Yes, it is still rainy. Likely to be for a few more days as well, and I have been enjoying the time away from the garden and rejoicing in the natural moisture for the ground.
Yesterday was "lost" to monthly major shopping. In addition to groceries, I scored a couple of shepherds crooks which I will use for wind chimes. One is currently hanging from the garage eaves and is beating the corner badly. The other has been sharing my single crook with a metal sculpture dragon fly and the two get badly tangled which does not help either. Maybe I can get the hooks installed tomorrow and the dragon fly moved; I will have to wait for K to get the chime off the garage or haul out the ladder.
I also picked up a d-handled shovel. This will help considerably in the planting of the rest of the asparagus roots and the new order of same that just arrived. The ground is actually draining well enough that, if it is not actively raining, I may work on that a bit tomorrow. I also got a Spirea bush to plant. Spirea and Lily of the Valley were two of the early bloomers that I enjoyed as a child at home in MI. I planted the LotV today, to the west of the Craft room on the north side of the house.
I went out initially -- a day "late" -- to bury last fall's corn dolly in the garden and anoint the soil with apple juice in blessing. This fall, with any luck, my corn Goddess will be born and raised here!
While I was out I dumped the compost bucket and pitched a bit of the grass that had blown off the pile last year back on it. I am waiting for friends to bring me some pallets with which to build a real compost area, but for now I will tend what I have. After dealing with the kitchen waste and dumping the cat box leavings out in the back, I wandered around looking at the emerging vegetation. I need to learn the various plants in their infancy... "weeds" and not ... and I think I have decided which will grow up to be goldenrod and I have found many patches of a nasty ground-hugging creeper that will be the focus of my "war" this year. I need to go back through my Master Gardener notes and find out if this plant is a perennial or just a very vigorous annual, but in any case, I will be attacking it any where I find it, with my trusty mattock.
When I wandered out to the back (north east) corner where most of the little trees are growing I discovered ferns as well as the trees and other growing things. K had commented that his place must be more damp than the rest of the land and I have to tentatively agree, though I have never noted it to feel any wetter to my feet. I wonder if the water is just closer to the surface there? If we could possibly dig a pond? I know I want to walk about a bit with dowsing rods to see what they can tell me, and to research the plant life there a bit more.
Along with needing to tag the actual trees and bushes (with ID as well as just differentiating them from tall annual growth, to help K with the mowing) I will need to get back there with the mattock, as well. I was also surprised to find -- in addition to the ferns and the birch and kitty willows that I knew were there -- the "remains" of a maple that had apparently been accidentally cut in the fall mowing! That will be encouraged, for sure! I am also thinking about trying to dig and transplant some of the smaller trees, using my existing "stock" to expand the range of the proto-woods across the north boundary. We will see what happens in that regard.
Still no sign of any sprouting on the things thus far planted, though the transplants are holding their own and the ultra-early seeded row is growing.
Next year I want to try an experiment, to learn more about what the optimal early planting time is, by doing very small plantings of spinach and lettuce every week from the start until the first week of May.
Showing posts with label plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plans. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
New Moon, Stirring the Pot
New natural year, new moon -- both the sun and moon are in Aries which seems to be a time of much "stirring of the pot". I was going to say "..for good and ill" but since mostly I think changes are neutral and the good or ill comes in how we work with and deal with them, well I left that part off.
There has been "drama" at work (mostly one co-worker stirring the pot and her target is -- at present at least -- not me.) I do feel for the younger gal who is current the focus of her fussing, though and will be calling Syn forth in her behalf today.
Riding other threads, I had the thought a few days ago -- after learning that one of my long-held contracts was getting pulled (victim of the recession) -- of a "money spell" that I had been taught and by an online friend and used remarkably successfully previously. It is a visualization spell, and I only just did it momentarily -- almost automatically -- as I remembered it, in the instant of walking between my Craft room and the bedroom to get my clothes for work. That distance is, oh, about 10 ft... so you can see there was not a lot of time put into the visualization!
However since that moment -- this week -- I have had two additional queries regarding hex signs. One is from a disgruntled buyer of someone else's sign that was marketed as being for outdoor use but painted on and with inferior materials, it would appear. It is disintegrating after only three years. This person is querying about the durability of my work and cost for a 3' sign. I had to price plywood, and had told her I would send a photo of my oldest sign (which I think was actually made of the sort of material hers was.. I explained it was an experiment and what I now use) and I need to get the email out to her today.
