Calling Demeter

One Cup of Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:26:00 +0000

Sura Nualpradid / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My blog is a secret even to those people that know me best except for a few. One of those few, my friend Eric M., is gone and he took my secret with him. I still see him here on this blog “following” me and to an extent, it’s comforting. Later you'll see why this blog post is important to me and my healing.

Eric was one of those people that I didn’t talk to everyday but when I did it was like we were best friends and we just started talking where we had left off months earlier. He was one of the few business contacts that was a genuine friend and was truly interested in my garden and beekeeping ventures. He used to call me “mini me” because we had the same interests - I was just happened to be a couple decades behind him. We shared soccer war stories, gardening knowledge and bee sting woes… and then there was business talk but that wasn’t nearly as interesting.

The last time I saw him in person was in Monterey in February at a meeting. He was there doing work for his business and I was there promoting one our member services. We got together for dinner with another coworker. Eric was adamant that I HAD to go to a fish and chips place and really, who was I to argue with fried food? He knew where it was (walking distance) “like the back of his hand” so we all walked together chatting it up. Eric came to the realization that the restaurant was not where he thought it was. We ended up walking maybe 5 miles in the opposite direction but we all had a great time and loved every minute talking and laughing in that nice clean oceanic air. We got to the restaurant and dived into big platters of fried fish and potatoes and washed it down with frothy half ‘n half's per Eric’s suggestion. As we were walking back, Eric gave us a mini-tour of a historical site that he said had the most charming garden but that late hour the gate was locked. The next time I’m in Monterey, I’m going to go to that garden and I know I’ll be both happy and sad.

I’ll really really miss his presence and I find myself hanging out on his facebook page a lot just looking at the comments from his beautiful family and friends, looking through his pictures to see the comments people have made and what he said back. But of course, I really like seeing the ones that I commented on where he commented back. It’s like reliving those conversations in real time all over again.

No one that I’m close with nor even my colleagues knew Eric or even knew that I was friends with him so when I found out that he died, I really didn’t have anywhere to turn because people didn’t understand how much his friendship meant to me. When I explained to my friends and family that I lost a friend it was "yawn...ho hum" because they had never heard me speak of him. That’s the hardest part. And that's why I needed this outlet.

A poem was read at his memorial service and it was beautiful – it makes all of the loss so much more tolerable and definitely not as lonely.

"Death is Nothing At All"

by Henry Scott-Holland

Death is nothing at all,

I have only slipped away

into the next room.

I am I,

and you are you;

whatever we were to each other,

that, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name,

speak to me in the easy way

which you always used,

put no difference in your tone,

wear no forced air

of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed

at the little jokes we shared together.

Let my name ever be

the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without effect,

without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all

that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was.

There is unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind

because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you,

for an interval,

somewhere very near,

just around the corner.

All is well.

I’m going to plan my fall garden and have my tea with honey from my bees quietly in honor of my dear friend tonight.

Daphne

Current Line-up

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 07:30:00 +0000

The vegetables are loving this mild summer. I found myself sitting on the soil hand-plucking little weeds. All of a sudden I had the feeling that I was becoming incased in foliage. I swear I could hear the leaves bursting from the stems as I sat there. When I got up it felt as though everything grew a foot while I was sitting there…except for the sunflowers. Those little guys are having a hard time for one reason or another.

I failed to post a diagram of my summer garden earlier this year but here is a picture. Better late than never I say!

Current line-up:

Tomatoes – I’m not even going to attempt to guess which varieties I have. It will be a surprise to all of us!

Potatoes – French fingerling, red, white, Yukon, russet

Artichoke

Eggplant

Zucchini

Yellow straight neck squash

Buttercup squash

Cucumbers – Armenian, Lemon, Pickling

Carrots – Red and typical orange

Pinto Beans

Cow peas

Peppers/Chiles – Thai, Habaneros, Jalapenos, Big Jims, Poblanos, Hot Banana, Sweet red stuffing (I like spicy!)

Okra

Tomatillos

Sunflowers

Leeks

Watermelon

Butternut squash

Beets – Golden and traditional

Chard – Rainbow and Swiss

Pumpkins - ???

Scallions and Chinese onions

Lettuce – I’m letting this batch all go to seed so that I can harvest them for next year

Herbs and flowers

I harvested all of my garlic and shallots this weekend. That was a blast! I loved yanking those suckers out of the ground. Some were rather small so I saved a few of the largest heads to plant next year in hopes that the natural selection process is prosperous for me.

Some pictures from this weekend:

Eggplant

Volunteer pumpkin. You can see the tip of my toes
near the bottom of the pumpkin for scale purposes.

Apparently a second round of artichokes!

Little corn coming up. It's hard to see with the weeds behind them.

The cutest little Armenian cucumber you could imagine.

Potatoes. Beans are on the front edge.

In the upper left corner there is a plant that looks like it has round scalloped leaves. I think it
might be a hollyhock that I planted last year and never came up. I'll have to be patient to find out.

Chinese onions

Buttercup squash

An example of the ridiculous amount of squash I'm getting.

Herb and flower garden

Not much diversity here but a good crop for me to enjoy this week.

I hope everyone is finding success with their gardens this year! Mine is off to a slow start but based on what I experienced this weekend I think everything will be here in no time.

Daphne

Chickpea Update

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:34:00 +0000

Chickpeas, garbanzo beans, yummy beans for hummus – whatever you like to call them – I have harvested them. I don’t know if they are ready. In fact I don’t know anything about them except that I planted them as a cover crop and now they have hanging pods. I’m guessing the peas are inside.

To be honest this post was written a while ago so it would be fair to tell you that these pictures and harvesting were from April.

I planted the beans back in November and inoculated them with the appropriate bacteria and they’ve been plugging away, fixing nitrogen in the soil and apparently making new beans.

When I buy the beans at the store they are usually hard as a rock and need to be soaked or sadly canned.

I read in my Farmers’ Market newsletter:

“Have you ever eaten a fresh green garbanzo bean? They can soon be found at our markets in their fuzzy pillowlike pods, and some farmers pull the entire bushy plant from the roots. This means fresh garbanzos are here for a limited time. Not only are they rich in minerals and folate, but just one ounce provides 5 grams of both protein and fiber.”

I had some at home! I yanked them out of the ground and placed them in a paper bag.

After plucking away at them and finding that the pods are very similar to bubble wrap - snap, snap, pop - I found a delicious bean inside. I ate them raw but I'm all you'd need to do is dry them to preserve them for future use.

This is what these gems look like:

Freshly husked chickpeas.

I recommend you try these out next year!

Daphne

Keeping Basil Fresh

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 07:03:00 +0000

Have you ever gone out to the garden and saw that your basil has grown what seems a foot over night? I try to pick and pinch back my sweet basil to keep it bushy.

