Cannedam Gardens

Internet Resources for Gardeners

2011-10-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Plant identification, help with plant problems, and a great deal of gardening information can be found at the UBC Botantical Gardens Forums. I have had many unknown-to-me plants identified by the members there and received a great deal of helpful advice.

Everything from gardening ideas, success stories, and advice can be found at the Garden Web forums. Topics are well organized and plentiful. I find it can be time consuming to search information in this forum because many topics can be quite long. That may also be due to my tendency to wander off topic when I find something that interests me.

The gardening section at The Old Farmer's Almanac contains a wealth of information easily accessed and understood. I often refer to the planting dates (you can input your postal code or zip code and it will return information specific for your growing area) and even seed starting dates for your area. I find moon planting interesting, but I'm not sure if there's really anything to it. My father planted 'by the moon' and was quite the successful gardener; but I can't say that the two are truly connected.

Old gardens, new gardens and resolutions

2011-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

Three years ago we moved and I left behind the gardens I'd worked so hard to build. It was a difficult, but necessary move. In return visits I see the new owners have dug up or mowed over the 40 hostas and bed full of ajuga I'd planted. I got a hernia planting that particular side yard. Trees and bushes have been left to sprawl and the rock garden looks like a weed bed as it hasn't been tended at all. It's a painful thing to see. I know they are no longer mine, but all that work and effort has truly become a waste.

Because of that, I've taken a different approach to my gardening. It is entirely for my enjoyment and more utilitarian than in past. I know that we will not be at this location forever, either, so I'm not expending a great deal of efforts on permanent gardens. Instead, I'm using more planters and the beds are full of annuals. They can easily be seeded with grass once we're done here.

I like planters because they are portable, I control the growing medium (instead of the soil controlling me as is often the case with difficult soils), I can manipulate the light they receive easily, and one planter is more easily remedied than a bed full of disease or pests.

I've been avidly reading Question and Planter.com for tips and suggestions and finding that I seem to hoarde the knowledge I've gained over the past 30 years to myself. It isn't intentional. I often do not realize that some of what i know is not common knowledge. Not everyone grew up with a landscaping father who taught his kids as much of what he knew as he possibly could over the years.

I'm not making promises as I'm fairly busy, but I am going to try to post more frequently and share information that I find invaluable even if I think it is common.

Are you planning next years' gardens yet?

More Zucchini! More Zucchini Recipes!

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Zucchini, just right for sauteing.

It's a single hill of bush-type zucchini and took over the entire row by the end of the season,
and crowded onto the next row, too. The rows are 6' across.

This is the first year I've grown zucchini. It's always so cheap at the farmer's market -- they're nearly giving the stuff away. The plant looked lovely in the greenhouse this spring and I had an empty row in my garden, so I figured why not. It's a fairly fuss-free plant without many issues. Powdery mildew attempted to get a start thanks to the weather and whatever bugs dragged it in on their feet, but we halted that. It's so simple to grow, I'm saving seeds for next year.

I promised more recipes, and here is another:

Zucchini-Pumpkin-Raisin Quickbread

1/2 c vegetable oil
1 cup sugar (I mix 1/2 cup brown and 1/2 cup white/splenda)

3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 cup raisins

Mix first 2 ingredients in large bowl.
Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.
Add zucchini and pumpkin, mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to large bowl and mix until just combined.
Stir in raisins. Pour mixture into a single large loaf pan or four small loaf pans.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour (large loaf pan) or 30 minutes for 4 small loaf pans. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Remember that extra large zucchini in my last post? I've only used half of it so far.

Bake

What to Do with the Fruits of the Harvest

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is a very large zucchini. More than a foot long and about 6" diameter at its widest point. While we like a bit of young (small) zucchini sauteed with other vegetables, the whole family loves when I use the larger ones for baking.

My husband didn't think he'd like zucchini bread so I developed the following recipe to suit his tastes. It's always a hit. I make several loaves, slice them and freeze the slices to add to lunchboxes throughout the year.

Spiced Zucchini Raisin Quick Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar (I use splenda and I've often reduced this to 1/2 cup without any complaints)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini (you can add up to 3 cups without distorting the flavour or texture. It just gets more moist! Leave the peels on when you shred it.)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup milk

Sift the first 6 ingredients together in a bowl.
Mix the next 5 ingredients in a separate, large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl slowly, alternating with the milk until fully mixed.
Stir in the zucchini and raisins. Pour into one large or four small loaf pans.
Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes (four small loaf pans) or one hour (a single, large loaf pan.)
Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

I'll be posting more recipes in the coming days. Afterall, what do we garden for if not to enjoy the fruits of our labours?

Holy Fat Carrots, Batman!

2008-10-08T12:54:00.001-07:00

Yeh, the centimeters don't mean anything to me, either. They're about 6" long & 6" across. The really fat one, I need to take a tape measure to it, because I think it's about 10" circumference. These were winter storage carrots that got so darned fat. My other carrots were long and pretty thick, too, but nothing like this! Have a half bushel to slice & freeze this week.

Gardening Mistakes I Hope Not to Make Next Year

2008-09-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

I don't think I want to plant sunflowers near my vegetable garden. Two years in a row they are covered in powdery mildew and spread it on to the other plants. I love the sunflowers, don't get me wrong. I do not like my cucumbers covered in the powdery mildew. I'll see if the city will let me plant them around the telephone pole in the tree lawn. I think they'd be happy there and my veggies will be safe.

Peppers....I'll plant them much earlier next year and start them inside much earlier than I did last year. I think we got started in March. I'll try early February next year so that they're much larger.

Maters....I won't crowd them so much. Though they did fine, it's a real pain to pick them and I think they'll mature more quickly with a bit more space.

Beans....I'm planting more of them, a different variety & I'll have a finch feeder nearby. Those bean beetles really pissed me off.

Nematodes. I'm buying some as early as I can. The kind that eat all the bad nasties hiding in the soil waiting to eat our plants...like those bean beetles. Grrrr.

Better soil in the square foot boxes. I'm not entirely sold on Mel's Mix though I might have to try it in one box just for comparison. I don't like the idea of using Peat Moss so heavily. Despite what the Canadian government says about our Peat Moss supplies being perfectly fine...it's still a limited resource and what kind of damage are we doing to the environments from which we strip it?

I'll use more of my front flower beds for vegetables. I have plans, oh I have plans. I had tomatoes out there this year and they tasted amazing being next to a garden oregano plant. Just wonderful. Now I'll plant a few more things out there.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of for now.

Sorry for the long absence. Gardening has been kind of sucky recently, plus my camera was broken so....no pictures.

Chinese Lantern Harvest

2008-08-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Remember that patch of Chinese Lanterns?

I harvested several stems full of them, defoliated the stems, then bound one end in twine:

Then I sprayed the lanterns with hairspray and hung them to dry:

SON OF A BEAN BEETLE!

2008-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I went out to harvest beans yesterday and guess what I found?

You know what those fat, yellow, fuzzy suckers are? Mexican Bean Beetle larva. And they seem to have prodigious appetites.

While harvesting beans from my bush plants (barely any nibbles on those plants) I noticed that the leaves of the bean tee pee were looking much more chewed than they had previously. Previously I found only two adult beetles on the tee pee. It seemed almost immune. Not so, obviously.

Take a look at the leaf damage:

The Mexican Bean Beetle is the black sheep of the ladybug family. Ladybugs eat other damaging bugs in our gardens, but the Mexican Bean Beetle likes to chomp on bean leaves (and the beans, too!) RJ, my nine-year-old, was most upset when he thought I was drowning ladybugs. Here is what the adults look like. (Most of mine have been bright red, but some were paler yellow-orange).

I know my picture of the larva is rather hard to see, so here's a much better picture I found on the 'net:

My shoulders are actually sore from picking these suckers off my bean leaves and drowning them. There were SO MANY of them! I know there are more, but my soreness turned into a pinched nerve and ended my bug harvest. Hubby's out picking them now. I don't know why the beetles decided to go and lay their eggs on my tee pee plants since those were not the plants with the most beetles on them. I guess they figured there wasn't much eating left on the other bean plants.

