Mother Nature is Messing with Me

Remember a few days ago when I mowed around the grape hyacinths? What I didn't tell you was that I did not finish the job. We have a little strip of grass on each side of the house and a triangle on one side of the driveway. I didn't mow those down. The neglected areas in addition to the clumps of flowers in the part I did mow make for a supremely embarrassing lawn. Teenagers have been coming by every day offering to mow my yard for pay. This is especially humiliating as I have a gardening service sign on my truck. Bad gardener, very very bad. It's kind of like the cobbler's children have no shoes. I am so busy with my customers' flower beds and volunteer work that my yard stays in a constant state of neglect. When everything is in bloom it is s pretty mess. However, right now it is just a mess.

Today I intend to at least take care of the grass/weed situation. I have a reel push mower and an electric mower. The weeds are too tall to use the push mower so I have to use the electric contraption. About an hour ago I pulled out the extension cords and set up the mower. Big fat raindrops fell on my head. Even I know not to use and electric lawnmower in the rain. I put everything under the porch and came back inside to wait. After just a few big fat raindrops it is all clear again and not too wet to mow. I went back outside and set it all up again. Big fat rain drops fell on my head. I put it all back on the porch and came back inside. No more raindrops. COME ON!! I go back outside. Baby Monkey gets stung by a wasp. Come back inside and doctor him up. Go back outside set up the lawnmower and start mowing around the grape hyacinths. Then KERBLAAM - Big lightening bolt and rumbling thunder. Run back inside and say a prayer of thanks for not being struck dead by lightening. Look outside. No way. Absolutely NO FREAKING WAY -SUNSHINE!!! I'm not falling for it this time. We will just have to be the redneck lawn of the month until the clouds are completely gone.

On a brighter note, I had my most successful sourdough bread results since I was gifted/cursed with the bag of starter. It seems the trick is to leave it in a proofing oven a very long time. Apparently, you cannot rush sourdough bread or my dad.

Good Eatin

The time of year has come again when we can eat out of the garden almost daily. Today I had asparagus and radishes. I harvested onions yesterday and will be making a fennel and onion salad to marinate in the fridge over night. The Swiss chard is huge and we need to start harvesting it again. I still have a little cabbage left for slaw and maybe cabbage rolls. I am not sure if the monkeys will eat cabbage rolls. I have mustard and spinach that are ready to eat. The snow peas are still little, but with a bit more warm weather, they will take off. the lettuce is tiny, but needs to be thinned. We will make salads out of the thinned out tiny plants.

We grow cool weather vegetables all winter and rotate out to warm season plants around the first of May. In about four weeks the tomatoes, peppers, squash, corn, okra, beans, and cucumbers will go in. In the meantime the onions and garlic will all be pulled, cleaned, and let to dry out before I store them. I still need to start basil.

Fennel and onion salad.

Two medium sized onions sliced in thin rings

1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, store in a covered container and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

We have to eat the fennel now before the black swallowtail butterflies show up. Their babies eat our fennel and dill. I will post pictures when they show up.

Earth Hour

I just signed us up for Earth Hour. Tomorrow night at 8:o0 I will turn off all our lights, power down this addiction box, and go outside. We may have candles or better yet the monkeys can play with their wind-up flashlights. I will attempt to guilt my neighbors into participating. I may offer beer.

I am really trying to teach my children to take care of our little piece of earth. They are already professional composters and will retrieve banana peels out of your trashcan and give you "The Look." They know the location of the recycling center. They don't throw out paper. We have had to explain to Middle Monkey that it is okay to cut down invasive, nonnative trees. He gave his Opa a lecture about how bad it was to cut down a tree. Opa was amused.

Anyway, should you feel inclined and want to have fun in the dark, sign up for Earth Hour. No Meme, I do not want a report on how you spent the time. I wonder if I am the only one in small town Texas participating in this global event?

How A Girl Mows the Lawn

My lawn is just beginning to grow. Mostly it is just winter weeds at this time of year. We only have a couple of tiny areas of lawn. I have converted everything I can into flower beds and gardens. Manly Man has managed to hang on to this little bit of grass. At this time of year there are many clumps of grape hyacinth growing and blooming amongst the grass and weeds. They are such a pretty color (hyacinths not the weeds).

