Whew!!! It's been a long time since I last checked in. I was very sick with asthma/bronchitis a while back and just wasn't feeling very well for several months. But now I'm back up to speed. My garden didn't do very well this year due to an excessively wet spring and a hot, dry summer. I'm almost finished painting my living room and I need to get started on Christmas gifts. I got a new computer (a storm killed the Apple computer that my brother gave me after my original bit the dust). Boxer turned thirteen in May and Koko is eighteen. I don't even want to think about my birthday in January. I don't even want to think about winter--that means snow! I like the snow, but I'm in no hurry for it. Today was a mild day, rather windy, and I saw a sundog this evening so I know the weather is going to change. I hope you're having good weather, wherever you are.

Back in the Saddle

OK, it's been a while since you've heard from me--I was hibernating over the winter, is my only explanation. But now spring is just around the corner and I'm thinking seeds, building a new garden bed, raising blackberries--the dreams we urban homesteaders have. I also want to plant more purple coneflowers, since they're both native and beautiful, and provide food for the goldfinches in late summer. I bought some lumber to build a raised bed in my front yard, where the old maple once stood. It gets lots of sunlight and some of the veggies, such as peppers, that didn't do so well last year in my back yard, should do well there. Things are going along quite well in my life, after a very sad winter, which saw the tragic loss of a friend. Boxer will turn thirteen this May, and is doing well, after being bitten by a pit bull at the park where I sometimes walk him. I have nothing against pit bulls, but they need to be socialized when they're young and you can still control them. This dog was on a leash and his owner couldn't control him. It was also only the dog's second time being out in the public, and the dog was two years old. Stupid owner.
I hope all your plans for spring and a beautiful garden come true this year.

End of season

I harvested the last of my lettuce and spinach yesterday and had a salad last night with a few cherry tomatoes and homemade dressing. Now to get the beds ready for winter. I'm already planning for next year (more sugar snap peas) and have received one seed catalog so far. Now I need to work on making Christmas presents. I'm already starting to get stressed out by the holidays so doing some embroidery will help slow me down. And I'll do some cooking, which will make the house smell good, which will also calm me down. I always seem to get depressed around Thanksgiving, not sure why. Maybe it's the long dark evenings, or the gray and overcast days that seem to be more prevalent this time of year. Such a contrast to the greenery of summer or even the brightness of October. Will post some pictures soon as I get some new batteries for my camera.

Forever Autumn

Sorry I haven't posted on here in so long--I tore the cartilage in my knee back in August and have been off work since then--had surgery on Sept. 7th. but for some reason, the insurance hasn't approved my physical therapy--so my knee is still sore but I can walk OK, just can't walk very fast or too far. Such is life.
Today is the first day of Autumn and a full moon as well. This has always been my favorite time of year. When the first frost comes and the leaves are falling from the trees, there is a feeling of sadness yet expectancy in the air. I'm still getting cherry tomatoes from my garden and I'm waiting for the peppers to turn red. I planted some fall lettuce and spinach; hopefully it'll do better than it did last spring.
As I've become more eco-conscious I find myself doing things differently than I used to. I've been using baking soda, followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse, on my hair and it leaves my hair soft and shiny. I've been buying more clothes from resale shops and eating less meat (especially since I'm not eating at work). I wash all my clothes and linens in cold water--would hang them out to dry but I have so many trees in my yard that the birds would probably mess them up. I've been trying to shop at the farmer's market on Saturdays but there are still times when I get tired of eating at home so I eat out. It gets kind of boring cooking for one (not counting the cooking I do for Boxer).
I hope I can return to work soon. It's been nice to be off, but enough is enough. I hope you have a wonderful autumn, full of pumpkins and apples and hikes through the woods. 'Tis truly the golden season.

One Heliva Sight

I saw something today that I've never seen before--a truck pulling a flatbed trailer upon which rested a helicopter. And not just any helicopter--this one was painted aqua blue and was a fairly good size. Who was hauling it? Where were they taking it? I don't know but I wish I'd had a camera with me so I could have taken a picture.
In other news, this summer has been very HOT so far. I'm not a hot weather person, in fact, hot weather brings me down. It's been great for my garden though--I'm now starting to find ripe cherry tomatoes when I get home from work. The Brandywine, an heirloom variety, will make its appearance later on. (Hopefully, that is). My tomatoes are late because I started them from seed in the ground. But they're doing great. Even my pepper and kohlrabi plants have recovered and I may get something from them (keeping my fingers crossed). I was going to plant winter squash but decided not to, not sure if I'd have enough room for them. I'm going to plant more lettuce and spinach when it gets cooler since these veggies like the cool weather. I'm thinking of putting a raised bed in the front yard where the maple once stood, using ornamental edibles. Anyone for Bright Lights swiss chard?

Little green things

No, I'm not talking about Martians--I'm referring to the little green things popping up all over my garden. The sugar snap peas are delicious; next year I'll know to plant more. My tomatoes seem to be doing well. The cabbage--well, we tried. Same with the lettuce and the spinach. I might be able to get one or two salads out of my garden, but we'll have to wait and see. the kohlrabi, fennel, and carrots are still too early to tell. The peppers---don't ask. But it sure has been interesting watching things grow and what didn't grow so well. I wanted to start off small and I think I chose a decent location; next year I'm already planning where to put another bed.
I suffered a minor set back recently when I went to the ER and was admitted with a case of pneumonia. I spent a couple days in the hospital hooked up to an IV. I lost some weight but now have been eating like I'm famished; I guess in a way I was. My potassium levels were low so I've been trying to eat foods high in potassium to make up for it.
So that's what's been happening in my world. I hope the month of June is good to you.

Ponderings

This is a difficult time of year for me. It's been almost one year since my friend Lorenzo died. I know he's in a better place but why did he have to be taken so suddenly and violently? Why do things that start out good often end in heartbreak? It's never easy to lose a friend but why does God give us good friends, only to take them away? Or is God even to blame? Sometimes the Universe puzzles me; sometimes it seems like the sadness out-weighs the good in life. Sometimes we lose a friend, not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes the people we thought were our friends turn out to be untrustworthy and back-stabbing. Lorenzo saw value in suffering; he believed that our suffering had a healing effect on all the suffering in the world. I wonder. Sometimes, when I can't see fit to thank God for what life has given me, I instead thank God for the good things still to come. I think Lorenzo would approve of my view. Hindsight isn't always 20/20. Sometimes when you look back, all you see is a big mess. So don't spend so much time looking back--forward is where your life is.