Bit o' Honey

Very little that has anything interesting about it is going on around here. The weather is fabulous, though. Today is December 18th and it was over 40! We got about an inch of snow on Friday night, but it is long gone, now. There are presents to be wrapped and cookies to be made. I have invited mother-in-law over for Christmas Day dinner, but we don't have any parties planned. 

On Monday, I found a bag of bulbs my boss had purchased but not planted. So, I got the shovel and took a minute to plop them in the ground. I didn't have the luxury of time or planning, but she had purchase 8 bags at Wally for $1 per bag and they were starting to sprout! So, I dug a long trench and tossed them in. Tulip and daffs. Hopefully, they'll come up!

This summer, I hope to have Nakkid Lady Lilies! Remember those? I rescued them from a lot in Joplin, in August. I am worried that they may not be hardy enough, so I placed them next to the foundation of the house, hoping the residual warmth from the concrete will help. 

The Southerners I knew called them Nakkid Lady lilies because the foliage comes up in a rain storm in June, then it dies down. Suddenly, in August, the lily stalk comes up and they bloom without foliage! Thus, Nakkid Ladies!

We did have a bit of good news! Hubs has been working the graveyard shift since taking this new job, and it is rough. He is exhausted all the time and has moved downstairs to sleep on a temporary futon bed because he cannot sleep upstairs during the day-it is just too bright. The boss told hubs that they've hired his replacement and they want to move him to days sometime in January! What a relief!

Another bright spot-my winter boss, where I make the t-shirts, does not want me to go away for the summer, so she's made this job VERY appealing. The way my job with the grower ended up, I can not go back to them, anyways. Their company is a train wreck.

This is good news for the tomato lovers in my family. You see, prime tomato planting time is also the time where I am working over 60 hours a week. This leaves very little daylight or energy to plant tomatoes. Normally, they go in around Father's Day. Working the regular job will allow more time to tend to the veggie garden. The prospects of good tomatoes are looking good!

For dinner tonite, I have made the Mexican Pork. This stuff is wonderful. It couldn't be easier, either. Cube a pork loin, toss it in the crock pot with a can of chopped green chilies, a couple chilies in adobo, and garlic. Simmer on low for 7 hours. So easy and so good! I serve it with lime and cilantro and cheese on long grain rice cooked with lime juice and cilantro. 

I never know what to do with the leftovers from those little cans of chilies. They are quite spicy, so one or two per crock pot is plenty for my family. Using both the chipotle in adobo and the green chilies, I didn't use the entire can of either, otherwise it would be too spicy! So, I did this:

I sprayed the ice cube tray with non stick and dumped the remaining chilies in there. It is my hope that they come right out, and I can pop them into a ziplock! We shall see....

I have had so many folks ask about the granola. I make it every Sunday and did so again, today. 

I know Cher thought this amount is extreme, but 3 of us eat this every day, sometimes I have it for lunch and breakfast. It is not an extreme amount if you are eating 3 cups per day. Either way, I truly don't think granola can be messed up. I started with whole old fashioned oats as a foundation and added from there. We are not eating white sugar, so I took that into account and made a delicious wholesome granola!

6 cups whole oats

1 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

1 cup sunflower kernels

1/2 c slivered almonds

1/2 c walnuts

1/4 cup flax meal

1/3 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup organic honey

1/2 cup real maple syrup

2/3 extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt, (important as salt amplifies sweet!)

Mix thoroughly and allow to set for a few minutes to allow the liquid to be absorbed in the dry. Spread onto lined and sprayed cookie sheets (honey sticks and burns!). I then sprinkle both trays with 1/2 packet of Truvia sweetener.  

Bake @ 300 for 45 mins, stirring every 15 mins. 

While warm, toss in some dried fruit if you like! I add 1/3 cup dates, cranberries, and raisins.

Granola, non fat vanilla yogurt and no sugar added frozen berries = 13 lbs GONE from Sissy!

We've decided that we will indulge a few times during the holidays, cookies, Prime Rib, and some other goodies, and go back to Phase 1 for January. 

Soon, I will start to plan the whole Winter Sowing thing. I begged Sue for the trays that she uses to sow, (have you seen Sue's gardens???) and I just know it will work for me. 

A box arrived from Sue and I placed it in the closet, so I didn't get it strewn all over the place and lose the trays before Winter Sowing time. I almost wrapped it as a gift, the other day! 

Soon it will be time to concentrate on growing, again!

Big Bulbs Baby!

Looking at my landscape beds last spring, I realised something.... All the bulbs that I've planted aren't making a dent. Too much room to fill, I must keep planting!
So, I started looking for a bigger bang for my bulb. I did some research and purchased the following:

Tulip, Fosteriana, Candela boasts the biggest bloom of the genus. Big and yellow. And, hopefully, seen from the street!!

King Alfred Daffodils are truly the giant among daffodils. They have stems reaching 20 inches, and flowers 
with a span of four inches or more. Big impact is what I am going for!


Allium Purple Sensation baseball sized flowers on 2 to 3 FOOT stems! Allium are among my favorites. 

I don't know if my plan will work, but sooner or later, I will have enough bulbs to create an impact! (I will also have the blisters to prove it!)

Bulbs-the new Got Milk?

