You'll be happy to know I went on a date with someone new last night. Here's what happened. He suggested we go for a bike ride. As he was picking me up and I called him to let him know I was ready, there was really no excuse for me to be late or not ready. So of course I was ready. He showed up and was surprised that I was ready and said, "Don't you want to have a drink before we go?" Of course, how silly of me. =)
So we stood out on my deck drinking water and watching stars. He pointed out the Big Dipper. I geekily replied, "Actually that's Pegasus, not the Big Dipper. You can tell because... The Big Dipper is hidden..." In hindsight, telling him he was wrong the first time we met was probably not the brightest idea I have ever had. But really who wants to live with the misconception that Pegasus is the Big Dipper?!!? What would you have said!?!?
He also really doesn't like plants. =(
Cheers. Next date with someone new is on Saturday night.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Corn in Pots
Here's what I heard about growing corn in pots.
I am not sure of the pot size, but I assume it should be fairly large to hold sufficient soil and water for the corn. I have some old tree pots (16" dia.) I'll be using for the first summer, if it works then I'll invest in prettier pots... eventually.
Corn likes well drained soil and full sun and shelter from wind. I'm planting the corn off to the west side of my yard where I don't currently have anything planted because it floods every spring. I figure I'll start the seeds inside so they have a head start and then transplant them out in late May after the last frost. Hopefully by then the water will also have drained out of my yard.. I think it drains by mid April. The corn will add a decorative touch to my yard by covering the fence and looking pretty, but I'm expecting it will taste delicious too.
When planting them, it is important to have the corn growing in a clump, or a block if you like an organized garden. Read the seed package for the appropriate spacing, but I think it would be good to plant in a block of 4x4 to 6x6. I think not less than 4x4 because I seem to recall my friend Joanne mentioning that one needs to plant at least 4 rows of corn for successful polination. She had really nice corn plants when I last saw them.
I understand corn is wind pollinated, not insect pollinated. By planting the seeds in close proximity the corn will touch each other as they mature thereby facilitating fertilization by neighbouring plants when the pollen falls down. I am going to try this next summer!! =)
Also, I was informed Borche is spelled Borscht. I knew I should have used the spell checker. =)
Also, I did not get any tickets on Saturday morning. The officer and I had a discussion about where I lived, that I just finished playing hockey and needed to go home to bed, and that I should roll down my windows and drive home safely. Yes, I am a mix of humbled, embarassed, and thankful.
I am not sure of the pot size, but I assume it should be fairly large to hold sufficient soil and water for the corn. I have some old tree pots (16" dia.) I'll be using for the first summer, if it works then I'll invest in prettier pots... eventually.
Corn likes well drained soil and full sun and shelter from wind. I'm planting the corn off to the west side of my yard where I don't currently have anything planted because it floods every spring. I figure I'll start the seeds inside so they have a head start and then transplant them out in late May after the last frost. Hopefully by then the water will also have drained out of my yard.. I think it drains by mid April. The corn will add a decorative touch to my yard by covering the fence and looking pretty, but I'm expecting it will taste delicious too.
When planting them, it is important to have the corn growing in a clump, or a block if you like an organized garden. Read the seed package for the appropriate spacing, but I think it would be good to plant in a block of 4x4 to 6x6. I think not less than 4x4 because I seem to recall my friend Joanne mentioning that one needs to plant at least 4 rows of corn for successful polination. She had really nice corn plants when I last saw them.
I understand corn is wind pollinated, not insect pollinated. By planting the seeds in close proximity the corn will touch each other as they mature thereby facilitating fertilization by neighbouring plants when the pollen falls down. I am going to try this next summer!! =)
Also, I was informed Borche is spelled Borscht. I knew I should have used the spell checker. =)
Also, I did not get any tickets on Saturday morning. The officer and I had a discussion about where I lived, that I just finished playing hockey and needed to go home to bed, and that I should roll down my windows and drive home safely. Yes, I am a mix of humbled, embarassed, and thankful.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Garden Harvest
I hear that September is the time to pull the garden... now when in September is the tricky part... before the frost. Why don't I read the farmer's almanac!!!???
Well, thankfully the weekend I chose to pull the garden was the right choice. Last weekend I pulled my garden in, Tuesday it froze.
