new look

oh, how sad...
there is still so much to be done in the garden/yard...but it's only in the 40's and so windy today.
but I decided to mow in my winter ski coat and gloves anyway...but only the front...so so sad.

Fall may be gone

I was just outside for a few minutes digging up some hot peppers and cutting back the wilted ee's and I'm frozen...maybe I should be putting on some long pants and a coat...really it's the wind....ugh...I feel the winter blues coming on already...I need one more nice sunny 60's day---plesae Lord!

Halloween purchase

...seems about right that I buy a chipper/shredder today of all days...

bought the new 'toy' today and put it right to work chipping the tree trimmings, the old wild flower stalks and ee stalks...makes such nice mulch for the garden and beds...I know I'll be getting good use from this new garden item... and it was on sale too...nice 25% discount.

there certainly is something spiritual about taking what appears to be rubish and turning it into food for the garden...it just feels good :)

Beautiful visitors

early final harvest...

Well, I/we usually wait until the last week of October or early November to pick all the green tomatoes...but for some reason, I decided to do it today...

reason one, it's such a nice day and not many left on the vine of the staked plants

two, there are more on the volunteer/roge plants that are not staked and so they will rot before they turn red...pick-em now!

Lauren and I picked most of the greens from the staked plants in the a.m. and I began to pick the remaining from the staked and roge...what a haul! and then the ultimate suprise, a hidden nest of bees that got me at least 5-6 times!! ugh! right ankle, right thigh, right palm, left forearm, left shoulder blade and maybe my neck....cinco-ugh!!

what a haul!!!

Today's reading hits home...

from today's Gospel... Jn 20: 11-18
~snip~
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”
~snip~

uh, the picture to the right here depicts that scene...nice :)

time to harvest

Well, finally...the harvest is coming in...after preparing the soil, planting the seeds and plants, watering (only once~thanks to His rain) weeding and fertilizing...there are a few veggies to pick.

Lauren was excited a few days earlier to tell me that they were ready to pick...

4 onions (there are lots more)

4 hot (red) peppers

12 cherry tomatoes, both red and orange









and there was a viewing of the cone flowers with a large BEE

First 'real' watering today...

It's been so rainy and wet since mid-May, that I have not really watered any part of the veg or flower garden until 8 a.m. this morning...wow...what a great savings on the water bill!! Thank you God for the gift of rain for the last 2-months.

I should really be looking for that rain-barrel to save on the water bill as well.

good quote...

Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God...

TJ, 1787

a gift of 2-heirloom tomato plants

~we received a gift of 2-heirloom tomato plants from our friends Dave and Eileen...

we gave the plants a good home along side the 23 other t-plants in the veg-garden...and Lauren is giving them a drink.

once the fruit is ready, we will share with D/E of course.

...& we have EE's in '08

Saw three sprouts from the main tuber and one from one of the 4 others I planted...we will have EE's again! ...just kind of slow in getting going this year. (pic taken 7/6/08)

the only no-show is the castor-bean...planted 4 seeds and none took...may try a few more in a new location.

Good 'garden' Gospel today...

Gospel Mt 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut downand thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.”

How To Plant Your Garden

First, you Come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses...

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH
FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

(thank you Martha for passing along this timely note...happy summer solstice)

new flower in the garden in '08

EE's

I planted 4 EE's today...same area in the yard as last year...we'll see if that 'survived the winter'...they seem too dried out to me...ugh!

around her tree...

...with the house quiet and Taize on the CD...time to plant the annuals around the Christine's rock/tree in the back...

what a relaxing and spiritual moment it was...hearing Oh Lord Hear my Prayer as I place the last flower near the trunk...

...thank you for the peace...

& now we're off and running...

Saturday we (L and I) planted a slew of wild-flower seeds in the part of the 'new' garden that has been a compost pile/experiment for the last few years...let's hope they grow there...there is a bit of shade next to the fence. (no pic)

Here's L watering the fireplace wall :)


Sunday, before 8am, I went to Pesche's to get there just as they opened...as did MB...nice to see the neighbors getting the yard looking good too :)

I bought 23 tomato plants, a few flats of marigolds-with a different style flower this year, some hot pepper plants, some basil, some cilantro, some garlic and some impatient's.

L and I planted the flower trays for the balcony and also the basil, cilantro, garlic and some hot pepper seeds in the garden...left the rest for another day.

