Bad Luck but Lucky Timing

My maternal grandparents always made my three older brothers and me feel welcome and cherished. One odd recollection is of a bush that bore delicious smelling flowers (?) with an almost leathery outer texture. Having been told it was called a spicebush back then I decided to try and find one.

Well, the thing I planted grew into an out of control tree with few blooms and zero scent. I kept defending its presence to my husband despite the fact it didn’t make me happy and looked, in all honestly, quite ugly. So I cut the entire thing down to a stump a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, overexertion resulted in a small section of inflamed lung lining. Bending over caused the worst of that isolated little stabbing pain but I continue (!) feeling discomfort. On the bright side my husband just happened to purchase a long handled grabbing tool just days before my injury. Whew! I’m still using it today as day I type this.

My friend Scars welcomed me to what he
termed the Tool Using Monkey Club.

Meanwhile, our lawn grew taller and taller while I waited to heal. Our front yard is pitted with foot sized craters, so no way was I up to mowing. And I am equally averse to letting my husband risk his older self. But more on that for another post… Spoiler alert, this proved to be a blessing in disguise.

How lucky am I to have such an amusing friend? Have you ever suffered a pleural effusion?

-

Overexcited, & Now Just Plain Excited

I’m thrilled that my dwarf, container grown corn is producing. But as the title bluntly hints, I harvested several too soon almost a week ago. I should have picked just one, not a regrettable seven. :( Refusing to throw them out, I cooked them. My husband, bless his heart, helped me eat that tiny harvest despite it tasting dry and almost woody.
 

The forming kernels were not plump at all...

Fortunately, today’s harvest of two proved sweet, if still tiny. They looked much more robust before being cooked.

The other was already being cooked before
 I remembered to take a photo...

Here are a few other useful lessons learned. Husking corn before cooking is a waste of time. Instead, cut off overhanging bits and microwave the entire thing for five minutes. the steaming process makes for a perfect chew and, better still, the cob slides right out of its husk. However, it’s best to refrigerate any you don’t plan to eat right away fully intact. This helps retain moisture.

Have you ever walked into a family friend’s cornfield and picked the sweetest you’ll ever taste? Can you believe my favorite memory from those farmyard visits is playing in the big barn with their youngest son and hearing my family complain how I smelled like pigs all the way home?

-

Exciting Times

It’s ridiculous that I started writing this post at least a week (?) ago. Anyway, here’s my overdue garden update.

My once weak and spindly tomato seedlings have really taken off. There are so many fruits forming that I decided to harvest a few green ones. I’m not kidding when I say these weren’t just the best fried green tomatoes I’ve ever made but the best I’ve ever eaten. My husband, not a previous fan, wants me to cook up some more…

Yum...

Finally, I was able to harvest two turning red. Again, our BLT sandwiches tasted incredible. I still need to find a good salsa recipe for canning my sweet bell peppers and these super sauce tomatoes. Fingers crossed, I won’t lose my harvest due to a natural weather event or pest invasion.

I’m so grateful to the Millennial Gardener sharing all his trials and errors on YouTube. His videos are invaluable. I learned last year that tomato plants cut off nutrients before the fruits are fully ripened.

I apologize for the poor quality image...
I need to fry some green tomatoes!

Are you aware that the time to harvest is when gently lifted fruit breaks off the vine? Isn’t nature amazing?

-

A Win/Win/Win

For a mere 99 cents I picked up a box of wildflower seeds. I scattered them in the spring and finally am seeing the fruits of my very light labor. Win! There are lots more blooms today but I thought I’d share this image snapped on a brief (very hot) walk about the yard.

I need to clear out some lawn grass
around the impromptu little plot
and add a nice border...

On Wednesday, as I typed this, my brother-in-law was in town. He knew my husband’s favorite hamburger joint was soon to close, and, as done for past visits, Michael bought burgers to bring south, this time eight (!) of them. The sad ending of an era is no win, of course; I do have two more.

For one thing, I cleaned and organized more than I have in years. Win number 2. You see, Michael and the eldest brother are both fanatical clean freaks, complete opposites of us. Super short notice had me sweating buckets but I didn’t stress. I know both my brothers-in-law love us more than they abhor our messy home.

