Remember 2011 – Part Five

Things not posted throughout the year, part five . . .

October

My daughter’s heifer had her baby calf. They did seem to want to go out to the pasture for a few days.

Look what my art class made!

Crazy hair day

We drove out into the pasture for no particular reason. The cows were curious so they followed but the grass was tall and we were faster. They haven’t yet figured out where we went.

“Aha! There they are! We will investigate. They might have something tasty for us.”

“What are you doing? Do you have something to eat? Can I lick you?”

“Seriously. Can I lick you?”

My dad’s favorite dog, Zonkers, died. She was a corgi, his cow dog. Skippy was in his phase of trying to be a cow dog to take her place. He quickly realized that chasing bunnies and rats is more exciting and returned to terrorizing the local vermin. He is a terrier, after all, he can’t help himself. Sitting in the back window of the truck is probably the most fun part of being a cow dog for him.

Halloween! This is my favorite picture from 2012. The dogs didn’t like the costumes but they loved the attention they received from everyone. They were the only dogs we saw trick-or-treating. More than one person, after gushing over the dogs said “oh, and you’re daughter is cute, too.”

November

I visited my boyfriend who lives in San Marcos, Texas. Since I’m a librarian, I had to visit the library at Texas State U. which had several pirate-themed displays. I also got in trouble for taking pictures in the gallery. Yea, me!

On the Texas State’s campus, beautiful baldcypress trees. My favorite tree.

My laundry-loving dog, Pepper, is having a great day. She has a laundry fort to nap in!

Mmmmmmmmmm, laundry. Socks are good pillows.

The Flint Hills in the morning

December

A few things I didn’t manage to post during December Photo Project.

First time at the skate rink this winter.

Christmas pageant. She stood like this the whole time, it was all I could do to keep from laughing.

The littlest angel and the littlest shepherd

And that is it for 2011

 

Remembering 2011 – Part Four

Things not posted throughout the year, part four . . .

August

Here’s my townhouse yard in early August. Lots of leaves, not many flowers.

“Cooking” ice cubes. We took advantage of the curiously cheap organic raspberries ($1 a box!!) to make raspberry mint cubes. They were great in water or lemonade.

The Supertunia petunias I bought as an Easter gift for my parents.

After years of not being able to use their front door, my parents have a new deck!

The railing is old wrought iron from my great-grandparents farm.

Priscilla and Skippy are having a good day.

Best buddies.

September

The community garden at sunrise.

Interesting objects in a garden.

Dewy asparagus

“

When I run out of money, make the kid play for some change.

(That’s a joke for you humor-free folks.)

This is what happens when you are too busy to garden and ignore your watermelon, they explode! KABOOM! Five of ‘em! I never have to buy watermelon seed again. I’m sure they’ll be coming up all over everywhere next summer.

Finally, some flowers in my back yard. They took forever and a day, yeesh!

And the Chilly Chilis finally have fruit!

My pots never turn out quite like I planned them. I should know better by now, alternanthera (the purple-leaf monster) is a giant.

 

Remembering 2011 – Part Three

Things not posted throughout the year, part three . . .

June

Two front teeth?

Her first try at soccer, she loved it!

I visited New Orleans for a conference, we ate at Antoine’s. This was my dessert. I love custards!

Coffee at Antoine’s, I didn’t have any but it was sure fun to watch them make it.

St. Louis Cemetary #1, it is about to storm.

Here is an oleander in the cemetery, it is one of the many southern plants that I miss.

Rain lilies, such a nice surprise!

I also adore crepe myrtles.

Some cultivars will make it through the winter where I live but they die back to the ground, never developing the beautiful bark that you see on older crape myrtles.

Just a post rain storm picture that I like.

The sunflower house in my community garden plot. It turned out well but my daughter wouldn’t go in it because there were too many bees. What kind of nonsense is that? Too many bees?! I’ve failed as a mother.

July

I didn’t take many pictures in July so there’s really nothing more to say.

 

All the blogs I didn’t write . . .

No, I’m not trying at being romantic. I’m not trying at all. I’ve been not trying at blog-writing for quite a while now. So here’s a bit of trying for you. The blogs I meant to write (I really, truly meant to) but didn’t . . .

The one about planting a fall potato crop. (A total failure.)

The one about the pretty eggplant I grew in my garden. (A success!)

The one about the nasty storm we drove through and the bow-less rainbow that followed it. (WORST HAIL EVER! We could not even see the lines on the road. We all thought the car was toast.)

The one about vacationing in Colorado.

The one about my personal insect zoo. (The zoo that ate all my parsley but, really, I don’t mind cause the butterflies turn out so pretty.)

The one about my moonflower vine. (It finally bloomed!)

 

Looking better

My garden is finally shaping up. It looked hideous a couple of weeks ago. I weeded and mulched and watered.

Luckily, I was also able to do some harvesting. I have my own garlic scapes and garlic for the first time. And peas, lettuce, strawberries, cilantro. I haven’t tasted the lettuce yet. I hope it hasn’t turned bitter yet.

Maybe I can stay on top of things now though I have more traveling to do yet this summer.

 

Back to gardening

I’ve been traveling quite a bit in the past month and have not had much time for blogging or gardening. I am now back! For a little while. On Friday, my first visit to my community garden plot in nearly two weeks, I nearly fainted. It looks like this, ugh.

I knew it would be weedy but this is ridiculous. It must have rained the whole time I was gone. I’m working on getting it under control.

