Revenge...

...of the weeds.

I am convinced a larger cosmic consciousness connects us than we want to believe. Having a superior-to-the-nerds giggle while quoting Darth Vader, “The Force is strong with this one…” lets us continue our denial that the world is out to get us. My too long neglected yard sought to prove it repeatedly as some exceptional weeds, accustomed to reprieves, rioted against the realization the execution of their death penalty loomed as one after another of their fellow annual sprouts had their roots ripped from the nurturing soil.

A few challenged my most muscular tugs. One in particular mounted supernatural resistance. No matter what grip I took or what angle I pulled, I detected no give. My frustration released adrenaline, building my strength.

And this is how I know there is a greater cosmic force.

The force WAS strong with this one.

It recognized my multiplying might and held on until the cosmic consciousness promised justice if it would let go. In the instant the clouds cleared and (I AM CERTAIN) the Google Earth satellite with its ultra-high definition camera passed overhead snapping away, and after giving no suggestion of surrender, the entire root system uniformly slipped the surly bonds of earth, rolling me over, butt-up for the thrill of some future Googler.

Images of people caught in candid - and most definitely embarrassing poses - in the photos taken by Google for their map/streetview programs periodically go viral when someone has a reason to look closely at the picture and then sees, and shares, the unfortunate spectacle with the rest of the Internet. The regularity of those viral images eliminates any surprise that I should expect that every awkward moment gets recorded.

That someday a picture of me, rolled onto my back with my butt up in the air will not surprise me. I will not even be embarrassed. Because…if you pay close enough attention, you will see that though the force of my tug flipped me over, clutched victoriously in my fist is the weed that thought it a humiliating photo trumped its trip to the mulch bin.

Summer Gardening

Summer has arrived in full force in central Texas. Yesterday when I got in my car after work, the temperature outside showed as 111O. In all honesty, it was only 97O, but sitting outside, in the sun, with no shade other than that of the lamp-posts, the car surface was probably 111O or higher.

That same heat taking a toll on my car’s thermometer is taking a toll on all my garden plants - especially those in pots. I watered most of the plants three days ago, but when I came home today, most of them appeared as if they had been in a years-long drought.

I planted them all from seed this spring, there is no way they know we have been in a years-long drought.

I even bought Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil.

Texas Heat 1 - Miracle Grow 0.

Some of my plants are growing like crazy and are leaving me wondering just how much eggplant and bell pepper I can eat in a year. Allrecipes.com lists some 240 recipes for eggplant, so I should be good.

Last year I made more gazpacho than I could eat. This year I cannot get my cucumbers to put on a single cuc. They tease me with thousands of blonde deceptions, but no fruit appears.

At least the squash have started to produce.

Maybe I should have planted okra this year. It does well in the heat.

Each summer having a garden is taking a chance that the weather will not be at its worst. The last few years; however, the weather has been at its worst. Despite the weather with its heat and drought that dash the best laid plans and the critters that nibble at my plants (and sometimes my feet), gardening is the second most hopeful thing that I do (my job as an educator is the most hopeful thing that I do). Every seed I drop into the ground contains the promise of bounty. A little help from mother nature and my faithful stewardship and that seed will produce foods far better than can be purchased at the store.

I do not know if the food is “really” better or if the sweat and effort make it seem that much better. Whatever the reason, I know I enjoy everything that comes from my garden.

And thanks to my new food vacuum-sealer, I do not have to enjoy it all right now.

Fresh is Best

Over the years watching cooking shows, the mantra, “fresh is best,” rang through every show. In all that time I have had a garden and have raised some of my own herbs and have used them from to improve the freshness of my cooking

The older I get, the more important good food is.

This spring, I focused on some of my favorite herbs along with the vegetables I most enjoy. They are doing better than I could have hoped.

Cilantro grows quickly.

I did not expect to use it as the dominant flavor of hummus, but today as I readied to process the garbanzo beans, the most available spice I had on hand was cilantro, Working it with garlic and pepper into the garbanzo beans resulted in one of the best hummus mixes I have created in the last nine years (since I started eating hummus). The flavors exploded in my mouth.