I dug the potatoes, pulled onions, ate the last strawberries, picked tomatoes, picked the immature zucchini and carrots... next year I may plant my garden a little earlier =) So what can I do with a zillion pinky sized carrots? Wash them, shred them and make carrot/apple/chocolate chip/flaxseed muffins of course. YUM!! But then I ended up with twice as much carrot as I need, and still had to deal with the 4 inch long zucchinis... heck I can make zucchini/ carrot/pecan/milk chocolate nugget/chocolate muffins. =) Okay, I admit I did miss supper, I ate two muffins at 10pm instead. They were really good!!! YUM!!! Yeah, baking is best started early in the evening or on the weekend to prevent missing my bedtime.
Well, thankfully the weekend I chose to pull the garden was the right choice. Last weekend I pulled my garden in, Tuesday it froze.
I dug the potatoes, pulled onions, ate the last strawberries, picked tomatoes, picked the immature zucchini and carrots... next year I may plant my garden a little earlier =) So what can I do with a zillion pinky sized carrots? Wash them, shred them and make carrot/apple/chocolate chip/flaxseed muffins of course. YUM!! But then I ended up with twice as much carrot as I need, and still had to deal with the 4 inch long zucchinis... heck I can make zucchini/ carrot/pecan/milk chocolate nugget/chocolate muffins. =) Okay, I admit I did miss supper, I ate two muffins at 10pm instead. They were really good!!! YUM!!! Yeah, baking is best started early in the evening or on the weekend to prevent missing my bedtime.
And if you are wondering about the tomatoes... no I still don't like fresh tomatoes, I thought they might be good for salsa or pasta sauce.
I still have lots of carrots, so today, if it works out I am going to make soup... but I have four soups to make. Borche, butternut squash, carrot and stew... well stew may not be a soup. I made borche for the first time about a week ago and wow! I make good borche. I only made a small batch in case it didn't turn out, but now that I know it will turn out, I'm going to make some and freeze it for lunches. I love warm soup lunches. But borche everyday would be tiresome, and thus the need to make a variety.
Next year I want to plant corn in pots, heard about it at Hole's. That would be so beautiful! I have the spot selected, I just need to modify it a bit next year... remove some grass. At the rate I'm going I may not have much grass in five years. Why did I buy a lawn mower?
Well, since I played hockey last night I'd best go lay down for a nap so I have energy to make soup later today. =)
Acupuncture and Late Night Hockey
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Let's start with some handy advice. If you play hockey late at night and then go out for food when you know you are really tired and should go home, but succumb to peer pressure because you don't go out that often... it is likely that when you start to drive home and doze off at a set of lights next to a police cruiser, that the police cruiser will pull you over and ask what's happening. Today if AMA is open I am registering my car and updating my driver's licence address. Not to worry, I did make it home okay.
But on to acupuncture. A few years ago I had heard that acupuncture could be good for my allergies!! WHAT!!!??? WOW!!! So I found an allergy specialist and made an appointment. He refused to treat me if I didn't stop drinking milk and eating dairy products. Needless to say, I still drink milk and eat cheese and yogurt frequently.
I was at a party a few weeks back playing guitar hero... when I was persuaded to try acupunture again. I was recommended to a lady here in Edmonton and I made sure she was okay with me drinking milk. HURRAY!!! She said my diet seems fairly decent, but to avoid raw vegetables and salads. You can stop your laughing. I only eat popcorn for supper occasionally, it's just you remember when I say I ate popcorn and not when I ate that marvelous butternut squash soup with ravioli.
So I am super excited to be trying acupuncture to desensitize me to my allergies. If it all works out I may be visiting you indoor pet lovers for longer than 5 minutes!! =) So far I've noticed my lungs were more open, my nose was stuffy and I sleep really deep.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Pulling Posts 101
Thankyou to Jamie and Sarah for lending me their jack alls for pulling posts at the farm with my mom. I have to admit, it was an adventure. Here's how it played out.
1. Ask friends for a heavy duty jack.
2. Discover there are a number of different types of jacks.
3. Explain to friends my intensions with the jack.
4. Discover there are multiple ways to pull out a post.
5. Make back up plans and buy supplies for plan one.
6. Drive to farm, wake up, ask mom why she has a taxidermied mouse on the wall, decipher it is actually a bat that has been in the house for a week, trap bat and carry it to tree outside, hope it is still alive.
7. Execute plan 1: Use tow strap and truck to loosen post #1 in ground, hit cement skirt with pick axe because the sledge hammer is lost, attach 2x4 to post using 1/4 inch bolt-style screws, set up jacks on paving stones, jack up post #1 still in cement; bust 2x4.
