sunny a place, and moved it to a place where I think it will do better. I moved another plant that was in the wrong place to where the hydrangea was. It will do well there. I moved the plants that weren’t doing so well in the Tigger Garden (because they were shade plants that weren’t in the shade after we cut down the peach tree from that part of the yard). They are now along the wall by the garages, where they will spread and fill in and–I hope–keep the weeds from continuing to take over. Mounds of dying black-eyed susans, Russian sage, other sage, bee balm, peppermint and catnip got cut back as well. Dave trimmed the raspberries.
Today, I picked what may be the last of the raspberries. That is especially sad. We love having fresh raspberries for breakfast. We have lots of frozen ones, however, that we’ll use over the winter. We have many jars of raspberry preserves. When we’re having an attack of waiting/hoping for summer, we might even make some raspberry sorbet. I also brought up some broccoli that we’ll have for dinner.
I actually started thinking about a fire. I’m tired, and probably won’t bother, but it’s tempting. I need to make dinner, and we’ll have leftover turkey (from Dave’s surprise 60th birthday party last night), fresh (really fresh!) broccoli, and acorn squash. Yum! Maybe some apple pie (double yum!)
Maybe it isn’t so sad after all…
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Wow–summer came and went in a blur! Here we are almost at the end of September, and our harvest–with the notable exception of raspberries–is winding down. We still have greens that will be available into October, maybe even November. I was thrilled to see that the late summer cucumber I planted has yielded three cucumbers so far, with more coming. Merciless pruning of the tomatoes–ridding them of the leaves that contain whatever was attacking them, seems to have turned them around, though it’s hard to say how many more tomatoes we’ll get as the weather cools. There are significant blossoms and some new fruit setting, so even if we end up with a number of green tomatoes that we can bring in later and ripen inside, we’ll have that many more tomatoes for canning.
We have also been benefiting from the production of the chickens that we got earlier this summer. The eggs are great–so much better than the eggs from the grocery, because they are so fresh!
We’ve had over 150 pounds of honey so far, and we think we’ll be harvesting a little more. It is lovely–great on the toast made from the yellow squash bread that I expect to make all winter after freezing LOTS of grated squash from the massive production we had this summer.
It’s almost time to begin putting in bulbs and probably a couple of dwarf fruit trees. I’ll also be putting down new beds. We’ll divide some of the plants from our backyard garden to move and give away, and we’ll move more day lilies down to our daylily bed. The mums that never got very big before are growing massive in the space where we’ve put them–threatening to overtake several other plants! Oh, and yes–we plan to move some roses that need better light to places where they will get it.
Hoping for a few more green beans from what I planted in August. It’s looking pretty good, but if it gets very cold early, we’ll lose them. We did get some at the farmer’s market to freeze, because we really appreciated having our own last winter–much better than store-bought frozen. I think we’ll have more broccoli as well, from the new plants we planted in early August.
All in all, it’s been a good year for the garden.
We have taken advantage of good buys on things we aren’t growing when we’ve found them. I bought a box of plums for $3 (!) a few weeks ago, and made two batches of wonderful jam, some spiced cold soup, and a pie. Not sure I’d do the pie again, but the soup was delicious! I just bought a box of apples and will be making applesauce today.
OK–I think I’d better get moving on the apples and the beans–then down to the garden to work on the compost and the beds. It’s a good day to be outside–70s and beautiful, lovely breeze.
Happy autumn!
Filed under: Cooking and Food, garden | Tags: garden, grandchild, gratefulness, raspberries, thankfulness
When I started this blog, I intended for it to be something I would do daily–or at least more regularly than I have. I now realize that it is during the summer when I am actually most busy–weeding, tending vegetables and fruit, harvesting, tending bees and harvesting honey, canning, freezing…
This summer has also been busier than usual with my professional work. I was elated that over 600 people turned out for the Building One Pennsylvania Summit that I worked so hard on, but I do have concerns about keeping the momentum going. Some days I despair about the state of our political environment, and I know that keeping a positive movement going is imperative.
