Life With The Crew

Garden Tour - Mid May

In September, when tomato plants are overgrowing their cages, sticks, twine, and whatever else is keeping them off the ground, mystery vines are taking over the yard, and weeding has long lost its charm,  I can never remember how bare the garden looked in Spring.  So I'm going to try to remember to share a garden post at least once a month.  It will be nice to look at in January and will help when planning next year's garden.  I realize it is almost the beginning of June, not mid May, but I took the photos early last week.  No artistic photos here, just the facts.  This is a long post, so if you don't give a hoot about looking at other people's yards, just skip this one.

My perennial flower garden.  Sigh.  It would look so much nicer without that hideous wire fencing, but that fence is the only thing keeping the flowers alive.  I planted cucumber seeds and nasturtiums around the edges and have some beans planted near the branch teepees.  I also ran out of space and randomly tucked in some red onions, but most of them have already been dug up.  Why do chipmunks want onions?!

The view out the back door.  Chickens and ducks on the left.  Large cherry tree trunks in the back.  Just last weekend, a friend was able to use his pick-up truck to pull several of them out to the driveway.  After having them in our yard for two months now, they are not just things that are in the way, but have become jumping platforms, "beach rocks" and "wibble wobblers", so we are keeping a couple of them.

The chicken coop and the new "brick garden" or "chicken garden" behind it.  With the removal of the cherry tree, we have so much more sunlight, so we fenced off half of the chicken yard to use as garden.  While digging horse manure into the ground, I rediscovered the brick path that I had laid there about 7 years ago, when we originally used that space as a garden.  The cattle panel will (hopefully) be covered by Red Kuri squash and cukes.  

I have flowers in the back - zinnias, cosmos, caldendula, and marigolds.  Then potatoes in the middle row, along with spinach that I tucked along the edges.

The "herb garden", which is smack dab in the center of the yard.  Grapes completely covered the front of this last year, producing tons of leaves, but the fruit withered and died.  I whacked those back, which gave me a lot more space.  Our red raspberry bushes are growing like crazy on the edge of the garden.

My lone rhubarb, more calendula (in case the rabbits attack, I want back-up), and lots of basil for pesto.  The tiny seedlings on the right are toadflax.  I am really excited about these; I bought them with the little babe in mind - bouquets of Fairy Bouquet!

I'm hoping to protect the valuables.  Peas are in the green plastic netting - I'm growing a Tom Thumb dwarf variety, carrots are under the screen, though they are quickly outgrowing the space.  I wasn't sure what to do with the spinach and then I saw the old rabbit cage in the shed - ah ha!  A rabbit cage to keep out the rabbits.  And mint?  I don't have to worry about that at all!  The rabbits seem to know that they can't wipe that out, so they don't even try.  The garlic is looking awesome and I am SO excited about it!  For some reason, I think it really makes the space look like a garden, not just a patch of dirt.

This is our biggest garden.  It was formerly a weed path in the shade of the cherry tree, but I cleared it out, carted in wheelbarrow loads (heavy!) of horse manure and chicken bedding.  We have 32 roma tomatoes, more basil, white onions, and now there is also Australian Butter pumpkins, butternut squash (my Nutter Butter seedlings died, so these are generic Walthams), and a couple heirloom tomato plants.  On this cattle panel we'll hopefully have melons (taking a big gamble on those) and Baby Pam Pie pumpkins.  I have really high hopes for this space!

Also tucked into this back garden is the little babe's dog-free play area.  This is where Peggy the chicken lives.  (She appears to be taking a nap in this picture.)  The bee sign is to keep the foxes* out of her pen.

*We have never seen a fox in our neighborhood, but you never know - metal chickens might smell better than the real thing.

 

Thankful Tuesday - 5.24.16

 

I puttered around the garden this morning, loving the sunlight and raindrops.  As I was processing my photos, I realized that almost all of the flowers in bloom right now are a shade of purple.  Dark purple globe alliums, lavender colored chive flowers (only two managed to make it through the little babe's raw chive munching habit and went to seed), and purpley-pink native geraniums.  Then there are the baby red raspberry fruits that look so healthy with that little blush of color on their cheeks.

