InFARMation Meeting Tuesday at Holocene

This meeting looks interesting - especially as most of us do these urban farm things in our free time after a 40 + -hour a week job:
InFARMation this Tuesday - 21st Century Householding

Tues 6/14 – 21st Century Householding

Preserving, planting, planning, partnering with farmers, buying in bulk, buying locally, gardening, budgets, cooking from scratch, DIY – these are all aspects of incorporating “sustainable” values into running a household, but they all take skills, time, effort, and knowledge. Join the discussion about “householding” and how that fits into the large picture of supporting family farmers and ranchers, but also supporting the bigger sustainable food system and balancing a sustainable life for ourselves and our families. How does anyone do it all with just 24 hours/day and 7 days/week? We’ve got some great folks on tap to lead this inter-generational discussion and lend their experience, tips and advice: http://cnrg-portland.org/content/infarmation-tuesday-21st-century-householding

Spring Cabin Fever

OK, when will I ever learn that fall is the time to prep the garden for spring planting? I'm sitting here wishing desperately that I could plant the starts that are withering away on my back deck. I have access to a big beautifully sited piece of empty land just on the other side of my neighbors' and I can't plant it. It's too wet. We tried to till it a few weeks ago. Normally, after 3 days of sunny dry weather you can till a virgin plot. This puppy hasn't been tilled since I've lived here for almost 8 years and it has had grasses growing on it this whole time. I thought for sure after 3 dry days we could get in there. Nope. Well and it doesn't hurt that it's a lot of clay. The land still just sits there. If we had done this in the fall when things were dry, we could have added some lime to break up the clay. We could have worked in the dozen bags of manure that sit in the back of Jovi's truck, waiting. Waiting.

The up side is that our front yard looks fabulous! The best ever. All the rhodies are in full bloom with lusciously deep purple blooms and vivid pinks. The absinthe green of new growth on the natives lights up the overcast afternoon. Parker Palmer writes about the winters of our days both metaphysically and physically. He says the key is to "get out in it." Bundle up and embrace the season so you don't go crazy avoiding it or waiting it out. There is some serious wisdom to that.

New Babies!

The Copeland Street family just got a little bigger this past weekend. We have added Ponyo and Picchu, two short-haired kittens.

It's been over a year since we had to say "goodbye" to Booger, the Queen B. I didn't really want a new cat after her. We had such a way of communicating and so many memories together. I didn't think a new cat would replace that, I just also felt more that I loved Boogs more than I loved cats in general. You know when you have that special relationship with a beloved pet that transcends them being an animal? They are family, they are your best friend, your witness to life's many changes.

A friend of mine a few weeks ago posted kitten pictures on Facebook and I casually said we should get one to Jovi. Well, here we are again. The litter box, the crazies, the little kitten bites and scratches, I had completely forgotten how much I truly just love cats. I love these little monsters.

Picchu and Ponyo

Important Public Health Announcement

I'm interrupting my normal blog for an important public service announcement:

I Stand Corrected

OK, so even without the beautiful, warm sunshine today, if some alien were dropped here right now they would know it is spring. How? The length of the days. Daylight before I wake up and sun setting just as I am going to bed. Fabulous.

Gleaning the Garden

OK, so it's that in between season when I'm waiting for the ground to dry enough to plant some veggies and it never seems to get there. If someone were dropped into the PacNW from space, they would have no idea what season it is right now. Sprinter still? So, I'm gleaning the garden. Little baby garlic bulbs - so many I might as well have some now. Chives are up and aplenty as is the parsley. There is chard again finally and in abundance so we can have greens. Best of all, the mint is back. For a few months we'll have tender, dark mint for tea. Nothing like fresh mint versus dry. So, this morning I made a nearly free breakfast frittata for the family and mint tea (with a bit of lemon balm) for the nephew and I. The eggs were a present from a friend. We also had a broccoli plant that we let overwinter which has sprouted a few tiny fresh growths. I cut those off and the stalks are tender enough to impart a broccoli flavor and some darker green and purple color without the bitterness of an older stalk. 

It's Spring, Today

If the weather's not convinced that it's May, the flowers and plants are. I'm super excited that all of the native plants I put in the rain garden last fall are actually back up now and growing strong! I am determined to get more natives this fall again as they are half price and require NO work throughout winter. If planted in the spring, they require watering to keep them going and they cost twice as much!

Here is a photo of the Soloman's Seal. I've also included a picture of the purple Hellebore a friend gave us from her yard (free!).