I don’t pretend to understand why there is so much hate, so much animosity, so much desire to create conditions that would cause failure for a president clearly elected by a wider margin than any in recent memory. I am pained by the extent to which those who carry such hatred would go to prevent any change, any movement. I am frustrated and angry by the fact that a few folks with a great deal of money and power are able to control a political agenda and prevent anything but their own agenda to move forward–or stymie any movement at all.
Then…there are days like today. August 28, 2010–a glorious day! The sun is shining as brightly as it has in some time, the sky is cloudless, the temperature is lovely–warm in the sun, but comfortable, with just a little breeze and little humidity. I am proctoring Presbyterian ordination exams at Lancaster Seminary, and have nothing else that I must be doing this morning while four folks toil away on their polity exam. What a treat! I brought reading and knitting, and as soon as I get done with this post, I will turn to the knitting, I think.
Something else to be grateful for–a new grandson, Liam, born to Maggie, my step-daughter, and her husband Garrett. Liam is adorable, and strong! He is a good size baby, born on July 31, so just approaching a month. I saw him the day he was born, and then again last weekend. I hope to finish the blanket I’m working on so that I can give it to Maggie soon. I rejoice that I have even this little experience of being a grandmother, since I have no children of my own. I hope to get to play even a small part in his life.
I give thanks for my friends–especially my women friends! I am eagerly looking forward to going with friends to see “Eat, Pray, Love” tomorrow. I am thankful that my friend Carol–who will be part of that group–emerged through cancer surgery relatively unscathed, but continue to pray that she will do well as she moves forward into treatment to try to ensure that the cancer never returns. I also look forward to seeing Chad and Michelle later in the day, and sharing some of the bounty from our garden in a salad. Barb is coming next weekend, and we will spend Saturday playing, and I am grateful for her coming.
I look forward to cooler days in the garden. This has been a mixed year for the garden–the tomatoes have not done as well. I think next year I will, for the first time, start my own from seed. The green beans, which have always done well for me, did not do so well this year. We’ve had enough to eat regularly, but not to freeze. I may buy some tomatoes and beans at the farmer’s market for canning and freezing. We tried to save two of the peach trees, but they have been as disappointing as before, so we plan to take them down and plant something else–maybe more dwarf plum, crepe myrtle, butterfly bush, lilac–who knows?
On the other hand, we’ve had a bumper crop of yellow squash, and we’ve been eating and freezing them, as well as making relish and pickles. We’ve had a steady supply of cucumbers–not really enough to make pickles, but we still have pickles from a couple of years ago, and have found that the squash actually work quite well! We’ve had LOTS of peppers as well, so I made a big batch of stuffed peppers and have some frozen ones, and I’ve been freezing strips of both hot and sweet peppers. We had lots of strawberries early on, then a lull, and now a fairly steady stream for breakfast.
I saved the best for last–raspberries!!! We had an overwhelming crop starting in June, and froze many, made lots of sorbet, and lots of jam. They slowed for a while, and now they are coming even faster than before! We are freezing lots, and eating lots. I plan to make more jam, and may, for the first time, try my hand at a pie. In my mind, there is nothing better than raspberries right out of our garden.
I’ll probably spend the afternoon in the garden. Yes, it’s work, but it’s the best work in the world. I thank God for creating a world where we all have an opportunity to be partners in that creation, preserving, protecting–and perhaps, adding a few embellishments, thanks to the many gifts we’ve been given that permit us to do that!
Now…back to the knitting and celebrating this beautiful day!
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July is always busy with gardening details–weeding, watering, harvesting, preserving… This July has been busy with my day job at the Council. Fortunately things have slowed down a bit following last week’s Building One America Summit–over 600 people in Lancaster!–and completion of the two-day retreat of our Commission on Public Witness at the (perfectly named) Farm of Peace. We also had a sort-of working weekend–last weekend–with Julia and Damien (our niece and her husband) and Joe (our nephew). Julia and I made raspberry jam, fresh salsa, and guacamole, then extracted another almost 50 lbs. of honey. Dave and Damien and Joe did woodworking projects in the shop–Damien finishing a bedside table, and Joe producing a pipe. Amongst all that we had dinner out at Lancaster Brewing Company, and went to Hauser Estate to do wine tasting on Sunday afternoon.
