Inspiring Places

The rains have finally come.  More than 2 inches fell last night, with more in the forecast.  You could almost hear the plants sigh with relief. With the lower temps, we were able to open the house up last night, for the first time in a couple of weeks.  I love having fresh air circulating through the house.  Some of the younger squash were shriveling up on the vine, but I was able to harvest what you see above yesterday.  I expect the garden will really start jumping now.

I've been to some inspiring places on the web recently, and thought I'd share them with you.  First up, from the Subsistence Pattern blog , is a wonderful video on Forest Gardening , a type of permaculture.  The couple lives in New Zealand, and has hundreds of varieties of plants on their 2 acres. 

Another is a lovely blog, Moon to Moon . Many of the spaces she shares are soulful and sometimes funky, much like those in the the Handmade Houses books I've collected.  I should tell you her July 8th post has photos from the 60's and 70's, including a few with nudity, in case that would offend.  I believe I'll take my cup of tea to the garden, and delight in the wet.

South Elm Urban Market

I'm excited to be adding another fun venue for my work.  Beginning this Sunday, I'll be sharing a booth at the South Elm Urban Market in Greensboro with my friend and fellow Lark artist Debra Spinks.  The Market is a wonderful combination of local farmers, cooks and artisans, and runs 12-5 each Sunday through November.

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable 4th of July, friends!

Whew!

The pups and I have changed our evening walks to early morning, to beat the heat. With a forecast of 105 today, that was first on the list.  Next was some watering in the garden.  Blueberries, tromboncino and yellow squash were picked.  The spaghetti squash are looking pretty rough from the temps.  I hope they'll make it.  This was the first year they were doing well, and I saw several squash on the vine this morning that were drying up.

I lived for ten years here without air conditioning, and am feeling mighty grateful to have it now.  My heart goes out to the folks that braved 118 temps yesterday, in Kansas and in our own NC mountain town of Asheville, and any folks that have to be out in these unusually high temps.  I'm giving serious consideration to breaking out the ice cream freezer today.  I can't think of a better day to make a batch of peppermint ice cream.  Stay cool and hydrated, friends!

Let The Sun Shine In

If they're right about the forecast, we're getting ready to have four days of triple digits.  Those will be good days to stay indoors, once the early morning animal and garden chores are done.  We still haven't gotten any rain, except for a 20 second tease. 

With watering our plants being such an issue, Joseph has been working as hard as he can on the pond.  If I've not mentioned it before, we only get a gallon a minute flow from our 500 ft well.  Last night, he came in to dinner all disgruntled, having found that our neighbor had basically pushed up a brushpile and covered it with dirt to create our dam.  Not happy..... not happy at all.   Speaking of less than ideal neighbors, I walked the far edge of our property yesterday in search of blackberries, and found our new neighbors had set up their pack of dogs on our land, on chains and in doglots.  Grrrrrrr...  Some people really ought to be ashamed of themselves.  Once I can speak calmly, we'll be going next door for a little chat. 

Well, if all our flowers bite the dust, I may just have to keep the glass flowers I've been working on.  In the meantime, I'm off to do some watering!

Will Dance For Rain

It's that time of year, when my thoughts begin turning to rain dances.  The plants are getting pretty crispy.  The garden itself is doing well, with all the straw mulch.  It's all the plantings outside the garden that are hurting. It's impossible to keep them mulched, with the chickens roaming each afternoon.  I do some watering in the mornings, but it's never the same as a good rain.

Still, I've harvested broccoli this week, and lettuce.  The yellow crookneck squash are producing, and we'll eat the first round of them tomorrow.   I'm anticipating harvesting those first tomatoes!  Happy Summer, friends!  Have a great weekend!

Bee Balm & Butterflies

I'm still here.  I've just been trying to find my groove again since the show, which was a lovely day indeed.  I've been harvesting raspberries, the last of the peas, calendula and broccoli from the garden.  There are enough lamb's quarters to freeze several bags, so I'll need to fit that into my schedule soon. 

This week, I met with several women at the library to work on a blanket for Project Linus.  They're simple fleece blankets, and with my partner, we completed a blanket in the hour we met.  Easy Peasy.  I'm visiting my sister's family later today.  I'll be bringing a batch of mint lemonade, and sharing some mint plants, so they'll soon be able to make their own.  I wish you a happy Friday!

Toads, Alpacas & Bullfrogs, Oh My!

There has been a soft, steady rain falling this morning, which will make for a happy garden.  This week is a bit of a whirlwind, leading up to the Art with the Alpacas show.  We met at High Meadow Farm last week, for a photo for the newspaper.  I got up close and personal with two of the alpacas.  They checked me out, getting nose to nose with me.  It was amazing being so close, feeling their whiskers and warm breath on my face. They are pretty special creatures.  I found this toad among the turnips, and rubbed his back a bit before taking the picture.

At long last, there is progress being made on the pond.  Our neighbor, Joe, never did come back and finish it as promised, and apparently has left town.  But that's OK, because Joseph now has access to a backhoe.  It's an oldie but goodie, and there have been more repairs than I can count on my two hands.  Slowly but surely, the pond is taking shape and the dam is being fortified.  I'd been hearing the bullfrogs, and managed to spy a large one on a log over the weekend. If you're in central NC, come on out to the show on Saturday.  It promises to be great family fun, with the alpacas, live music, food and a village of 2 dozen artisans.  And did I mention cupcakes?