The cinnamon basil is another story because I love to see it flower and watch the bees dance on the pale purple blossoms. Plus, how much cinnamon basil can one eat anyhow?

Now, back to the sweet basil. Once you pinch everything back, how can you keep this bushel of basil fresh for a few days so you can use it for pesto one night and a Margarita pizza the next, etc.?

I've tried everything but then I found the answer! Keeping basil in the refrigerator is a move in the wrong direction. I know that this goes against all common sense and rules of other herbs. Basil turns dark brow in the refrigerator. Setting it in a glass of water isn't that much better. I know it starts growing roots and it will stick around for weeks but I don't like how it gets leggy and to me it just isn't worth it since I have access to fresh basil out in my garden at least once a week. My goal is to keep what I pick fresh and perfect for a week.

Basil needs to be kept on the counter at room temperature but it needs a bubble of protection...a zip top bag. Pick your basil or buy a bunch at the farmers' market and don't wash it. The moisture will make it go bad quickly - wash your basil and pat it dry right before you consume it or cook with it.

Put your basil in a zip top bag and make sure you have plenty of air space in the bag. You may need to use a few bags so you don't crowd the leaves.
Zip the bag almost all the way closed.
Put a straw in the opening and blow air into the bag until it is completely full.
Quickly remove the straw and zip it shut so that the air is trapped inside.

Basil put into the bag and then air blown into the bag with a straw.

The basil will be floating around loosely in the bag. Just leave it on the counter. Again, do not put it in the refrigerator.

Bag of 10 day old basil.

I've had this bag of basil sitting on the counter for 10 days and it looks great. Some condensation has started accumulating so a few of the leaves that are on the bottom have gotten a little brown from the moisture but the leaves on the top look beautiful and are actually blooming. They've somehow grown so to speak.

This method has worked perfect for me and I think it will for you too!

Daphne

Count Your Riches

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:13:00 +0000

Onion Blossom with three bees.

June has come and gone. A lot has happened since my last post. A lot of personal things and a lot of gardening things…

Since I use this blog primarily as a way to remember important (usually gardening) things, I thought I would include an important event as a way of understanding the progress of my garden. I’ve written about the dramas of the beekeeping club and kitten rearing in the past and you’ve all stuck with me on that. Thank you. : ) I hope you’ll bear with an extra paragraph of personal blabberings just so I can save this moment in time for me to look back on.

My grandma passed away a few weeks ago. She was always present in my life and a wonderful example and role model of what a human being should be. Losing her is a really huge deal and a definite end of an era. She was the matriarch of the family and her family was what she counted as her riches. She will be missed and thought of every day.

She and my mother were the ones that taught me the basics of gardening. My grandma was the one that said never to react to gardening woes because the plants will fix themselves if they are fixable at all. She was a lady of great commonsense wisdom.

Mysterious pumpkin

We put her on home hospice the day before Memorial Day. I had just planted my garden when her health severely declined. I spent a lot of time with her during this time so my garden was neglected for a few weeks. Luckily all of the volunteers that popped up really gave me the jump that I needed during a time like this. Because of them I currently have zucchinis which I’m calling “Bicchinis” (pronounced Bikinis) because I’m certain they are a cross between a zucchini and a butternut squash. They are medium green in color and no matter how small they are, they have the distinct butternut squash shape – narrow on the stem end and bulbous on the blossom end. I also have what I’m calling “Paushi” – which looks like a mix between yellow squash, zucchini and a pumpkin. These ones are really weird so I think I’m just going to harvest the blossoms and call it a day. I have so many random tomato plants!! Last time I spoke of my 20 volunteers that I transplanted – well, since then I’ve found many many more all over the place. I’m going to leave them be unless I they turn out to be those putrid yellow pear cherry tomatoes. Those were not a favorite of mine. They were mealy and lacking acid.

Just before my grandma went ill I wrote a post about my garbanzo beans which I never published. I’m going to publish that in a few days although I realize they aren’t something that you’ll be able to find at the farmer’s market any longer. I think it’s still interesting if you have never seen a fresh garbanzo bean. And hey, maybe you’ll decide you want to plant some next year because of it!

Long-winded story short – the garden is doing absolutely fabulously. Because I had some things already planted there are so many wonderful textures. Fresh little guys standing next to the old-timers. I think it’s rather cute. The potatoes are doing great despite the fact I couldn’t get my act together and try the “Garbage Can Potatoes” like my friend Anna at Back to Our Roots. I’ll try harder next time!

Out of control Hairy Vetch with tomatoes being
smothered (there are really tomatoes in there!).

One of my cover crops has really created a problem. It’s the Hairy Vetch and it’s not dying like it’s supposed to. My poor little tomatoes are trying to break from its clutches but it just climbs the tomatoes. Every week I have to go in and cut it back but I have to wait until sundown because during the day it’s riddled with various types of bees and wasps because of the gorgeous purple flowers. Before I know it, I’m accidentally ripping out tomato plants because I’m working in the dark. However, one great thing is the soil beneath…oh the soil is divine!! It is very rich with organic material and I think in the long run I’ve made the right choice. It’s just a bit more high maintenance than I imagined.

For now here are some pictures. I have some before (meaning a month ago) and after (meaning about a week ago).

Cabbage

Garlic and Shallots

Potatoes (French Fingerling, Red, Yukon, Russet)

Cucumbers (Lemon and Pickling)

Herbs and flowers

Zucchini, Buttercup and Yellow Squash

Tomatillos (I transplanted these from all over the garden)

Beets, Chard and Onions

Peppers being protected from the ducks and the upside down
crate is protecting the soil from the peacocks that like to dig.

Give your loved ones a hug,

Daphne

All the Volunteers I Can Get

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:27:00 +0000

My new compost bin!

What a glorious weekend. The sun and breeze cooperated with me and I was able to accomplish a lot. Last week I was just about ready to throw in the towel and decide to go to the farmers’ market instead of doing my own garden. The hail and rain and treacherous wind seemed like it would never end.

Volunteer Tomato

I was surprised to see that half of my garden was already planted for me. I had over 20 volunteer tomatoes and probably about the same amount of tomatillos. The hairy vetch came in and did its job while I was missing in action. Sadly, the weeds did their job too.

To start off the day in a positive fashion, I installed a new compost holding bin by upcycling pallets. Fortunately someone abandoned some in the garage of my office building and I was granted new ownership. All that you need are three pallets and six t-posts. I also used two screws for a little added support. Voila! I have a new bin and I think it’s pretty cool. My dad has been juicing so he had a lot of carrot pulp to contribute to the pile. By the end of the day I had a lot of green stuff so I added a bit of dry hay to the mix. I’m going to be better about this composting stuff this year.

