Saturdays and loose ends

I find myself seeing Saturday as the day to tie up loose ends from the week.   This past week was a major recipe for exhaustion but I did manage to wake up with some energy this morning.   The drill was making coffee, looking around and taking in the fallout from the week and doing my best to focus.   One thing at a time.  

There was laundry to put away, beans to can and put away, counters in the kitchen to find again, and finally following through with making homemade re fried beans.   They were not really fried but did turn out very yummy.   Erik and Charley went car shopping while all of this went on and by the time the morning was over I was calling Charleys cell phone and holding the phone out to him so he could hear all the displeasure noises emitting from his small people.   Rescue me!!!    I had spent the whole last week listening to too many disgruntled humans and needed a break.   The guys came home without any new car for Erik, but I didn't care too much about that.   Just let me leave!!!  

I went to my favorite nursery and got a few small evergreens to fill in some areas in the backyard.   My new landscaping scheme is to fill up spaces with trees and shrubs which look attractive and not have so much of an area to plant with perennials and annuals for the summer.   The owner wasn't there but did leave a note saying to write down what I had selected and leave it so she could bill me.   I love that place.   I pondered and pondered for well over an hour, all alone.......it was awesome.  

On the way home I had a chance to talk to Anna for a bit and that too was relaxing and nice as usual.   I miss my girl.   Sigh.   I will see her for a little while in a little over a week for her recital so that will be something to look forward to.  

I am dreaming of dreaming and getting bunches of sleep this evening even if I have to resort to hitting myself up side the head to get to sleep.   Hoping also to read bunches of my latest read before I do that.   It has been a basically nice day in spite of the morning whining.  

It Beat Me

I have lost count how many days it has been over 100 degrees and it finally beat me.   Heat rash and basic misery will bring a person to tears even if they are addicted to things like biking and gardening or mowing the lawn.  Watched the Tour de France this morning and contemplated going biking with much emphasis on contemplating.   I will bike in 25 degree F weather but NOT in this.   Saw some inspired bikers yesterday and today but I think they really should catch a plane to France where it is cooler and do their biking there.  

Thursday  I  received hundreds of annuals free and unbelievably I am not outside planting them.   I am totally lying in wait for the temperature to go down which supposedly it is going to this evening.   Next week the highs are only in the eighties.  

My 14 year old dog gets thirsty and has no bladder control and so......he pees......all over my house.   We can't put him outside and I can't keep the water away from him.   He needs a bath several times a day and......it is too hot to go and do that.   Maybe later.   Poor dog.   Poor floor.   Poor mop.  

I have vegetables in the garden which need to be picked and I just can't even bring myself to go and get them!!!    I sent Erik to get the ones which I know must be picked and have plans for what to make with them here in a bit.   Cooking requires moving so maybe I need to drink a gallon of something to encourage my body to move.  

This is a whining post.   I remember the day when I didn't whine about not being able to work outside.   I would grab a book and hunker down.   Those days were from my lazy youth I guess.  I thought I would sit and knit or something this afternoon but blob existence is all that is happening.   So.....I will wait for the sun to go down when it seems more permissible for me to be sleeping and in the meantime I might......sleep.   God bless a friend who took on my short people this afternoon so I could do that.   Huge appreciation.  

Young trees stressed in heat

It is HOT out and has been for a LONG time.   No rain for a long time as well.  There is a tree planted at the pool, in memory of a friends daughter who died last year, and it is not looking too happy.   There is no shade for it to take comfort in and get relief from the heat so the pool staff has been watering it every day and doing their best to save it.  

I called my brother, the horticulture expert, to ask for some advice and thought I would pass it along to anyone interested.   Trees which have not taken root yet in their environment are susceptible to dying during high heat and drought.  They are still putting their energy into getting established and do not take off in growth for a year or two anyway.   Without water and time to get rooted they are spending all of their time and energy into surviving.   There are some things we can do to help them out.  

It is possible to water them TOO much.    It depends on what sort of soil they are planted in.   Clay soil will not drain well and so the tree can get too wet.   I suppose too wet means that their energy is then being placed in absorbing the water and dealing with too much at once while also taking care of the rest of it's process of staying alive.   In other words it adds yet another stress to add to its list.  

Fertilizer is not a good idea either.   It seems like it would be and it seemed that way to me, but fertilizer is usually used to promote growth and that is not what the tree needs either.   Survival.   Keep the energy there.

