tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84381173261631996702024-02-02T09:36:40.165-08:00Our Magical GardenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-82578774318402065342011-03-23T21:58:00.000-07:002011-03-23T21:58:42.271-07:00Planning and Dreaming againWe loved gardening so much that we decided we needed more space closer to our daily life. And so we moved to a new house on half an acre with plenty of space for fruit trees and bushes, vegetable and her gardens, some flowers and hopefully bees and chickens. <br />
<br />
We also have plans to try to make our new space friendly for the birds, bees and butterflies (among other creatures). And so I have been searching out resources and stumbled across this article about <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/01/milkweed-for-butterflies.html">How to plant milkweed for monarch butterflies</a> (which is one of our goals for this summer).<br />
.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-91920562100729798052010-08-03T19:17:00.000-07:002010-08-03T22:14:03.161-07:0021 to 0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOKCgVT5OI4CrdxdRc6W7DcLPoxgVudkGtbhMyG_eULU2omwDh61RiwuC0pd3J4iXhvT1tBjCWSlq_7nmBzSv1diFNr2br9t1G-Ku8WRd9JoDIz5CRNH0dqrq8tfaUeDPKWJq6miojzNM/s1600/tomatoes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOKCgVT5OI4CrdxdRc6W7DcLPoxgVudkGtbhMyG_eULU2omwDh61RiwuC0pd3J4iXhvT1tBjCWSlq_7nmBzSv1diFNr2br9t1G-Ku8WRd9JoDIz5CRNH0dqrq8tfaUeDPKWJq6miojzNM/s320/tomatoes1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We picked 21 cherry tomatoes today.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not one of them made it home. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>~ Lewis Grizzard</em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-36422840571708155432010-08-01T21:14:00.001-07:002010-08-01T21:14:48.337-07:00Plant a rowI've got a post up about community gardening with children on<a href="http://raisingglobalcitizens.blogspot.com/2010/08/plant-row.html"> my other blog</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-66476338927289967622010-07-26T20:18:00.000-07:002010-08-01T21:12:43.446-07:00The snack garden?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoozi3eOir3opYOmB7PpuOZZGeghouiwLRA_KylAa8pTDIJkYHOoaPN6ZdnbaS8GmRjBxxaEFARnsP5DJQpFFnhnLKd00zCrSphTXpO6V06AguXwiU4GY0a31_HjC4FuPsE44NkNxcIJQ/s1600/gardenborage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoozi3eOir3opYOmB7PpuOZZGeghouiwLRA_KylAa8pTDIJkYHOoaPN6ZdnbaS8GmRjBxxaEFARnsP5DJQpFFnhnLKd00zCrSphTXpO6V06AguXwiU4GY0a31_HjC4FuPsE44NkNxcIJQ/s400/gardenborage.jpg" width="400" /></a><img border="0" bx="true" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AfVmVnx42UuFsaBqgKl-aGbtgZyPM-d-NYIPK0RPk-RJYVpx8-lirn6t9KY6yckxZqCN0OHuSSahfmZVtUm21ZdDnkqnBAar7eEX-QsINFNxlybIzBxapcu-WWW8uk2K5pL25MTa1BU/s400/gardenbuttefly.jpg" width="400" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIUfcGBVEa2-SHiHKGCAvKbYlusUiUDl4CIpHiUj_ZM0TCi2ebGENBCdJjM62aqWA8xGFv9bN4kdieqCLaeiYJk3fTOKPeIb-GsCGTXLDasoMFcrgQbe5_xExP5pSTfHyloSS8Va_5dI/s1600/gardenclaendula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIUfcGBVEa2-SHiHKGCAvKbYlusUiUDl4CIpHiUj_ZM0TCi2ebGENBCdJjM62aqWA8xGFv9bN4kdieqCLaeiYJk3fTOKPeIb-GsCGTXLDasoMFcrgQbe5_xExP5pSTfHyloSS8Va_5dI/s400/gardenclaendula.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIcCeQ_qD70iE47wLbmfUmmsw0Rcn0hlCdxKfZtFsIyBCIn7m0ztUm8J0ZSLgvcZvzcwwjN_yiKL9gtXBsAdUYQ3LtTGGdCkiVHL1vyTvYHN20Nel7Q08iiGew1gtzlPeEfce8GKs9_A/s1600/gardenhollyhock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIcCeQ_qD70iE47wLbmfUmmsw0Rcn0hlCdxKfZtFsIyBCIn7m0ztUm8J0ZSLgvcZvzcwwjN_yiKL9gtXBsAdUYQ3LtTGGdCkiVHL1vyTvYHN20Nel7Q08iiGew1gtzlPeEfce8GKs9_A/s400/gardenhollyhock.jpg" width="400" /></a><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvq4LW9goqA2TDb_CQV7nhHFRRYoFFWaleRBuW9_GkAU6_m44dOAXK8ZWmkNs5RNKJ0fSHyuDX1Jo39vSnFZlr7XCAOGjmpoINjD1yt9WjWrsT2M5lYlMXRK8unw2XmDu6ludvUdxie0/s320/gardenpeppers.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxQNdbkgPEANFd1RUS8fsHjDD9ITIdY00Pju_mvd6A5WjuiMjRvsFcRi1o5colhRuw4dfq8231qOHXZHFZ0gn40VbjXT1CRMpJtWLG7nq4JtTuAxC6mmnZBFPxfVs75K0bqKaYN2XZYM/s1600/gardenwatering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxQNdbkgPEANFd1RUS8fsHjDD9ITIdY00Pju_mvd6A5WjuiMjRvsFcRi1o5colhRuw4dfq8231qOHXZHFZ0gn40VbjXT1CRMpJtWLG7nq4JtTuAxC6mmnZBFPxfVs75K0bqKaYN2XZYM/s400/gardenwatering.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOE5YdVT5y73iBDH6Y1y9YTfHaGDuZScKIItXFSj152zRWLwulMMCjmcH1qMTfSmOVX-vBR2PpyZzY-Pn8bG_JcbRJDe9rBg5hIAV6xoDg-EqsVZWywSFVLgBRTWIESlnXDKi3ZBiZqg/s1600/gardensalsa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOE5YdVT5y73iBDH6Y1y9YTfHaGDuZScKIItXFSj152zRWLwulMMCjmcH1qMTfSmOVX-vBR2PpyZzY-Pn8bG_JcbRJDe9rBg5hIAV6xoDg-EqsVZWywSFVLgBRTWIESlnXDKi3ZBiZqg/s400/gardensalsa.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCI-wcVXs-d1prDrdYHJsPsq8QgqGjAKDVRgikCszChhGk2shPDNIcLZUimtgi9YsxYrUAg0YPdph9ihW1HHSYb0G1cpOjdzBKtWRAAt4KlPc-BLRp_rsjHWUhwyXYqZszA3TGquJbQ8/s1600/gatrdendavid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCI-wcVXs-d1prDrdYHJsPsq8QgqGjAKDVRgikCszChhGk2shPDNIcLZUimtgi9YsxYrUAg0YPdph9ihW1HHSYb0G1cpOjdzBKtWRAAt4KlPc-BLRp_rsjHWUhwyXYqZszA3TGquJbQ8/s400/gatrdendavid.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>We've been hanging out in the garden. The kids eat the cherry tomatoes and the peas and beans faster than I can grow them. We've taken to calling it the snack garden. I am not convinced I will ever manage an actual meal from it unless we plan to eat it in the garden - nothing makes it home. <br />
We water and weed and I take pictures of flowers and weed some more. The kids eat, climb the trees, chase butterflies, call to the birds, play in the fairy garden and <strike>annoy</strike> help the neighbours. And I weed some more. Then we all go home and wish we had more cherry tomatoes and raspberries to eat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-2822966983304076492010-07-20T06:21:00.000-07:002010-07-20T06:21:26.368-07:00More lavender lovelies<a href="http://oneinchworld.com/blog/index.php/2010/07/lavender-doll-tutorial/">These wonderful little dolls</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-39160939941286776042010-07-18T19:42:00.001-07:002010-07-18T19:42:56.676-07:00Patience...is hard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6BiNKV6ZcQrJTKrBsHVRtoJ-0GOMSlB6COWrpWNpcSTfdoI-ywARbHB4B3qAXHZ1uhP1HbV4CISlEGwogy96-FaAiwxeppvmGoifN-8CD66A3buSvQ6vCAXe1IFhaC6qD1zhigUpSPs/s1600/firstcarrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6BiNKV6ZcQrJTKrBsHVRtoJ-0GOMSlB6COWrpWNpcSTfdoI-ywARbHB4B3qAXHZ1uhP1HbV4CISlEGwogy96-FaAiwxeppvmGoifN-8CD66A3buSvQ6vCAXe1IFhaC6qD1zhigUpSPs/s400/firstcarrot.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDwTapCBhQ-lZaFLnMYXW1ibqXzZ8zusXlxejSQUJo9AV89wyuxcPVgeM5VfR8hcRjb_wsnuI4vmPPFBRf_i0ofbhcUJSabb18Vn0oNbcLVxSvj90jibQDL7V39KAAkhX30KkWGm4rCs/s1600/prettypea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDwTapCBhQ-lZaFLnMYXW1ibqXzZ8zusXlxejSQUJo9AV89wyuxcPVgeM5VfR8hcRjb_wsnuI4vmPPFBRf_i0ofbhcUJSabb18Vn0oNbcLVxSvj90jibQDL7V39KAAkhX30KkWGm4rCs/s400/prettypea.