From the Wood Stove to the Passive Solar Setup...

On Sunday, July 4th, the temperatures were in the low 60s.  We drove our older Lebaron convertible down to the Seabeck waterfront, parked it, and drove our other car back home.  Later, early evening, we took the motorcycle down to the waterfront, parked it right behind our car, and then took a walk to go visit some of the locals we recognized.  This is a big event for our little town!  There was a singer/guitarist at Barbie's Waterfront Cafe', and multiple bands playing the entire evening. From on top of the rear seat, with our convertible top down, we enjoyed the fireworks set off by a few waterfront homeowners also the main event fireworks.  A beautiful array of sparkling  bursts...  It was quite the happy event!

It doesn't seem like that long ago, just three days, yet our weather is now reaching 90F!  From using our wood stove to heat our home and also our hot water?  We are  now using our ceiling fans, have the windows open, and are heating our water with our passive solar heat exchange set up (on the roof of our home).  A single water pump is used for both systems, and is switched with valves.  We turn on the pump inside our home, where the switch is mounted to our wood stove.  I look forward to eventually adding Solar Panels here to generate the electricity needed to cover some of our needs.  In addition, we have discussed adding a wind device, which Len can also build (still considering different plans for them).  Since today was the hottest day this year, we were able to determine how hot our water would get just using the passive solar setup.  120F!

While outside, taking care of my plants in the garden cabin, I see sudden movement.  A baby chipmunk comes darting out, running along the window sill, behind the pots.  He would strike a pose and stare at me, sizing me up, then play peek a boo from behind a nearby pot.  Here he is:

I was on the phone, talking to my daughter, when this little chipmunk darted out.  Since I have last been on to update my blog, my garden has grown.  Here are my favorites of my recent pics:

This is my Golden Weeping Willow, just planted this Spring, seemingly in an endless sea of blossoms...  She is growing very well and I'll need to water her tomorrow.

Ever thought of a Dill as beautiful?  The intricacy of its green finery, feathering out and upwards, growing in contentment and size.

The tree, sacrificed for our garden, has left its remnant, now teeming with life and adorned with Foxglove, Huckleberry, and Ferns.  It has become a sanctuary for the small critters hiding inside.

Your eyes are met with the contrasting foliage, blooms emerging, blooms spent...  This is a nurtured garden, intended to abundently produce, but it also is the planned haven for many beneficial insects.  My honey bees find ready sources of pollen/nectar within the confines of what is their garden, too. They forage next to bumble bees, and other bee varieties, too.

If you were to sit down in my garden and peer through the garlic bed, this is what you see.  Garlic scapes curling into interesting spiral shapes, seem to be in an endless procession.  Propagation is my goal this year, so these scapes will be allowed to mature.  I am sacrificing my Walla Walla Sweet Onions self-seeding from last Fall, to allow them to bloom, and set seed.  In another bed, I am growing them to eat. 

The very first zucchini of the year!  It was just enough for Len & I- battered in fresh egg, dipped in flour/parmesan/spices, and fried golden crisp.  Excellent!  There are just four plants in this bed, but I've counted five more soon to be ready.  That number is multiplying fast, as tiny little zucchini are forming.  We are both so fond of steamed or fried zucchini slices, that we typically eat all they will bear.  I may be able to dehydrate some this year...

It is late, has been a long day.  I am turning in shortly.  When I return, I'll write a bit about what I learned about Comfrey.

"The Assignment" for the Past and the Present Reality

During a phone conversation with my 22 yr old daughter, she surprised me with a request, "I have an assignment for you.  I would like you to write all your hopes and dreams over your lifetime and email this to me.  I want to know a lot more about you."  This request choked me up a bit.  It wouldn't be an easy task.  This is a request that can't be met with just great positivity, but it will be laced with my life's realities, some tragic.  I began this writing today, willing to meet the challenge.

I feel so at peace when I enter my garden.  There are chairs placed throughout, which should be used more, some flowers where you wouldn't expect to see them, and volunteers happily stretching upward, their lives spared because of aggressive growth, and the promise of a bountiful harvest.  The weather has been cool and drizzly, encouraging peas, yet discouraging green beans.  The mist hovered over the tops of our evergreens, and the cloudy sky let not in a single ray.  As I looked over the planting areas, I smiled.  Watering wasn't a concern, and hasn't been since last week.  There were respites of sunshine that broke though.  That enabled me to photograph the garden.  I'll share them with you:

You are peering from the East lower garden area, through the West upper garden, in this first picture.  The second is a Mountain Bluet with a busy visitor, one of my honey bees. 