But what could I use to eat it with? Pita bread has been my favorite vehicle for eating hummus, but I did not have any on hand. I made a bread that included rice, wheat (white and whole), and oats. Combined with honey and beer, the flavors dominated the bread.

I decided to make a egg/oil spread with the same ingredients - garlic, salt, cilantro and pepper. I imagined a egg/oil spread to increase the browning of the bread. I ended up with a strongly flavored mayonnaise that spread beautifully across the rolled-out dough for the bread. Dashes of salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper were sprinkled across the mayo just moments before the bread was placed on the heated pizza stone. Within ten minutes, I the bread was cooked and ready to eat.

The sweet flavor of the bread matched with the spice in the baked-on topping led to surprising experiences in the mouth. Flavor came from every direction. There is the flavor on the tongue - and there is the flavor waiting in ambush.

In addition to the cilantro, my basil, rosemary, and oregano plants needed trimming so they would become more bushy and productive.  Because I was not doing any cooking with them, I put them directly in my food dryer for preservation. This morning I woke to a house fragrant with the smell of dried herbs.

Now to figure out what to do with the mint.

To-Do List Undone

         I have a hard time relaxing in the way most people define relaxing even when I have days off. For spring break I made a lengthy list of spring cleaning chores to do around the house. Everything necessary - weather, time, materials - lined up to make completion of the list a possibility. I came into the week mentally drained but physically charged. The physical labor is what I needed to relax following a stressful month.

The attractive results (flower beds and vegetable garden) of the labor were just an added bonus.

         Then I started unloading the gardening supplies.

         Doing anything on the list came to an immediate halt while I carried a 64 quart bag of potting soil. I turned to go around the corner of my house and felt pain shoot across my lower back and down my legs. I was not lifting. I was not lowering. I was just walking.

         This is the third time in just over a year that I have hurt my back. As much as I hate going to the gym, this is a wake-up call that I have to get in and work on my core strength. Like it or not, I am aging and I have to do more to take care of my body to keep it functioning the way I expect it to.

         Two days later I was still just sitting. Aspercreme, Aleve, Ibuprofen and a folded towel behind my back. Two days of anything but relaxation.

The worst thing about sitting around for over two days with a to-do list going undone is that that it only increases my stress level. I looked forward to the physical activity releasing my mental stress. Having my hands dirty and breathing the outdoor air does wonders for my mental state.

         The interruption does exactly the opposite.

         I have been able to fill the time reading, writing, and discovering there is absolutely nothing on television worth watching.

         I have found some professional Twitter discussions to join.

         I cannot just sit here and do nothing productive. Even if I am not completing the to-do list, I find options to replace it.

         My landscaping may be left wanting, but I am a few months ahead on my blog work (yes, I do some things in draft well in advance) and I am well into a couple books of professional reading. Considering those things I am finding some positive use for my time confined to the chair.

         Another positive to the time in the chair was that I healed more quickly than if I had tried to power through and do what physical labor I could. By the fourth day I was moving almost normally. I still winced from time to time as I made a move my body was not ready to make, but I was able to pack for a trip (I was able to make the trip after fearing for a few days that I would have to cancel) and leave the house somewhat orderly for my return.

         The garden to-do list remains undone. Here we have a very short spring before withering summer heat diminishes the productivity of most garden plants. Until it is complete, I am keeping my weekends free and I am avoiding anything over twenty-five pounds.

Blood, Bug Bites, and Dirt Under My Nails

         I know spring has arrived when I get the irresistible urge to trim the shrubs in my yard and till the soil in my garden. It has nothing to do with the swelling buds and greening grass and lengthening days: it is about whacking bushes and hacking at dirt.

         I know spring has arrived when my arms are bloody and covered with scratches, my ankles itch from fire-ant bites, and my muscles are so sore I can barely get out of my recliner to eat or do any of the myriad chores required around a house on a given day. It has nothing to do with flowers blooming and birds singing, and warming afternoons (we had those all winter – it is Texas after all): it is about blood, bug bites, and dirt under my nails.

