102 degrees

all-time high temperature record for Seattle was set today.


posted at 10:43pm, when it's 95 degrees IN MY HOUSE.

working in the garden

it's hard to believe I was drinking coffee and wearing a fleece this morning (around 7)... it ended up a scorcher in the afternoon.... 86 degrees! yikes!

gettin' my garden on

Things are growing in the garden -- some losses already, but some successes. I had to pull the broccoli raab when it bolted (I never even saw the part I was supposed to eat), and the chard is touch-and-go. But the tomatoes are going well, as is the basil -- now I just need to learn how to make fresh mozarella. The cilantro is still alive, and the potatoes need no encouragement at all. The winter squashes look about ready to burst with flowers (pleasepleaseplease), and the blueberry bushes are heavy with green fruit. I've had a few strawberries (yum!) and the onions are doing well (how did I end up with three types of onions?). The asparagus is wild and still putting up shoots, but the star of the beauty pagent is probably the hops. These plants are just lovely, leafy and green, and I'm sure I could hear them grow if I just listened closely.

catching up

Writing from somewhere over Nevada – on my way to Phoenix for a super quick field office visit.

I spent last weekend working, so I don’t feel bad for missing Sunday’s confessional. Working the weekend made Sunday feel like Tuesday, which makes today (Tuesday) feel like Thursday. I’ll get back to Seattle on a Wednesday that will feel like a Friday, take Thursday off (since that’ll be Saturday), then work on Friday (which will then feel like working on Sunday again). Then it’ll be the weekend again, at which point a little bit of my brain will melt and ooze out of my right ear, but I won’t complain because I’ll have the day off. Incidentally, I think this is how Finn gets so smart – he laps up my oozed brain bits while I’m asleep.

I dropped Finn off at Great Dog for some overnight play care while I'm away. He was there on Monday for day care so this will be an unusual three days straight of day care for him, which will certainly wear him out for the next several days. He’s no spring puppy anymore – he used to come home from day care and still be bounding with energy. Now he comes home, has a lagging burst that consists mostly of barking at passers by, then zonks out on the couch or bed until it’s… bedtime. Yesterday he slept even longer and deeper than usual – I think he’s going to be one exhausted pup when I get home.

The garden is nearly ready to be planted. I’ve turned the soil and amended it with four bags of Farmyard Blend compost. This Thursday (aforementioned day off), I’m volunteering at the Seattle Tilth Edible Plant Sale (sale is actually on Saturday and Sunday, I’ll be on a plant set-up crew), which comes with the benefit of getting first dibs on the plants I want, so now I have to think about what and how much I want to plant. One of the only benefits of living alone is that this year, I get to plant whatever I want.

Tomatoes – a no-brainer. Last year we had nine plants, I think I’ll do about the same this year, but I might try some different varieties.
Peppers – I’m thinking about trying a mini plastic hoop setup to grow peppers. So far, our attempts at peppers have been lackluster, but at the same time, seemingly promising, if I could just get it right. Not sure if I’d want to try sweet or hot. Both?
Broccoli – these have worked very well in the past
Beans – sugar snap, green and yellow
Spinach and lettuce – but only if I get to these soon… if I wait too long they bolt
Eggplant –I think I’ll try that instead of zucchini
Onions – especially since I didn’t get any garlic going this year
Potatoes – they’re already reestablishing themselves from last year, but they’re good all through the winter
Winter squash – of some variety, which makes me want to consider trying
Parsnips and/or beets – since I’ve enjoyed those over the winter

I think I will skip trying artichokes this year – the few I’ve grown have been the best artichokes I’ve ever had, but I’m just not sure they’re worth it. Same for carrots – these are a favorite of Eric’s, but we get tons from our CSA box, and they’re pretty demanding for such a basic plant.

As for herbs, Last year I swore off trying to grow cilantro and basil, but now I am waffling. Maybe this would be the year I get it right! I also have in mind a little lavender garden, with three or four different varieties. And if anyone knows the secret for getting thyme to thrive, I’m all ears.

What am I missing?

springing

These pics are mostly for Eric's benefit -- so he can see what's going on in the garden, as the crocuses have come and gone, the daffodils are waning, and the tulips are beginning to show up....


I love these split-corona daffodils, but I don't know what this variety is called. They have a lovely smell, unlike most daffodils, and they remind me of fried eggs (apparently I have a thing for fried egg flowers, because I just brought one of these home for the garden, and I adore the tiny little daisies that pop up in lawns around this time of year). If you know the name of these daffodils, please leave me a comment and let me know!


a different specimen, elegantly posed against the chimney.

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In the back yard, we have:

Grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)

Bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis)

the dogwood (Cornus sp.) patch


the large Japanese maple

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On to the veggies....

The camera refused to focus on something so skinny, but that there is an asparagus spear! It's about 12 inches tall, and did I mention that it's skinny? I'm on the lookout for more spears, but so far as I can tell, there's only one other, and it's about 1 inch tall.