Relatively few of the beans were damaged. I picked about 4 quarts and tossed only a handful, so at least they're not overly damaging the harvest. I understand later in the season they will go after the beans more.

I had sprinkled the leaves with diatomaceous earth, but it seemed to do nothing to deter the nasty bugs. Next year (it's too late this year) I could order the spined soldier bug from Natural Insect Control, a local company. They're rather expensive for the small number of plants in my home garden, though. I can also erect finch feeders near my bean plants, which is what I will most likely do. Finches will happily snack on Mexican Bean Beetles. I will continue to handpick and drown (in soapy water) the adults and larva I find. I could also try to find a supplier for the parisitic wasp Pediobius foveolatus. Price is a factor. I truly cannot afford to spend $100 on bugs to kill bugs in my garden, nor would I need as many as $100 would buy. That kind of expenditure completely negates the frugality of home gardening.

Now about that bean harvest:

Is Your Garden Addicted to Miracle-Gro?

2008-08-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Did you ever use it and have wonderful results, then the next year not use it and have terrible results?

Well, here's why...Miracle-Gro and other synthetic fertilizers strip the soil of nutrients. Wash them right out. It also salinates the soil (salts the earth) and makes it a very unfriendly place to nematodes, worms, and other critters that break down organic wastes and feed the soil and plant roots around them. The processes by which synthetic fertilizers are made is extremely hard on the environment. Those processes use incredible amounts of energy and create enormous amounts of waste.

Synthetic fertilizers only consider the three big nutrients for plants: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K). Putting plants on a synthetic fertilizer diet is like putting a person on a diet that ONLY contains Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat --- no iron, vitamin C, magnesium, etc., just the big 3 macronutrients. Everyone knows we need more than just protein, carbs, and fat. So do plants. Calcium deficiency shows up in some plants as black roots, pale leaf margins and, in tomatoes, blossom-end rot.

Synthetic fertilizers are short acting and water soluble. Meaning only about 15% of what you add to your soil is used by the plants and the rest is rinsed away with the rain. Synthetic fertilizers are to blame for nitrates in our drinking water.

I suspect a lot of people think that synthetic fertilizers (like Miracle-Gro) are vitamins for plants. Since chemical fertilizers strip soils of the natural nutrients that plants need, soils and the plants grown in them become dependent upon those chemical fertilizers. That really makes synthetic fertilizers more like a drug than a vitamin and their relationship with soil and plants an addictive one. The synthetic fertilizers have to continually be added to the soil in order to feed the plants the nutrients they need. Why? because those fertilizers denude the soils their beneficial nutrients and organisms. It's kind of like a human taking speed to get a bit of oomph instead of eating a piece of fruit for the same oomph. Studies have also shown that synthetic fertilizers actually REDUCE the nutritional value of fruits and vegetable grown using them. How's that for a drug?!

What is preferable is organic fertilizer. There are about a million different kinds. Bacteria dwelling in the soil will fix nitrogen out of the air into the soil for plants to use. That bacteria will be present if it hasn't been killed off by synthetic fertilizer use. Certain plants are better at fixing nitrogen than others. Clovers and all legumes are nitrogen fixers. They suck enormous amounts of nitrogen from the air and store it in the soil for future plants to use. Phosphorous can be gotten from crushed phosphate rock, bone meal, dried blood, cottonseed meal and other sources. Potassium (potash) can be gotten from plant residues (in the form of wood ash), manures & compost and natural mineral sources such as granite dust, greensand and basalt rock. Seaweed and seaweed extract are also excellent sources of potash.

Soil really needs to be viewed as a living organism requiring a wide range of nutrients in order to support the many life forms within it-- from plants to worms and bacteria to fungus.

I use compost, manure, mulch, wood ash, nitrogen-fixing plants, seaweed extract and fish emulsions to feed my plants and nourish my soil. The great thing about any of these is that they can stay resident in the soil for future generations to use and do not convert to toxins in the soil or pollute our waters. That's conscientious gardening. I purchase my seaweed extract and fish emulsion from Stokes.

Garden Photos August 25

2008-08-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry. I feel as though I've been neglecting this blog. We're still gardening along. Pictures from today.

I suppose I could have taken the pictures after mowing the grass, but I didn't. I took the pictures, first! Haha!

How about we start with the green beans:
These are growing vertically up a twine trellis. As you can see, the leaves have been nibbled some (and sometimes the beans too.) I've never had bean beetles before this year. I don't know what my luck had been, but when I finally noticed them I had quite a few. I picked about 20 off my 8 plants in this bed and another two or three from the bean tee pee. This bed has been stressed since the beginning of the season. The soil is not right for this bed and will be changed next year. Because the plants in this bed have been stressed all year, they're more prone to insect attacks. I not only found Mexican Bean Beetles chomping these bean leaves, I found cucumber beetles on them too (but not on the cucumbers!) Go figure. My treatment: handpick them and drown them in soapy water. Haven't seen any eggs on the undersides of the leaves, so that's a good sign.

The bush beans in the same bed are much less stressed than the others, but they germinated very poorly. About 1 out of 10 germinated. Had all of them germinated, I would have enough to freeze for the rest of the year. As it stands, we've got enough for fresh eating and maybe a few more meals after the growing season. These beans are strong producers. I like to pick them on the day we'll eat them, so these are staying until tomorrow. Both the beans above are tender, stringless beans that cook up in just a couple minutes. They're great for stir-fries as they cook so quickly. Quite tasty and very light!
The bean tee pee filled in quite nicely. It's very full of rattlesnake beans. They're quite yummy! They have the traditional bean flavour but require a little more cooking time than the French Fillet beans above. Just a little, though. Later in the season, they'll probably require a much longer cooking time. I do cook them shortly after picking them, though.

It's taken the bell peppers (California Wonder) a lot longer to produce fruit than the others. They're coming along, though as you can see.

These Super Chili Peppers are VERY PRODIGIOUS PRODUCERS. I outlined all the visible peppers so you could get an idea of how many are in there. There are far more on the lower branches, and as you can see, many many blossoms still. We have three of these plants and I'd say that's two too many for us. I'll donate some to the local food banks and freecycle others. Those we keep I will dry and store for use in stir-fries. We like 'em hot!

Our sunflowers this year are ginormous! The landing on my porch is 5 feet from ground level. That's just below the height of the Canna Lilly's bloom. That center sunflower is about 14 feet high! It has numerous blossoms on it that haven't yet opened. I think my sunflowers cross-pollinated last year as these are all from my own seed stock. I had a volunteer Kong sunflower show up in my memorial bed last year -- a gift from a visiting bird. It was about 8 feet tall and had more than 30 blossoms on it. I had also planted Russian Giants which got 6-8 feet tall and had one very large central blossom, nearly a foot across. This year I've got 10 foot sunflowers with multiple blooms, some of them very large, others much smaller. Very interesting. And as you can see, one of my Cannas bloomed! Yay!

These are "only" about eight feet tall. The birds love them. To the right is a giant blossom that has been a favourite haunt of the neighborhood birds lately.

Check out the sunflowers growing through the porch rails. These ones do have pale petals. I don't know why. The birds still think they're good eating. Anyone placing bets on how many volunteer sunflowers I'll have next year? Next year I won't plant them here. I will, if I'm allowed, surround that telephone pole out at the curb with them. That'll make the birds happy! No, I don't harvest the seeds for myself, though I love sunflower seeds. It's just so much darned work! I buy my sunflower seeds already hulled, thank you! I do harvest heads for seed saving, though. Anyone want some?

I'm always amazed by cucumber growth spurts that happen overnight. This thing was about 4 inches long yesterday morning. Then we had some rains in the afternoon and today it's 8 inches long. Amazing! I'll pick it and another will take its place in no time!

Hubby's old work boots recycled into hen & chick planters. These were just planted this year, too. Man, those things reproduce fast! I'll have another pair on a lower step next year!

