Gardening by the Square

I need to mow the lawn again. Bad.

But there is an alternative. I'm dreaming of a lawn turned into a beautiful, geometrical, Martha Stewartish, orderly garden. I'm great at making plans, but the follow through is the tough part.

Fortunately I have a young energetic partner in crime--Rachael.



That's Rachael, saying the word "poo" and holding a big, dark, clump of aged straw and manure. I have piles of the stuff from 18 years of cleaning out the horse stall, goat barn, chicken house, and rabbitry. All but one funny bunny are gone now, but a little of them all remains in the dark, rich, composted pile of garden gold.

I like the idea of square foot gardening, growing plants in a minimum space for optimal yield. I tried it once, many moons ago in Texas with a 4 by 6 foot garden bordered with concrete blocks. I raised broccoli, sweet peas, tomatoes, parsley, celery and who knows what else.

My favorite informational website is journey to forever. Plan on spending awhile there. They have educational stuff for kids, alternative technologies for developing nations, online publications, you name it, they've got it.

If that journey is too overwhelming, then run, do not walk, immediately to this website and download the sf step by step guide. It should answer most of your questions and is very simple to follow and includes a planting guide as well. All you need to do is convert the metrics to inches.

And this is how the final product might look. (I used the dimensions 12 feet by 4 feet.)



I wonder what Rach planted in this corner?



Have fun!

What are you planting?

(for more square foot garden deliciousness, click here.)

Driving, Miss, Daisy (for iPodite)

Coming home from the airport I almost missed them. There they were, pristine white, standing tall in the middle of the highway divider. I couldn't resist. So I pulled over on the shoulder, and climbed out of my truck. (I'm a closet redneck, remember? I drive a truck.)



I know I must have looked like a crazy lady, clicking away with my camera. But they were just begging to have their picture taken.



So, I happily obliged. All were patient as I searched for just the right camera angle to showcase the white petals against the green background.



Of course, I had to try a skyward shot. I had a passing fear that I resembled a reality version of those plywood cutouts of ladies bending over with their pantaloons showing. Oh, you don't see those yard ornaments where you live? Lucky you!



I had fun, and I think they did, too. I could almost hear them chuckling in unison as I turned to go. I looked back over my shoulder and actually caught one in the act!



(dedicated to my baby sister, iPodite, with whom I share a love for movies, Blue Bell Ice Cream, and Daisies.)

Golden Book Acres

After a comment by iPodite's eldest, Mrs Fer The Writer, I am thinking about changing the name of Iron Acres to something more appropriate. Let me explain.

It was our love of peace and quiet, much like Mr. Flibberty-Jib's, that led me and my Dear Professor to move to the country 18 years ago.  I remind myself of that each time I spend a few hours mowing our huge lawn.  Watching a sun set across an expanse of green and listening to the tune of birdsong makes the labor worthwhile.


Two of our three children were supportive of the move.  Son #1 The Preacher enjoyed having friends over for a campfire and late night musing over the meaning of life.  Principessa loved the numerous kittens whose birth in the barn loft seemed to coincide with her birthday on more than one occasion.  The holdout was Son #2 The Dreamer.  His longing was to be able to walk or ride his bike to his friend's houses in the nearby town.  And that is how this farmer became a chauffeur.

We enjoyed being awakened each morning by the rooster's crow.  All would agree that farm fresh eggs from happy free range chickens improved my cooking considerably.

When I did cook.

Although we never had a poky little puppy, our critters have been under the watchful eye of two adopted farm dogs, Bandit and Misty. (Misty the freecycle wonder dog is appropriately named as it is a wonder when she comes when called.)

I loved our goats.  They were a compact dairy alternative to cows.  I like animals that are conservative on the feed and, ahem, fertilizer factor. And kidding season was always fun.  Baby goats are like kittens with more fur and hooves.  Their antics were always amusing.  I've loved horses from childhood, but I believe I bonded most closely with our goats. 

There were horses, too--Lucky, Buster, and Mia.  Lucky, the mischevious gray pony , stayed here for a year while her owner was in Scotland.  Buster was an Appalousa with the smoothest gallop I have ever experienced.  Mia, a palomino colored Arabian/Quarter horse mix was my dream horse.  She spent her final days in retirement here.





Most of the farm animals are now gone.
(I had to make room for visits to the Sprittles!)  But a few of our ducks and geese are still on lawn patrol.


So there you have it, my life in Golden Book illustrations.  What do you think?

Should Iron Acres be renamed Golden Book Acres?

Herbday--Lavender

So, did you have a memorable Memorial Day? Did you check out any of those links I posted? My favorite was the lavender one. I cannot imagine how I have lived this long without an olive wood herb grinder.

I love lavender.



