grasshopper experiment

"winter" garden - testing the zone

2006-12-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

60 degrees today as i write about the texas winter garden. still odd but nice to be able to dig around most of the year. as the temps suggest, it turned out to be quite a balmy day. tempting to us gardeners down here in zone 8. a question though, considering the general warming of most locals, am i not closer now to a zone 9 status? well to see, i'm doing a test.

i've planted a number of items that might normally wish to wait a month or so before dropping in. i'm curious to see if I can get a few choice items to survive months that they would not normally contend with. i'll take extra care to be aware of any sudden cold snaps.

currently growing- winter garden staples
cabbage
broccoli
broccoli rabe
brussel sprouts
kale (3 types)
chard (2 types)
carrots
beets
onion
herbs (cold tolerant perennials)
turnip
rutabaga
fennel

planted today (cold tolerant)
spinach
corn salad (mache)
snow peas
shelling peas
cilantro
dill
i hope it stays cool enough for the peas to take off. i've been holding off due to the warm temps. i love peas, it would be lovely to see them do well.

and the test:
potatoes (2 types)
normally potatoes would wait another month or so before planting but i figured i'd try to drop them in and see what happens. it's just been so mild, why not try? two observations lead me to give this experiment a shot.
1. i saw several okra plants that I had cut back over a month ago flower! okra is a heat lover so this was a big surprise.
2. i saw new leaf and buds forming on two eggplant stalks i had cut back around the same time as the okra. eggplant is also a heat lover so if these babies are willing to make the effort then why not potatoes?

perennial flower seeds- this is also a bit early but we'll see how it goes.

i'll just keep an eye on temps and cover the area with hay if a bit of warmth is needed. i'm hopeful.

being

2006-12-20T18:31:00.001-08:00

musing december
2nd december in texas
2nd round with the texas garden
odd still temperatures above 60 and higher
not like the old chicago chilly & brite with a cold, dry bite

gardening is fun though, especially year round
homegrown is a phrase that brings me comfort
those darn bugs is a phrase prone to gardens in warm climates
and the bidding of rain is a not so new inclusion in my daily thoughts

fixed up a great deal around the house this year
too long to list today
just happy to say
there truly is no place like home

archives you wonder? why?

2006-12-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

it seems my old blog was lost in the ether. I still had a link in my bookmarks that could acess it so rather than go nuts. I just copied all posts to the new space, here! so with that task complete, onward!

archives from august 2006

2006-12-20T17:45:00.001-08:00

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

archives from july 2006

2006-12-20T17:43:00.002-08:00

Monday, July 31, 2006

it's good to be humbled

heat + humidity + stubborn runner who attempts to run shortly after mid day = humble pie

so i had my share of humble pie today served precisely at 96 degrees in the shade. i hit the trails with high hopes and light feet only to be walking after a mere 35 minutes, though walking briskly with arms swinging trying to motivate the future pitter patter of lifted foot. no avail, there was no more running to be done; at least not until the sun dropped a bit.

my head was light, my heart pounded oddly a few times and even after several fairly good gulps of my holy concord grape juice, nothing.

still i walked and pumped up the hills as hard as i could. i could now enjoy the scenery. my sites were able to expand beyond the 3' directly before me.

it was a beautiful day, a beautiful trail. the pines needles under my feet were soft and my steps were suprisingly quiet. i listened to the wind rustle the branches and i studied how the trail floor changed from compacted clay to soft pine needles to rooty horizontals to loose rocky descents.

i learned the trail today and enjoyed it for it's just being there. and i think tomorrow will be better but if not, maybe i'll explore another turn of the trail.

maybe this heat is really saying slow down, enjoy, it's not a race today - let's share a piece of humble pie.

lovely things

isn't it timely
a return to the blogging quest
and looking back to "the first day" I see the birth of my hearty copost bin
that bin which was emptied just this week for a new garden bed.

there are those, of which i'm one,
who believe that events occur for a reason;
that elements connect without our direct knowledge or consciousness.

i wonder
is that because we live lives now filled with distraction and ill directed attentions
have we given our most important selves over to the genius of major marketing agents?
i know that i for one am often guilty of such.
it is a struggle i fight each day.

is it age that keeps us focused on those elements in our lives that are most important?
i wish the answer were so easy.
as yesterday alone i was given the gift of meeting two women on either side of life
folk who seem wise beyond their experience, simple, clear and open to the world.
it is from these folk that I gain hope.

the young woman is home for the summer tending a country store on the outskirts of austin

she and i shared the most intelligent conversation about the intersection of the place where we come from, the values that place may instill with modern politics and one's personal vision about the state of the world. a conversation i might add, that many adult may not have been prepared to engage themselves in.

this young woman was a thinker; a clear and simple thinker. the best kind in my book. she was not so caught up in her own world to discount the experience of others. she is willing to place her experience on the back burner so as to listen clearly to another side, then with great compassion, comment and compare her experience to that which she had just listened to. she's the true blue listening type, a good egg.

