la maison des minous: Grey Garden

garden gnome a la Amelie

We are back to the gloomy grey today.

Could it be because the end of the world is scheduled for today?
(Just kidding. Who comes up with these predictions anyway, and how do they arrive at them? Please enlighten me).

finally blooming wisteria

I'm not sure if this grey weather is the reason I feel so frustratingly tired and draggy today--despite TWO cups of good coffee and a lovely couch nap--or if possibly it has something to do with the fact that G2 has another paper to write. This time it's on Picasso, at least--a subject I feel slightly more knowledgeable about than black holes. I wish I were a more patient person, and that my repeated entreaties to stick to the "Task at hand, task at hand" didn't sound quite so tightly wound. However, I'm trying my best. I think there's progress since the last paper. No yelling. And I will keep trying to improve. For the moment, G2 is off at his stage rehearsal for the big end of the year ballet show--every performance by his school has been spectacular, so I'm really looking forward to it tomorrow. G1 is off working for his Grammy to pay off debt for his fancy new laptop computer. We decided that a) it would make his long summer without usual activities more tolerable and b) it was a teachable personal finance moment. Do you think it's unfair to charge a 14 year old interest?

raised bed with drip irrigation

Anyhow, the beautiful beds we prepared last week have been waiting for planting all week. I laid out all the seeds I had squirreled away today, and am excited. There are still more I need to purchase for the winter garden: sugar hubbard squash, collard greens, mizuna mustard, and beets. I also am drooling over the "Neon" (red) calendula from Territorial seed. Calendula are beautiful, edible, and tend to reseed and come back year after year in our area. However, reason prevailed before I hit the "Proceed to checkout" button. Not in our budget for May. I prefer to wait and set the $ aside for the next 2 months ($10/month for garden projects) rather than incur credit card charges. It's that ongoing struggle between needs and wants, and immediate wants (neon calendula!) vs. long-term wants (6 month emergency fund!).

Put down that credit card & step away from the computer....

Also, as G1 reminded me, I already have lots of seeds I haven't planted yet.

seeds, beautiful seeds

Here are the seedlings G2 and I started several months back. There are 3 types of tomato starts: early cherry, white current cherry, and principe borghese, a drying tomato. A few didn't make it--they got too leggy and weren't up-potted soon enough. The catnip and licorice starts, very delicate, also didn't make it. But the basil looks beautiful! Lots and lots of sweet basil for salads and pesto. I like to freeze the pesto first in ice cube trays and then in ziplock bags, so we can take out a cube or two for evening pasta.

tomato starts

basil starts

Minou is trying to finish siding the chicken coop, the way we often do things:
many months after we start.

slow and steady gets the job done

I went looking for a trowel, and there was not a single one to be found (this in a family with at least 6 rakes and 3 shovels). Why not? They get left outside and forgotten, rusted and overgrown.
I finally found one. Next door. Can you read what's written on it? "Grammy. Please return." Hmmm.....
I borrowed it. I will return it. I promise.