Water the tree tops.   The tree can gain moisture this way as well as from the roots.   I suppose that is the answer to why the tree perks up after a rain.    That moisture gets where it is needed faster.   I thought this was a very interesting tip.  

And.....mulch.   Mulch around the tree but not up against the trunk.   He recommended just basic mulch and not the red stuff or the cocoa bean stuff (kills dogs).  

Trim off the dead branches so that again......the tree is trying to heal those and also take care of the live parts so it will give the tree one less job to do.   I was thinking perhaps it would stress the tree but I suppose this too makes sense.  

I also suppose you could make some deep observation about trees and people.....please don't trim off my limbs or something to take away....stress????   Oh yeah, they aren't dead limbs.   Water me?   Fertilize me?   Okay.....people aren't trees so skip any deep thinking there.    

First fruits

I have two yellow squash and some bell peppers waiting to be picked.   There is also that Pak Choi which is now bolting.   Ugh.   More time please!    Broccoli.   Bunches of that.   Me.   Tired from weeding so need to find the balance between upkeep and actually eating the veges!   Going to bed early to brace myself for 101 degrees tomorrow.  

Sweat

The garden is the summer obsession.   I don't mind having my therapy session down with the weeds and vegetables.   So far there have only been a few veges to eat but I am hoping the squash and watermelons give us something more and.....the tomatoes.   Mulch and newspaper, mulch and newspaper.   Not in that order......newspaper and mulch.   Actually I use straw on top of the newspaper.   Squash murder by my hand has happened more than I would like lately.   I must remember to not weed too much right around the stems as they are certain to croak.   Their roots must be ridiculously sensitive.  

Keeping up with the watering is also a trick.   The most fun is to weed and not care if the sprinkler soaks you.   The water washes the sweat off my face.   I think the sweat is also helping my hair to take on a new texture or something as I don't have the regular urge to go and get it cut.  

If I go out early enough in the morning, I can also acclimate myself to the heat as it heats up.   My little buddy Stefan, the five year old, is my partner in mulching and weed pulling.   I love being asked if it is okay to go get some more straw to spread.   Volunteers are awesome and not always frequent.   Cecilia joined us in the evening and we worked till it was time to read bed time stories, pray and tuck them in.   I of course am addicted to weeding as I said, so I went back out to attack.   I have a plan to conquer the vine section in the morning and I do think it will work.   Well.....at least one of the vine sections.  

It is all really good therapy.   I don't think too much but yet can also enjoy listening to either birds chirping or my kids jabbering away at me.   Sometimes there is silence.   I love that too.   The house is not getting as dirty because we are out in the dirt and not making messes inside.   Perhaps I am simply avoiding the inside as it reminds me that school is on its way in less than two months.   Why does that make me feel like the summer is almost over.   I should work on planning......some.   Or....do it next week.  :o)

Should sleep.   Enjoying the now quiet air conditioned house.   Calming my inner weeder.   

Sunflowers

Since we are now late enough in the month of June, I have mostly given up on getting annual seeds in the ground.   The seeds which work the best for me are nasturtiums, marigolds and zinnias.   There are still spaces which I can fill in with marigolds and zinnias as they are cheap seeds and easy to grow but the other seed of choice which I don't feel are too late to plant are sunflower seeds.   We have ten acres so I could not BEGIN to afford to buy already started annuals in all of that space but sunflowers do work for accents etc.   

The VERY cheapest way to grow sunflowers is to just go to my bird seed supply can and use those seeds for planting.   It works fine.   My favorite feed store lady pointed that out to me several years ago.   Feed stores are awesome places to get bulk seed anyway.   That is where I get my marigold and zinnia seeds for the most part.   Just shove seeds in the ground in clusters and voila!   Flower gardens.  

I may put in some last minute morning glory seeds from the same place but most likely will forget this year.   I am leaving for a week and have been living on panic gardening so I do not come home to a mess.   Since the lawn mower has been broken for a month, I am sure I will be coming home to plenty of exercise in the lawn and garden center around here.    It will be a jungle out there. 

Okay......just made myself tired.   Not an eloquent post but would call this my post of thrift.   It would be even thriftier if I remembered to gather the seeds from year to year and buy nothing for seeds.   We shall see what sort of energy I have left come this fall.  

Actual Garden talk

I am STILL going through the gardens around here and getting some final annuals and such  planted.   I add a few perennials every year and have begun dabbling in miniatures.    If I manage it, I will at least have my fairy garden set up by the time the snow flies.   I have much rock to carry to build the area up and then fill with dirt.   Of course it will have to have a miniature water fall or something like that.  

