Garden Decoration

Well, I've had to really admit to myself that I'm not great at follow through. Now we know that Aries has a bad wrap for starting and stopping things--it's the experience Aries wants. But it's hard to get anywhere if you stop things just as they get rolling. So I let half of my garden to Mike--his plot is in the shade--and now he's calling himself my serf. I tell you, having half the garden space has made it easier on me. I've been eating tomatoes like crazy and plenty of peas. I have beans and patty pan.

The other day I ran into Mike and he said you zuchinni isn't what you think. What? Well it wasn't coming up, so I replanted. You'll like it. It's patty pan. And sure enough, there's a little space ship, sort of grey green, hovering beneath the leaves.

The other day I was over there and there where two young bucks wandering through the garden. Most of the plots are fenced now, which makes mine the key dining place. You don't have to have a membership to get in and it doesn't matter if you are wearing shoes and shirt.

Blackberries are on and so are the plums and so are the yellow jackets, squashed fruit everywhere. Ate blackberries for breakfast this morning. They are getting sweet now. And tomatoes in the salad and tonight with the burritos.

My honey is home from the arctic now. He was gone for 9 weeks. It seemed terribly long to me, although I got a ton of work done. I'm working on a book about divorce, as you know, I was divorced last year. It was a grueling year, going through all the name change stuff, and all the pain. Pain with divorce is equal to pain of death, I'm sure of it.

Well, need to get on with my day. Hopefully you are all working hard and enjoying the harvests of your gardens.
Peace,
Flower

Roses

I was telling you about the rose garden in Spokane at Manito Gardens and reflecting on the lavender rose I grew in Kingston--I've never gotten into growing roses, other than the climbing ones, but many people do. They can be a lovely addition to any garden, take the vegetable garden with the roses lining the outer edge facing the house--what could be lovelier. I visited a B & B in Squim and the owner's roses were being attacked by deer and they had them sprayed with a repugnant sulfur spray--rotten eggs. Now I'd rather not have roses if they smell that way. Anyway, here are a few shots of some lovely roses. Enjoy--Flower

"Hair Cut, Deer?"

I heard that if you leave your hair clippings around the garden, they will keep away the deer. So any time I'd cut hair, I'd spread the hair around the yard, try it out. I personally don't think it worked; however, a friend of mine swears that having her man pee the perimeter, would keep them away. Sort of a territorial thing, and it did seem to work. But of course it kept everyone else away too.

She had many rare and expensive plants she'd purchased at Heronwood Nursery on the Kitsap Peninsula. I haven't wanted to invest so much money in plants that might up and croak on me. And how could you sit out in a lovely yard and enjoy it with that stink?

Yesterday, on the way home from a meal out with a singles club--yes I'm getting myself out there--I passed two deer. One came up the stairs from the waterfront park, looked surprised to find itself on a busy road, then wandered into a neighborhood. The other was nibbling bushes in a pretty yard. I guy on a bike had stopped, to watch or to keep the poor thing safe from the hurling traffic?

There is always the Irish Spring, bars of soap hanging from trees. And less housing developments. They say deer are overpopulating our neighborhoods because of a lack of natural enemies. This is a sticky subject, some would argue differently, that there fine, and so are the bear and the coyotes, etc. And of course there is the late spring we had. It warmed up down here soon before the snow melted off in the mountains, so we have wildlife roaming our neighborhoods, looking for ripe berries and succulant leaves. I did see a deer in the mountains where the photo was taken, all that phlox and colombine and cow parsley. I found a book that might have the solution to nibbled greens, Deerproofing Your Yard and Garden

Okay then, it is gray and cold, but I will thin the beets anyway. I will keep up on this garden even though this is the time of year I get bored with it all. Champion on, garden goddess!
Ciao!

