rainbows in the closet

Arizona Adventures

We spent the last week of August exploring Sedona, Oak Creek, and Flagstaff in Arizona.  Visits were made to as many parks and monuments as we could manage, including a fun trip by train from Williams out to the Grand Canyon.  We enjoyed several day hikes in the Red Rock Country (Gorgeous!), a few great storms, a bit of shopping, good food, and great family time.

The early morning view from our little patio. 

 

Hmmmmmm........  Never saw any of these!

We hiked and climbed.

Well, the guys climbed and I documented. :-)

 

Jamie is a spider monkey!

 

Dori, are you coming up?  Nope!

Yes! Yes! I see you!

 

By the way, does anyone know what this is?  We're thinking it's maybe a parasite of some sort.  Kind of a pretty little fluff ball wrapped around leaves and twigs.

Ancient dwelling tucked into the cliff walls of Montezuma Well, one of the historic sites at Montezuma Castle National Monument.  The Sinagua Indians would have reached their homes via wooden ladders.  (Can't you imagine some mama saying "Sweetpea, don't go too close to the edge!")  This large sinkhole was once an underground cavern.

Tall William looking at amazingly small doorway of ancient dwelling at Montezuma Well.

Springs from an aquifer feed a million and a half gallons of fresh water up into Montezuma Well each day.  The water exits on the far side of the Well, filtering through the rock, and emerges as a crystal clear stream down in a little grotto.  There in the middle of the dessert, is this cool, shady little spot with lush maidenhair ferns and sycamore trees.  The ancient peoples used the water from this faithful stream to irrigate their rocky fields. 

Being a train lover, I was hoping one of the old iron horse steam engines would pull our train out to the Grand Canyon, but both are parked for awhile. Darn! But was a great ride, anyway. All along the route, you can see the ruts from the old stage coaches that once ran from Williams out to the canyon. It was fascinating to watch the tracks wind around old juniper trees that were already old a hundred years ago....

 

Chris and William sitting at the edge of the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon cast a spell over me. The hugeness, the quiet, the color...just amazing! For a few moments I sat totally by myself.  I could hear the air rushing over the feathers of the ravens swooping nearly within arm's reach.

 

A squirrel with a great view.  Do not feed these little beggars!  There's a $500 fine if the rangers catch you feeding them.  Seriously! These bold fellows will sneak into your lunch bag or jump right in your baby's carriage to snatch a cookie!  We saw nitwits trying to pet these guys.  They have reeeeeeally sharp little teeth, people!

Future Park Ranger!  Such a cute clown! ;-)

 

Mr. H's feet leading the way down the water slide at Slide Rock State Park. Yahoo!!!!

I just couldn't resist including this photo!  On our Flagstaff day, we went up to the Snow Bowl ski area and took the ski lift up to the top.  For we sea level people the thin air up there was an interesting experience.  You could take a deep breath, but it didn't feel like it!  Such a pretty view up there, and such a pretty ride.  I didn't realize how big mature aspen trees are!  Did you know they almost form a rain forest like canopy, shading and protecting the young aspens and fir trees growing up from underneath.  I would love to see those aspens in their golden autumn dress.

One of the beautiful Arizona Sycamores.  Where there is a little water, there are these lovely trees with the  smooth, silvery bark. 

We are tree huggers!  :-)

It is monsoon season in Arizona.  We watched storms build nearly every afternoon.  Moments after we caught the pretty sun rays above, it poured!

 

Sunsets in the Red Rock Country are breathtaking.  

 

There is just nothing like adventures with my guys.  We had a good time! :-)

 

Stargazer time!

This was the year I was going to enter stems of stargazer lilies into our county fair.  I had my eye on the blue ribbon or maybe even Best in Show!  

Oh, how I have babied these beauties since spring.  They and their strawberry companions have been fertilized, mulched, protected from marauding slugs, and deeply watered.  When I've been gone for long weekends, friends have been drafted to come tend to their needs. 

Several weeks ago I thought we were right on schedule, but then came our spell of extreme heat on top of an already hot, dry summer.  I came home from a long weekend in Canada to find my Stargazers erupting into bloom.  By the time our fair starts pink petals will be falling and there will not be a bud left.  Sigh... What's a gardener to do? 