Check out the beautiful Chinese Lanterns! Wow! They're nice sized, too. I planted these last year and the lanterns averaged about an inch long, one and a half inches around. They're triple that this year! And what great colour! I'll be harvesting these soon. (Trim the stalks, trim away the leaves. Spray the lanterns with hairspray, and hang to dry. They'll retain their colour and make a lovely holiday decoration.)

A closeup of some of the lanterns. With my hand there, you can get an idea of how big those lanterns are. Chinese lanterns are invasive and will take over a garden. We planted them in a whiskey barrel to keep them in check. SO far so good. I think it helps that we harvest the lanterns (there is an edible berry inside the lantern, which also contains numerous seeds. The berries are like tiny tomatoes with hundreds of seeds in each.) I don't eat the berries. They taste yucky.

Winnie in the Sky with.....something that sounds like diamonds

2008-08-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

Come on, tell me you cannot see Winnie the Pooh's profile in that big ol' cloud over Lake Ontario.

Not seeing it, eh?

How about now? (Man, look at that storm all the way across the lake over....ummmm....errrr.....Burlington (??) I think.)

Okay, one more:

Now what's a Winnie the Pooh cloud have to do with gardening?

That cloud and its 18 bazillion buddies has been hanging over Ontario for the past couple of months. They're the reason my maters aren't ripe yet. Come on, give me some more sun.

According to The Weather Network , Ontarian farmers are loving the wet weather. Sure, I lost a couple things to wilt last year from the heat. But Jimminy Crickets...I'd sure like the sun to make more than spot appearances and ripen up my veggies! We in Ontario are literally STUCK in this low pressure system that cannot escape our borders thanks to high pressure systems wedging it in right where it's been the past two-and-a-half months. We're breaking records for rainfall. We beat out previous records for June and July and we're well on our way to beating out records for the whole summer, according to this article also at The Weather Network.

I just want my maters to go from green to red!

And let's please not spend too much time pondering why it is I see Winnie the Pooh in that cloud!

Monday's Harvest

2008-08-11T19:38:00.001-07:00

Click on the pictures to see more detail...A quart or more of green beans (mostly rattlesnake green beans and some French fillet green beans) and about 20 cherry tomatoes (oh, they're SO GOOD!) and a sprig of basil.

Some Hot Banana peppers, two cukes, and one cherry bomb pepper. The peppers are a little under ripe, but that's fine. This is tonight's dinner.

Hot Pepper Harvest

2008-08-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

The first of many. This is from only 2 plants. We have 15 (or is it 17...or 20?) more.
Now some of those peppers didn't pass muster and instead went into the compost bin. ($#$@%#$ing slugs! have been at them....all this !#$!#$ing rain!) With the rest (the bulk of them) hubby canned 3 quarts and 3 pints of hot pepper rings. These aren't extremely hot -- about a 5 on a 1-10, 10 the hottest, scale. He did, however, add habaneros to one jar. Ohhhh....that's gonna be the hot one. Those habaneros make my tongue feel like a laser has sliced through it.

I'll tell you about canning them in an upcoming post on my at home blog.

Garden Pictures for the beginning of August

2008-08-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'll start with the front of the house. This is the first of the beds. I've got Allysum growing in there along with garden oregano, a couple volunteer cherry tomatoes, yellow four-o'clocks, Cannas without blooms (I don't think I'll have any blooms this year as the sunflowers are shading them too much), Autumn Joy Sedum, zinnias and bachelor's buttons, and you can see the rock garden at the front edge of this bed. I overplanted this bed intentionally as it's going to be widened next year and another will be added on the opposite side of the stairs which will be coming down in front instead of on the side as they are now. I'll need to fill those beds in!

Here is the Peach tree we planted out front this year. It's coming along nicely:

This is the retaining wall we rebuilt this spring. In an upcoming post I'll show you before & after pictures and some of the work in progress. The beds behind the retaining wall were empty. We've planted Black Beauty Elder, Red Spirea, Persian cat mint, Autumn Joy sedum, Pinks (Dianthus), several annuals: salvia, Allysum, a pretty purple flower I can't name (shown after this picture), another that I cannot recall what it was, a couple different petunias (one was killed by the vicious, evil bindweed).

Those pretty purple flowers I cannot name. They're an annual. They were rescued from NoFrills for twenty-five cents apeice. They are lovely and I'd like to grow them again.

Remember that Ajuga bed I planted this spring? I thought it would take a couple years to completely fill in. It is doing its job of battling the weeds. Some try to poke through, but they're not flourishing, that's for sure! As you can see along the right-hand side of this bed, the neighbor's weeds are flourishing. I believe I'm going to plant his trough out with Ajuga next spring. (That's a lovely blue Hydrangea at the back edge of the Ajuga. It has a twin farther up in the bed whose flowers are pink. They weren't pink when I purchased it. I'll have to see what's up with that.)

Speaking of weeds....BINDWEED has been the bane of my gardening existence this year. We stirred up its root system when we rebuilt the retaining wall and I am extensively battling it this year. I am having success and I will dedicate another post to the topic. I did, however, lose a petunia to this evil, vile stuff. Take a look at it all over my black beauty elder:

And all over my Lady's Mantle. Yes, my Lady's Mantle looks sickly. It was transplanted in June when the heat was on. It'll come back next year nicely.

Now we're off to the back yard.....

Would you like a solution for cats who crap in your gardens? One that doesn't involve illegal activities or high-speed projectiles? Our solution is in the next picture. We have Brussell's sprouts in this plot. They were newly planted after the peas finished, but the cats were making us miserable. So we surrounded it and covered the top with bird netting (I know you can't see it in the photo.) Next cat who tries to jump in there is in for a big surprise. Grrrrrr....

A project in progress. Anyone want to place bets on whether it will be finished this year? I really shouldn't put hubby on to so many projects in one season. He has built me two new raised beds, rebuilt theretaining wall, installed the rocks in the rock garden, cut the barrell for the water garden & also filled it, built the supports for our vertical gardening, built us a rain barrell, and oh my I know I'm probably forgetting a thing or two. So I don't mind if it takes him all summer and part of fall to complete our garbage surround (made from a salvaged gazebo frame .) You can tell it's going to be lovely when he's done (ignore the weeds please):

Our Memorial Bed has gone nuts. Some of these plants are growing to be placed into the front beds next year. It's not been a memorial bed this year, it's been a "nursery." The sunflowers are 10 feet tall. The chinese lanterns (contained in a half whiskey barrell) have gone nuts. The daisy overwhelmed my gold mound spirea despite the 18 inches between them. The calendula is crazy and yes, there's another cherry tomato in there too.

The front of the bean tee pee:

The back of the bean tee pee:

Lots of green tomatoes. These are cherries. Compare them in size to the beefsteak. Yes, the beefsteak are small, but the cherries are HUGE:

The Romas look nice...GREEN...but nice:

This is part of our pepper patch. Click on the picture to see a larger version. I'm not sure if those rounded ones are cherry bombs or not. Even green, they're still hot:

Oh, and I guess I'll show you one of my gardening failures this year. This planter dries out quite readily. The potting soil I used is not helping this situation. Holes at the bottom drain as soon as water hits the soil. It's ridiculous really. Next year I'll add some stuff to help it retain more moisture. Sorry the picture is so low quality. It's the only one I took, so we're stuck with it.

Rachel, Rachel, How Does Your Garden Grow?

2008-07-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it grows and grows and grows. In some places it grows almost wild!

If you click on the individual pictures, you'll be able to see a larger version with a bit more detail.

Below is our pepper patch. There are about 30 plants here. We have habaneros, California Wonder, Mini Bells, hot banana, mild banana, hot hungarian, pimiento, carmen, jalepeno, ring of fire, and a couple more, too! Yes, we like peppers. I like the mild ones fresh in our salads or as crudite. We love pickled hot pepper rings, so we'll be canning a good bit of those. We also like the hot ones in stir fries, Mexican dishes, eggs, etc. I'll freeze a good many, can the hot rings, and the rest will be eaten fresh. Yum Yum!