Sauk Mountain

Well, an amazing thing. I was just talking about tiger lilies and then I saw fields of wild tiger lilies on the hike up Sauk Mountain. Also Indian paintbrush, purple bells, johnny jump-up, yellow shooting stars, buttercup, and more. Our spring was longer than usual this year, and the mountains had record snowfall. There were snow fields at the top of the mountain, 5,000+ feet—I believe. Don't quote me on this, and the hike, with a number of switchbacks, was a little strenuous. Not for my friend, Peter, as he hikes all the time. But me, I'm a walk about girl. I usually do around 3 miles a day. Or perhaps more, with side trips to the store, the garden, the coffee shop. It all adds up, but in the end, I'm not much of a hiker these days. But I did fine. 2.5 miles up and 2.5 back. A nice little snack at the top--nuts and apple and Cliff bar. There was even a chipmunk that ate out of my hand. I know, I know, black plague, but there hasn't been any in our neck of the woods since…

With a long spring and berry bushes not blooming in the higher country the animals have come down lower to look for food. Lots of deer and bear, even in areas that are residential. I saw plenty of bear in the woods in Idaho, and recently in Joseph, a small black bear came walking up the road near the cabin. I'm only relaying the story, as I didn't see it with my own eyes, but from what everyone said, I'd just missed running into it by a few seconds. The bear can be dangerous, they do bite. They are looking for food, not trouble, however. If you see one, of course, make yourself big and growl or shout. With grizzles, you're supposed to play dead. And there are always trees to climb. Me, I just go the other way.

As for the garden, tomorrow I will tell you how it's going. Tonight I need some sleep, so later alligators.

Flower

The Touch of Fall

Here in the PNW, fall touches us at night soon before it rests it's fingers on other parts of Washington. In Spokane, my home town, it is in the upper 90s right now, probably will be in the 100s when I visit the second week of August. There is no cool air blowing at night there, no extra wrap is needed on an evening walk. Here, I put the quilt back on the bed the other day--will it stay there? I'm not sure. Since I keep the windows open at night, I smell the sea air, feel the chill that seems to rest on the surface of the heat. Fall, it says to me and I'm thinking I better get the kale in, better get more bok choy planted, and broccoli raab.

There are summer plantings one can do to reap fall crops and wintering-over crops. I like the Russian Kale, which I can grow all winter, even if there is some frost or snow. It is hearty. Also, like I said before, carrots, if covered with leaves will winter over in colder climates. Because the ground freezes, leaves are a necessary warm blanket. Even here, though I haven't tried it, but I imagine covering them would be a good idea. And of course, cabbage lasts if it doesn't bolt and the cabbage worms don't get it.

When I lived in Kingston, my crop of kale grew larger and larger until it was taller than me. In the very early spring it would bloom yellow flowers, and against the purplish green leaves and stems, a vibrancy exuded that lit up the sideyard closest to the path to the water. The deer came up that path from the beach. Usually two fawns and their mother to nibble the crop. It was sweet to see them grazing in the yard. I loved them and at the same time scowled when I saw them helping themselves to my garden.

A neighbor once said he loved the wildlife in the neighborhood: bear, deer, raccoons, opossums, squirrel, rats--I nodded thinking, I could do without the cat and raccoon fights that happened through the glass kitchen door around midnight. Raccoon families always coming to raid the food bucket, scraps for the garden, that I kept on the porch in a dish detergent bucket. It had a tight lid they couldn't be peeled open by little raccoon hands, but they still tried and my cat, Scooter, pummeled the door with his body, yowling like the tough guy he isn't. In fact, he's the least touch cat I know. Just look at him wrong and he runs and hides under the bed.

Anyway, saving food scrapes and digging them into the garden improves the soil. I don't do this here in my community garden, because it would mean hauling a bucket three blocks to the garden, did I just exaggerate the distance? Well they are long blocks, and some trail, to reach the garden. I could haul them in the car, but I don't. And the city may have a rule against such things. One problem with the food scraps dug into the garden is they bring pests to dig up the goods. Raccoons will dig and perhaps rats do too. You don't want rats around your house, I promise you that.

Okay, today I will tie up the beans. And listen to some music with Brenda at the sculpture park. Even with the chill in the air, it is still summer.

Ciao!