I found myself sobered by her brave honesty and her courage to move in directions unpopular but useful. this young woman was not proud, nor was she a braggart type and our simple chatter turned quickly to an intense study of the weight of the place once comes from and it's direct relationship to political stasis and/or political activity. and by that, we wondered, is it place that predetermines stasis or activity or is it one's rearing by family and community or experience of an other sort? we pondered a great many angels together. we parted, both with much more to think on.

i wondered how life in this small town might color this young lady's beliefs. i wondered how this wise young woman's foundation of wisdom was built. she keeps a light not soon to be extinguished. i expect to see her doing great and thoughtful things in our future.

and then i met a woman of greater experience in yet another small town not quite 20 miles away
in first vision; a woman carving bits of wood at a small raised table on a stool in the cool of small handcraft shop.
always intrigued by that created by the hands, i walked in.

ohhhhh this one can chatter.
we, in texas, spoke of vermont sugar molds and made a pact to speak on the molds further.
we discussed the origin of nearly every hand craft in the room.
i wandered while listening to discover a small aviary in the back full of doves
and below the aviary a small kitten rolled up sleeping so.
too content to notice me noticing it
the birds coo'ed almost a laughter pattern
and every time i walked over to them i wondered if they were amused by my awkward site for they coo'ed just so.
Oh the stories they have heard.

this woman's husband was there too;
a quite keeper,
slow moving but not ailed,
listening but silent.
she did enough talking for the two of them.
but you could tell he admired,
admired her from afar and knew his tasks and did them silently and did them well.
he, a gentle soul,
i wondered if he was father to, was keeper of the doves.
he was peaceful
i liked him from the start.

she carved and chatted and chipped the wood into beautiful kitchen hand tools.
spoons and spreaders and knives and platters
lovely warm things that feel like home,
lovely simple things full of beauty.

it is these folk too, those who understand the simple that also give me hope.
I wonder still, were those doves, laughing at me?
i smile at the thought of doves with a sense of humor.

lovely things

- - you can see nancy lou's beautiful things at www.treenbynancylou.com - -

posted by shellywoman at 8:17 AM | 0 comments

archives from january 2006

2006-12-20T17:43:00.001-08:00

the first day

this first day has been dedicated to that which will pass on.

in the yard
far in the back
a new compost bin resides

hand built with love
scratches splinters
hey that's what it's all about

a double cabinet earthy god

an ode to that which has passed is now renewed

posted by shellywoman at 5:35 PM | 0 comments

archives from december 2005

2006-12-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 22, 2005

birthed day

1 more year
added to the list
of lived through lived with
still happily living with
body present

fear of age
heck no! not me
i am one who'd rather not be
that which i was last year

more clear
nothing dear
add or take a year
no fear

walkabout in the fresh

wakey wakey
sippy sippy
walky walky
sleepy sleepy

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

daily grind

funny how when face to face with family
the phrase daily grind picks up whole new meaning

and why
as they are made of who you are
is it the grind of facing truth
where the brew is you?

Monday, December 19, 2005

catsup

been away coupleaday
left the computer to its own holiday

knitted some scarves
baked coupleapie
appledaterhubarbstrawberrypecan
squares of lemon

parcels packed
stuffed wrap bubble
waiting for a ride on the purple orange shuttle

days revolve
small little selves
brush the dust off someone else
num num yum yum warming belly
tastes good silly

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

36

no winks for 36
still chipper

the slow draw

a small string at an end of me begins it's unravel
a tug of sleep at one end
adrenaline the other

Monday, December 12, 2005

deadline

creativity vs the final moment
the objective; make real your abstract
please excuse this process interruptis
choice; where to cease for today

Sunday, December 11, 2005

cool breath in

and the day is lovely
crisp lettuce crunchy air
mooshy earth peat soft

excellent day for the times
magazine
iced coffee... 2 cups please

Saturday, December 10, 2005

rather

reflection today
mundane task
quiet quiet

slowing the pulse

everything so hectic as of late, i'm lucky if i find a single vegetable to eat. deadlines loom in my near site view and i see them and i look at them an my pulse wants to slow. and i want it to slow, so i sit a bit or walk the garden and push some dirt around. it's thinking time, the getting ready to work for many long hours until that looming project is complete. monday comes soon and the pulse pays no mind. work is better when it's slow anyhow.

genesis

blogg? hmmm something new. how is it that we think peoples out there will find our thoughts so interesting to read? how is there space enough for all our typed out words to fit in the maze of the web? where exactly does all this go? and is it possible to actually delete a file or a note or a posting? anyone could have copied, pasted, downloaded. is privacy a thing of the past, is communication thru type the more powerful post? we traded the pen for the keyboard. which hand muscles are now atrophied from no longer holding the pen? which are developing stronger for the keyboard? are our eyes mutating also with computer screens, high definition, led technology? is there anyone out there studying the physical and optical relationships to technology?

we evolve

Friday, December 09, 2005

5 friends and some food

happy friends, happy stomachs, smooth drinks with the fare. no talky talky about work. chalk up a good one.

posted by shellywoman at 10:07 PM