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIDfrXQO7V4uQi-fnFTndhmr54fiAI14OUa8A0ecFA19Xm4_Ux_8-BuZoTRrG5-nqkQmJNnEKzirJDWx51K-zwMhoXymTBy-AH5EtCTEQyjzNc63jkIGrqrq4BE5Gn7f7T8TFsnvEfZw/s1600/beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIDfrXQO7V4uQi-fnFTndhmr54fiAI14OUa8A0ecFA19Xm4_Ux_8-BuZoTRrG5-nqkQmJNnEKzirJDWx51K-zwMhoXymTBy-AH5EtCTEQyjzNc63jkIGrqrq4BE5Gn7f7T8TFsnvEfZw/s400/beans.jpg" width="382" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM31LPaKF4GjiU0DZ_SbLk5O9rXrvpuIfUR7yAtsc9rfiAL_IFeoco4fo6zM8JOmoXCnF0MZ5u-gn_K05raApUqCvw-QxERBbretwvMibpqylOOYCR7yKh_KNHhcQH05rCokR8sByp16k/s1600/firstcarrotsaraeating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="351" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM31LPaKF4GjiU0DZ_SbLk5O9rXrvpuIfUR7yAtsc9rfiAL_IFeoco4fo6zM8JOmoXCnF0MZ5u-gn_K05raApUqCvw-QxERBbretwvMibpqylOOYCR7yKh_KNHhcQH05rCokR8sByp16k/s400/firstcarrotsaraeating.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So many things in the garden are close... the peas, the beans, the tomatoes, the carrots - ok not really for the carrots but we had to pull one up to see! Sara ate it anyway. I can see that we will need more space next year. I am not sure much of the produce will make it home. It seems to get eaten at the garden. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-20571556924582638502010-07-15T18:58:00.000-07:002010-07-15T18:58:17.882-07:00Our Morning Routine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72siHXUXirIktfUFgBHKLgIlWEyTc_D9uiJQwkfTxmWhwHPYYaaq9Cdh5Fx8dVfPff3LFq20_eeJQbyrGbRsVdseuloNUp9iyOFww8TeEkBZSakRBEEyzXub4gYDOsiWGMG60q6lGYjE/s1600/blackberrybushes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72siHXUXirIktfUFgBHKLgIlWEyTc_D9uiJQwkfTxmWhwHPYYaaq9Cdh5Fx8dVfPff3LFq20_eeJQbyrGbRsVdseuloNUp9iyOFww8TeEkBZSakRBEEyzXub4gYDOsiWGMG60q6lGYjE/s400/blackberrybushes.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS4NevSBzqJUoLcoFWoXDnP3Y5dhn54tQJCOSlWgPYcVGpHuQ_mL5ry-nJt2XCVYJAMyV5olZBH3UxjuN0VqG-CLOMfLUxfrDYV9Tm061uzZaX2GD5M1sF311Fckv_s_bmaA3vq2NfYU/s1600/blackberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS4NevSBzqJUoLcoFWoXDnP3Y5dhn54tQJCOSlWgPYcVGpHuQ_mL5ry-nJt2XCVYJAMyV5olZBH3UxjuN0VqG-CLOMfLUxfrDYV9Tm061uzZaX2GD5M1sF311Fckv_s_bmaA3vq2NfYU/s400/blackberries.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQVenqamIU0IwOyRN357REzppFsXEjlEmyAJqln2ueg4Sipe1ClgmeRE7LzfJbM954Gf3qgOEr857qsvBBG4Lkr3KDIJPpr0BVMtzl3QMOPuZWHQM9kPVakf2Mcv526amF1qVY0qJv1U/s1600/saracheckingarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQVenqamIU0IwOyRN357REzppFsXEjlEmyAJqln2ueg4Sipe1ClgmeRE7LzfJbM954Gf3qgOEr857qsvBBG4Lkr3KDIJPpr0BVMtzl3QMOPuZWHQM9kPVakf2Mcv526amF1qVY0qJv1U/s400/saracheckingarden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
For the last few days we've been getting up early, grabbing breakfast, and heading off to the garden. When we go by bike, which we have been trying to do more regularly recently, we stop off for a snack of blackberries at the bushes by the river. Then it's off to the garden to see what's new. The kids help me inspect and water and then they head off to gather raspberries or play in the fairy garden while I weed and putter. We stop for (another) snack - often a version of <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chewy-Granola-Bars/Detail.aspx">these</a> and then head off home for lunch and hopefully an afternoon adventure. I must admit I like the mellowness of these mornings, the small amount of work we do together before the day gets hectic and the time we spend caring for this slightly wild and always wonderful space.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-76187427281984613322010-07-15T18:57:00.000-07:002010-07-15T20:09:41.576-07:00Lovely Lavender<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_BtTig5WSCzrtjKf86Ebug3Pm1bGulNdTZEcmC_akKNNZlar3qzMtRXZCFCvkHoq0gyuBL3bEsrnRwX29-cYvwq0cd_xDbk8EtjKdZQg-U5QYmpyfUK3c-FQBH0SvR2-Zlv-d8Q4w2Fr/s1600/lavendercloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_BtTig5WSCzrtjKf86Ebug3Pm1bGulNdTZEcmC_akKNNZlar3qzMtRXZCFCvkHoq0gyuBL3bEsrnRwX29-cYvwq0cd_xDbk8EtjKdZQg-U5QYmpyfUK3c-FQBH0SvR2-Zlv-d8Q4w2Fr/s400/lavendercloseup.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am so excited to have access to lavender this year. There is a patch growing in the community herb garden. I really want to make <a href="http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/06/lavender-perfume.html">lavender perfume</a> with the girls and <a href="http://5orangepotatoes.blogspot.com/2009/06/lavender-lemonade.html">lavender lemonade</a> for everyone. I've also thought about making some of these <a href="http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/how-to-make-a-lavendar-wand/">lavender wands</a> - but the lavender patch is only so big. I think I may start another patch next year so I can do all of this. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-60985517291129029792010-07-13T15:08:00.000-07:002010-07-13T18:35:03.455-07:00Visits from the Fairies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UftPuDBiOiUNTab-EJTNuaG2zsYru35zwFVYTKx_nHAcrmhaKojL4QA_8-ovgC7K1bN7ItvJ1Hk18UN8inm9z7iY1r5597oJ_5TirbBH2lWJXMnXRLXGMOeTmJBnNUvM_UOdHSCv60yM/s1600/fairysignandbench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UftPuDBiOiUNTab-EJTNuaG2zsYru35zwFVYTKx_nHAcrmhaKojL4QA_8-ovgC7K1bN7ItvJ1Hk18UN8inm9z7iY1r5597oJ_5TirbBH2lWJXMnXRLXGMOeTmJBnNUvM_UOdHSCv60yM/s400/fairysignandbench.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">On the weekend Kevin helped the kids finish their garden signs and he and Colin built a bench from scrap wood that could live in the fairy garden. <br />
We dropped it off on Sunday and hung the signs. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">And last night the fairies must have found this magical space. Today when the kids visited their fairy garden they were surprised by a fairy ring which included a small rock table with a tiny shell bowl holding a red berry for a fairy tea. There was a lambs ear leaf blanket and a small Queen Anne's Lace flower for a pillow. There was a small wreath and lavender bouquet to decorate the fairy ring. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The kids got to work quickly, making a rope swing, gathering more wildflowers to decorate the rocks in the ring, and planning what tiny gifts they could leave for the fairies. I wonder if the fairies will return the favour.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FWo-O65MY3a7YiRH05VmVmxi3mJcZSVQzpdFo_1Ak6U3VOX1bQ3UTguH4sFYfiQoTfJjjEBp5cS3K9XlQbrWV5aHICd4XdOYtDCJnCpt3M1hud1Gk5gn1M4Pa2zeuvAgmMeew7ojF4BP/s1600/fairygarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FWo-O65MY3a7YiRH05VmVmxi3mJcZSVQzpdFo_1Ak6U3VOX1bQ3UTguH4sFYfiQoTfJjjEBp5cS3K9XlQbrWV5aHICd4XdOYtDCJnCpt3M1hud1Gk5gn1M4Pa2zeuvAgmMeew7ojF4BP/s400/fairygarden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-61763897369555600412010-07-12T07:37:00.000-07:002010-07-12T20:50:53.719-07:00In the eye of the beholder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GPkeprWWBv_xKq4Z4BI-PlOeXwMIXhvDiG9gPUhN17ffVn-w18piCtoB10FpFPixW2u_zAgdhViilL_TKLgY-OlOOJSnYNBJD9dsTzdp4hMBYdCsrEfkTxXvqRXYggE2XkXRwT1_WKZa/s1600/trellisfromsunflowerstalks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GPkeprWWBv_xKq4Z4BI-PlOeXwMIXhvDiG9gPUhN17ffVn-w18piCtoB10FpFPixW2u_zAgdhViilL_TKLgY-OlOOJSnYNBJD9dsTzdp4hMBYdCsrEfkTxXvqRXYggE2XkXRwT1_WKZa/s400/trellisfromsunflowerstalks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I was out working in the garden on Friday evening as people were walking on the path through the garden to head to a festival a few blocks away. Most people paid little attention to the space they were walking through. One woman came in and sat at the picnic table while chatting on her phone, seeming oblivious to the gardens, birds and insects all around her. Another swiped a few raspberries from the bushes as she walked by. <br />