The biggest win happens to be on prominent display at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. Another super old restaurant closed yet their bunny sign stood for many years. Then Akron, Ohio lawmakers decided to take it down. I reached out to the museum, where the beloved bunny received painstaking restoration and now towers over visitors upon entering.

A rabbit eating a hamburger may be weird but it was
the nickname the founder gave his adored wife...

Our success made local news in Northeast Ohio. I don’t mind us not being credited, the result is rewarding enough. And we hope to do the same for the iconic Skyway sign.

This location was open for 74 years...

Isn’t it nice when history doesn’t get discarded? Have you ever visited something like our sign museum?

-

One Fine Sunday

My friend Scars was very angry at the world when we first met and really wanted to end his life of extreme pain. But he promised his dying mother not to leave his father further bereaved. I wish I could have met Betty, but Scars’ father is a treasure.

In honor of both these chivalrous and delightful men I left my comfort zone (home) and drove north to attend church with them. There, we witnessed Scars’ reconfirmation baptism.

Sitting alone for a bit before the service began, I prompted Paul to tell me travel stories. Scars inherited his storytelling skill, by the way, another reason I so enjoy their company. In fact, I told my husband we should both visit to hear Paul’s tales before his failing health takes him from us.

~sigh~

When Scars was called up to the baptismal pool, Paul said he’d stay where we’d parked his wheelchair despite his son and I each offering to wheel him over. “I’ll keep an eye on his stuff,” he insisted. I didn’t know this until afterward, but he accepted a stranger’s offer, for which I’m very glad. Scars also refuses assistance at almost every turn. Letting me do anything is rewarding.

Unfortunately, Scars’ niece, mother of a five week old boy, couldn’t attend and most of the remaining family lives out of state. That fact and my ability to physically help in small ways multiplied my contentment. One fellow took a photo of us three and there is video of the baptism, too. If my decades ago searches for a church family had led me to a congregation so friendly and not clamoring for membership I would have likely remained a member.

Where I find spirituality...
I am excited to harvest my first eggplant!

Like father, like son, right? And now, do you think I’m in the majority of my contemporaries when I say my garden is my cathedral of choice?

-

Dazed and Confused

I went outside in a great mood one morning to check my vegetable plants when I saw a slip of paper fallen from my front doorknob. A city employee left a weed violation warning that totally deflated my good mood. I’ve worked so hard on maintaining a decent yard. And I’m on my own due to my husband’s imbalance issues.

I immediately called and left the inspector a polite message requesting guidance. And I shamelessly played the old lady card, how I alone maintain the property.

Still feeling down and confused, I knew that taking action was an excellent morale booster. Two rare but always amicable neighborly encounters improved my mood before I even started. Then I walked to the north side of our house.

Invasive, fast growing Johnson grass went nuts when I wasn’t looking. I immediately took my electric hedge trimmer and mowed down as much as possible without tumbling down the hill. While the landscape has eroded beyond recognition, the hardest to reach spot is almost exactly where I caught Tilly falling from the neighbor’s tree so long ago.

The inspector called the next afternoon and confirmed my wishful suspicion. My husband was relieved by both the fact we wouldn’t be facing any fine and our vegetables are in no danger.

I need to follow up with weed killer. And keeping this obnoxious grass down demands vigilance.

Can you imagine how worse it would have been if that notice blew away? Is there a particular invasive plant plaguing your area?

-

Hard Work and Great Expectations

This past Monday I spent long, arduous hours fertilizing plants in all my grow bags and the raised bed. Long after I’d spooned out dry components for each plant it occurred to me that a plastic cup could be marked with the desired amount. ~sigh~ I’d done that with liquids, so why not? Measuring proved a bit trickier but made things way quicker. Meanwhile, I’m incredibly grateful for my ‘portable oasis’ shade and these cooler temperatures.

This is my little raised bed contains dill, eggplant,
sweet basil, and bell peppers...

The little 3 pack purchased at our Walmart garden center looked like it contained basil and I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses. LOL What’s even funnier is that the tag gave no clue as to the variety; the image included everything from sweet bell to some of the hottest. Weird, huh? Oh, well, I look forward to finding out what they are, which is probably green bell.

Meanwhile my husband, most beloved by me and our three cats cannot conceive how hard I work. He does appreciate it, though, and cooked our dinner that evening. The next day my body complained, for sure, but a good foot soak and rest restored me. And I’m excited.