I can see where some of the perennials I purchased years ago have grown into monsters, such as the Joe Pie Weed and the bee balm.    My favorite nursery lady told me how to handle splitting them when they are done blooming or in the fall so will tackle that later.   My mother-in-law had not noticed how these monsters magically appeared in the last few months until we had a conversation about them in the back yard.   She was amazed at their size.    They really need to have a moving day down to flower gardens near my bee hives.   They will be much happier there and I can find something tamer to replace them.

I  should post pictures.   My gardens are pretty humble and not weed free.     I am the sole gardener and chasing the number of beds around here is daunting.   We also have fence rows to clean up every year and then there is of course the lawn to mow.   Mowing the lawn is another addiction I have so farming that out is not happening either.   Well......maybe once in a while but the mower is broken now anyway so it doesn't matter.  

 This past week I have spent slowly taming other monsters like our rhododendron which was reaching for the roof.   It got a good whacking and we can see out the window again and it also doesn't look as bad as I thought it would.   My brother is a horticulturist and it was his suggestion.   We once had a Rose of Sharon in that area and that bush seems to want to be remembered forever as it comes up everywhere.  

If I keep up at this rate, I hope to get our monster hostas under control as well.   They are HUGE and very jungle like.   I hope to move most of them to put around places like the barn and other outbuildings to make them a bit more attractive.    The sun is coming up and it is raining so I am going out anyway with rain coat and my goofy hat to tackle before the little ones wake up and it is time to get ready for church.    

Garden Planting

I found an awesome site with a garden planning gizmo on it which allowed for charting, dating, color graphics etc and.....I did the unthinkable.   Rather than spend money to use it and it's wonderful features, I took a drawing pad and planned out all of my gardens using pen, colored pencils and I can even just put dates on when things are planted and other such general information.    It works and it is basically free!   I have never actually preplanned my planting areas but rather sort of have run by the seat of my pants and planted as I found opportunity.   It is actually much faster to use this plan as I am not constantly trying to figure out what I am going to do with each variety.  

I have direct seeded all of my tomato and vines and I really think it will work out just fine.   If it doesn't then I will swallow my pride and buy plants.    If it does work I have enough seeds for next year!  Stay tuned!

Direct Sow

My mother-in-law and I are going to go to town with gardening this summer me thinks.   I really do not want to spend a scandalous amount of money on flowers so am studying up on doing more direct sowing.   To do THAT we need to be on it NOW!!!!    Menards seems to be the cheapest place to buy seeds of the unusual variety.   The feed store has seeds by the ounce so I will have to check that out later today.   The bulbs I planted last fall have been a complete success and I am excited about plotting and planning additions to the bulb world this fall.   Keeping a record of what in the world I planted this year will help.   My biggest goal is to improve the path through our woods.   My father-in-law loves to take walks through the woods and the improvements I have made in just a few flowers along the edges have made it that much more enjoyable.   We have two small ponds so plants which like moist partly shaded areas are in my plan.   That plan will be more slow and steady and perhaps seeds will be in order to make that more affordable as well.   The more time we all spend outdoors the better.   Practical planting of vegetables is of course on the priority list as well.   I think I am prepared for that so far. 

Hmmmm......it just occurred to me the concept of direct sowing patches to be transplanted to other areas which would not require pots and lights.   A friend did this with broccoli starts and the idea was revolutionary to me..   I better stop typing and go work on that........

Outside the box

I am now into the stage of spring where I am doing my best to hang onto some school work happening around here.   Thinking outside the box means keeping the younger ones happy and interested while the older ones plug along with their grammar and math etc.   The final sprint to the end is in sight and perhaps it would be better to value what has gotten accomplished this year rather than despair of all the interruptions.   I am pulled in way too many directions right now and keeping my sanity is a challenge.   Please remember to have the 9 year old to read more on his own and not just with the mom so he makes progress.    Please remember to keep kids plowing ahead in their history reading.   Please......plant the garden right after you have the boys prepare the area for plowing.   Weed and plant the flower seeds to save money on annuals before it is too late.   Weed.   Did I mention weeding? 

My eyes drifted up and saw the piano and remembered I need to remember to get it tuned.   The tuned piano will make it live longer.   It means I have to remember the tuner is coming.   I might want someone to make sure no little critters found their way in it since the last time the tuner comes.   I hate that when that happens.   Critters love pianos and I live in a 150 year old house so critters are a part of life. 

