A Garden Amongst The Weeds

A Garden Amongst The Weeds

Friday, July 29, 2011

Busy Weekend Ahead!

Weed puts on its first 4&20 Blackbirds Music Festival this weekend and Pyrate Technics will be lighting up the night sky. If you are new around here, take a look. My kids are wild and crazy fire dancing Pyrates! This is my baby boy last weekend at the Gypsy Days and Sea Dog Nights Festival in Lebanon, Oregon.




I have 4 children of my own and have adopted around a dozen others.
Never a dull moment around here.
Last Tuesday was my husband, David's 50th Birthday.
Our dance troop meets on Tuesdays for fire practice.
They did it up right!
We had a meat themed potluck (Dad likes meat!),
2 cakes and a fire dancing show with all of Dad's favorite music
that went on 'til the wee hours of the morning.
We had a blast!
Here's a little peek for you.





Will have lots more fiery tales after the show!




Thursday, July 28, 2011

The case of the missing fish continues...

Greetings from our Garden Amongst the Weeds! 
Red seems to be an eye popping color in the garden today!


It's sunny, no wind. 90 degrees. 
My kind of day to play in the garden. 
Let's go see what we can discover!
Tainted Lily. 
Poor little darling. My daughter rescued her. Tainted Lily had a seedy past.
We can't all be perfect, can we?
Daughter begged the grocer to sell it to her even though
he had proclaimed it dead a few days after Easter one year.
I love my heroic children always looking after our plant friends!
This is the first bloom of the season.
Thank you grasshoppers for eating a bite out of each petal.
You're special.
Calling all garden helpers!
Our blossoms are in DANGER!!! 
Come froggies and birdies, protect your home!

I whispered to a special Dragon this morning and asked for his advice on
what to do about the
(whispered very, very quietly so they won't hear!)
invading eating hordes of grasshoppers!!!
He has a special story.
This lovely Dragon grape vine was cut 10 years ago with a chainsaw, poked in a bucket and moved across California and into Oregon for 9 months and then back to California when we'd had enough of the RAIN
One day soon he will be a mighty Dragon again, 
climbing the main entrance of our home (he's got one more corner to conquer!)
 protecting all who live here and are loved here! 
He's growing mighty and strong again on a special brew made by a mad gardening Pyrate, so it has to work!
Here's a picture of the Dragon in our long ago garden in Sheridan, California.

Yay! Molly the Petunia from seed from last year's one seed that grew into a plant. 
I stored her under the kitchen table all winter and put her out this spring. 
It snowed shortly there after and was pretty much given up for gone. 
Good on ya Miss Molly! 
You've earned your storage space. 
I won't forget. I promise and pinky swear!
Speaking of pink...
This shy little darling is some type of wildflower.
I took six shots of this one. 
She dances a jig and refuses to hold still.
Looks closely related to Gypsophilia 'Baby's Breath'
Sugar snap peas for supper, Yay!
Linnie my friend, for you!
Of course she's facing away from the garden
And has to be approached with caution. 
Stay away mean deer!
Tiki tiki tiki gods, la la
Transplanted Pinto beans are hangin' on
Smile!
Hosta transplant under the bench seems just fine
I hope you all know I like you. 
After I'd watered I discovered that the garlic is up and since you have to see too, 
I got down down here to show you!
Now if the other 49 cloves sprout, we'll be in good shape.
Awaiting beans and taters to grow brilliantly, like they were told.
Buckets full of my special comfrey brew cooking in the sun for fertilizer day,
sit in front of the compost thing
Home, home on the range...
Poor rose. It didn't appreciate being pulled out of its raised bed and plunked down here, 
but we've come to an understanding.
It'll be fine!
Daughter and her boyfriend rescued this poor thing from the grocery store. 
It was trapped in a plastic basket, roots and all and withstood refrigeration and almost certain death in the produce isle! The brave rescuers brought him home and we planted him in the garden and named him Herman. He thanks his lucky stars and promises a few seeds in return for his rescue. 
I've promised his kin proper placement in future gardens,
in return for his kind gesture!
The cats and I have a difference of opinion as to what this structure is. 
It's a bird bath, not a stand on me thingy so we can climb the tree 
and chase the birds and knock it down daily thingy. 
So I put a bird in it. Perhaps they'll understand that. 
And some marbles too, just because.
Linnie, I'm tryin!
But there are so many of these creechy little creeps!
~Go away mean things~
Kushy the Kat could care less. 
He also refuses to say where he was the night of the 26th when the all of the fish disappeared!

15 year old Oxalis is pretty tight lipped about the whole situation too.
Ajuga can't say...
They don't even move when you scream at them. 
 They just sit there chewing with their little buggy eyes staring at you.
Tiffy suggested  we eat the grasshoppers in self defense, 
but I'll just bet they'd taste nasty. 
Just look at him sitting there plotting his next victim!
I do enjoy the few treasures they leave me. 
We'll have stir fry tonight.
The boys dragged this little trough home from the barn years ago.
The bees and I are thankful for it.
The bees are all over this planter but are very docile. 
I stuck my face down in this today amongst the bees and the smell is heavenly. 
Very much like honey!


I am so thankful for the bees
And the lovely weather. 
My joints don't ache today!
The exciting part is just about to happen here.
See those fuzzy darlings?
They are about to become perfect, prolific seeds. 
Danver Carrots from Grow a Row for the Hungry. 
I am very excited to be participating in this program.


OK and now for some more serious business...
Silver Surfer was supposed to be guarding the ponds the night of the missing fish incident
This is how things looked last I saw.

 As you can see, the fish were fine.
 And there's Silver Surfer lounging amongst the reeds. 
Relaxing in the sunshine with Lindsay the Elephant.

 
I, Silver Surfer do hereby swear to man my post more carefully in the future!
Never again will I drink from the Pyrate's cup! Lindsay swears too.

I am humbly sorry for partying all night with Lindsay the Elephant the night of the big man's birthday. And waking in the pond.

Sorry, but this Gardening Pyrate just doesn't have much faith in him anymore.
Once you've drank from the Pyrate's cup...
You've broken the code.
(They're more like guidelines, really.)
I've hired back up help
Rarrrr!
Rambo appeared one day amongst a box of computer parts.
Guarding a post. With those muscles and how well he's guarded that post, I've given him a promotion.
(He wants dental care)
The crab says I'm doing it wrong!
But we knew that already.
Benny the crab just whispered that I've lost the game.

All's good here mate! Sweet William seeds comin along!

Mumble mumble...

Ta Ta for now and Happy Gardening!