We had another volunteer violet in the veggie space again, so I transplanted it to a pot where it will thrive until it gets hot, and then it will fry.

All three blueberry bushes are getting ready for the bees....

and the apple tree is finally joining the party.

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Out the gate and around the corner to the front yard....

The front yard Dicentra, behind our new vine maple (Acer circinatum). This "heart" came with the house, and has faithfully bloomed spectacularly for the last three years. For the first two years, we had to crawl between the Rhododendron you can see in the background and the camelia that was where the maple is now to see it, but it was there, blooming up a storm. It does even better now that it's not so cramped.

Eric, do you remember the name of this guy? I don't, except that I think it has "clark" somewhere in it. And look! It has a baby off to the right. I had to lift another plant off of it to see it -- we may have to do something about that.

Witch hazel (Hamamelis sp.)

More Muscari.

The lilacs are coming, the lilacs are coming!

spring cleaning

treetops at carkeek park, seattle

I am sometimes asked by my California-based friends and family if the dreary weather of the Pacific Northwest depresses me. I went to college in extreme northern California, where it was also often foggy and wet, and I've lived in Portland since then. I remember the same feelings when I lived in those places as well: I certainly don't feel depressed, or even down about the weather (I've always quite liked the rain), but man, if that first warm, sunny day of spring isn't the best thing ever, then I don't know what is.

evidence of sunlight

I had an action packed weekend this weekend: birdwatching early on Saturday (we didn't spy what we were looking for, but we saw some other neat critters -- including a squirrel expelling itself rather comically from a trash can), then therapy dog class, three hours in the garden and then I trotted off to knitting group in sandals. Today I went to yoga, and in a fit of spring cleaning, cleaned the garage and de-grimed the tops of the kitchen cabinets (ew). Took my bike out of hibernation and in for a tune-up, then ran some errands with the car windows rolled all the way down and the stereo (slightly) up.

In finished project news, I finally got the last of the seed beads put on the felted bowl....

finished measurements: 10 inches in diameter, 5 inches tall, Alpine worsted weight wool, in a charcoal grey and pale blue, seed bead embellishments.

canning tomatoes, take one

I like canning.
I like canning.
I like canning.
I like canning.

I don't mind that home canning takes (way) more time and (way, way) more energy than going to the store and buying canned tomatoes (even nice organic ones). I don't mind that nearly 15 pounds of homegrown tomatoes literally boils down to a mere four quarts....



but I do begin to mind when this happens....



Halfway through the 45 minute hot water process, the jar broke. I opened the canner to take a peek and saw a rouge tomato floating around.... I knew I had canning FAIL.

I like canning.
I like canning.

Edited to add: I was able to salvage the tomatoes from the broken jar by adding them to the cooked down leftover tomato bits and some roasted small and cherry tomatoes, plus a homegrown walla walla onion for what smelled like an awesome tomato sauce. Nice save.

ask and ye shall receive

Back in August and September, we were practically begging the green tomatos to "get red!" Lo and behold, even after the blustery weather and rain started in, we harvested 12 pounds of tomatoes, three pounds of yukon gold potatoes, as well as carrots, broccoli, hops and zuchini.

worth a thousand words

Here are some pictures to wrap up the last few weeks....

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We took a little hike around Mt Rainier at end of July...


the mountain was being coy for the camera...



waterfalls...


a little snow on the trail still

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The garden is winding down....


we got loads of sugar snap peas -- an instant favorite


the garlic is still curing -- a good haul

we've got enough hops for a batch or two of beer...

carrots are still coming in strong

And just last weekend, Eric and I built our cold frames for winter gardening

The tomatoes are still a work in progress, as we had a bout of cool and cloudy weather, stalling the ripening process. there are dozens of tomatoes on nine plants, but they're all still green. We've got our fingers crossed that the upcoming few days of warm weather will ripen them up. If not, do you have any good recipes for green tomatoes?

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Our trip to California in August was great -- we went to the Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University....



detail from the front of Stanford's campus chapel

and Elizabeth & Marla's wedding was lovely and we were honored to be among their guests...

Congratulations, you two! We're so very happy for you and we wish you the very, very best!

I feel myself becoming one of those bloggers who always takes pictures of their food

...but I just had to show you the best pancakes ever.

Blueberry pancakes with blueberries from our garden. Eric mixed them in with some Snoqualmie Falls Pancake Mix.... yum!

WIP thursday

In the garden... we've got blueberries! (and one sungold tomato, and that basil I swore off? it's growing like mad in the background)

We also have a few baby lady birds left (who have completely taken care of the massive aphid infestation we had on the hops), and one was in the pupa stage this morning as I roamed the garden with my camera...

this is what the baby lady birds look like -- pretty ugly compared to their post-pupa phase, eh?

we've also got sugar snap peas...

our solitary honeycrisp apple (about the size of a golf ball)...

...and broccoli that we'll have for dinner tonight

hydrangeas....

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In the craft room... the kimono quilt pieces are all cut out, and the "sleeves" are pieced.

flower foto