Oh, do you like the path we installed in the garden this year? It was much needed. The garden is too wide to reach the centers from outside and we were trampling the soil something awful last year. So we dug out the center and poured rock to a foot deep running the whole center from one end to the other.

Now look how much bigger the peppers pictured below are than the ones in the first picture. Would you like to venture a guess why they're so much bigger than the others?
Okay, they were planted a little bit earlier than the others but only a week or so. Early on, the squirrels came by and topped each of these pepper plants. That's right, took the whole top of the plant! I don't know why they do this, but they do this every spring! They'll do it to tomatoes, too. Which is why we built this little surround for the peppers so that they wouldn't take any more of the plants than they already had. Many of the plants were down to two leaves. We didn't think they'd make it. Do you think those squirrels are doing us a favor? It does bear some consideration. In order to have bigger plants that set more fruit, you're supposed to pluck the first blossoms. (This does work, too. The plants in the first picture were deflowered after I took that photo and they're already bushing out.) So perhaps having the squirrels top off our peppers every year is the squirrel's way of giving back. I don't know.

Below is the boys' bean tee-pee. The beans are much bigger now. Today was just too busy to take another picture. I can hardly wait until they're all the way up the tee pee! Notice how richly green the grass is that immediately surrounds the growing beans. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil ... seems to be working.
Now I've got to talk about soil. Below is our newest vegetable bed. Isn't it a pathetic thing? I am extraordinarily disappointed in the soil we bought for this box. I am also disappointed in the seeds for my bush beans as only 1 out of 10 germinated. Even after replanting we had the same results. Those are no good. Yet they're from the same company that packaged our vining beans and those did just fine and germinated at about 100%. More about the soil after this picture.

I would recommend the quad mix from Trail's End (that's what's in my other bed, where the peppers are) but they're no longer carrying it. I went with their triple mix this year and I am sorely disappointed in it. Whereas the quad mix drains very well, yet has a high humus content to conserve moisture during the dry spells, this triple mix is lacking. It drains too well. It is dry most of the time. I have ammended it with two different composts and I will be covering it with mulch next week. My plants have been stunted in this material. Things I started from seed barely germinated (most likely because the soil dries out so quickly.) I can completely saturate the soil at night and by mid morning it is extremely dry. This is awful. I think they should take it back next year and tell me where to go for the quad mix!

How about a few flowers:

Calendula: self seeds like mad, but it's good for bug bites and summer-long colour so I like it. (But I am removing the seed heads!)

This is a gorgeous Brown-Eyed Susan. The photo does it no justice. I can't tell you the variety right now because I can't get to the plant tag, it's buried in all the greenery behind it somewhere. It is a type of Rudbeckia, just not sure which one.

And I have these lovely "Summer Sun" Oxeye Daisies. I just love these. They're a bright yellow, with a yellow center and so cheerful -- covered in flowers all summer long. I'm so pleased with it I'll be splitting it up and moving it into the new beds I'm creating out front next year.

There are a few things in the picture below. I'll try to point them out to you without much confusion. Do you see the yellow-green leaves growing along the ground? That is creeping Jenny. I love the stuff. It's just so lovely. The purple and white clouds of flowers are annual Alyssum, one of my favourite flowers. They have a very sweet scent that wafts across the air with every breeze. The white Alyssum self-seeded from last year. That's okay. It's welcome here. In the background is a nice clump of garden oregano. It's doing quite well for having been transplanted just this spring.

That poor solar light. The $1 lights just don't hold up too well. I might have to break the piggy bank and invest in some $2 solar lights.

I'll have some more of the gardens, soon.

"In Ancient Times, Cats Were Worshipped As Gods;

2008-07-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

they have not forgotten this.” - Terry Pratchett

My four current foster cats are available for adoption. Adoption will be at Pet Value on Glendale Avenue (in the Pendale Plaza) Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM and Sunday at PetSmart in the Fairview Plaza from 10 AM until 5 PM. Adoption fee is only $140 through the St. Catharines’ Animal Assistance Society. These cats have been neutered or spayed, received all shots, and flea treatments, deworming and have been fostered in my home with 2 adults and 3 children for the past two months. That's $50 less than the Humane Society and these cats have been fostered in a family home.

Their Rescue Story

Rocky belonged to a man who owned a home from which he rented out an apartment. The tenant owned the other three cats. The owner died and the tenant moved. All 4 cats were left abandoned. The owner’s children showed up and released the cats from the home, but provided them no care. Luckily, a good person on the same street saw the cats and began feeding them three times a day. However, these cats were not getting socialized to people and were getting no medical care. They were getting wild. I can't imagine the traumas they suffered being kept in an empty building for who knows how long, then being chased out the door like varmints. Two of the cats are rather timid and need continued nurturing to continue developing trusting relationships with humans. This is certainly understandable, given their abandonment.

Let me tell you about these cats -- each has a personality distinctly its own.

Rocky

He’s a big cat. Tall and lean, having a long neck – he’s very elegant. He is the one who makes me think of Pratchett’s quote each time I see him sitting sphinx-like on the furniture. He has a deep growl that reminds me of a wildcat’s and actually scared me when he first came to us. It turns out he’s a giant pussy cat who’s somewhat timid and would rather not be bothered by the other cats, except on his terms. He will play…but a very playful kitten will annoy him quickly whereupon you’ll hear the fearsome growl. (When first I heard it late at night I thought some silly person was revving a motorcycle down the road.) He’s also a giant baby. He will curl up in your lap (despite the fact that most laps will not accommodate him) and head butt your hand to demand a good petting. He loves to have his face and head scratched. Rocky likes thing neat and tidy. If his water hasn't just been drawn fresh from the tap, he might jump on the bathroom sink and request a very fresh drink! (Yes, I indulge my foster kitties.) Rocky might come across as intimidating at the Adopt-a-thon as he does not like being caged. Don't let him fool you. He's a giant suck without an aggressive bone in his body!

Tiger*

Tiger is the ADHD kid in the house. He is rambunctious and playful and full of energy. He will play for hours on end. He’s affectionate and nosy (curious.) He likes to nibble naked toes for some reason. This tickles the kids to no end. (Literally!) He likes to play smackdown with the other kitties – especially the largest ones (my Soxxy is a 20-lb heavyweight, Rocky’s a middleweight. Tiger’s a featherweight!) Tiger struts through the house as if to say “I’m bad. I’m bad.” He’s a gangsta kitty with no idea how small he is. (Maybe it’s a Napoleon complex at work there.) He is quite enjoyable. The kids giggle at him all the time. He loves his toys and will try to get into a carrier to get them out. He will hide them when he’s done with them, too – though he obviously knows where he hides them because he’ll get them back out to play with them later. He’ll make a great family pet. I don’t think even a pet dog would be a problem for this guy as he has no fear and no conception of his own small size. In case I don't manage to get a picture of Tiger up before this posts, Tiger is also a brown tabby, lighter in colouring and leaner than Momma kitty below. Because he likes to play-fight and doesn't know when to quit, he might do best in a home without a lot of other kitties.

*Tattoed "Skipper" due to mix-up at vet's.

Skipper*

Skipper was so named because she will skip about in a cat carrier as she seems to hate being in them. However, we found that if she can just see another cat she is fine. We call her Momma kitty because she’s the nurturer in the group. She grooms everybody. She’s also a bit on the timid side, though she will curl up next to you for a good petting. She needs to be with other cats. (So that she can nurture them!)

*Tattoed "Tiger" (mixup at vet's.) Momma is darker than the real Tiger and has a bit of a belly.