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Just o<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ne</span> group, two young women and a young man, probably all in their mid twenties walked by talking about the space. The one young woman was asking questions about the garden, how it was used and managed. She laughed that she loved it because she is a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">hippy</span> at heart. The other woman was less complimentary. She said she'd like to take a weed eater to the whole thing. She thinks it looks unkempt, too wild, and it is a poor use of space.<br />
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I'll agree with her that it is wild in spots. About 1/3 or more of the space is naturalized, with wildflowers, some native trees. Some of the plots have not been tended to this year and have been left to grow wild. Common areas such as the raspberry patches could use some trimming<br />
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The garden definitely has a funky edge to it. Many of the plots use found or free objects for their structures, out of necessity, to keep costs low and to minimize the chance expensive items will walk away. One plot has curly willow branches as stakes for tomatoes and climbing plants. One gardener made a lovely lattice out of branches and the dried stems of sunflowers. The many plots are lined with natural stones rather than the sharp lines of edging from the the garden centre. There are volunteer sunflowers popping up at the edges of the paths, the mulch is yellow straw rather than trendy cocoa bean hulls. The signs are hand painted. The grass cutters go around wildflowers rather than over them, leaving chicory and daisies dotting the paths. Rather than looking like something from Martha Stewart, the garden looks handmade, hardworking, natural, creative, and yes, slightly wild. I love it. <br />
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But I realize that just because I love it doesn't mean everyone does. If you aren't in the garden, if you don't wander past the plots tended with care, if you don't know about the fairy garden, the resident bunny, the school plot, you might not get a feel for it. If you didn't know how much the work of the gardeners has rehabilitated the soil and created a wonderful place for city wildlife, birds, insects and native plants you might think that it might be better paved or sodded over. If you didn't know how the garden helps people connect to their community, to the land, to the seasons, to their food, you might not see past the wildness to the value of the garden. If you don't get to see the joy on my kids' faces at picking and tasting their own tomatoes, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">cuc</span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">umbers</span> or raspberries and watch them explaining the concept of community gardens to their friends who have never seen a cucumber except at the grocery store, you might not understand why we love it. <br />
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As community gardeners we have a responsibility to speak up about the value of the garden and its many benefits. We also have a responsibility to the community and to the city to make our space inviting and welcoming, to be good stewards of not only the land, but the idea and image of community gardening.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg172YFKKX7fEUOUjQfasKWOMGw5R79jp0bIiLsFFR2FjgtDID_ZiRHX2HQ3eFp7nwYifAgFrFCngWz5zQS2fI4CMvHRklHgrBrki3Scky7S8fZxd9ZTQ1dNH92JyzAwefh48TaGc3IuyX5/s1600/welcomerock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg172YFKKX7fEUOUjQfasKWOMGw5R79jp0bIiLsFFR2FjgtDID_ZiRHX2HQ3eFp7nwYifAgFrFCngWz5zQS2fI4CMvHRklHgrBrki3Scky7S8fZxd9ZTQ1dNH92JyzAwefh48TaGc3IuyX5/s400/welcomerock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We can be confident that action which is in accord with a few basic beliefs cannot be wrong and can at least testify to the values we will need to cultivate. These are the beliefs that the human race is a family that has inherited a place on the earth in common, that its members have an obligation to work toward sharing it so that none is deprived of the elementary needs for life, and that all have a responsibility to leave it undegraded for those who follow.</em></div><em></em><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>~ Gilbert F. White, "Stewardship of the Earth," </em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-24093222108371215672010-07-12T01:08:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:22:21.331-07:00Yummmmm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItbwmb1CUjV0KUZYidydFmFJoUark8SdjMzlExz5HabfqT4WZt2WdQdcQV-F2pvLillK-orPGL3it4GP17tCcoRFT5VK6kEycCXCBcpV6Xz44-bnxQuQ-B8BT9vP48uy9_VbbcT3Cjz1s/s1600/emsyellowtomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItbwmb1CUjV0KUZYidydFmFJoUark8SdjMzlExz5HabfqT4WZt2WdQdcQV-F2pvLillK-orPGL3it4GP17tCcoRFT5VK6kEycCXCBcpV6Xz44-bnxQuQ-B8BT9vP48uy9_VbbcT3Cjz1s/s320/emsyellowtomato.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We ate them - all two of them. Emily had the first one as it is her plant, and the rest of us shared a tiny bite of the second. Can't wait for more. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-5349539322701686152010-07-12T01:06:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:23:06.502-07:00Late Veggies<a href="http://www.hgtv.ca/gardening/articledetails.aspx?ContentId=3216&cat=2&by=">List of things we could plant now.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-57282427244962136442010-07-12T00:19:00.000-07:002010-07-13T12:31:50.758-07:00Six weeks in the garden<i>Just planted during the last week of May:<br />
</i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4pB5pgFPwr5qTI7l3zIbE0ITUP9PF3iZ4Ljwzy-0C2WDfB98sCvzbSaaXvopINRmTcz_Y6tDEXi2FH0efpML9gkqd1h8DTpphzg6iDW-cQx7e8YFFkAQfmEqihNlxf_dm3JmsFPTh0Jh/s1600/plotmay27justplanted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4pB5pgFPwr5qTI7l3zIbE0ITUP9PF3iZ4Ljwzy-0C2WDfB98sCvzbSaaXvopINRmTcz_Y6tDEXi2FH0efpML9gkqd1h8DTpphzg6iDW-cQx7e8YFFkAQfmEqihNlxf_dm3JmsFPTh0Jh/s400/plotmay27justplanted.jpg" width="337" /></a></div><br />
