The best time to plant garlic…and comfrey roots….and carrots…..and cabbage.
The cats thought the carrot/garlic bed was a custom cat box.
Alpine strawberries have produced all summer. More to come!
Lemon balm is fantastic!
Dahlias have lots more coming.
Coleus is at it’s best.
Have you ever see one of these? This is Halyomorpha halys, also known as the brown marmorated stink bug. When we first moved into our house my husband and I jokingly named them “Herkimer”. It just seemed to fit. They were slow, few and seemed to show up in and around the house in such small numbers that we swore it was always the same bug. That has all changed……we are now jaded, hardened, with angry thoughts and disturbed sleep, thanks to the vile Herkimer.
These horrible, stinking, buzzing, tenacious demons have suddenly taken over our lives. They have appeared in droves to occupy space on the outside of our house, under the eaves, inside our patio umbrella, under the barbecue cover and anywhere they can hide or just sit and sun themselves.
At first we started our battle by flicking them off whatever they were invading . That was not near enough…..we got the hose. With the nozzle set to jet we blasted the little beasts off the walls and eaves. Many of them were forcefully sent down below into the space between the house and
deck. Aside from the smell (the odor they apparently release when being jetted either to death or a new location smells like really strong cilantro in a very bad way), our efforts seemed to be productive!……for about five minutes. Soon the little deathless, tank-like plague came crawling up the wall like some sort of horror film insect zombies! Hundreds of them on one wall!
Now, just to clarify, I am not usually a bug-killing kind of person. I will usually gently escort unwanted creatures to a place that is better for them. Even slugs in my garden have found themselves being lifted by a gloved hand and placed in a damp, leafy spot where garden clippings and shade reside (I call it slug heaven). I have relocated a lot of slugs this year, but this disgusting abomination was more than I could take…….STOMP! I found myself in a frenzy of knocking down and squishing the multitudes that were overtaking the side of my house….I’m still hating myself….. and the smell that will never leave my nostrils.
I suddenly realized I couldn’t live with myself if I continued, nor could I endure the smell, or the bugs that were still living. I resorted to the internet. Apparently there are a few chemicals that might work…..that is out of the question. As you can guess, the slug-whisperer doesn’t use toxic chemicals in the same yard where hummingbirds feed, cats romp, and a forest of feathered friends chirp, tweet and caw. But wait…..I read about dish soap….it dehydrates them and they DIE! I can’t let these evil invaders live…they just might consume my house (and my soul), they are giving us the willies and they are making me never want to use cilantro again. If I escort them to slug heaven they will surely come right back, and well….it would take a month and a lot of creepiness.
My husband was immediately onboard with this idea, and promptly filled the big pump sprayer with our eco-
friendly dish soap and water. And they were sprayed……they sat…….they died. Let the killing begin!!!!
He sprayed and sprayed. He went around the whole house. They started dropping, and more appeared…..out of every crack! More spray, stink and more dead. We noticed that some died right away, and some kept going until they would flip upside down and die. Finally…..the repulsive job was done. Dead bodies with legs pointing skyward occupied all of our walkways, patio and deck. We sat in the aftermath of the dead Herkimers with a feeling of abhorrent accomplishment. It was time for a shower and a stiff drink.
After our attempts to recoup our happier selves after our deeds of destruction, and after some fitful sleep, we woke to a beautiful morning of promise….the whole event can be left in the past. With coffee in hand we headed out to enjoy our peaceful bug-free deck………..They’re back!
This is my home….wherever he is.
This is the month of December. Crocus bulbs coming up is not somthing I was expecting to see. I am fascinated by their tenacity as they actually pierced through the dead leaves to make this early appearance. They aren’t bothered by the weather at all.
When I saw the photo challenge for this week I figured I was too late and wouldn’t really be able to come up with anything in time… until I realized it is just what I needed. So far the things I have posted are a variety of things, random and undisciplined, in my attempt to figure out what I really want to blog about. But in the mean time I have been doing something else without even recognizing what was happening. I have started a new blog without even knowing it.
Zooming By. I have even named it. It’s what is happening when I am inspired. The truth is, many of my most inspiring moments are experienced while doing this. Zooming by…. in the car on the way to some thing or another. This is when I see things I love. Clouds, trees, buildings, birds, people, city lights, all being viewed through the windshield of our car. The music being played as we drive helps to make things more beautiful…even poetic. Music always inspires me, so I create collections of all of my favorite songs so my husband and I can hear them within our little space of inspiration. There is not time to stop and take a proper picture, because taking pictures is not usually on the agenda at the same moment I am being drawn to grab my camera to capture the moment. My husband usually drives (he’s a better captain than passenger), so I am free to snap away at whatever I can. We have commented many times on the fact that if we had to turn in rolls of film to be developed, this photo frenzy would never take place. So many pictures that don’t turn out. Seconds to grab, point, shoot. Oops, missed that one! Oh well. Next time we pass that crazy rusty spot on the bridge, I’ll be ready.
