I voted on the way to Avdi’s. The roofers were there, installing new shingles. I was glad to see they hadn’t been deported!
Today I planted more plants, brought out some more seedlings to harden off, and spaced the ones downstairs. I helped Avdi with chores, and with dinner, which was Cajun Hoppin’ John over rice.
The main “chore” now is for everyone to finish off chametz before Pesach.
My grandson E must have acquired some green DNA from me, because he’s been out there whenever possible, rain or shine, creating a secret garden of his own. It’s in the blood–or sap. This is just the beginning of his “evil plan”–to introduce chickens!
I’m continuing to clear and clean up various beds for their new purposing: perennial veggies and fruits; veg bed annexes; and of course lots and lots of flowers. Down in the lab, the cukes are taking over, demanding to be liberated! Last night was hopefully the last freeze; now everyone can start hardening off outside.
The variegated trillium is starting to bloom! Also comfrey. Also tulips and iris! And lots of mystery bulbs coming up.
On the way over today, I’ll vote in our local county election. Ours is just a minor one, but every election is crucial now.
It’s been raining for days, with the usual backyard flooding. All told, we got several inches of rain. The drainage canal became a deep rushing river. Not a lot could get done outside. It was cold, but after tonight, I think frost danger will be behind us, and I can bring most of the seedlings out to harden off.
Shabbat happened, as always. It’s that chametz-consuming time of year, so the menu featured lots of that.
Saturday I spent the night (not sleeping well) as usual, then the next day (yesterday) I helped Avdi with a big project, deep-cleaning and reorganizing the baking supply shelving unit, while he resituated the bulletin board to be more accessible. E worked on his own garden slash possible chicken area. I stayed for the family meeting, then had to get home and get some sleep.
So here I am in the middle of the night, not sleeping! Maybe it’s just the insane state of the country that keeps me up thinking about holocausts, y’know, the usual stuff.
Rain doesn’t rein me in, as you can see from these wet woodlandish scenes! This is my favorite habitat. All the ephemeral flowers and shade natives are just bursting out and taking over more real estate, as it should be. Ok, so some non-natives are invading, as they do, but I’ve given up micromanaging nature. It’s going to have its way with or without me. I take out the worst culprits as I find them, and take in the rest.
S brought home a sycamore sapling from school, and I planted it along the front of the “wetland woods” area, where it will get sun and water and have room to grow. Light rain watered it in. S approved it when he came home.
Down in the lab, I started a whole flat of six varieties of heirloom tomato seeds saved and sent by a friend. We should have quite an assortment of tomatoes this year. The spiral tendril belongs to an Armenian cucumber. All the cuke plants are huge and trying to vine up already! Soon I’ll harden them off (in between “tornadoes”!)
This is how I avoid hateful politics. There is way too much insanity to rant about, for lowly me to even get started. The experts (like Cory Booker) have that covered. If gardening could kill demented criminals in power, I would garden them out of existence. Unfortunately, I’m not very capable of or proficient at real activism and revolution, but I support those who can do it, or at least supportive of those who aren’t in a position to. Like children, or critters, who didn’t ask for all this oppression, and don’t deserve it.
These confounded so-called tornado watches and warnings are really starting to annoy me. I mean I’m glad they turn out to be false alarms (for us at least), but they’re nerve-racking. Then of course they have to throw in the wailing sirens for good measure, just to make sure you’re sufficiently panicked. I swear there’s some nerd somewhere going “Ooh Ooh can I press the red alert button now, can I?!” The price you pay for living in the less expensive midwest.
In between thunder, lightening, and rain, I did manage to get gardening done. At one point, our neighbor and I were weeding and talking gardens through the fence, and she let me dig up some yarrow to transplant, which was nice. We often swap plants. We worked until the last minute before it started looking scary out. Then it was just a t-storm which dwindled into a nice evening.
A’s backyard is a real bird haven. As fast as I dig and hoe, the robins come behind me for food. The backyard robin mom knows me and lets me come right up to her nest where she seems to be sitting on eggs. (There’s a newly renovated nest on top of the front door light, but I haven’t seen that mom yet.) A pair of the many mourning doves have taken up residence on top of E’s [future?] chicken coop, where they bask in the sun and let me get pretty close if I’m careful.
Even the fish recognize me now and come out when I call them (and feed them a little). It only took E about a day or two to discover OtoCat the new catfish; E is very alert. We had a laugh over that.