 

“Everything”

People who know that I garden keep asking me, “What have you planted so far this year?” Then I fight the urge to say “everything” because that would be impossible. Nobody can plant everything by April or ever, really. So here is my list of “everything”. This is what I have planted. Maybe writing it all down will help me remember.

Seeds growing in my kitchen/backyard

• Basil ‘Lettuce Leaf’
• Basil ‘Lime’ – In wine box
• California poppy
• Celosia ‘China Town’
• Celosia ‘First Look Orange’
• Centaurea dealbata – No germination, old seed
• Cilantro ‘Santo’ – In wine box
• Digitalis grandiflora – No germination, old seed
• Eggplant ‘Prosperosa’
• Flax ‘Scarlet’
• Foxglove ‘Pam’s Choice’ – No germination, old seed
• Foxglove ‘Strawberry’
• Gomphrena ‘Carmine’
• Heliopsis helianthoides – No germination, old seed
• Hibiscus ‘Teatime’
• Larkspur ‘Earl Grey’
• Lychnis coronaria
• Marigold ‘French Brocade’
• Monarda ‘Bergamo’
• Parsley ‘Italian’ – In wine box
• Pepper ‘Ancho San Martin’
• Pepper ‘Chilly Chili’
• Pepper ‘Giant Marconi’
• Pepper ‘Variegata’ – No germination, old seed
• Pimpernel ‘Gentian Blue’
• Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’
• Rudbeckia ‘Irish Eyes’ – No germination, old seed
• Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’
• Scabiosa ‘Chat Noir’
• Snapdragon ‘Frosted Sunset’
• Vinca ‘First Kiss Blueberry’ – No germination, old seed
• Zinnia ‘Double Zahara Fire’

Community garden

• Aster ‘Lilliput Blue Moon’
• Basil ‘Mammoth Sweet’
• Basil ‘Minimum’ *teehee*
• Beet ‘Detroit Dark Red’
• Broccoli ‘Captain’
• Carrot ‘Deep Purple’
• Carrot ‘Nantes’
• Celery ‘Safir’
• Cilantro ‘Santo’
• Ching chiang – No germination
• Cosmos ‘Bright Lights Mix’
• Dill ‘Fernleaf’
• Emilia coccinea
• Garlic ‘Duganski’ – Planted last Fall
• Garlic ‘Susanville’ – Planted last Fall
• Larkspur ‘Misty Lavender’
• Lettuce ‘Italienischer’ – Probably spelled that wrong
• Lettuce ‘Jericho’
• Nigella ‘Blue Stars’
• Parsley ‘Italian’
• Parsnips ‘Gladiator’
• Peas ‘Mammoth Melting Sugar’
• Peas ‘Monico’ – No germination
• Radish ‘Cheriette’
• Raspberry ‘Anne’
• Raspberry ‘Encore’
• Raspberry ‘Heritage’
• Rutabaga ‘Joan’
• Saffflower ‘Deep Orange’
• Shallots ‘Sante’ – Planted last Fall
• Strawberry ‘Cabot’
• Strawberry ‘Ogalalla’
• Sunflower ‘Chianti’
• Sunflower ‘Ring of Fire’
• Sunflower ‘Soraya’
• Sunflower ‘Teddy Bear’
• Sunflower ‘Valentine’
• Sunflower ‘Velvet Queen’
• Swiss chard ‘Magenta Sunset’
• Tithonia ‘Torch’
• Turnip ‘Purple Top White Globe’
• Zinnia ‘Gumdrop Candy’
• Zinnia ‘Whirligig’

Hmm, after typing all that I think I might be insane.

 

I have a bloom! And progress! I’m not procrastinating this year!

!!!

The garden on March 18th.

The garden on March 21st! Tilled. Trellis put up. Raspberries planted. Peas planted. Broccoli planted. So it still doesn’t look like much. The picture would look better with my daughter in it.

And I finally have a bloom. One lonely daffodil.

!!!

 

Here’s to not forgetting September through December 2010

. . .

Things to not forget from September 2010

Her “store” with her friend Prince, he looks like a very small leopard

Leaving Winfield

The top of a hill in the Flint Hills, look at all that rock!

Flint Hills sunset

Things to not forget from October 2010

Fishin’

Once upon a time, before a dam was built, there was a creek here, and a road, with a bridge, I hate to think what else was lost

Sioux Falls, SD

The American Royal, with her calf Marceille

Marshmallow bull at the American Royal

Mexican food after The Royal, my brother ordered a crazy dish, I don’t remember what it was called

Things to not forget from November 2010

Another gardening picture my daughter took in our community garden plot, here are the others from November

She had her face painted!

Leaves?

Things to not forget from December 2010

I blogged a lot in December for the December Photo Project, so there’s not much else to post about it, except these two:

A beautiful sunset while I was walking to my car, I wish I had been standing on top of a hill to take this picture

Christmas Eve: There were a lot of cardinals at the bird feeders, still are

Goodbye 2010

 

The garden in December

Not much to see but I thought I’d stop by anyway. A few purple turnip tops poking through the soil. It is very dry, I’m glad I left some of the weeds and old mulch to protect the soil and keep a bit more moisture in the ground. I wish I had taken the time to mulch the garlic and shallots with some hay. The water is turned off until March so I can’t water them unless I haul water out to the garden. The weather was 65 and clear today, absolutely beautiful, except for the wind. The wind means we will pay for this nice day tomorrow. But maybe it will rain? Or snow? I’d even take freezing rain. We will see . . .