8. Execute plan 2: Use tow strap and truck to rip post #2 out of cement, go to store to buy 1/2 inch bolts, drill hole in post #2 and 4x4 for bolt, jack up post #2 ripped out of cement = SUCCESS!!! I should have taken a picture... sigh. Move 4x4/bolt setup to post #1, jack up #1 and hear strain of wood, stop jack and pull post with truck again, rip post #1 out of cement, jack up post #1 = SUCCESS!!!
9. Stare at post #3, which is more solidly poured and did not crack under pick axe duress, decide to use tow belt and truck to pull post and hopefully crack cement, cement does not crack, but post and cement come out together, stare at situation, pull post again, watch mother's eyes widen as she reminds me that she does not want the post to fall on her truck, raise tow strap to avoid hood collision, pull post and cement from ground, post misses truck = SUCCESS!!!
10. Decide tow strap can pull other blocks of cement from ground, pull cement from ground = SUCCESS!!!
11. Have a nap.
12. Clean up, roll and carry cement to pile for dump, store posts for potential future use... somewhere, plant saskatoon berry shrub in hole # 1, cover holes #2 and #3.
13. Have a nap.
14. Contemplate how to break cement into manageable pieces, decide to ask friends... advice welcome, sledge hammer lending welcome, hilti lending more welcome. =)
1. Ask friends for a heavy duty jack.
2. Discover there are a number of different types of jacks.
3. Explain to friends my intensions with the jack.
4. Discover there are multiple ways to pull out a post.
5. Make back up plans and buy supplies for plan one.
6. Drive to farm, wake up, ask mom why she has a taxidermied mouse on the wall, decipher it is actually a bat that has been in the house for a week, trap bat and carry it to tree outside, hope it is still alive.
7. Execute plan 1: Use tow strap and truck to loosen post #1 in ground, hit cement skirt with pick axe because the sledge hammer is lost, attach 2x4 to post using 1/4 inch bolt-style screws, set up jacks on paving stones, jack up post #1 still in cement; bust 2x4.
8. Execute plan 2: Use tow strap and truck to rip post #2 out of cement, go to store to buy 1/2 inch bolts, drill hole in post #2 and 4x4 for bolt, jack up post #2 ripped out of cement = SUCCESS!!! I should have taken a picture... sigh. Move 4x4/bolt setup to post #1, jack up #1 and hear strain of wood, stop jack and pull post with truck again, rip post #1 out of cement, jack up post #1 = SUCCESS!!!
9. Stare at post #3, which is more solidly poured and did not crack under pick axe duress, decide to use tow belt and truck to pull post and hopefully crack cement, cement does not crack, but post and cement come out together, stare at situation, pull post again, watch mother's eyes widen as she reminds me that she does not want the post to fall on her truck, raise tow strap to avoid hood collision, pull post and cement from ground, post misses truck = SUCCESS!!!
10. Decide tow strap can pull other blocks of cement from ground, pull cement from ground = SUCCESS!!!
11. Have a nap.
12. Clean up, roll and carry cement to pile for dump, store posts for potential future use... somewhere, plant saskatoon berry shrub in hole # 1, cover holes #2 and #3.
13. Have a nap.
14. Contemplate how to break cement into manageable pieces, decide to ask friends... advice welcome, sledge hammer lending welcome, hilti lending more welcome. =)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Zucchini and Beans
I planted a garden this year. And it is green!! Mostly because the zucchini I planted all sprouted and migrated around the garden!! HOW!?!?! I don't undertand. And my beans... I can only find 2... I planted 9!! But wait, what's this weed I just pulled!?!?! HOW did the beans get into the strawberry patch!!!
These seeds aren't just migrating a few inches!! I have three garden boxes and the beans were not planted in the one with the strawberries!! They had to jump garden boxes to get there. I suppose I could have stuck the sprout back in it's proper place... But back to the story, the beans migrated 4 feet!! How is this possible.
And my lettuce!! Only 4 plants are growing??? Sigh. I suppose I should be happy to have a garden. The seeds were old afterall... In hindsight I should not have pulled all those extra zucchini plants... They would have filled in the bare spots. =)
On the bright side, my potatoes seem happy and have effectively taken over. In fact, I am now worried about my peas, which are in the shadow of the potatoes. Whoops!! =) They're still growing. Half my strawberries are happy, and my carrots seem to be okay. I am not sure about the tomatos or red pepper plants, but they are blooming.