The second query was in my box this morning -- from a police dept in PA seeking a custom design to incorporate in their patches. Interesting concept... I have told them they were especially in luck on account of my "other hat" as a graphic designer) and asked more questions about the project (size, etc) so I can come up with something that will work in that application.
Meanwhile, the snow is departing and I am actively looking for some sort of tiller, am continuing to plant and transplant in the seedling area and am considering trying to cobble together a cold frame from some of the lumber and windows that I have stored. We got an additional light fixture for the seed racks this week (one each week, most likely, until we have enough) and I taught K how to transplant.
Today will be a busy day, and I have client work to do, hexes to paint, material that I need to send out, and some organizing of the office and hunting down of archived material in the garage that needs doing too.
Brandi-dog, who had her spay on Tues, is doing better. She is not yet interested in her kibble but I have a couple of cans of wet food that I will add to it over the next few days. She has pain meds, 2x a day... I got them in her with a bite of egg from an unsold breakfast sandwich yesterday night. She seems to be going up and down the front steps ok, but I won't let her out the back until she is off her meds.
K, with his sleep machine, is doing less well. I am thinking that perhaps he really needs to have the "over the mouth and nose" apparatus. He can only sleep with it a couple of hours and wakes up with a very dry mouth, despite the water in the tray. He has decided to nap with it, any time he feels sleepy, to see if he can begin to get "caught up" on good sleep, and we will go back to the place that supplied it in a month for follow-up.
I am looking forward to the new moon working this evening. It is especially nice being able to do it on a night when I did not have to work and can properly prepare. Thank you, Universe!
There has been "drama" at work (mostly one co-worker stirring the pot and her target is -- at present at least -- not me.) I do feel for the younger gal who is current the focus of her fussing, though and will be calling Syn forth in her behalf today.
Riding other threads, I had the thought a few days ago -- after learning that one of my long-held contracts was getting pulled (victim of the recession) -- of a "money spell" that I had been taught and by an online friend and used remarkably successfully previously. It is a visualization spell, and I only just did it momentarily -- almost automatically -- as I remembered it, in the instant of walking between my Craft room and the bedroom to get my clothes for work. That distance is, oh, about 10 ft... so you can see there was not a lot of time put into the visualization!
However since that moment -- this week -- I have had two additional queries regarding hex signs. One is from a disgruntled buyer of someone else's sign that was marketed as being for outdoor use but painted on and with inferior materials, it would appear. It is disintegrating after only three years. This person is querying about the durability of my work and cost for a 3' sign. I had to price plywood, and had told her I would send a photo of my oldest sign (which I think was actually made of the sort of material hers was.. I explained it was an experiment and what I now use) and I need to get the email out to her today.
The second query was in my box this morning -- from a police dept in PA seeking a custom design to incorporate in their patches. Interesting concept... I have told them they were especially in luck on account of my "other hat" as a graphic designer) and asked more questions about the project (size, etc) so I can come up with something that will work in that application.
Meanwhile, the snow is departing and I am actively looking for some sort of tiller, am continuing to plant and transplant in the seedling area and am considering trying to cobble together a cold frame from some of the lumber and windows that I have stored. We got an additional light fixture for the seed racks this week (one each week, most likely, until we have enough) and I taught K how to transplant.
Today will be a busy day, and I have client work to do, hexes to paint, material that I need to send out, and some organizing of the office and hunting down of archived material in the garage that needs doing too.
Brandi-dog, who had her spay on Tues, is doing better. She is not yet interested in her kibble but I have a couple of cans of wet food that I will add to it over the next few days. She has pain meds, 2x a day... I got them in her with a bite of egg from an unsold breakfast sandwich yesterday night. She seems to be going up and down the front steps ok, but I won't let her out the back until she is off her meds.
K, with his sleep machine, is doing less well. I am thinking that perhaps he really needs to have the "over the mouth and nose" apparatus. He can only sleep with it a couple of hours and wakes up with a very dry mouth, despite the water in the tray. He has decided to nap with it, any time he feels sleepy, to see if he can begin to get "caught up" on good sleep, and we will go back to the place that supplied it in a month for follow-up.
I am looking forward to the new moon working this evening. It is especially nice being able to do it on a night when I did not have to work and can properly prepare. Thank you, Universe!
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