Gardening Pictures

As promised...some pictures from the garden. I took these Thursday before it started to rain...again!

These beauties came with the house and I think they are Narcissus Bridal Vail. This year they have bloomed bigger and better than ever before.




This is the major project for the season - the front flower garden. If will stop raining long enough to get some work done in here I will be very happy. We are still feeling some cold nights, so I know I have a bit of time.

This is a close up of the lilacs at the end of the front flower garden. I have two new ones at the other end that have leaves, but no blossoms.

Here are some of the containers for tomatoes and peppers. The cage behind the plants is for the beets which are going into the large raised bed.

Here is the Red Grape tomato plant in its container.

Garden Plans Version 2009

We had a couple of days of decent weather, not too warm but I got the tomatoes and peppers in their pots. I still have the raised beds to do and work on the front flower bed. I've decided to leave the hosta beds alone this year and observe before adding or subtracting anything.

The large flower bed by the pond has been a problem since we moved in. Andy even mowed it one year. Another year I took out half of the day lilies and planted them along the far bank of the pond where they provided a wonderful snack for the muskrats. This year, after re-reading Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces: A Layering System for Big Results in Small Gardens and Containers (Rodale Organic Gardening Book) by Patricia Lanza, I decided to start over. I want to save the remaining day lilies, paper whites, and echinacea while adding a butterfly bush and several other perennials. It is a rather large garden bed, so I am planning a sculpture for the middle for clematis to grow on. Finally, I want a bench for watching the pond. If it stops raining I'll take some pictures of my projects.

I'm not a very good gardener, but love the idea of a garden. In a perfect world this would be easy. I would have perfect soil, perfect sunlight, in the perfect place. Instead, I have a yard that is back-fill and clay with seven acres of mature trees and one small patch by the pond that gets enough sun. That is where the raised beds are.

I have two raised beds one large one - 8x8 feet that we were going to grow strawberries in and another - 3x8 that was added last year. I have tried to grow vegetables using the Square-Foot method and end up with an overgrown mess. Last year, I went up north to our place in Michigamme for 7 weeks and the garden was neglected by the Trolls who stayed home. So this year, I'm keeping it simple!

The Vegetable Plan - version 2009:
2 - Early Girl tomato plants in large pots
1 - Red Grape tomato plant in large pot
2 - Sweet Peppers in large pots
1 - Jalapeno plant in large pot
3 - boxes of lettuce
1 - Basil in medium pot
Large raised bed - zucchini, cucumber, beets
Small raised bed - green beans

Last year the rabbits, turkeys, and deer made a mess of my leafy vegetables. I never caught the rabbits or deer, but the stupid turkeys left scratch marks and foot prints all over the large raised bed. I lost all of the chard and beets that I planted. So, this year Andy made me a chicken wire cage to cover that quadrant. If this doesn't work I just going to have to get up earlier than usual and wait for the buggers to show up...just me and my shot gun. I wonder what wild turkey tastes like?

Brew of the day...nothing special - Eight O'clock Columbia Roast

Welcome.

I have a goal this year to create a blog for my jewelry and glass. While I don't always get that one updated as often as I would like, I had been tempted to post other ramblings on that blog from time to time. So, why not have a second blog...besides, most of my friends on FaceBook are probably getting sick of me there.

So, welcome to my Musings!

Thinking of a name for this blog was a bit of a challenge.

As I sat on the couch in the wee hours of the morning drinking coffee and thinking about this blog it finally dawned on me. I admit it. I love coffee! A good cup of coffee just makes me glow. So, from time to time you will read my caffeine inspired prose in praise of the elixir in my mug.

I am also a confirmed foodie! The Internet is my favorite cookbook. I love to plot and plan the weekly menu, search for new recipes, try new foods. I will definitely share these with you, dear reader.

Finally, there are the random amusements that tickle my fancy. Politics, the irony of life on earth, and anything that makes me sit back and say "hmmmm".

Today's brew: Jackson Coffee - Black Hills Gold http://www.jacksoncoffeeco.com/
This blend is not on their website yet. Other great coffees are including my favorite Black and Tan. Black Hills Gold is rich and dark with a chocolate undertone that is a bit more spicy that chocolate on the tongue, at least for my pallet. Excellent black.