 

This one visits her garden in the late afternoon to take photos, and again in the evening to drink in the heady fragrance, and again the next morning to pick stems for home and teashop....and dreams of next summer's blue ribbon.

Oops!

Isn't this the dearest little thing?  We have a swallow box up in the roof peak of our front porch and have the pleasure of monitoring a family's progress each summer.  On the third of July, this poor little baby either fell out of the nest or was pushed out by one of his siblings.  My husband spotted him huddled right outside the door and called me to come check him.

I carefully scooped him up to inspect him.  He was clearly scared, but in very good shape.  My son, Jamie, quickly snapped this photo, then a ladder was fetched.  While Mom and Dad swooped close by, he was gently guided back home.  I can happily report this young swallow fledged with the rest of his siblings earlier this week and is now working the neighborhood bug control detail. 

Everytime, I look at that photo, I smile.... To me he looks like a cross between Groucho Marx and Einstein!  :-)

Beautiful goodness

There is something so magical about shopping for fresh produce in my own garden.  When I get home from a day of shopkeeping, I grab a basket and head out to see what beckons.  While the soaker hoses quietly hisssssss, I pick berries, greens, the vegie of the week. 

Isn't that pretty?  Doesn't get any fresher or better than this!  This is the first time I've grown broccoli.  I'm not sure if it is worth the space that it takes, but my goodness, the plants are impressive!  They look almost prehistoric in their robust bigness! 

My garden's not big enough to fill all our summer produce needs, but it comes fairly close and frequently we even have some to share.  I love that!  The strawberry rush is nearly over now, and the raspberries are beginning to ripen.  It is time now for some clean-up, fresh compost, and replanting of greens. 

Coming soon to our table are snowpeas and summer squash.  Yes, it is nearly zucchini time, that challenging time each summer when gardeners and cooks all across North America scramble to keep up with the green buggers which grow from slender fruits to huge boats overnight.  I swear, at times I can hear them chortling in the twilight when I close the garden gate for the night. 

We'll see how I do with keeping up with the zukes this year, or if I have to send my son William off in cover of darkness to leave giant squash on the front stoop of Steph and Ruth's house! 

Oh, Chase!

Many of you have met one-year old Miss Millie, my diminutive Cardigan Welsh Corgi, but we actually have two corgis.  Chase (aka "Nit" or "Chasie-boy") is our nearly 12-year old Pembroke Corgi.  Chase is a "fluffy," meaning that he has long hair.  Once upon a time, a long time ago, supposedly there were some Collie genes into the Pembroke gene pool and occasionally a long-haired pup is born.  These fellows cannot be shown or bred, but they make darling pets.  Chase is just as cute as a dog can be, with fuzzy bear ears, and a long silky coat that blows in the breeze.  We adore him. 

In spite of some aches and pains, and a delicate tummy, Chasie is an active and entertaining fellow.  The photos below catch him doing a "no-no!" 

We have had a little brown wood rat (These are actually kind of cute, as far as rats go.  Rather like a large mouse...) that had been tantalizing the pups for awhile.  The dogs' body language had been indicating that the little rat was occasionally hiding under cover in the reeds around our little goldfish pond.  Below you can see Chase keeping watch outside of the rustic fence my DH made to keep said pup out of the pond. 

 One afternoon, Miss Millie came scampering in from outside and came bouncing up to me.  As soon as I greeted her with "Well! Hello there!"  she yipped, wheeled around, dashing back outside.  She stopped just off the deck and turning as to check and see if I was watching.  I was and she gave another "yip," darting down the little gravel path by the pond.  I followed and snapped this photo of her looking with great interest at.....

Chase!  Ah ha! Caught in the act!

Chase has managed to find the one spot in that fence big enough to squish through and had been having a grand time smooshing down the reeds in a happy attempt to find Mr. Rat.  Before I yelled "Get out of there!" I snapped the photo above.  He was having such a good time and looked so darn cute! 

Mr. Rat has now gone the way of many rodents, and is no longer stealing our strawberries, but Chase doesn't know that.  He sits by the little fence nearly everyday.......    :-)

I LOVE this time of year!