I almost always look forward to our Commission retreat with both excitement and trepidation. I also know that it is not really a retreat for me, as I must be “on” and taking notes the entire time. What was different this time was the location. The Farm of Peace is operated by a group of Sufi Muslims, lovely, lovely, welcoming people, overflowing with hospitality. The retreat center is a straw bale building set high on a hillside, with a breathtaking view from the meeting room. The bedrooms are spacious and comfortable, and the food is phenomenal, much of it produced right there on the farm. They operate a CSA, and they raise sheep and chickens as well. After dinner on Tuesday, we were treated to a tour of the farm by Maryam Hand, the caretaker and Sufi teacher. We had the opportunity to visit in the garden with Ahmed, her husband, to learn about what they were growing.
I learned that several of the weeds growing behind the shop are edible! Several are quite prolific–lamb’s quarter, plantain and purslane. I wasn’t sure if what we had was actually purslane, but it appears that it is. They gave me some sorrel to plant here to add to the edible mix. I plan to be more intentional about my weeding in order to preserve the “good” weeds!
It was good to have company on the ride back and forth as well. Sue, one of the members of our Commission, is even more into gardening and sustainability than I am. We talked about how to do more in this area. My ultimate dream would be to operate community gardens and/or CSAs in the city, teach preserving skills, and help folks in the community to understand the health aspects of such things.
For today, however, I’ll be dealing with some of the bounty from our own garden. We picked, quite literally, a reusable grocery bag full of veggies. I need to stuff peppers, can, and freeze things. I will also be baking some bread for the week. I want to check for strawberries, and would love to try the recipe for watermelon strawberry sorbet that was in the paper this morning. Maybe I’ll try some cold cucumber soup…
It’s time to get to work. Never a dull moment on an urban homestead!
I’m not sure when it last rained. Storms have passed by us, and we’ve had at most a few sprinkles. The ground is so dry in the backyard that there are actually cracks, and the vegetables and fruit were drooping. I hate to water, but everything was looking terribly stressed, so I did.
On the other hand, we haven’t had to do a lot of mowing. I did mow today, just to take down the taller weeds. All the heavy-duty weeding/edging I did yesterday makes mowing easier. This morning I mulched the areas I cleared yesterday heavily with the leaf mulch we got from the neighbors. I had done a couple of other areas already the same way, and it has been very effective at keeping the weeds from invading the beds. The garden looks better than it has in a long time–except for the lack of rain.
The backyard needs attention. I did do some trimming and tieing up plants today. Everything has gotten dense enough that there are barely any weeds. The worst thing is that I have to keep working to dig up residual black-eyed susans. I moved all of them out and down to the area where the vegetables are behind the shop, and also into the box around the Canadian cherry out front. I suspect it will be a bit like the lemon balm that took me a couple of years to remove from the back. It smells great, but it is SO invasive.
I need to sift some compost for the backyard garden and spread it–the soil seems to have gotten to where it doesn’t seem to have much organic stuff. I hope to do that on Monday, since we’ll be occupied for the 4th tomorrow. Once that’s done, then the leaf mulch will go on top. Perhaps that will help to hold the water in better. I would love to move some plants around, but this is really not a good time. I still need to do some work out front. It has been almost totally neglected so far, and the suckers around the cherry are looking like they may devour the tree!
We still had lots of yellow squash after making the relish and bread a couple of nights ago. I’m not sure why folks make the jokes only about zucchini–yellow squash is just as prolific, if not more so. Anyway, this morning we used a bit more to make yellow squash muffins–very moist, not too sweet, and terrific with honey or some of our strawberry jam. Huge recipe though–18 muffins. I think I’ll freeze some.
