Garden Notes and Summers End

Even though the official day of Fall is still another month away, I have been feeling its peacefulness coming our way. You know when the sun shifts, and gets softer, and the mornings are a little slower and more golden and there is slight cooling off, that's the feeling I mean.  Its my favorite time; it feels like peacefulness is being infused in the air.  I am so glad for it, I'm not by any means ready for Winter, and this soft lingering season is a wonderful preparation for that season.   Last year at this time we went on an Alaskan Cruise with my parents.  What fun that was.  I wouldn't mind doing it again.   I have been having impressions of Falls gone by for many weeks now.  You know how smells will sometimes invoke certain memories, that's what this whole season seems to be doing for me.  Somehow memories of the Fall seasons are stronger to me than the other seasons.  Not sure why that is. 

Summer is coming to its end, and with its passing, we feel the changing seasons in our lives; Changes are coming.   One of the changes in our own lives is in our nest.  Eddie spent the summer with his sister, Olga, in Phoenix, and has decided to finish his last year of High school there;  it has been in the making from the beginning of Summer, but its reality has been felt as the school year started, and the bus has gone by, the mornings are quiet; there is no Eddie.  It is definitely a strange difference; slightly melancholy. Our nest is empty again.  But Steve and I are peaceful.  In times past, I have mourned the empty nest.  But today, I feel the flow of life, soft and gentle, moving forward.  There are grandchildren that help fill the holes of the empty nest. They are not underfoot as I would wish them to be but they are close at heart,  close as a phone call as close as Skype.  I long to grab them, kiss them, do things with them. They are our joy.  Our grown children likewise fill the places of our hearts in different ways.  These are our blessings.  Luke is home for a bit.  He is in between school courses, and we are enjoying having him.  I get fat when ever he is home, because he's a great cook, and loves to cook for us. 

My garden beds are overflowing.  Our land has transitioned from a grasshopper infested drought, to a green, flourishing abundance.  Remember the flood video earlier this summer.  Well, we have had several of those, with abundant rain all summer.  The grasshoppers have not returned in the hordes that they had been; the grass is getting thick once again, and the garden in the  raised beds  that Steve made me is thriving.  Due to its late planting, I am about a month off from the rest of you, but I am eagerly waiting for those bumper crops to ripen.  Thought I would show you the pictures so you could enjoy the before and after aspect of our square foot gardening experiment.

Here is a "before"picture with the marigolds and Cilantro on the left, and little pepper plants coming along.  Let me clarify by saying this is not a beginning "before", but  middle "before" picture… it is about a month after we first planted.

A few weeks later… peppers filling out, on the right and on the left again is the Cilantro filling out, tomatoes spreading out over the top of the beds

 Here is the Cilantro a couple of days ago;  the Cilantro (is on the right this time) and taking over the front row spot.

… and here it is on the back side of that same box; my first red tomato hiding there in the back underneath and beets coming along in between the gaps there in front, pepper plants on the left, just beginning its pepper fruit.

Parsley in pot on the patio.

I know that when the rest of the tomatoes ripen, they will probably come all at once.

The beds are bursting with plants and flowers now.

My cucumbers and tomatoes are all growing into each other, but getting along nicely. 

This plant was labeled as a Citronella plant when I bought it.  It has that beautiful Citronella smell.  I have since read that this isn't the true Citronella, but a type of Geranium, and apparently it doesn't have the same bug repelling effects that the true Citronella plant has.  That was a disappointment, but never the less, I like the plant, and it adds beauty, which is always a nice element and smells lovely.

 The green beans are coming along.

 Look at that beautiful Basil

 I never do get over my love for the look and smell of Basil.

Here are some before pictures (from the "before" pictures from the beginning):  The Citronella plant in the back right, Eggplant in the middle, pepper plants  in the front and middle right.  You can't see the tomato plant here, but it is on the back left.

 Here is a picture farther back. Tomato plant on the left was a nice healthy plant to start with but still small here and every thing is skimpy… the grasshoppers had eaten down the basil and some of the others.

 A couple of weeks later, it is beginning to look better.

And a few weeks later, The Eggplant is growing nicely.

and look at it now.  Mr. Tomato appears to own everything;

But Mr. Eggplant isn't doing too badly either.

Eggplant ideas are flourishing in my mind.  Another week and I will be cooking some favorite recipes. I'll be doing a little freezing and a small bit of canning this year, and look forward to that in a couple of weeks. I won't be going all out this year though, don't need as much in the pantry as times past.  Thanks for sharing my updates and garden notes.  Have a great week everyone.

