ruby crowned kinglette

15 hours on the farm

my sister and her fiance have some property, with a house and a whole lot more, a ferry ride from seattle... it is a wonderful place, completely wonderful. saturday evening, at 6, i decided i needed to get over there for the night.  sunday morning i awoke early and in the hour or so i lay in bed listening to the birds the fog rolled in. it took a while to lift, leaving lovely views as it did...  this is what the walnut tree they are going to be married under looked like at 7:30 or so...

suzy has decided she is going to be a farmer....

rhubarb - for a pie one day...

chives, lots and lots of chives

strawberry leaves and dew. beautiful.

i decided i am going to enjoy her crop...

i was on the ferry again by 12:30, headed home to go to the symphony with mom and then a kind of family dinner - but i panicked because i ran out of time... the real dinner will be on the 17th or so with a mother's day celebration in the meantime...  instead we had pizza and the rhubarb pie suzy and i made after looking at all the little plants popping out of the ground that will one day feed us...

thanks suzy...  it was a very good 15 hours.

i went outside and noticed more spring had arrived...

my maidenhair fern, just beginning to unfurl itself.  so tender and fragile...

they look a bit otherworldly, seen up-close like this... i will have to remember to go back to see what happens over the next week or so. i will need to get out there again because my little apple tree is just starting to show the pink in it's flowers.  that means another trip through the neighborhood collecting pollen doing my best to johnny appleseed my way to some kind of crop. 

obviously the sun was shining this afternoon, that hasn't been the case lately so even a tiny bit has been quite welcome.

spring

it's here...

i am so glad to see you spring, you have been missed.

shadows • light

the morning light, filtered through 80 year old glass. glass with all the imperfections that come from the impurities and bubbles and unevenness inherent in building materials that old.  those imperfections are what make it difficult to see through in perfect clarity but also what make the light so beautiful as it glows against the plaster walls; movement in the stationary.

and then there is this, the transition between here and gone.  ice, cold and hard until warmed by the morning sun light then slowly melting away; the movement of the day.

a new season seemed only hours away on sunday afternoon. each day i lie in bed and listen to the robin and black-capped chickadee greet the morning, but not yet the spring.
maybe tomorrow.

{on a wednesday}

the struggle for beauty is what i see.  a belief that a coat of rust, markings left from insects and frosty nights, intentional growth that looks like tangles or the loss of color does not diminish but makes more beautiful. it is what makes us human too, this struggle. this belief.

more of the world's wednesday observations ....

the end of pink....

you have been seeing a lot - A LOT - of pink lately.  i am not sure how to explain it.  sure, i like pink, but i like lots of other colors too, and some a whole lot more than pink.  so for now, i bid pink a fond farewell, at least for a short while.

making amends, and horses

you may recall the very mad bee in my house a couple of weeks ago... well, i think i have been able to make amends, if not with him then at least his kin folk.  my dortmund rose is nearly in full bloom and there seems to be lots of pollen - and lots of pollen is making lots of bees very, very happy... and heavy. 

so then, mr. bee, please accept my apology, i think you are going to be(e) quite content now.

and... two new horses. one for a young friend to give to her sister. i am leaving it up to her to give her a name...

and a second one whose name is honey - because.... well, she is sweet as honey.

farm report 2007

i am trying an experiment this year, growing some potatoes in a garbage can.  if i remember correctly i planted these three weeks ago, if i am not remembering correctly it was four weeks, but i think it was three.  i don't recall where i heard that you could do this, but, ciscoe, a local garden guy has instructions here, and here,  and the more i googled the more i found that there are variations of this method out there.  the idea is for every 4 inches of growth you then cover 3 inches with compost, or straw, or peat (my choice). i haven't yet had the opportunity to add the peat, but it looks like today might be the day, at least for the middle plant.  i set 5 seed potatoes, the one in the middle is a 'desiree', two opposite one another are 'butterfinger', also called the swedish peanut, and the other two are 'rose finn apple'.  i don't know what to expect, but it will be fun.