Truly getting started in the garden

Well, knowing that it will be a wet Sunday and week ahead...I:
1. cut the grass for the 1st time, on the highest setting since it was long in spots.
2. turned the compost pile
3. raked out the veg-garden
4. planted hot-pepper seeds in a container w/ Lauren
5. planted grass seed (front yard) w/ Lauren
6. pulleed out the old castor-bean roots--huge!
7. planted the 'few' canna at the garage as usual...less than a dozen, not many good ones...not sure of the issue (maybe they need to be cleaned better in the fall)
8. transplanted a few plants in the front beds
9. planted the 4-lilies from St. Ray's alter at the fence line
10. other?...gotta be more? oh yeah, dug-up weeds-dandies in the yard...

a good day to officially start the season...

up next...the veg garden, annuals for the balcony & yard, ee's and castor plantings...stay tuned...

Cinco Cinco Ocho

Last week I stopped by two nurseries for the first time this new growing season...bought some grass seed and found the onions I planted last year...so today, I planted all the walla walla and candy? onions...felt good to get something in the ground.
I also pulled a bunch of weeds out of the back bed...lots!

the crab-tree

it blooms a week early?...odd...considering we're about two weeks behind in other plants popping... really odd

but near/on T's birthday is as welcome as mothers day blooms...

it brightens the m-bed room so much...a true gift (well, just for a week...such a messy tree the rest of the year now-ugh)

getting dirty...

Well, today I planted the new day lilies, getting my hands dirty for the 1st time in '08...what a joy it will be to see new color in the garden! Thank you Jen!

LITTLE HEAVENLY ANGEL

----

& SILOAM PINK PETITE

too wet

Well, it's been rainy, windy and mostly cold this week to attempt to get into the garden...maybe this w/e if it does not snow...ugh!!
I do need to pop the old tulip bulbs in the ground soon...that's a new thing. Bought them in a pot last year and after they wilted, I saved the bulbs...I think they are still good.

finally

some green grass coming...some of the day-lilies beginning to show themselves, some buds on trees...it's a coming...and so is the rain!!

no spring in sight...

bah humbug!
a year and a week ago, these pictures were taken...nothing in sight like that today...what gives?

bring the spring!!!

not Spring yet!

Good Friday usually brings rain-storms or at least a dreary cloudy day. Not this special year...lots of snow! It snowed all day...made it interesting getting to/from the Church 4 times for prayers/Stations/Taize and evening service...

I waited till after MAC and Sat. morn. prayers to shovel the 5" or so for about an hour...w/o a coat...it was so nice and sunny...that's the way of Triduum...first the suffering of snow-storm, then the glorious sun-light...it's only in the 30's but the sun in March is so warm...hearing the birds chirp w/ the snow, listening to the trees creek in the wind...what a glorious Holy Saturday we had here...I took a bunch of pictures of the snow...like a blanket of love from God to us this day...so beautiful... sadly it looks to be gone by early week with 40's coming...darn--spring ccan hold off for now :)

50's again

Sunny and nice, sitting in the sun again just after 1pm, listening to the melting-snow in the storm-sewers and singing birds again, and also watching the bees in the front tree and squirrels playing in the yard...ahhhhhhh
Can't wait until the matted down grass and large mounds of snow are gone!
Please spring--come to us soon!

ps-tried to 'turn-over' the compost area...ground still too frozen...

the big melt is on...

Today...as I sit in the warm sun (sipping a nice Weiss beer), listening to the birds chirp and the snow-melt running into the road stormsewers...I can only hope that spring is on the way!

The 'warmer' weather started tihs week about on Tues...the cad we waked T...thank you!

Gray day solution...a trip to the conservatory

Well, it's the middle of winter in tundra-land (not much gardening going on)...what to do on a snowy/cold/gray Saturday in January......a surprise trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory...that's the ticket!!!

See all the pix here

I asked C & L to get ready and get in the car...we're going on a family outing... and they did not know where we were off to...L kept asking, 'are we at the spot yet?'...it's 25 miles from home and about 45 minutes in time...so it's a bit of a drive, but well worth it!

The scene could not be more perfect...the end of a very very cold week, with temps below zero and wind-chills in the -20's...ouch. We arrive at about 10a.m. to a wide open house of green and color...4.5 acres of lush palms, ferns, flowers, cactus, ponds and waterfalls...now that's what we needed. So much for the eyes, nose and hands to soak in...the warmth of the house, the humid air, the floating mist, the smell of flowers...all of it given to us as a gift...what a blessing to be able to be aware of such a great place...a touch of paradise in the middle of the busy City.

We spent two hours walking the 'grounds'...amazed at the beauty that surrounded us...knowing that we must return in a few months to see the new exhibit that is under construction and to see the outdoor grounds in the summer...the plants, the ponds and the large labryinth...can't for the return trip.