I took this today and need to keep an eye on that twine,
making sure it does not interfere...

Do you know that eggplant got its name due to the original white skin matching the mass produced chicken egg’s shell? Why do you think growers felt the need cultivate the purple variety?

-

Another Garden Update – & – A Lingering Annoyance

My lemon cucumber plants are growing like gangbusters. I added another level to my Earth Box trellis. The growth rate is astounding at three to four inches a day. The straight 8 variety are growing slower, for whatever reason.

I apologize for the poor image. The vines have reached
further toward the sky and deserve an updated photo.

This jungle parrot sweet bell pepper looks great.

This corn is growing well; I need to move the other
three grow bags into more direct sunlight.

I’m going to address my ‘first world problem’ with a message to Strayer. Yesterday I clicked to sign in to Blogger and actually reached the sign in page this time, but it dumped me out again. ~sigh~ My friend, I’m sorry about the sudden loss of Juno. And thanks as always for the good you do through your nonprofit The Happy Cat Club.

Did you know that corn is a heavy feeder and tomato plants need a lot of water to prevent blossom end rot? Isn’t it fortunate an automatic watering system finally solved the latter issue?

-

Both Bewildered & Delighted

Somehow, I didn’t get on my laptop for four days straight (!) when I thought I’d only missed doing so yesterday (Monday). ~scratches head~ So I’m sorry for my lengthy absence.

In the meantime, my first super sauce Roma tomato blooms have fruited. I’m so happy my leggy seedlings could be rescued.

I harvested exactly one last year due to not
labeling, planting only sturdy seedlings,
and all but one turned out being
of the cherry variety.

In my defense, my husband spent two weeks in hospital last spring, thus my thoughts were scattered. At least I learned a valuable lesson about seed starting, and I’m thrilled at how well my guy is doing now.

I also enjoy our ruby throated hummingbirds and maintain several sugar water feeders. The ants no longer annoy me as they did years ago. They are generally beneficial, after all, and we all have to eat.

Inevitably, a few of these teeny tiny ants hitch a ride with me
even though I try to leave them where they were...

It fascinates me how only a single size of ant invades one feeder or the other. You would think the larger types would take over from the tiniest. Perhaps having so many options makes a difference.

Aren’t I lucky that replanting all this season’s scraggly seedlings deeper revived them? Who knew that different types of tomato seeds were more finicky than others about their growing conditions?

-

Two Furry Friends

One new green pal has potential to provide tasty tomatoes this summer. I am pleased that buds are forming already.

Their fuzzy appearance is cute while a close-up reminds
me of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors...

This blissful perpetual kitten I filmed likes huffing catnip from a toy Halloween treat bag. It has a jingle ball inside. Twice now I’ve seen Polly momentarily get it stuck on her head.

Have you been following any of the ongoing space exploration? And on an earthly note, do you think Polly stuck her face in so far because the months old ‘nip is losing potency?

-

Garden Innovations – & – an Urban Legend (My Mortal Kombat II Movie Review)

My vegetable gardening endeavors are going quite well. I’m continually learning and improvising. Let’s take a quick visual tour.

I hope this flipped trellis protects my pumpkin plants against deer;
I will have to keep track of it...

This contraption provides portable shade, which I concocted last
summer and started calling my Mobile Oasis. Our twenty-nine old neighbor thinks it is BADA$$. ~grin~ And he likes my idea of adding a cup holder, perhaps a small motor, and thinks I should market the altered hand truck.

My carefully cultivated soil for carrots got raided by raccoons overnight last week; the aforementioned kind neighbor
lent me wire cutters to create this barrier.

This morning my husband offered to see a horror movie called “Hokum” in theater. It’s been on my watch wish list so I got my butt into gear for a 10:15am show time. Weirdly, the next three days only offered late night viewings. But neither of us looked close enough at the Sunday listing; it should have been obvious the options wouldn’t be early one day and late the following.

So we had choices. The kind ticket seller mentioned another scary movie but we hadn’t heard of it and I suggested just leaving. On our way toward the exit my guy reminded me of our mutual interest in “Mortal Kombat II”. Lucky for us, our timing was perfect.