Weeding was another story but I got it done. I saw one weed that I’ve never seen before and that is pretty amazing because as you know from my Demeter 101 post, I spent a lot of time out playing in the weeds. This weed was quite beautiful and reminded me of something you’d see near the water’s edge. If you can identify it, I’d love to know what it is.

Once the weeding was finished, I started planting my volunteers in appropriate places. The sole purpose and plan for the hairy vetch was for the tomatoes. Tomatoes love vetch – the hairy vetch adds nitrogen and acts as a mulch for the soil. You can review my previous post for more information on that. I simply ripped the vetch down to a workable length as the vetch is probably five feet tall if you straighten the vines out. Then I stomped them down flat and pulled back 20 circular areas to dig holes in. Once those where ready, I searched around in the garden for my volunteer tomato plants. I have no idea what varieties I’ll end up with but I’m up for a surprise. I’m going to start a few seeds and buy a couple hybrids as well in case all of the volunteers are cherry tomatoes.

Hairy Vetch before pulling and trampling.

20 newly planted tomatoes.

One little tomato volunteer in his new home.

Tomatillos

Tomatillos were transplanted as well. They look really sad in this picture but I’m hopeful they’ll perk up.

Three rows of potatoes and one row of sweet potatoes.

The potatoes and a few sweet potatoes also found their new homes. I took a cue from where some volunteer potatoes were growing and made a few rows of my own.

Ladybugs love my fava beans!

The fava beans look great. They have a zillion aphids on them but there were plenty of ladybugs working on them. From this picture, I spy with my little eye 10 ladybugs and one fava bean!

Beets! They were horribly tough becuase the bolted but they make a nice picture.

Garlic with artichokes to the right.

Pretty little hairy vetch flower.

Blueberries

Freshly weeded area ready for my new seeds and starts.

I’m wondering how everyone else’s gardens are doing. It’s a little early (at least for me) as I’m a late planter but I know some folk are gung-ho in April.

Seed and starts planting will continue next weekend. I can’t wait!

Hope everyone is doing well! Welcome to spring!

Daphne

Thankfully I'm Tall Enough

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Tue, 17 May 2011 23:56:00 +0000

Life is a roller coaster that we’re all so lucky to have been allegorically tall enough to ride on. There are ups and downs but in the end we all are thrilled to be on it – or we should be. The ride stops and some have to get off and new ones come aboard. We can’t keep everyone on the ride forever.

This is the circle of life. The garden is a rapid representation of this ride – the seed, the fruit the dormancy or death. My personal roller coaster has kept me away from my garden although maybe it’s just what I needed. Since I’m direct sowing this year maybe I required something to distract me while I’ve waited for the sun to heat up the earth.

Mother’s day has come and gone and that is usually my cue to plant the summer garden. Spring is calling my name with the rich aroma of orange blossoms and honeysuckle. I made a browned butter syrup for some Meyer lemon ricotta fritters the other day and it was really the best thing in the world when I came home from a walk of smelling the piquant and fragrant scents of spring and then walk into the warm smell of browned butter at home. There’s really nothing better than that.

I watched a video from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply on setting up a more sophisticated irrigation system and it brought back memories of my old days in irrigation class. I love that stuff! I’ll be setting that up sometime this month.

A few weeks ago was the last time I was out at the garden. It’s been dismal since the bees have been gone. The garden was full of weeds again and the cover crops weren’t looking too pretty due to the major storms we had. And yes, it's storming again. I feel as though my city has been picked up and moved to Seattle.

But now I hear there are blueberries on my freshly planted shrubs and I’ve been told that hairy vetch is in full sprawl. The next step is to turn over the new soil that I’ve worked so hard to enrich and then I’m two weeks away from planting.

I took some pictures.

Beet Greens

Crimson Clover cover crop mixed with Winter Rye

Fava Beans

Early picked garlic is called green garlic and it is lovely to eat and cook with.

Lettuce - Can't remember which kind.

I had to add a picture of a ball of onion blossoms because they are one of my favorite things to add to a salad. Sweet, slight onion flavor and a fresh floral essence.

And I've slipped in one picture of the Amgen Tour of California international bicycle race that came through my town yesterday. Wow it was fun! What amazing athletes.

Hopefully I'll get my tilling done this Friday night...that's the plan!

Daphne

Vacancy - Open Until Filled

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:16:00 +0000

The bees have left and this time it’s for good. Yesterday brought sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70’s and the bees packed their bags and left.

I’m not sure why but I’m guessing they ran out of food and needed more space. I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately and wishing the rain and cold and wind would subside so that I could get them what they needed – but I was too late.

The new focus is on finding another swarm to fill their empty nest. I hope they’re okay out there…wherever they are.

Daphne

Things that keep my mind off gardening...for now

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Wednesday night was a step in the right direction for my daphne perfume. It wasn’t a home run but at least I’m making progress. My secret agent was able to locate a perfume that has the quintessential “lemony” note that is so important and pronounced in the daphne flower. I think daphne is so hard to recreate because you can’t decipher all of the smells that pack that refreshing yet dreamy punch. I say it’s two parts lemon zest, one part tart orange juice, a 1 part star jasmine or maybe gardenia or honeysuckle, and a pinch of ginger. But I’m sure if I was to mix those together it would be a hot mess.

Limone di Sicilia

So to try and recreate this scent, she had a warm floral smelling perfume as the base and then we sprayed the lemon perfume over that. It smelled really nice but it just wasn’t daphne.

Be 21

I’m starting to feel like this is my life’s work. Maybe my next 30 years will be more successful on the daphne perfume front.

Nonetheless, the lemon perfume has quite a story – its recipe is very very very old. Like from the 1500’s old. I like that. I’m not quite ready to give up on this one. I think the lemon is right on – the base might need some tweaking. I think it was a bit too sweet or heavy and didn’t let the tangy lemon shine through as much as it needed too. The lemon needs to be very bright and zippy.

On an un-zippy note, a crazy storm came in yesterday with steady winds of 40 mph from 10am until about 4pm and gusts up to 60 mph. It rained harder and longer than anything I’ve ever seen. It was sustained “white” rain for hours on end. I couldn’t help but think of my little seedlings getting beaten down by the rain and wind.

On my walk to work I took a picture of the cherry blossoms that I thought I wouldn’t get to see until next year. To my surprise they are still holding on!

One of the fruitless cherry trees - holding on to it's blossoms for dear life.

After the torrential downpour and mini hurricane the sky parted and the sun poked through for the first time in days. It actually looked ominous but those few minutes of sun made me feel hopeful.

A view of what looked like the world coming to an end from my apartment window last night.

And this is what today looks like from my cube - it's a big improvement!

Cheers to the sun!

Daphne

Grey Gloom and Wet Wind

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:41:00 +0000

The current view of gloomy weather from my cubicle.

In like a tiger and out like a lamb...so they say. I would have to disagree and say, "In like a lamb and out like a Tyrannosaurus Rex!"