Today I am thankful for this yard of mine that holds so much life.  I had to free a baby starling from the clutches of the ducks while his flock cried from the trees in alarm.  He was caught in a corner of the chicken wire and drew the attention of Lou and Lil.  I almost stepped on a toad, calmly wondering what huge thing interrupted his nap.  Then a dead mouse was discovered and inspected by the little babe in the shed.  All of that in two hours time - never a dull moment here.

What are you thankful for today?

Feeling Silly About Fiddleheads

Ferns.  They don't have a lovely fragrance, they only come in one color (at least this type), but I think they are so fascinating.  We have a patch of ferns outside our bedroom window, which is only about three feet off the ground.  For the past several weeks we have been watching the fern crowns break through the ground, odd brown crusty alien forms, and slowly grow and unfurl until they are now blocking our view of the chickens when we lie in bed.  The other day, the little babe grabbed my hand and showed me the "baby ferns" that were just starting their journey upwards from inside a hole that was dug by one of the dogs.  How cool is that?

And how silly I feel after discovering that these are Ostrich ferns, which means that the small new tightly curled fern shoots are the fiddleheads that foragers and foodies rave about.  On our walks in the woods, my husband and I wondered, "Oh, do you think this is a fiddlehead?  How about this one?"  If I only would have taken the time to do the research (a full two minutes using Google), I would have realized that my backyard is full of them!  Now, I just have to find some fiddleheads that aren't in the line of fire from the dogs...

May I Pick the Puff Ball Please?

This time of year is so amazing because every day the natural world is a little bit different.  Tiny leaves replace swollen buds, green grass slowly covers dead leaves and brown mud, the sunlight looks and feels different as it grows stronger, yet is filtered by the tree canopy that is slowly filling out.  And bright yellow dandelions change into white puff balls that look just as lovely in bouquets.

Can I See It?

 

A dead baby rabbit, found under a log in the woods, no apparent damage.  "Can I see it?"

A dead Northern Short-tailed Shrew, on the edge of the trail, little paws up in the air.  "Can I see it?"  Pokes it with a stick.

A dead Starling or Grackle chick, lying on the bricks in the garden.  "Can I see it?"  

A dead House Sparrow chick, knocked from the nesting box by the Starlings, naked except for a feather or two.  "Can I see it?"

 

When I see these signs of death in nature, my first thought is, "Oh, that is sad."  And then after I say that out loud, I kick myself, wishing that I had held my tongue.  Life and death are parts of nature.  Animals need to die in order for other animals to live.  Survival of the fittest.  And sometimes just bad luck.  I want my daughter to be curious about the natural world and to look for clues, to ponder what may have happened, and sometimes, to poke it with a stick.

 

Thankful Tuesday - 5.17.16

Gypsy Sunshine Marigolds.

Zinnias and Cosmos.

Spinach.

Potatoes.

Calendula.

Lou and Lily.  

I am thankful for my little half acre.  It isn't a lot of space, but it is more than a lot of people have.  Chickens can scratch in the dirt, ducks can dibble and dabble.  Little babes can explore and pick garlic mustard in the "back forty" and dogs can play.  We have room for apple trees, raspberries, herbs, and veggies.  A designated "dog free" play area for the little babe.  Shady spots for reading and picnics.  We can't have a goat or sheep, but for now, I am content.  Though at naptime, when the neighbor mows his lawn, the dump truck rumbles up the street, and the cop car wails down the road behind our house, I do find myself dreaming of a quieter place in the country...

However, I am very thankful for what I have.

What are you thankful for?