Both of us were hooked by actor Karl Urban portraying the flippant Johnny Cage. His film and cinema presence always delight. I did wonder if this Kiwi acting powerhouse would prove too old for the role of a former Black Belt fighter turned action star. I also questioned how this remake would fare against the nineties film we adore.

Happily, I cannot state enough how the character and plot adaptations surpassed all my expectations. Though this popcorn flick isn’t groundbreaking it had me utterly engaged and laughing at the many relevant cultural references.

Do you know that carrots need a particularly fine growing medium and appreciate a bone meal additive? Should I have been surprised that the bone meal attracted opportunistic raccoons?

-

Fun Finds

Preparing my garden patch, I discovered a pathetic little sprout trying to grow around my weed barrier. It proved harder to remove than expected. Apparently a squirrel buried a walnut in my grow bag and forgot. Too bad I don’t have space for such a tree or I’d try sprouting a nut myself.

Can you make out the walnut shell behind the germinated sprout?

On the other side of the yard I needed to clean up some aggressively growing lemon thyme. In the process of pruning dead vegetation and what was taking over the sidewalk I decided to remove an old seashell for placement elsewhere before it got lost underneath the vegetation. I didn’t expect a tiny bouquet of thyme flowers to tag along and found it quite lovely.

I found this broken, weathered shell decades ago...

Are you allergic to nuts or do you enjoy eating them? Isn’t it funny that the peanut isn’t a true nut, but rather a legume?

-

A Quick Veggie Plant Update

Things are looking quite healthy. I’m leaving them outside for two and a half hours today. On Sunday I fertilized each at half strength. Please wish me well that I don’t trip and fall while moving them.

All my pumpkins and cucumbers have
jagged leaves while those smooth
ones belong to peppers...

I have my heart set on growing Super
Sauce tomatoes this summer...

More pepper and cucerbit plants...

Did you know that luffa sponges are a type of gourd in the cucerbit family? Isn’t it amazing that these gourds harvested young are commonly eaten (similar to zucchini) either stir-fried or curried?

-

My Furry Houdini

Acclimating my plants to the outdoors (Yay!), I move them through our walkout basement onto the back patio. It’s easiest leaving the sliding glass door open in the process. Preventing our cats from getting out has an easy solution. I close the door at the top of the steps.

Left to right: pepper, cucumber, & tomato
all still have growing to do...

It didn’t quite latch one day, which I knew but wasn’t concerned. Everything locked up and plants nestled back into their little greenhouse, I headed toward the steps. The wide open door caught me by surprise. Surely my husband hadn’t woken from his nap and opened it. He would understand why I shut the door.

At the top I found Dandelion, who promptly got the zoomies while the sisters remained sound asleep. She is long legged, strong, and has big paws with claws to match, so she must have hooked the edge of the door and simply pulled.

Mischief & zoomies over;
time to nap now...

Dani certainly has done a number on the carpet outside the master bathroom. I finally laid down a wooden transition strip to both further prevent and hide the damage. When used for good, these feet are adorable.

 

It was lucky I rediscovered the thing. Even better was the perfect fit. While longer than the bathroom doorway is wide, it slid perfectly beneath our pocket door.

What is the oddest way you ever repurposed an item? Have you ever seen a pocket door?

-

A Very Windy Garden Update

I’m happy to report that my tomato, pumpkin, and cucumber plants are looking good. The Jungle Parrot sweet peppers look a bit feeble but not terrible.

They all need daily time outside to harden off for outdoor transplantation. I set them out three days ago for half an hour. But that’s all I’ve managed.

All my comings and goings left poor
Polly exhausted...

Today’s even more extreme wind gusts (up to 31 mph!) would be detrimental, to say the least. I have my fingers crossed that this pattern changes but the forecast isn’t looking too good. Oh, well. All I can do is try and all the while hope for the best.

She had zero strength to offer sympathy
to my tired, mildly frustrated self.

Do you know we Midwesterners have a saying “April showers bring May flowers”? Why, instead, did March “come in like a lion” and never leave? What happened to the “going out like a lamb” part?

-

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Last autumn I looked at my asparagus plants and deemed them destroyed by my accidental weed killer overspray. I was wrong! I’m planning to harvest some soon.

The small, tender stalks are to the right,
blending into the background...

Unfortunately, the Merlin cucumber plant didn’t survive. I haven’t even tried investigating what might have happened. Instead, I’m focused on moving forward.