I would love nothing more than to be sowing my seeds right now but the past few weeks have been nothing less than Seattle-ish. Sometimes I wonder if I conked my head on a rock and forgot that I moved to Seattle or something. Whether it’s the tsunami, climate change, or just bad luck, I suppose I’ll never know what has shifted spring back to winter. What I do know is that the garden is an inch under water. Surprisingly the seedlings look okay.

My asparagus crowns and blueberry bushes are in transit from Grass Valley. I hope to see them soon.

Since I’ve had to stay away from the garden, I’ve been hanging out in the park. I noticed the cherry blossoms just came out last week and were promptly followed by 30 mph winds. Those little beauties held tight though. While I walked through the park today I noticed there was a function on the West Steps of the Capitol – it was Ag Day!! I wandered around and there were farmers and various organizations that support farmers giving out free goods. I came back to the office with an armload of fresh flowers from the California State Floral Association but others got honey sticks, t-shirts, fresh broccoli, apples, oranges, and a whole lot of information from various Ag related groups and farmers. My ex-bee group was there but I steered clear of them. All in all it was a pleasant surprise on this doom and gloom day.

Tonight I meet with my secret agent – the “Winter Daphne Fragrance Finder” secret agent. We’ll have to see what she’s come up with. So maybe there is another pleasant surprise for me today after all.

Hope you're all enjoying better weather!

Daphne

My Favorite is Fleeting

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:37:00 +0000

Winter daphne is the most amazing smelling flower. It's been luring me for years with it's indescribable citrus/floral scent. It all started in my grandma's front yard when I was 4 years old. It was there that I studied the delicate and easily bruised petals of gardenias, the elusive nectar of honeysuckles and the fragrance my beloved daphne. If any fragrance could have the skill of a ventriloquist, it would have to be Daphne odora. This is a fragrance that you can smell from two blocks away but even though you get closer and closer, depending on the ways of the breeze, you may not smell it at all. You have to know what it looks like and that this scent can be tricky to find this shrub. You have to look down lower and you have to look for something inconspicuous.

To my displeasure, daphnes are poisonous so I can't make my own perfume. I'm not aware of any skilled person that makes a scent similar to it but I have a secret agent helping me on my search this time. Although I understand that part of it's charm is it's sudden arrival and even more sudden disappearing act.

Just when you think you can't deal with winter for another second, the clouds break and the lovely daphne sings the bright note of "Spring is almost here!" - that's what allows me to keep my chin up.

You should plant one! It's a lovely evergreen shrub with beautifully scented flowers that are made even more special because they only appear for a few weeks out of the year. It's something that I look forward to year after year and as I sit here at my desk with my little bundle of fresh picked Daphne odora Variegata (which I swiped from the yard of a church a few blocks from my work) I'm just taking it in. I'm going to enjoy this fleeting moment and the ghost of daphne crying out, "Warmer days are coming."

The Clean Handed Months are Over

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:41:00 +0000

Today was my favorite type of day -- a very sensory day. The chill and musk of the damp fog, the dark smell of the earth, the sweet smell of tender shoots, the tang of gasoline, the use of muscles that haven’t been used in months, bees sounding like bombers in the alder trees and then finally the sun – the sun!

I spent most of the day cursing myself for letting the garden get this atrocious with weeds. The garlic that I planted was being swallowed up alive by a curtain of green intruders. I couldn’t even find my lettuce until I plucked away some of the unwanted friends. After an extensive inner monologue of swearing and excuses I got down to business.

I knelt, I sat, I wallowed, I squatted, I stood and I Hula Hoed. There really is no way to easily weed a 1350 square foot something that looks a bit more like a lawn than a garden. I would have loved to turn it all under with the tractor but I wanted to preserve the garlic, lettuce, leeks, onions, artichokes, garbanzo beans and beets that all currently exist. Luckily, all of these little guys exist on only one side of the garden.

Exposing garlic on the left and hidden garlic in the upper right.

In this picture you can see the freshly weeded garlic on the left and in the upper right corner you can see what it used to look like and what still needs to be weeded.

After I got into it, it wasn’t so bad after all. It was fun to get my hands in the dirt again after all these clean-handed months. It’s mindless work but sometimes that’s when you get the best thinking done. If you can imagine, I was thinking a lot about weeds. I was mostly wondering why it had to be such an ongoing battle. Then I thought, hmm maybe just go with the flow and let the weeds hang out with the vegetables…naw. But I think one thing that really struck me was that if weeds are an example of how resilient nature can be, I mean because I was totally destructive to their habitat, then maybe there is hope for healing. I fight these guys tooth and nail and they always come back. After all, the bees did!

Bees happily buzzing outside of their hive.

Here is what all the buzz was about - White Alder pollen.

With a feeling of optimism and as a second attempt at success for my cold weathered vegetables, I put in some more garlic, onions, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, beets, leeks, turnips and poppies just for fun.

After about 6 hours of weeding, I was ready to let the rototiller come in for the kill on the barren second half of the garden. Even yet, I still felt quite accomplished.

Rototilled soil on the left and hand pulled weeds on the right.

Parsley that wasn't killed by the heavy frost and...

Beets that are doing well despite a few bug bites.

I hope next weekend brings some more planting opportunities! I got some heirloom tomato seeds as a birthday gift and I so want to plant them indoors.

For now I show restraint!

Daphne

Frankinbees?

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:27:00 +0000

I’m surprised to say the least. My dad just called to say that there are tons of bees coming in and out of the hive. They must be doing ok! I don’t have enough experience to know what’s going on. When he lifted the lid last time, there was no movement. The bees were in a ball and appeared to be dead. Maybe they were just protecting the queen from the cold? Whatever the issue, I don’t care as long as they are a-ok.

It’s sunny, I smelled fresh cut grass yesterday, I’m now 30 and the bees are alive. Life is good.

It's time to plant some stuff!

Daphne

Focus and Resolve

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:39:00 +0000

I’ve resolved to take my contact lenses out every night. I know, it’s a bit mundane but it’s probably a good idea! They say it takes 21 days to break a habit – my habit being that I like to get ready for bed and leave my contact lenses in thinking that I’ll take them out just before I want to go to sleep. It doesn’t ever happen so this just has to stop. I hate going to bed with my glasses on; undoubtedly I wake up at 4 a.m. with them still on (sideways). This is just one example of my need to try to fit more into one day than what is healthy or possible.

Although I know that taking my lenses out is important (you know, so I don’t go blind!), I’ve tried to come up with something a bit more meaningful that I can incorporate into the contact lens goal – maybe something with sight. Maybe foresight…maybe vision.

I am a rather flighty and spastic person that pretends or appears to be calm and collected to the untrained eye. With this, what I like to call skill, comes a new hobby every month. People that kind of know me call me a Renaissance woman but people that really know me just think that I’m interesting…in a “What on earth are you up to now!” kind of way.