Our newly planted garden. We divided the garden into three beds, each roughly 4 feet wide with paths between them. At the top centre you can see the bean tee pee which is at the Southwest corner of the plot. Beside it in the bed is spinach and lettuce and then three tomato plants. This is the shortest bed of the garden because of the raspberry bushes. <br />
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In the centre bed we have carrots, 2 pepper plants, cucumber and zucchini and onions and garlic. <br />
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In the bed nearest in the photo we have tomatoes, wild strawberries and mint, and the herb circle. A few more herbs are tucked in around the other plants - <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">calendula</span>, chamomile, and nasturtium. The rhubarb is at the northeast corner of the garden. We inherited it from our friend and previous plot holder. <br />
The north end of our plot is marked by a path and a large patch of raspberries. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagZaZyJptIllNg84Lkf5iQIttnkR0I9SrLGpkVVQUfqvKgzxWqZPoGLsoY5U_KfRSuenjFboOyWtCE3euM-wV85epD3p7PfAK9bhLkySw7hLRiQK922eeSHhj812v9H-v52fiYDw10EY5/s1600/herbgardenjustplanted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagZaZyJptIllNg84Lkf5iQIttnkR0I9SrLGpkVVQUfqvKgzxWqZPoGLsoY5U_KfRSuenjFboOyWtCE3euM-wV85epD3p7PfAK9bhLkySw7hLRiQK922eeSHhj812v9H-v52fiYDw10EY5/s400/herbgardenjustplanted.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The herb circle just after planting. We haven't got the garden paths marked with stones in this picture. <br />
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<i>And six weeks later:</i><br />
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Here is the herb circle 6 weeks after the bulk of it was planted. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-vwx5KHMEIYMeyEKWXBSZ1xwxtdRdTsWQ3HcTx1CJk1OWntEJAbcG8cYRTvjhfqLb1pQq-YrDS8qzQqGNPdicnqS42-aRNHidan0X5m1aAjlB8tF9JL80Qj5R4J3-lfG_h8RQGQKuBEK/s1600/ourplot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-vwx5KHMEIYMeyEKWXBSZ1xwxtdRdTsWQ3HcTx1CJk1OWntEJAbcG8cYRTvjhfqLb1pQq-YrDS8qzQqGNPdicnqS42-aRNHidan0X5m1aAjlB8tF9JL80Qj5R4J3-lfG_h8RQGQKuBEK/s400/ourplot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And here is the garden roughly one week ago at the 6 week mark. The wild chicory marks the beginnings of our neighbours plotUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-72246755346669674782010-07-10T04:53:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:23:27.071-07:00Company in the garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcHrkO3ROyXtu8pFAkbQbsIxpb0kOdofyaQ8d0vGImvjRElbCW9Rf4NwoLOTbaefcxbv5k4UV4qW3LKRUjbsdU4sXioEFEZQj2-fskJYcmhtG6kG1Ca4QfyKnfi_xfmGge17m3vdz2hyphenhyphenQ/s1600/bunny2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcHrkO3ROyXtu8pFAkbQbsIxpb0kOdofyaQ8d0vGImvjRElbCW9Rf4NwoLOTbaefcxbv5k4UV4qW3LKRUjbsdU4sXioEFEZQj2-fskJYcmhtG6kG1Ca4QfyKnfi_xfmGge17m3vdz2hyphenhyphenQ/s400/bunny2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This little bunny is only about 6 inches from nose to tail and hasn't quite figured out how to hide. He loves to hang out in the plot beside us which is a bit wild and full of low hanging treats. The kids were entranced to watch him the first time we saw him. I could hear him nibbling while I worked a bit last night. While there hasn't been any signs of him in our space yet, I'll happily offer up lettuce and carrots for more of his company.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-78074143041192287932010-07-09T11:09:00.001-07:002010-07-12T10:23:59.098-07:00More colour for the garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGq5MZjZfHamYPopCo_RjcbEA1sdJK6M3-yGruCDJD_3Po3sQxawOQDjQtLe_wLTMvfRYYrk1dGm3SWQIExvVRWKAVBZ0NllOwaYsn7QZmCdhODJLRiogYv8SyGTT4lBi_nvthWJU_ZE/s1600/colouredrockscloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGq5MZjZfHamYPopCo_RjcbEA1sdJK6M3-yGruCDJD_3Po3sQxawOQDjQtLe_wLTMvfRYYrk1dGm3SWQIExvVRWKAVBZ0NllOwaYsn7QZmCdhODJLRiogYv8SyGTT4lBi_nvthWJU_ZE/s400/colouredrockscloseup.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-GGxRJdbiSBzejimyC_sI3FFs1AlbyAc6swELJkwoPLv6M99O8sqRE-jC6eqdsEoZkyqj6O0f07PKFWONLHV-et9ygkahzjuApBMAehxlY9QKx6IGMta87wmnmzG4E-06mwof51uJCc/s1600/rockgroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-GGxRJdbiSBzejimyC_sI3FFs1AlbyAc6swELJkwoPLv6M99O8sqRE-jC6eqdsEoZkyqj6O0f07PKFWONLHV-et9ygkahzjuApBMAehxlY9QKx6IGMta87wmnmzG4E-06mwof51uJCc/s400/rockgroup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
The heat wave finally broke and we are getting some much needed rain. However that means helping the kids find things to do indoors. For ages I have wanted to try <a href="http://blairpeter.typepad.com/weblog/2007/07/another-fun-kid.html">this project</a> and we happened to still have some of the rocks we scavenged for the garden in the back of the van. The project was addictive. We all could have done a few more and have plans to do another round. These rocks will be added to our garden space to mark the paths.<br />
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The kids also worked on their garden signs for the fairy garden and the wildflower patch. Emily wants to make one for the blueberry bush as well.<br />
Apparently we think the garden could use a bit more colour.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-81730130460925463312010-07-08T17:56:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:24:17.552-07:00Colour in the garden today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mTWlWmpSST5ZLnz66dftneRekw-KqDEsw7G2vcgMEKUSCuatxqjUjcOOPyqJux3RlDl7SlfXCmPcyvEoVgSpsp-wAqZPLAtg10SWPmO4tC6WR1ydknONWOESi8_Pl49DCCNCgBrm-TOl/s1600/chickoryagainstwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mTWlWmpSST5ZLnz66dftneRekw-KqDEsw7G2vcgMEKUSCuatxqjUjcOOPyqJux3RlDl7SlfXCmPcyvEoVgSpsp-wAqZPLAtg10SWPmO4tC6WR1ydknONWOESi8_Pl49DCCNCgBrm-TOl/s400/chickoryagainstwood.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwDbZt5kBZiTmRjTM30jmr8yJLMdd_wiiLrzeyC8M2z9C7fc4f11R3KMqKzOSYHndjNI1OKy7j502pTlqEH4-GbEv0Il8cJIxjbWTvI3YGbsoDGNGXfPZFl0q3Gt8F_-BP_4tcDYBG0zn/s1600/rywatering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwDbZt5kBZiTmRjTM30jmr8yJLMdd_wiiLrzeyC8M2z9C7fc4f11R3KMqKzOSYHndjNI1OKy7j502pTlqEH4-GbEv0Il8cJIxjbWTvI3YGbsoDGNGXfPZFl0q3Gt8F_-BP_4tcDYBG0zn/s400/rywatering.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSEMkcSj4lMhti5OrxbqrCQCdUjiDecYkMNEeRjhMCgj5QxnB4XY98EtJ6PAbZskWidWFwF2RsqxYernAHK-ZMNWozNgNZ6R6PBiY2dwRutl-8bl3M8aqy7IF0C-bFHKyPvEvB4J6mymo/s1600/whiteballflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSEMkcSj4lMhti5OrxbqrCQCdUjiDecYkMNEeRjhMCgj5QxnB4XY98EtJ6PAbZskWidWFwF2RsqxYernAHK-ZMNWozNgNZ6R6PBiY2dwRutl-8bl3M8aqy7IF0C-bFHKyPvEvB4J6mymo/s400/whiteballflower.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQL_yJ6aaaHy_NH9HyzR_2-rfua86PaEzm7r9hL8D2XRZQKgqwWhWI_kwYtG2-wsvzkWFb4-nKswgUL5XxgCkjSgbNlpOACwfRLQn33rf3WRinZRXz2hqgoPIcc0Wrxl3WWxHkk-ARq_dQ/s400/pinkflowerroll.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivo_2eiUEMiPAVZwv4n432ncGGlTPN1SF3hNmCGHgoBoBybtLpTi_eSgUc2wfbX4r78L_grYpJy5mv7_IQ3LqMv8yYFQw9bCGyWeUCFb2H4LSRUeD0noHqwQZtNrem7MX2C3C2zc47_HIA/s1600/yellowflowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivo_2eiUEMiPAVZwv4n432ncGGlTPN1SF3hNmCGHgoBoBybtLpTi_eSgUc2wfbX4r78L_grYpJy5mv7_IQ3LqMv8yYFQw9bCGyWeUCFb2H4LSRUeD0noHqwQZtNrem7MX2C3C2zc47_HIA/s400/yellowflowers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-34547511654410911892010-07-07T07:50:00.001-07:002010-07-07T19:06:30.087-07:00WindchimesThe kids would love to make <a href="http://natural-kids.blogspot.com/2010/06/making-sumac-wind-chimes-with-finns.html">these</a>.<br />