Biking - I will be He Woman soon as I have decided to begin pulling the bike trailer so I actually get to go biking.   The kids get up too early so one or two of the youngest will be coming with me.   It will make the ride a bit more challenging and hopefully the kids will enjoy the ride. 

Computer is being yanked away so rambling is done for today.

Flower power

Flowers have some sort of power over my thrift.   I love outdoor plants.  I kill indoor plants.   My favorite plant nursery is full of miniature plants and they are so very cute.   The owner creates fairy gardens with tiny little houses and people and tiny little live plants.   It appeals to my creative self.   Erik and I went down for my first visit of the year to take a look around.   We actually ended up buying a pink dogwood to plant back near where our little one is buried.   It was Erik's idea and I thought it was a good one.   One favorite part of biking in the country, is seeing other people's flowering trees, shrubs and gardens.   I am hoping to prettify the whole area around where the tree is planted.   I did plant tulips there last fall but the deer thought they were the salad bar so will have to rethink what to plant there for next year.   I got a few woodland flowers as well to light up the entrance to the woods.   My 85 year old father-in-law enjoys a nice walk through the woods so cleaning it up and making that safer and more enjoyable will be something fun to work on with the kids.   May is creeping up and the temptation to forsake the kids schooling to live outdoors annually becomes quite the battle.   Maybe I can garden by moonlight too.   Hmmm.....

Family conversation

Anna, "You people talk a lot."   Yep.   Anna, "We need some music to drown you guys out."  Yep.  

Sock and laundry sorting.    This activity is basically avoided at all costs.   I do too much for these slugs and they know it.    Sort the socks then stuff the matched socks back in the basket and we still have no socks in our drawer.   My socks never return.    Smallish mommy feet compared to large son feet, find my socks being put in the five year old's drawer.    Why???   I need some socks!   When I find the socks they return with holes in them. 

Life around here is constant interruption.   The so called potty trained child makes an interesting project in my bathroom and another child comes in announcing there is a problem in the bathroom.   It is my fault that nothing gets done around here when I decide to sit down and write nonsense.  My sitting down is the signal to do nothing.     Eleven different ages at eleven different stages of life.   Hmmmm.......the one year old is generally happy and cute most of the time.    He has only learned to bonk siblings on the head while smiling.   He must not quite be to the age of reason......or....is he.    He has processed that when he bonks someone he will get a reaction.

I have at least one hundred bulbs left to plop in the ground and that might equal burning calories so I better go do that.   I did manage one hundredish so far after returning home from pondering how fat I am.   I came in for a break and made some non-calorie tea which every child is doing their best to tip over.   The coffee/tea dance is trying at times.   Time to chug the rest and skip out the door enthusiastically to plant bulbs.  

Painting the Yard

I got a bit enthusiastic with tulip and other such spring flower bulbs this year and I think I sort of visualize all the planting as sort of painting of the yard.   We live in the middle of ten acres so there is the potential of a lot of yard to paint.   We dug up two areas where the daffodils needed thinned out and some large allium bulbs needed to be moved.  Those alone counted up to hundreds of bulbs.   Like my previous post indicated, sometimes my inner brat buys too much of something and this time it was bulbs.   I planted perhaps 300 plus bulbs this afternoon.   My hands and body can attest to that.   Ouch.   I have only a few hundred left that I can potentially plant of the daffodils and allium around the woods etc.   Hopefully tomorrow I will find a few hours to continue the job of digging and planting.   Ingrid has enjoyed chasing around with me and giving me bulbs or dropping them in the holes.    Stefan loves to clip the dead plants out of the gardens and jumps out of his seat to run out the door with me when I hobble out with the bulb digger in hand.   Time to find the pain killer and hobble off to bed to read one of the many books which lay around here from my book addiction.

Pakchoi

If your tummy doesn't like celery than Pakchoi is an awesome alternative and is also VERY easy to grow.   I grew some this summer and just ate the last of it.  It tastes better than celery too.  It is great in soups of all kinds and in Asian recipes.    I plan to plant some more but that depends on productivity status for my day.   I can dream.  My gardening went to pot the middle of August so now it is a weed mess.    I can still find peppers, potatoes and tomatoes.  

It is later in the day and..........I didn't get to plant the pakchoi.    Typical.   Maybe tomorrow?????