Now that I’m going to be 30 (next week!), I think that I should tone down my new hobbies and hone in on the ones that I’m really passionate about. I need to come up with a vision for the next 30 years.

I’m getting rid of almost everything. Less stuff equals less to polish, less to think about, less to move around. This goes for physical and mental things.

The garden is going to be well planned but have less “stuff”. Heck, maybe I don’t need 75 varieties of tomatoes this year! Let’s make some room for something a bit more interesting like perhaps a flower garden area.

My apartment is not going to be cluttered with crates of seedlings for months on end this year and maybe Charlee will be donating some of her toys to a nearby animal shelter.

I’ve really wanted to buy a keyboard so I can start playing the piano again but as you know I’ve resolved to not start another hobby. So, you can see this is taking some restraint. I’m only mentioning the keyboard because I’m not giving up many of my hobbies. By mentioning it, it’s a way to prove that I’m making changes! I’m only adding one new project for 2011 and that will be Chicken Rearing! : )

My vision is to “focus like a laser” in 2011. But I’m mean focus like one solitary laser, a steady one, like maybe the kind that would perform Lasik surgery.

Do you have a goal for this year? You should!

Dapnne

Fresh Start or a Step Back?

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:01:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is off to a positive start and thinking about the garden. Spring prepping waits for no one and I’m getting my seeds in order. In my area January is the month to plant lettuce, leeks, onions, peas, radishes, rhubarb and spinach. I gotta get going on that as soon as the garden isn’t looking more like a shallow lake.

Last weekend I stopped by my parents’ house in the evening to drop off a pitchfork. Unbelievably, my mom asked for one for Christmas. I special ordered one with a short handle for our vertically challenged family so it got here a bit late. When I was there I dodged and jumped some puddles to get next to my bee hive. I was curious to see how they were doing so I put my ear up next to hive body. Nothing. The silence was deafening even though the frogs were peeping away with all of the power in their lungs. I felt a slight panic but hoped that they were just sleeping. Knowing that wasn’t true, I used the excuse as my coping mechanism just as well.

I was concerned but didn’t say anything. This week has finally been sunny so I’ve been hounding my dad to go over to the hive to see if there is any activity during the day. He forgot both Monday and yesterday. I called him last night to tell him that he really needed to check and that it was important. He promised.

Today, my mom called to say that she was ecstatic about the new activity on one of her bird feeders (also from Christmas). The only response I could muster was, “Did dad check on the bees???” She handed the phone over to him and said, “I’ll let you talk to him.” “It’s not good news,” he said lowly.

Within the last two weeks I’ve lost my bees. It wasn’t colony collapse; I know that much. The bees died in a clump inside the hive so I’m guessing they got wet and cold during all of the strange wet weather we’ve been having. I’m sad about it but they say you loose 50% of your hives every winter, and well, I only had one hive so I suppose my odds weren’t too great. I can’t help but think it’s my fault somehow. What did I do wrong? My bees were very healthy and strong. Did the queen die? Did they get wet? They didn’t starve but did they end up getting a virus?

Is it a fresh start or a step back?

I won’t know until we open up the hive completely and at that time, I’ll harvest their legacy. There is still about 30 pounds of honey in the hive and I’ll harvest it if it looks OK.

Daphne

Spring On My Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:01:00 +0000

The presents are wrapped, the tree is lit and the tomato plants are ripped out. I took the plunge and ripped them out today even though they were still green. Green but not so fresh looking. Right now the artichoke plants and parsley are looking fabulous but that's about it. The cover crops and leeks are about 6 inches tall and the garlics are about 4 inches. I might add that the weeds look great too.

I was happy that I had some helpers to get the dead marigolds, eggplants, peppers and half dead tomatoes out as well as the weeds. None of the weeds have seed heads this time of year so we simple turned them under. My thought is that they will decompose and add nutrients.

The soil was dark and rich and full of earth worms. The soil is also full of marigold seeds. Oh am I going to have a mess of volunteers on my hands next spring! I received a few seed catalogues this week and I've been thinking a lot about the early spring. Now is the time to think about it. Get your stellar plan in order now so that when the perfect day comes, you can set everything into motion.

As I said before, I'm not messing with the peat pots and indoor germination this year. In my eyes it was a waste of time, money and energy. Direct sewing is the game plan for me in 2011.

Here is my current list of most wanted plants for next year:
Asparagus (1 year crowns of both Purple Passion and Jersey Supreme)
Rainbow carrots
Fennel
Tomato (I saved a lot of seeds but I'm going to get a green one)
Jalapeno
Okra
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Corn
Beets
Butternut Squash
Zucchini
Blue Hubbard
Watermelon
Sugar Pumpkin
Chard
Spinach
Leeks
Onion (I totally forgot about these this year and I'm missing them.)
Tomotillos
Blueberry
Raspberry
Hops
Horseradish

That's all that I can think of for now but I'm sure I'll add to the list. I also need to remember what plants I would like to provide to my bees next year.

Besides dreaming of my plant list, I'm thinking about rotation of crops and watering solutions. I think the water situation was a bit lackluster. The soaker hose didn't work so we had to hand water...which also didn't work. I'm thinking more mulch and a drip system on a manifold for next year. Raised beds? Maybe ones that are about 6 inches off the ground - I don't know if you can consider that a raised bed or not. A fence? I sure hope so. The neighbor's peacock is setting up a major camp in the garden and is very destructive. I'm considering putting up a fence or planting the giant 5 foot marigolds all the way around the perimeter to create a living fence.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season, however you celebrate it. Charlie is celebrating in her own way. She is loving the new toys she has access to (the decorated tree and my active sewing machine) which adds new meaning to cat TV...she considers it 3D cat TV and likes to help sew and decorate the tree. Right now she's sleeping in a an empty plastic box that used to hold ornaments. I think she has the right idea - it's a chilly night and I'm feeling tired too.

Take care and take time to enjoy the downtime in the garden,

Daphne

Freezing, Failing and Understanding

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 05:57:00 +0000

'Tis the season - and the most wonderful time of the year has brought bone chilling weather. Last week I woke to frost more than once. Tonight is supposed to get into the 20's. I don't even think I know what that feels like except for when I'm snowboarding. Actually, that is the only time that I'm OK with it!

I could really use Demeter right now but I know the myth says that she's now punishing us all and let me tell you, the garden looks very sad. The cover crops are coming up but they are only about 2-3 inches tall. I still have some tomato plants in the ground and to be honest, it's either been raining or too cold for my constitution. I so applaud all of you out there that deal with snow on a daily basis this time of year. Things look half dead and yucky and the crops that I did plant are very tiny. I'm wondering if it's too cold for them to grow much. One positive thing about the cold is that it's probably killing the bugs that were eating the tender shoots of lettuce and broccoli.

