The last leg of the 2013 garden...

With all of the leaves gone, the weather is starting to feel less like fall and more like winter, and I'm somewhat surprised that there is no snow on the ground yet. I've been taking full advantage of the un-frozen earth, however, and am still enjoying the harvests from the garden. I'm eating broccoli, chard, bok choy and lettuce, having just finished the last of the turnips and beets last week. I'm not harvesting any more sunchokes, as I want to have a good crop next year.

Along with stretching the garden out, I've also managed to get an extra fence project started! I'm building a small wattle fence at the back of the herb garden, to protect the siding on the house from back splash and to keep the dirt from eroding toward the house as well. I love the look of this type of fencing, and with all the brush that grows up around here, I'll never run out of supplies! Wattle fencing is such an easy solution around the garden, and it's a great way to utilize the natural materials on your property!

The geese are doing well, although Gerdie is quite confused as to why the swimming pool is so hard and slick in the mornings! I've left it out for them up until now, but I'll be removing it this weekend and putting it into storage for the winter. We should HOPEFULLY be building the arctic entryway for the goose house this weekend also, so with any luck, I'll be able to get my projects finished and all of the tools put away before the snow decides to let loose!

Still Here... Just Nothing To Say...

Today is May 4th. The temperature reached as high as 40F, and it snowed...

I have been delayed over a month now in getting the run and coop built for my geese because the snow hasn't all melted yet.

Some years, I already have things planted in the garden by this date.

My seedlings are dying to go outside!

Long story short, I'm still here, but I'm a grumpy gardener, and I have nothing to say!  Join me on facebook, however, as things are slightly more interesting over there!  And don't worry, I'll have more to write about eventually...

A Quick Update to Start Off the New Year...

We've had 4 days of temperatures above freezing now, and although it has been great to tend to the bird feeder and shovel some snow while wearing a t-shirt, I'm starting to worry about some of my more tender perennials, like the lavender, and the experimental garlic bulbs I planted this fall. A freeze/thaw cycle will heave the plants up to the surface of the soil where their roots can freeze. I did put a very thick layer of mulch over the lavender and the clematis, so hopefully that will make the difference.

So much snow has melted now that I put on my Sorels and stomped around the yard for a little while yesterday. I opened up the covered raised bed, and to my surprise, the top inch of dirt was completely thawed! Anything below that was frozen solid, of course, but that top inch really made me realize that there is plenty of potential for that structure! I can see my seedlings sleeping comfortably in there over night until the threat of frost is over, and if the whole thing thaws faster than the other raised beds, the potential for a pumpkin or two is a reality!

I really don't know what I'm going to do in my garden this year. I have a feeling that with the geese coming in the spring, and all the planning and building that that will entail, the garden isn't going to have much for experimentation! The garden fence is moving to the birds, so they have some predator protection, and this year will be my first non-enclosed gardening experience. I'm looking forward to moving the garden beyond the confines of that wall, but hopefully the Moose and the Rabbits will be nice to me!

I think that the chickens are going to end up on hold for another year now. The geese are a great start, and probably easier to care for also. Once my husband sees how they do this winter then maybe he wont worry so much about adding a few chickens, but for now, city-boy (and over-planner) that he is, he is extremely worried about how this is going to work. I've given up trying to explain that we don't need a $1000 coop... hopefully he'll figure it out!

Just out of curiosity, does anyone reading this post raise birds in cold climates? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

The Solar Clothes Dryer...

I hang my laundry out to dry for a lot of different reasons. One of the most important is to save electricity. It may not add up to much per load, but when you add up all the loads you save over the course of the year, or even just the summer, it makes a big difference! Another reason is to make my clothes last longer. You know that lint trap that you have to empty after every load? That's little bits of fabric that were worn from your clothes, making them a little bit thinner every time you wash them. Hanging on the line keeps the fabric stronger! Sunshine is a natural stain bleacher also... so if you have a stain that just won't quite go away... point it to the sun! And don't forget about that sunshine smell that you can't get anywhere else! Line-dried laundry is one of my favorite classic summer smells. I intentionally located the laundry line close to my lilac bush, but even when the lilac isn't blooming, that fresh laundry always smells fantastic!