UPDATE: Kisa has found his forever home! Yay! We miss you Kisa! (August 30, 2008)

Kisa

We thought Kisa was a girl. Turns out, he’s not. You’ll have to give him a new name. We call him Whitey because of his white markings. He is very small -- the size of a six-month-old kitten, but he is full-grown. He has large, round eyes. He is EXTREMELY TIMID. He needs a quiet home. When Whitey first came to us, he stayed downstairs and would only venture upstairs when all the two-leggers were sleeping. When a two-legger ventured downstairs, Whitey found numerous hiding places for escape. Whitey only started coming upstairs around us furless folk last week. Mine is a noisy house. Whitey is socialized to other cats, but he’s not especially comfortable with people yet. I don’t recommend him for people with young children as I’ve seen him dart and run when my 4-year-old shouts or cries out. He is very frightened of small children, though my children have done nothing to warrant this. (I think it’s the loud unpredictability that bothers him.) He likes my eight-year old and will actually come to him for kitty treats.

Anyone who heads out to one of these Adopt-a-thons: The Animal Assistance Society is in need of more foster homes. Please let Lucy know if you are interested in fostering cats and kittens to prepare them for adoption. It's not a huge obligation at all and everything for their care and keep is provided by the Animal Assistance Society.

The Rock Garden

2008-07-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I didn’t take pictures of this as we did it, but you will see lots of other pictures and a good description of how to do it.

Every explanation of how to create a rock garden tells you to use one type of rock. Well, bully to that. Sure, you might not find several different rock types on one hillside in nature, but you will find different types. That’s good enough for me. Nature is my biggest inspiration.

We used excess rock we had laying around our yard to do this portion. First, we dug out the sod. Next, we dug in the rocks. They need to have about 30% buried. They also need to be situated so that water runs down and around them in order to get to the soil. They need not to create ledges which will hinder water or sunlight from reaching plants below them.

I started planting a few days later. You can plant and situate the rocks at the same time. I did not only because I didn't have the plants yet. When planting, you need to be careful that you leave no air pockets around the plants or under the rocks -- these will fill up with water and then freeze in the winter, killing your plants. Just tamp the soil firmly in place around the plants, and when situating the rocks, stand on them to ensure they're all the way in there and the soil is compacted beneath them. Lastly, I added river rock as a mulch around the plants as the biggest problem with rock gardens is weeds. I do have to weed regularly. Mostly grass is coming up here & there.Here's what it looked like when I first planted it. As you can see, I added a few more plants and those that are in there are growing very well.

In the coming years, I will divide the plants into more sections of rock garden. The rock garden will extend across the entire front of the yard except for the steps which will lead to our porch as we’ll be building a new staircase next year for that.

This was not difficult as we had the slope and didn’t need to create one. We did not amend the soil as recommended as the soil was fine. This is a 3.5 foot by 2.5 foot area.

Now for a closer look at what's growing in there:

The Alyssum is the perennial kind and blooms in spring. It spreads well and will form a mound of foliage and flowers over time, most likely covering the rocks below it. I do have some white annual Alyssum which self-seeded from last summer. I love the stuff, so it gets to see. You can see it peeking out behind the Sedum in the next picture.

Now if anyone knows what the following plant is I would truly appreciate the name. It resembles a tiny pine tree in appearance. It only stands about 4" high. Its "needles" are soft and feel like feathers. I could have sworn this thing had a label when I bought it, but I sure cannot find it if it did.

UPDATE! This is possibly identified as Cyprus Spurge -- a type of Euphorbia. I seem to remember purchasing a Euphorbia so this person is probably correct. We'll see as the season goes on if it follows the growth cycle of this spurge.
Yes, I have a million hens & chicks in there. I know they multiply whenever you blink your eyes, but that's okay. These puppies are so easy to grow, indoors or out, I'll find places for their babies or I'll give them to the good people in the Niagara Plantcycle group. (From whom many of the plants in my rock garden came.) We have hens & chicks planted in bricks, boots, planters, and even tree stumps! Love these things -- they require almost no care at all.

Take a look back at number 2 -- the Autumn Joy Sedum. This is one of my all-time favourite plants. It's a 4-season plant. In the spring, you get lush, fleshy leaves growing on stems about a foot high, to almost 2 feet high by autumn. On top of these stems develop lovely flowers that are like pin-cushions. At first they are green, then they become a dusty-pink shade, and when autumn comes they are a deep mauve. Through the winter as the leaves die down, the colourful seedheads remain, adding a bit of colour to the otherwise monochromatic landscape. In the spring, trim all the dead wood down to the ground and watch the new growth begin the cycle all over again.

After this summer, I do believe I've fallen in love with rock cress. There are so many different kinds, they have so much to offer and, best of all, they are truly not fussy plants. I'll be spreading these around in the rock garden expansions to come.

Next up...what shall it be...the gardens in general or the chair planter? Oh, decisions, decisions...

Fountain Pictures!

2008-06-01T09:47:00.001-07:00

The tall sprayer:The tall burbler:

Low sprayer:

The keeper:

The tall ones throw out too much water, so we're not sticking with them. Maybe one day when the pond grows in diameter. They would be great for someone with a much larger pond. We like the low fountain. We don't lose much water, it sounds nice, and it looks good.

As for an update on the pond: we're down to two fish. We don't know what happened. Initially, we figured birds of some sort got them, but one floated to the surface yesterday, so it wasn't that. The two who are still alive have more than doubled in size. The plants are growing. We had to add barley straw as algae was growing. We need to get a couple snails to clean things up in there.

I'll get that rock garden up soon. I keep adding plants to it. I have a few more to add and then I'll show you pictures.

Putting the weeds to bed for good

2008-05-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

This section of our yard has bugged me since we moved in here. It's four feet wide and about 70 feet long. It is almost entirely weeds. There is some grass, but mostly the weeds have taken over especially on the side that's closest to our neighbour's house. This neighbour mowed his grass three times last year, once at 10:00 p.m. because the city warned him that if he didn't have it done in 24 hours, they would do it and charge him $250 for the pleasure. The city will be giving him that warning more frequently this year. The city may also start blocking calls from me. *grin*

For two years I've been planning to plant this whole strip in such a way that I would never have to fight weeds in it again. I will not use chemicals in my yard or gardens, so the standard junk available was not an option. Vinegar does work well, but I really didn't want to spend hours upon hours spot killing weeds with vinegar, either.

I estimated it would take me five years to plant out this side yard. It seems small until you try to fill it in. However, thanks to MANY generous people as well as a few Horticultural Societies and individual from-home sellers, I'm darned near done! I MUST thank Charmaine from Niagara Plantcycle who gave me several Hostas and Sweet Woodruff, along with numerous plants for my rock garden. Also Paris from our local Freecycle has gifted me with at least 20 Hostas and countless bulbs and groundcovers. The Welland Horticultural Society had its Spring plant sale and from there I got all the Ajuga (commonly called Carpet Bugle and Bugleweed) I planted for about $15. The St. Catharines Horticultural Society was my source for even more ground covers and perennials for my other beds. A nice gentleman in Wainfleet filled the back of my van with plants, flowers, and groundcovers to the tune of TEN whole dollars! I will visit his sales every year!

The process:

First, we had to dig out the grass and weeds from the front 20' of this section. The weeds were so strong, I could not do it myself. Roy had to do it.
Next we ammended the soil with composted manure.
Then we rototilled the whole section.
We let it sit for two days so the birds could feast on the wealth of grubs in that section. (We tossed about 20 into the road. I know there were more! I bet it's going to be a bad year for Japanese Beetles with how many of their grubs we found over there.)
We placed landscape fabric over the front section. (This involved removing and resetting the top layer of retaining wall bricks on our driveway side.
Then I started planting.

Planting took me two days. I had to cut slits in the fabric then dig down into the soil to place each plug of Ajuga. After it was all planted, I had to shred the landscape fabric around the Ajuga with a carpet knife so that the groundcover will be able to spread and fill in the area. I needed to leave some of the fabric intact around the edges because the weed roots were so strong there we could not get them out. Lastly, I mulched heavily and added a bunch of driftwood to the center section which currently contains no plants. Next year I'll add a ground-hugging Euonymus, which was also a gift from Charmaine on Plantcycle but is currently rooted elsewhere to get a chance to grow. I already have two Hydrangeas in there which I planted early this spring. They are purple-flowering and will look great next against the Ajuga.