I like to think it's because my father's family was from France, but it's more likely because lavender is so, well, lavender. What's not to like about it? Lavender is the second herb I fell in love with. (Mint was the first.)



And I am not alone in my fascination for this particularly fragrant plant. All over Texas, well, at least in the dry, arid areas, lavender farms are springing up. Principessa and I visited one a few years ago.



Perhaps it is because lavender is so versatile, the swiss army knife of herbs. Mood enhancing, headache easing, and body fragrancing are just a few of the ways lavender is used to enrich our lives. And I didn't even mention lavender's culinary (teas, cookies, sorbets, or breads) or decorative abilities (wreaths, flower arrangements, sachets.)



I fell in love with lavender all over again after the birth of our first grandchild (Hi Boo!) Beautiful Mommy used Lavender and Chamomile baby bath and lotion on the little darling. I went right home and bought a tubful of the lotion to remind me of Boo. (Ok, maybe not a tubful, maybe just a large bottle.)



My dream is to travel to Provence one day to experience the lavender fields. (And visit a goat dairy.) But for now, I will be satisfied with my own little plot of lavender right outside my kitchen door.

Entertaining

Martha Stewart I ain't, but here are some entertaining sites to ponder on your day off. You do have today off, don't you?

Still trying to make up your mind what to cook today? Mosey on over to homesick texan for a mouthwatering ribs recipe (and some sides to boot!)

Mental Floss has a great round up of weird news for the week.

Just when I thought the internet couldn't get any weirder, Lifehacker came up with a website that gives you tips on when to "go" during a long movie.

This one is for owners of pampered, size challenged, furry friends. What they do to Cheekywawas is just criminal, but wickedly amusing. (Sorry Spike.)

I would die before allowing someone to point their camera at my refrigerator. But some people are proud of theirs. Go here to see the pictures. (warning, not for the squeamish)

After the refrigerators, it might be time to clear both your palate and your nose. For a truly lovely contrast, try this site.

Oops, gotta go put on the burgers. Have a great holiday!

(play us off, keyboard cat)

Memorial Day

This weekend we celebrate the beginning of summer.  There will be grilling, time with family  (in some cases a time of grilling the family!), the Indy 500, and ultimate frisbee.  Enjoy, for those 100 days of summer pass far too quickly.

In the midst of this time of gratitude for the return of a delightful season, let's stop a moment to thank those who have given their lives to preserve our holidays.



As the Greatest Generation is leaving this world, another generation is engaged in a present conflict.  What I fear most is that many of them do not understand how heroic they were, and are, both on the battlefield and the home front.



We stand on their shoulders, and they are indeed tall ones.

Thank you.

"The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will, in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."

Young at Heart

It has been said that we tend to become childish as we, ahem, mature.  I now have proof.

Jack Bauer the master spy and defender of truth, justice, and the American way,  must have planted some videotaping device in our home, because I stumbled upon this recording recently.  I swear it is an authentic conversation between myself and my Dear Professor.

Or could be.



(You do know who Jack Bauer is, don't you?  "The Man" from the tv series 24.  If you don't know who he is, then you must immediately rush to the nearest video rental place and grab all copies of the last 6 seasons to bring you up to snuff, as Grandmother was wont to say.   You'll thank me.  Honest. And have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!)

Fowl Play

This is something only Gary Larson could have imagined. It is a cartoon he might come out of retirement to draw.

A trench coated individual is standing at a major intersection in a major city. As the cars come to a halt at the red light, he sidles up to the driver's window, whips open the coat to display its bulging contents and says, "Psst! Hey, wanna buy a live chicken?"



I am not exaggerating. Read this. The current chic (pun intended) contraband in urban settings is the chicken. There are anti chicken city ordinances that have been rescinded in some places, but not others, for example, Washington, DC. So, some folks, addicted to fresh eggs from happy hens, must resort to illegal possession of poultry.

I miss the rooster crow that awakened us for 17 years here at Iron Acres. The chickens are all gone, but I am seriously thinking about starting another flock later this summer. There is nothing like the sound of a contented hen clucking, or the taste of a fresh egg.


(Yes, Virginia, eggs do come in more colors than white. Many more colors than white!)

I suppose that is another reason country living appeals to me. I can enjoy the crowing, the clucking, and those wonderful fresh eggs without breaking the law.

The only foul play at Iron Acres will be fowl at play.

(Sorry, couldn't resist that one. *wink*)

I Love Clouds

I am happy to report that I am much less conflicted today, notably due to the efforts of the Great Bundini, rabbit hypnotist extraordinaire. After spending some time in garden therapy, which the Great Bundini insisted was necessary, (especially since her fee was the green of a type that is more likely found in a garden than in the US Mint)I can truthfully say that my mind is in the clouds.

Literally.

I love clouds--

blue,


white,


pink,


or bright.


I love all clouds alike.


