December 2008 GBBD

 

It was so cold today that I only could stay outside long enough to find one blooming plant for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol of May Dreams Garden. This picture was taken at 9:00 o'clock tonight in freezing cold temperatures. I had to come back in as my fingers were hurting. Thanks for hosting this great event Carol.

As some of you may know, I started a new job last week. It is a position as a library clerk at a tiny local library. I don't feel comfortable blogging about the people that use the library. Let's just say it is very interesting and I love it. As I use the library myself, I will post about the books.

If you live here in the cold cold areas of the U.S. how are you staying warm?

Windy Weather Wisdom

It was extremely windy here today. My face feels burned and my lips are chapped. The temperature, however, was wonderful. It was impossible for me to stay inside. I just had to get out into the garden. Here are a few observations regarding things you might not want to do in the garden during a windstorm.

1. Sift compost, unless you like compost up your nose and in your hair.
2. Scatter seeds. Pretty sure those seeds are in the county just east of here.
3. Prune roses. Ouch!!!!!
4. Underestimate the hair tangling abilities of high wind on long curly hair. Ouch!!!!
5. Use a leaf blower. This is absolutely pointless.
6. Forget to close the door to the rabbit hutch. Well, this is always a nono, but bunny chasing in high wind is just wrong.
7. Leave the backdoor open. Kitchen full of leaves, not nice.
8. Water into the wind. Yes, yes, nice and wet.
9. Pick up blown over potted plants over and over and over. Just give up already until the wind is gone.
10. Spread blood mean and bone meal on newly made beds. I am pretty sure that blood meal up the nose is not a good thing.

Maybe I should have flown a kite.

Hope you had a great day.

Salmon Queen Scabiosa Seed Trial

 

I received my seeds from Jodi of In the Garden This afternoon. I am very excited. She sent good direction for starting the seeds and a list of questions for reporting our findings. This will be the first time I participate in a seed trial. I have tested roses for the Earthkind project.

I need to quit blogging and send Jodi an email to let her know that the seeds are here.

In the above picture I made my first attempt at adding text over a photo. Still learning here people. Obviously, the font needed to be larger. Maybe next time it will be legible.

Ring Around The Moon

 

This is one of those times when I wish possesed better photography skills. There was ring around our bright full moon. This made for a most beautiful evening sky.

The Crazy Thing Is.....

 

 

 

Texas weather is insane. The temperatures are ranging from freezing to sunny and warm. Two days ago, there was sleet. We had two nights below 30 and now it is supposed to be above freezing for two or three days and then back to freezing again.

This is the second time, I have brought the potted plants inside. Tomorrow, I will take them all outside again. Then Monday, I will bring them all back inside.

The crazy thing about all this plant moving, I own a greenhouse. It is a really nice greenhouse. I just don't want to drive five miles to visit it everyday. I would rather make the Monkeys help me move plants in and out and in and out.

The fish survived just fine. Since this afternoon was warm, they were swimming around close to the top. Guess what I just figured out? You can actually take better pictures of a water garden at night with a flash. Okay, it is not a good picture, but this is the first image I have been able to capture of the goldfish. The two you can see are Ketchup and Yang. Ozzy is sleeping it off on the bottom.

Where are you overwintering you container grown plants?

Cold Goldfish Drama

It is really cold out. We had a freeze last night and will again tonight. The goldfish are not happy. They are not allowed inside as they are not house pets. In fact, my argument for getting them in the first place was that fish are not pets. They aren't, you can't pet them. As some of you may know, Manly Man has me on animal restriction. I cannot have anymore pets until we move to a larger place. Still, fish are not pets. Seriously.

Last summer I set up the little pond in an attempt to raise tadpoles. After spending $100, I had a first rate tadpole habitat. Then the tadpoles ate each other. I bought some sort of mosquito eating fish and three goldfish to take the place of the cannibalistic tadpoles. The Monkeys named the new goldfish. We have Yang, Ozzy Osborne, and Ketchup. Yep, those are the names my babies picked out for goldfish - goody,goody.

Of note, only one monkey has fallen into the the little pond. Well, only one that I know of.

Some of the pond plants were allowed inside, much like the cats. The three goldfish will stay outside in their half whiskey barrel pond in very cold water. All three of them are hovering near the bottom. Ozzy Osborne looks a little sideways (imagine that). A quick Internet search tells me that they will survive just fine outside over winter. These are not hot house goldfish. They are hardy goldfish.

Not convinced they will be safe, I put in an emergency call to Sister #3 regarding winter care of goldfish. As you can see, this is a high emergency. She has yet to call me back. I can see her over there in neighboring tiny town while snickering at my ignorance and refusing to share her water gardening/fish herding knowledge.

I am only panicking a little. Anybody know if I am doing this right? Anybody? ARRRRGGHH.

Where I Make the Same Mistake Twice

Six days ago, I set out to prove that sour dough starter just happens. Never mind that bread has been made this way forever. Somehow, it just seems odd that this will grow yeast. I wanted to this to be a pure from scratch sour dough made from whole wheat flour, water, maybe a little sugar,and naturally occurring yeasts in my kitchen. No I didn't add the yeast, apparently they are airborne.

On day three, the flour/water mixture did a bubbling thingy, but still didn't smell or taste of sour dough starter. Two days ago, it had the distinctive sour dough taste. At that time, I put it in a plastic freezer baggie, gave it some more water and flour as well as a little bit of sugar to get it going. Then it was placed back on the counter. Today, it looked like my other starter - all bubbly and frothy, just light brown instead of white. The baggy was doing the balloon trick. My other starter has been known to walk off of the counter.

I decided to take a smell of the new batch and see if it was right. YOWWWW, this sour dough starter has a wicked aroma. Definitely sour dough, but man it made my nose burn. I didn't remember the other sour dough starter ever smelling like that, so I got it out and repeated the experiment. Note to self, do not stick your face into any baggie of sour dough starter and take a big whiff. Nose burning, eyes watering, lesson learned, I just haaaad to do it twice.