What a mature Ajuga bed looks like:

The great thing about Ajuga is it is strong enough to beat out the weeds as well as be walked on. You know the kids run through this side yard, and I won't have to worry that they'll kill the groundcover. It flowers in spring and spreads by underground runners. It'll take about three years for my planting to be completely filled in.

Now for the back section. You'll have to use your imagination, as the plants are quite small right now. I'll share more pictures at the end of the summer, when the Hostas should be quite large and other items I've planted back there in all their glory.

Can you see the sticks poking up all along this section? Each of them represents a Hosta. Some Hostas are large enough that I didn't have to mark them out. I also have three sections of Sweet Woodruff planted. Yes, I do want it to fill in around the hostas. I planted three Lilies of the Valley outside the window. I have interplanted cransebill Geranium and another groundcover which I need to identify, but think it may be a lamium (except it has a yellow flower and does not look like the false lamium I see in pictures on the net.) At the back corner I've planted a fern. I want to put an Ostrich Fern back there but that may have to wait until a different year. I will be mulching out this back section soon as I can. It's going to take a lot of mulch and I'm looking for the most economic options.

As it turns out, the cranesbill geranium is 2008's Perennial of the Year. Oooh, I'm so cutting edge and I didn't even know it! This is what it looks like:

Now, then, what to do about that channel in the neighbor's cement retaining wall? I've got Variegated Gout Weed growing heartily and happily out back and need to remove sizeable portions from my memorial bed before the roots choke out the perennials I have growing there. It's quite attractive, but also quite invasive. So long as I took care to deadhead the flowers before they set seed, I wouldn't have to worry about it spreading beyond that cement channel. For now we've covered up what we could with remnants of our landscaping fabric in the hopes of killing the giant weeds inside it. The neighbour doesn't trim anything that grows in this channel, so it's become part of my husband's routine weed whacking. I don't think he'll care if I put the goat weed in there. Though maybe I should ask first. I think we've exchanged about 3 words in the past two years, though he doesn't seem to be a nasty person....maybe just asocial (and thoroughly disinterested in lawn care.) My other option, should he refuse the goat weed gift, will be a steaming brew of vinegar and salt water. Nothing will grow in there, including weeds should I take this route.

Oh, and yes, I will be calling the city about that abandoned car. It has moss growing on it! I can't work around it very well, as I can't bend over and plant anything on the ground there. There are so many metal collectors in this city, it should be no problem for him to have it removed.

Next up is the rock garden!
(Yes, I'll get that picture of the fountain soon as it's not raining and overcast!)

The Water Garden

2008-05-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

This was our first big undertaking this year. Starting April 5th, which was the first warm, sunny day after a winter that was three years long, we dug out the hole for our 55-gallon drum that would become our water garden (miniature pond).

The ground was nice and soft thanks to the heavy snows finally melting. It's awkward digging a hole 2.5 feet deep and only 2.5 feet in diameter. We made it a little wider and filled in the edges after setting the drum. So just how does one go about digging a hole 2.5 deep and 2.5 feet in diameter? First, one gets a shovel. Or two. Next, one employs readily-available and free child labour:

As you can see, the hole's not quite deep enough so we had to dig it some more. Then we set the empty drum in the hole until we got some bricks to put inside:

3 cinder blocks are arranged inside. These will be plant shelves as well as safe hidey-holes for the fishies who might need to get away from neighborhood cats, herons, or children. We filled the barrel with water, refitted the lid and left it until the moment I learned that Canadian Tire had floating solar water fountains. I ran out immediately and snatched up one of the last two on the shelf. WOOHOO! We had a nice little fountain going there for a couple weeks with nothing other than cinder blocks to keep it company. It only runs in full sun (and sometimes when it's only slightly overcast) so by afternoon it has shut off as the pond is in full shade by 2pm now. That's getting later every day and by the height of summer, the fountain will run until 6 or 7 pm.

On May 9 I bought the plants and placed them in the pond. We also took a couple trips to get the fish. First we went to the Koi Pond in hopes that they would have shubunkins (which are smaller and cleaner than Koi.) No such luck. He tried to tell me he had some shubunkins, but I saw everything he had, and everything he had cost TOO MUCH and was ALL KOI. So off we went to Petsmart. They had lots of choices. We settled on the 27 cent feeder goldfish. I figured if they died overnight, we wouldn't be out a bunch of money. We bought four: two orange with black markings and two orange with white markings. The fish are thriving in their new home! It's been a week, we still have four fish, and a couple of them are significantly larger than they were a week ago. Now they're even staying visible when we come to feed them.

This weekend (May 15) we started purchasing our bricks to surround the portion of the pond that is above-ground.

Do ya want to see it? Now keep in mind, we're only buying some of the brick at a time, so the brick surround is not completed. It will be in a month or two. I also removed the fountain to take this pic. I'll take another with the fountain in all its glory tomorrow.

Yes, that's a toy boat in there. That little boy had to dig that hole, he should get to float his boats in the water! As you can see, I also transplanted some day lilies (tiger lilies, ditch lilies, whatever you want to call them -- they're the standard orange flowered lily) behind the pond. I didn't want them where they had been and they'll look nice back there.

A closer look at the plants:

and what they are:

Can you see that oblong shadow at the end of the arrow denoting a fishie? Yes, it's a fishie! The water's not actually murky. It was dusk when I took this picture so it's dark down there. I also have a waterlily under where the front hyacinth is floating. It hasn't grown enough to float on top of the water, though.

Here is what each of the plants will look like when they're blooming and mature:
All my water plants are hardy in our zone (Canadian 6b, US 5b) and will survive the winter. The fish will also survive -- they're they reason I planted the whole barrel instead of cutting it in half and having a patio water garden. I may need to do something to keep the water from freezing, and I will cover the pond to give it more insulation. I also want to get a couple snails to keep things tidy in there. And we'd all like to have a frog.

Next up, the weed bed....

The Year of Many Garden Projects

2008-05-12T06:35:00.001-07:00

Pictures to come in future posts.

Of our garden projects we have completed our small water garden. It now contains several small hardy plants, 4 small fish, and a floating solar fountain.

We have also:

completed our rock garden
completed two thirds of our retaining wall around our driveway
removed the grass & weeds from 20 feet of our 4' wide side strip of side yard
planted about 40 perennials
added compost and manure to our vegetable and perennial beds
reseeded lawn that needed it
installed a wood stove on our patio
planted two different types of peas
planted two different types of carrots
planted beets
removed blossoms from 1st year daughter strawberry plants
installed a rock path through our large garden bed
transplanted and removed day lillies we didn't want
planted pampas grass where the day lillies were

We still need to:

build our square foot beds. They are now two 4 x 4 foot beds.
plant out the side yard with ground covers
plant the rest of our vegetables
plant annual flowers
install a brick wall around the water garden
finish painting the *&$#%ing porch
re-set our post for our clothesline
possibly install a bog garden next to the water garden
Mulch, mulch, mulch!

I bet there's more! We definitely have our work cut out for us. I will begin sharing pictures of the projects we have completed.

Cheers!

What projects do you have going on?

May 20, 2008 --- My Quit Date

2008-04-23T09:04:00.001-07:00

I will begin using Resolve Lozenges & weaning myself off cigarettes on May 20. My sister is also quitting at the end of May.

Our Earth Hour 2008

2008-03-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

Coincidentally, Earth hour fell on my birthday this year and thankfully gave me a reason to get excited about it instead of that creeping dread I had been experiencing.

As it turned out, since it was my birthday, my dear husband, Roy, was taking care of the house, the kids, dinner, baking me a cake from scratch and even washing dishes, we hadn't eaten dinner before 8pm! So we had a candlelit dinner with the whole family. We talked and told stories and we ate really well too because we were all darned near starving.

We have family meals every night, but this one was a little different. With the glow of the candles and no background noises from televisions or radios or humming computers, we just enjoyed each other. We lingered in the glow of the candles. Had some extremely delicious carrot cake (with cream cheese frosting of course) and took a couple pictures of our night. No one asked to be excused. With no computer to run off to, or tv to return to...who would want to leave a table laden with candles and scrumptious home-made carrot cake (with cream cheese frosting of course.)

