Into the Ground

We're a little behind schedule because of our whole chipmunk debacle (at least I think they were chipmunks) in the greenhouse, but we are finally getting our seedlings into the ground. As I mentioned, we have several garden plots so we're hoping that between them all, we'll get some fruits of our labors. The more the better, in my eyes.

Our main tomato area is near the library, where we procured an additional half plot. I put almost all tomatoes in there, with a couple of squash for good measure. I figure I'll direct the squash in a certain direction so as to not impose on other people's space. The plants have been in for a couple of days and so far, so good. There are critters over there, no doubt, but somehow it's not as bad as everywhere else. It's a pretty high-trafficked area. The big library plot is R's domain, and she's got all sorts of good stuff going like beans and peas and some cucumbers. Not so much tomatoes because we are trying to rotate our crops.

We also have the garden plot at the flower farm but there is a resident colony of woodchucks and I've been led to be believe that they help themselves to whatever is growing. In fact, I spoke with one guy who said he lost everything last year. Bummer. I am planning on putting tomatoes and squash into that plot, but I am not sure what to expect. They are making efforts to alleviate the pests, but it's hard if not impossible to beat out Mother Nature.

Then we have our backyard plot, which is actually nice and you can't beat the convenience of the location, but like the flower farm, there is a resident colony of woodchucks that lives adjacent to it. I see them all the time. Whatever we plant will be fair game, so I don't have high hopes for that one, either. To get around this, we have three strategies. First off, we have the high tech solution thanks to J&RR. They sent us this really cool high frequency emitter that probably uses technology developed by NASA and the CIA and is supposed to drive the woodchucks mad. I'm very interested in seeing how effective it is. The kids are fascinated by it, especially N, and as crazy as it sounds (no pun intended), they can hear the thing when it emits. I can't, I'm too old, but their young ears are sharp enough to hear it. Pretty impressive.

The second way is to build barriers out of wire. I got some chicken wire and will make cylinders that will go around the individual plants, at least while they are young and vulnerable. The barriers are flimsy, and a little thought will lead to a way around them, but hopefully groundhogs aren't too thoughtful. The final way is the evolutionary method: plant tons of plants and hope that at least some of them will weather the storm. Hopefully the combination of all these methods will yield some of the proverbial fruits for our labors. We shall see.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Tico for the pic.

Getting My Act Together

We always seem to run out of kindling, and by the late middle of winter, I'm scrambling to find pieces of wood to split and burn. Like always, I have a grand plan to account for this, but it usually falls a bit short. This year, however, I actually got it done and even have a contingency plan. There are four trash bins that I use to hold kindling, and the assumption is that when they are full, that's about a year's worth of kindling. Not quite, but it sure sounds good on paper. I've never really filled them properly, and have large piles of un-split wood on the basement floor that I'm sure R is not so keen about.

This year I've actually managed to fill all of the bins, and then some. I'm storing numerous blocks of hardwood that are in the basement. The plan is that when the bins are depleted, I can simply split the blocks into kindling and refill the bins. Plus, if we are in a pinch and need wood, I could always just toss them into the stove because they're hardwood. Is that brilliant, or what? Before I get too smug, I should mention that it's not always so easy to make kindling from hardwood blocks, and takes a little more time and muscle. I try to choose an easy splitting wood like ash or beech, but it's doable. I'm also for the first time storing some split wood in the basement for emergency purposes. Every now and then when it is late at night or there is freezing rain outside and the wood box is low or empty. The last thing you want to do is go outside and get wood, so now we have an emergency ration. I love when I'm organized, or rather, diligent enough to implement a plan.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Mick for the pic. 

Mad About Gardening

Speaking of getting in over our heads, we seem to have gotten a bit enthused about gardening this season. It all stemmed from concerns over planting the same thing year after year in the same place. My understanding is that you want to diversify for a number of reasons, but I was driving by a corn field the other day and realized that farmers plant the same thing for generations. Either way, when I get an interesting bit of information, my OCD kicks in and I can't let it go. This year I decided that I would not plant so many tomatoes in our plot.

The problem is, I still want to plant tomatoes. I toyed with the idea of swapping plots with someone, but didn't follow through with it. I then had the brilliant idea to get a plot at the community garden across the road. They do a fabulous job over there, providing everything you need, and the greenhouse alone is worth the price of admission. Plus, you can't beat the location. After the disaster with the critters eating all of my seedling, however, as well as the news that there are groundhog communities that have been preying on people's garden plot, I realized that things were all so rosy. I still have the plot, I'm just not sure if I'll plant everything I have over there.

R is organizing our community garden plot, it's her baby, and I managed to finagle a half plot nearby, so I can plant lots of tomatoes there. We also cleared a small plot in our backyard in our massive garden. The total plot is way too big, and subdividing it makes it much more manageable. I will plant some tomatoes and squash, maybe some peppers. The problem is, there is a groundhog family camped out right next to the garden, so they will chow down on the plants. My only hope is to try to protect them with makeshift shelters, but groundhogs are pretty resourceful. This will be interesting, no doubt.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to mike dunn for the pic.

Chainsaw Mania

I finished cutting the woodpile and am in the process of splitting and stacking it, but I'm not quite ready to shelve the chainsaw. I was stoked at the timing of it all because just as the saw was running out of gas, I finished cutting the log length wood. I figured I would drain the tank, run it dry, and store it in the basement until we receive our next load. However, there are several areas of our property that need tree clearing, and I figured the time had come to deal with it.