I just love May and June!  With a little sun, a little rain, a little more sun....the greenery just explodes!  We have a white lilac that is a cutting from a shrub in my mom's previous garden.  While the fragrance of this unknown variety is delicate it is delicious enough to attract my nose and this welcome little honey bee!

The bed in my garden that sheltered under the hoop house in April is now providing us with fresh greens.  Since this photo was shot 6 days ago the spinach and lettuces have doubled in size, and the peas have climbed another 10 inches or so up their bamboo trellis.  

Everything is growing so quickly!  The leaves on the mystery strawberries in the first bed are HUGE, and there must be a 1,000 berries or more hiding in there!  We had strawberries in the garden...oh, maybe 10 years ago, but not since.  The parents of these new monster plants appeared in our front yard two years ago.  The seeds were either dropped by birds or sprouted from the compost, so I have no idea what they may be, but I know they are very, very happy in their new location!  Can't wait to eat them!  :-)

 

Don't you love chive blossoms? The buds explode open and remind me of 4th of July fireworks. I like to pull the blossoms apart and sprinkle them over salads. The rosy purple color gives such a great contrast.

On a sunny morning I love to take my mug of tea out to the garden. I sit in my chair, listen to the birdsong and happily survey my little "farm."  It's a good way to start the day.

2009 Growing Season - Week 2

On Easter morning, one week past first planting, I took a peek to see what might be up and was delighted to see many tiny seedlings in the mesclun rows.  Looks to be the mustard that popped up first.  Just a couple weeks away from harvesting the first tender leaves.  Too bad I didn't get this project started two weeks or so ago when we had the first break in the weather.  :-)  Better late than never!

The hoop house is performing well!  It survived its first wind storm without lifting off, and is indeed providing some protection and extra warmth to the babies within.  On a sunny, but cool and breezy day last week, the temperature inside was about 5 degrees warmer than the outside air temp. and the soil was warm to the touch.  Such a simple thing may make a big difference. 

To encourage my locavore heart, I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver for the second time.  Have you read this book yet?   I love it!  In the book, Barbara, her husband Steven and daughter Camille document a year of procuring as much of their food as possible from neighboring farms and their own garden.  It is a fun, inspiring, and very educational read, and will open or re-open your eyes to the gas guzzling food industry upon which the average westerner depends.  The book also treats you to some fabulous recipes focusing on the use of fresh, in season produce. Yummy stuff! 

Visit http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com for more on the book and Barbara's family's project.  There are some lovely photos and stories from readers sharing their own adventures in gardening and eating local and more recipes.

2009 Growing Season - Week 1 (Day 1)

After slogging through a very long, cold winter, which included snow just a few days ago, we have been gifted with several days of beautiful weather! Hurrah! Gardening can begin in earnest! 

Last year, I worked my little garden much more intensively than I had in years and in spite of the late start to the growing season, my family was rewarded with weeks of fresh produce.  For nearly 3 months I purchased no salad greens, and in addition to lettuce and spinach, we also enjoyed modest quantities of raspberries, swiss chard, pod peas, carrots, beets and fresh herbs.  The sunny little garden behind my tea shop contributed a bountiful crop of pole beans (plenty to share and pickle) and a few lovely little winter squashes. 

I know without a doubt that last year's home grown produce saved us money.  (My gosh, produce has gotten pricey!)  Even after taking into account the cost of seeds, extra compost, and a few other supplies we definitely came out money ahead.  And the freshness and nutritional value of home picked is just beyond compare.

This year I'm hoping to extend the growing season on either end by a few weeks, and produce even more goodies!  Inspired by my girlfriend Teemie's sun pit greenhouse, I've decided to try using a hoop house of sorts to protect and speed up the first planting.   (I'm dreaming of a little greenhouse, but that's a ways off!) 

Below are my supplies used for yesterday's project.  4  10' lengths of PVC piping, a 6' x 50' roll of crop cover (kind of like poly interfacing), 6" metal U-shaped staples to hold the edges of the cover down, and seeds!  Yippee!

