My Mom got my gradeschool-aged nephews a digital microscope for Christmas. I am totally green and purple with envy. But, alas, that is out of my budget at the moment. I did, however, purchase a little 45 power field microscope with battery powered LED light - and while it isn't quite the same thing, for $5, it is a whole lot of fun. I would say, ounce for ounce and dollar for dollar, it is my favorite new toy.
Below are some Journal Entries from the last several years. Current comments in brackets [like this].
4 January 2009
Thinking of fencing off some of the west side of the chicken run so I can plant corn and stuff for them there. Then when the summer heat hits, they'll have shade and also stuff to play in. Open it up in sections so they don't destroy it all at once. corn, sunflowers, maybe try pease in the fall. [I never did do this. Perhaps I will do this in 2011?]
Can I really keep them [the chickens] out of the garden all summer? I am going to have to if I want any flowers or food [for us] out of it.
Last year was the Year of the Chicken... this year is the Year of the Garden.
Maybe next fall I [will] spend 3 months raising a feeder pig - but maybe not. We'll see just how far I want to take this farming thing. [I didn't, but the question comes up every year...]
I still can't believe that I am living the dream! It isn't perfect, but it IS very good. I am so very blessed.
Fresh eggs for breakfast - most only hours old, the rest laid yesterday! Gave away 18 to the neighbors. DSR is going to bring some to work tonight to give away. Whenever I end up with eggs that are over a week old, I feed them to [the dogs] and back to the chickens - glad they both like scrambled eggs! Yum!
10 January 2008
Snow last night [is] keeping my trees watered with "sweet" water as opposed to my salty, alkalai well water.
[Need to] clean and move my plant shelves. Then I will allow myself to start some seeds.
14 January 2007
Still frozen; no water [the water line from the well to the house and from the hot water heater to the house were frozen as we experienced nighttime temps in the 2-3*F range and daytime temps in the mid 20*F range. Yipes!]
[Reading] Cutting Gardens by Anne Halpin & Betty Mackey. [My notes on] Conditioning Flowers
14 January 2010
First sunny day in a while! Makes me want to go out and dig in the dirt!
Snow if finally nearly all melted. I know it insulates things, but I hate snow. I hate weather below freezing, and especially weather below negative 10*F.
Still months away from seeing if any of my fruit trees survived - and if any have, did anything above the rootstock make it? Only time will tell. [Lost the cherry tree and the old apple tree brought from California to late snow.]
And another question - did my super rosemary survive [the negative degrees]? It isn't supposed to live through ANY of our winters, so I won't be too devistated if it's gone. Still, I'm rooting for it. [It did survive.]
4 January 2009
Thinking of fencing off some of the west side of the chicken run so I can plant corn and stuff for them there. Then when the summer heat hits, they'll have shade and also stuff to play in. Open it up in sections so they don't destroy it all at once. corn, sunflowers, maybe try pease in the fall. [I never did do this. Perhaps I will do this in 2011?]
Can I really keep them [the chickens] out of the garden all summer? I am going to have to if I want any flowers or food [for us] out of it.
Last year was the Year of the Chicken... this year is the Year of the Garden.
Maybe next fall I [will] spend 3 months raising a feeder pig - but maybe not. We'll see just how far I want to take this farming thing. [I didn't, but the question comes up every year...]
I still can't believe that I am living the dream! It isn't perfect, but it IS very good. I am so very blessed.
Fresh eggs for breakfast - most only hours old, the rest laid yesterday! Gave away 18 to the neighbors. DSR is going to bring some to work tonight to give away. Whenever I end up with eggs that are over a week old, I feed them to [the dogs] and back to the chickens - glad they both like scrambled eggs! Yum!
10 January 2008
Snow last night [is] keeping my trees watered with "sweet" water as opposed to my salty, alkalai well water.
[Need to] clean and move my plant shelves. Then I will allow myself to start some seeds.
14 January 2007
Still frozen; no water [the water line from the well to the house and from the hot water heater to the house were frozen as we experienced nighttime temps in the 2-3*F range and daytime temps in the mid 20*F range. Yipes!]
[Reading] Cutting Gardens by Anne Halpin & Betty Mackey. [My notes on] Conditioning Flowers
- Recut at a slant
- Underwater Cut - carnations, sweet williams, dianthus, china asters, marigolds, marguerites, snapdragons, sweetpeas
- Hollow [stems] - fill with cool water and plug with cotton - delphinium, dahlia, hollyhock
- Sear sap bleeders - campanula, hardy mums, daffs, narcissus, dahlia, forget-me-nots, heliotrope, hollyhocks, hydrangea, lantana, lobelia, poppies, stephanotis
- Tough flowers - split stems, dip in boiling water for 20 seconds - asters, chrysanthemums
- Strip leaves that will be underwater
- AFTER cutting treatments, put in cool, dark place for a while
- Conditioner - 1 TBSP suger + 1 TBSP bleach [I don't state "in how much water" in my journal, but I am assuming per 1 gal water]
- Foliage - lay in flat pan of water and soak
- Silver Foliage - wrap in tissue, dip stems in boining water [for] 20 seconds, then [dip] in cold water
14 January 2010
First sunny day in a while! Makes me want to go out and dig in the dirt!
Snow if finally nearly all melted. I know it insulates things, but I hate snow. I hate weather below freezing, and especially weather below negative 10*F.
Still months away from seeing if any of my fruit trees survived - and if any have, did anything above the rootstock make it? Only time will tell. [Lost the cherry tree and the old apple tree brought from California to late snow.]
And another question - did my super rosemary survive [the negative degrees]? It isn't supposed to live through ANY of our winters, so I won't be too devistated if it's gone. Still, I'm rooting for it. [It did survive.]
1 comment:
Hi! I plan to move to the high desert in S. Cal eventually. I wonder if you have seen the book Gaia's Garden? There is a brief section about a woman in NM that created an amazing space where there was only flat desert...that was very inspiring. She began by planting trees then gardening the understory...
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