We'll have to check the garden and the sumacs at the park to see if there are any branches we could use. A small version would be lovely in the kid's fairy garden.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-23159043500988405052010-07-05T23:01:00.001-07:002010-07-12T10:24:55.222-07:00The plot after a month away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvmbiZB_JOm56PuQtjCh6yCSZXK0c9a1DMVcbop1Gpn04pGQuMTezgD6U9hoC_KtQLNYikt0ZQbUM2fKL-3F8vwZjH6NhW28knlZJVGUV8cmLf3ddCBFUr7O8MsSa3zB1dpHEAT9RFOg/s1600/colinwsign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvmbiZB_JOm56PuQtjCh6yCSZXK0c9a1DMVcbop1Gpn04pGQuMTezgD6U9hoC_KtQLNYikt0ZQbUM2fKL-3F8vwZjH6NhW28knlZJVGUV8cmLf3ddCBFUr7O8MsSa3zB1dpHEAT9RFOg/s400/colinwsign.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RQ4bUw8G_dkWsep_P9_aAna13vH2s4I22ElkibOh9JntNbOWxG-1fhoBYtM4FzeBAcGjUmaTE9uf-mTN5-Iw1tb8_yrGI1p27E1YlIOGWTg293Dy43n3mA7RxmPyS2gbFKDlIloiCOg/s1600/poppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RQ4bUw8G_dkWsep_P9_aAna13vH2s4I22ElkibOh9JntNbOWxG-1fhoBYtM4FzeBAcGjUmaTE9uf-mTN5-Iw1tb8_yrGI1p27E1YlIOGWTg293Dy43n3mA7RxmPyS2gbFKDlIloiCOg/s400/poppy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9O_Cto1sPdPRHMkLQ6SBB3qOhxy4lNP84KnO8mqZZOFtxVhQ2As06FF-opnhyJbuPwPw_qdff_d7Z3c8FFlNVaFIva__-AODtwg-Moluh8Df-lR-CskCvvY82NvA3iIlrJRKZpPU4Xk/s1600/cucumbergrowing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9O_Cto1sPdPRHMkLQ6SBB3qOhxy4lNP84KnO8mqZZOFtxVhQ2As06FF-opnhyJbuPwPw_qdff_d7Z3c8FFlNVaFIva__-AODtwg-Moluh8Df-lR-CskCvvY82NvA3iIlrJRKZpPU4Xk/s400/cucumbergrowing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zagDP6NXDIW84Ls5I1Udg3BBexLvWlpL2tN-O11zHZrrEn2P29C7hbSt242eNkYk7LXwH5PYFfT3ckcaE9gdR26To1tfUjVmX1jkJaT42PynRx4dQzSPSbc14JkSzrBYEpTS72Kj8z8/s1600/daisy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zagDP6NXDIW84Ls5I1Udg3BBexLvWlpL2tN-O11zHZrrEn2P29C7hbSt242eNkYk7LXwH5PYFfT3ckcaE9gdR26To1tfUjVmX1jkJaT42PynRx4dQzSPSbc14JkSzrBYEpTS72Kj8z8/s400/daisy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEUFB5uglFzkKBMcuedeH4Q_HyojIucycOXg8imDo1wzkhSDDoCfcox14Kcw_lRCFdqfreL2zmHxxEontLQY-ZR5hoYwjLO1d4ZNL16UZJSmJ9x2Ibvttb5rKwwCh-EUrhLfSm0z6U2g/s1600/harvest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEUFB5uglFzkKBMcuedeH4Q_HyojIucycOXg8imDo1wzkhSDDoCfcox14Kcw_lRCFdqfreL2zmHxxEontLQY-ZR5hoYwjLO1d4ZNL16UZJSmJ9x2Ibvttb5rKwwCh-EUrhLfSm0z6U2g/s400/harvest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IST2vDKdGASjGQ9XUBmGSXSOazUE0CcYQ605CE5uBQiGIbwNKxaLRMX6Tcw5FuI0KVLHDqZbDMfOULb4hyxf67iCKpoR-0lGfe8MlsIO2WWhJS7VXmCn4oxnbH76yinO4E9je6iAFGM/s1600/saraandcolinlookingatgarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IST2vDKdGASjGQ9XUBmGSXSOazUE0CcYQ605CE5uBQiGIbwNKxaLRMX6Tcw5FuI0KVLHDqZbDMfOULb4hyxf67iCKpoR-0lGfe8MlsIO2WWhJS7VXmCn4oxnbH76yinO4E9je6iAFGM/s400/saraandcolinlookingatgarden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vG0qcpK8ZVMkZkGS8JXff-UPoao0s9MvjcFdRGpQ3Iqz_jwDtxcRN3SEc8YRdXk-weMRLTnoAqoitas21oiPMdvVqdSGF_hq4cZ9eaooC-OHjPs-ZCfN62caoIDu1yq4Aa8PufbcNuU/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vG0qcpK8ZVMkZkGS8JXff-UPoao0s9MvjcFdRGpQ3Iqz_jwDtxcRN3SEc8YRdXk-weMRLTnoAqoitas21oiPMdvVqdSGF_hq4cZ9eaooC-OHjPs-ZCfN62caoIDu1yq4Aa8PufbcNuU/s400/sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><i>Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden. <br />
~Robert <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Brault</span></i><br />
<br />
We returned home from the extended (and somewhat unplanned) trip to the cottage not really knowing what to expect in the garden. With only a short garden visit on our one weekend in June that we were not at the cottage, we were a bit worried about the state of the plants. Thankfully all was well, if a bit weedy and dry. The rhubarb has grown by leaps and bounds, there are plenty of zucchini flowers, lots of green tomatoes, the beans and peas are trailing up the tee pee, and the herbs look great with the exception of the basil which I am hoping will bounce back. <br />
<br />
There were lots of raspberries and some early blackberries on the canes that surround our plot and the kids quickly gave up weeding and watering chores for picking. (I think one or two of the raspberries made it home - grin.) Colin and Sara came back however, and spotted a "gigantic" cucumber. Well two actually. And as they are the cucumber fans in the family it was quickly decided that they could do the honours and do the first official real harvesting.<br />
<br />
In addition to the weeding and harvesting, we've been working on the structure of our little space. We've exhausted the onsite rock piles and so have made a few late evening runs to scavenge rocks from various construction sites around town so we can ring our beds and mark the paths in the hopes of stopping any further trampling. The kids thought it was a blast to pick rocks (!?). However our favourite chore by far was the installation of our new garden sign, which was made by <a href="http://lifeinagarden.blogspot.com/search?q=wood+burning">friends</a> as a birthday gift for all of us. We've already had so many comments about how lovely it is. It makes the garden seem more like our special space, and as a bonus it helps mark the division between our space and our neighbours. <br />
<br />
Sara and I also spent a few hours there on Sunday. We planted a high bush blueberry which we picked up on clearance from a local nursery, in part to "pay it forward" and in part to pay back those past and current gardeners who planted all the raspberries. We've also planted a small wildflower pollinator patch across from our plot and need to make a sign to encourage people not to mow it. Most of our garden plot has been weeded, we've planted some more <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">calendula</span> and nasturtium and will replant lettuce and spinach and carrots this week (once this incredible heat settles down.) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since returning home last week, we have also stopped by the garden with little neighbourhood friends and treated them to a tour and a taste of fresh picked, still warm from the sun raspberries. It was heartwarming to see my kids give the tour of "their" garden and talk about our garden neighbours and the idea of a community garden. I love that they get that benefits of community gardening are about more than just the garden. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-49769119812617187952010-06-05T23:01:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:25:40.601-07:00Easy being green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoNeUcCFCB99CkYhM_VrRBi5vDW5ThjtdIn_cILwqGSVVR_CGyot13I7o6RnJhcKYXd7MVWbcUZvMXxHP7g_UizrrOax1rd-Rt0PR9ZQkLtKwjCvxsGCDHoLEmwja4WkmOBrE3qy87gw/s1600/tomatoeshand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoNeUcCFCB99CkYhM_VrRBi5vDW5ThjtdIn_cILwqGSVVR_CGyot13I7o6RnJhcKYXd7MVWbcUZvMXxHP7g_UizrrOax1rd-Rt0PR9ZQkLtKwjCvxsGCDHoLEmwja4WkmOBrE3qy87gw/s400/tomatoeshand.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVIPLFx8-h2Jz15Ug9lCLjIO7DhnM4JOFqbr5I-sxiMNBIUbNTt3QMtYMKFOVLd4LkKDDapgpR9agCiRRUPn8cSZi5kn1YBGNnwFC1beZm7hjYo18uHtaLSl8ovwywCHdRhWV3f96rv8/s1600/cropsonstrawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVIPLFx8-h2Jz15Ug9lCLjIO7DhnM4JOFqbr5I-sxiMNBIUbNTt3QMtYMKFOVLd4LkKDDapgpR9agCiRRUPn8cSZi5kn1YBGNnwFC1beZm7hjYo18uHtaLSl8ovwywCHdRhWV3f96rv8/s400/cropsonstrawberries.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThi2who0m00_RCYLdEKDrRBZ9n6GmVilYSsTjUozUxdZOBF6oPC0jztyK2u3tRex7wCnUvpx3-qL7UZ43fTC0wmijce0cAFToolKaRqAZsViuC9MyGnI3o-GIHkZl5jXAN0xdMYHFcjM/s1600/saraweeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThi2who0m00_RCYLdEKDrRBZ9n6GmVilYSsTjUozUxdZOBF6oPC0jztyK2u3tRex7wCnUvpx3-qL7UZ43fTC0wmijce0cAFToolKaRqAZsViuC9MyGnI3o-GIHkZl5jXAN0xdMYHFcjM/s400/saraweeding.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bEtMicYPbhmPtksJDS8hg5p0vyNE-3qgfOIJPkw4veJKrESr7pXQfVPncSghCtEE8NIA7Ku3uwqJFcv7_kGZCEcjlBPr99_WEbicohMXvUjMoPCj3fuAk-yXV-7TaMSxTH3c0cNVDkE/s1600/snowpeas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bEtMicYPbhmPtksJDS8hg5p0vyNE-3qgfOIJPkw4veJKrESr7pXQfVPncSghCtEE8NIA7Ku3uwqJFcv7_kGZCEcjlBPr99_WEbicohMXvUjMoPCj3fuAk-yXV-7TaMSxTH3c0cNVDkE/s400/snowpeas.jpg" width="341" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PK-vjQPRyaYEZAvwYjjsMqV8GE-yGGQaWva5o6wlpDXrdSteHSpLN4_mNJwZeWUETeOw5srTuhBCN59ha8zvTRNcxrx-bH_abfHSX4XYHo3bhjBArVZhHRFg85EwihQ8k1iIPcD0rmQ/s1600/colinscucumbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PK-vjQPRyaYEZAvwYjjsMqV8GE-yGGQaWva5o6wlpDXrdSteHSpLN4_mNJwZeWUETeOw5srTuhBCN59ha8zvTRNcxrx-bH_abfHSX4XYHo3bhjBArVZhHRFg85EwihQ8k1iIPcD0rmQ/s400/colinscucumbers.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4tJkInpDoG6YZGHgFA1aIcf2K6pWc5j9yKTdctzPRZ-RzXIAcuCw8BoZ_7btMdbNwbNAXxkTG94IpB7Y9GXgLjKEQkXrvPcGTimJu4vbD61lnOgP4cjoPg-gBkrjoHNU2GAN_tcs8UQ/s1600/garlicshoots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4tJkInpDoG6YZGHgFA1aIcf2K6pWc5j9yKTdctzPRZ-RzXIAcuCw8BoZ_7btMdbNwbNAXxkTG94IpB7Y9GXgLjKEQkXrvPcGTimJu4vbD61lnOgP4cjoPg-gBkrjoHNU2GAN_tcs8UQ/s400/garlicshoots.jpg" width="392" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQhqs99IDjILqB6Bde8nTK17UWfeTGInLDhaAc4Nd2zrB75vTrFYlkLwignYtwXULXYP5zs56HB_Ur5GdIya2AGnM-RyYyXE2OkH-orYEtJJe8cXBa6kS9hpsEuGqAmfNHKdjbnoa7CI/s1600/colinlooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQhqs99IDjILqB6Bde8nTK17UWfeTGInLDhaAc4Nd2zrB75vTrFYlkLwignYtwXULXYP5zs56HB_Ur5GdIya2AGnM-RyYyXE2OkH-orYEtJJe8cXBa6kS9hpsEuGqAmfNHKdjbnoa7CI/s400/colinlooking.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5p0eGLvET4pH0eySgwHLaqGAaoN58-9dWBjuI3jmLVH2pZvFQyejJ256SmJPxUO5f4Z28wfLp93B5LnI2XgUQpwE8YwE_vUoL4gs3zO0b09vEtDxnPFLGdlwzHMdVgxLpOY-m2JAIak/s1600/herbagardenmyfeet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5p0eGLvET4pH0eySgwHLaqGAaoN58-9dWBjuI3jmLVH2pZvFQyejJ256SmJPxUO5f4Z28wfLp93B5LnI2XgUQpwE8YwE_vUoL4gs3zO0b09vEtDxnPFLGdlwzHMdVgxLpOY-m2JAIak/s400/herbagardenmyfeet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<i>Plants cry their gratitude for the sun in green joy. <br />
~Astrid <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Alauda</span></i><br />
<br />
We're taking daily trips to the garden to weed, water, wander, watch, wait and wonder.<br />
<br />
There isn't a tonne of work to do just now in our little space. After the watering and the tiny bit of weeding, we're not quite ready to go. So I've been working on one of the communal raspberry patches, trimming it back and thinning it out in hopes of being able to get more berries this summer. The kids are less interested in pruning prickly branches and so they escape to a corner of the garden where they are building a secret fairy garden in among the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sumacs</span>. When they tire of that they count bees, search for strawberries in the wild patch in our plot, climb the tree, twist bindweed into rope, lay on their backs in the sun or the shade and dream to the music of the birds. <br />
<br />
I've been doing a bit of dreaming of my own. I wanted to create the garden space for them. I love the looks on their faces as they run to the garden to discover what's changed since the last visit. I am looking forward to the days when we are harvesting "real food" and dinner, has come, at least in part, from our garden. <br />
<br />
What I didn't count on quite so much was how much <strong><em>I</em></strong> would love it. It is immensely satisfying to putter about, picking a weed here or there, showing the kids how to snap suckers from the tomato plants and build bean <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">teepees</span>. I've been picturing salads made with greens from the garden, sliced tomatoes, some fresh raspberries on yogurt, little hands helping me harvest red currants and elderberry and mint for <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">suntea</span>. I have at least a dozen gardening books out of the library. I've been thinking about chickens and bees and blueberry bushes and 1/2 acre lots. I've been wondering if the neighbours would notice if I moved the fence 20 feet or so west to commandeer a patch of land with some sun and a spot for a coop and a hive. Maybe they would trade for eggs, honey and berries, and some time in our garden.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-73665046118166304152010-05-30T23:38:00.000-07:002010-07-07T23:41:14.169-07:00Gardening in the larger community<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewr7ConFqFXd34unIbOSRubCE6v81W-yyMezOyewju3Aq09uObrMsdw2kkYFNLD1Ycmv9aoCUy1lRH87w52t1awCzaBdTNSXj3TzlwdllvWeWRNlZ39SLjCQ4XY1ST6lMb1r1WNMuyeg/s1600/pgsara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewr7ConFqFXd34unIbOSRubCE6v81W-yyMezOyewju3Aq09uObrMsdw2kkYFNLD1Ycmv9aoCUy1lRH87w52t1awCzaBdTNSXj3TzlwdllvWeWRNlZ39SLjCQ4XY1ST6lMb1r1WNMuyeg/s400/pgsara.jpg" width="397" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJzTWm9jzwrATFYeXHsEPuU8c5FtPhjcdEPSepnA1Jb9rSs_CU3vzy5_xsFekbyuU87mNv8HpPlCaWMIxe49d5z16qPmevg332wmUwL-7pphzdJ4JjvXDW2PNCjhkiTvhHibABZZ0qGA/s1600/pgcolinplanting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJzTWm9jzwrATFYeXHsEPuU8c5FtPhjcdEPSepnA1Jb9rSs_CU3vzy5_xsFekbyuU87mNv8HpPlCaWMIxe49d5z16qPmevg332wmUwL-7pphzdJ4JjvXDW2PNCjhkiTvhHibABZZ0qGA/s400/pgcolinplanting.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5xQlTpbF2zpFl7Tl0ke5I3hntUEQQuMZXmMn5ZPJ9877TIrL8gaZvc-WuNRT1ScAW0XLYXtTMJxkLihWM9D8soEg6KB0FU8IKaspjwXPCdQE-vCtxx4y27F-ZxnMcB8juiXCssW475M/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5xQlTpbF2zpFl7Tl0ke5I3hntUEQQuMZXmMn5ZPJ9877TIrL8gaZvc-WuNRT1ScAW0XLYXtTMJxkLihWM9D8soEg6KB0FU8IKaspjwXPCdQE-vCtxx4y27F-ZxnMcB8juiXCssW475M/s400/books.