Obama-Nation indeed!

Yesterday, I produced a video with colleague Ann Silvio about Boston's take on Obama's inauguration. I thought I would share. Hope you enjoy!

A few things have happened since the last post. For brevity's sake, I'll make the review short (and full of pictures) and go back only as far as last Tuesday . . . November 4.

Bright and early, we did this:
Then I worked like a crazy person taking pictures and doing a video about other people doing exactly that same thing.

And then this happened:

And then I stayed up all night shooting and editing this:


And then I did this for about 20 hours:
And then today, I went outside to find this:(Oh, yeah. . . I have a garden!)

So that's what I've been up to, and that's why I haven't written. Seeing that I work for a news organization, I cannot mention my feelings about the outcome of the election, except to state several facts. This is history, and whatever your feelings about the promised "change," -- well, change has already occurred. Both of those things are incredibly positive developments, and that's all I'll say about that.

Back to the garden, my little squares of non-partisan dirt that at the same time speak volumes about my politics.

Last weekend, I painted the inside of the coldframes white (using non-toxic, no-VOC paint) so they can make the most of the limited winter sunlight. That paint, by the way, is massively expensive! $26 for a small can!Then, Erik and I sealed the joints and screw holes with clear silicone so they'll cold up for several seasons in the rain. They are also stained and sealed on the outside to protect the wood.

Each night, if it looks like the temperatures will dip near freezing, we place the windows on top and close them. But if the weather is balmy and wet (as it's been for about 4 days here now), I just take the tops off entirely. Unless it's really cold, I leave the windows open so air can circulate. As the days get colder, I'll adjust this, and perhaps only leave the windows ajar during the sunniest hours. Again, learning as I go here -- advice is welcome, if you've got some!

It's been several weeks now with the cold frames, and the plants seem to love them. The lettuce has gone nuts:So is the Swiss chard:And we're getting little baby turnips (? - forgot to remember what I planted there - could be radishes, but I don't think so)Speaking of radishes, I went to check on them, and !#&@^#*#*@(@!!!!!!This little jerk is responsible:And this is how I feel:So I dusted off the ravished radish -and ate it.

Good news about the brussels sprouts! Remember this plant that would not, could not, mature so I chopped off its head?Well, now the sprouts have filled out. I think we're going to make then into dinner soon.There were two cantaloupes that hung on late in the season, though they remained tiny. I've left them on the vine in the hope that they'd get a little bigger, but to no avail. So today I plucked them from their home and introduced them to my kitchen knife.They weren't very good.

The composter in the front is just about ready.
And the back composter is full of the tomato, bean and pepper plants I tore up in the rear garden.Speaking of the rear garden, I decided that next year, it's going to be the dedicated vine and tomato spot. The tomatoes did great there this year (especially the Brandywines) and the purple pole beans - oh my. However, the one thing that all the vining plants needed was more support, so we (actually, Erik will) are going to build a trellis that stretches from the fence to the roof of the adjacent garage.
(like my illustration?)

And while I'm sharing my plans for next season, here's the area where we're (actually, Erik will - again) going to build the chicken run:I'm about out of updates, and both the cat and the husband are snoring, so I think I'll wrap up with some pretty pictures of rose hips, which I may harvest tomorrow to make jam.Th-th-that's all folks!!

(that) Party's over!

Good-bye, Minneapolis. Good-bye, Palin, McCain, Giuliani. See you in no sooner than 4 years. (fingers crossed).(In way of explanation, they made confetti out of their nominee's head. Uh huh.)

Got on airplane; got off airplane. Slept for 16 hours.

At home, I found these:
-- and a bewildered nest of tomato plants. They've grown so fast as to outstrip their girth and support. When I checked on them, they were all doubled over, hanging their (tomato) heads looking very depressed. Their malaise, coupled with a forecasted tropical storm, prompted me to whip out the twine and bamboo sticks. Malaise, no more! Now they're trapeze artists.
Oh, this is exciting: remember the overgrown cilantro plants that were too pretty to kill? This is what they looked like several weeks ago:
Now the have seeds!
Cilantro, as I sort of knew, is three herbs in one: the leaves used fresh, the roots (when dug before the plant has gone to seed), and then the mature seeds (coriander). I say sort of because it's all just book learnin' until I could prove it in dirt.