I am realizing I put the garden too close to the fence, I would like an extra 6-12 inches to move along the fence... it's not such a problem that I'll dig the garden up this year, but I've added it to my 5-year plan.
Now the big news!! My saskatoon mini-trees planted along the back fence are still green... so I'm assuming this means they are still alive. They don't really seem to be growing, but maybe they are too wet... I'll cut back the landscaping cloth tonight so they can dry out in between waterings. Really, Saskatoon berry trees should be like weeds!!! I am too impatient I suppose; I just want them to grow to their full potential right away. Last night I did see one berry on one plant =) I'm such a proud parent!!
Happy gardening. =)
A big thank you to those of you who have already sponsored me in the MS bike tour and who donated items to the garage sale. For personal pledges I've made it to $750!! Just $250 shy from my $1000 goal. As a team we are aiming to raise $25,000 this year and we are well on our way. We are still accepting donations so if you haven't donated yet and want to here's the link to my pledge page https://msofs.mssociety.ca/2008bike/Sponsor.aspx?L=2&PID=981874
These seeds aren't just migrating a few inches!! I have three garden boxes and the beans were not planted in the one with the strawberries!! They had to jump garden boxes to get there. I suppose I could have stuck the sprout back in it's proper place... But back to the story, the beans migrated 4 feet!! How is this possible.
And my lettuce!! Only 4 plants are growing??? Sigh. I suppose I should be happy to have a garden. The seeds were old afterall... In hindsight I should not have pulled all those extra zucchini plants... They would have filled in the bare spots. =)
On the bright side, my potatoes seem happy and have effectively taken over. In fact, I am now worried about my peas, which are in the shadow of the potatoes. Whoops!! =) They're still growing. Half my strawberries are happy, and my carrots seem to be okay. I am not sure about the tomatos or red pepper plants, but they are blooming.
I am realizing I put the garden too close to the fence, I would like an extra 6-12 inches to move along the fence... it's not such a problem that I'll dig the garden up this year, but I've added it to my 5-year plan.
Now the big news!! My saskatoon mini-trees planted along the back fence are still green... so I'm assuming this means they are still alive. They don't really seem to be growing, but maybe they are too wet... I'll cut back the landscaping cloth tonight so they can dry out in between waterings. Really, Saskatoon berry trees should be like weeds!!! I am too impatient I suppose; I just want them to grow to their full potential right away. Last night I did see one berry on one plant =) I'm such a proud parent!!
Happy gardening. =)
A big thank you to those of you who have already sponsored me in the MS bike tour and who donated items to the garage sale. For personal pledges I've made it to $750!! Just $250 shy from my $1000 goal. As a team we are aiming to raise $25,000 this year and we are well on our way. We are still accepting donations so if you haven't donated yet and want to here's the link to my pledge page https://msofs.mssociety.ca/2008bike/Sponsor.aspx?L=2&PID=981874
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sex and the City
A few years ago I was drawn to watch "Sex and the City" episodes on TV because a number of strangers I encountered commented that I reminded them of Charlotte from the sitcom. I was unsure how to respond, being unaware of this Charlotte, thus I started watching every episode of Sex and the City I could find for about two years. Of course, I watched too many episodes in a short period of time and wore myself out. With the release of the movie, again strangers renewed their comments on how I reminded them of Charlotte.
Of course being a previous "Sex and the City" sitcom addict, I had to see it. I loved it. And now I find I want to watch any episodes I missed. I love the clothing and shoes and hairstyles. WOW! Shush to all of you silently sending me vibes to do more with my hair! It's cause I wear toques for half the year and helmets for the other half!! And as for my clothes, I have improved my style considerably from frumpy to fitted over the last few years.
After watching the movie, I can see there are certain similarities between myself and Charlotte. And now that some of my friends are making remarks about my similarity to her... I am wondering whether it is a compliment... I will take it as such =) I know my friends mean well.
Of course being a previous "Sex and the City" sitcom addict, I had to see it. I loved it. And now I find I want to watch any episodes I missed. I love the clothing and shoes and hairstyles. WOW! Shush to all of you silently sending me vibes to do more with my hair! It's cause I wear toques for half the year and helmets for the other half!! And as for my clothes, I have improved my style considerably from frumpy to fitted over the last few years.
After watching the movie, I can see there are certain similarities between myself and Charlotte. And now that some of my friends are making remarks about my similarity to her... I am wondering whether it is a compliment... I will take it as such =) I know my friends mean well.
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