Alas, his mythical magic
could not save Merlin.

And my tomato plants are moving forward, for sure. I’m delighted to report that replanting the leggy ones super deep has them perked up. The youngest sprout has not yet developed secondary adult leaves but looks healthy, as do my pepper and Swiss chard seedlings.

The reddish hues are not a problem, but rather
 caused by our broad spectrum lighting...

Do you know that perennial asparagus plants can live for many years? And that the stalks can be harvested from early spring into late fall?

-

Garden Hopes & Surprises

I’m still crossing my fingers that my gangly tomato seedlings survive. One did manage to stand straighter. We still have plenty of time to order plants from the Burpee company (I think and hope if needed).

Meanwhile, I saved seed pucks from last year’s failed attempts. To my surprised delight I discovered that one of the Merlin cucumber seeds sprouted after its long dormancy. Since our friend Phoenix swears by the Straight Eight cuke variety, we bought a packet for this year.

My bonus Merlin cuke is topmost right,
foremost are tomatoes refusing to sprout,
in the middle are my rainbow Swiss chard.

We also decided to try our luck growing lemon cucumbers. As the name suggests, this heirloom breed we hope to propagate is round and yellow with a sweet taste enjoyed both raw and pickled.

We look forward to tasting any we can harvest...

Isn’t it amazing how life finds a way? Had you heard of lemon cucumbers before now?

-

Looking on the Bright Side

I’m not having much luck with my coveted Super Sauce Roma tomato seedlings. The ones that sprouted are really leggy and others are stubbornly not sprouting at all. On the bright side, we have a backup plan; Burpee sells living plants as well as Super Sauce seeds. I don’t know how much those cost and probably don’t want to know. If my husband is that determined I grow them, I won’t complain about price.

The one on the far left got moved earlier in its growth;
I guess this variety needs bright light and less heat.

Sisters Terra and Polly usually follow me whenever I go downstairs. My little greenhouse setup is behind a closed door and they’ll sit outside waiting. But not every time. The pair might have been asleep when I went down the other day. I came out and saw them from the foot of the staircase.

My snoopervisors...

Do you think the vine-like little plants might survive? Did you know they shouldn’t be fertilized until their first mature leaves appear?

-

A Second Thought and Two Minor Frustrations

A new thought occurred to me after reading all the kind comments regarding the kind farmer displaced from our summer market. It’s very possible he and his family found another lucrative venue.

Frustratingly, I wish I’d started vegetable gardening years ago. Online resources have been a tremendous help but I can’t get back the missed growing seasons. Ah well, it is what it is.

While organizing supplies I discovered my all-purpose fertilizer bag ruined. I’m sure it was mice. ~sigh~ Not wanting to handle the soiled packaging more than necessary, I don’t know what drew the rodents. The destruction could have been worse. One year our sedan stopped running because nesting rodents chewed through some wires.

There were nibbles all over this bag...

A vermin nesting in an engine compartment is rather amusing, isn’t it? Did you know that some invasive creepy crawlers will happily ingest wallpaper paste?

-

Springing into Action

Last spring my husband was undergoing serious health issues. I still attempted vegetable gardening. Besides rotten weather conditions derailing my efforts, I also confused some of my seedlings.

What grew most successfully were cherry tomatoes. That’s fine except that we grew tired of the rather limited ways of eating them. Only one super sauce hybrid plant survived to provide a single, solitary fruit. After tasting that perfect tomato I was devastated by its singular harvest.

This March I’ve started eight seeds of the super sauce hybrid tomato and eight of the Jungle Parrot sweet bell pepper. Last summer those peppers were tasty but not very sweet because I didn’t foresee cross pollination with hot peppers. Oh, well.

Two tomato seeds sprouted already...

To avoid confusion when moving seed pucks for logistical reasons, I color coded all sixteen with paint on the ends of toothpicks as shown above. Fingers crossed, I’ll get the desired harvest. Despite technological advances like our heated seed starting mat and various other gear, there are zero guarantees.

A lifelong professional at our farmers market once confessed, “If farming was easy, everyone would do it.” He’s a cool dude and I missed him and his excellent produce last summer. Since our town moved the market his truck and heavy wagon have nowhere to park.

Isn’t that a shame? Should I implore our city to allow him space elsewhere?

-