So if you wonder what I've been up to, it's pretty simple. I've been thinking a lot about the early spring garden. I've been researching asparagus and I'm trying to find the best source to purchase my crowns. I'm included to purchase them from Peaceful Valley because they have organic crowns and they are located out of Grass Valley which is semi-local to me. I purchased my garlic and shallots from them (oops, I never planted my shallots!) and it was a seamless transaction. I've also been inside cooking a lot. I've been doing my winter activities like knitting and making jewelry - and I have customers now! I'm making a quilt for my nephew. I've taught myself to can and I've canned several things. For some reason, storing food is always a nice fulfilling feeling...it reminds me of a story from my childhood.

It's a quick story so I'll tell it here. I think I was about five or six years old - to make us quiet while she was cooking dinner, my mom used to make air popped popcorn and give us slices of oranges and maybe a few slices of cheese and some sliced apples with peanut butter for a snack. I remember I used to take the snacks and put them under the comforter on my bed (yes, even the slices of oranges and cheese). On laundry day, my mom found a trail of ants going under my covers and saw my stash. When she asked me why I did that I simply said that I was worried that I'd be hungry in the middle of the night. She asked if I ever had been hungry in the middle of the night and I said no. She gave me a hug and said that if I ever do get hungry in the middle of the night to come and get her and she would be happy to make me a snack. Well, that solved that but I'm wondering if my need to store food is in my Irish DNA - maybe my subconscious is telling me that famish is a possibility. Whatever it is, I think it's the same thing that drives us all to gardening. It's a very satisfying feeling to produce your own food. Maybe it's because you are working toward self-reliance.

This year was the first year that I have had my very own food garden and it's lead me down other paths that I never thought I would try. Beekeeping, canning, clothes-making, winter gardening, seed-saving ... and next year, raising chickens. I hoped to do some olive curing but the weekends when the olives were ready for picking were too cold for me - yes, I wimped out. I don't know where each new activity will lead but I find it all so therapeutic and I'm thankful for that.

Daphne

Goodbye Is Hard Sometimes

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:39:00 +0000

Oops! Forgot to post this one. The real date should be 10/18/10.

To pull or not to pull, that is the question. I’m in the middle of a vicious internal debate of whether or not to pull out my tomato plants. I pulled out about five of them but then I had to stop myself. The weather is starting to turn and I’m wondering if the milking the tomato time should be over. Is it time to let go of summer?

I really hate to do it but all good things must pass and I realize that when I do let go, there are new treasures to be found. I took a leap and I let go of my sweet potato plants and found that there were delicious treats beneath the surface. And since I ripped them clean out, I used that bed to plant my garlic. By the way, some of my sweet potatoes were shaped strangely due to the clay beneath my topsoil.

I planted my garbanzo beans, winter rye, crimson clover, garlic and shallots this weekend. I had to replant some lettuce, broccoli and bock choy because there have been some hungry moth visitors.

While researching cover crops a few weeks ago I found that many of the legumes must be inoculated just before planting. The inoculation (bacteria) allows for the plant to not only grow more vigorously but it also helps it to create more of the nitrogen fixing nodules on the roots. This is a simple process – all that you need to do is purchase the specific type of inoculants for the crop and then you mix up a slurry of bacteria and water to dump the seeds in. I know, it sounds delightful! Mix the seeds around and then plant them immediately.

The flowers and herbs are starting to die back but they are holding on to the last moments of warmth. The pepper plants are still producing but they are lacking the lustrous shine and vivid colors they once displayed.

I remember reading a Feng Shui guide once and it said to remove plants that are not looking their best – just toss them because otherwise you will not have room for things that are really beautiful. I suppose that is true. I may be holding on to the fun memories from this summer’s garden but I’m not making any room for new ones.

It’s hard to say goodbye to all of those seedlings that I started in my apartment window last February but this is the cycle of growing things. In an effort to “let go,” I’m remembering that cool weather brings my favorite fleeting flower, Daphne odora. I can almost smell it now.

Daphne

A week in nature

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Now that all of the kittens have been adopted and I'm playing the waiting game with the garden, I took a week to reconnect with the mountains. I'm feeling like myself again but my apartment is a mess of dirty clothes and backpacking gear. While I was gone, my garlic, shallots and cover crop seeds arrived so I will be ready to plant all of those things this month after I rip the tomatoes out of the ground. My tomato seed saving experiment came to completion and no matter how foul smelling it was, it was a success and I can recommend it!
The weather was unseasonally warm in the high sierras and I couldn't help but wonder if my tomatoes were ripening down in the hot valley. When I returned from my mountain air escape, I found that the tomato plants had not only spouted new flowers but some of the plants that I thought were petering out, jutted up and now look like real plants. I'm sad that soon the freezing cold will break the bad news to them.

Here are some pictures from my trip - pictures just can't do it justice but I hope you can see just how majestic and phenomenally beautiful it is. How could I not be renewed?

Going over the 8,800 ft. ridge - running a bit late and chasing the sun.

Here at Lake Lucille. The hill in the background is Keith's

Dome - only a little over 8,600 ft but has a mighty view.

Here is the view! Lake Tahoe in the far back and Fallen Leaf Lake in the front.

That was the next mountain that we tackled. Looks

impossible from here but everything is possible if you just do it.

The huge but little looking lake way in the background

(you can barely see it) was the next day's adventure.

This is that "little" lake that made us feel so small and insignificant.

Pyramid Peak in the background. The lake is a couple miles long.

View from the top of Mt. Ralston (over 9,200 feet).

One of our campsites.

And here we are!

It was a trip of renewal, adventure, inspiration and of course exhaustion. Now that things are slowing down in the garden, you should consider doing whatever it is that inspires you. Take the time to just do it.

Daphne

Saving Your Heirloom Tomato Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:16:00 +0000

I have started my seed saving process but just realized this morning that I've been doing it all wrong. I looked in the envelope to find sticky seeds glopped together. The real process sounds disgusting but it's worth a shot. I'll start mine on Saturday. Here is the link to the eHow version: http://www.ehow.com/how_2091104_save-heirloom-tomato-seeds.html.

If you have any better ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Daphne

First Day of Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Two years ago I witnessed a young lady riding her bike through the park and she unknowingly ran over a squirrel’s tail. The tail sheath came off leaving a puff of fur on the ground and a poor little squirrel without a tail to keep him balanced on tiny limbs and warm at night. The squirrel ran up a tree and cried for over an hour. I felt horrible. I’ve often wondered what happened to that creature and I’ve thought about the event ad nauseum. Yesterday, I saw a squirrel scampering through the same park – it only had a nub of a tale. It made me smile. I’d like to think that it is that same squirrel.