This evening, I made raspberry jam. We’ll be making some more when Julia comes up later this month. I’ve been freezing some since it doesn’t really matter if we are making jam with them. I’ll bet it will be good on the muffins as well.
By the way, I thought I should share the website that I’ve been using to guide the jam making. It’s really good for anyone–lots of detail and pictures–but especially good for beginners. Here is the main page for canning and freezing: http://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm. There are links to just about anything you want to know, including links to in season recipes for pies and other things as well. If you are interested in finding places to pick your own fruit, just go to the home page (http://pickyourown.org) or click on the “Find a farm near you” link at the upper left of the canning page.
It’s looking like we’re going to have lots of spaghetti squash. This is a new thing for us, and it’s good stuff, but we certainly can’t keep up with it. I did find some simple instructions for freezing it, so we’ll probably do that. I didn’t think it would freeze well, but the posting says it actually freezes quite well. I guess we’ll find out…
Hoping the neighborhood fireworks die down soon. It sounds as if there are some illegal fireworks out there–great big booms. It’s not just the noise, though. There are a lot of kids out there, and I’m really afraid someone will get hurt. Zeke, our white cat, is still out, and I suspect he may not come back while all the fireworks are going off. I suspect he is down by the shop where he feels safe. It hasn’t hurt that Dave put a bee sign up warning anyone who might be tempted to mess around behind the shop that bees do sting to protect their hives. We really haven’t had kids going back there anyway since we got the bees!
Much as I love being in the garden, I think I’m ready for a little break tomorrow. Happy Independence Day and hope that you have a great day doing whatever you are planning to do!
I hadn’t really planned to spend the entire day in the big garden, but that’s what happened. I love these long weekends when I get to play in the dirt!
I had decided that I needed to put boundaries around all the various beds. I managed to do this around the vegetable beds a week or two ago. Today, I completed the boundary areas around the berries, and then did the entire length of the area that encompasses the Tigger garden, the asparagus and strawberry beds (even found a few new strawberries), and the bee garden. Tomorrow I cut the grass and put leaf mulch down to create a barrier between the grass (weeds?) and the beds.
The bee balm is breathtaking at the moment–at least 4 feet high and all in bloom. The whole bee garden, in fact, is quite happy–black-eyed susans are about to burst into full bloom, lamb’s ear is blossoming, and the Russian sage and other sage are doing well. The spearmint has taken hold in the place where I moved it, and the catnip is going nuts. It’s obvious that the cats have been rolling in it.
The other really remarkable thing is the daylily garden that I put in last year. It’s a bit hidden behind the raspberries, but it is in full bloom at the moment–all burgundy/cranberry colored flowers. I moved some yellow shorter ones in front of them earlier this year. I don’t think they will bloom, but I think the result next year will be striking. It is interspersed with mums, echinacea, and blanketflower. The mums, of course, won’t bloom till much later, but they are quite healthy.
I realized that I really need to move much of what we planted in the Tigger garden last year. It used to be in the shade, but since we cut down the peach tree in that corner, it now gets more sun than most of the plants there can stand. Think we’ll move the roses from the back yard to that area, and I’m also thinking about sprinkling columbine seeds down there. We have Carolina lupine and Joe Pye weed that I’ll try to move some of as well–or maybe harvest some seeds and plant them. The hostas will do better behind the other peach trees, and so will the false lamium, sweet woodruff, and the other plant I can’t remember the name of. The euphorbia we put in last year seems quite happy.
I also plan to clean up and fill in the area between the Tigger garden and the daylily bed–probably with more daylilies and maybe some of the other stuff I mentioned above. Dave thinks I’m nuts, but my goal is to have beds all over, with paths between them–minimal mowing, maybe clover for the bees.
