Woke this morning to 30° temperature outside, which is a lot warmer than yesterday. I started planting yesterday, the first seeds sown of the year. And, started this blog post but didn't finish it. This is yesterday's report:
Sunday, February 13, 2022:
It was a cold 19° this morning that warmed up with the sun and now it's 62°, a perfect day to start seed sowing.
Although I didn't sow as many seeds as I wanted to, as usual, it's a start and very satisfying.
Here's what's started. The tomatoes are sitting under the runner lights on the kitchen counter. The peppers are in zip lock bags on top of the stand up freezer where the heat from the motor is just warm enough to prompt the seeds to germinate. Once the peppers have sprouted, I'll put them, along with the tomatoes, on the south facing windows of the sun room until they can be planted outdoors...
Tomatoes:
Amy's Sugar Gem (cherry)
Lilian's Yellow
Wapsipinicon Peach
Kellogg's Breakfast
Rutgers
West Virginia Sweet Meat
Mariana F1
Black Sea Man
Perth Pride, a dwarf variety
Hot Peppers:
Aji Lemon
Ausilio
Leutschauer paprika
Ray's Pusa Jwala
And two varieties of orange bellpeppers:
Etiuda
Rewia
All of the peppers will probably end up in pots again. Peppers do well in pots, even with multiple plants of each kind together. I think they actually like growing in groups which works out great for me; less containers to contend with but more fruit!! DOUBLE WIN!
DH, aka Grandpa loves this time of year, when starter plants show up all over the kitchen counters. Well, okay, he doesn't love it but he doesn't complain much as long as it doesn't interfere with his meals! HA!
Now here it is already February 14th, Valentine's Day and this is my first post of the year. I really want to post a picture of this beautiful Cardinal. There are lots of birds around! One of my joys, is sitting outside watching and listening to all of the birds in the trees. That reminds me; a couple of weeks ago I looked out the window early one morning to find at least a dozen cardinals dining on the seeds of Agrimonia eupatoria . That was such a wonderful surprise because up until that day, I hadn't been seeing many cardinals. Although, I shouldn't be surprised they like agrimony seeds since the chickens like them too.
A cute female cardinal
I'd like to grow more veggies again this year. They're so much better when you grow them yourself. Plus, it'll be nice to have fresh veggies for when the grandchildren come to visit. That reminds me of the book of Daniel in the bible. When Daniel was taken into captivity in Babylon as a young man, he didn't want to defile himself with the royal food and wine and asked the guard if he and his friends could be given nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. The guard agreed to it for ten days and after ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.
I think I'll send my oldest grandson a message today to read The Book of Daniel. He's really into body building and he'll probably enjoy the inspiration.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8
The weather is up and down here. One day's it's freezing and the next day it's up in the high 70's. It's cold and rainy this morning. Hubby's outside burning a pile of dead limbs and twigs. There's several trees starting to die that will need to be dealt with. One is close to the house so it will be the first to go. It's always sad to lose a tree.
I took this picture just before the freeze. It's a Viceroy butterfly. Viceroy does a pretty good impression of a Monarch butterfly, except the black line across the hind wings.
The Holy Basil has died back now. I always leave it to flower for the bees. They just love it! I was about to pull it all up when I noticed there were some little birds in there eating either the seeds or bugs... not sure but decided to leave it for them. I'll probably be sorry come spring when an endless supply of seedlings start to pop up. Oh well, I can just pull them and use them for tea or something. Think of it as a win win.
With winter coming on, it's probably a good idea to keep the old immune system strong. Sitting here this morning, remembering how it used to be, not so long ago, when we relied on our immune system to get us through a cold or the flu. I'd gather some fresh vegetables and herbs and make a big pot of soup. We'd all take extra zinc and vitamin C, and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. These days it seems as if common sense has gone by the wayside. But I digress...
Did I show you a picture of the radishes I grew? China Rose and German Giant. Did you know that radishes are rich in vitamin C? They're really good for you and since they contain anthocyanins, they have anti viral and anti inflammatory abilities. And much more!
Company is coming right after Christmas. I'm really looking forward to see my son and his beautiful family. My oldest grandson is a "maybe" and I'm hoping he will show up too. So, besides shopping for some seasonal fruits and vegetables, I'll be making cookies and pies this week. It's the holidays! Oatmeal chocolate chip with walnuts is everyone's favorite with chocolate-hazelnut cookies a close second.
I think I'll make a big pot of vegetable soup.
So, I've been reading the Book of Luke. I thought it was a good choice since it's the story of Jesus. And interestingly, it has twenty four chapters, leading up to Christmas.
Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."
She was a spectacular German Shepherd Dog.
Always full of life, she loved running in nature
with boundless energy she was playful, yet serious.