         The arrival of spring comes a bit differently for those of us who are connected to the land. The pleasantness of the season comes from a much deeper place than just the arrival of better weather and the return to life. For me, spring allows me to become more involved with the earth, producing fruitful bounty from the garden. I watch physical change take place through the course of my labors. For a person whose career focuses far more on mental labor than physical labor, such physical exertion and reward provides a dramatically different sense of satisfaction.

         At my job it may take years before I see any tangible result of the work I have done.

         In my garden it only takes weeks before I get to enjoy the tangible results of the work I have done.

         When I experience the results of my job, I know I have done a good thing.

         When I experience the results of my physical labor, I taste a good thing.

         This year the irresistible urge to pull out the garden shears corresponds with the beginning of Lent. The coinciding of the time for spiritual rebirth and growth with the time of rebirth and growth in the natural world (in the northern hemisphere) today helped me have the alone time I need to focus on both physical and spiritual growth of the season.

         As I trimmed the shrubs I noticed how the trimming from previous years led to more lush plants. Just below the previous cut two or more sprouts had come forth. Cutting those, led to even more sprouts. Lent reminds me that I too need to be trimmed. Removing some of the clutter that clogs my mind and consumes my energy frees my mind to take up a new spiritual discipline.

         The cutting away does not just remove; it allows for adding on.

         One shrub, one I treat most harshly when it comes to the trimming, was this year the tallest in my garden. I cut it to the ground each year hoping it will die because it does not make a very attractive plant. It has beautiful blooms in that brief period of summer when it does bloom; the rest of the time it is a gangly overreaching bush. Perhaps it is fittingly called “esperanza.”

         Translated to English, esperanza (Spanish), means hope, expectation, promise, anticipation, and confidence.

         Isn’t that just like hope – to be so resilient? Despite being easily thrown away hope keeps coming back. During the season of Lent as I seek to renew my spirit and come even closer to God, I want to grow my hope. It may not be the prettiest gift around, but it helps me through when so many other qualities are found wanting.

         A little more time digging in the dirt and shaping the plants in my yard are just what my garden needs. Those are the same things my spirit needs.

Fleas and Fire Ants

For the last two weeks, my biggest battles have been fleas and fire ants. One is at work. The other is at home.

 

Fortunately fleas are at work.

 

As far as the fire ants, my roommate calls me a mass murderer.

In my garden, I work to be as organic as possible until fire ants are found; at that point, I go nuclear.

At work we are having construction taking place in many parts of the building over the summer months when students are not present. As a result the resident vermin (rats, opossums, skunks, and raccoons) have been greatly disturbed from their established territories under the building and have  created and infestation of fleas, particularly in carpeted areas of the building –which is of course the part of the building where the principal has chosen to have administrative meetings this summer. Even though the exterminators made their rounds this past weekend, I still cannot walk into the room without my legs starting to itch uncontrollably.

Because work has been so demanding for the last few months, much like this blog, my garden has been greatly abandoned. Unlike the blog, however, the garden has become overgrown with grass and various weeds. When I began cleaning it up in earnest, I found it difficult to step far into it without being overcome by fire ants crawling across my feet and up my legs, hitching rides on grass stems to be carried high up on my thighs. Fortunately, for me, my work has required much thinking which is best facilitated by manual labor in my yard.

So, my garden, my work, and the blogs have all benefitted from the time spent grinding dirt under my fingernails.

 

And my expanding waistline makes me think that much the Department of Agriculture has to say about the nutritional value and calorie content of veggies is a lie.

 

While at work, I have to trust that the exterminators have brought the fleas under control. At home I know I have the fire ants on retreat.

Now I can start doing the physical work that gets my brain most engaged.

Pesky Critters

After putting up the fence, I felt fairly confident that my garden was protected from the dogs for the year. How could I imagine that it only fueled their destructive imagination?