We have been inundated with yellow squash. We’ve been eating it marinated and grilled–yummy–but we have more than we can eat that way. I made some lovely whole wheat squash bread that is a yeast bread flavored with cardamom and contains raisins. That’s been breakfast for the last couple of days. I used a lot making squash relish last night–very pretty, yellow with green and red peppers. I think I’ll make some yellow squash muffins in the morning.
We picked our first tomato a couple of weeks ago–Lemon Boy, beautiful low acid yellow. The red ones are finally starting to turn, and we picked our first red one yesterday. Broccoli has been terrific this year. I need to plant some heat-resistant lettuce now that the other stuff is shot. We are just starting to get beans–seems they are slow this year. We’ve had our first peppers, and they have been good. The carrots are coming along, and we have a few more parsnips started. We’ve had some good blueberries–lovely, small, and sweet. And–we had our first spaghetti squash yesterday. We made arrabiatta sauce to have over it, with a fresh cucumber (oh, yes, those are ours, too) salad with our own onions, lemon juice, and a bit of dried marjoram from last year’s planting. The sauce was made from our canned tomatoes from last year, our own onions, fresh basil, and parsley. The red wine added to it was from some of the wine we have made. There is something quite satisfying about eating and drinking that which we have produced.
So far, we’ve made about 8 pints of strawberry jam, about four of blueberry, and I’m about to make raspberry.
The raspberries have been unbelievable. I picked well over a pound today. Dave took a pound to make raspberry cordial. We’ve frozen a number to use for jam, and we’ve been eating them regularly. We’ve made three batches of raspberry sorbet–maybe the best we’ve ever had. I’m thinking about cold raspberry soup, or maybe a pie. Last year we had them till around the beginning of November, and I suspect it will be the same this year.
So…I’m exhausted, but after a shower I feel much better, and I’m about to have some freshly made limeade and sorbet.
It’s humble, but it’s our much-loved little corner of the universe, and we’ve been blessed with great bounty. Thanks be to God.
I’m beat!
I’ve just spent the last two days getting the garden cleaned up, new planting done, picking, etc. I’m sunburned and feeling the effects of shoveling a half truckload of leaf mulch into a truck, and then shoveling a whole load out. But…the garden looks great!
We’ve had two swarms of bees this weekend, both of which we captured. We also harvested more honey. I think we must have at least 4 or 5 gallons already. It’s really lovely.
I hate weeding, but the more I keep up, the less there is down the line. The first year was terribly weedy. Getting the weeds before they go to seed helps. I ended up with a few weeds after putting compost on some of the beds, but once they are pulled, they don’t seem to come back.
I planted more green beans, yellow squash, carrots, and parsnips. I ended up with about five parsnips from the original planting–sadly, weeds seemed to drown out much of what might have come up. Hoping the new ones come in, but it takes a long time for them to germinate. The squash went into a two section stainless steel sink that I emptied soil from, then added stones, landscape fabric, and soil. I raised the whole thing so it can drain. Hoping it works…
I moved some late-blooming variety of native daisies from the backyard to a place near the stump in the vegetable garden. It looks like a really successful transplant–no wilting as of late today.
Tomatoes are coming–I trimmed and put the cages around them. The yellow “Lemon Boy” tomatoes seem to be farthest along. These were wonderful tomatoes last year, so I’m really looking forward to them. We have LOTS of broccoli as well. I harvested a lot today, and will be making a broccoli salad from a recipe we found last year–really good stuff, with green grapes, celery, craisins (it actually calls for raisins, but the craisins are lovely!) and sunflower seeds, with dressing that includes mayo and yogurt. Yum!
We have a lot of strawberries as well. I’m going to make a strawberry cake for a gathering tomorrow–strawberries in the cake, between the layers, and on the icing. I’m amazed at how many strawberries we’ve had. The raspberries are just starting to ripen–both the red and black ones–and we can hardly wait. Blueberries are coming along as well.
I’ve now added new soil to the small bed along the brick wall of the house next store after completely weeding it. I will be adding some plants that don’t require much attention–sedum, etc. I also weeded the toilet bowl that previously had flowers in it. I put some small succulent plants that I don’t know the name of in it, and transplanted some wandering Jew that grows wild in the back.