But I suppose, if truth be told, I like the ones


that have the sun


peeking through them best.

Have a wonderful cloud and sun filled day!

The Great Bundini

I have a love/hate relationship with grass. The verdant spikes are such a welcome sight in the spring, after a long, gray, white, brown winter.



And then, almost overnight it becomes The Plague of Mythic Proportions. As we sleep, the fertilizer fairy tiptoes over field and plain and pours magical growing potion over every blade. I know this to be a fact because ordinary grass just doesn't grow that fast.



I crank up the mower and after a good 1 1/2-2 hours the main portion of the lawn is done. We used to have highly trained professional grazers who systematically rotated over most of the lawn, laying down their own brand of, ahem, fertilizer as they grazed (we had goats.)



But alas, or rather, hurray!, they are now all gone on to another farmer's field where they can frolic, fertilize, and feed to their heart's content (as well as test every boundary in sight!) My Dear Professor has always claimed that life began when the dog died. In our case, it was a little more complicated than that, with no animals being harmed in the process. Misty the freecycle wonder dog is still here, along with a few ducks and geese, and The Great Bundini, the rabbit hypnotist extraordinaire.

Where was I? Oh yes, the lawn. I actually enjoy that almost 2 hours on the lawn tractor (surely you didn't think I did it with a hand powered reel mower.) I love the scent of vanillin in the new mown grass, and the feeling of accomplishment once it is done.



What I don't understand is that I would much rather spend the 2 hours outside, listening to the hum of the mower's Briggs and Stratton engine than stand inside and wash the dirty dishes in my kitchen sink, which takes much less time.

Perhaps I should consult the Great Bundini?

Empty Nest Syndrome

I wonder if animals have empty nest syndrome. Mr. and Mrs. Robin have seen their fledglings safely out of the nest and into the big world. Did Mrs. R have a verklempt moment or two when the wee ones took flight?

I never did. Well, ok, I did have a brief teary episode when we left our Principessa at a big college in another state. But she was our little girl. The boys were another thing. Little boys start distancing themselves from Mommy around puberty.

I have chronicled the Robin family from egg to hatch this year. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the fledglings on their first flight. I think I came close. You saw them all stuffed together in the nest.



A few days later, as I approached, the babies flew away in a burst of feathers and fluttering. That is, all but one. He looked like he was settled in for a bit. He was enjoying being able to spread out in the nest.



That little robin reminded me of our Son #2, The Baby. He is still living at home, looking for a job. Remember him? The Joker?


That last baby Robin did finally take flight. But it took the scare of my violating his personal space with a camera.



That first flight landed him at the base of the tree that housed his nest. His siblings had gone longer distances.



Do you suppose being awakened by your mother holding a camera in your face would help The Baby make his move?

I'll keep you posted.

Ya Gotta Have Friends

Is it just me, or do you hear Bette Midler singing her rousing rendition of "Friends" in the background?

Music is part of my dna. My mother was fond of telling me the story of how, before birth, I would kick in rhythm to the organ as it played in church. I think my love of music came from her. Mom had a beautiful voice and an impressive collection of 78 albums of classical music as well as movie soundtracks. (My personal favorite was the Captain from Castille soundtrack by Max Steiner.)

My parents did not have the extra funds to pay for the piano lessons I would have liked to have had, so I set out on my own course through a succession of plastic and cardboard toy guitars until I received a real one for my 16th birthday. I applied the basic knowledge of music theory I had received in elementary school and the ear for melody I had inherited from Mom to teach myself guitar chording. I even wrote a song or two.

My first attempt at songwriting at the age of 11 produced what I thought to be a decent lyric--

There's a place for us, so near yet far
A place where dreams come true, with the aid of a star.

only to be shocked a year or two later in hearing a song on tv that had stolen my idea (well, sort of, the opening words and music are suspiciously similar in "Somewhere" from West Side Story.) I must have been channeling Bernstein's creative muse.

I was introduced to string instruments (the ukelele) in Girl Scouts. You just can't sing around a campfire without proper accompaniment. Or good songs. Remember this one?

If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain it would be.
I'd sit outside with my mouth open wide
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain it would be.

You don't? What about this teenage angst ridden song,

The Seine, the Seine,
when will I again
meet him there
greet him there
on the moonlit banks of the Seine

Sigh. Many a chilly night around the Girl Scout campfire was spent singing these songs. And being left a mile from our lodge without clothing. I always insisted on showering and there were some pranksters in the group that took advantage of that. Do you have any idea what it's like to make your way back to a lodge alone in the dark, with only a towel(my modesty welcomed that gift!) and a flashlight?