Now I have discovered that some of the I thought were duds are actually unique and quite lovely. Abstract blurs of fall colors, street lights and sunsets can make beautiful art. Especially while listening to music. My husband loves to see the slide show of whatever excursion we just took. I delete a lot but have kept some surprisingly great shots. We have talked about creating some kind of memoir of these photos. I always say “it should be called Zooming By”.
I wasn’t sure I would be getting back to this, but I learned something new about Chinese New Year and I promised I’d share. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. (That would be today this year!) The Lantern Festival is held to mark the first full moon of the new lunar year. Chinese celebrate it by hanging colorful lanterns, playing games and gathering with friends. I love the full moon, so a celebration with glowing lanterns spent with friends to mark the first full moon seems just right to me. I don’t know of any particular celebrations going on tonight, and I didn’t really prepare. So this year I will surf through Google images of Chinese lanterns and say “ooh”, and start looking for some colorful paper lanterns to hang on my porch this time next year.
2012 the lunar year of the Dragon. I am not Chinese, but for some reason, this time of year I am drawn to the images of Chinese lanterns, dragons and bright red cutouts that appear here and there in preparation for the celebration to come. Every year I learn something new about the meanings of of the different parts of the celebration. It is a happy time with hope of abundance and good luck for the upcoming year. I love celebrations of all kinds and, it seems to me, this one welcomes all who want to join in!
My intention is to keep adding the things I have learned…we’ll see how that goes. So for now I am sharing this link to a calendar that will tell you what animals represent each year. You can use this to find out what sign you were born under.
My friend gave me a gift….she was a little hesitant at first and said it was kind of ugly, but she thought I would like it. Then she handed me something, well…ugly. But it has turned out to be a beautiful thing. Homemade fire-starters made from reused egg cartons, dryer lint and melted candle wax. There are two reasons I love this idea. One, I love making something out of things that would normally have gone in the trash or at best the recycle bin. Two, the fire-starters are amazing, and work better than any I have ever paid for. I should really add a third reason…. My husband raves about them and builds cozy, wonderful fires when our fire-starter basket has been stocked.
If you can’t come up with enough burned out candles of your own, the beginning of the firestarter making happens during summer, or garage sale season. As you peruse people’s unwanted stuff you will inevitably find the table with the candles. They sit unwanted because they are burned down too far, faded, stinky, wickless or just plain ugly. I grab all of them. Usually they are labeled with prices that can be paid for with a coin. Sometimes if I have other things in hand to buy, the seller offers them for free. “Just take them. I want to get them out of here”. I think they feel bad trying to sell something that, as far as they can see, is useless. Last summer I got my whole year’s worth of wax for about $2.00.The next thing is saving the dryer lint. Lint used to be kind of annoying. Something you have to throw away every time you do laundry. Now I have a coffee can by my dryer that is full of lint. I look forward to washing the red bathroom rug and towels. They make a big, thick, red sheet of lint. I even save the little paper things that once lived in a pocket as a note or list, and turned into wads in the washer. I have also added the used dryer sheet to the mix. I’ll explain later. Don’t save all of them though or you will be taken over by dryer sheets.
The egg cartons are easy. Lots of people eat eggs. If you don’t eat them, you know someone who does.
Make your “double boiler” with a big coffee can
Before you get started you will want to cover your counter with newspaper or an old brown bag. It soaks up wax drips better than the counter does. You will also need to find an empty can that you can fit inside of one of your cooking pots. Pinch one side of the can to make a sort of pour spout. The pot is filled about half way with water and the can goes in the water. Kind of a double-boiler effect. It helps if you put something in the bottom of the pan for your can to rest on. It lets the boiling process happen without your can bubbling up the whole time. I have used a canning jar ring, an open nutcracker, any kitchen tool that will add some space between the can and the bottom of the pot. The wax pieces go in the can. Boil the water and keep it at a slow boil until the wax melts.
Ugly little lint wads.
While the wax is melting you should get the egg cartons ready. Cut the lid off and the little flap that keeps them closed. Then I cut the dryer sheets into four pieces. Put a wad of dryer lint into the middle of one of the sheet pieces, then poke that into a section of egg carton. If you run out of lint just cut up some of the egg carton lid into little pieces and use it to fill. This burns just as well . The more you make these easier it will be to judge how many starters your wax will make.
Once the wax has melted and your ugly lint wads are all cozy in thier egg cartons you can (using a good oven mitt) pick up your can and start drizzling wax onto the lint in the cups. I usually pour a dozen and then go back and pour over them again. Sometimes it takes a couple pours for it to soak into everything.
You will love these. Put some in a coffee can and take 
them camping! Or put them in one of those mesh bags that the oranges came in and give them as a gift. They usually have some kind of cinnamon scent that overrides the stinky ones, (since inevitably someone got rid of a candle that smelled like cinnamon) so they make your living room smell all homey.
So you see….Ugly can be beautiful.
I am hoping that this feeling is correct….
I think summer might be here. I don’t want to say it too loud and scare it away. But it’s beautiful….
I’m sorry.. I was going to write something about it but I’m going to go outside now.
Maple Bacon Cupcake Recipe
Assorted Pursuits 