There is still so much to do, but tomorrow will probably be a day in the house, cooking. We’re going to a gathering with friends in the afternoon. Maybe I’ll get a little time in the backyard. I actually have Tuesday off as well…
Looking forward to sleeping in again!
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When I started this blog I really meant to write more often and document the progress of our garden. Things have been so busy between work and tending the garden that I find much of the time I’m so tired I don’t feel much like writing!
Since my last entry, we started harvesting strawberries. Not just a few–we’ve picked enough for us to eat them every day for nearly the last two weeks (maybe a little more?), make 4 1/2 pints of strawberry preserves, and a pie. We still have lots in the fridge and more to pick!
I made the pie last night, and it was too late to eat any of it when I got done. The most amazing thing was that we managed not to touch it till this evening–but it was well worth the wait! Rather than the sweet, sticky, gloppy stuff you usually see on strawberry pies that you buy, the binder/glaze was made with strawberry puree, and a lot less sugar. That, and of course, a good homemade crust.
The garden is doing well. We’ve been eating greens–lettuce and spinach–for some time now. We had our first broccoli with dinner last night–another treat! It will be awhile before we get much else, but the squash, cucumbers, beans and carrots have sprouted. I’m going to try to replant parsnips since they didn’t seem to do anything, and I’m going to plant another round of carrots and greens. Soon after I’ll plant the next round of beans. We need to cover the blueberries to prevent the birds from eating them. I looks like we’ll have a bumper crop of raspberries, and the black raspberries seem to be doing well, too. We did some major pruning of the peaches, and are hoping to have some decent ones this year. Oh–I almost forgot–the tomatoes are in, and we actually have some tomatoes that have set already, and the same is true for the peppers.
The other beds, with the exception of one, have been thoroughly weeded and mulched with some leaf mulch that we got from friends. I was afraid that we had lost everything that went into the Tigger Memorial Garden, and to my surprise and joy, everything made it. Not only that, but I actually had to be brutal in tearing out some of the Sweet Woodruff, which will overtake everything if you don’t. All the hostas made it, along with the two plants we bought to put in last year whose names escape me, plus the false lamium and the plumbago. Now I just need to add the stone cat…
The bee garden is going crazy as well. I had to move the echinacea and the blanketflower because they were being overtaken by the bee balm and catnip. The catnip has been blooming like crazy, and the bees love it. Spearmint was starting to invade, and I moved it to another area. The lambs ear is going crazy as well. I had to take some of it and the catnip out, and we’re drying the catnip to make treats for our furry family. The Russian sage is flourishing, as it the other sage variety which has gorgeous deep purple flowers and smells wonderful.
We are making a bank of mostly daylilies at the back of the garden along the garage, but this is where we move the echinacea and blanketflower as well, along with some mums and another plant whose name we’ve lost somewhere along the way. After this summer, weeding there will probably be a thing of the past…
Our little trellis area near the bees has two kinds of clematis that are doing well. One, a Mary Washington variety, has vivid, deep red flowers. The other isn’t blooming yet, and I’m not sure what color it will be. Last year the mum grew to be a monster–I’d never seen one so large, and it was fantastic when it bloomed. The sedum is doing well, too. I have to be brutal with the strawberry suckers that try to invade.
Finally, the rock garden I started last year with all the round stones we dug out also turned out well. Creeping thyme, hens and chicks, sedum, and another ground cover type plant are spreading and look good.
I’d really like to get to the point where we don’t have grass (weeds?) to cut. It would be nice to have clover in all the places that aren’t otherwise planted. It is, however, a work in progress, and the fruit and veggies are taking significant time as well.
I hope to post some pictures soon.
