Lycopene on the hoof (almost)
Monday, 14 June 2010
I dodged the heat and humidity today by staying inside—and doing laundry. Ho hum.
Meanwhile, the tomatoes are enjoying the heat they grew accustomed to in Mesoamerica (or thereabouts).
Musings
Frozen in time
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Poppy from northern Michigan, a few days ago. Several hours after I took this photo, the rains came and it became a sodden heap.
We’re kinda sodden heaps around here if we head outdoors. Sticky hot.
One plant, one huge salad
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Those of you who remember that my feet are at the larger end of the scale can tell how darned big The Botanist’s lettuce is this year!
However, those big feet came in handy this morning when I chased away a cottontail who was too interested in the lettuce, peas, and other tender goodies. Don’t know if the neighbors noted a madwoman racing across the front yard following that fast-moving little white spot. (If you know the layout here, you will realize that our little jaunt looped three-quarters of the way around the house….)
Weather watching (from small house)
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Posting early today; whimsy I guess. Rain came in overnight, drippy and good for the plants, although the accompanying cool temps slow them down.
When you’re inhabiting a small house, your living space extends to the out-of-doors, so you watch the weather a lot (or maybe I’m just talking me here). The breeze is kicking up a tad, but the lake still merely has riffles. Inbound, not offshore.
Anyway, the lupines are showing off another of their talents by catching water droplets in their leaves.
Weeds can be wonderful
Saturday, 5 June 2010
I realize dandelions are mostly just weeds unless you’re dining on their greens, but with the camera and focus, they can make darned interesting photos. The geometrics!
Loving our lupines
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Strolling the grounds, if you can call it that, rewards the keen-eyed with surprises.
The lupine (Lupinus sp.; say “loo-pin” and not “loo-pine”; alternate spelling: lupin) are in full bloom. As far as I know, these escaped from my great-grandmother’s flower garden decades ago, and they’ve spread, especially in the orchard and the field. Their most common color is a deep blue with hints of purple. Across the property, however, you will find colors ranging from white to various pinks, a very few light blue, and a few that are darker blue than most.
It’s really still spring…
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
(…although it’s now June.)
I was so excited to discover the last of the lilac blooms hanging on (for our arrival?). You can see most are spent, but enough are still blossoms that I can close my eyes and enjoy their scent if I bury my nose in the remaining blooms.
Summer pro and some cons
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Ah, the searing Midwest summer. Love that heat/humidity combo. We’re tickled there’s a breeze to temper it. And the shade of the moraine locust. Even those tiny leaves can create sunlessness.
The bonus, however: the strawberries are just beginning to come in!
Produce production project
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
I made the next step in the tomato prep this morning before the oppressive heat arrived (meaning bright sunshine). I got the newspaper down, using the weed-control method The Botanist prefers. We shall see how it works here in the Sunny South (rather than the Midwest, where The Botanist operates).
It may be that soil pH issues are exacerbated by the decomposing newsprint here…and not there?
The amazing cleverness of Homo sapiens
Monday, 24 May 2010
Given the sunlight angles, it’s not surprising that the tomato plants are threatening to take over the sidewalk again. We exercised our ability to mobilize and have installed a wee fence to see if we can keep access to the front door open this year.