The next wave of spring natives are starting to bud out, the wild ginger, spring beauty, mayapple, solomon’s seal, celandine poppy, jacob’s ladder, jewelweed (taking over the whole yard now), and of course the va bluebells, violets, and ferns. There are many more, yet to be IDed by me. Every individual plant is an exciting discovery to me, and all of them are doing exceptionally well this year.
This evening’s drinks were my version of a “Hurricane”, to go with Avdi’s delicious Cajun smoked turkey sandwiches.
I know I’m not alone in thinking, who needs April Fools, when every day is like waking up to the biggest fools joke in history, only it’s reality. Hard act to follow.
Speaking of waking up, I normally sleep through 6AM, but here I am up and writing. Like, it’s April, fool, time to wake up with the birds and get ready to garden.
We’re supposed to get another one of those big storms tomorrow; maybe it will be another April fools joke. There’s no telling around here.
Yesterday I introduced OtoCat to E’s aquarium, but didn’t tell him. I’m waiting to see how long it will take him to notice the new little catfish.
I did lots of gardeny stuff yesterday. I planted some hardened-off veg and herb plants, and brought some more outside. I’m excited to see last year’s asparagus coming back. Also all the ferns are unfurling!
I continued to hoe around the outside of the veg garden. In a couple of weeks (after frost-free date) I’ll be able to start direct-sowing the rest of the flower and veg seeds, and harden off more seedlings. And start some more indoors. A never-ending cycle.
I arrived at A’s on Sat. while he was driving to retrieve Y from their week with their Mom. Then he immediately turned around and took E to the New Jewish Theatre’s production of Cabaret. Avdi found it particularly moving and relevant right now. Too relevant.
Meanwhile there was plenty of work for me to do inside and out. This supposedly huge storm (high winds, t-storms, large hail, possible tornadoes) was coming through on Sunday, so we were battening down, as well. I spent the night, but didn’t sleep much.
Yesterday, while waiting for the “storm”, Y and I hung out and did gardeny things, and replaced the old pool cover with the new one (with help from A). On the radar maps, there were all the colorful blobs and warnings for our area, continually changing times and routes, while in reality, it was like someone just kept turning the sun on and off, with sprinkles.
At one point, it got all dark and ominous, with the wind whipping up, and we thought this is it, head downstairs, only to have it thunder in the distance and–some rain. A big false alarm. Unalarming. Anticlimactic.
Somewhere out there, the radar insisted, was a major storm heading through STL and east. Then the sun came out. Not that I’m complaining! But this weather here is making me crazy.
Still, I had a nice time over there, weathering the storm that wasn’t, enjoying the warm weather. Then I strolled home, watched the climax of “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”, and went to bed early. And here I am, not surprisingly wide awake in the middle of the night.
It was hot and windy and building up to the supposed big storm coming through on Sunday (featuring t-words). I baked challah, did some housekeeping, got some yard work done, and made dinner, an Asian stir-fry with chicken, over Japanese noodles. It seemed to go over well. I walked home in this vivid sunset.
Today Avdi is doing the return trip to pick up Y.
In between rain spells I worked outside a little; cultivated some areas, direct-sowed some cilantro, brought more plants out to harden off, and just enjoyed the garden being watered. I watched a robin mom make finishing touches to her nest in a holly tree. It was like a bird convention out.
I spaced some of the larger seedlings downstairs. The cukes are huge! Later I made us cosmos, and helped Avdi prepare his very good shepherd’s pie.
Things I did yesterday: finished cinder blocking a section of garden; swept out the trashcan area; tried to remove compost from the bottom of the bin (tough because it was all compost bags and roots) to make room at the top for leaves; Hosed down the compost area, uncovering these old bricks; raked leaves and dumped them onto the open compost pile; continued hoeing the area around the veg garden; watered everything; and more.
I also did a few chores inside, met S at the bus as usual, and threw dinner together. Of course I always fuss over my green babies downstairs–note the German chamomile daisy flower. I try to earn my keep!
I’ve been working my way through the streaming series “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”. It’s pretty rough to watch, especially considering how eerily similar our current fascist dictatorship is becoming. Hence being up writing in the middle of the night! I usually avoid holocaust reminders, because it’s so unthinkably sadistic, and this series doesn’t spare you much. I guess sometimes it’s better to face your fears and be prepared, while still hoping saner minds will prevail.