Lily and Piglet love to come with me when I hang a fresh load. She plays in the

toes of the pants and helps hand me clothespins.

I must admit that there is a rebellious side in me that likes the idea of going against the mainstream whenever I get a chance. Hanging your laundry is definitely not the norm in America... which is kind of sad, actually. Going through the motions of hanging the laundry on the line is a bit of a meditative practice. It is very grounding to be standing outside in the pure sunshine, repeating the same sequence over and over again, without really thinking about what you are doing. Many people could benefit from this brief quieting of the mind.

Do you ever hang dry your laundry? Is it even allowed in your neighborhood?

Providing a Space for your Wildlife...

It amazes me sometimes, the abundance of wildlife in my yard at any given moment.

I have birds everywhere. Not just at the bird feeder, which is really more of a squirrel feeder, but all over the yard. In the grass, in the flower beds, at the feeder, taking a bath in the fountain... everywhere! I love to sit outside and focus on one individual bird going about its business. Pick a bug here, investigate a flower there, dive into the fountain and then sit on the wattle fence all fluffed up and happy. I have been watching whole bird families grow up this year. I've seen Mama take all the babies around the yard and teach them how to forage, and watched the babies play with each other like your standard basket full of puppies! Birds have such fun personalities, and its a treat to have the opportunity to recognize that.

There are actually 4 or 5 birds in this picture, on the ground below the bird feeder. They just blend in EXTREMELY well!!!

The squirrels have been providing us with endless hours of entertainment as well. We have 3 (at least) that all tend to want to eat from the bird feeder at the same time. This results in amazing squirrel acrobatics, usually followed by a squirrel tumbleweed rolling around the yard, hilarious chatter noises, and 2 pissed off squirrels that didn't win feeder rights this time around.

The rabbits are a bit harder to catch a glimpse of, but they are definitely here. When I do catch sight of them, its usually near the fountain, and they disappear just as fast as you can spot them. That fountain really attracts the animals!

Foxes are always around, probably enticed by all the rabbits. I have seen Red Fox, Silver Fox, AND Cross Fox in my yard, all at different times. They are beautiful, and I consider myself blessed when they show themselves.

As I create this space, I find myself thinking more and more about how I can make it more of a sanctuary for the little critters. I feel exceptionally lucky to have them here, and that they allow me to mingle with them as they do their thing. Little details, like placing birdbaths amongst several of the flower beds, makes a huge difference. Next I will be turning my attention to building and placing bird houses, and maybe some bat houses also!

What do you do for the wildlife in your space?

Garden Friends

Just a quick picture of one of our garden visitors today...

Tiger Swallowtail has always been one of my favorite butterflies.  This one had an injured wing, but it didn't seem to affect it much.

Snow on the horizon...

Looking out my window this morning, I can't help but notice the snow that is slowly creeping its way down the mountains.  Although the last few days of rain and cloud cover have produced some warmer fall temperatures, there is no denying that winter is knocking at the front door.  Its time to finish up the garden, clean up the yard, and make any repairs to the house that have been pushed to the back burner.  Its the time for baked squash, yummy fall soups, and the family favorite around here, pot roast with roasted root vegetables.

I have mostly stopped eating red meat, as I find that it sits in my stomach like a rock for far too long, but I'm not going to deny the rest of my family the option.  I just make myself something different on the days I make roast for the rest of my family.  Do you make more than one meal at night, to satisfy the different tastes at the dinner table?

1st Cabbage Harvest!

Today we harvested our first cabbage!  Once Robert got over the fact that I harvested the first broccoli ("don't cut it, I want to see how big it will get!  Hunny, we have to cut it or it will just go to seed and then we won't be able to EAT it!") he decided that we needed to have corned beef and cabbage tonight!