The last thing I did in the garden was to refill my large pots with soil and plant some flowers. The pots are 18" - 24" high, so they are high above the ground

I went out today to find that the dogs had dug in EVERY ONE of the pots - even though I placed tomato cages (most of the flowers are climbing plants) in each of them.

Apparently that was not enough to keep them from digging, I had to take the next step and make a cap of chicken wire over each of the pots. At least now they cannot dig, I just have to find a way to keep them from climbing up inside and sleeping there.

I have a few ideas about what I can do and am confident at least one of them will work. I remain confident that I am smarter than my dogs though lately there is scant evidence to that effect.

Mostly Green Gardener

While working in the long neglected weed field also known as my back yard, I wondered at what point I would stop pulling and just pull out a sprayer filled with Roundup.

It almost happened at the start of the second day when the aches in the long unused muscles made every move a painful endeavor.

It almost happened when I pulled a handful of weeds that, as it turns out, were growing in a fire ant bed. 

Despite the aches and burning blisters, I managed to avoid the chemical option for this round of weeding; however, I will likely resort to the spray when my schedule returns to normal.

In my garden I endeavor to keep it as green as possible from an environmental perspective. I mulch, compost and plant many perennials. I have managed to maintain herbs for years.

I do what I can.

But sometimes reality creeps in and I resort to chemical assistance to control weeds and the fire ants. Working more than full time and daily tasks of living alone limit the time I can honestly dedicate to work in the yard. I do not use anything chemical around the edible plants, but I will in the rest of the yard and will to control the fire ants – they deserve annihilation and I am only too happy to do my part in it.

Still, it troubles me when I resort to any type of chemical assistance with the yard. I want to be as environmentally friendly, so I do limit the amount that I use to prevent any making it into runoff or otherwise becoming a pollutant. I also do not want to make the ground so toxic, nothing will grow in the space (nevertheless, the idea of salting the area I have covered with rocks has crossed my mind – hey, it is natural, but a threat to groundwater).

For the foreseeable future I am thinking it will be a sore back with an occasional sore hand from the spray bottle of Roundup and I will continue to be a mostly green gardener.

 

Moonflower Season

One of my favorite parts of spring is when the moonflowers start to bloom. I always make my way out to the garden in the evening or early morning to see the blossoms as they close during the day.

One can see when I flower is about to open as it is emerging from the green sheeth below. It folds back up to this position during the day and will reopen for a couple nights.

And in the late evening, all night, and early morning the flower opens. These are large blooms about 4" across and the brilliant white at night attacts moths and other nighttime pollenators.

Without the pistil and stigma inthe middle, the flower could almost pass for a sand dollar with the various marking and veins.

Currently the plant is only putting out a flower every few days, but as it is a large established bush that survived the winter, within a few weeks it will be putting on as many as forty blooms a night, creating a canopy of white covering the entire bush.

Pest Control

Every gardener has to take steps to control the pests that invade any well-kept area – whether vegetable or flower. Since moving into my house, I have had an ever growing (in size) vegetable garden and each year I encountered different types of pests that would do-in my horticultural efforts. Now that I have the grass and most of the weeds under control, I find more bugs than I have encountered in years.

Today as I pulled the winter weeds, I found doodle bugs (we also call them pill bugs because of the way the wrapped up into a ball) around every weed I pulled. I have never seen this many of them in one place before. In childhood, they were fun little critters to play when we found them. I don’t know if they are damaging to my garden or not, but too many fond memories from childhood prevent me from harming them unnecessarily. 

doodleus pillus buggus (seriously people, I have no idea what they are called).

Also as I planted the peppers, tomatoes, and other plants that were pre-started, I found earthworms in every scoop of dirt I moved in the planting process. I did not just find earthworms, I found fishing worms. If I actually enjoyed catching fish, every perch in the region should be afraid. From what I read in garden blogs, it sounds like my garden is overall very healthy and as long as we continue to get rain, it should be quite productive.

