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Saturday, September 26, 2015

Summer Changes to Fall.

Virginia creeper
In response to a statement about the colors starting to change, daughter recently inquired what leaves are the first to change. She hasn't lived up North since the late 1990s and wanted a refresher. 

The most obvious leaves springing to mind are the Poplar and Maple. Although other more subtle changes are apparent. Goldenrod, asters, Virginia creeper, sumac. All the lovely colors of fall.

Enjoy these images from our travels last weekend. (more on the next page) We're off to play with paint.


Sunday, September 20, 2015

The Benefits of Organic Gardening. Garden Lessons.

I'm convinced our garden harvest lasts so much longer than the neighbors because we don't put poison on anything. While most area gardeners are putting their gardens to bed for the season, we are still harvesting our crop. Zucchini, summer squash and regular tomatoes are almost at an end. Yet the yellow grape tomatoes and heirloom Cherokee Purple tomatoes are still filled with green, growing tomatoes.

One of the rutabagas in the raised bed is almost as large as a soccer ball. Two basil plants are still going strong and only one of the peppers has turned red. The carrots... Ooh, lah lah!!! Dozens of sweet, finger-length carrots await their harvest. We've been thinning them out for several weeks and enjoying the baby carrots for snacks. We still have cabbage and swiss chard to harvest. The purple cabbages did much better than the green.

I'd show you the thumb-sized raspberries we pulled from the vines yesterday, but someone ate them all before we finished harvesting.

We plant marigolds and other flowers with our vegetables to attract bees and repel harmful insects. We use grass clippings from the lawn to mulch the raised beds for moisture retention. Our in-ground beds were amended with black cow, perlite, vermiculite and peat, then tilled to a depth of at least 12 inches and covered with landscaping material. Where possible, natural ground cover (in our case mint and buttercup) has been allowed to grow freely between vegetables to deter weed growth and help retain moisture. All planting areas are fed compost, peat and black cow yearly.

Easy dinner

Our dinner last night was simple. We picked up some real BBQ chicken on our way through Roulette. Boiled up a few 'taters. Heated some beans. Sliced some tomatoes and plucked a little basil and parsley. Yum, yum, yum!

Nothing beats fresh from garden to table. This year the grape tomatoes are so sweet they taste like candy.

Yesterday's leftovers will make a two great meals today. Cold beans on toast for lunch. Later tonight we'll have shredded chicken baked with fresh basil, tomatoes, garlic and dill. More than likely served over a bed of brown rice fried with onions, peppers and sliced carrots. A nice healthy meal.

We've learned a lot this year in the garden. 

Basil does well in raised beds with full sun as long as they're pinched back and temperatures are in the 70s with regular periods of rain (or watering). Once temperatures reach the 90s for an extended period, you may as well harvest the entire plant.

Basil planted in shade on the southwest side matures at a later date thus extending the harvest.

Swiss chard does well planted from seed with morning shade and afternoon sun.

Squash does not do well in shallow raised beds.

Zucchini does surprisingly well in both full and partial sun.

Fall planted onions get big. (We'll try fall-planted garlic this year.)

Strawberry plants don't do much the first year except throw runners.

Mint does not do well when planted with zucchini. The zucchini takes over.

The kohlrabi is HUGE. It takes as much space as zucchini. When planted in west-facing raised beds with partial shade it does well. With full-sun -- not so much.

I leave you on this damp, chilly morning to bake zucchini bread, stir up some potato salad and dream of next year's garden. Y'all enjoy your day.

Blessed be.




Friday, September 18, 2015

Friday Night Fright.


Off-leash field. Pretty, isn't it?
The pup has been restless ever since I got home from work tonight. He went on alert about ten minutes ago after pacing back and forth from back door to master bath and back again. I wasn't too concerned until the cat came in from the bath with him and were both staring at the back door.

Crud.

Pulling on jeans... throwing on hoodie... slipping on shoes... leashing Bandit (just in case).

Throwing on the outside lights. Front and back (just in case). Nope. Not really chicken. Folks, I can confirm from personal experience that there's bear in them there woods!

Out the door we went.Walked the perimeter. Driveway side to back of house. Behind the shed and raised beds. Hearing the same 'yip' 'yip' we've been hearing every time we've spotted the fox and a few times when we've only seen sign.

More on the fox here. (You can skip it if you want to know how fright night ends before I tell you this little snippet. Scroll to the next bold text.)

So the fox... I suspect it's a female in heat or a young 'un on it's own for the first time. Bandit has been rather unruly on the leash of late and that's unlike him unless another dog is around. He's also been rubbing his nose in the scent. Know what I mean, Vern?

We've been spotting sign on the trail for a while and actually watched it cross our paths twice. Once at the crack of dawn down before you get to the big river bend. It started across the trail in front of us. Froze still in mid-stride when I hissed for Bandit to stay. Looked us right in the eye and nonchalantly turned and headed back from whence he came.

The second time was closer to home. Bandit had tried to tell me something was down over the bank, but I pulled him away (skunks seem to be migrating right now and who needs that?) We were headed down to the river bend, but at the last minute I had second thoughts about going that way. It was a fairly nice morning and I thought bone-head would enjoy a little off-leash time. We usually stay on-leash on the trail because you never know who or what is going to come up behind you. This area could probably be considered country suburban. Even here people seem content sticking to the mainstream. Anyway, we've only ever run into one other person off-trail and had plenty of warning they were coming up on us.

Anyway...

We had just turned back around to climb the hill to an open field where he can run without fear of running into game or other people. At least, not after the sun has risen. And there it was. Trotting gracefully across the trail, down into the brush. So beautiful.