Its bigger than his head!  And the first thing he asked is, "can I eat a leaf now?"  (Proud Mom Bragging)

Its like a jungle in the hothouse now!

And finally I can show off a few more of my flowers!  The rose bush is blooming...

And remember the old raised beds that I turned into wildflower gardens?  Take a look!...

What are you harvesting right now?

Uh Oh

So, in the past, I have never gotten a squash plant to get bigger than 8 inches or so in total diameter.  Why then, shouldn't I be surprised when the squash plants are now threatening to take over the entire hothouse, and choke out the cucumbers?  I'm going to have to trim back the leaves on that side of the plants!  Next year the squash get an entire bed to themselves!!

Its a jungle out there!

The garden is going absolutely crazy!  I officially have squash on all of my squash plants now.  The picture below is the first squash harvest, not only of the season, but of my entire gardening career!  I have NEVER gotten to pick a squash off of my own vine before!  And man was it tasty!

The spinach has finally started to bolt.  I have been pulling the plants as the flowers appear and adding them to the compost pile.  Once spinach starts to bolt, the leaves get more bitter, so we won't be eating much more this year.  I would plant another round, but I simply have no room in the garden!  And that is not a bad problem to have!  I do wish that I had planted the spinach where the kale is, and vice versa.  The broccoli is starting to cover the kale, which is now leaning to the side where the spinach plants were.  It will all work out, but it gives me something to remember when planting next year.

The first group of turnips are finally starting to bulb out as well!  Soon I will be pulling that row, making more room for the broccoli to grow and for the second group of turnips to get bigger.  I'm also getting ready to plant round four of radishes.  They are growing better than I could have wished for, and they are a very tasty treat in my daily salads.  I can't wait until I get to add the tomatoes and cucumbers!

The broccoli is doing amazing as well, forming beautiful heads which will be quite tasty, and will fill the freezer nicely.  The green beans seem to have made a full recovery from their bug attack at the beginning of the season.  They are showing the first signs of blooming, which is very exciting.  And last but not least, the snap peas are blooming like crazy!  We are going to have a TON of peas this year!  Canning season is going to be happening before we know it... time to get prepared now!

What is everyone else harvesting right now?

A tough decision to make... (sorry, this post is a little graphic)

What do you do when one of your cats is a killing machine and its getting out of control?

One of my cats, Isis, has always been a champion mouser.  Problem is, she likes to skin them alive, in the bathroom.  We actually had to close off the dog door because we were waking up to a bloody massacre every morning.  She has more recently moved on to birds, so I have purposely never put out any bird houses or bird seed, which I really want to do.  Well, now she has added rabbits to her list of fun animals to torture.  Mind you, this cat is declawed.  This morning I woke up to a rabbit gutted in the middle of the path to the garden.  Half of its face had been eaten off.  As soon as I recover from finding this, Isis comes around the corner with a live sparrow in her mouth.  I managed to rescue the little bird and tuck it up into a tree to *hopefully* get over its shock.  This afternoon she has attempted to bring 2 other birds into the house.  I have been finding rabbits guts around the yard all week, and have found more than one rabbit with no head at all.

I have thought about making her stay indoors, but if she wants outside, she sits by the door and meows so frickin loud that no one in the house can sleep, or even hear themselves think for that matter.  This cat will never be happy as an indoor cat.

So, what do I do?  Do I continue to tolerate it, because I am the one that welcomed her into my home to begin with?  Am I failing her if I find her a new home?  Is she worth the lives of all the animals she is killing, purely for sport?  What would you do?

I got a few pictures last night...

Managed to snap a few pictures last night of the new setup in the yard...

Here's my new clothesline!  Its cemented in properly and is much sturdier than I expected!  You can see the new Lilac planted to the right.  I'm hoping that in the spring it will scent the laundry as it drys.  Drying the laundry outside is something that can save a ton of energy.  Our dryer is electric, so it will be nice to see that bill drop a little!

This is an old photo which shows the old location of the greenhouse, on the right.