We've decided that candle-lit dinners will be a nice change of pace, so we're going to do them regularly. Life slowed down for an hour. We payed attention a little better for an hour. We listened a little better.

And every single one of us noted just how many things we had to turn off to plunge our home into darkness. It was a lot, actually. Nearly every light in the basement. Nearly every light on the main floor. Two computers. Two televisions. Clocks and the microwave.

We took a look outside and only one other house was completely dark. That was a tad disappointing, though our city did participate. The Standard reports that electricity usage was 9.2% lower than an average Saturday night in March for St. Catharines. I think that's significant, considering how many houses I could see ablaze. Good job, St. Kitt's. Let's see how we do next year.

Change begins with one, though, right? One change I think is appropriate in this case. If we could make one change...it could start a domino effect of singular changes for individuals around the world. When you add that all up...that's a difference.

Sure, one hour one night a year of darkness isn't going to halt whatever path we're on now. Noticing one's own unnecessary waste is the first step in reducing it.

As a bonus, it was an enjoyable time in this household. I doubt the kids will forget it. Should it become a weekly tradition, I know they never will.

Coming up next....all that yummy stuff I've been teasing you with for the past several days.

And maybe soon I'll share Roy's carrot cake recipe with you. It's delicious. And you know what, he doesn't even like carrot cake. But I love it! And I haven't made one in at least 10 years. (Go ahead, guess how long we've been married.)

Enjoy!

Tonight's the Night

2008-03-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Everybody turn out their lights!

Tonight from 8pm to 9pm people all over the world will be turning out all their lights. I hope you will be, too.

Tonight we're going to unplug all passive power consuming appliances as well, and no, we're not going to just sit and watch tv in the dark. We're going to light some candles if they're needed and play games at the dining room table. I expect this will be fun for everyone.

If tonight's a success, we're going to do it once a week. Every Saturday we'll shut out the lights and disconnect the passive power suckers (microwave, clocks, computers, but not refrigerator & freezer) and have real, honest family time (i.e., not tv time.) I suspect we'll not only reduce our consumption and raise our awareness but also strengthen those bonds that can be weakened by hectic schedules and the busy-ness of day-to-day life.

I've already heard a few people comment that global warming is a sham. Interestingly, all the people who say this to me are American. The thing is, global warming itself is a fact. The debate is whether humans have caused it. It kills me that people are so willing to grab onto the tiniest tidbit that sounds best to them. They hear bits and snatches or read one opponent's opinion and grab onto it because it's the easiest path for them. It's the path that doesn't require them to do anything.

I understand that methodology. I just wish that people who so willingly and immediately discount humankind's impact on the environment would stop and think it through. So I'm going to ask the Doubting Thomases to read the following and just think about these things:

What if global warming IS a result of human-created carbon dioxide emissions? (Carbon dioxide emissions come from car exhaust, power generation, rotting garbage, the burning of fossil fuels, and other sources.)
What if global warming DOES result in the melting of a major ice shelf like the one covering Greenland? (The answer is that the world's water level will go up by 25% and we will lose places like Japan, Greenland, the Netherlands, Florida...4% of the world's land surface will be under water -- places where people now live will be under water.)

Another thing the Doubting Thomases could do is consider humankind's effect on the earth and on their own species' health and well-being. Do we not have enormous amounts of waste, unlike any other species on the planet? Yes, we do. Do our wastes cause ill-health and even death? Yes. We have been killing off other living beings and one another through toxic wastes, destruction of habitat, pollution, chemical pollution. Shouldn't we stop doing things like that just for our own well-being?

I think so.

I know it won't happen overnight. I'm not one of those enviro-nazis, either. I wouldn't think of throwing Molotov cocktails on a car lot full of Hummers to protest their wastefulness. That's just stupid. I simply try to do better. I recycle paper, plastic, glass, organics, and aluminum as well as household goods. I don't use chemicals in my yard or garden and I have eliminated household chemicals almost completely. I try to purchase items that leave the least waste. I'm not always successful. I still have a lot of trash. Hell, I still smoke. (I will be quitting for good this year.) I consciously try to reduce my family's consumption, including energy use. I try. That's all. I just try.

I hope that what's going on with the climate will not result in an ice age. I hope that humankind can reverse what's going on and prevent an ice age. I don't know if we can. I really don't. I do know we have impacted our environment negatively and I want not to do that anymore.

Please post comments and let me know what you're doing for Earth Hour 2008. I'd love to know.

Cats...We've Known a Few

2008-03-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

Cats and kittens grace our home regularly. Since we foster them to get them ready for adoption (through the local Animal Assistance Society), we have had the pleasure of caring for nearly 30 different cats and kittens in the past few years.

I thought I'd share some with you.

Our first batch of kittens were the "steel kitties" (in reference to their colouring) who were, coincidentally, rescued from a steel mill. They were very sick when I got them. They had eye issues, upper respiratory infections, and funny poops. They had to be given lots of meds every day, eye ointment and cleaning twice daily, a couple nutritional supplements, and yes, I had to pay attention to their poops. That's right. I think I've seen every make & model of kitty poop in the past few years. As a foster, I got the trial by fire routine. No other kitties have been as needy since. I never minded, though.

We named two of them tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum, these two were constant companions. Due to the ongoing brain damage I suffer as a side-effect of long-term parenting, I cannot recall the other three kitty's names.

One day, Tweedle Dee broke one of her legs. I don't know how it happened. She was an awfully curious lil bugger (as you can see above) and I suspect she climbed into the drop ceiling downstairs and then fell from it. It was a nasty break and I thought they were going to euthanise her because the surgery would have been a couple thousand dollars. Instead, they put her in a high cage (so she wouldn't stand to look at her people) and kept her there for a month. She returned to me perfectly healthy but no longer attached to Tweedle Dum. She was adopted within weeks of her return as were all of her siblings.

Can you see Tweedle Dee? (This is post recovery, by the way.)

There she is!

I'll tell you about more of our kitties in future posts.

Garden Planning for This Year

2008-03-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for the weather to break so I can go out and play in the dirt! I have so many plans for this summer.

First, I'm going to create a container water garden with the kids. Something like this one:

I'm also turning a dying wicker chair into a chair planter, much like this one which was featured in one of HGTV's Trash to Treasure segments:

My chair is blue, though. Which goes perfectly with my porch. I haven't decided where this chair planter will end up, but I'll figure it out when it's time.

We're also going to build a couple of square foot beds. One will be 4'x 4', the other 3' x 2' for herbs.

We will also be properly rebuilding a retaining wall which surrounds our driveway. Oh the fun! (HA!)

Now then: GO AWAY SNOW!

You might be a Canadian Redneck If . . .

2008-03-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

You turn the giant pile of snow that is your front yard into a beer deck...

This picture would be a lot better if the "whitenecks" as my husband called them were still sitting in those chairs in short sleeves swilling beer as they were when we first saw them.

The Garden & back yard

2007-07-26T18:50:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh, the garden. We were so happy to be able to have a garden (however humble). Here are some photos of its ongoing progress, as well as some of the other stuff I've done:

Newly planted, look behind the couple of hams in the foreground ;)

And by mid-June it's really gone wild! From left to right are peas (behind which are peppers and then strawberries), winter storage squash (behind which are rows of broccoli and cabbage) sweet corn with pole beans and butternut squash, in front of that are cucumbers and pie pumpkin. Next are tomatoes (sweet million cherry, roma, and beefsteaks), carrots, and a couple more cherry tomatoes. You can't see the Brussells sprouts, lettuce and onions behind the tomatoes, either, but they're there. Interspersed with the tomatoes is basil and parsley and throughout the garden are marigolds.

Oh, and that wood stacked in front of the garden is part of Roy's next project, the boys' addition to their sandbox -- a castle! (A fort really, but they're calling it a castle. It's 90% complete, now.