Where was the camera? BOTH TIMES? You guessed it. At home on it's little hook. All snuggled down in it's carrying case. *sigh*

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

So we hear this 'yip-yip'. Then silence. Two heartbeats later the tree frogs begin their chorus anew. Hmmmm....

We head toward the north side of the house and Bandit freezes. Staring at the arborvitae hedgerow from whence the bear raiding party arrived in days gone by.

What fun.

So now the questions is: Do I go toward the hedgerow and let the dog do his thing every twenty feet? Or do we keep heading around the north side of the house?

Yep! Hedgerow it is.

Nothing in the hedgerow, but Bandit is scenting the air, walking "on guard" and looking toward the old railroad bed down the road a bit. We walk the perimeter of the front lawn. Around the apple trees, down the drive and back. All this time, he is looking at the same place. Nose raised to the air. Allowing me to lead him, but watching the same spot.

Now, keep in mind that I live in the suburbs and that there are streetlights. Knowing that main street is a short hop away, we walk a short piece down the road. Bandit lets his guard down when we get to a certain point. I figure our aggressive move has scared off whatever he was smelling.

We turn back around. Get not even ten feet down the road back toward the house and he plants his feet and points his muzzle at something along the treeline a few feet away.

Crud.

IMHO, "leave it" is one of the best commands ever. I'm so glad I taught it to him.

We backed away and came inside. But I was too keyed up to go back to reading, so I thought I'd share my little adventure with you. We'll wait until morning to see what kind of tracks are on the other side of the tree line. If there are any there at all.

I've yet to see fox tracks. Have you? Perhaps we'll take a look down by the river.





Finally Friday. 18 September 2015

Our morning hike today was greeted by layers of fog gently rising from the valleys. Unfortunately, there are too many power lines in the neighborhood to capture decent images. This is the best shot from the morning.

What a pleasant way to start the day!

Here's hoping it's a good one for all.

Blessed be.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sunday: A traditional day of rest. 13 September 2015.

Although Fall doesn't officially start until September 23rd, yesterday's much needed all-day rainstorm stripped enough leaves from the poplars to freckle the trail. Our morning walk featured a plethora of goldenrod reverently bowing their heads in thanks of the moisture. Isn't it amazing how quickly the earth can change? First a long, dry hot spell causes the plants to start to die back. Then cooler temperatures and bit of rainfall cause a sudden surge growth.

Don't you just love the changing colors?

The high temperature today is expected to reach a mere 60 degrees Fahrenheit. With humidity levels at 84%, that's a bit too cold for this hothouse flower - even with layers and wool socks. Our Sunday morning hike has been postponed until the sun breaks through the clouds.

Here's hoping y'all make the most of your day!

Blessed be.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

A rare sight...

A rare sight in the boro is an apple tree that has apples. Most of those that made it through the late frost are located along steams leading up to and including the Tunungwant Creek.

We are using this rainy weekend for a much needed down time. Y'all have a pleasant weekend.

We'll catch up with you again on Monday.

Blessed be.


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

That magic hour.

You may or may not know that I have a German Shepherd. Or perhaps, more truthfully, a German Shepherd has me. What can I say? I love the pup. We go for walks/hikes every day. It keeps us both healthy, active and connected to nature. Although, I could do without so much connecting with the mosquitoes. Dang bloodsuckers!

Tonight on our walk we hit the time of day some call the 'magic hour'. Against a backdrop of growing shadow, the goldenrod and asters scattered along the trail seemed to almost glow of their own accord. We stopped for a bit on the way back to the house to watch the clouds race each other across the sky.

Feeling lucky tonight to live in such a beautiful area.

The image shown above was taken a few days ago after a thunderstorm rolled over the hills into the next valley.

I'm not sure why I'm so fond of storm clouds and sunsets. I have several paintings of storms that I'll be finishing up this fall/winter. It's easier to create when I'm not pressured to do so. Does anyone else out there have that problem?

For now, it's off to curl up with a good book. Terry Brooks' The High Druid's Blade, in case you're wondering

Y'all have a great evening!

Monday, September 7, 2015

Labor Day. Long post warning!!!

While the intention was to re-open the Etsy shop this weekend, I decided mental health was more important than the possibility of earning money and took a road trip to visit old friends instead.


Posted here are two of the lovely vistas we were fortunate enough to behold. The first was taken looking over the mountains that surround the quaint village of Morris, PA. The second is one of the many pastoral views coming into Wellsboro, PA. Shumway Hill area.
On other matters...

Since April, most of my free time has been spent working. Both at my regular 40-hour a week job and making items to sell as "Petunia Magpie" at a local festival. Even break- and lunch-times at work were spent crocheting baby items.

Our first event this year...

Springs first event was a disaster. More money was spent than made. Sad. Upsetting. Disheartening. Depressing enough that I decided to concentrate on only doing one more festival for the entire year.

Perhaps not the best decision, but life perpetually offers other challenges that make some decisions seem almost prescient in hindsight. *sigh*

Then came time for the only festival of choice. Why that festival? Well... First and foremost because the town was so very welcoming! Local folks took the time to stop by and visit a spell, offering words of encouragement. Encouragement is always appreciated. Plus, I actually made a few dollars there last year -- and had fun doing it!

The last few weeks leading up to the event were very stressful. Family, work and relationship issues, mostly. This scene from Dead Poet's Society (starting at about 24 seconds in) kinda shows the internal mantra from those days. Yeah. "Gotta Do More. Gotta Be More."

Setting priorities...
A few days before festival I had a talk with the mirror.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Happy Labor Day from Petunia Magpie!

The normal work table has been taken over by harvested dill, basil and live "citronella" geranium.

A lovely combination of scents, indeed!