This photo was taken standing on th corner of the deck, by the grill.  Rob just dragged the whole thing across the yard with his pickup!  And the yard now feels HUGE!  We will be getting rid of the dog house soon, and that will open it up even more.

Last but not least, the new chiminea!  We've used it 2 nights in a row.  I've wanted one of these for years!

A garden update, and a mystery plant!

Here's a few photo's to update you all on the state of the garden.  I have to say, this is the most beautiful, most productive garden I have ever had!!!

My newest flower box... Rose, Peony, and Bleeding Heart

Porch Tomatoes

Edible salad flowers

Apple Mint and Chocolate Mint

Rhubarb

Cucumbers and Summer Squash

Eggplant is looking good!

Tomato blossoms

More Tomatoes

Broccoli, Turnip, Green Onion, Kale, Spinach, Lettuce, and Radishes

Kale, Spinach and Lettuce

Cabbage, Onion and Brussels Sprouts

Green Beans

More Cabbages

Broccoli

Swiss Chard is not doing much right now

Dianthus (volunteer)

New Rhubarb plant

My new wheelbarrow garden

Now for the mystery plant:

Anyone have any idea what this is?

Watch this movie!!!

Build it up, then tear it all down...

I got quite a bit of the garden situated for winter today. I have only 2 more beds to tear down before the snow flies. The zucchini/bean bed is waiting patiently for me... and the snap peas are still blooming. We had a really hard frost last night, so I won't be able to harvest peas for very much longer, but right now they are sweet and wonderful!

I finally turned on the main heater in the house, but set it at 66F and turn it back off during the day, like the fireplace. Winter is coming, like it or not!

Brrrrrrr!

It is most definitely getting colder outside. Earlier this week, the air changed. It went from cool summer air, to cold crisp fall air. You can smell the snow creeping down the mountain, and it is getting downright COLD at night. I still haven't turned the heater on yet. I've been baking every day and the heat from the oven is still enough to keep the house warm enough. I have turned on the fireplace in the bedroom the last 2 nights, but that's more for being cozy than for being cold. I am really a cheapskate when it comes to heating fuel. My husband hates it, and secretly turns up the heat when he thinks he can get away with it, but I always turn it right back down! I figure, especially with fuel prices the way they are these days (gasoline is running $3.36 a gallon right now, and heating fuel isn't far behind...) our pocketbooks will thank us if we just put on a sweater. Lily has lots of cute, warm footie pajamas that will keep her warm, and Stephen likes it a little cooler like I do.

I have been letting the dogs stay in the house for most of the day now. Boss is almost 10 and has cancer. The cold last year nearly crippled him. I honestly don't think he will make it through another winter. That's a hard thing to come to terms with. I rescued Boss when he was 8 months old, and he has been the best dog I have ever known. I'll just keep him comfortable as long as I can, and know in my heart that that old dog had a good life because of me. He used to go on sleep-overs to Stephen's cousin's house. I have pictures of them in bed with Boss snuggled up under the covers, happy as a clam, and twice the size of the kids!

My husband mentioned that we might get another dog when Boss passes on, but honestly, I don't think I want to. Lady is quite a handful, although she is getting more mellow as she gets older (finally!) I do need a dog for protection around here, but Lady is 140 pounds, and can do the job quite nicely on her own. She is quite fond of scaring the crap out of tresspassers! She is not mean at all, but they don't know that when she walks up to them and looks them in the eye, and is the same size as them! She has the intimidation thing down nicely... she gets about 3 feet away and just stares! (We don't have tresspassers all that often any more, but it was a real problem last year... mostly punks on four-wheelers or snowmachines tearing up the driveway, with no concept of private property or respecting the rights of others.)

All in all, life is good here at Woodside Gardens. We are content and happy, and ready for the change of seasons. Lots of stuff to do around the house still before the snow flies, but that seems to be a never ending chore, and sure to get worse once the chickens are here. I have all winter to convince Rob to build that chicken coop in the spring!

What a difference a deck makes!

