Gardeners' Sustainable Living Project

Over the ground lies a mantle of white... so how can I be thinking green? A week ago I could see brown - yes, the ground was showing! Then we were hit by a late-arriving record-breaking snowstorm, and my gardening goals had to wait. Again.

Each year, every spring, I expand on my eco-consciousness by choosing at least one more goal toward a more sustainable garden. Last year my goal was learning to can. I made jams, stewed tomatoes, and salsa. I blanched and froze green beans, sugar snap peas, and corn sliced off the cob. In fact, we just finished the last bag of green beans last week. I had just enough organic strawberries to make ice cream last week, and the blueberries in yesterday's muffins were organic, too. There isn't much left in the freezer; thank goodness spring and garden season is on the way!

My main goal this year is to plant primarily heirloom varieties of tomatoes and peppers. If possible, I'll do the same with green beans and squash. These seeds and seedlings may be more expensive than my usual stock, but the quality and perhaps even the quantity will be well worth it. Last year only half the new garden plot was planted; this year, I'm filling it completely.

Sustainable Gardening goal number 1: Plant heirloom varieties.

Sustainable Gardening goal number 2: Fill the space, square foot style

Sustainable Gardening goal number 3: Enjoy. Enjoy the planning, the planting, the process, and eventually, preserving the results (family says "More salsa this year, mom!).

Are you interested in becoming more sustainable? Join the Gardener's Sustainable Living Project! There's snow on the ground, but I joined in anyway.

The Winter That Would Not Die

Is it just me or does the title of this post sound like a bad western?

As I have stated in past posts, I live in Michigan and have been here my entire life. I love it here! The seasonal changes, the unpredictable weather and great ways to spend summers! Being surrounded by the Great Lakes makes things interesting. This is where I must also admit I love winter. Watching snowflakes cover trees and the ground like a giant white blanket of cotton.

I enjoy wondering if I am going to be snowed in (Less likely in the city though it can happen; see pics) and if I'll be able to take my kids sledding or be making a snow fort instead of taking them to school (NOTE: I believe school is important but I love having snow days with my boys too)! Parents learn to be creative and imaginative during the winter to keep our kids occupied!  The following quote takes a whole new meaning:

"Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius."  ~Pietro Aretino

Pictured at right:  Snow drifts over 25 inches tall in our backyard from Hoth on Earth 2011 (Also known as the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011).  Pic taken on 2-2-2011 of my oldest doing random measurements of the drifts.  The snow in that spot was almost to his upper thighs.  Three snow days in a row for my kids is almost unheard of here.  We enjoyed every single moment.

Some fellow Michiganders would disagree on my assessment of winter because of the driving conditions, the cold and so on.  I agree it can be tough and sometimes downright brutal, but it doesn't make me hate it.  It does make me appreciate the other seasons even more!

So while our current winter is hanging on tooth and nail, I am dreaming about flowers and trees and the wildlife that will be coming soon!  I am already seeing new growth in my flower beds that will soon be marked with tulips, daylillies, columbine, pixie lilies, hosta and hopefully the other new plants that I put in last year will also have survived transplanting and be in bloom.  Yesterday I saw my first Robin of the year and it made me smile. A woodpecker was hammering away at the large maple in our front yard too!

(Pictured:  My tulips in 2010)

I know spring is here even though the weather isn't cooperating right now.  Like the hail we received last night and the freezing rain/sleet and snow we are experiencing today. We are at the threshold and I think every living thing can feel it coming!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!





"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours."  ~Mark Twain

Man's Best Friend

This video was shot not long after the tsunami rolled out of Japan.  Man's best Friend is also his own best friend...Thank goodness by the time this video aired the dogs had been rescued and were being treated at local veterinary hospitals.


The following is a translation of what the reporters are saying; it too is quite touching:

We are in Arahama area. Looks like there is a dog. There is a dog. He looks tired and dirty. He must have been caught in the tsunami. He looks very dirty.

He has a collar. He must be someone's pet. He has a silver collar. He is shaking. He seems very afraid.

Oh, there is another dog. I wonder if he is dead.

Where?

Right there. There is another dog right next to the one sitting down. He is not moving. I wonder. I wonder if he is alright.

The dog is protecting him.

Yes. He is protecting the dog. That is why he did not want us to approach them. He was trying to keep us at bay.

I can't watch this. This is a very difficult to watch.

Oh. Look. He is moving. He is alive. I am so happy to see that he is alive.

Yes! Yes! He is alive.

He looks to be weakened. We need to them to be rescued soon. We really want them rescued soon.

Oh good. He's getting up.

It is amazing how they survived the tremendous earthquake and tsunami. It's just amazing that they survived through this all.

Buttercup

Her name is Buttercup, and she is the most precious thing ever:

I took these videos a little over a week ago, and she has grown quite a bit since then:

But the funniest thing of all, is that her new best friend since I took these is Avalanche the Rooster!!!!

Planning for Spring

Thinking ahead - gardeners do this a lot. I'm stuck inside with a major headache, but I can look out the windows and see sunshine in a late-winter thaw. Sunshine lifts my spirits and raises thoughts and plans for spring's eventual arrival. I don't have a drawing yet; yes, I often sketch the garden plan so I buy the right number of plants and seeds. Most of the winter I'm in brainstorming and dreaming mode.

Random gardening thoughts:

• I'd like to incorporate shallots and leeks. They can go in the smallest corner of the triangular garden.
• We'll have the fence up this year with a supporting border of marigolds, so I'll put in broccoli. Maybe our own bunnies will actually get to eat it! Last year only the wild backyard cottontails had the joy of fresh broccoli.
• I'm letting the raspberries expand. I moved the chives and asparagus out of the general area of the raspberries, so nothing is in the way of their spreading. Not that anything stops raspberry plants!
• Peas will go in front of the beans on a new trellis. They didn't get enough sun last year, so the move will help. Peas mature before beans, so they'll be harvested and gone before the beans need the bulk of the sunshine.
• Squash! Where should the squash go? I'm putting in butternut squash and my usual zucchini. If I plant the seeds near the beans or peas, they'll grow toward the sun. They also mature later. This should work.
• Bunny food! The usual lettuces and spinach and parsley will have a space. They might go in the area that will be taken over later by squash.
• Tomatoes; oh, I love my tomatoes. I had success canning stewed tomatoes and salsa, so I'm going to put in more heirloom pulp tomato varieties. I'll still put in the standard eating tomatoes and the cherries; they're delicious and they freeze well.
• Freezing: now that's another post.

You can get a sense of my garden plans for the coming season. I'm planning on using the space well, using the sunshine efficiently, and preserving more of the harvest. Oh, winter sunshine, you taunt me! I want to get started now.

And the Winner Is....

Bandit!!!!

And Rebel Jose!!!

And in rebellion of all the crap these guys went through, here is what I did:

 So, I am happy to report a win win win situation!!!!

After I saw this:

It changed how I look at "animal rescue" forever.

So as I was cutting off the hair off this magnificent creature;

kneeling in the snow and ice,

with my comrades of love and mercy,

I secretly hatched a plan...

He was not going to be the only fella losing his locks!

For informational purposes only:  I have chosen Pantene Beautiful Lengths to donate my ponytail to this time.  I have blogged about donating hair before, and thought I'd try something new.  I chose them because I thought they might have a bit of a disadvantage since it is for women only and not for kids.