Streams in the Wasteland

The sun is shining today, as it was yesterday… and the birds are singing.  It is beautiful out… its green; something we haven't seen in the middle of the summer in several years… green.  We have had an amazing week of rain, followed by this lovely sunshine yesterday and today… not scorching desert sunshine, but comfortable beautiful sunshine. The grass is responding to all that rain and now sunshine by actually growing… the plants and veggies are loving it as well.  Rain; it is a blessing from God.  You appreciate the rain when it is scarce. I've always loved rain in the desert.  In Arizona we got some tremendous rain… but only a few times a year.  It always gave a sense of wonder to us as kids when we were growing up… we would get our "inner tubes" or rafts out and take a ride in the washes… we didn't realize it was dangerous, it was just exciting to see all that water; we wanted to get in. There is something special about rain in the desert, which probably  needs no explanation.  All thirst longs to be quenched.  The last few years, it has been almost like a desert here in Colorado where we live; so much drought has taken its' toll. This week, we have been refreshed. The grasshoppers have been washed away (I have been praying for that.  So far they have not returned). The garden beds that Steve built me have held up well, and have protected all the vegetables from the hail we have had on several occasions. Everything is flourishing.  Steve and I video taped the rain we had a week ago.  What a deluge; I always think of the power of God in storms like that. I had to share it with you. I had a hard time getting the video to load, and then my son told me I would need to make a You Tube video to get it to load… so I did.  A "first" for me; I feel very proud.  I am sure that many of you wouldn't even blink at the accomplishment, but I always feel as if I am getting somewhere when I can actually figure out any of today's technology, and it really was easy to do after all. My film making skills aren't the best, and because I don't think of myself as a very good narrator, there is no talking in the video, but if you like to watch storms, I think you 'll like to see this,  and you will be able to see what a flood we got.   The river in the video is usually just a trickling stream this time of year; and the past few years has been dry.  I am filming through our upstairs window, and it is almost dark out; the flashes are from the lightning, not my camera blinking in and out.  Have a wonderful week end everyone.

 Blessings,

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.

 The wild animals honor me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,

Isaiah 43:19, 20

Summer Happenings and Garden Notes for 2014

I can hardly believe we are almost halfway through Summer.  I keep thinking we just finished the end of the school year. With everything that has been going on in our lives, my sense of time has been thrown off... or is time really going faster?

Steve built me some raised, square foot garden beds this Spring. I am loving them. It was Nathan who inspired us to try the square foot gardening method this year, and I am really glad he did; it is the nicest way to garden that we have tried. The Square foot method is wonderfully efficient, and the raised beds are high enough that I don't have to get down on my knees to work, which I am very thankful for. Steve built the beds mostly out of  material we had on hand, or our neighbors were getting rid of  such as wood pallets, scrap wood, and tin from an old shed.  He did buy a little lumber and screening material, but it is always nice to be able to use what you have at hand.  He built the beds grasshopper proof, which has been the only thing that has made it possible to grow anything.  If I haven't mentioned it yet this year, we are in the midst of a hostile grasshopper take over around here...(perhaps you have heard me moan about this before).  They have eaten everything down to the ground.  Last year in my garden notes, I wrote that I was very hopeful that they wouldn't get everything... but let me amend that assessment by saying: "they ate EVERYTHING".... so .....Steve made a frame and screens for my beds, which has made it difficult for those bad boys to get into my garden (not impossible mind you… but very difficult). I have found that I have a  little bit of a killer instinct when it comes to grasshoppers; I have no squeamishness what-so-ever, in squishing, sqashing or smashing them in any way necessary... via hand, foot, boot, flip flop or garden hose.  And not only that, but I have noticed that the dogs are of the same mind, and have become imitators of John the Baptist in the eating of locusts (minus honey).  I am very happy to have them contribute to the farm work and family budget in this way.

Steve used pallets to build the frame work for the beds, and lined the inside with some old used tin roofing material that he cut to fit.

We got the beds situated, filled, and planted.

We filled the bottom with branches and twigs, which will help provide structure, substance, and keep moisture intact....

...then the guys brought compost over in the Backhoe and dumped it over the branches; after that

they mixed up some of Mels 3 way mix of Vermiculite, Peat Moss and Compost (the compost is from the lovely mountain of composted horse manure we have been composting for a couple of years now).They mixed it up next to the manure pile, and brought it over in the backhoe.  

Its was great having Nathan around....

We had such a good time with him... his friendship, help and enjoyment of being home with us gave us such a blessing.

