archives from august 2006

Friday, August 18, 2006

Hey! Look over there!

As you can see there have not been daily posts here as of late. Most of my attentions have been over on my other blog FOOD AS FUEL. Hop over there and see what I'm up two.

Cheers!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Fall Garden

- Yesterday was yard work day (one of many actually). I mowed the lawn inside the fence and outside the fence (town side) as it just looks neat and clean and I've not yet seen the town ever mow the town side anyway. I cleaned up debris strewn out and about and coiled up the various garden hoses. Everything is looking quite nice.
- I take great pride in my yard. I do feel it is a reflection of ourselves or at least I treat it so, with it's appearance, the choices I make in flowers, trees and bushes I plant and the layout. I love love love my vegetable garden, I find it gives me great happiness to see the little buggers pushing through the dirt each day and to harvest food that I've grown organically and with great care.
- Most of the fall garden is in now minus the cole crops (cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower) as it's just too warm down here yet to get them in but you'll see above that I've got them started, cuties that they are. I gave each bed organic fertile treats yesterday. I mixed up some organic bone meal, dried molasses, crab shell bits, blood meal and a bit of rocket fuel. It should help the little ones make it through the remaining heat of the summer and also help to promote strong root growth. Here's what's planted at present.

• Herbs
• basil (Italian, Thai, anise, shizo) I love basil
• rosemary (big ole' bush)
• sage
• oregano
• lemon grass (she's huge!)
• thyme (one type, would like to have several more)
• parsley
• chevril
• fennel
  
• Veggies
• Corn (sweet & popcorn)
• beans (mostly bush, and some volunteer poles from spring crop droppings)
• cucumber
• acorn squash
• spaghetti squash
• winter banana squash
• yellow crookneck summer squash
  
• watermelon (struggling but maybe it will make it before frost)
• turnip
• radish
• carrot (2 types, dragon red and an ancient heirloom)
• beets (albino and yellow)
• sweet potatoe (nearly taking over the space)
• tomatoes (Brandywine, Paul robeson, green zebra, heirloom cherry)
• yellow swiss chard
• eggplant
  
• artichokes
• okra
  
• sweet pepper
  
• jerusalem artichokes
• asparagus
• arugula
  
• Flowers,Fruits
• 2 apple trees (Anna & golden Dorset)
• blackberries (1 big bush)
• grape vines (2 black eating, 2 black juicing)
• strawberries (just a few)
• rhubarb
• mallow
• marigolds
• nasturtium

I'm sure I'm missing something but that's about the size of it. The cabbage won't go in the ground for another month or 6 weeks. I hope to get some potatoes in soon as well, waiting for the seed to arrive. I have yet to drop in some garlic. I'll probably do that a bit later as well. for now, this is enough.

Current Harvest: Okra, eggplant, various herbs, and arugula. Sweet peppers should be ready in about 2 weeks. Yummy. The rest of the family are babies.

It could not be nicer.

Monday, August 07, 2006

the a.m. jaunt through the garden

true blue

The morning is beautiful today. I welcome you to enjoy the loveliness I was able to experience.

Here is a view of sunlight bathing this star of texas hibiscus. Her bloom will last all of one day but there will be more. I think it's nice to explore the point of view of the flower to the sun. I love the silhouette of the petals; almost looks as if she's sunbathing on a chez lounge made from delicate petals of green.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

items yet to be explored

things you may not know that have yet to make the pages of grasshopper experiment

i garden: avidly, organic vegetables, flowers, gourds
compost is fun: i'll soon discuss the fun side of compost
cleaning house: there is pleasure here too
family as friends: when you truly enjoy your families company (yes it's true)
road trips: drives down country roads in texas and what i have found
cooking: i do a great deal of it, natural and organic as of late, no recipies here !
working on the road: i have had the great fortune of working some of the world's great artistis: bits of wisdom I've learned from them
teaching: challenges, joys and self reflection
hands: why i find them to be the greatest tools and why they remind me of grandpa habeck
laundry with an old time ringer: grandma habeck's agile hands (much smoother than grandpa's)
on being a loner: most of the time ( the inner workings of my thought process)
why studying the human condition is so exciting
different types of people i find cool and why.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

a few days short

just a few days short of year away from sweet home chicago.
and in my heart, a hard deep ache for the city and friends exists.
oh chicago
a city of light, of gumption
and an incredible life force in constant renewal.
go there and you'll see.

and here i am in texas.
even odd to see now as I type it t-e-x-a-s.
t-e-x-a-s

is it real? is this true?
yes, here i am in texas
a long way from chicago
and i'm still a bit jittery about being here.

ah why be dishonest about it
there's so much to be said about trusting that gut feeling
about knowing you fit or maybe you're a bit off.

and maybe this is a place of transition
a place for lessons to be learned
to listen
a time where challenges a plenty help to clarify
the next step
if there is one.

but there's always a next step;
be it a step to stick it in and keep on in texas for a bit
or to discover what's odd and search out a better space.

there are friends in chicago i want to grow old with.
doesn't much matter where we are
friendship holds no boundaries.

and isn't it good to know that it's friends that fill one's heart?
indeed it is.
cheers, to friends!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Running in Heat Part 2

96 degrees in the shade yet again

Plan B:
slow the pace way down
move slow but move steady
concentrate on form and breathing
pay attention to the body, the legs, the feet

Mind set based on two questions:
body feels good? mind not fuzzy?
if yes, keep going
if no, walk for two then pick it up again

walked once for H20
once

slow pace = long run

Result:
One kickin' run, it really pulled everything together
go team shelly!

posted by shellywoman at 8:04 PM | 0 comments