I realize this seems like a strange story to start out with after my blog absence for a few weeks but to me this story is a lesson in patience. Things that torment us, even in our gardens, resolve themselves. Nature always does. My infestation of aphids has been resolved. My fall garden is coming up and some lettuces have been eaten by animals or bugs but I’ll plant more because I’m okay with sharing. My bees have somehow managed to do what they have been doing for thousands of years without my input at all. Most things we cannot control – we really need to focus on manage things to accomplish what we've set out to do.

My heirlooms have decided to ripen just in time for fall. Lord help them. It’s nearly October and I’m just starting to harvest tomatoes. This is something that I can’t control but I know that they need temperatures above 55 degrees at night to be able to ripen. But I have a trick for you. If you are experiencing temperatures below 55 degrees at night, take one of your greenish tomatoes inside (pick one that is a good representation of most of the tomatoes on the vine) and cut it open. If you cut through it and the seeds get cut along with the flesh, you’re out of luck because this tomato will never ripen. If you cut through it and the seeds separate from the flesh (in their gelatinous sack) you’re golden. This means that the tomato will ripen on your kitchen counter.

All that you need to do is pick the greenish tomatoes that look similar to your sample and set them out on your counter and they will ripen. The other option is to rip up the plant by the roots and hang it upside down in your garage or barn or perhaps in your home with newspaper or a bin to catch debris underneath it. The tomatoes should ripen up nicely this way. Enough about tomatoes.

More importantly, I removed my first frame of honey last weekend because I couldn’t stand it any longer! The extractor is not finished because I’ve been sidetracked but I wanted to take just one little frame and taste it. The bees weren’t very pleased with me but I continued on my path. I took the single frame of honey inside and weighed it – it was 4 lbs. 8 oz. and it certainly felt like it. I simply cut the comb out of the frame, broke off a piece and placed it in my mouth. The honey oozed out as I chewed and tasted so good – now I know why the Greeks called it ambrosia because this certainly was fit for gods. They say that beekeepers always think their honey is the best but without bias I can assure you that this honey is divine!

Other honey’ish news – I hate most beekeepers and have stopped going to my association meetings. ’Nuff said.

Daphne

A note about cover crops

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:53:00 +0000

The days and weeks of the last month have virtually jumped up off my calendar and disappeared. I don't know where they went and I seem not to have much to show for the lost time except 5 kittens have new and loving homes (as of yesterday), my fall garden's seeds are starting to rear their delicate green heads and I am no longer invested in a group a crazies. Well, maybe I have accomplished a lot after all but it's all seemed like a dream and I was simply a drone getting everything done. Tonight the last two adopters are picking up their new kittens and I'll juts have one more to place. Tomorrow we will finish building our honey extractor and maybe after that, I can go back to my normal life and possibly find my camera cord! Now wouldn't that be nice?

As of right now I have planted cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, scallions, lettuces, potatoes, beets, turnips cabbages, brussles and bok choy as well as lots of flowers. I just realized that fall and winter crops don't take up nearly as much room as the summer vegetables. After I rip my tomato, peppers and melons out, I'm going to have a ton of space available. One thing to keep in mind is that you shouldn't let your soil go dormant for more than a month if you can. If you aren't growing anything in the soil then the microbes and nutrients leave you with nothing but dirt. So, my empty beds leave me with a predicament. I'm going to plant hairy vetch (image above) where my tomato plants and pepper plants were, clover between my cabbages, and oats and rye in the other beds. Those of you in the cooler states, you can plant hairy vetch and rye. They are generally hardy enough for your cold winters and they also fix nitrogen in the soil. If you are interested in cover crops and green manuers, here is a link to a overview of these crops from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Keep your soil in good shape and you will be so pleased with yourself next spring. I promise.

One other bit of advice that I read in Organic Gardening magazine this month is: Don't react to pests in your garden for at least two weeks. Usually within two weeks, the beneficial insects will be able to manage your issue.

I'm thinking it would be hard for me to wait around but I'm willing to give it a try.

Still searching for my camera cord,

Daphne

Fall Garden Planting

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:16:00 +0000

As life is moving closer and closer back to “normal,” things are starting to get done in the garden again. All of the ears of corn have been ripped from their stocks, the winter squash have been harvested and are waiting to cure, the sunflowers were decapitated and then blasted down, and the summer and winter squash vines have been torn from their clutches on the earth.

The old is becoming new again and things are starting to get exciting once more. The soil has been turned and new fall seeds have been planted. Finally the heirloom tomatoes are starting to earn their keep. They are turning their various shades of pink, orange, red, yellow and striped patterns (I should be getting some purple ones one of these days). All of the marigolds and other flowers I’ve planted in the garden are in full bloom and everything looks lovely and fresh.

For the fall and winter garden, I’ve planted broccoli, cauliflower, various beets, leeks, green onions, turnips, Brussels sprouts, two types of cabbages, bok choy, Romaine lettuce, Butter Crunch lettuce, Endive, Red leaf lettuce, and something called Great Lakes lettuce. I don’t know if I’m remembering everything but I’ll draw another diagram and post it so that I can at least keep track of what is what and where it is. I’m going to try a variation of the garbage can potatoes thanks to the great post by Anna from Back to Our Roots. My potatoes did so great during the summer that I’m excited what they might do during actual potato season. The winter squash that I’ve already picked (Blue Hubbard, Butternut and Buttercup) will be ready to eat for the full winter season.

Things that I’ve learned from my summer garden this year:

1) Do not plant sunflowers in the actual garden. The sunflowers were the biggest culprits in the pest department and I really think they created the domino of an aphid infestation in other plants. They also are loved by the ants too much for my own good.

2) Keep control over the winter squash vines and don’t plant them next to the summer squash plants.

3) So far the heirlooms that I’ve been able to taste have been terrible. They look so beautiful yet when you take a bite, you wish you’d taken a bite from a cow pie instead. They have been absolutely dreadful. Moral: Always, plant hybrids too just incase. I’m not sure if it’s been the unseasonably cool weather or if they are just disgusting by nature. Yuck! It will be 105 for a couple of days this week so I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

4) Plants don’t like growing exclusively in compost. The organic compost that I purchased and had dumped on my site is gorgeous. It’s black and luscious looking however I’ve noticed that where the compost is thickest, the plants never grew at all. They struggled the whole time and didn’t produce much at all. The outer edges of the garden where the actual soil and compost was mixed 50-50 is where the plants are happiest.

5) Don’t grow corn in a row. Corn should be grown in blocks or a circle so that the silks can be pollinated easily. Also, I read that you can tape up the ends of the ears after they have been pollinated so that they don’t get infested with corn earworm. I unfortunately had this problem but all that we had to do is break off the first inch or two that had been snacked on.

6) Lastly, I’ve learned that everyday I learn something new and not to get discouraged. That’s why it’s best to push yourself and try things in the garden that you haven’t tried before – new varieties and new planting ideas. It all helps you and builds on what you already know. Right now I’m looking into what companion plants will work with my fall and winter vegetables.

