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I hope everyone is finding ways to rest and renew during these end of Gregorian year days, whether celebrating Hanukkah or Christmas or Kwanzaa, observing Solstice or Yule, or just appreciating the quiet between terms or that everyone stopped scheduling meetings at work.
I took Tuesday the 22nd off. Picked up our wheeled string trimmer in Siler City, a depressed little industry town that is trying to bring itself back. The chicken plant isn't enough. I had imagined doing lots of yard work but ended up just doing a few things: i planted three bare root plants that had been in the fridge:
* marsh marigold because i think it might be a good fit for our cool moist site,
* Virginia bluebells in my blue pink wildflower garden because i have been trying for years to see them. They're a showy native member of the borage family (one of my favorite plant families), and one of the eastern "spring ephemerals."
* Virginia waterleaf, another borage family plant, apparently a pleasant edible (aka Shawnee salad, https://foragerchef.com/virginia-waterleaf/), and an excellent ground cover that deer don't eat. Theoretically.
All are inside the orchard because of deer, but if they thrive i'll try them outside the fence.
As far as wild edibles go, the green cone flower or Sochan seems to happily reproduce here. Next is to see how well it fights off stilt grass.
I also dug up ferns, mosses, columbine, and a Lenten rose from around the front porch in preparation of the stone masons showing up on Monday, and interviewed a carpenter (not delighted with that one).
I worked a good bit of the 23rd and interviewed two more carpenters, both of whom are busy and with whom i was pleased. The one i think i would prefer hasn't gotten back to me, but the other is someone i think i would enjoy working with. I do wonder if the "Black Lives Matter" sign put the no-response-yet one off.
Yesterday we wrapped and delivered and endured rain and rain and rain. My sister's husband has was exposed to someone who tested positive for covid, which is a damper on any desire to try to get together. Christine's sister was initially going to come here (where we have a back porch) but we ended up meeting in a parking lot. This helped Christine get into her usual holiday mood, which is to say bleak to black. We did watch the Star Wars Lego Holiday special, my first lego movie, which was diverting, and then we watched the penultimate season two Mandalorian episode, which was enjoyed.
The day ended with finding a cat had wet the bed. This 26 days since the last event, a little worrisome whether the diabetes is under control.
This morning Marlowe brought in a large black beetle to chase. I guess all the shrews have gone into deep hibernation or have been eradicated.
I took Tuesday the 22nd off. Picked up our wheeled string trimmer in Siler City, a depressed little industry town that is trying to bring itself back. The chicken plant isn't enough. I had imagined doing lots of yard work but ended up just doing a few things: i planted three bare root plants that had been in the fridge:
* marsh marigold because i think it might be a good fit for our cool moist site,
* Virginia bluebells in my blue pink wildflower garden because i have been trying for years to see them. They're a showy native member of the borage family (one of my favorite plant families), and one of the eastern "spring ephemerals."
* Virginia waterleaf, another borage family plant, apparently a pleasant edible (aka Shawnee salad, https://foragerchef.com/virginia-waterleaf/), and an excellent ground cover that deer don't eat. Theoretically.
All are inside the orchard because of deer, but if they thrive i'll try them outside the fence.
As far as wild edibles go, the green cone flower or Sochan seems to happily reproduce here. Next is to see how well it fights off stilt grass.
I also dug up ferns, mosses, columbine, and a Lenten rose from around the front porch in preparation of the stone masons showing up on Monday, and interviewed a carpenter (not delighted with that one).
I worked a good bit of the 23rd and interviewed two more carpenters, both of whom are busy and with whom i was pleased. The one i think i would prefer hasn't gotten back to me, but the other is someone i think i would enjoy working with. I do wonder if the "Black Lives Matter" sign put the no-response-yet one off.
Yesterday we wrapped and delivered and endured rain and rain and rain. My sister's husband has was exposed to someone who tested positive for covid, which is a damper on any desire to try to get together. Christine's sister was initially going to come here (where we have a back porch) but we ended up meeting in a parking lot. This helped Christine get into her usual holiday mood, which is to say bleak to black. We did watch the Star Wars Lego Holiday special, my first lego movie, which was diverting, and then we watched the penultimate season two Mandalorian episode, which was enjoyed.
The day ended with finding a cat had wet the bed. This 26 days since the last event, a little worrisome whether the diabetes is under control.
This morning Marlowe brought in a large black beetle to chase. I guess all the shrews have gone into deep hibernation or have been eradicated.