My biggest challenge, though, is the four-legged kind. While white-tailed deer are a problem for many gardeners in the area, my biggest pests are my two dogs.

Last summer they ate so many of my vegetables, I thought for a while they may be vegan.

They are still less than a year old, so I know they will continue to dig and chew everything I do not want them to dig and chew.

After considering what to do about my garden, I decided the best thing I could do is build a fence to keep them out of that part of my yard. The country-boy in me relished buying the posts and wire at the hardware store as well as figuring out how to put a gate in the fence so I could get though.

I ended up building a gap (a rigged gate of the same material as the fence). The country-boy in me was running full throttle.

Now my garden is fully protected from the dogs and awaits the next challenge to come it’s way.

Garden Surprises

After having my brief vacation in San Antonio, spring called me into the garden as it does every year. Following last year’s drought and the destruction rendered by two new puppies, my starting point was farther away than I am used to. So I started with the easy part – my planter boxes on the front porch.

I had already been surprised this year by the number of the bulbs I planted last year that came up. I had given up on them, certain they had baked in the heat of the sun against the planter boxes. Now though, I think I had just planted them too late for growth last year. Of course, it has been so long since I put them in that I have no idea what they are anymore.

Paired with the bulbs, I added some flowers, herbs, and garden plants to make the containers both colorful and functional.

And if they are growing veggies, I will be more diligent about watering them.

As I began pulling the weeds and old plants, I discovered that some of my garden plants, peppers and eggplant, from last season survived the drought and winter and sprouts were emerging from the base of the old stalks near the ground.

Who says there is no global warming?

Gardening provides surprises more often than not and for that reason, I anxiously await spring break to get the dirt under my nails and the greenery growing in my back yard.

Sprimmer Is Here

We went from late cold snaps directly to summer this year with temperatures in the 90s well before Easter. I am happy in that my garden is growing well, but not so happy in that I do not like to sweat.


Today while watering the herb garden, I noticed the first ladybug on the sage plant.

My other garden plants are also growing quickly. The squash in particular are really taking shape. Both the zucchini and the yellow squash are growing. I particularly am looking forward to them being ready to cook with some of the herbs from the garden.

I plant almost everything in pots with the bottom cut out (thanks dad), and cover the rest of the bed with mulch to keep the weeds out and moisture in. I can also water the plants directly by watering in the pots. Unfortunately this year I ran out of pots for the peppers, but they seem to be doing ok surrounded by mulch.

The Wilderness at Home

This past week while hiking with my friends I asked them to be on the lookout for snakes, as snakes are one of my favorite photographic subjects, though I find too few around Austin or on the well traveled trails. We did manage to come across a few lizards on the hike, but no snakes were seen.


Until Tuesday when I was working in my garden.

You can see the rat snake top center if you look closely.

And there in my home mulch (along with turkey bones) was a lovely rat snake. Although I had a hoe in my hand, my first thought was not to chop its head off, my first thought was to run and grab my camera (which I obviously did).

A little closer to the snake.

Just the day before I had seen a mouse run into the mulch bin, so I should not have been surprised to find a rat snake in there. I am sure my various mulching and the mice it attracted kept him well fed.

After snapping a few pictures, I put on my gardening gloves and picked him up and checked him out to make sure there were no obvious injuries from being dumped out of a mulch bin and it seemed to be just fine, so I let him go at the far end of the bed, away from where I was working and he slithered off to find more mousey goodness. 

My Banana...

...is bigger than your banana...

...pepper that is. 


My garden is growing the most amazing banana peppers this year. I dont' know what is going on but since these are some of my favorite peppers for flavor, I am glad to see it happening.

Garden-y Goodness

The picture above is some of today's harvest from my garden. Fresh basil, oregano, fennel, tomatoes, yellow and zucchini squash, various peppers. At the rate things are going, this is going to be a very good summer for me. I may have to purchase a second freezer to save everything.

I made a pesto of oregano, basil, and jalepeno and mixed it in the bread I baked tonight. I'm going to be eating good for the next few months!