Even if you’re not planning a fall or winter garden, remember to plant flowers that will last through the fall to keep your pollinators well fed during this time of things starting to dry out and their sources of food are getting scarce. Plus this makes your yard and garden look nice. I’m planting another round of zinnias, daisies, lavender, snapdragons, asters, marigolds and I’m not pinching back all of my basil, mint and cilantro anymore because I want some of it to flower for them.

And on a very happy note, two of the kittens have been adopted. They aren’t ready to leave the litter yet but they have a happy home waiting for them. Two others have potential homes so things are moving along. Each one of those kittens has a special personality and they have such gratitude. It sounds silly but I think they somehow understand that they have been saved and a better life awaits them.

I hope everyone’s summer garden has been bountiful and educational.

Daphne

A chapter has closed

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:32:00 +0000

I've turned a leaf and it’s over. Here is my resignation letter that I've submitted to my fellow executive officers and the editor of the newsletter:

####

Due to increased responsibilities in my day-to-day life as well as the desire to remove myself from a hostile situation, please accept my resignation as vice president as of today.

I’ve left the board and membership in good shape for the rest of the year. With this association, I simply got myself involved in something I have no interest in entertaining. I wish you all success in whatever your desires for the association are. I have met a few good people through my time here and my thanks go out to those of you that showed me kindness.

If you wish to continue with what I’ve set in place, here is the speaker line-up for the rest of the year:

George will present next week at the August meeting.
Kim will speak in September in regards to overwintering hives. Further contact needs to be made with him to get the specifics in order. I would recommend doing this soon.
Annette has agreed to speak at the October meeting. Her contact information is on the membership list but she is on vacation for the next two weeks.
November’s meeting is an open forum Swap ‘n Sell/Gadget Night which I’ve already promoted in the newsletter.

Kathy, if you could please remove my name as the contact person on any of the calendar events, I would really appreciate it.

If there are further questions relating to any of the things I’ve worked on as vice president or acting vice president, please feel free to contact me via email.

Sincerely,

Daphne

####

I sent this after there was a literal physical altercation between two board members at the IHOP. Ridiculous I know. It got too crazy and tempers were too high. There becomes a point when you have to ask yourself, "For what?" I couldn't find any good reason.

I think my adverse reaction was based on the timing as well. I had just gotten back from a 5 day backpacking trip which as absolutely amazing. We went to this little known cabin that was built in the 1920's or 30's by a hermit. It takes 2 days to get to and there is no trail. What this guy did was incredible and he did it all by himself - no mule, no equipment, nothing. He brought in pieces of a cast iron stove piece by piece to assemble. Each time he went to town it took him 2-4 days and it is a dangerous canyon to hike in and out of. Anyway, I guess my point is that my perspective on what's important made me have zero tolerance for people being nasty just because they were bored. It's known that this hermit made friends with anyone that treated him with respect and he was fighting for his survival every single day in that inhospitable and desolate canyon. (maybe I can post some pictures tonight if time allows)

As for the garden, it is actually on its way out or at least this phase is. It's still in full production but some of the plants are starting to die back. I've pulled out all of the potato plants to plant new ones, and there are a few other things that got yanked to reveal a naked bed. My tomatoes are just starting to turn and I can't wait to taste them. I'm going to plant some seeds for the fall this weekend.

Kittens are doing great and getting bigger and more playful everyday. They have their six week appointment this Saturday!

Daphne

Kittens

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:57:00 +0000

I’ve been neglecting my garden just as much as I have been my blog. I picked wild blackberries about two weekends ago, showed off what I had scored (3-4 gallons worth) and made a blackberry pie and then the plan was to work in the garden.

I heard a noise reminiscent of baby birds so I decided to go outside and what did I find? I spied five little kittens standing in the front yard of my parents’ house. They had been abandoned by their mother. Well, after talk and consideration, we realized that the mother had been eaten by a coyote a couple of days before.

Of course my bleeding heart swooped them up and then tried to figure out how on earth I would take care of them. A few hours later I had a funny feeling that there may have been more. So around 10 p.m. I went back out and found one more of them. Alas there are six. I felt badly that he was left out there by himself but that should be a lesson to us all – don’t be shy about someone offering to help.

After spending the entire weekend at my parents’ house, feeding them with kitten formula every four hours, I realized that I would not be able to give them the support and attention they needed. I called rescue organizations and they were all over capacity. I learned that if I took them to a shelter, they would be euthanized immediately because they are less than 2 pounds. What I really needed was maternity leave but I knew that wouldn’t happen.

My friend's dog, Ali and new matching companion, Tux.

Luckily after just a few minutes of frantic web searches, I found a program through UC Davis. The program is called the Orphan Kitten Project and they are so awesome. Usually, one of the resident veterinarians would be taking them home and taking care of them as part of their training but of course, they were also over capacity. I felt out of luck until they said that I could foster the kittens under their program but I would be the foster. Still stuck with the same problem of not being able to give them the attention they need but at least I wouldn’t be spending $25 a day on formula like I had been. The Project provides, supplies, food and all of the medical care including vaccines, spay/neuter and a microchip. All I have to do is raise them, take them to their appointments at my dedicated resident veterinarian’s apartment, and find homes for them.

So far it’s been very hectic but I’m so glad that I have help. Two co-workers have really pitched in and have saved my skin. One of them is home recovering from surgery so she’s offered to take them in and bottle feed every 4 hours. My other co-worker comes with me at night after work and we all feed again, bathe, blow-dry, clean bedding and make sure that each of them gets ample human cuddle time.

They’ve had their first appointment and everyone is healthy. Today they are 30 days old and just starting to use the litter box and eat a mix of wet kitten food and formula.

I did visit the garden last weekend and everything was doing great. See, it doesn’t need me. I did pull all of my beets and chard out. I’ll be planting some things for fall in there (maybe spinach and more beets).

Oh and I made a really good tasting lasagna made of zucchini (I know you understand) and Japanese eggplant. I’ll put up that recipe when I have a few minutes time. I just threw it together so I don’t really have a recipe yet but if you already know how to make things without a recipe, basically I made a béchamel, marinara sauce, homemade wheat and semolina flour pasta (rolled out really thin), sautéed the zucchini and eggplant with some olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper and then I just started layering: sauce, pasta, béchamel, vegetables, marinara, some fresh chunks of fresh mozzarella. Repeat until last layer of pasta and then add more béchamel, fresh mozzarella, shaved Pecorino and fresh ground pepper. Bake at 350 for about a half hour. It was really yummy lasagna and I was really surprised that I didn’t miss the ricotta or meat. Another great way to get rid of some zucchini.

Okay back to the land of being pulled every which way,

Daphne