i almost missed my window of opportunity to run around the neighborhood to find apple blossoms to pollinate my little tree. i think i have been at least two weeks behind in the season so i was surprised first to see my blooms blooming, and then to see that most others in the neighborhood almost spent. but, it worked and it now looks like i have thirteen or fourteen future red delicious on the tree.  last year, between the raccoons, rats and my dog i got zero... we shall see how it goes this year.

as you might expect, i shall keep you posted.

this guy was mad, m. a. d., mad

i heard him as i put some water on to boil... i thought is was the sizzling of the drops on the burner.  it was him, screaming at the window at the injustice of it all.

he has been freed to circle the house and if he comes back inside i promise to release him without tormenting him further with the incessant picture taking.

identification upate: bombus melanopygus or orange-rumped bumble bee  

something spring

i was getting tired of seeing the bread here every day this week, so you must have been too... i have been busy with other things so not much to talk about here, expect how lovely this little crabapple is.  i got it last fall from the city of seattle and their effort to have more trees planted in the city.  this one isn't actually planted yet, but will be soon.

have a wonderful weekend. i will, and even have two more loaves of bread in the works!

red friday

it's the last day of 'colour week'.  thanks julie.  i love these world wide participations... it is always so great to see how everyone interprets colors and themes.  these glass flowers showed up in my bird bath one week, the robins don't seem to mind... one day i will have to remember to ask amy and gary (my neighbors) if they offered them up.  and, these too are right by the steps up to the front door.

 

yellow thursday

more color within 5 feet of my front door... so far, everything this 'colour week' has been right around the steps into my house, who would have guessed? 

tomorrow? red.

pink wednesday

in honor of julie's 'colour week'.... this ranunculus also graces the entrance to my house this season.  such beautiful flowers with their dark, dark centers.

tomorrow? yellow.

green tuesday

it's another day of 'colour'.... today, the fresh, young green leaves of the japanese maple outside my front door.

tomorrow? pink.

spring tulip

this little fighter has been in the garden for years now.  how it manages to keep coming up after so long is a mystery to me. since it was quite lovely here today i took advantage and did some gardening. really that means i was cleaning up and pruning and reminding myself of what is planted around here.  after crawling on my belly like a reptile to get at a whole lot of leaves and stuff i stood up, looked down and saw this little tulip...   i didn't really mean to cut it, i didn't even see it until it was there on the ground, waiting for me to put it in water. so, i did.

my favorite magnolia in the world

this is a picture of my favorite tree in seattle.  it is a very floppy magnolia.  each petal - PETAL - is at least seven inches long and this year the tree is loaded with blossoms.  when the breeze blows it is like someone waving hello with a thousand linen handkercheifs...

this photo doesn't begin to do justice to the beauty of the tree, especially next to the greens of the other trees, but it was the best i could do... i wonder how you folks living in the south can stay on the road during the spring when all the magnolias and dogwoods are in bloom... 

this tree is going to make me happy all day long.

bounty from the big storm of 2006

this post is courtesy of jim... because of several things

• if he didn't allow me to borrow {until i owned} his digital camera, i wouldn't have a blog worth reading, let alone a post worth posting

• if he didn't go out of town i wouldn't have to feed his cats; if i didn't have to feed his cats i wouldn't have seen these magnolia blossoms

• if he didn't have a very big poplar tree blow down in "the biggest wind storm of all time, except for those other ones" then the neighbors wouldn't have added to the pile with downed branches from a magnolia tree. budding branches that have miraculously blossomed in spite of the fact that they have not been on a 'living tree' for several months now.

i am going to take some pruners over when i go today so i can cut a bunch more for the gals in book club.  we are meeting tomorrow and i think this will be kind of nifty to bring a prize.  a trunk full of magnolia blossoms will be very cool and since this is going to be it for the tree i might as well make the best of it.

it is kind of interesting that these are not too perfumy and they also smell a little like crayons...