My faithful musical friend for the last 30something years has been a Yamaha classical guitar, a gift from a dear friend who thought I would get more use out of it than she would. Throughout my 5 year "career" as a musician, I had the privilege of playing a few really great guitars provided by other friends--a Gibson dreadnought, a Glen Campbell model Ovation, and a 12 string Martin. But I always found myself returning to my faithful Yamaha. (I learned early on that classical strings were not as hard on the fingertips as steel strings.)



The Yamaha has clocked many a mile. It's been all over the US, to Germany with the US Army (a tour arranged through an Army Chaplain), Switzerland, France, and Israel.

Travel tip #1--the 70s(and probably even more so today!) were not a good time to be traveling to Israel with a guitar case and on a different flight from the rest of your tour. I received many a suspicious look from many a suspicious airport security guard. It made me regret not taking up the harmonica!

My guitar case is patched up with duct tape. Travel tip #2--there is nothing a little duct tape can't fix. (Including taping alligator's mouths shut while transporting them in Australia.) But I think it has a few more good years in it.



And so does the guitar. Not long ago, on the rare occasion of all three of our grown children being back home together, I sat down with the Yamaha and sang some songs with and for the kids. It was a memorable event.



In some ways, almost as memorable as that dark, lonely, towel clad trip back to the lodge.

(play us off, keyboard cat.)

Life Comes Full Circle

Did I ever tell you about the time life came full circle for me in the 70's? I didn't? Well, here we go.

It began, as most things do, in childhood. The prevailing celebrities then were two singing cowboys, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Both had beautiful horses (Champ and Trigger.) For my monopoly money, Trigger was the best one. I mean, what is more wonderful than a shiny palomino with bling?

I loved Trigger so much as a child, that when we were going through Daddy's things a couple of years ago, I saved his handpainted Trigger tie.



Both cowboys were also known to pick up a guitar now and then. Gene was associated with "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" and a certain California baseball team. Roy was, well, Roy was Trigger's owner, Dale's husband, and an all around nice guy.

So there you have it, a surefire combination--the old West, music, and a horse. Life just doesn't get much better than that until you are old enough to have grandchildren and watch their delight in singing cowboys! (Hi, Boo! Mommo loves you!)

Here I am with my first guitar and cowboy hat and stylin' in the flannel pjs Mom would lovingly sew for us. This was back in the day, before Waly Mart.



And this is rodeo time, with Roy Rogers. We went all out to get properly gussied up for rodeo. Notice my younger sister iPodite with her nonchalant "I'm here, world, deal with me" look. iPodite has always known her power! I, on the other hand, had snapped to my left, scanning for the appearance of my idol. (nice fringe jacket, huh?)



On my sixteenth birthday I received my second best gift ever (I'll tell you about the first some other time), a brand new $30 guitar, which I promptly named Christina (after the heroine of some foolish romantic novel I had read. Sixteen seems to be the year of foolish romantic novel reading. I put back most of Betty Cavanna's books in one summer. Anyone remember Betty Cavanna? Anyone?)

My repertoire consisted mostly of folk music, which was the happening music of the 60s. The tunes of Peter, Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio, and later Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins all suffered under my picking and grinning. But I persevered, teaching myself chords in the dark of night.

In the 70s it all came together and I fell into a Christian singing group. It was the birth of what we know now as contemporary Christian music. Our group had some minor success singing for youth groups and at Christian coffeehouses, and were invited to tour full time with a young evangelist. We saw a lot of the US in our travels, and made two vanity albums of our own songs.

Then we hit the "big time". I sold one song to Zondervan publishers and Wanda Jackson (a country western singer who once dated, would you believe, Elvis) used one of my songs as the title for one of her albums.

That's when I knew I had come full circle. From singing cowgirl to a singing cowgirl singing one of my songs.

Wanna know the kicker?



The title of the song was "Make Me Like a Child Again"!

Minty

I want to share something with you. Bring your face close to the monitor and take a deep breath. Do you smell it? Try another breath.



It's peppermint. The mint family is one of the few plants that can survive my neglect. (My name is JAS and I have a black thumb.) But the true reason I grow mint is because I love the scent.

Mints come in all sorts of flavors. Peppermint is the most pungent. This is some spearmint growing in my garden. Spearmint is a nice addition to a tall glass of ice tea in the summer time.



Apple mint has fuzzy leaves and a very mild apple scent.



The first mint planted at Iron Acres was pineapple mint. This mint is a cultivar from the apple mint variety and boasts variegated leaves and a very mild, fruity scent.



All the mints have boundary issues, they are best planted in containers that inhibit their runners from taking over your garden.

Mint is wonderful after a rain. It is one of the things that makes me smile.

Another thing that makes me smile is thinking of our little girl Sprittle, Bee, who always asks if I have any "minty" in my purse. "Minty" is her word for breath fresheners, and Bee loves them.

Can you guess which grandmother has bought stock in Tic Tacs?