I heard the sound again and this time we ran out to record it. It was further away and it sounded a little different from last time – less catlike – but though the “words” are different, the voice seems the same (to the one in my memory). In any case, if you can tell …
Monthly Archives: February 2010
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 =Â 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: …
Hoophouse Trouble
Well, the hoophouse almost kicked the bucket, again. Yesterday night we experienced 50 miles per hour gusts of wind that got through every crack and gap in the hoop house and almost lifted it up off the ground. Almost. When I woke up this morning after a pretty fitful sleep it was still there, but …
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 …
Continue reading “Of Calcium in the Soil and Plants – Part 8”
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 …
Mission Accomplished
Set 2 traps with peanut butter. Waited 1 night. Found 3 mice. Amie and I released them 1 mile away. ~ Resowed all the seeds (onion, celeriac, lettuces, spinaches and chards). Lovage, Common Mint and Pennyroyal are germinating well. The celery also escaped and I can now call them seedlings.
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 …