Pushing Seeds Into the Mud

The last five days have been about nothing but dirt, sweat, plants, and exhaustion.  It seems that every year, towards the end of May, all my months of careful garden planning turn to panic and chaos.  This time was only different in that the obstacles have upped their game a bit.

 

This year's trouble actually began last year with a broken tiller and lack of funds to replace it.  Granted, it was secondhand (to say the least) and a tad over 40 years old…..but still, broken!  Why?!  <---- sarcasm

 

Non-surprisingly, that issue did not correct itself over the winter.  After much angst and debate over what to do, it finally dawned on me to get in contact with the gentleman I bought the original tiller from.  As luck would have it, he happened to have another one for sale for an extremely reasonable price.   I swear it is even older than the first (and definitely looks it), but it runs like a charm.

 

In the meantime, we’d also run into trouble with a dramatically broken lawnmower (don’t ask), and I suppose the weedwacker was feeling left out, because it bit it, too.  And let me just say for the record, cutting the grass with a machete is incredibly stupid……but having the grass at such a height that the machete thing actually works?  Yeah, not fun.  Suffice it to say, there was a period of nearly three weeks that I couldn’t even see the garden beds, let alone get them ready for planting.

 

But now it’s all FINALLY coming together and nearly everything is planted.  I’m mostly going with what has become standard for my garden:  purple beans, black tomatoes, white cucumbers, mini peppers and more herbs than I can actually find room to plant.  I am also trying winter squash and mini watermelons for the first time this year, so *fingers crossed*

 

All in all, it’s been a fairly normal (well, my normal anyway) start to the gardening season.  Chaos, angst, dirt-stained fingernails, scratches, scrapes, bruises, and insect bites are pretty much always to be expected.  But all of that is eclipsed by the sheer joy of lots and lots of plants, rocks, wildlife, and thoughts of the bounty still to come from all this hard work.

 

Now, I don’t suppose there’s any possibility I could hibernate until harvest time?

 

All is Fleeting

Have you ever had a project turn out exactly as you’d envisioned? 
I had no idea how that felt until now.

Introducing, Fleeting!

Inspired by all the things I love most about the spring season, Fleeting came about from a bit of autumnal reminiscing about fallen spring flower blossoms.

I knew from the very beginning the exact yarn I wanted for this shawl.  Which is an odd occurrence for me, as deciding on a color is often one of my biggest challenges to starting a project.  Usually by the time I’m halfway through with whatever I am creating, I’ve already decided on half a dozen colors that I want to make another one in.

But not with this project.

I was absolutely set on it being a pale cream, with tones of almost grey to create the necessary shadows.  And I still cannot picture it in anything else.

So, tell me, dear reader, what color/shade/fiber would you use for this shawl?


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Spring Demands Versatility

I had several sets of plans for today. 
The first was discarded due to the joyous arrival of my brand new niece. 
The second tossed aside by fickle and less than cooperative spring weather.
And the third was completely decimated by vast, vaaaaaaaast oversleeping.

I don’t know about you, but I am sensing a bit of a theme.

So.

Instead of anything at all that I’d even remotely intended for this space, you get a few snapshots from last week’s completely unexpected field trip.  Seems fitting, right?

 

 

Tiny pinecones (and a wayward ribbon tie from my bracelet).

 

 

A tapped sugar maple.



The waterflow at Clifton Mill (Clifton, Ohio)



A view of the hillside from an ivy embellished stone tomb.

 

 

I hope that your first day of spring was lovely, if perhaps a tad less  disordered than mine.  Then again, I suppose we all need a lesson in versatility every so often.  Either way, Blessed Ostara and Happy Spring Equinox!

 

On Surviving the Plague*

Ah, February.  It’s that lovely in between sort of time of year; the snow is melting, temps are fluctuating madly with spring’s quick approach, and all around me is the sound of…….coughing.  And sneezing.  And then there is the  general lingering presence of a vast, VAST overabundance of mucus.  Blech.

 

 

***An Obligatory Disclaimer and Cautionary Statement***
I am not a healthcare professional, and I hope that you guys know that you should never take the word of some random chick on the interwebz in regards to….well, anything really, but definitely when it comes to your health.  So, do your research, and remember that natural medicine is not without its quirks.  You never know when something will trigger an allergic reaction, a drug interaction, or just generally not agree with you.  Just….be careful, ‘kay?

Anyway, my go to thing for recovering from the plague**, is Elderberry Syrup.  Great for boosting the immune system to avoid becoming sick in the first place (don’t think for a moment I’m not regretting that bit of procrastination right now), and unlike most cold/cough syrups, this one is actually pretty tasty. 

I’ve always had a good result with the various premade store bought syrups, but, holy crap, are they expensive!   Plus, this is a natural medicine that could not be easier  to make at home.  After trying several recipes over the years, I’ve been left generally unsatisfied, mainly because of the insane level of sweetness most of the syrups impart.  So, how do you cut the sweetness and still have the end result be “syrupy”?  Blueberries!  Subtly sweet, and similar to the elderberries in that they are also high in antioxidants and vitamin C, bluerries  also contain enough pectin that it seemed to be the perfect solution to replace a great deal of the honey. 

Oh, one last note, I really like to add whiskey to my syrup, both because it can help to break up mucus and to improve the shelf life.  It is, of course, entirely optional, and you would likely want to leave it out if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, or making this for kids. 