Below, you are looking past a Comfrey plant, blooming, towards Elephant Garlic, Egyptian Walking Onions, and also Romy's Heirloom German Purple Striped Garlic.  Then, you are under a pergola, peering out from under Marionberry vines, above Martin's Kitchen Garlic on the right, and a Hot Garlic variety on the left.  Beyond lies our forest.

Each morning I awaken to the smell of fresh coffee, pour a cup, with a bit of half & half, then walk into our living room, and gaze at this scene:

I 

I walk out into my greenhouse, secure the screen, and open the vent.  While in there, I check the progress of all I am growing inside.  Many plants were moved into my garden cabin, until I address the slug issue.

I then enter my garden cabin, greet my cockatiel, and check on all the plants growing inside.  The light exposure is excellent inside, as there is a partial clear roof and large windows.  Today, I glanced at everything just cluttering its porch, and I am now determined to clear it off, and add some floral beauty.  More tasks rose into view, with each turn of my head.  It was like awakening from a dream today, facing reality, and the inventory of chores increasing.  Not undaunted, but with determination, I committed myself to each task, one somewhat large one each day, until this list was exhausted.

In the Blink of an Eye!

Have you intended to do something, put it off, gotten side-tracked, and just never got around to it?  I found myself in this position when my computer screen monitor faded to BLACK.  I first suspected the backlight of my monitor, but tested it, and it wasn't the monitor.  I quickly determined my computer had C R A S H E D.

There was my 500GIG external drive, sitting next to my computer, waiting to be put to use.  Next to my desk chair, there was the new package of DVD's.  I had planned to use both to have an extra back up for my hard drive and also have multiple copies of thousands of pictures I had taken...  Yes, that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Not a good feeling, and I faced the possibility all my data could be gone.  I was encouraged to be positive, so I was able to go to sleep that night.  What was important were the photos.  Everything else could be easily replaced, nothing else really mattered that much.  There were many pictures of my children.  These were the most important ones.

I was referred to a young rather gifted young guy who works on computers when he isn't in college classes.  I took my desktop and also my laptop (it was less than a year old and appeared to have some software issues- wouldn't hook up to the internet, although systems checked out).  The laptop was fixed fairly quickly (software glitch).  The desktop hard drive was checked out & worked fine.  It was a Windows Vista
C R A S H, and I was very pleased the outcome wasn't worse!  All the data was transferred to my external hard drive & will be reinstalled on my desktop after I get Windows7.  In the meantime, I have had to set up my laptop to use for business and personal use.  It will be a busy couple of days, but there will be a backup regularly done, and also I am getting mirror image software!  I don't want to be in this position again.

Once I deal with my computer issues, I am going to order more honey bees!  I miss them buzzing around our garden and especially our orchard...

Often more than you expect, some of what you don't!

Much has occurred since my last post, so I will continue where I left off..

Often we can accept what is, or put forth the effort to make it "what it should be," as seen by our minds' eye.  That in itself can be remarkably different.

As I began writing this, I spoke of what we often expect and what sometimes occurs.  This is what I awoke to on April 2nd, 2010, a completely "unexpected" snowfall that accumulated to 3 inches!  By noon, it was all but gone...  Then, we were hit by the predicted windstorm, with it a lot of rain and hail.

When I initially studied my little greenhouse, now completed, or so I thought...I began to ponder its shortcomings.  The panels needed secured after properly being installed, the entire structure needed reinforcement, and I knew I couldn't utilize the space as much as I had hoped.  Hence, began the effort towards making it more like it should be, to fulfill its purpose as I saw it.  Little did I know, how hard that work would be!  I envisioned the interior floor a few feet lower than the current dirt floor.  Then, I mentally placed three raised beds, sunk down, to give me that extra planting space.  That gaps were filled with pea gravel (I could set a lot of pots behind the beds the entire twenty-six feet around the interior).

That hard work began, with a pick, a shovel, and a hoe.  There was an amazing accumulation of rocks in no time, but it wasn't progressing quickly enough for me.  After a few days, I was close to finishing, but my back was already finished (the pick...).  So, while that was healing, I focused on getting the beds installed.  One was an old skylight frame built of Fir (my center back bed).  The other two were built by Larry, the 84yr young retired Logger from up the road.  They were installed on either side, which left an isle from front to back.  I dug that out a few more inches, and had to quit once again.  Realizing my back wouldn't heal enough to keep using that pick, I had to stop.  The focus turned away from that chore, for a time.

