Riot for Austerity – Month 16

Last year’s averages (calculated here) are mentioned as a baseline. I use this calculator. Gasoline. I can’t wait for the temperatures to go up and the rains to stop so I can bike Amie to school. 9.96 gallons per person (pp) in cars + 10 miles pp on public transport =  24 % of the …

Humongous Planting

Over five hours of fairly uninterrupted work I planted: Anise Hyssop (mint!) Aster: September Ruby NE Broccoli Blend 09 Broccoli: Waltham Brussels Sprouts: Roodnerf Cabbage: Charming Snow Cabbage: Earliana cabbage: red express Catnip Chard: Bright Lights Chard: Fordhook Giant Charming snow cauliflower chives: Purlie Collards: Evenstar Cornflower: Bachelot Button eggplant: Applegreen eggplant: diamond Hyssop kale: …

Of Calcium in the Soil and Plants – Part 8

You guessed it: it’s time for another episode in the Calcium in the Soil and Plant series! Take heart: we’re getting close to the end (maybe only one more part to go?). Actually, it took me so long to post on this again because this one took me a long time to figure out. If …

Of Mice and Bees

Yesterday evening we had our second beekeeping class, after a two week hiatus due to bad weather predictions (you can parse that either way) and school vacation. Rick brought in a full hive and guided us through the components, discussing their uses, alternatives, advantages and disadvantages, and some beginners’ pitfalls. The magical moment, for me, …

A Gardener’s Spring

This time of year I get that lump in my throat. I see my seedlings come up in the basement. I do the rounds of blogs – mostly gardeners, homesteaders – and see their seedlings come up as well. It touches me deeply. It is a reawakening of a childlike feeling of wonder, that, with …

A Day at the MFA

Amie and I spent the whole day at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They had special kids’ activities – crafting, a scavenger hunt, a Chinese lion dance demonstration – for the holiday week. We took our time, sauntering from one activity to the other, taking frequent snack breaks, only stopping at those art …