More of God's Little Acre

I am very excited about the progress the yard has made already - this is the back right corner - which is now the herb garden and a massive improvement over the previous arrangement.

The herb garden has several types of basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel, and a few pepper plants.

Above is the entire area leading up to the herb garden which is the back. I have the turtle pond, an area to lay out, and my grill. It is a perfect area to just relax out in the sun with my lounger and a book.

The amazing zuccinis are already starting to produce. I'm going to be out of town for two days and they will be perfect for picking when I get back! Squash are one of my very favorite veggies and I am always happy that zucs produce so proficiently.

Just one of the HOT PEPPERS I have growing in the beds. I have an entire half a bed dedicated to hot peppers. I'm serious when I say I have not found one yet that is too hot for me.

Last here, but certainly not least - the Roma tomatoes. I have three Roma plants and they are all loaded with clusters of rapidly growing, meaty tomatoes. I also have six Better Boy tomato plants. I'm gonna be eating healthy this summer.

God's Little Acre

I have not been around much and the pictures below are the reason why. I did not do a good job in taking pictures completely before, so some work has already been done (one of the beds laid out in the background)

Above are the dirt piles and back left side of the yard. I built up two garden beds back there and the results are in a later picture.


This is the back right corner - that became the herb garden.



Here are the squash - I already have zuccinis almost ready for harvest. And here is the back right corner with beds in place and the squash, peppers and tomatoes planted. I have already harvested some peppers. Now I'm waiting for the grass to grow back in.

Manual Labor!

For five days, I’ve done the most exhausting physical labor of my life, but I anticipate it paying off for years to come. I, with much help from C. have redesigned my entire back yard so that it is a place I want to spend my evenings. Growing up on a farm, there is just something about the outdoors that captures me and calls to me. In a year, my secret garden will be an efficient oasis within my urban landscape.

I work in education and some in the field see our focus as getting students to go to college, in fact, my job exists solely to get students to enroll in some postsecondary institution after high school. The prejudice with educators against those who do not value as much as we do is thinly veiled by many as the platitude that “college is not for everyone.” If everyone wore librarian glasses, the statement would be delivered down the nose and over the glasses.

Educators feel a certain need to persuade every person that if they do not get a four-year degree, at least, they really will not be successful, no matter what they do. Training, apprenticeships, two-year, and technical degrees are viewed as lesser options that will only lead to a lifetime of struggle and misery.

It annoys me when other educators act in such a way because the facts are otherwise – only about 23% of careers being created in the United States require a four-year degree. Sixty-five percent require some training post-high school, specifically not a four-year degree. Still the prejudice continues.

After a week of hard physical labor, I see the joy of it. My call is to be an educator; I’ve tried other jobs and have been miserable in them, but the accomplishment one sees when boards are hammered and dirt is shoveled, is real, visible, and capable of bringing joy over time.

That is my garden.

Every bloom, every tomato, squash, pepper, cucumber, eggplant, watermelon, cantaloupe, and all the herbs will remind me not to begrudge those who choose to do this kind of work on for a living. I have taken pictures of the project along the way. I think I’m going to print out a bunch of wallet sized photos and whip them out whenever I see the education prejudice rear its head.

Flip-Flop Burn

OUCH!

Yes, I really have been doing yard work - in flip-flops.

I wore flip-flops to church today.

I'm attending a fashion event tonight.

At a shoe store.

Yes, I'm wearing flip-flops again.

I'm giving myself a pedicure first.

Thank goodness this is Austin and I can get away with it.

Extreme Makeover #1 : Introduction

Aches.

Burning.

Pain.

It's not the flu.

It's extreme makeover, backyard edition.

Pictures have been taken and will be posted to document the days of backbreaking labor C. and I have put into my back yard.

It is nice to have a friend who loves doing yardwork and helps me out for free - well, I do pay for his Friday night drinks and dinner year-round, but it is worth it for the level of physical labor he's put in the last few days.