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rzbLQ544Af8LwP7BRFu9y82X_pLphTpnVxhDbOGM0xFsqhYN-6IaTlfsP0CTBBpqr3BOCcj9Z50-IQN2Mxxx3E9A1qi50Y6bD2S-J0YM7cFnmt0TmW93dlkxxq9k1GIhTUPtC2RonxI/s1600/mernellmakingflags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rzbLQ544Af8LwP7BRFu9y82X_pLphTpnVxhDbOGM0xFsqhYN-6IaTlfsP0CTBBpqr3BOCcj9Z50-IQN2Mxxx3E9A1qi50Y6bD2S-J0YM7cFnmt0TmW93dlkxxq9k1GIhTUPtC2RonxI/s400/mernellmakingflags.jpg" width="340" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmD3hYiLlAjMD90CzIqm-k8RZ8Jc3mA4HwF1icgEpnNp_3et3s1XTH1E_WCIWjtEm9QOhy3PRQFHpgZ14niCNBvrJaa0UikbT5laieni_NO-_nGiBtojyISlGFjJyh3OuwEyRWOR7lJI/s1600/makingsteppingstones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmD3hYiLlAjMD90CzIqm-k8RZ8Jc3mA4HwF1icgEpnNp_3et3s1XTH1E_WCIWjtEm9QOhy3PRQFHpgZ14niCNBvrJaa0UikbT5laieni_NO-_nGiBtojyISlGFjJyh3OuwEyRWOR7lJI/s400/makingsteppingstones.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhzI_Y6FZ_eDVA9ZDkTjd9TYB9kcZ1slpLekW9O63J7yj4tCPDd4zqi7k89SIy-a5EFYkRgpCLPpZEmMwhWO3lAoaaDGyH41aB7V3tM48VLpsYKGIobTotTsqnUCSekpLRFeDisuUeSo/s1600/stonemaking3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhzI_Y6FZ_eDVA9ZDkTjd9TYB9kcZ1slpLekW9O63J7yj4tCPDd4zqi7k89SIy-a5EFYkRgpCLPpZEmMwhWO3lAoaaDGyH41aB7V3tM48VLpsYKGIobTotTsqnUCSekpLRFeDisuUeSo/s400/stonemaking3.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wFpsZ9pdICU63cnwHUYgQp7UaF4zy_YUpqdyYNaWxFs9znzBT1bpw_WFg-Gdpxvfkvh_Se9-XkGepFJ8KF-zms12pzgE5o-YYP0vq-lcHyoANY8ZdX3eLr96yFche9iAhY9rAD2SS0o/s1600/flags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wFpsZ9pdICU63cnwHUYgQp7UaF4zy_YUpqdyYNaWxFs9znzBT1bpw_WFg-Gdpxvfkvh_Se9-XkGepFJ8KF-zms12pzgE5o-YYP0vq-lcHyoANY8ZdX3eLr96yFche9iAhY9rAD2SS0o/s400/flags.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<i>To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">revery</span>. <br />
~ Emily Dickinson</i><br />
<br />
Our <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">UU</span> congregation has been working on integrating our space with our values lately and one of our favourite projects has been turning a small patch of grass behind our building into a <a href="http://www.seeds.ca/proj/poll/index.php?n=pc_lib_pfg">pollinator garden</a>. <br />
Last week the kids went out with some of our adult members to plant the garden. This week I was filling in for our children's program facilitator and we made concrete stepping stones and garden wish flags with the kids which we will install next week after they have cured and I have sewn the flags. We also brought 3 of our painted lady butterflies which emerged this morning to set them free in the pollinator garden. The kids are hoping they will stay and make their home here. <br />
<br />
<em>Inspiration:</em> <br />
<a href="http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2009/05/garden-wish-flags.html">Garden wish flags</a> - love this <a href="http://futurecraftcollective.com/uncategorized/290">idea</a><br />
<a href="http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/steppingstones/a/040201a.htm">Garden stepping stones tutorial</a><br />
<br />
<em>There are a few other projects I would love to do with the kids, either for the community plot or the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">UU</span> garden.</em> <br />
<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/bamboo-bee-house">Bee</a> and Ladybug houses<br />
<a href="http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/2010/04/ecolovies-how-to-make-glass-garden.html">Garden flowers</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pollinationcanada.ca/lit/Pollination%20Canada%20Observers%20Manual.pdf">Pollinator Observer kits</a> and <a href="http://resonatingbodies.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/bee-trading-cards_preview.pdf">cards</a><br />
a mosaic bird bathUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-83314268592652026092010-05-27T23:02:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:26:27.602-07:00Morning in the garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6mm9DWPZdwPuMiaVv-qGUvxt26JCcXguVInenxlu4nOS9Tmhl41uN6UUY74YNxUkbXjKCGU-YyWIBL5UZILpAAdmskc8s9-PzQwokchiTPtRE62CBWIQn0mKqvnFrtkYhFt4eT22zXU/s1600/cgwateringcan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6mm9DWPZdwPuMiaVv-qGUvxt26JCcXguVInenxlu4nOS9Tmhl41uN6UUY74YNxUkbXjKCGU-YyWIBL5UZILpAAdmskc8s9-PzQwokchiTPtRE62CBWIQn0mKqvnFrtkYhFt4eT22zXU/s400/cgwateringcan.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yFovZ4qvGo4WGgoWt2EFUNBk28rFc1Q2pCKnoCbO4qPN-l-tH6KbPhqICA2ExodflmV4voY4hRGrNMyvVL3rInuRWt32mPT4CPg6ZEC5aJim7Rf0-aZVZmsCAXnpvKS2gsDV6wZiXVo/s1600/cgchiveflowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yFovZ4qvGo4WGgoWt2EFUNBk28rFc1Q2pCKnoCbO4qPN-l-tH6KbPhqICA2ExodflmV4voY4hRGrNMyvVL3rInuRWt32mPT4CPg6ZEC5aJim7Rf0-aZVZmsCAXnpvKS2gsDV6wZiXVo/s400/cgchiveflowers.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBxWosQwW92UzbWwXgvXhyphenhyphen6ZIjcpgzReHAww0Ww8R0dTWraVtokfbVEulmrro8mQEk527J0M3FPsYMXFvaCsIzB1yHAP4TzeRnnCbTqDJHzhxocKdqL7cacyI-VZiNYKsbegVJwIYc48/s1600/cgharvest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBxWosQwW92UzbWwXgvXhyphenhyphen6ZIjcpgzReHAww0Ww8R0dTWraVtokfbVEulmrro8mQEk527J0M3FPsYMXFvaCsIzB1yHAP4TzeRnnCbTqDJHzhxocKdqL7cacyI-VZiNYKsbegVJwIYc48/s400/cgharvest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<i>Morning is the best of all times in the garden. The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth. Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten. Birds call to one another. Bees are already at work.” <br />
~ William <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Longgood</span></i><br />
<br />
<br />
So there isn't a lot happening in our garden plot at the moment - no bionic carrots leaping from the soil, no magical bean <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">teepee</span> appearing over night. It is a bit hard for the kids, who have really never gardened before, to get a sense about why we are spending our mornings watering dirt. There is a lot happening around us - beautiful flowers, phlox, and chives, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">borage</span> and tiny yellow ones I haven't identified yet. <br />
<br />
This week, with the bulk of our plot taken care of I turned towards some of the common community areas. I have started clearing out some of the raspberry patches and found a treasure of a giant but hidden rhubarb plant and a patch of mint under the thorns. I need to get a book for herbs to see if I can identify some of the other clumps that are healthy but inaccessible due to the thorns. I have also been eyeing up a small space behind ours where I hope to be able to plant some wild flowers, maybe Cosmos, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Coreopsis</span>, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Echinacea</span>, Wild Lupine and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Bergamot</span>.<br />
<br />