I had to mow. We were beginning to look like the red neck yard of the month. Did I mow the little blue flowers down? No, I mowed around them. So here I am mowing in a drunken weaving path. I am sure it looked crazy to the neighbors. After about ten minutes of carefully avoiding the flowers, I look up and see Manly Man and neighbor J staring at me. Manly Man yells, "That is just wrong." He wanted me to mow the flowers down. Instead of doing that, I began to mow faster and more erratically. Then I mowed off into the ditch. The lawn has a bad haircut, but grape hyacinths are safe for another week.

How To Garden on An Historic Site.

This is more a "How in the world and I going to garden on an historic site," rather than instructions on how to do so. I guess you can all learn along with me.

I was asked to help with the landscaping of our county's old Poor Farm. This is a MG project to be done along with several others including rainwater harvesting systems and landscaping around other county buildings.

The farm was established in 1883 to house and provide medical care to the county's paupers. An individual was assigned to the farm after being declared a pauper and were to stay there until they could support themselves or died. Able bodied persons were required to work. Apparently, a few "lazy" people were given train tickets out of Kaufman County and the great State of Texas. A court order was required in order to leave the farm. During 1900 the farm was used as an epidemic camp during a small pox outbreak. Later it was used to showcase new farming technologies.

As we walked around today, I saw a hodgepodge of buildings, equipment, and overgrown fence rows. The old jail, 1960's era I believe, is being used for storage. This building gave me the creepy crawlies. I am not sure what structural problems exist in each of the buildings. Water is the first order of business. We found a spigot, but it is not working. The door to one of the buildings had to be kicked hard in order for us to get in. We found a rusted wrench and a rusted ring of some kind.

My challenge will be to find Earthkind designated plants that might have been available in 1883. A square foot garden is being planned for a fenced in "yard." The goal is to turn this into a museum.

I've Been Tagged.

Thanks to Weed Wackin Wenches - Curmudgeon and Wing Nut -I am now about to bore you with ten things about myself.


1). I am afraid of my electric sewing machine, electric can openers, electric pencil sharpeners, and motherhood. I have a hand cranked sewing machine and a manual can opener. I am just going to have to deal with the panic attacks and get these monkeys raised.

2). I am eight years older than my Manly Man. Go Debbi!

3). I can still do the splits, right and left leg. Might explain how I bagged Manly Man.

4). I am the oldest of seven children. No we are not Catholic. Try going through high school with a constantly pregnant mother - Good times.

5). I don't get my children's jokes. In my defense, the monkeys are only funny when they aren't trying to be funny.

6). I bake bread and recently started growing my own sour dough starter. Now I am sort of gardening in the refrigerator. Manly man and the monkeys are getting worried.

7). I get paid to garden. It seems kind of wrong to love my job this much.

8). I hide chocolate all over the house. Really, it is hidden everywhere. If something happens to me y'all need to come over here and help find all of it.

9.) I can't sing. Out of meanness, I call my sisters and sing happy birthday to their answering machines.


10). I love to pants the monkeys. It's fun and they keep coming back.

Okay, I tag Joy at GardenJoy4Me, Sherry at Sherrys Zoo and Garden, Kurt at All Kurt all the Time, Jack at Jackamunga, and Matt&Jen at Our First Garden. Please tell us ten things about yourself and don't make a voodoo doll in my image to punish me because I tagged you.

Going Camping and Gardening

Abby fresh out of the pond. You have no idea the strength of her aroma.

Look what Baby Monkey drew for me with his Easter basket chalk. He made me a flower.

We spent Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night camping. Believe it or not this was a gardening opportunity. The land we camp on belongs to a good friend and adopted Uncle to the monkeys. Hi, Wayne, congratulations you are an honorary Monkeys' Uncle.

Anyway, the place has a very nice pavilion with a kitchen and bathroom. The area is screened in and has ceiling fans - My kind of camping. Recently, Uncle W. had flower beds made along one side of the building. Guess what I took camping - Compost of course. I also brought along a Wave petunia, Hyacinth bean seeds, purple Castor bean seeds, and two French hollyhocks. This should be a pretty border in a couple of months. They need a anchor plant for one corner. I am thinking a double purple Rose of Sharon.

The monkeys had a great time. A lot of the the cousin monkeys showed up. There was fishing, BB gun target practice, four wheeler riding, canoe paddling, and general running around in the country. There was a tractor parade (I missed the picture, drat). They brought me a dead turtle. Why do boys bring home dead things? We celebrated Middle Monkey's birthday. His actual birthday is the day after Christmas. We usually have a small party on his actual birthday and then let him pick something other type of larger party later in the year. Uncle W. wanted to have it at his place this year. Very nice of him.

It was a great weekend and we are all exhausted.