Recipes * Critters * Garden * Stories *

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Every Square Inch

The Gnat season arrived in force, and we have been out there taking them on as we finish the by-summer projects on the list.  These little black devils are undetectable without you looking down to see them on your arm. They crawl through your window screens and under your clothes. Until the itchy welt starts to rise do you realize they've been there and gone.

Gnats show up in May and die off when the temps sustain just over 100 degrees for a few days (typically at the end of June). We're armed: there's the mosquito and Gnat propane powered attractant to catch and kill them; the bug zapper near the house; we eliminate the standing water sources we can find; and still they come in little swarms from early morning to after dusk.

We use the natural bug repellent we make, and that seems to keep them at bay, at least for a while. Other commercial products without Deet don't work and we're just not going the chemical route with our health. We spray the natural oils onto our hands and coat the inside of the dog's ears, run a damp hand along their muzzles and over their heads, and a quick spray on their tummies and backs. There's nothing in it to cause them trouble if they lick it off, and we can reapply as needed.

So, a couple of weeks ago I was off to town and the Hubs needed to get some chores done on the tractor and so the dogs went into the shady outdoor kennel.  They love it there, watching the world go by with a big bucket of drinking water and a dog house. When I got home, we discovered Lily was covered in welts. Sam was untouched.

We lay Lil on her back between us, head on my lap and feet on his, as we soothed her with sweet words, topical Benadryl and antiseptic dog spray to relieve the hundreds of bites on her neck, chest, belly and haunches. She closed her eyes and hummed happily from all the fussing.

We haven't had Lil quite a year, which means she came to us after gnat season. Sam has thick lab hair but Lil has nearly-bare belly skin and fine, wiry hair. The poor little girl.

This week we'll be making up more repellent and praying for hot, unrelenting days. And Lil gets the royal treatment from here on out, covering every square inch of skin, just like we do for ourselves. Can't wait for gnat season to be over.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Memorial Day

Thank
You
to the often
invisible
force field
of men and women (living and not)
 
who chose to defend
the weak
and oppressed,
 
 
put themselves
in harm's way
for liberty
and freedom,

and who 
know that
protecting
this
strong nation
is a
daily
job.

The service
to our country 
is what has
always made
Liberty possible.
 

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Shopping While Hungry

From this ...
Spring came in like a Lion, that's for sure, with a strange weather pattern we couldn't count on or predict. So we got busy.

An old eyesore part of the yard was repurposed into an herb garden.  I always like it when things just lying around can become something useful again. 

There's still a drip system to install for the rosemary, thyme, chocolate mint, basil, sage, cilantro, oregano and a raised bed full of garlic and onion which we're hoping will peek through the soil any day.

To this ...
The green and red harvest boxes came from a freestyle pick. We pass this place on the way to sushi that always has interesting things for sale, and a couple of weeks ago we stopped in to take a look. The caretaker was great and so was the boss and we picked up some really nice things. More to come on that.

We've been reclaiming other planting areas, and getting the garden drip back online after the freeze in January blew it out.  It's astonishing how big an acre of land seems when it's covered in weeds.

The Iris garden came back fuller and with showy blooms even with their confusion of spring weather in February. Sadly, one of our queen palms didn't make it.

We have had some help from four legged critters. Two feral cats are new to the neighborhood and live next door. We feed and water them when they need it, and they in turn keep the population of ground squirrels at bay, which is more than a fair trade. They are doing a dynamite job.

Just made up the first batch of lavender lemonade so summer must be near. Everything is in bloom including the pomegranates and we are more attentive now that we know what they are.  All the mandarin trees were lost in the freeze, but the nectarine and apricot have flourished and have little fuzzy fruit.

Thing One and Thing Two love being outside fenceless and leashless. Lily no longer chases the farm equipment and minds pretty well. Sam sleeps near Lil and we take that as a sign that they have truly bonded. 

There are alfalfa crops all around, a more durable crop choice with water in short supply, but I long for the sunflowers looking cheerfully my way as I stretch awake.

We discovered a local nursery called Green Acres that sells no GMO - and that evidently made us hungry:

Lilliput
We bought and planted 7 varieties of tomato, tomatillos, spicy and hot peppers, pickling cukes, our favorite Armenian cukes, zucchini, Japanese eggplant, pole beans, and pepperoncini. I think there's more. Corn goes in tomorrow, just 8 stalks to start, and we'll stagger planting there through summer. 
Sammy Girl

The nursery was a big help with a problem we are having with our happy, prolific artichokes. They are producing an astonishing amount of artichokes, healthy and large thistles, but they are tough.

Green Acres recommended we try to duplicate more of the optimal coastal environment. So we'll be devising some afternoon shade and misters in the near future. The plants are huge - can't move them now - but it's definitely worth a shot since they already love it here. 

I'm excited that tomorrow the thornless boysenberry bushes finally go in.

I am dreaming of boysenberry jam from bushes growing wild out by the garden along the Fence of Life.  Bee-utiful!