Here are my Snap Dragons eaten to the stems by grasshoppers.

We got our garden beds nicely prepared, and used twine to measure off our square foot areas. Then we planted seeds and plants.

You can see how the grasshoppers got in here and started chewing everything up in a day and a half before we got the screens on.

But the screens are up now.

We planted about 2 weeks ago... which was, of course, late in the season for us, but we hadn't had a chance to get it all done before.

 Steve put chicken wire on the tops for structure, and then plastic over that to protect from hail, and to keep those veggies warm on the chili nights.  The plastic can come down around the frame, which will help to give some extra growing time in the fall and early winter.  

The herbs and veggies are coming along nicely now.

We enjoyed our Fourth of July, how about you all.  We went, as has been our tradition, to the Pueblo West Parade...a highlight and truly one of the funnest things we do every year.  We  also got a chance to go see the movie "America" on Sunday.  It was excellent.... go see it if you get the chance.

Because we were in the midst of sorrow from the loss of Mom and all that was happening in June, we post-poned Steve's birthday.  The same was true for Father's Day.  So I made a special dinner for him this week.  A meal of favorites his favorites.  He opened presents that had not been opened previously and we had a cozy night. He's not easy to buy presents for these days.  He doesn't want very much.. but, he always appreciates the sweet gifts everyone gets for him or sends to him, and he enjoys the blessings of his family and all that they do to honor him... and he is a such a blessing to me... I thank the Lord, and celebrate in my own heart, for his birthday.

We had a wonderful visit when Nathan was here.  What a fill up to our heart-tank that was for us. We enjoyed having Nathan's brother in law (Himilce's brother), Matt, here for a couple of days, and love knowing the he is living close to us now... only a couple hours away (as opposed to 3 days away), which makes us feel a little bit like a part of Nathan and Himilce are close by also. The picture above is Nathan and Matt.  Nathan and Steve are working on a project that requires aerial video, so they were able to do a little of that work together.....and have a lot of fun in the process, more on that another time, but enjoy the pictures below. 

Nathan is bringing the drone in for a landing... and Steve is getting ready to catch as is it comes down.

What male; young or old doesn't like to work with remote control airplane type apparatuses?

Hope you are all enjoying Summer as it gets well underway.  I would love to hear what everyone is up to for the summer.

For more info on Square Foot Gardening Check out this article.

Transformations

Some worms spend their whole life in the dirt.  

They provide a wonderful service to the plants and the flowers. 

Their beauty is in their work. 

Then there is the Caterpillar;

 Fuzzy, and funny looking. 

Children notice him, he is delightful to them.

All of God's creation has value.  

 Remember the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover"?

It works for worms too.

 Some of them become Butterflies.

I found  a Butterfly fluttering in the dirt one morning last week. I wasn't sure what it was at first. I came closer and saw it was a butterfly coming out of a Chrysalis. Its wings were still crumpled and bent, its abdomen still had a shell attached (perhaps a part of the Chrysalis). I gently reached down and allowed it to crawl up on my hand, then set it my garden bed with the flowers where there was a little shelter from the hot morning. I watched throughout the day.  It fluttered and jumped and struggled to come into its fullness. It was there into the second day. Later when we looked at the garden bed, it was gone. I felt sad. I had become attached to it already. Isn't that funny… its just an insect, but I felt a connection to it. I suppose because I felt compassion for its struggle and was allowed to see it as it was transforming. That was a miracle to me. One that I had not seen before. 

Steve and I were sitting on our front patio a little later in the evening, when we looked up, there was Miss Butterfly flying in under the covered patio. I am sure it must have been the same one. It had the same markings, it looked like the same one. It was really almost as if that butterfly had come to find us and say. "Look here, I am flying.  Thanks for the shelter and the kind words". Then it flew away. It seemed as if the Lord had shown us something beautiful. A reminder, a thought, a word of encouragement.

Sometimes we, like the Butterfly, look crumpled and bent and funny as we are being transformed into what He is calling us to be. Evidences of what we are and who we are stand out; but our wings are bent, we look a little rumpled, we hop around and try to fly, we're almost there… but not quite.  We were worms, and now look what we've become… but not completely, not yet, we can't fly quite yet.  Oh if someone is patient and kind with us as we are being transformed; if someone has a sweet word of encouragement and appreciation for who we are, it would be like a soft wind that lifts us up.

Have a wonderful week.  May the Spirit of the Lord bless you with encouragement and joy this week

as your are being transformed into His image.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18