Although she lived a long life, she left too soon.
I really miss her.
We brought her home in December of 2009. She was attached to hubby right away. She passed earlier this year.
Fond memories of a beautiful being.
Last night we had our first frost. So this morning I found a few plants that didn't make it, plants I hadn't put in the garage or taken inside. But just a few casualties because most of the tender plants had been put in their place.
It is November after all.
Also last night was a Blood Moon. I tried to get a good picture but no, that didn't happen. This was my best:
The months are passing by so quickly... where does the time go? Lately it seems like time is going by faster and faster...
Well, except for the fact that I've been waiting for over three months for the part my husband ordered to arrive to hopefully repair the oven. Three months without an oven is a long time. LOL Thankfully we purchased a little air fryer/multi use oven last year. It's come in really handy. Sadly, after all of the waiting the part was the wrong size!! Apparently, the 15 year old oven is now obsolete. Now we go look for another double oven, which is custom fit, so it will need to be a specific size, or very, very close since there are cabinets above and a drawer below. If we can't find one locally, it will be way into next year before one will be delivered. Looks like I won't be cooking a turkey... but I'll figure something out. Maybe a turkey breast on the stove top. Hmmm.
Been busy in the garden. Pulling up all the spent vegetables and fruits. I did manage to get some fall crops growing which makes me very happy.
Purple Lady Bok Choi - I harvested some the other day and added it to the Pho soup I made the other day. Perfect!
What else have I planted...greens, plenty of greens. They are very nutritious and healthy. And delicious!
Vates collard greens
Bellezia wild arugula
Nero Di Toscana kale/cabbage
Purple Moon Kale
Tendergreen mustard spinach
Tom Thumb lettuce
Osaka Purple mustard
Rossa di Verona sel Arca chicory - which has been my favorite for the past three years. But, I better let some go to seed this time if I want to grow it again.
German Giant radish
China Rose winter radish
Both radishes are about ready for harvest. I checked the other day and the bulbs were still pretty small but I may just have to settle for smaller radishes... the greens look really good so I know I'll be enjoying them sauteed with a little garlic. Did I mention the garlic I planted in September? Several dozen.
Some photos I've taken ---
Frogs...lots of frogs.
Turtlehead flowered just a short time
Scorpionfly is an interesting character
This past full moon, on the 23rd or 24th of October...
Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Much of this blog post was in the archives from last year. It has some fun photos so I thought, I should still post them and I'll just add more to the bottom.
Summer is flying by!
Mealy Cup Sage 'Henry Duelberg' and Agrimony
Pearl Crescent Butterfly.
This moth has an interesting name. It's a female Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata) found on the back porch light. It left as soon as the sun went down.
Yellow-collared Scape Moth.
American Lady Butterfly
I haven't taken the time to identify this little skipper but I've been seeing many of this kind.
I'm just not good at identifying bees. It's a big one. Maybe an American Bumble Bee.
This little Blue Jay made me laugh.
Two of them had landed on the edge of the birdbath at the same time. One jumped in, took a bath and flew away.
The other one was still on the edge looking down at the water. Then it started jumping straight up and down. It was so funny looking, it looked like it had springs in its legs! It did that for awhile, jumping straight up and down like a spring! That is until it jumped backwards and landed on the ground! I then realized that poor bird must be nervous about getting in the water.
But it was determined. It got back up on the rim of the birdbath and continued jumping up and down awhile longer before finally getting up the nerve to jump in. It splashed in the water for one brief moment, jumped back on the edge, fluffed and flew away. The whole thing had me laughing out loud. It must have been a young juvenile blue jay, getting it's feet wet for the first time. It was probably one of the parents that had landed with it in the beginning.
More Juveniles at the pond, these are Bluebirds.
And a young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird having a shower. ❤️
Mr. Green the lizard with a Club Tailed Robber Fly
No matter what's happening in the world, I can always count on nature to lift my spirits and I'm thankful for that.
This is where the blog ended. Now for this year...
Squash
Unidentified dragonfly
Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
King Conky stressing out. Again.
And again! lol
Going in the oven to roast
Roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic make a really delicious tomato soup. I mean REALLY delicious!!
Red Spotted Purple Butterfly. I've seen a lot of them this year.
These unknown caterpillars are all over the leaves of the sunchokes. Actually, there are several kinds of caterpillars on the leaves of the sunchokes but I think these are more likely butterfly cats.
And finally the hummingbirds. Last but certainly not least, there are more hummingbirds around here than I can count. I'm making between 17 and 18 cups of nectar everyday. Maybe a second brood of babies are now visiting the feeders. Just this past week or so there seems to be even more of them. Extra cane sugar is on my shopping list.
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV)
(The last photo was taken in Wyoming)