There is an area behind the garden shed that has been overrun by sumac, and some of the trees are 20 feet high. Even though sumac is a soft wood, I went at them with the chainsaw and cut them all down. I still need to clear them out, but it felt good to finally get started on this project. I also went behind the garden and cleared out a bunch of pines, some of which again are about 20 feet high. R got the ball rolling but going back there and clearing out invasive vines and bushes, not to mention thorny weeds. She did an amazing job, but some of the bushes and trees, including honeysuckle and pine, were too thick. The plot looks a lot nicer, you can actually see it being used for something.

Feeling empowered, I'm going to keep the chainsaw gassed up for at least another month while I try to tackle landscape improvement. I need to clear out some saplings all around the property, and who knows where I'll go from there.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Len Matthews for the pic.

Market Watch

I can't completely wrap my head around this (either that, or I'm in denial), but we are doing the market again this year. I have been trying to block it out of my mind for the past month, but our day of reckoning has arrived, and I can't believe it. Then again, sometimes you have to face your demons and just deal with it, right? The reality is, I don't want to do it, and have been scrambling to get my glorious freelance writing career on track to supplant the extra income, but have thus far fallen short. Things are moving on the writing front, however, so it's not all bad.

I will say this, the market is an income generator, and that's no small thing. Even if my glorious writing career was right on track, the extra cash flow is always welcome, especially with hockey and travel needs on the horizon. With that in mind, to the market we will go. This requires loads of preparation but more importantly, finding our footing once again. As we get the drill down, it will become easier, but the first time back is always a challenge. Besides, we tend to learn and adjust as we go.

This past week I went to Sterns and got the veggies that we will require, especially loads of parsley, which is not easy to find in large quantities. It also meant making the falafels. R has been busy with work things so it was up to me to get it done. I ground and cooked, and it wasn't so bad. The weather has been nice, so I like being outside. Speaking of weather, the forecast called for beautiful weather until market day, on which they predicted thunder storms. Some things never change.

I spent a good chunk of yesterday morning cooking the falafels, and it went down to the wire. Somehow in the past we used to cook the falafels the day of the market, which I find hard to fathom because there's never enough time. Yesterday we had book club, lax, and track, so we had to be out the door by noon. This meant setting up the cooking station, cooking the falafels, then breaking down the tent and cleaning up the cooking gear before heading to book club. I still needed to get some stuff for the market, so I dropped the kids off and went shopping, then picked them up and headed to the next event. Never a dull moment, as the saying goes.

A's track event coincided with N's lax, so I arranged for her to get a ride. After N's lax, we rejoined the girls back home. Since her track season is over, they had their year-end BBQ, so N and I were able to score some vittles, i.e., I didn't have to cook.

Just another day in paradise, right? Market should be interesting, so stay tuned for more.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Neal1960 for the pic. 

Strawberry Fields

We are going full tilt on the gardening gig this season, and we may be getting in over our heads, but life is short, right? Besides, we need tomatoes, and the more the merrier. I am not planting as many tomatoes in our community garden plot because I have been told that it's a good idea to rotate your crops. Planting the same thing year after year sets you up for problems like pests and disease, though I wonder how you're supposed to accomplish this in a 10 foot plot.

Whatever be the case, I figured I wouldn't plant so many tomatoes this year, which is a bummer, but I found alternatives. I inquired about getting a second plot, but apparently they are all taken. There is, however, some space in the former strawberry plot. Last year someone planted strawberries for everyone to have and it was pretty cool, but it fell into neglect. This year they wanted to clear the plot and I was told I could take half. Not wanting the strawberries to be sacked, we volunteered to take them with us, but weren't sure where to plant them.

R and I brainstormed and decided to start a little strawberry patch in our former garden. I built a raised bad out of some leftover siding, and fortified the soil with compost and manure, and we were good to go. While I was at it, I decided to clear a small section of the garden to plant squash and, you guessed it, tomatoes (more on this later). In the meantime, the strawberries look like they're doing okay, not too stressed over the move.

I would love it if this worked out, because having fresh strawberries would be too cool for school. We'll see how this one goes.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ladywood Road Allotment for the pic.

The Long Day

I think I may have found some occasional employment over at the hospital as a standardized patient (SP), though it's a per diem position that is not even considered part time. That means that I'll work only when they need me, and I won't know when or how often that will be. Kind of a bummer, but I guess that makes it very flexible.

I'm not sure if this classifies me as employed, but it doesn't seem like it. I may have to investigate this more. One thing, however, is that the hospital doesn't mess around, even for lowly per diem workers like myself. Everyone hired by the hospital, from doctors to nurses to SPs has to attend an all day orientation, and it's a pretty big deal. I spent the entire day there, from 7:30AM to 4:00. They don't even provide lunch. It was like being in college all over again, except for 8 hours!

It worked out beautifully because the kids were away at camp, so watching over them was not an issue. I was able to meet R for lunch, as well, since she was at work during my session, which was fun. The orientation itself was quite a marathon, and basically introduces everyone to the rules, regulations, and philosophies of the hospital. When you get down to it, it's not much different from a regular business, and like a regular business, customers come first. In this case, customers are patients.

It was tiring and at points I thought a bit unnecessary, but all in all, it wasn't so bad, and you realize that the hospital is really working hard to maintain a happy work environment. Also, I did learn a lot of new information, especially the fact that the hospital is a pretty massive employer. It's hard to imagine who they manage it, but they do. One thing interesting was that the group was almost entirely women. There were a smattering of men, but for the most part, women are taking over the workplace. I hear about this all the time, and I guess I'm seeing it firsthand. Most of the guys I know tend to have jobs where they work with their hands (contractors, loggers, etc.) so maybe that explains their absence at the hospital. They don't want sissy desk jobs.

Either that, or they're at home watching TV with a beer. Whatever be the case, I manage to survive the day, and now I'm ready to move onto the next phase, whatever that may be. Stay tuned for more.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Bashi_B for the pic.