Nighty Night, Deer

The deer here look a little mangy and they wander everywhere, sauntering past the writing group at Fishtrap as we sit outside in the crotch of the rocky peaks, eating our pork and applesauce as the sun leaves the area. The thing about meadows nestled between mountain peaks is when the sun goes, it's gone and then it turns cold. The weather is hot, especially noticeable as we hiked into Eagle Cap Wilderness yesterday, and cold by the river at night. Which has made for two good night sleep, cold room, piles of blankets, the river crashing past.

Abbe, Brenda's dog is happy as a clam, and on our hike yesterday, she lead away, scampering up the horse trail. I was happy as a clam, too, discovering wild strawberry plants and columbine and gooseberries, and a grove of aspen with leaves shivering in the wind. What I discovered about myself up there wandering over the Wallowa River where it crashes between the narrow rock canyon, is I so miss the out of doors. I feel good outside, different than inside my noisy condo. And all the plants brought back my desire to write an herb book when I was in my twenties. Jack and I (first hubby) did a lot of camping in the mountains outside of Priest River. The terrain here reminds me of that area, the pine, the tamarack, the smell of warm pitch, spicey. And the sweet smell of blooming bushes. And a orchard in a meadow that looked like old gnarled fruit trees, they weren't, but what they where escaped my plant identification skill.

Today, we will swim in the Wallowa Lake, which I think is a caldera, but I haven't read up on this area, so I'm not sure. I'm in Joseph right now, named after Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce—the natives that roamed this land. I'll find out more about that on a field trip tomorrow. So for now, that's about all. Happy summer days and gardening. I'll be watching for the wild strawberries and anything else edible in the woods.

Flower

Cayenne, Dear?

Cayenne pepper spray for the leaves of your plants. It burns the deer's little tongues. And they've already been in the garden nibbling away. What does this say about life? You know I want to squeeze every bit of knowlege I can from the garden.

Well, stuff happens, that's the way it is. Letting go is the best way to handle things. I've already started my day out with holding on to old behavior and making a tush of myself. I freak out easily, yes me, the girl in pearls. Not pearl earrings. I could use a pair; anyone?

Anyway, deer prints. Just walking on through the garden. And then the grandbaby, he took the shortest distance between two points, walked right through the tiny spinach sprouts. Letting go. It's the answer to happiness--because nothing really matters. Oh, but it does. It matters a lot. No, dear, it doesn't. Love the life you're in.

Okay, here's a picture of the deer print. I don't know how to circle it or enhance it, but it's toward the middle of the shot. Sorry, I can't tell you more. Wait, I can. Fencing. It can work. Can't it? Sugar is sweet, but pepper is better. Burns the tongue, but not harmful to the plant. However, it does wash off in the rain.

Ciao!

Summertime + Player Pianos + Deer

We bought a player piano in the mid 60s that actually worked. We had these long sheets of paper with the notes cut out in tiny slices--we fed the sheets through the piano and it played a tune like a music box plays, tinkling the tones in methodical vigorous manner. We'd had another player piano when I was a kid--Dad had it moved to the basement of the Audubon house, but the only way the moving men could get it down there was to take it apart. So there it sat in the rec room, in pieces, for the entire time we lived in that house. My brother and I would bang on the strings, pretending we were making spooky haunted house sounds.

I have a piano now, but it is in my ex's house and I have no place to move it, since I live in 525 sq ft. I've thought of finding someone who played and see if they want to keep my piano until I live in a larger place. But so far have found no one to do this. I thought the grandbaby would like it--he loves music and we dance and sing together--but my daughter has too much furniture already.

Which brings me to the chair I will place in my garden. Each place I find to move something seems to solve a little of this problem. The chair is currently sitting on a pile of my stuff in the car garage, waiting it's debut in the Wilson and 10th Street garden plot. I actually have some beans up and the zucchini look strong. I planted another tomato, the one I told you about. Green Zebra Stripped. And the grandbaby helped me water. A deer had walked through the garden, and if she ate something, I'm not privy to what. It was a sultry day and a good first day of summer and the celebration was fine.

Now I must get on the road and catch a ferry. Working on cleaning out the old place, extricating myself entirely is a emotional job; however, I'm ready for it after this last full moon and all the weird and wonderful things that happened.

Ciao!