I was recalling earlier what the front of the house looked like at the beginning of the year. It is amazing what a weekend project can do for appearances, and functionality as well! Rob built me a front deck for my birthday this year, to replace the pallet (which I detested) that served the purpose when we bought the place. It took him a day and a half to build, but its like we added a whole new room!

Here's the before and after pictures...

Before...

...After

We have so many landscaping plans for this pile of rocks we live on, its hard to decide what to tackle first. We mostly want to get in the gardens first, but this was much needed, and much appreciated! It helps keep the house a little cleaner in the summer, also, because I leave my front doors open thanks to the lack of mosquitoes in this particular spot. I didn't realize quite how drastic the transformation was until I looked at both of these pictures together.

Smells like fall time...

When I go outside, I can smell the change of the season. Instead of green, my nostrils fill with the smell of earth, brown leaves, and berries. I love fall time, not just for the smells, but for the colors, and the crisp air. Its time to start bundling up a bit, and time to turn the heater back on in the house (almost). Time to break out the scented candles and close the curtains, and give the house back that cozy feeling that it only gets when it is cold outside. All summer long the doors and windows are open, giving the house that nice, fresh feel. Now, when you walk into my home, you smell vegetable soup cooking on the stove, fresh bread baking in the oven, hot apple cider simmering away, and yummy, earthy scented candles burning in the corner of the room. Cozy is the best way to describe it. What could be better than that?

Bear Scat and other fun stuff...

When we got home from Stephen's school event yesterday, we were greeted by a HUGE pile of bear scat at the bottom of the driveway! I'm talking "there's no way that came from a black bear" huge! I know that bears live here on my property, even over-wintering in places, but this reminded me of just how close they really are. It doesn't worry me, but reminds me that Stephen needs to stay close to the house when he plays outside, and that we need to be aware of our surroundings. (Like day before yesterday when I was out in the thick bushes picking rosehips for my jelly) Rob, on the other hand, freaked out a little bit, being the city boy that he hates to admit that he sometimes is.. (hehehe)

A little background on this particular piece of property... My father purchased 40 acres from the original homesteaders, who are close family friends. He then sold 10 of the acres to my sister, who eventually decided that she was more interested in city life. When she told me she was going to sell the place, I immediately sold my house and bought hers! So, although I have only owned this land going on 2 years, I have literally lived here my whole life. The bears were just part of the land, my father always being more interested in providing a sanctuary for wildlife, rather than hunting it. There are bears, moose, fox, Sandhill Cranes (that come back every year to have their babies in my back yard), porcupines, coyotes, wolves, lynx... etc. etc.

I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to be in such an amazing place... just look at what I get to wake up to every morning!!!




That's a photo of Denali... the tallest mountain in North America, which I took from my front porch this morning. She greets me every morning, reminding me that its a big world out there. Look at that photo and tell me that I'm not the luckiest person in the world, to be able to raise my children in such an amazing place!!! This is the piece of land I was meant to be on. My heart is here. My life is here. I can't imagine being anywhere else in the world.

Is it time to re-define our priorities?

All you seem to hear in the news is the (still) tanking economy and other public discomforts. It makes me wonder when more people are going to realize that sometimes, simpler is better. The American People as a whole are working themselves to death, just to keep up appearances within a superficial, materialistic society. Families are living together, co-existing, without ever getting to know one another. How are parents supposed to lead by example and instill morals and values into their children, when their children never see them because they are always at work? If society placed a higher value on being at home than traveling, multi-tasking, and spending money, we would have a greener earth, happier families, better LOCAL economies, and have (possibly) poorer, yet much better off and contented, people.

There is nothing better to me than being at home, watching my children grow, learn and play, while my husband works on whatever project he has dreamed up in the back yard. We aren't spending money, we're using hardly any electricity because we are outside in the yard instead of in the living room watching TV (we don't even HAVE TV), and the children are learning that home is a good thing, to be enjoyed every day. Sitting on the front porch in the covered swing with a cold drink on a hot, sunny day, is, to me, better than being in a mall, or a car, or just about anywhere else.