After filling the beds with soil, and also shoveling in the pea gravel all around them, I surveyed my work.  Then, I stepped outside to look around my little greenhouse.  I realized that the extra time that it was going to take was beneficial to the end result!  It was time to start using it and worry about finishing the isle and the area outside the greenhouse LATER.  Len installed two long shelves on the N long side, one long shelf on the S side (for taller plants), then built me a corner unit that connects to the two long shelves.  After he was done with those, he continued to work on the van repairs.  I  now focused on how I was going to initially use it...

 I planted Gourmet Lettuce Mix, Spinach, Swiss Chard, and Parris Lettuce in the two long side beds.  I planted four different types of tomatoes, Genovese Basil, and Purple Basil in the center back bed.  I began propagating Lady's Mantle, starting with just nine.  Then, moved efforts to propagating Chocolate Mint, now have over one hundred!  There are now a dozen Comfrey plants, a dozen young Hellebores (seedlings I was given), six Pineapple Sage plants, four Wormwood plants, and six Italian Sage plants started from cuttings.  While I was enjoying all this greenhouse work, my seed orders began arriving.

As each day passes, I look for the beauty in everything.  That little greenhouse has its purposes, but a new one has sprung up.  This morning, I was suddenly aware of just how quickly everything was growing.  Outside it was cold, but in there it was warm.  I stood peacefully meditating on just how miraculous life is, all of God's creation.  After caring for all my plants, I left feeling very calm, and then a feeling of anticipation.

Tomorrow, I will be filling pots and planting many seeds!

You can see in the above picture how the isle is still dirt.  Eventually this will be deeper, lined with wood on both sides, and layered with a few inches of pea gravel.  There will be shelving across the front, connecting to the corner on the left, meeting the other corner (which will be on the right), and that will be continuous with the shelf on the right side of the greenhouse.  There will be smaller shelving installed throughout the greenhouse, where it can best be utilized.  I am very glad I didn't rush this!

This is one of the Lady's Mantle plants.

Here are some of the Chocolate Mints I propagated. 
  

Gardening Progression...

 

I was delighted the little greenhouse long awaiting it's emergence upon the chosen spot, made it to the top of the priority list.  Len completed my little greenhouse the morning of Febuary 5th!  The placement was purposely perpendicular to my garden cabin and also next to our garden areas.  This weekend, I'll be planning how to best utilize the space within to grow many seedlings for our garden.  I have already a plan for the Winter use...  Fresh salad greens all year around!  

More progression is taking place to produce more fruit and vegetables, get a few more chickens, raise some for meat, and clear a little more land to utilize.  My latest gift from Len were two more fruit trees, on a Plum, the other a Peach.

Now begins the daily hour devoted to our gardens, the orchard, and our herb bed.  There are many chores calling out to me.  So, I answer, with resolve to complete them.

Spring is here, already?!

Recently, Len & I went over the seed catalogs, discussed what we wished to grow, and were happily planning our 2010 Garden and also adding on to our Orchard.  Two days ago, I went out to check our garden beds and was surprised to find Purple Asparagus emerging, my Martin's Kitchen Garlic is up (planted 1st week of January, 2010!), a nice big clump of Garlic Chives (snipped and had some with my potatoes), budding berry vines, and even the 1st bloom on a Pineapple Strawberry plant.  Doesn't seem like the best time to be "under the weather," but am looking forward to returning to good health.  The sooner the better, it appears!

Busy days ahead...

I took a stroll through my "winter garden."  There, quite happily and completely oblivious, were dozens of garlic emerging.  What began frigid became a milder winter for us due to El Nino.  I may be planting much earlier this year...  The evenings are filling up with contemplations...what trees to add to our orchard, how big should the garden be this year, what to grow, and what to skip.

Always, sunflowers!

Happy Homesteader Embracing Warmer Weather

We are enjoying higher temperatures than normal, which allowed me to get over 100 Garlic planted (Elephant Garlic, Romy's Heirloom German Purple Striped Garlic, Martin's Kitchen Garlic, and Martin's Hot Garlic). The seed catalogs have arrived and I am already looking through them, dreaming of expanding my garden areas, getting my greenhouse set up, and soon to plan the raised beds for Spring 2010! The latest compost experiment has begun. After cleaning out the chicken house, the "sweepings" were placed beneath my rabbit hutches. The layering commences and the expected end product will greatly enrich our garden beds.

Here you see one of our 15 chickens, a Silver Wyandote happily foraging in our Orchard! They are now able to meander between their chicken pasture and our Orchard. The happy hens (13) are laying between 8 and 10 eggs/day. Not bad for this time of year!