Jun. 7, 2009 Gardening and New "Little Ones"
Here is a recent shot of my garden:
And here is a shot of one of the new "little ones":
Had you wondering, didn't I? My Darling Daughter Number Three found 4 monarch caterpillars in some swamp milkweed. We cared for them and watched each of the stages from caterpillar to butterfly. Once she has created her slide show, I will share it.
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May. 27, 2009 I Love My New Dentist Office!
I have never been a "fan" of going to the dentist. As a matter of fact, I would rather labor for twelve hours than have a cleaning. From what "they" tell me (most dentists), that is a common feeling. Well, no more. I just got back from my first cleaning and it was the most relaxing experience...EVER!
I took my children for their cleanings a couple of weeks ago. Everyone came through with flying colors and left there quite happy. Three of my darlings even got to watch movies during their cleanings (how cool is that?).
Let me start by painting a picture for you, though. As anyone who has children knows, spending time in a waiting room can be...interesting. Add the fact that there are five children and only six seats and you can see how "interesting" it can be. Of course, I make a few sit on the floor by my feet. We need to be polite even if we seem a bit awkward.
So, I am sitting there, of course, doing some school (because what is the homeschool motto? have books, will travel) when a nicely dressed lady walks in and sits down. The receptionist asks her, "Would you like to go to the Relaxation Room?" and she leaves through the door. Do not think for a moment that I was not wondering if I may have driven her there...
Oh, and I need to spend a little time on the receptionist. She is so beautiful, inside and out. She is one of those women who sounds beautiful. When she answers the phone she says, "Thank you for calling, I CAN help you" (okay, it loses something in translation, but you have to trust me). You know those self-help tapes that have the soft, soothing voice of the lady telling you to relax and breath deeply and believe you are special? That must be her second job!
So, back to the waiting room which could be a form of natural birth control...I am sitting there, silently thinking that I MUST know about the Relaxation Room. I guess if I am the one driving people there, they are certainly not going to show me the way. Fast forward to today.....
I saw the relaxation room!
(in hushed tones for full affect)
I walked into the office and chatted it up with the receptionist, trying not to be obvious that I was wanting to see the Relaxation Room. She says (in her relaxing, soft and soothing voice), "Would you like some paraffin wax for your hands?" Never done it before, but YOU BETCHA! So, she took me back and I dipped my hands. She wrapped them in plastic wrap and put over-sized oven mitts on me and asked, "Would you like to sit in the Relaxation Room?" Another big YOU BETCHA on that one.
Now, the Relaxation Room is nothing spectacular. Just a dimly lit room with really comfy chairs, but I truly felt like I had "arrived". You know that feeling of longing being fulfilled? I was there. I have been to the other side and it was good. I have joined the group of "Relaxation Room Users". Compare that group to the "Are They All Yours...Bless Your Heart" group. It could be a real toss up to decide which group I would want to "live" in, but when it comes to seeing the dentist, I would rather the previous.
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May. 12, 2009 How to Cut Lettuce
My Dear Friend asked in a previous comment how to cut lettuce so that it will come again. I hope you will not mind my simple tutorial:
As you can see, this buttercrunch lettuce is a type that heads up (like romaine). 
I am not willing to wait for it to finish so I have been harvesting leaves. When harvesting leaves, you want to be careful not to clip them too short. If they are too short, they will stop growing. This way they continue to send up leaves for future harvest.
Here is the overgrown oakleaf lettuce. I cut it the same way, being sure to leave enough so it will grow again. 
And finally, the mesclun lettuce. This patch is probably coming to an end since I have been harvesting it since March. I still cut it at the same length, being sure not to trim it too short. You can see where I am trimming it and next to that leaf is a whole section I just recently "mowed down". It is starting to come back again.
I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. Lettuce is the easiest and most rewarding thing to plant. Not to mention you can eat it for almost any meal! Ask my children...they go out in the garden and eat it for breakfast! |
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May. 12, 2009 Just a Few of the Little Things...
This little guy keeps hanging around. He obviously does not realize that he will be continuously pestered if he does not move along!
This guy was pestered, but definitely NOT in the same way. Saw him on our Mother's Day outing. I am assuming he is a HE. No, I did NOT check!
My most exciting find: Nine Snow Peas! They were delicious! Yes, I do need to get out more...
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Apr. 29, 2009 More on How It's Growing...
This is for my parents (I promised my mom some updated photos):
The garden went from this....
To this....(wow is spring pretty)
 This is my overgrown garden. I have sugar snap peas and radishes along the back. Next forward, a long row of turnips, then a row of kale and inside the cover 4 brussels sprout plants. Along the front, a row of sweet onions and a row of garlic. On the left side, two rows of carrots surrounding my patch of mesclun lettuce. There is also a row of beets. On the right side, a patch of carrots, buttercrunch lettuces (which I have chosen to treat like the mesclun lettuce and continue clipping the leaves), and a row of shallots. Do you think I over planted? Well, so far, so good.
This is the buttercrunch patch. You can see the swirls of the lettuces starting to make heads. I just keep cutting leaves. They might start fitting better that way.
 This is my bean and corn patch. I have a row of bush green beans and then a row of corn, a row of wax beans and then another row of corn (peaches and cream variety). I left the rest open to succession planting of beans and corn. I am hoping that by the time I make it to the end of the bed, I can start over with something else on the other end. There are assorted tarragons and sunflower seeds dispersed along the sides.
About 2 months ago, I left several packets of seeds out in the rain. They were brand new packs of oakleaf lettuce. With the seeds wet, it was the choice between throwing them or sowing them so...I sowed! It is now growing up as ground cover under my cauliflower and cabbages! I will probably treat it the same way as my mesclun and buttercrunch. I think we should be set for lettuce this summer!
I have aphids on my peas! Who ever heard of that?! We also have them on mint (you know, the plant that is suppose to repel aphids?). After researching how to rid myself of them, everything has said that nature will balance them out and just to do no more than spray them off with quick bursts of water. Here are my guys working on that. Funny, that doesn't look like a quick burst as much as a gentle mist...
Rhubarb...I am beyond excited!
So, I have shared with you way more than you ever cared to know about my garden! You were warned! |
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Apr. 27, 2009 Does My Garden Still Grow?
Why, yes it does. Thank you for asking. We find that we are working hard to grow earthworms more than anything! What do you think of this beauty?
When I put my broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts into the garden, I immediately put covers of them to keep the pests off. I chose tulle, but with the hot weather, I may need to change to something white. Hate to have them bolt before they even begin to grow!
No, I am not growing milk jugs. I "planted" them to fill and water the roots of the plants. It seems to be working. The plants are doing well, even in the heat.
My mesclun lettuces are growing like crazy! We cooked out last night. Instead of making a salad, we all walked over to the garden and I snipped a salad for them! I LOVE it!
Remember my baby kale? Well they are growing. I keep snipping the largest of the leaves and throwing them into salad with my mesclun. They are wonderfully tender and very sweet. Baby kale is the best!
My radishes are coming faster than I can pick them. My children did not like radishes until they could eat them fresh. Another good tip: pull them young and keep them watered. This keeps them from turning hot.
I will get some photos of my garden soon. There have been lots of changes since the last shots.
Also, I made a sponge cake recipe which came from my Grandmother. I converted it to fresh ground Kamut flour. I will post that soon! It was the best sponge cake I have ever made!!
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