I didn't know when to harvest the seeds, so .34 seconds of research online told me this:

Harvest the seeds when they turn a light brown and the entire plant is dried, usually 2-3 weeks after flowering. Cut the stems before much shattering has occurred, and hang the plants in a a warm, airy place to dry. Because many of the seeds will fall out, place the cut stems over a cloth to catch any that fall, or put the stalks inside a paper bag. Make sure the fruit is thoroughly dried, which develops the flavor of the seeds. To save seed for your next crop, just store the whole pods in a cool, dry location. For culinary use, rub the pods to release the seed from the seed coat. The dried seeds can be stored for months in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

The pole beans are happy, and have jumped to the top of my list of favorite plants to grow.

The squash are all simultaneously dying and reproducing. I don't get it.
The cantaloupe are galloping along, which makes me sing with delight. If I manage to grow a cantaloupe, a block party will be thrown, mark my words.
And the yippee-radishes are growing up. Half of them were wiped out by a varmint (again, great word), but these are the hardy survivors.
And the peppers are still popping.That's the garden update, but I have more news . . . stay tuned.

Political Aspira-gus

(on airplane back from Minneapolis)

Something is wrong with my brain. Two weeks of force-fed political dogma and I’m bleeding a bit at the ears, but I just can’t stop. Can’t stop thinking about it, seeking out the latest news, reading commentary – classic trainwreck syndrome. Again and again, I keep wondering, ‘what would I do in elected office?’

And then I think, ‘hmmmn.’

I get an F- in small talk. Definitely don’t suffer fools with charmed patience. I cringe at the thought of shaking an endless sea of sweaty palms. Smiling for too long gives me a migraine. Babies all cry when I touch them, and I’m no Obama when it comes to speechifying. In short, I would be a terrible politician.

But that’s not true. I’ve thought about it. My motives are true, and though my ideas are strong, but I’m not so hubristic as to think they’re all correct. There’s a lot of geography between bleeding-heart liberal and soulless conservative, and I’m all over that map.

With a few exceptions, that is. The environment. Energy policy. Healthcare. Not so flexible on those. So it looks like I could be president of a city block in the middle of Berkeley, California, if I’m lucky.

Back to my apolitical drawing board (which looks a lot like my garden).

I've got the red white and blues.

Enough of the political conventions, already.

Enthusiasm for life on the road is seriously flagging at this point. My husband has issued a formal protest, and what's perhaps worse, I've missed the harvest of our most spectacular tomato.

It's time to go home already, but not before I do this freaky show all over again tonight. Maybe it's worse because the tone of this convention is, well, different to say the least.

It's time to trade this:
for this.

T minus 36 hours.

Two beauties before bed

I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of leaving again for another week of political madness, so I thought I'd just share two of the beautiful things from my yard today.

I planted these poppies from seeds my mother sent. She has them growing on her property in South Dakota, if the goats haven't eaten them yet.

And this tomato. . . I hope the colors come though online. There's a quality loss in the transition to this blog that I can't fix, but I call this my Rastafarian tomato.

Wish me luck in Minneapolis. I called my boss and asked her to send me to photograph the hurricane instead of the Republicans. She said, "Actually. . ."

So it looks like I may be off to NOLA soon after.

Here we go again.

Hi, there, neighbor

Ok, so I have to get a little "eight-year-old girl giddy" for just a moment. Please indulge me, or if you don't want to, skip this entry.

Google analytics is a great thing. It tells me who, if anyone, is actually reading this blog. Some days when I look at it, I get depressed because the new visit from the day before came from me. And some days, like today, the reader report is so darn exciting.

Hello, reader from New Delhi, India!

Hello, person from Christchurch, New Zealand!And I really must mention whoever is reading this blog from Weber City, Virginia. You rock.
Anyway, thank you so much. I'm here in the midst of political kabuki theater for two weeks, and it's great to know that people are tuned in to gardening -- and to my dear garden.

I return home on Friday evening, and I promise to have a full report on what the heck transpired in my absence. Beware, though; it may be a tear-jerker (depending on the hunger level of the skunks).