Tuesday Tidbits

What do they think I am? Dumb or something? Why, I make more money than - than - than Calvin Coolidge! Put together! - Lina Lamont in "Singing in the Rain"

Quiet day yesterday. It was nice... didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but even so it was relatively without drama. So it's all good :-)

Brandy asked if anyone nearby had an abundant tomato crop to share. My SIL is getting a few, and she brought me four on Sunday. They were yummy... but I'm still sad I can't make sauce. Between the deer coming and chomping them down to only a few inches in June, and the lack of water and high heat, etc., my poor plants are pathetic. DH is going to rig some kind of ongoing watering system for me next year, because going out once a day to water just wasn't enough.

Brandy also mentioned that her summer squash plants were thriving and then just up and died... this happened to me once a few years ago, and it was conveniently when my friend, Michele, to visit. SHE told me it was squash vine borers -- something I'd never heard of. She was right.

Brandy, if your squash plants wilted for a few days before they just died, if, when you pulled up the plants it looked like their stumps had rotted or were spiderwebbed and not solid, you probably had squash borers.

Since then, we look for the moths and kill them on sight. Here's what the moth looks like:



And if we see "frass" (it looks like wet sawdust) at the base of our squash vines, we'll use a knife to dig a hole into it and spray Neem or Pyrethrin spray until it's soaked then wrap it in old pantyhose or bury it in dirt... that may be why the old-time gardeners would mound dirt around the base of their squash plants as they grow -- it helps defend against the buggers.

I watched "Singing in the Rain" with DD yesterday -- I'd promised her a movie -- and I'll leave you with her favorite song because it always make me smile. I tried embedding it, but everyone decent has embedding disabled -- that really annoys me. *sigh*

Anyway ... Have a great day :-)

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You Are Wise

You are a prudent and rational person. You try not to do anything you regret, and if you do, you learn form your mistake. You are educated or at the very least knowledgeable. You have a perception that most people lack. You've learned to be vigilant in your life. You are pretty much always on guard. No matter how old you actually are, you are quite seasoned. You are experienced and worldly.

The Changing Leaves Test

Mostly right.

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Monarchs!

Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. ~Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year, translated by M. and R. Weatherall, 1931

Pillar Place 2010: Monarch has begun!

Yesterday, DD and I grabbed some containers and went on a monarch egg hunt behind the library. I really didn't expect to find any because it's a bit early, but since spring started early here, and since we found the swallowtails two weeks earlier than usual, I decided to give it a try.

We didn't find very many, so that was a little sad, BUT we did find a itty bitty already hatched pillar. He's probably only a few days old (if that) and DD named him Xi.

We have three eggs (hopefully they hatch this year) who will be: Omicron, Rho and Pi.

We'll go back and check the next time we're at the library -- probably on Tuesday.

A funny about our hunt: I found this little hidden parking area behind the condos that are next to the library and pulled in there. It's actually where we found all the eggs. When we came out of the woods area, there was a lady on the phone standing next to my car.

I walked toward her and she said, "Is this your car?"

"Yes. I'm here looking for monarch eggs." I showed her a milkweed leaf. Pointed to the nearly microscopic dot. "That's an egg."

"Oh." Then she spoke into the phone. "Never mind." Back to me. "I saw you drive up here and didn't know who you were or why you were here."

Do you suppose she was calling the cops? Can you see it? My one phone call from jail. "Honey, come bail me out -- I was arrested while looking for Monarch eggs."

Anyway, we had a long talk about monarchs and conservation and their nearly endangered status, so that was good.

No eggs on our milkweed that we've found though. At least not monarch eggs. We're fairly certain we found Milkweed Tussock Moth eggs. Those are the coolest critters! Here's a tidbit I found on the Tussock Moth caterpillar on how they protect themselves from their main predator, the brown bat:

FAVORITE GAMBIT: Sounding gross. Literally. They don't taste gross, at least not to bats. But they deter their predators, which hunt by sonar, by imitating the high-pitched clicking sounds of certain other moths that taste so bad that bats steer clear.