I have felt a little overwhelmed lately, which is why it has been some time since my last post. Much has happened, but I have just been exhausted each evening and unable to find the energy to write…
This last weekend has been really productive. We got tomatoes and peppers to put in the ground. I spent much time preparing the areas that were to be used for these two veggies–weeding, weaseling, sifting compost to be added to each area, planting, then mulching heavily with leaf mulch. That was yesterday. Today was preparing the beds for the squash, cucumbers, and green. beans. They have now been planted, and are treated with compost and leaf mulch. The whole garden looks beautiful at the moment. Now, we tend and wait…
Last week was busy on Saturday in the garden–Sunday wasn’t so great. I was trying to weed and clean up our “Tigger Memorial Garden” and our bee garden areas, and move some plants around. I took several mounds of day lilies from the back yard and transplanted them behind the blueberries, against the wall at the back of the garages that face the alley. I also moved an echinacea and another plant that had been overtaken by bee balm, catnip, lambs ear, and spearmint, a mum from the side of the driveway, and another plant (I don’t know the name) from the same area. This week it looks like they will all be OK.
The most amazing thing was when I began clearing out the Tigger Garden and the bee garden. They had been overtaken by weeds, but when I began removing them–which was relatively easy–I found that most (I think all) plants had survived! What was revealed was beautiful! The two showier plants were doing well. Several calla lilies were also doing well, as were the sweet woodruff, false lamium, and the other whose name escapes me at the moment! This was the Tigger garden. In the bee garden, the bee balm is VERY happy, as is the catnip and the lambs ear. We are also getting some spearmint. The black-eyed susans are recovering as well.
We’re really looking forward to berries. We have LOTS of strawberries. Not sure when we’ll be picking, but some berries are getting quite large. Raspberries are setting. We got the newest blueberries in the ground, but don’t really expect too many till future years. I think we’ll have quite a few black raspberries.
I got our pots at the house planted today with petunias, marigolds, sweet potato vines, dracenia, and purple salvia, plus a gorgeous coleus and some parsley and cilantro. There is still lots to do, but with a garden, the work never completely ends.
We also had a new swarm of bees yesterday. I helped to gather them this time–with no protective clothing. We shook the bees into a hive box, and watched the remainder crawl into the box. We will be giving these bees to friends. The word is that they are safe because they are so fat and happy–in other words, they don’t sting when they swarm.
Now–just looking forward to tomorrow evening–planting the seeds of hope and peace and justice at our second annual Commonwealth Interfaith Service: Prayers for Justice and Peace. We have so many groups involved, and I really love building these relationships. I’m hoping to continue building. If you are reading this and are in the Harrisburg area, I hope to see you there.
I thank God every day for all the blessings of the day, and all the blessings we experience in our lives. I am grateful for the bounty of the earth, and that God provides so generously. I give thanks for all the beauty that you have given us to share.
Many, many blessings to you in all you do!
I was counting on going out to work in the garden today, but with the temperature in the low 50s and a steady, fairly strong wind, it was a tad uncomfortable. I was out long enough to empty the compost bin and do a couple of other things, and it was actually quite brisk! It was also overcast much of the day, which didn’t help.
At least we didn’t have the wind we had last night. It took the roof right off a neighbor’s garage!
The good news is that I had the whole day for some spring cleaning–not very exciting, but pretty satisfying. I did the big clothing switch–brought my warmer weather clothes from the closet in the back bedroom, and moved the cold weather clothes back there. I’m still working on the laundry–I have a couple more loads. I cleaned places that hadn’t been cleaned in ages–and it wasn’t pretty. I baked as well–French bread, which is cooling and beautiful, and smelled wonderful when it was baking. Soon after, I put a peach pie in the oven, which will be coming out in a few minutes. While that was all going on, Dave and I made tacos for dinner.
It’s great to sit for a bit. I’ve been going all day. I still need to make the bed after stripping the sheets. There’s still work to do upstairs. But for now, I’m happy that the main floor feels cleaner than it has been for some time, and I have Callie (one of our kitties) curled up next to me. Wish I could share our pie, but Dave and I will savor it for you. Maybe next time.