 

ice fog

i loved loved loved the cold days when i was a kid, when there was ice fog and everything would become covered with a coat of sparkling pokey ice.  when the haze burned off there was the most brilliant blue sky and the trees against it looks so incredibly beautiful.  seattle doesn't get very cold as a general rule so mornings like this morning rarely happen.  but, it has remained chilly and today there is some moisture in the air and guess what?  ICE FOG!!!

cold

 

rain rain go away

it's raining pretty hard here, has been for a couple of days now. i think i will stay inside and not try to brave the torrents falling from the sky or running through the streets. 

stay dry, keep warm.  happy monday.

thursday from another angle

spiders can't be so bad if this is what can result...

the same could be said of rain.

lucky number thirteen

at 10:51 am i received a package.  debbie, of fence construction fame, sent me some apples from her tree.  she feel* felt so badly in my time of mourning (see below) that she decided to share a bit of her mother-lode.  i don't know the variety, but these little beauties smell almost of bubblegum, and are just so pretty!

so now, what to do with them?  they are not good pie apples - per debbie.  but, they are good applesauce apples - also per debbie.  julie suggests i honor rosh hashanah by having them with honey - i like that idea since i do have some nice fireweed honey.  debbie sent thirteen, one for each i lost to the midnight marauders.  so, i am wondering, what you do with your fall fruit?  i mean, besides photograph it?

 

*dammit!

zero, zilch, nada - gone!

this is what i awoke to this morning.  i am now perfectly happy to blame raccoons.  chet wasn't the culprit and really, how much can a rat eat, or carry away for crying out loud.  i know there are some raccoons across the street.  a mama had four babies under someone's deck and they put out dog food for it and it was all the rage earlier in the year.  here is what i think about that...

raccoons are wild animals and can be damned vicious.  don't feed the wild animals!!!  JUST DON"T!  unless, of course, they are birds. but then you must contend with rats....

so, as you can plainly see, i will not be making anything with my apples. ever.

the jig is up

i learned a little something last night....

the party responsible for stealing my apples?  it's that one, up there!
last night while finishing my book for book club, chet trotted into the house with an apple in his mouth and then proceeded to eat it, TWICE!... i let him have the first one, i took the second one away.

so, there you have it. i am now down to three apples, not even enough for a pie.  i am not sure i would have made a pie, but now i know i can't.  it is hard to garden when your dog loves all things vegetable - and fruit.

another friday, the same wips - more or less

the little bastards are still among the living... it seems they are smart enough not to get caught - luckily for me they are also smart enough to not come into the house again.

and a farm report.... it seems that maybe the rats are not interested in the traps because they have a nearly endless supply of fruit.  of the 13 apples i had on the tree, only 5... FIVE! remain. i am less than happy about this.  the two that i have had as representatives of the rest are still here but they are not terribly ripe yet.  a little bit red, but not much... i am still under the impression that water could help.

i not being coy.... just slow.  still working on the gocco project.  this time the cover worked better. now i need to get things cut and then assembled.  i have found i am stingy as hell with the ink - i am hoping that trait will serve me well.  still trying to get the hang of not spending all my money on paper toweling for the clean up.  it is better but i am amazed at the tenacity of the ink.

i keep my potatoes in a basket in a cupboard with slatted shelves and two small screened openings to let air flow through, around and then back out.  this cupboard is in the corner and is always obstructed by the dish rack.  therefore it is easy for me to forget about the potatoes in said cupboard.  here is what happens when you forget potatoes in a cupboard.  i think it is fascinating!  thankfully i found them before they began to stink....

here is a closer view of the spuds... cool, right?

good friday everyone, may the farmers you look to for food bring you potatoes that are more edible than these.  i don't think they will be nearly as interesting, but i imagine they might look like you would want to cook them for dinner.

i had better keep my eye on this

the wisteria is growing out of control...  no doubt by tomorrow it will be  in through the window and trying to set up it's own blog.  funny, in sort of a startling kind of way.

• oh, and some of my windows look better than this - not all of them mind you, but some do... •

the green blur

is it strange that i scurried to get the camera, found the tripod, and took 45 photos of this stink bug? 

a green blur out the back door, and then a tiny little thunk as it landed on the screen.  it was quite patient really, as he withstood my photography efforts and chet's attempts to get in the dog door.  these are so beautifully green, but apparently a bit smelly.  i will try not to upset this one - you know, any more than i already have.

