july colors

 

Just a few samples from the palette of July.

~~~~~

a day and a half

That's how much time we had without rainfall.

You can imagine how much I tried to get done outdoors.

As soon as the sun came up yesterday, I started shifting goats in an elaborate series of dance moves - a pas de quinze? - that went on throughout the day: getting this goat through this gate while keeping that other goat back in the other paddock, until every goat had had the option of spending several hours with their little group of special (currently) pals, stretching their legs on solid ground, with dry footing and the sun on their backs.

Now.

They were less excited about it that you might think. Most of my adult goats aren't comfortable with change, but I thought this would be such a pleasant change that there might be high spirits and leaping about. Nope.

Also: Now.

But today, on the second not-raining morning, they were ready. As soon as I went into the paddocks they started leading me back down to the Upper West Side, which is a small slope (of course) that's got it all: sunny, shady, rocky, sandy, grassy, and dry. Since I knew rain was forecast for late morning, I got almost all of them down there in two groups, early enough to enjoy themselves. Which they did.

The rain held off til after 1, which was nice because I had time to shift goats back to their usual locations without racing around. And after two hours of working in the mucky paddocks with my Occasional Helper - who hasn't been here for a while and may have been quite sorry he came back today - I even had time for a shower and lunch before the thunder started rolling.

And then I cancelled everything planned for the rest of the day.

Could be any time, really.

~~~~~

a gentle reminder

There was a tiny chance of snow in the forecast last night.

And that's what we got: a tiny snow.

If the air hadn't still been very cold, sunrise would have melted it.

I hastened outside to give the hens a Special Breakfast,

see what Hazel and Bud thought about their First Snow,

and take a few snaps.

 

Because I didn't bother with gloves - or a coat, for that matter -

I soon realized that it was indeed very cold.

Had to thaw the ice in gate latches and break ice in the water buckets.

I took only a very few snaps before heading inside

to hold my fingers under cold water for a minute, then warm water.

Ahhh. That's better.

Then I had a bowl of curry for breakfast.

I'm not saying I feel like this mushroom:

No.

I feel like the mushroom behind that mushroom.

But the sky is becoming a pale blue and it's not raining,

so today is going to be a fine day for doing things.

For doing All The Things.

I hope!

Because this tiny snow is the gentle - if chilly - harbinger of Winter.

And there are just a few things that still need to be done.

~~~~~

sunday snaps

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wordless wednesday

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wordless wednesday

~~~~~

gardening 2018

My plan for the 2018 gardens: start all the vegetables and flowers from seed. Choose with an eye to avoiding cross-pollination, so next year I can plant more saved seeds.

A week ago, I began to fill this bought-on-sale tinkertoy greenhouse with little peat pots and planters full of organic potting mix. And seeds.

Already, a few seeds have germinated!

The last of the vegetable seeds on my list - the pole beans - have finally been ordered. I had hoped to find them from a different source, but the type I want is apparently only available from one supplier, as they were nowhere (else) to be found. So let's hope the poor showing last year was due to the weather, and not the seed.

The only direct planting so far is flowers, from seed saved last year. In just the past few days, goutweed has sprung up and is already engulfing the violets that grow between established clumps of hyssop and other summer-booming perennials in the beds by the goat barns:

I've begun pulling out goutweed in patches - carefully, to protect the violets - and raking in bee balm seeds saved from plants that bloomed deep red last year:

Fingers crossed the bee balm seeds will sprout and the new plants will manage to grow above the next wave of goutweed.

It's still a little bit early to direct-seed vegetables, and the fence needs to be reinstalled on one side of the terrace garden. But my Occasional Helper and I have been working hard on something I've wanted for a long time: a permanent Very Raised Bed with straight sides. And while it is not finished yet, I am going to share a few WIP photographs because it's starting to look like what it's meant to be. And of course I already have plans for what I'll do differently if there's ever a chance to build another.

First day of building, May 3; Supervisor and assistant at hand.

Because of that fence situation mentioned above.

Toward the end of the first day of work: 

(At this point I said to the Occasional Helper, "You know, if I could ever plan a raised bed like a normal person, we'd be done now."
He said, "Yes, but where would be the fun in that?"
I like the way he thinks.)

Second day of work, May 10.
Just to be clear: we are not building stone walls. We are fencing in stone edges and filling the center before the stones can fall down.

End of second day.
Experimenting with mix of stones and poles along one side.
You know how I feel about experimenting.

Please note Moxie graciously providing scale:

Providing scale, plus...
There's Something In There Maybe!

I'm hoping we'll get Very Raised Bed III finished this week, but it may take two more sessions. The work is hard and only one person is doing about 90% of it.

Having the funny little greenhouse is a treat, because instead of fretting about not having the new bed or the terrace garden ready to plant, or when the black flies are too horrible to allow working in the perennial beds, I can just trot out to the greenhouse and plant up a few more peat pots. It's very satisfying.

~~~~~

today in pictures

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2017 Pictorial

This has been a difficult year for many of us.

And that's all I'm going to say about it.

I hope these 12 images - one chosen from each month's posts - will bring a few smiles. Because there was much to appreciate and enjoy in my ordinary life, and I am happy to share with you.

Each caption is a link to the original post, if you feel like having a wander.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

I hope we all have pleasant dreams tonight

and rise up to make a better world in 2018.

~~~~~