In any case, I managed a small harvest of red raspberry leaves for tea and some mint to make minty lemonade for the kids. Soon I hope we will be bringing home a more substantial harvest after our morning visits.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-26609762981238031172010-05-26T23:03:00.000-07:002010-07-12T20:46:12.295-07:00Toes in the dirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VMlqQyr2FhMGw1Klhz4olJwDhUj4GGcJUyTD1P7QGXpYtFls8hDGAzm50s_OeqDgJg6DsPtumREuZKEKmzLwjJyRxXaezWpnKqQWQ_BUztYphkNAA3Gzdm2LqFuPKrz9rC8zIU_EFso/s1600/gardenemdigging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VMlqQyr2FhMGw1Klhz4olJwDhUj4GGcJUyTD1P7QGXpYtFls8hDGAzm50s_OeqDgJg6DsPtumREuZKEKmzLwjJyRxXaezWpnKqQWQ_BUztYphkNAA3Gzdm2LqFuPKrz9rC8zIU_EFso/s400/gardenemdigging.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMREiISOH-4EtcnVZf0uJL-VKe-TCGwDiiILSbTxBrxRqE6Ohs7sAZodPQJFTJrV-b7Zp0zdvoq_cm9DYuC924a-PprEHZViWT_5YO2298hJ1twYLhyphenhyphenTFyda8JA7SOchHYdIWj8OapIMo/s1600/gardenem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMREiISOH-4EtcnVZf0uJL-VKe-TCGwDiiILSbTxBrxRqE6Ohs7sAZodPQJFTJrV-b7Zp0zdvoq_cm9DYuC924a-PprEHZViWT_5YO2298hJ1twYLhyphenhyphenTFyda8JA7SOchHYdIWj8OapIMo/s400/gardenem.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEbyREUHA260PxxxPd1MSHSUzd92qXqp5xlxwUfhSwhAx0DN_OQNxvVy_Z-zFBCYXluiPlgZLYOVI6kWuBI5bU0ECRTZLcI_crx-c9jH4mTs5Yc8Z7St1fJls_fPaqlOG3_I83VtY5NY/s1600/gardenemplanting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEbyREUHA260PxxxPd1MSHSUzd92qXqp5xlxwUfhSwhAx0DN_OQNxvVy_Z-zFBCYXluiPlgZLYOVI6kWuBI5bU0ECRTZLcI_crx-c9jH4mTs5Yc8Z7St1fJls_fPaqlOG3_I83VtY5NY/s400/gardenemplanting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><i>The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. </i><br />
<i>To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.<br />
~ Alfred Austin </i><br />
<br />
This was a gardening weekend for us - true to Canadian tradition. It was a lot of work, and a lot of dirt. Em and I spent a good chunk of Sunday in the garden center and then shoeless in the garden and I dragged everybody back for a mini workbee on Monday afternoon. We got the plot cleaned up, the strawberries and raspberries trimmed and transplanted, the beds laid out and what felt like a mountain of compost mixed in. We gathered enough rocks from the soil to make a small path between our beds.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Over the past few weeks I have been immersed in gardening books and blogs and I've been thinking about some of the things this new adventure is bringing to our family: another way to connect with nature and honour the seasons; a deeper understanding of our food and where it comes from; a sense of responsibility and (hopefully) wonder and pride as they taste their first harvest; a new community - Em's already making friends with the neighbours; a new hobby for me and maybe some new goals. I'm grateful for the growth in all its forms - the chance to dig our toes into the dirt and stretch at the same time. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438117326163199670.post-15137109395686231082010-05-01T23:04:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:27:38.858-07:00Dreaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnDZp11QkDCLse1qMaDYaZ8Oa4QmIdfQURyoVuQSk1a_Tg_fUPseV_B-c0Relf3Kv4XwUHQfY4fTDP-7tMHtkfCrwqUQ-Oe2rJw5n67dx5erR9wihXytWbCXZjtEratKqLrou4UaC9Xo/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnDZp11QkDCLse1qMaDYaZ8Oa4QmIdfQURyoVuQSk1a_Tg_fUPseV_B-c0Relf3Kv4XwUHQfY4fTDP-7tMHtkfCrwqUQ-Oe2rJw5n67dx5erR9wihXytWbCXZjtEratKqLrou4UaC9Xo/s400/sign.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehiD4OLgkc4CFzYACUmVdQaeYqol3Kx__lbtQYVDNitJD2GlEctPCvkJPb-z5O3-3Y0YIXK2Go84CYV2EQFQIIIaW2GxhyuBUKqBwis5vhrKon-nSKDkSxMPRs95PoZyOBzDRHLzfhWI/s1600/trellis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehiD4OLgkc4CFzYACUmVdQaeYqol3Kx__lbtQYVDNitJD2GlEctPCvkJPb-z5O3-3Y0YIXK2Go84CYV2EQFQIIIaW2GxhyuBUKqBwis5vhrKon-nSKDkSxMPRs95PoZyOBzDRHLzfhWI/s400/trellis.jpg" tt="true" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3SSwcL4-Q0T3uqlROCAWH5ZeYxwd4DVFYnHneJ0JuneKUTMWZFdY-nH7-ErqzgzyEdtmrtxoQHD4Y0f802saU4QUwuc0PNkCf3H1g45tgzDUwtXmmZx5wA2CFTGvNQ52gd9j-KYTq3o/s1600/chiveflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3SSwcL4-Q0T3uqlROCAWH5ZeYxwd4DVFYnHneJ0JuneKUTMWZFdY-nH7-ErqzgzyEdtmrtxoQHD4Y0f802saU4QUwuc0PNkCf3H1g45tgzDUwtXmmZx5wA2CFTGvNQ52gd9j-KYTq3o/s400/chiveflower.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VZxeJ5hDiiU_wHlCKZBh-En7s0yN7HgqCmfVo-NYXpJ3LIk39AkTxRiWRghixoqntA2c5kqITM_RQO_wOmm6l6k1q0DQP2mT3WBudNk7nQZ5XqO-Oy72tjptdlFix4XyCmHn-k41zok/s1600/shed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VZxeJ5hDiiU_wHlCKZBh-En7s0yN7HgqCmfVo-NYXpJ3LIk39AkTxRiWRghixoqntA2c5kqITM_RQO_wOmm6l6k1q0DQP2mT3WBudNk7nQZ5XqO-Oy72tjptdlFix4XyCmHn-k41zok/s400/shed.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_7WqvrRsDVAJIc2KUxJQGXyF3zycBXrHudqVNi-qy_8eIEoJnrF3VaTrO_IzhU41HbkyarS4Fh6DY5tlQN5rr-WjIxcwMfLMO6gNDCjHJOw-BJYh4PCPOZ2-_HnFqYlSs_w0Ao_TxKM/s1600/snail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_7WqvrRsDVAJIc2KUxJQGXyF3zycBXrHudqVNi-qy_8eIEoJnrF3VaTrO_IzhU41HbkyarS4Fh6DY5tlQN5rr-WjIxcwMfLMO6gNDCjHJOw-BJYh4PCPOZ2-_HnFqYlSs_w0Ao_TxKM/s400/snail.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhT6R1oIinqSVqXNDNE4uj6Mc44xrX1dlo2Pg_I5KvkSbpc2b6d4mxlMKz1PVXUwJqBBcYHpTVRBYMUI4zl4RQuGA9OW93u3Xlw2DOBvSog8nYFwrV4ZRrpRd5UOP237TkFMd1Agd5hk/s1600/naturalapproachsign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhT6R1oIinqSVqXNDNE4uj6Mc44xrX1dlo2Pg_I5KvkSbpc2b6d4mxlMKz1PVXUwJqBBcYHpTVRBYMUI4zl4RQuGA9OW93u3Xlw2DOBvSog8nYFwrV4ZRrpRd5UOP237TkFMd1Agd5hk/s400/naturalapproachsign.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5DOrzN7r98IKbsaAo19HR3Gth09dDh9mRbJyS-QgM8dCsg1r9y1vhUgP7StMacuY8DjF_mwCZweGojY4Q5twZ1qlD0ZazFTiI_AhJGTOo0RJjhHar7dslbvBkTDxUQdzT0nBKundf7s/s1600/emherbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5DOrzN7r98IKbsaAo19HR3Gth09dDh9mRbJyS-QgM8dCsg1r9y1vhUgP7StMacuY8DjF_mwCZweGojY4Q5twZ1qlD0ZazFTiI_AhJGTOo0RJjhHar7dslbvBkTDxUQdzT0nBKundf7s/s400/emherbs.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<i>A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream.<br />
~ Unknown</i><br />
<br />
We live in a wonderful neighbourhood with hundred year old maples that surround our house and line our street. It's cool and leafy...and very shady. So shady that gardening isn't really possible - at least not on our lot. And I have been dreaming about a little space where the kids could grow some vegetables and I could plant some herbs and tomatoes and maybe even a berry bush or two.<br />
<br />
So today we met at our local community garden to see what plots may be available. We were foiled a bit by the weather and a communication glitch so we wandered and dreamt a bit more and then Em and I made our way to the garden centre where she spent some time dreaming about planning her own chef's herb garden.<br />
<br />
Some links: <br />
<a href="http://www.gardeners.com/Kitchen-Garden-Planner/kgp_home,default,pg.html?&SC=XNET9010&utm_source=referring_site&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=firstad&utm_content=kgp">Kitchen Garden Planner</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/">My Square Foot Garden</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0