One-Eyed Cats and Baby Birds

I feel like I haven't written a blog post in forever, even though it has only been less than a week.   The weather has been a bit wet - rain one day, then beautiful the next, or rain in the morning, then clearing up for a glorious afternoon.  I've been spending my days doing two days - working in the gardens (yes, I now have more than one!) and sitting with our newly one-eyed cat, Molokai.  He is the striped one in the photo below, which was taken before the surgery.  I did not want to take a photo of him now, it just didn't feel right.  About three years ago, his right eye changed color.  There was no other visible change, so we did not think too much about it.  Then almost a month ago now, we noticed a mass in his eyeball.  The vet said that whether the tumor was malignant or not, it was obviously growing and needed to be removed.  So he had two weeks of antibiotics, then the surgery, which went fine, and now he has been in isolation in my daughter's bedroom for the past two weeks.  As if that isn't depressing enough (for a cat who is hardly ever alone - just look at that picture below), he has had to wear a wide plastic collar around his neck so that he did not scratch his stitches.  He does not seem to be that affected by the loss of the eye, but we'll see how things go when he has to tackle the entire house filled with dogs.

It is that time of year again - baby bird season! Ruby, our Corgi who is always on the hunt, caught her first baby of the season.  Luckily my husband and I were both outside at the time - I corralled the other dogs while my husband chased down Ruby and convinced her to drop the bird.  It did not appear injured  - she likes to carry them around the yard rather than eat them - and he climbed up the ladder and returned it to the nesting box.  It was one of the House Sparrows, which have a large colony in our shed rafters.

I mowed the grass for the second time of the year and the little babe ran around the yard before me, collecting all of the dandelions, violets, and garlic mustard.  I left a couple patches of small pink wildflowers unmowed.  I'm glad she appreciates the little things in life.

Everything in the yard is green, that vibrant green that only happens at this time of year.  It looks so lovely in the late evening light and while I haven't been feeling inspired lately, I did try to capture the light on the raspberries.  They are looking very promising.

We have a ton of stuff going on in the garden - herbs, garlic, greens, seeds sown, seedlings transplanted.  My mint is already almost out of control, so we collected three big handfuls yesterday and made fresh mint milkshakes with raw cream and maple syrup.  I've thought about taking pictures of the garden, but I just have this feeling that if I get really excited about the possibilities and prospects of producing so much good food, something will happen - groundhogs, chipmunks, hail, ducks, the list goes on and on.  So just know that we're trying and I'm spending my days in the yard with my garden partner.

Thankful Tuesday - 5.10.16

Today I am thankful for...

a rough morning that was only rough because the dogs were barking fools while I was prepping their breakfast, the child was being a normal toddler (sobbing about the headband that doesn't stay on her head while she is trying to be "Miss Mouse the Nurse" while walking around with the syringe that we are using to medicate the cat that just had his eye removed - long story, the cat is recuperating nicely, and yes, I did wash the syringe), I dropped the hose while getting water for the ducks (who now are crazy horny aggressive males and making life not so happy-go-lucky-ducky in the chicken yard) and sprayed myself in the crotch.  While making my morning happy drink, hoping that would get things back on track, I apparently didn't screw the coffee maker together tightly and coffee was spitting out the sides and burning instead of perking.  Now it is so super hot that I have been waiting 15 minutes and I still can't drink it.  

 All minor irritations in a very happy, low stress life.  

I am rereading Searching for Everardo:  A Story of Love, War, and the CIA in Guatemala by Jennifer K. Harbury.  This true story/nightmare keeps me up at night and helps me puts things into perspective.  My family is healthy and safe. We have more than enough food, comfortable shelter, and luxuries like cars, electricity, and a washer and dryer, and so much more.  I am thankful.

What are you thankful for?

The Tree Was There

 

I spied a bird with a ring round its eye; it grabbed a twig and flew up high.

Into a spruce, Norway, I believe, onto a nest almost hidden from me.

The twig was dropped, then moved around; she used her red breast to press it down.

Hopping right up, cocking an eye, she looked all around then dropped from the sky.

Down to the ground with more work to do, she looked for more twigs, this time two.

She didn't just grab the first one she saw, perhaps some were too thick, others too small.

Very particular, searching for the one just right, she flew up again, almost out of sight.

I felt like I was watching something secret, not for me, but the nest was right there, being built in my tree.

Birds build their nests, they don't have a choice; something inside them says, "Build!", a persistent small voice.

 As I watched the industrious robin flit through the air, I was thankful that the tree was there. 

Trees at the Marsh

Millbrook Marsh Nature Center.  The massive trunk and branches are Black Willow.  You don't have to hug a tree, but you should be in awe of it.