First thing I did was finish digging in some composted chicken poo, put the soaker hoses back in place pegging them down with a few staples, and then I planted 2 rows of mesclun, and one each of spinach and snap peas.  First things first!

  

We have raised beds in our home garden that are about 4' x 8' in size and I'll be using 4 pvc pipes to create the hoop houses.   The crop cover is only 6' wide and I didn't feel like piecing or sewing lengths together so using a hacksaw I shortened each pole by 30" to 7.5'.  Each end of the pole will be pushed about a foot into the ground.  So, when the cover is placed over I should have a few inches extra on either side that can be stapled down.

So, here's the first hoop in.  The timbers for the beds will do a good job of holding the pipes in place.  The height in the middle is 24" which is more than enough.  I'll be able to remove the cover long before the peas need more room. 

 

Here's the completed project!  The hoops are about 30" apart.  I cut a 14 foot length of the cover cloth and draped it over.  (Thank goodness it wasn't very breezy or that would have been a trick!)  The sides are tacked down with staples every 18" or so, and the ends are gathered together, held with a heavy duty rubber band and tucked neatly inside where a brick will help hold things down. 

 

Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself!  Hopefully we won't get any big winds!  A few more inches on the sides would probably be good.  I'm considering shortening the hoop length by another 6 inches to give more extra fabric. 

Now, the idea here is that the cover, as lightweight and breathable as it is, will keep the enclosed space a bit warmer and slow evaporation which will speed germination.  I think one of the biggest benefits will come from protected itty bitty seedlings from frost, because we're not out of the woods yet!  I'm already thinking of other ways to use the crop cover in the garden, too.  I'll use it to protect the strawberries from the birdies, and maybe a hoop house over lettuce will slow it from bolting by giving a little sun protection.  I'll be keeping notes!

This weeks challenge will be keeping myself from peeking inside every day!  :-) 

A lovely holiday

Time to get back to a bit of writing!  During November and December there is little downtime to be had for such pursuits until my little shop is buttoned up for its annual winter's nap.  I must say I had a lovely holiday break.  For much of December we had snow on the ground including Christmas day itself.  We must have received 14 to 16 inches of snow here.  It was lovely!  

The snow altered plans, but once decisions were made not to travel, it was as if the whole world breathed a sigh and relaxed. So while the snow fell and turned our yard and island into a winter wonderland, I (for the most part) holed up inside by the fire enjoying the view......

and I did a lot of this!  I started a new knitting project, re-read one of my favorite books, drank gallons of tea and munched my way through many yummy treats. Was excellent therapy! 

I am not an accomplished knitter by any stretch of the imagination.  This little project is only my fourth.  Two years ago I taught myself to knit using videos from KnittingHelp.com.  Amazing what one can find online!  After showing a dear friend my first project, a little purse, she gifted me with a beautiful skein of silk yarn that she had spun.  This is what I finally worked up enough courage to use.  The yarn is soft and silky, light oatmeal in color with bits of lilac, yellow, blue and green.  I'm making a narrow scarf, only about 4 inches wide and quite loosely knit.  I will knit until the yarn runs out.  I think on both ends I shall sew on a scattering of small pearl beads.  The soft sheen of the beads will complement the lustre of the silk fiber. 

I'll show you when it is finished, hopefully before winter ends!  :)

A lovely autumn

Here on Whidbey Island we are better known for our stately evergreen firs and cedars rather than for deciduous trees, but as the population has grown plantings of maples and other pretty leafy trees have increased.  Frequently these trees quietly slip into winter, their leaves turning to muted browns which hang but briefly, and then are torn and tossed by October and November winds.  But, this year a cool summer and lingering Indian summer, with warm days and crisp nights have worked wonders and coaxed spectacular color!  

The Japanese maple below is in my friend Andrea's yard.  She has been keeping a photo essay of its color story and in this photo the color is at its peak.  Andrea sent this from her iPhone.  Quite the gadget.

The photo below I took from our back deck.  It was actually pouring, but the sun, hanging low in the sky, had just broken through the clouds and the a beautiful golden light illuminated the autumn foliage.  The leaves looked as if they were glowing from within.

It has been a glorious season.