Home again

[pecunium]

It was a good trip. The school was interesting, and no harder than I expected.

I saw old friends, made some new ones, enjoyed late spring in the desert.

But home is nice to come to. Nothing died in the yard while I was gone, no, that's not true. The evil patch of St. Augustine, invading the SW corner of the yard, creeping in from the neighbors (they who let Token out to the street) has been slaughtered.

But the plants of desire, are all alive. The plum I grafted last spring bloomed while I was gone. There are a few blossoms left (and a couple opened in the days just before I left). Fruit has set.

The non-jonquils (the package claimed they were, but the habit, and the flowers, are wrong) have trived. I bought a package of four, two years back. Three survived the first summer/winter. Now I have seven, perhaps eight.

The serial planting of freesia is galloping along, and we will have color until at least the beginning of May. The basil seeds have sprouted. This year there will be enough for pestos, and pizzas, and cheese sandwiches. I will flavor soups, manufacture insalate caprese toss it into pastas, whole, and use it to finsish tomato sauces, and brighten salsa cruda.

The crab apple I potted up (it's a bonsai in training) is running riot, and the wisteria has leaves now.

And the grapes. All four had bud-break before I left. Right now the not-chardonnay has ten small bunches of grapes, the cutting-grape has four bunches, of good size. The tokaji, and the birdshit grape don't appear to be setting forth any buds. I don't know how old the tokaji is, but the birdshit is about six, and has had some hard years. Twice I thought it had died off on me, but grapes are tough, and it came back.

The anaheims are putting forth blossoms, and with some fertilizing (orchid food, well diluted, and spread with a hose-sprayer) they should provide peppers for chiles rellenos and let to ripen I'll have lots of dried california peppers for seasoning mixes, marinades and spicing pickles/kimchee.

I have carrots, for seed, garlic almost ripe, and just dug the leek trough.

Crawling among the lettuces I saw a ladybug nymph, and one of the mantids. I no longer see any aphids.

It's good to be home.

Comments

[bifemmefatale.livejournal.com]

So, do you have any pics of the not-jonquils?

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Not exactly.

I will take some this year.

The picture of the sweat bee is on some of the seeds it set.

TK

WAAAAUGH

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

I am probably not going to have any cherries this year, it got cold just as it finished blooming like a popcorn pan popping, then it went to under 20 at night for several nights.

The only positive is that I may not have to hit the flourishing burdock babies with RoundUp, they're all wilty and turning brown.

I hoping the friends I have who start lots o'things had them in a warm enough space to stave off the iciness.

Re: WAAAAUGH

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I miss cherries. My grandmother's house had a tree (died decades ago), the house we lived in in Wickliff had one, and the acreage of woods (less than 100, but more than ten) had a black cherry tree.

We lost a bunch of melon volunteers when the freeze came in January, but it would take an incredible freak for us to lose anything which goes dormant to frost.

TK

When they happen okay

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

and I can get out to pick them, they're pie cherries and wonderful in years we get enough rain.

In years that it's too dry** the cherries are so sour that they're inedible out of hand, in the years it's wet enough, they are very nice and tart. Since I like sour, I like them. I'm not expecting a harvest or I'd offer to freeze a couple pounds and ship your way on dry ice/

I have a city lot that takes about 20 minutes, at most, to mow, I wanna have Margene's son-in-law come over and rototill the side patch between drive and neighbor's privacy fence (including the rose roots.... I don't likes them much) so I can plant a couple of tomatoes and peppers, it's the strip with the most sun during a day in our yard. But it has to get WARM, dammit.

**did I mention I treat lawn as parasite and everyone has to fend for themselves except for the application of RoundUp and frequent hack/slash to keep the roses at bay? I think watering grass is a waste of money though I've been known to put a hose set on 'drip' for the cherry tree. It's our one tree except for an weird pine that we need to cut down.

Then again, all the roses are mostly the red rootstock roses due to negligance of prior owner. There is one hardy pink tea rose that I will try to remember which bush it was, it bloomed well into December and I think it put out a bud in January when we had freakishly warm weather.

Re: When they happen okay

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Mark the rose you want, and rip the rest out.

I don't like lawn (Calif. isn't meant for grass). If I'm going to water someting it's either edible, or pretty.

Lots of the pretty, is stuff I don't need to water.

Sour cherries are wonderful. They make great bases for beef/lamb, when dried and then cooked into buillon.

TK