Monday, March 7, 2022

Living On Earth


Here's another picture I took yesterday. I love the way the birds are all lined up on the dock. Birds are so orderly, aren't they? One of the funniest things in the world to me is seeing a whole group of birds standing on the beach, 99% of them facing one way with just a few facing towards the others. In my mind I always think, "This meeting will now come to order. We need to review the lineup for tomorrow's journey across the bay. Harold, we'd like you to lead the group. Marlin and Mavis, you take the next positions. It's just a short flight so don't get distracted by the occasional fish you might see on the way over. Please maintain your positions. We're planning on eating well once we get there. The Rotary Club is having a fish fry. Remember to pay special attention to the children who frequently drop their hushpuppies and never eat their coleslaw. There will be plenty for all."

And so forth.

Today was mostly just a catch-up day for me. I did three loads of laundry and hung it all out on the line. Everything got dry even though it has been mostly cloudy. It was breezy and warm and it's always a joy to me to see those dresses and shirts moving in the wind as if they were worn by invisible dancers, swaying and tumbling and bowing and rising to music unheard by me. 

I also planted some seeds I'd saved from a pepper that I bought at the store. It was one of those gorgeous dark red peppers, not a bell, and I can't remember the name, but we planted a few last year and they did fruit. That was just a casual experience, the seeds sown in big black plastic nursery pots during the middle of the summer but knowing that they can and do sprout and produce peppers, I gathered some containers out of the trash, washed them, found a few other small nursery pots, filled them all with potting soil, and in a more deliberate way, pushed the small flat seeds beneath the surface. 


Now. Let us see if they will sprout. We should start more of our own seeds than we do and I used to do that. I'd pore over the Burbee seed catalog while it was still cold, order my seeds and start them in peat pots. These days we just go to nurseries and buy tomato plants and basil plants, pepper plants, eggplant, and so forth. We do start squash and beans as seeds but they are so hardy and seem to almost leap up out of the earth as soon as they are planted and watered. Which reminds me, I need to order some rattlesnake beans online because I am not going to trust to luck to find them locally. They are by far the best beans I've ever planted, not just for their taste and hardiness but for their everlasting productivity. 
I did some weeding today and I think I came across some volunteer sprouts of the delicata squash we grew last year. I left those alone. They appeared to be squashes of some sort. I want to try to do those again but make more of an effort to protect them and nurture them. We got a few last year but I would have liked more. 

We need rain and it looks like we're about to get some this week. Like I said, it was cloudy today but no rain was forecast and that proved to be true. But would you look at this?


Not just at the rain forecast but the lows for Saturday, Sunday, and next Monday. It's only supposed to get down to sixty-four tonight but in less than a week we may have a hard freeze? 
That is hard to believe. 
The common advice around here is to not plant your tomatoes until the pecans are leafing. I just actually looked and by golly, I can see the tiny starts of leaves on the gnarly old twig fingers of the pecans. 




Hmmmm...
It shall be interesting to see which is more accurate- the pecan trees or the weather forecast. Either way, I surely hope that the rain does come. And whether it freezes or not, I will be happy to sleep a few more nights under the duck before it goes back in its bag in the closet, not to be used until next fall at the earliest. 

Lord, when did I become a farmer? Well, I am not a farmer but we certainly plan our activities here on our little piece of ground with a great deal of attention to the weather. Which feels right. It's NOT going to feel right when we have to set our clocks ahead an hour next Saturday night. As Mr. Moon said, "Well, I guess I'll be sleeping until nine then."

Meanwhile, the chickens and pecans and potatoes and peas and theoretical tomatoes won't give a flying fuck what the clock says. They will live their lives in the cycles they are living them now. It is only we humans who will have to adjust. 

As if life right now wasn't difficult enough. 

We shall manage.

Love...Ms. Moon







23 comments:

  1. You and I had almost identical weather today. Also cold coming back soon.

    I always liked starting seeds. It felt as if buying plants meant someone else had already had the fun!

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    1. Well, that is so true. But sometimes I don't mind letting someone else have all the fun to be honest.

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  2. I've never seen the point of daylight saving and even less now that most of the world is connected 24/7, so sticking to regular times shouldn't disrupt businesses.
    I love the idea of growing vegetables and I did once in a rented home where the soil was so black and rich and easy to dig. now I just buy them at the supermarket which is 7 minutes walk away.

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    1. I really don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a garden to tend to. It makes me happy, as you know. And the vegetables are a big bonus!

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  3. I love that bird photo and can't wait for more cold weather. I'm not looking forward to the time change either. Thank you for your kind words earlier today.

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    1. Aren't those nice seagulls?
      Yeah- what the hell with the time change? Really? More human foolishness in my book.
      I meant those words!

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  4. Hope those pepper seeds are a success - so much fun to gather the seeds from a veg you actually ate and enjoyed! I love all kinds of peppers.

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    1. That is so true, Wilma. I feel like I'm getting away with something when I do that!

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  5. What a great scenario you laid out for your geese. It probably happens, too.

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    1. Well, these birds were seagulls which are sort of geese of the ocean. They are noisy and messy.

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  6. Best of luck with the pepper seeds. I am sure they will be a success. You have the climate for peppers!

    Currently, all our indoor window sills are packed with trays full of seed pots, mostly veg like tomotoes and peppers and so on. I love watching and waiting, always so amazing what comes from tiny seeds. We are part of an organic seed sharing group across the EU, which means we have to dutifully collect and report and exchange, sending tiny packets off in autumn to receive more tiny packets in spring and so on. It's semi legal as many of the big seed co. have patent rights on basically any plant but let them find us and I'll tell them a thing or two.

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    1. I grew so many peppers last year that it is now a joke between my husband I me. I don't think we'll be planting banana peppers, at least, for quite awhile. I have not yet begun to eat all the pepper jam I made.
      I love the idea of your little seed pots in windowsills! What a wonderful image! And good for you for being such a rebel! I love it!

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  7. I bet you'll have more peppers than you know what to do with! Which is a nice problem to have.

    I haven't planted any seeds yet but I should probably get my seed trays going.

    I can't believe you'll really have such a hard freeze! It seems awfully late for that.

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    1. Well, I've seen it snow in March here before so I'm not too shocked, really.
      Remember all the peppers I had last year? Good Lord!

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  8. It is terrific that you get so much joy out of your work in the garden. Your planning, weeding, seeding, picking - so many activities that keep you and Mr. Moon busy and reward you with delicious veggies to lovingly cook for your family. Well done!

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  9. Round here they tell you not to plant outside before les Saints de Glaces (15 May)!!!! I envy your growing season! And I love the improv of Seagull Airlines! Ha ha, too silly!

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    1. Wow! How do you get anything grown when you start that late? I know you do. But we are lucky in that we can grow two gardens a year here. Two different seasons for two different types of vegetables.

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  10. It looks like I'm going to have to bring all the plumerias back in and cover a few other things. Damn. Pecans here are not showing any movement towards budding out.

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    1. All of my porch plants are out too. And I think it's going to be a matter of "root hog or die."

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