Sunday, January 13, 2013

Early Birds

A week ago someone sounded astounded that stuff is still growing in our garden beds. For lunch I've been reaping the benefits of our mild winter, having shopped the garden for lettuce, carrots, parsnips, and radishes.

Seventy degrees today called for weeding and lettuce planting. I responded. But I didn't plant peas. Didn't seem right to put them in so early. Frost might kill their blossoms. On the other hand, I might regret this when it hits 90 degrees for ten days in a row in April.

Our free, except for shipping, Craigslist 24-foot sailboat needs a permanent home. We dug four more holes yesterday and planted six posts in concrete, realizing there was no full moon so they may not stay put. At least that's what our childhood neighbor, Rev. Soldner, told us. Sometimes we'd hear him digging holes in the dark. Those 6 posts will dock the boat after we jack it up a foot or two. The bottle jacks we bought to lift the roof of our front porch are coming in handy.

In a couple months, we may have greens growing out our ears. May have to sell them at the farmers' market. The greenhouse plants rise quickly in this kind of weather, instead of slowly as they normally do in the wintertime -- peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions and cabbages.

"The early bird gets the worm," says Virginia.

Don't count on it.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Go Pigaerators!

Following up on the previous post, "Garden Imaginings," today we tossed whole kernel corn around the new garden area and drove over it with our garden tractor, hoping to grind the corn into the soil, sort of like setting up a treasure hunt.

Then we released the pigaerators.
Here's Roxie diving in, digging deep with her hardy snout. Have you felt a pig's snout lately? Come on over if you haven't. They're impressive.
Tell me it's as good as chocolate. Hobbes thinks so.
"Better," says Calvin.
"What on earth is chocolate?" Roxie asks, while Hobbes waits to lick it off. "Can I, can I?" he says.
"Oh my," says Virginia. "We need a wet serviette."

Friday, January 4, 2013

Garden Imaginings

I never have enough garden space for everything I long to plant, although I often have enough for everything I'm able to handle. Too much leads to complaints from the neighbors, "Leonard used to keep that lawn immaculate."

"To be honest," says Virginia. "They say that no matter what you do."

Yes. Where we used to live, folks meeting us for the first time would say, "Oh, you live in Sarah's house. Sarah...." Let's face it. We ain't neatniks.

So yesterday we added some fodder. We installed a garden fence for what I'm calling "the donkey garden." We captured 6400 square feet for big crops, those that take a lot of space, like sweet corn, melons, squash, and animal food. I'd like to grow more of what we feed our livestock. We won't be "self-sufficient" until we  stop buying feed at Tractor Supply or the farmers co-op.

Our old mulch and manure pile will provide a solid base for the donkey garden. For a month or so, the fence will provide temporary digs for Roxie, Calvin and Hobbes, our piggish rototillers. By spring, it should be ready to plant.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Welcome 2013

May I suggest something for 2013?

Go local. Forget the weirdoes going loco.

An exchange between our next-to-the-top elected leaders illustrates it's time to turn our backs -- senator reid called the speaker of the house a dictator and the speaker flipped the senator an obscenity. What too often passes as argument has floated to the top.

Attention fans their fires, the same way it encourages pundits and may motivate mentally disturbed people with assault rifles. Take away their publicity by denying them attention. They'll suffocate without us.

Turn off the television. Focus on matters close to home. If you get the urge to listen in, resist (and if you can't, try not to let them know). Grab a spade or a hoe and grow something. If you don't have any land, fill some pots for your windows and porch. Take walks. Read books. Go bowling. Play golf or Scrabble. If you've got stocks, sell them or put them in a blind trust.

"I thought you recently urged folks to write their senators and representatives," says Virginia.

Maybe in normal times. I must have been delusional. Still am, I can't resist the morning news.

Another thing, only buy what you really need.

"Are you nuts?" asks Virginia. "We need more jobs, now."

Don't listen to me. Nobody, I mean nobody with any funds, is going to buy only what he or she really needs.