Isn't that funny?

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We saw our first squash vine borer moth yesterday. My SIL came by in the afternoon and said, "Is a squash moth red and black?" So, she has them, too. Of all my garden pests, I hate those the worst because I can't pick them. I have no problem going into my garden every day and picking bugs. I can pick cucumber bugs, tomato worms, potato bugs ... the squash borer? Once the worms hatch, pretty much your plant is going to die. Period. End of story.

So ... I've resorted to pesticide, which breaks my heart. But every few days, I'm going to spray the base of my squash plants, which is where they lay the eggs, and hope that I kill the eggs before they hatch. I really need the squash. Not only do I love it and use it to eat and bake with, but I use it in Dakota's food -- which is why I planted so much. I want to freeze it and hope that I will have enough until next year.

Unless my plants all die an early death from bugs. :::grumble, grumble:::

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I woke up around 3 a.m. feeling really dizzy. I'm hoping it's just because I'm so tired (I haven't been able to sleep well for some reason the past few days) and not because I'm getting an ear infection. I seem to be prone to them -- have had three the past ten years -- and I HATE them. They make me dizzy and nauseous, and for a day or two, if I move at all I throw up (on those days I literally sleep on the bathroom floor, lol). I can't be down for two days ... especially not over this weekend, because DD and DH have huge plans for the Fourth which don't include staying home and taking care of me and the dog.

So, I hope I'm just really tired. But if I don't blog for a day or two, don't be worried.

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I <3 Eureka

The kind of humor I like is the thing that makes me laugh for five seconds and think for ten minutes. ~William Davis

Woo Hoo! Eureka was back last night and I watched it this a.m. (under orders from Judy who said she'd bust if she couldn't talk about it). I LOVE Eureka.





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Started working on my new veggie garden plans yesterday... dug out about 12 inches from the front in order to plant various deer resistant plants. I was sweaty and exhausted and only got about half done.

I did find the usual pests in the dirt: wire worms, grubs, cutworms. And... I saw and killed a squash borer moth. Unfortunately, I'm sure it wasn't the only one which means... my squash plants are probably toast. I'm going to start looking for eggs -- something that will become a daily ritual -- because you can't catch the larvae on these. Immediately upon hatching, they bore into the stalk of the plant and begin to feed, eventually killing the entire plant.

I have never lived somewhere with as many pests (both four- and six-legged) as here. Most of the bugs that exist here do NOT exist west of the Mississippi. Is it any wonder I want to move? *sigh*

Today, I hope to finish digging up around the garden and then tomorrow I plant on moving the plants I have. Monday will be spent buying a few new plants: day lilies, coreopsis, and perhaps some herbs. I have chives, rosemary and marjoram but may spring for some sage and thyme to go with.

BTW -- in case you think I've forgotten to say anything... we still have no butterflies in Pillar Place: Swallowtail. My luck, they will all be overwinterers.

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I did do some writing yesterday. I had to run an errand for my DH to get the seat stitched in his new-to-us car. While I sat in the waiting area, I wrote nearly 1000 words on one of my stories. It was good. Fun. I'd been thinking about the conflict and the characters over the past several days and had to go back and weave in a little different characterization for the heroine and then moved forward from there.

I love to write. I really need to make time to do it every single day.

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Tomatoes, Gardens and Miscellaneous Rambling

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. ~Douglas William Jerrold, about Australia, A Land of Plenty

Another idea for using tomatoes -- A Tomato Sandwich! I've been eating them pretty much daily for the last week. It's actually more of a BLT (using Bacos), but oh-so yummy.

Two slices of whole wheat (or your fave) bread
Cream Cheese
One tomato sliced THICK
romaine (or your fave green stuff)
Bacos or bacon

I pretend that I use the cream cheese to keep the bacos on my bread -- I spread it on both sides, dump the Bacos and press the slices of bread together to smoosh the Bacos on. Then layer the other stuff. I prefer my tomato warm (and right from the garden when possible).

Oh. Yum.