Have you met these ladies? They are a new concept ad campaign for the bulb industry. The bulb industry is worried that, since these ladies portray us so well, (which one are you??), we have no time or understanding of how a bulb might work. Its called the Dig.Drop.Done™ Educational Campaign and it is hitting the magazines and the BlogHer (not me, I am not paid to blog), and other ad driven blogs you might read, it is hitting them, soon.
Why? Well, "To introduce flowering bulbs to a new generation of potential gardeners and 
demystify the bulb-growing process, while reminding avid gardeners of the lowmaintenance, returning beauty of bulbs." from Digdropdone.com
These ladies are Marcy, Juliana, and Evelyn and they are excited, (can't you tell!) to share their knwledge in an easy, engaging and entertaining way.
I know these ladies will say things like cauuuute!  (cute), I so heart that (I like that alot), and other Valley girl phrases that let you know they are very hip. But they desire to know more and learn more about the complexity of the spring bulb. I guess.
Marcy is a "super mom". Juliana is the "fashionista". Evelyn is the "empty nester". Apparently Evelyn likes to have a little drinky, but couldn't bring herself to part with her velcro curlers. 
I am insulted by this campaign. 
"Most of the information out there about bulbs is intimidating for the first-time or occasional planter," said Henk Westerhof, a 26-year veteran of the bulb industry and spokesman for the Dig.Drop.Done Foundation,
What??? Really? Am I being obtuse? Isn't target marketing outdated? I don't fit into anyone of those demographics, I don't wear aprons, silk robes or wrap bracelets. 
Most insulting is the wrap on my industry magazine that smacks me right in the face. 
"Then get ready for a bulb planting frenzy as we excite women with the surprisingly simple beauty of bulbs!"
Feel frenzied, yet? Aren't you inspired to run out with your margarita, (daiquiri?) and start a planting frenzy??


Don't get me wrong, I love my spring bulbs. I have hundreds of them in the ground and on my desk in the kitchen. I order more every year! I am offended by the schtick and schmaltz of The Ladies. They are over the top and none of these ladies look like any of my gardening friends. 
My gardening friends are intelligent and witty people, with big hearts and lots of knowledge. Is that so different from your group of friends? 
Perhaps I am way off on this one. Perhaps this is what you and your buddies look like and I couldn't be more wrong...
In that case, I am sorry. I have one question-
how do you plant bulbs in a silk robe?

So much work to do!!

ugh

 

I have got to clean this up! Unfortunately, I also have to sort and organize every closet in this house….!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year’s zinnias are hiding the species tulips. I thought I could at least cut these down today…

 

 

These pruners are over 10 years old. Never been sharpened and they have given up the ghost.

I tried to cut down the zinnia stalks and these pruners merely bent them in half. If they won’t do zinnias,

how are they going to cut these:

                  

I have a dozen of these Knock Out roses I need to knock out.

(see the car my work sent me? over 200,000 miles on it!)

I know I will not get far with those old cheap pruners. So, I ordered these:

I know this is a lot, but I will take care of them and they will last me a long time. I will be able to prune everything I need to in just a few days. Yay. Maybe the closets will be done, by then.

                                      These are the tulips T. polychroma.

I read about these when Carol from May Dreams Garden, hosted a Garden Blogger’s Book Club. To be honest, I did not enjoy the book at the time, I thought it was dry and the topic seemed so out-dated! I did leave a review, I still have the book, but I really thought it was not my thing.

Until I realized I have planted 100s of species tulips. I’d never known about them, really, other than they do better in the south than hybrid tulips, which are treated as annuals, for the most part. But these little species tulips are what started the entire tulip-mania in Holland, over 400 years ago! It is from these humble tulips that the giant and fabulous hybrids were born, launching a Dutch frenzy for the tulip bulbs. One bulb was so highly prized, that it is alleged that 7 acres of land were given in exchange for 1 Semper augustus bulb.  These things are hard to prove because folks weren’t blogging about it in 1600’s.

It was in the book, Two Gardeners, (the one I thought was no good!), that I learned of this diminutive yet mighty little bulb.

Talk about a heritage! I admired the little species tulip so much that I had to have the ones Elizabeth Lawrence wrote about: var. Lady Jane. I will post a picture when they bloom. Because I will have pruned all of last year’s zinnia out of the way by then!

Hooo boy. Look how much time I’ve spent not cleaning out closets. I despise cleaning out and cleaning up.

Unless the job requires pruners!

First Bloom 2011

This is the snow in my front yard at 7:00 am Wednesday morning.

The weight of the snow for months has devestated my wonderful lawn!! I will be amazed if it all comes back.

(the lawn and the snow!!)

YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT!!! My crocus are here!!

I don't remember what I planted here, but it's coming up!

Schatz and Gracie. Wondering why we are inside?? Schatz is a big help with Gracie. Guess who's easier to manage? I spent a year and a half in intensive training with Schatz, called Schutzhund. She is very obedient.
The little one???

Um....not so much....



Why my darling took this one, I don't know. But this is me. Painting. Ugh. I am not good at it and I don't like it. You see, I even have to tape the ceiling. Why the person with the worst eye sight in the family does the painting, I don't know. I finished the giant ledge, the hallway and Nick's bathroom. 

It takes me so long. I need to get some pointers from a REAL painter, PATTY!!!

This is our fancy operation. My fabulous hubs bungy corded an upright vacuum to the ladder. Hey. It worked!!



I took those crocus pics, this morning. I did not see these!! I don't even know what they are!! They are stunning! I made a detailed diagram of all the bulbs I planted in the fall, but I cannot find it.

You see how far from the crocus they are? How could I not see them?!!

edit: thank you, Annie and Apple for letting me know these are Glory of the Snow!!

Bulbs

Debbie has kept tremendous records of her garden. It has inspired me to do the same. I have also purchased many of my bulbs from the same company she did, but she was very unhappy with hers. They came up the wrong color, or they did not come up at all!!
I am so worried that all the time I put in, digging in over 100 bulbs last October, they won't come up!!
I checked the Garden Watchdog site about the company I bought from...all I can do is hope...