{editors note:  should anyone think i am brave... this stink bug's body is between 1/2" and 5/8" long.  the biggest i have seen, but not all that big really. it certainly didn't creep me out, like some bugs do.}

farm report

the crop is coming along nicely.  now that they are bigger i count 14 apples, so hopefully i will have at least enough for a pie when september rolls around.  i am especially liking how the two flower petals are still hanging on to the blossom end of this particular apple, so until or unless they fall off, these two will continue to be the on-line representatives for the other 12.  they are doing a pretty nice job so far, and have not let the duty, or fame, go to their heads. you can see their first appearance here, and their second here.  these are red delicious.

color

friday :: red

Dortmund is one of a race of exceptionally hardy roses hybridized by Kordes of Germany.  Its flashy single blossoms are bright red and have golden yellow stamens smack-dab in the middle of eye-blinking white centers.  Dark green, glossy foliage resembles that of holly (and is similarly tough).  If you want a second crop of blossoms, it's important to harvest the first crop of seed-bearing hips.  (Seedling xR. kordesii), Kordes, 1955. 

Rayford Clayton Reddell - The Rose Bible, Chronicle Books, 1998

they ARE just rats with fluffy tails....

when i was just out of high school i spent a month as an intern for a senator in washington dc. after lunch one day, a couple of my friends and i were walking through a park back to the office. we happened upon a squirrel that was looking like it was just waiting to be paid some attention. one of my friends bent over and held out her hand while clicking her tongue, trying to encourage the animal to come nearer. well, it did. it thought it was going to get a little treat, i think. when it got to her hand and realized she did[n't]* have any food, it bit her instead...! she shrieked, flung her arm up and around, all the while with the squirrel still attached to her index finger. it freaked, let go, flew a little through the air, landing against my leg with a thump before it fell to the ground and scurried away. the three of us stood there with our eyes bugged out. wondering. are you ok? can you believe that squirrel just bit you?? do you think it has rabies??? what should we do???? well, we decided to wait it out, that is what we did. you know, just like you would expect an 18 year old to do... she was still fine and well when we all went home three weeks later and as far as i know didn't develop any lasting consequences... i hope.

i am not a big fan of the squirrel, but i do admire their ingenuity. it is pretty amazing how strong their toes are, supporting their entire body weight while the animal hangs upside [down]** emptying my seed feeders. i have also had them in my attic, and one time while i was walking under a tree one peed on me... i am sure of it... and it stung! this one was eating as much of my sunflower seeds as he could stuff into his body. the little bastard.

*whoopsie - fixed at 11:53pm, 21 may 2006.....drats
**fixed that at 11:56pm, 21 may 2006....crap

stephanie appleseed

i have learned that if i want to have apples on my apple tree i have to take a walk around the neighborhood and pick blossoms from apple trees whose branches hang into the alley. i learned that particular lesson the hard way. one year i had what seemed like a million blooms on my small tree but later in the season... not one apple, NOT A SINGLE ONE. so every spring i make my rounds and collect blossoms with fat yellow stamens loaded with pollen and bring them back to my yard and carefully dust my few blossoms with my stolen booty.

a little history about the tree. it was a gift from a former 'friend'. he brought a tree home to espalier against the porch. i was hoping a nice heirloom variety, something special and interesting, maybe an apple that used to be a popular tree here in the northwest but that slowly grew out of favor, or even better, my favorite - the fuji.... instead, it is a red delicious.

ok, as it turns out, i have become quite fond of the thing. it has stayed small - with pruning - and the few apples i have managed to grow are pretty tasty. well, the ones that i have eaten have tasted great. chet seems to like them a whole lot, and so do the rats that run rampant through the city, and also through my yard.

i counted this morning - there is the possibility of 13 apples this year. of course, i will keep you posted on the progress of these 13, and on my farming endeavors. although, i might have already told of my farming endeavors - in their entirety, above... i am always quite excited during spring, when things are new, bright green and full of possibility. summer though, brings a bit of boredom with my plants - so here is hoping that my promise to document the apple crop will inspire me to water the tree as well.