Speaking of gardens, my other two squash plants have succumbed to the Squash Borer, so no more fresh squash this season. HOWEVER, let this serve as a warning to that pesky little critter: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE NOW!! There will be no escaping my wrath next year.

DD asked if she could dig up some potatoes yesterday. We have twelve plants, so I told her to dig up two. Do you know how many potatoes she got???? Five. Small ones.

What the heck??

**sigh**

Maybe I should stick to cucumbers.

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Judy and I challenged each other to write yesterday. I gave her a random list of ten words (and then another ten when she used up the first set) and she wrote nearly 3000 words!!! I got just over 1000 on an existing short story. We did good.

Today, though, I need to do some work on the LASR site, so don't know how much writing time I'll get. Today, we're giving away a pre-release copy of Joy Nash's Immortals book. Tomorrow is the big day... the OFFICIAL one year anniversary of LASR and we are giving away a $50 Amazon.com GC. Have YOU entered yet? The link is here.

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Read any good books lately? Feel free to share.

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Visits and Bad Bugs

Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them. ~Victoria Glendinning

So, Michele and I had a wonderful (but too short) visit yesterday. It was incredible how quickly the time flew by. Yes, I took pix, but Michele doesn't like her picture online, so I can't share.

We didn't do much besides talk. We went to lunch and walked the dog and watched the birds on the feeders, and seldom shut our mouths. *G* It was good.

We took a walkabout my yard, and I mentioned to her that my previously healthy squash had died and she suggested it might be the squash vine borer -- which fits the symptoms to a T! I've seen the moth around, but didn't know what it was. Now I do, and it goes on my "kill without regard" list (not many bugs go on that: mosquitoes and black flies, ticks, japanese beetles and red lily beetles are there) AND now I understand why I've been told to keep piling dirt up around the base of the squash plant as it grows -- that is an organic way to keep the plant from dying, even if the borer attacks (sounds like a bad B movie).

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Brandy... I love tomatoes in all forms, so seldom have enough to can, freeze or make sauce. Making sauce can be a pain if you don't have the right equipment (I use a vittorio strainer so I don't have to scald and peel the tomatoes). I do like fresh salsa a LOT, and can eat it as a meal. I even use it as the "dressing" on my salad -- much healthier than regular dressing.

Try this:

3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup finely diced onion
5 serrano chiles, finely chopped (you can use a can of diced green chile from the store - for more heat, add a jalapeno pepper but DON'T use the seeds!)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
minced fresh garlic to taste (one or two cloves)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lime juice

You'll want it to set for a bit in the fridge before eating it to let all the flavors combine.

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You Are the Innovator

You're the type of person who is always a step ahead of everyone else. You thrive when you're experimenting with new designs, ideas, and attitudes. You are a creative person with many talents. You have to have artistic outlets in your life. You need to create - whether it's writing furiously or redecorating your home. If not, your life becomes chaotic. You tire of doing the same thing every day. You change your job, friends, and personal style often. You are at your best when you have a focus. If not, you develop a flaky artist's temperament.

What Role Do You Play?

Except for that last (because I LOVE routine and "sameness"), that's pretty close!

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Kitchen Matches

When one of my plants dies, I die a little inside, too. ~Linda Solegato

So... I have a release coming up in ten days, for Kitchen Matches. And totally forgot because of all the hullaballo involved with the LASR Anniversary Contest. (Today, BTW, you can win a huge prize package of autographed books, CD, perfume and more... you should check it out).

Thing is: I LOVE this story. I only wish is was longer, because I also LOVE the cover and would adore having it in print.

In any case, I'm trying to think of a good contest to run with it. Hopefully, by Monday morning, I'll have thought of something -- I'm open to suggestions! What kinds of things do YOU like to win in a contest?

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Our Tussock Moth larvae have reappeared, much larger, but in smaller numbers. I assume many of them died (which is probably a good thing, given how many there were). BUT, I found a new batch of them yesterday. My milkweed is going to be decimated. I suppose that's what it's there for, though, right? For the critters to eat?