Now for some flowers:

Our memorial bed. The hanging planter is a really old tea kettle :)

My daughter's flower bed:

Where the HECK I've been

2007-07-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Currently I'm in Ohio visiting family and friends. As for the previous 2 months...it would really be better if I showed you. Enjoy some before and after pictures and imagine the HOURS AND HOURS of hard labor that went into these projects. Here are before and afters of the front:

Next post, the garden . . .

So it goes

2007-04-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

Kurt Vonnegut is in heaven now.

I know he died as a result of head injuries, but I have to wonder...did he fall out of a tree?

Somebody tell me he fell out of a tree.

How many educations and confirmations did I get from the writings of Kurt Vonnegut? I really can't say. My education on the Dresden fire bombing....that was Kurt's. My introduction to humanism and a further confirmation of the simple, essential wrongness of war and so much more.

I've read criticisms of Mr. Vonnegut's writings calling them simplistic, confusing, even worthless. How is it then, that 20 years after I've read Slaughterhouse Five that I can recall a simple detail and attribute it to that book and go search out that book to get a little illumination on that subject? Hell, I'm surprised I remember anything for that long, let alone a bit from a book.

For about 20 years he's been helping me get through this thing, whatever it is, and for that, too, I am grateful.

They've wormed their way into my psyche and being. They're a part of me. And that part of me is possibly never mature. Thank you Mr. Vonnegut for these gifts. I'll get to grow that part of me the rest of my life. Perhaps it is human suffering and the simple, bright light he used to illuminate it that reached inside me and grabbed my soul by the shirt collar.

I have to wonder, too, if up in Heaven, he's saying "If this isn't good, what is?" I'll have to ask him when I get there.

Book Review: The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams

2007-04-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams is a modern-day adult fairy tale. The main character, Theo Vilmos is an underacheiving garage band singer who finds himself tossed into the land of Faerie by a tiny sprite when an undead creature shows up at his cabin to kill him.

As the story progesses, we learn all about Faerie and its similarities to and differences from the human realm. Theo is an anti-hero with few redeeming qualities other than a great singing voice and good looks. Along his travails in faerie (while still being chased by an unstoppable undead creature who can find Theo anywhere -- or at least whenever the novel's pace slowed to a near-backwards crawl) one expects Theo to have some epiphany that will make him not so much of a self-absorbed slacker. He falls in love with a fairy, learns he is a fairy, develops a few friendships ... and he remains as flat and two-dimensional as the sorry underachieving part-time singer we're introduced to in the beginning.

The pace of the novel is horrendously slow. Descriptions go on for pages yet offer little to illuminate the subject, the world, or the plot. The characters never fill out -- they're all cardboard cut-outs. We have self-absorbed anti-hero who foibles his way to victory, smart-assed side-kick, beautiful self-absorbed and -unsure love interest, oh and there's always Satan lurking in the background pulling strings and weilding unfair and awesome powers to suit his purposes. NO, he's not called Satan but if the similarities were laid any thicker I would have laughed my way through the book.

For 800 pages, this book had very little substance to it. It remained flat, undeveloped and incredibly dull. Very disappointing with few redeeming qualities.

On What Grounds Would You End an Imaginary Friendship

2007-03-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Little break from cleaning here to share this story with the world.

My seven year old gained an imaginary friend when he was 4. I don't blame him. His mom went in hospital for an extended time, his family split up for 3 months before everyone moved to a different country, his baby brother was born 2 months premature, and then just after he gets settled into his new home in a whole different country, his Pappap died. So, several enormous life events in a row and here came a slew of imaginary friends. One was around for awhile, then he was twins, then it was twins and their buddy.

We didn't make a big deal of this. It was obviously a coping mechanism and an outlet for a VERY active imagination. Our son would tell us tales of how he and his imaginary friends went out joy riding in a moving truck, working on farm equipment, driving a train. Harmless fun really.

Stories about the imaginary friend(s) started tapering off a year or so ago. They'd come once a month, then every several months, and until the other day I hadn't heard about "Kyle" or his twin in about six months. Well, my little guy informed me that he has given up his imaginary friend.

"Oh?" I said, "And how did you come to that decision?" Fully expecting he'd tell me he's growing up and doesn't need any imaginary friends.

"He was mean, so I don't want him to be my friend anymore." Dear son tells me. I ask him to explain.

"Well, I was falling to sleep and Kyle asked me if I was thinking about Kiara" Kiara's a pretty girl from school "and I told him 'no.' So he said, 'I'm gonna te-ell, I'm gonna te-ell, I'm gonna te-ell Kiara that you weren't thinking about her!' So I decided that I'm not his friend anymore because that was mean!"

Now you know what exactly is grounds for ending an imaginary friendship.

Menu for the week of March 4, 2007

2007-03-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

Monday: Chalupas, lemon ice
Tuesday: Leftover Chalupas, lemon ice
Wednesday: Chicken breast, Rice, Cali mix
Thursday: Chicken-vegetable cobbler
Friday: Apple puff pancake, green goodness smoothie
Saturday: Meatloaf, steamed carrots, green salad
Sunday: leftovers

A Word on Nutrition

2007-02-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

It seems my approaching 38th birthday has me facing my own mortality. I have this pervasive sense that the days ahead of me may well be fewer than the days behind me. Oh, I know I'm not that old yet! I'm not that healthy either! While my people tend to live long lives, I want to not only live a long life, but to live it fully to the end! So after a couple years of incessant worrying on the topic, I began studying last year. Studying what foods are healthiest for our bodies. Studying eating disorders and their roots. Studying the effects of exercise on the brain and body. Studying the effects of processed sugars, preservatives and pesticides on our bodies. And then, feeling only slightly informed, I began making changes.

First goal: increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption to ten at least per day! My reason: fruits and vegetables are nutrient dense and calorie poor. Do you know that many obese people are chronicly malnurished? Yes, people who eat much much more than they need on a regular basis are malnourished! Why? Because they eat calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods. I'm guilty of it! There's no way I could be so overweight if I were overeating only the world's healthiest foods.

Results so far of my first goal: I have sustained energy throughout the day and none of those huge slumps in the afternoons any longer. My skin is the clearest it's been in a few years. I visit the washroom more frequently. And....I have lost 10 pounds since the beginning of the year. I am NOT on a diet. I have eaten cake, cupcakes, cookies, and other diet no-no's -- but I've still lost ten pounds! My goal is not weight loss. My goal is health. A side-effect of changing my long-standing bad habits will be weight loss. I expect it, but it's not my primary goal.

So, I knew that green leafy vegetables are among the best additions to a person's diet. They are among the most nutrient-rich foods on earth. This week, I made mashed potatoes with kale. Just off the top of my head, I knew that green leafies are high in b-vitamins (good for sustaining energy, needed when stressed as stress hormones leach b-vitamins from our bodies, and also good for nerve function and will affect pain symptoms as well as brain function) calcium and other nutrients. I did NOT know that green leafies are full of anti-cancer agents, and kale is among the best lung-health promoting foods in the world. Here is a very good article just about the health benefits of kale. Here is a breakdown of kale's nutritional components in one serving.

I am now eating 5 servings of green leafy vegetables a week or more! Spinach and kale, currently, but others will be added as the seasons change. Right now, the season is optimal for kale and spinach will soon be at its tastiest!

Menu for the week of February 26

2007-02-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

While I plan breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners, I will only post my dinner menu. I am apparently trying to force or fake warm weather with all the salads and slaws I have on the menu this week.

Note that I make everything from scratch and I will post my recipes as I go.

Monday: leftover chili with mashed potatoes and kale
Tuesday: Chicken breasts, rice, broccoli salad (will make extra chicken breast for Wednesday's meal)
Wednesday: Fruited chicken salad, Lettuce and cucumber salad and carrot slaw
Thursday: Slow Cooker Pork chops with apples and sweet potatoes
Friday: Spaghetti, Garlic Cheese Biscuits and fresh salad
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Soup & Grilled Cheese