Sunday, August 30, 2009

Ichigo update & harvest



I haven't written about Ichigo in a while. She's doing well but in the last few weeks she has realized that she can make short mad dashes and try to give me the slip while we are outside. She can only really run for short 5 to 6 ft increments so it's still hard to lose her but one day a few weeks ago I lost track of her and she ended up in the brush and I only found her because she makes noise when she walks, stomping around on twigs and leaves and things. I feel pretty guilty that we didn't have the time or money this year to figure out her outdoor summer enclosure..... Anyway I have been keeping a closer eye on her when we are outside and giving her extra time to walk around in the "turtle room". It's been interesting though getting to know reptile intelligence. I wouldn't have thought that turtles could try to deceive but I'm quite sure that is exactly what she is doing when she tries to run away. She acts normal until she thinks I'm not looking and then rushes into some tall grass to try to lose me. She will also walk back to me in the "turtle room" if I pick up her turtle pellet bag even though I only ever feed her in her tank. She obviously knows what the bag looks like or sounds like.


Our summer harvest is coming to a close. Today I picked collards, kale, peppers, cabbage, lots of basil, some tomatoes, and a few beets. The celeriac looks like it's almost done and I should have waaaay too many very shortly. I'm not going to bother doing a fall planting except for some garlic because the garden is just so darn weedy, it's going to be a chore just to try to clear it up and put the garden to rest before it gets too cold. We didn't do a very good job of keeping the weeds at bay this year. Next year next year........
Share/Save/Bookmark

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Onion harvest


Well, we had a crappy tomato harvest but the onions were easy and a no-brainer. Look at all the onions! I probably should have pulled them late last week but hopefully they will dry alright. There are two varieties in these flats, Alisa Craig and Yellow of Parma. They are from seeds started in February!
Share/Save/Bookmark

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Summer Camp Ends


Today is the last full day that both Pinot and Princess are with us so I tried taking a group photo but none of them came out that great by themselves so I put them together and I think it's kinda cute.
Share/Save/Bookmark

Monday, August 17, 2009

Beans



Arent't the Jacob's Cattle Beans pretty?
Share/Save/Bookmark

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Porch Crew & Harvest



Henry no longer lurks under the porch all day. He now hangs out in the sun with the other cats and also follows me around when the dogs aren't with me. The coolest part is that he lets me pet him now. I never thought that would happen. He purrs and nuzzles my hand and will let me pet him once or twice on the head. No full body massages yet but maybe one day.
The weather is now hot and dry which is great but a little too late to save my poor tomatoes. I did get enough to can some sauce and eat some sliced up in sandwiches.


This morning I tried to harvest some things and got a crookneck squash, some overgrown turnips, hot and sweet peppers, and some Jacob's Cattle beans that I'll break open later. I think I probably only got a handful but they're pretty and fun. I also got a nice big cabbage but I already used that to make some dumplings. It's pretty easy to make. Just cabbage, tvp, ginger, garlic, and scallions all mixed up inside some pre-made wrappers.
Share/Save/Bookmark

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

More friends & sad tomatoes


Princess is here so now we have three dogs. It took the last few days to get into a good routine with everyone but I think I figured out how to make everything go smoothly now. They are getting along very well with supervision.

I spent part of the day yesterday trying to finish pulling out my blighted tomato plants but I still have a ways to go. I have been putting fruit that is ripe and not diseased and green unblemished tomatoes in trays on the porch hoping that some of them will ripen and be okay but every day I have been checking on them and throwing any away that start showing blight. Look at all my trays!! And there is still more to go.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Coleman's girlfriend is here


Coleman's girlfriend Pinot is visiting for a few weeks. We took her to get groomed today and boy does she look expensive now!

Share/Save/Bookmark