My squash plants blessed me with ONE squash yesterday afternoon, so I'm going to make squash muffins for breakfast. Yum.

I moved rocks yesterday. From my "vole garden". I didn't realize just how many rocks we had there. Worse, the wheelbarrow has a flat tire, something I didn't realize until I'd loaded it up and moved about ten feet. By then, I couldn't just leave it in the middle of the lawn (should have gotten a clue by how hard it was to push... silly me), so I had to haul them by hand out back. We live on a chunk of land, so it wasn't that easy of a task.

Worse, despite the eight million rocks I moved yesterday, I still have at least that number to move today. And, yes, I may be exaggerating just a little.

Here's a picture of the garden from last year... take a look at the size of those rocks! They not only surround the garden, but are also strategically placed throughout:



It used to be so pretty.



And the voles came and made it a desolate wasteland. They ate everything: the hosta, the columbine, the crocus, the iris, the liatris... even the roots off my dragonsblood sedum. And, no I don't have pictures of the disaster that is Vole Hill. And, no, I didn't take those pictures in January -- I wish. Ha. I just forgot to set the date on my camera.

So. I'm moving rocks today. What are YOU doing?

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Eyeballs

An eye can threaten like a loaded and levelled gun, or it can insult like hissing or kicking; or, in its altered mood, by beams of kindness, it can make the heart dance for joy.... One of the most wonderful things in nature is a glance of the eye; it transcends speech; it is the bodily symbol of identity. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, yesterday I mentioned headaches... and also mentioned that I might have a remedy for them. Over the past year or so, when I get tired, my eyes won't focus together. I spent my evenings reading with one eye (typically my left eye) closed or covered. Even when I'm NOT tired, I frequently have to look away from something to "reset" my eyes before they'll focus.

I finally gave in an scheduled an eye appointment. The last time I got glasses (about three years ago), they really didn't help much. They were, essentially, reading glasses. I don't need things magnified -- that isn't the issue. I see things fine, up close AND far away.

DD needed her appointment anyway, so I scheduled one with her. This doc discovered the problem almost immediately... my eyes see at different angles. My left eye actually sees higher than my right, so I basically have double vision. He told me that I've probably had it my entire life, after noting that I tip my head to the left. He asked to see picture ID, so I showed him my drivers license and warehouse club card. He pointed at the photos and said, "See how your head is tipped?" -- and, honestly, if you look at 90% of pictures with me in them since the day I was born (just look at the profile picture in my Blogger profile!), my head is tipped to one side. He said it was my unconscious way of making the vision field level and helping my eyes focus together. But, now my eyes are getting old and tired (and, no he didn't put it like that, lol) and don't want to work together any more.

So I'm getting glasses with a special "prism" in them that will level out my vision field. And, maybe I can stop winking at the computer...

Better, maybe I can go through a day without massive headaches. We'll see... I should have my glasses next week.

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I picked three more squash yesterday, and a "mess" (that's for Judy *G*) of green beans that even DD enjoyed eating (she doesn't usually like green beans). I have about fifteen more baby squash that will be ready over the next week, and twice that many blossoms. Still, the squash doesn't worry me nearly as much as the cucumbers. I think I'm making pickles this year!

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What Your Sunglasses Say About You

You are spontaneous, open minded, and optimistic. You are very youthful and free wheeling, no matter what your age happens to be. You need to be shaded from the darker, more depressing aspects of life. You feel sunniest when everyone around you is up for a good time.

The Sunglasses Test

Um... no. Not even close...

But they were pink :-)

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Quickie!

I've had two unexpected garden casualties -- I lost one pepper (something ate the roots...most probably grubs or cutworms, a POX ON THEM!) and one tomato (I can't figure this one out... maybe the other plants sucked up all the water and wouldn't share?).

The cucumbers all survived the night, though. As did the squash. Phew.

Brandy, I'll post the recipe for the rhubarb cake tomorrow or Friday.

Have a great day all, and enjoy the guest blogger's post, below! Comment and make her feel at home, k?