 

 

 

 

 

Elderberry Syrup

1/2 c. dried organic elderberries

2/3 c. frozen organic blueberries

3 c. water

1/3 c. raw (preferably local) honey

1 oz. whiskey (optional)

 

Combine elderberries, blueberries, and water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat until gently simmering, and cook until the mixture is reduced by half (20 to 30 minutes).  Remove from heat and carefully strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, smooshing as much moisture from the berries as possible.  Discard solids (your backyard birds will be incredibly happy with you if this ends up under their feeder).  Set syrup aside, and allow it to cool to room temperature before stirring in the honey and whiskey.  Transfer to a bottle with a tight sealing lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

 

Yield 

Approximately 16 oz.

 

Dosage

Daily, to boost immune system: 1 tsp.
To help get over cold/flu: up to 3 tbs. over 24 hours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*It’s probably not actually the plague.

**Almost certainly not the plague....

 

 

 

A Winter's Reflection

Traditionally speaking it makes little sense, but traditions being what you make of them, Winter Solstice feels like New Year’s to me.  There is just something about it.  Maybe it’s the lack of light and the depth of cold.  It could be because  I am a gardener at heart, and it is the halfway point between putting the garden to bed in October and starting seeds in February.  Or perhaps it’s that the Solstices and Equinoxes have always been the most important part of my spiritual path.  I don’t know, but Yule, for me, is an end to things…and a beginning. 

I find this day to be so much about reflection.  Time to sort through all that has happened in the past year, to reflect on my life and realize what is meaningful and worth keeping, and what I need to discard.  I don’t really do resolutions, but treat it as more a sort of winter version of spring cleaning for my mind. 

Winding down now, my day has been full of quiet contemplation, along with a few festive gifts and snacks.  It has not turned out exactly as I had planned or expected (case in point, as I type this it is thundering, which is not exactly the most winterish of things in southwest Ohio…), but knowing that this holiday is often about change, I can’t help but believe that all is as it should be.

So, as a part of my quiet celebration, my wish for you is a Blessed Yule, Happy Winter Solstice, and a Merry Whatever Winter Holiday You Choose.  Have fun and be safe, people!

Plotting, Planning, Pondering

Snowflakes, icicles, and the rustle of bare branches in the chill December wind…it’s beginning to look a lot like…...garden planning time.

 

I suppose it’s totally a plant geek sort of thing, but there’s nothing I love more on the most bitter of winter days than to dig out the new seed catalogs and daydream about the garden to come. 

 

And it does require an awful lot of planning.  You know that old saying, it seems everyone has heard it at some meal from a parent or grandparent over the years, about your eyes being bigger than your stomach?  I am pretty much constantly afflicted with the gardening version of that.  Can I grow enough beans for a few decent cannings, plus eight varieties of (multiple) tomato plants on the paltry 1/8^th of an acre my house sits on?  Probably not.  Will that stop me from trying?  Well…..it hasn’t so far.

I’ve no real idea yet of what I’m going to grow this year.  I have my favorites of course, the ones that after much trial and error have become garden necessities:

Royalty Purple Pod Beans, as gorgeous as they are yummy. 

Miniature Red Bell Peppers, quick growing, space saving, prolific, and the best tasting of sweet peppers.
Nyagous Tomatoes, one of the tastiest and most reliable black tomatoes I’ve ever tried.
Trifetti Peppers, the only fruiting plant that I grow entirely for it’s beauty, and how amazingly well its leaves press and dry.

 

Other than those few standbys, I don’t know.  But I do know that outside there is already a blanket of snow on the ground, temps that didn’t quite make it out of the teens, and yet another incoming weather advisory.  It is definitely time for a hot cup of tea, a snuggle up on the couch, seed catalogs, and the dreams of a sleeping garden.

When "Ends Justifies The Means" Gets Craftily Literal

I am a knitter from way back.  No, really.  My grandmother taught me to knit when I was eight and that was....well, it was a while ago, okay? 

I was always fairly quick with regards to the actual stitching, but I was also a kid with an insanely short attention span. The cool thing about that was, by the time I'd finally finished being (repeatedly) sidetracked, I'd have forgotten how to finish the project in question. Again. Which sounds bad (it wasn't), and also like I might've been doing it on purpose (I really didn't). So, I'd take my knitted whatever to my grandma's, ask her for help, and she'd use my project to show me how to bind off. And also sew in my ends for me. Which, looking back, might very well have been why I never paid much attention to the finishing thing in the first place. Because even then, and despite the fact that I already loved sewing, I loathed the working in of ends.

Which leads me to now. And my current project. And the utter insanity that has caused me to design something that has a hundred and fifty bajillion billion* ends to sew in. The project in question, I can't actually tell you about, at least not yet. I can let you look at the pretty yarn though!

 

Pictured, Pretty Yarn (lol)

Anyway, I always think about my grandma a bit when I am doing any crafting, knitting or gardening especially.  With this though, I've thought of her every time I've even looked at my project bag.  And the thing is, the thoughts and feelings that arise are usually nostalgic; sometimes happy, sometimes sad, often bittersweet...but that's okay.

What is less okay, is how much this project is making me really wonder about the difficulty of necromancy (or perhaps ghost raising).  Would it be worth the zombification of grandma to have someone else to sew in all these hated ends for me?
I'm beginning to think so.

*possibly exaggerated, slightly

Things I Learned About Blogging (While Avoiding Doing It)

1.  Writing posts in my head doesn’t get them onto the blog.

2.  It doesn’t matter if it’s only funny to me.  It’s my blog.

3.  I am never going to feel comfortable about what I post if I’m not being myself. 

4.  Although…..myself with slightly better editing is good, too.

5.  But, obsessive over-editing is incredibly counter-productive.

6.  Starting a blog while in a major depressive down-swing is a bad idea, too.

7.  When all else fails just post a damn picture.


I absolutely understand that as a first post/introduction/whatever this is probably a little strange.
I think I’m okay with that.

So…….hello.